Culture Research Paper - 1925 Words

Culture (Research Paper Sample) Content: CULTURE AND CONSUMPTIONNameClassAffiliationInstructorDateIn a global economy, it is crucial for business organizations to understand the impact of culture on consumer behaviour. Cultural influence manifests itself in thinking patterns, values, beliefs, and decision- making (Hinner 2007, p. 3). Understanding of culture is an important element for those businesses that wish to remain competitive, profitable, and sustainable. It is crucial for businesses to understand consumer behaviour, in order to come up with products that suit the needs of the targeted markets. Culture influences consumer behaviour, and this is a crucial aspect to consider in strategic positioning of a business. The culture of people determines their likes and dislikes, and what is acceptable at a certain culture may be a taboo at the other culture. Hence, a business cannot afford to downplay the effects of culture on consumer behaviour. An understanding of culture and consumer behaviour helps in inf orming business operators on production and marketing strategies, in order to achieve profitability, competitiveness, and sustainability. This paper explores the culture, consumer behaviour, marketing, and the effects that they have on businesses.Culture can be defined as the total summation of customs, beliefs, and values, which serve to direct consumer behaviour of people in a particular society (Tyagi, Kumar 2004, P. 68). The value and beliefs culture components refer to the accrued priorities and feelings that individual possess on products. The nature of culture is based on the facts that culture is an acquired quality, is communicative, idealistic, and dynamic, fulfils some needs, and is social (Tyagi, Kumar 2004, P. 69). Consumer behaviour is dynamic and shifts with political, economical, technological, and other changes that are inevitable in the contemporary world. Business operators should adapt to various change demands, in order to meet the needs of the customers. Cust omers expect constant supply of goods and services that meet their needs, are fairly priced, and of high quality. Mooij defines consumer behaviour, as the processes involved while people choose, use, purchase, and dispose ideas, products, services, or experiences, effort to satisfy their human needs (Mooij 2011, p. 20). In order to understand consumer behavior, it is important to integrate culture in the different aspects of consumer behavior theory. The theories of consumer behavior are derived within cultures. This means studying the cultural variations of different groups. Marketers should integrate culture in different constituents of human behavior, in order to understand the cultural influences on consumer behavior.Ethical and legal considerations influence the consumer decisions to buy a product. Business operators that wish to enhance the success of their businesses must show socio corporate responsibility towards the public, build, and maintain positive relationships with t he stakeholders. This builds trust and loyalty, which enhances a brand name of the business. According to Hodgson, companies should concentrate of meeting human needs, instead of concentrating on manipulating human desires and wants through marketing (Hodgson 2003, p. 1). He further proposes that the most strong forms of persuasion do not arise from marketing efforts, but from cultural values such as history and social institutions. These are the hidden sources of persuasion, which bear a significant influence on customer preferences (Hodgson 2003, p. 2). Business operators should understand that marketing efforts would not be effective without considering the hidden persuaders that determine human preferences. Marketing efforts seek to create and reinforce cultural values and beliefs (Tyagi, Kumar 2004, P. 71). Chicago economist Gary Becker and George Stigler argue that marketing efforts such as advertising are simply meant to provide information, and cannot be the primary source of changing preferences (Hodgson 2003, p.2). According to Beckers Accounting for Tastes, model human capital social capital, and cultural variables are useful components in determination of products and services for a particular market. Social cultural changes attract behavioural response from the consumers. Hence, cultural considerations emerge as a crucial element of consideration, in order to satisfy the consumers.Advertising is a form of social interaction, by the fact that its main aim is to provide information about the existence of products. Institutions have different cultures, and embedded regulations that define social interactions. Examples of institutions include money, language, other organisations, law, and acceptable norms in each culture. Institutions have the potential to restrain and activate behaviour (Hodgson 2003, p. 7). People follow the rules repeatedly, and this forms a habit, which