Their Eyes Were Watching God - 1136 Words

Their Eyes Were Watching God is set during a time where women were at the lowest point of the social hierarchy. Women had no economic, social, or political power to make their lives better. Some women, feminist women, worked to gain power in these areas of their lives. In the novel, Hurston depicts Janie as an oppressed woman working against a strict patriarchal society and towards her empowerment and independence. Janie’s first relationship gives us a general idea of how women were treated during this time. Her journey towards independence begins with a guilt-centered marriage to a man much older than Janie, who is thought of as a provider. Logan, Janie’s husband, is thought of as a provider because he embodies the idea that women do not have the capability to provide for themselves. Moreover, it shows that society believes women need a man to take care of them. This is a strong component to the patriarchal sense that women must rely on men, thus, taking away their pow er. In Janie’s life, we see Logan begin to abuse this â€Å"power† that is given to him due to his status as a man. He forces Janie to work and asserts his dominance, treating her like an object rather than a human. In chapter 4, Logan cries, â€Å"You ain’t got no particular place. It’s wherever Ah need yuh† (Hurston 31). This depiction of a man telling his subordinate wife what to do coincides with slavery: men of power forcing labor out of supposedly less equal groups for their own benefit. Janie is treated noShow MoreRelatedTheir Eyes Were Watching God1064 Words   |  5 Pagessignificant than death. In Zora Neale Hurston’s famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character Janie Crawford is plagued by the deaths of loved ones. Janie moves from caregiver to caregiver searching for true love and happiness, only to have it stripped away from her once she finds it in her third husband Tea Cake. At the end of the novel, having r ealized true love and loss, Janie is a whole woman. Their Eyes Were Watching God portrays the growth of the human spirit through both the emotionalRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God1780 Words   |  8 Pagesshort story â€Å"Sweat† and novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the focus is on women who want better lives but face difficult struggles before gaining them. The difficulties involving men which Janie and Delia incur result from or are exacerbated by the intersection of their class, race, and gender, which restrict each woman for a large part of her life from gaining her independence. Throughout a fair part of Zora Neal Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s low class create problemsRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God932 Words   |  4 PagesJanie Crawford: The Woman Whose Clothing Conveys Her Relationships In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the protagonist, Janie, endures two marriages before finding true love. In each of Janie’s marriages, a particular article of clothing is used to symbolically reflect, not only her attitude at different phases in her life, but how she is treated in each relationship. In Janie’s first marriage with Logan Killicks, an apron is used to symbolize the obligation in her marriage. â€Å"Read More Eyes Were Watching God Essay711 Words   |  3 Pages Their Eyes Were Watching God provides an enlightening look at the journey of a quot;complete, complex, undiminished human beingquot;, Janie Crawford. Her story, based on self-exploration, self-empowerment, and self-liberation, details her loss and attainment of her innocence and freedom as she constantly learns and grows from her experiences with gender issues, racism, and life. The story centers around an important theme; that personal discoveries and life experiences help a person findRead MoreAnalysis Of Their Eyes Were Watching God 1061 Words   |  5 PagesDivision: Janie Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God Their Eyes Were Watching God was written in 1937 by Zora Neale Hurston. This story follows a young girl by the name of Janie Crawford. Janie Crawford lived with her grandmother in Eatonville, Florida. Janie was 16 Years old when her grandmother caught her kissing a boy out in the yard. After seeing this her grandmother told her she was old enough to get married, and tells her she has found her a husband by the name of Logan. Logan was a muchRead More Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay1757 Words   |  8 Pages Their Eyes Were Watching God Book Report 1. Title: Their Eyes Were Watching God 2. Author/Date Written: Zora Neale Hurston/1937 3. Country of Author: 4. Characters Janie Mae Crawford- The book’s main character. She is a very strong willed, independent person. She is able to defy a low class, unhappy life because of these factors, even though the environment that she grew up and lived in was never on her side. Pheoby Watson – Janie’s best friend in Eatonville. Pheoby is the only towns person whoRead MoreWhose eyes were watching God?1400 Words   |  6 PagesWhose eyes were watching God? In the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God, Oprah Winfrey manipulates events that happened in the book by Zora Neale Hurston. Oprah morphs many relationships in the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God. She changes the role of gender, and also makes changes in Janie’s character strength. Oprah also changes the symbolism in the movie to where some important symbols in the book change to less important roles. Oprah changes many important events in the book Their Eyes WereRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God Essay724 Words   |  3 PagesTHEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD ESSAY  ¬Ã‚ ¬ Janie Crawford is surrounded by outward influences that contradict her independence and personal development. These outward influences from society, her grandma, and even significant others contribute to her curiosity. Tension builds between outward conformity and inward questioning, allowing Zora Neal Hurston to illustrate the challenge of choice and accountability that Janie faces throughout the novel. Janie’s Grandma plays an important outward influenceRead MoreEssay on Their Eyes Were Watching God921 Words   |  4 PagesTheir Eyes Were Watching God An Analysis So many people in modern society have lost their voices. Laryngitis is not the cause of this sad situation-- they silence themselves, and have been doing so for decades. For many, not having a voice is acceptable socially and internally, because it frees them from the responsibility of having to maintain opinions. For Janie Crawford, it was not: she finds her voice among those lost within the pages of Zora Neale Hurston’s famed novel, Their Eyes Were WatchingRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Hurston Essay1233 Words   |  5 PagesHurston In the novel â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† by Zora Neal Hurston is about a young woman named Janie Crawford who goes on a journey of self discovery to find her independence. The book touches on many themes like gender roles, relations, independence and racism however racism isn’t mainly focused upon in the book which some writers felt should have been. Some felt that the representation of black characters should have been better role models. Zora Hurston’s novel wasn’t like other black literature

The International Business Plan Assignment - 5722 Words

The International Business Plan Assignment Vodafone Student Name:Mihaela Mangalagiu Executive Summary At the time of development of globalization there were many concerns about its benefits. However, it has brought significant changes in all segments of human life and International business is one area in which it contributed heavily (Reich, 1998). Companies all over the world are currently formulating their business strategies mainly after considering the trends in global market instead of domestic market. Outsourcing and offshoring are some of the new business principles emerged in this world after the implementation of globalization (Samimi and Jentabad, 2014). The core of these new business concepts is to exploit the business opportunities in overseas countries as much as possible (Samimi and Jentabad, 2014). India is one country which is developing rapidly at the moment along with China (Lal and Clement, 2005). The political, economic, social, cultural, technological and legal climate in India is extremely suitable for international entrepreneurs since business prospects in a country are heavily dependent on the above mentioned parameters. Since India is the second most heavily populated country in the world, British telecommunication company, Vodafone has enormous business opportunities in India. Mobile phone usage in India is increasing rapidly in recent times (Press Information Bureau: Government of India, 2010). A substantial portion of IndianShow MoreRelatedfinancial Accounting Essay1230 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment 2: You Are an Entrepreneur! Due Week 6 and worth 280 points Student life does not generally afford a great deal of free time to pursue your personal interests; however, at one point, you may have considered turning a personal interest or hobby into an official enterprise. Today, you have finally decided to turn that hobby into a business but have realized that you need start- up capital from a lender or investor. To obtain funding, you need to convince a lender / investor that yourRead MoreIssues in Global Business1296 Words   |  6 PagesModule Title Issues in Global Business and Strategic Concepts       Module Code 6IM 501      Module Level 6 Credit value 40      Total Number 400 of Learning Hours Key Words Implementation of Global strategy, strategy and the organisation, strategic development, globalisation, international business and the environment, internationalisation.      Module Description There has been a fundamental shiftRead MoreEssay about bus 325 assignment 21133 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Assignment 2: International Assignments BUS 325 Summer 2014 1. Determine four to six (4-6) components that the pre-departure training will need to cover. Provide a rationale for the use of using the training components in question. The four components that pre-departure training will need to cover are cultural awareness training, preliminary visits, language instruction, and assistance with practical, day to day matters . A well-designed cultural awareness trainingRead MoreMarketing1124 Words   |  5 PagesNORTHAMPTON NORTHAMPTON BUSINESS SCHOOL DIVISION OF MARKETING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP MODULE: MKTM026 International Marketing Communications 2013 ------------------------------------------------- Module Code | Level | Credit Value | Leader | MKTM026 | M | 20 | Dr Kathleen MortimerKathleen.mortimer@northampton.ac.uk | Resit Assignment Brief Date set w/c 11/02/2013 ------------------------------------------------- Hand-in date 28th March 2013 Title International Marketing CommunicationsRead MoreIn a World of Pay - Case Study1584 Words   |  7 Pagestransfer has the potential to influence the performance of MNCs, while it can also lead the change in the HQ as new practices become established. International environment requires HR department to undertake more HR activities such as international taxation, international relocation and orientation, administrative services for expatriates. A truly international conception of HRM would require to recognize that the assumptions and values of the HQ should be adapted to the culture of the host country.Read MoreCreative and Innovative Management Essays1296 Words   |  6 Pages Assignment brief Qualification BTEC – LEVEL 7 – Extended Diploma in Strategic Management Leadership Unit number and title Unit 6: Creative and Innovative Management Assignment title UNDERSTANDING THE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS The purpose of this assignment is to understand how creative and innovative management systems are built and run in organizations. Scenario You are assigned to a CIO (Chief Innovation Officer) position ofRead More MBA Admissions Essay1002 Words   |  5 Pagesas an international businessman. In January 1991, I joined Domestic Finance Team of HMC. My specific assignment was to plan monthly and annual financial schedules for HMCs domestic funding needs. About two years later, in January of 1993, I was transferred to Retail Finance Team from Domestic Finance Team and responsible for financing by the sales and factoring of Car Receivables. First Challenge the expertise for strategy formulation implementation within a changing business environmentRead MoreCase Study : International Human Resource Management Essay1448 Words   |  6 Pagesand baking products business. In this company have different technologies for marketing strategies. Judgment is needed to identify the growth of the company so they look after the PBIT. In the time of 1990s they provide expansion opportunities Malaysian company pedi-cepat planned export offices in India, Singapore and Japan bit it fails. After the crisis, they expanded to Europe and the Middle East. Expand to Oceana for the better growth. This report focused the international human resource managementRead MoreEffectively Managing Employee Compensation and Benefit Packages1289 Words   |  6 Pages There are many significant challenges that face multinational organizations in today’s business world. One such challenge, for global organizations and the human resource department, is effectively managing employee compensation and benefits packages. Managing compensation structures has become an integral part of many organizations that conduct operations in the global market, as there are many considerations for the host country when sending expatriates abroad. It is imperative for organizationsRead MoreManagement of Financial Resources and Performance Essay1203 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment: Management of Financial Resources and Performance Introduction This assessment accounts for 100% of your overall module grade. It is an individually written assignment of about 3000-3500 words (10% -/+) excluding appendices, to be submitted to LSS Business School on the deadline shown in the student portal with the appropriate cover note according to the guidelines given in the student handbook. Your work is expected to be analytical and evaluative, consolidate on relevant theory

