Analysis of Refugee mother and Child Essay

The title of the poem gives off the initial impression that the poem may focus on refugees: one who flees to seek refuge, The lives of refugee children, their parents, their feelings, their emotions and their pain. ‘For a son she soon would have to forget’. This foreshadows the idea that her son is dying, and she would have to forget him to adapt to her tragic loss. 2 The metaphor in the fist stanza, ‘No Madonna and Child could touch that picture†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, relates to the idea of Mary and her child, Jesus. The picture perfect image – the ideal image of motherhood. The picture of a beautiful, serene mother with her holy new born child. Realistically the scene would have been far from that idea of bliss. The idea of the first stanza is that the tenderness that the character, the mother, expresses towards her child in the poem surpasses the ideal image of Mary and Jesus. The two situations do not even compare to the depth of love and tenderness of the Refu gee Mother and Child. 3 The poet uses the repetition and the contrasting ideas of the word ‘washed’ in describing the emaciated state of the refugee children. ‘Unwashed†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ – the hygienic state, ‘and ‘Washed-out†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the physical state of the children due to the lack of food. 4 ‘Blown empty bellies’, the physical appearance of the children’s stomachs because of the limited food supply of only carbohydrates. From this unhealthy diet the combination of acids and gases blow out the stomach of the children. This vivid description could also possibly be a pun to the blowflies in Africa. 5 ‘A ghost smile’, this metaphor could possibly be two ideas: The mother is happy because she is with her son, you can tell she is happy but her smile is faint, hard to notice. Her happiness can’t easily be seen, her smile is not shown in a physical appearance, it holds happiness that gives off its emotion in a feeling which can’t quite be explained, but can be felt by others. This metaphor shows how the mother keeps a fake, or ‘ghost’ smile on her lips for her child’s sake – so her son doesn’t have any fears or worries because he feels content because his mother is content. 6 In her eyes you can see her pride in her son. It is inconspicuous and faded like the figure of a ghost. This line of the poem conveys the mother’s pride towards her son, the poem describes this by being able to faintly see her pride towards her son in her eyes. 7 Th e use of the word ‘skull’ is a common symbol for death and foreshadows or represents the death of her son. 8 Singing is commonly known as a happy experience, ‘singing in her eyes’ could possibly  be how the Mother expresses her pride, content and happiness in her son, and how this is passed. Somewhat like the idea of the ghost smile, you can’t see or hear the Mother singing it is seen in her eyes. 9 This simile compares the two ideas of a normal over looked action in another life and a tender and cautious action in their world, the world of the Refugee Mother and Child. In this gentle action, due to her sons dying condition, she takes care while she carefully parts his hair – her way of gently expressing love to her son. This little act being one of the few things she can do for her son and one of the few ways she can express her love to him. This action is being compared to putting flowers on a tiny grave of a dead child because it is a gentle and careful action – something you would do very cautiously. And ‘tiny grave’ because of her sons little size due to his young age. If the child is already passed on when his Mother is parting his hair, this idea of death links to the distinct previous use of the word ‘skull’, by the poet. With this evidence, the poem could also be after the child has died and the mother is still holding and caressing her child, gently, carefully and cautiously yet – he is no longer alive. This action is explained in a simile and compares her parting his thinning hair to laying flowers on a tiny grave – another link to the possible idea that the son is already dead. The mother is gently parting her son’s hair as a way to say goodbye, since he has passed on – just like another form of saying good bye, placing flowers on a grave starting closure and acceptance.

Business model

What has made Louis Vuitton's business model successful in the Japanese luxury market? The first step was to create a global brand and setting up a multinational corporation, but the most important point was to create an international image.Louis Vuitton in order to have success during the growth of the brand, they had used a different set of marketing strategies involving the marketing mix, and the success came because of the positioning strategies they used, the process was longer, onsidering to build an entire brand image characterized of class, luxury and elegance, defining Louis Vuitton like a fashion brand. But in the fashion world brands have to differentiate their products from the competition very well, this is why Louis Vuitton takes in consideration this important point.When they arrived to Japan, they had been following an aggressive marketing strategy, opening extravagant stores. This was possible by the integration of communication strategies and good team performance b rand. lt can be done through a combination of communication trategies and the product itself A world brand is defined as the world wide use of a name, term, symbol, design or combination of these concepts toIn a simplified table or chart, specify the opportunities and challenges for Louis Vuitton in Japan. Opportunities Challenges Adapt its strategy in the Japanese market, facing a weak economy and a shift in consumer preferences. Reducing its risky dependence on the Japanese market Fight against worldwide counterfeiting Face with the posible departure of Jacobs, their principle designer 3. How did the firm enter the Japanese market originally? 4.Explain how the brand can remain on top in an extremely competitive and changing industry. First i consider to divide in four concepts in order to explain how the brand Product: they focused on sell products with a hig quality, Place / Distribution: had stablished a strictly controlled distribution netwrok backed of an efficient structuring of the company that relied on continously increasing productiviy in design and manufacturing. Promotion / Communication: Price: 5. What are the specifics of the Japanese fashion luxury market? Business model What has made Louis Vuitton's business model successful in the Japanese luxury market? The first step was to create a global brand and setting up a multinational corporation, but the most important point was to create an international image.Louis Vuitton in order to have success during the growth of the brand, they had used a different set of marketing strategies involving the marketing mix, and the success came because of the positioning strategies they used, the process was longer, onsidering to build an entire brand image characterized of class, luxury and elegance, defining Louis Vuitton like a fashion brand. But in the fashion world brands have to differentiate their products from the competition very well, this is why Louis Vuitton takes in consideration this important point.When they arrived to Japan, they had been following an aggressive marketing strategy, opening extravagant stores. This was possible by the integration of communication strategies and good team performance b rand. lt can be done through a combination of communication trategies and the product itself A world brand is defined as the world wide use of a name, term, symbol, design or combination of these concepts toIn a simplified table or chart, specify the opportunities and challenges for Louis Vuitton in Japan. Opportunities Challenges Adapt its strategy in the Japanese market, facing a weak economy and a shift in consumer preferences. Reducing its risky dependence on the Japanese market Fight against worldwide counterfeiting Face with the posible departure of Jacobs, their principle designer 3. How did the firm enter the Japanese market originally? 4.Explain how the brand can remain on top in an extremely competitive and changing industry. First i consider to divide in four concepts in order to explain how the brand Product: they focused on sell products with a hig quality, Place / Distribution: had stablished a strictly controlled distribution netwrok backed of an efficient structuring of the company that relied on continously increasing productiviy in design and manufacturing. Promotion / Communication: Price: 5. What are the specifics of the Japanese fashion luxury market?

