Julian Orrs Talking About Machines

Introduction Orr’s book Talking about Machines has become one of the most significant writings in the field of anthropology since it revealed new insights in the overall study. The author underlines the importance of fieldwork which is conducted in quite specific way.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Julian Orr’s Talking About Machines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Orr was inside the group of workers under analysis and his book has the author who is at the same time an informant. The reader can consider the analysis of an individual who knows the insights of the workplace and the group in question. This peculiarity of Orr’s approach results in a specific type of writing where theory is intermingled with narrative. Orr manages to combine thorough analysis and description. Admittedly, the researcher uses a very specific and effective approach of interpreting data. Orr’s orientatio n on â€Å"situatedness† enables him to make his data precise and interpretation profound (Yanow 2006:1746). Moreover, his research has contributed greatly to the development of anthropology since it opened up new horizons for researchers. The author, the reader and the informant Admittedly, anthropologists used to consider peculiarities of exotic people living in faraway lands. However, Orr is one of those who understands that the natives of anthropologic research should not be â€Å"the alien and exotic others† but these should be â€Å"oddly familiar domestic others who might be our cohorts at work†, neighbors or researchers themselves (qtd. in Neyland 2007:129). Orr became a shadow for copier workers when they were working, having lunch or communicated with each other and customers (Yanow 2006:1746). Interestingly, the author of the book was also a part of a group of informants. Many researchers claim that being a part of a group enables the researcher to se e more complete picture (Enslin 1994:537). Even defining the term â€Å"work† Orr is focused on workers’ position, rather than on some virtual amount of work completed (Orr 1996:10). Workers are put in the center of the research. Workers’ activities, their communication and their sharing experience make the scope of data for Orr. Basically, he â€Å"connect[s] players and not isolate[s] them within their own perspectives† (Boud et al. 2006:21). More so, he considers workers perspectives from the point of view of one of them but not as a distant researcher on the basis of some statistical data. Interestingly, Orr points out that â€Å"machines participate in society† (1996:3). Thus, the researcher is interested in the triangular: worker, customer, machine.Advertising Looking for term paper on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Orr does not only observe the communication patterns bet ween workers, or between workers and consumers, he also pays attention to the way workers treat (or â€Å"communicate† with) machines. Thus, informants of the research are not only people but machines as well. It goes without saying that such approach was not widespread among anthropologists who were concerned with people only. The majority of researchers are keen to answer the question â€Å"what does it mean to be a human?† (Wardle 2007:1). Nevertheless, Orr noted that machines also influenced people’s behavior since workers tried to â€Å"educate† consumers treat their machines correctly. Of course, everyday work with machine shapes workers communication, since machines play an important role in workers talks. The balance between description and analysis Boon (1983) points out that ethnographic writing is largely based on the data obtained from a fieldwork, so it should contain both description and analysis. However, this issue is still disputable sinc e many researchers cannot agree upon what can be regarded as a fact and what interpretation can be regarded as precise and correct (Heider 2001). However, many researchers that â€Å"[t]acking between situated narrative and more sweeping analysis† is essential for ethnography, though it is quite difficult to succeed (Narayan 1993:672). Orr, however, finds the gold mean and his book is characterized by a perfect balance of description and analysis. In the first place, Orr pays much attention to â€Å"situatedness† and claims that place is important for analysis (Yanow 2006:1751). It goes without saying that his writing provides a lot of description of workers’ conversations and their activities, and even workplace. Admittedly, fieldnotes can be archival materials or a record of people communicating (Sanjek 1990:391). Apparently, Orr considered all possible fieldnotes. All this helped Orr recreate the world of the workers. On the basis, of the data obtained during observation Orr can put puzzles in their place and create a full picture. Anderson (1986) points out that description is an important â€Å"product† of fieldwork, and since ethnographic analysis is based on fieldwork, it is but natural that description plays an important role in ethnographic writing (64). Thus, Orr’s description is an illustration of his findings and justification of his conclusions. His writing also signals: â€Å"You are there, because I was there† (Clifford 1983:118). Orr’s approach to analysis and interpretation of workers’ behavior is intermingled with description.