Intoduction to HRM 3 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Intoduction to HRM 3 - Coursework Example The emphasis is on improving performance and retention for the employee as well as improving the performance of the company according to the new vision statement of Nowhere else makes you feel this good. Cafe Company wants to regain market share and believes that the way to do that is to provide tools to the person who is in direct contact with the customer – the barista (Green and Duncan n.d.). The overall aim and learning objectives (Green and Duncan n.d.; Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, and Wright 2003) The barista will see clearly how significant their value is in creating the ultimate experience as a barista around the globe at Cafe Company (Oakland and Oakland 1998); Each new barista will adopt the vision statement that Cafe Company creates the best coffee experience in the world by stating, Nowhere else makes you feel this good; Each new barista will have the skills and the coffee know-how to do prepare basic coffees per customer request. The barista will adopt the skills as taught at the two-day session ensuring the barista will be able to provide the ultimate coffee experience for the customer; By providing the ultimate coffee experience for the customer, the barista will be capable of retaining the existing customers and win over new customers. How this training programme will improve the performance of the employees Mathis and Jackson (1991); Noe et al. ... This is referred to as a systems approach to training. Previously, there has been nothing formal. The new employee was essentially left to their own devices or if they lucked out and happened to get partnered with an experienced barista they may succeed. To deter the level of turnover in the locations, this training programme will provide a solid jumping off spot for all new colleagues to ensure they have the basic tools of a professional barista. Creating an experience for a customer is not the same as simply making a cup of coffee. Learning the difference and creating that experience is what this training is all about. Timetable for Two Days Programme, Timing and Resources The timetable is outlined using the tables for each day below. The resources needed will be a formal training area such as a classroom size room large enough to fit 12 – 16 people comfortably. Based on the training model provided the class will need access to an area to make coffees that is not a live coff ee house at the time the training takes place (Mathis and Jackson 1991). The training is structured over two days and includes a multitude of alternate speakers rather than residing solely on Human Resources or Training and Development personnel. Access to these staff and agreement from the authorities these staff report to that they will be present and available and focused on the new Baristas will be vital for the success of this model. This model also requires that a Barista training manual be designed with the core components of customer service, quality, cleanliness and coffee know-how. This manual may be a hard copy, but could be purely electronic as well. This will serve as a ready reference for information provided in this session as well as future training

Dawson v. Hanson,et al Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dawson v. Hanson,et al - Essay Example There have been three main occasions when Mr. Hanson was to deliver the mail and Archie lunged at him, barked and growled, while he put the mail in the mail slot. From this day onwards, Mrs. Hanson, Archie’s owner decided to keep the dog in the backyard during the time of delivery of the mail in order to keep the dog from lunging at Mr. Dawson. Brock Mason failed to reply to a written complaint made by Mr. William’s regarding the dog’s atrocious behaviour and need to bark and growl at him all the time even though he never stepped onto the property rented by Mrs. Hanson. However, upon entering the very house of Mrs. Hanson, Mr. Dawson was bitten by her dog, Archie on the 15th of August, 2009. The dog lunged because it was able to escape from the backyard due to the negligence of Mrs. Hanson’s son, Joshua Hanson, not having been able to close the door properly in order to prevent the dog from escaping, despite knowing that it was ferocious and had a habit of growling at the neighbours and anyone else who happened to chance upon the property. Mrs. Hanson came forward and tried to get the dog to let go but her son was forced to switch on the hose pipe and finally make the dog leave Mr. Dawson’s leg. The main witness that noticed the entire injury take place was Ms LaVerne Coles. The paramedics were immediately called by her, and Mr. Dawson was rushed to the hospital arriving upon which he received 33 stitches as well as proper follow up care from Dr Jackson Ellis. Dr. Ellis further asked him to visit Dr Ivan Gomez for checking his torn rotator which had suffered damages during the fall when the dog bit him. Mr. Dawson was also made to attend a physical therapy session for the next eight weeks following the accident. Not only did the entire episode cost Mr. Dawson a heavy amount to recover fully from the damages and injuries caused by the dog, but the entire process also caused Mr. Dawson to reduce his earnings due to a pay cut fro m $55,700 to $53,500 on an annual basis. Law and Argument: In California statutes, ordinances and case law address the regulation of dogs and their owners, and the bases for compensation in the case of injury. For example, in cases involving certain types of dogs, i.e., dangerous dogs (dogs with a "dangerous propensity" or "vicious propensity") the owner of the dog may be liable for injury, without regard to fault (strict liability). In other situations, owners, landlords or other persons who "keep" or "harbor" dangerous dogs may be liable when the dogs attack. The facts of each case will often determine the outcome of that particular case. California is a strict liability state, meaning that a dog owner is liable for injuries inflicted by his dog upon a human being, even if the owner was not negligent and the dog had never bitten anyone before. California is one of the states that has a dog bite statute, meaning a law that repudiates in whole or part the common law's requirement of "scienter" (i.e., knowledge that the animal had previously injured a person in the same manner, such as by a bite). California Civil Code section 3342 provides as follows: 3342.   (a) The owner of any dog is liable for the damages suffered by any person who is bitten by the dog while in a public place or lawfully in a private place, including the property of the owner of the dog, regardless of the former viciousness of the dog or the owner's knowledge of

