What isnt new about social networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

What isnt new about social networking - Essay Example The tide of advancement hits forcefully so as to blur people’s sight of what is in fact taking place. The argument that the current period is not at the heart of immense and more recurrent development in media technologies opposes the entire fundamental principle of progress that it should be questioned by rational individuals. The notion of ‘social media revolution’ is utterly historical or cultural, because how can one be certain that a condition has transformed, or has evolved, without recognizing its earlier situation or status? It is relevant to provide an analysis of these arguments which are themselves rooted in history; in the cultural and historical conditions enveloping the usage of what could be generally referred to as ‘science’, particularly the science of human communication. This historical knowledge unravels the ‘Information Age’ to be mostly a misapprehension, a rhetorical ploy and a demonstration of technological unaware ness. The mainstream literature on the media and these issues reverberate with images of catastrophe, the same group of occurrences being the foundation of both modes of being dogmatic. This is the context against which this paper discusses more purposely that there is nothing in the historical development of electronic communication technologies to suggest that important large-scale revolutions have not been supported by established social formations. Certainly, it is probable to discern in the historical document not only a more gradual tempo of change than is often proposed but also these continuities in the behavior of transmission and innovation as to propose a paradigm for all these transformations. Replications can be found across this varied continuum of media technologies and across periods of their creation and transmission. For instance, take into account the ways in which blueprints for tools arise, the relevance of science and technology, the connection of ‘trial products’ to ‘innovations’ and the harmony of forces inducing and hampering the technologies (Gripsrud et al. 2010). A paradigm to demonstrate these trends completely expresses the dominance of the social arena as the meeting point of these interactions, activities, orientation, and creation of technological advances. Relevant Literature For many people nowadays, social media refers to Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook. However, social media transcends these social networking sites to take account of blogs, wikis, and other specialized applications (Research Technology Management 2011). Social media users do not interact with or consume content. Rather, they produce content, mutually structuring, sharing, editing, tagging, and generating information, reconstructing the inputs of others and taking part in open forums (Clark & Slyke 2006). These are developing media technologies, implying that content and system and even usage arise with application, from the activiti es and requirements of the users. Although open innovation involves an entire array of attempts to expand outside the business firewall, social media can control a formerly inaccessible reservoir of new knowledge and insights: the public. A crowd that is composed of self-reliant members with varied points of view can produce wise decisions and innovative answers, given correct means to amass and disseminate ideas and points of view (Morozov 2011). However social media is not merely an innovative technology mechanism, but a revolution in the function that media technologies

Importance of Educations Essay Example for Free

Importance of Educations Essay Education is a means for increasing knowledge. A popular saying is â€Å"Knowledge is power†. Without education, the training of the human minds is incomplete. No individual is a human being in the working world until he has been educated in the proper sense. Now Im not saying youre not a human being without education. The mind was made to be trained and without education, a person is incomplete. Without education, man, as it were, is locked up in a windowless room. With education, he finds himself in a room with all its windows open to the outside world. In other words, people who are not educated have less opportunity to do what they want to do. Therefore, education is one of the most important processes in today’s society. Today’s youth are tomorrow’s teachers. Education is important because it gives a better personal development, brighter future, and able to make inform decisions. We learn from the moment we are infants all the way to adulthood. Learning is a continuous process and a life long journey. There is no end to learning and it is vital for one to continuously seek to improve one’s self. Personal development is continuous and requires one to learn and re-learn new skills and knowledge. Education plays a pivotal part in personal development. Life-long education creates self-awareness and enables you to develop new talents which facilitates employability and improves the quality of life. Personal development is seen by some as a part of higher education and most companies often emphasise on the need for personal development in order to accommodate to the ever changing work requirements. Oscar Wilde a popular writer states that â€Å"you can never be overdressed or overeducated. † By empowering our mind, we would be able to positively contribute to society and the well-being of the entire world. Besides that, education gives a brighter future because it is one of the factors that affect job positions people hold, their salaries, and further careers. It is an open window to many opportunities in life. One of those opportunities is getting a good job which will provide security and assurance of a good life. Education can get you into jobs of high level with a good salary package. For most people, salary is a key to ensure that you receive compensation for what you have done. The salary that you will receive by professional job will represent a superior level of income in society. Being in a high profile job will also increase your status in the society. People would look up to you and you will gain the respect of others. Moreover, with the additional money earned one could save for the future. This will lead one to live a luxury life style without worrying on the expenses incurred. In addition, education enables one to make informed decisions. With proper education one is able to evaluate the pros and cons of decision and therefore make rational and sound decisions. This is essential in a working environment where decisions have to be made on an ad hoc basis and it affects others as well. Therefore education plays a vital role in making decisions as it enables him to analyse, evaluate and justify the decisions that he make. An informed decision is a decision made after learning relevant facts about the focus of the decision. For example, a person might make an informed decision to join the politics or not join after researching to find out if the lifestyle, benefits, and travel opportunities are what he wants. The importance of education cannot be measured. Its value is unmatchable. Without it stems ignorance, frustration, anger, and demise. With it, solutions, alternatives, and new ideas can be brought forth to further improve the evolution of mankind. With each generation we are making one step forward. As we learn from our mistakes, we are able to improve the next time around. Without education, improvement and progress would never be achieved. There is no greater purpose than using the mind to everyones best advantage. Education makes a man who he is and what he does. It chooses his faith and when he is on the right path, he leaves him on his own, to make his own decisions with his new life with Education. It shows the surrounding people who you are, what you like and what you dont. Education has to be used the right way to be drive out the most of life. Only education can help you in the future, so why abuse it, and take it if you can! By Raveena Aina

Marketisation of Social Care

