Creative Process Essay

When I think about artistic profession I often wonder why artists want to be artists. The very idea of beginning every day with the obligation to create something of strong value, something that never existed before, seems really hard work and at the same time activity that has a strange beauty in itself. How does an artist engage in the creative process and make something-out-of-nothing to come into existence? How does the creative process begin? Does it have structure, or the creative process consists just of imagery and an elusive sparkle that lights the creative fire in the artist’s mind? I spent a lot of time examining professional life and work of many creative artists and how they are engaged in the creative process. This paper will make some generalizations about creativity and genius that are fundamental to the understanding of the creative process and then will analyze the creative process in the lives of four notable artists who are Langston Hughes, Alvin Ailey, Quincy Jones, and George Lucas. The insights of the creative process then will lead to the exploration of creative process in my own life. The Creative Process Creativity is a constantly stimulating process and ultimately causing excitement. To observe and experience it fully is some of the most gratifying aspects of the artistic life and professional activity. One of the possible difficulties of exploring or analyzing the creative process is that it can become uninspired. Really, one of the most recent debates in this sphere is whether or not creativity is simply an instance of rational and analytical problem solving or consists of other, more magic processes. Nevertheless, one thing is obvious – the main benefit of exploring creativity and the creative process is that one will ultimately come to the understanding of the processes experienced and more importantly will be able to improve the development and stimulate cultivation of creativity in himself and other people. What is known about the creative process? Let us consider the main components of the creative process. At first, one should know difference between the creative product and the creative process. A general distinction is that the creative product is the output of the artistic activity. It is the artistic output that is to be determined as creative or not creative. What are the characteristics of a product that is considered as creative? Torrance (1988), for example, in an analysis of definitions of creativity, stated that newness is a principal defining characteristic of the creative product. Newness, however, is not the only criteria. It is also of great importance that the product is good (that is, artistically appealing). Vernon (1989) proposed a more comprehensive definition of the creative product stating that, â€Å"Creativity means a person’s capacity to produce new or original ideas, insights, restructuring, inventions, or artistic objects, which are accepted by experts as being of scientific, aesthetic, social, or technological value† (p. 94). It can be seen that cultural values and norms are a necessary part of the criteria for considering some artistic output to be creative. A major question then that emerges is â€Å"what are the creative processes that lead to the creative output? † What the creative process is involved that increases the chances that an artist will generate a creative output? If one can recognize the constituting processes involved and the character of their interaction, then one can begin to get a picture of the fundamental essence of the creative process. To do this, I will examine the major stages of the creative process in the next sections. One of the first well-known attempts to study and theorize the creative process was by Wallas in 1926. Wallas proposed the major stages that reflect different processes of the creative process. Although the stages proposed by Wallas are generalized and global, his model provides a good foundation for the understanding of the creative process. This two-stage model involves the following creative processes: 1. Preparation Stage. In this stage the artist gathers different information, becomes thoroughly proficient, and identifies the problem. It is in this stage that the fundamental techniques and knowledge base for realization of a particular goal are mastered. Usually, the fundamental cognitive processes of logic, associations, and creative problem finding should be primary in this first stage. The first creative problem finder I would like to mention is named Langston Hughes. Like many other noble artists, Langston Hughes found problems to solve with art. Langston Hughes found problems to solve with his creative writing. He loved to communicate with people and observe the sights and sounds of his district in Harlem and then incorporate this experience into his works. The artist found many fascinating ideas for poems during this process. Actually, some of his most renowned poems tell about the things he perceived with his creative mind and people he met in Harlem. In the same manner, Alvin Ailey found problems to solve with his own choreography. Thus, for example, Ailey made Afternoon Blues (1953), his first creative dance work. Working with a musical piece from Leonard Bernstein’s On the Town, Ailey performed the hypersensual, animalistic role of the Faun (Latham, pp. 481–482). In this great work of the artist, Ailey produced a mental image of dance as a liberation from heterosexual white domination, he found a safe place in his creative work where he could travel into his inner world as a fully sensual human being free from usual problems of race and sexuality. Another example of problem solving by the artist is Ailey’s creative reaction to Horton’s death (he was Ailey’s mentor): the artist decided to make dances that tell dance stories about dear people he knew. He created his first choreographic works to â€Å"pay tribute to Lester Horton, to demonstrate the strength of James Truitte, and to emphasize the beauty and dramatic ability of Carmen de Lavallade† (Latham, pp. 485–486). Ailey was creative problem solver: â€Å"I knew nothing about making dances for a group so I put everything about modern dance which I had read or seen into the work. In addition, I did everything the way that I thought Lester would have done it†¦. I was just trying to be like Lester because I thought that was the way to be creative† (Latham, p. 488). 2. Illumination Stage. In this stage of the creative process ideas are generated using the analytical thinking and logical working on the problem. It is in this stage that Wallas introduced the process of the unconscious associations. Creative problem solving is not consciously made, but much organizing in a different way and free associating takes place outside of conscious awareness of the artist. In the next sections, there are several descriptions of creative artists and their experience in this illumination stage. During this process thoughts are permitted to roam in an uncontrollable manner. It is here that creative processes may play a particularly important role. Artist may want to examine works of the past centuries or creations from different cultures for generating new images that are based on the already created idea. This type of exercise can be thought of as an essential part of the analytical and associative skills necessary for the creative process. To better understand how this works let us examine the history of film that is full of analogical and associative thinking. One of the most famous and popular examples of movie creativity is George Lucas’s original Star Wars film of 1977. The success of the film is legendary. Moreover, it completely changed how movies are produced. Interestingly, none of the visual images that the film producer used during the writing of the plot were themselves original. Film observers state that most of Lucas’s imagery was taken from previous film stories and George Lucas himself admits that his original models were the Flash Gordon movie serials and Edgar Rice Burroughs John Carter of Mars series of books: â€Å"I wanted to make an action movie – a movie in outer space like Flash Gordon used to be. . . . I wanted to make a movie about an old man and a kid. . . . I also wanted the old man to be like a warrior. I wanted a princess, too, but I didn’t want her to be a passive damsel in distress† (Interview with George Lucas). It seems that the screenwriter wanted to return to the sense of wonder and adventure movies that had expired him as he was a child but to update that sense for popular tastes of contemporary public and make good use of all the technological and cinematic new methods and devices that developed in the period that had passed since Flash Gordon. He one can see how Lucas was truly creative in this stage by incorporating in Star Wars the myth narrative; the screenwriter used a creative analytical and associative thinking and he succeeded. But this process was not a burst of inspiration; it evolved over a five-year period of rewriting and editing of the script: I began writing Star Wars in January 1973 – eight hours a day, five days a week, from then until March 1976, when we began shooting. Even then I was busy doing various rewrites in the evenings after the day’s work. In fact, I wrote four entirely different screenplays for Star Wars, searching for just the right ingredients, characters and storyline. . . . What finally emerged through the many drafts of the script has obviously been influenced by science fiction and action adventure I’ve read and seen. And I’ve seen a lot of it. I’m trying to make a classic sort of genre picture, a classic space fantasy in which all the influences are working together. There are certain traditional aspects of the genre I wanted to keep and help perpetuate in Star Wars (Zito 1977, p. 13). Important analyses on the cognitive processes involved in the creative process have been performed by a number of researchers. For example, Sternberg (Sternberg & Davidson, 1982) gave emphasis to the importance of insight in creative process. Sternberg and Davidson (1982) indicate that three types of insights are found in the creative process. First, the artist selectively separates relevant from irrelevant images. Selective union of separate parts brings about synthesizing isolated pieces of images into united wholes. In this way images are organized in new ways. This type of information gathering sets the stage for creative insights. Usually, creative artists have been transformed, have been inspired by, and often have plagiarized the ideas of other artist and from various cultures through the whole of history. This process can also be seen in Ailey’s work that echoed literary traditions of black cultural heritage, registering â€Å"the existence of a ‘black self’ that had transcended the limitations and restrictions that racism had placed on the personal development of the black individual. † Incorporating African American tradition and culture, Ailey’s creative work became an embodiment of African American culture. The artist’s creative process into concert dance was built on African American works and childhood memories. Ailey wrote about Redonda, later retitled Cinco Latinos (21 December 1958) that: â€Å"The innate sense of melodrama of the primitive ritual is exploited in this interpretation of an Afro-Brazilian fetishistic ritual, with movements based on both the sensual and animalistic elements of these rites† (Ailey program note). Ailey succeeded in the connecting the whole generation of African-American individuals with the mainstream U. S. culture. It is perhaps the ability to shift between stages that is important to the creative process. Such ability allows the artist to gain access to creative cognitive and affective processes. It enables the artist to transform or revise what he or she knows and to find new patterns. Like so many others in his time and after, creative record producer Quincy Jones in his creative process is both fascinated and inspired by the new media. He is enthusiastic about technology’s potential to move musical art one step further. This allowed Quincy Jones to succeed in creating real hits from ordinary singers and songs. When artists are engaged in these creative processes, they feel they are performing at the peak of their abilities. In my life I also feel that my creative work gives me insights and makes my live rich. Moreover, I think that creativity is part of what makes me really human allowing me to reach the highest levels of creative performance. Analyzing the creative artists’ professional life and creative act I identified the major personality traits that relate to tests of creativity and that I also try to develop. They include: †¢ openness to experience; †¢ independence of judgement; †¢ curiosity; †¢ preference for challenge and complexity; †¢ self-confidence; †¢ natural tendency to risk-taking; †¢ and strong motivation. These personality traits allow me to bring together various ideas and generate a new point of view or to create a new combination. I believe that analogies and associations are among the most powerful tools of the creative process because they can produce a great variety of ideas. Conclusion Study of the creative process is important for many reasons. Explaining the creative process helped me identify and realize noble artists’ unique creative talents. It is true that the creative artist may prefer to ignore the stages of the creative process and break all of the conventions. But my point of view is that this is the wrong way to think about creativity. Instead, I think of the creativity as a kind of the creative process language. Obviously, one has first to learn a language before he or she can talk. Similarly, it is nearly impossible to create anything without the foundation. And just because the artist uses the background from previous works or different cultures does not mean they are not creative. Examination of the artists’ creative process in this paper suggests that analogical thinking is important to the creative process. In general, access to and use of history, myths, legends, experience of other people and different cultures and creativity are related processes. For me, creative process is really a form of problem solving – not a miraculous, unexplained process. Wallas’ model of the creative process is a good start for analyzing creativity of other people. References Ailey program note, Kaufmann Concert Hall Dance Center of the 92nd Street YM-YWHA, 21 December 1958. Interview with George Lucas printed in the Star Wars souvenir program (New York: S. W. Ventures, 1977). Latham, Jacqueline Quinn. â€Å"A Biographical Study of the Lives and Contributions of Two Selected Contemporary Black Male Dance Artists: Arthur Mitchell and Alvin Ailey. † Ph. D. diss. , Texas Women’s University, 1973, pp. 481–482. Sternberg R. , & Davidson J. (1982, June). â€Å"The mind of the puzzler†. Psychology Today, 16, pp. 37-44. Torrance E. P. (1988). The nature of creativity as manifest in its testing. In R. Sternberg (Ed. ), The nature of creativity (pp. 43-75). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Vernon, P. E. (1989). The nature-nurture problem in creativity. In J. Glover, R. Ronning, & C. Reynolds, R. (Eds. ), Handbook of creativity (pp. 93-110). New York: Plenum. Wallas C. (1926). The art of thought. New York: Harcourt Brace. Zito, Stephen. â€Å"George Lucas Goes Far Out†, American Film, April 1977, p. 13.

