Differences between male and female leadership

Differences between male and female leadership There are a variety of conflicting views regarding the differences between male and female leadership styles across the world. The researchers have come up with conflicting results and therefore there are two clubs now that project two opposite views. I will go on now to describe the research associated with the topic. Gender Differences are Significant: The first groups of people under discussion are those who believe that gender differences in leadership styles are very significant and obvious. According to Judy B. Rosener, (1995), A professor in the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, the male and female leadership styles are different, as in, the male leaders generally believe in command and control form of leadership where they dictate orders whereas women believe in participative leadership where they are interactive and want to involve all the people around them in their vision and plans. According to Professor Judy, males are usually very keen about status distinctions, competition and hierarchy in general, whereas women are more interested in focusing on proper communication and breaking down hierarchy. Sally Helgesen (1995) in her book the Female Advantage observes that women in general have a behavior pattern that encourages equality among peers. Not letting their role get in the way. Helgesen continues, they seek to empower those around them by being direct and natural in a way that minimizes their own ego and strips them of the trappings of power which emphasizes boundaries and divisions (p.144). Similarly Nancy Badore, Executive Director of Ford Motor Companys Executive Development Center does not mind admitting that she doesnt mind showing that she doesnt know something or being herself. Mostly, men believe that they need to maintain an aura of control and knowledge to seem superior. She on the other hand has no issues admitting that she is human and does not believe that it makes a difference to her perceived respect as and executive. This highlights a key difference in the way men and women think. (Helgesen,1995, p. 151). Diane Lewis (1998) claims women are different as if it were a fact in her book Equal to the Challenge. In her book she claims that women are very different from men in not just the way they look, they are different as people and have entirely different personality traits. They have different attitudes, behaviors and beliefs and these have come into play because of the vast differences in which men and women are raised in society. She says in her book that These internal differences add up to one big external difference. We women often behave in ways contrary to our success, even to our survival, in the world of work because men are naturally competitive and put winning ahead of harmony and are generally comfortable with rules and structure, where as women are naturally inclined to put harmony above all and sometimes will break rules for the purpose of protecting their loved ones. According to (Powell. 1999) Women network; men do not. Women share information; men do not. Women place cooperation above competition; men do not. Women are more concerned with how things are done, with process, than with merely getting things done; they are more concerned with means than with ends. Unlike men, women do not have an instrumental view of work or of the workers. For women leaders, workers are ends in themselves, not means to an end. This, according to Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli in The female leadership advantage: An evaluation of the evidence is an advantage as females are more transformational leaders where as men in general are transactional leaders (based on their personality traits) Thus, these researches make the point that women and men are essentially different from one another and therefore have varying leadership styles that in turn effect their advancement up the corporate ladder. No Visible Differences: Then, another group that counters these researchers is the group that claims that there are no significant differences in the way men and women lead people. Epstein (1990) argues that even if women do bring a different set of qualities to the workplace its myopic to say that its only women who possess those set of qualities. It may be true that men in general are lower on levels of empathy as compared to the average woman; however it does not mean that men who are leaders have lesser empathy as compared to women leaders. Similarly, Gary N. Powell (1999) concludes in his research that sex differences are absent in task-oriented behavior, people-oriented behavior, effectiveness ratings of actual managers, and subordinates responses to actual managers (p.165). he also goes on to say that most of the studies conducted about differences in leadership styles among the sexes are basically biased in themselves as they were not conducted in the actual workplace or among people who were actually leaders (after all, gender differences among ordinary people do not necessarily reflect differences in personality traits of actual leaders) Another later research done by Jane Mansbridge (1991), the differences in between the gender leadership styles are just 1/5th of a standard deviation and are small enough to be ignored. She writes in her book that the difference between men and women styles may be much smaller than the differences between managers of small and large companies, of old and new companies, or old and young managers (pp.154-155). These people therefore argue that the claimed differences in male and female leadership styles are basically stereotypical and severe oversimplification of reality based on our own perceived biases. In actuality men and women are not so different in leading styles as they are projected to be. So what is the conclusion of all this research? Unfortunately, the research is inconclusive. It depends according to Captain Willie L. Parker, Jr. on which particular woman and which particular man we are talking about. This is because women and men are extremely broad classifications. They include people from different ages, education backgrounds, social settings they were raised in and different values. There is no one way that we can use a description that fits all the women all across the world. Therefore its when asking ourselves about qualities that define women, its important to ask ourselves which particular woman and which particular man we are talking about.

