Production Supervisor

KRA (Key Responsibility Area/Key Results Area): â€Å"Key Result Areas† or KRAs refer to general areas of outcomes or outputs for which the department’s role is responsible. A typical role targets three to five KRA. Value of KRAs: Identifying KRAs helps individuals:  · Clarify their roles  · Align their roles to the organisation’s business or strategic plan  · Focus on results rather than activities  · Communicate their role’s purposes to others  · Set goals and objectives  · Prioritize their activities, and therefore improve their time/work management  · Make value-added decisions Description of KRAs:Key result areas (KRAs) capture about 80% of the department’s work role. The remainder of the role is usually devoted to areas of shared responsibility (e. g. , helping team members, participating in activities for the good of the organisation). CORE KRAs of HR DEPARTMENT: -RECRUITMENT/ SELECTION -WORKFORCE PLANNING/ -DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT -PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT -REWARD MANAGEMENT -WORKPLACE MANAGEMENT -INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS -SAFETY AND HEALTH WORKPLACE -BUILDING CAPABILITIES AND ORGANIZATION LEARNING -EFFECTIVE HR MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS , SUPPORT AND MONITORING KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS:These are the areas within the HR DEPARTMENT, where an individual or group, is logically responsible / accountable for the results. To manage each KRA/ KPAs, a set of KPI are set . KRA and hence KPI is attributed to the department which can have effect on the business results and is self measured where applicable. THE IMPORTANCE AND WEIGHTAGE OF THESE ELEMENTS KRAs/KPAs/KPIs ARE GUIDED BY THE *VISION STATEMENT *MISSION STATEMENT *CORPORATE OBJECTIVES *CORPORATE STRATEGY *CORPORATE BUSINESS UNITS/ DEPARTMENTAL PLANS/STRATEGY. FOR THE BUDGET PERIOD, THIS IS USUALLY 12 MONTHS.What Are Key Performance Indicators (KPI): Key Performance Indicators are quantifiable measurements, agreed to beforehand, that reflect the critical success factors of an organization. They will differ depending on the organization. A business may have as one of its Key Performance Indicators the percentage of its income that comes from return customers. A school may focus its Key Performance Indicators on graduation rates of its students. A Customer Service Department may have as one of its Key Performance Indicators, in line with overall company KPIs, percentage of customer calls answered in the first minute.A Key Performance Indicator for a social service organization might be number of clients assisted during the year. Whatever Key Performance Indicators are selected, they must reflect the organization's goals, they must be key to its success,and they must be quantifiable (measurable). Key Performance Indicators usually are long-term considerations. The definition of what they are and how they are measured do not change often. The goals for a particular Key Performance Indicator may change as the organization's goals change, or as it gets closer to achieving a goal.Key Performance Indicators Reflect The Organizational Goals: An organization that has as one of its goals â€Å"to be the most profitable company in our industry† will have Key Performance Indicators that measure profit and related fiscal measures. â€Å"Pre-tax Profit† and â€Å"Shareholder Equity† will be among them. However, â€Å"Percent of Profit Contributed to Community Causes† probably will not be one of its Key Performance Indicators. On the other hand, a school is not concerned with making a profit, so its Key Performance Indicators will be different.KPIs like â€Å"Graduation Rate† and â€Å"Success in Finding Employment after Graduation†, though different, accurately reflect the schools mission and goals. Key Performance Indicators Must Be Quantifiable: If a Key Performance Indicator is going to be of any value, there must be a way to accurately define and measure it. â€Å"Generate More Repeat Customers† is useless as a KPI without some way to distinguish between new and repeat customers. â€Å"Be The Most Popular Company† won't work as a KPI because there is no way to measure the company's popularity or compare it to others.It is also important to define the Key Performance Indicators and stay with the same definition from year to year. For a KPI of â€Å"Increase Sales†, you need to address considerations like whether to measure by units sold or by dollar value of sales. Will returns be deducted from sales in the month of the sale or the month of the return? Will sales be recorded for the KPI at list price or at the actual sales price? You also need to set targets for each Key Performance Indicator. A company goal to be the employer of choice might include a KPI of â€Å"Turnover Rate†. After he Key Performance Indicator has been defined as â€Å"the number of voluntary resignations and terminations for performance, divided by the total number of employees at the beginning of the period† and a way to measure it has been set up by collecting the information in an HRIS, the target has to be established. â€Å"Reduce turnover by five percent per year† is a clear target that everyone will understand and be able to take specific action to accomplish. Key Performance Indicators Must be Key To Organizational Success: Many things are measurable. That does not make them key to the organization's success.In selecting Key Performance Indicators, it is critical to limit them to those factors that are essential to the organization reaching its goals. It is also important to keep the number of Key Performance Indicators small just to keep everyone's attention focused on achieving the same KPIs. That is not to say, for instance, that a company will have only three or four total KPIs in total. Rather there will be three or four Key Performance Indicators for the company and all the units within it will have three, four, or five KPIs that support the overall company goals and can be â€Å"rolled up† into them.If a company Key Performance Indicator is â€Å"Increased Customer Satisfaction†, that KPI will be focused differently in different departments. The Manufacturing Department may have a KPI of â€Å"Number of Units Rejected by Quality Inspection†, while the Sales Department has a KPI of â€Å"Minutes a Customer Is on Hold before a Sales Rep Answers†. Success by the Sales and Manufacturing Departments in meeting their respective departmental Key Performance Indicators will help the company meet its overall KPI.