provides normative authority, power, and durability. Institutions work due t o the common rules is deeply entrenched in the behaviour and thoughts of the people. Habits are significant in challenging the threats of competition in a market. Established businesses that have good reputation, brand loyalty, and effective relationships with the stakeholders are at an advantage over other competitors and new market entrants. It is challenging for new entrants and other brands to convince customers who are used to, or who have formed a habit of using the products from a specific provider, to buy from them. Hence, it is important to consider other established competitors and the relationship with consumers before launching a product, especially in a penetrated market.Habits emerge as hidden persuaders, and are basis of all behaviour and thought (Hodgson 2003, p.10). Habits help in defining dispositions and preferences. Cultures influence human behaviour and preferences, and business operators should ensure that they consider the culture of a certain target market l ocation, before embarking in marketing strategies (Hodgson 2003, p. 20). External and internal factors contribute to customer satisfaction (Siddiqui 2012, p. 4135). External factors include factors such as service providers, level of service, and competition, while internal factors include values and culture of the customers. It is crucial to engage the consumer attention through any possible means, through respecting customers, creativity, and establishing emotional experience for the customers, in order to attract and retain them. In the upcoming trends, some companies have created consumer communities, whereby customers share their experiences on brands and products. These virtual communities can provide useful information on consumer behaviour and psychology (Saxena 2009,p. 7).According to Saxena, price and the value of the offer, emerge as some of the elements that influence consumer decision (Saxena 2009, p. 8). Business operators must continuously find strategies of creating value and retaining the competitive advantage. Saxena further argues that marketing should be treated as a form of customer orientation, towards fulfillment of customer needs (Saxena 2009,p9). Hence, business operators should seek to understand and satisfy consumer needs since this is the basis of consumer interest in a product. Many businesses fail due to their failure of understanding and responding to the needs of the customer. Cultural values define the needs and preferences of customers, and managers must understand and respond appropriately, depending on the cultural environment of the target market (Hoyer 2010, p. 299). For instance, in a country like China, business operators should be wary of adopting simplistic perspectives when approaching the consumers. The Chinese fundamental values are based on high power distance, collectivism, and long- term orientation (Hyunjoo Jha 2011, p. 45). In China traditional values are still embedded in consumer behaviour, and buying decis ions. Chinese consumers are different from the Western consumers. Consumers tend to prefer brands with a strong reputation, and this favours established companies with strong brand names (Hyunjoo Jha 2011, p. 48).According to Dougherty, consumer attitudes, self- concept, and values, are a source of significant influence on their buying behaviour (Dougherty 2007, p. 39). These influences are developed by the society, where a consumer lives, and are known as the social characteristics of understanding consumer behaviour. The culture, social class and religion of the consumer affect their buying decisions and these factors bear an influence on the consumer behaviour (Dougherty 2007, p. 39). For instance, culture affects marketing efforts since it affects consumer choices. Hence, culture plays a major role in determining marketing efforts. Culture forms a fundamental cause of peoples behaviour and wants, which has a great influence on buying behaviour. For instance, in a food company that operates in a Muslim culture, some foods such as pork are not acceptable and they should refrain from selling such products, otherwise the company will fail. However, cultural changes occur gradually, and this may lead to a shift in the market focus (Dougherty 2007, p. 40). In the society, social classes sometimes divide people, which constitutes of lower, middle, and upper class. Various classes have different needs and marketers should consider the influences of social class on consumer behaviour (Blythe 2008,p. 184). Social class has an influence on consumer lifestyles and this provides marketers with hindsight on the type of products that suit a specific social class. Some specific cultural dimensions make it a significant force in human behaviour regulation (Tyagi Kumar 2004, p. 68). Factors such as religion, language, technology, knowledge, art, work patterns, music, products, food ... Culture Research Paper - 1925 Words Culture (Research Paper Sample) Content: CULTURE AND CONSUMPTIONNameClassAffiliationInstructorDateIn a global economy, it is crucial for business organizations to understand the impact of culture on consumer behaviour. Cultural influence manifests itself in thinking patterns, values, beliefs, and decision- making (Hinner 2007, p. 3). Understanding of culture is an important element for those businesses that wish to remain competitive, profitable, and sustainable. It is crucial for businesses to understand consumer behaviour, in order to come up with products that suit the needs of the targeted markets. Culture influences consumer behaviour, and this is a crucial aspect to consider in strategic positioning of a business. The culture of people determines their likes and dislikes, and what is acceptable at a certain culture may be a taboo at the other culture. Hence, a business cannot afford to downplay the effects of culture on consumer behaviour. An understanding of culture and consumer behaviour helps in inf orming business operators on production and marketing strategies, in order to achieve profitability, competitiveness, and sustainability. This paper explores the culture, consumer behaviour, marketing, and the effects that they have on businesses.Culture can be defined as the total summation of customs, beliefs, and values, which serve to direct consumer behaviour of people in a particular society (Tyagi, Kumar 2004, P. 68). The value and beliefs culture components refer to the accrued priorities and feelings that individual possess on products. The nature of culture is based on the facts that culture is an acquired quality, is communicative, idealistic, and dynamic, fulfils some needs, and is social (Tyagi, Kumar 2004, P. 69). Consumer behaviour is dynamic and shifts with political, economical, technological, and other changes that are inevitable in the contemporary world. Business operators should adapt to various change demands, in order to meet the needs of the customers. Cust omers expect constant supply of goods and services that meet their needs, are fairly priced, and of high quality. Mooij defines consumer behaviour, as the processes involved while people choose, use, purchase, and dispose ideas, products, services, or experiences, effort to satisfy their human needs (Mooij 2011, p. 20). In order to understand consumer behavior, it is important to integrate culture in the different aspects of consumer behavior theory. The theories of consumer behavior are derived within cultures. This means studying the cultural variations of different groups. Marketers should integrate culture in different constituents of human behavior, in order to understand the cultural influences on consumer behavior.Ethical and legal considerations influence the consumer decisions to buy a product. Business operators that wish to enhance the success of their businesses must show socio corporate responsibility towards the public, build, and maintain positive relationships with t he stakeholders. This builds trust and loyalty, which enhances a brand name of the business. According to Hodgson, companies should concentrate of meeting human needs, instead of concentrating on manipulating human desires and wants through marketing (Hodgson 2003, p. 1). He further proposes that the most strong forms of persuasion do not arise from marketing efforts, but from cultural values such as history and social institutions. These are the hidden sources of persuasion, which bear a significant influence on customer preferences (Hodgson 2003, p. 2). Business operators should understand that marketing efforts would not be effective without considering the hidden persuaders that determine human preferences. Marketing efforts seek to create and reinforce cultural values and beliefs (Tyagi, Kumar 2004, P. 71). Chicago economist Gary Becker and George Stigler argue that marketing efforts such as advertising are simply meant to provide information, and cannot be the primary source of changing preferences (Hodgson 2003, p.2). According to Beckers Accounting for Tastes, model human capital social capital, and cultural variables are useful components in determination of products and services for a particular market. Social cultural changes attract behavioural response from the consumers. Hence, cultural considerations emerge as a crucial element of consideration, in order to satisfy the consumers.Advertising is a form of social interaction, by the fact that its main aim is to provide information about the existence of products. Institutions have different cultures, and embedded regulations that define social interactions. Examples of institutions include money, language, other organisations, law, and acceptable norms in each culture. Institutions have the potential to restrain and activate behaviour (Hodgson 2003, p. 7). People follow the rules repeatedly, and this forms a habit, which