Cross-Culture Management - the Breakdown of Industrial Relations at HM Term Paper

Cross-Culture Management - the Breakdown of Industrial Relations at HMSI and HRM Strategy - Term Paper Example This outcome resulted due to the malfunction of both management as well as the workers. The ultimate effect was on the breakdown of the Industrial Relations. The failure of the company stemmed from a breakdown of strategic sustenance. The environment on the shop floor was made harsh by the behaviour of the top executives. For instance, the VP from Japan kicked off a worker in his leg, another worker was not allowed to go to the toilet. These instances show the failure of following the HR strategies which was to have respect for each worker stemmed from equality, trust and initiative. The strategy was to avoid partiality on workers but the scenario was formed as such that it violated the norms of this strategy (Saini, â€Å"People Management Fiasco in Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd.†). Among the three joys that the company provided, the most important one was the joy of producing high-quality products. Along with these joys, an extension was made to its mission and that was the joy of creating which was to help workers obtain happiness in their daily work. Somewhere justice was not provided to the workers due to the prevalence of cross-cultural issues (Saini, â€Å"People Management Fiasco in Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd.†). Management of the above cross-cultural issues is essential to a firm’s success but the most important trait of an organizational success is the communication portrayed at the right time in the right form. The communication approach leads to a reduction of trade union violence within the  companies.  

Fast food industry Essay Example for Free

Fast food industry Essay Fast food industry has been in existence for the past years. The growing popularity of the industry gave way for many businessmen to put up many branches or chains in different parts of the country. This leads to the birth of fast food chains, by which Jollibee, McDonalds, KFC, Mang Inasal, Chowking, WOK Express and Greenwich are few examples. People prefer to go into fast food chains not just because of their food preference but because they serve their customer in a quick manner. Since their products are in demand to the customers, they need to maintain a specific level of inventory in order to respond to the needs of their customers. Because of the unpredictable demand of customers, management of fast food chains is struck in a dilemma of ordering the right level of their raw materials for production. That is why it is important that fast food chains know the policies in determining their inventory level or size. The size of inventory stocked by fast food chains depends on forecasted requirements and product popularity as demanded. Inventory shortage or erratic delivery of ingredients for production can prevent the manufacturer from completion of its finished products. The importance of the study includes knowing if low or high level of inventory will have great effects on production of fast food industry. Studying the inventory levels of fast food chains and their effects on production will allow the researchers to venture more into the depth of the inventory process of each business.

How Communication Theory Has Emerged Cultural Studies Essay

How Communication Theory Has Emerged Cultural Studies Essay Communication has been defined in many aspects but central to all these definitions is the expression that communication is the process in which relationships are established, maintained, modified, or terminated through the increase or reduction of meaning. This allows us to examine the process of communication in a way which includes the relateds and how they are always affected as objects which become subjects, affecting and being affected, as well as the changes in meaning and in messages which become filled or voided of meaning as the process, and those related to it, constantly change. Consequently, arguments have been put forward that communication is education, that it is the church. that it is incarnation, and that it is Christianity. While each of these connections contain helpful insights, in a sense, communication is a constituent of everything. The history of communication dates back to prehistory, with significant changes in communication technologies (media and appropriate inscription tools) evolving in tandem with shifts in political and economic systems, and by extension, systems of power. Currently, at least seven major traditions of communication theory can be distinguished, rhetoric being the oldest. From classical rhetoric comes the idea that communication can be studied and cultivated as a practical art of discourse. Whereas the art of rhetoric still refers primarily to the theory and practice of public, persuasive communication, the communication arts more broadly encompass the whole range of communication practices including interpersonal, organizational, and cross-cultural communication, technologically mediated communication, and practices specific to various professions and fields. Modern rhetorical theory has elaborated and problematized the epistemological, sociological, and political dimensions of the class ical tradition in ways that further contribute to communication theory. Consequently, rhetoric performs a variety of different functions as it can be adapted to the different ends of moving, instructing, or pleasing an audience. A second tradition of communication theory, originated in its modern form by Locke, is semiotics, the study of signs. Semiotic theory conceptualizes communication as a process that relies on signs and sign systems to mediate across the gaps between subjective viewpoints. For semiotic theory, communication problems result from barriers to understanding that arise from the slippage between sign-vehicles (physical signs such as spoken or written words, or graphic images) and their meanings, the structure of sign systems, and particular ways of using (or misusing) signs. Distinct traditions of semiotics grew from the pre Christian era as evidenced by Ancient Egypt cave paintings and symbol writings. General Semiotics tends to be formalistic, abstracting signs from the contexts of use whereas Social Semiotics takes the meaning-making process. As such, Social Semiotics is more closely associated with discourse analysis, multimedia analysis, educational research, cultural anthropology, poli tical sociology, e.t.c. We therefore do not exist independently of signs, with our essentially real personal identities and subjective viewpoints, but use signs in order to communicate. We exist meaningfully only in and as signs. A third, phenomenological tradition conceptualizes communication as the experience of self and other in dialogue. The problem of communication for phenomenology, as for semiotics, is that of a gap between subjective viewpoints: One cannot directly experience another consciousness, and the potential for inter-subjective understanding is thereby limited. The two traditions approach this problem in quite different ways, however. Whereas semiotics looks to the mediational properties of signs, phenomenology looks to the authenticity of our ways of experiencing self and other. The basis for communication lies in our common existence with others in a shared world that may be constituted differently in experience. Authentic dialogue requires open self-expression and acceptance of difference while seeking common ground. Barriers to communication can arise from self-unawareness, non-acceptance of difference, or strategic agendas that preclude openness to the other. This hermeneutic phenomenolo gy influenced subsequent existentialist, hermeneutic, and poststructuralist theories that have emphasized the constitutive properties of dialogue. Dialogue, in these theories, is not a essentially a sharing of pre-existing inner meanings; it is engagement with others to negotiate meaning. Fourth, a cybernetic tradition of communication theory grew from the mid-twentieth century. This is actually one of the newest traditions of communication theory, although, as we have noted, it was the first communication theory explicitly named and widely known as such. Cybernetics conceptualizes communication as information processing. All complex systems, including computers and telecommunication devices, DNA molecules and cells, plants and animals, the human brain and nervous system, social groups and organizations, cities, and entire societies, process information, and in that sense communicate. Cybernetic theory downplays the differences between human communication and other kinds of information processing systems. Information storage, transmission, and feedback, network structures, and self-organizing processes occur in every sufficiently complex system. Problems of communication can arise from conflicts among subsystems or glitches in information processing like positive feed back loops that amplify noise. Second-order cybernetics reflexively includes the observer within the system observed and emphasizes the necessary role of the observer in defining, perturbing, and, often in unpredictable ways, changing a system by the very act of observing it. Social psychology, a fifth tradition of communication theory, conceptualizes communication as social interaction and influence. Communication always involves individuals with their distinctive personality traits, attitudes, beliefs, and emotions. Social behavior both displays the influence of these psychological factors and modifies them as participants influence each other, often with little awareness of what is happening. Influence can be essentially a transmission process from source to receiver. If, however, interaction reciprocally changes the participants and leads to collective outcomes that would not otherwise have occurred, communication becomes a constitutive social process. Whether conceived on a transmission or a constitutive model, the problem of communication from a socio-psychological perspective is how to manage social interaction effectively in order to achieve preferred and anticipated outcomes. This requires an understanding, solidly grounded in scientific theory a nd research, of how the communication process works. Social scientific communication research has always been closely identified with social psychology. Sociocultural communication theory, which derives from twentieth century sociological and anthropological thought, is a sixth tradition. Sociocultural theory conceptualizes communication as a symbolic process that produces and reproduces shared meanings, rituals, and social structures. That is, society exists not only by using communication as a necessary tool for transmitting and exchanging information. To communicate as a member of society is to participate in those coordinated, collective activities and shared understandings that constitute society itself. There is a tension in socio-cultural theory between approaches that emphasize macro-social structures and processes and those that emphasize micro-social interaction. On the macro side, structural and functionalist views emphasize the necessary role of stable social structures and cultural patterns in making communication possible. On the micro side, interactionist views emphasize the necessary role of communication as a process that creates and sustains social structures and patterns in everyday contexts of social interaction. From either view, communication involves the coordination of activities among social actors, and communication problems are directly manifested in difficulties and breakdowns of coordination. Communication problems have apparently become more pressing and difficult under modern conditions of societal diversity, complex interdependence, and rapid change. A reasonable conjecture from a socio-cultural point of view is that communication theory developed in modern society as a way of understanding and addressing this new condition in which communication seems to be at once the disease that causes most of our social problems, and the only possible cure. A seventh tradition of communication theory is the critical tradition that defines communication as a reflexive, dialectical discourse essentially involved with the cultural and ideological aspects of power, oppression, and emancipation in society. Dialectic, like its counterpart rhetoric, was first conceptualized in ancient Greece. In the philosophical practice of Socrates as portrayed in Platos Dialogues, dialectic was a method of argumentation through question and answer that, by revealing contradictions and clarifying obscurities, led the interlocutors to higher truth. The dialectical materialism of Karl Marx (1818-1883) initiated the modern conception of dialectic as an inherently social process connecting political economy to cultural practice. In orthodox Marxist theory, ideology and culture were determined by class interests, and dialectic at the level of ideas primarily reflected the underlying struggle between economic classes. The goal of critical theory is then to promote emancipation and enlightenment by lifting ideological blinders that otherwise serve to perpetuate ignorance and oppression. Communication is systematically distorted by power imbalances that affect participation and expression, and critical theory can serve emancipatory interests by reflecting upon the sources of systematically distorted communication. Recent movements in the critical tradition such as postmodernism and critical cultural studies tend to reject both Marxist economic determinism as well as Habermass universalistic ideal of communicative action, but continue to conceptualize communication in ways that emphasize ideology, oppression, critique, and reflexivity. Postmodernist cultural critique primarily addresses ideological discourses of race, class, and gender that suppress differences, preclude or devalue the expression of certain identities, and limit cultural diversity. In postmodernist theory, ideal communication is not, as it was for Plato, a dialectical discourse that leads the way to higher, universal truths. Postmodernism nevertheless implies a similar model of communication: that of a dialectical (that is, critical) discourse that can, if only in limited ways, liberate the participants and expand human possibilities. Other than the seven traditions of communication theory, there are a number of modern theories which have greatly influenced mass communication. Communication can range from very subtle processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. In the modern era, mass media plays a big role as a result of technological advancement. Propagated through mass media are a number of theories. Agenda setting theory describes a very powerful influence of the media   the ability to tell us what issues are important. Agenda setting postulates that communication has two main elements; awareness and information. Therefore in the public discourse, communication via mass media exerts its influence on public perception of various issues. These may range from politics, economy, and other public matters. Nonetheless, the theory is based on reasoning that: the press and the media do not reflect reality; they filter and shape it; media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the pu blic to perceive those issues as more important than other issues. Agenda-setting theory therefore seems quite appropriate to help us understand the pervasive role of the media (for example on political communication systems). Another notable viewpoint of mass communication in the modern times is the Uses and Gratification theory. This theory explains the uses and functions of the media for individuals, groups, and society in general. In order to explain how individuals use mass communication to gratify their needs, it seeks to: Establish what people do with the medial; discover underlying motives for individualsmedia use; identify the positive and the negative consequences of individual media use. At the core of uses and gratifications theory lies the assumption that audience members actively seek out the mass media to satisfy individual needs. Consequently, a medium will be used more when the existing motives to use the medium leads to more satisfaction. The seven traditional theories and the two exemplified mass communication theories include the most prominent intellectual sources that currently influence communication theory but do not, of course, cover the field exhaustively. Ideas about communication are too numerous, diverse, and dynamically evolving to be captured entirely by any simple scheme. The field could certainly be mapped in other ways that would distinguish the main traditions differently. Moreover, no matter how the theories may be defined, they will not be found to have developed independently of one another. Contemporary theory draws from all of the traditions in various ways but is often hard to classify neatly in any one of them. Blends and hybrid varieties are common. Poststructuralist theory, for example, draws from both semiotics and phenomenology, is often regarded as a kind of rhetorical theory, and has significantly influenced recent socio-cultural and critical theory. Similarly, traces of every other tradi tion of communication theory can be found recent rhetorical theory. The academic discipline of communication studies has become like a cauldron in which ideas from across the traditions of communication theory are mixed and stirred in different combinations to make intellectual stock for current debates. In light of these trends in society, it is not surprising that speech and eventually rhetoric increasingly were thought to fall naturally under the general heading of communication. Beginning in the 1960s, communication gradually displaced speech in the titles of academic departments, professional organizations, and scholarly journals, and the speech curriculum was accordingly transformed around a new focus on the theory and practice of communication. As communication became the accepted name of the field as a whole, communication studies ceased to be identified exclusively with the behavioral and social sciences. Although the old tensions between scientific and humanistic approaches continued in new forms in communication departments, and rhetoric itself rose to prominence as an interdisciplinary field, rhetorical studies became, among other things, a branch of communication studies, and rhetorical theory became a tradition of communication theory.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Essay -- essays research papers

