Journal Review.Describing Trends & Reading Closely Essay

Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - Insanity within Hamlet E

Craziness inside Hamletâ â   â â Let us investigate in this paper the genuine or pretended frenzy of the saint in William Shakespeare’s emotional disaster Hamlet.  Basic conclusion is isolated on this inquiry. A.C. Bradley in Shakespearean Tragedy resolutely clings to the conviction that Hamlet would stop to be a terrible character on the off chance that he were extremely distraught whenever in the play (30). Then again, W. Thomas MacCary in Hamlet: A Guide to the Play keeps up that the sovereign pretends craziness as well as gives indications of genuine madness:  Hamlet fakes franticness yet additionally gives indications of genuine frenzy) after his father’s demise and his mother’s overhasty remarriage; Ophelia really goes distraught after her father’s passing on account of Hamlet. For both, frenzy is a sort of opportunity †a permit to talk truth. The individuals who hear them listen cautiously, hoping to discover something of substance in their discourse. Is it they, the crowd, who make something from nothing, or is it the distraught who make something out of the nothing of conventional experience? (90)  Hamlet’s discussion with Claudius is crazy language to the last mentioned. Lawrence Danson in â€Å"Tragic Alphabet† depicts how Hamlet’s utilization of the logic is unadulterated franticness to the ruler:  From Claudius’s perspective, notwithstanding, the logic is essentially distraught: its rationale is a piece of Hamlet’s â€Å"antic disposition.† Sane men know, all things considered, that â€Å"man and spouse is one flesh† just in a figurative or representative sense; they realize that lone a crazy person would search for strict truth in phonetic shows. What's more, Claudius is correct that such â€Å"madness in incredible ones must not unwatched go† (III.i.end). (70)  Hamlet’s first words in the play say that Claudius is somewhat more than kinfolk and less t... ... Children, 1899.  Felperin, Howard. â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant.† Modern Critical Interpretations: Hamlet. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1986. Rpt. of â€Å"O’erdoing Termagant: An Approach to Shakespearean Mimesis.† The Yale Review 63, no.3 (Spring 1974).  Foakes, R.A.. â€Å"The Play’s Courtly Setting.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Wear Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. of â€Å"Hamlet and the Court of Elsinore.† Shakespeare Survey: An Annual Survey of Shakespearean Study and Production. No. 9. Ed. Allardyce Nicoll. Cambridge, Eng.: Cambridge University Press, 1956.  MacCary, W. Thomas. Hamlet: A Guide to the Play. Westport, CN: Greenwood Press, 1998.  Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/village/full.html No line nos.  Â

Transactional Leadership Guide Definition, Qualities, Pros Cons, Examples

Transactional Leadership Guide Definition, Qualities, Pros Cons, Examples I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them to solutions they will be moved to act.” â€" Bill GatesTransactional leadership is effectively a leadership style that focuses on the transactions between the leader and its subordinates. Transactional leadership is a framework often analyzed in connection with transformative leadership and consequently can suffer from it. The transactional style is considered much more authoritative and stifling, although it has plenty to offer for different organizations. In this guide, we’ll explore the different concepts and ideas that have shaped the idea of transactional leadership. We’ll examine the core characteristics of the style and the different traits it requires from leaders. Before studying a few examples of transactional leaders, we’ll introduce you to the major advantages and disadvantages of this leadership model.UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS OF TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIPThe transactional leadership theory is among the older leadership frameworks around. Thinkers such as Max Weber and later Bernard Bass and James McGregor Burns are among the most influential theorist of the specific framework, having influenced its definition and theorizing. To understand the transactional leadership model, you need to examine the ideas these theorists set forward.Max Weber’s transactional leadershipMax Weber is among the most well known 20th century sociologists, with his work on leadership remaining at the centre of today’s understandi ng of different ways to lead. His core ideas on the subject were first published posthumously in 1947, in his book Economy and Society. The book was published with the help of his wife Marianne after Weber’s death, and it included all of Weber’s ideas regarding the legality of leadership and power.Economy and Society describes three distinct leadership categories: traditional, charismatic, and rational-legal or the bureaucratic style. The main points of each style are presented in the below table:Types of Legitimate AuthorityCharismatic authorityis based on the personal appeal of an individual leaderTraditional authorityis based on appeals to the past or a long established way of going thingsLegal-rational authorityis based on legal, impersonal rules that have been routinized and rationalizedSource: Slide Share presentationThe rational-legal style of leadership is the style known as transactional leadership. Weber described it as “the exercise of control on the basis of knowle dge’. The leader has the authority because they are the most qualified and because the structures support the hierarchy of power. The power lies in the position and the leader is generally thought to have gained the position due to his or her knowledge.The style also emphasizes the role of norms and rules, which have been established as the core characteristic of the transactional leadership framework.Under this style, power is on the hands of the leader with subordinates having little if any input on how things should be done. There is also no need to attract to the subordinates, such as in the charismatic style, as the position of power is sufficient to guarantee subordinates follow the leader.James McGregor Burns and Bernard Bass’ definitionWeber’s ideas were developed further in the late 1970s and the 1980s by political scientists James McGregor Burns and Bernard M. Bass.Burns introduced transactional and transformational leadership as the two core leadership theories in h is book Leadership, in 1978. According to Burns,“Leadership over human beings is exercised when persons with certain motives and purposes mobilise, in competition or conflict with others…so as to arouse, engage, and satisfy the motives of followers… in order to realise goals mutually held by both leaders and followers.”Burns understood that subordinates can have different reasons for wanting to perform under the leader and a transactional leader will be able to motivate the subordinate through rewards and punishments. To Burns, the transactional relationship is about the ‘give and take’ with the subordinates, but it nonetheless has a moral approach. The leader isn’t dishonest or unethical, but the open communication ensures both parties understand what each other are looking for.Bass extended Burns’ ideas further in the 1980s. Although Bass spent most of his research on expanding the idea of transformational leadership, he also mentioned transactional leadership in h is work. Whereas Burns felt that transactional and transformational leadership are incompatible with each other, Bass suggested that leaders could display both styles simultaneously.Bass and others identified the different reward structures with the leadership framework, which can influence how the leader manages the workforce and whether the interaction is based on positive or negative reinforcement.Behavioral approach to leadershipOne of the core assumptions and concepts related to transactional leadership is the idea of ‘the rational man’. Subordinates are considered to be rational people, with rather simplistic motivational models influencing their behavior.In essence, the theory believes human behavior can be predicted, as each person is driven by a set of needs, which the transactional leadership framework assumes to be money and simple rewards.Two main theories of human motivation have influenced the transactional framework: Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Dougl as McGregor’s Theory X.Maslow’s hierarchy of needsPsychologist Abraham Maslow first proposed his ideas around human needs in a 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. The paper discusses the different elements of human motivation and needs. For Maslow, human needs are depicted in the form of a pyramid, with the lower-level needs at the bottom and the higher-level needs at the top. Source: Simply Psychology websiteAt the bottom, the needs are the most basic one. It includes most physiological needs, such as food and sleep, and