Outdoor Recreation and Park Management Essay

In order for a national park to protect their natural and cultural values, it is crucial for managers to effectively and actively administer protocols and regulations to safeguard the ecological integrity of the park and to provide to visitors the service they desire. While managers attempt to resolve such issues, they find themselves in a predicament where conflicting goals play a problematic factor. A diversity of issues poses as threats to the flora and fauna, vegetation and landscape of parks within Canada. Over the years, the ability to control fire, introduced plant life, losses of species, urbanization and tourism have contributed to significant issues that managers face on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. Largely, the outlook of our ecological footprint and health of a park requires the management of the pressures of internal and external developments and public use. A park’s management strategies need to promote conservation of the vegetation, fauna and habitat within the park as well as catering for park visitors. Question 1: 5 Park Management Issues As a manager of a park, an array of issues affects both short term and long-term goals for management to contend with. At times, these issues usually conflict with the progress of anothe, in which forfeiting or sacrifice from one area is needed to fix another. I will introduce and explain 5 significant management issues that managers face while operating a park. 1. Tourism and Visitation The first of the issues that our park is faced with is tourism and visitation. Parks in Canada offer essential recreation assets for Canada. Their popularity with visitors indicates that immense visitor pressures are being placed on some parks and on the most popular recreation sites within a park. Tourism is an immense issue that we should not overlook and should not be underestimated. Below are two tables that display the sources of our income in parks and one that illustrates the revenue sources of parks for the 2000/2001 year. As we can distinguish in table 3, there is a huge influx of revenue emerging from park entry fees alone. $50 million is derived from park entry fees, camping fees and rental and concessions, where we can presuppose that these figures are a major financial backing for the operation of a park. This issue should be seen noteworthy to management as financial funding, in the means of tourism and visitation, secures a cushion for future developments and park sustainability. (Eagles, 2002) (Eagles, 2002) 2. Urbanization. A further more external pressure that parks are experiencing is the sudden emergence and increase of urbanization. â€Å" Increasing environmental pressures, such as those arising from increased tourist traffic and the urbanization of peripheral zones, with all the resulting air, water and noise pollution, have had as much impact on park ecosystems as they have on those outside the protected areas (Machlis & Tichnell 1985)†. For park managers, residential development is of great consequence and threat to the native fauna and flora of a park. Nonetheless, many people do not recognize the effects of their participation in activities on parks within proximity to where they reside. The effects of residential development on parks induce a magnitude of threatening ecological impacts. Such impacts include a foray of indigenous vegetation by persistent garden plants from bordering properties, a decrease in the scenic quality due to construction and clearing of vegetation, and soil erosion and dieback of vegetation as a result of storm water runoff (Solecki 1994). Storm water runoff from roads with the combination of the drainage of local residential wastes and treated waste matter from properties around a park is an additional aspect to be watchfully managed when urbanization becomes more apparent. The drainage as well as, the runoff from bordering roads can potentially lead to the decease of vegetation within the park. Poorly maintained septic tanks can result in nutrient-rich runoff being discharged. These wastes create unfavourable conditions for native vegetation and promote growth of weeds. Not only are smaller provincial parks are immune to this issue but also parks on a larger scale – national parks. 3. Loss of Species / Increase in Fauna The next issue to deal with is the introductions of species often unfavourably affect the native fauna and flora. The newly emerged fauna can directly contend with indigenous fauna for breeding sites and food. A possible harm that is negatively tied with the foreign fauna also introduced diseases, wide spread of weeds and prey upon native species (Louda 1997). Introduced species include domestic and feral cats, domestic dogs, foxes, rabbits, blackbirds and the common starling. This issue is not to be ignored as it is deeply tied into the overall appeal of why tourist may visit a park. 4. Fire One issue that should not go unnoticed for park management is the control of fire. The control of fire both negatively (forest fires) and positively (fire regime) should be placed as a priority as it endangers both human life and the ecological footprint of the park. Plant communities and their connected flora and fauna have progressed over thousands of years under a natural fire regime. The use of fire has key effects on ecosystems (Weber & Stock, 1998). The effects of fire management may be advantageous or undesirable, depending on the distinctiveness of the fire and the nature of the area burnt. Fires have the possibility to cause soil erosion, alter stream flow and water quality as well as change the vegetation composition. (Parsons, Graber, Agee, & Van Wagtendonk, 2005) Fire management is a very complicated and contentious issue, which often entails the balancing of fire safety requirements alongside vegetation and habitat management necessities. 5. Loss of Habitat / Increase in Flora Lastly, the fifth stand out issue that managers face when operating a park is the increase in flora. The spread of emerging plants from neighbouring residential gardens, abandoned farms, tracks and roadsides root a continuing change in the arrangement and diversity of the vegetation. This can lead to a considerable alteration in the nature of the ecosystem and habitat within the park. One persistent type of an introduced plant is weed. The destructive nature of many weeds is such that they quickly occupy disturbed areas and prevent the germination and regeneration of indigenous species (Louda, Kendall, Connor, & Simberloff, 1997). In this way weeds may reduce the variety of species present in a park. Weed can be a detrimental factor in parks as they can cause soil disturbance, grazing by introduced animals, increase frequencies of fire and the presence of bordering agricultural land with weed species. Question 2 – Two Outdoor Recreation Activities The two activities that I will be discussing are rock climbing and hunting. Both of these activities vary in the characteristics each one hold. When comparing both activities, I will point of the differences in environment used for each activity, the types of organizations provided, types of environmental attitudes, positive and negative impacts caused by them and the socio-demographics of the participants. For rock climbing, the environment used is very undemanding, as it is typically done outdoors. Climbs more often than not take place on sunny days when the holds are dry and provide the best grip. At their own discretion, climbers can also endeavor to climb at night or in poor weather conditions if they have the appropriate training and equipment. In spite of this, night climbing or climbing in poor weather conditions will increase the difficulty and danger on any climbing route. Hunting is a kind of recreational that demands money, time and effort. Today, most hunting in Canada is recreational and motivated by the tangible as well as intangible rewards of success. For hunting, the environment used differs greatly from rock climbing (Bruner, Gullison, Rice, & da Fonseca, 2005). For Hunting, weather is an integral aspect in the success of hunters, and ideal weather conditions time and again greatly increase the probability of a kill. â€Å"Ideal hunting weather is on a cold day, with light rain, and no wind. (Miller, 1990)† Windy days are usually poor for hunting, as the game are assumed to avoid open spaces on windy days. You may be able to hunt on a windy day, but you will have a more difficult time finding the game since they will not be congregating in open fields where they are highly visible. Hunting is best on days when there is a delicate drizzle. Most game, such as deer’s, enjoy the rain, and tend to be out on rainy days. Cold weather is the last element to good hunting weather. â€Å"Cold weather is best for deer hunting, as that is when deer are most likely to leave their dwellings. †(Miller 1990) Deer have an adrenaline rush when the temperature suddenly drops, which makes them even more vulnerable to hunters. Deer tend to avoid hot weather, and often sleep through the hot humid days of summer. Types of Organizations: There are a multiple of institutes and organizations that offer rock climbing. Typically the majority of provincial and national parks, and some regional and municipal parks offer rock climbing as one of their many outdoor recreation activities. In addition to parks offering this activity, many independent and private organization offer climbing experiences through clubs, for example, Alpine Club of Canada. Unlike rock climbing, the types of organizations in hunting are very restricted. Hunting is prohibited in National Parks across the country, but is available at selected provincial and regional parks. Being under governmental laws and regulations, higher authority set out rules governing hunters. These rules may entail strictures on age and qualifications of applicants for hunting licences, as well as defining hunting zones, seasons and bag limits. â€Å"Strict laws regulate when, where, what and how a person can hunt. In Ontario, each gun hunter must pass both the Canadian Firearms Safety Course exam and the Ontario Hunter Education Course exam (Govt Ont)† Type of Environmental Attitudes: Rock Climbing holds a more naturalistic attitude towards the environment. Rock climbing can be associated with a strong attachment to wild nature. Ones desire and contact desired is achieved through both the physical and mental aspect of climbing. Hunting holds a negativistic and doministic environmental attitude. It is usually associated with dislike, domination, and control. Depending on the type of hunting, it can display the dangers, the skill, the superiority, or the competition hunting bestows. Positive and Negative Impacts The positive impacts of rock climbing stimulate the participant both mentally and physically. When you consider the benefits of rock climbing, you usually think first of the physical benefits. Rock climbing is a recreation that requires a great deal of physical strength. Most people who become involved in the sport soon realize that they must be in excellent shape to even begin to enjoy it. This leads to an increase in physical conditioning that is most often beneficial to the participants overall health. Even though many rock climbers abide to the â€Å"leave no trace† and â€Å"minimal impact† practices, rock climbing can be damaging to the environment. Common environmental damages include: litter, chalk accumulation, soil erosion, abandoned bolts and ropes, human excrement, introduction of foreign plants through seeds on shoes and clothing, and damage to native plant species, especially those growing in cracks and on ledges as these are often deliberately removed during new route development through a process commonly referred to as cleaning. (Jakus 1996) Hunting brings forth both positive and negative impacts to the environment. The positive impact hunting retains is it helps maintain certain species of wildlife and their environment by keeping the animal’s population from exceeding its habitat’s carry capacity. It can bring wildlife populations up and create a much more nourishing environment for them. Hunting also provides predation for species of animal that no longer have predation due to various reasons. This keeps the ecosystem in balance ( Bruner 2005). Essentially, hunting Prevents wildlife populations from getting out of control that will eventually harm the wildlife, their environment, and possibly humans. As like some of the issues managers deal with, some pose as controversial and conflicting issues. One of the negative impact that hunting results in is it can cause populations of certain species of wildlife to decline. It may also interfere with natural predation which would cause the ecological footprint to drastically alter in the long run. Socio-demographics of Participants: The majority of people think that rock climbing is a recreation for men; this is not true at all. Climbing is an activity for both men and women, kids to adults. Rock climbing is a fairly inexpensive outdoor recreation compared to other activities like skiing. Educational background does not play a significant role in the decision to participate in such activity. Hunting is well scattered among age groups, with slightly more interest in the 35-44 age group. It is also popular among all education levels, with to some extent more interest shown by high school graduates. Hunting is mainly popular with rural residents and with those making $30,000-$49,999. The US Fish and Wildlife Service reports that approximately 35% of the nation’s hunters live in the South, as do 73% of the African-American hunters, 39% of the Hispanic hunters and 29% of the female hunters. Question 3 – Future Predictions My predictions for hunting will depend greatly on multiple factors. In the next 30 years I see hunting decreasing at a steady. Based on global climate, government laws and regulations, as well as park restrictions, hunting will be a very rare recreation. The changing climate will alter the hunting seasons in the means of shortening the duration periods. With strict gun laws and hunting regulations affirmed by the government and the rapidly changing economy, I feel as if the population will view hunting more of a hassle involving the multiple licensing and registration one needs to complete before being able to hunt. In addition, with the increasing urbanization in Canada, it will start to affect the more rural areas where hunting is allowed. Once these areas have been developed, laws will soon prohibit the use of hunting. My prediction for rock climbing is on the other side of the spectrum in regards to hunting. I strongly feel that there will be an increase in participation for this type of recreation. This is based on numerous of factors. Firstly, we live in a very physical and influential world. As the world becomes more health aware and proactive, people will start to view climbing as a physical activity. Similarly like yoga, this form of recreation and exercise involves overcoming both physical and mental barriers. It involves stretching of the muscles, as well as exercising of the mind. Overall, Park managers must consider a whole spectrum of issues in order to satisfy both the ecological footprint and the desires of the customers. It is a difficult challenge to prioritize one task over another as a great majority of them coincide with one another. Given the two very different outdoor recreation activities, we were able to observe the different environments, the impacts and the demographics each activity entails. From this we gain a stronger understanding of the the role that managers play in the delivery of outdoor recreation within Canada. Work Cited Bruner, A. G. , Gullison, R. E. , Rice, R. E. , & da Fonseca, G. A. (2005, Jan 5). Effectiveness of Parks in Protecting Tropical Biodiversity. Science 5 , 125-128. Eagles, P. F. (2002). Trends in Park Tourism: Economics, Finance and Management. Journal of Sustainable Tourism , 141-144. Fortin, M. -J. , & Gagnon, C. (1999, June 23). An assessment of social impacts of national parks on communities in Quebec, Canada. Environmental Conservation 26 , 201-206. Louda, S. M. , Kendall, D. , Connor, J. , & Simberloff, D. (1997, August). Ecological Effects of an Insect Introduced for the Biological Control of Weeds. Science 22 , 1088 – 1090. Miller, S. D. (1990). Impact of Increased Bear Hunting on Surviorship of young Bears. Wildl. Soc. Bull , 462-467. Parsons, D. J. , Graber, D. M. , Agee, J. K. , & Van Wagtendonk, J. W. (2005, July 03). Natural fire management in National Parks. Environmental Management , 21-24. Theil, D. , Menoni, E. , Brenot, J. -F. , & Jenni, L. (2007). Effects of Recreation and Hunting on Flushing Distance of Capercaillie. Journal of Wildlife Management , 1. Weber, M. G. , & Stock, B. J. (1998). Forest Fires and Sustainability in the Boreal Forest of Canada. Royal Sweedish Academy of Science , 545-547. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: October 2002. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: National Overview. May 2007.

