Critically examine two theoretical perspectives, The Feminist Theory and Psychoanalysis Essays

Critically examine two theoretical perspectives, The Feminist Theory and Psychoanalysis Essays Critically examine two theoretical perspectives, The Feminist Theory and Psychoanalysis Essay Critically examine two theoretical perspectives, The Feminist Theory and Psychoanalysis Essay Essay Topic: Sociology In academic writing on media practice different theoretical perspectives are applied according to the authors research agenda. Critically examine TWO theoretical perspectives before providing examples of how each has been applied within academic writing on the media. After comparing these theoretical perspectives say why ONE will be more relevant for your dissertation work in Level 6. For this essay I have chosen to critically examine two theoretical perspectives which will be The Feminist Theory and Psychoanalysis. I will describe the origins of these theoretical perspectives, detailing how they came about and why they are useful in academic writing on media practice. Then I will analyse two pieces of academic writing each of which use a theoretical perspective I have chosen to discuss. Barbara Brooks Feminist Perspectives on the body which deals with the use of some changes in feminist thinking about the body. Stevi Jackson and Jackie Jones Contemporary Feminist Theories, the section on psychoanalysis. Feminist theory seeks to analyse the conditions which shape womens lives and to explore cultural understandings of what it means to be a woman. It was initially guided by the political aims of the womans Movement the need to understand womens subordination and our exclusion from, or marginalisation within, a variety of cultural and social arenas. Feminists refuse to accept that inequalities between woman and men are natural and inevitable and insist that they should be questioned. Theory, for us, is not an abstract intellectual activity divorced from womens lives, but seeks to explain the conditions under which those lives are lived. (Stevi Jackson and Jackie Jones, 1998, p. 1) In a way, most feminist thinking could be described as an engagement of one sort or another with what it means to be and to be perceived to be, a female body. It is hard to come across feminist writing that is not at some point connected to issues of the body. There have been a lot of Feminist thinkers through time who have had vastly different responses to female bodies, which still continue today. Issues of the body have been central to most feminist thinking, in one way or another, but there is also evidence that there has been a large number of feminist publications with the word body in the title, over the last decade. There have been some developments of studies in feminism called Corporeal feminism, which is looking at the characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit. One of the best known English writers in this field is Elizabeth Grosz. Grosz is the author of numerous works, including Volatile Bodies: toward a Corporeal Feminism; Jacques Lacan: a Feminist Introduction, and Becomings: Explorations in Time, Memory and Futures. Groszs work is very much influenced by European philosophers such as Nietzsche, Merleau-ponty, Deleuze, Guattari, Foucault and Spinozist. Elizabeth Grosz believed that; What they share is first, anti-Cartesianism, a refusal of the mind/ body or nature/ culture oppositions. Second, they share a dynamic rather than a static ontology, an ontology rooted in becoming rather than being. And third, they share a privileging of questions of ontology over questions of epistemology. This means that these various, historically-linked figures form a kind of counter-history to the dominant theoretical strands making up the history of philosophy. There are, of course, other figures that could be included in such a counter-history, but Deleuze has provided us with a powerful starting point from which to work backwards to claim such a history. In recent years, Elizabeth Grosz has reinvestigated Irigarays theory to formulate a new phenomenological view on the body. Grosz rejects the Platonic idea that the body is a brute or passive entity, but sees the body itself as constitutive of systems of meaning. In Volatile Bodies, she redefines the body using Deleuzes post-oedipal framework of the Desiring Machine. The body becomes a desiring machine when it de-humanizes the object of desire and dissolves into surrounding environments. The subject becomes one with the machine-like apparatus and senses its merging components as changing, segmented and discontinuous waves, flows, and intensities. Katrien Jacobs (http://web. gc. cuny. du/csctw/found_object/text/grosz. htm) Grosz asks questions about what constitutes a body and, in particular, about where, if at all, there can be located a specifically sexed body that is somehow before or beyond culture. Grosz developed a new theory which was not trying to answer a question about what came first, she wanted to look at a different explanation of the body, which rendered a question of redundant. Grosz pushe d the boundaries of existing terms. A central figure for grosz in rethinking the self as body and mind rather than body separated from mind is the Mobius strip: Bodies and minds are not two distinct substances or two kinds of attributes of a single substance but somewhere in between The Mobius strip has the advantage of showing the inflection of mind into body and body into mind, the ways in which, through a kind of twisting or inversion, one side becomes another. This model also provides a way of problematizing and rethinking the relations between the inside and outside of a subject. Grosz, Elizabeth (1994) Volatile Bodies: Towards a Corporeal Feminism. Grosz challenges commonsense ideas about sexed bodies, and about the construction of knowledge; a movement in feminist thought has been from epistemology (theory of knowledge (hence, episteme as a component of that knowledge, something which is a building block of a particular knowledge system), toward ontology (the study of being, existing in the world) towards the question of What is a woman?. There has been a tendency to assume an essential femaleness which for some feminists was something to be ignored or minimised, and for others was a cause of celebration in answering the question What is a woman?. The focus of a womans movement around a universal idea of woman has been increasingly critiqued as imperialist: blind to its own exclusions and assumptions. The development of an identity politics organised around a self-defined identity of sexuality, race, ethnicity, etc. challenges this universalism. The assertion of womans rights as human rights rests on the humanists ideas of the Enlightenment: the belief in the rights of an individual human subject. Arguably, the late twentieth century is dismantling the idea of the unified human subject; this poses problems for feminism. Second-wave feminism, following the work of Simone de Beauvoir, argues for the separation of sex (the natural, given male or female body) and gender (the cultural definitions of masculinity and femininity). Social constructionism relegates the body to no more than a tabula rasa for inscription by culture. Social constructionist explanations have been criticised for ignoring sexuality and racial difference. Judith Butler (and others) points to the way in which binary gender formation relies on an assumed heterosexuality. She tries to re-think gender as performativity (Judith Butlers theory of gender as a