security needs. The higher the pyramid you go, the tougher the needs can become to achieve. The top needs are about esteem and self-actualization.Transactional leadership focuses on addressing the basic, lower-level needs, with only slight attention to the higher-level needs. In terms of subordinates, the purpose of the leadership is to ensure there is job security and safety, with the creation of a financial situation where the person can take of needs like housing and food.On the other hand, there is no emphasis on things such as career development or the realization of subordinate’s career goals.McGregor and Theory XIn 1960, an American social psychologist Douglas McGregor published his theory regarding human motivation. He identified two theories, Theory X and Theory Y, which both influence the way leaders should influence followers and improve operational efficiency.According to McGregor, the Theory Y group calls for participatory leadership. This is because subordinates are able to apply self-control and self-direction, without the need for punishment to guide their actions. Subordinates are highly motivated and willing to seek responsibility under the system. Therefore, leadership must be about providing opportunities to excel and to succeed.On the other hand, the Theory X has a different view on subordinate behavior and leader’s role. Under this model, subordinates are not self-motivated and interested in performing tasks. Instead, it’s the leader’s role to use punishments to motivate and activate the workforce. Just like in transactional leadership theory, the subordinates don’t mind being directed and told what to do â€" they are by nature less interested in responsibility and subordinates don’t have ambitious goals or needs the leader should fulfill.THE CORE ELEMENTS OF TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHI PTransactional leadership can be described as a ‘telling’ leadership style. In comparison to other leadership styles, such as charismatic leadership or transformational leadership, the focus of the framework is not on inspiring the subordinates or to help the group of subordinates develop. Transactional leadership’s telling qualities means it emphases performance and structure.In essence, the leadership framework refers to a situation where the leader exchanges rewards with work input with the subordinates, i.e. transactions. If the subordinate provides the leader with the work effort the leader is looking for, then the subordinate receives a reward for it.The three core building blocks of the frameworkThere are three core building blocks to the transactional framework. These are:The transactional model emphasizes supervision, although it isn’t necessarily through enhanced monitoring. The idea of supervision implies that the leader sets out specific guidelines and focuses on ensuring these guidelines are followed.The leadership style also relies heavily on organizational structure. Under the framework, emphasis is placed on rules, procedures and standards. The leader establishes these and the subordinate’s role is to follow them.Finally, performance is at the heart of the transactional model. As mentioned above, the whole leader-subordinate relationship is established on the basis of exchanges and the subordinate’s performance is at the core of it. If the performance meets the standard set by the organization, and monitored by the leader, a reward will follow. If not, then a punishment will take place instead.These three mechanisms or approaches form the basis for the style. In order for the style to work appropriately, the leader’s focus should be on ensuring these are applied throughout the organization.Really cool video on transactional vs transformational leadership. Four core assumptions of transactional leadershipAt the heart of transaction al leadership are certain assumptions the framework makes about subordinates and the role of leadership. These assumptions are used for creating the structures of leadership and establishing the operational efficiency of the organization.Assumption 1: A clear and defined leadership framework leads to better subordinate performance.The most obvious assumption of the theory is the idea that workers require a clearly defined and established leadership to perform tasks. Subordinate behavior is driven by the desire to obtain a specific reward and because of it the subordinates don’t perform well on unclear systems.The transactional framework believes that workers need limits and guidance in order to work most effectively. At the bottom of this assumption are the two behavioral theories of Maslow and McGregor, which depict subordinates as rather selfish and lazy. The subordinate simply wants to achieve certain basic objectives, but they aren’t necessarily motivated by the work in itse lf.Since the reward is more motivating than the work, it’s the leader’s role to identify what is enough for the reward and to provide the means, in the form of guidelines, for the subordinate to accomplish the task.Assumption 2: Subordinates can be motivated by rewards and punishments.Because the transactional leadership theory is built around the theories of Maslow and McGregor, the model emphasizes the importance of a reward and punishment system.As subordinates are thought to be easily motivated by things such as financial reward and on the other hand, the fear of job loss or similar punishment, the leader must use these for motivating the workforce. By creating a clear system where good behavior is outlined and rewarded, with bad behavior causing a negative reaction, the leader can motivate subordinates on his or her side and therefore guarantee productivity.Furthermore, the assumption is that the subordinates are only looking for the fulfillment of these basic needs. The le ader doesn’t need to provide extra motivation in the form of job or career development or the ability to make decisions for themselves. The most effective tool for achieving objectives is to manage the basic needs of rewards and punishments.Assumption 3: Subordinates aim to obey the leader’s instructions and objectives.The leadership style also assumes that subordinates hand out the authority to the leader when they sign a contract with the organization. In exchange for  financial and other benefits, the subordinate is provided with work, and the subordinate hands power to the leader.This exchange leads to the important assumption that the subordinate’s role is to obey the instructions and objectives set out by the leader. Unlikely in leadership theories such as laissez faire, the subordinate doesn’t have the power to make decisions or step outside the provided norms, at least not without the leader’s permission.Assumption 4: The best performance comes from scrutiny and mo nitoring.The above points lead to the final assumption, which calls for scrutiny and monitoring. Since the subordinate is motivated only by rewards and punishment, his or her performance can be inconsistent if the leader doesn’t continuously monitor it.While the system doesn’t necessarily require constant monitoring in order to work appropriately, the emphasis is on scrutiny of expectations. The leader sets out a specific list of expectations and regularly check whether these are met. If not, then a corrective action is taken and a punishment might be applied.It must be noted that the fourth assumption also implies that subordinates are not self-motivated. The monitoring is required because the subordinate isn’t motivated by the actual work but rather just the reward that follows. Therefore, to guarantee a quality finish, the leader must keep an eye on the subordinate throughout the process.Four dimensions of reward and punishmentFor the leadership framework to work efficientl y, a system of reward and punishment must be established. The system will form a part of the approaching subordinate performance â€" if the subordinate does what is expected of him or her, a reward will follow and if the subordinate fails to perform as expected, a punishment is forthcoming.The exchange between the transactional leader and the subordinates will generally fall into four possible dimensions. These are:Contingent rewards. The leader establishes goals for the subordinates. The goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely, or in other words, follow the SMART protocol. The SMART goals are explained in detail in the below table:(S)pecificDefine expectationsAvoid generalities and use verbs to start the sentence(M)easurableQuality, quantity, timeless and cost(A)chievableChallenging goals within reason. Do not assign too many goals even though each one is within reason(R)elevantLink the goal to higher level business unit goals(T)ime-boundDate or elap sed time to complete the goalSource: Change Factory website.The goals must then be linked to a specific reward, which can range from a monetary bonus to material gain. It is the leader’s role to clarify the expectations and the goals, as well as to provide the resources for the subordinate