Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Integrating Texts and Graphics into Your Writing :: Writing Education Essays

Integrating Texts and Graphics into Your Writing My advice for students about integrating texts and graphics would be to figure out how to combine them most appropriately for what you want to convey, whether it be an informational article or a creative story. In most cases, especially in technical writing, the main purpose of graphics is to explain something faster or organize the information better. Last spring in technical writing, we focused a lot on how to use our graphics in our final proposal to add to the written information, not take away from it. We used charts for comparison of statistics and diagrams to show how something is assembled. Something else to keep in mind is that graphics do not just mean photos. Graphics are everything from a plain border around a page to a colorful subheading or even a callout box to draw special attention to a quote. These things can make a document more aesthetically appealing and keep the reader’s attention. When a reader sees a full page of text and nothing else, it can be quite o verwhelming if there is nothing to break up the information. Subheadings are a great way to divide sections of text for easy reading. I don’t think a picture should be put into a document for no reason as that would take away from what the writer wants to say. If the picture is not related to anything but is just there to be cute, then don’t use it at all. For instance, I would not put a flowery border around this document right now because that would be completely irrelevant, although quite lovely I’m sure. Having said that, understand that technical writing is different from creative writing. If you are writing a poem or story and pictures could really add something significant to it, then it is wonderful to use appropriate graphics to do that. As McCloud states in â€Å"Show and Tell,† â€Å"the different ways in which words and pictures can combine is virtually unlimited.† It is good to be creative, but also remember the purpose of your graphics and the flow and readability of your pages. If it is too crowded or busy, the reader may give up trying to figure out what you want to focus on. McCloud lays out at least a dozen ways that pictures can accompany words to more completely present an idea or story.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Exemplary Leader Philosophy Paper Essay

I never aspired to be an ethical leader before this class. It is not that I acted unethically, but that I never understood the importance of being an ethical leader. As a child, I was constantly changing my mind about what I was going to be when I grew up, but never once did â€Å"ethical† cross my mind. It seems as though this is a common theme among human beings, that we see success through the masculine lens of materialism and consumerism. Being able to acquire the newest, biggest, most innovative thing is what motivates us from a very young age. This is not something to be necessarily ashamed about, because at one point or another, everyone acts out of self-interest and solely for self-advancement. The thing that has to change, however, is the amount of fully-grown adults who still act out of self interest, and more specifically, adults in leadership roles, managing corporations, institutions, cities, states, and countries, that pull their team in the right direction for themselves, and not necessarily for the organization. This class has taught me who I am, both as an individual and as a part of a cohesive team, who I can be, thanks to the concepts and thought-provoking readings and lectures, and how I can get there by utilizing these concepts and strategies. Throughout the course of this semester, I have been able to continue producing the same amount of success as I have in the past, but I have been able to do it the â€Å"right† way. By identifying the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to those opportunities of my personality and character, I have been able to identify my true self. This identification process is the first step toward becoming an ethical and moral example for peers, subordinates, and even superiors, both in a professional sense and in a personal sense. â€Å"History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them.† – B. R. Ambedkar This quote, spoken by Indian scholar B. R. Ambedkar, shows the belief in the common phrase, â€Å"business ethics is an oxymoron.† It is this mentality that began the self-fulfilling prophecy that business leaders use as an excuse for unethical behavior. The â€Å"slippery slope† of ethical breakdowns, as Badaracco calls it, begins with a mentality that justifies the diversion of ethics and economics. Throughout the rest of this exploration of the current self, the prospective self, and the presentation of a development plan, I will disprove this mentality. Current Self In order to effectively assess one’s ethical and moral fortitude, one must objectively identify his strengths and weaknesses relative to being an exemplary ethical leader. Furthermore, one must then address each individual aspect of his personality, including character traits, values, and integrity through relative ethical concepts and principles. By executing this process, one can truly learn about oneself and identify the necessary steps to becoming the possible self, or leader he wants to become. The process of identifying your own strengths and weaknesses can be difficult, especially in terms of being completely unbiased and objective. The key to successfully doing this is in relying on factual evidence that supports each strength and weakness. To be considered either, however, there must be a certain consistency in terms of actions as well as intent, which proves the validity of each strength or weakness. During my self-exploration, I thought back to some of my first memories in order to serve as a foundation for my moral potency and character, and to see how my experiences have shaped my personality, both positively and negatively. This process has given me perspective and helped me attain the knowledge necessary to complete an objective report of my own personality, values, skills, characteristics, and motivations. Without this process, I would have been subject to a common decision making fallacy that was taught in my organizational behavior class, known as the tendency to use information at hand, which describes a person’s inclination to make a decision based on readily-available information, rather than fact-based evidence. In this case, the â€Å"readily-available