History of the Mexican Revolution

The Mexican Revolution broke out in 1910 when the decades-old rule of President Porfirio Dà ­az was challenged by Francisco I. Madero, a reformist writer and politician. When Dà ­az refused to allow clean elections, Maderos calls for revolution were answered by Emiliano Zapata in the south, and Pascual Orozco and Pancho Villa in the north. Dà ­az was deposed in 1911, but the revolution was just beginning. By the time it was over, millions had died as rival politicians and warlords fought each other over the cities and regions of Mexico. By 1920, the chickpea farmer and revolutionary general Alvaro Obregà ³n had risen to the presidency, primarily by outliving his main rivals. Most historians believe this event marks the end of the revolution, although the violence continued well into the 1920s. The Porfiriato Porfirio Dà ­az led Mexico as president from 1876 to 1880 and from 1884 to 1911. He was an acknowledged but unofficial ruler from 1880 to 1884 as well. His time in power is referred to as the Porfiriato. During those decades, Mexico modernized, building mines, plantations, telegraph lines, and railroads, which brought great wealth to the nation. It came, however, at the cost of repression and grinding debt peonage for the lower classes. Dà ­azs close circle of friends benefited greatly, and most of Mexicos vast wealth remained in the hands of a few families. Dà ­az ruthlessly clung to power for decades,  but after the turn of the century, his grip on the nation started to slip. The people were unhappy: An economic recession caused many to lose their jobs and people began calling for change. Dà ­az promised free elections in 1910. Dà ­az and Madero Dà ­az expected to win easily and legally and was therefore shocked when it became evident that his opponent, Francisco I. Madero, was likely to win. Madero, a reformist writer who came from a wealthy family, was an unlikely revolutionary. He was short and skinny, with a high-pitched voice that became quite shrill when he was excited. A teetotaler and vegetarian, he claimed to be able to speak to ghosts and spirits, including his dead brother and Benito Juà ¡rez. Madero didnt have any real plan for Mexico after Dà ­az; he simply felt that someone else should rule after decades of Don Porfirio. Dà ­az fixed the elections, arresting Madero on false charges of plotting armed insurrection. Madero was bailed out of jail by his father and went to San Antonio, Texas, where he watched Dà ­az easily win re-election. Convinced that there was no other way to get Dà ­az to step down, Madero called for an armed rebellion; ironically, that was the same charge that had been trumped-up against him. According to Maderos Plan of San Luis Potosi, the insurrection would begin on November 20. Orozco, Villa, and Zapata In the southern state of Morelos, Maderos call was answered by peasant leader Emiliano Zapata, who hoped a revolution would lead to land reform. In the north, muleteer Pascual Orozco and bandit chieftain Pancho Villa also took up arms. All three rallied thousands of men to their rebel armies. In the south, Zapata attacked large ranches called haciendas, giving back land that had been illegally and systematically stolen from peasant villages by Dà ­azs cronies. In the north, Villas and Orozcos massive armies attacked federal garrisons wherever they found them, building up impressive arsenals and attracting thousands of new recruits. Villa truly believed in reform; he wanted to see a new, less crooked Mexico. Orozco was more of an opportunist who saw a chance to get in on the ground floor of a movement he was certain would succeed and secure a position of power for himself (such as state governor) with the new regime. Orozco and Villa had great success against the federal forces and in February 1911, Madero returned and joined them in the north. As the three generals closed in on the capital, Dà ­az could see the writing on the wall. By May of 1911, it was clear that he could not win, and he went into exile. In June, Madero entered the city in triumph. The Rule of Madero Madero barely had time to get comfortable in Mexico City before things got hot. He faced rebellion on all sides, as he broke all of his promises to those who had supported him and the remnants of Dà ­azs regime hated him. Orozco, sensing that Madero was not going to reward him for his role in the overthrow of Dà ­az, once again took up arms. Zapata, who had been instrumental in defeating Dà ­az, took to the field again when it became clear that Madero had no real interest in land reform. In November of 1911, Zapata wrote up his famous Plan of Ayala, which called for Maderos removal, demanded land reform, and named Orozco Chief of the Revolution. Fà ©lix Dà ­az, the former dictators nephew, declared himself in open rebellion in Veracruz. By the middle of 1912, Villa was Maderos only remaining ally, although Madero did not realize it. The greatest challenge to Madero was none of these men, however, but one much closer: General Victoriano Huerta, a ruthless, alcoholic soldier left over from the Dà ­az regime. Madero had sent Huerta to join forces with Villa and defeat Orozco. Huerta and Villa despised one another but managed to drive off Orozco, who fled to the United States. After returning to Mexico City, Huerta betrayed Madero during a standoff with forces loyal to Fà ©liz Dà ­az. He ordered Madero arrested and executed and set himself up as president. The Huerta Years With the quasi-legitimate Madero dead, the country was up for grabs. Two more major players entered the fray. In Coahuila, the former governor Venustiano Carranza took to the field and in Sonora, chickpea farmer and inventor Alvaro Obregà ³n raised an army and entered the action. Orozco returned to Mexico and allied himself with Huerta, but the â€Å"Big Four† of Carranza, Obregà ³n, Villa, and Zapata were united in their hatred of Huerta and determined to oust him from power. Orozcos support was not nearly enough. With his forces fighting on several fronts, Huerta was steadily pushed back. A great military victory might have saved him, as it would have drawn recruits to his banner, but when Pancho Villa won a crushing victory at the Battle of Zacatecas on June 23, 1914, it was over. Huerta fled to exile, and although Orozco fought on for a while in the north, he too went into exile in the United States before too long. The Warlords at War With the despised Huerta out of the way, Zapata, Carranza, Obregà ³n, and Villa were the four most powerful men in Mexico. Unfortunately for the nation, the only thing they had ever agreed on was that they did not want Huerta in charge, and they soon fell to fighting one another. In October of 1914, representatives of the â€Å"Big Four† as well as several smaller independents met at the Convention of Aguascalientes, hoping to agree on a course of action that would bring peace to the nation. Unfortunately, the peace efforts failed, and the Big Four went to war: Villa against Carranza and Zapata against anyone who entered his fiefdom in Morelos. The wild card was Obregà ³n; fatefully, he