Transformational Leadership Plan Essay Example for Free

Transformational Leadership Plan Essay ABSTRACT Innovation and Transformational Leadership with respect to modern organizational hierarchies. The paper goes on to synthesize aspects of transformational leadership into an individual leadership plan, summarize outcomes of transformational leadership and innovation and present varied views stemming from empirical data on organizational philosophies. Several scholarly journals and industry papers were gleaned, they are listed in the annotated bibliography. Results and Outcomes of Innovation and Transformational Leadership Transformational leaders motivate others to do more than they originally intended and often even more than they thought possible. Such leaders set more challenging expectations and typically achieve higher performances. Transformational leadership is an expansion of transactional leadership. Transactional leadership emphasizes the transaction or exchange that takes place among leaders, colleagues, and followers. This exchange is based on the leader discussing with others what is required and specifying the conditions and rewards these others will receive if they fulfill the requirements. True transformational leaders raise the level of moral maturity of those whom they lead. They convert their followers into leaders. They broaden and enlarge the interests of those whom they lead. They motivate their associates, colleagues, followers, clients, and even their bosses to go beyond their individual self-interests for the good of the group, organization, or society. Transformational leaders address each followers sense of self-worth in order to engage the follower in true commitment and involvement in the effort at hand. This is one of the things that transformational leadership adds to the transactional exchange. Transformational leadership adds to transactional leadership in its effects on follower satisfaction and performance. Transformational leadership does not replace transactional leadership. That is, constructive and especially corrective transactions may have only marginal impact on followers unless accompanied by one or more components of transformational leadership for getting the most out of transactions: The follower needs to feel valued by the leader, the follower needs to find meaning in what he or she is doing, and the follower needs a sense of ownership in whats being done. Transactional leadership, particularly contingent reward, provides a broad basis for effective leadership, but a greater amount of effort, effectiveness, innovation, risk taking, and satisfaction can be achieved by transactional leadership if it is augmented by transformational leadership. When peers of military cadet leaders were asked what characterized the important traits of a good leader, they tended to describe such traits of inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration as self-confidence, persuasiveness, concern for the well-being of others, the ability to articulate ones ideas and thoughts, providing models to be emulated by others, holding high expectations for him—or herself and others, keeping others well-informed, and maintaining high self-motivation. Given a team task, the innovation process begins with the creativity of individuals. The generation of a new idea is a cognitive process, located within individuals, albeit fostered by interaction processes in teams. Thus, first and foremost, innovative individuals are both creative and innovative (i.e., they dont just have creative ideas; they also try to implement them). They are people who have a preference for thinking in novel ways, who think globally instead of locally (distinguishing the forest from the trees). They have appropriate intellectual abilities, including synthetic abilities (to see problems in new ways and escape the bounds of conventional thinking), analytic abilities to recognize which ideas are worth pursuing, and the practical contextual abilities to persuade others of the value of their ideas. Having a good idea about whether the Earth revolves around the sun or vice versa is not enough. Galileo, if he were alive today, might note that Richard Branson and Bill Gates did not succeed by simply being mavericks; they were also able to charm, persuade, and inspire people. To be innovative and creative we also require sufficient knowledge of the field to be able to move it forward, while not being so conceptually trapped in it that we are unable to conceive of alternative courses. People who are confident of their abilities are more likely to innovate in the workplace. In a study of role innovation among more than 2,000 UK managers, it was found that confidence and motivation to develop knowledge and skills predicted innovation following job change. Tolerance of ambiguity, widely associated with creativity, enables individuals to avoid the problems of following mental ruts and increases the chances of unusual responses and the discovery of novelty (Burpitt Bigoness, 2002). Innovative people also tend to be self-disciplined, with a high degree of drive and motivation and a concern with achieving excellence. This perseverance against social pressures presumably reduces the dangers of premature abandonment. Minority influence theory in social psychology suggests that perseverance acts to bring about change in the views of majorities and is a necessary behavioral style among innovators. An employee of 3M discovered Post-it notes because he sang in the church choir and needed some effective way of marking the place of hymns between services. Knowing of an adhesive with poor properties (it didnt stick well) being explored at 3M, he had the idea of using it on small strips of paper to mark the hymnal. But the real innovation came in his persistence in selling the idea to secretaries, chief executives, the marketing department, and the sales department in the organization. It became an annual $200 million business for 3M. Innovative people tend to be self-directed, enjoying and requiring freedom in their work. They have a high need for freedom, control, and discretion in the workplace and appear to find bureaucratic limitations or the exercise of control by managers frustrating. Such people need clear work objectives along with high autonomy to perform well. Indeed, in a study of 13 oil company teams, Jerry et. Al. found that the innovativeness of individuals in teams was superior as a predictor of team innovation to measures of group climate and process. In a more sophisticated longitudinal study of 27 top management teams in hospitals, it was found that the proportion of innovative individuals within the team did not predict the overall level of innovation but did predict the radical ness (changes to the status quo) of the innovations implemented by teams. Another influence on team innovation is the extent to which team members have the relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities to work effectively in groups. Some researchers believe that team members require appropriate team knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), or â€Å"team integration skills†. These are distinct from the technical KSAs that are relevant to task performance (such as medical skills for a physician on a breast cancer care team). They include conflict resolution skills, collaborative problem-solving skills, and communication skills such as the skill to utilize decentralized communication networks to enhance communication. Other key integration skills, they argue, include goal setting and performance management and the skill to coordinate and synchronize activities, information, and tasks among