information† would be anecdotes and experiences that â€Å"stick out† in my memory. These examples are not necessarily wrong to use, but basing my process on them wholly would provide data inconsistent with my true personality. Since I can remember, I have always been a fierce competitor. This is shown through my spirited drive to achieve that has permeated my entire life, from academics, to extracurricular activities, to athletics. This competitiveness has both positive and negative effects on my leadership abilities, because I am driven and motivated to achieve goals, but can prove dangerous in team situations where group consensus is necessary. The competitive nature that is ingrained in my personality can lead to a concept called â€Å"me-ism†, described by Badaracco in chapter 4, which explains the phenomenon of being so goal-oriented that you lose sight of the effects that your actions have on other people. This concept can also relate to Badaracco’s inattentional blindness and motivated blindness, which describe occurrences in which one’s personal goals or lack of careful observation override that person’s ability to sense an ethical dilemma. My competitive nature has led to many successes in my life, including winning the New York under-18 state hockey championship, becoming the first non-senior to be an alternate captain on the Wake Forest club ice hockey team, and of course being accepted into this business school. These examples are all evidence of my competitive nature, and describe my desire to lead and win simultaneously. The concept of the future is tremendously fascinating to me. In another BEM class that I took this semester, we did a personality assessment that included over one hundred twenty questions and returned your five biggest personality strengths, and â€Å"futurism† was one of mine. I truly enjoy thinking about the future because of its uncertainty. I feel so much potential and possibility for myself, which is strengthened by my competitiveness. My ability to constantly think about the future while still keeping my â€Å"feet on the ground† and completing my assignments in the present is one of my most powerful strengths. My futurism keeps me on track toward achieving my personal and organizational goals. Becoming a transformational leader begins with the futurist outlook combined with a strong moral potency, which is the combination of three moral factors: moral ownership, moral courage, and moral efficacy. Moral potency, when combined with futurism, provides a leader with a strong moral and ethical foundation on which to base decisions, as well as the ability to envision the potential of a given organization. By acting in this way, a leader can start a chain reaction called the contagion effect, which is the phenomenon that occurs by promoting a transparent, ethical, and fair environment, starting from the C-level executives and â€Å"infecting† every employee underneath. The aforementioned strengths of mine, a strong competitive nature and a futuristic outlook provide me with an ethically-ambiguous foundation, meaning that both highly ethical and highly unethical leaders sport these qualities, and the actions that I make within the next few years will decide on which end of the spectrum I fall. In order for me to ensure that I do not start down the slippery slope of unethical decisions, I must be conscious of the fact that each decision I make has ethical implications, and I also must be weary of my weaknesses that could lead me down the wrong path. Acknowledging one’s weaknesses is critical to the process of defining your current self. As the saying goes, â€Å"nobody’s perfect,† and the only way to minimize the mistakes you make throughout your life is to accept the fact that you do have weaknesses, and to analyze what they are, why you have them, how you act on them, and how to correct them. My competitive drive has led me to have a strong desire to please authority figures, which is a major weakness of my personality, not in the sense that it is bad to desire recognition and achievement, but it frequently leads to Machiavellian, â€Å"ends justify the means† justifications of morally questionable actions. One of Badaracco’s ethical breakdowns, which he discusses in chapter five, the overvaluation of outcomes, directly relates to this personality trait. Two years ago I interned for a brokerage firm on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and my boss was a task-oriented, results-driven leader, a common type in the financial sector. He demanded that the team of four interns provide a daily projection of trade volume based on an algorithm and spreadsheets dating back to the early 1990’s. After being reprimanded by our boss for presenting him with unfavorable figures, we began to slightly alter the bottom line to get his approval. In this situation, we made a major ethical mistake by overvaluing the results. With the knowledge I have gained from this class, I would have analyzed the decision to alter the numbers using the categorical imperative, and in this situation, especially in the financial sector, it would be a very bad thing if my actions became universal norms. Fortunately, the trade projections were strictly internal, and I found out later in the internship that my boss would assign this project to new interns as a way of â€Å"breaking them in† and showing them the harshness of the business world. This desire to please has affected my leadership skills mostly within the context of leading peers, because, when combined with my competitive nature, I realize that there are few things that I will not consider doing to get ahead, which will ostracize me from my peers and create a divide within the group, decreasing my ability to influence others around me. Another weakness of mine is my tendency to overuse legitimate power when it is given to me. Legitimate power, which is defined as power bestowed upon someone over others, can come as a promotion, as it did in my case, when I was voted captain of my varsity hockey team in high school. This promotion gave me nominal power over my teammates off of the rink, but it was enough to leverage and coerce them to follow my orders. Trevino and Nelson outline the psychology I used to justify this behavior in chapter five, in their discussion of informal organizational cultural systems. The norms usually override formal rules, according to Trevino and Nelson. â€Å"†¦Despite formal rules, regulations, codes, and credos, informal norms are frequently the most influential behavior guides and clues to the culture†. The rationalization that â€Å"it’s the way we do things