Theories of Leadership in Tata Group

Theories of Leadership in Tata Group Introduction: Leadership is integrated part of our life. According to corporate chief and former US presidential candidate Ross Perot, the principles of leadership are timeless because, in a rapidly changing world, human nature remains a constant. We all experience leadership in our life from early childhood in our families, through friendships, social and sports activities, school higher education, to politics government and of course in our work, we all recognize leadership in other people and often in ourselves. In government, global corporations and small businesses alike, the leadership role is becoming more demanding, more open to scrutiny and more difficult [Roger Gill]. The development of leadership theory also parallels the development of organizational theory. The bureaucratic form of business organization is characterized by laissez-faire leadership whereby so-called leaders tend to avoid taking a stand, ignore problems, not follow up, and refrain from intervening or transactional leadership, in which leaders practise management by exception, focusing only on deviations from what is required, and contingent reward, rewarding people (either materially or psychologically) for achieving what is required. The emergence of the post-bureaucratic form of organization in the late nineteenth century reflects the development of the concept of transformational leadership. Theory Approaches to Leadership: Many Leadership theories and approaches have been evolved around Style, Trait, Behaviour, Situational and Charisma. Many researchers made efforts linking some of the theories across these leadership approaches. However each leadership model has its merit, assumptions and limitations. Most recent researches are conducted on Situational Transformational leadership styles. Various leadership Gurus presented new models as variations to the already existing models. Max Weber, MacGregor, Bass, Bennis Nanus are some of the most important researchers in the area of transformational leadership. However the difference between transactional and transformational leadership is vital in getting the whole concept of transformational leadership theory. In general, a relationship between two people is based on the level of exchange they have. Exchange need not be money or material; it can be anything. The more exchange they have the stronger the relation. Managers expects more productivity from emp loyee in order to give good rewards. In this way, if something is done to anyone based on the return then that relation is called as Transactional type. In business, leaders announce rewards in turn to the productivity. These relations are all about requirements, conditions and rewards. In life, at one point of time, things happen without expectation from other side. Transformational Leaders work toward a common goal with followers; put followers in front and develop them; take followers to next level; inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests in achieving superior results [wordpress.com]. Table 1, given below shows Basss full range model of leadership. Table 1 Leadership Approach in TATA Group: TATA Group founded in 1868, is an Indian multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mumbai, India. The Group has more than 500,000 employees spread over six continents (more than 80 countries). TATA Group current market capitalization estimated worth $80bn and is the largest private corporate group in India. TATA Group is biggest employer in UK, employing more than 50,000 people. TATA Group has main interests in communications, IT, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. Its current chairman, Ratan Tata is the most influential business leaders in Indias and the worlds most influential person right now. The Tata Group is known for its valued business ethics and corporate governance. Leadership Development in TATA Group: TATA Group has long standing leadership program in its system. Their leadership program is based in British administrative service model. TATAs leadership development programme aims at grooming the managers of today into the leaders of tomorrow. The leadership development programme conceived by JRD Tata, the late chairman of TATA group in 1950s. The idea behind the leadership programme known as Tata Administrative Services (TAS) was to select and groom young managers, provide them opportunity for professional growth, and make them leaders of tomorrow. This is TATAs in-house programme and has goal is to provide training to high performers, act as a cradle of change and develop the leadership qualities. Most of the TATA Group companies are traditionally led by these groomed leaders. Evident Leadership in TATA Group: The TATA Group leadership style has been quite consistent since its existence way back to 1868. The TATA Group has incorporated more leadership changes which are essential in current environment to drive towards to be more competitive. In terms of leadership style, TATA Group has adopted a team-led culture and collective approach. With Ratan Tata as leader of the Group, the management style of the entire TATA Group has changed considerably; trust became a huge facet and theme of the group. Ratan Tata has put a complete organisational restructuring when he took over in 1991 as leader of the TATA Group, by taking a more matrix-style approach building teams. These changes would have obviously transformed a lot in the business, senior managers would have had to be on their toes and flexibility and adaptability became essential qualities to have. The leadership changed from a centralised, command centre to a much more distributed form with employees and all managers enjoying greater respo nsibility and knowledge about the Group, which would have in turn; motivated them to work harder and as a group. From distinctive leadership models available such as the McGregor Theory X and Y; where a theory X manager believes workers dislike work, are not creative and avoid all responsibility while a theory Y manager believes that workers get as much enjoyment from work as they can derive with leisure, accept responsibility and are creative; it can be seen from this, that Ratan Tata wanted all his managers to be modelled as closely to Theory Y and he himself could be called a Theory Y manager. He encouraged managers to be innovative and share all their ideas, consulting actively with them and giving them more responsibility and importantly encouraged team-working. Five Factor Model (Big Five): Emotional Stability: Ratan Tata has very low anxiety within him and has great sense of security with his future leadership. Extraversion: Even being a bachelor Ratan Tata is very sociable. He has produced very positive affect on future leadership of TATA Group. Openness: He believes in originality and versatility. By making  £1200/- car he has shown his great interest with and innovation seeking personality. Agreeableness: Within his