Business Performance of Leadership

Choi and Kim (2014) opined that leadership is the capability of the management of a company to make vital decisions, inspire as well as motivate others to perform their work in the workplace. Effective leaders can set as well as achieve challenging goals, take decisions at difficult situations, calculate the risks as well as persist in the face of failure. The characteristics of a good leader are to manage the workplace, have communication skills as well as self-confidence. However, the IT leaders are different from other leaders. Loveridge (2014) argued that the IT leadership is the group of the senior executives those are responsible for implementing an IT infrastructure as well as applications that can drive the IT business strategies. The report is based on the leadership in the IT business of Australia and its importance for the business. The selected organization for this report is Melbourne IT. It reflects on the impact of the leadership on the success of the IT business. Leadership style is also discussed in this report for the IT leader. As the business is based on Information Technology, therefore the leader face IT challenges in their business, and respective solutions are also given. Australian IT businesses are facing innovation shortfalls and failure in the development of the leadership programs. The selected IT business for the report is Melbourne IT and as the leader of the business, different leadership functions are conducted. Melbourne IT is an Australian Internet company with its primary business is the registration of the domain name. This IT business also provides the web as well as email hosting services as well as online marketing services to the Australian population (Melbourneit.com.au 2015). When it comes to achieving business success, most of the leaders of the organization think of a strategy which most of the business comes up with. The following are some of the quality traits that should be there within a good leader who leads an IT business organization: Character: The leader requires to be trusted as well as known to live their life with honesty (Katsos and Fort 2016). As in the current era, technology becomes the most vital needs of the population; therefore, the leaders should do the delivery of the IT services from respect for the good character as well as trustworthiness of the person who leads the business. Communicate: In order to reach new benchmarks of achievement, it is required an art of clear communication (Anvari et al. 2014). With good communication skills, the leaders are also required good listening skills that help to drive results and hear to the employees. As a leader of the organization, it is the responsibility to respond to the employee’s concern and questions. Direction: The leader can work to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. As a leader of an IT business organization, the leader can create impressive change within the organization as the use of technology changes day-by-day (Harney 2016). The leader can act according to the needs and requirements of their customers and provides with better IT service delivery. Optimistic: The leaders are the source of the positive energy. They are helpful as well as concern for other’s welfare (Almog-Bareket 2012). In order to avoid personal criticism, they start to gain the consensus of the employees to work effectively as team members.   Honesty: The leader should be ethical, believable; honesty as well as reliability forms the foundation of the business success (Marco and John 2013).   In order to avoid conflicts, the leader shares information openly to the employees. An IT leader encompasses of two various types of leadership styles such as transformational as well as transactional. The transformational leadership inspires the followers by raising consciousness about the specified values and motivates the followers in order to address the high level of personal needs (Minavand 2013). As this particular report is based on an IT business organization, Melbourne IT, therefore this style of leadership plays an important role as the leader works with the subordinates in order to identify the required changes and create an organizational vision in order to guide changes through inspiration. As a transformational leadership style, the leader is focused on increasing the effectiveness of the organization. This style of leadership stresses that the leader understands as well as adapts to the followers motives as well as requirements (Brandt and Uusi-Kakkuri 2016). An IT leader has the responsibility to achieve good role models who can empower the staff me mbers in order to achieve higher standards. In the last few years, many transformational changes are taken place in technology. As for example, the development of computing technology by Apple, Intel was the transformational events that are taken place. Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple transformed their business processes through the software applications as well as high-speed microprocessors. At Apple, Steve Jobs is seen as a leader who has an idealistic vision to provide computers as a tool to change the world (Davenport 2014). Jobs were passionate about the company as well as enthusiastic about the announcements of products. Figure 1: Transformational Leadership Style Apart from this leadership style, another type of style is transactional leadership that focuses on the exchange, which occurs between the leaders as well as followers. The leader can have a concern with maintaining the normal flow of the business operations (Minelle 2014). Disciplinary powers, as well as an array of incentives, are used to motivate the employees to work. This style of leadership conforms to the existing structure of the IT business as well as measures success as per the organizational system of rewards as well as penalties (Antonakis and House 2014). Performance review is required to judge the performance of the employee. Steve Jobs also acts a transactional leader who directs their efforts through tasks as well as structures. Steve influenced the employees for a strong desire to work, shared their passion with the staffs as well as provided with the organizational vision (Moors 2012). The leadership style of Steve Jobs is desired to create great products that would give enjoy to the clients by using it rather than the products that bring profit to Apple. Figure 2: Characteristics of Transactional Leadership Style Both this style of leadership is required to guide the Melbourne IT to success. The transactional leader provides with an ability to address small operational details that on the other hand, the transformational leader is crucial to the strategic development of the business. Apart from this, the transactional approach features both positive as well as negative enforcement while the transformational leadership features both motivation as well as inspiration (Salovaara and Bathurst 2016). Transactional leadership appeals to the self-interest of the individuals, and transformational leadership focuses on the group progress. There are various challenges that the IT leaders are facing in Melbourne IT business organization: Rate and pace of change: According to Moore's law, the doubling of the speed of the computer processing takes place every 18 months. It is one of the manifestations of the technological trend that all the changes occur at exponential rates (Sethuraman and Suresh 2014). Due to the exponential rate of change in the technology, the IT leader is also making changes according to the business requirements. This rapid change in the business affects the leadership quality.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Complexity in the integration of the system: Sometimes, change in the system becomes complex. Therefore, the leader is not able to cope up with the complex situation, and it affects their responsibility as a leader (Brandt and Uusi-Kakkuri 2016). Due to rapid change in the technology, the IT department of the company requires changing their IT infrastructure in order to meet the requirements of their clients. Ongoing pressure to cut the cost: Due to rapid change in the technology, the implementation of the new system requires more cost and budget. Therefore, it becomes a vital task for the leader to implement the new system within the estimated budget. The threat to cyber security: Cyber attack is the most vital concern for the IT leader as there is a high risk of threat of hacking of the information from the database system (Ali Shurbagi 2014). The main function of the IT leader is to give high-security measures to the client's information so that any third party person cannot access it. In order to exploit the technology as well as information is fast becoming a prerequisite for the leadership programs. The IT leaders must help the company to value their business as possible from the technology (Sethuraman and Suresh 2014). The following are the solutions that the leader should follow to have a great role in technology decisions and cope up with IT challenges as: Information Technology Leadership Development Program: It is one of the best solutions for the IT leader to change their character according to the change in technology (Antonakis and House 2014). This program takes the IT leader in the IT application management, operations, technical services as well as IT planning for Melbourne IT. The development program gives a full-time position to the leader with benefits as well as design in order to create a sustainable career path with Melbourne IT. The building of strategic IT leadership skills: A strong IT leaders can create a clear vision for the future, a design of the competitive strategy for the business; create an agile as well as flexible culture for Melbourne IT. Consultation with the IT business analyst to develop a new existing system for the business: Due to change in the technology, the business leader can develop and implement a new legacy system for their organization with the help of the IT business analyst (Salovaara and Bathurst 2016).   With consulting their ideas with the analyst, they can implement such a system that should be beneficial for the organization in the future. Take the ownership of information: The vital part of managing the information technology is to manage the data quality as well as accessibility (Marco and John 2013). The IT business leader is responsible for the usability of the data gathered as well as stored in the technology and service. The IT providers should have required integration capabilities, but the leader does managing the information. Improve the technology vendor management capabilities: Technology vendors can double contract value when they are circumventing to the IT. The IT business leaders can also look in order to corporate IT for guidance as well as support with the vendor negotiations (Antonakis and House 2014). One of the techniques to nudge in this direction is to measure the effectiveness of the vendor management as well as negotiations. It is concluded that the IT leader must be self-achiever, and they are motivated to become a proactive leader. Rapid change in the