members. The more of these integration skills team members have, the more likely it is that the benefits of team working and team diversity will manifest, not just in terms of team performance, but also in innovation proposals and their successful implementation. Leadership processes in teams will moderate the relationship among team member characteristics, team processes, and innovation. Leadership processes will either encourage or block the expression of behaviors and skills supportive of team innovation. A dominant, directive leader may prevent attempts by team members to bring about change and steadily reduce their confidence and perseverance in initiating innovation implementation. Moreover, such a leader might inhibit the expression of team KSAs by repeatedly dominating decision making or discussion. A more transformational leadership style is likely to enhance the impact of individual characteristics such as confidence, innovativeness, and tolerance of ambiguity on group processes (such as support for innovation) and thereby innovation implementation. Synthesize aspects of transformational leadership into an individual leadership plan It has been discovered that most of the large global companies studied operate, to one degree or another, under a traditional model of strong individual leadership at the top. Moreover, the quality of that leadership bears on the overall performance of those companies. A few of the companies studied—and some business units within others—are characterized by a different pattern of leadership. Instead of leadership being a solo act, an aria sung by the CEO, in these organizations it is a shared responsibility, more like a chorus of diverse voices singing in unison. Significantly, this characteristic is more than the frequently observed phenomenon of â€Å"cascading† leadership (in which a strong leader at the top empowers other leaders down the line). Although cascading is often a part of what is observed, more to the point in these organizations many of the key tasks and responsibilities of leadership are institutionalized in the systems, practices, and cultures of the organization. Typically, cascading leadership depends on the continuing support of whoever is the leader of an organization at any given time; behavior that is not personality dependent. Eventually, it has been realized that this form of leadership is rooted in systems, processes, and culture. Without the presence of a high-profile leader (or â€Å"superior† goading or exhorting them on) that people at all levels in these organizations †¦ Act more like owners and entrepreneurs than employees or hired hands (that is, they assume owner like responsibility for financial performance and managing risk). Take the initiative to solve problems and to act, in general, with a sense of urgency. Willingly accept accountability for meeting commitments, and for living the values of the organization. Share a common philosophy and language of leadership that paradoxically includes tolerance for contrary views and a willingness to experiment. Create, maintain, and adhere to systems and procedures designed to measure and reward these distributed leadership behaviors. Obviously, this is not a new model of leadership. Doubtless, it has been around a long time and we, missed it because we were blinded by the powerful light that emanates from high-profile leaders. We were also prisoners of the current wisdom about the necessity for personalized, take-charge leadership—particularly in times of rapid change. Moreover, it is important to stress that the organization based model identified was not the only one observed, nor was it necessarily always the most effective. In fact, the two most successful companies in an empirical sample operate, on two different models, Oracle being headed by a single strong leader, and Enron with widely diffused and systematized leadership responsibilities. Thus we are not advocating a newly discovered â€Å"best way to lead†; instead, calling attention to a previously unnoticed— but equally viable—alternative to the traditional leadership model. Among other things, this discovery helps to explain some persistent contradictions to the dominant model of leadership. If leadership were solely an individual trait †¦ Why is it that some companies continually demonstrate the capacity to innovate, renew strategies and products, and outperform competition in their industries over the tenures of several different chief executives? Intel, for instance, has been a rip-roaring success under the leadership of, in sequence, Gordon Moore, Andrew Grove, and now, Craig Barrett. Why is it that some CEOs who have succeeded in one organization often turn in so-so performances in the next? Consider George Fisher, who was a star at Motorola, but far less effective at Kodak. (Conversely, why is it that some companies headed by singularly unimpressive CEOs nonetheless rack up good performance records?) Why is that academics are unable to quantify the relationship between CEO style on one hand and organizational performance on the other? (In fact, they have found no objective correlation between those two factors—concluding, unhelpfully, that â€Å"it all depends.†) Moreover, as history shows, businesses that become dependent on a single leader run a considerable risk. If that individual retires or leaves (or dies in office), the organization may well lose its continuing capacity to succeed—witness the performance of General Motors after Alfred Sloan, ITT after Harold Geneen, Polaroid after Edwin Land, and Coca-Cola after Roberto Goizueta. More frequently, organizations learn the hard way that no one individual can save a company from mediocre performance—and no one individual, no matter how gifted a leader, can be â€Å"right† all the time. As one CEO said, â€Å"None of us is as smart as all of us.† Since leadership is, by definition, doing things through the efforts of others, it is obvious that there is little that a business leader—acting alone—can do to affect company performance (other than try to â€Å"look good† to investors) (Howell    Avoiio, 2003). In light of these observations, it should not have been so surprising that our research revealed that, in many successful companies, leadership is treated as an institutional capacity and not solely as an individual trait. It turns out that many corporations whose familiar names perennially appear on â€Å"most respected† lists are ones with the highest institutionalized leadership capacities. Like individual IQs, companies have collective LQs—leadership quotients— that can be measured and compared. (Moreover, unlike individual IQ an organizations leadership capacity can be bolstered through appropriately directed effort.) Hence, we now are better able to explain why companies like Intel, ABB, GE, Enron, BP, Ford, Nestlà ©, and Motorola continue to renew themselves year after year, and over the tenures of many different leaders: Such companies are not only chock-full of leaders from the executive suite to the shop floor, they make conscious efforts to build their LQs, that is, their overall organizational leadership capacities. That last point requires an important clarification. Some companies with continuing records of success do not pay much, or any, attention to traditional—that is, individual—leadership development. Instead of asking â€Å"What qualities do we need to develop in our leader?† these companies continually ask â€Å"What qualities do we need to develop in our organization?