Memorable School Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memorable School Experience - Essay Example It was not long before school became a strong social outlet and I began to experience great success in my courses. I excelled academically and was barely cognizant of a group of students in courses I had that were quickly failing. One day I showed up and they had transferred to another class. I went on for much of the year concentrating on school. While I experienced relative success, towards the end of the year I increasingly felt something was missing in my life. While at the time I thought it was simply the need of a more robust social life, in retrospect I recognize that even at this early age I was experiencing a slight crisis of personal meaning. At nights I would sit by myself and think about the purpose of even being successful in school or life. Like a miniature Camus or Sartre, I gradually came to believe that there was no real meaning to life and that the books and schoolwork I had so diligently devoted myself to was nothing but me fooling myself that things mattered. I so ught out ways to counter this depression. Increasingly I looked to others thinking they new the answers. It was this that led me to one-day talk with the kids who had dropped out of my courses a few months earlier. To me it seemed as if they similarly rejected school and found a different path. One day during lunch I ate with them and then walked with them as they went behind the school. There was a pasture next door where they would sneak away and smoke marijuana. As we were returning I turned my head and noticed the school resource officer standing right beside us; he had watched us the entire time. I ended up receiving a week-long suspension. At the time I was truly furious with what had happened, but today I realize it was a turning point in my life. I consider Hartman’s story when he writes, â€Å"I became a bulldog and I spoke --truly spoke, clearly-- for the first time† (Hartman). After this incident I too found my voice. While at times I continued to question l ife, I learned to find my own meaning and appreciate everyday for what it is. My favorite teacher in high school was my junior year English teacher Mr. Harvey. Before enrolling in his course English had always seemed to be to be a study of grammar, structure, vocabulary, and ancient texts that held little resemblance to my modern existence. Throughout my junior year of high school I came to gain a much deeper appreciation for literature and poetry, and the ways that writing empower our lives. The first day of class we walked in and after head administered an introductory talk had everyone in the class stand up. We then walked into procession to a desk he had at the front of the room; we were instructed to step onto the desk and then jump off. The intention was so that the class would become more comfortable with jumping into the intellectual unknown. Throughout the semester Mr. Harvey regularly came up with novel and unique teaching methods. One day the class would be outside at the lake writing poetry, the next day we’d be analyzing Sylvia Plath indoors. While the course was filled with excitement, in retrospect perhaps the things I appreciate most about Mr. Harvey were the things I disliked at the time. Regularly he would choose a student’s essay and place it on a projector and correct it in front the entire class. Everyone dreaded having his or her essay being chosen, albeit the individual

Lady Windermeres Fan Important Essay Example for Free

Lady Windermeres Fan Important Essay Throughout â€Å"Lady Windermere’s Fan† we are introduced to many contrasting themes. Such as conflict and harmony, trust and betrayal and deception and truth. These are the main contrasting themes that Wilde has used throughout this play. The balance of these contrasting themes certainly improve the overall effect of the play, adding viewing value in the form of intrigue and enjoyment. However, are these contrasting themes important to the play and if so, how and why? Although this is a comedy, Wilde derives much comedic value from the conflicts within the play. Let’s take into consideration the conflict between Lord and Lady Windermere. This conflict arises purely due to a misunderstanding (when Duchess of Berwick tells Lady Windermere of her husband being with another woman e. g. â€Å"He goes to see her continually, and stops for hours at a time†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) and through deception on the part of Lord Windermere (although he promises to his wife that he has not cheated he will not tell her of why he and Mrs Erlynne were meeting), albeit for altruistic reason. The conflict is never really heated or serious and the audience can appreciate the humorous situation as we know that all will end well and any misunderstandings will be clarified by the end of the play, as is an example in â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† and many other romantic comedies. Harmony is restored at the end of the play; this being the cardinal rule of comedy. One of the biggest examples of this is the bond that is created at the end between Lady Windermere and Mrs Erlynne; Lady Windermere even telling her husband to â€Å"never speak against Mrs Erlynne again. † However, harmony is only achieved through deception and an adherence to superficiality. Wilde seems to be suggesting that in order to live in a harmonious society we need to pretend that all is well and overlook factors which don’t suit our outlook in life. This was certainly the case in Victorian society where the outwardly conservative gentility contrasted with the seedy underbelly and depravities of many parts of metropolitan life at the time. This contrast between