Taoism Vs. Christianity Essays - Taoism, Immortality, Tao, Absolute

Taoism Vs. Christianity THE WAY TO IMMORTALITY A Comparison Between Taoism and Christianity and the Paths They Take to Reach Immortality PH 200 The basic structure of both Taoism and Christianity are parallel because they work to attain the same goal. It is apparent in both religions that by following a pure path, and devoiding ones self of earthly ambitions, wealth, and desires, one may reach the ultimate goal of immortality. But the way in which one reaches this goal is very different. Both religions believe in an entity that has existed before the universe, is the creator of all things, and loves and provides for all of creation. The Taoist believes in Tao, which remains a ?formless?, spiritual stare of mind. It rejects names and is therefore ?nameless? and unable to be spoken. Christians, however, believe in God, which takes on an active human form and is spoken as ?the word? of God. However, it is the differences between Tao and God that present the most evident factors that separate Taoism from Christianity. Unlike the Tao, God rules as a supreme being, while the Tao is at one with all, and does not master over anything. It is obvious that immortality is the goal in both religions, but the Taoist concept of immortality, and the way in which they become immortal differs from the of the Christians. Immortality, to the Taoist, is to achieve Tao, becoming at one with the universe. Christian immortality is to reach heaven, and walk along side God. Also, the Taoist must follow an individual path, that comes from within. While a Christian may reach heaven only by acts of his/her own goodness in accordance with their relationship with God. Creation, in both Taoism and Christianity, is stemmed from a source that always was and always will be. Taoists base their beliefs around the Tao, and the Christians believe in God. However, the essence of these two separate ideas differ dramatically in many other aspects. Unlike Tao, which claims to be ?formless?, God takes on an actual form, the image of man. The very first sentence of John's Gospel states, ?In the beginning was the one who was called the word...? This statement confirms the existence of a single being. Later in the text it is said that ?the word became flesh and dwelt among us?, thus becoming like a human. In contrast, the great Tao is ?infinite?; it flows everywhere and is always present, yet it cannot be seen or touched. It is ?empty like a bowl? and ?bottomless? yet its capacity cannot be exhausted. The Tao's own intangibility demonstrates the notion that it is frameless and therefore is not constructed into any shape or form. While speech and understanding remain the basis for following Christianity, the Tao cannot be spoken, and therefore can never be fully explained in words. According to the Gospel of John, in the Christian Bible, God sent John down to earth to speak ?the word? and lead the people to have faith. In order for Christians to acquire an understanding of their faith, they must receive some form of teaching or instruction. Christians go to church to hear ?the word? that is verbally preached to them through the words of a priest, who acts as a servant to God. With this being understood it can be concluded that without language, as the basis for understanding, Christianity could not exist. Taoism, on the other hand, emphasizes the fact that it is unspoken and therefore can never be verbally told or explained. Tao is described as being ?nameless?. It is exceeds beyond verbal communication and comprehension. ?Words can be used to speak of it, but they cannot be used to contain it.? Both Tao and God love and take care of all of creation. Every living thing depends on them for life. But the Tao is not a supreme being as God is to the Christians because Taoism is not monotheistic. The main focus in Taoism is not the worship of one god, but instead coming into harmony with Tao. Tao ?clothes and feeds all things but does not claim to be master over them.? Thus he says, ?the universe and I exist together, and all things and I are one.? God, on the other hand, stands above the universe as a higher being. He rules by power, setting certain standards which Christians are to live by and obey in order to reach salvation. The Ten Commandments, also known as ?the law of man?, are a set of rules, developed by God, that people are to abide by in order to avoid wrongdoing. Another element that separates the Tao from

Employee Rights in the Workplace Worksheet Essays - Free Essays

Employee Rights in the Workplace Worksheet Essays - Free Essays University of Phoenix Material Employee Rights in the Workplace Worksheet Complete each section below. Be sure to cite your sources when necessary (including all uses of the textbook). 1.Laws affecting employee rights Identify three laws that affect employee rights. Include a description and the impact each has on a Human Resource Manager. LawDescriptionImpact it has on HRM Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)Establishes the amount of the federal minimum wage, which is revised on a periodic basis. Also require all covered employees to be paid overtime for any hours worked over 40 in a workweek.HR should constantly review the amount paid to employees. Hr managers should also ensure employees are classified appropriately for their positions, failure to comply with FLSA can lead to penalties and back pay, Americans with Disabilities ActProhibits an employee from discriminating against employees on the basis of disability or perceived disability.Hr must train managers on what information they should, or should not, require regarding an employees medical situation. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)Provides eligible employees with the ability to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a 12-month period for a variety of circumstances.HR managers need to be trained on the eligible reasons for leave. 2.Employee rights issues What are three current issues regarding employee rights in the workplace? Explain each and provide examples. IssueExplanationExample Age DiscriminationUnequal treatment due to his or her ageAn employee being denied a promotion or project because employee is over 40, but work shows they are equal or better than younger employees. DiversityRacial discrimination, unequal treatment due to ones ethnic background or skin colorRacial discrimination in the work place often consists of derogatory statements, unfair policies, dismissals and conditions of employment. ReligionReligious discrimination is the unequal treatment of employees based on their religious beliefs. Usually consists of unwarranted dismissals, harassment, segregation or unequal pay. An employee being forced to not actualize his religious beliefs in the workplace. 3.Employee Discipline Identify at least five factors that should be considered when disciplining an employee. 1.Seriousness of the problem 2.Duration of problem 3.Frequency and mature of the problem 4.Extenuating Factors 5.Degree of socialization Identify three best practices to use before disciplining an employee. 1.Check the handbook 2.Get the facts before taking action 3.Maintain a record 4.Personal Experience What personal experience do you have that relates to any of the above? Be specific in the situation, but do not use names or the company name. I personally have experienced age discrimination in the work place. Mostly today you hear about companies discriminating against employees over 40 because they want younger employees that are more up to date on education and technology. For me I had the opposite experience. I worked at a store that got bought out and the new owner slowly started cutting back all the employees hours that were in high school and hiring only new employees in college. He eventually one by one fired all employees that were in high school for absurd reasons. It was unprofessional and not fair to any of us that worked very hard.

An Overview of Enterprise Resource Planning

Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) systems are software packages that can be used for the core systems necessary to support enterprise systems. The best-selling ERP is SAP Such ERP modules consist of Sales and Distribution, Material Managements, Financial Accounting, and Controlling and Profitability Analysis. In the words of Rockford Consulting (and many other firms), the single issue of ERP is failure to implement it. There are five known ways of how to constitute: not making the promised return on investment, extending the implementation schedule and start-up date inordinately, going over budget by unconscionable variances, grinding the organization to a crawl pace, or the severest of all consequences, and ceasing production and/or not delivering orders to your customers. Rockford has twelve â€Å"cardinal sins† regarding ERP Implementation: Lack of Top Management Commitment: Inadequate Requirements Definition; Poor Package Selection; Inadequate Resources; Resistance to Change/Lack of Buy-in; miscalculation of Time and Effort; Misfit of Application Software with Business Processes; Unrealistic Expectation of Benefits and ROI; Inadequate Training and Education; Poor Project Design and Management; Poor Communications; and Ill-advised Cost Cutting. Today, companies define success when it comes to an ERP implementation or upgrade. This is mostly due to well how they have planned for contingencies, set up reasonable expectations, and created lines of communication between the CEO, front-line users, and everyone else in between. For example, Au Bon Pain (a chain of restaurants) used to utilize â€Å"legacy systems† and â€Å"SAT ERP†, but currently uses a unified IT platform that provides such things as optimized performance, enhanced visibility with real-time data capture, Increased productivity, and accelerated financial closings. The environments in which IT professionals are striving on projects (similar to the one at Au Bon Pain) is disconcerting: Most businesses today are â€Å"oversoftwared†, in that many users are frustrated by applications’ poor performances, and return on software investments is almost always forgotten. This results in many CFOs and CEOs arriving at a state of general ambivalence toward ERP systems, or (as a worst-case scenario) an accrued and outward hatred of software overhauls. Like all things, ERP has its failures as well. Even after so many people love a substantial amount of money, there are substantial benefits. Commercial ERP software promises the seamless integration and consistency of all the information flows in an organization; financial and accounting, human resources, purchasing and supply chain, customer tracking and order placement, inventory management, and even production management. The promised savings in paperwork and man hours from automated processes is prodigious, not to mention the increased service quality provided to customers. In addition, there’s inventory reduction, supply chain cost efficiencies, and better decision support at every level. Most companies treat ERP implementation as a large scale IT project. But the scope and impact of an ERP implementation on the business is so great that the project is required to be considered as a business initiative with an IT component. This includes the development of a business plan for the project, which specifies the â€Å"market† or â€Å"business advantages† to be gained from implementing the ERP plan. The decision to implement ERP should be in response to specific business needs or objectives. Rather than just saying â€Å"yes, we want all those possible benefits†, the organization should focus on a limited set of business benefits to be gained from the ERP implementation. Once identified, these business needs would form the basis for much of the planning and management of the ERP project. If there are no compelling business needs that can be identified, then the ERP project is doomed to fail as a result of a lack of focus and the necessary management tools. The many companies that gain the most benefit from their implemented ERP systems are those that start by looking at them in strategic and organizational terms. The most (if not the best) fundamental reason for implementing ERP is to provide some competitive advantage, whether it be lower costs, faster response to market events, or better customer service. Nonetheless, these benefits can often be offset, by the impact the organization’s ERP system will have on its current business strategies and competitive advantages. Even after looking over articles by CIO, Rockford Consulting, and even CFO, I have no opinion about ERP. It has its successes and it has its failures. Whether or not to implement ERP in any particular company, I suppose it would be OK, only as long as the company is certain that it’s for the best for its management, its staff, and its regular customers; it would also be allowed as long as the company doesn’t go over the budget.

American History between 1820-1920 Research Paper

American History between 1820-1920 - Research Paper Example The paper shall analyze aspects related to art and culture, business and economy, books and literature and immigration and migration (Barney). 1820-1830: This decade holds immense significance because it marked the start of a new era in politics. It was the decade of growth as a country and progress in politics. The decade saw the formation of the democratic and the national republican parties. Furthermore, it was also famous for being the time when the first woman was nominated for the presidency. There was progress in fields of art, literature, and the economy during this period as well. Economic and Business Activities: The federal land law was passed in 1820, which led to expansion into new territories as settlers could now purchase 80 acres of land for $1.25/acre. Enormous advancements in trade routes including rail lines and river routes helped the expansion of trade and commerce between new territories and established communities. The decade also saw the growth of gateway citi es such as Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Chicago providing urban markets that tied the new territories to the Atlantic states. Art and Architecture: The 1820s saw the starting of the revival of the American Greek style and federal style of art. The statue of George Washington was sculptured by an Italian named Antonio Canova. The widespread demand for portraiture helped sustain American art. The wealthy valued portraits and spent sums of money on them. Some of the beneficiaries of this spending spree included Gilbert Stuart and Thomas Sully (Barney). Books and Literature: Irving and Cooper were the most revered literary individuals of the decade. The readers grew in pride during the decade, which was a major reason why Cooper’s literature became popular. A good illustration of the love affair for that form of literature is the novel American Hero which sets America as an individual country, culturally different from England. The romantic treatment of Indians was another famous and loved literary theme of the decade (Jones). Immigration and Migration: The province of Tejas in Mexico saw the formation of the first Anglo American settlement in the aftermath of the panic of 1819. The federal government began the practice of collecting statistics of immigration by 1820 and estimates suggest that 151,000 new residents entered the United States during this decade. The majority of these residents hailed from the British Isles followed by individuals from Germany. The surge in foreign born residents had an impact on American politics. The democrats, who were considered to be friendly towards immigrants, gained an upper hand with the same (Jones). 1830-1840: This decade saw the passing of laws that granted married women the right to own property. Books of immense prominence and legacy were printed, included Book of Mormon and Nature. Texas gained independence from Mexico and several other events occurred that made this decade one of immense importance in Americaâ €™s History (Rozek). Arts and Architecture: The Hudson River artists continued to grow. These artists included Thomas Cole, George Innes and Thomas Doughty. The fancy chairs also emerged as 8200 American makers created fancy chairs in Robert Adam, Sheraton, Directoire and Empire styles. The decade also saw the inception of the idea of the Grace Church by James Renwick (Athearn). Economy and Business: The steamboats were introduced during the decade as goods travelling to the west of St. Louis were

