Saturday, October 12, 2019
Andrea Yates and the Drowning of Her Kids :: Andrea Yates Mental Disorders Murder Essays
Andrea Yates and the Drowning of Her Kids How does a perfectly normal woman, living in a typical suburban neighborhood wind up in jail on charges of murdering her five children? On June20, 2001, Rusty Yates receives a call from his wife Andrea to return home from work. He learns that his wife of eight years has systematically drowned each of his five children in the family bath tub. She is arrested in Texas on charges of capitol murder and is convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Andrea Yates was born in Houston, Texas on July 2, 1964. In high school she was valedictorian, captain of the swim team, and Valedictorian. She graduated from Milby High school in Houston, Texas in 1982. She graduated in 1986 from the University of Texas, school of nursing. For the next eight years she worked at a cancer center for children as a nurse. At age twenty five she met her husband Rusty in the apartment complex where they both lived. Rusty and Andrea married in 1993. During their eight years of marriage they had five children. In 1998 Rusty moved his family into a three hundred and fifty square foot remodeled bus. With four young children in such a cramped space, Andrea began to show signs of mental decline. In June of 1999, Andrea had her first suicide attempt then was hospitalized and diagnosed with a major depression disorder. She was prescribed an antidepressant and released. Hallucinations, self mutilation, and the hearing of voices began. On July twentieth of 1999, Andrea made a second suicide attempt. She put a knife against her throat, and begged to die. She was hospitalized and in a catatonic state for ten days. She was injected with the antipsychotic drug Haladol, and her condition improved. The attending psychiatrist warned them that having further babies might bring on additional psychotic episodes. She was released from the hospital, placed in outpatient care, and prescribed Haladol. Upon the urging of Andreaââ¬â¢s family, Rusty purchased a home for Andrea and the children in a small suburban neighborhood and moved the family out of the cramped bus. Andreaââ¬â¢s condition began to improve to the point that she began to swim again, and socialize with the neighbors. She told Rusty that for the first time she felt encouraged about the future, but would always view their past life on the bus as failure as a mother.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Phonics vs, the Look Say Method
Over the past decades, the decline in the rate of literacy in America has baffled many. At least 20% of high school graduates are functionally illiterate, despite the education they receive in the public school system. As these graduates enter the world reading at an elementary level, they are unable to live a normal life, which leads to poverty and can lead to delinquency and imprisonment. This decline is not only a decline of literacy, but also a decline of independence, ingenuity, and responsibility.The beginning of this decline can be traced back to a certain event in the history of the public school system: the introduction of the look say method in the 1930s. Ever since the look say method, or Whole Word instruction, took the place of phonics, the number of illiterate graduates has grown higher and higher. Evidence proves that the look say method is not sufficient to properly teach students how to read. Phonics is far superior to the look say method of learning to read. First o f all, phonics is better than the look say method of learning to read because phonics has a firmer foundation than the look say method.Phonics is based on rules that the child memorizes; therefore, when he has memorized these rules, he can read almost any word he sees. A small article by the Abeka reading programs shows many rules that are taught in phonics, such as the following: ââ¬Å"When there is one vowel in a word, that vowel usually says its short soundâ⬠and ââ¬Å"when there are two vowels in a word, the first vowel says its long sound, and second vowel is silentâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Six Easy Steps to Reading,â⬠1). When the child learns definite rules such as these, he is more likely to apply them because he knows that they will not change.Sebastian Wren writes in his article ââ¬Å"Developing Research-based Resources for the Balanced Reading Teacher,â⬠he tells that ââ¬Å"children are explicitly taught the ââ¬Ërulesââ¬â¢ about the way words are written an d spelled, and they are taught spelling-sound relationships. After the teacher provides an explicit lesson in a particular Phonics rule, the child is presented with a passage text that contains many words consistent with that rule. This provides the child with an opportunity to apply each Phonics rule on a variety of words in context of the passage.The goal of the Phonics teacher, then, is to instill the children with the Phonics rules and the common spelling-sound relationships, and to teach children to apply this knowledge in sounding-out each word they encounter, making that assumption that comprehension and appreciation will be a natural consequence of accuracyâ⬠(Wren, 1). Basically, when the child is taught these rules and then given the opportunity try the rules, he will find that these rules can help him to read with ease. In contrast, the look say method has no definite rules that he can put into practice as he reads.Phonics is better than the look say method because i t has a definite set of rules that the child can apply when he reads. The look say method requires much guessing if the child does not know the word that he is trying to read. Because he has not been taught definite rules like those of the phonics method, he is unsure of how to accomplish the task of reading. In her book The Good