Harriet Beecher Stowe was a high class women, reformer, and writer in the 1800’s. She wrote many anti-slavery documents that helped reform society. You may know her as the writer of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the best-selling book in the 1800’s about how bad slavery was. Because of the encouragement if her husband, Calvin E. Stowe, she became one of the most famous writers, reformers, and abolitionist women of the 1800’s. Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811, in Linchfeild, Connecticut. Her father, Reverend Lyman Beecher, raised her in a strong, religious, abolitionist environment. She was also very well educated. In 1832, she moved to Cincinnati with her father. There she learned about slavery that was taking place in the state underneath her. In 1836, she married Calvin E. Stowe, a collage professor who encouraged her writing, that was soon to make her one of the famous women in American history. A few years later she moved to Maine because her husband was excepted into a college as a professor. Harriet Beecher Stowe is well known for her well written anti-slavery document, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is one of Harriet’s Most potent pieces of writing. It was also the 1800’s best selling book. She may also be known for her other, not so famous, anti-slavery documents known as the following: Dread: the Tale of the Great Dismissal Swamp, The Minister’s Wooing, The Pearl of Orr’s Island, and The Oldtown Folks. These books may n...

Children and Prejudice Essay

Abstract Over the last century, researchers have been debating whether prejudices are inborn in children, researchers then found that children are in fact prejudiced, but debate arises about how they become prejudiced. Some studies suggested that children are born with being prejudiced and that it is innate and natural, where as other studies argue that prejudice behavior are learnt socially off parents, family, peers and the social environment in which they grew up in. Theories have been devised to help explain the prejudice processes of children by in-group and out-group behavior; there is the Developmental Intergroup Theory and the Social Identity Developmental theory. A new debate has been surfacing about the decrease of prejudice at the age of seven and no decrease of prejudice. One Australian study shows consistency with children of American and Canada, but some studies show no racial prejudice towards other races in children. Children and Prejudice. Question of whether children are prejudiced has long been debated. Past and recent researches have found that there are in fact prejudice tendencies in children and that it can be present at the age of three to four years, but it is unclear how children become prejudiced. Definition of prejudice according to Allport (1954) is that prejudice is â€Å"thinking ill of others without sufficient warrant† (As cited in Eagly, xxxx, p. 45) and according to Kosslyn and Rosenberg (2004) prejudice is â€Å"an attitude (generally negative) toward members of a group† (p.G-7). In the course of research on the prejudice of children, there has been debate over the â€Å"relative role of cognition versus environmental-learning factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gutman & Hickson, 1996, p. 448). Several theories have tried to explain the prejudice in children, for example, the Developmental Intergroup Theory (Bigler & Liben, 1996) and the Social Identity Development Theory (Nesdale, Durkin, Maass & Griffiths, 2005). Several measures have been used to measure racial attitudes of children towards other races such as the Preschool Racial Attitudes Measure and the Multiresponse Racial Attitude measure (Aboud, 2003). Less then half a century ago, some social theorists believed that prejudice are inborn in people and that it is inherent and instinctive, it was considered natural to not like people who differ physically and like people who are the similar to one self; but research in the last three decades they have discarded those theories. Researchers are now convinced that children are prejudiced by learning it socially, children observe, and are influenced by the â€Å"existence of patterns in the culture in which they live† (Clark, 1955, p.17). This being that, children believed not to be born with tendencies to be prejudiced but learn it socially by how they live. Consistent with Clark, Bigler and Liben (2007), believes that young children are often seen as being unaffected by the negative biases of adults, but many studies show that prejudice exist by the age of four years old. Allport (1958) states that children start to notice physical characteristics that mark a racial group membership. Like researches above, findings of Kowalski’s (2003) research, they have found that children as young as preschoolers start to have negative attitudes to other racial/out ‘ groups, they have a tendency to say positive statements about same race and negative statements about other races (Aboud, 1987; Aboud & Sherry, 1984, as cited in Kowalski, 2003). Until quite recently, there were differences of opinion concerning the age at which children start to develop and express racial prejudices. According to a recent research of white kindergarten children and African-American children, they show a preference for skin color. These children were asked a few questions and they showed a great awareness of skin color, this finding supports the idea that racial awareness is present as young as the age of three (Clark,1970). Some children as young as three years if age begins to express begin to express racial and religious attitudes similar to those held by adults in their society. The racial and religious attitudes of sixth-graders are barely different from the attitudes of high-school students. There is general agreement that children can be prejudiced, but what factors there is, is unclear. It is debated between environmental-learning and cognition development. Research on cognition development tries explaining prejudice at different ages of cognitive development and the Environmental-learning explains that children and discrimination is not rooted in the child but it is learnt through a social context. According to Allport (1988), children are prejudiced because children â€Å"filter and distort environmental input†, this means children are prejudiced due to the lack of cognitive capacity at a certain age and that children have immature thoughts (As cited in Gutman & Hickson, 1996, p. 448). From the Social/ Environmental Learning theory perspective, racial ideas of children are not concrete, more easily changed, than racial ideas of adults. It is probable; too, that racial attitudes and behavior are learnt off adults. The racial and religious attitudes of a young child may become more positive or more negative as he/she matures, according to the social environment of the child. The direction these attitudes will take form of expression, will be determined by the type of experiences that the child has grown up in (Clark, 1970). In line with Clark (1970), some researchers suggest that children self identify with parents and learn off them (Sinclair, Dun & Lowery, 2004). Social Learning Theory argues that children develop beliefs and behaviors by mimicking off an important model in their life, usually family and peers (Bandura, 1997, as cited in Sinclair, Dunn & Lowery, 2004). Likewise, attachment theory suggests that children internalize their parents’ expectations. Sinclair et al (2004) research provided evidence that parents’ racial attitudes does in fact influence both their children’s implicit and explicit racial prejudice, also their results suggest that children that identify with parents adopt the racial attitudes of their parents more on an implicit than explicit level. In fact parents’ implicit racial attitudes may have a bigger influence on children than their explicit racial attitudes because parents are unaware of implicit biases, it is unconscious and therefore, unable to consciously stop themselves from showing prejudice attitudes. This research also suggests that, parents’ racial attitudes may be particularly influential early in childhood, but peers and other form of social environmental attitudes can influence children more as they get older. Some researchers suggest that the influence of environmental-learning factors, in addition to cognitive factors, be given more serious research consideration. This would mean, for example, taking into account the fact that on the basis of their differing exposure to group information, children form different schemata (cognitive structures containing information about groups e. g. , Bem, 1981). According to Bergen ( ) family affects the development of prejudice in children through modeling, which children observes and imitates important role models, Children around seven to nine years of age can show prejudice behavior without a model, and where as younger children do not understand rules, there fore they look at adult models (Bergen,), also when children adopt their parents prejudices they emotionally emerge with their parents likes and dislikes. Bergen ( ) concluded that a prejudiced child goes through several stages, such as, fear of strangers, racial awareness, identification with in-group, identification with parent’s emotion and total rejections of out-group, and seen later on this is similar to the Social Identity Developmental Theory phase’s. Researchers believe that the Social Learning Theory is weakening; researchers are now turning to the basic cognitive processes of a child’s prejudice behavior (Aboud & Sherry, 1984; Bigler &Liben, 1993). Also, Bigler and Liben (2007) suggest that Social Learning theory does not explain prejudice in children, Social Learning Theory is stating that human behavior is not innate but learnt through important/ appropriate models (Vaughan & Hogg, 2008) . A group norm study used the Social identity-developmental theory, which has four phases. The first one is undifferentiated (two to three years of age) followed by ethnic awareness (ethnic awareness begins at three years old off labeling from parents), and then ethnic preference (the child learns that he or she is apart of a social group) and then ethnic prejudice (children around the age of seven has crystallized attitudes towards certain races, but other research suggest that at this age prejudice decreases) (Nesdale et al, 2005; Nesdale, 2004). In this research, the findings were consistent with the Social Identity-Developmental Theory Children’s prejudice phases, they found that seven year old biases of out-groups are different to those of a younger age and is more stable; Nesdale et al (2005) suggests that children at this age should be a the concrete operational stage, which allows them to have more stable thinking and crystallized. Prejudices towards certain type of people are not known why, children only notice certain cues, for example, gender rather then a handicapped person. Research indicates that young children tend to focus on perceptually outstanding characteristics in a person (perceptional cues being race, gender, age & attractiveness, etc). Children observe the characteristics of physical appearance. They notice perceptual similarities and differences among those who live, work & socialize together. They then gather the social groups they observe which must have been caused by meaningful differences between groups (Bigler & Liben, 2007). The new theoretical model by Bigler and Liben (2007), called the Developmental Intergroup Theory (DIT), tries to establish this classification skills in children that affects stereotyping. This theory is combined by two theories, first being the inter-group theory, which is social identification within a group (Tajfel & Turner, 1986) and second one being the Self-categorization Theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes, Reicher & Wetherall, 1987). Their DIT theory proposes that salience grouping increases in children when adults label groups or group members (Bigler & Liben, 2007 â€Å"Racial prejudice is a predisposition to react favorably to members of a racial group, because of their group affiliation† (Aboud, 1988, p. 48). The majority of child racial prejudice studies have all been researched on children in North America. As stated above one research suggests that children’s prejudice is crystallized at the age of seven and does not decline but other research tends to suggest it does, according to Gutman and Hickson (1996) both can happen because at that age children have more developed mature mind and that because of that it can seem like it decreases because the child has a crystallized conception of a group in their mind. According to Katz (1975) the decrease happen due to social desirability’s and that prejudice is not accepted and according to Aboud (1993) the decline happens because of maturing cognitive development of the child (Augoustinos & Rosewarne, 2001). Ausgosustinos and Rosewarne (2001) results of their research indicated that like the results of North American studies on children, Euro-Australian children in early years of middle school start to show less prejudice towards other groups than the younger children did. North American children prejudices are similar to the children in Australia. Consistent with Doyle and Aboud’s (1995) research on North American children who showed less racial prejudice towards out-groups as they get older can also be seen in Euro-Australian children, they found that older Euro-Australian start to show less racial prejudice towards Aborigines, but as seen later other Australian studies are not consistent with this finding (As cited in Augoustinos & Rosewarne, 2001). Some measures used to measure racial attitudes are the Preschool Racial Attitude Measure (PRAM) and the Multiresponse Racial Attitude (MRA), these look for racial attitudes and preferences in young children and also to find the in-group and out-group attitudes in children. In Aboud’s (1988) finding that the MRA has implications, it goes beyond in finding in-group and out-group results, it doesn’t separate the groups apart and that questions were to open ended and positively worded. Another concern in this field of research is that, overseas research has mainly found that at the age of seven prejudice declines, but some of the findings in Australian studies have found not consistency of declining prejudice at that age. Another problem in Australian studies is that some children do not show bias towards other races (Augoustinos and Reynolds, 2001); this problem could be further looked in future studies. Overall, Aboud’s twenty years (1988) that children are prejudiced and there is general agreement in other researches that children can be prejudiced and that is can start from an early age around three to five years, there is still a debate on whether there are cognitive developmental factors or social learning factors; contemporary researchers are starting to try and explain children and prejudice by using cognitive developmental approaches. There has been debate over weather prejudice declines at seven or are just more implicit and repress because of social undesirability of showing prejudiced behavior. Measures used for researching child prejudice should be looked again and also further studies of child prejudices over different countries as most researches on child prejudice are studied in America and Canada; Perhaps future studies should look at England, Australia and some other multicultural countries in Europe. References Aboud, F. E. (2003). The formation of in-group favoritism and out-group prejudice in young children: Are they distinct attitudes? Developmental Psychology, 39, 48-60. Augoustinos, M. , & Reynolds, K. J. (2001). The development of prejudice in children. D. Garvey (Eds.), Understanding prejudice, racism, and social conflict (pp. 57-73). London: SAGE publications. Augoustinos, M. , & Rosewarne, D. L. (2001). Stereotype knowledge and prejudice in children. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 19, 143-156. Bergen, T. J. (2001). The Development of Prejudice in Children. Education, 122, 154-163. Bigler, R. S. , & Liben. L. S. (2007) Developmental Intergroup Theory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 132-166. Clark, K. B. (1970). The problem of Prejudice. Prejudice and your Child. (pp. 17-24). Boston: Beacon Press. Eagly, A. H. (in press). Prejudice: Toward a more inclusive understanding. In A. H. Eagly, R. M. Baron, & V. L. Hamilton (Eds. ), The social psychology of group identity and social conflict: Theory, application, and practice. Washington, DC: APA Books. Gutman, D. B. , & Hickson, F. (1996). The relationship between racial attitudes and social-cognitive development in children: An Australian study. Developmental Psychology, 12, 448-456. Kosslyn, S. M. , & Rosenberg, R. S. (2004). Psychology (pp. G-7). Sydney: Pearson. Kowalski, K. (2003). The Emergence of Ethnic and Racial Attitudes in Preschool-Aged Children. The Journal of Social Psychology, 143, 677-690. Nesdale, A. R. (2004) Development of Prejudice in Children. In M. Augoustinos & K. Reynolds (Eds), The Psychology of Prejudice and Racism (pp. 1-12), Sage Nesdale, D. , Durkin, K. , Maass, A. , & Griffiths, J. (2005). Group Norm, Threat, and Children’s Racial Prejudice. Child Development, 76, 652-663. Sinclair, S. , Dunn, E. , & Lowery, B. S. (2005). The relationship between parental racial attitudes and children’s implicit prejudice. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41, 283-289. Vaughan, G. M. , & Hogg, M. A. (2008). Aggression. Introduction to Social Psychology (pp. 452-453). Australia: Pearson.

