Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Maslow Hierarchy Model

Question: for relevant theories you need to use Maslow's needs, alderfer's erg, McClelland etc. and must give examples of workplace, benefits like define it, how it works. Answer: Introduction The paper focuses on generating a discussion relating to different types of motivation theories like Maslows Need Hierarchy Model, Alderfers ERG Theory, Vrooms Expectancy Model and McClellands Need Theory to evaluate the manner the managers and employers are required to motivate the staffs to generate needed performances and productivity. Empirical studies enabled through the use of books, journals and articles would be used to gain required inferences. Application of Motivation Theories Maslows Need Hierarchy Theory Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Theory can be effectively used in an organisation in terms of enhancing the workplace culture and also has needed impacts on the performances of the employees. It also has effective implications on the human resource management of the organisation. The Needs Theory of Abraham Maslow is reflected in the following illustration. Image 1 (Jerome, 2013) The theory can be effectively used by managers and employers to motivate the staffs and employees in terms of generation of rewards and benefits financial and non-financial, tangible and non-tangible in nature. The same is used by the managers and employers to contribute in effectively motivating the staffs to generate the right quality of performances. Similarly the Need Hierarchy Theory can also be used by the managers to help employees in earning self-actualisation in terms of understanding and evaluating ones potential and skills to contribute in the generation of greater productivity(Jerome, 2013). The safety needs reflected in the need hierarchy pyramid can also be met by the organisational managers in terms of enhancement of workplace safety. Further the need hierarchy theory also contributes in cultivating the organisational culture such that the same helps in meeting the physiological and security related needs of the people. The meeting of the physiological and security related needs of the people rightly contributes in motivating the employees to generate effective performances in the workplace(Msoroka, 2013). Moreover the focus of the managers on development of employee potentials in terms of generation of training programs and also in development of interactions rightly contributes in meeting the social needs of the people. Taking care of the basic physiological and social needs of the people contribute in developing a sense of belongingness for the employees towards the organisation. It helps in developing a sense of loyalty for the organisation thus motivating the peo ple to generate needed performances. Esteem needs of the people are addressed by the organisational managers in terms of recognising their potentials and in appraising such in the public(Kaur, 2013). Alderfers ERG Theory Alderfer ERG Theory evaluates that an individual is motivated based on three types of needs related to Existence, Relatedness and Growth parameters. Existence needs of an individual relate to the need for meeting the physiological and safety needs of the people while Relatedness needs of the individuals reflect on the social, interaction and interpersonal needs of the individual workers. Growth needs of individuals relate to their interest of excelling in their fields and thereby in earning due recognition and social status(Caulton, 2012). The use of the ERG Theory in the workplace can be effectively done in terms of understanding the means to help in meeting the Existence related needs of the people in the workplace. Managers and employers are required to focus on generating effective rewards and benefits both financial and non-financial in addition to development of safety and employee welfare policies. The same contributes in sustaining the employees in the organisation. Existence related needs of the employees are also met by the organisational managers in terms of enhancing the level of job security of the employees in the workplace (Konrad et al., 2013). Similarly the generation of training and skill development programs and also in the encouragement of teamwork in the organisation effectively contributes in meeting the Relatedness needs of the employees can also be developed in terms of encouragement of informal communication in the organisation and also in development of interaction between the different levels of the staffs in the organisation(Konrad et al., 2013). The Growth related needs of the employees and staffs in the organisation relate to the generation of increased opportunities for growth for the managerial staffs. It is evident that the managerial staffs are always in the lookout for better opportunities and thus tend to shift from one organisation to another in search for better opportunities. Organisations are thus required to develop a culture that helps in fostering a culture reflected needed innovation, empowerment and personal growth. The same would contribute in effectively reducing the attrition levels of the managerial workforce in the organisation. Managers and top executives aim to gain an effective organisational culture which would help them in taking the right quality of decisions and also in conducting of social experiments in the organisation to gain new and potential insights(Arnolds Boshoff, 