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Ironically, the definition of the term “definition essay” is not very specific.  Definition essays are short pieces of writing on a particular topic.  However, not every essay on a topic can be properly labeled a definition essay.  Instead, a definition essay is an attempt to describe the topic thoroughly enough for the reader to understand it very well and might be compared to an encyclopedia entry for the topic.  Any of our example essays could provide a good start on a definition essay about the topic.  However, we have collected a sample of our best definition essays and included them below to help you explore the genre.  

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Paper Undergraduate
Postmodern Architecture Postmodernism in Architecture:
Postmodernism in Architecture: A Flawed but Permeating Style of Building
Paper Undergraduate
Software Engineering Requires a Decent
¶ … software engineering requires a decent knowledge of software development approaches along with the related tools which make them work. This section presents a study of three software methodologies namely the…
Essay Doctorate
Rwandan Genocide a Philosophical Theory (Jean-Jacques Rousseau\'s
Rousseau's theodicy provides a very engaging lens with which to view the tragedy of the Rwandan genocide that took place in 1994. The notions of self-love that the author believes are at the root of human behavior can actually provide curative solutions to this dilemma. Doing so requires temperance, substantial educational reform, and greater levels of national solidarity.
Essay Doctorate
Third World Development What Are the Growing
What are the growing problems of ethnic tensions and violence in the developing world?
Essay Doctorate
Prisons Before the American Revolution, the Penal
Before the American Revolution, the penal system in the colonies was brutal and harsh. Capital punishment was normative, and crimes were defined rather arbitrarily. As Edge (2009) points out, the colonial American…
Research Paper Undergraduate
Collective Cultural Shadow and Confrontation
¶ … Collective Cultural Shadow and Confrontation with the Archetypal
Paper Undergraduate
Soul Mate Victoria Beckham Recently
Victoria Beckham recently commented about her husband, superstar soccer player David Beckham, "I believe in love at first sight. I met my soul mate with David," ("Victoria Beckham: David is My Soulmate").
Paper Undergraduate
Extant Literature Has Been Dedicated
Extant literature has been dedicated on the study of semantic web and web ontology language. Sari and Ayuningtyas (2010) discusses the implementation of Web Ontology as well as Semantic application for the purpose of…
Paper Doctorate
Rituals Following Victor Turner, Who
Following Victor Turner, who frequently invoked of ritual, rites of affliction seek to mitigate the influence of spirits thought to be afflicting human beings with misfortune. Among the Ndembu, he found, if divination…
Paper Undergraduate
Manager\'s Likeability on Leadership Success
The likeability of a manager will determine how effective they are on transactionally-oriented tasks while also being a very accurate predicator of hwo effective they will be in more transformational roles in an organization. The intent of this analysis is to define likeability from a leadership standpoint, illustrating how this aspect of a leader's personality must be authentic, transparent in approach and genuine in how a leader earns and keeps the trust of subordinates, peers and superiors. A likeable person is by definition one that is known for their friendliness or the ability to create an ongoing dialogue that includes a significant level of self-disclosure and ability to communicate with accuracy, clarity and honesty (George, 1995). A likeable leader is one that has the ability to combine friendliness, relevance of communication to others, empathy or the capacity to feel what others are also feeling ands enunciate those emotions, all unified by a very strong level of authenticity, integrity and realness (Gabriel, Griffiths, 2002). All of these factors together define a likeable person, and add in the willingness of a leader to self-sacrifice, create and stay consistent with roles in an organization that capitalize on the unique strengths of an associate, and a strong foundation of transformational leadership begins to emerge. One of the key findings of this study is that to the extent a manager has the ability to create and sustain a high level of trust with subordinates is the extent to which they are able to also sustain transformational leadership in a team. While leaders have varying levels and depths of skills that contribute to their ability to be transformational in the scope of their work, those with demonstrated high levels of emotional intelligence (EI) combined with the four foundational aspects of transformational leadership skills consistently have a higher level of likeability than their more transaction-oriented counterparts (Gabriel, Griffiths, 2002). In evaluating if likeability leads to greater leadership performance, a model of proposed Likeability and Organizational Transformation has been created and is presented in this analysis. The existing body of research indicates that likeability is one of the foundational elements of effective transformational leadership, yet it does not exist in isolation. The accumulated research completed for this study indicates that likeability of a leader is highly correlated to their level of EI. The dimensions of EI have a direct, predictive effect on how likeable and effective a leader will be. Another finding from this analysis is that likeability by itself does not guarantee a leader will be effective; it is only their ability to translate EI-based skills in conjunction with a very strong foundation of transformational skills that they are able to accomplish challenging goals and propel an organization to fulfill its shared vision. This study also concludes that likeability is also not essential for success either, as the many examples from leaders and CEOs renowned for being very difficult to work with who have propelled their organizations to leadership positions in their industries. Larry Ellison of Oracle, known for being exceptionally demanding and for creating a culture of mistrust and intense internal competition is not likeable according to the dimensions of the research completed for this study. He is however exceptionally effective in driving his organization to attain its vision and mission. What this study has found is that when the triad factors of Emotional Intelligence (EI), trust and transformational leadership are combined, leaders increase the propensity of being liked. These three factors combined provide leaders with a solid foundation of being effective in their roles as well. Likeability does not assure results however. Figure 1, Analysis of Key Factors of Likeability, shows how these three factors must be balanced and in proportion to each other in a leader's management style to be effective. Deficiencies in EI for example could lead to a very collegial work environment yet the leader would not know how and when to define tasks and key strategies to accomplish objectives over time. All three must be balanced in order for a catalyst of continued progress to be formed and stabilized within an organization.