Whether Ethical Leaders Are Born Or Made Philosophy Essay

Whether Ethical Leaders Are Born Or Made Philosophy Essay In this essay we will extend to the debate which is going on for years that Ethical leaders are born or made, starting initially with the understand of what is an ethical leader who is an ethical leader and the good and bad traits of leader and how leader can be ethical and understanding the concepts attributes of good ethical leader like Mr. Nayaran Murty, Chairman Ex-CEO, Infosys Technologies Ltd. And will learn more about him in terms of of his character, values moral behaviour. While in the last part of essay we will try to figure out what are the important Ethical issues faced by todays Business Leader through the frame work of Stakeholder, Owners. What is an ethical leader? Someone who is able to stimulate people willingness to practice well-being encourages good ethical behaviour. They are also open to questions, discussion, and criticism. A good leader is someone who cares about the followers in general. Any theory of ethical leadership must be based on two new premises. First, ethical leadership is a system of thought based on setting rules for what to do, not on what not to do. Second, leadership must evolve to include ethical behaviour not because ethical behaviour is simply a natural good in and of itself, but mainly as part of the core of what leadership is for pragmatic reasons. The world does not exist for only one moment. It exists as a continuum of time and any definition of leadership must recognize that leadership is not an event that occurs in one second, but is a process that takes time. While an act of leadership may appear episodic, for true leadership to occur it must be built on a series of actions that produces a very useful range of results. The definition of leadership that incorporates this time dimension, The definition is: Leadership is the creation and fulfillment of worthwhile opportunities by honourable means(Herb Rubenstein, 2003) The debate of Ethical Leader Born versus Made has been going on for years, and it will still go on, to add to this debate a person might be blessed with extraordinary talents like he might be the best orator or the best writer or the best in his field still he may not emerge out to be as ethical leader. People may possess almost all the traits of a leader, but if they lack the all important human touch than they will fail to attract people towards themselves. Ethical leadership is about having great relationship with others; a follower is ever desirous of seeking personal association of his beloved leader. If a leader does not display the personal bonding then its just a matter of time that the followers will abandon him. A person is not compelled to follow somebody; instead he chooses to follow somebody. But why does he choose to follow an individual? What did he see in that particular individual that he decided to be dictated by his terms and conditions? He submissively accepts an individual as the architecture of his destiny because he sees a personal touch in that individuals gesture along with being ethical, he sees someone who is showing great concern for his personal well-being and he sees that this individual is ever desirous of his success and is willing to provide him the necessary direction which can lead him to succeed. So, he decides to accept his authority and he becomes his follower. An ethical leader has to be credible and trustworthy. His words and actions should match; he should become a living example to his followers. Whatever expectations a leader has from his followers he should clearly state it. People want an Ethical leader to be honest; a follower has willingly surrendered himself to the leader so he wants that the person whom he is following should be honest in his words and in his actions. An Ethical leader should be a great communicator of ideas and visions; his words should establish a bond with the follower. An ethical leader should create a positive environment wherein the people can be self-motivated; a leader should always be inspiring. He should display great amount of competence and commitment towards his work. He should lead by example and display tremendous determination; his never to die attitude will inspire his followers. A leader should also display great competence and capability. People follow someone if they believe that the person has got the requisite capability of achieving what he tends to achieve. Some people have a natural ability which makes them take initiatives in leadership and being ethical as well. The will to make decisions is also one trait which is inherent in some people and proves to be an essential quality of a leader. While some qualities needed for good leadership may be natural to some people it is important to note that all skills needed for an ethical leadership are not present in any individual. He has to learn some skill on his own by making deliberate efforts. Since all the properties needed for good leadership are not inborn in any individual everyone has learn the ropes of this business. That is why it is stressed that leaders are made and are not born.   The debate of Ethical Leader Born versus Made has been going on for centuries. As said earlier ethical leadership can be taught learned. There are some skills have to be learned for a good ethical leader. In some people these qualities are inborn but some people have to learn these skills. What are the means to learn these skills? One way is you can watch a leader and learn from him. Like Mr. Narayana Murty, Chairman CEO, INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES (LTD) One of the founders of Infosys Technologies Limited; Chosen as the World Entrepreneur of the Year 2003 by Ernst and Young Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity ethics are not at variance with business acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Infosys at the Age of 60.   