Technology Ethics In the Classroom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Technology Ethics In the Classroom - Essay Example The imposition of ethics in the classroom however calls for application of certain restrictions. This means that the connectivity to the internet should be restricted and should be available only to authorized users. Recommendations: A double edged sword in the form of two parallel policies is most likely to work for the problem of unethical usage of technology in the classrooms. The forceful impositions of rules and policies have proven effectiveness but the efforts to invoke sense of responsibility works much more effectively. The forceful strategy may comprise of the following, †¢ MAC address based device connectivity. †¢ IP scanning for security breach. †¢ Usage of appropriate UTM (Unified Threat Management) systems. †¢ A class based forum like connectivity for discussion with the classmates. †¢ Provision of master console to the teacher/instructor to monitor individual activity like messaging. †¢ Jammers for GPRS or GSM (phone service based) connect ivity. Some schools distribute written material on responsible computing before granting permission to students to access the school’s network services. Children are often asked to pass an online quiz in order to prove that they have learnt and understood the basic criteria at which they are authorized the usage of technological devices. This is one basic effort that can be done in order to make the students responsible for any actions that they would commit otherwise. The role of school counselors is very important for the ethical brought up of students. This role is not restricted to the ethics of class rooms only. The parents of the students must also be counseled for a collaborative effort. A quick course in ethics would not be... This paper approves that technology has both pros and cons associated with it. Most of the schools attempting to incorporate the use of technology within them seem to overlook the cons that are accompanied with it. It is because of this very reason that they don’t seem to have any plans, in order to curb the side effects of the effort that is being incorporated for the embedding of technology in them. The role of technology in the enhancement of learning is beyond any doubt, but just as the steering of a car cannot be handed over to would be drivers before they get their license, similarly the juveniles cannot be left with technologically advanced equipment without any checks or restrictions. This report makes a conclusion that among all the technological provisions connectivity to the internet is of utmost importance. The ethical and responsible usage of this technology is extremely necessary for everyone. The importance of internet in learning is beyond any doubts and its availability in educational institutions is essential. However students need to be counseled morally so that they may employ this facility in a responsible manner. Along with the forceful checks and impositions the school counselors must also counsel the students. They should, not only guide the students towards the beneficial usage of technology but they should counsel the parents as well. This may produce a long lasting sense of responsibility in adolescents as compared to the timely effect inculcated via restrictions.

Implications of Information Technology on LAPD Essay Example for Free

Implications of Information Technology on LAPD Essay Los Angeles is one of the cities in the United States, in the year 2010; the city is approximated to have a population of four million people, with an area of four hundred and sixty eight square miles. In 1869, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was created to serve the area. Currently, LAPD is the third most prevalent police department in the United States. The police force faces an array of challenges Corwin, (2004), these includes governance, financial constraints, resource allocations, sustainable evidence gathering and storage, crime detections and operational priorities. Brief background of the organization Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has been in the forefront in innovative techniques in an effort to fight crime, the technological systems proposed to be adopted by LAPD, takes into consideration the implementations which are currently in place. LAPD has adopted several Information Technology centered techniques which includes remote camera surveillance system, automatic license plate-recognition system, computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system and facial-recognition software. The information Technology driven approaches adopted by LAPD have had strategic implications on the performance of the police department Chu, (2001), considering the diverse challenges encountered by the police force; the technologies are also envisioned to offer a competitive edge, to the police force in fighting crime. The report considers and evaluates the strategic implications of information technology in the police force in future. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has been cooperating with several partners in implementation information technology driven solutions to fight crime. Over the past the department has utilized Information Technology in gathering watertight evidence in criminal cases and gaining public trust, the phased implementation of installation of video cameras in one thousand six hundred cars, to serve more than twelve thousand officers, to cost approximately $25 million is evidenced highlight of the utilization of Information Communication Technology. Northrop Grumman has long history with the American armed forces, the company was contracted in the year 1996 to plan and construct the Los Angeles Police Department Emergency Command Control and Communications System with subsidiary self-sufficient emergency dispatch centers, the project lasted for five years. With diverse experience, they have assisted the police to deploy computer-aided dispatch (CAD) the police boast of Emergency Communication System which integrates CommandPoint(tm) Mobile applications from Northrop Grumman and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) Discussion of Current Business Issues Governance has been a business challenge in the United States police force, Los Angeles inclusive. There has been a mix up in roles and responsibilities of the police officers, where at times the states have had mixed hierarchies confounded by bureaucratic empires and fiefdoms. Furthermore, there have been a massive amount of units, which has complicated the crime fighting due to diverse hierarchy of reporting structures. The current business environment calls for paradigm shift to increase accountability and transparency. Governance in the police force has also been an issue in waning public confidence, the current business environment favors self perpetuating oligarchy, this call for implementation of systems that favor accountability to the public. As regards financial expenditure in the police force, the police have over the years been consumers of tax, without resultant direct creation of wealth. Business wise, the police force have been viewed as liabilities to the tax payers, the fact that criminals have been advancing in technology calls for a rejoinder in form of technological advancement from the police quarters, this comes with increased expenditure. Moreover, the area covered by the Los Angeles police department is wide, with the ever increasing population means that the financial expenditure rises with time, however, the prevailing economic situations means that there are several competing needs for the funds available; this has curtailed monies allocated to the police department. The business environment also involves utilization of resources. Human resources, which in this case involves police officers and Information Communication Technology staff are the essential resources in the LAPD, currently, the legendary system requires the police department to have trained personnel to manage the network infrastructure. The systems also have the police department utilizing its own network link, which is very expensive in terms of maintenance as well as the regular training of officers as argued by Glenn, (2003), to update on the latest encryption techniques, so as to maintain the integrity of data. A crucial examination of the duties and responsibilities of all the officers has at times generated duplication of responsibilities, with several officers dedicated to supervisory duties rather than in directly fighting crime, therefore the roles of the officers have to be defined and the human resource streamlined to meet the customer demands, which in this case, is the public. The biggest challenge however has been escalating crime and solution lies in effectively detecting and avoiding crime. Some researchers have argued that senior police officers condone the practices associated with fiddling the figures, Cooking the Books also referred as gaming, to portray crime levels as decreasing, by techniques such as cuffing, stitching, skewing, nodding. The business issues are weakness in terms of evidence to charge suspects, where suspects have escaped judgment due to weak evidence mechanism, Joycelyn, (2008). Moreover, with the escalating number of criminals, officers have at time had to rely of the strength of their memories to remember all the suspects, in addition some suspects may be available in the police departments’ database, but the officers may not be able to access the data while in the field. There is therefore a need of a system which can capture and sustain evidence, while assisting the officers identify criminals hence improving security in Los Angeles. Another current issue is the operational priorities challenge where the priorities of the police force have been diversified and not in agreement with the Peelian principles, which lays emphasis on protection of life and property and the prevention and detection of crime, in this case anything else is a distraction. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has faced the challenge of operational priorities, where the systems being utilized have demanded the officers to concentrate on maintaining the systems; there is therefore need to implement a system which fosters Peelian principles. The current business environment has therefore a myriad of challenges, the police at all times are expected to have a strategic competitive advantage over their competitor – the criminals. The police have to adopt a paradigm shift which invilves adoption and implementation of Information Technology driven solutions, the application of not only creativity but also imagination in the approach to its adoption gives credence to the common caution to innovators that you cannot use yesterday’s tool for today’s job and expect to be in business tomorrow. With respect to Los Angeles Police Department, , LAPD cannot afford to keep using traditional methodology of detecting and fighting crime and expected to beat the criminals who are advancing with technology. Discussion of Proposed Solution The proposed solution lies in total implementation of the Emergency Communication System which integrates CommandPoint(tm) Mobile applications and computer-aided dispatch (CAD). The implementation of CommandPoint Mobile interfaces acts as a link between the command centre and the field units, improving access to the latest information by the field officers while fostering exchange of information, between the field officers, command centre and other interested police forces within the United States, such as the detectives and crime busters. The envisioned solution should in addition encompass remote camera surveillance which posses’ intelligent video competence to tenuously recognize and scrutinize apprehensive occurrences, when illegal actions transpire the police officers can be alerted. The automatic license plate-recognition system (PlateScan) involves patrol vehicles fitted with video cameras and mobile data computer, where the scanned license plates are systematically compared with existent data in databases incase the vehicle may be of need to the law enforcers. The facial-recognition software works in concord with camera surveillance system to scrutinize the captured images of human faces, then quickly and accurately judge against images contained in the database, these video cameras are deployed in patrol vehicles. This is envisaged to address the problem of identification of suspects, since suspects can be identified in shorter times. To interconnect the several disperse officers in the field, LAPD’s Information and Communications Services Bureau adopted, it is proposed that the officers utilize public network to decrease costs while improving security by increasing coverage, using public network also reduces the human resource constraint the network shall have, since the police shall not have to maintain their own network, neither to they have to maintain the network. With the implementation of the automated field reporting system and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), the need for mobile communication with high speed broadband was imminent, the legendary system was restricted to certain areas, while operating in low speeds of 19. Kilo bits per second, the proposed solution is to consider the existent LAPD installed Sprint Data Link where the patrol vehicles are fitted an antenna connected to an EV-DO Sierra Wireless 595 connection card in a Dell D610 laptops installed with Windows XP operating system SP2, 1 GB of RAM, a DVD drive, and an 80 GB hard disk, the police can easily access databases, crime-analysis data, photographs, fingerprints, reports and mapping data,. The fact that Sprint is a private network calls for need to increment the security measures. The proposed solution includes utilization of registered modems by the officers to avoid unauthorized access to the network; this is fostered by end-to-end encryption as well as the providers’ authentication server. Computer Aided Dispatch in combination with the proposals above provides the officers indispensable wide source of information for strategic decision making. The utilization of information technology has been fostered further by Bluetooth fingerprint scanners; currently the scanners are limited in application. However, it is proposed that every patrol vehicle to be equipped with fingerprint scanners, such that persons with clean history cannot be subjected to suspicious arrests, this addresses the issue of arbitrary arrests therefore improving the customer image of the police force, furthermore, the devices to be utilized by the officers should be GPS capable therefore the police can accurately determine locations and positions with precision. The utilization of a private mobile broadband network is intentioned to reduce the costs associated with network access since utilizes high speeds, with minimal costs, furthermore, officers are relieved the duties of maintaining the network. The laptops have to preserve the image determined for mission critical systems to guarantee dependability and security with minimal downtime without dependence on Information Communication Technology personnel; this requires the deployment of Anti-Executable and Deep Freeze as a comprehensive solution on the MDC laptops. Deep Freeze allows the users to promptly reboot the laptop to return it to its original Configuration, this has avoided the need to substitute the laptops when a problem occurs. This is in addition to Anti-Executable’s whitelist technology which standardizes the operating environment by regulating the programs installable. This has been adopted to reduce the number of personnel required to keep the systems in performance mode, therefore addressing governance challenges. The proposed solution is not immune of challenges, considering that the operations are in data sensitive environment, the shifting of the computing environment from MDT to MDC denote new software and hardware, this introduces threats and vulnerabilities. Using more than one thousand five hundred laptops and modems introduces new threats and probable software configuration issues. Windows XP is predisposed to external threats such as spyware, viruses, and other malware. The strategic utilization of Information Technology in LAPD The future of LAPD in utilization of Information Technology has great potential. The Department has optional innovations which include empowering police on foot; horseback or bicycle patrols with high-speed data network access by facilitating handheld devices to utilize wireless data cards, the officers can effectively access the data, from the centralized station, without necessarily using patrol vehicles. Furthermore, having high definition video streamed from cameras and patrol cars to a centralized system in the station enables the police to have real-time information of scenarios as they unfold. In addition, the department can integrate GPS information into the dispatch system for mobile resource management. Recommendations Whereas the police department has been faced with an array of challenges such as the large population size and density, the bulky geographical area, and further complicated by the cultural diversity of the residents. Information technology has been extolled as the ultimate solution, while progressing efficiency of the Department. Implementation of the proposed system shall enable the LAPD reduce costs associated with networking, since they shall be utilizing public network and already available software such as Windows XP, Deep Freeze and Anti-Executable. Moreover, the system shall require fewer officers to manage, hence reducing costs while addressing governance challenges by ensuring that officers get access to all the requisite information as and when needed, hence avoiding bureaucracy in accessing information. While fostering the relationship with the customers – the public, the officers shall also be able to detect and deal with crime as it occurs, while getting substantial and immense evidences against criminals. The system also enables the officers to concentrate on their operational priority – fighting crime in Los Angeles. To protect the people of Los Angeles therefore, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) should adopt information technology driven solutions which are anticipated to offer several merits in the next three years and beyond. These strategic impacts of the proposed system are intentioned to have a competitive advantage over criminals, these strategic impacts include enhanced coverage, faster response to emergencies, mapping capabilities and harmonization of communication among the police personnel, connectivity to the investigators and detectives as well as to the entire United States police unit – hence reducing or even eliminating crime in Los Angeles.