Approaches in Psychology Essay

We can also describe the definition of developmental psychology as â€Å"It is the study in which behavior develop and change during a life span. Special areas of interest include the development of language, social attachments, emotions, thinking and perception† More In Developmental Psychology: Developmental psychology is the scientific study of age-related changes throughout the human life span. A discipline of scientific inquiry, developmental psychology recognizes humans of all societies and cultures as beings who are â€Å"in process,† or constantly growing and changing. There’s a special device or you can say that there’re special cells in the brain of a baby and has the specific period by which baby learns the language and this type of thing is not available in the minds of animals. The development of emotions and thinking are also based upon the development of mind and language. When a baby learn the language he also try to act and shows emotions like hunger, pain and something like that. 2- Industrial Psychology: What is Industrial Psychology? Industrial and Organizational Psychology is a specialist rea that applies psychological knowledge and skills to work, with the aim of improving organizational effectiveness and the quality of work life. More In Industrial Psychology: Psychologists in this field advise businesses and organizations on a variety of subjects: the selection and training of workers; how to promote efficient working conditions and techniques; how to boost employee morale, productivity, and job satisfaction; and the b est ways to evaluate employee performance and create incentives that motivate workers. I-O psychology first became prominent during World War II (1939-1945), when it became necessary to recruit and train the large number of new workers who were needed to meet the expanding demands of industry. The selection of workers for particular jobs is essentially a problem of discovering the special aptitudes and personality characteristics needed for the job and of devising tests to determine whether candidates have such aptitudes and characteristics. The development of tests of this kind has long been a field of psychological research. Once the worker is on the job and has been trained, the fundamental aim of the I-O psychologist is to find ways in which a particular job can best be accomplished with a minimum of effort and a maximum of individual satisfaction. The psychologist’s function, therefore, differs from that of the so-called efficiency expert, who places primary emphasis on increased production. Psychological techniques used to lessen the effort involved in a given job include a detailed study of the motions required to do the job, the equipment used, and the conditions under which the job is performed. These conditions include ventilation, heating, lighting, noise, and anything else affecting the comfort or morale of the worker. After making such a study, the I-O psychologist often determines that the job in question may be accomplished with less effort by changing the routine motions of the work itself, changing or moving the tools, improving the working conditions, or a combination of several of these methods. Industrial-organizational psychologists have also studied the effects of fatigue on workers to determine the length of working time that yields the greatest productivity. In some cases such studies have proven that total production on particular jobs could be increased by reducing the number of working hours or by increasing the number of rest periods, or breaks, during the day. I-O psychologists may also suggest less direct requirements for general improvement of job performance, such as establishing a better line of communication between employees and management. 3- Child Psychology: What is Child Psychology? It’s the study in which we study how children grow and issues related with their upbringing, physical and psychological health. More In Child Psychology: Child Development, physical, intellectual, social, and emotional changes that occur from birth to adolescence. Although people change throughout their lives, developmental changes are especially dramatic in childhood. During this period, a dependent, vulnerable newborn grows into a capable young person who has mastered language, is self-aware, can think and reason with sophistication, has a distinctive personality, and socializes effortlessly with others. Many abilities and characteristics developed in childhood last a lifetime. Some developments in behavior and thought are very similar for all children. Around the world, most infants begin to focus their eyes, sit up, and learn to walk at comparable ages, and children begin to acquire language and develop logical reasoning skills at approximately the same time. These aspects of individual growth are highly predictable. Other aspects of development show a much wider range of individual differences. Whether a child becomes outgoing or shy, intellectually advanced or average, or energetic or subdued depends on many unique influences whose effects are difficult to predict at the child’s birth. A variety of factors influence child development. Heredity guides every aspect of physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and personality development. Family members, peer groups, the school environment, and the community influence how children think, socialize, and become selfaware. Biological factors such as nutrition, medical care, and environmental hazards in the air and water affect the growth of the body and mind. Economic and political institutions, the media, and cultural values all guide how children live their lives. Critical life events, such as a family crisis or a national emergency, can alter the growth of personality and identity. Most important of all, children contribute significantly to their own development. This occurs as they strive to understand their experiences, respond in individual ways to the people around them, and choose activities, friends, and interests. Thus, the factors that guide development arise from both outside and within the person. Why is the study of child development important? One reason is that it provides practical guidance for parents, teachers, child-care providers, and others who care for children. A second reason is that it enables society to support healthy growth. Understanding early brain development, for example, means that parents can provide better opportunities for intellectual stimulation, and society can reduce or eliminate obstacles to healthy brain growth. Third, the study of child development helps therapists and educators better assist children with special needs, such as those with emotional or learning difficulties. Finally, understanding child development contributes to self-understanding. We know ourselves better by recognizing the influences that have made us into the people we are today. 4- Educational Psychology: What is Educational Psychology? Educational Psychology, application of scientific method to the study of the behavior of people in instructional settings. Although the behavior of teachers and students is of greatest interest, educational psychologists also study the behavior of other groups, such as teacher aides, infants, migrants, and the aged. The areas covered by educational psychologists inevitably overlap with other areas of psychology, including child and adolescent development, social psychology, psychological testing, and educational counseling. There are different theories of child psychology which are as follow: †¢ Learning (Different theories of learning help educational psychologists understand, predict, and control human behavior. For example, educational psychologists have worked out mathematical models of learning that predict the probability of a person’s making a correct response; these mathematical theories are used to design computerized instruction in reading, mathematics, and secondlanguage learning. Different psychologist have their contribution in this field. Ivan Pavlov and B. F Skinner are prominent) †¢ Motivation (Attribution theory describes the role of motivation in a person’s success or failure in school situations. Success on a test, for instance, could be attributed to luck or hard work; the theory predicts the behavior of students depending on their responses. ) †¢ Development (The theory of the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget that intellectual ability is qualitatively different at different ages and that children need interaction with the environment to gain intellectual competency has influenced all of education and psychology.

DQ 4 and DQ 5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

DQ 4 and DQ 5 - Research Paper Example In order to successfully implement change in the unit, the leader needs to involve other members of the unit so that they can share the same vision with the leader. This is aptly stated in the following statement: â€Å"Perhaps one of the most significant shifts that has occurred in the workplace relates to the change in the workers themselves,† (O’Grady, 2003, Part 1, p. 106). Thus, it is imperative to change the mindset of the employees so that they can also change their approach to their work. This can also help them to develop knowledge which can be used in their respective units. In order to achieve this feat, O’Grady (1998, p1, as cited in Grossman & Valiga, 2009) describes the following rules that can be taken in order to implement change in the organization: â€Å"Make no exceptions† where the leader should make an effort to involve everyone in the change process. The other rule is the nurse should â€Å"read the signs† where the leader ough t to be aware of the changes that may be taking place in the environment apart from the healthcare system. This also involves empowering the employees concerned so that they can take a leading role in implementing change. The other rule is that the leader should â€Å"construct new architecture† which is concerned with supporting the people so that they can integrate the new practices in the envisaged change process. Basically, the leader in this scenario should focus on creating social awareness among the followers so that they can also share the same vision for change with him. This will help the leader to be in a position to inspire the workers to adopt change in their operations. â€Å"Most followers want comfort, routine, stability, and good problem solving,† (O’Gradyy, 2003, Part 2, p. 173). It is also important for the leader to know that change is an ongoing process hence the need to constantly involve the employees in this change

Developing a support system to improve quality of life for erectile Research Paper

Developing a support system to improve quality of life for erectile dysfunction in prostatectomy - Research Paper Example The researcher states that one of the most inevitable aspects of the human life span is aging. What makes aging a great issue within the health community is that it brings with it numerous degenerative diseases and conditions. Some of these degenerative diseases include osteoarthritis, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Huntington’s disease, heart diseases and numerous others. Sometimes, some degenerative diseases or conditions affect one gender more than the other. For example, females have to deal with menopause and all the complications such changes in the body bring about For males, one of the conditions most have to face is erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction (ED) involves the inability to maintain, or even achieve, an erection that is adequate for satisfactory sexual intercourse. Although some temporary cases of erectile dysfunction have been documented in males, these can be attributed to factor s other than the degeneration of the human body. What is clinically relevant for healthcare providers as well as researchers is erectile dysfunction that involves a consistent failure to achieve and/or maintain erection which affects around half of all attempts at sexual intercourse. It is a common problem affecting men and thus impacting on the quality of life and their partners. This result into fear, loss of self esteem (self image), self confidence and depression. It has been estimated to affect more than 150 million men with only 20% of men seeking medical attention. (Aversa et al, 2004). In USA it affects between 20 to 30 million with risks of development being high with increasing age (Hellstrom et al, 2002). Numerous reasons have been provided for erectile dysfunction, including both psychological and physical factors. Psychological causes may involve stress, depression, relationship changes, low self-esteem, fatigue, performance anxiety, and numerous others (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2006). Although psychological causes are sometimes more common in temporary cases of erectile dysfunction, these factors can aggravate the dysfunction brought about by physical causes, especially among older males. On the other hand, physical reasons for erectile dysfunction include diminished testosterone levels, thyroid dysfunction, hyperprolactinemia, cardiovascular diseases, endocrine problems, and even the decrease in penile response to nitric oxide, the neurotransmitter responsible for the erection of the penis (LeMone, Burke, & Bauldoff, 2011). Another well-documented reason attributed to erectile dysfunction is prostatectomy. Prostatectomy involves the removal or resection of a portion of a prostate due to enlargement of the prostate or one of its lobes (Brunner, Smeltzer & Bare, 2010). Studies have established that one of the expected complications of prostatectomy, specifically radical prostatectomy, is erectile dysfunction. Such a complication is most attributed to the damage caused on nerves during the surgery involving the resection of the prostate. These damages can be attributed to actual physical trauma on the nerves involving penile erection, or to complications from the anesthetic used (Lewis, et al., 2011). Still, it must be acknowledged that almost all forms of prostatectomy, even those that aim to spare the nerves (i.e. laparoscopic and robot-assisted prostatectomy), lead to erectile dysfunction, although to varying degrees (Zippe, Nandipati, Agarwal, & Raina, 2006). Identifying problems The identified problems are lack of knowledge about the option treatments, emotional distress anxiety about performance, dissatisfaction, impaired self esteem which affect personal relationships, lack of support and understanding from other significant, spousal dissatisfaction and quality of life affected (Aversa et al, 200

IKEA Warehouse System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IKEA Warehouse System - Essay Example IKEA furniture are cheap, durable and stylish. Source: The Economist, 2011, http://www.economist.com/node/18229400 From the start, IKEA was perceived as the David of furniture stores who was willing to challenge the Goliaths of furniture dealers, for which reason it concentrated on developing top-quality, low-cost furniture (Elsner, W & Hanappi, 2008). On the other hand, the challenges posed by the group of competitors was much like that of a cartel. The Swedish furniture dealers pressured suppliers not to sell to independent manufacturers to create an artificial shortage of raw materials. They also excluded unaffiliated furniture makers and dealers from their trade fairs. Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, saw social problems in the furniture industry, as well as a business opportunity. He saw that the great majority of people had needs which were not being met as far as the need for beautifully crafted but affordably priced furniture and household items were concerned. At the sam e time, he felt that this exclusion of the masses was not fair nor warranted, and that people of all walks of life are entitled to good furniture (Reichert, 1998, p. 3). ... The house is designed with architecture by IdeaBox, mostly straight lines with little detail. Source: Dornob, http://dornob.com/flat-pack-ikea-house-built-shipped-for-under-100000/?ref=search Kamprad was not a social idealist without a practical agenda. He saw a business opportunity in the fact that a huge market existed which was not being serviced by the existing manufacturers and their contract-bound suppliers and retailers. However, this market had a relatively low price target, therefore if the company intends to realize a profit out of its sales to this market segment then it should be able to maintain its production and distribution costs at a margin below the selling price (The Economist, 2011) Flat-packed IKEA furniture can be carted home at the back of a car without need for incurring delivery costs. The packaging also saved on store and warehouse space. Source: http://earth911.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/IKEA-Flat-Pack-300x199.jpg?84cd58 Based on this strategic directio n, the Company developed most of its product designs, supplier relationships, and customer service practices in a way that was intended to minimize production costs and maximize value for the customer. The novel idea was to produce low-cost furniture that were easy to build, and easy for the customer to assemble by himself. The principal innovation that sets IKEA apart is its flat-pack packaging that made IKEA furniture easy and cost-effective to ship, store, sell, and later set up through self-assembly. The cost savings the company realized in terms of saved store space, delivery and labour costs were passed on to the customers in terms of lower prices. In marketing, what the company essentially pioneered in is â€Å"the self-service method of selling† which, aside