Born on August 20, 1946, N.R. Narayana Murthy is a B.E. Electrical from University of Mysore (1967) and M.Tech from IIT Kanpur (1969). Narayan Murthy began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. In 1981, Narayana Murthy founded Infosys with six other software professionals. In 1987, Infosys opened its first international office in U.S.A. With the liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s, Infosys grew rapidly. In 1993, the company came up with its IPO. In 1995, Infosys set up development centers across cities in India and in 1996, it set up its first office in Europe in Milton Keynes, UK. In 1999, Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ. Today (in 2006), Infosys has a turnover of more than $ 2billion and has employee strength of over 50,000. In 2002, Infosys was ranked No. 1 in the Best Employers in India 2002 survey conducted by Hewitt and in the Business Worlds survey of Indias Most Respected Company. conducted in the same year. Along with the growth of Infosys, Narayana Moorthy too has grown in stature. He has received many honors and awards. In June 2000, Asiaweek magazine featured him in a list of Asias 50 Most Powerful People. In 2001, Narayana Murthy was named by TIME/CNN as one of the 25 most influential global executives. He was the first recipient of the Indo-French Forum Medal (2003) and was voted the World Entrepreneur of the Year 2003 by Ernst and Young. The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy eighth on the list of the 15 most admired global leaders (2005) and Narayan Murthy also topped the Economic Times Corporate Dossier list of Indias most powerful CEOs for two consecutive years 2004 and 2005. Strategy is all about differentiating yourself in the marketplace to maximise your margins. Differentiation could come through products and services. But your stakeholders must feel you are more and more valuable to them, compared to competitors. Stakeholders would mean society, customers, employees, government, investors; each must say this company is adding more value to me than any other. Ethics and values can be defined as anything that stands the test of golden behaviour. That is the rule, that one must do unto others what you would like to be done unto you. Nayaran Murty define ethics and values in a more elaborate manner. Ethics and values form the protocol for conduct and behaviour in a community for each of its members. So that enhances the confidence, the enthusiasm, the energy, the joy of everyone else in the community. If I conduct myself as per that protocol of behaviour, it enhances the confidence, the enthusiasm, the energy and joy of everyone else in the company. As I said earlier, if you want to become unique in the marketplace, then you want all to work hard. If you want 67,500 employees in Infosys to agree voluntarily to commit to hard work, then they have to trust the leader. A leader has to have followers to be a leader. That is why I stood by my controversial decision on CEOs salaries being linked to companys earnings. If you want to enhance the trust of employees in the leader, then the leadership of the company has to conduct itself in a manner that enhances trust. Also, the CEO or the leader must definitely reap benefits proportionate to the benefits derived by the company. Never before in the history of business community in the world did we have a situation where trust of man and woman in the street is lowest in business leaders. According to a US survey, corporate leaders are least trusted, as many of them violated codes of ethics and even laws. On the Indian side, if you have analysed how salaries of CEOs have increased in 15 years, they have gone up from Rs 7,000 and Rs 10,000 to Rs 7 million on an average. I am one of those who fought for this. When on board of a company, I saw to it that the CEO had a variable linked to output. Indeed, salaries of the lowest paid persons have not correspondingly gone up. I wont get into a debate whether this is right or wrong. But after getting the government to agree to limit on salaries, it is incumbent on our part to live up to expectations and conduct ourselves in a manner that enhances trust of all stakeholders, particularly the government and the society. The fact that we opened borders in 1991 and welcomed MNCs to operate, has had a tremendous positive impact on value delivered to consumers. But if we have to continue to satisfy our customers we have to conduct ourselves in a manner that is worthy for the simple reason that customers today have a plethora of choices. A Ethical leader is an agent of change, and progress is about change. In the words of  Robert F Kennedy, `Progress is a nice word; but change is its motivator. Leadership is about raising the aspirations of followers and enthusing people with a desire to reach for the stars. For instance, Nayaran Murty wanted to take Indian Software Industry to the world level. And he was successful in his vision because he has the attributes of a very good ethical leader. A leader with  vision  has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But its not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. Nayaran Murty, chairman and CEO of Infosys Tech Ltd., said, Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion. Nayaran Murty was able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He communicates clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious. A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer analysis paralysis but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same. Integrity  is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. Narayana Murty have the trust of followers and therefore displays integrity. Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. Nayaran Murty is centered in integrity and is more approachable by followers. Dedication  means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. Nayaran Murthy inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, he shows followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great. Magnanimity  means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of Narayan Murthy. Leaders with  humility  recognize that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. A humble Nayaran Murthy is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god. Nayaran Murthy is a role model for all Indian businessmen aspiring young people, and he pursued a follower-centric leadership role. Openness  means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Nayaran Murty able to suspend judgment while listening to others ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision. Creativity  is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives Nayaran Murthy the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. Fairness  means dealing with others consistently and justly. Nayaran Murty checks all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication. Assertiveness  is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. Nayaran Murty is assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader. A  sense of humor  is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to  defusehostility. Nayaran Murty knows how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie. The most important issue  in  Business  Ethics Conflict of  Interest Business ethics can be examined from various perspectives, including the perspective of the employee, the commercial enterprise, and society as a whole. Very often, situations arise in which there is conflict between one or more of the parties, such that serving the interest of one party is a detriment to the other(s). For example, a particular outcome might be good for the employee, whereas, it would be bad for the company, society, or vice versa. Philosophers and others disagree about the purpose of a business ethic in society. For example, some suggest that the principal purpose of a business is to maximize returns to its owners, or in the case of a publicly-traded concern, its shareholders. Thus, under this view, only those activities that increase profitability and shareholder value should be encouraged, because any others function as a tax on profits. Some believe that the only companies that are likely to survive in a competitive marketplace are those that place profit maximization above everything else. However, some point out that self-interest would still require a business to obey the law and adhere to basic moral rules, because the consequences of failing to do so could be very costly in fines, loss of licensure, or company reputation. Some take the position that organizations are not capable of moral agency. Under this, ethical behaviour is required of individual human beings, but not of the business or corporation. Other theorists contend that a business has moral duties that extend well beyond serving the interests of its owners or stockholders, and that these duties consist of more than simply obeying the law. They believe a business has moral responsibilities to so-called stakeholders, people who have an interest in the conduct of the business, which might include employees, customers, vendors, the local community, or even society as a whole. Stakeholders can also be broken down into primary and secondary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are people that are affected directly such as stockholders, where secondary stakeholders are people who are not affected directly such as the government. They would say that stakeholders have certain rights with regard to how the business operates, and some would suggest tha t this includes even rights of governance. Ethical issues can arise when companies must comply with multiple and sometimes conflicting legal or cultural standards, as in the case of multinational companies that operate in countries with varying practices. The question arises, for example, ought a company to obey the laws of its home country, or should it follow the less stringent laws of the developing country in which it does business? To illustrate, United States law forbids companies from paying bribes either domestically or overseas; however, in other parts of the world, bribery is a customary, accepted way of doing business. Similar problems can occur with regard to child labour, employee safety, work hours, wages, discrimination, and environmental protection laws.

Quality Physical Education

Physical education schools play a critical role in increasing physical activity by offering quality, daily physical education and other opportunities to recreate. Physical education is the only program that provides students with opportunities to learn motor skills, develop fitness, and gain understanding about the importance of physical activity. Physical education teaches children the skills they need to be active through out their lifetime. Physical education can also enhance academic learning. Regular aerobic exercise produces an increased number of capillaries servicing the brain, which allows for a greater exchange of nutrients and waste products. Additionally, physical education incorporates concepts of math, reading/English language arts, and science into the physical education realm. Technology has integrated into the curriculum with heart rate monitors, pedometers, and computer-based fitness stations. Another way physical education helps academic learning by children receiving additional physical education show an acceleration of their psychomotor development, and this could provide a mechanism for accelerated learning of academic skills. â€Å"Other potential mechanisms include increased cerebral blood flow, greater arousal, changes in hormone levels, enhanced nutrient intake, changes in body build, and increased self esteem,† as mention in the Pediatric Exercise Science (Shepard, 1997, p. 113). In other words, exercise boost oxygen and glucose delivery to the brain, which can help, improve brain function. Physical Education plays a critical role in educating the whole student. Like other academic courses of study, physical education is upon rigorous national standards that define what students should know and be able to do because of participation. Physical education improves children’s relationships with children in their classroom. Children learn how to play as a team player. Physical education includes all children, which helps the children think of others not just themselves. In a quality