The Ecology Environment And Tourism Tourism Essay

The Ecology Environment And Tourism Tourism Essay Today, tourism is one of the largest and dynamically developing sectors of external economic activities. Its high growth and development rates, considerable volumes of foreign currency inflows, infrastructure development, and introduction of new management and educational experience actively affect various sectors of economy, which positively contribute to the social and economic development of the country as a whole. Most highly developed western countries, such as Austria, Italy, and Switzerland have accumulated a big deal of their social and economic welfare on profits from tourism. According to recent statistics, tourism provides about 10% of the worlds income and employs almost one tenth of the worlds workforce. All considered, tourisms actual and potential economic impact is astounding. Many people emphasize the positive aspects of tourism as a source of foreign exchange, a way to balance foreign trade, an industry without chimney In short, manna from heaven. But there are also a number of other positive and negative sides of tourisms economic boom for local communities, which not always considered by advocates of tourism perspectives. Therefore in this paper I will consider the main social and environment impacts of tourism at the country level. Travel and tourism does not necessarily involve travelling abroad. Much tourism takes place within peoples home country, on visits to attractions, city breaks, trips to business meetings, sports events or concerts, and visits to friends and relatives (abbreviated as VFR). There are three main types of tourism: domestic tourism, incoming or inbound tourism and outbound tourism. According to World Tourism Organisation (WTO) affiliated to the United Nations and recognised as the leading international body on global tourism tourism is defined as: The activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes. World Tourism Organisation, 1993 Domestic Tourism: This is when people take holidays, short breaks and day trips in their own country. Examples would be: A couple taking a weekend break in their own country; A family visiting relations in another part of the country, even if they live only a few miles away. Incoming / Inbound Tourism: This describes people entering the country in question from their home country, so it is a type of international tourism. Examples could be: A group of Chinese visitors coming to Egypt on a recreational trip; Teams from different countries entering a country for an international event, such as the Olympic Games; Outbound Tourism: This term applies when people travel away from their home country to visit other international countries for leisure or business. Examples of this could be: Business people from the India travelling to Germany to visit a major exhibition; A day tripper from southern Malaysia visiting Singapore. It is possible to divide the components of the travel and tourism industry into six key areas, as represented in the Figure below, IMPACTS OF TOURISM Tourism has three major impacts namely, Socio-cultural, environmental and economic impacts. SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACT OF TOURISM Tourism may have many different effects on the social and cultural aspects of life in a particular region or area, depending on the cultural and religious strengths of that region. The interaction between tourists and the host community can be one of the factors that may affect a community as tourist may not be sensitive to local customs, traditions and standards. The effect can be positive or negative on the host community. Positive impacts on an area include benefits such as: Local community can mix with people from diverse backgrounds with different lifestyles which through demonstration effect may lead to the development of improved lifestyles and practices from the tourists examples. There can be an improvement in local life through better local facilities and infrastructure (developed to sustain tourism) which could lead to better education, health care, employment opportunities and income. More cultural and social events available for local people such as entertainment, exhibitions etc. Conservation of local and cultural heritage of an area and rebirth of its crafts, architectural traditions and ancestral heritage; Urban areas which may be in decline can be revived and the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas for employment may be reversed as jobs will be available in the tourism industry. Dubai is an ideal example of a tourist destination which has reaped the benefits of the positive impact of development, on the socio-cultural aspects of in the country. As noticed, considerable financial investment by both public and private sectors has resulted in development of the existing infrastructure and to job creation. Archaeological and heritage sites have been preserved, and local traditions are maintained. The hospitable culture of the Arab world and acceptance of others lifestyles implying that tourists are welcomed but do not threaten existing ways of life. However, tourism may have negative effects on an area, such as, Existing infrastructure (roads, railways, health care provision) may not be able to cope with the greater stress created by influx of people by tourism. Local populations activities and lifestyles may suffer intrusion from tourists leading to resentment towards tourists. The local