Franchise Support

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH BG33303 PENGURUSAN PEMASARAN FRANCAIS Chapter 20 Summary NAME| MATRIX NUMBER| Safrina bte Ahmad Shah| BB10110567| Julianne Wing| BB10110274| Mohammad Harith b. Elias| BB10110334| Norhanim bte Hj. Yasin| BB10110442| Norhafizah bte Kasman| BB10160784| Ching Siok Chun| BB10110093| Franchise Support Constructive support of franchise is important for effective operation and overall success of the franchise system. Franchise support of franchises is important because it will develop and maintain sufficient and improve communication skills between the franchisee and franchisor.The franchise support service will ensure profitability, self-employment, striving to be successful, opportunity for growth, and a success or failure story. Opportunity to earn profit is the major driving force for people to start a franchise business. Franchise service support act as an intermediaries in between the franchisor and franchisee in providing training, suggestions to maintain str ong sales and improve profit margin to the franchise business. Regarding the self-employment matter, this franchise support service provides methods, programs, and suggestions for improving and assists in solving problem.In order to become successful in the franchise business, the franchise support staff should offer praise, encouragement, and instruction to the franchisee because working in the positive environment will ensure success to the franchised business. Franchise support services help franchise business to grow by introducing new product and services, marketing techniques, and carefully planned promotional campaign will help franchisees to keep a positive outlook on the business and continue to look for alternative to expand business and increase profit margin.The success or failure story of the franchise business is determined by the management team on how they manage their business properly. Getting the right employees with good discipline, giving good hospitality servic es, working environment is comfort and relaxing, and others show that the franchise supports service assists them in order to maintain the high standard of the franchise system and vice versa. COMMUNICATION As we know, communication is very important factor in daily business activities.Communication involves individual or group in particular businesses. In franchising, a good communication process is very important for the franchisor and the franchisee. Information system that been used by franchise system should be clearly and easy to link with other function and decision making as well. The more effective the communication, the more effective the supervision. There are several communication tools that are typically been used to deliver the information First is telephone.It is highly effective mode of communication, because it is more faster and get 2 way communication. Telephone contacts are important to keep the franchisee informed about the plan and activities for parent company , to evaluate franchise performance of record and also to let the franchisee know what assistance to expect from the franchisor. Phone contact can be set up in many ways, such as through planned telephone calls. These actually to develop interrelationship between franchisor and franchisee in order to retain the support between them.Usually planned calls are to discuss the sales level, product and service support, promotional plans and also to raise any questions given by the franchisee. Second are spontaneous telephone calls. It is actually to boost the morale and feelings of interdependence of the franchisee and the franchisor These kind of calls actually can help the franchisor to understand the immediate concerns of the franchise, get a feel for the franchisee’s general attitude over time and determine if there is nything the parent company could or should be doing over and above the regular services its providing. While the third one is conference calls. These calls being conducted by contacting several franchisees at the same time. Letter or earlier phone contact should be prearranged to ensure the attendance of franchisees within a district area or region. These calls usually to inform the franchisee about the current plan of franchisor such as promotional activities, new product and services, and new contest or customer relation project.Another communication method is internet websites. It helps people to get connected with other people around the world. Same goes to franchise, all business activities can be conducted through internet such as processing orders from suppliers and channel members and do promotion. For franchise, it can expand internet into intranet where it allows the franchisees to access their information system by using secret password. By this way, franchisees can read the report and also any updated issues or activities provided by the franchisor.Chat room is available for them to do the conversation and discussion about certa in issues. Moreover, franchisor and franchisee also can work together through extranet, where they can make their order after review the supplier’s products. Next is email. Email is more convenient to use in order to send any documents or messages to other functional members, suppliers, staffs, different companies, family member and also between franchisor and franchisee. This is because, email can save their costs and required less time compared to other communication methods.Through email, the messages can deliver faster to the other parties and also get their feedback. Moving on to the next communication tool is mail contacts. Mail contacts are mails that are in forms of newsletters and activity reports that are distributed for the purpose of providing instructions, supplying advertising, promoting materials and discussing any legal matters that arises. In other words, mail contacts communication are follow-up information that are resulted from conference calls, issues or questions raised by franchisee, spontaneous calls or suggestions for advertising promotions.These letters are sent by sales manager or the president of the franchise system all for the purpose of assuring a continuing support and service from the main office. Last but not least are visits. Visits are one of the communication tools that come in the form of personal, support-service and training visits. Personal visits are very important to a franchisee when it is especially done by a representative of the main franchise home office such as the president, vice president, franchising directors and many more.Personal visits can be known as an excellent public relations tool which is effective for solving and addressing problems that may arise from the company. Whereas for support-service visits, the purpose of these visits are for helping and aiding the franchisee in order to resolve the problems in its operations by providing hints in dealing with the rapid change in competitive condit ions. As for training visits, it is where visits are made by home office staffs that are involved in the preopening and grand opening training of respective franchises solely for the purpose of the value of royalty fees being returned to the business.FRANCHISEE TRAINING To developing a training operation involves three major actions by a franchisor: designing and implementing a training unit or function, establishing a training location, and developing the training program, including the philosophy, learning and skills to be achieved and the methods to be used in providing the training. Usually a person who was in charge of training program has experience in each major function.There are two critical requirements that must be met by anyone put in charge of a franchisee training program: The person must have knowledgeable about effective training process and must have both depth and breadth of understanding of the operational needs and characteristics that will ensure success in the particular franchised business that necessary because need to be able to incorporate into training program (1) production/operations methods of the franchised business, (2) accounting, marketing and personnel practices and (3) effective methods of developing and maintaining constructive franchisor-franchisee relationship.Training function was important to continuity and growth of the franchisee system, the head of training is part of the upper management of the organization. The center is the original location of the franchisor that can locate almost everywhere or can locate regionally. Example insurance company that provided located for training program in their regional in headquarters. It’s because to enhance their control of the training process and ensure continuity of subject matters to be presented.Training program usually will take at least five days long and may last for up to two months and vary considerably from one franchise system also provided that vary in lengt h, complexity, and subject matter. This training will teach the franchisees and other employees the skills necessary for them to more successful in this business. The objective for training is the skills to be learned, and the training methods to be utilized are carefully put together. From the book or manuals the franchisees can learn the business rather than be taught.Franchisor also provided lectures, group discussions, situational problem analysis, and an independent, hands-on performance under the guidance of experienced trainers was the best business. Other than that the focus in this program is self-application through actual performance of operational required within the franchised system, whether the training takes place in a training center or on the job at the franchisees own franchised business. Three major component of franchisee training:- ) Preopening Training ( Formal ) Preopening training was a first general franchisee training that we will explain. Usually preopeni ng was the most intensive training period. Most franchised require one week or 300 hours of opening training. For preopening the training will consists in classroom that include planning the franchised business, hiring, purchasing, merchandising, advertising, business management, cash and inventory control, and production/operational methods.Franchisees have the opportunity to meet three and twelve or limited number of franchisees to discuss their expectations, desires, strengths, and worries with other franchisees as the individually and collectively anticipate running their own operations. After meet for the training franchisees will feel the advice was very helpful in developing loyalty to the franchise system, creating individual within the franchise organization, and learning or improving skills of operations for the franchise.Manual for the operations usually include finance, operations, marketing, management, and service/production. Will include audio or videotapes, that can descriptions of all franchise operations and usually include operating procedures suggested or required by the franchisor. A manual was an important thing to both franchisor and franchisees because franchisor not only offers a training approach, but also affords protections incase any dispute or questions arises regarding appropriateness of methods used in training franchisees.But for franchisees, the information they need to know on order to function effectively within the business environment of the franchisor was in the manuals. Lastly, references was already provides to refresh the memory or to solve some problem that arises during a workday. 2) Grand Opening Training ( On-site ) For the grand opening of a franchised business, most franchisor sent either the training manager or a member of the training unit to work with the new franchisee. Grand opening training consists of one to two weeks of in-depth work experience in which the trainer assists the franchisee with grand openin g of business.They are trains the staff in operating procedures associated with service/production, finance, marketing, and operation. The franchisor representative often stays with the franchisee until the newly opened unit is running smoothly, which may take from several days to several weeks. The length of time can vary considerably as a result of the normal difficulties of any grand opening or because of unexpected problems or complexities. For the service-oriented businesses, franchisors provided between two and seven weeks from the time the training begins to the actual grand opening business.This period includes one to three weeks of intensive training at headquarters as well as one to three weeks on on-site training to prepare for forthcoming grand opening. At the time of grand opening, the franchisor representative stays with the new franchisee for the first full week of operation. In this way help both parties, franchisor and franchisee in builds a good business relationsh ip, as the evidence of franchisor commitment and as a return, hopefully earning loyalty, enthusiasm, and team spirit from the franchisee. ) Continuing Training Program ( Postopening ) Some franchisors provide training at quarterly, semiannual or annual meetings between the franchisor and franchisees. Others hold seminars on specific topics of current interest to franchisees as the need arises. Most of the national or international franchise systems provide a regular schedule of training at their headquarters or at the site of the franchisee requesting the training.The training is given during the regular weekly or monthly visit by the field representative to the franchise site and addresses such areas as quality control, financial or accounting methods, advertising or marketing developments, or new methods, equipment, or products and services being introduced by franchisor. There are some franchisors are provided specialized training and advice to some franchisees. In example, a fra nchisee who has a territory that appears ripe for expansion may receive training in location analysis, market analysis, lease negotiation and construction services.There are many franchising firms provide ongoing training to their franchisees and the employees of the franchisees. Ongoing training varies widely from franchisor to franchisor and from industry to industry. Regional and national meetings for franchisees are often loaded with training opportunities such as marketing updates, industry trends, new product and service developments, franchisor policy and procedure changes, or informal exchanges of ideas among franchisees themselves or between franchisors and franchisees. The most important role in the delivery of continued training is field representative.They often work directly with the franchisee at the business site, providing expert counsel, giving on-the-spot management and operational suggestions, providing instructional video or audio materials for the franchisee and employees and serving as a channel for sharing new ideas that a developing across the franchise system. Ongoing training is the primary method for most franchisors to initiate new products or services into the franchise system and also as the ideal vehicle for transferring the knowledge and skills required to keep the franchise system be more efficient.