Gatsby’s Unrealistic American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay Example For Students

Gatsby’s Unrealistic American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay The term â€Å"American Dream† is defined as an idea which believes that all people have the possibility of prosperity and success. The idea first came from James Adams, a noted American writer and historian. He claimed, â€Å"Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.† Therefore, the core concepts of the American Dream were closely linked to hard work and opportunity. However, this idea began to lose its value when people started to use unethical methods to become wealthy. The 19th century’s excessive industrialization lured innumerable numbers of immigrants to come to America with their lofty hopes. As they dreamt high, it could not live up to their expectations (Warshauer). As a result, the American Dream became a tantalizing and unattainable concept. Of course, the origin of this concept is the United States of America. In fact, this notion is â€Å"the prospect born out of the Declaration of Independence: the freedom of all men to pursue their dreams and goals in life with the only strings attached is that they are willing to work for it† (Excelsior). However, even though the American Dream did actually exist, this concept only included the rich and powerful. For the majority of the population who eagerly migrated to the United States in order to experience this concept, the American Dream was nothing but a lie (Ditchfield). The harsh reality of this dream was stunning. These facts concerned the immigrants who sought to realize their dreams in America: The unwanted consequence of their careless pursuit of wealth and happiness was caused by the lofty hopes of the American Dream. Therefore, I believe that this term has led innumerable populations to suffer. . . n underlying force of this unique novel. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Simon Schuster, 1995. C. J. Dawson. â€Å"The American Dream and the Great Gatsby.† Helium. 12 February 2011. helium.com/items/804056-the-american-dream-and-the-great-gatsby>. Ditchfield, Sydney. â€Å"Living the American Dream.† Helium. 12 February 2011. . Excelsior. â€Å"Living the American Dream.† Helium. 12 February 2011. . Warshauer, Matthew. â€Å"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?† American Studies. 12 February 2011. . Nawaguna-Clemente, Elvina. â€Å"The American Dream is becoming a nightmare.† New Vision. 28 April 2010. 12 February 2011. newvision.co.ug/D/8/20/717803>.