to assist in the performance. Active management by expectation. The leader can take an active role in dealing with the subordinates by focusing on the expectations he or she has set out. The role involves monitoring the subordinates as they work on the objectives. The idea is to notice deviations from the expectations and therefore, for the leader to step in and take corrective measures. The active style could help identify situations where mistakes could be made before they happen.Passive management by expectation. The other management by expectation dimension takes a more passive approach. The transactional leader will intervene only when the expectations are not met. The subordinate would hav e the power to conduct work as they want, but if they do not meet the requirements and expectations, the leader would introduce a punishment.Laissez faire. Finally, the fourth dimension of a reward and punishment system will follow a laissez-faire style environment where the leader allows plenty of freedom for the subordinates. The objectives would come from the leader, but the subordinates would often be in charge of decision-making involved in setting up the processes. The responsibility falls fully on the shoulders of the subordinates and this can create a more relaxed environment, but means often that the group lacks direction.Awesome video on transactional leadership. THE QUALITIES OF A TRANSACTIONAL LEADERThe above focused on analyzing the characteristics of the leadership framework, but what about the transactional leader and his or her qualities? In order for the framework to work as intended, the leader must possess certain characteristics, which make the leadership style e asier to implement and to manage.The key traits of transactional leadersA good transactional leader tends to showcase three essential qualities for approaching tasks and objectives: practicality, directedness and responsiveness.Let’s study each trait and its relation to the leadership style, as well as the different ways a leader could train to improve these traits.PracticalTransactional leadership is focused on the efficiency of procedures and in ensuring things are running smoothly. Since the leader doesn’t have to focus on creating a long-term vision, but sort out everyday management issues, a good transactional leader is practical in his or her approach. The leader understands how different aspects of the business relate to each other and is able to take a common-sense approach to organizing operations and solving problems.The purpose of the leadership style is to improve productivity and efficiency, not about creating the most innovative systems or coming up with new ideas. Therefore, a leader who is able to understand and solve problems that currently exist will be able to use the transactional approach to the organizations benefit.Here are  five tips for being more practical in everything you do:Be more content with the current state of things. If you are able to accept reality as it is, you will find it easier to take a practical approach to dealing with it. Please note that being content or accepting reality doesn’t mean you can’t change it â€" you just understand the realities and can find the best ways to resolve the issues you are facing.Take responsibility. Practical people also take responsibility for what they do. This is especially important as a leader, since you don’t want to be seen as someone who blames others for their own failures. Again, it’s important to understand that you can’t be in charge of everything, but when you are solving a problem or being in charge, you must be accountable and accept responsibility.Be open to o ptions and alternatives. Situations can more often than not be solved in a number of ways. You should always look at the options before you make a decision.Apply logic to your decision-making. As well as considering your options, you also need to be logical in your approach. Creativity is important, but so is the understanding of common sense and logic. You are leading the subordinates with efficiency in mind, so you need to be able to apply this to your own decision-making.Improve your self-esteem. Practical people must be confident in their own abilities, especially as a leader. You need to be able to trust in your skills and have the ability to listen to criticism with an open mind. You won’t always find your approach to be the right, yet you need to be strong enough to understand it might not be the fault of your approach, but just a chance of life.DirectiveThe transactional leader must also have a direct approach to leadership and life in general. If you aren’t able to take charge and confidently tell people what to do, then you won’t be able to perform as a transactional leader. As the previous section showed, the transactional leader has to be able to come up with the procedures and guidelines, helping the subordinates understand clearly what is expected of them.In essence, there are two key points to being a directive person in leadership. First, you need to have good communication skills to ensure you are able to outline the requirements and expectations clearly. If you feel your communication skills are lacking a bit, watch the below YouTube video and take note of the tips to improve your skills: The second aspect of being better at directing people is about your own understanding of the tasks ahead. If you aren’t aware of the different nuances surrounding the project, you can’t clearly communicate the message and to get the subordinates do what you want. In order to outline the objectives and expectations clearly, you must be aware of them fully.Therefore, always approach things through your own understanding first. Think what you want to achieve, the different ways you can achieve the goals, and the possible complications you might have. Question your own approach and find solutions to issues that you think might come up. This makes it easier to help others reach the desired conclusion.ResponsiveFinally, a transactional leader must be responsive. The whole leadership framework is based on reaction and transactions, making responsiveness a key trait for the leader. You need to be able to respond to situations where expectations are not met or they are exceeded and be able to change the course if the situation requires it.In fact, since the leadership style is more about the reaction, a good transactional leader is able to be responsive to balance out the reactionary and the responsive side of the style.Here is  how to improve your responsiveness:Stop being controlled by urgency. Whether it is the use of instant notif ications on your smartphone or responding to queries immediately, being controlled by ‘urgency’ is not a good thing. You don’t need to jump on things as soon as they happen â€" real emergencies actually happen less regularly at work than we think.Implement practical methodology. Similar to the point made above, you need to start looking at tasks in a more practical manner.Approach time with a purpose. You need to control your feelings of urgency, but you shouldn’t forget about prioritizing your time. Spending your work hours with a purpose is much better than aimlessly focusing on tasks. To-do lists are definitely worth utilizing.Take time to analyze your work. It’s also important to continue looking at your project and guidelines strategically. This helps you understand whether they are working as intended, or if you’d need to change direction. This doesn’t necessarily mean monitoring subordinates, but simply examining the established routines and wondering whether a different approach might work better.How to be a transactional leader?As discussed above, the transactional leader’s role is more of a passive approach to leading. The focus is not on continuous management and oversight, but more about the setting of objectives and boundaries. As the name suggests, the leader tends to act when things go wrong rather than actively prevent issues from arising. In order to be a transactional leader, the focus should be on performing the following three tasks.First, the leader must set clear goals and provide explicit guidance. The most crucial part of the leader’s job is to ensure the organization has a clear vision it is working towards and specific objectives along the way to help it get there. The leader alone shall decide on the approach and processes used to reach the objectives, creating a framework, which the subordinates can simply follow. Similar to an authoritarian model, the subordinates don’t get much influence over how they will perf orm the tasks required to reach the goals.Furthermore, the leader’s role is not only to focus on establishing the objectives. The framework must be detailed and include information on the specific steps the subordinates take. In essence, the leader should establish a guideline that makes operations efficient and straightforward. The idea is that the leader has been able to explain these guidelines and objectives clearly to diminish the need for further