population may copy lifestyles of tourists through the demonstration effect and the result could be loss to local customs and traditions as well as standards of behaviour. Increased crime could develop through decline in moral values, leading to greed and jealousy of wealthier visitors. Traditional industries may be lost and local goods substituted by imported and mass-produced goods which lack authenticity but appeal to a mass market. Tourists may act in an anti-social manner which could cause offence to the local population. Unless sufficient information is provided by the host nation and tourist providers on the standards of behaviour expected in that area, local populations come to resent tourists and act aggressively towards them. Language barriers between the tourist and the host community which may create communication problems. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF TOURISM Negative impacts from tourism occur when the level of visitor use is greater than the environments ability to cope with this use within the acceptable limits of change. Uncontrolled conventional tourism poses potential threats to many natural areas around the world. It can put enormous pressure on an area and lead to impacts such as soil erosion, increased pollution, discharges into the sea, natural habitat loss, increased pressure on endangered species and heightened vulnerability to forest fires. It often puts a strain on water resources, and it can force local populations to compete for the use of critical resources. The quality of the environment, both natural and man-made, is essential to tourism. However, tourisms relationship with the environment is complex. It involves many activities that can have adverse environmental effects. The negative impacts of tourism development can gradually destroy the environmental resources on which it depends. On the other hand, tourism has the potential to create beneficial effects on the environment by contributing to environmental protection and conservation. It is a way to raise awareness of environmental values and it can serve as a tool to finance protection of natural areas and increase their economic importance. Direct impact on natural resources, both renewable and non-renewable, in the provision of tourist facilities can be caused by the use of land for accommodation and other infrastructure provision, and the use of building materials. Water, and especially fresh water, is one of the most critical natural resources. The tourism industry generally overuses water resources for hotels, swimming pools, golf courses and personal use of water by tourists. This can result in water shortages and degradation of water supplies, as well as generating a greater volume of waste water. Forests often suffer negative impacts of tourism in the form of deforestation caused by fuel wood collection and land clearing. For example, one trekking tourist in Nepal and area already suffering the effects of deforestation can use four to five kilograms of wood a day. In areas with high concentrations of tourist activities and appealing natural attractions, waste disposal is a serious problem and improper disposal can be a major despoiler of the natural environment rivers, scenic areas, and roadsides. Solid waste and littering can degrade the physical appearance of the water and shoreline and cause the death of marine animals. Construction of ski resort accommodation and facilities frequently requires clearing forested land. Coastal wetlands are often drained and filled due to lack of more suitable sites for construction of tourism facilities and infrastructure. These activities can cause severe disturbance and erosion of the local ecosystem, even destruction in the long term. Source: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2001 ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF TOURISM Tourisms economic benefits are touted by the industry for a variety of reasons. Claims of tourisms economic significance give the industry greater respect among the business community, public officials, and the public in general. This often translates into decisions or public policies that are favourable to tourism. Community support is important for tourism, as it is an activity that affects the entire community. Tourism businesses depend extensively on each other as well as on other businesses, government and residents of the local community. Economic benefits and costs of tourism reach virtually everyone in the region in one way or another. Economic impact analyses provide tangible estimates of these economic interdependencies and a better understanding of the role and importance of tourism in a regions economy. Tourism activity also involves economic costs, including the direct costs incurred by tourism businesses, government costs for infrastructure to better serve tourists, as well as congestion and related costs borne by individuals in the community. Community decisions over tourism often involve debates between industry proponents touting tourisms economic impacts (benefits) and detractors emphasizing tourisms costs. Sound decisions rest on a balanced and objective assessment of both benefits and costs and an understanding of who benefits from tourism and who pays for it. Tourisms economic impacts are therefore an important consideration in state, regional and community planning and economic development. Economic impacts are also important factors in marketing and management decisions. Communities therefore