Transformational Leadership Essay Example

Transformational Leadership Essay Structure: Transformational Leader’s Effectiveness Abstract Many studies have been conducted on various leadership types and their effectiveness. James MacGregor Burns first introduced the transformation leadership concept in 1970. Other scholars have also published similar studies. Bernard Bass’s theory examines how leaders affect their followers and literally transform them. Three research studies were examined on transformational leadership, and its effectiveness. The first study proved employees pay close attention to whether leaders practice procedural justice (Leventhal, 1980; Thibaut Walker, 1975). The second study proved effective transformational leadership has a direct effect on the successful implementation of quality management in administrative service. The third study proved effectiveness of leadership is situational determined. Introduction Leaders today encourage followers to step out of their comfort zones, and take risks. Today’s innovation and global competition makes the status quo way of operation an endangered species. Leaders must possess the ability to persuade their followers to step out of their comfort zones, and take a leap of faith. They must be willing to follow their leaders into the unknown. This is accomplished by building trust, and making oneself vulnerable without knowing the outcome or how it will affect ones job. Leaders must have the skills, and ability to change, learn, adapt quickly, and positively as innovation dictates. There are four dimensions of authentic transformational leadership. They are charisma influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985; Bass Avolio, 1993). Transformational leader’s personal values are an unshakable force from within that drives them. We will write a custom essay sample on Transformational Leadership specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Transformational Leadership specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Transformational Leadership specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Their charisma is thought to be the most important aspect of transformational leadership qualities. These perceived values strengthen their ability to unite followers, and transform their beliefs to line up with their own (Bass, 1990; Burns, 1978; Deluga, 1988). Followers identify and aspire to be like these leaders. This luxury gives leaders the influence needed to set high standards for all to achieve. Transformational leaders provide vision and mission to others which instill organizational pride. Their expertise of the organizations tasks, earns them respect among their followers. It is their inspirational motivation that challenged followers to achieve the organizations goals. The leader’s intellectual stimulation complements their charisma. It is hear that high expectations and purpose are communicated in simplicity in an effort to generate creative solutions to problems. This platform allows their followers to question assumptions. They use, rationality, and logic to identify old problems. These problems are then examined from a different perspective to generate innovative ideas for improvement. A transformational leader’s individualized consideration is where employees are viewed as individuals. It is here they increase their employee’s awareness of the importance of their job. They coach them on achieving a better performance. Leaders also motivate their employees to work for the good of the organization instead of exclusively for their own personal gain. They then make employees aware of their individual needs for personal growth. They identify areas to target for development needed to obtain their own personal goals within the organization (Bass, 1985). In the wake of many business scandals there has been an out cry for the need of good leadership, with high morals. Authentic transformational leadership is characterized by its high morals and ethical standards in each of the four dimensions previously detailed. Followers engage in collectively pursuit of these leaders in ethical moral actions. Transformational leader literature has been linked to the long-standing literature on virtue, the moral character of Socratic and Confucian typologies, as well as modern Western ethical agenda. It is important that transformational leadership overcome the unethical pseudo transformational leadership images, which plagues organizations today. Pseudo-transformational leaders endorses only them self. Oppression of its followers, their ideas, and individualization is practice. Submission is enforced, and in some cases these leaders (Jim Jones) invent fabricated obstacles, and teach fictitious visions of superiority. These imaginary enemies instill fear into their followers of outsiders. Some Pseudo-transformational leaders are not so prevalent; they straddle the line of moral virtue. They make inspiring appeals and lead everyone to focus on the positive to maintain creditability with the unsuspecting followers they manipulate. They withhold information (Enron). In some instances they support a proposal in public while privately they may directly impede on its progress. This is done in an effort to postpone or continually delay its implementation. For a period of time pseudo-transformational leaders appear like saints, but are deceptive devils. They go through great lengths to prove to their followers their righteousness. This convinces many to believe they are following a transformational leader, unbeknownst to them they fund the masquerade created by these pseudo-transformational leaders, either until they are swindled out of all their money or until exposed by law enforcement agents. Even after their exposure they will still be able to convince some of their innocence, or justify their wrong doing as being right because of their superiority (Charles Mason). According to Kanungo and Mendoca (1996), transformational leaders are guided by unselfish values. They influence followers with empowerment rather than control. They strive to help their followers develop their own qualities. Authentic transformational leadership fosters moral values of honesty, loyalty and fairness. Values of justice, equality and human rights are a mark of their character. They are sincere leaders who strive to lead followers to attain the organizations objectives and goals. These leaders create vision for their followers, and implement strategies to help them accomplish their goals. Research on Transformational Leadership Effectiveness Three studies were examined to illustrate the effect transformational leadership has in particular situations and its effectiveness Transformation leadership style effect on procedural justice Employee relationships in procedural justice studies did not emphasize which leadership style would enhance procedural justice effects. It was not until recently when Judge Piccolo, and Ilies (2004) statement about the Ohio State factors of justice theory and its importance for future research did scholars begin to examine leadership style effects on justice issues. De Cremer (2004) introduced the leader fairness theory. It suggests that the effectiveness of procedural justice depended on the type of leadership style used to ratify the procedures (De Cremer Tyler, 2005). Transformation leaders have the ability to articulate a shared vision, intellectually stimulate employees, and provide individual differences for employees (Brown Keeping, 2005). This paper will provide evidence as to whether transformational leadership and procedural justice interact in affecting employees’ response. According to Burns (1978), transformational leaders embrace moral values, justice equality, and respectful treatment of their followers. These leaders increase their followers’ moral development. Followers focus on important principles such as justice and equality (Brown and Trevino, 2003). From this we can conclude that transformational leaders should increase the influence of procedural justice as well. Another factor of transformational leadership is the ability to motivate their followers to go beyond self-interest and focus on the common interest of the organization (Bass, 1998; Yukl, 1998). This implies that transformational leadership creates a collectivistic environment and attitude among their followers. Studies show that the more employees identify with the organization the more likely procedural justice will influence their behavior. The analysis suggests that transformational leadership style heightens employee’s awareness of justice issues and a strong sense of group identification which make it a good moderator for procedural justice. Theories of procedural justice have strong emotional consequences (Tyler and Smith, 1998). Procedural injustices bring into being feelings of anger, rejection, and resentment which can influence a wide range of negative emotions (DE Cremer, 2004). In the first study the focus was on how procedural justice and transformational leadership style effects the self-esteem and emotions of followers. The two theories studied are Hypothesis 1) Leader’s transformational behavior and procedural justice interact, such that the effects of procedural justice on followers’ negative emotions are stronger when the leader is high in a transformational style rather than low. Hypothesis 2) Leader’s transformational behavior and procedural justice interact, such that the effects of procedural justice on followers’ self-esteem are stronger when the leader is high in a transformational style rather than low. The author conducted three studies to test these theories. In the first study, 69 Dutch men and women, undergraduate students participated. The results showed that procedural justice influenced participant negative emotions more, if the leadership style was high in transformational behavior. Fairness of procedures affects both personal and collective self-esteem. Fairness in the work environment signals to employees that they are respected, that how they feel matters, because they are valued. Employees with good self evaluations have higher self-esteem (Leary, 2001). In the second study, 57 Dutch men and women undergraduate students participated. The results showed in the high transformational leadership negative emotions were significantly influenced by procedural justice; however for a low transformational leader this was not the case. In the third study, the employees’ perception of their supervisor’s procedural justice and transformational leadership style was examined and the effective responses were measured by means of organization based self-esteem. HRM managers handed out questionnaires at random to 575 male and female civil servants to participate. A total 257 were returned, yielding a response rate of 45%. The results show that procedural justice was affected only when the leader was high in transformational leadership style. The results from the scenario experiment, laboratory experiment, and the organizational survey confirmed the influence of procedural justice and transformational leadership style interaction has a pr onounced affect on their follower’s emotions, and self-esteem. Employees pay close attention to whether leaders use correct and fair procedures when making decisions and allocating outcomes i. e. procedural justice (Leventhal, 1980; Thibaut Walker, 1975). According Burns (1978) transformational leaders encourage followers to embrace moral values, justice, equality, in turn this increase their awareness of fairness and justice, which increase the influence of procedural justice. Transformation leadership effect on quality The second study was conducted at The University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). UMR received the Missouri Quality Award in 1995 after four years of quality management implementation. UMR was the first public research university in the nation to win this award, and was chosen because of its receipt of the quality award for practicing quality management. The study was conducted by Hirtz, P, D. from University of Missouri-Rolla, Murray, S. L. from University of Missouri-Rolla, and Riordan, C. A. from Central Michigan University, were the effects of leadership on quality was examined. The objective of this study was to identify what relationship existed between the leadership style of administrative service heads, and the perceived implementation level of quality management? The focus was on transformational leadership, transactional and non-transactional leadership styles effectiveness and their effect on quality. The multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) by Bass and Avolio (1995) was administered to nonacademic administrative and service departments at the University of Missouri-Rolla. The campus mail system was used to distribute the surveys to 438 employees in 29 departments. Each survey was coded to guarantee the confidentiality. There were one hundred-nine surveys returned completed constituting 24. 9 % response rate. 24 department leaders consisting of 8 females, and 16 males were included in the study. Each survey determines the leadership style of the department’s manager along with a quality management self-assessment survey to determine the level of quality management implementation. The theories studied Hypothesis 1) Consider the incidence of beneficial leader behaviors (idealized attributes, idealized behaviors, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and contingent reward) would be positively related to quality management departmental behavior (leadership, information and analysis, strategic planning, human resource development and management, process management, customer focus/satisfaction, and overall total quality score). Hypothesis 2) Consider the incidence of dysfunctional leader behaviors (management-by-exception—active/passive and laissez-faire) would be negatively related to quality management. The results of the survey support the first hypothesis that effective transformational leadership has a direct effect on the successful implementation of quality management in administrative service. The results in the second hypothesis support the theory that passive leadership styles negatively impact efforts of quality management. Transformational leadership universal effectiveness In the third study the focus is on weather transformational leadership is effective universally, and determines how situational moderators limit its effectiveness. The author examines several situational aspects; leader-member relations, task structure, leader position power, follower ability level, and follower authoritarianism, and concludes that effectiveness of leadership is situational determined. Burns (1978), Bass (1985) believe that transformational leaders motivate employees to perform by transforming their attitudes, to strive to achieve the organizations goals. A total of 157 civil servants at one of the engineering services agency branches responded to the survey at a 76 % rate of return. All participants were assured their confidentiality. Each survey included the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire- 5X (MLQ), developed by Bass and Avolio (1989). It consisted of 60, five-point scale items to measure transformational leadership. This MLQ measure is a social-report of the employees perceptions of their leaders transformational behavior. Two individual motive pattern measurements were used: (1) growth need strength, and (2) need for autonomy. Growth need strength was assessed using the standardized twelve-item scale developed by Hackman and Oldham (1974). Need for autonomy was assessed using nine items of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) (Edwards, 1953). The theories studied Hypothesis 1) Whether the follower motive patterns influence the effectiveness of transformational leadership. Hypothesis 2) Whether transformational leadership is more appropriately viewed from individual-level analysis or a multi-level analysis. The results from the first hypothesis revealed that some followers are more receptive to transformational leaders. The study also reveals that situational moderators contribute to the prediction of outcome variables beyond that of leadership behaviors alone. Transformational leaders may be more effective in some environments than they are in others. Transformational leaders in this study were more effective with followers with high growth need strength, compared to followers with low growth need strength. Followers with higher independence rate their leaders as more transformational and are seen by the leader as being more effective in their units. The results from the second hypothesis revealed that transformational leadership is effective in individual and multi-level analysis. Evidence proved that transformational leadership includes behaviors that are apparent with some consistency to all group members. However, it can be applied to some followers more than to others. This supports the individualized consideration behavior of transformational leadership style. Conclusion Further research of how situations affect the effectiveness of transformational leadership is needed. It is clear in this test that quality management programs supported by top management’s commitment to the programs success in turn ensure the programs success. Transformational leaders have unshakable morals, and beliefs, and their ability communicate the organizations vision of the future, allow employees to support and adopt those convictions as their own. Transformational leadership invigorates exploration of innovative ideas that will improve the organizations as well as employees performance. This stimulates an environment that is adoptive to the change which is imperative for the organization to sustain their position in the global market among competitors. The implementation of having top management lead with compassion to promote change directly impact employees self worth to the organization which create loyalty and the diligence needed for them help the organization achieve its goals. This research supports the hypothesis that transformational leadership is positively related to the successful implementation of quality management in administrative service. It also supports the position that passive styles of leadership negatively impact the implementation of quality management. Investments in top manager leadership needed to development into transformational leadership promote higher performance expectation that in turn transcend throughout the organization. The charisma of transformational leaders inspires their followers to emulate them. This will allow the rapid spread of transformation leadership style; which creates a quality conscious organization committed to achieving the organizational