technology produces a chaos situation of the leader, and they must be ready to cope up with the technological change. In this report, two types of leaders are used such as a transactional style of leaders such as they used to motivate through the system of rewards as well as penalties. The manager’s use this style and it is focused on the basic management process to control, organize as well as do short-term planning. The leader can act as indicated by the necessities and prerequisites of their clients and offers with better IT administration delivery. As a transformational leadership style, the leader is engaged to build the adequacy of the Association. This style of initiative anxieties that the leader comprehends and additionally adjusts to the followers thought processes and necessities. The transformational leadership inspires the followers by raising consciousness about the predefined values and inspires the supporters to address the high state of individual needs. Therefore, these two types of leadership style are to be in an IT business leader. Ali Shurbagi, A., 2014. The Relationship between Transformational Leadership Style Job Satisfaction and the Effect of Organizational Commitment.  IBR, 7(11). Almog-Bareket, G., 2012. Visionary leadership in business schools: an institutional framework.  Journal of management development,  31(4), pp.431-440. Antonakis, J. and House, R., 2014. Instrumental leadership: Measurement and extension of transformational–transactional leadership theory.  The Leadership Quarterly, 25(4), pp.746-771. Anvari, R., Irum, S., Shah, I., Mahmoodzadeh, N. and Ashfaq, M., 2014. Determinants of Information Technology Leadership Program.  Review of European Studies, 6(2). Brandt, T. and Uusi-Kakkuri, P., 2016. Transformational Leadership and Communication Style of Finnish CEOs.  Communication Research Reports, 33(2), pp.119-127. Choi, S.I. and Kim, D.I., 2014. A Study on The Effect Business Performance of Leadership on Global Corporate.  Journal of Digital Convergence,  12(10), pp.191-199. Davenport, B., 2014. From A to Google: How Technology Is Impacting Information and Leadership.Journal of Leadership Studies, 8(2), pp.41-45. Harney, B., 2016. Book review: Developing leadership: Questions business schools dont ask.Management Learning. Katsos, J. and Fort, T., 2016. Leadership in the promotion of peace: Interviews with the 2015 Business for Peace honorees.  Business Horizons. Loveridge, R., 2014. Leadership in the Innovative Organization.  Nang Yan Business Journal, 1(1). Marco, R. and John, F., 2013. The role of need for achievement in self-leadership: Differential associations with hope for success and fear of failure.  African Journal of Business Management, 5(20), pp.8368-8375. Melbourneit.com.au, 2015.  Melbourne IT. [online] Melbourneit.com.au. Available at: https://www.melbourneit.com.au/about-us/ [Accessed 5 Jul. 2016]. Minavand, H., 2013. The impact of project managers’ leadership style on employees’ job satisfaction, performance and turnover.  IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 11(6), pp.43-49. Minelle, F., 2014. Business Leadership for IT Projects.  PROJECT MANAGER (IL), (17), pp.47-47. Moors, G., 2012. The effect of response style bias on the measurement of transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership.  European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 21(2), pp.271-298. Salovaara, P. and Bathurst, R., 2016. Power-with leadership practices: An unfinished business.Leadership. Sethuraman, K. and Suresh, J., 2014. Effective Leadership Styles.  IBR, 7(9).

Employment relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Employment relations - Essay Example Small firms have a small market share in any given economy and individual firm’s actions cannot significantly impact the entire industry or economy. Therefore, individual firms cannot significantly influence national or regional prices or quality. Most small firms are managed in a personalised way because owners are attached to them. Consequently, their personalised feelings attached to business make them active in all aspects of their business. According to Department for Business Innovation and Skills (2010), there are over 4,801,250 small business enterprises in the United Kingdom. Sections 382 and 465 of the United Kingdoms’ Company Act 2006 define small firms as business entities with zero to forty-nine employees, ?0-?6.5 million turnover and ?0-?3.26 million balance sheet total. Small businesses have their own challenges and benefits. According to The Times 100 (2011), two thirds of small business in the United Kingdom are owned and run by a single person (manager ). This means that about two-thirds of the small firms in the United Kingdom are managed by owners. Furthermore, 90 percent of small firms employee six people and below. Managers may be owners or employees of an organisation and are responsible for overall performance of a firm. The key objective of a manager is to utilise assets, money, materials and human resources effectively and efficiently to achieve objectives (profit maximization) of a firm. This is achieved through well-coordinated human efforts. Therefore, he or she needs to set organizational goals and manage his or her staff well. To achieve firms’ objectives, managers apply different management styles as dictated by the nature of the business and personality. Some of the management styles applied by managers of small firms include autocratic, participative and situational management styles. Characteristics of small firms Every manager must understand the features of the firm