Mass Media and Entertainment Essay

I’ll go ahead and say it: Neal Gabler’s â€Å"Life the Movie† makes valid points. Because of America’s dependence on technology-based media entertainment it is impossible not to interact with the distracting and alluring world of expressive communication. The world we live in today is sadly not the one that Henry David Thoreau was able to circumnavigate for two years in 1845. Today, to avoid media, is to be totally shut away from the world. Gone are the days of subtle newsprint and objective journalism. They have been trampled by 24-hour news cycles and narcissism-based social networking sights like Twitter and Facebook. While I can’t help but agree with Gabler on the media’s degenerative effects, there is a brighter side to a globalized system of entertainment. Entertainment can certainly ruin society if given the chance. Take for instance, MTV’s â€Å"Jersey Shore†. A show with absolutely no moral integrity, but simple humor and sex appeal can make money, so realistically; executives will invest in more of the same material. At the same time, hate/fear-mongering media moguls like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have a devoted, if not cult-like following of 60-somethings that they control in the name of â€Å"entertainment†. Clearly, entertainment has the capacity to ruin the structure of society, for better or worse. Whereas sites like Twitter and Facebook can be detrimental to society, they can also cause positive progress. Very recently, young Iranian revolutionaries used Twitter as a means of communication, education, and unity. Videos of citizens beaten to death in the streets were accompanied by calls to action, as a youthful and courageous Iranian population revolted against its oppressive government on the computer and TV screens of the globalized world. Furthermore, recent crisis like the tsunamis in Indonesia, hurricane in New Orleans, and earthquakes in Haiti were brought into the homes of the prosperous and caring across the world. Although tragic, these events demonstrated the capacity that a connected human populous has for charity. Billions of dollars in relief money has been donated in the past decade, thanks to the stirring images captured not only by corporate cameramen, but also by civilian camcorder. Thus, to define entertainment as solely destructive or beneficial is unjust. People are not always wise enough to turn off what they know is subjective information, but they are no means praying to neon gods. In his book â€Å"Life the Movie,† Neal Gabler discusses how entertainment has taken over the reality. This is true in every way: people watch television or movies, listen to music, and Facebook stalk their friends just to get out of their own heads for a while. It is an escape from their realities. Gabler argues that the outlet the media has come to provide can potentially ruin society. This is true in many cases. Certain forms of entertainment can indeed â€Å"overturn all morality† and â€Å"poison the springs of domestic happiness.† Music, specifically, is one type of entertainment that has the capacity to cause people to compromise their morals. It has a sneaky way of planting new thoughts in our minds. Music artists think of lyrical euphemisms to subtly engrain an idea into their listeners minds. For example, in their song â€Å"Fast Blood,† the ingenious Scottish band Frightened Rabbit sings about a â€Å"midnight organ fight–† a clever euphemism for sex. Even if their listener wasn’t sure what that line meant, the rest of the lyrics would help him piece it together fairly quickly. It’s a beautiful song, and soon enough, the listener finds himself singing along, and the idea that sex allows a person to feel â€Å"reborn† has now become a belief of this listener. And, whabam, there we have a compromised moral resulting from the idea of one song. The characters and stories found in movies, books, and television are aspects of entertainment that most certainly have the ability to ruin society. They can jeopardize a family’s happiness by creating an image of the â€Å"ideal† spouse or significant other or family. Stefanie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, for example, creates the character of Edward Cullen: the perfect lover. Comedian Whitney Cummings made a good point in her stand up routine â€Å"Money Shot† when she said, â€Å"Women are obsessed with romance†¦we get brainwashed from romantic movies.† She said she went to go see the movie â€Å"Twilight† thinking it was just about high schoolers and came out thinking, â€Å"Ohh, I have to marry a vampire, oh my God,† and proceeded to address the males in her audience, â€Å"Guys, don’t let your girlfriends see this movie: she will leave your ass, okay?† Movies like â€Å"Twilight† create this image of the perfect man. If women see that and begin to compare their husbands to Edward Cullen, divorce papers will soon be a-rustling. Characters like these create impossible standards for men to live up to! And pornography does the same to women: men look at these beautiful women with perfect bodies and begin to idealize females. And then no woman is good enough for them because it is impossible for a woman to look like that without plastic surgery, a crapload of make up, and a whole hell of a lot of photoshop. Media like this has the potential to destroy relationships because it establishes an unreachable standard. So, yes, Gabler makes a good point. Although entertainment can be â€Å"fun, effortless, sensational, mindless, formulaic, predictable and subversive† and that is why people love it so much, it can be detrimental to society as a whole. In his 1998 book, Life the Movie: How Entertainment Conquered Reality, Neal Gabler makes the assertion that entertainment has the capacity to â€Å"ruin† society. Although plenty of entertainment features positive messages and portrays good role models, I completely agree with idea the entertainment can ruin society because a large percentage of entertainment and media can acclimate viewers’ minds toward violence and it can corrupt citizens’ views of society and of themselves. In our modern media there are thousands upon thousands of movies, tv shows, songs, and video games that encourage violence and other negative behavior. Many people believe this to be harmless fun, but in instances when consumers blur the line between fantasy and reality it can become very dangerous. One tragic instance of this occurred June 7, 2003, when 3 men, 2 police officers and a 9-11 dispatcher, were killed in an Alabama police station by 18 year-old Devin Moore, who had played Grand Theft Auto day and night for months before the shooting. During his arrest, Moore is reported to have told police, â€Å"Life is like a video game. Everybody’s got to die sometime.† Entertainment can also ruin society by destroying citizens’ views of society and of themselves. From magazines to movies to television, the media has created a standard of near perfection that many people struggle to live up to because they want to be accepted. For example, professional athletes like Lebron James, Payton Manning, and many others have caused many aspiring athletes to look down upon themselves because they are not able to perform to the same level as the pros. Although many celebrities have contributed great acts of charity to society, that does not change the fact that much of entertainment, which these celebrities are apart of, encourages negative behavior. If not brought under control, these negative behaviors can bring about the downfall of society as we know it. Entertainment can be in many different forms: television, magazines, books, the computer, music, etc. And according to Neal Gabor in his book, â€Å"Life the Movie,† all of these things are â€Å"fun, effortless, sensational, mindless, formulaic, predictable, and subversive.† The fact that because of these reasons, people like entertainment is true. However, just because people like something, or enjoy it, doesn’t mean it’s not harmless. People who go tan in tanning beds everyday enjoy doing it, but in reality it triples their risk of skin cancer. The social impacts of entertainment are already showing in today’s society. People are communicating less and less by person, and more and more by computers. When people lose their ability to communicate with the people around them outside of their entertainment bubble, the sense of community is lost, and is causing increased health risks. All this said, it is not true that ALL entertainment will completely â€Å"dissolve the ties of our social order†. If entertainment is used in moderation and people learn to make the distinction between entertainment and reality, then it can be an enjoyable experience. But because all people don’t do these things, entertainment does have the capacity to â€Å"ruin society†society falls apart. In addition, some of the things that entertainment exposes society to can alter the thoughts and decisions of Americans and cause problems for society. For example, TV networks are creating shows like â€Å"America’s Next Top Model,† and giving people the idea that in order to be beautiful you have to be dangerously thin and look like a model. This causes poor self-images, and causes people to be unhappy. To make matters worse, celebrities everywhere are getting cosmetic surgery. This gives audiences the idea that they shouldn’t be happy with who they actually are, and that in order to be happy, they have to waste tons of money on unnecessary procedures. Also, the percentage of people getting divorced in America has been increasing lately. This is most likely because of the fact that celebrities are getting divorced left and right, and it’s starting to become â€Å"the norm.† People are making money off of those divorces by selling the stories (in gossip magazines) as entertainment. Entertainment portrays false realities that have potential to crumble social aspects of society. Not only does entertainment have the capacity to â€Å"ruin† society socially, but it can also cause health related consequences. The percentage of Americans that are either overweight or obese is somewhere around 63% and that is constantly increasing. Though it is true that part of the cause for this is the amount of processed foods we eat, but another large part of it is the amount of time we spend sitting, a concept that goes along with entertainment. Today people don’t have the need to go out much to be â€Å"happy†. Children can sit andwatch TV or play video games for entertainment, and no longer need to go outside to play with their friends. Also, because of computers people don’t need to leave their house to communicate with friends, they can just do it on Facebook. People don’t even have to leave their house to grocery shop anymore; they can just use their computer. The fact is that entertainment has made America into a very sedentary country, which Just like a friend’s influence on one’s behavior, entertainment has the capacity to destroy or strengthen one’s character. Someone can choose between entertainment with fleeting pleasure or lasting value. i. Maybe entertainment can ruin society because it is so distracting. For example, if kids and teenagers fill all of their time with entertainment instead of education, then how might this ruin society? ii. Maybe entertainment can ruin society by overturning morality. What are some ways that entertainment might change a society’s moral principles for the worst? For example, do violent video games cause people to believe that killing is not morally wrong? If so, how would this ruin a society? iii. Maybe, as your quote above claims, entertainment does dissolve the ties of social order. Does entertainment contribute to increased crime or civil unrest? Can you think of ways that entertainment directly or indirectly causes a society’s rule of law to break down?

