Spanish Christmas Essay Example For Students

Spanish Christmas Essay Throughout Mexico kids get together each afternoon to reenact the holy familys journey for a place to stay in Bethlehem. The procession is headed by a small Virgen MarÃÆ' ­a, often perched on a live burro, led by a equally tiny San JosÃÆ' ©. They are followed by other children protraying angels, the Santos Reyes, and a host of pastores y pastoras, all usually decked out in colorful handmade costumes and carrying brightly decorated bÃÆ' ¡culos or faroles. LAS PASTORELAS Pastorelas are staged throughout the holiday season by both amateur and professional groups. The Pastorelas tell of the shepherds respect of Baby Jesus. First they are visited in the fields by an angel who announces the holy birth. As the shepherds attempt to follow the great star leading them to Bethlehem they are plagued by a series of evils and misadventures provoked by the Devil. But in the end all ends well. We will write a custom essay on Spanish Christmas specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now EL NACIMIENTO In most Mexican homes the principal holiday adornment is el Nacimiento. The focal point, naturally, is a stable where clay or plaster figurines of the Holy Family are sheltered. It is not unusual to also find the forces of evil represented by a serpent and a grotesque Lucifer lurking in the shadows. The figures may be simply positioned in a bed of hena, or scattered throughout an elaborate landscape. Nowadays a decorated Christmas tree may be incorporated in the Nacimiento or set up elsewhere in the home. As purchase of a natural pine represents a luxury commodity to most Mexican families, the typical arbolito is often an artificial one, a bare branch cut from a copal tree Bursera microphylla or some type of shrub collected from the countryside. NOCHE BUENA Holiday festivities culminate on Noche Buena with the celebration of a late-night Misa de Gallo. After that families head home for a traditional Christmas supper which may feature a simple meal of homemade tamales and atole or other regional dishes. Roast turkey, ham or suckling pig are other popular menu items for those who can afford it. Ponche, sidra or other spirits are served for the holiday brindis . The evening is rounded out with the opening of gifts and, for the children, piÃÆ' ±atas and luces de Belen. As these happy family gatherings generally last into the wee hours, December 25th is set aside as a day to rest and enjoy el recalentado . Incidentally, Santa Claus and the clatter of reindeer hooves on the roof do not generally figure in the scheme of Navidad. A Mexican youngsters holiday wishlist is directed instead to el NiÃÆ' ±o Dios for Christmas Eve and the Reyes Magos for Three Kings Day. LOS REYES MAGOS The Christmas season continues full throttle in Mexico through Epiphany, which is called DÃÆ' ­a de los Reyes. Echoing the arrival in Bethlehem of Wise Men bearing gifts for the baby Jesus, children throughout Mexico anxiously await waking up January  6 to find toys and gifts left by the Reyes Magos. In some regions it is customary to leave out shoes where treasures may be deposited by the visiting Wise Men.