Command and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Command and Management - Essay Example A deputy incident commander is a representative of an incident responding agency, for instance, the senior officer who is in charge of activities concerning law enforcement in association with the incident. Such for a right incident commander: everyone cannot make to be an incident commander. The incident commander role is in advance determined by agencies on basis of education, experience as well as the training to fit into the position. Unique abilities, skills, as well as chemical psychological makeup which comprise efficient incident commanders cannot probably be harvested or taught in each first responder. It is developed within individuals possessing personal tendency of performance under stress. Some incidents lack guidelines hence one has to think. Mostly people believe in the NIMS forms as well as section responsibilities supplied checklists. Practitioners need to engage in sense making when he/she challenges a condition falling within a chaotic cynefin framework area (SECURITY, 2012). Finding a starting point for a perceptive problem solving or focusing on coming up with a solution for the problem within the chaos might assist he incident commanders in working towards normalizing the situation. Incident commanders who have vast store of particular things, people or events notice leverage points as well as make use of them to their advantage. NIMS being a useful training still lacks the component of education required to make it efficient in event response. Incident response personnel should realize that they arrive late at the scene. People already in the scene could be important in sense making. Incident commanders should sense making steps after arriving (SECURITY, 2012). 3. Annex P – Terrorism, in the San Diego County Organization of Emergency services provides a summary for emergency response protocol for terrorism incidents. The protocol

NUCOR Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

NUCOR Case Study - Research Paper Example Most importantly, the company should consider going global in order to exploit emerging opportunities with globalization. 1.4 Recommendations: The most commendable action is for the company to go global. This will diversify its operations by establishing business across the world markets. It is also a better hub within which its technological aspects can be fully put to use, thereby enhancing its competitiveness against rival firms and cheap imports. 1.5 Implementation: Plan implementation by Nucor has to identify market and industry gaps, and then take advantage of the situation. This may require the company to reevaluate its strategic and long term planning, and assess both financial and non-financial implications of the operational decisions made. This is more so in relation to acquisition of firms, self-development, product and brand development. The U.S steel industry has become significantly competitive as the number of operating firms increase. Foreign firms continue to dump low-cost steel in the U.S markets, thereby affecting the operations of domestic firms, and most importantly those of Nucor. Nucor has had to compete against low-cost steel imports in the U.S, as China, Russia, Brazil, and India continue to dump their steel in the U.S markets. The analysis of the U.S steel industry and the subsequent position held by Nucor in that industry are based on Porter’s five forces model. Nucor’s integration of this model into its operations can be summarized by the figure below: Competition in the U.S steel industry is intense and characterized by both domestic and foreign firms (Thompson 214). Foreign firms compete with the domestic firms on the basis of supplying steel imports to the United States. Nucor engages Mittal Steel and U.S Steel in stiff competition since all the three firms are set up in the United States. In other words, the two companies are the key

Experimental Study Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Experimental Study - Article Example The other exposures of interest include use of nitrous oxide, the utilization of slightly hypoxic mixtures during anesthesia, and postoperative opioid administration. The effectiveness of dexamethasone as antiemetic was compared with the two serotonin subtype 3 antagonists ondansetron and granisetron in 80 patients divided into four groups undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Group 1, consisting of control patients, received 0.9% NaCl; group 2 patients received ondansetron 4 mg i.v.; group 3 patients received granisetron 3 mg i.v.; and group 4 patients received dexamethasone 8 mg i.v., all before the induction of anesthesia. Both nausea and vomiting were assessed during the first 24 h after the procedure. Inclusion Criteria: A total of 80 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical class I–II patients scheduled for laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included. The age range was from 21 to 75 years (mean: 51.5 years). Each patient gave his or her written consent to participate in the study. The study was approved by the Medical University ethics committee. The exclusion criteria: The patients’ exclusion criteria were as follows: American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical class III–IV; age over 75 years; body mass index above 30; pregnancy; smoking; signs of gastrointestinal, endocrine, renal, hepatic or immunological disease; use of opioids or tranquillizers less than 1 week before the operation; treatment with steroids; history of alcohol or drug abuse; history of motion sickness; preoperative diagnosis of gallbladder empyema and previous endoscopic sphincterotomy for common bile duct stones; and conversion to open cholecystectomy. The incidence of nausea and vomiting was recorded during three assessment periods, 0–6 h, 6–12 h, and 12–24 h, by nursing staff without knowledge of which antiemetic the patients had received. Both nausea and vomiting were

Self-Awareness And Effective Communication Essay

Self-Awareness And Effective Communication - Essay Example The article also gives tools for developing self-awareness. The first idea is being open to critical self-reflection (Self-Awareness Workshop, n.d). The self-reflection process involves examining one's thought, emotions, and behaviors. After reflection, willingness to change is essential though a difficult step in achieving applicable self-awareness. I approve the ideas presented in this article. Self-awareness is essential for not only effective communication but also the quality of life in general.The communication process involves encoding a message by the source, the channeling process and decoding of the message by the recipient. Effective communication involves presenting one's idea or information in a way that minimizes problems in all the stages of communication. In the current work environment, there are various modes of communication used. Effective communication using all these modes become a necessary skill. The article â€Å"Communicate at your best† presents tool s and tips to improve one’s communications skills to achieve full effectiveness. It focuses on listening, report writing, email writing, presentations and meeting management (Manktelow, 2011). What I found particularly helpful was the self-assessment section after each area discussed. The sections encourage reflection and make the ideas presented applicable. I was able to improve my skills by identifying my areas of weakness. This article also included additional sources that offer more information on the subject.

Ethnicity and Religion Essay Example for Free

Ethnicity and Religion Essay This compared with around 45% of Hindus and Sikhs. In contrast, only 11% of white people described themselves as belonging to the Church of England. Amongst Muslim men over the age of 35, four in five reported that they visit mosque at least once every week. Data from the 1991 census demonstrates that Britain is ethnically diverse, there is a wide range of ethnic groups with different religious affiliations, and there are more ethnic groups than identified in the census data Modood and Berthoud (1997) analysed the 1991 Census data on ethnicity they suggest that ethnicity comprises: 1. Subjective identification: with which ethnicity do I and my group identify? 2. Religious identification; to what extent does it help construct ethnicity? A number of general points can be made about religious affiliation among ethnic minority groups; that is, those people comprising the 5. 49% of the population identified in the Census as non-white. Most ethnic groups are more religious than the majority of the population. The table below shows the results of a survey conducted in Britain which asked respondents to state their religious affiliation

Recommendation Brief for an Internal Auditor Essay Example for Free

Recommendation Brief for an Internal Auditor Essay The client has a problem with an out of control system. So, the client is asking for a recommendation to hire an internal auditor. In this recommendation brief the background benefits will be discuss. In the same brief the justifying the benefits of using the internal auditor will be discuss. In conclusion a recommendation on a person whose has the background for the auditor. Benefits of Internal Auditor Before discussing the benefits on internal auditor a definition of internal audit would be discuss. â€Å"An employee of a company charged with providing independent and objective evaluations of the companys financial and operational business activities, including its corporate governance†. (Investopedia, 2013) In addition to financial and operational business, the auditor has to do evaluation on the operation efficacy. The evaluations are reported to the upper level management. The reports could be in the form of recommendation. The recommendation would explain the methods to correct any areas that may not observe the laws and regulations. Benefits of an internal auditor are many. Also the benefits can be seen in the audit itself. According to the Institute of Internal Auditors, under Attribute Standard 2110 Governance the audit would: â€Å"1. Promoting appropriate ethics and values within the organization; 2. Ensuring effective organizational performance management and accountability; 3. Communicating risk and control information to appropriate areas of the organization; and 4. Coordinating the activities of and communicating information among the board, external and internal auditors and management†. (theiia.org, 2013) In addition the IIA states under the performance standard the auditor must do the following: 1. â€Å"Managing and Internal Audit Activities 2. Planning 3. Communication and Approval 4. Resource Management 5. Policies and Procedures 6. Coordination 7. Reporting to Senior Management and the board†.( theiia.org, 2013) The above can be considering benefits because the auditor will ensure that the controls within the system would be running smoothly. The most important benefit of internal auditor would ensure that the audit would how the controls do have the effectiveness towards the risks. These risks would be found in the governance. The controls would 1. Protect the company assets, 2. The effectiveness of operations, 3. Upholding (compliance) of the laws, regulations, policies. Background benefits the client The background benefits can help the client. The auditor would review the out of control system. Once the review is done the auditor could write how to correct the weak area. The review would provide the methods. The auditor has to make a recommendation to the upper level of management. In the recommendation the correct methods need to get the out of the control system into a control system. The benefits for the client is a under control of the system. Once the control system is working properly the company would lower some the risk. Risk like not obeying the regulations established by the government. If the company does not correct the problem then the company would have heavy legal problems. Referring a person for the job The auditor job position needs to be filled. The person who will fill this would need to have a Bachelor in Accounting or Masters in Accounting. At least some experience as a auditor. There will, from time to time, a need to do overtime. Ms. Jane Doe would be an excellent candidate for the auditor position. Ms. Doe has five years experience in auditing. Also, she has a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Accounting. She has been an instructor college level accounting course. Ms. Doe recently receive her CPA license and is available to start right of way. Conclusion Internal Auditor has an important role in a company. The internal auditor would keep the control system up to date. Also make sure the company’s control system does not go out of control. The are several regulations and laws that must be observe. The auditor has communicated, control, evaluate, and protect the company’s assets. The internal audit would show the weak areas or areas that are not in the accordance of the law. The internal auditor would make the necessary recommendation to the upper level management what changes have to be done to meet the laws and regulations. References Full Standards. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.theiia.org/guidance/standards-and-guidance/ippf/standards/full-standards/?search=risk www.investopedia.com. (2013). Definition of Internal Auditor. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/internalauditor.asp

