Premium Essay

Harpo Example

In:

Submitted By beast77
Words 301
Pages 2
Harpo is an organization whose entire existence relies on one person with extreme amounts of power and influence (Colquitt, J. A., Lepine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J., pg.283). Being that the company relies heavily on one individual to be successful, there are definite questions that are brought up regarding the strength of sustainment and longevity of the company.

Case Study

What are the potential dangers of having one super-powerful leader of an organization (Colquitt, J. A., Lepine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J., pg.474)?

One potential danger is relying too much on the actual power of the leader to continue the success of the organization. The company must be well-structured at the top management levels and provide lateral responsibilities, instead of being so totalitarian. The company’s senior management must lead the whole team to not only manage vertically, but also to work collaboratively and laterally with their peers, the other managers. This will build a solid management structure that will thrive in troubled times and allow for strong problem solving.

How might Winfrey go about ensuring that Harpo survives after her departure or in the event of a loss of faith on the part of the public? Is it possible to have a true leadership succession plan in these circumstances (Colquitt, J. A., Lepine, J. A., & Wesson, M. J., pg.474)?

As with any proven succession plan, a strong company vision must be present to make the plan effective. Along with a strong company vision, the management team must be comprised of committed individuals with the skills to foster the corporate culture that Oprah has established. Oprah must look for people to be part of her management team who are self-motivated, ambitious and who will never be satisfied of merely being “part of the

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Oprah

...recruited by a Chicago TV station. At this time Donahue was competition for her, but within several months of her A.M. show, she had won her 100,000 more viewers than Donahue and had taken her show from last place to first in the ratings. Her success led to nationwide fame and a role in the film, The Color Purple, in 1985. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Oprah launched the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1986 as a nationally syndicated program. Her show grossed over $125 million by the end of its first year, which Oprah received $30 million. She was on 120 channels and had an audience of 10 million people. She soon gained ownership of the program from ABC, drawing it under the control of her new production company. Harpo productions which is Oprah spelled backwards made more and more money from syndication. In 1994, there were many talk shows that were trashy and exploitative, but Oprah pledged to keep her show free of tabloid topics. Initially her ratings fell, but she earned the respect of her viewers and was rewarded with an upsurge in popularity....

Words: 1314 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Community Issues

...being un-supervised. Other people in the community speed over the limit posted and children play there and may be hit or injured. Even though the children play in the street it cause a safety risk to drivers that don’t speed or drive wreck less do to the children running in and out of the streets without looking for cars. The children are our future and they need to be protected. When a person is looking to buy a future home they want to see a nice neighborhood that looks respectable and not as if it’s a bad neighborhood. The appearance of a home in my belief can say a lot about the people who live there. Someone who takes care of their home for example pressure washing, not trash in yard, paint nicely applied. Also there are some resident that don’t have the money but the residents should do as much as they can. To give an example of this a resident in my neighborhood has fixed the garage door which is tilted half way closed and it’s not very appealing. The appearance of a residents lawn as well as home its self make a community. A yard or lawn care should at the minimum have the grass mowed. The plants should be not over grown or deceased. Living in Florida the grass isn’t always...

Words: 519 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Stress

...The poor people usually depends of this places for basic things like food or sleep,without that help some of them don`t survive winter. Most of these institutions exist thanks to donations made it by average people and not government assistance. Every day there is more people living on the streets and the help is simply not enough, even when these kind of institutions exist. The people which suffer of poverty even when we see them like a kind of dog in the street, they are human and they want a decent life like normal people. Is normal to say that those poor people are living on the streets by their own choice, but like I said before, that is ignorance. That people suffer a lot of things, even things that we never going to feel, for example the hungry . The sad of these situations is that most of these people is...

Words: 485 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Leadership & Management

...Ovar Salaam LDR/300 April 09, 2011 According to Hughes, Ginnett, & Curphy (2000), leadership researchers have defined leadership in many different ways. Leadership can be defined as the process of influencing an organized group toward accomplishing its goals or the process by which an agent induces a subordinate to behave in a desired manner. There have been many great leaders in the past that fit the definitions above but there are others that do not seem to fit the standard definitions of leadership. Some leaders just have the capability to change people and organizations. One such person is Oprah Winfrey. I think Oprah is a great example of a transformational leader. As a child growing up in Mississippi, being poor, black and overweight was not enough to stop Oprah from pursuing the dreams she had for herself. In 1986, Harpo Productions, Oprah’s production company was formed. The production company was formed with the intention of bringing quality entertainment projects into production. In 1988, Oprah made television history by becoming the first woman to own and produce her own talk show. This show was very successful allowing her to achieve great financial success. Several years later, The Oprah Magazine was successfully introduced to the world. In 2003 Oprah Winfrey became the first African-American woman to reach billionaire status as seen in the Forbes magazine list of American billionaires. Oprah is trusted by a lot of people. She is both a manager and a...

