Communication Strategies

The business world has so far presented many challenges to several organizations and the 21st century is promising not to be an exceptional. Mergers and acquisition has been one of the strategies employed by organizations in order to survive in the competitive global world. Though challenging and complex, organization integration has been another strategy employed by organizations. Organizational integration is the tendency of organizations to breakdown units within an organization to ensure that they pursue uniform objectives and interact effectively with each other.
   
However, organizational integration is normally hard to achieve because of some functional territories which are resistant to change. These territories act as barriers to the flow of information within the supply chain. Conflicts between various units within an organizational may also hinder integration (Kerber, Buono, 2004). For instance, the production department has an obligation to cut down on the costs by ensuring that there are no deficits or surplus within the supply chain. On the other hand, the sales department aims at responding to the demands of customers which are unpredictable.

Communication breakdown which arise from too much bureaucracy also create barriers to organizational integration. The vertical bureaucratic procedures do complicate the decision making process which is necessary for integration. The other problem associated with integration is the complex analysis of the competitive advantage versus the cost of implementing the integration. Lack of effective leadership through the integration process is also barrier. Leadership is essential in that it sets out patterns on how the integration process is to be achieved.

Absence of clear operating structures within organizations hinders the integration process. Many organizations do have passive communication plans which are normally inform of newsletters and circulars. This is another barrier to the integration process. To facilitate the integration process, the top management should engage staff of the lower cadre in a one to one session which will give a sense of direction through the integration process (Chapman, n.d.). Lac of effective team work also acts as barrier to effective organizational integration. Through teamwork the functional barriers can be broken.

Alternatives   
Competitive advantage within organizations can be achieved using other strategies, other than organizational intregration. First, developing proper organizational capability ensures that the vision and mission of an organization are achieved.

Automation of operation within organization has been a strategy to have an edge over the competitors. However, this has not worked well since they technique is always subject to imitation. It is recommended that organizations should invest in process innovation which will ensure that new patterns which respond easily to change are adopted. Establishing solid foundation is also a strategy to having a competitive advantage. Though the costs associated with internal service processes should be minimal, they should be customized to suit the needs of customers (Chapman, n.d.). For instance, companies like Orange U.K which is one of the best performing companies have infested much on customer care and this has enabled it to be a dominant service provider despite having a volatile market. The organization image is also important. Organizations should cultivate a good image to their customers. For instance, if an organization claims to be approachable this should be evident in service delivery. Organizations should also utilize the public relation department. For instance, organizations should organize seminars for both existing and potential customers. Product differentiation is also a strategy to have a competitive advantage  in that, through re-branding consumers assume that there is a new product in the market which they should try out.

Memo Employee Motivation

The success of an organization is highly influenced by the effectiveness and motivation of its employees. The working conditions of the employees and the diverse challenges that the staff encounter, determine the success or failure of an organization. A competitive firm requires a skillful workforce where the staff is resilient, dynamic and focused to the visions of the company. The above notion signifies the importance of employees development program especially to the human resource personnel.
             
The MacDonalds has dominated the fast food industry since its inception. The recent past has been characterized with intense competition from newly established multinationals, and for safaricom to remain competitive, it has to retain and increase the skills of its staff. One development program the company can focus on is in the academic sector. High education program unlike the commonly practiced norm of workshops, seminars and training programs, is essential in creating professionals who are specialized in their specific fields.
              
J.D. Spencer gives a series of fundamental principles that an organization can utilize to ensure the success of the staff development program. First, managers must ensure that recruiting and selection process is done professionally since it will define the kind of staff the company will have. The induction process should be simple and elaborate to enable the new-starters understand how the company works. The induction process is crucial in enabling the staff to be productive within a short period. Supervision defines the length of time the manager oversees the work of a staff in order to monitor his progress and develop his experience. Another step involves evaluation of the staff development. Internal evaluations assist the manager to determine the effectiveness of the staff development program
              
The company must also have well defined career path in order to limit ambiguity and to enable the staff to focus towards a particular goal. Moreover, classifying the job to various categories enables the staff to put more energy and dedication in order to be promoted to the next level. For the staff to be productive, the management should put in place a diverse motivational system. The first system is customer oriented and it focuses on the prowess of an employee to attract a costumer and to convince him or her come back again. The second factor involves the ability of an employee to generate revenue within a certain time period. The third system involves the staffs ability to follow rules and guidelines set by the firm, their creativity, prowess, and devotion and commitment. Therefore, the employees who adhere to these criteria will be liable for promotion and wage increment.
             
Motivation is an important aspect it the growth and advancement of an individual in the company. A motivated and jovial employee will create a cordial working relation with fellow colleagues and maintain loyal customers. Therefore, an organization benefits from retaining its experienced personnel than hiring new ones. There are different aspects of employee motivation that a company should consider. Open communication enables junior employees articulate their concern easily to the management without fear. The leadership aspect implies that the manager will be highly respected by their juniors if they excel in their roles and act professionally. The team work aspect implies that employees are able to attain set goals in a short period if there is mutual respect and understanding. Compensation and benefit is also an important factor in ensuring that employees remain motivated and satisfied in their working environment.

Academic Success

(1)    Liberal Arts education circumvents on understanding the different disciplines associated with the arts. It seeks to provide students with a holistic understanding of the different processes associated with areas such as the Arts, History, Politics, English, etc. Seeing this, the value of obtaining a Liberal Arts education revolves around the capacity of students to appreciate and value the ideas to be applied in the professional setup. In liberal arts, the focus is more on the learning of the profession (University of Washington, 2006, p.1). Thus, this engagement opens students with the capacity to explore more on the realities and diverse ideas in life.

(2)    In responding to people who ask about my chosen major, I deem to use my background in computer science as an opportunity to uplift the capacity to become dynamic to todays business and professional trends. This is in light of the increasing demand for computer technicians and professionals. As businesses adhere towards technological innovations and the digital age, so is the trend to find suitable and qualified professionals who can handle the associated responsibilities (Arizona State University, 2010). This course can then become a vital tool towards professional competency and development.

(3)    Given the articles, I do believe that my perspective about choosing my major changed. In here, I value not only the process of contemplating and making decisions. At the same time, I seek to find the opportunity to gain new information and insights on things that matter. Regardless if I am going to use them in my chosen profession, these ideas can help shape the way I handle the challenges of life and provide the tools towards ambition and success (University of Tennessee, 2009).

(4)    Reflecting on my transferrable skills, I do believe they include (1) leadership, (2) adaptability, (3) perseverance, and (4) dedication. Given the complexity and difficulty of studying computer science, I do believe that having leadership can correspond to a good position for employment as many employers seek competent individuals with the ability to manage people accordingly (Marion, 2009). At the same time, having the adaptability can ensure better ways to address the changing trends and evolution of my chosen profession. Lastly, with perseverance and dedication, I can have the capacity to rise above the career ladder and become effective regardless of the tasks given.

(5)    Given the complexity of my chosen profession, I do believe that entering schools again for an advanced degree can guarantee not only a better position in the future but also infuse better capacity to become skilful in my chosen profession. The idea of expansion in schools shall not only induce better knowledge, it can also foster greater opportunities for change (Arizona State University, 2010).

Part II
(1)    Reflecting on the precepts of my contract, I had sought to made adjustments not only with my study time but also in my ability to create opportunity to find time during unforeseen circumstances. For example, I had made effort to establish a schedule wherein I sought to maximize my time to study and expand my skills associated with my major. At the same time, I found time to unwind and release stress. Having this process can induce greater ways to become adaptive to the challenges of school (Marion, 2009). These exercises became effective towards addressing the tenets with my contract.

(2)    Given my new action plan, I began to understand the value of perseverance in my studies. In here, I gained the ability to maximize my time and gain the necessary information towards increasing my skills. For example, the professor provided a difficult equation. In this process, I studied the equation intently and reviewed previous examples. After some time, I gained the answer. Without my dedication, I would not have done so. Seeing this, and the complexity of the computer science field, having the patience and perseverance and induce better results (Arizona State University, 2010).

Part III  
Reflecting on the ideas of my major in Arizona State University, I found out the relevance of computer science and how it applies in different business process. Under this website, I saw the conditions that provide future professionals the ability to synthesize and decipher what possible options can be made in the future (Arizona State University, 2010). In here, it encompasses not only on computer related industries but also on other areas as well.
   
On the other hand, University of Tennessee offers students a holistic understanding of what a degree in computer science can offer. Under this process, it seeks to provide students the capacity to see the positive and hurdles associated with the chosen major.  From a non-technical field towards programming, the information is given to induce greater appreciation on the student on what potential employers and responsibilities can be made (University of Tennessee, 2009). Moreover, it seeks to provide the necessary skills plus what expectations can be made under the profession of a computer science major.

Interaction Based Theories of Conflict

All of these give a very good insight of the way conflicts happen and grow. However, to better understand which model is more applicative and represents our day to day and normal lives better, let us take an example.
            