Leadership in healthcare

Leadership in healthcare Student Number: 3226029 AHP_6_011 Leadership for Allied Health Professionals At the opening ceremony of the Singapore Healthcare Management Congress 2013, Singapore Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that strong management capabilities and leadership quality in the healthcare sector are extremely crucial to lead the growing healthcare needs of an ageing population, constant threat of global pandemics and rising non-communicable diseases. There is a need to constantly innovate and find ways to keep the population healthy and deliver the healthcare services more effectively (Gan, 2013). â€Å"One of the things that a leader needs to learn is that the traditional models of leading change are not very effective.† (Kent, 2014). The context for healthcare is changing due to changing expectations, changing disease profile and greater emphasis on ‘predict and prevent’ (Hartley, et al., 2008). Definition of Leadership Leadership in healthcare can be viewed in many different ways. Clinical leadership can come from hands-on care, from maintaining clinical expertise and may sometimes be separated from management with the goal of leading staff through transformational change to develop better services for the local community (Bishop, 2009). In the recent years, leadership is seen as something to be used by all but at different levels (National Leadership Council (NLC) Clinical Leadership workstream, 2011). It can be described to be a team effort (The Kings Fund, 2012) or also known as â€Å"sharedness† of leadership processes (Wang, et al., 2013) in an organisation. Shared leadership is displayed in terms of mutual influence, shared responsibility among the staff and leading each other towards the goal achievements. Shared leadership expands the extent of leader prototypicality (Wang, et al., 2013) as team members are given a chance to take on decision-making process and leadership role. â€Å"Gone is the heroic individual with a monopoly on the vision; it is replaced by a commitment to building shared visions with a range of stakeholders.† (The Kings Fund, 2012). Wang, et al., (2013) divided shared leadership into 3 categories which are shared traditional leadership, shared new-genre leadership and cumulative, overall shared leadership. The subgroups on the types of leadership under each category such as transactional, visionary and transformational leadership can be seen in Appendix A. Shared traditional leadership is where the leader uses methods such as contingent rewards towards staff to achieve team goals and satisfy staff’s needs (Wang, et al., 2013). Shared new-genre leadership emphasizes transformational, visionary and charismatic leadership which empowers the staff towards development and change (Wang, et al., 2013). Cumulative, overall shared leadership is displayed within the team level, in which each individual team member demonstrate a degree of leadership. Importance of leadership Leadership is important as it can determine the functionality of a basic team unit as it strongly influences key team processes. It can determine and clarify the objectives of the team, giving the team a clear view on the goals and the pathways to take to achieve the goals (Hartley, et al., 2008) such as improving patient experience and outcome (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, 2011). Having leadership can encourage participation from the staff, allowing the staff to contribute and pool great ideas, supporting innovation in the team. It also enhances the commitment to quality, as having a leader ensures primary quality objectives are met in the day to day workings within the staff (Hartley, et al., 2008). Guidance to the changes in the healthcare in many aspects There are many aspects of healthcare that are constantly changing such as new techniques and technologies in healthcare. As such, there is a constant need to find new ways of working within and across teams, and with patients (Hartley, et al., 2008). Therefore, strong leadership that support a vision for change with a clear articulation of what needs to be achieved, by whom and with what, would likely to succeed in healthcare organisations (Gifford, et al., 2013). Leadership is also crucial when it comes to finding new approaches to continuous improvement which rely a lot on ‘people management’ (Hartley, et al., 2008). Bishop, (2009, p. 83) stated that leadership in Allied Health is no longer just about ‘managing’ the service and being a ‘therapy lead’, it is about leading the staff and the service to a new position. To achieve this, clinical leaders such as nurse educators, clinical nurse specialist and practice developers are to influence research use through their roles in mentoring, providing information and assisting in the development of policies and procedures to support professional practice (Gifford, et al., 2013). Leaders have to constantly think of methods to support staff so as to make and sustain improvement efforts in order to improve service to the patient. This is important because patient’s expectations have increased as the healthcare industry develops over the years. Future-looking system There are new challenges in healthcare such as the kinds of illnesses or even trends are changing (Hartley, et al., 2008). Leadership is important to anticipate rather than just react to changes in demographic and disease profiles (Hartley, et al., 2008). Leaders have to anticipate the multiple diseases associated with a larger elderly population and chronic diseases due to lifestyle choices such as obesity. For example, the rising numbers of cancer cases in Singapore as reported in The Straits Times (Lai, 2014) was made known to awareness among the public. Networking Gantz, et al., (2012) stated that collective leadership complements healthcare globalisation. They recognised healthcare globalisation as a way to close disparity gaps and improve public health on a global scale through resource and information sharing. There are new health goals where ‘treatment’ is not the only goal now but also ‘predict and prevent’ illnesses for the public health (Hartley, et al., 2008). As such, there are more hospitals that network with each other and disseminate evidence-based practices throughout their regional and local communities (MacPhee, et al., 2013). Therefore, leadership is important to shape these new goals and to ensure that there is a close link between ideas and practice on the front-line and between different partners. Clinical decision making According to Hartley, et al., (2008), leadership clarity is associated with better team processes, and with actual innovation – and ambiguity about leadership was associated with low levels of innovation. This corroborates the view of the role of leadership in helping to create compelling direction and ensure participation of team members in decision-making (Hartley, et al., 2008). One of the thing that a leader needs to do is to make good decision based on in-depth understanding of all the constituent parts, all the tradition and cultures that accompany the existing professional structures and values (Bishop, 2009, p. 83). Therefore, it is important for a leader to have good decision-making skill so as to have a smooth efficient workflow and quality service. In Singapore’s healthcare setting, although the decisions made are largely based on the patients’ choice, their family members still exercise significant influence over the level of revelation of prognosis information and final action taken (Foo, et al., 2012). Familial-centred approach is common in Asian setting especially if it involves poor prognosis. As such, a leader in this situation has to consider the various views and make a final decision that gives the best outcomes for the patient and family, even if it means that they have to withhold information about patient’s expected poor clinical outcomes to the patients (Foo, et al., 2012). Good decision-making is achieved based on the good understanding of the culture and tradition of the context. The need for decision-making may arise at any one point while in a clinical setting. For example, the below anecdotal incident (see Appendix B) about clinical decision-making is analysed using Gibb’s reflective cycle (Waugh, 2013) (see Appendix C). The incident is about a disagreement I had with a senior colleague about him deviating from the treatment protocol regarding the verification of the treatment area. I felt frustrated that I was the only one wanting to do the right thing and find a solution despite voicing out my concerns. After the incident, I felt sad and unjust that my colleague was angry at me for refusing to proceed with the treatment. The positive experience was that my decision prevented an incident report and an inaccurate delivery of radiation dose. I stepped out of my comfort zone and voiced out my concerns to the oncologists. Conversely, my long decision-making time resulted in a queue of patients and delayed appointments. According to the Fielder’s contingency model (see Appendix D), I am a task-oriented leader, and the incident calls for a leader with a low Least-Preferred Co-Worker (LPC). As such, I’m a fitting leader for the task as I handled the situation which prevented errors from being made in the treatment. On the whole, I took a long time to make my decision waiting for my colleague to share his opinions, which turned out to be fruitless. Such disagreements can be avoided if there are mutual understanding and better treatment protocol knowledge. I should have sought assistance from the other seniors right away. After the incident, we had a discussion on the treatment protocols, directing more focus on the importance of protocols and the adherence to them should any similar incidents occur in the future. Future leadership Nobody stays stagnant in the workforce. For example, a radiation therapist from North Carolina realised that he needed more leadership skills when he progressed from the treatment aspect to administration and then managing (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2013). The King’s Fund (2012) refers to leadership as a ‘cognitive catalyst’, where the leader’s choice of actions and ideas are focused on as learning points in order to spur learning in the work place by the other team members. In order to change an organisation, leaders need to change themselves first and be open to changes. â€Å"If our leaders grow and help others to grow, our organisation will not only succeed in their changes efforts- they will be an example for other leaders and organisations around the world.† (Kent, 2014). More leaders are required in Singapore because the healthcare service is expanding rapidly so as to cater for the aging population (Bishop, 2009). As such, the Ministry Of Health Singapore has launched a SingHealth Graduate Diploma in Healthcare Management and Leadership programme in Singapore Management University. It aims to groom a new generation of healthcare professionals who excel in both healthcare management and business leadership which is a skill that is high in demand in today’s evolving healthcare industry (Gan, 2013). Additionally, the Ministry Of Healthcare has also provide sponsorships such as the Healthcare Administration Scholarship (HAS) where outstanding scholars will be given opportunities to be developed for top leadership position within the public healthcare sector (MOH Holdings Pte Ltd, 2013). Competency frameworks have also become a widely used approach to thinking about the skills of leadership. For example, the healthcare in UK are using the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework (see Appendix E) (National Leadership Council (NLC) Clinical Leadership workstream, 2011). It sets out the key skills or competencies for leaders in healthcare (Hartley, et al., 2008). Leadership skills are seen to be very important in the healthcare industry worldwide so much so there are many studies and programmes to train future leaders to meet the demands of the ever changing and growing industry. 1

Crohns Disease Essay examples -- Health, Chronic Inflammation

When someone first finds out they have Crohn’s disease, they will probably feel overwhelmed. There are so many questions. Will I be able to work, travel and exercise? Should I be on a special diet? Could my medications have side effects? How will Crohn’s disease change my life? The better informed they can become, the more equipped they will be to be an active member in your healthcare (Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, 2009). Crohn’s disease is a chronic disorder of the digestive system. I can affect any area of the gastrointestinal system from the mouth to the anus. Its inflammatory process may spread to include skin, eyes, joints, mouth and sometimes the liver (Chang, 2008). Males and females appear to be affected proportionately. Crohn’s disease can occur in people of any age, but it is mostly a disease of adolescents and young adults. However, Crohn’s disease may occur in people over 70 years old and in young children (Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, 2009). â€Å"Crohn’s disease appears to be caused by a dysfunctional inflammatory response in the gastrointestinal tract† (U. S. News, 2009). Inflammation is the body’s natural way to heal by sending immune cells to the site of the injury or invader. Researchers think that this immune system response may be triggered by bacteria or viruses, material in the intestinal contents, or a defective signal from the body’s own cells, called an autoimmune response. Inflammation results in pain, heat, redness, and swelling of the tissue. Chronic inflammation can harm the function of tissues and organs (U.S. News, 2009). Crohn’s disease also appears to affect certain ethnic groups more than others. American Jews of European descent are four to five times more likely to de... ...rica, 2009). Florida Gator P/ David Lerner was just recently diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. He was ready to start practice season when he was diagnosed. Lerner was about to become the starting punter for the Gators and he thought this would probably derail him. After consist treatment the disease was under control, but not gone. He was able to start for the team, and earn a scholarship. Lerner states, â€Å"Maybe I can’t eat a couple of things here and there that I want to eat, but at the end of the day, it’s really not the worst thing in the world†(Washington Post, 2011). People with Crohn’s disease accept their condition differently. Each person with the disease must adjust in their own way, but they must adjust. Even though there is no cure at this time, research is ongoing and promises to improve the health and quality of life for those with Crohn’s disease.

