2 Poor Leadership in Organization Introduction Leadership is foreseen as the act and practice of motivating a specific group of people to reflect their actions towards achieving a common goal. In organization, leadership involves giving direction to workers and different colleagues that take part in constituting the whole organization as a unit. All these directions and orders are strategies in a way that they meet the needs of the company and facilitate the progress of the organization. The leader should, therefore, embrace a high degree of wisdom and integrity in order to act as the head of the organization and guide it through the process of establishing its goal. In order for an organization to thrive in terms of performance and quality of the products being produced, it requires good leadership and governance. Currently, the organization is facing stiff competition from other competitors (DuBrin, 2015). Nevertheless, both the quality and quantity of the products being offered by the organization does not meet the required standards thus this makes it difficult for the organization to survive the stiff competition projected by other related organizations in the market segment. All these problems are brought about by poor governance and leadership in the organization. The paper touches on the qualities of a good leader, the significant effects of poor leadership in the organization, the effects that it projects to the entire organization and the suggested solutions. Skills and competence of a leader Each and every organization requires a leader to head all the activities that take place in the institution and ensure that the activities, roles and duties are performed at the right time in the right order. In order for a leader to manage an organization, he or she should poses some skills and competence. The skills in different leaders creates a large impact in the organization thus imposing a difference in both the production and management process. A good leader should poses the following skills. The ability to supervise others. Through this skill, the business leader is also able to delegate jobs better and efficiently to various individuals and different departments of the organization and oversee how multiple operations are run to ensure a smooth running of business operations. This would help as such a leader would know which decisions would best suit better supervision thus better business flow regarding the operations. High emotional intelligence. This calls for the ability to be aware of, in control and be able to express one’s emotions, and handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. (Shamir & Eilam-Shamir, 2018). With such skill, a business leader can connect and relate better with both his seniors and juniors at a human level; thus they would be in a more significant position to influence and therefore justify business decisions. Good communication skills. Effective busi.

1. 2
Poor Leadership in Organization
Introduction
Leadership is foreseen as the act and practice of
motivating a specific group of people to reflect their actions
towards achieving a common goal. In organization, leadership
involves giving direction to workers and different colleagues
that take part in constituting the whole organization as a unit.
All these directions and orders are strategies in a way that they
meet the needs of the company and facilitate the progress of the
organization. The leader should, therefore, embrace a high
degree of wisdom and integrity in order to act as the head of the
organization and guide it through the process of establishing its
goal. In order for an organization to thrive in terms of
performance and quality of the products being produced, it
requires good leadership and governance. Currently, the
organization is facing stiff competition from other competitors
(DuBrin, 2015). Nevertheless, both the quality and quantity of
the products being offered by the organization does not meet the
required standards thus this makes it difficult for the
organization to survive the stiff competition projected by other
related organizations in the market segment. All these problems
are brought about by poor governance and leadership in the
organization. The paper touches on the qualities of a good
leader, the significant effects of poor leadership in the
organization, the effects that it projects to the entire
organization and the suggested solutions.
Skills and competence of a leader
Each and every organization requires a leader to head all
the activities that take place in the institution and ensure that
the activities, roles and duties are performed at the right time in
the right order. In order for a leader to manage an organization,

2. he or she should poses some skills and competence. The skills
in different leaders creates a large impact in the organization
thus imposing a difference in both the production and
management process. A good leader should poses the following
skills.
The ability to supervise others. Through this skill, the
business leader is also able to delegate jobs better and
efficiently to various individuals and different departments of
the organization and oversee how multiple operations are run to
ensure a smooth running of business operations. This would
help as such a leader would know which decisions would best
suit better supervision thus better business flow regarding the
operations.
High emotional intelligence. This calls for the ability to
be aware of, in control and be able to express one’s emotions,
and handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and
empathetically. (Shamir & Eilam-Shamir, 2018). With such
skill, a business leader can connect and relate better with both
his seniors and juniors at a human level; thus they would be in a
more significant position to influence and therefore justify
business decisions.
Good communication skills. Effective business leaders
need to have exceptional written and verbal communication
skills to effectively manage and organize employees. This
would also include setting up appropriate channels of
communication within the business enabling appropriate
information to reach employees at all levels of the business.
Excellent communication skills in a business leader can
influence actions such as initiating hard work, reinforce positive
moral or even increase the confidence of the employees through
motivation. With this, the business leader can move the
employees better through this skill thus able to justify business
decisions.
Team building skill. Leaders need to have the ability to
build strong and reliable teams that focus on the organization's
mission and vision. The leader should be able to study his or her