goals. Transformational Leadership Essay Example Transformational Leadership Essay Structure: Transformational Leader’s Effectiveness Abstract Many studies have been conducted on various leadership types and their effectiveness. James MacGregor Burns first introduced the transformation leadership concept in 1970. Other scholars have also published similar studies. Bernard Bass’s theory examines how leaders affect their followers and literally transform them. Three research studies were examined on transformational leadership, and its effectiveness. The first study proved employees pay close attention to whether leaders practice procedural justice (Leventhal, 1980; Thibaut Walker, 1975). The second study proved effective transformational leadership has a direct effect on the successful implementation of quality management in administrative service. The third study proved effectiveness of leadership is situational determined. Introduction Leaders today encourage followers to step out of their comfort zones, and take risks. Today’s innovation and global competition makes the status quo way of operation an endangered species. Leaders must possess the ability to persuade their followers to step out of their comfort zones, and take a leap of faith. They must be willing to follow their leaders into the unknown. This is accomplished by building trust, and making oneself vulnerable without knowing the outcome or how it will affect ones job. Leaders must have the skills, and ability to change, learn, adapt quickly, and positively as innovation dictates. There are four dimensions of authentic transformational leadership. They are charisma influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985; Bass Avolio, 1993). Transformational leader’s personal values are an unshakable force from within that drives them. We will write a custom essay sample on Transformational Leadership specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Transformational Leadership specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Transformational Leadership specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Their charisma is thought to be the most important aspect of transformational leadership qualities. These perceived values strengthen their ability to unite followers, and transform their beliefs to line up with their own (Bass, 1990; Burns, 1978; Deluga, 1988). Followers identify and aspire to be like these leaders. This luxury gives leaders the influence needed to set high standards for all to achieve. Transformational leaders provide vision and mission to others which instill organizational pride. Their expertise of the organizations tasks, earns them respect among their followers. It is their inspirational motivation that challenged followers to achieve the organizations goals. The leader’s intellectual stimulation complements their charisma. It is hear that high expectations and purpose are communicated in simplicity in an effort to generate creative solutions to problems. This platform allows their followers to question assumptions. They use, rationality, and logic to identify old problems. These problems are then examined from a different perspective to generate innovative ideas for improvement. A transformational leader’s individualized consideration is where employees are viewed as individuals. It is here they increase their employee’s awareness of the importance of their job. They coach them on achieving a better performance. Leaders also motivate their employees to work for the good of the organization instead of exclusively for their own personal gain. They then make employees aware of their individual needs for personal growth. They identify areas to target for development needed to obtain their own personal goals within the organization (Bass, 1985). In the wake of many business scandals there has been an out cry for the need of good leadership, with high morals. Authentic transformational leadership is characterized by its high morals and ethical standards in each of the four dimensions previously detailed. Followers engage in collectively pursuit of these leaders in ethical moral actions. Transformational leader literature has been linked to the long-standing literature on virtue, the moral character of Socratic and Confucian typologies, as well as modern Western ethical agenda. It is important that transformational leadership overcome the unethical pseudo transformational leadership images, which plagues organizations today. Pseudo-transformational leaders endorses only them self. Oppression of its followers, their ideas, and individualization is practice. Submission is enforced, and in some cases these leaders (Jim Jones) invent fabricated obstacles, and teach fictitious visions of superiority. These imaginary enemies instill fear into their followers of outsiders. Some Pseudo-transformational leaders are not so prevalent; they straddle the line of moral virtue. They make inspiring appeals and lead everyone to focus on the positive to maintain creditability with the unsuspecting followers they manipulate. They withhold information (Enron). In some instances they support a proposal in public while privately they may directly impede on its progress. This is done in an effort to postpone or continually delay its implementation. For a period of time pseudo-transformational leaders appear like saints, but are deceptive devils. They go through great lengths to prove to their followers their righteousness. This convinces many to believe they are following a transformational leader, unbeknownst to them they fund the masquerade created by these pseudo-transformational leaders, either until they are swindled out of all their money or until exposed by law enforcement agents. Even after their exposure they will still be able to convince some of their innocence, or justify their wrong doing as being right because of their superiority (Charles Mason). According to Kanungo and Mendoca (1996), transformational leaders are guided by unselfish values. They influence followers with empowerment rather than control. They strive to help their followers develop their own qualities. Authentic transformational leadership fosters moral values of honesty, loyalty and fairness. Values of justice, equality and human rights are a mark of their character. They are sincere leaders who strive to lead followers to attain the organizations objectives and goals. These leaders create vision for their followers, and implement strategies to help them accomplish their goals. Research on Transformational Leadership Effectiveness Three studies were examined to illustrate the effect transformational leadership has in particular situations and its effectiveness Transformation leadership style effect on procedural justice Employee relationships in procedural justice studies did not emphasize which leadership style would enhance procedural justice effects. It was not until recently when Judge Piccolo, and Ilies (2004) statement about the Ohio State factors of justice theory and its importance for future research did scholars begin to examine leadership style effects on justice issues. De Cremer (2004) introduced the leader fairness theory. It suggests that the effectiveness of procedural justice depended on the type of leadership style used to ratify the procedures (De Cremer Tyler, 2005). Transformation leaders have the ability to articulate a shared vision, intellectually stimulate employees, and provide individual differences for employees (Brown Keeping, 2005). This paper will provide evidence as to whether transformational leadership and procedural justice interact in affecting employees’ response. According to Burns (1978), transformational leaders embrace moral values, justice equality, and respectful treatment of their followers. These leaders increase their followers’ moral development. Followers focus on important principles such as justice and equality (Brown and Trevino, 2003). From this we can conclude that transformational leaders should increase the influence of procedural justice as well. Another factor of transformational leadership is the ability to motivate their followers to go beyond self-interest and focus on the common interest of the organization (Bass, 1998; Yukl, 1998). This implies that transformational leadership creates a collectivistic environment and attitude among their followers. Studies show that the more employees identify with the organization the more likely procedural justice will influence their behavior. The analysis suggests that transformational leadership style heightens employee’s awareness of justice issues and a strong sense of group identification which make it a good moderator for procedural justice. Theories of procedural justice have strong emotional consequences (Tyler and Smith, 1998). Procedural injustices bring into being feelings of anger, rejection, and resentment which can influence a wide range of negative emotions (DE Cremer, 2004). In the first study the focus was on how procedural justice and transformational leadership style effects the self-esteem and emotions of followers. The two theories studied are Hypothesis 1) Leader’s transformational behavior and procedural justice interact, such that the effects of procedural justice on followers’ negative emotions are stronger when the leader is high in a transformational style rather than low. Hypothesis 2) Leader’s transformational behavior and procedural justice interact, such that the effects of procedural justice on followers’ self-esteem are stronger when the leader is high in a transformational style rather than low. The author conducted three studies to test these theories. In the first study, 69 Dutch men and women, undergraduate students participated. The results showed that procedural justice influenced participant negative emotions more, if the leadership style was high in transformational behavior. Fairness of procedures affects both personal and collective self-esteem. Fairness in the work environment signals to employees that they are respected, that how they feel matters, because they are valued. Employees with good self evaluations have higher self-esteem (Leary, 2001). In the second study, 57 Dutch men and women undergraduate students participated. The results showed in the high transformational leadership negative emotions were significantly influenced by procedural justice; however for a low transformational leader this was not the case. In the third study, the employees’ perception of their supervisor’s procedural justice and transformational leadership style was examined and the effective responses were measured by means of organization based self-esteem. HRM managers handed out questionnaires at random to 575 male and female civil servants to participate. A total 257 were returned, yielding a response rate of 45%. The results show that procedural justice was affected only when the leader was high in transformational leadership style. The results from the scenario experiment, laboratory experiment, and the organizational survey confirmed the influence of procedural justice and transformational leadership style interaction has a pr onounced affect on their follower’s emotions, and self-esteem. Employees pay close attention to whether leaders use correct and fair procedures when making decisions and allocating outcomes i. e. procedural justice (Leventhal, 1980; Thibaut Walker, 1975). According Burns (1978) transformational leaders encourage followers to embrace moral values, justice, equality, in turn this increase their awareness of fairness and justice, which increase the influence of procedural justice. Transformation leadership effect on quality The second study was conducted at The University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR). UMR received the Missouri Quality Award in 1995 after four years of quality management implementation. UMR was the first public research university in the nation to win this award, and was chosen because of its receipt of the quality award for practicing quality management. The study was conducted by Hirtz, P, D. from University of Missouri-Rolla, Murray, S. L. from University of Missouri-Rolla, and Riordan, C. A. from Central Michigan University, were the effects of leadership on quality was examined. The objective of this study was to identify what relationship existed between the leadership style of administrative service heads, and the perceived implementation level of quality management? The focus was on transformational leadership, transactional and non-transactional leadership styles effectiveness and their effect on quality. The multifactor leadership questionnaire (MLQ) by Bass and Avolio (1995) was administered to nonacademic administrative and service departments at the University of Missouri-Rolla. The campus mail system was used to distribute the surveys to 438 employees in 29 departments. Each survey was coded to guarantee the confidentiality. There were one hundred-nine surveys returned completed constituting 24. 9 % response rate. 24 department leaders consisting of 8 females, and 16 males were included in the study. Each survey determines the leadership style of the department’s manager along with a quality management self-assessment survey to determine the level of quality management implementation. The theories studied Hypothesis 1) Consider the incidence of beneficial leader behaviors (idealized attributes, idealized behaviors, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, and contingent reward) would be positively related to quality management departmental behavior (leadership, information and analysis, strategic planning, human resource development and management, process management, customer focus/satisfaction, and overall total quality score). Hypothesis 2) Consider the incidence of dysfunctional leader behaviors (management-by-exception—active/passive and laissez-faire) would be negatively related to quality management. The results of the survey support the first hypothesis that effective transformational leadership has a direct effect on the successful implementation of quality management in administrative service. The results in the second hypothesis support the theory that passive leadership styles negatively impact efforts of quality management. Transformational leadership universal effectiveness In the third study the focus is on weather transformational leadership is effective universally, and determines how situational moderators limit its effectiveness. The author examines several situational aspects; leader-member relations, task structure, leader position power, follower ability level, and follower authoritarianism, and concludes that effectiveness of leadership is situational determined. Burns (1978), Bass (1985) believe that transformational leaders motivate employees to perform by transforming their attitudes, to strive to achieve the organizations goals. A total of 157 civil servants at one of the engineering services agency branches responded to the survey at a 76 % rate of return. All participants were assured their confidentiality. Each survey included the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire- 5X (MLQ), developed by Bass and Avolio (1989). It consisted of 60, five-point scale items to measure transformational leadership. This MLQ measure is a social-report of the employees perceptions of their leaders transformational behavior. Two individual motive pattern measurements were used: (1) growth need strength, and (2) need for autonomy. Growth need strength was assessed using the standardized twelve-item scale developed by Hackman and Oldham (1974). Need for autonomy was assessed using nine items of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) (Edwards, 1953). The theories studied Hypothesis 1) Whether the follower motive patterns influence the effectiveness of transformational leadership. Hypothesis 2) Whether transformational leadership is more appropriately viewed from individual-level analysis or a multi-level analysis. The results from the first hypothesis revealed that some followers are more receptive to transformational leaders. The study also reveals that situational moderators contribute to the prediction of outcome variables beyond that of leadership behaviors alone. Transformational leaders may be more effective in some environments than they are in others. Transformational leaders in this study were more effective with followers with high growth need strength, compared to followers with low growth need strength. Followers with higher independence rate their leaders as more transformational and are seen by the leader as being more effective in their units. The results from the second hypothesis revealed that transformational leadership is effective in individual and multi-level analysis. Evidence proved that transformational leadership includes behaviors that are apparent with some consistency to all group members. However, it can be applied to some followers more than to others. This supports the individualized consideration behavior of transformational leadership style. Conclusion Further research of how situations affect the effectiveness of transformational leadership is needed. It is clear in this test that quality management programs supported by top management’s commitment to the programs success in turn ensure the programs success. Transformational leaders have unshakable morals, and beliefs, and their ability communicate the organizations vision of the future, allow employees to support and adopt those convictions as their own. Transformational leadership invigorates exploration of innovative ideas that will improve the organizations as well as employees performance. This stimulates an environment that is adoptive to the change which is imperative for the organization to sustain their position in the global market among competitors. The implementation of having top management lead with compassion to promote change directly impact employees self worth to the organization which create loyalty and the diligence needed for them help the organization achieve its goals. This research supports the hypothesis that transformational leadership is positively related to the successful implementation of quality management in administrative service. It also supports the position that passive styles of leadership negatively impact the implementation of quality management. Investments in top manager leadership needed to development into transformational leadership promote higher performance expectation that in turn transcend throughout the organization. The charisma of transformational leaders inspires their followers to emulate them. This will allow the rapid spread of transformation leadership style; which creates a quality conscious organization committed to achieving the organizational goals.