Ritz – Carlton

?The case â€Å"The Ritz- Carlton: Managing the Mystique† deals with the strategic marketing decision of how the hotel chain should continue its operations in order to satisfy its customers more. By overcoming the challenges of being one of the top ranking hotels in the world and hiring the right people to do so, the success of your marketing startegy would be inevitable. In this way Ritz- Carlton could potentially increase its sales and and expand in different countries.Therefore, this case will deal with possible solutions and ways of operating in order to create hotel uniqueness and gain a cometitive advantage compare to other five- stars hotels. Ranked as the best luxury hotel chain in America out of thousands others, for the past years it still provides the same exceptional standard of quality, comfort and fittings (Power, 2012). The essence of the Ritz Carlton experience lies in the quality of the service provided by the company which is also the intangible product the c ompany is selling.The manager makes sure that the service is tailored to the individual and is earnest and helpful. Every guest and employee is treated with respect and the general managers pay special attention to every visitor from the moment of airport picking until the moment the visitor leaves the hotel. An essential part of the service process is the guest recognition procedure, part of the service quality indicators (SQIs) which when implemented â€Å"creates a sticky relationship† between the guest and employee, in particular or the hotel, in general.The staff’s responsibility is to make each â€Å"guest feels well when they leave† and create an unforgettable, personalised experience which satisfies even the most discerning visitors. Moreover, the company also recognize the technology as a key to a high service level. It is something that the customer expects to receive when stays at a five- star hotel. In order for Ritz-Carlton to be a leader in what it is selling, the company has realized the need for continuous improvement of its core competences by placing total quality management (TQM) as a central point in their strategy implementation.It has to concentrate on hiring the right people who enjoy looking after other people, and provide a pleasant environment for them to work in. Moreover, the hotel-chain improves its weak areas based on the feedback it receives from evaluators when applying for awards. Moreover, the ability to satisfy all kind of customer’s claims makes them more loyal. In this situation, the Ritz- Carlton manages to fill the customer gap by providing the customer’s expectations, what he believes should receive, and at the same time his perceptions, what he gets in addition (Wilson, 2012).This rise some challenges for the hotel manager, such as the ability to close the other four gaps called provider gaps. The first one of which is to not knowing what customers expect, which applies the difference between the customers expectations and the company’s understanding of them. In order to overcome this challenge a more direct contact with the guests of the hotel is needed. In particular, establishing strong and long- term relationships with regular customers and satisfying their needs in every moment.To succeed in this, interviews and surveys could be conducted among the customers to establish their requirements and expectations. Afterwards, building a system with all of their responses would contribute to stay closer to them. Therefore, to conduct all the relevant information, the empowered and front line people play an important role. In the hospitality management, the communication between the manager and his employees plays and important role to avoid establishing a gap. As a second provider gap is considered not selecting the right service quality designs and standards.In order to deliver the highest quality service, the service design and the company’s performa nce standards should be developed in a way to reflect the customer expectations and perceptions. The new plan should be focused on customer driven design and together with it meeting the employees needs. The third gap is not delivering service designs and standards. As being developed in the second stage of the customer gap system, now the firm has to succeed in delivering the new way of serving its guests. The employees should be selected effectively to complete their obligations.They should have the right characteristics to complete the job. Conflicts on the workplace should be avoided as well as the inability of team work. Moreover, appropriate systems and facilities should be developed and provided, to follow if all the factors for achieving the high standard level of service are in place. The last but not the least provider gap is not matching performance to promises. The marketing advertisement plays an important role in this stage. By creating an advertisement with promotion of over- promising services, the customer expectations also increase and it is difficult to meet the standards you cannot provide.This interactive marketing strategy might be created together with external companies to communicate effectively with current and potential customers (Wilson, 2012). To create the same policy in every of the Ritz- Carlton hotels, the top manager has to follow the same policy and stick to the same standards in order to create a successful business chain. This will result in customer loyalty concerning every hotel location and will build a better reputation for the company. Therefore, to create a uniquness in its services, the famous luxury hotels are known as the ones who treats its guests as royalties (Michelli, 2008).This something is called â€Å"The Ritz-Carlton Mystique. † Being in any of the seventy worldwide locations gives you the opportunity to see the art of service. By creating a data with all the customers perceptions, Ritz- Carlton wins a high reputation among its competitors. However, in order to collect this data and proceed it in a right way, the company relies on its employees who are the one next to the people and contributing to their memorable experience. The reason for being one of the most successful chains is that Ritz- Carlton look for things that most companies ignore and then uses its findings in a unique way to attract more people.Another characteristic of the company’s policy is the meetings organized to share relevant information for providing better services, this has a positive impact on the whole organizational process as well as the team work within the employees. In the case example of the family in Bali, the impact it has on the work performance is really significant and the easiest way to reach all thousands of employees all around the world. It reinforce the actions in everyone and contributes to the service values.The high quality, standardised service could be considered as an impo rtant factor in the luxurious hotel business. It creates uniquenessness and something that makes people feel valued. That is also the reason why in establishing the company’s key success factors, Ritz- Carlton puts on first place the mystique followed by employee engagement, customer engagement, product service excellence, community involvement, and financial performance. The employeers are playing an important role of the Mystique strategy. The popular chain is really careful in selecting its staff and at the same time training them.Moreover, they expect from them a high engagement with their job because this would result in a lower management turnover, fewer safety incidents, and higher profitability and productivity (Gallup, 2007). As a customer- driven company, the hotel chain builds its success on factors such as service characteristics, where the business meets all customer needs and create a product and competitive advantage. Moreover, it focus on the strategy characte ristics, where the human resource management in the face of the employees take place in the operations.Process and marketplace characteristics are defined as marketing based to establish the best way of presenting the business potential (Wilson, 2012). Therefore, the best hotels in the world started launcing their loyal programmes in order to survive the downturn. Ritz- Carlton aim has always been to build a loyalty in its customers habits. The company is striving for broadening its customer base, increasing the cometitiveness of its service, motivate a profitable behaviour together with increasing its market share . The loyalty program is truly build on the customer feedback in demanding the world- class respect.It provides services from airline tickets to unique traveling experiences and adventures which no other luxury hotel chain would be able to provide. Moreover, the loyal programme is personal for each of Ritz’s clients. It is customised towards his prefernces and expe ctations for experencing a memorable holiday. This is another proof that the company is totally based on the idea of customer- driven policy. The Ritz- Carlton is succeeding in exceeding the guests expectations in every aspect. But the question is how exactly it reaches this success compared to other top brand hotels?It pays attention on its internal resources and by doing that is manages to build a good reputation among the customers and attract new ones. Moreover, by creating programs to train its employees and empower them with the mission to satisfy their guests, contribute to their job satisfaction and the recognition of feeling part of the organization. However, to be known from the people who are potential customers but are not part of the loyal programme, a special marketing communication channel should be created. Nowadays, the marketing communications have become really complex way of reaching customers.The term is part of the whole marketing strategy and could be defined as the promotion aspect of the â€Å"Marketing Mix†. Specifically it applies the practice of advertisement through mass- media, websites, cinemas and etc. Moreover, it is a really important aspect of how the branding image would be build in order to reach the right potential target group. At the moment, Ritz- Carlton is using different, unstandard approach to reach the attention of its future guests. It is going back to old style brochures sent by classic post. It is producing a high quality, perfectly designed cards, honourly signed by the CEO of the company.This is a good way to promote its unique service for luxury chains. However it should straighten its positions according to the services marketing triangle (Wilson, 2012). It applies the theory of the involvement of the employees, customers and the company for the creation of a successful marketing communication. By starting with the external marketing communication, including advertising, corporate websites, sales promo tion and public relations and continuing with interactive ones, for instance, personal selling, customer service interactions or in particular concentrating on the customers habits.In order to avoid miscommunication and successfully create a promotion channel, these two factors should be linked together. The way of doing this is by having a third sector, internal marketing, which assures that the communication line is accurate. The things that are mentioned in the company and explained to the employees should be matching with what are the customer demands. The whole combination is called the services marketing triangle (Wilson, 2012). In order to establish more effective way of promoting its unique services, Ritz- Carlton would meet some challenges in its strategy.Since the service is intangible it is more difficult to reach its consumers and convince them in the uniqueness of what is being offered. The company should assure that they make clear what is differating them from all the competitors and what is the advantage of purchasing their services. Therefore, they should be really accurate in the information which is provided in the promotion material, and assure they would provide the same thing they are claiming in their announcement. Ritz- carlton may use the approach of grabbing the first attention.It could create an advertisement which pop up online and a a link which is going to lead the user to further information. In this way, the company wins an advantage of providing knowledge to the people who are not aware of the luxury services. As a final challenge the marketing communication strategy should be coordinated with the operations of the company to achieve its optimal goal. Employees should be train in a way to meet the company’s requirements. The advantage that Ritz- carlton is providing to its employees is the opportunity of highly educated training program.The program called, The â€Å"Seven Day Countdown† is the training process con ducted by the hotel-chain to familiarize the newly recruited employees with the organizational system and it happens one month after they get hired. The first two days consist of â€Å"orienting employees to the Ritz–Carlton culture and values† as well as having the opportunity to learn more about your department, meet your colleagues and get to know them through various group exercises and activities. Additionally, the importance of self-teaching and guest satisfaction is highlighted and the Gold Standards of the company are presented.The next five days are devoted to the training and development of the specific skills required to perform the job in each division through trial runs or mocking activities which represent a realistic situation an employee might face. Even though this process defines what Ritz-Carlton believes in and has become an integer part of its strategy, Collin expressed his concern that these seven days are too short and suggested to be extended in order for the hotel to open at a higher occupancy rate and â€Å"to reach 80% occupancy in a shorter amount of time†.Four Seasons is a severe competition for Ritz-Carlton and the occupancy rate gap between the two rivals is getting smaller with every year. As is stated in the article even though the company is able to satisfy 92% of its customers, 8% are dissatisfied for certain reasons. Based on customer feedback, the hotel-chain can determine the reasons for this percentage and adjust accordingly. Since both parties’ decisions need to be taken into account I believe that McBride should add one more day to the standard seven day programme.This particular day which can take place before the trial and mocking days, should include a training of new employees on how to deal with people from different cultural backgrounds. This might as well have been one of the reasons why some people were dissatisfied – maybe a person from the stuff acted in a certain way without realizing that he/she offended a guest. Moreover, the employees hired for the job are also from different cultures and have different perceptions of dealing with a problem.These cultural differences could be presented in the form of case studies or group activities. Another thing which should be included in this extra day should be ethics and teaching future staff what is right and wrong as well as what is an acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. The financial implication for Ritz-Carlton of extending the training process would be an increase in the pre-opening budget in the corresponding section. This means more trainers will be required with relevant knowledge on the topics for that extra day or the participating ones will be paid extra.Moreover, by training its employees through its learning programme, Ritz- Carlton wins an advantage in developing new employees’ ideals. However, it causes some internal and external changes in the environment, due to the developing of new culture. The result, however is worth it as trained employees do not require so tight control from a managerial side as they would be aware what is expected from them. Moreover, as feeling part of the team they would optimise their performance and that would result in more benefits for the chain.They are trained in working efficently as well as effectively. The advantages that Ritz- carlton provides to its employees is the opportunity to grow and learn from the best. This contributes to their job performance and commitment. Moreover, this will result in a higher quality service and will create a competitive advantage for the company In conclusion, it could be derived that Ritz- Carlton has to meet some challenges in order to stay on the top of the luxurious hotel chain business. As with its high class service, it manages to satisfy even the most demanding customers.However, in order to keep its positions it has to straighten its marketing communication channels to reach more custom ers. The company could take an action of developing an online marketing campaign to inform about its locations and exclusive offers. It should keep its advantages of providing the Ritz- Carlton Mystique since it creates a uniqueness of being their customer. Moreover, focusing on promoting it as a competitive advantage will higher the company’s turnovers. Overall, the success of the Ritz- Carlton hotel chain will remain the same if it continues its development with the years.

