Why Music?

Life has rhythm and melody to it. People may state that they don't listen to music. Is that true? Sound, it's all around, whether we like it or not. If we live and hear, then avoiding music is impossible. It surrounds us entirely, but why? Why are people drawn to music? Why does music even exist? â€Å"The more mellifluous the singer, the more dexterous the harpist, the more mates he attracts. † According to the article ‘Why Music? ‘ a reason for why people choose to listen and perform music is because of sex and love. There is some truth in that hypothesis: the better the musician is, the more attractive they will be to potential mates. Many famous singers and band members that are widely known around the world can thank both their talent and physical appearance for their success. Fans might enjoy their music purely because they are attracted to that certain artist instead of to the music itself. This argument states that music exists just to allow people to attract and fall in love, but that may not be entirely true. The author states, † A man does not have to be gay to enjoy the music of an all-male orchestra. † This makes sense, and just proves that the argument of sex being the reason for music wrong. % of the world's population has amusia, where they can't understand and distinguish differences in music; so would that mean they aren't capable to fall in love? There are also many songs that are being recorded, performed and enjoyed where their lyrics have nothing to do with love, sex or relationships, for example traditional, children and purely instrumental songs. They are considered music, but aren't connected to mating. So therefore, this argument, no matter how reasonable can't be entirely true. There has to be a reason that is fully accurate though. So, if it's not sex, what else could it be? Social bonding? Music may exist for us because it helps bind us together just like it did for our past ancestors; the early humans. Before music's emergence, an important social activity was grooming. Grooming was a vital way to allow primates and animals not only to clean their pelts but also to socialize. As groups expanded over time, social grooming became harder and â€Å"the gap was bridged by music, which may thus be seen as a precursor to language,† as Dr. Dunbar believes. Nowadays we still listen to music in groups, and it still is a way to socialize. Concerts, clubs, parties, all are places and events where people who enjoy and share the same interests in music gather together. People may not only get together because of similar taste in music, but they might also have other interests that are the same. But, like the first hypothesis, it can't be entirely true. Isn't it possible for people to listen to music when they are by themselves? Of course, it might not be as enjoyable and the whole atmosphere of it may not be as vivid, but it still is possible. People are constantly listening to their personal music players. By themselves. There are also times when people want to listen to music on their own, to allow them to forget everything else†¦ have some time just to listen and think without other people around them. Adding to this, just pretend that every single person, from all the countries, on this Earth decided to get together in groups according to interests in music. Two problems: the groups would be way too large and too hectic; also, people might find different types of music appealing to them, so for that reason choosing only one group to belong and stay in would be too hard, confusing and just a waste of time. This theory is hard to agree with, and may be even less believable than the first one. An accident? Or an invention? Maybe both, maybe none. Most of us are born with the special ability to hear and either to enjoy or hate the sounds that we notice in this world, and there skills have allowed us to start inventing the music we know today. At least, according to Dr. Pinker; he further believes that music is an â€Å"auditory cheesecake† he also suggested that if either music or cheesecake â€Å"vanished from the species little else would change. † No. This argument has very little value to it, and isn't very convincing. First of all, we aren't the inventors of music, humankind merely classified certain noise that according to the sound like what music should be. Secondly, music doesn't have to be the work of famous classical composers; the catchy pop songs heard on the radio; the unique flavor of each country's traditional music, it can be anything. It is arguable that music can be the sound of a dog panting after a long run; water pouring down great and majestic waterfalls; the loud traffic at busy intersections during rush hour; or pretty much anything we hear. For instance, the composer John Cage was one of the first people to breakdown the barriers and rules that music from the past had. He is most famous for his piece 4'33† where for four minutes and thirty-three seconds, not one single note is played by the performer on stage, in its place, the whole piece is coming from the noises that the audience and the atmosphere of the place makes, therefore that being the music. Likewise, it is possible to disagree with the statement that little would change if music was to disappear. Many, many people wouldn't have jobs such as the numerous musicians everywhere. Visualize a world without any music. None. Movies need music to create a mood, just picture a whole film without music. What about radios? What could we all dance to? Sing our hearts out to? Nothing†¦ without music. Countless things around us are based on music, and our lives wouldn't be complete without it. The more this hypothesis is thought about, the more mistakes it contains, and the less believable it becomes. In conclusion, although there are some that seem more accurate than other, none of the three hypotheses are one hundred percent correct for why music exists and why we listen to it. However, there has to be a reason why. Maybe a combination of the first and second hypothesis, with none or very little contribution from the third hypothesis. It is possible that reasons why are because music changes moods, creates atmospheres, and is an escape for all of us. People all listen to music, and too many people take it for granted, without paying attention to it, really thinking and wondering why we all listen to music.

Comparison of Editorials

Assignment 2:  Discussion—Comparison of Editorials In this assignment, you will identify and explore your intuitive critical thinking strategies. It is the starting point to developing the skills to analyze information critically. Research methods of identifying strong and weak arguments using your textbook and the Argosy University online library resources. Be sure to cover the following: * Identify premises and conclusions * Discuss whether or not an inference is warranted * Discuss matters of truth and consistencyFor this assignment, your facilitator will assign you one of the following debates: * Debate 1: Should the â€Å"Ashley X† treatments have been permitted? * Debate 2: Is Osama Bin Laden’s death a decisive blow to Al Qaeda or an unmitigated victory against terrorism? Each debate has two sets of articles for review. Your facilitator will assign you one of these sets. Each set has two articles with two varying, but important, perspectives on the same s ubject. Be sure to read both articles in the set. Debate 1:These pairs of articles focus on the subject of â€Å"Ashley X,† a child with static encephalopathy who underwent radical surgical procedures to facilitate her care and, thereby, ostensibly improve her quality of life. Set A * Lewis, J. (2007, January 6). The moral line in medicine shifts once again. The Independent, p. 37. (ProQuest Document ID 311096455). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/311096455/abstract? source=fedsrch&accountid=34899 * Singer, P. (2007, January 26). A convenient truth [Op-Ed]. The New York Times. (ProQuest Document ID: 433487228). ttp://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/433487228/abstract? source=fedsrch&accountid=34899 Set B * Lindemann, H. , Nelson, J. L. (2008). The romance of the family. The Hastings Center Report, 38(4), 19–21. (ProQuest Document ID 222368438). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/222368438? accountid=348 9 9 * Picard, A. (2007, January 11). It's wrong to keep disabled girl as an ‘angel’. The Globe and Mail, p. A. 17. (ProQuest Document ID 383481551). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/383481551/abstract? ource=fedsrch;accountid=34899 Debate 2 These pairs of articles focus on the subject of Osama Bin Laden’s death and the alleged implications his death are expected to have on matters of future Al Qaeda activity and international safety. Set A * Clarke, R. A. (2011, May 3). Bin Laden’s dead. Al Qaeda’s not [Op-Ed]. The New York Times, p. A. 23. (ProQuest Document ID 864311946). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/864311946/abstract? source=fedsrch;accountid=34899 * Soufan, A. H. (2011, May 3). The end of the Jihadist dream [Op-Ed]. The New York Times, p.A. 23. (ProQuest Document ID 864311556). Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/864540238/abstract? source=fedsrch;account id=34899 Set B * Clarke, R. A. (2011, May 3). Bin Laden’s dead. Al Qaeda’s not [Op-Ed]. The New York Times, p. A. 23. (ProQuest Document ID 864311946). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/864311946/abstract? source=fedsrch;accountid=34899 * Nocera, J. (2011, May 3). 4 questions he leaves behind [Op-Ed]. The New York Times, p. A. 23. (ProQuest Document ID 864311864). http://search. proquest. om. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/864311864/abstract? source=fedsrch;accountid=34899 Respond to the following: * Identify and explain the strongest argument in each article. Or * Identify and explain the weakest argument in each article. Give reasons and examples from your research in support of your response. Write your initial response in 1–2 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. By Saturday, April 13, 2013, post your response to the appropriate Discussion Area. Through Wednesday, April 17, 2013, review and comment on at least two peers ’ responses. Debate 1:These pairs of articles focus on the subject of â€Å"Ashley X,† a child with static encephalopathy who underwent radical surgical procedures to facilitate her care and, thereby, ostensibly improve her quality of life. Set A * Lewis, J. (2007, January 6). The moral line in medicine shifts once again. The Independent, p. 37. (ProQuest Document ID 311096455). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/311096455/abstract? source=fedsrch;accountid=34899 * Singer, P. (2007, January 26). A convenient truth [Op-Ed]. The New York Times. (ProQuest Document ID: 433487228). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. du/docview/433487228/abstract? source=fedsrch;accountid=34899 Set B * Lindemann, H. , Nelson, J. L. (2008). The romance of the family. The Hastings Center Report, 38(4), 19–21. (ProQuest Document ID 222368438). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/222368438? accountid=34899 * Picard, A. (2007, January 11). It's wrong to keep disabled girl as an ‘angel’. The Globe and Mail, p. A. 17. (ProQuest Document ID 383481551). http://search. proquest. com. libproxy. edmc. edu/docview/383481551/abstract? source=fedsrch&accountid=34899 Identify premises and conclusions Discuss whether or not an inference is warrantedDiscuss matters of truth and consistency Debate 1: Should the â€Å"Ashley X† treatments have been permitted? After reading all the articles, I believe that the Ashley X treatments should have been permitted. All parents want what is in the best interest of their child, even though sometimes they can make mistakes like all people. I am a parent and I could not imagine going through what Ashley’s parents go through every single day. If my child was like that I guess that I would probably do the same thing because having a child have a full grown body but the mind of a 3 month old baby cannot be a good thing.As parents, you have to protect your children t he best way that you know how. â€Å"The parents say that what they have done to Ashley is not for their convenience but for the girl's comfort. They say the medical procedures are not cruel; rather, â€Å"what is grotesque is having a fully grown fertile woman endowed with the mind of a baby (Andre, 2007). † There are many different types of fallacies and they are the straw man, attacks on character, post hoc, begging the question, appeal to popular belief, hasty generalization, irrelevant appeal to authority, over simplification, appeal to tradition, and false dichotomy.When reading through these articles, I see hasty generalization. I know that everyone has their own opinions but there are also facts to this case. â€Å"Once you start tinkering with nature, where do you decide to draw the line – if at all? As Ash-ley's father points out, â€Å"All medicine is about interfering with nature. Why not let cancer spread and nature take its course? Why give antibiotics for infections? † Science has kept Ashley alive; why shouldn't it be used to make her more comfortable (Lewis, 2007)? † â€Å"Modern medicine may save us from immediate tragedy, but only at the cost of our ethical peace of mind.We react violently to stories such as Ashley's because we are afraid of the miracles we have wrought. Where once there was just God and fate, now we face an endless panorama of impossible life-and-death decisions (Lewis, 2007). † With this statement, â€Å"What matters in Ashley's life is that she should not suffer, and that she should be able to enjoy whatever she is capable of enjoying. Beyond that, she is precious not so much for what she is, but because her parents and siblings love her and care about her.Lofty talk about human dignity should not stand in the way of children like her getting the treatment that is best both for them and their families (Singer, 2007). †, I completely agree with what was said here. For any person i n this world, we should all be able to enjoy whatever we can no matter what the situation is. In Ashley’s case, being that she has the mindset of a 3 month old; it would be hard to enjoy the life of an adult. References: Lewis, J. (2007, Jan 06). The moral line in medicine shifts once again; EDITORIAL ; OPINION. The Independent. Retrieved from

Background market and strategies of the nissin group business essay

Background market and strategies of the nissin group business essay Through the evaluation of the background, market situation and business strategies of Nissin Group, this paper provides the explanation on why Nissin instant noodles have achieved a fast development performance in the instant noodles business in Hong Kong The study of Five Forces and PESTEL analyses will lead to the understanding on how the macro-environment and micro-environment affect Nissin performance its business direction and strategy. A further study of the results from the perspective of an internal competence analysis to the results from the Five Forces and PESTEL will identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of Nissin. These findings will then tell Nissin of what needs to be minimized, eliminated, and to reduce or neutralize risks. All these findings will add up the reasons to justify how Nissin sustains its market leader position in Hong Kong. Suggestions on improvement and implementation of corporate strategy will also be elaborated. 1o. Introduction Intrepid Japanese entrepreneur named Momofoku Ando established Nissin Foods around the middle of the 20th century with the name Chukosasa Co., Ltd. Foreseeing that Japanese society was being economically and socially reengineered toward production speed and efficiency, he also sought to reengineer the Japanese diet in response. His answer to the requisite of speed exerted and demanded of the modern Japanese was simple – the instant noodle. The invention revolutionized the food industry not only in Japan but also throughout the world. Now Nissin Foods, produce not only instant ramen noodles but also fresh and pre-packaged frozen food, and meals-ready-to-eat including cereals and spaghetti. But noodles remained the primary product draw. Mr. Ando stayed ahead of the competitive pack with remarkable innovations. In 1963, he introduced into the market the ramen Yakisoba, which had a separate flavoring packet. A decade later, Momofoku Ando invented cup noodles and in 1984, Nissin Foods established in Hong Kong (Nissin Foods Holdings, 2010). What has been Nissin’s strategy to address the various forces acting upon the instant food industry? How valid and viable would this strategy still be in an age of high technology and rapid global integration? And now, lets start to know the direct key stakeholders in Hong Kong. Management of Nissin – The Management receives strong support from Parent company who has made the sustainability much easier for a stronger market share. Staff of Nissin – They are the executors of the business. Staff would be happy to work for Nissin if the business is stable and with continuous growth. Hong Kong consumers – the market share is large amongst the younger generations and white collars as they accept new trendy food, especially from Japan. Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) of Hong Kong Government – the Government has to control the types of incoming food products for consumption, as a statutory body, FEHD will govern the quality of food items importing to Hong Kong. Hong Kong Consumer Council – it regulates the selling of consumer goods to the public in a fair trade practice. By supports of academic references, there will be a careful analysis of macro-environment and micro-environment undertaken by using Five Forces and PESTAL, plus a review of the internal analysis by strategic capabilities. The outcomes from external and internal environment analyses will be combined in a SWOT analysis. From the results of this analysis conclusion on overall business strategy, some improvement or implementation can be drawn through the methods of Porter’s Generic Strategies, Ansoff’s matrix and organic method.