Earning Minimum Wage as a Single Parent Essays

Earning Minimum Wage as a Single Parent Essays Earning Minimum Wage as a Single Parent Essay Earning Minimum Wage as a Single Parent Essay â€Å"Americans people value work, and the work people should have a certain minimum value. That value is the minimum wage. In a company employers have more power than individual workers, especially workers without the skills needed to demand higher wages. This imbalance in bargaining power leaves workers with limited skills at the mercy of the employers. The minimum wage board helps balance the skills of each employee (â€Å"Increase the Minimum Wage, uaw.org/resrch/05/)†.â€Å"The proposed increase in the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour would move a single parent with one child above the poverty line but it would still leave that small family struggling to get by. If a minimum wage worker had more than one child or lived in an expensive area it would be even harder to make meet it ends.† Renormalizing the poor and giving those higher aspirations is the answer to their plight† (Toynbee, 2006),In line of the increasing cost of living, it is the least we can do is t o minimize the number of working families who are living in poverty (â€Å"Minimum Wage Increase, www.uaw.org|†.As a single parent who receiving minimum wage, it is not easy to meet the needs of their children, especially nowadays that all the prime commodities is increasing. Minimum wage was not a solution to the problem but it only show that minimum wage is only a threshold which is below poverty line.This paper will discuss about the earning minimum wage as a single parent, the problems behind it, the disadvantages of receiving minimum wage of being a single parent, and the need of an increase of the minimum wage,The federal minimum wage is a wage floor of $5.15 an hour that applies to almost all workers. It is applied in twenty-one place in the states including the District of Columbia that have set a minimum wage that is higher than the federal minimum wage. A living wage is a term often used by the people to point out that the federal minimum wage is not high enough to support a family.â€Å"We also find that the minimum wages tend to boost the incomes of poor families that remain below the poverty line†. (Bernstein, 1999).And the problems about the minimum wage are, some have attempted to calculate a living wage based on an income that would provide for a familys basic needs. How Much is enough? (Addison, 4). Focus on a discussion of basic family budget those measures if the minimum wage received by the employees is enough for their needs.   And† living wages† are generally much higher than the minimum wage. living wages was commonly refer to wages set by local ordinances that cover a specific set of workers, usually government workers or workers hired by businesses that have received a government contract or subsidy.Some disadvantages of receiving minimum wages and not receiving minimum wage stated as follows:A full-time worker earning the minimum wage would have an income but below the federal poverty line. And there are se veral factors that complicate this analysis. First, not all workers can find full-time work and they are not receiving minimum wage, same as the others that are unable to balance full-time work with family responsibilities. Second, federal programs such as the Earned Income Tax Credit and food stamps boost the reported incomes of working families. And third, the federal poverty line is viewed by many as an inadequate measure of the income needed to support a family.In America it is the duty of â€Å"The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) combined with the minimum wage board to help reduce the poverty, even though that (EITC) is not a replacement for a minimum wage increase. But the Earned Income Tax Credit is a popular federal anti-poverty program and has an important piece of the ongoing strategy to make work pay equally. And one reason for the Edict’s popularity is that it is based on family income and its concern is therefore well-targeted to the poor families (Minim um Wage frequently ask question, epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguides)†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Due to both change in welfare policy and the growing economy, welfare caseloads have fallen precipitously since 1996, when the minimum wage was increased. But, in the context of the job loss critique and the relevant increase made it tougher for the women to enter the labor market. In fact, the employment rates of single mothers, after stagnating for many years, rose steeply from 62% in 1995 to 69% by 1998, directly over the period when the minimum was increased. And not all single mothers are on welfare, but among those receiving welfare, employment rates grew from 40% to 49% in 1997, so far the highest level on record (â€Å"Minimum Wage and Poverty, epinet.org/content.cfm/)’.In addition, it encourages employees especially the single parent to work efficiently because the wage subsidy increases if the earnings also increases small (Bernstein, 1999), until it reaches to the maximum credit leve l. The EITC and minimum wage work in tandem to raise a familys income. The effectiveness of the EITC in raising the incomes of the working poor above the poverty line depending on the regular increases of the minimum wage. The EITC and the poverty threshold both rise each year to reflect increases in the cost of living. And. the EITC alone is not enough to keep a family rise above the poverty line, but with the help of the federal government so that a minimum wage worker gets further away from the poverty line each year and the minimum wage is increased now and then.