Kfc and the Global Fast-Food Industry in 2003-2004

KFC and the Global Fast-Food Industry in 2003-2004 Course: MGT 710 [pic] 1. Executive Summary This paper analyzes the market situation of the major U. S. fast-food firms in Latin America in 2004 from the perspective of the KFC Corporation. By analyzing political, economic, cultural, logistical, and competitive forces, a potential strategy for KFC to successfully establish a strong position in Central and South America is proposed. Through a thorough analysis, it was determined that KFC should establish wholly-owned subsidiaries in Mexico and Brazil to manage operations in Central and South America, respectively. After a strong position is established in these countries, KFC should then open franchises in Central America, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, and Chile. 2. Problem 1. Expanding into Latin America From 1993 to 2002, KFC dominated the chicken segment of the U. S. fast-food market. Their market share, however, decreased by 13. 4% over that 10 year period (Exhibit 4, 553). As the fast-food market matured, firms began to focus on globalization to continue growth. By early 2004, 56% of KFC’s restaurants were outside of the U. S. (558). Their initial focus was on Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean, where they established dominance among competitors. Their struggle was in expanding beyond those markets. In their attempt to expand into Central and South America, KFC was met with many challenges. Many Latin American markets had not adopted the fast-food concept and preferred a more leisurely dining experience. The intense competition with major U. S. fast-food chains made it very risky to enter a new market. The geographic distance from the corporate offices made it difficult to control standards and quality. To continue growth, KFC would have to develop a strategy to overcome these obstacles and expand into these markets. 2. Strengthening position in Central America KFC initially expanded into Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean due to geographic proximity and existing political and economic ties to the U. S. They were able to establish dominance in these markets because they had first-mover advantage and the local cultures accepted the fast-food concept. To further expand into Central America, KFC will have to develop a strategy to leverage their strong positions in Mexico and the Caribbean. They will have to consider factors such as the business model, global integration, national responsiveness, and mitigating risk. 3. Breaking into South America KFC had attempted to enter Brazil, with limited success. Political, economic, and cultural challenges had prevented KFC from gaining a foothold, and subsequently forced them to pull out of the market. Other countries in South America had little competitive presence, but had significant barriers to entry. In addition, the farther away the countries are from the corporate offices, the more expensive and logistically difficult the operation becomes. To enter these markets, KFC would have to carefully weigh its options to establish a presence and mitigate risk. 3. Analysis 1. Industry analysis 1. Basic economic characteristics Latin America is home to more than 550 million people. It has an aggregate GDP of more than $4 trillion. Figure 1 shows that Brazil and Mexico have the highest GDP. However, Argentina, Chile, and Costa Rica have the highest GDP per capita. [pic] Figure 1 – Latin America GDP (Source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Latin_America) 2. Competition In general, Central America and Brazil are the markets most penetrated by the large U. S. fast-food chains. McDonald’s is the dominant competitor in Latin America, with 584 stores in Brazil, 261 stores in Mexico, and 203 stores in Argentina. KFC follows with 274 stores in Mexico and 134 stores in the Caribbean. Burger King operates 163 stores in Puerto Rico and 154 stores in Mexico. Wendy’s only operates 143 stores in all of Latin America (Exhibit 6, 559). To assess the competitive landscape, Porter’s Five Forces model can be used, as shown in Figure 2. For KFC, the highest levels of competitive rivalry are in Central America and Brazil. Most of South America, with the exception of Brazil, has relatively low penetration. The threat of new entrants is high within any market, as all of the major competitors are vying for the same markets. The threat of substitute products is also generally high, since fast-food chains must compete with established local restaurants that already cater to the local tastes and customs. The bargaining power of customers is medium in more developed countries such as Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina where customers are less price sensitive. In less developed Latin American countries, however, the bargaining power is high where most customers cannot afford high prices. The bargaining power of suppliers is medium in most countries where there aren’t a large amount of imports, but high in countries like Mexico and Brazil. [pic] Figure 2 – Porter's Five Forces (Source: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Porter_5_forces_analysis) 3. Factors driving change As Latin American countries become more developed, they begin to adopt more global brands. As the internet penetrates these markets, users become exposed to global brands. Cultures begin to change as the world becomes a global market. While they do maintain local tastes and values, people begin to separate from traditions and become more modern. As economies become more developed, people begin to adopt the on-the-go lifestyle that we are accustomed to in the U. S. As countries like the U. S. drive globalization to foreign markets, trade barriers are often removed and countries begin to adopt foreign firms. 4. Relative strength of firms As previously stated, McDonald’s has the strongest position with 1,605 stores in Latin America. KFC follows with 650 stores, followed by Burger King and Wendy’s. McDonald’s is dominant in South America, while KFC controls Central America. 5. Rivals' next moves The most significant acquisition of note is McDonald’s purchase of Boston Market in 2000. Boston Market caters to the growing trend for healthy fast-food, as well as the casual, sit-down atmosphere that is popular in Latin America. While Boston Market does not have any presence in Latin America, McDonald’s could decide to leverage existing resources to expand there. 6. Critical success factors All franchise corporations are concerned with standards and consistency between units. While certain factors can differ from one region to the next, a general level of consistency is needed with regards to product quality and taste. It is critical that service and cleanliness are upheld to a high level of quality. Particularly in Latin American markets, the menus may need to be diversified and incorporate local flavors. With the great distance between Latin American markets and corporate headquarters, effectively executing logistics, distribution, and operations is critical to success. Effectively managing resources and keeping costs low will also be critical when entering new markets. With the political and economic events that may occur, the firm must be resilient to changes in the economy and trade regulations. Firms should seek to establish relationships with local governments in order to protect their interests abroad. 2. Strategic planning for foreign market entry 1. Identifying company's objective in foreign market entry The first step in developing KFC’s Latin American strategy is to identify the objectives for entering new markets. Some reasons to enter new markets would be to exploit an untapped market, obtain a competitive advantage, secure essential raw materials and distribution channels, and cutting costs by employing inexpensive labor. Currently, KFC has a large presence in Mexico and the Caribbean. This gives them a launching point to enter nearby markets. The nearby Central American countries have a relatively low presence from the large fast-food firms. The Central American region is home to approximately 40 million people. According to Figure 1, the Central American nations have a GDP of approximately $173 billion. This region has a considerably sized market, relatively low penetration, and proximity to KFC’s large presence in Mexico, making it ideal for entry. Brazil is the largest and most coveted market in Latin America. Unfortunately, McDonald’s has a large competitive advantage with 584 stores. KFC has failed in the past to enter this market, but the opportunity is still there. Establishing a position in this market would allow KFC to power investments in other South American markets. While they may not be able to dominate the market, it is a strategic location that would act as the locus for all South American operations. Argentina and Chile have $445B and $161B GDP, respectively, making them large attractive markets. They also have the highest GDP per capita in Latin America. While McDonald’s has a relatively strong position in these countries, there should still be opportunity for KFC to capitalize on. Other South American countries, such as Paraguay, and Uruguay, Have little competitive presence and a relatively low GDP. These countries may not have strategic value to the company. 2. Preliminary country screening After determining the objectives for each country, an analysis of advantages and attractiveness can be performed. To determine national competitive advantages, Porter’s diamond model is used, shown in Figure 3. Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile stand out as the most developed Latin American countries. This indicates that advanced factor endowments such as infrastructure, skilled labor, and technology should be readily available. Demand conditions should also be most favorable in the countries with the highest GDP, as an active economy tends to increase demand for on-the-go meals. The most significant supporting industry is the poultry industry. According to the USDA, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina have the largest poultry industries in the region. [pic] Figure 3 – National Competitive Advantage (Source: http://www. teagasc. ie/research/reports/foodprocessing/4984/eopr-4984. htm) 3. Risks in foreign markets In all Latin American countries, there is a high degree of political risk, due to the propensity of corruption and instability in governments. This is apparent even in the more developed Latin American countries. Many Latin American countries restrict the import of foreign goods, or give preferential treatment to adjacent countries. In addition, the distance from existing production and distribution channels imposes a great risk to the supply of goods to the more southern countries in the region. One of the main company factors is the shortage of skilled labor and high rate of turnover in Latin American markets. For KFC to succeed in any Latin American market, they will need to increase employee retention through training or benefits. 4. Capabilities, resources, and skills needed to succeed in foreign markets The key success factors were described in Section 3. 1. 6. It is important to note that the farther away the country is from existing trade channels, the more difficult it will be for KFC to control quality, standards, distribution, and logistics. Also, the less developed nations will be more susceptible to economic and political events that could devastate KFC’s interest in the market. 5. Fulfilling key success factors KFC’s key strength is their established dominance in Mexico. This position provides many financial and political benefits due to the NAFTA treaty. It also provides them with a strategic position to enter nearby Central American markets. They do not have established trade channels in most of South America, so it will be difficult for them to manage operations without a strong presence in at least one market. This is the main reason why Brazil is a key market to enter. Being that KFC is such a large company within an even larger conglomerate of fast-food chains, the firm should be able to withstand political or economic changes and a loss of revenue during the development stage. Overall, KFC fulfills the key success factors in Central America, but will need to establish a position in at least one major South American market in order to expand there. . Entering the target markets In determining how to enter the target markets, the level of global integration vs. national responsiveness should be assessed. Figure 4 shows the various strategies that can be employed given the appropriate level of integration and responsiveness. The markets in Latin America should be similar enough for KFC to keep menus, processes, and sta ndards consistent across all markets. Pricing and advertising may differ depending on the level of economic development and communications infrastructure in each nation. In addition, KFC would need to implement different business models depending on the proximity, size of the market, and cultural uniqueness. For this reason, KFC should implement a transnational strategy that would keep many aspects consistent, but some aspects unique between various markets. [pic] Figure 4 – Global Integration vs. National Responsiveness 7. Compare and rank targeted countries From the analysis performed, each Latin American market considered was ranked based on the variables discussed. By comparing GDP, geographic proximity, population, and relative penetration of competitors, Table 1 shows the countries scored and ranked. Economy |Competition |Proximity |Market size |Presence |Total | |Mexico |12 |12 |13 |12 |13 |62 | |Brazil |13 |13 |7 |13 |4 |50 | |Caribbean |5 |7 |11 |8 |12 |43 | |Puerto Rico |6 |11 |12 |2 |11 |42 | |Central America |3 |9 |10 |10 |9 |41 | |Colombia |10 |5 |8 |11 |6 |40 | |Argentina |11 |10 |3 |10 |4 |38 | |Venezuela |7 |8 |9 |6 |5 |35 | |C hile |9 |6 |4 |5 |8 |32 | |Peru |8 |3 |5 |7 |7 |30 | |Ecuador |4 |4 |6 |4 |10 |28 | |Paraguay |1 |2 |2 |3 |4 |12 | |Uruguay |2 |2 |1 |1 |4 |10 | |Table 1 – Results of market analysis 4. Recommendations 1. Markets to enter From the results of the analysis performed, KFC should operate company-owned units in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Caribbean where it already has a strong position. It should then open franchises in Central American markets to mitigate risk until a strong position can be established, at which point KFC should buy back the successful franchises. KFC should develop a wholly-owned subsidiary in Brazil and aggressively establish a strong foothold. This is not only one of the most attractive markets; it is also a critical strategic location to be the headquarters of South American operations. Once a strong position is established in Brazil, KFC should open franchises or joint-ventures in Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and Chile. Given the relatively low scores, KFC should not consider expanding further into Peru, Ecuador, Paraguay, or Uruguay. Although KFC already has operations in Peru and Ecuador, they are not strategically valuable and should be closed or sold if they are not consistently profitable. 2. Strategy for entry 1. Corporate strategy At the corporate level, KFC should focus on developing wholly-owned subsidiaries to act as the regional headquarters in Mexico and Brazil. This would allow KFC to centralize control over standards, quality, process, and distribution within those regions. This tiered structure would lessen the burden on KFC’s U. S. corporate management and provide more specialized attention to those local markets. To offset regional events that may affect all of Latin America, KFC should also consider entering markets in Europe and Asia. If an economic catastrophe were to hit Brazil, for instance, markets in all nearby countries would be severely impacted as well. The Yum! Corporation should also consider strategies to expand its other brands into Latin America as well to leverage KFC’s success. The multibrand strategy that has been so successful in the U. S. may prove successful in Latin America as well. 2. Business strategy At the business level, KFC should develop aggressive marketing strategies in countries where competitors have a strong presence. In Brazil, for instance, KFC will have to fiercely battle McDonald’s to gain market share. In less developed countries, KFC should enter cautiously and focus on mitigating risk. KFC should leverage their strong global brand and target the younger generation. Through internet marketing, KFC should be able to reach the young, modern generation that has a higher acceptance for the fast-food model. KFC should implement a transnational strategy in Latin America. While quality, service, and products should remain consistent throughout Latin America, KFC should develop unique strategies for marketing, pricing, and business models in each region. KFC should launch company-owned stores in high growth markets and enter the rest with franchises or joint-ventures until a strong position is established. In high growth markets, company-owned businesses would allow fixed costs to be spread across multiple restaurants, subsequently allowing for lower prices and increased margins. Franchising would leverage the expertise of local entrepreneurs with understanding of the local customs, language, and marketing strategies. This would help to mitigate the risk of entering unknown markets. 3. Functional strategy Regional franchises should interface with the wholly-owned subsidiaries in Mexico and Brazil. These subsidiaries would control management, distribution, standards, quality assurance, and advertising for their associated franchises. The Central and South American subsidiaries should focus on developing close ties with the governments in their regions. They should lobby to remove trade barriers between nations in order to streamline distribution. They should also focus on developing ties with the local communities in order to gain acceptance from local culture. KFC should develop specialized marketing campaigns for each region, depending on the similarities in culture. They should focus on targeting the young, career-minded demographic through internet marketing. Depending on the lifestyle habits of those individuals, they should also target them through appropriate media advertising. 5. Conclusion KFC is one of the dominant players in the global fast-food industry. They have sufficient resources to launch an aggressive strategy into Latin America. By leveraging their strong position in Mexico, KFC can successfully establish a strong position in Central America. By outsourcing management of Central American firms to a wholly-owned subsidiary in Mexico, KFC will be able to streamline operations and maintain control over franchisees. Although it will be difficult, establishing a foothold in Brazil is KFC’s best strategic option for entering South America. By aggressively marketing the younger demographic, KFC should be able to gain a considerable market share, even though McDonald’s maintains the dominant position. Once they have been successful in Brazil and a wholly-owned subsidiary is established, KFC can then begin to expand further into South America. By implementing this general strategy and addressing the factors and risks discussed in the analysis, KFC should be able to gain substantial market share and continue to grow the firm.