Marketisation of Social Care The marketisation of social care will deliver efficient and equitable services. Discuss. Introduction Social care refers to a number of different aspects of social life including health, education, economic security etc. In the 1940s universal welfare provision was initiated in Britain. Universal welfare deals with all aspects of the population’s well being and the services that the state provides (Marsh, et al, 2000). The welfare state in Britain and in most of the western world was predicated on the work of the economist John Milton Keynes. In the last thirty years there has been a shift from Keynesian economics to a Neo-liberalist post-welfare state (Hursh, 2005) Keynes believed that when times were hard the state should intervene by putting more money into the economy and stimulating employment. However by the late nineteen seventies when Margaret Thatcher came to power it was evident that post-war policies were no longer working and thus there was a shift to a market based economy and welfare provision (Giddens, 2001). The full employment that had been envisioned by the p ost-war government had not happened and there was also a corresponding rise in inflation. Jessop (2001) maintains that in response to these happenings Western states began to make changes in the ways in which social care and welfare were provided. The Marketisation of Social Care and Efficient and Equitable Services Government leaders in Europe, Britain and America argued that the universal welfare provision that had existed since the Second World War was not working and what was needed was a return to the philosophy of a free market that had been the case prior to the war (Stiglitz, 2002). In 1979 the Conservatives won the election and Margaret Thatcher came to power. By this time arguments about a welfare state versus a free market economy had intensified. Introducing marketing principles into social care allow Governments to (hypothetically at least) improve services. It also enables a government to retain a greater degree of control (Stigliss, 2002). As a response to discourses on the value of a free market economy Regan’s Government in the United States and Thatcher’s in Britain began to introduce measure that would roll back the welfare state and control expenditure. This was done by the introduction of marketing and business strategies. In Britain the Government embarked on a massive process of privatisation because it was believed that public ownership of companies and the public sector generally inhibited and undermined market forces. It therefore follows, Stigliss argues, that there is a need to deregulate capital markets and to curb state spending. These policies stressed the importance of the internal market. Giddens (2001) says that: †¦the momentum of Thatcherism in economic matters was maintained by the privatising of public companies†¦Ã‚  (this)   is held to reintroduce healthy economic competition in place of unwieldy and ineffective public bureaucracies, reduce public expenditure and end political interference in managerial decisions (Giddens, 2001:434). It was believed that the introduction of market forces into social care would increase productivity and improve care while at the same time being cost efficient. It was considered the best way of allocating resources because free markets were considered to be self organising (Olssen and Peters, 2005). Within healthcare provision there was a shift from healthcare professionals and patients to the idea that there were service providers and there were clients (Giddens, 2001). Government discourses, both Conservative and New Labour have revolved around the notion that the introduction of market mechanisms would result in a more equitable system. However, policy making tends to be somewhat contradictory and Governments appear to give with one hand and take back with another. The instigation of NHS trusts has resulted in a somewhat haphazard distribution of care and there are inequalities across the system in some areas there are such discrepancies in care provision that commentators refer to a post code lottery, where the kind of care a person receives is determined by where they live. Some commentators were of the opinion that the policies introduced by the Conservative Government were implemented to widen inequalities in society (Field, 1996). Thus Marx’s dictum that laws are made to serve the interests of those who already have power in society are extremely relevant here. The Community Care Act of 1990 further exacerbated inequalities most especially for women as it assumed that the women (who were the main carers in the home) would shoulder the extra responsibility of care (Abbott and Wallace, 1982). Field (1996) maintains that the increase in inequalities whereby the rich got richer and the poor poorer created a social underclass who were denied the same rights as others in society. Under the Conservatives the tax burden shifted from the rich to the poor, along with this, changes to the benefit system such as job seekers allowance placed a good number of people into a poverty trap. Alcock (1997) supports Fielding’s views and maintains that the r oll back in welfare and changes in social care and benefits generally resulted in greater unemployment and a rise in the number of homeless. The introduction of market forces into social care has had the effect of excluding some people from mainstream society and led to the setting up by the present Government of the Social Exclusion Unit in 1997. This Unit is an example of the contradictions engaged in by policy makers in a free market economy. On the one hand the general philosophical approach of both this Government and its predecessor has been on the responsibility of the individual. This is nowhere better expressed than in Labour’s New Deal Documentation which promises a hand up rather than a hand out. Young (1999) maintains that there is a move away from inclusive goals that are based on citizenship rights and this means a move towards policies that exclude some people. This results in people feeling undervalued and with no investment in society and this may be reflected in the rising crime among the young. Currie (1998) maintains that there are a number of links between social exclusion and crime. Shifts in the labour market and minimum wage and taxation policies result in a rise in the numbers of those living in poverty. Furthermore these things put added strain on family life and weakens social cohesion. Conclusion Clearly the introduction of market forces into social care has been problematic and has benefited some members of society at the expense of others. Pierson (1994) has argued that the attempts by the Thatcher and Regan Governments to roll back the welfare state were not entirely successful. He maintains that this was more difficult than they had thought and that governments were besieged by public outcry. Rolling it back was not the exact opposite of the expansion of welfare that governments had thought rather, Pierson argues Far more than in the era of welfare state expansion†¦struggles over social policy become struggles over information about the causes and consequences of policy change (Pierson, 1994:8). The New Labour Government that came into power in 1997 have continued the welfare reforms introduced by the Conservatives laid out their welfare to work policies in a 1998 Green Paper which have been further extended in policy documents such as the New Deal 2004 and Youth Matters 2004. These documents are aimed at getting welfare recipients back into work and reducing Government costs. It is arguably the case that the introduction of market forces into social care have not resulted in either better services or more equitable treatment. Rather these policies have reduced services and benefited the better off at the expense of the poor, a fact which has been pointed out by a number of theorists. To what extent does a countrys welfare regime type influence the form of social care provision? Illustrate your answer with examples from two countries. Introduction Welfare provision and spending on public services differs from country to country depending on the types of service offered. In many cases this will include housing, education, pensions and health (Giddens, 2001). There have been a number of different ways of conceptualising the welfare state. Marxist theories tend to take the view that governments provide welfare for the benefits of those in power i. e. investment in welfare is necessary to sustain a capitalist system (Stigliss, 2002). This will look at policies in both Finland and the United States to assess whether and in what ways the type of welfare regime that is adopted by a country affects the form of social care provision. Welfare Regimes The ideal model of welfare is one of universal welfare provision where the state provides for everything in time of need and health and education are fully financed by the state. Marshall (1960, 1973) viewed the development of citizenship rights as crucial to the emergence of a welfare state. Civil and political rights would be extended to the rights to education, healthcare and other service provision because everyone was entitled to a reasonable life and a reasonable income irrespective of their position in society. Esping Anderson (1990) devised his tri-partite system of welfare provision through an investigation of welfare regimes in a number of different countries. He also evaluated the extent to which welfare services were unencumbered by the introduction of market forces. He looked at the ways in which welfare services were organised and delivered in different countries when making decisions about what group they fitted in. The models Esping Anderson identified were Social Democratic, Conservative Corporatist and Liberal. In the first example welfare subsidies are entirely state funded and are available to everyone (the notion of universal welfare provision) Most Scandinavian States follow this model. Within Social Democratic States such as currently exists in Finland, there is generally no influence of market forces but things tend to differ depending on the type of welfare provision in Finland during the 1990s the country was moving towards a neo-liberal regime where people received free primary health care but were required to pay something towards their secondary healthcare (Ball, 2004). In a Conservative-corporatist state such as pertains in both France and Germany welfare services