decided to stick with Carranza. The Rule of Carranza Venustiano Carranza felt that as a former governor, he was the only one of the â€Å"Big Four† qualified to rule Mexico, so he set himself up in Mexico City and began organizing elections. His trump card was the support of Obregà ³n, a genius military commander who was popular with his troops. Even so, he did not fully trust Obregà ³n, so he shrewdly sent him after Villa, hoping, no doubt, that the two would finish each other off so that he could deal with the pesky Zapata and Fà ©lix Dà ­az at his leisure. Obregà ³n headed north to engage Villa in a clash of two of the most successful revolutionary generals. Obregà ³n had been doing his homework, however, reading up on trench warfare being fought abroad. Villa, on the other hand, still relied on the one trick that had carried him so often in the past: an all-out charge by his devastating cavalry. The two met several times, and Villa always got the worst of it. In April of 1915, at the Battle of Celaya, Obregà ³n fought off countless cavalry charges with barbed wire and machine guns, thoroughly routing Villa. The next month, the two met again at the Battle of Trinidad and 38 days of carnage ensued. Obregà ³n lost an arm at Trinidad, but Villa lost the war. His army in tatters, Villa retreated to the north, destined to spend the rest of the revolution on the sidelines. In 1915, Carranza set himself up as president pending elections and won the recognition of the United States, which was hugely important to his credibility. In 1917, he won the elections he had set up and began the process of stamping out remaining warlords, such as Zapata and Dà ­az. Zapata was betrayed, set up, ambushed, and assassinated on April 10, 1919, on Carranzas orders. Obregà ³n retired to his ranch with the understanding that he would leave Carranza alone, but he expected to take over as president after the 1920 elections. The Rule of Obregà ³n Carranza reneged on his promise to support Obregà ³n in 1920, which proved to be a fatal mistake. Obregà ³n still enjoyed the support of much of the military, and when it became apparent that Carranza was going to install little-known Ignacio Bonillas as his successor, Obregà ³n quickly raised a massive army and marched on the capital. Carranza was forced to flee  and was assassinated by supporters of Obregà ³n on May 21, 1920. Obregà ³n was easily elected in 1920 and served his four-year term as president. For this reason, many historians believe the Mexican Revolution ended in 1920, although the nation suffered from horrible violence for another decade or so until the level-headed Là ¡zaro Cà ¡rdenas took office. Obregà ³n ordered the assassination of Villa in 1923 and was himself shot to death by a Roman Catholic fanatic in 1928, ending the time of the â€Å"Big Four.† Women in the Revolution Before the revolution, women in Mexico were relegated to a traditional existence, working in the home and in the fields with their men and wielding little political, economic, or social clout. With the revolution came an opportunity for participation and many women joined up, serving as writers, politicians, and even soldiers. Zapatas army, in particular, was known for the number of female soldaderas among the ranks and even serving as officers. Women who participated in the revolution were reluctant to return to their quiet lifestyle after the dust had settled, and the revolution marks an important milestone in the evolution of Mexican womens rights. Importance of the Revolution In 1910, Mexico still had a largely feudal social and economic base: rich landowners ruled like medieval dukes on large estates, keeping their workers impoverished, deep in debt, and with barely enough basic necessities to survive. There were some factories, but the basis of the economy was still mostly in agriculture and mining. Porfirio Dà ­az had modernized much of Mexico, including laying train tracks and encouraging development, but the fruits of all of this modernization went exclusively to the rich. A drastic change was obviously necessary for Mexico to catch up with other nations, which were developing industrially and socially. Because of this, some historians feel that the Mexican Revolution was a necessary â€Å"growing pain for the backward nation. This view tends to gloss over the sheer destruction wrought by 10 years of war and mayhem. Dà ­az may have played favorites with the wealthy, but much of the good that he did—railways, telegraph lines, oil wells, buildings—were destroyed in a classic case of â€Å"throwing the baby out with the bathwater.† By the time Mexico was once again stable, hundreds of thousands had died, development had been set back by decades, and the economy was in ruins. Mexico is a nation with tremendous resources, including oil, minerals, productive agricultural land, and hard-working people, and its recovery from the revolution was bound to be relatively speedy. The biggest obstacle to recovery was corruption, and the 1934 election of the honest Là ¡zaro Cà ¡rdenas gave the nation a chance to get back on its feet. Today, there are few scars left from the revolution itself, and Mexican schoolchildren may not even recognize the names of minor players in the conflict such as Felipe Angeles or Genovevo de la O. The lasting effects of the revolution have all been cultural. The PRI, the party that was born in the revolution, held onto power for decades. Emiliano Zapata, the symbol of land reform and proud ideological purity, has become an international icon for just rebellion against a corrupt system. In 1994, a rebellion broke out in Southern Mexico; its protagonists called themselves the Zapatistas and declared that Zapatas revolution was still in progress and would be until Mexico adopted true land reform. Mexico loves a man with personality, and the charismatic Pancho Villa lives on in art, literature, and legend, while the dour Venustiano Carranza has been all but forgotten. The revolution has proven to be a deep well of inspiration for Mexicos artists and writers. The muralists, including Diego Rivera, remembered the revolution and painted it often. Modern writers such as Carlos Fuentes have set novels and stories in this turbulent era, and films such as Laura Esquivels Like Water for Chocolate take place against the revolutionary backdrop of violence, passion, and change. These works romanticize the gory revolution in many ways, but always in the name of the inner search for national identity that continues in Mexico today. Source McLynn, Frank. Villa and Zapata: A History of the Mexican Revolution. Basic Books, August 15, 2002.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou - 1609 Words