assistance. The goals and guidance available at the start of a project, for example, should be enough to limit distractions and problems and help the subordinates complete the project on time.The second point is about establishing a comprehensive system of rewards and punishments of subordinate behavior. As the above showed, the transactional leadership framework emphasizes the ideas set forward by Maslow and McGregor. As humans are considered to be motivated by a set of needs, the leader must be able to respond to these needs and u se them as a motivational tool. Both rewards and punishments can act as powerful tools for enhancing efficiency and motivation. The leader’s role is to set established systems to reward a behavior that follows the guidelines set forth by the leader and, on the other hand, use punishment as a deterrent to keep subordinates from behaving in an inappropriate manner.When it comes to developing these systems, the emphasis must be on consistency and balance. The leader shouldn’t create a situation where different people are treated differently. When there is a deviation from the established procedures, the leader must react appropriately and direct the behavior on the right track. Furthermore, the focus shouldn’t be only on rewarding good behavior or punishing bad behavior. A careful balance must be struck to maintain work security and motivation.Finally, the transactional leader must provide feedback on performance. Subordinates are better at achieving targets and following procedu res, if they are provided with constructive feedback. Even when a subordinate has been performing well, feedback can help them identify the things they are doing right. This is beneficial in emphasizing the positive behaviors and understanding the steps to a more productive process. In essence, the transactional leader reinforces good behavior of the subordinates, ensuring they continue with procedures and behaviors that are beneficial and avoid the actions that lead to punishment and negative feedback.ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIPThe discussion above has already highlighted certain negative aspects of the leadership, but should also have made you note the positive power of using this leadership style. Let’s now look in more detail what the advantages and disadvantages of this leadership framework are to get a better idea of its application.Advantages of transactional leadershipThe manner in which transactional leadership establishes clear guidelines and norms for performance can help productivity and efficiency within an organization. Subordinates will be told exactly what is expected of them, which can help them perform better. Starting a project with a clear understanding of what the end goal should look like can definitely make it easier to reach the goal. In a simplistic manner, you could say that building a house with instructions and designs is much easier than coming up the design as you go along.To this effect, the transactional leadership framework works effectively in removing doubt or uncertainty from an organization or its projects. Companies don’t have to deal with unambiguity, as they have a set of objectives to meet.Setting out clear guidelines and goals will also help in measuring success. Since the leader has set out the requirements and expectations, subordinates and the leader can quickly notice which of these has been met and which have not. In terms of learning, this kind of approach will make it easier to i dentify problem areas or the processes that seem to work effectively. By measuring performance, the leader can analyze the objectives and the processes used and tweak further goals and behaviors with previous experience in mind. Overall, the process can enhance productivity and therefore profitability.The style’s focus on rewarding subordinates that can follow instructions and who are committed to achieving objectives can motivate certain types of subordinates efficiently. People who have just started or who don’t necessarily have high ambitions can foster under the model. Transactional leadership does focus on individual satisfaction in terms of providing rewards, which is something certain subordinates might be looking for, even if some are after something else.In addition, the framework’s structure is clear to understand, especially when rewards and punishments are laid down correctly. For the subordinate, the clearly defined and implemented system offers a work environment that removes the confusion. If you perform your tasks as is expected of you, you will be rewarded for it. As mentioned above, this can provide motivation to work harder and to follow the rules. For the organization, subordinates who follow the rules can mean the benefits of fewer mistakes.Overall, the transactional leadership style is effective. The focus on achieving short-term goals can provide immediate benefits and for example help an ailing company get back on its feet. The style is especially suited for sectors such as manufacturing and sales. These are industries where objectives are easily set, procedures don’t often require a lot of tinkering, and where the workforce can be inexperienced. Furthermore, organizations with problems can benefit from the leadership framework. The directive and detail-oriented approach can be effective in cutting costs of identifying the problem areas within an organization. Therefore, a failing company could benefit from applying this type of leadership.Disadvantages of transactional leadershipBut the leadership style isn’t without its problems. For a number of organizations, the key problem of the framework can be its focus on short-term objectives. Transactional leadership is mainly concerned about the ‘here and now’, in keeping the ship afloat. But as most businesses know, a good plan should always consider the future as well.While in a crisis, a short-term focus can be essential for survival, most organizations will need long-term vision to ensure they maintain their market position. Simply by focusing on the current market and operations, the organization can be ill prepared for changes in the future. You can see this kind of lack of vision behind certain business failures, such as the case of Nokia, for instance.Although the leadership style can work well with inexperienced or unmotivated workers, not every subordinate is motivated this way or finds the rigid system favorable. The first point to make about t his is that transactional leadership somewhat assumed the subordinate to be ‘a rational man’, i.e. motivated by financial benefit. The leadership framework focuses on behaviorism, the idea that human behavior can be predicted because of its simple driving forces. But the opponents of the behaviorism theory often make the point that the view ignores other reasons for human motivation. The theory overlooks things like emotional factors and social values. For example, the idea of self-actualization, developing one’s knowledge on a topic, can act as a powerful motivation rather than just receiving a paycheck.Furthermore, the transactional model has the problem of stifling creativity and innovation within an organization. The subordinates are expected to perform tasks according to the instructions and guidelines given to them. At no point are they given the option to provide their opinion or input the current frameworks and guidelines. Therefore, the tasks are performed with the sa me procedures for as long as the procedures work. The approach is efficient, but it doesn’t take into account the option that things might be done differently and better. The subordinate’s abilities are not used in terms of improvement and ideas, but rather the role of the subordinate is just to provide the technical task of getting things done.In an organization, the reliance on the knowledge and expertise of a single person, the leader, can be problematic. While the leader might be knowledgeable and have a good understanding of the industry, anyone who just ‘listens to themselves’ can start suffering from tunnel vision. By adding different voices to decision-making and by looking forward and not just staying in the moment, the approach to solving problems can be more creative.Interestingly, transactional leadership style can cause problems if it only applies the ‘passive management by expectations’ method. As we discussed earlier, this style only reacts when the subord inate doesn’t meet the expectations. But if the leader only reacts to mistakes, correcting them can become costly and difficult. Therefore, the approach by the leader has to carefully balance the benefits of strict monitoring and a more relaxed approach to how the subordinates conduct their work.Overall, the contingent reward system has been found ineffective in studies. Jane Howell and Bruce Avolio’s paper ‘Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Locus of Control and Support for Innovation: Key Predictors of Consolidates-Business-Unit Performance’, published in the Journal of Applied Psychology in 