continually repeated performance): a series of acts repeated until they appear as natural extensions of the body engaged in the performance. Butler, like other corporeal feminists (Corporeality: literally the being of the body; when the adjective, corporeal is coupled with feminism, it denotes a recently developed theorising that attempts to reorient thinking about the female body and subjectivity in ways that challenge the dominant episteme of the mind/body split. works to change the thinking of Western philosophy and, particularly, to move beyond the dualism (binarism (or dualism): the pattern of thinking and conceptualisation that divides everything into opposites; one of the feminist objections to it is that in the set of supposedly equal opposites, one set of terms can clearly be designated as feminine and the other masculine, with higher or positive values, on the whole, attached to the latter. ) of Cartesian thought. Luce Irigaray and Hi li ne Cixous also challenge this dualism, attempting to re-inscribe woman in multiple ways that resist binary oppositions of western thinking. Elizabeth Grosz argues that such a rethinking of and through the body is crucial to feminist politics. Psychoanalysis is concerned in the account, or analysis, of the mind, the psyches structure and its relation to the body, and uses that as the basis for treating certain kinds of sickness. Psychoanalysis is well known as the talking cure; psychoanalysis is closely concerned with gender, sexuality, familial relations, and the fact that their expression and construction are not always available to the conscious mind. These areas are those of interest of feminists. Psychoanalysis has been seen by some feminist writers as another weapon in the armoury of patriarchy. To enlist on behalf of feminism the insights of psychoanalysis, in particular the concept of the unconscious and the idea that gender is a psychic and not a biological identity, post-Freudian writers have focused on the very early pre-oedipal stages of a Childs life, and mothering. Pg 162 Sue vice Contemporary Feminist Theories Psychoanalysis was first developed by Sigmund Freud, based on the exploration of unconscious mental processes displayed within dreams. Its aim was to reveal repressed anxieties and overcome the effects of bad experiences in early childhood. Freud believed that the location of desire was between what we see and what we imagine for ourselves. Freud established three principles. The unconscious, argued Freud, consists of the activity of primary sexual and destructive instincts, which are in conflict with internal forces of self-preservation and external social forces. Second, the analysis of dreams proved invaluable in accessing the unconscious; as did, thirdly, Freuds working out of the relationship between primary (unconscious) and secondary (conscious) thought processes. Later on Freud developed a theory called the Oedipus complex and infantile sexuality. Freuds central concepts took the male child as a model, so that the female seemed like an imperfect version. Melanie Klein revised and extended several Freudian categories in the light of child analysis during the 1940s and 1950s. Klein offered an alternative to the Freudian view of the maternal body as one which is superseded by the superior paternal law, and is only a site for regressive feelings in later life. Klein argues that children have a very early knowledge of the mothers vaginia as well as the fathers penis, and so the division into two sexes is inevitable. Kleins concept of sexual difference appears more rigid than Freuds; she has made a great impact on feminist theory. This is partly due to Kleins emphasis on the importance of the maternal, in contrast to Freuds on the role of the father, and Freuds habit of writing out the mother in his case histories. Klein was also distinctive in giving priority to interpersonal relations over individual instinct. A specific psychoanalytic theory can be directly associated with the fascination of the images on the screen, that of Jacques Lagans mirror stage. It deals with the point in which a young infant realises its own image within the mirror and has its own identity. In recognising its own image, the infant develops a fascination with itself and begins to construct its own identity. However, what the child constructs is a representation of them selves because it notices itself as an image and begins to unify itself with the image. Therefore, an element of delusion sets in because the subject becomes an image, even though the image is a replica of the individual; it is in fact a representation of the individual. The nature of our egoistic selves, as represented through the identification of the image can be connected to the illusory nature displayed on the film screen. As our reflection is nothing more than an image we take narcissistic pleasure in, so to can we now identify with the gloriously complete presentation of a spectacle on the screen. (Turner, 1999, p. 134) The future of psychoanalytic theory within feminism seems very rich. As well as the return to Klein, signalled for instance by the establishment of the womens Therapy Centre London (Wright 1992: 457-61), psychoanalytic feminism underlies recent developments in lesbian theory, gender studies and queer theory. The latter in particular has benefited from the long-standing debate in feminist psychoanalysis between signifier and signified, body and language, literal and metaphorical, as Caroline Evans and Lorraine Gamman suggests in a Queer Romance. Some representations, what we call queer representations, seem to share the capacity to disturb stable definitions (Burston and Richardson 1995:46). New work is beginning, although rather slowly, on psychoanalysis and race; as psychoanalysis has been discourse about, but not of, women, it has been neither about, nor of, people of colour. It is interesting to speculate whether issues of oedipalisation, gender construction, and transference, in particular, will be revitalised by the incorporation of racial difference. To return to Freuds idea that it is only accidental that there are two sexes, and there could just as easily have been four drive-based positions instead, it may turn out to be the case that the law of the father is the law of the white supremacist father specifically (Stephanie munro, forthcoming work on Irigaray and race), while other fathers may have other laws. Sue Vice pg 173 Contemporary Feminist Theories For my dissertation I will be using The Feminist Theory as one of my main theoretical perspectives. My dissertation will be analysing what affects media images have on body satisfaction? I will be discussing not only female but male satisfaction of the body as in the past there has been a lot of writing on the female body but now there are a lot more studies on the male body and how they feel. I will be looking at the Feminist perspectives on the body, as the body has been central to feminist thinking. I will be looking at the new concept that has been developed corporeal feminism. Which is the being of the body; when the adjective, corporeal is coupled with feminism, it denotes a recently developed theorising that attempts to reorient thinking about the female body and subjectivity in ways that challenge the dominant episteme of the mind/body split. It will also be relevant for me to use content analysis and mass communication models such as the Hypodermic Model in my dissertation which will concentrate on the effects of a specific aspect of media communication on the audience.

