Review of a Leader Movie Armageddon Essay

1. Style Of Leadership The style of leadership portrayed by Bruce Willis was decisive and with full conviction, in the best interest of everyone under his care and jurisdiction as shown below. a) As a father, he undertook the sole responsibility of bringing up his daughter from young, after his separation from his wife. He brought her everywhere he went and when she got romantically involved with one of his workers, he showed much concern and took actions in the interest of his daughter’s future. b) As a company boss, he was decisive in terminating the services of his best worker, for taking matters in his own hands and thus jeopardizing the safety of the other workers. He did not tolerate any insubordination and commanded everybody’s respect. c) As a project team leader for NASA, he showed great concern for all humanity and thus, agreed to undertake the assignment. This decision showed his compassion and his willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of others. As he was knowledgeable and showed great leadership skills, even NASA staff listened to him. This emphasize the fact that a good leader is able to influence and guide everyone, through exemplary actions and compassion for others. d) His willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice and switch places with his worker in staying back to detonate the bomb summarizes all his leadership qualities. As a father, he was more concerned for his daughter’s future and happiness and thus switched place with his worker, even though he realized that by doing so, he would die. As a company boss and the project leader, he felt that it was his responsibility to ensure that the job was done well and his compassion for the human race led him to make the ultimate sacrifice. 2. Leadership Communication Strategy The communication skills and strategy showed by Bruce Willis in the movie was very well portrayed. He was strict but fair. He communicated effectively at all levels and strategized it to ensure that it achieved its desired results, as shown below. a) He was initially very upset when he discovered his daughter’s affair with his worker, but later showed his acceptance without even letting them know. This is strategy. by showing his worker his disapproval initially, it makes his worker realize that Bruce Willis was very much concerned and would do anything to protect his daughter’s future. but as depicted at the end of the movie, it showed how Bruce Willis finally admitted his approval and was even willing to sacrifice his life for them. This is effective communications strategy. b) As the project leader, he showed conviction and determination to get the job done, even when faced with extreme situations. He reprimanded his staff accordingly when necessary and allowed them some recreations when needed to. This shows great strategy and very effective communications. When earth lost faith in him, he managed to persuade the commander to disarm the bomb. When he switched places with his worker to detonate the bomb, nobody suspected he would do so. He managed to strategize his communications well and achieved his target, even though he knew that by doing so, he would die. This was the ultimate strategy of a leader, leading by example and good communication skills. 3) Personality Of A Good Leader Through out the movie, Bruce Willis was portrayed as a leader with a good and humble personality, who was intelligent and critical with his words and actions. he was depicted as a very responsible father, a caring company boss and also a convicted project leader as described below. a) As a responsible father, he cared for his daughter all by himself, even with his hectic work schedule and the dangerous nature of his work. He loved his daughter very much and was very protective of her well being and future. b) As a company boss, he was well liked and well respected by all his workers. He did not hesitate to terminate his best worker when he jeopardized the safety of the other staff, thus confirming that he was fair, but strict, and this applied to all. c) As the project leader, he showed great conviction and determination. His ability to make decisive decisions and actions showed his leadership qualities and his ultimate sacrifice showed that he was a leader with great compassion for others without any regards for his own well being. 