Food can be significant in people’s lives

Food can be significant in people's lives' for many different reasons – comparison of texts from food anthology. Titus Andronicus and Grandpa's Soup By samiyarahman Both Titus Andronicus and Grandpa's soup serve the purpose of entertaining the reader in Juxtaposing ways. Titus Andronicus is illustrative of the alarming horror that certain types of cooking and food reinforce, whereas Grandpa's soup is representative of the warmth and affection that certain types of food and cooking can bring.Themes portrayed in these texts such as death, mortality, celebration, esperation, love and hate are looked at from completely different angles through the literary techniques displayed by both writers, which will be analyzed and discussed in this essay. First of all, the celebratory atmosphere created in both texts highlight the horror/ happiness. For example, in Titus Andronicus, ingredients of human flesh and bones are mixed to produce delightful dishes.Literally, this is gruesome and ch aotic but for the characters cooking these dishes it connotes a sense of victory over defeating their enemies and ridiculing them, which they then celebrate. Similarly, in Grandpa's Soup the ingredients are given a voice to, making them almost onomatopoeic for example, ‘hoch', ‘loch' and ‘och'. The rhythmic tone signifies togetherness and similarity between the words indicative of the togetherness and strong relationship the character has with her Grandpa.The repetition of these ingredients throughout the poem adds emphasis to this idea, it seems as if it was pouring out of her mind – this is also reflected through the character's voice because it doesn't seem to be limited to a form, the poem sprawls and is shaped by the speech, which reflects the Joy and elebration in the poem. Death and mortality are also common themes in these poems presented to us in two completely different ways. Ruthless cannibalism in Titus Andronicus versus natural death in Grandpa' s Soup: Titus very easily and by giving clear instructions orders on how to kill Chiron and Demetrius.This implies that if he so effortlessly does this he is not at all moved or disturbed by it and that it is completely normal to him. The silence and reaction of others around him show that they are also unaffected by it, which forces out an extremely shocking response from the reader. In contrast, Grandpa's Soup signifies that Grandpa's cooking provides her with genuine pleasure not Just contentment or satisfaction but something greater therefore she goes onto talk about her fear of losing him, which overcasts a melancholic shadow over the whole poem.The writer understands that death is a natural process that she cannot stop but she goes on to say how it will affect her living life as she will be emotionally torn apart and carry the burden of pain throughout with the absence of her Grandpa and his remedial soup. There is evidence of figurative language that is very effective in outl ining and omprehending the character's point of view in Grandpa's Soup for example the simile ‘like a rich island in the middle of the soup sea'. The hyperbole assists in getting her ideas across.Describing the soup as a sea represents the depth of the character's feelings associated with the soup, and her Grandpa. This is reinforced by the yearning that is evident through her language, for example ‘he knows I will grow and pine for it. I will fall ill and desperately need it' this could be seen as deep emotive language that shows her desperation and strong will to hold onto her Grandpa forever and the fact that she draws from the semantic field of health shows that the soup is so important to her it's like a cure or a medicine for all her illnesses.The desperate people that have no peace in Titus Andronicus are reflective of the fast pace of the poem and how quickly events unfold throughout the poem leaving the reader with no time to digest it. The Juxtaposition is evid ent in, Whereof their mother daintily hath fed, Eating the flesh that she herself hath bred' shows that she has done such a catastrophic deed but in a way that is not imaginable and omething she herself was unaware about. The adverb ‘daintily screams out the disgust.This technique achieves maximum impact because soft words are used to convey a very powerful, strong meaning completely alarming the reader because it is such an unnatural, unusual situation. Also, the conversational and chatty lexis rather than it makes as if all the gruesomeness is very common and there is nothing to be shocked about. Both writers use iambic pentameter giving the texts life and a certain personality. For example in Titus Andronicus the iambic pentameter assists in building tension, uspense and the stress.Furthermore, in Grandpa's Soup it would be appropriate to say it sounds like a heartbeat when read aloud illustrating the love and affection that resides in the poem. The role of women in Titus A ndronicus seems very minor. Rape is the stigma attached to Lavinia therefore it is believed that her life is no longer valuable or even useful which is why she is subject to death after she gets Justice. Titus uses the killing of Chiron and Demetrius as a Justification for killing Lavinia. Additionally, Tamora Just follows instructions even though she is the empress but has no real oice.On the other hand, in Grandpa's Soup, the whole poem is a female narrator expressing her feelings and having the most important place in the poem. In conclusion, it can be said that the themes of these texts are highly comparable because both texts possess the same themes, which are given a completely different light in each one. Titus Andronicus is accurately representative of its genre: a revenge tragedy and Grandpa's Soup gets across the idea that food can form and trigger memories that last a lifetime and the nostalgia allows us to reconnect with omeone that may be gone but still alive in our tho ughts.Titus Andronicus sticks closely to its fictional identity however Grandpa's Soup allows the reader to bring to lite real teelings that are relatable to a wide audience. On the contrary, it can be argued that even though we can closely relate to Grandpa's Soup rather than Titus Andronicus, the concentration of the themes in Titus Andronicus allows us to understand the real meanings of those more in it rather than in Grandpa's Soup. When analyzing the texts it is important to consider the purposes of the texts and oth texts fulfill their purpose to entertain to a large extent.The various techniques such as fgurative language, word choices, form, structure and sound patterning are used by Shakespeare and Kay to get across certain attitudes and values have been extremely successful in doing so. Additionally, the backgrounds of the writers and the eras they were writing in seem to have largely influenced these poems. For example Kay may be giving a personal account of her experienc es giving it a timeless quality whereas Shakespeare's motivation may have been what sold or was popular at the time to spectators.

