Academic Writing A List of Essay Types

Academic Writing A List of Essay Types Here is a great list of most popular types of essays. Check it out, if you need any type of essay to be written by a professional essay writer, place an order. Academic Writing: What Is an Essay? An essay is a piece of writing, usually from an authors personal point of view. The essay must be well structured (i.e. organized) and presented in a way that the reader finds easy to follow and clear: it must look tidy and not present any obstacles to the reader. It must have a clear readable interesting style. Academic writing must contain an argument or claim. This means it must address an issue or raise a question and present the appropriate data or information to illustrate it in a logical sequence, and then analyze and comment on it critically both by reference to sources and by pointing out any illogicalities, such as inconsistencies or omissions. Students are assessed on their ability to select the appropriate and relevant information to illustrate their argument or claim. Good academic writing has a formal structure, unlike fictional or personal writing. Exploiting this means that readers know what to expect, which greatly helps the communication process. The burden of communication is not carried at the word or sentence level alone but through the overall structure and organization of the text. The content should be individual and reflect the writers argument and research. Essays contain the following basic elements. These may be in the form of paragraphs for undergraduate essays, or sections for postgraduate essays or dissertations. The overall structure of a thesis (as well as, to an extent, the chapters) will have a similar pattern. A definition of an essay is a rather vague, so far I havent seen a clear definition of what an essay is. It could be due to the reason that essay is multifunctional, i.e. it can be used for a variety of purposes, in a variety of settings, in different spheres etc. In view of academic work, lets try to define an essay from the academic standpoint. So, an academic essay can probably be best understood as a testing or trial of the value or nature of a thing. This kind of testing has been recently acquired as a pedagogical tool. In this case, the main purpose of essay writing is to improve students writing skills, to judge the comprehension and mastery of the material learned during classes. This helps to expose their analytical, organizational, critical thinking skills etc. A formal essay would normally ask the student to present his/her views on a given subject, thus making an essay strongly subjective. First person narration is usually strongly discouraged, if not prohibited. Normally an essay would comprise 5 paragraphs (essentially called a five paragraph essay), but there are many other types of essays: descriptive essays, narrative essays, compare and contrast essays, persuasive essays, argumentative essays, definition essays etc. Basically, you name the type of the essay according to the purpose it serves, here you can fi nd a more or less comprehensive list of essays: Art Essay Argumentative Essay Cause and Effect Essay Compare and Contrast Essay Classification Essay College Essay Creative Essay Critical Essay Current Event Essay Deductive Essay Timed Essay Analytical Essay Descriptive Essay Definition Essay Division and Classification Essay Evaluation Essay Exploratory Essay Expository Essay Feedback Essay Informal Essay Inquiry Essay Instruction Essay Interview Essay Scholarship Essay Test Essay Literature Essay Law Essay Narrative Essay Observation Essay Paragraph Essay Personal Essay Persuasive Essay Philosophy Essay Poetry Writing or Essay Process Essay Proposal Essay Pros and Cons Essay Reflective Essay Response or Reaction Essay Review Essay If you need help with any of the above-mentioned essay types, feel free to contact any of our writing professionals, who are always willing to provide you with a top quality paper, ensuring a top score. Here, at   we are available 24/7 to help you! is the service you can trust. Order an essay from a professional essay writer.