Coffee Bean Essay

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf was founded by Mona and Herbert Hyman and it is established in Los Angeles, California in the year 1963. The first Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf were established here in Malaysia in 1997. The company offers a wide variety of its own signature beverages that ranges from coffee to non-coffee drinks and launched their very own signature drink; â€Å"The Original Ice Blended† in 1989 and has been the main highlight of its company ever since. We will take a look into the possibility of bringing in a new product that could be a mainstay for the Ice Blended range that is already available here in Malaysia. Currently, the range of its Ice Blended drinks is limited to several coffee and non-coffee drinks. Although from time to time Coffee Bean has been introducing promotional and seasonal Ice Blended drinks, none of these drinks will be served in the main menu after that the promotion is over. With this. Although a majority of Malaysians like to drink coffee oriented drinks, With the introduction of the Honeydew Ice Blended to the market, it will help boost the challenge of bringing in new flavors for the market. Situation Analysis The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is entering its fifteenth year of operation in Malaysia with many of its products ranging from its well known â€Å"The Original Ice Blended† beverages which carries coffee and non-coffee drinks have been well received by the public. However. 2.2 SWOT Analysis The following SWOT analysis captures the key strengths and weaknesses for the proposed product and describes the opportunities and threats that it will face. 2.2.1 Strength The Honeydew Ice Blended drink is offered during the summer seasons and it is well known as the refreshing summer drink in United States. With summer all year long in the South East Asia region, this product has also been proven as a main-stay in the Philippines and Singapore’s The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. This product carries a cool, chilling and refreshing sweet taste which suits the pallets of the South East Asian region. 2.2.2 Weaknesses This product may not be suitable for coffee drinkers as the drink does not offer any coffee taste and it’s a fruit oriented drink. It’s also not suitable for those who are watching their calories and diet as the drink carries a high calorie range due to the sweetness and the cream that the drink offers. As this product targets the youth which comprises of teens and working adults in their twenties, some may be price sensitive to this beverage offer as it may be expensive compared to the local. 2.2.3 Opportunities Younger generations, whom fell under the legal drinking age, are known as one of the fastest-growing segments of the beverages market. These generations prefer fresh and upcoming products rather than stagnant products that they have consumed daily. With a brand new product being introduced, it will trigger the targeted younger generation with the enthusiasm to go. The lifestyle factors converger. 2.2.4 Threats Global coffee and tea market have been increasingly growing and it has since been an extremely competitive sector. Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf goes up against its closest rivals such as Starbucks, Dome, Cha Time and Old Town Cafà © here in Malaysia. Competition The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has been a powerhouse brand in providing its ice blended beverages. However, there are companies that do make similar ice blended beverages such as Starbucks and Cha Time. The Coffee Bean & Tea Lead has the upper hand because of the creation of the â€Å"The Original Ice Blended† line which gives the company the extra edge. Although the mentioned competitors have been making ice blended beverages, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has its own signature way of making these beverages special and cannot be matched with its competitors.   

Booker T Washington Essays - Booker T. Washington, American Slaves

Booker T. Washington an African American was born on April 5, 1856 in Hale?s Ford, Virginia. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery but however he was freed by the Civil War in 1865. Also, Booker T. Washington?s original name was Booker Taliaferro. Washington?s father was an white man and his mother was one of the slaves of James Burroughs. Later on Booker T. Washington?s mother remarried a slave by the name of Washington Ferguson and when Booker was enrolled in school, he took the last name of his stepfather becoming known as Booker T. Washington. However, even though Booker T. Washington went to Franklin County school, he was not there as a student but to carry books for one of James Burroughs's daughters since it was illegal to educate slaves that time. In the summer of 1865, Booker T. Washington migrated with his siblings to Malden, West Virginia to join his stepfather. However, even though Washington?s mother couldn?t read herself, she encouraged Booker T. Washington to rea d by buying him spelling books. As time went on Washington?s mother also enrolled Booker T. Washington in an elementary school. Encouraged by his teacher Booker T. Washington learned how to read and write but he still wasn?t satisfied, he wanted to pursue his education. At the age of sixteen, Booker T. Washington left Malden and enrolled at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, in Hampton, Virginia. However, Washington didn?t have enough money to pay for his school fees so he worked at the school to pay for his education throughout the way. Due to his education and strong beliefs Washington was an African American educator, orator, author and a dominant leader. From 1878-1879 Washington attended Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C., and returned to teach at Hampton Institute. ?The president of Hampton, Samuel C. Armstrong recommended Washington to become the first principal at Tuskegee Institute.? (wikianswers.com) Tuskegee Institute was opened in July 4, 1881. The year af ter the institute opened booker T. Washington purchased former plantation which went on to become the permanent site of the campus. Under Booker T. Washington?s directions, the students learned how to provide for their basic necessities themselves. ?The main goal of Tuskegee Institute was not to produce farmers and tradesmen, but teachers of farming and trades who taught in the new high schools and colleges for blacks across the South.? (wikipedia.com) Now Tuskegee Institute is known as Tuskegee University.In his whole lifetime Booker T. Washington married three times. First, he married Fannie N. Smith and had one daughter. Fannie died in May of 1884. Next, Washington married Olivia A. Davidson. They had two sons Booker T. Washington Jr. and Ernest Davidson Washington before she died in 1889. Last, Booker T. Washington married Margaret James Murray who outlived Washington and died in 1925. Despite Washington?s, widespread work, his health was getting worse rapidly. He died in his ho me in Tuskegee on November 14, 1915 at the age of fifty nine. It was later discovered that the reason for his death was hypertension. Booker T. Washington was buried on the campus of Tuskegee University near the University Chapel.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali Essay

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali - Essay Example The clock literally is a very clear illustration of time which tells us of things that we cannot get back anymore or perhaps the notion of fleeting objects and at the same time, the use of a clock metaphorically can be attributed to our memories. As a whole, the artwork tells a story where the fading clock is a strong symbolism for human’s memory which is something that we want to hold on to for as long as we can and yet is able to slip away. This is also the irony that it communicates especially creating the mood through the strong contrast between the light and dark colors. At first glance, you would be able to see the opposing reflection of softness and hardness theory. This is seen through the variety of use of shape and form where the art uses free form or natural shapes to demonstrate the softness of the art that would give you an illusion of softness and rigidity while using a mixture of the three-dimensional shapes and lines such as of the trunk that helped the art achieve the clarity of hardness, achieving the comparison with what stays and what are fleeting. Also, the contrast of dark and light colors here, repeatedly used creates that balance between the irony of our memories fleeting and at the same time the reality that time is something that is supposed to slip away. When it comes to the principles of design, movement is one of the greatly used principle in the artwork by using of the soft elements of the artwork such as the melting clock and letting it fills up negative space which is space around the hard objects and makes it lean towards it, copying the shape of the latter. Indeed, the art leaned on the use of movement to express a fading and melting state of the clock, directing it to the copy the shape or direction of the hard objects.  