Chuck Staley, A Case Study of Leadership Excellence

This case study will be based upon a comparison of principles found in John C. Maxwell’s book, â€Å"The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership†. This text is foundational in the development and demonstration of successful leadership. It is my opinion, that Charles E. Staley, commonly known as Chuck Staley, personifies many of the mandates of a great leader as suggested within the context of Maxwell’s book. It comes as no surprise that when asked by Madison County Chamber of Commerce President, Kyle Morey, â€Å"What book has inspired you the most? †, Chuck’s reply was, â€Å"Leadership† by John C. Maxwell. Although not every one of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is Chuck’s strengths, many are. I will discuss the demonstration of those strengths in the following paragraphs. Who is Chuck Staley? Chuck Staley is a lifelong resident of Anderson, Indiana. Shortly upon graduation from high school, Chuck joined the United States Marines, s erving as a Corporeal in the First Marine Division in 1964-1967 during the Viet Nam conflict . He married Lynn Vicars on July 14, 1971 and has two children, Catherine (Staley) Daniels and the late David Staley. Chuck is the current President and Chief Executive Officer of the Flagship Enterprise Center (FEC), which was created in 2003 through a partnership between Anderson University and the city of Anderson. Through Staley’s vision and guidance, the FEC has assisted in the creation of 104 companies and over 2,000 jobs. The FEC has grown steadily as it has added new businesses over the past decade and is currently located in a Center consisting of nearly 300,000 square feet. Success was not merely recognized at the local level, but in the FEC was named a U. S. Department of Commerce Center of Excellence under Chuck’s leadership. Since its beginning, the Flagship under Staley’s leadership has forged alliances with Purdue University, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the US Department of Commerce. In 2011, the FEC began another partnership when Staley, Frank Levinson and Ann Wilson opened the Levinson Center for Social and Faith Based Entrepreneurship. The Levinson Center is located within the Flagship and specializes in businesses and organizations that innovate in the areas of environmental, humanitarian, educational and social issues within the framework of sustainability and sound business principles. The Levinson Center has launched nine organizations to date that range from energy independence for coastal Alaskan Indian villages, to Teachers of Promise in Kenya and a new educational paradigm, called the Impact Center, for nontraditional minority students in Anderson, Indiana. With Staley in leadership, national recognition has become common for companies such as COEUS and Echo Drive as they have captured markets in the technology field. Furthermore, The Flagship has begun to have impact globally with the addition of Greenville Technology Inc. (GTI), Altairnano, an energy storage company, as well as hosting the headquarters of Keihin North America. Staley has provided growth for many small business by developing an industry leading Microloan program including small business consulting. The Microloan program has had tremendous impact on business incubation and maintains the status of issuing the most microloans of any location in Indiana, with most loans being issues to women and/ or minority owned businesses. 3 Staley has chaired several boards, including the Anderson Plan Commission, White River Development Commission and the GM Blue Ribbon Commission. He was President Elect of the Madison County Chamber of Commerce, co-chairman of the World Class City Forum, and co-founder and Director of Energize East Central Indiana. He is currently chairman of the board of directors for Community Hospital Anderson and serves on the board of the recently launched Impact Center. Staley also serves as the President and CEO of the RSI Facilities Group, a consulting, engineering and management group, which has been involved in several commercial, industrial and residential projects. Although Staley has found success in leadership, he continues to pursue lifelong learning experiences like that of the Leadership Academy of Madison County (LAMC). Not only is he an alumni of the organization, but continues to support LAMC in the development of other emerging leaders. The information compiled in this document contains data and narrative from research. It also contains information from personal interview and observation. As a citizen from Anderson and Madison County and an employee of Anderson University, I have witnessed Chuck Staley’s leadership over past decades. I have watched him develop neighborhoods, businesses, and people. This account of leadership is both objective and personal. I am not alone in my respect for his leadership. Most recently, Staley received the prestigious Sagamore of the Wabash award. The Sagamore of the Wabash award, created by Gov. Ralph Gates in the 1940s, is considered one of the highest awards that can be bestowed by the governor of Indiana. It is a personal tribute usually given to those who have provided a distinguished service to the state. (Pendleton Gazette, 2013). 4 How does Chuck Staley exemplify leadership in reference to the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership? John Maxwell begins his book suggesting that there are 2 critical components leadership. Maxwell states, â€Å" Serving others and showing others the way† both essential in demonstrating successful leadership (Maxwell, 2007). Chuck Staley has done this in various ways. As mentioned earlier, he serves on many different boards and is involved in various community endeavors. Not only has Staley made it a habit of profession, but he is thoughtful and kind to many and all types of individuals he comes in contact with, young, old, educated, or challenged. A student of Robert Greenleaf’s writings and teachings from the Center for Servant Leadership as well as the teachings on servant hood from the Bible, Staley embraces opportunities to lead by â€Å"doing with and for† others. A servantleader focuses primarily on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. â€Å"While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the â€Å"top of the pyramid,† servant leadership is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. † states Greenleaf. (2013). In organizations like the IMPACT Center in Anderson, IN, Staley assisted in the beginning of the vision for the organization. He gave of his time, influence, and expertise to make a dream a reality for many minority leaders in his community. As the CEO of the Flagship Enterprise, Staley has partnered with Masters of Business Administration (MBA) programs like Anderson University’s Falls School of Business to develop young entrepreneurs and business students by hosting them as interns at the FEC. He has assisted in developing contracts with the businesses that the FEC helps incubate that also give opportunities for students and graduates to develop their skills under the guidance of those at the FEC. Many of these students (25-30%) have gone on to incubate business of their own. 5 Law #1-Law of the Lid. Leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The law of the lid states that one’s â€Å"leadership ability-for better or for worse-always determines your effectiveness. ( pg. 1) Chuck has proven over the years that his lid is set at a high level because his leadership has demonstrated impact. While building the momentum at the FEC, Staley built strong relationships with those in his inner circle, those he had to engage with to position the business for success, and potential clients. He built a small team of individuals who maintaine d the same leadership, vision, and passion that he had developed. Staley worked with them to manage, lead, and incubate businesses under the guidance of and team management and servant leadership. Staley always built teams that focused on organizational effectiveness but were very aware that they must also be personally effective as leaders to reach capacity as an organization. The leadership teams at the FEC have been very successful as they have become the states leading small business microloan lender even surpassing that of Bloomington and Lafayette. But when asked, Staley readily suggests, that leadership is the issue. â€Å"Creating a vision that people can get behind and supporting them as they empower others is a key element that I promote,† commented Staley, when asked about the success of the FEC. It is apparent that he takes his responsibility seriously and works with great effort to build a team that leads with the same beliefs and priorities that he holds. Law #2-Law of Influence. The true measure of leadership is influence-nothing more, nothing less. The law of influence would argue that if one doesn’t have influence, one will never be able to lead others. (pg. 11). Staley is skilled at seeing opportunities and going after them as an entrepreneur, however, his skill goes beyond entrepreneurship. In a business of taking risks, Staley is up for the task. He operates with an 80-20 philosophy, where he takes calculated risks when he hits the 80% risk reduction benchmark. Never wanting to miss opportunity that comes along, Staley will 6 allow for a standard of risk. He can only operate at that level by having influence with those around him. There is a trust factor that is afforded the decisions that Staley makes, knowing that even in the 20% risk zone where failure may occur, Chuck will take opportunity to learn and move forward, always seeing new possibilities in each failure. His influence allows him the privilege to operate a this capacity and have others support him in the effort. Economic Development Director, for the City of Anderson, Greg Winkler recognizes the influence that Staley has and invites him to be engaged with businesses and the public whenever change or challenges present themselves. Winkler recognizes Staley’s leadership and influence and keeps him in close counsel with most economic development decisions being made in the city. Law #3-Law of Process. Leadership develops daily, not in a day. â€Å"Persistence† is a word that is often used to describe Staley. As counsel for business incubation with businesses like Bright Automotive, Staley spent years visiting funding sources like the United States Department of Commerce (USDC), Economic Development Administration (EDA), and the State of Indiana to advocate for financial investment and support. Advocating is a process. Staley believes in the long haul and staying dedicated to the process. He believes that discipline in process keeps you focused and organized, professionally and personally. In a recent interview, Staley confirmed what others had observed. He has a daily routine that includes the discipline of person growth and spiritual development. Staley considers himself a lifelong learner and takes time daily to read and reflect on professional and personal issues. He recently stated, â€Å"I want to experience quality of life well into old age. That doesn’t happen by chance. † Staley realizes that change, planning, development, and growth don’t happen over night. Being committed to a process and disciplining one’s body , mind, and spirit are all an essential part of Staley’s day to day routine. 