Words: 858 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Oprah Winfrey

...“Life is a journey, everyday experience will teach you who you really are.”

From a black southern child born into poverty, to one of the first African-Americans to become a billionaire, this person is an example of what some may call a “rag to riches” story. Now, at the age of 52, they own their own studio, that is worth about 1.4 billion dollars, and is admired by millions of people. But the path that led them from their grandmother’s farm, to being one of the most powerful people in the world, didn’t happen overnight. It took great determination and focus.

Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29th, 1954 in rural Mississippi to her unwed parents Vernon and Vernita. She spent the first six years of her life living with her grandparents, where she learned to read and write at an early age. Oprah once stated that if it wasn’t for her grandmother’s “foundation for success” she probably wouldn’t be as successful as she is today. Despite this, Oprah still had a tough childhood.

From age six to thirteen, Oprah lived with her mother in Milwaukee. Her mother often worked long hours damaging their relationship. In fact, Oprah’s early childhood was not typical for average American girls. She was raped, gave birth to a premature baby, and was sent to a juvenile detention facility. As a last resort, her mother sent her to live with her strict father, in Nashville.

Oprah Winfrey’s success began with her broadcasting career, which she began at the age of 17, when she was hired to read news...

Words: 737 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Types of Entrepreneurs

...ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROJECT ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROJECT Submitted TO – Ms. Neha BY – Mahima Sharma 50081 Priansha Periwal 50116 BBS 3 HR Submitted TO – Ms. Neha BY – Mahima Sharma 50081 Priansha Periwal 50116 BBS 3 HR CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG ENTREPRENEURS CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG ENTREPRENEURS Regardless of who you are or what you have been, you can be what you want to be. – W. Clement Stone Regardless of who you are or what you have been, you can be what you want to be. – W. Clement Stone Regardless of who you are or what you have been, you can be what you want to be. – W. Clement Stone ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We owe a great many thanks to a great many people who helped and supported us during the project. The project “CULTURAL DIVERSITY AMONG ENTREPRENEURS” focuses on understanding the diversity that exists among the newly emerged breed of entrepreneurs.We made an effort to understand how people from completely different backgrounds and ways of life, but with a common drive to prove their mettle, end up being their own masters. Our deepest thanks to our college professor, Ms. Neha , who acted as a constant guide and mentor in the process of drafting of this project...

Words: 12184 - Pages: 49

Premium Essay

Ad Rates

...A Advertising rates Choose from these rates which are for a 30-second commercial during the following programs: Channel 7: Thank God You’re Here $27 000 Grey’s Anatomy $22 000 Lost $5100 Today Tonight $13 500 News $14 000 (weekdays), $13 000 (weekends) Criminal Minds $16 000 Sunrise $2305 All Saints $18 900 Deal or no Deal $5895 Home and Away $14 300 Packed to the Rafters $24 000 Channel 9: News (6pm)                              $11 400 (week), $10 800(weekend) Hot Seat $2290 A Current Affair $11 400 Friday Night Football              $20 700 (Friday 7.30 pm) Sunday Football $7200 Underbelly $16 900 Two and a Half Men $12 300 (7 pm), $20 500 (Tuesday 8.30) 20 to 1 $14 700 Getaway $15 800 Sea Patrol $18 900 Funniest Home Videos $11 800 CSI $17 600 (Sunday 8.30 pm) The Footy Show                       $16 300 (Thursday 9.30 pm) RPA $14 100 60 Minutes $22 700 Antiques Roadshow $1270 State-of-Origin (NRL) $35 000 (Sydney), $20 000 (Brisbane), $12 000 (Melbourne) Channel 10: The Oprah Winfrey Show $1300 News (at 5pm) $8400 (week), $6100 (weekend) The Simpsons $9500 Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation $20 500 Master Chef $11 500 (average), $23 800 (final night) So You Think You Can Dance $11 200 (average) $21 200 (final night) Rove $16 900 Video Hits $800 Australian Idol $10 800 (average), $22...