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou displays several characters who each own a voice that they make their own. Throughout the memoir, the reader learns about Angelou’s life, including the people that she grew up with as a child. One of the main characters that had a significant impact on Angelou as she was growing up was her brother, Bailey. Bailey helped Angelou understand the life around her as she was trying to navigate the world. He was a strong role model that she could look up to. He looked out for her, whether it be by standing up to adults who called her ugly or giving her essential advice that only a big brother could. However, Bailey also had a life of his own that we, as the audience, learn about through Angelou’s eyes. Bailey faced several challenges as he grew up, but never failed to use his voice in his own, unique way. We learn a lot about Bailey and his voice through his relationship with Angelou. Neither Angelou nor Bailey had the traditional family setup of a mother, father, and children. Instead, they both looked to Momma and Uncle Willie to raise them as their â€Å"parents†. Later in the memoir new parental figures are introduced as Bailey and his sister start to build relationships with their mother, Vivian, and their father, Bailey, Sr. On top of their biological parents, Bailey and Angelou are also introduced to many other â€Å"parental figures† including Dolores and Daddy Clidell. So many people were introduced to the brother and sister that it’sShow MoreRelatedI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou1391 Words   |  6 PagesMaya Angelou’s debut autobiography is an article of literature that depicts the life of a young black girl growing up in a world pitted against her, and the resilience she found in herself in order to survive. Angelou is a voice t hat is not often heard. In a world dominated by a white male narrative, the plights of the minority are often overshadowed. 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The name Maya was given to her by her older brother, Bailey Jr. Maya Angelou is not only a sister, but also an inspirational role model, a mother, an author, a poet, a civil rights activist, and an actor. In 1969 Angelou’s world renowned book â€Å"I Know Why the Caged BirdRead MoreI Know Why The Caged Bird Sings By Maya Angelou2313 Words   |  10 Pagesknown as â€Å"Maya† sees beauty as being a blond white girl instead of an African American girl. Becoming a white girl is the only way she feels that she can escape the black hole that she feels she’s so constantly sucked int o. In the book, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings†, written by Maya Angelou, Marguerite states â€Å"I was going to look like one of the sweet little white girls who were everybody s dream of what was right with the world†(Introduction). Also, Marguerite states â€Å"Because I was really

Describe Risks and Possible Consquences free essay sample

There are many risks involved for children using the internet.. .. this may be that the child has innocently mistyped on the keyboard and are exposed to porongraphic images. Parents have the option to block certain things popping up on the computer screen Children use networking sites, such as facebook, they will state their name, their age, address etc, they will also post photos of themselves onto the wall.They should go onto the privacy settings and set to friends only this means that no frien that is on the list can see their profile. This is because a paedophile will pose as a teenager with similar interests and hobbies to gain friendship. They will try to gain your trust and want to meet you in person. They could also lie in wait for you if you have stated that you will be meeting friends in a certain park at a certain time. We will write a custom essay sample on Describe Risks and Possible Consquences or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Paedophiles, groom children.Children can be bullied, either on the internet or by the use of a mobile phone.. . Could be a lone person doing the bullying or a group of people. They can torment, threaten, tease etc anytime of the day or night. Always keep a copy of the types of messages and day and time thay were sent and inform an adult. This type of bullying will probably lower the childs self esteem and cause them to become depressed. Children can also be hooked on cult websites or a suicidal site where they make pacts with each other to end their own lives

Leadership through effective Communication

Why lead through Communication? Communication strategies are crucial in organizations, particularly in the information age. Organizations are growing immensely in terms of their operations. As a result, they are constantly looking for mechanisms for becoming competitive.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leadership through effective Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the ways of gaining competitive advantage is through the implementation of communication strategies, which support organizational growth and objectives. Right communication strategies have multiple benefits for an organization ranging from enhancing workforce motivation to the creation of additional customers and retention of the existing clientele. Organizational leaders are ever placed on a constant pressure to comply with various demands by various corporate stakeholders while still ensuring that an organization remains competiti ve in the short and long run. Upon ensuring compliance with these dual anticipations, organizational managers design and/or execute various business strategies. Although the failure of such strategies may initiate at the designing phase, many of business strategies, irrespective of how well they are designed, have more failure rates at the implementation and execution phases. The implication of this claim is that inadequate expertise in the execution of communication strategies within an organization may produce serious consequences.Advertising Looking for report on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At the phase of implementation of the business strategies, effective communication is essential in helping leaders to control and monitor the implementation of strategies to meet the desired goals and objectives. Implications of inadequate expertise in communication strategies are reflected in a research condu cted by McFarlin, Sweeney, and Cotton (2003) in which 197 management executives from 197 companies were surveyed to unveil their anticipations for success of their communication strategies. The researchers found out that only 63 percent of all the surveyed executives anticipated their strategies to succeed. Upon considering that 37 percent of the surveyed executives were not sure whether their communication strategies would succeed, the researchers concluded, â€Å"much of expectation and performance failures are a failure to execute the company’s strategy effectively† (McFarlin, Sweeney Cotton, 2003, p.380). Strategies are implemented through the collective effort of all people who must work to attain given goals and missions, which an organization is established to accomplish. These goals and objectives must be communicated effectively. Communication provides a link between the plans developed by leaders to enhance the success of an organization and the actual imple mentation process of the programs. Developing strategies that would succeed requires ardent communication at all hierarchical structures of business administration. Communication is vital since the implementation of new business strategies often involves change (Williams Seaman, 2001).