2002). McClellands Need Theory McClellands Theory of Learned Needs reflects three types of needs like the need for power, affiliation and also for achievement related to the organisational managers. The theory tends to identify three specific needs of individuals like need for power, need for achievement and also need for affiliation. Individuals seeking greater power in the organisation focus on governing and monitoring the action of others like the employees and subordinate staffs to help in meeting of departmental and organisational objectives. Individuals with a strong need for achievement focus on meeting goals and objectives in an effective fashion such that it helps them to earn potential success. Finally the individual seeking increased affiliation with others employees, managers and staffs in the organisation focus on developing effective relationships, associations and networks with others in meeting of stated objectives and goals(Napolitano, 2014). The application of McClellands Theory of Motivation can be effectively exercised relating to an organisation. The staffs and managers reflecting increased need for gaining success and achievement are required to be rightly trained in that the same contributes in enhancing their skills and expertise in handling tasks and functions demanding greater responsibilities. Persons desiring increased achievement are observed to have an inclination of handling challenging tasks such that the meeting of the same contributes in generating an enhanced place in the organisation. Thus new and challenging tasks are needed to be offered to the persons desiring achievement and are also generated potential feedbacks from time to time to help in enhancing their skill base and potentials(Strycharczyk Elvin, 2014). On the other hand, the managerial individuals seeking power can be delegated to departments where there is increased competition and thereby requires the effective monitoring and governance of the staffs to contribute in the meeting of desired objectives. Managerial staffs reflecting increased need for affiliation can be encouraged to work based on a team based culture in that the same would contribute in meeting their needs for conducting the tasks in an associated and network driven environment(Worth, 2013). Vrooms Expectancy Theory The expectancy theory developed by Victor Vroom is essentially based on three different variables like value, expectancy and also instrumentality. Value relates to the significance generated to the outcome related to a specific situation. Expectancy relates to the linking of success of the situation gained by an individual to the outcome or result emanating from meeting the situation. Finally the level of instrumentality is related where the expectancy of the outcome earns effective linkage to the outcome resulting from the situation. Motivation is observed by Vroom as the product of the Value, Expectancy and Instrumentality such that Motivation = E x V x I(Burn, 2011). The implication of the Vrooms Expectancy Theory in the workplace is devised based on the following model. (Lunenburg, 2011) The expectancy parameter can be exercised by the managers in terms of making the staffs and employees understand their potential and efforts would lead to generate effective performances. The same can be done by managers in terms of evaluation and selection for the right type of individuals with required skill and knowledge in meeting the objectives and specifications related to a particular job. Further the individuals can be effective trained to contribute in enhancing their skills, know-how and potentials to gain needed confidence and solidarity in meeting the job expectations. Similarly the organisational managers are required to assign needed infrastructural and resource based support to the employees to assist them in meeting of task objectives(Bernstein, 2010). Similarly the organisational managers are continually required to interact with the staffs to contribute in gaining of needed feedbacks from them to enhance the job environment and also take part in problem-solving acti vities to rightly contribute in meeting of tasks in an enhanced and effective fashion. Change of job roles and also assigning employees greater and complex tasks based on training rightly contributes in increasing the confidence levels of the employees to proactively meet the job or task expectations(STEERS et al., 2004). In the second place, the Vrooms expectancy model can be used by the managers to make the employees believe that conducting the right type of performances would contribute in generating the right type of rewards. The same is conducted by the managers in terms of conducting job performance and evaluation of the staffs and thereby in generating rewards based on the performances generated. Historical comparisons can also be generated in terms of highlighting the manner employees have been rewarded for like performances. Thus the rewards desired by the staffs are required to be effectively linked to the performances required of them by the business managers. Effective compensation systems are needed to be set related to the performance levels of the employees Development of incentive plans and piece rate systems are made by managers in terms of linking the volumes sold or produced by the staffs to create needed motivation(Martinko et al., 2002). Finally the managers are also required to enhance the value of rewards generating from desired level of performances. Thus