Computers. Who invented the computer How did early computers work What Research Paper

Computers. Who invented the computer How did early computers work What were their limitations How would they compare with computers today - Research Paper Example As we celebrate the various advantages of computers in our lives, it is important to make a stop and have a look at the historical evolution of computers. The exact beginning of computer development is highly argued, but many people argue that Babbage was one of the earliest inventors. Other scientists such as James Thomson, Stanley Fifer,  Turing, John Atanasoff, Colossus, F.C. Williams, and Tom Kilburn made stepwise contribution to the evolution of the computer. The early computers were large, cumbersome, slow, and had limited memory and computation power. The evolution of technology in information and computing has, however, changed this situation, making the modern computers more efficient, portable, less bulky, and less expensive. This paper will seek to establish the inventors of early computers, the working of early computers, the limitations of the early computers, and draw a clear comparison between the early and modern computers. The early computers had various applicatio ns. ... It was applicable in war machines. On the other hand, the differential analyzer by Vannevar became the first large-scale automatic general-purpose mechanical analog computer. The differential analyzer was a semi-automatic machine that was typically a program controlled. The digital machine by Turing had unlimited memory and a memory reader that read and wrote, under the management of a special program, to different memory locations (Copeland web). The Atanasoff Berry Computer (ABC) used to solve linear and algebraic equations using over 3000 vacuum tubes that increased the working speed of the ABC computers. However, in all cases, there was a need for more advanced software program to enhance the efficiency of computer operations (Raul 2-8). It is highly argued that Charles Babbage is the father of early computers, having proposed the Difference Engine in the 1820s. The Difference Engine was a special-purpose digital computing machine for the automatic production of mathematical tabl es. It consisted of only mechanical components like rods, pinions, and brass gear wheels. Indeed, in 1990, using the Babbage's designs, Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2 was built and displayed at the London Science Museum. In addition, Babbage proposed the Analytical Engine, which was to have been a general-purpose mechanical digital computer. The Analytical Engine was to have had a memory store and a central processing unit with an ability to select from among alternative actions consequent upon the outcome of its previous actions (Copeland web). Ideally, Charles Babbage’s contributions to computer technology were fundamental in computer evolution. Even though some scientists argue about this, they, however, appreciate his contribution. According to Copeland:

Understanding The Dilemma Of Skill Shortage Among Workers Essay

Understanding The Dilemma Of Skill Shortage Among Workers - Essay Example The writer explicitly presents his leader as a person that is self-aware, self-regulated, well motivated, with empathy towards his members and with proficiency regarding interpersonal social skills.Thus, the writer aims to evaluate his current leader concerning personal emotional intelligence. The writer explicitly presents his leader as a person that is self-aware, self-regulated, well motivated, with empathy towards his members and with proficiency regarding interpersonal social skills.Thus, emotional intelligence is indeed important in the group and with their leaders. Because of this, the organization must be willing and determined to help their leaders in developing their emotional intelligence in respect with their leadership skill. Every member must personal adhere to the principles of each component to influence and motivate their leader in developing his personal values and social perception. Thus, the task of developing and applying the principles of emotional intelligence in their respective organizations and their leaders is a job for all members requiring each willingness and participation. This is the reason why business organization leaders intend to create several ways by which they are going to be able to install individual development among their employees. There are also numerous ways by which they try to encourage their employees to reach their goals as individual persons and as a part of the organization as well. What is emotional intelligence and how does it affect a person’s ability to work?