management team Ratan Tata is well trusted and very friendly. Conscientiousness: He is very dutifulness. He spent most of his life working for TATA Group without any self-interest. He is very well organised as well. Style (Behaviour) Theory in TATA Group: As per style theory, there are three types of leadership models are evident in leadership. These are as follows. Autocratic Democratic Laissez-faire Ratan Tata is a leader who engages more democratic style of leadership approach. However at previous occasion has used other two kind of style as well. He is more democratic because he always encourages his group leadership to be creating good communication and participation. Future leadership are well informed about future strategy and they are very well engaged in decision making process. Most of the group long-term and short-term strategies are formulated by the lower rank of the leadership. They are treated as stake holders. Until now TATA Group has got leadership within them. Ratan Tata has occasionally shown some form of autocratic style of leadership. Sometimes when needed especially when quick and informed decisions have to be taken, but he is never too commanding in his nature, being a man of few words and being more of a man of action, this is evident from the manner he aggressively pushes for bold international deals, such as during the global acquisitions of business powe rhouses such as Corus, Jaguar and Land Rover, and Tetley Tea. One of his senior leadership team member, Muthuraman( Executive Director) refers him Ratan was the chief architect of the Corus deal. I was worried about the magnitude and the amount of money. But he instilled confidence. In daily routine matters and in developing the leadership, Ratan Tata also uses facets of the Laissez-Faire model such as the delegation of important duties and decision-making, he also does not in any way interfere with any managers functioning, he might make a broad strategic assessment but he does not interfere in operational issues and details, this shows that he has complete trust and faith in his managers and believes in their ability, this quote from Gopalakrishnan, an executive director of the company, shows how much value Ratan Tata places on his trust, this can be highly motivating for managers and workers alike, I remember what Ratan told us at a meeting. He said that he will continue to trust all his managers, but once they lose that trust, he will go after them. I think that is a very fair deal. Max Webers Leadership Model in TATA Group: Looking at Max Webers Transactional and Transformational Leadership models, where a leader is classed in three forms which are Bureaucratic, Charismatic and Traditional, where a bureaucratic leader is one who is always bound by the set rule and does not want to go beyond them; a Traditional leader is one who does and follows everything from a long past or history and always loyally obeys these traditions; a Charismatic leader is one who uses his own laurels or abilities to inspire and is one who can be described as radically opposed to administrative rules and legal principles. From these models, Ratan Tata falls into the Charismatic form because he is one who leads by example, coming up with highly innovative ideas such as  £1200 (Rs. One Lakh) car the Nano, budget hotels or low-end watches, he brought radical change to the Tata Group as a whole, changing it from its Traditional mindset to new more flexible and adaptive cultural mindset. Bennis Nanus Transformational Leadership Model in TATA Group: We can see from Bennis and Nanuss Transformational Leadership model that the transformational leaders groom their followers into self-empowered leaders and their main focus is to articulate vision and values clearly so the newly self-empowered leaders know where to go. Their traits include logical thinking, persistence, empowerment and self-control. Benniss and Nanus has evolved the model which emphasis on the four Is of Transformational leadership, which are Idealised Influence (being a role model) Inspirational Motivation (creating a team spirit, motivating and provide a challenge) Intellectual Stimulation (innovation and creativity) Individual Consideration (mentoring and providing support for followers) Ratan Tata, Chairman of the TATA Group has been proved a true transformational leader. We can see all Is built-in in Ratan Tata. He is the leader with great vision hence he knows right approach to groom future leadership. He has implemented the team spirit in whole group at every level. He empowers all his managers and executives and has complete faith in them, he is extremely innovative and is credited for much of the Groups new products, he places a great deal of importance to his RD department and he definitely cares deeply about the welfare of all his employees and managers. During the Mumbais terrorist attack in Taj Hotel, he took front line in leading at the time of crises. In his vision statement he articulated One hundred years from now, I expect TATA Group to be much bigger, of course, than it is now. More importantly, I hope the Group comes to be regarded as being the best in India. Best in the Manner in which we operate, best in the products we deliver and best in our valu e system and ethics. Having said that, I hope that a hundred years from now we will spread our wings far beyond India, that we become a global group, operating in many countries, as Indian business conglomerate that is at home in the world, carrying the same set of trust as we do today [www.tata.com]. As a leader of a global business group, Ratan Tata knows the fierce competition experienced by his business empire. He makes all effort to make his business competitive at global level. Through transformational leadership process TATA Group has made their processes and technology up to date. Once Ratan Tata said to his managers in his vision speech A company or business which remains static is a business that will die; a company that constantly changes and accepts that there are better ways to do things than the way they are done today, is a company that will survive in the global market that we face. From this statement we can infer that he knows the importance of developing a good leadership within group to take TATA Group to new heights. Ratan Tata involves strategy in leadership. He is a deep thinker and a brilliant strategist as is described by one of his Executive Directors, Alan Rosling, He is a deep thinker and extremely strategic. He is always 2-3 steps ahead. Ratan Tata is a man of strong integrity, ethics and valued principles. He cultivated the same across the TATA Group companies. One of his companies CEO said Tata has shown that there is no other way he will do business other than do it ethically. He believes in strong value based leadership approach in doing business. Ratan Tata has led the TATA Group to transforming from local business group to become a global leader. Conclusions: Ratan Tata of the Tata Group is a more kind of