provides normative authority, power, and durability. Institutions work due t o the common rules is deeply entrenched in the behaviour and thoughts of the people. Habits are significant in challenging the threats of competition in a market. Established businesses that have good reputation, brand loyalty, and effective relationships with the stakeholders are at an advantage over other competitors and new market entrants. It is challenging for new entrants and other brands to convince customers who are used to, or who have formed a habit of using the products from a specific provider, to buy from them. Hence, it is important to consider other established competitors and the relationship with consumers before launching a product, especially in a penetrated market.Habits emerge as hidden persuaders, and are basis of all behaviour and thought (Hodgson 2003, p.10). Habits help in defining dispositions and preferences. Cultures influence human behaviour and preferences, and business operators should ensure that they consider the culture of a certain target market l ocation, before embarking in marketing strategies (Hodgson 2003, p. 20). External and internal factors contribute to customer satisfaction (Siddiqui 2012, p. 4135). External factors include factors such as service providers, level of service, and competition, while internal factors include values and culture of the customers. It is crucial to engage the consumer attention through any possible means, through respecting customers, creativity, and establishing emotional experience for the customers, in order to attract and retain them. In the upcoming trends, some companies have created consumer communities, whereby customers share their experiences on brands and products. These virtual communities can provide useful information on consumer behaviour and psychology (Saxena 2009,p. 7).According to Saxena, price and the value of the offer, emerge as some of the elements that influence consumer decision (Saxena 2009, p. 8). Business operators must continuously find strategies of creating value and retaining the competitive advantage. Saxena further argues that marketing should be treated as a form of customer orientation, towards fulfillment of customer needs (Saxena 2009,p9). Hence, business operators should seek to understand and satisfy consumer needs since this is the basis of consumer interest in a product. Many businesses fail due to their failure of understanding and responding to the needs of the customer. Cultural values define the needs and preferences of customers, and managers must understand and respond appropriately, depending on the cultural environment of the target market (Hoyer 2010, p. 299). For instance, in a country like China, business operators should be wary of adopting simplistic perspectives when approaching the consumers. The Chinese fundamental values are based on high power distance, collectivism, and long- term orientation (Hyunjoo Jha 2011, p. 45). In China traditional values are still embedded in consumer behaviour, and buying decis ions. Chinese consumers are different from the Western consumers. Consumers tend to prefer brands with a strong reputation, and this favours established companies with strong brand names (Hyunjoo Jha 2011, p. 48).According to Dougherty, consumer attitudes, self- concept, and values, are a source of significant influence on their buying behaviour (Dougherty 2007, p. 39). These influences are developed by the society, where a consumer lives, and are known as the social characteristics of understanding consumer behaviour. The culture, social class and religion of the consumer affect their buying decisions and these factors bear an influence on the consumer behaviour (Dougherty 2007, p. 39). For instance, culture affects marketing efforts since it affects consumer choices. Hence, culture plays a major role in determining marketing efforts. Culture forms a fundamental cause of peoples behaviour and wants, which has a great influence on buying behaviour. For instance, in a food company that operates in a Muslim culture, some foods such as pork are not acceptable and they should refrain from selling such products, otherwise the company will fail. However, cultural changes occur gradually, and this may lead to a shift in the market focus (Dougherty 2007, p. 40). In the society, social classes sometimes divide people, which constitutes of lower, middle, and upper class. Various classes have different needs and marketers should consider the influences of social class on consumer behaviour (Blythe 2008,p. 184). Social class has an influence on consumer lifestyles and this provides marketers with hindsight on the type of products that suit a specific social class. Some specific cultural dimensions make it a significant force in human behaviour regulation (Tyagi Kumar 2004, p. 68). Factors such as religion, language, technology, knowledge, art, work patterns, music, products, food ...