The Phase Models Perspective shows how a conflict progresses through a number of stages. Different theories here give different stages however the basic build-up is the same. It starts with a conflict that is not being solved by talking it out. Then it goes on to the point where it becomes a problem of ego and viewpoints become standpoints. In the next stage the people involved in the conflict look for concrete actions to do something about the conflict. Then you start stereotyping everything negative with the person you have a conflict with. After that it is stated that the cognitive reasoning of the people involved in the conflict reduces to that of 6-year olds because even though they know the others perspective they can no longer see it as a reasonable option.  After that the conflict reaches an unrealistic peak where both of the parties think theyre right and no way can they lose in court or by the verdict of a third person. Both parties want total control of the situation. This situation ends when either party reaching physical or mental exhaustion. In the middle of this whole process at any point the parties may seek mediation. When mediating it should be considered well what point of conflict the parties are in as that determines how to deal with it.
                
In real life, I think that conflict is not always so orderly. And yes the context in a lot of ways determines how the conflict is going to unfold. Also in normal life we see that mediation is usually done in the first few stages. For example, if two friends have a fight about a project that theyre doing together and they have an argument about how to go about it. The conflict will say start from the differences in opinion and most probably it will be mediated at that point only by a third friend. This third friend will calm the situation down and reasonably find a solution with the end result that one of the friend will have to compromise at one time.
   
The context matters in the way that if the two people who were in the conflict arent friends and already have a little contention between them there are a lot of chances the conflict will get escalated. In this case, a common friend of the parties will need to intervene in the situation. However, without an intermediary the conflict can result in physical fights and the parties can get hurt.
           
The field theory states that a persons behavior is a result of his own disposition as well as the nature of the environment they are present in. Without understanding these fields in which the person is present we can not totally comprehend the behavior of people.

The term contriently interdependent has been used which in most simple terms means being competitively related. If the probability of goal attainment for A increases that means that the probability of goal attainment for B will decrease. This means that A and B are contriently interdependent. This means that if I give in or if I let the other person have their way that will result in lesser chances that I will get what I want and the probability of my goal attainment will decrease. This creates a very big conflict and creates a rigid standpoint for both parties who will now want to give in because giving in or seeking integrative outcomes will mean losing out on what you want. For example, during our university course registrations there was a clash between me and another person regarding the course timings. I wanted the course time changed to 1220 which would have been a convenient time for me as I would have been able to take back to back classes and not wait in between. This other class member wanted to get the course timings changed to an hour later that day due to his football practice. This situation was exactly as described in fields theory. Both of us were at a conflict and neither of us wanted to compromise as we had our own reasons. I had tried to argue and explain my viewpoint to the other course member but she being as stubborn as me remained fixated on her point. The final decision to resolve the conflict was given to the course professor who in the end decided to change the day of the class so that none of us had a problem anymore.

Reciprocity theory states and explains that the actions of humans are reciprocated in a way that if you act positively towards a person that person will act positively towards you and if you act negatively towards a person that person will act negatively towards you. However, there are exceptions to this rule and sometimes people may act positively when the other is acting negatively or vice-versa. For example, once my childhood friend and I had a very big fight over football match. For some time I remained passionate about my viewpoint just like my friend, however after a while I thought of our lifelong friendship and decided to respond positively to my friends negative behavior. However, in some situations positive behaviors is reciprocated with negative behavior. This happens mostly in situations where there are preconceived notions about the other persons dispositions and this escalates the conflict and takes it to higher stages of conflict. However, when one party takes the compensatory role the conflict dies down soon and no serious damage is done.
             
In my opinion compensation is a good option and we should try to do that because most of the time positive behavior is rewarded by positive behavior. However, there are some instances when positive behavior is not returned by positive behavior. In those situations going on compensating is a foolish mistake no one should make. We should all draw lines for ourselves and until that line if the other person goes on being negative and selfish we should start reciprocating.
           
All three theories give us perspectives that we see in different situations. However, in my opinion and experience I have seen the field theory to be of most significance and most relevant. In our daily dealings we see that the same occurrence may happen with different people but the way it is perceived and looked at it different. Why These differences are accounted for by the fields in which one is present at different times. The phase models perspective although gives a nice stage by stage description of the conflict fails to look into this important point and looks at conflicts in a very orderly fashion disregarding the fluid unpredictable manner of daily life. The reciprocity theory in my opinion is a very general overview of how people react to each other which can be negative or positive and doesnt really give an insight into the relationships between the people or the fields and atmosphere present

Communication

Communication is a process through which information is exchanged between two or more people. Moreover, its the transfer of ideas, thoughts, and opinions through dialogue, writing, or sign language. For communication to be effective, there has to be a medium of conveying the information, and the recipient should be in a position to decipher the message. Communication is classified into verbal means, like singing and talking, and the nonverbal means, like facial expressions, eye contact, touch, sign and body language, and writing (Kramer, 2004).
           
As it has been defined, communication can only be effective when parties involved are willing to listen to each other. Conflict usually arises or made worse when there is a communication problem. Moreover, when a speaker does not explain himself well to the audience, its certain that the information he passes through will be vague (Salwen, Stacks, 1996). The audience can also cause communication problems when they presume that they already have the message being conveyed or are rowdy.
           
The second problem that can arise is when there is a cultural or language differences.  When written information cannot be properly interpreted or when an interpreter is not fluent and clear enough, the recipient can receive the wrong information. The third setback can arise from a non-verbal communication (Conville, Rogers, 1998). An individual who is partly deaf or blind may not decipher information given in sign language.
         
Communication is important during conflict resolution. When there is a difference in opinions and parties involved are at war, only effective communication can resolve it. Moreover, effective communication skills among the managerial team are crucial for an efficient organizational behavior. Its also important to study communication since a bold orator is in a better position to convince people and capture their attention.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is huge name in todays world. This name brings tears, smiles and energy into millions of lives. She is a living example of courage, faith and hard work. With her unending effort she has proved to the world that anyone can do anything provided that its the right thing.

The paper revolves around The Oprah Winfrey Show. It begins by giving a brief background about Oprah and her success. It also briefly mentions the awards and achievement of Oprah as an ordinary person and as a star. Oprah Winfrey has affected millions of people worldwide and thus her influence on the people is elaborated in detail. After this the values and ideology Oprah represents are stated.  Not only the positive aspect is mentioned in this paper, but the criticism on Oprah is also highlighted. In the end the overall contribution of Oprah to television and to America is discussed and concluding remarks are given.

Background
Oprah Winfrey is the most influential woman in media according to Forbes. She has a huge fan following. Be it talk shows or social media, Oprah Winfrey is everywhere. Press mentions and her remarkable earning power also contribute her making the most influential woman (Blakeley, 2009).
Born on January 29, 1956, Oprah Winfrey is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in US. She was born to a poor family. She suffered a lot of misery in her childhood. She was abused and also raped. She thought she had lost herself but then her grandmother saved her and showed her the true meaning of life. She went through so much pain and now helping others and taking them out of misery makes her feels better, which is a great tremendous contribution to society.

Oprah Winfrey has the highest rated talk show in history. She was the first African American woman to become a billionaire. Being a black woman she never backed out, she has always moved forward.  By 1998, Oprah Winfrey Show had received 30 Daytime Emmy Awards and also received a life time achievement award at just the age of 44. Her show is broadcasted in more than 100 countries. Oprah Winfrey is not just good at talking she has also won three beauty pageants (Krohn  Cosgrove, 2005).

Problem Statement
    Many leadership, culture and communication studies have been done to study Oprah Winfrey traits and communication style. Oprah Winfrey has won millions of hearts and people follow her blindly. Therefore this paper aims to study how she influences them and what is the extent of persuasion. The paper aims to identify the key factors which contribute towards what Oprah Winfrey is today.

Degree of Influence
    In 1986, Oprah started her own show The Oprah Winfrey Show and since then her influence on people kept growing. It is the longest running daytime television talk show in the nation and approximately around 40 million viewers watch her show in US alone (Pop, 2009).
   
The Oprah Winfrey show was a major influence to women on a variety of issues including child abuse, education, health care, racism and poverty. The show also included healthy, beauty and fashion tips. She covered every sort of issue and went into detail of each one of its which showed her motivation toward it.
The Oprah Winfrey show attracts people from all age groups. She relates to people and helps them in any way she can. In this world of violence and terrorism activities, people feel relieved and soothed to see celebrities working for a good cause. Oprahs optimistic nature helps people to focus on the positive aspect of their lives and learn from the negative side. Especially the black people who have always been discriminated in every way, they can easily open up and even feel that they also exist.

Oprah was aware of the fact that she is one of the few black women to ever have a voice in American society, so she must use it to the fullest. This doesnt mean that she restricted herself to blacks only. She managed to address people from all the races and ethnics groups and won their hearts. In fact she managed to erase some strict lines between different races in America (Oprah Winfrey, 2000). She managed to clear the misunderstandings between the varieties of societies and tried to created peace amongst them. Due to her positive attitude many people changed their perspectives.
   