Managing Change in Organisations †Improved HR onboarding process Essay

The main goal of this change initiative is to improve the financial results of the company by improving the engagement and performance of the new HR employees at Mars, Inc. It’s aimed to be achieved by introducing a new, globally aligned, best-in-class 1-year-long induction process with supporting tools and learning events. The target group of new HR associates1 includes those who joined HR at Mars less than 12 month ago, either from externally (from other company) or internally (from other department). As Mars,Inc. is a large family-owned business with over 100 years of history and globally well known brands. It has unique and mature company culture which is driven by its 5 principles: Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Effectiveness and Freedom. These principles drive the behaviour of the employees at all level of the hierarchy and have been shaping the characteristics of the organisation. Mars, Inc. fits well to ‘elaboration of structure phase’ (Granier 1972) of the organisational life-cycle: the company is led by a team of professional managers and is very much decentralised with a small headquarter. The business units of the countries therefore enjoy a lot of freedom and responsibility to drive the local business effectively. This approach reflects also in the way they shape the processes within the company: the global process standards are mainly just broadly defined with limited (if any) written documentation about them, which lets the local teams shape it and use it as best fits to their needs. As it has the advantage to allow tailor-made solutions to best assist local business objectives, it also has disadvantages. It is not uncommon that extra local resources are needed to shape the process, and when the process has changed too much, it becomes difficult to compare the practices and results of different units. It also often happens that local units come up with very similar best practices after investing significant resources locally in process development, which resources could have been reduced if globally – or at least regionally – someone would have co-ordinated these development initiatives. As part of the company culture, Mars, Inc. refers to employees as associates, therefore in my paper I will use both terms to reflect the same concept. Realising the potential of this kind of centralisation led the business leaders to setting up global functional centres of expertise, like the Mars University (Mars U) is for learning and development within Mars, Inc. The Mars U is responsible for designing and deploying world-class learning programs, which enable the competency building of employees, so they can achieve their full potential in contributing to the business to achieve its goals. It has matrix structure and its smaller teams are set up by functions (named â€Å"Colleges† of HR, finance, supply, etc.), regions (they coordinate the deployment of functional development programs in a region) and special learning and development related areas (like learning technology). Mars U therefore faces the challenge of balancing between centralisation and decentralisation by providing centrally defined and globally aligned learning solutions in a matrix organisation with decentralised leadership. That is the same challenge in case of the new induction process initiative. In the near past an introductory training program existed for new HR employees, which was similar in all the regions, but inconsistent in content, so it gave a lot of space for local solutions to flower. Moving from this decentralised approach to a more centralised one may cause push backs from the associates in these local units, thus careful change management is essential. Nature of change By assessing the nature of change based on the description above, this change can be categorised with the terms of Ackerman (1997) as ‘transitional’ as the intention is to â€Å"achieve (†¦) a desired state† by setting up a globally aligned world-class induction process for new HR associates, which is a significant difference from the current decentralised approach. One can argue whether it is not defined as ‘transformational change’ as it can result a difference in an organisational process and change in the culture, but as it won’t change fundamentally neither areas, the definition of ‘transitional change’ fits better in this case. To give a full picture about the nature of change, it need to be emphasised that after finishing this particular change project, the change itself will not stop, it will continue as ‘developmental change’ by continuously improving the set up induction process. From another perspective, using the categories of Mintzberg and Waters (1985) this change initiative can be identified as ‘determined’ or planned change as the goal, that need to be achieved, is clearly set, as well as the process how to get there. It does not mean though, that ‘emergent’ changes will not come up during the project, as it may happen that a locally designed induction process which works well will have an improving effect on the globally designed process and tools to ensure the implementation of the best possible practices. Drivers of the change This change initiative has mainly internal triggers. First and foremost, improve the productivity of every new HR associates by providing them all the essential knowledge, competencies and network they need in their new role. Improving their engagement level is also an important trigger, as engaged associates have usually better performance and they less likely to leave the business (Buckingham and Coffman, 2005). In case of HR department, better performance of associates, among other things, could lead to better internal and external customer satisfaction or decrease of costs by effective ways of working, while improved retention cut the costs and time invested in recruitment and training of a new employee. Although the internal triggers are more relevant in this case, the external drivers also need to be mentioned. Mars, Inc. had several acquisitions in the last few years which led to an incoherent culture in the different business segments. To enable exchangeability of human resources and best practices, setting up centrally aligned processes is a key. Also, considering that Mars, Inc. operates in a quickly changing market (FMCG), being innovative and best-in-class in its processes could ensure competitive advantage and retention of employees. Nonetheless, the change needs to be done in a global environment fitting to the expectations of different cultures in different regions. Key Stakeholders As in case of most major changes in an organisation, winning the support of top level management is essential. In this case the management means the Global HR Leadership Team of Mars, Inc. who also plays the role of sponsor of the project and expected to play a key role by being role model in using the new induction process. Their influence is very high as they could stop or change this initiative any time. Their attitude toward the change to be expected very positive, still, contracting with them is critical as many priority projects are currently going on in the business so need to ensure proper focus. Driving the change process requires change agents to ensure smooth implementation: the Mars U associates in the regions and other (local) learning or talent development specialists. As the project aligns well with their general purpose of their roles – to improve associates capabilities, – their attitude is expected to be positive. As they will play the role of connecting the project leaders with associates in their regions or units, their influence is also very high, but mainly only in their area of responsibility. The communication and deployment of the change will focus mainly on the HR managers as they will be the most affected by the change, as they need to change their ways of working the most. Thus, 5 their attitude can be either positive or negative depending how valuable the new process seems to them. Their influence can be high in the area of their responsibility – so the more senior the manager is the higher is the influence. Also important stakeholders, but less influential, are the new HR associates. The new process is all about them, but from change management perspective they play a smaller role, as their attitude to be expected very positive. In any case, careful communication toward them needs to be planned to ensure their full involvement in the process and gain feedback from them to identify potential areas for improvements. There are also some other key stakeholders, like the trainers of the courses, whose contribution to the success can be very important, but as they are interchangeable in the roles, their influence on the process can be categorised as moderate. Furthermore, there are some other subject matter experts (e.g. learning technology or global communication specialists), who will be involved during the design and communication phases, but their influence is rather small and their attitude is expected to be supportive. Management objectives To summarise the main objective, the goal is to implement in all business segments and units of Mars, Inc. a newly designed, globally aligned, efficient and engaging functional induction process with its supporting tools (guides and learning modules) for every new HR employees, which supports their development in the first 12 months after joining in their new role and covers the essential Mars specific knowledge and provides network needed for achieving high performance. The new process and tools should be used by mid of 2013 in all business units. Task 2 For a successful change project it’s not only important to see where we would like to go, but to be able to define how we will get there, we need a careful and detailed analysis on where we are at the moment. Besides a general process overview in the organisation (e.g. by the support of models like ‘McKinsey 7S’ (Waterman et al. 1980) or ‘Burke-Litwin Causal model’ (Burke & Litwin, 1992)), we also need to understand why do we have the problem in our organisation. For this we may use problem analysis models, like the ‘Fishbone diagram’ or the ‘5 Whys?’ (Taiichi 1988) model. Input-Transformation-Output model To better understand the functional induction process, by the ‘Input-Transformation-Output model’ (RDI, 2012a) the main elements can be summarised visually: This model can support the planning process in several ways. It is easier for the change leaders to identify the key stakeholders (see the detailed stakeholder analysis above), to keep objectives always in mind and focus on the processes which need to be changed in order to be able to achieve the desired output. Furthermore, it gives a great overview about who shall be involved in reviewing and developing the process by providing feedback before, during and after the change. Nonetheless, it is essential to be clear on both the transformed and transforming resources required for the whole process to avoid disturbance due to the lack of them. Cause-and-Effect Analysis After having a broader overview of the issue, before taking any actions, a thorough problem analysis is a must. Even though having an initial idea about what can improve the current situation, in a complex organisation with a huge overall impact of the topic, the change leader need to ensure addressing the right issues and providing the right solutions based on that. In defining all the relevant causes of a problem can help the Cause-and-Effect Analysis (Ishikawa, 1968) or Fishbone diagram. In case of our described example, the model looks like this: After defining the list of important causes, the major ones to be selected by the analysing team then the potential actions can be planned. When it’s presented to the management team, their duty is then to decide on which topics to focus on the actions. In this example case, a globally aligned process with supporting tools and metrics are very much missing. When it’s designed and ready to be deployed, then these should be available to all HR managers to be able to drive the induction processes locally and measure their own efficiency. Plan the change After the green light of the management team concerning the project initiative, can start the proper, detailed planning: the development of the change strategy, in which the desired outcome, key actions, milestones, action owners and resources needs are defined. Winning the commitment of the key stakeholders also need to be carefully planned with a supporting communication plan. As unexpected situations are likely to disturb the planned flow of actions, to minimise the potential disturbance, a risk analysis in advance of doing actions can help the project management team to prepare for these scenarios or totally avoid them. Also, a continuous review of the change project is highly recommended to ensure the project execution is on track to achieve the project goal (see the 8 potential feedback sources in the Input-Output model) – this also can be part of the change strategy plan. The next step is then to execute the plan. When unexpected situations happen, continuous adjustments of the plan may be required to ensure proper improvement and keep the progress to achieve the final goal. After all planned actions are executed, the project leader should control that the project goal has been achieved as defined. If no, the project still continues. If yes, the project shall be formally closed with the involvement of the project sponsors and the success should be feed back to the key stakeholders. Task 3 Business Process Transformation Although Mars, Inc. in this situation chose to go on with a change project concentrating on only one function (HR) to improve its induction process, using the Business Process Transformation (BPT), i.e. Business Process Re-engineering model could have led to better results. By talking generally about the BPT model, one can say that improving the customer engagement and cutting the operational costs by improving and simplifying processes (cross-functional) within the company, is in the heart of this approach (Hammer 1990). Let use the definition of re-engineering by Hammer and Champy (1993) to show the key characteristics of this model: â€Å"†¦ the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical contemporary modern measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed.† This approach is one of the favourites currently in change management, as it promises â€Å"dramatic improvements† in business performance and customer satisfaction, even though it has its own challenges. The most important is that it requires a holistic view from the business leaders to face the issues within an organisation. It needs broad perspective to be able to come out of functional silos and to view the process as a whole, from the very beginning till the very end. If the change project happens only within a single function, there is high probability of missing some important opportunities of improvement. By using the example of Mars, a cross-functional approach could lead to a different, although very thorough solution – like implementing a standardised, world-class induction experience in every part of the company, during which the new employees can learn the most important functional and business knowledge to best support the customer focused processes. Based on its holistic view, the BPT approach requires more complexity from change management perspective as well as total alignment and drive from the top management team. The process improvement strategy should be aligned with the vision, mission and business strategy of the company, while the desired behaviours and key performance indicators should be also clearly defined and communicated to support the process and the measure of success (RDI 2012b). The process improvement initiative should start with a company-wide analysis of the current situation, keeping in mind not only how the processes can be simplified, but also what could be the benefits for the customers by the change initiative. The analysis then will be followed by the definition of the detailed plan: to where and how the company would like to get. To achieve great improvement in company results, increasing the amount of invested efforts and resources and high risk taking is unavoidable – although most probably in mid- and long-term the investment of these extra resources will pay. All these mentioned characteristics of the model lead to the fact that this model can’t be used without a heavy top down and centralised approach due to its holistic nature and complexity. Starting a process improvement initiative from any other level of the organisation without the full support and involvement of the company top leaders can lead to only a temporary and restricted (to a region or function) solution. Managing the implementation of the change at Mars, Inc. Although the change project defined by Mars also intends to improve the measures mentioned in the re-engineering definition, the main difference lies in the adjectives used by the authors: dramatic, fundamental and radical. So in this case we can’t really talk about BPT approach, as it would rather mean taking the whole on-boarding and induction process in all functions of the company and use that to work on, even though it could be very beneficial for the company. Also, without winning the top management support for a holistic change approach, the project leader of this initiative better use a general Change management (RDI 2012c), or preferably, the Total Quality Management (TQM) 2 methodology with using some holistic OD models – like the ‘Burke-Litwin model’ (Burke & Litwin 1992) or the ‘McKinsey 7S model’ (Waterman et al. 1980) – for analysing the potential areas of change interventions. Definition of TQM by Kanji (1990): â€Å"TQM is the way of life of an organization committed to customer satisfaction through continuous improvement. This way of life varies from organisation to organisation and from one country to another but has certain principles which can be implemented to secure market share, increase profits and reduce costs.† The principles of the TQM approach fits well to the culture of Mars, Inc. by focusing on continuous improvement opportunities, on customer needs and motivating employees at all level of the organisation to take part of this and drive innovations. It also reflects in all of the 5 principles of the company3. The management style also resonates well with the principles of TQM, as it engages the collaborative company culture with empowering and motivating the employees to drive continuous improvement for achieving better quality in everything within the business. Although a lot of things fit well to use this model for the change case at Mars, to fully benefit of the TQM methodology, the project leader and the participants shall be skilled to use all its principles to achieve the best possible result, which is currently not yet the case. Task 4 Measure of Success – Processes There are certain elements of the change process, which we can check and measure during and after the project to evaluate the success. Firstly, it is inevitable to set with involvement and communicate to the key stakeholders a clear vision, a well defined ‘S.M.A.R.T. objective’ (Doran, 1981) and some key performance indicators regarding the desired end result of the change initiative. Additionally, it is also important element of the second success factor, which is the level of commitment to the change of the key stakeholders. During the implementation phase, the success of the process can be measured at the key milestones: whether they were achieved on time by providing good quality results within the allocated resource limits. In this phase, the ability of flexible to any disturbance and opportunities through the process is also essential, to keep or even improve the result quality of the change, or to use less resources to achieve the original goal. It may be measured by reaction the quickness of the response or the amount of extra resources needed to keep the good progress. In connection to this, reviewing the key challenges and capturing the lessons learnt for the future also shows the efficiency of the process. Last, but not least, a clear project closure can also indicate how well the project went. Measure of Success – Outcomes If we have a closer look on the change initiative of Mars, Inc., the desired outcome which we wish to measure lies in the main objective4. The company’s main goal is to improve the efficiency and Quality, Mutuality, Responsibility, Effectiveness and Freedom For details see the Management Objective paragraph performance of the new HR employees. As HR is a support department with less direct impact on financial results and the quality of end products than other areas in the business, measuring these goals may be difficult, especially if we need to focus on only the new employee. So it’s advised to define other measures, like the individual performance or future career potential of the new employee, which can be measured by the company globally standardized performance evaluation system. Although the improved employee performance is difficult to be described with exact figures, we can also use historical data to compare the past and the present, and measure factors which can influence performance (e.g. the Line Manager’s evaluation of the performance or the engagement level of the new associate). Besides the employee performance, the efficiency of the new process shall be measured as well (e.g. could we involve everybody we intended to use the new process). Furthermore, as in case of all change projects, defining the return on investment can show the level of success. For example the cost of resource investment of the change project may be compared with the amount of money were saved by better retention of the new associates. By measuring the outcome of a new process we also need to investigate the resource needs of sustaining the process efficiently on long term. 1References: Ackerman, L., 1997, Development, transition or transformation: the question of change in organisations. In: Van Eynde, D., Hoy, J and Van Eynde, D (eds) Organisation Development Classics. San Francisco, Jossey Bass. Buckingham, M. and Coffman, C., 2005. First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Great Managers Do Differently. Simon & Schuster. Burke, W. W. and Litwin, G. H., 1992. A causal model of organizational performance and change. Journal of Management, 18 (3), 523-545. Doran, G. T., 1981. There’s a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management’s goals and objectives. Management Review, Volume 70, Issue 11, pp. 35-36.

