Aids As An Invader Essays - HIVAIDS, HIV, Ryan White, Free Essays

Aids As An Invader Essays - HIVAIDS, HIV, Ryan White, Free Essays Aids As An Invader Acquired immune deficiency syndrome, also known as AIDS, is a silent invader. The first cases of this disease were reported in the early 1980s. AIDS is caused by the infection known as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is a microscopic organism that can grow and multiply inside living cells. HIV attacks and disables the bodys immune system. The immune system is the system that usually fights off illnesses. When the immune system breaks down, a person with AIDS will develop life-threatening illnesses. (Flynn & Lound, 6) The invasion of the AIDS virus in an individuals body leaves the body open to an invasion by many other different infections, called opportunistic diseases. These infections are the main causes of death of AIDS patients. Because there is not yet a cure for AIDS, once the disease invades the body there is no way to get rid of it. AIDS is a life-threatening disease and those infected are often treated as invaders although they are the ones who were invaded. Although AIDS first appeared in the United States in the early 1980s, HIV first gained a foothold in humans some fifty or more years ago in Africa. (Joseph, M. D., 14) At that time many hunters and their families killed and ate monkeys that carried the then undiagnosed and unnamed virus. Stephen C. Joseph, M. D. said that in the 1970s, when he practiced medicine in Central Africa, he saw patients with wasting syndromes, atypical progressive infections, bizarre malignancies-all undiagnosed due to lack of laboratory facilities or lack of specific knowledge. Joseph went on to say that most of the mortally ill children I was caring for had a combination of severe malnutrition and one or more infectious diseases. These children were in a way the analog to todays people with AIDS -they suffered malnutrition to such an extreme that their immune systems collapsed. (Joseph, M. D., 15) The 1970s is when the AIDS virus first erupted in the United States. This is when certain rare types of cance r and many other serious infections were starting to show up in many people who were healthy beforehand. Strikingly, these were disorders that would hardly ever threaten persons with normally functioning immune systems. (Grolier) It wasnt until 1981 that these symptoms, which were symptoms of HIV, progressed and were given a formal name and description we now know as the AIDS syndrome. Since the first AIDS cases were reported, more than 1 million people have been diagnosed with the AIDS virus and over 200,000 have died in the United States alone. Of the more that 1 million people who have been infected by HIV, most dont even know that they have been infected because they still have not developed any symptoms. The first high risk group was among homosexual men. AIDS first appeared among the gay community. Now, homosexuals are not the only people who are getting AIDS. The syndrome is now widespread among heterosexuals also. AIDS is an invader because it unwantingly enters the body without any warning signs. There is no way in telling whether or not a person has HIV or even full-blown AIDS. Anyone can get AIDS. The only way that an individual can be safe from this silent invader is to stay away from high risk activities. These activities are sexual intercourse, whether it be homosexual or heterosexual, with an infected individual and exposure to infected blood or blood products, such as through a blood transfusion or by using infected hypodermic needles during drug use. The number of women being infected by the AIDS virus is increasing very rapidly. AIDS has become the leading cause of death for women between the ages of 20 and 40 in the major cities or North and South America, Western Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa. In the United States, AIDS has hit hardest among black and Hispanic women. (Grolier) Eighty percent of children born to women with AIDS acquire HIV from their infected mothers. Between 24 and 33 percent of children born to infected women will develop the disease. (Grolier) AIDS first invades the body as HIV, and an individual with this virus may not show any symptoms at all. The period from when

fyodor dostoevsky essays

fyodor dostoevsky essays Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevskys life was dark and dramatic as his novels were. His fathers drunken brutality led to his murder by his own serfs. At the age of 28 he was imprisoned for alleged subversion against Tsar Nicholas. He was in prison for ten years. While in prison he made many changes in his philosophies and it was greatly shown in his novels. Man is a mystery. If you spend your entire life puzzling it out then do not say you have wasted your time. I occupy myself with this because I want to be a man. This quote is from a letter that Dostoevsky sent to his brother at the age of eighteen. The quote shows the mindset of the author. This mystery is what Crime and Punishment is about. Dostoevsky reveals this mystery through guilt. He shows that almost everybody has a sense of guilt. This guilt will not let you get away with the crime. This information brings me to a statement that I feel reflects the entire novel. Through pain and suffering, guilt will bring confes sion. Knowledge of crime or bad deeds lead to guilt. I was not delirious, I knew what I was doing, he cried straining. I was quite myself do you hear? (Dostoevsky 310) This quote shows that Raskolnikov knew what he was doing and that he was guilty. Even through his extraordinary man theory he knows that he had done wrong. He would like to believe that he was in the right but in the back of his mind he knows that he is in the wrong. Good God, am I going out of my senses?(Dostoevsky 130) This shows that he doesnt know what is happening to himself. He thought that he would have no remorse for this crime but he came out with a lot of guilt. The extraordinary man theory seemed to be a scapegoat for himself. There was not a really big need for the pawn-broker to be killed. She was not really hurting anyone. In Crime and Punishment Raskolnikov constructed his whole theory of...