Causes And Effects Of Traffic Congestion Tourism Essay

Causes And Effects Of Traffic Congestion Tourism Essay Jain, Sharma and Subramanian mentioned that congestion in the United States has increased dramatically since the last twenty-five years, which is the same as many countries that suffering from traffic congestion currently. From the authors’ prospective, one of the major causes of traffic jam in the most cities is ‘poor road traffic management system’. Increasing of traffic congestion every year is causing increasing of air pollution, wasting of time and productivity and causes diverse diseases such as, respiratory diseases. Moreover, the cost of solving or reducing traffic congestion is enormous. However, neglecting the traffic jam problem would increase the social problems among citizens. The next part of this essay illustrates many causes of traffic congestion in different cities around the world, and the effects of these causes on the environment. Furthermore, the solutions that solved the traffic jam problem, and the suggested solutions that could help to red uce the congestion in some cities. Causes and Effects This part of the essay demonstrates many causes, effects and possible solutions of traffic congestion problems. 1. Los Angeles (USA). Causes and Effects: One of the main causes of traffic congestion in Los Angeles (United States of America) is ‘car culture’, which means many people in the city or county owned private cars (Thisdell, 1993). Additionally, the land-use pattern is an important reason that makes people in Los Angeles were using private cars widely and made transport planning difficult. Furthermore, traffic congestion increased due to no underground railway and public transport in Los Angeles. Moreover, the high numbers of vehicles, which are a result of overpopulation and the economic growth, and the weak of public transportation, have a negative effect on the environment such as air pollution, which happened on Saturday when commuter traffic is insignificant. Sorensen (2009) illustrated many reasons that make Los Angeles have traffic congestion such as ‘Common misconceptions’ and ‘high regional population density’. As an example of common misconceptions, people in Los Angeles love cars’ driving, which means the relation between people and their cars is very strong and described as love’s relation. As an example of ‘high regional population density’ is drivers were not consider roads as a problem of traffic congestion. Sorensen said that high population and some of the other factors that aforementioned could also make the traffic jam worse. Solutions: Thisdell (1993) mentioned that Los Angeles County transportation committee said creates more roads for cars will not solve traffic congestion problems, with increasing numbers of people and vehicles. Also, traditional public transport such as buses will be more effective in limited areas only. The committee suggested that ‘Metro’ system, which is a complete project of pu blic transport including underground railways, buses and developing motorways. It is clear that, the system has many advantages such as reducing time loss, increase productivity and cut pollution. However, the cost of making just the first part of Metro project was $1.35 billion. In addition, there are some threats to human life such as, gas and earthquakes. Sorensen (2009) mentioned about some short strategies that can solve traffic problem in Los Angeles such as, encouraging people to use ‘ride-sharing’ and bicycles, improve the system of controlling the traffic light and make it more efficient, which are inexpensive solutions but very effective and eco-friendly. The other solution is ‘Peak -hour road pricing’ which make people pay some money to drive on specific roads at specific period of the day Downs (2004). This solution makes roads expensive and avoids traffic congestion at peak hours.

The Interview Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Interview Project - Essay Example When Linda was asked about the main causes of her divorce, she cited the lack of compassion and romance as the key reason why the marriage failed. Linda and her husband loved each other very much, just not in a way that would run them through marriage. However, she argued that she valued her husband very much and more often than not, they had a lot of fun together. However, something seemed to be missing from the picture. From an objective opinion, the main reason for their divorce was the absence of compassionate and romantic love. Lamanna, Riedmann, and Stewart (2015) review such a case when addressing marriage as an institution. According to the text, marriage is not based on love alone and this has been the case for centuries since the establishment of marriage. Marriage in the past was an economic and political institution that should not be entered merely because people are in love or care for each other (Lamanna, Riedmann, and Stewart, 2015). The dynamics of marriage are not similar to that of a normal relationship. Hence, Linda and her ex-husband were completely justified to get married, because they were compatible and responsible for each other. Linda also argues that her husband and she were best friends and they would talk about anything. They agreed on almost everything, but the absence of love, the same love that should not be considered when getting married, was the key cause of the divorce. However, in time, the concept romantic love in marriage came to be expected in marriage. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, individualism became the norm. People craved with personal satisfaction and happiness, began attaching the concept of marriage with romantic love all through Europe (Lamanna, Riedmann, and Stewart, 2015). As such, the reason for the divorce was ultimately justified. When asked about how divorce affected her, Linda was frank to