history of america essays

history of america essays In studying the history of Americas development from a colonial nation to the modern world power of today, it is necessary to pay special attention to the several major wars the United States was involved in. These wars varied in severity ranging from minor skirmishes such as the Spanish American war, to more costly conflicts. Costly in terms of money and loss of life, the Civil War, Vietnam, and both World Wars left lasting impressions on the people who endured them. These wars often defined entire generations of Americans. More often than not, everyone alive in each of these major campaigns was somehow affected in the war. Some served in the military, some worked in the factories that made weapons, while others had relatives who actively participated in the war effort. Recently, the topic of World War II has become a hot topic for Hollywood filmmakers. Movies such as Saving Private Ryan, and The Thin Red Line used graphic scenes of violence and depictions of the hardships of the av erage soldier on the front line in ways previously unseen in prior World War II movies. The goal of the directors was to remind the younger generations of the bravery and selflessness of the soldiers who served in World War II. The soldiers in these movies were purposely portrayed as a group of men from diverse backgrounds who came together to fight for a common cause. These soldiers were also depicted as average men, not the superhuman men portrayed in earlier films, of which John Wayne is an example. Yet in these movies, these average men were the ones who committed the greatest acts of bravery. In conducting my interview, I realized that this depiction was not far off the mark. The subject of my interview was a man by the name of Richard Albert Lockyer. He is the Grandfather of my girlfriend. He lives in Brewster, Massachusetts, in a small beachfront community of fellow retirees ...

Are You Self-Critical I Sure Am.

Are You Self-Critical I Sure Am. An opportunity for rejection This weekend I took a workshop with Wright as part of a year-long training I’m doing there. On Saturday evening we received an assignment to talk to strangers and get rejected by them. One option for conversation was to tell people about the Wright workshop and invite them to attend. Despite my terror at being viewed as a proselytizer, I took it on. I figured anything that made me that terrified was worth doing. The next thing I knew I was walking up to a woman sitting in front of a burrito shop in Chicago, taking in her look of skepticism, and saying â€Å"I know this is really weird, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A few minutes later I had fielded many objections as well as multiple claims that she was not interested: I was not with any sort of religious organization; people from out of state could do the workshop; and all kinds of people, from teens to military to owners of writing and editing companies, got value from the program. A breakthrough It didn’t take long for her to start sharing with me about her husband and how he could really benefit from a program like this, and about her special needs child; in the end she was the one who told me her name without my asking. And she took information about the program with real interest. Everyone I told this story to was blown away by how I continued to talk to this woman despite her multiple attempts to make me go away. I quite possibly made a difference in another human being’s life because I was willing to act despite my fear. In my small group for the weekend, I was voted to share the story with the larger group. But†¦ My self-talk was that this was just me using my sales skills. When I had an opportunity to share about my interaction with a room full of 60 people, I didn’t tell them how awesome I was. I talked about my fear of rejection (which obviously I did not let get in my way). I received some spot-on coaching about my choice of what to share and was left wishing I had just told the story about how I connected with the woman in front of the burrito shop. I immediately started beating myself up that I hadn’t done it right. I wanted a do-over!! (Sound familiar?) I was so self-critical, in fact, that I could barely concentrate on the program for the next several hours †¦ until †¦ I got to watch someone else get coaching on her own self-critic. Suddenly, watching it outside of myself, I was able to feel the hurt of holding on to my critic- really feel it- and I started to ease up on myself ever-so-slightly. Before this experience, I think all I did with my inner critic was to criticize myself for having such a loud one. This time, feeling the pain and emotion of what it’s like in my head, I started to have compassion for her. I’m not getting rid of my critic, mind you. She’s very useful to have around and allows me to correct a lot of things that might otherwise remain a mess. She motivates me to grow and learn. But I’d like her to have less of a hold on me so I have my full energy and brain power to focus on things like reaching out to people and taking on other terrifying, exhilarating tasks in life. Maybe you’d like to cultivate more compassion for your inner critic? Do you tell stories in a way that gives yourself less than full credit? Do you frequently find yourself wanting a â€Å"do-over†? What difference would it make in your life if you could have compassion for the critical voice in your head?