7 Law #4-Law of Navigation. Anyone can steer the ship, but it takes a leader to chart the course. When asked what experiences in life have best shaped his leadership philosophy, Staley is quick to respond about his military experience during his formative years of life. Staley began serving in the United States Marine Corps at the young age of 17. At the time he enlisted, his mother had to sign the papers because he was not yet of age. By the time that Chuck left the Marines four years later as a Corporeal Sergeant, Staley had developed leadership strategies that still play an important role in his success today. He adopted the method of working as a team. The Marines worked in teams of four men. Roles were well defined for the individual, but all effort and progress was made as a team. The team was large enough that it offered expertise, but small enough that it could move quickly. They were given responsibility and clearance in the field that enabled them to work and move in the directions they thought were best and necessary without micro-management from different levels in the chain of command. Staley learned that you never leave anyone behind, and that you look out for those on you team. You always had the good of the team in mind,† reflected Staley. â€Å"The team strategy and the need to see the big picture, was a big take away from the Marines. † he continued. This strategy and method continue to make Staley effective in charting the course for current business innovation. Maxwell states in his book, â€Å"First rate navigators always have in mind that other people are d epending on them and their ability to chart a good course. † (pg. 39) Staley learned that decades ago and applies it to his relationships today. When Staley enters into business development processes for the businesses he is assisting with, he is looking out for the team, with their agenda in mind, and not his own. He doesn’t suggest that there are not mistakes along the way, but he takes time daily to reflect on the decisions of the past in effort to inform current and future business and personal decisions. 8 Law #5-Law of Addition. Leaders add value by serving others. â€Å"I believe the bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others. That is achieved by serving others and adding value to their lives. This statement from Maxwell is echoed by Staley in many of the messages he delivers to individuals and groups throughout the state and country. When addressing graduates of the Leadership Academy of Madison County in 2012, Staley re-enforced all that he had learned through the study of Robert Greenleaf many years prior. This philosophy of service to others regardless of title or position is implemented in every area of Staley’s influence. Not only has Staley received numerous recognitions and awards over the years for his commitment to community and service to others, he has nominated and recognized many others. Two of the Madison County Athena Award recipients in the last three years have been women nominated and supported by Staley and his belief in their ability to lead through service to others. Staley is quick to remind listeners, that his study of the Bible and the call to be like Christ, a servant to all, impacts his behavior. He is careful to reflect daily on the truth that God desire us not only to treat people with respect, but also to actively reach out to them and serve them. Law #15-Law of Victory. Leaders find a way for the team to win. Failure is not an option. It wasn’t in the Marines, and it isn’t at the FEC. In fact, when questioned about recent perceived failures in the venture with Bright Automotive, a green technology for a workforce fleet of trucks and vans, Staley defends the process by suggesting that many new relationships and business were began at the FEC as a result of the venture with Bright. To Staley, although the outcome was not what was first envisioned and hoped for, but the lessons learned and the outcomes post venture have led to new levels of success and progress. 9 Bright Automotive wasn’t left with a huge dept and forced to close it’s doors. Staley established strong relationships with other companies on their behalf, and Bright was able to join other green automotive technologies and continue to impact technology. Staley was noted as saying, â€Å"Obstacles are tests that serve to prove, or disprove a hypothesis. Nothing more, nothing less. † He has learned that obstacles and challenges provide opportunities. You reflect, learn, implement new strategy and move on. â€Å"Failure doesn’t stop you, as a leader you find a way for people to win. Law #11-Law of the Inner Circle. A leader’s potential is determined by those closest to him. Chuck Staley has opportunity to bring many individuals into his closest circle. But Staley understands the value and responsibility of maintaining relationships with those who are closest to you. Staley has a list of those he considers peers by age, expertise, or influence that h e consults with on a regular basis. Any time he is contemplating change, innovation, or entirely new ventures, Staley consults with those in his inner circle. Those individuals include: Greg Winkler, Director, Economic Development for the City of Anderson; Rob Sparks, Executive Director of the Corporation of Economic Development in Madison County; Tom Snyder, President of IVY Tech Community College; Mike Pence, Governor of the State of Indiana; Lani Czarnieki, District Director Congressman Mike Pence; Keith Trent, Vice President/Chief Foundation Officer, Community Hospital Anderson; John Watters, former CEO Bright Automotive; Sena Landey, Vice President for Finance Administration Earlham College; and his wife of over 40 years, Dr. Lynn Staley, Professor Emeritus of Ball State and current Superintendent of Liberty Christian Schools. Staley contributes all of his successful decisions and planning to the wisdom gained from the friendships and expertise of those in his inner circle. 10 Law #18-Law of Sacrifice. Leaders must give up to go up. Chuck Staley is a private man. He relishes time alone to contemplate, reflect, and create. His greatest pleasure in life comes from spending time with his family, including his newly wedded daughter and son in law. Understanding that sacrifice comes with leadership, Staley submits to the tightly filled schedule of events, meetings, speaking engagements, ground breaking ceremonies, strategic planning sessions, and media releases. He does recognize the fact that in order to be an effective leader, one must give up many things including personal space. â€Å"Keeping a low profile as a leader is not an option. † commented Staley when asked what he has had to give up in his role of CEO of the FEC. â€Å"It is difficult to be so public. Like many leaders, Staley finds that it can be isolating at the top. He works hard to remain part of the team and work from ground level, but at times when the leaders is the one to cast the vision, draw the buy in, and make hard decisions, he realized he must step up. Although Staley values his investment in people, he realizes that at times it is at the expense of those in his family. His routine and discipline allow for balance, but he acknowledges that the re are only so many hours in a day, and you must give up something to get something, even in relationships. Law # 21– Law of Legacy. A leader’s lasting value is measured by succession. Recently, upon receiving the Sagamore of the Wabash Award from Governor Mike Pence and local state legislators Terri Austin, Jack Lutz and Tim Lanane, Austin said in a press release, : I am particularly pleased that this recognition gives us a chance to recognize that Chuck Staley has been committed toward linking economic development and social awareness. Although Staley isn’t planning on walking away from the FEC in the immediate future, he is aware that day will eventually come and he is working diligently to make the connections and grow the leadership to carry on the success of the Flagship and the collaborations that exist because of its existence. 11 Staley has a goal for his life. It is to leave his community and central Indiana economically stronger and healthier by creating more opportunities for individuals and families to experience quality of life and success as a result of his service to God and others. He hopes to create a brighter future for those who come behind him. Although there are many other attributes one could demonstrate in regard to Chuck Staley’s leadership abilities in comparison to the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, time and space has permitted me to only list a few. During my interviews and research with Chuck, I discovered several things that I thought were noteworthy about his life, passions, habits, and thoughts. All of these notations could be found in the application of Maxwell’s laws of leadership. I would like to share a few of those with you now. Staley spent 12 years on the Madison County Chamber of Commerce. When asked about his impact, Staley commented that he encouraged others to think about â€Å"the bigger picture†. He promoted collaboration as a way of behaving in business, even over competing. I asked his colleague to tear down walls due to the fact that in these economic times, â€Å"one can’t build walls high enough to keep others out†. He advocated that businesses think in terms of taking a piece of the pie instead of consuming a entire pie. During his tenure, the Chamber developed two new associations; Females in Business (FAB) and the Young Professionals Association (YPA). They also developed the Mad9 Mixer. Mad(ison)9 is a partnership of nine Madison County organizations with the common mission of realizing a positive vision for the future of our business community and region. Mad9 set the standard of relationship building beyond boundaries by helping businesses and civic leaders connect, communicate, and create commerce. The partnership’s first initiative is to connect business and ivic leaders once a month around the county (north, south, east and west). 12 When asked about his proudest achievements at the FEC, Staley responded with these facts: The FEC is the #1 Microloan processor in the state of Indiana. The FEC has been recognized by the Indiana Business Journal as the #1 creator of jobs in Indiana. The FEC has loaned over 74% of it’s microloans to women, minorities, and disabled service Veterans. Staley credits his philosophy of â€Å"taking care of each other† from the Marines. He also creates an environment that rewards and recognizes hard work because of the declaration learned in the military that you â€Å"Earn what you get. Nothing is given to you. † When asked what he considers to be his strengths in leadership, Staley commented, I am visionary. I am persistent. I do not keep personal agendas. I tap into collective wisdom. I seek counsel from those smarter than myself. I lead with confidence, which allows me to elevate others and seek advise and wisdom from others. Staley’s response risk taking: â€Å"I utilize the 80-20 rule. I am confident in a decision of data at 80% suggest it’s the right decision . I am willing to risk the 20% in order to capture opportunity. If you wait until you are 100% sure you are making the right decision, the opportunity will pass you by. Opportunities at the 80-20 level will offset any losses you might endure using the rule. If I allow others to use this rule and people do make mistakes, I allow them that privilege. We just learn, recover, and move on. In the world of innovation and entrepreneurship, there is always risk involved. You must seize opportunities and refuse to play it safe 100% of the time. Staley’s favorite quote: The seven most important words in the English language, â€Å"Never give up, never, never, give up. † Winston Churchill. 13 Leaders that have had impact on Staley: Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, George Patton, Chesty Puller, Jesus Christ. The kind of individuals Staley tries to attract /recruit to his team: Compe tent Innovative Self motivated Positive Mission driven Team Players Staley’s method for change: Staley advocate that you follow the V Method. Any change, good or bad, results in a temporary negative response. Good changes eventually result in higher levels on the V, bad changes in lower levels. Poor leadership makes change more difficult. People panic and make further changes. What results is change continues down the V. It is wise to implement change slowly, carefully, and not all at once or in succession. About establishing priorities: â€Å"Life is full of nice things to do, successful people do the necessary things first. I do first things first. † In conclusion, the example that Chuck Staley has set for effective leadership has had great impact on the community and in business. He has developed his own philosophy of leadership based on his life experiences and the wisdom of other successful leaders. He lives his life in a way that creates value in others and opportunities for innovation, improvement, and success. In so many ways, Staley exemplifies the truth found in the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership of John Maxwell’s book. It has been a lesson in leadership just to have researched and communicated with Staley myself. He is truly a hometown hero in leadership for the City of Anderson and Madison County.