† And, though this may seem to defy the current wisdom about the importance of leadership, on reflection it squares with experience. At Motorola, for example, there has been a decades long pattern of self-renewal that has continually belied the predictions of Wall Street analysts who, on at least four occasions, have written the company off for dead. When it has suffered one of its periodic setbacks, how could Motorola reasonably be expected to turn itself around without a take-charge leader like Jack Welch at its helm? But it has done so repeatedly, and under the collective leadership of several different individuals. In light of what we have learned from our study, we posit that the secret sauce at Motorola is the companys strong, institutionalized leadership capacity— systems consciously created by former-CEO Bob Galvins leadership teams over a period of thirty years (Dong et. Al. 2001). And the effectiveness of the organizational leadership model should not come as a surprise to those who have tried to change the behavior of a CEO—or of any executive whose career has been validated by rising to the top. Powerful executives tend to see leadership as positional. To them, by definition, the CEO is the leader of the corporation. For example, a couple of years ago we suggested to the CEO of a Fortune 500 company that he (and his executive team) might benefit from a leadership development program. He looked at us as if we were space aliens and testily replied, â€Å"If the board thought there was someone who was more qualified to lead this company, they would have named him and not me.† Given that such ego-driven denial is fairly common in executive suites, it makes practical sense that the high-LQ companies in our study focus on identifying business-related activities as the source of leadership development—that is, they stress improving the ability of their leaders collectively to do their central tasks, rather than on trying to fix them as individuals. The lesson we take from this is not that individual leadership behaviors are unimportant, but that in some cases, at least, it may be more effective to treat them as secondary to organizational issues. Moreover, it is far easier for leaders to learn to do things differently in terms of business processes than it is for them to change who they are. III. Summarize the outcomes of transformational leadership and innovation Among the components of transformational leadership, idealized influence and inspirational leadership are most effective and satisfying; individualized consideration is a bit less so. But in turn, all four 1s of transformational leadership are more effective than is constructive transaction. However, constructive transactions remain reasonably effective and satisfying in most situations, except where a leader has no control of the ways a follower may be rewarded for good performance. Actively taking corrective action—that is, managing by exception by arranging to monitor the performance of followers—is somewhat less effective and satisfying, but passively waiting for problems to arise or remaining oblivious until a mishap occurs is seen as poor, ineffective leadership and is dissatisfying. The most ineffective and dissatisfying style is laissez-faire leadership avoiding leadership and abdicating responsibilities. Analyses of over 5,000 cases have affirmed these findings. Transformational leadership adds to transactional leadership in its effects on follower satisfaction and performance. Transformational leadership does not replace transactional leadership. That is, constructive and especially corrective transactions may have only marginal impact on followers unless accompanied by one or more components of transformational leadership for getting the most out of transactions: The follower needs to feel valued by the leader, the follower needs to find meaning in what he or she is doing, and the follower needs a sense of ownership in whats being done. Transactional leadership, particularly contingent reward, provides a broad basis for effective leadership, but a greater amount of effort, effectiveness, innovation, risk taking, and satisfaction can be achieved by transactional leadership if it is augmented by transformational leadership. Transformational leadership can be directive or participative, as well as democratic or authoritarian, elitist or leveling. Sometimes, transformational leadership is misunderstood as elitist and antidemocratic. Since the 1930s, the praises of democratic, participative leadership have been sung. Most managers have at least learned that before making a decision it pays to consult with those who will implement the decision, although fewer managers pursue a democratic vote or strive for consensus in a participative discussion with ail those involved. There are many good reasons for encouraging shared decision making, empowering followers, and self-managing. Nonetheless, many circumstances call for a leader to be authoritative, decisive and directive. Democratic decisions can become a pooling of ignorance among a group of novices. Novices may wish direction and advice on what to do and how to do it. Even when no leader is appointed, someone must begin to take initiatives and soon comes to be seen as a leader. Many confuse transformational leadership with democratic, participative leadership. It often may be so, but at times it can also be directive, decisive, and authoritative. Idealized leaders can direct followers who are counting on them to help get the team out of a crisis by employing radical solutions to deal with the problems. Again, inspirational leaders can be highly directive in their appeals. Intellectually stimulating leaders may challenge their followers. Individually considerate leaders could rise above the demands for equality from their followers to treat them differently according to their different needs for growth. At the same time, transformational leaders can share vision building and Idea generation that could be a democratic and collective enterprise. Such leaders can encourage follower participation in the change processes involved. In the same way, transactional leadership can be either directive or participative. Most leaders profiles include both transformational and transactional leadership. The attitudes and behavior of Otto Von Bismarck, whose efforts led to the unification of Germany in 1871, illustrate how transformational and transactional leadership can be directive or participative, democratic or authoritative (Deborah, 1999). Interviews with executives about the leadership they had seen produced numerous behavioral examples of transformational leadership. Idealized influence or charismatic leadership was attributed to the interviewees leaders for demonstrating such traits as setting examples, showing determination, possessing extraordinary talents, taking risks, creating in followers a sense of empowerment, showing dedication to â€Å"the cause, † creating a sense of a joint mission, dealing with crises using radical solutions, and engendering in their followers faith in the leadership. Inspirational leadership included providing meaning and challenge, painting an optimistic future, molding expectations, creating self-fulfilling prophesies, and thinking ahead. Intellectual stimulation was judged to be present when leaders questioned assumptions, encouraged followers to employ intuition, entertained ideas that may have seemed silly at first, created imaginative visions, asked subordinates to rework problems they thought had already been solved, and saw unusual patterns. Individualized consideration was apparent to interviewees when their leaders answered them with minimum delay, showed that they were concerned for their followers well-being, assigned tasks based on needs and abilities, encouraged two-way exchanges of ideas, were available