Ancient Art Essay

1. Between 35,000 bce to 12, 000 bce, people back then used to live a simple life that survive by means hunting. This period was called the Paleolithic era which means â€Å"old stone age. † The name was derived from the stone tools which were the main devices that were utilized by the early inhabitants to perform their daily activities for subsistence. It was also during this early period that man started to create artworks on the surface walls of caves. This later on became know as â€Å"paleolithic art† or â€Å"cave paintings† (Hoover). Most of the cave drawings or painting used animals as the subject matter. The reason behind this is that the animals were perceived as â€Å"either those needed for food and that the paintings were some type of ritual related to the hunt, or that the animals were sacred and were given god-like qualities. † More so, these visual artworks were considered as â€Å"calendars or almanacs, ‘coming of age’ ceremonies, records of tribal migrations and mystic paintings during a shamanistic trance. † Some of the examples of these paleolithic cave paintings are the following: Cow and a horse from Lascaux cave in France, â€Å"Big Cats† from Chauvet cave in France and the Horse at Lascaux cave in France. The animal theme was prevalent in these three paintings. More so, the colors used were mostly concentrated on earth tones such as red, brown, yellow and black. At that time, the resources of man were limited so the color scheme was monochromatic but with just a little touch of bold colors. For the outlines and silhouette of the animals, it was rigid and not proportional which was caused by the uneven stone surfaces. Also, it lacked depth making it appear two-dimensional. However, cave artists have mastered color blending that added some drama to the overall look of the painting. In Ancient Egypt, the royals were treated with utmost respect during their lifetime as well as in their after life. In order for them to be immortalized, sculptures were made in their honor. Also, it is to assure that the elites and royalist’s identity will be for eternity. The sculpture of King Menkaure and his Queen Khamerernebty is a clear example of this ancient practice. The statue of the two royal figures measures 4 feet 6. 5 inches in length and it is located within the pyramid of Menkaure which is the â€Å"smallest of the Great Pyramids. † The sculpture is primarily composed of a common material found in ancient Egypt, which is slate. The statue’s perfect body proportions and regal body gestures displayed Menkaure and Khamerernebty’s royalty. Back then, it was part of tradition that artists should represent their kings and queens in an ideal manner. Their flaws or physical defects should not be highlighted so that the public would forever remember them in a good light. Moreover, the formality of their position wherein the arm of Khamerernebty was wrapped around the torso of Menkaure and both their legs were straight and placed close together was intentional to ensure that the statue would last a lifetime. â€Å"By making the figures very compact and solid without any arms or legs projecting out, the sculpture has very few breakable parts. † Also, the headdress worn by the king as well as the â€Å"queen’s long hair† served as a support to the neck which is considered to be the most delicate part of the statue. More so, the perfect posture and affectionate gesture of the king and queen demonstrated that they were related through marriage. This strategic positioning of the figures was meant to look like that they are associated with each other. The artists wanted the viewers to immediately determine that King Menkaure and his Queen Khamerernebty are husband and wife and that they will forever remain that for the â€Å"rest of time† (Art History Adventure). Works Cited Hoover, Marleen. â€Å"Art of Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras. † 15 August 2006. San Antonio College Visual Arts and Technology Department. 17 November 2008 . â€Å"Menkaure and Khamerernebty, Gizeh, Egypt, 2490-2472 BCE, slate. † n. d. Art History Adventure. 17 November 2008 .

Contribution of Engineers in Society

Question 5: In this technological age, the power of the engineers in shaping the society and environment in all pervading and can profoundly affect the lives of many members of the society. Enumerate, from your personal experience, how largely positive impacts have accrued from the contributions of engineers. Answer: Introduction In the eyes of public, an engineer is a professional man who is of sufficient training, expertise, and integrity as to be able to act with independence and impartiality in his professional judgments to ensure trust and confidence of public.Since ancient era to recent technological age, participation and contribution of engineers have been seen in all ways of life. Involvement and contributions of engineers are tremendous and playing important roles in almost all aspects of human being life. Let us discuss from the following few angles: – 1)HSE Engineers in their profession, shall identify the safety and health risks in their works, assess them and tak e steps to minimize and control these risks in the work place and public arena. Engineers are involved in the search for safer work places and products.These search for improved safety benefited in reducing accidents and harm to the public. Engineers are keenly aware that their work and recommendations can have a very major impact on the environment that we live in. The very car that we drive emits carbon dioxide that is causing warming of the atmosphere that eventual could lead to massive environmental disasters later. Engineers are at the very core of the research and development into ways and means to reduce emissions by example of hybrid cars, cars running on hydrogen or biofuel alternative.Engineer has reduced greatly the negative impact from the sewerage generated by the increasing population. The sewerage produced by human being if not treated properly, will cause disastrous to the environment. Imagine what is going to happen if the underground water and rivers are contaminat ed by the sewerage. Therefore the engineer’s effort in construction of the sewerage treatment plant has greatly impact in preservation of environment. 2)DevelopmentEngineers contributed very significantly to a country’s development from an agricultural economy to one that includes manufacturing, communication services and exploitation of the country’s natural resources like tin, hydropower, oil and gas. They built the infrastructure and the tools necessary for progress. Without road, highways, bridges, clean water supply, electrical power supply, telephone and cell phone communication, we would be living lives in jungle, where it will be dark at night and water is from well. Engineers build new townships and residential areas which create more jobs opportunity to the adjacent areas.In the city, engineers build high rise building which maximize land usages, provide a better and comfortable working environment to increase quality & productivity of work. Engineers also forecast & plan for future water demands & make proposals to solve current water supply problems. Example: Proposal of building new water treatment plants & reservoirs, or replacement of old pipelines to reduce loses due to leakages and so on, all these were developed and built with the input from engineers. One of the engineer’s contributions that have major impact of the lives of many members of society is in the Transportation sector.Better transportation network such as PLUS, KESAS, ELITE, will boost many new residential area & township development of suburban area. Upgrading of road network and transportation system improve production and economy; improve unity of nation and communication between state. People find easier and more convenient in moving around from one place to anther place. It only takes about 4 hours to travel from Penang to KL with North South Highway. Rest & Recreation Area provide a place for road users to rest and a new optional place for food, recreation and public services.Engineers also help in providing good public transportation network which enhance country image. Moving around in big city in Klang Valley using Light Rail Transit and Monorail System can avoid the congestion of traffic, overcome the problem of scarcity of car parks and shorten the period of time to reach the destination. Engineers provide solution for limited space in a city by efficiency of interchange, solve foundation and stability problem, carry out value engineering for optimization of cost which make more development for limited capital a nation has.Beside this, the improvement in the telecommunication contributed by the engineers in the field of electrical, electronic and computer engineering have resulted to a better quality of lives. Satellite TV and cell phones together with computer and internet have enabled us to communicate instantly and anywhere on earth, so that we are now more informed than ever with the information that can be searche d for and accessed more readily. One can communicate with their friends, family members, business partners or clients at any place, and anytime.The advancement in communication coupled with the better physical communication such as transportation network have bring not just better quality of life, but also have increased business activities, more decision can be made daily, more people can be involved in business activities, more income generated for company and individual, and the taxes collected by the government as well. 3)Innovation on equipment and machine The life expectancy of the population at large is getting longer and part of the reason is the health service providers like hospital being equipped with better tools and machines e. g. -rays and scanners developed and built by engineers. Medicine has been made more cheaply and widely available by new techniques. Engineering practices and knowledge that have been put in the design, application and production of hearing aids a nd other equipment such as lasers for optometric correction is a significant contribution to the better welfare of human being. The home is typically equipped with airconditioning and washing machine that engineers contributed in the development and manufacturing so that we can live a more comfortable life with more time for more productive and creative activities.Conclusion Engineer’s professional behavior require that they act faithfully to their employer or clients, be competent in their field of work, gain required technical know how and work experience, put the safety of the public in profound regards, protect the environment, contribute to sustainable development, make objective and truthful report to the public if needed, avoid conflict of interest in the job and to act honorably and respectfully in their professional conduct.The most important aspect is that any advice given has to be fair, objective, impartial, and has to be in the best interest of the public in gene ral and client in particular, in order to instill public confidence and trust. Engineers must be seen as a person with total integrity in his work and no compromise to his professional judgment.These behaviors generally spill over to the professional’s conduct in public and thereby contributing to a better work place and to the society from the services and products they have generated. All of these have resulted a quantum leap in human civilization and all these cannot be happened without engineers.

