Coherence and Fidelity in Narratives of Activist Essay Example for Free

Coherence and Fidelity in Narratives of Activist Essay Babels have now been considerably expanded to service organizations identified with the Charter of Principles of the World Social Forum. There are national coordination centers in France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, Greece, Hungary, Turkey, Russia, the United States, Brazil, Korea, and Japan, and their website mentions Ð ° facility for linguistic coordination for Arabie, but it is not clear what this facility consists of. In addition to unpaid translation and interpreting work, the tasks undertaken by Babels volunteers range from giving (moral and material) support to interpreters to developing linguistic tools that are available to anyone, Babels is perhaps the best example to date of Ð ° carefully planned, equitably structured, and highly politicized international community of translators and interpreters; indeed, it explicitly describes itself as Ð ° player in the anti-capitalist debate. The group is also committed to orchestrating Ð ° conscious process of’ contamination in which the excellent language skills of the politically sympathetic trained interpreter interact with the deeper political knowledge of the language-fluent activist to develop Ð ° reflexive communications medium organic to the social forum movement. In other words, Babels does not see itself as Ð ° low-cost service provider for the social movement but rather as an active member of that narrative community with Ð ° key role in elaborating the narrative vision of the World Social Forum. Clearly the groups discussed above do not simply come together on the basis of national or other such static affiliations, nor are they motivated by personal ambition or profit. These are communities created by election, to use Fishers term. Translators and interpreters come together in these groups willingly to volunteer their time, to invest emotionally and intellectually in projects designed to undermine dominant discourses, and to elaborate more equitable and peaceful narratives of the future. What we make of their efforts depends on our own narrative location and on how we judge the coherence and fidelity of the narratives they elaborate about themselves. Narrative theory allows us to examine communities of these types and their work from at least two different perspectives. In the first instance, it is possible to examine the type of narratives these groups elaborate and to ask how they mediate those narratives, both in terms of the selection of material to be translated and the specific modes of translation adopted. Questions such as the following are productive in this regard. What type of texts do members of such activist communities select for translation? Do they embellish certain narratives in order to give those whose voices are suppressed and marginalized Ð ° better chance of being heard? Do they frame narratives with which they disagree strongly, such as the Project of the New American Century, in specific ways in order to undermine and expose their underlying assumptions? Do they omit or add material within the body of the text or do they rely on paratexts to guide the readers interpretation of each narrative? Do interpreters in the social for Ð ° reveal their own narrative location through such factors as tone of voice, pitch, or loudness? With regard to the issue of marginalization, for example, Robert Barsky argues that the nature of the asylum system is such that it systematically works against claimants, however valid their claims might be. He describes how interpreters working within this system often elaborate Ð ° claimants statement, supplement it with details they learned prior to the hearing, and improve it stylistically and rhetorically. Interpreters working for disempowered claimants who are ill served by their lawyers and the system as Ð ° whole may at times mediate the gap between the claimants competence in matters of self expression . . . and the requirements of the Refugee Board (1996:54); indeed, one of the functions they fulfill can be to quite simply tell Ð ° good story (1996:57). In terms of translation and activism, Ð ° systematic examination of interventions of this type in the output of committed communities of translators, using Ð ° theoretical framework that makes it possible to transcend narratives of neutrality and objectivity, would be Ð ° worthwhile and illuminating endeavor, І suspect it might demonstrate, for instance, that direct textual manipulation of the type that preoccupies many theorists of translation are relatively rare. In tact the accuracy of translation in this context becomes even more important, because blatant interventions can be used against the translators to brand them as biased and hence untrustworthy, which would have repercussions for the credibility of their own narratives and the narratives they set out to promote, undermining their characterological coherence (in Fishers terms, as outlined above). Instead we may well find that accuracy acquires an additional value in this context and that much of the political work is done through the selection of material to be translated and through various methods of framing the translation including paratexts, timing of the release of translations, where translations are placed, and so forth. Another line of inquiry informed by narrative theory involves examining the relevant translation communities own narratives for coherence and fidelity, using the framework outlined by Fisher above, Ð  brief analysis of the narrative of one such community, Translators without Borders, serves to illustrate the potential for this application of narrative theory. Aligning itself with what has been dubbed the sans frontierisme or without borderism movement, Translators Without Borders or Traducteurs Sans Frontieres consists ot Ð ° group of volunteer translators and interpreters who provide free translations for organizations they deem deserving, including Doctors Without Borders, Reporters without Borders, Amnesty International, and Handicap International. In some respects this is Ð ° very different type of community from Babels and Translators for Peace. As mentioned in the introduction to this article, Translators without Borders is an offshoot of Eurotexte, Ð ° commercial translation agency based in Paris, with offices also in Lisbon, Fishers principles of narrative coherence concern the way in which Ð ° story hangs together. Perhaps most relevant in this context is structural coherence, which to my mind would test negatively in the case of the narrative of Translators Without Borders because of Ð ° lack of internal consistency. This inconsistency results from the conflict between humanitarian and commercial agendas consequent on the identification of Translators without Borders and Eurotexte. The Eurotexte site features several prominent links to the Translators without Borders site, often collapsing the distinction between Ð ° commercial organization and Ð ° not-for-profit community of volunteer translators.

Is Democracy Compatible with Liberal Markets?