when needed, encouraged self-development, practiced walk around management, and effectively mentored, counseled, and coached. When peers of military cadet leaders were asked what characterized the important traits of a good leader, they tended to describe such traits of inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration as self-confidence, persuasiveness, concern for the well-being of others, the ability to articulate ones ideas and thoughts, providing models to be emulated by others, holding high expectations for him—or herself and others, keeping others well-informed, and maintaining high self-motivation (Atwater, Lau, Bass, Avolio, Camobreco, Whitmore, 1994). COMPONENTS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP Transformational leaders do more with colleagues and followers than set up simple exchanges or agreements. They behave in ways to achieve superior results by employing one or more of the four components of transformational leadership. First, leadership is idealized when followers seek to identify with their leaders and emulate them. Second, the leadership inspires the followers with challenge and persuasion that provide meaning and understanding. Third, the leadership is intellectually stimulating, expanding the followers use of their abilities. Finally, the leadership is individually considerate, providing the followers with support, mentoring, and coaching. Each of these components can be assessed with the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). In the questionnaire, you can describe yourself as a leader. Those who work for you, with you, and for whom you work can do the same assessment of you. Idealized Leadership. Transformational leaders behave in ways that make them role models for their followers. Such leaders are admired, respected, and trusted. Followers identify with these leaders and want to emulate them. Among the things the leader does to earn this credit is consider the needs of others over his or her own personal needs. The leader shares risks with followers and is consistent rather than arbitrary. He or she can be counted on to do the right thing, demonstrating high standards of ethical and moral conduct. He or she avoids using power for personal gain and in fact uses his or her power only when needed. Inspirational Motivation. Transformational leaders behave in ways that motivate and inspire those around them by providing meaning and challenge to their followers work Team spirit is aroused. Enthusiasm and optimism are displayed. The leader gets followers involved in envisioning attractive future states. The leader clearly communicates expectations that followers want to meet, and demonstrates commitment to goals and the shared vision. Intellectual Stimulation. Transformational leaders stimulate their followers efforts to be innovative and creative by questioning assumptions, reframing problems, and approaching old situations in new ways. Creativity is encouraged. There is no public criticism of individual members mistakes. New ideas and creative problem solutions are solicited from followers, who are included in the process of addressing problems and finding solutions. Followers are encouraged to try new approaches, and their ideas are not criticized if they differ from the leaders ideas. Individualized Consideration. Transformational leaders pay special attention to each individuals needs for achievement and growth by acting as a coach or mentor. Followers and colleagues are developed to successively higher levels of potential. Individualized consideration is practiced as follows: New learning opportunities are created along with a supportive climate. Individual differences in terms of needs and desires are recognized. The leaders behavior demonstrates acceptance of individual differences (e.g. some employees receive more encouragement, some more autonomy, others firmer standards, and still others more task structure). A two-way exchange in communication is encouraged, and â€Å"management by walking around† is practiced. Interactions with followers are personalized (e.g., the leader remembers previous conversations, is aware of individual concerns, and sees the individual as a whole person rather than as just an employee). The individually considerate leader listens effectively. The leader delegates tasks as a means of developing followers. Delegated tasks are monitored to see if the followers need additional direction or support and to assess progress; ideally, followers do not feel they are being checked up on. Bibliography Follower Motive Patterns as Situational Moderators for Transformational Leadership Effectiveness. Journal article by Jerry C. Wofford, J. Lee Whittington, Vicki L. Goodwin; Journal of Managerial Issues, Vol. 13, 2004 In this article, two important leadership questions are addressed. Is transformational leadership universally effective or are there situational moderators which augment or limit its effectiveness? Is transformational leadership more appropriately viewed in terms of individual-level analyses or of multi-level analyses? First, we examine the literature on the potential moderators within the transformational leadership paradigm and on the appropriate level of analysis for transformational leadership. The present research examines the potential moderator effects of the need for autonomy and of growth need strength. In addition, we examine whether transformational leaders adapt their behaviors to different subordinates or behave the same way with all of them. Perceptions of Transformational Leadership among Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans: A Level of Analysis Perspective Journal article by Dong I. Jung, Francis J. Yammarino; Journal of Leadership Studies, Vol. 8, 2001 This study asserted a theoretical framework of transformational leadership and its effects on several process and outcome variables among Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans from levels of analysis perspective. Nomological relationships among the constructs of interest also were tested. Results indicated that effects of transformational leadership were positive, but generally stronger among Asian Americans than among Caucasian Americans. Results from Within and Between Analysis indicated that variation in perceptions of transformational leadership and other measured variables in the two ethnic groups was mainly due to individual differences. Based on these results, we offer several theoretical and practical implications. Transformational Leadership and Urban Renewal Journal article by Deborah R. Rada; Journal of Leadership Studies, 1999 Despite Burnss contention that transformational leadership can occur at all levels of organization and society, most of the discussion of transformational leadership has centered on persons in traditional, hierarchical power positions. This paper focuses on a social movement, urban renewal, which involves volunteer activity and persons not in hierarchical power positions. The urban renewal efforts of two southern California towns are highlighted, with examples from other towns renewal efforts also cited. It is demonstrated that many renewal efforts utilize a transformational leadership approach. It is further shown that those efforts which employ a transformational leadership approach are often more successful than those that do not. It is concluded that transformational leadership does occur in voluntary, nonhierarchical groups and leads to substantive change. Further study is recommended to confirm these conclusions and advocate for broader recognition and encouragement of transfor mational leadership in various organizations. Howell. J. M. Avoiio, B. J. (2003). Transformational leadership, transactional leadership, locus of control. and support for innovation: Key predictors of consolidated business-unit performance. Journal Applied Psychology, 78, 89142   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      Notes Portions of this paper were presented at the Academy of Management National Conference in Seattle, Washington, August 2003. Thanks to Major David Pursley, Dr. Orly Nobel, and several anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions on earlier drafts of the manuscript. Dr. Dardis recently retired from active duty and is currently the Chief Learning Officer at Freddie Mac Corporation in McClean, Virginia. Burpitt, W. J., Bigoness, W. J. (1997). Leadership and innovation among teams: The impact of empowerment. Small Group Research, 28 (3), 414–423.