Leadership in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership in Nursing - Essay Example In relation to this essay, leadership has great influence in the field of nursing (Malloch 2013). Leadership in nursing remains unquestionable. It involves critical thinking, advocacy, and all that takes place in nursing practice. It plays a central role in lives of nurses affecting the entire health care organizations. Furthermore, nursing leaders expect credibility, courageousness, and inspiration in innovation and increasing nursing practices (Sullivan 2013). Nursing leadership therefore, is about being competent and engage practices of nurses to provide better care around the legal scope and boundaries of their ethics (Malloch 2013). In addition, leadership in nursing entails innovation and visionary administration from junior to senior nurse officials. Thus, these leaders should understand themselves to help nurses offer services safely, timely and easily to patients. From above arguments, leadership has both positive and negative impacts in nursing. Just to mention but a few, some of the positive impacts include provision of healthful work environment for nurses. There is also development of opportunities due to good leadership. Moreover, leadership in nursing tends to promote good practice environment and safe health facilities (Rigolosi 2013). Although nurses may tend to make judgments of their own to deliver patient’s care, they always operate within a given team framework of a hospital. Leadership that is well developed encourages nurses to prove quality care which enhances outcomes for patients Nursing leaders can also guide conversation for best interest in case there is rise in different opinions. Moreover, leadership provides integration opportunities like skills, which ensure that nursing remains responsive to individual’s requirements on daily basis. In spite of many advantages, leadership also has negative impacts in nursing. Some of which include; nurse