it is required for the managers to decide on the rewards desired or expected by the employees before aligning such with the performances desired or expected of them. It is observed that where some employees desire of earning promotions others focus on gaining of potential monetary and non-monetary incentives as a part of the incentive program. Some other employees also focus on earning of effective recognition and appraisals in terms of the performances conducted by the superiors and managers in the organisation(Hughes, 2012). Some companies have thus focused on the development of different types of incentive and benefit plans to encourage the employees in selecting such to be rewarded to them in terms of the performances conducted. The employees are however required to satiate the job and organisational objectives rather than to focus on the meeting of the group norms. The group norms are observed to require the staffs to generate minimal effort to generate lesser value where the job objectives and the organisation require the employees to generate increased or enhanced performances(Lunenburg, 2011). The above discussion thus reflects the manner in which Vrooms Expectancy Theory can be rightly implemented by the managers in the business organisation to rightly motivate the staffs in generating greater performances. Conclusion The paper effectively analyses different motivation theories like Maslows Need Hierarchy Model, Alderfers ERG Theory, Vrooms Expectancy Model and McClellands Need Theory to understand and evaluate the fashion in which the organisational managers can effectively use such in motivating the staffs to generate needed performances. Both empirical and practical discussions are carried out through the use of secondary research based on the use of books, journals and articles to essentially reflect on the fashion the motivational tools are used and strategically employed to contribute in generating greater productivity and performances related to the different departments and the organisation as a whole. It also reflects on the timeless use of such motivation models and theories related to the motivation of staffs at their respective workplaces. The use of the Maslows Need Hierarchy Model reflects the process in which the managers can effectively design motivational strategies to contribute in meeting of the different types of needs of the staffs to generate needed performances and productivity. Similarly the ERG Model of Alderfer also reflects the fashion in which the Existence, Relatedness and Growth parameters can be rightly addressed by the organisational managers to motivate the people in generating needed performances. Vrooms Expectancy Model in use also reflects the mode of formulating motivation strategies based on meeting the parameters of expectancy, value and the instrumentality parameters to enhance the motivation levels of the staffs. Likewise the McClellands Theory is depicted to be used in meeting the needs of the staffs related to power, achievement and affiliation to thereby encourage them in meeting production and performance objectives. References Arnolds, C.A. Boshoff, C., 2002. Compensation, esteem valence and job performance: an empirical assessment of Alderfer's ERG theory. International Journal of Human Resource Management , 13(4), pp.697-719. Bernstein, D., 2010. Essentials of Psychology. United States : Cengage Learning. Burn, G., 2011. Motivation For Dummies. London : John Wiley and Sons. Caulton, J.R., 2012. The Development and Use of the Theory of ERG: A Literature Review. Emerging Leadership Journeys, 5(1), pp.2-8. Hughes, C., 2012. Valuing People and Technology in the Workplace: A Competitive Advantage Framework: A Competitive Advantage Framework. London : IGI Global. Jerome, N., 2013. Application of the Maslows hierarchy of need theory; impacts and implications on organizational culture, human resource and employee's performance. International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 2(3), pp.39-45. Kaur, A., 2013. Maslows Need Hierarchy Theory: Applications and Criticisms. Global Journal of Management and Business Studies, 3(10), pp.1061-64. Konrad, A.M. et al., 2013. Temporary Work, Underemployment and Workplace Accommodations: Relationship to Well-being for Workers with Disabilities. British Journal of Management, 24, pp.367-82. Lunenburg, F.C., 2011. Expectancy Theory of Motivation: Motivating by Altering Expectations. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS, AND ADMINISTRATION, 15(1), pp.1-6. Martinko, M.J., Gundlach, M.J. Douglas, S.C., 2002. Toward an Integrative Theory of Counterproductive Workplace Behavior: A Causal Reasoning Perspective. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SELECTION AND ASSESSMENT, 10(1/2), pp.36-50. Msoroka, M., 2013. Motivating Workers in Educational Institutions: Adams' Equity and Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theoretical Implications. Germany: GRIN Verlag. Napolitano, G., 2014. Motivation In The Workplace: A Procter And Gamble Case Study. United States : Babelcube Inc. STEERS, R.M., MOWDAY, R.T. SHAPIRO, D.L., 2004. THE FUTURE OF WORK MOTIVATION THEORY. Academy of Management Review, 29(3), pp.379-87. Strycharczyk, D. Elvin, C., 2014. Developing Resilient Organizations: How to Create an Adaptive, High-Performance and Engaged Organization. United States : Kogan Page Publishers. Worth, M.J., 2013. Nonprofit Management: Principles and Practice. London : SAGE.

