Price Elasticity in Air Travel

Price Elasticity in Air Travel Introduction: Elasticity is define as the quality sth has being able to stretch and return to its original size and shape. (Oxford advanced learners dictionary 6th edition). In Physics elasticity is defined as the property of a substance that enables it to change its length, volume, or shape in direct response to a force effecting such a change and to recover its original form upon the removal of the force. (dictionaryreference.com). Suppose that your employer allows you to work extra hours more after your contracted hours for extra pay at the end of the month, the amount of extra money you will earn at the end of the month will depend on how much more extra hours you are able to work. Then how responsive you are to this offer can be seen as elasticity. Therefore I will define elasticity as the measure of degree of responsiveness of any variable to extra stimulus. From my example above elasticity can be calculated as Em = percentage of extra money you earn/percentage of extra hours worked. The concept of elasticity can be used to measure the rate or the exact amount of any change. In economics elasticity is used to measure the magnitude of responsiveness of a variable to a change in its determinants (sloman) such as (demand and supply) of goods and services. For the purpose of this essay am going to be examining the concept of elasticity of demand and supply in the airline industry. Types of Elasticity Price or own price Elasticity of demand Income elasticity of demand Cross elasticity Price or own price elasticity of demand It is the measure of the degree of sensitivity or responsiveness of quantity demanded is to a change in price of a product (Edgar.K. browing). Our assumption often is that all demand curves have negative slopes which means the lower the price the higher the quantity demanded but sometimes the degree of responsiveness vary from product to product. For example a reduction in the price of cigarettes might have only bring about a little increase in quantity demanded whereas a supermarket reduction in the price of washing up liquid will produce a big increase in quantity demanded The law of demand and even Common sense tells us that when prices change, the quantities purchased will change too. However, by how much? Businesses need to have more precise information than this they need to have a clear measure of how the quantity demanded will change as a result of a price change. Price elasticity is calculated as the percentage (or proportional or rate) of change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage (or proportional or rate) of change in its price. Symbolically: Pà Ã¢â‚¬Å¾D=%ΆQ/%à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  p Here à Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ denotes elasticity and à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬   Graphically Elasticity measure in percentage because it allows a clear comparison of changes in qualitatively different things which are measured in two different units (sloman). It is the only sensible way of deciding how big a change in price or quantity, so their calls a unit free measurement. Generally when the prices of good increases the quantity demanded decreases, thus either of the number will be negative which after division will end up in a negative result, due to this fact we always ignore the sign and just concentrate on the absolute value, ignoring the sign to tell us how elastic demand is. The larger the elasticity of demand, the more responsive the quantity demanded is of elasticity. Degrees of elasticity Perfectly elastic Highly elastic Relatively elastic Relatively inelastic Highly inelastic Perfectly inelastic Elastic Demand Elastic demand occurs when quantity demanded changes by bigger percentage than price.(Sloman) Here customer has lot of other alternative. The value is always higher than 1, the change in quantity has a bigger effect on total consumer spending than in price. For example if there is a reduction in the price of a bottle of washing up liquid say from  £1.00 to 50p people will buy more probably to store up, in doing this they will end up spending more on the product than they will do on a normal day. An Inelastic Demand Elasticity in airline industry The airline industry is deeply impacted by the elasticity of demand, externalities, wage inequality, and monetary, fiscal, and federal policies. The elasticity of demand is based purely on current market conditions, thcustomers September 11th tragedy had a negative affect on the entire travel industry. It impacted the fiscal and monetary policies, supply and demand, and it created staffing problems nationwide. The rate of wage inequality is improving due to legislation that has created a pay increase in participating cities across the United States. The airline industry is viewed has being unstable because it is based on current market conditions, and the market is always changing. purpose for travel, and available substitutes. Externalities continue to influence the elasticity of demand. The Elasticity of Demand The airline industry is an extremely unstable industry because it is highly dependant upon current market conditions. Events such as inflation, terrorist attacks, and the price of oil have greatly influenced the demand for airline tickets throughout the years. Competition consistently affects the price of airline tickets because it gives the customer other options. Substitutes that are existence is traveling by train, car, or avoiding travel whenever possible. Customers have resorted to all named substitutes during turbulent times in our economy. The elasticity of demand is greatly affected by the customers purpose for travel. Airline customers typically fly for business or pleasure. With the wave of technology, a large percentage of business travel has been eliminated to conserve spending. Elasticity In the airline industry, price elasticity of demand is separated into two segments of consumers and is considered to be both elastic and inelastic. A good example of how elastic demand is related to the airline industry is in relation to travel for pleasure. Pleasure travellers will be affected by the amount of travel they do based on the demand increase or decrease, affected by prices that lower with high demand or prices that rise with low demand; directly attributed to competition in this market (Gerardi Shapiro, 2007). Inversely, the business traveller would apply to an inelastic demand for this market. This has shown by demand increases or decreases, as well as the price distribution attributed, which has little effect on the buying power of the business person (Gerardi Shapiro, 2007). Furthermore, Voorhees and Coppett (1981) explain that elastic demands exist for the pleasure traveler due to demand increase rising while prices lower and vise versa. The business traveler exper iences an inelastic demand due to the quantity of service demanded and quantity has not decreased as prices have risen. In other words, this travel is seen as a necessary business tool, not affected by price changes in the demand curve. As we have seen, the airline industry is extremely price elastic. Small shifts in prices have dramatic effects on the consumer base. Externalities, such as noise ordinances, can cause negative effects, driving cost upward and threatening loss in demand due to a price sensitive customer base. Since deregulation, competition in the economy have kept prices in the industry low and have caused airlines to force cuts in areas such as wages; contributing to a growing concern of wage inequality. Refrences: Gerardi, K., Shapiro, A. (2007, April). The Effects of Competition on Price Dispersion in the Airline Industry: A Panel Analysis. Working Paper Series (Federal Reserve Bank of Boston), 7(7), 1-46. Retrieved April 30, 2008, from Business Source Complete database. Mankiw, N. G. (2004). Principles of economics (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Thomson South-Western. Morrison, S., Watson, T., Winston, C. (1998). Fundamental Flaws of Social Regulation: The Case of Airplane Noise. Retrieved May 8, 2008, from http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/1998/09_airplane_winston/09_airplane_winston.pdf Voorhees, R., Coppett, J. (1981, Summer). New Competition for the Airlines. Transportation Journal, 20(4), 78-85. Retrieved April 30, 2008, from Academic Search Premier database. The airline industry is a private good. Mankiw (2004), states that private goods are excludable and rival goods. One needs to see through the anti-trust laws and regulations that tempt some to call the industry a natural monopoly; airlines still reserve the right to administer price and destination. The airline industry shows that it is an excludable good by having the power to place prices on fares and having the ability to refuse service to any person for whatever the reason. The airline industry also shows that it is a rival good because when someone purchases fare for a seat, it diminishes the ability for another person to get a seat on the plane. Because the airline industry is a private good, in a competitive market place, prices, supply, and demand are very sensitive to new policies or tax incidences placed on them. Associated content.com viewd 18/11/10 WordPress.comThis phenomenal increase in the demand for domestic air travel is not surprising. Airfare is an expensive commodity that few people can afford or are willing to pay for it. Also, a typical consumer may not be able to avail such commodity regularly. It takes time for the consumer to demand for it again. In economics, this scenario is being explained by its ELASTICITY. The concept of elasticity is being referred as the responsiveness of the quantity demanded of a good or service to a change in its price, income, or cross price. This post will provide a better understanding on this matter, specifically the price elasticity. Analysis Below consists of indicators that determines the elasticity of a good/service. Domestic air travel has been employed as a sample commodity. Substitutes. (The more substitutes it has, the higher the elasticity.) Airlines have numerous substitutes such as land or sea transportation. Percentage of Income. (The higher the percentage that the products price is of the consumers income, the higher the elasticity.) Airfares are too expensive relative to household income. Necessity. (Basic goods have lower elasticity.) Airline tickets are luxury goods. Duration. (The longer a price change holds, the higher the elasticity.) Airline fare does not change for a long time. Breadth of Definition. (The broader the definition, the lower the elasticity.) Domestic airline travel has more specific definition than ordinary air transportation. 1. Introduction The purpose of this study is to report on all or most of the economics and business literature dealing with empirically estimated demand functions for air travel and to collect a range of fare elasticity measures for air travel and provide some judgment as to which elasticity values would be more representative of the true values to be found in different markets in Canada. While existing studies may include the leisure business class split, other important market distinctions are often omitted, likely as a result of data availability and quality.