No Se

Chapter 12 Basic Approaches to Leadership MULTIPLE CHOICE What Is Leadership? 1. John Kotter’s view argues that management focuses on coping with complexity, whereas leadership focuses on coping with _____. a. conflict b. success c. defeat d. morale e. change (e; Moderate; Management and Leadership; p. 385) 2. Which of the following roles focuses on bringing about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans? a. leadership b. management c. task structure d. initiating structure e. none of the above (b; Easy; Management; p. 385) 3. Leadership is best defined as _____. a. he ability to influence a group in goal achievement b. keeping order and consistency in the midst of change c. implementing the vision and strategy provided by management d. coordinating and staffing the organization and handling day-to-day problems e. not a relevant variable in modern organizations (a; Moderate; Leadership; p. 385) 4. Which of the following statements regarding leadership is true? a. All l eaders are managers. b. Formal rights enable managers to lead effectively. c. All managers are leaders. d. All leaders are hierarchically superior to followers. . Nonsanctioned leadership is as important as or more important than formal influence. (e; Challenging; Leadership; p. 386) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Trait Theories 5. Which theory differentiates leaders from nonleaders by focusing on personal qualities and characteristics? a. Fiedler’s perspective b. characteristic theory c. LPC d. contingency theory e. trait theory (e; Easy; Trait Theories; p. 386) 6. According to a comprehensive review of the leadership literature, what is the most important trait of effective leaders? a. conscientiousness b. openness c. extraversion d. greeableness e. emotional stability (c; Easy; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 386) 7. Recent studies indicate that ________ may indicate effective leadership. a. an endless supply of terrific ideas b. a compelling vision c. a highly analytical mind d . outstanding training e. emotional intelligence (e; Easy; Emotional Intelligence and Trait Theories; p. 387) 8. Emotional intelligence is so critical to effective leadership because one of its core components is ________. a. conscientiousness b. empathy c. openness d. extraversion e. agreeableness (b; Easy; Trait Theories; p. 387) 9.There is fairly strong evidence that traits can predict _____ more accurately than leadership effectiveness. a. leadership emergence b. extraversion in leaders c. leadership awareness d. leadership competence e. the conscientiousness of leaders (a; Moderate; Trait Theories; p. 388) Behavioral Theories 10. Trait research suggests that we focus on _____, whereas behavioral studies imply that we can effectively _____. a. teaching people certain traits; teach people certain behaviors b. selecting the right person for a job; train leaders c. changing jobs to suit people; change people to suit jobs d. raining new employees; dispense with training e. identifyi ng certain traits in leaders; ignore leaders’ traits (b; Moderate; Trait Theories versus Behavioral Theories; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 11. If trait theories of leadership are valid, then leaders are _____. a. trained b. born c. authoritarian d. educated e. grown (b; Moderate; Trait Theories; p. 389) 12. If behavioral leadership theories are correct, then _____. a. leadership behaviors are consistent b. leaders are born with leadership behaviors c. leaders’ behavior should be altered d. leadership can be taught e. omen generally make better leaders than men (d; Moderate; Behavioral Theories; p. 389) 13. Which of the following is not a behavioral theory of leadership? a. Ohio State studies b. Fiedler model c. University of Michigan studies d. managerial grid e. All of the above are behavior theories of leadership. (b; Moderate; Behavioral Theories; pp. 389-390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 14. The two dimensions of leadership behavior explained in the Ohio State stud ies are _____. a. coercion and motivation b. concern for people and concern for production c. employee-oriented and production-oriented d. nitiating structure and consideration e. operant conditioning and classical conditioning (d; Moderate; Ohio State Studies; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 15. According to the Ohio State studies, the extent to which a leader’s behavior is directed toward getting the job done is called _____. a. consideration b. maximization c. relationship-oriented d. path-goal e. initiating structure (e; Moderate; Initiating Structure; p. 389) 16. A leader high in initiating structure would do which of the following? a. seek consensus b. exhibit laissez-faire type of leadership c. maximize leader-member relations d. ssign group members to particular tasks e. empower employees to make their own decisions (d; Moderate; Initiating Structure; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 17. According to the Ohio State studies, the extent to which a leader is likely to h ave job relationships characterized by mutual trust and respect for his/her employees is _____. a. consideration b. matrix c. consensus-building d. LPC e. maximization (a; Moderate; Consideration; p. 389) 18. The two dimensions of leadership behavior identified in the University of Michigan studies are _____. a. coercion and motivation b. emotional and rational c. mployee-oriented and production-oriented d. initiating structure and consideration e. initiation and completion (c; Moderate; University of Michigan Studies; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 19. The University of Michigan studies define a(n) _____ leader as one who takes personal interest in the needs of his/her subordinates. a. LMX b. contextual c. employee-oriented d. consensus-building e. consummate (c; Moderate; Employee-Oriented Leaders; p. 390) 20. If a leader’s main concern is accomplishing his/her group’s tasks, the University of Michigan studies label this leader _____. a. consideration-oriented . ma nagerial c. ineffective d. high achieving e. production-oriented (e; Moderate; Production-Oriented Leaders; p. 390) 21. According to University of Michigan researchers, which type of leaders is associated with higher group productivity and higher job satisfaction? a. situational b. employee-oriented c. production-oriented d. initiating structure-oriented e. heliocentric (b; Moderate; Employee-Oriented Leaders; p. 390) 22. The graphic portrayal of a two-dimensional view of leadership style by Blake and Mouton is known as the _____. a. least preferred co-worker scale b. leader-participation model c. utocratic-democratic continuum d. managerial grid e. matrix of discretion (d; Easy; Managerial Grid; p. 390) 23. According to the Managerial Grid, managers perform best using which of the following styles? a. 9,9 b. consideration c. contingency d. development-oriented e. rigid (a; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p. 390) 24. According to Blake and Mouton, a leader with a 9,1 style can best be de scribed as a(n) ____ type of leader. a. visionary b. laissez-faire c. authority d. effusive e. contrasting (c; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p. 390) Contingency Theories: Fiedler Model and Situational Leadership Theory 5. All contingency theories are based on the idea that effective leadership performance depends on _____. a. the proper match between the leader’s style and the control the situation gives the leader b. selecting the right leadership style based on the level of the followers’ readiness c. using a leadership style that is appropriate to the situational conditions d. making use of the best path for the goal that is identified e. none of the above (c; Challenging; Contingency Models; p. 392) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 26. Who proposed a contingency theory? a. Fiedler b. Surber c. Grey . Deickman e. Swartz (a; Easy; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 27. The first comprehensive contingency model for leadership was developed by _____. a. Hersey and Blanchard b. Bl ake and Mouton c. Fred Fiedler d. John Kotter e. Douglas Surber (c; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 28. Which model represents the theory that effective group performance depends on the proper match between a leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader? a. Leader-Member Exchange Model b. Fiedler’s Contingency Model c. Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Model d.Vroom and Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model e. none of the above (b; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 29. Who developed the LPC (least preferred co-worker) questionnaire? a. Wachner b. Fiedler c. House d. Blake and Mouton e. Surber (b; Moderate; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392) 30. In Fiedler’s model, if a respondent describes his or her least preferred co-worker in relatively positive terms, then the respondent is considered to be _____. a. relationship-oriented b. people-oriented c. consensus-building d. considerati on-focused e. unrealistic (a; Challenging; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 92) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 31. If a survey respondent sees his or her least preferred co-worker in unfavorable terms, Fiedler would categorize the respondent as _____. a. overly critical b. task-oriented c. emotionally deficient d. insightful e. laissez-faire (b; Moderate; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 32. Fiedler’s contingency model assumes that an individual’s leadership style is _____. a. changeable b. contingent c. situational d. fixed e. intangible (d; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 33. Three situational criteria identified in the Fiedler model are _____. . job requirements, position power, and leadership ability b. charisma, influence, and leader-member relations c. leader-member relations, task structure, and position power d. task structure, leadership ability, and group conflict e. emotional intelligence, group orientation, and employee status ( c; Moderate; Fiedler’s Key Situational Factors; p. 393) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 34. Fiedler labels the degree of confidence, trust, and respect that subordinates have in their leader as _____. a. leader-member relations b. relationship orientation c. positional power d. employee-orientation . none of the above (a; Easy; Leader-Member Relations; p. 393) 35. The degree to which job assignments are procedurized is classified in the Fiedler model as _____. a. leader-member relations b. task orientation c. task structure d. initiating structure e. productivity oriented (c; Moderate; Task Structures; p. 393) 36. Fiedler’s theory predicts that an individual who is considered task oriented will be most effective when the situation is _____. a. moderately to highly favorable b. moderately favorable c. moderately to highly unfavorable d. very favorable or very unfavorable e. highly favorable d; Challenging; Matching Leaders and Situations; pp. 393-394) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 37. Based on the contingency theory, if the leadership style does not match the situation, you should _____. a. change the leader to fit the situation b. change the situation to fit the leader c. accept this circumstance as unchangeable d. either a or b e. retrain the leader in a more appropriate style (d; Moderate; Matching Leaders and Situations; p. 394) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 38. The reconceptualization of the contingency model by Garcia and Fiedler is called _____ theory. a. situational b. cognitive resource . evaluative d. leadership recognition e. cognitive dissonance (b; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 39. Cognitive resource theory focuses on the role of ____ as a form of situational unfavorableness and how a leader’s intelligence and experience influence his or her reaction. a. stress b. task structure c. position power d. conflict e. resolution (a; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 40. All of the following are findings of the cognitive resou rce theory except _____. a. low stress situations show a positive relationship between intellectual abilities and performance b. ow stress situations show a positive relationship between job experience and performance c. high stress situations show a negative relationship between intellectual abilities and performance d. high stress situations show a positive relationship between job experience and performance e. None of the above are findings of the theory. (b; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 41. Hersey and Blanchard developed which of the following? a. situational leadership theory b. cognitive resource theory c. managerial grid model d. path-goal theory . cognitive orientation model (a; Moderate; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 395) 42. Hersey and Blanchard’s leadership theory differs from other leadership theories primarily because it _____. a. explores the role of the expectations of the leader for the follower b. focuses on the fo llowers c. holds that leadership style should be dependent on the situation d. is normative e. deals strictly and exclusively with contingencies (b; Challenging; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 395) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 43. According to Hersey and Blanchard, readiness encompasses the _____. a. egree of confidence, trust, and respect members have in their leader b. amount of influence a leader has over variables such as hiring, firing, and salaries c. level of morale and satisfaction of the employees d. ability and willingness of the followers to accomplish a task e. all of the above (d; Moderate; Readiness; p. 396) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 44. Hersey and Blanchard say that the laissez-faire leadership style should be used when employees are ____ to accomplish a task. a. unable and willing b. able and unwilling c. unable and unwilling d. able and willing e. none of the above d; Moderate; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 396) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 45. What theory was develop ed by Robert House? a. cognitive resource model b. decision theory c. leader-member exchange theory d. path-goal theory e. situational leadership theory (d; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 396) 46. The leadership model that integrates the expectancy theory of motivation with the Ohio State leadership research is _____. a. path-goal b. contingency c. leader-participation d. leader-member exchange e. cognitive arousal (a; Challenging; Path-Goal Theory; p. 396) 47. What is the essence of the path-goal theory? . Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style. b. Stress is a form of situational unfavorableness and a leader’s reaction to it depends on his or her intelligence and experience. c. Effective group performance depends on the proper match between the leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader. d. Leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers because of time pressures. e . The leader is responsible for providing followers with the information, support, or other resources necessary for them to do their jobs. e; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 48. The leadership behaviors identified by the path-goal theory are _____. a. supportive, employee-oriented, laissez-faire, and participative b. achievement-oriented, supportive, humanistic, and directive c. participative, achievement-oriented, directive, and supportive d. directive, participative, supportive, and laissez-faire e. affective, cognitive, and behavioral (c; Challenging; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 49. Which path-goal leadership style leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful? . directive b. supportive c. participative d. mixed e. reactive (a; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 50. According to House, what leader is friendly and shows concern for the needs of followers? a. the achievement-oriented leader b. the directive leader c. the laissez-faire leader d. the participative leader e. the supportive leader (e; Easy; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) 51. Which of the following is not an example of a prediction based on path-goal theory? a. Subordinates with an internal locus of control will be more satisfied with a directive style. b.Directive leadership leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful. c. Supportive leadership results in high employee performance when performing structured tasks. d. Directive leadership is likely to be perceived as redundant by employees with a lot of experience. e. All of the above are examples of predictions based on path-goal theory. (a; Challenging; Path-Goal Theory Predictions; p. 398) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory 52. Which of the following theories argues that because of time pressures, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their subordinates? . managerial grid b. lea der-member exchange c. path-goal d. expectancy e. contingency (b; Easy; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 398) 53. According to LMX theory, which of the following is not true of those individuals who fall into the out-group? a. They receive a disproportionate amount of the leader’s attention. b. They have leader-follower relations based on formal authority interaction. c. They are less trusted. d. They receive fewer of the preferred rewards that the leader controls. e. All of the above statements are true. (a; Easy; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 99) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 54. According to LMX theory, a leader implicitly categorizes followers as â€Å"in† or â€Å"out† _____. a. after careful analysis b. on a temporary basis c. early in the interaction d. because of political pressure e. based on job requirements (c; Easy; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 399) Decision Theory; Vroom and Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model 55. The leader-participatio n model was developed by _____. a. Hersey and Blanchard b. Fred Fiedler c. Blake and Mouton d. Vroom and Yetton e. Douglas and Surber (d; Moderate; Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) 56.Vroom and Yetton’s leadership theory could also be described as a _____ theory. a. contingency b. decision c. behavioral d. trait e. cognitive dissonance (b; Moderate; Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) 57. Criticism of Vroom and Yetton’s leader-participation model focus on ________. a. the model’s overall complexity b. the lack of research testing of the model c. the abstract nature of the model d. the model’s emphasis on follower commitment e. the model’s emphasis on time restrictions related to decision-making (a; Challenging; Criticism of Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) TRUE/FALSEWhat Is Leadership? 