Violence in Schools Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Education Essays

Violence among youth, especially in schools, is one of American society's most pressing concerns. It is also a source of controversy. While no recent nationwide study of the real extent of youth violence is available, small-scale and regional studies indicate that youth violence is increasing, at least slightly. In addition, youth, like adults, are now more frequently using guns instead of fists to settle disputes. Youth violence had once been thought to be an urban public school problem; a consequence of poverty and family dysfunction, but stable suburban and rural communities are now also experiencing it, as are private schools. While early intervention is absolutely necessary to help prevent violence, I believe all school operations and staff must be directly involved to effectively reduce the crime. There is sometimes a contradiction between school policies and practice. Many districts and schools have comprehensive regulations for dealing with violence, but enforcement may be uneven or lax. This creates a situation where teachers do not feel supported when they impose discipline, students do not feel protected, and the violence- prone think they will not be punished. Conversely, administrators express dismay that teachers do not enforce policies in their classrooms. Despite these inconsistencies, many promising types of anti-violence strategies have been devised by government, communities, and schools. Most have originated in urban areas, where youth violence was first identified. Elementary education training in anger management, impulse control, appreciation of diversity, and mediation and conflict resolution skills can help prevent youth from engaging in violence as they mature. Early discussions about the negative consequences of gang membership, and providing children with positive ways of getting personal needs met, can protect them from future gang recruitment efforts. Educating young children about the use of guns is also valuable, since accidents have happened as a result of children's naivete about their danger. Even more than violence prevention in general, effective anti-gang strategies require establishment of a positive school climate, good communications and security, a staff trained in crisis intervention, and a coordinated effort. They also require that schools not only acknowledge a gang presence, but that they ... ...ruptive students. Since at-risk students respond positively to personal attention, teachers can help youth resist violent impulses and the lure of drugs and gangs by offering them extra help with their schoolwork, referrals, informal counseling, or even just a sympathetic ear. In all communities it is likely that sometimes anti-violence work will be compromised by lack of resources and time, and that even the most dedicated individuals will feel frustrated. Early evaluations of well-organized programs suggest that success is possible, though; and statistics demonstrating an increase in youth violence, however slight, indicate that more effort is necessary. Works Cited: Ascher, Carol. Gaining Control of Violence in the Schools: a View from the Field, New York: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, 1994. Hill, Marie Somers. Creating Safe Schools: What Principals can do, Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 1994. Rubel, Robert J. The Unruly School: Disorders, Disruptions, and Crimes, Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1977. Walker, H. M. Antisocial Behavior in School: Strategies and Best Practices. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co., 1995.