Organisational structures and cultures

Organisational structures and cultures Introduction Case study: This case study is about Mr Smiths restaurant. Mr Smith is a foreigner who has lived in the UK for many years. His family in Africa operates a chain of restaurants across the continent and he is therefore familiar with this kind of business. At present the Smith Restaurant has a central location in London, close to many attractions and is easily accessible by public transport. His restaurant is a small family business he is the founder, owner and also the Managing Director. Although he has two Assistant Managers and three Supervisors, he has a direct control over management and operational issues such as hiring of staff, marketing, sales promotion, accounting and finance department. The restaurant has fifty employees mostly made up of international students who work part time. These students are attracted by the flexible working conditions that Mr Smith offers. This allows them to work part time during term time and full time during vacation. Recently the restaurant has seen a big increase in its customers due to the popularity of its European and International cuisines. These factors have convinced Mr Smith of the wisdom of opening similar restaurants throughout the UK. Mr Smith is the one who makes all decisions and he has a direct control over management and other operational issues. The current issue at the restaurant is that Mr Smith is reluctant to recruit new staff and to cope with the increased activity in the restaurant he has reduced staff lunch time. Some staff felt that these changes should not have been introduced without their consent. When one employee complained about the situation, he was sacked. The rest of the employees are unhappy but they are afraid to voice their concerns for fear of loosing their jobs. According to Mr Smith, he pays his employees very well and therefore they will be happy with his decisions; his decisions are not for debate; managers should make the decisions and subordinates must obey. He does not believe in consulting staff when he has to make important decisions. As a result, a feeling of helplessness, alienation, and fear have developed amongst staff. The recent changes in employees working conditions have increased the levels of absenteeism and lateness. Mr Smith is now very concerned that if such trends continue, the restaurant may not be able to cope with the increased customer demand. Being one of the longest serving employees, Mr Smith asked me to consider the above issues and advise him in light of the expansion and recent developments of the business. My task is to advise him on the followings within the chain of new restaurants. Organisational structures and cultures; Approaches to management and leadership styles; Motivational theories and their application; Group behaviour, teamwork and technology TASK 1: Organisational structures and cultures within the UK restaurants Organisational structure creates a framework of order and command through which the activities of the organisation can be planned, organised, controlled, and directed towards the goals and objectives of the organisation. The structure defines tasks and responsibilities, roles, relationships and communication. Within the UK, most restaurants have entrepreneurial, functional and geographical structures. Entrepreneurial Structure: This structure is appropriate for small owner managed companies, for examples: a small restaurant, a small-scale industrial unit, or a small proprietary concern. Functional Structure: This is the most commonly used basis for grouping activities according to specialisation that is organising the business according to what each department does. Specialised skills and delegation of authority to managers are needed to look after different functional areas. Geographical structure: Activities are grouped according to location. Different services are provided by geographical boundaries according to particular needs and demands, the convenience of consumers, or for ease of administration. Advantages and disadvantages of organisational structures The UK restaurants may have hierarchical, tall or flat structure Hierarchical structure: Refers to †¢ Authority: the right to exercise powers such as hiring and firing or buying and selling on behalf of the organisation †¢ Responsibility: the allocation of tasks to individuals and groups within the organisation †¢ Accountability: the need for individuals to explain and justify any failure to fulfil their responsibilities to their superiors in the hierarchy Tall and flat hierarchical structures: In the tall structure there are narrower spans of control and more levels of command that is many managerial levels and fewer staff. In the flat structure there are broader spans of control and few levels of command that is few managerial levels and many staff. For example, the McDonalds restaurants all have a flat structure. The manager in each place of business controls the other assistants and employees. He takes all the decisions and he is in charge of the main functions like, R D, marketing, finance and human resources and the other staff do the selling. Advantages of tall and flat structures Organisational cultures Charles Handy defined it as: The way things are done around here Every business is made up of different cultures, and the cultures that are present within the business depend on the management styles and organisational structures that are used. Handys four types of cultures are: Power culture: Best suited for small entrepreneurial organisations and relies on trust, empathy and personal communication for its effectiveness. Role culture: Emphasizes on power and position within the organisation. This type of culture applies when organisations are big and inflexible. Task culture: Job-oriented or project-oriented. This works well in a matrix organisation structure. Person culture: Works around educated individuals. Examples are groups of barristers, architects, doctors or consultants. Looking at Handys four main types of organisation cultures it can be seen that most of the UK restaurants adopt the power culture. Organisational structure and culture of Mr Smiths restaurant After analysing Mr Smiths case study and the latest issues, it is clear that his restaurant is adopting an entrepreneurial and hierarchical structure, and a power culture since it is a family owned business where there is excessive reliance is on the owner-manager; Mr Smith has authority, responsibility and accountability within the organisation. The distribution of tasks, the definition of authority and responsibility, and the relationship between members of the organisation are established on a personal and informal basis. Therefore I am convinced that the management style, organisational structure and culture are influencing employees behaviour within organisation. However, with Mr Smiths plan to expand and develop new restaurants across the UK, there is