Inter-racial Face Recognition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Inter-racial Face Recognition - Research Paper Example The participants were briefed at the beginning of the experiment, and were debriefed after the experiment. Bearing in mind that the issue of inter-racial identification could be sensitive (e.g. participants may feel uncomfortable if they fail to recognize some of the faces) the participants were told about the possibility for them to withdraw their data whenever they wish, and also that, if they wish, their results can be removed from the final outcome data of the experiment. Table 1 shows that the Caucasian race is slow in face recognition than the Black race. This means that the Caucasians have some difficulties in recognizing faces of every individual they met in their life. This also implies that the Caucasian have some problems in familiarization. Table 2 shows the Black Recognition time (second and counts) Black formally dressed (neutral faces) have computed F value of 206.640, and the white Recognition time (second and counts) Black formally dressed (neutral faces) have computed value of 52.414 and the tabular value of F statistics 247. This means that we accept Ho because the computed value of F statistics is less than its tabulated value. This also means that white individuals are more sensitive to Cross-racial impairment than Black individuals. This implies that white individuals may have visual problems connected to the cones of the eyes which are responsible for fine detail detection and color recognition. APPENDICES Regression of Black Recognition Variables Entered/Removed(b) Model Variables

Takata air bag Case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Takata air bag - Case Study Example The airbag industry has been witnessed as one of the high growth industry worldwide. The rapidly developing market of airbag includes South America, South-East Asia, Eastern Europe, China and India (Prasad, 2015). Since 2009, various safety measures taken by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) has guided the automobile companies in the US to properly pass the side crash test which has further influenced the utilization of airbag safety equipment in the manufactured vehicles. The major manufacturers of the airbags within the global market include Autoliv, TRW, Delphi, Takata etc (Mattsson, 2015). Takata Corporation is a Japanese automotive parts manufacturer company which is one of the leading suppliers of vehicle airbag systems across the world. Apart from airbags the organization also deals in seatbelts, steering wheel system and child restraints system for a number of automobile companies. The organization was founded by Takezo Takada in 1933. Their major clients include Honda Motor Company, Toyota Motor Company and Nissan Motor Company. The organization has recorded annual revenue of approximately $4.5 billion by the end of 2014. Currently, the organization is recalling a large number of vehicles which as using Takata-made airbag system due to the recently found defective functions of the product. According to the current data the organization is recalling near about 34 million vehicles to replace their defected airbag system (Klayman, B. 2015). The vision statement of the organization defines their motivation towards the continuous development and innovation. The vision of the organization provides immense importance towards the preciousness of life while developing and designing any safety product (Takata Corporation. 2014). Situational analysis can be described as the collection of different methods that can be utilized by the management of different organizations to analyze their external

Moral Complexity in Kieslowskis the Decalogue (1989)

Moral Complexity in Kieslowskis the Decalogue (1989) Although the moral stories that constitute Polish director Krzyszto KieÅ›lowskis The Decalogue (1989) were inspired by the Ten Commandments (as per the films umbrella title), the way they relate to Gods Law as revealed to Moses is by no means straightforward or clear-cut; nor is the rich symbolism which Kieslowski weaves throughout the films. As this paper shall demonstrate, the ideas and themes in The Decalogue are complex and often ambiguous, especially with respect to two primary and recurring symbols: the huge apartment complex where the various characters reside and occasionally cross paths and an unnamed, mysterious male figure who hovers on the periphery of the action, silent and observing. KieÅ›lowski uses these two symbols to illustrate and develop the metaphysic that lies at the heart of the film. The films [that constitute The Decalogue] should be influenced by the individual commandments to the same degree that the commandments influence our daily lives†, KieÅ›lowski notes in the introduction to the published script of The Decalogue (quoted in Cunneen, 1997). Joseph Cunneen suggests that this influence is subtle and indirect. It is significant that