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leadership through effective Communication specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Poor communication often results in resistance to change, especially where the persons working in an organization perceive the changes being implemented as threats to their jobs and personal excellence. For instance, while personnel at the headquarters of an organization may be fighting for standardization of products produced by an organization to ease supply chain and logistics challenges, the staff at departmental levels of various products may be opposed to such endeavors. Additionally, inadequate communication at the intra-organizational levels may result in different perceptions of brands that would excel in the market. Although effective leadership is crucial for the success of an organization, significant progress is attained when all workers have awareness in all hierarchical structures of an organization in the direction it takes. This helps them support their operations effectively in terms of doing what is within its capacity to ensure that it succeeds in the direction set by its leaders. In this sense, the goal of an effective communication program within an organization is to foster a change in employee behaviors. The desired change in an organization takes different forms. It may involve a shift in attitude or alteration of work processes in the effort to support the organization’s competitive advantage (Williams Seaman, 2001, p.445). Effective leadership entails the communication of strategies of success through translation of the essential business objectives and goals into t erms that employees can understand easily.Advertising Looking for report on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In response to such communication elements, employees become engaged, aligned, and committed to work collectively towards driving organizational success. In fact, many communication programs fall short when they fail to address precisely what employees, who are also the strategies implementers, need to know and/or do to enhance performance and success of an organization. Leaders for dynamic organizations appreciate the importance of effective communication,  mainly while working in an environment that is consistently changing. They view communication as having the ability to deliver tangible products as opposed to being a soft component of their leadership roles. Efforts of improving the satisfaction of consumers, enhancing the quality of service and product delivery, and enhancing retention and satisfaction of employees are all dependent on effective communication (Barrett, 2006, p.15). In an organization that employs people from diverse backgrounds, communication is the tool dep loyed to harness individual differences of the employees by aligning them to a common organizational culture that is guided by aims, missions, goals, and objectives of the organization. How to Communicate Effectively Communicating effectively in an organization requires leaders to have emotional intelligence. Leaders are visions careers. As the head of organizations, leaders are expected to have the ability to manage their emotions so that they do not get out of control irrespective of the challenges they go through while attempting to enhance compliance with their visions (Barrett, 2006). Leaders have the total trust of their staff, speak kindly and eloquently, pay attention to concerns of the people they work with as a team and are at ease to address. They also have the ability to make well-informed decisions. All these aspects help in building a productive climate for communication within an organization. Effective leadership requires leaders to have the capacity to manage their emotions well. For this purpose, the integration of the perspectives of emotional intelligence in leadership becomes crucial. Communicating effectively requires leaders to possess qualities such as the ability to listen effectively to others, have the ability and willingness to speak honestly and kindly, be approachable, and/or have the capacity to make reliable decisions. These aspects of how to communicate effectively constitute many of the traits of an emotionally intelligent leader. The concept of EI engulfs five crucial building blocks. The first block is self-awareness. Self-awareness implies that leaders have the capacity to eloquently understand their feelings together with how such feelings can influence the people they lead (McFarlin, Sweeney Cotton, 2003, p.364). This infers that a leader clearly understands his or her strengths together with weakness that may affect his or her productivity. The second block is self-regulation. This entails remaining in control of every situation that faces a leader. In other words, leaders who are able to self-regulate themselves possess minimal probabilities of attacking various members of work teams. They do not make rushed emotionally-instigated decisions or compromise the values of the work team members. The other three blocks are motivation, social skills, and empathy. Empathy involves putting one into the situation of another person. In the context of leadership, the situation is that of the subordinates. Concerning social skills, capable leaders who possess high levels of emotional intelligence have excellent communicating skills. Leading through communication requires leaders to amply understand the audience for every communication situation in terms of what motivates it to behave in specific ways. This calls for awareness of the people being led. The reception of the leader by audience helps in shaping the perception and making decisions on whether to pay attention to the leader while talking or not (Barr ett, 2006). This suggests that the ethos and/or the initial presentation of the leader may create barriers to the reception of the desired message. When the audience does not listen to leaders when they speak, communication does not take place. Leaders intending to build their success through effective communication need to master the art of persuasion. This goal can be accomplished through the creation of positive ethos together with the development of a clear understanding of the nature of the people being led in terms of what propels them to pay attention to details. Emotional intelligence leadership skills capture all these aspects of how to communicate effectively. Who is Responsible for Communication? Effective leaders communicate in all directions within an organization. However, effective communication does not merely happen. It is also not the principal function of the organization communication personnel. For communication to achieve its effectiveness in enhancing integrat ion and homogeneous operation of an organization, all hierarchical structures of management must engage in it. As claimed before, change is implemented through hierarchical structures of an organization. Failure of achieving the desired goals of organizational