Leadership Process Essay Example for Free

Leadership Process Essay First Section Leadership is a process by which one person influences the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of others. Leaders set a direction for the rest of us; they help us see what lies ahead; they help us visualize what we might achieve; they encourage us and inspire us. Level 5 leadership refers to the highest level in a hierarchy of executive capabilities that we identified during our research. Leaders at the other four levels in the hierarchy can produce high degrees of success but not enough to elevate companies from mediocrity to sustained excellence. And while Level 5 leadership is not the only requirement for transforming a good company into a great one—other factors include getting the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) and creating a culture of discipline—our research shows it to be essential. Good-to-great transformations don’t happen without Level 5 leaders at the helm. They just don’t. (Traylor, 2001) The Level 5 leader sits on top of a hierarchy of capabilities and is, according to our research, a necessary requirement for transforming an organization from good to great. But what lies beneath? Four other layers, each one appropriate in its own right but none with the power of Level 5. Individuals do not need to proceed sequentially through each level of the hierarchy to reach the top, but to be a full-fledged Level 5 requires the capabilities of all the lower levels, plus the special characteristics of Level 5. (HBR, 2001) It differs from other leadership styles as the leaders come from the grass root of the organization. Meaning, it is the leader who has grown and developed from the ground level of the organization and has gradually escalated towards the top most level. This allows an employee to go through all phases and nurture to the top level of the organization i.e. CEO level. A few years ago in Strategy Leadership, Michael Raynor debunked the premises on which the shareholder-first model rests, and a few months ago Michael Porter criticized the current belief that looking beyond the business is bad for business. In the January/February Harvard Business Review he argues that companies should be considering other stakeholders, and so generates economic value by creating societal value. These respected thinkers offer another answer to the question about the purpose of a business: the firm should see itself as an interdependent part of a community that consists of multiple stakeholders whose interests are integral to business success. In this view, an enterprise can be seen as a system of long-term cooperative relationships between affected parties. (Collins, 2001) These include the firm’s managers and employees, customers and clients, investors, suppliers, the towns, states and nations where the firm is located or sells goods and services and even future generations of stakeholders. In such a system, stakeholder influence generates pressure for the organization to behave in ethical and environmentally and socially responsible ways, and in turn, this interdependency helps the firm be sustainable and resilient. This alternative approach to leadership is variously referred to as ‘‘sustainable,’’ ‘‘Rhineland’’ or ‘‘honeybee’’ leadership. By sustainable we don’t just mean a firm is being green and socially responsible. Research and observations in over 50 firms around the world, including in many listed corporations, suggest that sustainable leadership requires taking a long-term perspective in making decisions; fostering systemic innovation aimed at increasing customer value; developing a skilled, loyal and highly engaged workforce; and offering quality products, services and solutions. (Caroselli, 2003) Second Section In 2005, Lee Scott, ex-CEO and President of Wal-Mart Stores and now Chairman of its Executive Committee, announced that the company would essentially adopt sustainable leadership principles going forward, although he did not use that term. Financial performance was solid, but the company was the target of many complainants – employees, local communities, suppliers, and environmentalists. Scott decreed that Wal-Mart, one of largest Fortune 500 corporations, would become more ethical, and more socially and environmentally responsible. The company would use its political might to benefit ordinary Americans in healthcare and energy savings, and make people’s lives better. Scott even advocated paying more for products from ethical suppliers – an extraordinary reversal by an enterprise built around a low-cost strategy. In the years since, Wal-Mart has experimented with environmentally-friendly stores and other socially-responsible measures. Interestingly, its bottom line has not suffered during this process, posting net sales increases for the past five years, according to Wal-Mart’s 2009 annual report. In recent months, in a move to improve the healthiness of its products, the firm announced plans to reduce the fat and salt in its house brand groceries and cut prices on fresh produce. (Shaw, 2005) A considerable body of evidence shows that sustainable practices are more likely to enhance business performance than the shareholder-first approach. First, various writers have examined and compared the Anglo/US system with its Rhineland counterpart, concluding that Rhineland principles are more sustainable and lead to better outcomes than the shareholder-first approach. Second, Avery and Bergsteiner have gathered extensive evidence for each of the individual practices in their pyramid model, showing how they are more likely to contribute to positive business outcomes than their counterparts under the shareholder-first model. For example, a major difference between shareholder-first and sustainable practices lies in whether they retain people or lay them off when times get difficult. Staff retention is regarded as a foundation element in the pyramid because conditions aimed at keeping staff can be initiated at any time. However, retaining staff supports various higher order outcomes in the pyramid; it allows knowledge to be retained, and supports quality, trust, and innovation, for example, and enhances financial performance, as well as staff and customer satisfaction. Similar cases can be made for the other 22 elements. (Cooke, 2008) What senior executive would reject these as legitimate goals for an enterprise seeking to both thrive and endure? To some cynics, sustainable leadership – a management approach aimed at delivering better and more sustainable returns, reducing unwanted employee turnover and accelerating innovation – sounds too good to be true. They dismiss it as just another form of humanistic management, merely good management practices, or as following old-fashioned values. There is some truth in each of these characterizations. Certainly, sustainable leadership embraces aspects of humanistic management in that it includes valuing people and considering the firm as a contributor to social well being. The individual practices of sustainable leadership are not new: B Warren Bennis advocated recruiting, training, and employing an effective top leadership team rather than just relying on the heroic CEO. He also proposed that firms become financially transparent as a step to becoming more ethical. B Peter Drucker wanted managers to promote change and allow innovations to come from all over the organization, thereby enabling ordinary people to make extraordinary things happen. B Stephen Covey urged using the knowledge and engagement of a firm’s employees. What is new is the understanding that these practices form a self-reinforcing leadership system that enhances the performance of a business and its prospects for survival. What is also significant is that sustainable leadership practices are diametrically opposed to the typical shareholder-first approach, which business schools, management journals, the media, and many practitioners continue to promote. (Branson, 2010) Sustainable leadership in practice Sustainably-led organizations have been identified across different sectors, countries, institutional contexts, and markets. Examples of successful enterprises that consistently embrace sustainable leadership principles abound, particularly among privately-held firms and SMEs. Unlisted companies displaying virtually all of the 23 characteristics of a sustainable enterprise include: in the USA, WL Gore Associates (Goretexw and other products) and SAS (software); in Germany, Giesecke Devrient (bank notes and securities) and Ka ¨rcher (cleaning solutions); and in Switzerland, Endress Hauser (flow technologies) and Migros (retail conglomerate). However, it is likely to be more difficult for listed corporations or private equity groups to operate on sustainable principles because of the pressures on them to achieve short-term performance goals. Yet numerous listed enterprises manage to operate sustainably, if necessary by standing up to or managing their relationships with the financial markets. Well-known examples include Germany’s Munich Re from the finance industry; Colgate (consumer goods) based in the USA; Britain’s BT Group (telecommunications); the Thai construction corporation, Siam Cement Group, and its competitor from Switzerland, Holcim. (Streshly Gray, 2010) Third Section There are many obstacles in changing to sustainable leadership. First, sticking with conventional wisdom is comfortable and easy – it’s business as usual. Second, change is disruptive and initially creates both financial and intangible costs, although as the Wal-Mart case shows these may not slow growth and profits. Third, most people disregard hard evidence and make their decisions on the basis of ideological beliefs. Managers are no exception to this human foible despite their training and experience in decision making. Fourth, major change involves risks, bringing with it the chance of a drop in short-term performance, so stakeholders need to be prepared to focus on the long term. Finally, radical change can take a long time to embed and then maintain. A major Australian bank converted from a shareholder-first strategy to a sustainable leadership model. The change took a decade to take hold, with outstanding results, but unraveled in only a few years to under a new CEO with a different agenda. The choice to adopt a more sustainable strategy, one that research and practice show leads to higher resilience and performance over the long term, remains in the hands of each executive team. Unfortunately, executives remunerated on a short-term basis may have no incentive for seriously pursuing long-term change, to the detriment of shareholders and other stakeholders. This is where the fundamental short-term focus of the shareholder-first or business-as-usual model begins to destroy shareholder value and endanger a firm’s very survival. (Brown, 2005) References Branson, D. M. (2010). The last male bastion: gender and the CEO suite in Americas public companies. Taylor Francis. Brown, M. T. (2005). Corporate integrity: rethinking organizational ethics, and leadership. Cambridge University Press. Caroselli, M. (2003). The business ethics activity book: 50 exercises for promoting integrity at work. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Collins, J. C. ( 2001). Good to great: why some companies make the leapand others dont. Harper Business. Cooke, P. (2008). Branding Faith: Why Some Churches and Non-Profits Make a Difference and Others Dont. Gospel Light. Shaw, K. A. (2005). The intentional leader. Syracuse University Press. Streshly, W. A., Gray, S. P. (2010). Leading Good Schools to Greatness: Mastering What Great Principals Do Well. Corwin Press. Traylor, P. S. (2001). IT Takes Two. CIO Magazine , Vol.15, No.4, November 15