need for a formal organisational structure and culture, which has to be carefully designed, so as to avoid conflict and encourage the willing participation of staff for effective organisational performance. I believe that Mr Smith business should have a flat structured along functional lines with major areas including, Sales and Marketing, Human Resources, Accounting and Finance, and Purchasing Departments. With a flat structure the business will have: †¢ A wide span of control encouraging delegation and motivation through job enrichment. †¢ Lower management overhead costs. †¢ Better communications as horizontal and lateral communication is encouraged. †¢ Real and meaningful promotions. †¢ Closer contact between top management and lower levels Factors that may influence individual behaviour of Mr Smiths employees The individual: The individual is a central feature of organisational behaviour. When the needs of the individual and the demands of the organisation are incompatible, this can result in frustration and conflict. Then it the work of the management to integrate the individual and the organisation and to provide a working environment where individuals needs is satisfied as well as organisation goals are achieved. The group: Group exists in all organisations and are essential to their working and performance. People in groups influence each other in many ways and groups may develop their own hierarchies and leaders. Group pressures can have a major influence over the behaviour and performance of individual members. The organisation: Individual behaviour is affected by patterns of organisation structure, technology, styles of leadership and systems of management through which organisational processors are planned, directed and controlled. Therefore, the focus of attention is on the impact of organisation structure and design, and patterns of management, on the behaviour of people within the organisation. TASK 2: How organisational theory underpins principles and practices of management, how this would impact on the new restaurants? The study of management theory (also termed management thinking) and its application in organisations brings changes in behaviour. It helps to understand the principles underlying the process on management. It helps to understand the interrelationship between management theory, principles and practices of management, and behaviour in organisations. Managers learned about how they should behave. This will influence their attitudes towards management practice. The different approaches to management theory are: Classical approach; scientific management; Bureaucracy; Human relations approach; Systems approach; and Contingency approach. These various approaches underpin the common principles of management that organisations should practice in their business, which mean they are based on views of organisations, their purpose and responsibilities, structure, division of work, hierarchy of management, technical requirements, rules and regulations and behaviour. Fayol 14 Principles of Management: 1. Division of work: Specialisation increases output as employees become more efficient. 2. Authority: Gives managers the right to give orders. 3. Discipline: Employees must conform to respect the rules that govern the organisation and the use of penalties for breaking the rules. 4. Unity of command: Only one superior should give orders to employees. 5. Unity of direction: Organisational activities having the similar objective should be directed by one manager using one plan. 6. Subordination of individual interests to general interest: The organisation interest should dominate employees or group interests. 7. Remuneration: A fair wage for workers and their services. 8. Centralisation: The degree to which subordinates participate in decision-making. 9. Scalar chain: Communications should follow this chain. 10. Order. People and materials should be in the right place at the right time. 11. Equity. Managers should be kind and fair to their subordinates. 12. Stability of tenure. High employee turnover is inefficient. Management should provide orderly personnel planning and ensure that replacements are available to fill vacancies. 13. Initiative. Employees who are allowed to originate and carry out plans will exert high levels of effort. 14. Esprit de corps. Promoting team spirit will build harmony and unity within the organisation. Suggestion: Mr Smith should follow these principles of management. Managers will have to perform these five functions (by H Fayol): Plan and forecast; organise; command; coordinate; and control. The different approaches to management theory Classical approach: †¢ Emphasis on purpose; †¢ Formal structure; †¢ Division of work; †¢ Hierarchy of management; †¢ Technical requirements; †¢ Common principles of organisation. Scientific management and Bureaucracy are the two sub-grouping of the classical approach. Scientific management F .W Taylor (1911): †¢ Scientific selection and training of workers; †¢ Development of a true science for each element of an individuals work; †¢ Co-operation with the employees to ensure work is done as set; †¢ Division of work and responsibility between management and the employees; †¢ Improve production efficiency through work studies, tools, economic incentives. Bureaucracy Max Weber (1947): †¢ Formal hierarchical structure; †¢ Organisation by functional specialty; †¢ Rules and regulation; †¢ Impersonality; †¢ Employment based on technical qualifications. Human relations approach: †¢ Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne Studies (1933) discovered that the informal organisation, social norms, acceptance, and sentiments of the group determined individual work behaviour. †¢ Maslow, McGregor, Herzberg, and many others stressed the importance of social relations in organisations, understanding workers and managers as human beings with social and emotional needs. Systems approach: Organisations are open systems that constantly interact with the external environment: Inputs (resources and information) transformation process outputs (products, services, information) feedback Contingency approach: Contingency theory does not identify or recommend any particular approach to organisation and management. Appropriate management approach depends on situational factors faced by an organisation. Suggestion: After comparing the above managerial approaches I believe that the classical approach will best suit Mr Smith restaurants. The classical approach centres on understanding the purpose of an organisation and then examining its structure. They play emphasis on the planning of work, technical requirements, principal of management and behaviour. Attention is given to the division of work, duties, responsibilities, maintaining specialisation and co-ordination, hierarchy of management and formal organisational relationships. TASK 3: Different leadership styles and their effectiveness Definition: Leadership in an organisation is to lead employees