The current president of United States of America was also endorsed by Oprah Winfrey. She had never previously endorsed any political candidate but she endorsed Obama as he was a close friend of hers. Obama appeared in her show on Oct 18, 2006 and as a result the Illinois senator vaulted 358 the week following his appearance (Tancer, 2007). Oprah is just like a leader which people love to follow. People have faith in her, she is like an enlightenment to them who guides them and will never let them down.
   
This is not it. Articles, books and magazines are overloaded with examples of Oprahs widespread influence. Such as according to a survey airline travels choose Oprah Winfrey as the celebrity that theyd most like to be seated with on long flights (Lowe, 1998).  She also endorsed some products which started selling like hotcakes such as lemon drop martini, banana pudding and Rachael Rays 5 minute fudge. It just seems the marketers waste billions of dollars in promoting their products through various channels they should simple make Oprah Winfrey use their products and then people would love to buy and use those products as well (Tancer, 2007).
   
Another very popular story is that Oprah wanted to find her favorite brownie and she found it in the suburbs. She pointed that Lennerts deeply fudged brownies were one of her favorite things and within hours the manufacturer got 1,000 brownie orders. Demand exceeded supply and the brand was globally known as.

The Oprah Brownie (Sotonoff, 2009).  
Audiences treat Oprah Winfrey as their girlfriend. A girlfriend who you can trust and share your stories. Fans believe that girlfriends defend and support each other and thats what Oprah Winfrey does. She supports her guests and women all over the globe. She has the art of creating para-social relationship in which the guests and strangers feel the illusion of having an intimate relationship with host of the show. Normally there is a distance between the host and the guest but at The Oprah Winfrey Show everyone talks as if they are friends or relatives (Lowe, 1998).
   
Oprah Winfrey is so influential that the word Oprah is now used as a word in the language. Its very frequently used in the youth dictionary which means to engage in persistent, intimate questioning with the intention of obtaining a confession usually used by men of women, as in I wasnt going to tell her, but after a few drinks, she Oprahd it out of me. Even the Wall Street Journal and National Review magazine confirmed and asserted the emerging of a new word among adults (Lowe, 1998).

Studying the Success of Communication  
The Oprah Winfrey Shows success gives us deep insight into communication strategies and techniques. She might not use these techniques deliberately but they can be used as tools for effective communication.
   
Fran Lebowitz states that Oprah Winfrey has the greatest influence on the adult population and is almost like a religion (Lowe, 1998). This statement has great depth. Association of the word religion means Oprah Winfrey has a set of rules and ideologies which she believe and have also persuaded her audience to believe in it.
   
One would wonder why Oprah is so influential. What are the traits and characteristics that one requires to be so persuasive and influential How does she make America and people around the globe follow her According to Patt Williams and Michael Mink the secret of Oprahs success is her sincerity. Oprah states that one of her secrets to success is in believing the fact that she is no different than the viewer. She is known as a great anchor and a great business woman but more than that she is known as a philanthropist. She loved helping people in any way she could. She herself had gone through humongous miseries and pain in her childhood and had successfully overcome all the fears and miseries. Therefore she wanted to genuinely help others to come out of their miseries as well. Having gone through the pain herself, she understands the pain of others. Understanding others make her more sincere in work as a philanthropist (William  Mink, 2003).
   
Another important aspect of Oprahs communication success is pointed out by Laurie L. Haag.  Ability to construct intimate relationships plus her own legend seems to be the formula for success. It has been pointed that talk shows hosted by women always had the touch of homeliness and friendliness. These women talk shows started in 1960s and paved the way for the Oprah Winfrey Show (Haag).
   
The art of managing different voices is also very important while studying Oprah. She is never monotonous and knows how to vary her pitch and tone according to the situation. She has various voice tones that her fans are familiar with. Viewers are aware of the serious Oprah, the playful Oprah, the empathic Oprah and the angry Oprah. This level of connection with the viewers is build over a huge span of time (Haag).
   
Another important aspect of Oprahs communication is the non verbal aspect. She has been known for touching her audience members and grabbing their arms as she asks questions. These gestures add an informal touch to the environment and guests feel comfortable. Non verbal cues such as eye contact are a strong asset of Oprah. She makes sure she maintains strong eye contact with the guest to show she wants to know the story. Her other gestures such as laughing, crying and screaming make her more human than other talk show hosts. When the audience sees the host cry, they automatically connect to the host. (Haag ,n.d.).

The Church of Oprah Winfrey
Oprah addresses moving issues that matter to countless people and thats what makes her popular. Her shows are not only emotional but are fun as well. She has the art to navigate complex discussions as well as light-hearted matter that the audiences love to watch (Pop, 2009).

Due to racism it was believed that only whites and blondes can have access to money, fun and fame. Oprah made everyone see the right direction. She reinforced the idea that anyone can seek after fun and time. Its not limited to whites only.  Americans who were used of racial discrimination liked the new view point. Oprahs book live your best life endorses the concept of believing in yourself and doing whatever best you can. According to her its important for everyone to realize their true potential and then do what they love. Unless and until a person does what he loves, he cant be successful. Oprah asserted the notion of doing the right thing. She believed if you are right then success will follow you.

Oprah also encouraged women to believe that they can find value in their lives and make a difference in the world. She represented the advantages of recognizing women rights. She has made humongous contributions regarding women rights and one of these was funding a young womens hostel. In order to help women she created the Dr. Phil show which assisted troubled individuals.

Oprah has a unique of making people talk about their stories. She talked to her guests in a way that no one else could. People could tell their stories to Oprah fearlessly. This shows that Oprah induced courage in people. People stood up for what they were and tried to learn from their mistakes.

Criticism
Despite of all her efforts and hard work she couldnt stay away from criticism. She made some blunders due to which many people criticized her. Many people felt that they have lost respect for her.
  
 Suzanne Somers was invited by Oprah Winfrey on her show to stay her secrets of staying young. Suzanne Somers secrets were quite unusual and ignited the audiences. In order to stay young the 62 year old actress rubs potent estrogen cream and progesterone as well. She swallows 60 vitamins and supplements daily to remain healthy and show her as a 30 year old.  Somer also claimed that all these drugs were FDA-approved and completely organic, natural and safe. Thats not all she stated that she wears nanotechnology patches to help her sleep, lose weight and promote overall detoxification. (Kosova  Wingert, 2009)
  
 All in all Oprah was promoting whatever Suzanne Somers did. By the end of the program Oprah stood up for Somers and said every woman should read books related to bio-identical hormones. Oprah didnt acknowledge the fact that these hormones pose great risks for cancer in women. Oprah holds her guests as prophets and shell go to amazing heights to defend them. The problem here is that Oprah is widely relied and worshipped in America. If she purchases a brownie, people purchase it if she discards something, people discard it. Thats why the women health activists criticized Oprah for having Suzanne Somers at her show as it promotes taking of artificial hormones to look young (Kosova  Wingert, 2009).
   
Despite of the criticism, Oprah Winfrey is known as Americas beloved best friend. She is the most trusted and relied upon celebrity in America. She invades people personal space and people dont mind. She questions people about intimate details and people tell her all the stuff willingly. This shows that Oprah Winfrey show is a true success. She is a role model today for African American youth. She has given hope to previously neglected societies of America. She has ignited the ray of hope in her audiences.
   
Criticism is inevitable and unavoidable. Critics will always be there and cant be diminished. The important point here is how you handle criticism and how you respond to it. Oprah handled criticism wisely and always responded in a timely manner to all accusations.
The Oprah Winfrey show has ended now but Oprah Winfrey hasnt. She continues to connect to her audiences through social media and her magazines. She still contributes into many charities and is trying harder to make this world a better place.

Reflective Leadership

In the personal leadership development plan that I will formulate, I will focus on important leadership skill that I think I need to develop to become a better and more competent leader. To begin, the Skill-based Model of Mumford which capitalizes on leadership traits required in order to acquire ability in solving management problems will be used in the evaluation of my leadership trait. Effective problem-solving according to Mantha and Sivaramakrishna is highly essential because it empowers managers in their professional and personal lives (p. 1).  However, he also acknowledged that good problem solving skills seldom come naturally they are consciously learnt and nurtured (p. 1). 

Theory 1 The skill-based model leadership theory
The Skill-Based model of Mumford has five components of which the three are essential leadership skills, while the other two help in enhancing those leadership skills (p. 44). As pointed out earlier that problem solving skills are learned, and so the model emphasized that the components of the model which contribute to the competency of a leader helps in acquiring problem-solving skills.
   
The first three components are Individual Attributes, Competencies, and Leadership Outcomes each represents a box arranged consecutively from left to right with arrow pointing to the box on the right. Competencies, which is at the center, composes several elements such as problem-solving skills, social judgment skills, and knowledge all are vital for effective performance (Northouse  Northouse, p. 44). Accordingly, competencies involve acquired intelligence or perceptual understanding which balances situations in order to achieve organizational goals. A leader has to be sensitive enough to use possible hints in decision-making to avoid negative consequence of a wrong decision. The individual attributes include general ability (or intelligence), crystallized cognitive ability (or acquired intelligence), motivation, and personality. These attributes are basic in ones self which contribute to his leadership competencies. This is the foundation of a leaders competencies, which they need to nurture first. All these aspects affect ones leadership ability. Lastly, the leadership outcomes would be the effective problem solving and performance. Again, these outcomes are influenced by the leaders competencies (Northouse  Northouse, p. 50).
   