Evaluate Project Risk Management in the construction of London Essay

Evaluate Project Risk Management in the construction of London Heathrow Airports Terminal 5 - Essay Example My thanks will be extended also to my family including Dad, Mom and -----, my youngest brother for their kind and invaluable support during the whole project. The London Heathrow Terminal 5 has emerged to be the largest airport and the most complex construction projects undertaken in the airline industry. The aim of the project was to augment the capacity by 50% along with offering the visitors an impressive gateway into the city and the United Kingdom. With a budget of over  £4.3bn, the airport facility includes a an airport terminus, a building housing a satellite, underground tunnels, diversions on the river and a road connecting the airport to M25 (Sharon, 2008).This paper attempts to study and evaluate the Risk Management strategy and theories involved in the construction of London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5, (Sharon, 2008) and critic these theories. The approach used to mitigate risks for the t5 of the Heathrow Airport was based on the principles of team construction and had to incorporate many changes until project completion, (Sharon, 2008). BAA had anticipated a high level of design progress and development at all stages of the ambitious project which could easily squeeze modern technical solutions and modifications in safety, space requirements or amenities. It would have been unrealistic to freeze the complete design solution of the project during the design phase (Latham, 1994). BAA decided absorb all risks. This helped BAA manage the activities with the help of partners who worked as integrated teams along with the contractors. This was implemented under the T5 Agreement, (Ferroussat, 2005). The procedure to try and identify risks that are present within a project is known as management of risks. The risks that are posing challenges during the implementation of a project are effectively managed, (Mind Tools, 2009). Risk Management activity is mainly concerned with a proper analysis of the different operations, identification

Marketing Plan for Dell India Sales Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Marketing Plan for Dell India Sales - Case Study Example It's budgeting and the organization's implementation strategies are also considered in the final plan. Dell is the second largest PC manufacturer in the world and has 60pct of its revenue from the US which is the largest market. However, with the recession and the attempt to malign Dell in this country, the company is looking for markets outside the US. The increasing market for laptops and desktop PCs in China, India, Brazil and Russia have given reason for Dell to make strategies to depend less on the US market and expand to other regions of high yield. Its presence in India since 8years has given it much exposure to make the appropriate strategies to suit the Asian market, particularly the Indian market, which has the most potential. The economic advantages that Dell offers for the local market and which have been successfully displayed in China have more reason for Dell to gain a foothold in the already tapped PC market in India despite the presence of other strong contenders like HP, Lenovo, etc. and its own presence in the country for over six years now. The advantage on GDP with every investment by Dell enables it to gain faster penetration into the local market and enter other frontiers too. "Then there is the multiplier effect. ... have more reason for Dell to gain a foothold in the already tapped PC market in India despite the presence of other strong contenders like HP, Lenovo, etc. and its own presence in the country for over six years now. The advantage on GDP with every investment by Dell enables it to gain faster penetration into the local market and enter other frontiers too. "Then there is the multiplier effect. A Peking University study of the Dell effect showed that for each $1 million spent by the company in China, $2.3 million was contributed to the nation's GDP, 92 new jobs were created and $144,000 was generated as tax revenues. Factor in China's PC penetration at 6% and Dell's revenue growth there at 26%, the implications are clearer. India with a PC penetration of just 1.8% and a population of 1.3 billion, offers the kind of potential Dell can hardly ignore. A latecomer it may be, and is up against stiff competition from old hands like HP, Lenovo, Acer and homegrown HCL Infosystems, but the motivation for Dell to scale up here are obvious. In less than six years, it has garnered a 36% market share in the large enterprise segment. However, it is still weak in the 1.7-million home buyer/retail desktop and portable media market. But Dell is eyeing a 10% overall market share in the next 18 months and a doubling of revenue to $1 billion; this, after t aking nearly six years to hit $500 million. The $1-billion figure is just 1/60th of Dell's global sales and for this to be relevant to India, revenues would have to be many times more" (Prasad, Gupta, 2007). ii. Socio-Cultural- Another reason that Dell can leverage in the Indian market, is its strong direct sales experience. Since, these kinds of economies do not permit high prices and are more accustomed to retail selling which offers

Rhetorical analysis. Tips of Lowering Medical Bills by Alice Park Essay