â€Å"Finally, from the perspective of the working poor, the minimum wage is a useful anti-poverty tool. But it cannot and should not; however, it is viewed as a sole solution against poverty. And this is primarily due to the fact that many employable poor persons have only marginal attachments to the labor market. As the literature evaluating minimum wages and poverty reveals, as well as some new findings it will prese nt regarding the last increase, raising the minimum wage is associated with small decreases in the poverty rate, but the poor need some other income supports, such as the EITC and food stamps to uplift their income (â€Å"Economic Policy Institute, epinet.or)†.Conclusion:Therefore, any increases in the minimum wage are based solely on the political climate and congressional agreement that an increase is needed. The frequency of minimum wage increases has varied depending on its capability of funds. And earnings minimum wages as a single parent it encountered hardships and problems. But if the members of the family will work hand in hand to face the trials in life it will become easy.â€Å"Single parent families become more interdependent, finding that working together helps solve problems. Because single parents rely heavily on the voluntary cooperation of their children and it is a good idea to involve them with the decision-making and problem-solving processes. As of this time young people tend to feel more needed and valued as contributing members of the household and are more likely to carry out decisions they played and a part in decision making. In single-parent families, each childs should help and cooperation is needed on daily basis situations (â€Å"Strengths of Single Parent Families, metlife.com/Applica)†In most industrialized countries they have laws setting a minimum wage, but these laws vary greatly by who is covered, and how strictly the law is enforced. In some countries, the minimum wage is not universal for the whole country, but varies according to the industrial sector or the workers age, gender, and qualifications.Overall, individuals working at or below the minimum wage were likely to be women, young people, students and part-time workers. Some were working to finance their education or support their families, while others were older workers looking to supplement their pension. However, it is also important to keep in mind that while the minimum wage is a crucial tool in the effort to end poverty, it is only one part of a larger anti-poverty strategy.Finally, In America, single parent being paid with the minimum wages was sufferings hardships especially if they have children’s more than three. They can’t meet the basic needs of their children; because their income is below poverty line. It is the work of the government to look to the needs of the people especially to that single parent who are receiving minimum wages and to give them an increase so that they can suffice their daily needs.References:Barro Robert J. (Hoover Institution), Workfare Still Beats Welfare, Wall Street Journal, May 21, 1996.Bernstein, Jared.  Ã‚   We also find that the minimum wages tend to boost the incomes of poor families that remain below the poverty line. Another Modest Minimum Wage Increase. Economic Policy Institute, 1999, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from. [epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_ minwagetestimony].Bernstein, Jared, Make work pay,† Minimum Wages and Poverty.   Economic Policy Institute, 1 Bernstein, Jared, Heidi Hartmann, and John Schmitt. The Minimum Wage Increase: A Working Womans Issue. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute, 1999.Bernstein, Jared, and Chinua Brecht. 2000. The Next Step: The New Minimum Wage Proposals and the Old Opposition. Washington, D.C.: Economic Policy Institute. 999. Retrieved from [epinet.org/content.cfm/webfeatures_viewpoints_minwage].Hederman, Rea S. Jr. et al, Who Earns the Minimum Wage, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm1186.cfmIncrease Minimum Wage Retrieved December 17, 2006 from [uaw.org/resrch/05/minimum_wage_aug2005.pdf]Lift Families out of Poverty, â€Å"living wage† Retrieved December 17, 2006 from [senate.gov/~rpc/releases/1998/minwage-crs.htm]Minimum Wage, Frequently Asked Questions, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from[epinet.org/content.cfm/issueguides_minwage_minwagefaq ];Strengths of Single Parent Families, Retrieved December 17, 2006 from [metlife.com/Applications/Corporate];Toynbee, Polly,† Renormalizing the poor and giving them higher aspirations is the answer to their plight†. A return to Tory terra firma, December 17, 2006. [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/columnist/story].;;

Present a case study based on a current news story which illustrates Essay

