The Importance of Leadership Essay -- student leadership program

When I first found out about the school's leadership program, I thought it was something I wanted to do. However, I almost did not apply for it. I filled out the application on the last day it was due and waited in anticipation for an answer. The leadership program has been a positive experience in my life. It has helped me to experience new things and change my way of thinking; it has helped me to become more direct, open and sincere; and it has introduced me to new, interesting, and wonderful people. Â   Through The leadership program, I have experienced many different things and have been introduced to new and different ways of thinking. The new and different experiences I had include working on a community service project with 25 of my peers (with help from our instructors and mentors) and working on an individual leadership project. The numerous and diverse speakers that taught the class each week brought with them unique perspectives. The speaker that I found most enlightening was Lance Brunner because his presentation awakened new emotions in me. Lance Brunner's session was about Mindfulness. The way he taught was attention grabbing. It focused the whole class's attention on what he was talking about. I especially like the point he made about thoughts being impermanent and how we should not let them control what we do. Lance taught me that a thought is as permanent or impermanent as everything else... ... leadership project and the group project helped me very much in my evolution as an Emerging Leader (Individual). I have become fond of all these people, and will know and work with a lot of these individuals throughout my college career, and maybe life. Â   Through the experiences I have had in the leadership program, such as the weekly sessions that featured speakers on diversity and individual ethics, and working on individual and group leadership and community service projects, I have learned to look at things from different perspectives and experienced new and different things that I will carry with me and use the rest of my life. I am glad I filled out that the leadership program application.