General motors, accounting theory and receivership Essay

Accounting theory is a wide ranging and comprehensive analysis and practice of management accounting and modern financial accounting. This function is accomplished through provision of a theoretical framework that assists in appreciating and understanding the purpose of various accounting practices. Business wise, the theory provides its linkage with modern accounting processes and the impacts of the procedures on business performance or operations. The theory is preferred because it goes beyond the theory, idea and thought analysis to incorporate holistic views of the influence of cultural and historical regulations and impacts on real world business environment (Madsen, 1999, p. 12). Receivership is a scenario under which gives an order to place a property under receivers control so that preservations for affected fellows can be done through it. In a case where a company is failing, actions brought forth by its creditors can place the business under receivership. The business does not cease to operate but is subjected to receiver’s management. In several cases, the court appoints a person to liquidate, rehabilitate, conserve or administer assets belonging to the insolvent corporation, in efforts made ultimately to relief or protect creditors. It therefore doesn’t lead to termination of corporate charter, but serves as a solution to financial difficulty. The dominion controller of the property subject to legal action is known as the receiver. In most cases, receivership is valued as an extraordinary remedy (Dubin, 1947, p. 10). This is because it is us4d to take care of a property when it is required for prosecution of lawsuit. This is especially when a danger is perceived that the property may be removed or dissipated form the courts jurisdiction in a failure to appoint a receiver. It is a process that only takes place through a court order, utilization only in exceptional circumstances. It may involve of not the consent of the owner of the property. General Motors is a company in the United States of America, dealing with motor based accessories, facilities and equipments. It is a company that is recognized as an economy mover not only in US but also in the global economy. However of late, the future of the company is hard to tell because it is subjected to several challenges of receivership, a process that is not only affecting its financial stability but also shaking its social fabric. United States uses a basic form of financial information in assessing the viability of corporations (Gordon, 2005, p. 17). In its capital markets, the general purpose financial statements used include profit and loss statements, balance sheets, statements of cash flows and statements of changes in equity. The nation also obtains extra information from footnotes. The extra information may include accounting procedures and policies utilized in preparing the financial statements, composition and the nature of balances reflected in the financial documents and other disclosure and matters that may be considered relevant for fairness to be upheld in the financial documentation process. US securities registrants also make periodic, quarterly and annual fillings (Belkaoui, 1991, p. 34). These fillings provide supplemental and additional information concerning statistical analysis, descriptions of significant risk factors, major operation locations and units, properties and plants, services and products and company’s business. The legal framework also requires operations to do with management’s discussion and analysis, assessment of liquidity risks and liquidities and certain supplementary schedules. Critical consideration and analysis of the above information gives a corporations financial status and its ability to serve the creditors and satisfy the requirements by the law (Cheffins, 1997, p. 15). The question on whether General Motors is in full consideration of ethical aspects in the process of receivership is subject to various influences. To some point, it may be ethical and fail at some points. This is because the receivership process has got some benefits to both the company itself and the shareholders, meaning that the process may lead to ethical grounds of treatment. On the other hand, the process has its own disadvantages to itself and stakeholders, this representing the degree of ethical deviation. For the time being, the company has received a mounting pressure to convince Washington that the bankruptcy of the company does not turn out catastrophically to the national economy. It is anticipated that if this happens, millions of job opportunities will be lost, tax payers will have to pay more than $100 billion and therefore lead the economy into a severe depression. Because of this threat, Barrack Obama, Harry Reed and Nancy Pelosi have called for an auto bailout of the company (Rae, 1959, p. 16). The decision to get into a receivership supports the argument that the company is ethical to some extend. This is because receivership is the alternative of bankruptcy which is worse. Bankruptcy paralyses every thing in a company and soils the continuity of the company, stakeholders and the national economy as a whole. Surrendering to receivership deal is showing the concern of the company towards their stakeholders, national economy and the global economy. In one special consideration, if the company failed to engage in a receivership deal, all dealers and suppliers from all over the globe would be jobless (Bonbright, 1982, p. 19). To escape from employee assaults, receivership make sure all employees are not pay off and the operations of the company continue running though under courts monitory. The control by court gives hope and protects the rights of the stakeholders. Reflecting unemployment as a worldwide challenge, it cloud be bad for companies to advocate and engage in business strategies that increase unemployment. Again, the business ethics are tied to respect and compensation of employees as a major priority, because it is believed they form the production propellers. Without employees, an organization can hardly run and this is the reason as to why General Motors has been regarded as ethical for giving employees the best treat the company could afford during this financial challenge (Gordon, 2005, p. 17). If General Motors could not strike this deal, it is a possibility that it would have broken up and sold to other companies that may be foreign or domestic. In this case, stakeholders would have lost everything, workers would have lost and management fired. This is a clear indication that receivership is attributed to less stigma. The decision of rushing to this line of management has been seen to release the stigma of the management, country and the clients in question. This is because the operations are still on and under strict surveillance by court administration (Gordon, 2005, p. 16). Therefore, America as a nation, its citizens and stakeholders still have hopes that the company will reinstall its functioning. According to the accounting theory, it is always advisable to be a risk taker but to certain limits. Once the balancing of the accounting section fails, it is also provided that accountants or administration should surrender and allow advanced cross data analysis. This is a measure made to minimize the exposure to risks that may render an organization non functional. Business receivership increases chances of a troubled business survival. To revive the proceedings of the business almost to normalcy level, it is essential to put in place new management to help discover the errors of the old management. This increases the probability of the business survival (Bonbright, 1982, p. 19). The reason as to why many people may believe that GM is not serving its function and failing is because the American economy itself is under its steepest drop in 20 years time, recording foreclosures at highest levels, stock market performing the poorest for five years and a decaying consumer confidence. It should be understood that the cause of the GMs challenge is also contributed to by the economic environment of the country and also the global economy, which is in a recession. It is said that General Motors is in the verge of bankruptcy. In December 2008, the consumer confidence in the company has dropped to its lowest levels possible. Because of these difficulties, the federal government announced that the economy has been in a recession as from December 2007. This company applied for this protection from creditors because according to how the situation was, a red ink had mounted an issue which was realized through a cash flow collapse and amid falling sales. The company made the unavoidable choice in efforts of filing court intervention in dealing with urgent liquidity crisis and therefore seeks for transformation towards sustainability. According to the stock market, the company’s shares had dropped with nearly 85 percent and were in turn suspended. The company was unable to meet its payroll in December 2008. GM is observed to have small domestic rivals but its state is closely being watched to face amid turmoil in auto industry. The failure of this company has also been ignited by the global financial crisis that has plunged the demand for vehicles (Rae, 1959, p. 17). According to the nature of accounting, it is described as a process of communicating, measuring and identifying economic information to facilitate decisions by the information users and permit informed judgments to take place. This has been taken as a statement of basic accounting theory, supporting the ideology that economy or entrepreneurial progress is a concern of stakeholders, and information should be exposed with a lot of freedom and accuracy. In regards to the General Motors, the move to receivership is a strategy to allow access to documents and pave way for new judgments to be made but separate entities. This is highly appreciated in the theory of accounting because it improves the creativity of the company in management activities and help reconstruction of the company. Failure to communicate information is not ethical. This is because if GM was not ethical it could only give up at times of complete insolvency or bankruptcy. Under the accounting theory, measuring and communicating information involves observation of events and transactions of the firm and measuring the transactions as well. Financial report is then released, which serves as a message to help the healing process. After the interpretation of the message, an image of the firm is obtained and then used as a basis of decision making. The adjustments that are possible in case of the above company will be based on accounting discoveries and recommendations. The allowance of experts into the scrutiny process is a show of responsiveness to the reform process and the willingness to be corrected (Rae, 1959, p. 17). As the above takes place, the receiver has acted as the referee of the proceedings, playing a trustee duty to the court. This receiver has maximized the value of General Motors Company and its assets. The receiver is also taking the best ways possible to protect shareholders and creditors involved in the saga of this company. With time, the receiver may often liquidate the assets and shut it down but this is not the case in the united stases of America. The fate of the company therefore rests on the possibility of the company coming back operation, the amount of remaining money and the causes of the business problems. If events prove that there is no hope for the company in the long run, the acting receiver would make sure that every partner involved benefits from the scrape value of the venture. If it is finally ruled the company should be sold as a going concern, the price tag can improved because for the value added by the receiver. This description makes receivership of its concern more sensitive to its creditors, clients and creditors (Bonbright, 1982, p. 18). With all the above arguments describing General Motors as ethical, the path that the company followed to this far is on the other hand questionable both in human resource management and financial accounting. If the company was so ethical, such difficulties could be detected earlier and protected. It will be then very accurate that the company should have participated in financial fraud. Fraudulence and material misstatement is believed to have led the company to this saga, completely going against accounting ethics of transparency, accuracy and accountability. At international levels, the company is said to have defied from accounting theory by either overstating revenues, understating expenses, omitting some liabilities, overstating assets, failure in transactions, disclosure and accounting events, mischaracterization, disclosures that may be misleading in concerns of MD&A, products and services, liquidity and liquidity risks or in supplemental information. Inclusively, the country may also have created fictitious assets, omitted actual liabilities or improper reflect of transactional timing. The above frauds are all outlawed in the financial accounting theory, which the above company may not have adhered to, leading to the present massacre (Rae, 1959, p. 16). Still to show discontentment of the company as far as accounting theory is concerned, receivables and revenues recognized prematurely should be given a special treatment in the accounting process, an error that General Motor sis believed to have committed and thus failed to meet its payroll in December 2008. The cost of production of the company has been observed to increase before the fall magnified and collapsed the functioning of the company. Through accounting theory, this may have been caused by deferring the reconnection of costs or purchases, improperly overstating the value of inventories or improper treatment of overhead or indirect expenses. According to the outcry of the General Motor employees, there must have been a delayed recognition of associated provision expenses before this downfall. Contingencies have been detected in form of litigation reserves, product and warranty liability reserves sales return allowances and doubtful accounts allowances. According to the nature of the controversy in the company’s financial statements, creation of fictitious probably took place. It involved recording of associated fictitious receivables, fictitious revenues, fictitious inventory and therefore underestimation of cost of goods sold (Madsen, 1999, p. 13). Accounting theory and practice of accountants firmly argue against exclusive frauds, which definitely drive corporations and businesses to the situations comparable to the ones of General Motors. The exclusion concerns liabilities and other obligations such as contingencies, guarantees and commitments, all of which affect the balance sheet status. The effect of such exclusions is understatement of expenses such as environment cleanup expenses, litigation expense provisions, judgment liabilities, litigation reserves debt losses such as undisclosed commitments, guarantees and debt related contingencies. This category also incorporates direct charge off reserves and impairment of unconsolidated assets like partnerships, joint ventures and equity investments. All the above exclusive frauds lead to overstatement of liquidity measures and understatement of company’s total liabilities and interest expense (Dubin, 1947, p. 11). As far as accounting theory is concerned, the company is believed to have defied the provisions of the theory with big margins. This is because if the company had carefully taken into concern the above errors, the turmoil could not have resulted. Again, even if it could occur, the margin could not be alarming. The accounting discrepancies that many leaders in America have felt brought the company down are pushing them to propose a complete turmoil of the company. The above fraud description illustrates that receivership of the company was not the best precautionary measure to take, but instead accounting theory prescriptions should consistently have been upheld by the company and thus prevent this fall. This means that the company is not as ethical as people may be thinking. Ethics are attributes in which every member of a certain setting performs or delivers his or her responsibility with all affordable sincerity and fairness. This involves consideration of the cultural expectations when in such environment, social aspects and the particular work ethics. If frauds comparable to the ones above take place, this means that a section of the staff is not sincere and so non ethical. Therefore it may also make sense to say the company is not so ethical (Belkaoui, 1991, p. 35). To add on this, an ethical institution is always the interest of the public because of the confidence they attach to them. The subsequent and rapid drop in the confidence of this company is an indication that it wasn’t an ethical organization which citizens could understand the scenario as a normal challenge and therefore continue supporting it. Because receivership is a lame way of solving the problem, the structural framework has to be strengthened if the company happens to revive as a going concern. If efforts to revive the company fail, it would also be wise to go for the bankruptcy option. Together with the disadvantages of this option, it may ultimately emerge as stronger form with lower cost structure. To supplement this, the government can undertake a bailout to add new capital, replace management, write down the debt and preserve most of the jobs. To conclude, receivership of General Motors can not be seen as a solution as per now but it is time to tell, especially according the economic trends. Still, it is hard to tell whether the company is ethical, since it posses both weak and strong elements of ethical practices (Cheffins, 1997, p. 15). Bibliography Belkaoui Ahmed (1991). Accounting in the dual economy. Westport, CT: Quorum Books; pp. 34,35. Bonbright James (1982). The holding company: Its public significance and its regulation. New York: McGraw Hill Books; pp. 18,19. Cheffins Brian (1997). Company law: Theory, structure and operation. New York: Clarendon Press, Clarendon; pp. 15. Dubin Robert (1947). United automobile (CIO), general motors and Studebaker. Science Research Associates; United States, pp. 10, 11. Gordon Robert (2005). Business leadership in the large corporation. New York: Brookings Institution; pp. 16,17. Madsen Axel (1999). The deal maker: How William C. Durant made general motors. New York: John Wiley & sons; pp. 12, 13. Rae John (1959). American automobile manufacturers: The first forty years. Chilton, Washington; pp. 16, 17.