The last two components are career experiences and environmental influences, which coordinate the first three components as illustrated in form of connecting arrows under each box.  The model also explained that career experiences nurture further the individual attributes and competencies, while environmental influences may affect the three components.
   
This model is very useful in my development plan because it will help as I determine which areas I am good at and which am not. This model will also guide me as I identify tasks involved in my action plan.

My Leadership Strengths and Weaknesses
My strength as a leader is basically my technical knowledge of what leadership should be and practically how to motivate and involve people in my plan. On one hand, my weakness lies on problem-solving aspect of my leadership which affects the decision I make for the company.
   
To capitalize on my strength, I will use my knowledge to effectively motivate my people to involve wholeheartedly maximizing their effort for the advancement of the company. I will develop more plans that will generate more profits and sustainability for the growth of the organization by means of strengthening cooperation and collaboration among the employees. I will do it in good manner
   
Despite a good leadership trait that I manifest, the problem-solving aspect brings me a lot of difficulty because I am afraid to allow my employees to intervene in the decision-making as if I am permitting them to act freely causing to lose the distinction between the leader and the employee. Few of the reasons for this perhaps, are lack of self-confidence, lack of trust to my employees, and fear of criticism for inability to make decision on my own or to settle conflicts.
   
To modify my weakness, I rarely share sensitive issues to my subordinates instead, I try to solve corporate problems which are often ineffective.  Another strategy is focusing the teams attention on other issues which are often appealing and interesting.

Addressing the gaps between the leader you are now and the leader you would like to become  
To make me a better leader, I need to address my personal struggles over facing difficult problem, which normally caused by lack of confidence and inability to handle interpersonal conflicts. In this way, I need to enhance my emotional quotient by accepting my strength and weakness and believing that other peoples skills are essential in the organization. Problem-solving is one competency of emotional intelligence, in which according to Hughes, Patterson and Terrell, is the social emotional competency that calls into action our sleuthing skills, as it is very much like detective work (p. 101).Basically, I am referring to my personality which is one of the attributes needed to become competent according to Skill-Based Model.  Thus, making advantage of my members skills should not threaten me rather I should see it as an advantage on my part. By allowing them to contribute ideas, I can divert my attention from self to a much important thing. Conger, Riggio and Bass pointed out, technical and creative problem-solving skills allow leaders to orchestrate the context for the integrative efforts that provide a basis for idea generation (p. 138).
   
If ever I will lessen my tendency to focus on my own weakness, I can create a team that actively involved in decision making through a sound problem-solving effort. In that way, I can intensify the motivation of my members and at the same time, I will become an emphatic and charismatic leader.

Action Plan  
As part of the action plan that I have to take in order to overcome areas of concern that hinders creative problem-solving skills is enhancing my emotional quotient. According to Feinstein, emotional intelligence has different abilities that are essential for a leader to possess, such as (a) the ability to accurately perceive and express emotions (b) the ability to access and generate feelings when they facilitate cognitive activities (c) the ability to understand emotion-related information and make use of emotional knowledge and (d) the ability to manage emotions optimally in both self and in others (p. 201).  At this condition, difficult and challenging situations normally test a persons personality only his emotional quotient can make him intelligent in balancing both his emotion and the given situation which often results to a better decision-making process and lasting positive change. It is emotional quotient that enhances the creative side of problem-solving.
   
To increase my emotional quotient, I need to be practically aware of my own emotion during taxing period. In a sense, I must be aware of disturbing negative emotion that ruins my day and disposition. Secondly, I need to cultivate trust for my team members and allowing fear to subside because of my inefficiency (as I thought), then be optimistic with the result. Perhaps, as I gain exposure of the different views, my knowledge will also increase and so my understanding of the emotion of other people. Knowledge is also an attribute in order to develop competence in problem-solving. Thus, as Singh suggested, I need to unlearn bad emotional responses and equip them with necessary emotional competence (p. 64) in order to acquire attributes and competence as a leader. Third, I must develop a positive outlook in life by engaging in meditational activity where I can be alone to release stresses and bring in positive ideas.

Realistic Implementation Timeline 
It will help me if I give my self at least one month self-training that begins in the morning until the time before going to bed. Morning and evening must be my time for meditation and self-reflection. Furthermore, the daily circumstances are presumed as challenges where I need to apply self-control over negative emotions.
  
However, in cases because of lack of self-discipline I fail to be consistent with my plan, I will enroll in some training center for emotional intelligent which are available in the internet.  I can also join with a group who conducts meditation every day.
   
Realistically, the appropriate timeline to follow when training for increase in EI is lifetime to which the age maturity is the top among the factors. People at age 40 normally have achieved some degree of emotional maturity.

The impact of the plan to leadership, follower and organization        Developing emotional intelligence on a daily basis will gradually transform my personality and my personal dealing with people in various situations. For this reason, the ability to handle conflict or problem in the workplace in a nice and intelligent way can increase my competence as a leader.

The workplace is the good place to start my personal training in enhancing my emotional intelligence through which, using my plan given the situations in the organization will benefit not only me but also my follower and my organization. By allowing the team to brainstorm and contribute to the solution to the problem, greater is the possibility that it will increase their motivation, enhance my leadership skills, and bring success to the company. Sala, Druskat and Mount had stressed that emotional intelligence is associated with better outcomes in work groups, leadership qualities such as the ability to propose compelling goals and ideas, better performance in group decision-making activities, higher supervisor ratings of job performance, higher performance rankings from managers, and higher percentage merit pay (p. xxxiv).Means of Assessing and modifying the plan

Through personal assessment after each days work is a good time and means to assess and modify the plan. Assessing and modifying include evaluation of the effectiveness of my implementation while, modifying takes place when there is adjustment in my action plan. Both of these will guide me to maintain my focus until I get what I desire. 

Another helpful tool towards building emotional intelligence is through collaboration with a trusted friend who can coach me during unguarded moments. Motivating the team members to undergo training such as this using corporate approach can also help maintain my focus.

The Skill-Based Model which focuses on developing problem-solving skills required of a leader through enhancing personal attributes and competencies guarantees effective performance as the outcome suggests. Using this model, I figured out that the reason for my lack of problem-solving skills is lack of self-confidence and trust for other people, which fall under personality, a component of individual attribute. To increase problem-solving skills requires enhancing my emotional intelligence, which helps regulate my emotional responses in order for me to facilitate creative thinking. Despite the fact that developing emotional intelligence may take years, serious upholding on my action plan would make it easier to happen.
Indeed, it will take discipline and self-control before a person can learn emotional maturity but its fruit is lasting.

Answers to Seven Questions

Question 1) I wonder if this ability can be learned or if it is inherent to ones personality. Thoughts Class
Answer 1) The debate would still be on if someone, after a point of time, decides to learn how to develop such abilities and eventually succeeds in mastering them. Because, there is the other school of thought with the proponents of genetic determinism, who consider EI no more than hyped rubbish, would say that it is the activation of the dormant elements of genes (Farron, 2005).

Question 2) Based on this particular idea, do you think that leaders with entrepreneurial personalities have a better grip on EI because of their natural abilities or would self-control of this nature entail learning Thoughts
Answer 2) It might not be fair to segregate personality traits from EI and IQ, since such traits are in a way reflective of ones cognitive as well as emotional ability. Thus it should be seen the other way round  it is the better coordination between EI and IQ (say, heart and brain) enables humans to have better grip over earthly proceedings.  May be the authors of the book Emotionally Intelligent Leadership (Shankman and Allen, 2008) could shed some light on this issue, since they are keen to find more combinations of the concepts of emotional intelligence and leadership in one model.

Question 3) If we were to move the concept of personality to a specific area such as situation, can personality be a reliable indicator of how a leader may respond
Answer 3) There are reasons to favor this proposition. Firstly, personality makes humans a little predictive as that presents a personal behavioral index to others through actions against set situations. MBTI is an elaborated arrangement to create such behavioral indexes. Leadership behavioral processes too have long been underpinned and classified. For example, transactional or transformational leadership behavior, with admission of the fact that such identification is based on major behavioral traits of the leaders. Thus the repeated behavioral traits become the elements of personality in a person and others have no way but to rely on mentally or otherwise documented evidence of hisher personality.


Question 4) If these ideas hold true, then a person possessing EI should be able to break free from a mood and change behavior based on their level of EI. If we have high levels of EI, then we should be able to overcome our mood not matter what situation is presented. What do you and the class thinks
Answer 4) The quest for an effective mood solution is still on, though there is a plethora of literature on how to develop inner strength, i.e., self-control or self-regulation. At the same time there are great examples of weathering oneself with situation too, such as the famous last seven words of Jesus (Seven, 2008) or the last words of M.K. Gandhi, who uttered Rama Rama, (Revered God) right after being shot at, which in turn was in total alignment with what he said even a few months before - Even if I am killed, I will not give up repeating the names of Ram and Rahim, which means to me the same God. With these names on my lips, I will die cheerfully (Lavanam, 2008). Such instances show that there are ways to maintain the mood irrespective of situation. 