around here† was understood by my teammates, because the captain before me was the same way. It is this lack of moral potency to realize the unethical behavior and act on my personal values that makes this a weakness of mine. In the heat of the moment, it is hard to stop yourself and think about ethical philosophy, but necessary to promote the organizational culture that is conducive and necessary to running a hockey team. This self-exploration has provided me with a sound basis to analyze myself and prepare to make the jump into the business world with a strong moral compass and the ability to create a working plan to become the exemplary leader that I wish to be. However, first I must decide and articulate exactly what kind of leader that is. Possible Self The second step in becoming an exemplary ethical leader is to identify your possible self, that is, the leader that you wish to become at some point in the future. This can be done in a multi-step process, first by identifying exemplary leaders that serve as role models or mentors to you, and then by analyzing their leadership qualities and determining which of those you wish to attain. It is undeniable that every ethical leader chooses to lead with character and integrity, two of the most important characteristics necessary to manage an organization, but just how do you define character? According to Professor Sean Hannah, character is defined by three aspects: moral discipline, moral attachment or attainment, and moral autonomy. The combination of these facets provides a solid basis for the quantification of leadership characteristics. Moral discipline outlines the ability to act in alignment with your personal values, while moral attachment or attainment refers to one’s ability to hold true to your values over time, and moral autonomy is the ability to formulate moral decisions based on your values and decision-making skills, without the influence of outside factors. Both character and integrity play instrumental roles in the development of ethical leaders, as well as in their ability to become role models for lower-level employees. My most recent role model for ethical leadership is Dean Reinemund, because he has been extremely successful as a leader in two vastly different industries, which shows that he has the skills necessary to lead, regardless of the situational context. During his guest lecture in our class, Dean Reinemund spoke about his â€Å"Four C’s of Leadership.† I believe that these four characteristics are immensely important to become a transformational leader with a vision that inspires employees to work at the highest level possible. The first â€Å"C† is character, which Mr. Reinemund describes as having your internal compass point to â€Å"true north†. Having the character to act in correlation with personal and organizational values in the face of adversity is an extremely admirable quality, and is something that I wish to have in my possible self. Mr. Reinemund’s third â€Å"C† is the one that resonated with me the most, particularly because it is the only aspect of his leadership philosophy that cannot be readily learned. Commitment, Reinemund says, is the passionate, internal drive to succeed, and it is something that is ingrained in your personality. Although you can motivate yourself through other, extrinsic means, the â€Å"warrior’s ambition† that Mr. Reinemund describes is a burning internal passion for the work that is being done. This is another facet of an exemplary leader that cannot be left out. Badaracco writes about Aristotle’s â€Å"Golden Mean† in terms of leadership by describing the balance between having a high concern for oneself and having a high concern for others. By attaining this equilibrium, leaders can act ethically and morally to provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people. This philosophy also relates to Badaracco’s four spheres of commitments that leaders have to navigate during each and every decision they make. Managing the four spheres is an integral part of being an exemplary leader and must be included in my definition of an exemplary leader. The last piece of leadership that I would like to emulate as an exemplary leader is the characteristics of a quiet leader. Modesty, self-restraint, patience, and careful, incremental moves can right, or even prevent, moral wrongdoings without blowing the issue out of proportion. The public displays of heroism, as coined by Badaracco, depicted in movies and television are usually extremely unnecessary and their emotionalism and lack of careful planning undercuts their credibility, while simultaneously decreasing the amount of empathy received from the listener. Being a quiet leader means doing the right thing, especially when nobody is looking, and that is why I admire such a quality and desire to be the quiet leader who allows his exemplary actions speak for him. Action Plan The third and final step to becoming an exemplary ethical leader is to formulate and execute an actionable leadership development plan, which outlines the steps necessary to transform the current self into the desired possible self. By identifying my strengths and weaknesses, and then identifying the ideal leader that I want to become, I can precisely calculate the discrepancy between the two, and what specific steps I need to take in order to become the exemplary leader I want to be. By using course concepts and relating them to my current self, I have come up with the following steps for my action plan: 1. Do not underestimate the weight of any one decision, no matter how seemingly insignificant it may be 2. Follow Badaracco’s steps to becoming a quiet leader 3. Apply Trevino & Nelson’s 8 steps to recognized ethical dilemmas 4. Read and reflect on the characteristics of an Authentic Leader every day 5. Establish a strong support group to help assist my decision making and provide comprehensive unbiased feedback These five steps, if followed correctly, will create the optimal environment to foster my development as an exemplary leader. My action plan is conducive to the type of leader that I want to be, because it focuses on further improving my strengths, and transforming my weaknesses into strengths by utilizing concepts and strategies learned in class. The first step is the most important one, because due to my competitive nature, I have a tendency to rush decisions in order to complete tasks more efficiently, but in the long run, especially in the professional world, I must be able to recognize the ethicality of each decision I make. By analyzing every decision I make from now on, whether it is my choice of