CPOE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CPOE - Assignment Example This way, the implementation of CPOE makes the process of giving care to patients more efficient and effective. Additionally, the implementation of CPOE helps in making cost-conscious decisions by the physicians (Sittig & Stead, 1994). This is because, they already have all the entries regarding patients treatment requirements in a computer, which makes it easier to base their decisions on such information, as opposed to arbitrary or uninformed decision making (Sittig & Stead, 1994). Most significant is the fact that, the implementation of CPOE strategy helps in the optimization of the physicians time (Sittig & Stead, 1994). While recording information on other media takes more time, as does searching and retrieving such information, the case is different with computer made entries. Computer made entries enhance the speed of recording and retrieving information, thus allowing the physician to concentrate on patient care. This way, the implementation of CPOE helps to ensure that a med ical practitioner spends more time addressing the patients, as opposed to perusing through books and files in search for information and medical instructions (Sittig & Stead,

Equity and trusts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Equity and trusts - Essay Example If each of these elements can be ascertained by reference to Sadhia’s will and trust instrument, the trustees will be bound by her dispositions. However, the emphasis is on certainty of intention. It was held in Tana & Anor V Tana & Anor, that â€Å"certainty of intention is in many ways the most important† certainty.2 Therefore, in a typical case, once the court is satisfied that the â€Å"declarant had the requisite intention it will strive to validate it.†3 It is against this background that the trustees of Sadhia’s estate should proceed. Bearing in mind that certainty of intention is the most important element for determining whether or not each of Sahdia’s gifts form valid declarations of trusts, the trustees are advised to proceed with this mindset. The gift of the cottage to Sadhia’s husband appears at first glance to be a discretionary trust in that the declaration assumes that her husband will do what is necessary to benefit the children of the marriage. In other words Sadhia has left the question of their children’s benefit up to her husband’s broad discretion. Certainty of subject matter is unambiguously Sadhia’s cottage and that is assuming Sadhia only has one cottage capable of being distinguished from any other realty she leaves behind. The objects of the trust are also unambiguously stated and are the children that Sadhia shares with her husband. The difficulty however, involves certainty of intention. It was held in Wright v Atkyns Turn & R 143 it is possible to descern whether or not there was an intention to create a trust by the words used. However those words must be clear and imperative4 although he failure to use specific words will not render the creation of a trust invalid.5 That said, the use of the words â€Å"in full confidence that he will do what is necessary to benefit our

Racial discrimination between UK and USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Racial discrimination between UK and USA - Essay Example It is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a potential employee on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, or ethnic or national origins, which the Act calls collectively 'racial grounds'. Discrimination may be unfavourable treatment of an applicant for a job, offering less favourable terms of employment than other persons might expect or simply refusing a person's application.Discrimination may occur once a person is actually in employment, through lack of opportunities for promotion, transfer and training, refusal of benefits or facilities normally available to an employee, or unreasonable dismissal. It was not until the 1960s that race became a major public issue in British politics. It was, however over the issue of 'immigration', which became the focus of attention rather than the question of racial equality. In the eighteen months before the passage of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 over 200,000 black immigrants had arrived in Britain almost as many as in th e five years 1955 to 1960 and marginally fewer than black immigrants entering the country between July 1962 and the end of 1967. This period was marked by a sharp shift in public opinion towards immigration. In 1962, a few months before the passage of the Act, 62 per cent of the public favored controls and 23 percent favored free entry but by April 1968 the corresponding figures were 95 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. While the diversity of reasons for this shift in public opinion has been well documented 2, one constant theme has been, in the politics of race in Britain, the search by political leaders from the major parties to depoliticise this issue by papering over party differences 3. By the 1960s both major parties subscribed to the view that immigration should be controlled because immigrants placed great strain on employment and housing. It was only the Labour Party, 'albeit' with substantial ambivalence, which supported the idea of anti-discrimination legislation. By the time that Britain's first civil rights law, the Race Relations Act 1965, had been passed, for many, blacks had become synonymous with immigrants. Moreover prior to the Local Government Act of 1966 (Section 11) the general laissez-faire attitude of Central and Local Government meant that virtually nothing had been done to cater for the problems that many immigrants experienced in housing, employment and education. As Burney 4 observed, in the absence of Central Government direction and incentives, many local authorities, frequently in areas of high immigration and Labour controlled, behaved as though blacks did not exist: 'most Labour controlled councils made a habit of resolutely ignoring imm igration, to the extent of, wherever possible, ignoring immigrants'. So far as access to housing was recognised as an issue of concern in relation to ethnic minorities, a resolutely colour-blind approach was advocated whereby the real need was perceived to be to alleviate the housing shortage and to provide for those in greatest need. There should be no attempt to discriminate positively in favour of such minorities to remove the racial disadvantage, which they had experienced 5. At the time of the 1965 Race Relations Act the majority of blacks resident in the United Kingdom were immigrants and were likely to experience or to have experienced difficulties in the following areas: Problems associated with settlement and establishment. Differences in the dominant form of household structure and size being met by shortage

ACG Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ACG Group - Essay Example Earnings per Share Earnings Per Share (EPS) is one of the commonly used and defines the amount of money that a business pays per share of its ordinary stock. The ratio is a significant indicator of returns on investors’ money and influences interest in organizations’ stock prices. It is computed by subtracting preference share earnings from net income after tax and dividing the remaining amount by the number of ordinary shares for an organization. The EPS is a strong profitability indicator because it is a derivative of profits. Baxter offered EPS of $ 551 while Becton offered EPS of $ 5.69. The high EPS for Baxter than Becton suggest higher profitability at Baxter than Becton because it the organization’s net profits that influence the amount offered in EPS. The difference between values of EPS offered by the two organizations is also too wide to have occurred by chance and instead indicates differences in profitability. Observed differences in the two EPS ratio ns imply that investing in Baxter is more profitable than investing in Becton (Siddiqui, 2006). Profit rate Profit margin defines the ratio of gross profits to sales and shows an organization’s efficiency in managing its cost of goods sold.

Service Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Service Marketing - Essay Example Hart (1990) stated that recruiting a new customer costs five times than to keep current customers happy and content. This statement holds great value in every sense as organizations often try hard to keep customers happy by offering great services. At the same time, organizations have service recovery tools that help in gaining customers loyalty and trust back. Service recovery tools often help in enhancing customer’s retention by properly responding to service failures. The assignment aims at highlighting the impact of service failure on the business along with developing a service recovery model based on understanding and empowering customers. The organization chosen for this purpose is Tiger Airways Australia based in Melbourne, Victoria. In the past, Tiger Airways has received a number of complaints ineffective customer care service, flight delays and improper handling of grievances. This can be considered as a serious service failure offering a reason to be dissatisfied a nd frustrated with the services being offered. The analysis would help in understanding and analyzing the ways through which service failure can be addressed using service recovery tools in an effective and efficient manner helping the organization to win customer’s trust and loyalty back. An Overview of the Organization Tiger Airways Australia is a low cost airlines based in Melbourne, Australia. It started its operations in the year 2007 with strong focus on domestic markets. The organization has been performing well but not that well to compete with other competitors because of serious problems pertaining to the services being offered. As per the Bureau of infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics in Australia, Tiger Airways have consistently lower percentage of on-time arrival and departure with high percentage of cancellations. Tiger Airways also used marketing strategies to boost its sales figures and presence across the country through an advertisement campaign named â€Å"The Low Fare Revolution†. Tiger Airways have been hit by a number of criticisms pertaining to its services and can be considered as an ideal organization to analyze the concepts of service failure and recovery. Concept of Service Failure When organizations offer services to customers, the only motive is to make them feel good and content with the offered services. Customers also have pre-conceived and experienced notions on services and when these notions do not match with the services being offered; it is termed as a service failure. Service failure often frustrates customers along with making them change the service provider. It creates negative a negative impact on the business activities along with offering an edge to customers. It needs to be mentioned that service failure is bound to happen and organizations are supposed to be good enough to tackle service failures. Tiger Airways have been accused of poor customer service and high rate of cancellation. Furth er, the support and guidance from the management is almost negligible that has reduced the satisfaction level of customers. The service recovery tools that could have been of great help in dealing with service failures have been discussed in the following part in an analytical manner. Service Recovery and its Importance

Offenders and Psychology Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Offenders and Psychology - Coursework Example In the Table â€Å"Profile Characteristics of Disorganized Asocial Offenders† it is evident that there are a number of characteristics, which are appropriate in the process of offender personality’s studies. The status of the personalities in their communities is determined with respect to the following features: they have a limited intelligence, are involved in unskilled work and have a few contacts with other members of the community. These persons show the following types of post-offense behavior, such as turning to the place, where the crime was committed; having a visual collage of criminal events etc. After that, when the crime was committed, a disorganized criminal can hardly change a place of his residence, because he is used to his familiar environment. It is possible to differentiate a disorganized asocial offender from the organized nonsocial offender. The former offender would commit his crimes at night, as a rule. For this type of offenders, it is very impo rtant to be understood and supported. Establishment of positive relationship with this personality is very beneficial in the process of investigation. Moreover, the interviews are more effective with these offenders at night, when it is their â€Å"best time†. The features of the organized nonsocial offender can be interpreted in the following way: this type of the offender would be more organized in his daily life. They are lonely persons and they do not want anyone else around them. These persons have an average level of intelligence and they can be active members of the society. These offenders can have his personal relationship and he can even make a good impression (Interview with S. Milena Halterman, 2010). This type of offenders can go to many other places, which are far away from their neighborhood. Post-offense behavior of the organized nonsocial offenders is as follows: he is interested in the consequences of the crime, committed by him. Moreover, â€Å"organized  crime  scenes  reflect  a  high  level  of  control  by  the  offender  where restraints  are  used  and  the  body  is  disposed  of  in  a  thought out  manner, usually  transported  to  another  location  from  where  the  murder  took  place† (Holmes& Holmes, 2009). During the interview sessions, it is relevant to confront these offenders directly, because they are afraid of direct facts. A single-interview strategy is one of the most appropriate for them. These offenders can tell everything sincerely during the interviewing. Therefore, it is appropriate for the criminologists to focus on the peculiar personal features of the offenders in order to determine possible options of serial crime prevention and a proper investigation conduct of every particular case. Thus, the modern paradigm of criminology should be focused on researches and studies, which are concentrated on the peculiar aspects of offendersâ⠂¬â„¢ behaviors. Question 2 In the modern paradigm, it is very important to know that there is a strong relationship between social and psychological issues of the criminals and the actions committed by them. Psychological  profiling has been developing since 1940 and this field was developed for investigation of serial crimes (Schlesinger 2009). The basic points, outlined in this field of study are: characteristics of the  offender,  time factors, modus  operandi, offender’s  and  signature and  staging (Holmes & Holmes, 2009).  There is a great need to take into account organized vs.  disorganized