58. Leadership and management are two terms that are often confused. (True; Easy; Management and Leadership; p. 385) 59. According to Kotter, manag ement focuses on coping with change; leadership focuses on coping with complexity. (False; Moderate; Management and Leadership; p. 385) 60. Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of cohesiveness. (False; Moderate; Leadership; p. 385) 61. Holding a management position is an important step towards becoming a leader in an organization. (False; Moderate; Management and Leadership; p. 385) 62.Strong leadership is the primary element needed for optimum organizational effectiveness. (False; Moderate; Leadership; p. 385) Trait Theories 63. By the 1990s, numerous studies indicated that leaders differed from nonleaders only in ambition and self-confidence. (False; Challenging; Leadership; p. 386) 64. Research efforts at isolating leadership traits achieved a breakthrough, of sorts, when researchers began organizing traits around the Big Five personality framework. (True; Moderate; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 386) 65. The Big Five personality framework revealed that traits are most useful as predictors of leadership emergence. True; Moderate; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 386) Behavioral Theories 66. Trait research would provide a basis for selecting the â€Å"right† persons to assume formal positions requiring leadership. (True; Easy; Trait Theories; p. 389) 67. One assumption of the trait view of leadership is that leaders cannot be trained. (True; Moderate; Trait Theories; p. 389) 68. If behavioral theories of leadership are valid, selection of leaders should focus on length of experience an individual has obtained in the right situations. (False; Easy; Behavioral Theories; p. 389) 69.If behavioral theories of leadership are valid, we could have an infinite supply of effective leaders. (True; Challenging; Behavioral Theories; p. 389) 70. The most comprehensive and replicated of the behavioral theories resulted from research begun by Fred Fiedler. (False; Moderate; Ohio State Studies; p. 389) 71. The Ohio Stat e Studies involved research on only two dimensions – initiating structure and consideration. (True; Moderate; Ohio State Studies; p. 389) 72. A leader designated as high on initiating structure would be likely to clearly define the roles of his or her subordinates. (True; Easy; Initiating Structure; p. 389) 3. According to the University of Michigan studies, production-oriented leadership is defined as the extent to which a leader tends to emphasize the technical or task aspects of the job. (False; Moderate; University of Michigan Studies; p. 390) 74. The University of Michigan studies found that production-oriented leaders were associated with higher group productivity than employee-oriented leaders. (False; Challenging; University of Michigan Studies; p. 390) 75. The managerial grid model of leadership uses a grid containing nine possible positions on each axis, representing 81 different positions in which a leader’s style may fall. True; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p . 390) 76. The managerial grid model holds that managers tend to perform best under a 9,9 management style. (True; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p. 390) 77. The managerial grid was developed by a team of researchers known as the Scandinavian Studies group. (False; Easy; Managerial Grid; p. 390) 78. The managerial grid helped promote the progress of leadership research by identifying the productivity results produced by each of 81 different leadership styles. (False; Challenging; Managerial Grid; p. 390) Contingency Theories: Fiedler Model and Situational Leadership Theory 79.The Fiedler contingency model proposes that effective group performance depends upon the proper match between a leader’s style and the degree to which a situation gives control to the leader. (True; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 80. Fiedler’s contingency model is considered to be the first comprehensive contingency model for leadership. (True; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392 ) 81. Contingency models of leadership suggest that there is no one best style of leadership. (True; Easy; Contingency Models; p. 392) 82. Fiedler believes that a key factor in leadership success is the follower’s preferences for co-worker types. False; Easy; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 83. Fiedler’s findings focused on results obtained from his pioneering use of the most preferred co-worker (MPC) questionnaire. (False; Easy; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392) 84. In Fiedler’s approach, if a respondent uses unfavorable terms to describe the co-worker in question, the respondent can be said to be primarily task-oriented. (True; Moderate; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392) 85. Fiedler’s theory is based on the assumption that leaders can’t change their styles to fit changing situations. (True; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 86.Fiedler’s theory suggests that training is an effective tool to improve leader effectiveness. (False ; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) 87. Fiedler’s three situational factors include: leader-member relations, task structure, and stress. (False; Moderate; Fiedler’s Key Situational Factors; p. 393) 88. According to Fiedler, task structure is the degree to which the job assignments are procedurized. (True; Moderate; Task Structures; p. 393) 89. According to Fiedler, leader-member relations concern the degree to which a leader takes a personal interest in the needs of his or her employees and accepts individual differences among them. False; Challenging; Position Power; p. 393) 90. According to Fiedler’s contingency model, task-oriented leaders are most effective in situations of high or low control. (True; Moderate; Matching Leaders and Situations; pp. 393-394) 91. Fiedler assumes that we should concentrate on changing situations to suit the leaders or changing the leaders to fit the situation. (True; Moderate; Matching Leaders and Situations; p. 394) 92. Taken as a whole, tests of the overall validity of the Fiedler model tend to support substantial parts of the model. (True; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 394) 93.One criticism of the Fiedler model concerns the fact that the logic underlying the model’s questionnaire is not well understood. (True; Moderate; Problems with Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 395) 94. Studies regarding the Fiedler model have shown that respondents’ questionnaire scores tend to be relatively stable. (False; Moderate; Problems with Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 395) 95. One advantage of the Fiedler model is that its contingency variables are simple and easy to assess. (False; Moderate; Problems with Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 395) 96. The essence of cognitive resource theory is that stress is the enemy of rationality. True; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 97. Cognitive resource theory predicts that in low-stress situations, bright individuals perform better in the le adership role than their less intelligent counterparts. (True; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 98. Cognitive resource theory predicts that in high-stress situations, more experienced individuals perform better than do less experienced people. (True; Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 99. Under the cognitive resource theory, experience is generally a strong predictor of leadership effectiveness. False; Easy; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) 100. Hersey and Blanchard argue that the correct leadership style is contingent on the level of the follower’s readiness. (True; Easy; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 395) 101. Situational leadership theory essentially views the leader-follower relationship as analogous to that between a parent and child. (True; Easy; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 396) 102. Situational leadership theory has been well validated by research but not well received by practitioners because there are so many factors to examine. (Fal se; Moderate; Situational Leadership Theory; p. 96) 103. SLT is an example of a trait theory. (False; Easy; Situational Leadership Theory; pp. 395-396) 104. The path-goal model of leadership integrates the expectancy model of motivation with key elements of the Ohio State Studies. (True; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 396) 105. Path-goal theory assumes leaders are flexible and can display different leadership behavior depending on the situation. (True; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory; p. 397) 106. A hypothesis that has evolved out of path-goal theory is that directive leadership leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful. True; Moderate; Path-Goal Theory Predictions; p. 398) Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory 107. In the leader-member exchange theory, leaders don’t treat all of their subordinates alike. (True; Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 397) 108. According to LMX theory, out-group members get more of the leader’s time, but in a neg ative manner. (False; Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 397) 109. In the leader-member exchange theory, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of employees called the â€Å"supportive followers. † (False; Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 397) 110.Research testing of LMX theory has been generally supportive. (True, Moderate, Evaluation of Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 398) Decision Theory; Vroom and Yetton’s Leader-Participation Model 111. The leader-participation model provides a set of rules that leaders can use to determine the appropriate leadership behavior for a given task structure. (True; Moderate; Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) 112. The complexity of the leadership-participation model enables leaders to apply it realistically when they are assessing decision-making situations. (False; Challenging; Criticism of Leadership-Participation Model; p. 00) SCENARIO-BASED QUESTIONS Application of Trait Theories Your company’s HR director is a believer in trait theories of leadership. He believes that he can differentiate leaders from non-leaders by focusing on personal qualities and characteristics. The HR director plans to promote Lawrence, a highly extroverted manager with a great deal of ambition and energy. Furthermore, the president of the company is preparing to retire, and the HR director is searching for her replacement. He asks for your expertise in helping him to apply trait theory to leadership selection within your company. 13. You explain that research efforts at isolating leadership traits have ________. a. identified six leadership traits that predict leadership b. been supportive of the Big Five leadership traits predicting leadership c. shown that conscientiousness does not help much in predicting leadership d. identified emotional stability as the most strongly related trait to leader emergence e. been more focused on developing contingency theories and replacing trait theories (b; Easy; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 386) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 114.When selecting individuals for leadership positions, trait theory suggests that which of the following is least helpful for identifying leaders? a. extraversion b. conscientiousness c. openness to experience d. agreeableness e. ambition (d; Moderate; Big Five and Trait Theories; p. 387) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 115. You advise the director to prioritize which of the following when looking for appropriate candidates for the president’s replacement? a. goal-orientation b. analytical capacity c. emotional intelligence d. emotional stability e. training (c; Moderate; Emotional Intelligence and Trait Theories; p. 387) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 16. The director believes that because of these innate characteristics, Lawrence will be highly effective at helping the company achieve its production goals. You advise the director against this decision because ________. a. research has identified emotiona l stability as the strongest predictor of leadership effectiveness b. studies have found that the Big Five traits are difficult to identify in leaders c. studies have shown that traits are poor predictors of leadership effectiveness d. research has found that conscientiousness is a better predictor of effectiveness than extraversion e. esearch has shown that effective managers are often unlikely to become effective leaders (c; Moderate; Trait Theories; p. 388) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Trait and Behavioral Theories You are the CEO of an engineering design firm that has several departments, each specializing in the design of different products. You have noticed a great deal of difference between the styles of the various department directors. You also see a big difference in the morale, employee satisfaction levels, and effectiveness (productivity) levels of the departments.One of your goals as CEO is to maximize productivity across all departments. 117. As you look at the difference between the department directors, you notice that some are more charismatic and enthusiastic than others. In identifying this difference, you are looking at the directors’ _____. a. behaviors b. traits c. personalities d. attitudes e. all of the above (b; Easy; Traits; p. 386) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 118. Some of the departmental directors spend more time training and helping their employees, while other spend more time on the technical issues that arise in the development process.According to the categories used in the University of Michigan studies, the directors can be described as ________. a. oriented toward initiating structure vs. oriented toward consideration b. employee-oriented vs. production-oriented c. training-oriented vs. development-oriented d. assistance-oriented vs. growth-oriented e. authority-type leaders vs. laissez faire-type leaders (b; Moderate; University of Michigan Studies; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 119. Based on the results of the University of Michigan studies, which directors most likely have departments with higher productivity and job satisfaction? . the employee-oriented leaders b. the production-oriented leaders c. the consideration-oriented leaders d. the development-oriented leaders e. the task-oriented leaders (a; Moderate; Employee-Oriented Leaders; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 120. Of all the departments, Gerard’s department has the greatest production output. His employees seem most satisfied with his leadership as well. You categorize the behavioral styles of each department director using the managerial grid. According to the work of Blake and Mouton, who developed the grid, which of the following is most likely to reflect Gerard’s score on he grid? a. 8,8 b. 5,5 c. 1,7 d. 7,1 e. 1,1 (a; Moderate; Managerial Grid; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 121. It can be inferred that the poorest performing director is most likely to receive which of the following scores on the mana gerial grid? a. 9,9 b. 1,9 c. 9,1 d. 5,5 e. 1,1 (e; Challenging; Managerial Grid; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Fiedler’s Contingency Theory You have decided to use Fiedler’s LPC questionnaire to help your employees learn more about their leadership styles. Each of your employees has filled out and scored the instrument.It is your job to try to explain to them how to use the survey information. 122. According to Fiedler’s approach, your employees should assume which of the following about the leadership styles determined through using the survey? a. Each person’s style is essentially fixed. b. Each person can use the information to change his/her style to a more productive style. c. Task-oriented leaders will not perform as well as relationship-oriented leaders in situations that are very unfavorable. d. Task-oriented leaders will perform better than relationship-oriented leaders in moderately favorable situations. . Each person’s style will change in accordance with the situation at hand. (a; Moderate; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 123. Fran completes the LPC questionnaire and finds that she described her least preferred co-worker in relatively positive terms. She is surprised by this finding because she recalls being particularly annoyed by this difficult co-worker. Based on your understanding of Fiedler’s model, you explain to Fran that her LPC score makes sense within the model because ________. a. Fran tends to become very dominating when given ambiguous tasks b.Fran is usually much more focused on productivity than on developing relationships c. Fran tends in general to focus on building good relationships with the other employees at your company d. Fran has a spotty work history and has tended to switch jobs every couple of years e. Fran is usually chosen for positions of high responsibility within your organization (c; Challenging; Least Preferred Coworker; p. 392 ) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 124. In utilizing Fiedler’s contingency model, which of the following contingency dimensions should your employees pay attention to? a. leader-member relations b. ask structure c. position power d. All of the above are important dimensions in this model. e. None of the above are important dimensions in this model. (d; Moderate; Fiedler’s Key Situational Factors; p. 393) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 125. The Fiedler model proposes ________. a. changing the leader b. changing the situation c. matching leaders and situations d. changing the employees e. training the leader to match each situation (c; Easy; Matching Leaders and Situations; p. 394) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Various Theories Your boss has been reading several books on leadership. You notice that every ew months he is spouting a different approach and philosophy. You have been trying to keep up with him and figure out which â€Å"leadership theory of the month† he i s studying. 