Alber Bandura

This theory argues that learning occurs by interacting with other people and observing people's actions as well as the consequences of their attitudes and behavior. This essay explores Bandanna's Social Learning Theory as well as how it helps us understand learning in the context of the classroom. Bandeau â€Å"discussed human behavior wealth a framework of triadic reciprocally. † (Shuns, 2012, p. 119). Treadle reciprocally Is delved Into three components: the environment, cognition and behavior (Shuns, 201 2, p. 1 19). These factors are dependent on each other.The environment influences cognition, cognition influences behavior and behavior influences environment. However there is variation in which is the dominating factor. (Shuns, 2012, p. 120). In social learning theory: Learning is largely an information processing activity in which information about the structure of behavior and about environmental events is transformed into symbolic representations that serve as guides f or action. (Bandeau, 1986 as cited by Shuns, 2012, p. 121). According to Shuns (2012), the process of learning can be applied through inactive learning or vicariously.Inactive learning Is performing an action and reacting to the consequence of the action. Observing the reward and punishment resulting from the consequence of a person's actions are how people establish whether they should repeat the action in future or not. Learning vicariously occurs by observing other people's actions without having to experience it personally. If the action performed results in a negative consequence people will avoid performing this action in at a later time and vice versa. (Shuns, 2012, p. 121).For example, in a classroom if a child has not completed their homework ND does not receive punishment from the teacher the child will continue to not complete their homework. When other children observe this they too will not complete their homework because It does not result In a negative consequence. Mo deling â€Å"refers to behavioral, cognitive and affective changes deriving from observing one or more models† (Bandeau, 1978; Shuns, 1987, 1 998: Zimmerman, 1977 observing others and imitating their behavior. (Shuns, 2012).It can be categorized into three key functions, these are response facilitation, inhibition/distribution and observational learning (Bandeau, 1986 as cited by Shuns, 2012, p. 125) People often lack motivation and therefore do not perform skills and behaviors that they have learnt (Shuns, 2012, p. 126). Response facilitation refers to â€Å"modeled actions that serve as social prompts for observers to act accordingly' 126). Response facilitation motivates the person to perform certain behaviors if the observer observes that the model has received a positive outcome (Shuns,2012,p. 126).For example in a classroom if learners observe that a certain pupil is getting praised for answering questions , they too will imitate this behavior. Observational learning i s a core component of Bandanna's theory (Craig, 1992, p. 176) . Bandeau states that people attain knowledge in a more efficient method by observing others. He also states that once they attain knowledge â€Å"they can reproduce it almost immediately' . However , though observational occurs people can choose whether or not to repeat that behavior based on the consequences The behavior one imitates is referred to as a model.It is divided into three models, a live model, in which a person actually performs behavior, a verbal instructional model which would consist of descriptions y talking and a symbolic model which is behavior performed in the media (Craig, 1992, p. 176). Observational learning consists of four components. These are the attention processes, retention processes, reproduction process and motivation process (Craig, 1992,p. 177) In order to† imitate a model† we have to â€Å"pay attention† to it(Bandeau,1971 as cited by Craig 1992 , p. 77). A model has to appeal to a person and capture their interest because then it will enable them to pay full attention to it. If a model does not appeal to a person they will not pay attention and it will negatively affect their earning. For example in a classroom , if learners notice that getting high grades will give you a position of power in school such as becoming a class prefect , learners will pay attention in class so that they are able to achieve this.The second process is the retention process. This requires you to retain what you have previously learned in a cognitive way so that you have the ability to reproduce it when you want to imitate the model. (Shuns,20120,p. 128) â€Å"A modeled display can be stored as an image, in verbal form, or both â€Å"(Bandeau, 1977 as cited by Chunk ,p. 1 28). T is a challenging task to retain information about activities that cannot be adequately described in words therefore imagine coding is essential(Shuns,2012, p. 128).Through rehearsing and cod ing the information that was stored in our memory, there is a higher chance of recalling prior information than that of The third process is production. It involves â€Å"translating visual and symbolic conceptions of modeled events into overt behaviors† (Shuns, 2012, p. 128). This involves reproducing the observed behavior. In order to reproduce it one needs to practice in order to develop the required skills needed. For example in a classroom if A teacher does an example of a mathematic sum on the board; students would have to attempt it several times in order to master the skill of solving it.The last process is the motivation process. It â€Å"influences observational learning† because the motivation encourages a person to interact more with the previous three processes (Shuns, 2012, p. 128). Bandeau distinguishes between the acquisition and the performance of new responses Even though you have observed the model you have the choice whether or not you will imitate the model. Motivation plays a significant role in imitating a model. According to there are different types of reinforcements such as â€Å"direct reinforcement†.If a person realizes they would be rewarded by imitating a mode they will be more motivated to perform that same behavior. (Craig, 1992, p. 178). For example the classroom if a teacher rewards a child for performing their work by praising them and giving them a gold star , other children will observe this behavior and imitate what the child is doing so that they may also be rewarded. â€Å"People attend to a model in part because they believe they might face the same taxation themselves and they want to learn the necessary actions to succeed† (Shuns, 2012, p. 34). In a classroom situation , learners would pay attention and observe what the teacher is doing because they would want to attain the necessary knowledge and skills in order for them to be successful ,this serves as motivation(Shuns,2012,p. 134). Paren ts and teachers are generally considered â€Å"high- status† models(Shuns,2012,p. 135). Younger children will observe teachers as models and in a classroom situation if a teacher exhibits behavior that encourages learning o be a means of acquiring approval and skills , the children will imitate that behavior.If a teacher does the opposite, learners will be discouraged and will not be motivated to learn. (Shuns, 2012, p. 135). Goals, values and self-efficacy play a significant role in learning. (Shuns, 2012, p. 138). Len classrooms if learners and teachers have a common goal such as completing a section of work or if learners have individual goals such as scoring above a certain mark on a test, it enhances â€Å"learning and performance through their effects on perceptions of progress, self-efficacy, and self evaluations† (Bandeau, 1988, 1997; Locke & Lethal, 1990, 2002; Chunk, 1990 as cited by Shuns, 2012, p. 138). T serves as a basis for learners to regulate their wor k and measure themselves against an expected standard. As cited by Shuns, 2012, p. 145). Len a classroom a teacher has to identity students values. This is especially important when teaching students how to set goals for themselves and in promoting self-efficacy. If a learner has this ability they will be able to learn effectively. â€Å"Values can be assessed against external and internal standards† (Shuns, 2012, p. 145). Children may observe some of their peers gaining a retain reward for neat work or completing neat work can be valued because it is how they gain teacher's approval. Shuns, 2012, p. 145) â€Å"Self-efficacy refers to personal beliefs about one's capabilities to learn or perform actions at a designated level† (Bandeau, AAA, Bibb m 1986,1993,1997 as cited by Shuns,2012, p. 146)). Bandeau suggests that there are â€Å"four sources of knowledge† with regards to â€Å"self-efficacy appraisals†(Craig,1992,p. 184). The first is actual performan ce. Succeeding in tasks regularly increases your self-efficacy and vice versa. The second is vicarious experiences. This is when we believe that we can succeed at a task because we see someone who has similar capabilities succeeding at it.The third is verbal persuasion. In a classroom if a teacher praises a student and makes them believe that they are capable of performing a task that student will have a stronger sense of efficacy and will start to believe in what the teacher is saying. The last is physiological cues, wherein we interpret our bodies' reactions to situations as a judgment of our abilities. (Craig, 1992, p. 184). â€Å"The models in one's environment provide an important source of information for gauging self-efficacy. Parents and other influential adults (e. G. , teachers, coaches) are key models in children's social environments. (Bandeau, Barreling, Caper, and Pastorally, 1996 as cited by Chunk, 2012, p. 149). Parents and teachers serve as important influences in children's learning performance and self-efficacy. Students seek appraisal from teachers and if a teacher motivates their learners by praising them and helping them improve by using positive methods, the learners will perform better and they will be motivated to succeed. If a teacher uses negative methods such as punishing a child for not understanding how to complete a piece of work, the learners will view learning as negative and they will not learn effectively (Shuns, 2012, p. 49). Another example would understand the content, if a teacher does not understand the work and does not believe in their capability to teach the work the learners will observe this in a negative way and will not want to learn. This is known as â€Å"instructional self-efficacy'. If a teacher believes that they are capable of teaching the work effectively they will dedicate more time and effort towards planning and caching lessons in more advanced ways.According to Bandeau, teachers who are supported by a dministrators and who have a high teaching efficacy will be more apt at approaching work with motivation and commitment. (Shuns, 2012, p. 150). Social Learning Theory is effective in helping students set goals and motivating them to succeed. In my opinion this theory is extremely effective and it presents models for students that enable them to observe work so that they may perform them later after they have acquired the necessary skills.

