Super Leadership Is A New Form Of Leadership Education Essay

Super Leadership Is A New Form Of Leadership Education Essay INTRODUCTION Super Leadership is a new form of leadership for the era of knowledge-based enterprises distinguished by flat organizational structures and employee empowerment. A super-leader is one who leads others to lead themselves through designing and implementing the system that allows and teaches employees to be self-leaders. Super-leaders help each of their followers to develop into an effective self-leader by providing them with the behavioral and cognitive skills necessary to exercise self-leadership. Super-leaders establish values, model, encourage, reward, and in many other ways foster self-leadership in individuals, teams, and wider organizational cultures. The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a model of super leadership and creativity. This paper will practically contribute to the literature on super leadership and creativity by examining the relationships between them. This study is in continuation to the study conducted by DiLiello and Houghton (2006) in which a model was suggested that the employees having strong super leadership qualities will have more creative and innovative potential. Moreover, they will also practice a high level of innovation and creativity, when they feel a strong support from their supporting workplace. In a broader perspective, super-leadership is an effective mean of developing a shared and pervasive environment that support idea generation and creative problem solving. Succinctly, it is believed that an organization that encourages super leadership is likely to experience higher levels of creative and innovative processes among its employees which can flourish useful ideas and ultimately enhance organizational effectiveness. Significance and Rationale of the Study The question arises that why super leadership phenomenon is important? The answer is that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers. Employee self-leadership is the key to success in the new economy. So, having super-leadership, followers are treated in a proper way and thus turn into super leaders. If super leaders are successful in providing strategic alignment and coaching people, they develop followers who are productive, work independently, and need only minimal attention from the super leader. The rationale of this paper is to test and present results based upon a hypothesized model about the relationships between Super-leadership and idea generation/creative potential. In short, our model will test the hypothesis as if strong Super-leaders are more likely to have higher levels of idea generation/creativity potential than weak Super-leaders are. Such a model may be of great benefit to organizations that are looking forward to change due to market dynamism through the creativity and innovation of human resources of Super-leaders. As argued by Neck and Manz (1996), pragmatic Super-leadership research studies advocates that employees having Super-leadership line of action, enhances their individual performance and, at large, organizational performance, than an employee who does not practice Super-leadership approaches. In current era of rapid globalization, Super-leadership strategies enhance organizational capacity to flourish in the face of the challenges of the twenty-first century. Research Objectives The bulk of the literature on management and leadership tends to focus primarily on the dynamics of the common organization. This study will be a welcome addition to the abundant literature on Leadership Studies in organizational settings. At some level, one of the minor intentions of this study is to trigger an impetus that will prompt other academics and scholars to take on the topic of leadership and management at a wider range and with more comprehensive objectives. The main focus would be to explore the link between super leadership behavior and creative potential through idea generation for a innovative and creative culture within organization. Research Questions The research questions in this case are presented as follows: What is the relationship between super leadership and creativity potential? How super leadership provoke an employee to perform at its best level? REVIEW OF LITERATURE Why to shift from traditional leadership to Super-Leadership? Super-leadership, sometimes also called as Self-Leadership, may be defined as the way to lead others is by leading oneself (Manz and Sims, 2001). The main difference between traditional leadership management concept and Super-Leadership is the main focus on followers rather than leader itself, and especially the belief of improving followers capacity to lead who are effective self-leaders. Therefore, concisely, super-leadership is the way of leading others to lead themselves. As argued by Sims Manz (1996), for super leadership behavior to be implemented, a leader has to adopt 10 most significant shifts from traditional approach of leadership in order to move towards super leadership approach. First thing first, the leader helps out the team members/group to switch from external observation to self-observation. Secondly, the focus is on moving from designated goals to goals that are self developed. Thirdly, organic control is exercised by team/group members i.e. external reinforcement for task performance changes in to internal reinforcement with an addition of external reinforcement for self-leadership behaviors. Fourthly, leadership prefer to motivation techniques not only based on external compensation but also based on the natural rewards associated with work. Another step is that the leader shifts the group to focus on self criticism rather than external criticism from the organization, which often creates bad impact upon team/group members. Sixthly, there is a move from external problem solving towards self-problem solving techniques. Seventhly, there is a shift from external job assignments to self-job assignments. Also, leadership moves from external planning to self planning and from external task design to self-design of tasks at step