Go Tell It on the Mountain

Twenty years after the book, John views on racism, religion, society, personal relationships, and sex will be different from twenty years before. John gains more experiences and knowledge, so he will have better understanding of these issues. Most organizations and movements are form in the 1950s. John will become a civil rights activist to fight for equal rights. He will also be fighting for gay rights. The religion awakening occurs in the 1950s. John might form his own religion or becomes agnostic.He will form organizations and charities to help African American communities. He will rebuild relationships with those that he hates in the past. Racism in 1950s still remained strong, but this issue was heating up. There were many civil unrest at that time. It was the beginning of civil rights movement. Blacks were frustrated the fact that they still haven’t got the equal rights the government promise. John’s past experiences will guide to him the forefront of the movement . In the past, He thought the blacks were inherently inferior than the whites.For example, he was happy when the white school principle told him that he was a very bright boy, but when his colored neighbor told him he would be a great leader, he was unmoved. If he was able to enroll into college after the book, he probably changed views on blacks. The knowledge that he gain and personal experiences should helped him to piece everything together. In his 34th birthday, he is no longer ignorant. He knows that his race is not inferior than the whites. Poverty, lack of education, limited rights and other obstacles are what stop blacks from moving on and be successful.This will motivate him to become a civil rights activist to fight for equality. In the book, he didn’t seem to have any negative feelings against his whites. As he grows older, he might develop hatred for whites, because he will suffer more prejudice and racism from whites when he starts to work in the outside world. Religion becomes popular again in the 1950s. Interest in religion was suddenly so high that, a new awakening was born. According to the book, John seems to have interest in religion. He falls asleep and does not concentrate on his religious studies.He doesn’t want to be a preacher like his dad, Gabriel. He questions the church, because it does things that contradict the ideal beliefs. For example Gabriel is Christian, but he beats his own wife and children. He even stole money from his wife. He’s a hypocrite just like the other ministers in church. During the twenty-four elders meeting revival meeting, the ministers are well-dress, well-fed, and full of themselves more than the holy spirit. The ministers are supposed to be messengers of god that forsaken worldly pleasures to serve the god and people. They even mocked Deborah of her rape.John will most likely become agnostic, or form his own religion that base on ideal beliefs. Agnosticism is a view that humans currentl y do not have enough knowledge to justify if beliefs of deities exist or not. If John has kids, he will teach his kids the knowledge of religion, but he will give them the choice to believe it or not. He will not force his kids to believe it like Gabriel did to John. Many religious parents are like Gabriel that only give their kids one-sided views and brainwash them when they are young. They constantly say terms, such as â€Å"Christian child†, â€Å"Muslim child† or whatever child.Those child are just kids, of course they will just listen to their parents blindly. The parents already make the decisions for them. John will give his kids the best resources, spent time with each of them, and put all his heart to raise them. Even though he hates his dad, but he will respect some qualities of his dad. He will forgive him, because he realizes that the environment is what creates the monster inside his dad. Gabriel spent his lifetime full with hate, hostility, unfulfilled am bitions and dreams, unrealized hopes and expectations, heartbreak, humiliation, and being demeaned and devalued.All these factors created all those negative traits. Gabriel could have been successful, but his path was paved by the white authorities and systems. John will visit his dad, and build a better relationship with his dad. Many blacks are in similar situations like John. They are poor, live in ghetto, don’t have enough food, have to deal with whites and many other problems. John will form organizations and charities to donate resources to black communities or other colored communities. He will set up schools for colored people too. He encourages kids to go to school, be who they want to be.He knows blacks need education in order for them to break the system and pull themselves out of poverty. They can’t change the system if they don’t know how the system works. Schools strengthen the new generations on fighting for equal rights. John wants students to de cide who they want to be, instead of letting their parents make the choices for them. Programs will be set up to teach parents how to deal with their kids efficiently and prevent child abuse. LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community) rights movements were the most notable in 1950s. It took place all over the world, not just America.John acknowledges himself as a homosexual, but may not openly admit it. He didn’t accept his homosexual feelings when he was young. The society caused him to be ashamed of his homosexual feelings. Homosexual was forbidden in communities all over America regardless of what community you live in except gay communities. Discrimination against homosexuals is heating up in 1950s similar to civil rights movement. John may not able to join the gay organizations, because homosexual whites may not accept him. He will form his own colored gay organizations. He loved Elisha; he masturbated in school lavatories thinking of Elisha and older boys.He m ight confess his love for him even though he knows Elisha is not gay. John’s life revolves around a society that is full with racism, sexism, and other types of discrimination. He has to go though one of the crucial times of US history. The fact that he is black and gay already has a huge impact on his life during 1950s. The 50s were the time of minorities, such as colored people, and LGBT communities dealing with issues that US government ignored before that time period. He will be at the center of the movement guiding those that are in the similar situations as him.