Project2 (Global Issues in Business and Economics ) Essay

Project2 (Global Issues in Business and Economics ) - Essay Example The company designs its operation in such a way that it provides great support to its pricing strategy. Actually it is found that in case of easyCar operation strategy and designing of processes are aligned with business strategy of the company. Its prime business strategy is to attract customer by offering low price and in order to support this strategy it designs its operation accordingly. For example, it is found that while in cases traditional car rental companies prime locations are situated within the airport complex of all major airports, the secondary and the nearby prime locations of easyCar are situated near train or bus stations where economic travelers are frequently found and where rent are used to be quite low. Not only that, easyCar also does not choose its location within airport complex, given its high cost nature, instead it selects nearby areas of airport for its location and thus can offer lower price compared to traditional car rental companies. ( Cateora and Gra ham, 2007; Saraswat, Nahar, and Karki, 2009) Unlike other traditional companies who focus on building larger and beautifully decorated facilities, often allowing customers to drive unlimited miles, and arranging a wide rage of cars within the fleet, easyCar generally build small and simple facilities in order to keep its cost at a low level. Not only that, it also provides one type of car per site as a result of which maintenance becomes much easier and customer service staff find it much easier to achieve very high rate of utilization as each car can be substituted for the other. easyCar also does not allow unlimited driving which play a major role in keeping costs at low level. ( Cateora and Graham, 2007; Saraswat, Nahar, and Karki, 2009) Customers use to have a very high involvement in the process in case of easyCar in the sense that before returning the car customers are asked to do a certain jobs like making a print out of the service contract bringing this to the company by th eir own, re-fill the car and cleaning it in order to bring it to ready-to-rent condition. All these lower the costs of easyCar. Not only that during the entire booking process this company extensively substitute people by technology in order to reduce labor costs. ( Cateora and Graham, 2007; Saraswat, Nahar, and Karki, 2009) The product/service in the global competitive market: The car rental industry has become very much attractive to the residents and businesses of Europe and America. Although, in less developed economies of Asia and Africa, the product or service has still not achieved a very prominent place in the transportation field, it has potential to become popular in these nation as well in near future for a number of factors. More and more market players will start to operate on a global platform. Actually, this industry offers the buyers of its products a sustainable and reasonably priced access to road transportation. Apart from this, this car rental industry also provi des an opportunity of having an early access to the trials of large varieties of low-carbon means of transport. Not only the residents and business houses, but also the tourists are increasingly becoming dependent on the car rental industry of Europe for their entire traveling schedule. easyCar is a viable competitor to taxis, buses and trains. The major reason that has made a tough competitor to buses, taxis and trains is its operational

Johan Huzinga's chapter and Stuart Brown's lecture arguments and Essay

Johan Huzinga's chapter and Stuart Brown's lecture arguments and supporting evidences - Essay Example r† (Huizinga 119). Both authors or professors stressed the importance of play in our lives, society in general and even in nature itself. But their arguments tackled the different aspects and importance of play such that it cannot be judged who made a more valid argument about play. Brown explored more on the necessity of play for our wholesome and holistic development as individuals. Huizinga touched on the same topic but only in passing when he mentioned that â€Å"Animals play just like men. We have only to watch young dogs to see that all the essentials of human play are present in their merry gambols† (97) and only used this as a jumping board to his main thesis of play’s cultural, aesthetics, religion and philosophical dimension. Brown’s finding is quite enlightening about the value of play in our mental health. In his study, he found that individuals who are play deprived are vulnerable to tragic acts such as murder (1). He elaborated that †rou gh and play is a great learning medium for all of us.

Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar Research Paper

Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar - Research Paper Example The paper "Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar" discovers Niemeyer Oscar's works. Museum of contemporary art still remains a unique piece of art. It is shaped like a concord and located on a sloppy field with view of mount sugarloaf visible from the structure. It was designed and inspired by a Brazilian designer whose name was Niemeyer Oscar. It was completed in 1996; it has a height of sixteen and a diameter of 50 meters. The design is inspired by scientific facts and evident; it explains alien facts with the mentioning of UFO by the designer. The concept was picked from the limited space provided; Oscar Niemeyer describes his choice to driven by his desire to view the sea while at the building and accommodating his works in a limited space. The building consists of three levels. It contains an underground facility with a section of water body. There is a ramp constructed on 98- meters of space which leads the public to the facility it also serves as liaison to the remaini ng floors linking the public area to the rest of the exhibition room. The ground floor consist of a bar and restaurant which has the capacity to hold more than fifty persons per seating the window spacing gives the opportunity for those in the facility to view over the bay with the key geographical features being viewed from the auditorium. The basement acts a water reservoir and a power plant. The first floor, it contains a reception area where individuals inquire and seek guidance. It also contains a lobby are and offices.

Why do I want to be a Teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why do I want to be a Teacher - Essay Example Teaching is a very dignified profession as a teacher imparts knowledge to the children so that they learn and become successful individuals. Teaching has been my passion. It forms an integral part of my life. This is the reason why I chose to apply for a professional studies program, Child Associate Development (CDA) Certificate which is in association with the New York Early Childhood Development Institute. It is by far the best program I have come across in New York, which offers all the facilities for the trainees. Known to permit individuals to acquire a great deal of knowledge, it provides the desired skills necessary to enhance the career development. It gives the students the opportunity to earn credit which can be transferred to a variety of programs on campus. I am optimistic about the fact that this program is going to help me in effective communication, polish my creative and critical thinking and aid me in learning to equip myself with the latest technology. The course wi ll enable me to pursue the advanced studies in the same field and meet the standards of the curriculum which is tested for its reliability and validity. I have always sought to perform definitive tasks in the learning process so that I am able to capture the content and learn to apply it in a real life professional scenario. I am looking forward to make full use of the objectives of this certificate so that I am able to achieve and excel in dealing with children and their families. In order to be able demonstrate my expertise in the pedagogical aspect of child development; I intend to make frequent visits to toddlers’ institutes to familiarize with the new methods of teaching and the practical aspect of education. I seek to learn from my mistakes and have full faith in the program that it will facilitate me in examining and reflecting on my teaching style. The institute promises to train its candidates through the use of several hands-on activities which can benefit the young learners as they need to concentrate while learning. I also hope that through this certificate I would be able to reach out to the parents of the infants who need to be equally assisted with the skills and resources that I will be employing on my students. All this with the aid of skilled trainers will help me grow into a better educationalist than many others who do not have the opportunity to be a part of this program. I want to accomplish the best from this program and reproduce the best material which can help millions of toddlers to grow into optimistic learns and leaders of the nation. This might appear to be a farfetched notion but for me it has always been my goal to achieve the best and help others achieve it as well. I believe that a teacher plays an eminent role in the pupils’ life. It is the role of my teachers which has compelled me to aim so high and work towards higher goals. In the end, it is all about self-satisfaction when it comes to nurturing a tiny human to turn into a better citizen and a successful professional. The field of education is too vast and offers a great deal of opportunities for all the degrees of education. Each area is rapidly developing into a separate department and requires more and more people to join so that more research work can be performed and new methods could be derived through careful experiments on classroom teaching methodologies and the quality of education which requires a constant upgrading and analysis of the curriculum. I believe that by being part of this institute and certificate, I would be able to become a part of the grand academia which is awaiting a new dimension in the field of education that deals with the child development. Teaching and training of infants and