Use of Satellites by the US Military to Improve Battlefield Awareness Essay

Use of Satellites by the US Military to Improve Battlefield Awareness - Essay Example Evidences in support of this are the depth and range of research on this topic carried out by various scholars and interested parties. Their recent operations and raids have utilized space surveillance as a method of staying alert in the battle field. Technology and military theory, as well as the manner, in which it is applied during war and the impact of the aforementioned on the society, will be looked into keenly with the analysis of the works of various researchers on the topic. Another aspect will be that of information warfare. There are other researches on related topics, which support this view from different angles but with similar findings as will be realized subsequently. Revolution in military affairs has put technology in the right perspective when it comes to battlefield awareness. The US military as history has it, made heavy investments on military technology with space craft's as a priority1. Use of devices that collect data before putting up a plan of attack while at war takes center stage in the US military operation layout. The socioeconomic paradigm of each era in the US reflects on the investments made in ensuring victory over the wars. In so doing, poor return on technological investments scales escalate. Errors in judgments are associated with such technologies resulting to retarded economic progress. This may be referred to as information war that involves a lot of tact in locating targets and monitoring the movement of the opposite parties. Other theorists have made attempts to predict how information warfare has capabilities of providing dominant information awareness about the battle space. Manipulation and exploitation of the enemy electronic system or even destroying the enemy station comes as a preference in times of war. Aerial bombing falls as a strategy of intimidating the enemy. In order to apply it effectively, the US must survey the ground structure and set ups so as to locate the targets. Defenseless cities become devastated and terrify societies other than demoralizing the enemy. Air strikes are the most applied methods of attack; the US military air jet fighters have precise technological devices that take care of space view other than the satellites. The ability of any military to combat the enemies from advancing using cyberspace uses information technology. Information warfare has been the yardstick to cyberspace application in the warfare. A network of satellites acts as a bridge between ideas and action universally. This has enabled a god's eye view of the planet including all ongoing activities. A typical application of this is border incursion, which may be thwarted immediately advances are made. New technology changes the application used in the space warfare at a relatively fast rate2.Technological innovations increase the risk of vulnerability hence the Americans military to keep up their research and advancement in space satellite surveillance. This is not only applied during the war, but through the day to day activities in the military and space sc ience research fields. Peer competitors of the US on a face off proved it all with an attack on US space satellite system, GPS and other communication systems. What followed was a nuclear, electromagnetic burst within the space this destabilized more than 50 percent of the military infrastructure on information that the weapon systems rely. Innovations have brought about changes in the warfare with dramatic change of doctrines within the military. Revolution in the US military may be given a non conclusive definition.

MGT 511 CASE ASSIGNMENT 3 Work-Life Issues Essay

MGT 511 CASE ASSIGNMENT 3 Work-Life Issues - Essay Example The main aim here is to ensure that the individual spends equal time and energy on home matters, family activities and also self well being. Some of main reasons a work life balance is so focused on is the need to spend quality and flexible hours in taking care of the elderly, children and also better health care. With the growing levels of competition the need for flexible working hours and conditions, the concept has been well received by numerous large organisations however has not been very well received by other smaller organisations. A number of the large organisations and medium scaled companies provide the employees with a chance to have shorter work weeks and flexible schedules as well as options to work from home. Also companies are now adopting the flexible work hours and flexible work environment as a part of the corporate social responsibility as well. An excellent source of information for the work place flexibility is that presented by Ken Giglio of the Sloan Work and Family Research Network. The website provides a wide range of flexibility options provided by several companies keeping in mind the needs of the workforce (Giglio, n.d.). As seen in the case study by Giglio, it is evident that companies like AFLAC provide the employees with a flexible work environment and are not very strict in terms of the work hours. The company works on the principle that if the employees are taken care of, then the employees will also take care of the business. The Gen X and Gen Y have very different approaches and perspectives to the work life balance. The differences relate to the attitude of work as well as the views and the changing work demographics in America. The Gen X is more focused on the fulfilment that they achieve from life. The typical family here will include both parents working and in case of any family needs, the wife tends to make changes to her work schedule accordingly. Here in Gen X the women need more flexible work options. However in the case of Gen Y, the men contribute to the work within the house as well. Here the men take up the roles of being a husband, father and also caregiver. This generation does not focus on the traditional gender roles and as explained by Fraone (2010), â€Å"Traditional gender roles no longer apply in a  marketplace, where women earn over half of all graduate degrees and have (in some  industries) the earning potential of their male counterparts† (Fraone, 2010).  Ã‚  Here in Gen Y the men take on the role within the family and here the men tend to be more involved in raising the children and also working towards child care responsibilities as well. As explained by Harrington in Fraone (2010), â€Å"The progressive organizations that we work with have developed a wide array of policies to support their employees and many are striving to foster a culture of flexibility, agility and viewing employees as a whole person† (Fraone, 2010). There is however a common issue wher e the managers or the Gen X workers tend to over look the role of men in home related work and also tend to overlook women who need flexible work conditions for family care. It is also crucial to note here that corporate leadership styles tend to be diverse and this provides a chance to provide better equitable work life balance as well. The leaders within an organisation may not always have children or may have children who are grown, or may not even have elderly to care for within the family.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 26

Case Study Example As one with potential background in the human resource, I think I have to integrate the idea or the involvement of actual concepts in the HR policies and the sophisticated knowledge on how to resolve human resource-related conflicts, particularly on the ground of consideration of individual interests. One issue is the actual concern of the validity of the policies involved in the HR department, from the start until at present. There seems to be a significant change in this policy and this is a remarkable issue that needs to be closely considered, because it also concerns potential individual interests, both from the point of view of the employee and the firm. Another important issue is the legality of the prevailing action performed or initiated by the new HR management. This leads further to the actual issue of finding resolution for this issue, in order to ensure both parties are at least meeting half way. There is an actual conflict of interests as depicted in the main problem of the case. On the part of the HR department, the interest is in favor of the company, and on the side of the employee, the interest is in finding how he could substantially be compensated with his actual service and qualification. These are common interests within an organisation that employs human resource for profitable gain on the part of the company and on the part of the employee. On the part of the HR department, it seeks to implement policy that will substantially cover the need of the company to control or cut cost and even ensure profit. This is not usually the actual case among employees, as showcased in the case of John Cooley. He wants to be compensated fairly, as based on the previous policy implemented and his prevailing actual qualification in the company. There are other important things that the case showed. One of them is the issue of the actual leadership of the new HR management. This is integrated with how she substantially implements policy in a way that

Contemporary Employment Relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Contemporary Employment Relationship - Essay Example 5). In the past, trade unions functioned by acting as a platform for collective bargaining whereby workers would congregate to find a solution to some of the challenges they faced at the workplace. Contrarily, trade unions do not appeal to most modern day workers because of commitments in various job descriptions (Farnham & Giles, 1995, p. 5). Little differences exist between trade unions and Human Resource Management practices. The diversification of human resource practices within organisations has rendered the activities of trade unions unimportant. For instance, employees in the modern day organisation find it easy to air their grievances through the human resource department instead of following external paths offered by trade unions. Based on the recent trends, workers are rejecting trade unions representation, but they want a voice in representation at the workplace. Additionally, workers view the activities of trade unions as going against work ethics; hence, they opt to stick with the internal processes (Sherk, 2012, para 2). Consequently, trade unions have been effectively substituted with HRM units as platforms for representing the worker’s interests. Therefore, it is evident that the increase in human resource management practices has led to the decline in activities of trade unions (Sherk, 2012, Para 2 ). The following report will highlight how workers and organisations, in general, co-exist without trade unions. Additionally, it will focus on how the human resource management practices are taking up the activities of trade unions are a means of addressing the issues employees face. The decline in the popularity of trade unions is a feature in many countries. In the last 30 years, the United Kingdom has mostly been affected by this trend. In the 1970s, nearly 60% of the workers were members of respective trade unions that set the terms of employment, such as wage limits, benefits and retirement packages.