126. Suddenly your boss begins sending people to training to help them develop more effective leadership styles. It is clear that he is reading an author who supports _____. a. trait theories b. behavioral theories c. Fiedler’s contingency model d. the reflection effect e. none of the above (b; Easy; Behavioral Theories; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 127. You have noticed that your boss is often asking you what types of peers you least like to work with.You suspect that he is trying to covertly determine your leadership style according to _____. a. Hersey and Blanchard b. Vroom and Yetton c. Fiedler d. Sondak e. none of the above (c; Easy; Fiedler Contingency Model; p. 392) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 128. This month your boss seems less concerned about his leaders than he is about the people who work for them and whether these employees are willing and able to perform particular tasks. Your boss is most likely reading _____. a. Hersey and Blanchard b. Vroom and Y etton c. Fiedler d. Christos e. Fiedler and Garcia (a; Easy, Situational Leadership Theory; p. 95) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 129. Now your boss seems to be trying to analyze each leader according to which employees they interact with most and least, and which employees they rate highest and lowest. You suspect that he is reading about which of the following models? a. SLT b. LMX c. LPC d. PGT e. SNFU (b; Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; p. 398) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} Application of Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory As you have observed your department manager and her interactions with the department’s employees, you have come to believe in LMX theory.Sarah and Joe get less of the manager’s time. Sally gets fewer of the preferred rewards that the manager controls and John has a relationship with the manager based on formal authority interactions. Rebecca is trusted. Jennifer gets a disproportionate amount of the manager’s attention and is more likely t o receive special privileges. 130. According to LMX theory, the in-group is likely to be comprised of _____. a. Rebecca and Jennifer only b. Jennifer only c. Rebecca only d. John, Rebecca, and Jennifer only e. Sarah, Joe, Sally, and John only (a; Moderate; In-Group; pp. 398-399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 31. According to LMX theory, which of the following employees is likely to be included in the out-group? a. Rebecca only b. Jennifer only c. Sarah and Jennifer only d. Sarah and Joe only e. Sarah, Joe, Sally, and John only (c; Easy; Out-Group; p. 399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 132. When you look at this department’s performance evaluations, you expect to find that _____. a. Rebecca and Jennifer have high ratings b. Rebecca, John, and Jennifer have high ratings c. Rebecca and Jennifer have high ratings, John has moderate ratings, and the rest of the employees have low ratings d.John has received more promotions than any of the other employees e. Rebecca and John compete with eac h other for the highest ratings (a; Moderate; In-Group; p. 399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 133. The manager of this particular department is very goal-oriented in his leadership style. Which of the following employees is also likely to be very goal-oriented? a. Sarah b. Jennifer c. Joe d. Sally e. John (b; Moderate; In-Group; p. 399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} SHORT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 134. What is the difference between leadership and management? Leadership is defined as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of goals.Leadership is about coping with change, management is about coping with complexity. Good management brings about order and consistency by drawing up formal plans, designing rigid organization structures, and monitoring results against plans. Management consists of implementing the vision and strategy provided by leaders, coordinating and staffing the organization, and handling day-to-day problems. (Easy; Management and Leadership; p. 385) {AACSB: Analyti c Skills} 135. What â€Å"breakthrough† resulted in consistent and strong support for traits as predictors of leadership?When researchers began organizing traits around the Big Five personality framework, it became clear that most of the dozens of traits that emerged in various leadership reviews could be subsumed under one of the Big Five. This approach resulted in consistent and strong support for traits as predictors of leadership emergence. (Easy; Leadership; p. 385) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 136. What are the implications of the behavioral theories of leadership? If trait research had been successful, it would have provided a basis for selecting the â€Å"right† persons to assume formal positions in groups and organizations requiring leadership.In contrast, if behavioral studies were to turn up critical behavioral determinants of leadership, we could train people to be leaders. The difference between trait and behavioral theories, in terms of application, lies in t heir underlying assumptions. If trait theories were valid, then leaders are born rather than made. On the other hand, if there were specific behaviors that identified leaders, then we could teach leadership – we could design programs that implanted these behavioral patterns in individuals who desired to be effective leaders. Moderate; Implications of Behavioral Theories; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 137. Identify and explain the two dimensions of leadership described in the Ohio State studies. The Ohio State studies proposed that two categories accounted for most of the leadership behavior described by employees. They called these two dimensions initiating structure and consideration. a) Initiating structure refers to the extent to which a leader is likely to define and structure his or her role and those of employees in the search for goal attainment. ) Consideration is described as the extent to which a person is likely to have job relationships that are characterized b y mutual trust, respect for employees’ ideas, and regard for their feelings. (Easy; Ohio State Studies; p. 389) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 138. Explain the components of Blake and Mouton’s managerial grid. Blake and Mouton proposed a managerial grid based on the styles of concern for people and concern for production. This grid shows the dominating factors in a leader’s thinking in regard to getting results. Managers were found to perform best under a 9,9 style.The dimensions represent the Ohio State dimensions of consideration and initiating structure and the Michigan dimensions of employee oriented and production oriented. (Easy; Managerial Grid; p. 390) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 139. How was cognitive resource theory developed, and what are its main findings? Fiedler and Joe Garcia re-conceptualized Fiedler’s contingency model. They focused on the role of stress as a form of situational unfavorableness and how a leader’s intelligence and experience influence his or her reaction to stress. The essence of the theory is that stress is the enemy of rationality.Fiedler and Garcia found that a leader’s intellectual abilities correlate positively with performance under low stress but negatively under high stress. According to the theory, it’s the level of stress in the situation that determines whether an individual’s intelligence and experience will contribute to leadership performance. (Moderate; Cognitive Resource Theory; p. 395) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 140. Describe LMX theory and identify its main beliefs. This theory argues that because of time pressures, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers.These individuals make up the in-group – they are trusted, get a disproportionate amount of the leader’s attention, and are more likely to receive special privileges. Other followers fall into the out-group. They get less of the leader’s time, fewer of the preferred rewards that the leader controls, and have leader-follower relations based on formal authority interactions. The leader implicitly categorizes the follower as an â€Å"in† or â€Å"out† and that relationship is relatively stable over time. (Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; pp. 398-399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 141. Describe the leader-participation model.Victor Vroom and Phillip Yetton developed a model that related leadership behavior and participation in decision making. Recognizing that task structures have varying demands for routine and non-routine activities, these researchers argued that leader behavior must adjust to reflect the task structure. The model was normative – it provided a sequential set of rules that should be followed in determining the form and amount of participation in decision making, as determined by different types of situations. The model was a decision tree incorporating seven contingencies and five alternative lea dership styles. Easy; Leadership-Participation Model; p. 400) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} MEDIUM LENGTH DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 142. Explain the principles of Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory. Situational leadership is a contingency theory that focuses on the followers. Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style, which they argue is contingent on the level of the followers’ readiness. The emphasis on the followers in leadership effectiveness reflects the reality that it is the followers who accept or reject the leaders.Readiness refers to the extent to which people have the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. SLT says if a follower is unable and unwilling to do a task, the leader needs to give clear and specific directions; if followers are unable and willing, the leader needs to display high task orientation to compensate for the followers’ lack of ability and high relationship orientation to get t he follower to â€Å"buy into† the leader’s desires; if followers are able and unwilling, the leader needs to use a supportive and participative style; and if the employee is both able and willing, the leader doesn’t need to do much. Moderate; Situational Leadership Theory; pp. 395-396) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 143. What are the predictions of path-goal theory? Path-goal theory made several predictions: a) Directive leadership leads to greater satisfaction when tasks are ambiguous or stressful than when they are highly structured and well laid out. b) Supportive leadership results in high employee performance and satisfaction when employees are performing structured tasks. c) Directive leadership is likely to be perceived as redundant among employees with high perceived ability or with considerable experience. ) Employees with an internal locus of control will be more satisfied with a participative style. e) Achievement-oriented leadership will increase employee s’ expectancies that effort will lead to high performance when tasks are ambiguously structured. (Moderate; Path-Goal Theory Predictions; p. 398) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 144. Summarize the leader-member exchange theory. The leader-member exchange (LMX) theory argues that because of time pressures, leaders establish a special relationship with a small group of their followers.These individuals make up the in-group—they are trusted, get a disproportionate amount of the leader’s attention, and are more likely to receive special privileges. Other followers fall into the out-group. They get less of the leader’s time, fewer of the preferred rewards that the leader controls, and have leader-follower relations based on formal authority interactions. The theory proposes that early in the history of the interaction between a leader and a given follower, the leader implicitly categorizes the follower as an â€Å"in† or an â€Å"out† and that relations hip is relatively stable over time.The theory and research surrounding it provide substantive evidence that leaders do differentiate among followers; that these disparities are far from random; and that followers with in-group status will have higher performance ratings, lower turnover intentions, greater satisfaction with their superior, and higher overall satisfaction than will the out-group. These positive findings for in-group members are consistent with our knowledge of the self-fulfilling prophesy. (Moderate; Leader-Member Exchange Theory; pp. 98-399) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} COMPREHENSIVE ESSAYS 145. Explain Fiedler’s contingency model. In your discussion, describe the role of the LPC (least preferred coworker) questionnaire and identify the key situational factors that determine leadership effectiveness, according to this model. Fred Fiedler developed the first comprehensive contingency model for leadership. This model proposes that effective group performance depends upon the proper match between the leader’s style and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader.The least preferred co-worker (LPC) questionnaire is used to determine what the leader’s basic style is. Sixteen contrasting adjectives are used to ask respondents to describe their least-preferred co-worker. If the least preferred co-worker is described in relatively positive terms (a high LPC score), then the respondent is primarily interested in good personal relations with this co-worker. This person is considered relationship oriented. If the least preferred co-worker is primarily interested in productivity, they would be labeled task oriented.Fiedler assumes that an individual’s leadership style is fixed. Fiedler identified three contingency dimensions that define the key situational factors that determine leadership effectiveness. a) Leader-member relations are the degree of confidence, trust, and respect members have in their leader. b) Tas k structure is the degree to which the job assignments are procedurized. c) Position power is the degree of influence a leader has over power variables such as hiring, firing, discipline, promotions, and salary increases.The better the leader-member relations, the more highly structured the job, and the stronger the position power, the more control the leader has. With knowledge of an individual’s LPC and an assessment of the three contingency variables, Fiedler proposes matching them up to achieve maximum leadership effectiveness. Task-oriented leaders tend to perform better in situations that were very favorable to them and in situations that were very unfavorable. Relationship oriented leaders perform better in moderately favorable situations.Fiedler has suggested recently that task-oriented leaders perform best in situations of high and low control, while relationship-oriented leaders perform best in moderate control situations. There are two ways to improve leader effect iveness. You can change the leader to fit the situation. The second alternative would be to change the situation to fit the leader. This could be done by restructuring tasks or increasing or decreasing the power that the leader has to control factors such as salary increases, promotions, and disciplinary actions. (Challenging; Fiedler Contingency Model; pp. 92- 394) {AACSB: Analytic Skills} 146. Compare and contrast Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership theory with House’s path-goal theory. Hersey and Blanchard’s situation leadership theory is a contingency theory that focuses on the followers. Successful leadership is achieved by selecting the right leadership style, which Hersey and Blanchard argue is contingent on the level of the followers’ readiness. The emphasis on the followers in leadership effectiveness reflects the reality that it is the followers who accept or reject the leaders.The term readiness refers to the extent to which people ha ve the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. SLT says if a follower is unable and unwilling to do a task, the leader needs to give clear and specific directions; if followers are unable and willing, the leader needs to display high task orientation to compensate for the followers’ lack of ability and high relationship orientation to get the follower to â€Å"buy into† the leader’s desires; if followers are able and unwilling, the leader needs to use a supportive and articipative style; and if the employee is both able and willing, the leader doesn’t need to do much. Path-goal theory was developed by Robert House. The essence of the theory is that it’s the leader’s job to assist followers in attaining their goals and to provide the necessary direction and/or support to ensure that their goals are compatible with the overall objectives of the group or organization.The term path-goal is derived from the belief that effective le aders clarify the path to help their followers get from where they are to the achievement of their work goals and make the journey along the path easier by reducing roadblocks. House identified four leadership behaviors. The directive leader lets followers know what is expected of them, schedules work to be done, and gives specific guidance as to how to accomplish tasks. The supportive leader is friendly and shows concern for the needs of followers.The participative leader consults with followers and uses their suggestions before making a decision. The achievement-oriented leader sets challenging goals and expects followers to perform at their highest level. House assumes that leaders are flexible and that the same leader can display any or all of these behaviors depending on the situation. (Challenging; Situational Leadership Theory and Path-Goal Theory; pp. 395-396) {AACSB: Analytic Skills}