Complicated Attitudes Towards Female Characters Essay

I agree with this statement, as the female characters are revealed to the reader as being powerful over men, seductive, suspicious, mysterious, bewitching and in the end, cause destruction. However, in the poems, males claim some possessiveness over the females. For example; in the poem ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ a beautiful woman tempts men/ knights with her ‘faery’ beauty. The knight in the poem, falls in love with her through her seductive actions, but then she abandons him. ‘ I met a lady in the meads, Full beautiful – a faery’s child’ This quote shows how mysterious the female is by describing her as a ‘faery’s child’ which basically means a mystical fairy in human form, who is playful and has magical powers. In ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ the reader only gets one interpretation of the female through the knights direct speech, this reflects a complicated attitude to the reader as we have a biased opinion of the female. Also, not having direct speech from ‘La Belle’ adds to the mysterious-ness of female characters in Keats’ poetry. A male contrast in this poem is quite important, as in many of Keats’ poetry. The knight claims possession over the female. He creates garlands and bracelets for which could be used to enclose and trap her. ‘I made a garland for her head, And bracelets too, and fragrant zone’ ‘I set her on my pacing steed’ These quote shows his possessiveness over the beautiful woman. In the same way, ‘The Eve Of St Agnes’ portrays these attitudes towards females. The narrator focuses on a virgin named Madeline, describing her as pure, nieve, vague and blinded by superstition. This gives the reader the impression of her being easily led and expressing her as being quite innocent. In the poem Madeline is at a party and is oblivious to everything going on around her, she is only thinking of the legend St Agnes. St Agnes Eve is believed by virgins that on this night they will see their future husbands in the dreams. The poet describing Madeline as one of these believers, shows the theme of suspicion and witchcraft, as Madeline will perform the rites associated with St Agnes. Keats’ uses negative capability to contrast innocence with flirtatious, this happens when Madeline goes up to her bedchamber to undress for bed. ‘Of all its wreathed pearls her hair she frees; Unclasps her warmed jewels one by one; Loosens her fragrant boddice; by degrees Her rich attire creeps rustling to her knees:’ Describing the way she undresses makes her seem like shes doing a striptease. A male in the poem named Porphyro, affects the readers attitude towards Madeline, as he comes across as being the seductive one. As Madeline undresses he watches as he’s hiding in her closet. This could portray to the reader about the attitudes towards women, that Madeline purposely stipped like that, because she was thinking about and wishing to tease Porphyro. But as a coincidence, he was there watching every move, showing the powerfullness of women over men. Also, the quote: Sudden a thought came like a full blown rose flushing his brow, and in his pained heart’ Keats’s could be referring to how cunning Porphyro might be, as he was told by the old belle dame that it’s St Agnes Eve and Madeline had gone up to her bedchamber to dream of her future lover, giving him a seductive idea. To conclude, Keats uses many different methods, to have an impact on the reader about complicated attitudes towards females in his poetry. Using sympathy as a weapon for the males in his poetry. However, more indepth reading shows that there may be contrasts between men and women and that their roles can be switched over.

International Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

International Financial Management - Essay Example Moreover, Wall-Mart also has projected plan to invest further 37% of its US $ 13.05 million and 38 percent of US $ 12.5 million of capital investment in the international market for the year 2013 and 2014 respectively. Significant portion of the above mentioned investment is aimed at adjustments and capturing e-commerce retail sales in US, Brazil and China (Wal-Mart, 2013). In light of the Wall-Marts decision to invest and since the conditions of the world are constantly changing; therefore, underlying report is aimed at exploring factors that affect the foreign direct investment in specific context to China. The report will provide comprehensive review of foreign direct investment arena of China that determines its attractiveness. Furthermore, assessment of the FDI scenario of China with reference to global financial crises and the current position will be highlighted. Finally the improvement recommendations will be made. IMPORTANCE OF INVESTMENT AVENUES ASSESSMENT Foreign Direct In vestment, in accordance with the definition of World Bank, is investment leading to ten percent stake ownership by an organization that is not domestic by origin. MNC’s have been making investments in foreign investments since past 200 years but these investments centrally constituted portfolio investments than green field business purpose, wholly owned subsidiaries or joint ventures (Vardar, 2011). Liberalization of economies led to the relaxation of paths for the foreign investors by removing barrier (Vardar, 2011). Factors that drive multinational corporations towards investment in international arena are concretely dependent on either the objective of growth of diversification. Though increasingly important driver of the country’s economies; FDI also benefits extensively to the investing companies in response to taking risks and costs in international markets. Companies usually undertake foreign investment decisions when export and licensing such as tariffs and quo tas etc are prone to increased costs and risks than benefits. Alike, Wall-Mart many other corporations such as Coca-Cola, Exxon Mobile, Tesco, Starbucks, Nokia etc all have invested their stakes in the foreign markets. Complimenting to growth and diversification, factors that influence international investment are highlighted as follows: Significant reduction in transportation cost is gained. Attractive markets may turn unprofitable on shipping or transporting of products in bulk from local market to long distance markets. Internationalization and FDI stake in market, according to internationalization strategy, gets attractive once the cost, difficulties and limited level of control in licensing mode restrains corporations from gaining actual benefits from international markets. Investment in international markets also forms an important dimension of strategic behavior of gaining dominant position in the international market. This factor adds significant value to the firm in compari son with competitors by gaining first mover’s advantage. Stages of the product’s life cycle where demand of the product increases to considerable extent in the international markets leads to firm’s investment in the international market. In most instances, the maturity stage of product’s life cycle leads to FDI in international market. Each country in the world offers some advantages that are not offered by many other markets or locations in the world. Other than market

Market Position Analysis of Yum Brand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6750 words - 1

Market Position Analysis of Yum Brand - Essay Example According to the company website, Yum Brand is adjudged as the world’s largest fast-food restaurant in the world in terms of the total number of operating units. With a staggering figure of 40,000 restaurants and presence in more than 130 countries of the world, the global sales figures of Yum increasing at a robust rate (Yum, 2013). Â  Since the spin-off from PepsiCo in the year 1997, the company has truly become a global company. The assets skyrocketed from $4,531m to 9,011m in the global restaurant industry (Global Business Browser, 2014). For the 36 weeks ended 07 September 2013, its revenues reduced by 6% to $8.91b and net income decreased 39% to $770m (Interim report, 2013). The company always aims at entering countries which have strong market potential and implements relevant operational strategies which allow them to surmount a different kind of market challenges. Yum Brands have experienced growth by focusing on the foreign markets such as China, India, and Brazil to name a few. Â  Some of the key competitors of the firm are McDonald's, Burger King, Subway and Dunkin Donuts among others. The company is also known for its philanthropic activities across the globe and has always received respect from the society. For example, the company offers employment opportunities to the unprivileged segment of the society. Though it is facing the decline in sales and profits, reports have suggested that the macroeconomic environment has always remained strong for the Yum Brands, especially in the overseas markets (Cho, 2012). According to Global Business Browser (2013), the restaurant's industry all over the world increased by 8.5% in 2011 to reach a value of $2,457.1b and it is expected to increase by 41.7% to $3,482.5b by 2016. The company anticipates that the in the next 8-10 years, the rising incomes will continue to unfold and will allow millions of people to afford fast foods from Yum Brands (Cho, 2012).