Attitude Towards Work Essay

Attitude towards work and interpersonal relations as factor in job performance Statement of the problem: This study aims to determine the relationship of attitude towards work and interpersonal relations to the job performance of the employees. Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the Employees in Drug Maker Company in terms of the following personal circumstances? 2.1 Age and Sex 2.2 Civil Status 2.3 Educational Attainment 2.4 Years of Experience 2. Do attitude towards work and interpersonal relations affect job performance? 3. To what extent do the work attitudes affect the job performance? 4. To what extent do the interpersonal relations affect the job performance? 5. What is the perception of the employees towards work attitude and interpersonal relation? 6. Is there any significant relationship between attitudes toward work, interpersonal relations and job performance? WORK ATTITUDE AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP QUESTIONNAIRES Personal Information Name:________________________________________ Gender:MaleFemale Age: 20 yrs. and below 41-50 years 21-30 years 51 and above 31-40 years Civil Status: Single Married Widow Educational Attainment: High School Graduate College Graduate Course: _______________________________________________ Year of Experience: 1-5 years 6-10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years Others please specify: _____________________________________ Direction: Please check the appropriate answers to the item questions. The following are the symbols/letters use: SYMBOLS | | SD| Strongly Disagree| D| Disagree| SA| Strongly Agree| A| Agree| | SD D SA A| A. Work Attitudes:| 1. Your current hob is interesting and challenging.| | | | | 2. The qualifications you possess are appropriate and relevant to the job.| | | | | 3. The skills required match the tasks to be performed and consistent with the job description.| | | | | 4. The efforts demanded by the job are commensurate to the pay received.| | | | | 5. The responsibilities assumed in the job are well defined and clearly delineated| | | | | 6. The working condition (illumination, ventilation, temperature and humidity, etc.) in the office is conducive to work.| | | | | 7. There is close supervision by the office head to ensure efficiency of performance in the job assigned. | | | | | 8. You dislike your job and looking forward to a better employment elsewhere.| | | | | 9. The routine or daily task is dull, boring and monotonous.| | | | | 10. You consider work as something natural and necessary in life. | | | | | 11. The job provides you a sense of responsibility in performing the duties.| | | | | 12. A fee ling of satisfaction is attained as a result of completing the task (sense of achievement).| | | | | 13. The job offers opportunities for promotion in position as well as pay increase based on merits.| | | | | 14. The remuneration for the job position in just and position is just and fair with the nature of the work being undertaken.| | | | | 15. The interaction in the office among co-workers is cordial and harmonious.| | | | | 16. The job itself becomes a means for personal growth and professional advancement (self-actualization/Self-fulfillment).| | | | | 17. The office head being very supportive and tolerant enables you to feel confident in the job. | | | | | 18. There were opportunities for a right job which you missed by working in the present set-up. | | | | | 19. In the present job, there is no chance to improve and learn more in terms of better aptitudes and new skills.| | | | | 20. The need for recognition is much felt in the office.| | | | | B. Interpersonal relationship with peers and heads:| 1. The office head is very flexible and approachable making so easy for the workers to have closer interpersonal relationship with him/her.| | | | | 2. The working relationship within the office is formal and cautious (careful) between the head and the rank and file. Resulting in uneasy situation.| | | | | 3. The need for others to turn to for advice and direction is the reason for maintaining a particular group to interrelate with.| | | | | 4. Interpersonal relationship is part and parcel of a work place in order to establish harmony and foster cooperation with fellow workers.| | | | | 5. The head picks or chooses somebody personally close to him/her to interrelate with group.| | | | | 6. You feel insecure with group activity whether work related or personal interaction.| | | | | 7. Your admiration and respect for the office head draws you further apart from him/her.| | | | | 8. Due to office interpersonal relationship with other workers, job dissatisfaction arises as an outcome of comparison or jealousy/envy.| | | | | 9. An informal group consisting of selected employees is intended to establish some type of conformity to ideas, beliefs, personal activities which may serve mutual interests. Thus, ostracizing or excluding others.| | | | | 10. Interpersonal relationship is resorted by you with colleagues as a form of recognition and acceptance of personal identity in your part (Feeling of importance).| | | | | 11. The latest gossip or rumor is the mutual bound for interpersonal relationship. | | | | | 12. The office head or superior maintains aloofness or distancing himself/herself thus, creating gap in terms of interpersonal relationship with the rank and file.| | | | | 13. The saying that â€Å"intimacy breeds contempt† really applies between a head and subordinates in close interpersonal relationship.| | | | | 14. You prefer to be on your own; a loner or introvert, and do not establish any relationship with others.| | | | | 15. Camaraderie or comradeship makes you to experience sense of belonging by sharing common interests. This way, the informal group is the basis for interpersonal relationship.| | | | | 16. You feel nervous and insecure in the presence of the office head. As a consequence a very impersonal and uncomfortable situation in the office becomes evident.| | | | | 17. You stick to the present job or stay on because of the interpersonal relationship with loyal friends within the institution or work area.| | | | | 18. Interpersonal relationship among your peers or co-workers for solidarity or a total sense of group allegiance for a common purpose.| | | | | 19. The interpersonal relationship that exists in the institution is factional or consisting of small fragmented, splintered groups having each its own motives and objectives.| | | | | 20. Interpersonal relationship may become a recourse or outlet to confide problems and an avenue to express opinions on work related issues. | | | | | CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: Work AttitudeRespectfulnessCommitmentInnovationHelpfulnessInterpersonal RelationsWork ethicsChemistryFriendshipLoyalty| INDEPENDENT VARIABLESDEPENDENT VARIABLES Job PerformanceAccuracy of workQuality of workQuantity of workTimeliness| The effect of attitudes on interpersonal relationships in the workplace is well documented in scholarly psychology literature. However, opinions regarding the types of effects that result from different attitudes vary somewhat. Regardless of the opinion of scholars, it does help for business owners to know how attitudes affect these relations among workers so that they can hire the right kinds of people and also head off any potential problems among existing employees. 1. Cooperation * One way in which attitudes affect interpersonal work relationships is evident in the way a positive attitude can engender a sense of cooperation among workers. The tendency to think positively and approach each task with a â€Å"can-do† attitude can be infectious. When it comes to collaborating on projects, the positive attitude can spill over into the way employees cooperate with one another. Those who start projects with the expectation of completing the project on time and correctly will find no excuses for not getting the work done. Those who cooperate with one another on these types of projects will generally have more positive relations with one another. Division * Workers with a poor attitude about work and the tasks they are required to complete will have a negative effect on those around them. Just as a positive attitude is infectious and spreads to others, so too do poor attitudes have a negative effect on worker relations. This can cause division in the workplace, making it difficult for employees to collaborate with one another, as the poor attitudes spill over into how they treat one another. * Sponsored Links * 3-Minute Chakra Test Take the Free Chakra Test to Find Out Which of Your Chakras Are Weak www.ChakraHealing.com Similarity * Studies show that workers who have similar attitudes, positive or negative, will inevitably attract people with similar attitudes. A 2010 article published in the International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology reveals that workers tend to develop relationships with colleagues who share the same outlook on the world. The recognition that others have similar attitudes and values will inevitably lead to the establishment of potentially long-term relations with these employees. The article points out that the establishment of such relationships has the reciprocal effect of elevating self-esteem and strengthening the beliefs and values of those who did the attracting. Communication * Shared attitudes and values can strengthen interpersonal relations among workers by opening up the lines of communication. Communication is essential for the growth of relationships among people, regardless of whether they are colleagues. Those who have positive attitudes and are open to interpersonal communication with others will be more effective in developing positive interpersonal work relationships. Those with a negative attitude can be harder to communicate with because of their tendency to shut down or close themselves off from interacting with others. In short, the communication necessary for interpersonal relations is affected by the attitudes of the workers. Abstract Purpose – Through the lens of social exchange theory and organisation support theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine the passive, aggressive, and assertive styles of managers/supervisors that influence perceived supervisory support and to test whether the support increases employees’ satisfaction with the communication of supervisors and their organisation-based self-esteem. It also assesses whether employees’ communication satisfaction and their self-esteem influence employees’ performance, commitment and absenteeism. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 400 employees from ten manufacturing firms in India were studied through questionnaire survey. Standard instruments were used to assess the constructs. A scale was developed to measure the communication style of managers and a single item to assess absenteeism. Findings – Results revealed that assertive style of communication lends maximum support to employees. Perceived supervisory support at the workplace enhances employees’ satisfaction with communication of supervisors and organisation-based self-esteem. Satisfaction with communication fosters a strong emotional bond with organisations and the emotional bond with organisations reduces employees’ absenteeism. Originality/value – The paper shows that employees’ organisation-based self-esteem increases their job performance. Organisations can conduct training programs to develop an assertive communication style in their managers/supervisors to increase the support to subordinates; thereby its positive consequences will follow in increasing employees’ performance and commitment and reducing absenteeism. Introduction Today we are faced with the pre-eminent fact that, if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships (Roosevelt, 1945). Interpersonal relationships including social relations with one another are an essential part of organisational life and sustainable success. As far as communication is concerned, words are only superficial aspects. Without human function, words can never convey the exact meaning to the other person. Effective communication builds relationships. Wyatt (2006) stated the following: Effective communication is the lifeblood of a successful organization. It reinforces the organization’s vision, connects employees to the business, fosters process improvement, facilitates change, and drives business results by changing employee behaviour (p. 6). Managerial communication drives relationships and frames the attitudes and behaviours of employees in the workplace. Attitude has three components: affective, cognitive, and behavioural. Whi