Biography of Mark Twain

Biography of Mark Twain Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens Nov. 30, 1835 in the small town of Florida, MO, and raised in Hannibal, became one of the greatest American authors of all time. Known for his sharp wit and pithy commentary on society, politics, and the human condition, his many essays and novels, including the American classic,The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, are a testament to his intelligence and insight. Using humor and satire to soften the edges of his keen observations and critiques, he revealed in his writing some of the injustices and absurdities of society and human existence, his own included. He was a humorist, writer, publisher, entrepreneur, lecturer, iconic celebrity (who always wore white at his lectures), political satirist, and social progressive. He died on April 21, 1910 when Halley’s Comet was again visible in the night sky, as lore would have it, just as it had been when he was born 75 years earlier. Wryly and presciently, Twain had said, â€Å"I came in with Halleys Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year (1910), and I expect to go out with it. It will be the greatest disappointment of my life if I dont go out with Halleys Comet. The Almighty has said, no doubt: Now here are these two unaccountable freaks; they came in together, they must go out together.†   Twain died of a heart attack one day after the Comet appeared its brightest in 1910. A complex, idiosyncratic person, he never liked to be introduced by someone else when lecturing, preferring instead to introduce himself as he did when beginning the following lecture, â€Å"Our Fellow Savages of the Sandwich Islands† in 1866: â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen: The next lecture in this course will be delivered this evening, by Samuel L. Clemens, a gentleman whose high character and unimpeachable integrity are only equalled by his comeliness of person and grace of manner. And I am the man! I was obliged to excuse the chairman from introducing me, because he never compliments anybody and I knew I could do it just as well.† Twain was   a complicated mixture of southern boy and western ruffian striving to fit into elite Yankee culture. He wrote in his speech, Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrims,1881: â€Å"I am a border-ruffian from the State of Missouri. I am a Connecticut Yankee by adoption. In me, you have Missouri morals, Connecticut culture; this, gentlemen, is the combination which makes the perfect man.† Growing up in Hannibal, Missouri had a lasting influence on Twain, and working as a steamboat captain for several years before the Civil War was one of his greatest pleasures. While riding the steamboat he would observe the many passengers, learning much about their character and affect. His time working as a miner and a journalist in Nevada and California during the 1860s introduced him to the rough and tumble ways of the west, which is where, Feb. 3, 1863, he first used the pen name, Mark Twain, when writing one of his humorous essays for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise in Nevada. Mark Twain was a riverboat term that means two fathoms, the point at which it is safe for the boat to navigate the waters. It seems that when Samuel Clemens adopted this pen name he also adopted another persona - a persona that represented the outspoken commoner, poking fun at the aristocrats in power, while Samuel Clemens, himself, strove to be one of them. Twain got his first big break as a writer in 1865 with an article about life in a mining camp, called Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog, also called The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. It was very favorably received and printed in newspapers and magazines all over the country. From there he received other jobs, sent to Hawaii, and then to Europe and the Holy Land as a travel writer. Out of these travels he wrote the book, The Innocents Abroad, in 1869, which became a bestseller. His books and essays were generally so well-regarded that he started lecturing and promoting them, becoming popular both as a writer and a speaker. When he married Olivia Langdon in 1870, he married into a wealthy family from Elmira, New York and moved east to Buffalo, NY and then to Hartford, CT where he collaborated with the Hartford Courant Publisher to co-write The Gilded Age, a satirical novel about greed and corruption among the wealthy after the Civil War. Ironically, this was also the society to which he aspired and gained entry. But Twain had his share of losses, too - loss of fortune investing in failed inventions (and failing to invest in successful ones such as Alexander Graham Bell’s telephone), and the deaths of people he loved, such as his younger brother in a riverboat accident, for which he felt responsible, and several of his children and his beloved wife. Although Twain survived, thrived, and made a living out of humor, his humor was borne out of sorrow, a complicated view of life, an understanding of life’s contradictions, cruelties, and absurdities.   As he once said, â€Å"There is no laughter in heaven.†Ã‚   HUMOR Mark Twain’s style of humor was wry, pointed, memorable, and delivered in a slow drawl. Twain’s humor carried on the tradition of humor of the Southwest, consisting of tall tales, myths, and frontier sketches, informed by his experiences growing up in Hannibal, MO, as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, and as a gold miner and journalist in Nevada and California. In 1863 Mark Twain attended in Nevada the lecture of Artemus Ward (pseudonym of Charles Farrar Browne,1834-1867), one of America’s best-known humorists of the 19th century. They became friends, and Twain learned much from him about how to make people laugh. Twain believed that how a story was told was what made it funny   - repetition, pauses, and an air of naivety. In his essay How to Tell a Story Twain says, â€Å"There are several kinds of stories, but only one difficult kind- the humorous. I will talk mainly about that one.