Commom Errors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Commom Errors - Essay Example I would have the student review 8x9 and 9x8 just to ensure that they realize that each problem has the same answer. Next, student 2 has issues bringing down the proper numbers upon the first round of subtraction. This clearly is a result of misplacement. Placement is crucial in long division because if the student places the quotient in the wrong place, the entire problem is ruined! The third student has misplaced the quotient from the start and thus ruined his chances for a correct answer. This student too needs assistance in placement. He does, however have the mechanics in hand thus is in better shape than the second student. The best way to verify the mistakes made by the students is to work out the problem with them. As the student is reviewing their work with you, you can gage whether the mistake was a chance happening or whether the student truly is not comprehending the task. Have the student multiply their incorrect quotient by the divisor and they will see it for themselves. Better yet, after the student has seen his/her error after the attempted multiplication of the quotient and divisor, have the student do the division problem with you and explain their steps to you as they do it. The best way to correct the mistake presented in the three referenced problems is practice, practice and more practice.

Religion Field Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Religion Field Project - Essay Example As I approached him, he was happy to share his knowledge with me. Firstly, he said about his family. He came to the U.S a year ago for studies. He belonged to an agricultural family in Jalandhar district of Punjab, a Northern state of India. His whole family follows Sikh religion. There were certainly interesting features in the appearance of my interviewee. Firstly, he had a turban covering his head and a bangle. From his communication, I also realized that he is a pure vegetarian. From the communication with him, I realized that Sikhism is one of the youngest religions in the world, with an age of fewer than seven hundred years. Also, I learned that this religion is a minority in India as the religion is mainly confined to the states of Punjab and Haryana and certain parts of present-day Pakistan. My first attempt was to learn the history of this religion. Jagjeet Singh pointed out that Sikhism had its birth in the state of Punjab in the 15th century. In order to do the further stu dy about the religion, I visited the website Sikhs.org. I learned from the website that Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak Dev who was born in 1469 at Talwandi. This place is presently in Pakistan. Guru Nanak Dev exhibited very deep inspiration in the case of religion and he started questioning the various social establishments of that time. (Sikhism, Sikhs.org). The main intention of the interview was to identify the fundamental principles in which Sikh people believe. I asked Jagjeet to briefly describe the basic principles of Sikhism. He pointed out that Sikhism does not claim the presence of a different God. Instead, it claims that God is one and that all humans are equal. To check the feasibility of this claim, I searched various sources. I learned that Guru Nanak Dev, along with his companion Mardana-a Muslim minstrel, wandered the area urging for improvement in the existing social situations. They spread three basic principles; ‘Naam Japna’, ‘Vand Chakkoâ₠¬â„¢, and ‘Kirat Karo’. ‘Naam Japna’ means to remember God through meditation and ‘Vand Chakko’ means promoting selfless service and being ready to share one’s income with others. Similarly, ‘Kirat Karo’ indicates working hard and honestly to earn a good living. After Guru Nanak, there were a number of Gurus. The first one among them was Guru Angad Dev. He was followed by Guru Amardas, Guru Ramdas, Guru Arjun Dev, Guru Hargobind, Guru Har Rai, Guru Harkrishan, Guru Tegh Bahadur, and Guru Gobind Singh. The basic principles of Sikh faith are contained in the book ‘Guru Granth Sahib’ compiled by the 5th Guru Guru Arjun Dev. The highest religious place of Sikhs is located at Amritsar in Punjab. The temple is called ‘Harmandar Sahib’ or ‘Golden Temple’. The temple was constructed in the first half of seventeenth century by Guru Arjun Dev. More information regarding the origin and culture of the Sikhs can be found in the BBC Religions website (Origins of Sikhism). Jagjeet Singh revealed the fact that due to misconceptions, people who belong to this religion often come under attack for their unique dress codes. In fact, the special codes of conduct for Sikhs are set by their 5th Guru. There are five essential attributes a true Sikh should wear. The first one is Kesh (hair), followed by a hairbrush known as Kangha, Kada (iron bangle), Kirpan (sword), and Katch (cotton loincloth). As a result of this special dress code as suggested by the 5th Guru.