4) Motivation A good leader is always able to motivate all by his exemplary actions and effective communications. This was well depicted in the movie. It described how a good leader can have appositive effect on others and can turn failures into success, danger into safety and despair into joy as portrayed by Bruce Willis. a) He managed to motivate and convinced his daughter to allow him to undertake the assignment, even though it might cost him his life. Even though the movie does not depict much about his relationship with his daughter, we can imagine how much his motivation affected his daughter’s willingness to follow him everywhere he goes. Even though her role in the project was minimal, it showed how motivated she was, in trying to ensure that the project was successful. This was portrayed in scenes where she had confrontations with the ground crew. b) As a company boss and project leader, he managed to persuade his staff to follow him and inadvertently, put their lives in danger. Even then, they were willing to do so, through his motivations and his communications skills. Throughout the assignment on the asteroid, he played the part of the motivator, never giving up and never despaired, even though he had lost some of his men, who were also his closest friends. How he managed to persuade the commander to defuse the bomb prematurely, was the best example of a good motivator in action. The words he used to convince the commander and how he managed to persuade him was very effective and only a good leader would be able to achieve such a task. To be able to ask someone to put his life on the line and make the ultimate sacrifice for you, requires all the attributes of an exceptional leader. 5. Leadership Management Only a good leader would be able to manage well. There is a danger of a leader becoming a dictator, if he or she is does not have good management skills. These skills needs to be taught and practiced. In the movie, Bruce Willis plays the part of a father, a boss, and later a project leader. As a father and a boss, he had acquired the management skills and experience to be a good father and a caring boss, and applied these management skills as a project leader, as shown below. a) Even though it was not depicted, he managed to bring up his daughter to be a well educated and responsible person, who could contribute his company. Even under stressed situations, he managed to manage his daughter’s personal affairs and ultimately, ensured that she would be well taken care of, even when he was no longer alive. b) He would not be the boss of the company if he was not a good leader with good management skills. Thus, he was able to manage his team and all others in his attempt to ensure that the assignment was successful. As a leader, he managed to control all personnel under any situations. The fact that he managed to save the world in the movie, after going through extreme conditions and situations and even a near failure, shows that through good leadership management, you can achieve every success. In summary, there is no such thing as a born leader. Good leadership qualities needs to be learned and practiced. Anybody can be a leader but not everyone can be a good leader. The movie â€Å"Armageddon† is about a good leader, as described above. It portrayed how 1 man, who possessed all the right attributes, is able to successfully complete a near impossible mission and achieve the desired results and thus saving the world. This movie might seem unreal, but the message behind the movie is very clear. A good leader is able to affect the lives of other people in a positive way. It may be only one life or it could be billions of lives. The fact is, we could apply the message of this movie in our daily lives. We should all try to be good leaders and have good leadership qualities, for the best interests of ourselves, our family, our race, our religion and ultimately, our nation.