HR Home Work 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR Home Work 6 - Assignment Example These areas of my education are very helpful to an aspiring CSA like me, as they will enable me to deal with clients of all walks of life and successfully close any transaction they might have with the company.† â€Å"I want to work for this company because not only is it reputed to have a good working environment that drives employees to excel, but it also has a record of fairness. This implies that the company strictly complies with existing labor laws and provides its workforce certain opportunities for growth. In addition, I want to work for this company because its mission-vision is very much in line with my personal goals.† The quoted paragraph above was my reply to this particular question during my job interview. I do not think any necessary revision should be made because the answer really captured the thoughts I intended to express at that time. I answered this question with by saying, â€Å"I believe I am the best person for the job because I am dedicated, devoted and armed with the right knowledge and skills. I will work to the best of my abilities.† â€Å"I believe I am the best person for this job because I am equipped with the knowledge and skills suitable to the position I have applied for. Such knowledge and skills are also honed by a high standard university with competent instructors. More than that, however, I am a person who is very much dedicated in almost every aspect of life. I am willing to sacrifice time, energy and resources just to get a work done. Giving up is also not in my vocabulary. Thus, if I am given my job, I will do my utmost to deliver the performance you seek.† â€Å"My strengths as an individual would stem from the drive to excel, sincere devotion to the responsibilities and tasks assigned to me, and the ability to cope up with pressures while delivering outputs on time. I am also

Five causes for the public not to trust government, and five causes Coursework

Five causes for the public not to trust government, and five causes for the public to trust government - Coursework Example (Nye Jr., 1997) These are indeed pretty much required because the public views the government as its ultimate savior at the end of the day and if the government misses out on this tangent, then the public has only the government to blame and no one else. The third cause for the public not to trust the government is the way in which government officials run away from the people after they have been elected to their respective offices. This creates a sense of insecurity within the people and they start disrespecting law since they are being continuously treated the wrong way by the government. The fourth cause is the way the government changes its stance every now and so often when it comes to the general and important policies which are drafted by the government on a consistent basis. This is a very pivotal aspect of the debate since these policies indeed pave the way for the future lives of the public. The fifth and last cause includes the government giving up on the service aspect o f the public. This usually happens when the government loses the plot and goes into doubling its own assets and forgets the general public. (Diiulio Jr., 1994) There are also moments when the public trusts the government and this is indeed an aspect which could be seen in the positive aspects under the relationship between the two. First cause includes the way when the government meets the expectations of the public as well as exceeds the very same time and again. This is appreciated by the public and is looked up with a sense of pride and confidence by the people. The second cause of the public trusting the government is when the government takes care of the most basic utilities that are related with the people. This is a very positive aspect and one that needs high praise for the government. The third cause for the public to trust the government is when there are rescue and relief operations carried out on a quick basis by the

Information Systems Increases Revenue Essay Example for Free

Information Systems Increases Revenue Essay According to a research project completed by CFO Research Services, a Senior Vice President of a large U. S-based global services firm stated, â€Å"The CFO should always allow IT organization to innovate, to experiment, and [should] understand that there is financial risk associated with innovation. Not every IT investment will have an ROI, but allowing IT to be thought leaders is imperative in today’s evolving technology landscape. † Therefore, technology and IT is central to building relationships with customers’ thereby increasing revenue for the company. The research project also noted that business intelligence, mobility, and cloud computing will be the most important technologies for business over the next three years. Using technology is difficult in today because it is constantly evolving. According to the research conducted by CFO Research Services, it states that â€Å"old models based on enterprise silos are giving way to a new hybrid – business technology – as IT organizations, finance functions, and business operations alike acknowledge you can’t have one without the other. By increasing the integration of advance technology to its fullest potential a company can accurately and effectively meet the customer’s needs and operate efficiently, thereby increase revenue. In order for companies to build relationships with their customers they must be able to gain the customers trust. According to Jean-Pierre Lauzier of Jean-Pierre Lauzier Communications, â€Å"trust is based on a feeling, in impression or a perception – meaning something intangible – and is not based on anything rational or logical. Studies have shown that 15% of a customer’s trust in [a company] comes from the [company’s] technical competency, and 85% from the [company’s] human qualities†¦ To build trust it must be natural and authentic. † In order for a company to effectively build trust with a customer they have to make the customer feel that they know them and are sincerely interested in helping them. One great way for a company to do this is through the use of Customer Relationship Management software (CRM). According to Dr. Ruth N Bolton, â€Å"CRM is a strategic approach concerned with creating improved shareholder value through the development of appropriate relationships with key customers and customer segments. CRM unites the potential of relationship marketing strategies and IT [information technology] to create profitable, long-term relationships with customers and other key stakeholders. CRM provides enhanced opportunities to use data and information to both understand customers and co-create value with them. This requires a cross-functional integration of processes, people, operations and marketing capabilities that is enabled through information, technology and applications. † Therefore it is the CRM system that makes it possible for a company to effectively and efficiently communicate with any number of customers so that each customer feels unique. At a high level companies interact with their customer in four ways: Strategic Marketing, Pricing and Revenue Optimization, Tactical Marketing, and Customer Experience Management. Successful companies are efficient and effective in all four categories. Customer Relationship Management software make this possible. CRM provide detailed information about a customer’s interactions with the company as well as analytical information geared to enable the company to successfully provide tactical marketing and enhance the customer experience. They do this by allowing a company to track and record all of the customer’s interaction with the company so that the company can customize their interaction with the customer based on the customer’s previous behavior. According to a Computerworld survey in 1996, companies implement CRM systems in order to 1) increase customer retention, 2) respond to competitive pressures and 3) improve customer service. CRM systems are able to also reduce company costs by reducing employees time spent with customers by eliminating repetitive tasks that might be required if the company did not have a CRM system. For example, when a customer is transferred from one customer service representative to another the CRM system would transfer all customer information and conversation notes so that the employee does not have to waste time asking all the same questions that the first representative asked before being able to attempt to help the customer. However, CRM’s primary focus is to create higher revenue by helping companies build a larger percentage of loyal customers through the use of building trust and relationships with their current and future customers. Acquiring new customers is extremely costly for a company. Surveys have shown that it could cost a company six times more to acquire a new customer than to keep a current customer. Not only that, but if a company is able to build a loyal customer base those loyal customers are worth much more than their own personal purchase volume. A loyal customer is likely to share their experience with others about companies that they are very loyal to and have a close relationship with. Therefore, the company is able to acquire repeat sales to the current customer and able to obtain new customers without any additional cost required to try to attract a new sales and customers. In addition, it has also been shown that it is 16 times easier to sell to an existing customer than it is to sell to a new prospective customer. Therefore, CRM systems recognize the long-run value in potential and current customers. Building customer relationships also require companies to communicate effectively with customers in a multitude of different methods. In today’s environment people are constantly connected and on the go. Companies need to be able to meet the customer’s needs when and how the customer want their needs met. Therefore, it is imperative for companies to offer multiple avenues for customers to communicate with them. Some of those methods include the ways for the older generation such as via the telephone and letters know now days as â€Å"snail mail†. However new technology methods are now being required such as through the company’s website, e-mail, and Social Customer Relationship Management system (SCRM). According to Chris Bucholtz of CRM Outsiders, Social Customer Relationship Management is â€Å"the response of businesses to the advent of social media and the eager adoption of the new communications channels by B2B [Business to Business] and B2C [Business to Customer] buyers alike. It creates a new environment for customer conversations, a new opportunity to learn about customers, and a new opportunity to engage, build peer-to-peer relationships and strengthen brand perception. † He goes on to state that SCRM is more of a strategy than a process or product. It can include many different technology platforms and tools. CRM is the foundation of SCRM and not a replacement for CRM. A company must have a good CRM in place in order to effectively utilize SCRM. According to Bucholtz, the definition of Social CRM â€Å"is a philosophy and a business strategy, supported by a technology platform, business rules, workflow, processes and social characteristics, designed to engage the customer in a collaborative conversation in order to provide mutually beneficial value in a trusted and transparent business environment. It’s the company’s response to the customer’s ownership of the conversation. This definition simply states that it is about people (customers) interacting with people (businesses) and not people (customers) interacting with machines. Due to new technology and people having unique styles of communication, SCRM is about businesses using social media in order to best meet the needs of the customers in the best style of communication for each unique customer. Social media comprises of various online technology tools and can include: text, audio, video, podcasts, and various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Google+. Social Media can increase revenue and growth of a company by 60% versus only 8% for companies that do not use social media, according to Daya Baran on PRWeb. com. The article goes on to state that â€Å"consumers are spending more time and conducting more business online and businesses that have incorporated social media are reaping the benefits as they are gaining visibility with the consumer across the entire online purchase cycle. Social media technologies are fundamentally changing the sales, marketing and operations process. It is redefining the way businesses acquire customers, generate leads, creates competitive differentiation, customer response, branding and manage crisis. † Therefore, Social CRM’s aim is to enhance the customer’s experience and relationship thereby building loyalty with the company. And as we have already discussed, a customer’s loyalty is worth much more than their customers’ individual value thus increasing revenue for the company. Another customer relationship building mechanism is Customer Experience Management. The e-zine, Customer Experience Exchange, states that companies sometime have a hard time seeing what they look like in the customer’s eyes therefore companies have to invest in technology tools to inject that accurate outside-in view from customers. In the past, companies spent much effort on ensuring the share holders were happy rather than customers. Now with new social media outlets customers are able to make themselves heard to companies much easier than ever before. Take for example the recent backlash that millions of Bank of America customers showed when Bank of America announced they were going to implement a new $5. 0 debit card fee. Never before have we seen customers be able to so quickly pull together and force big corporations to think twice before acting. Bank of America was in jeopardy of losing over 300,000 customers if they did not listen closely. Another company that needed to listen to their customers was Netflix. Netflix issued a price increase of 60% to subscribers that wanted both online streaming of movies and home DVD’s. This cause Netflix to lose more than 200,000 subscribers which in turn made Netflix CEO offer a public apology to customers and eliminate their original plan of separating the two companies. With all this being said, it can be seen how imperative it is to a company to be able to attentively listen to their customers. Without an attentive ear and without a company being focused on Customer Experience Management, a company will have difficulty growing and increasing revenue. Anna Fiorentino, of Customer Experience Exchange stated that in order to develop the best customer experience through CEM systems companies not only need to listen as shown in the Bank of America and Netflix examples, but they must also measure and monitor customer conversations and feedback. Through the use of CRM systems a company is able to analyze customer satisfaction. She stated that Coca Cola, Inc. established a customer reward system called My Coke Rewards. This system enables Coca Cola, Inc. the ability to not only listen to their customers but to also measure customer satisfaction and â€Å"deliver real time results creating value for its members as well as internal and external partners. † Kaitlyn Dennihy a strategist at Engauge, the social media agency of record for My Coke Rewards states, â€Å"Measurement is key. Translating business goals into measurable actions within social has allowed us to track the impact of our communities as well as manage and exceed expectations for the social space. Every content piece in social must include a call to action for the user that can be measured. My Coke Rewards provides insight into areas such as customer service, product merchandising and exclusivity. † ING Direct, an online-centric bank that is part of Netherlands-based ING, also believes that meeting customer needs is the basis for creating a thriving social media campaign. ING Direct was able to increase their evenue by listening to online consumer conversations with the help of a program called Radian6. Radian6 is a social media monitoring platform that allows companies the ability to know what’s being said about their brands, industries and competitors online, but to also help them measure, analyze and report on their social CRM efforts. There are many tools on the market now that provide business the ability to obtain statistical information on company website visitors, Google analytics for summarizing search trends, as well as the ability to summarize searches for tweets known as text mining. Radian6 tells companies such as ING Direct who is saying what and whether customers are communicating through a news site or blog and what percentage of influence the customer will have on the company based on web traffic. Gloria Chik, social media lead at ING Direct stated, â€Å"If we get a client complaint, it’s been fantastic to get a full profile of that person. † Companies should be prudent in privacy issues when handling confidential client financial information, making sure to look at each client complaint or compliment individually. No matter what method companies use to track return on investment on Customer Relationship Management, one thing is certain, business must focus on providing excellent customer satisfaction and when faced with unsatisfied customers they must listen. Without satisfied customers a company will have a much more difficult and sometimes impossible climb toward growth and increased revenue. In todays technologically advance world business must constantly be evolving in order to meet the customers’ needs. No longer are businesses able to simply dictate what customers will pay for a product or service. With the today’s generation companies must be diligent in building strong lasting relationships with their customers. Business should look at their customers’ relationships like a marriage. Just as in a marriage a couple must communicate and listen to each other so should a business communicate and listen to their customers. When a company does this they will be able to reap the rewards by having increased revenue and growth. In order to reap these rewards companies must effectively utilize a CRM system and also incorporate SCRM as well as a myriad of other platforms such as mobile apps, mobile websites, QR Codes and much more. By utilizing technology business are able to develop stronger customer relationships by knowing the customer better. Research Comments When I started this research project I struggled at first trying to find enough information on the subject I had chosen. However, once I got started and finally developed an outline and thought process as to what I was going to talk about, I was able to find all kinds of information. Some of the websites listed below were uncovered during the research phase but not necessarily used. Some of the websites were not used because I found the information redundant and others had to be eliminated due to the need for limiting material so that it did not go over the stated maximum for the paper.