the films do not have separate titles that contain text of the commandments; as a result, the viewer is â€Å"often unsure of the relationship between a film and a particular commandment; to the director, if the numbers of some episodes were reversed for example 6 and 9 it would make no difference† (Cunneen, 1997). KieÅ›lowski thus encourages intellectual guesswork on the part of his audience. â€Å"I merely announce, for example, Decalogue 1. The spectator looks at the film and . . . begins to think about the commandment(s)†. (KieÅ›lowski, as quoted in Cunneen, 1997). For example, in Decalogue VI th ere seem to be no reference to any one particular commandment, though it does contain references to stealing (the peeping-tom protagonist steals a telescope to spy on a female neighbor) and killing (the same character slashes his wrists near the end of the film). This â€Å"thoroughly un-didactic† approach enables KieÅ›lowski and his co-screenwriter, Krzysztof Piesiewicz, to develop their themes with subtlety and restraint (Porton, 50). In The Decalogue, as in life, nothing is cut and dried. â€Å"Each episode can be likened to a moral parable that suggests . . . how we can live ethically in a world where the false comfort of either a belief in God or dialectical materialism is unavailable†, states Porton (Porton, 48). Jonathan Rosenbaum would seem to agree that the films power is suggestive rather than didactic: â€Å"The finely sculpted scripts of these films become suggestions of how we might think about these people, not directives about how we should judge them† (Rosenbaum, 159). He goes on to say that the decision to produce a series of films that correspond to the Ten Commandments in name and number is essentially â€Å"a packaging idea, successfully designed to give KieÅ›lowski an international reputation and made in part for export† (Rosenbaum, 155). By the directors own admission, he and Piesiewicz avoided any overt political references to the Poland of the mid-1980s in order that the films could be marketed in other countries (Stok, 145). Yet none of this detracts from The Decalogues intellectual, moral and aesthetic stature. KieÅ›lowski is a serious artist whose ultimate concern is integrity that of his characters and also of himself, as a filmmaker. He does not teach morality (in the sense of â€Å"thou shalt not†) but rather contemplates and probes lifes so-called â€Å"grey areas†. According to him, â€Å"integrity is an extremely complicated combination and we can never ultimately say ‘I was honest or ‘I wasnt honest. In all our actions . . . we find ourselves in a position from which theres really no way out and even if there is, its not a better way out [but only] the lesser evil. This [choosing which way out to take], of course, defines integrity† (Stok, 146 149). The notion, then, that a set of ten rules is all we need is simplistic to the point of absurdity. The decisions we all must make in our lives are often difficult and painful; they are also dependent on a host of different factors which have to be weighed and taken into account. Where morality is concerned, perspectives have to be altered and sometimes replaced with new ones. Mario Sesti suggests that the complexity of the ideas at play in The Decalogue is symbolized, in part, by the high-rise apartment complex which is the central setting for all the episodes. â€Å"Throughout the work a system of hints, correspondences and allusions imperceptibly laces together the tangled plights of the characters who live in the [same] apartment block. Everyone either knows or ignores one another, but everyone is aware (however reluctantly) that they belong to the same narrative† (Sesti, 183). Portman remarks that KieÅ›lowskis signature theme in virtually all his films (not just The Decalogue) is â€Å"the ineffability of human experience through chance encounters or near-encounters of protagonists whose paths would never ordinarily intersect† (Portman, 2001). Locating most of the action in and around the huge apartment building where the various characters live, and where their paths occasionally cross, allows KieÅ›lowski to stage such chance encounters and near-encounters while â€Å"(weaving the) single episodes into an overall tapestry† (Sesti, 183). The director notes that the idea of choosing characters at random and observing how they act and interrelate is well-served by the apartment building setting: â€Å"We had the idea that the camera should pick somebody out, . . . then follow him or her throughout the rest of the film†, he says, adding that since the apartment building has â€Å"thousands of similar windows framed in the establishing shot†, it was an ideal setting for his purposes (Stock, 146). Cunneen explains that the apartment building helps â€Å"unify the series† since we see the same few buildings again and again (that is, from episode to episode), adding that â€Å"in such a context it becomes natural for a character we see on the stairs in one episode to become