shampoo or a multi-million dollar contract, I will be able to acknowledge the ethical repercussions of each alternative. My second step is to follow Badaracco’s steps to becoming a quiet leader, particularly the second rule, which says to â€Å"pick your battles†, and outlines the concept of political capital. Leadership is not defined by how many times you â€Å"blow the whistle†, but how much of an impact you had when you did decide to take a stand. Consequentially, I must make ethical decisions like Machiavelli’s fox rather than the lion. By building political capital and using it wisely, the respect that colleagues, superiors, and employees show you will increase, and therefore your ability to influence them will also increase, which will allow you to lead with confidence. Trevino & Nelson’s 8-Steps to ethical decision making are extremely important, because they provide a framework for which to analyze and come to a conclusion about any decision. The â€Å"action† piece of this step is simple: I have handwritten the steps on a small piece of paper and put it in my wallet, so that I can refer to it in any situation. By slowing down and analyzing each choice I make in terms of these 8 steps, I’ll be able to consistently make the best decision possible, which will instill confidence in my peers as well as show potential to my superiors. On the reverse side of my wallet-sized 8 steps, I have written the characteristics of an Authentic Leader, because I believe that simply being a quiet leader is not sufficient. Being a quiet leader is a great way to get things done, but in the long term may result with my leadership becoming â€Å"silent† leadership, wherein my peers and employees cannot easily see how I analyze ethical dilemmas and may start to infer that I rely on bottom-line statistics only. This is where the slippery slope begins, and my fourth step will counteract the possibility of being perceived as ethically neutral. My final step is to create a support group of people from different parts of my life, including peers such as friends and classmates, superiors (teachers and coaches), and subordinates such as the younger players on my hockey team. By establishing this group, I will be able to ask them to give me feedback on my projected personality. The first four steps of my action plan are important to my development as a leader, however they will be meaningless if what people perceive about me is different than what I want. Moreover, a support group will help me integrate my different lives, as Dean Reinemund spoke about in his lecture, by teaching me that in order to be perceived as an exemplary leader, I must have complete alignment between my espoused personal values and my in-use values in every aspect of my life. Solely having an action plan, however, will not give me the results I desire, which is why I must set both short and long term goals for myself in my journey to becoming an ethical leader. Short-term goals are imperative to maintaining my improvement in leadership skills, because without consistent feedback, it is impossible to gauge one’s progress. The support group I establish will provide me with that feedback. Specifically, I will create a point-based survey and ask each person in my support group to complete it. By doing this, I will have quantitative results at the end of each month to see which areas of my personality need improvement. By setting short-term goals, my competitive nature will enhance my desire to improve, until I reach my long-term goals. Perhaps the most challenging task of this assignment was to envision the evolution of my personality from a college student to a business leader, because I did not know exactly how to set long-term goals. After thinking it through, I believe that the most pertinent long-term goal that I can set is to reflect on my life as a leader, and have no decisions that I regret making. This seems vague, but it must be in order to work. By achieving short-term monthly goals, I will achieve my long-term goal as a result, which is the express purpose of short-term goals. If I can look back on my life as a leader when I retire, and I can honestly say that there is not a single decision that I made or failed to make that resulted in an unethical consequence, I will consider myself a success. Conclusion Throughout the course of this assignment, as well as the class as a whole, I have been exposed to completely new ways of analyzing situations and have been able to integrate those concepts and strategies into my daily life. By creating this action plan for the development of my character and leadership skills; I have begun the preparation necessary to successfully lead in the business world, which is an incredibly valuable head start on students in other business schools around the country. B. R. Ambedkar’s pessimistic quote regarding the ethics versus economics dynamic that I used earlier in the paper was a perfect way for me to gauge the effectiveness of my action plan. I believe that through the analysis of my current self, the reflection and projection of my possible self, and the creation of my leadership development plan, I have been able to disprove the mentality that â€Å"business ethics is an oxymoron† and begin to strengthen the mentality that â€Å"ethics is good business, and good business is ethical.† References 1. Sean Hannah, class lectures and PowerPoint presentations, 8/29/2012-12/4/2012 2. Hannah & Avolio, Moral Potency: Building the Capacity for Character-Based Leadership 3. Trevino & Nelson, Managing Business Ethics 4. Badaracco, Defining Moments 5. George, Sims, McLean, & Mayer, Discovering Your Authentic Leadership 6. Badaracco, We Don’t Need Another Hero 7. Reinemund, class lecture 10/4/2012 View as multi-pages

Sunday, January 5, 2020

The Threat Of Supplier Power - 1074 Words