Lesbians as Represented in Mainstream Television Essay Example for Free

Lesbians as Represented in Mainstream Television Essay Lesbian images have been entering into mainstream media more and more. Some argue that this is a sign of a wider acceptance of lesbianism in Western culture. In this paper, two mainstream television programs, Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order: SVU, will be looked at to assess the nature of lesbian images. It will be argued that if and when lesbians are portrayed in mainstream television they are highly feminized, desexualized, and their lives are almost always framed in ways that appeal to heterocentric norms. Thus, mass media almost always fails to provide the viewer with an accurate and unbiased perception of lesbianism or homosexuality in a broader sense. Grey’s Anatomy has emerged onto the lesbian scene in the last couple of years by developing Callie Torres, a beautiful, vivacious, Latino woman, into a lesbian in the fifth season. A friendship develops between her and Erica Hahn, a successful, ‘sassy’, and appealing newcomer, and it gradually progresses into something more until finally the two share a kiss. Before the romance can flourish, Torres wrestles with her sexuality, her fears, and her lack of understanding of lesbianism. Soon after the relationship establishes itself, Hahn unexpectedly breaks up with Torres and leaves the show. Typical or is it? A season later, Arizona Robbins, a semi-regular of the show, comes into focus when she blatantly hits on Torres. Shortly after, the two start to date and later find themselves in a committed relationship. The question is how good a job does the show do of accurately portraying lesbians? To start, all three of the women mentioned above are attractive and feminine. All three have long flowing hair always nicely styled and maintained and pretty faces carefully done up with light make-up. This is what Ann Ciasullo refers to as â€Å"sanitizing of the lesbian through her feminizing† (599). In other words, Grey’s Anatomy offers up an image of lesbians that is not too homosexual for the heterosexual audience. While it could be argued that such representations help to combat the rigid stereotypes of lesbians as ugly, butch feminists, the very widespread nature of the ‘femme’ image in media indicates something more is going on (Tamsin). The book Out of Focus, suggests that such feminine representations act to lower the threat of lesbianism by reassuring viewers that such (beautiful and feminine) women can or must actually be heterosexual (Kath Davies). In fact, in Grey’s Anatomy, as in many television programs, the ‘butch’ lesbian is completely absent. All of this suggests that the lesbian chic of the ‘90s is far from dead (Tamsin). Grey’s is well known for its scandalous call room sex scenes. Characters, heterosexual characters that is, escape to hidden corners of the hospital where they argue, make up, and make love on a regular basis. This is interesting because such scenes are practically nonexistent between Torres and Hahn or later Torres and Robbins. In fact, physical contact of any kind is somewhat limited between Torres and Robbins. An example of this can be seen in Season five episode 13 when Robbins` patient dies during surgery. When she gets home to see Torres has planned a surprise birthday party for her she bursts into tears overcome by her grief. The pair leaves the room and at this point you would expect a comforting hug, a loving embrace, or a reassuring kiss on the cheek from any reasonably intimate couple or from any other couple on the show for that matter, but not in this case. Torres tells Robbins that she will explain the situation to their friends and at that Robbins leaves. Additionally, sex scenes between Torres and Robbins are few and far between; those that exist are cut short by interruption or not shown at all. The latter is evidenced in Season five episode 11 when the viewer is shown only the aftermath them lying in bed together, presumably after making love, eating pizza. It is a cute scene but not a sexual scene. This is a familiar pattern found in most television programs or movies featuring lesbian couples and just one way lesbians are desexualized (Ciasullo). A notable exception to this pattern is The L Word, but it will not be the focus of this paper. Since the beginning of their relationship Callie and Arizona have slept together three times. Three times in an entire season and for a relationship in its beginning stages is incredibly low by Grey’s standards (or anyone’s standards really). One of these scenes is the ‘pizza scene’ previously mentioned. In another â€Å"sex† scene, Lexi Grey walks in on the two in the shower and quickly walks out; the viewer sees what Lexi sees and nothing more. The final scene implies the two may have sex, but it is not pursued any further. Considering the show develops long, sensual sex scenes between its heterosexual characters, following them from start to finish, the unwillingness to do the same for its lesbian characters is problematic. This is not an isolated phenomenon. The pattern of desexualization is evident not just in television but also in movies as noted by Ciasullo and Yvonne Tasker in her book Working Girls (Ciasullo; Tasker). Another problem with the depiction of Torres and Robbins’ relationship is that it is often framed by the heterosexual constructs of marriage and reproduction. Tasker discusses this issue noting that by explaining lesbianism within a heterosexual context the (heterosexual) audience is assured that lesbians are normal (by heterosexual standards) (Tasker). Such a practice adheres to conventional social norms while ignoring the differing reality of lesbian’s lives. After Torres’ father finally accepts her lesbianism his first question to her addresses the issue of marriage and children. She assures him that she will put on a â€Å"big white dress and dance down the aisle† if Arizona wants to spend the rest of her life with her. Another example takes place in season six episode three, when Torres talks about being married and having a house, kids and a pet dog with Robbins. This description perpetuates heterocentric beliefs that heterosexual activities and institutions are better than homosexual ones simply because it gives no thought to the possibility that things could be different within homosexual relationships. Furthermore, this effort to depict lesbian couples as ‘normal’ by tying them to conventional social norms suggests that homosexual practices are not normal and as such fails to challenge heterocentrism. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU) is another show with some problematic representations. In over 11 seasons, it has aired a total of five gay-centred storylines and one lesbian specific episode. This discrepancy seems to reflect the idea touched on in Out of Focus that â€Å"coverage of ‘homosexuality’ actually refers to gay men† (Kath Davies 91). A recent episode entitled PC features Kathy Griffin as Babs Duffy, a rude, abrasive, man-hating lesbian activist. First of all, the stereotyping evident in Griffin’s character is troublesome because it feeds into the negative view of lesbians. Visibility is important, but the cost of portraying lesbians in such a light is possibly greater than or as great as not showing them at all. Furthermore, this particular episode is strewn with negative or inaccurate images of lesbians. The episode begins with the discovery of a woman who has been left for dead in an abandoned building. She has been raped and beaten and later dies in the hospital. It is not too long before the viewer finds out from Babs Duffy that the victim was a lesbian. Duffy makes a dramatic entrance into the detectives’ office ordering for the capture of the murderer whom she alleges is targeting lesbians. The investigation commences with a visit to the victim, now known as Alyssa’s, girlfriend. As the episode progresses, you notice something striking – all the main lesbian characters are conventionally attractive, feminine women. More than that though, any lesbian character who is questioned and thus comes into the focus of the camera, is also feminine and pretty. The few butch lesbians in the episode are in the background and barely noticeable. The absence of the butch lesbian is telling. Ciasullo notes that â€Å"without the signifier of the butch, the femme’s lesbianism disappears † (Ciasullo 599). Thus, by eliminating the butch lesbian from the forefront, Law and Order: SVU effectively downplays the lesbianism of the episode. There is, however, one exception – the victim’s girlfriend Sharon, but even here there are issues with her representation as a butch lesbian. The fact that the show chose to make her ‘butch’ is interesting because they also make her a working class, aggressive, even violent, woman. This in effect vilifies the butch lesbian. Sharon even becomes the main suspect at one point because of her temper, and while it is important to shed light on the issue of domestic violence in lesbian relationships the choice to make Sharon, who is butch, into the abuser is not by accident. Ann Ciasullo talks about how presenting butch lesbians in this negative way makes butches into the â€Å"’oppressor,’ the ‘bad’ lesbian† (Ciasullo 600). Further still, her status as a bouncer (and thus as a member of the working class) adds to her mainstream undesirability (Ciasullo). Moreover, even though Sharon is presented as a butch or as Law and Order puts it an â€Å"aggressive,† she is simultaneously portrayed as somewhat feminine. In the first scene that we are introduced to Sharon, her long hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail and she wraps herself up in her long feminine sweater. She is not wearing any noticeable makeup but she is conventionally pretty. After this initial introduction she is likely not yet labelled as a butch by the viewer. It is not until later when she appears in a plaid shirt and leather jacket that it becomes evident that she is butch. It seems butch images are permitted as long as they’re not too butch and as long as the butch character is not framed in a positive way that could be make her desirable. Perhaps the best example of how lesbians are desexualized in Law and Order is in a scene between Babs and Olivia Benson, the female nvestigator. In the initial taping of this scene Babs kisses Olivia, but the kiss doesn’t make it past the cutting room floor. Even worse, the editing is atrocious. It cuts awkwardly from Babs leaning in to Olivia proclaiming that she is straight and something is noticeably missing. The kiss may not be necessary to the plot, but to sacrifice quality in order to remove it demonstrates how fearful t he media are of lesbian sexuality. Further evidence lies in the fact that a kiss between Babs and Elliot Stabler (the male investigator) that happens at the end of the episode remains untouched. However, this revelation, that Babs isn’t actually a lesbian, has a lot of problems on its own. The discovering that Bab’s has a boyfriend, plays on the â€Å"I know she’s a lesbian but † scenario so often found in mainstream media. This idea presents the viewer with the possibility that the lesbian can always become straight or as Ciasullo puts it â€Å"’unbecome’ lesbian† (Ciasullo 592). This places the heterosexual audience in a more comfortable position where they can entertain the idea that the attractive lesbians in the show may actually be straight. This issue comes up once again when the suspected murderer/rapist is in interrogation. Olivia pretends she is a lesbian in order to get a confession out of him: Olivia: â€Å"You know how to correct us you’ve got everything you need to make me a real woman right between your legs –† Suspect: â€Å"and you’d love it just like those other two [victims] did – every moment of it† While this scene may be laid out this way specifically to show the demented thinking of the rapist/murderer, the notion that a lesbian can be â€Å"corrected† or made straight as well the idea that rape victims enjoy being raped are never addressed and corrected. The audience is never informed about how inaccurate these views are. With all this said, the homosexual viewer tends to be somewhat accepting of the images in Grey’s and Law and Order, because as Clare Whatling puts it â€Å"we’re [the lesbian population] so starved, we go see anything because something is better than nothing† (86). Thus, because of the lack of representation, lesbians are more willing to accept inaccurate portrayals. This is troublesome because such images can potentially be detrimental to lesbian’s self perceptions and they’re all the more vulnerable because of the relative disparity of lesbianism in mainstream culture. In conclusion, lesbianism in mainstream television is poorly and inaccurately represented. While shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Law and Order: SVU, have taken steps towards representing lesbians in mainstream media, we have to be careful to assess how big these steps really are. There are several issues with the representations of lesbians in these shows, some of which are addressed in this paper, others which have been left untouched. Thus, there is still a long way to go and many hurdles to surmount before lesbians can be done justice in mainstream media.