Conference Project Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conference Project Plan - Essay Example and that is only possible when people are abreast to the current and emerging trends in the profession through themed conferences and induction workshops. The conference will also provide a platform for comparing notes and mentoring. Continued fruitful engagements and consultation will be made possible by exchanging contact cards. Being a milestone conference, a lot of activities will be executed in the planning process to ensure that the conference is a success. A team has been assembled to oversee the planning process, and duties have been assigned. The planning has activities such as publicity, correspondences, reservations, logistics and more. Division of roles will ensure that each planning activity is given the maximum concentration it requires, and, therefore, that each activity is a success. The risks listed above have been identified as the most serious and their occurrence may affect the success of the conference in the most negative of ways. Take for instance absentee guests. The planning team has identified five key speakers to grace the conference, two being foreigners from Kuwait and China. All these guests have different presentations to make, and should any one of them be absent for whatever reason, a gap will result that would be difficult to fill. The planning team has created communication channels with those the important guests of the day to ensure that they communicate their likely absence in good time to enable the conference planning team to get a replacement. Another option is for the speaker to send someone to stand in for them, and adequately make up for their absence. The latter option will be the most workable because it will ensure that not many adjustments are made to accommodate a different person. Over-attendance is another risk that is likely to occur, though a positive one. The conference planning team plans to send invites to about 100 persons, 80% of whom are projected to attend. There is, however, a risk associated with

Graphical Analysis Essay Example for Free

Graphical Analysis Essay This part of the experiment looked at a pendulum to see the relationship between the length of string and the time it took to do ten full oscillations. Unlike the rubber band experiment the results produced a curve. The best-fit curve was produced from a power regression using the Graphical Analysis software and the Ti-83 plus calculator to cut down on systematic error. This fit was much better than the linear regression because more points lie on the curve and it also supports what the textbook says. In both experiments the possibility of errors are a concern; a concern that must not be forgotten. Systematic error is caused by the mis-collection of data or an improper model. One type of error that is always found is random error. It is the combination of errors that are important and calculated differently depending on the circumstances. Relative error gives more meaning to the importance of a random error. It is much easier to see the influence of a particular error when it is compared to the whole to make a percentage of error. The general function to determine error is a derivative of the function multiplied by the error. For example the error formula of y = x5 then the error formula is 54 ? x. The error formula for y = VX is (1 / (2VX)) ? X. Shortcuts can be used when determining the relative error of z when z = xy by adding the relative errors of x and y (? z = ? x/x + ? y/y). This can be done because of the following proof: ? z = x? y + y? x and z = xy then ? z/z = (x? y + y? x) / xy. The shortcut ? z/z = ? x/x + ? y/y is the same equation when a common denominator is calculated as xy. The same holds true for division z = x/y with the same result being ? z/z = ? x/x + ? y/y. Traditionally the equation would initially look like ? z/z = ((x? y + y? x)/y2) / (x/y), which is also the same as saying ((x? y + y? x) / y2) X (y/x). After the y/x is multiplied through then the same equation as the former is produced which is ? z/z = (x? y + y? x) / xy therefore proving the results. Method Part D Part D of the experiment looked at the quadratic function and its unique properties. The quadratic function of y = 10 + 30t 4. 9t2 was graphed using Graphical Analysis. This function represents a ball thrown upwards at 30 m/s with gravity working against it causing a downward motion. Figure 3 shows the resulting graph. This is just a theoretical situation and does not represent data collected. Analysis Part D The graphed quadratic function helps to understand the quadratic relationship more closely. It is a very useful function in physics because it is often seen when using motion. The roots are a very important part of the function. These are the points at which the curve crosses through the horizontal axis when y = 0. To figure this out the quadratic function can be rewritten as: x = -b/2a i Vb2 4ac / 2a. The graph is helpful to quickly see where the roots are. The Graphical Analysis software allowed me to zoom into the roots closer than what figure 3 allows to be seen. Visually the roots looked to be -0. 32 and 6. 44 but with a calculator the equation was a little more accurate for the first root at -0. 317. Using the proper number of significant figures then the answers would be the same whether calculated or visually enhanced. Looking at the equation more closely shows an interesting equation within the bigger one. Before the i symbol is -b / 2a, which is the same for both roots. This is important because the quadratic equation is symmetrical and the -b / 2a equation points to the apex of the curve, like a mid-point. Another note on this point is that the point is also where the slope = 0, which is when the ball would begin falling back to the earth. Conclusion This lab looked at some of the different physical relationships that are current theories or laws. The experiments verified these relationships.

Fashion Essays Fashion and Hugo Boss

Fashion Essays Fashion and Hugo Boss Fashion and Hugo Boss Hugo Boss â€Å"Fashion is a uniquely sensuous, dynamic and international phenomenon, and HUGO BOSS holds a leading position in this fascinating market. The exceptional personal commitment and standout achievements of our employees form the cornerstones of our success.† (Dr. Bruno Sà ¤lzer, Chair of the Managing Board, HUGO BOSS AG). Hugo Boss AG is a fashion house based in Metzingen, Germany, specializes in high-end apparel. It is named after its founder, Hugo Boss. Hugo Boss has been successfully asserting and expanding its position as a global market leader in the upscale fashion market for many years. The HUGO BOSS brands encompass all key fashion areas, ranging from classic clothing, evening and leisurewear to functional sportswear and complementary accessories. Licensed products such as eyewear, watches, fragrances and cosmetics further enhance our collections. HUGO BOSS is represented in the fashion market by the BOSS, HUGO and BALDESSARINI brands. HUGO BOSS products are available worldwide in over 100 countries. HUGO BOSS the name denotes success, perfection and a style that transcends international borders. Its primary competitors are Gianni Versace, Armani and Gucci in the fashion retail sector. The BOSS and HUGO brands cover all the major fashion segments for men and women. Additional product groups such as shoes and accessories, fragrances, eyewear, and watches complement the individual collections. The target audiences mainly catered to by HUGO BOSS are individuals ranging between the age groups of 20-60 years. Largely, its customers are the young and the professional working class. The marketing channels used are the seasonally changing advertising strategies, business through the internet, public relations and various sales promotion schemes. Products HUGO BOSS is represented in the fashion market by the BOSS and HUGO brands. These brand collections and their fashion lines are aimed at various target groups, creating a brand world of extraordinary fashion diversity at a constantly high level of quality. The BOSS Black, BOSS Selection, BOSS Orange and BOSS Green lines as well as the accompanying accessory collections are all part of the core BOSS brand. BOSS Black The women’s collections in the BOSS Black line offer versatile fashion ranges with a rich array of elegant â€Å"modern classics† in business-, leisure- and formalwear: perfect looks that satisfy the most sophisticated tastes. BOSS Orange BOSS Orange offers casual collections for women who enjoy dressing in style and wearing surprising looks. Unusual materials, bold colors and beautiful details appeal to a clientele that delights in experimentation. HUGO HUGO delivers innovative looks for women with a young, upbeat attitude. The collections feature body-hugging silhouettes and up-to-the-minute styles. Accessories For the past several years, a broad selection of innovative lifestyle products has complemented the HUGO BOSS fashions. The segment Shoes Accessories has featured most prominently and represents considerable growth potential for the company. This product group was therefore integrated into the Group in 2004 and has been progressively expanded since. Micro-Environment Micro-environment denotes those elements over which the marketing firm has control or which it can use in order to gain information that will better help it in its marketing operations. In other words, these are elements that can be manipulated, or used to glean information, in order to provide fuller satisfaction to the company’s customers. P’S of Marketing Product For men include: Boss Black/Boss Black Selection, Boss Green, Boss Orange, Hugo, and Baldessarini. For women: Boss Black, Boss Orange and Hugo. Also part of the brand is Lifestyle Accessories. (As explained above ) Price The price that a customer pays varies for each type of their product. Their target market constitutes are people between the age of 20 and 60, i.e. for the young, professional and working class. The price of the products of an industry are determined by a number of factors including market share, competition, market costs, product identity and also the customer’s perceived value of product. Place Place comprises of two distinct elements: channels of distribution and transportation of goods. HUGO BOSS sells its products are various stores and outlets. It has various retail outlets. It also has logistics that relates to the physical warehousing and transportation of goods from various places. It is well organized and effectively working. Promotion HUGO BOSS promotes itself by advertising their products via Media, i.e. TV, newspapers, banners, internet, etc. Also, sponsorship, product placement, endorsements, direct mail, trade shows, etc help them to promote their brand efficiently in the market. It is also engaged in charitable work. Macro Environment Macro-environment refers to the surroundings in the market which are unavoidable and need to be adjusted with than manipulate them. It is essential to study these factors that affect the business techniques followed by the organization. Knowing these factors is very important; once exploited, they may prove to be very beneficial to the firm. Pest Analysis Political and Legal Factors Hugo Boss is involved in international operations. Thus, it faces the domestic as well as the international political concerns. They export and have joint ventures and subsidiary companies abroad. The political and legal factors in various countries differ a lot. Hugo Boss has to take in consideration all these factors since its products are available in over 100 countries. Special attention needs to be given to volatile conditions so that the political conditions are monitored very carefully. Government policy can severely affect the financial results of the business. For instance the aggressive US fiscal policy driven in art by the invasion of Iraq has caused the US dollar to depreciate against other currencies such as the EUR or GBP. Economic Factors Economic factors are of concern to HUGO BOSS because they are likely to influence, among other things, demand, costs, prices and profits. These factors are largely outside the control of the individual firm, but their effects on individual enterprises can be profound. Political and economic factors are often strongly related. Since HUGO BOSS is engaged in international marketing, changes in world economic forces are potentially highly significant. The rate of inflation, unemployment and the level of domestic interest rates affect the return from new investments and can inhibit the adoption and diffusion of new technologies. Economic changes pose a set of opportunities and threats, this it is very important that HUGO BOSS monitors the economic environment at both domestic and world levels. Social and Cultural Factors It is very important for HUGO BOSS to manifest itself in changing tastes, purchasing behavior and c hanging priorities. The type of goods and services demanded by the consumers is a function of their social conditioning and their consequent attitudes and beliefs. Social changes are preceded by changes over time in a society’s cultural values. The weather changes are also another factor to be taken care of. Every time the weather of a country changes they need to change their products. Consumers need different trends and styles. They do not need want to wear the same styles every time. The lifestyle trend changes to an extent every time. HUGO BOSS also has an outstanding advertising. All this helps them create the effectiveness of their products etc. Technological Factors HUGO BOSS plays an important part in technological progress. They have their own research department which plays a part in innovating new developments and new applications. A change in the technological environment affects the products and services that the firm produces and the way in which the firms carry out their business operations. There is a very important need to have technological improvements in the business in today’s world. The design of the collections and the development of groundbreaking production technologies both occur at corporate headquarters in Metzingen. There, for each of the year’s four seasons, their creative teams design the fashions that capture the contemporary zeitgeist. Swot Analysis SWOT analysis refers to the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats that a company evaluates in itself as well as from the market which it is trying to capture. With this knowledge, the internal and external factors of the firm can be easily analyzed and worked upon to improve the growth and market share of the firm. Strengths and Weaknesses form the internal factors and Opportunities and Threats form the external factors that influence the marketing activities of an organization. Strengths The strengths that a company represents the competitive advantage that it has over the other firms it’s competing with. HUGO BOSS has a very good reputation, resulting in a high market share, making it the biggest retailer on the high streets. A good repute brings a high consciousness of the brand name in the minds of almost every potential consumer. Its diversity and variety in the product offerings, furnishing to everyone’s needs whether man or woman, and middle aged customers has added on to being one of its strengths and reasons for loyalty in the marketplace. Weaknesses Weaknesses often discourage employees in a corporation, but identifying them is necessary in order to overcome them to re-enter the market. A company’s weaknesses are not just the problems from the firm’s point of view, but also from the consumer’s point of view. These limitations slow down the progress of the company when compared to its competitors. Some of HUGO and BOSS’ inabilities are keeping up with the changing trends in the retail market. Sometimes their incapability to target the right customers in terms of product range and potentiality also hinder the growth of the company. Opportunities Opportunities refer to the upcoming trends or social, economical or technological patterns that can be exploited to increase market share and customer loyalty. Since the age group targeted by HUGO BOSS is till the age of 60 years, more number of old people should be targeted as prospective customers. Collaboration with other companies to increase product breadth and depth, with more celebrity patronage is a sure opportunity that should be taken advantage of. Buying competitors who could pose a threat in the future is also a possibility that HUGO BOSS can utilize to keep up its market share. Threats Threats are the inevitable situations that might arise, which the company needs to handle tactfully. These are external factors that cannot be controlled by the company. Changing trends in fashion and economic and technological advances are some of the threats that all fashion industries face, including HUGO BOSS. The varying structures in the market, mostly in the younger clothing markets also are threats to retailers. Conclusion In 1987, Boss Orange for men was launched described as sporty and casual separating itself from the trendy Hugo brand and the sophisticated Boss Black brand. Boss Green is a completely sporty brand selling items designed for sport or a sporty look. The companys products, divided over three brands, are available throughout the world in 103 countries and more than 5,002 retail stores. These brands are Boss, Hugo, and since 2004, Baldessarini. The latter, Baldessarini GmbH, is a more independent business unit which focuses on a more prestigious image than its two sister brands. It sells, like the other Hugo Boss brands, clothing, shoes, fragrances and accessories but will leave Hugo Boss after the Spring/Summer 2007 collection has been sent to boutiques. This is due to the newly launched premium Boss line, Boss Black Selection, outselling Baldessarini. Todays sub-brands for men include: Boss Black/Boss Black Selection, Boss Green, Boss Orange, Hugo, and Baldessarini. For women: Boss Black, Boss Orange (announced in July 2005 for Spring/Summer 2006 launch) and Hugo. Also part of the brand is Lifestyle Accessories. With an analysis on the various factors affecting the firm along with its strengths and opportunities as internal factors and weaknesses and threats as external factors, there is a clear understanding on the position and market segment HUGO BOSS covers and satisfies. Its strengths and weaknesses along with its PEST factors, the behavior of the organization towards these aspects in the marketing field, are also identified. References 1) Kotler, P. (1996) ‘The Principles of Marketing’, Second European Edition, Prentice Hall 2) Marketing (2002) : ‘Dont let medias search for a story cloud the business issues.’ Vol 3, p. 16 3) www.hugoboss.com (as viewed on 10/12/07) 4) http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:jwO826q-jWgJ:monikgupta.net/bsc/MarketingReport.pdf+Hugo+Boss+SWOThl=enct=clnkcd=9gl=uk (as viewed on 10/12/07) 5) http://www.coursework4you.co.uk/swot.htm (as viewed on 11/12/07)