The threat of supplier power is moderate. There are only a select few organic producers that make up a large percentage of the organic food processed. Since a large number of 81 companies in 1995, the corporations that produce the majority of the organic food has been limited to approximately 15 (Remington, 2014). Competitive Rivalry In the industry, competition is high in most areas of the United States. There are usually two to three Supermarkets in a given location depending on the population. Whole Foods has an advantage with the organic and natural food buying trends, but many other businesses in the industry such as Kroger, Costco, etc. have taken notice to the trend. Threat of Substitution Whole Foods Market has a great selection of natural and organic foods trending previously mentioned. The threat of substitution is high though. One reason this is true is due to the â€Å"superstores† such as Wal-Mart and Target. Consumers can go to those stores to have a one store shopping experience for everything from food to clothing. Also, though the revenue in the industry, mostly goes to the top 50 stores, there still exists local markets and farmers that communities would rather support over the larger stores such as Whole Foods in the area. Analysis from Porter’s Five Force From analysis of the force that affect the industry’s businesses, especially Whole Foods Market, include substitution of products, supplier power, and competitors. There are many methods a consumer canShow MoreRelatedThe Micro Environment1504 Words   |  7 Pageswith major issues and upcoming changes in the environment. The analysis looks at five areas of interest, which are 1) Power of the Buyers; 2) Power of the Suppliers; 3) Threat of Substitute Products; 4) Threat of New Entrants; and 5) Intensity of Rivalry. Notice in the following diagram, how these interact and influence each other. MGMT 488 Chapter 3 – Macro Environment Page 2 POWER OF BUYERS STRONGER WHEN †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Buyers have low switching costs Buyers are large; large volume sales areRead MorePorter`s 5 forces1131 Words   |  5 Pagesexplore the environment in which a product or company operates to generate competitive advantage. Porter’s Five forces analysis looks at five key areas mainly the threat of entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry (advantage). 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The Porter’s Five Forces include bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of supplier, threat of new entry, threat of substitute, and rivalry among competitors (Elfren, 2000). In addition, The Porter’s Five Forces tool is a powerful tool for understanding where power lies in a business situation. Using this analysis tool, business can measure the level of rivalry inside their organization’s industry and

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Business and Management - 2600 Words

|[pic] |Syllabus | | |College of Humanities | | |ENG/125 Version 3 | | |Literature in Society | Copyright  © 2010, 2008, 2006 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course introduces themes in†¦show more content†¦83-87) | | | | |â€Å"A Rose for Emily,† William Faulkner (pp. 236-251) | | | | |Boys and Girls, Alice Munro (pp. 772-781) | | | | |â€Å"Araby,† James Joyce (pp. 879-883) | | | | |Everyday Use, Alice Walker (pp. 1087-1093) | | | | |â€Å"The Hanging of the Mouse,† Elizabeth Bishop (pp. 1308-1310) | | | | |â€Å"The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,† Ursula K. Le Guin (pp. 1311-1315) | | | |Participation |Participate in class discussion.Show MoreRelatedBusiness Process Management2447 Words   |  10 Pagesbeen compiled by MAK Consultants to tackle the key areas of concern found within Dynatrix Pty Ltd and proposes potential solutions to the organisation. 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It could therefore be described as a process optimization processRead MoreBusiness Process Management Strategy2635 Words   |  11 Pagesdeclining sales and reduced profits since 2008. Methodology Research for this report is based on current literature about business process management and relevant companies, transcript of the management meeting, financial statements, and other miscellaneous information supplied by Omnicrons’ CEO. Findings The major findings indicate the lack of a streamlined computer-based business system, coordination amongst departments’ managers and employees, IT facilities and equipment. These cause a range ofRead MoreBusiness Performance Management Assessment Tools1160 Words   |  5 PagesBusiness performance management is a set of management and analytic processes that enable the management of an organisation s performance to achieve one or more pre-selected goals. 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First ERP Failure (Hershey): There are many organizations which were successful in the implementation of ERP’s but there are alsoRead MoreComparative Analysis of Business Analysis and Business Process Management Capabilities6455 Words   |  26 PagesA COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF BUSINESS ANALYSIS (BA) AND BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT (BPM) CAPABILITIES Paul Mathiesen, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, p.mathiesen@connect.qut.edu.au Wasana Bandara, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, w.bandara@qut.edu.au Houra Delavari, Faculty of Science and Technology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, h.delavari@qutRead MoreDetermining The Efficient Tool For Business Process Management1536 Words   |  7 PagesTool for Business Process Management in Organizations Using Analytical Hierarchical Process Sravani Vadali Engineering Management University of Houston – Clear Lakeâ€Æ' Introduction to Business Process Management Business process management (BPM) is a management approach to make an enterprise’s activities and tasks to be more accurate, more competent and more efficient in adapting to the ever-changing needs of business. BPM is a far-reaching merging of Business Process Reengineering, Business ProcessRead MoreThe Importance of Implementing Business Management Process within a Company2127 Words   |  9 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY The objective of this report is to explain Mr. John Doe about the importance of implementing Business Management Process (BPM) in his company Platinum concepts Pty ltd. This report provides the details about the current business process by using a simple AS IS diagram. Furthermore, it analyses the problems which the company is facing in present stage. The major findings resulted that most of the work are done manually and there is no use of automation machines or electronicsRead MoreCase Study Of Wells Fargo s Business Process Management974 Words   |  4 PagesInformation technology in the use of business processes is very extensive in the world .the current market mechanism has become increasingly international so the competition among business is becoming more and more fiercely. An effective and useful business process must be created by using different types of IT(information technology) to cope with challenge in the market for a business .The first part of this article illustra te the definition of the business process to explain how IT can enhance

Friday, December 20, 2019

Allegory Of The Cave, By Dick Gregory s Shame And...