eight. Ninth step focuses that any problem or issue arises should be treated as an opportunity instead of threat by the group/team members. Finally, commitment to organizations vision rather than its compliance only is more important that leadership needs to help the employee to create. Having focused to improve employees effectiveness, self-leadership phenomenon attempts to concentrate on various issues that an organization might come across in this era of rapid globalization. Supervisors and work conditions can have some sort of control mechanism in a work place (Manz and Sims, 1980) but the inner drive that initiate organic control, or intrinsic motivation to work, take place from within the person (Herzberg et al., 2003; Manz and Sims, 1980; Sergiovanni, 1992). It is always stressed that true leadership comes from within and at the end, achievement streams from follower self-leadership (Sims Manz, 1996). It is asserted that one can lead in a better way if able to develop and use individuals skills and capabilities at workplace (Manz and Sims, 1980). As advocated by Manz (1986) and Manz and Neck (2004) as organizational members are trained and permitted to utilize self-leadership strategies, a candid control mechanism is put in action. Finally, the Super-Leader must develop an environment where employees are free to fail and improve after taking risky decisions and can learn in a true sense. However, risk must be calculated enough and apposite autonomy to fail is of vital importance. We can say that the Super-Leader should promote learning, if the mistake took place in team/group members. Yet again, the Super-Leader must exercise a balance approach in terms of risk taking behaviors i.e. to become aware when one can let mistakes occur or otherwise (Sims Manz, 1996). Intrinsic Motivation The key to stimulate creativity in organization is to foster individuals creativity, for which the easiest human element is to alter an individuals motivation. Majority of empirical research findings in line with this statement are reported from the field of social psychology of creativity and are referred to in the literature as the intrinsic motivation principle. According to Amabile (1988), an intrinsic motivation of individuals towards a task/job has two sides. First, the persons natural preference towards such type of activities. Secondly, the way individual perceive and know the reasons to undertake that task, which is dependent upon external social as well as environmental factors. This second element is the simplest way to affect creativity of an individual and by using motivation i.e. intrinsic one, is one of the easiest approaches to do so as motivation needs less amount of time/money to boost up a creative individual. Moreover, the task or assignments that more complex and challenging with a freedom to decide on how to carry out assigned tasks are expected to foster intrinsic motivation that, sequentially, increases creativity (Amabile, 1988). Amabile (1996, 1997) comments that intrinsic motivation is one of the perspiration phases of the creative process that individuals may seek to bypass, moving too quickly to the more intrinsically motivating idea generation phase. On the other hand, rigid adherence to rules and regulation has a tendency to negatively affect creativity. For case in point, Amabile (1998) pointed out that rigid rules and centralized decision making reduces creativity as intrinsic motivation to do task reduces creativity. Due to centralized decision-making and rigid control, information flow within organization reduces as well. As creativity needs free access to information, this will, in turn, reduce the generation of new ideas. Similarly, in another study by Amabile (1997), intrinsic motivation arises when the task itself is a source of interest, enjoyment, self-expression, and personal challenge. Likewise, Ryan Deci (2000) pointed out that intrinsic motivation is a result of internal reinforcement to perform a task rather than in response to external reinforcement. A prior research foundation shows that formal organizational controls restrict individual freedom and thereby dampen intrinsic motivation required for creativity (Amabile, 1996; Shalley, Gilson, Blum, 2000). George and Zhou (2001) established in empirical terms that those individuals who demonstrate meticulous behavior at workplace and are particularly unremitting attitude towards workplace compulsions display low levels of creativity. In addition, intrinsic motivation is more indomitable on interesting tasks and less importunate on uninteresting tasks that require discipline and concerted effort (Gagne and Deci, 2005). Besides, creativity is improved by positive affect (Davis, 2009; Grawitch Munz, 2005) as a positive affect promote a forward move rather than evasion (Carver, 2001; Erez Isen, 2002), which ultimately improve individuals perception to perceive a task as an opportunity rather than a threat (Higgins, 1997) and to deal with issues rather than retreat (Amabile et al., 2005; Frederickson, 2001; Seo, Barrett, Bartunek, 2004). Much of the literature cited above created a foundation that intrinsic motivation is a basic ingredient for creativity, and that intrinsic motivation is hampered if the formal and rigid control in organization is simultaneously implemented. Self Efficacy According to Bandura (1998), perceived self-efficacy is defined as a firm belief about ones capability to give desired performance that ultimately affects their lives. Self-efficacy beliefs reveal that what people feel, think and how they can be motivated. A super leadership strategy augments to improve self-efficacy perceptions and refine regulation processes, having significant impact on individual task performance (Houghton Neck, 2006). According to Konradt, Andreßen and Ellwart (2009), self-leadership impact on individual performance was partially mediated by self-efficacy perception, while autonomy characteristics showed no significant effects. Neubert and Wu (2006) showed a strong positive effect on creativity and work role performance. Carmela, MÃ ©tier, and Weisberg, (2006) and DiLiello and