Corruption in the Teamsters Union

In 1902 a group of horse and buggy drivers created the Teamsters Union, in that the Teamsters were employed to transport goods. This occupation has played an important part in the economic development of the United States. Although they worked under difficult circumstances at the turn of the twentieth century they began to unionize on an extensive scale. There was no established national organization until 1912 that the teamsters were secure. Back in those days certain crafts and professions were considered as public-interest endeavors, which were licensed and regulated by the town authorities. Included in the teamsters which started with cart-men were; doorkeepers, butchers, and bakers. With the public being so reliant on these crafts they showed a monopoly and the members would join in strikes, to change supply and demand so they could increase prices for their products. In addition, the strikes served the purpose in securing higher wages and fees for services, and to keep outsiders from operating in the same craft. The strikes came about as early as the seventeenth century, although there weren’t any conflicts between labor and management. Instead, the strikes represented demonstrations against local laws and directives and were aimed in influencing the actions of town councils. There were numerous grievances due to the charges and rates established by localities for teamsters and in the seventeenth century cart-men did not work for earnings but owned the horses and wagons. Back in 1677 New York held the first tribunal for a strike in which, â€Å"Twelve truckmen were dismissed by the common council for not carrying out the duties prescribed for them by the city. The prosecution charged that the men were in contempt; it did not base its case upon conspiracy. Conditions prevailing in New York City were typical of those under which cart-men labored prior to 1850. † (Witwer) The New York teamsters were categorized as an individual labor group and each of them had to be licensed by the mayor. This allowed the city to have control over the cost of transporting or delivering goods through its streets and as business endeavors in the metropolitan area increased, a variety of regulations were passed. This included specifications on cart sizes, speed zones, and preventive measures to deter noise and accidents. After the Revolutionary War, the New York City council maintained stringent control over the work of cart-men doorkeepers, butchers, and bakers. During this time cart-men made request to the council that would limit who could enter into their craft in 1785, which kept transient residents in the city during the summer out of their businesses. It wasn’t until 1790, which licenses as teamsters were sought after by the old, frail, and unskilled workers. According to Brill, â€Å"In 1792, the Cart-men's Society was founded for the relief of distressed members. In 1797, as a result of flagrant abuses by teamsters in New York City operating without a license and charging extortionate fees–all licenses were revoked. The cart-men were reorganized in groups of forty-nine, each headed by a foreman. In 1800, there were twenty such companies. Stiff penalties were imposed for violations of ordinances. † The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) labor union has been more embroiled in jurisdictional cases and doppelganger unionism. When it was initially established, this union has been engaged in incessant critical disputes over jurisdiction. These disputes often affect many international unions, some associated either with the American Federation of Labor (AFL) or the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) and those with no affiliation to either federation. The struggle of major concern was the inquiry of the proper union for a particular group of men, yet it entailed power over a precise job region. Many occurrences were an actual contest for power over a specific region and the complexity concerning jurisdiction that the teamsters have come upon has occurred due to the union making steady attempt s to expand. The incentives for such exploits were very diverse to include workers with functions closely related to others already performed by members of the union. In addition, the collaboration is essential for the triumphant exertion of economic strong hold among employers. Workers have also been organized to prevent their assimilation by a rival unions, with regions being expanded locally, helps to boost the power of local leaders and nationally expand Commercial and industrial enterprises. Daniel J. Tobin was the president of the Teamsters Union from 1907 TO 1952, which he grew and was not in control of the fiscal policies pursued by locals in the union. Tobin exerted a forceful authority over decisions which affected the relationship of the IBT with the other associations of the labor movement and he served as representative for a significant sector of the labor force. The power of Tobin was not challenged until 1930 when Dave Beck become known, with this Tobin’s rise to power was plodding. Tobin was born in Ireland in 1875 and in 1889 he journeyed alone to the United States. Tobin eventually became a driver-salesman, which lead him into the joining the local Team Drivers International (TDL) Union in Boston, Massachusetts. From there he became a member of Boston Local 25 and was chosen a representative to the Niagara Falls convention of 1903; it was at that convention that IBT was organized. According to Witwer, Tobin said: â€Å"When I returned I was discharged for being an agitator and found it difficult to find employment. I did find employment at $12 a week, working 12 hours a day. † Tobin ran for business representative for his local union in 1903 and after suffering from defeat (his only defeat while as a candidate for office within the labor movement). He proceeded to hold various offices within the Boston chapter when in August 1907, Daniel J. Tobin, became president of the Teamsters and Chauffeurs District Joint Council 10 of Boston. Serving as his campaign manage and a business agent in Local 25 John M. Gillespie, nominated Tobin for presidency of IBT, where as upon winning Tobin appointed Gillespie as the International Organizer for the New England division. This lifetime friendship led Gillespie to Indianapolis by Tobin in 1925 to take on the duties of assistant to the president. Subsequently, when Thomas L. Hughes died in 1941, Gillespie was appointed secretary-treasurer of the IBT and he was considered Tobin's most trusted associate in the union until his death in 1946. As has been indicated, upon obtaining the presidency, Tobin faced numerous serious problems and disparities. His own executive board created more problems by the division amongst the members. Four vice presidents joined into a rival force and voted together on most issues, which the other three vice presidents and secretary of treasurer were unable to match or break. Tobin had to break the four to four tie in many cases by casting the decisive ballot. The Teamsters Union in New York brought Tobin up on charges in 1908, claiming that he had been elected illegally in that years convention. The joint council contended that Local 25 was not in good standing with the IBT so, Tobin was ineligible for office. With such unruly and undermining schemes including acts of cultivating and persuading withdrawal from Local 25 by Tobin's opposition on the board with some of the members while serving as officers of the IBT at the same time organizing independent teamster unions. At the 1910 convention, Tobin accomplished extricating the remainder of opposition and for the next thirty years he was tterly unobstructed and uncontested in managing the affairs of the International Office. The union in the first ten years had its highest level of conflict within the organization, while in quite a few cases; officers of the IBT had acquired court sanctions restraining barred and obstinate locals with numerous techniques. Tobin's triumph with assembling the union was based upon his firm observance of avoidance (empathy action for other unions in trouble) and vigilant cost-conscious spending of union resources. With Tobin being in charge of a small yet powerful union, he anticipated the threat of repeating previous deeds which had made it susceptible in the past. With this in mind during 10907 and the early 1930’s the IBT avoided strikes, boycotts, and financial struggles assumed by other trade unions. Whereas, Tobin was extraordinary zealous guarding the treasury part of the union and the circumstances concerning strikes and lockouts were meticulously scrutinized before any benefits were paid out by the IBT to the local unions. With numerous rules and constitutional requirements being required before strike approval was approved by the IBT executive board. Tobin also sought to boost the finances; during his tenure of office as president; he fought for higher per capita taxes from the local teamster unions. Tobin would continuously boost with pride that being one of the larger labor organizations the Teamsters Union was insulated against economic loss due to a depression or bank failure. The biggest troubling factors in the first decade of Tobin's administration was the dissension within the union, the behavior the members in the local teamster unions, the secession interchanges conducted by different groups, and the existence of adversary and contending unions, in various parts of the nation. Chicago and New York were the hubs for the difficulties experienced under this regime, as a whole the teamsters were considered rather obstinate workers that exhibited a rough and idiosyncratic attitude. In 1906 there was more dissention at the convention which led to the creation of the United Teamsters of America (UTA). Chicago, New York City, and St. Louis, IBT lost it drew about 10,000 men to the UTA, which weakened the IBT, furthermore increased the membership of locals which had been independent in the past. Tobin worked hard to bring the men back into the IBT and was triumphant in implementing an arrangement in 1908 where the majority of the locals that had departed choose to return. Chicago continued with immense dissention where a significant number of unions continued to be separate. By bringing back the locals from New York (formerly UTA) and the designation of one of their leaders as a vice president of the IBT led to the withdrawal of a second group of locals. Many of the second group that had left the IBT had essentially returned in 1911, yet before this while trying to work out an agreement in 1909 Tobin was brutal beaten in New York City. In the attack, Tobin’s glasses were shattered, his ribs broken, and a complex fracture of his nose, but the worst was yet to come while he was hospitalized he ended up with blood poisoning and he lingered on the threshold of death. The separate unions in Chicago continued to prosper and ultimately an impasse was accomplished, drivers working in general trucking functions had an inferred status quo contract without going beyond the jurisdictional claims of the associated and separate locals. This realistic arrangement stayed unchanged until the early 1930's when some public officials applied force on the autonomous locals to join the IBT. These legislative officers were distressed by the magnitude of racketeering and mobster control in the teamsters unions in Chicago and believed unification would establish checks and balances on the powers of the local leaders. In Chicago the state of affairs progressively worsened, between 1928 and 1935, thugs from the Capone crew were in command of numerous locals of drivers. Some of the locals so dominated were affiliated with the IBT and others were independent and with these circumstances, violence was not uncommon. In 1932 Patrick Burrell of Chicago the vice president of the local union was shot to death in a struggle between organized labor and mobsters in a hail of bullets. The subsequent year Henry Burger, an international organizer operating in Chicago, was shot and seriously wounded, therein came the appointment of Daniel A. Gilbert as the chief investigator for the state's attorney's office in Cook County, Illinois, that law and order once again became the basis under which the locals operated. â€Å"Gilbert had strong support and encouragement from Thomas J. Courtney, the state's attorney, and Mayor Edward J. Kelly of Chicago, with pressure from the businesses and the public had become somnolent from the immoderation of unionism about teamster unity and end labor discord and racketeering. † (Zeller) By 1934, many of the independent locals had joined the IBT while Courtney continued to aid the teamsters in their governmental efforts. There were other aggressive outbreaks in Chicago where labor was involved and in 1951, IBT officials in Chicago were anxious that the Capone crew would return with warfare breaking out all over the city. There was a public appeal for police protection against coercion by mobsters to the mayor by the vice president of the IBT William A. Lee. There were two murders, three brutal assaults, and four bombings between 1950 and 1951 of teamster officials in Chicago; with this the IBT did not ever have full power over workers working as drivers. The National War Labor Board (NWLB) acknowledged that the CIO controlled and represented trucking firms in other cities such as New Orleans and Detroit. Currently, the IBT is confronted with several of pockets of separatism throughout the nation. Tobin was able to combine and construct his power as president of the teamsters and become firmly embedded in office after 1910 due to no other member in the union gained national standing until the rise of Dave Beck. Tobin diligently avoided infuriating local leaders and except when circumstances were extraordinary or pressures were strong he refrained from intervening in local matters. With the power to appoint trustees in the local unions and joint councils where he felt officials were corrupt; Tobin to exerted substantial influence in dealing with locals. Very few complaints were made about Tobin’s abuse of power when appointing trustees; he progressively proceeded to expand the presidential term in office by increasing the time period between conventions. The time between conventions went from two years in 1908 to three years in 1912, and ultimately to five years in 1915 which helped in reducing the spending of the international union. Tobin argued that frequent conventions were unnecessary, while pointing out that the stoneworkers union was a fine organization even though it had held only one convention in twenty-eight years. Tobin broadened his labor connections, with the affiliation of the Canadian Trades and Labor Congress in 1920; then in 1928 affiliation with the building trades department of the AFL; and in 1948 with the International Transport Workers Federation. Tobin was reelected unanimously each time he ran for the office of general president, yet without ever having complete control of the convention. When Tobin made requests and recommendations concerning monetary matters he was unequivocally turned down time and time again. It took until 1920 for the monthly per capita to be increased from 15 cents to 30 cents; then it was increased again in 1952 to 40 cents. Tobin's main scheme, was to set up an international death benefit program under which the estate of each deceased member in good standing would receive a specified sum; this plan would increased the power of the IBT over the locals unions by giving the IBT control of a fund in which the individual members had an equity. In January 1929 a request made by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) for financial assistance, due to the garment workers being confronted by some serious organizational struggles. The IBT grudgingly wrote the ILGWU that the board did not have the power to grant loans of any kind for any purpose, not even to one of its own locals. As the Teamsters Union strengthened, Tobin's reputation increased, he began to implement his authority as the representative of the AFL at the British Trades Union Congress, and as a delegate to the International Federation of Trade Unions in Amsterdam, Holland. Samuel Gompers gave great opposition to Tobin being elected treasurer of the AFL in 1917; he supported John B. Lennon, who had been the treasurer for the previous twenty-eight years. As a member of the executive council of the AFL, Tobin became one of its most imperative and vocal constituents while when John L. Lewis ran for AFL president, Tobin served as Gompers' campaign manager. With numerous differences over the issues of policy within the executive council Tobin threatened to resign several times, yet he was convinced not to on every occasion. Although in 1928 with another dispute with the executive council concerning the endorsement of Alfred E. Smith as a candidate as the President of the United States, Tobin resigned as treasurer. Tobin recommended that the offices of secretary and of treasurer of the AFL be consolidated when he left his post, this was enacted in 1935, under Tobin’s leadership in becoming the ninth AFL president in 1934. The Federation increased the number of men in this office from eight to fifteen, while Tobin became a vice president of the building trades department of the AFL. Tobin progressed in the chain of command of the labor movement; his union was concurrently gaining power and size. The AFL was revived in 1933 due to the decision of the Teamsters Union to organize everything on wheels; this is when the IBT became the most powerful union in the country. Threats to stop deliveries to and from companies who refused accept terms of the teamsters allowed them to gain contracts in trucking and related industries. The IBT gave support to other unions engaged in picketing or bargaining negotiations which strengthened the position of these unions and fortified their objectives. Unions organizing workers who were working in small numbers in regular