Leadership Approaches

Introduction

In this present era with various leadership approaches available, Leadership is an important individual trait that helps the people to become successful, personally and professionally. Development of the effective leadership abilities and skills assist the individuals in enhancing positive individual growth in the personal life as well as professional life. Effective adoption of justified and appropriate leadership style can build effective decision-making capabilities within an individual, which will help to become a successful leader shortly.

This is a vital fact to state that the consideration of the leadership capabilities can add effective value in the personal life of an individual. It will enhance an effective life experience, which can assist the particular individual to implement the experience and skills in near future in the decision making process. It is a process of development of successful and skilled leaders.

Most importantly, every individual needs to adopt adequate leadership skills to become successful in the professional career as adequate leadership approaches can help to get effective social recognition. Moreover, the implication of the appropriate leadership styles can also assist an individual to attract the followers within the society. This essay will provide an in-detailed discussion on how the course in leadership can add value to the life experience of the individuals as preparation for leadership.

Discussion

Leadership and ethics are directly related to each other. All the future professionals and present job seekers want to become a successful professional in the individual life. In this particular process, all the individuals need to adopt some particular leadership styles and approaches. It is acceptable that the adoption and application of the leadership approach always depend upon the behavioral traits and personality of the individuals.

It is true that the behavioral traits and personality of people used to differ from an individual to another individual (Long, 2016). However, the individuals can adopt different types of leadership styles, such as transformational leadership style, transactional leadership style, autocratic leadership style, laissez-faire leadership style, visionary leadership style, charismatic leadership style, democratic leadership style, etc.

This usually depends upon the personality traits of people. Every positive behavioral study indicates that the appropriate application of these leadership approaches actually can enhance positive organizational ethics and strong business ethics (Sekerka et al., 2014). Strong business ethics is important for the companies in this contemporary era to grow profitability and the leaders need to follow the ethical pathway to enhance sustainable career growth. Therefore, ethics is important for all the leaders and future job seekers.

Leadership Approaches: Case Study

The completion of course in leadership acts as a value added skill development process, which helps in the enhancement of adequate leadership approaches and outcome. An example of the leadership approach adopted by PepsiCo can be considered. The management of PepsiCo has adopted the transformational leadership approach in which the company management has maintained strong ethics across all the organizational departments (Ubah, 2016).

The coursework in leadership will help the future professionals to understand the value of the transformational leadership approach in maintaining ethics and will also help to become a successful professional. Overall, it is acceptable that the development of effective knowledge about leadership styles will assist in maintaining strong business and corporate ethics shortly.

Job Satisfaction and motivation of the employees also can be regarded as an important responsibility of the organizational leaders. A professional leadership course can assist the future professionals and job seekers to add value to the personal life experience. Hence, the development of knowledge regarding the characteristics and implications of the leadership approaches can assist the organizational management of the company to ensure positive sales growth of the organizations.

For example, the employees are the vital growth drivers of any company and the high-performance level of the employees helps the firms to improve the profitability and business growth. Therefore, the leaders of the organizational departments need to take care of the job satisfaction and motivation level, which will encourage the employees to do well within the organizational set-up.

Transformational leadership approach is an employee friendly approach, and the leaders of the contemporary era should try to implicate this particular leadership approach for the better workplace environment (Bayram & Dinc, 2015).

This transformational leadership style has a strong impact on the business growth and performance of a company. Hence, the professional course in the leadership management process can assist in the establishment of the effective knowledge level regarding leadership, which will help the individuals to become a successful leader (Oehlrich, 2016).

Knowledge management is also considered to be the vital element for the individuals to get success in the professional life. There are five important traits of an effective knowledge management process, such as seniority, enthusiasm, understanding, expertise, and approachability. These five important traits of the knowledge management process need to be developed by the individuals in this present era to become a successful professional. On the other hand, strategic leadership and knowledge management processes are strongly related to each other.

The effective leadership style application process can enhance the adequate knowledge management process (Snell, 2010). Value and respect for seniority helps in the development of the strong knowledge level. On the other hand, the level of understanding always enhances adequate knowledge management process. Moreover, the consideration of the enthusiasm regarding learning and development process enhances the knowledge management process.

The leaders in this contemporary era should also go for the approachability trait to present some strategies and ideas to important stakeholders of a company. This particular approach is also regarded as an essential part of the knowledge management approaches (Beaumont, 2010). Lastly, development of expertise and competency always assist an individual in enhancing the strong knowledge level.

Overall, the above mentioned five traits can be acquired by a future professional through the application of the appropriate leadership style. Also, this is also important to accept that the professional course in the leadership management activities will always help an individual to become a professional and successful leader shortly (Lussier, 2014).

It is also important to accept that leadership is an evolutionary approach. It has been identified since the old ages that the consideration of the different leadership approaches assists the individuals to deal with the challenges basis on the demand of the situations. This is an important aspect to state that the organizational leader in this contemporary era focuses on the application of the structural leadership approaches or the situational leadership approaches (Ardichvii & Yoon, 2014).

The consideration of the structural leadership approach is a traditional leadership approach, which helps the bureaucratic organizations to adopt the classical approach to follow a particular developed system. On the other hand, some of the companies in this contemporary era are also focused on the implementation of the situational leadership approaches. This situational leadership approach application process depends upon the demand of the specific situations.

