Case Study for Strategic Analysis of General Electric- Free Sample

Question: Discuss about the Case Study for Strategic Analysis of General Electric. Answer: Introduction: The following reports tends to evaluate the multitudes of strategic decision making processes applied by the company in terms of increasing market share, mitigating the level of risks pertaining to engagements in financial and technological sectors. Application of numerous sets of strategic management tools taking into consideration the industry dynamics along with the diversity in terms of operations of GE are made. The implementation of balanced scorecard method was made in order to assess the companys strategies in terms of multiple criterions primarily the financials, consumer perspectives regarding the company. Moreover, evaluation of leadership of Jack Welch and Jeff Immelt has been made in regards to strategies, corporate restructuring policies along with discussion on whose approach can be followed by the company. Core competences: The company has succeeded towards creation of major degree of core competence both in terms of external measures such as market consolidation, ability to penetrate newer markets rapidly through usage of knowledge gained in course of operating in other markets (Geenergyfinancialservices.com. 2016). De Barros and Medeiros (2013) stated that underpinnings pertaining to prevailing market conditions tends to facilitate intense rivalry between firms, and those firms that succeeds towards creating synergies among its different sets of operations tends to benefit majorly. The presence of GE in various high growth industries enhanced the companys ability at transferring the degree of risk from one industry domain onto another. Moreover, Krl and Krlov (2016) states the fact that higher degree of market presence results towards enhancement of market exposure by the firms thereby assisting towards collection of material information on lesser time frame than its competitors. Operations in over 17 0 countries worldwide has facilitated towards gaining higher quantum of market exposure enabling the company in policymaking and strategizing taking into changing market dynamics. Zentner (2015) advocated the fact that in order to improve revenue generation capability and streamlining introduction of newer sets of products, upkeep of relevant advancement in technology and strategy is prerequisite. Moreover, reliance on emerging global trends in order to undertake future expansionary measures facilitates towards creation of entry barriers by the company once it is able to capital upon such trends (GE Capital Global Holdings. 2016). In terms of internal competencies the company employs the best talents around the globe for its operations and has succeed in bringing in high level of diversity in workplace through recruitment of accountants, auditors, engineers, physicists amongst others (Financial Times. 2016). Strategic analysis comprises of evaluation of a firms current and prospective frameworks of operations. Strategy analysis is focused upon the investigation of the degree of alignment of the firms strategy with that of its long-term objectives. Moreover, it aims towards ensuring that the co-ordination among the companys different sets of financing, operating along with the investing activities is complementary to each other. General Electric has operations in over 170 countries with employee strength of over 330,000 as based on data available on December 2015 (Ge.com. 2016). In terms of stock market operations, the company has been listed in NYSE, Euronext Paris and London Stock Exchange among others. The company is engaged in several businesses pertaining to aviation, healthcare, lighting, transportation, power generation, energy resources, electricity, oil gas distribution, renewal energy and capital (Ge.com. 2016) General Electric Corporations is engaged in multiple sectors comprising of operations in power generation and hydro generations, healthcare services along with providing capital procurements towards different sets of industries. The company was founded in 1892 and has its headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The products offered by GE includes electricity and water distribution facilities, energy products comprising of petroleum and LPG products, aerospace engines, electrical motors, healthcare services and software solutions to other industries. The company, after a tumultuous financial period leading to downgrading of its securities and large financial losses with regards to GE Capital, the primary source of revenue generation by GE, has focused upon gaining market share through offering innovative products. Moreover, the company has increased expenditure pertaining to research and development and aims towards introducing newer sets of services and products that stretches its pro duct line and results in catering to larger segment of the markets (ge.com. 2016). The major sets of competitors of General Electric comprise mainly the electrical appliances companies. Primary among such competitors are Emerson Electric Company, NACCO Industries, Harman International, Sony Corporation and Whirlpool Corporation (NASDAQ.com. 2016). In case of its healthcare services the company faces major competition from Toshiba Corporations along with Siemens and Phillips Healthcare (Hoovers.com. 2016). The oil and natural gas unit of GE has Baker Hughes Incorporated, Schlumberger Omnes, Inc. and Archrock Inc competing against the company (NASDAQ.com. 2016) Figure 1: Portfolio of GE over the Years (Source: ge.com, 2016) The major recalibrations made by the GE Group in terms of changes made in portfolio are aimed towards diversifying its activities amongst healthcare, energy and financial services sectors. Moreover, even though transportation business has displayed large profit margins, the company has not taken initiative towards expansion of its investing activities pertaining to transportation services and products. Moreover, large acquisition of firms known for their innovations in healthcare provides evidence that the firm focuses on diversifying from its core businesses to include newer sets of portfolio that increases the overall portfolio returns along with high growth prospects. Relevant Strategies: The immediate objective of GE should be to improvise upon its global presence in coming up with newer sets of products that tends to cater to the emerging trends in global markets such as investments in solar powered energies. Moreover, portfolio of the company needs to include higher percentage of application-based technologies. Further, inclusion of research and development of Artificial Intelligence can result in heightened degree of financial prospects as the sector provides major returns on investments. Much of GEs woes came from the fact that the company has been a conglomerate and despite reducing the number of sectors from companys portfolio, the firm has been unsuccessful at repeating the levels of earnings that it previously did. Thereby dissemination of a portion of the company, onto sectors that have high growth rate but current returns from which showcases inadequacy, can in fact improve the decision-making and strategizing activities. Further, with the advent of nuclear non-proliferation treaty the company can cater to significant amount of foreign governments towards meeting their energy requirements using nuclear energy. Figure 2: Snapshot of company strategies in accordance with market trends (Source: ge.com. 2016) Balanced Scorecard Framework: Balance scorecard enables organizations, both profitable and non-profitable ones, in evaluating the degree of deviations of the companys financial and operating performance from its strategic objectives (Schmidt. 