Knowledge without application is worthless Essay

A great philosopher once said, â€Å"Without knowledge action is useless and knowledge without action is futile†Good morning ladies and gentlemen I’m Abdul Rafae and today I’m going to speak on ‘knowledge without application is useless’Humans have a common ability of applying almost everything in their life. Talking about new fashions, trends, innovations but when it comes to applying knowledge, situation is slightly different. Not all people r experts but the qs is what lacks in most knowledgeable humans that becomes an obstacle for them to become an expert. Ladies & gentlemen the answer is as simple as that, they simply lack the ability to use that knowledge just wen it is requird.. I’ve often been hearing an old saying†¦knowledge is power. However, I never agreed with it. I knew it had to be corrected to application of knowledge is power because this is what’s important. Cramming us with useless knowledge contributes to no added value. Rote learning of the books particularly ends up is ruining one’s life. I don’t say being a knowledgeable person is bad but if one has the knowledge yet fails to implement it where required†¦he’s a man of no worth!Considering the competition prevailing in our society today, we’re now in a much more complex state where everybody is seeking knowledge either by book or crook, but when it comes to application of that knowledge we fail to see ‘those geniuses’ getting successful. I’ll support my idea by a very well-known example which I know would be acceptable to all my fellow friends sitting here. This example is of Bill Gates. Yes I’m talking about one of the richest men on earth today who is not even a high school pass out yet is controlling consumers around the globe. Now what exactly do you think is the key to his success? Luck†¦ Source†¦ Or excessive knowledge? Let me tell you it was none of these three. In fact for being another Bill Gates you need to have a passion and you need to know how to apply your skills with respect to the need†¦.and ladies and gentlemen trust me it maybe possible that application along may get you to success. However knowledge alone may not do so. Now let me define the difference between having knowledge & applying it. Lets suppose for e.g. you have a novel of your favourite author but you don’t know how to read the words in it. Would you be able to ever finish it?That’s exactly my point, when u don’t know how to apply ur reading skills how wud u read?Interestingly every student wants an exam free life, don’t we hate exams? Yes we do†¦ its bitter but a fact that if we are not tested on what we acquire from our respected teachers we may never learn to apply it. Hence instead of considering them as a nite mare take exams as a step towards applying whatever ur taught. As time is limited I would like to end my speech by saying that I Abdul Rafae have 2 A’s in my o’levels till now and a successful educational background. My purpose is not to show off but I’m proud to say that I’m not only a knowledge person but I’m a man above that†¦ because I believe knowledge is just the information and only by applying that information we make ourselves what we are. Thank you!

Ecotourism in Malaysia

G. DEVELOPMENT OF ECOTOURISM IN MALAYSIA -Mohd Director, Nawayai Zoo Park Yasak Melaka Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National 1. Historical Background Until the 1970s, tourism was not regarded as an important economic activity in Malaysia. The Tourism Development Corporation of Malaysia (TDC) was set up in 1972, with the responsibility to act as a development authority, but the sector was given a low priority. Dut partly to limited financial allocations, TDC faced constraints in the effective performance of its catalytic role. As a result, Malaysia remained a relatively unknown destination, while other countries in the region such asSingapore, Thailand and Indonesia built on their established reputations as mass tourism destinations. During the 1980s, tourism became an increasingly important industry worldwide. Investment in new facilities and capital equipment reached around $US 350 million per year, representing 7. 3 per cent of total worldwide capital investments. Almost 6. 5 per cent of the world's workforce were employed by the industry. Among the main reasons for this growth were increased personal income and leisure time, improvement in international transportation systems and greater public awareness of other parts of the world due to improved communications. These developments were felt by Malaysia as well as other countries. Recognizing that tourism can playa role in economic and social development, as well as in fostering national integration and unity, the Malaysian government undertook a series of positive initiatives to stimulate the development of the tourism sector. These included the following: (a) The government established the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (which became the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism in 1990). This provided an institutional framework for the planning, coordination, and regulation of tourism, and for the first time tourism was accounted for within the framework of recognized economic activities; By virtue of the Tourism Industry Act of 1992 and the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Act of 1992, the new Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism took over from TOC the function of formulation and implementation of policies, licensing and enforcement aspects of the tourism industry. TOC thereafter became known as the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (or Tourism Malaysia for short), with a role concentrated on marketing and promotion; The Investment Incentives Act was revised in 1986 to include the tourism sector, thereby giving additional stimulus to tourism investment, such as the Pioneer Status Investment Tax Allowance, Industrial Building Allowances, and tax exemption for large foreign group tours; In 1990, the federal government set up a Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 120 million special fund for tourism to stimulate its development, including small and medium scale enterprise. b) (c) (d) During the Fourth and Fifth Malaysia Plans (1981-1985 and 1986-1990) significant attention was given to the tourism sector, with increased public allocations for marketing and promotional activities, infrastructure and product development. Expenditure was RM 125. 5 million under the Fourth Plan and RM 132. 1 million under Fifth Plan. The Fifth Plan period culminated in Visit Malaysi a Year 1990, which generated a high international profile for Malaysia and attracted 7. 4 million tourists as well as revenues of RM 4. 5 billion. Under the Sixth Malaysia Plan (1991-1995), the government therefore increased the public allocation for tourism development to RM 533. 9 million. This allocation has been used to provide and expand the physical and social infrastructure, facilities and services required to support the future growth of the tourism sector. (See Table 1. ) Visitors have come to Malaysia for many years to see wildlife, scenery, forests and beaches. The numbers are very difficult to assess, except at a few sites such as Taman Negara and Kinabalu Park. There, the numbers have climbed steadily over the past 30 years. The well-known sites are mainly large with multiple attractions, but they also include one or two places with a single major attraction, notably Rantan Abang in Terengganu with its turtles, or Rafflesia sites in Sabah. Some smaller sites have attracted fewer visitors, but are known internationally among a sector of the potential market. Examples include Fraser's Hill and Kuala Selangor, both of which are of particular interest for birdwatchers and are now on the regular itineraries of some specialist and general tour companies. 84 1. Development allocation for tourism under the Fifth and Sixth Malaysia Plans (AM million. ) Fifth Plan (1986-1990) Sixth Plan (1991-1995) Allocation Preservation Beautification of national/historical and environmental heritage protection Tourist accommodation Cultural product development Facilities and infrastructure OtherTotal 1. 5 2. 0 2. 5 2. 5 79. 2 52. 8140. 5 0. 7 0. 0 2. 5 2. 5 76. 7 49. 7 132. 1 *$US = AM 2. 5 4. 1 171. 7 43. 6 112. 9 157. 4 7. 2 533. 9 The market in specialist adventure activities (four-wheel drive, microlight, whitewater rafting, etc. is more recent but is rapidly expanding. Most of these activities only marginally qualify as ecotourism when practiced in parucularly careful ways, and some are harmful to the environment. They are indicative of the conflicts that can arise between adventure tourism, nature-based tourism and ecotourism, both in objectives and practice. Despite the fact that some tourists have pursued activities that could be defined as ecotouri sm for manyyears, attention to this market component from the tourism sector itself has been slight. Only a few tour operators have long and consistent records in ecotourism. Many others have sporadically explored this sector with varyingsuccess, low investment, and low expertise. Various reasons could be cited for their lack of success. Among the tour operators leading groups to Taman Negara are several very big companies, but as this is only a tiny part of theirtotal business and income, client dissatisfaction may have little influence upon the companies. Many ecotourism businesses remain small, or face difficulties in obtaining clientele and close down. The sit~ation for ecotourism in Malaysia is, therefore, very similar to the experience in many other countries. One difficulty in assessing progress in ecotourism is the shortage of reliable data. Tourist numbers as a whole are not easy to analyse and not much effort has yet been made to look at the ecotourism or nature-based tourism sector in particular. In 1994/95, for the first time Tourism Malaysia questionnaires included questions about whether tourist had visited Taman Negara, Bako National Park, Gunung Mulu National Park, the Niah Caves r Kinabalu Park. No statistics exist on how many visitors like to go fishing, mountain climbing or walking in the forest, nor are there detailed visitor profiles of different nationalities in relation to nature. Nevertheless, the number of tour operators interested in ecotourism or nature tourism and the number of individuals hoping to be ecotour or nature tour guides are increasing. Interest is also expressed through a number of workshop and s eminars relating to ecotourism. Recent examples are the Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) Seminar on Nature Tourism as a Tool for Development and Conservation (Sabah, Malaysia, March 1994), the Seventh PATA Adventure Travel and Ecotourism Conference (Balikpapan, Indonesia, January 1995) the ESCAP Expert Group Meeting on Ecotourism and Development in Asia and the Pacific (Bali, Indonesia, March 1995) and the PATA Heritage Conference on Tourism: A Force for Conservation of Nature and Culture (Phuket, Thailand, September 1995). Two public exhibitions on nature-based and adventure tourism have been held in Kuala Lumpur. A pilot training course for nature guides has been established, and the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council has arranged a tour guide refresher course with components on ecotourism and agrotourism. If as has been suggested, 7 per cent of travel worldwide is nature-related, then in 1994 Malaysia probably attracted 505,000 ecotourists from overseas. If, however, half of all non-ASEAN visitors to Sabah and Sarawak carry out some nature- or culture-related activity, there may have been as many as 571,000 ecotourist visiting Malaysia in 1994. Revenue would have been about RM 655 million. Current Situation The main thrust of governmental policy on tourism is contained in the Tourism Policy Study by Peat Marwick(1992), together with materials in the Sixth Malaysia Plan, Mid-Term Review and the forthcoming Seventh MalaysiaPlan. Sarawak has a Second State Tourism Master Plan (1993) and the Sabah State Tourism Master Plan was completed in early 1996. 85 2. Expenditure Allocation Programme Table There are about 2,000 registered tour and travel agencies in Malaysia, and it is estimated that about 800 take bookings for travel to nature-related destinations. However, many of these act only as intermediaries and pass on these bookings to a relatively small number of companies which deal with particular destinations. There are thought to be about 30 companies specialising in nature and ecotourism. There are about 3,500 registered tour guides, of whom the majority have full (general) guiding licences. A smaller number are specialized in specific skills. There is no detailed breakdown of the number of guides with guiding skills for each ecotourism activity, but a basic pool of resources is available in most fields. Some Malaysian specialist guides are of international repute. Participation by non-government organisations in ecotourism is limited but increasing. There are a number of state, regional and national trade organisations and tourist guides' associations which are beginning to investigate ecotourism and to provide training. So far, training courses have not been formalised. About 20 sites in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak account for the vast majority of ecotourism by overseas tourists. The same sites are visited by many Malaysian tourists. Recreation by Malaysians in Peninsular Malaysia takes place in a network of Recreational (Amenity) Forests and a number of sites elsewhere in the forests. It is estimated that about 7 to 10 per cent of all overseas tourists are involved in ecotourism activities, while up to 14 per cent express an interest in walking, hiking and trekking. This amounts to about 512,000 to 1,024,000 overseas tourists per year. The number of Malaysians visiting the same sites is close to or exceeds the number of overseas tourists. The involvement of individuals from local communities is uneven. At some sites (for example, Kinabalu Park) local residents are closely involved in guiding, staffing and gaining financial benefits from the park's operation. Sites exist in which the local community forms a passive component of the tourism product. Sites also exist in which the local community has, in effect, been excluded from tourism development, but these are none of ecotourism developments. Where local residents are involved in ecotourism, there tends to be a shortage of training and management opportunities for them. National Ecotourism Policy The National Ecotourism Plan was developed to provide a more integrated approach to achieve specific national objectives, such as those contained in the Five Year Plans and other documents, within the field of ecotourism. It should contribute towards producing a more distinctive Malaysian tourism image and identity and contribute towards direct involvement of local populations, enhanced training, interagency and inter-sectoral cooperationand, most importantly, fostering environmental protection and preservation. This plan is in the process of adoption by the federal government. The National Ecotourism Plan will include the following elements of implementation: (a) adopt and promote a clear definition of ecotourism; (b) adopt and promote a clear policy on developing ecotourism; (c) strengthen the Ecoand Agro-Tourism Implementation Committee; (d) implement legal changes to support implementation of the Plan; and (e) establish a monitoring and evaluation programme. The National Ecotourism Plan will include site planning and management. This includes actions to: (a) (b) (c) Establish Establish planning procedures application for ecotourism developments; development; system of ecotourism areas; areas; rocedures management for ecotourism Expand and improve Elaborate Implement Establish Establish Establish of a nationwide (d) (e) (f) (9) (h) (i) development guidelines and management for ecotourism; plans for ecotourism a series of pilot ecotourism additional ecotourism projects; products at Taman Negara and other sites; and promote a consistent marketing strategy; and ecotourism. Identify and promote fiscal measures to encourage Actions to strengthen institutions and build capacity under the National Ecotourism Plan include: (a) (b) Establish a Human Resources Development Plan; Ensure local community participation in ecotourism; 6 3. (c) (d) (e) (f) Investigate Establish the feasibility of an accreditation scheme for ecotourism; and promote ecotourism product development; for ecotourism guides; and Establish training and promote certification Upgrade standards of tourist literature. REFERENCES Economic Planning Unit for the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Sustainable Development, 1993. Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Malaysia. Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism of Malaysia. Malaysian Malaysian National ConselVation Strategy: Towards Tourism Policy Study; 1991. Plan, Malaysia, 1996. National Ecotourism 87

