A Person in Public Life

A Person in Public Life that I want to become for a Brief Period in Time. If I were to become somebody else for a brief period of time, I would like to be the President of United States.I have known many people who have been asked this question and more often than not, they would answer Bill Gates or Oprah; but for me, I chose the President. Given this opportunity I would not think twice to choose the most powerful and influential man in United States.I want to be able to use that little time that I was given to do something worthwhile. The president has the capability to make change and impact the lives of millions of people. If an opportunity such as this would indeed present itself, I would make sure that every minute counts and that no time is wasted.As President, I would focus my attention to formulating strategies to solve the worsening economic problems such as increasing individuals access to capital, focusing on consumer’s awareness and financial literacy and minimizi ng predatory lending.I believe America should protect the family because as the most basic unit in the community, strong families provide a chain reaction which would reflect a strong community, a strong state and ultimately a strong society. I will put premium to the quality of work force because it would lead to stable jobs and ultimately a stable economy (Solutions for America, 2003).The dream of becoming a President and implementing change in the society sounds really idealistic but idealism is where everything started and in my opinion, it should not end there as well. Throughout history, we have witnesses different people turn these idealisms into visions and these visions into actions which our Country is reaping now. If it were not for the founding fathers’ bravery, the United States Constitution would still be a dream.After that brief period of time is over, I can still do something to effect change in my family and in the community that I live in. Like what Presiden t Obama said, we cannot expect the government to solve all our problems. If we want change, we must start somewhere and I think that the best place to start is with the people within our arms reach.ReferenceSolutions for America. (2003). The Guide for Civic Problem Solving. Retrieved April 14, 2009, from http://www.solutionsforamerica.org/index.html   

How Can Men and Woman Communicate More Effectively Through Technology

How can men and women communicate more effectively through technology? * Women are more expressive when they type or text, on the other hand men aren’t as expressive .EX: women may use more punctuation or emoticons * Men should try to be expressive so that it doesn’t like they don’t care or to let the woman know they are listening and caring about what they have to say * Or, women should try to tone it down a bit with the seriousness of everything when everything doesn’t have to be so critical or over exciting for no reason * When communicating through texts or email, since women tend to be more expressive they tend to max out the the160 character message limit (news wise) * Men would probably listen more if they didn’t have to read such lengthy texts.Women should probably try to fit what they have to say in few words that still get their point across. * The best ways of communication would obviously be face to face but next to that, technology like chat rooms and instant messaging and social networking sites make it easier for opposite sex to talk to each other. (eCommunications) * Takes away the stress and pressure of talking in person. If these are the ways men and woman communicate, they need to make sure that they think about the misinterpretations that could happen. To avoid the misinterpretation, men and woman should both understand that technology isn’t a real serious way of communicating just in case the whole misinterpretation gets in the middle of things and starts drama. * Sources: * â€Å"When Texting, Eligible Women Express Themselves Better.   Newswise: News for Journalists, Press Release Distribution for Public Relations. Indiana University. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://www. newswise. com/articles/when-texting-eligible-women-express-themselves-better>. * â€Å"Best Ways to Communicate Through Technology. †Ã‚  ECommunications. ECommunications. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. <http://efunsoft. com/best -ways-to-communicate-through-technology. htm>.

A Practitioner's Handbook Speech or Presentation

A Practitioner's Handbook - Speech or Presentation Example Hope this exercise was fun and fruitful. Now we shall engage in a discussion of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test which, apart from the Word Attack exercise conducted, examines various other aspects of an individual’s reading ability.I shall begin my speech by explaining to you what The Woodcock Reading Mastery Test actually is. The Woodcock Reading Mastery Test is a â€Å"norm-referenced† series of assessments that enables assessors to determine the reading achievements and abilities of individuals (Rathvon, 2004). The test is administered on an individual basis and is diagnostic in nature. Basically, the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test measures the â€Å"reading readiness† of individuals. It primarily targets individuals who have difficulty in reading. The purpose of this test goes beyond the general aim of identifying reading abilities of the candidate as it highlights the individuals’ strengths and weaknesses in particular areas of reading so that target ed action may be taken. It allows specific strategies to be devised for students who have special needs in reading. Particular attention is devoted to ELL learners whose reading abilities are determined by this test. Not only does this test allow for an evaluation of the candidate but also the institution or school’s reading programs.   The history of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test can be traced back to 1973 when Dr. Richard Woodcock laid the first foundations of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test   (Rathvon, 2004).... is a â€Å"norm-referenced† series of assessments that enables assessors to determine the reading achievements and abilities of individuals (Rathvon, 2004). The test is administered on an individual basis and is diagnostic in nature. Basically, the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test measures the â€Å"reading readiness† of individuals. It primarily targets individuals who have difficulty in reading. The purpose of this test goes beyond the general aim of identifying reading abilities of the candidate as it highlights the individuals’ strengths and weaknesses in particular areas of reading so that targeted action may be taken. It allows specific strategies to be devised for students who have special needs in reading. Particular attention is devoted to ELL learners whose reading abilities are determined by this test. Not only does this test allow for an evaluation of the candidate but also the institution or school’s reading programs. The history of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test can be traced back to 1973 when Dr. Richard Woodcock laid the first foundations of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test (Rathvon, 2004). This test could be taken by children from kindergarten through the twelfth grade which was a rather broad target segment for this assessment (Rathvon, 2004). This test was best suited for ESL candidates. Furthermore, the test involved short intervals and comprised of 5 subtests including the Word Attack, Word ID, Letter ID Passage Comprehension and Word Comprehension. This test was later revised in 1998 whereby Forms G and H were introduced which were not parallel in nature (Rathvon, 2004). These two forms allowed the assessor to test and re-test as they were non-overlapping in nature. Therefore, as you may think, this assessment was highly thorough in nature.

Refugee and migration movements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Refugee and migration movements - Essay Example Together with the converted people, they could now hold public prayers in unison. This in turn led to more oppression of the Muslim faithful by the Quaraysh (Rawley and Stephen). The early migration made numerous people be converted to Islam, and this gave them more harmony. They could now speak one voice and be united against the oppression they were facing. This harmony made them regroup and go fight for their land of Mecca that had being occupied by their enemies. The asylum given to people who were easily vulnerable helped reduce the suffering of weak Muslims like women and children. In the asylums, people would be given teachings about togetherness and brotherhood, and this in turn strengthened their bond and will to fight for each and help one another. In the Arab-Islamic, there used to exist Islamic institutions known as the Amam which were created to govern the members of the Islamic faith. The institution came up with the laws that people would follow. The institution meted out punishments to those who failed to abide by the set laws. The institutional leaders gave teachings of the Quran. The elders of the institution would be responsible for the recruiting members of the public into the army which was to fight for the rights of the Muslims. Dispute among the members of the Muslim faith would be solved at the Amam, and they also helped identify and help a person whom they thought could rule the people. Refugee migrants in the Arab dhimma faced subjection based on the religious backgrounds of the individual persons. Those who had a Muslim background received fairer treatment as opposed to those who had contrary religious views with the indigenous people. Those who believed in other religion would be killed or made slaves of the Islamists. They would be converted to Islam as the leaders found it wise to have them on their side. The Jews hailed from Western Asia

Psychosocial interventions and cognitive behavioural therapy. A Case Essay

Psychosocial interventions and cognitive behavioural therapy. A Case Study - Essay Example The death occurred several months ago and Rita has been unable to get past her grief. Rita was personable to all staff and she took the assessments easily. She was assessed to have complicated grief, depression and anxiety. There are several challenges for Rita that as clinicians we will attempt to sort out so that she can receive the medical assistance that she needs. Rita was diagnosed with complicated grief as one of the first "symptoms" of her health needs. There are several issues that come about because of complicated grief. Wagner, Knaevelsrud and Maercker found that when a significant person dies it can leave a spouse with a variety of emotions from a post-traumatic stress situation to increased passion and optimism. They also cite that there is a larger body of evidence that shows complicated grief as a disorder that should be seen as different than depression (Wagner, Knaevelsrud and Maercker 2007: 157). Langner and Maerker argue that complicated grief is a disorder that shows "as a combination of sustained intrusion, avoidance and maladjustment symptoms" (Langner and Maerker 2005 cited in Wagner et. al. 2007: 157). They also suggest that this disorder can be related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) because it usually is a reaction to having exposure to an event that was stressful. For Rita, the complicated grief is a result of her husbands death which was her traumatic event. His death was not expected when it happened and she was not prepared for it. She may have some responses that are similar to the PTSD symptoms but they do not seem to be the most prevalent in her diagnosis. As the psychiatric nurse part of the mental health team, it is important o notice that grief is always something that happens in life. Most people will have a healthy relationship with grief because they will go through anger ad other emotions naturally. Some may feel that the people who are attempting to help them have ulterior motives. The bereaved may also