2015). The balance scorecard approach presents managers with four sets of strategic analysis alternatives to assess the degree of non-alignment between business decisions and the strategies of organizations. Moreover, Gobble (2012) states that through assessing growth prospects, internal operations, enhanced value creation for its consumers in accordance with effective financial and management and policy making the degree of non alignment can be gauged. Figure 3: Balanced Scorecard Framework (Source: As created by the Author) Perspectives on Business and Internal Processes: The strategic shifts in GEs operations through higher priority for its financial services along with the infrastructural businesses are a result of corporate restructuring. Divestments from activities that has slow growth rate and entering into businesses with stronger growth prospects is a priority for the company and shifting of its business from consumer electronics to financial services showcases the strategic shifts in portfolio management. Presence of the company in 170 countries provided scope for initiating cultural diversity at workplace. Moreover, contributions towards growth and revenue earning abilities of the company followed by larger pool of prospective employees to choose from has enabled the company towards bringing in various sets of expansions in operations into day to day operations in order to improvise upon business decision making of the company. Financial Perspectives: Longer-term strategies of GE focus on recalibrating the business portfolio in terms of reducing the beta factors from its broad set of investments. The degree of dependence upon GE Capital as the primary source of revenue of the GE Group has to be reduced over time. The volatility in regards to the financial sector followed by weaker sets of regulation imposed by the Federal Reserve and the SEC has vitiated the reliability of revenue generation from financial services (Geenergyfinancialservices.com. 2016). However, diversification in terms of portfolio through mitigating risks from sectors and operations providing low rates of growth onto investments that have high growth prospects can improvise the overall, financial performance along with efficiency and solvency position of the company. Customer Perspectives: The company expanded its presence in the electronics market through newer sets of domestic and industrial appliances (Ge.com. 2016). Through facilitating diagnostic instruments such as CT and MRI scanners in its healthcare services the company and expansions of its healthcare services through numerous acquisitions of diagnostics units GEs objectives was to improve its perception of a reliable brand among its customer base (Ge.com. 2016). Assisting consumers towards the decision-making processes regarding selection of products that compliments their activities and preferences can be beneficial for GE in terms improving the customer retention statistics. Benefits of a long product line catering to large segments of market can lead towards the consolidating the brand image among consumers. Learning and Growth Perspectives: GE has managed to diversify its business operations on multiple occasions based upon the emerging sets of opportunities that came up in the manufacturing services. The diminution of its income prospects as an aftermath of the global financial crisis resulted in stringent sets of policy implementations (Sorkin, 2015). Moreover, the potential opportunities in financial sectors around the globe have resulted in larger proportion of GE Capital in the overall portfolio. Over 65% of the GE groups revenue arises from markets outside the United States, resulting in higher growth prospects in markets such as South Asia and the Middle East. GEs business is growing at double-digit figures in emerging markets. Whereas, in rising economies such as Brazil, China in addition to India the growth figures are even larger touching growth rates of over 20% (ge.com. 2016). Moreover, despite a high growth in its transportation businesses GEs automotive and locomotive businesses continue to be outside of i ts core businesses. Company Strategies The primary strategy pertaining to GE shall have to be lesser degree of reliance upon financial services despite GE Capital coming close to asset and capital management capabilities of large banks such as CITIGROUP, Goldman Scahs and Bank Of America. The secondary strategy should be towards diversification of activities onto newer domains that stands to gain huge profits over longer terms such as Artificial Intelligence, Solar Energy and Super Sonic Aviation. Higher expenditure on product innovations, more emphasis upon marginal expansion, and optimal allocations of financial and non-financial resources is what the GES strategy is based upon. Creation of new sets of growth framework is to be prioritized by the companys higher management. Increasing sets of investments in the fundamental technology sector followed by incremental participation of the company into coupling of manufacturing and advisory services can be beneficial towards streamlining the present policy implementation. Th e initiation of converging advisory services along with product innovation has beneficial for the company in the recent past. For instance after initiating the Durathon Plant, the company focused upon providing consultation and assistance regarding the selection of battery sources and configuration that solves the energy requirements of its consumers. Moreover, the company has to reinstate its strategies in the energy sector in a manner of reducing manufacturing of energy products that yield low sales volume. Instead, the company should foster divergence of its strategies into reselling products of other manufacturers in markets that GE has a better accessibility than such manufacturers. GE has had been able to showcase the reinvention of its marketing strategy that puts emphasis upon capitalizing on competitors lack of market exposure as compared to GE (Albany Business Review., 2016). The company should be cautious towards acceptance of large-scale acquisition spree whereby the con straints of becoming a market leader are heightened through ambiguous preferences of consumers and complex nature of products. The past year saw the operations of GE diversifying into consulting services about financial instruments followed by an initiative to increase its presence towards energy storage sector as the company recalibrated its aims to capitalize upon emerging issues pertaining to energy requirements (Geenergyfinancialservices.com. 2016). Discussion on Jeff Immelt and Jack Welchs approach towards managing General Electric: Jack Welch was instated as the CEO of General Electric in the year 1981 following an exit of Reginald Jones. Welch focused upon expansion of the company through diversifying activities from its initial business of electricity, power and lighting of the company into newer sectors such as financial services, automation, and medical apparatus (The Economist. 2016). Under his guidance, the management approach along with the company approach has been towards providing products that are simple in nature but has high amount of functionality. In terms of management decision-making approach, Welch has been instrumental towards bringing in concepts of constructive conflicts in functioning of operations and production managers. Moreover, Jack Welch advocated the prevention of bureaucratic processes ongoing at the time he joined General Electric and implemented management reforms that are focused upon improving the quantum of openness, linearity in decision-making and fostering of creative atmos phere (The Economist. 2016). During his tenure as CEO of GE, Jack Welch had initiated massive restructuring pertaining to the companys portfolio. His decisions pertaining to acquisition has aimed at industries that had high rate of growth along with incremental returns over the long periods. Moreover, he recalibrated the organizational structure of the company through massive job cuts and eliminated multilayered hierarchy of the management. Massive forms of restructuring through sellout of business with low profit and inclusion of sectors onto the company portfolios that have been amongst the topmost achievers in their domain has been key trademark of Jack Welchs approach (Financial Times. 2016). Moreover, such restructuring resulted towards movement of the company into technology driven industry domains along with service sectors. Under Welchs management, the line managers were provided targets pertaining to cost of production and budgetary costs regardless of the prevailing market conditions. Further, Jack Welch changed the process of procuring annual and quarterly financial targets through transferring the target setting procedures from the purview of line managers onto the accounts controller. The high amount of paper work involved in the budgetary processes were replaced through use of five page standard playbook that tends to present the shortcoming and functional issues faced by the company (Financial Times. 2016). Jack Welch initiated the process of imbibing and developing leadership skills among the lower managements along with management trainees through enhanced exposure of the companys decision-making culture, introduction of mentoring scheme along with provision of high incentives. He also introduced the performance based bonus system in place for the higher and mid level managerial personnel and such initiatives resulted towards heightening the process of talent recognition. Prior to his retirement, Jack Welch focused towards rewarding the top 20% performing employees while relieving the bottom 10% of their duties from the company thus providing the employees with the impetus of working efficiently to get into the top 20% or face the risks of relegation to the bottom 10%. The implementation of six sigma function in the operations of General Electric can be attributed to Welch post which the deliverance of production, service and line managers improved considerably Gary Hamel (Harvard Bus iness Review. 