Heres Exactly What to Wear on Your College Visit or Tour

Here's Exactly What to Wear on Your College Visit or Tour SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips A college tour is one of the best opportunities you have to learn about what a campus is really like. Reading promotional material, or even student blogs, isn't the same as seeing and experiencing it for yourself, but, like any other aspect of applying to college, you need to make sure you're prepared for a college visit- and that means wearing the right outfit! Most of the time, dressing for a college tour is a casual affair. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider the best way to go about it- comfort and classiness are key. This guide will walk you through the best way to dress for many different college visit scenarios. A bit of planning will help you have the best possible experience, as well as prepare you for interviews, auditions, and just exploring your dream campus. Read on to find out how! What to Wear to a College Visit One of the biggest things to keep in mind when considering what to wear to a college visit is that, in most cases, a college tour is for you to see the college, not for the college to see you. For the most part, you can dress casually. But there are special considerations if you won’t just be touring the college, so keep that in mind as you’re planning your outfit. What to Wear on a College Visit If You’re Just Walking Around Campus on Your Own If you’re not on a guided tour and are just checking out the campus, you can wear pretty much whatever you want, within reason. It might look weird if you’re strolling through campus in a suit- whether three-piece or bathing- but if you’re just there as a visitor, you’re on your own. What to Wear on a College Tour If You’re on a Guided Tour If you’re on a guided tour, it’s absolutely okay to be a little casual. You don't need to be impressive, though you should aim for comfort and self-confidence. Comfortable shoes are a must, though maybe choose something nicer than your rattiest pair of sneakers. Whatever shoes you wear should be broken in so you don't have to deal with pinching and blisters midway through the day. If your feet are hurting, you're less likely to be paying attention to the tour! Jeans are fine, as are t-shirts, but be wary of anything with a slogan or image that might be offensive. Even if a curse word or scantily clad person doesn't bother you, it's probably not the right fit for your first impression! You don’t have to dress fancy, but do put in a little bit of effort. Present your best self- the self you’d want people to see as you venture off to college. If you'll be meeting with a professor, feel free to dress your outfit up a bit. What to Wear on a College Tour If You’re Meeting With a Professor Many students take advantage of being on campus to schedule appointments with advisers or professors in their field of study. If you’ve chosen to do so, it’s a smart idea to dress it up a little bit. Dress clothes are unnecessary, but do dress a little nicer than you would for just a tour. Polished shoes are a good choice, but you still want them to be comfortable. If they’re going to pinch as you walk around campus, you may want to go more casual with a nice boat shoe, loafer, or boot. Whatever you choose, be sure that your shoes are broken in. Dark, nice jeans are appropriate for a meeting with a professor. You could also opt for corduroys or khakis- whatever is going to make you feel most comfortable and confident. A meeting with a professor is more professional than a tour, but not as professional as a college interview. Instead of a t-shirt, go for something a little classier- abutton-up shirt or blouse is always a good choice. You don’t need to reach for a blazer, but if it makes you feel good, do it! Most importantly, come prepared with questions and a good attitude. This is your chance to find out more about the school you want to attend, and that’s going to matter far more than looking like a model. Your college interview outfit should have you looking and feeling something like this. What to Wear to a College Visit If You Have an Interview Business casual is your go-to for dressing for a college interview. (coming soon -link to ‘what to wear for a college interview’) You want to look both confident and professional, so spend a little more time on choosing your shirt and pants than you might for just a guided tour or meeting with a professor. If you’re walking around campus as well as doing an interview, however, you’re going to want to be sure your shoes are going to hold up to lots of walking as well as looking sharp. Loafers may be a better choice than a dress shoe, unless you’re absolutely certain you’ve broken in the dress shoes and they’re still going to be comfortable after an hour or two. Opt for a skirt, khakis, corduroy pants, or similar, paired with a button-up shirt or blouse. Dresses are fine, provided you cover your shoulders with a sweater or blazer. Keep your skirt length to around your knees (especially if you’re walking around!), but don’t worry about pantyhose or tights if they’re not comfortable or seasonally appropriate. Choose an outfit that's right for the season and climate. Layer your clothes if you're touring in the fall or winter so you'll be presentable during your interview, but stay warm enough outside. In the spring and summer, wear light, breathablefabrics so you're not overheating outside- you don't want to show up for your interview all red-faced and sweaty. If you’re doing an interview on top of taking a tour, consider bringing a change of clothes. You want to be at your best during the interview, so changing into a fresh set of clothes might be your best option, if possible. If not, see if you can schedule your interview for before the tour- that way, you’re not already tired and disheveled from a day of wandering. If you're auditioning during your tour, you might consider tweaking your outfit as appropriate. What to Wear on a College Tour If You’re Auditioning Business casual is a good baseline, but, depending on what you’re auditioning for, you might make some additional tweaks to your clothes. For example, what would a professional musician wear? How about an actor attending an audition? What would you wear to a gallery opening (though don’t get too fancy!)?Don’t overdo it, but do base your outfit choice on what makes sense for your field. Comfortable shoes are still an absolute must, as you may be standing during your audition as well as walking around campus. Choose an outfit that suits the weather- don’t wear a sweater for a summer campus tour in California- or add layers that you can remove when you’re done auditioning so you don’t overheat. The reverse is true, as well; bring a warm coat and gloves if necessary. If walking around in your audition outfit will be too uncomfortable, consider bringing a change of clothes. Though you may have to carry a change of clothes, it’s far better to be comfortable and confident for your interview, and simply comfortable for the tour! How to Pick What to Wear on a College Tour What outfit you should wear depends in part on what you’re doing. Unless you’ll be doing an interview or audition, don’t rush out and buy a whole new wardrobe. Try on lots of combinations and try to find what makes you feel good about yourself as well as comfortable. Again, you’re going to be focused on learning more about the campus, not on impressing your guide. Put in effort, but don’t overdo it. It can’t be overstated: you’re going to be walking a lot, so wear comfortable, broken-in shoes. Bring a bag, whether it’s a nice messenger bag or a clean, classy backpack. You’re going to be given lots of information, pamphlets, and so on, and having a place to put it will make walking around much easier. A bag can also hold a water bottle, snacks, and a notebook, which you can use to write down questions and notes you might have while touring. Don’t worry too much about your outfit. You’ll be part of a group- unless you’re interviewing or auditioning, your main concern should be what you’re going to learn from the visit. Look clean and confident and you’ll have everything you need. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Sample Outfits For a College Tour With clothes, seeing is easier than reading. Here are a few sample outfits (including some that won't work) to give you the fashion inspiration you need to plan your college tour! You don’t have to get fancy, but look at how confident and comfortable she looks. That’s the kind of air you want to strive for, whatever that means to you in terms of clothes! These looks are great if you’re doing something a little more formal, such as an audition, interview, or meeting with a professor. Don’t feel like you have to do the whole suit and tie, but notice how each outfit looks tidy and well put-together. Pay special attention to the shoes, too- they’re all different styles, but each is great for a business casual setting. This outfit definitely suits the model’s unique style. In summer, these short sleeves and sunglasses are perfect. It’s okay to be unique, as long as it makes you comfortable. This look is extremely simple and casual, and also perfect for a college tour. A clean t-shirt, a favorite pair of pants, and tidy hair are all it takes. While great for going to the beach, this look isn’t the best for a college setting. It’s a little too attention-grabby; remember, you’re there to learn about the school, not to stand out. The combination of the shirt's low-cut sides and bright pattern are a bit much, especially with the razor blade necklace and sunglasses. The print would be acceptable on a t-shirt, by try to strive for a style that’s understated rather than loud. Don’t feel like you can’t be your quirky self on a college visit, but those shoes are a definite no with how much walking you’ll be doing. Again, don’t worry about standing out- you’re not at a college visit to make a big splash, but rather to learn more about the place you could be living in for four or more years. If this is your everyday wear, by all means, go for it, but be sure you’re feeling comfortable and confident. How to Make the Most of Your College Visit Now that your outfit is settled, you can focus on the important stuff: getting as much as you can out of your college visit. Come prepared with questions you'd like answered, including questions for current students, academic advisers, and admissions officers. You may have the opportunity to ask them, and it's better to be overprepared than underprepared! If there's anything in particular you want to see, leave a little time during your visit to check it out in case it's not part of the tour. You can always ask your guide if it's okay to visit the library, for example, or to see the gym, art museum, or football field. Though you may not be able to get into all of them, there's no harm in asking! Looking at a map and list of facilities will help you plan what you want to see ahead of time. Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations on your tour, either. Stopping by a local restaurant recommended by a student is a great way to get a sense of what student life is like. See what the area has to offer besides your future school! What's Next? Touring campus is just one part of the college application process. This complete guide to college applications will help you plan your application step by step! There are over 5,000 colleges in the United States- how can you possibly decide which ones you should apply to? Using a college finder tool can help you sort through your options and find your ideal school without having to tour every single campus. Once you've found a bunch of schools that sound good, you then have to figure out which ones to apply to. This guide will help you narrow down your list to the essentials- safeties, matches, and reach school. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in.

The Law of Contract Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Law of Contract - Case Study Example Almost all these principles guiding the Contract Law are principles of common law and are mainly based on the human development since ages. Law of Contracts mainly stands on undertakings, promises and acceptances. Birmingham Garden Centre had advertised that the first person that will present all 21 numbered from 1 to 21 coupons printed in The Mail in February and March 2006, on 1st of April 2006, would be able to get a free summerhouse. This caused many people including Jim to collect vouchers carefully after buying the Newspaper every day with editions, and Jim had even dreamt of getting the house for his disabled wife Renee. On the mentioned day, when he presented all the vouchers as demanded, he was told that it was a mere April fool's Day trick. Still this contract cannot be stated as void, because the contract was not illegal2. Contract cannot be termed as viodable3 either because even though there is nothing to prevent a minor from participating in the challenge, it is not specifically for minors. There is no uncertainty and incompleteness in the contract. Terms are clear and definite. Incompleteness need not bother the contract as it is a unilateral contract and meant to be so, almost one-sided. There are no unenforceable clauses like those in American spy contracts. One question that comes to mind immediately is the outrage that the owners of BGC could fool gullible people to that extent. There must be legal remedies against such heartless actions. 1. Whether a contract exists between Jim and BGS In Law of Contracts, unwritten contracts of this kind are called Unilateral Contracts. Usually the offerer asks for an act or information in return to an award; like an amount of money in return to some information, or tracing a pet animal, or some other act by doing which, the promised amount or some object will be paid. These contracts are called Unilateral because only one party appears on the scene and for the other party it is not binding. The second party has not promised anything, and is legally protected. But the first party has made his promise and hence is the promisor. Even though there is no written contract between Birmingham Garden Centre and Jim, there is a semblance of it, because BGC advertised in The Mail that person who collects 21 vouchers printed in The Mail will be entitled for a summer house and Jim, being aware that his disabled wife Renee will have a better life with open air, sunshine and garden, if he manages to get a summer house, has collected all the required coupons and was the first person to present it on the April 1st, as instructed by the advertisement, only to be dampeningly told that it was an April Fools' Day joke. There are many aspects of this case that are thought provoking. To make their presence felt, BGC advertised in the newspapers about the vouchers connecting the vouchers

The Market for Lemons Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Market for Lemons - Case Study Example Akerlof then says that, although his theory has these very general applications, he will focus on the market for used cars: "The automobile market is used as a finger exercise to illustrate and develop these thoughts. It should be emphasized that this market is chosen for its concreteness and ease in understanding rather than for its importance or realism" (Akerlof, George, 1970) On first reading, it is tempting to interpret "the automobile market" as the market in which real people buy and sell real cars and to think that Akerlof is going to present some kind of case-study. One can see why he might focus on one particular market which is easy to understand, even if that market is not very important on the scale of the economy as a whole. But then what does Akerlof mean when he says that this market is not realistic The object of a case-study may be unrepresentative, but it cannot be unrealistic. To make sense of this passage, we have to recognize that it marks a transition between the real world and the world of models. Akerlof is using the real automobile market as an example. But what he is going to present is not an empirical case study; it is a model of the automobile market. Although it is the real market which may be unimportant, it is the model which may be unrealistic. Akerlof moves straight on to the central section of his paper, section II, entitled "The Model with Automobiles as an Example." The transition from reality to model is made again at the very beginning of this section: The example of used cars captures the essence of the problem. From time to time one hears either mention of or surprise at the large price difference between new cars and those which have just left the showroom. The usual lunch table justification for this phenomenon is the pure joy of owning a "new" car. We offer a different explanation. Suppose (for the sake of clarity rather than realism) that there are just four kinds of cars. There are new cars and used cars. There are good cars and bad cars. (Akerlof, George, 1970) The first four sentences are about an observed property of the real world: there is a large price difference between new cars and almost-new ones. Akerlof suggests that, at least from the viewpoint of the lunch table, this observation is difficult to explain. If we assume that Akerlof takes lunch with other economists, the implication is that economics cannot easily explain it; the "pure joy" hypothesis sounds like an ad hoc stratagem to rescue conventional price theory.  

Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Project - Essay Example The bathroom appliances mentioned above all have sustainable substitutes including eco-bath systems, recycling bath systems, shallow soakers, and sink-toilet hybrids (Trend Hunter). The eco-bath system is connected to the sink to facilitate the channeling of water from the sink to the toilet gallery (Nazarali). This helps to conserve water that would have otherwise been drained away after use. The recycling bath system is a quantum leap from the eco-bath system. It not only collects used water from the shower and sink, but also has a purifier that recycles the used water and stores it in an inbuilt 80-liter tank (Young). This means that apart from flushing the toilet, the recycled water can also be used for irrigation. Shallow soakers are good alternatives to bathtubs because they save more water compared to the latter. Furthermore, they have a mechanism that helps to keep the bath warm, therefore, enhance power saving. The soaker achieves this by continually releasing foam, which helps to keep the temperature of the water constantly warm (Roblin). The only shortcoming with the soaker is that it might not be as cozy as a bathtub. Finally, the sink-toilet hybrid has a urinal with an incorporated sink so that water running from the sink immediately after use serves to flush the urinal (Luu). The brand name of the eco-bath is â€Å"Jang Woo Seoks Eco Bath System† and it goes for roughly $100 (Alibaba.com). The toilet-sink hybrid is not very sophisticated so it should go for at most $50. The soaker – The FLOU Foaming Bathtub– should also not cost more than $100. Although the recycling bath system is exorbitant, it is a worthwhile