Is Democracy Compatible with Liberal Markets? â€Å"Is democracy compatible with liberal markets?† Part I: Introduction: This paper seeks to explore if there is a possibility of coexistence between democracy and liberal markets. This paper argues that these two are compatible; the pillar on which this argument is built is that the two concepts are inseparable because they share the common heritage of being able to flourish under conditions of freedom.[1] Because of this, it becomes impossible for any other form of government to fit so neatly with liberal markets as democracy. The methodologies adapted, the problems encountered in the process, the arguments this thesis question addresses, and the case study proffered to support this thesis question are spelt out in the forthcoming sections. Part II: Summary: The fall of communism in the early 1990’s brought about an economic and political order that replaced the bipolar system. The extent and power of this change has been too dramatic to be described in simple words; the engine that has propelled this change has been democracy, capitalism and with it, liberal markets. While these may not have been the sole factors for the collapse of communism, the world order that came about following this event has certainly been driven wholly by these factors. Despite various arguments against the virtues of capitalism and market-driven economies, it is an ineluctable fact that this is a system that has come to stay. The bedrock on which liberal markets are built is democracy. This is because of the simple fact that communism as well as authoritarianism and liberal markets are as greatly antithetical to each other as is democracy to state-controlled economies. Hence, it follows that if there is an element of compatibility between the p resent political and economic systems, it has to be between democracy and liberal markets. This is not to suggest that each is an easy, automatic and inevitable part of the other; this position encounters enormous stumbling blocks, as listed in Part III of this paper. This leaves the paper its chief difficulty, that of the quandary over which position to assume, in light of equally strident, contradictory viewpoints about the compatibility of the two. One of the ways by which this paper seeks to extricate itself from the task of examining such broad and seamless concepts is in adapting Giovanni Sartori’s method in his book, The Theory of Democracy Revisited (1987), in which one of the ways by which one can arrive at a definition of democracy is in understanding it for what it is not, as much as for what it is. (Sartori, 1987, pp. 183, 184) To simplify this further, one of the approaches to the thesis question has been that of elimination; what this means is that in seeking to arrive at the essence of the thesis, this paper rules out the compatibility of liberal markets with other forms of governance. To demonstrate this, this paper takes up the case of Argentina’s economic crisis as a case study. In this discussion, this case’s detailed history is not made; rather, the important aspects of political profligacy that led to this crisis is illustrated, to show that long periods of political misrule characterised by an absence of democracy, and not liberal markets in themselves, was the cause of the crisis. It also shows up the example, on the contrary, of India, to show how liberal markets can succeed when introduced into a democratic polity. India, too, undertook several structural reforms of its economy under the IMF, but did not go the Argentine way, mainly because the political system was different. Part III: Limitations of this study: The core predicament of this paper concerns an investigation into the possibility of union between two ideas whose ages are incomparable –the concept, however amorphous, of democracy is as old as the hills,[2] while that of free markets, free trade and liberal markets are only decades old. In the attempted marriage of the two concepts, there is a very great possibility, perhaps even a near certainty, that there are sharply divided opinions. Secondly, as is well-known, there is no fixed, single definition of a democracy. This makes any treatment of this debate highly fluid and volatile. Another factor is that the focus of this paper is on liberal markets. This adds another problematic dimension to this paper, since the debate on the compatibility or lack of it, between liberal, free markets and democracy is charged with a feverish emotiveness and lack of dispassionate reasoning as by the core difference between communism and democracy, a dir ect hangover of the situation that prevailed during the height of the Cold War. Accentuating this debate was, as logically pointed out by Giovanni Sartori in his book, The Theory of Democracy Revisited (1987) the fact that while communism could be defined by clearly demarcated terms and meanings set out by its prophet, Karl Marx, no such fixed boundaries could be assigned to democracy. In such a scenario, as the author suggests, there is a tendency for what may be called â€Å"confused democracy†, while none of these applies to communism. (Sartori, 1987, pp. 3-6) This makes this system’s compatibility, or otherwise, with a sharply and narrowly described term even more difficult to explain. In view of this, it is to be conceded that all understanding and judgment of this paper’s position is highly subjective. Yet, since a position has to be taken, this paper proceeds in the full acceptance of the fact that an equally opposite viewpoint can be conceded. [3] Part IV: Discussion: The most important factor that facilitates the harmonious relationship between democracy and liberal market is that both are founded on the same edifice: of their common linkage with freedom. The rapid economic changes taking place in the world today are almost entirely market-driven. Following the death of the Soviet Union, this has been brought to bear even more heavily on the world. During the years following this event of critical importance to the world, there has been an unprecedented growth in the liberal markets of the world. A key point that perhaps best illustrates this dramatic transformation is the migration has been taking place from rural and semi-rural communities to urban centres all over the world, but principally in Third World countries, driven entirely by liberal markets. De Soto (2000) considers this nothing short of a modern industrial revolution, whose scale is quite unmatched, before which the original revolution pales in comparison. Consider the f act that the earlier industrial revolution in England had to support a migration of something like a mere eight million people in the two and a half centuries it took to transit from agriculture to the New Economy. In contrast, today, the world is witness to urbanisation caused by the influx of several million people, out of which some 200 million migrated to liberal market-driven urban centres in Indonesia alone. To accommodate changes of this magnitude, the only viable system of governance is democracy. Western economies were able to cope up with earth-shaking changes only because they had the democratic, legal institutions to absorb these changes; the Third World would today turn chaotic if the same conditions of democracy do not exist to accommodate the marginalised sections. (Soto, 2000, pp. 70-72) Another example, at the micro level, but of nearly equal gravity, of how democracy and liberal markets not only coexist but also promote each other is that of the sweeping changes taking place in the Indian economy. The deeply entrenched caste-ridden Indian mindset could not change its basic fabric in centuries; yet, less than just two decades of market-driven economic changes[4] showed the promise of instilling change at an unimagined speed. For instance, access to computers, a direct result of liberal markets-oriented economic reforms, has brought in democracy at the rural level at hitherto unimaginable speed. Farmers are now able to sell their produce to the user directly, bypassing the centuries-old feudal system by which they had to necessarily sell through the middle man, who used to be from the upper castes. This has been a direct result of the mating of liberal markets with democracy. This phenomenon is not restricted to India; as quoted by the political scientist, Sheri