he or she is managing to be in a positi on to positively influence its processes and outcome through application of appropriate management style. According to Moore (2008), small firms have distinctive features. First, managers are more of doers and less of managers. They work because they do not afford to employ more individuals to carry out certain duties on their behalf. Therefore, they are more action oriented and less analytical as compared to professional managers. Secondly, managers act as entrepreneurs. They scan the environment and take the risks of coming up with new ideas and implementing them. Thirdly, managers of small firms do not have adequate time allocated to planning. When they plan, plans are often postponed or neglected. Fourthly, small firms are made up of simple and highly informal organizational structure. This enables managers to make quick decisions. As a result, managers in small firms are more powerful and exert strong personal influence on firm’s operations and activities. The fifth char acteristic of small firms is that most managers apply both autocratic and participative management approach. Sixth, small firms are vulnerable to failures caused by managerial inefficiencies because more power and authority are vested on one or few individuals. Seventh, small firms are more likely to face isolated financial and personnel constraints. The eighth characteristic is that small firms undergo growth and development phases. According to Storey (1994), inception, survival, growth, expansion and maturity phases are five phases of growth that small firms often undergo to grow to medium and to large firms. Each phase has its unique strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Most small firms are in the inception, survival and growth phases. Beyond, the three initial stages, firms may be classified as medium or small because they are likely to have more than fifty employees, over ?6.5 million turnover and more than ?3.26 million balance sheet total. Managing small firms: Is Small Beautiful? Appraisal of management styles in small firms Autocratic, partici

Home Health Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Home Health - Assignment Example The services most popular amid the home care agencies broadly include physical therapy, speech therapy and other consumer oriented medical facilities. The trained nurses can even provide advanced healthcare at home if supported with the diversified apparatus needed for such treatments (CARIE, 2008). Voluntary organizations that help in developing the healthcare needs can be identified as the American Association of Ambulatory Health Care (AAHC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO), National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) among others, who have been providing the home healthcare services within the society (Lundy & Janes, 2009). The initial health care plan for home care is identified as a defined period of certification. This certification needs to be renewed after the completion of its period for developing the effectiveness of the entire medical system. Hence, it gets an opportunity to be redeveloped based on the changing needs of the medical services. This could be duly identified as possessing a huge amount of development within the field of medical information (Pamela, Fenstemacher & Winn, 2010). The importance for documentation is thus noted to be one of the most important parts of the medical needs, as it would help in developing the instances of reimbursement and enhance the effectiveness of the system. Thus, the needs for documentation are important, as it helps in developing the overall attributes associated with such reimbursement and enhances transparency of the process. This further helps in developing proper documentation to be used for assistance in future (Pamela et al., 2010). Oasis C is a modified version of the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS), which is one of the compulsory documentations required for the home healthcare agencies. The purpose of OASIS-C is to provide a proper manual for the

Beowulf Young and Old Essay -- Epic of Beowulf Essay

Beowulf Young and Old Despite Beowulf’s almost supernatural strength, stamina and stature, he ages just the same as any other human being. In the human life cycle, one generally begins naive and inexperienced and ages into an adult of more wisdom and knowledge. Akin to others in his time, Beowulf starts as a young fearless warrior and grows into an aged prudent king. From the beginning of his life as a warrior to the end as a king, he gains and develops glory, responsibility and courage, all vital to his reign as a successful king. Beowulf’s responsibility differs from a warrior to a king. As a young fighter he has responsibility to his Geatish king as well as to Hrothgar. His king, Hyglac, relies on Beowulf to represent him and the Geats; Hrothgar depends on Beowulf to save his people from the aggressor Grendel. Beowulf professes to Hrothgar â€Å"To heighten Hygelac’s fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield,† (435-448), which shows his dedication and responsibility for the reputation of his leader. As he grows older and wiser, his responsibilities change from warrior to king. As king of the Geats he has a reputation to maintain and the responsibility to protect his people. When the dragon attacks, he sacrifices his well-being for the safety of the Geats despite his justified forecast of his own death. It is apparent that the older Beowulf has much more responsibility in comparison to the young Beowulf. He not only has to...