Multiculturalism vs Assimilation :: Assimilationism vs. Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism vs Assimilation America is a place where many cultures and races co-exist, so there are many different opinions and beliefs. Of course there is bound to be tension and misunderstandings, which unfortunately escalates (in some cases) into violence that we hear about in the media. So what is the solution? Should we all assimilate to one standard or should we recognize our individual cultures and consider ourselves multicultural? The answer is not an easy one to define. America is made up of the gray area between these two opposing views. Thomas Bray, an editor for the Detroit News talks about the recent poll against bilingual education in California in his editorial, Memorial Day and Multiculturalism, in which he presents a strong argument for assimilation, "A nation unsure of it's roots and values may not survive long as a nation- witness how close even `multicultural` Canada is coming to crack up because of the drive by separatist French Quebec to secede and form an independent nation.". (Bray, 3) Bray suggests that to be a strong nation, we need to define what is `American` and everyone should live up to one standard. American culture, beliefs, and values should all be defined. Bray says that if we don't have one standard than how can we be as one nation? How can we be identified as one nation? He emphasizes the need for assimilation, "Assimilation is a bad word these days. But it's a tested method of achieving `E pluribus Unum`. (Bray, 4) Perhaps it need not be harshly administered in the old days, but a country that has no standards to assimilate to is a country without a core and a country deep in trouble." Bray's view is that of many Americans who think that America and American culture should be defined with roots that go deep into British history, and not by it's many other roots around the world. That America can be defined by one mainstream culture that everyone in the country assimilates to. I believe that there are too many different people in the country to think that everyone is the same. The fact is that people are different, and no one can change that. As part of our study of culture, my peers and I were asked to write a paper reflecting our own cultural background. I have always considered myself "all American". I shop, I eat fast food, I drive my own car, and watch too much television.

Plato’s Concept of the Soul and its Relationship with the Body Essay ex

Plato’s Concept of the Soul and its Relationship with the Body Plato’s theory of the body and soul originated from his earlier theories and dialogs, ‘the analogy of the cave’ and ‘the theory of forms’. Plato believed that the soul is immortal. That the soul existed before it came to the physical body, and it is still there when the body dies. This is a dualistic interpretation of the mind/body problem. Plato linked the soul to a charioteer in charge of two horses, the mind and the body, which are pulling in completely opposite directions. The soul wanting to go back to the world of the forms and the body wanting to enjoy the five sense plus pleasure. In Plato’s words - the body is the source of endless trouble†¦it fills us full of love and lust and fear and fancies of all kinds†¦and takes us away from all power of thinking at all. Therefore emphasised that the philosophers must live simply and avoid sensual pleasure so as to focus the mind on the soul and gain its knowledge. The analogy of the cave relates to the...