School, Peg Tyre tells: ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËInstead of children being expected to learn individual letters by rote memory, then syllables, and finally words, they were given books with pictures of common objects.Underneath each picture was its simple name. ââ¬â¢ Kids were taught to derive meaning from words by memorizing the look of the words, or looking at the picture and guessing, or reviewing the context and extrapolating, instead of sounding them outâ⬠(96). Rather than being taught how to read using rules and hints, the children are taught to read by guessing what the word is based on the context. Samuel L. Blumenfeld explains in his book The New Ill iterates some of what the students are taught: ââ¬Å"He is taught the names of seventeen consonant letters and their sound values only as appear at the beginnings of words.What phonetic value they have in the middle of words is neither considered nor discussed. The letter is taught merely as a phonetic clue to the wordââ¬âone clue among several taught as word-attack skills. In fact, the child is not encouraged to use a phonetic clue until he has first exhausted context and word-form clues. If these fail him, then he is to try the phonetic clue of the initial-consonant soundâ⬠(74). Phonetic rules are not demonstrated clearly, and looking at the context to determine the word and its meaning is encouraged. However, simply guessing what the word is only makes the child unsure of himself.Phonics and its rules are far better to teach than the look say method and its guessing. Secondly, phonics is better than the look say method because it is far easier for the child to comprehe nd, conquer, and enjoy. In an article entitle ââ¬Å"Whole Language vs. Phonics,â⬠Sebastien Wren, Ph. D. says that the look say method is ââ¬Å"nothing more than the rote memorization of every word in the English languageâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Whole Language vs. Phonics,â⬠1). The look say method basically requires the student to basically memorize every single English word in existence, an extremely difficult feat for a young person.The article ââ¬Å"Whole Word Versus Phonicsâ⬠tells that ââ¬Å"only the smartest Chinese can memorize 20,000 of their ideograms, but Whole Word promoters expect you to memorize 50,000 to 10,000 English words. In short, Whole Word expects ordinary people to accomplish a feat thatââ¬â¢s only possible with a photographic memoryâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Whole Word Versus Phonics,â⬠1). A young student can hardly expect to conquer reading this way. Memorizing that many words is absolutely ludicrous when one could read them if they knew the simple r ules of phonics. Phonics is especially needed with someone who may be slow at learning.Blumenfeld writes it in his book NEA: Trojan Horse in American Education: ââ¬Å"Slow learners in particular found look-say ââ¬Ëoverwhelmingly difficult. ââ¬â¢ That would explain why before look-say was adopted slow learners learned to read without great difficulty via the alphabetic phonics methodâ⬠(118). The phonics method is far easier than the look say method to understand for any person. Progress with the phonics method is far more rapid than that of the look say method. The article ââ¬Å"Whole Word Versus Phonics says :ââ¬Å"Phonics, it is claimed, can teach almost all children to read by the end of first grade.The reading may be slow and halting at first, but in a few years the child is able to read ordinary books for amusement or educationâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Whole Word Versus Phonics,â⬠1). This is vastly more rapid than the look say method. The article continues: ââ¬Å"In fact, few students can memorize even 300 words per year. This difficulty is confirmed all over the Internet by lists of sight words that have third grade students learning simple one-syllable words such as: bring, clean, cut, done, draw, drink, eight, fall, far, full, got, grow, hold, hot, hurt, if, and keepâ⬠(ââ¬Å"Whole Word Versus Phonics,â⬠1).Students learning phonics would have conquered these words in the first grade, if not sooner. The progress of the look say method is significantly slower than that of the phonics method. Phonics is more entertaining for the child, whereas the look say method becomes dull and monotonous. Learning phonics is more interesting for the child because they are able to use the rules themselves and apply it to the words themselves. However, the look say method is very repetitious. Blumenfeld writes the following about his research in his book The New Illiterates: ââ¬Å"Oh is repeated 138 times and see 176.Repetitions of these two words alone must equal the entire wordage of the first Pre-Primer. What a slow, tedious, monotonous way to learn two words! â⬠(43). The look say method is dull and monotonous to the point of being just unnecessary. The children who are taught this method become extremely averse to reading because the way that they were taught is so tedious and uninteresting. Phonics is better than the look say method because it easier for the child to comprehend, conquer, and enjoy.Finally, the phonics method produces a larger number of competent, literate students than that of the look say method. Phonics gives the students a sense of definite understanding and accomplishment that can encourage them to make something of themselves. Because they feel confident, they will want to show the world what they can do. However, the reading students that the look say method produces do not feel as confident. The disappointment that this child will feel because he cannot read is acute.In his book NEA: Trojan Horse in American Education, Samuel L. Blumenfeld cites an article by Dr. Samuel T. Orton: ââ¬Å"Faulty teaching methods may not only prevent the acquisition of academic education by children