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Essay Sample - How to Prevent Unequal Account Balances

Essay Sample - How to Prevent Unequal Account BalancesIf you're in need of essay samples to help you write your senior year thesis, congratulations! This is a particularly important part of your education, as this will be the time that you can begin to make a real impact on your potential future employers. If you've never undertaken an essay before, take some time to familiarize yourself with the format and its advantages.Writing an essay is an excellent way to get into college for many students, as it can be an alternative to completing a term paper. However, in order to really enjoy writing a good essay, you need to be confident in your own ability to write. A final piece of advice is to keep in mind that there is no one 'correct' style or formatting for writing essays. The more you get used to the different formats, the better you'll become at it.Start by consulting with your university's guidance counselor, who can offer you samples of essays he or she has completed. You can also obtain a variety of samples from college professors and admissions officers you might encounter on campus. Of course, you can use your personal experiences as well. Maybe you wrote a best-selling novel in high school, or you've worked on a screenplay or short story.Before you start writing, try to incorporate a final, best-of-the-best tip, this final tip comes from our own experience: remember to maintain eye contact with the reader. The average essay is much shorter than a novel, but it can sometimes feel like the longer reading if you don't keep eye contact. What this means is that you have less of a chance of making the reader want to interrupt your sentence construction and ask you questions. While a reader is staring at you for a long period of time, they will eventually lose interest and you can't blame them.Make sure that you pay attention to certain parts of the essay, such as the first few paragraphs, the introduction, and the conclusion. A lot of students go too fast in t he beginning of their essay. For example, they'll rush through their opening sentences, which are often the most important part of the essay. They may not even know what they are talking about or why they should be included.They often seem to notice the slightest or most subtle mistakes, and then just rush ahead to the end, a writer's eye focused solely on the 'hook.' It's not really necessary to rush past all these fine points because if you do, you'll begin to lose the reader. Although there are many elements of your essay that can become somewhat repetitive, they should still be included in the essay, if they aren't already.In the end, there are many people to thank for the time, energy, and resources that you've had access to when it comes to getting essay samples. Obviously, the guidance counselor and admission officer mentioned above are two of the most influential individuals.The guidance counselor is the person who will be responsible for you writing the final essay, whether it's required or not. He or she can offer you writing tips and give you ideas for essay topics, thesis statements, and outline plans. And finally, the admissions officer can help you understand the requirements for your university and, from there, you can begin to learn how to avoid overdue accounts or financial hardship.

Reasons for Choosing Health Sciences as a Career Essay

Essays on Reasons for Choosing Health Sciences as a Career Essay The paper "Reasons for Choosing Health Sciences as a Career" is an outstanding example of an essay on professional. My passion to pursue a career in health science began in my childhood days, almost all careers in the field of health science have always fascinated me making it difficult to choose one. The first encounter I had with a health setting was in high school through a volunteer program, I was more interested in occupational/physical therapy. In college, I decided to take an occupational therapy course that was being offered in order to acquaint myself with knowledge about the profession to help me decide which field of occupational therapy I would specialize in. Due to my desire to become an outstanding occupational therapist, I volunteered at the Wake Forest Camp Rehab Centre where I gained more knowledge and experience in occupational therapy to help me pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy. My character as a kindhearted person, which I inherited from my mother who has been a nurse for 15 years, is a desirable trait in this profession and determines the success of a career in occupational therapy.   My desire to make a change in people’s life has been fuelled by my compassionate nature toward occupational therapy patients who need to be cared for with a lot of patient and humility. For instance, some occupational therapists just spend 15minutes with a patient then they are in a hurry to discharge him (Kramer and Hinojosa 65). This is wrong for an occupational therapist who is required to spend more time with the patients especially if they had booked an appointment or there is no queue of other patients waiting to be treated, patients should be treated warmly to ensure they are contented with treatment after visiting an occupational therapist.

