Ancestry of Barack Obama - Fourth Generation

Barack Obama Family Tree, Generations 1-3 Fourth Generation (Great Grandparents): 8. Obama was born in Kendu Bay, Kenya 9. Nyaoke Obama had four wives, one of whom was Nyaoke. She fathered many children, of whom Onyango was the fifth son. 12. Ralph Waldo Emerson DUNHAM was born 24 December 1894 in Argonia, Sumner County, Kansas and died 4 October 1970 in Wichita, Sedgwick, Kansas. 13. Ruth Lucille ARMOUR was born in 1900 in Illinois and died (by suicide) on 25 November 1926 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas. Ralph DUNHAM and Ruth ARMOUR were married on 3 October 1915 in Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas and had the following children: i. Ralph Emerson DUNHAM, Jr., born 29 August 1916 (spouse Elizabeth Smith)6. ii. Stanley Armour DUNHAM The family is found living with Ruths parents in the 1920 federal census of Sedgwick County, Kansas. In 1930, Ralph Jr. and Stanley are with their maternal grandparents in Butler County, Kansas, while their father, Ralph Sr. was enumerated with his parents in Sedgwick County, Kansas. 14. Rolla Charles PAYNE was born 23 August 1892 in Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas and died in Kansas in October 1968. 15. Leona MCCURRY was born about May 1897 in Kansas. Rolla Charles PAYNE and Leona MCCURRY married in Kansas about 1922 and had the following children: 1. i. Madelyn PAYNEii. Charles Thomas PAYNE born in 1925.iii. Arlene PAYNE born about 1926.

Argument Against Industrialization of Universities in The...

In The Prostitution of Academia, David Suzuki argues that the trend towards the industrialization of universities will seriously compromise the unique role of academic scholars. He stresses his concerns about the increasing link between academics and private industry. He expresses his concern about the loss of exploration and creativity of the students due to the exploitation of education by industries. Those who lived through the Civil War and Reconstruction recognized that the world had passed through perhaps the single most significant transformative period in its history. The great questions of slavery, sectionalism, and national supremacy that had plagued the Canadians for nearly eight decades had been resolved -- in part by force of arms, in part by constitutional and legal change made possible by military victory. The Rise Of Industrialization: Industrialization Industrialization is the rise of the industrial economy and of accompanying issues of law, governance, and publi c policy. The explosion of technological innovation of the late nineteenth century transformed the face of the Canadian nation. They also shaped a new Canadian culture, one that assimilated technological changes with increasing speed and complacency. These technological changes also affected the lives of millions of ordinary Canadians, by transforming the conditions of work and the range of available occupations. More and more Canadians, faced with a choice between the always-uncertain life

Managing - Leading and Stewardship Sample - MyAssignmentHelp

Question: Write an essay about the managing leading and stewardship. Answer: Introduction: The ideas of managing, leading and stewardship can be identified as typically interrelated both in our familial, personal and mainly the professional life. As opined by Menzel 2012, Managing is associative, spontaneous and principled. It is not all about the actions you perform as well as the pattern of your relation and the interaction style with others. In an organization, a strong management skill is needed, as there are a number of different kinds of people are interacting. In addition to this, I will describe the leadership as the deed of leading a group or an organization, or the aptitude to perform this responsibility. Therefore, it can easily be understood how important for these ideas are to be amalgamated. Now, if we talk about the initiative of Stewardship, it can be said that this particular idea talks about the responsibility of the companies to recognize and deal with their influence on the environment. Now, according to my opinion and experience, it is important for a company to integrate all of them to obtain a better organizational environment and thus can gain better profitability. Discussion: Before our professional life, we all have our world. It consists of our family, friends, schools or the universities. This pre-professional life provides us a number of experiences and thus helps us in developing a number of ideas. In the context my life, I had a general idea of management. I had a fade notion that it is a process and faculty manipulating or controlling things or the people. In my family, I got to know the people who are people who had a commanding faculty of controlling or manipulating the people. However, it caused me confusion about the true character of a leader and a manager. In my college life, I came into the contact with some people with an astonishing power of influence others. Some of them were my friends. They had some distractive personal characteristics. It was surely their leadership quality, which made them stand out of the crowd. As discussed by Goetschj and Davis 2014, a leader can be described as a person who sets off first and thus leads by setting examples. I encountered such friends who had the power of motivating others. On the other hand, Workingwith the help of stewardshipcan assist abusiness to discover a sustainable practice; develop its repute among clients and save money (Spiller and Stockdale 2013). I used to think that the Stewardship talks about the managers focus on saving the interest of him and the shareholders. However, in the course of this study I came to understand that the role of a steward is to gain a better acceptance among the customers for the organization. The course of this study, I have experienced a number of working experiences. These have shaped my idea and the guiding philosophy of my life. In some of my workplaces, I had to be a member of a team and was being led by the team leader. Sometimes the feeling of redundancy made me demotivated to work with perfection and being dedicated to the work culture or the organizational goals. As opined by Connor 2013, the redundancy is one of the major issues of employee demonization and the subsequent loss of commitment to the new employers. On the other hand, when I got the responsibility of being the team leader and compelled to make other employees redundant I got to know, that sometimes the companies need to follow this strategy for some genuine commercial reasons. However, I have experienced how it hampers the motivational factor of an employee. This course of the study has provided me the knowledge about the alternative strategies of the redundancy. Here, it is needed to perform the role of stewardship role. My previous knowledge and understanding of leadership criticized this strategy of redundancy. However, this course has provided me the managerial knowledge of the importance of cost-cutting for a company. In addition to this, my previous knowledge of management has made me face a number of workplace challenges. In the position of work pressure, I have failed to retain