need to understand the relative importance of tourism to their region, including tourisms contribution to economic activity in the area. A variety of methods, ranging from pure guesswork to complex mathematical models, are used to estimate tourisms economic impacts. Studies vary extensively in quality and accuracy, as well as which aspects of tourism are included. Technical reports often are filled with economic terms and methods that non-economists do not understand. On the other hand, media coverage of these studies tend to oversimplify and frequently misinterpret the results, leaving decision makers and the general public with a sometimes distorted and incomplete understanding of tourisms economic effects. Tourism has a variety of economic impacts. Tourists contribute to a destinations sales, profits, jobs, tax revenues, and income. Primary tourism sectors, such as lodging, dining, transportation, amusements, and retail trade, are affected directly: most other sectors are impacted by secondary effects. An economic impact analysis of tourism activity usually focuses on regional tourism-related changes in sales, income, and employment. A standard economic impact analysis traces the path that money takes once it leaves a tourists pocket: this is also referred to as the flows of money from tourism spending. The first flow, (direct effect), is to the businesses and government agencies to which the tourists pay money directly. The money then flows through the economy as: Payments from these direct recipients to their suppliers, Salaries and wages for households who provide labour for tourism or supporting industries, Various government taxes and charges payable by tourists, businesses and households. Continuing the fluid analogy, a leakage occurs when money escapes the economy of a region because a local consumer, (household, business or government), has purchased a product from an outside supplier. DIRECT AND SECONDARY ECONOMIC EFFECTS Economists distinguish direct, indirect and induced economic effects. The total economic impact of tourism is the sum of direct, indirect and induced effects within a region. Indirect and induced effects are sometimes collectively called secondary effects. These impacts or effects may be measured in terms of gross output, sales, income, employment, or value added. Although they are often used somewhat loosely by non-economists, these terms have precise definitions that are important when interpreting economic impact study results. Direct effects, are production changes associated with the immediate effects of changes in tourism expenditures. For example, an increase in the number of tourists staying overnight in hotels would directly increase room sales in the hotel sector. The additional hotel sales and associated changes in hotel payments for wages, salaries, taxes, supplies and services are direct effects of the tourist spending. Indirect effects are the production changes resulting from various rounds of re-spending of the tourism industrys receipts in backward-linked industries. For example, industries supplying products and services to hotels). Changes in sales, jobs and income in the linen supply industry, for example, represent indirect effects of changes in hotel sales. Businesses supplying products and services to the linen supply industry represent another round of indirect effects, eventually linking hotels by varying degrees to most other economic sectors in the region. Induced effects are the changes in economic activity resulting from household spending of income earned directly or indirectly as a result of tourism spending. For example, hotel and linen supply employees supported directly or indirectly by tourism, spend their income in the local region for housing, food, transportation, and the usual array of household product and service needs. The sales, income, and jobs that result from household spending of added wage, salary, or proprietors income are induced effects. Total Economic Impact Total Economic Impact = Direct + Secondary Effects = Direct + (Indirect + Induced Effects) A change in tourist spending can affect virtually every sector of the economy by means of indirect and induced effects. The magnitude of these secondary effects is directly related to the propensity of local businesses and households to purchase from local suppliers. Induced effects are easily visible when a large regional plant closes: supporting industries are hurt by the indirect effects, but the entire local economy usually suffers due to the reduction in regional household income. Retail stores may close, thereby increasing leakages as local consumers turn to outside suppliers. Similar but reversed induced effects are observable when there is a significant increase in regional jobs and household income. INPUT-OUTPUT MODELS An input-output (I-O) model is a mathematical model that describes the flows of money between sectors within a regions economy. Flows are predicted based on the inputs that each industry must buy from every other industry to produce a dollars worth of output. I-O models also determine the proportions of sales that go to wage and salary income, proprietors income, and taxes. Multipliers can be estimated from input-output models based on the estimated re-circulation of spending within the region. Exports and imports are determined based on estimates of the propensity of households and firms to purchase goods and services from local sources (often called RPCs or regional