Literacy essay Essay

The curriculum for excellence is organised into eight subject areas: Expressive Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Languages, Mathematics, Religious and Moral Education, Sciences, Social Studies, and Technologies. The Scottish primary curriculum recognises the importance of each of these subjects . However, literacy is seen as fundamental as it â€Å"unlocks access to the wider curriculum† ( Curriculum for excellence: Literacy across learning principles and practice). Literacy is organised into three strands: reading , writing and talking and listening. From my school placement experience, and personal reading I will discuss how grounding in each of these literacy strands can help facilitate children in their knowledge acquisition, and understanding of other curriculum areas. The curriculum for excellence defines literacy as a â€Å"set of skills which allows an individual to engage fully in society and in learning through the different forms of language, and the range of texts which society values and finds useful† Within the curriculum literacy is organised into three strands: reading, writing and talking and listening. Reading is a skill which can greatly help children in all curriculum areas. However, it is essential that children foster a positive attitude towards reading from the early stages, in order for this to occur. â€Å"For the youngest children, well before the age of five, sharing and enjoying favourite books regularly with trusted adults, be they parents, carers, practitioners or teachers, is at the heart of this activity. †(Rose, 2006). While on placement in a nursery school I witnessed how an interest in reading can be promoted which was having a library for the children to go to. â€Å" â€Å"library equips students with lifelong learning skills and develops their imagination, thereby enabling them to live as responsible citizens†. (Premars and Willars, 2002) Before home time the teacher would select a book to read to the children in the library, and would involve the children by asking a question like â€Å"what do you think will happen next? † â€Å"The very hungry caterpillar† was one book the teacher read to the children, which helped the children with their knowledge of the subject Health and Well-being, as from it the children learned about the importance of eating healthily in order to grow big and strong. The children also developed their Numeracy skills from the reading, when they counted the number of fruits the caterpillar eat each day. I could see that the children were all developing an interest in reading which encouraged them to go to the reading area by themselves a pick a book to look at. This was also helping them to establish an interest in other curriculum areas. One girl pick up a book on shapes, and she was pointing at a triangle, and she asked me â€Å"what is that? † with great curiosity. Another boy asked me to read a book about earthquakes to him, and as I was reading the book to the boy more children came over when they heard the excitement in my voice. After the reading. I asked the students to stand up and shake as though there was an earthquake, in order to encourage physical activity among the children. As children progress through the primary curriculum collaboration between teachers and Parents is vital for children‘s reading skills. â€Å"Children whose parents said they heard them read at home had markedly higher reading attainments at age 7 and 8 than children who did not receive this kind of help from their parents. †. While on placement with Primary 4 the teacher assigned the book Fantastic Mr Fox for the children to read at home. The children would then go over their assigned reading with the teacher each day. I remember one student in particular who struggled with her reading so the teacher used the strategy of two stars and a wish to ensure that her enthusiasm for reading remained high, while also tasking her with something to work on. â€Å"Look for positive things to say about a student’s work, even when pointing out problems or mistakes with the work. Some might receive praise for bigger accomplishments than others, but even the lower performers need a regular pat on the back. † (Adams, 2000) This is essential so that no student is left with a negative association towards reading. After the story the teacher assigned the students with a number of tasks which linked to a number of curriculum areas. The children had to work in groups of four to design a healthy for Mr. Boggis, which helped with their understanding of the subject health and well-being.. The children also improved their numeracy skills from the reading Another by having to plan a feast for a number of people, and given the cost of a variety of food the children had to work out how much of each food they would need and then how much it would cost. Furthermore, while on placement with a primary 4 class, the children were encouraged to read up on any topic that they were confused about. I witnessed this occurring dozens of times during my time at the school. I remember one child was very confused about a particular aspect of volcanoes after a lesson on the topic, but the teacher had no time to go over it again with the boy, so she handed him a book on volcanoes. At the end of the day the teacher asked him a question on volcanoes and from his reading he was able to answer. On another occasion the teacher divided the class up into four groups and handed each group a book on the solar system along with a question sheet relating to volcanoes. The following day the teacher asked the students what they had learned from their reading about the solar system, and I was amazed with the amount of information the students had learned from independent reading. Children’s motivation to read can significantly help to facilitate with their learning of other subject areas, because if a student enjoys something they will read it. This was the case with the solar system lesson. In some instances students may become so engaged with a book that they are in a state of flow. Flow is a concept coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and it occurs when a person is immersed on a task, giving it their attention, energy and focus. This is essential for learning as â€Å"to pursue mental operations to any depth, a person has to learn to concentrate attention. Without focus, consciousness is in a state of chaos. †¦ Unless one learns to concentrate, and is able to invest the effort, thoughts will scatter without reaching any conclusion. † (Csikszentmihalyi, 1998) To help promote this  From my readings, I have discovered the crucial role writing plays in helping children to learn new concepts, words and ideas. â€Å"Through writing, they organise thoughts, remember important information, solve problems and reflect. They learn how to communicate for specific purposes and audiences. ( Queensland Authority Studies). Writing is necessary in terms of assessment for most subjects. Therefore if a child, even one with an exceptional level of knowledge in the subject area, struggles to gets their meaning across, due to poor writing skills can end up with a poor assessment mark. Therefore it is vital that students have good written English in order for them to express their subject knowledge. To help students with this issue teachers often use writing maps, these â€Å"include generic reminders to ensure that students consider issues such as: presentation; the purpose for writing; structure and paragraphing; accurate use of punctuation and spelling; and relevant subject-specific vocabulary† Literacy across the curriculum). This would prove very beneficial to all students even those who have a high writing standard as they would still be learning to organise new thoughts and ideas in an effective manner. Teachers may also wish to apply Vygotskys scaffolding concept by pairing up a student who has poor literacy skills but good subject/ topic knowledge with a student who has good literacy skills but poor subject/ topic area, in order for them to learn from one another. Furthermore, from helping one another both children should reach their next level in their Zone of proximal development, (the difference between what a students can do by themselves and what they can do with assistance), in literacy and the given subject area. The last stand of literacy is literacy and talking. From my school experience placement I got the opportunity to see at first-hand how listening and talking can help with the delivery of a multitude of subject area. Listening and talking occurs naturally within the classroom, and it is an essential. After the book â€Å"fantastic Mr fox† was finished the teacher had a discussion about the book with the children, but first she ensured that the children were all sitting comfortably and were all paying attention. â€Å"To be effective, teachers have to try to minimise barriers to communication. We do this in a number of ways – for example by making sure that the room is quiet and well lit; by speaking slowly and clearly; by only using words which the students should be able to understand. However the most important way to overcome the barriers is two-way communication. This means getting regular feedback from the receivers (the students): Do they really understand what we are trying to put across? (Prozesky, 2000) The class discussion helped with the children’s knowledge of Science. As the teacher talked about the different senses the fox used to avoid being caught, and then she asked students about the different type of senses that people have. (Warner, 2012). Another task the teacher assigned the students based on the book â€Å" Fantastic Mr Fox† was to design a poster to show the farms, the wood and the underground tunnels that Mr fox digs. (Warner, 2012) This was assigned to promote the children’s knowledge of Geography and I. C. T. Before the children took up the task, the teacher gave the students the opportunity to ask questions. â€Å"students asking questions is a vital part of the learning process†(Petty, 2009) From having an open question time it also gave students the opportunity to learn from one another, and understand something they may not have thought of asking. The children’s RME was facilitated from listening also. One example of this occurring was after break time and two of the children were arguing with one another. The teacher sat both of the students down and it was discovered that they were arguing because one of the boys did not get an opportunity to play football because of the other boy. So the teacher turned to the offending boy and asked him â€Å" how would you like it if you were left out? † After giving the boy time to think about it, he soon realised he was in the wrong and apologised. From the above it is clear that the Scottish primary curriculum values literacy as being essential in helping to facilitate students understanding of other curriculum areas, â€Å"competence and confidence in Literacy are essential for progress in all areas of the curriculum. † Furthermore literacy skills is essential for students after their school years as â€Å" they will need advanced levels of literacy to perform their jobs, run their households, act as citizens and conduct their professional lives† (Clark and Rumbold, 2006) References Adams, B. (2000). Helping Students Become Motivated Learners. NDT Resource Center. Online article available at: http://www. ndt-ed. org/TeachingResources/ClassroomTips/Motivating_Students. htm [Accessed on 9th March 2013] Clark, C. and Rumbold, K. (2006) Reading for.

Change Insight Analysis Paper Essay

Managing change is an ideal process in organizational management and greatly helps in realization of organizational goals and objectives. In business, change insight management is analyzed by different theoretical models that are essential in business process. As a result, this paper analyzes the three basic change models theories. These are discussed as follows: The Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model, The Marvin Weisbord’s Six Model and the Linda Ackerman Anderson’s 9 Phase. The three theoretical models on change management discuss the various strategies of managing and coping with organizational change. In particular, the strengths and weakness of each model are analyzed. Further the application of each theoretical model on change management in an organizational setting is discussed. Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model See more: analytical writing In business change is the only constant. John Kotter, a change expert and a professor of Harvard business school and a renowned leadership and management guru. In his book, leading change, Kotter discussed the 8-Step Model to change management as follows: The first step is creation of urgency. In order for change to happen, the whole organization must be in dire need of the organizational change. Thus, the leadership and management must develop the need for change among the members of the team. In administering change in an organization, the management is expected to identify the potential threats to develop scenarios that indicate the possible projections on what can happen in future. The other step in management of change involves the formation of a powerful coalition. This is attained by convincing people that change is necessary and important. This must take strong leadership efforts and activities to implement. To achieve this, the leadership and management team must ask for emotional commitment, work with the team building in change coalition as well as evaluating the team for weak areas to enhance a good mix for of different people from different departments. The third step in the Kotter’s Model of change management involves creation of vision for change. At this point, the leadership management must determine the values that are essential for change, create a short summary and have a strategy that is applicable in attainment of the expected changes. Communication for buy in is the next  step in achieving organizational change, others step include and not limited to the following: Empowering action, creation of short term wins, do not let up and make the change stick. The Applicability of the Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model The Kotter’s change model is applied in all top-down change processes. For instance, for the projects that have been identified and decided, at the top level of the organizational management. Indeed, the United States Army used the model to prepare their soldiers at the war. The Strengths of the Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model This theoretical model on change management is characterized by the following strengths: First, it is easy to understand, it can well fit into the culture of classical hierarchies, it is well successful when all the steps are applied and exercised. Further, the model focuses on the employee buy in as it focuses on success. The Weaknesses of the Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model To start with, the model is too linear to an extent of leading to wrong assumptions. Second, it is difficult to change the directions of the model when action has already started. Third, the model can result to frustration among the employees when the initial stages of grief and the needs of individuals are not taken care of. The Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box Model The six-box model of managing organizational change is a leadership and management framework that was developed by an American business analyst Marvin Weisbord with the main aim of assessing the organizational functioning. Its key generic framework in management of organizational change is intended for use and application in a variety of different organization. The Model has its key basis on the assumptions and techniques of the field organizational change and development. The Six-box Model constitute of the following boxes: Purpose that includes a clear definition of the business that an organizations in, structure that explains on the dimension of dividing work among employees, relationships that encompass the techniques of managing all the possible changes in relationships, rewards that constitutes of the definition on incentives and what needs to be done,  leaderships that involves selection of change managers who will help in keeping the five boxes in balance as well as the he lpful mechanisms that are applicable in coordination of the technologies that are necessary in management and leadership. The Application of Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box Model This model is applicable in organizations where there is a need to look or consider the organizational structures and designs in a specified way. Indeed, the model is applicable in areas of change management that needs planning, rewards, incentives, and the role of support functions that include international organizations, partnerships and standards of remunerations. In addition, the model is particularly useful at times when consultation have little time that is desirable for diagnosis or when a relatively less complicated organizational map is required for quick service. The Strengths of the Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box Model The first strength of the model is attributed to the fact that the model is the most suitable in helping the change leadership development manager to effectively visualize the organization as a whole system without using key and strange change terminologies. The other strength that is associated with the model is in its easy application. Indeed, the model is easily understandable and can be well applied by any change manager who can actively engage in change development. The Weaknesses of the Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box Model The Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box model has the following weaknesses. First, the model is only applicable in organizations that are constituted by the six boxes. This mean that organizations that are not characterized by the above discussed components can not effective apply the model in management of change leadership. Moreover, the model is weak because it cannot be conveniently applied to manage organizational change in organizations with complex organizational structures. Linda Ackerman Anderson and Dean Anderson 9 Phase Model on Change Leadership Roadmap Methodology This is a model of managing organizational change that is mainly rooted in the change in leadership road map. The theoretical model is sidelined in the designation  and the implementation of the major organizational transformations. The main question analyzed by the model is on the availability of a roadmap that is needed by an organization in realizing change. The first phase of the model is preparation to lead the change. Here, the organizational leadership selects the leaders that are needed to change the organization in order to attain the organizational success. This is the most important phase because it addresses the key process of the decision making in the efforts of change administration. The main purpose of this phase is to prepare the leaders to lead the change in accomplishment of six main activities. The two basic activities out of the six main activities are outlined as follows: Staffing and starting up the change efforts with the use of change expertise in leadership, determination of the case for change and the exact scope of the change and the expected outcomes. The other phases of this model include creation of commitment, organizational vision and capability, assessment of situation in determination of design requirements, plan and design the implementation of the change activities, implement the required organizational change, celebrate and integrate the new state on change management as well as learning and course correcting the change. The Application of Ackerman Anderson 9 Phase Model This model is applicable in offering the specialized change leadership development as well as transformational leadership in organizations that are consulting on change. Indeed, the founders of the model are the owners of Being First, Inc., a company that has adopted the model to guide and advice Fortune 1000 companies, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and international change consultancies that are in need of assistance in change leadership management and transformational leadership. The Strengths of the Ackerman Anderson 9 Phase Model There are several strengths that are associated with the Ackerman Anderson 9 phase model. First, the model is useful in attaining favorable tangible results that a firm is after in administration of change. This is achieved faster will little or no costs in the business or people. In addition, the model helps in building an organization change skills and capabilities. This greatly helps to consistently realize the maximum benefits realized from a  successful change. Moreover, the model is helpful in transforming the organizational culture and the people in an organization. This is essential in attainment of the desired organizational change. Furthermore, the model is evidenced by its strengths in the development of the mangers and leaders to become competent in transforming the organization to realize the needed organizational change. Most important, the model is applied in the development of internal consultants to become an expert change consultants’. Notably, the Ackerman Anderson 9 phase model of change management in ensuring all the possible change strategy development and process planning. This is because change strategy development and the process of planning are essential for complex change transformation. The Weaknesses of Ackerman Anderson 9 Phase Model Irrespective of the numerous strengths of the model, its key weaknesses cannot be underestimated. These are described as follows: First, skipping a phase in the change leadership roadmap or a key decision leads to numerous impacts that can dismantle all the established changes. Moreover, failure to customize the change process can result to discouragement on the identity of the customers in respect to the best change practices. Conclusion Change insight analysis is essential in managing organizational change. This is because of the available theoretical models that play an essential role in leadership and transformational development. The essential three models include and not limited to the following: Ackerman Anderson 9 phase model, Marvin Weisbord’s Six-Box model and the Kotter’s 8 Step Change model. All the three models are applicable in different ways and each consists of its strengths and weaknesses.