the composure within the employees. This course of study has provided me the knowledge of the importance of taking the responsibility when jobs do not go as designed. As opined by D. Waters 2013, here, the managers need to play the role of a leader. However, during this course of the study, I have developed my skills in leadership and management. Now, I know, it is not enough for a manager to manipulate people. It is important for him to play the role of a leader for the better performance and the fulfillment of the ethical requirements. Now I know it is important to follow some principles for the job of managing, leading and stewardship, and I am still following them. As opined by Turner and Hartley 2016, I need to follow the principle of self-improvement to perform the duties of a manager and a leader. As the basic idea goes with the leadership skill, now I know I have to be the example for my co-workers. It can be expected that the issue of redundancy can also be avoided by it. Now, I am developing and equipping myself with a better knowledge of my job role. It is being helpful in motivating others. As experienced in the course of this study, I am making my team members well informed about their job roles. Now I know a manager needs to be a leader by admitting his mistakes, and this principle is enabling me to win the confidence of my teammates (Raczkowski 2016). Now, I know that it is important for a manager or a steward to be ethical in his role to ensure the low rate of employee turnover. The essence of the stewardship idea talks about being more responsible to the employees and the external environment. Now I am trying to follow them as my guiding principles. I would love to make ethical changes the established pattern of organizational leadership. I think it is needed for a leader to consider the ethical responsibilities that come with his role. However, we need to consider it from the basic level. During my work experienced that the managers or the leaders sometimes behaves like a superior to others. People need to understand that they are not the superiors but the co-workers. However, the organizational structure couples them to behave in this manner (Boni et al. 2014). The organizations need to focus on creating a democratic culture within the setup. It helps people to be more motivated and involved. I would also like to change the work culture prevailing in the present workplaces. A company cannot ignore the issues like cost cut, but to encounter them they should follow some strategies, which help the people with solutions that are more comprehensive. As the professional life poses a great impact on the individual personal life, it i s important to the managers and the leaders to be more sympathetic and helpful. Conclusion: In the conclusion, it can be said that the responsibilities of the managers or the leaders are broad enough to influence the life and attitude of the team members. Therefore, it is a prerequisite for them to understand the ethical responsibilities of these roles. It is not enough to make people attain the strategic goals. They need to concentrate on the increase in the motivation and involvement level of the people. People love to respect a true leader. Therefore, it is important for us to develop a respectable personality with a motivational attitude. If a change in the workplace can be introduced, it will eventually influence our personal life and thus, be helpful in creating a better world. References: Boni, A.A., Weingart, L.R. and Todorova, G., 2014. Building, Managing, and Motivating Great Teams. InElsevier Inc.. Connor, V., 2013. Leading Change: The Collaborative Science and Adaptive Management Program.San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science,11(3). Waters, R., 2013. The role of stewardship in leadership: Applying the contingency theory of leadership to relationship cultivation practices of public relations practitioners.Journal of Communication Management,17(4), pp.324-340. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014.Quality management for organizational excellence. pearson. Menzel, D.C., 2012.Ethics management for public administrators: Leading and building organizations of integrity. ME Sharpe. Raczkowski, K., 2016. Managing and Leading in Public Organisations. InPublic Management(pp. 99-125). Springer International Publishing. Spiller, C. and Stockdale, M., 2013. Managing and Leading from a Maori Perspective: Bringing New Life and Energy to Organisations. InHandbook of Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace(pp. 149-173). Springer New York. Turner, N. and Hartley, P., 2016. Managing and leading projects and project teams.Advancing Practice in Academic Development, p.225.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry Thoreau Debate free essay sample

Fight For What is Right A cold, snowy winter night in Birmingham, Alabama: one of those nights where you would rather stay inside and sit by a fire while sipping on a cup of hot chocolate. Not everyone is doing that though, for many people walk in the cold all bundled up. Some of the more unfortunate ones stay stranded outside in the freezing weather with not nearly enough layers to keep them warm. In Birmingham, a lot of these people consist of African Americans who cannot afford somewhere to keep warm or are Just simply denied a place to stay based on their skin color. In this day and age, segregation exists between whites and blacks. A huge issue nationwide, but when it comes to Birmingham everything is taken to a new level. To ensure the separation of whites and blacks, you can see plenty of racial signs and other such tactics used by the city. We will write a custom essay sample on Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry Thoreau Debate or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although between King and Thoreau, none of these resemble an issue; they both could stay warm under their nice winter Jackets, both had a place to go back home to and more importantly, one was a white man and the other a black man. Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. both made themselves very well known and idolized by many. They knew each other through a mutual friend but came into contact when they ran into one another here in Birmingham. The segregation in Birmingham continues to get out of control with constant bombings and killings of African American citizens, causing certain groups to want to take action towards reform in Birmingham. The group known as the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights called upon King to help lead them in non-violent reform, while Thoreau made his trip here to witness the reforms. Thoreaus time of non-violent reform came about years before King even began to participate. King actually learned Just about everything from Thoreaus writing, but Thoreau has no sense of that at this very moment. What King learned from Thoreau, he put to use more than Thoreau ever did. Right now the two men share the same non-violent beliefs and want to spread the word in their own separate ways. As the two men walk down the street they engage in friendly small talk. But then they come across a black couple denied entry into a restaurant. Both