a major figure in a later one† (Cunneen, 2001). By extension, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the apartment building symbolizes the unity and interrelatedness of experience. Despite the interrelatedness, Michael Wilmington argues that all the characters in the series think of themselves as essentially â€Å"isolated† (Wilmington, 2001). Occasionally, to some minor degree, the setting shifts away from the Warsaw suburb and into the city, and even the countryside, yet the director has a nostalgic idea of a return the monotonous high-rise blocks (Wilmington, 2001). The symbolism of the notion to portray such areas of Warsaw is that only in those tall grey buildings can the audience get familiar with many different emotions of the inhabitants: love, hate, friendliness, politeness, curiosity and more. There is constant interaction between the neighbors, making KieÅ›lowskis series very realistic and simple to understand for his viewers. The apartment building is, in effect, an objective correlative to this very malaise. The â€Å"deliberately gray or brackish colors† of the building â€Å"capture an edifice that signifies both the State and the monotony of life in ‘Peoples Poland† (Porton, 2001). In a similar vein, Agnieszka Tennant makes reference to the â€Å"mass-produced, colorless buildings†, â€Å"cheerless wintry outdoors†, â€Å"cold flats† and â€Å"impersonal stairwells, elevators and offices† that constitute the films mise-en-scà ¨ne (Tenant, 2001). Another function of the apartment-building setting is that it allows for an open narrative structure a structure which â€Å"invites the viewer to interpret the actions of [the] protagonists, to follow their struggles with destiny in an abundance of chance encounters† (Haltof, 79), while serving as a convenient symbol for voyeurism and shifting perspectives (that is to say, the viewers as well as the directors gaze). Cunneen is correct to stress that KieÅ›lowskis camera is â€Å"fond of windows, mirrors, or any objects that offer possibilities of reflections† (Cunneen, 2001). This tendency opens new perspectives on the protagonists of the film series. They are viewed from behind the glass, lens or mirror which highlights that their actions could not be what they seem and have more dimensions to them. In KieÅ›lowskis films, glass serves to self-consciously foreground the act of looking†, according to Annette Insdorf (Cunneen, 2001, quoting Insdorf in the latters Double Lives, p. 91). In Decalogue V, Piotr, the lawyer of Jacek the killer, is â€Å"framed in a mirror† before we actually see him. As well, â€Å"the driver [victim] is presented as glass reflects the apartment complex† and â€Å"Jacek is introduced in the street, reflected in a mirror as well† (Insdorf quoted in Cunneen, 2001). Sesti refers to KieÅ›lowskis themes of â€Å"uncertainty† and â€Å"bewilderment†, noting that â€Å"the most typical image in The Decalogue is a shadowy interior, a character at the window, or a gaze without rancor, happiness or hope† (Sesti, 187). A case in point is Decalogue VI, which begins with Olaf, the peeping tom character, spying on Magda, the older woman who is his neighbor, but ends in reverse, with Magda spying on him. KieÅ›low ski concedes that this â€Å"change in perspective† is essential to the episodes structure (Stok, 169). Other examples of the gaze may be found in Decalogue I when the boy Pawel watches a pigeon on his windowsill in the beginning. Later, after Pawel drowns, his aunt watches slow-motion memorial footage of him on a TV screen in a shop window. In Decalogue V the gaze is noticed during the murder of the cab driver when the killer Jacek hesitates for a brief moment when the victim â€Å"looks up at him and Jacek sees his suffering†; he responds by covering the mans head (Hogan, 2008). Curiously, KieÅ›lowski here seems to be equating the gaze with death. Another significant and symbolic link between the episodes is the presence of the mysterious, silent young man whom the audience sees only occasionally. He is absent from episodes 7 and 10. This omnipresent figure â€Å"with searingly watchful eyes and an Old Testament intensity† (Cunneen, 2001) usually shows up â€Å"just before [a] character makes a difficult ethical decision, or just before something unexpected happens† (Tennant, 2001). He can be observed in Decalogue I sitting at a campfire; in Decalogue V, as a road inspector and also as a painter in prison; in Decalogue VI, as a man in a white suit; in Decalogue VIII, as a student listening to the lecture of one of the two main characters; and in Decalogue IX, as a cyclist who watches the protagonist try to kill himself. This mysterious man can be identified with a guardian angel or the â€Å"walking consciousness†. He is present at the times of crucial decisions by the protagonists, but he never judges. On the contrary the â€Å"angel† is trying to push the troubled heroes to a better moral choice, as with Jacek in Dekalogue V he shakes his head to silently protest