change emanates from inadequate communication between change designers and implementers. This underlines the significance of considering the possession of intrapersonal and interpersonal communication skills as some of the essential qualities of any effective leaders working in the information age organizations. Communication personnel within an organization work under directions of a leader. When such personnel is given information to relay to the subordinates, the accuracy of the transmitted data is dependent on the accuracy of the information communicated to the communication personnel by the leader (Barrett, 2006). This implies that the sole responsibility of organizational communication rests on the leader. Indeed, variou s models for leadership communication competency pay incredible consideration to communication skills from the perspectives of strategic capacity and personal abilities (Barrett, 2006, p.33). Leaders who present high abilities to lead, direct, plan, monitor, and/or control their organizations effectively are the ones who portray exemplary  skills of effective communication. This has led many leadership training and development programs to consider communication skills as the component that binds all other facets of effective leadership. Roles of Leaders in Communication From a superficial perspective, communication is a simple task for emotionally intelligent leaders. In some leadership situations, sending memos and emails may serve the purpose of delivering the intended message. However, in complex communication situations such as addressing issues of strikes within an organization, these simplistic methodologies of communication may fail to yield success (Barrett, 2006). Such a situation requires leaders to evaluate the context and implications of their chosen communication to address employee conflicts with an organization in an effective manner. This consideration highlights the significance of understanding the components or the facets of an effective communication process. In the effort to ensure that communication makes positive impacts, planning, management, and taking of measures to enhance consistency and clarity of communication are vital areas to consider. Thus, leading through effective communication requires leaders to avoid concentrating on just delivering messages while neglecting the importance of planning and management of communication processes. Leaders need to avoid making any errors of equating the volume and the speed advantages offered by the internet to effective organizational communication. The model shown below illustrates the roles played by a leader in communication. Fig 1: Roles played by a leader in communication Source (Barr ett, 2006, p.56) From the fig. 1 above, communication occurs in a context of system interactions. This system, which could be an organization itself, possesses factors that may hinder communication. Such factors include the perception of the leader developed in employees and the organizational culture. When planning for communication, a leader needs to consider the barriers of communication (Barrett, 2006, p.57). Leaders also need to organize their communication strategies such that they fit well into the established organizational culture. As a builder of the communication infrastructure and in an effort to lead through effective communication, a leader takes into corporation the aspects of the systems. They include the existing communication climate, culture of the organizations, changes which may affect the organizational stakeholders, and the capacity of communication emanating from the leader to fit well with the practices of human resources within an organization (Barrett, 200 6, p.68). The second essential facet of effective communication is the role of a leader in the development of communication strategies through planning. This role calls leaders to develop measurable communication objectives and/or analyze the implication of change to the organizational stakeholders in the effort to concentrate on the communication of issues that are meaningful and related to the interest of the stakeholders. In the development of the communication strategy, a leader also deserves to engage in the selection of requisite channels for communication. He or she should endeavor to measure the effectiveness of various communication efforts. Measurement is essential in the effort to adjust accordingly to the necessary strategies, which make leaders’ communication more effective. Message delivery becomes essential after a leader fulfills the functions of communication planning and communication strategy development. To deliver the message efficiently, effective commun ication involves the utilization of various skills. These skills include presentation skills, engagement of the audience through interrogatives, listening, facilitation, and engagement in problem-solving, mentoring, coaching, and evaluation of the impacts of communication in the context of the desired message. The various components of the three roles of leaders in communication require different extents of mixes depending on the characteristics of the audience and the context in which the connection is accomplished. The appropriate mix is also dependent on the degree of attention of the audience. For instance, in situations where the purpose of communication is to resolve employees’ conflicts within an organization, no matter how presentable a leader may be, the audience may fail to develop the required attention for effective communication to take place. The desired approach in such contexts is initiating the communication process by giving a room for the audience to pose i nterrogatives related to the purpose for which the communication forum is being held. Models for Leadership Competency in Communication The considerations of the importance of communication in leadership have led to the development of various models for leadership competency in communication. Two important models are LILI and the mathematical theory of organizational communication models. Mathematical Theory Model The mathematical model comprises five main elements, as illustrated in Fig.2 below. Fig.2: Mathematical Models for Leadership Competency in Communication Source (Barrett, 2006, p.98) In an organization, the source of communication is the leader. The leader encodes the desired message. Through communication planning, the channel of communication is selected. This may take the form of face-to-face communication, emails, memo, or any other suitable channel that suits the appropriate context. The receiver of the message decodes it and sends back the understanding of the messa ge in a back loop in the form of the proper action to the source. The back loop enables the leaders to determine whether they are effective in their communication strategies. Based on the mathematical model for leadership communication competence, leaders develop the ability to determine their effectiveness in communication and their roles in it while also determining the necessary actions to handle the anticipated problems. The message is