Moreover, the organizational management used to adopt this leadership style in the crisis to overcome some particular challenges faced by the companies (Beugelsdijk, 2010). However, the application of all of these leadership styles, such as structural leadership and situational leadership approaches require practical knowledge and skills. Therefore, the future professionals need to go through the professional leadership course works to strengthen the value-added leadership skills and capabilities (Vugt et al., 2008).

However, the environmental factors are constantly changing for the leaders throughout the historical ages. In this contemporary era, the definition, characteristics, and traits of the leadership approaches have evolved significantly. This is an important aspect to state that the contemporary leaders are facing different types of the changes in the development process.

The current professionals are finding it highly difficult to develop the appropriate description, definition and theoretical approaches in the establishment of the leader development theory (O’Connell, 2014). Practicing and learning of the leadership approaches in this modern era should focus on the integration of increasing capacity for the behavioral and cognitive approaches.

This specific aspect needs to be learned and practiced by the contemporary and future professionals. Hence, the professional leadership course works can assist the future professionals to identify and overcome the dilemmas in the leader development theory (Rowley, 2010).

The application of the management and organizational theory can be considered here. According to the theoretical aspects of the management theory, the contemporary organizations are responsible for the maintenance of the effective workplace environment. Besides, the organizational leaders are also responsible for the meeting or achievement of the management objectives, which can enhance strong business ethics and sustainability (Keely, 2011).

Also, the contemporary leaders are also responsible for the implication of the organizational theory as it helps the organizational leaders to identify and assess the organizational culture as well as structure. The organizational leaders assess these aspects for a better implication of the strategies shortly.

It is acceptable that the contemporary job seekers should join the professional leadership management course to acquire the knowledge regarding the management and organizational theory, which will assist in the development of the high quality and conflict free workplace environment. Also, this is also essential for the modern day teachers to develop effective leadership approaches in the education service providing approaches (Morton, 2012).

It is acceptable that the modern day teachers need to adopt some important styles of leadership approaches, which will be different from each other concerning nature and characteristics. The educators need to adopt four important types of leadership styles, such as delegating, selling, telling and participating (Oyetunji, 2011).

The implication of these specific leadership styles will significantly depend upon the demand of the situation and behavioral as well as personality traits of the individuals. Overall, it is acceptable that the future professionals within the education industry need to adopt these types of leadership capabilities to become a successful professional.

Also, effective training and knowledge acquirement process regarding these leadership approaches is also important for the future professionals (Harzing, 2014). It is important to acknowledge that the motivational traits are changing within the society from a particular generation to another generation (Chen & Huang, 2011). Most importantly, the employees of professionals of the younger generation can believe in some specific traits.

On the other hand, the people of the elder generations within a particular society or an organizational institution used to believe in some other motivational traits. These traits can be different, and orientation of gender can be the major reason behind the differentiation (Harris, 2010).

Overall, this will be important to accept that the organizational leaders in this contemporary era should understand the gender gap and possible implemented traits to overcome the workplace conflicts to maintain a strong collaboration between the employees of different age group. Hence, the leaders need to go through professional leadership courses for the better value addition to personal experience to become a successful leader shortly (Murray, 2011).

Conclusion

It is identified from the discussion that the future professionals and the job seekers in this contemporary era needs to develop strong competency and knowledge level regarding the application of different types of leadership styles. There are different types of leadership styles, which can be applied by the leaders based on the demand of the situation and personality traits of leaders.

Overall, this is acceptable that the application of the justified leadership approaches can help a leader to strengthen organization ethics, improve workplace performance, ensure good knowledge management and enhance profitability. The professionals need to understand the value of the leadership, as leadership is responsible for the mentioned organizational benefits.

References

Ardichvii, A., & Yoon, W. S. (2014). “Designing Integrative Knowledge Management Systems: Theoretical Considerations and Practical Applications.” Advances in Developing Human Resources, 11(3), 307-320.

Bayram, H., & Dinc, S. (2015). Role of Transformational Leadership on Employee’s Job Satisfaction: the Case of Private Universities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. European Researchers, 93(4), 270-281.

Beaumont, J. (2010). Knowledge management in a regional law firm: A worthwhile investment or time wasted? Business Information Review, 27(4), 227-232.

Beugelsdijk, S. (2010). “Strategic Human Resource Practices and Product Innovation.” Organization Studies, 29(8), 820-847.

Chen, C., & Huang, J. (2011). “Strategic human resource practices and innovation performance-The mediating role of knowledge management capacity.” 62(1), 104-114.

Harris, H. (2010). International HRM: Contemporary Issues. Stamford: Cengage Learning.

Harzing, A. Q. (2014). International HRM. London: Cambridge University Press.

Keely, T. (2011). HRM Practices. London: Kogan Page.

Long, J. (2016). Process Modelling Style. New York: Springer.

Lussier, N. R. (2014). Management Fundamentals. New York: Springer.

Morton, B. (2012). The Global HR Manager. London: Routledge.

Murray, A. (2011). Mind the gap: technology, millennial leadership, and the cross-generational workforce. The Australian Library Journal, 60(1), 54-64.

O’Connell, K. P. (2013). A simplified framework for 21st-century leader development. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 183-203.

Oehlrich, M. (2016). Organisation and Restructuring. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Oyetunji, O. C. (2011). Reorienting leadership styles for sustainable education. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 13(2), 59-69.

Rowley, C. (2010). Human Resource and Operation Management. New York: Springer.

Sekerka, E. L., Comer, R. D., and Godwin, N. L. (2014). Positive Organizational Ethics: Cultivating and Sustaining Moral Performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 119(1), 435-444.