men look at ach other in disgust. They have seen it happen hundreds of times, but each time they see it, they have the same disgustful reaction. After what they Just witnessed, the two men started to state their opinions to each other on why they see this type of policy as a disgrace. Henry Thoreau spoke first with a scornful tone in his voice on how he cannot respect his government for allowing instances like these to occur. He continues speaking, l cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slaves government also (180). In response, King expresses to Thoreau, that you cannot put the entire blame on the government even though they could change the laws involving segregation. But would that change how the white majority feels, especially in southern states. Those people grew up witn certain opinions ot Atrican Americans. King goes on with another strong statement, saying Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly (214). With this statement, King tries to tell Thoreau that if they cannot change how people think, then segregation will not change either. After uttering such words, King goes quiet, neither one of them saying anything to each other. Both continue walking with their eyes facing forward, trying to fgure out what they are going to say next. After a few minutes of walking in the freezing cold with a light flurry of snow, the silence is broken. King ends this when he asks Thoreau how he plans on making a difference for racism and segregation. Thoreau does not respond right away, giving King the opportunity to answer his own question: Henry, we need to make a difference here in Birmingham. If we do something here then it ay affect the whole nation. And we need to do it in a non-violent manner. He continues, In any non-violent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action (215). King believes that these steps will lead them to a successful reform against segregation. Thoreau agrees with King that they should reform in a non-violent way, but questions who will Join him. He immediately states, They continue enjoying each others company, but ever since their heated discussions the two have not said one word or even batted an eye towards the other. They arrive at the footsteps of Martin Luther King Jr. s apartment where he says one final comment to end the night, Henry, we have a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws (218). We are nere tor a reason; and that reason involves making a ditterence. So tomorrow lets get everyone in town together and move forward with this reform. Thoreau ooks at King with a blank face and continues his way. With his incomparable leadership ability, King leads a reform the next day in Birmingham. The reform in Birmingham took place in 1963, and was led by Martin Luther King Jr.. This action brought attention to the integration efforts in the city, and during these nonviolent riots the citys police brought out dogs which attacked the civilians. They would also spray the people with high powered water hoses. But the reform actions demonstrated led to the government changing the city of Birminghams discrimination laws.

Strategy Implementation Barriers

Introduction Organisations identify their objectives and goals, which they seek to achieve through a course of action that they draft out. This course of action, the strategy, can only be achieved as intended if every participant acts as required in executing his or her roles (Clemens Bakstran, 2010, p. 393).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategy Implementation Barriers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As Beer et al. (2005, p. 446) assert, organisations have to ‘fit’ themselves with the environment, including the strategies, leadership skills, as well as capabilities if they seek to achieve effective operations. This research carries out an extensive analysis of all possible barriers to strategy implementation and offers a remedy for each of the barriers. It borrows from theories and models suggested by scholars, including the silent killers of strategy implementation, organisational fitness, and critical questions that can help managers to address the barriers (Beer et al., 2005, p. 446). Literature Review Critical Questions to help in the Attainment of Objective Business Model Is the interaction within the organization effective? Within the organisation, the leadership plays a critical role in providing direction, offering protection, managing conflicts, as well as shaping norms and conducting orientation (Heifetz Laurie, 2001, p. 131). However, the most important role of leaders in an organisation should be to enhance adequate interaction through practicing strategic leadership to ensure that barriers to strategy implementation are overcome. As Beer et al. (2005, p. 450) point out, the organisational commitment, as well as purpose is lost when there is poor interaction within the organisation. Managers must promote dialogue with the rest of the organisation’s members to develop common purpose, which is needed for instilling the necessary commitment required to co nvert purpose into action. This should purposely be geared towards encouraging commitment from every participant in the organisation (Malewicki, 2005, p. 141).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Effective strategic leadership that promotes interactivity should focus on five hierarchical levels. These levels include highly capable individuals who make their direct contributions through knowledge, talent, work habits, and high-level skills. The second level should comprise of contributing team members that target achieving the objectives of the group and working effectively within the group. The third level of the hierarchy should include competent managers (Kerr Werther, 2008, p. 112) whose main ability and contribution are in organising people and resources of the organisation, while the fourth level hierarchy should involve effective leadership. This mainly targets the adhere nce to the vision of the organisation, as well as the maintenance of the needed performance standards. The fifth and final strategy level involves the executive, with the specific quality being an endurance of greatness by way of professional will and personal humility (Watson Wooldridge, 2005, p. 147). The organisation’s leadership must have these characteristics as contained in the five hierarchies enumerated. Collectively, these qualities and values enable the management to develop a common purpose of communicating downwards to their subordinates, who are the actual executor of the strategic requirements (Allio, 2012, p. 24). The sufficient vertical communication provides the employees working in the department with the understanding about the actual organisational strategy and the directions that are needed concerning the daily decisions that are expected of them. It also enables them to understand about the exact priorities that will be needed by them as they collective ly work towards ensuring that the organisation achieves its objectives. Organisational Power Games and Politics: Are they Useful? All organisations have their unique internal politics and power games, which consequently affect the likelihood of the organisation to implementing its strategy as intended (Peng Litteljohn, 2001, p. 360). Managers are particularly responsible for this kind of barrier, mainly because their overriding personal interests and ineffective resource allocation on their part or respective departments. Adequate resource allocation is an important strategy implementation aspect because lack of resources eventually impedes successful strategy performance and activity (Brauer Schmidt, 2006, p. 205). Strategies are actually implemented by means of operational budgets and capital in general.