2012). The emergence of GE Capital occurred during the Welch Era which resulted in the financial service section of the company becoming the largest source of revenues for the company (Mycc.cambridgecollege.edu. 2016). GE Capital amassed a vast segment of financial services sector providing all forms of services in terms of capital procurement, investment activities, trading, medical and health insurances along with loan advisory services (Geenergyfinancialservices.com. 2016). In times where diversification policies were experiencing massive financial downturn resulting in unpopularity of such policies, Jack Welch continued diversifying GEs activities resulting and thereby highlighted the substantial opportunity of high income and mitigation of tailed risks from one industry to another. Figure 3: General Electric portfolio in 2001 (Source: ge.com 2016) The initiative undertaken by the GE management under the leadership of Jack Welch resulted in globalization of business operations with widespread expansion in market activities outside of North America. These expansionary measures resulted towards implementing knowledge derived from a separate market based in a separate geographical location onto other markets that GE operated in (The Economist. 2016). Moreover, the process of market penetration and consolidating activities were streamlined during Welchs tenure creating an overall synergy enhancement by parallel developments of diversification and market expansion (The Economist. 2016). During the tenure of Welch, the business portfolio saw an increase by manifolds through inclusion of GE Aircraft, GE Plastics, GE Capital and GE Specialty Materials. Moreover, awarding Welch with the CEO of the Century title during 1999 highlights the enormous contribution he had upon GE. Jeff Immelt took over the role of CEO in the year 2001 from his predecessor Jack Welch bringing in management style and strategic decision making that were vastly divergent to that of his predecessor. Immelt followed a policy of improving the morale and levels of motivation pertaining to the employees and managerial personnel of GE through limiting the quantum of stringent performance evaluation that prevailed during Jack Welchs time (Harvard Business Review. 2012). Moreover, the level of job insecurity that was prevailing at GE prior to Immelts joining has dropped considerably with Immelt bringing in newer sets of policies that focused more upon integration and employee co-ordination rather than employee motivation (Financial Times. 2016). The occurrence of 9/11 right after his appointment as CEO followed by large sets of financial scandals in the North American markets led towards exacerbating investors grievances along with skepticism on the part of various other stakeholders conc ludes Gary Hamel (Harvard Business Review. 2012). The imminent result was a faltering in the stock prices of the company by magnitudes unseen by its investors. Immelt reiterated the fact the objective of the management should be to foster long-term growth instead of focusing upon policies that tends to cater to short terms instances of high profit margins and EBITDA (Sorkin. 2015). Under his leadership, the transparency of the companys financial and operating activities was enhanced and facilitated improved dissemination of information pertaining to the customers, creditors, corporate regulators and industrial community. Jeff Immelt initiated the processes of parlance between the degrees of diversifying activities in terms of conglomeration along with fostering creation of subsidiaries that were market leaders in their respective sectors. Immelt laid down newer sets of strategies through identification of emerging issues that are anticipated to have repercussions globally such as imminent energy crisis, shifts in manufacturing and production, globalization of RD activities in production industries, nanotechnology in addition to emergence of technology driven healthcare facilities (ge.com. 2016). Figure 2: GE portfolio in 2012 (Source: ge.com 2016) In during the mid 2000s Immelt announced restructuring of GEs portfolio, thereby reducing dependency on plastics and insurance business. Whereas on the other hand, taking up the level of financial services and capital lending by the firm onto higher proportion of the total portfolio (Krl and Krlov, 2016). Jeff Immelt reinstated the performance benchmark pertaining to the company through setting up targets of achieving growth rate at 200-300% of that of global GDP rate. However, the performance analysis pertaining to the company displayed the fact that in terms of revenue figures not much improvement can be seen after Jeff Immelt took over. Moreover, the return on equity along with the ROIC has dropped from the levels of 26% and 27% in 2001 to 14.2% and 11.9% in 2012 thereby highlighting a fall in investors earnings (Ge.com. 2016). The strategies Immelt followed towards lowering dependency of GE on financial services and increasingly diversifying its activities onto technology driven services and manufacturing heavy activities assisted GE towards mitigating repercussions of financial crisis. Figure 4: Proposed restructuring of GE portfolio. (Source: ge.com 2016) Expansion of its global operations in both emerging and developed markets along with up gradation of product manufacturing base has been initiated under the leadership of Immelt. The reposition of GE by Immelt onto sectors that are manufacturing and technology based led to lowering the quantum of exposure to the global financial crisis with creation of buffer (The Economist. 2015). During current tenure of Jack Immelt, the company oversaw massive strategic shifts as GE recalibrated itself for nuclear-based power plant services along with entering the healthcare sector through manufacturing high resolution imaging devices for medical diagnostics. The comparison amongst the leadership of Jack Welch and Jeff Immelt highlights the fact that under Welch the company has undergone massive expansionary measures and diversification whereas under Immelt the company has showcase higher levels of adaptability to prevailing market conditions. In terms of present volatile business scenarios, GE requires a manager who will be able to foresee the restructuring of portfolio according to market opportunities. Moreover, in order to alleviate the revenue generation margins the company has to set up stricter targets for its managers and employees to achieve. Thereby, for diversification of activities Jeff Immelts style of leadership is preferable over that of Jack Welch. However, massive depletion in the levels of returns displays the fact that Jeff Immelt has largely been unsuccessful at carrying on the quantum of market consolidation as that of his predecessor. Thereby, it can be assumed that Jack Welch leadership would have been more preferab le for GE over that of Jeff Immelt. Conclusion: The portfolio of GE has displayed considerable changes over the years displaying the level of dynamism that such company has been subjected to under the leadership of Jack Welch previously followed by Jeff Immelt. The company witnessed highest degree of expansion under the guidance of Jack Welch. However, the strategies implemented by Jack Welch during his tenure pertaining to the incentive structure focused upon short-term profitability and financial benefit based on employee performance instead of focusing upon value creation in terms of product services. GE should be able to put more amount of focus on the present position of the firm by focusing on the reshaping of the policies for the business by way of the setting up of the health care facilities, energy sector, and broadcasting and entertainment facilities. The positioning strategy further includes the different types of strategies implemented for providing an exit process for the slow-growth areas in the business and the real location of these resources for the implementation of the different types of growth strategies to enter into new business ventures. Perspective applied by the company for the positioning is further based on creating a way for the growth platforms for the purpose of the new business policies. References and Bibliography Abdallah, C. and Langley, A., 2014. The double edge of ambiguity in strategic planning. Journal of Management Studies, 51(2), pp.235-264. Albany Business Review. (2016). GE executives turn former Quirky building into innovation hub - Albany Business Review. [online] Available at: https://www.bizjournals.com/albany/morning_call/2016/03/ge-executives-turn-former-quirky-building-into.html [Accessed 24 Sep. 2016]. Al-Essa, R.K., Al-Rubaie, M., Walker, S. and Salek, S., 2015. 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Asian Avian Virus Essays