FindLaw website evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

FindLaw website evaluation - Essay Example The paper aims to present an evaluation of the website http://www.findlaw.com and to provide a three-page narrative discourse that explains in detail what information is contained in this web site.The presented narrative structure would thoroughly review the content and web links and thereby state one’s personal opinion regarding whether or not this web site offers meaningful information for viewers, including students of criminal law and procedure. Website Evaluation: â€Å"FindLaw† General Description The home page of the website â€Å"FindLaw† presents six general headings such as Learn About the Law; Find a Lawyer; FindLaw Answers; Legal Forms; News; and Blogs. Upon browsing the home page, one finds that under Find a Lawyer, for example, a search browser offers options to seek a lawyer using a name search, or through typing legal issues or locations. It also offers a tick box where seekers can opt to have a lawyer contact him or her. Under Learn About the Law , there are three sub-topics: the Popular Topics, Legal Topics, Super Lawyers, Knowledge Base, and Legal Video. The popular topics range from accidents and injuries; criminal law; DUI; Employee Rights; Family Law; Real Estate; and Small Business. Legal topics are more diverse including bankruptcy and debt; car accidents; dangerous products; immigration; and wills, trust, estate planning, among others. The Super Lawyers section offers finding top rated attorneys; while the Legal Video segment shows The Divorce Basics, Medical Malpractice Cases, and Stages of a Criminal Case. Another prominent section, What’s New at FindLaw, offer three separate subtopics such as FindLaw Answers, Legal News and Legal Commentary. There are also Recent Answers indicated with the respective time within which these answers were posted. Likewise, there is a section entitled Latest FindLaw Consumer Blog Posts of various legal topics across the United States. At the upper right hand side portion is a search option for viewers who are seeking immediate access to topics based on their general description. Right below this portion is the section that states Getting Started at FindLaw, which offers three options: Find Lawyers, Learn about the Law; and Find Answers. There is also the Do It Yourself Legal Documents portion that offers legal forms to be tailored according to the users’ needs. Finally, the portion below the home page reiterates the major topics: Learn More About, Find a Lawyer, Find Answers, Get Legal Forms, For Lawyers, About Us, Local Lawyers, and Find Us On (Facebook, YouTube, Scibd, and Twitter) portions. A copyright statement follows the abovementioned topics. Parallel to this portion, at the right hand bottom side appears the heading: Are you a legal professional? Two subtopics are offered: Online Marketing Solutions and Download our White Papers. The format and structure of the home page is very professional with highlighted colors of orange for major topi cs and prompts; blue highlighted sections; and fonts in black and blue within a predominantly white background. Only the portion below was typecast in gray background with black and gray fonts. Selected pictures and photographs are seen from four major stories: Dad Charged After Car Stolen With Kid Inside; WA Avalanche Shows ‘Sidecountry Skiing’ Risks; Affirmative Action Returns to the Supreme Court; and Couple Gets Married in NC Walmart Where They Met (FindLaw, 2012). Also, there is a photograph of a family of three: a father, mother and a young girl just above the Do It Yourself Legal Documents portion. Personal Opinion It is one’s personal contention that the website offers comprehensive legal information to viewers, including students of criminal law and procedure. Clicking the criminal law link in Learn About the Law, for example, would generate the information that one â€Å"will find definitions for dozens of common crimes, an overview of stages in a typi cal criminal case, tips on your constitutional rights,

STOP#3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

STOP#3 - Essay Example This implies that he values his commitments to the society more than his own desires. The beauty of nature also spoke to the rider, making the scene attractive for the traveler. The journey of personal desire, making a choice, and the beauty of nature were all encompassed in this one poem. The persona has to choose between two worlds. The woods are attractive and seem to offer the speaker a perfect quiet and solitude which he seems to desire. On the other side, there is a different world from the woods- the world with people and societal obligations. Both sides interest the speaker in different ways, but he has to decide which side is the best for him. The world with people however seems more important to the speaker. One cannot avoid decision making in life. While the rider is travelling, he stops between the woods and a frozen lake. The beautiful and alluring woods are the reason he stops. He stares at them for a while before his little horse shakes the bell of its harness. The persona realizes that he has to make a decision on whether he should remain in the attractive woods or continue with his journey probably to the village where he has promises that he needs to fulfill. Nature is attractive due to its beauty. Many people like to stop in order to study it during their journeys. Personal and societal desires can be put aside for a moment to appreciate this beauty. The rider encounters a snowy wood scene. The soft sound of snow falling might have made the traveler feel peaceful. The sharp cold air created a sharp scene of being alive. Nature can comfort more than personal or societal desires. Choices delayed for a moment to appreciate the beauty of the forest snow fall. In the poem â€Å"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening†, the horseman finds an option to pick between personal and societal obligations. The rider wants to enjoy the snowy scene but needs to get

What is current macroeconomic situation in the U.S Essay

What is current macroeconomic situation in the U.S - Essay Example Over the period of time, the unemployment rates in US averaged just over 5% however, during September 2011, the unemployment rate reached over 9%1 suggesting that despite measures taken by the government, unemployment level is rising. The overall growth rate of GDP has not been encouraging as the growth during the current year has further slowed down due to depressed aggregate demand as well as higher levels of inflation. The overall forecasts for the growth rates during the current year are less than 4% thus suggesting that the economy may further slow down as the growth rates fall and inflation increases. In order to deal with the problem, US government has undertaken a restricted expansionary policy under which fiscal stimulus has been provided to the economy. At the start of the crisis, Bush administration has introduced a tax cut fiscal expansion program to stimulate the economy. After that a further fiscal expansion package was introduced to save the financial system from collapse during 2009 and a further tax cut and unemployment fund extension package was introduced during 2010. (The New York Times, 2011). These attempts suggest that the US government undertook fiscal expansion in order to stimulate the economy and provide the necessary launching pad for the economy to pick up. However, despite such measures, economy has not responded and as such the overall growth rates remained depressed. The monetary policy also remained expansionary in nature wherein FED reduced it policy rate to almost zero. Reduction in discount rate critically reduced the overall interest rates within the economy thus allowing the economy to get stimulus. Low interest rates were also meant to encourage consumer spending on credit so that the overall aggregate demand could be increased. Apart from this, FED also continued with the policy of quantitative easing under which fictitious money was created to increase the

In what ways are horses used as symbolism in the plays The New York Essay

In what ways are horses used as symbolism in the plays The New York Idea by Landgon Mitchell, and the play Mazeppa by Henry - Essay Example In order to understand why horses are used in both stories, we must take a closer look at the general perception of what horses stand for. According to Psychics and Mediums Network, a fantastic website dedicated to the interpretation of dreams and symbols, horses in a dream mean the following: Wild forces that have been tamed are symbolized by the horse. Horses are also a symbol of sexuality and were considered by Freud to represent the terrifying aspect of the father. To dream of ridding an out-of-control horse, may indicate that you are being ‘carried away’ by your passions, whereas a tightly tethered horse may show that you inhibit these natural feelings. Therefore, horses reflect on the feelings of individuals—where they are going and what they are doing. This concept is certainly used in both Mitchell and Milner’s works. As noted above, horses are used to judge different individual actions. In the introduction of â€Å"The New York Idea,† Mitche ll states, interestingly enough: â€Å"The temperament of the race-horse has to be considered—much more, that of the 'star'.† (2). This is an important concept in relation to what we have already been discussing. The author is basically admitting the purpose of the horses in the play itself—to reflect on the actions and emotions of individuals. In Mazeppa, we see a similar stance. The bulk of the narrative focuses on a romantic journey on a horse, the horse serving as sort of escape from reality, or one’s emotions and personal responsibilities. This is especially accurate if we compare this with the Freudian interpretation of horses above. Horses can represent one being carried away by one’s passions, and this seems to be in line with what is going on in Mazeppa. Therefore, the general interpretation of what horses can mean symbolically certainly ties back to what Mazeppa is trying to reveal a horse can mean. Another concept present in Psychics and Mediums network is the reflection of what horses generally mean in mythological terms, and again, this concept can be used to better understand the symbols present in both stories that we are discussing. According to Psychics and Mediums Network, horses can myth logically mean the following: In some myths and fairytales horses speak. In dreams, this represents the voice of your unconscious- a message from your innermost self. In Greek myth, horses were associated with Hades, the underworld and death. However, dream prophecy says that to dream of horses indicates that you will receive news from a distance. And it is extremely lucky to dream of a horse being shod. So, the journey of the horse in â€Å"Mazeppa† can be related to the ultimate end of all human journeys—that of death. Basically, there is the sense that no matter what we do with our lives, all of us will eventually face this end of the journey, or the ultimate end, of relinquishing our souls. This concept is not as present in The New York Idea, but if we think of the races present in the story as a type of journey for the horses, then we see a similar concept present; that of the journey and the finish, and whether ones wins or loses it does not really seem to matter when one reaches the final end of all things. The other interesting point to note about this interpretation of horses is the concept of receiving news from a dista

For this assignment you are asked to first select ONE of the following Essay

For this assignment you are asked to first select ONE of the following topics to investigate - Essay Example Several publications put an emphasis on the developments and realities of video conferencing. They illustrated case after case of people making use of video conferencing and avoiding travel (Davidson & Cope 2003). A number of companies, such as Siemens, LifeSize, and Cisco Systems, have been developing this form of technology for several years now (King 2009). Fortunately, or unfortunately for others, the rapid progress of the current economic crisis is speeding the pace of its implementation. It is not likely that video conferencing can replace business travel, yet companies are increasingly resorting to it as the drawback of the technology—such as dropped calls, wobbly connections, and confusing delays—mostly has been remedied (Tracy 2009). This essay is an attempt to discuss the possibility of video conferencing replacing business travel in the near future. Through specific examples and empirical evidence this essay aims to give light to this new trend in technology and business tourism industry. The current literature on this issue includes the inexpensiveness of video conferencing and transforming economics as well as the ‘not so sophisticated’ adaptations of the technology such as those provided by google, yahoo, or skype. These low- and high-tech video technologies are by now beginning to transform numerous procedures not just in the business tourism industry but also in other professional and skilled sectors of the economy. Several authors discussed particularly the effect of video conferencing on business travel and reduced popularity of business travel. For instance, Hewlett-Packard and Cisco have experienced a considerable growth rate in their video conferencing units over the recent decade (King 2009). The enterprise of video technology is fascinating in two points. First, from the point of view of the customers, although the direct capital needed is not negligible, it

Critical evalluation of the extent to which institutional factors Essay

Critical evalluation of the extent to which institutional factors influence inward and outward FDI - Essay Example However, it is difficult to measure the various institutional factors and therefore the extent to which it influences inward and outward FDI is a subjective issue. The issue of â€Å"institutional distance† has been found to have an influence on both the inward and the outward FDI. Institutional distance is the difference in the quality of institutions between two or more countries. Quere et al. (2007) studied the determinants of FDI and concluded that â€Å"raising the quality of institutions and making them converge towards those of source countries may help developing countries to receive more FDI, hence help them to catch up, independently of the indirect impact of higher GDP per capita†. It is widely known that good quality institutions have a positive impact on the inflow and outflow of FDI. Some scholars suggest that institutional differences may be a source of comparative advantages, some sectors being more ‘institution-intensive’ than others, and t hat this could be a source of more trade flows. To the extent that trade and FDI are complements, this could raise FDI too. Good governance is one of the institutional qualities which are thought to positively affect the flow of FDI. Globerman and Shapiro (2002) studied the impact of the main components of the governance indicators on both inflows and outflows of a country’s FDI. They concluded that good governance encouraged both FDI inflows and outflows; although the impact of good governance on the outflow of FDI only applies to relatively large and developed countries. However, measuring governance is a subjective task which varies from one research to another. Some studies concentrates on one country yet trade flow involves at least two countries. Since FDI flows can move on either direction, governance of all the countries involved should be scrutinized in order to determine the actual impact of governance on both in-flows and out-flows of FDI. The tax system of a host country is another determinant of FDI. If a tax system of a country is set in a manner that the products and services of foreign firms are more taxed than those of the local firms, the inward flow of FDI is likely to be reduced. This is because the foreign firms would have a challenge in setting the prices of their goods and services; in order to make profits, they might be forced to set their prices above those of the local firms thus leading to lower than expected sales. On the other hand, imposing heavy taxes on the products and services of the local firms may hamper their growth. For this reason, the local firms may not grow to become MNEs and thus affecting the outward FDI. However, heavy taxes on the local firms may lead to investment in other countries where the tax rates of taxation is relatively lower. This will lead to increased out-flow of FDI. Corruption is also another institutional factor which is known to determine the flow of FDI. Many researchers have found that cor ruption increases the cost of investment and lead to reduced expected revenues. Taking corruption to mean â€Å"paying certain individuals in order to get an investment opportunity in the host country†, it would negatively affect the inward flow of FDI. In addition, the misuse of public funds and resources by

Generational Shifts in the Workplace Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Generational Shifts in the Workplace - Article Example Moreover, as people from the different generations spend more time with one another, they are in a position to remove their differences and build good rapport which is conducive for more work and lesser fuss. Managers should tend to make employees from different generations benefit from one another’s expertise. For example, old employees have more experience and are aware of the traps. They know how to deal with intricate situations and companies benefit from their strategic planning. Likewise, young employees are more skilled in technology, unlike the old employees. They have great knowledge of computer and can operate difficult software with extreme comfort. In order to progress in the contemporary age with so many competitors in the market, companies are in need of both the strategic planning of the elderly and the technological expertise of the young employees. Nevertheless, it is essential to inculcate the skills of decision making in young employees and make the old empl oyees competent enough in the use of technology.