Is it possible to identify who is to blame for the debt crisis Essay Example

Is it possible to identify who is to blame for the debt crisis Essay Example Is it possible to identify who is to blame for the debt crisis Essay Is it possible to identify who is to blame for the debt crisis Essay Essay Topic: Economics The debt crisis, a term used for discussing the situation of third world debt, is an extremely complex issue, with multiple factors affecting the constantly fluctuating and increasing problem that many of the least developed countries (LDCs) are still facing today. One of the key aspects of the debt crisis is not necessarily the loans themselves all countries have some deficit, but rather the sustainability of the debt; that is whether or not a country can afford to repay the loans it has taken out (if a debt is over 40% of a countries GDP it qualifies as nsustainable). Questions that comes to mind when looking at the debt crisis today, and indeed the crisis that has been developing since the 1960s, is how can creditors be happy to lend money to developing countries whose situation indicates a high improbability of being able to repay the loans without immense damage to their economy for which the loans are meant to be beneficial? Are these decisions calculated? And why are the loans harming not helping? It is the nature of a capitalist, consumerist economy for loans to be encouraged whether on a huge scale uch as those faced by LDCs in the debt crisis, or small scale loans such as credit cards and mortgages. (I feel that it should be noted that loans between countries is not a new concept and has a history of over 175 years (Sachs, 1989:4) around the same time as capitalism took stronghold across the world). Although theoretically these debts are supposed to be an investment which will be beneficial in the long term, it has become the case in many countries that loans can in fact prohibit the scale of progress that can be made due to the many restrictions of repaying the ebts (which are often crippling amounts), meaning LDCs find it very hard to catch up to more developed countries no matter the amount they loan. Within the modern culture of international super powers and a macroeconomic climate that feeds off the economic situation of all the countries involved in trade, it is difficult to assign blame to a single element or financial body, as is often the case when trying to pinpoint responsibility for crisis. Indeed as many of the readings emphasise (Sachs, Whaites, Jain) it is the creditors blame the debtors for having bad economic olicies, whilst the debtors blame the creditors on the unfair advantage the bankers hold. However, this is a very oversimplified view of assigning blame, and in this essay will explore the variety of explanations of how such a debt crisis emerged and who, if anyone, can be thought of as responsible. To understand more fully the origins of the debt crisis it is essential that we understand the economic situation at the time of the first loans, in other words why did certain countries need to borrow huge amounts of money which would come to cripple their hopes for successful development. Many of the first loans to LDCs were made in the 1960s following the economic robbery (Whaites, 1991) that was colonialism. Following their independence after years of exploitative and self-interested policies implemented by colonial powers (which included the countries that would become the creditors), many of todays LDCs were granted freedom without the consideration of how they would proceed to successfully develop after so many of their resources had been taken without re investment from colonial power; the tools needed for significant development had been taken and used before these countries had reedom and the opportunity to set up an infrastructure capable of achieving economic and social progress, for example countries such as Zambia were unable to tackle problems such as health and education amongst others, many of which are still prominent problems today (see list of MDGs on UN website). However, in the wake of finally being given freedom many countries facing these troubles decided borrowed huge amounts to fund highly ambitious goals, and also to get over the holes within the economy (World Ban k website) such as the need to import goods such as petroleum and iron due to lack of industrialisation. This, in turn led to a high dependency on basic commodity exports (Whaites 1991), which would have been ok so long as the economy continued to be prosperous and there remained buyers for the exports. These factors led to the point at which a number of countries faced critical situations (Easterly, 2002:2) in regards to their debt service payments. However a serious crisis did not emerge until the 1970s, when the price of oil had an untold effect on the next 40 years of debt. In the early 70s and again later in the decade oil prices rose dramatically, leading to mass amounts of oney being loaned to many LCDs with oil reserves, who obviously thought economic successes would be made rapidly. However the economic situation took a turn for the worse and soon inflation and interest rates rose and those creditors who had raced (Eichengreen Lindert 1992:1) to lend money for potential petro dollars (Whaites 1991), left many countries not only with a much higher debt and much higher interest rates, but also a world market facing a recession, meaning economies that relied on highly on trade would find fewer buyers and lower prices for their exports. Countries that had invested all their hopes and borrowed inance in the oil trade now faced debts that were completely unsustainable and those without reserves faced economic growth that was too slow to repay the money that had been borrowed. This situation has been viewed in two different ways, the creditors see such rash investments as a bad choice of economic policy, placing the blame on the debtors for their economic situation, whereas the debtors point the finger at the banks that were so keen to lend copious (Sachs 1989: 2) amounts of money out even after prices for oil had dropped for they were preoccupied with the large returns they were etting from previous loans, one leading bank was looking at 72% of the overall earnings coming from international operations in 1976 (Sachs 1989:8), meaning lenders were blind sighted to the fact that it was dim that the debt incurred in the 1970s ver paid back in full (Eichengreen Lindert 1992:3). The events in the 1970s set the precedent for the next 20+ years, in which problems were faced largely by a variety of cause and effect situations, meaning blame could be circulated over and over, there is no clear cause. However some countries such as Indonesia and South Korea success fully managed to gain some economic prosperity hrough loans, raising the question of whether they made wise investments opposed to the so called bad economic policies of some indebted countries, or whether their investments were lucky and caught the economy at the right time, highlighting again the difficulty of assigning blame. Whilst OECD states recovered from the recession reasonably easily, the heavily indebted countries fell further and further behind. In the case of Latin America the financial situation reached such a severe problem that Mexico defaulted on their loan, having a massive knock on effect on the willingness of creditors to lend. Leaving struggling ountries with no money to invest, no substantial demand for the export products they relied on so heavily and a disadvantage in the trade market, due to OECD states adopting protectionist policies, driving a wedge between market and shadow prices (Sachs 1989:13) and resulting in LDCs having little or no money for investment and development of welfare as it was being used for consumerism. Creditors had lost faith temporarily in lending out money (although lending was restored within a few short years) feeling debtors had dug themselves in a hole they could not get out of, with no escape from the service debt they were struggling to afford. Perhaps it is possible that ill thought out, unrealistic economic policies were applied in this period that did nothing but further widen the gap LDCs were desperately trying to close, various bad investments were made, which resulted in little economic benefits from the large loans undertaken. I feel it is debatable whether or not the banks had been ignorant to the massive risk they were taking through lending money (perhaps they even felt they had to do so as to give countries a chance? or whether the risk was always expected to end badly meaning the LDCs remained subordinated to rich owerful countries that already existed, the former colonial powers that had given countries freedom only due to the impossibility of retaining their empire successfully, ensuring more cheap labour and opportunities for cheap trade and exploitation of the third world countries who were trapped in their economic situation. Even recent debt relief programs that have been set up have to be questioned, whilst it is too soon to tell what effect the multilateral debt relief initiative will have, as Easterly comments, the last 3 years have seen debt ratios drop and per capita ncome rise in countries that had been deemed at completion point in the HIPC initiative of which the benefits are still as yet unclear. In order to gain help HIPC countries must comply with strict fiscal disciplines (Jubilee USA brief 2008) and allow the IMF to control key policies regarding financial spending supposedly to insure avoidance of any more bad policies being made. However, policies implemented by the IMF have prolonged austerity, reduced public spending and even driven the price of cotton in Mali down to an artificially low price in order to compete with other arkets with a variety of advantages, meaning little profit is being made (Jubilee USA brief 2008), contradictory of this information of the IMF website which claims to be increasing social spending amongst many other successes. However it is evidently resulted in less change to the debt than expected suggesting therefore that whilst blame may be tricky to assign for such huge debts, the solution is even harder to pin point. However whilst both the creditors and the debtors are eager to assign the blame to the other party, it is commonly the case that corruption is to blame for the extreme levels of the debt crisis. Jain (1998) talks extensively about corruption in economics and the power of that to destroy even a prosperous economy whether it be corruption amongst the creditors or debtors. Kremer and Jayachandran (2002) call this type of debt odious debt by which they mean illegitimate debt, which occurs through corrupt leadership taking out debts; never having intended to invest it in the country, but to keep it for themselves. A recent example of a case such as this is Mubarak, who is reported (BBC news 2011) to have up to $70 billion dollars that he has stolen over time from the Egyptian people, an mount twice as much as their countries entire debt which stands at $34. 46 billion. This huge injustice shows that the blame for huge economic crisis can sometimes lie with a corrupt leader good at concealing what he is doing (the HIPC initiative aims to tackle problems such as this) money taken in this way will never see any investment back into the country as it is often hidden where it will yield stable and lucrative (Whaites 1991) returns, in a phenomenon known as flight capital. Although is not always a case of illicit money being taken out of a country, but sometimes ore innocently a consequence of a bad economy, investors want to store their money where they will see the highest return, resulting in a vicious circle of low investment, low growth and continuing capital flight (Whaites 1991), once more highlighting that a solution is as hard to discover as placing blame for the start of the situation. After examining some of the origins of the debt crisis, as well as looking at how the situation has progressed in the last 40 years, it is still hard to see who exactly is to blame for the crisis, and no party is prepared to accept esponsibility as that could have serious repercussions, such as the banks being forced to call off the debts, or the LDCs being denied extensive aid. Whilst Eichengreen Lindert (2002) feel that circumstances such as this have happened in history before due to the nature or the international economy, Easterly (2002) highlights the impact irresponsible lending has had in what is described as violation of prudential standards of creditworthiness i. e. lending money to a source that can quite clearly not pay the money back, at least not without serious sacrifice. For whatever motives, the banks have made serious errors resulting in uncontrollable amounts of debt. However, many miscalculations have been made on the side of the debtors too, including both accepting unrealistic loans and harbouring overambitious goals (though can they be blamed for this? ). One of the key issues surrounding this debate is that the loans were not forced by either party, encouraged unwisely perhaps, or accepted too eagerly, but not forced. Therefore blame cannot be assigned, perhaps even, it is just the uncontrollable nature of our economy that is behind the crisis reaching the level it is at today. In cases where odious debt exists however it is much easier to pin point the driving force behind unsustainable debt unconceivable selfishness, corruption and complete disregard for the country they are supposed to be in charge of. Unfortunately whatever is to account for the situation today, it is clear who it is suffering the most from it, and sadly, those who are hit the hardest by the debt crisis are also the ones with the smallest influence on how it will shape out. Sadly it seems that economic capital is more valuable than human life and development.