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most research and writing on creativity has focused on individual creativity, the â€Å"lone genius,† with little recognition of the social and group factors that influence the creative process. Research on creativity has sought to understand the factors responsible for creative people and activities. Personality, developmental experiences, culture, motivation, and cognitive skills are just a few of the factors that appear to underlie creative behavior

The Bonesetters Daughter | Character Analysis

The Bonesetters Daughter | Character Analysis LuLing: Ruths mother. She immigrated to United States from China through her sister, Gao Ling. She shows how her life had changed through her writings in part 2. She is very emotional character who loves and acts passionately Ruth: LuLings daughter (of course). As her mother loses memory, she becomes more considerate about LuLing, and searches for her memory instead. This eventually helps Ruth grow mature and find her own identity. Theme Finding Identity Through searching mothers history, Ruth finds out the background of her immigrant mother. This eventually builds up Ruths maturity and her identity as a Chinese Woman. Chapter Notes Part 1 Chapter 1 Ruth Young lost her faith on August 12th for eight years. It happened first at Arts house in San Francisco. August 12th was a day shooting stars fell. Her mother took this as an omen and told Ruth that they were actually melting ghost bodies. Ruth was a book doctor and she had daughters named Dory and Fia. Ruth always looked her day through fingers of her hands, listing from 1 to 10. One day, Ruth couldnt memorize what nine was. Art, who Ruth had met in a yoga class 10 years ago, complained about making things too much complicated. Ruth finally remembered her number 9 was to take her mother to the doctor. Chapter 2 When Ruth was young, she loved spicy turnips instead of junk food. She had imagined through the limited space, which she continued to present. Everyone looked down at her job, for she made it seem easier. She helped to write The Cult of Personal freedom, The Cult of Compassion, The Cult of Envy, The Biology of Sexual Attraction, The Physic of Human Nature, and The Geography of the Soul to make books more interesting. One of the clients had a pseudonym of Agapi Agnos with real name of Doris DeMatteo. Gideon described her so accommodating that would bend backwad. LuLing was very healthy except that she had a type of memory loss that Ruth thought about taking her to the therapist. She always tried to teach Ruth with Chinese. GaoLing and LuLing were two different women who sometimes fought, and sometimes went along. Two sisters had married to brothers named Edmund and Edwin. Edwin died in a car accident. Luling always lamented on her great husbands death. Her mothers health was getting w orse. Chapter 3 Luling asked about Fia starting sixth grade while it was actually Dory. Luling had forgotten that her cat, Fu-fu, died by a dog. Dr. wHuey examined Luling. On documents, Lulings birth year was 1921, but she told him that its 1916. Ruth got frustrated by the complex questions doctor asked the mother. Luling said she had seen O.J. kill his wife in real life. The doctor suggested that Lulings might have Alzheimers. Ruth told Art about this in Chinese, but her children complained about speaking in Chinese. Arts daughter calls Luling Walpo Ruth remembered her past when her mother talked to her in Chinese. Ruth just decided to be silent while her mothers treated. Lulin brought a sand tray and a brush to make Ruth write. Lulings call Precious Auntie as Doggie and asked for forgivenesss. Ruth invited Miriam, Arts divorced wife, to Moon Festival dinner. Chapter 4 On the night of Full Moon Festival, Ruth excitedly picked a place called Fountain Court, which her mother disliked. Dinner went on as the Chinese style of Thanksgiving. There were Billy with his four children, Sally the aeronautical engineer, and George the Violinist of SF Symphony. None of the children liked the dinner for its looks. Gaoling told people about the incident when Luling persisted to say she had paid the bill. Ruth gave out a speech and presents to her family. Ruth was satisfied with dinner. Luling was in confusion and said Precious Auntie was her real mother. Luling gave Ruth the necklace that Ruth had given her for present. Ruth was about her mothers symptoms. Chapter 5 Ruth insured Luling that she was alright, and Luling said she wasnt afraid of death. Luling now visited her for dinner every day. Ruth realized that her mother was mentally ill. Luling became angry when Ruth treated her as a special client. Luling often threatened to kill herself, as if she had no reason to live on. Ruth hired maids and housekeepers, but they all quitted for Lulings violent behaviors. Ruth had a plan to go to Hawaii within few days, but she decided that she would stay with her mother. One of Ruths clients named Ted fired Ruth as a ghost writer. Ruth went to her mothers house, but she was found through calling cops. LuLing was trying to go to grocery store. Ruth finally asked GaoLing to help take care of her mom. Chapter 6 When Ruth was young, she often thought about death. She and her mother used to live at the flatlands of Berkeley. There was a couple named Lance and Dottie. Ruth had a crush on Lance, who was as handsome as a celebrity. Ruth convinced her mother that she got invited to watch the Wizard of Oz together, Ruth put herself right on toilet which had Lances urine and thought she was going to be pregnant. Dottie found out about this, and the couple divorced in confusion. Ruth apologized to Lance, but Lance tried to rape Ruth. Ruth told her mother that Precious Auntie wanted them to move to San Francisco. Chapter 7 Ruth began to clean the house. Ruth threw away everything her mother had been saving. She found a diary on cupboard. She once got into a huge fight with her mother about smoking cigarettes, which had Ruth to write harsh things on the diary. When Ruth arrived home, she found out that her mother fell off out of window and broke her bodies. Ruth regretted what she had written on the diary. Ruth and LuLing frequently got into fight still. Ruth found mothers writings and decided to translate them to learn more about her past. Part 2 Luling was raised by the Liu Clan within the village called Immortal Heart. Precious Auntie called Luling a doggie. After ancient tree died, the fame of the village had declined. The family was working in ink-making, and was successful enough. About thirty people lived together. Precious Aunties father had a ability of bonesetting to heal bones. He was so good that patient came from everywhere. One day, coffin maker and Baby Uncle saw their fortunes. Precious Auntie was a rooster, while Chang was a snake, which was a great