Asian Avian Virus Essays Asian Avian Virus Paper Asian Avian Virus Paper Avian (bird) Influenza (flu) is a virus or infection that originated from birds, hence the word avian. This is a type of disease that is natural among poultry like ducks and chickens since they have the virus living in their intestinal organs. Avian influenza is a disease that is highly contagious and fatal among birds. The virus runs in the birds saliva and in their feces. Domesticated birds get infected when they get in contact with surfaces contaminated by the sick birds or when they get in contact with a sick one. This disease among the fowls has may kinds. There are approximately 16 types that have been classified, and the most fatal one is called highly pathogenic avian influenza (Bupa, 2005). This virus normally happens in the species of birds, and until the late 90s they never believed that it can affect humans who maintain a close proximity with these birds. There have been several reported occurrences of human infection since the late 90s. The process of this bird disease being transferred to humans has been dubbed as species jumping. The reason why avian influenza can infect people is because of the possibility that the avian flu virus has combined with the human influenza thereby creating a new specie of virus that is easily transferable and fatal (Bupa, 2005). Is it a responsible behavior on the part of scientists to rouse fears in the public before the situation progresses? Explain your viewpoint. The role of scientists and doctors alike is to give facts and informations based on their scientific and medical findings. There have been violent reactions claiming that these scientists have instilled fear and panic amongst the public with regard to the avian flu disease. I do not think that it was their intention to cause panic and turmoil among the people. They have an ethical and medical obligation to disclose whatever detail they can find and give the information out to the public as a precautionary measure. The reaction of the people upon receiving the news is beyond their control. It is my opinion that they are just simply doing their job in laying out the minutest detail even before the situation progressed because had they not divulged what they know, they will be sooner or later blamed by the public for withholding such valuable information concerning the public health and the general welfare. Whether they reveal information or not, they will still receive criticism from the public. Thus, I think that telling the public every detail about their findings would be a better choice rather than concealing information that the people should know- only to find out later that many people have been infected with a disease that they should have avoided had they been informed how to do so earlier. Advantages of Early Warning Early warnings about a possible outbreak of a disease of any kind or about calamities in general create a handful of advantages. For one, warnings enable the public to be well-informed of what is happening around so that they can decide what to do about it. Having   knowledge beforehand of an upcoming epidemic may give people an upper hand when it comes to preparing for safety and making precautionary steps to protect their family. The old saying that prevention is better than cure never goes out of style and it can be best applied in this scenario. If people have been forewarned, then they can avoid getting that kind of sickness in the first place. Disadvantages of Early Warning The most common disadvantage of early warnings is the over-speculation that it may cause the public. Some people have a tendency to overreact and be anxious. They start to paint pictures in their head that are too far-fetched from the early warning that has been delivered to them. The situation that is most dreaded by many is the panic and fear that people may feel upon receiving the news. Panic is very contagious and it would cause a great deal of inconvenience to many if However, while these warnings produce so much tension on others, it may also cause disbelief in some. It is the belief of others that the scientists are making the public worried and confused over nothing, and since they can make warnings, they probably have the solution for these occurrences; they just do not want reveal that yet. It is true indeed that the human mind can never be over or underestimated in all instances when it comes to all kinds of reasoning. References Bupa. (2005, October 18). Hot Topic- Avian Flu (Bird Flu). Retrieved August 3, 2009, from bupa.co.uk/health_information/html/health_news /270104avianflu.html.

Tiers of Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tiers of Rights - Essay Example The Supreme Court has over the years extended the fundamental rights to include right to marriage, right to contraception and also right to privacy (Smith 36). The Supreme Court uses a three-tier approach in determining the level of protection of each constitutional right. For instance, the strict scrutiny enables courts to reject any legislation that is not geared at fulfilling overriding government objective. The second tier is the intermediate scrutiny whereby the legislation must demonstrate a substantial societal interest such as extramarital affairs. The third scrutiny is a rational relationship test whereby the legislation must relate to legitimate government objective and must protect the specific constitutional rights. The upper tier constitutional rights include the fundamental rights safeguarded by constitution such as the right to freedom of association, freedom of worship, right to counsel and right against double jeopardy. Right to protection against unfair trial and cr uel punishments are also fundamental rights that form the first tier of constitutional rights (Fireside 34). ... In addition, the double jeopardy protection prohibits subsequent prosecution after the conviction, acquittal and multiple punishments for the same indictment. Accordingly, the constitutional right protects the accused from witnessing against himself since this may lead to self-incrimination (Smith 65). The right to protection against self-incrimination extends to custodial interrogation. The Fifth Amendment is clear that evidence obtained illegally cannot be admissible in prosecutions even when such evidence is obtained by torture of the accused. In the case of Miranda v, Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), Ernesto Miranda had been convicted for several charges including armed robbery, assault, attempted rape and burglary. In police custody, he had confessed to the crimes and the court found him guilty (Smith 50). However, after his appeal, the US Supreme Court ruled that his Fifth Amendment rights had been violated since the law enforcement authorities should have warned him of the right to remain silent or provide evidence in the presence of an attorney. In addition, the right to remain silent in criminal trials prohibits the government from punishing the defendant through allowing the prosecutor to assume the guilty of defendant. This was evidenced in the case of Griffin v. California, 380 U.S 609 (1965), when the Supreme Court held that it was unconstitutional for California state to grant such powers to the jury and prosecutors (Vile 20). Conclusion In conclusion, constitutional rights are classified in to three tiers depending on the level of protection by the constitution. The right to fair trials in criminal charges is an upper tier constitutional right that is safeguarded

Asian Americans fighting for their rights Essay

Asian Americans fighting for their rights - Essay Example This essay discusses that the crucial moment in the forming of the model minority myth is the actual productivity of Asian Americans. And it is not the matter of race, but more of the upbringing: there is no belief among Asian American kids that the math is an inborn talent – everything can be learned. They strive harder than Whites do, become better, meet higher social expectations and have to strive harder – it becomes a vicious circle (The Model Minority Is Losing Patience). The issue is not in Asian excellence, but in the racial inequality that artificially creates seemingly equal conditions under the point that the measurement sample is White. This stereotype may sufficiently harm the Asian American students themselves.The model minority is a myth artificially inspired by the post-war times. This myth encompasses the variety of reasons: actual efficiency prescribed by both upbringing and cultural influence, the seemingly long-gone prejudice of the alien nature of A sians, the cultural-social urge to seek the living embodiment of the American dream, the racial bias of the society that allows the permission of not accepting students under their race, disproportional statistics conduction. The historical lesson accepted by American Asians taught them the things that White children have long forgotten –fighting. The actual situation regarding the social state of Asian Americans remains the same: they are the alien nation that strives to preserve the rights that are inherent to each American – but not to each Asian American.