Gathering of Old Men essays

Gathering of Old Men essays The book, A Gathering Of Old Men, is set in the 1970's and is heavily based on the ownership of black slaves in the south. Referring to racist and abusive acts towards blacks, the book also has a reoccurring theme of justice. Justice can be described many different way depending on the circumstances in which it is being used. Justice can best be described as the purposeful attempt to re-administer wrongs by a person, as shown in A Gathering Of Old Men. The individual by which justice is the most clearly observed in the book, is Charlie. Charlie, a black, worked for Beau, but being a racist, Beau cared little as to the well being of Charlie. Charlie told Mapes that all his life, all he ever did was run from people. He did what blacks and whites wanted him to do, and he would get abused if he did something either the right or wrong way. No matter what Parrain tried to do to make Charlie a man, it took 50yars of abuse for Charlie to say he had enough. Beau told Charlie that he wouldnt just cuss him, but beat him as well. Feeling that after 50 years, he couldnt allow that anymore, Charlie decided to get justice. In this case, it resulted in a murder. Two types of justice are represented in A Gathering Of Old Men. Charlie wanted personal justice, or to get revenge personally, for something someone has done. The court scene in the last chapter of the book showed legal justice, or justice for an individual though the courts. Justice is important to A Gathering Of Old Men because as Charlie said, hes now a man. Im a man,he said. I want the world to know it. I aint Big Charlie, nigger boy, no more, Im a man. Yall hear me? A man come back. Not a nigger boy. A nigger boy run and run and run. But a man come back. Im a man. (Page 187) Charlies justice for himself by standing up to Beau, gave him self respect, freedom, and respect from his friends and Mape...

Social problems questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social problems questions - Essay Example One measure that is being used in organization is the monitoring of telephone and internet activity. Statistics show that over 50% of all workers with internet access utilized the web for non-work relating surfing activity, an action that decreases the productivity of the employee (Crimm). The monitoring of employee phone conversations and internet activity is not supposed to hurt the employee since the employees know that certain type of behavior is unacceptable. Issues concerning ethics occur when employers are unreasonable and are constantly spying in employees email and phone conversations and violate privacy issues. If a person receives a call from their marriage partner, the called is an implied private call that should not be heard by anyone. Drug testing is a different type of control measure. Typically a drug test is performed when a person starts working for an organization. Drug testing is an expensive event that if applied constantly to a staff of 100,000 employees would cost millions of dollars. Drug testing are not effective control measures since typical implementation is random testing, an action which will not help detect true drug usage among the staff. A company has to be careful not to target a person and perform various drug tests on an employee, because if the results are all in negative results the person may feel discriminated upon if the employee is the only person receiving recurrent drug tests. The event does not follow the random statistics nature and its probability of occurrence is very low. I personally do not feel the drug screening, email and telephone monitoring would affect me in any negative way in the workplace. Corporations in which profits are more important than human life are extremely unethical. The purpose of a business should not be money at the cost of human suffering. There are

Contextual Analysis Essay about The Vietnam in Me

Contextual Analysis about The Vietnam in Me - Essay Example Throughout the narrative, readers are introduced to O’Brien’s lingering feelings of intense despair and sorrow over the fact that the most horrid experience of his life was due to his own personal need to find and secure love. This contextual analysis will analyze how O’Brien used his trip back to Vietnam to discover what imprint his war experience truly left on his heart and if he could ever learn to trust love again. In order to establish the connection between love and Vietnam, this analysis will center on O’Brien’s views on his war experience and their impact on his personal life, his driving need to seek out love and how the guilt over his desire for love led to his contributions as a soldier in Vietnam and continually destroy the author’s chances for true happiness. In beginning this contextual analysis, the first area to analyze is how O’Brien viewed his time as a soldier in Vietnam and how this experience impacted his life. As he began his narrative, O’Brien sets an immediate tone for how he felt about his time in Vietnam. â€Å"On Gator, we used to say, the wind doesn’t blow, it sucks. Maybe that’s what happened - the wind sucked it all away. My life, my virtue† (1). Although O’Brien has obvious despair over the events that unfolded during his time in Vietnam, he was not alone in these feelings. Despite the over two million men who were forcibly deployed to Vietnam through the draft, as well as those who voluntarily enlisted, American society forgot their efforts to further democracy as these men were essentially treated as outcasts upon their return. According to Harvard Sitikoff in â€Å"The Postwar Impact of Vietnam,† the after effects of fighting in Vietnam were more dangerous than being i n the war itself. â€Å"Although most veterans did succeed in making the transition to ordinary civilian life, many did not. More Vietnam veterans committed suicide after the war than had died in it. Even more - perhaps three-quarters