An Over View Of Apple Inc

An Over View Of Apple Inc Introduction One of the most fundamental factors that determine a successful business is the possession of feasible, clear and achievable business and corporate strategies with a purposeful organizational sense of direction. It is a statement of fact that business and corporate strategies are unachievable without a well laid-out plan at attracting a solid customer base for the organization (Parkinson, 1991). Customers are the facilitators of profits for organizations and any company that intends to remain in business should take the issue of customer service very seriously. Evolving a well-planned customer service automatically translate into programmes set out by companies to draw new customers and retain old ones. This forms the basic tenets or principles of marketing upon which organizational success in business rest. Though the aforementioned assertions have briefly introduced the core elements that drives a successful business, however, it takes far above the points mentioned f or a business firm to survive in whatever industry that it locates itself. This is due to the vociferous competing forces that are struggling with the business firm for the same customers and for the similar goods being offered by the industry. Despite the high rate of competition that threatens and even shut down some businesses, Jobber (2007) asserts that the principles and practice of marketing forbids customers to be chased about at whatever price. However, good marketing principles were identified as factors that would set a company to gain competitive advantage over the rest of the market players. Therefore, companies all over the world have been developing and establishing crack marketing team whose responsibilities will include devising policies and programmes that would impact on the company’s products through which the company can gain competitive edge (Jobber, 2007; Srinivasan et al, 2009). Having dwelt on the necessity of good marketing strategies for the success and survival of businesses in the highly competitive industries, this report will now narrow down its view on the case study of this research; APPLE Incorporations, one of the leading players in the computer retailing industry not only in the U.K., but globally. Suffice it to say that the computer retailing industry world over is a highly competitive one with many players competing for the patronage of their products. It may be rightly put that the industry is indeed saturated with products and services of the competing companies, however, the continuous growth in technological innovations has continued to enliven the industry and continued to open doors of marketing and sales opportunities for the industry. APPLE INCORPORATION: Background of the Company The company Apple Computer Inc. was established and cited in California, U.S.A on the 1st April, 1976 as Apple Computers Inc. for the design and manufacture of computer electronics, computer hardware and commercial servers (Hormby, 2005). However, in the year 2007, the company shed the word â€Å"computer† from its name to Apple Inc. to reflect its new business expansion into consumer electronics and telecommunication hardware. Apple’s most popular hardware products include Macintosh computers, the iPods, iPads and iPhone. Meanwhile for the software, Apple boast of the Max OS X operating system, the iTunes media browser the iLife suite of multimedia and creativity software; the iWork suite of productivity software; Aperture, a professional photography package; Final Cut Studio, a suite of professional audio and film-industry software products; and Logic Studio, a suite of audio tools. Presently, the company has about 284 retail stores in ten countries across the world. (MacRumors.com, 2010).

Clostridium tetani Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Clostridium tetani - Essay Example The author has rightly presented that Clostridium tetani is obligate anaerobe and doesn’t grow in the presence of oxygen. Optimal conditions for growing this bacterium are temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, with PH of 7.4. It grows on different nutrient media including agar enriched with blood. When cultivated on agar enriched with blood it manifests alpha hemolisis, but with prolonged cultivation it produces beta hemolisis. Because Clostridium tetani is mobile bacteria and has flagella when cultivated produces the effect of swarming and tends to spread over the complete area of the culture. When cultivated produces very thin and see-through layer of bacteria that is very hard to notice with a naked eye, except on the edges of the colonies. It is difficult to obtain a pure culture of Clostridium tetani, this is why method called Fildes technique is often used, when the bacteria is inoculated on a small area on an agar plate and after incubation of 10 hours another subcultures are made from the edge of the swarming area that is constituted mostly of Clostridium Tetani. In suboptimal conditions, Clostridium tetani forms spores that are relatively resistant. Spores are killed in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, and in the moist heat of 121 degrees Celsius after 20 minutes. Based on the agglutination process Clostridium Tetani is classified in 10 serological types (only type IV doesn’t have flagella and is not mobile).... It is protein based molecule with molecular weight of 150 kDa (Kilo Daltons) and is constitutes of two parts, heavier or B chain with weight of approximately 100 kDa and lighter A chain with molecular weight of 50 kDa. Heavier B chain of this toxin bonds to the cell membrane and helps chain A to enter the cytosol of the cell (Farrar et al. 2000). The A chain than migrates through the axons to the central nervous system. Lighter A chain of the tetanospazmin toxin in the CNS impairs the release of inhibitory neurotransmitters in the brain (GABA-gamma aminobuteric acid and glycine) by degrading protein called synaptobrevin (small membrane based protein). Consequence of this effect is hyperactivity of the skeletal muscles in the body and development of muscle contractions and muscle spasm (Schiavo et al. 1992). Infection with C Tetani may cause development of condition called tetanus. It is disease that is characterized by presence of generalized spasms of the skeletal muscles in the bod y that is produced by the tetanospasmin toxin. It is caused when a wound is contaminated with spores of Clostridium Tetani. C Tetani are widespread bacteria that are present in the soil, dust, manure of domestic animals, our clothing and in about 20 percents of human gastrointestinal tract (Bleck 1995). If the wound is deep enough spores of C. tetani in anaerobic conditions can develop in viable bacteria that start to release toxins. Toxins are released when the bacteria are destroyed and bacterial cytosol along with toxins is released into the human tissues. Incubation period between the infection and occurrence of first symptoms ranges between 3 and 21 days, but that depends mostly on the site of primary infection. As early sign patients may report dysphagia and sore throat and some

Peer review of the proposals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Peer review of the proposals - Essay Example   The second proposal covers most of the criteria but fails to point out the hypothesis precisely. The writer claims that the intent of the study is to explore curatorial modes of contemporary art specific to the Asian-Pacific region and develop guidelines for curators to use when deciding on the most appropriate mode. The study will achieve this by adopting a qualitative method in analyzing the history of curatorial practice and how it affects contemporary practice. Also, the author will explore a number of case studies in modern museum art with the emphasis on the display to determine the mode that best promotes public attendance in the specific region. The study topic is stated in the title of the proposal and explained in the proposal. The author also provides possible outcomes of the study which includes improved local economy, advocating existing culture and creating an environment that suits the needs of the community.The content of the study is relevant as it is focused on art administration. The author concentrates on improving the competence of curators with an aim of improving the administration of the museum. The author suggests that the guidelines developed from the study will help the curators to improve the local economy by aggregating the number of visitors. Also, the museum will maintain its role as a representative of the local culture since it will be rearranged to suit the needs of the local community. However, the lack of a clearly stated hypothesis and the study design used to reduce the viability of the study.