Food Irradiation Essay Example for Free

Food Irradiation Essay People all over the world are starving for fresh, uncontaminated food. Insects, pests, and invisible microorganisms are not what the public want to find on their dinner plates. Throughout history, life has depended on ways of treating food to reduce or destroy these naturally occurring harmful contaminants and to enable foods to be stored after harvesting so that they can be saved for use at other times of the year. With increasing populations and the growth of cities, it is even more important to be able to preserve food so that it can be transported over considerable distances and stored for long periods before it reaches the consumer. The relentless pressure to supply safe foods to mass markets has led to major contamination problems arising in recent years. The food industry has responded by developing new methods to treat food, such as food irradiation. To some in the food industry, irradiation is a wonderful new technology that could solve many contamination problems without any apparent effects on the treated food. To the consumer, it is a new process that has unknown threats and benefits. Currently, 37 countries, including the United States, permit the use of irradiation and approximately 25 actually use it. Irradiation will remain an expensive and little used technology until there is general acceptance of irradiated foods by consumers. The modern food industry has to make certain choices as to how and when it treats food during the food production cycle. It can start by reducing the level of microorganisms and pests in food by using chemical treatments and pesticides during growth. For this to be effective the food must then be protected against fresh contamination during transport and storage. An alternative approach is to do very little to the food as grown and harvested, but to treat it nearer to the point of consumption. This is common with herbs and spices. The food industry will tend to choose the way it deals with contamination based on the economics of each case, in other words, the cheapest way possible. Even where food is produced relatively close to the point of consumption, it may have to be treated because contamination is inherent in the production process. This is why milk has to be pasteurized. Pasteurization is the most effective way of killing microorganisms with minimal effect on the food itself. Unfortunately, pasteurization can only be used on a very limited range of foods. Poultry in much of the developed world is now infected with salmonella. In Europe, 75% of chicken sold is infected and in the US 60%. It is estimated that the US has some 2,000,000 cases of food poisoning as the result of consuming salmonella costing $2,540 million annually. Even in relatively advanced countries like the United Kingdom the authorities admit that the food contamination problem is out of control stating: the multiplicity of potential routes of contamination makes the elimination of microbiological contamination from poultry being presented for slaughter a virtual impossibility. This need not be the case as has been demonstrated in Sweden. There it has taken 20 years of ruthless killing of any flock with a salmonella infection to achieve 99% of flocks free of salmonella. Poultry costs more as a result but the Swedish authorities and consumers clearly believe this is worth paying. It has been known since the last century that living organisms can be damaged or killed by exposure to certain forms of radiation. The idea that radiation might be used to kill bacteria and other micro organisms in food was seriously proposed in the 1930s but the technology for producing radiation was too expensive and specialized for it to be used other than in experiments. The contamination problems mentioned above have led scientists to try to improve these techniques. The effects of irradiation on food vary much depending on the type of food and on the dosage level. Only a limited range of foods can be irradiated successfully, that is, leaving a food that is still wholesome enough to eat. The main types of food that can be irradiated are meats, seafood, fruit, vegetables, herbs, and spices. In some foods the dose level is very critical, a slight overdose and the food acquires an unpleasant taste and texture. This is the case with eggs, for example. Everything in our environment, including food, contains trace amounts of radioactivity. This means that this trace amount (about 150 to 200 becquerels) of natural radioactivity (from elements such as potassium) is unavoidably in our daily diets. In countries where food irradiation is permitted, both the sources of radiation and their energy levels are regulated and controlled. The irradiation process involves passing the food through a radiation field at a set speed to control the amount of energy or dose absorbed by the food. The food itself never comes into direct contact with the radiation source. The maximum allowable energies for electrons and X-rays two machine-generated sources of radiation that can be used are 10 million electron volts (MeV) and 5 MeV, respectively. Even when foods are exposed to very high doses of radiation from these sources, the maximum level of induced radioactivity, or radioactivity left present in the food, would be just one-thousandth of a becquerel per kilogram of food. This is 2,000,000 times smaller than the level of radioactivity naturally present in food. There are many advantages to using irradiation to process food, for instance: it can kill insects and pests that infest food without harming the food itself. Irradiation can also kill or greatly reduce the levels of microorganisms such as salmonella and listeria. Irradiation also stops normal ripening and decay processes so that foods can be stored longer, as well as sterilizing foods making them fit to eat for sickly patients in hospitals. Currently the FDA allows electron beam irradiation for meat, grains, fruits and vegetables, dehydrated fruits and vegetables, spices, seasonings, eggs, sterilizing medical products, such as surgical gloves, destroying bacteria in cosmetics, and purifying wool. If the food industry could have its way (the way most profitable for them), the only foods that would not be irradiated would be seafood, dairy (which is pasteurized), honey, coffee, chocolate, and oils (fats become rancid easily because of the free radical creation, so they wont be irradiated if they could be eaten raw). Baked goods and dried legumes do not need irradiation. The advantages to food irradiation cannot be far in front of the disadvantages so here they are. Irradiation can only be used on a very limited range of foods, and it is expensive when it is being used. Irradiation also affects some important parts of a persons diet like the level of vitamin E. When irradiation is used, the level of vitamin E can be reduced by twenty-five percent and vitamin C by five to ten percent. Recommended doses of radiation will not kill all of the microorganisms. Ninety percent of the germs and none of the viruses are killed so after the irradiation the food still has to be treated with care to avoid rapid reproduction by the remaining microorganisms. Irradiating foods can also cause new substances that were not in the food before. These substances are called radiolytic products, such as benzene, formaldehyde, and lipid peroxides. While not radioactive themselves, there is considerable controversy over whether these products are dangerous. Some opponents of food irradiation state that if irradiation is put into wider use, people may become more careless about sanitation in food production facilities. Irradiation does not kill all the bacteria in a food and in a just few hours at room temperature, the bacteria remaining in meat or poultry after irradiation can multiply to the level existing before irradiation. Some bacteria, like the one that causes botulism, as well as viruses and prions (which are believed to cause Mad Cow Disease) are not killed by current doses of irradiation. Free-market economists say irradiation is efficient, that it provides the cheapest possible food for the least possible risk. However, these economists are not concerned about the impaired nutritional quality of the food. They are not considering the environmental effects of large-scale corporate farming, the social costs of centralization of agriculture and loss of family farms, the potential long-term damage to human health, and the possibility of irradiation-resistant super-bacteria. If irradiation is to be more widespread, a cheap and reliable detection system should be developed for monitoring organizations to use. The UN should also establish as set of skeletal regulations to ensure that every county irradiating consumer goods is labeling them as such. The priorities of worldwide governments should also be focused on farming clean, thereby eliminating contaminants as thoroughly as possible from the production chain, rather than killing off the harmful organisms at the last stage of production with radiation. Clearly, the public needs to become better educated about the food we are buying. Too many times do we go into supermarkets and buy things because of their price, without really taking a good look the package, and put our trust solely in the people who are trying o turn a buck. While reading about the problem of food irradiation, I was reminded of the novel The Jungle where the greed of people like Gustavus Swift turned meat-packing plants into death traps and sold ground cardboard, rats, and fingers to the public as ? fresh meat while sweeping the floors of the plant to recover the sliced-off bits and package them as potted meat. Clearly the food industry is driven by capitalism, and not by concern for the consumer, and although I am wholeheartedly in favor of capitalist businesses, I do think federal regulation needs to come into play not just in the United states, but in other countries where most of the people have no legal recourse at all if they fall ill or die as the result of unclean food. Education of the consumer is the key to this problem, as is objective research. Governments around the world should be made to adhere to guidelines recommended by people whose main concern is the safe and healthy production of food, instead of the cheapest way to produce it, or what would be best for the businesses already irradiating food, as is the case for the federal government. Without measures taken during all aspect of food production to ensure cleanliness, the consumer is doomed to a lifetime of choices between dirty food, and dirtier food.

Chinese religions Essay Example for Free

Chinese religions Essay The Chinese like any other race, had their own conceptual perspective of things that they cannot fathom or explain. Like their contemporaries they tend to â€Å"simplify things† by trying to attribute the unexplainable to the supernatural. They try to look deeper into things, taking into consideration the physicality and spirituality of objects, be they animate or inanimate. This outlook made the ancient Chinese come up with the concept of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang is defined as the concept of balance between two contrastingly different, or opposing elements. The Chinese believe that Yin and Yang maintains the balance of all things and that it is impossible to isolate or exclude one from the other. The continuity of the Yin and Yang cycle is clearly construed as the balance that keeps everything in an orderly manner. The idea of harmony and balance are the main basis of the yin and yang concept. Yin and Yang did not come to existence in order to destroy or overwhelm one another, but rather to complement one another. The principle that each person is governed by both the negative and positive forces is central to almost all schools of Chinese thought. The Chinese believed that everything in the universe, including ourselves are constantly governed by the laws of dualism. The concept of Yin and Yang is echoed in various Chinese religions. It is essentially the basis and core of Taoism, and has a slight influence on Confucianism and Buddhism. The concept of Yin and Yang in Taoism hinges on the importance of maintaining the fragile balance between the Yin or positive force and the Yang or Negative force. This religion bases its teachings on the principle that both Yin (Negative) and Yang (Positive) contains a small part of one another, and that both of these two opposing forces exist not to destroy one another by the usage of an overwhelming force, but simply to emphasize and complement one another. This religion also preaches that although the positive and negative aspect of things go against each other they are essentially things that would emphasize the uniqueness of the same substance and nature like the others despite the appearance of differences between these two things. A good analogy of this would be mans’ concept of beauty. One cannot appreciate beauty if all objects look alike, if all things share the same features, then those things cannot be truly called beautiful, instead these things would be seen as plain or ordinary due to the lack of a viable standard to base this criteria. One can only distinguish beauty and perfection when its opposite, the concept of ugliness and imperfection exists. Confucianism, another religion that originated from China, also shows subtle hint of the Yin and Yang concept. Confucius, its progenitor, theorized an ethical approach to eliminate conflict. His teachings echo a slight hint of the yin and yang concept, in that he believed that the mingling of the positive and negative forces brought about the existence of all that has life, and has persistently applied this principle in all of his teachings. Confucius did not focus his teachings on the principles of dualism (yin and yang) alone, instead, he assimilated it to almost all of his teachings concerning morality. Another point that proves the influence of the Yin and Yang concept to the teachings of Confucius is the fact his teachings are always addressed to two groups of people, who happens to have a contrasting and totally different social status. As manifested further in his teaching, he asserts the proper manner as to how the Affluent should act towards the less privileged, a king to his subjects, a parent to his children, a man to his wife†¦the list goes on. The one thing that is highly noticeable on the previous analogy is that all of it is based on how a superior individual should act towards his inferior counterpart and vice versa. This further boosts the idea that dualism has a significant influence on Confucian teachings. As a whole, Confucius emphasized that the suffering endured by society arose because its constituents failed to act out in accordance to their respective places in society, it is his idea that people should play their role to the utmost to maintain the balance and harmony within the existing society. Another Chinese religion that the Yin and Yang concept has influenced to a certain degree would be Buddhism. This religion founded by Siddharta Gautama Buddha teaches that the main cause of pain and suffering is pleasure and desire, the concept, in itself is a paradox of duality, which is a very good indicator of the presence of the yin and yang concept. The main precept of Buddhism that preaches avoidance of pleasure and desire to avoid pain and suffering is a contradiction that suggests the influence of the Yin and yang concept. The principle of Yin and Yang and Buddhism are similarly congruent in the preaching of the belief in the importance of harmony and the maintenance of constant balance within the world. It is notable that Taoism, the Religion that conceptualized the Yin and yang concept, and Buddhism both allude to the belief that a person’s fate is totally dependent on the deeds committed during his lifetime. Based on these ideologies, the Chinese have developed the attitude of always trying to blend in to their environment in accordance to the concept of the Yin and the Yang forces. This is evidenced on their continued belief and usage of the principles of Feng Shui, the principle of adjusting one’s surrounding to direct the balanced flow of positive and negative energy to benefit man as a whole. The principle of Yin and Yang is also inherent in the practice of Chinese medicine. The main precept that they uphold in practicing Chinese traditional medicine is that, an imbalance of either positive or negative energy would cause sickness or even death to afflicted individuals, Thus, Chinese practitioners advocate that in order to be healthy one must always strive to have a balanced flow of energy circulating within his body. These are but limited examples of how the Chinese see and apply the principles of Yin and Yang to their daily life. This concept has formed a line of tradition or norm for the Chinese people, so much so that It is unheard of for any Chinese individual to disregard the harmony and balance within his environment, without resorting to or practicing any of the practices prescribed by traditional Yin and Yang believers. As of the present it is safe to assume that the Chinese people put great store in mingling smoothly with their surroundings. This is very evident on their attitude, and the way in which they were able to adapt to almost any environment known to man without relinquishing any part of their National Identity and Heritage (a Chinese could live in any part of the world, or be born on different countries, but essentially retains his Chinese posterity and would still be very â€Å" Chinese† with regards to his beliefs). The Chinese, are perhaps one of the most, if not the most adaptable people known on this planet. This is highly evidenced by their willingness to submit and accept their lot in society and at the same time trying to make the best out of it. Works Cited: â€Å"The Yin and Yang Theory† http://www. 168fengshui. com/articles/yin-and-yang-theory/ http://www. taopage. org/yinyang. html Yin and Yang in Acupuncture and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) http://www. holisticonline. com/Acupuncture/acp_yin_yang. htm http://www. religionfacts. com/taoism/beliefs. htm http://fly. cc. fer. hr/~shlede/ying/yang. html http://www. essortment. com/all/yinyangmeaning_rosp. htm