Leadership Managing Organization & Leading People- Assignment Help

Question: Conduct a leadership evaluation of your own leadership by doing the following: Reflect on the results of your Seven Habits Profile, including what those results might indicate about your leadership style. Evaluate three strengths of your leadership practice using a scholarly leadership theory. Evaluate three weaknesses of your leadership practice. Recommend three theory-based changes that you could make to maximize your success in managing organizations and leading people in the future. Answer: Introduction This paper will provide an insight to the personal leadership practice. This paper has undertaken a self assessment of leadership practice with the aid of specific tools. Seven habit profiles will be used in this case for evaluating the personal leadership practice (Buller, Schuler Schuler, 2000). Thus, this paper will help in identification of the strengths along with the weakness of the leadership practice. The discussion will be linked with the theoretical framework of leadership practice. Additionally, SMART goals will be set for facilitating personal development. Personal Leadership Evaluation Personal leadership evaluation is important as it will help in the identification of the strengths as well as limitations of the person. Therefore, the strengths need be capitalized and limitations need to be overcome for self development. This paper has focused on the self evaluation of the leadership style through conducting a self assessment of seven habits profile (Hiriyappa, 2009). Results of Seven Habits Profile Seven habits profile has been designed and proposed by Stephen Covey on the basis of the distinct phases of personal growth through these specific habits. In order to achieve personal growth, development of these seven habits is essential. Hence, it is important to assess my habits in order understand the need for improvement (Kreitner Kinicki, 2004). It has been found that in order to evaluate my seven habits; I had to put responses for 27 questions. The results of the seven habits profile are attached with this paper and this section will focus on discussing the results of the seven habits profile. Foundational habits: Emotional Bank Account: This is one of the most important foundational habits. The result demonstrates that I am quite good in keeping promises and honor other people. It also show that I prefer to not to talk negative things about people in their absence (Buller, Schuler Schuler, 2000). Life Balance: Life balance is an important aspect of life which is important to maintain. However, it has been observed that I have scored moderate in this category which implies that I am not able to maintain very good balance between work and personal life (McShane Von Glinow, 2000). Seven Habits: Be Proactive: Being proactive helps an individual to manage their activities better. I have scored well and there is lot of scope for improvement. It reflects that I have a moderate level of control on my life and activities. Begin with the End in Mind: It is essential to set a target for becoming successful. This habit indicates that one must be aware of the end or the ultimate position to achieve. It has also demonstrated moderate level of goal setting and planning activities. There is a lot of scope to improve my planning and organizing skill for ensuring success (Kreitner Kinicki, 2004). Put First Things First: Prioritizing is considered to be one of the most important success factors for the leaders. It is important to adopt the art of prioritizing things so that the entire process runs smoothly. It has been observed that I scored poor in prioritizing things which leads to a disorganized state. The results clearly indicates that the I need to put significant effort for learning the art of prioritizing work for ensuring completion of each activity on time. Think Win-Win: Thinking of win-win strategy refers to the attitude of an individual for considering benefits of others. It is very important to solve conflict by adoption of a win- win strategy which will satisfy both the parties. The results show that I am very good in resolving conflict by satisfying both the parties. It implies that I co-operate with others and concerned about the consequence of a decision for all the stakeholders (Hiriyappa, 2009). This is a very important trait for becoming a successful leader. Seek First to Understand: Interdependence is considered to be one of the most important aspects of successful leadership and personal development. The results of seven habits profile demonstrated that I am a very good active listener. It has been found that that I honor the feelings and idea of others. I am sensible and try to comprehend the perspective of other people. Additionally, while listening to someone I try to understand it from the perspective of that person instead of sticking to my point. Synergize: In order to become a successful leader it is very important to achieve participation of others. For making a project success, it is important to consider inputs from other people as it enhances creativity. From the seven habits profile, it is evident that, I do value as well as ask to share the insights of others. I strongly encourage other people to share their ideas and opinions regarding a particular decision or event. Thus, I am able to be creative while looking out for solutions and new ideas. Sharpen the Saw: This habit states that it is important to evaluate the ongoing activities along with the progress. It will be helpful in enhancing the personal development. It is true that