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Strategy Implementation Barriers specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However , internal politics threaten to derail this because it mainly involves a clash between the manager’s personal interest or that of his respective department, on the one hand and the interests of the organisation, on the other hand. The structural arrangement of the organisation plays a contributory role in fanning the internal organisational politics as departments or functions may begin to view themselves as exclusive entities that are in competition with the other departments or functions (Stuart, 1998, p. 469). It, thus, results in resistance, power struggles, and even a pursuance of non-fitting interests, which eventually affect the achievement of strategic objectives. The most critical question for managers in a bid to address the issue of politics and seeking to determine answers to the question is to establish whether there is a clear understanding when it comes to resource allocation. Apart from the allocation of monetary resources, managers must also be aware of the i mportant role of allocating physical resources, including equipment, plant, geographic location, as well as raw materials in general (‘Business Policy and Strategy Conference Paper Abstracts’, 2004, p. 1). Managers should constantly realise and appreciate the fact that the availability of resources is often scarce to effectively and fully cater for the entire needs of the organisation. Thus, self-interest should never contribute towards the allocation of resources. Managers must not commit themselves too quickly in allocating resources as they target projects and goals that deem to satisfy their own interests or personal performance (‘Business Policy and Strategy Conference Paper Abstracts’, 2004, p. 1). The decision-making role of managers concerning resource allocation must, therefore, be done in a way that purely seeks to front the organisation’s interest and agenda.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Leaving the decisions and behaviour of managers unchecked is detrimental to the organisation because while it may ensure that their personal objectives are met, the organisation may end up suffering in the process (‘Business Policy and Strategy Conference Paper Abstracts’, 2004, p. 11). Eliminating this barrier requires that the decision-making process be made a collective function such that managers from all the departments and functions of the organisation make their individual contributions. This way, the collective responsibility would put a check in their irregular decision-making even though individual managers may still have the urge to pursue their personal agenda (‘Business Policy and Strategy Conference Paper Abstracts’, 2004, p. 18). How important is Organisational Learning? Organisations must continually remain and promote learning as a way of sustaining new ideologies and methods. However, managers and employees might feel the urge to resist ch ange and new working procedures at some point. This often occurs as a result of the individuals feeling threatened. Employees, therefore, devise defensive mechanisms that they feel would comfortably protect their old practice of doing things. For organisational learning to occur, healthy communication in all directions must be encouraged and tolerated (Và ¤nttinen Pyhà ¤ltà ¶, 2009, p. 47). Managers must feel free to communicate among fellow managers and to the senior executive management concerning the overall running of the organisation. Downward and upward communication must also occur such that no one in the organisation feels left out in the strategy implementation plans (Và ¤nttinen Pyhà ¤ltà ¶, 2009, p. 47). Encouraged communication provides managers with the chance to notice challenges in strategy implementation and raise the matter early enough to help in finding solutions. Managers do not also feel threatened because they understand the fact that it is not their pe rsonal objective they are protecting, but that of the organisation (Forman Argenti, 2005, p. 245). Thus, they do not view their colleague managers as competitors, but as important partners whom they can learn from as they also are a valuable source of knowledge to their other colleagues. Employees, who are very important because of their role in implementing strategy, also participate actively in the organisational learning process if the organisation promotes and allows free communication (Olson, Slater, Hult, 2005, p. 47). They would be able to notice challenges within the system and quickly act by raising the issue with their immediate supervisors or managers, who would in turn act by providing a solution to the impediment or barrier. Where an organisation does not promote free and easy communication, the general learning process is also affected. People may not feel comfortable in pointing out at mistakes, especially where they believe or know that the mistake is contributed b y their superiors (Olson, Slater Hult, 2005, p. 47). For fear of being vilified, the employees would better maintain their silence and wish that their supervisor or manager discovers it on his or her own. Thus, an impediment to strategy implementation that would have otherwise been discovered and dealt with at an opportune time is allowed to continue wrecking damage to the entire organisation, thereby slowing its resolve to achieve its set objectives (Hendry, Huang Stevenson, 2013, p. 69). In addressing this aspect of organisational knowledge and learning, employees must be skilled and educated enough to enhance their ability of implementing strategy. It is not enough for information to be allowed to flow freely only, but that it should also flow freely to people who understand and realise how to put it into good use (Ramanigopal, 2012, p. 17). Without learning, it is not possible for change to be experienced or witnessed in the organisation. Increased knowledge through learning h elps the actors in their effort to engage successfully in the overall implementation process. Individual experience, though it is a critical aspect of goal achievement within the organisation, should not be confused with learning. Should Resistance to Change be encouraged? The external environment influences the way in which organisations operate in their quest to achieve their objectives. The environment acts as a barrier, particularly when the internal management of the organisation fails to realise some of the best strategies required to address the external environmental challenges. Decisions need to be made almost immediately to reflect on the changing external