Houghton (2006) have found that self-leadership is a strong predictor of innovation as perceived by coworkers and managers. DeRue and Morgeson (2007) posited that individuals with general self-efficacy attribute success to ability and failure to insufficient effort. Chen, Gully, and Eden (2004) indicated that general self-efficacy is a motivational belief or judgment about personal capabilities that influences personal action in a wide variety of situations. Self-efficacy beliefs develop over time and through experiences (Maddux, 2002). Self-efficacy refers to beliefs about personal capability to produce a desired effect by individual action (Bandura, 1997). Self-efficacy helps explain the behaviors people will engage, how long they will persist, and how much effort they will expend to reach their goals (Satterfield Davidson, 2000). People with high self-efficacy may be more likely to overcome difficulties through self-initiated change, more likely to be goal-directed and more persistent in the achievement of that goal (Maddux, 2002). Self Determination Individuals will be intrinsically motivated if the task increases their feelings of competency and self-determination (Deci 1975). Self-determination means having the freedom to be in charge of your own life, choosing where you live, who you spend time with, and what you do. It means having the resources you need to create a good life and to make responsible decisions. It also means choosing where, when, and how you get help for any problems you might have (Cook, Petersen, Jonikas, 2004). As far as self determination of employee is concerned, behavior focused strategies are about enhancing ones self perception of personal performance during task resolution, in order to adjust self behavior towards task achievement. Through self observation, self setting of goals and objectives; self reward administration; self punishment and self cueing; it maximizes behavior effectiveness and helps reducing negative issues related with the task (Houghton Neck, 2002; Manz Neck, 2004; Neck Houghton, 2006). Self Regulation Self-regulation refers to thoughts, feelings and actions that are planned and adapted to the attainment of personal goals (Zimmerman, 2000). As described by Schunk and Ertmer (2000), Self-regulated learning includes: Setting goals for learning Concentrating on instruction Using effective strategies to organize ideas Using resources effectively Monitoring performance Managing time effectively Holding positive beliefs about ones capabilities. Self-regulation can be improved through appropriate guidance, modeling of effective strategies and creating supportive and challenging contexts (Boekaerts and Corno, 2005; Perry and Vandekamp, 2000). Many of these strategies develop from early childhood well into adolescence (Boekaerts, 2006). Self regulation is a complex notion. It allows us to consider the interrelationships between key concepts such as self-efficacy and motivation within a single framework, rather than exploring these areas in isolation. Even though several theories suggest that employees draw from a broad repertoire of behavioral strategies to enhance their creative performance (e.g., Ford, 1996; Frese, 2000; Rank et al., 2004), there are only a handful of studies that have empirically investigated how employees behavioral strategies facilitate creative performance. In a study, Binnewies, Ohly, Sonnentag (2007) found that employees, who engage in effective communication, perform more creatively. Similarly, there is cumulating evidence that employees use proactive strategies such as feedback-seeking behavior and voice behavior to enhance their creative performance and/or make suggestions for change (e.g., De Stobbeleir, Ashford, Buyens, 2008; Van Dyne Le Pine, 1998). Such findings highlight the self-regulatory potential of employees in the creative process. We expect different proactive strategies to be crucial in the different phases of the creative process. For example, it may be that factors such as communication and feedback-seeking behavior are critical for idea generation, as feedback from other people with relevant knowledge and experience might help to improve and refine the initial idea the creative person came up with. Similarly, one could expect that proactively targeting people in the organization will be related to successful idea promotion. Existing contacts with people from top management might be used to speed up the process of acquiring resources and spreading the word in the organization might help to acquire the political power needed. Idea Generation and Creative Potential Idea generation to be one coherent phase of the creative process (Kanter, 1988; West Farr, 1989). Zhou (2008) substantiated the interpersonal character of idea generation as highlighted in recent literature on creativity. Furthermore, the creation of ideas instigates the interaction between the individual and its social environment. For idea generation, the broader (organizational) context needs to stimulate interpersonal contacts as much as possible. An open, helpful, somewhat informal culture, in which people can easily call on others, facilitates formal and informal social connections and idea generation. Creative Culture Everybody has a role to play as citizens and consumers, culture and creativity, at the same time, help deliver new, more sustainable ways of living and working. Creative people can assist in exploring and presenting a different world, if and only if, their skills and expertises are properly exploited and recognized as one of the major means of transformation. In todays era of rapid globalization characterized by enormous economic, social and environmental challenges, the development of a genuinely creative culture should play a part to deal with such type of challenges. So, it can rightly be said that the culture that we create, will determine our fate. As matter of fact, organizational culture has been acknowledged as an important precursor of creativity. A creative organizational culture necessitates to focus on quality, communication, work groups, cross-departmental collaboration and visible