Convergence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Convergence - Essay Example The Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP is the most significant convergence service that is expected. It had been forecasted to generate $196 billion in 2007and by 2008, 20% of U.S. homes are expected to have VoIP telephones. Over $1 trillion in revenues through 2010 may be generated by aggregate VoIP revenue between now and 2010 alone. From a wide variety of business and consumer Internet Protocol appliances, convergence may also generate new revenue which includes next generation digital music players, home entertainment systems, home video phones as well as enterprise collaboration system. By 2010 the value of this market was forecasted to be worth almost $90 billion, over the next five years cumulate value will be $360 billion. Through 2010, other emerging products and services which would generate sizeable revenues include the following: enterprise collaboration software ($60 billion); Internet Protocol Television (IPTV, $55 billion); mobile phone content ($50 billion); network games ($35 billion); online music ($20 billion)."2 For the past decade, convergence wherein voice, video as well as data communications are supported by a single network has been an important future direction. As more legacy communications infrastructure is upgraded to integrated internet protocol (IP) equipment it will continuously give importance to future direction. Networking is simplified through network convergence, wherein instead of two three or more, it creates one infrastructure to operate and manage. All sorts of interactive as well as real-time multimedia applications and processes could conceivably be supported by converged network. When network convergence was first being proposed through Internet Protocol technology, about 10 years ago, it was a different age for communications and it was a time when in separate network universes, voice and data existed. Moreover, it was segregated by infrastructure which was designed to avoid interference. Internet Protocol eventually became the building block for singular pathway for all forms of network communications. For the past decade, network convergence has focused on voice-data integration in telephony through Internet Protocol technology. IP telephony session was held last week and a group of approximately 30 IT professionals including technical representatives from IBM Canada Ltd. As well as Cisco Systems Canada Co. assembled in order to discuss the driving business values of the technology. The discussion was focused initially on the most popular and proven of application of network convergence which eventually led to examining greater value of consolidating busi ness networks into one.3 In the near term, the health region has a need for a revamped telephony strategy in order to replace its aging as well as costly equipment and services. However, over time, there is a plan to address a wide range of communications challenges. At an "end of life" condition within five years, the health region has a large number of single-purpose propriety networks. During his presentation, Mr. Beaurivage, states that "Converging these single-purpose networks onto one IP-based platform offers unique integration possibilities."4

Tornado and Hurricane formation processes Research Paper

Tornado and Hurricane formation processes - Research Paper Example The disastrous tornado began in Missouri and stayed on the ground for about 220 miles moving at a super speed to Illinois and Extending to Indiana (The tornado project 2012) The tornado left a trail on its passage measuring approximately 1.6 kilometers in width. Approximately six hundred and ninety eight persons lost their lives whereas two thousand people experienced injuries. (The tornado project 2012) On 14th April, 2011 a series of deadly tornadoes hit the Southern United States devastating the Cities of Oklahoma to Northern Carolina where dozens of people lost their lives and property (The tornado project 2012) According to Weisman et al 1982, concur that majority of violent tornadoes are spawned by Supercells storms; these storms undergo an average rotational movement (cyclonic in nature) with the highest vorticity almost coincident with the updraft core. The average rotational movement is referred as the mesocyclone. Supercells are always developed in extremely high convectibl e existing potential energy characterized by warm, moist air within the PBL and a lot of cool air aloft; large winds shear as well as convectible inhibition. Other factors responsible for the formation of Supercells may include the availability of dry air within the troposphere. This may be directed into the storm, cooled by an evaporative cooling in within the mixed air parcel. This condition leads to the development of the down draft. Strong down drafts implies strong updrafts as well as more severe storms.

Sustainability and waste management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainability and waste management - Case Study Example During the examination, Env Consultant took note of all the waste disposal facilities at the store. These consisted of Waste Bins kept at various locations for emptying the general wastes of the Store. (Env Consultant, 2005, p.7) Along with the site assessment, Env Consultant also carried out a survey of the existing waste management practices at the Acme Facility. The Central Store had a number of General Waste Bins kept in various locations, where the employees could throw their waste products. In addition to the bins, there were cardboard bales situated in certain places of the Store which could also be used for the disposal of solid wastes. The Waste Bins and the Bales were emptied at regular intervals to ensure that the solid wastes did not accumulate in the Acme Store site. Therefore, Acme had a fairly well regulated system of solid management on its store location. (Env Consultant, 2005, p.7). Modern organizations are engaged in a number of complex business processes. Usually corporations employ several inputs like capital, raw materials, human resources etc. to generate products and services which can be sold in the market to earn revenue. The production of goods and services are accomplished through complicated processes which generate waste materials in addition to the desired products. These waste materials need to be managed and disposed in a proper manner so that they do not create a hazard for the surrounding environment. Most of the countries have administered strict laws regarding the appropriate disposal of waste products and corporations are expected to abide by these laws. This is where the importance of conducting Waste Assessment Programs in Organizations can be considered. Corporations themselves engage different environmental consultancies to assess the former’s existing waste management and disposal practices. Such assessment programs are carried o ut for mainly serving two purposes. From the Waste Management Report, firms can

Convergence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Convergence - Essay Example The Voice over Internet Protocol or VoIP is the most significant convergence service that is expected. It had been forecasted to generate $196 billion in 2007and by 2008, 20% of U.S. homes are expected to have VoIP telephones. Over $1 trillion in revenues through 2010 may be generated by aggregate VoIP revenue between now and 2010 alone. From a wide variety of business and consumer Internet Protocol appliances, convergence may also generate new revenue which includes next generation digital music players, home entertainment systems, home video phones as well as enterprise collaboration system. By 2010 the value of this market was forecasted to be worth almost $90 billion, over the next five years cumulate value will be $360 billion. Through 2010, other emerging products and services which would generate sizeable revenues include the following: enterprise collaboration software ($60 billion); Internet Protocol Television (IPTV, $55 billion); mobile phone content ($50 billion); network games ($35 billion); online music ($20 billion)."2 For the past decade, convergence wherein voice, video as well as data communications are supported by a single network has been an important future direction. As more legacy communications infrastructure is upgraded to integrated internet protocol (IP) equipment it will continuously give importance to future direction. Networking is simplified through network convergence, wherein instead of two three or more, it creates one infrastructure to operate and manage. All sorts of interactive as well as real-time multimedia applications and processes could conceivably be supported by converged network. When network convergence was first being proposed through Internet Protocol technology, about 10 years ago, it was a different age for communications and it was a time when in separate network universes, voice and data existed. Moreover, it was segregated by infrastructure which was designed to avoid interference. Internet Protocol eventually became the building block for singular pathway for all forms of network communications. For the past decade, network convergence has focused on voice-data integration in telephony through Internet Protocol technology. IP telephony session was held last week and a group of approximately 30 IT professionals including technical representatives from IBM Canada Ltd. As well as Cisco Systems Canada Co. assembled in order to discuss the driving business values of the technology. The discussion was focused initially on the most popular and proven of application of network convergence which eventually led to examining greater value of consolidating busi ness networks into one.3 In the near term, the health region has a need for a revamped telephony strategy in order to replace its aging as well as costly equipment and services. However, over time, there is a plan to address a wide range of communications challenges. At an "end of life" condition within five years, the health region has a large number of single-purpose propriety networks. During his presentation, Mr. Beaurivage, states that "Converging these single-purpose networks onto one IP-based platform offers unique integration possibilities."4

Sustainability and waste management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainability and waste management - Case Study Example During the examination, Env Consultant took note of all the waste disposal facilities at the store. These consisted of Waste Bins kept at various locations for emptying the general wastes of the Store. (Env Consultant, 2005, p.7) Along with the site assessment, Env Consultant also carried out a survey of the existing waste management practices at the Acme Facility. The Central Store had a number of General Waste Bins kept in various locations, where the employees could throw their waste products. In addition to the bins, there were cardboard bales situated in certain places of the Store which could also be used for the disposal of solid wastes. The Waste Bins and the Bales were emptied at regular intervals to ensure that the solid wastes did not accumulate in the Acme Store site. Therefore, Acme had a fairly well regulated system of solid management on its store location. (Env Consultant, 2005, p.7). Modern organizations are engaged in a number of complex business processes. Usually corporations employ several inputs like capital, raw materials, human resources etc. to generate products and services which can be sold in the market to earn revenue. The production of goods and services are accomplished through complicated processes which generate waste materials in addition to the desired products. These waste materials need to be managed and disposed in a proper manner so that they do not create a hazard for the surrounding environment. Most of the countries have administered strict laws regarding the appropriate disposal of waste products and corporations are expected to abide by these laws. This is where the importance of conducting Waste Assessment Programs in Organizations can be considered. Corporations themselves engage different environmental consultancies to assess the former’s existing waste management and disposal practices. Such assessment programs are carried o ut for mainly serving two purposes. From the Waste Management Report, firms can