Rhetorical analysis. Tips of Lowering Medical Bills by Alice Park - Essay Example As such, Park emphasizes on the importance of managing medical bills and more so, conveys possible tips to enable Americans lower their medical bills. In fact, Park adopts a sentimental tone in order to advice her readers on the need to adopt these tips and save more. In addition, statistics, testimony, appeal and comparison are other notable techniques that park has employed in the essay. This paper explores a brief rhetorical analysis of an article, Tips of Lowering Medical Bills written by Alice Park. Notably, Park proposes several tips both at the emergency room and after receiving the bill. At the emergency room, request to be attended to by a doctor who participates in your insurance plan, again, ask for all lab tests that the hospital is sending outside to be sent to facilities that operates under your insurance plan. Similarly, ask about the tests ordered by doctor or nurse and if they are expensive, refer the tests to a facility that operates under your insurance plan (Park Web). After receiving the bill, ask for itemized bill that clearly show all the charges. Secondly, ask for an explanation from the hospital’s billing department for any disputed charges. In addition, make sure that the room charges starts from the day of your admission and are charged by its level (Park Web), and lastly, be keen on other additional charges. People also have the right to consult Medical-billing advocates if they don’t understand the bill presented to them by the hospital. The essays starts with a sensitive statistic retrieved from a research done by Medical Billing Advocates of America clearly indicates that â€Å"Americans spend nearly $7,000 per capita on health care every year†(Park Web). This is a good proof that most Americans experience a lot of challenges when it comes to settling down their medical bill. Park’s main subject in the essay was to address the issues affecting Americans health and trying to come up with possible solutio ns to the problems like employing certain ways to save more and lower their medical bills. The use of statistics above is one of the techniques Park has used to capture the attention of the readers. It lays a foundation of the essay since the reader will be interested in knowing why such huge amount of money is spend in healthcare services only. Park has also used testimony as one of the techniques to make her ideas more understandable. She has brought in the statement raised by one Kevin Flynn, the president of Medical Associations, who argues that while in the hospital, the patient should only worry about getting better first then financial issues, settling the medical bill to come last. Again, at the end of the essay, Park refers to the statements made by Palmer â€Å"But there are things that a patient is going to know that an advocate†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Park Web).To enable her convince the readers that their participation in lowering their medical bill is required. This is a good example to conclude that park acknowledged other people’s ideas when writing the essay. Another technique that Park uses very sentimental tone in her quest of convincing American patients that high medical bill they are experiencing can be reduced if they adopt certain tips and with the help of interested parties like Medical-billing Advocates of America. Medical billing Advocates, being the health care world’s equivalent of tax-refund specialists(Park Web), has saved most of the Americans by establishing various ways that Americans can use to enable them manipulate their huge spending on their medication. The tone used overall in the entire essay is appealing, persuasive and appealing. Appeal is also another

Most Effective Management Style for a Modern Workplace

Most Effective Management Style for a Modern Workplace Executive Summary This leadership project is a study of effective leadership in modern business organizations. This project begins with an introduction on leadership, a review of leadership theories throughout the history and distinguishes between the focus of earlier literature on leadership which is central around leader characteristics styles and the new leadership theories of leadership development, transformational leadership, charismatic leadership, and visionary leadership. The next section is on the different leadership models and frameworks being applied and used in modern organizations. These models identify the responsibilities required of people holding leadership positions. The following section introduces Juthoor Development Services and discusses the type of leadership strategies and approaches that are used and applied in the company. The focus of leadership then is shifted to that of team leadership due to the practices in Juthoor Development Services. The section on Personal Leadership describes and evaluates my own leadership style and the leadership skills that need to be developed and enhanced. This section includes personal reflections and an extensive action plan on individual leadership. The project concludes with an overview on what was discussed and recommendations for better leadership which results in better performance. Introduction A leader is an individual that possesses a mixture of skills and styles that makes a team want to follow the leaders direction; hence leadership is the ability to motivate and influence a team to achieve a specific target and goal. Leadership is all about creating a vision and comprises the power to convert the vision into reality. Different styles of leadership, different kinds of leaders lead to different results in an organization. In the business world, leadership is generally related to performance. Effective leaders are those who have the ability to add value to their company by increasing its bottom lines. It is widely known that organizations all around the world lose because managers are not adequately skilled and knowledgeable. The main reason behind this issue is that managers are not aware of how important their role is in an organization. They are unaware of the necessity of leadership issues that should enter into all their decision-making activities. Literature Review Strategic leadership is fundamental for accomplishing and sustaining competitive advantage in this century (Ireland and Hitt, 1999). Effective leaders have been repetitively distinguished for their important role they play in identifying opportunities and making the right decisions that overall affect an organizations procedures