Inheritance - Howards End Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Inheritance - Howards End - Essay Example Margaret, Helen and Tibby the half-German Schlegel children represents the French bourgeoisie intellectuals who have so much in common with the real life group from Bloomsbury and the Basts who are couples belonging to lower-class. As the novel moves to later chapters, Schlegel sisters attempt to assist the poor Basts and try to stop Wilcoxes from being prejudiced. The novel begins with three letters written by Helen to her older sister Margaret whom she occasionally calls Meg. Helen is intending to visit the family of Wilcox whom they had met while on a journey in Germany at Howard End. The novel reveals how Helen and her sister are dismayed by the place, as what they saw was quite different with what they expected. The motto of the book is just inheritance and connection. For instance at one time through the novel, Forster asks, â€Å"Who will inherit England?† The purpose of this paper is to discuss how Forster has developed the theme of inheritance in the novel (Doll 1). T he marriage of Henry and Margaret who comes from different families in the novel portray how different world can be connected. For instance, Margaret unlike her sister Helen gets to know better of the Wilcox family through marriage. However, Margaret’s initial encounter with this new family happens to be dismaying and disastrous, though she begins to understand that most of the things that she like, such as culture and art would not exist not unless there is economic and social stability established by the Wilcoxes family. At some point through the novel, Forster reveals how marriage between Margaret and Henry almost ended when Henry Wilcox is not able to make valuable connection between his transgression sexuality with Jacky and Helen’s relationship with Leonard. This implies social challenges that England had to undergo during the early twentieth century (Bradshaw 248). In Howards End, inheritance of property is symbolically disheveled with family issues, social clas s, modernity and national identity. Family is at straggle over inheritance. The novel focuses on three families: the Wilcoxes, Schlegels and Basts. The Schlegels family is a mixture of German and English people. In this family there exists empathetic, rational and pragmatic Margaret (Emma Thompson), Helen (Helena Bonham Catter) who is so impulsive and straggles in the name of socialism, social responsibility and economic injustice, their younger brother, Tabby (Adrian Ross Magenty) and Aunt Juley (Prunella Scales). Helen proves are the pivot of the novel’s melodrama and the politics of gender associated with her, though Margaret proves to be the weightier character (Bradshaw 248). In the novel Forster notes that the Wilcoxes family are presented by people like Mrs. Wilcox, Ruth, a past specter and patriarchal Henry whom Helen describes as a man who cannot reconcile science with religion. He is too mean to an extent that he considers cutting down clerks salaries in order to ha ve comfort and become rich. Furthermore, the entire Wilcox’s family comprising Evie, Paul, Charles and Dolly who is Charles’s wife are portrayed as snobbish, unimaginative and obsessed with class propriety and property. In this case, the Wilcox is the representation of past England through Ruth. The lives of the two families Schlegels and Wilcoxes become entangled through Ruth Wilcox, a friend to Margaret, leaving Howard

Appalachian Mountain Top Removal (strip mining) Essay

Appalachian Mountain Top Removal (strip mining) - Essay Example Everyone is aware of the dangers of black lung and cave-ins, but the coal has to be brought out at any cost. The long-suffering people in these company towns buried deep in the folded mountains and valleys of the Appalachians are the stuff of legend. Unfortunately, like most legends, the realities of modern coal mining have relegated these people to the realm of fiction. Thanks to mining methods such as Mountain Top Removal (MTR), the coal industry barely needs people at all anymore. MTR became a popular method of mining coal in the 1970’s. Traditional deep shaft mining using lots of skilled labor and traditional techniques had been growing increasingly expensive due to increasing labor costs and safety regulations. Large coal companies began to use a technique commonly called â€Å"strip mining†, where the overburden covering the coal seams was entirely removed. This method allowed for the extraction of large amounts of coal using machinery instead of human labor. This is more economical for the company but provides fewer jobs for the people most affected by the mining. MTR is much like strip mining except it happens on a massive scale. The nature of this type of mining has lead to devastating consequences for the environment, economy and society surrounding these mines. MTR in the Appalachian region, centering on the states of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky is largely a product of the geology of the area. Through geologic time, the Appalachian Mountains have been folded and compressed. Coal seams often follow the general topography of the surrounding mountains. Traditional methods of mining involved an angled shaft that penetrated overlying resistant rock in an effort to get at the coal seam. In MTR, the entire top of a ridge is blasted away, exposing the seam. The seam is then worked from top to bottom and down slope using massive dragline and excavation machinery. The environmental

Discussion Board Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Discussion Board Questions - Assignment Example I therefore, believe that it will be self defeating for any proprietor to believe that it is the a customers responsibility to learn English, with it being a lingua franca. The customer is said to be a monarch in business. As such any proprietor who wants to succeed should come down to the level of the potential client and not vice-versa. Diversity in languages is vital as it gives the owners of the language a sense of belonging due to shared history and culture. Anthropology studies show that no language is superior to another. Accommodating other languages ideologies can also give a politician political mileage. This was evident in Barrack Obama’s 2012 presidential election victory where he garnered more votes in Florida, Nevada and Colorado states. These votes turned the tide in his favor. In a situation where individuals are forbidden to speak their native language it breeds resents. Personally I would be uncomfortable staying in such a nation or state. The disadvantage of diversity in languages is it can bread negative ethnicity where some languages are rendered insubordinate; this happens particularly where some groups form the minority. Such scenario hinder economic development due conspiracies propagated by different ethnic groups. If not well managed this may lead to civil strife. Stratification of ethnic groups occasioned by difference in language may lead to increased crime rates especially by the group that may feel shortchanged or marginalized economically (Schaefer, 2013). In my view Statehood for Native Puerto Rican residing in Puerto Rico for Puerto Rico will greatly improve the life and economic status of the Puerto Ricans as the geographical restrictions and fiscal hindrances will be lessened. This will be beneficial more so because the number of them in America is higher than that in Puerto Rica. Independence will be more costly and as it

Indigenous Australians Essay Example for Free

Indigenous Australians Essay The current political scene in Australia has the following Indigenous aspects that have been issues for Australians for many years. These are: land rights, education, employment, health and breakdown of culture. These are the main matters of concern politically. ‘So it is like people say, â€Å"Trust me. I’m from the government. † Well, it doesn’t carry any water with our mob’. ( Koori elder, cited in Kaplan-Myrth, Nili, 2005) Recognising that Aborigines and Torres Strait islanders were the First Peoples of Australia and entitled to land rights because of their own culture and laws is a significant part of history and relevant to today’s politics. The persistent land grabs through NSW and Tasmania, the slaughter of the Indigenous, and the controlling policies over the Indigenous are highlighted as part of our history. The Indigenous link to the land and their customs makes native titles a reality, as seen in the Mabo case, and shapes our history as one of the most contentious political situations in Australia today. When the first Europeans set foot on Australian soil, the British Empire declared the land as terra nullius, embarking on a project of land procurement to start a new colony (Macintyre, 2009). In the period 1788 – 1820, many new settlements were developed from Sydney to the Hawkesbury, Parramatta and the Blue Mountains. Governor Philips originally ordered that the Aboriginals be treated with kindness but this sentiment soon disappeared as many Aboriginals, including women and children, were slaughtered for protecting their land. Tasmanian Aboriginals suffered the same fate and were eventually coaxed to live on surrounding islands as per the Batman ‘treaty’ (Macintyre, 2009). Many of the pastoral and grazing lands were taken illegally by squatters who saw a way to make money through occupying land and holding legal interest. This eventually led to squatters licensing 1839, leasing of land and finally the right to buy 1839-1847(Weaver, 1996). Other demands to make land easier for small farmers to acquire came through land reform Acts that started in 1850’s (Boot, 1998). None of these considerations were extended to the original owners of the land. The land was removed from the indigenous community including their rights and culture and the Indigenous people forced to live under the common category as Aborigine. From 1890, the government embarked on various policies for the indigenous people but in most cases further separated them from their culture. The 1901 Australian Constitution stated that Australian Aboriginals and Torres Straight Islanders were not counted in the census thus affirming lack of recognition. 1905, the White Australia policy restricted immigration and still failed to recognise Australia’s original inhabitants (Macintyre, 2009). Different Aboriginal Community and Protection acts were enforced which removed children from their parents (stolen generations) and made the Indigenous people wards of the state. The instigation of the Assimilation policy, 1937, where it was presumed that all Australians in time would be living like white Australians, exasperated the loss of identity. Even the history of conflict between Indigenous and the military is under debate as Keith Windschuttle argued the numbers of Indigenous killed in battles were considerably fewer than some historians estimate (Harris, J.2003). By the 1960’s the civil rights movements had started the beginning of national black consciousness and in 1967 the Commonwealth referendum voted to empower the Commonwealth to legislate for all Aboriginal people to be counted in the census and give the Commonwealth government specific laws for Indigenous people. Using this as momentum the policy of self determination was initiated which gave powers of self governance and relied on Aboriginals in some remote areas to establish economic independence. This proved to be disappointing as most depended on state welfare (Macintrye, 2009,). However, some Aboriginal Community controlled health facilities have made small advances. The first facility opened in Redfern 1971 (Kaplan-Myrth, Nili, 2005). The most prominent gain for the Indigenous people is the1992 Mabo Case which recognised Aborigines and Torres Straight Islanders as the first people of this land and overturned the doctrine of terra nullius acknowledging the existence of native title. This decision pitted governments, pastoralists, mining industries and the Indigenous peoples against each other. In conjunction with the Mabo Case came the Native Titles Act which commenced operation in 1994 and emphasised the importance of Indigenous people belonging to the land and the significance of Aboriginal culture and laws (Perkins, 2009) Shortly after, the courts ruled in favour of the Wik Case and declared that pastoral leases did not necessarily overrule native title. As a result, relationships between Indigenous people, Government and Australian land owners were strained as native title was not fully understood. When the 1997 Bringing Them Home report described the removal of children from Indigenous families it became the incentive needed to call for an apology and one was finally given by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, on 13th February 2008. This was to be the beginning of reconciliation. However, since then, more policies have been made that restrict how the Indigenous receive payments and ‘standards of behaviour’. (Singleton, Aitkin, Jinks, Warhurst, 2013). Aboriginal and non Aboriginal people have not trusted each other for more than 200 years, clearly this continues. This paper shows that our history is relevant to relationships between the Government and Indigenous people. It highlights the abuse of Indigenous people by colonial settlers when taking the lands and their rights. It shows the fight for the Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders that was acknowledged through the courts and the start to reconciliation. Understandably, it shows that a very insecure relationship continues. Referenceshave come to stay | Sunday 11 April at 8: Boot, H. (1998). Government and the Colonial Economies. In Australian Economic History Review, 38 (1), 74-101. Harris, J. (2003). Hiding the bodies: the myth of the humane colonisation of Aboriginal Australia. Aboriginal history, 27, 79-101. Kaplan-Myrth, Nili. (2005). Sorry Mates: Reconciliation and Self-Determination in Australian Aboriginal Health. Human Rights Review, Jul-Sep, 6(4),69-83. Macintyre, S. (2009). A Concise history of Australia (3rd ed.), Melbourne: Cambridge University Perkins, R. (2009). SBS Television. ‘A fair deal for a dark race’, Episode 6, the First Australians; retrieved from http://www. sbs. com. au/firstaustralians/index/index/epid/6 Perkins, R. (2009). SBS Television. We are no longer Shadows, Episode 7, the First Australians; retrieved fromhttp://www. sbs. com. au/firstaustralians/index/index/epid/7r deal for a dark race | Sunday 16 May at 8:30pm Singleton, Aitkin, Jinks, Warhurst. (2013). Australian Political Institutions. (10th Ed. ). Pearson Australia.