Analysing The Importance Of Female Political Participation Politics Essay

Analysing The Importance Of Female Political Participation Politics Essay Though women have made great strides in the last fifty years, it has been easier to gain rights, or descriptive representation, than to fully implement them. Countries where women are well represented seem to have more pro-women policies, for example, the governments of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark, have the highest levels of womens representation in Europe, and have shown the effects of that expanded representation through policies that address some of the conflict in female roles between work and child rearing (Stockemer 2007 p477). Ideally, the representation of women in legislatures would reflect their numbers in the population, however, even partial representation can generate gains in government response to the needs of women (Schwindt-Bayer and Mishler, 2005 p424). Greater representation for women, even when it is far lower than the population ratio can provide an ideal focus group for testing how democratically consolidated a country is (Schwindt-Bayer and Mishler, 2005 p408). All minority groups have identifiable interests and may be underrepresented, but it is much more difficult to compare them systematically because these groups are so varied; a group that is a minority in one country can be a majority in another and absent altogether in a third. Women, however, constitute approximately 50% of the population and live virtually everywhere (Schwindt-Bayer and Mishler, 2005 p408). If the interests of half the population are underrepresented in the legislature, the policies of the state are less likely to represent the interests of women, and result in less legislation that meets their needs. More broadly, the state is less democratically consolidated. Political Parties and Groups The importance of political parties in the democratic sphere seems to revolve around the idea of institutionalized competition, an alternate government in waiting. Conflict between the governing and opposition parties helps democratic consolidation by establishing democratic norms and rules, so a strong presence in political parties may be one route towards substantive representation for women. Institutionalized party competition helps permit the largest possible part of the population to influence major decisions. Conversely, political parties must have an almost permanent base of support among a significant segment of the population if they are to survive, which means that political parties should be motivated to include such a large portion of the population as women. In order to gain greater representation, women must be selected as candidates, and be elected. In most countries, political parties are the primary means by which individuals are selected and supported in their bids for the public office (Lipset 2000). The ratio of effective parties to all operating parties may influence how many women participate in politics. The higher the ratio, the more likely all parties will be elected to a meaningful number of seats. Parties that typically win a meaningful share of seats may be unwilling to go against the status quo and do things differently than in the past. A high ratio of effective parties indicates a system with mostly comfortable, possibly complacent, parties. In such a situation, the promotion of women as candidates and their support in elections may not be a high priority. In contrast, if the ratio of effective parties to all operating parties is low, it indicates an increased presence of marginal parties that may be more likely to take risks on fielding and supporting women as candidates (Kunovich and Paxton 2005). The presence of women in elite party positions would also seem to increase the overall number of women fielded as candidates. High percentages of women in party elites may indicate a greater supply of qualified (or perceived to be qualified) women for the parties of a country, membership in such positions may be seen as a stepping stone towards candidacy, and female party elites may use their influence directly to facilitate a greater number of female candidates. (Kunovich and Paxton 2005). Political groups outside of electoral institutions may be just as effective at pushing for greater representation of women as parties. The Brazilian National Council on Womens Rights between 1986 and 1989 acted as an effective de facto womens lobby and coordinator for the womens movement, holding conferences, seminars and public forums all over Brazil where proposals for constitutional amendments were being formulated that culminated in a Carta to the Women in Constituent Assembly. The Carta included a range of proposals, such as changes in labor legislation, family law, day-care and other improvements in womens rights such as the explicit recognition of equality between men and women. Eighty percent of the demands made in this movement, ranging from the recognition of womens sexual and reproductive rights to 120 days paid maternity leave, were accepted (Waylen 2006). Ideology or Political Culture Do ideological compositions of national legislatures influence womens effective representation in those legislatures? Political culture could be described as the embodiment of the attitudes and values of a society, which define the roles an individual may play in the political process. Cultural and traditional values promoting gender inequality seem to remain a major obstacle to the election of women in more traditional societies because female participation in legislative politics is likely to be discouraged by elite opinion leaders and the public, both of whom want to maintain a male-oriented status quo. However, in more progressive, westernized cultures secular trends towards post-materialist values seem to challenge traditional sex roles and facilitate the entry of more women into power. On the level of political parties, Leftist parties espouse more egalitarian beliefs than right-wing parties and are known for their greater support for gender equality. Parties to the left might also feel the need to be sensitive to groups traditionally excluded from the circles of power (Stockemer 2007). Women tend to vote more liberally than men, but this may be attributed to differences in party identification and regional representation (Hallett 2001). If ideology is a decisive factor, then the percentage of seats held by leftist parties in a country could be an indicator of feminine influence, and this proves to be a highly insignificant. 21 out of 27 states of the EU have left-wing parties with a higher number of female representatives than their right-wing counterparts, but the impact of these findings on the overall representation of women is very limited. Electorate System Proportional systems tend to make use of multi-member districts, which means more than one candidate can be elected from a particular district. In contrast, plurality/majority systems like the United States ask citizens to vote for single candidates, typically in single member districts. An electoral system that uses a proportional representation list system and multi-member districts offers several advantages to female candidates. Since parties operating under proportional representation list systems publish lists of candidates, they may feel pressure to balance their partys ticket across genders, leading to greater numbers of women. Balancing party tickets is used to attract voters but also to achieve equity across different factions of the party and to resolve internal party disputes through compromise (Stockemer 2007). A womens position in a political party seems to translate into gains for women as candidates only under proportional representation systems (Kunovich and Paxton 2005). Electoral systems with greater proportionality and higher district magnitudes also tend to elect larger percentages of women to legislatures (Schwindt-Bayer 2005). Investigations have consistently shown that womens representation is higher under proportional representation than under a plurality system (Stockemer 2007). Conclusion There seems to be general agreement that electoral institutions are an important factor affecting the level of womens representation. Formal representative structures and processes exert powerful influences on the extent of womens descriptive representation, policy responsiveness, and symbolic representation. One important thing to consider is to differentiate the levels of representativeness for measuring the success or failures towards greater female representation. Institutional representativeness does not automatically translate into greater substantive representation for women, though conversely is seems difficult to have greater substantive representation without institutional reforms. When considering the impact of different electorate systems on womens representation, the realms of political parties and electorate institutions seem to blend together for proportional representation systems, while pluralistic/majoritarian systems have fewer mechanisms to ensure greater female p articipation. Annotated Bibliography Bano, Saira. (2009). Women in Parliament in Pakistan: Problems and Potential Solutions. Womens Studies Journal 23, no. 1 (September): 19-35. In this article, the author focus on the role of Pakistani women in the political arena, an interesting test case considering widespread belief that Islam is hostile to greater feminist rights. The article also provides good hindsight about the state of womens representation around the globe, what works and what doesnt. Hallett, Stephanie L. (2001). Truth and Fiction: A Study of the Gender Gap in the US National Legislature. Politics 21, no. 3 (September). In this short and simple article, the author attempts to link political ideology with gender, and finds that indeed women are more likely to vote liberal, but that it likely can be attributed to other factors such as party affiliation or regionalism. This article is useful for considering variables besides electoral systems that effect womens representation. Kunovich, Sheri, and Pamela Paxton. (2005). Pathways to Power: The Role of Political Parties in Womens National Political Representation. American Journal of Sociology 111, no. 2 (September): 505-552. The authors were interested in theories about how to examine political factors affecting womens political representation over time and investigates how electoral systems, national-level gender quotas and growth of political rights and civil liberties impact womens legislative representation. Found that national quotas do affect womens political presence, but at a lower level than legislated by law; second, the impact of a proportional representation system on womens political representation is steady over time; and third, civil liberties, do not affect the level of womens political representation in the earliest period of democracy formation, but do influence the growth of womens political representation over time. Lipset, Seymour Martin. (2000). The Indispensability of Political Parties. Journal of Democracy 11, no.1 (January): 48. This article helped me consider political parties by themselves as factors affecting womens representation. The article also helped provide a working definition of democracy and the factors that determine the makeup and strength of political parties in the framework of democratic government, Important for considering electorate systems and womens representation in the larger framework of society. Schedler, Andreas. (1998). What is Democratic Consolidation? Journal of Democracy 9, no. 2 (April): 91. The article helped provide an expanded definition of democratic consolidation to include familiar democratic values and helps shape the argument that greater representation of women means greater democratic consolidation. The article is also useful for pointing out how flexible and relative our definitions of words like democracy are in the grand scheme of things. Schwindt-Bayer, Leslie A., and William Mishler. (2005). An Integrated Model of Womens Representation. Journal of Politics 67, no. 2 (May): 407-428. This article examines the many dimensions of what it means to be represented. The authors point out the difference between symbolic, institutional, and substantive representation. The article relies on evidence that refutes any directional correlations between the different states of representation. Stockemer, Daniel. (2007). Why are there Differences in the Political Representation of Women in the 27 Countries of the European Union? Perspectives on European Politics Society 8, no. 4 (December 15): 476-493. An interesting analysis of what influences womens representation in the EU. Some of the factors considered include electoral system, quotas, economic affluence, and political culture. This study may be more relevant than others because it considered only EU countries, which helps cut down on extraneous variables. This article also helped provide perspective about what is means to be represented and the state of womens representation today. Waylen, Georgina. (2006). Constitutional Engineering: What Opportunities for the Enhancement of Gender Rights? Third World Quarterly 27, no. 7 (October): 1209-1221. This article examines the function of a constitution in regards to expanding womens representation. It finds that constitutions, and other mechanisms like gender quotas, definitely help expand the representation of women, but by no means ensure it. This article also points out that framing the usefulness of these mechanisms are important today because of efforts to build democracy after war in places like Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mans Inhumane Treatment of Men in Louis Sachars Holes Essay examples

Man's Inhumane Treatment of Men in Louis Sachar's Holes The inhumanity that man shows to one another dates all the way back to the beginning of time. We read about it in the Bible, saw it during the Holocaust with the persecution of the Jews, and watched it on TV during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and still experience it today. In the book titled Holes (2002), by Louis Sachar, these actions are displayed once again. Man's inhumanity to man is a reality in society today and in the theme of Holes. Holes is about a boy named Stanley who is sent to a correctional camp for boys called Camp Green Lake. The boys are required to dig one five-by-five-foot hole per day in the 90 degree weather in order to help build their characters. In doing this, Stanley discovers that they aren't just digging for character. They are digging to uncover something for the warden: a treasure. In his attempt to uncover this treasure, Stanley observes and experiences the inhumanities that go on at Camp Green Lake. Sachar displays these everyday inhumanities in many different instances thr...

Oriental Art Essay -- Essays Papers

Oriental Art Oriental art is very distinct from other parts of the world. In their sculptures they still used such materials as clay, wood, and bronzes. However their art work promoted such things as goodness in nature, serenity, graceful balance, spiritual perfection, and a mystical harmony within themselves. There work avoided confusion, conflict and violent emotions at all costs. New or unprecedented experiments in their art work was never welcomed, and the expression of nobility and inner worth where demanded. Ultimately oriental art was said to be â€Å"a way of being†, but to understand this you must look at the words of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius who said â€Å"Raise yourself to the beautiful.† However not all Oriental art is the same, and to see the difference and the influences of their art you need to look at the area’s of China, Japan, and Korea. The Neolithic inhabitants of China were energetic in their pottery, and where the first to practice this art, in which China has remained supreme in until recent times. Not very much is known about the earliest Chinese craftsman or the society that produced them, other than the fact that they lived in pounded earth settlements in northern Honan, Shangtung, and Kansu. These early craftsman created fine pottery, and especially beautiful vessels for funerals which where used for food and other provisions for the dead. These craftsmen where taught to honor the â€Å"five rulers† who had taught their forefathers h... Oriental Art Essay -- Essays Papers Oriental Art Oriental art is very distinct from other parts of the world. In their sculptures they still used such materials as clay, wood, and bronzes. However their art work promoted such things as goodness in nature, serenity, graceful balance, spiritual perfection, and a mystical harmony within themselves. There work avoided confusion, conflict and violent emotions at all costs. New or unprecedented experiments in their art work was never welcomed, and the expression of nobility and inner worth where demanded. Ultimately oriental art was said to be â€Å"a way of being†, but to understand this you must look at the words of the great Chinese philosopher Confucius who said â€Å"Raise yourself to the beautiful.† However not all Oriental art is the same, and to see the difference and the influences of their art you need to look at the area’s of China, Japan, and Korea. The Neolithic inhabitants of China were energetic in their pottery, and where the first to practice this art, in which China has remained supreme in until recent times. Not very much is known about the earliest Chinese craftsman or the society that produced them, other than the fact that they lived in pounded earth settlements in northern Honan, Shangtung, and Kansu. These early craftsman created fine pottery, and especially beautiful vessels for funerals which where used for food and other provisions for the dead. These craftsmen where taught to honor the â€Å"five rulers† who had taught their forefathers h...

The Issue of Experiment in Mathematics Essay -- Math Philosophy Philos

The Issue of Experiment in Mathematics ABSTRACT: The issue of the status of mathematical knowledge a priori or a posteriori has been repeatedly considered by the philosophy of mathematics. At present, the development of computer technology and their enhancement of the everyday work of mathematicians have set a new light on the problem. It seems that a computer performs two main functions in mathematics: it carries out numerical calculations and it presents new areas of research. Thanks to cooperation with the computer, a mathematician can gather different data and facts concerning the issue of interest. Moreover, he or she can carry out different "tests" with the aid of a computer. For instance, one can study strange attractors, chaotic dynamics, and fractal sets. By this we may talk about a specific experimentation in mathematics. The use of this kind of testing in mathematical research results in describing it as an experimental science. The goal of the paper is to attempt to answer the questions: does mathematics reall y transform into experimental or quasi-experimental science and does mathematics vary from axiomatic-deductive science into empirical science? For thirty years the computer has been used by mathematicians to solve some problems. Automatic proving of theorems, proofs obtained with the aid of the computer for the theorems whose traditional proofs are not known (e.g. the four colour problem), using computer graphics, observations of different systems behaviour with parameters changed, solving differential equations, integration — these are only a few possibilities of computer application in mathematics. Using the computer created new work conditions for a mathematician, at the same time bringing about severa... ...objects. Because there can be shown an analogy between mathematics and natural sciences. Physical objects are recognized in the process of our experiencing materialistic reality. The experiment in natural sciences can be defined as a dialogue between the learning subject and the nature, which exists objectively. If we treat the experiment in mathematics in similar way, then there has to be two interlocutors: a mathematician and the field of mathematical objects, subjected to its own rules independent on the researcher's will. Notes (1) B.Mandelbrot in the context of using computer graphics states that: "The eye deserves to be made an integral part of the process of scientific thought" ("Opinions", Fractals 1(1993)1, p.120). (2) Those examples are quoted by G.Polya in "Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning", vol. I, Princeton-New Jersey 1954, p. 90-100, 168. The Issue of Experiment in Mathematics Essay -- Math Philosophy Philos The Issue of Experiment in Mathematics ABSTRACT: The issue of the status of mathematical knowledge a priori or a posteriori has been repeatedly considered by the philosophy of mathematics. At present, the development of computer technology and their enhancement of the everyday work of mathematicians have set a new light on the problem. It seems that a computer performs two main functions in mathematics: it carries out numerical calculations and it presents new areas of research. Thanks to cooperation with the computer, a mathematician can gather different data and facts concerning the issue of interest. Moreover, he or she can carry out different "tests" with the aid of a computer. For instance, one can study strange attractors, chaotic dynamics, and fractal sets. By this we may talk about a specific experimentation in mathematics. The use of this kind of testing in mathematical research results in describing it as an experimental science. The goal of the paper is to attempt to answer the questions: does mathematics reall y transform into experimental or quasi-experimental science and does mathematics vary from axiomatic-deductive science into empirical science? For thirty years the computer has been used by mathematicians to solve some problems. Automatic proving of theorems, proofs obtained with the aid of the computer for the theorems whose traditional proofs are not known (e.g. the four colour problem), using computer graphics, observations of different systems behaviour with parameters changed, solving differential equations, integration — these are only a few possibilities of computer application in mathematics. Using the computer created new work conditions for a mathematician, at the same time bringing about severa... ...objects. Because there can be shown an analogy between mathematics and natural sciences. Physical objects are recognized in the process of our experiencing materialistic reality. The experiment in natural sciences can be defined as a dialogue between the learning subject and the nature, which exists objectively. If we treat the experiment in mathematics in similar way, then there has to be two interlocutors: a mathematician and the field of mathematical objects, subjected to its own rules independent on the researcher's will. Notes (1) B.Mandelbrot in the context of using computer graphics states that: "The eye deserves to be made an integral part of the process of scientific thought" ("Opinions", Fractals 1(1993)1, p.120). (2) Those examples are quoted by G.Polya in "Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning", vol. I, Princeton-New Jersey 1954, p. 90-100, 168.