† He describes what makes a story funny, and what distinguishes the American story from that of the English or French; namely that the American story is humorous, the English is comic, and the French is witty. He explains how they differ: â€Å"The humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling; the comic story and the witty story upon the matter. The humorous story may be spun out to great length, and may wander around as much as it pleases, and arrive nowhere in particular; but the comic and witty stories must be brief and end with a point. The humorous story bubbles gently along, the others burst. The humorous story is strictly a work of art, - high and delicate art, - and only an artist can tell it; but no art is necessary in telling the comic and the witty story; anybody can do it. The art of telling a humorous story - - understand, I mean by word of mouth, not print - was created in America, and has remained at home.† Other important characteristics of a good humorous story, according to Twain, include the following: A humorous story is told gravely, as though there is nothing funny about it.The story is told wanderingly and the point is â€Å"slurred.†A â€Å"studied remark† is made as if without even knowing it, â€Å"as if one were thinking aloud.†The pause: â€Å"The pause is an exceedingly important feature in any kind of story, and a frequently recurring feature, too. It is a dainty thing, and delicate, and also uncertain and treacherous; for it must be exactly the right lengthno more and no less- or it fails of its purpose and makes trouble. If the pause is too short the impressive point is passed, and the audience have had time to divine that a surprise is intended- and then you cant surprise them, of course.† Twain believed in telling a story in an understated way, almost as if he was letting his audience in on a secret. He cites a story, The Wounded Soldier, as an example and to explain the difference in the different manners of storytelling, explaining that:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"The American would conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects that there is anything funny about it†¦. the American tells it in a ‘rambling and disjointed’ fashion and pretends that he does not know that it is funny at all,† whereas â€Å"The European ‘tells you beforehand that it is one of the funniest things he has ever heard, then tells it with eager delight, and is the first person to laugh when he gets through.† †¦.†All of which,† Mark Twain sadly comments, â€Å"is very depressing, and makes one want to renounce joking and lead a better life.† Twain’s folksy, irreverent, understated style of humor, use of vernacular language, and seemingly forgetful rambling prose and strategic pauses drew his audience in, making them seem smarter than he. His intelligent satirical wit, impeccable timing, and ability to subtly poke fun at both himself and the elite made him accessible to a wide audience, and made him one of the most successful comedians of his time and one that has had a lasting influence on future comics and humorists. Humor was absolutely essential to Mark Twain, helping him navigate life just as he learned to navigate the Mississippi when a young man, reading the depths and nuances of the human condition like he learned to see the subtleties and complexities of the river beneath its surface. He learned to create humor out of confusion and absurdity, bringing laughter into the lives of others as well. He once said, â€Å"Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.† MARK TWAIN PRIZE Twain was much admired during his lifetime and recognized as an American icon. A   prize created in his honor, The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the nation’s top comedy honor, has been given annually since 1998 to â€Å"people who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist best known as Mark Twain.† Previous recipients of the prize have included some of the most notable humorists of our time. The 2017 prizewinner is David Letterman, who according to Dave Itzkoff, New York Times writer, â€Å"Like Mark Twain †¦distinguished himself as a cockeyed, deadpan observer of American behavior and, later in life, for his prodigious and distinctive facial hair. Now the two satirists share a further connection.† One can only wonder what remarks Mark Twain would make today about our government, ourselves, and the absurdities of our world. But undoubtedly they would be insightful and humorous to help us â€Å"stand against the assault† and perhaps even give us pause. RESOURCES AND FURTHER READING Burns, Ken, Ken Burns Mark Twain Part I, https://www.youtube.com/watch?vVs, https://amphilsoc.org/sites/default/files/proceedings/150305.pdfMoss, Walter, Mark Twain’s Progressive and Prophetic Political Humor, http://hollywoodprogressive.com/mark-twain/The Mark Twain House and Museum, https://www.marktwainhouse.org/man/biography_main.php For Teachers: Learn More About Mark Twain, PBS, pbs.org/marktwain/learnmore/index.htmlLesson 1: Mark Twain and American Humor, National Endowment for the Humanities, https://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/mark-twain-and-american-humor#sect-introductionLesson Plan | Mark Twain and the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, WGBH, PBS, https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/773460a8-d817-4fbd-9c1e-15656712348e/lesson-plan-mark-twain-and-the-mark-twain-prize-for-american-humor/#.WT2Y_DMfn-Y

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 25

No topic - Essay Example Malcolm X was just advocating self-defense, calling for them to band together to protect themselves. He also advocated for equality, and his assertion that Negroes should have the right to vote manifests his belief in the legal system that does not endorse violence. His last paragraph is a good strategy to gain freedom. In fact, it is the only way to have freedom. You have to get or seize it when it is not given to you. The oppressor can call names but if you insist, even the timid will join you once you have enough critical mass for the oppressor either to give freedom or for you to take it. Yusef Iman’s point was basic, love others but you have to love yourself first. Love is good but one has to love himself or herself also. When somebody burns your house, water-hoses you down and does many other despicable things, your love for yourself must prevail and you have to protect yourself. So, in protest to such despicable acts, resorting to violence becomes an act of love. One has to love but he or she has to love himself or herself

Johnson & Johnson as a Model for Corporate Social Responsibility Research Paper