these two has a very strong affect not only on the direction of the play but also, the relationship between the characters. Relationships between characters are very important as when or if a relationship were to change, the story itself could have taken on a completely different route. The conflict has also allowed Wilde to turn the tragedy around in ways and create a more humorous piece Many Characters throughout the play deceive not only other characters but also themselves. Lord Windermere deceives his wife in order to protect her from scandal; Mrs Erlynne deceives Lady Windermere in order to protect her from the harsh truth that she is her mother and abandoned her; Lady Windermere deceives her husband temporarily as she intends to run away with Lord Darlington. There are many examples of these deceptions throughout the play, as stated above. Mrs Erlynne even threatening Lord Windermere stating that she â€Å"will make my name so infamous that it will mar every moment of her life. It will ruin her, and make her wretched. If you dare tell her, there is no depth of degradation I will not sing to, no pit of shame I will not enter. † and telling him that she â€Å"forbid† him to tell her. Unlike in â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†, not all is revealed at the end as Mrs Erlynne’s identity is kept secret from Lady Windermere, although all is revealed to the audience. Wilde seems to suggest that the truth is not always the best thing for everyone as it can be better to live a lie and maintain harmony in society rather than live an open, truthful life but cause chaos and disharmony. Although the contrast between deception and truth doesn’t seem to have a massive impact on the play it does however, create the play. If not for the deception between that of Lord Windermere and Mrs Erlynne there would be no real story, this is because Mrs Windermere would not have been misled into thinking her husband had committed adultery but also, Mr Windermere and Mrs Erlynne would have had no real reason to have met up in the first instance. It also gives the audience something to think about. Wilde shows that whilst being truthful may seem like a good idea, sometimes it is better to deceive instead to keep someone else’s piece of mind. Another contrasting theme is the society versus the individual. Victorian society has a very controlling influence on the individual as it was very difficult to fight against the society conventions and instead, many found it easier to adhere to the rules and social mores imposed by Victorian society, at least publicly. Mrs Erlynne was a victim of circumstance, many of the other characters slandering her, Duchess of Berwick calling her a â€Å"horrid woman. However, Mrs Erlynne plays an important role to represent the power Victorian societal conventions had on the individual as she was forced to abandon her child and hide herself away as she had broken the moral code. She later returned to society and seems to be an individual who will not play by the rules and will do whatever it takes in order to achieve her goals; Lord Windermere saying that he â€Å"used to think that will all your faults you were frank and honest. † and of her â€Å"blackmailing† him to get what she wanted.

Different Images Of The Wife Between Sixteenth Centuries And Today :: essays research papers

Different Images of the Wife Between Sixteenth Centuries and Today Today many wives always want to have same position with their husband. So that they always have conflict with each other. Why they always have conflict? Actually, it is effected by wife who changes the traditional role. As I remembered that wife and husband lived together very well in sixteenth century. They didn't have any conflict. Many wives would obey their husband when their husband order them to do everything. What different image of the wife between sixteenth centuries and today? We can divide three different images to explain in the Shakespeare's play " The Taming of the shrew" and two articles for ‘ Japanese women no longer resigned to traditional roles" and " Men, women more confused about roles". The first different image is that many wives liked to live with their husband together in sixteenth centuries. In "The Taming of the shrew", Katherine needed to live in the Petruchio's house. When she pointed out the mistake to her husband, her husband would call her who came back to their home. We can see that the respect of Katherine " Forward, I pray, since we have come so far, and be it moon, or sun, or what you please." 1 In fact, she needed her husband to support her life. If Petruchio didn't support her life, then she couldn't live only herself. Oppositely, many wives have their new style of life today. They don't need their husband to support their life. They can take care themselves. In article "Men, women more confused about roles" , Lillian is an example, " When her marriage ended, she returned to work but would prefer to return full time to mothering." 2 , who doesn't need her husband to support her life. The second different image is that many husbands married their wife just for love in the sixteenth centuries. In " The Taming of the shrew" Lucentio loved Bianca very much, so that he disguised as a teacher who taught her Latin everyday. He wanted to express his love to Bianca. However, many husbands marry their wife not only for love today. Actually, they marry their wife who have another purpose. Miss Enomoto explains her feeling in the article " Japanese women no longer resigned to traditional roles". She recognizes that " They think that just because I can cook, I can make a very good wife or a very good mother. But a mother is someone who raises children, not a cook. A wife is a partner, not a cook.