physical education program, students can achieve physical and individual benefits. Teamwork is very important in everyday life. Most professions are team-oriented style of work. Managers value teamwork because it results in a more cost-effective and useful organization. Physical education is for every child regardless of physical ability, ethnicity, gender, language, race, or religion, the opportunities not only to succeed in physical education, but also to develop a lifelong commitment the health benefits of physical activity. Teachers are able to manage the student’s time more effectively. Physical education prepares students to live physically active, healthy lives through learning experiences at school. International Society of Sport Psychology state, â€Å"Exercise can have beneficial emotional effects across all ages and for both sexes† (p. 183). The major reason for having physical education in secondary schools is to lead the students toward better lifestyles and to be physically fit. There was an article published in 1992 by, The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), stating what â€Å"The Physically Fit Person† should consist of. This article states five factors of a physical fit person. One factor is that a physically fit person â€Å"has learned skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities. † The second factor â€Å"is the person physically fit. † The third factor is â€Å"does this person participates regularly in physical activity. † The fourth is a physically fit person â€Å"knows the implications of and the benefits from involvement in physical activity. † The last factor is that a physically fit person â€Å"values physical activity and its contributions to a healthful lifestyle. The plan as physical educators is to have each child be a physically fit person, by their exit of high school. Quality Physical Education means a planned program of instruction and activity for all students through the entire school year. Quality Physical Education programs are essential in helping students gain competence and confidence in a variety of movement forms such as: aquatics, dance, gymnastics, recreational and activities. It should provide a sound framework for the design and assessment that develop the students' motivation, fitness, cognitive, affective, and active lifestyle needs, and should focus on lifetime involvement. American Heart Association quote, â€Å"Today, about one of three American kids and teens are overweight or obese, nearly triple the rate in 1963 (American Heart Association Learn and Live – Healthier Kids) (2010). National Academics state, (2005), â€Å"If healthier students are, in fact, more attentive and academically successful students, then parents, principals, and policy makers alike may be supportive of obesity prevention efforts† (p. 6). â€Å"National Health Education Standards offer a coherent vision of what it means to be health literate. These Standards describe the knowledge and skills essential to the development of health literacy. That â€Å"knowledge† includes the most important and enduring ideas, issues, and concepts related to achieving good health. Those â€Å"skills† include the ways of communicating, reasoning, and investigating which characterize a health-literate person. National Standards are not a federal mandate nor do they define a national curriculum. The Standards are intended to serve as a framework for organizing health knowledge and skills into curricula at the state and local levels. † Here are the National Standards: Demonstrates competency in many movement forms and proficiency in a few movement forms. Applies movement concepts and principles to the learning and development of motor skills. Exhibits a physically active lifestyle. Achieves and maintains a health-enhancing level of physical fitness. Demonstrates responsible personal and social behavior in physical activity settings. Demonstrates understanding and respect for differences among people in physical Activity settings. Understands that physical activity provides opportunities for enjoyment, challenge, self- expression and social interaction. Student involve in physical education will develop: †¢ Teamwork- the ability and willingness to work within a group for the good of the group. (leadership, trustworthiness. ) †¢ Cooperation- the ability and willingness to follow group or team strategies. (followership) †¢ Communication skills- knowing when to speak and when to listen in order to help the group achieve its goals. †¢ An awareness and appreciation of personal and group safety. †¢ Honesty- playing within the rules for the good of the group and game. †¢ Courage- the willingness to try new things to expand one's horizons. Goal setting ability- the willingness to set appropriately challenging goals for oneself and the group. †¢ Perseverance- the ability and willingness to continue pressing towards the goal in the face of normal adversity. †¢ Creativity- the ability to come up with solutions to problems and physical challenges. †¢ An increased level of agility, coordination, and physical fitness. Physical education is the only program that provides students with opportunities to learn motor skills, develop fitness, and gain understanding about the importance of physical activity. It is the aspect of education that contributes to the total growth and development of the child mostly through selected movement and physical activities. It also enhances academic learning, helps meet the overall elementary school mission, treats students with dignity and respect, and applies instructional and Physical education helps develop the whole child, including the child's cognitive development, physical Development, social development and helps develop psychomotor skills. The ultimate goal of physical education will always be participation in health-enhancing physical activity for a lifetime. References http://wilderdom.com/games/PhysicalActivities.html https://www.nap.edu/read/11461/chapter/2#1 http://www.educationworld.com/standards/national/nph/pe/k_12.shtml

Fast Food Advertisements Essay