Present a case study based on a current news story which illustrates the microeconomic concepts - Essay Example ment by the company in taking its responsibilities thereby recommending the cut of any business transaction between the company and all government agencies. However, the ban did not affect the existing contracts thereby applied only to any other new contract that the company would gain interest in. The company admitted knowledge of the ban and said that they were doing everything within their reach to redefine the relationship between them and the government thus lifts the ban. The 2010 deep water disaster arose after an undersea oil pipe burst thereby killing more than eleven Americans and resulting in the worst environmental disasters in the world. The British Petroleum thereafter pleaded guilty of all the accusations leveled against it by the American government after which it embarked on a massive environmental cleaning process and the compensation of all the victims of the accident. Apart from the human loss, the oil spillage resulted in the death of millions of aquatic life and the destruction of business for thousands of America investors as several beaches within the gulf filled with the oil sediments. On 15th November 2012, BP had reached a consensus with the justice department to pay four and a half billion dollars thereby ending all criminal charges leveled against it by the government. The company therefore reiterated their commitment to work closely with the American institutions to ensure that such an accident does not recur and that it settles all its obligation in relation to the accident. However, according to Charles Teifer, a government contracting specialist and a professor of law at Baltimore University, the ban served as a warning to the company and to other stakeholders in the oil drilling business. Teifer explained that such a ban communicated American commitment to protecting its territories especially after suffering the greatest loss because of the carelessness on the part of the company. On the other hand, the environmental authority

Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The Ministry of Fish Resources is now in charge of all fishing enterprises in territorial waters. This organization tracks the status of the various fisheries and conducts studies designed to improve the status of all fisheries under their scope of responsibility. With this supervision, several restrictions and controls have been implemented, which have had the effect of developing fishing seasons and identifying the various types of shrimp and other marketable fish such as Alenagel. Thanks to the modern media, the benefits of modern fishing have been demonstrated to traditional fishermen in Saudi Arabia. With the increasing demand, Khalifa Algosaibi helped establish the kingdom’s first modern fishing company in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The company introduced modern fishing boats and founded a facility for the manufacturing and storage of fish and fish products. With this introduction, the kingdom witnessed a leap in their economy, marking the foundation of this company as a turn ing point in the country’s efforts to diversify from its main export – oil. This shift caused a change in the pattern of domestic consumption as well as an increased demand for fish from both the local population and those individuals who have been recruited to work in Saudi Arabia. The primary means for catching fish in both the Gulf and the Red Sea are now benthic trawls and Shanchola nets. The primary seafood caught in the Gulf regions are Kofi shrimp, Gulf shrimp, bathroom fish, Alhamur, Alkanad, and others.

European Labour Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

European Labour Market - Essay Example (Theil, 2008, p. 76) Unemployment in Europe has been shown to be worrying phenomena based on the fact that more than 20 million people are unemployed in the continent. But the most worrying fact has been that this is only affect some segment of the society and especially based on ethic factors. Fore example it has been shown the Italy is one of the European countries where the level of unemployment is affecting some segment of the population and it has been closely liked to certain social components. It has been shown most o the region in Europe with has excess labour supply with exception of France and Spain enjoys full employment while others have very high rate unemployment. (OECD 1997, p. 3) But there is a close relationship between economic performance and the level of unemployment in these European counties. It is to be found the unemployment and economic growth are two non-integrated factors and which are derived by the same autogressive united roots that are present in majority of the growth models. Economic growth and unemployment of any nation are positively correlated and it will be found that in the short run economic growth and unemployment relates in away that the equilibrium rate unemployment rate relates to a decline in the economic growth rates of the country as postulate in the Okun's law. According to studies that have tried to relate the two factors in the European market, it has been found that Okun's coefficient is in line with the estimate of the all the countries in Europe except UK whose label market looks more flexible in the way it accommodates transitory shocks compare to the European labour markets. (Pia 2006, p. 3) The pattern of unemployed in Europe has been attributed to other factor including the social stature of the individuals who depend on the participant the economic system of production and exchange in the society. The high rate of unemployment has therefore led to loss of some social aspects that have acted as the social fabric and hence