Snell, S. (2010). Managing Human Resources. New Jersey: Pearson.

Ubah, M. (2016). The Alphabet of Leadership. New Jersey: Pearson.

Vugt, V. M., Hogan, R., & Kaiser, B. R. (2008). Leadership, Followership, and Evolution: Some Lessons from the Past. American Psychologist, 63(3), 182-196.

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Impact of criminological research on social policy

Impact of criminological research on social policy

Criminological research can impact social policy in a considerable way, given that crime and criminal justice are generally considered social issues. While criminal justice is involved in studying crime, social policy aims at establishing how the society promotes the welfare of individuals. Both areas are also related to social problems that relate to crime and are concerned about how better responses can be undertaken to prevent crime (Wincup, 2013: 5).

Therefore, research in criminology provides useful findings on crime, criminal behavior, causes of crime, ways of preventing crime and how to deal with offenders in order to reduce crime, all which provide solutions that can be applied in social policy development to make the society a better place to live.

Sociology aspect: Criminological Research

Crime is considered a social problem and social policy concerns itself with addressing social problems. In this relation, criminology and social policy have a direct relationship in that criminology studies provide solutions for addressing crime in order to promote societal welfare. The application of criminological research provides a more comprehensive approach to identifying social problems that lead to crime.

It provides a more scientific approach in the collection of data, analysis and presentation, which provides highly relevant information for use in managing crime (Liebling, Maruna & McAra, 2017: 58). A majority of these interventions revolve around social policy and this implies that criminological research has significant implications on criminal research. This could also explain why criminological research as a course is offered together with social policy, given that they both have a beneficial relationship.

The more recent research on whether prisons are more useful or harmful in promoting reducing crime is an example of research in criminal justice that has a direct impact on social policy. This is because while the use of prisons has been predominant over the decades as a means of correction, statistics have also shown that the use of prisons has only resulted in overcrowded jail facilities and increased crime as witnessed in the rate of recidivism among former criminals.

In this relation, criminology research has also focused on determining social interventions that would be more effective in reducing crime such as poverty reduction, education, early child development programs, job creation, war on drugs, help for mental problems and community-based punishments for crime (Liebling, Maruna & McAra, 2017). This would impact social policy in that based on the recommendations from criminology research, it is possible to implement such measures to provide solutions that improve social welfare.

Such actions have been observed in the United States there is increased efforts towards addressing underlying social issues that influence crime. A notable intervention has been the implementation of prison education programs that ensure that prisoners are able to take reintegrate into the society through finding decent jobs (Davis, 2014: 1). The same applies for prison overcrowding, where criminological research has been prevalent and established that overcrowded prisons have led to more problems in the United States’ attempt to reduce crime.

The government has consequently called for action to address the problem of prison overcrowding to promote the welfare of prisoners and reduce deaths, injuries, immorality and recidivism associated with prison overcrowding. To address such issues, social policy must rely on findings from criminological research because they are more accurate and are based on well researched theories, such that interventions are likely to lead to better outcomes.

References

Davis, Lois M., et al. (2014). How Effective Is Correctional Education, and Where Do We Go

from Here? RAND Corporation, 2014, Report No. 564. Retrieved from https://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/criminal-justice/effects-prison-education-programs-research-findings

Liebling, A., Maruna, S. & McAra, L. (2017). The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. Oxford University Press

Wincup, E. (2013). Understanding crime and social policy. New York: The Policy Press

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Impact of changing nature of crime on criminology

Impact of changing nature of crime on criminology

The changing nature of crime has a significant impact on criminology, leading to more intriguing research on new aspects of crime. As noted by Barlow & Kauzlarich, 2010: 18), criminology theories have established that the complexity of behaviors and criminal actions as explained in different criminological theories point to the fact that the nature of crime will continue to change.

The modern times are characterized by unique crimes including unusual cases of terrorism, larceny and cybercrime among others. Criminals have become more tactful and the advent of technology and crime-based films have further increased expertise in criminal activities. The need to address the changing nature of crime in a proactive manner is absolutely necessary and criminology must adjust to accommodate such developments.

Besides, there is need to investigate the impact of traditional forms of crime correction and punishment to establish its effectiveness in the wake of the changing nature of crime. Accordingly, criminology has been affected by the changing nature of crime and there is need to keep studying such crimes and ensure that they are amicably addressed. Criminology is tasked with the duty of studying crime and developing solutions; such that urgent research is required to address new aspects of crime.

The changing nature of crime could be a reflection that theories in criminology have been outdated and that new focus is needed in order to manage modern crime. New paradigms need to be explored in order to ensure enhanced crime management. In the case of terrorism for example, the field of criminology is tasked with determining the major motivations of crime and the possibility of preventing the attacks before they can happen.

Changing nature of crime: Terrorism

Recently, there has been a surge in the number of terrorist attacks in the form of lone shootings, an illustration that terrorism goes beyond the alleged question of religion where research has mostly been focused. The recent shootings in Las Vegas that left 59 people dead and nearly 500 injured on October 1, 2017 were perpetrated by a lone gunman whose motive of crime is yet to be identified.

Stephen Paddock as he has been identified planned the crime for a long time, purchasing guns and rounds of ammunition and booking hotel rooms that gave him a clear view of the venue (Yan & Karimi, 2017: 1). The attack raises questions on how such a crime could be executed under the tight security measures that the United States has taken against terrorism.