Ten Critical Steps for Risk Managers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Ten Critical Steps for Risk Managers - Essay Example Argentina is one of the Latin American countries which have a high political risks associated with international business. These risks affect the way international business is done between Argentina and the rest of the world.According to World Bank (2001), managing political risk and other forms of risks associated with international business is something that can be very difficult for businesses. However, experts such as Thomas Cook (2012) have provided useful information regarding the ways in which international businesses can address these issues. For a country such as Argentina, the main issue for international business people to understand is the fact that this country is not stable politically. Countries which have not matured democratically such as Argentina have more and higher political risk and it is necessary for businesses to be able to address these risks in a more serious way. The following ten steps as developed by Cook can be used to manage political risk in Argentina . The first issue to for a manager to consider is selecting a risk insurance firm which is suited to the insurance needs of the business. According to Cook (2012), it is absolutely necessary for a manager to know that the underwriters who they choose are conversant in political risks in the country. In this regard, choosing an insurance broker in Argentina will concentrate on looking for an insurance broker who critically understands the political risks in the country not only in theory but also in practice.... In buying insurance, it is always necessary to understand the nature and extent of the risk involved (Cook, 2012). In this regard, it will be increasingly necessary to understand the political risks involved in Argentina and then look for an insurance provider who will guarantee these risks. It will be necessary to look for an insurance provider who clearly understands these risks and who is able to look at the way in which the business can be shielded from this kind of risk. Thirdly, the manager should consider combining risk and covering them with one insurance policy. There are a number of risks associated with doing international business in Argentina and this will require combining risks when buying an insurance policy. In this regard, it will be necessary to understand the various risks which can be combined in order to make sure that the business is well protected. For instance, apart from political risks, there are other non-political risks which must be looked at in this reg ard, instead of having a different policy for each risk; it could be useful to have one umbrella policy which will protect the business from all the risks. Fourth, constant communication about the contract after it has been put in place is also very important. This is because Argentina’s political environment is very volatile and therefore the nature and extent of political risks in Argentina keep changing over time. Fifthly, constant review and update of the insurance contract is necessary because political risks can change with regard to which regime is in power and also depending on seasons such as the electioneering season. With a country which does not have a concrete public policy, the nature of the governance is purely