Berm an, shifts to democracy by most of Latin America in the 1980’s were closely related to a corresponding shift to free-market economy. (Bhagwati, 2004, pp. 93-95) Case study: This next section strengthens the thesis topic further by demonstrating that liberal markets have been a great failure when they have been introduced into non-democratic economies. The case study this paper takes up to vindicate this stand is the Argentine economic crisis of the late 1990’s. This paper takes up this case mainly because contrary to popular belief, the Argentine economic crisis was not the result of IMF-prescribed market economy measures; rather, they were the product of decades of economic mishandling characterised by wrong prioritisation, by a succession of dictators, (Peralta-Ramos, 1992, pp. 35-38) which the IMF intervention failed to correct. (Frenkel, 2002) The position this paper takes is that this correction could not come about because the system’s rot had been too deep-rooted, not on account of liberal market-oriented economic policy per se, but because of systematic squandering by the military in the decades following the end of Per onist populism, by which the economy was reduced to bare bones over time. In this transition, the beneficiaries of public spending shifted gradually but firmly from the middle class to the ruling class. (Little, 1975, p. 163) These economic misdemeanours were concomitant with political notoriety spread over the decades during the reign of and following the overthrow of the populist, Juan Peron, that came to be called by the collective epithet, ‘Dirty Wars’. Started initially in the name of fighting Leftist guerrillas, (Marchak Marchak, 1999, p. null27) this phase soon degenerated into state terrorism, marked by innumerable political kidnaps, extortion and disappearances, of people who dared to raise their voices against the military regimes. (Taylor, 1997, p. 258) In line with this, and more importantly, the governments, to support these activities, had built up a highly porous banking system which could easily be exploited by the ruling class with little accountability. The entire economy was built on debts, of which three-fourths was in the public sector, which the dictatorial ruling class could use for its benefit by draining the nation at will. In only 10 years between the mid-1970â€⠄¢s and the mid-1980’s, the interest payments the governments collected had fallen from 17 percent to a puny one percent of the consolidated public sector expenditure. (Ferrer, 1985, p. 6) This is just one example of the ruin the military brought upon the economy. Thus, the basis of the Argentine economic crisis was economic mishandling by the ruling class, and not so much the policies of the IMF, which came into the picture much later, when the economy had crossed the Rubicon. It is fashionable to put most of the blame for Argentina’s economic crisis of the late 1990’s, which snowballed into a full-blown economic catastrophe, on the IMF and its prescriptions for a free market economy. (Frenkel, 2002) While this may be true to some extent, it has to be borne in mind that this was only a last ditch effort to resuscitate the economy, whose causes for decline dated to several decades, as is seen here. In contrast, India, with its deeply ensconced democratic system, could absorb the momentous changes wrought into its economy with relative ease, breaking free from the shackles that had bound the economy in the earlier decades under restrictive policies. It is now admitted that India’s economic recovery from the deep crisis it was in, was the result as much of liberal market reforms as due to the inherent strength of its political system. (Drà ¨ze Sen, 1995, p. 179) Far from going the Argentine way, India is now an economy that is firmly an d surely on the road to liberalisation, from which there seems no looking back.[5] In a matter of just one generation, it is one of the fastest growing economies of the world today. (Cetron Davies, 2006) Part V: Conclusion: The congruence between democracy and liberal markets is indubitable; while admitting that there are several areas that need rectifying, and that this is not the most viable of all possibilities, it has to be admitted that there exist no better alternatives. While it is conceded that this system is far from perfect, the fact is that no system is; had the socialist system been perfect, then all the economic upheavals the world has been going through should have been averted. In this scenario, it makes little sense to argue about the disharmony of the market economy with democracy. If anything, what needs to be put into place is a supporting set of laws and regulation that tempers down some of the inequalities of the system. (Wolf, 2003) Historical experience shows that liberal markets have always flourished in the industrialised nations, which have been democratic, prime examples of which are the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. (Dryzek, 1996, p. 68) However, a ne w dimension has been added to this notion, with India showing that the engine for this growth is not so much a belonging to the group of industrialised nations[6], but the existence of democratic systems as its bulwark. This, rather than liberal markets in isolation, is the prerequisite for achieving economic growth. In the light of these findings, it is meaningless to argue that democracy and liberal markets are incompatible; on the contrary, they are almost inextricably bound to each other and are inseparable, fuelling each other’s development. References Bhagwati, J., (2004), In Defense of Globalization, Oxford University Press, New York. Cetron, M. J., Davies, O., 2006, July/August, â€Å"The Dragon vs. the Tiger: China and India Reshape the Global Economy; India and China Will Vie for Economic and Political Dominance on the World Stage. Heres an Assessment of the Two Nations Short-Term and Long-Term Prospects†, The Futurist, Vol. 40, No. 38+. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM. Dryzek, J. S., (1996), Democracy in Capitalist Times: Ideals, Limits, and Struggles, Oxford University Press, New York. Drà ¨ze, J., Sen, A., (1995), India, Economic Development and Social Opportunity, Oxford University Press, Delhi. Ferrer, A., (1985), Living within Our Means: An Examination of the Argentine Economic Crisis (Alvarez, M. Caistor, N., Trans.), Westview Press, London. Frenkel, R., (2002), â€Å"Argentina: A Decade of the Convertibility Regime†, Challenge, Vol. 45, No. 4, p. 41+. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM. Little, W., (1975), 7 â€Å"The Popular Origins of Peronism†, in Argentina in the Twentieth Century, Rock, D., (Ed.) (pp. 162-178), Gerald Duckworth, London. Marchak, P., Marchak, W., (1999), Gods Assassins: State Terrorism in Argentina in the 1970s, McGill-Queens University Press, Montreal. Peralta-Ramos, M., (1992), The Political Economy of Argentina: Power and Class since 1930, Westview Press, Boulder, CO. Sartori, G., (1987), The Theory of Democracy Revisited, Chatham House Publishers, Chatham NJ. Soto, H. D., (2000), The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else, Basic Books, New York. Taylor, D., (1997), Disappearing Acts: Spectacles of Gender and Nationalism in Argentinas Dirty War, Duke University Press, Durham, NC. Wolf, M., 2003, September/October, â€Å"The Morality of the Market†, Foreign Policy, 46+. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/ 1 Footnotes [1] An excellent source for an analytical study between democracy and capitalism, or liberal markets, is the book, We the Nation, The Lost Decades, by one of India’s pre-eminent jurists, the late Nani Palkhivala. The book’s paperback edition has been a bestseller, having seen almost two dozen reprints in about two decades. In particular, his eulogy of the free market enterprise and its suitability to the democratic setup as practiced in India is sharp, and is in evidence in several chapters. [2] Here, the reference is to some forms of governance in the ancient world that can be described as being non-despotic. For instance, one of the core ideas on which one of ancient India’s most famous mythological texts, the Ramayana, is built is good governance, in which the king is fair, just and non-arbitrary. The protagonist, Lord Ram, is seen as the exemplar of a perfect democrat and upholder of virtue, who goes to the extent of banishing his wife to the forests to honour a lowly washerman, an example of how the ruler was expected to uphold the wishes of the ruled. Even if one were to dismiss this example as mere mythology, the fact that there is reference to what may be called the forerunner to present democracy in such an ancient text suggests that democracy existed in some or another conceptual form in the ancient world. If one were to entirely omit mythology and take historically recorded facts as the benchmark, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that republican democracy existed in India far before the western concept of Athenian democracy. For more details on the recorded instances of democracy in ancient India, this link may be a good source of understanding: http://www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/h_es/h_es_muhlb_democra_frameset.htm. And this is by no means a declaration that India’s was the only case of such a system of governance; there may have existed several others in other civilisations of this period. [3] To get a rough idea about how this subject can be interpreted in virtually any manner, this article, posted on the following blogs, in which the idea of compatibility of the two is denounced in the strongest possible terms, may serve as a pointer: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.viewfriendID=12432772blogID=140524780MyToken=5144b54f-2d93-4349-9274-e6526a5a57d6, http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.viewfriendID=12432772blogID=140524780MyToken=cb1631f6-cb16-4a39-85c6-a9b05c6cc9d9 and http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAllfriendID=12432772MyToken=5d4d6701-da69-40c8-adc9-3fb794f3fedbML This is given as a reference here mainly because this is not to be considered a work of erudition, and is just an illustration of the point sought to be made here. [4] India started the process of economic liberalisation under the P. V.Narasimha Rao government in 1991. At that time, it was considered a step over which the government had little alternative, given the nearly moribund state in which the economy was. However, in the period since then, it cannot be disputed that despite its problems, liberalisation has brought about changes of a magnitude India had not seen earlier under the socialist dispensation of the Nehru-Gandhi rule. [5] So entrenched has the programme of liberalisation become that it is now an a priori, with both the Right wing BJP that was voted out of power in 2004, and more surprisingly, a coalition partner in the present UPA government, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M), too, embarking on a programme of massive market-oriented reforms of the economy. [6] It is easy to see how all the G8 members are democratic; the former Soviet Union had been kept out of this grouping till the end of the Cold War.

Life Success Of Bill Gates

Life Success Of Bill Gates The traditional definition of leadership by Webster dictionary states its an interpersonal influence directed towards the achievement of a goal or goals. Leadership is a dynamic relationship based on mutual influence and common purpose between leaders and collaborators in which both are moved to higher levels of motivation and moral development as they affect real, intended change (Friedberg K and Friedberg J, 1996). Using the key words here such as influence and change, history has her fair share of leaders. In 1974, TIME magazine published a special section on history greatest leaders where a variety of individuals were asked to name their selection and a large number of people were nominated. Each for a different reason but mostly because they created a culture of influence and brought upon change. With the myriad of eligible entrepreneurs contesting to be great leaders of today, we dissect and analyse the lives of two living legends that have become household names in the world, William H Gates and Oprah Gail Winfrey. Two distinct individuals driven by ambition have become the core subject of business educators to delve into what makes them great leaders and like the old mythology, the search of the Holy Grail (Pearce T 2003). Famously known as Bill Gates, an American businessman, philanthropist, software executive and founding father of Microsoft Corporation, he is also the worlds second richest person (Forbes Magazine 2010). He is one of the best known entrepreneurs of personal computers revolution (Bellis M, nd). Oprah Winfrey a television host, producer, philanthropist and one of the most influential women in the society today, was ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century. She is credited for revolutionising the intimate confessional form of media communication (Wikipedia). 2.0 LIFE AND SUCCESS OF BILL GATES A personal computer in every desk and in every home (Keegan, Davidson Brill, 2003) A simple vision made him possibly the greatest visionary of our times. Bill Gates born to a prominent defence lawyer and a school teacher was introduced to computers at a very young age. He was enrolled in Lakeside Elementary School when his parents noticed his deep interest in computer and programming. After dabbling in various programming software, he developed his first software programme for controlling traffic under Traf-Data and sold it for $20000 (Paluri R K, nd). Following the release of MITS Altair 8800 based on the Intel 8080CPU in 1975, Gates and his best friend Allen started their own software company Microsoft. In 1976, when Microsoft was registered with the Office of the Secretary of the State of New Mexico, Gates dropped out of Harvard (Wikipedia). From releasing a version of FORTRAN language for microcomputers in 1977, they went on to introduce a version of COBOL 1978. In 1979, a new version for BASIC was developed by Microsoft. Gates focused on product development, harvesting best talents and intelligence, and introducing innovative and aggressive marketing strategies transforming Microsoft from a million dollar company in 1978 to a market leader in software with revenues in billion dollars by 2002 (Des Dear Love 2002). Resigning as CEO in 2000 to spend time with software architecture and passing the torch to Steve Ballmer, his childhood friend, he and his wife Melinda have built a foundation to support philanthropic initiations on global health and education (Fritz J, nd). 3.0 LIFE AND SUCCESS OF OPRAH WINFREY Oprah Gail Winfrey born in rural Mississippi to a teenage single mother is an African American television host, for the multi-award winning, self-titled talk show. She is also the greatest black philanthropist known to date who is one of the most influential women today (Wikipedia). Raised in a difficult childhood in a ghetto and an abusive one, she was not only raped by relatives but also got pregnant at the age of 14. Oprah Winfreys life turned when she lived with her father in Nashville and attended high school there. She was academically successful and became an incredible speaker which earned her a scholarship to Tennessee State University (Fry E). With her publicity at being a good speaker in University she landed her first job as a television co-anchor. Graduating with a degree in communications she became a news anchor at WLAC-TV in Nashville, later in Baltimore for the 6 o clock news. In 1984 she hosted AM Chicago which became the highest rated talk show within a year. The show was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986. In 1988, she founded Harpo Studios (Harpo Inc.) to take over the show. In 1990, movies projects, she ventured into acting projects and gradually progressing to the launch of O, The Oprah Magazine. The initiation of Oprahs Book Club star ted her multimedia breakthrough. In 1987, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and in 1997, Oprahs Angel Network was founded respectively for charity (Allen S). Oprahs talk show is all about encouraging the peoples potential, making them feel safe and affirming their personhood (Davis P). Oprah Winfrey once said As a young child I had a vision, not of what I wanted to accomplish but I knew that my current circumstances would change. That dream propelled her to success (Entertainment Executive 1991). 