and bottom line (Finkelstein et. Al, 1996). The effective and efficient skill leaders practice adds substantial business value to the organization. Review of academic research and studies on leadership expose a changing series of schools of thought starting from the Great Man theory to Transformational Leadership theory. Earlier, majority of leadership literature and study was mainly centered on leaders characteristics and leadership styles. According to (Yukl, 1998), great attention of earlier leadership studies were centered on the performance of lower-level management and how they should perform as they offer supervision, support and constructive feedback to their team However, this new century and modern research shows a new interest and fresh new perspective on leadership. Nowadays, research, studies and theories are focusing on leadership as a whole, followers and the relative nature of leadership in an organization. The rapid change in the business environment has made people think about leadership on different levels. Leithwood et al. (1999) believe that instead of looking only at the quality and characteristics of a lea der, our focus needs to be shifted to the leadership challenges in organizations and companies. They viewed leadership in term of their nature and the challenges faced which will result in developing leadership as a whole instead of just a single leader. The result and materialization that has come out from the new interest of studying leadership mainly focused on managing invariable change is called the New Paradigm model. Today, leaders steer a world that is undergoing continuous change. The New Paradigm model involves modern theories and styles such as charismatic leadership, visionary leadership and transformational leadership. Visionary leadership refers to the act of creating a practical, sensible, and solid vision of the future for a company (Nanus, 1992), Charismatic leadership involves creating a personality that is so influential that people are naturally drawn to the leader, and transformational leadership is a leadership style that forms positive transformation in followers. Transformational leadership is the style being promoted in modern organizations. Old models view leadership as a process that that entails motivating others takes place within a team and entails goal achievement (Northouse, 2001). Modern leadership focuses on leadership development and development of social capital. Other modern studies have emphasized on the relationship between leaders and their followers, some authors stress the importance of studying follower ship because leaders are followers and followers are leaders. The two entities are interconnected and are equally essential for the success of the organization. Leadership Is Not a Solo Act The picture of a heroic person who leaps in to save the day is what is engraved into our minds. But all gathered facts from studies imply that the constant success of a company is a collective and group effort rather than a single effort. Kouzes and Posner (2002) confirm that after studying numerous cases on effective leadership, they did not find any example of astonishing accomplishment that happened without the dynamic participation and support of many individuals. What is understood from this is that Leadership is a team endeavor. Without team work and the support of people a single person cannot get astonishing things done in a company. Dispersed Leadership A theory that is currently gaining interest and getting plenty of attention is the dispersed leadership. This type of leadership, with its basics in sociology and psychology defines leadership as a practice that is spread throughout a company rather than exclusively with the officially elected leader. The importance therefore transfers from developing leaders to developing leaderful companies with a communal accountability for leadership. The significances of group of people relationships in the leadership agreement, the requirement of a leader to be recognized and accepted by his/her followers and the understanding that no single person is the perfect leader in all situations have set a rise to a new school of leadership thought. The dispersed leadership theory introduces a less official approach to leadership where the leaders responsibility is separated from the organizational hierarchy. It is suggested that people at all levels in the organization and in all jobs can apply leadership influence over their peers and consequently influencing the whole leadership of the organization. Heifetz (1994) differentiates between the practice of leadership and the practice of power hence separating leadership from formal organizational power roles. Raelin (2003) discusses of developing leaderful organizations through simultaneous and combined effort. The first thing to do is make a clear distinction between the concept of leader and leadership. Leadership is referred as a method of logic-making and direction-giving inside a team and the leader can only be defined on the base of his/her association with others in the team who are acting as followers. Along these lines, it is fairly probable to visualize the leader as emergent rather than predefined and that the leaders responsibility can be implicit in the course of exploratory of the relationships within the team (other than by giving attention to the leaders personal character or qualities). Dispersed leadership demonstrates on notions such as organizational culture and environment to emphasize on the appropriate nature of leadership. It is a communal conception and suggests for a shift from the growth of individual leader characteristics to recognition of what comprises an effective leadership practice within a company. A shift in the spotlight from the individual leaders to the leadership relationships (amongst the leader and followers). Leadership Development Leadership development is the process of developing leadership practices and leaders in an organization. It focuses