When discussing reality, several questions emerge regarding what reality is. A reality, the real situation that exist, (Merriam-Webster.com) consists of two forms-perceived reality and actual reality. One spends his or her entire life trying to decipher the difference between the two forms; yet to truly understand reality, it is essential that you comprehend both. Plato s Allegory of the Cave, Dick Gregory s Shame and Frederick Douglass Learning to Read and Write illustrate examples of both perceptions. Furthermore, how conceptualization of reality helps establish who one will become. Perceived reality is one s interpretation of what is genuine and false, wrong and right, what is real and what is not. Because of this, one s surroundings and associates can also influence one s perception of what is authentic; consequently, one s belief in perceived truth can be distorted. The depiction of a physical world filled with misrepresented and inadequate images of existence, in Allegory of the Cave, confirms this assertion. Shadows symbolize fact and those who were chained consider nothing besides the artifacts as the unhidden (Plato). Similarly to Plato, Gregory s Shame, portrays his teacher s assumptions that he was stupid, couldn t spell, couldn t read, and couldn t do arithmetic (Shame 5). She regarded him as ignorant, based solely on his inability to concentrate in class or sit still. Gregory also describes his obliviousness of shames existence.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Qualitative Research Quantitative Research Essay Example For Students

Qualitative Research : Quantitative Research Essay Qualitative Research Research is conducted daily, whether the research is conducted and carried out through that of qualitative research or quantitative research. Strongly the type of research in which is used tends to depend on the researchers purpose, with strong regards to the type of information in which the researcher is seeking to find. Qualitative research however strongly focuses on the descriptions and the deeper meaning, which can be associated with that of data collection. With regards to qualitative research there can be many definitions to describe the actual meaning of this type of research, but strongly one needs to understand the basic concepts associated with that of qualitative research. One needs to look deeply as to how it is defined, who uses this type of research, the types of research in which exists with that of qualitative research, how one can gather data and overall how it can strongly relate to that of the findings in which exist for that of qualitative re search. What is Qualitative Research?Qualitative research often looks to answer the whys and the hows of human behaviour, the opinions in which people are comforted with and also the experiences they have encountered. Qualitative research tends to be finding out not only just what people think, but also why they think. It inclines to get individuals and participants to talk about their own opinions so that researchers can develop a deep understanding of feelings, thoughts and motives. From this it strongly gets participants to be strongly invested in their thoughts, in order to get them to think and reason. With regards to that of qualitative research there can be many definitions in which exist, all expressing their own view upon how qualitative r. . of the research or the purpose of the study. It does not make sense to include large portions of an interview in a research paper since it is not necessary due to constraints. This strongly demonstrates that validity can always be questioned, but it does lie in the fact that no matter what research is conducted weather it qualitative or quantitative, there can always be reason and thoughts to why a study might be not be considered fully valid. With regards to that of qualitative research it can be commonly found that findings can not be generalized to a larger population, but they can be thought about and replicated. No matter the validity, there can always be concerns that will exist will all types of studies, but the strongest basis that can exist is when the researcher can have strong influence on the results, which overall can cause for a basis to exist overall.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Team Roles At Work Motivation And disposition

Question: Describe about the Team roles at work for Motivation and disposition? Answer: Organization Behavior Case Overview I am appointed as the new store manager of a supermarket of ASDA in Ireland. Here I will display my knowledge of different organizational cultures and structures by drawing important theory from staff members. These staff members belong to different racial and cultural background, which needs decision-making style and teamwork that will help achieve the long run and short run goals. The companys BOD and CEO assign me this new post based on my previous achievements in the Mini supermarket in ASDA in London. I will also apply various motivational theories and management styles to achieve the best results for the activities of our company. In the case analysis, the four important theories we will focus are, understanding the relationship between organizational culture and structure, various management approaches, motivational theories used in the organization and mechanisms required to develop effective organizational teamwork (Hellriegel Slocum, 2011). Understanding the relationship between organizational culture and structure- The difference between ASDAs organizational culture and structures in England and Ireland can be analyzed with context to its relationship between its organizational culture and structure. Organizational Structure of any country encompasses its leadership, culture, internal and external environment, etc. Like, every other company ASDA also has an organizational structure, which could be either informal or formal. The organizational structure of the company should provide its organizational hierarchy layout and command chain. The organizational structure of ASDA England and ASDA Ireland are quite similar and both have formal organizational structure with strict regulations and rules. ASDA London has a formalized hierarchical structure with a clear control chain and proper line of execution control (Hitt, Miller Colella, 2011). In ASDA London, the employees can report to different people as it has multiple decision stage and command level. The hierarchical level is very effective in a diversified and huge company like ASDA. However, the problem the employees in ASDA London face is as they work together they are in the same footing irrespective of their seniority. The employees both old and new are provided with a competitive salary package, which ultimately help in developing efficiency. On the other hand, ASDA Ireland supermarket focuses on strict adherence to official structures and standards. The management in ASDA Ireland is trying to exercise an environment where dynamic decision can be taken. They are trying to reduce the organizational layers between its chief executives and the store managers like us. Unlike, ASDA England, it is relying more on using a combination of both formal and informal organizational structure. The organizational culture of ASDA England and Ireland is quite similar, where ASDA England aims- To give excellent service to its customers To maintain integrity To ensure customer satisfaction On the other hand, ASDA Ireland aims- To improve the customer base To maintain standards in the organization To meet the customer demands and needs To carry out fair deals (McShane Von Glinow, 2012) The relationship between ASDAs structure and culture can influence the performance of its Irish site in following ways- Employees behavior is dependent directly on the organizational structure- Being the store manager if I m not satisfied with the workforce performance then it is necessary to report it to the top management who in turn will evaluate the organizational structure. Stronger organizational structure results in better organizational performance- Good