le the cognitive component represents the evaluation of stimuli in the mind, behaviours are actions or reactions that occur in response to those stimuli. In measuring attitudes, only affective/feeling components are assessed in connection with communication, organisations, managers, and situations. Positive attitudes manifest in well-adjusted behaviours and negative attitudes lead to the reverse. An historical overview of managerial communication shows that the way managers communicated with subordinates is markedly different from how they do today. While employees were previously regarded as the greatest asset of an organisation, the asset metaphor has been elevated to a new level. Organisations have started recognising employees as human capital owners and investors (Davenport, 1999). As a result, the emphasis on communication â€Å"content† has shifted to â€Å"behaviour† as a part of the communication process because employees’ interpretation of supervisory communication depends not only on â€Å"what† is said but also on â€Å"how† it is said. A people-centred strategy is an important source of competitive advantage because, unlike technology, costs, or new product development, it is difficult to imitate (Pfeffer, 1998). Managers can create an environment through communication where employees feel happier and more passionate about their jobs and exhibit attitudes and behaviours necessary for improved organisational performance. Background Blau’s (1964) social exchange theory is among the most influential conceptual paradigms for understanding workplace behaviours. Social exchange theory is based on a central premise that the exchange of social and material resources is a fundamental form of human interaction. When two parties who are in a state of reciprocal interdependence interact with each other, obligations are generated (Saks, 2006). Organisational support theory, derived from social exchange theory, explains how the support of organisations affects the behaviours of employees (Eisenberger et al., 1986). It suggests that employees form a global perception of the extent to which the organisation cares about their well-being and demonstrates appreciation, called perceived organisational support (POS). Supervisors are regarded as representatives of the organisation. If employees perceive the supervisor/organisation as supportive, they feel an obligation to return this support (Rhoades and Eisenberger, 2002) i n the form of favourable attitudes and behaviours that promote employees’ performance. POS manifests in increase in in-role and extra-role performance and decrease in stress and withdrawal behaviours such as absenteeism and turnover. Assessing such constructs quantitatively, the effects of managerial communication on employees’ attitudes and behaviours can be gauged. Although relational concerns have been at the heart of management research for decades, the power of relationships has become even more salient both for employees and organisations. Accordingly, going beyond the social exchange theory (Blau, 1964) and organisation support theory (Eisenberger et al., 1986; Rhoades and Eisenberger, 2002; Shore and Shore, 1995), this study investigates the impact of perceived managerial communication styles on employees’ attitudes and behaviours through perceived supervisory support (PSS) vis-à  -vis POS. Social exchange theory suggests that if a superior (on behalf of the organisation) confers a social gift on a subordinate, the latter will feel obligated to reciprocate. POS is defined as employees’ perceptions about the degree to which the organisation cares about their well-being and values their contributions. Organisation support theory suggests that the development of POS is the employees’ tendency to assign humanlike characteristics to the organisation (Rhoades and Eisenberger, 2002). POS represents an indispensable part of the social exchange relationship between employees and the employer because it implies what the organisation has done for its employees. The supervisor on behalf of the organisation extends support to subordinates. Subordinates perceiving support of supervisors vis-à  -vis organisations cultivate positive attitudes and engage in extra-role behaviours. Subordinates are unlikely to hold favourable attitudes and behaviours when the treatment is negative or neutral (Rhoades and Eisenberger, 2002). Reciprocity and strong mutual care are emphasised in Indian culture (Srivastava et al., 2008). Indian culture stresses interdependence, sharing, and harmony with the surrounding world. While horizontal orientation and rationalism are valued by Indians, hierarchical orientation and emotionalism are also being valued (Sinha and Kanungo, 1997). The family structure in India is a close knit unit. Decisions are made only after prior consultation with the family members. Making important decisions without talking to the family is considered offensive and implies a lack of respect. These human aspects of Indian culture may have implications in the workplace. This study stresses the â€Å"human function† of managerial communication, a concept neglected in communication style research. The human function embedded in communication of managers/supervisors can affect the work relationships that can facilitate or retard employees’/subordinates’ attitudes and behaviours (Varona, 2002). While human relations practices play a key role in developing and maintaining the exc hange relationship between the employee and the organisation (Aggarwal and Bhargava, 2009), extant research offers little insight on appropriate managerial communication style that can help to build high levels of support. The role of social relationships is yet to be explicitly investigated. An issue that needs to be addressed is the specific styles of managerial communication that can promote or demote relationship building. To address this issue, one potentially helpful approach is to establish a link between the effective managerial communication styles and development of positive supervisor-subordinate relationships. Review of literature and development of hypotheses Communication styles Management is a process of working with and through others to achieve organisational objectives in an efficient manner (Lwehabura and Matovelo, 2000). Managing employees is enacted through communication (Holladay and Coombs, 1993). â€Å"The way one verbally, non-verbally and para-verbally interacts to signal how literal meaning should be taken, interpreted, filtered or understood, is known as the communication style† (Norton, 1983, p. 58). Norton (1983) classifies communication styles into ten different types – dominant, dramatic, contentious, animated, impression-leaving, relaxed, attentive, open, friendly, and precise. McCallister (1992), combining Norton’s (1983) styles, classifies communication styles into noble, reflective, and socratic. Comstock and Higgins (1997), merge Norton’s styles to four clusters of communication styles – cooperative, apprehensive, social, and competitive. Analogous to McCallister’s threefold typology of communi cation styles, Heffner (1997) groups the communication styles into aggressive, passive, and assertive (Ibrahim and Ismail, 2007). Noble style is directive and straightforward and may be equated with aggressive style. Reflective style is non-directive and may be parallel with passive style. Socratic style emphasises on analysis of details and debates and may be similar to assertive style. To understand the human aspects of managerial communication and the formation of interpersonal relations in organisations, Heffner’s classification of communication styles can be adopted to study perceived managerial communication styles. Heffner’s communication styles appear simpler and emphasise more on human relations in workplace than McCallister’s communication styles. Managers practice various communication styles. However, often one type dominants and becomes habitual. In passive communication style, managers avoid to express their needs, feelings, and feel shy to protect their rights. In aggressive communication style, managers express their feelings and opinions and advocate for their needs in a way that violates the rights of employees. While passive managers are usually unable to convey the full thrust of their message, causing irritation, delays, and rework, aggressive managers tend to be less concerned with moving things along than in preserving their own status and power over employees, though they may be successful in completing short-term goals (Newbold, 1997). Between these two extreme styles, is the assertive style. Assertiveness is a behaviour that enables managers to act in their own best interest and to stand up for themselves without denying rights of others (Arredondo, 2003). It facilitates good interpersonal interaction (Lwehabura and Matovelo, 2000) and is characterised by honesty, objectivity, openness, tolerance, accuracy, self- expression, and respect for self and others. Assertiveness can be used for creating mutual understanding and fulfilling objectives (Lwehabura and Matovelo, 2000). Assertive managers respect the needs of employees and go through the mental process of assessing what they need to know and how. Assertive managers also have the skills and confidence to challenge ambiguity and misunderstanding (Newbold, 1997). When the communication style of managers is straightforward and accurate, employees view managers as trustworthy (Tschannen-Moran and Hoy, 2000). This openness facilitates employees’ understanding of tasks and enables responsible decision making (Moye and Henkin, 2006). Assertive managers differ from aggressive managers. Aggressive managers attack or ignore employees’ opinions in favour of their own. They usually react to the given situation in a rude, derogatory, and sarcastic manner which escalates employees’ anxiety. On the other hand, assertive managers state their opinions while being respectful to employees. While aggressive managers fail to establish relationships with their employees, assertive managers build long-term relationships. The assertive communication style enables a manager to express his/her opinions and thoughts in a direct way without attacking others, refuse an unreasonable request without feeling guilty, give employees â€Å"constructive feedback† instead of â€Å"criticism†, give recognition and praise to employees at the right time and create a motivational climate, deliver a firm message by asking â€Å"questions† through a clever approach or ask effective questions to probe for facts and provoke for ideas, trust employees, and create a collaborative and congenial working environment. Employee attitudes can make or break business profitability and sustainability efforts. Although it can be difficult to change the atmosphere in a toxic workplace, it’s possible with positive thinking and actions. Listening to employee complaints and offering constructive feedback and resolutions encourages positive thinking. Learning how to appease and motivate employees can salvage talent from even the most negative work environments. Once you manage to change employee attitudes, your business can move in a positive direction. Today’s business world has just one constant–change. No matter what industry your company competes in, the business environment is always evolving. In order to survive, your business must also evolve. Too often your employees will encounter these environmental changes and respond with a negative attitude. Poor employee attitudes can derail your business efforts. This makes the managing of employee attitudes a critical management function. A negative attitude in the workplace is expressed as cynicism about job tasks, a disinterest in working with others and insubordination toward authority. The negative attitude may be subtle; for example, the employee may come in late or make frequent sarcastic comments. Both overt and discreet expressions have ramifications on an office environment. Dorene Ciletti, author of â€Å"Market Yourself,† states that a worker who exudes a negative attitude tends to be monitored carefully and is unlikely to be promoted. Coworkers also express caution about working with an individual who may weigh the project down with his bad attitude. An employee with a positive attitude shows enthusiasm and curiosity about her job. She is invested in the outcome of projects and the company as a whole. Harold Wallace, author of â€Å"Personal Development for Life and Work,† explains that an employee with a positive attitude has the potential to electrify the entire workplace. Such an attitude has the potential to increase worker productivity and overall job satisfaction.

