Thursday, October 31, 2019
St. Bernard's Catholic Church Bazaar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
St. Bernard's Catholic Church Bazaar - Essay Example We have an outreach program there that works with the local missionaries." The health and well-being of the people of Haiti has become one of the Catholic Church's principle concerns in recent years. The annual bazaar's main event is the chicken dinner that is catered by JoJo's Bar-B-Que of nearby Linden. The menu offered both fried and baked chicken, side dishes, and deserts that were donated by the Women of St. Bernard's, a Catholic auxiliary group. Because of the record numbers that attended this year's event, there was a fear of running out of desert. However, Ms. Kiefer quickly organized a group that headed back home to put together some of the best homemade pies and cakes available anywhere. In keeping with its focus on children, the fair offered several unique activities to get the attention of the younger set. John Parker, a church member and Wabash College professor, put on several regular displays of the 'Wonders of Science'. The children were awed by his demonstrations that involved dry ice, liquid nitrogen, and static electricity. Though the shows were designed for children, the adults were equally impressed with the professor's shows. In addition to the science display, there were activities such as an art gallery, cake walk, musical chairs, and games where children could win prizes such as stuffed animals, books, and toys.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Promotional media communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Promotional media communication - Essay Example 1) ââ¬â in this case, focused on United Kingdom. The researcher will therefore employ direct observation, interviews or by using questionnaires. Conclusions derived are technically subjective and researcher is often stringently concern about making broad generalization of matter as the subject of inquiry (Sothern, 2013, p. 1). The Company Coca-Cola is a business leader in beverage production and retailing industry. It has a global operation and is selling diverse beverages that suit best to consumers' taste which inspire them to maximize the products for home or for either private or public occasions. One of its leading product is Coca-cola diet, a soda but with limited value of calorie. In its Facebook account, Diet Coke is marketed as an extraordinary beverage and was historically introduced as developed since 1982 which was claimed to have catapulted as the leading diet soft drink of the world, thus, the brand is sustained until these days (Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). Diet Coke is produced to target consumers that are interested on maintaining a low-calorie diet, or those that are diagnosed with diabetes, and yet will still savour such tasty delight (Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). ... 1) By 1986, the company prided to have reached about 61 countries as market zone with an estimated 60 million cans served daily (Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). Since it gained a global prestige, the company aired its first commercial advertisement using the slogan ââ¬â ââ¬Å"Just For the Taste of Itâ⬠(Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). On same year, the company attempted to draw the market attention by adding cherry flavour to Diet Coke and also maximized a print advertisement by using the carved monuments of political heroes of America in 1987 to project such ââ¬Å"monumental tasteâ⬠(Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). Later, the Company maximized Oxford Plains Speedway to promote the first Diet Coke 100 until it optimized the 3D advertisement during the Big game by bannering the slogan ââ¬Å"The Move Is On to Diet Cokeâ⬠(Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). It continued to promote the product as extraordinary in 1989 with Gary Weismann as the consumerââ¬â¢s endorser, tagging along with it the pro minence of a superhero action star (Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). Almost ten years after, Diet Coke was recognized as the brand of the decade in 1990 and sustained sporting its image with Batman (Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). Being avidly consumed in the market, the company decided to celebrate its 10th anniversary at New Yorkââ¬â¢s Time Square (Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1). In 1993, Diet Coke was promoted as a beverage that suits the taste of all with only one calorie and which was followed with salacious advertisement that those who would buy for it ââ¬Ëbreak for refreshment solely for diet Coke (Diet Coke, 2013, p. 1).â⬠Playing with the peopleââ¬â¢ interest of the universe and the space, the company also decided to let astronauts bring Diet Coke to outer world in 1995 under the quest of ââ¬Ëtesting the formula
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Observation of Child Play