Minimum Wage Good or Bad

Minimum Wage Good or Bad Rachel L. Hathaway Professor Myung Han Economic Problems and Issues – ECO 40500816 March 15, 2009 Whether minimum wage is good or bad, has been an ongoing debate since before 1938 when the government set the first federal minimum wage at $0. 25/hr thanks to the Fair Labor Standards Act. The federal minimum wage is currently at $6. 55/hr with yet another increase to come July 24, 2009 to begin the federal minimum wage up to $7. 25/hr. Minimum wage was ideally set to help the working poor to stay out of poverty. Let’s do the math $6. 5* 2080=$13624 per year. 2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 73, No. 15, January 23, 2008, pp. 3971–3972 Well, based on the 2008 poverty guidelines if you are a single person you are considered above the poverty line, however, if you are a head of household say a single parent with a child you now fall below the poverty line. It is easy to see that minimum wage will not cut it to make end s meet and provide for just basic needs for food and shelter and the need for child care that you have to have in order to work for the minimum wage of $6. 55/Hr. A hike in minimum wage is fun to talk about, but, in the end, economically speaking, it isn’t a worthy option. Higher wages mean higher costs, which mean higher prices across the board. With a $10 minimum wage, the ninety-nine-cent value menu at Wendy’s becomes the $1. 99 value menu, and so on, so what’s the point? If $7 an hour isn’t supporting your current lifestyle, then you have other options: a) team up with a friend or family member to help cover living expenses, B) change your lifestyle, or C) use that job as the stepping stone it is meant to be in you quest for better opportunities. Shepard, 2008, page 229-230) Ok so the minimum wage is increasing to $7. 25 in July 2009 that will make the annual income a total of $15,080. Congratulation! Single parents working at minimum wage you are now technically above the poverty line, however, you can almost bet on the cost to purchase everyday items to also go up as well. Economically in a mixed market like o urs in the US this is the normal course of things as costs to produce goods or services go up so will the sales price for the goods or ervices will follow suit to compensate for the increased labor cost, i. e. the $0. 70 raise from $6. 55/Hr to $7. 25/Hr come July. I found that even though we have federal minimum wage-state minimum wages vary widely with â€Å"27 states + DC being above the federal minimum, 12 states being equal to federal minimum wage rates, 6 being less than minimum wage, and 5 states do not have a minimum wage rate at all. â€Å"Note: Where Federal and state law have different minimum wage rates the higher standard applies. †Ã¢â‚¬  (WHD, 2008, consolidated table and p. 1) Why do the states vary so? The cost of living of within each state is so different the main logical reasoning. Some states are proactive with their higher wages by linking their increases to the Consumer Price Index in hopes to keep up with inflation. Others are lower but are held to the federal minimum wage anyway. The attempt to at least keep up with inflation is an honorable one however the output effect of inflation seems to keep the wages on the lagging side. You would expect minimum wage workers to typically be teenagers or young adults working their first jobs trying to gain skills and experience. However, many older adults are also filling those minimum wage jobs as while taking away taking away valuable experience needed to move on to higher paying positions. So how do we make more jobs? In our current state of recession in this country and the jobless rate mounting, we should consider placing a freeze on the minimum wage instead of adding to the unemployment rate with the next increase due in July 2009. By holding wages steady businesses are more likely to hire more laborers instead of letting go of laborers due to increase costs. We need all the help we can get to lower or at least slow the unemployment rate. It is estimated that for every one entry level/minimum wage position opening there are now 5 to 7 applicants. Minimum wage, good or bad, it is not helping those it was intending too. References Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and Dimed. New York: Owl Books Henry Holt and Company, LLC Messerli, J. (2007, December) A 20-Point Plan for Fixing America. Retrieved March 10, 2009 from http://www. balancedpolitics. org/editorial-point_plan. htm Sharp, A. , Register, P. , and Grimes, P. (2008). ECO 405 Economic Problems and Issues third custom edition. USA: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Shepard, A. (2008). Scratch Beginnings. Chapel Hill, NC: SB Press The 2008 HHS Poverty G _uidelines, _One Version of the [U. S. ] Federal Poverty Measure. (2009, February). Retrieved March 13, 2009 from http://aspe. hhs. gov/poverty/08poverty. shtml WHD. _ _(2008, December), Minimum Wage Laws in the States – January 1, 2009, Retrieved February 13, 2009, from http://www. dol. gov/esa/minwage/america. htm Wikipedia. (2009, February), Minimum wage in the United States, Retrieved February 13, 2009, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in theUnited_States Minimum Wage Good or Bad Minimum Wage Good or Bad Rachel L. Hathaway Professor Myung Han Economic Problems and Issues – ECO 40500816 March 15, 2009 Whether minimum wage is good or bad, has been an ongoing debate since before 1938 when the government set the first federal minimum wage at $0. 25/hr thanks to the Fair Labor Standards Act. The federal minimum wage is currently at $6. 55/hr with yet another increase to come July 24, 2009 to begin the federal minimum wage up to $7. 25/hr. Minimum wage was ideally set to help the working poor to stay out of poverty. Let’s do the math $6. 5* 2080=$13624 per year. 2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines SOURCE: Federal Register, Vol. 73, No. 15, January 23, 2008, pp. 3971–3972 Well, based on the 2008 poverty guidelines if you are a single person you are considered above the poverty line, however, if you are a head of household say a single parent with a child you now fall below the poverty line. It is easy to see that minimum wage will not cut it to make end s meet and provide for just basic needs for food and shelter and the need for child care that you have to have in order to work for the minimum wage of $6. 