4.0 THEORIES ON LEADERSHIP Leadership theories have evolved through the years beginning from archaic ideas such as The Great Man Theory being self explanatory to more civilised, refined concepts. The trait approach identified a group of traits were positively associated with leadership such as intelligence, self confidence, initiative and persistence. However this is in no relation to effectiveness (Stogdill 1948, 1974). The behavioural approach took focus on two dimensions creating leadership styles; task-oriented behaviour and relation-oriented behaviour (Stogdill 1948) on organizational outcomes (Blake Mouton 1964). These approaches pay too much attention to the leaders perspective not considering the followers. The situational leadership model ( Hersey and Blanchard,1982) emphasises leadership flexibility and adaptation, the contingency model (Fiedler,1967) is much more consistent with less flexibility and the path-goal theory (House and Mitchell, 1974) assumes that leadership styles not only vary with different subordinates but in different situations. This theory is based on the assumption that situation moderator variables are easily identified but it is subjective to individual inference which change the actions and outcomes. Servant leadership stems from the notion that leadership arises out of a desire to serve rather than a desire to lead (Katzenberg and Smith, 1994). Asking questions, providing opportunities and seeking a common understanding instead of consensus to make any particular decisions were thought to be qualities that make a leader. Transactional leadership has remained the organisational model which is built around a person who needs to get a job done, has power and perks, striving to work in the current system with short term goals. The shift to use transformational leadership has more meaning with morals and ethics, focusing on missions and strategies, making it more meaningful and challenging with long term goals (Liu J and Liu X, 2006) Leadership is a complex process in which leaders, followers and the situation interact with each other usually one or the other theories overlap in reality. 5.0 LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF BILL GATES AND OPRAH WINFREY Using Kouzes J and Posner B survey as a basis where common characteristics of leaders were formulated after interviewing 75,000 people, below are the characteristics present in both of our personalities discussed. 5.1 LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF BILL GATES PASSIONATE He is a Harvard dropout (Richard D). While it is every Americans dream to be selected into Harvard University, he stopped his education halfway with the strong passion to pursue his dream for software architecture. VISIONARY A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer (Paluri RK). This is a dream that propelled Gates to his overwhelming success and realising that dream proves him to be a far visionary. INTELLIGENT Starting at a very young age he began dabbling at computer programming (Walter I). He believes in intelligence and with that you can achieve almost anything in the world. His parents observed their sons intellectual capacity and enrolled him in private school (Wikipedia). INNOVATIVE Creating new versions of FORTRAN, BASIC and created MS DOS for personal computers (Des DearLove). He also realised that internet was taking the world over by storm and not to be left out in the rat race he incorporated Web in his advancement. He spoke in April 2002 that in the upcoming digital decade the tools created in the next 10 years will be the best tools for empowerment and productivity the world has ever seen.( Krames J A) STAFF ORIENTED He coined the phrase digital nervous system to speak of a culture that encourages the workforce not only to think but to share their thoughts (Gates 2002). His company engages in a ritual known as THINK WEEK twice a year where he reads almost 100 mails and ideas from his employees (Dvorak D). COMPETITIVE Constantly meeting rivalry such as Apple, Google. With the advent of Windows system, Microsoft won over the rivalry of format with Apple (Richard D). His competitive nature suggests that to maintain high standards in the global economy is innovation and hiring a workforce that consists of the worlds brightest minds (Gates 2007). DIVERSE Employment of staff from around the world harnessing intelligence (Krames J A, 2003). He gained even popularity in China during his visit there with his charisma. (Microsoft Presspass, 2003) HUMBLE The idea is not just to make money but to give something in return, the knowledge and the software. Evident in his character is the fact that he employs his own childhood friends or individuals he knew from his past to participate in the rise of Microsoft. He values the people he comes to meet and know such as Steve Ballmer and Paul Allen. CREDIBILITY Though the government opened antitrust trial against Microsoft challenging Bill Gates credibility where it accuses Microsoft of bundling its internet explorer browser with its Windows OS to eliminate Netscapes Navigator browser (Brinkley J, 1998) ENTHUSIASTIC -He has shown his zeal in many of his undertakings such as business, golf, and donations (Lesinski, 2007). CONFIDENCE At an early stage he was confident he could sell his idea to a huge company like IBM and made it materialize (Des DearLove) TRUSTWORTHY His team constituted of people he worked and studied with and brought only his trusted friends to start a small team (Wikipedia) PHILANTHROPIST- Funnelling large amounts of his wealth through The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to raise standards in health and education. Caring for the lesser fortuned population despite having abundant wealth (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). ASSERTIVENESS Due to multilevel and cross-sectional communication between his employees he is able to know their needs and respect their opinions while maintaining his goal (Gates 2002). 5.2 LEADERSHIP QUALITIES OF OPRAH WINFREY ENTREPRENEURSHIP She transformed from media talk show host to media industry mogul millionaire. As a simple girl who ventured into news anchoring, she surpassed many obstacles to become one of the most renowned individuals in the movie or television industry. Harpo Inc is an active supplier of motion pictures, produces not only Oprahs talk show but also produces Rachel Rays, Dr Phils and Dr Ozs shows (Wikipedia.) CONFIDENCE As told to business partner Gayle King I dont know what the future holds but I know who holds it (Baldoni J, 2008). To be a successful black in the movie industry which is dominated by the Americans is a formidable task. Oprah once said, It is confidence in our bodies, minds and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures, new directions to grow in, and new lessons to learn which is what life is all about (Fry E). INNOVATIVE Though the mainstay of her career is the confessional form of talk show, she went on to create Harpo Productions Inc, Harpo Films Inc, Harpo Studios Inc, and Harpo videos. She expanded her empire by forming Oxygen Media LLC which includes a women cable TV network and internet site. In 2000, O magazine was launched (Jet 2003). INTELLIGENCE Though she had an unstable childhood that did not deter her from obtaining a degree in mass communications from Tennessee State University and carving her path in the entertainment industry INFLUENTIAL Changing the lives of many Africans and African Americans especially the down trodden. The 66th U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice describes her as a woman of moral character and source of strength for millions of her admirers (Rice C, 2006). INTEGRITY She is true t her work and keeps control of her products and her image not over marketing it. She believed in keeping control of her branding and being in control of Harpo Inc. (Baldoni J, 2008). CHANGE She is people driven bringing change to the lives of the young African girls. She used her past as a lesson and channelled it to a positive growth and lesson for others. Her metamorphosis is certainly laudable. PHILANTROPHIST Starting the Oprah Winfrey foundation to support the education and empowerment of women, children and families in the United States and around the world. Her caring nature allows her to empathize with the unfortunate. Post hurricane Katrina, she donated her own money to build new home for 65 families. She is also actively campaigning