Practical Life Exercises Montessori Free Essay

DMT 104 Practical Life (Assignment One) Montessori in the Absorbent Mind writes that â€Å"the hands are instruments of man’s intelligence†. It is therefore critical that children develop the ability to control and coordinate their hand muscle so that these can come into contact with the environment in intelligent ways. Discuss the principles underlining the practical life exercises and how it fosters independence in children. Introduction A child in the first six years becomes a full member of her particular culture and family group absorbing language, attitudes, manners and values of those in which she comes in daily contact.A child develops properly if they are in an environment full of affection, love, caring and support. They feel comfortable and safe when they find a secure and lovable environment. Children learn according to their abilities. In the first six years of life they do this by imitating those around them. To support this we should provide them a physic al and social environment suitable for them. We should provide the children with the tools they can create by themselves.Children are able to explore, investigate and fulfil the natural curiosity about the world around them. The child's purposes are not to complete the task as much as to construct the self. In addition, Dr Maria Montessori developed her philosophy of education based upon actual observations of children. She said children prefer work than play, and they can only be in their natural self, when their natural self is satisfied through work. It’s also through work they acquire independence, order, the power of concentration and be normalized.Exercises of Practical Life were introduced and were recognized at the very heart of Montessori Education for it provides the opportunity for the child’s development of physical co-ordination, social skills, emotional growth as well as cognitive preparation. Practical Life Activities are the first activities the child i s introduced to within the Montessori environment. These exercises are prepared based on activities children witnesses in their day to day life. That is why children can immediately satisfy their inner needs and desires by mastering these exercises independently.Also Practical Life area allows children to do the things what adults do every day, for example cleaning, dressing or greeting people. As we know that children construct their knowledge by themselves through their life exercises. Motive of Practical Life Exercises Practical Life Curriculum area has four main direct aims; Order, Co-ordination, independence and Concentration. Dr Maria Montessori observed that children need order at a specific sensitive period in their development. I f not provided during this period the opportunity is foregone. A routine is very important as well as a place for everything and everything in its place.This offers the child for orderly self construction. Co-ordination refers to coordinating large and small muscle movements as well as eye-hand co-ordination that reflect the respective development of child’s mental life. In the practical life exercise of Montessori they learns to concentrate, to develop the fine-gross motor skills-i. e. controlling the muscle, to develop language, to develop the mathematical concepts, they will be good in care of environment, they will be good in logical steps and they are ready to complete the cycle of activity.This is will be the good basement for the children not only in the early childhood, but throughout in life. â€Å"If teaching  is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence. It must initiate them into those kinds of activities, which they can perform themselves. We must help them to learn how to walk without assistance, to run, to go up and down the stairs, to pick up fallen objects, to dress and undress, to wash themselves, to express their needs, and to attempt to satisfy their desires through their own efforts. All this is part of an education for independence. † – TheDiscovery of the Child by Maria Montessori MM, pg. 56~57 By giving the exercise of practical life in his early years of the child, he goes through a period when he wants to or likes to learn to do all the work he sees the adult doing. At first, he likes to learn the works at home. This age will pass, but if it is used, the child will know how to do everything well in the home environment. He will grow intellectually. It requires real intelligence to run a modern home. The indirect aim of Practical life exercise is to meet the child’s needs, to encourage and facilitate development, and to facilitate the child's adaptation to the world.It is very important that the child is given freedom to do these exercises at a time the child pleases; he should be allowed to try, make mistakes and correct his mistakes by himself without any help. The satisfaction of completing an activity drives the child towards independence. â€Å"Man achieves his independence by making efforts. To be able to do a thing without any help from others: this is independence. If it exists, the child can progress rapidly; if it does not, his progress will be slow† The Absorbent Mind, chapter. XIV, pg 155 The power of Concentration is one of the most calming activities for a child.This is something which is controlled by the child and it challenges his body and his mind. With concentration the child is able to focus on purposeful work. I’ve witnessed to the concentration that my 3 and half year old niece had for folding her little brothers’ nappies. The pile of nappies was two times bigger than her, I thought, she would be bored and leave, but for my amazement