The Case for the Redistribution of Ecotourism Gains in Kenya. Essay

The Case for the Redistribution of Ecotourism Gains in Kenya. Introduction Ecotourism, also known as â€Å"responsible tourism†, is defined as â€Å"responsible travel to natural areas, which conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people† . Ecotourism has become the fastest growing sub-sector of the tourist industry: in the Third World, it is growing at a rate of 6% per year . Bordering the Indian Ocean and located in Eastern Africa, Kenya reaps substantial benefits from ecotourism activities. Kenya’s rich biodiversity and natural resources allow it to earn as much as 1/3 of its total foreign exchange revenues from ecotourism . A recent study of game farming in Kenya has shown that wildlife tourism was fifty times more lucrative than cattle grazing and that an elephant herd was valued at $610,000 annually . Ecotourism will therefore play a predominant role in the country’s economic development. In order to assess the equity implications of ecotourism in Kenya, this paper will attempt to assess th e distributional impacts of the policies local authorities have undertaken in Kenya to foster ecotourism and to propose suggested reforms and recommendations to help groups, who have traditionally been marginalized such as the Maasai. Background Kenya was a protectorate and a British colony from the late 1890s to December 1963, when the country gained its independence. Although Kenya is a relatively stable country, it has only been governed by 3 Presidents (from only 2 political parties) since independence. With a population of 31.3 million people , Kenya is a multi-ethnic country, whose administrative arrangements closely parallel ethnic boundaries . With a GNI/ capita of $360 , Kenya is still a ... ...ashington, D.C.: Island Press. http://www.stpt.usf.edu/~jsokolov/211maasai.htm, The Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania, Survival 1998 http://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=160, World Heritage Convention, UNESCO Kamuaro, O. â€Å"Ecotourism: Suicide or Development?†. Available from www.unsystem.org/ngls/documents/publications.en/voices.africa/number6/vfa6.12.htm United States Agency for International Development. 1996. Mid-Term Evaluation. Washington D.C.: United States Agency for International Development. World Bank, http:/devdata.worldbank.org/external/CPProfile.asp?CCODE=KEN&PTYPE=CP, Country profile Table, The World Bank Group. World Bank, http://www.worldbank.org/ke/ke_ctry_brief.htm, Country Brief, The World Bank Group in Kenya. Zecchini, A. â€Å"Clash of Interests in Maasai Country- Kenya’s Battle for Biodiversity†, Le Monde Diplomatique, November 2000

