Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Search for True Moral Authority Essay - 2210 Words

In reading The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, one is struck by the two major political education ideals described in the book: the Spartan regime, praised by the Lacedaemonian king Archidamus, and the Athenian ideal, supported by Pericles, the Athenian ruler. Socrates discusses both of these regimes in Plato’s Republic in an attempt to make a statement about what constitutes true and effective education. After close analysis, it is clear that Socrates does not support either educational ideal. Instead, Socrates rejects both regimes—the Athenian because it has no real guidance and thus cannot produce wise and just people, and the Spartan because despite all its rigidity, it still does not truly train people to be wise and just. In†¦show more content†¦In The Republic, Socrates shows that both of these ancient regimes are insufficient modes of education. He begins by proposing that the ideal ruling situation for a city would be that all the desires in the commo n many are mastered by the desires and the prudence in the more decent few (Plato 4.431c-d).2 These more decent few, the guardians, are responsible for the education of the people in the city, picking those who are best from all the classes and educating them to live a life with rigorous boundaries (as exemplified by the treatment of what types of music and poetry the students should be exposed to) under the control of those in charge and without any say in their ways of life (Plato 3.415a-c). Their family, their education, and their occupation are all subsumed and manifested by the state. So it seems at first that Socrates considers the Spartan regime instead of the Athenian to be the correct way to raise people. But Socrates points out that even a leader reared in the Spartan regime is susceptible to corruption. In a discussion with Glaucon, Socrates says that even if the guardians could be raised in such strict ways, that education would still not guarantee that they would not become corrupt: And wouldn’t they have been provided with the greatest safeguard [against corruption and wrongdoing] if they have been really finely educated? [I asked.] But they have been, he said. And I said, It’s not fitShow MoreRelatedThe origin of piety956 Words   |  4 Pages The moral code of a society is established by many different factors. A large amount of different social guidelines are derived from religious doctrines. Due to the evolution of religion, social guidelines lack an absolute. The absolute of piety is what Socrates seemed to be searching for. His questioning of Euthyphro may have been due to his innocent curiosity. It is also probable to assume that Socrates knew that there was no true definition of Piety, and that his overall quest to find the universalRead MoreEssay on The Trial by Franz Kafka1488 Words   |  6 Pagesbe of extreme importance; it isn’t until he is arrested and the people of true authority challenge his idea of his own standing in the world. His feeling of importance soon diminishes as he succumbs to the process of the trial, even though he questions the validity of his arrest throughout the story. There are two clear s truggles that are presented throughout this story: a power struggle between Joseph K and the authorities, as well as a social class struggle. Within these struggles discussed, theRead MoreEthics And Ethics Of The Patriot Act1053 Words   |  5 Pagespaper I will be discussing the ethical and moral issues of the expanded ability of wiretapping, search and seizure, the establishment of the FISA court, and end with the transparency of these practices. Our country has always had laws to protect our citizens against the ability of the government to go on witch hunting expeditions to find any little speck that might indicate someone is engaged in criminal behavior. It has been well established that search and seizure of someone’s property that reasonableRead MoreChris Mccandless s The Novel Krakauer s 1041 Words   |  5 PagesWAS CHRIS SIMPLY DEFYING AUTHORITY, OR WAS HE MOTIVATED BY SOMETHING GREATER? Although Chris McCandless’ controlling and toxic family environment was a major motive for his escape, his deep-seated internal battle was simply an irresistible impulse for discovery and liberty. Chris’ journey shows a new level of freedom; what true independence holds. He set out into nature alone without support of family or friends, searching for a path unlike those of most, and running from a barred cage of conventionalRead MoreThe Right And The Good Hobbes S Theory On Moral Philosophy1268 Words   |  6 PagesDale Campbell Prof Cummins/Phi 358 THE RIGHT AND THE GOOD IN HOBBES’S THEORY ON MORAL PHILOSOPHY Mr. Hobbes’s Leviathan is one of the many outstanding philosophers that wrote books on moral philosophy and their meaning. Hobbes explains in a clear and engaging manner that makes his Statement thesis clear from the start: Man can be a self-interested animal, and that this self-interest is enough to create a justified and obligatory ways of justice, citizenship, and morality. HeRead MoreThe Issue Of Same Sex Marriage And Homosexuality1082 Words   |  5 Pagesapproach to deciding moral and legal issues. They also have a tendency to reject established authority. These opinions are logically inconsistent and generate social and intellectual tensions. When people create values based upon the material, the sensual, and the expedient, popular opinion and