The Internal and External and Factors That Shaped the Collapse of the Essay

The Internal and External and Factors That Shaped the Collapse of the Soviet Union - Essay Example Instinctively, the swift collapse of the Soviet polity caught many by surprise. As it was then, the astonishing fragmentation divides scholars right in the middle with little consensus over the triggering bullets. The dominant perspective point fingers at the American massive spending and the moral clarity under Ronald Regan as economically and ideologically bankrupting to the communist planned economy. On the flip side, the deterministic view argues that the collapse of the Soviet Republic was an inevitable occurrence due to the intrinsic inbuilt contractions of its managerial economics. But, what exactly were the real causes of the USSR disintegration? This paper examines the long-standing structural dynamics as well as the short term political catalysts behind the deterioration and the subsequent collapse of the hitherto well regarded Soviet empire. The stunning disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 is often heralded by most academics from the West as a triumphant victory of democracy and capitalism, as though the occurrence was a direct outcome of the combined Reagan -Thatcher ideological missiles. While this analytical stance may look somewhat self-congratulatory relative to the measurable facts, circumstantial evidence of the internal political dynamics of the Soviet state itself and its relations with the outside world tend to heighten affirmation of the same. Valerie Bunce concurs â€Å"the collapse of communism was not only abrupt, but inevitably long in the making†, and that the short term factors only provided fodder to the long term structural factors (p.xi). To begin with, the collapse of the Soviet Union was much a consequential effect of poor managerial aspects of the political system. According to the Marxist-Leninist ideology, the Communist Party was the vanguard of the proletariat. As such, its control of the political system was supreme, unquestionable and more so totalitarian; the party monopolized management of the state resourc es as well as all the undertakings of the society on behalf of the â€Å"universal, working class†-a multi-faceted ideological, conditional decorum of the communist system, at least at the expectation level. In practice, however, the party was firmly under the stewardship of a unique socio-political stratum namely the ‘nomenklatura’; the privileged party bureaucrats with preferential access to the state resources (McCauley, 2001, p. 86). With political legitimacy hinging on the ideological principles of the Marxist-Leninist canon underpinned by the coercive terror engineered by Stalin and operated through the security forces, the system â€Å"manufactured† leaders appropriate to it. So buttressed by sweet fear and intimidation that the subsequent leadership, those who disliked Stalin’s commanding tone included, could not quite disassociate with the world Stalin had created; yet a tone that upheld the system. Before Gorbachev’s initiation of p erestroika in 1985, successive leadership beginning with Nikita Khrushchev-the immediate Stalin’s successor, made numerous changes to the system. With gradual ‘abandonment of mass political terror’, the subsequent regimes basically lost the original Stalinist control grips on society (Dallin and Lapidise 1995, p. 675). The consequential effect was an individualistic retreat into long-term cultural transformations that further weakened the founding principles of the Soviet system. Despite of the upsurge

Understanding what Taylor to be saying about the meaning of life Assignment

Understanding what Taylor to be saying about the meaning of life - Assignment Example The stone would roll repeatedly roll down and he would have to constantly roll the stone back up forever. Sisyphus was punished for telling secrets of the gods to other humans. Taylor cites this activity as â€Å"a meaningless, pointless toil of a meaningless existence that is absolutely never redeemed.† (Taylor, n.d., p.141) There are no further results of the activity other than its repetitiveness. Taylor then suggests an alteration of this myth: If the gods had given the same punishment, while making Sisyphus really want to continuously roll stones up a hill even if it was still considered a pointless activity he would likely find his life to be meaningful. By presenting readers with this alternative scenario Taylor seems to suggest that life is made meaningful by determination, a positive attitude and acceptance of daily tasks. While Sisyphus is still performing the same tasks as in the previous myth, the only difference is that Sisyphus is determined to complete these tas ks .As Taylor explains when discussing the alternative scenario: â€Å"Sisyphus has been reconciled to it, (his task) and indeed more he has been led to embrace it.† (Taylor, n.d., p144) Therefore it is up to the individual to create meaning for his/her life. The meaning of life depends upon the tasks that are done on a daily basis even if they do not amount to anything significant. It partially depends upon one’s attitude about their daily routines. For example if individuals can accept the fact that they need to go to work to make a living even if they dislike their jobs and they have a positive attitude about it their lives can be meaningful. However if you feel negatively about your job and believe you are not accomplishing anything worthwhile but do not attempt to make changes to improve your situation, you will likely view your life as meaningless. Taylor looks at the lives of the glow worms

Phlanders Flange Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Phlanders Flange Company - Essay Example Our major aim is diversification of the market. Therefore, I feel that we should not pay extra premiums on the shares if we value the firm as a stand-alone entity. To reduce the premium value of the share, it would be advisable if we pay the company by cash. When we contrast the strength of our company and that Framingham Company, it appears that when we value the company independently, it does not give us the operating synergy we desire. Instead, the company can give us a financial synergy because it will increase our capacity to borrow. Before we acquire this company, I would propose that we take a moment to revisit our goals for acquisition (Bowles, 2012). Although the Framingham may appear as a good target, we should use our initial goals to determine whether it is the right target. Secondly, we need to do a comprehensive valuing of the company. It will help us to determine its future performance in the market (Bowles, 2012). Lastly, I propose that we investigate the information further to ascertain if the figures are correct. If the company meets our requirements, then we can go ahead and acquire

Profile of Leader Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Profile of Leader - Essay Example It cannot also go without a mention how Sheikh Zayed devoted his life to serving his people and making the world such a better place to live in. As the story is told, Sheikh Zayed was born in 1918 as the youngest of the four sons of Sheik Sultan bin Zayed, who also ruled between 1922 and 1926, somewhere in Abu Dhabi. During his time of birth, it is reported that Emirates was very poor and lacked development. Its economy was majorly based on fishing and pearl diving. There were also few practices of simple agriculture on the scattered oasis. Sheikh Zayed is one leader who led by example. We get to know about this when he established a clear vision of what he wanted to accomplish for his people of Al Ain in the late 1940s and the early 1950s (Eesa, 2001). Progress finally dawned to Al Ain even with the few government revenues that were collected at that time. A basic administration was established with the help of the Sheikh and he even personally sponsored the establishment of the first modern school. He also mobilized and encouraged friends and relatives to contribute funds that could go to the development of small-scale. Through his help, Sheikh Zayed ensured that the local water ownership was revised to allow a more equitable distribution. Through this, Agriculture was promoted, and the Oasis were re-established as the major market centers. It is his efforts in city planning in Al Ain that ensured the city became one of the greenest cities in Arabia. According to Hamza Hanson Yusuf who is a renowned American preacher and scholar, Sheikh Zayed is a very rare figure that was seen to be very inspiring through his leadership style and way of life (UAEInteract, 2013). He also described Sheikh Zayed as a leader whose words were full of wisdom. Sheik Zayed was also recognized as a leader who had great respect and love for the environment. This is well shown by the way he initiated falconry that became a lifelong passion for many (CPC, 2013). His love