[3] One of the principal value added features of this research and what distinguishes it from other surveys, is that we develop a meta-analysis that not only provides measures of dispersion but also recognizes the quality of demand estimates based on a number of selected study characteristics. In particular, we develop a means of scoring features of the studies such as focus on length of haul; business versus leisure; international versus domestic; the inclusion of income and inter-modal effects; the age of the study; data type (time-series versus cross section) and the statistical quality of estimates (adjusted R-squared values). By scoring the studies in this way, policy makers are provided with a sharper focus to aid in judging the relevance of various estimated elasticity values.[4] 2. Elasticity in the Context of Air Travel Demand. Elasticity values in economic analysis provide a units free measure of the sensitivity of one variable to another, given some pre-specified functional relationship. The most commonly utilized elasticity concept is that of own-price elasticity of demand. In economics, consumer choice theory starts with axioms of preferences over goods that translate into utility values. These utility functions define choices that generate demand functions from which price elasticity values can be derived. Own-price elasticity of demand concept airtrav_2e.gif (1,979 bytes) Therefore elasticities are summary measures of peoples preferences reflecting sensitivity to relative price levels and changes in a resource-constrained environment. The ordinary or Marshallian demand function is derived from consumers who are postulated to maximize utility subject to a budget constraint. As a goods price changes, the consumers real income (which can be used to consume all goods in the choice set) changes. In addition the goods price relative to other goods changes. The changes in consumption brought about by these effects following a price change are called income and substitution effects respectively. Thus, elasticity values derived from the ordinary demand function include both income and substitution effects.[5] Own-price elasticity of demand measures the percentage change in the quantity demanded of a good (or service) resulting from a given percentage change in the goods own-price, holding all other independent variables (income, prices of related goods etc.) fixed. The ratio of percentage changes thus allows for comparisons between the price sensitivity of demand for products that might be measured in different units (natural gas and electricity for example). Arc price elasticity of demand calculates the ratio of percentage change in quantity demanded to percentage change in price using two observations on price and quantity demanded. Formally this can be expressed as: Equation(1) where: Equationrepresent the observed change in quantity demanded and price Equationrepresent the average price and quantity demanded. The elasticity is unitless and can be interpreted as an index of demand sensitivity; it is measuring the degree to which a variable of interest will change (passenger traffic in our case) as some policy or strategic variable changes (total fare including any added fees or taxes in our case). In the limit (when Equationare very small) we obtain the point own-price elasticity of demand expressed as: Equation(2) where: Q(P,S) is the demand function P = a vector of all relevant prices p = the goods own-price. q = equals the quantity demanded of the good S = a vector of all relevant shift variables other than prices (real income, demographic characteristics etc.) We expect own-price demand elasticity values to be negative, given the inverse relationship between price and quantity demanded implied by the law of demand, with absolute values less than unity indicating inelastic demand: a less than proportionate response to price changes (relative price insensitivity). Similarly, absolute values exceeding unity indicate elastic or more sensitive demand: a more than proportionate demand response to price changes (relative price sensitivity). The ratio of change in quantity demanded to change in price [equation (1)] highlights that elasticity measures involve linear approximations of the slope of a demand function. However, since elasticity is measuring proportionate change, elasticity values will change along almost all demand functions, including linear demand curves.[6] Estimation of elasticity values is therefore most useful for predicting demand responses in the vicinity of the observed price changes. As a related issue, analysts need to recognize that in markets where price discrimination is possible aggregate data will not allow for accurate predictions of demand responses in the relevant market segments. In air travel, flights by a carrier are essentially joint products consisting of differentiated service bundles that are identified by fare classes. However the yield management systems employed by full-service carriers (FSCs) also create a complex form of inter-temporal price discrimination, in which some fares ( typically economy class) decline and some increase (typically full-fare business class) as the departure date draws closer. This implies that ideally, empirical studies of air travel demand should separate business and leisure travellers or at least be able to include some information on booking times in order to account for this price discrimination, and that price data should be calibrated for inter-temporal price discrimination: for example, the use of full-fare economy class ticket prices as data will overestimate the absolute value of the price elasticity coefficient. Within the set of differentiated service bundles that comprise each (joint product) flight, the relative prices are important in explaining the relative ease of substitution between service classes. Given the nature of inter-temporal price discrimination for flights, the relative price could also change significantly in the time period prior to a departure time. The partial derivative in (2) indicates that elasticity measures price sensitivity independent of all the other variables in the demand function. However when estimating demand systems over time, one can expect that some important shift variables will not be constant. It is important that these shift variables be explicitly recognized and incorporated into the analysis, as they will affect the value of elasticity estimates. This will also be true with some cross-sectional studies or panels.[7] In particular changes in real income and the prices of substitutes or complements will affect demand. In air travel demand estimations, income and prices of other relevant goods should be included in the estimation equation. Alternative transportation modes (road and rail) are important variables for short-haul flights, while income effects should be measured for both short and long-haul. The absence of an income coefficient in empirical demand studies will result in own-price elasticity estima tes that can be biased. With no income coefficient, observed price and quantity pairs will not distinguish between movements along the demand curve and shifts of the demand curve.[8] The slope of a demand function, which affects the own-price elasticity of demand, is generally expected to decrease (become shallower) with: The number of available substitutes; The degree of competition in the market or industry; The ease with which consumers can search and compare prices; The homogeneity of the product; The duration of the time period analyzed.[9] Given the implied relationships above, any empirical demand study should carefully define market boundaries to include all relevant substitutes and complements and to exclude products that might be related through income or other more general variables. In air travel, ideally market segment boundaries should be defined by first separating leisure and business passengers and second long-haul and short-haul flights. The reason is that we expect different behaviour in each of these markets. Within each of these categories, distinctions should then be made between the following: Connecting and origin-destination (O-D) travel; Hub and non-hub airports;[10] Routes with dominant airlines and routes with low-cost carrier competition. In addition, for the North American context, long-haul flights should be further divided into international and domestic travel (within continental North America). These market segment boundaries are illustrated in figure 2.1 below, which also highlights the relative importance of intermodal competition for short-haul travel. While distinctions in price and income sensitivity of demand between business and leisure or long and short-haul travel are more intuitive, other distinctions are perhaps less obvious. If available, data that distinguishes between routes, airlines and airports would provide important estimates of how price sensitivity is related to the number of competing flights and the willingness to pay of passengers utilizing a hub-and-spoke network, relative to those traveling point-to-point, more commonly associated with low cost carriers. To the extent that existing studies assume that each passenger observation represents O-D travel, they will not be capturing fare premiums usually associated with hub-and-spoke networks and full service carriers, nor will they necessarily capture the complete itinerary of travellers utilizing a number of point-to-point flights with a low cost carrier. For example, a passenger who travels from Moncton to Vancouver with Air Canada, and utilizes the hub at Pears on International airport, is being provided with a number of services that includes baggage checked through to the final destination and frequent flyer points as well as a choice in flights and added flight and ground amenities. The fare for Moncton-Vancouver includes a premium for these services. Now consider a passenger that is travelling with WestJet from Moncton to Hamilton, and then with JetsGo from Toronto Pearson Airport to Vancouver. In this case there are no frequent flyer points to be attained and baggage has to be collected and re-checked after a road transfer between Hamilton and Pearson International. Although the origin and destination is the same for these passengers, the itineraries are significantly different. In many cases data used for demand estimates would not able to account for these differences. Route-specific data can also capture competition that may exist between airports and the services they offer as well as airlines. This may be especially true for certain short-haul routes where intermodal competition (road and rail) can play an important role in shaping air travel demand. 3. Measurement Issues Oum et al. (1992) provide a valuable list of pitfalls that occur when demand models are estimated and therefore affect the interpretation of the elasticity estimates from these empirical studies. 1. Price and Service Attributes of Substitutes: Air travel demand can be affected by changes in the prices and service quality of other modes. For short-haul routes (markets) the relative price and service attributes of auto and train would need to be included in any model; particularly for short-haul markets. Failure to include the price and service attributes of substitutes will bias the elasticity. For example, if airfares increase and auto costs are also increasing, the airfare elasticity would be overestimated if auto costs were excluded. 