organizational structure helps in the empowerment of the store manager who ensure employee motivation and better workforce performance (Moorhead Griffin, 2012). Strong organizational culture results to higher performance- ASDA is one of the biggest company in the world, which encounter huge market competition. Thus, it requires a service oriented and strong culture in the organization, which can support it is customer management. Cultural diversity in its workforce and its importance- The diversity in its workforce can be a challenge for the store manager. However, effective management can help the employees trusting each other, proactive behaviors and risk taking the attitude to create an adaptive culture (Robbins Judge, 2011). Three factors that can influence individual behaviour in the workplace at the Irish ASDA are- Maintaining job security- The employees of the organization want proper job security. If the employees have proper job security, then they tend to perform effectively to get the desired objectives and goals. The workforce of ASDA belongs from the different culture, caste and creed with individual thoughts and mentalities. Therefore, it is important to understand the employees' requirements and maintain it. A satisfied workforce supported with a comfortable work environment help in fulfilling the organizational goals. Pay rates- The lucrative pay structure of the company influences its workforce behavior by pushing them to be competitive and enhance their performance (Schermerhorn, 2012). Understanding different management approaches- The effectiveness of the three leadership styles is explained in the context of ASDA and British Airways. The three types of leadership styles are Autocratic, Laissez-Faire and Democratic. Autocratic leadership is defined as the type of leadership style where the leaders will take all the decisions without any consultation with others. The Democratic leadership is defined as the type of style where the leaders consult with the employees and then take the final decision. Laissez-Faire Leadership is defined as the type of style where the involvements of the leaders are reduced to the least with respect to decision-making. In case of ASDA, the main function of the leaders is to provide a superior and unique service to the customers and make the organization a friendly place to work. The CEO of ASDA, Andy Clarke focus on certain things like- Provide equal opportunity to employees to show their quality with effective leadership quality. Maintain a caring and empathetic relationship with the employees. Maintain proper communication to each level of the company, which includes the senior managers, store managers, and employees. In ASDA, the top management applies democratic leadership style. In British Airways, the top management previously used an autocratic leadership style, which restricted its performance. However, the CEO, Keith Williams changed its previously used leadership style to a new and democratic approach (Burns, 2012). Some of the management practices used in Irish ASDA is- Organizational theories use the management practices for the Irish ASDA in following ways- Webers bureaucratic theory Scientific theories to management Administrative practice The management of ASDA Ireland used the administrative theory. The administrative theory is based on several key management principles. The four key principles of the administrative theory are- Using the administrative theory, ASDA Ireland has applied its principles effectively. It will start with developing an effective plan as per the organizational objectives. As per the plan, all the organizational functions are carried out. The success of the organizational plan largely depends on how effectively it is being executed by the concerned leadership. Finally, control is being made to evaluate the significance of the management principles (Collinson, Grint Jackson, 2011). Four different management approaches used in three organizations are- Classical Approach- This kind of approach emphasizes on the structural functions and factors to achieve the desired objectives of the organization. The four key factors of this approach are the labour division, functional and scalar processes like command unity, command chain, authority delegation, etc., structure staff and control span. This kind of approach uses the autocratic leadership style. Neo-Traditional Approach- This kind of approach focuses on movements of human relations and behavioural approach. It mainly studies motives, group, intergroup behaviours and supervision. It clearly specifies that activities coordination is difficult to have without proper employee cooperation (Kellerman, 2012). Scientific Approach- This kind of approach focuses on utilizing techniques and methods such as sociology, social psychology, psychology, and anthropology. All these techniques will help the management get things done by the employees and develop the interpersonal skills of the employees with themselves and with the management. It uses the motivation, group relations, individual drives, etc. Modern Organizational Approach- This kind of approach focuses on defining the organization as the system, and the environmental impact on the organizational effectiveness is considered (Maeda Bermont, 2011). Considering three companies ASDA, BP, and British Airways, it can be said that all three British companies use three different management approaches that are- ASDA use a combination of traditional and neo-traditional approach, which will help, develop proper coordination between the employees and guide them to achieve the organizational objectives. BP, on the other hand, uses the modern organizational approach. BP is the second best company in UK. It uses the modern organizational approach, which have helped in developing coordination and cooperation in the company, adapt to any technological changes and adjust its resources as per the market demands. British Airways used the scientific approach where with effective techniques like motivation, group relations, individual drives, leadership, etc. the company has utilized its human resource successfully (Powell Koltz, 2012). The two different management approaches are- Neo-Traditional Approach- This kind of approach propagates organizational structure that is people oriented and will integrate formal and informal organizations. This kind of approach has two factors, which are work group and individual. This will help develop interpersonal relations between the employees and the management. The neo-traditional approach emphasized on informal leadership to the certain extent, developed leadership, coordination theory, and motivational theory to solve the managerial problems. Modern Organizational Approach- This kind of approach is subdivided into three different approaches, which are- Contingency approach- It involves in the analyzing the methods that the company can adapt with respect to the technological changes, the uncertainty of decision-making and requirements for innovation. Systems approach- It defines the organization as an open system, which consists of interdependent and interrelated elements. Some of its features are adaptability, the importance of the human values, coordination and integration of all the subsystems in a total system, etc. Multivariate approach- This kind of approach focuses on basic business, its structure that involves workflow, authority system and communication, technological factors and its workforce and behaviour (Reed Signorelli, 2011). The impact of different leadership styles on motivation in organisations are- In ASDA, the business process can be re-engineered as per the incremental or technological changes, which depend on the organizational situations, and needs, which can be managed with good leadership. Leadership is comparatively difficult from management this is because leadership mainly focuses on the way a good leader lead its people to achieve the organizational goals whereas a manager focus on achieving the activities of the organization. Some of the approaches followed by leaders of ASDA during