Question 5) Could intuition play a role in the differences between men and women in leadership Thoughts class
Answer 5) If one considers the proven difference between men and women regarding brain usage, one has to admit that the nature of intuition in them has to be different. The study by Yale University already proved that men tend to use the right hemisphere of their brain, which is primarily responsible for things relating to spatial memory, mathematics and logic, while women tend to use the left hemisphere of their brain, the one which is primarily used for things relating to language and emotions (Jones, 2008).
Such state of affairs explains why women are more inclined to human affairs, and also serves a pointer to the fact that womens vision building process are also influenced by such brain chemistry. From this understanding one can infer, albeit with some reservation, that womens pro-person thought process can be their USP in leadership practice. Such idea gains wings when the latest findings fairly hint that women have evolved to use both hemispheres of their brain simultaneously when completing tasks (Jones, 2008).

Question 6) What do you think
Answer 6) The adage, a leader is as good as hisher team, does hold merit, but up to a certain point of time, before the adage could be changed like a leader is as good as his mentoring ability, since in this modern world, the leaders are expected to exploit all potentials of the followers, irrespective of mechanistic or organic environment in an organization. Autocratic mentality has no room in todays organizations, where humans are considered as the main capital. Management too has walked a long way in between, from Taylorism to Excellence Theories.

Question 7) What do you think
Answer 7) Here the mode of EI takes an interesting turn, which might serve a new dish to the proponents of determinism. One researcher has come up with a conclusion that military is mostly a domain of men and men leaders here are driven by the traditional spirit of protecting the women. Now this trait can surely be related to a specific manifestation of at least some elements of EI  what if mens awareness here is influenced by the traditional perception of knightly valor (Gedney, 1999)

Key factors that provide a supportive organizational climate for high performance teams

Key factors that provide a supportive organizational climate for high performance teams
Existing evidence from organizational climate research and its consequences on the ultimate success of the organization have identified many key factors that must determine the capturing and sustaining of high performance teams. It is mainly the construction and execution of policies and corporate culture that greatly determines the levels of engagement of employees in an organization (Hanlan, 2004). The author of this paper gives a discussion on some of the key factor that provides a supportive organizational climate for high performance teams.

Effective leadership is the most crucial element in ensuring a high performance team in an organization (Bourne, 2010). It is the quality of leadership in a team that greatly determines the effectiveness of coordination of activities in the organization. To be noted here is that the leadership ability of any individual is highly dependent on the exposure and understanding of the individual to the diversity of workers (Elkenberry, 2004). It is due to this reason that leadership is mainly claimed to be a direct result of training rather than an inborn ability. Listening, understanding and engaging other team members are quite important for any team leader (Elkenberry, 2004). This is because it instills some sense of appreciation on the team members thus improving their productivity morale.

Another factor is communication among the various team members and their leaders (Elkenberry, 2004). Communication has been evidently identified as a basic human qualification for realizing sustainable success in any activity. It is to be noted here that a team is made of different individuals thus necessitating the need for upholding quality communication and thus reliable coordination of activities in the organization (Hanlan, 2004). Communication is also import as it improves the freedom of expression among the members, a factor which improves the decision making process of the organization.

Staff working conditions and safety is a crucial supportive organizational climate for high performance team (Bourne, 2010). Discriminative socialization in an organization can greatly compromise the coordination of duties among team members. It is due to this that successful organizations have policies on eliminating discrimination at workplace. Still to be stated is that the physical working conditions are quite important in determining the ultimate performance efficiency of the team. Safety at workplace will always give the workers increased motivation of working hard and more efficiently as they have minimized chances of sustaining injuries. Safety of employees and good working conditions is thus a key factor in realizing high performance teams.

Employees are more productive when under motivation. It is due to this reason that the realization of high performance teams must be accompanied by motivational acts on the teams by their managers or leaders (Elkenberry, 2004). Such motivations could range from simple appreciation of the successes of the team by the management to promotions of highly productive members. Many management usually engage employees on promises such as salary increment and promotions upon the successful realization of a given organization objective. All these have the end result is improving the performance morale of the team members and thus realizing a high performance team.

In conclusion, it is evidently clear that the sustainable success of any organization is determined by the effectiveness of the coordination and execution duties by the employees. It is due to this reason that effective leadership qualities by managers, employee motivation, workplace safety and effective communication are key factors in providing a supportive organizational climate for high performance teams.

Benefits of High Performance Teams

The realization and sustenance of a high performing team is quite important in determining the ultimate realization of an organizations objectives (Bourne, 2010). It is due to this reason that almost every organization is out to put policies and practices in place for ensuring a performing workforce. A high performing workforce is mainly characterized by it cohesion in coordinating and executing the underlying objectives of the organization (Hanlan, 2004). Another characteristic of such is the interpersonal relationships among the varied employees as well as their relationship with their employer, all tailored for the common good of executing the organizations mission.

The act of realizing and sustaining a high performance team involves a number of employee engagement practices by the management. Such include ensured and sustainable safety at workplace, motivating workers, ensuring effective communication and upholding respect for the cultural, personality and ethnic diversities of the various employees (Bourne, 2010). It is to be understood here that poor employment conditions are a major drawback to the maximized involvement of employees in the processes of the organization. Still to be noted is the fact that discrimination at workplace due to disrespect of employee diversity greatly compromises employee engagement (Ketchen, Hall, Liu,  Combs, 2006). This is because it acts only to demoralize andor instill a sense of exploitive practices by the employer thus compromising productivity in the organization.
   
Human resource is the most important resource in any organization. It is due to this reason that high performance teams have the advantage of increased productivity in the organization (Bourne, 2010). Such a team also leads to improved communication in the organization thus improving the decision making process for the organization. Lastly, a well engaged team will always live to defend the reputation of the organization on the public domain thus ensuring sustainable consumer base for the organizations products and services (Hanlan, 2004).

The Studio Years

The studio years wee considered as the zenith of the film industry. Movies were the mass entertainment medium during the 1920s to the 1950s. Movie-going was a major activity during this time as not all households have television sets. Movie houses were jam-packed with people who wanted to see entertainment. Thus, the demand for new films was constant at that time. Consequently, the major film studios such as Warner Brothers and Columbia Pictures prospered, and they built virtual empires wherein they had the most control over the careers and lives of the actors, directors, and other people in the movie industry. The major studios also had the ability to manipulate the production, distribution, and exhibition of films. Even small movie houses were forced to take products from the film industry giants in order to compensate the demand of the public for entertainment (Net Industries, 2010).
   
With nearly 5 billion people watching movies every year from 1945 to 48 (as compared to less than 2 billion people going to movie theaters today), the studio years marked the height of success of the movie industry. It success was further reinforced with the establishment of opulent theaters here and there, offering movies to all socioeconomic levels. Soon enough, the moviemakers saw the need to regulate the content of the movie and the audience that would be allowed to view certain movies. Hence, in 1922, Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) was established and was soon renamed as Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), carrying the functions of lobbying for the industry at the national level, but they were also responsible for the banning of motion pictures with explicit content (Net Industries, 2010).
   
The success of the studio years eventually waned upon the inception of television, where entertainment became confined in the home. There were also other factors that affected the decline of the Golden Age of Hollywood, such as the migration of people to urban areas and the trimming down of patrons of downtown movie theaters. The decline happened in baby boom years, and the high birthrate made it difficult for people, especially mothers, to go to the theaters due to the need and cost of babysitting (Net Industries, 2010).
The studio years were regarded as the golden era of the film industry, wherein movies were the main source of information and entertainment. Although the success of the studio years waned and the number of moviegoers have declined, the movie industry will always be an essential part of the American culture.

History of Sound Recording

Sound recording is the electrical or mechanical inscription of sounds. Through this type of technology, we can record sounds and music of our choice. Since the beginning, sound recording has offered the public with rapid and unprecedented access to music, unhindered by any other factor such as time, place, social class, etc. Thus, sound recording has been a major element in the entire music industry. It has also been beneficial to the industrialized world through the rise of many recording companies, influencing the rate of employment (Thberge  Moogk, 2010).
   
This history of sound recording dates back to the 19th century. The first and practical sound recording device was made of covered brass cylinders or commonly referred to as tinfoil records which were invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1877. This particular invention became a worldwide sensation that time, and the commercial recording, reproduction, and marketing of recorded sounds became a growing industry in the international community (Stauderman, n.d.).
The next technical development in sound recording was the invention of gramophone disc in 1889. Discs are far more convenient to manufacture, and they transport and store and much louder than cylinders (Stauderman, n.d.).