match. Precious Auntie however, turned down Chang to marrie Hu Sen. Chang killed her father during the marriage, and Hu Sen died from Horse kicking him. Precious Auntie tried to commit suicide by drinking burning oil, but it only left her scarred. In 1929, scientist went to Dragon Bone Hill. Rumors said that scientists were buying the bones with a good price. Precious Auntie put back the bones to where they were found. Scientists were looking for Peking Man. Precious Auntie, however, didnt say where the bones were, while everyone was so eager to sell bones. One day, Chang came and LuLing accidently told she knew where the bones were. Few days later, Peking asked LuLing to come over for marriage arrangement. LuLing ignored Precious Aunt and went to Old Widow Laus house for preparation. Even though LuLing felt uncomfortable, she could make everyone happy with the meeting, except for Precious Auntie. Since Changs asked LuLing to be their family, Precious Auntie stopped to help LuLing. Precious Auntie gave LuLing a writing that said how she was LuLings real mother. LuLing, however, couldnt finish it, and never got to discover the truth. Precious Auntie was found dead after LuLing announced her future marriage with the Changs. LuLing, in sadness, cancelled the marriage and left for the End of the World to search for corpse of Precious Auntie. The familys ink shop burnt down by the ghost of Precious Auntie. The officials came to inform father about the damages he had done to the neighbors and asked for payment. Father called for a priest to capture the ghost, and sent LuLing to orphanage to stop ghost from returning. LuLing was influenced by some foreigners in the orphanage that she changed her religion to Christianity. LuLing was one of the few who could read and write, among seventy children. When there was a good weather, Teacher Pan took the girls to Dragon Bone Hill. The girls helped scientists when they were asked to. Precious Auntie had left oracle bone and small photograph of her for LuLing. One day, LuLing found a letter from Gao Ling that she wasnt satisfied with her marriage to Chang. Kai Jing, Teacher Pan, and LuLing made a banner for New Year, and took it to the fair. Kai Jing explained how magnificent the banner was. LuLing fell in love with Kai Jing. LuLing and Kai Jing tried to make love, but the storage room was so filthy. The news that there will soon be a war against Japanese reaches the orphanage. GaoLing came over and talked how the priest was actually a fraud. She stayed at the orphanage, and built a friendship with Sister Yu. LuLing and Kai Jing married. Even though the war was still held, Kai Jing went to dig for dragon bones. He and other men got caught by soldiers to join army against Japanese. They soon found out that Chinese were captured, and soldiers were shot one by one. Japanese soldiers occupied the orphanage and forced men to speak where the communists were. Japanese people kill every single man except for Teacher Pan. LuLing and other girls faked to have diseases with chicken bloods to go to Peking. Teacher Pan and girls continued on with the ink shop to live on. War finally ended in 1945. Miss Grutoff was sick and she needed to go to America for treatment. Gao Ling promised to invite LuLing and followed Miss Grutoff as an assistant. Teacher Pan also planned to marry. LuLing received a letter that Miss Grutoff had died and that LuLing had to wait until Gao Ling became a citizen. LuLing decided to move to cheaper house to support herself until Gao Ling invited her. LuLing had internal conflict of selling oracle bone, but she decided to just keep it. She became a made Miss Patsy and Lady Ina. This improved LuLings English skills. Gao Ling sent a letter indicating their future husbands. Fu Nan came in to ask for money, threatening their situations. With the money LuLing had been earning and by selling the bone, she could buy the ticket and flew to United States. Part 3 Chapter 1 Ruth asked Mr. Tang to translate her mothers paper. She discussed about staying with her mother with Art, who disapproved the plan. Ruth tried to make her mother to draw things that could bring her memory back. Twice a week, Ruth went to Vallejo Street for dinner. Art wanted Ruth back, but Ruth was trying to take care of her mother. Mr. Tang finished his work and gave the paper to Ruth. LuLing actually enjoyed a talk with Mr. Tang. Ruth was surprised by the paper that had been translated. Art suggested moving LuLing to assisted-living residence, but LuLing refused. So they brought up a plan of radon leak to deceive LuLing to move to Mira Mar Manor. Chapter 2 The Young Family gathered to celebrate Gao Lings 77th (or 82nd) birthday. Ruth and Gao Ling talked about LuLings writings. Ruth said LuLing was moving into safer home. Gao Ling explains some stories like how Chang was executed for cheating on people and the origin of name Ruth, which came from Miss Grutoff and Sister Yu. There was also stock market money LuLing had saved for Ruth. LuLing had fallen into the pool and almost drowned herself, which drove Ruth to sadness. Ruth and Art had their anniversary dinner at Brunos supper club. Chapter 3 Ruth visited Asian Art Museum with her mother, Art, and Mr. Tang. Mr. Tang showed the Oracle Bone. LuLings family name was Gu, which meant bone. Ruth finally found that Precious Aunties real name was Gu Lix Xin.

lighthod Voyage into the Darkness in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Voyage into the Heart of Darkness The voyage into the "Heart of Darkness" is told to us through the eyes of Charlie Marlow. As Marlow is aboard the "Nellie" he tells his story of expedition and growth. The men on the boat sit still yet bored. Marlow is like an old man sharing a story of his childhood, that for himself may be of great significance, and lead to a lesson, but the children yearn to hear a story of magic, castles and sword fights. Joseph Conrad uses Marlow's character to get across and express his own opinion. The story Marlow shares with the other men, is a story of reflection. It is a mirror, like most experiences are. Experiences in our lives that teach us and reveal something in our lives that had to be fixed. In this case Marlow (or Conrad) uses Africa as the mirror into the hearts of early Europeans that wished to colonize and only help profit the "less unfortunate". What was it exactly that this unchartered land had in store for Marlow? As Marlow tells his story we see and understand the situations Marlow faced. In his first encounter with the tribes men, Marlow steps into a "gloomy circle of some inferno", where dark figures surrounded him. He compares this incident with that of a massacre, the starving and wasting bodies lying in "confusion". Marlow then encounters a young black boy with a piece of white cotton string tied around his neck. This simple piece of string symbolizes the young boy's innocence. Shortly after Marlow offers the boy a biscuit, another one of the shapes approaches the river , crawling, and drinks of the water. Marlow could not stand the sight of the suffering any longer. It was as though he felt what they were feeling and just when he was willing to help, he stands up and walks away. The path where Marlow meets those that had traveled to an unknown land, and walked uncertain of where they where but sure of what they wanted, started here. The patchwork young man ,( the Russian) is the only one in the jungle without an interest in gaining something out of the jungle, except for his own "breathing space". His devotion for Kurtz is an admiration out of ignorance and perhaps even innocence. Through the Russian Marlow learns a great deal about who Kurtz really is.