the more people lose their social values, the more the effect is spreading even to those who are not affected. It has grown from an economic problem to take a social dimension. This paper will look closely at levels of unemployment in France in order to understand the level of unemployment as contributed by economic polices and the labour laws of the countries. It will look at unemployment statistics and relate them to economic theories. Unemployment in France Franc has been one of the largest economies in the world and by 2005, it was estimated the France had a GDP of $1.862 trillion according to the World Bank report which was measure in terms of purchasing power parity. In 2008, CIA Word Factbook rated France economy to be more than $2.067 trillion which means that it was ranked at the eighth targets economy. But the economy of France is place at sixth position by both World Bank and the International Monetary Fund and much other survey have ranked France in the third position in Europe behind German and the UK but in 2006 it was ranked ahead of UK in the second position. The economy of Fran

A Case Study Of Telenor Management Essay

A Case Study Of Telenor Management Essay 1. Introduction This study endeavors to develop comprehension of how transformational leadership style of top management affects innovation at the organizational level. The topic is of paramount importance because of the ever increasing pressures of modernization and innovation on todays global economy. It has become indispensable to practice a leadership style that makes firms innovative and adaptive to change. Firms are shifting their focus from knowledge economy to creative economy, where corporations will compete on the basis of imagination, innovation and creativity (Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009) Boston Consulting Group Inc surveyed over 900 senior executives and identified innovation as the key driver of top-line revenue. Analysis of firms transforming due to innovation provides evidence for this statement. For example, the highly successful iPod of Apple Inc.s, that earned devastating revenues for the company; the role of Blackberrys success in the transformation and emergence of Research in Motion; process innovation at Southwest Airlines Co. that transformed it as an economical and triumphant airline; and Procter Gamble Co. outperforming its competitors by focusing on design innovation. Innovation aims at bringing about change in the status quo. It can be defined as discovering (creative thinking ideas) and commercializing those discoveries (implementing the creative ideas). Creativity new idea generation alone are insufficient for innovation; implementation is also a cornerstone of the innovation process. (Oke, Munshi, Walumbwa, 2009) Plentiful studies have led to the identification of factors that can stimulate innovation at the organizational level. In broad terms, innovation is the adoption or execution of unaccustomed and convenient ideas by individuals in organizations (Amabile Conti 1999) p.360). Factors that are known to have an influence on innovation include leadership (Mumford Gustafson, 1998; Amabile, 1998), a work environment that is conducive for innovation (Amabile, 1998; Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009), CEO salary (Markman, Balkin and Gomez-Mejia, 2000), organizational culture and climate (Mumford Gustafson, 1998; Jung, Wu Chow, 2008; Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009), environmental attributes (Jung, Wu Chow, 2008), learning capability and intra-organizational networks (Tsai, 2001) and job complexity type of supervision (Oldham Cummings, 1996). Among these abundant factors, the leadership behavior of managers has been spotted as one of the most important of all (Amabile, 1998; Jung, 2001; Mumford, Sc ott, Gaddis Strange, 2002). Leadership was merely a concept before the 19th century and it was in the start of the 19th century that it emerged as a word in English language (Davis Cushing). Over the years, leaders and leadership have been distinctly defined by various scholars. Leadership is a process whereby a leader changes the course of action of another group, due to the interaction of his personality characteristics and those of the group (Bogardus, 1934). Leadership is the direction of human collaborators for the accomplishment of a goal. A leader successfully guides his human assistants for the achievement of particular ends. (Prentice, W.C.H. 1961). Leadership is a goal directed endeavor with the aim to influence the activities of followers through communication process. (Donelly, J.H. Ivancevich, J. M. Gibson, J.L. 1985 Leadership is the situational effort towards goal achievement by the process of influencing the individual or group activities. (Hersey, P. Blanchard, K, 1988). Leadership is the f ormulation of a transparent and complete system of expectations for the purpose of identification, arousal and utilization of strengths of all the resources of an organization, the most important of which is human resource (Batten, J.D. 1989). Leadership is the art of influencing individuals to yield their best output/ performance for the accomplishment of a goal, project or objective. (Cohen, W.A. 1990). Leaders are the people who obtain commitment from a working group of individuals and then motivate them to accomplish the outcomes of a pre-planned direction. (Conger, J.A.1992). Leadership is a process