The structure of the Magazine: Magazine Designing

First I had to do some research which mostly I done by looking at magazines such as ‘HELLO’ ‘OK’ ‘TOP GEAR’ as I was looking through the magazines I was comparing the layouts of the magazines. I also did some internet research looking at what type of articles which would go in a magazine and also what type of font is used in a magazine. My magazine will be aimed at both genders of any age. At first I had chosen to do my magazine on the world’s fastest cars, which was all about cars, and also inform you on drivers from the formula one.After a while I got bored of the Idea of cars. This is because I saw that other people in my class, where coming up with better ideas. So this is when I decided to change my magazine completely and do it on music because I thought this way my magazine could compete with other magazines, because I had added more colour and really stood out among others. Also I made sure that if I wanted it to really stand out; I decided to put popular artists on my front cover, to make sure that it really caught the target audience’s eye.I used the computer to produce my magazine, this is because I thought using the computer would be the best method do design and create magazine because, it has software’s which allow you to insert text and pictures on the same page. Also using the computer allows you to access the internet, where you can do some research and find pictures to use in your magazine. Also the computer has many more option that allows you to play around with things ike your title and improve on it. For my font I decided to use different fonts, because I thought it would be a good Idea to vary the fonts and sizes, to make it stand out more from other magazines.For the colours on my front cover I decided to use, three, a basic dark colour for my background which was grey, then I used blue, lime green, and pink on the grey to make these colours stand out. There a lots of websites w hich I used for my images such as: Google images †¢ Picsearch †¢ Urban ink My marketing will begin in shops and in between music charts breaks, and TV programs such as 106 & Park, as my target audience will have a greater chance of coming across it. The reason for using TV shows such as 106 & Park is because, In my magazine there will be a chance to win a tickets to be able to go on the show. My magazine would be one of the magazines which people will buy. It attracts young people who love music.It will be successful because, it will be featuring different music artists every week and will let you know about your music idols. For example this week it will be featuring Drizzy Drake, Nicki Minaj. I think the most attractive thin about my magazine is that it gives you the chance to win tickets to shows such as 106 & Park, where you will be able to meet these artists which you will be reading about weekly. I personally I would buy this magazine, because I love music and one of my favourite hobbies is to listen to music in my free time.This magazine would benefit being on the shelves one because it’s a music magazine and it’s rare to see music magazines being sold in shops. Secondly it’s because it gives me the chance to meet these artists which I will be reading about. The look of the magazine would definitely attract customers to buy it, the front of the page would attract readers because, I’ve used colours which stand out, and also on the front it has 2 of the most famous artists in the music industry on the front page. By having these artists, this will attract customers more.

Proposal for alternative, convertible and flexible types of Research Paper

Proposal for alternative, convertible and flexible types of accommodations for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games - Research Paper Example mated that the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil could provide ample accommodation for 33,000 visitors, this being the number of the hotel beds that are available (Berg, n.d.). The Olympic Games will definitely require more than this, considering that the number of visitors is expected to be much higher, estimated at a figure well above 50,000. Worse still is the fact that; the economic implication of the city would be even dire, if it engages in the erection of permanent facilities that are only to be used for accommodating the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games of 2016, and then fall short of business later. However, while uptight efforts are being made to avail the necessary accommodation through the construction of more hotels and accommodation facilities, it would even be more comfortable and innovative of the city, if it could devise other means of providing temporary accommodation, which still meets the required standards. One of the viable considerations for the temporary, yet quality accommodation provision for the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during the Olympic Games of 2016, is the use of Cruise Ship (Honeywell, n.d.). There are various reasons that make this option viable. First, the city of Rio de Janeiro is surrounded by water, which makes the use of cruise ship possible, as the visitors and the athletic members will only be sleeping in the regions surrounding the city. The advantage of this option is that; it will allow for the provision of ample accommodation in areas of close proximity to the city, thus allowing for the desired convenience. The second advantage is the fact that, the use of cruise ship will allow for the temporary provision of accommodation, thus eliminating the need for construction of permanent accommodation facilities, which may then lack sufficient business thereafter, thus resulting to unnecessary tying up of substantial resources in the substantial constructions (Honeywell, n .d.). The validity of this option is the fact that, the same

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP Essay

CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP - Essay Example CSM has a global nature which is quite relevant nowadays. Thus CSM doesn’t consider any special aspect of management; it concerns all spheres of management. Diverse perspectives, numerous issues, interpretations of gained management knowledge are important distinctive features of CSM. A period signified by occurrence of CSM is also known as a period of â€Å"post-modernism† and â€Å"post-structuralism† (Rosenau, 1992). This can be explained by changes emerged in Western societies. Thus there is a tendency to flexibility, hybridism and globalization (Sheppard, 2002).The main idea of post-modernism is an excess of instrumentalism in bureaucratic society. As a result creative thinking and perspectives are oppressed. Post-structuralism criticizes oppression of creative imagination as well. Post-modernistic ideas of CSM are directed on the search of diversity and respect of all kinds of beliefs, traditions and nations. Diverse values of modern society should be all equal. The same principles are relevant to post-modern organizations. On the example of post-modern organizations, the main principles of generally accepted managerial and leadership practices are discussed. Moreover, Weber’s theory and his considerations about organization’s st ructures and kinds of leadership are projected on modern practices of the business world. In order to show crucial role of CSM in modern business world, it is relevant to choose a certain theory which is of great importance for historical and modern critics and which is popular nowadays. Max Weber’s Theory is chosen to draw parallels between relevance of his principles in old and current days. In the middle of twentieth century Weber propagated prevalence of knowledge in the process of bureaucratic administration. â€Å"For the sociologist, power is principally exemplified within organizations by the process of control† (Weber, 1947). Max Weber’s theory

Forensic Psychology and Criminal Investigation Essay - 7

Forensic Psychology and Criminal Investigation - Essay Example The first thing to be realised is that Thornhill is at greater risk for reoffending perhaps because of some inadequacy in his current life in conjunction with his previous history (Laureate International Universities, 2012). The period between Thornhill’s previous offence and current offence is around five years indicating a period of calm in his life. It is highly likely that some stimulus such as perhaps problems with his girlfriend are bothering Thronhill and causing him to reoffend. It would be unadvisable to look into Thornhill’s case without a fresh forensic psychologist review. Based on the review provided by the forensic psychologist, it could be seen if Thornhill requires community support or time at a regular detention facility to solve his current problems (Laureate International Universities, 2012). The presence of long knives at the home of Thornhill provide for the possibility that the offender might use these in order to inflict violence and possibly murder his girlfriend especially when under the influence of alcohol or drugs. In order to preclude such a possibility, it would be advisable to send a Domestic Violence Officer (DMO) to the house of Thornhill and his live in girlfriend to find out if violence has occurred or is suspected. Given the nature of Thornhill’s unfaithfulness, it is likely that his girlfriend may refuse his entry into the house. However, this is just a possibility as yet and the DMO can discuss this issue with the girlfriend as well. In case that the live in girlfriend does not wish to accommodate Thornhill, it would be advisable to provide her a security plan since Thornhill might attack her out of rage. However, in case that she allows Thornhill back, she should still be given a security plan to contact the police as soon as she is threatened by the offender. If Thornhill’s girlfriend does

Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Slavery - Essay Example The story of Equiano demonstrates the inhumane situation of the slaves and the acceptance by slaves the white racial theories. In the middle of the XVII England has been shaken by the political crisis because of Oliver Cromwell revolution. The Putney Debates of 1647 revealed the English Revolution as an abolishment movement, a 1659 Parliamentary debate on slavery and the â€Å"free-born Englishman†, held on the eve of the restoration of Charles II and the Stuart monarchy, marked a counterrevolutionary reversal (Linebaugh, 132). The Putney Debates between Thomas Rainborough and Henry Ireton raised the questions of the struggle for the commons and struggle against slavery. Domestic wars and conflicts led to appearance of the new slavery forms in England: white slaves in Barbados, slavery in West Africa, Jamaica. Irish radicals and foes were sent by Oliver Cromwell to the Barbados, in the 1649 British merchants ordered the construction of a trading fort on the Gold Coast. The ski n color wasn’t decisive for the slavery - it was a matter of the profit for the merchants and elites. And Equiano in his autobiography gave us great example when even in the mid of the XVIII century there was an incident during the way through the ocean, when â€Å"one white man in particular I saw, when we were permitted to be on deck, flogged so unmercifully with a large rope near the foremast, that he died in consequence of it: and they tossed him over the side as they would have done a brute† (Equiano, 423). The interracial co-operations were not solitary: for example, Africans and Irish conspired together in plots of 1675, 1686, 1692 and alliance between slaves and servants was what planters feared most of all (Linebaugh, 126). The slavery began to acquire the racial shade in the 1670s. The resistance of plantation workers exploded in 1675-1676 in Virginia. There were two uprisings. The first one began in 1675 and was a war for land by freedmen and small farmers a gainst Indians and a portion of the colonial ruling class in Virginia. The second one was a war against slavery, waged by servants and slaves. After rebellion the planters charged the governor with restraining â€Å"any inhumane severity which by ill masters or overseers may be used toward Christian servants† (Linebaugh, 137). And the result of this rebellion was legislation in 1682 that provided â€Å"all servants not being Christians, being imported into this country by shipping† should be servants for twelve years, instead European servants – for five years. Of course, this legislation was directed toward the Africans. The defeats of the servants and slaves that was detailed represented in the â€Å"The Many-Headed Hydra†, became the reason why the elites, nobles, â€Å"whites† began to establishing new rules that had aim to discriminate the rebels and to justify himself. From the 1670s legislation was enacted to protect and Christians, â€Å"w hite† people (Linebaugh, 139). Rulers from the England, merchants and planters dispossessed tens of thousands more in Ireland, Barbados, West Africa and Virginia and made the slavery of Atlantic capitalism (Linebaugh, 141). Indeed, the masses of cheep labour in the America and Europe created the possibility to very fast enrichments. Slaves were very good investments. The people from the lowest classes had no wealth, they had no property. The capitalists wanted to control them,