55/Hr. A hike in minimum wage is fun to talk about, but, in the end, economically speaking, it isn’t a worthy option. Higher wages mean higher costs, which mean higher prices across the board. With a $10 minimum wage, the ninety-nine-cent value menu at Wendy’s becomes the $1. 99 value menu, and so on, so what’s the point? If $7 an hour isn’t supporting your current lifestyle, then you have other options: a) team up with a friend or family member to help cover living expenses, B) change your lifestyle, or C) use that job as the stepping stone it is meant to be in you quest for better opportunities. Shepard, 2008, page 229-230) Ok so the minimum wage is increasing to $7. 25 in July 2009 that will make the annual income a total of $15,080. Congratulation! Single parents working at minimum wage you are now technically above the poverty line, however, you can almost bet on the cost to purchase everyday items to also go up as well. Economically in a mixed market like o urs in the US this is the normal course of things as costs to produce goods or services go up so will the sales price for the goods or ervices will follow suit to compensate for the increased labor cost, i. e. the $0. 70 raise from $6. 55/Hr to $7. 25/Hr come July. I found that even though we have federal minimum wage-state minimum wages vary widely with â€Å"27 states + DC being above the federal minimum, 12 states being equal to federal minimum wage rates, 6 being less than minimum wage, and 5 states do not have a minimum wage rate at all. â€Å"Note: Where Federal and state law have different minimum wage rates the higher standard applies. †Ã¢â‚¬  (WHD, 2008, consolidated table and p. 1) Why do the states vary so? The cost of living of within each state is so different the main logical reasoning. Some states are proactive with their higher wages by linking their increases to the Consumer Price Index in hopes to keep up with inflation. Others are lower but are held to the federal minimum wage anyway. The attempt to at least keep up with inflation is an honorable one however the output effect of inflation seems to keep the wages on the lagging side. You would expect minimum wage workers to typically be teenagers or young adults working their first jobs trying to gain skills and experience. However, many older adults are also filling those minimum wage jobs as while taking away taking away valuable experience needed to move on to higher paying positions. So how do we make more jobs? In our current state of recession in this country and the jobless rate mounting, we should consider placing a freeze on the minimum wage instead of adding to the unemployment rate with the next increase due in July 2009. By holding wages steady businesses are more likely to hire more laborers instead of letting go of laborers due to increase costs. We need all the help we can get to lower or at least slow the unemployment rate. It is estimated that for every one entry level/minimum wage position opening there are now 5 to 7 applicants. Minimum wage, good or bad, it is not helping those it was intending too. References Ehrenreich, B. (2001). Nickel and Dimed. New York: Owl Books Henry Holt and Company, LLC Messerli, J. (2007, December) A 20-Point Plan for Fixing America. Retrieved March 10, 2009 from http://www. balancedpolitics. org/editorial-point_plan. htm Sharp, A. , Register, P. , and Grimes, P. (2008). ECO 405 Economic Problems and Issues third custom edition. USA: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Shepard, A. (2008). Scratch Beginnings. Chapel Hill, NC: SB Press The 2008 HHS Poverty G _uidelines, _One Version of the [U. S. ] Federal Poverty Measure. (2009, February). Retrieved March 13, 2009 from http://aspe. hhs. gov/poverty/08poverty. shtml WHD. _ _(2008, December), Minimum Wage Laws in the States – January 1, 2009, Retrieved February 13, 2009, from http://www. dol. gov/esa/minwage/america. htm Wikipedia. (2009, February), Minimum wage in the United States, Retrieved February 13, 2009, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Minimum_wage_in theUnited_States

Personal Leadership Development Plan Essay

An effective leader must have a plan for success. This includes a personal plan of growth as well as a professional plan for improvement. This paper will attempt to highlight my personal strengths and weaknesses as leader, identify the areas needed for improvement, and identify the leadership skills and practices that I will use to become an effective leader. This paper will also give an outline of the goals that I consider a priority and a timeline for this development. The overall result will be an inclusive leadership plan of development that I will use to grow myself as well as any organization that I work for in the future. The assessments in the text allowed clear insight into areas pertaining to my leadership skills. Each assessment challenged me to look within and theorize how I currently handle or would handle different situations. Each scenario highlights real world applications that exhibit the type of leader that I desire to be. This is mostly done by exposing my areas of strengths and weaknesses in my leadership abilities. Strengths An effective leader should be able to draw on his or her strengths to better lead their subordinates. I am able to identify many areas where my strengths are. For instance, I am highly organized. Organization is a key aspect of being an effective leader. I have always found it easier to manage my day when I have a to-do-list that I follow. This allows me to clearly the see the tasks that need to be completed for the day. Following the list gives order to an otherwise chaotic situation. My subordinates will be able to look to me to provide clear instructions on the day’s tasks that need to be done. This can include giving meeting agendas, personal goals and follow up emails. This type of organization will keep goals and tasks in line. I will apply this same type of structure in the organization that I am leading. Employees will respond better when working with a leader that provides clear instructions. This can range from providing