Paddock did not only purchase numerous guns and explosives but also managed to transport them in his car and into the hotel room without being flagged by security. It is possible if he managed to escape the scene as originally intended, he may have committed another crime such as a bombing, given the police found explosives in his car.

Paddock was mostly a private person and since no accomplice has been identified so far, finding the motive may require an investigation into his psychological health. Barlow & Kauzlarich (2010: 15) note that psychological causes have been linked to crime but its relation to terrorist attacks is still a new subject of study.

The changing nature of crime as far as terrorism is concerned needs to explore more theories than are currently being studied. This insinuates that criminology would have to change the direction of study towards investigating the impact of psychological issues and other factors as a trigger of terrorism (Corner, Gill & Mason, 2016; 561).

References

Barlow, H. D. & Kauzlarich, D. (2010). Explaining Crime: A Primer in Criminological Theory.

Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.

Corner, E., Gill, P. & Mason, O. (2015). Mental Health Disorders and the Terrorist: A Research

Note Probing Selection Effects and Disorder Prevalence. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 39(6), 560-568.

Yan, H. & Karimi, F. (2017). Las Vegas killer had more explosives, 1,600 rounds of ammo in

car. Retrieved from https//edition.cnn.com/2017/10/05/us/las-vegas-shooting-investigation/index.html

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Summary of the Treaty of Versailles (Wilde, 2016)

Summary of the Treaty of Versailles (Wilde, 2016)

Blame: The clause 231 of the Treaty of Versailles blamed German for instigating he war and causing immense loss and damages.

Repartations: Germans were forced to admit full responsibility for starting World War 1. In addition, they were to pay all the material damages amounting to £ 6,600 million until 1984

Army: The army was restricted to a total of 100, 000 personnel. The presence of any army was removed from the territory of Rhineland that Germany had. Additionally, the army in Germany was left with 6 battleships, no aeroplanes and submarines.

Territory: Germany lost 12% of their population as they were given independence and sovereignty with the setting of the boundaries. In addition, they lost their colonies in overseas territories. Moreover, their lost 10% of productive land that had coalfields, iron and steel industry.

Areas of strength/weakness in the original treaty

The treaty provided an opportunity for the creation of an international organization to maintain peace in Europe called the League of Nations. Secondly, the treaty provided the nations with sovereignty by instituting boundaries. Thirdly, the treaty resulted in de-militarization of Germany which ensured that there was peace and stability in the region. Lastly, the treaty provided Poland, Hungary and Czeschoslovakia independence and 45 countries participated in the treaty, hence enforcing its legality.

On the other hand, the weakness in the treaty is that the League of Nations was incapacitated when it came to implementing their decisions. They lacked a military section that could help them enforce their authority in the member countries. Secondly, countries like Japan and Italy were against the treaty as they felt they did not get sufficient reward as Allies. Thirdly, the exclusion of USA, Russia and Germany from the treaty weakened the League of Nations. Lastly, the treaty weakened the Germans who felt that they were unfairly treated, hence resented the treaty.

Make a prediction of how the original treaty of Versailles could lead to future conflict in Europe

The treaty of Versailles infuriated the Germans and the disadvantaged parties. The Germans were loaded with debt and the unemployment situation in the country worsened. This provided a suitable environment for regrouping and formation of an army against the European nations. This lead to world war 2.

TREATY OF JUSTICE

The aim of the treaty was to ensure peace and prevent the reoccurrence of another world war. In addition, the treaty was supposed to punish the guilty parties and decapitate them from ever rising. The treaty is being written to provide the world with a new era where the nations will be able to relate in a friendly manner to foster trade and peace.

Restrictions/Punishment

The payment of penalties amounting to £ 6,600 by the guilty parties after a period of one year of the signing of the contract and until 1990.
The reallocation of the overseas territories that the instigators controlled fairly to the Allied nations
Any nations that will form any form of alliance with respect to equipping their military will also be stripped of their overseas colonies.
The provision of independence to the countries that wanted to defect from the instigators of the war. Boundaries will be set in place and support to strengthen their identity.
Strict monitoring of their operations by setting up an international organization, League of Nations, to oversee the operations of the instigator.

Conclusion

The Treaty of Justice is focused to ensure that the peace was restored in the world and that the guilty parties were punished. The punishment is set in a manner that it will be fair to all the parties involved to reduce hostility. Moreover, the punishments are just to ensure that the instigators are able to support their economy and the innocent citizens. The violation of the treaty will result in the nations being stripped of their sovereignty. This will result in the nation being controlled and governed by the League of Nations the international organization mandate to maintain peace.

Date: 28^th July 1919

List of Signing countries/representatives

Reference

Wilde, R. (2016). The Treaty of Versailles- An Overview. About Education.

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Gonorrhea

Introduction

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) ,caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae a bacteria which infects the mucous membranes. The bacteria is often transmitted from one individual to another during sexual contact, including anal, oral or vaginal intercourse. However, babies can also be infected with this condition during childbirth if the mother is infected. In babies, the disease affects their eyes. Hethcote &Yorke (2014) report that some of the factors that may increase the risk of one getting the infection include age, new sex partner, history of gonorrhea infection, multiple sex partners, and co-infection with other sexually transmitted diseases.

The bacteria cannot survive outside human body for long therefore it cannot be transmitted by sharing baths and towel, cups, toilets and seats, kissing or hugging.

Once infected, one presents with urethral discharge while urinating. The infection is treatable therefore one should seek medical attention early after noticing the symptoms.