Managing People and Organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing People and Organisations - Essay Example It can change, it can grow and it can develop into something which is larger than the organisation itself. The literature on company cultures as well as other examples from companies such as GE and Apple shows us that having a strong culture is a good thing only if the culture is positive and leads to the objectives of the company being met. In a situation where the culture is strongly negative the environment can become toxic and the symptoms mentioned in the case certainly point towards that happening in Gillman Autos. Things such as shiftitus, covering ass and passing the buck are perfect signs of a negative culture and the stronger it is the worse off a company would be. For the company itself, it seems that the culture is certainly a result of the 2x4 management style. As per the literature on company culture, the formation of the culture depends on the leadership of the company (Gardner, 1995) and the present situation as described for Gillman Autos is simply a result of their ineffective management system. The controls which should have been in place to prevent this from happening seem to have been ignored altogether. Without effective control, a company will end up with bad leadership and a bad leader will not only bring down his/her own output but also of those who fulfil the role of subordinates (Armstrong, 1999). Culture, social responsibility, ethics and the work environment all flow from the leadership of a company. This was realised by GE when the company saw high turnover in their international communications department and even though the department was not one of the primary departments of the company, significant junior level turnover caused the senior managers to get worried. After making some inquires and revaluations of exit interviews, the company discovered that a line manager was causing problems for others by creating a negative culture within the department. The department could not be made productive until that manager

What is Philosophy Philosophical Conceptions Of Life Essay

What is Philosophy Philosophical Conceptions Of Life - Essay Example It was believed that the gods were volatile and unpredictable and thus man was at their mercy because they controlled everything. Philosophers introduced a very different line of thought, divergent from the first assumption. They are referred to as thinkers, implying that they ushered in an era where man started to come to conclusions about the issues of life through reason and observation. Philosophy has grown over the years and has been subject to religious and ethical; considerations. This is because religion and ethical standards determine how people act and philosophy tries to explain why things happen and how people act in certain ways. Philosophical history started to appear in ancient Greece in the 6th century B.C.in the city of Miletus (Russell 3). This early group of philosophers is known as the Milesian philosophers because of the city they came from.These early philosophers may have had findings that would seem odd today, such as some claims made by one of the Philosophers, Thales, that everything was made of water and everything is full of gods, but all the same, it was the gods that triggered man to shift from his earlier position and to examine other ways to explore why things happened the way they did and why man also behaved the way he did. Man started to observe life from a completely new perspective due to the influence of philosophers. Ancient Greece went on to produce some of the greatest philosophers in the western world, and this revolutionized the whole world in its way of thinking as man started to thirst for and seek wisdom (Kenny, 19). Philosophy has been referred to by some people as the love o f wisdom. Philosophy is important to man because it looks at basic issues through reason and observation, and thus enables us to choose the way to do things and also how to live with one another in harmony in any given situation and grouping. It enables man to come to conclusion about issues from a point of knowledge. Today, philosophy has developed over the years and covers mainly for different areas which are logic, epistemology, metaphysics and axiology. Logic involves the obtaining of knowledge by looking at the evidence and listening to the arguments brought forth and analyzing them philosophically (Brown). People may say what they do not mean but a philosopher can bring out the truth through philosophical reasoning. Epistemology, which is a branch of philosophy, is the ability to support what we believe with facts about it. It looks at what conditions must be satisfied so as to assert that what we say is true about something. As man makes statements about issues, epistemology is very important. Metaphysics is the study of what things exist, their nature and the reasons why they function the way they do. It also deals with examining why people behave the way they do. It examines whether it is through their free will or as a result of other factors. This is an important shift from the pre philosophy period where all was attributed to the gods and other personalities. It enables man to know his world better and even integrate better. Axiology is the study of different types of values, and these are beauty and art, social and political aspects and ethics (Brown). Political philosophy has facilitated the setting up of good political systems while ethical behavior is important as people live with one another in the world because it examines right and wrong and good and evil.

What is the relationship between happiness and meaning Why Essay - 1

What is the relationship between happiness and meaning Why - Essay Example life, this study will discuss about the Meaning of life, how logotherapy could enable an individual to recognize the meaning of life, happiness, and the relationship between the Meaning of life and happiness. The meaning of life is found in every second of our breath. Life simply goes on without ceasing the meaning of life even in times of depression or death. According to Frankl, â€Å"The meaning of our existence is not invented by us; but rather detected.† (Frankl, 1963; p. 157) Meaning in Viktor Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ refers to the reasons that gives us a sense of purpose in our life. The collection of Meaning could be one’s health, approval and acceptance among our friends, having luxurious things and material wealth, a good love life and family relations, comfort, happiness, or anything that drives us to live. (Dodson, 2007) On the other hand, when a person lacks all the necessary things that I had mentioned earlier, people generally suffers due to lack of material comfort. According to Frankl, people that survive under the circumstances of great sufferings have a Meaning, Purpose, and Hope to make them hold on with life. Some people find ‘hope’ by establishing their spiritual relationship with Godi. Experiencing a value can be in a form of love. When we experience loving a significant other or loving friends and family members, we tend to overcome the negative aspects such as problems or depression in our lives. Suffering, according to Frankl is about attitudinal values. The author stated that when a person lives his life with a meaning, that person could always endure life with dignity. (Frankl, 1963; p. 117) It is possible to find the meaning through suffering; by loving and helping other people find the meaning of life could work wonderfully in the life of A person’s will to Meaning or his/her determination to strive in determining the real meaning of life is also a major factor that makes a person able to succeed in the

Dance is a sport Essay Example for Free

Dance is a sport Essay I. Introduction: a) Attention Getter: What is the definition of a sport? A game played with a ball? Is it people in tight pants running around? How about â€Å"an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature†? That sounds more like it. Football, baseball, and track fit those definitions, but so does another recreational activity that is not typically considered a sport: dance. b) Personal Statement: I myself am a dancer and have been dancing my whole life. Being a dancer, one of the worst things anyone can say is that dance is not a sport and I want to prove them wrong. Transition: Dance fits all those requirements. An athletic activity? Oh yeah! Requiring skill or physical prowess? Definitely! Often of a competitive nature? You bet! Dance is even recognized as a sport by the International Olympic Committee. Then why is this â€Å"fine art† not considered a sport? II. Dance is an athletic activity. a) The sport of dance takes years of training and hard work to perfect. Yes, I said sport. Although some believe that dancing is nothing more than tutus and twirling, it is a mentally engaging and physically demanding activity. b) Dance is actually quite similar to one of the most popular sports in the United States: football. In both activities, athletes are assigned specific jobs, roles, or positions. Each follows choreographed plays. Both types of athletes travel using certain steps or passes. Similar, right? III. Dance requires skill or physical prowess. a) One difference between dance and most sports is the way the athletes present themselves. During a tennis match, the players grunt and groan when hitting the ball to show everyone how hard they are working. However, dancers must always look graceful and light as a feather. The best dancers can make the most difficult moves look effortless. It takes lots of practice to perfect those moves and make them look easy. This is why dance is a mental sport as well. b) Dr. Jill McNitt-Gray, a professor in kinesiology (the scientific study of movement) at the University of Southern California, has worked with national champions and Olympic gold medalists. Through her work with professional ballroom dancers, she found that a dancer doing the jive can reach foot speeds of 15 miles an hour. In addition, a dancer can spin up to 180 times in a minute – four times faster than a record player! c) Balance is a vital part of dance. Dancers must have strong core muscles. Men need strong shoulders for lifts, since they must not only support their own body weight but also their partners. â€Å"Dancers are some of the toughest athletes in the world,† claims Dr. McNitt-Gray. IV. Dance is a competitive nature. a) Many ask, â€Å"How can dance be a sport? You cant judge on time and the scoring is subjective! † Just like figure skaters, competitive dancers are judged on many criteria: technique, posture, timing, line, hold, poise, togetherness, expression, presentation, power, and foot or leg action. Dancers have a lot on their minds while performing. They are constantly asking themselves, am I extending correctly? Is my technique right? Is my head facing the right direction? b) Some people think dance involves less endurance than sports like cross-country running. However, these runners exert forces in only one direction but, as Dr. McNitt-Gray said, in dance, your hands, legs, and head are exerting forces in different directions all at the same time. c) Dance is a cardiovascular, aerobic, and challenging sport. Many professional athletes, including former Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Lynn Swann, dance to improve their flexibility. Dance fits all the requirements of a sport, and has the physical and mental challenges of a sport, as well. V. Conclusion: a) Main Points: Just like any other sport, dance is an athletic activity that requires skill or physical prowess and is often a competitive nature. b) Ending Statement: If you are shaking your head thinking, this girls crazy, get up off your chair and try it yourself. Meanwhile, I look forward to the day I might be able to stand on that Olympic platform and receive a gold medal for the sport of dance. Sources and References 1. Professor of Kinesiology, Jill McNitt-Gray. University of South California http://www.worlddancesport. org/About/All/Fit_Through_Dance 2. Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Lynn Swann, By Joe Horrigan. Courtesy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame http://www. profootballresearchers. org/Coffin_Corner/23-03-895. pdf 3. The Mayo Clinic, a published medical journal. The Health Benefits of Dancing Including Specific Benefits of Different Dances. http://www. sixwise. com/newsletters/05/11/02/the_health_benefits_of_dancing__including_specific_benefits_of_different_dances. htm 4. Santa Rosa High, The Press Democrat. The great debate: is dance a sport? http://teenlife. blogs. pressdemocrat. com/11749/the-great-debate-is-dance-a-sport/.