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Evolution Of Apple - January 1976 To May 1995 Essays

The Evolution of Apple - January 1976 to May 1995 Let's take a trip back in time and review the evolution of a computer company. It's not IBM or Microsoft. This company is Apple Computers, Incorporated. In the year 1976, before most people even thought about buying a computer for their homes. Back then the computer community added up to a few brainy hobbyist. So when Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs sold a van and two programmable calculators for thirteen hundred dollars and started Apple Computers, Inc., in Jobs garage, the reach for success seemed far. But these two young business men, Wozniak 26 years old and Jobs 21 years old, had a vision. "Computers aren't for nerds anymore," they announced. "Computers are going to be the bicycle of the mind. Low cost computers for everyone." From the first day on the founders of Apple kept their vision intact, and they spoke it at every turn. They only hired people into the company that had the same visions as they did. In early 1976 Wozniak and Jobs finish work on a preassembled computer circuit board. It has no Product keyboard, case, sound or graphics. They call it the Apple I. They form the Apple Computer Company on April Fool's Day and sold the Apple I board for $666.66 at the Home brew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California. In 1977 the Apple II is available to the general public. Fully assembled and pretested, it includes 4K of standard memory, and comes equipped with two game paddles and a demo cassette. The price is $1,298. Customers use their own TV set as a monitor and store programs on audio cassette recorders. Compare this price with computers today. The price about the same, but the computer has changed tremendously. In 1979 Apple II+ is introduced, available with 48K of memory and a new auto-start ROM for easier startup and screen editing for $1,195. Apple II Pascal is also released. In 1980 Apple FORTRAN introduced and proves to be a catalyst for high-level technical and educational applications. Apple III announced at the National Computer Conference. It has a new operating system, a built-in disk controller and four peripheral slots priced at $3,495, the Apple III is the most advanced system in the company's history. Product In 1981 Accessory Products Division formed to handle production of printers, modems and other peripherals. The Apple Language Card is introduced. It allows Apple II users to run programs in either Pascal, FORTRAN or Pilot. The IEEE-488 interface card is announced and allows Apple II computers to be linked to over 1,400 scientific and technical instruments. International Business Machines came on the PC scene in August of 1981 with the IBM Personal Computer. Apple greets its new competitor with a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal with a headline that reads, "Welcome IBM. Seriously." Apple's first mass storage system was also introduced this year, the 5MB ProFile hard disk, priced at $3,499. In November of 1983 AppleWorks, an integrated package containing word processing, spreadsheet, and database applications all in one, is introduced and will soon become the world's best selling software. In February of 1985 Jobs and Wozniak receive National Technology Medal from President Reagan at the White House. The ImageWriter II, HD-20 hard disk and Apple Personal Modem were also introduced this year. In January of 1987 Apple introduced a new desktop communications products including the AppleShare file server software and AppleTalk PC Card. They are priced at $799 and $399. Also introduced in 1987 is the AppleFax Modem, priced at $699. Now you get a fax modem with the purchase of an Apple computer. In February of 1988 Apple introduces AppleCD SC, an optical storage device that gives access to huge amounts of information. Priced at $1,199, a single CD-ROM disc can store up to 270,000 pages of typewritten information. Also in 1988 Apple files suit against Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard to protect its Macintosh audio visual display. The lawsuit is seen as having industry wide implications regarding copyright laws. In late 1988 Apple introduces the Macintosh IIx computer, priced at $7,769. It is the first Macintosh II computer to use Motorola's 68030 microprocessor and 68882 math co-processor. It is also the first Macintosh to incorporate FDHD, Floppy Drive High Density, Apple's new 1.44MB floppy disk drive that can read and write to MS-DOS, OS/2 and ProDOS formats. Also a new configuration is announced for the Macintosh SE. The new unit features two megabytes of RAM and an internal 40 megabyte hard drive. It retails for $5,069. From April till July of 1989

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Irregular French Verb Apprendre