Khaled Hosseini Essay

The story is about Amir and Hassan, a Hazara. They spend their days in a peaceful Kabul, kite fighting, roaming the streets and being boys. Amir’s father loves both the boys, but seems critical of Amir for not being manly enough. Amir also fears his father blames him for his mother’s death during childbirth. However, he has a kind father figure in the form of Rahim Khan, Baba’s friend, who understands Amir better, and is supportive of his interest in writing stories. Assef, a mean and violent older boy, blames Amir for socializing with a Hazara. According to Assef, the Hazaras were an inferior race that should only live in Hazarajat. He prepares to attack Amir with his steel knuckles, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, and threatens to shoot Assef in the eye with his slingshot. Assef and his friends back off, but Assef says he will take revenge. Hassan is a successful â€Å"kite runner† for Amir. He knows where the kite will land without even watching it. One triumphant day, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally Baba’s praise. Hassan goes to run the last cut, it was a great trophy. Hassan then said â€Å"For you, a thousand times over. † Unfortunately, Hassan runs into Assef and his two henchmen. Hassan refuses to give up Amir’s kite, so Assef exacts his revenge, assaulting and raping him. Wondering why Hassan is taking so long, Amir searches for Hassan and hides when he hears Assef’s voice. He witnesses the rape but is too scared to help him. Afterwards, for some time Hassan and Amir keep a distance from each other. Amir reacts differently because he feels ashamed, and is frustrated by Hassan’s saint-like behavior. Already jealous of Baba’s love for Hassan, Amir worries if Baba knew how bravely Hassan defended Amir’s kite, and how cowardly Amir acted, that Baba’s love for Hassan would grow even more. To force Hassan to leave, Amir frames him as a thief, and Hassan falsely confesses. Baba forgives him, despite the fact that, as he explained earlier, he believes that â€Å"there is no act more wretched than stealing. † Hassan and his father Ali, leave anyway. Hassan’s departure frees Amir of the daily reminder of his betrayal, but he still lives with his guilt. Five years later, the Russians invade Afghanistan; Amir and Baba escape to Peshawar, Pakistan and then to Fremont, California, where Amir and Baba, settle in an apartment and Baba works at a gas station. Amir eventually takes classes at a local community college to develop his writing skills. Every Sunday, Baba and Amir make extra money selling used goods at a flea market in San Jose. There, Amir meets fellow refugee Soraya and Soraya’s father, who was a high-ranked officer in Afghanistan. Baba is diagnosed with cancer but is still capable of granting Amir one last favor: he asks Soraya’s father’s permission for Amir to marry her. He agrees and they marry. Shortly thereafter Baba dies. Amir and Soraya get to know that they cannot have children. Fifteen years after his wedding, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan, who is dying from an illness. Rahim Khan asks Amir to come to Pakistan. He tells Amir â€Å"there is a way to be good again. † Amir goes. Ali was killed by a land mine. Hassan had a wife and a son, named Sohrab, and had returned to Baba’s house as a caretaker at Rahim Khan’s request. One day the Taliban murdered Hassan, along with his wife. Rahim Khan reveals that Ali was not really Hassan’s father. Hassan was actually the son of Baba, therefore Amir’s half-brother. Rahim Khan tells Amir that the true reason he has called Amir to Pakistan is to go to Kabul to rescue Hassan’s son, Sohrab, from an orphanage. Amir returns to a Taliban-controlled Kabul with a guide, Farid, and searches for Sohrab at the orphanage. He does not find Sohrab where he was supposed to be. The director of the orphanage tells them that a Taliban official comes often, brings cash and usually takes a girl back with him. Once in a while however, he takes a boy, recently Sohrab. The director tells Amir to go to a soccer match and the man â€Å"who does the speeches† is the man who took Sohrab. Farid manages to secure an appointment with the speaker at his home, by saying that he and Amir have â€Å"personal business† with him. At the house, Amir has his meeting with the man in sunglasses. The man is revealed to be his childhood enemy, Assef. Assef is aware of Amir’s identity from the very beginning, but Amir doesn’t realize who he’s sitting across until Assef starts asking about Ali, Baba and Hassan. Sohrab is being kept at the home where he is made to dance dressed in women’s clothes, and it seems like Assef might have been sexually assaulting him. Assef agrees to release him, but only for a price – a fight with Amir. Amir is the protagonist of the story. He lives with his father, while his mother died when he was born. He has trouble getting attention and love from his father. He is best friends with Hassan, and the story follows him from the time he is a child to adult. He is good at school, but he is a boy who is struggling to get his father to be happy, he feels that he is the disappointment of his father. He characterizes himself as a coward, with little purpose. He changes his personal beliefs twice throughout the history. First time when Hassan is raped, after the event he is not talking with Hassan because of his guilt and gets Hassan kicked out of the house. The second is when he goes back to Afghanistan to retrieve the son of Hassan. As an adult, he proved what he can do, and is presented as a man with so much courage that no one else ever had. Hassan is the son of Ali, who is the servant of Baba. Hassan is a Hazara and he is often discriminated against and oppressed by others. Hassan is brave, loyal and always protects Amir. Since Hassan has not gone to school, he learns to read and write from Ali. He’s doing what he’s told. He is incredibly loyal to Amir. When Amir accuses him of stealing his watch, he said to Baba that he was the one who took it, without Amir asking him about it. Hassan is the character that changes at least throughout the history. Assef is the evil character in this book. He hates Hazaras, which is shown clearly in the book. Therefore, he is looking for Amir. He believes that it is his fault that Hassan lives with him. He is the one that causes problems between the childhood friends Amir and Hassan. We have two turning points in this book. The first comes when Hassan is sexually abused by Assef and his gang. It changes the friendship of Amir and Hassan. Amir stops talking with Hassan because he feels ashamed and feels that he has betrayed Hassan. The second turning point comes when Rahim Khan calls Amir. Amir changes and realizes that he can make things better. He decides to find Sohrab and get him to safety. This is the structure of the story. The story starts with a short introduction where the narrator tells us a little about himself and Kabul. Then we get more excitement and we get the climax. The climax is when Hassan got raped by Assef. Anything could happen at that point because Amir was looking at everything that happened. The excitement fell down after that incident because Hassan and Ali left the house, but it became more and more interesting after that because the Russians invaded Afghanistan and Amir had to leave Afghanistan. That was a big change in the story. Once again we got a climax when Amir stood face to face against Assef. He had a chance to take revenge now. This was our presentation of ‘’The Kite Runner’’. We have told you a little about the plot, the characters, the turning-points, climax, the setting, the themes and the message in the book. I will end the presentation by talking about my opinion about the book. I loved this book. It has a good structure, the content is really good and you don’t want to stop reading. I don’t like to read books, but this book was special. Sources:The Kite Runnerhttps://thekyterunner. wikispaces. com/Dragel%C3%B8peren| http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/t-shirt/t-shirt-logo/marinebla_polo-ralph-lauren-t-shirt_179718_21 http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/t-shirt/poloshirt/hvit_lacoste-poloskjorte_175476_3 http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/t-shirt/poloshirt/mellembla_tommy-hilfiger-poloshirt_187632_74 http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/t-shirt/poloshirt/svart_hugo-boss-orange-poloskjorte_182674_4 http://www. smartguy. no/klaer/jeans-bukser/bukser/sand_vito-chino_192150_27 http://karrierestart. no/jobb? jobtype=2&municipality=89&page=5 http://www. free-tv-video-online. me/internet/the_ellen_degeneres_show/season_10. html http://www. handelsportal. no/butikk/iphone-4-4s/iphone-4-deksel-og-etui http://max100. no/index. php? route=product/product&path=20_64_67&product_id=292.

Managing Workplace Safety and Health

Nowadays, there are so many countries that have a problem with the employment of their citizens. The government of some countries can not manage to provide them with the jobs that would help them finance their living and their needs. The lack of job opportunities enables stagnation of the potential of the people thus disables the manpower of a certain country to grow and develop. Clearly, there are also so many problems that arise with this very serious unemployment.First, the resources of the country might not be used into its fullest since there are no funds for the farming or whatever job that do not require much machines or infrastructures, like with the farms and forests. Secondly, the population can increase unreasonably since people who might be just spending their time enjoying the dominion that God has permitted us with, to spread the good news and to multiply and recreate. Third, the people in a certain country might want to have a strike for their officials who do not have that potential to provide them what they need in their lives and that is to suffice the need to eat, by which I can recall as one of the primary needs of a person. Thus, this situation may lead to war making the country unfit for peaceful living.Speaking of War, we all know that Iraq is a place where some atrocities and turmoil is present because of the terrorism issue that other countries accuse them. The war has already damaged a lot of natural resources and even killed a thousand lives, whether Iraqi or other people with different nationalities that worked in Iraq. Those people who just wanted to earn something to provide their family financial support, those who already have the potentials and risked their fate by trusting that they will be safe in Iraq, were unlucky to have killed brutally by the guns and bombs that the war have given.The unemployment that is mentioned above is also a way why such people were killed in this country. Those countries that do not have enough slot s for their people tend to send those unemployed to Iraq to find money; hence what they can find is death. Their willingness to sacrifice for their families is equaled by the threats that they might encounter upon arriving at the country that could make them be drained, drained emotionally and even physically.Part of this paper is to analyze how the HR Managers treat this kind of situation aside from the fact that there are hundreds and thousands of unemployed citizens. Do they really intend to help these persons and their families or they are just for the benefit of their commissions given that those companies in Iraq, or their companies that have other bases or branch in Iraq pay double or triple times the price of a normal salary in a peaceful country? There were analyses on how these people deal with the situation given that there are really many things that are being risked in this country, Iraq.The first question goes on how the HR’s are being influenced for this kind o f risking. I think, aside from the fact that working abroad is something really adventurous to most people in the world, it is the deal that goes with the case, that is someone will have to work in Iraq and he/she will be provided of certain benefits that will encourage even his/her family to support that endeavor.There could be lots of offers that they may put into their contracts upon the acceptance of the application of those apprentices. Having so many bombings, it is not a joke to really invest one of your feet just for the sake of money, which is also one of the motivations of the HR managers that they too are risking their credibility to people who might want to work for their company. From the article of Susman saying that there really are bombings in Iraq, there are already so many warnings for the people who would want to give their best shots in Iraq. They will be heroes if they will be killed because of their loving hearts for their families.Giving the unemployed jobs in Iraq might also be a way to decrease the number of populations residing on an overpopulated country, with that intention of course that is hidden by the administration. If this is to be transferred, I think, some Hr managers can just gather these people who want to work in Iraq for big money and just give them something more difficult than letting them face the mask of death and even the haunting black man carrying a knife or a sword. Here, we can say that there are still ways to make them safe of the trouble of the war, that is to wait until the issue between Iraq and the other countries fade. As with the article of Whitaker, there was a military man who will have punishments for being the cause of fatalities with some women and children in Iraq.In my point of view, the danger of risking someone else’s life with the kind of wage the HR Managers are promising their employees is not worth the existence of those beings. It is very difficult to raise a child and give him/her th e education that he/she opt to have at their young age. Those people would always want to have something to apply their education and for the unfortunate who resides on countries with scarcity of jobs in turn be working on a country that promises only threats to their emotional and physical beings.Perhaps it can strengthen the spiritual aspects of that person that they will be able to call the Father Almighty every now and then to protect them with the harms not only the war can give them but by their bosses who might be influenced by the present turmoil in Iraq. I think, the benefits they will be getting in working in Iraq shall just be placed in funds that will enable that state or country make or build establishments that will provide them the money they need. Sometimes, courage is not measured by facing the most scary things in life but by looking for ways to solve the different struggles we encounter every day no matter how easy or complicated they are.

Does Patriotism Still Matter?

Does Patriotism still Matter? Ah! You ask me,† Does patriotism still matter? † Well of course patriotism still matters! When you think of all of the love you receive for yourself, shouldn’t you apply that similar love to your country? I could definitely dig out a few explanations. Well first of all, without patriotism we wouldn’t have peace or stability. A good supportive foundation wouldn’t hurt, but bring healing to our soldiers who risk their lives to sacrifice themselves for the love, or patriotism, for their country.Also, during a present war, without patriotism, what is left in this world to support! Pretty much everything that our world is revolving around is war. Lastly, the peace and stability for one’s country is provided by their citizens who show their true patriotism. Second of all, a country without patriotism is like a dog without an owner. When a pup is hungry, an owner’s duty is to feed it, right? Well it’s the sa me with a country, because when a country is empty for patriotism it’s our duty to feed it with patriotism! What kind of a country would it be without the symbol of patriotism?We would be a stray! On top of that, countries are supposed to be united! Patriotism keeps countries together like a family. Being patriotic helps us recollect those who have lost their lives battling and fighting for the rights we own today. Just think, â€Å"What if I had family who fought and lost their life fighting for me? † Think back in history, even during the civil war when to regions of the U. S. were bludgeoning each other for the right of freedom of slavery. One of the most famous Generals, Stonewall Jackson, was killed fighting for his region.Patriotism is what held him up to lead up to his death. He was confident and patriotism motivated him. Or what about Major General Howe who lost his life in the Battle of Bunker Hill? He also was physically and emotionally motivated by patriotis m. Okay, I think that I have specified my hypothesis. The answer to the question, is patriotism still important, is strictly, yes! Patriotism plays a major role in modern society and is one of the main components in our political office. All I know is, I love my country like hot fudge on ice cream!

Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership

Matthew R. Fairholm University of South Dakota Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership Public administrators need not only practical and intellectual permission to exercise leadership, but also a practical and intellectual understanding of what leadership actually is. Much has emerged in the public administration literature and practice about the need for and legitimacy of public managers exerting leadership in their work, complementing the traditional functions of organizational management and policy implementation.Calling on the experiences and ideas of practitioners, this article offers an empirical understanding—both descriptive and prescriptive— of what leadership actually looks like as it is practiced by public managers. It uncovers five leadership perspectives (ranging from leadership as equivalent to scientific management, to leadership being a whole-soul or spiritual endeavor) held by public managers and discusses their implications for public admi nistration. It legitimizes the notion that leadership is a crucial part of public administration and offers public managers the chance to improve or enhance those legitimate leadership activities.Public administrators not only need practical and intellectual permission to exercise leadership, they need practical and intellectual understanding of what leadership actually is. Training public managers in the skills and techniques of leadership and management has become a major part of public human resource efforts (Day 2000; Sims 2002; Rainey and Kellough 2000; Ink 2000; Pynes 2003). Articles and essays have surfaced in the literature about the need for and legitimacy of public managers exerting leadership in their work, complementing the traditional functions of organizational management and policy and program implementation.Books have emerged to lend more specificity to the topic of leadership in the public sector. Still, in the face of technicism, strict policy implementation, and a fear of administrative discretion, it has often been a significant struggle to discuss the philosophy of leadership in public administration. This article offers empirical insight, both descriptive and prescriptive, about what leadership actually looks like as practiced by public managers, and it supports a growing focus on leadership in the literature (Behn 1998; Terry 1995; Van Wart 2003). The research findings influence ublic administration and the individual public administrator by first growing our basic understanding of leadership, refining our perceived public administration roles consistent with that understanding, and finally, reshaping the professional training of public administrators. These new ideas about how public managers view and practice leadership legitimize the notion that leadership is inherent in and a crucial part of public administration, and it offers public managers the chance to improve or enhance those legitimate leadership activities. The hope s that th e current trend of building leadership and management capacity among practitioners will be undertaken with a more proper focus and with renewed theoretical and practical vigor. Background: The Leadership Apology in Public Administration Public administration traditionally is the study and work of management in public organizations. It is also the study and work of leadership in those organizations. Public administration emerged with a bias toward management science—the expert, the decision maker—but management science has not sufficiently served public administration McSwite 1997). Bennis (1993) suggests that managers Matthew R. Fairholm is an assistant professor in the Political Science Department and the W. O. Farber Center for Civic Leadership at the University of South Dakota. His teaching and training experience spans the public, private, nonprofit, and university settings, including extensive training and consulting in the District of Columbia government and with federal government executives. His academic and professional interests focus on public administration, leadership theory and practice, and organizational behavior.E-mail: [email  protected] edu. Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership 577 focus on doing their work right (that is, correctly), while leadership is concerned with selecting the right things— programs, policies, values, goals, etc. —to work on. In today’s environment, it makes more sense for us to describe public administration as the practice and theory that grapples with doing the right things right in the service of society. In short, public administration is the work of management and leadership. In contemporary literature, the concepts of management nd leadership are constantly being defined, compared, and differentiated. 1 A simple way to see the distinction is that if you can count it, you can control it, you can program it, and therefore, you can manage it. If you cannot count it, you have to do leadership. While some still may not see a distinction, the leadership literature today by and large accepts the differences. Notions of leadership, for instance, grounded the government reinvention efforts so prevalent in the 1990s (Ingraham, Sanders, and Thompson 1998).For example, Sanders (1998) argues that leadership is essential in the working and transformation of government. He suggests the key ingredients of leadership in government reinvention include â€Å"single-minded purpose and a strategic perspective with a proclivity for risk †¦ participation and persistence† (55). Behn (1998) says that leadership is required in the world of public administration to resolve its inherent imperfections. He suggests that no matter what we call the work of public managers, managing the systems and procedures are only part of the job.Initiative, motivation, inspiration— the things of leadership—also play a critical role in making government and government organizations work. Behn offers that the question is not whether they should lead, but rather what kind of leadership should public administrators be practicing. For him it is â€Å"active, intelligent, enterprising leadership †¦ that takes astute initiatives designed to help the agency not only achieve its purposes today but also to create new capacity to achieve its objectives tomorrow† (224). Terry’s (1995) view of leadership serves as a backdrop to much of Behn’s discussion.While Behn focuses on the traits and behaviors of public managers, Terry emphasizes a normative, values-laden approach to leadership, dismissing the heroic leadership constructs in favor of the leader as conservator of institutional and organizational values and goals. The idea of public managers infusing values into an organization is not a new one, even if it is often ignored. Selznick (1983) states that the point of leadership is to â€Å"infuse the organization with values. † And Denhardt (1981) says the theory and practice of public administration are integral to the development of the state and its allocation f values in society. It follows, therefore, that public administration must encompass far more than technical concerns (Hart 1984). Fairholm (1991) focuses a discussion 578 Public Administration Review †¢ September/October 2004, Vol. 64, No. 5 of values leadership in the work of public administration, presenting a model of leadership that is consistent with the fundamental constitutional values that guide and shape the work of public managers. Luminaries in the field, such as Follett (1918), Barnard (1938), and Waldo (1980), have also discussed leadership issues in terms of values and relationships.This focus has been renewed in the leadership literature discussing emotional intelligence, or the ability to understand people and act wisely in human relations (Goleman 1995). Nevertheless, for most, leadership is only one of many supporting elements of public administration’s success or efficacy, not a major factor in public administration theory and practice. In fact, some public administration theorists avoid the topic of leadership altogether. James MacGregor Burns (1978) offers a reason. In modern times, he writes, leadership research and theory have been misfounded in social and political thought. Burns emphatically argues that an ncompassing leadership theory has suffered both from an ill-advised intellectual trip â€Å"down a blind alley,† leading only to misguided ideas of authority, and from the inadequacy of empirical data (23). Researchers have denigrated the idea of leadership, he contends, because they misunderstand the evolving nature of authority derived from changing social structures, and because they have missed opportunities to tie in research procedures and focuses from intellectual interests such as psychology, sociology, history, and political science, not just scientific management, Weberian bureaucracy, and the like.Following Burns’s argument, perhaps public administrators are still afraid of the concepts of raw power, authority, and domination, with which a misguided history of leadership theory has endowed us with. Specifically, many in public administration suffer from a preoccupation with traditional arguments surrounding the potential evils of authority. This preoccupation revolves around typical public administration issues and concerns that are described in ways contrary to the focus on leadership found in recent literature. These concerns can be summarized by what ight be termed the â€Å"three D’s†: (1) dichotomy arguments that say leadership looks too much like politics and therefore should be eschewed; (2) discretion arguments that simply define leadership as a maverick and undesirable version of administrative discretion; and (3) domination/ authority arguments that suggest leadership is merely another form of domi nation and authority and, therefore, is inherently dangerous because it tends to create societal units that are dominated by the whims of unchecked (that is, unelected), morally hegemonic â€Å"men of reason† (McSwite 1997).Despite these objections (indeed, perhaps because of them), studying what leadership actually is and how it is applied makes sense in the world of public administration. As Burns once optimistically declared, â€Å"At last we can hope to close the intellectual gap between the fecund canons of authority and a new and general theory of leadership† (1978, 26). Certainly, studying leadership in public administration offers an opportunity to jump the practical hurdles that history and intellectual narrowness have presented. Such endeavors can begin to close an intellectual and practical gap and help complete the field.Beginning to Fill the Public Administration Leadership Gap For public administration, the leadership gap has really only existed in the ac ademic realm. Practitioners have been â€Å"doing leadership† and dealing with authority and influence all along, but without a good model for what they are doing. While some writers in the field have focused on leadership, overall, public administration scholars have done little to help understand what leadership in public organizations is. Van Wart (2003) suggests it is still an area worthy of more thought and especially more research. His eview of public administration articles suggests that leadership itself has not been in the mainstream of public administration literature and that a dearth of empirical research on leadership is evident. Many public administration academics are, at best, ignoring leadership issues and, at worst, rejecting the concept. Practitioners, on the other hand, are trying to gain sufficient training or grounding in leadership to deal with the relationship-based issues they face daily. Because of this practitioner focus, a few universities have sta rted programs explicitly linking leadership and the public sector environment.Increasingly, government agencies are devoting time and financial resources to leadership and management-development programs. 2 Many state governments have committed to offering the nationally recognized certified public manager training to their employees. And most federal agencies have leadership-development programs for senior executives, middle managers, and new recruits with significant leadership potential. You Know It When You See It Even with all of this focus on leadership development, public administration as a field has not devoted sufficient cholarly attention to the topic. People often lump all executive functions or behavior into the word â€Å"leadership. † They disregard the unique leadership techniques that have prompted contemporary leadership scholars to differentiate leadership and management. Thus, they may say that virtually everything done in organizations is leadershipâ€⠀ which also means that nothing is. One reason for this lack of attention is that understanding leadership is hard. In part, this is true because of the many extant management and leadership theories, approaches, and definitions. To some xtent, though, these definitions of leadership simply reflect the theory that each individual researcher has about the leadership phenomenon. One authority on leadership suggests, â€Å"Leadership is like beauty. You know it when you see it. † As Stogdill (1974, 7) suggests, â€Å"there are as many definitions of leadership as there are persons who have attempted to define the concept. † Understanding leadership, then, may entail understanding people’s conceptions or mind sets about the phenomenon and framing these perspectives in a useful model. Studying practitioner views n leadership, therefore, is an appropriate and valuable start to understanding what leadership looks like in public administration to public administrators. This article deals with the author’s study focusing on what leadership looks like to public managers. This research develops empirical evidence that different perspectives on leadership exist that shape the behavior of individual practitioners in ways specific to their mind sets. This is a â€Å"personal conceptions† or â€Å"perspectival† approach to leadership study. This perspectival approach reveals the different ways that individual public managers see their eadership activities every day—how they conceive of leadership from their perspective. Therefore, it provides a richer, more meaningful understanding of the concept of leadership and facilitates a more complete analysis of the leadership phenomenon. It also suggests it is likely that practitioner leaders can grow in their understanding of leadership. Importantly, this research better informs the work of public administrators by emphasizing both the leadership and the management responsibilities that are evident as practitioners ply their craft. Leader and Leadership Two main approaches to studying leadership emerge.The most popular is a focus on the leader, suggesting that leadership is best understood by studying specific individuals in specific situations (Bennis 1984; Kouzes and Posner 1990; Carson 1987; Sanders 1998). Proponents of this method focus on the qualities, behaviors, and situational responses of those who claim to be or are given the title of leader. In this first approach, leadership is what leaders are or do, and therefore the meaning of leadership derives from the work of the leader: Leaders define leadership. The second approach recognizes that studying individual eaders may not get you to a general understanding of leadership (DePree 1992; Wheatley 1999; Heifetz 1994; Burns 1978; Greenleaf 1977). This approach rejects the idea that leadership is a summation of the qualities, behaviors, or situational responses of individuals in a position of authority a t the head of organizations. Proponents of this approach accept that leadership is something larger than the leader— that leadership encompasses all there is that defines who a Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership 579 leader may be. Hence, the meaning of â€Å"leader† (or who ay be labeled a leader) depends on the leadership techniques displayed, not the position held. This second approach differs from the leadercentric approach mainly by asking the question, â€Å"what is leadership? † instead of â€Å"who is a leader? † This second, more philosophical approach guides this research exploring how public managers view leadership. Applying the Perspectival Approach to Understanding Leadership Paradigmatic, perspectival, or worldview conceptions of how we look at the world are not new in literature. Barker (1992) uses the term â€Å"paradigm† to suggest a system or attern of integrating thoughts, actions, and practices. Graves (1970) d escribes different states of being, each of which determines actions, relationships, and measures of success. Although the states of being are somewhat hierarchically arranged, Graves’s research shows that a person need not necessarily grow to higher levels or states of being. Harman (1998), in reviewing the history of science and knowledge, suggests there are three fundamental ways (perspectives) of seeing and knowing the world and the phenomena of social interaction. Other authors see culture s shaping the way we view things in our everyday experiences (Quinn and McGrath 1985; Schein 1996; Herzberg 1984; Hofstede 1993). McWhinney (1984) explains the importance of looking at paradigmatic perspectives in studying leadership. He argues the different ways people experience reality result in distinctly different attitudes toward change, and understanding these different concepts contributes to new understanding about resistance to change and modes of leadership. Morgan (1998) al so suggests that the way we see organizations influences how we operate within them and even shapes the types of activities that make sense ithin them. The Theory of Leadership Perspectives The research draws on the perspectives outlined by Gil Fairholm (1998). He suggests that people view leadership in at least five different ways. These perspectives not only shape how one internalizes observation and externalizes belief sets, they also determine how one measures success in oneself and others. Thus, Fairholm says, â€Å"defining leadership is an intensely personal activity limited by our personal paradigms or our mental state of being, our unique mind set† (xv). Our leadership perspective defines what we mean when we say â€Å"leadership† and shapes how we iew successful leadership in ourselves and others. He explains that while the leadership perspective that someone holds may not be the objective reality about leader580 Public Administration Review †¢ September /October 2004, Vol. 64, No. 5 ship, people holding that view behave as if it is. Individuals immediately draw on their own conceptions to internalize conversations about leadership. They define leadership for themselves and use their perspective as the basis for judging whether others are exercising leadership. Frustration, confusion, and even conflict may arise because individuals may simply have ultiple, competing, even conflicting conceptions of what leadership is. Fairholm posits five distinct leadership mind sets that emerge from experience and literature from the past 100 years or so. The first is leadership as (scientific) management. This perspective equates leadership with the type of management that draws on the scientific management movement of the early part of the twentieth century, which still has relevance for many even today. In this perspective, much emphasis is placed on managers understanding the one best way to promote and maintain productivity among the employee ranks.Gulick’s (1937) famous mnemonic, POSDCORB (plan, organize, staff, direct, coordinate, report and budget), had great influence on the work of public administrators by legitimizing and routinizing the administration of government and fits squarely in this perspective. The second perspective, leadership as excellence management, suggests that leadership is management but focuses on what has been called the â€Å"excellence movement. † Popularized in the 1980s by Peters and Waterman (1982), Deming (1986), and Juran (1989), this perspective focuses on systematic quality improvements with a focus on the eople involved in the processes, the processes themselves, and the quality of products that are produced. The third perspective is leadership as a values-displacement activity. This perspective defines leadership as a relationship between leader and follower that allows for typical management objectives to be achieved primarily through shared values, not merely directi on and control. Leadership success depends more on values and shared vision than on organizational authority. Although the values-leadership perspective differentiates leadership and management, it still focuses much on the role of the leader in the elationship. The fourth perspective, leadership in a trust culture, shifts the focus toward the ambient culture where interaction between the leader and the led is based on trust founded on shared values, recognizing the follower as having a key role in the leadership relationship. This mind set emphasizes teams, culture, and mutual trust between leader