Truth in Literature Essay Example for Free

Truth in Literature Essay The truth provides different functions to different people. Truth to some people is simply boring so they choose to alter it as much as possible. This is also known as lying. Others try to run away from it, they simply cannot deal with reality. Some even go to the extreme by living their while life as a lie, while trying to deceive others. The truth in literature, as I perceive it, is something that only the reader can decide as being fact or fiction. There is neither right nor wrong to the information you obtain. The option is in your hands, and you are the one who should decide eventually if what you read or hear is fact, fiction, valuable, important, or useful for your future. Marta Martin may have omitted certain emotions or occurrences in order to appear stronger and more heroic to a reader. Richard Rodriguez lied to himself throughout his life in order to make himself believe he was better than his past. Finally, W. D. Snodgrass lied to everyone around him and even to himself, while chasing female students, in order to maintain an appearance of an upstanding professor. The story of Marta Martin can be very strange to some, but others can see her as a hero. Marta Martin was a pregnant woman who found herself caught in a terrible storm in the middle of Alaska. She was forced to survive on her own and there was no one else to help her. Marta kept a diary where she described how she managed to survive. In her diary she described a day when she killed a sea otter with an ax, peeled his skin, and ate his liver and heart. When you read her story you try to imagine a woman doing all that, but it gets harder when you realize that most pregnant women find even the smallest chores difficult. I tried to imagine a woman, but all I could invision was a man. What is even more interesting is that there was no emotion mentioned in the diary. There were no complaints, or pain, and she never mentioned the fact that she might be scared staying at the house all alone with her baby due very soon. She wrote about events that required emotional strength and physical characteristics not common to a young pregnant woman. Marta never once mentioned fear or apprehension that I feel even a man might feel in those circumstances. Many who read her story would be astonished to think that she accomplished all that alone. Many others will consider her a liar. In the beginning of her story she mentioned the reason as to why she choose to tell her story I can hardly write, but I must. For two reasons: first I am afraid I may never live to tell my story, and second, I must do something to keep my sanity. (martin,301) I believe she wrote the story not because she wanted to keep her sanity. Clearly she had plenty of work to do before the baby came, but she chose to write her story so that no one will forget her, so that everyone who will read this story sees her as a hero. A woman who did what would be impossible for most women out there. I dont know Marta Martin, though somewhere in my heart I believe that the truth is quite different. The truth is, that as a woman, she must have been scared and lonely. Im sure that she had many nights she found herself crying and praying for help. The truth, as I see it , is that there is no woman in this world who can kill an animal , get trapped in snow storm, live all by herself pregnant, and not mention a word of fear . However, it is not up to me to tell the truth. I’m simply the person who read it, and chooses to accept it, or interpret it differently. Marta Martin wanted to remain a hero. She wanted everyone to remember her as a hero. And with all that she did, that woman is a hero with or without mentioning a word or two of fear. The truth might be far different than what she chose to portray in her diary, but the fact is that she did survive, she did kill the sea otter and peel his skin, and she did have her baby. Thats the truth. What happened in between is her choice to tell us, and it is our responsibility to accept it or not. Richard Rodriguez altered the truth in a different way than Marta Martin and for a different purpose. Rodriguez was boy who wanted to be different from his middle class immigrant family. As a child Richard read as many books as he could, he used to always be the one to answer teacher’s questions and soon became smarter then his siblings and even his parents. His family couldnt really understand why he was so fascinated in reading books all the time and his brothers and sisters used to make fun of him. Even the other pupils in the class did not like him since he was the smart one. Later on, when it came time to choose a college, he chose the one far from home, far from his family. By then, he was embarrassed by his family’s lack of education and attempted to isolate himself as much as possible. In college he did very well and when he used to come back home he had nothing to share with his family. He thought that they would not understand anyhow, so why even bother. In the end the author wrote the truth about the typical school boy, in the end Rodriguez came to face the painful truth. He realized that in attempting to run from the past, run from his family, he lost something so profound and important that no matter how hard he would attempt to restore it, he would not succeed. He became more nostalgic for what was never really there, and for the thoughts of what might have been. Rodriguez was attempting to escape his family, but in doing so he faced the truth that in his heart he actually desired to be closer to his family. His goal was to become educated and felt that educated people were more admired. What he learned was all memorized; he did not learn intuition, creativity, interpretation, or how to solve complex problems. â€Å"Faithfully I wrote down all that they said. I memorized it:† I heard it all. But there was no way for any of it to mean very much to me. † (Rodriguez,670) W. D. Snodgrass lied to everyone around him and even to himself and reflects on this in a poem called â€Å"April inventory†, where an old man give the reader a glance of his life as a teacher. Through that window we discover information that some will consider as inappropriate, or even disturbing. His reality is far from been normal to me, yet he consider it as been of his everyday life. Through his poem, he demonstrates how he becomes older. He loose his hair at some point and also his teeth. At the same time he describe the way he sees the girls he is teaching . to him they are always young and slender and pinker every year. He also, creates a big scandal in our society, which he hides from the authorities. I have not learned there is a lie Love shall be blonder, slimmer, younger: That my equivocating eye Loves only by my bodies hunger That I have forced true to feel Or that the lovely world is real Eventually when I read the poem more carefully I discover that the truth is far more disturbing that just the way he sees himself comparison to the girls he is teaching. I realized that by saying† †¦love should be blonder slimmer younger â€Å" he implies that his goal is to sleep with the girls in his class. His only goal was sexual and not educational in purpose, and teaching was the last thing on his ‘to do list’. Therefore, he was lying and deceiving everyone into believing he was a teacher who was concerned about the education his students receive. While the awful truth is that he cared more about his looks and that fact that he is getting old and not the education. The truth is that he cared more to the fact that he can not sleep with them anymore for he is too old now. The truth as I see it in this poem is that he knows the truth but he choose to live a fantasy. â€Å"I have not learned how often I can win, can love, but choose to die. † (Snodgrass, 7) . He as an adult, authority figure knows very well the consequence to his actions. He is well aware of what he has done; he can part from right and wrong, yet he chooses a life of a lie. I feel he was also lying to himself to ignore that he was growing old; he was trying to convince himself he was still young and attractive by sleeping with younger girls. From these stories, and many others, truth can mean different things to different people. Truth can be very hard to deal with and is part of personal growth, as we see in Rodriguez’s story. Truth may be simply boring or make a person appear less heroic as in Marta Martin’s story. In other cases the truth is extremely exaggerated to the point when the author is living his whole life as a lie, as seen in the poem â€Å"April Inventory†. Truth, to me, is essentially the most important virtue in our life. But I won’t judge those who choose to change it for literature. I won’t point a finger and call them liars, for I might embellish the truth sometimes too.