The Irregular French Verb Apprendre Apprendre,  which commonly means to learn,  is a frequently used  irregular French  -re  verb. Irregular verbs do not follow regular conjugation patterns, but some verbs within an irregular verb group can share a conjugation pattern with at least one other verb. There are patterns for irregular French -re verbs, and the irregular verb  apprendre  is in one of those groups. All verbs like apprendre that end in  -prendre  are conjugated the same way. The verbs in this group drop the d in all three plural forms and take a double n in the third person plural form.   Verbs Ending in -prendre All French verbs that end in  -prendre  are conjugated the same way as apprendre  and  prendre: apprendre  Ã‚  to learncomprendre  Ã‚  to understandentreprendre  Ã‚  to undertakemà ©prendre  Ã‚  to mistakeprendre  Ã‚  to takereprendre  Ã‚  to retake, take againsurprendre  Ã‚  to surprise Apprendre: Meanings and Uses In use,  apprendre  means to learn. The pronominal sapprendre, means to be learned, as in:  Le style, à §a ne sapprend pas. Style cant be learned. Apprendre can also mean to tell, as in:Apprendre quelque chose quelquun to teach something to somebody And to hear, as in:Quest-ce que japprends, vous dà ©missionnez  ? Whats this I hear about you resigning? Apprendre:  Idiomatic Expressions On en apprend tous les jours  !   You can learn something new every day.Tiens, tiens, on en apprend des choses  ! Whod have thought such a thing!Napprend pas un vieux singe faire la grimace. ( proverb)   Dont teach an old dog new tricks.Ça lui apprendra  !   Thatll teach him!Apprendre quelque chose par cÅ“ur   learn something by heart/ by roteApprendre à ªtre patient to learn patienceOn apprend tout à ¢ge. Its never too late to learn.Apprendre lentement/vite to be a slow / fast learner Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French Verb Apprendre Present Future Imperfect Present participle j apprends apprendrai apprenais apprenant tu apprends apprendras apprenais il apprend apprendra apprenait nous apprenons apprendrons apprenions vous apprenez apprendrez appreniez ils apprennent apprendront apprenaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle appris Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive j apprenne apprendrais appris apprisse tu apprennes apprendrais appris apprisses il apprenne apprendrait apprit apprit nous apprenions apprendrions apprimes apprissions vous appreniez apprendriez apprites apprissiez ils apprennent apprendraient apprissent Imperative tu apprends nous apprenons vous apprenez

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Food Inс. Essays

Food InÃ' . Essays Food InÃ' . Essay Food InÃ' . Essay Discussion Questions Watch the film and answer the following questions: 1. If animals should have certain rights, do you think those rights also apply to animals we raise for food, like chickens or pigs? Are there any rights that these farm animals should have? If so, what are they? One animal does not have greater importance over another, such as one human is not more life worthy than another. In this case to say certain animals should have rights whereas others should not is wrong. So yes a dog and a chicken should have rights and the same rights. The more difficult question is what exactly these rights should be. It is reasonable to try to prevent the most obvious cases of gratuitous suffering or torture of animals, but beyond that, non-human animals yes deserve to be given â€Å"rights†, but cannot simply be granted. The animals are treated like scum, kept in the dark with no concept of an outside world. Some rights they should be graced with are the right to the outdoors, and the right to roam. 2. How do you think farm animals should be treated? How do your ideas compare to what you saw in the film? It seems as if each industry in the film has the power to define cruelty. : This is as ridiculous as giving a burglar the power to determine their punishment. Why these industries are not charged with aggravated cruelty to animals is something I cannot understand. Is it not the same to kick a dog or kick a chicken with the same anger? 3. Richard Lobb of the National Chicken Council says in the film, â€Å"In a way, we’re not producing chickens, we’re producing food. † What does this statement mean? Do you agree or disagree with it? How might this perspective affect the way that chickens are raised? 4. Many of us were surprised to learn that corn is so prevalent in our foods. Why o you think we were so surprised? Of course people are surprised to find out corn is so prevalent because the problem is it’s not even just in foods! When there is some kind of soy or corn in batteries, diapers, Motrin, charcoal, etc. you know there is a big problem. 5. Do you think the government and food producers have kept it a secret? Why don’t more people know this fact? This unfortunately is not something you can blame on the food producers; it’s simply the consumers fault for not looking at the ingredients on a food label. I believe people do not know the facts due to ignorance and laziness. Bottom line is if people realize what is in their food they will have to make a change which is usually not cost effective and more time consuming which these days is very undesirable. 6. Food labels actually do list corn-based ingredients, but not always in a recognizable way. How do you feel about ingredients being included in your diet without your knowledge? If you have a question about something, isn’t it common knowledge to ask about it. Google these days tells you everything you want to know and more so people can easily read the ingredients and research a word unknown to them.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Financial crises and Fair Value Accounting (Historical cost,deprival Essay