Automobile Has Improved Life Essays

Automobile Has Improved Life Essays Automobile Has Improved Life Paper Automobile Has Improved Life Paper Some people think that the automobile has improved modern life. Others think that the automobile has caused serious problems. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer. The invention and proliferation of the automobile has improved the human lives considerably. In modern days, complete transportation of men and material is carried out with the help of automobiles. Automobiles in the modern era, for us are not luxury, but a necessity rather. We think nothing while jumping in the car and driving many a miles on a trip or for our jobs. But looking to the future, researchers are constantly trying to find better ways of transporting with more fuel efficient and environment friendly vehicles redesigning the engines and appearance. For going to school or college, attending office or business, shopping or socializing and numerous daily activities we are dependent on automobiles. Automobiles we use in the shape of a car, scooter or motorbike depending upon our need, nature of work and affordability. While the life has become very fast and time is extremely scarce we have to cope up with the work or the business and keep pace with time with the help of our automobile. Very large tankers transport oil and gas for the use of end users. All projects ranging from small or gigantic need cranes, trucks, lifters, elevators, excavators, dumpers, road rollers, tractors and what not. And all those are the development from automobiles. No doubt automobiles do cause some air pollution in environment by way of exhaust of carbon-mono-oxide and carbon-di-oxide. However to overcome pollution problem oil companies as well as automobile manufacturers do a great deal of research and develop products that are environment friendly. We can neither discard automobiles nor can we imagine our life without automobiles. In nutshell invention and proliferation of automobiles has improved the human lives. We can’t imagine of a life without automobiles today. (287 Words)

buy custom The Wingfields, A Case of a Dysfunctional Family essay

buy custom The Wingfields, A Case of a Dysfunctional Family essay Authors of fiction works are known for their creative in taking the reader to a world of their own where reality does not abode. However, this phenomenon is not common to all literary works as some allude so much to reality that the reader is tempted to take the work as non-fictional were it not for the eminent features of fictitiousness. Take for instance when a playwright writes a play that is almost a replica of his or her autobiography. In this case, many are left wondering where to classify this work; is it fictional or a nonfictional. Such is the case with a play written by Tennessee Williams in 1937. This play, The Glass Menagerie is a representation of the type of life Williams led. This essay however is not interested with the auto fictiveness of the play but what it addresses. From a careful study of this play, one theme is very dominant; the state of a dysfunctional family. This paper is based on my thesis that; The Glass Menagerie is a critic of a dysfunctional family. This is a memory play narrated by one of the characters, Tom who doubles as a narrator and an actor. Tom is an ambitious poet who works in a shoe warehouse. Other characters in the play include Amanda, Toms mother, Laura, sister to Tom, Mr. Winfield, husband to Amanda and father to Tom and Laura and finally Tim OConnor, a friend to Tom. Such a simple family and one wonder what goes wrong in the play to warrant it a prototype of a dysfunctional family. The conflict in the story is set from the beginning by the description of the setting. I am alluding to the postcard portraying Mr. Wingfields picture on the wall of the living room, which also serves as the bedroom for Laura. Mr. Wingfield as we learn from the play ran off years ago and his role in this play is made manifest by the postcard. This is the first evidence that the text provides for a dysfunctional family. Mrs. Wingfield and her children have grown knowing Mr. Wingfield as passive figure in the background of their every day endeavors. This is in contrast to what a typical family man should be regardless of whatever society one hails from. How can a father who is supposed to be the breadwinner of the family flee away leaving the family in desperation? Whatever reasons Mr. Wingfield may have had for his flight, they are altogether unjustified by whatever means. This single act of a man of a man apparently fleeing his duties has numerous repercussions to the characters left behind as the whole play revolves around all the anomalies a family without a father-figure to serve as a mentor possesses. This paper will single each of these repercussions. This will be achieved by examining the misery life led by each of the characters left behind. If there is any one who was primarily affected by the fleeing of Mr., Winfield, then it must be her wife, Amanda. Amanda has been forced to double roles as a caring mother, disciplinarian and role model to her two children. This as led to a life of conflict in opinions between her and the children. This apparently has overburdened her and she sometimes goes overboard to overdo her roles. The results of this have been more damaging than constructive. Take for instance Laura, her daughter who suffers from pleurosis and has a crippled leg. Amanda goes out of way her to enroll Laura in a college to expose her to social life and hence fight her shyness. Does this work? Unfortunately, no! Laura ends up dropping out of the college and goes for movies and adventure tours to avoid being discovered she is not in college. How is her father to blame for this? Laura testifies that her father was so caring to her and thus we can deduce on this ground that her self-esteem would have been boosted if her father being around. After all, girls are believed to be more close to their fathers than to their mothers. Maybe if Mr. Wingfield had devised this plan, it might have worked given the amount of confidence Laura had bestowed upon him. When this plan of enrolling Laura to a college failed, Amanda came up with a lasting solution to the shyness of her daughter. She determined to get her married. To this, she enquired from Tom if Laura had any suitors. The answer was obvious given the nature of her daughter. Amanda once again was not short of options. She portrays a character of willingness to sacrifice for her daughter, a phenomenon unparalleled elsewhere in the play. She subjects herself to humiliation by engaging in subscription sales in a magazine to see through Lauras marriage prospects. This she does with no word of complaint (Tennessee, p 1432). This may be regarded as an act of a caring mother concerned about the future of daughter. On the other hand, it is depiction of Amandas over-protective measures against her children. All this boils down to a missing link in the childrens upbringing especially given that Amanda is bringing them up single-handedly. Another flaw that taints this family and makes it a dysfunctional is the frequent mother-son quarrels that are characteristic of Amanda and Tom. Though the blame may fall on Amanda for her nagging attitude, Tom has his part to play too. The play states categorically that Tom has an indifferent attitude towards his mother and sister. He does not, at any particular scene of the play, portray kindness to her sister or mother, not even when he has broken the formers glass menagerie. Like father like son, the old adage goes. Tom, just like his father is an alcoholic who apparently withdraws to alcoholism to escape his worries. His father, as evident from the fact that he escaped his family, is a perfect example of an escapist. Therefore, Toms plans of leaving his family may have stemmed from his father. This is because of the burden Tom has of parenting. His mother bestows the task of taking care of his sister with him after which Tom may go his ways. This is a phenomenon common with alcoholic families in whiich the older child is charged with the duty of parenting (Parker p.143). In this context, Tom, although not the older of the two had to take the place of his fled-father. This was attributed to the fact that Laura wads handicapped and thus could not take that role. This causes an outburst between Tom and his mother. Another characteristic which was evident in this dysfunctional family and which has its root in the absentee father is the lack of emotion and love obviously evident here. Once again as with the case of child parenting, this is a phenomenon not peculiar in alcoholic families. This is caused primarily by the amount of pressure amounted to the parent who is non-alcoholic. The latter is so much stressed that he or she has no time for the children. This in return, results to feelings of anger, resentment, guilt and blame. There is no better example like the one depicted by Amanda in every conversation he had with her son Tom. The frequent outbursts can be attributed to this pressure. In an effort to cover this disposition, Amanda adopted an attitude of over-protecting her children, a strategy that worked against her. In order to survive this entire trauma, children of dysfunctional homes use escapism strategies to cope with the chaos and pain ever-present in the family. This is evident in the play in the case of Toms alcoholism. Laura is also not left behind. She spends hours with her menagerie, identifying with the unicorn and listening to her old records. Such an environment provides refuge for her while alcoholism on the other hand soothes Tom. Just like their father, the two do not face the reality and find escape in different ways. Williams succeeds in painting to us the true picture of a dysfunctional family. Traits common to this family and to extension all the other families of its kind are attitudes of rigidity, repressed, and twisted emotions. Another trait common with such families is reverence for past traditions that prove detrimental in the present contexts. For instance, the efforts of Amanda to raise money for the marriage arrangements of her daughter are futile. She thinks that just like her time, she should have attracted many suitors by now and therefore she goes out of her way to make efforts on her behalf to have some. All these coping attitudes are adopted with the sole aim of maintaining integrity, cohesion and a degree of sanity in the family. Nevertheless, this does not bind them. The thread of it is well; creating fantasies, making excuses and a general avoidance cement such families. In conclusion, this play apart from painting the picture of a dysfunctional family also gives as an intrigue in the life of William. In fact, it is considered by critics as the most autobiographical of his work. Having grown in an alcoholic family, he had first hand experience with what it meant to hail from such backgrounds, a phenomenon he has successfully represented in The Glass Menagerie. Buy custom The Wingfields, A Case of a Dysfunctional Family essay