Knowledge Management Models And Frameworks Commerce Essay

Knowledge Management Models And Frameworks Commerce Essay The purpose of this paper is to critically review the various knowledge management models and frameworks. The review found that various knowledge management models and frameworks varies in perspectives ranging from the basic assumption of the articulation and transfer of tacit and explicit knowledge to the more complex and complicated assumption that knowledge is intellectual capital and it is mechanistic in perspective as well as an important asset that has to be managed efficiently for firms success. In this paper, knowledge management models are divided into three categories: knowledge category models, intellectual capital models, and socially constructed models. Besides, two knowledge management frameworks will be discussed in this paper. Finally, a KM model and framework is tentatively suggested to act as a useful guide for further research and organizational application. Introduction Nowadays, the world is fully experiencing an era, namely: knowledge age or the knowledge economy. In knowledge economy, knowledge is the crucial commodity due to the rapidly technological advancement. The technological innovations are eliminating the gap between competing companies and the collective knowledge of the employees become the key factor in producing innovative and competitive products or services (Sunassee and Sewry, 2002). Since previously managers did not encourage diffusion and sharing of knowledge among employees, changing in mindset is required for managing the knowledge effectively. The knowledge-driven activities in organizations and of the broader economic and social life lead to the management of knowledge become very important (Sunassee and Sewry, 2002). In general, this managerial activity has been known as Knowledge Management (KM). Previous research on knowledge management indicates the existence of various definitions of knowledge management. According to Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995), knowledge management is the capability of a company to create new knowledge, disseminate it throughout the organization and embody it in products, services, and systems. Duffy (1999) defines knowledge management as the identification, growth and effective application of an organisations critical knowledge. Knowledge management has been defined in another term, which is an organized and explicit process to generate, renew, and apply knowledge to maximize an organizations knowledge-related effectiveness and returns from its knowledge assets (Wiig, 1997). Alavi and Leidner (1999) define knowledge management as a systemic and organizationally specified process for acquiring, organizing, and communicating both tacit and explicit knowledge of employees so that other employees may make use of it to be more effective and productive in thei r work. Besides, ODell et al., (1998) define knowledge management as a conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time and helping people share and put information into action in ways that strive to improve organizational performance. For instance, Beckman (1999) define knowledge management as the formalization of and access to experience, knowledge and expertise that create new capabilities, enable superior performance, encourage innovation and enhance customer value. In general, KM is the process of creating, storing, distributing, and applying knowledge. By reviewing the significance of knowledge management and the complexity of its nature, it is timely to try to understand the latest theories underlying knowledge and knowledge management. Hence, this paper will critically study the latest models and frameworks of knowledge management and discuss on the assumptions and views of each model and framework. The aim of this paper is to examine the current understanding of the theory and practice of the emerging field of knowledge management by critically evaluating existing knowledge management models and frameworks. Therefore, employers or practitioners in organizations can understand their concepts and improved approaches can be developed and applied to organization and to those who need to work and implement knowledge management. This paper will begin by presenting the aims and objectives and followed with a short discussion on the types of knowledge. This is followed with the discussion on some of the existing knowledge management models and frameworks. Types of Knowledge In todays competitive business environment, only the knowledge of an organization can provide the basis for organizational renewal and sustainable competitive advantages. Organizational knowledge can be classified into two distinctive types of knowledge: explicit and tacit. According to Polanyi (1967), explicit knowledge is the knowledge which is easily to formalize, transfer, and store; documented, articulated into formal language, formally expressible and easily to communicate; tacit knowledge is pertaining to ideas, feelings, and individual experience, which is more complicated and difficult to share with each others. Explicit knowledge is the fact and can be codified and transmitted in a systematic and formal language. It is usually data, which is internal to an organization and can be easily collected. Tacit knowledge is the personal experiences, context-specific knowledge that is difficult to formalize record or articulate. It actually resides in the heads of the people, behavior and perception (Frid, 2000). Examples are intuitions, hunches, insights, beliefs and values. Both tacit and explicit knowledge are needed for an organization to achieve greater performance (Sanchez et. al. 1996). Knowledge Management Models and Frameworks Knowledge Category Models These types of model categorize knowledge into discrete elements. One of the most renowned KM models fits into this category, the Knowledge Spiral model by Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995). This model presents a high level conceptual representation of the knowledge dimensions, namely tacit and explicit knowledge. The model makes a number of assumptions, namely: 1. Tacit knowledge can be transferred through a process of socialization (everyday comradeship) to become the tacit knowledge of others top left quadrant 2. Tacit knowledge can become explicit knowledge through a process of externalization (formalizing a body of knowledge) top right quadrant 3. Explicit knowledge can be transferred into tacit knowledge in others through a process of internalization (translating theories into practice) bottom left quadrant 4. Explicit knowledge can be transferred to explicit knowledge in others through a process of combination (combining existing theories) -bottom right quadrant. One criticism of the model is that knowledge transfer in organizations is much more complicated and convoluted than this simple matrix suggests. The model also assumes an integration of tacit and explicit knowledge; often this is not the case. This model is shown in figure no. 1 below. A simple but more elaborate version of Nonakas model is shown in figure no. 2 (Hedlund and Nonaka, 1993). This model assumes there are four different levels of carriers, or agents, of knowledge in organizations, namely the individual, the group, the organization and the inter-organizational domain (customers, suppliers, competitors, etc.). The above model is helpful by relating the carriers to the types of knowledge; it remains problematic in that it assumes the carriers, like the knowledge, can be simply separated. Another example of a knowledge category model is that of Boisot, (1998), as shown in figure no. 3. Boisots model considers knowledge as codified or uncodified, diffused or undiffused, within an organization. Boisot uses the term codified to refer to knowledge that can be readily prepared for transmission purposes (e.g. financial data). The term uncodified refers to knowledge that cannot be easily prepared for transmission purposes (e.g. experience). The term diffused refers to knowledge that is readily shared while undiffused refers to knowledge that is not readily shared. The model presents the following characteristics: 1. Knowledge categorized as both codified and undiffused is referred to as propriety knowledge. In this case, knowledge is prepared for transmission but is deliberately restricted to a selectively small population, on a need to know basis (e.g. projected profits, share price issues) top left quadrant 2. Knowledge that is relatively uncodified and undiffused is referred to as personal knowledge (e.g. perceptions, insights, experiences) bottom left quadrant knowledge that is both codified and diffused is referred to as public knowledge (e.g. journals, books, libraries) top right quadrant Knowledge which is relatively diffused but also uncodified is labeled common sense bottom right quadrant. Boisot, (1998) considers such knowledge as being built up slowly by a process of socialization, harboring customs and intuition. There are few similarities between Nonakas model and Boisots model. For example, Nonakas categorization of explicit and tacit knowledge has a degree of correspondence with Boisots reference to codified and uncodified knowledge. The horizontal dimension relates to the spread or diffusion of knowledge across the organization in both models. However, Boisots model experiences the same limitations as Nonakas model in that codified and uncodified are but two discrete categories of knowledge. In addition, the idea of diffused knowledge is rather general and it is not clear if it includes incorporating knowledge within the organization, as well as disseminating it. Figure No. 3-Knowledge Category Model (Boisot, 1998) Intellectual Capital Models Management gurus such as Drucker (1993) and Brooking (1997) and practitioner icons such as Edvinsson, (1997) elucidated the notion of Intellectual Capital (IC). Knowledge and capital have been linked together for many years. Knowledge is being capitalized as a resource comparable to land or oil. However, we also need to focus on the intangible elements which knowledge contains such as employee skills, experiences, patients, copyrights, brands, licensing opportunities, research and development, innovative use of assets such as databases, etc. (Quintas et al, 1997). As these type of elements are not normally recorded on the traditional organizational balance sheet they are referred to Intellectual Assets; hence the term Intellectual Capital. KM is actively concerned with the strategic outlook and operational tactics required for managing human centered, intellectual assets (Brooking, 1997). According to Peters (1992), KM can affect intellectual capital or as recognizing or rediscovering assets that the organization are not using to full potential, ultimately employees. As these approaches imply that the key areas of KM are the management of IC it is worth reviewing a typical IC model. The model, shown below in figure no. 5, is the Intellectual Capital model from Skandia Insurance which is adopted from Chase (1997), and Roos and Roos (1997). According to Edvinsson and Malone, (1997) intellectual capital concsists the applied experience, organizational technology, customer relationships and professional skills that provide Skandia with a competitive advantage in the market. One problem that can be associated with this model is the adoption of a scientific approach to knowledge. This is evident through the classification of knowledge as a commodity linking it to organization capital. This view of intellectual capital ignores the political and social aspects of KM. KM can be decomposed into objective elements rather than being socio-political phenomena from the view of intellectual capital. This is similar to the Nonaka and Takeuchi, (1995) approach. As befits a new area of inquiry, much analytical work is focused on categorizing, mapping and measuring of knowledge types and processes. Although this is helpful, the epistemological basis of the field cannot be ignored (McAdam and McCreedy, 1999). Hence, we need to embrace socially constructed models of KM. Figure No. 4-Intellectual Capital Model of KM (Chase, 1997) Socially Constructed Models This group of models assumes a wide definition of knowledge viewing it as being intrinsically linked within the social and learning processes of the organization. KM is concerned with the construction, capture, interpretation, embodiment, dissemination and use of knowledge. These components are represented in Demerests (1997) Knowledge Management model. The model is developed from the original work of Clark and Staunton, (1989) and Nonaka and Takeuchi, (1995). It can be compared to that of Jordan and Jones, (1997) who speak of knowledge acquisition, problem solving, dissemination, ownership and storage and that of Kruizinga et al. (1997) who include knowledge policy, infrastructure and culture. Firstly, the model emphasizes the construction of knowledge within the organization. The model assumes that constructed knowledge is then embodied. Next the embodied knowledge is disseminated throughout the organization. Ultimately the knowledge is used to gain economic value with regard to organizational outputs. The black arrows in figure no. 5 show the primary flow direction while the white arrows show the more recursive flows. Figure No. 5 -Knowledge Management Model Demerest, (1997) Demerests model is attractive in that it does not assume any given definition of knowledge but rather invites a more holistic approach to knowledge construction. However, it does imply a simplistic procession approach to the flow of knowledge transfer, while in reality this may be extremely rapid and circulatory. To overcome this gap a slightly modified version of Demerests model has been developed, figure no. 6. Firstly the model emphasizes the construction of knowledge within an organization where either a scientific or social paradigm may be adopted. The scientific view of knowledge takes a knowledge is truth view (Morgan, 1986). This view considers that knowledge is a body of facts and rational laws thus promoting a non-personal view of knowledge, skills and tasks (Lave and Wenger, 1991). On the other hand the social view of knowledge is concerned with the social and learning processes within an organization. However, this approach assumes that knowledge construction is inequality, conflict, domination, subordination and manipulation influences as well as more traditional behavioral questions associated with efficiency and motivation (Alvesson and Wilmott, 1996). Thus social knowledge construction is a dynamic process of contextuality rather than the assimilation of a body of facts. In th e McAdam and McCreedys (1999) model depicted in figure no. 6, knowledge construction is not limited to scientific inputs through explicit programmes but includes a process of social interaction. The implications of this broader concept of knowledge construction must be reflected in the embodiment/dissemination of knowledge as part of the organizations KM approach. There is little point in widening the concept of knowledge construction only to limit the embodiment and dissemination techniques used or to force existing techniques onto new knowledge. Attempting to do so will lead to disappointing results, frustration and a negative view to KM caused by the mismatch between conception and application. Knowledge usage must also be reflected via the knowledge initiatives installed in the organization. Demerest (1997) describes use (as deployed in figure no. 6) as the production of commercial value for the customer. While increasing commercial value is a key objective of KM, it is not the only objective. Therefore knowledge use must be employed through the application of a complementary approach for emancipatory enhancements and organization outputs. This will permit the organization to be viewed and reformed from different perspectives that will facilitate continuous innovation, thus creating the ultimate business benefits for the organization as a whole. While the interconnecting vectors (black arrows) show the primary flow of activity, more recursive arrows are added to reflect the circulating nature of activity flows, thus depicting that KM is not a simple sequential process. Figure No. 6-Modified Version of Demerests Knowledge Management Model (McAdam and McCreedy, 1999) Knowledge Management Frameworks Stankosky and Baldanza (2001) developed a knowledge management framework which addresses enabling factors such as learning, culture, leadership, organization and technology (refer to figure no. 7). This framework presents that knowledge management covers a wide range of disciplines that include cognitive science, communication, individual and organizational behavior, psychology, finance, economics, human resource, management, strategic planning, system thinking, process reengineering, system engineering, computer technologies and software and library science. This framework consists four major foundations of an organization which is important for knowledge management are leadership, organization structure, technology infrastructure and learning. The role of leadership is practicing strategic planning and systems thinking approaches, making best use of resources, fostering a culture that encourages open dialogue and team learning, and for encouraging and rewarding risk taking, learning and knowledge sharing. Organization structure should facilitate personal interactions and support communities of practice to capture tacit and explicit knowledge within the organization. Besides, organizational structure should facilitate trust among people within the organization and encourage free exchange of knowledge. Technology infrastructure allows exchange of information without formal structures. Technology infrastructure should enhance the efficient and effective capture of both tacit and explicit knowledge. It should also support knowledge sharing in the entire organization. Lastly, learning is responsible for managing information in order to build enterprise wide knowledge and use that knowledge to organizational learning, change and performance improvement. Figure No. 7-Basic Disciplines Underlying Knowledge Management and its Enabling Factors (Stankosky and Baldanza , 2001) Karadesh et al. (2009) developed a knowledge management framework that emphasizes on developing phases such as knowledge infrastructure, knowledge combination, knowledge filtering, knowledge repository, knowledge sharing, knowledge application, and finally, knowledge performance across the KM process (refer to figure no. 8). The first element is knowledge infrastructure, which relies on building the proper culture for Knowledge Management System and establishes the awareness of the importance of KM among the individuals in the organization. The second element is knowledge combination that functions as a temporary repository of collected information from the infrastructure phase. The third element is knowledge evaluation which is used to assess the knowledge based on the value; accuracy and relevance after the knowledge have been combined from different sources (Sunassee and Sewry, 2002). Knowledge filtering is the fourth element that prepares knowledge to be stored in the next phase, after going through classification, categorization and organization. The fifth element is knowledge repository that functions as storage for the knowledge collected in the past stages. It also can be viewed as organization memory and retention of knowledge assets. Knowledge sharing is a core process in the process of the KM that transfers and shares knowledge among the individuals in the organization. Knowledge application is the seventh element that applies and represents information to knowledge seekers in appropriate matter. The last element is knowledge performance which is used to evaluate every KM system, process, performance, and impact of KM. It is performing according to the organization goals and objectives. Figure No. 8-Conceptual Framework for Knowledge Management Process (Karadesh et al., 2009) Conclusion The review of existing knowledge management models and frameworks has seen a wide spectrum of viewpoints. Knowledge management has been seen from the categorical view in which knowledge are categorized into discrete elements as seen in Boisot, Nonaka, and Nonaka and Hedlunds models to the more complicated and complex perspective of knowledge that is mechanistic and socially constructed orientation (McAdam and McCreedys, 1999). Moreover, these knowledge management models have made reference to: first, the process of managing the flow knowledge; second, categorization models are mechanistic; third, the intellectual capital model assumed that intellectual capital are crucial assets in organization and should be manage efficiently for firms success; fourth, Demerests model is intrinsically linked with the social and learning process within organizations; McAdam and McCreedys model is slightly modified from Demerests model, which seeks to address the limitations by explicitly showing the influence of both social and scientific paradigms of knowledge construction, and extends the use element to cover both business and employee benefits. Stankosky and Baldanzas knowledge management framework emphasized that leadership, organization structure, technology infrastructure and learning are important foundations for knowledge management in an organization; finally, Karadesh et al.s knowledge management framework represents with extensive and detailed processes and tends to provide guidelines for executing KM successfully, save time and efforts and to avoid inaccuracies. Even though knowledge management models and frameworks have evolved from time to time, basically the models and frameworks provide a way of transforming managerial activities and guiding managerial efforts in managing knowledge in the organizations. The KM model and framework that are suggested to act as a useful guide for further research and organizational application is McAdam and McCreedys model and Karadesh et al.s framework. McAdam and McCreedys model combines scientific and socially constructed knowledge, and also the uses/benefits of KM are viewed as both emancipatory and as business oriented. Karadesh et al.s framework provides a broadest analysis of KM process that can be used to foster the development of organization knowledge and enhance the organizational impact of individuals throughout the organizations. Therefore, it is suggested that this model and framework could act as a useful guide for further research and literature evaluation in the area of knowledge management.