Big Five Model of Leadership

Big Five Model of Leadership YONGKUN LI Â   Based on the results of your personality test, what do extant research say your leadership may or may not be like? Do you agree or disagree with the research findings? Identify some ways which you may be able to better develop your leadership potential. Is the leader born or made? For years, people was arguing about this question. With the development of the society, every organization or companies demand different skills and personal qualities in its leadership. Some researchers who advocate that personality traits are related to leadership emergence or effectiveness. In this essay, I will discuss the relationship between personality and leadership. There are different definitions of leadership have been presented over the years (Bass, 1998). Most definitions include one or more of the elements of goal achievement, teamwork or organization, and interpersonal reactions. According to Hogg, M (2001), leadership is a group process generated by social categorization and depersonalization processes associated with the social identity. In another word, leadership is kind of an ability to get other people to do what you want them to, willingly (Sendjaya, S., SpringerLink, 2015). However, leadership is kind of personal traits. According to Mayer, personality refers to individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving (2015). Based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), everyone has a natural leadership style that related to their personality types. The more consistent the characteristic and the more frequently it occurs in diverse situations, the more important the trait. When executives position changing into new roles or environments, it may need to explore or rein in different facets of their personality. The famous theory study about personality is Big Five model, including openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Neuroticism Neuroticism reflects the individual emotional adjustment process. High neuroticism individuals tend to have psychological stress, unrealistic thoughts, excessive demands and violence impulses. And it is more likely to experience negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, depression and so on. On the contrary, people with low neuroticism scores are less troubled, less emotional, and more stable. Openness Openness means that generous heart, bold, adventurous, and dislike familiar things or routine. It is described as a persons cognitive style. It has different aspects of openness. The openness of experience is defined as seeking and understanding of experience proactively. It compares curious, novel, non-traditional, and creative individuals with those that are traditional, non-artistic, and non-analytical. Openness people prefer abstract thinking, a wide range of interests. Closed people are practical, preferring, more traditional and conservative. Leaders with this tendency should be working more on openness and push themselves out of their comfort zone. Extroversion Extroversion can be advantageous in leadership. It represents the number and density of interpersonal interactions, the need for excitement, and the ability to be pleasant. This trait contrasts cross social, active, individual-oriented and silent, serious, shy, and quiet among people. It aspect can be measured by two qualities: interpersonal and vitality. The former assesses the degree to which individuals like others, while the latter reflects individual rhythms and vitality levels. Outgoing people like to contact with others, full of vitality, often feel positive emotions. They are passionate, like sports, like to stimulate adventure. In a group, they are very talkative, confident, would be attracted by the attention of others. On the other hand, introverted people are relatively quiet, cautious, do not like too much contact with the outside world. Agreeableness Extroversion is to assess the degree of individual likes with others, while the agreeableness examines the attitudes to others. It including, on the one hand, close, compassionate, trustworthy, lenient and soft-hearted. On the other hand, it including hostile, cynical, manipulative, vengeful and ruthless. Those who are agreeableness are satisfied, friendly, generous, helpful and willing to give up their interests for others. For some positions, too high agreeableness is not necessary, especially tough and objective judgments, such as scientists, critics, and soldiers. Conscientiousness Conscientiousness refers to our control, manage and regulate our own impulsive way of assessing an individual goal-oriented behavior on the organization, persistence, and motivation. It compares the trustworthy, exquisite individual and the lazy, sloppy among individuals. One risk for highly conscientious is that their perfectionism can cause them to lose sight of the big picture. On the other hand, individuals who tend to be more responsibility and flexible would make right decisions, which can get them earn more trust. References: Bass, B. (1998). Transformational leadership: Industrial, military, and educational impact. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Hogg, M. (2001). A Social Identity Theory of Leadership. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5(3), 184-200. Mayer, J. (2015). The personality systems framework: Current theory and development. Journal of Research in Personality,56, 4. Sendjaya, S., SpringerLink. (2015). Personal and organizational excellence through servant leadership: Learning to serve, serving to lead, leading to transform (Management for professionals).

Sid Meier’s Civilization (CIV) :: Personal Narrative Writing

Sid Meier’s Civilization (CIV) Sid Meier’s original Civilization, commonly abbreviated as CIV I or just simply CIV, is well known as the turn based strategy game. CIV was published by MicroProse in 1991, and in the decade since it has turned into a phenomenon complete with sequel games, expansion packs, spinoffs, and a cult following that rivals that of any other game one could care to name. The basic concept is deceptively simple and yet dangerously addictive. You begin the game with one Settler unit, and from there you go on to build a worldwide civilization with the ultimate aim of conquering the planet and/or building and launching a spaceship to Alpha Centauri. One of the many sequel games entails settling Alpha Centauri once you’ve gotten there. As good as the sequel games are, though, CIV I will always have a special place in my heart. My first introduction to the game came at my father’s knee. Dad was a computer gamer since before PCs even existed, having even written a few of his own. I was only six or seven at the time and I would watch as he and my brother, three years my elder, spent a lot of time in front of the computer staring at this pretty blue and green map with blinking pictures that did things which were largely incomprehensible to me. Naturally, I was rather jealous of the attention my brother was getting and I quickly decided I was going to play, too. No matter that I had no idea what I was doing. Over the years, with my father’s help, I eventually came to understand the game and I haven’t looked back since. In the years since then, though I’ve on occasion tried some of the sequels, I’ve always come back to CIV I. It seems like an awfully outdated, charming little DOS game nowadays, but it has an addictive quality that allows one to play it over and over and never h ave the same experience twice. Starting from scratch, the player has the chance to build an entire civilization. You construct cities, military units, and city improvements like granaries, libraries, and even Wonders of the World. You can build roads to connect your cities, and ships to move your settlers to other continents. Along the way your civilization gains knowledge which allows you to build better technology and city improvements. There are anywhere from two to six computer controlled civilizations that start with the same resources but in different regions of the map.

Free To Kill a Mockingbird Essays - The Families of Maycomb :: Kill Mockingbird essays

The Families of Maycomb    In the novel there are two families in the town of Maycomb that are very different. The Cunningham's and the Ewells have contrasting and opposite reputations. The Cunningham's are very respected in the town while the Ewells very much despised by the community. The Cunningham's show the respectability of hard worker or, where as Ewells are considered lazy. Miss Maudie is another character in the town who lives next to the Finch family. She is similar to the Cunningham's because she is a trusted figure who faces hard times very bravely and works hard in her garden.    The Cunningham's have pride, and are very respected by the citizen's of Maycomb County. The Cunningham's are given special privileges because there trusted. For example the Cunningham's paid Atticus Finch, a lawyer, for some legal work that Atticus did with their farm. They paid him not with money, but with food, and other services. The population of Maycomb County accepted this form of payment because they knew that the family had no money but was very honest, and extremely hard working. The Cunningham's would never take anything that they couldn't payback equally or with greater something of value. They were always considerate and would help you, and never consider about what was in it for them. The Cunningham's renewed their resources by doing this, people were glad to help them.    The Ewells were very different from the Cunningham's. Bob Ewell was a total drunk. He took what money he earned or stole and he drank it away. Mr. Ewell very rarely or if ever bought or cooked for his family a hot and total nutritious meal in his life. The Ewells used up the resources of the community. They scrounged around taking, and taking from others. People were disgusted when they helped the Ewells. The Ewells were liars, and were too ashamed to stop the slandering of Tom Robinson before it came uncontrollable, costing Tom his life.    Miss Maudie is a neighbor to the Finch Family. She shows more qualities of the Cunningham's and was a role model. Maudie respects others and minds her own business. She worked in her yard during the daytime and spent her evening on her front porch.

Raise In Red Lantern :: essays research papers

In  ¡Ã‚ §Raise the Red Lantern ¡Ã‚ ¨, the symbolic implications of the ancestral altar in the central reception hall go beyond the family walls, because it displays the portraits of all the powerful officals in the Chen family, thus suggesting the entire patriarchal tradition and its political power.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In  ¡Ã‚ §Raise the Red Lantern ¡Ã‚ ¨, the red lantern, an invented icon here (and one accused of being a fake cultural signifier used merely for sensational purposes), is the film ¡Ã‚ ¦s central symbol and most important metaphor. The colour red is a symbol of sexuality and eroticism, but no longer of passion. More importantly, it turns out to be associated with patriarchal and political power. To get the lantern lit refers to the victory of one woman over all the others, but at the same time it still represents failure for all the women because the woman who gains the lit lantern must be totally exposed, under the red light, before the gaze and under the control of the man. The color red here remains a symbol of blood and death, as in the death scenes of both the servant Yan ¡Ã‚ ¦er and the third wife, who dared to disobey the rules.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sound of the foot massages in Raise the Red Lantern echoes very well the rhythm of tension, obsession, and desire in the daily life of Chen ¡Ã‚ ¦s household. It seems to be the only promising and stimulating sound for the wives in that deadly quiet mansion. Moreover, this sound is often parallel to, or mixed with that of the footsteps of the master when he approaches the selected wife ¡Ã‚ ¦s room. This sound, then, creates a temporary illusion for the woman, who thinks she is going to win the man.