How does the book "Mindsight" explain the happiness one can Coursework

How does the book "Mindsight" explain the happiness one can acquire that is listed in the book "Happiness Hypothesis" - Coursework Example There is value first in exploring Aristotle’s ideas on happiness, and the relationship between the emotions and happiness. It is important to note that in reference to Aristotle’s idea of happiness, or what can be summed up in the word eudaimonia, the notion of happiness is not necessarily linked to passing emotions at any given time, but is more associated with the achievement of virtue, a direction or an overarching purpose or sense of meaning to one’s life that can be only gleaned with finality at the end of a life, as a culmination and as an endpoint to be reached (Burton). This happiness is also tied to what Aristotle terms as the mean, or that middle ground between extremes, the achievement of which can be construed as a standard for evaluating the happy or unhappy life. The achievement of the mean is tied to the successful cultivation of virtue, and this life lived in virtue, over a span of a lifetime, is what constitutes happiness. There is moreover the f ormulation in Aristotle of happiness not as something that is useful for another end, but is something that can be considered as the final and ultimate good, a good in itself, and the end of all of human activities. Therefore, happiness is somewhat also tied to a sense of things being alright, of a positive feeling in a way, that is the real end of all human strivings, from gathering and eating food, to earning money, traveling, establishing a family, taking care of one’s body to be healthy. In this latter formulation there is the sense of the emotions having some value as a kind of inner compass that can guide one and act as a kind of thermostat or inner compass leading towards the achievement of that state of happiness that Aristotle discussed extensively in the Nicomachean ethics. There is a sense of happiness in Aristotle of being an activity, a kind of striving, with the emotions signalling whether the direction of one’s life and the results of the striving are pl easant or

Accountin information system Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accountin information system - Coursework Example The main parts of the revenue cycle are the sales order processing subsystem and the cash receipts system. The sales order system includes units such as the sales, credit, billing, warehouse, shipping, billing, inventory control, accounts receivable and general ledger. Another important unit is involved with the sales returns on the basis of the fact that the sales made are not always final. The cash receipts system on the other hand is involved in the financial phase of the revenue cycle (Hall 2004, ch.4). 2. Validity checks, completeness tests and reasonableness tests can be used to ensure accuracy of customer orders on the basis of the principle regarding levels of authorization. Validity of the transaction, completeness of the process involved in the sales made and the reliability of the processes undertaken are included in the factors that can determine the finality of the transaction. In addition, the data that are gathered can be used to determine the expected sales in a particular period rendering the amount of funds that can be collected. 3. The CRM refers to customer relationship management which can be considered as one of the important parts of the accounting information systems. It is generally used for storage of customer data (Encyclopedia of Business and Finance). 4. EDI or electronic data interchange is an input device in the AIS that can help the billing and account receivable process by increasing the speed of the phases involved through automatically adjusting the correct input of data (Encyclopedia of Business and Finance). 7. The credit approval is an important part of the revenue cycle on the basis of the fact that it can be considered as part of the build up for a proper provision for in-debt payments. The said process reduces the risk of over invoicing a non-credit worthy customer, thus, decreasing the risk for unpaid accounts. It serves as a way of counter-checking (Encyclopedia of

Reasearch Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reasearch Article - Essay Example Deaf children have special needs and they have to be educated with extra care and effort. It is usually observed that children with hearing impairment have major problem in phoneme production, syntax and vocabulary. The need of such children always varies according to the defect they have in their sensory organs and therefore educational activities has to be tailored according to it. It has been proved that inclusive classrooms are very beneficial to deaf children as it gives them better exposure. The article really emphasize on how non verbal communication play a vital role in the language development of these kids. The communication procedure and teaching strategies of the educational process of deaf children is the main subject of the article The article pin points those children with hearing impairment come three year later in studies than normal children. Research was practiced to prove the success of three methods of communication used in the education of deaf children. They are lip-reading, lip-reading and finger spelling, and lip-reading, finger spelling and signing. However, Lip-reading, finger spelling, and signing seems to be more effective to these students. This form of communication has shown eighty – six percent of success rate. The sign language is thus shown to increase the learning ability of the deaf kids. However Inclusive classrooms can have negative effect as the teacher uses more than one method to communicate to pupil. If the teacher uses both communication styles simultaneously children can be left in doubtful situation. The students who are hearing are less benefited from this kind of teaching as they are less delivered with information while teacher use sign language. Inclusive language has its merits and demerits as sign language benefit the deaf and can enhance their phonetic aspect while strong vocabulary use can confuse the student with hearing ability. the deaf

Habermas Political Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Habermas Political Philosophy - Essay Example The Habaermas discourse ethics theory attempts to elucidate the inference of communicative rationality in the light of moral basics and normative validation. This is an extremely intricate effort for theoretically formulating the fundamentals given by Kant’s deontological ethics particularly in terms of break-up of communicative structures. In other words it attempts to explain the universal nature as well as the obligatory nature of morality through inducing the universal obligation of communicative rationality. Habermas implies that the validity of the norms of morality is not justifiable in the mind of an individual and on his/her impression of the world. Rather the norm’s validity is totally dependent and possible when the process is subjected to argumentation among individuals; hence it is rather dialectic. In this manner the theory states that the â€Å"validity of a claim to normative rightness depends upon the mutual understanding achieved by individuals in an argument† (Habermas 1990). Habermas has from the above arguments deducted that the world’s moral principles are the result of validity claims through discursive justifications which have been imposed upon individuals by the presupposition of communication and argumentation. Some examples can be: The presupposition that there is no argument which is relevant that is excluded by the individuals involved in the discourse The presuppositions that that all the individuals that participate use the same manner of expression (linguistic and cultural) in the communicative exchange The presupposition that all the individuals who participate are truly motivated by a common concern for the best argument Besides the above, there are special and specific presuppositions that are unique to discourse: The presupposition that all the individuals should be agreeable on the universal validity of the claim in general The presupposition that each and every individual is fully capable to speak and act in a rational manner so as to make them eligible to participate; it also presupposes that all are equal to open new topics and introduce them into the discourse whether it is as an expression of attitude or desire or needs The presupposition that none of the validity claims are exempt from group's critical evaluation and argumentation in that regard In