Importance Of Teacher Motivation Education Essay

Importance Of Teacher Motivation Education Essay A study of teachers motivation consists of two main themes. The first one identifies the different factors affecting teachers motivation, while the second aspect analyses how the school heads can impact on teachers motivation through their leadership. This chapter explains the importance of teacher motivation. The motivational factors for teachers, applying literature findings are reviewed. 2.2: Importance of teacher motivation Schools exist, primarily to educate children. It is for this purpose that teachers are employed in schools (Fiddler Atton, 1997). Teachers are, thus, the most important professionals for any nations future. However, without adequate support and resources, teachers will not be motivated although they may be highly qualified. It is sad to note that teachers, the most valuable human resource, are often neglected (Abdo, 2001). One should bear in mind that a nations strength depends on the high quality of its education system and the strength of such a system, in turn, relies on qualified and motivated teachers. Inspired and motivated are essential in providing quality education. Schools would definitely not survive without motivated and dedicated teachers. 2.3: Factors affecting teachers motivation Research (Eimers, 1997) has shown that teachers are influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Further studies on motivation for teaching distinguished between intrinsic, extrinsic and altruistic reasons for choosing the profession (Kyriacou Coulthard, 2000; Moran, Kilpatrick, Abbott, Dallat, McClune, 2001). Intrinsically motivated teachers are focused on teaching and the activity related to the job itself. The inherent satisfaction or the joy of teaching is viewed as the driving force. The extrinsically motivated teachers focus on the benefits of teaching, such as salary, vacations or other external rewards connected to the job. Finally, the altruistically motivated teacher views teaching as a socially worthwhile and important job, and has a desire to be part of young peoples growth and development. Barmby (2006, p. 253) extrapolated these findings and points out that teachers motivation is influenced less by externally initiated factors such as salary, educational policy and reform and conditions of service, than by those emanating from the intrinsic context within which they work. According to Hallinger and Heck (1998), school leaders can play a critical role in the success of educational institutions. To the extent that school leaders can control the outcomes of teachers efforts, they can influence the levels of motivation teachers experience (Silver, 1982). This can be through their influence on teachers morale and motivation. Studies have lent proof (Hallinger and Heck, 1998; Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005; Leithwood and Mascall, 2008) that School leadership affects the way teachers teach, and hence, impact directly on student performance. Since school leaders can, in one way or the other, affect the intrinsic factors listed, they, thus, play an extremely role in motivating teachers. Indeed, in an attempt to study teachers motivation, Pitre (2003) found significant relationship between school leadership and teacher motivation. A school head should not only be an effective leader, manager and counselor, but also an effective motivator. Motivated teachers are productive teachers (Osterloh, Bruno and Frost, 2001) as they have job satisfaction. School leaders should bear in mind that without these, educational programmes may be deeply weakened (Snowden and Gorton, 2002). This is supported by Browns study (2005), which found significant link between political, local and organisational factors and the use of incentives to motivate teachers in charter schools. Motivation was higher where more external incentives were provided. In fact, School leadership and Teacher Motivation are two things that are inextricably linked. 2.4 Importance of leadership in schools For much of the twentieth century, the role of the school head was that of manager, where he/she was expected to manage personnel and budget, while handling other operational issues (Usdan, McCloud, Podmostko, 2000). Studies on the topic suggest that in the past, principals were able to succeed, at least partially, by simply carrying out the directives of central administrators (Perez et al. 1999). Today, in a rapidly changing era of standards-based reform, as education moved into a new era of accountability, a different concept has emerged. According to Dussault and Barnett (1996), educational organisations are facing many challenges and this shift brings with it dramatic changes in what public education needs from principals. School principals must, therefore, enhance the quality of their services; they can no longer function simply as building managers, tasked with adhering to district rules, carrying out regulations and avoiding mistakes. Management by principals is no longer en ough to meet todays educational challenges (Mulford, 2003). Researchers (Dussault and Barnett, 1996) claim that the actual situations in schools call for improvement and educational leadership. As Cawelti (1984, p.3) stated: Continuing research on effective schools has verified the common sense observation that schools are rarely effective, in any sense of the word, unless the principal is a good leader . 2.4.1 School leadership and effective schools School leadership (Huber, 2004), indeed, has a pivotal role in contributing to effective schools. Gurr, Drysdale, and Mulford (2005) found in their case study research on Australian principals that the principal remains an important and significant figure in determining the success of a school (p. 548). Extensive empirical efforts have shown that leadership is a central factor for the quality and effectiveness of a school (Reynolds, 1976; Harris, 2005). The research results show that each and every successful school possesses a competent and sound school leadership. Research (Barber, 1995; Mortimore, Sammons, Stoll, Lewis and Ecob, 1988; Stoll and Fink, 1996) has shown that leadership, in fact, defines the success of a school. According to Leithwood, Day, Sammons, Hopkins and Harris (2006, p. 14-15), there is not a single documented case of a school successfully turning around its pupil achievement trajectory in the absence of talented leadership. In this line of thought, Leithwood, Louis, Anderson Wahlstrom (2004) claimed that while classroom instruction has the greatest impact on student achievement, leadership has the second greatest effect. The role of the school leader has to be seen in relationship to the context in which the school is operating. Schools are embedded in the education system and their local communities; leaders, therefore, have to react to, cope with and support the development of the community served by their respective schools. Huber (1997) firmly believes that school leaders matter, they are educationally-significant, school leaders do make a difference. Given the manifold tasks and responsibilities of school leadership, as well as the competencies required, school leaders may be regarded as superheroes. Their complex role can hardly be filled with traditional leadership concepts (Huber, 2004). Educational leaders are now confronted with an altogether new range of demands and challenges. They should bear in mind that their organisations have been set up to accomplish a specific social aim, shaping the society. The quality of education provided at school, therefore, determines the future society. Moreover, school leadership proved to be important for the learning environment for teachers in schools (James McCormick, 2009; Louis, Dretzke, Wahlstrom, 2010). 