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Julian Orr’s Talking About Machines specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Theory in the text Admittedly theory played a significant role in anthropology in the nineteenth century (Urry 2001:101). More so, anthropologists relied on theory to great extent. A s far as ethnographic writing is concerned, it also relies on theory, but to less extent. For instance, Orr’s book is not a description of his fieldwork and his conclusions. He provides profound background knowledge which helps the reader to â€Å"speak† the same language with other. In fact, the author reveals the theoretical discourse in his book. Orr refers to many researchers supporting or refuting their findings and research methods. Admittedly, ethnographic writing contains a great deal of fiction and some researchers tend to regard it as fiction rather than ethnography (Narayan 1999). However, Orr is scientific in his writing. Stocking (1995) states that theory can help to solve many problems where the data obtained during the fieldwork can be quite confusing (364). Thus, Orr uses theoretical background to analyze the product of his fieldwork. Methodological and conceptual contributions to anthropological knowledge Yanow (2006) claims that Orr’s book is a great contribution to organization studies (1753). It goes without saying that Orr has developed many interesting approaches for ethnographic research. The major concept of his work presupposes that only insider can have the complete data about the group. Orr points out that The significant thing†¦is that the examination of practice reveals a complexity that cannot be seen from a distance; this complexity constrains how the work can be done and therefore has crucial implications for those making policy about work †¦ Discussions of work that omit this vital aspect of practice lose the point from which anything else that may be described originates. (qtd. in Yanow 2006:1753). Thus, Orr insists on closer look at people’s workplace. The place is of primary importance for Orr since it is a starting point for any observation. Besides, Orr is not confined to certain activities in which the members of the group are involved. Every minute of the working day is recorded and analyzed. More so, Orr argues that it is essential to consider people’s behavior in terms of all the scope of activities involving not only other people (like colleagues or customers), but to take into account the influence of machines on people. This approach is rather innovative for anthropology.Advertising Looking for term paper on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, Orr provides a detailed analysis in terms of organization studies, but he is not concerned with methodology, but rather appreciates â€Å"those things that make us† (Yanow 2006:1753). Orr does not present a distant look at some peculiarities of people’s interaction in a workplace, but reveals possible explanations of the reasons why people act in that specific way. Admittedly, Orr’s approach can be regarded as a bright example of unique methodological approach which leads to deeper understanding of processes which take place in working place. Conclusion Thus, Orr’s Talking about Machines is one of those books which provide essential information on the topic and can be regarded as a guideline for a successful ethnographic research. Orr’s book is a great example of the balance of description, theory and analysis. The author became a member of a group to understand the processes which took place in the workplace. Therefore, he does not present a distant analysis of potential reasons, but explicitly points out major factors which influence workers. Admittedly, Orr has made a great contribution into the development of anthropological studies since he suggested new approaches of analysis and showed that they are effective. It cannot be surprising that the book is still being discussed by many researchers since it gives new insights to the essence of anthropological research. Reference List Anderson, Jon W. 1986. ‘Reinventing the Shape of Meaning: Ambiguities in the Ontology of Ethnography.’ Anthropological Quarterly 59(2): 64-74. Boon, James. A. 1983. ‘Functionalists Write, Too: Frazer/Malinowski and the Semiotics of the Monograph.’ Semiotica 46(2/4):131-149. Boud, David, Peter Cressey and Peter Docherty. 2006. Productive Reflection at Work: Learning for Changing Organizations. New York, NY: Routledge. Clifford, James. 1983. ‘On Ethnographic Authority.’ Respresentations Number 2: 118-146 . Enslin, Elizabeth. 1994. ‘Beyond Writing: Feminist Practice and the Limitations of Ethnography.’ Cultural Anthropology 9(4):537-568. Heider, Karl G. 2001. ‘The Rashomon Effect: When Ethnographers Disagree.’ Pp.398- 407 in Ethnography, vol. III, edited by Alan Bryman. London: Sage. Narayan, Kirin. 1993. ‘How Native is a â€Å"Native† Anthropologist?’ American Anthropologist 95:671-686. Narayan, Kirin. 1999. ‘Ethnography and Fiction: Where is the Border?’ Anthropology and Humanism 24(2):134-147. Neyland, Daniel. 2007. Organizational Ethnography. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. Orr, J. E. 1996. Talking about Machines: An Ethnography of a Modern Job. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Sanjek, Roger. (Ed.) 1990. â€Å"FIELDNOTES: The Makings of Anthropology† pp.385-418 in ‘On Ethnographic Validity.’ Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Stocking, George W. 1995. The Ethnographer’s Magic and Other Essays in th e History of Anthropology. Madison, WI: Univ of Wisconsin Press. Urry, James. 2001. ‘Notes and Queries on Anthropology and the Development of Field Methods in British Anthropology, 1870-1920.’ pp 101-127 in Ethnography, vol. I edited by Alan Bryman, London: Sage. Wardle, Huon, Gay Y Blasco, Paloma Gay Y. 2007. How to Read Ethnography, ‘Introduction: The concerns and distinctiveness of ethnography’ (pp 1-12). London and New York: Routledge. Yanow, Dvora. 2006. ‘Talking about Practices: On Julian Orr’s Talking About Machines.’ Organization Studies 27(12):1743-1756. This term paper on Julian Orr’s Talking About Machines was written and submitted by user N0lan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Writing Two Sided Essay Topics

Writing Two Sided Essay TopicsStudents write two sided essays for the reasons of clarifying ideas and they are able to distinguish between their own ideas and the professor's. Normally, students need to have an idea about the nature of this type of essay topic and all the basic information regarding the subject matter.Two sided essay topics can vary from one subject to another. Some of the different types of essay topics include the following: Introduction; Theory of Knowledge; Theories and Practices; Argumentation; Choice of Words; Content Analysis; Audience Analysis; Authority/Discipline; Method; Objective; Perspective; and Evaluation. You can have a lot of variety in what is required in your essay topic because each of these topics has its own unique style.All of these topics require some basic information in order to produce a complete two sided essay. But, you can still get all of this without writing every sentence yourself. There are many excellent professionals that will work with you to produce all of the necessary information in writing a two sided essay topic.There are many methods that will help students to provide basic information to produce a well written two sided essay. The topics can be integrated using a combination of the four parts of a two sided essay topic. These include the theme, content, structure, and conclusion.Theme can be an effective way to create a two sided essay. A good theme for essay topics is the one that is related to the topic at hand, such as the history of the subject, or the growth of the subject matter.Content is the most important part of a two sided essay. It is the point of interest of the essay topic and it is always referred to as the central theme of the article. You need to also include information that relates to the theme of the essay topic, but it is not necessary to usethe theme directly.Structure is the key element of two sided essay topics. It can be quite difficult to make a structure of the article and t his is where an experienced professional comes in handy. They will design the structure of the essay topic around the theme.The topics are also extremely diverse. They can also be written with many different styles. So, if you are having difficulty in writing a two sided essay, look no further than a good college essay writer to help you out.