Reasons Not to Call Someone Racist

Reasons Not to Call Someone Racist It may not always be a good idea to call someone a racist, since many people, including bigots themselves, dont have a clear grasp of what racism is. Instead, they think racism is something in which only extremists take part. This means that even if a person does something that screams textbook â€Å"racist† to you, the individual in question will very likely disagree, making your decision to identify him as such backfire. Fortunately, other strategies to deal with racism exist than dropping the R-word. Labeling another person racist sometimes simply doesn’t work. Labeling Others Begets Defensiveness If you’ve ever called someone racist be it a friend, family member or coworker recall the person’s reaction. Did your acquaintance accept the label without question or challenge this description? More than likely, the person tried to defend his or herself and explain away any suggestion that she’s racist. When people become defensive, it’s difficult to get them to understand why their behavior offended others. So, rather than calling someone a name that will probably produce a knee-jerk reaction in him, focus on his behavior and how it upset you. Explain that your feelings were hurt when the person made a sweeping generalization about Latinos and how similar statements have led others to mistreat the racial group. Some Who Are Called Racist Issue Meaningless Apologies When public figures say or do something that society deems racist, they often apologize shortly after the gaffe lands them in the headlines, but this has proven problematic. One never knows if these figures apologize because they understand why their behavior hurt others or due to pressure from civil rights groups and the embarrassment of misstepping racially in public. The same thing can happen between two ordinary people. Say an employee accuses a co-worker of being racist. The co-worker apologizes out of fear of being reported to supervisors, a lawsuit being filed or being judged by fellow staffers, not because she truly feels remorse for causing hurt. Others who apologize for racist behavior may do so with no real agenda. These individuals may apologize because they dislike confrontation and are truly mortified about having said or done something considered racist. They say â€Å"sorry† to silence the other party and quickly get the awkward episode behind them. In each case, those labeled â€Å"racist† give empty apologies, ultimately learning little about racism and the hurt it causes. Racism Has Different Meanings for Different People Your definition of racism may not be the same as another’s  so calling someone else racist may not yield the results you’re after. If the person you believe is racist only considers people in white supremacist groups worthy of the label, it’s unlikely that the two of you will see eye-to-eye. Given this, rather than concentrate on the term â€Å"racist,† instead concentrate on why the person’s words or actions hurt you. Explain why you take issue with the person who clutched her purse when a black youth passed by or who talked down to a Latino serviceman. It’s definitely not your job to get others to â€Å"see the light† about racism, but if you’ve taken the risk of calling someone â€Å"racist,† it’s likely important to you that the individual in question understands why you object to her behavior. Therefore, explain to her that you don’t like when people make assumptions about others based on race. That’s why you spoke out when she clutched her purse upon crossing paths with a black youth. To you, that signals racial prejudice and you hope that she can refrain from such hurtful behavior in the future. Racism Is a General Word Sometimes â€Å"racism† isn’t the best word to describe someone’s behavior because it isn’t specific enough. Rather than using a word such as â€Å"racist,† perhaps you want to point out to a friend that his behavior stereotyped Asian women or that the comment he made about undocumented immigrants was xenophobic. The more specific you are when criticizing people for being racially insensitive, the better chance you have of getting them to see what made their behavior offensive. The Term Is Overused in Certain Circles In some settings, such as colleges and universities, words such as â€Å"racism† are thrown around all the time. The result is that racism and other â€Å"isms† begin to lose their currency. It may not be particularly disturbing for someone who hears references to various â€Å"isms† daily to suddenly find himself on the receiving end of such a term. The individual may easily shrug the label off, noting that  at his college classmates call people racist all the time. It’s then easy for him to reason that you are overreacting by using the term in reference to him. In such situations, you’re far better off focusing on the guy’s behavior than on labeling it. Ask him questions, such as how he knows it’s true that all people of a certain group engage in a particular activity. Challenge him when he professes to know that one racial group is better than another in certain fields. Wrapping Up By focusing on words and actions instead of on labels, you may be able to get individuals who show racial insensitivity to rethink their behavior. By calling them racist, however, you’re much more likely to get an empty apology and defensive rationalizations, all while the person who offended you remains as clueless about racism as ever.