are only marginally influenced by market principles but they are not equally available to everyone. Entitlement is dependent on a person’s position in society. The United States is an example of a liberal welfare regime where means tested benefits are only available to the needy. Giddens (2001) maintains that there is a high degree of stigmatisation attached to these benefits, one has only to see media representation of the American poor and needy to know that this is the case. Welfare is, in almost every case, sold through the market and this is due to the expectation that everyone should pay for their own care through the market as for example in the form of health insurance such as Medicaid. America is the only country in the world where people do not have automatic access at least to primary healthcare in times of greatest need (Navarro, 1986). Navarro argues that when market forces are involved in welfare regimes and particularly with healthcare systems then there is a tendency for organisations such as drug companies to promote medicines and drugs that serve their own interests on the world market. Monopoly capital invades, directs and dominates either directly (via the private sector) or indirectly (via the state) all areas of economic and social life (Navarro, 1986:243). Mitchell (1991) identifies five main approaches to the analysis of welfare systems in different countries these involve a comparison of policy, inputs, production, operation, and outcomes. These involve what is intended, who pays for it, how it is run, how it is organised and who benefits. The American liberal regime relies on a laissez faire approach to welfare (Olssen, 2000) this is particularly evident in its stigmatising of those in receipt of benefits. The situation in America is not uniform however and some states do have state funded health schemes, what Klass (1985) has called decentred social altruism (1985:428). In Finland, as in much of Europe, welfare provision has been dependent on social solidarity or the view that both the state and the society have responsibilities of care. Many welfare rights are dependent on people’s circumstances and so there may not be the equality within such a system as one might suppose and can lead to social exclusion. Health in Finland has been along institutional lines i. e. secondary health care for example can tend to be selective and based on circumstance. Soumen Ash (2005) however, maintains that: The state of peoples health and welfare in Finland has steadily improved since healthcare and health promotion were established. The main challenges nowadays relate to disease prevention, mental health problems and the disparities in health, welfare among different population groups. Finnish health policy has become matched to international standards set by the World health organisation and the European Union (Suomen Ash, 2005). [1] In the 1990s educational provision was affected in Finland by its moves towards a neo-liberalist or Conservative-corporatist state. More recently however the Social Democrats have again espoused the universal provision of education and this is now entirely free of market forces and subsidised solely by the state. Thus there has been a return to a welfarist view of education that is available to all and which operates to bring an end to the social exclusion that pre-dominates in elsewhere. The United States may take a dim view of universal welfare provision but its educational policies are welfarist in that there is free basic education for everyone and it is subsidised by the state. People are responsible for their own further and higher education costs if they are not awarded scholarships. The United States spends a greater proportion of its GDP on education than most other countries (World Bank world development report, 1998) but its educational provision, while universal, is still greatly underfunded as is teacher training and this is reflected in the fact that its schools lag behind other countries (Nation at Risk Report 1983). Thus the Americans (under Clinton) introduced public/private partnerships in an attempt to inject life into their failing schools (Giddens, 2001). The introduction of market forces into education does not seem to have generated a great deal of improvement (Molnar, 1996). There has therefore been a huge growth in the private educational proj ects and it may be that this will prove a threat to the basic state education that has been on offer (Whatt, 1999). Conclusion The welfare regime that a country adopts does seem to have significant effects on its service provision. In Finland, where the Social Democrats have taken over what was a liberal state, commentators maintain that the health sector is improving and many countries would do well to take note of the improvements in the Finnish education system since the removal of market mechanisms in that area. America on the other hand appears to be going in the opposite direction. Never comfortable with the idea of welfare its liberal and laissez faire regime has now adopted market principles into its education system. The state system was seen to be failing dismally and now the private sector appears to be taking over. One can only wonder whether the United States will continue with policies that further exclude the already excluded or whether it will drastically order the type of welfare regime that is in operation. [1] http://www.suomenash.fi/sivu.php?artikkeli_id=178

The Color Purple Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Results of Celie’s Physical and Mental Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1982 Alice Walker titled her Pulitzer Prize Winning novel, The Color Purple, which is symbolically meant to reflect radiance and majesty (Columbia). It is a story, entirely conveyed through letters, of one young black girl’s struggle to escape the brutal and degrading treatment by men, which had become a constant part of her life. Instead of focusing on race throughout the novel Walker accords â€Å"greater importance to power, the power to be, to concretize one’s self, as to mold others† (Dieke 102). This completely unbalanced power ultimately leaves Celie feeling alone and controlled, which affects her relationships with men and influences her relationship with women, mainly Shug Avery. The horrifying effects of rape and what Celie thought was incest so greatly scarred her for the rest of her life that she lost the ability to love, became confused about her sexuality, and subconsciously denied her right to an identity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For a considerable amount of time Celie blindly accepted the fact that she would be treated like a slave in her own home. As a result, Celie demonstrated intense fear and a complete lack of love toward her husband. Because Mr. _____ had originally wanted to marry Celie’s older sister Nettie he felt that in settling for Celie he had the right to treat her as his property. Celie was completely aware of these arrangements â€Å"Mr. _____ marry me to take care of his children. I marry him cause my daddy made me. I don’t love Mr. _____ and he don’t love me† (Walker 57). As opposed to most marriages being based on trust, love, and commitment, their bond was based on authority, obedience, and service. Mr. _____ immediately brings Shug Avery into his home when he heard that she was sick so that Celie could take care of her along with his children from a previous marriage. After a short period of time Celie learns about their past and about Mr. _____’s current feelings for Shug. Celie’s blatant disregard to Mr. _____ sleeping with Shug again displays complete apathy toward her husband. Mr. _____’s aggressively dominant role does not denote the conventional husband/wife relationship it seems to more closely represent a master/slave relationship. Mr. _____’s constant oppressive presence causes Celie to live in continuous fear. Celie explains that M... ...novel Celie’s traumatic experiences have had a great impact on the entirety of her life. Once married she constantly lived in fear being incapable of love and unable to control her misguided sexual emotions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bibliography Bradley, David. â€Å"Novelist Alice Walker: Telling the Black Woman’s Story.† New York Times Magazine 8 Jan. 1984: 24-37. Dieke, Ikenna. Critical Essays on Alice Walker. Westport:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Greenwood Press,1999. Gates, Henry Louis Jr. and K.A. Appiah. Alice Walker   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Critical Perspectives Past and Present. NewYork:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Amistad Press Inc, 1993. http://www.Womenshistroy.about.com â€Å"Race and Domesticity in The Color Purple† African American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Review 29 #1 Spring 1995:67-82. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright 2001   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Columbia University Press. Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Orlando: Harcourt Brace   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jovanovich Publishers 1982. Walsh, Margaret. â€Å"The Enchanted World of the Color Purple.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Southern Quarterly 25 (1987): 89-101.