A Tale Of Two Cities LA :: essays research papers fc

A Tale of Two Cities This paper is a literary analysis over the book A Tale of Two Cities, written by Charles Dickens. It contains information about the author, plot, and characters in the story. Devices and styles used to complete the book are also in this paper. On February 7, 1812 in Portsea, Charles Dickens began his life. His father, John Dickens, spent little time with Charles. The family lived in poverty and John was in prison much of the time. When Charles was two, the family moved to London. At age twelve, Charles worked in a factory pasting labels on bottles of shoe polish. He only worked there for a few months, but it was a miserable experience that would remain with him his whole life. Dickens attended school until he was fifteen. He always enjoyed reading, and especially adventure stories, fairy tales, and novels. Authors like William Shakespeare, Tobias Smollet, and Henry Fielding greatly influenced his work. However, most of the knowledge he used as an author came from his environment around him. In the late 1820s, Dickens became a newspaper writer and reporter. Dickens= first book, Sketches by Boz, written in 1836, consisted of articles he wrote for the London Chronicles. After he married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, his first work printed in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. This was the beginning of his career.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Dickens was twenty-four, he became famous for the rest of his life. His first fame came with The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club with Dickens= adventure stories. Other works followed such as, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and Our Mutual Friend. In 1837, Catherine=s sister Mary, died. Dickens suffered much grief. This led some scholars to believe that Dickens loved Mary more than Catherine. Dickens and Catherine had ten children in all. In 1958 the couple separated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through his life, Dickens was an actor, a conjurer, a poet, a lecturer, and an editor. Dickens had a remarkable mental and physical energy. This led to involvement in many organizations until 1865 when Dickens health started to decline. In 1870 Dickens died of a stroke. The world remembers him as one of the best authors in history. In two basic locations the story takes place. The main action is in England and France during the French revolution. The action begins in 1775 at Tellson=s bank in England, then it moves to France in a wine shop where the rebels have headquarters.

Qualitative Research for Instructional Technology Essay -- Qualitative

Qualitative Research for Instructional Technology Background: A trend of the past several years has been the growing use of qualitative research for educational research. Qualitative research, broadly defined, means "any kind of research that produces findings not arrived at by means of statistical procedures or other means of quantification. Where quantitative researchers seek causal determination, prediction, and generalization of findings, qualitative researchers seek instead illumination, understanding, and extrapolation to similar situations. Qualitative analysis results in a different type of knowledge than does quantitative inquiry. " (Hoepfl, 1997, p.13). "During the past several decades, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s, naturalistic inquiry (or qualitative research) has gained considerable acceptance. Nevertheless, the debate between quantitative and qualitative methodologies, as competing positions, persists. It is important to recognize the limitations of viewing quantitative and qualitative methods as completely differen t or competing approaches" (Custer, 1996, p. 4). What exactly are the basic differences between the two forms of research? Hoepfl (1997) explains it by saying that "phenomenological inquiry, or qualitative research, uses a naturalistic approach that seeks to understand phenomena in context-specific settings. Logical positivism, or quantitative research, uses experimental methods and quantitative measures to test hypothetical generalizations (p. 14)". Custer (1996) also points out that "the qualitative-quantitative dichotomy dates back as early as the 17th century where quantitativists were characterized by some as ‘vulgar statisticians’". Basic Features: The following list... ...." The decision to use qualitative methodologies should be considered carefully, though. "By its very nature, qualitative research can be emotionally taxing and extraordinarily time consuming. At the same time, it can yield rich information not obtainable through statistical sampling techniques" (Hoepfl, 1997, p. 37). References Custer, R. L. (1996). Qualitative research methodologies. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 34, 3-6. Hoepfl, M.C. (1997, Fall). Choosing qualitative research: A primer for technology education researchers. Journal of Technology, 9, 12-39. Johnson, S. D. (1995, Spring). Will our research hold up under scrutiny? Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 32, 3-6. Sutton, B. (1993). The rationale for qualitative research: A review of principles and theoretical foundations. Library Quarterly, 63, 411-430.

Free Essays - The Themes of Oedipus the King (Rex) :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

The Themes of Oedipus the King In the play Oedipus the King, by Sophocles, two themes appear; one that humans have little control of their lives because fate always catches up with them and the theme that when someone makes a mistake, they will have to pay for it. The theme that the lives of humans are controlled by the gods, in Oedipus, show that everything humans do are futile and result in no gain but only loss. This theme is mainly shown by the character Oedipus, king of Thebes. In the beginning of his life, Laius the king planned to kill his son by leaving him on Mount Cithaeron to die. "...at the moment I was your savior." From the very beginning, Oedipus was destined to fulfill Apollo's prophecy of killing his father. Even though King Lauis tries to kill Oedipus to stop the fulfillment of this shameful prophecy, fate drives the Corinthian messenger to save Oedipus. What the gods fortell will come true and no human can stop it from happening, not even the kings. Oedipus is once again controlled by this power when he leaves the place of his child hood after he hears that he is to kill his father and marry his mother. "I shall shrink from nothing...to find the the murderer of Laius...You are the murderer..." Oedipus tried to stop the prophecy from coming true by leaving Corinth and only fate can make Oedipus turn to the road where he kills his true father. Leaving Corinth makes Oedipus lose his childhood by making him worry of such issues young people should not have to worry about and becoming a king of a strange land. Last of all, Oedipus carries the last part of the prophecy out, marrying his mother. " I would... never have been known as my mother's husband. Oedipus has no control over the outcome of his life. Fate causes Oedipus to have known the answer to the Sphinx's riddle and win his marriage to his mother, Jocasta. Had fate not intervened, the chances of marrying Jocasta would have been small since there is an enourmous number of people and places to go. Oedipus loses his sense of dignity after he discovers he is not only a murderer, but also that he had committed incest.