Critical Incident Analysis Essay Example for Free

Critical Incident Analysis Essay Throughout this assessment I will analyse a critical incident of an interaction between a worker and a service user or carer during my statutory observation experience. I will conclude my own assessment of the situation and demonstrate my understanding of the use of self, context in which social work takes place and the knowledge and methods of practice. I will not use any of the service users, carers or agencies names in this essay due to the data protection act 1998. I will also adhere to the GSCC codes of conduct that respect and relate to the service users confidentiality and safety. This include respecting confidential information and clearly explaining agency policies about confidentiality to service users and carers, being reliable and dependable, declaring issues that might create conflicts of interest and making sure that they do not influence your judgement or practice; and adhering to policies and procedures about accepting gifts and money from service users and carers. (GSCC, codes of practice for social care workers. ) My statutory observation placement is at a clinic for substance misuse, mainly being heroin, crack cocaine and alcohol. During one of my days there I was given the opportunity to shadow one of the clinics general practitioners for the day. The general practitioners main role is to work alongside the service user in order to help the break the cycle of drug or alcohol dependency and also to live a healthier lifestyle and offer them a better standard of living. The general practitioner meets with the service users on a monthly basis in which gives him the opportunity to gain as much information about the service user as he can in order for him to work with them as effectively and efficiently as possible. The general practitioner greeted the service user in the service room, and he also asked the service user’s permission for me to be present in the room, which then he further explained me being a student social worker. The service user agreed to this. Before actually meeting the service user I had the chance to read through their notes with the doctor so I could get a better understanding of what the meeting would entail, Furthermore to gain a better understanding of the service user’s background and their main reasons for being there. I introduced myself to the service user as a student social worker. We all sat down and the GP went through the notes with the service user and asked them about any other incidents that may have occurred since the last meeting. Prior to the meeting with the service user the GP had revived the service users latest drug test results which were indicating that the service user still had very high traces of heroin in his system even though he was on a methadone script. Furthermore the drug test did not correspond with the amount of methadone that should have been visible in the service users system. Therefore the GP explained what the test results indicated and queried the service user of why the test results have come back with these conclusions. The service user then went on to explain that these indications are showing on the results because the service user has been selling his methadone prescriptions to feed his heroin addiction as he is unemployed and was not receiving the same feeling off the methadone that he would get when he would take heroin. The GP then called one of the clinics social workers as he could only advise the service user on the effects that it will have on their health, but could not help them with the mental and social strain that comes with drug addiction which a social worker could. A social worker then come in and spoke to the service user, to find out about his social background and other emotional issues that are present in the service user’s life that may influence the taking of heroin. ‘A critical incident analysis is a solution, either positive or negative that made a particular impression on a student (Clamp 1984 cited in Reed and Procter 1993) (p. 69). Richard and Parker (1995) argue that reflecting and analysing the incident the practitioner is able to consider how the incident may have been managed differently by applying other knowledge and consequently enable the practitioner to move forward and consider a future situation differently. For the purposes of this piece of work I will be analysing an observation of a meeting between a male and a GP. When I learnt that I was going to be shadowing at a clinic for service users with drug and alcohol problems I was quite worried and intrigued as to what would take place. Then I realised I had to be holistic and also realistic, and although I am not close to anyone that has a heroin, crack cocaine or even an alcohol addiction I have been surrounded by people that have used certain drugs such as cannabis or cocaine. I also feel that I will not always know that this is the case as not everyone demonstrates through their behaviour that this is an issue for them, also some individuals feel ashamed as drug and alcohol use is frowned upon and individuals will deny using drugs. Some individuals explain that they use drugs as a way of numbing their problems or to gain confidence and self esteem. Beliefs about oneself and about the role of drugs or alcohol in ones life are sometimes called existential models (Greaves, 1980). Khantzian (1985) has proposed that addicts use drugs to offset or address specific problems they believe they have, such as a lack of confidence in social-sexual dealings, a view sometimes referred to as the adaptive model of addiction. According to Peele (1985), the individual becomes addicted to a substance because it fulfils essential intrapsychic, interpersonal, and environmental needs. I have always been swayed, and my views have always been clouded by what is written in the media. Substance misuse is always given a negative image and the people that use drugs or alcohol are looked upon in a very negative way, and seen as less important and problematic in society. When looking in on various conversations at this placement I have noticed the band wagon effect- Brown and Rutter (2009) come into play, as it seems to me that family members were scared to be disowned or frowned upon if they were to help the drug user, or even offer advice and support. Throughout my upbringing I have always been warned about the effects of drugs and alcohol misuse, however I feel that my parents didn’t really carry a lot of knowledge about the subject. The misuse of drugs act 1971 intends to prevent the use of non medical use of certain drugs for this reason it controls not just medicinal drugs (which will also be in the Medicines Act) but also drugs with no current medical uses. Offences under this Act overwhelmingly involve the general public, and even when the same drug and a similar offence are involved, penalties are far tougher. Drugs subject to this Act are known as controlled drugs. The law defines a series of offences, including unlawful supply, intent to supply, import or export (all these are collectively known as trafficking offences), and unlawful production. I was able to relate the misuse of drugs act 1971 to the conversation in which I shadowed as the service user was selling drugs that were only supposed to be taken as a controlled medicine that is prescribed. Therefore the service user is committing an offence. The medicines act 1968 clearly states that Prescription only medicines are the most restricted. They can only be sold or supplied by a pharmacist if supplied by a doctor. Pharmacy medicines can be sold without a prescription but only by a pharmacist. General Sales List medicines can be sold by any shop, not just a pharmacy. However, even here advertising, labelling and production restrictions apply. drugscope. org. uk Interviews were carried out with 68 people who were involved in selling in the four markets. Three-quarters of them were men. Their average age at the time of interview was 31, and just under a third had lived in the areas all their lives. Many had experienced unsettled early lives: over half had lived with a foster family, in a childrens home or in secure accommodation. Interviewees had typically used alcohol and illicit drugs from an early age. Many had had a disrupted education, over half being excluded from school or leaving with no educational qualifications. Nearly all had been in contact with the criminal justice system, and over two-thirds had served a prison sentence. Throughout the interaction between the GP the social worker and the service user, and also having conjured up these images of substance miss use I was worried I was going to find it extremely hard to relate to the service user, and also find it difficult to hold in my emotions. I felt as though the individual did not value his own life and other around him, this then made me reconsider my own values and belief systems. I believe that my â€Å"use of self came into context as I strived for genuineness with the service user and I truly wanted to believe that they were on the road to recovery. However I still honoured the values and ethics I strongly value in social work. I could not imagine myself, what it must be like to be addicted to a drug or alcohol, and I have had this stereotypical image of what it would be like and how a person would live their life. I imagined them to be without a lot of money, and living in very poor housing conditions. But also imagined them to hang around with the wrong crowd which may be a big influence on how they go about things. Some of these perceived ideas were backed up by research or what I have seen in the media. It is also very much a stereotypical image. Rogers (cited in Thompson 1988) says that making a judgement about people can be a barrier to effectiveness and is something I need to be aware of if I am to become a reflective and reflexive practitioner. When I first met the service user, I was surprised as to how well he looked considering the circumstances, He seemed very outgoing, friendly and generally happy. I order to gain the facts around the service user’s current situation this meeting had been arranged between the GP and the service user. The conversation began with open questions from the GP to the service user in an effort to gather information about his behaviour and addiction to heroin. He asked the service user about any events that had happened since the last meeting, he explained that he had used heroin since even though he has been assigned to a methadone script, and the way he has been fuelling his heroin addiction is by selling his methadone to other users that can not get any substances top feed their addiction. According to Lawson (cited in Davies 2008) even if their is a key worker system in place the whole team still need to be aware of the intervention and support that the service user is getting. I felt that this was not happening as their should of been a closer supervision in place for the service user to take his methadone script which would therefore prevent the service user being able to sell the drug for money and other purposes. This to me proved that there was a lack in communication; therefore I would be worried that this could potentially be dangerous and cause problems if the service user was able to get away and carry out these sorts of actions. As Seden (2005:2) states â€Å"whether a communication is good depends on how it is received in the situation and what is conveyed to the other person. GP prescribed the service user with a higher methadone dosage that he was on before. This was never noted to his key worker or discussed before hand which therefore allowed the service user to sell his extra methadone and be unnoticed for so long. As Seden (2005:2) states â€Å"whether a communication is good depends on how it is received in the situation and what is conveyed to the other person. Throughout the meeting I made sure I paid particular attention to the way in which I was positioned using the Egan (2007) theory of Soler. I also made sure that I put the focus on the ther person and on what they were offering as they spoke, rather than keep asking them for additional information or going on to talk about other things, this is called paraphrasing and summarising. Eye contact or looking at the user of services is important in this kind of situation and context as it conveys that we are attending to the other, it is a way of saying â€Å"I am interested in what you say and f eel†. The Soler theory is an effective theory to undertake whilst being in this position when listening to a service user one on one. As you need to make the service user feel that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say, then only will the service user actually open up and truly tell you what his problems are as then they are confident that I am here to honestly try to help them. Egan (2007) (p. 99) argues that attentive listening to these experiences and feelings of users of services is critical for further work: these experiences help us to understand where they are starting from and their frame of reference. Attentive listening is very effective in these sorts of situations with service users, as every service user is different and has different problems. Therefore listening intricately is very important as this will then help you navigate in which is the most effective and efficient route to take in trying to help rehabilitate each individual. As the meeting went on social worker began to question the service user’s motives for selling his methadone script and continuing to take heroin. The service user then went on to explain that it is because he does not have a strong support network as his family have disowned him and the only companions he has are the other heroin users. This is why he is struggling to break the chain of causation as the only people he is surrounded by are the other users and dealers. After hearing this I was impressed with his capacity to cope with the situation that he was in. This meeting reinforced Schulman’s (2006) resilience theory. Here was a man who had been disowned by his own family for being a heroin user for many years and is currently undergoing a methadone script and does not have much support around him at all and is experiencing a lot of disruption in his life. In reference to the Ecological model I can see that the service user is struggling to stop continuing taking heroin. This is because the environment that he is present in is surrounded my other drug takers and drug dealers which therefore triggers his new drug fuelled instinct to relapse and take heroin again. Whereas if the service user had a different environment that he could go to where it was drug exempt, this could encourage the service user to stay off heroin and act as a barrier in which would break the chain of causation for relapsing and taking drugs again. (Social service review 1998) Being able to read the case notes enabled me to be better informed. Schulman (2006) talks about how ‘tuning in’ and how it involves the workers effort to get in touch with the potential feelings and concerns that the client may bring to the encounter. The purpose is to help the worker become a more sensitive receiver of the client’s indirect communication in the first sessions. I tried to put myself in a similar where I had questioned someone that had authority over me, the only example I could think of was when I had been in detention at school as a child and I was questioned as to why I was there, and why I did the incident. I felt powerless and frightened as they had more authority over me, and seemed so much more important. I could not seem to get my point across and I did not feel that he was listening to my point of view and taking it into consideration. This has made me realise how important it is to make the service user feel at ease as you are asking them to open up and asking them to let you in and explore their troubles. They will only allow this if they feel comfortable and not undermined. However at the same time establishing clear boundaries with the service user is very important. Throughout the meeting I realised just how hard it would be discussing your problems and the use of drug addiction to two complete strangers, furthermore having to open up about your life and all the problems you have encountered on the way to lead you to this state of life. As a result I tried to keep a low profile during the meeting, by not making eye contact with the service user and trying to make myself inconspicuous. By avoiding eye contact I was merely reinforcing the awkwardness I felt. Schulman (2006) believes that it is better to tackle difficult subjects head on. Then I was worried that the service user may think that my lack of ability to maintain sufficient eye contact could lead him to think that I was merely not interested in what he had to say or that I disapproved with some of the explanations that he was presenting. When it was just to do with me being uncomfortable. Lloyd (cited in Davies 2008) talks about the need for social workers to work on there own issues. This should involve self awareness and being comfortable around others. This will help me challenge my views but also help me become more self aware and, in turn, more open to others who are struggling to express their difficulties. While my own life was not trouble free neither was it associated with the emotional turmoil and psychic disturbance which Hall Stanley G (cited in Davies 2008) research showed. I have always had the support of a loving family and friends. I have always been influenced to do well at school, go on to university and make something of my life. I have also been lucky enough to always live in nice areas that have very low crime rates, however this was not the case for the service user. He has always grew up and lived in very run down, deprived areas and has mixed with the wrong social circles. He has also not have had the family and friend support network which I think a person strongly needs in their life. The service user also left school with no GCSE’S and went straight into work, which was bar work which lead him to a wrong crowd. Giddens, A (2001) refers to gender as the psychological, social and cultural differences between makes and females. Essentially sex is determined biologically and gender is culturally learnt. The functionalist sociologist would argue that boys and girls learn sex roles through socialisation while the feminist perspective would be that women do not share the same status as men in society. It can be argued that male socialisation infers that they are the stronger sex and not able to express their emotional feelings as females are able to. The service user’s lack of permanence and consistency with his own parents and friends will, according to Rushton (2000) impact on his emotional development. It is therefore important that the professionals in his life are not seen to perpetuate these feelings. The holistic approach builds on the social model of disability which is the theory of there being blocks such as environment disabling systems and social attitudes that are getting in the way of the service users independence. Therefore in this case going by the holistic approach, the service user that I was able to shadow, his environment acts like a block to his independence as the social attitudes to the people within his environment are drug related which is leading the service user to carry on using drugs. The holistic approach builds on the social model of disability that sees blocks to independence arising from social attitudes, disabling systems and environments. (Campbell and Oliver 1996; Oliver 1993). Further more this pproach stresses the need for attention to the service users ethnicity, culture and history because together they form their identity and influence life options open to them, and the attitudes of some people towards them and their abilities. Throughout this experience I have been able to learn about the importance of drawing on theoretical frameworks to understand a person’s current behaviour and the effects of his life experiences. According to Freud behaviours driven by th e id are largely unconscious and describe impulsive behaviours that can lead to all kind of difficulties. What this critical incident analysis has highlighted to me is that social workers and other professionals have a responsibility to reach decisions about intervention, protection and safeguarding in a series of situations where evidence may be unclear or contested. Baldwin, N. and Walker, L in Adams et al (2005) say that it is important to recognise that risk can be assessed through a process, which is a collaborative and undertaken within a legislative and organisational framework. From my experience at this particular placement I can draw upon a number of different things that have made me question my own learning and development. It had made me wonder weather I see things differently to others, and also whether my views and opinions would be appreciated. From this shadowing experience I have most definitely changed my views on substance misuse and the kind of stereotypes I had around it. I feel that it has made me value my life more however value the people that are in my life even greater. This experience enabled me to see the importance of ‘critical thinking’ to find a workable solution (Brown, K, pg 12). Throughout the conversation the GP and the social Worker ‘reached for feeling’ and put feeling into words. I feel that I was very judgemental before actually meeting the service user, and I realise that this is a very bad habit as a Social Worker, however this helped me in my development and learning. This also made me think about other factors that may affect how people ‘label’ others such as; discrimination and oppression. I was also able to observe how different agencies work together in order to provide better care for the service user. In this case the GP worked alongside the job centre, the pharmacy, the social worker and the key worker. ‘They can offer service users a more flexible approach and share expertise in order to give them a better outcome’. (Tennyson,1998). When the service user had left the GP had a ‘de briefing session’. This was also a time for me to ask any questions, this is something that I have practiced through reflection time and feedback time with my peers and tutors. The importance of ‘tuning in’ was explained to me. ‘Research informs practice’.