The History Of Unemployment During Recession Economics Essay

IntroductionThe unemployment rate is one of the cardinal variables that policy shapers are interested in. There are different causes of unemployment and it is really hard for authoritiess to find which causes are most of import and how to cover with Te and causes an inward displacement in the labour demand curve ( Abel et al. , 2008 ) . In figure 3, the negative supply daze causes a autumn in the labor market equilibrium from point A to B. At the new equilibrium both existent pay and employment degree falls. This graph besides reflects the effects of oil monetary value daze on the labor market. -Supply Side Factors During recession both concerns and persons tend to retrench their economic belts and this causes negative effects on the degree of production and accordingly demands for labour lessening. Therefore, during recession unemployment turns out to be one of the major jobs on both authorities and society. Some of the unemployment during recession base on supply-side factors like personal movable accomplishments, job-seeker research channel, occupational mobility ( occupation accomplishments ) , and geographical mobility ( Adams et al. , 2000 ) . For illustration ; in UK, economic construction is turning to service based from fabricating based economic system ( Parkin, 2012 ) . The chief ground of this structural alteration is globalization and international trade understandings. Harmonizing to Parkin ( 2012 ) , UK has wholly lost its cost advantages in fabricating goods since the cost of production is much cheaper in Eastern Europe states. Structural alterations lead primary and secondary s ector workers lose their occupations and many of them can non happen new occupations since they do n't hold necessary accomplishments for working in service sectors such as fiscal service establishments and information engineering. However, even when economic system is runing at full capacity, there is some unemployment that causes by the supply side factors. This is by and large known as the natural rate of unemployment or equilibrium unemployment ( Blink and Dorton, 2007 ) . The natural rate of unemployment exists when the labor market is in equilibrium ( Abel et al. , 2008 ) . In figure 4, the entire labour force ( TLF ) in an economic system and aggregative supply of labor ( ASL ) , which stands for the figure of people who are willing to work at every given pay rate, are presented. The difference between points â€Å" a † and â€Å" B † is natural rate of unemployment. The natural rate of unemployment is the combination of frictional and structural unemployment ( Abel et al. , 2008 ) . Frictional unemployment occurs when employees leave their occupations for happening more suited occupation chances in order to fulfill their calling and income outlooks ( Parkin, 2012 ) . While employees are se eking for new occupations, there is ever some frictional unemployment in the economic system. The hapless occupation information may leathem. The two chief types of causes of unemployment can be split as demand-sided and supply-sided. The unemployment has both economic and noneconomic costs ( McConnell and Brue, 2005 ) . The economic costs of unemployment are ; ( I ) lessening in income and end product that is measured in footings of the GNP spread and, ( two ) load of unemployment is non distributed every bit among employees particularly during recession periods ( Petroff, 2002 ) . On the other manus, loss of assurance, societal and political struggles can be counted as some of the noneconomic costs of unemployment ( McConnell and Brue, 2005 ) . Therefore, it is of import to analyze causes and results of unemployment particularly during recession period.Unemployment during RecessionSince Industrial Revolution, the full universe economic system has gained a impulse. This impulse has led to economic enlargement an addition in quality of life. However, this impulse has n't shown continuity. States have experienced many ups and downs in their economic activities since they industrialized. These up and down motions in economic activities or in production degree are known as concern or economic rhythm ( Parkin, 2012 ; Abel et al. , 2008 ) . There are two chief periods of the concern rhythm ( Parkin, 2012 ) ; enlargement and recession. An enlargement is a period which represents an addition in the economic activities and production degree of an economy/country ( Burda and Wyplosz, 2001 ) . Contrary, recession is an drawn-out clip period when the economic activities and gross domestic merchandise ( GDP ) of a state are decelerating or falling down ( Abel et al, 2008 ; Harris, 2002 ) . These activities are including degree of employment, investings, household income, concern net incomes and rising prices rate. In a concern or economic rhythm, recession occurs between extremum and trough points. It is besides known as a concern rhythm contraction. This is represented in the Figure 1. -Causes of Recession: Negative Demand and Supply Shocks Harmonizing to Abel et Al. ( 2008 ) , two chief causes of economic recession are negative aggregative demand daze ( ADS ) and negative sum supply daze ( ASS ) . A negative ADS is a sudden event that decreases the aggregative demand in an economic system ( Burda and Wyplosz, 2001 ) . There are several grounds for this type of negative daze. It by and large occurs because of tight financial and pecuniary policies ( Abel et al. , 2008 ) . Government sets high revenue enhancements and reduces authorities expenditures to diminish the inflationary force per unit areas. On the other manus, these policies can do a autumn in the aggregative demand and as a consequence economic recession takes topographic point. The recession that United Kingdom ( UK ) experienced during 1980-81 was caused by tight financial and pecuniary policies ( Pettinger, 2012 ) . There were high revenue enhancement rates, low authorities outgo, and high involvement rates for cut downing disbursement, ingestion and invest ing. The UK authorities was applied these tight policies for cut downing the inflationary force per unit areas which was formed in the late of 1980 ‘s. Inflation had fallen but the cost of these policies was the economic recession. Classical economic experts suggest that the negative ADS do non do continued fluctuations in end product degree ( Burda and Wyplosz, 2001 ) . However, they view that a negative ASS is a major ground behind the critical alterations in end product and employment degree ( Burda and Wyplosz, 2001 ) . A negative supply daze or a negative production daze is an unexpected event that decreases the aggregative supply in an economy/country ( Abel et al. , 2008 ) . A negative ASS causes an inward displacement in the long tally sum supply ( LRAS ) curve of an economic system ( Abel et al. , 2008 ) . In figure 2, there is an inward displacement in the LRAS curve because of a negative supply daze. It is cut downing full-employment end product from Q1 to Q2 and increase the monetary value degree from P1 to P2. This alteration in the monetary value degree represents that a negative supply daze causes monetary values to lift during the recession. Some of the existent universe illustrations of negative supply dazes are ; alterations in conditions, such as an unexpected cold conditions ; alterations in the construction of industries, such as meeting of two or more dominant companies ( Abel et al. , 2008 ) . Sometimes, the dominant providers join together for increasing their market power. By this manner, they can curtail supply and put higher monetary values for doing more net income. The existent universe contemplation of this happened in 1970 ‘s by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries ( OPEC ) where members were imposed an oil trade stoppage and so increased oil mo netary values. When the oil monetary values rise, houses began to bring forth less since the cost of production was increase independently from aggregative demand. During oil monetary value daze, labour demand, employment and existent pay rate had fallen ( Carlstrom and Fuerst, 2006 ) . A negative supply daze reduces the measure of labor demanded at any given existent pay rad this seeking procedure to take longer than what the employees expected and accordingly employees may lose their motives for happening new occupations. Unemployment benefits are besides a factor that affect the inducement to non to work. Besides, structural unemployment occurs when the construction or production methods of an industry are changed in order to maintain gait with alterations in consumers ‘ gustatory sensations and new production techniques ( Sloman, 2004 ) . Structural unemployment is by and large known as the long-run unemployment since workers must retrain or they may hold to relocate for remaining at their current occupations or happening new occupations ( Parkin, 2012 ) . On the other manus, the fiscal and mental costs of retraining and resettlement lead structural unemployment that contains geographical and occupational stationariness. Housing monetary values are one of the most of import