to work in a given direction to achieve its goals and objectives. The three styles of leadership are: Autocratic leadership: All authority is centred on the leader and decisions are enforced by means of rewards and the fear of punishment. Communication is one-way, from the leader to the followers. Advantage: Quick decision-making. Disadvantage: Its effect upon group morale; creates conflict. Democratic leadership: In contrast, democratic takes into account the suggestions of the members and of the leader. It is a human relations approach, in which all members of the group can participate and contribute to improve the quality of the final decision. Advantages: Increased morale and support for better decisions through shared ideas among group members. Disadvantages: Slower decision-making and diluted accountability for decisions. Laissez-faire leadership: The leader exercises very little control over group members. A member is given a goal and mostly left alone to decide how to achieve it. The leader functions mainly as a group member, providing only as much advice and direction as is requested. Advantage: Opportunity for individual development offered to group members. All persons are given the chance to express themselves and to function relatively independently. Disadvantage: Lack of group cohesion and unity toward organisational objectives. Without a leader, the group may have little direction and lack of control. The result can be inefficiency or even worse, chaos. Suggestion: Mr Smith is applying an authoritative leadership in his first restaurant because his business is small. But now that he wants to expand his business he has to adopt a different style of leadership. I would suggest that he has to adopt the democratic leadership within his new restaurant. This is because the democratic style is a human relation approach in which all staff participates and contributes in the decision-making. This will prevent conflict between staff. Different motivational theories and their application Definition: Motivation can be described as the direction and persistence of action. It is concerned with why people choose a particular course of action in preference to others. The purpose of motivational theories is to predict behaviour. The difference theories of motivation are: The hierarchy of needs are shown as a series of steps in the form of a pyramid; it implies a thinning out needs as people progress up the hierarchy. Based on Maslows theory, once the lower-level needs have been satisfied (physiological and safety needs) people advanced up the hierarchy. Therefore to provide motivation for a change in behaviour, the manager must direct attention to the next level of needs (love or social needs) that seek satisfaction. McGregor Theory X Y Theory X assumptions: People inherently dislike work. People must be supervised to do work to achieve objectives. People prefer to be directed. Theory Y assumptions: -People view work as being as natural as play and rest. -People will exercise self-direction and self-control towards achieving objectives they are committed to. -People learn to accept and seek responsibility. Herzbergs Two-factor theory McClelland theory: Need for achievement: Personal responsibility Feedback Moderate risk Need for power: Influence Competitive Need for affiliation: Acceptance and friendship Cooperative Suggestion: Mr Smith does not delegate; does not give employees responsibilities; employees are not considered part of the group; they feel insecure in the employment; they cannot voice their opinions; he imposes his rules and regulations on employees. In addition he has reduced employees lunch-time. Here Mr Smith is using McGregors Theory X; employees are unhappy and de-motivated to work as their lunch-time has been reduced but their wages have not increased. Therefore, since he wants to expand his business throughout UK, I will recommend the Maslows hierarchy of needs theory to Mr Smith. Managers will have to provide motivation for a change in behaviour by satisfying the lower-level needs so that the employees basic salary, safe working conditions (need to stay alive, have food, shelter) and job security, fringe benefits, protection against unemployment, illness are satisfied. This will encourage the willing participation of employees for effective organisational performance. The relationship between motivational theory and the practice of management The purpose of motivational theories is to predict behaviour; and behaviour of people in organisations depends on practices of management. If managers practise Fayols 14 principles of management, then employees at all levels are motivated to work. People generally respond in the manner in which they are treated. Therefore, to control human behaviour a heavy responsibility is placed on managers and the activity of management, where attention must also be given to appropriate systems of motivation, job satisfaction and rewards. Accordingly, Mr Smith must understand how good management practices will motivate staff to work. Managers should plan and forecast, organise, command, coordinate, and control appropriately in an attempt to satisfy employees needs so that they are motivated to work. This will create an organisational climate in which employees can work willingly and effectively to achieve the goals of the organisation. Managers should get the best performance from employees to attract more customers. Managers should apply this policy: The needs, wants and rights of employees to be treated fairly and with dignity. TASK 4: Nature of groups and group behaviour within organisations A group comprises two or more individuals who interact in the collective pursuit of a common goal. They share values and goals, are involved in regular activities together, and identify themselves as members of the group and are identified as such by others. (From lecture notes AJ). Another useful way of defining group is a collection of people who share most, if not all, of the following characteristics: A definable membership; Group consciousness; A sense of shared purpose; Interdependence; Interaction; Ability to act in a unitary manner. Formal groups (official groups): Created to carry out specific tasks set up by the organisation to complete assigned tasks. Formal groups may be divided into two categories: 1. Functional groups: Consist of varying size of work units, with a manager and subordinates who are responsible for a range of duties and functions within the organisation, for example: the finance department, the salaries section and the revenues section. 2. Task groups: Created for the dispatch of specific business or operations, such as a project team, management team or co-ordinating committee. Informal groups (unofficial groups): Created by the individual members for the purpose of sharing a common interest. Importance of informal groups: The spread of information through informal networks the grapevine is often much faster and more influential than through formal groups. There is the potential for conflict between roles held in formal and informal groups particularly in respect of leadership, where the informal leader may not be the same person as the formal leader. Two informal groups: 1. Interest groups: develop around the shared pursuit of a specific goal by certain employees, which may or may not be related to the organisation. 