support for change and innovation (Kanter, 1988; Pillinger West, 1995). It pertinent to mention that the impact of organizational culture on the different phases of the creative process has not yet been empirically investigated. It can be assumed, however, that organizational culture with its strapping influence upon all processes in the organization (Cameron Quinn, 2005; Ekvall, 1996; Sharman Johnson, 1997) is crucial and vital during the entire creative process. THEORETICAL AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK A hypothesized model of the relationships between super leadership and idea generation and creative potential is shown in Figure 1. Research hypotheses for each of the relationships will be developed. The new hypothesized model suggests that a strong basis to build work environments that support of idea generation and creativity at the individual, group and organizational levels by practicing super leadership among the members of organizations. Theorists like (Manz and Sims, 2001) have suggested a relationship between super leadership and creativity. Based on the prior research done, a hypothesized relationship that can clearly be plotted between creativity and self-leadership is given as below: Figure 1 Research Questions/Hypotheses The research questions in this case are presented as follows: What is the relationship between super leadership and creativity potential? How super leadership provoke an employee to perform at its best level? Because a strong super leader is predicted to be a self-motivated, self-determined, self-regulated, having a broad sense of self-efficacy, the hypothetical theoretical model proposes the following relationship in terms of hypotheses as presented below: H1: High level of Intrinsic Motivation leads to super leadership behavior among employees. H2: High level of Self-Determination leads super leadership behavior among employees. H3: High level of Self-Efficacy leads to super leadership behavior among employees. H4: High level of Self-Regulation leads to super leadership behavior among employees. H5: Demographics Characteristics of employees serves as moderating variables that augments super leadership behavior among employees. H6: Super leadership behavior greatly gives rise to idea generation and creative potential of employees. H7: Idea generation and creative potential among employees stimulate and invigorate creative culture within organizational settings. METHODOLOGY The research will be approached based on an interpretivism view. Interpretivism is the necessary research philosophy for this study because it allows the search, of the details of the situation, to understand the reality or perhaps a reality working behind them. The study will be exploratory in nature because it aims to determine the present facts as well as facts that are not yet explored about the phenomenon. Exploratory research will enable the study to look at the problem in both descriptive and exploratory manner. It will look into the problem by exploring the views of different sets of respondents, as well as by exploring different literatures related with the study. This paper analyzes potential factors of super-leadership and creative culture were analyzed using LISREL 8.8 and SPSS 14.0 softwares. The study is comprised of testing certain hypotheses and overall proposed model analysis using Structure equation modeling technique. Data and Sample As the Electronic Media especially TV Channels are directly related and linked to idea generation and creativity, which leads to creativity in such organizations/firms, a representative sample from Electronic Media especially TV Channels in Pakistan, has been selected based on random sampling basis from a list of TV Channels available on web. A total of 200 respondents have been targeted as a sample for this study from different TV Channels functioning within and outside Pakistan. Measure/Instrument Development Questionnaire has been developed by the researcher for this study to be used as the survey instrument. The questionnaire developed was divided into two main parts, the first part being demographic profile of an employee such as Age, Gender, Experience, Job Position, Organizational size etc and the second part was based on super-leadership and creative culture dimensions/characteristics. The various items on Super-leadership dimensions include certain factors such as intrinsic motivation, self-determination, self-efficacy and self-regulation. The items are adapted from various creativity studies. Moreover, items for idea generation and creative potential and creative culture were developed from few creativity-based studies such as Eisenberger and Aselage (2008), Eisenberger Rhoades (2001) and McNeely Meglino (1994). Moreover, all the measure have been developed and pre-tested for its reliability and validity through face and content validity by the group field experts and professionals. Also, standard statistical test used for questionnaire reliability testing. The responses for 49 items scale, after pilot testing, were calculated on five points Likert-type scale, which ranges from 1-5 i.e. Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. By using different scales developed by the researcher for demographic profile of an employee, which has different ranges between two-points (e.g. gender) to five points (Likert Scale), the data from respondents was collected in five weeks. Reliability and Validity of Instrument The reliability and validity analysis for the scale measures used in empirical research is of prime importance due to several reasons. This ensures the results and finding and its predictive power which means a clear prediction about the proposed hypotheses (Flynn et al., 1994). Similarly, Nunnally and Bernstein (1994) suggested that for testing unidimensionality of data, to check internal consistency and reliability of items used in the measures, Cronbachs alpha statistics is basic tool to calculate and generally, its value should be above the acceptable threshold of 0.70. Moreover, George et al. (2000) explained that Cronbachs alpha is the basic criterion