of average capacity but may also give rise to far reaching damage to their emotional lifeâ⬠(111). The look say method could not only cause the child to be a poor reader but also harm the childââ¬â¢s confidence. However, the phonics method gives the child a desire to use this ability to make a name for himself.Students who cannot read well are less likely to be productive in productive in their living. In her book The Good School: How Smart Parents Get Their Kids the Education They Deserve, Peg Tyre tells of some research on the outcome of learning the look say method: ââ¬Å"Seventy-four percent of struggling third-grade readers still struggle in ninth grade, which in turn makes it hard to graduate from high school. Those who do manage to press onââ¬âand who manage to graduate fr om high schoolââ¬âoften find that their dreams of succeeding in higher education are frustratingly elusive.It wonââ¬â¢t surprise you to know that kids who struggle in reading grow up to be adults who struggle to hold on to steady workââ¬âthey are more likely to experience periods of prolonged unemployment, require welfare services, and are more likely to end up in jailâ⬠(94). Learning the look say method has wrought horrible effects on the lives of many students in terms of their future. Because these students were taught how to read using the look say method and therefore do not read well, they are most likely not going to live productively. Phonics is far better than the look say method of learning to read.Evidence proves that the look say method is not teaching students how to read properly. The public school claims that they teach children how to read exceptionally well; however, if that is the case, these students who graduate should be reading at high levels. But as more and more functionally illiterate students graduate, they find it extremely difficult to live the lives they had always dreamed for themselves because they cannot read well. This inability to read leads to many of the problems that are in society today, such as unemployment, negligence, and dependence on the government.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Literacy Education Essay
Education is provided for all, it is our federal governmentââ¬â¢s promise that education be accessible to everyone. But what if a student is not able to learn or has difficulty acquiring knowledge? They are then given the opportunity to attend a remedial class so that they can cope up with the lessons. But what if the student is not actually illiterate or in need of remedial classes but only needs a little help in adjusting to the current lesson plan? This is what Mike Rose realized as he worked his way through his own schooling and later on as an educator. During his early education, Mike Rose was not a straight A student nor did he stand out among his peers, his early school life was quite ordinary. In Lives on the Boundary, he recounted the difficulties he encountered as a middle class immigrant family but how education and his encounters with some of his teachers had freed him and enabled him to venture out into the world (Graff, 1994). He eventually graduated with a bachelorââ¬â¢s degree from Loyal University and earned a graduate fellowship with UCLA. Rose argues that students stuck in remedial classes are not necessarily there secondary to lack in intelligence but because of lack of support from a social and economic standpoint. He goes on to question standards used in evaluating intelligence and calls for a change in the standards for a more equalized opportunities in education. He also talks of changes in the way literacy is taught to students who are underprepared. He seeks to develop a new curriculum that can adapt to the needs of the students in remedial classes and that is focus on meaningful composition and critical thinking rather than on grammar and usage. He also seeks changes in the philosophy of education that goes beyond the financial benefit and education gained as measured by the usual tests. Failed Education There are times when a student is not able to learn or fails in class and the usual notion is that the child is lacking in intelligence and is placed in a remedial class in order for them to grasp knowledge. But Rose (1989) argues that ââ¬Å"more often than we admit, a failed education is social more than intellectual in originâ⬠(p. 225). What can Rose mean by this? Essentially Rose talks of the educationally underprepared students, those who are often placed in remedial classes, which was labeled as the ââ¬Ësick sectionââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëhospital sectionââ¬â¢ (p. 210) which is can already be termed a stigma to those who attend these types of classes. But in his book, Rose (1989) makes one realize that many of these students fail and fall into remedial classes not because of lack of intelligence or lack of skills but mainly because of the lack of understanding of their teachers and the lack of opportunity provided for them due to a variety of reasons not limited to the academic. He explores how these factors including their economic situation and social standings affect the performance and perception of these ââ¬Ëremedialââ¬â¢ students. He notes that the problem of dwindling academic performance and the statistics that show such problems are misguided and should be reassessed to include a broader perspective. He also notes that the current technique used in measuring intelligence and learning from a student is restricted and misrepresented and should be reevaluated. He argues that the usual approaches used in teaching literacy to students who are underprepared is essentially useless, in terms that the student learns essentially nothing if focus is given to grammar and usage and that this way only ends up in fueling the thought that the student lacks intelligence. He seeks a change in