2. Friendship groups: Individuals joining together for various social activities The factors influencing Group Behaviour: Cole (1996) Size of the group Leadership and management style Group cohesiveness Motivation of group members Norms of groups Group/team roles The work environment The group task Factors leading to effective teamwork within the new business Peters and Waterman defines five factors for effective teamwork: 1. The numbers should be small: each member will then represent the interest of his or her department. 2. The team should be of limited duration: Exist only to resolve a particular task. 3. Membership should be voluntary. 4. Communication should be informal and unstructured. 5. It should be action-oriented. The team should finish with a plan for action. The influences that threaten success of teamwork The team does not work around the unreliable people. A smaller group of people does most of the work and a larger group pretends to help. Sometimes team members do not work well together and may work against each other. This may result dysfunctional teams, caused by: Lack of trust is the most common problem afflicting teams; Lack of team cohesiveness Lack of a clearly defined purpose Impact of technology on team functioning Technology: Technologies such as e-mail, mobile phones, blackberry, groupware and computers can improve and in some cases delay team functioning. To be able to function effectively, teams must be kept up-to-date with knowledge as technology changes. Communication: Successful teams communicate successfully by email, mobile phone, phone technologies such as blackberry and 3G data cards and 3GB USB dongles, groupware and personal computers. Change: Successful teams can successfully bring-up change. Teams will become less effective and efficient if they do not respond to changing internal and external factors. In contrast, responsive teams are more effective, efficient and, are able to rise to the challenges of the modern business world. Networks and virtual teams: In the modern connected world, it is easier for teams to communicate and network. It is possible to create virtual teams which never (or rarely) meet in physical locations and use a range of web tools to communicate and collaborate. Global and cross-cultural teams Task 5: Strategies for the restaurants stakeholders needs Employees: †¢ Mr has to adopt HR practices to ensure that the organisation is able to achieve success through people. †¢ Staffing the organisation: Sufficient numbers of the right people in the right place, at the right time, and at the right cost for the organisation. †¢ Reward and recognition: Creating structures that maximise recruitment, retention and motivation; obtaining the best performance from the people available. †¢ Performance improvement throughout the organisation, for individual, team and organisational effectiveness †¢ Managing behaviour ensuring that individuals are encouraged to behave in a way that allows and fosters better working relationships. Customers: Mr Smith and his area managers should monitor the changing requirements and expectations of its customers, and the quality of service they require. Conclusion and recommendations With Mr Smiths plan to expand and develop new restaurants across the UK, there is need for a formal organisational structure and culture, which has to be carefully designed to encourage the willing participation of staff for effective organisational performance. Mr Smith should follow the principles of management managers will have to perform these five functions (by H Fayol); plan and forecast; organise; command; coordinate; and control. The classical approach will suit his business as it plays emphasis on the planning of work, technical requirements, principle of management and behaviour. Alongside he has to adopt the democratic leadership in which all members of the group can participate and contribute to improve the quality of the final decision. Area managers will have to provide motivation for a change in behaviour by satisfying the employees needs through rewards. Reference Websites: 1. http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1269812 2. http://choo.fis.utoronto.ca/FIS/courses/LIS1230/LIS1230sharma/history6.htm (Maslows hierarchy of needs) 3. http://www.hnc-business.co.uk/unit3.html Module Tutor Lecture notes and emails: Dhlamini S., 2009. Organisations and Behaviour (unit 3) H1, HND in Business. London: Guildhall College Bibliography Book: Mullins L J ., 2000. Essentials of Organisational Behaviour. Essex: FT/Prentice Hall

Its Time to Change the Flag of Mississippi :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

It's Time to Change the Flag of Mississippi Although many corporations have contributed large sums of money to campaign for a new Mississippi flag, that would replace the existing 1894 Confederate flag and improve economic and racial relations throughout the state, chances are slim that a change will occur. Many Mississippians are simply not ready for change and few African-Americans are actually pushing for a change. Many Mississippians view the original flag as part of the state’s heritage and do not want to replace it with a new one. However, I believe it is in the best interest of the state of Mississippi to change the flag, not only to ease racial tensions, but also to boost economic conditions. Several corporations have been trying to campaign for the switch to the new flag. According to Douglas Blackmon, in the Wall Street Journal, former Netscape executive and native Mississippian Jim Barksdale contributed almost 30% of the money for the new flag effort. Mr. Barksdale’s concern for the state’s economic and racial problems motivated him to help campaign for the new flag (Blackmon A22). Barksdale fears for Mississippi’s economic future if the change is not made to the new proposed flag, states Blackmon (A22). Blackmon says Barksdale’s message was â€Å"that the state should furl the rebel flag not out of shame for its past but so that Mississippi’s economic development won’t be hamstrung by unfair connotations with groups such as the Ku Klux Klan† (A22). In other words, people around the nation view the original 1894 flag as Mississippi’s way of clinging to the past. Consequently, businesses would be less likely to invest and expand their corporations in the state. Potential jobs would be lost. In U.S. News & World Report, Michael Schaffer says, â€Å"Business and civil rights leaders had argued that ditching a flag associated with white supremacy would attract potential investors now hesitant to set up shop in a state that still symbolically