What Exactly Is a Target School How to Find Yours

What Exactly Is a Target School How to Find Yours SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you have researched the college application process, you may have heard about the concept of a â€Å"target school.† What is a target school or college? Simply put, it's a college that you are likely- but not guaranteed- to be admitted to based on your qualifications. In this article, I'll define and explain the concept of a target school. Furthermore, I’ll discuss how to identify your target colleges and determine how many of these schools you should apply to. What Is a Target School? A target college is one in which your academic credentials make you competitive for admission.Your GPA, standardized test scores, and class rank fall within the average range for that particular school.You have a very reasonable chance of gaining admission to a target school, but there are no guarantees. Generally, you have about a 30%-80% chance of gaining admission to a target collegebased on your academic resume and the school’s acceptance rate. Schools to which you have less than a 30% chance of gaining admission are reach schools, and schools to which you have greater than an 80% chance of gaining admission are safetyschools. Because this range is relatively large, you can further divide your target collegesinto two categories: high target/borderline reach schools (30%-50% odds of admission) and low target/borderline safety schools (50%-80% odds of admission). Here are a couple of hypothetical examples to illustrate these concepts. Example #1 Claudia has a 3.9 weighted GPA, 610 Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 690 Math SAT Scores, and she's interested in applying to the University of San Diego, a private Catholic college in San Diego, California. Claudia’s GPA is slightly higher than USD’s average GPA of 3.89, and her SAT score is also a bit higher than USD’s average of 630 Math score, although it's a little lower than its average 630 EBRW score. Furthermore, USD’s admission rate is 50%. Claudia would have a very reasonable chance of gaining admission to USD, but due to its relatively low acceptance rate, she shouldn’t be overly confident. USD would be a target school for Claudia. Example #2 Matt has a 3.5 weighted GPA and got a 23 on his ACT. Would the University of Oregon be a target collegefor Matt? Yes. The University of Oregon has an average GPA of 3.55 and an average ACT score of 25. Even though his GPA and ACT score are slightly below average for the University of Oregon, the University of Oregon’s acceptance rate is 83%.Matt’s credentials would make him a competitive applicant, and the University of Oregon would be a target school for Matt. For most public colleges, being an in-state or out-of-state student shouldn't have much impact on your odds of gaining admission. In recent years, though, there has been discussion that public universities have become more eager to admit out-of-state students. University of Oregon (Rick Obst/Flickr) Important Reminder Your GPA and standardized test scores are usually the two most important components of your application, but they’re not your only credentials that are considered when determining whether or not you gain admission. Colleges may also consider other factors like your recommendations, SAT Subject Test scores, the rigor of your course load, your personal essay, your extracurricular activities,anysubstantial obstacles you've had to overcome, and whether you’ll increase diversity on campus.Outside of your GPA and test scores, these other factors can strengthen your application. However, your GPA and standardized test scores are typically the most important factors, and they can help you easily determine your competitiveness for a particular school. How to Identify Your Target Schools Now that you understand the concept of a target college, I'll discuss how you should go about identifying your target colleges. Step 1: Create Your List of Dream Schools Initially, don’t worry too much about your odds of getting in when creating your list of dream schools. In my experience, most students are pretty realistic about where they stand. It's rare that a student with a 2.5 GPA will create a list of all Ivy League schools. If your initial list has too many reach schools, you can adjust it later. Learn how to choose a college, and research colleges extensively to determine the schools you want to go to.Use the best college search websites, college finders, and ranking lists to help you find the colleges that would be great for you. Seek advice from others. If possible, talk to your teachers, counselors, current college students and admissions representatives to help determine which colleges would be a good fit for you. After doing your research, I recommend having an initial list of 8-15 schools. You won’t necessarily be applying to all of these schools, but at this point, a list of fewer schools may not be giving you enough options, and if you have more schools, you probably haven’t done enough to narrow down your college search, and you may need to do more research. McmScience/Flickr Step 2: Determine Which of Schools From Your List Are on Target Use the PrepScholar database to help determine which of the schools from your list are target colleges.You can google â€Å"(name of school) prepscholar admissions requirements† to find a school profile for each college on your list.On the school profile, use the admissions calculator to get a rough idea of your chances of admission.The admissions calculator combines your GPA and standardized test scores with the admissions rate