Free Essays: Frankenstein and the Enlightenment :: Frankenstein essays

Many people say that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein postdates the Enlightenment; that it is a looking-back on the cultural phenomenon after its completion, and a first uncertain reaction to the movement. I must disagree. There is no "after the Enlightenment." A civilization does not simply stop learning. Where is the point at which someone stands up and says, "Okay, that's enough Enlightening for now, I think we're good for another few centuries"? For better or for worse, the Enlightenment is still going on today. As the Information Age advances, we continue to invent and build. Exploration now reaches to the depths of the oceans and the nearer regions of space. We peer beyond the atom, beyond the sub-atomic particle, delving ever deeper into the secrets of science to find that ultimate point at which it converges with philosophy. The question is: do we want to? The picture on the cover of our edition of Frankenstein is Joseph Wright of Derby's An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump -- an appropriate scene, not only for how it recalls Shelley's mental state, but also for how well it illustrates precisely that doubt about the Enlightenment the novel was written to express. All around a table, at which a scientific experiment that harms a living creature is being conducted, are seated various people of differing social positions, and similarly differing reactions to the event at hand. A pair of inquisitive young men look on eagerly, a frightened woman turns her head away in abject horror, a young girl stares apprehensively, unsure of what to think. That young girl is us. And based on what we see in the air pump, we must decide whether we will become the frightened woman or the interested men. I find little room to doubt that Shelley is trying to instill some sense of fear in her reader. For not only does Victor Frankenstein loathe his own creation -- and let us not be mistaken, the work of the doctor is without question a symbol for the larger body of work of all Enlightenment scientists, seeking knowledge they do not understand in order to perform tasks previously thought impossible -- but the creation curses himself as well, speaking of the grotesqueness of his appearance and admitting freely to having willfully done evil. Perhaps in Shelley's mind this is indeed unspeakable. For my part, rather than view Frankenstein's monster as a symptom of the potential terror resulting from the advances of Enlightenment science, I look on it as a symptom as one of the advances made by Enlightenment philosophy.

Organizational Culture Essay

Since there are so many other competitors suddenly appear on the horizon, and Samsung have to create a lot of new creativity to face all the compete, they have to create their new organization culture. The new theme of corporate culture is â€Å"Creative†, to building a creative corporate culture, Samsung have to set a few characteristics to put into practice. Based on the research, Samsung adopting a program which is â€Å"Flexible Time† tp maximize employee creativity and another program is monitoring â€Å"Over-time Work† to help improve life quality o employees in year 2008. The material that issues regarding â€Å"Building a Creative Corporate Culture† was identified as : Samsung also promoting a creative organizational culture using some organization behavior concepts which are: * Encouraging Suggestions for Work Process Improvement Samsung Electronics implements various programs to support employees’ suggestions so that ideas can bear fruit. They offer incentives for the filing of patents, provide a knowledge management system to share expertise and knowledge amongst employees, and support community activities. They also offer incentives for idea suggestions to encourage their employees to proactively participate in knowledge sharing within Samsung Electronics. As a result, a total of 3,515 patents were filed in the U.S. in 2008. * Adopting a Flexible Time program Samsung Electronics adopted a â€Å"Flexible Time† test program in 2008 in selected business divisions to maximize the creativity of its employees. This test was the expression of their determination to shift from a time management-based corporate culture to a creativity-oriented corporate culture. Under the program, employees are empowered to flexibly manage their office hours as long as they work a total of eight hours each day. If this test proves successful, Samsung will expand the program to a company-wide level. * Work-Life Balance Because social norms have changed, an increasing number of female workers are participating in economic activities and retaining high potential employees has become the key to successful business operations. Happiness has become the overarching value of employees’ quality life, giving rise to greater social interest in balancing work and life. Therefore, Samsung Electronics also supports and encourages the employees to balance their work and life. In case anyone works overtime, their supervisor and the employee are notified to insure they comply with the legal overtime work requirements. For the creativity of the employees, Samsung Electronics also provides vacations for self-management and other vacation programs including family theme tour packages. * Welfare Programs Samsung Electronics shares and cares about its employees’ concerns over their health, children’s education and post-retirement life and helps them prepare for their future in order to enhance employee satisfaction and provide better working environments. In addition to the basic legal welfare programs such as premium subsidies for National Pension, Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance and Employment Insurance, they also provide medical subsidies, a corporate pension program, work-out facilities and condominium rental services. Samsung Electronics believe that a creative corporate culture grows out of the technological search for innovation and its application. , researchers inherently looked for â€Å"innovative† ideas and technologies. A number of failures and prejudices from the trials and errors of the development process were the largest obstacles in putting â€Å"innovative† ideas into practice. This barrier can be broken down to build stronger assurances through a number of verifications and databases. Nevertheless, these procedures can sometimes result in a waste of time. I think Samsung Electronics need to reduce the waste with more open-minded thoughts and perspectives. With an aim to realize a â€Å"Great Work Place (GWP),† Samsung Electronics has analyzed its corporate culture by utilizing the confidence index of âÅ'Å"The 100 Best Companies to Work For by Fortune Magazine since 1998. In 2007, Samsung concluded a global contract with the â€Å"Great Place To Work (GPTW)† of the U.S. for a confidence index survey of their domestic and overseas workforces, which contribute to building a corporate culture that fits their global stature. Based on the GWP analysis results, each division and department prepare and implement improvement plans to build a GWP by filling the gaps in the five survey categories which are of trust, respect, fairness, pride and solidarity. Also, 400 GWP officers supervise and implement corporate culture improvement activities at each workplace.