the murder or in Dekalogue IX saving Roman from succeeding in his suicidal attempt. The figure is still puzzling because he seems to have very little to no influence on the action and therefore cannot be considered a character in the proper sense. Tenant believes he â€Å"symbolizes Gods presence among us, Christian conscience, or at least for a secular audience fate† (Tenant, 2001), while Haltof sees him as an â€Å"Angel of Fate† who â€Å"adds an almost metaphysical dimension† to the films (Haltof, 81). As Sesti explains, although the figure â€Å"never interferes with the action, [he is] perfectly aware of it to the point of foreseeing its conclusion†. He never utters a word but rather â€Å"looks directly into the camera, and his disquieting silence seems to comment on the story†. Sesti agrees that this â€Å"kind of chorus figure† acts as a unifying link for the episodes but points out that â€Å"we do not identify with him, for his presence suggests the inflexibility of fate and the vulnerability of every individua l. . . . [His gaze is] the gaze of some divine figure, distressed by his uselessness and by the impossibility of redeeming the world† (Sesti, 184). The ambiguity and symbolic richness of the â€Å"angel† figure and of the apartment complex testifies to KieÅ›lowskis mastery as a filmmaker. The Decalogue does not lend itself to a reductionist reading; quite the opposite. A â€Å"vast fresco of private emotions and subtle interactions† (Wilmington, 2000) on the one hand, it is also a work that is rich in themes and ideas. As Wilmington observes, these themes are in fact common to all of KieÅ›lowskis films: â€Å"Choice is fate. Pain underlies beauty. Isolation is an illusion. Disparate are we. Sin is inescapable. Soul is flesh. Film is life. The Decalogue, [KieÅ›lowskis] prime act of cinematic voyeurism, draws those threads together† (Wilmington, 2000). By turning to such methods as a common setting of high-rises in Warsaw and a small trace of a mystic messenger from God, KieÅ›lowski is able to unite and add coherence to ten short films from his Dekalogue series. The films are complex and deep. They require thorough analysis and knowledge of the Biblical context. The author is making it easier to understand for his audience by bringing in common threads to each episode and opening the conclusions for different interpretations and room for opinions. References Cunneen, Joseph. â€Å"‘Being Alive is a Gift: Krzysztof KieÅ›lowskis ‘The Decalogue†Ã‚  Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality. 1:1. 2001. pp. 79-85. John Hopkins University Press. (Note: Cunneen quotes KieÅ›lowski in the introduction to the  published script of The Decalogue, for which, see bibliographic entry.) Cunneen, Joseph. â€Å"Kieslowski on the mountaintop†. Commonweal. 124:14, Aug. 15,  1997. New York, N.Y., 1997. pp. 11-14 Haltof, Marek. The Cinema of Krzysztof KieÅ›lowski: Variations on Destiny and Chance.  Wallflower Press: London. 2004. pp. 75-107. Hogan, Patrick Colm. â€Å"Tragic Lives: On the Incompatibility of Law and Ethics. College  Literature. West Chester: 35:3, Summer 2008. 30 pp. KieÅ›lowski, Krzysztof. â€Å"Introduction†, in KieÅ›lowski, K. and Piesiewica, P., Decalogue The Ten Commandments [translated by Phil Cavendish and Suzanna Bluh].  London: Faber and Faber, 1991. Kieslowski, Krzystof and Krzysztof Piesiewicz. The Decalogue. VHS. Distributor:  Band à   Part. 10 episodes on 5 cassettes. Directed by K. Kieslowski. 1987. Porton, Richard. â€Å"The Decalogue†. Cineaste. New York: Summer 2001. 26:3; pp. 48-50. Rosenbaum, Jonathan. Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons. John Hopkins University Press: Baltimore. 2004. pp. 152-159. Sesti, Mario. â€Å"DEKALOG 1 10†. In The Hidden God: Film and Faith. Mary Lea Brandy and Antonio Monda, eds. The Museum of Modern Art: New York, N.Y.  2003. pp. 183-187. Stok, Danusia, ed. KieÅ›lowski on KieÅ›lowski. Faber and Faber Limited: London, 1993. Tennant, Agnieszka. â€Å"The Ten Commandments become flesh†. Christianity Today.  Carol Stream: 45:2, Feb 5, 2001. pp. 75-76 Michael Wilmington. â€Å"Long decades journey into light†. Film Comment. New York,  N.Y.: 36:2, March/April 2000. pp. 9-10

Health and Aging :: Fitness Health Age Essays Papers