2. Functional Forms: Most studies of air travel demand use a linear or log-linear functional specification. Elasticity estimates can vary widely depending on the functional form. The choice of functional form should be selected on the basis of statistical testing not ease of interpretation. 3. Cross-Section vs. Time-series Information: In the long run demand elasticities for non-durable goods and services are larger in absolute terms, than in the short run. This follows because in the long run there are many more substitution possibilities that can be used to avoid price increases or service quality decreases. In effect there are more opportunities to avoid these changes with substitution possibilities. Data tends to be cross-sectional or time-series although more recently panels have become available. A panel is a combination of cross-section and time-series information on several routes for a multi-year period is a panel. Cross-sectional information is generally regarded as indicating short run elasticities while time-series data is interpreted as long run elasticities. In time-series data the information reflects changes in markets, growth in income, changes in competitive circumstances, for example. Policy changes should rely on long run elasticities since these ar e long run impacts that are being modelled. Short run elasticities become important when considering the competitive position of firms in a highly dynamic and competitive industry. 4. Market Aggregation/Segmentation: As the level of aggregation increases the amount of variation in the elasticity estimates decreases. This occurs because aggregation averages out some of the underlying variation relating to specific contexts. Since air travel market segments may differ significantly in character, competition and dominance of trip purpose, interpreting a reduction in variation through aggregation as a good thing would be erroneous. Such estimates might have relatively low standard deviations but would be also be relatively inaccurate when used to assess the effect of changes in fares in a specific market. 5. Identification Problem: In most cases only demand functions are estimated in attempts to measure the demand elasticity of interest. However, it is well known that the demand function is part of a simultaneous equations system consisting of both supply and demand functions. Therefore, a straightforward estimation of only the demand equation will produce biased and inconsistent estimates. The problem of identification can be illustrated by describing the process by which fares and travel, for example, are determined in the origin-destination market simultaneously. To model this process in its entirety, we must develop a quantitative estimate of both the demand and supply functions in a system. If, in the past, the supply curve has been shifting due to changes in production and cost conditions for example, while the demand curve has remained fixed, the resultant intersection points will trace out the demand function. On the contrary, if the demand curve has shifted due to changes in personal income, while the supply curve has remained the same, the intersection points will trace out the supply curve. The most likely outcome, however, is movement of both curves yielding a pattern of fare, quantity intersection points from which it will be difficult, without further information, to distinguish the demand curve from the supply curve or estimate the parameters of either.[11] Earlier we identified sources of bias that can arise from problems with aggregation, data quality, implicit assumptions of strong separability among others. Almost all demand studies have an implied assumption of strong separability in that they only consider aviation markets in the analysis. Such studies in effect constrain all changes or responses in fares or service to be wholly contained in the aviation component of peoples consumption bundle. The paper by Oum and Gillen (1986) is the one exception where consideration of substitution with other parts of consumption was included in the modelling. It would be difficult to extract a conclusion from this one study as to existence, degree and direction of bias in elasticity estimates when other parts of consumption are and are not included in the modelling. However, having said this, an inspection of the elasticity estimates from this study shows they are not significantly different than other time-series estimates. 3.1 Data Issues Elasticity estimates depend critically on the quality and extent of the data available. Currently, the best data for demand estimation is the DB1A 10 percent ticket sample in the US, but even this data has some problems.[12] The DB1A sample represents 10 percent of all tickets sold with full itinerary identified by the coupons attached to the ticket. However with electronic tickets, as more and more tickets are being sold over the Internet, there is a growing portion of overall travel that may not be captured in the sample. This means that the proportion is not 10 percent but something less.[13] Other important considerations are the amount of travel on frequent flyer points, by crew and airline personnel. In Canada we have poor quality data because it is incomplete, even if it were accessible. Airports collect traffic statistics but these data make it very difficult to distinguish OD and segment data. Airlines report traffic data to Statistics Canada (or are supposed to) but these data do not include fare information or routing. Knowing the itinerary or routing is important because of differences in service quality and hubbing effects. Fare data is also more useful than yield information since it identifies the proportion of people travelling in different fare classes. Yet, in many cases yield information is used as a weighted average fare. There is also the problem that carriers of different size may have different reporting requirements. Some researchers and consultants have been cobbling together data sets for analysis by using the PBX clearing house information. These data are limited and apply only to those airlines that are members of IATA.[14] The current public data available in Canada simply does not permit estimation of any demand models. Besides demand side data it is also important to have supply side information. Elasticity estimates should emerge from a simultaneous equations framework. This data is more accessible through organizations like the OAG[15], which provide information on capacity, airline and aircraft type for each flight in each market.[16] These data measure changes in capacity, flight frequency and timing of flights. One study, which undertook an extensive survey to collect multimodal data,[17] was the High Speed Rail study sponsored jointly by the Federal, Ontario and Quebec governments. This study, which had three different demand modelling efforts, examined the potential for High Speed Rail demand, and subsequent investment, in the Windsor-Quebec corridor. The analysis included intermodal substitution between air, rail, bus and car. The study was undertaken in the early 1980s. However, it is not possible for public access to any of the technical documents that would allow an assessment of the study. Attempts in the past to obtain access to the data have proven fruitless. 3.2 Distinguishing Elasticity Measures As we have stated, price elasticity measures the degree of responsiveness to a change in own or other prices (fares). However, care must be exercised in interpreting the elasticity since they differ according to how they have been estimated. Many empirical studies of air travel demand estimate a log-linear model. In evaluating such studies, it is important to keep in mind that the empirical specification implies a certain consumer preference structure because of the duality between utility functions and demand functions. It is equally important to remember that empirically estimated demand functions should contain some measures of quality and service differences or quality changes over time. Failure to include metrics for frequent flyer programs, flight frequency, destination choice or service levels in estimating an air demand function can lead to downward bias in the price elasticity estimates. Price elasticities can be estimated for aggregate travel demand as well as modal demand. Figure 3.1 illustrates the differences between aggregate and modal elasticities.[18] Our interest is in modal elasticities not the aggregate amo

Impact Of Organizations Culture Values On Strategic Leadership Management Essay

Impact Of Organizations Culture Values On Strategic Leadership Management Essay Organizational culture is created by the strategic leadership provided by an organizations founder or top management. An organizations founder is particularly important in determining culture because the founder designates values and management styles on the organization that lasts for a long time. This may be good for a certain period but it can also be stifling over the long haul. For example, Walt disneys conservative influence on the company he established continued until well after his death. Managers were afraid to experiment with new forms of entertainment because they were afraid Walt wouldnt like it. It took the installation of new management under Michael Eisner to turn around the companys fortunes and allow it to deal with the realities of the new entertainment industry environment. The leadership style established by the founder or top management is transmitted to the companys managers, and as the company grows, it typically attracts new managers and employees who share t he same values. Thus, a companys culture becomes more and more distinct as its members become more similar. The virtue of these shared values and common culture is that it increases integration and improves coordination among organizational members. For example, the common language that typically emerges in an organization because people share the same beliefs and values facilitates cooperation among managers. When organizational members buy into cultural norms and values, this dynamic bonds them to the organization and increases their commitment to find new ways to help it succeed. The primary responsibilitiy of strategic leadership is to create and maintain the organizational characteristics that reward and encourage collective effort. Perhaps the most fundamental of these is organizational culture An organizational culture represents the shared sense of the way we do things around here, a critical factor in guiding day to day behavior and shaping a future course of action. Handy (1986) believes that it is these last two forms of culture, role and task, which are most frequently found in organizations. Handys categorization of types of culture is useful for giving a picture of different organizational cultures. It serves to highlight both the difficulty of clearly defining cultures and the profound implications of the cultural approach to organizations.Organizational Values can help employees find meaning and purpose in their work and link their individual efforts to those of the entire company. Our culture is the theatre in which we play out our lives. It is a major part of who we are. Robbins (1989) describes the culture of an organization as performing a number of functions within the organization as follows 1.It provides a boundary defining role separating one organization from another. 