environment condition (Barton Ambrosini, 2013, p. 721). However, this is a challenging area because the changing environmental conditions can never be easily anticipated. Experienced management is required to determine the way forward on what steps the organisation should take. The major mistake that managers often comm it while facing external environmental challenges is making decisions that rely on an old mental form. This mainly occurs where the management is also ill experienced to tackle and address such challenges. This is further worsened by the inexistence of honest feedback as well as discussion. This is itself an impediment when it comes to learning about similar models. Resistance to change particularly occurs where managers feel threatened by a certain phenomena and focus their attention on fighting it, instead of seeking for solutions (Barton Ambrosini, 2013, p. 723). Although experience is important in addressing such challenges that arise from external business environment, organisations must also work towards making themselves as centres of knowledge. In other words, solutions to external business challenges must be formulated from within the organisation itself to give it adequate ability to respond (‘Organization Development Change Conference Paper Abstracts’, 2005 , p. 1). The organisation is directly affected by the changing circumstances and it understands uniquely how best to react. Internal understanding and knowledge is promoted and sustained by allowing all participants in the organisation, including employees, to contribute towards providing suggestions on the way forward. The collective contribution by participants offers a wide range of alternatives from which the management can pick the best. This gives continuity to the organisation, especially in the face of new challenges that cannot be compared to past challenges. Because managers have a large pool from where they can obtain fresh ideas and suggestions, their unique solutions to challenges ensures that barriers to strategy implementation are effectively addressed. The quality of the ideas and management plans is also effective as it is provided by the actual implementers of the strategy, who understand all the challenges that they face in the process (‘Organization Develop ment Change Conference Paper Abstracts’, 2005, p. 6). Organisational Fitness and Silent Killers Beer and Eisenstat (2000, p. 29) have introduced a new phenomenon that seeks to empower managers even more as they participate in ensuring that their organisation fits with the strategy. The Strategic Fitness Process (SFP) comprises of high-potential managers that sit in a task force aimed at enhancing value-addition in the running of the organisation. The task force operates in coordination with the management of the organisation through issuance of feedback messages. In general, the SFP reveals up to six common barriers that hinder organisations from attaining their objectives and goals (Beer Eisenstat, 2000, p. 9). The barriers include unclear strategy that comprises of conflicting priorities, a top management team that is ineffective, a style of leadership that is too rigid in its top-down framework or one that is too laissez-faire, and lack of coordination across functions, geographic regions or businesses. Other common barriers identified include poor vertical communication and an inadequate leadership skill that also affects the nurturing of down-the-line leaders (Eisenstat Dixon, 2000, p. 52). What are the causes of unclear strategy? An unclear strategy implies a course of action that does not clearly identify an objective or one that identifies an objective, but fails to enumerate clearly the needed set of actions by the workers and management. Lack of clarity of a strategy may result from various causes, including a senior management team that is ineffective in its operations and a too disengaged or too controlling leader. While it is possible that the strategy of the organisation will be well designed and targeted towards achieving specific objectives, the leadership may lack a common focus towards attaining (Ketzenberger, 1998, p. 84). Communication is also paramount in this regard as it determines the quality of information flow. If the strate gy intent is constantly communicated, all the participants will realise what their role is and will work towards making it actual. On the other hand, poor flow of information denies the workers the ability to determine what their actual role and contribution should be (Ketzenberger, 1998, p. 84). Remedy for unclear strategy Addressing unclear strategy, therefore, requires that information flow within the entire organisation is improved to a greater extent. The senior teams must be able to issue relevant instructions to the lower level managers and subsequently to the employees who engage directly in executing the strategy (Ketzenberger, 1998, p. 84). Consequently, feedback information must also flow freely from the employees through the lower-ranked managers all the way to the top management. This way, all the participants are constantly reminded of the actual strategy that they are pursuing. It also empowers everybody to notice early enough and signal the senior management of any u nderlying barriers that could be working against the organisation and its resolve (Ketzenberger, 1998, p. 84). What are the influences of Ineffective Management? The management of an organisation is considered ineffective, particularly where it is unable to make quick and accurate decisions concerning the organisation. Additionally, ineffective management arises as a result of functional or departmental managers operating as though they were competing against each other. This leads to lack of cooperation between the managers, with vital information that would have otherwise helped the entire organisation to speed up its performance being kept away from individual managers (Majer Bell, 2011, p. 62). The top management of an organisation must get involved in all the decision-making processes and steps in order to develop fully and test the whole processes sufficiently. Because of the top management’s usefulness in the entire process of making strategy, any ineffectiveness on t heir party is likely to result in unclear strategy, as well as priorities and affect the top-down relation or interaction within the organisation (McGuinness Morgan, 2005, p. 1306). This ends up curtailing the ability and possibility of the organisation to achieve its strategy effectively as desired. Quick and accurate decisions can only be achieved when a wider team or group of members within the organisation participates in providing solutions to challenges that affect the organisation (Majer Bell, 2011, p. 62). It improves the quality of decision making because all the areas in the organisation get equal representation in the decision-making process. Equally, all the managers feel as though they are a part of the organisation, especially when they witness their contributions being integrated by their employer. Remedy for ineffective management All the senior management team must get involved in the strategy process. They should participate in strategy development, perform organ isational