to approximate your chances of getting into the school. If, according to the admissions calculator, you have between a 30% and 80% chance of gaining admission, you should categorize the college as on target.If the school has less than a 15% acceptance rate, you should categorize the school as a reach regardless of your GPA and standardized test scores. The school is so selective that you can’t be confident that you’ll get in regardless of your academic credentials. What Should You Do If Your Dream Schools Are All Reach Schools? You should divide the list of schools you apply to between reach schools, target schools, and safety schools.You want to give yourself options and try to gain admission to competitive schools. Initially, some students, when they first identify their dream schools, select too many reach schools.Because your likelihood of gaining admission to reach schools is very low, you should identify less competitive schools that possess the attributes you like in your reach schools to apply to as well. For example, let’s assume that you have a 4.2 weighted GPA and got a 34 on your ACT. Your dream school is Harvard, primarily because you really want to go to a selective private college in the greater Boston area. Even though your GPA and ACT score would make you competitive for admission to Harvard, Harvard’s acceptance rate is only 4.6%. Therefore, regardless of your credentials, Harvard will be a reach for you. However, with your GPA and ACT score, some of your target colleges could be Tufts University and Boston College, both of which are selective private colleges in the greater Boston area.If you’re thorough in identifying why you like certain schools, that will be helpful for you if you need to find target schools. Pete Jelliffe/Flickr How Many Target Schools Should You Apply To? There’s no exact number of target collegesthat you should apply to.For most students, I recommend applying to about â…“ target schools,â…“reach schools, andâ…“safety schools. Generally, I think applying to 6-12 colleges is good to give yourself options without going overboard. Therefore, applying to about 2-5 target colleges is a reasonable number. Students who are extremely eager to go to selective colleges can apply to mostly reach and target schools. However, make sure you apply to at least a couple of safety schools to ensure you have choices given a worst-case scenario. If you're primarily interested in attending schools that qualify as safety schools for you, you don't have to apply to more than a couple of colleges. However, I do encourage you to at least consider more selective colleges before you finalize your list of schools. If you're deterred by the cost of private colleges or out-of-state public colleges, learn more about financial aid and scholarships that can enable you to afford any school that accepts you. Quick Review A target collegeis a school in which your credentials make you competitive for admission, and you have a decent chance of being accepted to that college (roughly 30%-80%). Identify target schools by doing extensive college research and knowing the traits that you like in your reach schools. Use the PrepScholar database to determine if a school is ontarget for you. What's Next? Even though Harvard is a reach school, learn how you can get into Harvard. Also, find out how to apply for college. When you apply to most colleges, you'll need to write a personal statement. Make sure you know how to write an exceptional college essay. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Glenn Miller and the Swing/Big Band Era Essays - Instrumentals

Glenn Miller and the Swing/Big Band Era Glenn Miller led the most popular big band in the world during 1939-42 and the most beloved of all the swing-era orchestras. His big band played a wide variety of melodic music and had tremendous success in every area of music. He was with the group for two years, and put together an enjoyable and well-rounded show. Glenn Miller was a man who influenced bands greatly for years. Alton Glenn Miller was born on March 1, 1904 in Clarinda Iowa. His family had a tendency to move frequently, to places such as North Platte, Nebraska, and Grant City, Oklahoma. It was in Grant City that Glenn bought his first trombone, at the age of 13. He earned the money by milking cows for $2 a week (Glenn Miller Biography). Glenn attended high school in Fort Morgan, Colorado. He studied at the University of Colorado for 2 years. It was in college that his interest in music flourished. He continued to play the trombone, his favorite instrument. Even at his young age, he was good enough to play in the Boyd Senter Band in Denver. At that point his love for music took over. Miller dropped out of school and went to the west coast to try his luck at being a musician. Miller played with many small bands until he had the opportunity to join Ben Pollack's orchestra in 1926. At that time the band included such well-known musicians as Loschiavo 4 Benny Goodman, Gill Robin, Fud Livingston, and Dick Morgan. In September of 1926, the Pollack Band went into the recording studios and worked on "When I First Met Mary" and "Deed I Do". These were probably the first record arrangements that Glenn Miller wrote. He stayed with the band until it went to New York in 1928 (Glenn Miller Story). It was then that he married his early love, Helen Berger, and moved with her to Manhattan. In the coming years, he developed his talent by working with Red Nichols in pit orchestras, as Smith Ballew's musical director, and with the Dorsey Brothers. In 1934, Miller helped form Ray Noble's American Orchestra, which soon became popular