in which a leader sets the goal for an individual or group of individuals and takes all of them together with him or her with proficiency and devotion (Jacques E. Clement, S.D. 1994). Leadership is an unrealizable trait that cannot be distinctly defined. This in fact is a good phenomenon, because if the followers were aware of the definition of leadership, they would probably overr un their leaders. (Scott Adams, 1996). Effective leadership is about enabling ordinary people to deliver extraordinary results in the face of challenge and change and to constantly turn in superior performance to the long-term benefit of all concerned (Charlton, 1993). The more recent definitions conceive leadership in terms of influence relationships, power differentials, persuasion, influence on goal achievement, reinforcement, role differentiation, initiation of structure, and perceived attributions of behavior that are consistent with what the perceivers spotted leadership to be. Recently, many management scholars and gurus have identified adaptive leadership as the key enabler to cope with the ever increasing challenges of the corporate world. (Bass, Avolio, Jung Berson, 2003). So the adaptive leadership behaviors that have proved to be more effective than other leadership styles in organizational innovation have been labeled as transformational. (Lowe, Kroek, Sivasubramaniam, 1996; Gardner Avolio, 1998; Howell Avolio, 1993). Transformational leadership capabilities continue to be the hallmark of innovative firms. Successful leaders like J.R. Immelt, CEO of General Electric; A.G.Lafley, CEO of P&G; Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors Tata Group and Steve Jobs of Apple are the prominent figures who have fostered innovation by their adaptive behaviors. Transformational leadership holds four theoretically discrete dimensions: charisma or idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. Idealized influence reflects the degree to which followers admire and hold their leaders as role models. Leaders exhibiting idealized influence are ethical, consistent, share risks with followers and prefer the needs of their followers above their own needs. Inspirational motivation points to the degree motivation of followers by delineating new opportunities, providing meaning and challenge to followers work and articulating a strong, realistic and shared vision of the future. Intellectual stimulation refers to the ability of a leader to question the assumptions and thinking of followers, reframe problems, stimulate intellectual curiosity, approaching problems in new ways, soliciting creativity and innovation from followers through novel approaches and avoiding open criticism for individual errors. Finally, leaders who provide individualized consideration pay attention to individual needs for growth, development, support and achievement. They act as coaches or mentors and establish a favorable environment for innovation; where values are diversified and learning opportunities are created (Bass Avolio, 1993) (Some versions of Bass Full-Range Leadership Theory identify 5 components of transformational leadership by breaking down idealized influence/ charisma into idealized influence or attributed charisma. For the sake of simplifying this research, idealized influence and charisma have been grouped together in this study). 2. Research Design 2.1 Main Objectives The aim of this study is to probe the following objectives: To discuss the philosophy, attributes and elements of transformational leadership and innovation To spot the existence of transformational leadership style at Telenor Pakistan To the asses the level of organizational innovation Telenor Pakistan To identify the effect transformational leadership style on organizational innovation 2.2 Hypotheses to be tested The objective of this study is to spot the presence of attributes of transformational leadership i.e. idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation, estimate the level of organizational innovation and examine the effect of transformational leadership on organizational innovation. The working hypothesis within this context will be as under: H0: Transformational leadership has no effect on organizational innovation. H1: Transformational leadership has strong effect on organizational innovation. 2.3 Scope of the study The range of application of this study is limited to the telecommunication sector in Pakistan with specific focus on Telenor (Peshawar). Transformational leadership style will be judged on the basis of four dimensions, that is, charisma or idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. Furthermore, the effect of transformational leadership on organizational innovation will be analyzed. 