Cloning is Not Morally Correct :: essays research papers

For many years now many people have debated over the fact about the moral issues connected with cloning. To begin with, what is cloning Cloning is ?making a living thing from another living thing such as a plant or animal. The process uses the genes of the first so they both have identical DNA.?1 This means that something is being made through a process of copying. This is helpful, no doubt, in many ways. Scientists could use clones to ultimately cure diseases and such. But is it worth ?playing God?2 to achieve things that probably could be done in a different approach? Is cloning truly ethical? Or is it morally wrong? I believe that cloning is morally incorrect and unethical. One of the things that greatly impacts people?s perspective of the answer to this question is religion. Studies have shown that the more religious a person is, the more against cloning they are.3 Religion is one of the things that is the foundation of many beliefs and fundamentals in the lives of many people. This affects me directly because I am Protestant and believe in God. When cloning we are not only opening the doors to ?religion vs. science? debates, but we are also saying that the beliefs of other is incorrect. This may be offense to many people. When cloning animals of any sort it challenges the beliefs of many religions. I believe that cloning is immoral because a very small percentage of the cloning ?beings? actually live. The success rate of cloning is between a mere 0.1% and 3%4 (the famous Dolly [cloned sheep] was 1 successful try out of 276 tries [.36%] 5). This small percentage shows us that the efficiency of cloning is very small. I believe that if we are going to allow something to be ?legal? it should have a greater success rate. Many problems come up when looking at this percentage. The first one is what will happen to all the ?trash? or the failures? A place will need to be built in which the materials of the failed experiments will go. Another problem is what if a couple wants to design their own ?perfect? child. With a small success rate, the length of time in which one child might be completely and perfectly produced might be very long. Cloning might also mess the mind-set of parents because many cloned animals have problems in their later development.

Career, Career Interests, and the Value of a College Education :: essays research papers

I am currently employed as a software integration technologist with Motorola. The division I work in develops software used to identify persons, usually for law enforcement purposes, through fingerprint, palm print, facial, and demographic matching technologies. My job is to integrate these technologies into a single, fast, and easy to use system. Specifically, I code the workflow engine that allows the separate technologies to function as a single system. Instead of moving from company to company, changing jobs every few years like many of my past and present co-workers have done; I have been working at the same company for the last 18 years. I started at the bottom, in a data entry position while attending college classes in the evening. I worked my up the corporate ladder, meeting the challenges offered to me by my superiors, discovering my talents, developing my skills and performing to the best of my abilities. The reward was career advancement and increased compensation. Experience has taught me that there are many behaviors that will help you to succeed in a career. These behaviors include self-confidence, productivity, respect, the ability to work with others, a focus on quality, and a commitment to ethics.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-confidence in your own abilities will allow you to face challenges with a positive attitude and enthusiasm. You will be able to demonstrate a boldness and decisiveness that radiates professional integrity and communicate with impact. You must be â€Å"willing to say what you think is in the best interest of the organization – even if it’s not popular.† (Troiano, 1998) Plan and organize with the goal of being productive. Motivate yourself to achieve â€Å"necessary tasks and take on more challenges.† (Will your future, 2000) Be responsible for your own education. Learn quickly and work efficiently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build and sustain relationships with your coworkers and customers. Show respect and be courteous. Demonstrate an ability to work with others. Look to your peers for assistance and do not be reluctant to give assistance on work related problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Focus on quality, client service, and customer perceptions. The customer will be delighted with a quality product or service delivered punctually and professionally. Your superiors will note this satisfaction and use it when making future decisions that involve you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, ethics is â€Å"the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members.† Society, in this case, refers to the corporate body. An employee has a responsibility to their employer to abide by the company’s code of ethics at all times. Career, Career Interests, and the Value of a College Education :: essays research papers I am currently employed as a software integration technologist with Motorola. The division I work in develops software used to identify persons, usually for law enforcement purposes, through fingerprint, palm print, facial, and demographic matching technologies. My job is to integrate these technologies into a single, fast, and easy to use system. Specifically, I code the workflow engine that allows the separate technologies to function as a single system. Instead of moving from company to company, changing jobs every few years like many of my past and present co-workers have done; I have been working at the same company for the last 18 years. I started at the bottom, in a data entry position while attending college classes in the evening. I worked my up the corporate ladder, meeting the challenges offered to me by my superiors, discovering my talents, developing my skills and performing to the best of my abilities. The reward was career advancement and increased compensation. Experience has taught me that there are many behaviors that will help you to succeed in a career. These behaviors include self-confidence, productivity, respect, the ability to work with others, a focus on quality, and a commitment to ethics.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-confidence in your own abilities will allow you to face challenges with a positive attitude and enthusiasm. You will be able to demonstrate a boldness and decisiveness that radiates professional integrity and communicate with impact. You must be â€Å"willing to say what you think is in the best interest of the organization – even if it’s not popular.† (Troiano, 1998) Plan and organize with the goal of being productive. Motivate yourself to achieve â€Å"necessary tasks and take on more challenges.† (Will your future, 2000) Be responsible for your own education. Learn quickly and work efficiently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Build and sustain relationships with your coworkers and customers. Show respect and be courteous. Demonstrate an ability to work with others. Look to your peers for assistance and do not be reluctant to give assistance on work related problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Focus on quality, client service, and customer perceptions. The customer will be delighted with a quality product or service delivered punctually and professionally. Your superiors will note this satisfaction and use it when making future decisions that involve you.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, ethics is â€Å"the body of obligations and duties that a particular society requires of its members.† Society, in this case, refers to the corporate body. An employee has a responsibility to their employer to abide by the company’s code of ethics at all times.