Financial crises and Fair Value Accounting (Historical cost,deprival value and replacement cost) - Essay Example hand, the supporters of fair value accounting method argued that the role of this method of valuation was minimalistic in the financial crisis and that the use of other methods of accounting could not have prevented the crisis. They identified that certain macro-economic factors like account surpluses, dispersing of loans without credibility checking, excess level of risk taking by the banks and the sharp fall in the prices of mortgage backed assets to be the main factors driving the financial crisis. The financial crisis of 2008 was a deep recession which impacted almost all the nations of the world. Therefore, the reasons that have caused the crisis have been extensively studied by the economists and scholars. One of the most studied topics in this respect is whether the use of the fair value accounting by the financial institutions has been a driving force for the downturn. The financial crisis of 2008 led to major debates among the researchers, academicians, banks as well as other participants of the financial markets regarding the role of Fair Value accounting in driving the failure of the financial markets in during the financial crisis. The financial crisis of 2008 was characterized by liquidity and volatility problems in the financial markets and the collapse or quasi breakdown of the major financial institutions of Wall Street like Lehman Brothers, Merry Lynch, Royal Bank of Scotland, Citicorp, AIG, Bear Sterns and Dexia (Ryan, 2008, p.14). The non-supporters of Fair Value Accounting argued that the use of fair value accounting methods in the financial reporting of the major financial institutions was the main accelerator and amplifier of the high intensity of the financial downturn. According to them, many financial institutions marked down the asset values in their financial reports due to the drip in the value of many financial instruments. Th e marked down representation of the asset values in the balance sheets weakened the capitalization ratios of

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Current Administrations Budget Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Current Administrations Budget - Essay Example a higher premium for Medicares prescription drug coverage, and increasing the amount of money drug manufacturers rebate to states for prescription drugs covered under Medicaid will comprise the proposal (â€Å"Obama 2010 budget highlights by agency,† 2009). Obamas budget indicated that the environment is a main concern by providing the largest increase for the Environmental Protection Agency in eight years. The proposal nearly triples — to $3.9 billion for funding states, local governments and tribes. They can use the money for the improvement of sewage treatment plants and drinking water systems and to protect drinking water sources. These programs already received $6 billion in the recently approved stimulus package. Starting in 2012, the budget proposes to invest $15 billion a year in clean energy — money created from auctioning permits to companies that emit the gases blamed for global warming. The rest of the climate cash will be returned to taxpayers. In another move that could increase energy prices, the EPA budget calls for reinstating taxes on petroleum products, chemical feedstocks and crude oil to pay for cleaning the countrys most harmful waste sites. These taxes expired in 1995. but would set up again in 2011 under Obamas budget (â€Å"Obama 2010 budget highlights by agency,† 2009). Proposed Budget on Energy and Climate Change: The Administration is extending a comprehensive energy and climate change plan to invest in safe and uncontaminated energy, terminate our addiction to oil, concentrate on the global climate crisis, and create new American jobs that cannot be outsourced. After enactment of the Budget, the Administration will work promptly with key stakeholders and the Congress will create an economy-wide emissions reduction program to lessen greenhouse gas emissions roughly 14 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, and approximately 83 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. The cap-and-trade system program will be implemented. This program

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Transformational Leadership Essay Example for Free