diagnosis together, as well as conduct action planning and participate actively in communicating and monitoring the change. In other words, the top management team must combine efforts and work together as one in their quest to lead the organisation towards achieving objectives (Dervitsiotis, 2007 p. 21). There should be higher interactivity, close discussions among the managers, and high tolerance within the group. This kind of arrangement will help in speeding up the learning process in the organisation. Individual managers will get to understand how exactly they can stop from being an impediment to the rest of their organisation through the solitary decisions that they make (Dervitsiotis, 2007 p. 21). It will help in creating a good rapport among the managers, thus increasing the participation of each individual. Collective decision-making eliminates the need for rushed conclusions that individual leaders may fall prey to, particularly when their departments or function s fail short of performing as required and expected. Limited Top-Down/Laissez-Faire Style of Leadership: How does it affect strategy? Managers may have their own preferred management styles. The styles might be critical in impeding the organisation’s achievement of strategy and objectives. Limiting interaction to a top-down kind of flow only provides for managers to issue directions and instructions to the employees. It does not support a more interactive kind of interchange where the employees may also contribute towards strategy formulation and implementation (Skogstad et al. 2007, p. 80). In essence, a strict top-down interaction only emphasises the fact that employees are ignored by their managers and their contributions are not really considered as being worth. This affects the entire process because employees play a critical role in implementing strategy. Employees know the areas that are challenging to them when it comes to implementation and ignoring them means that t he manager may never get to realise what kind of remedy may be required. On the other hand, a laissez-faire style of management is not important in helping in the implementation of the strategy. Managers, while they should promote participative interaction with their employees, also need to be at the forefront leading. A lenient kind of leadership does not rein-in the followers or employees. Instead, the employees may feel as though they have a lot of freedom and get the temptation to indulge in other activities (Skogstad et al. 2007, p. 83). This is in, itself, a barrier to strategy because the organisation needs to have a common purpose in its focus on achieving strategy objectives. A limited top-down or laissez-faire leadership style creates an environment where conflict thrives between the departments or functions. The top divisional heads only concentrate on issuing orders and instructions that affect their areas of jurisdiction, but they fail to recognise the importance of ope rating as a unit with the rest of the functional heads. Managers must work towards forming partnership with their employees in order to address this impediment effectively. Managers must realise and appreciate the fact that employees are important players in the entire process, instead of considering the employees as being an impediment or barrier to strategy. Their contributions are important and should help the management in the decision-making process (Fredberg Norrgren, 2012, p. 34). Poor Functional Coordination: How is it a barrier? Organisations ought to integrate their activities effectively around the consumers, markets, and even products across the diverse functions of the organisation. However, lack of functional coordination is a recipe for competition within the organisation, where functions consider each other as competitors and not as contributors of the same cause. It is difficult for proper coordination across the functions to be realised unless the organisation set s up initiatives that cover the entire organisation and require the collective responsibility of all the managers. Responsibilities for the managers must also be defined properly and in clear terms to avoid clashes between the managers. Each manager must understand the contributory role that he or she must play in the organisation to create the much needed functional coordination. Another important aspect that must be taken into account when seeking to address the challenge of poor cross-functional coordination should be the question of hiring the right people. Managers with the right skills will find it easier and possible to work with each other, irrespective of their varying functions, and help in implementing the strategy. The organisation’s traditional structure and approach to management could be the main reason hindering the cross-functional coordination within the organisation. In such an instance, the best remedy for the challenge should involve restructuring the org anisation to promote coordination. It is important that the management should transform its existing internal structures and model because the external business environment keeps changing, thus continually offering new challenges to the organisation. This transformation is necessary in order to fit properly with the existing environmental challenges. This would, in turn, result in the alignment of different organisational parts, thus providing an accurate mechanism for promoting effectiveness in the running of the organisation. What is the role of leadership skills? Organisations have varying management levels that are expected to work together towards making objective achievement easier and less demanding. While the top leadership of the organisation is directly responsible for formulating and determining strategy, the subsequent management levels play a critical role in enforcing and ensuring that the strategy is achieved as intended. However, organisations must have adequate lead ership skills to ensure that this objective is attained. New opportunities need to be continually created, especially by the top-level management, to offer a learning opportunity for the low-level managers. This will provide a practical experience from where the lower-level managers can build upon their skills. Apart from availing practical experiences, the organisation should arrange for just-in-time coaching, training sessions, as well as targeted recruitment. The idea is to continually help the managers to attain the appropriate knowledge and skills to enhance their contribution in strategy formulation and implementation. Although the top-level managers may formulate the best fitting strategy for the organisation, the lower level managers who participate in the direct implementation may turn out to be the actual strategy barrier. Their lack of knowledge and skills may end up hindering the organisation from attaining its goals and objectives. Having determined how important the co ntribution of the lower-level managers is, it is important that the organisation only acquires individuals who are capable of performing the role. Where a middle-level manager is not able to measure to the challenge, the organisation should move with speed and replace them with other qualified and able