through radio broadcasts. Miller was the lead trombonist and arranger. In 1937, he left the band, and his own popularity among big band circles enabled him to form his own band, the Glenn Miller Orchestra. They brought out a few records, and went on tour, but the attempt was doomed from the start. He could not keep the orchestra together and had to let all but four musicians go. What Miller needed was his own trademark to distinguish him from the other bands. In 1938, with encouragement from friends, he gave it another try, and Miller built up his new orchestra on the basis of the four remaining musicians Hal McIntyre (alto), Rolly Bundock (bass), Chummy MacGregor (piano) and Bob Price (Glenn Miller Story). This time Miller was lucky enough to be supported by one of the most important agencies of the General Artists corporation and to obtain a record contract with RCA Victor's Budget Bluebird Label. Glenn Miller again went on tour. At this time, he had the distinguishing characteristic in Loschiavo 5 his music of having a clarinet double the sax melody an octave higher. Times nonetheless, were hard until the big breakthrough came in 1939. The General Artist Corporation managed to get Miller an engagement at the Glen Island Casino New Rochelle. Glenn Miller's time had come: on May 17 the band played its first night to a sold-out house and by the end of the engagements all box-office records had been broken. From there they traveled to Baltimore at the beginning of September. At Baltimore's Hippodrome Theater all records were again broken. The orchestra returned to New York and played in front at the largest audience in the city's history at the New York State Fare. On September 9, he broke Guy Lombardo's record attendance from the year 1931 and on October 6 helped Carnegie Hall to achieve new record receipts. The recording was also going full swing. Four records per week were being recorded by the orchestra. It was during this period, on April 4, that Miller's signature

Business Development and the Nature Globalization Essay

Business Development and the Nature Globalization - Essay Example These tasks involve sales, marketing, as well as the development of suitable and reliable strategies for the business organisation. The attention of all businesses should be directed towards the establishment of marketing teams with suitable strategies as well as focus on business expansion. Globalisation is all about expansion; hence, Avny (2006) believes that business entities are obliged to embrace the concept in order to achieve immense expansion and generate significant revenue for its self as well as national growth and development. Globalisation, as earlier noted is a product of human innovation and rapid advancement in technology. Technology presents business organisations with numerous opportunities that can be pivotal in the success or rather development of a business entity. The frequent identification of these opportunities presented by technology makes it possible for these small business entities to expand and reach international markets and as a result bring in more in come. Thus, Todaro and Smith (2009) opine that business development’s major role is to help firms identify and take advantage of the emerging market opportunities. The Nature of Globalisation Among the phenomena worth taking note of across the last period of the twentieth century is globalisation. By itself, it carries significant importance both in developing or what are referred to as Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and developed nations across the globe. The process’ emergence and expansion can be credited to the advancements made in the transportation sector, communications as well as the rapid technological advancement towards the end of the twentieth century and into the twenty first century (Avny, 2007). The advancements made have helped in the reallocation of human... This essay approves that the growth and development of infrastructure like roads and communication lines have resulted in the reduced intervals between the travel times taken from the production and or manufacturing point to destination and or sale points enabling more countries to take part in the trade. The growth of these activities has seen more opportunities arise for the development of business entities which has been a credible contributor to the advancement in the economy of LDCs. It is easy to see the amount of similar products that are flooding the world markets in the contemporary world; an indicator that the world is moving in the direction of becoming a one-village market and or community. According to Birdsall, Rodrik and Subramanian, these developments result in the fast growth and development of these nations’ economies due to the increased multinational trade. The activities involving movement and or exchange of capital included indirect and direct financial i nvestments in least developed countries (LDCs) with the aim of raising the incomes and or revenue of the countries. The local businesses and or industries are required to meet international standards as a requirement of globalisation and as a result some are forced to merge with other multinationals in order to increase their operations. This report makes a conclusion that globalisation is an evoking concept that still is opposed by an ideological minority unable to deny the benefits associated with globalisation knowledge with respect to development of businesses as well as national economies. The few who view globalisation as some form of capitalism should drop the idea and embrace the concept as a major factor in business development.