development of new skills takes time and requires effective practice. Hence, evaluation of the ongoing practice will helps in learning the new skills fast (McShane Von Glinow, 2000). Analyzing the seven habits profile, it can be identified that I am consultative democratic leader. According to the leadership theories, democratic leadership style helps in effective decision making and improves cohesion among the teammates. The democratic leaders have been able to positively motivate others in order to achieve high level of co-operation from their end. The seven habits profile assessment has demonstrated that I encourage others to share their opinions. I respect the feeling of an individual and listen to their comments(Pencheon, 2000). I am a consultative leader as I prefer to consult others prior making decisions. I feel that it is important to consult others as it provides creative solutions and a new approach for a particular situation or event. As I found it helpful, I shall prefer to continue to be a democratic consultative leader (Bhatti, Maitlo, Shaikh, Hashmi Shaikh, 2012). Evaluation of My Leadership Practice The seven habits profile has significantly helped in comprehending my strengths and weaknesses along with the scope of developments. In order to become a successful leader, it is important to develop strategies on the basis of the present condition. Hence, this section will identify my strengths along with weakness in order to develop an effective plan for improving my leadership practice (Vecchio, 2000). Strengths The major strengths of leadership practice are: First of all, most important strength of my leadership style is my Win-Win negotiation strategy. It has been found that I prefer to satisfy both the parties who are engaged in the conflict. I focus on co-operating with others and listen to all the concerned people while making decision. It helps in resolving a conflict easily by satisfying both the parties which has a positive implication(Pencheon, 2000). Secondly, one of the most important strength of my leadership practice is I focus on listening to others perspective and ideas from their point of view instead of considering my perspective. It has been found that, when an individual feel valued, it makes him/ her more engaged into the work. It has been observed that it helps in enhancing creativity as well as productivity of a team. Hence, it will help in becoming a successful leader(Robbins, 2000). Third strength of my leadership style is I express my concern for others. I do keep promises and commitments which enhance my image and the followers trust me. I do share negative words regarding a person when he is not present. It makes me more trustworthy and responsible for leading a team. This trait helps me in motivating the followers in a positive manner (Schermerhorn, Osborn Hunt, 2000). In this context, participative leadership theory can be applied for substantiating the findings of the seven habits profile. In this section, major three strengths of my leadership style has been identified which can be explained with the theory of participative leadership. Participative leadership theory has focused on the study of a particular leadership style which considers view of others at the time of decision making (Schermerhorn, Osborn Hunt, 2008). The name itself suggests that, this leadership theory focuses on seeking participation of the people who get affected due to the decision made. According to this theory, when a leader makes decision without consulting with others, it may lead to issues as the leader may not consider all the pros and cons of the decision. Hence, it is better to involve all the concerned employees in the decision making process. Participative leadership theory is based on some assumption such as several people make better decision instead of one an d people are more committed to the activities where they are involved in the decision making (Kreitner Kinicki, 2008). Additionally, this theory believes that people are more collaborative while they are actively participating in the decision making process. A participative leader does not make autocratic decision and considers all the perspectives for reaching consensus. Analyzing my seven habit profile, it can be found that I am a participative leader. I consider perspective of all people for making final decision and adopt win-win negotiation strategy. My second strength states that I listen to others views and perspectives. This clearly reflects I am a participative leader. On the other hand, I have been able to exhibit my concern regarding others through keeping promises. Participative leader values other team members or followers and hence, from this analysis, it can be concluded that, I am a participative leader (Luthans, 2008). Weaknesses The major weaknesses of my leadership practice include the following: First of all, I am not good enough in maintain the balance between work and personal life. I get engrossed in my wok and ignore some personal engagements and duties. This may significantly affect the leadership style as I will be disturbed all the time. This may also lead to stress (Vecchio, 2000). Secondly, the seven habits profile has implied that I lack prioritizing skills. Hence, it has been observed that the important activities get lost due to the busy schedule and lack of planning. There are no specific goals set for a particular time. It is one of the major weaknesses which need to be improved (Robbins, 2000). Third, it has been identified that I give significant importance to others. Sometimes, it may lead to the internal conflict and