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management Essay Example for Free

Effective Approaches in Leadership and Management Essay The arrangement of health care system has reciprocated in regard to provide quality and modest care. The treatment of healthcare facilities have changeover at different levels in speciality care and acute illnesses to defensive health plan. The changes have seized effective direct approaches and delivery care. With the effort to balance the demands of patient needs in health care, many considerations are made including adjustments with budgets, decreasing excessive costs, and practicing effective means of delivery care. Nurses are challenged to keep up to a work environment that requires continual changes. The nursing industry today faces shortage, as many nurses have low job satisfaction, high compassion fatigue, and the patient ratios levels associate immense acuity. Furthermore, these factors have resulted in patient satisfaction and medical reimbursements. Notwithstanding all the identified issues and its effects, few nursing facilities are growing to next level to identify and promote nursing skills by setting framework to endeavour to gain Magnet status. This paper will focus in comparing and contrasting the expectations of the nursing managers and leaders approaches that may use in regard to magnet status. Magnet status is best defined by Miriam Hospital as ‘ a designation that is rewarded to hospitals for the concept of Magnet Culture; it is a working environment which enables nurses to practice and focus on skilful nursing, involving bedside decision making, nursing development and involvement, competent education, and promote nursing leadership skills (Miriam Hospital, n. d. ) The birth of magnet status undertook in beginning of 1980’s when some hospitals were practicing new retaining ideas for nursing staff with motivation for patient care. Therefore, this concept was developed after few researches and finally it was made official through an article named: â€Å"Magnet Hospitals: Attraction and Retention of Professional Nurses,† written and published in 1983 by Dr. McClure president of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN), professor at New York University, and a member of the original task force (Hawke, 2004). Statistics prove that Magnet hospitals have superlative patient satisfaction scores, protected patient environments, minority of repeat admissions, and improved patient outcome. It is vital that various pre-requisites and qualifications must be met and maintained to execute the concept of Magnet status. The nursing leadership  and management work in synchronization with their defined roles to achieve the goals of completing the tasks by establishing nursing staff participation needed to achieve skilful nursing. In order to receive accurate results, it is essential to define roles and target essential outcomes. According to Huber (2010), the aspect of management is to cater the resources that are required to achieve the target goal of organisation. A manager is expected to plan, organise and implement strategies from an organizing high level to enable the outline of requirements to meet the goal. The manager is responsible to practice the policies and procedures and carry them appro priately. In order to achieve Magnet status, the nurse manager needs to survey the patients and staff to identify and construct the areas of weakness that would improve the patient satisfaction. Some of the basic actions include financial stability by reducing the amount of waste, safeguarding medical reimbursement with patient satisfaction, and nursing practices that mirror decisions like bedside reporting, friendly patient care education, and timely rounding. The nursing leader is expected to provide assistant to the nurse manager in achieving goals by promoting smooth work flows through communication, and provide better understanding of their overall vision, and reasoning why these adjustments are necessary. The nursing leader can accomplish this by promoting trust and endeavouring mutual consent while managing issues (The difference between leadership and management, 2012). In comparison and contrast of the nursing managers and leader approaches there are few points to be considered. In ma nagement, the goals are carried out with the help of managers within the organisation. Whereas the leaders help to identify and develop new approaches to the issues emerging in the organisation. The managers work to fulfil the goals and continue to do, whereas the leaders undergo risks to challenge people and new ideas to break the chain (The difference between leadership and management, 2012). Frellick (2011) states that Magnet concept is created to facilitate and empower shared decision-making and accountability process. To achieve success in this concept, the healthcare facilities need to master in the regulations well known as the ‘Fourteen Forces of Magnetism’, it consists of the new levels in nursing management, encouraging strong participation, and place where nurses are recognised and are able to contribute to the top management. In addition, one more key to success if  the interdisciplinary relationships; it means the members of each department of healthcare are able to co-ordinate and work together; such as nurses, physicians, pharmacists and t herapists. Leadership aims on mutual consent of all team members and promotes respect and involvement of all departments, shared responsibilities and leadership style for actions. It is an necessary personal approach of the writer that personal involvement is the key for building working relationships between management and leadership professionals as they both promotes the organisational goals. If the nursing professionals have opinions and ideas that matters for the wellbeing of the patient satisfaction, then an extra effort to highlight the need is essential. Any new idea is difficult to execute without the commitment and facilitation of the managers and leaders and also among the other parties involved. Real efforts and success can be achieved by working together as a team, and aiming to contribute in a continuous methods in healthcare facilities for total patient satisfaction. References Frellick, M. (2011). A Path to Nursing Excellence. Hospitals Health Networks. Advance online publication. Retrieved from Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Magnet. (2013). Retrieved from Hawke, M. (2004, January). Magnet Status Attracts Mettle. Nursing Spectrum, 19-21. Retrieved from Huber, D. L. (2010). Leadership and Nursing Care Management (4th ed.). Retrieved from Miriam Hospital. (n.d.). Retrieved from The difference between leadership and management. (2012). Retrieved from