purchase coefficients). The more self-sufficient a region is, the fewer the leakages, so that the multipliers are correspondingly higher. Input-output models make a number of basic assumptions: All firms in a given industry employ the same production technology and produce identical products. There are no economies or diseconomies of scale in production or factor substitution. I-O models are essentially linear: double the level of tourism activity/production and you must double all of the inputs. Analysts generally report the impact estimates as if they represent activity within a single year, although the model does not explicitly keep track of time. One must assume that the various model parameters are accurate and represent the current year. I-O models are firmly grounded in the national system of accounts which relies on a standard industrial classification system (SIC codes), and on various federal government economic censuses in which individual firms report sales, wage and salary payments and employment. I-O models are generally at least a few years out-of-date: this is not usually a problem unless the regions economy has changed significantly. An I-O model represents the regions economy at a particular point in time: tourist spending estimates are generally price adjusted to the year of the model. Multiplier computations for induced effects generally assume that jobs created by additional spending are new jobs involving the movement of new households to the area. Induced effects are computed assuming linear changes in household spending with changes in income. Estimates of induced effects are frequently inflated when these assumptions are not accurate, (for example, when new jobs are staffed by existing residents). As induced effects usually comprise the vast majority of secondary effects of tourism, they should be used with caution. Measuring the Economic Impact of Tourism The economic impacts of tourism are typically estimated by some variation of the simple formula: Defining the Economic Impact of Tourism: Economic Impact of Tourism = # of Tourists * Ave. Spending per Visitor * Multiplier Where # of tourists = numbers of tourists and ave. = average Estimate the change in the number and types of tourists to the region that will result from the proposed policy or action: Estimates or projections of tourist activity generally come from a demand model or some system for measuring levels of tourism activity in an area: economic impact estimates rely on good estimates of the number and types of visitors, which come from carefully designed measurements of tourist activity, a good demand model, or good judgment. This step is usually the weakest link in most tourism impact studies, as few regions have accurate counts of tourists, let alone good models for predicting changes in tourism activity or separating local visitors from visitors who originate outside the region. Estimate average levels of spending (often within specific market segments) of tourists in the local area: Spending averages come from sample surveys or are adapted from other studies. Spending estimates must be based on a representative sample of the population of tourists, and should take into account variations across seasons, market segments or types of tourists, and locations within the study area. As spending can vary widely by type of tourist, we recommend estimating average spending for a set of key tourist segments based on samples of at least 50-100 visitors per tourism segment. Segments should be defined to capture differences in spending between local residents vs. tourists, day users vs. overnight visitors, type of accommodation (motel, campground, seasonal home, with friends and relatives), and type of transportation (car, RV, air, rail, etc.). In broadly-based tourism impact studies, it is useful to identify unique spending patterns of important activity segments such as downhill skiers, boaters, or convention business travellers multiplying the number of tourists by the a verage spending per visitor, (making certain that units are consistent), gives an estimate of total tourist spending in the area. Estimates of tourist spending will generally be more accurate if distinct spending profiles and use estimates are made for key tourism segments. The use and spending estimates are the two most important parts of an economic impact assessment. When combined, they capture the amount of money brought into the region by tourists. Please note: multipliers are needed only if one is interested in the secondary effects of tourism spending. Apply the change in spending to a regional economic model or set of multipliers to determine secondary effects: Secondary effects of tourism are estimated using multipliers, or a model of the regions economy. Multipliers generally come from an economic base or input-output model of the regions economy. Often, multipliers are borrowed improperly or adjusted from published multipliers or other studies. Avoid taking a multiplier estimated for one region and applying it in a region with a quite different economic structure. As a general rule, multipliers are higher for larger regions with more diversified economies. A common error is to apply a state-wide multiplier (since these are more widely published) to a local region. This will yield inflated estimates of local multiplier effects. Stynes, D., (1997). Economic impacts of Tourism. pp. 1-19 Urbana, IL:   University of Illinois,  Cooperative Extension Service bulletin.  