Leadership and Organisational Climate Effect on Innovation

Leadership and Organisational Climate Effect on Innovation Access the respective contributions of leadership and organisational climate to promote innovation. 1. Introduction Now more than ever, companies are putting more attention to innovation that make their products and services more competitive, thereby enable them to survive and flourish in the changeable and challenging global environment. There is vast number of articles and papers supporting that innovation can significantly enhance sustainable competitive advantage (Porter, 1998; Shoham and Fieganbaum, 2002; McEvily et al., 2004). Tidd Bessant (2009, p.4) also stressed that innovation is regarded as a key driver of competitive advantage in the manufacturing sector. Innovation is seen by Fagerberg (Fagerberg,et al 2006, p.4) as the first attempt to carry out a new creative idea, and translate it into practice. However, it isnt easy; its a difficult and complex task. According to Tidd and Bessant (2009 p70), there are two primary factors influencing the success of innovation: technical resources (people, equipment, knowledge, money, etc.) and the abilities in the organisation to manage these resources to encourage innovations. However, LAM (Fagerberg,et al 2006 et al 2006, p.115) points out that the latter is the precondition which can place high premiums on innovation. Organisation is a kind of breeding ground for generating creative idea and capturing new opportunities. According to Tidd and Bessant (2009 p.100), an innovative organisation has several key components: appropriate structure, effective team working, external focus, leadership, key individual, creative climate and etc. All the factors are absolutely essential. All innovative organisation needs leadership at every level. Wenger and Snyder (2000) shows that there is a positive relationship between leadership and innovation. There are increasing evidences to prove that unique leadership asserts great importance to innovation efficiently and effectively (Oke et al. 2008). In an organisation, half of the changes in performance are attributable to leadership directly and indirectly (Tidd and Bessant 2009, p.103). Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, who has led Apple to become the giant in the technology market with innovative products, is a typical example to illustrate how important and influential of leadership to innovation and creativity, in order to make his organisation a household name within the industry and worldwide alike. Leadership is becoming more and more popular nowadays. There are many articles, discussions and forums in newspapers, TV shows about how a CEO joining a badly performed company makes the company stop losing money and even regain profit in few years time. And with successful leadership, company has successfully developed a new product. Undeniably, leadership capabilities are the paramount element to sustain an organisation to top the innovative rank and achieve remarkable revenue. One of the most important roles that the leaders play within organisation settings is to create the climate for innovation (Bessant Tidd 2009). Organizational climate for innovation is crucial. West (1990) proposed that when in an organization, peoples creative ideas can be presented without worry about the refuse and ridicule, and can be highly valued and supported, and then innovation can be encouraged. The essay will go through to respectively access the contributions of leadership and organizational climate for innovation. 2. What is leadership? There are many definitions of leadership. Most researchers probably would agree that leadership can be viewed as a group process rather that a role, which is conducted by the group leader through leading and managing his or her followers to influence the process so that they can successfully accomplish their tasks and meet desired common goal (Northhouse 2009, p.3; Jacobs Jaques 1990, p281). No matter the size of a company or an organisation, leadership is vital (ORegan Ghobadian 2006). With poor or no leadership, an organisation will be chaotic. Plenty of examples show that strong leaderships can reverse the worsening business situation. Apple former CEO John Sculley replaced Steve Jobs as the new Apple CEO in 1985 with a high salary plus big bonuses guarantee. During his tenure, he made a big mistake that was to give Microsoft the authority to use Apple Macintosh graphical user interface in Microsofts windows operation system. The wrong decision opened the door to Microsofts Windows Vista and Window 7 operation system, for which the graphical user interface is similar to Macintoshs look and feel, to compete with Apple, and resulting in the latter losing in the lawsuit of plagiarism. Also because of his inaccurate perceptions to Apples product line, Apple launched the world first PAD Newton, which produced disastrous sales because of the high price and bad software pro blems. Under his leadership, Apples market share and stock prices continued to slide, and could not recover for several years until the current Apple CEO Steve Jobs took control of the Company again (Hormby 2006). Similarly, 3M is known for years as an innovator. However, several years ago, under the leadership of former CEO James McNerney, 3M shifted its strategy from innovation to quality control by implementing Six Sigma. Thousands of budgets were cut, hundreds of RD engineers were laid off, and many innovative projects were suspended. Although 3M had had a sound financial balance sheet at the beginning of his tenure, however the long-term damage is detrimental to the whole business. 3M has slided downward from the top rank of innovator ever since (Hindo 2007). 3. Type of Leadership Leadership may touch on all the employees in an organisation, and can be found in every level (Bass Riggio 2008). According to Northouse (2009), there are two different forms of leaderships, which are assigned leadership and emergent leadership. The people get the formal position to be a leader in an organisation, such as the team leader, department manager, CEO, etc, which are called the assigned leadership. Nevertheless, those people with nominal position sometimes are not the real leader but a figurehead for the team in some particular circumstances because of the lack of sufficient personal competence. On the opposite, some people who have not been officially assigned to a leader position, but they perform as a leader with the chief characteristics for a real leader, they can take the challenge to fulfil the team goal, and be regarded as a leader by the people in the organisation, which Northouse call them emergent leadership. IBM e-business real leader Dave Grossman is an examp le. When Dave Grossman came to IBM as a programmer, he found the importance of open internet to expand IBMs business, therefore, he tried to convince IBM top management the bright future of the new e-business. Eventually, IBM accepted his proposal and started opening up their e-business. With his effort, IBM successfully developed its e-business under his leadership, which transformed IBM from a broken up big blue-chip company to a new dot-com company (Tidd Bessant 2009; Hamel 2000). Dave Grossman was only a programmer, but he has the characteristics that leader should have such as vision and passion. No doubt, Grossman, at the time, was an innovative leader, who had a clear vision and successfully turned around and transformed an underperformed company from its old business model to a brighter future. 4. Characteristics of Innovation Leader Leadership always has some visions on bringing about the organisation better prospects. In this sense, leaders are necessarily innovators, who facilitate inventions to materialize their visions of better future (Selman 2009). A leader is not necessarily a great man or hero type of figure, and do not necessarily have university certificate. We heard a number of innovation leaders, who did not graduate from college but still have achieved great successes. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, they both did not finish their college (Although they tried to get degree after their successes). Nevertheless, they have devoted most of their lifetime to pursue their goals, and have secured unprecedented achievement. Its the passion to their business and success, which keeps driving them. Although there are no universal characterises that an innovation leader should possess, generally, other than passionate about the business and success, people usually think a good leader should possess good communication skill, administrative and social capability, skills in their task domain, responsibility, and energetic, initiative, flexibile (Tidd Bessan 2009, pp.104-105). Importantly, an innovation leader must be a good communicator, who is able to help their followers to fully understand the strategy of the organisation, and make sure all of his or her followers will be able to implement the leaders strategy correctly. At the same time, this can guarantee that all followers be timely informed of the progress of the organisation and what the progress of each individual. This can ensure the whole process be smoothly and precisely completed task by task and therefore achieve the common strategic objective (Zerfass Huck 2007). Internally, a innovation leader should administrate well the process of implementation of each task, and make sure the team can complete the task in time and meet all requirements. Externally, the leader should take the responsibility to build up a social network that can promote the product or service on behalf of the company, so that the product and service can be developed and commercialized successfully, which requires the social skill of the leader. (Storiti 2006). Therefore, a innovation leadership should be a good communicator, a good administrator, and a good social swinger. To lead an innovative team, innovation leaders should have substantial knowledge of his given domain. Yuki (2006) points out that expertise can be taken as a power by leader to influence their followers. Other than expertise, cognitive-processing skills are crucial factors to an innovative leader. Combination of expertise and cognitive-processing skills can allow leaders to communicate more clearly with their followers, to better understand the exact needs from their followers, and provide them with prompt and correct support (Tidd Bessant 2009, p.105). Outside, the expertise leaders can present their team more effectively. We can look back to the earlier example of the Apple former CEO John Sculley, his inability to Apples product line is the big reason of his failure. There are thousands of reasons to determine how innovation leaders should be responsible for their task and willing to take the responsibility for all the actions during the innovation process. To get respect and trust from the followers, the most important thing to do is to give them the credit for all achievements and successes, and take the responsibility for any fallings or mistakes. Therefore, followers will be motivated and will be more willing to be led. Due to the dot com bubble in 2001, Cisco had suffered a lot, sales has plunged largely and stock price fells down sharply, more severe, the employee has became very anxious and lost their desire. During the rough time, Cisco CEO John Chambers, took this as his responsibility, requested to reduce his salary to one dollar annually without any bonus until the recovery of company performance. Urged on by his behavior, employee has cheered up and work harder so that Cisco could return to profitability by 2004. 