MONEY AND BANKING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MONEY AND BANKING - Essay Example e pursuit of individual advantage stimulates the country by rewarding the ingenuity by using the powers bestowed by nature to enhance efficient distribution of labour (Agur 2008, p. 67-69). The country should specialize of efficient production of goods. The balanced trade ensures high standards of living. The interventions by the government distorting the market incentives may be unambiguously harmful. The tariffs limiting the trade may prevent the benefits exchanges. The trade balance means that losses are as a result of the displacement of people by imports (Agur 2008, p. 67-69). A country should also ensure flexible exchange rates in order to prevent the decline of the currency relative to the trade surplus currency from other countries. Regulating the exchange rates ensures that imports are more expensive to reduce the demand on imports. Also, exports should be at relatively low prices to foreigners so as to increase the demand for exports. The country should also aim at maintain ing the purchasing power parity and balanced trade (Agur 2008, p. 67-69). Part 2 The Foreign exchange markets are involved with the transactions for national currencies. The existent of such markets is influenced by the incorporation of the national currencies to the economy. In the world, the economy uses different currencies hence the need for the foreign exchange markets. Foreign exchange market is an example of exchange normally used in the international currencies decentralized globally. The financial centers around the world act as anchors for trade between different kinds of buyers and sellers. The foreign exchange markets influence relative value for the different currencies. The parties involved in the exchange markets buy another currency using quantity of another currency... From an economic view, trade deficits characterize poor economies. Most of the countries experiencing trade deficits are involved in consistent borrowing from other countries. Borrowing is not among the viable strategies in businesses. Labour unions consider trade deficits as key contributors to unemployment and it that it undermines the future production. The pursuit of individual advantage stimulates the country by rewarding the ingenuity by using the powers bestowed by nature to enhance efficient distribution of labour. The Foreign exchange markets are involved with the transactions for national currencies. The existent of such markets is influenced by the incorporation of the national currencies to the economy. In the world, the economy uses different currencies hence the need for the foreign exchange markets. Foreign exchange market is an example of exchange normally used in the international currencies decentralized globally. The financial centers around the world act as anchors for trade between different kinds of buyers and sellers. The stance of the monetary policies in industrialized countries has been inconsistent in bringing the value of foreign exchange currency back to its average value. This assumes the depreciation of the policies on the exchange currencies. The restriction of intervention in influencing the value of the exchange currency and the policy on intervention was consistent with the macro economy needs, and this led to the increased conflicts between the monetary policy stance and the use of intervention.

Theoretical Framework for Hr Thesis Essay Example for Free

Theoretical Framework for Hr Thesis Essay 1. Definition of Motivation and Employee Motivation 1. Definition of Motivation Many contemporary authors have also defined the concept of motivation. Motivation has been defined as: the psychological process that gives behavior purpose and direction (Kreitner, 1995); a predisposition to behave in a purposive manner to achieve specific, unmet needs (Buford, Bedeian, Lindner, 1995); an internal drive to satisfy an unsatisfied need (Higgins, 1994); and the will to achieve (Bedeian, 1993). According to John R. Schermerhorn (2010), the term motivation is used in management theory to describe forces within the individual that account for the level, direction, and persistence of effort expended at work. Motivation can be defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It involves the biological, emotional, social and cognitive forces that activate behaviors. In its simplest definition, the term motivation is frequently used to describe why a person does something. (Cherry, 2011). An individuals motivation is influenced by biological, intellectual, social and emotional factors. As such, motivation is a complex, not easily defined, intrinsic driving force that can also be influenced by external factors. Every employee has activities, events, people, and goals in his or her life that he or she finds motivating. Generally speaking , for this thesis, motivation is operationally defined as the inner force that drives individuals to accomplish personal and organizational goals. Motivation is an employees intrinsic enthusiasm about and drive to accomplish activities related to work. Motivation is that internal drive that causes an individual to decide to take action. So, motivation about some aspect of life exists in each persons consciousness and actions. 2. Definition of Employee Motivation The trick for employers is to figure out how to inspire employee motivation at work. To create a work environment in which an employee is motivated about work, involves both intrinsically satisfying and extrinsically encouraging factors. Employee motivation is the combination of fulfilling the employees needs and expectations from work and the workplace factors that enable employee motivation or not. These variables make motivating employees challenging. Employers understand that they need to provide a work environment that creates motivation in people. But, many employers fail to understand the significance of motivation in accomplishing their mission and vision. Even when they understand the importance of motivation, they lack the skill and knowledge to provide a work environment that fosters employee motivation. From Rick Pitino’s point of view, The only way to get people to like working hard is to motivate them. Today, people must understand why theyre working hard. Every individual in an organization is motivated by something different. Employee motivation can be approached in many ways with different definitions. With Twyla Dell, The heart of motivation is to give people what they really want most from work. The more you are able to provide what they want, the more you should expect what you really want, namely: productivity, quality, and service. (Dell, 1988). G. Jones and J. George from the book Contemporary Management†, defined motivation as Psychological forces that determine the direction of a persons behavior in an organization, a persons level of effort and a persons level of persistence. And this approach is used as the employee motivation definition in the thesis 2. Motivation theories There are many theories that refer to motivate people such as ERG theory by Clayton Alderfer, Acquired Needs theory by David McClelland, Expectancy theory by Victor Vroom, etc. In this thesis, the author applied Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg’s Two – Factors Theory as the theoretical framework for the thesis 1. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs The theory of human needs developed by Abraham Maslow was introduced in this part as an important theoretical framework for the thesis. Psychologist Abraham Maslow first introduced his concept of a hierarchy of needs in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation and his subsequent book Motivation and Personality. This hierarchy suggests that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before moving on to other, more advanced needs. This hierarchy is most often displayed as a pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid are made up of the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at the top of the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once these lower-level needs have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security. As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social. Soon, the need for love, friendship, and intimacy become important. Further up the pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority. Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual potential [pic] There are five different levels in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: Physiological needs: the most basic needs for human to survival, (such as air, water, food, sex, sleep, etc). In working environment, it can be rest and refreshment breaks, physical comfort on the job or reasonable work hours. According to Maslow, if these needs are not satisfied, the human body can not function properly, and will ultimately fail. Physiological needs are supposed to be the most important and should be met first. Safety needs: After the physiological needs are satisfied, people’s attention turn to safety and security. Social needs: the first level of higher level needs is social needs. Social needs are those related to interact with others which includes: friendship, belonging to a group, giving and receiving love Esteem needs: Esteem needs can be categorized as external motivators such as recognition, attention, and social status. While internal motivators include accomplishment and self – respect. Self actualisation needs:This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Self-actualizing people are self-aware, concerned with personal growth, less concerned with the opinions of others and interested fulfilling their potential. (Cherry, 2011) 2. The theory Herzberg’s Two – Factor The Two – Factor theory by Herzberg is one of the most influential studies on motivation which describes needs in terms of satisfaction and disatisfaction. Herzberg found that the factors causing job satisfaction were different from those causing job dissatisfaction. He developed the motivation – hygiene theory to explain these results. He called the satisfiers â€Å"motivators† and the dissatisfiers â€Å"hygiene factors†, using the term â€Å"hygiene† in the sense that they are considered maintenance factors that are necessary to avoid dissatisfaction but that by themselves do not provide satisfaction. [pic] 1. Motivation factors Herzberg explains that motivation factors are related to â€Å"what people do† on the job or â€Å"job content† Motivation factors include such things as a sense of responsibility, feelings of recognition, a sense of achievement,  feelings of personal growth, the opportunity for advancement and work itself. Presence of motivation factors influences job satisfaction levels Responsibility: A duty or obligation to satisfactorily perform or complete a task (assigned by someone, or created by ones own promise or circumstances) that one must fulfill, and which has a consequent penalty for failure. Recognition: Recognition is identifying something you learned previously and is therefore stored in some manner in memory. The employees should be praised and recognized for their accomplishments by the managers. Achievement: The definition of achievement also includes its opposite, the failure or the absence of achievement. Success put into this category consists of the followings: successful completion of a job, solutions to problems, vindication, and seeing the results of one’s work. (Herzberg, 2008, p.45 -143) Personal growth: There must be growth and advancement opportunities in an organization to motivate the employees to perform well. Advancement: Advancement is an actual change in the status or position of the person in the company. In situation in which an individual transfers from one part of the company to another without any change in status but increases opportunities for responsible work, the change is considered an increased responsibility, but not formally an advancement. (Herzberg, 2008, p.46) Work itself ( Job – itself interesting and fulfilling work): The work itself should be meaningful, interesting and challenging for the employee to perform and to get motivated. 2. Hygiene factors According to Herzberg, hygiene factors influence directly on job  dissatisfaction. The hygiene factors are found in the job context and include such things as working conditions, interpersonal relations, base wage or salary, and technical quality of supervision. By improving them, such as by implemetenting a no – smooking policy, can make people less dissatisfied at work. However, it will not increase job satisfaction. Hygiene factors include: Working condition: The working conditions should be safe, clean and hygienic. The work equipments should be updated and well-maintained. Interpersonal relations: The relationship of the employees with his peers, superiors and subordinates should be appropriate and acceptable. There should be no conflict or humiliation element present. Base wage and salary: The pay or salary structure should be appropriate and reasonable. It must be equal and competitive to those in the same industry in the same domain. Supervision – technical : This category refers to the competence or incompetence; fairness or unfairness of the supervisor; supervisor’s willingness or unwillingness to delegate responsibility, to teach subordinates. (Herzberg, 2008, p.47) 3. The combination of Motivation factor and Hygiene factor The combination of hygiene and motivation factors can result in 4 conditions: 1. High Hygiene/High Motivation: The ideal situation where employees are highly motivated and have few problems. 2. High Hygiene/Low Motivation: Employees have few problems but are not highly motivated. 3. Low Hygiene/High Motivation: Employees are motivated but have a lot of problems. 4. Low Hygiene/Low Motivation: The worst situation. Unmotivated employees with lots of problems. Herzberg’s theories can be summarized by his quote, â€Å"If you want people to do a good job, give them a good job to do.† The two factor theory is useful because job context  and content are major issues in the business world today.