Johnson & Johnson as a Model for Corporate Social Responsibility - Research Paper Example Three responsibility-related dimensions are taken into account to calculate the combined effect on reputation of social programs, management practices, and employee relations. These include corporate citizenship, governance and workplace practices. An organization’s reputation is closely linked to the public perception of its Corporate Responsibility. Public perception includes dimensions such as trust, admiration and esteem. J&J makes certain claims in its annual reports and other official publications. However, an examination of their activities disproves the hypothesis that Johnson & Johnson is a model for Corporate Social Responsibility. 2. Company’s CREDO The company – J&J follows a definite CSR strategy outlined in OUR CREDO which was initiated 60 years ago by the founder. The Credo describes of the organization’s responsibility towards its customers, employers, communities and shareholders (Fact Book, 2007). Their first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses and patients, and all others who use their products and services. This includes product quality, product prices, prompt service, and a fair opportunity to the suppliers and distributors to make profits. Toward the employees their responsibility lies in providing job security, respecting individual dignity, and also helping employees fulfill their responsibilities towards their families (CSR Globe, n.d.). ... Their first responsibility is to the doctors, nurses and patients, and all others who use their products and services. This includes product quality, product prices, prompt service, and a fair opportunity to the suppliers and distributors to make profits. Toward the employees their responsibility lies in providing job security, respecting individual dignity, and also helping employees fulfill their responsibilities towards their families (CSR Globe, n.d.). They claim to be equal opportunity employers and hence provide development and advancement for all those qualified. Towards the communities they feel responsible in supporting charities and encouraging civic improvements including better health and education. Protection of environment and natural resources is a part of their responsibility towards the society and communities. They have a worldwide Tobacco-Free Work Place policy which has helped improve the health and work environment for the employees. For the employees they have o ther programs such as the Employee Assistance program and the Occupational Health Program which influences the employees’ ability to work safely and effectively keeping in mind the laws and regulations. The company asserts that if it has taken care of the first three - customers, employers, communities - the responsibility to the stakeholders is automatically assured. The Credo is the central document that ties many operating companies together. The positive effect of all its CSR strategy is that the company practices decentralization across J&J group of companies. Their focus areas are health, education, environment, art & culture, and disaster relief. They align their corporate

The Security payment in E- commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Security payment in E- commerce - Essay Example Internet can be considered as one of the most revolutionary inventions of the last century [2]. It is used by different people for different reasons; some people use it to communicate with the other end of the world, some use it to increase their knowledge with the vast information available online [1]. Another area that has made a prominent name in the World Wide Web is E-commerce. E-commerce, which is the process of business transactions on the web; is preferred for its simplicity and ease [3]. However, one of the factors that cause a great degree of concern for customers and merchants is the level of security involved with these business transactions [4], [15]. The mode of payment in e-commerce transactions is through ‘credit cards’; which have established more opportunities for businessmen but at the same time introduced new problems in the whole process of selling goods. The fear of fraud in online business transactions keeps on increasing every year due to the increase in the respective crime [8], [39], [40]. According to National Consumers League statistics for the year 2007; millions of dollars were lost in e-shopping transactions and have exposed the weakness of the credit card payment system [5]. Credit card fraud and identity theft [11] are the two most prevalent security risks. In the past, many efforts have been done to secure online transactions and make this medium a trusting one. During such efforts, the protocol of Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) was developed to secure credit card information from several kinds of attacks present online [6]. Secure Socket Layer (SSL) also helps in providing a secure environment as it provides an encrypted medium to transfer credit card information [7]. The use of biometric has also been proposed by one of the researchers; this proved helpful to prevent identity theft and any false authorization regarding the credit card information. Numerous aspects have to be considered

Disaster Analysis: Challenger Disaster

Disaster Analysis: Challenger Disaster It was the day in the history of America wherein the people had a great expectation of a mission that would take a civilian for the first time into space. After twenty four successful launches by NASA, the Challenger space shuttle was a test of their experience as an organisation. On January 28th 1986, the shuttle exploded shortly after liftoff, claiming the lives of all crew members onboard .The explosion could not be blamed just because of the technical faults but also raised numerous other issues such as organisational and ethical behaviour. It also questioned the leadership skills exhibited by the teams involved during the operation. This report discusses the organisational factors that contributed to the accident and reflects on the aftermath of the disaster explaining about space missions and the organisations associated with it. It also reflects on the role of management in order to manage a complex engineering operation. NASA OPERATION REASONING ITS FAILURE There were many organizational factors which contributed to the accident. To start with, NASA was always a narcissistic kind of organization, which believed in the number one spot. Since it landed the first man