Leadership Skills Theory at HSBC Life Assurance Malta

Leadership Skills Theory at HSBC Life Assurance Malta Chapter 1 Introduction Leadership skills are the focus of this study and therefore the author will be, in this chapter introduce leadership and the concept of the leader versus the manager as a primary source. In this section the author will define the meaning of leadership enabling one to understand better the next stages of this study. Furthermore one can find the objective of this study and the organisation studied. The structure section will define the construction of the complimenting chapters. 1.1 Objective The scope of this organisational case study is to compare and contrast the leadership skills theory and the selected organisations leadership and provided the concept of leadership versus management in order to understand better leadership skills which are defined later on in this study. Leadership skills will be reviewed by means of secondary research. Subsequently the leadership skills within the organisation will be studied by means of a primary research methodology. This will enable the author to reach the main objective which aim is to highlight the theory of leadership skills and present findings of the selected organisations current leadership practices. One will eventually benefit from the authors recommendations and conclusions based on the out come of the data analysis. 1.2 The Organisation The selected organisation for this study was HSBC Life Assurance Malta Limited. HSBC Life Assurance Malta Limited was set up in 1995 and is a fully owned subsidiary of HSBC Bank Malta Plc, regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority. Over the years, HSBC Life has developed into one of the leading life assurance product providers on the island with its full and diversified product range, including group and individual term assurance products, mortgage protection policies, etc. This study research thus moves towards assessing all the concepts of leadership styles, skills, coaching, team building. The organisation is in the direction of the Managing Director. 1.3 Structure The structure of this study will be based on 5 chapters. The introduction, chapter 1, has highlighted leadership and the concept of leadership versus management, the objective and the organisation under investigation. Chapter 2 will follow with a literature review of leadership skills from previous studies whilst chapter 3 will cover the research methodology. Chapter 4 will present the findings and finally chapter 5 will cover the authors views and recommendations. Chapter 2 2.0 Leadership Leadership can be defined as: The ability to persuade others willingly to behave differently. The function of team leaders is to achieve the task set for them with the help of the group (Michael Armstrong 2003: 259). Another definition of leadership is: The task of a great leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision. Those leaders who do not are ultimately judged failures, even though they may be popular at the moment (Henry Kissinger). Clawson (2006) explains that leadership consists of three components: the ability to influence others; the willingness to influence others; and the exercise of influence in a way that others respond voluntarily. Thus, while leadership included the use of power, not all uses of power are leadership. The highlight of leadership within an organisation is an emphasis on the importance of a strong human relation and the importance of creating rewarding high-performance teams of motivated and empowered employees. Human understanding and sensitivity are absolutely critical for leadership success. Leadership also consists of identifying proven talent within an organisation and optimising on this talented human resource by developing, retaining and partnering smartly together. Leadership has been perceived to be a primary key to successful strategy implementation. One of the key factors in implementing a strategy is building consensus. A consensus built by motivating, persuading people and by shaping culture and values within an organisation to support the new strategy (Ashby and Miles, 2002). Taking IBM as an example CEO Sam Palmisano has embarked on a leadership mission to get people within the organisation to focus on strategy formulation and implementation. He embarked on a mission to persuade people to focus on the on-demand vision and communicating clear directions. With this positive attitude and employee empowerment he made employees feel motivated and challenged to follow new strategic goals. In this changing world of globalisation, organisations are constantly facing changes within their set ups and therefore leadership plays an important role. Three important aspects of leadership would be people, influence and goals. In order to influence, the relationship between the leader and the follower must not be passive but assertive (Draft, 2006). Within an organisation, leadership directly impacts the effectiveness of costs, revenue generation, service, satisfaction, earnings, market value, share price, social capital, motivation, engagement, and sustainability. In this view one can identify the importance of vision within leadership. In order to move a group successfully towards its goal the leader must communicate the vision or visions with his or her followers. For effectiveness, a vision should appear to be simple, appear desirable enough to energise followers and should describe the organisations future position, which must be credible and preferable to the present state. The leader must communicate these visions adequately to ensure the followers feel as if the vision has been created by themselves (Renesch, 1994). Nonetheless one would need to understand that although leadership focuses on people, influence and goals it cannot be easily defined in such a generic context. However according to Scott (2007) a leader needs to understand that the follower may value a leader differently. Some may prefer a task oriented leader where others may prefer a people oriented leader. In this view the leader must identify the followers needs and how they construe effective leadership. One can see that self awareness is the foundation of effective leadership and one ought to communicate the vision and help the followers fit into that vision. Effective leaders need to change their approach according to the situation, as with one follower, a leader may need to be directive while with others, a leader may need to coach. 2.1 The History of Leadership Leadership, and the study of it, has roots in the beginning of civilisation. Egyptian rulers, Greek heroes and biblical patriarchs all have one thing in common leadership. There are numerous definitions and theories of leadership; however, there are enough similarities in the definitions to conclude that leadership is an effort of influence and the power to induce compliance (Wren, 1995). Our work, our environment, the motivation to work, leaders, leadership, leadership style, and a countless of other work-related variables have been studied for almost two centuries. The organisational focus of the leader has evolved over this same period. Early organisations with authoritarian leaders who believed employees were basically lazy transitioned into way to make work environments more conducive to increased productivity rates. Today, organisations are transforming into places where people are empowered, encouraged, and supported in their personal and professional growth throughout their careers. As the focus of leaders has changed over time, it has influenced and shaped the development and progression of leadership theory. 2.1.2 Early Leader Studies The Industrial Revolution shifted Americas economy from an agriculture base to an industrial one and, thereby, ushered in a change how leaders would treat their followers. The Industrial Revolution created a paradigm shift to a new theory of leadership in which common people gained power by virtue of their skills (Clawson, 1999). New technology, however, was accompanied and reinforced by mechanisation of human thought and action, thus creating hierarchical bureaucracies (Morgan, 1997). One major contributor to this era of management and leadership theory was Max Weber, a German sociologist who observed the parallels between the mechanisation of industry and the proliferation of bureaucratic forms of organisation (Morgan, 1997, p. 17). He noted that the bureaucratic form routinized the process of administration in the same manner that the machine routinized production. 2.1.3 Classical Management Theory and Scientific Management Webers concerns about bureaucracy, however, did not affect theorists who set the stage for what is now known as classical management theory and scientific management. Classical theorists focused on the design of the total organisation while scientific managers focused on the systematic management of individual jobs. In contrast to Weber, classical theorists such as Henri Fayol and F. W. Mooney, staunch advocates of bureaucratisation, devoted their energies identifying methods through which this kind of organisational structure could be achieved (Bass, 1990; Morgan, 1997). Collectively, these theorists set the basis for many modern management techniques, such as management by objectives. Scientific management, an approach heralded by Frederick Taylor, was technological in nature (Hersey, Blanchard Johnson, 1996). Taylor fused the perspective of an engineer into management with a strong emphasis on control, ruthless efficiency, quantification, predictability, and de-skilled jobs. He initiated time-and-motion studies to analyse work tasks to improve worker productivity in an attempt to achieve the highest level of efficiency possible. Consequently, he has been accused of viewing people as instruments or machines to be manipulated by leaders. The function of the leader under scientific management theory was to establish and enforce performance criteria to meet organisational goals; therefore, the focus of a leader was on the needs of the organisation and not on the individual worker. Although the classical and scientific approaches were different, the goals were similar organisations are rational systems and must operate in the most efficient manner possible to achieve the highest level of productivity (Morgan, 1997). Both theories relied on the machine metaphor with a heavy emphasis on mechanisation of jobs, which undermined the human aspect of the organisation and failed to recognise organisations as complex organisms. Although mechanistic organisations proved productive, there were limits to hierarchical bureaucracy. Emerging theorists encouraged leaders to recognise that humans were not machines and could not be treated as such. A post bureaucratic shift in the mid-1940s moved toward everyone taking responsibility for the organisations success or failure (Heckscher Donnellon, 1994). Researchers began to examine the relationship between leader behaviour and follower satisfaction level and organisational productivity and profitability. 2.1.4 Hawthorne, Maslow, and Herzberg Environment and Worker Needs Much organisational research during this era focused on overcoming the perceived shortcomings of the classical and scientific schools of management. Elton Mayos Hawthorne Studies focused on the work situation and its effect on leaders and followers, indicating that the reactions of human beings influence their work activities as much as the formal design and structure of the organisation. Early on leaders could focus their attention on the environment factors of the organisations. The early theories and studies provided researchers with tangible and measurable performance outcomes that were directly transferable to profitability and spreadsheet bottom-lines. A new theory of organisations and leadership began to emerge based on the idea that individuals operate most effectively when their needs are satisfied. Maslows (1959) Hierarchy of Needs posited that once a workers physiological, security, and social (intrinsic) needs were met, productivity would only be possible of the employees ego and self-actualising (extrinsic) needs were also met. Leader focus became redirected toward worker needs. Herzbergs Dual Factor Theory, the evolution of intrinsic and extrinsic needs, furthered Maslows work stating the employees intrinsic and extrinsic needs could, and should, be met simultaneously. Herzbergs (1966) Motivation-Hygiene theory furthered the work of Maslow by providing insights into the goals and incentives that tend to satisfy a workers needs. Herzberg concluded that people have two categories of needs, which he termed hygiene (environmental factors such as working conditions, company policies, etc.) and motivators (factors involving the job itself). According to Herzberg, an employees intrinsic and extrinsic needs could and should be addressed simultaneously. 2.1.5 The Shift to Behavioural Factors Leader focus had moved to understanding the relationship between a leaders actions and the followers satisfaction and productivity. Theorists began to consider behavioural concepts in their analysis of organisational leadership. For example, Chester Barnard was instrumental in including behavioural components (Bass, 1990). Barnards work emphasised the ways in which executives might develop their organisations into cooperative social systems by focusing on the integration of work efforts through communication of goals and attention to worker motivation (Hatch, 1997). Barnard, for example, identified an effective organisational leader as one who determined objectives, manipulated means, initiated action, and stimulated coordinated effort (Bass, 1990, p. 31). Barnard (1938), whose work focused on the functions of the executive, was instrumental in including behavioural components in his analysis of organisational leadership, which claimed that leadership involves accomplishing goals wit h and through people. The theorists of this age argued that in addition to finding the best technological methods to improve output, it would behove management to address human affairs as well. It was claimed that the real power centres within an organisation were the interpersonal relationships that developed among working groups (Hersey, Blanchard Johnson, 1996, p.100). A new theory of organisations and leadership began to emerge based on the idea that individuals operate most effectively when their needs are satisfied. Additionally, when this happens they are more likely to increase their productivity which in turn impacts the organisations bottom line. According to McGregor (1960), the traditional organisation with its centralised decision making, hierarchical pyramid, and external control of work is based on certain assumptions about human nature and human motivation. He dubbed these assumptions Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X assumes that most people prefer to be directed, are not interested in assuming responsibility, and want safety above all else. Accompanying the Theory X philosophy is the belief that people are motivated by money, fringe benefits, and threat of punishment. Managers who espouse Theory X assumptions attempt to structure, control, and closely supervise employees. Although McGregor himself questioned whether Theory X was as accurate view of human nature, the assumptions persisted for a long time in leadership theory circles because it explained à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"some, though not all, of human behaviour within organisations (Pugh Hickson, 1993). Drawing heavily from Maslows (1959) Hierarchy of Needs, McGregor ultimately concluded that