Music for survival or a luxury

Is music a luxury, or a necessity for humans? Even though we can live with out it, unlike food and water, I do believe music is a necessity. Even in countries where food and water are scarce, they will still find a way to make music. Some luxuries are necessary to live a peaceful life, music being one of them. So, with that being said, music not only helps us through the tough times, but also keeps us alive. Music Is like glue. It lets us keep our sanity. Music relates to us, thus letting us know, â€Å"Hey, you're not the only one going through this. Also, I'll bet my life that each and every one of o listens to music at least once a day. Weather It's on TV, or on the radio when you go to work, or even if you heat a street performer In a park, you've all heard music. If you haven't, then probably deaf. Music surrounds us, no matter what. Plus, music Is not only good for your health, It's good for your soul. For some people, music Is a distraction, but others, It helps them work, ex ercise, and even helps then remember easier. I know It dose for me. So many people suffer from depression across America, and across the world.An estimated 9. 2 million people suffer from depression. But, most of them seek out music that relates to them, makes them feel loved, or even just music in general. Music is their life, they live for music. And in some cases, music keeps them living. With out music, where would they be? But, this doesn't mean, â€Å"Unless your depressed, then you don't need music. † We all need music sometimes. Weather you're sad that your boyfriend/girlfriend broke up with you, or you got in a fight with your best friend, or you could Just be having a bad day.Music will always be there, waiting for you. Who doesn't Just want to curl up with a blanket and listen too loyalist of music you made when you're sad, maybe even bring your favorite book with you. Or, you're Just so happy, and you Just want to dance, you're most likely to put on a really good song, a Just dance till you can't. â€Å"Music expresses that witch cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent† – Victor Hugo Music is everywhere. It's on the TV we watch, on the streets we walk on, in the cars we drive, one could even say it's practically in the air we breath.No matter where you go, there's bound to be music. You might not be able to understand it, but it's still there. It's always has been, and always will be. In my life, personally, I listen to music for a good six hours per day. From the time my alarm goes off, to when my mom makes my take out my eat buds to go to bed. With out It, I don't know where I'd be. Music also brings people together. Whether It's at a concert, or someone Likes the same band as you. Music brings us closer then anything else on earth, expect love.I'd would have missed out on so many opportunities If It wasn't for music. To be honest, I met most of my friends thanks to music. Music brings us together, It's a fa ct. Some people consider music as a luxury though. Usually a luxury Is something that Is afforded my one group or person, but not by another, poorer group or person. But, that doesn't apply to music, as it is enjoyed across the entire planter, regardless of would want to? There is something special about music. It Just makes everything better. Music, at it's best moments, is a most miraculous expression of humanity.That's why I love it. For most people, music is a distraction. But for others, like myself, it actually helps them work. Music stimulates certain parts of the brain. When you're writhing an easy about, let's say, world hunger, you might want to listen to some music that you consider â€Å"emotional† while you write. By doing this, you could be more likely to be able to put more feeling into your easy. Also, collage students often listen to music while they study. That way, when you take the test, and the song pops up in your head, you'll remember what you learned.I f you listen to up-beat music while you exercise, it raises your heart beat, and making you work header. Up-beat music will also help you not fall asleep. Another good use for music is, when you hear a certain song, it might remind you of something. Like, the song that was playing when you had your first kiss. Or maybe you hear a song that was popular back when you were in gig school. Music works in strange ways. Music has the ability to make a person feel emotions, of course, we already knew that.The thing is though, one song could make a person feel so happy, and the person next to them could be in tears because of that song. It's weird how music has such an impact on our lives, and we hardly notice it. The same song you think sucks so much, could be the one thing that is keeping a person alive. Or maybe, that person could be you, who knows. But what we do know is this. The first written form of music can be traced all the way back to 600 AD, and can still be found and heard today all cross the world.If we didn't need music to survive, then why has it been around so long? Think about it. When the first song was sung, and the first instruments were played, who was there? Our ancestors were there, and I bet they were cheering on, and dancing, having a good old time. Enjoying life as if it would never end. Those first people past on their experiences on from generation to generation, and pretty soon, every one loved music. They couldn't get enough of it. It would be crime to take that away form us. Music is our history, music is our life. With out it, what are we?

McDonald’s quality service

McDonald’s quality service is very evident in every outlet it has all over the world. Arguably, serving its customers in an apt and courteous manner, each customer whenever not satisfied is aptly attended to. This is one standard protocol which is implemented in each McDonald’s restaurant. Each crew member is trained and oriented by the head store manager and its store area managers, in order to be efficient in handling the needs of its various customers. In able to make speedy service possible and to ensure accuracy and security, many fast food restaurants have incorporated hospitality point of sale systems (Ray Kroc, Grinding it out: The Making of McDonald’s, 1977). This makes it possible for kitchen crew personnel to screen orders place at front counter and drive through at the actual time. Wireless systems allow orders placed at drive through speakers to be taken by cashiers, as well as kitchen personnel. Drive-through and walk through configurations will allow orders to be taken at one register and paid at the succeeding window. Modern point of sale systems can operate on computer networks using a wide array of software programs. Sales records can be generated and remote access to computer reports can be given to corporate offices, managers, troubleshooters, and some authorized personnel. With this in mind, quality service at McDonald’s is assumed and secured for the betterment of its loyal customers and the company as well. While fast food restaurants usually have a dining area in which customers can eat the food on the premises, some orders are designed to be taken away, and traditional table service is rare. Orders are generally taken and paid for at a wide counter, with the customer waiting by the counter for a tray or container for their food. A â€Å"drive-thru† service can allow customers to order and pick up food from their cars. Nearly from its inception, fast food has been designed to be eaten â€Å"on the go† and often does not require traditional cutlery and is eaten as a finger food (Ray Kroc, Grinding it out: The Making of McDonald’s, 1977). Common menu items at fast food outlets include fish and chips, sandwiches, pitas, hamburgers, fried chicken, french fries, chicken nuggets, tacos, pizza, and ice cream, although many fast-food restaurants offer â€Å"slower† foods like chili, mashed potatoes, and salads. The quality service of McDonald’s doesn’t end there. The company gives a premium on each customer’s health in order to reciprocate the loyalty a customer gives to the company. Some of the large fast food chains are beginning to incorporate healthier alternatives in their menu as well. For instance, white meat, snack wraps, salads and fresh fruits are made available. However, some people see these moves as a tokenistic and commercial measure, rather than an appropriate reaction to ethical concerns about the world ecology and people's health. McDonald's announced that in March of 2006, the chain would include nutritional information on the packaging of all its products. Yet amidst the quality service that the company provides, some customers and lobbyists are not contented with what the prominent fast food chain does to suit the various needs of its customers. Because of commercial emphasis on speed, uniformity and low cost, fast food products are often made with ingredients formulated to achieve a certain flavor or consistency and to preserve freshness. This requires a high degree of food engineering, the use of additives and processing techniques substantially alter the food from its original form and reduce its nutritional value. Wal-Mart The Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is chain of grocery stores launched by Wal-Mart in 1998. These stores are designed to be the opposite of vastly enormous superstores. These smaller stores are supposed to entice shoppers with easier parking, less crowded aisles and faster checkout.   Neighborhood Market stores offer a wide variety of products that includes a full-line of groceries, pharmaceuticals, health and beauty aids, photo developing services, and a limited selection of general merchandise. Generally, located in markets with Wal-Mart Supercenters, they supplement Wal-Mart's strong food distribution network. As of May 31, 2007, there were 118 Neighborhood Markets in the United States. Yet customer service has also gone downhill in a big way. For instance, a   customer waited over a half hour for someone to come and assist me in the bicycle department, finally leaving because no one could be bothered. One of the cashiers called and called for assistance to no avail. The woman in the infant department, which she believed to be the department head, that wouldn't even begin to try to get me a price on an unmarked car seat. She told the customer that it must be the same price as another seat which was nearby that was clearly a better quality, more expensive seat. The Customer feel like the people of this area are being taken advantage of and being treated poorly because of the fact that places to shop are so limited here. Half of the time some people can't find what they are supposed to be looking for, simply because it isn't in stock anymore. You can forget about finding any decent shoes. What has happened to the quality at Wal-mart? I know many people who share my feelings about the way Wal-mart has become, and many of us are considering paying a little more elsewhere to get the service and quality that we prefer. Furthermore, their idea of â€Å"merchandising† has increasingly gotten so cheap and sloppy. If you're looking for let's say sunglasses, don't dare imagine that they'd all be in the same logical area — they are scattered on strips hung at end of aisles in practically any department. How do they control their inventory? Now their inventory approach would be confidential and unpredictable, after all it is Wal-Mart, not Nordstrom's. The apathy at Wal-Mart is not proper. You are then left to â€Å"fend for yourself† at the â€Å"baggage carousel† and hope that you retrieved all your bags, as the next order is already hot on your heels. With this in mind, some customer would rather shop on Wal-Mart online. This gives the customers a convenient way of shopping with the use of the internet. It is practical for some people who spent most of their time at home. One simply can browse through the variety of products by choosing a category. For customers, this is a hassle-free and not time consuming at all. The customer spares himself from some obnoxious employees that cannot attend to you whenever you need assistance to find a certain product. Yet this is not a solution to the demands of customers. Quality service must be assured in every Wal-Mart store. The company must set standard protocols for an employee to perform their job in an objective manner. Perhaps, Wal-Mart is not even considering such yet they have quality assurance with the products that they sell. So, why not imply quality assurance with regards to employee-customer relationships? Wal-Mart is like the â€Å"McDonald’s† of department stores because they customer satisfaction and quality service are overlooked and not given proper attention by its company executives. For the employees to perform their job well, the company executives should not hire them simply for the sake of having personnel at their prominent department store. References: Ray Kroc, Grinding it out: The Making of McDonald’s, 1977 Wal-Mart 2006 Annual Report, 2006                        