Relationship between Young Parents and Children

Relationship between Young Parents and Children Home, is a place where we can relax and be our self. We do not need to pretend. While, by having a good relationship between family members is good for the development of children. It is an important role for a family. An important study found that children of working parents did better when: Mothers were warm and responsive with children Child care was stable and of high quality Children spent fewer hours in child care Faughn.P (2006, jun 1). Working parents with young children: Whats Important? Message posted to http://parenting247.org/article.cfm?ContentID=1121strategy=4AgeGroup=1 Parents are the good models of constructive social and educational values. This may strongly affect childrens level of attainment. A good role model with a better relationship with children may increases the level of attainment of children. By contributing a good relationship with children, young parents shall contact schools management to get the news update from them. Moreover, by involving themselves in school activities may construct a better relationship with children. Time spent with children must be constant. A research shows that playtime with parents is also important. Children crave time with parents. It makes them feel special. Parents are encouraged to find time to spend playing with their kids on a regular basis. This should include one to one with each child and group time with all of the adults and kids in the home. If you are a single parent or have an only child, occasionally invite family or friends over to play. In pretend play, let the child develop the theme. Get into their world. Let them go with it. Ask questions. Play along. Be silly along with them and have fun. Avoid over-stimulation. Know when it is time to stop. http://www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/development/pl5.shtml Spending time with children helps young parents to know their children better. Hence, a bond will last for a lifetime. Moreover, children will realize that they are being concerned, loved and appreciated. Therefore, children will share their feelings with parents once they are confronted with temptations and difficulties. Unfortunately, there are a lot of young Malaysian married couples moved out of their parents home after marriage. They set up their own household today. They have to manage their lives and families without anyones supports. They need to earn as much as they can to raise their children and fulfill familys needs. Young parents, whom are busy with their own work, will not have much time to accompany their children after a tiring day. Time spent with children decreased. This may lead to lack of communication between young parents and their children. Most young parents thought of earning as much as they can, may have a better life for their children and fulfill their needs easily. Therefore, instead of spending time to understand them, they work as much as they can every single day. This may lead to many pressures and problems among family members. For example, young parents may feel desperate, frustrated or even embarrass when there is some misunderstanding among themselves. Hence, argument might occur. Children might be left out since young parents do not care for them. Hence to get more attention from parents, children will try to behave like a gangster or fight at school and academic performance will getting worst. According to this report, culture and ethnicity, levels of human and material resources available within families, home language, family structure and changes in family type are linked to childrens achievement. (Fred, Jeanne, Chris, 2003) It is a hoped that this research would be beneficial to those who may concern, especially young parents who are busy with their carrier. Lack of communication among family members would lead to many disadvantages. Therefore, parents should have more interaction with their children to build a stronger relationship within family members. This research benefits the community as well. This is because all these young generations are those who might lead the nation in the future. Problem Statement: As Malaysia is a developing country, why do lack of communication among young parents and children affect their achievement in school? Research Questions: RQ1: What are the factors of communication lacking among young parents and their children? RQ2: What is the implication of communication lacking among young parents and their children? RQ3: How to overcome this problem? Research Objectives: RO1: to determine what drives lack of communication among young parents and their children. RO2: to determine the aftermath of communication lacking. RO3: to find out the way to solve this problem. Methodology: Population (N) who : (i) young parents (ii) children Sample (n) where : (i) office which located at KL (ii) primary schools in KL Definition : Main concepts (i)Young parents (ii)children (iii)Lack of communication Conceptual definition Working young parents Schooling children Operational definition Busy with their carrier. 7 12 years old Instruments: Quantitative method will be use in the research while the instruments in this research are a questionnaire. The questionnaire will be divide into four sections which is Section A, B, C and D. Section A includes questions on the demographic profile, Section B is the factors of communication lacking among young parents and their children, whereas Section C and Section D will be the implication of communication lacking among young parents and their children and ways to solve this respectively.