Perception towards mutual funds Essay

Abstract: Mutual Funds provide a platform for a common investor to participate in the Indian capital market with professional fund management irrespective of the amount invested. The Indian mutual fund industry is growing rapidly and this is reflected in the increase in Assets under management of various fund houses. Mutual fund investment is less risky than directly investing in stocks and is therefore a safer option for risk averse investors. Monthly Income Plan funds offer monthly returns and invest majorly in debt oriented instruments with little exposure to equity. However it has been observed that most of the investors are not aware of the benefits of investment in mutual funds. This is reflected from the study conducted in this research paper. This paper makes an attempt to identify various factors affecting perception of investors regarding investment in Mutual funds. The findings will help mutual fund companies to identify the areas required for improvement in order to creat e greater awareness among investors regarding investment in mutual funds. Introduction A Mutual Fund is a trust that pools the savings of a number of investors who share a common financial goal. The money, thus collected, is then invested  in capital market instruments such as shares, debentures and other securities. The income earned through these investments and the capital appreciation realized is shared by its unit holders in proportion to the number of units owned by them. Thus a Mutual Fund is the most suitable investment for the common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at a relatively low cost. Monthly Income Plans or MIPs invest maximum of their total corpus in debt instruments while they take minimum exposure in equities. It gets benefit of both equity and debt market. These schemes rank slightly high on the risk-return matrix when compared with other debt schemes. There is considerable amount of research being done regarding investment in mutual funds. However very little research has been done to study the perception of investors regarding investment in mutual funds especially MIP funds. Literature Review Ippolito (1992) states that an investor is ready to invest in those fund or schemes which have resulted in good rewards and most investors’ are attracted by those funds or schemes that are performing better over the worst. Goetzman (1997) opined that investor’s psychology affects mutual fund selection for investment and to withdraw from the fund. De Bondt and Thaler (1985) submitted that mean reversion in prices of stock is backed by investor’s retrogression which is based upon investor’s psychology to overvalue firm’s recent performance in forming future expected results which is also known as endowment effect. Gupta (1994) surveyed household investor to find investors’ preferences to invest in mutual funds and other available financial assets. The findings of the study were more relevant, at that time, to the policy makers and mutual funds to design the financial products for the future. Kulshreshta (1994) in his study suggested some guidelines to the investors’ that can help them to select needed mutual fund schemes. Shanmugham (2000) conducted a survey of individual investors with the objective to find out what information source investor depends on. The results explained that they are economical, sociological and  psychological factors which control investment decisions. Madhusudhan V Jambodekar (1996) conducted his study to size-up the direction of mutual funds in investors and to identify factors that influence mutual fund investment decision. The study tells that open-ended scheme is most favored among other things and that income schemes and open-ended schemes are preferred over closed- ended and growth schemes. News papers are used as information source, safety of principal amount and investor services are priority points for investing in mutual funds. Sujit Sikidar and Amrit Pal Singh (1996) conducted a survey to peep in to the behavioral aspects of the investors of the North-Eastern region in direction of equity and mutual fund investment. The survey showed that because of tax benefits mutual funds are preferred by the salaried and self-employed individuals. UTI and SBI schemes were most preferred in that region of the country over any other fund and the other funds had been proved archaic during the time of survey. Syama Sunder (1998) conducted a survey with an objective to get an in-depth view into the operations of private sector mutual fund with special reference to Kothari Pioneer. The survey tells that knowledge about mutual fund concept was unsatisfactory during that time in small cities like Visakapatanam. It also suggested that agents can help to catalyse mutual fund culture, open-ended options are much popular than any other schemes, asset management company’s brand is chief consideration to invest in mutual fund. Anjan Chakarabarti and Harsh Rungta (2000) emphasised the importance  of brand in ascertaining competence of asset management companies. Shankar (1996) suggested that for penetrating mutual fund culture deep in to society asset management companies have to work and steer the consumer product distribution model. Raja Rajan (1997) underlined segmentation of investors and mutual fund products to increase popularity of mutual funds. Objectives of Study 1. To study the investment pattern of Indian Investor. 2. To find out the awareness level of investors regarding mutual funds. 3. To find the type of scheme of mutual fund preferred by investor. 4. To find out the importance of factors like liquidity, higher return, company reputation and other factors that influence investment decision of mutual fund holder. 5. To find out awareness level of investors regarding Monthly Income Plan fund. 6. To ascertain the most preferred factor for investing in MIP fund. Research Methodology Investor’s main objective is to earn higher returns keeping in mind the risk and liquidity factor. With this objective in mind, an investor is looking out for various investment avenues. Mutual funds offer comparatively better returns and have less risk as compared to direct investment in stock market. In this research paper, an attempt has been made to evaluate the perception of investors regarding mutual fund investment with special emphasis on Monthly Income Plan funds. A survey was conducted in Pune city during the period June 2013 to September 2013. A sample of 150 individual mutual fund investors were surveyed through a pre-tested questionnaire. The investors were selected on the basis of those who have made prior investment in mutual funds and have some knowledge about the basic terminologies involved with mutual funds. An attempt has been made to find out the perception of investors regarding mutual fund investment and to identify the factors considered to be important by the investors before investing in any mutual fund. The awareness level of investors regarding Monthly Income Plan funds and their benefits is also studied.