3. Review of Literature (Burns, 1978) stated that transformational leaders stand above the common place. They indulge in a mutual interaction with their followers that raises the understanding, goals and mission that results in the ultimate arousal and transformation of both the leader and the followers. (Bass, 1985) At the other end to transformational leadership lies transactional leadership; where the leaders try to maintain the status quo. Followers are motivated on the base of extrinsic rewards, such as promotion and monetary benefits. It is an everyday terrestrial transaction of value, where leaders only provide needed value to individuals in exchange for their services. (Jane. M. Howell, Christopher A. Higgins, 1990) The most successful leaders are gifted with qualities of transformational leadership and charisma. They are far more influential and innovative than the leaders having style other than transformational. (David A. Waldman, Bernard M. Bass, 1991) linked the themes of nurturant and persistent leadership with transformational leadership theory. Furthermore, the role of transformational leadership behavior in various stages of successful innovations was clarified and implications were presented regarding the proposed model. (Dougherty Hardy, 1996) Transformational leaders intellectually stimulate their followers. This fosters unaccustomed and creative thinking and working processes that pave the way for new technology and knowledge, which are necessary for organizational innovation. Amabile, Conti, Coon, Lazenby, and Herron (1996) have spotted the damaging effects of transactional leadership on creativity. Bono Judge (2004) have supported this proposition in their recent meta-analysis. (Sosik, Avolio Kahali, 1997) Transformational leaders easily adapt to exploitative and exploratory thinking processes which in turn yield creative ideas and effective solutions to problems. The effectiveness of transformational leadership at stimulating unconventional and innovative thinking of followers is far greater than that of other leadership styles. (Bass, 1985; Gardner Avolio, 1998) proposed that transformational leaders have the ability to create personal and professional commitment from their followers towards satisfying upper-level needs like self-actualization and self esteem. (Oldham Cummings, 1996; Amabile, 1998; Zhou, 2003) added to this research finding by suggesting that this commitment boosts the inherent motivation of followers, which is considered to be an essential driver of individual creativity and organizational innovation. (House Shamir, 1993; Jung Avolio, 2000; Mumford et.al, 2000) Leaders possessing transformational attributes have the ability to regroup the values and norms of their followers in a better way. They encourage the progress of personal and organizational changes and facilitate their followers to go beyond their initial performance expectations. (A.Oke, 2002) was part of a study carried out on the organizational innovation of AXA insurance, Ireland. It was revealed that due to the transformational leadership style of John. ONeil, the CEO, a non-innovative firm was transmuted into an innovative one. To achieve this level of creativity, the physical spaces were decorated with eye catching colors and employees from all levels and functions were made to work together in order to stimulate creativity. The results of this transformational behavior were soon evident in the form of 150 new business ideas during 6 months. (Shin Zhou 2003) found that positive relation was discovered between transformational leadership and creativity of subordinates on the basis of a study conducted on 290 employees and their supervisors belonging to 46 Korean companies. (Jung, Wu, Chow, 2008) concluded in their research that a positive relation has existence between the transformational leadership of CEO and organizational innovation. This effect is moderated by variables such as organizational structure, culture and external environment. These results are agreed upon after testing multi-sourced data from 50 Taiwanese electronics and telecommunications companies. (Oke, Munshi, Walumbwa, 2009) found that transformational style of leadership strongly enhances creativity and innovation regarding exploratory (creating something of a totally new and radical nature) and exploitative innovation activities (incremental improvements and refinements to something that already exists). These leaders have the ability to transform or change, which makes them the main drivers for innovative processes. (Lale Gumusluoglu, Arzu IIsev, 2009) suggested that transformational leadership style has strong influence on both the individual and organizational innovation. Individually, transformational leadership is positively related to the creativity of employees. Furthermore, transformational leadership and organizational innovation are spotted to have a positive association between them. These results are the outcome of a study conducted on 163 managers and RD personnel from 43 Micro and small sized software development companies from Turkey. (Khan, Rehman and Fatima, 2009) studied managers from telecommunication sector in Pakistan and explored the positive effects of transformational leadership on organizational innovation. (Mariana Makri, Terri A.Scandura, 2010) identified the strong relation of operational leadership (the dimension of leadership which reflects the ability of a CEO to refine the existing paths to growth or tapping new paths by reframing and extending the boundaries of the firm to products and markets) and creative leadership (the ability of a leader to contribute to the social, human and knowledge capital of his firm) with the quantity and resonance of innovation. The hypothesis was tested over a sample of 77 high technology firms. 4. Research Methodology 4.1 Sources of data This research will make use of both primary and secondary data. Transformational leadership style will be judged on the basis of primary data obtained through interview and questionnaire. The level of organizational innovation will be assessed by primary data obtained through questionnaire and secondary data gathered from the companys publicly disclosed financial statements. 