meeting itineraries to giving follow up emails that ties together all the information presented. Having tangible and well organized material can help others to work towards the  same goals. I will work with my subordinates to formulate and achieve their personal goals. Other strengths that I exhibit include being structured, responsible, articulate, task-oriented, determined, confident, effective planner, visionary, and possessing the ability to manage resources effectively. Being structured allows me to set parameters that we can all work within to achieve the overall company goals. Structure builds bonds and a sense of cohesiveness in the workplace. This type of unity will be necessary for the success of the organization. We can all work towards common goals if clear goals are outlined for everyone. The other strengths will all work together as well. Combining these skills will allow me to have followers that are knowledgeable and eager to embark on the journey to achieving the company’s goals. This will involve utilize my resource management skills effectively as well. This simply involves fully using the resources I have in a healthy way. Each one has something different to contribute and I should embrace and encourage these differences so that each one will feel that they are valuable. These positive attributes will enhance the work relationship that I have with my subordinates because they will see that they are following someone who is knowledgeable and capable of leading. It is my hope that these same qualities I posses will be mirrored in those that I lead in order to secure the success of the organization that we represent. Weaknesses Through reading the text and completing the assessments I was able to find my weaknesses as well. Knowing and acknowledging my weaknesses can only serve to make me better in my position. I am able to see the areas where work is needed so that I can lead effectively. Some of the areas where improvement is needed include expanding administrative skills, working on interpersonal skills, and improving self-confidence. Because I tend to lean heavily on tasks and less on relationships I may find it difficult to enlist the trust of my subordinates. I have issues with relating to them on a level beyond a work relationship. It has been difficult in the past to keep those lines clear and maintain that position of authority without sacrificing getting to know them as an individual. This is an area that I will work to improve on. The text highlights a personal style of relationship-oriented. This refers to connecting with people rather than seeking out tasks (Northouse 2012). Lack of self-confidence can be a result of not be as knowledgeable in certain areas. The feelings that others have more training or education that I have leads to feelings of anxiety which translates in displaying a level of lower esteem for myself. This preconceived notion that others are superior and I am sometimes inferior can be the reasoning behind my interpersonal skills as well. Areas for Improvement Any good leader should be able to outline areas where improvement is needed. This will allow me to work to better myself so that I can be effective in leading. I have been able to identify several areas where improvement is needed in order for me to be a successful and effective leader. These areas for improvement include: communication skills, interpersonal skills, confidence, focusing on relationships and not just tasks, and improving technical competence. Communication skills are necessary to get important information across to my subordinates. Often times the main source of office conflict is miscommunication. As a leader I should be able to clearly articulate important information that I need to get across to my subordinates. This can be in the form of writing or verbally. Regardless of the method of communication it should be clear and well thought out in an attempt to keep down confusion and to ensure that all team members are on the same page. Interpersonal skills are people skills (pg89). This simply refers to the way that I interact with others. I must step outside of my comfort zone in order to strengthen these skills. A sincere approach must be made to highlight the person more and the task less. Each member of the team should be made to feel as if they are important. This comes with being in touch with my own feelings so that I am able to relate to the way that others are feeling as well. The text refers to this insight as social perceptiveness. Social perceptiveness is being aware of what is important to others, how they are motivated, the problems they face, and how they react to change (pg 89). Technical competence involves having specialized knowledge about the work we do and ask others to do (pg88). This is vital to being an effective leader. I must know and understand everything about the organization before I envision change and set goals for followers. Being flexible and varied in my knowledge will aide me in improving in this area. Goals for Improvement Now that my strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvements have been outlined I can set goals for myself to expand on my strengths and work on my weaknesses. In the same manner that I will set goals for my followers I must set goals for myself as well. I have elected to focus on five main goals that I can work towards to develop my leadership skills. These goals include: improving communication skills, improving interpersonal skills, improving confidence, improving technical competence, and focusing on relationships more and tasks less. These goals are based on the areas of weakness that were exposed. Improving my communication skills will require me to first analyze how critical communication is to the success of my organization. There are several forms of communication. I will find myself utilizing a combination of communication avenues. One essential one of primary use will be verbal. My goal is to ensure that I am always well armed with knowledge so that I can always provide cl ear, concise, and correct information when questioned. I will work hard to articulate clearly what my expectations are so that goals can be easily met by others. Achieving this goal will involve assessing possible communication