Leadership Practices Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership Practices - Term Paper Example Two most important aspect of cult leadership is that it fundamentally emerges from the sense of inequity and exhorts its followers towards a path of radical ideas and creed that may not necessarily be right or rational. Jim Jones and Charles Manson, both were strong cult leaders with destructive ideologies who were able to attract huge followers. Jim Jones and Jonestown James Warren Jones or Jim Jones was a religious fanatic who had founded People’s Temple with churches in San Francisco and Los Angeles. As a boy, he was hailed as a religious messiah by his mother. He was a radical in the sense that he believed in equality and promoted social integration of blacks and African American in the mainstream society. His strong belief in the social justice and his views on socialism based on communist leaning became his major plank for propagating new ideology. He established his first church in 1955 in Illinois and later shifted to California to start Peoples Temple. He was greatly influenced by faith healing services of Baptist churches and used practiced psychological and spiritual healing to gain trust and loyalty of his followers. Jim Jones exhibited leadership traits early when he was able to garner support for his social integration of blacks in the mainstream society. His charismatic personality and strong religious leanings were strong enabling factors that inspired followers to action and work towards racial equity and social justice. He was able to bring about changes in other people. Social scientists assert that psycho analytical aspects are important tools to understand human relationship and behavior especially with regard to social... James Warren Jones or Jim Jones was a religious fanatic who had founded People’s Temple with churches in San Francisco and Los Angeles. As a boy, he was hailed as a religious messiah by his mother. He was a radical in the sense that he believed in equality and promoted social integration of blacks and African American in the mainstream society. His strong belief in the social justice and his views on socialism based on communist leaning became his major plank for propagating new ideology. He established his first church in 1955 in Illinois and later shifted to California to start Peoples Temple. He was greatly influenced by faith healing services of Baptist churches and used practiced psychological and spiritual healing to gain trust and loyalty of his followers.  Jim Jones exhibited leadership traits early when he was able to garner support for his social integration of blacks in the mainstream society. His charismatic personality and strong religious leanings were strong e nabling factors that inspired followers to action and work towards racial equity and social justice. He was able to bring about changes in other people. Social scientists assert that psycho analytical aspects are important tools to understand human relationship and behavior especially with regard to social defenses, leadership paradigms and motivation (Levinson, 2002; Gabriel, 1999). These elements were extensively used by Jones to garner support for his religious and social bigotry. The understanding equipped him with the necessary knowledge.

The American Constitution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The American Constitution - Research Paper Example The Anti-Federalists, those opposed to the proposed constitution, included John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry who also wrote a series of essays now referred to as the Anti-Federalist papers. They were fearful the will of the states would be dominated by the potential authority of centralized federal government. The Federalists attempted to reassure the doubters that they did not intend to create a governing system much like the tyrannical in British system which the colonists had just fought a protracted war to escape. The Anti-federalists ensured this stated intention by opposing the Constitution as written and insisting it contain further clarification of civil liberties by inserting the first ten Amendments, the Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights were crafted as a compromise that was forged between the two differing viewpoints. The terminology describing these divergent viewpoints is somewhat misleading. The Anti-Federalists could actually be better described as federalists because they wanted the government to be a federation of independent states. Federalists would be better defined as Nationalists because they wanted an authoritative federal government. This paper examines the point of view of both Federalists and Anti-Federalists and the method by which they reached a compromise after two years of contentious debate and an explanation as to why one was ultimately the best choice. The Necessity of the Constitution The Federalist Papers expressed the limitations of the loosely associated union between the states that was present at the time as well as the benefits of uniting the states into an efficient central government. The Federalists were wealthy business and land owners who believed that a powerful centralized federal government governed by influential, learned persons would promote commerce which was both to their and the country’s benefit. John Jay specified this reason first over all other motives to unite the states by ratifying a constitution in the second of the Federalist Papers, â€Å"It has until lately been a received and uncontradicted opinion that the prosperity of the people of America depended on their continuing firmly united, and the wishes, prayers, and efforts of our best and wisest citizens have been constantly directed to that object† (Jay, 1787: Fed. #2). The Federalists’ interests were positioned principally in a robust economy which they argued would contribute to the security and prosperity of all citizens. It is probable that at least part of their motivation to create a strong federal government was their own economic interest. Essentially, the Papers defended the idea of republicanism within the Constitution. In addition to financial advantages, the Federalists made a persuasive case for the forming of a powerful federal government by emphasizing the necessity for securing and preserving the lives, liberty and property of th e new nation’s citizens. By combining interests and resources, the military and economic weaknesses of the loosely allied states would be significantly strengthened which would act to safeguard the entire country from both internal and external dissension. The nation as a whole would become less susceptible from a