on the moon, prior to Russia, its technological ethos took backseat. It was more of an organization, which concentrated on the public display image rather than the true technology. The U.S. government declared to stop supporting the space shuttle programmes and asked NASA to raise their own funds for any further space programme. Also, for any complex engineering project, to be a success, the feedback and recommendations of the engineers and technical staff is considered, as the most mandatory and important requirement. In Challengers case, it was the most neglected aspect and thus leads to a disaster. There were some strong forces of reason and emotions which influenced the decision to proceed with the launch. The highly visible public display of Americas success as a multicultural society was also one of the reason they included many minorities in the group. NASA just wanted to go ahead with the launch as there was one lady school teacher, Christa McAuliffe in the team, which made this space launch a special centre of attraction for the citizens of the U.S. The US president was due with his assembly speech, which also somewhat forced NASA to go ahead with the launch. There was huge media pressure as the launch had been cancelled several times before. There was also the lack of leadership in the organization as there was really no one with the courage to make the right decisions, as it is one of the foremost requirements of a charismatic leadership. The relationship between Morton Thiokol and NASA is one of the strong reasons for the failure of mission. Both organizations managers were over complacent as they looked for evidence to support mission success rather than evidence indicating possible mission failure. The Thiokol management wanted to make sure it received future contracts from NASA. This is clearly evident from the communication, which took place between the two organisations during the teleconferencing. Basically, both the parties were looking and were guided by their own selfish interests. SHUTTLE DISASTER WHO IS TO BE BLAMED? One single entity cannot be held accountable for the challenger disaster. Responsibility falls on the managers at NASA and Thiokol. These are the people who made the decision to launch challenger and where the ones with the authority and power. They did not listen to or take any real notice of the engineers at Thiokol who are the experts in the area and have the knowledge base regarding the rocket boosters. There was a lack of communication and a sense of desperation from the managers to make sure the shuttle launched as they did not want any further delay. The role that the culture at NASA played in this disaster was very important and indeed can be directly attributed to the disaster. Within NASA there had developed a climate where communication was very closed. The culture did not encourage a free flowing exchange of information between departments and people of different levels; there was a concerted effort to discourage creative thinking. This mind set was also transfeered to Thiokol which had a detrimental effect. The mission was the first of its kind to have a non-astronaut aboard, this was done so that the space program would be more widely acknowledged by the public it would capture peoples imaginations again with the possibility that a regular person could go up into space. Although there was a non-astronaut on board the shuttle and a mix of ethnic backgrounds and genders this can in no way have had any bearing on the disaster as none of these people where responsible for giving the mission the go ahead that was purely down to management and once the shuttle was launched those on board would not have been able to do anything differently. The challenger disaster was certainly avoidable, the warning signs were there but the people in charge did not heed them. The engineers knew there was a problem with the O rings and many attempts were made to communicate this but management did not want to listen to the engineers as it was something they did not want to hear as they clearly put financial gains ahead of the safety of the mission and its crew. NASA also could have stopped the launch but because they had already delayed the launch twice management were under pressure to not delay any further. The pressure to meet its targets led NASA to not follow the set down rules it had in place to stop something like this happening. All the pressures put on both NASA and Thiokol led to them taking risks which did not pay off. If the pressure to launch in conjunction with communication breakdowns had not occurred or had been managed better this disaster would not have happened. FACTORS INFLUENCING DISASTER Communication Communication was considered to be an issue since the engineers were not able to convince the management team at NASA to stop the launch of the space shuttle. It was very evident from the initial time that the management at Marshal Space centre contained already known problems and they were trying to resolve them internally instead of communicating them further. During the initial stages of the challenger project, the management of NASA had come up with certain guidelines and rules called the BURDEN OF PROOF wherein the technical team had to come up with exact proof to explain the consequences if there was a failure from their side. Robert Lund, an engineer and manager who played an important role during the challenger launch explained we had to prove to them that we werent ready, and so we got ourselves into the thought process that we are trying to find some way to prove to them it wouldnt work and we were unable to do that . We couldnt prove absolutely that the motor could not work (US Commission 1986) In any organisation communication decisions should not be set as rules and need to be flexible. Leadership Taking leadership into account, according to Max Webers theory of bureaucracy explained the structure of an organisation. NASAs organisation exhibited a rigid organisational structure wherein all the rules and regulations must be strictly adhered to and everyone should perform the role which they were assigned to. In this rigid type of organisation, the leadership exhibited by the NASA was a narcissistic approach. Narcissistic leadership occurs when leaders actions are principally motivated by their own egomaniacal needs and beliefs, superseding the needs and interests of the constituents and institutions