Pathophysiology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Pathophysiology - Essay Example In regard to presentation as per the specifications of DSM-5, bipolar disorder patients exhibit manic and depressive episodes. They experience high and low variations in behavior, energy and mood. In manic episodes, certain symptoms must be presented. They include restlessness, excitement, and lack sleep for days, racing ideas filled with new concepts of their life goals, full of thoughts and talk excessively. In depressive episodes, certain symptoms must be presented. They include low self-esteem, easily annoyed and bad-tempered and are mostly engaged in arguments and fights, lack of concentration, lack of achievement of objectives, depressed mood, fatigue, and insomnia (Peacock, 2000). In regard to presentation as per the specifications of DSM-5, panic disorder patients are expected to exhibit unexpected panic attacks as they are always suffering from immoderate worries which are uncontrollable. Moreover, patients suffering from this disease center their attention on financial issu es, absence of confidence, relationships, and hopeless future (Heimberg, Turk & Mennin, 2004). Neither substance abuse nor medical conditions are contributing factors to anxiety

US. Vs. Richard Nixon Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

US. Vs. Richard Nixon - Research Paper Example Since it was evident that the tapes might contain some contents that transgressed the arena of a president’s executive responsibility, the executive privilege of the President could not deny the judicial authority’s access to criminal evidence in a judicial proceeding. Historical Background of the United States vs. Nixon Case During the presidential campaign in June 1972, a group of burglars equipped with cameras and bugging devices were arrested while attempting to break into the Democratic Party Headquarters in Watergate. Soon in a subsequent police investigation, it became evident that the Nixon officials and even the President himself might be involved in this burglary. Though Nixon government denied any involvement with the crime, it made several attempts to cover up the connections of the burglary to the Oval Office. But under the crushing pressure of the Congress and the public, Nixon was forced to appoint Archibald Cox and Leon Jaworski successively as the speci al prosecutors. Meanwhile it was revealed that Nixon had several records of the conversations that might contain the evidence of the President’s cover-up of the burglary. ... Though Nixon released several edited versions of the tapes, he claimed that the materials were â€Å"protected under executive privilege† (). Also Nixon’s attorney St. Clair argued for the President’s absolute power to withhold information from being released: â€Å"The President wants me to argue that he is as powerful a monarch as Louis XIV, only four years at a time, and is not subject to the processes of any court in the land except the court of impeachment† (Kutler 131). Constitutional Issues and Arguments in the Case At a stage, the questions were raised: 1. whether the President is entitled, by the Constitution induced separation of powers, with an absolute power to maintain confidentiality of information from the court or other branches of the government, 2. whether the President could protect information under executive privilege, 3. whether â€Å"the claim of executive privilege damages the precedent set by the 5th Amendment, which ensures due p rocess† (). On the State’s side, it was argued that the President does not have an absolute power to withhold information, as the court said, â€Å"Neither the doctrine of separation of powers nor the generalized need for confidentiality of high-level communications, without more, can sustain an absolute, unqualified Presidential privilege of immunity from judicial process under all circumstances† (US v. Nixon). Neither the president’s executive privilege should come into conflict with a court’s demand for evidence in a criminal proceeding. Also as far as the question of justice is related to a case, the court can properly render justice, as in this regard Warren Burger wrote, When a claim of Presidential privilege as to materials subpoenaed

The Concept of Managing Organizations Strategically Research Paper

The Concept of Managing Organizations Strategically - Research Paper Example Strategic management is a stream of decisions and actions, which lead to the development of an effective strategy or strategies to help achieve corporate objectives. Strategic management is concerned with deciding on the strategy and how the strategy is to be put into effect. Strategic management allows an enterprise or an organization to base its decision on long-range forecasts. It also allows the firms to take action at an early stage of a new trend and consider the lead-time for effective management. A sound strategic management process helps to ensure that all organizational parts are working towards the same objective and purpose. Strategic management will never be a cure-all especially for incompetent management; it can go a long way in improving an organization's long-term performance. Now looking at the importance of strategic management and its relevance in the present circumstances, the subject strategic management itself is in the midst of an evolutionary process. In the course of its development, several strands of thinking are emerging which are gradually leading to a convergence of views. We now have a wealth of insights into the complexities of strategic behaviour- the observable characteristics of the manner in which an organization performs decision-making and planning functions with regard to the issues that are of strategic importance to its survival, growth and profitability. Several persons, among whom are the doyens in the field of strategy, have contributed to the formulation of these perspectives.

18-6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

18-6 - Assignment Example By drawing the sample of fifty cards, I did not get a defective deck since I did not pick any joker or king cards which were theoretically assigned the value of a defective card. Thus, it is my reasoned opinion and line of thought that the deck that I did chose from the shuffle of cards was not defective to that extent. The second draw that I with replacement has a defect since I got a king thereby meaning that the permutations that I did with the previous set of cards could not be repeated. This is to say that the cards that I drew on the second ruffle gave me a defective result since I got a king card which we theoretically assigned the value of a defective score or card. I did not get 25% of each suit because the sample given which are 13 did not represent the whole population which is given as 52. There were variation in the number and types of cards selected resulting to less than 25% number of suits chosen. Therefore, about my sample I have a bad deck since I am unable to choose 25% number of suits. When using a single sample a proportion of 0.192 is obtained. For example, 10/52 gives as 0.192. Therefore, a single sample does not give a clear representation of the population since its proportion is less as compared to the population it represents. Also, when comparing average sample to a single sample, the average for the 10 sample gives a greater proportion than the single sample. On the other hand, average sample gives a good representative of the whole population since its proportion is closer to the population. It is not possible to get 25% of each suit because the sample proportion is small. Also, when we repeat with 5 samples, the outcome will be the same. The conclusion is that, it is difficult to get 25% of each suit when using fewer samples. Therefore, the higher the number of samples used the higher the chances of getting 25% of each suits. 10/52 gives 0.1923 or 19.23%, 26/52 gives 0.5 or 50%, 51/52 gives 0.9808 or 98.08% and

Middle School Speech Essay Example for Free

Middle School Speech Essay I have been at Englewood School for four years. I am pleased to say that during these years I have created new friends and lived many exciting experiences. As a new student in third grade, my classmates and teachers made me feel as if I was among my family. From class time discussions to Christmas plays, we have enjoyed every single day within this community. Days filled with joy, laughter, and even sometimes sorrows have been our foundation to move to our next step. Our teachers have completed their mission and successfully prepared us for middle school. Our future experiences will be influenced from the exciting and moving moments that we cherish from the elementary years. Although we cannot go back to relive the moments we have spent together, we will remember them forever. During the upcoming years we will encounter difficult tasks but those will only make us stronger. We have to look forward to this new beginning. We must work hard, enjoy and above all, we must always stand together and united as we are today. The change we will face is not an easy one. As every other class before us we have been the oldest and the roles models for the little ones. Now, we will enter a new stage in which we will be the youngest and the new kids on the block. As we live new experiences, we must be prepared to win or lose. As long as we make the best of it, we will not regret it when looked back. Today we close a chapter of our school life. Tomorrow we begin writing another. Let us make that writing on our new chapter an interesting one. Thank you for being part of this class and let’s enjoy our future together.