establishments, were they became dependent on the teamsters for assistance, with the division in the AFL in 1935, Tobin continued his opposition to the growth of industrial unions. He asserted that it was not possible to organize the steelworkers; Tobin was fighting for the separation of teamsters from other workers. Tobin became the dominant core of labor leaders which favored craft unionism and he unequivocally maintained that industrial unionism would cause more hardship to the teamsters than to any other trade union. With the split between the AFL and CIO being complete, Tobin was one of the first labor leaders who strongly advocated reunification; he vigorously championed a plea by President Roosevelt for unity in the labor movement despite the rather cool reception which the message received from the other union heads present. Tobin was among the opposition to amending the Wagner Act, to make its stipulations more acceptable to the AFL. Supporters of the AFL contended that a majority of the members of the NLRB were prejudiced in favor of the CIO; it was believed that changes in laws would be more favorable to employers. Tobin aggressively opposed the communists and had them outlawed from the IBT, with his serious dislike of Harry Bridges of the longshoremen's union and his displeasure with John L. Lewis of the mine workers. The consequences with the fight for power within the Teamsters Union under the administration of Beck became apparent with the expulsion of the International Longshoremen's Association from the AFL. At the beginning of 1956, the election race for the presidency of the teamster’s joint council in New York City took place; the national leaders of the union had to make their positions known. With internal dissension at an all time high the impression of complete harmony on the general executive board came under public scrutiny, disclosure of the level of bitterness and conflict within the union indicate that it is one of the most important of the past fifty years. While Tobin held the top post in the union most members were afraid to challenge his control, due to his effective leadership; and the decentralization of the local leaders, caused sovereignty within their own unions. The local unions did not particularly aspire to expand their authority, with the arrival of Beck and the conference technique of organization, the progression of centralization began. Tobin fought hard and unsuccessfully to prevent the progression of centralization, eventually Beck had his way and gained much power even before he took over the leadership. At the beginning of his administration as general president, Dave Beck foresaw a strong centralized union with power vested in his hands looking toward the elimination of racketeering and corruption. To this end, Beck intensified his endeavors to complete the creation of conferences, with the size of the union and the colossal burden which his office entailed, Beck attempted to stay clear of direct contact with organizational and bargaining work with regards to issues in policy formation and jurisdictional problems. It was under these conditions that Jimmy Hoffa, was able to emerge as a rival to Beck who did not see his rapid rise and independence as a threat. By the time Beck recognized the problems Hoffa brought to the organization it was too late for Beck to extricate him without shaking the foundation of the union and risking defeat in his own objectives. Over the years Beck and Hoffa have tangled on many concerns yet formed alliances in other instances, both men recognized and appreciated the strength of the other. Given Beck's rise to the presidency, the struggle between them has solidified even further, Hoffa has said, â€Å"Although he takes orders from Beck, Beck does not raise questions as to how they are carried out. (Friedman and Schwarz) The modern record of the Teamsters Union may be implicit in the terms of the activities and goals of Beck and Hoffa, during the severe depression of the 1930’s; union activity was a perilous endeavor for those who had jobs. Hoffa, along with four other men who are currently still trusted affiliates of his staff, commenced to systematize the 175 workers in the warehouse as an independen t union, that went on strike just as a highly perishable load of strawberries arrived to be unloaded. In needing the workers to work, management had to realize the seriousness of the strike which led to some concession to pacify the workers. Within months a charter from the AFL was received making the independent Kroger group a federal labor union, Detroit was not a strong union center in 1932. There were few IBT locals in Detroit with roughly 500 members, Hoffa sought affiliation with the Teamsters Union and was given the charter of Local 674. Hoffa then proceeded to create an alliance with Local 299, which was then under trusteeship of the IBT, in debt, and without contracts this allowed his expansion program to begin. One of Hoffa's first and most ambitious ventures as a delegate of the teamsters were to organize the truckers, drivers, and car hauler workers, commencing between 1933 and 1935 was met the vicious conflicts of the automobile manufacturers. The automobile manufactures established a division within the IBT and Hoffa became the negotiating chairman which contributed to his rise through the ranks. Hoffa was elected president of Local 299 which has 16,000 members and 800 contracts with employers, within three years Hoffa became chairman of the central states drivers’ council. When the Michigan Conference of Teamsters was organized Hoffa was elected president, which led to him being appointed by Tobin to fill a vacancy in the office of international trustee. Hoffa’s rise through the ranks continued when he was elected president of Joint Council 43 of Detroit, like Beck, Hoffa is unrelenting and avoided liquor and tobacco, yet, he used foul language when speaking. In his extensive traveling on union business Hoffa was not concerned with political ideas or labor idealism, he attempted to bring about instantaneous improvements in the wages, hours, and working conditions of the teamsters. Hoffa has a vast and accurate knowledge of trucking operations; he was very familiar with the economics and he drove a hard bargain while adhering strictly to the contract provisions he negotiates. Hoffa brought stability in working conditions to trucking with questionable associates and shady business activities and connections. Hoffa's emergence from violent and ambiguous surroundings occurred with the development of maturity and the passage of time, this transformation reminds one of the evolutionary growths of other high leaders in the Teamsters Union. The vice president of the San Francisco IBT Michael â€Å"Bloody Mike† Casey, helped set up the general trucker’s local and earned his nickname in a violent and prolonged strike the in 1901. The nickname Casey had gotten became a term of affection, and when he died in 1937 he was a solid and respected citizen among leaders of the civic and industrial life of San Francisco. When Hoffa was elected to vice president of the IBT in 1952, Tobin said to the convention, â€Å"He is the biggest small man in Detroit. When you go to Detroit today you hear about Hoffa, but you do not hear a word about Henry Ford. As I said, he is a very big small man and he is one man we developed in our time. He is pretty nearly civilized now, but I knew him when he wasn't. † (Dobbs) The newly organized IBL was unable to defeat the barred organization in two NLRB representation elections at the port of New York, despite the strong support of the AFL. Resulting in employers on the water front being forced to come to terms with the independent ILA, this meant that teamsters continued their close contact with members of the ILA while performing the work of moving waterfront freight. Moreover, some ILA leaders had friends among teamster officials both Hoffa and John J. O'Rourke (president of Local 282) had close ties with the ILA. Hoffa's main objective was to develop the influence and membership of the teamsters by undertaking bold organizing activities in the southern states for this purpose and felt that the assistance of the ILA was both necessary and valuable in his project. Realistic considerations swayed Beck and slowly weakened his original resolution and adamancies with feelings of antipathy and distrust between Meany and Beck influencing the situation. Evidence of the discord between the two men came to the surface when Meany resisted Beck's election to the executive council of the AFL, when he fought hard to frustrate the teamster machinations to absorb the expelled ILA, when he successfully maneuvered to overcome teamster resistance to merger of the AFL and CIO, and when he forced the IBT to accept limited representation in the industrial union department. At one point, Beck publicly announced that he would never be a candidate for the presidency of the AFL and on other occasions he stated that he stanchly supported Meany for the office. Ensuing to the rejection by the AFL of efforts by the IBT to absorb the ILA, Hoffa undertook to negotiate an agreement to put the ILA under the domination of the teamsters; he envisioned a possible merger of the two unions. Aside from the fact that the longshoremen's union had 60,000 members who might be absorbed, there were mutual benefits to be derived from an agreement, teamsters and longshoremen work closely in port areas. With cargo freight being loaded and unloaded by longshoremen in trucks manned by teamsters, the IBT was strong in the Great Lakes ports, where the ILA is weak, while the ILA is in a position to help the IBT organize the South. With several preliminary discussions in 1955 the delegates to the ILA convention approved a working alliance with the teamsters, the last draft of the pact was left to a special subcommittee with the evident that upon its conclusion it would be subject to a membership referendum. As negotiations continued there seemed to be some loss of interest in the project on the part of longshoremen, the mutual assistance pact was between the independent longshoremen's union and three conferences of the IBT (central states, eastern, and southern). This gave a joint organization of work by the two unions, the cost to be apportioned by agreement; uniform labor contract expiration dates; and continued independent status of the ILA, except if both unions mutually agreed to a change. In the beginning the president of the ILA William V. Bradley, expected Beck to give his approval to the alliance and that members of both unions would be asked to ratify it. However Beck kept his distance from that debate, he stated that the document did not need his endorsement since it involved the regional conferences and did not conflict with the international constitution. With the new pact being placed in effect and the subdivisions of the international union were free to make loans to the ILA. With the expansion of the industry the IBT has grown, with that the union does not ordinarily invade jurisdictions of other trade unions. They have gained membership from employees of warehouses, canneries, and food processing plants, the success of the Teamsters Union has given it so much occupational and industrial diversification that it took on the form of a general labor union. If the teamsters were to decide to move in the direction of converting their union into a general catchall organization, the labor movement in the United States may be headed into a new structural phase comparable to the emergence of industrial unions in the 1930's as the equals of the craft unions. Although elected officials retain office for long periods on a national and local basis, there is insurmountable evidence of democracy operating within the union in the historical inability of the IBT leadership to dominate the convention completely. However, the membership continues to reelect officers who have brought about great improvements in conditions of employment and raised wages in the industry from a relatively low level to a high one. The union has succeeded in confidently establishing itself as a powerful organization, with vigorous actions and unruly behavior. Racketeering within the IBT was limited to locals and local leaders until 1957 and the national officers seemed eager to eliminate these instances. Viewpoints of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and its leading officials followed in the tradition of Samuel Gompers and the other founders of the American Federation of Labor. Economics were the focus of the union, while attempting to stay out of the political arena, with the improvement of wages, hours, and working conditions being of the biggest concern. Some of the IBT leaders and locals were more politically cognizant, for example Harold J. Gibbons (St. Louis Local 688) and Robert I. Wishart (Minneapolis Local 1145), these were exceptions. The union is constantly on the alert for ways of bettering the economic position of its members: operating on the principle that the end justifies the means and that in order to improve the economic status of teamster’s pressure devices of all sorts may be used and assistance accepted from all persons who can help. Hoffa has said: â€Å"What we want we try to get. What we have we keep. † (Dobbs) The implication in this thought process where as vigorous organizational tactics must be pursued, hot cargo clauses in contracts and aggressive picketing leads to a strong union. Rejections from the union insist on restraint from utilizing any outside sources, whether by courts or Congressional committees. Investigations are considered interference with the rights of leaders to conduct union affairs. The IBT has strength with truck drivers, comprising about a third of its membership, hold jobs with tactical importance that enables the union to exert vast pressure on almost all industries. The usual driver is young, tough, individualistic, and stable, where they usually rise through the ranks in the trucking industry and are well prepared for challenges from their drivers. Under such conditions, substantial contact between management and workers during stressful times between them was not surprising and did not cause undue anxiety. People within the industry were not shocked by these issues and the upper ranks of teamster leadership adopted a policy that was forcefully supported by Hoffa that men may continue to work on behalf of the union regardless of any charges or indictments against as long as they have not been convicted of a major crime in the courts. The stance on this issue is based on the concept that leaders who are useful to the IBT should not be abandoned until they have had their day in court and there has never been any doubt in the minds of the heads of the organization that a successful labor leader must be prepared to move from an office to a picket line or to jail in the interests of his union. It is an unwritten rule within the unions that dedication to union service should be thorough and that it is how one reaches the highest achievement, no efforts are spared. In recent years, the leaders of the IBT have recognized greatly that they must be prepared to speak to university students or public organizations, in addition to their own membership, when the occasion warrants. Yet modesty has not been a trait of leadership in the Teamsters Union, the heads of the organization have used their power to reach for more power. With a poor reputation and tough behavior of the Teamsters Union there were various misgivings amongst the general public and in the ranks of organized labor. Heads of other trade unions have been apprehensive that teamster methods will bring stricter governmental laws and regulation of labor but they have also feared the jurisdictional incursions of the IBT and the increasing power wielded by its officers. Labor leaders recognize that the men running the Teamsters Union, on the whole, have been working for the benefit of members of the organization although many question the personal ethics and conduct of teamster officials and feel that not much consideration is given to the needs and interests of the remainder of the labor movement. History is full with evidence of the dependence of many sectors of labor unionism on the success of the teamsters in organizing or striking an employer. Unions therefore must deal carefully with the IBT since their main purposes may become more difficult or even impossible to achieve by disassociating or expelling the Teamsters Union from any community of labor. Whether the IBT can eradicate undesirable practices in which it is engaged and the distasteful business dealings, by which it is marked will be determined with the progress of the Teamsters in the future. The problem is extremely difficult because the membership is dominated by exhaustion and fear with its officers and due to the combined strength of the leaders is greater than that of the rank and file. The union needs some guidance from responsible leaders of the AFL-CIO and from some of those of its own officials who are impeccable. To remove any questions of corruption and racketeering within the Teamsters nationwide will require firm, legislative pressures by the federal government that will force the abandonment of dishonesty and criminal activities. Bibliography Brill, S. The Teamsters. Simon and Schuster. 1978. Dobbs, F. Teamster Power. Pathfinder Press. 1973. Friedman, A. and Schwarz, T. Power and Greed: Inside the Teamsters Empire of Corruption. Danbury, CT: Franklin Watts. 1989. Jablonski, D. The ‘Culture of Corruption’ Will Be Just Fine, Thank You. AFL-CIO | American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations 2009. Retrieved from; http://www. aflcio. org/, on July 17, 2009 Teamsters Reaffirm Support of Anti-Corruption Effort. http://www. teamster. org/ Witwer. D. Corruption and Reform in the Teamsters Union. University of Illinois Press. 2008. Zeller, F. C. D. Devil's Pact: Inside the World of the Teamsters Union. Carol Publishing Group.

