Executive leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Executive leadership - Essay Example Others define leadership as a process by which a person exerts an influence over others for the accomplishment of an objective or objectives thus necessitates directing the organization is such a way that is cohesive and coherent. This requires that leaders apply their knowledge, attributes including belief, values, their ethics, character and skills (Clark, 2008). "Common to all definitions of leadership is the notion that leaders are individuals who, by their actions, facilitate the movement of a group of people toward a common or shared goal. This definition implies that leadership is an influence process" (CliffNotes). The various definitions of leadership seem to have little else in common. They are technically different in many respects, which include who exerts the influence, the purpose of the influence, the way in which influence is exerted and even the outcome of the attempt to influence. These differences are not simple scholarly nit-picking; rather they reflect deep disagreement about leadership and the leadership process (Yukl, 2009). Indeed, the pursuit of knowing which leadership type is the most effective and which characters a leader must possess is a subject of many studies, college courses and class discussions. "Leadership is a subject that has long excited interest among people. The term connotes images of powerful, dynamic individuals who command victorious armies, direct corporate empires from atop gleaming skyscrapers, or shape the course of nations. The exploits of brave and clever leaders are the essence of many legends and myths" (Yukl, 2009). Gary Yukl gave the following list of leadership definitions from different authors: Definitions of Leadership -Leadership is "the behavior of an individual . . . directing the activities of a group toward a shared goal." (Hemphill & Coons, 1957, pg. 7) -Leadership is "the influential increment over and above mechanical compliance with the routine directives of the organization." (Katz & Kahn, 1978, pg. 528) -"Leadership is exercised when persons . . . mobilize . . . institutional, political, psychological, and other resources so as to arouse, engage, and satisfy the motives of followers." (Burns, 1978, pg. 18) -"Leadership is realized in the process whereby one or more individuals succeed in attempting to frame and define the reality of others." (Smircich & Morgan, 1982, pg. 258) -Leadership is "the process of influencing the activities of an organized group toward goal achievement." (Rauch & Behling, 1984, pg. 46) -"Leadership is about articulating visions, embodying values, and creating the environment within which things can be accomplished." (Richards & Engle, 1986, pg. 206) -"Leadership is a process of giving purpose (meaningful direction) to collective effort, and causing willing effort to be expended to achieve purpose." (Jacobs & Jaques, 1990, pg. 281) -Leadership "is the ability to step outside the culture . . . to start evolutionary change processes that are more adaptive." (Schein, 1992, pg. 2) -"Leadership is the process of making sense of what people are doing together so that people will understand and be committed." (Drath & Palus, 1994, p. 4) -Leadership is "the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizat

Usefulness of a companys annual report and accounts in understanding Essay

Usefulness of a companys annual report and accounts in understanding and analysing its market, productive and financial performance - Essay Example Other non-financial information is also incorporated. The report should be ample and show the company’s activities throughout the foregoing year. Annual reports are anticipated to confer to stakeholders and other engrossed persons information on company’s actions and monetary presentation. Almost every sway requires annual reports to be prepared by companies and be disclosed. Some even recommends that the annual report be filed painstakingly at the registry of the company. In case the company is among those on a stock exchange’s listing then the report have to be prepared at a more recurrent intermission depending on the regulations of the stock exchange concerned. A typical annual report should contain the following: accounting policies, cash flow statement, balance sheet, profit and loss account, financial statement, director’s report, chairperson’s statement, operating and review of finance, and auditor’s report. Other information that may be of apprehension to stakeholders may also be incorporated. For instance, a report on company social accountability or operations for industrialized firms report may be included for companies with social or environmental sensitive operations. For superior companies the annual report is a high annotation periodical that is glossy and vivid. The information provided in the report is useful to investors in order to comprehend the company’s prospect trend and its financial situation. ... The assets, company equity, and liabilities are cataloged as of a specified date mostly at the conclusion of the financial year. The only statement that can apply at a solitary point in the occasion of business is a balance sheet out of all the financial statements. In the annual report a balance sheet has to be incorporated to illustrate in a snapshot a company’s financial situation. (Jenster 2001) An income statement also referred to as the profit and loss account or revenue statement indicates how the returns of a company transform into net income. This is achieved when all the expenses and revenue have been worked out also identified as bottom line or net profit. The revenues renowned for a particular period are displayed, and the expenses and cost incurred on this revenues, including taxes and write-offs. The income statement shows the shareholders whether the company prepared or lost money for the duration of the period reported. The companies required to publish their a nnual report do not always fabricate an income statement, instead a similar statement is produced that replicates the funding foundations, compared against administrative costs, program operating cost, and other in service commitments. A statement of cash flow is a fiscal statement showing adjusts in accounts of balance sheet income impinge on cash and cash comparables. The analysis is broken down into operating, financial activities and investing. Basically, the cash flow statement is apprehensive with cash flow out and into the business. The statement incarcerates both the existing operating fallout and supplementary changes in the balance sheet. Cash flow statement is helpful in