Social Animals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Social Animals - Essay Example As the research discusses the social conflict theory is thus applicable not only on individual or group level but it is applicable in the political scenario also. The base of the conflict is the power and the money, which one person or group has obtained and other has not. It is true that the power is gained by the individual with the help of money. Many writers, poets have written on the never ending topic of social inequality. The inequality will never be eradicated totally from the world until it does not leave the human mind.Thi paper stresses that exploitation of the lower class is the phenomenon which has been going on since ancient time. There has always been a wide gap between the rich and the poor class. The gap became wider at the advent of industrialization. Exploitation is the major purpose of the powerful class and for attaining this purpose, two methods are used. First method is the brute force and the second method is economics. If we study the entire human history we can realize that the class conflict is one of the major issues in the entire history of human beings.  To discuss on the social conflict theory of Marx, a recent news story has been taken into consideration. The news is about the exploitation of a female senior citizen from lower class. If observed it carefully Marx’s theory of conflict can be explained by using this event. The news can be analyzed on different levels.

Patient expierence undergoing surgery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Patient expierence undergoing surgery - Essay Example Surgery represents a major trauma that provokes a relatively stereotyped physiological response. A period of postoperative recovery follows, ranging from a few days to several weeks depending, primarily, on the severity of the pre-existing pathology and the surgical procedure performed (Munafo & Stevenson, 2001). For many patients, undergoing surgery can be a daunting thought. It has been shown that the majority of patients admitted to hospital for elective surgery experience anxiety preoperatively. The cause for pre-operative anxiety can be attributed to many factors. Personal factors may include fear for the unknown outcome of the surgery, as some very risky surgical procedures can result in paralysis, coma and death, as the worst case scenario. Some patients also experience anxiety concerning the impact of their condition to their loved ones. Monetary issues as to the cost of the surgery itself, pre and post ancillary procedures, medications and hospital rates is also known to be a major cause of anxiety for most patients. Anxiety and stress are unpleasant sensations and can also adversely influence the surgical procedure as well as affect the patients recovery (Badner, Nielson, Munk, Kwiatkowska & Gelb, 1990). Therefore, it is the objective of this paper to determine the physiological effects of surgical interventions as well as positioning on the patient, taking into consideration the effects of anxiety and stress on a patients perspective. For this case, the surgical procedure being used as an example is hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is defined as the surgical removal of the uterus. The three common types of hysterectomy are: supracervical (partial) hysterectomy, which is the removal of the uterus without the cervix, total (complete) hysterectomy which is the removal of both uterus and cervix and radical hysterectomy which removes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, lymph