Buyer Decision Process And Three Time Zones Marketing Essay

Buyer Decision Process And Three Time Zones Marketing Essay Communication is not only important in our day to day life. It is very important in business situations as well. Marketing communication is an essential method when building relationships with customers. With the globalisation and many factors competition has increased. Therefore in order to attract customers communication or marketing communication is becoming one of key method and it is becoming a more important factor when deciding the success in businesses in the modern world. When analysing the provided business situation it can be clearly seen that this organisation has been considering more on communication mix strategies and decreasing the customer satisfaction or providing less attention to the satisfaction of customers for some time. Communication mix is a method which is used by all the 3 dominant business philosophies that is production philosophy, selling philosophy and marketing philosophy in order to communicate with customers. There are many methods/tools in the comm unication mix including, advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, publicity, instructional materials, etc. There are many objectives of external communications (generated inside the organisation), building awareness, communicating product benefits and advantages, providing information to assist in the decision making process of the customers, differentiate products and influence the purchase decision. But now he has realized that only concentrating on communication mix strategies is not enough. If the customers are not happy or satisfied the negative word of mouth that can spread through them not only can erode effectiveness of the communication mix but also decrease the future sales. Therefore it can be clearly seen that he has identified the communications generated outside the organisation those can be either word of mouth or other communications which can be spread using various Medias including recent electronic variations can have an influence over marketing mix strate gies. Further it has mentioned that although majority of customers are satisfied, negative word of mouth generated by dissatisfied customers can damage the effectiveness of both communication mix and positive word of mouth. When customers are buying products once or twice in their life time then the word of mouth communication is more important because although the repeat purchase is negligible they tend to spread good or bad about your products and especially when they had received poor experience from specific products or service they tend to alert and warn their associates about those products. Another important factor here is the target market of this home building organisation is first home buyers. Therefore in this business situation when someone builds their house for the first time due to this is high involvement decision (high financial risk, social risk, etc.) customers tend to take advices from their peers. Further they may expect more from their first home because it is a big investment in their life time whereas building another house is a rare situation. Today with the development of technologies the power of the word of mouth communication has increased more. Various electronic media have immerged supporting the spread of word of mouth. For an example with through Skype anyone having an internet connection can get free video or voice calls freely. With social networks like Facebook, MySpace people are always sharing and connected to each other. Another emerging communication through internet is web blogs or forums. Through those kinds of methods people share their knowledge and experiences with all most all the people connected trough internet. Therefore if someone wants to get information about particular thing they can do it immediately and without time and space barriers.

See detais below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

See detais below - Essay Example While doing so, he attempted to explore the relationship between the two aspects of the popular folk story: history and literature. In the story, Knughy deeply explores the characters of the story, all of which plays different roles in creating the story itself. Knughy tried to answer different questions. How could the swagman be so jolly More interestingly, how could the homeless, hungry and tired swagman be so jolly If he was so jolly, why would he want to drown himself While analyzing the questions popping in his head, he recalls a time by the Combo Waterhole when the folk story of the Waltzing Matilda was discussed by him and his friend. He remembered conferring to his friend that the story needed to be truly Australian. Hence, it should be originally written with Aboriginal words. Only when verified the authenticity of the story as purely Australian can they conclude whether the swagman was pulled down by the spirit of the water after being hunted by policemen or he was drowned because he jumped to the water with a full stomach. Wharton's version was debated by many as whether it portrays a social reading of the... A social reading is the act of evaluating a particular work of literature, in the context of its impact to the society. In the time when most people regard 'Waltzing Matilda' as a mere folk story, it is indeed considered a social reading to evaluate the relevance of the story of its factual roots and historical bases. According to the text, the character's mind was in turmoil as his mind was debating what to believe in 'Waltzing Matilda'. Which of the text is fact and which is fiction How can the story be merely mythological How can it be real What was the real reason why the jolly swagman died Did he commit suicide This questions arising in his mind already qualifies as significant bases for Knughy to conduct social reading. Essentially, Knughy was able to conduct a social reading by recalling images of the past, which could be strong determinants of facts and myths. Suddenly, he recalled his mother's words: 'My boy, never but never swim on a full stomach'. From this, he was able to explore another possible angle of the jolly swagman's death. Hence, since he drowned with a full stomach, his death may not be due to suicide or any mythical reasons at all. He may have drowned simply because he jumped on the water with a full stomach. It was not regarded by many as social reading because the story portrays Knughy at present analyzing the text, without anyone else to share his thoughts with. However, an evaluation of a text does not require multiple listeners for it to be considered 'social reading'. This is what I learned in Hergenhen's Australian Short Stories. Contrary to popular conception, I believe that social reading does not need to be literally social; it has to be societal. Remarkably, this was indirectly implied in

Violence Against Women especially on Dowry Murder and Honor Essay

Violence Against Women especially on Dowry Murder and Honor Killings.The Agents That Control Women's Reproductive Choice and health, especially on Government and the Global Economy - Essay Example In chapter 2, when discussing violence against women, Burn discusses two key points as the very underpinnings of dowry murder and honor killings. Particularly, Burn is categorical that dowry murder has its underpinning in male’s greater economic power. To Burn, men are more economically endowed than women, so most societies have socioeconomic systems that are patriarchal in nature. Thus, the tradition of paying dowry is one of the starkest manifestations of male economic domination. Upon entering marriage, a couple does not start from a point of equality, since dowry has been paid. Thus, Burn sees the dowry as a subtle signifying of ownership of the man over the woman. This becomes a breeding ground for domestic violence and murder. The other factor that underpins honor killings is men’s greater political power. This inordinate concentration of power in the hands of men makes men control institutions and use the same institutions to oppress women who go against the grain. In highly patriarchal and undemocratic societies, men control the instruments of coercion to subject women to honor killings. In chapter 3, Burn contends that the government holds a large sway on women’s reproductive choices through legislation. For instance, many states have legislations that proscribe abortion, while there are others which provide very meager funding for women’s reproductive health. Secondly, Burn states that the global economy undercuts women’s reproductive choices when policies touching on demography and reproduction are mooted and implemented without the consideration of women, who are the child bearers. There are several shreds of evidences that Burn uses to underscore her point. For instance, she uses statistical provisions to show how the government can derail the exertion of women’s free will in reproductive matters. For instance, Burn quotes the UN statistics which show that in 2003, there were 35

Physical Geology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Physical Geology - Essay Example The landscapes we see around us have many different and varying features, many of which have been fashioned by a number of external forces. Erosion is probably the major force in this respect and it can come from a number of sources, such as wind, water and ice. While these sources can be seen to be unique, in fact in the majority of cases they usually combine within the erosion process that shapes our landscapes. Wind is forceful creator of particular land features, especially in areas where deserts exist, normally close to the equator. In this instance as the warm air rises, forming clouds, the winds blow these away from the equator, both north and south, leaving a dryer condition. As a result, these areas receive significantly reduced rainfall, limiting the amount of vegetation, which would bind the earth’s surface together. The wind also carries particles of plants and rocks with it to create a build up of vegetation and chemical deposits in other areas. The power of the w ind, for example in the form of hurricanes, can have a significant effect on the landscape, as well as destroying human habitats.

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business Ethics - Essay Example Business ethics requires the view of all business activities through the moral values lens to determine their acceptability in the society. For smooth business operations, all business actors must understand various issues such as the personal aspects of business including family, sex, marriage and friendship, individual rights, and the moral values ascribed by society within which the business operate. This paper entails discussion of chapters covered between week 4 and 8 and identification of different sources of information with information relevant to the readings. â€Å"It’s Not My Problem†: The Concept of Responsibility (Chapter 8) The concept of responsibility is applied in business in different ways in which every actor in the business world has a role to play. The different forms of responsibilities in the business field include consumer responsibility, corporate responsibility and shareholder responsibility. The view of these responsibilities through the busin ess ethics lens converts them into moral responsibilities and prima facie obligations. In this case, all business actors are obliged to ensure fulfillment of such responsibilities in orders for the business undertakings to have constructive ends or positive impact on the society. Lange and Washburn (2012) have explored the meaning irresponsible behavior in the business world to divert attention from what corporate social responsibility implies, to what business actors do that is against the expectation of responsible behavior. The information covered by the two authors closely relates to information covered in this chapter in which much emphasis has been put on the different responsibilities and the misunderstanding of the responsibility concept in business. According to Lange and Washburn (2012), business responsibility is deeply rooted in the external expectations and the perception of the people experiencing the business activities. The survival and success of a business organiza tion or venture greatly depends on the widespread external perception as to whether the organization acts in socially responsible manner and the ability to meet external expectations. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that the responsibility concept in business does not imply going against self-interests in the business venture but the need to strike a balance between self-interests and societal interests. The greatest dilemma in business ethics revolves around the conflict of responsibilities, where individual’s power may be limited by external expectations or responsibilities. Social Responsibility and the Stakeholder (Chapter 9) Social responsibility in the business world refers to the different roles that businesses and actors in the business world have by virtue of operating within the society. The concept of corporate social responsibility encompasses the social concerns of stakeholders and the economic interests of business owners and shareholders. The corpor ate world and the society directly depend on each other, where the society cannot function in absence of economic and social roles of corporations while at the same time corporations cannot exist without the society. The stakeholder approach in business social responsibilities ensures that business owners commit to serve broader interests, in addition to the business economic and

Keurig Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Keurig - Assignment Example Keurig’s profit compared to its competitors has registered a steady increase over the years and as it continues expanding its market, net sales are expected to grow more than 40% in the near future. Green mountain coffee has been recognized as a leader in the coffee industry because of its innovative brewing technology, award-winning coffees, and socially responsible business practices. Kent believes that coffee should be served fresh, like gourmet coffee, despite an individual’s location. This has steered for Keurig to provide coffee lovers with the perfect solution. The brand has combined its unique packs together with its modern technology to consistently deliver perfect cups to clients (Seong-Jong 503).This has made Keurig the leading single cup-brewing brand in North America and this brand has continued to provide its customers with the perfect cup on a daily basis. Keurig has adopted Green Mountains policy of doing business in a way that balances the economic goals with environmental and social impacts on the local and international communities. Its competitors have not adopted such a business model, but only focused on economic goals. Keurig has ensured that it updates its technology to keep pace with its primary and secondary competitors. This gives it an upper hand in devising new products that can able to meet the consumer’s current demands. This also ensures that Keurig keeps pace with modern changes and customized demands. Since Keurig is the leading single-cup brewer, it has the advantage of dictating the market trends because it has already acquired a sizeable portion of the market (Seong-Jong 496).This ensures the brand can manage the market situation as well as its production process with much ease compared to its competitors. Keurig has a strong customer loyalty because of high consumer satisfaction,