and follower, which are the methods leaders use to institutionalize their values. The last perspective is whole-soul (spiritual) leadership. This perspective builds on the ideas of displacing values and maintaining a culture of trust, as it focuses attention n the whole-soul nature of both the individual leader and each follower. This perspective assumes that people have only one spirit, which manifests itself in both our professional and personal lives, and that the activity of leadership engages individuals at this core level. â€Å"Spirit† is defined in terms of the basis of comfort, strength, happiness; the essence of self; the source of personal meaning and values; a personal belief system or inner certainty; and an emotional level of being. Equating spiritual leadership with the relatively new idea of emotional intelligence may seem atural. Emotional intelligence is indeed related to social intelligence and wise human relations. It involves the ability to monitor one’s own emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use the information to guide one’s thinking and actions (Salovey and Mayer 1990). Emotional intelligence is a useful concept (perhaps for all of the perspectives, but especially from values leadership on), but it involves only a part of what spiritual leaders might use in their larger-scoped task of capturing the spirit (the s oul, the heart, or the character) of followers at the emotional, ut also at the value, intellectual, and technical levels. Whole-soul (spiritual) leadership integrates the components of work and personal life into a comprehensive system that fosters continuous growth, improvement, self-awareness, and self leadership in such a way that leaders see others as whole persons with a variety of emotions, skills, knowledge, and abilities that go beyond the narrow confines of job needs. Spiritual leadership is essentially the linking of our interior world of moral reflection with our outer world of work and social relationships. The theory suggests these five perspectives are distinct ut related hierarchically, leading to a more accurate and comprehensive conception of leadership. This hierarchy suggests that succeeding perspectives encompass and transcend lower-order perspectives, and that individuals must move through simpler perspectives before being able to comprehend and engage in leade rship activities characterized by more complex perspectives. To gain a full picture of leadership, the theory suggests, we should take into account how a â€Å"holarchy† of leadership perspectives offers a compilation of leadership elements that produces a more comprehensive view of the leadership phenomenon Koestler 1970). Within this compilation of leadership elements, some transcend others to such a degree as to make the less encompassing elements look less like true leadership. As we move up the model, the distinctive elements of leadership as differentiated from management become more refined. The Leadership Perspectives Model The leadership perspectives model explains leadership in terms of these encompassing perspectives (figure 1). The model shows five concentric triangles, the smallest of which is scientific management and the largest of which is whole- soul leadership.Thus, in two dimensions, we are able to see how one perspective can encompass and transcend another perspective. For example, values leadership encompasses the ideas of scientific management and excellence management, but transcends them in ways that help us to see distinct activities and approaches that create a line between management theories of the past and leadership ideas in contemporary literature. The leadership perspectives model operationalizes significant elements of Fairholm’s initial theory, illustrating how these constructs, along with operational categories and ey leadership elements, relate. The specific leadership elements are ones that are found in contemporary leadership literature. Overall, the model points the way not only to understand the phenomenon of leadership better, but also to teach leadership and develop individuals in their leadership activities. Key Research Findings This researcher performed a content analysis on 103 essays written by middle managers in the District of Columbia government describing their conception of leadership.Data were also collected from 31 interviews of public managers (balanced in terms of government function, personnel grade level, gender, and ethnicity) in three metropolitan Washington-area jurisdictions — Arlington County, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Prince George’s County, Maryland—as a supplement and verification of the essays’ analysis. The content analysis and interview data reveal the following general findings about the leadership of public managers in terms of the five leadership perspectives. Five Leadership Perspectives.The content analysis revealed four distinct, â€Å"pure† leadership perspectives and one transitional perspective (that is, excellence management). The scientific management, values leadership, trust culture leadership, and whole-soul leadership perspectives were evident as distinct mind sets held by practicing public executives. Fifteen of 103 essays (14. 6 percent) reflected completely distinct leadership perspectives. All persp ectives were evident in mixed or combination forms. The scientific management perspective was identified as the perspective of choice most often, receiving the most hits t 24 percent, while the excellence management perspective received the least at 15 percent. Each hit measures the existence of at least one description or reference to a leadership element in the leadership perspectives model. The evidence for each leadership perspective is reinforced by the analysis of both the essays and the interviews. Excellence management garnered the least concrete support. It is the only perspective that did not have a pure form found in the essays—that is, no one was identified as solely in this perspective—and almost one-third of the essays had Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership 581Figure 1 Leadership Perspectives Model 11. Ensure efficient use of resources to ensure group activity is controlled and predictable 12. Ensure verifiably optimal productivity and r esource allocation 13. Foster continuous process-improvement environment for increased service and productivity levels 14. Transform the environment and perceptions of followers to encourage innovation, high quality products, and excellent services 15. Help individuals become proactive contributors to group action based on shared values and agreed upon goals 16. Encourage high organizational performance and self-led followers 17.Ensure cultures conducive to mutual trust and unified collective action 18. Prioritization of mutual cultural values and organizational conduct in terms of those values 19. Relate to individuals such that concern for the whole person is paramount in raising each other to higher levels of awareness and action 10. Best in people is liberated in a context of continuous improvement of self, culture, and service delivery Whole-Soul (Spiritual) Leadership Trust Cultural Leadership Values Leadership Excellence Management 1. Incentivization 2. Control 3. Direction S cientific Management 14. Motivation 15. Engaging people in roblem definition and solution 16. Expressing common courtesy/respect 17. Values prioritization 18. Teaching/coaching 19. Empowering (fostering ownership) 11. Measuring/ appraising/rewarding individual performance 12. Organizing 13. Planning 14. Focusing on process improvement 15. Listening actively 16. Being accessible 17. Setting and enforcing values 18. Visioning 19. Focusing communication around the vision 10. Trust 11. Team building 12. Fostering a shared culture 10. Creating and maintaining culture through visioning 11. Sharing governance 12. Measuring/appraising/ rewarding group performance 13.Inspiration 14. Liberating followers to build community and promote stewardship 15. Modeling a service orientation 13. Developing and enabling individual wholeness in a community (team) context 14. Fostering an intelligent organization 15. Setting moral standards no hits relevant to this perspective. However, the interview data show it to be the most frequently described perspective. This finding suggests that excellence management may be more appropriately labeled a transition or bridge perspective from scientific management to values leadership. This perspective may reflect people’s tendency to mix the ocabularies of management and leadership as they try to express what it is they actually do. People hear the newer 582 Public Administration Review †¢ September/October 2004, Vol. 64, No. 5 terms of leadership, but they may not yet be able to shake off the traditions of management theory and the vocabulary of industrial revolution. The result is a description of leadership that mixes the efficiency and productivity mantra of scientific management with the relationship, teamwork, values, and empowerment vocabulary of recent leadership literature, such as that found in the values-based leadership and emotional intelligence literature.Hierarchical Leadership Perspectives. The five perspectives of leadership tend toward a hierarchy. The public managers described perspectives that related in loosely hierarchical ways—perspectives that encompass and transcend other perspectives. In this sense, the scientific management perspective is of a lower order in the leadership perspective hierarchy. All of the other perspectives encompass and transcend it. Whole-soul leadership is of a higher order, transcending the other four. The interview data verify essay data and confirm the five perspectives relate in a hierarchical manner.Through trial and error, by increasing their awareness of leadership activities, or by increasing their levels of responsibility in the organization, individuals may progress from lower-order perspectives to higherorder perspectives. This suggests that some people may extend their understanding and practice of leadership over time. This could happen if a career is maintained at the same organizational level or if it spans multiple levels. Data illustrate that adopting a new perspective transcends the previous one. For instance, the tools and behaviors of a lower-order perspective may be the building blocks for the ools and behaviors of succeeding perspectives, but they are not adopted unchanged from one perspective to another. As one moves up the hierarchy of leadership perspectives, the tools, behaviors, and approaches one uses are encompassed and transcended and can, at certain levels, be totally sublimated by other tools and behaviors so as to be obsolete or even antithetical to the work of a leader in higher-order perspectives. Distinctiveness through the Operational Categories. The perspectives can be distinguished by understanding how someone describes the implementation (or doing) of eadership, the tools and behaviors used, and the approaches to followers taken in the leadership relationship. The content analysis of all 103 essays suggests that specific leadership elements within the â€Å"approaches to followers† cate gory distinguish a person’s leadership perspectives (such as giving orders, motivating, team building, inspiring). However, the tools and behaviors that individuals describe in â€Å"doing leadership† are more helpful in differentiating leadership perspectives than either of the other two. Table 1 summarizes the number of times a leadership element ithin the operational categories of the leadership perspectives was distinctly described in the essays. A total of 1,343 distinct references to the leadership elements that define the categories outlined in the leadership perspectives model were found in the 103 essays. The interview data reinforce the fact that the operational categories in the model are useful in distinguishing leadership perspectives. Seeing More the Higher Up You Are. The higher in the organizational hierarchy public managers are, and the more time in service they have, the more likely they are to subscribe to higher-order perspectives.Perhaps this is a commonsensical notion, but rarely, if ever before, born out by research (though by no way is it to say that by virtue of promotion individuals necessarily adopt more encompassing views of the leadership responsibilities). Comments from interview subjects validate this idea. One mid-level manager within the whole-soul leadership perspective stated bluntly that â€Å"my views have changed over a number of years. † Another response from a senior executive within the trust culture leadership perspective indicated, â€Å"If you were to ask me five years ago I would have a different answer, I’d have different thoughts. As this individual began to understand different aspects of the job, especially aspects dealing with values and relationships, new ideas and technologies began to emerge and were viewed as successful. These statements, typical of many this researcher received, lend evidence that people can and do move from one perspective to another and that the movement is t oward higher-order perspectives—perspectives that are more encompassing and transcendent than previous conceptions. There may even be a point at which they realize what they thought they were doing in terms of leadership actually urned out to be more managerial in nature. A realization of how leadership differs from management causes them to focus their leadership effort differently. One public administrator confided that â€Å"in this current job, I jumped right into management (there was a lot wrong in that area) and I was frustrated that I hadn’t taken the time to do the leadership. Now I am starting from scratch all over focusing on the ‘leadership piece’ because the office still did not function well. † Gender and Racial Congruence. All five perspectives were evident in male and female public managers at the ame relative frequencies. However, females tended slightly more toward the excellence management perspective, while males tended slightly more toward the scientific management perspective. All five perspectives were evident in African American and white public managers at the same relative frequencies. These facts suggest the leadership perspectives model applies regardless of the gender or race of the person engaging in leadership. Functional Incongruence. The data reveal the functional area of government in which public managers operate may influence leadership perspectives.Public managers in the public safety and justice function tend toward the first three perspectives in the hierarchy: scientific management, excellence management, and values leadership. Public managers in the government support, direction, and finance function revealed all but the trust culture leadership perspective. Public managers in human services and education, economic regulations, and public works reflected all five leadership perspectives, although they tended toward the lower-order perspectives. Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership 583Table 1 Summary of Hits Within Each Perspective By Leadership Elements and Operational Categories Leadership perspective Operational categories Leadership elements Scientific management Ensure efficient use of resources to ensure group activity is controlled and predictable Ensure verifiably optimal productivity and resource allocation Measuring, appraising, and rewarding individual performance Organizing (to include such things as budgeting and staffing) Planning (to include such things as coordination and reporting) Incentivization Control Direction Implementation description Tools and behavior Approaches to followersTotal Excellence management Implementation description Tools and behavior Approaches to followers Total Values leadership Implementation description Tools and behavior Approaches to followers Total Trust cultural leadership Implementation description Tools and behavior Approaches to followers Total Whole soul leadership Implementation description Tools a nd behavior Approaches to followers Number of hits Foster continuous process-improvement environment for increased service and productivity levels Transform the environment and perceptions of followers to encourage innovation, high quality products, and xcellent services Focusing on process improvement Listening actively Being accessible (to include such things as managing by walking around and open-door policies) Motivation Engaging people in problem definition and solution Expressing common courtesy and respect Help individuals become proactive contributors to group action based on shared values and agreed upon goals Encourage high organizational performance and self-led followers Setting and enforcing values Visioning Focusing communication around the vision Values prioritization Teaching and coaching Empowering (fostering ownership)Ensure cultures conducive to mutual trust and unified collective action Prioritization of mutual cultural values and organizational conduct in terms of those values Creating and maintaining culture through visioning Sharing governance Measuring, appraising, and rewarding group performance Trust Team building Fostering a shared culture Relate to individuals such that concern for the whole person is paramount in raising each other to higher levels of awareness and action Best in people is liberated in a context of continuous improvement of self, culture, and service delivery Developing and enabling individual wholeness in a ommunity (team) context Fostering an intelligent organization Setting moral standards Inspiration Liberating followers to build community and promote stewardship Modeling a service orientation Total 584 Public Administration Review †¢ September/October 2004, Vol. 64, No. 5 Percent for Percent for element category 39 24 57 54 64 15 15 74 342 11 7 17 16 19 4 4 22 100 18 10 38 25 6 21 14 3 31 9 59 15 13 183 5 32 8 7 100 22 59 17 35 19 81 44 15 61 26 340 10 6 24 13 4 18 8 100 16 7 15 28 23 37 24 77 18 238 6 12 10 16 10 32 8 100 28 12 19 8 20 36 55 51 14 17 240 8 15 23 21 6 7 100 18 51 30 48 28 42 30 13 37 50 0 46 34 Discussion: Implications for Public Administration The leadership perspectives model posited in this study emerges as a valid way to test both the descriptive and prescriptive potential of the perspectival research approach and helps to frame a more comprehensive view of leadership. It is descriptive in the sense that it defines and explores how one may view leadership and positions that perspective into an overarching leadership model. To some, leadership is scientific management, but that perspective may not be as encompassing (as complete a description of the phenomenon) as another perspective.The section of the model from values leadership to whole-soul leadership describes leadership in a more refined manner (and more in line with contemporary literature on leadership, such as emotional intelligence), with whole-soul leadership perhaps being the better overall descriptio n of what transcendent leadership looks like. The model is prescriptive in the sense that it explains which activities, tools, approaches, and philosophies are required to be effective or successful within each perspective. This research suggests that in order to fully understand what leadership is, we have to take into account that some f what we call leadership is often encompassed and transcended by other, more enlightening conceptions. The more enlightened we become in terms of transcending leadership elements, the more able we are to see leadership as distinct from what contemporary literature would distinguish as management. Burns (1978) refused to use the term â€Å"management. † Instead, he used the term â€Å"transactional leadership† to distinguish lower-order organizational technologies from the ideas of higher-order leadership, which he termed â€Å"transforming leadership. † This model adds new light (and support) for why Burns may have chosen to us e eadership to describe his more managerial descriptions of organizational activities, in that some do view management as leadership. However, we are able to understand through this model that some perspectives of what we do are not leadership at all, but rather management—perhaps good management, but management only. In other words, everything we call leadership may not actually conform to the distinctive technologies of leadership. This leadership perspectives model allows public administrators to more easily recognize their day-to-day leadership (and management) efforts and to see those efforts in broader, more encompassing ways.The research and findings based on the model can influence public administration and the individual public administrator by (1) growing their understanding of leadership, (2) helping to refine public administrators’ roles and recognize that their measures of success in these roles will reflect activities consistent with their leadership pers pective, and (3) reshaping the professional training of public administrators. Growing One’s Understanding of Leadership This research