3. staff well and thus be able to know how to group his colleagues
or staff to minimize conflicts and at the same time ensure
maximum productivity. This may be done by assessing the
behaviors of his team and know which group of individuals
would be compatible as a group. By developing compatible
teams, minimizing team conflict and managing team dynamics,
the employees are more confident in the business leader and
will thus support him/her more in the business decisions he/she
makes.
Problem-solving. The issues could involve work
processes or conflicts between employees or even service and
product-related issues. A business is usually composed of a
series of problems that need to be solved; this includes
problem-solving in management, advertising, sells increase,
cutting down unnecessary cost and many other baffling issues
found in the numerous departments found in an organization.
Leaders need to be able to understand fundamental problem-
solving techniques and possible solutions to the problems which
should be fast and cost-effective. Such a business leader would
more likely provide more valid and justifiable business
decisions.
High social intelligence. It includes understanding social
situations and dynamics not forgetting the ability to operate
efficiently and effectively in a variety of social conditions
(Wagner, 2016). Such a leader would still be dependable and be
able to make sound decisions even in stressful situations. Even
under stress which may be brought about by pressing business
issues or even personal life issues, the leader would still be in a
situation to better analyze her/his situation from a rational point
of view and thus in effect make a reasonable decision based on
the intuitive analysis which is free of emotions. Such a business
leader would, without a doubt, make a more justifiable and
reasonable business decision.
Prudence. This refers to the ability to see others’ people
perspective and thus more open to and considerate to other
peoples’ point of view. Such a business leader would be able to

4. place himself/herself into the shoes of other people and is thus
more able to understand them. This would also foster openness
among those whom he/she works with thus more contribution
would come from employees or colleagues thus facilitating a
bigger pool from which decisions may be made. This, however,
does not mean that such a business leader is fully dependent on
the opinions of others and cannot make his/her own final
decision but rather it means that other peoples' opinions are
seen as valid and respected. Final decisions by a prudent
business leader are more likely to be supported as accurate
business decisions as they are fair as well.
Conflict management. It involves helping colleagues
avoid or resolve interpersonal conflicts. This involves the
ability of the business leader to identify the source of conflict,
analyze its extent, the reason why the conflict emerged and after
that identify possible conflict resolution strategies that may suit
the organization. A big part of conflict management involves
taking steps that may make the conflicting parties collaborate
thus creating an environment that will bring out a win-win
situation and foster an opportunity for the parties to work
together and perhaps get to understand each other’s perspective.
Also, compromise may be made where each of the conflicting
parties may be required to be flexible and give up something
(Clinton, 2018). A business leader possessing conflict
management skill may, therefore, be considered more able to
stir and make reasonable business decisions.
Good political skills. Within every business
organization, there exist a great deal of politics which may
range from individuals trying to push their agendas, gaining
allies, formulating new rules and getting supporters or even
bending already established rules. Having this skill would be
advantageous as the leader would be able to push for decisions
that would best suit the organization in both the long and short
run. A business leader may also be expected to be able to
manage political behavior within the organization to avoid
business organizational dysfunction and unnecessary conflicts

5. which may prove hard to resolve. With it, a leader is better able
and suited to move his/her colleagues or employees in the
direction he/she sees most viable for the business and in effect
gain their trust placing the business leader in a better position
to make more logical business decisions for the business.
Influence skills. Business leadership by far is dependent
on the ability of the leader to influence others which includes
the ability to make colleagues or employees see things from
your point of view and at the same time being able to accept
their opinions and their perspective. Influence depends on
business leaders' interpersonal skills to connect even with the
most junior employees at a personal level. Through this
influence, the business leader is more likely to make the
employees see the validity of the business decisions he/she
makes or supports.
Area expertise or competence. Though not particularly
vital in today's business organization it still essential to have a
level of knowledge in the area in which one is in charge of. This
would help the business leader and thus make him/her more
competent. The leader would be in far better position to analyze
and monitor various activities such as production, service
delivery and a better understanding of the organization as a
whole. The business leader may also better relate the
performance of the organization about their competitors and
also be more able to detect anomalies in the daily operations of
the business quickly. As a result of the fact that the business
leader is more able to analyze and understand the organization,
the employees and colleagues will be more confident of the
final business decisions made by the business leader.
Effects of poor leadership
Poor leadership comes with several consequences that
affect the organization in adverse ways. In business or an
organization being a leader does not only mean that one has to
fill a job title; rather he or she should have the capacity to
motivate the employees and team players. This will help in
ensuring the employees deliver their tasks in a timely manner.