transformational leader. He made Tata Group as global brand. He has provided inspiration to leaders within his own company. In Tata Group leaders are engaged in decision making at every level. Ratan Tata has successfully led and motivated its CEO/MD of the group companies to be ambitious. He has always adopted a ethical approach in group business. Ratan Tata has adopted a management by consensus style. He stated once When a number of persons are involved I am definitely a consensus man, but that does not mean that I do not disagree or that I do not express my views. Basically it is a question of having to deal with individual men heading different enterprises. You have to adapt yourself to their ways and deal accordingly and draw out the best in each man. If I have any merit it is getting on with individuals according to their ways and characteristics. I have dealt with a hundred top directors and I have got on with all of them. At times it involves suppressing yourself. It is painful but necessary. To be a leader you have got to lead human beings with affection. Ratan Tata has ability to spot the talent. And once he has confident that a manager will perform, he gave him a long rope. Leading a large group of companies in the days of fast changing business scenario of changing regulations, increasing competition and opening up of economy could be an arduous challenge for many. Leading the firm through these times and four-folding the groups revenues could be a dream. Doing this requires clear vision, innate conviction, ability to inspire and guide along the way. Ratan Tata established himself to be the right leader who has helped the company sail through the turbulent waters and reach the desired lands. These targets never existed or were thought not feasible by the company earlier. This all achieved because of the inspiring leadership. Reference List DBS Managing People Lecture Notes Roger Gill, Theory and Practice of Leadership, Sage Publication, 2006 Robins, S.P Judge T.A (2010) 10th Edition, Essentials of Organizational Behaviour, Pearson, ISBN 0-13-815763-4 http://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/transactional-leadership-vs-transformational-leadership/ http://business.outlookindia.com/inner.aspx?articleid=682editionid=22catgid=70subcatgid=464 http://www.tata.com/company/Articles/inside.aspx?artid=YJbf7uiUY0M= Visionary Leadership: Creating a Compelling Sense of Direction for Your Organization (Jossey Bass Business and Management Series): Burt Nanus Tata Group Annual Reports (1991 -2011)

My Goals And Aspirations :: essays research papers

It is sad how my expectations have gone down with every year of high school, but I guess that is just what the real world is all about. I started my freshman year out talking about wanting to be a doctor or a scientist or a millionaire. I am about to leave high school not having a clue on what I want to do with my life. I has been hard to observe my grades going from practically straight A's as a freshman to the sad state of nearly having my credits denied this senior year. But now that I know that one has to face the responsibilities for every decision one makes, I might be ready to make some smart ones.No, I do not think that I can become a brain surgeon or a world-renowned scientist or, unless I win the lottery, a millionaire but I can try to do my best to become all that I can be with the options that I have. The marines, army, air force, and navy call my home non-stop, but I have already shot those options down. I am also not going to limit myself to just a high school diploma and enter the workforce. My parents do not think it is wise for me to enter a junior college, and I don't think that is wise either. But I do think that I can still salvage some of my parents' hopes for me but registering into The University of Houston for a year and then transferring to a more acclaimed university such as The University of Texas or Northeastern University in Boston. I have though it over and I think I might want to major in something that would get me into becoming a stockbroker. My parents have wanted me to get into computer programming because they say that is where the growth sector is, right now, for employment. But somehow, I just do not think that is what I want to do with my life, too boring for me. I guess my main goal in life is just to be happy.

Spiers Travel Agency Essay -- Organizational Structure

Abstract An organization functions from the mission statement and the organizational structure. These functions helps to make a company move smoother within departments, which is assigned to individuals that are responsible for overseeing that part of the organization. The organization is responsible with living out the purpose of their mission statement. The organizational structure reflects from the operative goals to help the organization function accordingly. Operative goals according to Daft, â€Å"are performance goals, resource goals, marketing goals, employee development goals, productivity goals, and goals for innovation and change† (p. 63-4), in which the Spier’s Travel Agency follows by in operating the company. The Organizational Structure: An Understanding of the Complexities of the Environment within an Organization The mission of Spier’s Travel Agency is designed to have an outstanding quality of professionalism and the utmost customer service. Also, to provide the magical experience of traveling of the desired customers. We are dedicated in helping our customers to have the best experience at their dream location at a low-cost. At Spier’s Travel Agency, we are confident that we can provide outstanding customer service to all costumers at all levels. The Spier’s Travel Agency reflects on five important task within the company. Those task are as follow, outstanding customer service, great relationships with our clients and employees, the quality of time management to provide the clients with their dreamed vacations, to provide low-cost rates, and overall happiness and satisfaction. All these goals are acted upon to provide the needed services and to accomplish the facts that are stated within the company’s mi... ...ws. With this company there is a great need to have a form set structure in order to continue with a success growth progress. The models of the organizational charts that were examined shows that there is room for growth as the company lives up to the goal, purpose, and mission of the agency. Spier’s Travel Agency has its structures where there should be little to no room for mistake, but there is no structure where mistakes would not happen within the company. Reference: Daft, R. L. (2008). Organization and Organization Theory. Organization theory and design 10(16). Mason,OH : Joe Sabatino. Daft, R. L. (2008). Organization and Organization Theory. Strategy, organization design, and effectiveness 10(62-4). Mason,OH : Joe Sabatino. Daft, R. L. (2008). Organization and Organization Theory. Fundamentals of organization structure 10(91).