My Graduation Speech Essay Example for Free

My Graduation Speech Essay The Dominance of the Visigoth encompasses power, brevity and depth. The main focus of this speech is to inform the reader of the two existing kinds of people, those who are morally upright and those who are morally depreciated. Through this speech, the reader is able to obtain an idea regarding the good aspect of humans from an Athenian point of view, which dates back to 2500 years ago. On the other hand, the idea regarding the bad aspect of humans originated from the Visigoth from Germany approximately 1700 years ago. The Visigoths every action would only embody their own selfish benefits, such as living to only overcome and supersede others, and in turn creating problems for them. As Postman mentioned, Visigoth ideas are predominant in society today, which can be proven through the material found in media today. The desire to fulfill the need of entertainment for the audience results in the creation of television shows lacking in both temperance and moderation, displayed in the television program Extreme Makeover. Furthermore, the desire to win and supersede others is shown in the exploitation of violence registered by the characters in the film Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Lastly, many stories in daily newspapers such as the Globe and Mail, further display many realistic examples of peoples actions encouraged by the need to work for their own selfish benefits, instead of exercising those intentions for the benefit of others. The Visigoths discovered that the factors that intrigued and pleased the general masses should be the factors to be used to control them. To accomplish this, the Visigoths aimed to project their desire for power, popularity, and superiority through the television series Extreme Makeover. To further explain, Extreme Makeover displays the lavish idea of the creation of beauty in women in order to raise the television ratings to compete in the race to supersede the other television series airing (http://abc.go.com). The use of beauty as a selling point for a television series captures the interest of masses of women both young and old. Because of the masses of women in society today unwilling to accept how they look, these women would settle for watching it being done to the lucky few appearing on the show. From this, Extreme Makeover encourages its women audience of the fact that all dreams no matter how farfetched or hard to reach can be attained one day. Through this, Extreme Makeover has succeeded in finding a point of immense interest and providing it for the audiences entertainment. However, of course, the main purpose of the series is not to provide an encouragement to women of today, but to actually make money from the television ratings out of other peoples expense. The exploitation of other peoples dreams, goals, and ambition as a tool of marketing is an act unrestrained and uncontrolled, characteristic of the Visigoth character. Despite the fact that Extreme Makeover is such a depraved form of entertainment, many people continue to enjoy watching it. The reason for this persistence lies in the way people in society think, which seems to surprisingly project the values of the Visigoth. Through the film Mr. and Mrs. Smith, the main characters are portrayed as humans fanatical with the desire to fight, and to surpass the each other, which are all ideas befitting the Visigoths. Mr. and Mrs. Smith is the story of a husband and a wife who are both assassins. They are not aware of each others hidden career of an assassin in the beginning of the film. However, in the end their secrets are exposed when they are hired to kill each other. The fights, the violence, and all the hectic jumble of the plot are all Visigoth characteristics. The characters in the film care only about their own affairs, and none of the world and the environment around them (www.imbd.com). Despite the fact that all these ideas encompassed in the film are against tradition, society appears to be all right with them, which further shows that society views the Visigoths ideas as nothing out of place or wrong for that matter. Through this film, it is evident that the producer of the movie created all the violence, fights, and the hectic jumble to create one intriguing plot to captivate mass audience attention. From this, the producer aims to make a profit, instead of projecting meaningful ideals that the audience can actually learn from and apply to their life. Being self-centered is the act of being inconsiderate to others and lacking in ethics, which is another Visigoth idea. Found in the Globe and Mail, the article Upgrade how far will you go? informs the reader of the countless ways to lie to the staff in the airport for the chance to upgrade their seats, which shows that the Globe and Mail is full of Visigoth ideals that the means of achieving comfort in life is clever, and should be shared among everyone (Globe and Mail, T6). In another article, After all it was only public money, depicts the idea that people in society will do anything because of their greed. This article tells of the greed of Paul Coffin, who is an ad executive, a remorseless invoicer, and an Olympic biller, who feigns to act as a moral as possible, but in reality is guilty of countless cases of corruption. (Globe and Mail, A25). The mask and pretense that a self-centered person creates reflects societys lack of honesty and ethics, all characteristic of a Visigoth. The evilness of Visigoth outnumbers the epitome of beauty, reason, and moderation. The immoral and deprecating values of a Visigoth appear on popular television programs such as Extreme Makeover, in films such as Mr. and Mrs. Smith, which motivates its audience to violence, and in real life of people who appear in news articles in the newspaper. According to Postman, the numbers of people who view the world in the Visigoth perspective outnumber the number of people who think like Athenians. Nothing is needed to be said that the majority of people do things for themselves, lack the sense of community, reject tradition, use rude language, work on grotesque art, and learn to win other people or to make money, and create problems to other people for their own power. The history of humans and the imagination of people are all rooted in Visigoth ideals. Work Cited Hayden, Scott. After all, it was only public money. Globe and Mail 24 Jan. 2005: A25. Knight, Jeff. About the Show. June 26 2005. ABC, Inc. 24 Jan. 2005 http://abc.go.com/primetime/extrememakeover. Liman, Austin. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005). June 26 2005. IMDB. Earths Biggest Movie Database. 24 Jan. 2005 www.imdb.com/title/tt0356910. Montagomery, Jonathan. Upgrade how far will you go? Globe and Mail 24 Jan. 2005: T6.

Themes of Life and Death in Anna Karenina Essay -- Tolstoy Anna Kareni

Themes of Life and Death in Anna Karenina The novel, Anna Karenina, parallels its heroine's, Anna Karenina, moral and social conflicts with Constantin Levin's internal struggle to find the meaning of life. There are many other underlying themes which links the novel as a whole, yet many critics at the time only looked upon its critical view of Russian life. Henry James called Tolstoy's novels as "loose and baggy monsters' of stylessness, but Tolstoy stated of Anna Karenina ".....I am very proud of its architecture--its vaults are joined so that one cannot even notice where the keystone is." That is absolutely correct, because within Anna Karenina, there exists many themes that are all linked together to create such a wonderful piece of work. Critics tend to miss the role that the theme of life and death plays in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Despite its apparent meanings, these two themes are intertwined in the novel and provides a backbone for some of the other existing themes. With a masterful touch, Tolstoy is able to use thes e two themes to show the characters in their true forms at both stages. The characters are shown to be living in a state of delusion, and as the characters find themselves at times of near death situations or on their deathbed, they are able to reveal themselves truthfully.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Many of the characters in the novel are able to show their "real self" and at times of death, there is a point of reversal in the characters. This is most evident in the scene of Anna's near death experience during her illness. This event brings about a change in Karenin and even Vronsky as they trade positions. Karenin suddenly becomes human and not hidden from life by his administrative regulations. His carapace cracks, and ... ...l part of everybody's life and no matter who it is, everybody fears death. To come to terms with death is something that takes a lot of courage and a full understanding of oneself. Tolstoy in his novel, has revealed to us the effect that death can have on a person and advocates us to not succumb to the daily life of the world which we live in, because it is all a delusion. Yet if we live as naturally as possible, we can get a better grasp on the true essence of life as Levin does in the novel. He finds joy out of working and enjoying the fruits of his labor, instead of indulging himself in the materialism of the hypocritical aristocrats. Modern culture has lost this aspect of life and we need to check ourselves before we lead our lives into a downfall. Works Cited: Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina, trans. Constance Garnett (New York: The Modern Library, 1993).   

Debate Against School Uniforms Essay

Have you ever played Wheres Waldo? By issuing students school uniforms, finding a problem child would be a lot like playing that game in a real life situation. Just like any other argument you will have your pros and cons of the idea, but in my opinion and many others, the cons highly outweigh the pros of wearing school uniforms. Many intelligent individuals will lose their motivation to excel and be prevalent because they are used to being ordinary like everyone else. School uniforms shout conformity in many ways and to me that isnt the way to get your students to prevail in the classrooms. Individuality is a huge factor for school age children and their chance to grow among their peers. School uniforms will do nothing but cut down on a students individuality. A uniform is not the way to cut down on school violence. The only thing that will cut down on school violence is if parents would pay attention to their children and keep their children out of trouble and give them consequences when they disobey and not to let them run wild. Uniforms cause regularity. We need free thinking children to become the thinkers of tomorrow, not drones who will continue making the mistakes of previous generations. When we argue against school uniforms we argue against an education system that seeks to produce workers and for an education system that seeks to produce open-minded all-around human beings. One major argument of school uniforms is that they will save money for less fortunate families. This statement can also be battled very easily. There are just as many experts who believe that the cost of school uniforms is a negative factor as those who see it as a positive factor. Some experts believe that it increases the amount of clothing parents will have to buy for their children because the children will still want and need clothing for the hours they are not in school. Uniforms can be more expensive for a family who buys from second-hand stores or who relies on hand-me-down clothing from friends and family. Some experts believe cost is a negative aspect of school uniforms because there is no use for them outside of school. Ultimately school uniforms will likely cost equal to higher amounts of money than buying regular clothing for a child. Everyone wants to be comfortable in what they are wearing and school uniforms limit that option significantly. Many people say that different types of clothing feel comfortable to different people. Some children are more comfortable in a specific material or style of clothing. Uniforms reduce ones ability to choose clothing that fits individual comfort needs. Experts believe that children need to feel comfortable in order to maximize learning, and that uniforms can therefore prevent academic success. Another problem would be if the school was required to wear ties. Wearing a tie would put an enormous damper on childrens ability to pay attention. Most students would spend a majority of their time situating and loosening their tie to the desired fitting. The sad part is that by the time it feels comfortable it is against the dress code and they find themselves in trouble. Identification is one of the biggest factors ruled in against school uniforms. Many people state that you could easily site outsiders of the school, and it would also eliminate gang colors. If you have a school full of children with the same clothing on you would find it nearly impossible to identify a child who was causing trouble. One example is if someone caught a glimpse of a child stealing and then tried to give a description. The description would most likely fit a majority of the students in the school. As for eliminating gang colors, there are better ways to take care of that. If you can tell a gang by its colors and the ones affiliated with it, why not send the gang member to a school away from the other children. Any group that will endanger the life of the other students doesnt deserve to learn with them. Instead of taking away their ability to recognize each other by colors they should be sent off to boot camp or somewhere alike. In conclusion school uniforms can easily be avoided by making the right judgments and by working harder to keep our children away from conformity. Each factor for uniforms can also be backed by an even better reason not to put them in action. Our countrys children need to be able to form an individual personality and ability to learn and progress through adolescents. Each area of discussion shows that children would fair more successful without the statement of a school uniform in hand. Works Cited :1)http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/education/entries/2006/07/29/the_case_agains_1.html2)http://www.communityonline.com/local/educational/schools/uniforms/uniforms.htm3)http://www.geocities.com/school_uniforms/abstract98.html

