EMERSON AS A ROMANTICIST

It was the romanticists who tended to write poetry of “autobiography,” who inquired of themselves concerning themselves, and assumed that the world was interested in what they found. Nor was the habit of self-consciousness regarding the poetic office let drop by their successors. That the words poet and poetry were so often on Emerson’s lips would be evidence enough to students of literature, in its changing temper and shifting modes, of his probable localization in time. It is also evidence of his relation to certain European movements of thought to which he gave—comparatively late in their currency and much tempered —American expression. In his doctrine of the superiority and the aloofness of the poet, of the latter’s severance from others to whom he yet bears messages of light, in his self-sufficiency and his sovereignty, his belief in the intrinsic goodness of nature and of man, and his concern with poetic thought rather than poetic form, Emerson may be termed the American representative of ideas which already had had wide circulation in Europe. In great part they emanated from Rousseau, and some of them, especially the gospel of the rights and the supremacy of the individual, had metamorphosed the politics and the map of Europe as well as its literature.

Tenure

Tenure is not easy to get. It is not, as one journalist puts it, a smooth rail for the gravy train. It is a long and challenging road ... Evaluation of the candidate for tenure is serious and thorough. Hours and days are spent reading and reviewing research contributions. Teaching is reviewed extensively ... The basic reason tenure is bestowed is to preserve freedom for highly trained and capable people to do their best work, to protect them from inappropriate political pressures ... Evaluation does not cease with tenure. Tenured faculty are reviewed at mandated intervals and also annually to determine what kind of raise, if any, they will receive ... Incontrovertibly, most faculty achieve more recognition after tenure than before - locally and nationally, for research, teaching, and service.

The Role of CEO Statements of Aggressiveness and the Competitive Aggressiveness of Firms: What is the Impact on Performance?

This research examines the impact of a CEO’s statements of aggressiveness on his or her organization’s competitive moves and subsequent performance. Hypotheses were developed based on previous work in Upper Echelon Theory and competitive dynamics. Based on this prior literature, it was hypothesized aggressive statements by CEOs will be associated with more aggressive organizations. It was also hypothesized these more aggressive organizations would display better performance than less aggressive organizations. A content analysis of letters to shareholders and trade publications was performed. This data was analyzed using multiple regression in SPSS 17 to test the hypotheses that aggressive statements by CEOs are associated with aggressive organizations and higher performance. Aggression scores for the content analysis were generated using the software package DICTION. The sample for the study was the organizations with the most revenue in two industries, automobile manufacturing and retailing. Data collection covered a five-year time span from 2003-2007, with performance data lagged one year. Control variables employed included CEO tenure, CEO background, organization size, and organization age. The findings indicate that CEO statements of aggressiveness do not significantly impact the competitive aggressiveness or the performance of their organizations. The implications of these findings are discussed and potential avenues for future research in the area are outlined.