Should Parents Send their Children to Private School If They Can Essay

Should Parents Send their Children to Private School If They Can Afford It - Essay Example This essay declares that private schools exist for different purposes, but the intrinsic and core characteristic of all private schools is the need to offer more than what is offered and available in public schools. Private schools offer learning curricula is specific and tailor made to suit the needs of their children as prescribed by their parents. Examples of private schools include convents, military schools and other learning institutions that share the similar characteristics with public schools. The only difference and distinguishing feature is the funding and curricula aspect of these two school systems. Public schools are considered ideal and fundamental approaches towards achieving social progress and reform. This paper makes a conclusion that public schools have been touted for providing a well-rounded education characterized by learning from both the academic and social context. This is attributed to the fact that public schools do not have selection criteria for whom they enroll as long an individual enrolls. The cultural, racial, class and deposition diversity in public provides a healthy environment for students to learn other social life skills that are not learnt in classrooms or close knit groups or private schools. Public schools offer an ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic environment that is a representative of the society that students will have to live in and experience. Thus, this setting is ideal for imparting and exposing students to their real world situation from a tender age where they are able to develop ‘people skills’. ... Examples of private schools include convents, military schools and other learning institutions that share the similar characteristics with public schools. The only difference and distinguishing feature is the funding and curricula aspect of these two school systems. Public schools are considered ideal and fundamental approaches towards achieving social progress and reform (Caldwell 2011, 95). Public schools offer a compact and non-discriminatory education irrespective of students’ socioeconomic background, tradition or culture. Public schools have been touted for providing a well-rounded education characterized by learning from both the academic and social context. This is attributed to the fact that public schools do not have selection criteria for whom they enroll as long an individual enrolls. The cultural, racial, class and deposition diversity in public provides a healthy environment for students to learn other social life skills that are not learnt in classrooms or close knit groups or private schools. Public schools offer an ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic environment that is a representative of the society that students will have to live in and experience. Thus, this setting is ideal for imparting and exposing students to their real world situation from a tender age where they are able to develop ‘people skills’. These ‘people skills’ are essential for someone to be able to effectively cope with the diversities present out there in the real world. Public schools generally have students with a range of abilities and disabilities. As with ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds, the diversity introduces students to the communication issues and interpersonal issues that rubbing elbows with people who

African American Krumpin Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

African American Krumpin Culture - Essay Example ountry, and their interaction with their white counterparts that one gets to appreciates the political, economic, cultural, and social realities of minority groups. This is as well as the their contribution in redefining America as it is today. The Krumpin in North Hollywood provides the opportunity for examining this history from the perspective and voices of the people who lived through it. In this regard, one can learn to evaluate and contextualize the first-hand accounts from the past and their contribution to the present and the future. To a great extent, the Krumpin in North Hollywood facilitates the examination of how race in general and blackness in particular, were created, lived, and evolved over time. During the 818 session, it is plausible that the presence of the local security machineries reminds one of the status of the parking lot as a private space. Hence the prohibition of any form of intrusion into it (Frazier, Robeson, & Koslow 2). While circling the perimeter of the parking lot, the local police, and other paid security personnel frequently command the dancers to lower the volume of their music or leave the area. Failure to this, the dancers risk being imprisoned. This is a clear demonstration of the curtailing of freedoms as witnessed during the repressive periods of the 1950s and the 1960s where the minority groups had much of their freedom limited through the use of state agencies. In fact, the practice of young people forming a gathering in an empty, though private yard, and the police encroaching on their activities elicit the general culture of domination and regulation. This is especially of the marginalised groups in the U. S. To some extent, it is noteworthy th e state is adamant in curtailing the use of public space, not just by the young blacks, but also by the brown youths. It seems that many forces are at play here with corporate takeovers of public space. The expansion of outdoor performance spaces that serve mainly the interests