Then in the early 1920s, sound recording moved towards the direction of mechanical process due to the developments in the field of electronics, which began to revolutionize the recording industry with the introduction of sound transducers such as microphones and loud speakers. Magnetic tape and tape recorders were the other important inventions in sound recording as they brought significant changes in the radio and recording industry. They enabled sounds to be recorded, erased, and rerecorded on the same tape many times (Stauderman, n.d.).

These significant improvements in sound recording paved the way for the invention of digital sound recording and compact discs in 1982. Through digital recording, a person not only can record a sound but he or she can also alter and format it in different formats and apply different effects. Many devices also emerged to play the recorded sounds (Stauderman, n.d.).
   
Sound recording is an aspect of mass media which has a long and rich history. The improvements in sound recording are a great addition to the international industry as recording companies are in demand for the numerous artists marketing their products. In turn, the developments in the field of sound recording enable us to enjoy recorded music and sounds.

Cross-cultural Management

Human resource management is essential especially in the current business environment characterized by increased competition for top talents. However, it has become a major challenge to human resource managers especially those operating in cross cultural settings. China and the United States for example have formed business relationships that have led cross border investments. Cultural differences and business etiquette differences are the major issues facing the United States companies being established in China (Tian, 2007).

Critical human resource and cross cultural issues that would determine the success of our company in China 
Most of the human resource issues that this company needs to address are embedded on the different business cultures that exists between the United States and China. Culture is a great determinant of the success or failure of a business. Culture is a broad term which encompasses the way people communicate either verbally or through signs and gestures, dressing code, gender roles and the value of directness. Though common gestures may be used, their interpretation differs across different countries depending on the language used which may in turn affect how a business fairs in a foreign country (Kelley, Kelley  Shenkar, 1993).

America and China have different cultures which can affect negatively the success of our company if they are misinterpreted. One of the cultural differences lies in the communication style of these two countries. In our culture, business people prefer to communicate using direct language and they are not afraid to say what they believe or feel. As such, they are bound to express their feelings about an issue even when others do not agree with them. They are also emotionally expressive choosing to express their disappointment andor disapproval. 

In meetings, Americans tend to talk more and express their views using direct language. Meetings are usually characterized by arguing until a solution is reached. In China, direct communication is not encouraged as this is seen as a sign of being rude or disrespectful. Chinese tend to use indirect communication and they are not emotional expressive. When angered or unhappy about a decision, Chinese tend to keep quite rather than confronting a person in presence of other people which is unlike for the Americans. Unlike the Americans, Chinese meetings are peaceful and calm and people always compromise to reach a decision. While direct language is accepted in America and has a positive impact in the success of a business, this would have a negative impact on our business if it is practiced in China since Chinese people would translate direct communication as disrespect or rudeness. China has a golden rule of silence as a sign of respect. This is a major human resource issue that if not handled carefully, our business will perform poorly in China (Tian, 2007).

Another human resource implication lies in the usage of hand gestures by American and Chinese people. In America for example, the joining of the index finger with the thumb making a sign of O is interpreted to mean fine or OK. However, this same gesture in China is interpreted as money. The greeting styles across these two regions also differ greatly. Americans shake hands with a heavy grip and the handshake lasts for several seconds or even a minute. Also, they prefer kissing and hugging as a form of greetings. On the contrary, Chinese bow a bit while greeting each other. While handshakes are used, which is rare, the grip is light and the handshake brief. Greetings in form of kissing and hugging are also not acceptable as this is considered to be disrespectful. These are vital points to note as human resource team as wrong interpretation is almost inevitable. Touching gestures are also not appreciated in Chinese culture unlike in American culture. In China, affection is not displayed openly unlike in American culture. Pointing at a person using a finger is considered as an insult in China while in America it may be considered as beckoning or calling a person (Kwintessential Ltd, n. d).

Guanxi is another very important aspect of Chinese business etiquette that we must fully understand as it has major implications on human resource. Guanxi is a Chinese term for relationships. In China, close relationships are highly regarded and they determine the success or failure of an entity. Guanxi also entails exchanging of favors between businesses and business persons as a way of showing friendship. As such, to Chinese people, giving a gift in exchange for one to be awarded a contract is common and acceptable. This in American culture would be termed as bribery thus highly condemned. Guanxi also highly influences the hiring and recruitment criteria. This process is highly influenced by the relationships that exist between individuals with those very close to business associates being given the priority during the recruitment process. Chinese people are also very proud of their language and culture and this has an impact on how they receive foreign investors. Foreigners who seem to be interested in knowing the language and culture of Chinese people are received well than those who insist on maintaining their foreign cultures (Legacee Management Systems Inc, 2009).

Recommendations
For our company to be successful in Chinese business world, we need to address the above issues. While it is essential to send some of our business men to China, it is also vital to hire locally so as to integrate the Chinese culture in the business and make Chinese people feel part and parcel of our company. The company should send just a few managers to China to oversee the smooth running of the company. For lower level managerial posts as well as the functional departments, the company should hire local Chinese people. Anything Chinese in nature is highly appreciated in this country. As such, our company should try as much as possible to make the company resemble or meet the expectations of the Chinese people. Bringing in people from America to totally manage and run our company would only make our company more foreign in China. It is vital to hire local talents in our company (Kelley, Kelley  Shenkar, 1993).

To attract and develop talents of American managers who are to be sent to manage our company in China, a thorough training on business culture and etiquette of Chinese people as well as some of the critical Chinese phrases or terms that will make them to be accepted in China should be offered. Chinese people understand that foreigners need not to know their language in full but they are enthusiastic on foreigners who can speak a few phrases of their language as this is viewed as a genuine interest on the culture of the people. American managers chosen to lead the company in China should be taught how to appreciate the culture of Chinese people. To attract top talent of local Chinese people, our company should approach some of the most respectable businessmen in China to act as a guide during the hiring process for the new company. This way, business relationships or guanxi would be cultivated for our company. Locally hired employees from china should also be enlightened on the different business etiquette of Americans and the differences in interpretation of non verbal signs so as to reduce conflict within the company and enhance diversity management practices (Tian, 2007). 

Training is the most critical way that can help in solving the cross cultural differences that exist between Americans and Chinese working for our company. Both American and Chinese employees in our company need to be trained on diversity and its various aspects so as to ensure harmony exists in our company. Training in cultural differences is essential in helping employees appreciate one another despite their cultural differences (Tian, 2007).

Professional or career growth is very important to every individual. It gives satisfaction and confidence to employees and motivates them to do their work better. Thus, professional goals are essential in the sense that they provide focus and driving force to a person in the pursuit of a better life and career. In this regard, let me narrate my personal professional goals for you to consider.

Short Term Professional Goals 
Finishing my studies right now is my top priority. Acquiring a degree in Finance and Global Business is important for me as education is vital in every career. Upon graduating, I would like to practice my degree, further hone my skills and knowledge, and prove that I am capable in my chosen field. To achieve this, I am planning to attend seminars and workshops that aim to improve my skills, talents, and potentials that serve to be my key in acquiring a better job in the future.
   
In addition, I would like to find a job that is in need of my skills and knowledge. Moreover, I will take on a job that will provide me with experience and training to enhance my skills as well as render me satisfaction and motivation to take on tasks and responsibilities. I also aim to land a job with good pay and a harmonious and productive environment.

Mid-Term Professional Goals 
Part of my plans while getting a job is to obtain a masters degree in Public Health. I would like to attain the degree from a good university with a credible background in the aspect of public health. This is in line with my personal desire to be involved in humanitarian acts and public service. Aside from the prestige of obtaining a masters degree, it will also give me adequate training on the said field to improve my knowledge, skills, and abilities. Through my acquired skills and training, I can soon venture and play an active role in providing health care to communities.
  
 I would also like to acquire more experiences in the field of public health through the different companies that venture into public health. This is essential in my future goals as various work experiences are crucial for me to realize higher career goals. Moreover, I believe that work experiences will help me in being an expert in the field. Personally, education is not enough when one is in the actual situation and needs to put into practice all he or she knows. Adequate skills and training are also needed in order to perform the tasks effectively.

Long Term Professional Goals
In the long run, I would love to work for the World Health Organization (WHO), a world-renowned organization for public health involved in various community health care activities. It will be a privilege to be a part of a very important and dynamic team of health care professionals that are in charge of the health of the global community. Being part of this organization is the reality of dreams especially for someone like me who has the heart and passion to serve others.
   
In addition, I would also like to build my own hospital that renders different health care services. I plan to establish a hospital that is complete with services and with top health care professionals. I would like to open a hospital where all kinds of individuals, regardless of racial, economic, and ethnic background, can get treated and avail of the services that they need. Thus, the hospital that I am planning to put up will cater to all the health care needs of its patients, and we will try to render high quality professional medical care for our patients. The hospital will be known as one of the best in the world in different specializations by employing only the top medical professionals.

A Fence to Success Introduction

Communication is very important within an organization. Any message, instruction, suggestion, request etc must be spread and not kept to oneself and only the process of communication allows this to happen. It helps the organization become efficient and successful (Thompson, S.). However, there is more to just this. The communication process must be effective in order to get the most of it.