2. It conveys a sense of identity. 3. It enhances social system stability. Culture is the social glue that helps hold the organization together. 4. It serves as a sense making and control mechanism that guides and shapes the attitudes and behavior of employees. Organizational culture defines the rules of the game. 1.2 Discuss the organizational specific , legal , regulatory and ethical requirement impact on strategic leadership demands. Each company, business and organisation must by law have a policy in place, based upon the law regarding equality, diversity, and discrimination they must, hand in hand with these, also have a policy on company procedures of how they are to be implemented should an employee wish to bring a complaint based on any one or all of these premises. both policies must be freely available to employees, whom should be informed of their existence available as on request or as part of their contract . The legal status of your organisation may affect how you can use different types of finance. It is therefore useful to briefly review the limitations that different legal structures impose on the use of debt or equity finance. Many social enterprises are structured as companies limited by guarantee, as this is the most widely used structure for a registered charity. 1.3 Evaluate current and emerging social concerns and expectations impacting on strategic leadership in the organisation In todays competitive business climate, it is imperative that executives know how to make key decisions quickly and decisively. Strategic decisions often entail considerable risks and can have long-range implications for the organization. In this course, participants will learn how to apply formal decision-making processes in order to reduce risk and choose the best course of action for their organization Organizations that understand the creative process and foster this with employees find themselves at the top of their industry. They know how to harness the creative power of their workforce to develop new products and services. Creativity, however, is as much a matter of technique as intelligence. 2.Be able to understand strategic leadership styles. 2.1 Evaluate the relationship between strategic management and leadership. Strategic management is the art of managing employees in a way that maximizes the potential of achieving your business objectives. Good managers start with a personal agenda and use their leadership skills to spread it throughout the organisation. One of the important aspect in strategic managemement is Evaluation and control.It consists of performance data and activity reports .The information must be relevant to what is being monitored, one of the barriers to effective control is the difficulty in developing appropriate measures of important activities and output. Leadership has been described as the process of social influence in which one person can focus on the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Managers have subordinates By definition, managers have subordinates unless their title is honorary and given as a mark of seniority, in which case the title is a misnomer and their power over others is other than formal authority. Authoritarian, transactional style Managers have a position of authority vested in them by the company, and their subordinates work for them and largely do as they are told. Management style is transactional, in that the manager tells the subordinate what to do, and the subordinate does this not because they are a blind robot, but because they have been promised a reward (at minimum their salary) for doing so. Work focus Managers are paid to get things done (they are subordinates too), often within tight constraints of time and money. They thus naturally pass on this work focus to their subordinates. Seek comfort An interesting research finding about managers is that they tend to come from stable home backgrounds and led relatively normal and comfortable lives. This leads them to be relatively risk-averse and they will seek to avoid conflict where possible. In terms of people, they generally like to run a happy ship. Leaders have followers Leaders do not have subordinates at least not when they are leading. Many organizational leaders do have subordinates, but only because they are also managers. But when they want to lead, they have to give up formal authoritarian control, because to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary activity. Charismatic, transformational style Telling people what to do does not inspire them to follow you. You have to appeal to them, showing how following them will lead to their hearts desire. They must want to follow you enough to stop what they are doing and perhaps walk into danger and situations that they would not normally consider risking. People focus Although many leaders have a charismatic style to some extent, this does not require a loud personality. They are always good with people, and quiet styles that give credit to others (and takes blame on themselves) are very effective at creating the loyalty that great leaders engender. 2.2 Evaluate the leadership styles and their impact on decision making. Leadership Styles Rao (1986) has classified the leadership styles, on the basis of the earlier research at the Indian Institute of Management, into the following: A Benevolent or Paternalistic leadership style in which the top level manager believes that all his employees should be constantly guided treated with affection like a parent treats his children, is relationship oriented, assigns tasks on the basis of his own likes and dislikes, constantly guides them and protects them, understands their needs, salvages the situations of crisis by active involvement of himself, distributes rewards to those who are loyal and obedient, shares information with those who are close to him, etc A Critical leadership style is characterized as closer to Theory X belief pattern where the manager believes that employees should be closely and constantly supervised, directed and reminded of their duties and responsibilities, is short term goal oriented, cannot tolerate mistakes or conflicts among employees, personal power dominated, keeps all information to himself, works strictly according to norms and rules and regulations and is highly discipline oriented. A Developmental leadership style is characterized as an empowering style, where the top manager believes in developing the competencies of his staff, treats them as mature adults, leaves them on their own most of the times, is long term goal oriented, shares information with all to build their competencies, facilitates the resolution of conflicts and mistakes by the employees themselves with minimal involvement from him. developmental style by nature seems to be the most desired organization building style. However some individuals and some situations require at times benevolent and critical styles. Some managers are not aware of the predominant style they tend to use and the effects their style is producing on their employees. Results Relationship between Leadership Style and Subordinate Feelings and Reactions The coefficients of correlations obtained between the three leadership styles taking into account all the nine situation and the six type of feelings or emotional climate generated by each of styles is presented below: Benevolent style Benevolent or paternalistic style was correlated with feelings of loyalty and dependence of subordinates on the manger. (r = 0.51) Benevolent style was also related to feelings of dislike for the boss and tendency to avoid work ( r = 54) Benevolent style was negatively related to feelings of development, empowerment, growth and independent thinking ( r = -0.5), learning (r = -0.4), morale (r= -0.5) and satisfaction (r = -0.4) These indicate that those who are close to the leader develop dependency on him/her while those who are not close to him/her develop resentment and other associated negative feelings. Critical Style Critical style highly and positively related to resentment and dislike for the boss and work (r = 0.75) It was moderately and positively correlated with dependency and personal loyalty (r = 0.47) It was negatively correlated with empowerment and growth (r = -0.6), learning (r= -0.5), morale (r= -0.6) and satisfaction (r = 0.6) These indicate hat critical style also is not a desirable in general and leads to disastrous consequences. Development al Style Developmental style was positively related to empowerment, growth and independence (r = 0.73), learning (r = 0.77), morale (r = 0.85) and satisfaction (r = 0.84) It was negatively correlated with dependence (r= -0.4) and feelings of resentment or dislike for the boss or work (r= -0.7) The findings make it clear that developmental style is the most desired style in terms of creation of a growth oriented, developmental, and learning culture. These data indicate that it is the developmental style that creates most positive emotional climate. This is in very similar to the findings of McClelland on the characteristics of an Intuitional Leader. Relationship between situational style and the overall style Item total correlations were computed between each of the items and the overall style across all the nine styles. Table 1 presents details. The coefficients of correlations are indicative of the predictive ability of each situation for the overall style of the candidate. The table indicates that all except one of the items dealing with management of mistakes have a reasonable high predictive ability as indicated by the item total correlations. The coefficients of correlation re rather high. Table 1: Coefficients of correlations between the style shown in each situation and the overall style scores across all the nine situations. S. No. Item Content or situation Item total correlation between the item dealing with the style Benevolent Critical Developmental 1 Goal setting or assignment of tasks .79 .57 .75 2 Information sharing .75 .59 .83 3 Managing mistakes .05 .68 .86 4 Managing conflicts .52 .61 .78 5 Rewarding or recognizing good performance .81 .71 .89 6 Decision taking .7 .76 .86 7 Performance monitoring .75 .76 .81 8 Resource and support giving .81 .74 .82 9 Responding to   failures .74 .67 .84 2.3 Discuss why leadership styles needed to b adapted in different situation and evaluate the impact on the organization. There are many different ways to be a good leader and studies conducted have identified several distinct styles of leadership. These can be categorized in a variety of ways, each using different methods, techniques and tools to achieve the same result of providing direction, implementing plans and motivating a group. Each leadership style will have varying degrees of success in different situations and their effective use will also depend on the personality and personal skills of the leader involved. Leadership styles are commonly divided into 3 major types: Authoritarian Or Autocratic Leaders using this style will have total authority over any decision making