Organizational Theory and Designs

CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS 1 PART 1: LECTURE OUTLINES CHAPTER 1 ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS TEACHING OBJECTIVES 1. To define an organization and explain how it creates value in three stages: input, conversion, and output. (1. 1) 2. To discuss why organizations exist and how they achieve goals collectively. (1. 1) 3. To describe organizational theory, how organizations function, and relate to organizational structure, culture, and design. (1. 2) 4. To show how organizational design helps a company gain a competitive advantage, deal with contingencies, manage diversity, increase efficiency, increase innovation, and effectively manage change. (1. 2) 5. To illustrate the consequences of poor organizational design and loss of control over structure and culture. (1. 2) 6. To discuss the three approaches of evaluating organizational effectiveness: external resource, internal systems, and technical approach. (1. 3) 7. To distinguish between official goals and operating goals. (1. 3) CHAPTER SUMMARY This chapter discusses organizations, organizational theory, and the importance of organizational design. An organization is a tool for individuals or groups to accomplish goals. An organization creates value at three stages: input, conversion, and output. Organizations exist because people working together to produce goods and services create more value than those working alone. Organizations may exist to increase specialization and the division of labor, to use large-scale technology, to manage the external environment, to economize on transaction costs, and to exert power and control over employees. The components of organizational theory are structure, culture, and design and change. Organizational design helps a company gain a competitive advantage, deal with contingencies, manage diversity, increase efficiency, and increase innovation. Poor organizational design results in company decline, including layoffs and difficulty in attracting resources. Organizational effectiveness should be measured according to a manager’s methods of control, innovation, and efficiency. The external resource, internal systems, or technical approach measure effectiveness and official and operative goals. Difficulties arise in measuring effectiveness even if stakeholders have shared goals. An organization must select the best way to achieve goals. Organizations are affected by the environment, technology, and processes. The technological environment entails innovations in production processes and new products. CHAPTER OUTLINE 1. 1 What Is an Organization? An organization is intangible; it cannot be touched or felt. Thinking of an organization evokes its product or service. The name Anheuser-Busch evokes the word beer, not why the company provides beer or how it controls employees. An organization groups people and resources to provide goods and services to PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS satisfy a need. Entrepreneurs begin with the idea of satisfying a need then collect resources to meet that need. 2 Focus on New Information Technology: Amazon. com, Part 1 Amazon. com shows how Jeff Bezos saw a need and created an organization to meet it. Q. What prodded Jeff Bezos to start Amazon. com? A. Recognizing the opportunity to build an online bookstore, Bezos started Amazon. com to meet the needs of computer owners. An online bookstore could offer a larger and more diverse selection, an online catalogue, an easy search capability, and book reviews. Bezos organized resources to meet the need for a new bookstore. Notes_______________________________________________________ __________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________ How Does an Organization Create Value? The value creation process includes input, conversion, and output. (Fig. 1. 1) Q: What are some inputs a company needs to provide a product or service? A. Inputs include human resources, raw materials, capital, money, and information. The value created depends on how a company selects and acquires inputs. Inputs are transformed into outputs at the conversion stage. The value created depends on the quality of an organization’s skills and its ability to learn from the environment. The conversion process results in an output, a finished good, or a service. Sales revenue buys more inputs, so the value creation cycle continues. The value creation cycle is used for nonprofit and manufacturing organizations and service companies. Q. What are the inputs, conversion processes, and outputs at McDonald’s? (Fig. 1. 2) A. The inputs include meat, fries, employees, and capital, such as cooking equipment. The conversion process entails cooking the food. The outputs are sandwiches and fries. Why Do Organizations Exist? People working together to produce goods and services create more value than people working alone. (Fig. 1. 3) Organizations exist: To Increase Specialization and the Division of Labor In an organization, individuals concentrate on areas of expertise and become more specialized. An engineer concentrates on one part of the engine and this specialization creates value. To Use Large-Scale Technology Technology enables organizations to achieve economies of scale, cost savings through large-volume production, and economies of scope and cost savings when underutilized resources are shared. To Manage the External Environment An organization has the resources to monitor and manage the external environment, economic, political, and social factors plus suppliers and the market. PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS To Economize on Transaction Costs An organization can reduce transaction costs and expenses associated with negotiating, monitoring, and governing exchanges between people and can control exchanges. To Exert Power and Control Organizations exert pressure on employees to conform to task requirements through employment, promotions, and rewards. Employees who fail to meet organizational needs can be fired. These factors create stability, allow skills to develop, and increase value creation. Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ 3 1. 2 What Is Organizational Theory? Organizational theory is the study of how organizations work and how they impact and are impacted by the environment. Organizational theory relates to organizational structure, culture, and design. (Fig. 1. 4) Organizational structure is the formal setup of task and authority relationships. Structure controls the coordination of activities and employee motivation to attain goals. Structure must be continually evaluated. Organizational culture, a set of shared values and norms, shapes and controls behavior in an organization. Q: What determines culture? A. People, ethics, rights, and structure of the organization develop culture, which can vary widely among organizations that provide similar goods in the same environment. Coca-Cola promotes cooperation and has loyal employees, whereas Pepsi has a competitive culture and high turnover among managers. Organizational design is the process by which managers select and manage aspects of structure and culture so that an organization can achieve its goals. Organizational change is the process by which organizations move from their present state to some desired future state to increase their effectiveness. Organizational Insight 1. 1: Opposite Organizing Approaches at Apple and Dell Computer People who start new organizations may lack the skills necessary to effectively design the organization. The Apple Computer example illustrates this well. Q. How do these two examples illustrate the importance of proper organizational design? PHAM HOANG HIEN Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS A. Although Jobs stated he had little desire to manage the day-to-day operations of Apple Computer, he desired more power as the organization grew and began intervening in the day-to-d ay operations, which caused problems. Michael Dell, on the other hand, understood how important a well designed organization was, and created a structure centered on participative management, involving employees in decision making, and was not as hands-on s Jobs. Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ The Importance of Organizational Design and Change Organizational design helps a company deal with contingencies, achieve competitive advantage, manage diversity, and increase its efficiency and ability to innovate goods and services. Dealing with Contingencies A contingency is an event that might occur and must be considered in planning. An organization can design its structure to increase environmental control. Structure and culture are tools to respond to the complex global environment and changing technology. Structure can make employees aware of the environment. Gaining Competitive Advantage Good organizational design offers a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage emerges from core competencies, value creating skills, and abilities. Managers formulate strategies, specific decisions, and actions that use core competencies to create a competitive advantage. Organizational design implements an organization’s strategy and serves as a core competency because it is difficult to imitate. Although technology can be duplicated, structure and culture develop over time, making them hard to imitate. Organizational design must be continually evaluated. 4 Notes_______________________________________________________ __________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________ ____________________________________________________________ __________________ Managing Diversity The workforce has become more diverse with people of many national origins working for the same company. The workforce is aging. An organization must design its structure to maximize its diverse talents and to develop a culture that fosters cooperation. Promoting Efficiency, Speed, and Innovation Organizational design can increase efficiency. Companies must compete with low-cost producers globally and market new products and processes. Organizational design makes a firm more innovative. An entrepreneurial culture fosters innovation. The Consequences of Poor Organizational Design Organizational design affects company performance, yet employee roles are often neglected until a crisis hits. One reason for decline is a loss of control over organizational structure and culture. Talented employees leave, acquiring resources becomes difficult, and the value creation process slows down. Managers are forced to change elements of structure and culture that derail strategy. PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Notes_______________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ †¢ Refer to discussion question 2 here to emphasize the connection between organizational theory and structure, design, change, and culture. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________ _ ____________________________________________________________ _____________________ 5 Organizational Insight 1. 2: Redesigning AOL Time Warner This shows the difficulty in trying to merge two organizations that have very different structures. In addition, it shows that regardless of the structure, environmental factors often play a role in the success of an organization, as evidenced by the implosion of the dot. coms. Q. How were the two organizations different from a structure standpoint? A. Time Warner was very hierarchical in nature, while AOL was used to the fast-changing environment of the IT industry. Q. What did Pitman do to try and reorganize the two companies? A. He created teams of both AOL and Time Warner managers, but made AOL managers responsible for taking the lead, as they were more accustomed to brining new products to market quickly. 1. 3 How Do Managers Measure Organizational Effectiveness? Researchers see primary management tasks as control, innovation, and efficiency. Control means dominating the external environment, attracting resources, and using political processes. Innovation entails developing skills to discover new products and processes and designing adaptable structures and cultures. Efficiency involves developing modern plants for rapid, low-cost production, fast distribution, and high productivity. The External Resource Approach: Control Using the external resource approach, managers evaluate a firm’s ability to manage and control the external environment. A. Indicators include stock price, profitability, return on investment, and the quality of a company’s products. An important factor is management’s ability to perceive and respond to environmental change. Stakeholders value aggressiveness and an entrepreneurial spirit. Organizational Insight 1. 