Leadership Case Study

Leadership in General The study of leadership has an extremely long history, and presently is one of the most popular areas of management study and publishing. Yet, despite this long history of interest in the subject of leadership much is still unknown and unresolved about the idea of leadership. Today, there are many different conceptions about what constitutes leadership and effective leaders. Notice that most people talk about leadership as if they clearly understand what constitutes leadership. They also assume that other people share that unspoken understanding.Yet, both of these assumptions are probably false most of the time. Leadership in General For example, try to clearly and concisely define what you mean by â€Å"leadership. † Then ask someone else for their definition of leadership. Can either of you define it well? Do your definitions agree? Are your definitions so broad that they could describe activities that you do not think constitute leadership? Conversely, are your definitions so narrow that they cannot describe leadership in a variety of different situations? Now define â€Å"management. Is your definition of â€Å"management† different than your definition of â€Å"leadership? † Should â€Å"management† and â€Å"leadership† be defined differently, or are they in reality the same concept? The questions could go on, but you get the point. Leadership is difficult to define and differentiate from other concepts. Now think about what constitutes â€Å"effective† leadership? Hundreds, if not thousands, of books on leadership have been published over the past two or three decades. Each book propounds a somewhat unique theory of what constitutes â€Å"effective† leadership; each supporting its claims with anecdotes and testimonials.Similarly, magazine articles, television shows, and books constantly herald the newest effective leader. Often, a few years later, either the company fails or the lead er acts in a manner that calls into question whether that person ever possessed the leadership qualities and behaviors attributed to him or her. Think about the rise and fall of some chief executive officers over the past few years. But, does defrauding people, ending up in jail, or bankrupting a company necessarily mean that the person was never an effective leader?  Also you can read about  History of the Culinary Arts.Some might argue the final results determine the effectiveness of leadership; others might argue that it is the process of leading, not the outcome, that defines effective leadership. Despite all this uncertainty, people are so fascinated by the idea of â€Å"leaders† that they continue to believe that â€Å"leadership† exists and matters. This course cannot possibly reconcile all the competing leadership theories, nor can it do much to explain why some apparently effective leaders fail miserably later, or fail as leaders in some other aspect of th eir life. Moreover, few of us want to read about every leadership theory ever espoused by someone.Rather, the primary objective of this course (and the textbook) is to introduce you to a variety of different leadership theories that have some research support and have stood the test of time (to varying degrees). When people make conflicting claims about leadership, the scientific model proposes that research should be conducted to determine which of the competing theories has more factual support. Without research, there would be no way to determine which plausible theory better reflects reality, or whether any theory actually reflects reality.Chapter 1- The Nature and Importance of Leadership There are many different definitions of leadership, and the textbook outlines several definitions. However, most definitions have the common theme that leadership is about influencing people to achieve goals that are accepted by the group members, or followers. Notice that this theme doesn't l imit leadership to formal leadership positions, nor does it say that there can only be one leader at a time, or that leadership only flows from the â€Å"top-down. † The other common theme in many definitions is that leadership is a process, not a role.Thus, many people can be leaders at the same time because all are involved in the leadership process. One person may be more effective than the other people. But all of the people could be acting as â€Å"leaders† in the process sense of leadership. In this light, leadership is a broad construct that encompasses many different types of influence from many different types of people in many different types of contexts. While this is a broad definition, maybe more of a description, some people question whether there is any great value in trying to more narrowly define leadership.The study of what determines the effectiveness of different influence techniques in organizations doesn't necessarily require agreement on the defi nition of the overarching construct, or what is called leadership. On the other hand, the argument can be made that a better definition of leadership helps ensure that everyone is discussing the same concept. There is no clear answer to this debate, but for the purposes of this course leadership refers to the processes that people use to influence other people to achieve accepted goals. The leader is simply the person or persons who are making that influence effort.Another critical point of the chapter is that leadership outcomes result from the reciprocal interactions of the â€Å"leader,† followers (or â€Å"group members†), and the situation. Although we often think of leadership as a one-way influence, the leadership process necessarily includes the context in which the influence attempt occurs (i. e. , the situation) and the object of the influence attempt (i. e. , the followers). Thus, followers shape the leader's behaviors and attitudes just like leaders shape t he followers' attitudes and behaviors.In the extreme case of â€Å"servant leadership† and â€Å"stewardship† models of leadership, the general thrust is that effective leaders focus on aiding or facilitating the followers. This in turn helps the leader accomplish organizational goals. This general framework shapes the organization of the book (see Figure 1-2). The distinction between â€Å"leaders† and â€Å"manager† is discussed in this chapter (see Table 1-1 Leaders versus Managers). Leader| Manager| Visionary| Rational| Passionate| Businesslike| Creative| Persisitent| Inspiring| Tough-Minded| Innovative| Analytical| Imaginative| Deliberative| Experimental| Authoritative|Warm and Radiant| Cool and reserved| Initiator| Implementer| Acts as a coach, consultant, teacher| Acts as a boss| Does the right things| Does things right| Inspires through great ideas| Commands through position| Knows results are achieved through people| Focuses on results| Focuses o n uplifting ideas| Focuses on plumbing| The distinction is largely unproductive because the extent to which a person performs managerial versus leadership roles is largely a question of degree, as the book points out. Managers' jobs are difficult enough without considering them to be second-class citizens incapable of leadership.In fact, effective leaders need to be good managers, and vice versa. This is highlighted in the textbook's discussion of leadership roles because many of them could also be characterized as â€Å"managerial† roles. Moreover, according to a common framework proposed by Henry Mintzberg, leadership is only one of many managerial roles. (See Mintzberg, H. (1980). The Nature of Managerial Work. Prentice Hall. ) A major concern relating to the first chapter is the issue of whether leadership makes a difference in reality. While this question could have been put off until the end of the course it is useful to at least think about it now.Then, you can see if your opinions change during the course. Moreover, before devoting time to studying leadership one should know whether the time will be well-spent. The general conclusion is that leadership makes a difference in many cases, but not in all situations. When there are factors that substitute for leadership (or even neutralize leadership attempts), leaders may not be able to make much difference. The book outlines a number of factors that substitute for leadership, but there are many more factors that have been researched with mixed results.In reality, there is no evidence that leadership substitutes always exist, or that they necessarily undercut attempts at leadership. Therefore, people should be careful about attributing success or failures solely to leadership. Leaders can only do so much given the constraints they face. The existence of constraints is the basis for Pfeffer's â€Å"leader irrelevance† theory. Similarly, â€Å"complexity† theory holds that leaders have l ittle influence in complex organizational systems. For example, look at coaches and managers in profession sports.Often they are fired after poor seasons, yet no new manager or coach can succeed either because their players simply aren't as good as the other players and teams in the league. Usually they have little control over which players are hired, which makes it even more irrational to attribute the success or failure of the coach to his or her leadership ability. Another common example is organizational success in good economic times and organizational downturns in poor economic times. Obviously, the economy is out of any individual's control, so good times and bad times cannot be attributed to the leader.On the next page, you will read an excerpt from an article that suggests that leadership does make a difference. Leadership Makes a Difference Below you can read a short excerpt from an article about Commander D. Michael Abrashoff and what he calls â€Å"Grassroots Leadershi p. † This article suggests that leadership does make a difference. But what makes this a particularlyinteresting leadership anecdote is that it appears that the best explanation for the dramatic improvement on the ship is probably the change in commanders. The reason is that all Navy ships operate under substantially similar rules with basically similar crews.Therefore, when a change occurs on one ship that doesn't occur on other ships, then the change is quite likely due to whatever changed in the situation, in this case the change in leadership. Whether you find the article persuasive or not, the other point is that by the end of the course you should be able to characterize Commander Abrashoff's leadership style in terms of the theories you will be studying in this course. Enlightened Leadership in the U. S. Navy by Jonette Crowley Commander D. Michael Abrashoff had a mission. Through what he calls â€Å"Grassroots Leadership,† he turned around the operations of the USS Benfold, one of the U.S. Navy's most modern warships. His methods aren't complex, yet the results are astounding. * Under Mike Abrashoff's 20-month command, the Benfold operated on 75% of its allocated budget, returning $1. 4 million to the Navy coffers. * During that time, the ship's combat readiness indicators were the highest ever in the history of the Pacific Fleet. * The promotion rate of his people was 2-1/2 times the Navy average. * The pre-deployment training cycle, which usually takes a total of 52 days, was completed by the Benfold crew in just 19 days. During a 12-month period under the previous command, there were 28 disciplinary actions for which 23 sailors were discharged. During Abrashoff's tenure there were five disciplinary cases and no discharges. * Under his predecessor 31 people were detached from the ship for limited duty, usually for complaints of â€Å"bad backs. † He had only two crew members leave for health reasons. * A third of all recruits don' t make it through their first term of enlistment, and only 54% of sailors stay in the Navy after their second duty tour. Commander Abrashoff had 100% of the Benfold's career sailors signing on for another tour.It is estimated that this retention alone saved the Navy $1. 6 million in 1998. What did he do to stage such a turnaround in less than 20 months? He asked questions, he listened, he acted on what he heard. Almost immediately upon taking command, he had a 15 to 20 minute personal interview with each of his staff of 300. He asked these questions: * â€Å"What do you like best about this ship? † * â€Å"What do you like least? † * â€Å"What would you change if you could? † He made it a point to â€Å"see the ship from the eyes of each crew member. † Abrashoff acted as quickly as he could to institute the ideas that came from these interviews.He focused on what was important: morale and combat readiness. â€Å"I didn't put an emphasis on paperwork,â⠂¬  says Abrashoff. He encouraged his middle managers (junior officers) to delegate the paperwork that had always swamped them and focus instead on the training that enabled them to run the weapons and the ship. â€Å"That inspires confidence in the officers for our combat readiness, and the lower level people loved the responsibility for the paperwork stuff that the officers used to do,† the commander reports. Abrashoff analyzed the processes, always assuming that there has got to be a better way.Simply following SOP (Standard Operating Procedures), or doing things the way they've always been done, didn't hold water. The rules were changed or bent, always with the vision in mind of doing what was best for the crew. â€Å"Saving money wasn't the focus, it was a by-product of efficiency. We did things right the first time. † He set the vision and trusted his crew. He helped people take pride in their work. â€Å"I gave my officers my trust and free rein. They didn't w ant to lose that trust. † Abrashoff said, â€Å"I focused on doing right by the crew, not by the admirals.I didn't even care if I ever got promoted again. That gave me the freedom to do what made sense. † One of the biggest complaints was the food, so he sent five of the Benfold's cooks to culinary school. The ship is now known as having some of the best food in the Navy, making it a showcase for VIPs. By focusing on the needs and ideas of his people, by relaxing the rules, by giving control over to his officers, a ship's culture has been changed, and with it the lives and confidence of scores of young sailors. A â€Å"virtuous cycle† has been set up that is continuing to inspire the crew to do even better.Even after Mike Abrashoff has taken up other duties at his home base in San Diego, the USS Benfold continues to have the highest combat readiness indicators ever seen in the entire Pacific Fleet.  © 1999 Enlightened Leadership Int'l, Inc. Enlightened Leadersh ip International Transforming Organizations Through People www. enleadership. com [email  protected] com 800-798-9881 or 303-729-0540 Chapter 2 – Traits, Motives and Characteristics of Leaders Trait-based theories of leadership are among the oldest leadership theories, and they are still considered somewhat important today.The earliest theories were â€Å"universal† theories that tried to find the leader's personal qualities that differentiated effective from ineffective leaders in all situations. Although these personal characteristics and qualities are usually called traits, they are not limited to personality traits (inner qualities). For example, the textbook refers to many different personal characteristics, including personality traits, in Chapter 2. Unfortunately, the trait approach does not tell us which traits are most important, in which situations or how much of a trait is required.The biggest problem was that people who possessed the traits deemed critica l were not always leaders, i. e. , the traits were necessary, but not sufficient for leadership. Moreover, trait-based theories cannot explain why people are not always successful leaders in all situations. History is full of military leaders who were effective in war, but not in peace. The converse is also true. On the other hand, recent research has found that some traits are important in a wide-variety of situations, but not all situations. In addition, in specific situations there are likely to be specific traits that are important.The â€Å"trait-based† theories do not limit themselves to personality traits, so do not be fooled into limiting the scope of the personal qualities to personality dimensions. The theories include any characteristic on which individuals differ, such as intelligence, physical characteristics, attitudes, values, and personality traits, to name a few. At some point, the distinction between a trait and a behavior is blurred, but in general the dist inction is between â€Å"who you are† versus â€Å"what you do. † The textbook lists a wide-range of traits found to be important, and categorizes them into: * Personality Traits Motives and Drives * Power Motive * Tenacity * Strong Work Ethic * Drive and Achievement Motive * Cognitive Factors * Analytical Intelligence * Knowledge of the business * Creativity * Insight into people and situations * Farsightedness and conceptual thinking While you don't need to memorize every possible leadership trait, it is worthwhile reading the lists. You should be able to recognize the most important traits. Perhaps more importantly, you should be able to reject some traits as unrelated to effective leadership, such as gender and race.In conclusion, research suggests that effective leaders possess different personal characteristics than ineffective leaders or non-leaders. Knowing which traits are associated with leadership effectiveness helps in the selection of leaders. To the exten t you can train people to develop a trait, knowing the importance of different traits helps organizations to design leadership development programs. For example, some aspects of emotional intelligence, which is a collection of traits and behaviors, can be taught and practiced. The trait-based approach to leadership is less valuable ecause present research cannot definitively specify which traits, and how much of those traits, are most useful in a specific situation. General Comments about Assignments Write your answers and comments concisely, answering the question(s) as directly as possible. Remember, you must answer the questions about cases using the facts of the case and the concepts introduced in the textbook and any additional readings. The general format for all your case answers is to relate the concepts and principles from the textbook or other readings to the facts in the case.Reporting all sorts of background information is unnecessary. However, you do need to refer back to the facts in the case that support your statements and conclusions. Your answer will be graded on the quality of your analysis and its clarity. It is difficult to describe the length of and amount of detail that should be in good answers. Obviously, this is a judgment call that varies case by case, and question by question. However, usually you can write good answers in 500-700 words per case, although obviously this varies according to the number of questions you are asked to answer.You may exceed the word limits without penalty when necessary to adequately answer the questions. Review the Syllabus for more information on answering case assignment questions, but in general good tests of the quality of your analysis is to ask yourself â€Å"Does this answer show that I read and understood the material in the text? † and â€Å"Could I have written this answer without reading the book? † As for the self-assessment exercises in this course, if there is more than one se lf-assessment exercise assigned during the week, then you must submit all of your scores and comments in one assignment submission.When more than one self-assessment exercise is assigned in a week, clearly identify the separate exercises. Don't forget to discuss whether you think the score is an accurate reflection of you or the person being evaluated. Other reflections are also valuable. Refer to the Syllabus for more detailed comments about answering questions and the grading standards. The Syllabus controls in the event of some accidental inconsistency between the Weekly Schedule and the Syllabus. General Instructions for Submitting Assignments What follows is a brief review of how to submit assignments. For details, efer to the Welcome page. Submit your answers to the assignments by locating the assignment within each weekly module. You can also find the list of assignments by going to the Assignments tool over in the toolbar on the left. But if you only use the toolbar, you may miss important information that is contained within each weekly module. Make certain you choose the correct assignment and submit the correct answer for that assignment. This week you will be submitting†1. 