the latest polling results become the justifying foundations for moral claims. One might expect that this would intensify moral skepticism within a society already suspicious of authority. In one sense, itRead More Righ and Wrong656 Words   |  3 Pagescourts. And for him to escape he would be sending the wrong message to his peers. He would be telling them that all of his ideals and believes really had no meaning to him and that all this his search for the truth was just a big lie. Socratess argument proceeds from the statement of a perfectly general moral principle to its application in his particular case: * One ought never to do wrong (even in response to the evil committed by another). * But it is always wrong to disobey the state.Read MoreThe Milgram Experiment ( 5 W S And How )?1354 Words   |  6 Pages(Milgram, 1974). It is this underlying question that supported the entire experiment, essentially a study focusing on the conflicts between obedience to authority and personal conscience. As in, would you harm a person if you were told to do so by someone with high authority? The experiments began in July of 1961, at Yale University, when Milgram began a search for participants, by publishing a short advertisement in a newspaper. After finding his 40 male participants aged from 20-50 (each of whom were paidRead MoreThe Complicated Life of Socrates1183 Words   |  5 Pagessurvival because people would obtain what is good for them through knowledge. Taylor says, â€Å"To make the soul as good as possible would be on the one side to attain the knowledge of existence as it really is, on the other to base ones moral conduct on a true knowledge of moral values† (Taylor). Socrates’ beliefs led to the creation of the Socratic Paradox. Since there aren’t any writings form Socrates, his paradoxes have to be interpreted in the writing of Aristotle and Plato. Socrates’ paradoxes includedRead MoreThe Evolution of Western Thought Essay1502 Words   |  7 Pagesthought that individuals should search for the truth with their own reason. Horkheimer’s Interpretation Max Horkheimer believes that the ills of modern society are caused by the misuse and misunderstanding of reason. If people use true reason to critique their societies, they will be able to identify and solve their problems. Horkheimer defines true reason as â€Å"rationality† which is the quality of being consistent with or based on logic. Horkheimer defines true reason as â€Å"rationality† which is

Monday, December 23, 2019

The Leadership Culture Of A Small Business Organization

As an owner of a small business, you have noticed that the leadership culture in your organization has been ineffective, which has decreased employee’s morale. The owner has decided to discuss this issue with their supervisor and staff in the organization in order to increase leadership culture. The owner need to develop an effective and efficient leadership plan before meeting with their supervisor and staff. Another challenges that small business organization will faced are labor relations such as compliance and collaboration. Compliance relies on the application of labor law, while collaboration relies to a great extent on labor relations. Labor and management use one of these strategies or a combination of both whereas†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ How does this theory address organization change? †¢ What are the leader’s behaviors and characteristics? †¢ What are the follower’s behaviors and characteristics? †¢ What situational characteristics does this theory work in? †¢ Provide two examples of this theory in action. The situational leadership theory focuses on the best leadership styles to address organization changes even in small business environment. This theory said that a leader must select the right styles and the follower must mature to accept responsible for their behavior while the organization is going through changes. This theory has two variables that will help to address the changes in the organization. The first variable is task behaviors, is the degree to which follower have the appropriate job knowledge and skills and their need for less or more guidance and direction (Hughes et al, 2015, p. 534). According to the book, this behavior tell employee what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and who is to do it. The task behaviors are equivalent to the readiness of follower so in Situational Leadership Model, (S1, telling) mean the follower need a lot of direction from the leader (Hughes et al, 2015, p. 535). In the selling quadrant (S2), the follower lacks the skill to be able to succeed during this situation. The S3 or participating quadrant, the follower need very little guidance with respect to how to their jobs. Last quadrant (S4) or delegating, the followers are willing

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Corning Z Free Essays