1993, found the system to impact subordinates negatively in terms of performance. Workers showed signs of meeting only the minimum expectations and suffering from lack of work satisfaction.EXAMPLES OF FAMOUS TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSIn order to get to the heart of transactional leadership it’s beneficial to examine leaders who’ve used the framework. While the style is often used in the field of sports, with teams often rewarding or punishing players based on their performance, the transactional leader can be found elsewhere as well. Below are four examples of transactional leaders from the world of business and politics.Charles de GaulleCharles de Gaulle was a French general during Word War II and in charge of leading the Free French Forces against their fight against the Nazis and the French occupation. After the war, de Gaulle was a key figure in setting up the French Republic and served as the republic’s first president from 1959 to 1969.De Gaulle’s leadership style has often been described as transactional, as he had a direct approach to leading. He used the ‘telling’ style of leadership, where he appealed to the subordinates’ basic human needs and wanted full obedience from his subjects. De Gaulle used the reward and punishment structure efficiently, promoting key allies and punishing people who didn’t wish to follow his examp le.He held deeply nationalistic views and was against civil obedience in the form of strikes during his presidency. He, for better and for worse, wanted the French to work together to solve issues rather than to focus on their immediate economic or social concerns at the time.Transactional leadership is about action and de Gaulle’s quote “Deliberation is the work of many men. Action, of one alone” is a perfect example of understanding the essence of the framework. For the style to work people can’t continue talking and considering alternatives, but the leader’s role is to be decisive and tell people what they need to do.Joseph McCarthyAnother political figure to display the transactional leadership qualities was the US senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy entered the public limelight in the 1950s, when he took a harsh stand against the Communists. McCarthy started suggesting that Communists and Soviet spies and infiltrated the top levels of the US government and other such in stitutions.McCarthy used the transactional framework of expectations, as he took any deviation from the norms to be a sign of Communist agenda. Furthermore, he used rewards as a method for getting his followers to provide him examples of supposed spies or sympathizers. McCarthy often promoted people within his staff, who had provided him with names of possible people to accuse.Although McCarthy’s tactics went to the extremes and he was never able to prove his theories, as a leader, he used the model to justify his actions. Ultimately, his inability to look beyond led him to be censured by the US Senate.Sir Alan Sugar / AmstradBut examples of transactional leader don’t just come from the world of politics or military. The business world has introduced transactional leaders, with the British businessman Sir Alan Sugar being just one example.Although Sir Alan has been successful in his leadership of the Amstrad organization, the transactional qualities are especially evident in the way he runs his reality TV show, The Apprentice.The show is all about reward and punishment, with people who are able to follow Sir Alan’s orders being promoted and taken forward, while people who deviate from the expected usually have to pack their bags. Sir Alan understands the importance of rules and norms, because in business it’s important to occasionally put your head down and perform.Below is an informative clip of Sir Alan offering his vision for leadership and a few words of wisdom to people getting into the world of business. Tim Parker / AAFinally, there is the example of Tim Parker and how he managed to use transactional leadership in order to transform a problematic company around. He took charge of a British motoring company, AA, in 2004 and quickly noticed the problems the organization was facing. Parker identified issues with inefficiency, low productivity, and loss of members. Parker said,“The management seemed more interested in extending the brand rather th an improving the core business”.He realized that he had to set out a program of reconstruction, in which inefficiencies were noted and the people behind them punished. This meant big changes and a number of job dismissals, but Parker understood that in order to save the organization this had to be done.His approach was further validated by the fact that company profits nearly doubled during the first few months he was in charge. Furthermore, the company was in such a bad state that employees were able to see the problems themselves.Therefore, the changes that had to be implemented were understood to be essential for the company to survive.FINAL THOUGHTSThe transactional leadership framework is an effective one to use. According to Changing Minds, the style is among the more popular leadership styles in action, even though on paper many leaders don’t seem to prefer it. Nonetheless, the clarity and straightforward nature of the framework give it an advantage over some of the other styles. In order to learn to be a transactional leader, you don’t necessarily need years of experience or a deep understanding of the human brain.Yet, the straightforwardness of the style can stifle organizational innovation and cause a business to stall in development. The framework is rather transfixed in ensuring everything works in the present moment that it can forget to keep an eye on the future as well. The style is efficient and productive, but it lacks vision and creativity. Therefore, organizations that require a more flexible and long-term approach might not find the style useful.For leaders who are starting out, the transactional framework can be beneficial in learning more about leadership. It can give the basic introduction to leadership â€" instructing, monitoring and communication -and to provide the leader with the building blocks to venture into other styles.

The Young Man Has The Millennials Attitude Problem

An entrepreneur, who has an office in a building adjacent to mine in suburban Chicago, started a new company in the food business a few years ago. He’s a good guy and seemed to be doing well, but recently he came into my office, where I learned his business has hit a rough patch, and he is going to have to start working from home. As we chatted he told me about one of his problems with a young man who works for him and the difficulty the entrepreneur has had in teaching him how to get along in business. Apparently the young man has the Millennials’ attitude problem, feeling that he is â€Å"entitled to everything.† I haven’t had much experience with this generation, but I have heard similar stories from other friends of mine. This is a real concern; a lack of a work ethic in a world as competitive as ours is today is a recipe for an unprosperous future. Too many young people have been raised as the center of the universe and appear to lack perspective on how things work. I wonder if having a mentor might help. In that spirit, I would like to provide some virtual mentoring, tips from a long lifetime on little things you can do that add up to success in your career. No. 1 might be surprising: Make your bed. This is something I started doing at an early age. A recent column I read brought it home to me. During a 2014 commencement address at the University of Texas, U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven talked about why it’s important to make your bed every morning. It is a great wayShow MoreRelatedThroughout The History Of The United States, The Concept1686 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the history of the United States, the concept of marriage has changed substantially. Marriage and finding a partner is a tricky social practice in the U.S., as it brings with it the promise to share life together, finances, among many other crucial aspects of living. Today, because women and men have fairly equal opportunities to pursue their own education and careers, the concept of marriage has become challenging, causing two people who value independence so heavily to have to come togetherRead MoreNarrative Assignment : A Taxi Cab1199 Words   |  5 Pagestaxi cab. The premise is that the taxi driver is an eastern European immigrant in a college town, waiting to receive a call and when he does it is a young, drunk, male college student. The idea is that the taxi driver comes from an impoverished town, with influence from the decaying conditions of Eastern Ukraine from Russia. He is a middle-aged man with a wife and kids who come to the town (based entirely on London) to seek better living conditions than his previous home. He seems to be a cheerfulRead MoreThe Manager Conducts Team Building Activities1694 Words   |  7 Pagestheirs. Nobody knows the tag on their back, but is able to see the others tag. The manager then asked each participant to figure out the type of personality on their back and this he does by asking the questions about other participants, such as â€Å"Am I a man?