1 – Week 1 Case Assignment† for your answer to the case assignment and â€Å"1. 2 – Week 1 Self-Assessment Exercise† for your self-assessment answers.Next week and in the following weeks, the set-up will always be the same. You will NOT be attaching a document to submit. I suggest you compose your answer in a Word document so that you can edit and spell check but for submission, copy and paste your answer into the text box under the word â€Å"submission† in the assignment tool. If you submit the answer to the wrong link, your answer will not be graded. You can be penalized for late submissions, as outlined in the Syllabus. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findi ngs, Practices, and Skills (7th ed).Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 1: The Nature and Importance of Leadership * Chapter 2: Traits, Motives and Characteristics of Leaders Copies of these two chapters are included in the â€Å"Textbook eReserves† folder on the Course Homepage for your convenience. If you have not yet purchased your textbook, you should do so immediately. Please go to MBS Direct to find the appropriate textbooks for this course. Discussions After reading the course materials and required readings, you should be prepared to participate in our weekly discussion. * Week 1 Discussion – Effective LeadersIdentify a person you interact with and regard as an effective leader. * What traits described by DuBrin in Chapter 2 apply to this person? * What traits do not apply? * Do these affect his or her overall performance? If so, how Once you post your answer please respond to at least one other students' post. A link to the discussion can be found on the follow ing page. Assignments Please complete the following assignments and submit via the Assignments tool. You will find a link to each of these assignments within this module. Directions for completing the assignments can be found in the syllabus.Remember to use the text box for your submission – Do not attach a document. * Case Study * Ch. 1 Leadership Case Problem A – Mike Todman Makes a Splash at Whirlpool. Pgs. 30-31 * Questions 1, 2, and 3. * Self Assessments * Ch. 1 Quiz 1-1 Readiness of the Leadership Role. Pgs. 11 – 12 * Ch. 2 Quiz 2-2 Behaviors and Attitudes of a Trustworthy Leader. Pg. 42 This week you will continue studying leader traits in the context of charismatic leaders and transformational leaders. Charisma is clearly a trait the some people possess, which suggests it may be difficult to teach, i. e. the â€Å"right stuff† of leadership. However, there is some evidence that if a person exhibits behaviors that followers associate with charismat ic people, the person will be seen as charismatic. Thus, perhaps charisma can be taught, or, at least, faked. When a leader's charisma is oriented towards transforming an organization, it becomes one factor in transformational leadership. However, transformational leadership encompasses more than charismatic leaders. Transformational leaders focus on developing the followers and getting them to direct their efforts towards changing the status quo.This contrasts with the idea of â€Å"transactional† leaders who primarily focus on exchanges with the followers that result in the maintenance of the status quo. Thus, transformational leadership relates to organization development and change; therefore, this aspect of leadership is taught in most organizational behavior courses. Then we completely shift the focus away from â€Å"trait-based† theories of leadership to â€Å"behavior-based† or â€Å"behavioral† leadership theories. Behavioral theories suggest tha t â€Å"leaders can be made† by teaching would-be leaders the behaviors used by effective leaders.As you will see, leader's traits are not part of this group of leadership theories, although they may predispose people to behave certain ways. Basically, the simplest model divides leader behaviors into relationship-oriented and task- or performance-oriented behaviors. There are many variations on this dichotomy, which is the main point of the chapter. Several â€Å"universal† models of leadership emerged from the research on leader behaviors, but like the universal â€Å"trait† models studied last week, the models do not explain why the same leader behaviors are effective in one situation and not in another.However, pay attention to these behavioral models because they form the bases for many of the contingency theories you will see later in the course. Leadership studies conducted at Ohio State University identified the importance of two broadly defined categorie s of leadership, â€Å"consideration† and â€Å"initiating structure†. Consideration is the degree to which leaders interact with others in a friendly and supportive manner. Initiating structure, the second factor, represents how the leader structures his or her subordinate's roles to accomplish common objectives.The Ohio State studies were accompanied by a comprehensive research program at the University of Michigan. The focus of the research at Michigan was on relationships related to leader behavior, group processes and group performance. The principle types of leader behavior identified in the Michigan studies were â€Å"job centered† which is similar to consideration and â€Å"employee centered† which is similar to initiating structure. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed).Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 3: Charisma and Transformati onal Leadership * Chapter 4: Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes and Styles Additional Readings * Review the article on leadership and emotional intelligence: Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. (2001). Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance. Harvard Business Review, 79(11), 42-51. This and other articles are available from the library website. Click on the Library link in the Course Menu to get direct access to the Webster University library. Be sure to read the material before doing the assignments and discussions.Hover your mouse here: Directions for accessing the Library to see the steps for accessing a database in the Webster University Library. 1. The Library link under the Course Menu on the left side of your course page will take you directly to the Library Resources for Walker School of Business and Technology. 2. In the area â€Å"Find other database content by subject: Choose Business and Financials 3. On the right side of the page, under More Informa tion, choose Journal/magazine/newspaper list. 4. In Find the Journal title, type Harvard Business Review and click Search. 5. The journal will be identified on the next page.Click on Look up Article. 6. In the box that says â€Å"Article Title† type â€Å"Primal Leadership† and in the Date box type â€Å"2001† then click Search. 7. The next page lets you know the article is available. Click Article. 8. On the Journal/Magazine/Newspaper List page, at the middle of the page where it indicates â€Å"Find a journal title†, enter Harvard Business Review and click on Search 9. You will be required to enter your last name, your student number, and EWL at the end of your student number to gain access to the library databases. Chapter 3 – Charismatic and Transformational LeadershipCharismatic Leadership The oldest line of leadership research appears to be the search for the defining traits of leaders. One line of this research was the attempt to explain cha rismatic leaders. Charismatic leaders are so exciting, stimulating, magnetic, and visionary that followers willingly accept their leadership. This clearly roots the idea of charismatic leadership in the realm of trait-based leadership models. As you might expect, the original theorizing about charismatic leaders was not in the organizational context, but around religion and social movements.There are several theories of charismatic leadership, and according to most, charismatic leaders have the following attributes: Charismatic Leadership Attributes| They have compelling visions. | They have masterful communication skills. | They have the ability to inspire trust. | They are able to make group members feel capable. | They have energy and an action orientation. | They have emotional expressiveness and warmth. | They romanticize and take personal risks. | They use unconventional strategies. | They have a self-promoting personality. | They challenge followers. | They are dramatic and u nique. |There are a variety of charismatic leaders, but the most important distinctions are between leaders with personalized power motives versus leaders with socialized power motives. A socialized charismatic leader uses power to benefit the followers and the group, whereas the personalized charismatic leader uses power to serve his or her own interests. This may or may not help the group attain its goals, but attaining those goals is not the focus of the personalized charismatic leader. Research suggests that a person can increase his or her charisma by copying the behaviors of charismatic leaders. These behaviors include the following: 1.Articulate compelling visions for the future 2. Be enthusiastic, optimistic, and energetic (perhaps these are traits, but you can act like you are enthusiastic, optimistic, and energetic) 3. Persist in the face of adversity 4. Personalize your interactions with people, such as remembering their names 5. Maintain your physical appearance 6. Appea r to be candid 7. Reject the status quo or be defiant. Transformational Leadership Transformational leadership is related to charismatic leadership, but this newer group of theories focuses not on the leader's traits, but on the transformation of the organization.Perhaps being charismatic helps, but it is not enough to transform an organization. The transformational leader helps bring about major, positive changes in the organization. Four factors are seen as elements of transformational leadership are : * charisma * inspirational leadership * intellectual stimulation * individualized consideration According to one transformational leadership theory, the transformational leaders can be contrasted with a transactional leader. The transactional leader focuses on routine, day-to-day exchanges (or transactions) with the followers.The transactional leader rewards followers who meet existing standards of performance. While the concept of transactional leadership highlights the distinction between maintaining versus transforming an organization, the concept is not used much. Instead, the research focus has been on the more specific theories that you will learn later in the course, such as behavioral or contingency theories of leadership. Chapter 4 – Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes, and Styles This chapter introduces students to research on leadership behaviors, sometimes called leadership styles.When the research on leader traits and other characteristics was relatively unsuccessful in explaining leadership, the research changed orientation from â€Å"what a leader is like† to â€Å"what a leader does. † The focus was on leaders' behaviors, not on their underlying traits. This was a somewhat optimistic shift as well because this line of research indicated that leaders could be trained. This is in contrast to the â€Å"leaders are born† orientation of the trait-based leadership research. There are relatively few important behavior-based uni versal models, and most have been superseded by newer contingency models (discussed in Chapter 5).Knowing these early behavior-based models are important for a couple reasons. First, knowing them help students appreciate how leadership models evolve. Second, they are important because contingency theories (discussed in Chapter 5) attempt to incorporate these behaviors into their frameworks. Behavior-based Leadership Models Researchers at Ohio State University and the University of Michigan were among the first to study what behaviors were used by effective managers or leaders. The research found that effective leadership behaviors can be categorized as focusing on: 1. Relationships with followers (i. . , addressing their social and emotional needs) or 2. The tasks that need to be performed to increase productivity. There are many different terms or phrases describing effective leaders' behaviors. Task-oriented behaviors are called a variety of names, such as: * Work-oriented * Task- oriented * Production-oriented * Concern for production * Initiating structure * Directive behaviors With respect to the social and emotional focus, the labels or names include: people-oriented, worker-oriented, relationship-oriented, social, consideration, concern for people, and concern for relationship. Note: There are subtle differences among the different concepts, but you do not need to know them for this course. ) Some theories assumed that leaders could be either task-oriented (Concern for Results) or relationship-oriented (Concern for People), but not both. However, researchers at Ohio State assumed that leaders could demonstrate high or low amount of each type of behavior. In other words, task-oriented and relationship-oriented behaviors were not mutually inconsistent and a leader could be high on both dimensions, low on both dimensions, or high on one and low on the other dimension.This last view became the foundation for contingency theories and more modern universal mod els, such as the â€Å"Leadership Grid† (see Figure 4-3 pages 126 and 127). The descriptions of the positions on the chart are as follows: * 9,1 Controlling * 1,9 Accommodating * 5,5 Status Quo * 1,1 Indifferent * Paternalistic (1,9 and 9,1) * Opportunistic (all green quadrants) * 9,9 Sound Although behavior-based leadership theories are usually considered to be universal leadership models, the textbook's discussion of â€Å"adaptability† suggests more of a contingency approach. Undoubtedly, the behavioral research can be modified to accommodate ontingencies, but they were originally universal in nature. Other dimensions have also been investigated since the original research, but the importance of behavior-based theories rests primarily in the recognition of two broad dimensions of leader behaviors. You will see this more clearly when you study contingency leadership theories. Participative Leadership The chapter then briefly addresses â€Å"participative leadership. † Despite the relatively little coverage of this topic in the text, a key decision managers and leaders must make is how much to â€Å"empower† the followers.Tannenbaum and Schmidt developed an early model that had a continuum of leadership decision making behaviors that ranged from â€Å"boss-centered† to â€Å"employee-centered† behaviors. This theory focused on allocating decision making authority to employees, ranging from autocratic (â€Å"boss-centered†) to more or less participative (â€Å"employee-centered†) decision making. These two leader decision making behaviors were at opposite ends of a continuum. Therefore, in theory, a leader cannot be autocratic and participative at the same time. However, towards the center of the continuum the two styles blur together somewhat, with moderate levels of each style.The textbook addresses this topic in terms of a subsequent model that divides this continuum into autocratic and participative s tyles. The participative style is subdivided into consultative, consensus, and democratic styles. Issues The text next discusses two issues related to leadership. First, the book describes entrepreneurial leaders' traits and behaviors as if there was one way to be an entrepreneur (i. e. , a universal approach to entrepreneurship). However, this may be misleading because the best entrepreneurial style may depend on the followers and entrepreneurial idea.In other words, quite possibly there are no universally effective entrepreneurial styles. Perhaps future research will shed more light on this issue. Next, the textbook discusses whether men and women have fundamentally different leadership styles that are relatively consistent across situations. If so, in essence these differences would be universal styles for each gender. Past research on gender differences in leadership has been hampered by many factors, such as there being relatively few female leaders of large organizations. In d dition, the observed gender differences may be due to the followers' expectations based on their stereotypes about each gender's typical leadership styles and relatively inflexible social norms that shaped both gender's behaviors. You can draw your own conclusions about the chapter's comments on gender differences in leadership styles. However, it may be useful to reflect on a couple points. First, if you reject the importance of universal models of leadership, then any difference in male and female leadership styles becomes relatively unimportant. If contingency theories are correct, there is no one best way to lead.Thus, neither gender can corner the market on leadership, even if there are relatively stable differences in male and female leaders' preferred leadership styles. Second, there is so much individual variation in preferred leadership styles within each gender that discovering a â€Å"typical† or average style is unlikely to adequately describe the leadership style of any specific person. Many men are relationship-oriented, and many women are task-oriented, contrary to the typical stereotypes. The text concludes this chapter by stating that there is no one best leadership style. This idea sets the stage for the next chapter on contingency theories.Self-Assessment Quizzes I want to make a couple comments about the self-assessment quizzes. My hope is that by answering the questions in the self-assessments you will get a better sense of what the concepts mean and that hopefully you will gain some insight into your traits, styles, and preferences. However, the scores should be taken with a grain of salt because no inventory, and especially short inventories like those you are completing in this class, can accurately assess all your nuances. If you think the total score doesn't reflect you, or that certain questions do not measure you accurately, that is fine.Reflection upon the self-assessment inventories is valuable. Whether you agree with that assessment is of lesser importance. Analysis Paper One of the requirements of this course is for you to complete an Analysis Paper which will be due the last week of the course. For this assignment, you are to read one of the four books listed below. You are to identify the author's purpose for the book, its major themes, principles and concepts, and describe how those themes, principles, and concepts relate to the themes, principles and concepts presented by DuBrin in the text.In other words, I want to see at minimum four (4) concepts from your â€Å"chosen author† and how they to compare to DuBrin: where they agree, where they don't or if they don't. This is not a book review but rather it is an analysis of an outside reading, and the documentation of that reading's relatedness to the material you have been studying throughout this class. Technical Requirements: * The paper should be submitted as a Word document attached to the assignment. * APA citation style is required * Length: 6-10 pages – no more, no less * Double- spaced, 12 point font Must include, at a minimum: * an Abstract * an Introduction Section * a Discussion Section * a Conclusion Section * a Reference page * Both your name and page number must be included on each page of the paper (in a header is preferred). * Be certain you have carefully reviewed the paper for the requirements, misspellings, syntax errors and page numbers. The book you select will need to be obtained from a local library, Webster's library, a bookstore, an online book service such as Amazon. com (linked below), or some other book source.I would encourage you to actually purchase the book so you can retain it for future purposes. The books from which you must choose are: * Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell ( 2011) * It's All politics: Winning in a World Where Hard Work and Talent Aren't Enough by Kathleen Kelley Reardon ( 2006) * Tribal leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright (2011) * The Zen leader: 10 Ways to Go From Barely Managing to Leading Fearlessly by Ginny Whitelaw (Apr 22, 2012) If, because f special circumstances (i. e. you are out of the country), you are unable to obtain one of the books listed above, and would like to review and report on an alternative, you must send me, no later than the beginning of Week 5, the title of the book you are requesting to use, the date of its copyright, and a valid rationale for using the alternative. An appropriate rationale could be, for example, that none of the books are available to you because you are on military deployment, and book resources at your location are limited.Just wanting to review a book that is: 1) more easily available, 2) one you are currently using in another course, 3) one you have read previously for another class or 4) one you would like to review for personal reasons, is not an adequate reason and will not be approved. Once you have decided on your book, go to the Course Home Page and click on the link entitled â€Å"Analysis Paper Book Sign Up. † Click â€Å"Sign Up† next to the book that you are choosing so that I know which book you will be using. You should choose your book for analysis, and indicate your choice on the sign up sheet, by the end of Week 5.Please be aware: 1. This assignment is due on Wednesday of Week 9 2. Late submissions will NOT be accepted unless arrangements have been made with me personally no later than the beginning of Week 7. 