after 45 minutes I could see that she has folded all nappies very neatly and have kept one on top of another and was ready to be placed in the drawers. Within the Montessori classroom deep concentration can be acquired through the ‘Silence Game†.To achieve silence requires effort and the attention of the will, and maximum control of self-consciousness of every movement. Montessori thought of the silence lesson as a means for bringing children to this higher level of spiritual awareness. Practical Life Exercises aid the child in his journey towards normalization As a result of learning Practical Life Exercises in the Montessori environment, the child starts to develop confidence, self-esteem, he grow towards independence, mutual aid and co-operation, profound spontaneous concentration, attachment to reality and most importantly child's joy of learning is supreme.All these help the child to lead towards normalization. The normalized children possess a unique character and personality not recognized in young children. Children needs a carefully prepared environment It is important to provide the child an environment to work on activities of their own choice at their own p ace experiencing freedom and self discipline while developing towards independence. Even though materials in Practical Life area are the least standardized, exercises needs to be carefully thought and designed. A prepared environment should consist of purposeful and meaningful materials and properly trained instructors.When preparing materials the teacher needs to consider few principles of the Montessori Practical Life materials which satisfy Childs’ development needs. Firstly she needs to make sure that each material we give the child should have a definite purpose, for an example the mat is laid to mark the area of his workstation, handling the spoon develops child’s skill of spooning which leads to independence. Secondly materials should progress from simple to more complex design and usage. As a preliminary exercise for transferring solid objects we could give the child a spoon and later, it could progress to tweezers, chopsticks.Also it should be designed to prep are the child indirectly for future learning’s such as writing, mathematics and scientific concepts. We prepare the child for wiring by teaching them the pincer grip, using thumb, index and middle fingers to hold objects and by left to right and top to bottom concepts, so that these orders naturally incarnates in the child’s mind. The mathematical concepts such as judgement of capacity and volume, division, calculation and exactness includes in activities of spooning, pouring and sweeping.The activity, transferring water using a sponge gives the child the scientific concept of weight. The child could feel the weight of the sponge defers when the water is absorbed and when the water is released. Dr. Maria Montessori said, â€Å"Each individual should become aware of his own errors. Each should have a means of checking, so that he can tell if he is right or not. † Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, pg 247 So she included the path to perfection, which she called â€Å" the Control of Error† within the materials itself so the child would be able to observe the activity he completes and understand his own mistakes.If a child has finished working on the dressing frame with large buttons, and he can see that buttons has gone through wrong buttonholes or buttoning halfway or seeing only half of the button come up the flap, these would be his control of errors. He has the opportunity to guide himself to correct his own mistakes. â€Å"Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed. †-Maria Montessori. Furthermore when preparing the activity in the Montessori classroom the directress need to make sure that all materials are kept together in a basket or a tray and grouped accordingly to the level of development.The activity should have its unique location and be reachable to the child so that the child could use the materials of their own choice and return the exercise, leading to independence and self-discipline. Also it is important to be providing attractive and clean child friendly and child size materials. Each activity should be limited in quantity. In a Montessori classroom the directress plays a major role. She needs to be properly trained, be a good role model and she should be able to develop and maintain a happy and rewarding teacher-child relationship. The first essential is that the teacher should go thru an inner, spiritual preparation – cultivate certain aptitudes in the moral order. † Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, pg 298 The teacher’s prime objectives are to maintain order in the prepared environment, facilitate the development of the child, and encourage independence and self-sufficiency. Practical life activities can be divided into the following 4 categories: Exercises in each of these categories provide the opportunity to do purposeful work and are designed to teach the child life skills, so that they may become confident to do their daily chores at home. Care of the self: includes activities such as hand washing, dressing, and personal hygiene. These activities embody the foundations of self-esteem. The exercises are designed to provide the child skills need for his sole independence. In order to gain independence, the child needs to establish will and discipline in order. The child needs to build himself and learn to take care of himself * Care of the environment: includes activities such as washing chairs, dusting, raking leaves, cooking, feeding animals, watering plants, composting, recycling and job time