† â€Å"Am I an athlete?â⠂¬  â€Å"Am I an entertainer?† The manager controls the activity by allowing the participants to answer either by yes or no. the participants are encouraged to ask other participants questions and as many as possible. The manger seems effectiveRead MoreThe Current Generational Issues Of The Workplace2002 Words   |  9 PagesNookiah MAN 3240 Research paper Millennials in the workplace Current generational issues in the workplace Millennials have already surpassed the number of baby boomers and have become the majority of the workforce in the U.S, and that number will keep on continuing to increase. But instead of expecting a stronger workforce where the old and new generation would work together to overcome the difficulties, businesses have been struggling in the hiring of millennials. The work environment has changedRead MoreWelcome To The World, Millennials! Following The Baby Boomer2650 Words   |  11 Pagesthe world, Millennials! Following the Baby Boomer generation, they are characterized by a welcome into a world with technological advances. â€Å"They are the Millennials. Different from any previous generation, distinctive in thought, perceptive, and powerful.† (Howe) The word millennial is used to describe this generation of people because of it’s original meaning. A millennial is a period of one thousand years or an anniversary marking one thousand years. Either way, just remember it has to do withRead MoreCauses Of Teen Pregnancy1232 Words   |  5 PagesAs many people know, the world is far from perfect. Every country has their share of problems that plague the citizens. There is crime and violence everywhere, although it may not always be reported. The United States is no exception to this. They are number one for many issues. Among these is the U.S. has the highest teen pregnancy rates. The causes of teen pregnancy in the United States today include substance abuse; broken homes; changes in society; and poor sexual education. For the most partRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Want, Give, Get 949 Words   |  4 Pagesof the year grades in the remorse of a lifetime, one person will stop at nothing to retrieve a future that is rapidly slipping away. In this brilliant and fascinating witty calamity about today’s millennials, it’s everyone for themselves. â€Å"Really Really† I have seen slight comforting to say about young people and their ambitions. It proposes that they feel they have been set license to act in the least decent ways probable. 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Because of its dominance, Disney’s subliminal impacts on children and even adults are presented as an enormous socialization factor throughout Hollywood. Disney’s portrayal of race and culture is predominant throughout its characters, settings and music, specifically in the last 2  ½ decades. The following analysisRead MoreLgbt Orientation And The Lgbt Community1597 Words   |  7 Pages(personal choice) or not controllable (genetically determined). LGBT members see their gender identity as uncontrollable, which i s distinguished by the fact that the person does not see the environment as responsible for their behavior. Another problem that challenges the LGBT community is discrimination in the workplace. Every day, millions of LGBT Americans go to work knowing that they could lose their job, not because of anything they did, but because of who they are. Although federal laws protect

The Violence And Its Effects On The Lives Of Contemporary...

At the center of Indigenous discourse lies the worrisome subject of suicide. Deeply embedded in Native culture, suicide has come to represent a reminder of a cruel past tainted by violent colonialism. Via inhumane assimilation practices colonialists both directly and indirectly scarred and continue to scar members of the Indigenous community. Trough post traumatic stress mechanism many trauma survivors have and continue to pass their traumatic experiences to subsequent generations. Unintentionally, they sentence their descendants to live with the wounds colonialism left on them. Through space and time the origin of such scars becomes a blur, but the pain, the mourning, the confusion resides. Accordingly, colonialism sentiment is present in the lives of contemporary Native generations. As far as Indigenous family dynamics, particularly the transmitter and receiver relationship between mother and daughter, intergenerational transmission of trauma via substance abuse, domestic violence, and identity implications can potentially result in suicide. First off, substance abuse can facilitate the transmission of trauma from mother to daughter. Whether the mother drinks throughout her pregnancy, drinks in the presence of her daughter, or neglects her child due to a substance problem, the mother partakes in the passing down of trauma in a damaging way. In â€Å"Intergenerational Trauma: Convergence of Multiple Processes among First Nations peoples in Canada† Amy Bombay et al. claim,Show MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Immigration On The United States847 Words   |  4 Pageslight an ongoing debate: is there a crime-immigration nexus? 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German Free Essays

Customs and traditions are the things that make each person, family, town or country different from one another. They can be the everyday unnoticeable kind, or they can be the extravagant ones that happen on special occasions. This section is about the cultures of Italy and Germany. We will write a custom essay sample on German or any similar topic only for you Order Now Italy, like all countries, has its good and bad. Italy is a grand and larger-than-life society whose citizens love pageantry and spectacle, emphasize a range of voices in everyday life, externalize emotions and feels and feel a commitment to the town and region of the country in which they were born. To the Italians, family and friendship are of prime importance. They try to avoid risk and uncertainty in everyday life, preserving friends over strangers and familiar over new or strange situations as their behavior in the piazza and externalization would confirm. Italians tend to be more polychromic than monochromic; performing many activities simultaneously. In the Italian community, the influence of the group is felt in the business environment. During business meetings, people will externalize their feelings and opinions about a subject. They will listen to everyone’s ideas and freely give their own opinions. In this way, their business meetings tend to be productive due to the openness displayed by everyone. However, the decisions coming out of a meeting are frequently made by one or two dominant or domineering people. The Italians tend to be aggressive and materialistic individuals due to their bias towards spectacle and externalization. They tend to cluster within those countries that are more accepting of individualism and aggressive, materialistic behavior, all of which reflect their externalized bias. On the other hand, Germans do not have a very strong concept of management as the Americans do. In Germany, it is not the manager who is the cultural hero but rather the engineer. The concept of heterogeneity never existed here. At the present, elements of the medieval guild system have survived and are still evident. For example, a very effective apprenticeship system exists both on the shop floor and in the office, which alternates practical work and the classroom courses. The worker receives a certificate at the end of the apprenticeship which is then recognized throughout the country. There are about two-thirds of the German worker population holds such a certificate and a corresponding occupational pride. And surprisingly, quite a few German company presidents have worked their way up from the ranks through an apprenticeship. The highly-skilled and responsible German workers do not necessarily need a manager to motivate them. They expect their boss to assign their tasks and to be expert in resolving technical problems. Germans have the highest rate of personnel in productive roles and the lowest both in leadership and staff roles. Section 2 In the Italian economy, there is an inherent inequity in the amount of power. When this is happening in a particular society, obviously there is inequitable distribution of wealth, jobs and opportunities. In fact, poverty is still evident in some areas at the present. Although the Italian industry has become increasingly successful, its success is not shared equally by everyone. This is because northern companies believe there is a difference in the northern and southern work ethic; they are hesitant to put up branches in the south. The large and rapid influx of workers from the south to the north has left behind people who aren’t willing to give up their customs (resistance to change) and traditions that have been followed since early European civilization. Obviously, there seems to have a resistance to change that has been embedded in the minds of the people. In this case, there will be slower progress since little cooperation is expected from the people. When there is little cooperation, there is slower growth and eventually slower chances of succeeding. Although there is openness when discussing business matters, in the Italian community, the presence of monopoly is still evident. Complete democracy is not in the hands of the people when it comes to business matters. Here, the suggestions of most of the people aren’t recognized anymore since some domineering people dominate in the decision- making, The purpose of an open communication is defeated and ideas are subject to a few if not one individual. This kind of relationship hampers growth and is not open to propositions conducive to attaining success. This will limit the country’s chance to compete in the global market and meet international demands.   