The Cultural Anchoring Of Leadership Styles

With globalisation and related intensification of trade and commerce effective leadership has become indispensable in the business world. Where traditionally the business leader took the role of commanding â€Å"the troops† towards effectiveness and efficiency this has changed dramatically over the last decades. The service industry rise, knowledge management trends, increased workforce diversity combined with international trading and global sourcing of talent, has considerably reshaped the role of the leader in the contemporary organisation.Numerous firms are in global alliances depending upon flexibility/adaptability to local markets, requiring their managers to possess appropriate leadership styles to cope effectively with different value systems and cultures (Fahy, 2002; Coviello et al. , 1998). 2Arguably, the flattening of hierarchical structures has also contributed to this reshaping process as traditional sources of authority, upon which leaders have built on for years , have been diminished.Combined with the rise of new trading powers such as the â€Å"Asian Dragon†, business leaders, especially in international MNEs do not only face domestic multiculturalism and diversity but are also increasingly expatriated. Consequently completely new cultural pitfalls and challenges are faced requiring understanding of cultural values as well as quick cultural adaptation to transfer domestic leadership abilities into foreign markets. Combined with steadily rising competitive pressures, the contemporary business leader in a role not easily filled.Despite leadership being a universal concept (Bass, 1990), with most literature anchored in the (individualistically oriented) US, it has been questioned to what extend western leadership styles are cross-culturally transferable (Dorfman, 2003). Resultantly, debate has sparked over how far leadership is culturally contingent, if universal leadership qualities and tactics exist and what the explanatory variable s are (Scandura & Dorfman, 2004).This assignment aims at contributing towards this debate by exploring leadership disparity and possible congruence between the UK and Japan using academic measurement of national culture; Hofstede’s framework respectively. The next section will give an overview over the concept of leadership followed by an in-depth cultural comparison and concluding section. 4The term leadership incorporates some elements of controversy over its meaning and practices. Different cultural gist or terminology or in cross-cultural contexts makes a universal definition difficult (Yukl, 2002).This seems unsurprising as the understandings and expectations of authority roles differ between cultures. Nevertheless, despite cultural differences the majority of leadership definitions reflect some basic elements these manly being â€Å"group†, â€Å"influence† and â€Å"goal† (Bryman, 1992). Keeping this in mind, leadership can be seen as the â€Å"pr ocess of influencing others towards achieving some kind of desired outcome. † (De Jong & Den Hartog, 2007, p. 44) or bluntly spoken â€Å"leadership is the ability to get [people] to do what they don’t like to do and like it†Whilst this is a very basic attempt of a definition it allows for easier application in a cross-cultural context and highlights an important point: In order to lead one needs followers (Drucker, 2007). It is here where the inseparable link to power emerges whereby the power of leaders is largely dependent upon the perception of others (Hollander & Julian, 1969; Maurer & Lord, 1991; Pfeffer, 1977) but nevertheless forms the basis of leadership authority.It appears that only effective use of this power, combined with â€Å"leading by example† (Pfeffer, 1981) will result in positive and proactive guidance fostering creativity, innovation, commitment and long term organisational development. 6However, this is questionable and it seems that far too often in academic literature the terms â€Å"manager† and â€Å"leader† are merged giving a blurred picture of what each role actually entails. Readers should be reminded that leaders, unlike managers, do not have to rely on forms of power to influence subordinates, often actually relinquishing formal authoritarian control.This is due to the idea that to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary activity. Nevertheless, it can be argued that even leaders need some foundation of authority; may it only be their charisma (Weber, 1968). This has been manifested in the participative, charismatic or transformative styles of leadership (Den Hartog & Koopman, 2001) as oppose to the transactional style more related to operational, task focused managers.Especially in western economies with predominant service industries, innovation and knowledge management, the former have been the focal point in recent years as autocratic leadership styles do no lon ger seem sufficient to extract the full potential of an increasingly knowledgeable, highly skilled and demanding workforce. Such, arguably â€Å"softer† approaches fostering employee involvement and participation have nevertheless been proven to result in increased organisational performance (Bass, 1996; 1997; House & Shamir, 1993) and are arguably more â€Å"ideal† forms of organisational leadership (Bass & Avolio, 1989).This might be applicable to western societies yet a cross-cultural generalisation might be prejudiced and the influence of personal values and cultural influences upon leadership styles should not be ignored (Byrne & Bradley, 2007). Rather, culture, an essential component of which is personal values (Kroeber, 1952; Kluckhohm, 1949), is to be seen at a centre stage when analysing leadership differences (George et al. , 1998; Nakata & Sivakumar, 1996; Steenkamp et al. , 1999; Cadogan et al. 2001), as t is â€Å"the collective programming of the mind wh ich distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another† (Hofstede, 1980, p.260) and shape leadership preferences.Culture hereby should not be limited to national culture but has to be extended to incorporating organisational as well as political culture (Schein, 1985), the latter two arguably being extensively shaped by the former. Democratic or authoritarian political systems, national values regarding sex differences and ethical behaviour as well as organisational attitudes towards factors such as centralisation and work attitude, undoubtedly influence leadership styles.Not only will such factors shape leadership approaches, but with regard to cultural differences these will often even stand in conflict to each other. Consequently domestically implemented leadership approaches might not be applicable in other cultural settings and render ineffective in maintaining firm sustained competitive advantage and superior international performance (Kimber, 1997 ; Jackson and Aycan, 2001; Pfeffer, 2002).The next section will investigate the effect of cultural values upon leadership styles in detail using the U and Japan as examples. 9British leadership style has often been described as more casual in nature fostering teamwork and seeking group consensus (Lewis, 2001). As such, a more participative leadership style is predominant reflecting flatter hierarchical structures in UK organisations. So, hierarchical structures not primarily seem as means to establish authority structures (Laurent, 1983) but more as core administrative frameworks.This according to Hofstede (2001), is a reflection of the UK’s low association to Power Distance. Essentially, subordinates do not attribute much to position and title and leaders must â€Å"embody a collective will and take personal responsibility for it while continuing to communicate and co-operate with the team† (Mole, 1990, p. 105). Unsurprisingly, networking capability and people managem ent skills are highly valued in the UK (Stewart et al. 1994) as leadership qualities.Nevertheless, this (collectivist) team and people orientation is mainly seem as a path towards achieving organisational targets and innovation assuring individuals in team settings aggregate knowledge that has strategic relevance to the organisation (Miller &Morris, 1999). As such transformational leadership attitudes (Burns, 1978) can be seen where leaders are to create conditions under which subordinates devotedly contribute to the organisation yet this is done primarily through a strategic lens. (McCarthy, 2005).Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxon system of shareholder satisfaction drives leaders towards task orientation often combined with a short-term outlook. As such quick, short-term organisational (financial) success is often more valued than long-term organisational success and relationship building, reflecting according to Hofstede, a culture of highly short term orientation and low uncertainty avoidance. Essentially, risks are seen as part of daily business practice and leadership approaches reflect that subordinates are given opportunity to implement potentially rewarding, but high risk, strategies.This shows that, despite team orientation and a one might say more relaxed, friendly and diplomatic leadership style, the British cannot deny their American leadership style influence, fostering structured individualism, speed and drive (Lewis, 2001). Falsely, m any authors seem to ignore this connection, even so influences of hire and fire mentality and the creating of specialist roles underlining a core individualistic attitude are undeniable reflecting British national, and interlinked to that, legal and organisational culture.Such individualistic attitude constantly resurfaces in leadership styles often portrayed through individual target setting, remuneration practices and shorter employment contracts. Employees do not look for lifetime employment and a steady career in o ne company resultantly British leaders are more reluctant to invest heavily in the training and education of subordinates (Schneider & Littrell, 2003). This continues to the often actively sought after and purposely created assertive and competitive environment amongst colleagues or departments reflecting a relatively high masculine attitude as Hofstede’s culture scale clearly outlines.While these attributes sketch general aspects of British leadership, styles will vary between organisations, industries and individuals. Service- or R&D intensive industries for example, will follow a more Theory Y (McGregor, 1960) approach fostering employee involvement and empowerment. Leadership on traditional manufacturing industries on the other hand due to their reliance on productivity and output combined with an often repetitive working atmosphere, might take a more Theory X attitude.In contrast to the UK, Japanese leadership, like many Asian countries, is grounded in Confucian principl es (Redding, 1990; Tan, 1986) and despite rising western influences, strong Confucian traits believing in moral, interpersonal relationships/loyalties, education and hard work still lurk beneath the surface (Lewis, 2001). Especially â€Å"taking the family as a model for society at large, Confucianism is basically authoritarian and stresses hierarchical and status differences† (Selmer, 2001, p.8).As such, through its vertically orientated hierarchies and rigid organisation (Chen, 1995) one would expect Japan to score higher than the UK in Hofstede’s power distance index, and so indeed it does. This offers leaders with traditional and legitimate power bases however, surprisingly not resulting in autocratic leadership styles as one would expect, but far more the association of assertiveness-authority and reason tactics (Schmidt & Yeh, 1992).As such, Japanese leadership style rewards subordinate respect and obedience with highly paternalistic attitudes, expressed by mendo u: â€Å"I think about your, I will take care of you† (Dorfman et al. 1997). Consequently, the Japanese leadership culture, despite placing emphasising hierarchy and status differences requiring full subordinate obedience, expects helping and caring for followers and being involved in their personal lives (Whitehall & Takezawa, 1968; Bass et al.1979).As a result the most powerful force of the Japanese leader is not autocracy but charisma combined with intrinsic rather than extrinsic (materialistic) reward mechanisms often predominant in the UK: bonuses, on-target-earnings, etc. (Maslow, 1943, 1954). This seems surprising considering the high masculine score, which, from a western perspective would result in autocratic, top down, assertive, tough and focused on material success (Hofstede, 1998) leadership.It is here where Hofstede’s framework seems to only partly explain the Japanese culture and low individualism but high masculinity and power distance stand in conflict with each other. 