Communication is a process through which information is sent, received and acted upon. With the passage of time and the advent of globalization, communication has become a more fundamental aspect of sending and receiving information from all around the world. Communication is a vital part of both, everyday life as well as organizations. It is imperative to communicate on a daily basis and the importance of communication can is judged through its effectiveness. This paper would focus on interpersonal communication, its importance in every organization and its effectiveness. Moreover, it would elaborate on the barriers to effective communication and how they should be overcome.

Discussion
Communication is defined as the exchange of information, ideas, opinions and feelings. Communication is said to be affective when it is received and understood in the manner intended by the sender. This means tat communication can take a number of forms, including written, spoken, non-verbal (body language), graphical, pictorial or, increasingly, electronic forms using information technology.
Communication is not only imperative in daily life, but it is essential to the achievement of organizational objectives. This is because the basic purpose of any communication is to influence the actions of others. In an organizational context, the aim is to influence others to work towards the achievement of the goals of the organization. ((Jewell, 2000).

Communication at work can be classified by media, direction and the degree of formality. Media derives communication into verbal, non-verbal, Written and numerical forms. The spoken words lack the permanence of the written word, but it is more raid and flexible in terms of adjusting to circumstances. Moreover, the spoken word can be supported by non-verbal communication- body language, for instance, will reinforce the spoken message. However, the most difficult situations to handle in the workplace is where conflicting messages are received by the eyes and ears. Another feature of the spoken word is that we convey meaning both in words we use and in the way they are spoken. Hence, the same combination of words can be a request or an order, a statement of fact or a question. This is both strength and a weakness. It is a way of economizing on words and, therefore, time. However, it can cause confusion where the recipient is unable to pick up on the intonation. For workers whose first language is not English, this can cause particular problems. The spoken word is important in some situations where a bold written statement could cause resentment. It has to be appreciated that resentment is often caused not by criticism itself, but the manner of its delivery. Hence, unless a written statement is necessary as a part of the disciplinary process, a quiet word might communicate the message without leaving a sense of grievance. Non-verbal communication is limited to a supportive role, communicating very simple messages. Nevertheless, it is still very important in face-to-face communication. Written communication at work places has distinct advantages. The message can be precisely presented and is permanently on record. However, it is time-consuming to produce and may lack clarity. Its greatest defect as a form of communication is that it fails completely if it is not read.

Communication at work follows a direction. The direction is dependent upon the nature of the message, its sender and the intended receiver. Downward communication follows the authority and responsibility relationship in the organization chart. It usually takes the form of giving instructions, directions, assigning duties or providing information to those delegated to perform tasks. Upward communication takes the form of reporting back results, making suggestions or perhaps airing grievances. Horizontal communication refers to contacts between people at the same level within the organization. It is coordinative in nature and usually involves sharing information, resolving conflicts and solving problems across an organization structure. (Jewell, 2000)

A further aspect of direction relates to whether communication is one way or two way. Where there is no facility for a reply or feedback it is called one-way communication. For example, an advertisement or information posted on the notice board. One-way communication within an organization is associated with an authoritarian style of leadership. For simple communication a one-way channel is might prove satisfactory, but it carries with it the danger of being misunderstood. Feedback built into two-way communication is a feature of the democratic leadership style at the workplace. The facility for feedback is important in ensuring that the message is fully understood and in enabling subordinates to contribute to the process of decision making.

Communication at work can be classified into formal or informal. The latter is unofficial, unplanned communication outside the organizations formal channels. Informal communication channels are said to satisfy ones personal needs, counter monotony at work, and provide a source of job related information that is not provided by formal channels.

In spite of the best intentions of the sender and receiver to communicate, communication is often subjected to several barriers that inhibit the effective exchange of information. Communication problems in an organization result in inefficiency, failure to achieve organizational goals and a disruption among the employees. Before it is possible to improve communication, it is necessary to diagnose what the problem. The problem m could be with the encoding of the message such as lack of planning, use of jargon, verbosity and so on. There could also be transmission problems such as the use of an inappropriate channel of communication, failure to speakwrite clearly or distortion. There are often decoding problems faced on the part of the receiver including the failure to take in the message, distraction, lack of interest or information overload. Some of the most common and troublesome barriers of communication are perceptions, filtering, language and information overload. Perceptions affect the integrity and the meaning of the message hence it is a vital source of noise in the process of communication.

The information can be affected through the perception of the receiver if the message is unclear. Filtering normally takes place when a message is sent through a long chain of communication channel. Some messages are filtered while passing through the organizational hierarchy which may involve deleting or delaying negative information in order to make the situation seem favorable (McShane  Travaglione, 2003). Two potential language barriers that may take place during communication are the use of jargons and ambiguity of the content. Jargons are technical words or acronyms that are often used in formal communication, they are often used to improve the efficiency of communication and shape the culture of the organization and help employees feel the presence of their identity in the organization. Despite if the positive impacts of jargons, they are often a source of noise in the communication process. If the receiver is not clear on the meaning of a jargon, the meaning of the message is distorted. Similar are the consequences of the use of ambiguous language during communication. It is possible for the sender and the receiver to interpret the message differently, hence, resulting in the failure of communication.  

Effective interpersonal communication is dependant upon the ability of the sender to get the message across as well as the performance of the receiver to listen and interpret the message in a way that was intended by the sender. (McShane  Travaglione, 2003)

Some of the essential features of effective interpersonal communication are imperative for successful transmission of information. In order to get the message across effectively it is important for the sender to empathize with the receiver for them to be able to understand from the perspective of the receiver, it is essential to repeat the message, use timing effectively and be descriptive about the problem that is at hand. Active listening from the part of the receiver holds significance in the process of communication. The three important constituents of listening must be observed from the receiver side in order to effectively decode the message. The components are sensing, evaluating and responding.

To reduce the communication barriers at the work place and minimize its impact it is important to ensure that the message is clear and precise but adequately detailed, to keep the communication channel as short as possible, to make sure that the channel of communication are clear to all the participants of the communication process, build in feedback, to establish a factor of trust between the sender and the receiver of the message, moreover, to ensure that physical conditions are appropriate for messages to be heard or received in other ways. (Stimpson, 2002)

Communication is a complex process of transmitting and understanding information between two or more people. We communicate to make better decisions, distribute valued knowledge, coordinate work and fulfill social needs. Communication is also an integral part of most processes to gain power, apply organizational politics and persuade people to change their beliefs and attitudes.

Emotional intelligence is largely based on genetics but there are components that can be studied or developed through training (Goleman, 1995). As measured in the emotional intelligence level assessment, EI is composed of self-awareness, self-management, self-motivation, empathy and social skills. From these five dimensions, social skills can be the most difficult to learn, while an individual can attend self-awareness workshops which in turn can improve ones empathy, self-motivation and self-management. Nelson and Low (2003) however believe that emotional intelligence can be learned especially leadership skills and emotional regulation. Of all the components of EI, the easiest to learn and master would be self-awareness since it concerns oneself and one has better control over ones thoughts and feelings. If an individual can alter his or her negative thoughts about his or her self, then change or improvement is easier to attain. The most difficult would be learning social skills, a persons personality and interpersonal skills have been set in adulthood (Weisenger, 1998). Thus, it is very difficult to suddenly be friendly and accommodating when has been shy and aloof for the most part of his or her life. But anything can be learned, given the right motivation and determination to improve ones social skills, the possibility to do so is there.

My score in the emotional intelligence assessment was 36, which according to the test is in the average range. People with high emotional intelligence have scores greater than 40, while those with lower emotional intelligence have scores of 20 or lower. However, I think that I am emotionally intelligent, I have been able to relate well with other people in all aspects of my life. I am not encumbered by panic or fear when asked to give presentations, I am accommodating, easy to get a long with, and a positive thinker. Moreover, I know who I am, I am confident of my abilities and I know my limitations. There are areas though that I wish I could be better at, and everyday is a new day to improve myself.

They often say that leaders are made, not born. Workshops and training programs generally advocate that leadership is a skill and not a facet of personality, thus it can be learned (George, 2008). I think everyone can be leaders, thus the most important thing for leadership training programs to include is discovering ones leadership potentials and bringing out leadership skills in the individual. Also, leadership styles and how it works in different organizations. It is important that leaders and leaders to be have knowledge of their leadership skills, their strengths and limitations and how they affect their members and subordinates. Training programs are only effective when the participants have the internal motivation to attend and learn from it. Giving trainings to participants who do not need it would be futile.

Part IILearning is a life-long process. No matter how many degrees we have, or how much training we have attended or the experiences that we have, there is always room for more learning and as long as we are alive, we never stop learning. I believe that when we embrace this point of view, then our mind will never grow old or senile because our mind is always working and absorbing new information. We can be more confident of our knowledge and skills because we know that it is not outdated or ancient. We do not feel left-out by younger workers with their host of skills because we believe that we can learn and master it too. Moreover, it gives us the satisfaction of enjoying and taking pride in whatever we have learned. If we make each experience a learning experience, then we can be more positive about our tasks, roles and accomplishments. The saddest thing is that most people assume that one has learned everything and that there is no room for improvement or that it is too late to achieve our goals.