2.4.2 Successful and effective School leadership 2.4.2.1 Firm and purposeful leadership It has been proven that all aspects of the school rely on a proper School Leader (Stoll and Fink, 1996; Huber, 2004; Mortimore et al., 1988). However, both the School Leader and individual teachers are of utmost importance. Leithwood, in concert with others (Leithwood et al., 2004; Leithwood and Riehl, 2003; Leithwood et al., 2006), identified four broad categories of educational leadership, or core practices: setting directions; developing people; redesigning the organization; and managing the instructional program. At the same time, effective leaders know that the ability to lead and manage organisational change is critical for survival since the school environment is a dynamic one. School Leaders should incorporate the ability to deal with changes occurring in school system structure, especially when more responsibilities are being thrusted upon the shoulders of the School Leader by the educational system. According to Calabrese (2002) the prototype school leader in the 21st century is a change agent. They have a responsibility to lead change that results in more effective and efficient educational practices, in an environment that is increasingly political. Therefore, outstanding school heads should be proactive. They must make the change happen without alienating the teaching staffs. They should act as mediators between those resisting changes (Levine and Lezotte, 1990) and the change agents. Leaders, thus, got a key role in inducing others to adopt change in order to improve the organisational effectiveness. Hence, school leaders, are key to initiate and maintaining the school improvement process (Sammons et al., 1994c). Schools, expected to fulfill multi-dimensional functions, are affected by both internal and external environmental factors (Eres, 2011). School leaders can eliminate the negative effects of such factors. Thus, they need to be proactive, anticipating problems and should be prepared to counteract these efficiently and effectively. The role of the School Leader is not always clearly defined since leading and managing are two intermingling responsibilities. 2.4.3 School leadership and teachers motivation Leadership can be defined as the ability to enlist, mobilize and motivate others to apply their abilities and resources to a given cause (Eyal and Roth, 2010). This capacity is fundamental in the educational sphere. Very often, educators think in terms of motivating students to learn. Equally important, though, with respect to educational leadership is the motivation of teachers (Silver, 1982). According to Kocabas and Karakose (2002), teachers are responsible to their schools and the principals are in turn responsible for the proper administration of the school. Therefore, the main responsibility for motivating teachers falls to the school head. Along this line, Barker (2001) studied poor performers and effective principals and suggested that effective leaders indeed motivate the staff. He claimed that the latter should be there to enthuse and invigorate teachers rather than to shape them. Good leadership improves both teacher motivation and work settings. Further research by Kiziltepe (2006) found that the primary source of teachers de-motivation was the administration Though, the relationship between School leadership and Teacher Motivation have not directly been subject to much research, Brown and Hughes (2008) highlight the importance of exploring the different factors that motivate teachers, as society increasingly holds them accountable for student achievement. The relationship between school leadership and teacher motivation is related in the research literature to the attempt to better understand principals impact on school performance (Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005; Leithwood and Mascall, 2008; Supovitz, Sirinides and May, 2010). Thus teachers engagement and their motivation have been studied mostly as a mediating factor between school leadership and students learning (Hallinger and Heck, 1998). According to Sharpe, Klockow Martin (2002), the factors motivating teachers can vary from classroom to classroom, school to school, or district to district. If teachers are not motivated to teach, then the search for educational excellence will be ava il (Richardson, Short Prickett, 2003). 2.4.3.1: How can School leaders affect teachers motivation Several studies suggest that school leadership is second only to classroom teaching as an influence on student learning (Leithwood, Harris, Hopkins, 2008; Leithwood Jantzi, 2008) and that key to optimizing student learning is the influence exerted by school leaders on teacher motivation and commitment (Day, Stobart, Sammons, Kington, Gu, 2006; Leithwood Mascall, 2008). According to studies (Hallinger and Heck, 1996), school leadership affects students outcomes indirectly, by creating the conditions that support teachers ability to teach and students learning. Teachers motivation includes the expenditure of effort to achieve a goal (Martin, 2000). It is also about creating forces that power and drive their respective behaviours (Bursalioglu, 2002). Dull (1981) believes that school leaders could motivate teachers by improving a situation perceived to be difficult by an individual, thereby meeting needs. In addition, the school leader can also motivate teachers by providing adequate d riving forces to urge one into action (Genc, 1987). The human factor should not be ignored, the educational leader should strive in developing a physiological and psychological process which takes into account individual desires, goals, tendencies, behaviour, self-interest, preference, will-power and drive. He/she should be considerate, that is, consider both intrinsic and extrinsic forces that actuate, direct and maintain staff behaviours (Gursel, 1997). Motivating teachers also implies increasing the latters willingness to work and making them believe that they will satisfy their personal needs if they work efficiently in the school (Yuksel, 1998), by providing the appropriate conditions. Porter, Polikoff, Goldring, Murphy, Elliot and May (2010) claims that these conditions include high standards for student learning, rigorous curricula, quality instruction, a culture of learning and above all- professional behaviour. Indeed, scholarly writings have linked the above mentioned conditions with increased teacher motivation to exert extra effort in teaching (Geisel, Sleegers, Leithwood and Jantzi, 2003). They added that school leadership has a key role in ensuring these conditions at school. Geisel et al. (2003) also mentioned that schools are effective only when the whole school community work as a whole and not as fragmented units. Thus, the school leaders should not only occupy the authority position but should also be visible (Dinham, Cariney, Craigie and Wilson, 1995) in the institution, so as to be able to motivate their staffs. 2.4.3.1.1: Visible leadership Indeed, Dinham et al. (1995) found that secondary school principals responsibilities include being visible, maintaining contact with student groups, keeping open lines of communication with stakeholders, promoting a positive school climate, being aware and in control of all school issues, influencing the school tone, and fostering school pride. According to further studies (Huber, 1997), teachers recognize it is highly motivating when their school head is involved in the daily routine. The school leader, showing dedicated interest in what happens in the class itself, is much appreciated. Teachers have a high esteem for leaders knowing about the curriculum and who are actively involved in monitoring students progress. Robinson (2006) points out that school leaders who have subject specific knowledge will be more confident and successful in supporting improvement in teachers practice. No doubt, teachers find it highly motivating when the principal provides a variety of support, includi ng practical assistance and encouragement (Murphy, 1989). This involves frequent movement through the school, class visits as well as some informal exchange with the teaching staff (Teddlie et al., 1989). According to Scheerens (1992), this is one of the pillars of school leadership and such regular interactions could also help in assessing the ways teachers work. 2.4.1 Relationship between school leader and teachers Davis et al. (2002) argue that the relationship between school leaders and teachers is very important: the school leaders regard for others is, key, to motivating teachers. Being in charge of the school administration, school leaders have the greatest share in motivating teachers. According to Griffin (2010), relationships with administrators were rated as a highly motivating factor. This is supported by Asbill and Gonzalez (2000) who found a relationship between positive principal-teacher interactions and teacher job satisfaction. Egley (2003) found similar results and emphasized the importance of a supportive principal-teacher relationship. School leaders (Barnett and McCormick, 2003) must be able to create an environment conducive to the building of positivity, providing the platform for the staff to maintain good relations, so as to create a healthy environment, where all can grow adequately. Wallace (2010) further claimed that school leadership should also include some emotional dimension. She posited that school leaders who understand the emotional context