victims of abuse to find justice so that they can move on. She is championing her cause with the sole message that I did it, so can you (Rice C, 2006). CREATIVITY She created a reality show hosted by Nate Berkus called the Big Give encouraging others to give and aid the less fortunate. She also formed Oprahs Angel Network to inspire people to make a difference. STRENGTH Despite coming from a dysfunctional home and being molested by family she managed to make the mess of her life into a message for other women. Most individuals tend to cocoon themselves to cope with the post traumatic stress disorders or rebel at life due to dysfunctional family background but she is proof of dealing with misfortune in a positive manner. HARDWORKING She worked her way to the top with her skills and opportunities strewn in her way. VISIONARY The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls inspired by her humble beginnings to provide educational and leadership opportunities to academically gifted girls from impoverished background. She became a visionary for others after obtaining such success in her life. TALENTED She is not only an honours student, winning oratory contests and skilled in public speaking, she has indulged in acting in movies, became a famous talk show host and television programmer. 6.0 SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN BILL GATES AND OPRAH WINFREY 6.1 EARLY YEARS Gates was a young visionary who had a dream which he ambitioned to full fill. He was born into a family of standing who valued his intelligence and supported him in his undertakings. Winfrey was a lady who was presented with an opportunity and she used that chance to create a dream and then envisioned a future. Coming from a past of difficult times without supportive parents, it was a bold and courageous move to achieve what she has today. Two different upbringings and knowledge foundation but both proved to be great leaders of our time. Gates was an intelligent individual but a university dropout by choice, but Winfrey used her education and oratory skills to propel her forward. Both are leaders using different foundations to grow. This shows the use of situational leadership in their decision making. 6.2 LEADERSHIP TRAITS IN GATES AND WINFREY 6.2.1 Transformational Gates and Winfrey both exerted transformational leadership qualities. In the early days of Microsofts birth, Gates was more transactional, he was driven to get his vision across, and using the position he held, he focused on tactical issues on a daily basis. He relied on the existing structure to maximise his output. Using MS DOS as a foundation to license it and sell it to other personal computers (Richards D). Software programming was the mainstay of his indulgence and finding the core programmes was a challenge. When IBM approached him to do his programming it was his breakthrough in the networking world. He wanted more and with that dream Microsoft was born. Gradually when he left IBM he transformed Microsoft to be an organization which identified human potential and talents with larger mission and strategies, had long term goals which had more meaning( Wikipedia). He kept redesigning jobs to keep them challenging. Winfrey was not a leader in her early years, being a struggling African American herself; she paved her career with short term goals and opportunity. When she had her breakthrough she practised more situational leadership qualities to ensure she made improvements and progress based on needs and ideals of the populations. She took what was offered to her and climbed gradually to the top. Her transformations were based on change. She brought change to the African society in general and mostly the women. She transformed the thoughts of people to rise from the ghettos and reach for the stars. She generously gave hope (Allen S, nd ). She also managed to penetrate the white dominated entertainment industry though acceptance of a black woman was an issue. Influential Both individuals are influential to mankind, creating a class of believe and a sense of idolism in the world they have introduced a metamorphosis in the entertainment and technological revolution. Microsoft and Bill Gates are almost synonyms in the computing world (Gates 2008). The blacks mainly from the African continent are faithful and devout worshippers of Winfrey (Black Enterprise). Philanthropic Winfrey has been described as a person with warmth and deep love, an abiding commitment to the principles of goodness and generosity that transcend any individual (Rice C, 2006). Melinda Gates seeing that malaria was a transmittable disease in the African continent causing the death of millions decided that it was a vacuum that does need to be stepped into. Melinda and Gates Foundation provide more than a third of worlds entire malaria-research funding. They also funded the creation of a synthetic form of artemisinic acid, a drug to combat malaria (Bower A, 2006). Their magnanimous natures of caring for the population and channelling financial aid to the needy have made them both philanthropic idols (Alleyne S, nd The New York Times June 2010). Passionate Gates does not only thrive on profit, if he did he would not have stepped down as CEO and allow Steve Ballman to continue, instead he moved to concentrate on his primary passion that is software programming and actively nurturing his charity foundation. Winfrey too does not make business decisions purely based on profit. She develops partnerships and ventures in instinct and utility (Alleyne S 2008). Employee relationship Gates usually involves his employees in the think tank of Microsoft, having twice yearly meetings to harvest new ideas or resolve old issues. His relationship is purely business like in nature (Dvorak D). He is almost beaureaucratic in leading with his employees though financially rewarded are tired of being overworked and have temporarily opted out. His monopolistic character in the early days of Microsoft gradually transformed from an autonomous approach to be involved only with the broad strategy (Heller R, 2006). However Oprah being in touch with her emotional perspective of nature thinks taking care of employees and rewarding them occasionally is the path to be a good leader. Debbie McElroy, a head hunter for the Lucas group said, Employees get a six week vacation in their first week at Harpo. The pay and benefits are exceptional. (SellersP, nd). Named as the Worlds Greatest Boss by the Chicago-Sun Times newspaper, she went cruising with 1,700 employees all expense paid in 2009. In 2005, it was a company vacation to Hawaii (Bieganski M, 2009). 7.0 CONCLUSION What makes a good leader? Leadership can vary depending on situation and background of the leader. The personalities chosen to define leadership in this assignment are from different backgrounds, Oprah being from a dysfunctional and uneducated family and Gates from an educated and family of standing in society. The two individuals are also yin and yang in race; one is a white American and the other of African American origin. They differ in the upbringing, values, goals and vision in life. The industries they are involved in are different, Oprah in the entertainment industry and Gates in the software industry. Nevertheless, amazingly both of them are leaders of the generation today. Both are successful, talented and influential billionaires. The similarities they share also include their common interest in philanthropy and giving away their earnings to the population to help the needy and to connect to the population. Both these leaders are charismatic, but Gates is through his business skills and Oprah is through her general caring nature and love for people. Oprah does not believe in doing the marketing her business, over merchandizing her products and always kept in control the on goings of her company allowing her partner only 10% of the business control. Whereas Bill Gates handed over the day to day affairs in 2000 to Steve Ballmer and finally resigned in 2007 to completely hand over the business to his partner. He practised empowerment as part of his leadership quality but Oprah though allowing others to carry out the designated jobs approval was always maintained by her. Both our leaders in the assignment are with varied qualities; however, they are still great leaders of our generation.