Corning -Z- Glass Corning Glass Works was a leader corporation in the development of glass and ceramic products. After so many years of success Z-Glass was facing decline in the yields at the Harrisburg Plant. Trying to find the problem and a solution for it, a group of engineers from the (ME) was assigned to the plant in December 1977 under the leadership of Eric Davidson. We will write a custom essay sample on Corning Z or any similar topic only for you Order Now Davidson’s Team were faced with a lot of challenges and a tens relationship accord in some department between team and line personnel, due to the fear that the team will cause the line personnel to lose their jobs. There were so many reasons that could cause the yield to decline . T. V Tube casing was corning’s most successful product and RCA ( a major Corning customer) opened it own plant to make glass funnels and front plates , and some of Cornering experienced employees went to work to RCA taking all the important information with them . Thomas MacAvov President of the company noticed that a poor job had been done in transferring the products from the lab into production . Most of the responsibility of this transfer fell on Untried ME Division . David Leibson VP of ME chose Eric Davidson to lead the Harrisburg project. Davidson started selecting members of the ME team in the first weeks. he started with choosing four . Davidson used the receivership approach , every solution has to be accepted by the plant, they have to rally own the changes. If I was in the position of David leibson I think this approach is a really good one, as these are the people who are going to work on the project and communication between the managers and the plant. Andrew MacTavish was the Harrisburg plant manager ,he was a man known as a champion of the little people . MacTavish came to conflict with Eric Davidson , for the conflict of interest. Davidson should try to convince the plant of his way in more flexible approach . he should let the know that they will not lose their jobs . documenting the presses is something that should be done in order to pass the knowledge to all the coming technicians and engineers. All way communication should be influenced . How to cite Corning Z, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Competences Of Sustainable Construction â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Competences Of Sustainable Construction? Answer: Introducation Leadership encompasses a research area that involves practical skill regarding the individuals ability to lead other individuals or an entire organization. There are various viewpoints regarding leadership- Eastern and Western approach. The academic environments in US put down the definition of leadership as social influence where a person can help other people in achieving a particular task. From a European perspective, it is held that a leader cannot be moved with the help of any communitarian goal but by the use of personal power. The idea of leadership is based on individual quality and can be termed as trait theory of leadership. Talent, skills and physical characteristics are the three attributes that propel a person to the position of power (Bavik et al. 2017). A good leader is integral to the success of an organization and their main objective is to ensure stability in a ever-changing world. The best leaders knows that change is inevitable and they are flexible in their way o f working. Once upon a time leaders used to believe that strict control was necessary for the effective running of an organization. A rigid organizational hierarchy makes some people feel empowered whereas it makes the people who are at the bottom feel weak and unprivileged. Old assumptions regarding power is not valid in todays world. Control and rigidity does not produce good results and only creates an atmosphere of fear. An effective leader shares power with other people and searches ways that would increase the brainpower of an organization and keeps everyone engaged in an organization (Carnes, Houghton and Ellison 2015). He sees to it that everyone is committed within the organizational structure. An ideal leader is not a controller but will act as a facilitator who would help other people to do their best and remove the obstacles and giving people what they need. It will also provide learning opportunity and help in providing feedback. The financial basis relevant to todays economy lays more stress on information as compared to the asset of land and building (Daft 2014). Human capital in todays world is becoming more important and it increases the power in regard to the employees. According to Israeli president Shimon Peres idea is becoming more important as compared to the materials. In yesteryears when a worker used to work for eight hours within a day then the traditional system of control used to work but in todays world success relies to a large extent on the intellectual capacity of the workers. The role of a leader is to enable people so that they carry out their power in the effective manner. Vineet Nayar who is the CEO of HCL Technologies has said that they shifted the policy of the company and used to give more importance to the employees instead of the customers (Finkelstein, Costanza and Goodwin 2017). He made these relevant changes when the company was losing some of their best employees in the hands of their competitors. It proved to be highly effecti ve and paved the path for the empowerment of employees. Social media has blurred boundaries within an organization and created a hyperconnected world. Collaboration takes the lead in this kind of world instead of competition. Those leaders who are successful makes use of ideas and talent from different kinds of boundaries. Some companies provides encouragement to internal competition however those leaders who are successful put more emphasis on teamwork and co-operation. Those teams that are self-directed are instrumental in spreading knowledge within an organization. Effective leaders also collaborate with suppliers, customers and universities (Fleming and Spicer 2014). A trend is gradually growing