hails the Confederacy† (30). With this in mind, possible economic opportunities could be lost as result of not changing the flag. Another consequence from a reluctance to change the flag design would be increased racial tensions. It's Time to Change the Flag of Mississippi :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays It's Time to Change the Flag of Mississippi Although many corporations have contributed large sums of money to campaign for a new Mississippi flag, that would replace the existing 1894 Confederate flag and improve economic and racial relations throughout the state, chances are slim that a change will occur. Many Mississippians are simply not ready for change and few African-Americans are actually pushing for a change. Many Mississippians view the original flag as part of the state’s heritage and do not want to replace it with a new one. However, I believe it is in the best interest of the state of Mississippi to change the flag, not only to ease racial tensions, but also to boost economic conditions. Several corporations have been trying to campaign for the switch to the new flag. According to Douglas Blackmon, in the Wall Street Journal, former Netscape executive and native Mississippian Jim Barksdale contributed almost 30% of the money for the new flag effort. Mr. Barksdale’s concern for the state’s economic and racial problems motivated him to help campaign for the new flag (Blackmon A22). Barksdale fears for Mississippi’s economic future if the change is not made to the new proposed flag, states Blackmon (A22). Blackmon says Barksdale’s message was â€Å"that the state should furl the rebel flag not out of shame for its past but so that Mississippi’s economic development won’t be hamstrung by unfair connotations with groups such as the Ku Klux Klan† (A22). In other words, people around the nation view the original 1894 flag as Mississippi’s way of clinging to the past. Consequently, businesses would be less likely to invest and expand their corporations in the state. Potential jobs would be lost. In U.S. News & World Report, Michael Schaffer says, â€Å"Business and civil rights leaders had argued that ditching a flag associated with white supremacy would attract potential investors now hesitant to set up shop in a state that still symbolically hails the Confederacy† (30). With this in mind, possible economic opportunities could be lost as result of not changing the flag. Another consequence from a reluctance to change the flag design would be increased racial tensions.

Funeral Blues: an Explication Essay

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,Silence the pianos and with muffled drumBring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let aeroplanes circle moaning overheadScribbling on the sky the message ‘He is Dead’. Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East and West,My working week and my Sunday rest,My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;For nothing now can ever come to any good. In life, people experience moments that are absolutely indescribable; from the birth of a firstborn child, to the death of a parent; things in life that impact us with such unrelenting force, that we are unable to even fathom their depths. It is the job of a writer or poet to make a reader feel the emotions of others, describe the indescribable, and tell a story. W.  H. Auden’s â€Å"Funeral Blues† does all three, and more for readers, due to its beautiful descriptive language, blinding imagery, and theme. The poem demonstrates everything that is needed in such a fine piece of literature. Have you ever heard the rustle of the leaves? The wind whistle, maybe? Both are examples of descriptive language that we hear every day, so often that it has become common. Auden takes the simple things and describes them with sharp detail. â€Å"Muffled drum† is a good example of a solemn drum beat of a funeral procession. Aeroplanes moaning overhead† is a good example of personification, as if the aeroplanes are mourning the loss of the loved one also, and by extension, the world. This effectively gets the point across that the writer feels as if the world has stopped due to the death of this person, and is a very powerful message. The theme of this poem is the loss of a loved one, something that almost everyone has experienced in their life, or seen someone go through. It is known by many as the sick feeling one gets in their gut when they hear the news of death, or the resignation they feel once they know fighting it will do nothing. Death is a natural occurrence, but that knowledge does nothing to alleviate the pain of loss. It many ways, it hurts even more to think that your hardships and pain have been felt by billions before you; insignificance adds insult to injury. That is precisely why this poem works. The writer’s seemingly effortless words mesh together to paint a picture: a perfect understanding of loss. The need for one’s pain to not only be significant, but to be acknowledged by all.

Social Psychological Explanations For The Emergence Of...

Identify and describe social psychological explanations for the emergence of public disorder. Public disorder can be defined as any behavioural act in the public eye that goes against societal norms. This may be an act of an individual or from members of a larger group. Gustave le Bon (1895) categorises a group or â€Å"crowd† as those possessing characteristics including â€Å"impulsiveness, irritability, incapacity to reason, the absence of judgement and of the critical spirit, the exaggeration of the sentiments, and others besides†. The emergence of these acts can be seen when an individuals or groups attitude escalates from socially acceptable behaviours to anti-social behaviour. There have been numerous studies carried out into these behaviours both in the field and in laboratories. The essay to follow will identify different social psychological explanations and describe how these can be applied to the emergence of such behaviours. Looking into both individual behaviours and those of groups. The explanations visited include the behaviourist approach , the cognitive approach and the collectivist approach, as well as drawing on other aspects of social psychology within these approaches. The behaviourist approach to social psychology focuses primarily on how the behaviours of an individual have been learned. Skinner (1938) carried out research into operant conditioning. This research aimed to find out the effects of both positive and negative reinforcement on behaviour.Show MoreRelatedSymptoms And Treatment Of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome1351 Words   |  6 Pages Contested illnesses are disorders in which sufferers claim to have a specific illness that doctors do not acknowledge as medical (Conrad and Barker 2010). These illnesses are not associated with any recognized physical abnormalities which causes them to be not taken seriously. 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