To what extent did the Cuban intervention shape Angola (1975-1991) Assignment

To what extent did the Cuban intervention shape Angola (1975-1991) - Assignment Example I will also refer to the Library of Congress Country Studies. In section B, I will discuss the first Cuban intervention, global response to the event, Cubas second involvement, and The Battle of Cuito Cuanavale. In C, I will evaluate my sources and in D, provide an analysis of evidence. In consequence, to analysis, I will formulate a conclusion to my research in E. The Portuguese colonization of Angola began in the sixteenth century and continued until 1975. In 1974, following the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, an extreme right wing Portuguese government was replaced by a moderate democracy (Birmingham 184). At the time, three major revolutionary factions operated in Angola; MPLA, UNITA and FNLA. In January 1975, at a meeting held in Kenya, Portugal recognized the MPLA, UNITA, and FNLA as three independent and equal political movements (LOC). Further meeting in Alvor, Portugal, resulted in the agreement of independence on 11 November 1975 with a transitional government in place until that date (LOC). The transitional government, which was an equal unity between all three movements, was sworn in on 31 January 1975 (Smith 66). Disputes quickly erupted between members of the newly formed government. Pro-western FNLA which was heavily influenced by the United States was at odds with Soviet and Cuban-backed MPLA (LOC). The U.S refused to accept MPLA as a major player in the unity government due to their strong Soviet ties and Marxist inclinations (Smith 69). An arms race began between these two factions leading to the U.S. funding UNITA for the first time (LOC). Fighting which initially began in Luanda spread to the entire country. In July 1975, in response to a request by MPLA leader Antonio Neto to provide support against international imperialism, Cuba set up four centers for military training in Angola (CIA). On 11 August 1975, Cuban Major Raà ºl Diaz Argà ¼elles proposed to Fidel Castro a military

Racism in the Counselling Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Racism in the Counselling Relationship - Essay Example The essay "Racism in the Counselling Relationship" discusses the racism in regarding the intercultural counseling. The race is a 19th-century pseudo-scientific construction that has been discredited since the human species could not be genetically thus compartmentalized. Though racism is not the same as ethnocentrism. Recognition - that monocultural model of counseling and therapy that prevailed until the mid-20th century to deal with problems presented by today’s racial and ethnic diversity in most nation states was inadequate - led to rethinking in favor of a multicultural approach. Hitherto, counselors and therapists had been trained in the psychodynamic, person-centred, and cognitive behavior therapy models, to name but a salient few. Sue and Sue were the first to propose a theory of multicultural counseling and therapy. The hitherto ’invisible other’ became aggressively visible with the Black Civil Rights Movement and compelled counselors to explore the impa ct of cultural identity and diversity in the counseling relationship. The aim of counseling was no longer to encourage and enforce ‘assimilation’ of the ’other’ into the dominant culture but to empathize and explore the assumptive world of the client from whatever background he/she came from. Integration, rather than assimilation, where individuals belonging to a minority culture could preserve their cultural identity began to be valued. It was soon evident that counselors could no longer ignore their own cultural background.

Medical Bag Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Medical Bag - Assignment Example -Research and compare the cost of medical bags and supplies. Analysis -Invited other nurses for a brainstorming session. -Explained to them the reason we needed a medical bag; previously we used medical bags that were not standardized and thus were not sufficient to provide the medical care needed by the detainees during the flight. -They all agreed and at this point we developed a vision, mission and goals of the project. -During the brainstorming session, we found out some of the problems that were realized with the present medical bags: They were inadequate because they lacked some of the important tools that were necessary to provide patients with the medical care they required. The officers who were appointed to go out with the detainees did not have an idea of what was necessary to carry during the flight. -After the brainstorming sessions, we came up with these important proposals that could serve our need; Needed to identify the right team of nurses for the flights. We identified some of the detainees that are mostly moved and the most frequent emergencies that took place during flights. Develop a medical bag that was well equipped to take care of any emergency that could occur during the flight and that could carry all the materials that were required. They determined the effectiveness of the mission statements and the policies they had to work towards achieving, within the time limit given. -Reported on the feasibility study I had done previously to find out which was the most suitable medical bag. -The team identified areas of further study about the medical bags and each one was supposed to study on their own and report their findings during the following meeting. Action plan -Choose the type of bag that was most... -The objective of the project will be to develop a medical emergency bag that is equipped to safely handle the most common potential acute situations that may arise during a flight. The main goal is to develop a standardized safe and cost effective medical bag that can be utilized during a flight to provide medical care to federal detainees. -Explained to them the reason we needed a medical bag; previously we used medical bags that were not standardized and thus were not sufficient to provide the medical care needed by the detainees during the flight. United Nations press release 2007, 29 October: Special rapporteur on torture concludes visit to Srilanka, retrieved on 4th November 2009 from http://www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/0/F493C88D3AFDCBEC1257383006CD8BBopendocument .

Written assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Written assessment - Essay Example In order to have children have their best learning experiences they should be able to see, hear and touch the different aspects of their learning. For this particular lesson, it is important for them to be able to listen to the instrument, see the instrument they are listening to and then hear music that includes these instruments. In this way students will have a richer idea of listening to music. By including a way for them to draw a picture and say what they think of the music on the worksheet, they are provided with an opportunity to understand music at a deeper level. Children in grades 4 and 5 are always busy and doing things. They have to have more than just sitting and listening to music or they get fidgety. By providing several things for them to do at once this becomes more entertaining and keeps their interest longer. By the 4th and 5th grade children are able to work in a group and they function well at certain things. They also can work individually using worksheets and most do well at following directions. Children are also using critical thinking skills and this is one of the reasons why I use the worksheet -- it allows them to use these skills as they listen to the music, decide on a picture and decide how the music makes them feel. This is a good way to help them sort out what they are hearing. Many students listen to music that is discouraging and damaging to them and usually this is music that is popular. By introducing them to more than one type of music, they have more to choose from and explore. It is the hope of the teacher that they will want to find other types of music at the library and then perhaps they will purchase it later. Music is one good way to help children improve their listening skills because they have to really listen to hear the specific instruments. If they are talking or are distracted in some way, they will miss the information. This also makes them learn to tune out

FedEx The Success Story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

FedEx The Success Story - Essay Example This paper looks at these aspects in detail. The enduring success of FedEx has been in part due to the wisdom, knowledge and information imparted towards the employees in helping them gain a better understanding and applying a number of company principles and policies. The philosophy at FedEx has always been People, Service, Profit. People always come first. A deep understanding of what makes people tick, their inner psychology, motivations, desires and aspirations are key factors that the company strives to take into account when dealing with them. As people everywhere are varied, FedEx accepts their diversity and understands that each individual must be handled differently. The company attempts to find a common ground between itself and the customer where both mutually agree on terms and conditions and are satisfied with the business goals. The second point is service. To maintain long term customer relationship, the company makes sure that its own philosophy, work practices are sound and credible. When its own employees and leaders are comfortable with the system and have understood it fully, they are able to serve the customer better. The service side of the business is always scrutinized and made adaptable to a changing economic environment. FedEx maintains quality control at every level from the handlers to the customer service representatives. The third aspect is profit. Without the first two factors in place and functioning properly, profits may be affected. FedEx uses cutting edge technology and analytical systems to ensure that the company is on the right course. Variations in profit margins are evaluated and set against the backdrop of the bigger competitive economic picture and also internal company practices. If need be, a revision of policies are made. The company might also look into the process of innovation and how it can be improved upon. The underlying pattern in FedEx is constant change and adaptation. FedEx recognizes the changing world and business environment and in order to be a part of the evolution process, they have continually evaluated business models and strategies. The company regularly studies market trends and the competition and attempts to stay one step ahead. As their customer base expands and a diverse range of people have varied number of requirements, customer satisfaction is very important and FedEx has addressed the expectations and desires of its customers. FedEx has also recognized that the present global economy is extremely competitive and preserving a status quo would not suffice. In order to grow, the company strives to change constantly. This means being flexible in organizational procedures. Rather than sticking rigidly to company policies, an open more adaptable policy towards change has taken place at FedEx. FedEx's growth depends on successfully meeting and anticipating varying customer's requirements in a competitively differentiated manner. Competitive differentiation works on planning and providing customer value offers that are of better-quality that those offered by the competition and which are considered to be a better investment. In designing customer value propositions, each department and employee is directly or indirectly participates in the development. As people are involved in the innovation process, FedEx employees are expected to believe that

Key Factors of Consumer Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Key Factors of Consumer Behaviour Essay 1. Discuss and explain the key factors influencing consumer behaviour. Why must organisations understand consumer behaviour in order to optimise sales? Marketing is the activity, set of institutions and processes for creating communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large (AMA, 2007). Consumer behaviour is the judgment of final consumers individuals and households who buy goods and services for personal consumption (Kotler et al., 1999) There are four key factors influencing consumer behaviour. They are social, cultural, personal and psychological factors. Consumer may tends to change their buying behaviour according to these factors. Cultural factors are described as people who react particular way regard to religion reason. Different culture response differently, how people behave with their buying decision. for instance in Myanmar, majority of people do not have a habit of doing sport or using supplement for diet purposes. In United Kingdom, on the other hand, groups of men and women tend to emphasis on sport and taking supplement. As a supplement business prospective, they should not supply their product or sell in Myanmar. Social factors are mainly influenced by family, close friend and personal attitude. They are also known as reference group. Reference group are important as the product are satisfied for their needs, the message with forward to another person which is also known as word of mouth. The communication is powerful because we trust our friends and colleagues opinions. For example, majority of wealthy people do not buy a Primark product, simple because of their status, they should be buying much more expensive product such as Gucci and Chanel. If they do consumer Primark product their friend may talk behind their back which affect the status. After taking cultural and social factors into consideration, the next things people naturally put things into account is personal factors. personal factors can be defined as a belief in which a person think the particular brand is valued to them. Personal factors consists of buyers age, occupation, economic situation and lifestyle. Depending on human life cycle, buyers decision making is changing in different stages. Therefore, marketer often segment the market and target the consumer life stages. As an example, it is an inappropriate for the marketer to sell Samsung latest smart phone to senior citizen, they may only want to use simple keypad phone. In term of occupation, people are concerning about their status and image in their society. The products that they consume are crucial to his or her status. Psychological factors include belief, interest and motivation. Everyone has their own belief in different way. Often majority of people are bias when buying a particular brand. There is no right or wrong answer, in fact, people learnt from past experience whether the brand had met their needs or how they perceived the brand . For example, Iphone 5, more and more people are getting the new Iphone 5, not because it is very special. In fact Samsung s3, has better functionality than Iphone but still people buys it. This shows people value the brand of Apple and how they perceived the brand. Motivation factors are another factor that consumer think before they buy. According to Maslow theory, different people has different needs. So, marketer should know how to segment the market and target the right person to maximise sales. In summary, organisation should consider how consumer behave for certain product by looking at these four factors. furthermore, communicating with consumer are crucial to the market as they sent the message the consumer about the products feature. Therefore, marketer has to be segment the market and target the right consumer to deliver the message across.