Health and Aging Often we take our health, or the absence of illness, disease, or injury for granted until we become sick. It is then that we recognize the worth of being without ailments. It is then that we appreciate feeling strong, robust and healthy. Being healthy and, being physically and mentally sound, is associated with one's satisfaction with life. Developmental health psychologists - specialists who study the interaction of age, behavior, and health and gerontologists - specialists in the science of aging -- are piecing together the details of diet, exercise, personality and behavior that make it practical to shoot for 80, or even 120. People approaching middle age can expect a bonus of several years of extra living thanks to continuing medical progress against cancer, heart disease and stroke.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Specialists in the field of aging, developmental health psychologists, and gerontologist , concentrate their area of study on determining health status over the course of adulthood, and determining the nature and origin of age-related diseases. They are also concerned with describing the effects of health on behavior and describing the effects of behavior on health. The goals of these specialists are: prevention of diseases, preservation of health, and improved quality of health for those suffering from disability and disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What does it mean to be healthy? Health is a state of complete physical , mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease, illness or infirmity. It is important to distinguish between disease and health. Disease is the prognosis of a particular disorder with a specific cause and characteristic symptoms. On the other hand, illness is the existence of disease and, the individual's perception of and response to the disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whether in sickness or in health age and the progression through life play a large part in our health and our developmental status. The role of age in regard to health is listed below: - Most young adults are in good health and experience few limitations or disabilities. Nearly 71% of adults older than 65 living in a community report their health as excellent, good, or very good. - Health and mobility decline with age especially after age 80. Disease is more common among older adults. - Most of the diseases of later life have their origin years earlier. - Income is related to perception of health. - The older the individual, the more difficult it is to recover from stress. - As an individual age, acute conditions decrease in frequency while chronic conditions increase in frequency. 4/5 of adults over 65 have at least one chronic condition. - Older adults may have multiple Health and Aging :: Fitness Health Age Essays Papers Health and Aging Often we take our health, or the absence of illness, disease, or injury for granted until we become sick. It is then that we recognize the worth of being without ailments. It is then that we appreciate feeling strong, robust and healthy. Being healthy and, being physically and mentally sound, is associated with one's satisfaction with life. Developmental health psychologists - specialists who study the interaction of age, behavior, and health and gerontologists - specialists in the science of aging -- are piecing together the details of diet, exercise, personality and behavior that make it practical to shoot for 80, or even 120. People approaching middle age can expect a bonus of several years of extra living thanks to continuing medical progress against cancer, heart disease and stroke.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Specialists in the field of aging, developmental health psychologists, and gerontologist , concentrate their area of study on determining health status over the course of adulthood, and determining the nature and origin of age-related diseases. They are also concerned with describing the effects of health on behavior and describing the effects of behavior on health. The goals of these specialists are: prevention of diseases, preservation of health, and improved quality of health for those suffering from disability and disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What does it mean to be healthy? Health is a state of complete physical , mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease, illness or infirmity. It is important to distinguish between disease and health. Disease is the prognosis of a particular disorder with a specific cause and characteristic symptoms. On the other hand, illness is the existence of disease and, the individual's perception of and response to the disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whether in sickness or in health age and the progression through life play a large part in our health and our developmental status. The role of age in regard to health is listed below: - Most young adults are in good health and experience few limitations or disabilities. Nearly 71% of adults older than 65 living in a community report their health as excellent, good, or very good. - Health and mobility decline with age especially after age 80. Disease is more common among older adults. - Most of the diseases of later life have their origin years earlier. - Income is related to perception of health. - The older the individual, the more difficult it is to recover from stress. - As an individual age, acute conditions decrease in frequency while chronic conditions increase in frequency. 4/5 of adults over 65 have at least one chronic condition. - Older adults may have multiple

Does Ineffective Leadership Affect the Functioning of an Organization?