for reliability issue of scales being utilized. Foregoing in view, the items of scale in each construct as mentioned below were tested using coefficient alpha value for each construct as exhibited in Table 1. Table 01: Reliability Statistics Constructs Cronbachs Alpha 1 Intrinsic Motivation Items .81 2 Self-Determination Items .76 3 Self-Regulation Items .83 4 Self-Esteem Items .88 5 Idea Generation and Creativity Items .84 6 Creativity Culture Items .82 As a mater of fact, the Cronbachs Alpha values for measure items used in this study are ranging from 0.76 to 0.88 as shown in Table 01, which exhibits reliability of measures developed. This totally in line with argument of Bagozzi and Yi (1988) that combined reliabilities measures of constructs used in particular study must exceed the 0.70 only then results can be relied. Besides, in order to check potential multicollinearity issue in the data to confirm discriminant validity of construct used, the correlations of possible related constructs were also computed. This recommended by Hair et al. (1998) by arguing that no single pair of measures should have correlations among them more than the criterion i.e. 0.9 and above. So, the computed values exhibited below portray that multicollinearity in the data construct is not reported among the study constructs that we used. The correlations values are shown in Table 02 given as follows:- Table 02: Correlations LC RATP TR EV MOS Interest Gender Education LC 1 RA TP -0.1473 1 TR EV 0.0508 0.1421 1 MOS 0.1212 0.1749 0.6144 1 Interest 0.0338 -0.0329 0.0650 0.1890 1 Gender 0.2258 0.0596 -0.0507 -0.0859 -0.0105 1 Education 0.1245 -0.0503 0.1232 0.0408 -0.0183 0.0285 1 Idea generation -0.0661 0.2992 0.5910 0.6554 0.0561 -0.0334 0.0102 As a result of the various tests performed to check the unidimensionality of data, its reliability and discriminant validity confirm internal as well as external validity of the instrument used for data collection. Procedure Survey questionnaire, interview and observation will be used in order to gather primary data from the respondents. Surveys are the most common form of research method for collection of primary data (Commonwealth of Learning, 2000). A questionnaire was used for collecting data from employees of Leading TV channels. An attempt was made to increase the likelihood of obtaining the true score on need for autonomy, general self-efficacy, and self-leadership strategies rather than scores with systematic error by reducing evaluation apprehension (Donaldson Grant-Vallone, 2002; Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Lee, Podsakoff, 2003). Respondents were assured of anonymity, and they were informed that there was no right or wrong answers (Podsakoff et al.). The questionnaires were administered in a group setting at the start of class sessions and respondents took approximately 15 minutes to complete the survey. By following sampling technique of random sample, a questionnaire with closed-ended statements was administered initially to HR Manager of the TV channels via email and a web link, where questionnaire was online available, was forwarded to them for giving responses from potential respondents. Initially, the response rate was very low i.e. 10 % of potential 200 respondents. So, in order to expedite the data collection process, the HR, marketing and creative department were contacted via phone so that to get an appointment for self administered survey. Self-report information was also gathered from respondents regarding gender, age, and tenure. In order to address issues of self-report bias, Podsakoff and Organ (1986) suggested that researchers may reorder the items on the questionnaire so the criterion variable follows the independent variables. This scale reordering procedure was intentional as an attempt to reduce self-report bias, because all the variables in the study were obtained from the same respondents using a single survey.

One of the Few, One of the Proud Essay -- United States Marine Corps S

One of the Few, One of the Proud To some it may seem â€Å"easy† to become a soldier in the United States Marine Corps. A recruit goes to boot camp, passes, and goes on to save the world and defend the nation, but in fact it is much harder. Boot camp in itself is a test for the body to see its weaknesses and turn them to strengths and to see how long the brain can be mentally alert and ready and when tired can still give a hundred percent. Within boot camp there is the ultimate test that proves whether a recruit is just another person or if they have what it takes to be a Marine. This test is called the Crucible; it is not just the title of a book. Boot camp begins in the recruit’s home state when they sign the papers and a contract to allow the recruit to be shipped to Parris Island, South Carolina. It is eighty-nine days of depending on one’s self and trusting people that would normally be considered strangers. These are teammates and allies. Everyday is spent with them and they will help you succeed or suffer in those eighty-nine days. A recruit accomplishes a goal with his fellow recruits or fails with them. It is never a one-person effort. This is important in the end. During boot camp, each personal receives eight hours of sleep for a sixteen-hour workday. In this time, civilians learn what it takes to become a Marine and know what is expected of them. There is constant movement and training so that there is no free time to sleep or get distracted from the goals (Seymour). Every task and mission asked of a person during boot camp has a purpose. The purpose is to prepare the future soldier for any kind of situation that may take place in the field during a real mission. T... ... USMC - MCRDSD/WRR - Description of Recruit Training. United States Marine Corps. 19 Nov. 2003 <http://www.mcrdsd.usmc.mil/RTR/trainingDS.htm>. Woulfe, James B. Into the Crucible: Making Marines for the 21st Century. New York: Ballantine Books, Inc, 2000. Mission Complete: "The battle of Iwo Island has been won. The United States Marines by their individual and collective courage have conquered a base which is as necessary to us in our continuing forward movement toward final victory as it was vital to the enemy in staving off ultimate defeat. By their victory, the 3d, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions and other units of the 5th Amphibious Corps have made an accounting to their country which only history will be able to value fully. Among the Americans who served on Iwo Island, UNCOMMON VALOR WAS A COMMON VIRTUE." -Admiral Chester W. Nimitz