the current curriculum to a more accurate and pervasive one. Learning to Read and Write Learning how to read and write correctly is critical to a studentââ¬â¢s success in school and in later life. One of the most excellent forecaster of a childââ¬â¢s success in school is the level where a student progresses in reading and writing, but what if the learning process is inhibited by a variety of factors that includes economic and social ones that prevents a student from learning ââ¬Ënormallyââ¬â¢ as other students who donââ¬â¢t face the same circumstances as them. How can learning then be attained? In Crossing Boundaries, Mike Rose recounts his experiences with a number of remedial students who exhibited low test score results at the beginning but through his help was able to understand what was needed from them to be able pass the test (Rose 1989, p. 219). Looking at the various characters depicted in the book, one quickly realizes that a number of the characters embody the typical sample of youth in the US. These students, coming from a vast and multi-cultural society enveloping a variety of shapes, colors, sizes, ethnicity and culture also typifies the Great American Middle Class. Many of the remedial students share a common trait, which is the problem of not being able to communicate well and usually through no fault of their own. Many of our schoolââ¬â¢s youth are thrown into the lowest rung of the socio-economic ladder even though they do not belong in such places or the very least be able to crawl out of this rung. Much of their talents and gifts wasted away simply because they werenââ¬â¢t able to commune through reading and writing or was not able to grasp the basics and thereby they are left to fend for themselves. Learning is a social process as Rose points out that there is a need for the teacher to connect with the student in order for learning to be achieved, which he has accounted for in many of his experiences in his own schooling and later on in his teaching of remedial students in inner city LA. Rose suggests that once a teacher learns more about his student, it paves the way for the teacher to fully comprehend writing preferences thereby allowing for a more meaningful exchange between the teacher and the student. As an educator Rose argued that test scores and the usual competencies used to gauge a studentââ¬â¢s intelligence are obsolete in this day and age. He notes that problems of the dwindling scholastic performance of todayââ¬â¢s youth may not be as bad as it is if reforms in teaching and education are put in place in order to adapt to the needs of the remedial class that dictates an eclectic approach that cultivates the inherent intelligence of this youth that focus on creative thinking rather than focus on the traditional approach that is set on the formalities of language. As an educator and proponent of literacy this author realizes that even as one seeks to impart knowledge and guide students towards being literate, one must also be flexible and adaptable to the environment and the student they promise to teach. One realizes that each individual is different in their own rights and the teacher as a proponent of literacy should learn to embrace that individuality adapting to the needs of the student so that learning can actually take place and that the student will be open to learning. The author through this reading also notes that a teacher as he seeks to impart knowledge to his students must also learn about his students in order to really teach them and enable his students to reach their fullest capacities and this might mean adapting a different set of techniques in teaching and learning to cope with the multifarious student body that encompasses todayââ¬â¢s school setting. Conclusion Educating a student is generally academic in nature, you need to be able to teach the student the basics of the language in order for the student to be termed literate. Reading and writing concur with literacy. In a sense that when a student understands the lesson and is able to connect the words together and form a coherent and understandable statement then one can derive that the student is indeed literate. But one has to understand that simply because the student cannot comprehend the connection of various words means that they are illiterate. A variety of factors including poverty, responsibilities outside the school and lack of opportunity often leads a student to fail miserably at school. At the end of this reading the author comprehends the reality that there are a variety of students that encompass the school system and that in this sense the teacher is encouraged to develop creative ways of teaching and stimulate the significance of an educatorââ¬â¢s vocation. And part of it is learning how to cope with the different situations of various students and even teachers that hinders learning (Preskill, 1998). This author realized the significance of education and what it means to be educated, also this author notes that as education must change in order to adapt to the gush of societal demands and strains. It can be concluded that there is a need for a guiding principle that encourages the system to embrace the rich mix of language, custom and legend that is America (Rose 1989, p. 238). The reading has prompted this author to be a more sensitive educator, someone who is responsive to the consequence of labeling and a teacher who understands the bond between teacher and student. Works Cited: Graff G (1994) Disliking books at an early age. In Falling into theory: Conflicting views on Reading Literature, ed. David Richter. Boston: Bedford Books Preskill, S (1998) Narratives of teaching and the quest for the second self. Journal of Teacher Education 49(5) pp. 344-357. Rose, M (1989) Chapter 8: Crossing Boundaries. In Lives on the Boundary pp. 205-238. New York: Penguin Books.