1.Junk food advertising does not force parents to buy the food Just because junk food is advertised does not mean that parents should buy it for their children or give their children the money to buy it. It is important to recognise that parents have the final say, and also are ultimately responsible for what their children eat. We should place greater responsibility on parents, and if we are concerned that they are buying junk food for their children, we should attempt to address that problem. But, this has less to do with junk food advertising and more to do with informing the health decisions of parents. 2.If we apply the principle of individual responsibility, advertising is fine It is important not to hold businesses and advertisers responsible for the choices of individual consumers. If a consumer wants to purchase a good, the supplier should not be blamed for supplying it. The buyer wants to be pulled in by junk-food advertisements, and does not hold back their mind from unhea lthy food. There are ads for health foods, buy consumers don’t want to buy vegetables or fruits, and therefore hold back their mind from buying them. It is solely how to consumers want to react to their own decisions, and has nothing to do with the supplier. If a producer advertises their good, they should not be blamed for the consumer finding their good attractive. There are people who don’t like junk food at all, and they control their minds like that. It is simple how the person controls their mind to think. Just like in movies, or in the real world, there is or always needs to be some components of good and bad. The people themselves decide on which group they want to be in. Sadly though, these days, majority of people decide to be in on junk-food. We must maintain the notion of individual responsibility, or people will start blaming each other for their own bad choices. 3.Parents must talk to their children about health eating habits The truth is that ‘there is certainly a place for junk food in every diet’. Elizabeth Berger, author of â€Å"Raising Kids with Character† says, â€Å"Parents must talk to their children about the healthy amount. In the real world, children will be exposed to all sorts of advertisements and their parents will not always be able to protect them. Therefore, their parents must begin to teach them while they are still children†. 4 .Children have little or no money It is not sensible to aim advertisements at children because they have little or no money, and can’t afford to buy the junk food anyway. Also, by the time children do have enough money, and are able to transport themselves to a fast-food place without their parents, they will have grown older and have the age to take the correct decisions for themselves. Even if they do take the wrong decision, then it is completely their own fault, as they are old enough and responsible enough to make their own decisions. Children that are much younger need their parents for help. Also, when you are growing older with some pocket money, learning to manage money for the correct causes and reasons is a part of growing up. 5.Discipline plays a big part Believe it or not, discipline plays a big part in this whole issue. Fast food advertising has no magical power to create unnatural desires for food. Children who nag are simply badly brought up. Poor parenting and undisciplined children cannot be solved by banning food advertisements during children’s television shows, as children have many other influences which can still stimulate these desires. 6.Children naturally like foods that are rich in fats, proteins and sugar. Their craving is not started off by advertisements. They give them the energy to play energetically and grow healthily. It is true that eating only such foods is bad for people, but this is again a problem of bad parenting rather than the fault of food advertisements. And off course, it advertising junk-food is banned, than children will grow naive, and as they enter into the real world, they will then become inundated with ads, because they will have not learnt the skills of ignoring ads when younger. 7.Fast food advertisements appear not only on TV, but you can also hear them on other sources, such as radios. Say the government does ban fast food advertisements during children’s TV shows. Children also watch many other programmes that adults also enjoy, but these programmes still have fast food ads during them, remember. Does this mean we should extend this ban to all television advertising? And, why stop at television when children are also exposed to radio, cinema, the internet and billboards in the street as well? But, any restrictions will be impossible to enforce, as television is increasingly broadcast by satellite across national borders and cannot be easily controlled – nor can the internet. 8.Banning advertisements is a severe restriction upon freedom of speech Companies should be able to tell the public about any legal products (such as fast-food). Children also have a human right to receive this information from a wide range of sources and make up their own minds about it. They are far from being brainwashed by advertisements, which form only a small part of their experiences; family, friends, school and other television programmes are much more important and all give them alternative views of the world.

10 Funny Bug Jokes and Riddles

There are lots of silly bug riddles and jokes out there. Here are some of my favorite bug riddles. Q: Why do ants dance on jelly jars?A: Because the lids say twist to open. Q: Where do bees wait for a ride?A: At the buzz stop! Q: What game do ants play with elephants?A: Squash! Q: What did the judge say when the stinkbug entered the courtroom?A: Odor in the court! Q: What was the last thing to go through the bugs mind when he hit the windshieldA: His rear end! Q: What did one flea say to the other flea?A: Should we walk home or take a dog? Q: What does a caterpillar do on New Years Day?A: Turns over a new leaf. Q: Why did the fly fly?A: Because the spider spied her. Q: Whats green and jumps a mile per minute?A: A grasshopper with the hiccups! Q: Whats smaller than an ants mouth?A: An ants dinner!