and will basically tell their followers what needs to be done and how the tasks should does have its place and its uses it is particularly effective when time is limited, such as in an medical emergency, when it is vital for someone to take charge and prevent any chaos or confusion. It is also good for groups that need close supervision and would not necessarily have much useful to contribute to any decision-making process, such as when dealing with young children or very inexperienced employees. This style can also work well in a normal workplace setting if your employees already well-bonded and well-motivated and have trust in you as their leader. However, it is not generally recommended to use the autocratic style all the time as this can lead to loss of motivation from followers, as resentment builds. This is particularly true when dealing with creative employees and team players, who may be keen to participate in the decision-making processes. Participative or Democratic This kind of style prioritizes team participation and because each member is allowed to contribute his/her ideas and feels that their input is considered seriously, there is increased employee satisfaction and ownership. The democratic leader will listen to his groups ideas and give them fair consideration, although the ultimate authority for the decision will still rest with him. This style is often used in the workplace when the leader has some of the information needed and the employees have the other necessary parts, so that a better decision can only be taken when everyones input is considered. It is especially effective when you have knowledgeable and skilled employees. However, one drawback of this leadership style is that it can make it difficult to make quick decisions when time is short or there is an immediate urgency to a problem. Delegative Or Free Reign This leadership style is also often called laissez-faire leadership, meaning that followers are effectively given free reign to make decisions and do what they think is appropriate. There is no continuous supervision or feedback from the leader to the group. Although this sounds risky, this leadership style can work if team members are highly-experienced and require little supervision to achieve the expected outcome. It is also useful because a leader isnt always able to do everything and often needs to delegate certain tasks, therefore, this style of leadership works well if the leader is able to trust and have confidence in the abilities of the people below him/her. Leadership Styles In Real Lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ In reality, most good leaders will use a combination of these main 3 types of leadership styles to achieve the best result in each specific situation. Naturally, one style may be more dominant or more often used than others, due to the leaders personality and personal skills, but often, the situation and environment will also dictate which style is more suitable. In some cases, all three styles may be used at the same time such as a leader informing the group that a current procedure is not acceptable and that a new one needs to be established (autocratic), then asking for their ideas in creating a new procedure (democratic) before finally delegating certain tasks to different team members, for the implementation of the new procedure (delegative). 3.Be able to secure achievment of organization involvment and objectives through strategic leadership. 3.1 Develop a culture of professionalism, mutual trust , respect and support within the organization. Matching individuals to organizations is a crucial part of success for any company. The match between people and the companies for which they work is determined by the kind of organizational culture that exists.A culture of professionalism is essential for the progress of any organization. The degree to which an organizations values match the values of an individual who works for the company determines whether a person is a good match for a particular organization. The collective rules by which an organization operates define its culture. These rules are formed by shared behaviors, values and beliefs. Culture forms the basis for how individuals operate within the context of the organization. In large organizations, vision statements, mission statements and statements of values are often formalized to describe the companys culture. On the most basic level, culture is observable as a set of behaviors. Examples of culture at this level include the degree of formality with which employees conduct themselves, the organizations dress code, and the type of technology used. Beneath the level of observable behaviors are the values that underlie behavior. Though these values determine behavior, they cannot be directly observed. At an even deeper level are the assumptions and beliefs that determine values. While an organization or individuals values may remain within awareness and can be stated, assumptions and beliefs often exist beneath the surface and out of conscious awareness. Being aware of an organizations culture at all levels is important because the culture defines appropriate and inappropriate behavior. In some cultures, for example, creativity is stressed. In others, the status quo is valued. Some cultures are more socially oriented, while others are task-oriented. In some companys teamwork is key. In others, individual achievement is encouraged and valued. An organizations culture also determines the way in which employees are rewarded. Management tends to focus on a dominant source of motivation, such as pay, status, or opportunity for personal growth and achievement. The accessibility of management and the ways in which decisions are made are reflections of an organizations culture as well. It is important for individual values to match organizational culture because a culture of shared meaning or purpose results in actions that help the organization achieve a common or collective goal. An organization will operate more productively as a whole when key values are shared among the majority of its members. To that end, employees need to be comfortable with the behaviors encouraged by the organization so that individual motivation and group productivity remain high. High functioning organizations are comprised of individuals whose overt behaviors are consistent with their covert values. All of this is of crucial importance to managers. Senior executives usually set the tone by exerting core values that form the overall dominant culture shared by the majority of an organizations members. So, if management does not take the time to understand the culture that motivates an organization, problems are inevitable. New procedures and activities will be very difficult to implement if they do not mesh with the organizations culture Steps to ensure that individual are responsive to the goals and operating procedure of the organization start with the hiring process. Managers can foster the development of a positive culture by employing people who share the same values and vision that the organization represents. To do this, employers can spend time with prospects before they enter the organization as new employees. Once new hires are indoctrinated with the organizations values, they will form an objective perception of the environment that will solidify the organizations personality or culture 2 Evaluate the impact of a strategic leaders clear focuss in leading the organization in the achievement of objectives. The benefits of good organisational skills in a leader will performance of the workforce.. An effective leader will be able to steer a course around and through these challenges leading to successful implementation of service improvements. Leaders must have a clear understanding of both the formal and informal aspects of their organization as well as all their responsibilities for strategic development and change management. Then they will be able to get the most out of the organization and its workforce. The formal organisation includes the hierarchy and accountability arrangements, information systems, committee structure and meetings, employment and pay issues. The informal features include relationships, the kinds of behaviours that are expected and reward, communication, distribution of power and how conflicts are handled.The development of a learning culture is a practical measure to enable the work force to regularly polish their skills and knowledge and address their organisations objectives through their delivery of high quality services. The destructive influence of hiring someone who does not share the same set of values, goals and commitment employed by the organization will weaken a strong chain of links and bonds. An employees performance depends on what is and what is not proper among his or her peers, which in turn affects that individuals behavior and motivation to participate and contribute within the organizational framework. An effective means of keeping employees aligned with the values and goals of an organization is by developing a culture that encourages employees to focus on a higher purpose for their work. Values that support this kind of cohesive operation include the idea that people Creating an environment where people enjoy and value their work is key. To do this effectively, leaders must be sure to communicate clear expectations for every member of the organization. These expectations should be supported by the words and actions of managers who regularly let people know how their work is important to the organization. Individuals should be given assignments that are consistent with their strengths and interests, and opportunities for continued learning and growth should be provided as well. Strategic leader provides the vision, direction, the purpose for growth, and context for the success of the corporation. The two important parts of strategic achievement are formulation and implementation. While both parts are essential to achieving superior organizational performance, the implementing strategy is where most companies succeed or fail. Strategic skills are necessary in order to define and achieve specific goals and objectives. Strategic thinking involves the ability to identify a relevant desired state, assess the starting state, and then establish and navigate the appropriate path of transition states required to reach the desired state. A key element of effective strategic thinking is determining which operators and operations will most efficiently and effectively influence and move the present state in the direction of the desired state. Successful leaders know and accept themselves and are able to be present in someone elses world without judgement. They are people who see linkages and trends in situations, to trust themselves,and are able to think multi-dimensionally, being focused and expansive at the same time. They can manage ambiguity, they can enter a situation at any point, easily cope with future requirements. Another level of process involves the strategies, skills and capabilities by which the organisation or individual selects and directs actions within their environment i.e. how they generate and guide their behaviours within a particular context. For an individual, capabilities include cognitive strategies and skills such as learning, memory, decision making and creativity, which facilitate the performance of a particular behaviour or task. On an organisational level, capabilities relate to the infrastructures available to support communication, innovation, planning and decision making between members of the organisation. 