Leadership Theory And Leadership Theories Essay - 1936 Words

The basis upon which effective leaders are empowered does not always equate with placing the right person in the position; in fact, the extent to which leadership theories merely provide an outline of what is expected of a good leader is both grand and far-reaching. Just as a simple job description only scratches the surface of finding the right employee, the overall impact of a leader cannot be solely hinged upon the oft-inadequate specifics of leadership theories. Anyone can follow the guidelines of a given leadership theory and carry out the compulsory specifications, however, there are myriad more innate qualifications to effective leadership than what can either be taught from or redeemed by a simple list of qualifications. II. THEORIES AND LEADERS Determining what it takes to become a good leader – receptively influential, compassionate, communicative, dynamic – has long been up for debate between/among those who support various theories. Two of the most examined theories, which call upon the inherent – and perhaps even genetic - aspects of leadership qualification – are the Great Man and Trait theories. The former relies upon a patriarchal disposition, while the latter draws from a viewpoint of such characteristics being inborn. Both theories conclude that leadership ability is born not made; however, the Great Man theory presumes this is acquired from family pedigree, while the Trait theory assigns a number of commonly shared characteristics that indicate aShow MoreRelatedTheories Of Leadership And Leadership Theories1234 Words   |  5 Pagesthat they lead. This case study aims to compare three of the more popular theories of leadership. These leadership theories are situational leadership, trait theory and transformational leadership. Summary of Theories Situational leadership, developed by professor Paul Hersey and author and consultant Ken Blanchard. Their approach was based off of a 1967 article by W.J. Reddin called The 3-D Management Style Theory. In his article, Reddin discusses the need to have different styles basedRead MoreLeadership Theory And Leadership Theories1659 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have for your work, and you have to inspire team-mates and customers.†- Robin S. Sharma. For decades, leadership theories have been the source of numerous studies. In reality as well as in practice, many have tried to define what allows authentic leaders to stand apart from the mass! Hence, there as many theories on leadershipRead MoreLeadership And Its Theory Of Leadership883 Words   |  4 Pages Leadership Leadership has been around for thousands of years, yet experts are still unable to agree on a universal definition. Perhaps it is because leadership is a complex, multidimensional concept that continuously evolves. Nevertheless, explaining leadership and its theories and approaches is a monumental task (Henman, n.d.). According to Day and Antonakis (2012), leadership is essentially an influencing process. Its effectiveness largely depends on leadership behaviors and followers perceptionsRead MoreThe Theory Of Leadership Theory940 Words   |  4 PagesChapter sixteen discusses various leadership theories which can implemented by leaders to achieve success. The choice of leadership theory differs from leader to leader as they possess different vision and way of managing. A theory isn t always perfect in itself, it is the endless effort of the leaders which makes the theory a perfect one. Two approaches of leadership that I prefer are Situational Leadership Theory and Servant Leadership Theory. Among many theories I prefer these two because I tendRead MoreThe Theory Of Leadership Theory868 Words   |  4 PagesChapter sixteen discusses various leadership theories which can implemented by leaders to achieve success. The choice of leadership theory differs from leader to leader as they possess diff erent vision and way of managing. A theory isn t always perfect in itself, it is the endless effort of the leaders which makes the theory a perfect one. Two approaches of leadership that I prefer are Situational Leadership Theory and Servant Leadership Theory. Among many theories I prefer these two because I tendRead MoreTheories Of Leadership And Leadership974 Words   |  4 PagesTheories of Leadership Introduction It is true that leadership and leadership theories in general, are not scientifically precise in nature. For example, some may argue that going into an apprentice program have a higher level of task-relevance education and/or experience in the field you choose. A higher relevance than a degree in Liberal Arts. Thus, one must evaluate the apprentice program and accept the responsibility of doing the apprentice work. A degree in Liberal Arts scientifically, isRead MoreThe Theory Of Leadership Theory1411 Words   |  6 Pages I do not believe that there is such thing as a correct leadership theory, there I said it, I’ve been holding it in an jesus does it feel great to get it out. Haha what I do believe in is awesome people, people who treat other people great and treat themselves and their business, foundation or institution great now that’s what I believe in. So in the sake of great leaders I will be taking on prompt number two and constructing my own theory by using 3 examples from the book and 6 sources that I willRead MoreSituational Leadership Theory Of Leadership1542 Words   |  7 Pagespowerful people? What do they have that the average person does not? Well, that answer is leadership skills. They did not know when they were born that they were going to become big leaders, but as they were growing up they learned what skills it took to allow them to become different from everyone else and become leaders. As we all know there is no magic when it comes to leadership. You either have the leadership skills or you don’t. While it is a learned behavior that begins at almost birth and isRead MoreLeadership Theories Of Situational Leadership866 Words   |  4 Pagesidea behind one of today’s most talked about leadership theories: Situational Leadership. The model, which celebrates a multitude of leadership styles instead of a single solution, has been considered a transformative and essential new way to manage and to lead. But what does it mean to be a situational leader? Is it always beneficial to change your approach to leading the troops? In this guide, we’ll examine the development of situational leadership, study its core elements and discover the qualitiesRead MoreSituational Leadership Theory Of Leadership Essay1214 Words   |  5 PagesSituational leadership can be defined as a concept that helps understand leadership in terms of changing environment. Situational leadership theory was developed in 1969 by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. This type of leadership depends upon each individual situation. This theory requires an individual to analyze the needs according to a particular situation and then act towards it. Ability or maturity of the followers are equally important than leader who leads the situation. Situational leadership theory