Observation of Child Play Using observations of children at play in your setting, evaluate how you would scaffold the childrenââ¬â¢s learning in the future and improve the quality of play. Using a range of fully completed observations from placements (six in total), evaluate how you would improve the childrenââ¬â¢s learning experiences. Refer to expected ââ¬Å"normsâ⬠of development (fully referenced) and explain how your knowledge of theories of child development would give you an understanding of how you might scaffold their learning. It is recognised that play is a valuable and effective way of learning within the early years. The experiences children have within their early years settings work towards promoting their development, learning and their overall outlook on life. Throughout my time in placement settings, I have observed a wide range of children from the age of 3 months to 11 years old. Within this text, I shall be outlining six of the observations I have conducted over the past two years and explain the child in terms of their development, identifying areas where there are deviations of the expected ââ¬Å"normsâ⬠of development. Where appropriate, I will also explain my role of scaffolding these children. Scaffolding is defined by Read, C (2005) as the ââ¬Å"metaphorical concept used to describe the interactive verbal support provided by adults to guide a child through the ZPD and enable them to carry out a task that they would be unable to do without helpâ⬠. The area in which the child can perform an action or task, provided that a more skilled or knowledgeable person is available to help, Vygotsky termed the ââ¬Ëzone of proximal developmentââ¬â¢ (ZPD). Scaffolding is temporary and can be put in place, strengthened, taken down piece by piece or taken away completely, as the child develops knowledge and skills and is increasingly able to act competently and independently. My role of scaffolding is to be the ââ¬Å"more knowledgeable otherâ⬠Vygotsky explained, as I provide the child was minimal assistance that they require to achieve and understand a concept. Scaffolding refers to the particular kind of help, assistance and support that enables a child to do a task wh ich they cannot quite manage on their own and which brings them closer to a state of competence that will enable them to carry out other similar tasks. Child One (0-3 Years) CONGITIVE Time Observation 09:30am Child A had pointed to the snack table and said ââ¬Å"foodâ⬠ââ¬â I told child A ââ¬Å"not now, but laterâ⬠and child A was able to understand these simple time concepts and continued to play. 09:40am Child A had lifted one of the staff membersââ¬â¢ observation book, Child A was told to ââ¬Å"put the book back on the tableâ⬠in which they completed this action, showing understanding of this sentence. 09:50am Child A was asked if they needed their nappy changed, Child A responded by nodding for yes. 10:00am Child A was given a sorting toy which had spaces to place different shaped objects. Child A was able to complete this task by placing the correct shapes in the corresponding spaces. 10:10am Child A continued to play with this sorting toy, Child A used the attached phone to pretend to speak to ââ¬Å"mummyâ⬠on the phone. 10:20am Child A was able to point out a cat, a dog and a fish from a storybook I was reading. 10:30am At snack time, Child A was able to choose a fork rather than a spoon to use to eat chicken curry. For this observation, I used a time sampling method over a time period of one hour to observe a 2 year old during free flow play in a day care. From this observation, I was able to understand that Child A was developing normally as she was able to accomplish and show many areas of cognitive development of an average two year old child. Child A showed the capability of the usual cognitive milestones usually shown by a two year old child and has a wide understanding of words and phrases when spoken to. I do not believe there are any deviations of the norms of cognitive development and that no concerns are in place for this child. To help scaffold this child in the future, I can ensure the child is provided with more appropriate provision or her level of learning, such as more advanced reading books that are still age appropriate, but also capability appropriate to the child as to ensure continuous learning. Child Two (0-3) Years LANGUAGE Tries to copy your sounds Understands many more words than he can say Understands simple directions and questions such as Where is your nose? Get the ball. Demonstrates some pretend play with toys like give the teddy bear a drink Makes at least four consonant sounds from p,b,m,n,d,t,w,h Identifies pictures in a book when asked such as ââ¬Å"Show me the baby. Enjoys being read to and looking at books Understands the concepts of in and out, off and on Points to three body parts when asked Says No Asks for something by pointing and using sounds or words Imitates animal noises Tries to get attention by calling out, repeating words and pointing For this next observation, I carried out a longitudinal study on a child aged 18 months. Over the period of around one month, I was able to identify that Child Two is developing extremely rapidly and accordingly with reference to general norms and milestones of children aged 12 to 18 months. Child