The Social Model of Mental Illness Essay -- Psychiatry Psychology Pape

The Social Model of Mental Illness The social model of mental illness emphasizes the social environment and the roles people play. Thomas Scheff maintains that people diagnosed as mentally ill are victims of the status quo, guilty of often unnamed violations of social norms; thus the label "mental illness" can be used as an instrument of social control. I agree with Scheff's analysis, and I strongly concur with the view Thomas Szasz takes on the notion of mental illness. Szasz argues that much of what we call "mental illness" is a myth; it is not an illness, but simply "problems in living", troubles caused by conflicting personal needs, opinions, social aspirations, values, and so forth (Szasz 13). It thus follows that the widely accepted medical model of mental illness is inherently flawed; that mental illness should, then, certainly not be treated much like physical illness. Szasz is extremely critical of contemporary psychiatry as a discipline, arguing that psychiatrists are not benign professionals helping t o liberate individuals and improve their lives by diagnosing and treating mental illnesses, but instead act as agents of social control; silencing, stigmatizing and dehumanizing people who disturb the prevailing social order. Every society rewards conformity; those with more serious problems in living often do a very poor job of conforming, and are punished accordingly. In Ideology and Insanity: Essays on the Psychiatric Dehumanization of Man, Thomas Szasz writes that "on the one hand, by seeking relief from the burden of his moral responsibilities, man mystifies and technicizes his problems in living...on the other hand, the demand for "help" thus generated is now met by a behavioral tec... ...s in trying to understand and properly treat what is known as mental illness, we should give some credibility and responsibility back to those who are labeled "mentally ill," looking to them for ideas, for suggestions, for guidance. Those who have more severe problems in living (as well as their families and/or friends) may know more about their predicament than those who do not, and may be able to propose, indirectly or directly, remedies that may alleviate their unfortunate plight. Bibliography: Awake! Magazine. "Hope for the Mentally Ill." September 8, 1986 ed, pgs.3-10. Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York, Inc, 1986. Kaysen, Susanna. Girl, Interrupted. Turtle Bay Books. New York, NY, 1993. Szasz, Thomas. Ideology and Insanity: Essays on the Psychiatric Dehumanization of Man. Syracuse University Press. Syracuse, NY, 1991

Apollo 13 Essay

For those not old enough to have lived through it, a story of shooting for a landing on the moon, suffering an explosion on the spacecraft on the way to the moon, not landing on the moon, and then narrowly making it home to Earth is the story of Apollo 13. When facing issues, conflicts, and the attainment of goals, having the resources of a fully functional manager and team are irreplaceable. A manager that has clear goals and strategies in place is more likely to succeed even when faced with the greatest types of adversity. Every employee of NASA should know about the tragic event of Apollo 13. The background of the team began with the completion between the U. S. and Russia and their space exploration programs. What started out as a routine trip to the moon and back soon became one of the biggest crises NASA had ever experienced. From understanding the plight of the spacecraft, to knowing what needed to be done, to creating a CO2 converter out of materials only available on the spacecraft, the flight is a clear lesson on how to manage a team in a crisis. In many projects, it always comes back to a stressful situation, where quick decisions must be made which have a major impact on the achievement of the task at hand. Many managers often ask for advice on how to handle such situations in order to be a good leader and achieve maximum results. In order to be an effective manager and to be able to influence other and exercise high degrees of control, some rules should be followed. I will give a few examples of how Gene Kranz managed to promote teamwork and to achieve the best possible solutions despite unprecedented problems, lack or resources and time pressure. One must remain optimistic and believe in themselves and the team to achieve a set goal. Without personal convictions managers will not be able to motivate the team to developed new solutions, continue to working and foster collaboration. Gene demonstrated principled management and a leadership in demanding the best from his team while respecting their efforts no matter the outcome. One great thing about Gene’s management was that is set a standard of excellence. With statements like â€Å"I don’t care about what anything was meant to do, I care about what it can do. This set in motion self-management by various supporting teams. This shows us important lessons that we can apply to other environments. Make sure to clearly identify roles and responsibilities of each and every team member. Communication is also a key in managing a team effectively. In the movie one of the team members unplugs his TV and takes his phone off the hook which cost everyone value time and inpu t in solving this crisis. Managers should make sure they can get in touch with employees. Create a policy if you must. An over authoritarian style of management with a top down principal is sometimes inappropriate. Managers often give instructions, tasks and fiat without asking the employee for their opinion. In contrast managers with a cooperative democratic style of management involve employees in decision making. Decisions are taken after detailed discussion in working groups. Information should be forwarded to a great extent through all communication channels. Gene Kranz was drawing at the board and listened to his team and their suggestions. And they all discussed the suggestions together. Without this democratic management style of Gene Kranz, the team would not have been as successful. Another issue is to work the problem correctly. Defining the problem is the hardest part of problem solving. As a manager it is important to define and communicate the problems which must be solved. Otherwise, no team will be able to find suitable solutions. Gene Kranz identified all the problems and formed special teams to address them. He made it clear to the teams which objects could be used. Only the objects that were available to the astronauts could be used. He wasted no time in complaining about what objects were not available or missing to solve