they lead (Seth A.R. Todd L.P., 2006) The leader becomes more concerned with public relations thereby concerning a lot about the organisations image and in the process it forgets about the other issues that were equally strong. Behaviour of people Behaviour of people within both organisations with respect to the risk management was unplanned and NASA management had to make a decision at the last moment even when everyone agreed that a catastrophic possibility existed and it was known that responsibilities of the people were clearly defined. Much of the evidence pertaining to the disaster was dismissed. Behaviour of the entire team could be interpreted as group think. The concept of group think was formulated by Janis, according to his theory; the member of the teams worked as cohesive groups and had utmost confidence in their project. During group think, the decision makers get an illusion that they are invulnerable and it makes people take extraordinary risks at crucial moments. (Janis, 1986) There was an illusion of unanimity among the group members. Regarding the judgement made, the individuals in the Thiokol team remained silent and none of them had openly agreed to the launch. The silence from Thiokol was also worsened since it was a teleconference meeting wherein the body language was not noticed even if they had said no. Hence silence meant an agreement which explains the fact that the team were unable to voice their views. The influence of the media The influence of the media played in major role in decisions that were made by NASA. NASA was under tremendous pressure to achieve flight rates and was so pervasive that it was undoubtedly affecting the attitude towards safety. Scheduling pressures were playing a major role in making NASA biased to launch the shuttle and overseeing the risks which were attached to it, it was mainly due to the medias 24/7 coverage on NASA which was putting them under pressure to launch the shuttle on time because they did not want further negative coverage which could harm their public image. SPACE SHUTTLE AFTERMATH OF THE DISASTER All space exploration has a mission with some specific technical objectives. All missions are time bound, it takes years to plan and implement them. Highly motivated people are needed in the workforce. Astronauts are chosen for the specific missions and are trained for the specialised roles. The Rogers commission provided nine recommendations to NASA after the challenger disaster to improve the safety of its shuttles. NASA not only considered these recommendations but also redesigned their space shuttles with new technical modifications including solid rocket boosters which were the primary cause of the disaster. The role of engineering in complex projects could be analysed by studying the Burns and Stalker theory about mechanistic and organic structures. They studied two different organizations- textile and electronics (Gabriel, 2007). The textile company was having more of a hierarchical structure as discussed by Marx Weber, as they were involved in the routine and bureaucratic tasks whereas the electronic company was more concentrated on the engineering work outs and thus were having more of a horizontal structure which demands more of verbal communications and less paper work. The concentration is more on the Innovation and inter-departmental communications. Above all, the employees have more discretion and liberty to suggest changes and chance to come out with productive innovations (Gabriel, 2007). NASA, being an organization, dealing complex engineering projects, should have provided their engineers with much discretion, rather than applying the unsuitable bureaucratic approach. While handling any complex engineering projects, it is thus advisable, to provide more autonomy of power to its ground level staffs. Power and politics in the organizations could be understood by studying the two well known dysfunctions of bureaucracy and they are as follows- Rigidity- It means that bureaucracy is slow to take advantage of opportunities and avoid threats. They are averse to innovation and experimentation. They generally avoid, which is new. This aspect of bureaucracy is not good for the managers who work in the changing environment. NASAs failure as an organization, by not accepting the new engineering recommendations from its engineers and taking the matter lightly, resulted to the disaster. Departmentalization- As per Webers theory, in bureaucracy, there is a strong hierarchical structure, which gets followed. So, the communication is from top to bottom level and never goes across horizontal level and this leads to setting up of different sub goals by different departments. These sub goals are not in good faith of organization as a whole and also leads to clashes and rivalry among departments. MANAGING COMPLEX OPERATIONS It is always very challenging to manage a complex engineering operation in any organisation. Generally complex organisation creates lot of problem and issues in management, so that management should consider the importance of culture, communication and leadership to manage this type of operation. According to our view following are the factors which should be considered while managing a complex engineering operation. Communication framework: Communication plays another key role in managing complex engineering solutions. A framework called as Leadership communication framework is taken into consideration wherein it starts with core communication skills represented in the centre of framework. It eventually expands itself from managerial communication skills which begin with emotional intelligence and cultural literacy. It finally leads to the concept of corporate communication skills where it becomes more complex and the organisation tends to become responsible to all internal and external stakeholders. The leaders who involve themselves within this type of communication model become the companys face and have numerous responsibilities. Therefore in order to effectively get the advantages of this model an improvement plan has to be initiated with self-assessment of the process. SOURCE: Deborah J Barret, 2006 Culture: Culture forms the function, as the linking mechanism by which network of understanding develops among the employees [Trice, 1988]. Culture works as the software of the mind and use of metaphor in the organisation. As especially strong culture became very useful to