Rock And Roll :: Music

When Rock arrived on the music charts in the 1950's, a merging of African-American and White music, it made a huge impact on society. As a general rule I am not heavily into music, but I was drawn to Rock for some inexplicable reason. It is just the music I like. This genre will be difficult to write about because the origin of Rock is unclear; there are traces of Rock's style back into the 19th Century. It is also a very broad subject and I will have to compress a lot of information into as few pages as possible. Be that as it may, Rock is, in my opinion the best music genre on the charts. There is so much information on Rock that I will have to have questions I want to find the answers to about the music. My first question will be, "What instruments are commonly used in a rock band?" This will not be hard to answer as it is a very easy question that has a definite answer. The next question will be, "Who were the first artists to produce Rock music?" This is also an easy question were I will discuss the first Rockers. Continuing on, my next question will ask, "How was the term ‘Rock and Roll' created, and by who?" This may turn out to be a hard question to answer because I am sure there a multiple answers. "Has Rock become more or less popular since its inception?" will be my next question. For this question I will have to look for a survey or poll of some type and present its data. My final question will be, "How has the Music been changed over the years and who changed it?" This will also be an easy question, albeit a long answer. For that question I will be referring to Alternative and Grunge Rock, my preferred form of the music. For my information I will mainly be using the internet. I also may get some of my answers from a dictionary or encyclopedia. My main sources on the internet will be the online encyclopedia at wikipedia.org, and anything I can find at google.com. I will also be asking my father who is more into classic rock, but a fan none the less. He has been listening to rock since the 60's when he was about my age.

Got Trees?The New American Youth Counterculture :: essays research papers

Brad turns to his companion Les. He is wearing an oversized t-shirt sporting some trendy pop-culture phrase that has long since lost any reference or significance. He sports jeans that are neither loose nor tight, very functional. Brad is in essence, every man America. Les is a skinny short boy, pale with frizzy blond hair. He too is dressed in a peculiar sort of anti-fashion, a fashion so slyly plain and unrecognizable that it defies the very nature of fashion itself. They are both seventeen. "Yo, when’s Tim coming back with our trees? I need to blaze before I go home." Engaged in the continuing struggle to find marijuana, Brad is neither distressed nor overly excited, but displays a Taoist sort of calm. Les responds with an ambivalent answer and a request - "What's the best kind of music to listen to while you're high?" In this simple question, Les may anticipate the next wave of marijuana culture. But to understand the cultural currents and nature of th is existential convergence, we must first dive deeper into what has become the most genuine counterculture of modern times. Marijuana was originally viewed as merely another tool for spiritual short cuts and mind expansion. At this point, it was confined to an elite group of self-righteous hipsters who could find no better way to communicate the essence of the drug that outdated modes of artistic expression. However, in post-psychedelic America, marijuana soon took on a new, more democratically inspired significance. Marijuana became a more recreational drug, soon finding its way into the melting pot for subversive trend, teenage America. Marijuana is a mild hallucinogen, but really it's more like a combination of speed and rat poison, only not bad for you. Marijuana makes each moment significant. The now takes on supreme importance. The future and the past become no longer points for idle speculations, but reductions of functionality constrained by the now. It is this post-temporal affect that serves to liberate users from their previous outdated modalities of experience-defined enjoyment. Experience is secondary to the transcending reality of every moment. Cognizant of the fact that meaningful experience is really quite unlikely, these post-hedonists embrace the continuation of their culture as a surrogate for experience; when the now is the all, an experience is created. There is little risk of long term consequence, as they recognize the danger in harder drugs like ecstasy, which is a combina tion of coke and heroin, and LSD, which is essentially pure speed.