3.3 Analyze how strategic leader support and develop understanding of the organizations direction. Leadership is an interactive process, the collective energy of a group, organization, or nation is focused on the attainment of a common objective or goal. Through leadership, clarity of purpose, direction, and means is achieved. There is also a perception of shared commitment by members. However, leadership tasks at the top of a large scale organization are different from those at lower levels because the nature of work changes as an individual moves up through the hierarchy of an organization The major functions performed by increasingly higher levels of the organization are increasingly indirect, complex, and ill-defined. The lower levels deal with well- understood procedures. The resource requirements are modest, and expectations of performance are clear. Leadership is direct; leaders are expected to influence the course of events by their own actions. At higher levels, requirements are less clear, problems are less defined, and there are situations where developed procedures or precedents do not exist. Leaders at higher levels must be creative in problem solving, more innovative in their thinking. They must also be more proactive, in the sense of looking further forward more perceptively to set directions that play out over long periods. Organizational leaders may influence several hundred to several thousand people. They do this indirectly, generally through more levels of subordinates than do direct leaders. The additional levels of subordinates can make it more difficult for them to see results. Organizational leaders have staffs to help them lead their people and manage their organizations resources. They establish policies and the organizational climate that support their subordinate leaders. Organizational leadership skills differ from direct leadership skills in degree, but not in kind. That is, the skill domains are the same, but organizational leaders must deal with more complexity, more people, greater uncertainty, and a greater number of unintended consequences. They find themselves influencing people more through policymaking and systems integration than through face-to-face contact. Organizational leaders  focus on planning and mission accomplishment over the next two to ten years.  Getting out of their offices and visiting the parts of their organizations where the work is done is especially important for organizational leaders. They must make time to get to the field to compare the reports their staff gives them with the actual conditions their people face and the perceptions of the organization and mission they hold. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP Strategic leaders are generally responsible for large organizations and may influence several thousand to hundreds of thousands of people. They establish  organizational structure, allocate resources, and communicate strategic vision. Strategic leaders work in an uncertain environment on highly complex problems that affect and are affected by events and organizations outside their own. Strategic leaders apply many of the same leadership skills and actions they mastered as direct and organizational leaders; however, strategic leadership requires others that are more complex and indirectly applied. Strategic leaders, like direct and organizational leaders, process information quickly, assess alternatives based on incomplete data, make decisions, and generate support. However, strategic leaders decisions affect more people, commit more resources, and have wider-ranging consequences in both space and time than do decisions of organizational and direct leaders. 3.4 Discuss how strategic leadership styles are adapted to meet changing needs, and to enable organizational development and commitment. In order to determine what the effective leadership styles are, it is essential to have a basic understanding of what leadership is. Various Types of Leadership Styles You may discover that some of the following are effective leadership styles that you can use in managing people. Charismatic Leadership Some believe that charisma is inborn. This is the characteristic of a person who inspires without trying very hard. He or she appears to have a natural ability at leading others. This is such a leadership style that can inspire others. This is usually associated with demagogues. Charismatic leaders need to focus on leading others to attain the objectives of the organization. If they are not careful, this ability may go to their heads. Participative Leadership This style is important in making teams work effectively. The leader is both leader and active participant. Contingency leadership This is the type of leadership where plans are made in taking care of any possibility that something may go wrong. Risk management is part of this. Autocratic Leadership style This involves use of position, power and authority. Simply put, What I say is the law

Platos Repulic, book V Essay -- essays research papers fc

ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the viability of certain aspects (the sex lottery) of Plato's Republic, book V. It is college level 'A' paper. Book V of The Republic finds Socrates explaining the practical details necessary in the creation of an ideal polis. He proposes a system for population control and human eugenics based on a lottery of sorts which will determine who will mate with whom and when. The lottery is â€Å"rigged† by the rulers in order that the best of the â€Å"herd† will mate much more frequently than others. However, only the rulers of this society will know the lottery is rigged. This system will presumably assure that children will be conceived as the result of reason, not irrational behaviors such as love or lust, and will produce the best possible future generations (Plato 458d – 460c). I argue that Plato’s lottery would not have worked in his time, nor would it work now because the desire to propagate was and still is a human instinct propelled by passion, not something that can simply be reasoned away. While Plato proposed that licentiousness would be forbidden and matrimony given the highest degree of sanctity (458e), I do not think that would be enough to stop a massive rise in sex crimes and passionate affairs. Instead of a just society, Plato’s proposal would have created one of fear, self-doubt and lack of trust in the government and is not something I would advocate implementing. While we can never really know how this utopia would have â€Å"played out† in Plato’s time, the negative effects on a society when passions are forcibly controlled can be illustrated in a modern sense by the Catholic Church and our penal system. Plato wrote that guardians would be â€Å"drawn together by a necessity of their natures to have intercourse† (458d) and yet, their sexual interludes should be limited by the use of the lottery. It is important to point out that since reliable and accessible birth control is a recent luxury, Plato was not simply advocating for selective child birth, he was talking about abstaining from heterosexual sex unless you â€Å"won† the lottery. I don’t think Plato’s lottery system would have worked out as well as he envisioned. When the less desirable of the population were consistently â€Å"unlucky† and unable to propagate year after year, what would have happened to them psychologically? Given that copulation was to be an honor bestowed upon... ...or other punishments. Whether restraint of sexual instincts are willingly accepted or forced upon a community, the results can lead to a decidedly non-ideal situation. By looking at some modern examples, I have shown how human desire can, and often does, override reason and the law even when faced with community imposed consequences or dire punishments. While current society differs greatly from Plato’s Greece, people are still people and human instinct existed then just as it exists today. People who are denied the ability to choose if and with whom they can have sex are liable to become irrational or turn to violent means to reach that end, regardless of the era in which they live. In Plato’s ideal society these unsanctioned actions could have lead to an increased level in the public’s fear for their physical safety. Individuals consistently denied by the rulers to copulate might develop self-worth issues and finally, a pin-prick of imperfection in this utopian society may be discovered by those who are forbidden from enjoying physical relations with those they desire or love. Works Cited Plato, The Republic. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2004.

How Do You Spell Baby Murder? - A B O R T I O N :: abortion argumentative persuasive argument

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Approximately 1.6 million murders are committed legally each year. With the exception of laws in few states, the mutilated bodies of the victims are thrown into dumpsters like pieces of rotten meat. While these victims lay waiting in the infested dumpsters to be hauled off to a landfill, the murderers are in their offices waiting for their next patient--the accomplice to the murder. This is the murder of an innocent child by a procedure known as abortion. Abortion stops the beating of an innocent child's heart. People must no longer ignore the scientific evidence that life begins at the moment of conception. People can no longer ignore the medical and emotional problems an abortion causes women. People must stop denying the facts about the procedure, and start hearing the silent screams of unborn children.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The argument by the pro-abortion side is that the unborn child is not truly a child. Many people who are pro-abortion justify their beliefs through the concept that a fetus is only a blob of tissue until it is born, or the statement: life begins at birth. Abortion is not as simple as removing a "blob of tissue" (as the pro-abortion activists put it) from a woman's body. Abortion is the destruction, dismembering and killing of a human life--an unborn baby. "But it is scientific and medical fact based on experimental evidence, that a fetus is a living, growing, thriving human being, directing his or her own development" (Fetal Development). A fetus is not just a blob of tissue, rather a fetus is Latin for "offspring or young one." Human life begins at fertilization, therefore it is wrong to murder the innocent child in the womb. At a US Senate Judiciary Subcommittee meeting, most scientists said that life begins at conception or implantation of the embryo. No scientist at the meeting claimed that life begins at birth (Factbot). Professor Hymie Gordon of the Mayo clinic stated "' . . by all criteria of modern biology, life is present from the moment of conception'" (Fetal Development). In a 1963 Planned Parenthood pamphlet entitled 'Plan Your Children' it states "an abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun. It is dangerous to your life and health" (Factbot).