manage the project because people in strong culture know which things are right to do. In complex engineering situation feedback is often ambiguous and interpretation is the main key. In any organisation culture play a main role in how ambiguity is discussed and resolved in decision making (schien, 1992). Mainly in complex engineering time becomes a very important decision factor so that highly time urgent culture is very important in organisation. Management should consider the importance of culture in any operation. Leadership styles: Leadership style adopted by the management is very crucial in managing complex engineering operation. As Kurt Lewin suggested, there are three major styles of leaderships Authoritarian or autocratic Participative or democratic Delegative or Free Reign In the case of any complex engineering operations, Participative leadership should be the first choice among the management wherein the leaders include one or more of their employees in the decision making process. By doing so, the leaders eventually gain the respect of their employees thus leading to a mutual benefit among them (Robert N, L Christopher F, A, .2010). Leadership is activity of mobilizing people to understand adaptive challenges which cannot be resolved by expert knowledge and daily management. To motivate the people who are working under you is very important in leadership. Motivation plays vital role to boost the confidence of the employee to do challenging task and also gave energy to perform their task better. As complex problems contain multiple system which includes technical analysis, to handle this type of project requires capacity of individual to skilful intervene in complex system. So that adopting proper Leadership approach is very important in organisation to handle any project. CONCLUSION Hence we conclude that there was strong need for leadership in NASA that would have been capable of organisational change. Its culture has always reflected self interested decisions.   NASA would have to flatten its organisational hierarchy; it should be going for rather than having a bureaucratic organisation. There should be a mechanism in place where engineers should be able to bypass the bureaucracy and hierarchy, especially in the pre launch process. There words and ideas should also be respected and given some credence by the upper management.    NASA would have collaborate rather than contracting , its shuttle development and maintenance programs are outsourced to contractors , but it necessary for NASA to form a production and delivery oriented relationships with their subsystem contractors for a better future  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   . There should be a collaborative model of interaction.    NASA is still suffering from technical incompetences and narcissistic management, it has to make an overhaul change in its organisation for its best interests.   It is essential for NASA to be able to use its resources as efficiently as possible to effectively develop, explore and promote space. References: Gabriel,Y., 2007. Leadership and Organizations. University of London press publication Guthrie,R.,2005.The Columbia Disaster: Culture, Communication and change, Journal of cases on Information technology, [Online], 7(3) Available at http://www.infosci-journals.com [Accessed 20 Jan 2010] Moorhead,G.,1991.Group think Fiascoes Continues: Space Shuttle Challenger,available at http://ils.unc.edu/~bwilder/inls500/challengerarticle.pdf Janis,I.L.,1986.Group think,(2nd edition). Boston: Houghton. Mifflin Publication Seth A.R. Todd L.P.,2006. Narcissistic leadership. The Leadership Quarterly,Volume 17, Issue 6,[Online], Available at http://www.sciencedirect.com [Accessed 18 Jan 2010] Bella, D.A., 1987. Organizational Systems and the Burden of Proof. Thomson Publishing Challenger Disaster A NASA Tragedy.[Online]. available at http://space.about.com/cs/challenger/a/challenger.htm [accessed 23 Jan 2010] Deborah, B.,2006.Leadership Communication. NewYork:Tata Mc Graw Hill Publication Deborah,B.,2006.Strong communication skills a must for todays leaders.[online]Available at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com [accessed 18 jan 2010] Robert.N,L Christopher F.A.,2010.Leadership Theory,Application Skill Development.4th edition. Strategic Leadership and Decision Making.[Online] available at http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch16.html [accessed 15 jan 2010] William H.S, Moshe F.,2005.Organization at the limit lessons from the Columbia Disaster, Blackwell Publishing Sharon D.P.,2005.Leadership can be taught : a bold approach for a complex world. Harvard business school publishing

Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl Essay -- Harriet Jacobs

Harriet Jacobs wanted to tell her story, but knew she lacked the skills to write the story herself. She had learned to read while young and enslaved, but, at the time of her escape to the North in 1842, she was not a proficient writer. She worked at it, though, in part by writing letters that were published by the New York Tribune, and with the help of her friend, Amy Post. Her writing skills improved, and by 1858, she had finished the manuscript of her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. L. Maria Child, a prominent white abolitionist, agreed to edit Jacob's book, although she apparently did little to alter the text except to rearrange some sections, suggest the removal of one chapter, and add material to another. In a letter to a friend, Child wrote, "I abridged, and struck out superfluous words sometimes; but I don't think I altered fifty words in the whole volume." The subject matter of the book -- sexual abuse of slave women -- was taboo in the mid-19th century, and Harriet had struggled over whether or not to expose herself so publicly. But she realized the significance of her story and so decided to go ahead, although she wrote under the psydonym, Linda Brent, and assigned fictitious names to everyone mentioned in the book. Child, too, was aware of the story's significance, writing in the book's introduction: "I am well aware that many will accuse me of indecorum for presenting these pages to the public; for the experiences of this intelligent and much-injured woman belong to a class which some call delicate subjects, and others indelicate. This peculiar phase of Slavery has generally been kept veiled; but the public ought to be made