the problem. He was action oriented and emphasized problem solving. It is also important to be a visible manager or leader. A good manager shoulders responsibility and conveys to all team members that they will work through the problem. Another trait of an effective manager is respect for others. Too often in today’s corporate environment, we don’t respect the judgment of those actually doing the work. Moreover, a crisis is not a time for accusations. The primary objective should be to handle the situation together and make the best of it. Gene Kranz did not ask at any time after the explosion, how such an explosion could have happened. Neither the astronauts nor Mission Control would have benefitted from the discussion of guilt, creative problem solving was much more important. In spite of all the negative talk, Gene told them failure was not an option, and they did not fail. Building trust must be combined with effective communication. Its benefit was evident in the film through the obstacles the team overcame. As a team grows together through strong management, their level of trust to achieve a collective goal, individuality becomes less important and the team’s objective is placed in the forefront. Action orientation becomes second nature, and feedback is open and honest. Combined, these improve the overall success and functionality of the manager, employee relationship. Finally, nobody wants to experience crisis such as the one in Apollo 13, however there will always be unpredictable problems and managers will have to challenge the situations. An effective manager should place themselves in Gene Kranz’s place for internalizing his way of leading a team. In addition, difficult situations that happen in the past should be analyzed for developing suggestions for managers to learn how to act in prospective situations. Every crisis is unique and demands an individual solution but for learning how to find the best solution, act right as a manager and motivate your team. Being successful and solving problems in a creative way is just but one aspect of being an effective manager and leader for your team.

Dreams

Dreams and the perspectives they have on individuals in society has led to debate, and even controversy, over that past few centuries. It’s the analysis and interpretation of dreams and how it relates to individual experience that is a central element surrounding this topic. The impact of a dream on an individual along with the influence of dream interpretation can be viewed as having a direct impact on the types of dreams people have. I will address the topic of dream anomalies and what impact dreams have on individuals as I cite literary scholars to affirm my position. There have been many great philosophers with differing opinions on the influence of dreams and whether or not there is a direct correlation between the dream process and the human’s individual thought processing and daily-life experiences. First, I considered the views of a great philosopher named William James as a foundation behind the study of dreams and its effects on individuals. William James has published numerous manuscripts backed by volumes of other philosophical material, research, and documentation. William James is considered one of the most influential people who studied the workings of the human mind, interrelationships among thought, and the consciousness of an individual. James was a naturalist, physician, professor, writer, and psychologist. His studies played a role in other philosophical studies of dream interpretation. One of his published pieces, The Principles of Psychology, had revolutionary impact on society. It was a breakthrough for the sciences of thought. Some of his well-known material was published in the latter part of the 19th century, which will be discussed in detail. The Principles of Psychology was an immense undertaking by James. My focus will look at The Stream of Thought and The Consciousness of Self segments of this work where I will state why I was convinced by his arguments surrounding consciousness and thought-processing. The reason for incorporating William James’s interpretations on streams of thought and consciousness of self is because there is a direct correlation between thought processing and the dream phase of an individual. He begins The Stream of Thought by keying into the essence of human thought. His provocative conclusions surrounding what makes us think is done in very concrete terms. He states that previous psychological texts attempting to dissect human thought are deeply flawed. Consciousness, from our natal day, is of a teeming multiplicity of objects and relations . He relates the thought processes and earlier fallacies surrounding its study with these analogies: We cannot, according to James, simply say, â€Å"it thinks† with the same conclusive logic as â€Å"it rains† or â€Å"it blows. † What we can say, however is that â€Å"thought goes on. † He goes on to discuss why every ‘thought’ or ‘state’ is part of our personal consciousness. This sets the scaffold for why and how William James came to such conclusions regarding consciousness. Prior to this, theories on consciousness lacked sufficient evidence; for previous scholars attempted to state theories without the empowering reality that James was able to express in this chapter. To add further credibility to his presumption, he states that every thought is a part of our personal consciousness and can be altered from individual to individual. Thought, he goes on to say, is in constant change. He provides examples along the way to create reasoning and proof that his methodology is credible. His description of Mr. Shadworth Hodgeson (p. 149) creates very clear evidence that individual consciousness has the ability to change and alter what it thinks and why, almost on a whim. From thought-processing, we segue into the dream experience and how they are directly related to one another in forming, sometimes jarring experiences. First, we must look at the characteristic differences between lucid and non-lucid dreams. A lucid dream, simply stated, is the state of REM sleep when a person is almost awake. The dream continues to evolve but the dreamer is aware—if only for a few seconds—that they are dreaming. Non-lucid dreaming, on the other hand, occurs when an individual is not aware of being in a dream state. The non-lucid dream is the most common form of dream. It is difficult to ascertain when and where the division between lucid dreaming and non-lucid dreaming occurs. In other words, when the dream consciousness ends and where a person is consciously aware of the dream cannot be defined. It’s purely subjective, or