The Monkey and His Mother :: Personal Narrative Homeless Papers

The Monkey and His Mother My mother is always suspicious of panhandlers. She used to pull me closer whenever we'd encounter a begging homeless person on the subway and drop her eyes, focusing on the stray paper and chewing-gum medallions--blackened with soot of the city--that decorated the floor. She and my father frequently describe seeing a homeless man who begs in our neighborhood (claiming to have AIDS, and afflicted with a multitude of painful-looking sores) walking down a street near our house, dapper in a dark business suit, his face free of the blemishes that had covered his skin on other occasions. My father, also a self-professed cynic, believes in an inherent selfishness that motivates most human actions. "The tribal impulse is very strong," he says with a wry smile, as he gestures toward a newspaper article about nationalistic conflict. "People look out for their own interests." When I asked him about his experiences living through the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam war, I found that his involvement with each was limited--he vocalized support for the ideals of the former, and by 1969, disdain for the strategic incompetence represented by the latter--as he was occupied by his studies, and the desire to begin his career. My parents' cynicism spares no one. I remember my father's delight upon reading the book review for Christopher Hitchens's criticism of Mother Theresa, Missionary Position, Theory and Practice, in 1995. In the book, Hitchens cites Mother Theresa's apparently numerous, and highly self-interested exhibitions of decidedly unsaintly behavior. He describes her enormous--and entirely unaudited--wealth (Hitchens estimates one $50 million bank account to be only a "small portion" of her fortune) which she consciously kept outside of India--where she did most of her work--because the Indian government requires disclosure of foreign missionary funds. According to Hitchens, Mother Theresa received money from some dubious donors, including Savings and Loan swindler Charles Keating. Even despite her hefty fortune, the book asserts, Mother Theresa's treatment of the terminally ill was primitive and often completely ineffective. My father seized upon this exposition as a triumph of what he'd always known: no person should be considered angelic--most of us are equal parts good and evil, and, like most living creatures, we will all act on our own behalves most of the time. Neither I--a third-rate Mother Theresa at best--nor my sister was safe from the slings and arrows of my parents' pessimistic world-view.

My Leadership Style Essay

According to the leadership assessment, I am more of task-oriented leader than a people-oriented leader, though I scored high in both areas, therefore I have a healthy balance of both which is important for a leader in any company. My leadership style allows me to get my work completed in an organized fashion, while being open to other ideas; I can focus on the small projects while continuing to see the big picture or vision. Because I score higher on the task-oriented side, I can be more autocratic in my thinking. This will limit my ability to show my apathy for my staff and employees Furthermore, I am also a transformational and charismatic leader. I am most effective in smaller organizations that have direct interactions with my staff. According to Robbins, this helps to make me effective as a leader, which will give a company â€Å"low turnover, higher productivity, lower employee stress, and burnout, and higher employee satisfaction.† Furthermore, Robbins shared that this leadership style is not effective with those who are â€Å"highly individualistic and do not readily cede decision-making authority.† Since I am able to communicate with my staff the expectations, visions ad engage my staff, I also have a Charismatic leadership style. I continuously focus on the end goal, big picture and tie that big picture to the work of my staff, making it attainable to my staff. One of the major downsides to charismatic leadership is that it can be situational, according to Robbins. Role in Company The role I would like to pursue within the company is that of a managerial supervisor. According to Robbins, organizations need strong leadership and  strong management for optimal effectiveness. I feel that because I have leadership and managerial traits and characteristics, I would be a great candidate for that particular role. In a managerial supervisory role, I am a direct leader. I work directly with my staff on a one-on-one basis and in a team format; I will have more influence directly on my staff. As the managerial supervisor, I am able to support, recognize, develop, plan, and coach/mentor my staff while monitoring, setting goals, and overseeing day to day operations. This is evident because of my healthy balance of task and people orientation. Leadership theories applicable to my leadership approach The Big Five Trait Leadership Theory is applicable to my leadership approach because research has shown that the big five personality factors are strong indicators for job success and performance. I scored high in the areas of extroversion and conscientiousness. The positive factors about scoring high on conscientiousness’s is that overall, those with high marks in this area have better job performance and those are more reliable, thorough, organized, angle to plan, and persistent according to the assessment. These traits are consisted with those of task-oriented