determined at the source. At this level, leaders pay attention to convey just the appropriate information. This effort reduces curiosity and chances of loss of interest in listening (Barrett, 2006, p.109). Failure to plan communication by failing to lay out a precise objective, understanding the audience, and/or failing to seek the feedback of the manner in which the information is received leads to poor crafting of communication, otherwise referred to as communication encoding. In the encoding process, considerations of the cultural context are i ncredibly paramount. Misunderstanding and miscommunication of the desired message arise from language and cultural barriers. Consulting and encoding of information so that a diverse number of people can understand it is especially important in contexts where cross-cultural communication is required. According to the mathematical theory leadership communication competency model, after encoding, effort to communicate shifts effectively to the selection of the right channels. Effective communication requires optimal utilization of communication opportunity while maintaining efficiency in the delivery of the intended message. For simple directions, emails are the most appropriate. Where the leader wants to delegate tasks, emails turn out ineffective. People interrogate them together with the intention of the leader (Barrett, 2006). Emails and memos are also not appropriate where the communication raises emotional charges in an organization. Under such circumstances, the best channel in an organizational setting is face-to-face or telephone communication. They allow the leader to evaluate and judge the impacts of the words used in the communication process. In the decoding stage, the leader becomes the active listener while the audience becomes the speaker. Through the responses of the audience, the leader acquires feedback on the effectiveness of his or her communication. The level of the audience engagement in the communicated message, agreeableness, defensiveness, and comprehension are indicators of the success of communicating the planned message. LILI Model The LILI model considers four key drivers for any effective organizational communication. LILI refers to leading, involving, listening, and informing (Barrett, 2006, p.165). The traditional approaches to organizational communication focused only on informing, which only comprises 25 percent of effective communication (Barrett, 2006). This explains why communication strategies that are aimed at informing fai l to succeed in delivering results. Communication is best achieved in the two-way information flow process. The LILI model suggests that communication strategies need to change to accommodate changes in inputs. Hence, â€Å"leaders should incorporate each of the four drivers, as appropriate to the situation† (Williams Seaman, 2001, p.455). This implies that leaders need to understand their audiences together with their information requirements. Thus, the act of involving and/or listening to organizational stakeholders is an essential step under the LILI model for gaining inputs to communication combined with the necessary feedback to enhance the effectiveness in communication. Leading in the implementation of contents of the communicated message is the facet of the LILI model, which enables the leader to establish a model for appropriate behavioral commitments to any communicated information, thus setting the necessary collective direction for an organization. Rating Leaders ’ Capacity to Communicate Effectively The determination of the capacity of a leader to communicate effectively depends on the model of communication deployed. Apart from analyzing the response of the audience after delivery of the message, leaders need to engage themselves in several interrogatives to evaluate their effectiveness in communication. These interrogatives are: Does the leader possess communication strategies, which guide all the communication activities? Does the leader possess adequate information on what people want to understand from the communication and/or how they are likely to respond to the communication? Is the message planned for delivery aligned with the organizational values, mission, objectives, and vision? Does the communication integrate perspectives of a two-way communication process? Does the communication plan pay attention to the past incidences of poor or inaccurate communication to avoid their repetition in the current communication plan? Do es the communication consider various elements of effective communication in leadership: listening, directing, informing, leading, and involvement of the audience? Does the leader factor in the employees’ preferences for communication media such as face-to-face communication or emails? Is the responsibility of communication delegated to other leaders below the leader? If so, are the people charged with communication delivering the intended messages and/or do they comprehensively understand and endeavor to improve their roles as organizational communicators? If the response to all above question is yes, a leader can consider his or her communication immensely effective. A score of 5-8 indicates that a leader is on his or her way into becoming an effective leader through effective communication. However, he or she needs to invest more time in the development of the qualities of an effective organizational communicator. A score of less than 4 depicts ineffectiveness in leading through communication. Summary Effective communication is the key determinant of the capacity of leaders to achieve their mandates of leading, directing, planning, monitoring, and controlling. Communicating effectively requires the understanding of organizational culture, audience, and information needs and interest of various organizational stakeholders. This ensures that the concerns of the likely barriers and conflicts of the information communicated are mitigated in the planning phase of communication. Effective leaders in communication possess certain leadership traits, which influence people through communication. One of the essential traits is emotional intelligence (EI). EI helps leaders compose the context, orient, and/or prepare the audience to listen to them. To ensure that effective communication is achieved, it is also necessary to adopt a communication model that suits an appropriate scenario. Reference List Barrett, J. (2006). Leadership Communication. New York, NY: M cGraw-Hill. McFarlin, B., Sweeney, D., Cotton, L. (2003). Attitudes toward employee participation in decision-making: A comparison of European and American managers in a U.S. multinational. Human Resource Management Journal, 31(4), 363−383. Williams, J., Seaman, E. (2001). Predicting change in management accounting systems: National culture and industry effects. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 26(5), 443−460. This report on Leadership through effective Communication was written and submitted by user Caitlyn Byrd to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Explore the Different Types of Galaxies