Stakeholders and Organizations Essay Example for Free

Stakeholders and Organizations Essay Stakeholders are persons or groups that affect or are affected by an organization. They fulfill many roles within organizations. What is the most significant role stakeholders play in an organization? Why? How do stakeholders acting in this role influence the organizations mission, vision, and strategy? The answer to this question depends to a large degree who the stakeholder is and whether it is a market or nonmarket stakeholder (Lawrence Weber, 2011). However, in general, it seems that power and influence go hand-in-hand in terms of the most significant role(s) a stakeholder may potentially play in an organization. These two dynamics form the basis for the level of interest a stakeholder has when seeking to affect the organization. Based on the power, influence, and interest of a stakeholder, Boutelle (2004) went so far as to state that, â€Å"Projects will succeed or fail primarily based on the actions of people who care enough to defend or oppose them† (para. 19). This statement centers on this theme of power, influence, and interest. Thus, if there is enough generated interest in organizational issues which can exert a strong fervor of power and influence amongst diverse stakeholders, the organizational leaders will take notice and respond accordingly. This is known as the salience of a stakeholder and is a critical component of how they are viewed and defined by an organization (Mitchell, Agle, Wood). A stakeholder who is able to effectively parlay their power and influence can have a profound impact in how that particular organization conducts business on many levels which, in turn, may create some rethinking and reposturing of the mission, vision, and strategy of an organization. It is certainly in the best interest of the organization to build strong relationships with their many stakeholders so as to add value to their overall brand and image (Lawrence Weber, 2011). References Boutelle, J. (2004). Understanding stakeholders for design success. Boxes and Arrows. Retrieved from http://boxesandarrows.com/understanding-organizational-stakeholders-for-design-success/ Lawrence, A. T., Weber, J. (2011). Business and society:

Music Styles - Comparative Essay Essay Example for Free

Music Styles Comparative Essay Essay The first artist/composer is Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang, who is better known as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart but around the world he just known as Mozart. Mozart is such a ‘famous’ composer as throughout the classical era (1750-1820) although he may not have been recognized at the time he was a creative and influential composer. Not many could argue that a man who composed over six hundred works was not influential. Also many of those six hundred works were acknowledged as the peak of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music. You can now start to see why he was such a significant composer. The second artist/composer is Ludwig van Beethoven, otherwise referred to as simply Beethoven. Beethoven was considered a German composer and pianist. Similarly to Mozart he began his musical career in the classical era (1750-1820) but differently to Mozart he was a crucial figure within the transitional stage between the Classical and Romantic eras in western classical music.