suggests that one’s understanding of leadership depends on the perspective that one brings to the question.The perspectival approach to leadership assumes it is possible to expand and grow one’s understanding of leadership, even to the point of realizing what one thought was leadership may more accurately be called management or, as Burns put it, transactional leadership. It does not assume one must necessarily move from one perspective to another, but it does suggest that movement can and does occur. Interview subjects reflected a sincere and reflective approach to leadership, which they felt comfortably fit their views of how they interact with other people and how other people interact with them. These were not xpressions of leadership styles (that is, calculated activities to achieve some specific goal or achieve a particular agenda depending on the situation or follower maturity). Rather, the perspective a person holds defines (1) the truth to them about leadership, (2) the leader’s job, (3) how one analyzes the organization, (4) how one measures success in the leadership activity, and (5) how they view followership. The leadership perspective is the umbrella under which different leadership styles may be pursued or expressed (Hersey and Blanchard 1979). Leadership perspectives, therefore, are not leadership styles to be changed willy-nilly.Rather, leadership perspectives are paradigms and worldviews (leadership philosophies) that need not necessarily change over a lifetime, but may be grown and changed through concerted training efforts, life experiences, and learning opportunities. One interviewee in the public library system suggested the things she did and believed as a first-line manager were totally different than the things she does and believes now as a senior executive. She said that wh at got her to her current position was no longer effective where she currently sits in the organization.As she progressed through different levels of the organization, she also progressed through different perspectives of what leadership meant to her and how she practiced it as a public administrator. Redefining and Refining the Roles of Public Administrators Just as leadership can be viewed in multiple ways, so can the roles of the public administrator. This research reinforces the idea that the perspective of leadership that public administrators accept (implicitly or explicitly) determines their actions and how they measure the relative success or failure of those actions. Therefore, the leadership erspectives within which public administrators operate most likely influences the roles they choose to play. Public administrators who sit squarely in the scientific management perspective accept that the traditional public administration principles of efficiency and effecDifferent Per spectives on the Practice of Leadership 585 tiveness and the activities summarized by POSDCORB fully explain the purposes and processes of their work. To them, technical managerial skill and scientific, reasoned precision must be the purview of public administration without the pressures of political activity, which â€Å"rightly† belong to politicians.Public administrators holding to the excellence management perspective add an emphasis on process improvement and stakeholder involvement to discover and resolve potential problems in efficient and effective processes. These first two perspectives, scientific management and excellence management, focus on the administrative side of the classic public administration dichotomy. Together, they ground the traditional measures of success for public administrators, which the leadership perspectives model suggests may actually be based on transactional management ideas— not leadership at all.However, as we have seen, there are those who claim more for the profession of public administration than the technical and predictable. Many say that the politics–administration dichotomy is no longer relevant, if it ever was. These public administration leaders bring a values perspective to the work they do and recognize their potentially influential place in society (Marini 1971; Waldo 1971; Frederickson 1997). Some focus on the societal impact they can make. Others focus on the organizational impact they can make. Others find meaning in creating great public administrators one by one, either by teaching, mentoring, r going about their public-sector jobs in inspiring ways. These views of public administration may fit more comfortably with the philosophies of higher-order leadership perspectives. No wonder, then, there are still disagreements within the field as to its proper role and stance in society: There are public administrators who honestly measure success and implement leadership from dramatically dif ferent leadership mindsets. They use different tools and engage in behavior and approaches toward others very differently. These perspectives also guide how they view the work of other public administrators, always gauging the success or ailure or the appropriateness of another’s work based on how they conceive of leadership in public administration. Not only does this sometimes cause confusion and frustration within public organizations, where public servants are doing the day-to-day work of government, but it also adds to the confusion and frustration in debates about the field itself. Perhaps these debates might better focus on the perspectives of leadership among public administrators that dictate their values, goals, and behavior more so than the academically defined roles that public administrators are said to play.The perspectival approach to leadership, therefore, may encompass a way to analyze the field of public administration itself. 586 Public Administration Revie w †¢ September/October 2004, Vol. 64, No. 5 Some public administrators who hold to lower-order leadership perspectives may never see a reason to progress through different perspectives. The research findings in this study conclude, however, that there are perspectives of leadership that encompass and transcend lower-order perspectives, that growth and progression is evident in the ways people conceive of leadership, and that moving to igher-order perspectives increases a public administrator’s capacity to cope with increasingly complex issues, organizations, and relationships. Hence, there are ways of conceiving of leadership in public administration that transcend and encompass more limiting perspectives. This translates to public administrators who seem more organizationally sophisticated and emotionally intelligent, as well as more attuned to the personal or individual issues of their jobs. They deal more with people, public issues, and policies (both within the organ izations and outside it) and are able to facilitate more success in an increasingly omplex world. The perspectival approach to leadership also points to a clearer way to understand the different measures of public administration success. The hierarchical nature of the leadership perspectives model suggests the role of public administrators encompasses the technical implementer and skilled mediator roles, but transcends them as well. It suggests that public administrators may rightly play a more facilitative, policy-making, and collaborative role—roles that are more in line with higher-order leadership perspectives—and those roles may be more appropriate (if not necessarily more effective) roles in general.Shaping Professional Training, MPA Curricula Designs, and the â€Å"Oughts† of Public Administration Understanding leadership perspectives as they are applied to the work of public administration can be used not only to refine (and redefine) the field, but also to provide a foundation for training new public administrators. As important as the technical and traditional management skills of public administration are, there is also a need to focus on the recently recognized skills and perspectives of leadership such as relationship building, inspiration, culture creation, values change, creativity, and flexibility.If such a focus is neglected in the training and work of public administration, the field may never get past the continual debates about its legitimacy, usefulness, and place in government and society. In today’s organizational climate, where technology and information are expanding rapidly, along with the knowledge base and professional and personal requirements of the workforce, higher-order leadership perspectives and the public administration roles associated with them may indeed be more effective. Public administrators are often in a better position to suggest new programs and new directions or government. Higher-order mind sets assume, or at least allow for, this function as a part of doing leadership in public administration. The leadership perspectives model helps to redefine the field to focus on public service as an opportunity to engage in leadership within public organizations. It supports our continual efforts to teach others to seek the highest ideals of public service, and thereby to leave to citizens a legacy of trust, integrity, and responsibility, as well as high-quality service delivery and accountability. This implies there are approaches to public administration that hould be adopted over others (such as community building, value shaping, visioning, and stewardship). It implies there are approaches to public administration that are more encompassing and transcendent than others. The research describes what leadership looks like in the work of public administration, emphasizing that the work within public organizations influences the work of public organizations. Public administrat ors can, therefore, better understand their work as leaders inside the organization— not just middle managers, but middle leaders as well (G. Fairholm 2001; M. Fairholm 2002). Remember the one ublic manager who â€Å"jumped right into management,† but then realized he had to start â€Å"from scratch all over focusing on the ‘leadership piece’ because the office still did not function well. † Well-functioning offices are key to welldelivered services and good government. Another public administrator explained that â€Å"leaders need to be modeling behavior, what you want from people you must model. If you want to have a certain type of communication from others you must communicate that way. If you want people to develop people, you must develop people. You must model the work ethic; do what is required o help. I believe in having respect for the position one holds, but I also believe in equality. You need to work to build a community. † This perspective outlines a kind of organizational work that influences how both the internal and external mission of the organization is carried out. The leadership perspectives model clarifies leadership as distinct from discretion or mere uses or abuses of authority. The different perspectives of leadership make the work of public administration look and feel different depending on the different mind sets public managers hold from which they view their craft.These perspectives prescribe how public administration ought to be. Indeed, the â€Å"oughts† of public administration are shaped by the perspective of leadership that one holds. What the leadership perspectives model also offers, however, is that not all perspectives are equal in application. Some perspectives are more encompassing and transcendent than others—that is, some are more operationally useful today than others. Recognizing this potential measure of our work should influence how this work is taught and how individuals are trained.Current (and past) master of public administration programs still teach mostly management skills and techniques. Often programs add the word â€Å"strategic† to the planning function to give it a top-box orientation, but it is still focused on institutional planning and numbers, not values. A course on managerial leadership is emblematic of this approach, and it is not sufficiently comprehensive. MPA curricula and professional development programs would benefit from discussing the descriptions of leadership perspectives and the type of public administration consistent with those descriptions. They should train specific skills, ompetencies, and technologies that the different perspectives demand, including emotional intelligence or other higher-order concepts about values, relationships, and dealing with stakeholders at the emotional level. MPA programs should include leadership specialties or include leadership as a core competency with courses to rei nforce it. The leadership perspectives model itself offers fundamental skills and approaches that can be used as a framework to shape a training and development program or even as part of an MPA curriculum. For example, a five-day leadership training program might use the perspectives to outline each day’s activities.Each day would include a section on implementing leadership from that perspective, coupled with skills-development activities for the leadership elements within the â€Å"tools and behavior† and â€Å"approaches to followers† categories. Each day might then end with the implications for public administration from that perspective. Table 2 outlines such a training design. These curricula and programs should recognize some of the more normative issues about these perspectives and devote attention to answering the questions about how public administration should be thought about and practiced in encompassing and transcendent ways. ConclusionAs public a dministration begins to include discussions of leadership more explicitly in its work and training, the field will not only better understand its legitimate role in society, it will also produce men and women who are competently and confidently prepared to do the work of public leaders. The task of public administration today—both intellectually and operationally—is to better understand these perspectives and ensure the field is adopting the most appropriate and encompassing approaches to and measures of our work in the societies we live in, the organizations we work in, and the individual lives we influence.Overall, the perspectival approach to understanding leadership is a credible and valid way to better understand how people can operate in this complex yet intensely personal world within which public administration finds itself staunchly entrenched. Different Perspectives on the Practice of Leadership 587 Table 2 Generic Leadership Training Program for Public Admin istrators General daily format Day 1: Leadership as Scientific Management Implementation description—what leadership looks like Day 2: Leadership as Excellence Management Implementation description—what leadership looks like Skills development †¢ Measuring, ppraising, and rewarding individual performance †¢ Organizing (to include such things as budgeting and staffing) †¢ Planning (to include such things as coordination and reporting) †¢ Focusing on process †¢ Setting and improvement enforcing values †¢ Listening actively †¢ Visioning †¢ Being accessible (to †¢ Focusing include such things communication as managing by around the vision walking around and open-door policies) †¢ Creating and †¢ Developing and maintaining culture enabling individual through visioning wholeness in a community (team) †¢ Sharing governance context †¢ Measuring, †¢ Fostering an appraising, and intelligent ewarding group orga nization performance †¢ Setting moral standards Follower relationship concepts †¢ Incentivization †¢ Control †¢ Direction †¢ Values prioritization †¢ Motivation †¢ Engaging people in †¢ Teaching and coaching problem definition and solution †¢ Empowering †¢ Expressing common (fostering courtesy and respect ownership) †¢ Trust †¢ Team building †¢ Fostering a shared culture Conclusion Public administration practice—Each day discuss what this leadership perspective tells me about my work. Introduction Day 3: Values Leadership Day 4: Trust Cultural Leadership Day 5: Whole-Soul Leadership Implementation description—what eadership looks like Implementation description—what leadership looks like Implementation description—what leadership looks like †¢ Inspiration †¢ Liberating followers to build community and promote stewardship †¢ Modeling a service orientation Notes References 1. Th is debate centers on some general ideas. Management embodies the more reasoned, scientific, position-based approach to organizational engagement, such as setting and maintaining organizational structure, dealing with complexity, solving organizational problems, making transactions between leader and those being led, and ensuring control and prediction.Leadership embodies the more relationship-based, values-laden, developmental aspect of the work we do in organizations, such as changing organizational contexts, transforming leader and those being led, setting and aligning organizational vision with group action, and ensuring individuals a voice so that they can grow into productive, proactive, and self-led followers (Burns 1978; Kotter 1990; Taylor 1915; Urwick 1944; Zaleznik 1977; Ackerman 1985; Rosener 1990). 2. Examples of these universities and programs include the Farber Center for Civic Leadership at the University of South Dakota, the Center for Excellence in Municipal Managem ent t The George Washington University, the Management Institute at the University of Richmond, and several programs at Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Chicago. Washington, DC has also devoted considerable resources to building and sustaining a public–private partnership with the academic, business, and philanthropic communities to focus on developing management and leadership capabilities in its midand senior-level management tier, though budget cuts now threaten the endeavor (CEMM 1996). See also Wimberley and Rubens (2002) for more on leadership development programs through partnerships.Ackerman, Leonard. 1985. Leadership vs. Managership. Leadership and Organization Development Journal 6(2): 17–19. Barker, Joel. 1992. Future Edge: Discovering the New Paradigms of Success. New York: W. Morrow. Barnard, Chester. 1938. The Functions of the Executive. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Behn, Robert. 1998. What Right Do Public Managers Have to Lead? Public Administration Review 58(3): 209–25. Bennis, Warren. 1984. Where Have All the Leaders Gone? In Contemporary Issues in Leadership, 2nd ed. , edited by William E. Rosenbach and Robert L. Taylor, 5–23. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. ———. 993. An Invented Life: Reflections on Leadership and Change. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Burns, James MacGregor. 1978. Leadership. New York: Harper and Row. Carson, Clayborne. 1987. Martin Luther King, Jr. : Charismatic Leadership in a Mass Struggle. Journal of American History 74(2): 448–54. Center for Excellence in Municipal Management (CEMM). 1996. The Academy for Excellence in Municipal Management. Washington, DC: George Washington University. Day, David. 2000. Leadership Development: A Review in Context. Leadership Quarterly 11(4): 581–611. Deming, W. Edwards. 1986. Out of the Crisis. Cambridge, MA:Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Advanced Engineering Study. 588 Public Administratio n Review †¢ September/October 2004, Vol. 64, No. 5 Denhardt, Robert. 1981. Toward a Critical Theory of Public Organization. Public Administration Review 41(6): 628–36. DePree, Max. 1992. Leadership Jazz. New York: Dell. Fairholm, Gilbert. 1991. Values Leadership: Toward a New Philosophy of Leadership. New York: Praeger. ———. 1998. Perspectives on Leadership: From the Science of Management to Its Spiritual Heart. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. ———. 2001. Mastering Inner Leadership. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.Fairholm, Matthew. 2002. Leading from the Middle: The Power and Influence of Middle Leaders. Public Manager 30(4): 17– 22. Follett, Mary Parker. 1918. The New State: Group Organization—The Solution of Popular Government. Edited by Benjamin R. Barber and Jane Mansbridge. University Park: Pennsylvania University Press, 1998. Frederickson, H. George. 1997. The Spirit of Public Administration. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass . Goleman, Daniel. 1995. Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books. Graves, Clare. 1970. Levels of Existence: An Open Systems Theory of Values. Journal of Humanistic Psychology 10(2): 31–54. Greenleaf, Robert. 1977. Servant Leadership: A Journey into the Nature of Legitimate Power and Greatness. New York: Paulist Press. Gulick, Luther. 1937. Notes on the Theory of Organization. In Papers on the Science of Administration, edited by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick, 3–13. New York: Institute of Public Administration. Harman, Willis. 1998. Global Mind Change: The Promise of the 21st Century. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. Hart, David. 1984. The Virtuous Citizen, the Honorable Bureaucrat, and â€Å"Public† Administration. Public Administration Review 44(Special Issue): 111–20.