Performance Management systems Essay

1. What is the main goal of a Performance Management System? Performance management systems are designed to improve both individual and organisational performance by identifying what skills are needed to perform a role, providing regular feedback and assisting the employees in their career development. The overall aim is to equip staff with the competencies and commitment to deliver on shared organisational goals . 2. Why is it necessary to develop and implement a Performance Management System? A well developed performance management system assist to develop staff and can result in significantly improved output and performance, which ultimately leads to improved results for the organisation. Without a well developed and implemented performance management system, an organisation can risk poor staff performance and a high turnover of staff due to lack of support. 3. What are the three stages of Performance Management? †¢ planning for performance – setting performance goals, establishing performance standards and setting performance expectations, identifying developmental goals in work (action) plans †¢ performance appraisal – observing, documenting and assessing performance †¢ performance improvement – providing regular feedback, review performance appraisal, rewarding excellent performance 4. List the four groups who are involved in Performance Management? †¢ your team †¢ you, as a supervisor †¢ human resource professional †¢ union representatives. 5. Why is it necessary to ensure that performance management and review processes are consistent with business objectives and policies? Staff performance plans must be based on the overall aims and objectives of the organisation so as to ensure that each staff member is working cohesively towards the same goal. They must also adhere to organisational policies so as to ensure that they are fair and consistent across the organisation. This also assures that they comply with legislation (that is, presuming that the policies set out stipulate this). 6. Write a paragraph explaining why you think performance evaluations are necessary and the method/s that you consider best to be utilized. I think the importance of performance evaluations is twofold. In my experience, working in an extremely under-resourced organisation, it has been very difficult for me in the past to gain feedback from my supervisors about my performance. One to one time with a manager is rare. This has at times resulted in frustration because I have felt as though I have not been able to gain direction in my work. I fear that at times this may be the case for the staff that I supervise also. Therefore, I believe that on one level performance management systems are extremely important as a method of support for staff. On a more obvious note, performance management systems can also lead to improved output and performance of individuals, which ultimately leads to improved results for the organisation. In terms of what method I believe to be most effective, I believe that there are some core principles that must be followed. The plans should be developed with staff so as to ensure owndership, implementation must be consistent and timely (3 month reviews shouldn’t be undertaken at 7 months! ). 7. Why is it important that both managers and employees receive suitable training in how to handle performance review interviews? Without training about how to handle performance review interviews, there is a very big risk that the appraisal will not be effective and even more concerning is that it could prove counterproductive and damage the supervisor/employee relationship. Training equips managers and team leaders with skills to conduct positive appraisals. It assist employees to understand the new relationships and how performance issues are openly discussed and resolved. Training sessions also can assist employee to see how their work links to the goals of the organisation. 8. Explain why and how often you think performance appraisals should be held? I believe performance appraisals should be held after 3 months in a role and then every 6 months following this. I write this in the context of the organisation for which I work. One to one time with your manager is difficult in our organisation and I believe that in the past this has led to staff feeling very unsupported. There has been quite a high turnover of staff in some programs and I believe that this could be addressed by stronger support systems in place from management. While some may argue that appraisals at such regular intervals can be difficult for managers to implement due to time constraints, I believe firmly that this investment will be returned in increased staff output. 9. Why is it important to recognize the contribution of your work group members and why should you do this? Recognising the contribution of group members is an important method of motivating staff. It reinforces positive contributions and shows their importance to the organisation. If the contribution of staff members is not recognised, it risks losing the motivation of a team who may feel that their work is for no purpose and is not appreciated. We all need a thanks! 10. List three pieces of legislation that are related to performance management †¢ Fair Work Act (2009) †¢ Workplace Health and Safety Act (1995) †¢ Awards/Enterprise Bargaining Agreements/Union Collective Agreements. 11. How would you devise a training plan incorporating both monitoring and coaching for individuals with poor performance? It is important to spend time to time to try and understand why a staff member may have poor performance. This is important in determining what action to take – be that formal training or coaching. The following points – from the course book – I would certainly include in any coaching I was to undertake: †¢Good coaches challenge employees and ask questions that help the employee to discover how to improve. †¢Coach when you wish to focus attention on any specific aspect of the employee’s performance. †¢A coaching meeting should focus on just one or two aspects of performance. †¢Any more than that and employees won’t remember the main impact of your meeting. †¢Keep coaching conversations brief and between 5 to 10 minutes long. †¢Being an effective coach requires understanding what motivates the members of your team. Remember that people are motivated in different ways. Be sensitive to the things that drive your people to perform. †¢When things are performing well, take the time to understand what is working and why. †¢Good coaching is guiding, not telling or doing. †¢Allow the employee to own the problem and its solutions. Ask them: ‘How finally feels as though she is getting somewhere. In terms of monitoring, I would plan more regular catch ups with the staff member (perhaps monthly) to discuss progress. I would continue to implement reviews at the times stipulated by organisational policy. I would also ask for regular feedback from the staff member. 12. How can you provide support services if required? †¢Provide details of union representatives †¢HR representative details †¢Training options †¢Set up future one-to-one meetings †¢Work manuals †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"buddy† system in which staff member is teed up with competent staff member 13. If the individual continues to perform below expectations what process would be necessary to implement? If the poor performance continues, it may be necessary to give a written warning to the staff member. This is discussed further in question 20. 14. Why is it necessary to document and record performance? Documenting and recording performance can lower the risk if a person chooses to challenge a negative appraisal. Holding records of poor performance may assist to cover an organisation legally if the employee raises an unfair dismissal claim Documenting good performance is also important so as to avoid claims of favouritism for example of undeserving staff members. Documenting performance also makes it much easier when the time for appraisals comes around, particularly for managers who are managing a large number of staff. 15. Explain the term â€Å"interpersonal conflict† Interpersonal conflict is the most apparent form of conflict for workplace participants. It is a disagreement or differing views between two or more people over a particular idea, thought, or action.. Also language and personality styles often clash, which can create conflict in the workplace. ref http://www. mediate. com/articles/donaisB2. cfm 16. How does interpersonal conflict affect the workplace? Interpersonal conflict is is easy enough to observe in the form of office politics, gossip, and rumours. It can lead to a negative work environment, with groups forming within the workplace. Unless these conflicts are resolved, they can lead to a very challenging and unfriendly workplace. In more extreme cases, interpersonal conflict can lead to charges of harassment and discrimination or at least the feeling that such things exist.

Never Ever Give Up on Life Essay

Never ever give up on life! No matter how hard life gets. Everyday one is faced with problems, some are worse than others. Just because one thing in life goes wrong doesn’t mean you are to stop and just shut the book. One is supposed to use that as a lesson and keep flipping pages on the book. God put us all on this Earth for a reason. Everyone was made to do a little or major change in this world. Throughout those obstacles we face everyday is how people will insult us and try to bring our self-esteem down to the ground. But no don’t let that happen, we are beautiful so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Relationships! That’s another thing that can mess up a lot of people’s brain. Just because your boyfriend/girlfriend left you, doesn’t give you the right to take your life away. You are worth much more than that. Trust me! God created a soulmate for all of us, but it’s on us to go out and search for it. Don’t literally mean go flirt with a thousand people but talk to others get to know them better and determine what they really mean to you and where they stand at. But like I said giving up on life because your partner left you is not a great idea for he/she is happpily going on with their life. Don’t you think if they actually felt a little remorse or something they would’ve maybe came back to you or even considered to apologize or something. So my only word of advice is never ever ever give up on life regardless of how bad the circumstance is.

Strengths, Weaknesses of One of the Perspectives of Psychology

Stephanie Graham Psy-201 October 7, 2012 â€Å"What Are The Strengths And Weaknesses Of One Of The Perspectives Of Psychology† Behaviorism is one point of view in psychology directed to a scientific study of the behaviors of man and animal, and is insisted that the cause of our actions and personality lies in our environment, rather than our biology. Behaviorism, also referred to as behavioral psychology, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning.Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. Behaviorist believe that our responses to environmental stimuli shape our behavior. There are two types of conditioning, classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning was studied by the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov, he demonstrated that dogs could learn to associate a neutral stimulus, such as the sound of a bell, with an automatic behavior, such as reflexively salivating to food. He believ ed he had discovered the mechanism by which all behaviors were learned. B. F.Skinner investigated operant conditioning of voluntary and involuntary behavior is a form of learning in which an individuals behavior is modified through its consequences, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and punishment. He called his approach to psychology â€Å"radical behaviorism,† where everything a person does, says, and feels constitutes behavior. Even if the behavior is unobservable it can be subjected to experimental analysis. Skinner demonstrated that our social environment is filled with reinforcing and punishing consequences that shape our behavior.For example many people don't enjoy getting up early to go to work every day, but they do it to get the reward: a paycheck. They are being rewarded for good behavior. If some one didn't show up to work, or not call in that person may be fired and not receive a paycheck. This would be a punishment for their behavior. Growing up my parents would tell me that hard work gets good results. Getting straight A's on my report card I received some incentives. If I didn't get into any trouble I received more incentives as well.But if got a bad grade on a homework assignment or test they would take away incentives or any rewards. Without knowing it I grew up on the operant conditioning and adapted it to my daily life where hard work just seemed natural and has some incentives. Weaknesses: Behaviorism examines human and nonhuman beings from the point of view of the behavior they demonstrate. Behaviorism is the understanding of behavior of people and animals in their every movement, emotional response/ reaction, the way they think.Environment plays a great role in the life of people, but it is hard to interpret the behavior of people only focusing on the environmental factor. In some ways behaviorism neglects the individualism of every person making a general behavioral pattern for everybody. A weakness is in Skinners op erant conditioning theory, is the fact that it does not always work. A person can be pretending they stopped the behavior just to receive the reward. If you give a person a reward for good behavior, that person will expect a reward every time.Strengths: One main strength of the behaviorist approach is that it focuses only on behavior that can be observed and manipulated in a controlled environment. Behaviorism tends to predict the behavior in certain circumstances. So having the possibility to predict would give a person the ability to control behavior, avoiding any unnecessary reactions. People are more aware of how to control behavior which has become very important in parenting, and useful when helping kids reactions adapt more socially with others.Behaviorism has helped bring the â€Å"desired outcome† with the help of reinforcement, and punishment. It is a simple concept of behavior using the principals such as classical and operant conditioning. Pavlov's approach aims t o study behavior that is observable and directly measurable. Behaviorism has a tremendous contribution to the development of psychology. As in every perspective approach, study, or theory has its advantages, disadvantages, strengths and weaknesses. What works for one person may not work for another.But it is just as important in helping people. Skinner and Pavlov both had great techniques in trying to recognize, predict, and control behaviors. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. You could say the Pavlov's theories were groundbreaking in a sense however even under favorable conditions however a person and especially an animal cannot be expected to do the exact same thing every time regardless of a like result. Variable change always has to be accounted for. Such as lack of interest or tiredness.Skinner was on a better tract in my opinion with the rewarding/punishment of behavior. Some issues could arise there as well such as the interpretation of rewards by the individual and j ust like Pavlov you would have to change them or interest would be lost after eventually. Depending on circumstances both seem very applicable on a case by case basis both having their strengths and weaknesses both very valid points but must be determined by what is to be achieved and who it is being done on.