any managerial changes are- Instances when the staffs of the company oppose to any new organizational changes then it is necessary for the leaders to use autocratic style, take firm decisions, and direct the workforce accordingly. During any change in the company, the leaders can use the consultative approach, involve its workforce in the managerial process by clearly explaining the changes, and seek their ideas and opinions on it. Finally, the company can assign the right duties to the right people and use a teamwork approach. Each of the team members will not only understand the changes but also adjust to the changes to achieve the organizational goals (Brahier Speer, 2011). Motivational theories used in ASDA are- Motivation can be defined as the managerial function where the leader or manager motivates its employees to perform in the best way possible. There are several motivational theories, which the company can use, which are- XY theory of McGregor- This theory uses both the authoritative and participative style. In theory X, the employees avoid working, take any responsibility as much as possible, and thus are subjected to punishment threats. As per theory Y, employees will work effectively, without any external control. They are committed to the organization and take responsibility for solving the organizational problems and achieving organizational success. As per the XY theory, leadership of ASDA should focus on motivating the X employees but it is not true because the Y employee also requires motivation (Davidson, 2011). Maslows Needs Hierarchy- It ensures in fulfilling all the needs of the employees based on its requirements. Maslows hierarchy model starts with psychological, safety needs and goes on to higher needs like social and esteem needs. Finally, the self-realization needs are fulfilled. ASDA leadership in motivating the employees also uses this (Leontiev, 2012). Vroom's Theory of Expectancy- Along with the Maslow's theory, ASDA can also use the Vroom's theory. Vroom s theory focuses on the simple fact that if the employees put more efforts in their performance then it will improve and on better performance they are rewarded with bonuses and incentives on their performance (Maeda Bermont, 2011). Usefulness of a motivation theory for store managers of the ASDA Ireland- It is the store managers duty to achieve the organizational objectives and goals. The manager can increase the organizational productivity by increasing the productivity of the employees. To get more productive workforce the manager need to motivate them continuously. The manager can do this by applying all the three motivational theorize discussed. As per the McGregor's theory, employees are differentiated s per their work commitment and responsibility-seeking attitude (Maehr, 2012). Employees, who are lazy, avoid responsibility and require control is needed to be motivated. In addition, the responsible and committed employees should be motivated to perform better. Then the manager can use the Maslows theory where the employees will be motivated to fulfil all their needs as per the Maslow's hierarchy theory. In ASDA Ireland, I being the store manager will apply the Maslow's theory as well as the Vroom's Expectancy theory. The Vroom's theory explains that the employees' expectation r esulted in better performance and expected performance results to better outcomes. In simple language, the employees expect to get better rewards for better performance (McInerney, Walker Liem, 2011). Group nature and group behaviour in ASDA- Groups are formed in the organization to attain specific results. The group's members have pre-determined purposes and specified tasks. Like every other organization, ASDA also has two different groups, which are formal and informal group- Formal Group- It is the type of group, which are formed by the organization. It can be formed with the objective to fulfill specified task. This kind of groups is created by the organization where every group member work together to achieve the organizational goals. The group member has fixed responsibilities and roles to fulfill in the group. The formal group is further subdivided into command group and task group. Command group is the type of group, which is fixed in the organization, and task group are temporary in nature. Task group is developed by the organization with the objective to fulfill certain specific tasks within a fixed time (Belbin, 2010). Informal Group- As compared to formal groups, informal groups have the greater impact on the performance of the organization. Informal groups are the type of groups, which are not formed by the organization but are formed using friendship and sharing of similar interests between the team members. Informal groups can be divided into two different groups, which are interest group and friendship group. An interest group is the type of group where employees from different departments share the same interest like sports and politics. Friendship groups are the groups between the group members who are from same age group, a certain type of belief and attitude. Using the informal groups more, manager of ASDA can ensure the betterment of its organizational structure and improve its business. It helps in developing the work culture of the organization and its performance (Bostock, 2012). Factors that influence the development of effective teamwork in ASDA- To develop teamwork in Irish ASDA, the manager needs to categorize certain factors- Maintain open and clear communication between the team members to share information, ask anything and give suggestions and ideas in the company. Develop trust between each member of the team, which will help ASDA take important decisions and promote the new business strategy. It will help the employees share their knowledge and information with each other, which results in organizational success. The company should utilize its diverse workforce effectively. People from the different religion, age, ethnicity, gender and region will bring in new ideas. Thus, a diverse workforce will help in generating innovative and creative ideas (Hawkins, 2011). The team should be provided with a perfect leader who will guide the entire team to achieve the pre-set goals. A good leader can coordinate the employees, handle their problems and resolve them effectively. The success of the team is largely dependent on its attitude. Thus, to achieve the goals, it is necessary for each member of the team to have an optimistic attitude to their task. This will help them remain upbeat about the task assigned to them and put the best effort to complete the task on time. Each member should be provided with proper development and training to understand the work assigned to them, and the functions that are needed to be carried out by them (Roper, 2011). Impact of technological change on team functioning in Irish ASDA- ASDA is using technology to carry out all its activities and thus being the store manager, I should use the technology effectively to improve the productivity. With proper training on the technological changes, our team can be developed and equipped. It can be done by understanding each of our team members and explaining them the benefits of using new technology in our productivity process. It will help us promote trust, coordination, cooperation, team structure, leadership, etc (Wendt, Quist Lloyd, 2011). Conclusion: The organizational cultures and structures of the organization are compared and contrasted with the assessment. The relationship of ASDA's organizational structure and its culture and its effect on the organizational activities are explained. The three factors, which can influence the individual behavior in ASDA's workplace, are discussed. The effectiveness of the leadership styles used by the companies and use of organizational theory in ASDA is explained. Different management approaches are evaluated and justified. Then the concept of various leadership styles, various motivational theories, and its usefulness in ASDA Irish are evaluated. 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