Theory X assumptions about human nature, when universally applied, are often inaccurate and that management approaches that develop from these assumptions may fail to motivate individuals to strive toward organisational goals (Hersey, Blanchard, Johnson, 1996). McGregor (1960) believed that management needed practices based on a more accurate understanding of human nature and motivation. The resulting concept, Theory Y, proposed that individuals are not, by nature, lazy and unreliable. People can be self-directed and creative at work if properly motivated (Pugh Hickson, 1993). Therefore, an essential task of management is to unleash this potential. Consequently, the goal of effective leadership was evolving and moving away from the earlier concepts of the classical and scientific management theories that treated workers as machines. Leaders were now challenged to actively involve followers in achieving organisational goals. McGregor (1960), whose work was closely linked to that of the behavioural theorists, is a reflection of that era, providing a foundation for the future emergence of the transformational leadership. McGregors Theory X and Theory Y assumed that employees and leaders had progressed beyond Taylors productivity models that employees could find ways to satisfy their needs within the organisations structure. McGregor assumed employees far more complex that the trait and behavioural theories of leadership assumed and that their complexity and the leaders response to that complexity would affect how and whether the leader and followers worked in tandem to reach mutual organisational goals. McGregor proposed a replacement of direction and control of employees with humanistic motivation. The resulting concept, Theory Y, proposed that individuals did not inherently dislike work and, and that under certain conditions, work could actually be a source of great satisfaction. Theory Y assumed individuals would exercise self-direction and self-control, accepting and seeking responsibility (Pugh Hickson, 1993). The essential concept McGregor and other behaviourists proposed was that organisations are interacting groups and that leaders are a part of these groups. The leaders interaction and relationship with the employee must be a supportive relationship so all members of the organisation feel the organisations objectives and their achievement, are of personal importance to them (Pugh Hickson, 1993). 2.1.6 Situational/Contingency Theory The Circumstantial Focus Unprecedented social change in the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s shifted societal focus from increasing economic wealth to ensuring social rights and equality. Along with this social change, technology was again preparing to jolt American businesses. The advent of the computer age was shifting employee requirements from brawn to brains. Leadership became an intricate process of multilateral brokerage where leaders were forced to focus on constituencies within and without the organisation to survive (Vanourek, 1995). The internal and external environments of organisations were changing. The transference of power from those doing the work to those possessing knowledge about how to organise work more closely levelled the playing field for leaders and followers. Society acknowledged that traditional methods of leadership were no longer effective. McCollum (1995) implied that companies in the information age were unsuccessfully trying to conduct their business using obsolete industrial age leadership theories. Change was the only thing of which everyone could be sure, a factor requiring leadership research and society to consider contingency/situational approaches to leadership if businesses were to remain successful and profitable in an ever-changing and increasingly complicated environment (Contee-Borders, 2003). Heysey and Blanchard (1996) proposed a contingency/situational theory advocating a leaders use of differing leadership behaviours dependent upon two interrelated maturity factors: (a) job maturity relevant task and technical knowledge and skills, and (b) psychological maturity the subordinates level of self-confidence and self-respect (Yukl, 1998). An employee who has a high level of job and psychological maturity requires little supervision; while an employee who has a low level of job and psychological maturity requires hand-on attention. Fielders contingency theory is viewed as the opposite of Hersey and Blanchards theory, maintaining that leaders are less flexible in their ability to change their behaviour based on followers maturity (the basic concept of Hersey and Blanchards theory) (Hughes, Ginnett, Curphy, 1993). Fielders contingency theory posited that leader effectiveness is determined by not the leaders ability to adapt to the situation, but by the ability to choose the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"right leader for the situation (though this theory does not identify who would be responsible for making this choice). Some leaders are simply better for specific situation than others and the situation determines the identified leaders success, though leaders would need to be capable of understanding when they were not right for the situation and remove themselves a task of humility. 2.2 Leadership Styles From a very classical autocratic approach to a very creative, participative approach, different styles were needed for different situations and each leader needed to know when to exhibit a particular approach. The most familiar model is the leadership scale devised by Tannenbaum and Schmidt. In this model, the leader is advised to choose a leadership style that it appropriate for the particular situation. These styles or behaviours, can be placed along continuum ranging from boss-centred at one-end of the scale to subordinate-centred at the other end, as illustrated in Figure 1.1 Inevitably, the opposite poles of this continuum have been labelled Authoritarian (or task-centred), and Democratic (or people-centred) and the inference has been drawn that a concern forgetting the job done is at the opposite end of the scale of the people involved. Tannenbaum and Schmidts article is not as shallow as that, but, like it or not, the impression is left that the two concerns are somehow incompatible. Other commentators advised that authoritarian leadership styles would be most effective in situations that were favourable to the leader and democratic styles would better suit situations that were unfavourable to the leader. Favourable in this context means that the leader has high formal authority, relations between the leader and the staff are good, and the task is highly structured. This further reinforces the assumption that democratic styles are for the leaders to fall back on when things are not going entirely their way; they would not want to be democratic if it could be avoided. The Democratic styles should be the preferred option, falling back on authoritarian styles only when circumstances require it. For example, when the fire alarm sounds tell everyone to leave the building; do not hold a decision about the best course of action. Or, when something bad can not be avoided, accept your responsibility as a manager and give instructions clearly and assertively. Otherwise, the benefits of the bringing several brains to bear on an issue, and the commitment that democratic approaches tend to foster, usually outweigh the inevitable untidiness of getting everyone involved in decision-making . Interestingly, research into animal social groups has found that decisions arrived at communally or democratically are usually more beneficial for the group and its individual members than despotic decision-making, and tend to be less extreme. Whether lessons drawn from the observation of animal behaviour can usefully be applied directly to human groups depends on how much corroborating evidence there is. 2.3 Leadership versus Management Creech (1995) defines the manager versus the leader. She explains how a manager is typically well-educated and would generally possess very high conceptual skills. Managers are mostly focused on the latest management literature. Furthermore managers are very aware of the system, rules and procedures both documented and undocumented. They tend to be very productive oriented rather than people oriented persons and this style proves that they are usually inaccessible or have very little time to listed to the people they manage. This also results form their heavy busy schedules. In addition managers face highly intensive stresses and become very intolerant of any mistakes. They rarely motivate their people to take significant risks to improve operationally or personally and in moments of crisis they can easily consider to re-establish who is in charge, believing that they will achieve the expected performances and organisational goals. Nonetheless, they are very conscious of what others think about them and expect to be liked, despite being aware that this is rather impossible, due to the conflicting roles between management and workers. Furthermore managers ask subordinates for participative input, but rarely encourage real dissent with their own views (Creech, 1995). In contrast, leaders are very people oriented and although they are conscious of what people think of them they are generally less concerned. However, leaders feel themselves as helpers to the organisation as opposed being in command. They are inventive and imaginative movers and participate in achievement of goals. Arguably, leaders have a more positive style to achieving goals and during time of financial or operational turbulences they focus on asking team members for help in strategies and innovation in order to regain competitive advantage. Opposed to this, managers would consider downsizing and cost cutting (Creech, 1995). One can that this is visionary and leaders do communicate widely with simple clear cut visions and goals. They intend to simplify communication to ensure the message gets through without ridiculing anyone in the event of misunderstandings. Additionally they are tolerant of mistakes during the process of development and goal achievement and they are fond of acknowledging their mistakes and do not fear to take whatever measures are required to rectify them (Creech, 1995). Bennis and Goldsmith (1997) define the difference between manager and leader using the following paired contrasts: The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager maintains; the leader develops. The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it. The manager focuses on systems and structures; the leader focuses on people. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader has his or her eye on the horizon. The manager imitates; the leader originates. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. The manager is the classis good soldier; the leader is his or her own person (Bennis and Goldsmith, 1997, p.9). Chapter 3 Literature Review For the purpose of this literature review it has been classified as follows: Human Relation Skills including follower leader relation, and conflict management and counselling as intrapersonal skills. Intrapersonal Skills includes self confidence, stress management, and time management whilst Organisational Skills include leadership styles and motivation and finally Creativity Skills. Human Relation Skills and Intrapersonal Skills follow the same paths and are the abilities how one interacts with others. However Intrapersonal Skills is ones own personal development whilst Organisational Skills is the skill to have a conceptual focus. Finally, Creativity Skills are the having of new ideas. The author introduced these skills in the above sequence as she believes that without having human relation skills one cannot help ones personal development and cannot encourage motivation or creativity. Needless to say, that without motivation one would find difficulties creating new ideas. 3.1 Human Relations and Intrapersonal Skills 3.1.2 Follower Leader Relation In order for a leader to achieve effectiveness through human relations, Isaac, Zerbe and Pitt (2001) shared four important insights and beliefs about the nature of their relationships with their followers: Firstly, they explain how positively effective it is, to gradually and gently direct the follower towards the established goals rather than throwing them into heavy burdens to accomplish corporate purposes. When a mutual agreement of mutual interest is established leaders would smartly lay down the red carpet to the follower and will satisfy the goals of both parties. Rigid commands from the hierarchy within an organisation normally lead to unsatisfactory results and frustration (Isaac, Zerbe and Pitt, 2001) Secondly, it is in the leaders interest to strongly understand their followers, by recognising their needs, what motivates them , their various stages of personal development, and their goals. This is seen through a flow of communication and observations. The leaders challenge in such scenario would be to reach satisfactory levels of both the follower and the organisation. During such a process of identifying the followers needs the leader must show sensitivity, ingenuity and judgement when putting together corporate and personal objectives through communication. The leader should address those areas identified to be low in self confidence and capability by the follower in order to achieve maximum results (Isaac, Zerb and Pitt, 2001) Thirdly, leaders have to establish motivating conditions not only to motivate the follower but to encourage self motivation. One of the motives encouraging the self motivation process would be organisational rewards however this makes the leaders responsibility intense, as he/she would need to determine the various intrinsic or extrinsic rewards to followers. Intrinsic motivational states are beyond leaders control however they can possibly enhance such feelings and emotions by: Spending time with the follower and enhancing, rather than undermining, self-confidence. Increasing follower knowledge, skills and abilities through exposure to various educational and training programs, as well as experiences. These activities enhance both follower capability and self-confidence. Establishing realistic, meaningful and attainable goals with the follower to both parties. Creating a climate of mutual respect. Showing appreciation when the follower meets or exceeds expectations, or addressing problematic issues regarding the followers performance by focusing upon the work rather than the individual. (Isaac, Zerbe and Pitt, 2001, p.212) The fourth and final insight relates to the importance of honesty and consistent behaviour showed to the followers. Leaders can loose credibility through promises that are rather difficult to fulfil at a later stage, and will also be exposed to deducting the followers motivation. On the other hand consistency generates a clear path to the followers especially in matters such as fairness, expectations and personal cose of conduct. In addition, leader must reduce distinctions of status that might cause some followers to feel degraded and not regarded (Isaac, Zerbe and Pitt, 2001). Relationship closeness, is the extent to which an employee has a sharing, open, familiar relation with management. Thus, relationship closeness is a broad concept that encompasses several specific constructs like interaction, open communication, and informal relations between employees and management(Mcknight, Ahmad and Schroederet, 2001, p.466). As one can see from the above four insights of human relations skills incorporates a strong degree of interpersonal skills and as Leadership Skills Theory at HSBC Life Assurance Malta Leadership Skills Theory at HSBC Life Assurance Malta Chapter 1 Introduction Leadership skills are the focus of this study and therefore the author will be, in this chapter introduce leadership and the concept of the leader versus the manager as a primary source. In this section the author will define the meaning of leadership enabling one to understand better the next stages of this study. Furthermore one can find the objective of this study and the organisation studied. The structure section will define the construction of the complimenting chapters. 