The Contribution of George and Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby Essay

The Contribution of George and Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is about the rise, the promise and the failure of American Dream. Some minor characters such as George and Myrtle Wilson have contributed to the development of the novel by providing us a contrast of their society that they are living in to the richer society in Long Island as well as a contrast of ideas in terms of modern American Dream. First of all, George and Myrtle Wilson are husband-and-wife who lives in the Valley of Ashes, as depicted in Chapter 2. They are the by-products of the corruption of the American Dream. As a result, their lives – bordered on hardship – can only be described as sustainable. In contrast, people such as Tom and Daisy Buchanan and Gatsby are the ones who have benefited from the corruption of the American Dream. This is clearly portrayed in Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 respectively on the lavish, excessive and careless lifestyle and the grandeur of residence that the Buchanans and Gatsby possess. The Wilsons’ barely sustainable lifestyle is clearly shown in the beginning of Chapter 2 whereby the type of place that they are living in is described as â€Å"a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens and the interior of their house is depicted as unprosperous and bare. On the contrary, the Buchanan’s house is narrated as à ¢â‚¬Å"a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay, the lawn started at the beach and ran towards the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and burning gardens†, while Gatsby’s house is illustrated as â€Å"an imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower o... ...ney and fame as she struggles to escape from her poor vicinity. However, this is not done through the hard and honest way as she chooses to associate herself with the rich people in an attempt of gaining wealth. The fact that the still physically-intact marriage of the Wilsons symbolises that both the corrupted and true values of American Dream are co-existing together. By pairing up two people with opposite personality as a couple, Fitzgerald has allowed us to understand and compare the ideas of American Dream through the Wilsons’ personality. To conclude, Fitzgerald has intelligently given various important roles to certain minor characters such as George and Myrtle Wilson so that comparisons and similarities can be made out and understood. This will allow us to make our own judgement and most importantly, to fully understand the underlying themes and intention.

Americas Economic Development during the Colonial Period

During the 17th and 18th centuries, European nations were heavily influenced by the economic system of mercantilism—a system which aims at maximizing the wealth of a nation (Scott, 2001). Europeans came to the Americas to increase their wealth, expand their influence, gain more power, and build an empire. To acquire wealth for their motherland, Europeans had to have colonies. The colonists regulated the economic activities of their colonies and then accumulated wealth for the European powers (Score, 2006).From 1607 to 1732, the Europeans colonized thirteen countries, grouped as follows: (1) New England Colonies (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut)—more on shipbuilding and fur trading; (2) Middle Colonies (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware)—more cosmopolitan and trading raw materials for manufactured items; and (3) Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia)—predominantly rural ec onomy (Conte & Karr, 2001).The discovery of these countries resulted in a movement of European populations into the colonies. This demographic change facilitated the economic progress of the colonies. Their citizens of different origins developed a synergy to live together in harmony; utilized their crafts; and created towns with shops, markets, town halls (Think Quest). As the colonies became prosperous, the English realized that the colonies could expand their trade and further prosper.In 1650s and 1660s, England instituted a set of Navigation Acts to limit colonial trade solely to British—and colonies’ exports to and imports from other countries had to be shipped through Great Britain, thereby increasing the latter’s import duty collections, and incomes for re-exportation of goods (Scott, 2001). These trade restrictions somehow benefited the colonies, e. g. , New England’s ship building industry benefited from foreign competition protection, South Caro lina gained from an indigo subsidy, North Carolina profited from bounties on tar and lumber, and various other exporters benefited from zero import tariffs (Scott, 2001).The Navigation Acts were strictly enforced in 1763, which heightened the interest of the colonies to gain their independence from Britain (Scott, 2001). References Conte, Christopher, and Albert R. Karr. (2001). Chapter 3 – The U. S. Economy: A Brief History. An Outline of the U. S. Economy. Retrieved May 25, 2008, from U. S. Department of State's Bureau of International Information Programs Web site: http://usinfo. state. gov/products/pubs/oecon/chap3. htm. Score. (2006). A Study of the colonial economy from 1600-1750.Retrieved May 25, 2008, from Schools of California Online Resources for Education (Score) Web site: http://score. rims. k12. ca. us/score_lessons/. Scott, Carole E. (2001). Mercantilism and the American Revolution. In American Economic History. Retrieved May 25, 2008, from Ancestry. com Web sit e: http://freepages. history. rootsweb. ancestry. com/~cescott/mercan. html. Think Quest. (n. d. ). The Colonial Period. Retrieved May 25, 2008, from Oracle Education Foundation Web site: http://library. thinkquest. org/C007803/colonia_period. htm.