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men Essay -- Literary Criticism

Abstract: When Of Mice and Men is read between the lines, it is easy to discover Steinbeck’s objective. Men are destined to be alone, despite their hardships, despite their connections. In order to establish these ideas Steinbeck develops his characters, the relationships they share, and their interactions. Of Mice and Men is considered a classic novel for a reason. Steinbeck does an excellent job of establishing powerful themes while using unparalleled writing techniques. Steinbeck was able to take his upbringing as the common man and turn it into inspiration for novels. At the mention of the name, â€Å"John Steinbeck,† many associations can be made to the classic works produced by the man. However, he did not begin his life as a successful writer. Growing up in Salinas, California, Steinbeck lived the life of a common man, working to survive in the Land of Promise. He began to develop a taste for writing; however, he studied marine biology while he attended Stanford University. Without graduating with a degree, Steinbeck began working as a laborer and reporter for the American in New York City. After realizing that he was not meeting his goals, or at least coming close to them, Steinbeck moved back to California where he continued to work in various odd jobs while he pursuing his career as a professional writer. In the early 1930’s Steinbeck met Edwards Ricketts, a marine biologist who later became a major influence on his works. Steinbeck enjoyed listening to Ricketts’s views on the interdependence of life. Steinbeck became i ntrigued by these concepts and began applying these themes to all of his developing works. His first two publications were undeveloped and deemed failures, but with the production of Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck was introduced to the world of literary acceptance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Of Mice and Men is considered an American classic that is taught by almost every high school and featured on most â€Å"must read† booklists. The reason for such appraise can be found in the themes lying within the book. Steinbeck establishes the concepts of man’s destiny by developing his characters, the relationships they share, and their interactions and using them to reinforce underlying themes. The relationship between Lennie and George opens many types of interpretation for critics of the novel. Some wonder whether George cares for Lennie and a person, or maybe Geo... ...e alone, despite their hardships, despite their connections. In order to establish these ideas Steinbeck develops his characters, the relationships they share, and their interactions. Of Mice and Men is considered a classic novel for a reason. Steinbeck does an excellent job of establishing powerful themes while using unparalleled writing techniques. Steinbeck was able to take his upbringing as the common man and turn it into inspiration for novels. WORKS CITED Attell, Kevin. Novels for Students: Man and Animal. Stanford University Press: Stanford California, 2004. Folsom, James K.. Critical Survey of Short Fiction. Salem Press: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1981. French, Warren. Reference Guide to American Literature. Harmony Books: New York, 1987 Goldhurst, William. Of Mice and Men: John Steinbeck’s Parable of the Curse of Cain. Western American Literature: New York, 1971. Levant, Howard. The Novels of John Steinbeck: A Critical Study. Columbia, Mo.: University of Missouri Press, 1974. Lisca, Peter. John Steinbeck, Nature and Myth. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1978. Paul, Louis. Contemporary Literary Criticism. William Beneton: Detroit, Michigan, 1982.

Chris maccandless

Tramping is too easy with all this money. My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for my next meal†¦ I've decided that I'm going to live this life for some time to come. The freedom and simple beauty of it is Just too good to pass up. -Christopher Mishandles Currency does corrupt, it's like having power. Money is something which people can do crazy things. The desire of cash will certainly change people, or not having enough money will make some individuals be victim of crime.It's very difficult to know whether that person will handle the change in a positive manner. The greed and the ignorance can destroy the relationships from within even if it's your parents or best friends in which the outcomes will be irreparable. Money is power, which people want for themselves. The desire for money is a never ending trip and most individuals will do anything for this control. When people come in to some money, they feel superior, more powerful and above th e rest of the other people that have less . Hey start hanging in crowds with the same level of income, so they feel better. I had a friend who once talk all the time, play together and hangout. When she got older, her family came in to money big time. Now she doesn't talk to me, and never does anything with me. A ND I never get invited to her birthday parties! Only the people who had a lot of money like her were invited. The society and currency is en thing that drew Chris and his father away from each there.Chris donated $25,000 to charity; abandoned his car which was one of his possessions. Chris hated money; when he brunt his cash, he was showing that he didn't conform to society and was saying that money was useless thing. Money gives you a false and temporary sense of power, but when its gone, we realize what they have lost. Plaza add I don't know what else to write. Then send it back to me and do u have parliaments email address?