Explore the Different Types of Galaxies Thanks to instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers know more about the variety of objects in the universe than previous generations could even dream of understanding.  Even so, most people dont realize just how diverse the universe is. Thats especially true about galaxies. For a long time, astronomers sorted them by their shapes but didnt really have a good idea about why those shapes existed. Now, with modern telescopes and instruments, astronomers have been able to understand why galaxies are the way they are. In fact,  classifying galaxies by their appearance, combined with data about their stars and motions, give astronomers insight into galactic origins and evolution. Galaxy stories stretch back almost to the beginning of the universe.   This Hubble Space Telescope view reveals thousands of galaxies stretching back into time across billions of light-years of space. The image covers a portion of a large galaxy census called the Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS). NASA, ESA, the GOODS Team, and M. Giavialisco (University of Massachusetts, Amherst) Spiral Galaxies Spiral galaxies are the most famous of all galaxy types. Typically, they have a flat disk shape and spiral arms winding out away from the core.  They also contain a central bulge, within which a supermassive black hole resides. Some spiral galaxies also have a bar that runs through the center, which is a transfer conduit for gas, dust, and stars. These barred spiral galaxies actually account for most of the spiral galaxies in our universe and astronomers now know that the Milky Way is, itself, a barred spiral type.  Spiral type galaxies are dominated by dark matter, making up nearly 80 percent of their matter by mass. An artists concept of what our galaxy looks like from outside. Note the bar across the center and the two main arms, plus smaller ones. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESO/R. Hurt Elliptical Galaxies Less than one in seven galaxies in our universe are elliptical galaxies. As the name suggests, these galaxies are either range from having a spherical to egg-like shape.  In some regards they look similar to large star clusters, however, the presence of large amounts of dark matter help distinguish them from their smaller counterparts. A giant elliptical galaxy has a small neighbor with a HUGE black hole at its heart. NASA/ESA/STScI These galaxies contain only small amounts of gas and dust, suggesting that their period of star formation has come to an end, after billions of years of rapid star-birth activity.   This actually gives a clue to their formation as they are believed to arise out of the collision of two or more spiral galaxies. When galaxies collide, the action spurs great bursts of star birth as the commingled gases of the participants are compressed and shocked. This leads to star formation on a grand scale.   Irregular Galaxies Perhaps a quarter of galaxies are irregular galaxies. As one might guess, they seem to lack a distinct shape, unlike spiral or elliptical galaxies. Sometimes astronomers have referred to them as peculiar galaxies, due to their odd shapes. No matter what theyre called, astronomers want to understand why they often look like oddballs when compared to other galaxy types. One possibility is that these galaxies were distorted by a nearby or passing massive galaxy. We see evidence for this in some of the nearby dwarf galaxies that are being stretched by the gravity of our Milky Way  as they are cannibalized by our galaxy. The Large Magellanic Cloud (middle left) and Small Magellanic Cloud (upper center) over Paranal Observatory in Chile. European Southern Observatory In some cases though, it seems that irregular galaxies have been created by mergers of galaxies. Evidence for this lies in the rich fields of hot young stars that were likely created during the interactions. Lenticular Galaxies The lenticular galaxies are, to some extent, misfits. They contain properties of both spiral and elliptical galaxies. For this reason, the story of how they formed is still a work in progress, and many astronomers are actively researching their origins.   Galaxy NGC 5010 a lenticular galaxy which has features of both spirals and ellipticals. NASA/ESA/STScI Special Types of Galaxies There are also some galaxies that contain special properties that help astronomers classify them even further within their more general classifications.   Dwarf Galaxies: These are essentially smaller versions of those galaxies listed above. Dwarf galaxies are difficult to define because there is no well-accepted cut-off for what makes a galaxy regular or dwarf. Some have a flattened shape and are often referred to as dwarf spheroidals. The Milky Way is currently cannibalizing a number of these smaller stellar collections. Astronomers can track the motions of their stars as they swirl into our galaxy, and study their chemical makeup (also known as metallicity).Starburst Galaxies: Some galaxies are in a period of very active star formation. These starburst galaxies are actually normal galaxies that have in some way been disturbed to ignite very rapid star formation. As mentioned above, galaxy collisions and interactions are the likely cause of the starburst knots seen in these objects.Active Galaxies: It is believed that virtually all normal galaxies contain a supermassive black hole at their cores. In some cases, however, this central engine can become active and drive massive amounts of energy away from the galaxy in the form of powerful jets. These Active Galactic Nuclei (or AGN for short) are widely studied, but it is still unclear what causes the black hole to suddenly become active. In some cases, passing clouds of gas and dust may fall into the gravitational well of the black hole. The material gets superheated as it swirls around in the black holes disk, and a jet may form. The activity also gives off x-rays and radio emissions, which can be detected with telescopes here on Earth. The study of galaxy types continues, with astronomers looking back to the earliest epochs of time using Hubble and other telescopes. So far, theyve seen some of the very first galaxies and their stars. These little shreds of light are the beginnings of the galaxies we see today. The data from those observations will help the understanding of galactic formation back at a time when the universe was very, very young.   This simple diagram of galaxy types is often called Hubbles tuning fork. public domain Fast Facts Galaxies exist in a variety of shapes and sizes (called their morphology).Spiral galaxies are very common, as are ellipticals and irregulars. The first galaxies were likely irregulars.Galaxies grow and evolve through collisions and mergers. Sources â€Å"Galaxy | COSMOS.†Ã‚  Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/g/galaxy.HubbleSite - The Telescope - Hubble Essentials - About Edwin Hubble, hubblesite.org/reference_desk/faq/all.php.catgalaxies.NASA, NASA, science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-are-galaxies.    Edited by Carolyn Collins Petersen.