Italy has been less successful in terms of developing world class multinational corporations. Instead, the country’s main economic strength has been its large base of small and medium size companies. These companies typically manufacture products that are technologically moderately advanced and therefore increasingly face crushing competition from China and other emerging Asian economies. Meanwhile, a base of corporations able to compete in markets for advanced goods and services is underdeveloped or lacking entirely. The German style of competition is thorough but not ruinous. They generally seek market share rather than market domination. German companies despise price competition. Instead, they engage in a competition on the basis of excellence in their products and services. In short, they are quality-centered individuals putting profit as the lesser priority. They compete on a price basis only when it is necessary.   The German manager concentrates intensely on two objectives: product quality and product service. His wants his company to be the best and he wants it to have the best products. The manager and his entire team are strongly product oriented, confident that a good product will sell itself. But the manager also places a high premium on customer satisfaction, and Germans are ready to style a product to suit a customer’s wishes. The German style of management is collegial, consensual, product and quality-oriented, export-conscious, and loyal to one company and committed to its long-term prospects. The German system could stifle change but not as innovative, aggressive or results-oriented as the United States management style. This system cautiously acknowledges that both employees and employers are vitally interested and concerned about the well-being of the company. It would seem that the benefits of economic success have been shared out and that the standard of living is very high. The German economy does not just help the wealthy but also care for the workers and others who might not prove able to cope with the strenuous competitive demands of a market economy. In short, it is a socialist economy. In addition, these traits have put the Germans to a different level of niche in the world of business where rapid competition and globalization gradually occurs and still have a stand-out performance. In fact, the Germans have a superior fashion in business as compared to the US, thus, proves that their management function is effective and conducive towards success and prosperity. The German economy is both conservative and dynamic. It is conservative in the sense that it draws on the part of the German tradition that envisages some state role in the economy and a cautious attitude toward investment and risk-taking. It is dynamic in the sense that it is directed toward growth–even if that growth may be slow and steady rather than spectacular. It tries to combine the virtues of a market system with the virtues of a social welfare system. Section 3 In my opinion, it is the German culture that is most similar to the US. Overall, significant cultural influences came from Europe, especially from the German, English and Irish cultures and later from Italian, Greek cultures. Because of the several immigrants that have come to the US, this has become a melting pot of several cultures. However, as compared to Italian practices, some German cultures were retained in the country. Particularly in business, although the both the US and Germany do not go along together with the concept of management, their goals and principles in business go along. Both countries are particular in the quality of products and services they produce. They both are focused on creating a healthy environment in business between leaders and employees and maintaining good relationships. Both are not dictatorial in their management approach and continuously strive for excellence, competence and stability. Both possess an inherent strong sense of individualism, always confident that they acquire the right knowledge and power to lead the business world. Both desire for constant innovation, not recessive to the modern changes and culturally adaptive. Both are risk-takers which are marks of a community that is moving towards globalization and becoming a true business tycoon. How to cite German, Essay examples

Rss Really Simple Syndication Essay Example

Rss Really Simple Syndication Essay RSS (most commonly expanded as Really Simple Syndication) is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. [2] An RSS document (which is called a feed, web feed,[3] or channel) includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an RSS reader, feed reader, or aggregator, which can be web-based, desktop-based, or mobile-device-based. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering into the reader the feeds URI or by clicking an RSS icon in a web browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the users subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds. We will write a custom essay sample on Rss Really Simple Syndication specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Rss Really Simple Syndication specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Rss Really Simple Syndication specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer RSS allows users to avoid manually inspecting all of the websites they are interested in, and instead subscribe to websites such that all new content is pushed onto their browsers when it becomes available. RSS formats are specified using XML, a generic specification for the creation of data formats. Although RSS formats have evolved from as early as March 1999,[4] it was between 2005 and 2006 when RSS gained widespread use, and the () icon was decided upon by several major Web browsers. [5] Contents [hide] 1 History 2 Example 3 Variants 4 Modules 5 BitTorrent and RSS 6 See also 7 References 8 External links History Main article: History of web syndication technology The RSS formats were preceded by several attempts at web syndication that did not achieve widespread popularity. The basic idea of restructuring information about websites goes back to as early as 1995, when Ramanathan V. Guha and others in Apple Computers Advanced Technology Group developed the Meta Content Framework. [6] For a more detailed discussion of these early developments, see the history of web syndication technology. RDF Site Summary, the first version of RSS, was created by Guha at Netscape in March 1999 for use on the My. Netscape. Com portal. This version became known as RSS 0. 9. [4] In July 1999, Dan Libby of Netscape produced a new version, RSS 0. 91,[2] which simplified the format by removing RDF elements and incorporating elements from Dave Winers scriptingNews syndication format. [7] Libby also renamed RSS Rich Site Summary and outlined further development of the format in a futures document. [8] This would be Netscapes last participation in RSS development for eight years. As RSS was being embraced by web publishers who wanted their feeds to be used on My. Netscape. Com and other early RSS portals, Netscape dropped RSS support from My. Netscape. Com in April 2001 during new owner AOLs restructuring of the company, also removing documentation and tools that supported the format. [9] Two entities emerged to fill the void, with neither Netscapes help nor approval: The RSS-DEV Working Group and Winer, whose UserLand Software had published some of the first publishing tools outside of Netscape that could read and write RSS. Winer published a modified version of the RSS 0. 91 specification on the UserLand website, covering how it was being used in his companys products, and claimed copyright to the document. [10] A few months later, UserLand filed a U. S. trademark registration for RSS, but failed to respond to a USPTO trademark examiners request and the request was rejected in December 2001. [11] The RSS-DEV Working Group, a project whose members included Guha and representatives of OReilly Media and Moreover, produced RSS 1. 