Ben & Jerry’s Company Analysis †Short Essay

Companies like Ben & Jerry’s could definitely be affected by high inflation because of the consumer spending. When the consumers are forced to pay higher prices for products or services that are a necessity, they cut back on products or services that are a luxury. Luxuries that are not a necessity to live like gasoline for vehicles or gas to heat homes or even food will not be bought. Any company that sells a luxury item that is not a necessity to live can be affected by high inflation. With inflation, the price of everything goes up. With that said, the price for companies to buy supplies goes up, meaning that in order to cover their overhead, they will need to find a way to make that money back which could mean layoffs or raising the price of their goods or products. In a recession, companies like Ben & Jerry’s could also face the possibility of being negatively affected because of the demand of consumers. Very much like inflation, recession has the same effect; the consumers do not want to spend their money on luxury items. With the recession, there are more people unemployed who are just barely getting by, therefore, will refuse to spend any money on something that does not decide whether they have a home or not, which includes a luxury item like ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s could also be affected because of their stock prices. During a recession, the price of stock usually declines. So, their revenue would be affected as well as their stock, which would result in bad overall performance of the company. Speaking from personal experience, any luxury item that I absolutely do not need, I do not buy. I simply cannot put myself in a position to not pay a bill because I want to â€Å"treat† myself. With all this said, Ben & Jerry’s provides a reasonably priced luxury item that I would consider a â€Å"feel-good† luxury item. Everyone loves ice cream, young and old. Consumers still need to have a quality of life with the changing economic conditions and if buying an affordable luxury item gives them that, they are going to splurge and buy it. Unlike other luxury items, such as getting clothing and spa appointments, the consumer still gets to feel good and not go broke. Ben & Jerry’s makes a one of a kind product, their flavored ice cream, which makes it an easy buying decision for the consumer. The text book also explains that McDonald’s is not hit as sensitive to the economic conditions for the same reason. Their food is reasonably priced and the consumer still gets to feel like they are â€Å"treating† themselves to restaurant food without breaking the bank. Ben & Jerry’s has social, product and economic condition missions that make them popular in their industry. Not only do they care about making a profit, but they care about their people, environment and planet. They have mission statements for each of these and they follow through. As a consumer, I would rather buy my luxury item from a company that cares about something other than making a buck like their competitors. They make their ice cream to support causes like the recent Imagine Whirled Peace flavor that hosted a competition and donated money to them to support their peace cause. They also have a foundation that gives grants to non-profit organizations that are working for progressive social change. They hold fund-raisers and rally days. They provide hope, awareness and celebration. They also use naturally and humanly produced ingredients as part of one of their missions as well, which is something that would usually increase the price of any products, but with this company, it is just part of their offering. All in all, they provide more than just ice cream to the consumers which makes them less vulnerable to the economic shocks.

Moral Reflection

Everyday in our lives we are forced into making moral decisions about anything under the sun. There are situations that make such process difficult, and there are situations where the answer appears to be just right in front of our faces. I believe it would be difficult for anyone to decide on any ethical dilemma if he has no clear idea of morality.Personally, I am aware that of at least two ethical principles that guide me in my everyday ethical decision-making. These are utilitarianism and Kantian moral philosophy. utilitarianism holds that a person’s action would be considered morally right if it tends to promote happiness for the greatest number of people. Thus, utilitarianism as a moral philosophy places emphasis on the consequences of human action, rather than on the motives behind such action (West).On the other hand, Kantian moral philosophy, or more popularly known as the categorical imperative, is based on notions of obligation, necessity and reason. Kant believed th at morality consists in the choosing and doing proper conduct, and the proper action is dictated solely by rational considerations. Thus, Kant holds that subjective considerations, including emotions, should not be considered in moral decision-making (The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy).I believe in both these theories and I use them both when I decide everyday ethical dilemmas. There are times when. I believe purely rational considerations should prevail, but there are times that I also consider subjective factors like emotions. I believe that both theories guide my actions and decisions, and both allow me to weigh various considerations in my mind.Nevertheless, I believe that Kant’s method in determining the right conduct is a better decision-making process, because Kant provded clear criteria for choosing. Kant provided this rule, thus:â€Å"So act, that the rule on which thou actest would admit of being adopted as a law   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   by all rational b eings. (Kant).†This rule is easier to follow since it does not fluctuate depending on my mood or subjective predilection, which could change in any day. It serves as a â€Å"true north,† which teaches all men how to think and decide moral dilemmas.One moral issue that deeply concerns me is euthanasia, or mercy killing. Euthanasia is defined as an act characterized by â€Å"the intentional ending of a patient's life by a physician, usually by lethal injection (Religion Facts).†Ã‚   Euthanasia is always being raised as an option where a person is with a terminal illness and slim chances of recovering. It is an important issue for me because I could easily imagine myself in the position of the sick person’s family, and I could imagine subjective feelings that would dictate either euthanasia or maintaining life support. In these kinds of situations, utilitarianism could support either position, as the decision would depend on the consequences of an action. On the other hand, Kantian philosophy could provide a more definitive answer, but such answer would definitely not consider emotions, because these are subjective factors that are not based on reason.Works CitedKant, I. The Metaphysics of Ethics. 1886.MacDonald, Chris. â€Å"Moral Decision Making — An Analysis.† 2002. 14 Feb. 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .Religion Facts. â€Å"Facts and Statistics on Euthanasia.† 14 Feb. 2008.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ;http://www.religionfacts.com/euthanasia/stats.htm;.The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. â€Å"The Categorical Imperative.† 2001. 14 Feb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2008.;http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/categorical-imperative.html;.West, Henry R. â€Å"Utilitarianism.† Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica. 14 Feb. 2008.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ;http://www.utilitarianism.com/utilitarianism.html;.