set aside for individual interpretation. However, the true experience of the dream can best be interpreted with the following model. The dream model links the waking-self and the dreamer. With this connection, the model also looks at what psychological levels alter self-awareness in the act of dreaming. Research, according to Laberge, has shown that over 80% of lucid dreams are transformations of a non-lucid dream. When we look at many lucid dreamers, the act of coherence or stirring from the dream is, many times, likely to occur during a nightmare or a dream that instills anxiety. The notion of anxiety can be viewed differently from one person to the next. What one person views as uncomfortable will not hold the same gravity on another person’s interpretation. It’s all a matter of personal experience. To state it simply, what brings about fear in one person may not instill that same fear in another person. This, in turn, can lead us back to individual experience. The experience and thought processing is the framework for determining lucid dreams and non-lucid dreams, which can be referenced back to our discussion on the philosopher William James. It’s important that I include a few dream examples to express the anxiety that can be instilled upon the dreamer. One dream environment occurred in a classroom. It was a riot, according to the dreamer. Again, the notion of what institutes a riot can vary from person to person. It’s also important to detail the dream, in order to give merit to the person’s anxiety. This riotous dream had a large barbarian with a heavily scarred face. He was the Goliath in the dream and locked up the dreamer in its steely grip. The dreamer could not free himself. It was at this point that the dreamer realized he was amid a dream; for he recalled other situations in his life. He gave up the struggle and instead offered feelings of love and consolation to this beastly barbarian. Yet, the beast was too ugly to love. He tried to look beyond the physical appearance and scarred features and soon beautiful words of loving acceptance flowed freely and the creature melted into him. The riot soon disappeared and the dreamer woke feeling relieved and calm. There are many other human emotions—embarrassment or delight for instance—that can institute a person into wakefulness. The number of methods used by individuals varies. What’s important to reinforce—although it may seem obvious—is the fact that individuals learn these methods in a conscious, wakeful state. Again, I go back to incorporating some of the philosopher William James’s theories to reinforce my interpretation. James gives us clear real-life scenarios to help define his theory on human conscious thought. For consideration, suppose three people instantaneously say to you: â€Å"Wait! † â€Å"Look! † â€Å"Over here! † Our consciousness is torn to decide which of the three will gain our attention first. He doesn’t deny our consciousness being able to juggle thoughts of the â€Å"wait† â€Å"look† and â€Å"over here. William James reinforces his theory by stating that there is a different ‘feel’ within our conscious thought when we experience something for the first time, versus recognizing something familiar. It could be a tune, an odor, or a familiar photogra ph that resonated memories. Again, James uses specific examples. The new experiences—or unfamiliar experience—can shake our emotions, which can strengthen recall. Also, objects in our field of vision have what James called a â€Å"fringe. † If we try to recall a forgotten name, there will be a gap in our consciousness as we search the recesses of our mind for this name. If someone tries to help us remember and gives us incorrect names, our consciousness will remain ‘at the fringe’ until we hear the name or something stirs us emotionally to recall the name. In effect, it is the overtone, or the fringe of the word or thought that generates energy within the human mind. It gives way to ideas which create the verbal kernel—as James puts it—that keeps the stream of consciousness on the move, always flowing, and always changing. James offers clear, consistent evidence to warrant credibility surrounding the intangible concepts of the stream of thought. In the following chapter, James segues into The Consciousness of Self, and brings the ego and its relationship to consciousness to the table. James builds momentum by stating humankinds’ innate desire for recognition from loved ones, and society in general, plays a part in how human consciousness develops. To bring this point home, James adds impact with this: a man has as many social selves as there are individuals who recognize him and carry as image of him in their mind. James also references a man’s honor in society by stating it has a sole purpose: to best serve our social-selves. This social grace, then, is tied to what James refers to as the self-regard. We weigh our own ‘Me’ as we perceive praise and blame. James speaks of an individual self-regard as vital; for the individual knows him or herself better than anyone else—regardless of how positive or depressing a person views themselves. It’s the emotion of self that James, in turn, speaks of as he builds on his consciousness of self. It’s the sense of personal identity that fosters the ego-thought which remains part of the individual’s stream of consciousness. From here, we look at anomaly recognition. Here, the dreamer trains themselves to understand bizarre dream events as a red-flag to bring oneself back to wakefulness. The dream interpreter uses previous dreams and/or previous life-experiences that they view as bizarre to work as a point where the conscious-self takes over and stirs the dreamer into an alert state. For, when an individual can jar oneself from a potentially nightmarish dream, their emotional consciousness, in turn, will not be affected by the dramatic negative effects of the dream. They, in effect, turn off the dream before it can be viewed in its entirety. Here’s another example of a dream with anomaly recognition: A person is stepping through a field that is colored with fairy-tale animation. There is life everywhere in this wilderness. The overwhelming image, however, are magic mushrooms (psilocybin variation). These mushrooms shoot out from the soil all over the field. Some grow to immense height and girth. The person, then, realizes that this fantasy is too dream-like to be real. Their rationalization offers the anomaly recognition to stir them from their slumber. They are able to insert lucid thoughts that say, â€Å"I must be dreaming. † The dream begins to fade as their conscious-self regains control of the person’s mind set. One more dream example