Leadership Issues

Question1 Gloria and Class As leaders, should we be willing to step outside of our own belief systems to embrace our employees
Answer 1  Keeping an open mind does not necessarily make one compelled to step out of ones own belief system. Instead, it helps one to get enriched with more ideas and knowledge, which may eventually provide newer insights and vision. Thus any scope to know the nuances of other culture should be treated as a wonderful opportunity to raise the knowledge base. This has more to do with emotional intelligence (Golman, 1995, 1998) that advises to connect and learn. Therefore leaders must keep an open mind and convince the employees with their behavior that all beliefs have some inherent values and humans should be open to values irrespective of the tag of belief with it.

Question 2 As leaders, how would you effectively handle employees at this stage of conflict
Answer 2 If the connotation of conflict can be taken as difference of opinion, then one would see that the major sources of conflict are emanating from either self or group interests or ignorance. The leader should try to imbibe this philosophy incrementally to herhis followers and should provide examples before them by revealing the art of avoiding conflict and inviting more difference of opinions to judge a situation from maximum possible dimensions. Alongside, the leaders should develop the acumen to gauge the intensity of selfgroup interest involved in any such occurrence among employees, and should support the side that sounds more logical. If both sides appear illogical, then it should be time to intervene and keep the issue in the icebox for some days, before dissecting it separately with involved parties.

Question 3 How does a leader influence when heshe does not have the resources to reward Thoughts
Answer 3 A leader can influence the followers with a) spark of insights, b) wonderful ideas and c) embalming company. In the process the leader can reward the followers with what humans long for all their life  insights to survive and prosper, ideas to create and win, and a delightful company to share and care. Extrinsic rewards eventually become subservient to intrinsic rewards  money can bring joy, a medal can bring sense of accomplishment  such instances clearly show that tangible mediums elements of rewards too are poised to evoke inner satisfaction, albeit ephemerally. On the other hand, one spark of insight can bring a sea change in a person, one idea could make anyone a multimillionaire, and for the sake of winning someones smiling company people can shower all their possessions. What arouses the subconscious creates a long-term impact, because that is controlled by inverted Qualia (Dennet, 1990, 1991), which initiates conscious action of humans.

Question 4 Can any of you think of a situation where someone in your company possessed power without authority
Answer 4 Yes I have experienced such a situation more than once and observed the behavioral processes of such persons too  they are the refined souls whose actions speak louder than words, which make people realize their superiority at once. Accordingly, the clever submits to them, the jealous avoids them, simpletons follow them and the intelligent observes them with reverence and hopes to learn something from them. Robert Greenleafs (1977) definition of leadership clearly depicts them.

Question 5 As leaders, at what point should we intervene in conflict
Answer 5 Conflicts are mindless competitions to drive a point or some booty home, and from that perspective the leaders should always try to nip any conflict in the bud, and should always try to stop it. Alongside, it is the responsibility of the leaders to explain the difference between conflict and difference of opinion. The notion that knowledgeable workers would be prone to involve in arguments holds no water, since anyone in pursuit of knowledge knows that knowledge acquisition takes place through exchange and not by conflict.

Question 6 Do leadership styles have an impact on motivation What do you think
Answer 6 Yes very much, because humans tend to emulate what they perceive as superior act. Thus followers emulate leaders behavioral processes. Because of this mechanism, the leaders with artificial stance motivate their followers to become artificial and leaders with true intention of doing good to others motivate their followers to do good.  Apart from that, followers seek direction and guidance from leaders, where leaders styles of meeting such expectations have a telltale effect on the motivation of the followers. For example, if a follower knows that his leader maintains a coterie and showers undue benefits to the members of it, the follower will be motivated either to despise the leader or to become one of the members of that coterie. Leader-member exchange theory (LMX), a version of transactional leadership style (Dansereau et al., 1975) could fit the above example. On the other hand, Servant leadership style (Greenleaf, 1977), where the leader engages 247 to the welfare of the followers, serves the opposite example of motivating the followers to shun the selfish thoughts and to serve more. To sum up, leadership style impacts on motivation both intrinsically (Deci, 1975) and extrinsically, and styles emanate from the goal and desire structure of the leader.

Question 7 How would this fit in with leadership Do you think that history plays a role in leadership characteristics Why or why not
Answer 7 If the greater part of history speaks about all bad deeds of history, then its smallest yet best and beautiful part definitely speaks about the power of empathy, shown by very small number of people amid most turbulent times of the society. All remembers them since they create the balance in history, and enables it to provide lessons on what it takes in the making of a great leader. Newer generations get to know about the deeds of leaders as well as the journey of civilization from history and the braves among them take up the cudgels from their illustrious predecessors to enrich the civilization with quality leadership, and thereby recreate the history.

When Harry Met Sally

This movie can be described as probably the most popular movie to date for Rob Reiner who is the director. It is a movie that made the studio to realize that even in the 1990s the genre of the romantic movie could also be popular and profitable. In the summer of 1989, there was a series of action blockbuster and it is during this time that this movie was released acting as counter programming to these action movies which were now tiring. The movie surprised almost everyone when it gathered a gross income of over one hundred million dollars. Before the movie was released many years had passed from the time the adult romantic comedy was in vague. This was due to lack of chemistry between the leads and existence of very poor scripts. (Reiner, 1989)

This movie can be said to keep the focus firmly on the relationship that exists between these two characters that happen to be in the title that is Harry and Sally. There are no incidents that the movie wanders off to some unwelcomed tangents. However, there happen to be some subplots which are very crucial to the development of the friendship that exists between Sally and Harry. The movie therefore offers what can be referred to as an occasional poignant point of view of women, men, friendship, love and sex. (Reiner, 1989)
One of the movies strength happens to be the casting. Billy Crystal use of dry style happens to be perfect for Harry. He is likable and insufferable at the same time. Underneath all this, there beats a heart of a very caring man. On the other hand, Meg Ryan uses her modest personality to demonstrate the perfect character of Sally but she later shows her vulnerable side. The characters of these two individuals are opposite but they happen to a very charming and warm in their interaction and this is something that lacks in most of the motion picture pairings. (Reiner, 1989)

The movie has the most famous line in the dialogue as Women and men can never be friends because the sex part will always get in their way. This is a statement that for many times has been the topic of discussion, talk shows, dinner table and articles in magazines during the same year that the movie was released. After this issue is raised, the movie spends most its running trying to prove this statement wrong. It is therefore up to the audience or the viewer to decide whether the statement is true or whether it is not true according to the events that take place. After all, even though Sally and Harry became fast friends, their relationship failed to remain platonic. (Reiner, 1989)

Looking at the movie, the story starts when Sally Albright met Harry Burns in 1977 when they shared a drive. They were both leaving the University of Chicago after Harry completed a political science degree and Sally had completed a journalism degree. In their trip, they discovered that even though they liked each other, they had very little if anything in common. At a point during the trip, Harry happened to make a pass at Sally who got furious and insisted that they should settle for being just friends. This is the time that Harry makes this famous statement of comment. (Reiner, 1989)

They arrive at Manhattan and they part. They stay for a period of five years before they would accidently bump into each other again. The second time, it was now in an airport. By this time Harry was engaged and was to be married soon while Sally happens to be in the midst of a very serious relationship. At this point, the only time they spend together is while they are in the plane and then they separate almost immediately after they reach their destination. They stay for some time before they meet again and their next meeting is in late 1980s where they happen to be both newly single. The reason is that Sally had recently broken off a dead-end and long-term affair and Harry had been left by his wife. They realize that now they have something in common the mutual bond of loss and this draws them into a close friendship. However, events push their new relationship into the sexual line and this is the time that things do not go smoothly again. (Reiner, 1989)

They dominated most part of the film but there is also an introduction of some other people into the story. Such is the romance that existed between Marie who happens to be Sallys best friend with Chum who coincidentally, happens to be Harrys best friend. The monotony of the story is also broken by some documentary-style clips of the interviews conducted on the elderly wives and husbands. In the interviews, most of them fondly remember who they met. Most of the actors in these scenes are so credible that it is easy to believe that they are actually real couples who are recounting genuine anecdotes rather than working from a script. (Reiner, 1989)

Ultimately, it can be said that this movie works because it happens to be somehow different from all the other romantic comedies that we are used to. Harry and Sally are well written as they easily transcend the level of stereotyping that they would have fallen into easily. The dialogue in the movie also happens to be witty and smart offering very many quotable passages. However, even though the movie offers some very intriguing questions concerning the nature of relationship that exists between men and female, the film fails to answer these questions. (Reiner, 1989)

For those people who are in love with romantic comedy, this movie is a treat. The movie was good to practically all those people that were involved and in the process it elevated the career of Reiner and Crystal who transformed Meg Ryan into an established leading lady. Over ten years down the line, the movie still holds up remarkably well. This is not a surprise as the saying goes that a good romance happens to be timeless. (Reiner, 1989)