Perception of Black Panther Movie, Motivational Strategies of Best Companies, Leadership Theories, Delegation of Power, Innovations

This article discusses the perception of Black Panther movie, motivational strategies of best companies, leadership theories, delegation of power, and innovations. It also includes a review of the UK's 50 best places to work and the 100 best workplaces in Europe.

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS
Name
Professor
University
Location of university
Date
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Week 5 Activity Perception
Choose a film that you have seen recently, and which you particularly enjoyed. Now find a
friend or colleague who has seen the same film, and who hated it.
Discuss your views of that particular film. What factors (age, sex, background, education,
interest, values and beliefs, political views, past experience) can you identify that explain the
differences in perception between you and your friend or colleague?The movie that will be
reviewed here is the “Black Panther.” Black Panther is an American superhero film grounded on
the character of Marvel Comics of a similar name. The movie was produced by Marvel Studios
and released in 2018. The director of the movie is Ryan Coogler. T’Challa (The Blank Panther)
who is the main actor is crowned the king of Wakanda after the demise of his dad. However, his
leadership is challenged by an antagonist planning to discard the isolationist regulations of the
nation and starts a comprehensive revolution (Glenn, 2018).
A discussion with my friend reveals precise reasons as to why he dislikes the movie. The reasons
emanate from political and socio-economic factors. My friend didn’t enjoy watching the movie
as it has so many characters. The issue with this is that it becomes hard to master the roles of
each character. For instance, in the battle scene, it is quite confusing to understand who was
fighting who. Additionally, my friend says that the movie lacks a sense of direction. He states
that it doesn’t magnify one key theme. My friend also attributes her dislike for the movie due to
the screenplay issues (Glenn, 2018).
However, I disagree with my friend because of Black Panther us such a great movie. The movie
manifests the African culture which is the foundation of my roots (Tompkins, 2018). The movie
has used many characters to ensure that there is a gender balance due to the presence of women
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actors. The scenes in the movie are quite breath-taking as everything is clear and with beautiful
sceneries. To me, Black Panther is still a superhero movie as the key story is built on this.
The reasons as to why Black Panther seems to lack a sense of direction is that it aims at targeting
all the races and ages (Tompkins, 2018). The director of Blank Panther focused in targeting both
the old and the young to meet the individual differences. Blank Panther is just a wonderful movie
that requires undivided attention while watching it.
Discussion Board
Week 6 - Motivation
Visit www.greatplacetowork.co.uk and take a look at the UK’s 50 best places to work, as
well as the 100 best workplaces in ******ope. Find out what these companies do to
motivate their staff.
A review of the best place to work reveals something very special with these companies. Most of
the best companies to work in the UK aren’t big in terms of size market share, yet they have
managed to greatly satisfy their employees. Additionally, looking at the top companies to work
in Europe reveals that size and profitability don’t indicate employee satisfaction. For instance,
the Royal Dutch Shell Company is the biggest company in the UK in terms of market
capitalization, yet it is not even in the top 5 of the best workplaces. Volkswagen is also a big
company yet it has not managed to be in the top ten of the best workplaces
(Greatplacetowork.co.uk, 2018).
There are various motivational strategies applied by these companies in motivating their
employees. First, the best companies to work with provide a good compensation and benefits
package. For instance, the Sovini Group has paid-time off, whereby employees are paid even
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when on leave. The companies also provide life and medical insurance cover, a comprehensive
retirement plan, a good salary and allowances, security, paid vacations, among many more. The
employees of these companies are rewarded and recognized exceptionally after an excellent
performance (Prakash, 2016).
The communication system in these companies is also quite efficient. The communication
system is multi-dimensional and open to meet all the individual needs of the employees
(Prakash, 2016). The management of these organizations is well-organized and follows a
coherent structure and methodology when it comes to the implementation of decisions. The
employees in these companies are prioritized and further provided with the necessary resources
and materials for effective performance.