Transformational Leadership Essay In any endeavor, a leader is necessary for it to be successful. One would ask why? Is something doomed to failure if it’s instigated, implemented without a leader? Sun Tzu said: â€Å"The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected (Giles).† I would like to make a comparison here. Any action is a war – a war between success and failure. Even the simplest task of reading is a war – understanding vs. misunderstanding or enjoyable vs. boring. Let me just add that Sun Tzu further stated that: â€Å"The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. These are: The Moral Law; Heaven; Earth; The Commander; Method and discipline. The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerely, benevolence, courage and strictness.† (Giles). So how important Sun Tzu’s Commander is in the way of things? Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, was reported to have issued a three-word dictum–â€Å"Don’t manage! Lead!† So when does one be classified as a manager? As a leader? What’s the difference? Whereas a manager is someone who works with and through other people by coordinating their work activities in order to accomplish organizational goals, leadership is somehow more complex. It is â€Å"the process wherein an individual member of a group or organization influences the interpretation of events, the choice of objectives, the maintenance of cooperative relationships, the development of skills and confidence by members, and the enlistment of support and cooperation from people outside the group or organization† (Yukl 2002, p. 5). Henceforth, leadership is influencing other people to realize or actualize the vision an organization must take in order to stay ahead and the leader is the one who is ahead of the pact. In the years of studying leadership, several leadership styles emerged. Literatures discussed and analyzed situational leadership, participative leadership, charismatic leadership, and transformational leadership among others. Transformational Leadership: Review of Related Literature Nigel Nicholson talked about the transformational leadership in one of his articles. In the beginning of one of his article, How to Motivate Your Problem People, he said that â€Å"[everyone] knows that good managers motivate with the power of their vision, the passion of their delivery, and the compelling logic of their reasoning† (2003, p. 57). However, he did say that this is a great image and that only remains as main fare of â€Å"idealistic leadership books† (Nicholson, p. 57). Tracey and Hinkin undertook a research on whether transformational leadership exists or it is just effective managerial practices (1998). To test their hypothesis, Tracey and Hinkin conducted the study by comparing the transformational leadership scales from Bass and Avolios Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire with four scales from Yukls Managerial Practices Survey (1998). The results provided mixed support for the distinctiveness of the MLQ. Does this mean then that there is no such thing as a transformational leader? I don’t think so. I believe that Gandhi was one, Mother Theresa was one, and even Hitler was one. So what is this transformational leadership theory? Furthermore, Sosik and Megerian found out that the transformational leadership behavior and managerial performance are correlated in several circumstances (1991).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Transformational leadership was first formulated by Burns from his descriptive research on political leaders (Yukl 2002, p. 324). It is defined in terms of the transformational leader’s effect on followers: â€Å"they feel trust, admiration, loyalty, and respect toward the leader, and they are motivated to do more than they originally expected to do† (Yukl 2002, p. 325). The transformational leadership theory assumes that people will follow a person who inspires them. It also assumes that a person with vision and passion can achieve great things; and that the way to get things done is by injecting enthusiasm and energy. Given that a transformational leader seeks overtly to transform the organization, there is also a tacit promise to followers that they also will be transformed in some way, perhaps to be more like this amazing leader. In some respects, then, the followers are the product of the transformation. But then as Nicholson implied, one of the traps of Transformational Leadership is that passion and confidence can easily be mistaken for truth and reality. While it is true that great things have been achieved through enthusiastic leadership, it is also true that many passionate people have led the charge right over the cliff and into a bottomless chasm. Paradoxically, the energy that gets people going can also cause them to give up. Transformational Leaders often have large amounts of enthusiasm which, if relentlessly applied, can wear out their followers. Chen studied the impact of gender on transformational leadership (2001). His research study supported his hypothesis that gender truly affects transformational leadership due to the differing qualities possessed by each gender (Chen 2001). Because â€Å"women leaders possess qualities more in line with transformational leadership and are thus more transformational than their male counterparts† (Chen 2001). A similar