leaders. However, the Leadership Substitute Theory would be counter indicated for the areas of subordinate, task, and group/organizational characteristics. This is because my staff could need little direction from me as their supervisor if they have extensive experience. Also, when staff repeats their task over and over, they become proficient and don’t need feedback, but are building their own motivation. As a task-oriented, transformational, and charismatic leader, I would struggle more with staff who are more independent or did not work well in the group. I like to give freedom to my staff, but my style makes it necessary to know what is going on in the jobs at all times. Conclusion My leadership style is transformational, charismatic with my main focus on task-oriented management. I work hard to inspire my staff, while also meeting deadlines. I focus better when I’m working with a team rather than individuals who do their own thing. Research has shown that my leadership style is an asset to many companies if utilized in the right way. This is why I would like a position that allows me to shine, take the lead of a team, while focusing on the companies â€Å"big picture.† References Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational behavior (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Yuki, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations (7th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

Ethics and Islam Essay

The interpretation of secular vs. religious ethics is always interesting, when we try to understand which of the two deserve our support. Obviously, both ethical philosophies have the right to exist among us, but the provisions of the religious ethics in Said Nursi’s vision are not only unique, but are sometimes surprising, and are sometimes unacceptable to those, who keep to secular ethical traditions. Said Nursi insists on ethics having religious foundations. His ethical vision is based on the assumption that religion is the source of reliable ethical knowledge. â€Å"For Nursi, the ultimate source of all ethical reflection is the Qur’an† (Markham 69). In this situation it is possible to suggest that Qur’an should be simple and understandable to the common people, so that they should be able to follow its provisions. The assumption is rather debatable: on the one hand, there seems to be nothing negative or threatening in the fact that Said Nursi keeps to religious foundations of ethics. On the other hand, I may suggest that those who refuse to accept the life of the prophet Muhammad as the source of ethical knowledge, risk facing opposition from religious ethics’ supporters. This ethics loses its relevance as soon as it is faced with the fact that there are possible other sources of ethics in other cultures of the world. Moreover, and I would agree with Markham, in that there is no guarantee that being obedient to Qur’an means seeing its wisdom; in case we do not understand the provisions to which we should keep in our ethics, it loses its relevance and meaning. The strong side of religious ethics in Said Nursi’s words is in accepting violence as weakness in trying to resolve various disputes. â€Å"Nursi is committed to handling disagreement with peaceful means not because he shared a western skepticism about the truth of religion, but because of the truth of religion† (Markham 72). Secular ethics would easily reject these religious attitudes. While Nursi tries to justify the strength of religion, he obviously forgets that this strength is relevant only within the limited religious circles. Secularism exists and cannot be denied. For those who consider themselves being secular the strength of religion is closely connected with the power of metaphysical phenomenon. In the absence of the latter, the power of the former becomes debatable. Thus, religious foundations of ethics can be applied within the limited space of extremely religious eastern countries, which keep to Islamic religion. Especially interesting is Nursi’s ideas about personal ethics and social equality. His interpretation of a person in illness is rather curious, though is also natural within the eastern religious framework. â€Å"O ill person who lacks patience! Be patient, indeed, offer thanks! Your illness may transform each of the minutes of your life into the equivalent of an hour’s worship† (Makrham 74). The question is whether patience is equal to inactivity. Recognizing the religious value of pain and suffering is what Nursi tried to convey in his ethical teaching (Markham 75) but this also risks confusing ethics with religion, without creating any distinct border between them. Social ethics in Nursi’s vision tends to support equality through rejecting interest and recognizing the importance of redistribution. In these terms, Nursi seems to reject the pluralism of social status in the society. Moreover, rejection of interest is closer to rejecting secularism, than to supporting religious foundations of ethics. Conclusion The whole ethical theory created by Nursi deserves attention but seems to be founded on the grounds, which do not justify the strength of religion but better protect it from the intervention of the external knowledge. In this light religious ethics seems even more vulnerable, than Nursi tried to represent it. Works cited Markham, I. â€Å"Secular or Religious Foundations for Ethics: A Case Study of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi†. In I. Markham & I. Ozdemir, Globalization, Ethics and Islam, Ashgate Publishing, 2005, pp. 65-78.