Comparison of Setting in Hamlet and Trifles

William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet written in 1600 is about the protagonist Hamlet, prince of Denmark who is grieving after the loss of his father, King Hamlet. The ghost of his father visits young Hamlet and orders him to seek revenge on his uncle Claudius, the man who seized his throne and married his widowed wife. Trifles, a play by Susan Glaspell written in 1916, is a play about the search for evidence of the murder of Mr. Wright. The entire play takes place in the Wright’s kitchen in which two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters discover that the murderer was none other than his wife Minnie Wright. Both of these plays consist of similar themes such as grief, memory of loved ones, death and murder. This paper will argue that how the setting of the graveyard in Hamlet and the setting of the kitchen in Trifles contribute to the characters and themes in each play. Specifically, it will look at examples from Hamlet and Trifles and show how memory and grief pertain to both Hamlet and Mrs. Wright with contribution from each of the settings. Although Mrs. Wright may be the protagonist of the play, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are almost as significant. All three women had dominating husbands who expected their women to carry out house chores, take care of the farm and raise their children; what was expected of a woman in that era. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters accepted their roles as women, and carried out their duties as expected. Mrs. Wright on the other hand was unhappy in her home and with her life, and from Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters comments about her dreariness we learn that it is more likely she murdered her husband. For example, Mrs. Hale talks about how she was 30 years ago, â€Å"She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir† (791). However, once she became Minnie Wright and was expected to be a wife, keep her house clean and do chores, she did not enjoy it and hence did not make an effort in it. This is all evident in the state her kitchen is in, as at that time a woman’s main pride was in the way she kept her kitchen. From the setting of the kitchen, we notice how grief is significantly present in the surroundings, which cause memories from Mrs. Wright’s past to be brought up. Due to the fact that the entire play takes place in this specific setting shows that even though Mrs. Wright is not present, she is s till the protagonist. The kitchen is cold, dirty, and very still which shows that a death has just occurred in this house. It adds to the tense atmosphere of the play. Evidence to support the fact that she murdered her husband is discovered by the two women, Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters in this very kitchen. This shows that Mrs. Wright spent most of her time in the kitchen, as she was expected to as a housewife, and evidently did not enjoy it. Likewise, from the play we discover that the kitchen was dirty, messy and not taken care of. For example, the county attorney points this out by exclaiming â€Å"Dirty towels! Not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies? † (790). As the play goes on the women then discover Mrs. Wright’s most recent disheveled knitting. Both these examples from the setting of the kitchen show us that Mrs. Wright was in a nervous state of mind, and significantly distracted in the days leading up to the murder of her husband. Finally, the most prominent event in the play is the discovery of the dead bird amongst her sewing things, which is the main evidence that Mrs. Wright did murder her husband. Upon discovering this evidence however, both the women choose to keep it to themselves, in order to protect one of their own. The narration of the memory of Minnie Foster creates a sense of grief for the women towards Mrs. Wright and what she was going through. It is tragic because Mrs. Wright transformed from a happy, choir singing, jolly independent woman, to a quiet housewife who knits and keeps to herself most of the time. For example, Mrs. Hale compares her to a bird to describe her character thirty years ago when she says â€Å"- come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself – real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and – fluttery. How – she – did – change† (795). All this talk of who Mrs. Wright used to before she got married shows the audience what kind of woman she used to be, to what she had become. They also discuss how Mr. Wright was a hard man, and the thought of spending the day with him was horrifying. These memories of the Wright couple as individuals result in the women grieving for Mrs. Wright. This is a possible reason why they kept the evidence a secret from the sheriff and county attorney. They understand Mrs. Wright’s state of mind, and what she was going through and hence wanted to protect her as she had enough courage to act upon her misery. Although there has been a death, their grieving is for a different reason: one tha t only a woman can understand. Similarly, the setting of the graveyard in Hamlet represents the idea of death, sorrow, and grief. It is a cold place, dark at night and very quiet and one is surrounded by death. It is a prominent setting in Hamlet as it is the place in which Hamlet discovers through the ghost that it was his uncle who murdered his father. In addition it is where he finds out that his one true love Ophelia has committed suicide. He has discovered that he has lost two of the most loved people in his life. For example, in Act 1 Scene 5 the ghost says, â€Å"The serpent that did sting thy father’s life, Now wears his crown† (968). Also, when Hamlet discovers that it is Ophelia who has died, he comes forward and confesses how much he had loved her â€Å"I lov’d Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers Could not with all their quantity love make up my sum† (1043). All this contributes to Hamlet’s distressed, suicidal character. He suffered significantly after the loss of important people in his life and became depressed due to this. Shakespeare’s plays main themes are revenge, grief, depression and death. The setting of the graveyard incorporates all these themes, more specifically memory and grief, hence the reason why it is a significant setting. As mentioned earlier, throughout the play Hamlet is grieving for numerous reasons. From the beginning of the play, it was for the loss of his father, and then in his first soliloquy he talks of how fast time is moving and how his mother has wedded so fast. As the play progresses, Hamlet learns from the ghost that his very own uncle murdered his father, and that the love of his life, Ophelia has committed suicide. Due to the fact that unfortunate events are recurring so close together, Hamlet’s state of mind is evident through his words, that he is suicidal. For example, in his first soliloquy in Act one scene two, he expresses â€Å"O that this too too sallied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself in a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d His canon ‘gainst [self-]slaughter! † (956). In this line, he wishes for his flesh to melt and that God had not made suicide a sin. His thoughts recur in his â€Å"To be or not to be† soliloquy. Hamlet discovers the skull of the Yorick, the old court jester from Hamlet’s childhoo d. Upon discovery of this skull, he is reminded of a fond memory from his childhood that is from so long ago, that he has forgotten how it feels. However, the discovery of this skull also makes Hamlet realize that no matter who you are, we will all die one day and return to dust. This memory makes Hamlet realize that he needs to come to terms with losses in his life, and take revenge for his father’s death. We have seen throughout this paper how the setting of the graveyard in Hamlet and the setting of the kitchen in Trifles have contributed to the characters and themes of each play. It specifically looked at how memory and grief pertain to the characters and themes. Examples from Hamlet have shown the theme of grief, and depression of the play due to the loss of loved ones. The graveyard emphasizes these themes, as well as Hamlet’s character and his actions due to his unsettled state of mind. The memory of his father causes him to grieve to a further extent, however with the memory of Yorick he realizes that even Alexander the Great, and Julius Caesar all returned to dust eventually. The kitchen in cold, dirty kitchen of Trifles represents Mrs. Wright’s state of mind leading up to the murder of her husband. Also, the memory of Minnie Foster narrated by Mrs. Hale shows how drastically her character transitioned. The women grieve for the fact that she had to take such drastic measures to claim her freedom, and hence hide their discovery of the bird.