14Additionally, in such an environment more focus towards ascription rather than achievement would be expected (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1997, 2000). Nevertheless, the contrary appears in the Japanese context with leaders having to possess superior, often specific, (hard) knowledge supplemented by strong educational backgrounds (Nestler, 2008).Here another disparity to UK leadership emerges, where despite educational background being important for initial work placement, greater focus upon (soft) â€Å"people skills† and strategic directive is desired and ascription of leadership positions remains (Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars, 1994). 15The collectivist principles shape Japanese leadership style dramatically, requiring group consensus and decision-making despite extremely high masculinity and higher power distance.Essentially a â€Å"bottom-up† (ringsho) process of decision-making is chosen (Wu, 2006) with the leader granting independent decision making to the group generally letting subordinates use their own approaches to achieve overall collectivist objectives (Dorfman et al. 1997). This is surprising, as in western societies strong hierarchical structures often result in a â€Å"top-down† leadership approach but can be explained through high uncertainly avoidance collecting input and consensus from all parties involved before decisions are made.Even more so, the concepts of â€Å"wa† (maintaining social relationships) and â€Å"kao† (maintaining â€Å"face†) actually require the involvement of subordinates in the decision making process and the preservation of harmony rendering western leader contingent punishment behaviour inappropriate. It is here where Japanese leadership style diverts extensively from its UK (Anglo-Saxon) counterpart where public scrutinising is part of daily leadership practices reflecting a competitive and individualistic culture driven by short-term financial objective s with high-risk acceptance.Due to the collectivist environment and extensive future planning, Japanese managers on the other hand, do not view themselves as risk takers, despite this characteristic often being attributed to charismatic leaders (Bass, 1985). This is reflected in Japan’s extremely high uncertainty avoidance score and is further supported by strong long-term orientation valuing prevailing face and harmony. Unsurprisingly, life-long employment is desired, supplemented b continued job rotation aimed at developing employees.As a result leaders and subordinates enter into long and close relationships hardly ever interrupted contrasting the UK’s â€Å"burn out† environment fostering high staff turnover. Unlike in the UK, Japanese business leaders look for generalist employees capable of working in multiple levels of the organisation reflecting a society placing less value upon specialists than western cultures. 17Overall, Japanese leaders focus upon co llective (not individual) responsibility (Hayashi, 1988) and group harmony maintenance is usually considered more important than profitability and overall productivity (Bass, 1990).Nevertheless, also Japanese leaders have to drive performance resulting in somewhat of a trade-off situation between performance and collectivist harmony maintenance. According to the performance-maintenance theory (Misumi, 1990), Japanese leaders have to chose between goal achievement and the continuation of the group, preferably combining high levels of both (Misumi, 1995). If this is achieved, such supportive or participative leadership styles (Ouchi, 1981) are said to result in â€Å"higher levels of motivation, delegation of decision-making, commitment, and intrinsic job satisfaction† (Keys and Miller, 1982, p.6). This appears to be in line with the currently preferred leadership style in the UK.However, one should not forget that unlike the Japanese working environment, the UK has been subjec t to great inward as well as outward FDI flows resulting in a blending of many different leadership approaches. As such arguably UK leaders would find it easier to adapt to Japanese principles than Japanese leaders. This is due to the western â€Å"farce† of collectivist team working for individualistic goals and the limited respect paid to status differences.While Hofstede’s framework helps to understand the leadership differences between the two countries if fails to explain some factors. So for examples does high Japanese power distance explain hierarchical structures and respect to superiors but the theoretical assumptions of complete centralisation of power, low emphasis on developing the workforce and autocratic top-down contact initiation (Hofstede, 1991) do not fully reflect the Japanese working environment.On this note one should not forget that Hofstede’s framework is not free of criticism and arguably is outdated, limited in scope of methodology and m easurement (Dorfman and Howell, 1988; Roberts and Boyciligiller, 1984) and only reflects a blend of organisational (IBM) culture and national cultures (Hunt, 1983; Robinson, 1983). As such it is no surprise that other studies such as the GLOBE project have found differing or even contradictory results for similar cultural dimensions. The Cultural Anchoring Of Leadership Styles With globalisation and related intensification of trade and commerce effective leadership has become indispensable in the business world. Where traditionally the business leader took the role of commanding â€Å"the troops† towards effectiveness and efficiency this has changed dramatically over the last decades.The service industry rise, knowledge management trends, increased workforce diversity combined with international trading and global sourcing of talent, has considerably reshaped the role of the leader in the contemporary organisation. Numerous firms are in global alliances depending upon flexibility/adaptability to local markets, requiring their managers to possess appropriate leadership styles to cope effectively with different value systems and cultures (Fahy, 2002; Coviello et al., 1998).Arguably, the flattening of hierarchical structures has also contributed to this reshaping process as traditional sources of authority, upon which leaders have built on for years, h ave been diminished. Combined with the rise of new trading powers such as the â€Å"Asian Dragon†, business leaders, especially in international MNEs do not only face domestic multiculturalism and diversity but are also increasingly expatriated.Consequently completely new cultural pitfalls and challenges are faced requiring understanding of cultural values as well as quick cultural adaptation to transfer domestic leadership abilities into foreign markets. Combined with steadily rising competitive pressures, the contemporary business leader in a role not easily filled.Despite leadership being a universal concept (Bass, 1990), with most literature anchored in the (individualistically oriented) US, it has been questioned to what extend western leadership styles are cross-culturally transferable (Dorfman, 2003). Resultantly, debate has sparked over how far leadership is culturally contingent, if universal leadership qualities and tactics exist and what the explanatory variables a re (Scandura & Dorfman, 2004).This assignment aims at contributing towards this debate by exploring leadership disparity and possible congruence between the UK and Japan using academic measurement of national culture; Hofstede’s framework respectively. The next section will give an overview over the concept of leadership followed by an in-depth cultural comparison and concluding section.The term leadership incorporates some elements of controversy over its meaning and practices. Different cultural gist or terminology or in cross-cultural contexts makes a universal definition difficult (Yukl, 2002). This seems unsurprising as the understandings and expectations of authority roles differ between cultures. Nevertheless, despite cultural differences the majority of leadership definitions reflect some basic elements these manly being â€Å"group†, â€Å"influence† and â€Å"goal† (Bryman, 1992).Keeping this in mind, leadership can be seen as the â€Å"process of influencing others towards achieving some kind of desired outcome.† (De Jong & Den Hartog, 2007, p. 44) or bluntly spoken â€Å"leadership is the ability to get [people] to do what they don’t like to do and like it† (Truman in Sadler, 2003, p. 5).Whilst this is a very basic attempt of a definition it allows for easier application in a cross-cultural context and highlights an important point: In order to lead one needs followers (Drucker, 2007). It is here where the inseparable link to power emerges whereby the power of leaders is largely dependent upon the perception of others (Hollander & Julian, 1969; Maurer & Lord, 1991; Pfeffer, 1977) but nevertheless forms the basis of leadership authority. It appears that only effective use of this power, combined with â€Å"leading by example† (Pfeffer, 1981) will result in positive and proactive guidance fostering creativity, innovation, commitment and long term organisational development.However, this is quest ionable and it seems that far too often in academic literature the terms â€Å"manager† and â€Å"leader† are merged giving a blurred picture of what each role actually entails. Readers should be reminded that leaders, unlike managers, do not have to rely on forms of power to influence subordinates, often actually relinquishing formal authoritarian control. This is due to the idea that to lead is to have followers, and following is always a voluntary activity.Nevertheless, it can be argued that even leaders need some foundation of authority; may it only be their charisma (Weber, 1968). This has been manifested in the participative, charismatic or transformative styles of leadership (Den Hartog & Koopman, 2001) as oppose to the transactional style more related to operational, task focused  managers. Especially in western economies with predominant service industries, innovation and knowledge management, the former have been the focal point in recent years as autocrati c leadership styles do no longer seem sufficient to extract the full potential of an increasingly knowledgeable, highly skilled and demanding workforce.Such, arguably â€Å"softer† approaches fostering employee involvement and participation have nevertheless been proven to result in increased organisational performance (Bass, 1996; 1997; House & Shamir, 1993) and are arguably more â€Å"ideal† forms of organisational leadership (Bass & Avolio, 1989).This might be applicable to western societies yet a cross-cultural generalisation might be prejudiced and the influence of personal values and cultural influences upon leadership styles should not be ignored (Byrne & Bradley, 2007). Rather, culture, an essential component of which is personal values (Kroeber, 1952; Kluckhohm, 1949), is to be seen at a centre stage when analysing leadership differences (George et al., 1998; Nakata & Sivakumar, 1996; Steenkamp et al., 1999; Cadogan et al. 2001), as t is â€Å"the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one group or category of people from another† (Hofstede, 