Presentation of Gonorrhea

Usually, the infection causes no symptoms. However, when they appear it affects multiple body parts, but it appears commonly in the genital tract. Men who have been diagnosed with gonorrhea pus-like discharge from the tip of the penis, painful urination, and swelling and pain in one testicle. In women, the infection causes increased vaginal discharge, dysuria, dyspanuria, pelvic or abdominal pain, and vaginal bleeding between periods such as after vaginal intercourse.

The infection can also infect other body parts such as the rectum where it causes anal itching, discharge of the pus-like substance from the rectum, strains during bowel movements, and bleeding. When it infects the eyes, it may cause light sensitivity, eye pain, and pus-like discharge from one or both eyes. Patients may also develop a sore throat or swollen lymph nodes in the neck if the infection spreads to the throat. It can also disseminate to the various joints causing septic arthritis whereby the affected joints become red, warm, swollen, and extremely painful during movements.

Treatment of Gonorrhea

Adults who have been diagnosed with gonorrhea are prescribed with antibiotics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that patients with uncomplicated gonorrhea should be given a ceftriaxone injection in combination two oral antibiotics, that is, either doxycycline or azithromycin. This is advisable because the drugs provide a wide range of activity which is required due to the emergence of strains of drug-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae(Kerani et al. 2015).

Babies who are infected during childbirth are given two eye drops of erythromycin to prevent the spread of the infection. To avoid reinfection with gonorrhea, the patients are advised to abstain from unprotected sex for seven days after he/she has completed the treatment regimen and the symptoms have resolved.

The infection can cause some complications if it is untreated. For instance, it can cause infertility in women by spreading to the oviduct and the uterus cause Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) which causes scarring of the fallopian tubes, increase in pregnancy complications as well as infertility. Infertility can also occur in men if the infection affects the epididymis. Most importantly, the gonorrhea infection predisposes a person to the risk of being infected with STIs such as the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

The following steps should be taken to reduce the risk of gonorrhea infection. First, sexually active women should be encouraged to visit health centers annually for gonorrhea screening (Jackson, McNair & Coleman, 2015). Condoms should also be used if a person is having sex with a new sex partner. For those who have been diagnosed with the disease, they should encourage their partners to also go to a hospital for testing.

Prognosis

Gonorrhea has a good prognosis especially if antibiotic therapy is administered early enough. Usually, the infection clears within 2 to 4 weeks if the Neisseria gonorrhoeaeis susceptible to the antibiotics that have been administered. For individuals who have are immune-compromised such as patients with HIV, the infection may last for months and become more severe.

References

Hethcote, H. W., & Yorke, J. (2014). Gonorrhea transmission dynamics and control (Vol. 56). Springer.

Jackson, J. A., McNair, T. S., & Coleman, J. S. (2015). Over-screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea among urban women age≥ 25 years. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 212(1), 40-e1.

Kerani, R. P., Stenger, M. R., Weinstock, H., Bernstein, K. T., Reed, M., Schumacher, C., … & Golden, M. (2015). Gonorrhea treatment practices in the STD Surveillance Network, 2010–2012. Sexually transmitted diseases, 42(1), 6-12.

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Competitive Strategies: Adoption of changing technological trends such as Artificial Intelligence

The research evaluates the adoption of changing technological trends such as Artificial Intelligence and how this will affect competitive strategies. Technological innovations are the main drivers of economic growth. The process ensures proper creation of technologies that make marketing activities efficient.

The philosophy is supported by the increasing number of consumers using online platforms. Many people have joined social media websites that allow them to connect with friends (Baker, 2014, p. 70). It is an opportunity for marketers to identify mechanisms to advertise goods on such platforms. For example, companies like Wal-Mart or Uber have identified opportunities to help them apply new technology when creating a profitable, competitive advantage.

Significance of Competitive Strategies

The research will help the society understand that technology plays an important role in implementing competitive strategies. It will provide with different modern techniques of improving customer service. Besides, the results will apply to companies that focus on innovative ideas to capture the market demand. It provides with applicable ideas that improve the current methods of providing answers to customer needs, questions and complaints.

The research allows the firms to identify a technological mechanism to differentiate their products from other competitors (Christensen, 2013, p. 65). The goal is to increase customer loyalty and retain them in the business. When the current teenagers become adults, the technological mechanisms will be very prominent (Spero, and Stone 2004, p. 34).

Scope

Research on competitive strategies by Porter’s (1991) shows different market processes and performance results (Porter and Heppelmann, 2015, p 78). It confirms that competitive strategies are the main components that shape and places business in an attractive position in the market environment.

Objectives

To determine the new technological strategies that promote competitive strategies
To evaluate the impacts of dynamic technological trends in the market

The generic strategies are also emphasized in the article which includes cost leadership, differentiation, growth, alliance, and innovation. Besides, Xu and Quaddus (2013, p.27) indicate that information system is appropriate to implement the main competitive strategies.

According to Nijem (2016, p. 3), active collaboration allows the managers to involve all stakeholders in the implementation of competitive strategies.

References

Ahmad, A., Bosua, R., and Scheepers, R., 2014. Protecting organizational competitive advantage: A knowledge leakage perspective. Computers & Security, 42, pp.27-39.

Baker, M.J., 2014. Marketing strategy and management. Palgrave Macmillan.

Cakmak, P.I. and Tas, E., 2012. The use of information technology on gaining competitive advantage in Turkish contractor firms. World Applied Sciences Journal, 18(2), pp.274-285.