Things Fall Apart and Distinctive World

The distinctive world in which the character abides by creates the distinctive voice. Each character is portrayed by their voice and actions. The characteristic of the distinctive world in which he or she inhabits shapes the character. Good_______ Mr turner and fellow students; I have chosen the text â€Å"Things fall apart† by Chinua Achebe to relate to our class text â€Å"The life and crimes of Harry Lavender† by Marele Day. By doing so, I will convey through my perception, the various types and functions of a distinctive voice and how language affects interpretation and shapes the meaning of both the distinctive voice and world.In our class text â€Å"The life and crimes of Harry Lavender† Claudia Valentine, is a private detective of the 1960’s who symbolises women liberation. The deceiving facade of Sydney which she lives in portrays the values of corruption, addiction and crime. This distinctive world created depicts the distinctive voices of Claudia and Harry Lavender, the antagonist of this novel. While describing Harry’s power, domination and concealment over Sydney. Claudia decodes the mysteries and understands more about herself and the distinctive world she resides in.There are two distinctive voices, Claudia Valentine and Harry Lavender. Claudia valentine is shaped to be a strong character, who is not inhibited by traditions. Her independent nature and â€Å"hard bitten† experiences make her more observant and resourceful. However as we keep reading; we understand her insecurities and the subtle heart all women have. Harry Lavender the antagonist of this novel is a man of strong power who is metaphorically illustrated to be the heart, the veins, and the blood of Sydney. He is a man of corruption and crime, and a symbol of the calamitous facade of Sydney.Both voices are created by the world of Sydney or how the author has quoted â€Å"the sewage of Sydney†. Similarly, in the novel â€Å"Things fall a part† by Chinua Achebe; a world is created with the recurring theme beliefs and customs portrayed through contrasts between the Pagan and African cultures. The novel is about an African tribe’s man’s life set in the early 19th century around the time of colonisation in Nigeria. Since childhood he has embarked on a journey to become a successful man in his tribe as he had not been from a respected family by decent.The many differences clash when cultural imperialism takes place and Christianity is imposed. His arrogance and cultural disposition makes him want to take revenge but ends up in a situation of despair, ending his life in shame and misery. The distinctive voice of this novel is the character Okonkwo, the society he lives in reins his thoughts and actions. In an African tribe a man was considered successful by the masculinity, strength, brutality, polygamy; numerous numbers of wives, vengeance is justice and the suppression of â€Å"feminine† emoti ons such as compassion and love.Quoted in the text, â€Å"As a young man of eighteen he had brought honour to his village by throwing Amalinze the cat† by describing Okonkwo’s victory against Amalinze, the author illustrates that honour and fame is only valued through strength. From both the novels there may be a contrast of values, setting and beliefs however both use techniques to convey the world which characterises each distinctive voice. Marele Day distinguishes the voices in â€Å"The life and Crimes of Harry Lavender†. Claudia’s thoughts are in first person and her conversations are expressed in colloquial language, this engages the reader to become more personal with Claudia.However Harry’s voice is portrayed in a formal way, making the character more distant from the reader, expressing less commiseration. To express themes of the distinctive world, Marele uses truncated sentences. â€Å"Close by the bed was a bottle of Jack Daniels: empty . And an ash tray: full. †This quote conveys the addiction present in the distinctive world and Claudia. To express this on a whole the author uses the technique of subvert convention. At the beginning she has awaken next to a blonde which we believe to be a women.Her sardonic humour also indicate the stereotypical male role of a private eye, however we soon realise that she is a women, giving a new perception to the distinctive world created as being sexually liberated. Harry Lavender is portrayed to be the world himself. Through the use of imagery Marele Day characterises Harry Lavender to be the god of the deceiving facade of Sydney. â€Å"Up there is a postcard view of Sydney† this quote describes Sydney to be at his fingertips. The world Marele creates is a world of corruption, addiction, murder and mystery all of which is present in Harry’s character.Likewise in the novel â€Å"Things fall apart†, Culture is the distinctive world created. Okonkwo, st rongly believes in his culture where importance is based on masculinity, strength, and revenge in disparity to the pagan culture where importance is given to profession, wealth and the law of justice. This contrast is a technique which the author uses to express both the distinctive worlds. Simple folk tales are used to express the culture further, giving us a more indepth explanation of Okonkwo’s distinctive world and character. Another technique which the author uses to portray the world is the detailed description of everyday life.An example is the way the author describes the preparation of Okonkwo’s food by his three wives. Overall techniques are strongly used to allow the reader to analyse the distinctive world and voice. Both texts â€Å"the life and crimes of Harry Lavender† and â€Å"things fall apart† demonstrate various types of distinctive voices which use language to shape the meaning of both the distinctive voice and world. Now we learn that distinctive voices not only serve the purpose of communication but create and represent the distinctive world itself.