6. Nevertheless, all the task being performed will go in accordance
with the overall goals of the company. Unmet targets act as
signs for an eruption of problems in the organization brought
about by bad leaders in the business. Poor leadership brings
about the following effects to the organization (Einarsen &
Aasland, 2017).
Lack of direction; poor leaders are not in a position to
offer good guidance and provide direction to the employees or
team members. This effect is mainly facilitated by lack of
vision in that such leaders do not analyze the future occurrences
which might affect the organization. This might lead to the
closure of the entire business. Such an effect can cause
frustrations on both sides when the required quality does not
meet the needs set in different departments.
Poor leadership leads to lack of coordination and
teamwork. This means that both the employees and other team
members will perform their duties without following a specific
routine or procedure (Northouse, 2018). A bad leader only
considers his or her wants meaning he or she solely focuses on
looking good at the expense of the other employees. This effect
will lead to distrust between the employee and the leader in that
every suggestion and opinion projected by the leader will not be
considered valid by the others.
Feasible solution
Poor leadership in the organization has been rampant, and
cases of companies being closed due to poor leadership are
increasing at an alarming rate. Therefore this call for solution to
be implemented to curb such events from reoccurring in
organizations. There are a number of proposed solutions which
can be introduced and implemented, and they include.
An organization should ensure that a leader undergoes
proper training in order to have a clear understanding of how to
manage the processes that take place in the organization and
how to deal with issues once they arise. Through this program,
the organization will ensure that all the leaders who are
employed to head organizations meet the quality standards of

7. the establishment (Holtz & Hu, 2017). The organization should
ensure that they first asses the skills and competence of each
leader during the interview so as to identify both the
strongholds and weaknesses of the leaders. Different leaders
have different strongholds and weaknesses; thus it is vital first
to identify the needs of the organization then correlate them the
skill of the leader. In case they are compatible then it is
strongly advised that the leader should be secured and
employment slot in the organization.
Finally, the organization can set different standards that a
leader should meet within a specific period of time. In case the
leader is not able to meet these standards then he or she will be
replaced by another leader. This will ensure that leaders display
their utmost skill in management in order to meet the set
standards and in turn the organization will merge forward in
terms of development projects (Antonakis & Day, 2017).
Conclusion
In our current state, several organization are being affected by
the type of leaders who head these organizations. The quality
and quantity of products being produced in the production
sector happen to decrease by a significant percentage.
Leadership is a basic foundation for any organization because
with poor management come adverse effects which affect the
organization. Therefore leadership should be analyzed as the
critical backbone of any organization before any other is
addressed. The most essential element in leaders is the skills
and competence that they possess. A good leader should house a
number of positive skills so as to ensure effectiveness in the
management process. In cases where an organization is
experiencing defects brought about by poor leadership, there are
a number of feasible solutions recommended to curb these
effects. I firmly believe that if one's actions inspire others to
dream more, learn more, become more and do more then one is
entitled to be called a leader.

8. References
Shamir, B. and Eilam-Shamir, G., 2018. "What's your story?" A
life-stories approach to authentic
leadership development. In leadership Now: Reflections on the
Legacy of Boas Shamir(pp. 51-76). Emerald Publishing
Limited.
Wagner, W.E., 2016. Leadership for a better world:
Understanding the social change model of leadership
development. John Wiley & Sons.
Clinton, R., 2018. The making of a leader: Recognizing the
lessons and stages of leadership development. Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc..
Einarsen, S. V., Skogstad, A., & Aasland, M. S. (2017).
Destructive Leadership. Encyclopedia of
Business and Professional Ethics, 1-8.
Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage
publications.
Holtz, B. C., & Hu, B. (2017). Passive leadership: relationships
with trust and justice perceptions. Journal of Managerial
Psychology, 32(1), 119-130.
Antonakis, J., & Day, D. V. (Eds.). (2017). The nature of
leadership. Sage publications.
DuBrin, A. J. (2015). Leadership: Research findings, practice,
and skills. Nelson Education.