Sun Bear Facts (Helarctos malayanus)

The sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) is the smallest species of bear. It gets its common name for the white or golden bib on its chest, which is said to represent the rising sun. The animal is also known as the honey bear, reflecting its love of honey, or the dog bear, referring to its stocky build and short muzzle. Fast Facts: Sun Bear Scientific Name: Helarctos malayanusCommon Names: Sun bear, honey bear, dog bearBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 47-59 inchesWeight: 60-176 poundsLifespan: 30 yearsDiet: OmnivoreHabitat: Southeast Asia rainforestsPopulation: DecreasingConservation Status: Vulnerable Description The sun bear has short black fur with a pale crescent-shaped bib that may be white, cream, or golden. It has a short, buff-colored muzzle. The bear has small, round ears; an extremely long tongue; large canine teeth; and large, curved claws. The soles of its feet are hairless, which helps the bear climb trees. Adult male sun bears are 10% to 20% larger than females. Adults average between 47 and 59 inches long and weigh between 60 and 176 pounds. The sun bear has curved claws and an extremely long tongue. Freder / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Sun bears live in the evergreen tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Their habitat includes northeastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, southern China, and some Indonesian islands. There are two subspecies of sun bear. The Bornean sun bear only lives on the island of Borneo. The Malayan sun bear occurs in Asia and on the island of Sumatra. Diet Sun bears, like other bears, are omnivores. They feed on bees, hives, honey, termites, ants, insect larvae, nuts, figs and other fruit, and sometimes flowers, plant shoots, and eggs. The bears strong jaws easily crack open nuts. Sun bears are hunted by humans, leopards, tigers, and pythons. Behavior Despite its name, the sun bear is largely nocturnal. It relies on its keen sense of smell to find food at night. The bears long claws help it climb and also tear open termite mounds and trees. The bear uses its extremely long tongue to lap up honey from bee hives. Male bears are more likely than females to be active during the day. Although relatively small, sun bears are known to be fierce and aggressive if disturbed. Because they live in the tropics, the bears are active year-round and do not hibernate. Reproduction and Offspring Sun bears reach sexual maturity around 3 to 4 years of age. They can mate at any time of the year. After a gestation period of 95 to 174 days, the females gives birth to one or two cubs (although twins are uncommon). Newborn cubs are blind and hairless and weigh between 9.9 and 11.5 ounces. Cubs are weaned after 18 months. In captivity, male and female bears socialize and jointly care for young. In other bear species the female raises her cubs on her own. The lifespan of highly reclusive wild sun bears is unknown, but captive bears live up to 30 years. Sun bear cubs are born blind and furless. Christian Aslund / Getty Images Conservation Status The IUCN classifies the sun bears conservation status as vulnerable. Bear populations are decreasing in size. The sun bear has been listed on CITES Appendix I since 1979. Threats While it is illegal to kill sun bears throughout their range, commercial hunting is among the species greatest threats. Sun bears are poached for their meat and gall bladders. Bear bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine and is also an ingredient in soft drinks, shampoo, and cough drops. Despite their temperament, sun bears are also illegally captured for the pet trade. The other significant threat to sun bear survival is habitat loss and fragmentation due to deforestation and human encroachment. Forest fires also affect sun bears, but they tend to recover providing there is a neighboring population. Sun bears are kept in captivity for their commercial value and for conservation. They are farmed for their gall bladders in Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar. Since 1994, the species has been part of a captive-breeding program with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the European breed registry. The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sandakan, Malaysia rehabilitates sun bears and works toward their conservation. Sources Brown, G. Great Bear Almanac. 1996. ISBN:978-1-55821-474-3.Foley, K. E., Stengel, C. J. and Shepherd, C. R. Pills, Powders, Vials and Flakes: The Bear Bile Trade in Asia. Traffic Southeast Asia, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, 2011.Scotson, L., Fredriksson, G., Augeri, D., Cheah, C., Ngoprasert, D. Wai-Ming, W. Helarctos malayanus (errata version published in 2018). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T9760A123798233. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T9760A45033547.enServheen, C.; Salter, R. E. Chapter 11: Sun Bear Conservation Action Plan. In Servheen, C.; Herrero, S.; Peyton, B. (eds.). Bears: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland: International Union for Conservation of Nature. pp. 219–224, 1999.Wong, S. T.; Servheen, C. W.; Ambu, L. Home range, movement and activity patterns, and bedding sites of Malayan sun bears Helarctos malayanus in the Rainforest of Borneo. Biological Conservation. 119 (2): 169–181, 2004. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2003.10. 029