Twoââ¬â¢s language development appears to be flourishing every day and should not be a cause for concern. By reading new books and introducing new words to the child, I can scaffold their learning in the future to ensure the childââ¬â¢s development and learning is still continuing as normal. Child Three (0-3 Years) LANGUAGE Milestones for 2 to 3 Year Olds Achieved? Yes/No Pays increasing attention to speech No Responds to simple verbal requests No Responds to ââ¬Å"noâ⬠Yes Uses simple gestures Yes Babbles with inflection (changes in tone) Yes Says ââ¬Å"dadaâ⬠and ââ¬Å"mamaâ⬠No Tries to imitate words Yes Points to objects or picture when itââ¬â¢s named for him Yes Recognizes names of familiar people, objects, and body parts No Says several single words No Uses simple phrases No Uses 2-to-4 word sentences No Follows simple instructions Yes Repeats words overheard in conversation No Child Three is 30 months old, (2 Years, 6 Months) and was observed in a Day Care setting. This observation was carried out over a period of one week and by using a Checklist method. Throughout this observation, I witnessed that Child Threeââ¬â¢s attitudes towards language are not of the expected norms, as unlike the other children around the similar age were shouting words, able to point to areas on the face when named, saying ââ¬Å"mamaâ⬠and ââ¬Å"dadaâ⬠and in some cases, a variety of other two syllable words. Throughout the target week, Child Three did not speak a single word, which is rather worrying for his age range. Child Three does however, point and make grunting noises when he requires help, attention or is pointing to something he wants. These characteristics witnesses are more around the birth to 12 month area of language development and can suggest that Child Threeââ¬â¢s language development is progressing, but at an extremely slow rate compared to other children within the setting within this age range. Child Three does not try to say words but continues to murmur and grunt and does not interact with words with other children, which has shown an impact upon his social development as no children approach Child Three physically or verbally, leaving him to play alone, which does not provide a positive influence to promote language development to Child Three. A further observation was that Child Three tends to dribble a great deal whilst making noises, eating and in general, which may show signs of further teething that has continued and may impact Child Threeââ¬â¢s speech as he may refuse to speak as his mouth is in pain, which may be a suggestion to make to Child Threeââ¬â¢s parents to get checked by their GP. Child Threeââ¬â¢s overall language development appears to vary from the traditional norms as many of the milestones that are assumed of Child Threeââ¬â¢s age are not achieved and may produce worrying results which need to be explained to the childââ¬â¢s parents In order for them to seek further professional advice, possibly from a speech and language therapist in order to determine if there are any underlying issues which are affecting Child Threeââ¬â¢s language development. It could also be argued that these results are not a full representation of Child Threeââ¬â¢s language development as they were only conducted within the time period of one week, however I believe this is long enough to uncover any varying characteristics which affect development. The child was familiar with myself and otherââ¬â¢s present and I had been present within that setting for a number of months, so this would not produce any factors which may change Child Threeââ¬â¢s attitudes, which therefore might have affected his attitude, impacting the results of his development, ruling out this potential impacting factor. Child A (3+) SENSORY/COGNITIVE Vocabulary increasing significantly with words such as Composing sentences of 5 or more words, and with all parts of speech Identifying coins Counting to 10 and above Properly naming the primary colours and secondary Questioning more deeply, addressing meaning and purpose Responding to why questions Behaving more responsibly and apologizing for mistakes Accepting other points of view (but may not understand them) Demonstrating increased mathematical skill Questioning others, including parents and teachers Strongly identifying with the parent of the same sex Having a group of friends Engaging in imaginative play For Child A, I was able to carry out a longitudinal study over a time period of 5 months. Over these five months, I was able to establish a great understanding of Child Aââ¬â¢s cognitive and sensory development. At the age of 5, I believe Child A is developing extremely well in terms of cognitive and sensory progress and appears to show no deviations of cognitive or sensory norms. Child Aââ¬â¢s parents should be informed (if not already) that their childââ¬â¢s progress is flourishing well and that if they are encouraging this at home, they should continue to do so and this may have been an influential factor for her rapid progress in these developmental areas. Child B (3+) LANGUAGE Narrative Interpretation Child B talked about being a Bridesmaid. Described her dress as being