Research Methods Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Methods - Research Proposal Example In order to decide about using composite or summated scale score for each question in the survey developed, it can be affirmed that the summated scale score can be used for the initial three questions. This might be owing to the reason that the results acquired from these questions will be quite limited and tends to be interrelated with one another. Though these three questions can be segregated into close-ended one, the summated scale score can be used in place of composite scale score. It is worth mentioning that the fourth and fifth questions are open-ended. It is projected that the answers or the responses of these questions will vary based on individual perspectives. Thus, the notion of composite scale score can be used in this situation. Specially mentioning, one of the functions of composite scale score scale can be ascertained as dealing with multiple data. Thus, for the questions ranging from 4-10, the applicability of composite scale score is justified (Spector, 2013). The reliability, validity along with sensitivity are often regarded as the key tools of measuring varied sorts of errors that occur while conducting a survey. The notion of reliability mainly refers to the consistency or the dependability of the respondents towards research variables. Thus, it can be measured by evaluating the results of the research. The idea of validity mainly reflects the expected results of the research. With this concern, the validity can be measured by determining the effectiveness and most vitally the viability of the research results or responses. Finally, the perception of sensitivity denotes assessing the fractions of all the possibilities related to the completion of a particular research. It is in this circumstance the sensitivity can be duly measured in the form of ascertaining the information obtained from the respondents and appropriate interpretation of such data or information (Fayers & Machin, 2002). It is quite

Internal and External Analysis of General Motors Research Paper

Internal and External Analysis of General Motors - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that PESTLE aids in the evaluation of the variables in the external environment that affect the ability of a company to operate efficiently in a certain industry mainly, in the long run. Political: Regulations on the safety and environmental effects of vehicles in the automotive industry are one of the political influents of the external environment. Re-gelation and successful implementation of guidelines on vehicle’s safety and environmental impacts began in 1960 and have increased since then. Economic: the automotive industry is important in the economy through the creation of jobs and being the main user of iron, steel, plastic, vinyl, textiles, rubber, computer chips, and aluminum creating demand and augmenting economic growth. Social: these factors include increased concern for the environment, emphasis on eco-friendly products, and attitudes. The automobile industry produces quality vehicles that provide for esteem and provide for their owners and ensuring esteem and safety. Environmental: challenges of environmental protection in accordance with US Environmental Protection Agency affect the automotive industry. Addressing issues of climate change is one of the main factors that have to be considered by the automotive industry players. So what? According to the PESTLE, there are many things that need to be considered. Being in the automotive industry there are a lot of legal rules and regulation that need to be followed, such as the Automobile Recycling law. The environmental factor also plays a big a part in the automotive industry. Every time a company produces a car they need to address the climate change. All in all the industry provides safe cars and also creates a lot of jobs.

20 century China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

20 century China - Essay Example Deng Xiaoping’s era was marked as the â€Å"decade of reform† as it effected a total revamp of the legal system,brought in more democracy at government and party levels, gave more freedom for the people for self-government and became a new era of hope for the Chinese republic.A transformation from communism to socialist democracy was visible in all spheres. This change brought about also the development of a socialist political civilization. It was a time when writers, a group of Marxist theoreticians, scientists and their disciple-students were lining up for democracy and forming a network.They had a vision that, in order to nourish democracy, a limit has to be drawn on the powers of the ruling Marxist Party.Deng era was also an era of legal reforms. There was a steady reform process going on to establish a socialist legal system. A more independent judiciary and freedom of press evolved through this. In this way, the political reform in China was coming of age by effe ctive changes in administrative and legal systems and policies. In this way, the reform era marked the establishment of a full-fledged legal system, where laws were enacted and codified and a regular network of courts started functioning.The reach and effectiveness of judiciary was considerably increased with effective monitoring and punitive provisions wherever pitfalls were seen. The reforms included, giving more self-determination powers and self rule provisions to ethnic groups and regions, more democratic election process at party-level and government-level and more centralized administration of remote regions of the nation. Multiple candidates were allowed in the elections for the people’s congresses and this was for the first time after revolution (Goldman, 13). Also secret ballot system was introduced (Goldman, 13). In 1987, the elections to the Central Committee were held in the 13th Party Congress, allowing multiple candidates (Goldman, 13). Soon after taking charge of the nation, Deng removed all intellectuals from the category that comes under the term, ‘bourgeoisie’ (Goldman, 30). Elections were allowed for deciding the administrative heads of professional and scientific establishments (Goldman, 30). All these initiated a new vigor in Chinese political scene. The proclaimed slogan of Deng-era had been â€Å"political democratization† (Goldman, 35). All these reforms have been successful when viewed from the side of democracy but they resulted in the lessening of the power of the party. If viewed from the side of the implementers of these reforms, it can be seen that the reforms did bring in more democracy but also weakened the existing domination of the party. The most important aspect of reforms has been that a well-defined system for scrutinizing and recording social situations was established and also a space was provided for public discourses and grievance-hearing onsocial issues. All these changes together saw the b irth of a new socialist China where people had more rights and more freedom. 2. What are the basic element and goals in Deng’s economic reform agenda? What are the major obstacles to successfully completion the economic reform process? Deng’s economic reform agenda looked forward to correcting the anomalies in China’s economy and helping it grow. But despite the few benefits harvested from the reforms through privatisation and new tax system, major sectors like agriculture, industry, finance and foreign trade failed to reap the promises of the reform. The focus was on a socialist economy which could only be developed through extensive industrialization. The major aspect of economic reform in Deng-era was the decentralization that was initiated (Shen, 9 of preface). The key elements of the reform were, â€Å"readjustment, restructuring, consolidation and improvement†

Precedent vs. Contemporaneous Autonomy in Regard to Advance Directives Essay

Precedent vs. Contemporaneous Autonomy in Regard to Advance Directives - Essay Example Ronald Dworkin argues that if we can declare this patient incompetent, he does not have the capacity that autonomy represents. This means that respect should be upheld to the patients’ prior wishes made when competent. This is because a competent person’s decisions are autonomous ones. This view is referred to as the integrity view, which states that the value of autonomy derives from the capacity it protects: the capacity to express one’s own character traits, values, commitments, convictions and critical as well as experiential interest in a life one leads. However, it is arguable that, in most cases the present desires expressed by a patient need to be respected. Dworkin constructs a hypothetical case, where there exists a woman named Margo, who has dementia, but still seems to find pleasure in seemingly meaningless activities, such as reading, eating snacks among others. He even explains that Margo may be one of the happiest people he â€Å"knows.† How ever, years back, Margo had signed an advance directive expressing her desire to be left to die if she were to need life-saving medical treatment once afflicted with dementia. ... Dworkin believes we must respect Margo’s advance directive, as Margo living with dementia is her living against her critical interests that she held while competent. Experiential interests, in my opinion, hold a great deal of value, enough that experiential interests alone make one valuable and thus their life worth continuing. As Dworkin points out, pleasures that experiential interests provide are essential for a good life. A good life has value in it of itself, and while â€Å"genuine meaning and coherence† may enhance this value, no requirement for value to be obtained (Marshall, 123). I deduce that the reason we have critical interests are so we can enhance individual experiential ones. For instance, Dworkin claims establishing close friendships are an example of a critical interest. The reason we wish to establish such relationships is so when â€Å"watching football, or seeing Casablanca for the twelfth time or walking in the woods in October† (Marshall, 5 1) we are that much happier and life is more enjoyable. However, if one performs these experiential interests without having formed close relationships, they do not suddenly lack value; they are just perhaps slightly less enjoyable. However, if one were still to argue on critical interests that hold true value, we can see in many instances where experiential interests remain valuable on their own. The existence of a person who is solely able to attain experiential interests may allow someone else to enhance his or her critical interests. For example, in the case of Margo, there existed a medical student, Firlik, who took a specific interest in her case (Marshall, 144). By being able to visit Margo daily, Firlik was able to answer his questions and

Is the private sector creating sustainable housing developments within Dissertation

Is the private sector creating sustainable housing developments within the UK - Dissertation Example Various methods are also employed to determine the needed approach for sustainability including Wackernagel and Rees’ (1996) ecological footprint which measures the given area’s sustainability with the total goods, services, energy and land which it consumes as appropriated against its carrying capacity. Two models have been proposed by Whitehead (2011) based on the priority: balanced and hierarchical. The balanced sustainability model proposes for an equal treatment and role of the ecological, social and economic forces whereas the hierarchical proposes a strong priority on ecological forces as followed by social and lastly economic (Appendix A & B). The issue on sustainability stemmed from the realisation that the natural environment is easily exploited for consumption benefits but great economic output does not always relate to possible restoration of the degraded ecosystem back to its original condition (Ayres, van den Bergh and Gowdy, 1998). When notable changes to the natural environment as well as the devastating effects of production and consumption from climate change to loss of biodiversity, and failure to meet basic human needs were realised, the debate on sustainability began. ... The good news was that UK was not alone in this lack of solid action with sustainability as other major post-industrial countries also exhibit failed initiatives (Hobson, 2004). Importance of the UK private housing industry: private/public accounts for ...percentage The UK Housing Social housing in the United Kingdom is characterised by private funding of housing associations mediated and guided by appropriate government agencies. It is further described by Oxley (1998) as facing many challenges including the low income of tenants relying mainly on state benefits; macroeconomic reasons led to reduced government support; continued pressure to reduce public spending on housing; substantial backlog of housing repair and maintenance work by council; and a high demand for more social housing (673). The most apparent view was that there were affordability and investment problems as the government encouraged private finance and not-for-profit organisations to become Registered Social Landlo rds. Local authority housing was transferred into owner-occupation and to housing associations or organisations wherein companies are formed from a local authority to newly created organisation which owns and manages housing at â€Å"arms length† from the local authority (674). In 1981, 28% of English housing stock was managed by local authorities but this has since decreased since 1988 when the government shifted role from housing providers to strategic enablers. By 1994, only 18% of the housing stock remained under local authority and council house building reduced to only one per cent by 1994. This was a result of the housing investment programmes or HIPs of the government. It reviews bids for the use of resources as well as permits borrowing