fiscal jobs that cause geographical stationariness. For illustration ; in London, the active capital metropolis life creates more occupation chances than in the North of England, but lodging monetary values and rents are much more expensive than in the North of England. So, some workers may prefer to take un employment benefits and remaining at their vicinities instead than paying high rents or purchasing expensive houses in London. This causes geographical stationariness. An addition in unemployment rate besides increases the load of the authorities. High unemployment means an addition in the entire sum of unemployment benefits that authoritiess have to pay. As a consequence of an addition in unemployment rate, authorities ‘s grosss fall. So, it causes budget shortages. In order to diminish the rate of unemployment, authorities may utilize both supply-side and demand-side policies. The chief purpose of the supply-side constabularies is to do labour force more antiphonal and flexible against the alterations in occupation chances ( Sloman, 2004 ) . However, if there is deficiency of aggregative demand, supply-side policies can be uneffective. Therefore, for accomplishing more effectual consequences authorities can back up supply-side policies by utilizing demand-side policies every bit good as financial and pecuniary policies.DecisionIn recent old ages, recession become one of the major jobs that the full universe economic systems encountered. It is inevitable for authoritiess to take certain steps to find the causes of economic downswing. It can be caused by demand side or provide side dazes. During the recession, unemployment becomes one of the serious jobs because of low degrees of ingestion, demand and investing ( Pettinger, 2011 ) . However, unemployment exists even when economic system is runing at full capacity. Unemployment ne'er becomes zero because of supply-side factors, like ; personal movable accomplishments, job-seeker research channel, occupational mobility ( occupation accomplishments ) , and geographical mobility ( Adams et al. , 2000 ) . Structural and frictional unemployment are unemployment types that cause by supply side factors. There are monolithic research attempts to happen out causes of unemployment and how to cover with it. The long permanent effects of unemployment make it an of import job for all economic systems and authoritiess that encourage authoritiess to seek to happen solutions for it sinc e it has economic, societal and political effects.

Business Decision Making

The methodology for this report will focus upon both primary and secondary research methods which will be used to obtain the opinions of the asked passer. Needled et-al (2003) states that primary research mainly consists of data collected by an organization, or individual, for their own purposes and are generally collated first hand from ‘the horses mouth'. Needled (2003) offers the opinion that the main methods of collating primary research are through conducting face to face Interviews, telephone interview, questionnaires and through direct observations.Primary data can be either qualitative or quantitative. Qualitative research data tend to be more explanatory whereas quantitative is generally more descriptive. The main part of the research for this project will consist of one primary method, survey. The survey questioned passers within Princess to determine what they think about the Princess. This method has been chosen as it is easy method to collate considerable data and it is a relatively cheap method of collating the data.To ensure response rates were high, the passers were asked face to face. I have chosen to opt against a paper based System as Needled et-al (2003) offers the argument that response rates to costal systems are often as low as 30% and I feel this method may introduce bias to the overall conclusion. There the alternative option of personally distributing and collecting the surveys for which Sweeten (2002) claims can increase the response rate to almost 70%.However given the short timescales for the project I only intend to sample the views of 20 people. Questionnaires are quite popular when collecting data, but are difficult to design and often need many drafts before having a final questionnaire. These drafts are called pilot questionnaires. Again because of the given short time call I was only able design one pilot. It emerged that the questionnaire was too long. The final questionnaire was then amended by the KISS theory'- keep i t short and simple.Random sampling was used as non random sampling is impracticable and often very costly in terms of time. After collecting the primary data, the data was then exported into Microsoft Excel to provide a more professional presentation for this document in providing professional graphs and findings. Secondary research All methods of data collection supply quantitative data (numbers, statistics) or qualitative data (usually words or text).Secondary data is data that has already been collected by someone else for a different purpose as the investigator. Main methods that is used to for the collection Of secondary data: Data supplied by a marketing organization Annual company reports Government statistics / surveys Academic surveys Company data (payroll details, minutes of meetings, accounts of sales of goods or services) Whilst theory is a crucial factor in academic learning and organizational success leading academics offer different views on it effectiveness.Saunders et-al (2003) explains that secondary research, especially academic journals, re the most important source for any research because they are evaluated by academic peers prior to publication therefore generally of good quality. Gharry (1995) offers the opinion that secondary research is has there are major advantages of secondary research mainly through savings in time, money and resources as academic literature from various sources is widely available and easily obtainable.However Needled et-al (2003) warns that the information may not always be of good quality, may not represent the whole picture and the research could be out of date. These opinions were considered whilst conducting the literature review. After having contacted the Princess press department the result was that due to the fact that the Princess is a new development, secondary data was not available. Rest Its The layout of the questionnaire was divided in three parts – introductory questions, main questions and final questions.Topic: What do you think of the Princess development? Number of questioned people: 20 Introductory questions The introductory questions are of assistance to find out general information about the questioned person. 1. Gender 2. Age group 3. Employment status 4. Marital status Main questions Main questions are in place in order to gather information about the topic of the question naira. 5. Purpose of the visit 6. Preferred time to visit 7. Does it meet expectations? 8. What were the expectations? 9. Affect on Setter's other high street retailers and restaurants 10.Overall affect of the Princess Shopping Centre to Exeter Final questions The final questions help to calm down and relax from the main part. It can also seen as fun part. 11. Favorite new shop 12. Favorite new restaurant/cafe The Upper Crust Memo To: Quality Control Manager From: Tugboat Vic Sicken c: Date: January 31, 2015 Re: Result of samples 65 loaves of bread with a weight range of 780-830 g Average w eight (mean) of loaves 804. 74 g The middle loaf (median) weighs 804. 9 g The most common (mode) loaf weight is 804. 9 g The Standard deviation of each loaf is 9. G The weight of the lower quartile is (IQ) is 798. 48 g Q = Median = 804. 9 g The weight of the upper quartile is (Q) is 811. 1 g The intrauterine range is 12. 62 g Box + Whisker plot Due to wastage we lost 805 loaves Task 5 Correlation The correlation is one of the most common and most useful statistics. A correlation is a single number that describes the degree of relationship between two variables. If points in scatter diagram cluster close to the line then there is a strong correlation in place and if points are more widely scattered the correlation is weak.Positive correlation If an increase in one variable tends to be associated with an increase in the other then this is known as a positive correlation. An example would be height and weight. Taller people tend to be heavier. Negative correlation If an increase in one variable tends to be associated with a decrease in the other then this is known as a negative correlation. An example would be height above sea level and temperature. As you climb the mountain (increase n height) it gets colder (decrease in temperature).No correlation A zero correlation occurs when there is no relationship between variables. The picture below shows a guide to the strength of correlation Strengths of correlations 1 . Correlation enables the researcher to examine naturally occurring variables that perhaps unethical or impractical to test experimentally. For instance, it would be unethical to carry out an experiment on whether smoking causes lung cancer. 