that companies conceive of themselves as a team together and create value jointly instead of thinking of themselves as autonomous entities that is engaging itself in a competition with that of others. Collaboration creates the path for great challenges in the area of leadership as compared to the old concept that revolved around the concept of competition. Leaders should be able to develop their collaborative mindset and they should create an environment that facilitates teamwork and fosters the elements of mutual support. Leaders know how to open the lines of communication and they use their influence instead of that of authority. They take such steps that would stop harmful politics and know how to surge things in the forward direction. Most of the organizations in todays world is built on the assumption of uniformity and specialization. People who think along the same lines are grouped together into a particular department. Homogenous groups find it a lot easier to communicate and understand the needs of one another. However, uniform thinking can prove to be a disaster in rapidly growing world that is becoming more diverse everyday. Diversity in an organization can attract human talent and help in developing the mindset of an organization. The significance of diversity within the workforce is immense and proves to be an important contributing factor for the growth of firm. (Galanaki and Papalexandris 2017). Employees of different age and ethnic background can bring their distinctive perspective to the workforce and the different experiences helps the firm to work in a better manner. Another shift in the workplace can be seen in the shift of the position of leader from that of hero to that of the hardworking leader who works behind the scene and plays a crucial role in building a strong company. An ideal leader supports others instead of boasting about his own abilities and success (Tremblay 2017). Management organizes a structure in order to achieve a plan and fills up the structure with a lot of employees. It develops policies and procedures that would help in directing the employees and monitor different implementation tools (Hollander 2013). Leadership on the other hand is concerned with the communication of vision and in helping to develop a shared culture and core values that would be able to lead the future state. The vision lays bare the destination and the values prove to be of great help in defining the journey so that everyone moves along the same direction. Leadership should provide such learning ability that will help people to broaden their minds and so that people can take up responsibility for their deeds (Garcia et al. 2014). An ideal leader will always encourage and inspire people so that they get motivated to pursue the right path. The employees in turn find new ways that would help them to meet their goal. The difference brings to light a logical management against that of a leadership approach. Management lays emphasis on getting the best results out of the people in order to achieve the production goals. Services are given to customers taking into consideration the time factor. Leadership lays stress in investing in people so that they become energized to achieve their target. Management is based on formal authority but leadership is rather dependent on trust along with that of personal influence (Rupprecht et al. 2016). In case of an authority relationship both the person in the commanding position and that of the subordinate agree to the fact that the higher authority can instruct the employee to start working from 7.30 am otherwise his wages will be deducted. Leadership will not use force but it will rely on influence. Leadership would attract people and motivate them with the help of purpose (Tabassi et al. 2016). Concept of leadership has undergone evolution over time. Leadership is a reflection of larger society and different theories act as attitudes and help in understanding the larger world. (Gleditsch, Cederman and Wucherpfennig 2017). There are six approaches that are that of the Great Man Theory, Trait Theory, Behaviour Theory, Contingency Theory, Influence Theory and Relational Theories. The earliest times had a notion that admired the concept of heroic leadership along with the natural abilities that spoke of power. In the words of the trait theory, an ideal leader should have energy that would separate them from that of non-leaders. It was held that if the traits were identified then the action of the leaders could be predicted along such a line. In the 1950s emphasis was laid on the actions of leader as compared to who he was. It emphasized what the leaders did while being on the job like that of management activities. The study focused on how the effective leaders could be set apa rt from the ones who were ineffective. The Contingency theory considered the situational variables that had a great influence on leadership behaviours (Hollander 2013). Contingency theory held that leaders could analyse a situation and change their behavior in order to improve the effectiveness of leadership. Influence theories laid focus on charismatic leadership that relies to a great extent on the unique personality of leader. The relational theories focused on how leader and follower interacted with each other. An important aspect of leadership revolves around that of interpersonal relationship. Emotional intelligence is an important quality that a leader should have and takes into consideration ones personal courage (Mao