1.1 Objective The scope of this organisational case study is to compare and contrast the leadership skills theory and the selected organisations leadership and provided the concept of leadership versus management in order to understand better leadership skills which are defined later on in this study. Leadership skills will be reviewed by means of secondary research. Subsequently the leadership skills within the organisation will be studied by means of a primary research methodology. This will enable the author to reach the main objective which aim is to highlight the theory of leadership skills and present findings of the selected organisations current leadership practices. One will eventually benefit from the authors recommendations and conclusions based on the out come of the data analysis. 1.2 The Organisation The selected organisation for this study was HSBC Life Assurance Malta Limited. HSBC Life Assurance Malta Limited was set up in 1995 and is a fully owned subsidiary of HSBC Bank Malta Plc, regulated by the Malta Financial Services Authority. Over the years, HSBC Life has developed into one of the leading life assurance product providers on the island with its full and diversified product range, including group and individual term assurance products, mortgage protection policies, etc. This study research thus moves towards assessing all the concepts of leadership styles, skills, coaching, team building. The organisation is in the direction of the Managing Director. 1.3 Structure The structure of this study will be based on 5 chapters. The introduction, chapter 1, has highlighted leadership and the concept of leadership versus management, the objective and the organisation under investigation. Chapter 2 will follow with a literature review of leadership skills from previous studies whilst chapter 3 will cover the research methodology. Chapter 4 will present the findings and finally chapter 5 will cover the authors views and recommendations. Chapter 2 2.0 Leadership Leadership can be defined as: The ability to persuade others willingly to behave differently. The function of team leaders is to achieve the task set for them with the help of the group (Michael Armstrong 2003: 259). Another definition of leadership is: The task of a great leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision. Those leaders who do not are ultimately judged failures, even though they may be popular at the moment (Henry Kissinger). Clawson (2006) explains that leadership consists of three components: the ability to influence others; the willingness to influence others; and the exercise of influence in a way that others respond voluntarily. Thus, while leadership included the use of power, not all uses of power are leadership. The highlight of leadership within an organisation is an emphasis on the importance of a strong human relation and the importance of creating rewarding high-performance teams of motivated and empowered employees. Human understanding and sensitivity are absolutely critical for leadership success. Leadership also consists of identifying proven talent within an organisation and optimising on this talented human resource by developing, retaining and partnering smartly together. Leadership has been perceived to be a primary key to successful strategy implementation. One of the key factors in implementing a strategy is building consensus. A consensus built by motivating, persuading people and by shaping culture and values within an organisation to support the new strategy (Ashby and Miles, 2002). Taking IBM as an example CEO Sam Palmisano has embarked on a leadership mission to get people within the organisation to focus on strategy formulation and implementation. He embarked on a mission to persuade people to focus on the on-demand vision and communicating clear directions. With this positive attitude and employee empowerment he made employees feel motivated and challenged to follow new strategic goals. In this changing world of globalisation, organisations are constantly facing changes within their set ups and therefore leadership plays an important role. Three important aspects of leadership would be people, influence and goals. In order to influence, the relationship between the leader and the follower must not be passive but assertive (Draft, 2006). Within an organisation, leadership directly impacts the effectiveness of costs, revenue generation, service, satisfaction, earnings, market value, share price, social capital, motivation, engagement, and sustainability. In this view one can identify the importance of vision within leadership. In order to move a group successfully towards its goal the leader must communicate the vision or visions with his or her followers. For effectiveness, a vision should appear to be simple, appear desirable enough to energise followers and should describe the organisations future position, which must be credible and preferable to the present state. The leader must communicate these visions adequately to ensure the followers feel as if the vision has been created by themselves (Renesch, 1994). Nonetheless one would need to understand that although leadership focuses on people, influence and goals it cannot be easily defined in such a generic context. However according to Scott (2007) a leader needs to understand that the follower may value a leader differently. Some may prefer a task oriented leader where others may prefer a people oriented leader. In this view the leader must identify the followers needs and how they construe effective leadership. One can see that self awareness is the foundation of effective leadership and one ought to communicate the vision and help the followers fit into that vision. Effective leaders need to change their approach according to the situation, as with one follower, a leader may need to be directive while with others, a leader may need to coach. 2.1 The History of Leadership Leadership, and the study of it, has roots in the beginning of civilisation. Egyptian rulers, Greek heroes and biblical patriarchs all have one thing in common leadership. There are numerous definitions and theories of leadership; however, there are enough similarities in the definitions to conclude that leadership is an effort of influence and the power to induce compliance (Wren, 1995). Our work, our environment, the motivation to work, leaders, leadership, leadership style, and a countless of other work-related variables have been studied for almost two centuries. The organisational focus of the leader has evolved over this same period. Early organisations with authoritarian leaders who believed employees were basically lazy transitioned into way to make work environments more conducive to increased productivity rates. Today, organisations are transforming into places where people are empowered, encouraged, and supported in their personal and professional growth throughout their careers. As the focus of leaders has changed over time, it has influenced and shaped the development and progression of leadership theory. 2.1.2 Early Leader Studies The Industrial Revolution shifted Americas economy from an agriculture base to an industrial one and, thereby, ushered in a change how leaders would treat their followers. The Industrial Revolution created a paradigm shift to a new theory of leadership in which common people gained power by virtue of their skills (Clawson, 1999). New technology, however, was accompanied and reinforced by mechanisation of human thought and action, thus creating hierarchical bureaucracies (Morgan, 1997). One major contributor to this era of management and leadership theory was Max Weber, a German sociologist who observed the parallels between the mechanisation of industry and the proliferation of bureaucratic forms of organisation (Morgan, 1997, p. 17). He noted that the bureaucratic form routinized the process of administration in the same manner that the machine routinized production. 2.1.3 Classical Management Theory and Scientific Management Webers concerns about bureaucracy, however, did not affect theorists who set the stage for what is now known as classical management theory and scientific management. Classical theorists focused on the design of the total organisation while scientific managers focused on the systematic management of individual jobs. In contrast to Weber, classical theorists such as Henri Fayol and F. W. Mooney, staunch advocates of bureaucratisation, devoted their energies identifying methods through which this kind of organisational structure could be achieved (Bass, 1990; Morgan, 1997). Collectively, these theorists set the basis for many modern management techniques, such as management by objectives. Scientific management, an approach heralded by Frederick Taylor, was technological in nature (Hersey, Blanchard Johnson, 1996). Taylor fused the perspective of an engineer into management with a strong emphasis on control, ruthless efficiency, quantification, predictability, and de-skilled jobs. He initiated time-and-motion studies to analyse work tasks to improve worker productivity in an attempt to achieve the highest level of efficiency possible. Consequently, he has been accused of viewing people as instruments or machines to be manipulated by leaders. The function of the leader under scientific management theory was to establish and enforce performance criteria to meet organisational goals; therefore, the focus of a leader was on the needs of the organisation and not on the individual worker. Although the classical and scientific approaches were different, the goals were similar organisations are rational systems and must operate in the most efficient manner possible to achieve the highest level of productivity (Morgan, 1997). Both theories relied on the machine metaphor with a heavy emphasis on mechanisation of jobs, which undermined the human aspect of the organisation and failed to recognise organisations as complex organisms. Although mechanistic organisations proved productive, there were limits to hierarchical bureaucracy. Emerging theorists encouraged leaders to recognise that humans were not machines and could not be treated as such. A post bureaucratic shift in the mid-1940s moved toward everyone taking responsibility for the organisations success or failure (Heckscher Donnellon, 1994). Researchers began to examine the relationship between leader behaviour and follower satisfaction level and organisational productivity and profitability. 2.1.4 Hawthorne, Maslow, and Herzberg Environment and Worker Needs Much organisational research during this era focused on overcoming the perceived shortcomings of the classical and scientific schools of management. Elton Mayos Hawthorne Studies focused on the work situation and its effect on leaders and followers, indicating that the reactions of human beings influence their work activities as much as the formal design and structure of the organisation. Early on leaders could focus their attention on the environment factors of the organisations. The early theories and studies provided researchers with tangible and measurable performance outcomes that were directly transferable to profitability and spreadsheet bottom-lines. A new theory of organisations and leadership began to emerge based on the idea that individuals operate most effectively when their needs are satisfied. Maslows (1959) Hierarchy of Needs posited that once a workers physiological, security, and social (intrinsic) needs were met, productivity would only be possible of the employees ego and self-actualising (extrinsic) needs were also met. Leader focus became redirected toward worker needs. Herzbergs Dual Factor Theory, the evolution of intrinsic and extrinsic needs, furthered Maslows work stating the employees intrinsic and extrinsic needs could, and should, be met simultaneously. Herzbergs (1966) Motivation-Hygiene theory furthered the work of Maslow by providing insights into the goals and incentives that tend to satisfy a workers needs. Herzberg concluded that people have two categories of needs, which he termed hygiene (environmental factors such as working conditions, company policies, etc.) and motivators (factors involving the job itself). According to Herzberg, an employees intrinsic and extrinsic needs could and should be addressed simultaneously. 2.1.5 The Shift to Behavioural Factors Leader focus had moved to understanding the relationship between a leaders actions and the followers satisfaction and productivity. Theorists began to consider behavioural concepts in their analysis of organisational leadership. For example, Chester Barnard was instrumental in including behavioural components (Bass, 1990). Barnards work emphasised the ways in which executives might develop their organisations into cooperative social systems by focusing on the integration of work efforts through communication of goals and attention to worker motivation (Hatch, 1997). Barnard, for example, identified an effective organisational leader as one who determined objectives, manipulated means, initiated action, and stimulated coordinated effort (Bass, 1990, p. 31). Barnard (1938), whose work focused on the functions of the executive, was instrumental in including behavioural components in his analysis of organisational leadership, which claimed that leadership involves accomplishing goals wit h and through people. The theorists of this age argued that in addition to finding the best technological methods to improve output, it would behove management to address human affairs as well. It was claimed that the real power centres within an organisation were the interpersonal relationships that developed among working groups (Hersey, Blanchard Johnson, 1996, p.100). A new theory of organisations and leadership began to emerge based on the idea that individuals operate most effectively when their needs are satisfied. Additionally, when this happens they are more likely to increase their productivity which in turn impacts the organisations bottom line. According to McGregor (1960), the traditional organisation with its centralised decision making, hierarchical pyramid, and external control of work is based on certain assumptions about human nature and human motivation. He dubbed these assumptions Theory X and Theory Y. Theory X assumes that most people prefer to be directed, are not interested in assuming responsibility, and want safety above all else. Accompanying the Theory X philosophy is the belief that people are motivated by money, fringe benefits, and threat of punishment. Managers who espouse Theory X assumptions attempt to structure, control, and closely supervise employees. Although McGregor himself questioned whether Theory X was as accurate view of human nature, the assumptions persisted for a long time in leadership theory circles because it explained à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"some, though not all, of human behaviour within organisations (Pugh Hickson, 1993). Drawing heavily from Maslows (1959) Hierarchy of Needs, McGregor ultimately concluded that Theory X assumptions about human