0 in December 2000. [12] This new version, which reclaimed the name RDF Site Summary from RSS 0. 9, reintroduced support for RDF and added XML namespaces support, adopting elements from standard metadata vocabularies such as Dublin Core. In December 2000, Winer released RSS 0. 92[13] a minor set of changes aside from he introduction of the enclosure element, which permitted audio files to be carried in RSS feeds and helped spark podcasting. He also released drafts of RSS 0. 93 and RSS 0. 94 that were subsequently withdrawn. In September 2002, Winer released a major new version of the format, RSS 2. 0, that redubbed its initials Really Simple Syndication. RSS 2. 0 removed the type attribute added in the RSS 0. 94 draft and added support for namespaces. To preserve backward compatibility with RSS 0. 92, namespace support applies only to other content included within an RSS 2. 0 feed, not the RSS 2. 0 elements themselves. 15] (Although other standards such as Atom attempt to correct this limitation, RSS feeds are not aggregated with other content often enough to shift the popularity from RSS to other formats having full namespace support. ) Because neither Winer nor the RSS-DEV Working Group had Netscapes involvement, they could not make an official claim on the RSS name or format. This has fueled ongoing controversy in the syndication development community as to which entity was the proper publisher of RSS. One product of that contentious debate was the creation of an alternative syndication format, Atom, that began in June 2003. 16] The Atom syndication format, whose creation was in part motivated by a desire to get a clean start free of the issues surrounding RSS, has been adopted as IETF Proposed Standard RFC 4287. In July 2003, Winer and UserLand Software assigned the copyright of the RSS 2. 0 specification to Harvards Berkman Center for Internet Society, where he had just begun a term as a visiting fellow. [17] At the same time, Winer launched the RSS Advisory Board with Brent Simmons and Jon Udell, a group whose purpose was to maintain and publish the specification and answer questions about the format. 18] In December 2005, the Microsoft Internet Explorer team[19] and Outlook team[20] announced on their blogs that they were adopting the feed icon first used in the Mozilla Firefox browser (). In February 2006, Opera Software followed suit. [21] This effectively made the orange square with white radio waves the industry standard for RSS and Atom feeds, replacing the large variety of icons and text that had been used previously to identify syndication data. In January 2006, Rogers Cadenhead relaunched the RSS Advisory Board without Dave Winers participation, with a stated desire to continue the development of the RSS format and resolve ambiguities. In June 2007, the board revised their version of the specification to confirm that namespaces may extend core elements with namespace attributes, as Microsoft has done in Internet Explorer 7. According to their view, a difference of interpretation left publishers unsure of whether this was permitted or forbidden. Example As RSS files are essentially XML formatted plain text, the RSS file itself is relatively easily read both by automated processes and by humans alike. An example file could have contents such as the following. This could be placed on any appropriate communication protocol for file retrieval, such as http or ftp, and reading software would use the information to present a neat display to the end user. RSS Title This is an example of an RSS feed http://www. someexamplerssdomain. com/main. html Mon, 06 Sep 2010 00:01:00 +0000 Mon, 06 Sep 2009 16:45:00 +0000 Example entry Here is some text containing an interesting description of the thing to be described. http://www. wikipedia. org/ unique string per item Mon, 06 Sep 2009 16:45:00 +0000 Variants There are several different versions of RSS, falling into two major branches (RDF and 2. *). The RDF (or RSS 1. *) branch includes the following versions: RSS 0. 90 was the original Netscape RSS version. This RSS was called RDF Site Summary, but was based on an early working draft of the RDF standard, and was not compatible with the final RDF Recommendation. RSS 1. 0 is an open format by the RSS-DEV Working Group, again standing for RDF Site Summary. RSS 1. 0 is an RDF format like RSS 0. 90, but not fully compatible with it, since 1. 0 is based on the final RDF 1. 0 Recommendation. RSS 1. 1 is also an open format and is intended to update and replace RSS 1. 0. The specification is an independent draft not supported or endorsed in any way by the RSS-Dev Working Group or any other organization. The RSS 2. * branch (initially UserLand, now Harvard) includes the following versions: RSS 0. 91 is the simplified RSS version released by Netscape, and also the version number of the simplified version originally championed by Dave Winer from Userland Software. The Netscape version was now called Rich Site Summary; this was no longer an RDF format, but was relatively easy to use. RSS 0. 92 through 0. 94 are expansions of the RSS 0. 91 format, which are mostly compatible with each other and with Winers version of RSS 0. 91, but are not compatible with RSS 0. 90. RSS 2. 0. 1 has the internal version number 2. 0. RSS 2. 0. 1 was proclaimed to be frozen, but still updated shortly after release without changing the version number. RSS now stood for Really Simple Syndication. The major change in this version is an explicit extension mechanism using XML namespaces. 22] For the most part, later versions in each branch are backward-compatible with earlier versions (aside from non-conformant RDF syntax in 0. 90), and both versions include properly documented extension mechanisms using XML Namespaces, either directly (in the 2. * branch) or through RDF (in the 1. * branch). Most syndication software supports both branches. The Myth of RSS Compatibilit y, an article written in 2004 by RSS critic and Atom advocate Mark Pilgrim, discusses RSS version compatibility issues in more detail. The extension mechanisms make it possible for each branch to track innovations in the other. For example, the RSS 2. * branch was the first to support enclosures, making it the current leading choice for podcasting, and as of 2005 is the format supported for that use by iTunes and other podcasting software; however, an enclosure extension is now available for the RSS 1. * branch, mod_enclosure. Likewise, the RSS 2. * core specification does not support providing full-text in addition to a synopsis, but the RSS 1. * markup can be (and often is) used as an extension. There are also several common outside extension packages available, including a new proposal from Microsoft for use in Internet Explorer 7. The most serious compatibility problem is with HTML markup. Userlands RSS reader—generally considered as the reference implementation—did not originally filter out HTML markup from feeds. As a result, publishers began placing HTML markup into the titles and descriptions of items in their RSS feeds. This behavior has become expected of readers, to the point of becoming a de facto standard, though there is still some inconsistency in how software handles this markup, particularly in titles. The RSS 2. 0 specification was later updated to include examples of entity-encoded HTML; however, all prior plain text usages remain valid. As of January 2007, tracking data from www. syndic8. com indicates that the three main versions of RSS in current use are 0. 91, 1. 0, and 2. 0. Of these, RSS 0. 91 accounts for 13 percent of worldwide RSS usage and RSS 2. 0 for 67 percent, while RSS 1. 0 has a 17 percent share. [23] These figures, however, do not include usage of the rival web feed format Atom. As of August 2008, the syndic8. om website is indexing 546,069 total feeds, of which 86,496 were some dialect of Atom and 438,102 were some dialect of RSS. [24] Modules The primary objective of all RSS modules is to extend the basic XML schema established for more robust syndication of content. This inherently allows for more diverse, yet standardized, transactions without modifying the core RSS specification. To accomplish this extension, a tightly controlled vocabulary (in the RSS world , module; in the XML world, schema) is declared through an XML namespace to give names to concepts and relationships between those concepts. Some RSS 2. 0 modules with established namespaces are: Ecommerce RSS 2. 0 Module Media RSS 2. 0 Module OpenSearch RSS 2. 0 Module BitTorrent and RSS Several BitTorrent-based peer-to-peer applications also support RSS. Such feeds (also known as Torrent/RSS-es or Torrentcasts) allow client applications to download files automatically from the moment the RSS reader detects them (also known as Broadcatching). See also Atom (standard) Comparison of RSS Readers DataPortability Mashup RSS Reader Simple Sharing Extensions