Words: 254 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Persuasion Perspective Ibm

...Leaders and Leadership Styles Sonya Small South University Online Faculty Britt Organizational Behavior/MGT3002 November 11, 2014 Debbi Fields Mrs. Field’s at the age of 20 began her company in 1977 in Palo Alto, California as Mrs. Fields Chocolate Chippery. Mrs. Fields believed in her motto “Making people feel special and important.” Mrs. Fields did not come from a wealthy family growing up, but she had a vision for herself to become a great business woman and entrepreneur. Mrs. Fields set her company on the Leadership-participation model. “A leadership theory that provides a set of rules to determine the form and amount of participative decision making in different situations (Robbins, Judge pg. 385-386).” When she started out she didn’t wont cookies that were made of imitation ingredients she believed that her cookies should be made from real products. She also believed that happiness is found in friends, family and enjoying what you do. When Mrs. Fields began her business her husband bet her on her first day that she wouldn’t sell 50.00 worth of cookies, realizing over half the day was gone and her husband was going to win the bet she took a platter filled with her cookies out into the street and began giving out her cookies by the end of the day she had cleared $75.00. Mrs. Fields was much of a transformational leader...

Words: 1223 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Soup

...“Duck Soup” Critical Analysis: Music and Mirrors What makes an action funny? Is it because there is a major consequence if a person messes up? Is it because the person has been hurt and not seriously? Or is it just the ridiculousness of the situation? These are questions that come up when anyone discusses humor. What exactly makes a situation funny is actually a combination of many factors. The truth is always easily mocked, which is why some comedy acts are so amusing. The Marx Brothers are very capable of doing Everyone has seen the big fuss that is put together whenever a visiting dignitary visits the United States. It is always so formal and stiff. The Marx Brothers turn this whole affair on its head. First, they mock the entrance of the man of honor. In real life the person is on time and makes a stately entrance. Although there is fanfare to welcome Groucho, the man himself is late. He enters, via fireman's pole, and asks what's going on. Then he proceeds to insult everyone there. Usually a real president makes some long-winded speech about how he is going to turn the country around, and rattles off a list of everything he's going to do. Groucho breaks into song about how he's going to completely make everyone's lives miserable. Everyone agrees to what Groucho's planning to do by singing back the lines he just said. This is a great way of poking fun at the government, since half the time it really can't keep every...

Words: 1028 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Oprah, Our American Icon

...Oprah, Our American Icon Tawanda Rocafort Academic and Professional Success Assignment number 08/27/2014 Oprah, Our American Icon Let me tell you why I choose Oprah Winfrey, for my project. Oprah Gail Winfrey, originally born as Orpah Gail Winfrey is a well-known, self-made billionaire. Oprah has accomplished goals that were very challenging in that error of time for women, especially women of color. There weren’t a lot of positive role models on T.V. back then. It was an inspiration to see someone who can relate to so many people, on so many different levels. Throughout her journey in life, she has worn many faces. Oprah’s life story has encouraged so many. She was the child who felt abandoned, and unloved. She was the child who was sexually molested, the teen mother, the mother who lost her child, and the child who was raised in poverty. At some points in the home, they had no electrical power or water. Oprah was also the person who weathered those storms and made something out of herself. Oprah is known as one of the world’s “100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century”. She experienced a lot of the same issues that millions have experienced in life and yet she still succeeds. She managed to stay humble throughout her accomplishments as well. Oprah gives back in the form of grants, gifts, schooling, scholarship’s, organizations, networks and more. She set the platform for popular TV Doctor’s like Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. Here are some...

Words: 1679 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Oprah Business Research

...Business Research Paper Oprah Gail Winfrey is one of the richest entrepreneurs in the world and is a woman of inspiration, leadership, power, and most of all business. Oprah was born on January 29, 1954 in Kosciusko, Mississippi. Oprah is the daughter of a sailor and barber, Vernon Winfrey, and maid and dietician, Vernita Lee. Oprah was raised by her grandmother as a child and then was caught between her mother and father as she got older. Her father was a man who cared deeply about Oprah even though he might not have been her biological father, but in her heart her daddy was home. As a child Oprah was exposed to reading and she quickly grew a love for books and it became her way to cope with a difficult life that was still ahead of her. During the time she was back and forth between her parents Oprah was raped as a teen, and at the age of 14 she became pregnant not knowing who the father was, the baby was stillborn. Her father quickly came to the rescue, took her in and made sure she knew just how much he meant to her and he didn’t let go. Oprah claims her father saved her life. With the past left behind and the best yet to come, Winfrey signed up for the local beauty pageant, Miss Nashville, in 1971 and she won. All the locals knew Oprah Winfrey, and this led her to her first job. WVOL, the local radio station gave Oprah her first break reading news. She then took a job as an anchor for Nashville’s WTVF-TV and sooner or later the world needed to know who she...