delayed procedure as it will take more time to reach consensus if everybodys view is considered. Hence, it is important to have a little bit control over the entire procedure in order to ensure it is completed within time. Trait theory of leadership has focused on defining the specific traits of a leader which is essential for becoming a successful leader. Trait theory can be applied in order to substantiate the identified weaknesses of my leadership style. First of all, it can be found that the trait theory of leadership states that leaders are very intelligent and emotionally matured (Colbert, Judge, Choi Wang, 2012). Consequently, they will be able to maintain a balance between the work life and personal life. From the seven habit profile it has been found that, I have not been able to maintain balance between professional and personal life. It clearly reflects that I lack emotional maturity and desired level of intelligence for managing everything. Trait theories have clearly identified the characteristics that differentiate a leader from others. It has been found that job relevant knowledge, self confidence, intelligence help in managing tasks effectively. Hence, the leader is able to prioritize tasks efficiently and lead a group successfully (Kreitner Kinicki, 2008). However, it has been found that, I lack prioritizing skill which is essential for managing all the activities efficiently. It clearly indicates I lack job relevant knowledge and desired level of intelligence for prioritizing tasks efficiently. On the other hand, it has been identified that I give too much importance to others while making decision. According to trait theory of leadership, leader must be self confident and decisive. It means that, the leader will be able to make decision quickly. However, I give unnecessary importance to other people at the time of decision making which leads to delay the procedure and gives rise to internal conflict which is not desired at all (Robbins Judge, 2009). Recommendations for Personal Leadership Some recommendations can be given in order to overcome the limitations for personal development as a successful leader. It has been found that setting SMART goals will be helpful in achieving personal development. This section will provide some recommendations along with specific goals and specific activities. I must adopt the transformational leadership style which will help in managing my activities efficiently. Thus, I will be able to identify the desired changes and inspire the followers by establishing a clear vision. I must set examples for my followers and become their role model. Adoption of transformational leadership will significantly contribute in the enhancing the employee morale, motivation along with the performance of the followers. Thus transformational leadership style can help me in providing the desired spark and change in the organization. Additionally, I need to encounter challenging situation through innovation. Innovation clearly indicates creativity which wil l help in resolving an issue in a different manner. It is an important characteristic of a leader and for nurturing the creativity; I must keep myself updated regarding the surrounding activities. Thinking must be extensively practiced which will trigger the cognitive skills to come up with innovative ideas for providing a great solution. Hence, I need to consider various perspectives of a problem as well as solution. I must continue to listen to others and ask everybody to share their views as it can significantly contribute in managing people in an effective manner. The followers will feel valued and thus my leadership style will be effective in organizational settings. Transformational leaders can bring significant changes for the organization as well as followers (Bass Riggio, 2006). SMART Goals SMART goals refer to the goals which are specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic and time- bound. For me, the SMART goals will be the following: I need to learn prioritizing works through use of Action Priority Matrix. Thus, I will be able to plan effectively and manager any kind of interruption and ultimately will be able to complete the task within the given time frame. This skill need to be improved within 3 months and there must be less number of cases where deadline is missed (Robbins, 2003). The second goal is to maintain a balance between the work life and personal life. This is also essential for managing stress (McShane Von Glinow, 2000). It is recommended that I must focus on developing planning and organizing skills. Additionally, I need to focus on the time management and planning activities in order to manage activities effectively. I must focus on the win-win negotiation strategy and it will be helpful in influencing other members. Specific Actions The specific actions of the leader for meeting the SMART goals are presented in this section: First of all, I need to get an insight regarding Action Priority Matrix. The subject must be studied and it needs to be applied in real life context for prioritizing activities efficiently. Thus, time management skill can be improved. In order to manage stress, I need to focus on giving importance to both work and personal life. For managing stress, I must be able to make some time for nurturing my personal interests and relaxation. Every day, to do list must be developed where I must allocate some time for the prioritized works and personal activities (Kreitner Kinicki, 2008). Conclusion It has been found that I am a participative leader. 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