on creating and sustaining social assets as a whole. At the core of leadership developments involves the combined capability of individuals to set goals and successfully carry out leadership functions and roles to build a strong team that meets commitments and attains organizational goals. The accomplishment of goals and leadership activities should come with and without official authority. Saxenian (2006) has branded the new type of leaders that have emerged as New Argonauts who challenge the business and dynamically lead an organization despite the ongoing change in the business environment. According to Saxenian, these Argonauts leaders certainly echo todays leadership. (Argonauts where a brand of heroes in ancient Greek, source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argonauts). Transformational Leadership in modern organizations When companies adopted themselves to the constant evolutionary change, transactional management was in good turn of managing those changes. However, with the circumstances and situations of present organizations performance need undertaking some essential, transformational changes. And managing these changes needs new traits; one of these traits is applying transformational leadership in organizations. The book Leadership written by James MacGregor Burns in (1978) was one of the first books to introduce the concept of transformational leadership. Transformational leadership is where leaders transform their followers. This leadership theory holds high importance in this century especially in recent literature. Transformational leadership builds on the foundation of transactional leadership. Nevertheless, as Burns clearly affirms what is needed today is not the old traditional style of Transactional leadership, but the new style of Transformational leadership. Tichy and Devanna (1986) have researched leadership throughout the years and came up with a list of specific characteristics which distinguish transformational from transactional leaders. Some of these characteristics are listed below: Agents of Change: Transformational leaders encourage flat structures and flexible workplaces. They are able to get the organization to adapt quickly to change. Courage: Transformational leaders face reality and do not fear risk. Confidence in the followers: Transformational leaders have faith in their team members. They give them a boost and push when required and try their best to empower them. Life-long Learning: Transformational leaders believe in life-long education and attempt to extract lessons from experiences. Vision Capabilities: Transformational leaders see the big picture. Their visionary abilities are excellent. Live by their Values: Transformation leaders have values they live by. Passion and Enthusiasm: They pump their followers with their enthusiasm to get them going. Ability to face the unknown: Transformational leaders do not life with fear and are ready to face the worst situations knowing that they can handle anything that comes their way. According to Bass (1998), the transformational leader motivates followers to do more than formerly expected. Bass reveals that a leader is able to transform his/her followers by: Emphasizing on the significant of goal and task, by creating awareness Encouraging the followers to direct their efforts for the company Meeting the followers needs. Bass and Avolio (1994) have proposed five transformational styles that leaders typically display; these styles and behaviours are illustrated in the table below: Transformational Style Leader Behaviour Idealized Behaviors Speak about their values Emphasize the significance of having a sense of purpose Take into consideration the consequences of decisions made Support new opportunities Discuss the issue of trust amongst each other Inspirational Motivation Have an optimistic look about the future Talk with enthusiasm about what needs to be accomplished Articulate a compelling vision of the future State confidence about goal attainment Present a thrilling image and picture of what to consider Intellectual Stimulation Examination of critical issues Search for differing views when attempting to solve issues Encourage individuals to look at things from different perspectives Propose new methods of how to complete tasks Individualized Consideration Make time for mentoring and teaching Help others to build on their strengths Spend time listening to others personal needs Encourage personal development Idealized Attributes Lets others know that it is a pride being connected with them and Work to build others respect Show power and capability Assure everyone that barriers will be overcome In 2007, Hooper and Potter broaden the concept of transformational leadership and identified 7 types of competences of transformational leaders, these competences are: Building direction Being a Role Model Communication Arrangements and Grouping Get the best in his/her people Leader as a change representative Suggesting decision in a crucial situation Nature of Leadership in Modern Organizations Contemporary organizations take up a range of HR management and leadership activities to boost staff contentment and satisfaction. Efforts are centered on enhancing and raising the quality, expertise and capabilities of the employees. In addition, providing intensive training and development activities helps in improving the quality. Recent studies have given a lot of attention to emotional intelligence, especially transformational leadership. Emotional intelligence has become a major part of leadership in modern organizations. Emotional intelligence is a leaders capability to ones ability to be alert of ones personal feelings, be alert of employees feelings, to distinguish between them and to use the information to direct the leaders thoughts and behaviour. Emotional Intelligence contains three types of capabilities: assessment and expression of feelings, directive of feeling and using feelings in the decision-making process. According to