Free Essays on Epicureanism And Stoicism

The Stoics and Epicureans date from the Hellenistic period (ca. 323 BC - 31 BC), and both schools were heavily influenced by the philosophy of Socrates. The Epicurean mission was to live virtuously in a wicked world. They advocated a simple, quiet, reclusive, sensible life of moderation among friends, avoiding extravagant worldly attractions and bringing no trouble on others. A wise person was one who exhibits rational self-control, subordinating excessive impulses and emotion-laden desires to the law of reason. The Epicureans were suspicious of overly artful or sophisticated intellectual debates; they preferred ordinary language and relied only on sense impressions to establish what we perceive or know. The Epicureans sought a life of pleasure that is, minimal pain and maximum peace of mind by rejecting external goods and pursuing true and lasting internal qualities such as justice, honor, and wisdom. Epicurus said there are four basic truths: (1) there are no divine beings to threaten us; (2) there is no next life; (3) the little we actually need is easy to get; and (4) what makes us suffer is easy to put up with. For the Stoics, logos was seen as the rational order of all things, as reflected in the three areas of philosophy: logic (knowledge, grammar, rhetoric, semantics), physics (cosmology, biology, geography, causality, psychology, theology), and ethics (the goals, proper functions, moral responsibility, and virtue of human character). Human virtue was seen as the highest pattern of a life that accords with universal nature. The early Stoics (Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus) were brilliant practitioners of paradox and dialectic (i.e. debates involving fine logical distinctions); their ideal was the sage, who could refute or trump all others. The later Stoics (Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius) emphasized the ideal of a model virtuous citizen, who fulfills his or her highest nature (which for humans is reason).... Free Essays on Epicureanism And Stoicism Free Essays on Epicureanism And Stoicism The Stoics and Epicureans date from the Hellenistic period (ca. 323 BC - 31 BC), and both schools were heavily influenced by the philosophy of Socrates. The Epicurean mission was to live virtuously in a wicked world. They advocated a simple, quiet, reclusive, sensible life of moderation among friends, avoiding extravagant worldly attractions and bringing no trouble on others. A wise person was one who exhibits rational self-control, subordinating excessive impulses and emotion-laden desires to the law of reason. The Epicureans were suspicious of overly artful or sophisticated intellectual debates; they preferred ordinary language and relied only on sense impressions to establish what we perceive or know. The Epicureans sought a life of pleasure that is, minimal pain and maximum peace of mind by rejecting external goods and pursuing true and lasting internal qualities such as justice, honor, and wisdom. Epicurus said there are four basic truths: (1) there are no divine beings to threaten us; (2) there is no next life; (3) the little we actually need is easy to get; and (4) what makes us suffer is easy to put up with. For the Stoics, logos was seen as the rational order of all things, as reflected in the three areas of philosophy: logic (knowledge, grammar, rhetoric, semantics), physics (cosmology, biology, geography, causality, psychology, theology), and ethics (the goals, proper functions, moral responsibility, and virtue of human character). Human virtue was seen as the highest pattern of a life that accords with universal nature. The early Stoics (Zeno, Cleanthes, Chrysippus) were brilliant practitioners of paradox and dialectic (i.e. debates involving fine logical distinctions); their ideal was the sage, who could refute or trump all others. The later Stoics (Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius) emphasized the ideal of a model virtuous citizen, who fulfills his or her highest nature (which for humans is reason)....

Chinas Economic Prosperity †Economics Essay (200 Level Course)

Chinas Economic Prosperity – Economics Essay (200 Level Course) Free Online Research Papers China’s Economic Prosperity Economics Essay (200 Level Course) The article talks about china’s economic prosperity in terms of attracting manufacturing jobs and cheap labor. The claim that china is keeping its currency undervalued to attract foreign investment and to make investment costs down might be true. Since the 1990’s began, china has been able to attract more and more manufacturing jobs from the us especially consumer goods manufacturing (textiles, toys etc). With its undervalued currency, china is able to attract major manufacturing companies from the USA to trade in Textiles, Consumer Goods and other light goods. The undervaluation of china’s currency makes it easier for foreign investors to buy and setup manufacturing activities at a much lower cost compared to any western country. This has resulted in major job losses in the manufacturing sector especially in the us. Another issue is the trade deficit that the USA and china have. China is currently exporting more goods and services to the USA ($125 Billion) compared to $25 Billion being exported to china from the USA. The WTO should definitely step in order to make china trade practices more in line with the rest of the WTO member counties. Research Papers on China’s Economic Prosperity - Economics Essay (200 Level Course)Definition of Export QuotasRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanTwilight of the UAWPETSTEL analysis of IndiaInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThe Effects of Illegal Immigration

Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economy - Essay Example Thus, this chapter discusses both the supply-side and demand-side factors that lead to differences in occupations and earnings. The authors, based on statistical analysis, note here that occupational segregation has declined over the past 30-40 years as women increasingly aspire for better education and have become more competitive than before. They however warn that despite these latest trends, gender disparity continues to be noticeable among different occupations. For example, Women comprised over 95% of nurses and constituted over four-fifths of all schoolteachers during the mid-nineties. Men, on the other hand, were dominant in the manufacturing sector. Blau et al note that gender and wage differences have remained existent for long periods as both groups have restricted themselves to such specific professions. They further attribute gender differences as the primary reason for discrepancies in job hierarchies, promotions and pay and analyze these factors to highlight their indi vidual and collective impact on the male and female workforce. Chapter 6: Differences in Occupations and Earnings: The Human Capital Model This chapter introduces the role of various factors like educational attainment, productivity and training in narrowing the gap in pay based on gender differences. The authors contend that rising educational qualifications among women has resulted in subtle cracks in the glass ceiling that is apparent in most corporate organizations, and explain it using the Human Capital Model. The authors study the relationship between labor longevity and investment in higher education and argue that women tend to invest in the latter as they see better prospects for staying within the workforce for longer durations. They further noted that women prefer on-the-job training citing better employment prospects and as a way to reduce any potential barriers to career advancement. These trends reflect on declining barriers to career opportunities besides throwing lig ht on changing practices among educational institutions with regards to admission policies and inclusion of a higher percentage of women. The authors also cite several legislations such as the Title IX of 1972 as additional reasons for reduction in gender-based discrimination among educational establishments. For instance, the percentage of women in institutions of higher education has risen from a meager 7% during the 1960s to as much as 35-40% across all professional fields and courses of study. The authors also discuss in length about the ‘Index of Segregation’, which measures the extent of segregation on the basis of gender across several hundred occupations. Numerically, this index estimates the percentage of each sex who must change jobs in order for the professional distribution amongst the two groups to reach equilibrium. Over the years, the Index has reduced from a massive 67% (in terms of women) to nearly half by the turn of the century. Chapter 7: Differences in Occupations and Earnings: The Role of Labor Market Discrimination Through this chapter, the authors primary demonstrate that discrimination within the labor market does exist when two similar individuals with equal qualifications, experience and profiles are

Sustainable Urban Dynamics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Sustainable Urban Dynamics - Term Paper Example Consequently, resulting from some identified challenges. Foremost, are environmental challenges of which climate change is the major global issue. The myriad of problems consequent from climate change include hunger, food, shortage, water scarcity and inadequate food sufficiency. Furthermore, the future unpredictable oil supply is another issue that will affect populations in cities. Secondly, the economic changes resulting from the process of globalization and economic restructuring pose another challenge. More specifically, are the negative economic impacts to women aligned in the casual labor segment. Furthermore, urban development plans will be occurring in a global economy plagued with poverty and high social inequalities. Key features and sustainability measures of Curitiba Eco-city Curitiba city has undergone dramatic changes to establish it as one of the best industrial and commercial hubs. The city is characterized by low crime rates, high educational standards and less poll ution levels. (Rabinovitch & Leitman, 1996). The specific range of sustainability measures that were employed in the city were based on converting the city in line with nature’s requirements. For example the city adopted the use of public transportation to replace the private automobiles. Furthermore, they also increased the carrying capacity of the buses. Secondly, the city managers employed the use of incentives in its development plans such the public disclosure in relation to land (Rabinovitch & Leitman, 1996). Lastly, the city opted to adopt sustainable and appropriate technology in its operations as opposed to high end expensive technology. For example, the city in its effort to tackle its solid waste problems, adopted a garbage purchase program for low income communities. (Rabinovitch & Leitman, 1996). â€Å"Urban disorder† and â€Å"culture of fear† with implications in â€Å"gated communities and â€Å"politics of land use control† Urban disorde r refers to the loss of control over social and spatial order as a consequence of increased urbanization. The manifestations of urban disorder include public incivilities such as drinking in the streets, graffiti paintings as well high crime rates within a neighborhood. Furthermore, it is also characterized by urban decline such as littering of the streets, a sense of powerlessness whereby an individual fails to take action against any injustices witnessed and moreover, a state of poor physical heath such drug addicts (Sampson, 2009). On the other hand, the culture of fear is based on the tenets of fears for urban disorders. Consequently, some segment of higher class are driven to live in gated communities by their own admission of the culture of fear for the dangers that lack outside of their own urban set up. In this case the residents are fearful of the possibility of crime and violence that are common with urban disorder. Consequently, the land use patterns are affected by these gated communities since more and more agricultural land is converted for development. Lastly, the reinforcing mechanisms of these exclusionary resident tendencies include the increasing differences in social classes between the rich and the poor, government expansion of regulatory laws such as zoning laws which have provision for family and neighborhood life. Distributive and Procedural Inequities According to Boon et al., the distributive