Reflective Report on Mega Simulation Game

Reflective Report on Mega Simulation Game EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The report is about a 12-week critical evaluation about my experience of the Mega Simulation Game that I was to execute with other four group members. The exercise requires identifying the primary reflective theories that will be used for reflective learning. In my case, I used Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT and Gibbs Reflective Model. I used these two models to enumerate on two incidences in the group work experience, which were related to interpersonal dynamics, and personal performance in-group work. The interpersonal dynamics such as personality clashes, different cultural values, and personal interests acted as a hindrance to communication and collaboration. However, the commitment of the team was very high and this kept the team going. The second incidence was on personal performance where the group leveraged on individual strengths and delegated tasks. The delegation of tasks was fruitful but the end product was not due to personal interests overriding the group interests. I learnt t he need for effective communication, the power of leadership and the need to accommodate varied opinions. Introduction Reflection has numerous meaning that includes self-review, self-awareness, self-criticism, self-appraisal, self-assessment, personal cognizance and other terms that are related to these terms. Boyd and Fales (1983) defined reflection learning as the process of externally examining and exploring an issue of concern, triggered by an experience, which creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and which results in a changed conceptual perceptive. The definition brings out key important issues in reflective learning: there needs to be an issue that is examined, meaning of the issue must be derived and lastly the meaning should improve the perspective of the individual in a similar situation in the future. In this reflection paper, I will pursue two types of reflection: interpersonal dynamics and performance of the members of the groups. Teamwork is used everywhere from class settings to organizations and even communities to accomplish tasks that require collaboration, brainstorming and synergy. The primary objective of a team is delegation of responsibility and development of a proper plan for the completion of a goal (Hughes and Jones, 2011). The interpersonal dynamics is about how people use nonverbal cues such as facial expressions and body language to complement verbal communication in on-on-one interactions. The reason I decided to discuss interpersonal dynamics is because I saw the group as a cross-functional one rather than a functional one. The reasons I think the group was cross-functional was that all the members in the group were specializing on different careers and also we had never worked together as a team. The simulation game was a onetime project where the group would be dissolved after its completion. Parker (2015) noted that cross functional teams were more susceptible to interpersonal barriers such as cultural biases, work styles, turf wars, conflicts, lack of trust, and differing priorities. Some of these things played out during our game simulation task. The second area that I am going to explore is performance of members in the group. I felt this is an area worthy of exploitation as the different members had a different level of performance towards contributing to the success of the group. It is impossible to separate team performance from individual performance because the former depends on the latter. Individual standards comprise of the performance expectations that each team member expresses as personal pressure to achieve (Larson and LaFasto, 1999). I specifically noted that I put a lot of effort together with another member in the teamwork, which stimulated others to perform better, but sometimes it was not sufficient enough to reach our desired goals. I will employ the Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) and Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT model (2014) to critically reflect on the two MSG experiences. I used Gibbs reflective model because it is a simple model to use and provides questions that I have to answer in a particular order. Just like the Gibbs model, Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT model uses a simple concept of reflection making it easy for the user to apply it. The model uses a bacronym (an acronym devised in reverse to fit a word) on the word REFLECT. I will not be using the Honey and Munfords learning style as it is too simplistic in its steps to allow me to critically reflect on my experiences. Gibbs reflective model is a useful tool in reflection as it provides critical phases of an experience from what one experienced to how they would make changes and respond better in subsequent events. The different phases include description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, and action plan. Below is the Gibbs reflective cycle with the relevant questions that need to be answered for each phase Figure 1 (Gibbs, 1988) Gibbs reflective model directly fits to the happenings of the group. In my reflection, I was first wondering why there was no sense of cohesion in the group when we started. The opinions were so diverse and the commitments were so dissimilar. I was feeling that personal priorities and interest were coming in the way of cooperative approach. Most of the group members, including I felt distraught and disillusioned by the progress of the group in the initial weeks due to the lack of organization and poor ranking. We did not have a leader who would inspire us through the disillusionment. In the Tuckmans stages, the group dwelled so much in the forming stage where the group members were getting to know each other and there was general socializing (Martin, 2006). Lawrence-Wilkes -REFLECT model (2014) comprises of steps that are almost similar to that of Gibbs reflective cycle but it goes to a deeper level to analyze elements such as strengths and weaknesses, reference to external checks, looking at the responsibilities and asking the what if question. The model examines more details that not only assist in reviewing past experiences but also learning from them and integrating new ideas to enable change. The model requires reviewing of experiences from both objective and subjective angles. Below is the REFLECT barconym used in the model. Table 1 (Lawrence-Wilkes and Ashmore, 2014)   Ã‚   Lawrence-Wilkes REFLECT model of Reflective Practice R 1. Reflect Look back, review and ensure intense experiences are reviewed cold (subjective and objective). E 2. Evaluate What happened? What was important? (Subjective and objective) F 3. Focus Who, what, where, etc. Roles, responsibilities, etc. (Mostly objective) L 4. Learn Question: why, reasons, perspectives, feelings? Refer to external checks. (Subjective and objective) E 5. Evaluate Causes, outcomes, strengths, weaknesses, feelings use metacognition. (Subjective and objective) C 6. Consider Assess options, need/possibilities for change? Development needs? What if? scenarios? Refer to external checks. (Mostly objective) T 7. Trial Integrate new ideas, experiment, take action, and make change. (Repeat cycle: Recall) Incident 1: My group was comprised of five members that are evidently from different cultural backgrounds and also hold diverse views and values. I noticed due to the diversity in the group, there was no effective communication and there were issues when it came to sense of responsibility.   The first incident was our groups inability to operate cohesively due to differences in personality and cultural values. My previous encounter with the topic of diversity is that it (diversity) can lead to team effectiveness and innovation (West, 2012). But on the contrary, the initial weeks of our groups was faced with communication challenges as we worked together. Initially, I thought that the reason for the incongruity was that the exercise was new to everyone and no one had substantive information on how to go about the exercise. Everyone in the group was in constant search of what is expected of the exercise. The disappointment was evident in week 3 due to the poor ranking, which left everyone demotivated. Waller, Gupta and Giambatista (2004) noted that lack of effective communication leads to deviation from attaining team goals. We got confused on what were our desired goals. Despite the miscommunication, the group was able to function as there were elements that were consistent with structuration theory on how groups use rules and resources to form its structure (Frey, Gouran and Poole, 1999). Our group was held together by the weekly meeting that were mandatory and I believe were it not for the rules, the team functioning would have been impaired. I must applaud my group because irrespective of the communication barriers, the group was able to hold on and try to overcome these barriers. The attendance of the meetings was satisfactory as there was minimal absenteeism, which was accompanied by apologies and genuine reasons such as illness or class time. In my assessment, the general theme of the group according to Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was feelers instead if thinkers. Feelers judge situations based on feelings or emotions while thinkers judge situations based on logical analysis (Quenk, 2013). Most of the choices that were made such as marketing for image cars were based on personal emotions, which lead to disregard of facts and information. I must admit despite the personality clash in the group; all the group members were committed to accomplishing the task successfully. The commitment even inspired us on meeting twice a week to try and better our ranking and get a better grip of the whole game simulation concept. Personally, I was not thinking about how to bridge the miscommunication gap or clashing personalities but on the task at hand and this was also the general trend in the group. Even up to the end of the exercise in the 12th week, we communicated but we never did so effectively. The ranking of the group improved over time even though it did not reach the desired goal. Upon critical review at the end of the exercise, I could only make sense of the group performance through the self-organization theory. The theory postulates that order can arise from a disordered system due to interactions of distinct parts of the system. The incidence on interpersonal dynamics, especially the personality clashes and miscommunication between the group members, helped me to develop transferable skills to do with closing ranks when it comes to personality and cultural differences. The group would have attained a better rank if we resolved the disillusionment in the early stages of teaming as this would have gone a long way in working harmoniously (Searle and Swartz, 2015). I also saw the fruits of commitment as the members were able to perform regardless of the cohesion problems. Incident 2 The second incident was related to the individual performances and their contribution to the overall group performance. Personally, I believe am a natural leader who takes the mantle of leadership in any situation. I believe that one does not need to be appointed formally to take the leadership role but can take the steering wheel from any position. I subscribe to the relationship-oriented leadership model where the leader is more focused on the human resources than the task at hand. I would motivate the members of the group by telling them how the assignment was important and how we should all be committed towards improving our ranking. The group needed a small dose of external motivation to keep them going and energized (Beagle, 2012). When I was motivating and inspiring the team, I found the motivator in me, which was essential in keeping myself going and also the group. I noticed that a team produced synergy and a better output than an individual but it is the latter that contributes to the results of the former. Despite the shaky start, we realized that we need to use our individual strengths for team success (Graham et al., 2012). At different points of the assignment, we had to assign and delegate duties and cover ground on the different actions that needed to be taken. We tried to leverage on the strengths of the individual members as much as possible. The use of individual strengths to delegate tasks did not work effectively as I expected as the third phase of Fishers Theory of Decision Emergence was not adhered to. The third phase is the emergence phase where an individual needs to soften on their stance and let the interest of the team prevail over personal interests (Littlejohn, Foss and Oetzel, 2016). In some situations, we had to go with individual opinions instead of consensus, which did not work well for the team. In the future, I would advocate for more compromise and consensus instead of personal opinions as the latter risks being biased and non-inclusive. I learnt that anyone can be a situational leader if they wanted to make a difference amidst uncertainty and anyone can lead from any position (Alizor, 2013).   I saw the importance of delegating duties as it covered more ground but it needs better coordination to achieve a common goal. I believe my strength and individual contribution was leadership and motivation. Conclusion I appreciate the experience as it was an eye-opener especially on different aspects of group tasks. I understood how group dynamics can work against the success of a team and they need to be identified and dealt with at the early stages of an assignment.   For instance, team members need to understand each others values and culture, and accommodate them. Understanding each other is the first step of breaking the communication barrier. I appreciated the importance of effective communication, which our group lacked, eventually leading to poor coordination and cooperation. I must admit that the strength of our group lied in commitment more than anything else. After communication, personal interest was the other weakness. I learnt the need to let other team members speak their mind, brainstorming and softening individual stance for the good of the team. I was a culprit myself of holding strong stances, sometimes unconsciously, on some of the issues. Looking back at the exercise, I acknowledge that for better interpersonal reactions, the parties need self-awareness. Lastly, I appreciated the power of leadership in motivating and inspiring team members towards tasks accomplishment. References      Ã‚   Alizor, J. (2013). Leadership: Understanding Theory, Style, Practice: Things You Need to Know about Leading an Organization. 1st ed. Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press. Beagle, M. (2012). The Rock: Motivational Leadership: A Leaders Perspective On Inspiring Others While Finding the Motivator in You. 1st ed. Bloomington: iUniverse, Inc. Boyd, E. and Fales, A. (1983). Reflective Learning: Key to Learning from Experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 23(2), pp.99-117. Frey, L., Gouran, D. and Poole, M. (1999). The handbook of group communication theory and research. 1st ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications. Gibbs, G. (1988). Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. 1st ed. [London]: FEU. Graham, S., Emery, S., Hall, R., Blanchard, K., Huntsman, J., Lennick, D., Kiel, F. and Jordan, K. (2012). Leading Teams with Integrity: Advice from Leadership Experts. 1st ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press. Hughes, R. and Jones, S. (2011). Developing and assessing college student teamwork skills. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2011(149), pp.53-64. Larson, C. and LaFasto, F. (1999). Teamwork. 1st ed. Newbury Park (Calif.): Sage Publ. Lawrence-Wilkes, L. and Ashmore, L. (2014). The reflective practitioner in professional education. 1st ed. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Littlejohn, S., Foss, K. and Oetzel, J. (2016). Theories of Human Communication. 11th ed. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. Martin, B. (2006). Outdoor leadership: Theory and Practice. 1st ed. Windsor, ON: Human Kinetics. Parker, G. (2015). Cross- Functional Teams: Working with Allies, Enemies, and Other Strangers. 1st ed. San Francisco, Calif.: Jossey-Bass. Quenk, N. (2013). Essentials of myers-briggs type indicator assessment. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Searle, M. and Swartz, M. (2015). Teacher Teamwork: How do we make it work?. 1st ed. New York: Association for Supervision Curriculum Development. Waller, M., Gupta, N. and Giambatista, R. (2004). Effects of Adaptive Behaviors and Shared Mental Models on Control Crew Performance. Management Science, 50(11), pp.1534-1544. West, M. (2012). Effective Teamwork: Practical Lessons from Organizational Research. 1st ed. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons. Theories Used 1. Gibbs Reflective Model (1988) 2. Lawrence Wilkes REFLECTION (2014) 3. Tuckman Stages of Group Development (1965) 4. Structuration Theory 5. Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (1956) 6. Self-Organization Theory 7. Relationship-Oriented Leadership Model 8. Situational Leadership Model 9. Fishers Theory of Decision Emergence Appendices Logbook Week No./date of meeting(s) Action point(s) Team member/time of arrival/leave Potentially areas that every member worked on State of team / work in progress Week 2 (3th October 2016) Get all members of group together and sign learning contract Structuring what must be done for next meeting a)George Iashvili -11am b)Claudia Borges-11am c)Carlos Chalhoub-11am d)Cagri Ozecoglu-11am e) Ilya Ignatov-11am (All left same time as class was finished) There was no game simulation this week so no work to be done as a group yet Learning Contract signed and we got all group members now. Week 3-First Meeting on Gaming Simulation (14 October 2016) 1.Speak about steps we needed to take for the game and whether we all watched the video and read the game manual. 2.Start to look at game excel sheet. 3.Making sure all members had put their name in the game simulation. a)George Iashvili-1pm b)Claudia Borges-1pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-1pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-1pm e) Ilya Ignatov-1pm -All members that attended looked at each section of the decision sheet together and made decisions as a group. Task completed-all the members looked at the decision document and discussed on WhatsApp what steps to take as well as what we needed to do in the next meeting, which was to figure out a more accurate strategy and approach. At this point we still didnt know how to play the game properly. Some group members still not giving suggestions on the decisions. Some members still not contributing. Week 3-Second Meeting on Gaming Simulation (17 October 2016) 1.Make sure we all knew how to fill in the decision document. 2. Conclude on what car we wanted. 2.Fill in decision document. 3.Submit the decision   document. a)George Iashvili -Didnt Attend, sick on day of meeting. b) Claudia Borges-Didnt Attend, informed group could attend due to having lesson c)Carlos Chalhoub-12:30 d)Cagri Ozecoglu-12:30 e) Ilya Ignatov-did not attend, could not attend due to having lesson too. -Claudia filled in some of the document and sent an email to the rest of the group. The members who attended all worked through the rest of the decision document together. -The group had little to no strategy in mind as we did not know the specifics on how to play the game properly yet. The group tried using common sense and logic as we hadnt known that the information was available on the mega learning website. Feeling disappointed with the result that we got for last week.However,we tried our best for the next decision to be better. Some group members go demotivated. Week 4(20/10/2016) 1.To look over everything and looked at the results of the last simulation game and analyse it. 2.We had the game reset this week 3.Try to make changes to the game in order to get better results. 4.To ensure the use of the information available on the mega learning website and blackboard on the consumer sensitivity and market growth, in order to configure a clear strategy. a)George Iashvili -13:00 b)Claudia Borges-13:00 c)Carlos Chalhoub-13:00 d)Cagri Ozecoglu-13:00 e) Ilya Ignatov-did not attend,but informed the group ahead of non-attendance. -We all looked through the decision document and made decisions on each section together as a group after thoroughly discussing everything. Also, we made sure we used the information available to us on consumer sensitivity, market growth and each decisions effect on budget. -We had a much better idea on how the game simulation works this week and used all the information given to us which made our decisions improve greatly. Also, almost the whole group was at the meeting which was very beneficial for the decision analysis and strategy direction that the group wanted to take. There was a clash in personalities which was affecting some decisions.There was a lot of miscommunication between the group. Week 5(27/10/2016) 1. We planned to keep to our strategy that we used in week 4 as it seemed to work. a)George Iashvili -11am b)Claudia Borges- did not attend c)Carlos Chalhoub-11am d)Cagri Ozecoglu-11am e) Ilya Ignatov-11am -All who attended analysed the decisions together as a group and made more aggressive decisions on many of the consumer behaviour sensitivity and prices of the sectors, which changed our strategy direction. -We couldnt keep to our strategy that we had in the previous week and the decisions made were too aggressive which gave us a low rank on the mega learning simulation. Some results and decisions that we made the week before worked and gave the game a good result so we kept them the same. Week 6 (3/11/2016) 1.Region 2 started this week So, we had to make sure to look at each section of the simulation game and try to increase our capacity of how many cars we can sell on region 1 and get much capacity for region 2.-Try to look at Eco-friendly cars and lower product appeal from the previous week because it was too high. 3.Look at marketing appeal for image cars higher and try focus on low cost and eco-friendly cars because the market growth is increasing in both these two sectors. a)George Iashvili -12:30am b)Claudia Borges-12:30am c)Carlos Chalhoub-12:30am d)Cagri Ozecoglu-12:30am e) Ilya Ignatov-12:30am -Claudia looked at filling how many models in range for each category, how many new parts needed and looking at price for the cars. -the rest of the group tried to focus on the action points so making sure that look at product appeal and which areas need the most product appeal, like eco-friendly was too high the previous week so to decrease that and -Focus on trying to get the EBIT down and capacity up and at the same time to make the best decisions for the simulations game based on last weeks results. -We now had a better understanding of how the game was worked and we starting to get better rankings now. Now we had a better understanding we   could do better for region 2. Week 7(8/11/2016) 1.Try to meet more as a group, have at least two meetings a week. 2.Try make sure we discuss the previous weeks results 3.Try to focus on eco-friendly and image sectors due to this these two sectors being the ones we are doing weak at the moment. 4.Try to look get product appeal up and again look at capacity for eco-friendly and image sector. Also, look at image cars due to sales revenue being so low in that sector and see what is happening and what is affecting for cars not to be selling. 5.Decrease low cost unit cost and family unit cost too. -Focus on region 1 as region 2 sales are good, however the sales for region 1 have gone down from last week. a)George Iashvili -14pm b)Claudia Borges-14pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-14pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-14pm e) Ilya Ignatov-14pm As a group, we tried to resolve our action points such as meeting more often, so timetables were sent of each of the members timetable so we could see which day would be the best to meet. Secondly, we looked at resolving our problem with image cars and why we were not selling as much cars as we could and found out this was due to capacity was low and tried to increase this for the next weeks decision. Thirdly, try to decrease the unit cost for low cost due to being too high and also for family the unit cost was too high as well so we decreased this too. Look over previous weeks results and compare to current week to see what is happening and what is going wrong in the eco-friendly and image sectors and why our capacity is not increasing. Achieved a good ranking for region 1, however region 2 ranking went down. Week 8(17/11/2016) 1.Focus on family cars sector because our sales have gone down a lot from previous weeks 2.Focus on image sector too because our capacity for region 1 is still low and for region 2 is too low and we need to try and increase this. 3.Discuss our results from previous week and what decisions need to be changed based on teachers feedback and our online results. a)George Iashvili -14pm b)Claudia Borges-14pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-14pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-14pm e) Ilya Ignatov-14pm -As a group we focused on looking at the capacity for the eco-friendly and image cars because it was really low and also tried to increase low cost cars capacity due to selling a lot of low cost cars each week, however not using all capacity. -Making sure that we kept some decisions the same such as low cost and family car unit prices. Week 9(24/11/2016) 1.Looking at previous weeks decisions as it was good result and there was a lot of increase for capacity for all regions 1 and 2 and sales revenue increased. So look at what decisions were made that got as to have such a good result. a)George Iashvili -14pm b)Claudia Borges-14pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-14pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-14pm e) Ilya Ignatov-14pm -As a team we made sure we went through each region 1 and 2 and made sure we looked at the engineering, how much we were investing in capacity and also HR and also looking at unit prices for each sector such as low cost and family prices. These two sector prices were too high and causing us to lose customers. Capacity was also a problem for our region 2 because we had less capacity for low cost cars and family and we tried our best to increase this and tried to keep our costs down. However, at the same time trying to fix our problem with eco-friendly and image cars due to the fact that no cars were being sold in that sector. -Making sure that we make investments into region 2 -Try to look at unit prices whether too high or low. Week 10(1/12/2016) 1.Make investments in region 2 2. Look at facilities for each car section and for each region 1 and 2 3.Look at prices for each section 4.Again try to increase capacity in each section. a)George Iashvili -Could not attend b)Claudia Borges-Could not attend c)Carlos Chalhoub-1pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-Could not attend e) Ilya Ignatov- Could not attend -Carlos looked at each section and saw what we could do to firstly increase the capacity. The sectors we tried to increase our capacity were low costs cars and family cars in region 1 and 2, and eco-friendly cars and image cars in region 2 due to the fact that the capacity was 0. Then Carlos sent a copy of the file by e-mail to everyone in the group to have a look at before we submitted. -We also made some investments in HR and capacity for region 2 -Increase Capacity -Look at eco-friendly and image cars sectors for regions two Week 11(8/12/2016) 1.Look at region 2 image cars and eco-friendly and see why no sales being made. 2.Again increase capacity for region 1 low cost and family cars and try to use all capacity available. a)George Iashvili -1pm b)Claudia Borges-1pm c)Carlos Chalhoub-1pm d)Cagri Ozecoglu-1pm e) Ilya Ignatov-1pm -As a group we discussed why we were having the problem in region 2 in the eco-friendly and image car sector. Due to the fact that for the last few weeks of decisions we have put invested in the HR department and also made others investments but despite this these two sectors did not make any sales. -We made a decision to sell off eco-friendly and image cars in region 2 and use the money to invest in region -Decision to sell off region 2 eco-friendly