at the end of the day.These activities promote the beginnings of community awareness and embody the foundations of an ecological ethic. They learn that they are a part of the environment and learn to respect and develop a sense of responsibility towards the environment. Also the child will gradually learn how to gain greater control of his gross motor movements so that he would be able perform more complex tasks later on. Some of th e activities such as washing of a table can be carried out as a group task, which helps the child to be socialized. Social relations and courtesy: Maria Montessori called these exercises Grace and Courtesy. They include developing skills in greeting visitors, participating in a conversation, self-assertion, resolving conflicts, initiating and maintaining friendships. These exercises are focused on developing will power, establish a proper posture, greet people, excuse one and interrupt when necessary. Maria Montessori considers the Social Grace and Courtesy activities as the most important exercises in the practical life curriculum.She felt that when children are first brought into a Montessori classroom, emphasis must be placed on social grace exercises. * Development of Motor Skills: this includes many exercises involving hand/eye coordination, carrying objects, self-expression through movement as well as initiating and inhibiting actions and impulses. The Silence Game is an examp le of a group activity in which children have to restrain impulses to speak or move for a short period of time in order to report on what they may have experienced in the interim.The particular exercise will be appropriate for any particular child will depend on that child’s individual development and interest. ans it is only possible to give a very general indication as to whether an exercise is ‘early’, ‘immediate or ‘later’. So each and every activity indirectly helps them to develop the language, mathematics movements and social awareness. To give an opportunity to exercise and co-ordinate body movement is one of the aims of the exercises of Practical Life activity.Movement is so important for the young children; children need to move. Movement is very important to the child; because it contributes not only for the physical growth also intellectual and spiritual development of the child. â€Å"Through Movement, he acts upon his external en vironment and thus carries out his own personal mission in the world. Movement is not only an impression of the ego but it is an indispensable factor in the development of consciousness, since it is the only real means which places the ego in a clearly defined relationship with external reality. The secret of childhood by Maria Montessori pg-97 Conclusion Practical Life exercises teach children to care for themselves, for others, and for the environment. They involve a wide variety of activities such as carrying objects, walking, polishing, sweeping, dusting, lacing, mainly activities that are done in day to day living. It is divided into four major areas namely: movement, care of self, care of environment, and grace and courtesy.These activities are Montessori’s response to the child’s need for movement, order, independence, among many others; they are basic activities that enable the child to explore his environment and eventually make him one with it. Through practi cal life exercises, he learns to refine his movements, becomes conscious of his body and of what his body can do. He learns how to move and act in a socially accepted manner, thus helping him in his task of adaptation. He learns the ways of social living and becomes comfortable and confident in his society.These exercises also teach the child to complete a task following a step-by-step procedure. This sequential ordering of tasks prepares him for the logical task that awaits him in mathematics. Likewise, activities in these areas are presented in isolation in order to help the child focus his attention only on a particular task. Practical Life Exercises refines movement, providing a foundation in early learning, attitudes and dispositions. Practical life exercises also provide children a sense of accomplishment as they engage in real, meaningful work with tangible results.The familiar home-like environment of the practical life corner allows children to gain independence, order, con centration and confidence as they carry out thoughtfully prepared activities. This leads to normalization. BIBLIOGRAPHY Montessori, Maria, The Discovery of the Child, page 56-57, published 1967 Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, page 247, published 1967 E. M. Standing, Montessori, Maria, Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, page 298, published 1998 Montessori, Maria, The secret of childhood, page 97, published 1966 Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Page 155, published 1967

How Does a Puma Differ From a Cougar in Dating