Dropping out of college. Common practice

Dropping out of college. Common practice Top 6 reasons why students drop out of college Have you ever wondered why a tendency like dropping out has grown to become a national problem? Here, we try to analyze the reasons behind leaving college and the psychology of students, who prefer a well-paid job to overcrowded lecture halls. Either way, dropping out can be referred to as a sad practice. You are not ready for academic responsibility. Most of us expect a drastic change in our everyday routine once we go into college, but the reality is more prosaic: piles of papers that clutter our desk and endless hours of learning. Students realize that promises they’ve given to themselves cannot be kept without burning out and severe stress, so they decide to leave rather than climb an academic ladder. On the one hand, this behavioral model is quite understandable, as the pressure in college can be high, but if we take a look from a different angle, we might find out that leaving your university is a serious loss for students and teachers alike. You suffer from financial stress. Tuition fees may be hard to cover, so there are students who would like to run their own business instead of making regular donations to the university’s treasury. This is both disturbing and common: as we pay off our loans in college, we invest in the future education and a career at the working place. Those, who do not realize the importance of this far-reaching strategy, though, claim that financial expectations are nothing more than a clever-minded tactics to bring more money to the country’s educational sector, and they do not want to contribute to the economy in such a way. You want to live the party life. You may be a party animal to the point where your decisions are determined by your weekend plans, and not the college schedule. Some of us claim to be a little less sociable than the others, but most students expect university to look like some kind of magic place, where you can make up for the slack and chaos that you caused in a few simple steps. The truth, however, is far from that: you cannot give in to social pleasures and stay best in class, as sleepless nights do not encourage healthy studying routine. To avoid this, we recommend to treat university life with moderation. You can enjoy the party vibes once the semester is over, but you are certainly expected to pay your full and undivided attention to academia once you are in college. You want to go home. Some of us miss home so much that we are ready to abandon our studies once given an opportunity. Climate change, noisy roommates and overall atmosphere are the main reasons we drop out of college. Homesickness becomes our regular companion, and we will give anything to find ourselves in our own neighborhood again. Do not think that this is unrealistic, though: many students have relinquished their studies because they felt nostalgia was too overwhelming. You do not want to do that much writing. If you are not used to making notes and your handwriting is something you would prefer to forget about, this aspect of college life will certainly stress you out. Of course, you are not required to write your term paper by hand, but there is a certain amount of writing that is anticipated from you to continue education. Digital technologies may take over the reins, but if you have perfect handwriting, many of your problems in college are solved. You want guidance. Back in high school, you thrived on your teacher’s attention and valued guidance above all, and now they tell you to take care of your own life and make independent decisions. Some of us just can’t handle the pressure – we need an instructor who is going to tell us exactly what to do and help us overcome the stress of our first years in college. If there is no such person around or we haven’t found the right role model, we drop out to seek inspiration elsewhere.

Crafting the perfect elevator pitch

Crafting the perfect elevator pitch In our increasingly digital world, cold-calling has become something of a lost art. But newer isn’t always better. Warmilu founder and CEO Grace Hsia explains why entrepreneurs should embrace phone calls, and gives some tips for crafting a perfect pitch. [Source: Daily Fuel]