barriers. These barriers can include non-verbal communicators and misinformation. I can remedy the uprising of these potential communication pit falls by carefully wording written text such as emails, memos, and letters. Spell checks are essential to this as well. I can have someone listen to my speeches and also proofread my works before I issue them out to the team. A lack of communication skills can greatly hinder any progress that my team may make. I will also work on giving receptive non-verbal ques. I must be aware of my tone when speaking to others to ensure they are receptive my instructions. To improve my interpersonal skills I will establish an open door policy so my followers will feel comfortable talking with me about matters that concern them. I must show that I care about them beyond the physical lab or they provide to the company. This goal coincides with the other area for improvement which is focusing on relationships and less on tasks. I must step outside of my comfort zone and find the necessary balance to ensure my followers feel valued. This can be done by simply engaging in non-work related conversations. I can also make small gestures such as recognizing their  birthdays. These small steps will work towards improving the relationships that I have with followers. Improving confidence will be a challenging one. My goal is to improve in this area is a direct result of my goal to improve in my area of technical competence. My lack of confidence generally stems from not being as knowledgeable as I should be in all areas of my organization. There are feelings of apprehension which influences the manner in which I interact and convey information to others. I will work hard to study all areas of the organization. I will take special care to know the inner workings of the company. When I am unsure I will ask for assistance. I can challenge myself to take additional courses that will provide much needed training to assist me in expanding on my knowledge in all areas of the organization. An increase in information can also be generated from manuals or attending seminars and meetings. I can take what I have learned and apply it to my job. When I am approached with a question from my followers I can confidently give an answer and feel assured that it is the correct information. To prepare for meetings where a speech is necessary I can boost my confidence by having notes or PowerPoint slides to display my information. Being prepared in this way can help to alleviate any anxiety I might feel while giving my presentation. This change and growth to be a better manger will be ever-present. According to Marken, â€Å"If you want to build loyalty to you and your organization, your products and your goals, you have to constantly refine your leadership talents† (1999).This shows that this process will continue throughout my entire leadership career. I can take steps and set goals, but I must be willing to put in the work to be a better communicator and leader. This will keep my organization successful and will allow me to promote the skills of my followers. Timeline for Development My time line for this level of development is one year. I currently have the advantage of working under an amazing leader whom I know will nurture my plan for success. I will begin by taking each goal and setting individual time frames for them. Although most of my goals are intertwined I will want to take special care to follow an individualized plan for each. I would like to begin with what I view as the most difficult weakness to overcome. This weakness would be in the area of relationships. I would like to start  formulating deeper relationships within the first few months of my leadership. The communication goal will be followed almost immediately. I view the others as being ongoing. I know that the skills will not make a complete change overnight, but I am willing to put in the required work to improve in each area. These improvements should be met before I am charged with the task of leading. I want to be well versed and properly trained in all areas before taking on that re sponsibility. I know that much will be learned in a hand on environment but I am striving to work through each issue before I am placed in charge of a team. Most Effective Leadership Skills and Practices There are several leadership skills that can be instituted in my day to day life to ensure that I am an effective leader. There were a few that appealed to me the most because I feel that they are very important skills for any leader to have. These skills are as follows: managing people, managing resources, problem-solving skills, and planning. Each skill can be implemented to ensure that I am properly leading my team to achieving its goals for the organization. Managing people requires patience and hard work. Each team member is unique. They each bring unique skills and varied personalities to the organization. By knowing and understanding this I am able to put each member in a position where they can work to their fullest potential. This provides self satisfaction and success for the company. I can work with each member to formulate an attainable goal that proves profitable for all involved in the process. Managing resources is a valuable skill as well. The company looks to me to not be wasteful. I must be mindful of the resources that are available to me and utilize them a way that is productive to meeting the goals that I have envisioned for the group. This will come from properly monitoring supplies and work output. This can come in the form of finding other resources to get tasks completed within a particular time frame. According to the text, resources can include people, money, supplies, equipment, space, or anything else deemed necessary for the organization to function properly (Northouse 2012.) Being wasteful is counterproductive to achieving the organization’s goals. Effective planning is an important skill that can be instrumental in being an effective leader. Having a clear plan can enable me to manage my followers and resources more  effectively. Planning will be a starting point for each task that I tackle. I can begin by knowing what it is that I want to achieve. This is also referred to as visioning. Visioning is a metal