Failure Analysis Strategy Change Essay Example for Free

Failure Analysis Strategy Change Essay Movies have always been a past time enjoyed by many. As the technology continues to grow, many video stores are going out of business and digital or online movies are rising in popularity. Blockbuster Video and Netflix are businesses that have been affected by these changes. Blockbuster opened in 1985 with the mission statement of â€Å"Our corporate mission is to provide our customers with the most convenient access to media entertainment, including movie and game entertainment delivered through multiple distribution channels such as our stores, by mail, vending and kiosks, online and at home. We believe Blockbuster offers customers a value-prices entertainment experience, combining the broad product depth of a specialty retailer with local neighborhood convenience† (Farfan, 2010). Blockbuster continued with the vision statement of â€Å"At Blockbuster, diversity means valuing differences. It’s corporate value that must be continually developed, embraced, and incorporated into the way we do business† (Farfan, 2010). Blockbuster operated with more than 7,400 stores worldwide and also operated through 1,600 franchise stores. As technology started to change, customers began streaming movies from the Internet as well as using kiosks, such as Redbox, for movie rentals. Competition became a large factor in Blockbuster and the failing of the company, but a large part of the failure was due to manage changes and misunderstanding of the business as a whole (Dunston, 2014). Blockbuster Failure In 2006 and 2007, Blockbuster was approached by the CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings, asking them to acquire Netflix. Hastings knew that Netflix had not formulated a plan to stop Blockbuster from stealing their customers, at the rate of a million per year. Blockbuster decided that the company did not  need Netflix because Blockbuster had a stronger and larger growth, but then a change that was never expected happened. A new CEO was named for Blockbuster after a boardroom dispute. The man appointed CEO didn’t fully understand the business and what Blockbuster needed in order to remain above the competition, especially Netflix. The CEO started changing plans for the company and even pulled out the Internet efforts that had been in place for Blockbuster. Within 18 months, 85% of the capital value of the company had been lost; within in 2 years, it was completely gone (Dunston, 2014). Netflix Netflix views themselves as â€Å"freedom of on-demand and the fun of indulgent viewing† (Netflix, 2014). Netflix also focuses on the convenience of the no-hassle, online cancellation and offer movies and TV series network. Technology and good leadership is how Netflix became the leader in the industry (Halal, 2010). Netflix executives understood that the emerging technology was rapidly changing the delivery of movie rentals. CEO, Hastings, developed â€Å"strategies involving Internet streaming, convenient customer service, and the virtual organization to deliver it cheaply and flawlessly† (Halal, 2010). Another part of Netflix’s technology strategy was to avoid the burden of having to go to a video store for customers. Customer service is key to a successful business, so Hastings used a monthly subscription to allow customers to have access to unlimited rentals, including no late fees. Instead of the hassle of renting movies, the focus is providing convenience. With the mission statement and vision of â€Å" Our core strategy is to grow our streaming subscription business domestically and globally. We are continually improving the customer experience, with a focus on expanding our streaming content, enhancing our user interface and extending our streaming service to even more Internet-connected devices, while staying within the parameters of our consolidated net income and operating segment contribution profit targets,† shows that the company wants the best for the company as well as their customers (Netflix, 2014). NetFlix Organizational Theories In reading many articles online about the success of NETFLIX the two organizational behavior theories that have been seen in this company have been decision-making and system approaches. Netflix’s huge decision to become a virtual DVD rental via online instead of going to actual in-store purchases like Blockbuster, has placed them at the top of the food chain. The technological advances alone for Netflix has change the industry forever, they took the systems approach by understanding the company’s input and output process and integrated the drive in developing new adaptive capacities and innovation. Blockbuster’s organization theory of scientific leadership placed a great deal into how the company ran it’s in store business and how the objectives and decisions were placed within the company. If Blockbuster could focus more on the click feature like how Netflix did, and not dismiss the idea that it would be a revolutionary change in the industry and within Blockbusters stockholders. Roles of Leadership and Management Per Netflix (2014) it has a â€Å"functional organizational structure, which aims at its functions themselves, rather than by customer segments or regions†. They have a CEO; Reed Hastings has 6 departments that have managers within them that run it. The organization beyond those 6 managers is not as structured as the top echelon is, they run their departments as they see fit. The CEO has instilled in their managers the management style of â€Å"Context, not Control† (Siegler), implying that very little control is given to employees, rather employees are held responsible for their actions and are expected to work efficiently and independently. Because of this idealists approach to management and how successful the company has been with it, they have found that they have no need to change their management style yet. Organizational value within Netflix has been on promoting the â€Å"stunning colleagues† (Netflix.com, 2014), and their importance in a great workplace. They have 9 values that they show is priority number 1 at Netflix, â€Å" judgment, impact, curiosity, innovation, courage, passion, honesty and selflessness (Siegler). The basic values that they believe as a company are workplace efficiency, emphasis on effective over effort, management best practices, retention practices, and large emphasis on a large salary, rather than stock options and bonuses. They believe that this  creates an environment that promotes productivity, and efficient work environment, which shows in colleague retention and overall happiness at Netflix. Part 2: Leading Organizational Change As the CEO of Blockbuster it is my responsibility to evaluate the organizations structure as well as the power and political issues within the company. The CEO can be disconnected to what is going on at the operations level of the company if he or she does not put forth the effort to be involved. As the CEO I will be involved in the operations of the company and be a leader employees can look up to. To implement the organizations change I will use a strategy based on John Kotter’s 8 step plan for change. John Kotter’s 8 steps are â€Å"establishing a sense of urgency, forming a powerful guiding coalition, creating a vision, communicating the vision, empowering others to act on the vision, planning for and creating short-term wins, consolidating improvements and producing still more changes, institutionalizing new approaches†(Mintzberg, Lampel, Quinn 2003). As the CEO of blockbuster I see that technology is changing and we must keep up. If we do not keep up with the technological advances we are doomed to fail. I see the company as a technology company and not just a movie rental company. I do not want Blockbuster to just survive, I want Blockbuster to thrive. Blockbuster will start investing in new internet technologies and streaming services. We will align ourselves with major motion picture studios to ensure that we get the newest movies and offer our customers the best services possible. Upper management will actively seek new opportunities and new world markets to expand our services. All employees will be encouraged to provide new ideas and mediocrity will not be accepted. Every aspect of the company will be evaluated and our services will provide our customers with the greatest movie streaming value. Reference Dunston, Dain (2014). When Blockbuster Forgot What Business They Were In. Retrieved from www.daindunston.com Farfan, Barbara (2010). Company Mission Statements – Complete List of World’s Largest Retail Missions. Retrieved from www.retailindustry.about.com Halal, Bill (2010). How Netflix Beat Blockbuster: An Exemplar of Emerging Technologies. Retrieved from www.billhalal.com Mintzberg, H., Lampel, J., Quinn, J. B. (2003). The Strategy Process: Concepts, Contexts, Cases (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Netflix Long Term View (2014). Retrieved from http://ir.netflix.com Netflix Capstone and Final Report (2014). Retrieved on January 7, 2014. http://mgmtclarity.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/capstone_final_report.pdf