ââ¬Å"beautifulâ⬠and that she was in a ââ¬Å"Limousineâ⬠. She also discussed the weather during that day. Child B drew a paper plate face and was able to add features independently, using correct colours and names. Child was able to retell a story I had read to class the previous day. Child B used identified a ââ¬Å"Magnifying glassâ⬠and used this to ââ¬Å"investigate acornsâ⬠. Child B was able to identify her name from a story book. Child B was able to concentrate for 5 minutes to complete a 24 piece jigsaw. Child B talked about the animals from the jigsaw and stated that a ââ¬Å"baby sheep is called a lambâ⬠. Child B prefers to use her right hand, and is able to write correctly using the tripod grip. Child B writes her name with recognizable letters and in correct formation. Child B talked about her experience at the hospital. ââ¬Å"I got my blood pressure taken, it went really tight but I didnââ¬â¢t cryâ⬠. Child B was able to retell the story of the Three Little Pigs during an arts activity, using her own words and from memory. Child B was able to talk in length and in great detail about her experience, using more advanced vocabulary such as ââ¬Å"Limousineâ⬠which expressed her capability of understanding more words, phrases and sentences. This good recollection of experiences and ability to retell a story to myself showed significant language development through taking part in conversations with adults. The ability to draw herself using correct colours ââ¬â such as identifying her own hair colour and eye colour and naming facial features independently shows recognizable progress within language development. Good use of story language was evident and signs of progress as Child B was able to recollect the story from previous day. Further vocabulary advancements observed as child identified ââ¬Å"magnifying glassâ⬠and was ââ¬Å"investigatingâ⬠. The ability to recognize and spell her own name is another step within language development. Further intellectual sentences are observed, using correct terminology of ââ¬Å"lambâ⬠. By selecting a preferring hand to write with and by using the appropriate grip, this shows further advances within language development milestones. Child was able to form an intellectual sentence consisting of her own personal experience, from memory and by using appropriate terminology, ââ¬Å"blood pressureâ⬠. Another observation of the ability to use her memory to retell a story. This observation was carried out within a Nursery school environment and the target child was 3 years old throughout the duration of this observation. Child B was observed over a period of 5 months playing within this environment, within the format I used to observe the child, I have added my thoughts and evaluation within the ââ¬Å"Interpretationâ⬠column. The child appears to be within an advanced area with her language development, as I observed her capability to recognize and spell her own name, which a large amount of other 3 year olds within the class cannot grasp. Child B was also very confident in retelling many personal experiences to both adults and her peers, along with the ability to retell stories from memory and through the use of pictures, such as drawing out the ââ¬Å"Three Little Pigsâ⬠story from memory during the Nursery Rhyme topic and by using pictures taken from the storybook ââ¬Å"The Crunching, Munching Caterpillarâ⬠to retell the story to me correctly and in her own words. I can state positively that Child B shows the signs of a confident child that is able to fulfil a variety of expectations of language development milestones within this age group, and I believe strongly that this child is developing appropriately according to the norms observed of children within this age group, and that there are no abnormalities or characteristics that need to be addressed. Child C (3+) LANGUAGE Pays attention to a short story and answers simple questions about it YES NO Hears and understands most of what is said at school YES NO Uses sentences that give many details YES NO Tells stories that stay on topic YES NO Communicates easily with other children and adults YES NO Says most sounds correctly except for a few (l, s, r, v, z, ch, sh, and th) YES NO Uses rhyming words YES NO Names some letters and numbers YES NO Uses adult grammar YES NO The final observation was also carried out within a Nursery setting and Child C is 4 years old. From this observation, I was able to notice varied aspects of Child Cââ¬â¢s development. In many cases, according to the developmental milestones checklist for language development of children aged 3 to 4, Child C was only able to fulfil 3 of the 9 areas for observation. In general, I have noticed that Child C does not talk, and when he does, it is quiet mutters of words. From this observation however, Child C was not able to use sentences, but instead mumbled quiet words which in many cases were unrecognizable. From what characteristics Child C was able to show, such as being able to pay attention to short stories and answer simple questions about them (usually yes or no answers), hear and understand most of what is said in class and also being able to name a short range of