candidates. Appraisals can be conducted on a more regular basis to measure and ascertain how effective each of the middle-level managers are in performing their roles. Relevant Theories and Models Organisational Fit and Fitness: Integrated Analytical Framework The SFP identifies an effective diagnostic framework that allows managers to link their respective organisational business strategy together with the competitive environment with the capabilities of the organisation. As Beer (2002) notes, organisations must ensure that their strategies fit within the competitive environment in which they exist. Three basic areas define the organisational fitness model, which include the organisa tional levers, organisational capabilities, and the goals. An organisation must carefully align the three important aspects with specific consideration to the external competitive environment before seeking to implement it. Organisational levers The organisational levers mainly involve the internal systems that the organisation adopts in its effort to ensure that it functions effectively. They include the leadership team, which comprises of the senior executive management, and other managers within the organisation, including functional and departmental heads, as well as line managers (Dervitsiotis, 2008, p. 709). Leadership is a critical aspect because it determines, through the shaping of policies and opinions, the actual decision that the organisation will follow. Work systems consist of the actual methodologies that the organisation applies as it executes its roles and functions. Management processes, on the other hand, have a direct influence on the performance of the organisat ion because they determine the decisions and the course of action to be applied by the organisation. The quality of an organisation’s overall leadership and management depends on its management processes because it identifies the roles and participation of individual managers in making decisions (Kostopoulos, Spanos Prastacos, 2013, p. 1430). The human resource system identifies the quality of employees that the organisation acquires in terms of their skills, experience, and knowledge. It also determines the skill development path for the workers by integrating external business environment components within the training framework. The organisational principles and culture affect the entire operations of the organisation. It affects the way interactions within and outside the organisation take place. These organisational levers must be aligned such that they result in organisational capabilities that would enhance goal achievement. Capabilities Organisational capabilities co mprise of the ‘7Cs’, which include coordination, competence, commitment, and communication. Others include conflict management capabilities, creativity, as well as capacity management. Coordination results in effective cooperation between different individuals and functions or departments of the organisation, which need to combine efforts towards implementing goal realisation (Hanna, Crittenden Crittenden, 2013, p. 18). Competence focuses on developing and utilising the appropriate skills. This leads to the achievement of desired objectives and goals. Quality leadership entails competence as it requires individuals to understand how to relate and integrate with colleagues (Heide, Grà ¸nhaug, Johannessen, 2002, p. 217). As the organisation targets to achieve its set out objective using the available resources and within the stipulated period, it has to ensure that both the management and the employees are committed fully to realise the objective. The individual contri bution of each employee is critical in building and enhancing the commitment. Failure or lack of commitment, on the other hand, results in employees directing their efforts toward different directions. This makes it difficult for the strategy to be followed and the objective be attained. Communication is needed for relaying information, thereby improving the quality of interaction within the organisation. Managers must communicate with their employees, but they also need to communicate with their peers in the other departments (Heide, Grà ¸nhaug, Johannessen, 2002, p. 217). This improves coordination within the organisation, while also promoting learning. On the other hand, upward communication must also be encouraged to enable employees give their feedback details to the management for appropriate action to be taken. The focus of the management should be to devise appropriate ways of addressing conflicts because conflicts are inevitable in any society (Heide, Grà ¸nhaug, Johann essen, 2002, p. 217). Competition between individuals and their personal interests should be put in check as this is a major source of politics within the organisation. However, individual creativity should never be curtailed as a result. The competitive environment where the organisation operates demands the identification of unique ideologies that can attract the market and create a competitive edge against the rivals. The effective alignment of the organisational levers eventually results in the achievement of the capabilities (Heide, Grà ¸nhaug, Johannessen, 2002, p. 217). The organisation can direct its efforts towards goal achievement once the appropriate capabilities are achieved. The framework forms an important learning loop, which is a continuous cycle that can revert to the organisational levers or capabilities in case the objectives fail to be met. Summary and Recommendations The success of any organisation’s operations depends on how effective its strategy has been formulated and how efficient the implementation is executed. The organisational setup exists in a complex business environment. This requires that the fitness of the strategy is maintained all through to enhance the achievement of the objectives. However, several factors within the organisation act as barriers in the execution of strategy and they need to be addressed to enhance overall organisational performance. These factors include unhealthy internal power struggles and politics. These could see managers pursue their own personal interests at the expense of the organisation’s interests. They could also see managers allocate resources in an ineffective way, where the basis of their actions would be on their own interests and goals. Lack of organisational purpose also forms a barrier to strategy implementation, where the organisation lacks an effective communication system. The rest of the participants may lack the necessary commitment to push through the objective. Re sistance to change also occurs within the organisation, where managers resort to formulating defensive routines, while the employees in departments opt to remain silent even where they notice difficulties. Another barrier to strategy implementation involves the prevention of organisational learning by the managers. 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B 2005, ‘Business unit manager influence on corporate-level strategy formulation’, Journal of Managerial Issues, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 147-161 This essay on Strategy Implementation Barriers was written and submitted by user Qu1nt1n to help you with your own studies. 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10 Countries with the Highest Population Density