acquainted with its monstrous features, and I willingly take the respon... ...e program in African-American Studies. She is the author of several acclaimed books and editor of the Penguin Classics edition of the Narrative of Sojourner Truth. Through the war years, Harriet Jacobs lived in Washington, D.C., assisting contrabands, nursing black troops and teaching. After the war, she and her daughter did relief work in Savannah and Edenton. In 1868, they traveled to London to raise funds for an orphanage and home for the aged in Savannah. The year before her death in 1897, she was actively involved in organizing meetings of the National Association of Colored Women in Washington, D.C. She is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge. For nearly a century, the authorship of her book was questioned, but a new edition published in 1987 by Harvard University Press named Harriet Ann Jacobs as the true author of Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.

Discuss the Influence of Childhood on Adult Relationships

Discuss the influence of childhood on adult relationships. (24 Marks) Many attachment psychologists argue that early relationships with our primary caregivers provide the foundation for later adult relationships. Bowlby called this the continuity hypothesis. This is the claim that early relationship experiences continue in later adult relationships. According to the attachment theory, young children develop an ‘internal working model' from their first relationship with their primary carer.This is then the basis on which they consider what is acceptable in future relationships and whether they are able to trust or rely other individuals (based on preconceptions from previous relationships). Young children also develop characteristic attachment styles in their early relationships which influence later relationships by providing the child with beliefs about themselves, other people and relationships in general. There are several attachment styles that a child can develop in infanc y.Ainsworth (1971) divided these into secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant, when working on her ‘Strange Situation’ research. The characteristics we associate with attachment styles will provide a child with a set of beliefs about themselves and the nature of relationships with others. These attachment styles can be seen as a indicator of the nature of their future adult relationships. For example, someone who is securely attached as a child can expect to have similar relationships throughout life.There is research supporting the influence of childhood on adult relationship, such as the longitudinal study performed by Simpson et al (2007). It was carried out on on a group of individuals from childhood into their twenties. Individuals previously labelled as ‘securely attached' were more capable of socialising, developed secure friendships and had positive emotional experiences on a regular basis, supporting the hypothesis. This shows that our attachment as children, and our developed internal working model influence our adult relationships greatly.Another study that proves this hypothesis was performed by Hazan and Shaver (1981). They devised a ‘love quiz’ in a local newspaper, asking readers to describe their feelings and experiences about romantic relationships and their childhood relationships with parents. They found a strong correlation between childhood and adult relationship patterns: for example, insecure-avoidant types doubted the existence of love, feared closeness and found it hard to forgive; insecure-resistant types were intensely emotional, jealous and untrusting; and secure types believed in love, were very trusting and liked being close to others.However it is unlikely that our attachment types as children are fixed. Life events, such as divorce of parents or loss of a loved one, can cause a ‘securely attached' child to become ‘insecure', therefore it is unrealistic to say that our early re lationships determine whether or not we have successful long-lasting relationships. Also, this is a very deterministic view. It suggests that we have no control over the effect our childhood has on our future and that we do not have free will. For example the idea that because a child was abused, when they grow up they ‘will' become abusers is not only is this untrue, but it plays on the idea that we have no power over who we become. ) Relationships with peers also have an influence on later adult relationships. Peers become more influential as a child progresses into adolescence, playing a significant role in an individual becoming an independent adult, and helping to develop social skills, including those needed for adult relationships.As young people develop into adolescents, they spend less time with parents and family and time with peers increases. They are more likely to experience self disclosure of inner feelings and secrets. Bee (1995) argues that teenagers use their peer group to make the transition from protection from the family to the real world. Interactions help to develop independence where the teen gradually attains separation from their family. This suggests how they develop a level of emotional and physical intimacy different to that to which they have with their parents.However gender differences have been found in childhood relationships. Research has shown that girls experience more intimate peer relations than boys, and often report feelings of care and security in their relationships with other girls. In contrast, boys’ peer relationships are usually more competitive. Therefore, we cannot generalise about the effects of childhood peer interactions as experiences are often very different. Also, many studies of adolescent relationships have relied on small samples from once school or city, usually in the US.A major disadvantage of such samples is that it doesn’t adequately represent relationships in other areas and cul tures. Therefore, it is difficult to generalise findings, especially to non-Western cultures. Overall there are many suggestions as to how childhood, (the effects of peer relationships and parent-child relationships,) can affect our future adult relationships, and although there is various evidence supporting this, it is too reductionist to suggest that childhood experiences is the only factor that impacts possible relationships, as there are others such as life events and environmental factors.