Introduction: Leaders are considered an integral resource in an organization and it is often said that the leader’s personality and caliber affect the manner in which an organization is managed and the organization’s overall performance. The main role of leaders is to guide, supervise, and manage the employees of an organization and make integral and critical decisions related to the organization’s operations. Thus, it is highly important for leaders to possess a variety of essential skills. Some of the skills that leaders must possess include problem-solving techniques, critical thinking, quick and efficient decision making, patience and human resource management techniques, amongst other expertise. Leaders hold major responsibility for the way they manage their decisions and the manner in which they guide the employees of an organization. Mistakes or obliviousness to vital information can lead to disastrous affects for organizations or a major loss in revenues (Northouse, 20 12). Accordingly, it is important for leaders to have a proper plan for managing a firm and leaders usually possess a certain leadership style. There are various leadership styles that leaders adopt when managing an organization and these leadership styles include the autocratic leadership style, charismatic leadership style, and situational leadership style amongst many others. Some leaders prefer to deal with an iron hand and are highly autocratic in their leadership style. Such leaders are highly authoritative and prefer to give commands rather than attain the opinion of their subordinates. However, some leaders are highly informal and involved in their leadership role and adopt a charismatic style of leadership. Such leaders prefer to involve their employees in the decision making process, prefer an informal environment, and reduce barriers to communication (Carmelli et al, 2010). However, the appropriate leadership style may vary from organization to organization and from situa tion to situation. It is the leader’s duty to understand the type of leadership necessary for a particular situation and implement it effectively (Brown & Mitchell, 2010). This research paper will seek to explore how ineffective leadership affects the functioning of an organization and whether it has a highly adverse affect upon the organization’s performance. The paper will seek to explore topics such as different management styles, responsibilities of managers/leaders, examples of ineffective leadership, and their consecutive effects on the functioning of the organization. This outline will commence with a brief literature review, formation of research questions, research methodology, and a conclusion. Literature Review: Many scholars believe that ineffective leadership leads to disastrous consequences for an organization. In the same manner, effective leadership can also lead to highly beneficial results for an organization and its employees. There are various examp les of highly successful leaders who have brought their organization’s numerous benefits such as Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and many others. These leaders were able to effectively make decisions in times of crisis, keep their workforce motivated and efficient, and form effective marketing strategies for the promotion of their organization (Hind et al, 2009). Leaders often possess certain leadership styles and it is regarded that ineffective leadership occurs because of the adoption of the inappropriate leadership style. Thus, leaders who adopt the wrong leadership style or who possess a personality which is not able to adapt to certain situations are likely to cause severe disruptions or inefficiency in the functioning of their organization. Leaders who adopt inappropriate leadership styles or who are ineffective leaders may cause problems such as increasing communication barriers, disrupt the proper dissemination of information, be oblivious to vital information concerning the organization, and lead to the de-motivation of employees. Examples are found in organizations where leaders are highly authoritative, consider their opinion to be correct, and remain distant from subordinates and employees and consequently, employees are unable to disseminate vital information to the leader and fail to help the leader make better decisions (King, 2013). However, there are also examples of organizations where the authoritative nature of leaders is working for the organization’s benefit rather than causing the organization losses. Hence, it is obvious that the leadership style that must be adopted by a leader must vary according to the organization’s situation and the manner in which the leader implements and conveys his/her message (Becker, 2009). This concept and other concepts related to the effects of ineffective leadership on the organization will be analyzed in this research paper. Research Questions: Does ineffective leadership affect the functioning of an organization? What leadership styles are appropriate for various organizational situations? How can ineffective leadership be defined and what are its consequences? Research Data: The research data that will be used will be both primary and secondary in nature. The data and information that will be gathered will be qualitative in nature and will be of exploratory in order to explore the topic in depth. Data Sources: Primary data will be gathered from the interview while secondary data will be obtained from journal articles, books, online sources, online databases, websites, newspapers, and other academic sources of information Data Collection Method: After obtaining permission from a specific organization (yet to be chosen), the manager or leader of that organization will be interviewed. Other information for the study will be derived from secondary sources for which library access and access to online databases is essential. D ata Analysis Method: As the data is qualitative in nature, the data gathered through secondary sources and the data gathered from the interview will be analyzed through the method of content analysis. The content of the literature reviewed will be compared to the content of the interview and then will be analyzed for relevancy a the key points are extracted from both sources to conduct the analysis Conclusion: Leadership is one of the most important topics in the study of management and through the analysis of the data obtained, this research paper aims to recognize, analyze, and evaluate the effects of ineffective leadership on an organization. References Becker, G. (2009) â€Å"Moral leadership in Business.† Journal of International Business Ethics. Vol. 2:1 pp. 7-19 Brown, M. & Mitchell, M. (2010) â€Å"Ethical and Unethical Leadership: Exploring New Avenues for Future Research. Business Ethics Quarterly. Vol. 20:4 pp. 583-616 Carmeli, A., Gelbard, R. & Gefen, D. (2010) â€Å"The importance of innovation leadership in cultivating strategic fit and enhancing firm performance†. The Leadership Quarterly. Vol. 21:3 pp. 339-349 Hind, P., Wilson, A., & Lenssen, G. (2009) â€Å"Developing Leaders for Sustainable Business.† Corporate Governance. Vol. 9:1 pp.7-20 King, C. (2013) â€Å"The Importance of Leadership and Management in Process Safety†. Process Safety Progress. Northouse, PG. (2012) Leadership: Theory and Practice. Sage Publications.