Christensen, C., 2013. The innovator’s dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to fail. Harvard Business Review Press.

Fleisher, C.S. and Bensoussan, B.E., 2015. Business and competitive analysis: effective application of new and classic methods. FT Press.

Goksoy, A., Vayvay, O., and Ergeneli, N., 2013. Gaining competitive advantage through innovation strategies: an application in warehouse management processes. American Journal of Business and Management, 2(4), pp.304-321.

Harmon, P., 2015. The scope and evolution of business process management. In Handbook on business process management 1 (pp. 37-80). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

López, G., Quesada, L., and Guerrero, L.A., 2017, July. Alexa vs. Siri vs. Cortana vs. Google Assistant: A Comparison of Speech-Based Natural User Interfaces. In International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (pp. 241-250). Springer, Cham.

Nijem, A.2016. Contemporary Trends in the Information Technology (IT) World and its Transformational Effect on Chief Information Officer (CIO) Roles: Analytical Study. J Inform Tech Softw Eng pp. 100-500

Peppers, D. and Rogers, M., 2016. Managing Customer Experience and Relationships: A Strategic Framework. John Wiley & Sons.

Porter, M.E., and Heppelmann, J.E., 2015. How smart, connected products are transforming companies. Harvard Business Review, 93(10), pp.96-114.

Spero, I. and Stone, M., 2004. Agents of change: how young consumers are changing the world of marketing. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 7(2), pp.153-159.

Ward, J. and Peppard, J., 2002. The evolving role of information systems and technology in organizations: A strategic perspective. Strategic Planning for Information Systems, pp.1-59.

West, D.C., Ford, J. and Ibrahim, E., 2015. Strategic marketing: creating competitive advantage. Oxford University Press, USA.

Xu, J. and Quaddus, M., 2013. Information systems for competitive advantages. Manag Inf Syst, 9, pp.27-40.

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Museums and Political Actions

Museums are essential for effective communication, social life promotion and further learning about culture, politics and even sciences. Museums are normally connected to politics, and they are normally used as a tool to preserve historic political events. However, political actions taken against the policies of the museum causes more harm than good to its effectiveness. As much as the museum functionality is attached (Blee 2016).

According to Miller during the interview, museums have a great effect on the culture of different groups of people in the society (Miller 2017). In the American Muslim culture, the museum has a negative effect on the environment. Many activities are carried out in the museum, which may result in damage to the environment. The American Muslim culture has changed over time due to the changing environment.

This is also because the Muslim American is a minority group in the United States of America (Geraldine 2016). The main environmental struggle faced by the museum is the political greenwashing on how technological activities applicable in the museum are harmless to living and non-living organisms. Museums and political actions remain go hand in hand. The museum is used as an archive for the storage of materials that are not so environment-friendly, such as disposed of computers, cell phones, and wires. These are simply stored for history, probably to show the development of technology over time.

Museums and political actions: Environmental activists

This may cause environmental activists to advocate against that, which is banned will cause a massive drop in the museum industry (Smith and Font 2014). Therefore, museums should not be used to bring political divisions between people or even cause conflict and death. Instead, it should be used as a tool to show the refection of societal heritage as well as bringing all cultures, religions, and states together to share something in common. Furthermore, the museum may cause pollution to the environment through the technological materials used for artwork and scrap metals of used gadgets.

Measures should be put in place on how to prevent these health hazards that may be caused by the material in the museum and all political objections prevented from interfering with the activities. Every environmental and political activist should be banned from using the museum as a tool to achieve their agendas and strict policies against such needs to be established to retain the museum’s primary purpose for existence. Museum and political actions destroy the tranquility of museums. This also will enable the maintenance of local and international tourists who will help earn the national revenue (Limebeer, Perantoni and Rao 2014).

References

Geraldine Kendall (2016) Museums and their staff are paying the paying the price of low wages, http://www.museumsassociation.org/museums-journal/newsanalysis/01062016-museums-and-their-staff-are-paying-the-price-of-low-wages

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Management Individual Reflection

Management Individual Reflection

Introduction

Throughout this module, I have been able to experience learning in different dimensions and acquired new knowledge on research writing, management, and academic analysis. Reflection helps in the development of structured thoughts, which are essential in facilitating developments in studies and one’s profession in the future. The experiences have taught me the importance of setting objectives and ensuring that they are constantly reviewed to ensure no loss of focus.

Furthermore, I have realized that learning is achieved best through experience. The Management Individual Reflection project done in this module enabled me to learn more skills in project management in media and communication system. The project enabled me to discover my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities for future development that surfaced and threats (Husebø, Regan and Nestel 2015).

My self-awareness was significantly developed. I was able to understand my core values, desires, beliefs, unique talents, emotions, and attitudes. The success of my project in this module started from my personal growth (Duval, Silvia and Lalwani 2012). The transformation of my perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes enabled me to work on the work more objectively.

My cognitive- behavioral processes such as self-regulation, self-esteem, self-evaluation, emotions, sense of agency and the theory of mind helped me to analyse of my observation findings. The experience was accompanied by frustrations from which some were totally unpredictable (Demetriou and Kazi 2013). However, my emotional intelligence helps me stay motivated and remain persistent so that the distress would not distract me from thinking.

The mentality assisted me in holding up the zeal to keep on learning and grasping new ideas. Through the application of all these skills, my expectation in achieving the objectives was met (Voss, Holzmann, Hobson, Paulus, Gossel, Klimke and Nitsche 2014).