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Case Study Example A firm’s support and analysis of this scenario would reveal that, in the point at which there is a clear distinction between the ‘data’ and the ‘information’ expected from it, the outcome would be the realization of the fact that ‘data’ is nothing but a raw and unorganized collection of facts that need processing in order to make them meaningful and useful. This is a sense that was not being noted in FreshDirect prior to Braddock becoming the CEO; hence, the noted losses in sales, revenue as well as the decline in the customers’ base or numbers (Laudon & Laudon, 2013). Considering this, not unless well organized and put to proper usage, organizational data can be quite useless and meaningless. Therefore, the organization of data so as to produce adequate information would greatly enhance the business cycle and growth of the organization (Wisner, Tan & Leong, 2011). Further still, whereas when the collected data is adequately organized, processed, structured and presented in the required context; thus, making it useful and meaningful, it will be referred to as ‘information.’ In the case of FreshDirect, its business entails dealing with a huge number of customers in a single business day. As such, it would be required to ensure that it accurately takes all their order, delivery time and the locations of delivery. This amount of data is quite huge, and if not sorted out, the likely result would be a total mess and mix-up in orders, delivery and even a cause in delivery times since no proper information is generated to indicate the location of clients so that a truck only serves a region. The success of FreshDirect also required a huge number of human resources for it to run, and a huge amount of data for it to run. Thus, it would make no meaning if the collected data is not enhanced to produce the required information this a failure in the

The Influence And Leadership Management Essay

The Influence And Leadership Management Essay Just possessing an impressive title or position does not equate to someone being a leader. Leadership is influencing others to follow your vision. The quality of ones leadership is measured by their followers perception of the leaders effectiveness. This perception is driven by the different characteristics and skills that a given leader has as well as the style they use. Which traits they possess and their chosen approach will have a direct impact on the effectiveness of their leadership. This paper will explore the different aspects of a leaders personality and their position in an organization and how those factors impact the levels of influence gained. It is important to make an early distinction, Leaders and managers are not the same. Management focuses on systems and processes, organising and staffing. John Kotter in discussing what leaders really do describes the focus of leadership as motivating and inspiring keeping people moving in the right direction, despite obstacles to change, by appealing to basic but often untapped human needs, values, and emotions (Kotter, 1999, p. 54). There is overlap however, in that both managers and leaders must communicate the direction, but its a leader who will gain the commitment from followers to do what is needed to achieve the vision. Leadership can be referred to as the process of moving a group of people in a certain direction, and if it is to be sustainable it must be done through non-coercive means, thus by gaining influence from the group. Leaders need to create commitment from their followers through motivation and inspiring them to achieve collective goals. Different circumstances may require leaders to use different styles. They may even behave in a different manner depending on who they are interacting with. That being interaction between a leader and a follower may be different than that between a colleague or supervisor. This is referred to as situational leadership, where there isnt always a single approach that will satisfy all tasks, or influence all followers. According to Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard, situational leaders should be able to place more or less emphasis on the task, and more or less emphasis on the relationships with the people theyre leading, depending on whats needed to get the job done successfully (Blanchard Hersey, 2012). In a given situation a leader may be more commanding and tell the employee exactly what to do, and how to do it. This is often referred to as an authoritative style of leadership. In another situation the leader may try to sell their message to gain greater commitment while still giving direction and providing information. Sometimes a participative style is the best fit, where the leader focuses on the relationships in the group and is prepared to share the role of decision making. And finally, a situation may call for a leader to delegate responsibilities to their follower, and take the role of a manager and monitor progress. What style to use will depend on what Hersey and Blanchard refer to as the maturity of the individual or group. This would be the levels of knowledge, skills, and confidence that the followers have (Blanchard Hersey, 2012). If the wrong style is used a leader may be faced with failure as too much responsibility was given to an employee with too low maturity, or being too authoritative to a follower with high maturity can damage the relationship through a lack of trust. Matching the leadership style with the appropriate maturity level (situation) is key to success and can strengthen leader follower relationships that will sustain future success. A strengthened relationship between leaders and followers has proven to be indispensable for an organisations success, as Bass argued the importance of this by highlighting survey results where employees favourable attitudes toward their supervisors contributed to the employees satisfaction. In turn, employees favourable attitudes toward thei r supervisors were usually found to be related to the productivity of the work group (Bass, 1990). Stogdill (1974) argued that Leaders are born, that they posses inherent traits that make them suitable as a leader. This is referred to as trait theory. In Handbook of leadership: A survey of the literature, he observed successful leaders and identified skills and traits that these leaders had. It was thought that if people were selected for leadership positions who also had a combination of these traits, than they too could be great leaders if given the