Intrinsic motivation has been prioritized by all the best companies to work in. Teamwork is
always appreciated and autonomy is guaranteed (Hryshchenko, 2017). The work environment is
quite inspiring. For instance, the Google employees have a supportive and well-equipped work
environment that promotes optimum performance by the employees. The leadership in these
companies is visionary and more of transformational. Employees are given equal chances to
sharpen their knowledge and skills. The goals of these organizations follow the SMART
approach for effectiveness.
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Discussion Board
Week 8 Activity (Leadership)
Task: Watch the following video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKUPDUDOBVo
(Ten Leadership Theories in 5 minutes)
1. What is the difference between trait and behavior theories of leadership? Are the
theories valid?
There are various differences between the behavior and trait theories of leadership. First, the trait
leadership theories assume that the leaders are born. The trait leadership theories always describe
the leader in terms of their individual characteristics such as “driven” and “charismatic.” The
behavior theories, on the other hand, hold that leadership can possibly be taught, or cultivated, by
giving the required skills to a person for him/her to be a proficient leader. When it comes to
predicting the behavior, trait leadership theories do a better job than the behavior leadership
theories. The behavior leadership theories don’t separate the cause from the effect. Trait
leadership theories do a better job as they make a distinction between the ineffective and
effective leaders (Mango, 2018).
The theories are valid as each of them has significant evidence to support its views and
argument (Mango, 2018). The two theories perceive leadership as a purposeful set of actions or
qualities that ought to be mastered. The difference in the two theories is on who should develop
the behaviors.
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2. How can organizations select and develop effective leaders? Provide 1 example.
There are many strategies that organizations can apply in selection and development of effective
leaders. First, organizations should increase the responsibilities of the leaders and give them
more ownership which will enable them to lead and do well. Secondly, organizations should
conduct talent hunt inside and outside their organizations to ensure that leaders are identified and
given the platform to perform. Third, organizations should train their employees on how to be
effective leaders. Fourth, organizations should establish opportunities for the talents within the
organization to thrive. This requires the introduction of a resourceful and supportive work
environment. Finally, organizations should inspire as well as motivate their employees for them
to be effective leaders. For instance, Google is one of the companies that are known for effective
and outstanding leadership. Google provides a platform for its leaders to nurture their talents
hence becoming effective. Google leaders are always inspired, provided with a resourceful and
supportive work environment, as well as the application of an effective communication strategy
that grows their knowledge and skills (Prewitt, 2017).
Discussion Board Week 9 (Power & Politics)
Please read the following case study from your prescribed textbook and answer the 4
questions at the end: Case Study: Delegate power or keep it close?" p.360
Question 1
If I were Samantha Parks, I would employ various strategies in prioritizing the projects or arts to
delegate. First, I would assess the difficulty of the activity and the significance it has. In case the
project requires some skills that the juniors don’t have, I would take the initiative of completing
it alone. In case the other team members have the ability to complete the task more effectively, I
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would then delegate it to them. The importance of the project should also be considered. Some
projects should not be delegated as they can lead to some serious ramifications that affect the
whole organization (Davidson Frame, 2014).
Question 2
Parks can effectively deal with these concerns by having trust towards the people whom she
employed. Parks should trust that her employees will proficiently complete their assigned roles
without any failure. Parks hire creative people to facilitate the project work as she couldn’t
manage this. Samantha should trust her employees and continually monitor their progress to
ensure that she is more of a transformational leader than a commanding leader (DeMaria, 2017).
Question3
I believe that it is not a good idea for the executives to try to control the projects for them to
maintain their authority. The executives should guide other people for their individual goals and
objectives to be met effectively. In case the executives take more time in controlling the projects,
they will not have enough time to attend to other organizational matters. The executives should
understand that controlling projects don’t maintain their authority as people are not likely to buy
projects which they didn’t actively implement. Executives have the right of controlling projects
and keeping in on the loop on vital decisions; however, they should not focus so much on this.