2. Correlation enables the researcher to clearly and easily see if there is a relationship between variables. This Can then be displayed in a replica form.Limitations of correlations 1 . Correlation is not and cannot be taken to imply causation. Even if there is a very strong relationship between two variables we cann ot assume that one causes the other. For example suppose we found a positive correlation between watching violence on T. V. And violent behavior in teenage years. It could be that the cause of both these is a third (irrelevant) variable – say for example, growing up in a violent home – and that both the watching of T. V. And the violent behavior are the outcome of this. . Correlation does not allow us to go beyond the data that is given. For example suppose it was found that there was a relationship between time spent on homework (112 hour to 3 hours) and number of G. C. S. E. Passes (1 to 6). It would not be correct to conclude from this that spending 6 hours on homework would be likely to generate 12 G. C. S. E. Passes 5 A + B. Rest It: The older the car gets (increase) the less is it worth (decrease). The scatter diagram above shows that the correlation is stronger after the first two years.There is no straight line relationship. The points on the graph with couple of exceptions form a curve which suggests it is not a linear relationship. The explanation of partial in the correlation result means that it is not 100% correlated because of other factors that influenced it. Coefficient of determination: 65. 61 % of the behavior of y is determined by x + 34. 39 % by other factors. The aim of regression analysis is to find out the values of parameters for a function that cause the function to best fit a set of data observations that it's provided.In linear regression, the function is a linear (straight-line) equation. The equation and the table above show that the value of the car decreases by a constant amount each year after its purchase. The following linear function loud predict its value Value = price + departed*age Value, the dependent variable, is the value of the car, age is the age of the car. The regression analysis will determine the best values of the two parameters, price, the estimated value when age is O (I. E. , when the car was new ), departed, the depreciation that takes place each year.The value of departed will be negative because the car loses value as age increases. However as we can see in the table after 12 years the equation gives a negative value. This would be not possible in reality. A car cannot be worth E-340. 06. The problem with the equitation is that it is not realistic. The equation is only correct in terms Of figures. E. The equation does not include the factors that can influence the price of a used car. It only considers the age of the car. However there can be several other factors that can influence the price of a used car.Mileage Color- In other words, some colors, like â€Å"ROI Yellow Pearl†, appeal only to a small segment of the population and brings down the car's worth in many eyes Fuel type Engine size Transmission Number of doors Private or trade seller – Trade seller are always more expensive as trader adds profit on the actual value of the car. Previous owner †“ For example if a elderly person was the previous owner it is very likely that the car was only used for short distances (shopping, doctor consultations) On the other hand if the car was used at a driving school then it is very likely that the car was not treated well from the learners. F. Business decision makers need to find out very often the casual relationship between two variables. For instance, the relationship between interest rates and consumer expenditure. Furthermore a financial analyst may use regression and correlation to help understand the relationship of a financial ratio to a set of other variables in business. Correlations can be helpful in business. Once a correlation is identified, organizations can determine if the correlation indicates causation. With this information, the company can develop methods to influence the correlation to the organization's benefit.Task AAA. Total float The longest the start of an activity can be delayed from its earliest start tim e (EST) without delaying the project. Free float The longest an activity can be delayed from its EST without delaying the EST of any immediately following activities. By looking at the table, those tasks without a total float' (I . E. Zero) are considered ‘critical' and coincidentally are mound on the critical path. It is therefore important that these tasks are not delayed in order to complete the project on time as planned.Recognizing and integrating float is very important. For example, those tasks that do carry float may have resources (labor, capital, equipment, etc) that could be used elsewhere to complete other tasks quicker. Also, for those tasks that do carry float, any delays can be accepted. As the resource diagram below shows, 6 assistants are required for the job. Furthermore the whole procedure will take 25 days. After rescheduling the activities only 4 assistants are required. Apart from this the whole procedure will take 21 days. 70.Critical Path Analysis (CPA) is a planning and project management tool. It can help make sure a project is completed as quickly as possible, and resources used as efficiently as possible. The business is able to give the customer exact information such as finish date, required assistants. Furthermore, most projects come across with delays or something unexpected, so managers need to use tool such as CPA to monitor the project and take quick action to resolve any problems. This enables the business to avoid any delays and the consequential customer complaints. Business Decision Making Leadership in today's organizations is a tough business. Organizational leaders face a number of significant challenges as their jobs, and the world around them, become increasingly complex (Zaccaro & Klimoski, 2001). Trends such as organizational â€Å"delayering, † rapid technological advances, the proliferation of teambased organizations, and increased employee empowerment require that leaders adapt their techniques and styles of leadership to meet these new challenges.In the face of all these changes, researchers and management education specialists are working to find methods to develop more effective leaders. Old techniques of development are criticized and questioned, and new techniques are created—often before they are adequately tested and thoroughly understood. New techniques can become instant â€Å"fads. † In recent years, there has been an explosion of interest in leadership.The bulk of research efforts has gone into trying to understand leadershipâ €”how it operates— and into identifying the characteristics of effective leaders. Although interpersonal relationships have always held importance within the organizational literature (Blau, 1964), a focus on relational perspectives is recently experiencing renewed interest in organizational behavior and leadership research (Day, 2000). According to Hunt and Dodge (2001), relational perspectives are at the forefront of emerging leadership thrusts.A relational focus is one that â€Å"moves beyond unidirectional or even reciprocal leader–follower relationships to one that recognizes leadership wherever it occurs, is not restricted to a single or even small set of formal or informal leaders, and in its strongest form, functions as a dynamic system embedding leadership, environmental, and organizational aspects† (Hunt & Dodge, 2001, p. 448). An area of research that speaks directly to leadership development, as defined by Day (2000), is Leader–Member Exch ange (LMX) theory.Researchers working with this leadership model have been investigating the value of developing effective work relationships between managers and subordinates for the past 30. During this time, LMX has shown the value of high-quality relationships and the problems associated with lower quality relationships. The purpose of this work is to discuss LMX theory, research, and practice on leadership development. The paper begins by briefly reviewing the value of relationships from a social capital perspective and then defines leadership relative to relationships.Leadership is engaging in behaviors that create change, and creating change requires influence. To be leaders, therefore, individuals need to have and effectively use influence. Influence is the power to affect others: the ability to produce outcomes due to some personal characteristic that gets others to follow. By definition, influence is inherently interpersonal. Influence takes place within the context of int erpersonal relationships. According to relational leadership theories, influence comes from relationships.Relational perspectives in leadership view leadership as generated through mutual influence that results from the development of trust, respect, and obligation among dyad members. LMX theory describes this influence as being created through stages of relationship building. Individuals begin at a â€Å"stranger† stage, get