that uses anomaly as a cue to clear oneself from an anxiety- driven dream can be seen in the following situation: A person stands on top of a hill that seems unfamiliar. He looks across the wide-open meadow and envisions the horizon stretching out before him. For some odd reason, the dreamer has no idea of time, or what year it is. He sees the positioning of the sun, which appears to be straight overhead. The sun is intense and bright, which is unusual. The dreamer suddenly realizes that it is autumn and the sun was much lower in the recent past. The dreamer correlates the angle of the sun in relation to the equator. His shadow, due to the angle of the sun in this season should create a shadow that is equal in height to his own. The shadow does not equal his height. So he realizes that this must be a dream. The reason I included this dream was to point out that individual interpretations on dreams can be directly related to human experience and one’s knowledge-base and educational background. Although this was not a frightful dream or one that might instill anxiety, the dreamer—due to his knowledge—ascertained that the lack of proportion in his shadow was enough to constitute an anomaly and thus free him from his dream-consciousness. There is heavy criticism surrounding the topic of lucid dreaming, which I will address in detail here. For one, even though, according to research, there is overwhelming positive feedback regarding lucid dreams, I have a difficult time taking this data seriously. Laberge and many other researchers in this field state that lucidity during a nightmare can create a fear-factor within an individual that may have dramatic effects on one’s courage and even self-esteem. I do not see any parallel significance in a person losing self-esteem due to a lucid dream. Other studies went so far as to state that mood can be altered as well. If people are affected, or say they are affected by a dream, then these results are too biased and subjective to be generalized. The attempts at generalizing lucid dreaming can be seen in the following example: One study reviewed moods in college students and the relationship to lucid dreaming. College students, it was reported, stated that if they realized they were dreaming in a nightmare that this lucidity helped them deal with the consequences of the nightmare and feel better in 60% of the cases (Lucid Dreaming Frequency p. 1). I find this rationalization too trite to even be considered in a literary study. Furthermore, they went on to state that those who experienced dying in a dream stated that the experience was insightful, and not regressive. All in all, these elements alone are too biased and opinionated to create any sound reasoning behind the notion of lucid dreaming and its effects on a person’s well-being. In conclusion, I must reiterate that the reasons for dreaming have bewildered philosophers and science enthusiasts for many years. When we look at a normal life span, a person spends close to 25 years of their life asleep. Dreams are an integral component of this. It only makes sense that there is a purpose to our dreaming that is related to personal experience. It can also be seen that dream control, in the sense of ‘turning off’ a dream so-to-speak is available to us in the form of anomalous dream situations. However, when literary criticism attempts to generalize the lucid dream with an individual’s mood, there is great concern for its validity. Dreams are in a genre that is still very blurred in its scientific evidence, and thus flawed when we try to use the dream as a developmental factor in a person’s conscious state of mind. While the discussions surrounding the purpose of dreams are far from over, at least philosophers and scientists have a captivating means into discussing how the brain creates these nightly tales of adventure.

Assignment on Business Strategy Essay

Assignment on Business Strategy 1 . Evaluate a company of your choice’s Mission statement in the light of the 3 components of any Mission Statement. Also use the Abel framework to evaluate the business definition that this mission statement drives. Ans. ) While a business must continually adapt to its competitive environment, there are certain core ideals that remain relatively steady and provides guidance in the process of strategic decision making. These unchanging ideals from the business vision and are expresses in the company mission statement. The mission statement communicates the firm’s core deology and visionary goals, generally consisting of the following three components: a. Core values to which the firm is committed b. Core purpose of the firm c. Visionary goals the firm will pursue The firm’s core values and purpose constitutes its core ideology and remain relatively constant. They are independent of industry structure and the product life cycle. The core ideology is not created in the mission statement; rather, the mission statement is simply an expression of what already exists. The specific phrasing of the ideology may change with the times, but the underlying ideology remains constant. Here is the Coca-Cola Company’s mission statement for Stakeholders which is published in Jeffrey Abrahams’ new book, 101 Mission Statements From Top Companies . â€Å"The Coca-Cola Promise: The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone it touches. The basic proposition of our business is simple, solid, and timeless. When we bring refreshment, value, Joy and fun to our stakeholders, then we successfully nurture and protect our brands, particularly Coca-Cola. That is the key to fulfilling our ultimate obligation to provide consistently attractive returns to the owners of our business. The audience for this mission is specifically for the stakeholder. The values here are stated explicitly: refreshment, value, Joy, fun, and attractive returns. These words were obviously carefully chosen by those who crafted this mission statement. The â€Å"ultimate obligation† of â€Å"attractive returns† is a powerful way to state the company’s vision and keeps the values stated in context. A separate mission statement is published on The Coca-Cola Company’s website for access by the general public: â€Å"Everything we do is inspired by our enduring mission: * To Refresh the World†¦ in body, mind, and spirit. * To Inspire Moments of Optimism†¦ hrough our brands and our actions. * To Create Value and Make a Difference†¦ everywhere we engage. † These values are consistent with the stakeholder version of the mission: refreshment and value are echoed in addition to inspiration. 