Do media images of family or marriage help us or hurt us Essay - 1

Do media images of family or marriage help us or hurt us - Essay Example The first point that supports my view is that what media most of the time provides is an altruistic picture that rarely comes true. For instance, it is rather impossible for most males to become the so-called Mills and Boon hero with a highly masculine body, high cheekbones that indicate intelligence, and a repertoire full of romance. In addition, he is supposed to possess unlimited wealth and influence, that is, the minimum standard set is a James Bond. In the case of female, the picture the media provides is that of an alluring goddess who always smells nothing less than rose, and who is always eager to have her ‘right man’ holding her hand and leading her gently to the most expensive restaurant. As people are fed this picture, they get unsatisfied in their marital life when they come to realize that their partners fall short of their expectations. Thus, for many ladies, a husband who does not look like Tom Cruise is a matter of inferiority complex that they have to su ffer due to bad luck. Thus, evidently, the beautiful picture provided by media on family and marriage is most of the time far from reality and hence highly destructive when taken to heart. Now, a look into the works of various scholars will confirm this opinion as truth. For example, studies have proved that heavy viewers of television tend to perceive being single as negative and believe that families in real life show support and concern for each other. However, the ones who are addicted to soap operas believe that the number of illegitimate children, divorces, extra marital affairs and happy marriages are all higher in number than they really are. Yet another point that goes strongly against media is that it promotes the stereotyping of male and female roles in families and marriages. For example, the general notion that media is interested in promoting is that females are the happiest at home raising

Keurig Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Keurig - Assignment Example Keurig’s profit compared to its competitors has registered a steady increase over the years and as it continues expanding its market, net sales are expected to grow more than 40% in the near future. Green mountain coffee has been recognized as a leader in the coffee industry because of its innovative brewing technology, award-winning coffees, and socially responsible business practices. Kent believes that coffee should be served fresh, like gourmet coffee, despite an individual’s location. This has steered for Keurig to provide coffee lovers with the perfect solution. The brand has combined its unique packs together with its modern technology to consistently deliver perfect cups to clients (Seong-Jong 503).This has made Keurig the leading single cup-brewing brand in North America and this brand has continued to provide its customers with the perfect cup on a daily basis. Keurig has adopted Green Mountains policy of doing business in a way that balances the economic goals with environmental and social impacts on the local and international communities. Its competitors have not adopted such a business model, but only focused on economic goals. Keurig has ensured that it updates its technology to keep pace with its primary and secondary competitors. This gives it an upper hand in devising new products that can able to meet the consumer’s current demands. This also ensures that Keurig keeps pace with modern changes and customized demands. Since Keurig is the leading single-cup brewer, it has the advantage of dictating the market trends because it has already acquired a sizeable portion of the market (Seong-Jong 496).This ensures the brand can manage the market situation as well as its production process with much ease compared to its competitors. Keurig has a strong customer loyalty because of high consumer satisfaction,

Importance of Literature Essay Example for Free

Importance of Literature Essay Literature is the foundation of life. It places an emphasis on many topics from human tragedies to tales of the ever-popular search for love. While it is physically written in words, these words come alive in the imagination of the mind, and its ability to comprehend the complexity or simplicity of the text. Literature enables people to see through the lenses of others, and sometimes even inanimate objects; therefore, it becomes a looking glass into the world as others view it. It is a journey that is inscribed in pages, and powered by the imagination of the reader. Ultimately, literature has provided a gateway to teach the reader about life experiences from even the saddest stories to the most joyful ones that will touch their hearts. From a very young age, many are exposed to literature in the most stripped down form: picture books and simple texts that are mainly for the sole purpose of teaching the alphabet etc. Although these are not nearly as complex as an 800-page sci-fi novel, it is the first step that many take towards the literary world. Progressively, as people grow older, they explore other genres of books, ones that propel them towards curiosity of the subject, and the overall book. Reading and being given the keys to the literature world prepares individuals from an early age to discover the true importance of literature: being able to comprehend and understand situations from many perspectives. Physically speaking, it is impossible to be someone else. It is impossible to switch bodies with another human being, and it is impossible to completely understand the complexity of their world. Literature, as an alternative, is the closest thing the world has to being able to understand another person whole-heartedly. For stance, a novel about a treacherous war, written in the perspective of a soldier, allows the reader to envision their memories, their pain, and their emotions without actually being that person. Consequently, literature can act as a time machine, enabling individuals to go into a specific time period of the story, into the mind and soul of the protagonist. With the ability to see the world with a pair of fresh eyes, it triggers the reader to reflect upon their own lives. Reading a material that is relatable to the reader may teach them morals and encourage them to practice good judgement. This can be proven through public school systems, where the books that are emphasized the most tend to have a moral-teaching purpose behind the story. An example would be William Shakespeare’s stories, where each one is meant to be reflective of human nature – both the good and bad. Consequently, this can promote better judgement of situations, so the reader does not find themselves in the same circumstances as perhaps those in the fiction world. Henceforth, literature is proven to not only be reflective of life, but it can also be used as a guide for the reader to follow and practice good judgement from. The world today is ever-changing. Never before has life been so chaotic and challenging for all. Life before literature was practical and predictable, but in present day, literature has expanded into countless libraries and into the minds of many as the gateway for comprehension and curiosity of the human mind and the world around them. Literature is of great importance and is studied upon as it provides the ability to connect human relationships, and define what is right and what is wrong. Therefore, words are alive more than ever before.