model of an ideal future state (pg 109). Creating this vision will allow me to formulate a plan for everyone involved. Each team member can play an active role in planning the goals for the company. Written goals can be made and displayed as a daily reminder to each team member. I will work to ensure that the goals are unified. This can be deep hindrance to the growth of any organization. â€Å" For an organization to be successful, every individual in the organization must think in terms of what each group values and how the impact of the decisions they are about to make, or actions they are about to take will have on various groups and this impacts maximizing organizational value over time† (Morris, 2000). Effective planning and communication can alleviate this disorder. The best leadership practice to implement would be one that combines the leadership styles of authoritarian and democratic. The approach that I take will be dependent upon the readiness level of my followers. Each team member may need different directions if any. I must assess their levels and manage them accordingly. This is the only way to ensure that the goals set for each member can be attained. I will also monitor work performance and provide feedback in areas of strengths and weaknesses. An effective leader will be able to realize that everyone is different and therefore my leadership style must be flexible. This paper has presented a detailed leadership development plan. I have outlined my areas where improvement where needed as well has highlighted my strengths and weaknesses. In doing this I was able to identify goals and a timeline for achievement. It is my hope that by completing this assessment and formulating a plan that I am able to fully institute it and become an effective leader that any organization or company would be happy to employ because the team will be well led. References: G, A. M. (1999). Improving your leadership skills. Public Relations Quarterly, 44(1), 40-41. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222394569?accountid=32521 Morris, J. L. (2000). Values-based leadership skills, values, and concepts. Capella University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 300-300 p. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304676298?accountid=32521. (304676298). Northouse, P. G. (2012). Introduction to leadership, concepts and practice. (2 ed.). Thouseand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc, ISBN: 9781412989527

Why Do Projects Fail

Why Do Projects Fail A Computer-assisted dispatch system (LASCAD) was implemented by the London Ambulance Service in October 1992 (Beynon-davies 1995, p.171). This was a major software project that was supposed to substitute the manual system (Fitzgerald Russo 2005, p.248).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Why Do Projects Fail? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The LASCAD system started experiencing problems only nine days after it was launched. Erroneous vehicle information was recorded by the system due to the wrong key that was pressed by a crew member (McGrath 2002, p.254). Hence, vehicles were incorrectly allocated leading to long delays. The LASCAD system soon came into a standstill because of the large and spiraling calls made by patients in order to receive help. Several calls were captured by the system within a very short time. The delay caused a massive death of patients. Eventually, the chief executive officer of LASCAD was c ompelled to resign. A new LASCAD system was put in place after four years. From the case study, it is evident that the initial management of the VCF, LASCAD and the baggage-handling project were not realistic at all. In addition, the software project failed due to lack of prior testing of LASCAD’s emergency backup system. Worse still, the LASCAD’s operators lacked adequate training before the system went live (Chua 2009, p.33). In yet another project failure, a large IT software platform known as MANDATA was set up by the Australian Public Service Board in 1970 (Chua 2009, p.33). The IT project was supposed to automate personnel administration. However, the software project failed and did not meet the set objectives. The brainchild of the project retired shortly after the feasibility of the study was accomplished (Hamill Goseva-Popstojanova 2009, p.488). One of the reasons for failure was the funding restriction. Lack of adequate funding to install all the pertinent s oftware and maintenance of the facility was a core challenge. There was also limited support from the MANDATA users. In addition, lack of full engagement among the Rural Inclusion Support Program (RISP) workers was also noted as a major source of failure (Hamill Goseva-Popstojanova 2009, p.487). Lack of frequent interaction among the stakeholders of CONFIRM. The complexity of the project in the course of its operation hampered the smooth monitoring of all the pertinent activities. For example, the strategies used to implement changes at MANDATA were quite ineffective and complicated. These were some of the failure reasons for the large software project that was supposed to ease down operations at both the locak and national level.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References Beynon-davies, P 1995, Information systems failure: the case of the London Ambulance Servic es Computer Aided Despatch project, European Journal of Information Systems, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 171-184. Chua, A.Y.K. 2009, Exhuming It Projects From Their Graves: An Analysis Of Eight Failure Cases And Their Risk Factors, The Journal of Computer Information Systems, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 31-39. Fitzgerald, G., Russo, N L 2005, â€Å"The turnaround of the London ambulance service computer-aided despatch system (LASCAD)†. European Journal of Information Systems, vol. 14 no. 3, pp. 244-257. Hamill, M. Goseva-Popstojanova, K. 2009, Common Trends in Software Fault and Failure Data, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 484-496. McGrath, K. 2002, The Golden Circle: A way of arguing and acting about technology in the London Ambulance Service, European Journal of Information Systems, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 251-266.