Transformational Leadership Plan Essay Example for Free

Transformational Leadership Plan Essay Leadership refers to a person’s ability to affect another person’s or group’s behavior in order to achieve a certain purpose.   Leadership has always been an important aspect of teamwork. In politics, sports, corporate world and all aspects of life, leadership has an important role to play. Today however, leadership needs to incorporate new and innovative methods to ensure that team members, groups and individuals are influenced by the decision of the team leader. Effective leadership is when a leader is able to have an impact of his decisions, thoughts and views on other individuals. In today’s world, leadership is playing a pivotal role in shaping organizations and ensuring goal achievement. The role of a leader is pivotal in building successful teams and achieving targets. It is through an effective leadership style and middle management cooperation that targets are achieved (Tichy Devana, 1997). Successful leadership strategies therefore need to be implemented. According to the leadership model, a successful or effective leadership strategy include the incorporation of five basic elements; emotional intelligence, relationship, teamwork, performance and operations (ETD). Emotional intelligence refers to a person’s ability to understand others. Relationship refers to maintaining a harmonious working rapport and managing emerging conflicts. Teamwork refers to including members from diverse backgrounds and inculcating the ability to adjust to with different people for a common purpose. Operation refers to managing resources and ensuring quality levels. Performance refers to the policies and procedures that measure the quality and level of output (ETD). It is the effective incorporation of all these five elements that ensures a successful leadership strategy. Other elements that should complement these basic elements include motivational tools, leadership engagement and individual development. Emotional intelligence is the key element of leadership. It is imperative that a leader understand how the other organizational members feel about a certain subject. He needs to be able to think from their perspective to understand their stance on a specific issue. Once the leader is able to relate with other members, he can develop a rapport that is going to benefit the organization in terms of goal achievement. The relationship aspect of leadership comes into play after emotional intelligence. The leader’s ability to understand members helps him build a relationship that forms the basis of the organization’s culture and working environment. It is this long-lasting relationship that allows an organization to continue operating successfully. Teamwork is the result of a relationship. It ensures that all members are fully aware of the other members’ strengths and weaknesses and complement each other’s work. It is this joint effort of team members under the supervision of a leader that ensures the successful completion of a task. The next important aspect of leadership is the ability of the leader to ensure high performance. A successful leader will not only maintain high performance standards but also appreciate the good performance of members and reward them accordingly. The last basic element of successful leadership is operations. Under good leadership high quality output and customer satisfaction will be the main objective and a leader will integrate all other elements to ensure this. Furthermore, motivational tools such as specific reward structures, employee appraisals and non-monetary rewards such as employee of the month can be used by leaders to motivate their employees. Moreover, leadership engagement which involves a leader’s constant interest in his employees induces a strong desire in the employees to perform well. Also a successful leadership strategy requires the leader to coach and teach the employees during the process to enhance the employees’ individual development. Leader participation is an important tool to enhance leadership effectiveness. According to Victor Vroom’s Leader-Participation Model, there are certain rules which determine the form and amount of leader involvement in particular situations (Robbins Judge, 2008). Therefore each situation demands a different level of leadership from the leader. An effective leader will adapt to a situation and guide his team accordingly. Another aspect of an effective leadership style is the adaptation to the team’s readiness. According to the Situational Theory of Hersey and Blanchard, successful leadership can be achieved by the selection of the right leadership style which is dependent on the team’s inclination towards a job (Robbins Judge, 2008). My main leadership strength lies in my ability to resolve conflicts and maintain a harmonious team to fulfill the required objectives. However, it is also important to allow other team members to communicate their views and ideas and therefore arguments are certainly constructive. However, if these arguments endanger team unity, I have the ability to resolve the arguments. Another strength that enhances my leadership ability is my involvement with other team members. I make sure that I apprise myself of all the activities being carried out by my team mates so that I know the progress and status of the task. I make sure that my team members understand their responsibilities and work thoroughly and carry out their assigned task keeping in consideration the final objective. Also, as a leader I sit with my team mates and share all important information regarding the project with them to ensure that they do not feel alienated. Moreover, as a leader it becomes my responsibility to give my team mates constant feedback on their work. I ensure that I take into consideration their efforts and complement them for their work. However it is also important to identify their mistakes in order for them to correct it and avoid it in future. In doing so I have to remember to not de motivate my team mates and therefore avoid using harsh tone and stay calm when dealing with them. My leadership weaknesses involve my inability to be rigid when required. My team mates often take me for granted due to my extremely flexible nature. Moreover, my negative attitude and outlook reduces my leadership potential. It prevents me from handling stressful situations effectively and managing team through these situations. This hinders my ability to look at possible solutions. Furthermore, my highly demanding nature may put constant pressure on myself and my team mates making them stressful and unable to deliver according to expectations. In order to build on my strengths a certain plan needs to be followed. The existing strengths need to be capitalized in order to make up for the weaknesses. My ability to resolve conflicts can become very useful in gaining ideas and opinions. My team mates can be allowed to openly discuss and criticize the ideas presented. This will ensure that the idea implemented is the best possible alternative. My involvement with team member can also prove to be beneficial for the team. This is because I am always aware of what task each member is performing and hence I can detect and correct errors in time. This will not only deliver the objectives in time but also result in cost saving. The sharing of information with all the team members gives them the confidence that they play an important role in the team. It also inculcates in them a sense of responsibility towards the team and also gives them a certain level of autonomy since information sharing allows them to make decisions. On the other hand, besides utilizing my strengths I also need to correct my weaknesses in order to enhance leadership skills. First I need to inculcate the habit of saying ‘No’ to team members when necessary. It is important for them to realize that there are certain rules and practices to be followed and in order for them to work accordingly, I need to communicate to them that not everything can be done according to their convenience. Furthermore, I need to think positively. As a leader it is essential that I handle difficult situations calmly and to do so I have to look at the positive side of everything. My team members look up to me for solutions in times of difficulty, therefore I have to maintain a positive perspective. Moreover, my highly demanding nature needs to be customized according to my team members’ abilities and skills. I need to understand what they can deliver in their capacity. Expectations need to be realistic and communicated to them so that they can set achievable goals. According to Fiedler’s Cognitive Resource Theory, stress has a negative impact on a situation but experience and knowledge can reduce the impact of stress on the leader (Robbins Judge, 2008).   Therefore it is necessary that I as a leader continue to expand my experience and knowledge base to avoid falling into stressful situations that can hamper the quality of the team’s work. At present my leadership lacks proper focus and direction. As a leader, I am unable to clearly set my target. However I want to become much more goal oriented as a leader. This is one of the major gaps between my current leadership and what I want to become in future. Also as a leader, my listening skills are not so effective. My impatience hinders my ability to pay full attention to what my team members say. I am quick to give my response without letting them apprise me of their views. I would like to become a leader who is creative and can continuously inspire and motivate team mates to do something new. This dynamism is what I would like to incorporate in my leadership style. Furthermore I would to inculcate in myself the ability to accept my mistakes to ensure credibility. I would want to make sure that I am not so pushy when it comes to making members work. Knowing the difference between too much work and the required amount of work is the ability that I would want to inculcate as a leader. Instead of being authoritative and demanding all the time, I would want to be more considerate and appealing. A successful leader does not only need to involve his brain in his work but his heart and soul to ensure the team is delivering (Gallos, 2008). In addition, I also want to be able to motivate my team so that they remain interested in their work. At present, I lack the skill to maintain my team’s enthusiasm. Therefore in order to be a successful leader, the gaps between the leader I am and the leader I want to be need to be closed. Firstly in order to remain focused, what needs to be done is to set a goal and then study the process required to achieve that goal. Every task needs to be subdivided to make it simpler and understandable to the team members. Next I need to improve my listening skills. It is important to make the team members realize that they are being heard and their ideas being considered. Only then will they continue to effectively participate in decision making. In order to do this, I first need to stay alert in posture and facial expression (Credit Research Foundation). Second, I have to try to avoid distraction in order to pay attention to what my team is saying. Participation from both the leader and the team in decision making is critical to leadership success therefore participative decision making should be welcomed (Nahavandi, 2008). Furthermore, to keep my team interested and passionate about a certain project, I need to remain creative. I need to be able to welcome new ways of doing the old job. I also have to learn to take risks so that as a team, we can come across new ideas making our work highly productive. It is important for a leader to welcome changes (Yukl, 1981). The main idea behind this is to discourage team members from fearing to make mistakes because only through risk and mistakes will the team learn and it is the responsibility of the leader to ensure that his team learns while performing. Also, I have to understand the capacity of each individual in my team. It is necessary that I know who is strong in what area and therefore allow each member to enhance his particular skill by working on a task he is good at. Moreover, to keep my team motivated I have to give them challenging work to allow them to grow (Credit Research Foundation). Positive reinforcement through compliments and recognition greatly enhances their morale. Recognizing an individual’s accomplishments stimulates in them a positive attitude towards their leader and their job. In order to prevent my team from taking advantage of my flexibility, I have to constantly remind them of the rules that need to be followed and also develop a habit of strictly dealing with them when necessary. In case of misconduct, I have to talk to the individual privately rather than making things worse by insulting him amidst other team members. Individual empowerment is another action element that can fulfill the gaps between the leader I am and the leader I would like to be. Empowerment refers to an individual’s complete control over his task. He needs to complete his assignment within a certain period and is accountable to the leader. However, how he accomplishes his task is for him to decide. This self autonomy gives an individual the confidence to take risks and decisions based on his own experience and abilities. It takes time to build an effective team under strong and successful leadership. Consequently it becomes a leader’s job to implement each action item at regular intervals to enhance his leadership effectiveness and the team’s productivity. Goal setting is the first action item in the leadership plan. As soon as a task is assigned, the leader should set a goal and prioritize the work. Goal setting is a major milestone and therefore careful attention should be given while defining goals and designing work break down structure. The time required for this action item may vary from project to project. Nonetheless, since it plays a pivotal role, at least two weeks should be devoted to goal setting. Next I need to alter my personal characteristics. Leadership is not only about changing the way others should work but also changing oneself to prove to be influential (Clawson, 2005).   Another week is required for me to train myself to maintain a strict aura so that team members are fully aware of their liberties. Individual empowerment requires another two weeks as it takes time to understand if members are capable of taking decisions on their own without constant guidance. Furthermore, I may also allocate another week to improve my listening skills while getting know my team mates. This week will allow me to understand their background and previous work experience. Positive reinforcement through constant feedback, involvement, monetary and non-monetary rewards is implemented throughout the time period during which a task is being accomplished. Also, it is during the process that the leader should search and explore to find out ways of motivating the team. Specific programs such as team involvement programs that allow the members to give in their feedback on concerned issues are introduced at constant intervals throughout the learning process. Therefore there is not specific deadline allocated to this action item aimed at improving leadership effectiveness. It is essential to realize there can be no specific deadline for each action item and that most of these activities are carried out simultaneously and hence one activity may be overlapping the other during a certain time period. A successful or effective leadership strategy therefore integrates a leader’s personal characteristics with his ability to adapt to his team’s requirements. A leadership strategy is successful only when it is received positively by the team and the team is influenced to work towards the achievement of the goal or objectives. Moreover, a leadership strategy is successful not only when the objectives are achieved but also when the output is of the highest quality and both the team and leader are satisfied with the end result.    References Clawson, J.G. (2005) Level Three Leadership 3 rd Edn. Prentice Hall. Credit Research Foundation. (n.d.).Improving Your Leadership Skills .Retrieved on July 22, 2008 from http://www.crfonline.org/orc/ca/ca-2.html.    ETD (n.d.). Leadership Effectiveness Model (n.d.). Retrieved on July 21, 2008 from http://www.ldi.umd.edu/LDIpages/model.htm Gallos, J.V. (2008) Business Leadership: A Jossey-Bass Reader (The Jossey-Bass Business and Management Reader Series). 2 nd Edn, Jossey-Bass. Nahavandi, A. (2008) Art and Science of Leadership. 5th Edn, Prentice Hall. Robbins, S.P. Judge, T.A.(2008). Organizational Behavior. 13th Edn. Tichy, N.M. Devana, M.A. (1997) Transformational Leader.2 nd Edn, Wiley. Yukl, G.A. (1981). Leadership in Organizations 1st Edn. Prentice Hall.