chance. The table below contains Stogdills findings: Traits Skills Adaptable to situations Alert to social environment Ambitious and achievement-orientated Assertive Cooperative Decisive Dependable Dominant (desire to influence others) Energetic (high activity level) Persistent Self-confident Tolerant of stress Willing to assume responsibility Clever (intelligent) Conceptually skilled Creative Diplomatic and tactful Fluent in speaking Knowledgeable about group task Organised (administrative ability) Persuasive Socially skilled   Source: Handbook of leadership: A survey of the literature (Stogdill, 1947) McCall and Lombardo (1983) looked to focus on why some leaders succeed and others fail. They compiled their own list of traits for successful leaders. They argued that a leader needed to be emotionally stable and show composure in difficult situations. The leader should be calm, confident and predictable when under stress. They also saw that successful leaders were able to admit their own errors. That being prepared to own up to mistakes made, rather than focusing energy into covering up their errors. Another key skill they observed was good interpersonal skills. Being able to communicate clearly and persuade others without resorting to negative or coercive tactics is key to successful leadership. And finally McCall and Lombardo see a great importance in a leader possessing intellectual breadth. They describe this as being able to understand a wide range of areas, rather than having a narrow area of expertise. (McCall Lombardo, 1983) This idea that leaders are born has been challenged. Skills and traits can develop over time through life experiences such as a dramatic event, family upbringing, positive role models, work experience, education and training. These experiences can shape and alter an individuals personality. Fiedler and Garcia argue that when there is high uncertainty, or little time to think, we generally fall back on what has worked in the past. Leaders with a large repertoire of previously successful behaviours are more likely to perform better than those who lack this fund of experience (Fiedler Garcia, 2005). This highlights both the importance of experience and decisiveness in being a leader. Most of the skills and traits observed by Stogdill can be developed and shaped through life experiences. However, some skills and traits are more likely to be seen in leaders who are born with a particular personality, such as an extraverted personality. Leadership is a relationship between a group of people and an individual. This relationship is based on both influence and power, but like any relationship, the personalities of its members will dominate its long term success. A leaders personality must fit both the group and the situation. However, as previously referenced there are personality traits that have been consistently observed in successful leaders. Having an extraverted personality is not necessarily a requirement of a leader, just as possessing an introverted personality is not a disqualification. However, extroverts are often associated with some of Stogdills traits. Extroverts are commonly perceived as those with high levels of energy, expressive, and seek close relationships, where as introverts are more low key and prefer solitude (Riggio, 2011). A certain personality may not guarantee one being a better leader, but what it can determine is what type of leader one may be. When we think of great leaders many of the examples would fall into the category of extroverts; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and Bill Clinton. But they also come in the form of introverts; Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, and Mahatma Gandhi. All these men were/are great leaders, the difference is in how they approached their position as leader, and thus the relationship in the group. In a recent study by Psychology Today, it was found that social skills may be a better indicator of potential leadership. In the report, Ronald E. Riggio discusses misinterpreting the potential social effectiveness of an extroverts social energy. Riggio argues that if the person lacks the social skills to direct that energy, then the person will not be socially effective. Conversely, socially skilled introverts should do well in social interaction, but in a more low-key manner (Riggio, 2011). Most leadership theories in business environments are based on a transactional relationship between the manager and employee, with the manager being the leader to the employees position as follower. The transaction occurs by the leader offering a reward for the employees performance, this being a wage or bonus. To increase motivation they may pay higher incentives or increase perks. Path goal theory is based on the idea that an employees perception of what is expected regarding their effort and performance is greatly affected by a leaders behaviour. A leader helps his followers (employees) attain rewards by clearly outlining paths to goals and removing obstacles that could negatively affect the followers performance. Leaders do this by providing support, information, and other resources which are required by employees to complete the task and reach their goal. Robert House developed path goal theory and identifies two major dimensions of leadership, those being initiating structure and consideration. Initiating structure is the degree that a leader assigns tasks, specifies procedures, clarifies expectations, and schedules work to be done by their employees (House, 1971). As for consideration, House described this as the degree a leader provides a supportive environment through warmth, friendliness, helpfulness. Leaders do this by being approachable, considerate to the followers personal welfare, and when change is on the horizon, giving advanced notice (House, 1971). House argued that Leaders who initiate structure for subordinates are generally rated highly by superiors and have higher producing work groups than leaders who are low on initiating structure; and that leaders who are considerate of subordinates have more