Does the URBANISATION is more POSITIVE POTENTIAL or Negative POTENTIAL Essay

Does the URBANISATION is more POSITIVE POTENTIAL or Negative POTENTIAL - Essay Example In the end, however, I argue that these are issues that can be addressed through efficient governance, sound urban planning and policies on sustainable resource use. Nelson (2006: 2) challenges the conventional assumption that rapid urbanization is indicative of progress. He cites the case of Africa as evidence that urbanization cannot be linked to development. This is because urbanization in Africa was the result of inequitable allocation of state resources, which were in turn driven by global market processes. As a consequence of this, the rural areas suffered deeply. Rural poverty and rural hunger had spiked up. (Nelson, 2006: 3). To quote Nelson, â€Å"Resources directed toward agriculture have been very small and of these most have been directed toward large-scale farming of export crops such as tobacco, not only causing environmental damage but also food shortages and impoverishment of small farmers. (Nelson: 3)† But these have long term consequences too. Because the rural areas are the suppliers of food for the entire country, impoverishing the rural areas diminishes capacity to produce food and ultimately lead to food prices going up. Although this is true, there is also validity in the assertion that urbanization has many positive possibilities as well. According to Hammond (2007:2), â€Å"if cities create environmental problems, the also contain the solutions.† Indeed, countries that have attained economic development have done so under a model that invariably included urbanization. One of the clear effects of urbanization is the increase in wealth, and this will ultimately lead to benefits that will affect the rural areas as well. The second aspect is the social costs. Nelson talks about how rural to urban migration has â€Å"transferred poverty to the cities†. (Nelson, 2006: 3) This has led to urban areas bursting at the seams, unable to manage the volume of people coming to find jobs, shelter, and

The Marketing Function Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Marketing Function - Essay Example Its marketing campaign and service excellence is acknowledged all over the world in the brand of "Singapore Girl". 2. (a) According to Philip Kotler (1980), "effective marketing is based on the right balance of marketing elements, and processes depending on the nature of the product, service or idea being marketed." (Cartwright, 2002) This marketing mix consists of the seven Ps. These are: product, price, promotion, place, people, process, and physical evidence. The marketing mix of SIA has been handled very well as we shall see now. 2. (b) The mission statement for SIA is " We are a global company dedicated to providing air transportation services of the highest quality and to earning good returns for shareholders." (Johnston and Wirtz, 2006) The core values of SIA are: Pursuit of Excellence, Safety, Customer first, Concern for staff, Integrity, Teamwork. The marketing department is responsible for providing the highest quality of service, and find ways to improve revenues of the company. 3. (a) The first step of marketing is to understand the external environment and relate it to the internal environment of the organisation. This involves identifying the core sector in which the organisation falls, e.g. in the case of SIA, it is the aviation sector, but it is involved in operations in other sectors as well such as tourism sector, and transport sector. 3(b) Marketing department next analyses the internal and external environment in which the organisation operates. There are three methods of analysis: BACK (Baggage, Aspirations, Culture, and Knowledge) analysis; PESTLE/SPECTACLES analysis; and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis. These analyses are unique to each organisation and an important part of the role that a marketing department plays in an organisation. 3(d) BACK analysis involves analysing the internal environment of the organisation. Analysis of external environment is constituted in SPECTACLES analysis. This acronym stands for Social, Political, Economic, Customers, Technological, Aesthetic, Cultural, Legal, Environmental and Sectoral factors. (Cartwright) 3(f) A SWOT analysis for the organisation brings into focus the Strengths, and Weaknesses of the organisation, and identifies the threats to the organisation and the opportunities open to it. An example of SWOT analysis for SIA is shown below. Strengths 1. Service Innovation 2. Uniform and Branding 3. KrisFlyer programme 4. Cabins 5. Destinations 6. Large fleet Weaknesses 1. High expectations from customers 2. Dealing with 40 governments Opportunities 1. Expansion into new markets 2. Opening of more economies 3. Increase in global tourism 4. Web availability 5. Corporate sales Threats 1. Other Airlines imitating services 2. Other Airlines alliances 3. Overcapacity in Asia Pacific market 4. Understanding the Market 4(a) The next step for the marketing department is to identify the markets it caters to. This involves market segmentation. "The more segments of a market an organisation can service, the less dependent it becomes on the success or

Origins of Democratic and Republican Separation Essay Example for Free

Origins of Democratic and Republican Separation Essay The political battles during the Gilded Age (1869-1889) were not fought with weapons and lives as was the Civil War directly before them, but with pamphlets, verbal accusations and national ideals. However, were the two most prominent foes vying due to differing economic policies, or were they similar parties that based their separation on national origin, geography, history, and emotion? The basic economic reforms were, in fact, similar, yet the varying ideologies and animosities that remained from prior eras enlarged the gap between Democrat and Republican. After the Civil War, the general consensus of the American population was a yearning for unity (to some extreme), civil service reforms, the tariff, currency, and a prosperous America. The basic disagreement between the parties was on military reconstruction, which was over by 1877, less than halfway through the Age (502). Both Republicans and Democrats, however, wished for the general union of America the majority of the Republicans (moderates) did not aim to punish the South through Military Reconstruction and the South, although angered, rose above their resentment and waited until 1877, when Northern troops pulled out and the South was left to govern itself (511). Throughout the various presidencies, of which most were dominated by Republicans (save for Grover the good Cleveland), graft and dishonest means for achieving wealth were not uncommon within both parties, leading to the Panic of 1873 (506). Such a depression shed light upon the unscrupulous practices of many political figures, as well as debtors and other prominent businesspeople. This led to yet another national agreement civil service reforms. Under the Presidency of Republican Chester Arthur, the Pendleton Act was passed in 1883. Considered the Magna Carta of civil-service reform, it prohibited financial assessments on job-holders and established a merit system of making appointments to office on the basis of aptitude. Furthermore, the act created a Civil Service Commission that examined applicants for posts in the classified service (518). Most Americans, save for debtors, called for a monetary system based on greenbacks rather than hard-money (gold). By 1879, contraction (or the accumulation of gold stocks against the appointed day for resumption of metallic-money payments [1879]) and reduction of greenbacks restored the governments credit rating, and revived the greenbacks along with it. Although these developments were actually enacted under a Republican presidency, such reforms were backed by Congress in (almost) its entirety (507). One might as, then, why was there political competition? Historically, Democrats represented the needs of the South; they were pro-slavery, supportive of states rights, and representatives of an agrarian population. The Republicans did not have such views before and within approximately ten years of the Civil War; they were anti-slavery, supportive of a strong central government, and representatives of an urban population, brimming with a large work force of laborers, debtors, businessmen, and other non-agrarian vocations. However, both Republican and Democratic sentiments were mixed until two competing parties with few varying significant economic issues were the outcome (508). Republicans gradually began to abandon their commitment to black equality, as many votes were already cast and few freedmen would vote Democrat, with the last radical Republican act passed in 1875 (Civil Rights Act). Southerners were left to govern themselves, allowing laws that, under the pretense separate but equal, placed blacks back in the chains that were recently unshackled (511). Although economic issues were not a large factor in party separation, Democratic (South) resentment for Republicans (North) remained. The humiliation that the South suffered during Reconstruction, including the emancipation of slaves, was not an act that would be easily forgotten (510). Furthermore, the lives and societies of aristocratic agrarians and hard-working laborers were so distinctly different that such a large variation could only be bridged over several centuries. The Democrats and Republicans of the Gilded Age were, in reality, overwhelmingly distinct political parties. The groups and ideals that both  parties represented were absolutely opposite. The similarity in their economic reforms is explained by their desire to create a prosperous America one that could only be achieved through civil service reforms, government-issued currency, and further economic legislation.

NTCM standards Essay Example for Free

NTCM standards Essay NTCM standards are widely used standards for mathematics in US and many websites are now offering different services which can familiarize a student to the standards and help student to learn the elementary mathematics while having fun also. This paper will present an analysis of the four websites that contain math activities which confirm to the NTCM standards. First Website http://illuminations. nctm. org This website offers different activities such as numbers and operations, geometry, Algebra, Measurement and problem solving etc. The methodology used by this site is really simple and comply with the standards by providing an easy to learn approach which is basically targeted at improving the number sense of the children. Since this website offers lessons for different classes and as such as the standard improves, the complexity of the mathematical operation increase too. For initial classes like Pre K-2 etc the operations are really simple such as computing, addition, subtraction however, as the level of difficult increases, the complexity of these operations improve too. This website is appropriate for the students from Pre- K-2 to the age groups of 9-12 years. These activities are important for the students because they assist them in improving their understanding of the mathematics and basic operations. These activities can lead to the achievement of students because they are presented in a very unique and different way and can keep the interests of the students intact. These activities support differentiation of the instruction because they provide a very easy to use tool which is not only simple but also very easy to understand. Students can easily learn them and teachers have the option to make them more fun to learn.