4.2 Research instruments Questionnaires and structured interviews will serve as instruments of this research. The extent of transformational leadership will be measured using Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass and Avolio, 1995) (Annexure-A). MLQ is a well validated measure of transformational leadership and has been used extensively in prior research (Awamleh and Gardner, 1999). Each respondent will be asked to rate five aspects of his/her leaders/ top-managers behavior related to each of the four dimensions of transformational leadership (idealized influence/charisma, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation). The responses will be anchored by a 5-point response scale (1-not at all, 2-once in a while, 3-sometimes, 4-fairly often, 5-frequently, if not always). While measuring organizational innovation, a composite measure will be used to capture the broad aspects of innovative activities (Balkin et als, 2000). Two measures will be used to tap into different aspects of innovation. First is the annual RD expenditure as a percentage of sales revenue over three years prior to this study (i.e.2008-2010). This ratio indicates a firms emphasis on innovation (Hitt, Hoskisson and Kim, 1997; Balkin et al, 2000). These figures will be obtained from the companys publicly disclosed financial statements. Second, different respondents actively following the telecommunication industry will be contacted. The reason is to include different fruits of innovation such as process and service improvements. Each respondent will be offered two sets of questions about the sample firm. The first set includes a single question regarding his/her familiarity with the company. The possible answers will be 1-not familiar with the company at all, 2-somewhat familiar with the company, 3-very familiar with the company. Only the respondents with responses 2 and 3 will be considered. The second set comprises of 20 questions (4 questions each for scanning five types of innovative activities i.e. product innovation, process innovation, marketing innovation, strategic innovation and organizational climate innovation) in order to rate the level of organizational innovation (Annexure B). The 5-point Likerts Scale (1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-neither agree nor disagree, 4-agree, 5-strongly agree) will be used to anchor the responses. 4.3 Sampling design (a) Universe / population There are many national and multinational telecommunication companies operating in Pakistan. All these national and multinational firms collectively form the population/ universe of this research. Results will be generalized and recommendations will be forwarded considering all these firms. (b) Sample size and selection This research will adopt a case study approach by focusing on Telenor (Peshawar) as the sample firm. A simple random sample of 30 employees of low, middle and top-management of the company will be selected with the aim of assessing transformational leadership. Furthermore, organizational innovation will be judged by studying a random sample of 30 respondents that are directly or indirectly associated with the telecommunication industry in Pakistan.

The Probability of Landing on Different Properties in Monopoly :: Applied Statistics Essays

One of my favorite board games is Monopoly. I have noticed when I’ve played Monopoly that it seems like you always land on certain squares more than others. For instance, it seems like no one ever lands on Boardwalk, and players land on the pink and orange properties more often than they land on the others. The aim of this exploration is to find out if, over the course of a Monopoly game, a player will land on some squares more often than others and to use this information to figure out which properties are most profitable. This knowledge could help a player decide which properties to buy. The rules of Monopoly are fairly simple. In each turn, the player rolls two dice and moves the number of squares that is the total dice roll. The player then may buy the property he or she lands on if it is available, or if another player already owns it, the first player pays rent according to the instructions on the card associated with the property. If a player owns all the properties in a color group, he or she can increase the rent that other players pay when they land on a square by buying houses or hotels. There are some more complications in the game, but they are not important to this exploration. I decided that the most practical way to find out if a player will land on some squares more than others was to run a simulation. In order to do so, I needed to figure out how many times a player would roll the dice in a game of Monopoly, as that was the number of repetitions I would need to have in my simulation. To find that number, I played a game of Monopoly which I timed and counted the number of rolls in. It was 93 minutes long and the dice were rolled 201 times. I divided the time by the rolls to find the time per roll . The average game of Monopoly is 60 to 240 minutes long (Wikipedia) so I decided to use the middle value, 150. I divided the average length of a Monopoly game by the average time per roll to find the number of rolls in an average length Monopoly game . I decided to assume a four person game, so I divided 324 by 4 and got 81 rolls per person.