in which they work will provide a more satisfying and effective work context for teachers. They highlighted that working in a classroom environment where there is administrative support enhances the element of respect. Indeed, interviews by Sederberg and Clark (1990) showed that teachers perceive respect as the most important incentive, followed by trust, optimism and intentionality. Further research (Geisel et al., 2003) has shown that certain methods adopted by the School leadership indeed impact on the level of teacher motivation, for instance, defining a clear vision and objectives. Shared vision and goals Scholars (Eyal and Roth, 2010; Barnett and McCormick, 2002) posited that vision potentially offers the greatest capacity to influence teachers motivation. Lashway (2000) added that school principals should ensure that this vision is relevant to the school context. The leaders vision must also be related to the existing needs and culture of the school (Keedy, 1991). In addition, it must be focused, consistent, at the same time, including short term as well as long term objectives (Geisel et al., 2003). These help define and promote high expectations; and they connect directly with teachers and the classroom. Barnett and McCormicks (2003) findings echoed the above researchers ideas and even extrapolated those- they concluded that teachers should, at all cost, share the schools vision. This is because vision provides personal goals for the teacher, a desire to see a change in the future. The staff should be able to connect to the vision when it is clearly defined, so that, their own personal objectives may sprout out from it. Their studies have shown that teachers are highly motivated when they build consensus on the aims and values of the school. In such cases, teachers can put these into practice through collaborative and consistent of working. Empirical evidence (Leithwood and Riehl, 2003; Ylimaki, 2006) proved that vision creates a sense of purpose that binds teachers together and propels them to fulfill their deepest aspirations and to reach ambitious goals. Indeed, Brewers rese arch (1993) showed that student achievement levels were higher in schools where the principal had hired like-minded teachers who shared the principals goals and who were able to implement effectively the principals vision. Other researchers (Lee and Smith, 1994) analyzed performance from 820 secondary schools and found that coherent, sustained, and focused reforms resulted in the best outcomes for students. Therefore, effective professional principals (Huber, 1997, 2004) should relentlessly work to improve achievement by focusing on defining SMART goals. However, scholars (Gagne and Deci, 2005; Sheldon, Turban, Brown, Barrick and Judge, 2003) claimed that presenting followers with a value-laden vision is not enough. Leading professional No doubt, implementing a vision is not instantaneous; it requires repeated cycles of reflection, evaluation, and response, and only the principal can sustain it (Lashway, 1997). Sheldon et al. (2003) posited that the leadership role played by the school principal is critical in ensuring the vision and mission is attained. Thus, principals need to wear many different hats during the school day. But, the most effective school principals are not only managers and disciplinarians but also instructional leaders for the school (Leithwood and Mascall, 2008). Their studies showed that an effective school leader is not merely a good administrator or manager, but also a leading professional- a transformational leader. According to Burns (1978) transformational leadership is the process in which leaders and their followers bring each other to a higher level of ethic and motivation. Todays schools, therefore, want not only visionary and professional leaders (Lashway, 2000), but transformational ones. Transformational Leadership and motivation Leithwood (1992) claimed that transformational leadership is, actually, the restructuring of the system in order for the mission and vision of people to be redefined. It also ensures that the staff identifies themselves with the goals of the organisation, together with enlisting the participation of the staffs by taking into consideration their opinion greatly provide the scope for motivation. Bass (1990) suggested that motivation is, in fact, a sub-dimension of transformational leadership. Other scholars (Simola, Barling and Turner, 2010; Park and Rainey, 2008) also concluded that motivation has been shown to be an inspiring component of such kind of leadership and these have shown a positive relationship between transformational leadership and motivation. Indeed, Bass and Avolio (1997) have argued that transformational leadership can produce extraordinary outcomes in terms of increased commitment to achieving group or organisational goals. Coupled with the above, Shamir, House and Arthur (1993), maintained that transformational leaders also foster intrinsic motivations related to self concept. Their theory of leadership asserted that charismatic leaders promote followers intrinsic motivation to act beyond their self-esteem, self value and social identification. Research has shown a positive relationship between transformational leadership and motivation. It has been proved that in an organisation with transformational leaders, there is higher productivity and that the employees are happier and there are fewer negative incidents (Robbins, 1996). Indeed, transformational Leadership plays an important role in developing self-motivation. Leaders increase their workers motivation through their behaviour (Bass, 1990, Greenberg and Baron, 2000). As the human relations and communicative skills of a transformational leader are developed, they are effective in persuading and directing their followers (Glad and Blanton, 1997). They also motivate followers to transcend their own immediate self-interest for the sake of the mission and vision of the organisation. The leader motivates followers to work for transcendental goals instead of immediate self-interest, for achievement and self-actualisation rather than safety and security (Murray Feitler, 1989, p. 3), and creates within followers a capacity to develop higher levels of commitment to organisational goals (Leithwood Jantzi, 2000). Followers confidence levels are raised and their needs broadened by the leader to support development to higher potential. Such total engagement (emotional, intellectual and moral) encourages followers to develop and perform beyond expectations (Bass, 1985; Burns, 1978). 2.3.5.1 Transformational and Transactional School leadership Basss model (1998) of transformational and transactional leadership has a number of important implications for the current reform movement in education. According to Bass and Avolio (1997), the transformational/transactional approach builds trust, respect, and a wish on the part of followers to work collectively toward the same desired future goals. This not only allows the transformational leader to operate effectively within the available context, but to change it, to make it more receptive to her or his own leadership orientation. Indeed, a positive relationship has been found (Howell and Hall- Merenda, 1999) between transformational leadership and a good rapport between the leader and follower. Applying this to schools, Avolio and Bass (1988) argue that although transactional and transformational leadership can represent two discrete forms of leadership, effective school principals exhibit characteristics of both by maintaining short-term endeavors through transactional leadership and by inciting change as a transformational leader. A number of studies emphasize the importance of transformative leadership for school principals (Fullan 1996; Hord 1992; Leithwood, Tomlinson Genge 1996; Wood 1998; Sergiovanni 1992; Conley 1997; Perez et al. 1999; Reed and Roberts 1998). Transformational school leadership and teacher motivation Contemporary middle school leaders have a vast array of responsibilities and are often characterized as those who should be transformational leaders (Sanzo et al., 2010). The challenges brought to schools by restructuring have been cited as reasons for advocating transformational leadership in schools. Such leadership embraces a postmodern way of thinking. It is argued that transformational leadership is well suited to the challenges of current school restructuring. It has the potential for building high levels of commitment (in teachers) to the complex and uncertain nature of the school reform agenda and for fostering growth in the capacities teachers must develop to