Goleman (1998) emotional intelligence is twice as important as technical skills and IQ for jobs at all levels. Motivation is also an important element in leadership in modern organizations. The abilities of any employee will be limited if they are not encouraged and motivated to execute their jobs. According to Bass (1998), compensation, appraisals, incentives and job security can motive employees to achieve their assigned goals and execute their jobs effectively. As a leader, part of the job involves understanding employees and learning motivational strategies to enhance performance. The main challenge is that every employee is different, therefore, what may work for one employee wont work for the other. Communication has also been a major part of leadership. Up-ward and down-ward communication are equally important and need to be transparent and effective. A Leaders responsibility is to ensure such communication takes place and should eliminate all obstacles in the way of corporate communication. Team leadership is the most rapidly growing area of current research. Modern leaders in organizations do not think of themselves simply as a body of authority, but rather a team leader because they understand the significance of a team compared to just individuals. By understanding the skills of the team members and what motivates them, leaders earn respect from their style not solely because of their position. Culture and leadership Modern theory has shifted its attention to figure out what the link between leadership and culture and how leadership changes from one culture to another. Collins (2001) has revealed proof of leadership behaviours that are cross-cultural, and others that are culturally focused. However, studies and evidence on the relationship between the two elements (leadership and culture) are still very limited. John Adair Action Centred Leadership Model a model for team leadership According to Adair, the effectiveness of the leader relies on meeting three areas of need within the work group.The three parts of Adairs model are generally represented by 3 overlapping circles; this model is a helpful technique in assessing what effective leaders responsibilities are. The challenge for the leader is to manage all parts of the circles successfully. Task definition of task to be achieved Action plan allocation of job and resources managing the quality and time of effort monitor performance aligned with action plan amending the plan Team sustaining regulation and control encourage team work motivate team assign junior-leaders encourage and inspire team communication develop and build the team Individual listen to personal troubles and issues Appreciate and honour individuals give positions and ranks distinguish and use individual capabilities develop he individual To be able to meet the three areas within the work group, specific leadership roles have to be executed, these functions are: Awareness of what is happening in the work group and its processes. Being alert at all times. Understanding the functions and tasks that are required and the skill to accomplish and complete the task successfully. Case Study: Juthoor Development Services Juthoor development services are an organization comprising a team of real estate development professionals who provide comprehensive services to clients across the Middle East. Juthoor works with its clients through out the three critical phases of the development process (project feasibility, project implementation and development control). The complete organization is based on Team work, although each employee has an important role to play, their combined efforts is much more valuable. Jose Lora, is the CEO of the company and leader, heads the entire team of professionals. Juthoors vision Juthoor Development Services vision is to build the Oman of tomorrow. The employees key responsibility is to work towards this vision. The success of the organization lies in the employees ability to work as a team and build the Oman of tomorrow. Leadership in Juthoor Development Services The leaders relationship with his/her followers is extremely important. An organizations failure or success rate all relies on the leader and the nature of leadership. According to Robbins and Finley (2000), involvement and empowerment of the employees are two key behaviours a leader must possess. There are many ways a leader can strengthen the relationship with his/her followers. At Juthoor, the leader of the company understands the significance of the relationship between himself and the rest of the team. He adopts the following two behaviours: Asking questions instead of giving answers (For example, asking an employee How do we proceed on this? What do you think we should do next). This involvement gives a sense of purpose and satisfaction to the employees. This helps employees envision the goal and improve their efforts to achieve and excel in their part of the job. Giving followers the opportunity to lead (For example, asking an employee to lead a meeting or put an employee in charge of a task that the leader is taking part in). This empowerment gives the employee the confidence and helps him take ownership). Juthoor Development Services is a team-based organization. Therefore, the focus of this case study will be around team leadership. The Functional Model This model focuses on how a company and how the work group is being led rather than whom the leader is. This results in lesser time spent focusing on the person who is in the leadership role and instead put all the attention on the leadership function that is taking place. This model emphasizes on the nature of the work group and the followers of the leader. This is exactly what is taking place in Juthoor Development Services, work is done in teams and the team spirit in the company is high and ensures transparent communication. Due to the fact that Juthoor is a service provider for real estate development, the key to success is the collaboration of the team. The