1980, p. 260) and shape leadership preferences.Culture hereby should not be limited to national culture but has to be extended to incorporating organisational as well as political culture (Schein, 1985), the latter two arguably being extensively shaped by the former. Democratic or authoritarian political systems, national values regarding sex differences and ethical behaviour as well as organisational attitudes towards factors such as centralisation and work attitude, undoubtedly influence leadership styles.Not only will such factors shape leadership approaches, but with regard to cultural differences these will often even stand in conflict to each other. Consequently domestically implemented leadership approaches might not be applicable in other cultural settings and render ineffective in maintaining firm sustained competitive advantage and superior internationa l performance (Kimber, 1997; Jackson and Aycan, 2001; Pfeffer, 2002). The next section will investigate the effect of cultural values upon leadership styles in detail using the U and Japan as examples.British leadership style has often been described as more casual in nature fostering teamwork and seeking group consensus (Lewis, 2001). As such, a more participative leadership style is predominant reflecting flatter hierarchical structures in UK organisations. So, hierarchical structures not primarily seem as means to establish authority structures (Laurent, 1983) but more as core administrative frameworks. This according to Hofstede (2001), is a reflection of the UK’s low association to Power Distance. Essentially, subordinates do not attribute much to position and title and leaders must â€Å"embody a collective will and take personal responsibility for it while continuing to communicate and co-operate with the team† (Mole, 1990, p. 105).Unsurprisingly, networking cap ability and people management skills are highly valued in the UK (Stewart et al. 1994) as leadership qualities. Nevertheless, this (collectivist) team and people orientation is mainly seem as a path towards achieving organisational targets and innovation assuring individuals in team settings aggregate knowledge that has strategic relevance to the organisation (Miller &Morris, 1999). As such transformational leadership attitudes (Burns, 1978) can be seen where leaders are to create conditions under which subordinates devotedly contribute to the organisation yet this is done primarily through a strategic lens. (McCarthy, 2005).Nevertheless, the Anglo-Saxon system of shareholder satisfaction drives leaders towards task orientation often combined with a short-term outlook. As such quick, short-term organisational (financial) success is often more valued than long-term organisational success and relationship building, reflecting according to Hofstede, a culture of highly short term orien tation and low uncertainty avoidance. Essentially, risks are seen as part of daily business practice and leadership approaches reflect that subordinates are given opportunity to implement potentially rewarding, but high risk, strategies.This shows that, despite team orientation and a one might say more relaxed, friendly and diplomatic leadership style, the British cannot deny their American leadership style influence, fostering structured individualism, speed and drive (Lewis, 2001). Falsely, m any authors seem to  ignore this connection, even so influences of hire and fire mentality and the creating of specialist roles underlining a core individualistic attitude are undeniable reflecting British national, and interlinked to that, legal and organisational culture. Such individualistic attitude constantly resurfaces in leadership styles often portrayed through individual target setting, remuneration practices and shorter employment contracts.Employees do not look for lifetime emplo yment and a steady career in one company resultantly British leaders are more reluctant to invest heavily in the training and education of subordinates (Schneider & Littrell, 2003). This continues to the often actively sought after and purposely created assertive and competitive environment amongst colleagues or departments reflecting a relatively high masculine attitude as Hofstede’s culture scale clearly outlines.While these attributes sketch general aspects of British leadership, styles will vary between organisations, industries and individuals. Service- or R&D intensive industries for example, will follow a more Theory Y (McGregor, 1960) approach fostering employee involvement and empowerment. Leadership on traditional manufacturing industries on the other hand due to their reliance on productivity and output combined with an often repetitive working atmosphere, might take a more Theory X attitude.In contrast to the UK, Japanese leadership, like many Asian countries, is grounded in Confucian principles (Redding, 1990; Tan, 1986) and despite rising western influences, strong Confucian traits believing in moral, interpersonal relationships/loyalties, education and hard work still lurk beneath the surface (Lewis, 2001). Especially â€Å"taking the family as a model for society at large, Confucianism is basically authoritarian and stresses hierarchical and status differences† (Selmer, 2001, p. 8).As such, through its vertically orientated hierarchies and rigid organisation (Chen, 1995) one would expect Japan to score higher than the UK in Hofstede’s power distance index, and so indeed it does. This offers leaders with traditional and legitimate power bases however, surprisingly not resulting in autocratic leadership styles as one would expect, but far more the association of assertiveness-authority and reason tactics (Schmidt & Yeh, 1992).As such, Japanese leadership style rewards subordinate respect and obedience with highly paternalisti c attitudes, expressed by mendou: â€Å"I think about your, I will take care of you† (Dorfman et al. 1997). Consequently, the Japanese leadership culture, despite placing emphasising hierarchy and status differences requiring full subordinate obedience, expects helping and caring for followers and being involved in their personal lives (Whitehall & Takezawa, 1968; Bass et al. 1979).As a result the most powerful force of the Japanese leader is not autocracy but charisma combined with intrinsic rather than extrinsic (materialistic) reward mechanisms often predominant in the UK: bonuses, on-target-earnings, etc. (Maslow, 1943, 1954). This seems surprising considering the high masculine score, which, from a western perspective would result in autocratic, top down, assertive, tough and focused on material success (Hofstede, 1998) leadership. It is here where Hofstede’s framework seems to only partly explain the Japanese culture and low individualism but high masculinity and power distance stand in conflict with each other.Additionally, in such an environment more focus towards ascription rather than achievement would be expected (Trompenaars & Hampden-Turner, 1997, 2000). Nevertheless, the contrary appears in the Japanese context with leaders having to possess superior, often specific, (hard) knowledge supplemented by strong educational backgrounds (Nestler, 2008). Here another disparity to UK leadership emerges, where despite educational background being important for initial work placement, greater focus upon (soft) â€Å"people skills† and strategic directive is desired and ascription of leadership positions remains (Hampden-Turner & Trompenaars, 1994).The collectivist principles shape Japanese leadership style dramatically, requiring group consensus and decision-making despite extremely high masculinity and higher power distance. Essentially a â€Å"bottom-up† (ringsho) process of decision-making is chosen (Wu, 2006) with the leader granting independent decision making to the group generally letting subordinates use their own approaches to achieve overall collectivist objectives (Dorfman et al. 1997). This is surprising, as in western societies strong hierarchical  structures often result in a â€Å"top-down† leadership approach but can be explained through high uncertainly avoidance collecting input and consensus from all parties involved before decisions are made.Even more so, the concepts of â€Å"wa† (maintaining social relationships) and â€Å"kao† (maintaining â€Å"face†) actually require the involvement of subordinates in the decision making process and the preservation of harmony rendering western leader contingent punishment behaviour inappropriate. It is here where Japanese leadership style diverts extensively from its UK (Anglo-Saxon) counterpart where public scrutinising is part of daily leadership practices reflecting a competitive and individualistic culture driven b y short-term financial objectives with high-risk acceptance.Due to the collectivist environment and extensive future planning, Japanese managers on the other hand, do not view themselves as risk takers, despite this characteristic often being attributed to charismatic leaders (Bass, 1985). This is reflected in Japan’s extremely high uncertainty avoidance score and is further supported by strong long-term orientation valuing prevailing face and harmony. Unsurprisingly, life-long employment is desired, supplemented b continued job rotation aimed at developing employees.As a result leaders and subordinates enter into long and close relationships hardly ever interrupted contrasting the UK’s â€Å"burn out† environment fostering high staff turnover. Unlike in the UK, Japanese business leaders look for generalist employees capable of working in multiple levels of the organisation reflecting a society placing less value upon specialists than western cultures.Overall, J apanese leaders focus upon collective (not individual) responsibility (Hayashi, 1988) and group harmony maintenance is usually considered more important than profitability and overall productivity (Bass, 1990). Nevertheless, also Japanese leaders have to drive performance resulting in somewhat of a trade-off situation between performance and collectivist harmony maintenance. According to the performance-maintenance theory (Misumi, 1990), Japanese leaders have to chose between goal achievement and the continuation of the group, preferably combining high levels of both (Misumi, 1995).If this is achieved, such supportive or  participative leadership styles (Ouchi, 1981) are said to result in â€Å"higher levels of motivation, delegation of decision-making, commitment, and intrinsic job satisfaction† (Keys and Miller, 1982, p. 6). This appears to be in line with the currently preferred leadership style in the UK. However, one should not forget that unlike the Japanese working e nvironment, the UK has been subject to great inward as well as outward FDI flows resulting in a blending of many different leadership approaches. As such arguably UK leaders would find it easier to adapt to Japanese principles than Japanese leaders. This is due to the western â€Å"farce† of collectivist team working for individualistic goals and the limited respect paid to status differences.While Hofstede’s framework helps to understand the leadership differences between the two countries if fails to explain some factors. So for examples does high Japanese power distance explain hierarchical structures and respect to superiors but the theoretical assumptions of complete centralisation of power, low emphasis on developing the workforce and autocratic top-down contact initiation (Hofstede, 1991) do not fully reflect the Japanese working environment.On this note one should not forget that Hofstede’s framework is not free of criticism and arguably is outdated, lim ited in scope of methodology and measurement (Dorfman and Howell, 1988; Roberts and Boyciligiller, 1984) and only reflects a blend of organisational (IBM) culture and national cultures (Hunt, 1983; Robinson, 1983). As such it is no surprise that other studies such as the GLOBE project have found differing or even contradictory results for similar cultural dimensions.