HR problem

All employees are continually performance managed and this is looked at when going or promotion so the employees are always putting a lot of effort to get good assessments and appraisals. When many of the employees joined the company they were told that promotion would be available within two years, however this has not been the case. The general management seem not to worry about this lack of motivation and seem to think as long as the employees are making money they will be happy.Part b Problem Analysis To analyses the problems in this organization we need to look the issue of motivation at work and also the psychological contract between the company and the employee. Arnold et al (1995 cited in Preston 2006 P. 7) suggests that motivation is made up of three components: 1 . Direction: what a person is trying to do 2. Effort: how hard a person is trying 3. Persistence: how long a person continues trying Looking at this suggestion you can see that In the case of the employees they ha ve a key direction In looking for promotion and are putting In a lot of effort to receive good assessments and appraisals.However, they are starting to lack in persistence as they A highly motivated employee will be: o More committed to the business o A more productive worker Happier in their Job A useful theory we can use to look at motivational issues is Mascots hierarchy of needs. Self-actualization Esteem Social (belonging) Safety Physiological Preston (2006 p. 12) states ‘Mason believed that all people are motivated by the same things, but there are different levels of need.When one set of needs in the hierarchy has been met, we work harder to fulfill the next level. ‘ In relation to the problem stated earlier a majority of the employees work hard to achieve the different stages of need, however now they are lacking motivation because they are striving for more ND working harder to achieve more but it is not being made available to them. We can also look at Victor B room's expectancy theory he uses the equation x I x V) which looks at the process of motivation.In this case even though the effort being but in by the employees is huge, the outcome they are hoping for (promotion) is not great or non-existent. As promotion is a high priority for these employees they therefore have a lack of motivation. Another motivation theory we can link to this problem is Douglas McGregor (1960) Theory X and Theory Y. In this case the management are obviously Theory X managers only believing employees are motivated by money. The employees will become very disheartened by this as they are trying extremely hard and not being recognized for it.The psychological contract forms part of the unwritten contract and as Preston (2006 pop) states ‘differs from a written contract in that it is concerned with implicit expectations, obligations and promises that both parties believe have been made with regard to what each owes and expects to receive from each other. â⠂¬Ëœ The psychological contract covers a lot of areas and has become more important in cent times where the employee expects a lot more from their employer. When joining the company the employees understood that promotion would be available within two years. This was not in the official written contract but was a known promise.Many employees now feel dishonored. They have put in a lot of hard work which they expected would put them well on the road to promotion. These few points are all examples of the psychological contract. In this case it is very weak; this is also a good reason as to why the employees are not motivated. I think this problem could be solved and have produced a few ideas which could help both short term and long term. ; Condiment opportunities The company could offer its employees short term condiment opportunities in a higher position when the man power is stretched and in need of a temporary boost.Even though it is not permanent it may help increase motivation i n the short term. In the case on Broom's theory the promotion they have been working towards will have been made available (if only temporarily) which will increase motivation ; Working in there departments – increase company knowledge There may be a chance to look at letting employees work in different departments short term especially during low season when man power levels needed are not as high. This will benefit both the company and the employee.The business will benefit from the extra knowledge and skills the employee will learn which they will be able to bring back to their original role. The employee will enjoy doing something new and being more challenged therefore increasing motivation. ; Opportunities to work up On certain shifts the manager on duty could delegate his duties to a more Junior employee. This gives the employee the opportunity to learn on the Job whilst being supervised by the manager. This could provide a challenge and more stimulating day at work. B etter the relationship between managers and employees Reduce the barriers between general management and the workforce, I. E. Improving and encouraging more fluid communication between each party. This will enable the management to see how dedicated and committed their staff actually are and allow them to have a more personal idea of who their employees are. This would be a start n changing the managers from Theory X to Theory Y managers when looking at Douglas McGregor theory.