Bell Hookââ¬â¢s ââ¬ÅKeeping Close to Home: Class and Educationââ¬Â Essay
In ââ¬Å"Keeping Close to Home: Class and educationâ⬠, a chapter excerpted from Talking back (1989) by Bell Hookââ¬â¢s, suggests that moving on with life by attending college influences individuals to hide or change the values they were raised with. She argues that people should never forget there family background or their past just because they change environments. From her perceptions of some of the students at Stanford, she also states that even the ââ¬Å"lower classâ⬠people have beliefs and values too and that it has nothing to do with what social class a person is classified as. Hooks aims her beliefs towards the lower working class people. Because hooks feels strongly about her belief, she argues that a university should help students maintain the connection with their values, so that people of different communities will feel neither inferior nor superior to others but equal. Hooks demonstrates her knowledge of values by relating her experience at Stanford where she met many privileged whites who had values that contradicted her own. For example, many of the white students appeared to lack respect for their parents. However, hookââ¬â¢s parents always taught her to show them respect. Hooks even says in her essay, ââ¬Å"I was profoundly shocked and disturbed when peers would talk about their parents without respect, or would even say that they hated their parentsâ⬠(Hooks, page 51). Also, everyone looked down upon the working-class when that was the class from which she came. Hooks states, ââ¬Å"I talked to no one about the sources of my shame, how it hurt me to witness the contempt shown the brown-skinned, Filipina maids who cleaned our roomsâ⬠(Hooks, page 50). Hooks felt hurt because her dad was a janitor. That was why it was so hard for her to look down on the working-class. Because Stanford even accepted her into their institution, hooks felt as though she needed to act privileged. When she refused, the university and its students considered her rebellious; however, if she had not refused, she would have been ignoring and forgetting the values that she had learned from her parents. The way Hooks pulls in her readers is by inspiring the audience and appealing to its emotions and values, hooks relates an example of the hard times in her relationship with her parents before she went to Stanford. In the example, she describes how her parents were reluctant to allow her to goà because they felt that a closer college also had a good education to offer. Hooks also expresses how she became upset with her parents and how her mama felt as though bell hooks lacked appreciation for her. Hookââ¬â¢s mama says to her, ââ¬Å"Your childhood could not have been that bad. You were fed and clothed. You did not have to do without ââ¬â thatââ¬â¢s more than a lot of folks have and I just canââ¬â¢t stand the way yââ¬â¢all go onâ⬠(Hooks, page 48). Later, when bell hooks attends Stanford and notices how students constantly feel anger and resentment towards their parents, she remembers that her parents raised her to show them respect. ââ¬Å"While I often needed more money, I never needed a new set of beliefs and valuesâ⬠(Hooks, page 51). Then, she realizes how important it was to maintain the connection with her values instead of replacing them with othersââ¬â¢ values. Hooks definitely expresses her professional views throughout the essay. Her views are obviously professional because she is a college graduate and has a good education background. However, when she relies heavily on her views based on her experience at Stanford, she presents her views as being convincing by showing her understanding of pressure and values from that experience. Her experience establishes common ground with the audience and proves that she is familiar about the pressures at a university. Hooks develops common ground with those in the audience who might be or have been in a university. Because people generally trust those who appear to know their topic very well, she effectively appeals to her audience. Bell Hookââ¬â¢s proves to her readers the true importance of family values and their background throughout her writing. ââ¬Å"Communication between black folks from various experiences of material privilege was much easier when we were all in segregated communities sharing common experiences in relation to social institutions. Without this grounding, we must work to maintain ties, connectionâ⬠(hooks, page 58). As hooks hints, maintaining ties may not be easy, but it is definitely possible. Hooks establishes common ground with people who have these questions, and she gives the answer in her experience of hard work. Having worked hard on handling harsh criticism and pressure without losing ties with her background, bell hooks remained strong and represented her family values that she was raised with, through her actions.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Computer Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Computer Information System - Essay Example Organizations can't survive with working in international markets with out the help of databases and computers. In an environment where competition is tough they need to carry on communications with the help of computers and keep records on databases. As more and more people turn towards environment friendly products due to awareness, organizations are compelled to turn their attention towards product of the kind that are environment friendly. Organizations got to know about this by the help of databases that showed these trends according to the records. The most important use of databases in business is to keep a track record of history about the business. This not only helps in formulating strategies by studying the past trends but also helps executives in making important decisions that are related to the organizations. A database keeps the record in relevance to its dependency and gives results that are used to deduce conclusion as