A puma is more than a sleek feline predator. Its also a slang term for a womans dating life and, more specifically, the age of the partner she seeks. However, there are two conflicting definitions of a puma (as the term refers to women) and the word appears to have different meanings in the U.S. and the U.K. as it continues to change and evolve over time. Meaning of Puma in the United States   In the United States, a puma is regarded as a cougar minus ten years; she is defined as a woman in her 30s who prefers dating younger men. Hollywood celebrity Jennifer Aniston has long been associated with the term due to her relationships with younger men, most notably John Mayer (nine years younger). Demi Moore, in an interview with W magazine in March 2010 (at age 47), expressed her displeasure with the cougar label and said, Id prefer to be called a puma, referring to her (now defunct) marriage to Ashton Kutcher who is 16 years younger than Moore. Despite Moores attempt to use the terms interchangeably, a puma is widely regarded as a woman under 40 who prefers younger men while the cougar label is applied to women in their 40s and 50s who seek out younger male companions who are at least 10 years younger and often half their age. While May-December romances involving older men with younger women are par for the course, there is often a double standard when it comes to older women dating younger men, even when those women are just in their 30s. For example, actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler caught a lot of public flak when she announced her engagement. Sigler was 31 and her beau was 23. Meaning of Puma in the United Kingdom In Great Britain, an article in The Telegraph in February 2012 by journalist Hanna Betts describes a puma as a single woman in pursuit of a mature partner with experience under his belt. An example is PR executive Amanda Sheppard, who at 29 years old, ensnared aging pop singer Bryan Ferry, 66. This new definition of puma seems to have surfaced with the release of a study in February 2012, commissioned by UK matchmaking service,  The Picnic Project, on what women want in a man. According to The Picnic Project, These Pumas so-called because theyre interested in dating previously married and attractive  men hail a new trend in women seeking experience over youth. The idea that divorced men who have lived, loved and lost will treat their potential mates with more sensitivity, care, and understanding than younger men appears to have caught on in the UK. The Daily Mail Online, drawing from The Picnic Projects findings, concludes more than half a million women would rather date a mature divorced man than someone younger than them. And 48,000 single British women are actively seeking men with a failed marriage behind them. The Daily Mail cites Paul McCartney’s third wife Nancy Shevell as a puma. Shevell is 17 years younger than the former Beatle. While the image of the puma as a single woman interested in an older, experienced and possibly divorced man seems to be growing in the UK, there is no evidence that this new meaning is embraced or even recognized in the U.S. Yet, the picture of a young, nubile woman dating a seasoned man is far from uncommon. Bottom Line Society continues to put labels on what women desire, whether referring to older or younger partners. But, ultimately, women continue to push back on old taboos and seek out the romantic partners of whatever age they want.

Essay on Media and Cultivation Theory - 1020 Words

In an ever-increasingly mediated society, mass media has become inseparable with the production of everyday life. Media is now a platform for members of society to connect with global events and other people beyond their own personal experience. For many, the media is a major source of information and â€Å"accounts of violence, as presented by the mass media, are the primary medium by which the average person comes to know crime and justice† (Barak, 1994). The following essay will explore the theories of both cultivation analysis, as established by George Gerbner, as well as agenda setting, reputable to Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw. These concepts will demonstrate how the recent Santa Barbara Shooting is a major media event that reflects a†¦show more content†¦As Griffin (2009, p. 364) so concisely stated, â€Å"the media aren’t very successful in telling us what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling us what to think about†. In more recent times, the direction of this theory has changed. Scholars have begun to focus on how the media â€Å"frame† social issues through the inclusion and omission of certain attributes of particular events (Ruddock, 2013). â€Å"Framing† refers to the forming of narratives and concepts that deliver meaning as an event unfolds (McCombs and Shaw, 1972). Themes such as media violence, particularly in the event of a school shooting, are often used to repeatedly reinforce social norms that are deemed important by the media. As a result, generic stereotypes are inevitably cast and the potential copycat behavior advertised. Only days ago, Elliot Rodger, a twenty-two year old student at the University of California in Santa Barbara, embarked on a killing spree within the student community of Isla Vista. On the night of May 23, Rodger left six victims dead and thirteen others injured before turning his gun on himself. In the new digital era, society actively participates in both receiving and creating media messages to shape social reality (Ruddock, 2013). InShow MoreRelatedMass Communication Theory Of George Gerbners Cultivation Theory731 Words   |  3 PagesGeorge Gerbner’s *cultivation theory* a macro-level system theory that examines mass communication by studying institutions, message systems, and cultivation analysis (1967; 1970; Gerbner Gross, 1973; Gerbner et al., 1980; Potter, 2014). Theorized during the â€Å"Age of Television† (Shanahan Morgan, 2004), the theory has been applied to newspapers and other media formats, assuming that media institutions â€Å"cultivate facts, nor ms and values of society† (Gerbner, 1970; Gerbner Gross, 1976). SpecificallyRead MoreTelevision Viewing And Protective Action Against Crime1639 Words   |  7 PagesRelate to Engagement in Protective Action Against Crime?: A Cultivation Analysis From a Theory of Reasoned Action Perspective. 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