Personal Reflection on Leadership

Personal Reflection on Leadership In my brief professional career at IBM, I was part of a software development team where I was the youngest and least experienced person. I vividly remember that we had a team manager, highly experienced and professional but an ineffective leader. He would perform his tasks but did not go that extra mile. On the other hand, one of my teammates-very less experienced compared to the manager was a true leader, his duties did not ask him of any such commitments, but he always went the extra mile to help the team. He took me under his wing, motivated others in the team, and found innovative ways to solve the problem. He created an environment for high competence. He gave me so much confidence through his mentoring that I was performing at the highest level in no time. He created a synergy among the team that even the client praised. His actions reminded me of a saying from Jack Welch, former CEO of GE â€Å"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others†. In my opinion, he was the true leader because he positioned the team at the centre of everything and took the responsibility of growing everyone. This experience was one of the most influential leadership lessons I have come across till now. I am definite that I will have a clear picture in mind when I embark on future leadership roles. Before pursuing my degree at Cass, I had the opportunity to look around my brother’s nascent IT firm which is primarily focused on web-based services and providing internet marketing solutions. Though a well rounded firm, I sensed a lack of strong innovation and new products. This might jeopardize the company in the long run. Ideally, after completing my graduate studies, I am keen to join him and oversee the launch of new products, specifically, something along the lines of an automatic website builder. Furthermore, I am also keen to move the companys operations to different cities in the country where there is an opportunity of further growth. Taking charge of being the Product Head and institute such changes will require strong leadership skills. Innovative Leadership: Launching a technologically advanced product in my organization will require me to adopt innovative leadership characteristics and work seamlessly across different sets of people having varied skills. A good innovation leader is characterized by the ability to excel on  two  conflicting skills: creativity and discipline. Creativity involves skills such as idea generation and conceptualization while discipline involves the skill to implement and launch. A successful leader should measure the weight of both and take actions accordingly (Roland Bel, 2010). Furthermore, Innovative leaders are characterized by the following attributes (Jean-Philippe Deschamps, 2008) Mix of Emotion and Realism The Acceptance of Uncertainty, Risks, and Failures High Degree of Passion The Willingness to Proactively Search for External Technologies and Ideas The Courage to Stop Projects, Not Just to Start Them Talent for Attracting Innovators and Building and Steering Winning Teams According to the author if an individual needs to bring an innovative change in the organization, he or she should possess at least some of the qualities listed above so that they are successful in bringing new products or services in the market. Adaptive Leadership and change: Coming back to my tenure at IBM, what my colleague did differently with others in the team was that he forced us to think differently than other teams, bringing out the best in everyone. Each one of us was flexible in taking any type of task, further increasing the teams flexibility and productivity. According to Ronald A.Heifetz and Donald L.Laurie (1997, p132-141) Organizations today require adaptive leadership where challenges reside not in the executive suite but in the collective intelligence of employees at all levels. This is where the success of many future ideas and entrepreneurial ventures will lie. I believe bringing in such a change will be one of my biggest challenge once I take the leadership role. Moreover, Adaptive change will require people to work in new ways, new relationships and take on new roles (Ronald A.Heifetz and Donald L.Laurie, 1997). I intend to carry out such changes through the implementation of different project management techniques such as Lean and Agile (Schwaber, 2004). These techniques have been successful in recent years as they are quite adaptive in nature. These techniques forces employees to adapt quickly, learn new things constantly and learn from their mistakes. In Particular, these techniques are found to be useful in major tech companies and technologically driven products and hence will suit the company style. I have already had experience with such techniques at IBM and hence I will be able to use my knowledge and skills to implement it within my future organization. A lot of companies such as IBM or Google make ‘transformation of employees their top priority. They continuously invest in employee transformation and hence are able to meet the challenges of the changing environment. When I was working in IBM, I remember going through multiple trainings and workshops and these trainings did not just include technical trainings. Trainings such as communicating effectively, leading in teams, how to conduct meetings etc were equally important. According to Mike Pedler et al(1989,pp1-8) an organization which facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously transform itself is a learning company . My future goal will also be to change my organization into a learning company through employee development programs and knowledge management systems (Pedler et al, 1989) as currently there is lack of such learning. My skill model: The skills model provides a good overview of the skills which are necessary for an effective leader (M.D. Mumford et al, 2000). Appendix 1 lists my score in the three components which are described in the model Technical skills: The high score in this regard can be attributed to my experience in software engineering and working on a complex product while I was working in IBM. My daily tasks almost always included problem-solving and analyzing product requirements in detail. According to Mumford et.al (2000, p.24) the experiences required in the course of leaders careers influence their knowledge and skills to solve complex problems. My background and experience will help me tackle problems during the development stage of the product. Human Skill: Throughout my professional experience I worked with different sets of people with varied skills and experience. The entire project in IBM consisted of over a hundred people in India, and the product had multiple features that required expertise and collaboration from multiple teams. This meant communicating with various team leads and delegating responsibilities. Though I had quite a rich experience working in teams, there is still development which needs to be done in this regard. For e.g.: Participating in Toastmasters club at CASS will improve my communication and leadership skills. The experience of working with people from diff cultures and backgrounds in CASS will further improve my people skills. Conceptual skill: Since my duties at IBM were essentially technical I was largely uninvolved in the strategic decision-making process. My low score represents my lack of experience in this skill and needs the most development. Conceptual skills require working at an organization level and working with ideas (Peter G.Northouse, 2013). I plan to intern at a start-up company so that I am able to have experience at an organizational level. It will give me an overview of the challenges which are faced by new organizations when launching new products or services. Furthermore, not to forget the mentoring I will have from my brother who has been heading the company for a couple of years now. Learning form him will improve my understandings and will help me tackle issues at a higher level. Additionally, I will have to broaden my knowledge base further and enhance my entrepreneurial skills to be successful in my futures goals. Though Leadership theory and practice can greatly improve a persons leadership skills a competent business leader is one who possesses a clear vision for his or her company, is keenly aware of emerging trends and possesses the ability to capitalize on them. References: Bel, Roland. 2010, Leadership and Innovation: Learning from the Best, Wiley Periodicals-Global business and Organizational Excellence, pp 47-58 Deschamps, J. P. (2008). Innovation leaders: How senior executives stimulate, steer, and sustain innovation. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Heifetz, Ronald A. Laurie, Donald L (1997), The work of Leadership, Breakthrough Leadership-Harvard business review, pp 132-141 Mumford, M.D., Zaccaro, S.J., Harding, F.D., Jacobs, T.O., Fleishman, E.A.(2000). Leadership skills for a changing world: Solving complex social problems. Leadership Quarterly, 11(1), 11-35 Northouse, Peter.G (2013). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Sage publications-6th edition, p46-51 Schwaber, K (2004). Agile Project Management with Scrum, Microsoft Press, Redmond, WA, Pedler, Mike., Boydell, Tom., Burgoyne, John.(1989). Towards the learning company, Management education and development, Volume 20-part1, pp 1-8

Compare and Contrast ?Genesis? and ?Penetrating to the Heart of the For

Topic # 3 Compare and Contrast â€Å"Genesis† and â€Å"Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest†, Looking at both myth and short story. Although there are many similarities present, a distinct difference is made between â€Å"Genesis† and "Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest" in that â€Å"Genesis† is a mythical narrative while "Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest" is an adaptation of a mythic story (Adam and Eve) in the form of a short story. When comparing and contrasting these two stories we see similarities in storyline, themes, symbols, differences in detail, and the extent and significance of the stories themselves. When deciding whether these narratives are myths or short stories, one must look at the contents of each piece of work. â€Å"Genesis† can clearly be defined as a myth because it contains all the characteristics of a myth. These characteristics include casual and vague descriptive writing about a very significant and important piece of work. Characteristics of myths also include â€Å"superstitious† themes, characters and the establishment of traditional ways of life and belief systems for a wide variety of people. Although â€Å"Genesis† contains one of the most popular and significant creation tales today, its lack of description and vague details account for its acceptance of being a myth. An example of this is the seven days of creation being written in one chapter; â€Å"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, and the earth was formless and voice† (The Access Bible 2). This suggests that â€Å"Genesis† may have been passed down orally from generation to generation, which, according to Campbell (â€Å"The First Storytellers†), resembles all other myths. The presence of solely flat or static characters (such as Adam and Ever) is a good example to show why â€Å"Genesis is considered a myth†. Only imprecise details about Adam and Eve are given and we lack any understanding of personality or character traits. The existence of superstition is also very apparent in â€Å"Genesis†. God (the embodiment of good) is constantly at work as is the Serpent (the embodiment of evil). The supernatural is a key element in the â€Å"Genesis† creation myth. Examples of these elements are; the presence of angels, a holy sword, and a tree of unnatural, divine abilities (Bible 2, 6, 7). Supernatural e... ...). Whereas â€Å"Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest† lacks this, and focuses on entertainment rather than education. The absence of God and other supernatural characters contributes to a lack of mythical sensation. â€Å"Genesis’† focus is to â€Å"teach truths about the nature of reality, the meaning of life, and the purpose of human existence,† (Bible 2) while â€Å"Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest† is a purely entertainment driven short story. Although both â€Å"Genesis† and â€Å"Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest† can be seen as fictitious narratives containing similar qualities, themes, and storylines, both present clear differences in purpose, direction, and description as well as â€Å"Genesis† being a myth and â€Å"Penetrating to the heart of the forest† as being a short story with a mythic plot. Word Count: 1,187 Works Cited Access Bible, The. New Revised Standard Version. Ed. Gail R. O’day, David Petersen. Oxford University Press; pg 1-7. â€Å"The First Storytellers.† Prod. Apostrophe S. Productions, Inc. New York: Mystic Fire Video Inc., 1988. Carter, A. â€Å"Penetrating to the Heart of the Forest†; Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces; 1974: Penguin books; pg 51-66.