The theory of normalisation

The theory of normalisation Howard Parker and colleagues (1995) have had a dominant role in the development of the normalisation thesis. They argue that illicit drug use is no longer a sign of deviant behaviour in relation to crime, but a central part of youth culture due to freedom of choice and consumption, it has become recreational rather than problematic. They predicted that within a few years time, the young people that had not tried drugs would be the minority and therefore be the deviants. They also argue that post-modern Britain has an increasing issue of globalisation and consumption that has affected the increase of drug use as globalisation means that trade and accessibility of drugs is more common and easier, and having spare money due to the labour market and a longer childhood allows young people to consume freely. In this essay I will further discuss the theory of normalisation by Parker et al. Parker, Williams and Aldridge (2002) use the normalisation theory to measure sensible recreational drug use. These drugs include cannabis, amphetamines, LSD and ecstasy, sensible drug use does not include using a combination of these drugs at one time or using them on a daily basis due to addiction (Parker et al., 1998). Parker, Measham and Aldridge (1995) argue that drug use moved from deviant subcultures, such as the Mods and Hippies from the 1960s-1970s, to mainstream youth culture in the 1980s when the rave scene occurred. This dance culture became normalised as it was a recreational leisure pursuit of young people that introduced an appealing new drug, ecstasy. British surveys have shown that the late teens and early twenties are the main users of illicit drugs (ISDD 1994). The normalisation theory was introduced so to rule out the stigma about young people that take recreational drugs as the majority are not deviant or involved in crime. The trends in drug use have altered from the addiction of hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, to drugs that are used by the modern youth culture in leisure activities, including alcohol, cannabis and ecstasy (Muncie 1999). Although this may provoke crime that is out of character due to being under the influence, it does not create a lifestyle of crime which heroin may. For example, in order for class A drug addicts to fuel their habbit they turn to criminal acts such as burglary and mugging. Yet when a young person uses ecstasy or cannabis it is for leisure and does not necessarily cause the individual to partake in a criminal offence. However, Professor David Nutt was recently asked to resign as the c hair of the ACMD (Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs) due to declaring that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous for the human health than illegal drugs such as ecstasy, LSD and cannabis. He wrote in a paper at Kings College, London, that the legal drug alcohol ranks 5th as the most harmful drug. We could therefore argue that the consumption of alcohol is normal in society despite the harm it can cause. Also, although David nutt smoking,,, public bans it is now marginalised Alcohol is social activity,,, but some become dependant. abuse of any substance can cause issues to health or impact on family members. Although Parker et al. (1998) does not fully undertake postmodernism as structural inquality still exists, they believe that young peoples behaviour and choices have changed towards drugs due to a post-modern society that allows them to consume freely. For example, Mott and Mirrlees-Black (1993) found that the number of 16-19 year olds using cannabis more than doubled from 1983 to 1991. Normalisation has become an indicator of changes in social behaviour and cultural perspectives, meaning that the opinion about some illicit drugs has changed within the youth culture which in return affects their social behaviour as they do not think that using the drug is wrong or immoral. However, it could be argued that it is overgeneralizing to assume that all young people see drug use as normal, Dowds and Redfern (1994) found that approximately two-thirds of 12-15 year olds saw taking cannabis as a serious offense. Hunt and Stevens (2004) suggest that the government and media use drug normalisation as the proof for an increased disciplinary regulation and endorse policies as it is viewed to be a drug outbreak that needs to be broken or finished. For example, drug testing has been introduced in some schools to help prevent usage by young people (Craver, 2004). Illicit drug use is frequently associated with the youth culture, Robson (1994) points out that the most common time for using or trying drugs is between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. It is suggested that this is due to adolescents being the time of experimentation in many aspects of life which can lead to rebellion. Coleman (1992:13) suggests a psychoanalytical-theory of three main reasons why young people and drugs are linked together: adolescence is a time of vulnerabilty as well as being impressionable, of rebellion and non-conformity and the need to be independant by disengaging from family relationships. These changes through adolescence support Colemans sociological theory that youth culture experiment in different social aspects of life, such as subcultures and trends or sexualities and in this case drugs. In relation to the normalisation theory, young people are able to experiment with drugs due to the wide availabilty of them as well as the access young people have to them due to people they know (Barton 2003). EVALUATION It is argued that the claims about the normality and extreme use of illicit drugs is over exaggerated and in fact illicit drugs have always been an underlying issue and therefore society has not suffered an instant or radical change due to industrial or post-modern reasons. For example, in 1932 Aldous Huxley discusses a hallucinogen called soma, showing the existence of drugs in previous decades. if ever by some unlucky chance such a crevice of time should yawn in the solid substance of their distractions, there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half holiday, a gramme for a weekend, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon. (Huxley, 1932: 49) Illicit drugs have always been present within society but throughout time the drugs have changed to match different subcultures and trends, such as hippies in the 1970s were associated with using LSD, Mods in the 1960s were associated with amphetamines and todays youth culture is associated with dance drugs such as ecstasy (South, 1997). LOOK AT S+N.. difference between frequency and normallcy Shiner and Newburn (1997) argue that the normalisation theory focuses on the measure of lifetime illicit drug use. They point out that if evidence of drug use is measured in shorter time frames such as within the last month or week, there is a dramatic decline in the results of illicit drug use. This is also relevant to the media panic over dance drugs such as ecstasy, amphetamines and LSD in which the media has exaggerated a high rate of use within youth culture. Yet ecstasy is one of the least addictive drugs and tends to be taken less regularly, for example when someone takes an ecstasy pill in a clubbing atmosphere they are less likely consume alcohol which can be an equally as dangerous drug if drank in access (Coleman, 1992). Shiner and Newburn also point out that when time frames such as whether or not the respondent has used any dance drugs in the last year are used, it was found that one in twenty young people said they had. Also, only one in four 16 to 25 year olds said they had used cannabis, the most commonly used illicit drug, in the last year. Overall, Shiner and Newburn criticise the normalisation theory as although there is an increase in the numbers of young people using illicit drugs, it overgeneralizes young people as it does not necessarily mean that they all see it as normal due to conservative norms and values about drug use still existing to many people and they view illicit drug use as wrong or bad. This challenges the argument by Parker et al. (1995) that soon the young people that were not using drugs would be in the minority and therefore be the deviant subculture. However, it is important to remember that Shiner and Newburn are evaluating the work of Parker et al. in 1995. Their work about normalisation in 1998 does acknowledge that young people view each drug differently and their decision to take illicit drugs is complex and sophisticated (Barton, 2003:121-122). It could also be argued that illicit drug use only appears to have become normalised due to a moral panic, a term that is commonly used to describe media stimulated over-reaction to subcultures, such as youth groups and issues within society. Stanley Cohen (1973) coined the term moral panic in the 1960s as a result of over exaggerated reports about the feud between the Mods and Rockers, he noted that moral panics tend to focus on topics concerning the actions of young people. Other sociologist such as Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994) suggest that moral panics occur when a proportion of society feel that the folk devils (as suggested by the media) have become a threat to society and social order. For example, when the rave scene occurred there was a new folk devil associated with the acid house dance culture and ecstasy that became normalised among the youth culture. Ecstasy has had huge media coverage, especially since the death of Leah Betts in 1995 after she took one ecstasy pill on her 18th birthday. Leah collapsed in to a coma four hours after taking the tablet and died three days later. The police claimed the death was due to the tablet being contaminated, this resulted in the media using the tragedy to create a panic about the effects of the drug within society. However, it was later revealed that Leah did not die directly from the ecstasy pill but from drinking an excessive amount of water in reaction to dehydration from the drug.