Prospect theory in decision making

Prospect theory in decision making Prospect theory is an important theory for decision-making between alternatives that involve risk. The theory departs from the traditional expected utility theory because it attempts to explain how people really make decisions between risky alternatives, which attempts to model optimal decisions. This vital difference leads to the prospect theory departing from the traditional framework in important ways. Unlike the traditional approach, it attempts to incorporate psychology into the consideration process to provide a behavioural approach to portfolio selection (Barberis, Nichola, Huang, Santos, 2001). During the course of this report, we will first look at how prospect theory differs from the traditional expected utility theory to gain a better understanding of the concept. Following this will be, a discussion of the key elements of prospect theory the value function including a small reference to endowment effect and the status quo bias, reflection and framing effect, isolation e ffect and probabilistic insurance. Towards the end, we will have a precise look at the applications of prospect theory equity premium puzzle and home bias. The traditional finance theory assumes that investors try to maximize expected utility of wealth when they are making decisions under uncertainty. However, many studies have shown that the underlying assumptions of the traditional theory do not accurately describe how people actually behave when choosing among risky alternatives. This inadequacy leads to the weak correlation between the utility theory model and real decisions. There are four key features [that] distinguish prospect theory from mean-variance theory, which is the traditional approach to modelling decision-making. First, according to the traditional theory people choose among alternatives based on how the outcomes will affect their overall wealth. However, according to prospect theory people evaluate outcomes in terms of gains and losses relative to a reference point. So decisions are based on how the outcome changes their income, in relation to their reference point. (Han Hsu, 2004). Second, the mean variance analysis makes the assumption that people are risk averse in all their choices. In contrast, prospect theory agents are risk-averse in the domain of gains but are risk seeking when all changes in income are framed as losses. The third feature of prospect theory is loss aversion. An individual is loss averse if she or he dislikes symmetric 50-50 bets and their degree of aversion increases with the absolute size of the stakes. In other words, prospect agents dont perceive gains and losses of equal amounts evenly. For example, the loss of a particular amount is more painful then the pleasure received from the gain of an equal amount. This is also known as the endowment affect. People place a higher value on a good that they own than goods that they do not, and are willing to accept a higher risk if it means that they can avoid the loss. Finally, in utility theory risk is treated objectively, by its probabilities. In contrast, the utility under prospect theory is not dependant on the original probability but rather on the transformed probability also known as decision weights. They do not just measure the perceived likelihood of an event. Instead, they measure how events will impact the desirability of prospects. (Han Hsu, 2004) This feature of the prospect theory helps explain a number of violations of expected utility theory, including the famous Allais paradox. People in prospect theory tend to overweight small probabilities. This overweighting explains why people buy lottery tickets offering a small chance of large gain, and insurance protecting against a small chance of a large loss (Kahneman Tversky, 1979). The four elements explained above and how risk is evaluated is usually explained by the value function. The concept of the value function is based on gains and losses from a reference point, as explained in the first element of prospect theory above. Value function stresses the importance of the reference point (starting point) although changes and movement are observed more compared to the resting point, due to the concept of gains and loss. The following is the prospect theory value function: à Ã¢â€š ¬= non-linear weighting function V(x-r) = the value function R= the reference point PT = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ à Ã¢â€š ¬ (pi) v(xi r) This function creates an S-shaped curve (Figure 1.1) Figure 1.1 The curve clearly highlights the reference point, from where onwards gains and losses can be observed. It displays that as your gain increases the desire for it decreases demonstrating that people are risk averse when it comes to gains. On the contrary, as the loss increases the fear for more loss increases hence showing that people are risk seeking regarding losses. These two factors are highlighted in the graph by the steepness of the relevant sides. As gains increase the steepness decreases (indirectly proportional) and as losses increase the steepness increases (directly proportional) (Maher, 2010). An example for this irrational behaviour is how a random sample would prefer to spend their $400. Gain Option A, where you will have a 100% chance of gaining $200 Option B, where you will have 50% chance of gaining $400 and a 50% chance of gaining $0 Loss Option A, where you will have 100% chance of losing $500 Option B, where you will have 50% chance of losing $1000 and 50% of losing $0 In this scenario the vast majority of people would choose option A for gain and option B for loss confirming that people weight their losses more compared to their gains. As they would settle for a rational gain (even if it is small) but when it comes to losses they would prefer risk seeking to limit their loss. The determination of utility relating to the gain or loss mirrors the concept of psychophysical principle concerning the evaluation of outcomes. This reflects loss aversion which then implicates two specific aspects. Firstly, the endowment effect i.e. people would be willing to demand a higher value on product that they themselves own rather than a similar product that they do not. The second implication is status quo bias, in this case people like things to stay relatively in the same position they are in so they remain at the status quo they are in. In this scenario any sort of change either good or bad is taken to be a disadvantage. Another key element of prospect theory is the reflection effect, which states that while investors are risk averse over prospects involving gains, they are risk seeking over prospects involving losses. This effect explains the observed preference for definite small gains over uncertain large gains and in opposition preference for uncertain large losses over small certain losses. A remarkable interpretation of the reflection effect is that, a replacement of all positive payoffs by their negatives (reflection around zero) reverses the choice patterns. For example, a choice between a 90% choice of getting 2000 and a 45% chance of getting 4000 would be replaced by a choice between a 90% chance of losing 2000 and a 45% chance of losing 4000. This effect implies a risk-averse preference for high probability of the relatively safe 3000 gain, but a reversed preference for the risky option in the loss domain. Reflected choice patterns reported by Kahneman and Tversky (1979) were fairly high, i.e. 86% of subjects chose the safe lottery (90% chance of 3000) in the gain domain but only 8% chose the safe lottery when all payoffs were transformed into losses. (Laury Holt, 2000).An important implication of this is the S shape of the value function in prospect theory that is concave for gains and convex for losses. It was also identified, that if the same decision problem was worded differently, the preferences of decision makers differed as well. This was referred to as the framing effect. Prospect theory implies a unique relationship of risk seeking to positive and negative framing- negatively framed problem encourage risk seeking. For example: When a group of investors were faced with the following two propositions: A gamble that offers a 10% chance of winning $95 and a 90% chance of losing $5 and another gamble B offering a 10% chance of winning $100 and a 90% chance of winning nothing. It was found that although the outcomes on both the gambles were the same, 74% of investors chose option B as paying $5(negative as compared to a loss) for the gamble than simply losing made the gamble more acceptable. Von Restorff created the concept of the isolation effect, a way to make something that conforms within a similar a group stand out like a sore thumb. An isolated item, in a list of otherwise similar items, is better remembered than an item in the same relative position in a list where all items are similar. This is a way of distracting attention from one event when the alternative holds exactly the same probability and can be of some help in explaining the prospect theory in decision making in relation to investments. Kahneman and Tversky (1979) used the example of a two-stage test to better explain the use of the isolation effect practically in a behavioral finance situation. Isolation effect is important to show the irrationality of investors in situations that would normally produce a rational effect. This typifies the psychology of an investor having their attention diverted away from using a mean variance analysis of a situation. The first step of the test is a .25 chance of progression to the second stage and a .75 chance of gaining nothing. The participant is asked to decide before the first stage whether, if successful, they would take 3000 or a 0.8 chance of taking 4000. It must be noted that in this game, the participant is choosing between 0.2 chance of 4000 or a 0.25 chance of 3000, the expected value of the former being greater (800 rather than 750). Of the 141 participants that Kahneman and Tversky (1979) tested, 78% chose the first option of the guaranteed 3000. The reasoning behind this is the greater appeal of the sequential certainty of the choice; most participants ignored the first stage of the experiment and just looked at the second test as a basis for their decision rather than weighing up the potential outcomes. The concept is a strong indicator to suggest against all investors being mean variance optimising, there is clear evidence that given the right circumstances people will ignore the obvious rational choice and accept a decision based on the higher valuation of certain prospects. This evidence of irrational preference conforms to the reflection theory where the certainty of a small gain is valued higher than a chance of a large gain. Using this psychological weakness in peoples logic the Von Restorff effect distracted attention from the overall probability and coerced the decision maker into accept a decision based on something that stood out. The rising popularity of insurance policies has been used by supporters of the utility function as strong evidence of the concavity of the utility curve for money. However Kahneman and Tversky (1979) demonstrated that not all insurance policies support this idea, basing their argument around the example of probabilistic insurance. Probabilistic insurance has also been used to highlight that decision weights tend to overweight small probabilities and large probabilities, but underweight moderate probabilities (Wakker, Thaler and Tversky, 1997). Standard insurance provides the purchasers with a zero percent chance of any loss after a given incident, however a probabilistic insurance policy leaves the purchasers open to a small possibility that they will not be fully reimbursed. Following is an example of standard versus probabilistic insurance. Suppose you want to insure iphone4 for the coming year, you can either insure your phone with Natwest bank for  £10 a month or with ABC insurance who offer to insure the phone ever other day throughout the year for  £4.50 per month. Most people would view the offer by ABC as unattractive and prefer to go with the deal offered by the bank of  £10 per month. In this situation the purchaser is underweighting the fifty percent chance of damage to the phone occurring on a day that he or she is covered by the ABC insurance policy. This example demonstrates that reducing the probability of a loss from p to p over 2, is less valuable than reducing the probability of a loss from p over 2 to zero (Tomas and Viilar, 2002). In contrast to the iphone4 insurance example given above, expected utility theory implies that probabilistic insurance is superior to regular insurance. This aversion towards probabilistic insurance is noteworthy because the most avid purchaser of insurance is still subjected to some level of risk. For example, most household contents insurance policies are void if the purchaser forgets to lock their front door. This type of insurance represents many types of protective action, where the user pays a certain cost to reduce the probability of an undesirable event. For example, the purchase of a steering wheels lock or a carbon monoxide detector (Kahneman Tversky, 1979). Applications of Prospect theory The underlying principles behind Prospect theory have been used on a number of occasions to explain a range of financial anomalies. The real world aspect of the model means it offers genuine explanations for some of the most prominent puzzles such as the Equity Premium Puzzle and Home Bias. Equity Premium Puzzle The equity premium puzzle refers to the empirical fact that stocks have outperformed bonds over the last century by a surprisingly large margin. Since 1926, the annual return on stocks has been around 7% while the return on bonds has been around 1% so, $1 invested in the SP 500 on January 1, 1926 was worth $1100 by the end of 1995, while $1 invested in T-bills was worth $12.87. In 1985, Mehra and Prescott noted that under the assumptions of Expected Utility Theory, these abnormally high and low returns are difficult to explain. In 1995, Banartzi and Thaler offered an explanation to the puzzle based on key features of Prospect Theory. They claimed that the puzzle is caused mainly by two factors derived from the Prospect theory; loss aversion (investors being more sensitive to losses than gain) and a short evaluation period (investors checking their portfolio too often). This combination they termed Myopic Loss Aversion. They argue that the attractiveness, and therefore value of a stoc k depends on the time horizon of the investor and frequency of evaluation. The more frequently somebody evaluates their portfolio, the more likely they see their losses and suffer from loss aversion. Putting this application into more contexts, a risky asset paying 7% per year with a standard deviation on 20%, like the average stock, has a probability of loss or gain of around 50%. For a loss averse investor who evaluates frequently, the stock market appears very risky. Considering this, an investor who is prepared to wait a long time between evaluating will find stocks much more appealing as there is an increased chance of them closing their position with a positive return. In turn, long-term investors will be willing to pay more for an identical stock than a short term, frequently evaluating investor. Prospect theory has other various applications associated with it apart from the above mentioned equity premium puzzle. The Home bias phenomenon is another such example. This phenomenon contradicts the mean variance framework, which elucidates the benefits of international diversification helping in the minimization of risk of a given securitys expected return. Home bias states that investors hold more domestic stocks and few foreign stocks than the optimal amounts actually predicted by the mean variance optimization (French and Poterba, 1991). Prospect theory explains this tendency of investors to choose domestic stocks. It says that one of the reasons for this could be a greater familiarity of investors with domestic assets and lower downside risk. This compels investors who may think globally to act locally (Campbell and Kraussl, 2006). Consider a foreign stock and a domestic stock with identical distribution payoffs. Since the foreign stock seem less familiar than the domestic on e, investors may perceive it as having higher variance of payoff leading to low allocation to the foreign stock. However a direct implication of this is derived from the portfolio choice theory that home bias would decline as investors became more familiar with foreign stocks ( (Han Hsu, 2004). Thus, while the prospect theory can explain this behaviour of investors to concentrate risks on single assets rather than to hold a well diversified portfolio, it fails to explain why the single asset chosen by investors are domestic ones. In addition, the argument posed by Stracca (2002) says that if prospect theory is an accurate description of human attitude towards risk, the benefits of international diversification would be reduced to a significant extent. Conclusion We have looked over the principal elements behind the prospect theory proposed by Kahneman and Tversky in 1979. Prospect Theory is an alternative descriptive model of decision making under uncertainty, which incorporates real life choices and psychological analysis. Firstly, within prospect theory investors evaluate their outcomes in accordance with a reference point and make decisions based on how the outcome changes their wealth in relation to this unique reference. Within the expected utility theory, this relative level of wealth is not accounted for. Another key assumption behind prospect theory is the risk averse and seeking behaviour of investors under different circumstances. Investors are risk seeking in terms of losses and risk averse when it comes to profits. The assumptions of an endowment effect and decision weights are also included within the theory, where people place a higher value on a good that they already own and, in contrast to expected utility theory, risk is in corporated not by the original probability but by transformed decision weights. The S-shaped value function curve for prospect theory show this risk seeking and averse behaviour in investors, a reflection effect. The idea of framing is also a key element of prospect theory, where if the same decision problem is described in different words, it can lead to different preferences. Within the theory also is an isolation effect, where devices are used to draw additional attention to something that would otherwise conform, and probabilistic insurance, where decision weights tend to overweight small and large probabilities, but underweight moderate probabilities. The real world assumptions behind prospect theory have been used to explain a number of financial anomalies. We finally looked into prospect theorys applications to the equity premium puzzle and home bias which offer explanations to these anomalies.