business is based on team work. A group of people together is not necessarily a team. A team is a number of people that get together that have high level of interdependence, working towards a common goal. (http://www.teal.org.uk/et/page5.html) A team has a number of advantages for an organization: Maximization of HR: team members are trained, coached by other members. Success or failure is not pointed at individuals, but rather the team as a whole. Greater outputs and results. A team is known to outperform a group of individuals. There is continuous improvement and development. The way a team is lead has a huge impact on the success. The leader in Juthoor is responsible and holds these values: Commitment to the team members as well as the mission that needs to be achieved The desire to support a team, serve and lead Experience, enthusiasm, and energy. The ability to build a team and achieve more as a team Team Leadership It is known that team work and team spirit are fundamental in enhancing the growth in an organization. The saying goes, Two heads are better than one. Taking up all the responsibility and working alone will only reach you so far; team work is required and is vital for desired results. Different individuals have different skills and talents, bring them together to work on a specific task or certain goal will prove that they would outperform any individual. According to Belbin (1993), there are two types of leaders; Solo leader and Team leader. The major difference between the two revolves around the behaviour and participation of the two as seen below: Solo Leader This type of leader interferes and sticks his/her nose in everything This type of leader delegates tasks and roles without interfering Attempts to mold the team members into specific standards Develops team members and encourages them to grow Collects acolytes Seeks talent and does not fear team members with special talents Team Leader Team leadership differs from Solo leadership in the following ways: (http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le2diffs.htm) Responsibility is shared among the team members and is not only burdened by the leader Control is left to the group and not just the leader. The leader views the team as a whole and not as individuals. Expression of needs are encouraged by the leader In todays business world with the rising complexity and the irregular nature of modern workplaces promote Team leaderships as opposed to Solo leadership. According to Belbin (1993), team leadership is not as natural as solo leadership, however he suggests that team leadership can be learned and developed. Jose Lora, the CEO of Juthoor takes the approach of Team Leader. It was his idea to start Juthoor Development Services and he understands how important an effective team is in the success of the organization. He ensures communication, reads feelings and emotions, practices emotional intelligence and takes time to understand each team member to know what his/her personal needs are and what motivates him or her. The nature of leadership in Juthoor is revolves around team leadership and transformational leadership. Jose Lora is a true e leader who inspires the work group to put their efforts towards a shared vision of the future. The leadership style in Juthoor is highly visible, and built on communication. Jose Lora doesnt lead from the front, as he gives responsibilities to the team members. Juthoor is a team-based organization, therefore, is there is any problem or issues, all heads are put together to solve the problem and make a decision. Team meetings are conducted daily between the team members to ensure proper communication, transparency and to tackle issues before they arise. Juthoors Leadership Framework The leadership model used by Juthoor has 9 key fundamentals and they are: Builds Shared Vision Team Building and teamwork Strategic thinking and planning Focuses on outcomes Maximizes Potential Opportunities Managing and developing staff Transformational Leadership Motivates Coaches Delivers Results Many organizations develop their own leadership frameworks because there is no one size will fit all framework, although most frameworks in organizations are similar, they are not exactly the same. I believe that it is not the framework that is significant, but rather the process by which it is developed. Case Study Discussion and Recommendations Management needs to obtain and use their compassion and social expertise to improve their personal transformational leadership. Thus, the challenge for any modern organization, including Juthoor development services is to build and develop the emotional intelligence of the management. Suitable involvements may be required to improve and build on their competencies and that would entail education and intensive role-related training. Managers ought to be encouraged to improve and develop their skills by constant self-education and learning. Companies must offer encouraging supports for staff learning and improving management and supervisors vital emotional competencies, motivation and team building techniques required for their roles. Companies should recruit individuals that hold a vision and have a pleasant personality that is also known as charisma. There should also be suitable shifts in the companys organizational structure and to encourage flat structure and less complicated hierarchy. Changes in organizational culture are also required to reward staff for learning and self development. The changes in organizational culture and structure should encourage managers will encourage attain emotional intelligence competencies required for employee motivation. It is well known that, the most complex part of leading a team is motivation of work group members. In practical and theory, motivation plays a vital role in a organizations management. Motivation is an essential part of effective performance. Throughout my experience in working at Juthoor, I believe the factors Affecting Leadership