General Electric Change Management

General Electric Change Management The process by which organizations move from their present state to some desired future state to increase their effectiveness. The Goal is to find improved ways of using resources and capabilities in order to increase an organizations ability to create value. The change process includes improving organizational effectiveness at the four levels shown in the figure below. Major Types of Organizational Change Typically, the phrase organizational change is about a significant change in the organization, such as reorganization or adding a major new product or service. It can compass the following : Organization-wide Versus Subsystem Change Examples of organization-wide change might be a major restructuring, collaboration or rightsizing. Usually, organizations must undertake organization-wide change to evolve to a different level in their life cycle, for example, going from a highly reactive, entrepreneurial organization to one that has a more stable and planned development. Experts assert that successful organizational change requires a change in culture cultural change is another example of organization-wide change. Examples of a change in a subsystem might include addition or removal of a product or service, reorganization of a certain department, or implementation of a new process to deliver products or services Transformational Versus Incremental Change An example of transformational (or radical, fundamental) change might be changing an organizations structure and culture from the traditional top-down, hierarchical structure to a large amount of self-directing teams. Another example might be Business Process Re-engineering, which tries to take apart (at least on paper, at first) the major parts and processes of the organization and then put them back together in a more optimal fashion. Transformational change is sometimes referred to as quantum change. Examples of incremental change might include continuous improvement as a quality management process or implementation of new computer system to increase efficiencies. Many times, organizations experience incremental change and its leaders do not recognize the change as such. Remedial Versus Developmental Change Change can be intended to remedy current situations, for example, to improve the poor performance of a product or the entire organization, reduce burnout in the workplace, help the organization to become much more proactive and less reactive, or address large budget deficits. Remedial projects often seem more focused and urgent because they are addressing a current, major problem. It is often easier to determine the success of these projects because the problem is solved or not. Change can also be developmental to make a successful situation even more successful, for example, expand the amount of customers served, or duplicate successful products or services. Unplanned Versus Planned Change Unplanned change usually occurs because of a major, sudden surprise to the organization, which causes its members to respond in a highly reactive and disorganized fashion. Unplanned change might occur when the Chief Executive Officer suddenly leaves the organization, significant public relations problems occur, poor product performance quickly results in loss of customers, or other disruptive situations arise. Planned change occurs when leaders in the organization recognize the need for a major change and proactively organize a plan to accomplish the change. Planned change occurs with successful implementation of a Strategic Plan, plan for reorganization, or other implementation of a change of this magnitude. Drivers of Organizational Change : The most common vehicles for this sustainable change, in ascending order of magnitude of change, are Data Analysis, Process analysis, System Assessment and Customer Feedback. ÂÂ  Data AnalysisÂÂ  focuses on specific outcomes; product quality and process measurements. The data is analyzed using trend charts, histograms, scatter diagrams, Pareto analysis, etc.ÂÂ   Process AnalysisÂÂ  examines the whole process. Starting with high level flow diagram, detailed process steps are documented and analyzed. Some organizations analyze these detailed process steps further using task and wait times or cost of quality data.ÂÂ   System AssessmentÂÂ  audits the whole organization using a recognized award model (Malcolm-Baldrige,ÂÂ  CanadaÂÂ  Award for Excellence), an international standard ( ISO 9000 ), a business specific model ( CMM model for software development ) or an internal award criteria ( corporations President Award ).ÂÂ   Customer feedbackÂÂ  scrutinizes the organization from standpoint of its most important constituent, the Customer. Customer feedback may be voluntary ( complaints ), solicited ( satisfaction surveys ) or based on analysis of customer behaviour. Organization Change Management Process: Change managementÂÂ  is a structured approach to shifting or transitioningÂÂ  individuals,ÂÂ  teams, andÂÂ  organizationsÂÂ  from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at empowering employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment. The elements that comprise an organization are shown in the four quadrants: structure, work processes, people and tools. These are four key interdependent components. StructureÂÂ  is the traditional view of an organization. It is the faces and spaces diagram that is shown as an organization chart. It defines the boundaries of authority and decision-making and identifies the key personnel responsible for the business. Work processesÂÂ  describe how work gets done in an organization. They range from a few high-level cross-functional integrated core processes that drive the business down to detailed departmental processes and procedures. PeopleÂÂ  identifies the skill sets needed for the company and the numbers of people with various skills. The essence of this category is about getting the right people doing the right job in the right place. ToolsÂÂ  represents physical facilities and capital equipment hardware and software systems, management and reporting systems, written documents such as policies, procedures and manuals, and compensation tools. An organization undergoing major change should examine all of these quadrants and assess their alignment to its vision, its customers and each other. This will enable senior management to identify the leverage points that will create sustainable breakthrough change. COMPANY ANALYSIS GENERAL ELECTRIC The General Electric Company, commonly abbreviated simply to GE, is a major technologyÂÂ  conglomerate based in the United States. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, founded General Electric in Menlo Park, New Jersey, in 1878. It has gone on to become one of the most powerful and dynamic corporationsÂÂ  in the world, and as of 2008 was the tenth-largest company on Earth in terms of market capitalization. It is viewed by many as being the single most successful conglomerate, and was a conglomerate long before the practice became commonplace in the 1960s. In 1890, Edison started a company to bring together his various businesses all under one roof, and called it the Edison General Electric Company. Two years later Edison merged with his primary competitor, the Thomas-Houston Company, and they called the new company the General Electric Company. The move was largely a bid to combine their various patents, to allow for more profitabilityÂÂ  on both of their parts, as it allowed them to freely use the many smaller inventions each inventor had created in their larger projects. Over the years, General Electric continued to grow and produce different products for a wide range of applications. Many of Edisons early inventions formed the backbone of various General Electric lines through the 19th century, the 20th century, and down to the present day. Electric lighting, power transmission, medical equipment, and transportation were all areas in which Edison held patents and had formed small companies, and are all areas in which General Electric today has large holdings. Over the course of its 110-plus years of innovation, General Electric has amassed more than 67,500 patents, and the firms scientists have been awarded two Nobel Prizes and numerous other honours. Also during the same time, the organization has had transformational changes which can be characterized into three different eras namely : Late 19th Century: The Edison Era In 1878, Edison established, with the help of his friend Grosvenor Lowry, the Edison Electric Light Company with a capitalization of $300,000. Edison received half of the new companys shares on the agreement that he work on developing an incandescent lighting system. The major problem Edison and his team of specialists faced was developing an electrical lighting system for a whole community. The organization was flexible and as part of the evolutionary stage was in the growth due to creativity stage. The core focus areas were the power generation, household appliances, and lighting. Early 20th Century: By the turn of the century General Electric was manufacturing everything involved in the electrification of the United States: generators to produce electricity, transmission equipment to carry power, industrial electric motors, electric light bulbs, and electric locomotives. It is important to any understanding of the evolution of GE to realize that though it was diverse from the beginning, all of its enterprises centered on the electrification program. It is also worth noting that it operated in the virtual absence of competition. During the early decades of the 20th century General Electric made further progress in its established fields and also made its first major diversification. In 1903 General Electric bought the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, a manufacturer of transformers. During this time it was a highly centralized corporate firm. Postwar Growth and Difficulties During the post war era GE focussed on diversification both related and unrelated and ventured into new sectors such as nuclear energy. During the 1960s and 1970s GE grew in all fields. In 1961 it opened a research centre for aerospace projects, and by the end of the decade had more than 6,000 employees involved in 37 projects related to the moon landing. In the 1950s General Electric entered the computer business. This venture, however, proved to be such a drain on the companys profits that GE sold its computer business to Honeywell in 1971. By the late 1960s, GEs management began to feel that the company had become too large for its existing structures to accommodate. Accordingly, the company instituted a massive organizational restructuring. Under this restructuring program, the number of distinct operating units within the company was cut from more than 200 to 43. Each new section operated in a particular market and was headed by a manager who reported to management just beneath the corporate policy board. The sections were classified into one of three categoriesgrowth, stability, or no-growthto facilitate divestment of unprofitable units. 1981-2001: The Jack Welch Era GEs economic problems were mirrored by its managerial reshuffling. When John F. (Jack) Welch, Jr., became chairman and CEO in 1981, General Electric entered a period of radical change. Over the next several years, GE bought 338 businesses and product lines for $11.1 billion and sold 232 for $5.9 billion. But Welchs first order of business was to return much of the control of the company to the periphery. Although he decentralized management, he retained the system of classifying divisions according to their performance. His goal was to make GE number one or two in every field of operation. GEs Restructuring American economy was in a recession during the early 1980s when GE appointed Jack Welch, the new CEO of the company. Economy was plagued with high interest rate and strong dollar which resulted in highest level of unemployment rates since Depression. To leverage the performance of diverse portfolio of GE, the new CEO sent in new resolution to be better than the best and set in place a series of radical changes to restructure the company over the coming 5 years. The changes in GE came in three phases, commonly known as the first, second and third waves. The first wave Welch after taking charge, set the standard to be competent enough to stay at #1 or #2 position in the industry or disengage. According to Welch, this general #1 or #2 objective is a three circle concept of his vision for GE. Businesses were categorized as: Core (with the priority of reinvesting in productivity and quality) High-technology (challenged to stay on the leading edge by investing in RD) Services (required to add outstanding people and make contiguous acquisitions) In a span of 10 years, he wanted GE to be perceived as a unique, high-spirited, entrepreneurial enterprise, the most profitable, highly diversified company on earth, with world quality leadership in every one of its product lines. Managers at GE struggled to build #1 or #2 positions given the pain of the recessionary economy and level playing field provided by globalization. Welchs admonition to fix, sell, or close uncompetitive business most of the times led to the latter options. Between 1981 and 1990, GE generated $11 billion of capital by selling off more than 200 businesses and investing that money to make about 370 acquisitions in diverse fields. Inside the organization, Welch insisted GE to become more lean and agile. It resulted in cutting number of employees working in the organization at all the headquarters group, in the name of removing non-value add, non-effective and non-competitive work force. Welch eliminated the sector level, previously the powerhouse for the strategic control. By reducing the number of hierarchy from presently 9 to 4, took control of activities at the helm and all the business directly reported to him. The chain of command followed prior to this decision was CEO to sectors to groups to businesses. Now it is direct CEO to business. By undergoing delayering, destaffing and downsizing, GE eliminated thousands of workers. Though there was marginal increase in the revenues but the profits surged by two folds from $1.6 billion to $2.4 billion. For carrying out this drastic restructuring, Welch got a nickname of Neutron Jack, most prominently used by managers during the time when the CEO replaced 12 of his 14 business heads. Welch kept pushing for more changes, more he got into restructuring the more convinced he became for a bolder action. The second wave The second phase of change in GE came in three forms : |Cultural change | Globalization | Leadership development | Cultural change : The initial phase of change at GE was focused on organisational structure downsizing, restructuring and removing bureaucracy. However, it was the opinion of Jack Welch that sustainable high productivity requires the corresponding cultural change. Jack Welch desired a management style that was based on openness, candor