5. Innovation Leadership and Doing the right things Leadership is very important in every step of innovation process (Waldman and Bass,1991). Although some innovations are created by the employees, who are not in the positions as nominal leaders or anyone in the management board, generally speaking, almost all the innovations emerge from a clear strategy and all-around support from the leadership. By assessing the right things a leadership should do such as making long-term strategy, dealing with turbulence and uncertainty, serving and supporting their followers, etc (Isaksen Tidd, 2006, p136), we can generate an outline that explains how leadership contributes to the promotion of innovation. Mapping out a visionary strategy is the fundamental task for an innovative leader to guide the followers to think and behave in a right direction and thus complying with the organisations specific goal. Creative teams have clear and common goals (Tidd and Isaksen 2006, p186). Although freedom is one of the most important part to creativity, which is an essential part of innovation, generally, creativity stems from peoples reaction to a specific goal rather than waiting for peoples affective appeal (Jaussi Dionne 2003). Goal-setting has been viewed as a motivational technique to creativity (Locke Latham 1990). Firstly, it gives the followers a general framework of what kind of idea that will be appreciated and applicable in the organisation in a specific time; Secondly, Gladstein (1984) found that in an organisation, a common goal can make all the members work more closely that can enhance the communication in organisation and facilitate information sharing so as to ignite the spark of creativity and innovation. As Lazonick (Fagerberg,et al 2006, p.20) mentioned, there are many uncertainties in innovation process. An effective leader should have the ability and sight to forecast and preview possibilities that may occur during the process. As for the existing uncertainties and turbulence, leadership can solve these problems by several strategies including buffering, smoothing, adapting, and rationing, at the same time, the leadership can give followers some directions, encouragement and trust to motivate them, so that the process can operate as efficiently as possible in every aspect (Gemin Tarondeau 1982). A great leader understands the perspectives of uncertainty and turbulence as full of opportunities and as the outcome of innovation. In 2001, after dotcom bubble busted, Apples CEO Steve Jobs launched hard disk based iPod, with a high storage of 1000 music songs, and entered the much crowded MP3 player market. This was viewed by many as bad entry timing. Previously, this market sector was dominated by flash memory based MP3 players from Sony and many small manufacturers around the world, with 512MB storage much less than iPod. iPod was a user-friendly, click-wheel interface driven by a powerful marketing campaign overseen by Jobs personally. Jobss vision was realized in 2003 when Apple opened its first iTunes store, selling licensed music tracks to consumers. This demonstrates that Jobs understood the competitive edge of his iPod and launched it in the aftermath of crash of dotcom bubble. The success of iPod and iTunes has shown a great example of the combination of innovation and strategy at work. Of course, it further enhances the position of Jobs being the leader of innovative product in IT world even at the time of uncertainty. Robert Greenleaf (Isaksen Tidd 2006, p133) proposed the concept of servant leadership which means the leaders firstly should serve and help their followers, and understand their needs and provide the support, which is essential for innovation. For example, in order to gain market place through innovative products, an organisation must commit strategic resources, which are controlled in the hands of top management, in another word, the leadership. This is obvious that when a leadership is reluctant to commit resources, innovation can hardly be nourished. We can see the release of Betamax in 1970s, the first generation of video cassette recorder, was the strategic initiative of Akio Morita, the late founder and chairman of Sony Corp at the time. Akio dedicated resources to the RD team for the Betamax development (Oke et al. 2008). Leadership is about transformation and has largely to do with challenging the way business have been achieved so far. They usually do things differently, rather than do things better. Transformational Leaders will have the encouragement to rebel the stereotypes, and spend time to thinking out of the box. Beside, they like to taking thoughtful risks and building strong teams of people to work across boundaries. By doing things differently or unconventionally, distinguishes innovative leader from ordinary leader. 6. Organisational Climate As mentioned earlier, the other crucial factor the innovative leadership needs is to create an organisational climate for innovation. Klein and Sorra(1996) stressed that organisational climate is a key factor in innovation implementation. Building up an innovative climate or culture in an organisation is one of the important tasks of an innovative leadership. At the same time, creative organisational climate is one of fundamental elements that leads to success of innovation. Doing so successfully will certainly further secure and strengthen the leadership, which initiates innovative climate in the first place. This success will also bind more followers to the leadership because of its respective contributions for innovation, or in another word future success. A leadership should have a quality and skills to manoeuvre the internal environment of an organisation to create a favourable climate for innovation. Ashkanasy et al (2000) maintained that although there is no direct influence between organisational climate and innovation, a favourable climate can naturally drive people to seek innovation. Schneider (1990) stressed that organisational climate is generally defined as employees affection to their working environment and the anticipation of what kind of behaviour can be rewarded. Climate more concerned to the individuals feeling, behaviour and attitude in an organisation, however, it has been regarded as an attribution of the organisation (Ekvall, 1996). It can influence the communication, problem solving, decision making and the way of learning (Isaksen Tidd 2006, p.328). Unlike the culture, which is concerned with deeper and more enduring values, norm and beliefs, the climate is easier to be observed and changed(Isaksen Tidd 2006, pp.308-309) There have been many dimensions of organisational climate such as trust and openness, challenge and involvement, idea time and support, conflict and debate, risk taking and freedom, which have been identified as the most critical factors for supporting creativity and change (Isaksen Tidd 2006, p329). We will look into the following aspects of climate for innovation and their interactions with leadership contributions trust and openness in an organisation challenge and involvement support and space of ideas conflict and debate risk taking freedom 6.1 Trust and Openness Trust and openness concern more about the emotional level. Trust can increase resource-exchange and combination between business units, which contribute to produce innovation (Fagerberg,et al 2006). Ewicki et al (1998) contested that trust can be treated as a fundamental ingredient for the organisation to collaborate with each other; consequently, the collaborative climate can nurture innovation (Ruppel and Harrington, 2001). With strong level of trust and openness, people in the organisation will feel safe so that they can speak out their minds and raise some divergent points. They dont fear their ideas will be stolen. If employee feels that the management and leadership always are there to criticize new idea or comment, employee wound not take the risk to put forward their new ideas. For Instance, in order to avert such fear, in 3M, they have set up the Genesis Grants for people who have proposed new ideas even though these ideas are deemed not suitable to his or her current work d ivision or office department. In doing so, this has encouraged employees to present their thoughts and ideas freely. At the same time, to take balance between useful ideas, and unwanted, wild cat and time wasting ideas, 3M has the 15 percent rule that can uphold employee to explore new idea by doing the project they are interested in. Furthermore, with openness, the employee can learn from others experience so as to avoid some unnecessary attempts or mistakes which may save a great deal of time and money; at the same time, employee can get some clues from the others mistake and generate some new ideas. What 3M does here, is to provide a safety net for staff to freely express their ideas and comments, whilst keeping certain degrees of control over the commentary process of avoiding intentional or unintentional abuse of the trust and openness between leadership and staff, or among fellow staff and their peers. 6.2 Challenge and Involvement Challenge and involvement means the degree that people are involved in daily operations, long-term goal and visions (Tidd Bessant 2009), which can emotionally influence the peoples enthusiasm for their work which can contribute to the success of the organisation. During the stickiness to a same task, people may feel dull and lack of interest, however, certain challenge such as a new task or a new position which can inspire people to exert their capability on creative thinking and intrinsic motivation. 