the black death Essay -- essays research papers fc

In â€Å"The Black Death† the author Phillip Ziegler attempts to fully describe the Plague that struck Europe in 1338 and remained until 1665. The year of the great Plague of London Ziegler tries to give an unbiased account of the Plague by compiling information from contradictory sources. Ziegler begins the book with the Tartans catapulting diseased corpses into Genoese as the Genoese escape back to Europe. Following this, the author provides some insight into the Plague in Italy, Germany, and France, in which he highlights the persecution of Jews, who became the scapegoat for the Plague in Germany. The majority of the book discusses the Plague in England, dealing with the people that died.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ziegler doesn’t argue an opinion of his findings. He openly admits that he has done no original research. Instead, he presents a collection of materials and draws some conclusions based on their findings. Ziegler’s intention in writing â€Å"The Black Death’, is to provide an accurate an unbiased account of the plague that struck Europe in 1338, and to appeal to human emotions through eye witness accounts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ziegler begins with different accounts on how the plague arrived in Europe. After presenting a few ideas, poisonous fumes, or unburned or unburied corpses, Ziegler finds the real truth of the plagues origin in a bacteria known as Pasteur Ella Pestis. Pasteur Ella Pestis, which forms itself within the siles of the dead corpses, head foun...

The Most Affordable Vacation for a College Student :: Research Papers Travel Essays

The Most Affordable Vacation for a College Student In December, my boyfriend is heading to Iraq to fight for his country and for all of us in the United States. We have decided together, that upon his arrival home, we will reward ourselves with a vacation. The question we both had though was where should we take this vacation? We both believe that next year will be a really hard time for both of us, being separated for at least a year. I have decided to take the initiative to research our possible destinations with the most affordable rates. Together, we narrowed our choices down and decided to vacation in Hawaii or an island in the Bahamas. So with this information, I decided to research the locations of our choice to help us finalize our decision. The first thing I did was decide to research Maui, Hawaii. I have heard many great things about Hawaii, and thought that this would make a great report. I gathered information online, comparing airline prices, hotel prices and also attractions in Maui. To gather even more information, I traveled to the travel agency in which I belong to, AAA’s where I received a lot of great catalogs on Maui. I did not know definitely where I was going with this project, but decided to research the information. I discovered that Hawaii was just a little bit out of a college student’s budget, even if saving for a year. So I thought I would compare and research the Bahamas, our other choice. I once again started online, researching much like I did with Hawaii. This time when I traveled to AAA’s, I talked to Sharon Biggs, a very helpful travel agent. She gave me brochures explaining about the two islands in the Bahamas. She told me that because I was under the age of 21, the better vacation choice was the Bahamas over Hawaii. When we travel on our vacation, my boyfriend will be over 21, but I will not. The age of 21 meaning, I could not drink, but he could. My final step was to call my aunt and uncle, who have traveled to the Bahamas, Mexico, Bermuda, and taken several cruises. I wanted to receive their insight on the location that I had chosen. They were very reliable in the sense that they travel often and I have not been to all the places that they have been to.

“Dude, Where’s My Country?” Book Review

â€Å"Dude, where is My Country† is a book written by Michael Moore and published by Penguin Books in 2004. In this book, Moore provocatively and boldly discusses several socio-political events in America. He takes on George W. Bush, the Conservative brigade and corporate wheeler dealers in America and offers wide ranging remedies which place the country’s redemption squarely on the shoulders of the liberal forces. The author dissects America’s problems in topics ranging from tax cuts, the Iraqi war, among others and demonstrates the failure of the nation-state to be a direct consequence of conservative ethos. Moore first seeks to debunk what he calls the ‘Big Lie’, that America is inherently and pervasively conservative. He terms this belief as a propagandist fib, perpetuated by the right in order to put down the liberal masses. â€Å"†¦.. So, in the tradition of all propagandists, they lie. They create an opposite truth: AMERICA IS CONSERVATIVE. Then they pound away with that false message so hard and so often that even their political opponents come to believe that it's true,† Moore asserts (Moore, 2003 page 2). To prove that most Americans are indeed liberal, Moore gives facts which demonstrate majority support for the Civil Rights movement, abortion, the Roe vs Wade ruling, the Green movement, gun restrictions, universal healthcare (or socialized medicine as he puts it), community as opposed to jail service for offenders, gay and lesbian rights and unionization. He then wonders why conservatives hold the rein of leadership in the country and proceeds to offer his ten cents worth. Chapter one poses seven seemingly rhetorical questions to Bush. Home of the Whopper† is the heading of Chapter two and it serves as an allegorical forerunner of the issues presented herein. Here, the author discusses the lies told by the Bush administration before narrating a fable featuring his great-granddaughter who seeks to find out from him the state of the world when oil and plastics were available and seeks to understand the reasons behind the failure of planning. In a sense, this chapter indicts the Bush administration for its lax energy policies and seems to suggest a bleak future for America occasioned by these policies. Chapter four is titled â€Å"The United States of Boo† and it takes the form of an essay. In this chapter, Moore demonstrates that death through terrorism is statistically impossible. As he so ably shows, there are other countless and plausible ways through which Americans can die that terrorism threats count for nothing. The ruse by the conservative war makers is a subterfuge meant to take away Americans’ civil liberties. Nowhere is this more succinctly evidenced than in the Patriot’s Act, Moore infers. The next chapter delineates ways in which ordinary Americans can reduce acts of terrorism. In subsequent chapters, Moore launches into an angry offensive tirade against George W. Bush that is laced with acerbic humor. The Bush years are summarized as a failed presidency and various facts adduced to support this claim. The war against Iraq is presented in great detail