Cultural Identity in the Film American Gangster Essay

Films constitute as the perfect example in communicating cultural identity, the elements such as character, plot, and script pose as effective tools for communicating the film’s message. Much of this can be attributed to the basic premises of culture and communication as two terms co-related in such a way that cultures will simply cease to exist or continue without communication. Likewise, communication of a certain group of people is only limited to the traits distinct to their cultural pattern. In recent years, it has doubtlessly been established that the broad context of cultures is a way of identifying a group of people; this is because consciously or unconsciously everyone belongs to a particular sub-culture or microculture which uniquely signifies him or her from the main culture. For instance, the American culture is divided in to different microcultures considering that the United States is comprised of a diversity of people. James W. Neuliep (1999) defines microculture as a set of common values, beliefs, and behaviour that defines a group of people. The aforementioned values, beliefs, and behaviour also integrate shared histories as well as verbal and non-verbal language systems that are similar to, but methodically differing from the dominant cultural norms. The motion picture American Gangster (Directed by Ridley Scott, starring Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe) concurs with the previous statement of how the cinematic tradition communicates cultural identity. This is, in large part, brought about by the fact that the film contains themes and elements which present traits and values reflected by several microcultures such as race, gender, and socio-economic status. Primarily, American Gangster follows the rise of Frank Lucas as a prominent figure in Harlem’s organized crime and drug trafficking industries. The motion picture is a fictionalized re-telling of how Frank Lucas, following the death of his boss, Bumpy Johnson, gradually monopolized the New York drug trade with marvellous capitalist principles and devised a flawless importation scheme thereby allowing him to sell his good quality merchandise at a more affordable price (Scott, 2007). However, law graduate/street cop Richie Roberts, who is struggling to fight corruption within the force as well as the entire city while struggling to keep his marital life intact, felt the sudden shift of power in the underground crime domain (Scott, 2007). Combining both street smarts and experience, Roberts conforms to the belief that an unlikely individual is climbing the ladder of success overtaking on the prominent Italian-American crime families in the organized crime scene. As such Roberts decides to probe the situation closely giving him promising results which co-incidentally became huge turning point of his crime busting career (Scott, 2007). In a first look, the motion picture, American Gangster, appears to be another boring mobster film, however, the film highlights a character that effectively communicates the notable traits of people from a particular or diverse microculture. Not to be mistaken as a form of stereotyping or prejudice, the character simply mirrors the conventional patterns distinct of the African-American race’s traits and behaviour. Likewise, the character also reflects the conventional lifestyle of wealthy business executives who keep a low profile while running their respective businesses. Blood is thicker than water, so as the saying goes, this is how American Gangster’s Frank Lucas (George Washington) lives his life, both in personal and professional perspectives. Being an old-fashioned person, Frank Lucas’ actions reflect the traditional norms of African Americans, most particularly of the belief in close family ties. Primarily, most members of Lucas organization are immediate blood relatives. Frank Lucas seems to trust his family in running his business above everyone else. In addition, despite the moral controversy surrounding his source of living, Lucas also constantly pays eternal gratitude as a son by prioritizing his mother and escorting her to church every Sunday and never missing a family affair At the same time, Lucas also belonged to the upper class social category considering the depicted extravagant lifestyle he lives and his unique ability to manipulate the underground crime and drug scene as well as some officers of the New York Police Department to his advantage, even influencing established crime organizations and overpowering stable crime factions such as the Lucchese Crime Family and the Mafia respectively (Scott, 2007). Conversely, being the filthy rich drug lord that he is, Lucas is a very