Review of Leading In a Culture of Change

Review of Leading In a Culture of Change Leading in a culture of change by Michael Fullan is a small but powerful book on the dynamics of change and the role of leadership in managing and coping with the change process. Michael Fullan, the dean of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toranto is an international authority on educational reforms .Fullan opens by quoting Robert Steinberg: The essence of intelligence would seem to be in knowing when to think and act quickly, and knowing when to think and act slowly (p. x). Fullan is concerned with not only the decision, but the timing involved in making the correct decision. He argues that good leadership is not inborn rather one must learn to lead by mastering five core competencies- moral purpose, understanding change process, relationship building, knowledge building and coherence building. Fullan devotes an entire chapter to each competency and illustrates each concept with a solid and provocative collection of public education and private corporation cases. This makes the book a useful tool for an administrative team workshop or school board. It would stimulate excellent discussion on mission and purpose and the clima te in which a healthy organization can change for the better. He also articulates three personal characteristics (energy, enthusiasm, hope) that all effective leaders possess. This book offers a realistic perspective to those who are at the beginning of their leadership career and should be inspiring to those who have attained their peaks. The ambiguities of change forces in the schools are more easily understood after considering Fullans insights into organizational change and leadership. He neither oversimplifies the mission of the school administrator nor makes the work appear impossible. Fullan offers advice for leaders to help them rise above the challenges of the new technology, a changing market place and the crises in the public scenario. He argues that leadership today requires the ability to mobilize constituents to do important but difficult work under conditions of constant change. Fullan demonstrates that successful leaders in education and business have much in common. He took an equal number of change case studies in education and in business and examined leaders behavior and mindsets. The first chapter, A Remarkable Convergence, conveys the theme of the book. The author advises that change cannot be managed. It can be understood and perhaps led, but it cannot be controlled. This chapter is devoted to the discussion of effective leadership, stating within the first page this is not the book about super leaders. Charismatic leaders inadvertently often do more harm than good because, at best, they provide episodic improvement followed by frustrated or despondent dependency. Superhuman leaders also do us another disservice: they are role models who can never be emulated by large numbers (p. 1). The author weaves the business world and the educational world together as learning organizations, stating that if they fail to evolve together they will fail to survive. He suggests five themes for successful leadership: moral purpose, understanding change, developing relationships, knowledge building and coherence making. Fullan argues that when the goal is sustainable change in a knowledge society, business and education leaders increasingly have more in common. Like the business leader, the principal of the future the Cultural Change Principal must be tuned to the big picture, a sophisticated conceptual thinker who transforms the organization through people and teams In chapter 2, Moral Purpose, Fullan argues that all five components are strongly connected with each other. Moral purpose is seen as both an end and means. In education, every leader, whether an administrator or teacher must see an important end, making a difference in the lives of students. He continues by stating that, if you dont treat others fairly, you will be a leader without followers (p. 13). Fullan describes two excellent examples of moral purpose. The Monsanto Companys remarkable transformation, under its new CEO, Robert Shapiro, started with a series of town hall meetings discussing the unsustainable problems of hunger facing humanity. That discussions lead to ten thousand of Monsantos employees becoming involved feeding the world. The second example is the national Literacy and Numeracy strategy, the nation wide initiative to improve both the literacy and numeracy of Great Britains twenty thousand schools in which Fullan has been an active participant. The author clearly makes his point; social consciousness and the concept of being a good citizen apply internally as well as externally whether in the business or educational system. In chapter three Understanding Change, Fullan states that the purpose of this book is to understand change in order to lead it better. . . .the goal is to develop a greater feel for leading complex change, and to develop a mind-set and action set that are constantly cultivated and refined. Page 34 of this book states that, change can be led, and leadership does make a difference. He suggests that having innovative ideas and understanding the change process is not the same thing. Indeed, the case can be made that those firmly committed to their own ideas are not necessarily good change agents because being a change agent involves getting commitment from others who might not like ones ideas. Fullan quotes Kotter`s eight step process for initiating top down transformation (1996, p. 21) Establishing a Sense of Urgency Creating a Guiding Coalition Developing a Vision and Strategy Communicating the Change Vision Empowering Broad-Based Action Generating Short-Term Wins Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture Further he quotes Beer, Eisenstat, and Spectors observations (1990) about drawing about bottom-up ideas and energies Mobilize commitment to change through joint diagnosis(with people in the organization) of business problem Develop a shared vision of how to organize and manage for competitiveness Foster concerns for the new vision, competence to enact it, and cohesion to move it along Spread revitalization to all departments without pushing it from the top Institutionalize revitalization through formal policies, systems and structure Monitor and adjust strategies in response to problems in the revitalization process Then Fullan shares Hamels advice (2000) to lead the revolution Step 1: Build a point of view Step 2: Write a manifesto Step 3: Create a coalition Step 4: Pick your targets and pick your moments Step 5: Co-opt and neutralize Step 6: Find a translator Step 7: Win small win early, win often Step 8: Isolate, infiltrate, integrate He offers the following guidelines for understanding change: The goal is not to innovate the most. Innovating selectively with coherence is better. Having the best ideas is not enough. Leaders help others assess and find collective meaning and commitment to new ways. Appreciate the implementation dip. Leaders cant avoid the inevitable early difficulties of trying something new. They should know, for example, that no mater how much they plan for the change, the first six months or so of implementation will be bumpy. Redefine resistance. Successful leaders dont mind when naysayers rock the boat. In fact, doubters sometimes have important points. Leaders look for ways to address those concerns. Reculturing is the name of the game. Much change is structural and superficial. Transforming culture changing what people in the organization value and how they work together to accomplish it leads to deep, lasting change. Never a checklist, always complexity. There is no step-by-step shortcut to transformation; it involves the hard, day-to-day work of reculturing. The Cultural Change Principal knows the difference between being an expert in a given content innovation and being an expert in managing the process of change. This principal does not make the mistake of assuming that the best ideas will carry the day. Instead, the Cultural Change Principal