Critical Thinking and Discussion Question Essay

Describe the shifts in the world economy over the past 30 years. What are the implications of these shifts for international businesses based in Britain? North America? Hong Kong? After World War II, America used to be the number one leader in the world while Britain and China have less role. For the rich industrial countries like the UK, US, Denmark and New Zealand is declining of the FDI. Conversely, the developing countries like China has become more influential in the world economic over the last 30 years and expected to be the first leader in the world. Especially, exporting of china has a significant blooming. â€Å"The study of international business is fine if you are going to work in a large multinational enterprise, but it has no relevance for individuals who are going to work in small firms.† Evaluate this statement. International business or globalization is talk about the trend towards a more integrated global economic system. I’m disagree with that there is no relevance for individual who are going to work in small business because every business should consider about economic and the economic depend on the would situation. So, not only a big enterprise must study international business but small business should understand the role of global business also. How have changes in technology contributed to the globalization of markets and production? Would the globalization of production and markets have been possible without these technological changes? For the globalization of markets and production, they have changed with lower cost communications networks and lower transportation cost. Both lead to easier to enable firm s to create global markets and allow firms to better respond to customer demands. For example; The Internet has facilitated the creation of a 24/7/365 marketplace where information is available in real  time. So that make sense that the globalization of production and markets have been possible without these technological changes. â€Å"Ultimately, the study of international business is no different from the study of domestic business. Thus, there is no point in having a separate course on international business.† Evaluate this statement. The international business differs from the domestic business because: Countries are different in economic, political, legal and culture. The range of problem confronted by a manager in an international business is wider and the problems themselves more complex than those confronted by a manager in a domestic business. International transactions involve converting money into different currencies. How might the Internet and the associated World Wide Web affect international business activity and the globalization of the world economy? Over the last 20 years, internet static has increase sharply. Most business have a website that kind of another advertising. Customer around the world can access your business 24 hrs. Real location is not necessary because of power of internet. Some business only has in online and they can make more profit than existing business. If current trends continue, China may emerge as the world’s largest economy by 2020. Discuss the possible implications for such a development for The world trading system: Many countries try to sign a contract with China for trade because its market is big and very interesting. In the future China economic could be larger than the US and other countries. The world monetary system: China’s currency, Yuan, might be powerful than U.S. dollar or equal or more than other world currency. The business strategy of today’s European and US-based global corporations: They will invest in China or more corporate will shift to China. In term of exporting, they try to reduce tariff. In  addition, they will co-business with Chinese and learn chinese also. global commodity prices: The goods that is made in China is cheaper than other countries. Most global commodities will import from China. Reread the Management Focus on Vizio and the market for flat-panel TVs and answer the following questions: Why is the manufacturing of flat panel TV’s migrating to different locations around the world? Because they concern about cost of production, comparing between cost and profit in different countries. Who benefits from the globalization of the flat panel display industry? Who are the losers? Vizio company: lower production cost Vizio customer: high-quality with low price labor: get job host country: higher pollute environment What would happen if The US government required that flat-panel displays sold in the United States had to also be made in the US? On balance, would this be a good or a bad thing? It will be a bad thing. In the short run, if the flat panel displays must be made in the United States, the total cost of the products will increase and become less competitive with other brands. What does the example of Vizio tell you about the future of production in an increasingly integrated global economy? What does it tell you about the strategies that enterprises must adopt to thrive in highly competitive global markets? This is an example of benefit-cost analysis. The way to reduce production cost through the integrated global economy. They looking for out sourcing suppliers that cheaper than their country.

Inventory Proposal Wal-Mart

Every company, no matter the size deals with inventory issues. How these issues are dealt with can determine the outcome of the company. If not done in a rectifiable fashion, the company could face serious threats up to and including closure. We chose Wal-Mart as our company from our last paper, as it proposes an interesting dilemma in that despite the continued growth, all is not well with Sam Walton’s creation. This paper will discuss the inventory problems, the expected benefits that may or may not motivate the organization for change and our assessment for an alternative solution. Wal-Mart is growing at a blistering pace adding nearly 500 stores in the past five years a 13% increase, but during this time period Wal-Mart has reduced its employee count by roughly 20,000. This has had a serious impact on the inventory. Bloomberg published an article that states that although Wal-Mart has one of the best supply chains in the world, without staffing that chain breaks down. The company does not have enough workers to help stock inventory on shelves, or distribute the inventory to stores. Customers either find stores looking disorganized and unkept, or simply find an empty shelf with no product (Flannelly, 2013). A leak reported to Bloomberg said Bill Simon, the executive vice president and chief executive officer for Wal-Mart’s United States operation stated during an executive officers meeting that the company has inventory problems. â€Å"We run out quickly and the new stuff doesn’t come in, â€Å"he stated, noting that these â€Å"self-inflicted wounds† were Wal-Mart’s â€Å"biggest risk. † (Foley, 2013) The issue is the amount of inventory that the current employees can stock is far less than is required to maintain adequate merchandise levels. A store may have inventory in the back, but if it is not seen by the customer, the store is considered to be out of stock. This poses two major problems for Wal-Mart. The main problem is that this lack of stock is costing Wal-Mart billions in sales and is essentially leading customers to competitors. More competitors, like Target and Costco, have gained some of the market share away from Wal-Mart; it seems as though maintaining good, well-stocked, exceptionally operated stores needs to become a priority for the company (Flannelly, 2013). Another major issue with this problem is that inventory sitting in the back depreciates and every hour it sits is like a leaking faucet. Not only is the product sitting and depreciating, there are higher possibilities that the product might be damaged, expire, or simply lose its market value. Adding insult to injury, customer satisfaction continues to decrease. Due to the lack of workforce Wal-Mart has remained in last place on the American Customer Satisfaction Index for the past six years. Those are staggering numbers considering that Wal-Mart is the number one retailer in the world. If this problem is not rectified, Wal-Mart and its world renowned inventory system will be six feet under. Shows a steady increase in inventory, due either to the increase in locations or The lack of adequate employees to stock merchandise. The graph above indicates that Wal-Mart has the most inventory during the months of October, November, and December. This is probably due to the increase in sales during black Friday and Christmas. This also indicates that the amount of inventory during the third quarter is significantly lower than the rest of the year. Gives a more definitive look at the highs and lows in regards to inventory by quarter. Utilizes linear regression to forecast future inventory during any given quarter. The above graphs show inventory to sales over the last three years. We found that although Wal-Mart continues to grow, their sales could be higher. Each year there is a decrease when comparing it directly to inventory. Between 2011 and 2012 the Sales difference was 6% and only 5% between 2012 and 2013. Inventory also has a dip showing an 11% increase between 2011 and 2012 but drops down to 6% between 2012 and 2013. The reason is rather simple. If inventory does not make it to the floor, sales will decrease. As inventory continues to sit, Wal-Mart is essentially bleeding out. Obviously the correct action would be to hire the needed employees to correct this problem, but the costs may be too high to do all at once, not to mention, Wal-Mart feels no need to do such. Our alternative solution would be to hire in increments and implement specialized training that specifically focuses on turning the inventory. All new employees should become subject matter specialist and the training must be repeated throughout the nation (White C. , 2013). While inventory is not the issue, it has become the equation of cause and effect. This must be a priority as the inventory is the life blood of the company. No blood, No business.