3. You will be required to submit your paper to Turnitin prior to submitting it in the Assignments tool. The Turnitin assignment will be found on the course homepage. Make a copy of the Turnitin originality report to include with the assignment submission. Should you have any questions or concerns, please let me know. Week 2 Activities Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: . DuBrin, A. (2013) Lead ership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 3: Charisma and Transformational Leadership * Chapter 4: Leadership Behaviors, Attitudes and Styles Copies of these two chapters are included in the â€Å"Textbook eReserves† folder on the Course Homepage for your convenience. 1. Also, review the article on leadership and emotional intelligence: Goleman, D. , Boyatzis, R. , & McKee, A. (2001). Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance. Harvard Business Review, 79(11), 42-51. DiscussionsAfter reading the course materials and required readings, you should be prepared to participate in our weekly discussion. * Week 2 Discussion – Charasmatic Leadership In Chapter 3 of the text, DuBrin suggests it might be artificial to separate charismatic from transformational leadership. In fact, on page 93 of the text, DuBrin clearly states that charismatic leadership is a component of transformational leadership. Respond to al l 3 questions using concrete examples to support your answer and then respond to at least 1 other student’s posting whose answer you relate to. 1.Have you experienced charismatic leaders who were unable to be transformational? 2. Have you experienced transformational leaders who were not charismatic? 3. What were the circumstances surrounding the situation(s) you have experienced? Once you post your answer please respond to at least one other students' post. Assignments Please complete the following assignments and submit via the Assignments tool. You will find a link to each of these assignments within this module. Remember to use the text box for your submission – Do not attach a document. Directions for completing the assignments can be found in the syllabus. Case Study * Ch. 3 Leadership Case Problem B – Time to Rebound at Willow Pond. Pgs. 101- 102 * Questions 1, 2, and 3. * Self Assessments * Ch. 3 Quiz 3-1 The Emotional Expressiveness Scale. Pgs. 79 †“ 80 * Ch. 4 Quiz 4-2 What Style of Leader Are you or Would You Be? Pgs. 125-126 Analysis Paper The list of available books from which you will choose one will be provided this week. By the end of Week 5, please use the â€Å"Analysis Paper Book Sign Up† link on the Course Homepage to indicate which book you will be reading. You are responsible for obtaining this book on your own. Ch. Quiz 3-1 â€Å"The Emotional Expressiveness Scale†: My composite score for the Chapter 3 Quiz was 72. This score places me in the level that defines my emotionality as â€Å"about right for a charismatic individual† and that I am â€Å"emotionally expressive†. I believe this is fair assessment. On numerous occasions in my past jobs, my employees and co-workers have commented on their trust in my abilities to get the job done and that I will not â€Å"throw them under the bus† for my own gain or as a result of a decision I have made. Also, my last supervisor commente d to me on my vision in leading my division. Ch. Quiz 4-2 â€Å"What Style Leadership Are You or Would You Be? †: I scored 14 on this assessment. The scale defined in the text is that a score of 15 and higher indicates a Participative style and a score of 5 or below indicates an Authoritarian style. There is no description for the scores (like mine) that do not fall in either range. I submit that the leadership style required will depend on the situation and environment you are in at the moment. There are times where you have to be the authoritarian and other times where you have to be more democratic in your approach. The trick is to know when. ) There are several reasons while this case pertains to this chapter on charismatic and transformational leadership. As indicated in the issues Heather and the owners see as most pressing, Willow Pond as an organization that must transform itself from a low performer to a higher level to survive. Considering the task at hand, Heather will have to demonstrate many of the traits of a charismatic leader to be successful. This case demonstrates the need for both utilized in unison to achieve success. 2) There are several key leadership areas where Heather can focus to transform Willow Pond.I will present the three areas that I believe to be the highest priority. First, Willow Pond has been losing money for the past three years. She must concentrate resources where most needed. Especially in the areas that could impact passing the state inspections which could close them down. If this were to occur, not only would the residence by impacted but also the employees. Also, there are services (i. e. wireless internet/fresh paint/improved food quality) that could be put into place that would improve the physical appearance of the facility and the quality of life for the residence.Second, she must work to help the staff understand the need for change. Not only from the possible loose of income but in that the focus of their organization is to take care of people. Mistreating the residents when they make simple requests is an unacceptable behavior. This not only impacts the morale of the residents but can generate a reputation that can cause others not to choose Willow Pond as their assisted living choice. Lastly, I believe she needs to build trust not only in the management and employees but also with the residents that all parties have a vested interest in success.If the residents trust that the staff will take care of them and the employees trust that she is doing all she can to support them, the cumulative effect will be success. 3) Heather can utilize many charismatic aspects of her personality to aid in the transformation of Willow Pond. She will have to employ her â€Å"masterful communication skills† to get her vision on how great Willow Pond can become with everyone’s support. She must be very tactful in her communication to ensure she keeps folks on board with her plans.This is very important considering that Willow Pond has lost money for the last three years and the possibility of the facility being closed if it does not turn around. Additionally, she will need to set the example for others with her energy and her actions by going the extra mile to ensure success. 1. Have you experienced charismatic leaders who were unable to be transformational? 2. Have you experienced transformational leaders who were not charismatic? 3. What were the circumstances surrounding the situation(s) you have experienced 1) Yes. Dubin implies for a leader to be transformational he/she must be charismatic.However, charisma on its own does not make one a transformational leader. If the charismatic leader cannot provide the vision and focus required to change the culture and/or subculture of the organization, he/she will not be effective. 2) Honestly, I cannot say that I have worked for a transformational leader that was not charismatic at some level. 3) What I have experienced are transformational leaders that have several difference levels of charisma. What drove the success of these leaders was their type of charisma match to organization required for transformation.For example, one of my past supervisors was a more reserved personality but was very personable, good at promoting individual growth and setting goals. These traits proved to be valuable in merging two product offices and building a project office organization. He would be a â€Å"Hedgehog† utilizing Jim Collins definitions in the book â€Å"Good to Great†. The flip side, I have had one supervisor who was very charismatic but was not effective in leading transformation. He could not focus the organizations energy on a common goal. Jim Collins would classify him as a â€Å"Fox†.It sounds like he may have been successful in some aspects, but at what cost. This type of work environment not only drives a lot of good people away it has a tendency to taint those who stay. The long term impacts on the organization and personnel may be more harmful than any perceived short-term success. V/R, JS Week 3 Activities Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 5: Contingency and Situational Leadership * Chapter 6: Leadership Ethics and Social ResponsibilityWeek 3 Overview Overview The contingency model discussed in Chapter 5 assumes that the most effective leadership style or behavior depends on the situation or the followers. The leader's   behaviors are similar to those discussed before, but in this case the appropriate behavior depends on the situation, i. e. , is contingent upon some other factors. The theories differ in terms of what types of contingent factors are important and how leaders should behave in light of those contingent factors. You will need to become familiar with the key contingency variables th at differentiate the various contingency theories.Chapter 6 introduces the concepts of ethical and moral leadership as well as social responsibility. While these topics have always been important, recent events involving arguably unethical leader behaviors makes these ideas more relevant today. Required Readings The following items are required reading for this week: DuBrin, A. (2013) Leadership: Research Findings, Practices, and Skills (7th ed). Mason, OH: South-Western * Chapter 5:   Contingency and Situational Leadership * Chapter 6: Leadership Ethics and Social Responsibility Week 3 Instructor NotesChapter 5 – Contingency and Situational Leadership This chapter introduces the concept of contingency leadership, or what has also been called situational leadership ( Hershey and Blanchard). . The theories collected in this general category extend the behavior-based leadership research by recognizing that specific leader behaviors are more effective in some situations than o ther situations. In other words, the most effective leadership behavior is contingent upon the situation, which can be broadly defined to encompass anything in the leader's environment.For example, one contingency factor that is found in almost every contingency theory focuses on the follower's personal characteristics. Other common contingency variables include: the nature of the task, the nature of the work group, the organization's culture, and the amount of power the leader possesses. Each theory incorporates specific factors based on what factors the researcher felt were most important. There are many different contingency theories, but the textbook introduces the most important theories. Fiedler's Contingency TheoryThe first contingency theory introduced in the textbook ( pages 144-146) is Fiedler's Contingency Theory, or what is sometimes called â€Å"leader match† or â€Å"LPC theory. † In this theory, the contingent factors are 1) the leader's relationship wit h the group or follower, 2) how clearly defined or structured the task is that the person or group must perform, and 3) the amount of position power possessed by the leader. Dichotomizing these three variables results in eight possible combinations that range from little leader control to high leader control.The theory matches the leader's preferred style, either high task or high relationship, with one of the possible combinations. When the leader's style matches the existing situation, this should result in effective leadership. Fiedler's model is important because it was one of the first theories to highlight the contingent nature of leadership. While the research support is mixed for his theories, nevertheless Fiedler's theories were important in the development of leadership research. Another contingency theory developed by Fred Fiedler and his colleague Joseph Garcia is called the Cognitive Resource Theory.This theory describes how stress plays a key role in determining how a leader’s intelligence is related to group performance. These are the three points made by Cognitive Resource Theory. 1. Those leaders with greater experience but lower intelligence are like to have higher-performing groups under high-stress conditions. Or under low stress conditions – the leader’s experience e is less relevant. 2. Leaders with high intelligence are more valuable than an experienced leader when innovation is needed and stress levels are low. 3.The intellectual abilities of a leader who is experience stress will be diverted from the task at hand. As a result, measures of leader intelligence and competence do not correlate with group preference when the leader is stressed (New Approaches to effective Leadership: Cognitive Resources and Organizational Performance, 1987). Path – Goal Theory The next major contingency theory introduced in the textbook is path–goal theory, which is usually associated with Robert House's theories. While th ere are several variations of this theory, the book presents the most common version.Although the theory is relatively complex, it focuses on the followers and the situation, just like Fiedler's LPC theory. However, the important characteristics of the followers and the situation are different than in Fiedler's LPC theory. The contingency variables in path-goal theory are based on expectancy theory, one of the more powerful motivation theories. Because effective leaders must motivate followers, it makes sense to integrate a motivation theory with a leadership theory. Unlike many other contingency theories that focus on only two leader behaviors or styles, path-goal theory attempts to explain in which situations each of four ifferent leadership styles are most effective: directive, supportive, participative, and achievement oriented leadership styles. A newer version of the theory adds transformational leadership behaviors, but this is not covered in the book and you do not need to k now it for this course. Blanchard Situational Leadership Model The next leadership model, the Situational Leadership II model, is one of the most popular leadership models. Many companies train managers in this theory. The Situational Leadership model was specifically developed to simplify the complexity of most contingency theories (see Figure 5-4).As leadership theories become more complex, they also become more difficult for managers to use on a day-to-day basis. Accordingly ,Blanchard developed a simplified theory focuses only on the followers' characteristics. They concluded that the follower's readiness to perform a task is the most important contingency factor, even though there are many other relevant factors. Followers' â€Å"readiness† levels are comprised of their abilities and willingness to do a specific task. In this model, the leaders' behaviors are either task oriented or relationship oriented, which makes it similar to the Leadership Grid and Fiedler's LPC mo del.Although the logic of Situational Leadership's prescriptions is somewhat questionable, and the research support is somewhat weak, nevertheless this theory has had a big impact on management and leadership training. Blanchard subsequently developed a modified version of this Situational Leadership model that shares the same name, which can create confusion. Normative Decision Model The next contingency model introduced in the textbook is the Normative Decision Model proposed by Vroom and Yetton, and later modified by Vroom and Jago.As the name indicates, this theory attempts to prescribe the best type of decision-making in a given situation: autocratic, consultative, or group-based decision making. This is a contingency theory because the critical decision nodes or points in the theory reflect either a concern with the situation or with the followers. When diagrammed, the decision nodes or points in this model create a decision tree. Thus, this model is also referred to as the â €Å"decision tree model. † Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) Theory Another perspective under the contingency approach is the Leader – Member Exchange (we will see this model again in Chapter 9).The textbook finishes with a short description of how top executives actually lead and a discussion of leading during a crisis. These two topic areas are descriptive, and lack the kind of theoretical reasoning found in other theories and they have very limited research support. According to the text, top executives perform multiple leadership styles, the choice of which depends on the situation (a contingency approach). All of the styles reflect some combination of strategic leadership and change leadership, with relatively little emphasis on motivating individual followers.In a sense, these styles are variations on the transformational leadership style discussed earlier in the textbook. Week 3 Instructor Notes Chapter 6 – Leadership, Ethics, and Social Responsibility This ch apter introduces the concepts of ethical and moral leadership behaviors. Whether you can prevent unethical or immoral behaviors by teaching ethics and morality is not clear. However, being aware of ethical and moral issues is valuable, if for no other reason to have students reflect on their own ethics and morality. The text has a multifaceted approach to ethics. To be ethical, you should: * Be honest and trustworthy (have integrity) Pay attention to all relevant stakeholders * Find compatible goals for all stakeholders (â€Å"build community†) * Respect individuals by treating them fairly and honestly * Demonstrate modesty and restraint in accomplishing moral victories (â€Å"accomplish silent victories†) Leaders, of course, differ in their morality and ethical nature. One of the more interesting ideas is that leaders' level of moral development varies (from pre-conventional, to conventional, to post-conventional levels). However, the situation can also have a large i mpact on the leader's behavior.Certain corporate cultures seem to ignore ethical issues, while others have extremely strong ethical values. There is a table outlining leaders who have questionable ethics, which will no doubt become longer over the near future. Whether leaders recently have become less ethical, or they are simply being detected and publicized more is an unanswered question. Corporate social responsibility is the next concept in the chapter. This refers to the idea that organizations, and thus their leaders, have an obligation to society beyond simply following laws and making money for owners and shareholders.This idea reflects an ethic, but goes beyond any simple ethical principle (see Figure 6-1 Initiatives for Achieving a Socially Responsible and Ethical Organization). As the book notes, the topic cannot be covered well in the space allotted, but being sensitive and responsive to the community and the employees is the key idea. Whether an organization should lose money to help the community and employees is the key issue. If the concept of a â€Å"virtuous circle† is correct, then there is no trade-off between profits and social responsibility because social and financial performance reinforce each others.Week 3 Discussion Description (click to collapse) Week 3 Discussion| Refer to the leadership styles shown on page 153 of the text (Figure 5-4 Situational Leadership II ). * What is your present style of leadership in most situations (directing, coaching, supporting and/or delegating)? * Is this leade