et al.2017). Leadership influence and change and takes account of personal responsibility so that things happen. Leadership can be defined as a relationship between that of leaders and followers who want to bring about real changes that will reflect their shared purpose. The changing world wants a new concept of leadership. New reality wants the shift from that of stability to that of change and from that of control to that of empowerment (Long et al. 2016). The leadership soft skills complement that of the hard skills in relation to that of management. Both leadership and management is integral for the successful running of an organization. Leadership and management depict two different process. Management tries in maintaining of stability within an organization, leadership on the other hand is instrumental in creating a vision for coming future. It designs the social architecture that can shape the culture (Morrison 2014). A research has pointed out that that a positive outlook is an extremely important trait in a leader and cheerful attitude is integral in case of effective leadership. I have deduced from the pioneering work of Daft on The Leadership Experience that an ideal leader in todays world would not depend on control and rigidity. He knows how important sharing power is and he will act as the facilitator within the workforce. Idea is held to be more important as compared to that of material in the complex world of today. I learnt that within an organization how important it is to conceive the employees as being more important as compared to that of the customers. It is the employees who accounts to a great deal for the profit of an organization and proves to be crucial for the annual turnover of a company. I learnt the significance of collaboration and that a leader will be more effective if he is hard working instead of being held as the hero who just carries an aura about him. His actions will set an example within the organization and his subordinates will be able to follow in his footsteps and work for the organization. He should be able to support othe rs and not boast about his achievements. He should not be vainglorious but rather set a noble example in the organization that will inspire others to emulate him. By achieving these yardstick, a leader will be truly successful and will be able to create such changes in the company that will surely prove to be crucial for the company in the long run. A great leader knows how to invest in people and will follow the relational theory. I learnt that an ideal leader would be able to steer the company toward change rather than stability. He will not try to control but will try to empower other people. The soft skills in relation to leadership should be able to complement the hard skills of management. I think that the most important trait of leadership would be to create such a vision that would inspire others to perform in a better manner. References: Bavik, Y.L., Tang, P.M., Shao, R. and Lam, L.W., 2017. Ethical leadership and employee knowledge sharing: Exploring dual-mediation paths.The Leadership Quarterly. Carnes, A., Houghton, J.D. and Ellison, C.N., 2015. What matters most in leader selection? The role of personality and implicit leadership theories.Leadership Organization Development Journal,36(4), pp.360-379. Daft, R.L., 2014.The leadership experience. Cengage Learning. Finkelstein, L.M., Costanza, D.P. and Goodwin, G.F., 2017. Do your high potentials have potential? The impact of individual differences and designation on leader success.Personnel Psychology. Fleming, P. and Spicer, A., 2014. Power in management and organization science.Academy of Management Annals,8(1), pp.237-298. Galanaki, E. and Papalexandris, N., 2017. Demographic Challenges for the Future Business Leader: Evidence from a Greek Survey. Garcia, M., Duncan, P., Carmody-Bubb, M. and Ree, M.J., 2014. You have what? Personality! Traits that predict leadership styles for elementary principals.Psychology,5(3), p.204. Gleditsch, K.S., Cederman, L.E. and Wucherpfennig, J., 2017. The Diffusion of Inclusion: An Open Polity Model of Ethnic Power Sharing.Comparative Political Studies. Hollander, E.P., 2013. Organizational leadership and followership.Social Psychology at Work (Psychology Revivals): Essays in Honour of Michael Argyle, p.69. Long, S., Ng, E.H., Downing, C. and Nepal, B., 2016. THE EFFECT OF IMPEDED INFORMATION SHARING AND TRANSPARENCY ON POWER DIFFERENTIALS AND ORGANIZATIONAL DYSFUNCTION. Mao, J.Y., Chiang, J.T.J., Zhang, Y. and Gao, M., 2017. Humor as a Relationship Lubricant: The Implications of Leader Humor on Transformational Leadership Perceptions and Team Performance.Journal of Leadership Organizational Studies, p.1548051817707518. Morrison, J.L., 2014. Daft, Richard L. The Leadership Experience . Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning Press.(2014). 507 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4354-6285-4. Paperback 246.99,eBook 142.49. Rupprecht, E.A., Kueny, C.R., Shoss, M.K. and Metzger, A.J., 2016. Getting What You Want: How Fit Between Desired and Received Leader Sensitivity Influences Emotion and Counterproductive Work Behavior.Journal of occupational health psychology,21(4), p.443. Tabassi, A.A., Roufechaei, K.M., Ramli, M., Bakar, A.H.A., Ismail, R. and Pakir, A.H.K., 2016. Leadership competences of sustainable construction project managers.Journal of Cleaner Production,124, pp.339-349. Tremblay, M., 2017.Sharing power: women, parliament, democracy. Routledge.