Effectiveness in an organization are the following: The leaders personal characteristics including personality, skills, and outlook. The leaders experience with dealing with teams and work groups The features of the team, their attitude and expectations. The relationship between the leader and the work group The type of company The organization culture structure The type of tasks that need to be accomplished The external business environment My Leadership Development Plan This part of the report is central around my leadership style and my leadership development needs. This section addresses a number of questions like, Do I have the right combination of skills to lead an organization?, What skills need to be developed to lead effectively? How can I develop and establish myself? How can I influence others? Throughout my career, I have spent a lot of time observing myself and the nature of leadership in the organizations I worked for. At the beginning of my journey, the main challenge for me was trying to understand the difference between managers and leaders. Once that was figured out, I shifted my entire focus to understanding, observing, and learning from the leaders I worked for. One of my professional goals is to become a leader one day, and to be able to influence and motivate a team to achieve and succeed. Therefore, I spent an incredible amount of time studying and observing the leaders in my life. I have studied the leadership theories including characteristics, styles, and modern leadership theories of transformational leadership, etc. and based on the findings of the literature review conducted in the second section of this report, I assessed my leadership skills and checked my ability to execute and implement effective leadership in my job and contribute to the leadership functions of the organization. Out of all the different types of leadership styles, can say that I take the approach of situational leadership style. I dont view a leadership position as an authority position, I view it as the ability to touch other peoples lives and help them grow. I actually feel that I best relate to situational leadership style because I am extremely flexible when situations arise and occur. Situational leadership is the approach of changing your style to best suit the circumstances. However, earlier I used to not be an expert at this because I always resisted change and felt like I lo st focus when things didnt happen the way I expected them to. But as I changed jobs and got more experience, I understood that change is required and I must learn how to handle and adapt to situations instead of getting angry over things not working out the way I wanted them to. There are a number of ways I have practiced my leadership in my job, for example, when I am heading a group I make sure to emphasize the importance of working together. Although I am the leader of the group, I do not show it to other. I work just as hard as they work and try to give as much constructive feedback as I can. My approach is all centered on listening to the team members, understanding their point of view, asking them what their recommendations are and I try to encourage participation. I would say that I am always very fun to be around. When a task needs to be accomplished, I dont give out orders, I give each member the choice about what part they want to handle. Once we complete a task or reach a specific goal, I usually show my appreciation for their work through celebrating together, either inviting them for lunch or dinner. I have assessed my skills and used a number of tools and techniques to evaluate my

Free Things They Carried Essays: The True Enemies :: Things They Carried Essays

The True Enemies in The Things They Carried  Ã‚   In Tim O'Brien's Story "Enemies," one sees several signs that explain the aspects of the Vietnam War, and the actions of two soldiers that snapped under the pressure built up by the war. These pressures caused little tiny things to create tension not only in the minds of soldiers, but also between two soldiers. For example, conflicts grew between Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen. Two soldiers, whose actions were sparked by the craziness of the war, Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen's argument over a jackknife illustrates a perfect example of how tension built up during the war. Both men know all to well what was gong on in the war, they understood that many times they encountered men who they thought were South Vietnamese, but with the quick pull of a gun or knife a whole battle resulted because of the unknown association between the South Vietnamese and the Vietcong. On the message bard, Jeff Jacobie stated, "soldiers in Vietnam were never sure who they could trust; they were not sure if the peasants they were around were secretly loyal to the VC or not." This lack of defined enemy drove the soldiers in the war berserk. Throughout the war, an unclear enemy caused many problems for the Americans. They would ambush a town, and before they knew it, they were under scrutiny for killing people who may or may not of had any association with the Vietcong. Yet, it was a ri sk they had to take in the war, and this risk caused immense stress and tension for soldiers "humping" through the rice fields of Vietnam. Not only from not knowing who the enemy was, tension also grew in the soldiers because of their loneliness and lack of understanding for why they were in Vietnam. Most of the time, soldiers humped around the lonely land of Vietnam with the same guys for months except for the occasional supply chopper that came in or the brief radio contacts with headquarters in order to receive backup and orders. Soldiers had very little contact with others, and this isolation would drive any man crazy. In order to get by, the soldiers had to rely on each other. If they could not trust each other with their lives, none of them would ever make it back to the States to enjoy the aspects of life away form war.