numbers and letters, I can suggest that these are the easier targets to fulfil, and may suggest that there are gr eat deviations of the norms of children this age. I would recommend a speech therapist or a general consultation from the childââ¬â¢s GP to his parents as the child does not make much of an attempt to speak to others and contribute, which is strange for a child who is of the age of exploration and interaction with others. References: Berk, L et al (1995) Scaffolding Childrenââ¬â¢s learning: Vygotsky and Early Childhood Education. National Association for the Education of Young Children. Frick, P et al (2009) Clinical Assessment of Child and Adolescent Personality and Behaviour. Springer. Herr, J et al (2002) Creative Resources for Infants and Toddlers. Cengage Learning. Justice, L et al (2013) Engaging Children with Print: Building Early Literacy Skills through Quality Read-Alouds. Guilford Publications. Leech-Riddall, S (2005) How to Observe Children. Heinemann. Read, C (2005) Scaffolding Childrenââ¬â¢s Talk and Learning. Available: http://carolread.com/articles/s%20talk%20and%20learning.pdf Smith, V et al (2009) Norms in Human Development. Cambridge University Press. Courtney Hill
Friday, October 25, 2019
Escaping the Fog of Pride and Prejudice :: Pride Prejudice Essays
Escaping the Fog of Pride and Prejudice The words of the title of Jane Austen's novel, Pride and Prejudice, shroud the main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy in a fog. The plot of the novel focuses on how Elizabeth and Darcy escape the fog and find each other. Both characters must individually recognize their faults and purge them. At the beginning of the novel, it seems as if the two will never be able to escape the thick fog. The scene at the Netherfield ball makes the marriage of Elizabeth and Darcy much more climactic because the pride and prejudice of both increases greatly during the night. The Netherfield ball is the first time Darcy and Elizabeth dance. When Darcy asks Elizabeth she is so surprised and confused that she says yes to a man who she is determined to hate. At the Meryton ball she had quickly made a sketch of Darcy's character. Compared to Jane who "never [sees] a fault in any body" (11), she doesn't believe only the best in everyone. She is usually right about people. From simply hearing Mr. Collins' letter, she asks if he is a sensible man, which he proves not to be. She is precisely perceptive of everyone except Wikham and Darcy. At the Meryton ball, Darcy is very reserved. He refuses to dance with Elizabeth when Bingley asks him to, saying that Elizabeth is not handsome enough to tempt him. Elizabeth's pride is hurt and she characterizes Darcy as disagreeable and proud. When Elizabeth first meets Wikham, she is blinded by her prejudice of Darcy as she accepts everything harmful Wikham has to say of Darcy. The plot of the rest of the book revolves around Elizabeth discovering the true nature of both Darcy and Wikham. At the Netherfield ball, it seems this will never happen. From the beginning of the night, when Elizabeth discovers Wikham didn't attend the ball in order to avoid Darcy she "was resolved against any sort of conversation with him" (60). Her hate of Darcy is sharpened, yet when he asks her to dance, she accepts in her confusement. There is an awkwardness between the two as they start to dance.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Fire Safety Case Analysis
TO: Mike Carey ââ¬â Vice President of Marketing FROM: Cristian Oana ââ¬â Marketing Consultant DATE: 28/01/2001 SUBJECT: Pricing strategy of future FSI product line. Purpose and Overview Please review the following sections based on your current pricing strategy and market research as well as future recommendations. The report contains a SWOT analysis that will highlight the need for a switch in pricing strategy from the current Value Based pricing to Price leadership. FSI is the only manufacturer of the HERO line product having only one competitor (Guardian) which currently holds a market share of 42%.This fact underlines our company standing as an Oligopoly and allows us to lead the way in price determination. Summary of Past and Current Situations Self-contained breathing apparatus systems are worn by fire and rescue personnel in hazardous situations where smoke, poisonous gas or low levels of oxygen inhibit search and rescue operations. FSI has been the leading provider of the digital breathing apparatus system since 1990 holding a consistent price of 1485$ per unit. Almost 100% of FSIââ¬â¢s business is conducted with U.S. fire and rescue departments that belong to regional purchasing organizations. Contracts are one year in length with the exception of the California Region. In 2001 FSI increased the price by 5% to increase revenue. In 1995 Guardian introduced their own product line-up and managed to capture up to 42% market share. Their current cost is 1500$/unit. The challenges FSI currently faces is weather a further increase in price will keep its current market share despite competition and maximise revenues for the future.An appropriate pricing strategy must be chosen to ensure the HERO