9. DATA ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION
1
DATA ANALYSIS AND APPLICATION
2
Data Analysis and Application
< Your Name >
[Introduction.] Use this file for all assignments that require
the DAA Template. Although the statistical tests will change
from week to week, the basic organization and structure of the
DAA remains the same. According to the sixth edition of
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association,
the introduction of a manuscript is clearly identified by its
position within it, and therefore does not have a heading to
label it as the introduction. Remove this text and provide a brief
introduction.
Data File Description [one paragraph]
1) Describe the context of the data set. Cite a previous
description if the same data set is used from a previous
assignment. To increase the formal tone of the DAA, avoid
first-person perspective “I.” For example, do not write, “I ran a

10. scatter plot shown in Figure 1.” Instead, write, “Figure 1
shows…” All paragraphs are indented. Your paragraphs will not
be numbered as these are in the template.
2) Specify the variables used in this DAA and the scale of
measurement of each variable.
3) Specify sample size (N).
Testing Assumptions [multiple paragraphs]
1) Articulate the assumptions of the statistical test.
2) Paste SPSS output that tests those assumptions and interpret
them. Properly embed SPSS output where appropriate. Do not
string all output together at the beginning of the section. In
other words, interpretations of figures and tables should be near
(i.e., immediately above or below) where the output appears.
Format figures and tables per APA (6th edition) style and
formatting rules. Refer to the following examples on the next
page.
Figure 1. Scatter plot of IQ scores and ADDSC scores taken
from a Howell (2011) data set.
Figure 1 above shows the negative linear relationship
between…
Table 1 below shows the intercorrelations, means, and
standard deviations of…
Table 1
Intercorrelations, Means, and Standard Deviations for Scores on
IQ, ADDSC, and GPA
_____________________________________________________
_________________________
Measure 1 2 3
M SD
_____________________________________________________
_________________________
1. IQ --
100.26 12.99

11. 2. ADDSC -.63** --
52.60 12.42
3. GPA .50** -.62** --
2.46 .86
_____________________________________________________
_________________________
Note. Intercorrelations taken from a Howell (2011) data set (N
= 88). **p < .01.
3) Summarize whether or not the assumptions are met. If
assumptions are not met, discuss how to ameliorate violations
of the assumptions.
Research Question, Hypotheses, and Alpha Level [one
paragraph]
1)Articulate a research question (or questions) relevant to the
statistical test.
2) Articulate the null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis for
the research question(s).
3) Specify the alpha level.
Interpretation [multiple paragraphs]
1) Paste SPSS output for an inferential statistic and report it.
Properly embed SPSS output where appropriate. Do not string
all output together at the beginning of the section. In other
words, interpretations of figures and tables should be near (i.e.,
immediately above or below) where the output appears. Format
figures and tables per APA formatting rules.
2) Report the test statistics. Refer to Warner (2013) “Results”
examples at the end of the appropriate chapter for guidance.
3) Interpret statistical results against the null hypothesis.
Conclusion [two paragraphs]
1) Provide a brief summary (i.e., one paragraph) of the DAA
conclusions.
2) Analyze strengths and limitations of the statistical test.
References
Howell, D. C. (2011). Fundamental statistics for the behavioral