10 Countries with the Highest Population Density Cities are known for being crowded, but some cities are far more crowded than others. What makes a city feel crowded isnt just the number of people who live there but the physical size of the city. Population density refers to the number of people per square mile. According to the Population Reference Bureau, these ten countries have the worlds highest population densities 1. Manila, Philippines - 107,562 per square mile The capital of the Philippines is home to roughly two million people. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay the city is home to one of the finest ports in the country. The city regularly hosts over a million  tourists each year, making the busy streets even more crowded. 2. Mumbai, India - 73,837 per square mile Its no surprise that the Indian city Mumbai comes in second on this list with a population of over 12 million people. The city is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India. The city lies on the West coast of India and has a deep natural bay. In 2008, it was dubbed an alpha world city. 3. Dhaka, Bangladesh - 73,583 per square mile Known as the city of mosques, Dhaka is home to roughly 17 million people. It was once one of the most wealthy and prosperous cities in the world. Today the city is the countries political, economic and cultural center. It has one of the largest stock markets in South Asia. 4. Caloocan, Philippines - 72,305 per square mile Historically, Caloocan is important for being home to the secret militant society that spurred the Philippine  Revolution, also known as the Tagalong war, against Spanish colonialists. Now the city is home to almost two million people. 5. Bnei Brak, Isreal - 70,705 per square mile Just east of Tel Aviv, this city is home to 193,500 residents. It is home to one of the largest coca-cola bottling plants in the world. Israels first womens only department stores were built in Bnei Brak; its an example of the gender segregation; implemented by the ultra Orthodox Jewish population. 6. Levallois-Perret, France - 68,458 per square mile Located roughly four miles from Paris, Levallois-Perrett is the most densely populated city in Europe. The city is known for its perfume industry and beekeeping. A cartoon bee has even been adopted at the citys modern emblem. 7. Neapoli, Greece - 67,027 per square mile   The Greek city of Neapoli comes in at number seven on the list of most densely populated cities. The city is divided into eight different districts. While only 30,279 people live in this small city thats impressive given its size is only .45 square miles! 8. Chennai, India - 66,961 per square mile Located on the Bay of Bengal, Chennai is known as the education capital of South India. Its home to almost five million people. Its also considered one of the safest cities in India. Its also home to a large expat community. Its been dubbed one of the must-see cities in the world by the BBC. 9. Vincennes, France - 66,371 per square mile Another suburb of Paris, Vincennes is located just four miles from the city of lights. The city is probably most famous for its castle, Chateau de Vincennes. The castle was originally a hunting lodge for Louis VII but was enlarged in the 14th century. 10. Delhi, India - 66,135 per square mile The city of Delhi is home to roughly 11 million people, putting it just after Mumbai as one of Indias most populated cities. Delhi is an ancient city which has been the capital of various kingdoms and empires. Its home to numerous landmarks. Its also considered the book capital of India due to its high readership rates.

Tawaraya Sotatsu Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Tawaraya Sotatsu - Research Paper Example Background of Tawaraya Sotatsu Sotatsu was born in the 17th century in Japan. There isn’t a trace of the time frame when he was born or died, who is parents were and what his status was. The only eearly reference is to his name, which stands for ‘shop.’ It was also known that during this time, there were social differences in class and hierarchy, specifically between spiritualists, royalty and those who were designated to work in labor designated areas. Sotatsu belonged to the commoners group, known as a rising merchant. However, he began to notice his talent for the arts and painting earlier, which led him to connect to distinguished individuals that were known as warriors and which could educate Sotatsu on painting and illustrations. This led him to move into the genre of painting while working among more wealthy merchants so he could develop his talents in a different manner. It was from this that Sotatsu began to become a leader that revitalized literary paint ing for the period, specifically allowing the Edo Period to begin to transform in the types of works that were offered and the approach to art that was considered in high regard during the time1. Techniques of Sotatsu There were several techniques that Sotatsu used to become distinguished within Japan and to push forward the art work that was associated with the time. One common technique was the fan paintings that Sotatsu used to sell among the higher class and merchants. These were illustrated with authentic illustrations that were based around figures and decorative ideologies for the time. Flowers, trees, birds and animals are the most common seen in the fan paintings, as well as the other works of Sotatsu. Narrative scenes were also depicted, specifically with the fan paintings that were available. The main themes which were a part of the fan paintings were the most important, specifically because it was a newer way of approaching the decorative arts2. The fan paintings led int o other decorative materials that Sotatsu was known for using with the paintings and drawings. The materials that Sotatsu used led to the change in illustrations to ink painting. Most of the illustrations before this time were done with the drawings and lines that were used with ink. However, Sotatsu began to experiment with the ink and the ways in which it could shape and change the images. The ink became a way of painting because of the shading that he was able to incorporate into the paintings, as well as new textures which were implied through the ink. This began by applying a layer of pigment to the ink on paper or silk for the drawing. This was followed by a second layer of ink or colorant, usually which was applied before the ink was dry. The new pigment would then bleed outward to form a larger mark on the original material. This is combined with what is referred to as the tarakashomi method. This was popular during this time frame but was no longer used among artists. Sotat su began to popularize this concept with his works, which was inclusive of dripping or pooling. The ink would drip into the layers of pigments for visual effects. The fluidity of this particular ink would also allow for the painting to be applied to the work that was being illustrated, creating a thicker texture to the lines that were a part of the illustration3. The approaches which were taken for the layered pigments, ink