linesââ¬â¢ life cycle. Based on the items highlighted in bold in the following SWOT analysis, a price leadership strategy is recommended. SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS * Unique product line that uses reliable digital equipment. * Fire Safety Inc. has a very wel l established brand name in the domestic market * Fire Safety Inc. provides the highest quality equipment at an affordable 1560$/ unit. * Increased sales despite 5% price increase * Since Fire Safety Inc. s very successful in the domestic market it established financial resources to possibly expand to foreign markets * Current market situations indicate an Oligopolistic environment * Product is familiar to US consumers ââ¬â identified need for future equipment as stated by law| WEAKNESSES * The established ten year market perception for the price of the product. * No significant product line changes or updates which the competition may take advantage of. * No patent protection which may yield more emerging competition in the future. * HERO ââ¬â brand name is not well known outside the domestic market. Companyââ¬â¢s variable cost per unit of $560 may be high. | OPPORTUNITIES * New standards require fire and rescue departments to convert to digital technology. * Opportuniti es for gaining market further share and profit maximization. * Opportunities to achieve higher level of profit * New product innovations that can be incorporated into existing product line * Opportunity to expand to other foreign markets * Extending contracts to 3 years across the US to guarantee constant sales. | THREATS * Guardian has a manufacturing cost advantage compared to FSI that resulting from sophisticated production equipment.. FSI may experience loss of market share due to only one year contracts. * Loss of profitability due to increased prices. * Difficulty in gaining market share from competitors. * Guardian is offering a very similar product at a similar price| Assumptions on Which the Strategy is Based a. The market will remain an oligopoly. b. FSI will remain the leader of digital breathing apparatus systems. c. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health will not change legislation regarding safety in the near future. d. Guardian may increase pricing a s well due to FSIââ¬â¢s price increase. e.The state of limited competition will be retained for the following year. f. Proven reliability and results may capture further market share despite price increase. Pricing Strategies That Emerge From SWOT Fire Safety Inc. has a very well established brand name in the domestic market holding a leading market share of 58%. FSI estimates that the market will grow by 44% in 2002. For the past 11 years, the HERO lineup has enjoyed increased sales year to year by providing top of the line Digital Breathing Apparatus Systems. Currently, FSI is the leading manufacturer and distributor of these systems.Despite the 5% increase in price for 2001, sales have increased showing no signs of market response. Our competition has their product line set at a slightly lower price (1500$/unit) which indicates a clear weakness in an established market led by our company. Price leadership ââ¬Å"An observation made of oligopolistic business behaviour in which one company, usually the dominant competitor among several, leads the way in determining prices, the others soon following. The context is a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers. This pricing strategy is perfect for FSI, having only one competitor and a successful sales record. Summary and Request for Action A further price increase is recommended for 2002 taking into account the above highlighted facts. There is no reason to believe that FSIââ¬â¢s market share will drop and based on the previous yearââ¬â¢s sales adding $3,548,625 to the bottom line it is a clear indication that a Price Leadership strategy is crucial to the companyââ¬â¢s success. In an Oligopolistic environment, it is the ideal choice.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Ethical Leadership is a Serious Matter Essay
At his first day in office as president, Barack Obama immediately signed an executive order that mandates his appointed senior government officials to adhere to a new set of ethics that proscribes them from receiving gifts from lobbyists. Clearly, Obama treats ethics as a serious matter in leadership through public service. I firmly believe that ethics should be one of the primary concerns of any leader since an organization that fails to adhere to proper codes of conduct is most likely to rot from within, degrading the quality of the services it offers to immeasurable lengths. To aspire to become a leader of exemplary ethical values is to aim at a monumental target that can only be reached through perseverance and dedication. Despite all possible odds, I aspire to become a genuine ethical leader to the fullest degree I am capable of. To achieve that end, I am more than willing to have forks in the road, as I had in the past, just to continue my development process as an ethical leader. I have been a Phi Theta Kappa Vice-President for 2 years; leadership is no longer an unfamiliar