Leadership and Motivation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Leadership and Motivation - Research Paper Example Through the study, I will try to reciprocate my viewpoints with the theoretical argument presented by various research scholars and academic sources. I will take conjectural view rather being subjective about the research topic hence the argument will be backed by academic sources. In the last section of the paper, I will discuss my career goals and necessary leadership skills that I need to develop in order to go beyond my current skill set. Key essence of this report will be to prepare a road map which will not only guide me throughout the life and increase level of knowledge through learning. My Idea about Leadership According to me, for any student doing graduation, the subject called leadership offers a lot than what he/she realizes. As I am having double in Business and Computer Science during graduation hence I got the chance to go through some invaluable research work regarding leadership. To be honest, I hardly have any idea about role of leadership in our life prior to joining the graduate degree program but it was the sincere teaching and pedagogy of teachers of university which has helped me to understand certain aspect of leadership. During my study in the graduate program, I was greatly influenced by the research work of Vardiman, Houghston and Jinkerson which was published in the year 2006. For example, as Vardiman, Houghston and Jinkerson (2006) argued that capable leaders do not have superhuman capability but they have the capability to motivate people and encourage subordinates to move in his/her direction. I believe that leadership is not a mere skill and neither can it be develop ed among people overnight. Day (2002) rightly defined leadership as inherent characteristics of person which encourages others to follow that person. I also agree with the argument presented by researcher scholars that person must have some characteristics in order to become a leaders. To be precise, I will not go to the discussion about types of leadership styles rather I will try to stick to four leadership and motivational style that I am currently best at. Leadership & Motivational Skills Ability to Take Responsibilities & Showing Respect I am fortunate due to the fact that none of my friends and relatives have blamed me for lack of courage to take responsibilities. I am not person who falters when it comes to taking responsibility in contingent period. Argument may arise that how taking responsibility in complex situation is related to leadership skill but my answer is that responsibility taking ability is the special characteristics of leaders which differentiate him/her from followers. To justify my viewpoint, I will share the empirical findings of research work of Maxwell (2012), that states that leaders need to take responsibilities of their decision in emergent situation which in order to earn respect and trust from followers. Maxwell (2012) pointed out that ability to take responsibilities comes from self belief of leaders and such beliefs help them to encourage and motivate others to work under his/her direction. In modern business world, we have seen plenty of examples where business leaders take the responsibility to bring change in the organization. During my graduation, in many occasions, I took the responsibilit

The Enlightenment Essay -- History Historical French Essays

The Enlightenment Throughout Europe and the new American colonies in the 18th century there was a great movement in thought. This trend that preceded the French Revolution is known as the Enlightenment. Revolutionary writers and thinkers thought that the past held only darkness and ignorance, they began to question everything. Enlightened thought entered, or intruded, into all aspects of life in the 1700s. Governments were drastically reformed, art and literature changed in scope, religion was threatened, the study of science spread, nature was seen in a new light, and humanity evolved greatly. This new way of thinking was propelled by curiosity and observations of society and nature. The Enlightenment was a desire for human affairs to be guided by rationality rather than by faith, superstition, or revelation; a belief in the power of human reason to change society and liberate the individual from the restraints of custom or arbitrary authority; all backed up by a world view increasingly validated by science rather than by religion or tradition. 1 Several individuals have been credited and blamed for leading and contributing to the Enlightenment. These thinkers not only changed their views, but also spread revolutionary ideas to others. These philosophes, Evangelists of science, felt that it was their duty to open peoples’ eyes to new thought. They used every media available to them including word of mouth, pamphlets, letters, journals and books. Philosophes were tired of people accepting anything they were told, consequently a large opponent of the Enlightenment Era was the Church. Knowledge gained through observation of nature slowly replaced blindly accepted religious explanations. The Enlightenment wa... ...am, they could harness it with the steam engine. Thus, emerged the Industrial Revolution, which would never have been possible had humans not owned the knowledge gained from the Enlightenment. Literature Cited 1. Dorinda Outram, The Enlightenment (New York, Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge ,1995), 3. 2. Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment and Frank M. Turner, The Western Heritage, Second Brief Edition, Volume II: Since 1648 (Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice Hall, 1996), 397. 3. Outram, 58. 4. Kagan, 401. 5. Britannica Online, â€Å"The Enlightenment†, wysiwyg://176/http://www.britannica.com/†¦ article/5/0,5716,108605+8+106072,00.html, 21. 6. Roy Porter, The Enlightenment, (London, The MacMillan Press Ltd., 1990), 3. 7. Kagan, 403. 8. Outram, 62. 9. Jonathon Weiner, Time, Love, Memory (New York, Vintage Books, 1999), 5.