12. sciences. (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
1) Provide references if you include in-text citations. Do not
cite Capella course materials (e.g., instructor notes, handouts,
class announcements, and so on). Only cite primary and
secondary sources (e.g., textbooks and empirical journal
articles). Be sure that your reference page remains on a separate
page.
Discrimination paper
Introduction
Discrimination and harassment in the workplace prohibit growth
within organizations, creating problems of social inequality
(Tolbert & Castilla, 2017). Effective leaders must consider
implementing change management strategies to eliminate and
minimize unethical issues inherited through culture norms in
society. Organizations can eliminate unethical situations by
making revisions to improve policies and procedures, ensuring
effectiveness and feasibility (Goksoy, 2016). Managers are
encouraged to take strategic approaches to define the beauty of
incorporating diversity into the workplace. Effective leadership
skills consist of observing critical patterns in the workplace that
contribute to a toxic work environment. Overall, one must
consider taking innovative and systematic approaches to change
traditional practices that influence bias behavior. One may
conclude, an innovative approach to incorporate ethics trainings
is an effective strategy for constructing cultural sensitivity in
the workplace. Strategic planning is important for minimizing
risks, these threats may not be visible, monitoring policies
becomes important for finding threats and developing the
solution to break barriers. Discrimination is a contributing
barrier within a diverse work environment. influenced
perceptions are commonly based upon prejudices. An effective
plan to eliminate discrimination must be effective in minimizing
bias practices in the workplace. Some bias practices are

13. inherited through cultural norms, these norms are practices
developed through social groups. The separation of social
groups play a role in on the influence of bias perceptions, which
prohibited one’s ability to acknowledge other cultures. Creating
a policy change for overcoming diversity challenges is
important, as a leader one is obligated to tackle issues of sort
that prohibit the production of business. Diversity can offer the
benefit of building network outside of cultural and social
norms. Authentic leaders are challenged to demonstrate the
importance of cultural knowledge and the role it plays in
advancing and motivating employees to be open to welcoming
different practices for gaining and growing successfully.
Discrimination & Harassment: An Overview
Discrimination in the workplace is illegal and unethical, often
creating barriers and bridges that are based upon stereotypes.
Discrimination can impact the production of organizations
internally and externally. Some internal risks create stress,
interfering with the performance of the employees and making it
challengings to fulfill goals accordingly. External barriers also
play a role on consumer goods and services. Internal and
external impacts can create risks, these risk can contribute to
actions that are unlawful. Most common workplace
discrimination offenses consist of age, gender, and race. Age
discrimination is a biased attack against elders employees who
are seniors and potential job seekers. Elder employees are
overlooked or mistreated and considered the least favorable and
valuable assets in the workforce over anyone younger in age.
Discrimination by race often compares women to men on a
scale. In most cases women are getting less pay, women are not
considered the best prospect for a position in a company that
may desire a male employee. Gender discrimination is unfair,
and closing the gap is detrimental in eliminating those gender
biases that assume one sex is more suitable over the other and
capable of performing particular labor jobs (Kanze, Huang,

14. Conley & Higgins, 2018). Race discrimination occurs often in
the workplace, usually when one person of another race places
stereotypes and limitations on the other, often treated poorly,
the other race is usually prohibited from receiving equal
opportunities within the workplace.One may conclude
discrimination does not profit any gain, but rather losses for
organizations if there is not evidence of working cohesively to
combat challenges. Overall, diversity training is important tool
for combating discrimination and fulfilling methods that keep
stakeholders open to accepting changes that promote growth and
authentic leadership.
Effective & Feasible Strategies for improving : Policy Changes
An entire organization does not change until each member has
changed (Hall & Hord,2014). Monitoring changes in the
workplace is necessary for resolving issues for the benefit or
organizing accountability. Measures for creating an ethical
work environment must be clear and align with the values and
mission of the company. Effective changes are important for
ensuring that supervisors and subordinates are capable and
understand the value integrity. Leaders should be capable of
guiding others to overcome challenges within an diverse
environment. Effective leaders are willing to incorporate
principles of change that engage stakeholders, these changes are
effective in shifting behaviors in the workplace that are contrary
to the vision and mission of the organization. A diverse work
environment is more common with the assistance of modern
innovations and trainings developed to enhance the core of the
organization. Unethical practices are still prevalent within
diverse environments. Stakeholders should be attentive to
establishing a strategic plan that destroy misperceptions based
upon age, gender, and race(Hirsh & youngjoo,2017). Building
teams and diverse groups are important, diverse teams have an
opportunity to learn background information about every team
member. Teams serve profitable solutions for cohesively closing