2. What does a Business model intend to achieve, and how? Evaluate any company of your choice’s Business Model in the light of the same. Ans. ) Business Models are simulations of actual business functioning. They act as ideal real life examples, and help participants actively discuss the pros and cons of the situation given. A business Model gives a Full Account of any particular Business Scenario. One has to SWOT analyze the Business Model based on different how it makes money or delivers value, and what it does and does not do. A business model can change throughout the life of business or can be applied to a specific product, or to a nonprofit. It is a more general and concise statement than the business plan, but is still often used to explain the business and its activities to investors, banks or employees. Standard business models are often referred to in shorthand, such as â€Å"subscription† or â€Å"low-cost leader. † As we know a business model is the mechanism by which a business intends to pecify a market offering. It is a summary of how a company plans to serve its customers and specifies its product offering. It mentions both the strategy and methods of implementation. As Amazon. com was being established, the delivery of information, goods, or services to end customers employed one strong business model called the Online Retailers of Physical Goods. This business model takes title to the newly manufactured products that they sell and often rely on third party providers. Like Amazon. com, it needed third party providers, such as Borders and Barnes & Noble, to maintain its product supply. When Amazon. om was first launched, Amazon. om was heralded for its feel-friendly culture that drew talented young people to apply for work there and employed smart hiring strategy by hiring the brightest, most intelligent and versatile people. Jeff Bezos wanted people who could share his vision and were willing to work to achieve it. He tried to establish a sense of community due to sharing both hard work and fun with his employees. Although pay was less than market salaries, attractive ownership options were offered. Amazon’s three operational strategies are 1 . Cost-Leadership – Amazon places itself as leader based only on the pricing. It offers the same product quality for lesser price. 2. Customer Differentiation – Amazon uses design, quality and convenience as a differentiator which set it apart from its close competitors. 3. Focus Strategies – Customer service is the major focus while realizing that each market has its own quirks. Amazon. com’s values and philosophy are at the center of the organization. These often determines the success and failure of the enterprise . The other important factors Amazon focuses on are customer satisfaction and operational frugality. These two values complement Amazon. om’s operational trategies in achieving and maintaining an effective competitive advantage. Growth Drivers There are four primary drivers for growth: 1. Product focus 2. Customer focus 3. Technology focus 4. Distribution focus Using the above stated strategies, Amazon has managed to place itself in a position of power and success. 3. Use the 5 forces model to analyze and interpret the opportunities and threats that the industry within which a company operates (of your choice), throws up. Explain how the company plans to capitalise on the opportunities and tackle the threats understanding where power lies in a business situation. It also helps to understand both the strength of a firm’s current competitive position, and the strength of a position a company is looking to move into. Despite the fact that the Five Force framework focuses on business concerns rather than public policy, it also emphasizes extended competition for value rather than Just competition among existing rivals, and the simpleness of its application inspired numerous companies as well as business schools to adopt its use (Wheelen and Hunger, 1998). * Chez Airlinbe company is not an isolated unit in the world and performs within a market full of other competitors. To be able to evaluate their position on market and to act accordingly they themed the Porter’s Five Forces Model. This model helped to define and realize their business and its surroundings and identify threats and opportunities to focthem on. They review this model periodically to obtain up-to-date data in this global and turbulent environment. The Porter Model consists of 5 elements which together comprises the environment business operate in. These elements are: suppliers, customers, new entrants, existing competition and the product itself. By assessing every one of these elements they get the whole picture of heir company within the market and the rating helps them target the key areas. They theme the scale of 0-5 to evaluate the policies of each element where O means no policies and 5 very high policies (reffering to the number in the brackets). * 1) Policies of Suppliers As they operate in the areas of services there are no critical commodities having large influence of their everyday service delivery. Therefore this area is not of critical policies in a short run. However, they should not underestimate this element as they wouldn’t be able to continue the business in long run without suppliers. f their supply (3) This is a threat in case of the aircraft machines. There are not many reputable airplanes (and airplanes parts) producers and therefore they could have strong policies to control the air travel industry. As for the catering, gift services and other indirect materials there are many fragmented choice and therefore their policies is of almost no significance as they could be replaced quickly. There are no substitutes for the particular input (5) There are no substitutes for planes (in case they want to continue providing air transportation instead of ground routes) and herefore the policies of this element is very high – business critical. They could reduce this policies by handling cargo theming the earth services but this might decrease service level they provide to their customers. * The suppliers’ customers are fragmented, so their bargaining policies is low (4) There are more than 200 airlines all over the world and despite some alliance organizations (such as IATA) they are all potential competitors. The policies of this element is relatively high as the suppliers could afford losing one customers but the customers can’t afford loosing the critical supplier (e. g. Boeing). The switching costs from one supplier to another are high (3) Switching costs in air transport industry are mainly related to the fact of limited airplanes producers and to the machine a company already owns. They theme planes form 3 producers: Airbthem, Boeing and ATR.