Concepts Of Effective Communication Management Essay

Concepts Of Effective Communication Management Essay Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW In the literature review section, the opening part will be about the concepts of communication and effective communication in an organisation along with a brief overview about the principles of effective communication. Next are the models of communication which will be elaborated with the help of various authors and from academic journals. Following that, the main theories of the types of communication, communication channels and communications systems will be discussed and compared with reference to the local authority. Furthermore, the purpose of communication in an organisation will be disseminated. In addition, the benefits of effective communication will be discussed along with the different costs encountered in communicating through the different levels. The literature review will help to formulate the research questions as well as to establish a relevant methodology to carry out the research. 2.1 Definition of Communication Work needs communication. Communication in every organisation is the way people get their work done and get recognised for their contributions. As such, people at BRDC will communicate to plan services, coordinate manufacturing and delivery, hire, train, motivate employees and so on. According to Tyson and Jackson (1997), The problem is in the definition of the word communication. It covers a great deal and includes not only the actual words used, but, also, the tone of voice, pitch situation in which it takes place and so on. Despites these difficulties, some ideas that convey a fairly good picture of what communication is all about are proposed by different authors. Communication is a process in which people who occupy differing environments exchange messages in a specific context via one or more channels and often respond to each others messages through verbal and nonverbal feedback. (Alder, R.B., Elmhorst, J.M., 1996) Similarly, Baskin and Aronoff (1980) have defined communication as the exchange of messages between people to achieve shared meanings. According to Carell et al, (1995), Communication is the glue that binds various elements, coordinates activities, allows people to work together and produces results. Cole (1993), on the other hand, defines communication as the process of creating, transmitting and interpreting ideas, facts, opinions and feelings. It is a process that is essentially a sharing one an interchange between two or more persons. As defined by the authors, by using different means of communication, information and meaning can be transferred between senders and receivers. Communication in organisation is therefore a study of the exchange of words and meanings as the people within and outside these establishments work towards achieving organisational objectives. 2.2 Effective Communication According to Roberts, J. (2009), effective communication is the passing of the right message or information to the right person, in the right way, at the right time, and with the right effect, impact and outcome. Effective communication is a two-way process sending the right message, which is also being correctly received and understood by the other person/s. Effective communication is the key factor to successful management. The principles of effective communication can be reviewed using two approaches namely, the ABC approach and the Seven Cs. 2.2.1 The ABC approach Accuracy This implies that the information conveyed must be as accurate as possible since people can interpret it in different ways. It is important to set communication in some form to allow for variations of information. However, being accurate is not always easy and recipient needs to be aware of its limitations. Brevity This means being concise and therefore the message can be identified and understood. This helps the recipient as arguments do not get lost in a clutter of unnecessary words. However, one must stick to the point as wander off in other areas may cause confusion. Clarity This is achieved through the use of the right language. The audience needs to be considered carefully. Locker, O.K and Kaczmarek, S.K (2007), believes that audiences pay attention to messages only if they seem important, relevant and interesting. However, this includes what language, explanations and examples will make sense to the audience. 2.2.2 The Seven Cs Clear Meaningful language is needed to avoid ambiguity and the messages must be communicated in a way which can be easily understood by the audience. Therefore, words and phrases need to be chosen with care. Concise Brevity, compatible with the complexity of the information to be conveyed and the necessary style and tone, is of the essence. Messages should be free from all elaboration and superfluous detail. Correct The information has to be correct. However, staff at BRDC should check for errors, especially in figures, names and addresses. Courteous In any form of communication, it pays to consider it as a personal address to the recipients. Employees should be polite and use friendly language rather than formal officialese which is a barrier to communication. Complete The communication should fully convey the message, leaving as far as possible nothing out. Audience will be aware that they have everything they need. Consistent The flow of language is considerably helped by consistency of use, such as standardising the person and tense, and sticking to a particular style and tone throughout. Convincing Employees should show confidence and commitment in what they communicate, even though there may be times when they do not actually feel them in what they do at work. The Seven Cs considers a wider range of points and is more developed than the ABC approach. 2.3 Communication Theory Framework 1 Mechanistic communication is simply the transmission of information from the first party to the second party. The first party being the sender and the second party being the receiver. Psychological communication is actually the thoughts, feelings of the sender which he tries to share with the recepients. It also includes the reactions, feelings of the receiver after he decodes the information. Social communication is considered as a result of interaction between the sender and the receiver. Communication is directly dependent on the content of the speech. Systemic Communication is actually a new and a different message which is created when various individuals interpret it in their own way and then reinterpret it and draw their own conclusion. Critical Communication is simply a way with the help of which an individual expresses his power and authority among other individuals. To sum up the communication theory suggests that to survive, every living entity, needs to communicate with others and also among themselves. 1 http://www.managementstudyguide.com/communication-theory.htm 2.4 Communication Models There are five most recognised and accepted models of communication. 2.4.1 Aristoles Model of communication Aristotle was the first to take an initiative and design the communication model. Figure 1 Source: Scribd.com models-of-communication According to this model, the speaker plays a key role in communication. The sender first prepares content where he put his thoughts in words with a view to influence the recipients, who would then respond in the senders desired way. The model demonstrates that the speaker communicates in such a way that the listeners get influenced and respond accordingly. 2.4.2 Shannon-Weaver Mathematical Model Shannon designed the most popular of all early communication models. He wanted to guide the efforts of engineers in finding an economical way of transmitting electrical signals between locations. http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/images/Shannon-Weaver%20Model.gif Figure 2 Source: The Mathematical Theory of Communication (Shannon, C. and Weaver, W., 1949) Compared to the Aristotles model, the Shannon-Weaver model is a common communication model used. It is seen as a resemblance of the human communication process. However, it is not analogous to human communication. Mortensen, C.D (1972), believes that the model is only formal, that is, does not account for content. Moreover, he is of the opinion that the Shannon-Weaver communications system is static and also linear. It conceives of a linear and literal transmission of information between locations. 2.4.3 Berlos Model of communication While the Aristotle model of communication puts the speaker in the central position, the Berlos model of communication takes into consideration the emotional aspect of the message. It is an adaptation of the Shannon-Weaver model. Berlos model of communication operates on the SMCR model. In the SMCR model S Source M Message C Channel R Receiver Berlos model of communication Figure 3 Source: The Process of Communication (Berlo, D.K, 1960) This model shows that source is flexible as it includes oral, written, electronic and any other forms of communication. Message was made the central element. Furthermore, it stress that receivers are the targets. The encoding and decoding notion translate thoughts into words and decrypt words of others into terms one can understand. However, it implies that human communication and machine communication are similar and there is manipulation of the message. People misunderstand each other even with the right symbols. With reference to the berlos model of communication, the speaker and the listener must be on a common ground for smooth conversion but this is sometimes not practical in the reality. 2.4.4 Schramms Interactive Model Wilbur Schramm (1954) was the first to modify the mathematical model of Shannon and Weaver. He emphasises that communication is incomplete until the sender receives a feedback from the recipient. Schramm believed that communication is actually a two way process between the first party and the second party. mhtml:file://F:VANDANAHcommunicationsCommunication%20Models.mht!http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/images/Schramms%20Model%202.gif Figure 4 Source: The Process and Effects of Communication (Schramm, W., 1954) Schramm provided additional notion of a field of experience. It includes feedback, context, culture and so on. However, this model accounts for only mutal communication between two parties. This model does not account for multiple levels of communication between several sources. According to Schramm model of communication when a sender passes on the information to the receiver, the latter must interpret it in the desired form and give him the feedback or respond accordingly. The communication is not complete and thus ineffective if the sender does not get the feedback. 2.4.5 Dances Helical Spiral Another important model of communication is the Helical Model of communication which was proposed by Frank Dance in 1967 to throw some more light on communication process. This model understands communication in a birds eye perspective and considers almost all the activities of an individual. mhtml:file://F:VANDANAHcommunicationsCommunication%20Models.mht!http://www.shkaminski.com/Classes/images/Helical%20Model.gif Figure 5 Source: www.shkaminski.com- communication model Mortensen: As a heuristic device, the helix is interesting not so much for what it says as for what it permits to be said. Chapanis (1961), on the other hand, called sophisticated play: The helix signals that communication is continuous unrepeatable, additive, and accumulative. In short, the helix emphasises the integrated aspects of human communication as an evolving process. However, helical model of communication may not be a model at all as there are too few variables. The model leaves unanswered questions. 2.4.6 Westley and MacLeans Conceptual Model Unlike Frank Dance, Westley and MacLean believed that communication does not start from day one but begins when the speaker receives signals from his external surroundings. This model pertains to a strong relation between the signals from the surroundings and the communication process. The process of communication begins with receiving messages rather than sending messages. Events may sometimes unintentionally occur and signals is received accidentally. (Receives message)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Environment-Sender-then sends message (Communication starts)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Figure 6 Source: www.managementstudyguide.com/westley-maclean-model-of-communication The model accounts for feedback, a sensory field, non-binary interactions and different modes. Westley and MacLeans model describes more variables in the communication interaction. However, it is still two-dimensional. It can therefore be concluded that the six models of communication are all initiatives by great scholars to simplify and help in better understanding of the communication process. 2.5 Types of Communications No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. Organisations have recourse to two types of communication namely, Verbal Non-verbal communication. 2.5.1 Verbal Communication Anderson, H. et al (2004) states verbal communication implies that information has been transmitted through speech. In verbal communication words are involved. According to Boolaky, M. and Gokhool, D., (2006) verbal communication is further divided into: Oral Communication Written Communication Oral Communication In the communication process, oral communication refers to spoken words. It can either be a conversation over the phone or face-to-face communication or on the voice chat on the Internet. At the BRDC, oral communication is vital as it is easier to get feedback by observing facial expressions and asking questions and provides more opportunity to get attention and keeping interest. However, Desmonds W. Evans (1990) argued that Oral communication is volatile, that is, major decisions cannot be recorded and thus cannot be saved for future reference. Written Communication In contrary, written communication can be either via emails, letters, faxes, reports, memos and so on. The advantages are that highly technical topics can be presented using words and diagrams and provides a permanent record that can be referred to from time to time or passed on to others. However, Kushal, S.J and Ahuja, S., (2010) argues that written communication is unfit for uneducated person, it is a wastage of time, delays feedback and no clue about real intentions and emotions. They further discuss that to ensure effectiveness of written communication, it should be short and simple, complete, avoid jargons and so on. 2.5.2 Non Verbal Communication Actions speak louder than words. Kaye, M. (1994) Fromkin and Rodman (1983) suggest that up to 90 per cent of the communication process takes place non-verbally. Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) defined non-verbal communication as the interpersonal process of sending and receiving information, both intentionally and unintentionally, without using written or verbal message. He further stress that non-verbal communication is vital as it helps to strengthen a verbal message. In contrast to verbal communication, non- verbal communication includes overall body language of the person who is speaking, which will include the body posture, the hand gestures, and overall body movements. It can also be in the form of pictorial representations, signboards, or even photographs, sketches and paintings. Kushal, S.J and Ahuja, S., (2010) states that non-verbal communication are reliable, efficient, helps establish credibility and leadership potential, accurate understanding of attitudes. However, they argues that there is lack of secrecy, useful for small pieces of information, gestures can be misunderstood, it is necessary for both parties to face each other, lack of written proof, more difficult to study and fails to discuss past events and ideas. Verbal and Non- verbal communication are important in an organization. BRDC must ensure the effectiveness of the types of communication as there are both advantages and drawbacks. 2.6 Communication Channels Communication is now done through variety of channels ranging from nonverbal signals to very sophisticated communication media and technology. The communication that takes place in the organisation can be categorised as formal and informal. Formal communication can take place in two ways: Vertical Horizontal 2.6.1 Vertical Communication It moves between individuals at different levels in an organisation (Taylor, 2005). Vertical communication in classical management hierarchy can be: Upward Downward Upward Communication It refers to information flow from the lower levels of a hierarchy to the upper levels. Employees use this channel to communicate suggestions, grievances and progress of work (Boolaky and Gokhool, 2006). In addition, Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) pointed that executives can solve problems and make intelligent decisions. It is good to taking feedback on policies and takes corrective action. However, it does not transfer realistic message. Downward Communication Information flows from a higher level to a lower level in a hierarchy. Management uses this channel to inform employees about policies, plans, job instructions and feedback (Boolaky Gokhool, 2006). The advantages of downward communication are that it is appropriate for giving instructions and ensures that everyone is working towards goals and objectives. On the other side of the coin, information can be distorted as it goes down and there is lack of openness between managers and employees 2.6.2 Horizontal Communication Horizontal communication is both task related and informal and occurs between people on equal footing in the hierarchy (Postmes, 2003). Further, Taylor, S. (2005) stress the need of employees to corporate and share. It can take various forms like meetings, face to face exchange, group discussions and telephone conversations. Its objectives are coordination, cooperation and integration. Informal communication as defined by Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) is referred to as the grapevine that encompasses all communication that takes place outside the formal network. Similarly, in the words of Thill and Bovee, The informal communication network carries information along the organisations unofficial lines of activity and power. Kushal, S.J and Ahuja, S., (2010) proposes some advantages of formal communication such as it is dynamic, speedy communication as no formal line of communication exist, multi-dimension as topic of communication varies and it is supplementary to formal channels. The authors however debated that informal communication results in distortion of communication as it carries half-truths and rumours. There is also the existence of erratic message. It can be deduced that the channels of communication in an organization will depends on the structure of the organization. 2.7 Communication Systems Communication systems can be divided into those using an intranet, those using the written word such as newsletters, circulars, and notice-boards, memo, fax, and those using oral methods such as meetings, briefing groups and, telephone amongst others. (Armstrong, 2006) Communications through an intranet system Organisations are increasingly relying on an internal e-mail system (the intranet) to communicate information, especially in workplaces where all or most of the employees have direct or indirect access to a computer. The advantage of intranet communications is that they can be transmitted swiftly to a wide audience and thus saves a lot of time. Fax messages Similarly to the intranet system, a fax machine is relatively inexpensive. Fax transmits and receives any kind of message- handwritten, printed, diagrams, photographs. It takes only seconds to transmit a fax message, depending on the length of the document. Due to its versatility and speed, it is often used between divisions or branches of the same company instead of telephone or memos. Circular letters A Circular letter is one that is sent out to many people at the same time. The letter may be prepared once and then duplicated. It is sent for the following reasons: Inform staff of new policy matters Announce opening of a new office/branch Notice-boards Notice-boards are used to bring special items to the attention of all staff. It is an obvious but frequently misused medium for communications. The biggest danger is allowing boards to be cluttered up with uninteresting or out-of-date material. Its advantage is that a written record of the message is kept. Memos It is a written communication from one person to another or a group of people within the same organization. Its purpose is to remind someone of action required, request decisions actions and provide information of any kind. Telephone Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to one another. In any organisation the person on the phone represents the company and gives an impression of the company to the outside world. Meetings Meetings enable face to face contact of a number of people at the same time. They provide a useful opportunity for sharing information, making suggestions and proposals, taking decision and obtaining instant feedback. 2.8 Purposes of Communication The main purposes of communication in organisation are as follows: Organisational Communication Express feelings and emotions Achieve coordinated action Share information Organisation goals Task directive Results of efforts Decision making Source: adapted from Moorhead and Griffin (1992) 2.9 Benefits of Effective Communication Taylor (2005) argues that if organisations want to be successful in todays world, good communication at all levels is essential. The benefits that can be achieved are: Stronger decision-making and problem solving Upturn in productivity Convincing and compelling corporate materials Clearer, more streamlined workflow Enhanced professional image Sound business relationships Successful response ensured In addition, Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) found that effective communication strengthens the connection between a company and all those groups affected in some way by the companys actions. 2.10 Barriers to effective communication Maini Morrel-Samuels (2006, p.38) establish that most large organizations are plagued by serious communication problem, the difficulties are especially prominent in large organisations where precise collaboration is critical. Robbins (1998) identifies the following barriers to effective communication: Filtering, selective perception, defensiveness and language. Filtering Filtering refers to sender manipulating information so that the receiver will see it more favourably. Filtering also takes place between the supervisor and the manager, and in fact, from one level to the next. Selective perception Selective perception takes place when the receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivation, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. Receivers of information also associate their interests and expectations into communication as they decode them. Defensiveness Defensiveness occurs when people try to defend their position because of certain threats. They have a tendency to engage in such behaviours as verbally attacking others, making sarcastic remarks, being overly judgmental, and questioning others motives. Therefore, when individuals interpret anothers message as threatening they often respond in ways that blur effective communication. Language Words and term means different thing to different people. Age, education and cultural background are three of the more obvious variables that influence the language a person uses and the definition he or she gives to words. In an organisation, employees usually come from different backgrounds and therefore have different patterns of speech. In addition to Robbins, Taylor (2005) suggests the following barriers to communication: Emotional responses Communication cannot succeed if a person is highly emotional about the topic concerned. Problems may arise from insecurity, fear, anger. If emotions are high on the part of the sender or recipient, then it would be better to wait for a while before trying to put the message. Systems In any organizations there should be prescribed procedures for getting messages to the people who need them. Without such systems there can be no effective communication. Courtland, L.B, et al (2010), on the other hand, point out the following: Competing messages One must compete with other messages that are trying to reach the audience at the same time. It is essential to come up with messages that the audience will care about as any messages that are more compelling can pull the audiences attention away. 2.11 Trends in communication Todays world has developed rapidly from an industrial age to an information age. Owing to technological advancement, methods of working and composition of groups are affected. In the words of Courtland, L.B, et al (2010), todays business rely heavily on technology to facilitate the communication process. However, they argued that the benefits of technology are not automatic. Inappropriate used technology can hinder communication. Traditionally, communications in business were hierarchical with messages being passed up and down the chain, often with secretaries acting as a filter between managers and staff (Taylor, 2005). Network has now replaced the hierarchical model with email, every member of staff is able to communicate directly with everyone else. Information can therefore be distributed more efficiently around the organisation. It can be deduced that changes in organisational forms have made communication increasingly important to overall functioning of the organisation. However, technology is not a replacement but only a tool to help communication to take place effectively. 2.12 Ethical Communication According to Werner David Management is in essence the act of communication, for management processes are linked to the receipt of information and its valid interpretation which results in effective decision making. A perception of ethical foundation is essential for those employed in communication. A variety of theories exist that link organisation communication with its ethical underpinning. Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) is of the opinion that to ensure ethical communication, three elements are required namely, ethical company leadership, ethical individuals and policies and structures to support employees to make ethical choices. Moreover, they pointed out that these three elements need to work in harmony. The authors further argued that unethical communication can manipulate audiences in ways such as plagiarism, omitting essential information, selective misquoting, misrepresenting numbers, distorting visuals, failing to respect privacy. Ethical communication is true in every sense. Many organisation establish ethics policy by providing a written code of ethics to help employees determine what is acceptable. For example, at BRDC, employers establish clear ethical guidelines and detailed code of conduct addressing areas like health and safety, protection of the organisations assets and information, conflicts of interest and so on. 2.13 Contemporary issue in communication 2.13.1 Cross-Cultural communication Courtland, L.B, et al (2010) defined cross-cultural communication as the process of sending and receiving messages between people whose cultural backgrounds could lead them to interpret verbal and non-verbal signs differently. Munter (1993) come forward with the difficulties in cross-cultural communication like barriers caused by semanties, connotations, tone differences, differences among perceptions. Adler (1991), on the other hand, as reported by Robbins (1998), provides the following recommendations; assume differences until similarity proven, emphasis description rather than interpretation, practice empathy and treat interpretation as a working hypothesis. In every organisation, culture influences the sending and receiving of messages. Therefore, to communicate effectively, BRDC need to grasp cultural differences and handle them to open up opportunities throughout the world. Moreover, BDRC will be able to maximize the contributions of staff in a diverse workforce.