Executives should have the knowledge of whatever is transpiring in the organization for them to
effectively manage the business (DeMaria, 2017).
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Question 4
The top executives should delegate a number of activities. The activities include employment
decisions, discipline, motivation, recognition and praise, performance appraisals, development,
and reorganizations. These are the activities that require direct management control (Chou,
2017).
Discussion Board
Week 11 (Organisational Change) Answers the following questions:
1. Identify three to five sustaining innovations that have affected you over the past year
A sustaining innovation involves the making of multiple incremental advances in processes,
methods, or technology. There are various sustaining innovations that have greatly affected me
over the past year. First, the introduction of the social media marketing has greatly affected me. I
now have to be in almost all the social media platforms for me to successfully learn the
marketing trends and better products. Secondly, the adoption of customer surveys has added
more bulk to the roles and responsibilities of HR professionals in the organization. As the HR
professional of my organization, I have been forced to conduct and analyze the customer surveys
as they are very important in the firm’s performance. Third, the adoption of phone-based and
online consumer communications has adversely affected my interactions with the sellers. The
phones based communications sometimes delay the inquiry and consultation process as there are
many customers trying to contact the seller. Online communication through the use of platforms
such as Facebook is also challenging as some organizations such as the PayPal have introduced
robotic-supported chats (Campbell, 2018).
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2. Identify three to five disruptive innovations that have affected you. Did you welcome
these innovations because they were Beneficial’s, or did you have cause to complain?
There are various disruptive innovations that have affected me greatly. First, the artificial
intelligence has made computers and other types of machines to exhibit some special
intelligence. Computers can now copy the cognitive ability of human in solving problems and
learning. Secondly, the application of 3D printing has made anything to be created by just
printing. Car industries are applying this technology in making cares. Third, the invention of
robots has made it easier to perform a task that was deemed to be very hard. Robots are now
being used in every industry due to t their effectiveness. I welcomed the disruptive innovations
mentioned as they were very beneficial to the whole human society. The robots have made it
easy to complete a hard task. The 3D printing has promoted faster and effective product which
has lowered the cost of products. I believe the named disruptive innovations are quite beneficial
and they cannot be resisted (Kumaraswamy, Garud and Ansari, 2018).
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References:
Campbell, T. (2018). Sustaining Creativity. Cultural Trends, 27(1), pp.46-47.
Chou, C. (2017). Strategic Delegation and Vertical Integration. Managerial and Decision
Economics, 35(8), pp.580-586.
Davidson Frame, J. (2014). Reconstructing Project Management. Project Management Journal,
45(1), pp.e2-e2.
DeMaria, A. (2017). Elements of Effective Employee Relations. Management Report for
Nonunion Organizations, 40(12), pp.3-4.
Glenn, D. (2018). The Political Genius of Erik Killmonger in Black Panther. SSRN Electronic
Journal.
Greatplacetowork.co.uk. (2018). Great Place to Work® UK - Building and recognising
successful workplaces. [online] Available at: http://www.greatplacetowork.co.uk/ [Accessed 18
Sep. 2018].
Hryshchenko, S. (2017). MOTIVATION FOR EFFECTIVE WORK STAFF SOCIAL
SERVICES. SCIENTIFIC BULLETIN OF POLISSIA, 2(1(9), pp.110-114.
Kumaraswamy, A., Garud, R. and Ansari, S. (2018). Perspectives on Disruptive Innovations.
SSRN Electronic Journal.
Mango, E. (2018). Rethinking Leadership Theories. Open Journal of Leadership, 07(01), pp.57-
88.
Prakash, B. (2016). Leadership and Employee Motivation: Moderating Role of Gender.
Adhyayan: A Journal of Management Sciences, 5(1).
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Prewitt, V. (2017). Leadership development for learning organizations. Leadership &
Organization Development Journal, 24(2), pp.58-61.
Tompkins, J. (2018). Woke Hollywood, All Hype the Black Panther. Film Criticism, 42(4).
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