Employee and Payroll System

Rwanda Tourism University College PROJECT PROPOSAL Project title: EMPLOYEE AND PAYROLL SYSTEM Done by: MAHORO Hisham BITG/0053/10/E Tel: +250788801653 Employee and Payroll System Introduction Employee and Payroll System, this project is made in the Microsoft Visual Basic 6. 0. This project keeps the record of employees working in the company. A user can add, delete or update the record of one or more employees. This project also calculate   the   salary   of   employees   and   store them in a database. Description This is Employee and Payroll System software.In this software all the records of the employee is stored. Admin has the right to edit and delete the employee information. The employees can view their personal information,   salary details, and their leave details. this software is user friendly. This software can be used for those companies where they have lot of employees. here u will find all types of coding like coding for insert, delete, to view. Even u fi nd queries like selecting the data from more than 2 tables. so u will get lot of help from this project. All about Employee and Payroll System:The first form in the project is welcome form. After it we write coding of above mention form which is define below:- 1. Coding for add record for Employee. 2. Coding for delete the record from . 3. Coding for editing the record from the data base. 4. Coding for view the record form. 5. Coding for the advance view record form. 6. Coding for the salary information form. 7. Coding for the salary input form. 8. Coding for the delete salary form. 9. Coding for some button such as exit, cancel, ok   next, previous and find   button.This project keeps the record of employees working in the company. A user can add, delete or update the record of one or more employees. This project also calculates the salary of employees and stores them in a database. So we define the coding of every from, one thing which is I forgot to tell you that we make a El even form in this project which is mention below:- * Welcome Form * Login Form * Main Form * Add New Record Form * Delete Record Form * Edit Record Form * View Record Form * Advance View Record * Salary Information Form * Edit Salary Form * Delete Salary Form

Knowledge Management and Organizational Competencies Dissertation

Knowledge Management and Organizational Competencies - Dissertation Example This research is planned to be carried out from the perspective of our school, The Commonwealth Secondary School Singapore. Given that this is an educational institution, knowledge management forms the key business system for the school in delivering against learning & development objectives of the students of the school. The school has multiple knowledge elements – Teacher’s notes, modules & class lessons, books & journals, past researches & dissertations by ex-students, white papers, essays, etc. It would be very interesting to evaluate how they have been organized in the school’s library system and how useful the knowledge management system has been to the students of all levels taking various courses and also for the teachers for their reference material in preparing for the classes. An old theory by Jeremy Hope & Tony Hope presented the three waves of Economic Change - agriculture wave that strengthened global economies based on the green revolution, industr ial wave that strengthened global economies based on the industrial revolution and the Information wave (modern wave) that is in the process of strengthening the global economies based on knowledge revolution. In order to achieve the best of the third wave, organizations need to implement a management system for conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit and then sanitize, organize and present them for the benefits of the business. Conversion of tacit knowledge to explicit requires overcoming of cultural barriers.

Business Administration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business Administration - Essay Example The value of them is $87 million. The total assets of Apple Inc are $2404 million. The value of NY Fund is substantial when compared to individual investors and small when compared to institutional investors. The compensation regarding the legal suit will bring out a change in the earnings per share and may result in a slight fall in the share value of the company. This can be termed as minimum risk but the chance of decrease of the share price cannot be ruled out. This depends on market's interpretation of a particular practice. If it is removed from the economic reality or regulators try to take any action, there is a chance of losing profit on investing in Apple Inc. (Susan Mangiero, 2007)1 It can be termed that the Apple Inc is holding excessive cash than the requirements. This has been a strategic tool for the company to maintain liquidity or to save the depreciation of assets. This will not increase the earnings per share as the excessive cash is not invested and incurs zero income. The net income is $1,774 million at the end of march 2007 and the cash in hand for the company is more than $7 million. The cash generated by operational activities i8s only $2547 million. This indicates that the company is holding the cash from previous quarter and it is the cash is more than that required for investments. (Apple Inc, 2007) 2 The elements of marketing s... In the second week, the program integrates these core elements to create a cohesive marketing strategy within the context of an effective overall business strategy. In-depth knowledge of competitive dynamics and how to integrate marketing strategy into the overall business strategy Frameworks for analysing customer preferences and enhancing customer relationships Building and managing brand equity with effective market communication Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs. Marketing is the distinguishing, unique function of the business. The innovation of the company is regarding the products but not regarding the marketing. This may effect the profitability and earnings on share.3 Complex market, intense competition, expectant customers, and demanding shareholders require more intelligent marketing.4 In order to develop a well-informed decision making marketing, a variety of analytical and planning mechanisms are perquisite. and ORAC model: optimising, reasoning, analogising and creating 2.3 Misleading strong numbers: The computer hardware industry depends on US and non US consumer price competition. The slow down of commercial orders middled in the corporate sales and affected the apple inc. While the computer industry increased all over the world, it just increased by 3 percent in US. It is 17.6 percent in Asia pacific and 22.2 percent in Eastern Europe. The Apple Inc did not pierce into the markets that are fast growing like Asia pacific, Eastern Europe and Latin America. This resulted in the lack of growth of the business of the company and affected the profitability. This inability of the company can be termed as risk for investing in the company. The major rise in computer hardware demand was captured by

Leadership Concepts Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Leadership Concepts - Term Paper Example Leadership is a concept that receives much talk globally, and has generated a sequence of literature particularly in the field of management (Bass and Stogdill, 1990). There is no uniformity or rather a common definition of leadership. The paper concludes with a list of several recommendations aimed at improving the current leadership skills. Leadership Concepts Excellent leaders have always been associated with a continuous process of learning and not as a result of birth. If one has the desire and the will to become a leader, then an effective leader can come out of the person in question. According to Kidder (1995), it takes not only training to become a good team leader, but it also takes education, experience and a long period of self-dedicated time to study leadership as a skill. For the workforce or juniors to be inspired, an effective leadership has to be, has to know, and has to do a number of things. These things are not achieved while resting on a laurel, instead, they are achieved via continued learning and dedicated study so as to improve the current and already acquired skills as well as learn new skills. This paper aims at looking at the key concepts of leadership; the influence of power on the followers, and evaluate the effectiveness of both transformational and transactional leadership in an organization. Many have defined leadership in various ways. According to Goleman (2000), leadership is a process where a person influences an assembly of other persons with the aim of achieving a common goal. Another definition, put forward by Dwight Eisenhower, â€Å"Leadership is the ability to decide what is to be done, and then getting others to do it† (Larson, 1968). Another definition of leadership comes from Cleeton and Mason (1934), that â€Å"Leadership indicates the ability to influence men and secure results through emotional appeals rather than through the exercise of authority.† The key concept as of these definitions is the abil ity of the person to organize their followers and point them towards achieving a common goal. The difference depends on a number of aspects and the nature of the subjects. For instance, a corporative executive may seek opinion democratically from the subordinates and develop a stratagem to arrive at a common goal. Key Concepts of Leadership In many organizations, numerous personnel are promoted to higher ranks as a result of their hard work. According to Goleman (2000), this is the first mistake companies make. As this paper reports, leadership is a quality that is associated with a number of key concepts. i. Humbleness – arrogance always come to practice during insecure moments, acting as a cover-up. There is no employee who will ever want to see a leader who is remote and haranguing. Instead, they would enjoy working with a leader who is humble and treats them with respect. ii. A good leader will always recognize and appreciate their juniors in the wake of a good performanc e. This has a huge impact on the motivation of the employees, which later yields productive results. iii. One should be a servant. Direct all the efforts towards work and ensure that the juniors have no obstacles that hinder their performance and that they are in possession of all the required tools to accomplish their tasks. iv. A good leader should be visionary in that they can help the juniors to see a better future and excite them on how to get to it. v. Confronting – many classify the word confrontation as a dirty word, but still, one can be confronted positively so as to get others on the right track in a rather gentle way. Confrontation can also be useful in identifying and eliminating from the team ineffective members and those with