to know one another through testing processes, and as a result of the testing process, either progress to an advanced stage of leadership development (e. g., partnership) or remain at lower levels of relationship development (e. g. , acquaintance or stranger). Those who attain more advanced stages of relationship building—and thus develop more effective relationships with interdependent others (e. g. , managers and other higher-ups, subordinates, peers, clients, external constituents)—are able to more effectively perform their roles. More e ffective, or high-quality, leader– member exchanges are described as leadership rather than as supervisory relationships.High-quality relationships are considered mature partnerships based on respect, trust, and mutual obligation for one another (Graen& Uhl-Bien, 1995). These relationships go beyond the formal contract and generate personal power (i. e. , influence given by the other), rather than position power or authority. They are also characterized by willing followership, meaning employees are driven by intrinsic as opposed to extrinsic motivation. As a result, dyad partners (i. e., individuals engaged in an exchange) act because they want to, not because they have to. Research on LMX shows that more effectively developed relationships have significant and positive associations with performance, organizational commitment, employee citizenship behavior (i. e. , extra-role behavior), job satisfaction, delegation and participation in decision making, and enhanced career de velopment opportunities. These relationships are negatively related to turnover, job problems, and role conflict and ambiguity.The benefits of high-quality relationships come from relational resources they create. Such resources include durable obligations (e. g. , arising from feelings of gratitude, respect, and friendship), network contacts and connections (including privileged access to information and opportunities, social status, and reputation of influential others), and the ability to have open information exchanges with those around them (Nahapiet & Ghoshal, 1998). Relationships that do not develop so well are considered lower quality.These relationships are not as beneficial for the individuals involved or for the organization as a whole. Lower quality relationships are described as contractually defined, formal exchanges based on limited trust and in-role interactions (Uhl-Bien et al. , 2000). These types of relationships generate management rather than leadership. They ar e characterized by lack of mutual respect, formal downward communications, little mutual understanding, limited support and commitment for one another, and no mutual obligation (i. e. , a â€Å"stranger† relationship).Findings have shown that lower quality relationships are negatively related to satisfaction, organizational citizenship behaviors, and commitment, and are positively related to turnover. Thus, based on relational leadership theory, effective relationships may generate mutual influence and understanding that allow leaders to more effectively perform their roles. In contrast to hierarchical and leader-dominated perspectives on relational differentiation, the goal and responsibility of leadership should be to work to develop effective relationships more broadly with interdependent others, rather than with only a group of â€Å"trusted assistants†.Drawing from the foundations established by Day (2000), leadership development needs to be considered (a) beyond hierarchical notions of manager–subordinate relationships, (b) as the responsibility of both members of the dyad (rather than leader-controlled), and (c) with allowance for more variability in what is considered a high-quality, or effective, relationship.A high-quality exchange is characterized by positive leadership processes that are indicative of a social exchange, such as increased subordinate job latitude and influence in decision making, more open and honest subordinate communication with the supervisor, and greater trust and loyalty among dyad members (Cogliser & Schriesheim, 2000). Low-quality LMX relationships are more economic or transactional in nature, and dyadic behaviors rarely progress beyond what is specified in the employment contract.With regard to leadership development, those subordinates interested in leadership development receive it as part of the relationship contract. Those that are not interested in becoming leaders do not receive leadership developm ent as part of their psychological contract and receive a different allocation of on-the-job training. Effective organizations have units that are tied together, through â€Å"linking-pin† positions, where members in these organizations become more aware of problems at lower levels in the system and coordinate activities efficiently through accurate flows of information, influence, and resources among the units involved.The persons occupying these linking-pin positions are integrated members in two or more groups and play the role of both supervisor and subordinate. Graen and his colleagues explored the effectiveness of the LMX relationship between incumbents of linking-pin positions and their supervisors and the behavior, attitudes, and treatment of lower level members (Graen, Cashman, Ginsburgh, & Schiemann, 1977). They found that the quality of LMX of the linking-pin incumbent was related to the quality of working life of the followers who reported to the linking pin.When subordinates develop high-quality exchanges with their bosses, they receive greater influence, latitude, support, and attention from their bosses, and they experience a more desirable situation overall. These researchers continued by pointing out that the quality of members in a higher dyad (hierarchically) contributed to the quality of life of members in hierarchically lower dyads. The LMX model clearly has utility for its application to leadership development.Empirical studies have supported the relationship of high-quality exchanges with positive organizational outcomes, and the broader leadership literature supports the cascading or waterfall effect of the supervisor's leadership behavior impacting the subordinates. There is a clear need for methods that more effectively socialize junior managers for executive positions. Dyad-level coaching may be one of the most effective means for transmitting organizational culture, thereby promoting the organization's core values.Dyad manage ment development has not been utilized to the full extent possible to leverage the potential of the pool of executive talent. The LMX literature says that LMX differentiation, in which leaders have higher quality relationships with some subordinates and lower quality relationships with others, occurs because leaders do not have time (or the need) to generate highquality relationships with everyone. Therefore, they develop a group of trusted assistants to help them perform the work of the unit.These trusted assistants would supposedly be the best or most reliable employees in the unit. Twenty years after the inception of the theory, Graen and Uhl-Bien (1995) argued that the creation of â€Å"in-groups† and â€Å"out-groups† within work units is not beneficial, and that instead leaders should strive to develop high-quality relationships with all subordinates. They do this by â€Å"making the offer† of high-quality relationships to all and then through testing proc esses, different quality relationships result (Uhl-Bien et al., 2000). This perspective allows for the fact that all relationships may not (and likely will not) reach high quality, but at least the dyad members both take part in how the relationship develops (rather than the leader determining who will be the trusted assistants) and have the opportunity to create a high-quality relationship. This perspective also recognizes that a focus on differentiation rather than on high-quality relationships offered to all creates tremendous opportunity for lost potential in organizations.When individuals are not fully committed (or are dissatisfied), they will withdraw discretionary behaviors that benefit others or the organization (e. g. , helping, altruism, civic behaviors). These discretionary behaviors are beneficial to the organization, and as a result, much attention has been given in the literature to determining when and how individuals engage in these behaviors. Instead of LMX differe ntiation, therefore, goal should be for individuals to strive to have influence with one another (and with higher-ups).With the support of a relationship, individuals are freer to open up and provide one another with more accurate and complete information (Avolio, 1999) so they can provide the â€Å"real† information (the â€Å"real† story). This goes both ways: with a good relationship comes reduced filtering (holding back) of information, both up and down the hierarchy. It allows individuals to share with one another the hard truth. Too many leaders do not have good information, and too many hold back in being truthful with their subordinates.If to extend this beyond managers to leaders more broadly, then organizational