concept on my part. During the length of my service in the organization, I have learned that leaders are not only bornââ¬âthey are also made. Fundraisers and community events have been an integral part of the organizationââ¬â¢s general agenda. Those are where my leadership skills have been honed until today and I intend to carry-on with my roles in future similar events so as to further enhance my leadership skills. However, I understand that leaders should not simply confine themselves within the boundaries of their groups. Rather, they should learn to broaden their perspective and experience beyond the walls and ceilings that hide from their view a more elaborate world worthy to be explored. My efforts to put into action my idea of a leader with broad perspectives and experiences eventually led me to be a part of the Disaster Action Team in our community. I was no longer a mere leader within the academic institution; I became a certified community volunteer designated to run local fire calls when the need arises. It soon turned to be a mind-enhancing experience as I was able to absorb numerous ideas and skills that somehow only the society outside the academe can offer. Add to that my years of experience under the National Disaster Service Human Resources of the Red Cross and my leadership perspectives grew even further. All those years of service both in and out of the academe gave me a comprehensive understanding of human interaction, especially its role in fostering human relations. As I see it, interacting with people within and without our immediate circle is crucial in developing our ethical sensibilities. We may be able to designate tasks to our members and applaud them for the services they render, yet the lack of deep and constant interaction with them can hardly give us the benefit of knowing who they really are and how they behave. I believe that at the heart of my search for authentic ethical leadership is the need to evaluate how individuals think and act in certain situations, for it is through that understanding that leaders are be able to effectively administer their followers in ways that are guided by ethics. President Obama knew how Washington deals with lobbyists, which is why he prioritized the reformation of the code of ethics for senior government officials. I am willing to follow that lead. The best way for leaders to attain substantial interaction with their members is through a democratic style of leadership. In this leadership style, the leader allows members to contribute to the pool of ideas by engaging them in an interactive discussion and paying attention to what the members have to say. Moreover, the leader treats members with respect and dignity as they ought to be. On my part, I will go the extra mile by not only commenting on the things that my members have to say but also encouraging them to assess and reassess the course of my leadership. It is through that mutual exchange of ideas that I can begin to unearth the different personalities of my members and their personal behaviors on given occasions. With those things in mind, I will be able to formulate an action plan that encompasses the ethical principles that I expect my members to incorporate into the fulfillment of their individual tasks. Of course, the fact that I am a leader does not exclude me from following the set of ethical codes that I am going to execute. More to the point, I ought to lead by example. Perhaps the most important thing of all is to serve the needs of the society as much as possible or as much as organizational resources allow. To be a truly ethical leader, I am compelled to be of exemplary service to the society and to the people who are in need. To others, my active involvement in community service is more than enough to dignify me as an ethical leader who cares for others. But on my part, none of my previous accomplishments can ever be enough. I believe that ethical leaders do not grovel at the thought of a grand goal attainable within a specified timeframe. Rather, leaders immerse themselves into the inspiring idea that public service is an unending mission that stretches beyond a lifetime. A lifetime of public service is a lifetime of touching the lives of countless people both strangers and familiar faces alike. To be able to touch the lives of others is to be able to fill oneââ¬â¢s moral worth. What better way can there be than to serve others through means which are not only effective but are ethically sound as well. Sages say that some leaders are born while others are made, and the way to effective leadership is through the mobilization of the group membersââ¬âto which I agree. But I intend to expand that idea by incorporating ethical principles into a democratic style of leadership that seriously takes to heart the need for personal interaction coupled with a broad perspective. Indeed, perseverance and dedication to realize those goals stand as indispensable necessities. Reference Leadership Course Overview. (2009). Retrieved 2009, February 2, from http://www. ptk. org/leaddev/students/leadership-course-overview/
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