2009 Chrysler Fiat Strategic Alliance

The company had no choice but to look for a partner. During this process, Chrysler explored the possibility of a tie-up with GM, Ford, Volkswagen, Tata Motors, Nissan and Fiat. Eventually Chrysler decided on creating a strategic alliance where Fiat agreed on taking a 20 percent stake in Chrysler. In the next five years, the tie-up may increase Fiat’s ownership of Chrysler to 35 percent. Both companies show compatibility in their product portfolios, global operations, and technology sharing areas. Case ObjectivesThe primary objective of this case is to analyze and discuss Chrysler’s 2009 strategic alliance with Fiat and its current and future prospects. Issues that are at the helm of this tie-up are technology sharing, global integration, quality control, and reorganization of brand portfolios. Students need to look at the intricacies of strategic alliances between two or more companies as well. As of May 2009, Chrysler is going through its Chapter 11 and corporate restructuring in the U. S. The company continues to shrink in terms of its manufacturing and global operations.Suggested Teaching Approach and Student Assignments Since the case is timely, it is recommended that class discussions should be based on the companies’ histories and their evolutionary growth (see Tables 2 and 3). Also important are topics such as strategic alliances, auto industry’s technology platforms, and brand portfolios. The questions included in the case for class discussion will require Web-based and library research on the part of students. It is recommended that the instructors provide a supplementary list of references on the auto industry (see: WardsAuto. om, JDPower. com, Automotive News, Google Search, Business Source Complete, Hoovers. com, Reuters. com, Value Line, Standard Poor’s Industry Surveys, etc. ). This will help students to be fully prepared for the case. Finally, students should be encouraged to visit Chrysler, Fiat, and other auto manufacturers’ Web sites before discussing this case in the classroom. Discussion Questions Answers Question 1. What are your views of the 2009 Chrysler-Fiat strategic alliance and its future prospects in the auto industry? Question 2. Analyze and evaluate Chrysler and Fiat’s strengths and weaknesses before and after their 2009 strategic alliance. Question 3. Compare and contrast Chrysler and Fiat with five other global auto manufacturers (GM, Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen and Daimler) in the areas of global operations and manufacturing issues. Question 4. Analyze Chrysler and Fiat’s brand portfolios in the world auto industry. How do you see both companies revamping and overhauling their brands in the short- (1-2 years) and long-terms (5-6 years). Question 5. What did you learn from the Chrysler-Fiat Strategic Alliance regarding managing multinationals in the changing global business? Case Analysis The Chrysler-Fiat strategic alliance will provide a meaningful opportunity to both companies regarding dealing with survival and expanding their markets in Europe and North America. As of 2009, it is evident that the companies are off to a good start. Both firms have marketable brands in their market segments but lack a collective effort. The case is a good example in the area of cross-border alliances that take place between two or more companies.Since 2008, Fiat has actively sought a partner in North America because of the attraction of the market. This is also attributed to the auto industry’s consolidation, restructuring, and cost-cutting activities. Chrysler and Fiat ended up seeking an alliance because of their compatibility, product portfolios, and markets. In Chrysler’s case, the main motive was to seek a partner who could help strengthen its financial problem regarding new technologies, markets, and quality standards.

Are modern humans biologically related to Neanderthals Essay

Are modern humans biologically related to Neanderthals - Essay Example The result of the studies shows that the modern humans originated from Africa about 150,000 years ago and were dispersed to other parts of the world where they replaced Neanderthals rather than interbreeding with them. This is clearly evidenced by the discovery of skeletal remains of anatomically modern humans in different parts of the world. Anatomically modern humans were discovered in Africa while distinctively modern humans were discovered in Europe and Asia. The anatomically modern humans existed 150,000 years ago while the distinctive modern populations existed 40,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence also shows that Aurignacian technologies were spread across central, southeastern and Western Europe through the dispersion modern human from Africa. The Aurignacian technologies of modern human emerged directly from the Neanderthal technologies; indicating that the Neanderthals of Asia and Europe associated with new populations from Africa. Another group of the modern human was dispersed along the coastal Mediterranean of Europe. Neanderthal genes disappeared in Europe because there was a direct competition between the Neanderthals and the modern humans in terms space and resources. The modern humans won because they had more complex technology and organization.According to Mellars (2004), there must have been great contact and interaction between modern populations expanding into Europe and the indigenous Neanderthals across Europe. These interactions were mainly behavioral.