provides opportunities for people to visit sites that are using new ideas, invites questions and even dissent, and expects the change process to proceed in fits and starts during the first few months of implementation. Nevertheless, such a principal forges ahead and expects progress within a year because he or she has nurtured the conditions that yield results sooner rather than later. The title of chapter four, Relationship, Relationship, Relationship, is self explanatory. Success of any venture depends upon the people involved in the change process. Leaders must be skillful relationship builders with diverse people and groups. The single factor common to every successful change initiative is that relationships improve. If relationships improve, things get better. If they remain the same or get worse ground is lost. Effective leaders constantly foster purposeful interaction and problem solving. They are wary of easy consensus. Emotional intelligence is at the core of leaders who are continuously successful in a culture of change. Fullan makes an excellent point concerning change while discussing high stakes testing. We must resist the urge to focus on short term results by placing our emphasis on long-term results and the systemic improvements that will generate the lasting change we are seeking. The chapter five is knowledge building. Leaders need to commit themselves to constantly generating and increasing knowledge inside and outside the organization. Effective leaders understand the value and role of knowledge creation; they make it a priority and set about establishing and reinforcing habits of knowledge exchange among organizational members. Fullan describes a number of strategies used in education, business, and the military for turning information into knowledge by engaging people in an orchestrated social process. The key skill here is to convert information to knowledge through purposeful social interactions. In chapter six, coherence building, the author takes the reader on a journey of guiding people through their differences and enabling those differences to surface. He builds on the hypothesis that creative ideas and novel solutions are often generated when the status quo is disrupted. He discusses the frustration felt by many when a school district has a large number of improvement programmes operating at the same time. Fullan argues that we are in complex (rather than chaotic) times and that the central tendency of dynamic, complex systems is to constantly generate overload causing fragmentation, uncertainty and confusion. Effective leaders guide people through differences and enable differences to surface while creating coherence. They tolerate enough ambiguity to keep creative juices flowing, but seek coherence along the way. They ensure strategies are in place to keep people focused and moving in a purposeful direction. In chapter seven, The Hare and The Tortoise, Fullan refers to the Fontaines Fable of the hare and the tortoise. Developing leaders are more tortoise-like than hare-like. Three powerful lessons about leadership are identified: the vital and paradoxical need for slow knowing overtime, the importance of learning in context , and the need for leaders at all levels of the organization, in order to achieve wide spread internal commitment. Good leaders foster leadership at other levels. Leadership at other levels produces a steady stream of future leader for the system as a whole. Fullan concludes that leaders in a culture of change will be judged as effective or ineffective not simply by their results and who they are as leaders, but by the leadership they develop in others. Fullans writing style is more familiar than authoritative with liberal amount of case histories from both the business world and the world of education. The theme of this book is that all of us can improve our leadership abilities simply by focusing on a small number of key dimensions. Fullan ties each chapter to the previous one re-emphasizing the previous chapter through reinforcement in the current one. This book states that two things have occurred in recent times that have aided the discovery and pursuit of effective leadership. The first is that the knowledge base of what it takes to be an effective leader is getting broader and deeper, and with more insight. The second thing that happened is that there are many more examples of transformation in both business and education. In reading this text and then reviewing it, I concluded that there were three basic premises that were utilized to accomplish the purpose of the book. I think that the first premise was found within the verbiage of the preface, which related that this book is about how leaders can focus on certain key change themes that will allow them to lead effectively under messy conditions. This book is also about how leaders foster leadership in others, thereby making themselves dispensable in the long run (p. x) The second premise is that each and every leader, whether the CEO of a multinational corporation or a school principal, can become much more effective by focusing on a small number of core aspects of leadership and by developing a new mind-set about the leaders responsibility to himself or herself and to those with whom he or she works (p. 2). The premise this book uses to achieve its purpose is that it delves into the complexities of leadership . . . It provides insights, strategies, and, ultimately, better theories of knowledge and action suited to leadership in complex times (p. 10). The book lists five components of leadership that were discussed and reviewed (in detail in separate chapters) to support the three premises that were utilized to achieve its purpose. These five components were: moral purpose (which means acting with the intentions of making a positive difference in the lives of employees, customers, and society as a whole), understanding the change process (I think this is self-explanatory), relationships (which means consummating relationships with diverse people and groups; effective leaders constantly foster interaction and problem solving, and are wary of easy consensus), knowledge creation and sharing (which represents a merging of the previous three components to arrive at something new to help or facilitate the change or an understanding of it), and coherence (which is eliminating the ambiguity associated with new knowledge created and shared connecting the new knowledge to existing knowledge). The book argues that by utilizing these five components, we have the correct checks and balances for simultaneously letting go and reining in. When leaders act in the ways recommended, they will disturb the future in a manner that approximates the desired outcomes, Leading in a Culture of Change integrates the most current ideas and theories on effective leadership to support and illustrate five core competencies for leading in complex times. Fullan links components of his leadership framework with concrete examples and cases used in education and business. Moreover it allows the reader to apply the methods gradually. I found the book easy to read and quite enlightening, reinforcing some of my personal beliefs concerning successful leadership styles in the culture of change. Leading in a culture of change deals with the complexities of leadership; it provides insights, strategies and better theories of knowledge and action suited to leadership in difficult times. This book is a call for action, equipping leaders with ideas and strategies for deep success. I found this book both enjoyable and enlightening. Each page offered positive in sight into leading the change process. I would recommend this book to all administrators, whether at the central office level or on the campus. It would be an excellent centerpiece for staff development revolving around the change process. Fullan does not lead the reader to believe that by following simple steps all will work out fine. Instead he offers a path to change with many positive examples of companys and educational systems growing, developing, and maturing towards a common goal.