members need to be comfortable with providing information to one another, and this comes with having effective work relationships. Remembering that effective leaders are defined as those who use influence to create change, individuals' abilities to be effective leaders are directly related to their ability to have influence in the organization. Since effective work relationships can extend individuals' influence networks, those who have more effective relationships with others will likely have more opportunity to gain and use influence.Therefore, leadership effectiveness is likely enhanced by the ability to build effective work relationships with a broader range of interdependent others. In a study of communications within Leader-Member Exchanges, Schiemann ( 1977) found that those members with relatively higher quality LMXs communicated more frequently with their managers about administrative and technical matters than did members with relatively lower quality LMXs. These results were cross-validated on a holdout sample of managers.Apparently, there is much more communication in higher quality LMXs than in the lower quality LMXs. Thus, effective communications are an important aspect of the development of high-quality LMXs. Fla uto’s (1999) study is in response to the global question, â€Å"How are communication and leadership linked? † This study drew subjects from a variety of organizations in Ohio, eastern Indiana, northern Kentucky, and western West Virginia. Twenty to fifty subjects were drawn from each of nine organizations.Organizations participating in the study were two financial service organizations, a retail sales organization, a military unit, a subsurface coal mining organization, a suburban police department, a rural bank branch, a local post office, and a food service organization. Transactional and transformational leadership were measured using subscales of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). A six-item, three-factor subscale was created for the transformational leadership dimension and a four-item, two-factor subscale was created for the transactional leadership dimension.Subjects responded to each of the behavioral anchored items by selecting one of five respon ses that applied to their leader. The leader-member exchange dimension was measured by a subscale consisting of the six items of the LMX-6 scale. The LMX-6 scale contains items that measure the three factors of leader-member exchange. Responses are on a five-point Likert-type scale. The relationship is the highest among all of the variables in the study. This finding supports the conclusions of Day (2000) that communication attributes can distinguish between levels of leader-member exchange quality.The finding also fits into the theoretical framework of the leader-member approach to leadership that requires successful communication exchange in order to form the â€Å"in-group† relationship that characterizes high quality leader-member exchange. The communicative competence of the leader, and its affect on communication effectiveness as evidenced by member perception of leader-member agreement, appears to be a necessary precondition for a high quality leader-member exchange re lationship. At the lower levels of communication competence, high quality leader-member relationships do not exist.The leader displays charisma by communicating enthusiasm and providing a model, shows individual consideration by direct interaction and providing tailored assistance, and stimulates intellect by communicating ideas. Day (2000) defines transformational leaders as leaders who use rhetorical skills to establish a common vision. Not surprisingly, members report a high relationship between transformational leadership and communication competence. In the least squares hierarchical multiple regression analyses, transformational leadership is the best single predictor of communication competence.Transformational leadership is of high quality when the leader exhibits high communication competency. Dyads with high communication competence and low transformational leadership and dyads with low communication competence and high transformational leadership do not exist. Leadership, however it is theoretically or operationally defined, is a social process and involves a relationship between individuals. This social process and this relationship are enacted through communication. These sessions were conducted with all participants in the treatment group.Before and after results, in terms of performance, were compared for this group and for other groups from the department, which were not exposed to the LMX treatment. Productivity increases measured in terms of the quantity of cases handled showed a significant advantage in favor of the group that was trained in LMX. Furthermore, this gain was primarily a function of effects that occurred in a high–growth need group of subjects. This latter index was included in the study because a job enrichment treatment based on job characteristics theory was introduced, along with the LMX treatment.Any job enrichment effects per se, however, were negated by certain policy changes that were introduced by the organizati on unknown to the experimenters; thus job characteristics theory was not, in fact, tested. A subsequent publication, based on data from the same context, was aimed at determining whether low or high initial LMX subjects were most responsive to the treatment effects. The results clearly indicated that the low LMX subjects responded most positively to the treatment in terms of both the quality of their leader–member exchanges and the quantity of their productivity.Another report on this project substantiates the moderator effects of growth need strength, but makes no mention of the finding that low– quality leader–member exchange translates into greater productivity with the appropriate training. This latter result is most consistent with theory in that it means that dyadic partnership building applied across the board should result in both low– and high–quality dyads initially moving with training to high–quality relationships. However, if gr owth need strength is a moderator of the training effect, one would anticipate that it would also moderate the initial dyadic choices as well.In such an event low–quality dyads would not contain many high– managed strength people and thus would offer little potential for upward movement. This seeming contradiction is neither explained nor even confronted. Growth need strength is not a component of the theory as stated in comprehensive forms. Research on LMXs illustrates the importance of leader-follower relationships. The point here is simply that 30 years of research on LMXs has conclusively demonstrated the effect of exchange quality on a number of important organizational outcomes.Specifically, in a meta-analysis of this area of leadership research, Gerstner and Day (1997) found that the quality of the LMX was significantly related to job performance, satisfaction with supervision, overall satisfaction, commitment, role conflict (negative relation), role clarity, me mber competence, and turnover intentions (negative relation). After reviewing the extensive LMX literature, Gerstner and Day's conclusion was â€Å"we view the relationship with one's supervisor as a lense through which the entire work experience is viewed† (p. 840).However, although LMX offers evidence to support the value of relational approaches to leadership, many questions still remain about key issues related to leadership development. In particular, a question that needs to be addressed in LMX research is: what leads to development of higher and lower quality work relationships (e. g. , antecedents to LMX)? Although past research has investigated antecedents to LMX, a clear picture of what these are and how they operate still has not emerged. References Avolio, B. J. (1999). Full leadership development: Building the vital forces in organizations.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Blau, P. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York: Wiley. Cogliser, C. C. , & Schriesheim , C. A. (2000). ‘Explori ngworkun itcontex tand leader-membe rexchange: A multi-level perspective. ’ Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21 (5). Day, D. V. (2000). ‘Leadership development: A review in context. ’ Leadership Quarterly, 11. Flauto, Frank J. (1999). ‘Walking the Talk: The Relationship between Leadership and Communication Competence’. Journal of Leadership Studies. Graen, G. B. , & Uhl-Bien, M. (1995).‘Relationship–based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multidomain perspective. ’ The Leadership Quarterly, 6. Hunt, J. G. , & Dodge, G. E. (2001). ‘Leadership d? eja vu all over again. ’ Leadership Quarterly, 11 (4). Nahapiet, J. , & Ghoshal, S. (1998). ‘Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage. ’ Academy of Management Review, 23 (2). Zaccaro, S. J. , & Klimoski, R. J. (2001). The nature of organizational leadership: Understanding the performance imperatives confronting today's leaders. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.