and facing reality. The culture he wanted to create was characterized by speed, simplicity and self confidence. These were done using two mechanisms : WORK OUT BEST PRACTICES Work out: Work out was a result of a discussion between Jack Welch and a group of managers at the companys Management Development Institute. In an effort to recreate the forum of honest, energetic interaction, Jack Welch initiated Work out a forum in which superiors and subordinates could openly discuss ideas, proposals and get immediate feedback on the same. Implementation : The implementation team consisted of a small in-house team along with 24 outside consultants. Each consultant was in charge of a series of off site meeting based on the open forum. Groups ranging from 40-100 employees were incited to discuss their business and ways of improving it. The sessions lasted for three days. It began with a talk by the unit boss who left immediately after. The employees were then free to discuss their issues, guided by a facilitator. On the final day, the boss returned and was required to make instant decisions on the proposals and give approval to atleast 80% of them. By 1992, over 200,000 (two-thirds) of the employees had participated in work force, but the sessions were never documented in order to maintain its informality. However, the company clocked in annual growth rate of 4% in 88-92. (up from 2%) Best Practices: The objective of best practices was to learn from organizations that were having higher productivity than GE. Implementation : Nine firms were selected (including Ford, HP, Xerox and Toshiba) with different best practices. In addition to company specific tools and practices, the implementation team also identified common characteristics among the companies; a focus on effective process development rather than individual activities, customer satisfaction, treating suppliers as partners and the emphasis on high quality. These practices were thoroughly studied and training was given to all managers by integrating it into the work out teams. Globalisation The first phase of the strategic change in GE focused on building domestic capabilities. The second phase had a thrust on globalization. However, the impetus for globalization was given to the business head and there was no corporate globalization strategy that was imposed on them. However, Jack Welch ensured that the top management remained involved in the globalization plans. In 1987, the performance evaluation metric was modified to consider world market position. In 1989, the position of Head International operations was created in the corporate office. Along with a team of four, he was responsible for identifying and initiating new globalization plans in emerging markets. GEs globalization pattern was unique in the sense that all acquisitions and investments were made in regions immediately post a major economic downturn. GE followed an aggressive policy of inorganic growth in Europe, Mexico and East Asia By 1998, international revenues were at $42.8 billion dollars a 100% growth in five years. Global revenues were growing at three times domestic revenues and GE was forecasted to do 50 % of its business outside the USA by 2000. leadership development The third part of transformation focused on identifying and grooming future leaders of the organization. Identification : From April to May each year, Welch and three senior executives visited each business to review the progress of the companys top 3000 executives. Among these were an elite club the upper 500 who had been appointed with the personal approval of Welch. Welch asked business heads to identify all star performers and operated with the mindset that the executives were his resources and that the business heads merely rented them. Implementation : Welch radically transformed the compensation package for executives. The new package had stock options as a primary component in management compensation and the number of option recipients was increased from 300 to 30000. All professional level employees were given feedback about future positions they could hold and the specific skill required for that post. These were used in training and development of staff. GEs management development facility was given a shot in the arm with $45 million in funds and the hiring of top-class academics. The goal was to convert it into a holistic training centre from the current situation where it was considered a consolation prize for those who missed a promotion. Welch himself travelled to the facility twice a month to interact and teach GE employees. However, the most controversial of Welchs actions were those regarding a type of managers that he considered Type 4s. These are managers who consistently met performance targets, but were not aligned with the values of the organization. Typically, they were the autocratic bosses who forced performance rather than inspired it. Although they met their required targets, Welch removed these people for having the wrong values. A few years later, GE began evaluating their managers on a 360 degree feedback system for identifying training requirements, opportunities for coaching and career planning. Into the 1990s: the third wave Even at the times of slowdown towards the start of the decade in the industrial sector, Jack was committed to the task of building the company. Various initiatives he took: Boundaryless Behaviour Take a step further from initiatives aimed at strengthening GEs individual businesses, Welch created a focus on integrated diversity. He articulated his dream for GE in the 1990s as a boundaryless company, one standing for an open, anti-parochial environment, friendly toward the seeking and sharing of new ideas, regardless of their origins. Welch envisioned a boundaryless company to remove all barriers among engineering, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and customer services; no distinction between foreign and domestic operations. A boundaryless organization to ignore or erase group labels such as salaried, management or hourly, which poses a problem for people working together in an organization. Welch was fond of telling stories of how best practices could be leveraged by boundaryless behaviour. The ones where managers from Canadian GE identified a small New Zealand appliance maker, Fisher Paykel, generating products very efficiently in its small, low-volume plant. Welch was very clear of the culture he wants to bring to the organization. In his words, We take people who arent boundaryless out of job. If youre turf-oriented, self-centred, dont share with people and arent searching for ideas, you dont belong here. To enforce this, bonuses and options awards were linked to idea-seeking and sharing, not only limited to idea generation. One of the most remarkable examples the way expertise and ideas spread throughout GE was the companys integration model, which was developed after learning from post-acquisition review. The model guided the actions of managers in any part of the company responsible for integrating a newly acquired operation: starting from control of the operations to realigning the organization, and from identifying and removing blockers to implementing GE tools and programs. Stretch: Achieving the Impossible Welch reinforced his managerial expectation by making change to the GEs cultural norms. By introducing the notional behaviour of stretch to set performance targets, it vaguely defined the business targets, with no idea how to pursuit those. The objective behind this change was to change the way targets were set and performance was measured by creating an environment where everyone is searching for answers, and it is here one can prove his mettle. Though stretch targets brought in change but the traditional forecasting and objective-setting processes were not replaced. Managers still tried basic targets, adjusted to current situation in the industry differentiating it from the rigid plan implemented last year. The main catch was setting higher stretch goals for their businesses during the budget cycle. Those who are not able to achieve these higher goals are not punished but the ones who achieved were rewarded heavily with bonuses and stock options. Within a year of introducing this concept of stretch, Welch acknowledged progress. Prior to it, the goals were very miserly set like increase in the inventory turnover ratio from 4.73 to 4.91 or like maintaining the operating margin from 8.53% to 8.91%. Now its a different story altogether, where one aim at 10 inventory turns or an operating margin at 15%. Welch acknowledged that GE did not meet its two of its four-year corporate stretch targets: to increase operating margins from their 1991 level of 10% to 15% by 1995 and inventory turns from 5 to 10 times. However, after decades of single-digit operating margins and inventory turns of 4 or 5, GE did achieve an operating ,margin of 14.4% and inventory turns of almost 7 in 1995. He said we learned things faster than we would have going after doable goals, and we have enough confidence now to set new stretch targets of at least 16% operating margin and more than 10 turns by 1998. Service Businesses In 1994, Welch introduced a new strategic initiative to reinforce his one of the earliest goals of reducing GEs dependence on its traditional industrial products. Towards early 1980s he started moving towards services businesses through the acquisition of financial service companies such as Employers Reinsurance and Kidder, Peabody. As an estimate in year 1995, near about 60% revenue was generated by services division which Welch to grow to 80% later. In pursuit of this goal, he took second step by focusing on product services. In his annual strategic meeting he pushed his managers to participate more in food chain business. It was well informed decision in terms of customers always need of new high-quality hardware products but in future the slow demand of GEs product should be offset by supplementing it with added-value services. By 1996, GE had built an $8 billion equipment services business, which grew faster than the underlying product business. It was also the change of the view, changing the internal mindsets from selling products to serving the customers the best possible way. With this mindset company made 20 acquisitions and joint ventures in the service area which includes a $1.5 billion acquisition of a jet engine service business and the $600 million purchase of a global power generation equipment service company. Evaluation of GEs Strategy over two decades: GE has undergone over two decades of strategic change from profitless growth to an organization to reckon with. Strategy is always incomplete without its evaluation. The process followed at GE included both strategic leadership and entrepreneurship, that lead to host of changes at GE. Most of these changes centered on initiatives by Jack Welch. These initiatives involved Internal Corporate Behavior (bottom up approach) and Induced Strategic behavior (top down approach) for entrepreneurship. Strategic Leadership It is the ability to anticipate, envision, maintain flexibility, and empower others to create strategic changes as necessary. Multifunctional in nature, strategic leadership involves managing through others, maintaining an entire enterprise rather than a functional subunit; and coping with change that continues to increase in global economy. Because of global economys complexity, strategic leaders must learn how to effectively influence human behavior, often in uncertain environment. Strategic leaders must be considerate of entire enterprise, rather than just a sub unit and this should be enforced with a managerial perspective. The changes that followed immediately after instating of Jack Welch followed this Strategic Leadership and Strategic Change Management Process. Jack Welch had a vision for GE to number 1 or 2 in every domain that it operates. He wanted GE to operate leaner. He initiated people development process by work-outs along with inculcation of best practices across industries. He believed in increasing productivity through restructuring, removing bureaucracy and downsizing. The figure below details the steps that are required in maintaining effective strategic leadership. Effective Strategic Leadership Vision Mission Successful Strategic Actions Implementation of Strategies Formulation of Strategies Strategic Competitive Advantage Above-average Returns He corroborated his vision with successful strategic actions of formulation and implementation of strategies successfully. These strategic actions included Total Quality management, implementation of Best practices across industry, downsizing, work outs. He initiated the process of GEs going global. It opened GE to discover profitable uncharted territories across the globe. This helped him leverage on strategic competitiveness and resulting in above average returns. This can be assessed by the successful mergers and acquisitions that GE undertook under his leadership. It led to a strategic change in business portfolio of GE. Jack Welch not only undertook acquisitions, but it was coupled with divestitures. These successful implementation of strategies resulted in sustained competitive advantage for GE in accordance with the vision that Jack Welch had developed for GE. Strategic Vision TECHNOLOGY Industrial Electronics, Medical Systems, Materials, Aerospace, Aircraft Engines SERVICES GECC Information, Construction and Engineering, Nuclear Services The Three-Circle Vision for GE, 1982 CORE Lighting, Major Appliances, Motor, Transportation, Turbines, Construction Equipment Strategic Action: Jack Welch believed in being the leaders in the segment GE operate. This resulted in a radical change in business portfolio of GE. Following table depicts most of the acquisitions and divestitures of GE across two decades. This was done in line with Jack Welchs vision of making GE the best organisation across the globe. Major Acquisitions $21 billion Major Divestitures $11 billion Calma CAD/CAM Equipments Central Air Conditioning Intersil (semiconductors) Pathfinder mines Employers Reinsurance group Broadcasting properties Decimus (computer leasing) Utah International Kidder Peaboy (IB) Housewares (small appliances) Polaris (aircraft leasing) Family financial services Genstar RCA Records Thomson/CGR Nacolah Life Insurance Borg Warner Chemical Consumer Electronics Credit Cards Carboloy Roper NBC Radio Truck Leasing Lawn Equipment Financial Guarantee Insurance GE Solid State Financial News Network Ladd Petro Chemicals Thorn Lightning RCA Columbia Home Video Itel Containers Chase Manhattan Leasing House of Fraser Credit Cards Source: The Business Engine General Electric Financial Performance in the three Era : Borch Jones Welch 1961 1970 1971 1980 1981 1990 Sales 4666 8726 9557 24950 27240 52619 Operating profit 432 549 737 2243 2447 6616 Net Earnings 238 328 510 1514 1652 4303 RoS 5.1% 3.8% 5.3% 6.1% 6.1% 8.2% RoE 14.% 12.6% 17.2% 19.5% 18.1% 19.8% Stock MarketCap 6283 7026 10870 12173 13073 50344 SP Index 65.7 83 <