How to choose between two really good job candidates

How to choose between two really good job candidates As a hiring manager, your reputation is built and bolstered by your ability to source top-tier candidates for positions across your organization. Chances are your performance goals are closely tied to how effective you are at stocking your company’s teams with the best available talent.Sometimes this is a relatively straightforward task, and the perfect candidate comes your way for an open position- all you have to do is get them interested and sell them on the notion of joining your team. Other times, the hiring process is a bit more difficult.Most seasoned hiring managers have encountered nearly every permutation of hiring challenge imaginable- one particularly anxiety-inducing one is when you have what seems to be two â€Å"perfect† candidates who are vying for the same position. Both candidates are well-qualified, have impeccable industry backgrounds and skill sets, come equipped with sterling references, and appear to be great potential fits in all key areas- and y ou’re tasked with deciding who rises from the candidate heap and earns the coveted spot.Here’s a solid method for successfully handling this situation in an effort to best meet your company’s needs.Look beyond the obviousIf you’re facing the choice of having to decide between two great candidates and they both seem equally matched in all the key metrics you typically base your hiring decisions upon, then look beyond the typical. Step back from the situation and think about whether or not a candidate made a positive impression on you in an area that you typically overlook or don’t weigh heavily. If there’s an area of strength that may help one candidate perform on the job- no matter how small- then consider taking into consideration. Traits like personality type and problem-solving style aren’t off-limits, even if they don’t fit into typical evaluation models.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});Gi ve a testWhen facing two seeming equal candidates, take a step beyond and really put them to the test. Consider giving them an additional work-related task to see who does best. Having the candidates complete a project that mirrors one of the responsibilities that they’ll encounter on the job is not uncommon, and can really help you make a tough decision a little easier.Get a second opinionJust like no person is an island, no employee is alone in a company- and neither are you. There are reasons why many interviews are conducted by multiple people and over several encounters- hiring someone new for a position in your organization is no small decision, and having multiple opinions factor into the final decision can help ensure that the best choice is made. If you haven’t already, have the candidates meet with other key decision-makers in your company and use their opinions to help you work through this difficult situation.Trust your instinctsThe truth is, there is no pe rfect candidate. Despite all the state-of-the-art analytics your company uses to gauge candidates and how well they sold themselves during the interview process, there’s just no surefire way to know for sure how well they’ll do when they’re on the job and hitting the ground running. Don’t forget this when you’re facing a difficult hiring decision, and also don’t forget to trust your well-honed instincts as an experienced hiring manager. Hiring someone new is always a leap of faith- so have a little faith in your ability to choose between two candidates wisely using your experienced eye.Don’t write one candidate off completelyNo matter how difficult it is, at some point you’re going to have to make a decision between two highly qualified candidates. Hopefully, you make the right choice. That said, choosing one candidate above another doesn’t mean it’s necessarily â€Å"goodbye forever† to the losing candidat e. A savvy hiring manager knows that it’s in their company’s long-term benefit to maintain a talent-rich pipeline. That said, do your best to keep all good candidates in your orbit- because you never know when a new position will open up and you’re back on the hunt.

Tourism and Indigenous Peoples Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tourism and Indigenous Peoples - Assignment Example Looking out over a vast, desolate landscape, the older man responds, â€Å"They can bloody well have it† (Weir, 1981). Aboriginal peoples aren’t just part of this remoteness – for many, they have come to symbolize it. I believe that this impression of the Aborigines is intrinsic to Australia’s cultural self-image, part of a pervasive and dominant national mindset. It has a debilitating effect on efforts to decrease traditional economic disparities and make Aboriginal peoples a productive part of the country’s economic mix. Dislocation is the inevitable product of treating Aboriginal people as novel curiosities, or historic anomalies. Until this perspective changes, I believe an almost carnival image will plague the Aborigines and will likely prove too imposing an impediment to indigenous economic integration. â€Å"The implications of†¦potentially expanding employment disparity is amplified for discrete Indigenous communities because they are remote, and opportunities in what is termed the ‘real’ (or mainstream) economy are extremely circumscribed† As I contemplated this reading, I couldn’t help thinking about a series of television commercials advertising American Indian gambling casinos, which are typically only aired in the early morning hours. To me, this reflects the ingrained cultural disenfranchisement of America’s indigenous peoples, who are surely one of the most notable examples of a culturally and economically disadvantaged native population. Their cultural remoteness has kept them out of America’s economic mainstream as surely as has the Aborigines.’ In America, â€Å"fringe† business opportunities, or tourist businesses that exploit stereotypical notions, are often the only means for economic advancement available to native Americans. I believe this is, or will become, the case with Australia’s indigenous peoples, who