Tort, Negligence and Nuisance Claims :: Tort Law

A number of aspects of liability rise from this case study and each one will be discussed. With regards to the headaches suffered by Karl, it is necessary to look at private nuisance. Negligence is disregarded as it is assumed from the details in the case study that the headaches suffered are not so serious as to cause personal injury, it is just described as ‘mere discomfort’. Such a claim under the law of nuisance requires three factors to be fulfilled. The first being a continuous interference. This is shown in De Keyser’s Royal Hotel v Spicer Bros Ltd (1914) 30 TLR 257. From the case study one can assume that it is a continuing interfering act and not a one off. Secondly, the interference must be unlawful or unreasonable. This is up to the claimant to prove. The rule for this is sic utere tuo ut alienum non laedas (So use your own property as not to injure your neighbour's). The locality in this instance reflects the unreasonableness of Jane’s actions. It occurred in a residential area and therefore such Gases were not to be expected. The duration of the act will also be taken into account. Because Jane is a young inventor it is assumed her work is an ongoing process and not a one off as explained above. The seriousness is also considered. In Walter v Selfe (1851), Knight-Bruce V C said â€Å"an inconvenience materially interfering with the ordinary comfort physically of human existence, not merely according to elegant or dainty modes and habits of living, but according too the plain sober and simple notions among the English people.† This shows Jane’s actions would be deemed unreasonable, heightened by the fact that the incident occurred in a housing area, not an industrial estate. The sensitivity of the defendant, the utility of his conduct and a malicious aspect may be also discussed but this is not relevant in this case. Thus the second aspect of unlawful or unreasonable interference is established.

The Artificial Family :: essays research papers

"The Artificial Love" In Anne Tyler’s "The Artificial Family," the personality and character of three individuals are revealed: Toby, Mary and Samantha. The story has no real resolution and seems to end where it began. The characters learn and unlearn by the time the story is complete. There is no long introduction or development of the characters; the characters develop throughout the short story. Tyler uses immediate dialogue making the story even more intriguing for the reader as well as writing simply; this style is ironic due to the intensity of the plot. The author makes it seem like a simple story about two individuals who rush into a relationship only to have it fall apart. However, the plot is much more intense than this. There are two main themes of "The Artificial Family," love and communication. The conflict is between Toby and his wife Mary. Toby learns to love but does not ever learn how to communicate this love in a positive way with his wife. Another title that would work for this story would be "The Artificial Love." The second theme is the importance of positive communication. Mary never communicated her seriousness about her feelings between Toby and Samantha. She shared there was a problem but chose not to deal with that problem. She left Toby without even discussing their problems with him. Toby never seemed to initiate any interest in his wife’s needs. He never asked her why she felt as she did. He just said he did not see a problem. The story begins with Mary's first words to Toby in their introduction to each other; "Did you know I have a daughter?" (400) This sets the focus of both of the characters into place. The daughter, Samantha, seems to be the neutral character in the story who not only ties the two main characters together but is used to separate them as well. Toby is presented as a young college student who is in graduate school on scholarships. He is studying science and seems easy going. He is simple but not a flat character. He starts out not knowing love and ends the story knowing broken love. He learns what it means to love but has not learned what it means to be a husband. In the relationship, he was more of a friend to the two rather than a dad and husband. I do not think he ever saw fault but rather felt pity that she left him.