Adolescent Girls :: essays research papers

This study examined the perceived role of three types of sociocultural agents (peers, parents, and media) in influencing body dissatisfaction and dietary restraint in adolescent girls. Participants were 577 grade 10 girls from six schools who completed questionnaires in class and had height and weight measured. Two path analyses resulted in a similar pattern. While current body size strongly predicted ideal body size and body dissatisfaction, perceived influence of multiple sociocultural agents regarding thinness also had a direct relationship with body ideal and dissatisfaction. Dietary restraint was predicted directly from body dissatisfaction and sociocultural influences. Peers, parents, and media varied in their perceived influence. The findings support the idea that those girls who show the most body dissatisfaction and dietary restraint live in a subculture supporting a thin ideal and encouraging dieting. Body concerns and/or dieting behaviors are reported by mast adolescent girls (Paxton et at, 1991; Wadden, Forster, Stunkard, & Linowitz, 1989; Wertheim, Paxton, Maude, Gibbons, Szmulker, & Hillier, 1992). Although body concerns may lead to healthy eating choices and exercise in some girls, many others diet despite already being a healthy weight or report using unhealthy methods such as fasting or vomiting (Paxton et al., 1991; Wadden et al., 1989; Wertheim et al., 1992). These latter behaviors are of concern since longitudinal studies suggest that dieting in adolescence is a risk factor for the development of eating disorder symptoms (Killen et al., 1994; Leon, Fulkerson, Perry, & Early-Zaid, 1995; Patton, Johnson-Sabine, Wood, Mann, & Wakeling, 1990). Most theories of dieting, body image, and eating disorders assign a major role to sociocultural factors (Levine & Smolak, 1992; Stice, 1994), such as the media. There has been a trend in the media, over several decades, for smaller ideal female body size despite increases in the actual body size of young women (O'Dea, 1995). These findings have led to the idea that body dissatisfaction results from the discrepancy between a female's actual body size and an ideal size strongly influenced by images in the media. Indeed, larger girls (those farthest from media ideals) report more dieting and body dissatisfaction, and many normal-weight girls also diet and report dissatisfaction (Huon, 1994; Patton et al., 1990; Paxton et al., 1991; Wadden et al.

digital photography artists :: essays research papers

Famous Digital Artists   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jody Dole is one of the featured artists in the book â€Å"Digital Image Creation†. He is a fine-art and advertising photographer. His first successful piece was an ad campaign for Smirnoff Vodka. In five years he was able to become a successful, well=known artist, gaining international recognition for his still-life photography.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nash Editions is a company built up of artists. Its founders are Graham Nash and Mac Holbert. The company has the best reputation within the fine-art digital printmaking world. The reason for this is because they use their own custom built scanner along with Macintosh computer systems and iris printers. Some of Nash Editions featured artists are David Byrne, Eileen Cowin, Carol Flax and Olivia Parker. Nash Editions is constantly staying up to date with their state-of-the-art technology and with the creativity of their staff.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another famous digital photographer is Charly Franklin. He specializes in a surreal style. Most of his images are of landscapes, and a lot take place on the beach. At first, Frankin had to set up elaborate sets to get the desired image, but with the technological advances with computer programs, he is now able to do most of his work on the computer. Every image he has produced since 1991 has been digitally manipulated. His work is in high demand, by corporate companies, and some of it has been published in Communications Arts, Print, Photo Metro and even on the cover of Graphics Design Annual.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The last artist we researched is Joyce Neimanas. Joyce is a member of the faculty at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago since 1973. Her work has been in the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the California Museum of Photography and many others.

The Mexican Revolution

Mexico’s Revolution Ariel Elias HIST 112 Proffesor Cummings 17 February 2013 Ariel Elias Professor Cummings Hist 112 17 February 2013 Mexico’s Revolution Many nations across time and the world have experienced a revolution. From the American revolution to the French revolution, history has proven conflict can engage a nation at any moment. Tanter explains that two possible scenarios, changes in the economic development and the level of education are likely to cause revolutions (Tanter 264).A revolution can be composed of a group of individuals who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in exchange for change in the existing government. This group of people will stop at nothing until they have completely taken over the territory they wish to control. What was the reason and who played a critical role in the Mexican revolution? Mexican political leaders and the common people would play an instrumental role in the positive or negative impact of the Mexican revolution. During 1910 and 1920, Mexico underwent a difficult and bloody time that would lead to many years of little progress in this nation’s history.The Mexican revolution is not a globally known revolution and most Americans would not initially compare it to the American revolution or understand the impact it had on Mexico. Knight states that compared to other revolutions, during the Mexican revolution many more people fought, died, and more land was destroyed (Knight 28). Some of the reasons the Mexican revolution began was due to the biased distribution of land, education, and wealth. The Mexican farmers and middle class were tired of the government treating them unfairly.The man in control of the nation during 1910 was President Porfirio Diaz. President Porfirio Diaz had ruled Mexico with an iron fist. Knight states that President Diaz had begun as an Army officer who had risen to power during a coup (Knight 28). Mexico’s economy was doing well at the time and Mexicoâ€⠄¢s elite prospered while President Diaz controlled the nation. Diaz originally promoted a no re-election policy, but soon conveniently disregarded that policy and ruled for several years. Under President Diaz’s rule, only the elite people of Mexico shared wealth, land and education.Knight states that this unequal distribution of power, money, and land began to create resentment amongst the common people in Mexico (Knight 29). Many leaders would soon rise up to fight for the people of Mexico and equal rights for all. Soon leaders such as Francisco Madera, General Huerta, and Emiliano Zapata would rise to fight for the country of Mexico. A revolution was inevitable and Mexico had plenty of individuals who would fight for their rights. Knight states that during 1910 President Diaz would be overthrown and Mexico would enter ten years of civil conflict (Knight 29).The first to attempt to overthrow President Diaz was Francisco Madero. Madero appealed to the middle class, Indians, and Mestizos. In 1911, the Mexican army was on the defense and President Diaz was forced to resign; Francisco Madera was immediately inaugurated. Unfortunately, Madero would not last long and in 1913, Madero was assassinated. Knight explains that General Victoriano Huerta would be the next to attempt to lead the war torn Mexico (Knight 31). The military solution would not last long and fierce fighting would continue. Emiliano Zapata would be known as one of the most famous and powerful revolutionaries during this time.Knight states that Zapata always remained a man for the people and fought very hard for his fellow compatriot (Knight 32). Zapata, known for handing out free food to the poor and supporting free education, was a loud voice and strength for the people of Mexico. Unfortunately, during what was meant to be a peaceful meeting, Zapata would be assassinated. These men positively influence the revolution and did everything they could to enable the average Mexican. The Mexican people would dedicate everything and everyone to the revolution. Chavez states that for men and boys there was only one option uring the revolution, becoming a soldier (Chavez 423). Young Mexico believed that the revolution would bring social justice and a stronger Mexico. The men from the mountains, farms and villages would unite under leaders such as Emiliano Zapata and fight against larger Mexican armies. There was a sense of pride and purpose in the revolution. The revolution empowered the average Mexican and encouraged them to fight. Knight states that revolutionaries had inadequate arms and training, but managed to dominate battles against a superior Mexican army (Knight 31).Eventually following many years of fighting a man named Alvaro Obregon was elected president. Washington states that the ideals of the Mexican revolution would eventually provide the people with a Constitution in 1917 (Washington 505). Mexico would finally reach a point in history where nation could focus on the entire nation and not an elite group. Mexico suffered ten years of war, suffering, and turmoil. Mexican leaders during 1910-1920 were unable to hold the country together and a revolution consumed the nation. The Mexican people grew tired of political greed, lack of support, and unequal treatment.Several leaders such as President Diaz would prove to be a man of one interest, himself. Others would quickly rise against him and attempt to claim the presidency. General Huerta and Francisco Madera would take the presidency by force, but would not last very long in the president office. Emiliano Zapata had a significant impact as a revolutionary who fought with the people and for the people. During the Mexican revolution, the nation would join forces and rise against lawless leaders. The men and women of Mexico would fight for many years for the equalities they knew they deserved.Eventually, the Mexican government drafted the constitution and was now able focus on the future. Works Cited Chavez Leyva, Yolanda. â€Å"`I Go To Fight For Social Justice': Children As Revolutionaries In The Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920. † Peace & Change 23. 4 (1998): 423. Academic Search Premier. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. Knight, Alan. â€Å"The Mexican Revolution. † History Today 30. 5 (1980): 28. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Feb. 2013. Washington, Walter. â€Å"Mexican Resistance To Communism. † Foreign Affairs 36. 3 (1958): 504-515. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Feb. 2013.