nature, when universally applied, are often inaccurate and that management approaches that develop from these assumptions may fail to motivate individuals to strive toward organisational goals (Hersey, Blanchard, Johnson, 1996). McGregor (1960) believed that management needed practices based on a more accurate understanding of human nature and motivation. The resulting concept, Theory Y, proposed that individuals are not, by nature, lazy and unreliable. People can be self-directed and creative at work if properly motivated (Pugh Hickson, 1993). Therefore, an essential task of management is to unleash this potential. Consequently, the goal of effective leadership was evolving and moving away from the earlier concepts of the classical and scientific management theories that treated workers as machines. Leaders were now challenged to actively involve followers in achieving organisational goals. McGregor (1960), whose work was closely linked to that of the behavioural theorists, is a reflection of that era, providing a foundation for the future emergence of the transformational leadership. McGregors Theory X and Theory Y assumed that employees and leaders had progressed beyond Taylors productivity models that employees could find ways to satisfy their needs within the organisations structure. McGregor assumed employees far more complex that the trait and behavioural theories of leadership assumed and that their complexity and the leaders response to that complexity would affect how and whether the leader and followers worked in tandem to reach mutual organisational goals. McGregor proposed a replacement of direction and control of employees with humanistic motivation. The resulting concept, Theory Y, proposed that individuals did not inherently dislike work and, and that under certain conditions, work could actually be a source of great satisfaction. Theory Y assumed individuals would exercise self-direction and self-control, accepting and seeking responsibility (Pugh Hickson, 1993). The essential concept McGregor and other behaviourists proposed was that organisations are interacting groups and that leaders are a part of these groups. The leaders interaction and relationship with the employee must be a supportive relationship so all members of the organisation feel the organisations objectives and their achievement, are of personal importance to them (Pugh Hickson, 1993). 2.1.6 Situational/Contingency Theory The Circumstantial Focus Unprecedented social change in the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s shifted societal focus from increasing economic wealth to ensuring social rights and equality. Along with this social change, technology was again preparing to jolt American businesses. The advent of the computer age was shifting employee requirements from brawn to brains. Leadership became an intricate process of multilateral brokerage where leaders were forced to focus on constituencies within and without the organisation to survive (Vanourek, 1995). The internal and external environments of organisations were changing. The transference of power from those doing the work to those possessing knowledge about how to organise work more closely levelled the playing field for leaders and followers. Society acknowledged that traditional methods of leadership were no longer effective. McCollum (1995) implied that companies in the information age were unsuccessfully trying to conduct their business using obsolete industrial age leadership theories. Change was the only thing of which everyone could be sure, a factor requiring leadership research and society to consider contingency/situational approaches to leadership if businesses were to remain successful and profitable in an ever-changing and increasingly complicated environment (Contee-Borders, 2003). Heysey and Blanchard (1996) proposed a contingency/situational theory advocating a leaders use of differing leadership behaviours dependent upon two interrelated maturity factors: (a) job maturity relevant task and technical knowledge and skills, and (b) psychological maturity the subordinates level of self-confidence and self-respect (Yukl, 1998). An employee who has a high level of job and psychological maturity requires little supervision; while an employee who has a low level of job and psychological maturity requires hand-on attention. Fielders contingency theory is viewed as the opposite of Hersey and Blanchards theory, maintaining that leaders are less flexible in their ability to change their behaviour based on followers maturity (the basic concept of Hersey and Blanchards theory) (Hughes, Ginnett, Curphy, 1993). Fielders contingency theory posited that leader effectiveness is determined by not the leaders ability to adapt to the situation, but by the ability to choose the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"right leader for the situation (though this theory does not identify who would be responsible for making this choice). Some leaders are simply better for specific situation than others and the situation determines the identified leaders success, though leaders would need to be capable of understanding when they were not right for the situation and remove themselves a task of humility. 2.2 Leadership Styles From a very classical autocratic approach to a very creative, participative approach, different styles were needed for different situations and each leader needed to know when to exhibit a particular approach. The most familiar model is the leadership scale devised by Tannenbaum and Schmidt. In this model, the leader is advised to choose a leadership style that it appropriate for the particular situation. These styles or behaviours, can be placed along continuum ranging from boss-centred at one-end of the scale to subordinate-centred at the other end, as illustrated in Figure 1.1 Inevitably, the opposite poles of this continuum have been labelled Authoritarian (or task-centred), and Democratic (or people-centred) and the inference has been drawn that a concern forgetting the job done is at the opposite end of the scale of the people involved. Tannenbaum and Schmidts article is not as shallow as that, but, like it or not, the impression is left that the two concerns are somehow incompatible. Other commentators advised that authoritarian leadership styles would be most effective in situations that were favourable to the leader and democratic styles would better suit situations that were unfavourable to the leader. Favourable in this context means that the leader has high formal authority, relations between the leader and the staff are good, and the task is highly structured. This further reinforces the assumption that democratic styles are for the leaders to fall back on when things are not going entirely their way; they would not want to be democratic if it could be avoided. The Democratic styles should be the preferred option, falling back on authoritarian styles only when circumstances require it. For example, when the fire alarm sounds tell everyone to leave the building; do not hold a decision about the best course of action. Or, when something bad can not be avoided, accept your responsibility as a manager and give instructions clearly and assertively. Otherwise, the benefits of the bringing several brains to bear on an issue, and the commitment that democratic approaches tend to foster, usually outweigh the inevitable untidiness of getting everyone involved in decision-making . Interestingly, research into animal social groups has found that decisions arrived at communally or democratically are usually more beneficial for the group and its individual members than despotic decision-making, and tend to be less extreme. Whether lessons drawn from the observation of animal behaviour can usefully be applied directly to human groups depends on how much corroborating evidence there is. 2.3 Leadership versus Management Creech (1995) defines the manager versus the leader. She explains how a manager is typically well-educated and would generally possess very high conceptual skills. Managers are mostly focused on the latest management literature. Furthermore managers are very aware of the system, rules and procedures both documented and undocumented. They tend to be very productive oriented rather than people oriented persons and this style proves that they are usually inaccessible or have very little time to listed to the people they manage. This also results form their heavy busy schedules. In addition managers face highly intensive stresses and become very intolerant of any mistakes. They rarely motivate their people to take significant risks to improve operationally or personally and in moments of crisis they can easily consider to re-establish who is in charge, believing that they will achieve the expected performances and organisational goals. Nonetheless, they are very conscious of what others think about them and expect to be liked, despite being aware that this is rather impossible, due to the conflicting roles between management and workers. Furthermore managers ask subordinates for participative input, but rarely encourage real dissent with their own views (Creech, 1995). In contrast, leaders are very people oriented and although they are conscious of what people think of them they are generally less concerned. However, leaders feel themselves as helpers to the organisation as opposed being in command. They are inventive and imaginative movers and participate in achievement of goals. Arguably, leaders have a more positive style to achieving goals and during time of financial or operational turbulences they focus on asking team members for help in strategies and innovation in order to regain competitive advantage. Opposed to this, managers would consider downsizing and cost cutting (Creech, 1995). One can that this is visionary and leaders do communicate widely with simple clear cut visions and goals. They intend to simplify communication to ensure the message gets through without ridiculing anyone in the event of misunderstandings. Additionally they are tolerant of mistakes during the process of development and goal achievement and they are fond of acknowledging their mistakes and do not fear to take whatever measures are required to rectify them (Creech, 1995). Bennis and Goldsmith (1997) define the difference between manager and leader using the following paired contrasts: The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager maintains; the leader develops. The manager accepts reality; the leader investigates it. The manager focuses on systems and structures; the leader focuses on people. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his or her eye always on the bottom line; the leader has his or her eye on the horizon. The manager imitates; the leader originates. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. The manager is the classis good soldier; the leader is his or her own person (Bennis and Goldsmith, 1997, p.9). Chapter 3 Literature Review For the purpose of this literature review it has been classified as follows: Human Relation Skills including follower leader relation, and conflict management and counselling as intrapersonal skills. Intrapersonal Skills includes self confidence, stress management, and time management whilst Organisational Skills include leadership styles and motivation and finally Creativity Skills. Human Relation Skills and Intrapersonal Skills follow the same paths and are the abilities how one interacts with others. However Intrapersonal Skills is ones own personal development whilst Organisational Skills is the skill to have a conceptual focus. Finally, Creativity Skills are the having of new ideas. The author introduced these skills in the above sequence as she believes that without having human relation skills one cannot help ones personal development and cannot encourage motivation or creativity. Needless to say, that without motivation one would find difficulties creating new ideas. 3.1 Human Relations and Intrapersonal Skills 3.1.2 Follower Leader Relation In order for a leader to achieve effectiveness through human relations, Isaac, Zerbe and Pitt (2001) shared four important insights and beliefs about the nature of their relationships with their followers: Firstly, they explain how positively effective it is, to gradually and gently direct the follower towards the established goals rather than throwing them into heavy burdens to accomplish corporate purposes. When a mutual agreement of mutual interest is established leaders would smartly lay down the red carpet to the follower and will satisfy the goals of both parties. Rigid commands from the hierarchy within an organisation normally lead to unsatisfactory results and frustration (Isaac, Zerbe and Pitt, 2001) Secondly, it is in the leaders interest to strongly understand their followers, by recognising their needs, what motivates them , their various stages of personal development, and their goals. This is seen through a flow of communication and observations. The leaders challenge in such scenario would be to reach satisfactory levels of both the follower and the organisation. During such a process of identifying the followers needs the leader must show sensitivity, ingenuity and judgement when putting together corporate and personal objectives through communication. The leader should address those areas identified to be low in self confidence and capability by the follower in order to achieve maximum results (Isaac, Zerb and Pitt, 2001) Thirdly, leaders have to establish motivating conditions not only to motivate the follower but to encourage self motivation. One of the motives encouraging the self motivation process would be organisational rewards however this makes the leaders responsibility intense, as he/she would need to determine the various intrinsic or extrinsic rewards to followers. Intrinsic motivational states are beyond leaders control however they can possibly enhance such feelings and emotions by: Spending time with the follower and enhancing, rather than undermining, self-confidence. Increasing follower knowledge, skills and abilities through exposure to various educational and training programs, as well as experiences. These activities enhance both follower capability and self-confidence. Establishing realistic, meaningful and attainable goals with the follower to both parties. Creating a climate of mutual respect. Showing appreciation when the follower meets or exceeds expectations, or addressing problematic issues regarding the followers performance by focusing upon the work rather than the individual. (Isaac, Zerbe and Pitt, 2001, p.212) The fourth and final insight relates to the importance of honesty and consistent behaviour showed to the followers. Leaders can loose credibility through promises that are rather difficult to fulfil at a later stage, and will also be exposed to deducting the followers motivation. On the other hand consistency generates a clear path to the followers especially in matters such as fairness, expectations and personal cose of conduct. In addition, leader must reduce distinctions of status that might cause some followers to feel degraded and not regarded (Isaac, Zerbe and Pitt, 2001). Relationship closeness, is the extent to which an employee has a sharing, open, familiar relation with management. Thus, relationship closeness is a broad concept that encompasses several specific constructs like interaction, open communication, and informal relations between employees and management(Mcknight, Ahmad and Schroederet, 2001, p.466). As one can see from the above four insights of human relations skills incorporates a strong degree of interpersonal skills and as