satisfied employees (House, 1971). In this theory leaders are seen more as coaches who want to help their employees succeed. In the text Management: ideas and actions, in contrast to transactional, Duncan offers a definition of transformational leadership as a process whereby individuals create a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality of both the leader and the follower with the primary goal to assist followers in attaining their maximum potential (Duncan, 1999). At the heart of transformational leadership is charisma. Sociologist Max Weber (1968) introduced the term charisma in the nineteenth century and described charismatic leadership as a non-rational form of authority. According to Weber, charisma is defined by a specifically supernatural trait that emerges in natural leaders during times of distress (Weber, 1968). But charisma is almost more in the hands of the followers in that they must buy in to the leaders personality, or vision. It is the followers perception that ultimately decides whether the leader is charismatic. Rukmani argues that transformational leadership is composed of idealized influence and inspirational motivation, which serving as a charismatic role model and articulating a vision of the future that can be shared (Rukmani, et al., 2010). Each style has its place in organisations and at times a leader must be able to be both transformational and transactional at different times. During times of change in organisations, transformational leaders are required to inspire the masses to share their vision. Kotter argues that motivation will be more sustainable when people are energized not by pushing them in the right direction as control mechanisms do but by satisfying basic human needs for achievement, a sense of belonging, recognition, self-esteem, a feeling of control over ones life, and the ability to live up to ones ideals (Kotter, 1999). For that reason, once systems are in place a transactional style is more appropriate to manage the work that now must be completed by those who have the knowledge and skills to do it. Leadership is the process of inspiring others to work hard to accomplish important tasks. Graen and Ulh-Bien (1995) propose three approaches to leadership, which a leader can adopt for effectively leading his or her employees. These include leader-based, relationship-based, and follower-based approaches. The approaches can be used in combinations at the same time with different followers. Effective leadership requires flexibility to employ these approaches in an honest and open manner. The leader-based approach is concerned with establishing and communicating a vision for the company, inspiring the employees commitment and enhancing group cohesion. By doing so, the leader and the followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation. Entrepreneurs who are gifted leaders are extraordinarily good at turning their visions into concrete results. A drawback of this approach is that when people are highly dependent on the leader, they may follow an inappropriate vision without question. The leader-based approach works best when there is a need for fundamental change requiring uniform direction by a charismatic leader and limited diversity among followers. The relationship-based approach is based on developing mutual trust, respect, and obligation between leader and follower, which generates influence between the parties. It emphasises building strong relationships with followers and on mutual learning and accommodation. It works best when there are different types of people with different kinds of needs who have to be managed. Relationship-based leadership can be seen as a sort of partnership between leader and follower. But, it is often time-consuming and relies on long-term relationships between particular leaders and followers. With the follower-based approach, leadership involves empowerment, coaching, facilitating, and giving up control. Accordingly, it requires the ability and motivation of the leaders followers to manage their own performance. Often, this approach makes the most of the followers capabilities, enabling leaders to focus on other responsibilities. The follower-based approach is most effective for performing unstructured tasks, in cases of weak position power of the leader, or non-acceptance of the leader. In a business environment, the leader of the organisation may also be the founder of the company. In this case they are an entrepreneur and a leader. This situation demands that the leader takes on different roles in a new organisation. It often happens that the founder entrepreneur is unable to adapt to the needs of the growing organisation. If the entrepreneur is unable to learn a new set of skills or to relinquish authority, the ventures performance can suffer. Many entrepreneurs cannot or will not break old habits in order to learn the roles they have to play in order to develop the venture, causing the company to lose control and turn profits into losses. The main problem seems to be that all too frequently the founder is reluctant to lose control of the business, wanting to do everything him or herself rather than manage others, so the growth potential of the business is strictly limited by his or her personal energy and capacity. Chandler and Jansen (1992) suggest that there a re three distinct leadership roles that an entrepreneur has to develop adequately. Or, which members of the entrepreneurs management team have to develop. The entrepreneurial role requires the ability to recognise and envision taking advantage of opportunity. This ability has been referred as the core of entrepreneurship and may be contingent on the entrepreneurs familiarity with the market. It can also be described as the drive to see firm creation through to fruition, which requires the willingness and capacity to offer intense and sustained effort. A second role the entrepreneur must fill is the managerial role. This requires the ability to develop programs, budgets, procedures, evaluate performance, and perform other tasks essential to implementing strategy. Individuals with strong managerial skills enjoy high levels of responsibility and authority; they seek positions involving delegation and motivation. The effective manager must be competent in three areas: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Conceptual competence: The mental ability to co-ordinate all of the organisations interests and activities, for instance, effective management of the ventures cash flow. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Human competence: The ability to work with, understand, and motivate other people, both individually and in groups. The manager must be able to clearly communicate the goals to be achieved and motivate others to behave in a synergistic manner. For instance, this requires the ability to delegate, manage customer and employee relationships, and exercise interpersonal skills. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Political competence: The ability to enhance ones position, builds a power base, and establishes the right connections. This may be particularly important in start-up firms, because the founder must enlist the support of network members. Establishing connections with people who control important resources and possess important skills and abilities is important to the performance of the new venture. Finally there is the technical-function role. To function effectively in the technical-functional role, the entrepreneur/leader must have the ability to use the tools, procedures and techniques of a specialised field. The specific skills required are determined by the industry within which the venture operates. Consider for instance a restaurant spinoff with a strong technical entrepreneur who only has bartending experience. If such an entrepreneur is unable to develop his or her entrepreneurial and managerial role, and if there is no one else in his or her team to fulfil this, the restaurant spinoff is likely to fail. Generally, the entrepreneurial and the technical roles are of the greatest importance at the start of the business. However, in order to grow, the managerial role is of eminent importance as well. If these roles are lacking yet the venture is determined to grow, a strong manager is needed who has the necessary knowledge and skills to fulfil these roles. But this is easier said than done. Most founders hate to step aside even though they are temperamentally unsuited to be managers. Clarysse and Moray (2004) suggest that investors have to be careful when they want to remove the founder-entrepreneur. This is because the initial team often only accepts a newcomer as a CEO once they have been convinced of the shortcomings of their friend as a boss. Business Leaders today face multiple challenges of recruiting and retaining competent employees. In order to succeed both in reaching a common goal and creating commitment amongst their followers, a leader ability to inspire and motivate is crucial. Whether it comes naturally or developed over time, there are skills and traits that an effective leader must have in order to inspire their followers. They will need to be flexible, both for different task requirements and for the differing personalities and skills of their employees. If a leader cant influence their employees then they will have no followers; so then if the leader has no followers than they really arent a leader at all. Without influence there is no leadership.

Stress and Performance Essay -- Health Stress Management

Stress and Performance Too much stress can contribute to health problems. Stress can also reduce your ability to perform at the highest levels. The negative effects of stress can impact profitability and quality of life. The Physical response: The Stress Response will: Increase heart rate, speed breathing or you might hold your breath, tightens muscle to prepare to fight or to flee, directs blood to brain and major muscles (away from digestion, hands/feet, Reproductive organs), releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, slows or stops digestion, causes the brain to be more reactive/less thoughtful, increases perspiration, reduces immune system response. Any of these systems can become your habitual way to respond to stressful situations. Symptoms of Stress can include: Tension headaches, neck/back/shoulder pain, tight jaw, TMJ problems, sleeping problems, fatigue, loss of concentration, learning problems can increase, irregular or rapid heart rate, migraine headaches, poor circulation, Raynaud Syndrome, high blood pressure, sexual dysfunction (in men and women), digestive problems, upset stomach, ulcers, colitis, hormone imbalances, reduction of immune system function, over reaction by immune system (allergies or autoimmune diseases worse), increased asthma activity, increased aging rate, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, poor habit control, over-eating, low energy, prone to accidents or mistakes, can impair communication, poor performance, etc. It is not so much the amount of stress, but how you respond to it. Some people thrive on stress and may be addicted to the adrenaline rush that accompanies high stress or dangerous activities. Most people develop a "habit pattern" from an early age as ... ...s program is supported by "top-down" leadership involvement. (The process will work without full leadership support, but it takes longer and may reach its full potential.) Leaders who are familiar with the beneficial results of Executive Coaching are often open to the successful uses of these techniques (combined with stress management consulting) and can see the achievements of their business goals. The process can work with individuals, teams, departments, or company wide. It is recommended that you test the process by working with a sampling from the departments from the company. The process may require time for assessments and benchmarking, and then implementation. Obviously, some departments such as sales, can show improvement in solid dollar figures. Results from other departments may require different metrics to define and then demonstrate positive change.