Adolf Hitler Essay examples -- essays research papers

Adolf Hitler On April 20, 1889, the world was changed forever when Adolf Hitler was born to Alois and Klara Hitler in a little town named Braunau-am-Inn, Austria. Alois worked as a customs officer on the border crossing near their hometown. Adolf was the third born in his family, but first to survive. Later would come Edmund, who would live to the age of six, and Paula who would live to out survive Adolf himself. With a poor record in school, Adolf Hitler dropped out with ambitions of becoming an artist. Alois passed away when Adolf was thirteen, so Klara raised Adolf and Paula on her own. Between the ages of sixteen and nineteen is when Adolf Hitler began to become interested in politics. Then, in 1909, Klara Hitler died of cancer and Adolf moved to Vienna in hope of earning a living. Within a year he was living in homeless shelters and eating at charity soup kitchens though. In 1913, Adolf moved to Munich, Germany and volunteered for service in the Germany Army at the outbreak of the First World War. He was accepted into the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment. Hitler was promoted to corporal and decorated with the Iron Cross Second Class and First Class, he wore the Second Class Iron Cross until his dying day. Ironically, the captain who recommended him for the award was a Jewish man. After this, he began to join a few local army organizations with the mindset of persuading returning soldiers not to turn to communism or pacifism. Hitler was gave his first speech to a large audience. This meeting was a great success, so afterward he organized a much larger event for a crowd of nearly two thousand in Munich Germany. The party was the National Socialist German Workers Party, otherwise known as the Nazi party for short. Shortly after this speech in February, Adolf Hitler was discharged from the army. He continued to expand his influential power inside the party; he began to form groups of friends, thugs, which helped to break up opposing party meetings later. Hitler became the main speaker at all party events, and in 1920 chose the now hated swastika as the Nazi party emblem. By 1921, Adolf Hitler had gained the majority of the support of the Nazi party, and became the leader of the Nazi party with dictatorial powers. But in 1923, Hitler tried to overthrow the German Weimar Republic by force known as the Beer Hall Putsch. Despite capturing the l... ...g countries, he formed alliances with Mussolini and other nations, he had world conquest in sight and he was trying to conquer his neighbors in one blow. Hitler’s main problem was he started to fight to many wars; he had to many fronts to defend so he couldn’t keep his defense fortification strong enough. So his empire began to fall, and his country with it. He was slowly driven back, and his troops moral was declining fast. His dream was over. On May 1, at 9:30 in the evening, Hamburg radio told Germans that a grave announcement was to be made, that the Fuehrer had fallen a war hero. But he didn’t actually die in combat, one theory is that Adolf Hitler was told about his death, and read about it in the London paper obituaries. He actually committed suicide on the previous day in the bunker under the Reich chancellery, where he had been since January 16, 1945. Adolf Hitler’s dream of a one-world government was a good idea and dream; it just came to a corrupt and insane man in a time period that was impossible for such a dream. The world would have been a radically different place if this one man would have had a few small things go different for him during his time of power.

Hair Weaving The Mathematical Connection

This survey examines the mathematics behind hair weaving. The observation is conducted in a little salon in Decatur, Georgia. The stylist utilizations math on a day-to-day footing. The range of the mathematics in this survey is merely focused on a little facet that occurs daily in a salon. The mathematics that is involved includes: fractals, transmutation, perimeter, numeration, appraisal, anticipation, measuring, ratios, angles, and add-on. In add-on, the survey demonstrates the importance of utilizing civilization in the schoolroom, and literature that has successfully implemented activities affecting hair gold braid and other African parts.Context of the StudyIntegrating civilization into schoolrooms is really of import. One pattern that is common in the African American civilization is hair lacing and hair weaving, where hair gold braid is a really of import measure in the hair weaving procedure. These peculiar manners are apparent in all schoolrooms across the state. Since the h airdos are prevailing in schools, associating hair weaving to curriculums will actuate the pupils ( Gilmer, 2004 ) . The pupils can function as theoretical accounts. Making the pupils a portion of the lesson will further peer interaction and construct self esteem ( Gilmer, 2004 ) . In add-on, hair weaving will supply a connexion to history. This connexion will supply the chance to larn mathematics in a contextual signifier that African American pupils are familiar with. In add-on, since hair gold braid and hair weaves are a current manner tendency, this tendency can present the historical parts of the African civilization to pupils as good, redesigning the current bringing of mathematical direction ( Weiger, 2000 ) . The fact-finding processs involved in utilizing conceptual mathematics will beef up the African American pupil ‘s critical thought, job resolution, and communicating accomplishments because the pupils are utilizing and discoursing the mathematics.Research Question sThrough the literate reappraisal and the analysis of informations, the undermentioned inquiries will be answered at the terminal of this ethnographic survey: What is the relationship between hair weaving ( sew- in ) and mathematics? How make you use the historical manner parts of ancient Africans to motivate motive amongst African American young person? How make you utilize the civilization of hair to actuate African American young persons? Why is it of import to incorporate civilization and instruction? How make you place the mathematical constructs in hair gold braid and hair weaving?Concise Literature ReviewAfrican Americans take pride in their hair and their visual aspect. This is apparent in the billion dollar hair industry with adult females, work forces and kids lending to the net incomes ( Chris Rock ‘s Good Hair, 2009 ) . The billion dollar industry contains weaves, hair attention merchandises, and hair attention tools. African American adult females can pass 1000s of dollars on one weave session. Since so much accent is placed on hair, the research of schoolroom use by Gloria Gilmer ( 1998 ) is of import to African Americans. During Gloria Gilmer ‘s look intoing into hair manners of African American adult females, geometric designs and forms were discovered in the gold braid procedure ( Gilmer, 1998 ) . After farther probe, the constructs of tessellations were identified in the gold braid forms of the participants. The tessellations were easy seeable in the expo sure provided in the survey. Another research worker connected the forms of hair lacing to the transmutations besides ( Eglash, 2004 ) . On the website provide by Ron Eglash cornrow plaits translate, reflect, rotate, and distend Y forms in which the Y resembles a plait stitch ( 2004 ) . Pamela Frost discovered that African fractals are non limited to hair gold braid, but can be extended to calculate artworks, genetic sciences, and biological science ( 1999 ) . Since hair gold braid contains common taught mathematical constructs, implementing the construct is an easy undertaking. Teachers do non hold to buy extra merchandises to implement the construct, since paper and pencils can be utilized to look into fractals. It is noted that â€Å" pupils can still larn about fractals utilizing common school supplies † ( Frost, 1999 ) . Teachers do non hold to research a batch of information about hair gold braid and hair weaving. African American pupils come with anterior cognition about hair gold braid and hair weaving, associating their anterior cognition to geometry and fractals can help in â€Å" building their ain individualities † ( Frost, 1999 ) . Besides instructors can be provided with pre-written activities about the connexion of hair gold braid and mathematics ( Frost, 1999 ) . An of import facet of utilizing hair lacing in the schoolroom is to help in the development of African American pupils and other minorities. It has been noted that Ethnomathematics such as forms in hair lacing â€Å" respond to the demands of increasing Numberss of pupils who feel like failures for non understanding † ( Gilmer, 2004 ) . African American pupils will see little success by lending information that they are familiar with. In the current educational systems mathematics is used to hike trial tonss, so pupil can accomplish a certain position ( Gilmer, 2004 ) . Often in this procedure minority pupils are left behind in mathematics. In other to level the playing field in mathematics, utilizing Ethnomathematics that involves cultural constructs such as hair gold braid and hair weaving will give the pupils the power to â€Å" spot and look into † which engages pupils ( Gilmer, 2004 ) . Student engagement aids with treating information into memory ( Woolfolk, 2004 ) . With battle, comes larning. African American pupils will hold the chance to larn mathematics and reassign the acquisition to trials and other acquisition activities ( Gilmer, 2004 ) .MethodologyParticipantsThis assignment provided an chance to detect an African American stylist with over 18 old ages of experience in the cosmetology concern. The stylist works in a little upscale salon with two other stylists. The ascertained stylist received her preparation from a local cosmetology school and a concern grade from Bowie State University in Maryland. The stylist stated her trade was mastered through on the occupation preparation and that school merely prepared her with the theory. The client is a professional pedagogue that receives hair weaves every six to eight hebdomads. The client has chemically damaged hair and receives hair weaves to alleviate the mundane emphasis on her hair. Permission was given to merely enter the dorsum of the caput.Study DesignSince hair is a portion of the African American civilization, an ethnographic attack was taken. Culture can non