Management Individual Reflection Experiential Learning Theory

There are different theories, which helped me to analyze my project experience and to carry out a comprehensive reflection of the same. The Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory consists of a cycle of four consecutive phases, which are associated with comprehensive reflection. These include concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization and active experimentation. The experience acquired immediately acts as the basis on which observations can be made. After the observations are recorded the student will then need to reflect on them.

Assimilating the reflections and ensuring that proper clarifications are done to come up with the proper actions, which are in line with the objectives and set goals of the project, achieve the abstract conceptualization. This theory also indicates that learning is a continuous process. That once the learner reaches the active experimental phase, another topic of study within the same orientation emerges (Kolb and Kolb 2012)

The theory applied to my project such that, the experiences gained during the process of deciding on my objectives, collecting data and analyzing was used in my reflection. On reflecting on the information, I was able to conceptualize it into the suitable areas of research. For example, the research of how museums were used as sites for activism promotion, I was able to search for all museums in the UK then narrowed down to those created for specific purposes and finally those used for activism.

This way I was able to retain the concept without losing focus. Finally, on active experimentation, I included the activities that happen on the ground by the activists to ensure that their goals are achieved (Timmins and Neill 2013).

Gibb’s Reflective Cycle

The other model of reflection used is Gibb’s Reflective Cycle, which consists of 6 stages. These stages include; description, feelings, evaluation, conclusion and action plan. Description involves precise explanation on the topic of the project and ensuring that the main point is not lost between many words. Here the background information on the issue, which the student is to reflect on, is needed to get the scope.

The information should remain relevant. Feelings are essential because they are used to bring out the expression of how the experience was like. The writer needs to discuss their emotions honestly but stick to academic writing and avoid informality. During the evaluation, the writer needs to discuss how things happened and what reactions were expressed in response to the specific incidences.

This should include both positive and negative incidences, and in case any of them were resolved in the future. The conclusion includes a review of the mistakes done and what would have been done instead. Also, the writer should consider some different ways of responding to a situation better than they have done in the current project. They should also identify the positive responses, which they should consider being repeated in the future.

The action plan includes the knowledge acquired out of the whole experience and how to improve on it in the future. The specific actions needed to achieve the improvement should be considered such as attending training or reading widely on a topic (Husebø, Regan and Nestel 2015).

Reflection of Positive Experiences

During my research, I was able to encounter several positive experiences. On researching about the low-wage workers and intern deployment, I found out that the two categories of workers comprise of the main workforce in the media and creative industry. This helped me therefore to read more about the specific duties entitled to them. I was able two also learn more about the two types of capitalism. Initially, when I chose the topic, I did not know which databases to use and went blank for a few hours before starting the project.

Another positive experience was that I was able to understand how to analyze a piece of media by separately identifying the representation used to pass information to the audience (Csikszentmihalyi 2014). This was so exciting because on studying the pieces of media, I found out that a lot could be traced out such as the culture of the people, their race, language, and age.

Additionally, I had initially assumed that museums are only meant for recreational activities. This project enabled me to discover that most of the currently constructed museums have themes defining their purposes. In fact, most of them speak a lot on behalf of organizations and activists. Furthermore, many of them are not eco-friendly (Paterson and Chapman 2013).

This knowledge enabled me to learn on areas of study with more emphasis on the activists’ actions concerning the pollution of the environment. My receiver objectives outweighed those that were not achieved, and this gave me a feeling of satisfaction. 97% of the total objectives were achieved whereby only 3% were not and which were marked for future improvement (Wald, Borkan, Taylor, Anthony and Reis 2012).

Reflection on Negative Experiences

The experiences I encountered on this module were not all smooth because I also had to face some frustrations. The study was fascinating but I felt it would be more inductive of I got to visit the studied sites personally for visual learning. This was not possible because of the tight program and inadequate funds (Bourke 2014). The budget of this project was quite expensive hence this could not be achieved.

Nevertheless, some of the academic sources available in the library were so outdated and not resent version could be found. This caused my project partially not to match with the current situations in the world (Cowan 2014). I felt disappointed and incompetent because I had not met the objective of using all the relevant sources. The time frame for the project was short, and I felt that much would have been researched on if the period had extended. In fact, the rest of the work done during the last days was not done with much keenness because I was working against time, which seemed to move so fast (Hartley 2012).

Conclusion

The application of reflection was essential because by marking all the incidences in my experience, I was able to find out what I need to involve for my projects to be successful. I understood that my motivation contributes a significant portion towards my competence. On identifying the positive outcomes, I was enabled to emphasize on them in my future projects.

The negative outcomes were discouraging, but I chose not to be discouraged but to remain focused and find a way of avoiding any activities resulting in similar outcomes in the future. Moreover, reflection helped me to retrospectively think out on how things would have been better if some activities were done differently. This also served as a good lesson for my future improvement.

References

Bourke, B., 2014. Positionality: Reflecting on the research process. The Qualitative Report, 19(33), pp.1-9.

Cowan, J., 2014. Noteworthy matters for attention in reflective journal writing. Active Learning in Higher Education, 15(1), pp.53-64.

Csikszentmihalyi, M., 2014. Toward a psychology of optimal experience. In Flow and the foundations of positive psychology (pp. 209-226). Springer Netherlands.

Demetriou, A. and Kazi, S., 2013. Unity and modularity in the mind and self: Studies on the relationships between self-awareness, personality, and intellectual development from childhood to adolescence. Routledge.