3M CEO have applied the mechanism renewal to encourage the innovation. Under such circumstances, new businesses are branched out from old or existing businesses. New management teams are then assigned to new business units. As a result, these new units are able to grow quickly. When these new businesses are under new managements, the newly established business unities have to develop new products and find new markets to achieve their growth objectives to make up for contributions from the old or existing businesses, which they have become segregated from. As stated by Carmeli and Schaubroeck (2007), creative work involvement is important to employee to create achievements and innovation. Involvement in a task can make people think that they are important, they will have the sense of commitment and ownership, therefore, they will delegate more to the task. In 3M, the role of employee is valued as a strategic partner, everyone has the responsibility for leadership and can empowered to act on the vision of the organisation, which have given the employees a sense of commitment that can, to a great extent, stimulate the them to work hard and be more innovative too. 6.3 Support and Space for Ideas Innovation is a time-consuming process (Fagerberg,et al 2006, p 349). Idea time and space give the people amount of time to think, plan, discuss or even test before having an action, which, to a great extent, foster new ideas within the working period. In a supportive climate, people can gain enough resources such as people, time, and money for innovative ideas. At the same time, they may realize there are values and respond to their creative potential and contributions so that they may exhibit higher levels of creative performance (Madjar et al 2002). Oldham and Cummings (1996) showed that supportiveness can significant enhance the creativity and contribute to the number of patent. A key strategy in 3M to allocate resources that allows staff to play with ideas with their own space and time. The 15 percent rule provides the staff in 3M with certain time and space in activities, which are not related to their current core business tasks. Some activities are curiosity-driven, which hav e sometimes resulted in breakthrough products such as the ever-popular Post-itÂÂ ®, which is the typical product initiated from the 15% rule. The development process in Google has a 70-20-10 rule. Google staff must spend 70% in the core business, the other 20% allow staff to roam free to encourage creativitywhere all the most interesting products emerge. The rest 10% is for crazy and radical ideas that might not work out but feel worth pursuing. 6.4 Conflict and Debate Conflict concern more about the relationships between people in an organisation, and debate focused on issues and ideas (Tidd Bessant 2009). Some researchers such as Moscovici (1980) and Nemeth Nemeth-Brown (2003) have stressed the value of conflict in that it can provoke people to think and find out creative or new viable solutions. More creative ideas can be stimulated by encouraging debates or even criticisms (Nemeth et al, 2004). Adequate conflict and debate can help company to create new capabilities by gathering diverse ideas that reflect multiple opinions to generate new options which could help company out of the old practices (Mitchell 2009). In a conflicting climate, people may be driven to strive finding the argument to support his or her own position, therefore, they need to concern the all-around of his or her opinion, or otherwise, they will lose their argument. However, the conflict and debate only can be effective in an organisation with open and collaborative clima te; otherwise, the conflict and debate will generate negative effect such as personal insult and attack (Tidd Bessant, 2009). 3M has recognized the utility of conflict in organisation can help creative thinking. In 3M, once an innovative idea came out, a conflict-free gestation and critical discussion are necessary before it is turned into an actual business product. 6.5 Risk Taking Risk taking refers to the tolerance of uncertainty and unknown situation in an organisation (Tidd Bessant, 2009). Risking-taking is one of the important ways to creative performance, because it can make good use of the opportunities for creativity-relevant resources on experiments, without experimenting things, there will be no inventions. In an organisation with high risk-taking culture, people will be rather free to try their new ideas without fear of the possible failure and they are more willing to express their new ideas freely in the first place (Tidd Bessant, 2009). 3M explicitly implements the strategy to encourage risk-taking and accept mistakes. They value employees who take wise and reasonable risks that helps to keep 3M business viable. 3M encourages employees to focus on solutions rather than placing blame. Under the risk-taking valued climate supported by the leadership, many employees are taking the initiatives, which constantly contribute to the boost of business gr owth of 3M. Dave Girouard, the President of Enterprise of Google, concedes that not every idea may bear fruit, but says there is an internal formula to assess new ideas. Google has a 70/20/10 model, which is 70 per cent of staff efforts are to be focused on core business, 20 per cent of staff efforts should be focused on related but new areas, and the rest of 10 per cent of staff efforts should reserve for radical ideas, some of which may turn into great advancements and many of which may not even be workable at all. The above examples of tolerance of wasting company resources on innovative activities, are considered to be successful only with the full supports by innovative leadership, otherwise, a company will never justify wasting resources on non-workable ideas. Only when the leadership is willing to take such risk, then those innovative processes will be allowed in an organisation in the first place. It should be emphasized that risk-taking has to be performed in a climate with full extent of openness and trust, where staff dare to try new things without the fear of punishment for the failure, or possible defeats and wastes (eg. money, time) during the risk-taking process. 6.6 Freedom Ashforth and Humphrey (1995) state that freedom means allowing people to use their own consideration to evaluate and respond to particular event and situation during the activities of product and process developments. The freedom in an organisation, concerns whether an organisation can allow its people to decide the process to achieve the specific objectives. Creativity is a result of people where they are free to decide what technique they will use to reach the particular task. This will encourage a sense of motivation to create an ownership of what has been created. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google Inc, fundamentally believethat staff working on what they choose to work on, what theyre passionate about, have higher productivity than someone, whom is being directed and told what to do. It is a very central motto of innovation at Google. 7. Conclusion Just as the Apple CEO Steve Jobs said, innovation is about the peopleand how youre led. People are the key assets to an innovative organisation. No matter the size of a company, leadership is vital. Without a good leadership, an organisation will fall into chaos. Poor leaderships will have adverse effects on an organisation. Talent is scarce and creative people are highly in demand. Innovative leadership integrates innovation processes with talented people, in another word, to change organisation climate and deploy people to facilitate innovation in organisations through behaviours of leadership, by various leadership styles, or leadership priorities. Being visionary is a typical behaviour of an innovative leader. Innovation leader always has some visions of lifting up prospects of an organisation. In this sense, innovative leaders are necessarily innovators, who facilitate inventions to materialize their visions of better prospect of an organisation. Creating visionary strategy is t he fundamental task for an innovative leader that can guide the followers to think and behave in the right direction and can give the organisation a specific goal to achieve. It is up to the innovative leader to set clear and common goals. The defined goals must be unequivocally presented to the followers. An innovative leadership should have a quality of communication and more skills to manoeuvre within an organisation to create a favourable climate for innovation to strengthen the leadership itself. In other words, an innovation leader must be a good communicator, who can get his message across to his/her followers and motivate them to achieve common objectives through some creative processes. To promote innovation within an organisation, the leadership has to facilitate innovations among its people based on trust, support, openness, and risk taking. Since everyone has freedom to express ideas, it is unavoidable to have conflict between leadership and employees. Innovative leaders hip should be capable in turning debates to stimulation of innovative ideas and thoughts, at the same time, preventing and protecting employees from personal abuses. By doing things differently or in an unconventional way, an innovation organisation truly differs from other ordinary organisations. It is an encouragement for the followers that if the leaders behaviour is innovative. Within a group of people, most people imitate the behaviours of their leaders. The linkage between the role model and followers creativity is that the more creative behaviours the leader performs, the more creative their follower can produce in return. The successful innovations will also bind more followers to the leadership because of its respective contributions for innovation, or in other words, to encourage the innovation leadership and the innovative organisation to seek more innovative successes in the future. This cycle will further enhance intrinsic organisational climate for more innovations in order to facilitate competitive advantage and sustainable growth for the innovative organisation. References: Ashforth, B.E., Humphrey, R.H.,(1995). Emotions; Organisational-behavior; a reappraisal, Human Relations 48 (1995), pp. 97-125 Ashkanasy, N.M., Wilderom, C.P.M., Peterson. M.F. (2000). Handbook of Organisational Culture Climate. London, Sage publications, Inc. Bass, B. M. Riggio, R. E., (2008). Transformational leadership. New Jersey, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc Carmeli, A., Schaubroeck, J., (2007). The influence of leaders and other refer