On Goethe’s “The Sorrows of Young Werther” Essay

Every piece of literature which alludes to the foolishness, audacity, and perhaps, sheer naivety of the age-old play that is love, in its passions, pursuit, and myriad complex jubilations and devastations, is bound to appeal to at least one individual or the other. Humanity is inherently blessed or plagued by this encompassing sentiment, however fraught with woes and literary tremors it may appear to be, which is why poems, short stories, novels, and other literary works of fiction, in the flamboyant manner by which it recounts aspects of humanity, serve as fitting stages or platforms for the overplayed drama that is love. The German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe plays the aforementioned persuasion well, particularly in what many regard as a semi-autobiographical novel entitled, â€Å"The Sorrows of Young Werther† (1774). While the novel can be easily and automatically categorized as a ‘romantic’ piece of literary fiction based on the instance that it was published during the height of the Romantic period that is 18th century western Europe, it is also identified as such because it encompasses and reflects the spirit of the said era. â€Å"The Sorrows of Young Werther† constitutes, much like the title already aptly connotes, the pains of a young man named Werther, as he personally recounts the perennial tragedy of unrequited love, through a series of letters addressed to his friend Wilhelm. Werther is impassioned and consumed by attraction to a woman who doesn’t reciprocate his affections, much less pay attention to him, and who happens to be engaged to one of his friends. Werther culminates his long drawn poetic divulgings, outcries, and â€Å"sorrows† in the act of suicide. For most people, the concluding drama and tragedy which exists in Goethe’s novel is entirely plausible, or â€Å"realistic,† given that it was fueled by the obsessive nature of attraction. Goethe affords readers a perspective of an attraction, of a sentiment, of a proclaimed ‘love’ that may be juvenile and naive, but is far from healthy or harmless. It affirms and encompasses every romanticized idea or cliche of love as an immense force far greater than any individual; all-consuming and agonizing, especially – as in young Werther’s case – when it isn’t reciprocated. It also highlights the great lengths people rise or turn to for the sake of love, however convoluted, or different, and maybe even delusional, the form it takes may appear to be. These aforementioned â€Å"great lengths† aren’t always necessarily a good thing, in Werther’s case for instance, it meant death. It meant killing the pain, meant dying in flesh and bones in the same manner he already had inside. It meant consummating the proverbial death which he was only able to hold on to for so long. It may be achingly juvenile, and infinitely naive, but it is the German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s take and translation of love, in its purest and unabashedly raw form; devoid of necessary standards, strictures and responsibilities of â€Å"reasonable love. † One which lives, and as already apparent, dies for the sole purpose of the said circus or charade of an emotion; so much so that it ascribes the instance of death, and particularly of suicide, as a course of action or undertaking which is suddenly deemed romantic, noble, or at the very least acceptable, where the passions of attraction and the agony of love is concerned. While this may appear utterly heartbreaking and romantic on the leaves of a paperback book, I have reason to believe that it should be limited to the said confines, and not translate to â€Å"the real world. † While most readers, and myself, may sympathize with Werther’s plight, agony, and his aptly titled ‘sorrows,’ I have reason to believe that love can also manifest in less explosive and immensely imposing ways. I believe that it exists and abounds throughout the greater part of humanity and the world we live in, despite what hideousness and ugliness which surrounds the current state of our country and the rest of the world may connote. It exists in something as mundane as an e-mail or phone call, a free car ride, to seeming hallmark or kodak moments as the flying of kites, a little league team at play, a shared sandwich; and to the familiar trivialities but authentic and wholly heart-warming dependability of broad shoulders, thin lips, welcoming cheeks, and the warmth of an embrace. Love exists in more than one definition and translates in varying degrees and circumstances, an individual shouldn’t decide to end his or her life because of a romanticized version of it. People should live through and for love, not die for it. As for sorrow, people should endure and keep every exquisite agony, because ultimately and essentially, sorrows affirm our humanity, and our capacity to love. Works Cited Von Goethe, Johann Wolfgang. (2006) The Sorrows Of Young Werther. Mondial.

social security reform essays

social security reform essays THE HISTORY OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY ACT Social Security Act aimed to alleviate the plight of Americans the elderly, retired, dependent children, and the disabled. The Social Security Act offered workers 65 or older monthly stipends based on previous earnings, it also provided assistance to blind and handicapped Americans, and to dependent children. The act also established the nations first federally sponsored system of unemployment insurance. Mandatory payroll deductions levied equally on employees and employers financed both the retirement system and the unemployment insurance (Social Security Reform). Despite its flaws, the Social Security Act of 1935 introduced a new era in American history. It committed the government to a social welfare role by providing for elderly, disabled, retired, dependent, and unemployed Americans. By doing so, the act greatly expanded the publics sense of entitlement, and provides the economic security that the American people desperately needed during the post Depression era. In this paper I will discuss the development of the Social Security Act, the comprehensive laws and their amendments, and the benefits that the act established. In 1934 President Franklin Roosevelt created a Committee on Economic Security to draft a program of guaranteed social support for all U.S. citizens who were economically vulnerable during the Great Depression of the 1930s. That economic crisis overwhelmed traditional sources of aid for the jobless, aged, dependent children, retired, and the disabled. To help deal with the crisis, the Committee on Economic Security recommended that the federal government create a national program that would establish a system of unemployment and old- ...

Why Math Is Difficult - Math and Brain Types

Why Math Is Difficult - Math and Brain Types In 2005, Gallup conducted a poll that asked students to name the school subject that they considered to be the most difficult. Not surprisingly, mathematics came out on top of the difficulty chart. So what is it about math that makes it difficult? Have you ever wondered? Dictionary.com defines the word difficult as: â€Å"...not easily or readily done; requiring much labor, skill, or planning to be performed successfully.† This definition gets to the crux of the problem when it comes to math, specifically the statement that a difficult task is one that is not â€Å"readily† done. The thing that makes math difficult for many students is that it takes patience and persistence. For many students, math is not something that comes intuitively or automatically - it takes plenty of  effort. It is a subject that sometimes requires students to devote lots and lots of time and energy. This means, for many, the problem has little to do with brainpower; it is mostly a matter of staying power. And since students dont make their own timelines when it comes to getting it, they can run out of time as the teacher moves on to the next topic. Math and Brain Types But there is also an element of brain-style in the big picture, according to many scientists. There will always be opposing views on any topic, and the process of human learning is subject to ongoing debate, just like any other topic. But many theorists believe that  people are wired with different math comprehension skills. According to some brain science scholars, logical, left-brain thinkers tend to understand things in  sequential bits, while  artistic, intuitive, right-brainers  are more global. They take in  a lot of information at one time and let it sink in.  So left-brain dominant students may grasp concepts quickly while right-brain dominant students don’t. To the right brain dominant student, that time-lapse can make them feel confused and behind. Math as a Cumulative Discipline Math know-how is cumulative, which means it works much like a stack of building blocks. You have to gain understanding in one area before you can effectively go on to â€Å"build upon† another area. Our first mathematical building blocks are established in primary school when we learn rules for addition and multiplication, and those first concepts comprise our foundation. The next building blocks come in middle school when students first learn about formulas and operations. This information has to sink in and become â€Å"firm† before students can move on to enlarge this framework of knowledge. The big problem starts to appear sometime between middle school and high school because students very often move on to a new grade or new subject before they’re really ready. Students who earn a â€Å"C† in middle school have absorbed and understood about half of what they should, but they move on anyway. They move on or are moved on, because They think a C is good enough.Parents don’t realize that moving on without a full understanding poses a big problem for high school and college.Teachers don’t have time and energy enough to ensure that every single student understands every single concept. So students move to the next level with a really shaky foundation. The outcome of any shaky foundation is that there will be a serious limitation when it comes to building and real potential for complete failure at some point. The lesson here? Any student who receives a C in a math class should review heavily to make sure to pick up concepts theyll need later. In fact, it  is smart to hire a tutor to help you review any time you find that youve struggled in a math class! Making Math Less Difficult We have established a few things when it comes to math and difficulty: Math seems difficult because it takes time and energy.Many people dont experience sufficient time to get math lessons, and they fall behind as the teacher moves on.Many move on to study more complex concepts with a shaky foundation.We often end up with a weak structure that is doomed to collapse at some point. Although this may sound like bad news, it is really good news. The fix is pretty easy if we’re patient enough! No matter where you are in your math studies, you can excel if you backtrack far enough to reinforce your foundation. You must fill in the holes with a deep understanding of the basic concepts you encountered in middle school math. If you’re in middle school right now, do not attempt to move on until you understand pre-algebra concepts fully. Get a tutor if necessary.If you’re in high school and struggling with math, download a middle school math syllabus or hire a tutor. Make sure you understand every single concept and activity that is covered in middle grades.If you’re in college, backtrack all the way to basic math and work forward. This won’t take as long as it sounds. You can work forward through years of math in a week or two. No matter where you start and where you struggle, you must make sure you acknowledge any weak spots in your foundation and fill the holes with practice and understanding!