Interactive Museum Experiences :: essays papers

Interactive Museum Experiences â€Å"I am Richard Nixon, president from 1969 to 1974. I was a lawyer and studied at Duke University Law. I died in 1994,† says Marjorie Cozzens, age 8 (Dooley, 2003, p. F4). The third grade class at Karigon Elementary School, of which Marjorie is a member, were preparing for the opening of their Presidential Wax Museum on Friday, March 7, 2003. Marjorie’s third grade teacher, Renee Bortolini has her class choose a president, learn about them, and on Friday, the students will put their hard work together to create their very own wax museum. The wax museum serves a purpose to help the students learn through an interactive museum experience. Hands on learning helps the students to experience the lesson being taught as well as helping them to apply class instruction to real world applications. Many students are more apt to receive and understand information through visual techniques. Interactive museums can provide teachers with classes and seminars, which help them to incorporate a field trip, plus the pre- and post-work, into an acceptable curriculum. Certain techniques are also beneficial for museums to follow when they are setting up special exhibits. Overall, interactive museum experiences are beneficial to both student and teacher. Techniques used in developing interactive museums Many different techniques are used to develop a children’s interactive museum. Physical objects, including the exhibits and activities should be scaled down to size and should also be built with the mental capacity of elementary school children in mind. Exhibits should not be difficult to understand, and activities should be easy to follow. Multiple items of interest included into one exhibit tend to be too difficult for the youth. When constructing an exhibit centered around a youthful audience, one item of interest should be incorporated into the exhibit so that the youth are able to understand and can follow the exhibit. Organization should also be brought into consideration, so that the student can interpret the exhibit successfully. Finally, these interactive exhibits and activities may be run by the public school district and can even be staffed by teachers (Burcaw, 1997). Within the museum, certain exhibits should be produced to help stimulate the learning abilities of younger children. A city zoo provided the community with an interactive exhibit by building two identical monkey islands side by side.

Online Gaming in South Korea Essay examples -- Asia Technology Essays

Online Gaming in South Korea The rise of online gaming in South Korea has brought improved economic prospects and notoriety, but at what price? Beginning in the late 1990’s South Korea has quickly become the undisputed king of the online gaming world. Gaming and the culture that has grown up around it are now the defining aspects of the lives of many South Korea youths. While this eruption of online gaming has created revenue for the country and made South Korea a global hotspot for international gamers it has also been a cause of concern in much the same way excessive television viewing and game playing has in the U.S. A number of factors contribute to the huge percentage of online-gamers in South Korea. A fast internet connection is a necessity and South Korea is, per capita, the most wired country in the world. Over 60% of households have broadband – compared to 20% in the United States (Kim 2). South Korea’s small geographical size and high population density make running the required cabling an easier task than it would be in the U.S. Broadband access in South Korea is, furthermore, the cheapest in the world at $25 per month (Kim 2). Additionally, in South Korea console gaming isn’t nearly as popular as it is in the U.S. and elsewhere. Console systems – Playstation, Nintendo, Sega – are by and large of Japanese origin. Due to past discord between the two countries – Korean being a colony under the rather, at the time, iron-fisted Japanese – Japanese imports have been both officially and culturally unpopular (Herz 3). Without consoles to take away from the base of game players, in South Korea unlike the U.S., online computer gaming is the dominant form of electronic gaming. Though more than half the homes in South Korea a... ...bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2499957.stm) Fulford, Benjamin. â€Å"Korea’s Weird Wired World† Forbes Online 21 July 2003. October 28, 2003. (http://www.forbes.com/technology/free_forbes/2003/0721/092.html?partner=newscom) Kim, Jin David. â€Å"Lucrative Lessons from Online Game Players† International Herald Tribune 12 March 2002. October 28, 2003. (http://www.iht.com/articles/89432.html) Ihlwan, Moon. â€Å"The Champs in Online Games† Business Week Online 23 July 2001. October 28, 2003. (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/01_30/b3742142.htm) Electro Lobby. â€Å"E-Sport: Gaming Goes Pro – Interview.† Unknown. October 28, 2003 (http://www.tnc.net/el/el01/progaming.html) Related Links: http://www.worldcybergames.com/ - home site of the World Cyber Games http://www.ncsoft.net/ - NCsoft, makers of Lineage http://www.blizzard.com/ - Blizzard Inc., makers of Starcraft