Stanley Kubrick as an auteur Essays

Stanley Kubrick as an auteur Essays Stanley Kubrick as an auteur Paper Stanley Kubrick as an auteur Paper 2001 , Clockwork Orange, The Shining and Full Metall Jacket. His films are usually loved or hated. He has made controversial films which have beed widely debated and criticized, for example Clockwork Orange because of the violence within the film or Lolita where an older man, Humbert is dreaming and lusting a young teenager girl Lolita. Like his films characters he was also an obsessive personality. He concentrated on the dark side of human and generally his films are considered cold and pessimistic with. Stanley Kubrick worked with different genres, for example science-fiction, war and even (dark) comedy. He was an experimental filmmaker, for example in Barry Lyndon he used only natural light. In his every film he associates with errors of emotions and the futility of intelligence and thinking. 2001 is great example for this, in that movie the achievement of intelligence, HAL tries to kill the crew and human presented by Bowman needs to leave techonoly behind for the rehumanization. Themes Kubricks main themes were 1) imaginary worlds, 2) dehumanization, 3) death (homicide-suicide-murder), 4) obsessive main character and 5) a journey of films character. Hes charecters are living in their own imaginary world with their own thougths more or less isolated without any connection to reality. In Dr. Strangelove perhaps the best examples are Ripper with the fear of communists and Major Kong with his doomsdaymission to drop the bombs which will cause the destroyment of the whole mankind. In 2001 HAL and the whole crew is somehow living in a illusion. The HALs fatal thougths killing the humans and the crew for trusting on HAL with the price of their lives. Dehumazation is noticeable very obviously in 2001, where HAL seems to be more human than the machinelike humans themselves. Kubrick makes viewer symphatize for HAL when Bowman is switching it (him? ) off. Also in Strangelove a (doomsday) machine is in control. Kubricks films have involve death quite a lot. In 2001 HAL kills almost the whole crew before he is killled by Bowman. There is either homicide, suicide or murder aspects in his films. Characters with strong obsession are also part of Kubricks movies. Bowman has a obsession in first place to survive and secondly to get into the stargate. Theres also the last theme the journey of Bowman, the main character. From a cold machinelike human into rehumanization and rebirth. Styles Kubrick uses symmetric image composition and shots down the length of tall paraller walls. In 2001 especially the computer room in the shutting-down-HAL sequence and the whole Jupiter explorers inside itself. In Kubricks films action usually takes place in isolated places. For example the Jupiter explorer or in The Shining the Overlook hotel. There is narration or titles in every film of Kubrick. In 2001 there is minimum innertitles. Long and slow zooming in/out is often used by Kubrick. In the Space Odyssey a zoom in was used when Bowman and Poole were having a dangerous chat inside the pod when HAL was reading from their lips. Zooming out was used in Barry Lyndon at the beginning of every sequence. Stanley Kubrick preferred already composed music because then he know exectly hows it going be wrok. 2001 contained Strauss, Clockwork Orange included Beethoven and Dr. Strangelove featured Well meet again at the ends mushroom cloud sequence. Close ups of intensively emotional/distorted faces belonged to his films. For example Bowmans faces during the podtrip in the stargate or in The Shining when Jack Torrance came through the door by an axe. The Shining and 2001 have incommon also the tracking shots, for example Danny cycling around the hotel and Bowman and Poole wondering around the explorer. Dr. Strangelove had also tracking shots inside the bomber following the crew going up and down the fuselage of the plane. Signature The most legendary signature of Kubrick is the Glare which shows the emotional meltdown of a character. Its a close up of the actor with his head slightly down, but eyes looking up directly into the camera. Best example of this is Alex in the milkbar at the beginning of Clockwork Orange. It has suggested that even the HAL has it in the 2001. Bathrooms and toilets are used in key roles in his films. In 2001 there were instructions to zero-gravity toilet on the wall of space craft. Ripper committed a suicide in bathroom in the Dr. Strangelove. 114 was the number of Jupiter explorer in 2001 and in Dr. Strangelove it was the number of the decoder which served quite important role in the movie.