3: Ups and Downs at Mattel This case illustrates the importance of both understanding customer needs, and adapting the organization to meet those needs. Q. What mistake did Mattel make in trying to satisfy customer needs? PHAM HOANG HIEN Q. What indicators evaluate control over the environment? CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS A. The skills needed to rapidly develop new products was not present in the company that they purchased. They also underestimated the need to update their core products. The Internal Systems Approach: Innovation Using the internal systems approach, managers evaluate organizational effectiveness. Structure and culture should foster flexibility and rapid response to market changes. Flexibility fosters innovation. Q. How is innovation measured? A. Innovation is measured by the time needed for decision making, production, and coordinating activities. The Technical Approach: Efficiency The technical approach is used to evaluate efficiency. Effectiveness is measured by productivity and efficiency (ratio of outputs to inputs). Productivity gains include increased production or cost reduction. Productivity is measured at all stages of production. Q. What productivity measures could a service company use? A. Service companies could measure sales per employee or the ratio of goods sold to goods returned. Employee motivation is an important factor in productivity and efficiency. 6 Organizational Insight 1. 4: Improving Efficiency at FedEx and UPS This case is a good illustration of the importance of continuously evaluating and updating technology. A good class discussion can revolve around the positive benefits of advanced technology. Consider for example, the increased efficiency of these two companies as they affect consumers. Measuring Effectiveness: Organizational Goals Organizational effectiveness is evaluated by both official and operative goals. Official goals are the formal mission of an organization. Operative goals are specific long-term and short-term goals that direct tasks. Managers use operative goals to measure effectiveness. To measure control, managers examine market share and costs; to measure innovation, they review decision-making time. To measure efficiency, they use benchmarking to compare the company to competitors. A company may be effective in one area and ineffective in another. Operative goals must be consistent with official goals. Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ †¢ Refer to discussion question 3 here to emphasize the approaches to evaluating effectiveness. ___________________________________________________________ ________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ 1. 4 The Plan of This Book PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Figure 1. 5 shows how the various chapters fit together and provide a model of the components involved in organizational design and change. Notes______________ _________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ The Organizational Environment. The main source of uncertainty is the environment. An organization must design its structure to handle relationships with stakeholders in the external environment. Chapter 3 presents models that reveal why the environment is a major source of uncertainty. Organizational Design. Chapters 4 through 8 examine the principles on which organizations operate and the choices available for designing and redesigning their structures and cultures to match the environment. The same basic problems occur in all work settings, and the purpose of design is to develop a structure that will respond effectively to these challenges. Organizational Change. The third part of the book deals with the many different issues involved in changing and redesigning organizations. Included in this are different change processes, such as restructuring, reengineering, and innovation management. 7 Notes_______________________________________________________ _________________________ ____________________________________________________________ _______________________ ____________________________________________________________ ________________________ DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1. How do organizations create value? What is the role of entrepreneurship in this process? Value is created at the input, conversion, and output stages. At the input stage, value depends on how an organization selects and obtains the inputs; certain inputs create more value than others. At the c onversion stage, value is a function of employees’ skills, including learning from and responding to the environment. Output creates value if it satisfies a need. Entrepreneurship is important to value creation by recognizing a need, gathering inputs, and transforming them into a product or service. The value creation cycle will continue if customers are satisfied; profits will generate inputs and improve the conversion process. Organizational theory is the study of how organizations function, impact, and are impacted by employees and society. Organizational theory deals with the whole organization. Organizational design entails decisions about structure and culture. Structure is the formal set of task and authority relationships. Culture is a set of shared values that influence behavior. 3. What is organizational effectiveness? Discuss three approaches to evaluating effectiveness and the problems of each approach. PHAM HOANG HIEN 2. What is the relationship among organizational theory, organizational design and change, and organizational structure and culture? CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS 8 Organizational effectiveness is the ability to use resources to create value; it includes control, innovation, and efficiency. The external resource approach evaluates a company’s ability to obtain scarce resources and valued skills. Indicators include stock prices, return on investment, and market share. These indexes are compared to competitors’ indexes. However, this approach fails to consider organizational culture and structure. The internal approach reviews the organization’s ability to innovate and respond to the environment quickly. Some measures include the length of time to get a product to market, decision-making speed, and coordination time. This approach does not consider costs or the external environment. The technical approach reviews an organization’s ability to use skills and resources efficiently. This approach considers neither the environment nor structure and culture. It is important to evaluate an organization in all three areas—control, innovation, and efficiency. 4. Draw up a list of effectiveness goals that you would use to measure the performance of (a) a fastfood restaurant and (b) a school of business. Answers may vary slightly. A fast-food restaurant’s goals will differ from a business school’s goals because a school is a nonprofit organization. a) Some goals used to measure effectiveness at a fast-food restaurant are as follows: †¢ Lower the cost of meat, fries, and drinks †¢ Lower the cost of labor †¢ Improve the quality of the food and the skills of employees †¢ Increase profits, stock price, and market share †¢ Satisfy government requirements on sanitation and fair labor laws †¢ Reduce employee conflict †¢ Speed up the time it takes a customer to get served †¢ Find more efficient ways to produce the food †¢ Increase employee motivation by offering bonuses †¢ Increase the quality of the food by ensuring that it is not too greasy and that it is hot when customers receive it †¢ Minimize the number of wrong orders (b) A business school’s goals may be the following: †¢ Attract top-quality faculty and students †¢ Maximize revenue from tuition and fees †¢ Offer scholarships †¢ Attract revenue from organizations and alumni †¢ Gain the support of the local community †¢ Reduce conflict †¢ Ensure that students are prepared for jobs †¢ Respond to changes in the environment by constantly updating the curriculum †¢ Encourage coordination among faculty from different departments ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY IN ACTION PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS Practicing Organizational Theory: Open Systems Dynamics Small groups of students design an organization from an open systems perspective: (1) They determine the input, conversion, and output processes. (2) They identify environmental factors with the greatest impact. (3) They determine the best measures to evaluate the organization’s effectiveness. 9 The Ethical Dimension This exercise will be found at the end of each chapter. The purpose is to help students understand the many ways in which organizations can help or harm people in the environment. The first example asked students to examine doctors and hospitals, and the role of ethics in this environment. List examples of these ethical and unethical behaviors. This is a complicated question because there are so many different systems in the health-care environment. Students may draw upon their own experiences with doctors, good or bad, or the discussion could shift to how insurance companies, Medicare, or the local community play a role in the ethical behavior of doctors and hospitals. 2. How do these behaviors relate to the attempts of doctors and nurses to increase organizational effectiveness in the ways discussed in the chapter? Or, to attempts to pursue their own self-interest? This question serves as a good example of why organizations exist. Make sure the students understand that all organizations attempt to increase their effectiveness, not just for-profit corporations. Another interesting discussion might revolve around defining and discussing what â€Å"pursuing their own selfinterest† really means from both an ethical and a practical standpoint. Making the Connection Also at the end of every chapter; this exercise encourages students to look through newspapers and magazines to find an example of a company that is dealing with some of the issues in the chapter. The assignment for this chapter is to find a company that has helped or harmed a stakeholder group. ANALYZING THE ORGANIZATION Each student selects a company to study throughout the semester. Each module requires the student to collect and analyze company information for a report to be submitted at the end of the semester. Students can choose an organization like IBM or GM and find articles in magazines, on the Internet, or contact a local company. The report answers the following questions: what is the organization, what does it do, how does it create value, who are its stakeholders, what are its major problems, and how does it measure effectiveness? Other issues such as technology or competition may be included. CASE FOR ANALYSIS Kinko’s New Operating Structure Kinko’s Inc. as the largest retailer of copying stores, but it had to change its operating structure in response to competitive pressures from Quick Copy and OfficeMax. Kinko’s had an informal management process and difficulty managing growth. The founder, Orfalea, used franchising to launch PHAM HOANG HIEN CHAPTER 1: ORGANIZATI ONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS growth, but this approach did not assist Kinko’s in controlling costs or improving customer service. Consultants recommended centralized control and a set of internal authority relationships. 1. What were the problems facing Kinko’s managers? 10 Kinko’s structure was too decentralized, making it difficult for top managers to implement changes rapidly. The structure was informal with decisions left up to Kinko’s franchisees, and no sharing of ideas on customer service. 2. What steps did managers take to solve these problems? Kinko’s centralized operating systems such as purchasing and finance to reduce costs. Kinko’s developed a more formal organizational structure. It may take time for the store owners to relinquish control, but this structure should help Kinko’s to respond more quickly to competition and develop consistent procedures and services to meet customer needs. TEACHING SUGGESTIONS 1. Ask students to explain the models in the chapter and give examples. Models can be assigned in advance. Use discussion questions during the class by dividing students into small groups or pairs and allowing 5–7 minutes to prepare answers, which are then shared with the class. 3. Use role play to measure organizational effectiveness using the three approaches. One student is a manufacturing manager who eval uates performance using the technical approach. One student is an R&D manager who uses the internal systems approach. The third is a corporate manager who uses the external resource approach. Stress that performance is evaluated based on control, innovation, and efficiency. 4. Ask students to look the at the Amazon. com web site (http://www. amazon. om) and discuss how Amazon satisfies a need. Have them compare this to competitors that have surfaced, such as Barnes & Noble (http://www. barnesandnoble. com). 5. To make sure students appreciate why organizations exist, have them give examples in class of when organizations have not served them well. Common examples include long lines at the grocery store, poor service at a restaurant, etc. Try to help them re-frame their examples in the context of the course material, such as specialization or the conversion process. This is a good method for getting the students to understand the overall value of the material throughout the semester. PHAM HOANG HIEN