15. the gap to growing and unethical practices in the workforce.
Diverse trainings should engage and motivate everyone. One
may considering revising traditional policies and practices that
are most beneficial for welcoming diversity and eliminating
risky unethical situations. Discrimination in the workplace has
destroyed businesses, conflict and barriers allowed social norms
to destroying work relationships. Overall, developing an
intervention is beneficial, interventions can open a platform to
address discrimination. Profitable interventions help
stakeholders determine what is wrong and what could be done to
resolve issues.
Conclusion Stakeholders play a leading role in change
management, implementing a systematic approach is important
to establishing an effective quality treatment policy initiative (
Mele, 2014). Strong policy treatments begin monitoring policy
issues and finding a suitable solutions for eliminating
discrimination in the workplace. Diversity benefit the
production of the organizations, incorporating diverse trainings
is profitable for the workforce. Effective leaders are provided
the opportunities create dynamic diverse teams that can share
knowledge growing network of must consider changing policies
by monitoring issues that rise and hinder companies from
growing internally and externally. Important interventions and
training helps minimize one’s resistance to welcoming
diversity. Stakeholders can minimize resistance to change (Hall
& Hord, 2015). The passionate leader is eager to change
management initiatives to improve the organization internally
and externally. Change management allow supervisors to
observe and evaluate policies, implementing changes in policies
can minimize and eliminate situations influenced by
discrimination and harassment. Overall, One may consider
culture sensitivity trainings are important, trainings offer
assistance and direction that guide changes improve the culture
of organizations, eliminating bias perceptions and views.
Managers must have a passion to implement strategies for

16. making necessary revisions to demonstrating and attracting
individuals of good moral character. Global leaders are strong
influencers who are transformational and transactional, leading
organizations to succeeding. Strong policies are beneficial in
removing that contribute to social inequality.
References Tolbert, P., & Castilla, E. (2017). Editorial Essay:
Introduction to a special issue on inequality in the workplace
(“What Works?”). ILR Review, 70(1), 3–15.
https://doiorg.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/10.1177/001979391
6675336
Goksoy, A. (2016). Organizational change management
strategies in modern business, (1st ed.).
Hershey, PA: IGI Global
Melé, D. (2014). “Human Quality Treatment”: Five
Organizational Levels. Journal of Business Ethics, 120(4), 457–
471.
https://doiorg.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/10.1007/s10551-
013-1999-1
Hall, G. E. & Hord, S. M. (2015). Implementing change:
patterns, principles, and potholes, (4th
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson
Kanze, D., Huang, L, Conley. M., & Higgins, E. (2018). We ask
men to win and women not to lose:
Closing the gender gap in startup funding. Academy of
Management Journal, 61(2), 586614. https://doi-
org.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/10.5465/amj.2016.1215

17. Hirsh, E., & Youngjoo, C. (2017). Mandating Change: The
impact of court-ordered policy changes on managerial diversity.
ILR Review, 70(1), 42–72.
https://doiorg.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/10.1177/001979391
6668880
As a leader, we need to be effective in promoting and managing
change. This assignment asks you to establish the contextual
framework for identifying a need for and promoting a case for
change within your organization. To guide the writing process,
we will use an adaptation (i.e., excluding some components) of
How to Write a Business Case, available on the CANVAS
module.
Content Instructions:
The information should include:
• A brief profile of the organization (i.e., the field of
operations, vision, and mission); analysis of the organization’s
change culture pattern (i.e., open for
innovation, change culture/mindset, or change avoidance, not
supportive of change). Note: For privacy issues use a
pseudonym to replace the actual name.
The identified need for change (an ethical issue), discuss the
manifestations, consequences, urgency, and effects on
organizational success/growth. Outcome. Explain the
expectations (i.e., expected results) of the change project.
Based on the previously discussed change patterns of the
organization, the projected changes and expected outcome,
identify potential resistors and explain your plan for addressing
them (i.e., how to integrate them in the project for ensuring the
success of your project).
Structure of the assignment:
An introduction (i.e., the introductory section explaining the
topic, purpose, and content of the paper).
The discussion of the required information discussed in the
instructions, using APA heading level 2 for each required
component, adding headings level 3 if needed.

18. A conclusion (i.e., conclusive remarks section) summarizing the
content discussed within the paper.
Should have a minimum of 8-10 current scholarly references
and 6-7 pages in length not including cover page and references.