Duval, T.S., Silvia, P.J. and Lalwani, N., 2012. Self-awareness & causal attribution: A dual systems theory. Springer Science & Business Media.

Hartley, J., 2012. Communication, cultural and media studies: The key concepts. Routledge.

Husebø, S.E., O’Regan, S. and Nestel, D., 2015. Reflective practice and its role in simulation. Clinical Simulation in Nursing, 11(8), pp.368-375.

Kolb, A.Y. and Kolb, D.A., 2012. Experiential learning theory. In Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning (pp. 1215-1219). Springer US.

Paterson, C. and Chapman, J., 2013. Enhancing skills of critical reflection to evidence learning in professional practice. Physical Therapy in Sport, 14(3), pp.133-138.

Timmins, F. and Neill, M.F., 2013. Reflections on Reflection: An Audit of Students’ use of Structured Models within Specific Assessments. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 93, pp.1368-1370.

Voss, U., Holzmann, R., Hobson, A., Paulus, W., Koppehele-Gossel, J., Klimke, A. and Nitsche, M.A., 2014. Induction of self awareness in dreams through frontal low current stimulation of gamma activity. Nature neuroscience, 17(6), pp.810-812.

Wald, H.S., Borkan, J.M., Taylor, J.S., Anthony, D. and Reis, S.P., 2012. Fostering and evaluating reflective capacity in medical education: developing the REFLECT rubric for assessing reflective writing. Academic Medicine, 87(1), pp.41-50.

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Environmental Pollution: Case Study of Lagos Nigeria

Participatory Approach to Monitoring Air Quality

Environmental Pollution: Case Study of Lagos Nigeria

As it is evident today, the increased exposure to harmful environmental pollution resulted from irresponsible human activity. Environmental pollution can be categorized into diverse forms. This includes water, air and soil pollution. Other forms of industrial pollution encompass heavy metal and chemical pollution as well as occupational pollutants. There is no doubt that air pollution is the primary accelerating factor behind global climate change in both developed and developing nations.

The air pollution menace is apparently emerging as a complex phenomenon driven by persistent failure of the global environmental management initiatives that have been created to stem the runaway trend currently witnesses in major cities worldwide. The Lagos state metropolis is currently facing myriad air pollution related problems most notably due to rapid urbanization and road traffic emission.

The devastating effects of this observable fact are more prominent in the metropolitan cities of the developing than developed nations. Lagos, a rapidly growing megacity in Nigeria hasn’t been spared the brunt of air pollution. As an emerging metropolis, and its phenomenal rise as an epitome of industrialization and commercialization on the African continent, many predictions indicate a looming danger due to the adverse effects of climate change that is emanating from persistent industrialization related pollution.

Although significant effort has been directed towards stemming the runway global pollution levels, challenges have continued to constraint this effort largely due to insufficient program funding. Subsequently, there is sufficient evidence that warrants a thorough review of the literature on the adverse environmental impactsof air pollution, its principle role as an agent of climate change and its adverse effects on the health and wellbeing of the crowded inhabitants of Lagos.

This research will specifically focus on air pollution. Current literature suggeststhat pollution is the world’s largest environmental cause of poor health responsible for an estimated 9 million premature deaths in 2015-2016 and large burden of non-communicable disease, including respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological impairment. Air pollution, combining both ambient and household air pollution (HAP) is responsible for 6.5 million deaths per year with another 7 million from tobacco smoke and this number will increase is urgent measures are not taken.

Monitoring and management of air pollution remains ineffective and poorly enforced due to a number of factors.Monitoring equipment can be expensive and requires regular checking and maintenance, while enforcement in a growing megacity of 16 million people and unknown numbers of businesses is a major challenge. An alternative approach to the ‘top down’ processes of monitoring and enforcement would be to encourage a more community-led approach and local action.

However, there are many questions as to how such a ‘grassroots’ approach would work in practice, and there are many knowledge gaps as to their applicability for measuring air pollution in the megacities of the developing world. The research seeks to address some of these gaps in knowledge by first exploring how local communities can assess the level of air pollution and its environmental impacts. Subsequently, there is need to identify indicators of air quality that are used by communities, even if they may tend to be more qualitative than quantitative.

An example could be the frequency at which clothes and indeed furniture, windows etc., in household buildings become dirty. Indicators of the effects could be related to health and may include breathlessness. Communities will be asked to identify indicators of relevance to them, and these will be ranked. It is possible that the choice and ranking of these indicators will be influenced by social factors such as gender and age. Currently, the exposure to harmful environmental pollution is created through human activities. Mobile Air measurement System: This advanced equipment employs geospatial technology thus it is referred to as Geospatial Measurement of Air and Pollution (GMAP).

Air pollution is one of the major environmental challenges that Nigeria faces today. This phenomenon is threatening the socio-economic development gains that have been made since independence. The number of power plants has grown to unprecedented levels whereas mortality rates resulting from low quality air have continued to rise. Reports indicate that environmental pollution can be linked to the recent upsurge in cardiovascular diseases as well as other respiratory complications.

Nevertheless, the primary causes of environmental pollution are activities linked to industrialization such as extraction, transportation and the export of oil at the Gulf of Guinea. Similarly, traffic, rapid industrialization and gas flaring are the most common causes of air pollution in Nigeria. Thus pollution is adversely affecting different sectors such as health and environment, and has been linked to the destruction of ecosystems and climate change among other socio-economic ills.

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