to why and how something happened. For example a drop in sales due to the packing of a product might be missed by a manager, but the database can easily point it out by showing that the drop in sales started as soon as the packaging of the product was changed. As I mentioned above the reasons for using databases to conduct day-to-day operations of a business, the same case is in my organization. We use databases in order to have an edge over our competitors, to become reputable in our sector of the business and to earn profits. Reasons apart from these are also related to the implementation of databases, these include satisfying the customers to the maximum in order to enhance the business operations and to keep a track of the customer so as to study the trend of his or her behavior that helps us in giving the customers what they really want. Our organization uses the one of the most successful database application, which is easy to implement and user friendly for the employees. The name of the database application is Oracle. This software is being used widely by organizations all over the world to help in running successful business. The main function of this database application is to enable the workers here to store, change and manipul ate data in the database using queries. The database application gives us the added advantage of comparing data and suggesting future trends, which helps the organization in formulating perfect strategies. The users are first trained to handle the database though its easy but our firm makes sure that all the people interacting with the database through the database appl
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
How Political Lines or Action can affect and improve the different Essay
How Political Lines or Action can affect and improve the different sectors of the Economy in UK - Essay Example Leading publications are stuffed with articles about the political economic system of economic occurrence or a different; Specialty journals are actually started; conferences with a specific fiscal issue typically have no less than one paper about the politics on the issue, let alone numerous meetings devoted only to political economy. Simply speaking, it seems justified to talk about the new politics, economy as an important subject of recent research also to conclude that this is not simply a new fad, but a location of analysis thats here to keep. In limited, the political economic system falls in that specific class of stuff that seem pretty old as well as musty as well as quite younger and fresh while doing so (Press.princeton.edu, 2014). Politics and financial system are without a doubt two distinct fields, yet greatly associated as they said; politics cannot be fully understood without the economics in addition to vice versa. In UK, politics really end up in the matter in economics; on who have lost the money and the amount as the challenge of personal dilemma has been tackled. With the economics, they just find the problem as a mere economic crisis; but in terms of political economy, the challenge has something to do with the tricks of personal letters. Possessing these problems, political system could even be questioned in its ability on solving and producing decision on the matter. A key area regarding government economic policy could be the role that the government gives to the state within the economy. The key to your smooth running economy is usually having appeared fiscal as well as monetary insurance policies. We have to have policies that could be changed after a while to far better serve your economy overall. The UK economy has had its good and bad, and the actual economy is probably in a new downward time now, but economic and monetary policies are usually adjusted to adjust to what is most beneficial for
Monday, October 7, 2019
Change-oriented leadership trans formational and charismatic leaders Coursework
Change-oriented leadership trans formational and charismatic leaders - Coursework Example At the time of her appointment as Yahooââ¬â¢s CEO, Marissa was five months pregnant. This did not deter her ability to deliver as a leader; in fact, it motivated her to work harder. She only took a two-week maternity leave and went on to build a nursery right next to her office, which meant no telecommuting and constant access to her new-born. Suffice it to say, Marissa gravitates towards a more situational management approach whereby she is more hands-on; a practice that is unorthodox for most CEOs. For example, she takes a more direct approach to hiring staff whereby she follows strict hiring policies, which entail conducting stringent achievement and educational background investigations (Weisberg, 2013). As evidenced by employee remarks and owners of the small companies that accepted mergers with Yahoo, Marissa Mayer is a charismatic leader. David Pogue, a former New York Times columnist cites Marissaââ¬â¢s charisma as one of the reasons why he accepted her offer to join the Yahoo editorial team. In addition, majority of owners of the companies acquired by Yahoo during Marissaââ¬â¢s tenure also cited her charisma as one of the major reasons for accepting acquisition offers. They agreed to sell their companies despite prior knowledge that their companies might face possible dissolution (Weisberg, 2013). Before Marissa took over as CEO, Yahoo had not released any noteworthy new products, which caused the companyââ¬â¢s market share to plummet drastically. Since taking over, Marissa Mayerââ¬â¢s first year has been quite eventful. She commenced with the purchase of over twenty (20) small ICT based companies, a strategic decision driven by the need to diversify Yahooââ¬â¢s product range. Her ability to recognize a problem, identify alternative solutions, and settling on the best alternative solution to the problem attests to Marissaââ¬â¢s exceptional transformational leadership traits. In addition, she did not let critical bystanders
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