be examined with making a hypothesis, formal testing, and statistical analysis of informations.Data Collection Instruments:During the survey, a FLIP picture camera was used to enter snippings of the hair weaving procedure. In add-on, notes were written to enter the ambiance, the conversations, and the actions of the stylist. An informal interview was used to derive cognition about the client and the stylist techniques.Procedures:Initial Entry: In order to finish this survey, aid from the stylist was requested during a hebdomadal salon visit. During the solicitation, the stylist was given a transcript of the undertaking demands and a brief account about the videotaping. The stylist was concerned with the publication of the recorded techniques. She was assured that the technique was for a category undertaking with no public screenings. The stylist agreed and requested a transcript of the picture once the undertaking was completed. Data Collection: The research worker began the observation procedure around nine 30 a.m. The observation procedure consisted of notes, informal interviews and videotaping. The research worker became an active portion of the procedure by helping with the threading of the acerate leafs. In add-on, the research worker interacted with all the other stylists and clients by supplying information about the survey and take parting in the chitchat in the salon.Data Analysis & A ; SynthesisIn analyzing the informations received during the observation, several mathematical operations were revealed. The first mathematical construct that was revealed was fractals. Fractals are defined as the geometric forms that are repeated, which include dilations ( Frost, 1999 ) . In hair weaving, the first procedure is hair lacing. The stylist subdivisions off little parts of the hair, and so braid the hair. The plaits consist of repeated forms that resemble a â€Å" V † . The plait begins little towar ds the border of the hair and gets larger as the plait reaches the Crown of the heard. The following mathematical construct that was revealed is transmutations which include interlingual renditions and perpendicular contemplations. As mentioned before, the plaits resemble several little V ‘s. The interlingual rendition occurs when the form of the V travels towards the Crown of the caput. The form of the V ‘s is really close together so the plaits are tight. This tightness aids with the hair weave enduring eight hebdomads. Another transmutation that is present is a perpendicular contemplation. The stylist begins with a plait on the right side of the heard and terminals at the Crown of the caput. She so begins with the left side of the caput and ends at the same topographic point. The plaits on each side of the caput are exact opposite of each other. The contemplation line is in the centre of the caput. The perpendicular refection ends at the center of the ears. In add-on, the mathematical construct of numeration was revealed. In several cases, the stylist was observed numbering the figure of plaits on the client ‘s caput. She stated it was of import to hold the same measure of plaits on both sides of the caput. In add-on, the stylist the stylist was observed numbering the figure of weave paths as she connected the weave. Another mathematical construct that was observed during the hair weaving procedure involves measuring and appraisal. The stylist used appraisal to mensurate the length of the weaving yarn. She removed yarn from the bobbin and used the length of her forearm to find the length. This procedure continued until the hair weave was completed. In add-on, the stylist estimates the measure of hair and the monetary value of the service. It was revealed that a anterior conversation occurred between the client and the stylist. The client shows the stylist a image and the stylist determines the measure of hair that is needed. This appraisal is of import because they stylist do non desire the client to buy extra hair. The following mathematical construct observed is arc length. Since the measuring of the caput utilizes perimeter, which is the length of the outermost border of a circle. The plaits that travel from right to go forth could be considered to be single circles. The stylist is gauging the length of the weave paths to attach to the ‘arcs † of the fanciful circles, which is the formal mathematical term called arc length. Another mathematical construct that is utilised is ratios. The stylist discussed the procedure of adding colour to the hair weave. The client purchases a little package of coloured weave. Following, the stylist uses a razor to divide the weave path. Finally, the stylist combines the colour weave path to the black path. In add-on, the stylist utilised ratios in the procedure when she mixed the hair dye for another colour. The stylist did uncover that sometimes hair weave clients receive colour to dissemble the grey hairs. This peculiar client did non have hair colour. After all of the paths were attached to the caput, the stylist used angles to cut the hair. The stylist stated she was utilizing 45 grade angles. It was hard to find the exact measuring of the angles since the stylist cut the hair quickly. Using 40 five degree angles to cut hair is a construct that the stylist learned in beauty school. During the full procedure of attaching the weave path to the plaits, the stylist created knots to guarantee the yarn did non detached. Besides in the initial threading procedure, knots were tied at the terminal of the twine every bit good. The type of knot was non determined. The concluding mathematical construct that was revealed was add-on and minus. The stylist used mental add-on to calculate the cost of the hair weave service. Once the client paid for the service, the stylist provided alteration. There was non any grounds of numbering alteration to the client. Recommendations Listing the possibilities of mathematics being used in the universe is about impossible. Mathematics is used in many signifiers of life such as eating houses, building, auto franchises, and promenades. This use of mathematics supports systems in topographic point working. Since mathematics is apparent in the lives of pupils, it is recommended to associate practical experiences such as hair weaving to the course of study that pupils must larn. This relationship would do mathematics relevant to the universe of pupils. In add-on, supplying this experience will see pupils to possible callings that they may hold had small cognition about. Learning mathematics through practical experiences will give pupil the chance to larn why and how mathematics is used. This signifier of larning supports the constructivist theory, where acquisition is student centered and non teacher centered ( Woolfolk, 2004 ) . Another recommendation to utilizing practical experiences such as hair weaving will give th e chance for pupils to larn utilizing transverse curricular activities. Since hair weaving involves chemicals, designs, and hair, pupils will hold the chance to larn chemical science, art and biological science in context. Observing and questioning a stylist will give a pupil the chance to witness the consequences of chemical procedure on the hair, to incorporate art and manner, and to larn how the organic structure develops skin, and the proper nutrition to keep healthy tegument. Besides it is recommended to give the pupils the chance to larn by making. The custodies on larning experience will advance motive. Motivation amongst African American pupils in mathematics is worsening ( Gilmer, 2004 ) . Using a pattern that is familiar to pupils can supply a gateway to engagement in the category. The pupils will be a portion of the category, taking the phobic disorder of failure, ensuing in assurance in mathematics ( Woolfolk, 2004 ) . This assurance will actuate the pupil to go on to la rn mathematics since the fright of non cognizing is removed. It is besides recommended that instructors create job based acquisition instances utilizing the constructs that relates to civilization such as hair weaving. The instances would advance enquiry about the different civilization and give replies as to why a peculiar civilization patterns certain modus operandis. This window into the lives of others will assist the pupils to understand and appreciate the civilizations of others. The enquiry procedure in the job based acquisition will give the pupils picks about the methods of geting cognition and how of import the information is to their personal state of affairs. The acquisition is navigated by the pupils with instructor counsel, alternatively of driven by instructor input merely. In add-on, the pupils will hold the chance to research and take part in instructional preservations from the research about the different civilizations. The instructional conversations would advanc e integrity and aid in learning diverseness amongst the pupils and the instructors.

Challenges and Prospects of Gender Budgeting in India Essay

Gender budgeting promises to focus on the role of rights, freedoms and the choices of women by giving information of content and focus of government policies. Today gender sensitive budgetary allocation might only constitute 5% of the total budget, yet the stand as a significant attempt at addressing gender inequality. However, gender budgeting exercise needs to be on guard against certain challenges facing it. Firstly, International Financial Institutions that stipulated to initiate economic reform policies in India like IMF, WTO can offset gender budget benefits. Lowering of import duties under WTO has resulted in a reduction of government’s revenue which in turn translated into lowering expenditure on social sector especially on women. Secondly, the introduction of VAT has the impact of affecting the people’s spending rather than their income and thus tends to hit the poor more. Since feminization of poverty is an established fact VAT can be more harmful to the interest of the women. Thirdly, the focus on reducing the fiscal deficit should not imply a cut on the gender equality and women empowerment schemes. Public-private partnership in enhancing expenditure on social sector needs to be encouraged. Lastly, the scope of Gender Budgeting needs to be enlarged so as to cover what hitherto have been gender neutral departments or ministries. Enhanced allocation for women specific programmes needs to be supplemented by an overall evaluation of budgetary policies from gender perspective.