and used as an example to show Bush’s weak leadership. Similarly, the Enron debacle, the infamous Bush tax cuts and the collapse of other firms are cited as products of failed economic policies. The author lays bare the association between Bush, Osama Bin Laden and Saudi Arabia. He goes on to make staggering claims about alleged business connections between the Bushes and the Saudi Arabia nobles. Contrary to the wishes of FBI and notwithstanding the fact that only four of the 19 hijackers were non-Saudis, the Bush government shielded the Saudi Arabians from investigations while other Arabs in America were apprehended just like the Japanese were during the post world war II interment. Moore dismisses the high approval ratings enjoyed by Bush in 2004 thus: â€Å"the high ratings for Bush are not an endorsement of his policies. Rather, it is the response of a frightened country that has no choice but to back the man charged with protecting them. America has not fallen in love with Bush-it's more like â€Å"love the one you're (stuck) with. † (Moore, page 6). Railing against the â€Å"Christian Coalition†, Moore eloquently makes pitch for a presidency built around persons who live and understand America as it is. In regard to this, he introduces the â€Å"Draft Oprah for President† movement. Oprah, it seems, is the very representation of this people president that America so desperately needs. A clarion call for liberals to redeem their country from the ‘undesired’ hands of the conservatives is sounded. Moore gravely states that Democrats should not be left to â€Å"screw up† the [2004] election and instead details what he calls â€Å"Operation 10-Minute Oil Change† where everybody is called upon to do something for ten minutes daily in an effort to drive out Bush and his oil cronies. While the book is written in an easy to understand language with poignant examples, some hard facts and disturbing and weighty questions that inevitably stir up reflective thought, one cannot help avoid the feeling that it is grossly subjective and devoid of serious discourse. Additionally, ‘Dude, Where is My Country† seems like an unabashed endorsement of General Wesley Clark and the Democrat platoon. I do not agree with Moore because his book is redolent with numerous misrepresentations, falsities and inaccuracies. In page 69, he deliberately misrepresents facts about American’s dealings with Iraq, conveniently trashing the provisions of UN’s food for oil program. He gives a long list of persons supposedly aggrieved with the Patriot Act in page 111. However, according to the sources he has given, the listed persons were never in any way affected by the legislation. In a brazen display of dishonesty, Moore claims that closure of schools in Oregon in 2003 was as a direct result of the Bush tax cuts whereas they were actually due to a new law that decoupled the state’s income tax system from that of the central government. There are many other claims which cannot stand the test. They seem to have been intentionally twisted so that they can prop his claims. Some of his assertions border on the speculative. A good example of this is the unsubstantiated claim that Saudi military acted in cahoots with Bush and the Saudi government to launch them. While some claims are backed by solid fact, many others are not factual and it is precisely this reason that makes it hard to agree with Moore lock, stock and barrel.

Profit

1. a. The total explicit cost is $793,000($970,000-$177,000). The total implicit cost is $190,000($175,000+. 15X$100,000). The total economic costs is $983,000($793,000+$190,000). b. The accounting profit in 2010 is $177,000($970,000-$793,000) c. The economic profit in 2010 is $-13,000($970,000-$793,000-$190,000). d. The owner should not leave his job because the economic profit is negative, which means he will earn less if he does his own business. 2. a.The type of agency problem that is involved here is principal-agent problem. Marriott wants to maintain a certain level of quality at all of its hotels, but in order to do that it would require capital investment by franchisees. By investing in the hotels, the franchisees are losing profits. b. I believe that Marriott needs to worry about the quality of all the hotels whether they are owned or franchised. In order to keep customers satisfied and coming back to stay at a Marriott they need to keep a good reputation. c.Marriott would t end to own its hotels in resort areas because the people will be more focused on the quality and upkeep of the hotel itself. By Marriott providing good quality in resort areas it will help them gain more business in downtown areas due to the customers’ previous experience. In downtown areas it is also more difficult to find a high quality hotel. If people do not have a good experience at a Marriott then the next time they need to stay in a hotel they will travel further down the street to a different hotel due to the poor quality of the previous Marriott stay.The reputation of the Marriott depends highly on how much business it will have. A good reputation will lead to great profits. 3. a. I would expect the price of wine to decrease as well. b. I would expect the price of wine to decrease because the quantity demanded for wine will increase. c. I would expect the price of wine to decrease as well because the quantity demanded will increase due to people having a job and maki ng more money. d. I would expect the price of wine to decrease.A rise in the price of cheese will decrease demand for cheese, which should decrease demand for wine which in turn will decrease the price for wine. e. I would expect the price of wine to increase due to the increase in prices of the wine bottles. f. I would expect the price of wine to decrease since it will be cheaper to produce. g. I would expect the price of wine to decrease. h. Since older people drink less wine, demand would be falling in this case. As a result, the price would decrease. 4. a. 5.I believe that the equilibrium price of products gaining a presence on the Internet will increase because the quantity demanded will be higher and the equilibrium output will also increase. Since it will be new to the internet the demand will increase which will make the price increase as well. 6. MC=MR 1000-10P=40P 50P=1000 P= 1000/50 P=20 units (reduction of pollution units) 7. a. MB=MC MC is w=200 and MB from hiring a sec ond worker is MB(2)=(30-20)X25=250 TB=(50-20)X25-(200X2)=750-400=350 The firm will hire two guards. b.The benefit from the first guard is: B(1)=(50-30)X25=20X25=500. The maximum payment to the first guard the firm will be willing to pay is $500. c. MC=200 MB(4)=(14-8)x50=6X50=300 TB=(50-8)X50-(4X200)=1300 Therefore the firm should hire 4 guards. 8. a. Price=MC 70=40+0. 005Q; Q=6000 The MR for each unit of output is the same at $70. b. TR=70X6000=$420,000 TC=10,000+(40X6000)+(0. 0025X(6000)^2)=$340,000 Total Profits=$420,000-$340,000=$80,000 c. MR=MC therefore providing one more unit of output will earn $70 and cost $70 so there would be no profit.