passive person in such a way that he refrained from wearing any expensive jewellery and other accessories as much as possible, this is perhaps to keep a low profile and to command attention away from him and his daily operations. . Both Lucas’ race and socio-economic status identify him the most because of how Richie Roberts immediately felt that the sudden change of control over the underground crime scene was brought about by an African-American individual. His socio-economic status provided Roberts with the evidence that he is a major player in New York’s underground crime scene as the ingenious street cop instantly determined Lucas as an elite crime boss even though his identity was not yet confirmed. Moreover, as Lucas frequently reiterated and practiced throughout the film, he upholds the importance of honesty, integrity, and family in his business and his life (Scott, 2007). As previously iterated, Lucas rose to prominence as the kingpin of heroin trafficking and marketing in the Harlem area, thus, he experienced a high power distance level for two reasons. First, Lucas’ became so powerful that he had the capacity to bypass notorious crime families such as the Luchesse and the Mafia. Second is that Lucas stayed kingpin for seven years until he gets finally caught in 1975 (Scoot, 1975). However, like all empires in history, Lucas’ drug empire crumbled in due time. As such, his power distance had a total paradigm shift as he chose to be a police asset in exchange for his freedom (Scott, 2008). Instead of paying his social debt by imprisonment, Lucas embarked on the path of self-redemption by becoming a police informant and helping solve the evasive nature of underground crime and corruption within the force. Frank Lucas being the premiere heroin supplier during the late 60s and the first half of the 70s, lived in a high context microculture, largely due to the fact that most of his leisurely activities reflected the glitz and glamour of high society. Initially, despite the previous statement that he does not wear expensive accessories, Lucas dresses up in a well fashioned manner. Moreover, Lucas has enough funds to witness headlining events and be seated among the wealthy crime lords during main sports events such as the first bout between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier 1971. However, since he kept a low profile, Frank Lucas also chose to live in low context microcultures. One is that he avoided any form of attention and suspicion from authorities during his 7-year tenure as a drug lord. Second is that although he dresses himself well enough to be distinguished as an individual with above average socio-economic status, he does not manifest any means of revealing his financial stability. As a person, Frank Lucas is both an individualistic and collectivistic. This is, in large part, brought about by the identities he maintains both as a family man and a drug lord. Lucas is individualistic in such a way that he took the bold choice of going to the main source in order to purchase the merchandise himself (Washington, 2007). Lucas also appears to have little tolerance for failure despite the fact that his own family is part of the business. On the other hand, Frank Lucas also manifests a collectivist attitude by being over generous to his own family members and business associates. As previously mentioned, Lucas prioritizes family even if his business is at stake. First notable thing is that Lucas uses some of the proceeds from his business to purchase a larger and more suitable home for his mother. Another thing is that Lucas never fails to give provide the main dish for Thanks Giving dinner and although he has temper problems when it comes to failure and excuses, Lucas generally upholds the principles of honesty, integrity, and family. The motion picture American Gangster effectively communicates the cultural patterns of the group where Frank Lucas is categorized during a particular era through the elements and themes integrated within it. Likewise, despite the account that the film is only a fictionalized re-telling of a particular culture, the reality of what truly happened has been extensively established. Furthermore, although the central character, Frank Lucas, belongs to a multitude of microcultures or sub-cultures, strong evidence within the film has once again re-established the principles of co-existence between communication and culture. References Grazer, B. , Whitaker, J. , Zaillian, S. , Pillegi, N (Producers) and Scott, R. (Director). (2007). American Gangster [Motion Picture]. Los Angeles, CA: Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment. Neuliep, J. W. (1999). Intercultural Communication. B, MA : Houghton Mifflin Company