respond positively to this agenda (Leithwood and Jantzi, 1997). Transformational leadership is seen to be sensitive to organisation building, developing shared vision, distributing leadership and building school culture necessary to current restructuring efforts in schools (Leithwood, Jantzi and Stainbach, 1999). Transformational School leadership: the four Is and teacher motivation Leithwood and Jantzi (1990) have defined transformational leadership based on schools. Transformational leadership dimensions, namely, idealized influence, inspirational motivation and intellectual stimulation, were found to directly influence teachers amount of motivation (Geisel et al., 2003; Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005). These, in turn, had an indirect impact on students achievements and learning (Leithwood and Jantzi, 2005). Individualised attention-Teachers needs and expectations Individualised attention (Blasà © and Kirby, 2000) given to the staff, greatly adds up to teacher motivation. According to Blasà © and Kirby (2000), it is of upmost importance for leaders to identify teachers needs- the social needs should not be neglected (Bursalioglu, 2002), and their feelings about their jobs. School leaders have to be conscious of the fact that each person has different needs and, therefore, should be motivated accordingly. Weller (1982) added that the school principal should be sympathetic to the needs of their teachers. The leaders should be able to cater for the needs of each and every one. According to Adair (2002), a leader, who is not aware of these, and who does not display effort to fulfill these, will definitely face difficulties in motivating teachers. He added that only a well-informed leader can devise and implement effective strategies to assist teachers in their development, ensuring they perform their respective duties in an effective, enthusiast ic and motivated manner. Blasà ©, Derick and Stahth (1986) reported that principals initiating structure and displaying consideration were associated with more satisfying work conditions, higher job satisfaction, and less job stress. Staffs experience of job stress was seen as principals lack of consideration and was related to teacher dissatisfaction. It was found that teachers (Blasà © et al., 1986) are less likely to share their views and opinions, or trying to improve the conditions if they feel that their school heads are not enough caring. Blasà © (1986) put forward that the latter should strive to develop fruitful relationships with the teaching staff, fostering positive communication with and among teachers. It is only through these relationships that they can establish leader legitimacy and encouraged commitment. Teachers should feel that they form part of the school community and not simply as employees working in the school. The motivation for working with the subject matter in which teachers have their academic degree and the wish to teach it to others are important motivators for teachers both before and upon completion of the PGCE course (Roness Smith, 2009, 2010). Still, we find that the subject-matter interest is a salient and stable motivator among these Norwegian teachers, a finding which aligns with other international research (Kyriacou et al., 1999; Manuel Brindley, 2005; Manuel Hughes, 2006). A plausible reason for these results can be that when starting teacher education, the students regard themselves as subject-matter specialists. Idealised influence Idealised influence is the charismatic element of transformational leadership, in which leaders, become role models, who are admired, respected and emulated by their followers (Avolio and Bass, 2002; Bass, 1998; Bass and Avolio, 1994). As a result, followers demonstrate a high degree of trust in such leaders (Jung and Avolio, 2000). Researchers (Jung and Avolio, 2000) added that shared vision, is, an integral component of this idealized transformational role, inspiring acceptance through the alignment of goals. Principals must, therefore, be good role models supporting best practice (Colley, 2002). Inspirational motivation Leaders behave in ways that motivate and inspire those around them by providing meaning and challenge to their followers work (Avolio and Bass, 2002). According to Bass (1998), team spirit is aroused and followers show much enthusiasm. The transformational school leader (Barnett and McCormick, 2003) builds and sustains interactive communications with the teachers. For instance, inspirational talks and acting in ways that encourage enthusiasm. Principals inspire teachers to see an attractive future, while communicating expectations and demonstrating a commitment to goals and the shared vision. Research (Eyal and Roth, 2010) also proved that transformational school leaders can stimulate their teachers efforts to be innovative and creative. According to Tracey and Hinkin (1998), such influence motivates followers to show integrity in the form of ethical and moral conduct. This includes values and beliefs which emphasise the schools mission and embracing high morality. Another point to be noted is that teachers want to be fairly treated. Any discriminatory actions (Wevers, 2000) against them are negatively perceived and these impact heavily on their motivation level. Awamleh and Gardiner (1999) believe that school leaders should avoid the misuse of power for personal gains. School leaders should be seen trustworthy and competent by followers (Cheemers, 2001). So, it is important to have ethical school leaders. Intellectual Stimulation Studies (Reynolds, 1976; Mortimore et al., 1988;, Stoll and Fink, 1996) of Effective schools showed that, principals, considered innovation to be an integral part of the school. They encourage teachers to question existing assumptions and to reframe problems. They invite the teaching staff to approach old situations in new ways. Int

Foreign-Born American, Yes You Can Become President! Essay -- American

Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5 of the United States Constitution states that no person except a natural-born citizen shall be eligible to run for President of the United States. This was due to John Jay, the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention, who wrote a letter to George Washington in 1787 arguing that the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army should not be anyone but a natural-born American (Schneider 6). The Founders were concerned that subversive enemies could force the fledgling republic back to foreign monarchical rule. Delegates did not want the United States to suffer the same fate as Poland, which in 1772 had been partitioned among Austria, Prussia and Russia after agents of those countries bribed Polish nobles to elect a disloyal king (Schneider 6). The Founding Fathers of the United States, however, clearly state that, â€Å"all men are created equal† in the Declaration of Independence. This equality extends not only to all natural-born Americ an citizens, but should also extend to foreign-born Americans. This foundational idea of equality contradicts the Constitution. All American citizens should have the equal and same opportunity to strive to hold the highest elected office in the United States. By looking at the role immigrants have played in American history—particularly sacrifices that have been made by foreign-born American citizens on the battlefield, easier access to candidate information through media during elections, checks in the Constitution, and modern diplomacy—we see that foreign-born American citizens are not only loyal to America, but also have the capability and passion to serve the United States as President without American citizens needing to question loyalty and intent. The orig... ... People. USHistory.org, n.d. Web. 28 July 2010. Isaacson, Walter. "Henry Kissinger - Biography". The Nobel Prize in Peace 1973. Nobelprize.org. Web. 3 Aug 2010. Kasindorf, Martin. â€Å"Should the Constitution be amended for Arnold?† USA TODAY [Los Angels] 3 Dec. 2004. Web. 30 July 2010. King, Martin Luther. â€Å"Letter From Birmingham Jail." Letter From Birmingham Jail 1963. Stanford.edu. Web. 1 July 2010. Office of Governor. â€Å"Biography.† Governor Jennifer M. Granholm State of Michigan. Michigan. Gov,n.d. Web. 28 July 2010. Schneider, Bill. â€Å"President Schwarzenegger—a potential blockbuster†. CNN.com, n.d. Web. 28 July 2010. The Constitution of the United States, Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5. The United States Consitution. U.S Constitution Online,n.d. Web. 28 July 2010. U.S. Department of Labor. â€Å"Elaine L. Chao.† Hall of Secretaries. Web. 28 July 2010.