Compare and Contrast the Spaniards' Attitudes toward the Native Essay

Compare and Contrast the Spaniards' Attitudes toward the Native Culture and People They Encountered with the Aztec - Essay Example The modern appreciation of historical facts gave birth to a thorough analysis of the events of the past and what the Western historians were at times unable to point out or those that were dismissed. Essentially, there were things that must be taken into consideration. â€Å"The conquistadors caught a fleeting glance of a civilization with a theology and symbolism as complex as contemporary Catholicism† (Fagan, p.343). The full understanding of any story must involve weighing in all possible accounts of what took place. It cannot be limited to an assertion inferred as fundamental facts. The same goes for a deeper understanding of the Conquistadors arrival and their colonization of the Aztecs. Limiting to the Spaniards’ accounts and personal inclinations gives rise to bias so that revisiting the available accounts of the natives must be integrated. This illuminates any historical reading to have an impartial assessment to reconcile facts from fiction. What Bernal Diaz pr ovided in â€Å"The True History of the Conquest of New Spain† was a personal account of the battle with the Aztecs. It was a vivid narration that aims to disclose the true occurrences of the battle to provide for a more genuine description to put to rest all other claims proliferated by others. It contained detailed descriptions of the practices of the actual encounter. The most graphic were the practices of the natives on their captives, â€Å"with stone knives they sawed open their chests and drew out their palpitating hearts and offered them to the idols that were there, and they kicked the bodies down the steps, and Indian butchers who were waiting below cut off the arms and feet and flayed (the skin off) the faces† (Diaz, n.p.). The autobiographical account described the cannibalistic practices of the natives. The cries of the people on the destruction of their city, though veiled through the words of Diaz, seem to be valid reason for their anger. The people soug ht for the reconstruction of what they have lost. Diaz, as Wyman noted in her introduction came from a more deprived background wherein his venture into foreign land was for personal gain. The mind of a soldier and his hardships primarily regulate his point of view. The brotherhood among soldiers and their sufferings would be most palpable to him. This is apparent in the account as a strict narrative of a battle. This particular endeavour was the principal reason for his ascent into the social strata which maintains his courageous stance amidst the difficulties. Inadvertently, Diaz divulged Aztec practices such as how women helped the men by making their crude weapons including the preparation of the stones for their slings and in the sounding of the devices. In contrast to the narrative of Diaz, Hernan Cortes presents to the monarchy a descriptive account of the city of Temixtitlan under Moctezuma. He illustrates a place filled with life and vitality. It is one where there are soci al centers filled with economic growth. The market is filled with products and various trades. There are also specialized shops such as apothecaries and an indication of medicinal application including the sale of much sought after herbs and spices. â€Å"This Province is in the form of a circle, surrounded on all sides by lofty and