Teaching Philosophy Statement :: Education Educational Educating Essays

Teaching Philosophy Statement Teachers are key to the children’s future, what they teach students today will inevitably affect our tomorrow. I strongly want to be part in those children’s lives and decision making. I want to be a teacher because I feel it is important to ensure that children obtain a proper education. Teaching them daily will allow me the satisfaction in knowing that I personally have changed some child’s life. The environment of the classroom is very important for the education of children. If the atmosphere of the classroom is plain, it tends to express that education is boring and doesn’t produce any excitement. However, if the classroom has several bulletin boards and enticing educational pictures the children become interested and enthralled about leaning. I feel that the atmosphere is very important and I hope to have a classroom that is unique, with lots of interesting things on the walls of exiting places and remarkable people. I want children to not only hear what I’m talking about but to see and imagine the things I teach, this will help them to gain a better knowledge and understanding of the subject. The seating arrangement in the classroom is also very important. It is important that children not only interact with me but also with their peers. I want to place the student’s seats in small cluster of four; this will enable them to work together in small groups. This will also help the student’s to understand and comprehend the assignment better since they have partners there to help them and share their ideas. Since the students will be arranged into groups I will be able to walk around and give each of the group’s individual attention instead of observing the class as a whole. This group arrangement will benefit the children when we do projects, for example with reading they can take turns and share their personal views on the story with one another. When we assemble back together as a class the student’s will feel positive about their understanding and not be intimidated when they are called on to present their group views. This helps the children to feel confident about themselves and will help with their self-esteem as well. In my teaching style, I will be a mixture between traditional and facilitating. I will always be in complete control over my classroom, but I do not want to just lecture from the textbook all day. Teaching Philosophy Statement :: Education Educational Educating Essays Teaching Philosophy Statement Teachers are key to the children’s future, what they teach students today will inevitably affect our tomorrow. I strongly want to be part in those children’s lives and decision making. I want to be a teacher because I feel it is important to ensure that children obtain a proper education. Teaching them daily will allow me the satisfaction in knowing that I personally have changed some child’s life. The environment of the classroom is very important for the education of children. If the atmosphere of the classroom is plain, it tends to express that education is boring and doesn’t produce any excitement. However, if the classroom has several bulletin boards and enticing educational pictures the children become interested and enthralled about leaning. I feel that the atmosphere is very important and I hope to have a classroom that is unique, with lots of interesting things on the walls of exiting places and remarkable people. I want children to not only hear what I’m talking about but to see and imagine the things I teach, this will help them to gain a better knowledge and understanding of the subject. The seating arrangement in the classroom is also very important. It is important that children not only interact with me but also with their peers. I want to place the student’s seats in small cluster of four; this will enable them to work together in small groups. This will also help the student’s to understand and comprehend the assignment better since they have partners there to help them and share their ideas. Since the students will be arranged into groups I will be able to walk around and give each of the group’s individual attention instead of observing the class as a whole. This group arrangement will benefit the children when we do projects, for example with reading they can take turns and share their personal views on the story with one another. When we assemble back together as a class the student’s will feel positive about their understanding and not be intimidated when they are called on to present their group views. This helps the children to feel confident about themselves and will help with their self-esteem as well. In my teaching style, I will be a mixture between traditional and facilitating. I will always be in complete control over my classroom, but I do not want to just lecture from the textbook all day.

History of Shakespeare :: Essays Papers

History of Shakespeare William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, England. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glover. He was very successful and well respected in society, as a mayor, town council man, and justice of peace. Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother, was from a wealthy family and with John Shakespeare, they had eight children. Shakespeare went to Stratford Grammar School where he studied the Greek and Latin, and grew to love to read. It is said that his formal education ended here. On November 27, 1582, Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway who was twenty-eight years old. They had their first daughter, Susanna, on May 26, 1583 and after two years they had a twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet died at the age of eleven in 1596. There are no written documents or evidence of Shakespeare between the years 1585-1592. In 1593, after establishing himself as an actor and play writer, Shakespeare with the help of his friend, Henry Wriothsley who sponsored him, wrote two long poems. His first poem, "Venus and Adonius", was written in 1593 . Then in 1594, he wrote his second long poem, "Rape of Lucrece". During that year the theatres in London opened up again after the plague. Shakespeare began to work for the "Lord Chamberlain's Men" company who later became known as "The King's Men" in 1603 after King James took over. This company became the largest and most famous acting company in London, due to Shakespeare's plays and works. In 1599, "The Globe" theatre was built, a many of Shakespeare's plays were performed there, and soon other theatres followed such as "The Curtain" and "The Rose" theatres. As an actor, director, writer, and stockholder in his acting company, Shakespeare soon became a very wealthy man. In 1597, Shakespeare brought "New Place", which was a very large house for his family to live in. In 1611, Shakespeare left London and retired. On March 25, 1616, Shakespeare made a will and he died on April 23, 1616 at the age of fifty-two.

Hairball Essay -- essays papers

Hairball A solitary woman sits in conversation with a benign tumour that had just recently been removed from her ovary. As the woman speaks, the inanimate tumour, which she has named Hairball, looks on from its glass encased perch atop the fireplace. The scene is macabre and certainly unusual, but such is the life of Kat, the main character in Margaret Atwood’s short story, Hairball. Kat’s life is filled with the unusual and the shocking, a lifestyle that has been self-imposed. Throughout the years, Kat, an "avant garde" fashion photographer, has altered her image, even her name, to suit the circumstances and the era. Over time Kat has fashioned a seemingly strong and impenetrable exterior, but as Kat’s life begins to disintegrate we discover that the strong exterior is just a facade devised to protect a weak and fragile interior. Kat’s facade begins to unravel and she undergoes significant personal losses; in fact, the losses go so far as to include her ident ity or lack there of. As Kat begins to lose control, her mental and physical disintegration is hastened by three major conflicts: The conflict with the society in which she lives, the conflict with her romantic interests (specifically Ger), and finally the physical conflict she faces with her own body. In the end, these conflicts will threaten to strip Kat of her lifestyle as well as her name. From the beginning of Kat’s life, she was at odds with her environment. When she was a child, she was Katherine, a doll like representation of what her mother wanted her to be. As a teenager she was Kathy, a representation of what she believed others wanted, â€Å"a bouncy, round-faced [girl] with gleaming freshly washed hair and enviable teeth, eager to please and no more int... ...he vehicle for the ultimate bizarre act reflecting Kat's personality disintegration. She has gone from Katherine, to Kath, to Kat to being â€Å"temporarily without a name.† The journey that Kat takes through the story, from a person defined by others to a person without definition, is somewhat of a birth in reverse. In the story the character of Kat is defined by the conflicts she faces and her inability to adequately deal with them. The more Kat attempts to find herself within the parameters of her society, work and relationships, the more she becomes lost. It is the conflicts that bring Kat to a moment of clarity as she is left broken and abandoned. It is in this state that Kat is able to lose her name and begin to reconstruct herself apart from the influences of others. Without a name Kat is now the blank canvass onto which she hopes to paint her final masterpiece.

Baby Boomers

Alexi Seely Professor Beauchene English 102 4 December 2012 Argument Response Essay In the article Blue Collar Boomers Take Work Ethic to College Sander’s makes that argument that the baby boomers of our time are still eligible to work, and are very willing to try new ways of achieving the education to start different forms of work. Most of the baby boomer generation had gone straight to hard labor jobs to help bring home money for their families, and now that they are older the labor is straining on their bodies (Sanders 3).While they may be older, they are still capable of learning how to use new technology and expanding their minds (Sanders 27). Sanders discusses that college is no longer a place for young adults to attend once out of high school, but rather a place for anyone to receive high education in order to attain a job. Some of the older Americans are choosing to go back to college. Mr Hill says, â€Å"I want a job sitting down, at the computer, in the cubicle†¦after being out in the field for so many years, I would like a sit-down job. Mr. Hill had decided that after working in the cold for so long, he thought that he deserved to make good money while not doing much physical labor (Sanders 24). After being a part of a great things or helping their country, some of the baby boomers believed that they deserve to live a cushy life. To a different extent, older Americans have to continue college as a matter of necessity. In paragraph 30 Mr.Ronan states, â€Å"They do not have the luxury nor the interest in going back to college for two or three years, they need something quick†¦ † This statement tells readers that older Americans do not have the luxury to go back to college because unlike younger Americans, they have bills to pay. Some of the baby boomers are continuing college for a job because the hard labor of their old career has left their bodies withered (Sanders 3).However, just because their bodies are incapable of hard work, does not mean that their minds are. When these older students come to college, they bring their values with them. In today’s society, people believe that college is just something that mostly everyone must go to after high school as a part of their path in life; and some take it for granted. The older Americans, or baby boomers, did not have the opportunities to go to college like we do.To them, college is a wonderful experience to learn the things needed to go into their field of work or even just to further their own knowledge. Baby boomers realize the value of a good education and what it can bring for their careers (Sanders 31). They are simply merging their work ethic from hard labor jobs, to studying just as hard in the class room. Works  Cited Sanders, Libby. â€Å"Blue-Collar Boomers Take Work Ethic  to College. †Ã‚  Everything's an Argument  5 (2010): 949-53. Web.