Words: 2338 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Babies

...1) Introduction a. The “Babies” video showed us three different children. There was Ponijao from Namibia, Bayarjargal from Mongolia, and Mari from Tokyo. b. We meet the easygoing Ponijao, her mother and other members of her Himba tribe outside her family's dirt hut in Namibia. Curious Bayarjargal lives with his parents and siblings and a herd of cattle on their farm in remote Mongolia. Mari has a toy-filled existence in a small apartment with her parents in Tokyo. c. I was expecting more differences, because of the different cultural systems they were raised in, but I was struck by how similar their development was chronologically. This is, like, I think the theme is much more about the similarities than the differences. (Basically, all their basic needs, even like if the Namibian baby virtually doesn't have anything of what we consider comfort and like, wealth, they are like very rich according to the local standards, and they are very happy with their life.) ("Director Finds Parallels, Differences In 4 'Babies'") d. Director Thomas Balmes spent nearly two years traveling the globe to capture the early lives of Bayarjargal from Mongolia, Ponijao from Namibia, Mari from Japan and Hattie from the United States. The idea, he says, came to him five years ago from a French producer. "[He said], 'Why don't we do a wildlife documentary on babies?' Well, I said, 'What is this crazy idea?' And then the more I was thinking about it, the more I thought there could be something...

Words: 1111 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Chosen Leader: Oprah Winfrey

...Chosen Leader: Oprah Winfrey There are many great leaders throughout the world but the leader that our group chooses to write about is Oprah Winfrey - one of the world’s most influential women. Oprah Winfrey was born in 1954, she is a famous American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. The reason why we choose Oprah is because our group has 5 ladies, all ambitious and want to be successful in life. Oprah is an example of a woman that had overcome many difficulties in life and became one of the richest women. Studying about her will help us apply her leadership style and hopefully be a better leader in the future. Why do you consider her as a leader? According to the definition of leadership we studied in...

Words: 1466 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Transcendence

...Management and BFI, based in Canada and the US, posed a challenge to him. Brian saw that junk removal could be a niche market, if approached properly. Until recently, people had no way of getting rid of certain items, such as bulky household rubbish that the other larger disposal companies would not deal with. These items included: construction material, garden refuse, old furniture and appliances The deficit that the companies had, which included poor service and inconsistent pricing, was going to be the way Brian carved out his “niche”. Knowing that he had to stand out, Brian focused on his reputation of reliability, professionalism and service. Uniformed drives, shiny new, decaled trucks, scheduled times and standardized price sheets are examples of the professionalism that Brian, to this day, holds as a standard for all franchises and his entire company. When you call, 1-800-Got-Junk, you are greeted by a friendly voice. The customer service call center or website handles...

Words: 1028 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Artificial Inteligence Problems

...Search Quiz ICS171 Name___________ ID____________ No text, no notes, no questions. Do the best that you can on each question. No questions will be answered about the quiz questions. If you think a question is ambiguous, write your interpretation and answer your modified question. Be reasonable. The following abbreviations are used: BF = branching factor, DFS = depth first search, BFS = breadth first search, IDS = iterative deepening search, A* = A* search, LI = local improvement search, HC = hill-climbing search. [pic] 1. For the 8-tile puzzle, what is the average branching factor, assuming the blank is equally likely to occur in any position. Show your work. (4*2 + 4*3 +1*4)/9 = 24/9 = 2 & 2/3. 2. Suppose that you are solving the 8-tile puzzle where it has solution. Which of the methods (DFS, BFS, IDS) is guaranteed to find a solution, assuming no computational limits are reached. List all that are correct. DFS, BFS, IDS 3. For the same puzzle, which of the methods (DFS,BFS,IDS) is guaranteed to find the shortest solution? List all that are correct. BFS, IDS 4. For the same puzzle, which methods are guaranteed to use no more than O(BF * length of solution) amount of memory. DFS, IDS 5. Suppose you apply the A* algorithm to the same problem. You decide to let f = current cost of the path. Would it be appropriate to let h = 0 for all states? Yes or no and why. ...

Words: 504 - Pages: 3