Relativism And Realism Debates

Relativism And Realism Debates Should psychology pursue the path of realism or relativism? Critically discuss the implications of the relativism realism debate for psychology. In the field of psychology, there is a debate amongst psychologists about which scientific approach to take when it comes to studying psychology. Whilst some psychologists prefer the realism approach, other psychologists prefer a different approach, relativism. The debate argues over which approach is the best theory for psychology to adopt; how research should be conducted, what assumptions can be made by psychologists, and which approach is the best way to gain knowledge about the world. So what is realism and what is relativism? Realism is what could be considered mainstream psychology, where knowledge about the world can be acquired through methodical and systematic experimentation. Fletcher (1996) states that realism is focused mainly on behaviour, and that empirical research is the cornerstone of the scientific method (pp. 409). This approach is widely used in psychology to study behaviour and to gain facts about the world, which can be used to build psychological theories (Cac ioppo, Semin Bertson, 2004, pp 215). Relativism, on the other hand, offers an alternative approach to realism. Relativism argues that the world is created by the human mind, and the realism approach is no more rational or trustworthy than ordinary thinking (Fletcher, 1996, pp. 410). Cacioppo, Semin and Bertson (2004) suggest that the relativism approach argues that theoreticians should recognize that all forms of theories are worthwhile and the key is to evaluate the relative informativeness of each theory (pp.219). This indicates that all theories are valid, but they are based upon the relative ideas and assumptions of the theoretician that put it forward. These relative ideas and assumptions of the theoretician are based on societal contexts which are part of the defining statement (Kagan, 1964, pp.131), meaning that what is stated is relative to the state of the individual and the context it is said in. But which approach should psychologists take and what does this mean for psy chology? The realism and relativism debate has been ongoing for a long time in the field of philosophy and more recently, psychology (Fletcher, 1996; Parker, 1998). In the field of philosophy, an empiricism approach has been widely abandoned in favour of a relativistic approach (Fletcher, 1996, pp. 410). However there is little consensus about which is the best approach to adopt by psychologists. There are arguments both for and against relativism and realism, and there are benefits to both approaches. This essay will look at both realism and relativism as philosophical approaches to psychology and which approach is more appropriate for the field. The realistic approach to psychology has been used in most psychological research that uses an experimental design. The assumption of the realism approach is that there is a real world that can be tested to establish facts; which experiments adopt to establish facts about behaviour. This, in a way, lends support for itself in psychology; by creating theories that can be tested, psychologists are able to predict behaviour, which is what some would say is the central aim of psychology (Gergen, 1973, pp. 317). Haig (2005) suggests that realism alone can offer an all-encompassing approach to psychology. It is argued by Haig (2005) that whilst there can be no proof that realism is a deficient philosophy for psychology, there is no need for other philosophical approaches to the field. However, it can be noted that this would be a very realist view; Haig (2005) needs proof that realism is deficient before it can be considered deficient. Whereas from a relativist point of view, proof would n ot be needed for realism to be considered a deficient philosophy, it would be relative to the context and person stating that it is deficient. This poses a problem; if realism is based on facts and wants proof that it does not provide an adequate philosophy, and relativism does not need facts or proof that realism is not an adequate philosophy, then a consensus of which approach is the most appropriate for psychology can never be made. One argument by Sankey (2004) suggests that the physical existence of the world provides evidence for a realist approach. It is suggested that the existence of the world around us does not depend on our thoughts, perceptions or experiences of it, it just exists. Whatever way we think about the world, or try to change parts of it (constructing buildings, growing crops, polluting the environment etc, pp.63), we did not create the world itself. It is argued that from this, human thoughts do not create the conception of reality, it is physically around us and this lends support to the realism approach. This would seem plausible, the fact that there are physical objects around us, that we can touch and interact with would suggest that there is a real world, and that we can acquire knowledge about that world. Sankey (2004) goes on to suggest that Mental representations are but a small part of a greater reality in which we find ourselves embedded. Any philosophy which seeks to ground our co nception of reality on our own mental representations commits the fundamental error of anthropocentrism, and should therefore be dismissed as fatally flawed, (pp.64). This suggests that by assuming that reality is evaluated exclusively through human representations of the world, relativism is flawed. It can also be noted that if relativists argue that all theories are worthwhile, then this argument by Sankey (2004) is perfectly reasonable in providing evidence for the realism approach. However, one thing that may go against this argument by Sankey (2004) is that there is no way of knowing whether everyone perceives the physical world around us in the same way or not. This means that the physical world as evidence for realism could be perceived in many different ways, suggesting that in fact a relativist approach is more appropriate for studying psychology. Whilst the realist approach lends support to the experimental side of psychology; enabling a psychologist to assume what they have found to be factual and free from representations, there is an increasing number of psychologists and psychological fields that are adopting a more relativist approach. These include social constructivism, discourse analysis and feminist psychology (Fletcher, 1996). But why adopt a relativist approach when a realism approach has been used so widely in the mainstream field of psychology? There are several arguments against using a realist philosophy for psychology. One argument that is highlighted by Fletcher (1996) is the idea that the empiricism approach to a lot of psychological research is based on a set of rules set out by psychologists that all experiments adhere to, for example significance levels (p.411). There is a question of why those particular values are deemed significant and why others are not, and what made those values significant. It can be supposed that somewhere along the line, humans decided what results could be considered significant and what results could not. This provides evidence for the relativism approach; everything is relative to the persons thoughts, assumptions and experiences. In this case results may only be significant to some people whilst the same set of results could be completely insignificant to others. However, because of the significance values used in the methodology employed by the realism approach, results that could seem significant to some people are deemed insignificant by the constraints of realist psychology. Rosnow and Rosethal (1989) criticise the methods of analysing data, stating that determining the particular level of significance of the data at which a null hypothesis will be rejected is essentially a personal decision, (pp.1277) which strengthens the argument that psychology is based on social constructs and is relative to the psychologist. The relativist argument that realis t methods are too dichotomous is also supported by Loftus (1996). Relativists have also rejected realist arguments that because we can physically touch and interact with our environment that this proves the world is real and that it can be tested in order to gain knowledge (e.g. Sankey, 2004). Edwards, Ashmore and Potter (1995) identified two arguments used against relativism, (being able to touch furniture and the reality of death) and argue that these are still socially constructed. Edwards, Ashmore and Potter (1995) suggest that a realist would hit a table and the resulting sound shows it is physical, and not socially constructed. The table, in the eyes of a realist, would be a real object that can be touched, physically in the real world. However, what Edwards, Ashmore and Potter (1995) argue is that the table, whilst displaying physical properties is still a socially constructed object. The person that hits the table experiences it as real, but only the part that is touched by the hand. In addition to this, how does anybody else watching the t able being hit know it is real (pp.29)? It is also argued that by hitting the table, it does not prove that tables continuing existence (pp.29), nor does it prove that everything else around that table and other objects in the world exists. This highlights a flaw in what realists would count as evidence that the world is real and free from human interpretations. Edwards, Ashmore and Potter (1995) also state that a realist would use death as evidence for a world that is free from human perceptions. It is said that a realist would ask how a relativist can question whether death is a reality or not. To dispute that death is a reality would seem immoral and it would be impossible to say that the death of something or someone is just a social construct. However, it is argued by Edwards, Ashmore and Potter (1995) that even death is socially constructed. It is suggested that when you look at death and everything that relates to it, for example, resurrection, the afterlife, survival of the spirit, the non-simultaneous criteria of brain death, the point when life support might as well be switched off, cryogenic suspension, the precise (how precise?) moment of death, (pp. 36), it becomes clear that there is a lot of social construction surrounding death. Along with the different ways it is possible to die, it is stated that everyone knows, these are c ategories which are as constructed as can be, (pp.36). This is a convincing argument for relativism; there are things in the world that appear to be reality, physical and factual. However, as shown in the case of death, there are more components to death than just the umbrella term which are clearly socially constructed. When someone dies, are they truly dead? What if they are, instead, reincarnated as something else? In a realist world, these questions would seem scientifically impossible to test which leads to the question of whether death can really be established as fact and a realistic truth. The way in which we would class someone as dead is only to the extent of our own knowledge, tools and assumptions, but this would mean death has to be classed as a social construct and not free of human interpretation. As presented, there is support for adopting a realist philosophy and there is support for adopting a relativist philosophy. So which approach is best for psychology? As previously stated, Fletcher (1996) highlights that realism has been overlooked in favour of a relativist approach in several areas of psychology, in particular, social constructivism, discourse analysis and feminist psychology. Within feminist psychology there has been an increasing use of relativist philosophy. A paper by Riger (1992) suggests that relativism is the most appropriate approach for studying women and feminism in psychology. It is suggested that gender is a socially constructed phenomenon; we are members of gender through our thoughts and actions rather than just having the gender of male and female. In addition to this, it is argued that the relations between men and women are a result of patterns of social organisation (pp.737). Therefore, it is suggested that psychology as a discipline should consider the social context of gender and womens activity, promoting the use of a relativist philosophy in this particular branch of psychology. Support for a relativist approach in psychology is provided by Hepburn (2000), who points out the advantages to using such a philosophy in feminist psychology. It is stated that relativism clears the way for addressing the many competing versions, contingencies, arguments and agendas that go with doing feminist research (pp.103). This suggests that the relativist assumption that all theories are valid, allows for the many different paths of research in feminist psychology to occur. Therefore, it also has to be considered whether a realist approach would be appropriate for feminist psychology. Gender differences in empiricist research do not take the social context and human perceptions of those gender differences, which could mean that psychologists who follow a realist approach to psychology may not know every reason for those gender differences. Therefore, it can be questioned whether or not empiricism really does gain factual knowledge about the world, if it does not take into account everything that could contribute to those facts. In this case, it would seem that for feminist psychology, realism would not be the most appropriate philosophy to adopt. In contrast, there are some that promote realism within feminist psychology. New (1998) defends realism as the most appropriate philosophy for feminist psychology to adopt. It is stated by New (1998) that despite realisms current resounding unpopularity among feminist theorists, they cannot do without it, (pp.366) suggesting that whilst relativism is popular within feminist psychology, there is also a need for realism. It is argued that realism is needed to understand the underlying concepts in the history of feminist psychology and to understand the knowledge that has already been obtained of feminist psychology, and this cannot be done without assuming that the relativist social constructions are also true. This could mean that in psychology, you cannot have relativism without realism. In order to understand the knowledge that is gained through a relativist approach it may mean that realism is also needed. In other words, if relativism argues that gender differences are a social co nstruction, then they have to assume that these social constructions are true and real. New (1998) adds to this by suggesting that when arguing the case for relativism, relativists have to regress to realism in order to articulate the case. In addition to this, Parker (1999) supports realism in other branches of psychology. In his paper against relativism in psychology, Parker (1999) points out that some psychologists believe realism warrants psychology as a real science. Therefore, this could mean that by adopting a realist approach psychology could be put in the same category as what are commonly called real sciences such as physics, chemistry and biology. This has implications for psychology as a science and not just for psychologists either. If psychology is classed as a real science, the results of psychological research may carry more weight in everyday life, where not everyone is aware of the debate between realism and relativism. Therefore, as presented with the example of feminist psychology, there is a strong case for both realism and relativism within psychology. This leaves the question of which approach to adopt for psychology up in the air; the debate seems to have no solid consensus of which approach to adopt. Even in the case of feminist psychology, which is suggested to have predominantly accepted the relativist approach, there are still some that argue for a realist philosophy (e.g. New, 1998). However, there may be other philosophical approaches more appropriate for psychology. For example, Cacioppo, Semin and Bertson (2004) evaluate instrumentalism as an approach for psychology. According to Cacioppo, Semin and Bertson (2004), the aim of instrumentalism is not to discover truth, but instead aims to construct intellectual structures that provide adequate predictions of what is observed (pp.217). Therefore, whilst not searching for the truth like realism or proving that instead everything that is th ought to be true is instead a social construction, like relativism, instrumentalism provides a way of predicting and describing what is observed rather than persistently debating whether what is observed is true or not. In a way, instrumentalism positions itself in between realism and relativism, it just utilises the observations without having to assume whether it is real or not. So, aside from realism and relativism, would this be a better approach for psychology? Instrumentalism would seem to be a compromise between the two approaches and so this could be the path psychology should pursue. As highlighted by New (1998), it seems relativism cannot be without realism and as highlighted by Edwards, Ashmore and Potter (1995) it is argued realism cannot be without relativism. Therefore, as the debate between realism and relativism can become blurred, it may be that instrumentalism is a more suitable approach to psychology. In conclusion, with no consensus between realists and relativis ts, it is unclear whether psychology should pursue the path of realism and relativism. As proposed by Cacioppo, Semin and Bertson (2004) an integrated approach between realism and instrumentalism may be the best approach for psychology. Word Count Excluding References : 2,847