study was made by Schyns and Sanders. The study was focused on the gender differences in the relationship between transformational leadership and leaders occupational self-efficacy, and aimed to explain how female and male leaders develop their self-efficacy (Schyns Sanders 2005). Unlike the Chen study, Schyns and Sanders’ study â€Å"found no significant relationship between self-rated transformational leadership and occupational self-efficacy for women, although [they] did find a positive relationship for men. No interaction effect with respect to leaders occupational self-efficacy could be found between leaders gender and follower-rated transformational leadership† (2005). The effectiveness of the transformational leadership had been studied not only in the business sector, but also in the arts. Boerner and von Streit investigated the degree to which the conductors transformational leadership style and a cooperative climate in the orchestra favorably affect the orchestras artistic quality by surveying several musicians from 22 professional German symphony orchestras (2005). Specifically, the authors studied the assertion that the conductors transformational leadership style promotes the orchestras artistic quality only if there is a cooperative climate in the orchestra (Boerner von Streit 2005). Whereas Krishnan studied the effects of leader-member exchange, transformational leadership, and perceived value system congruence between leader and follower on followers six upward influence strategies assertiveness, bargaining, coalition, friendliness, higher authority, and reasoning by using a sample of 281 managers working in various organizations in India (2004). Majority of the researches done on transformational leadership focused on the effectiveness of transformational leadership, but Felfe ad Schyns pointed out that â€Å"a little is known about similarity in the leadership behavior of leader and supervisor, and how this affects the outcomes of leadership† (2004), and both collaborated to correct this oversight. In their study, 213 supervisors from two public administration offices were asked to rate their own leadership behavior as well as their leaders behavior. Felfe and Schyns then examined the relationship between own self-rated transformational leadership and perceived transformational leadership of the direct superior, and analyzed the relationship between perceived similarity between subordinate and supervisor in transformational leadership and leadership specific outcomes (extra effort, efficiency, and satisfaction with the leader), as well as organizational outcomes (commitment, overall satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, achievement orientation, stress, and irritability) (2004). The researches on transformational leadership were conducted in several ways: review of existing literatures, interviews, and surveys. Sosik, however, conducted a laboratory experiment to evaluate the effects of high and low level of transformational leadership style and anonymity (1997). He included 36 undergraduate student work groups, and used a Group Decision Support System to perform an idea generation task (Sosik 1997). Sosik found out â€Å"that groups working under high transformational leadership generated more original solutions, supportive remarks, solution clarifications and questions about solutions and reported higher levels of perceived performance, extra effort and satisfaction with the leader than groups working under low transformational leadership† (1997). Undoubtedly, the effectiveness of a transformational leader doesn’t depend solely on that leader: no matter how good a leader is that leader’s success will always depend, in part, on the followers. Walumbwa, Lawler, Avolio, Wang and Shi studied how a transformational leader’s effectiveness is affected by followers’ work-related attitude (2005). What is interesting with this study is Walumbwa, Lawler, Avolio, Wang and Shi collected their data from three countries: China, India and United States. But, then, what makes up a transformational leadership exactly? Hoffman and Frost examine the impact of emotional, social, and cognitive intelligences on the dimensions of transformational leadership using both paper-and-pencil measures and assessment center dimensions (2006). The study found out that there are significant relationships between cognitive intelligence components and intellectual stimulation, social intelligence components and charisma, and emotional intelligence components and individualized consideration (Hoffman Frost 2006). Finally, Transformational Leaders, by definition, seek to transform. When the organization does not need transforming and people are happy as they are, then such a leader will be frustrated. Like wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come into their own and can be personally responsible for saving entire wars. References Chen, C. (2001). Androgyny and transformational leadership: Effects of gender and sex-role identity in the collectivistic context of Taiwan, R.O.C. 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