Essay --

As millions of fashion shows are occurring at the moment all over the world, models start to get ready for the big show by purging themselves to be as thin as possible. Large quantities of models starve themselves in order to attain the desirable look that is accepted within our society. This problem becomes so addictive to young females and models who are pressured by the industry to stay thin, that it develops a second nature habit for them to question and dislike their body image constantly. The fashion industry and the media affects numerous of young girls, women and models with body image issues physically, and psychologically. The constant blast of young women with images of size of zero models puts their health and mind in danger. Throughout history, fashion has been around as long as we can think of. Fashion moves along with clothing and time mixing the simple everyday wearing into broader contexts. It influences the most diversified aspects including the human perception. The global perception of beauty has been severely wrapped by the influence of the fashion industry and the media. The standard of female beauty is often difficult to obtain and unrealistic. Women all over the world follow the influences of what the fashion industry enforces on them that further leads to eating disorders. The causes of eating disorders are indefinite and complicated; they contain components such as personal issues, genetics, traumatic events or bullying, "but the final piece of the jigsaw is the social context," said Susan Ringwood, the chief executive of† Beat†, an organization that deals with eating disorders† (Bawdon). Eating disorder is a general term used to identify a range of eating issues such as anorexia nervosa and b... ...evision shows by taking serious circumstances. They also give the impression that they will have better and more promising lives now if they are capable to match the level of attraction that the media has set as the standard of beauty. As a result, both girls and women who are intrigued by these shows become less satisfied with the way they look. The images and messages that target on the ideals of beauty for females has a substantial negative effect on body satisfaction, mental stability, eating habits, and the overall well-being of young women. The glamorization of the fashion industry and the media causes the deterioration of young women’s own unique reflection of themselves. As a result, they contribute to the expansion and development of eating disorders, depression, and low self-esteem by physically and psychologically affecting millions of young women.

Entrepreneur Essay -- Entrepreneurial Theories

The analytical framework above reveals the personality attributes that make an individual become an entrepreneur and the attributes are illustrated from conception to the end process. It is made up of a combination of entrepreneurial theories that allude to the psychological traits of an individual. A variety of entrepreneurial theories will be used to explain the framework. Conception of the personality attribute of an entrepreneur is the will to establish a kingdom, followed by the need for achievement, then internal locus of control closely followed by non-conformist and finally the culmination of all the personality attributes lead to an entrepreneur. According to Goss (2005), Joseph Schumpeter suggested that one of the psychological traits of an entrepreneur is the ‘will to establish a private kingdom’. This is not only a personality attribute but it is a form of entrepreneurial motivation that can be found in entrepreneurs and individuals who might become entrepreneurs. In the framework above, it is highlighted as the first stage of one of many personality traits attributed to entrepreneurs. Goss (2005) argued that Schumpeter’s entrepreneurial motivation with regards to the will to establish a private kingdom’ is focused on an individual gaining and losing social status i.e. the motive is one gains power which protects one from the feelings of shame. Goss (2005) views Schumpeter’s three entrepreneurial motives from a sociological prism and not a psychological one. After much examination of Schumpeter’s writings, Goss (2005) arrived at the conclusion that social interaction and emotions are key variables in entrepreneurial actions. Also, Barnes (2000) views the motives from a sociological prism and argues otherwise that ... ...personal resources. Kets De Vries (1977) argues that entrepreneurs are ‘anxious individuals, who are non-conformist, poorly organised and not a stranger to self-destructive behaviour’. The attribute of non-conformist can be applied to Victoria yet the characteristics of poor organisation or self-destructive behaviour cannot be applied to Victoria as she does not portray these personalities. Although Victoria reveals she has an inner direction with self-reliance, she does not neglect interpersonal relations with her family, work colleagues and clients. Overall, the dream to establish a private kingdom, a high need for achievement, internal locus of control and non-conformist behaviour all contribute towards the personality attributes of an entrepreneur. In conclusion, entrepreneurs need to possess a high need for achievement and a high internal locus of control.