Saturday, August 17, 2019

Admissions to Honors Program

I have personally chosen to study at Saddleback College as it is of much convenience to me in both social and economic aspects. Besides, your curriculum is among the best in the region offering quality education. I am looking forward to being admitted for honors in Saddleback College and make my childhood dreams of pursuing higher education a reality.I believe that in order to transform and bring change in the society and hence the global society as a whole, there is need to understand and explore the integrative disciplines pertaining to my field of study. I am sure that I will gain a lot of knowledge, which will be useful in expanding my vision in my area of interest.Besides, completion of honors program in Saddleback will be an opening opportunity for joining a reputable university such as University of California. My ultimate goal is to excel academically and pursue a degree and later a doctorate. My college GPA is satisfactory as I have an average of 3.8 out of the recommended 3 .2. Thus, my performance is exceptionally good.Saddleback College has presented me with a new environment where I met new challenges. Though at first I perceived these challenges as an obstacle to achieving my dream goal, I have now come to appreciate them because they have prepared me for similar or more complex challenges that I expect to encounter during my future studies and life.The skills and knowledge that will be acquired through the program will open an opportunity to explore my area of study to the maximum. Consequently, my ultimate goal of becoming a resourceful person in the society will be realized. I always believe in myself and I have never let anything come on the way of my success. I am the kind of person who is ready to give up his happiness for the sake of long term goals.With the knowledge and experiences from work that I have gained from internship, I have been able to develop different skills to relate theoretical knowhow acquired in class to real life situatio n as well as enhancing my skills in critical and innovative thinking not to mention communication skills.The experiences that I have had in the past have opened my perspective in different areas. Being a student, I have realized the importance of team work in accomplishing important goals in a project. I also developed research skills that I believe will be useful in undertaking my honors and hence taking a degree, masters and even a doctorate in a top university.I have always worked hard and with passion in pursuit for excellence, which enabled me overcome the all the challenges that stood on my way. Throughout my school life starting from junior school through college, I have never given up the battle for excellence. I have always challenged my ultimate goal something, which has helped me, not only achieve academically but also thrive in real life.The leadership skills that I have developed over the years within the various societies and clubs in school have presented me with an o pportunity to deal with different issues. The skills have also initiated self-confidence and self esteem that are important in facing life issues. I am also disciplined and flexible capable of tolerating those who share opposing ideas.I am willing to undergo any sort of training that will enable me to secure a place for honors in saddleback College. I have encountered several challenges in my studies which have helped me discover my potential, strengths and weakness hence will comfortably handle my new course. For instance, during my high school years, I lost my grandfather and a very close friend which disrupted my studies. Even though I did not get a good score, I was able to catch up with life and since then things have been fine.The event helped me to discover my strength of enduring hardships and turning them into opportunities. I am sure that being part of the institution will open further opportunities in advancing my knowledge in a reputable university.The cultural diversity in saddleback has been an important aspect in shaping my perspective to life. The social interaction has been a great experience, which has been a mind opener to the broader world. The well established information technology in the college also presented me with sufficient knowledge and skills that I believe are useful in partaking an honors.My hard work and dedication have always been my foundation for excellence not only in academics, but also in accomplishing other demands in life. I have well developed problem solving skills that are critical in pursuing education and dealing with the various situations in life. Ultimately, I believe in myself with a self driven ambition that has got me this far.

Friday, August 16, 2019

The Things They Carried Passage Analysis

â€Å"Spin† Passage: The Things They Carried The function of the passage from the episode â€Å"Spin† is to introduce a different interpretation of the concept of â€Å"boredom,† one that pertains to the war and the soldiers specifically and not often experienced by civilians. The type of boredom described by the narrator in the passage is tenser, and encompasses many more emotions that the Alpha Company comes across.Throughout the passage, the reader gets the idea that the soldiers are not bored in the irritated and uninterested way that most people typically are. Instead, the men are anxious, anticipating the next unpleasant event to come upon them at any moment. The narrator explains, â€Å"You’d try to relax. You’d uncurl your fists and let your thoughts go. Well, you’d think, this isn’t so bad. And right then you’d hear gunfire behind you and your nuts would fly up into your throat and you’d be squealing pig squeals † (O’Brien 34).This description of how the soldiers would behave, with curled fists and apprehensive thoughts, jumping at every noise, proves that they are not nonchalant but hyperaware of their surrounding and on edge. When the narrator describes war as â€Å"boring,† he refers to the redundancy of always worrying, then allowing oneself to relax for a moment before being bombarded with another battle. The first three sentences from the quote have a calm, slow attitude, especially when juxtaposed with â€Å"gunfire,† â€Å"nuts,† and â€Å"pig squeals,† which are harsh, callous words.The way in which O’Brien chose to write that particular quote is similar to the repetitive way that the soldiers wait, making the reader understand to some level what it is like to live that way. As a result, O’Brien uses this passage to introduce a new, atypical definition of the word â€Å"bored,† where it is used as an â€Å"umbrella† word for many other emotions, including anxiety and fear.

Trends and Issues in Education

Future Needs Change Current Issues and Trends in Education Historically education has changed over the years to meet the needs of children, and their ever changing mold. Society and governance has changed over history to save children from abuse, starvation, and provide educational opportunities but has not completely succeeded in these areas within minority classes. The educational gap between whites, blacks, and Hispanics is astoundingly large. This gap extends to healthcare, gun violence, criminal activity, and poverty. Since 1979, gun violence has ended the lives of 110,645 children and teens in America† (â€Å"State of america's,† 2011). Gun violence is not a new issue to the United States. It can be dated back to the first presidential assassinations and the â€Å"old west†. Gun violence has escalated into religious and political assassinations up to school massacres starting with the Columbine shootings. The United States’ is not successfully helping our youth with gun prevention. In 1994 the federal government passed The Youth Handgun Safety Act which prevents juveniles from possessing firearms or ammunition.That same year they passed The Gun-Free Schools Act which prevents firearms on school campuses and requires LEA’s to a referral service of those students caught with a firearm (1996). Although the government has enacted these laws gun violence has escalated. According to The State of Americas Children â€Å"3,042 deaths of children and teens from gunfire in 2007 alone nearly equaled the total number of U. S. combat deaths in Iraq through July 2011 (3,480)† (â€Å"State of america's,† 2011 ). Their data also shows that 11 children or teens die daily from gun related problems.It also states that even though there are fewer black boys in America they are more likely to come into a fatal blow with a firearm. African American males are more likely to die from a gunshot blow than any natural cause of death ( 1996). The sad issue here is that most of these minorities are the product of poor communities. The need to feel important can be a huge determining factor for these young males, and their need to be accepted into a group. Intervention programs need to be more readily available for these poverty areas. Every 34 seconds a child is born into poverty† (â€Å"State of america's,† 2011). America has made significant advancements in technology, civility, and postmodernism but is still stuck in a time warp from the ‘70s when it comes to poverty. Today’s youth still face the poverty epidemic they faced 40 years ago. The demographic of poverty has changed due to the changing face of America, but the epidemic remains the same. Poverty affects a child’s educational performance and opportunities as well. The schools funds are rooted in property taxes.Most students of poverty live in areas with low property taxes and therefore school funding is low. Instead of th e government making sufficient shifts in funding to give intervention opportunities and professional development, the time warp remains. Teachers come into education unaware of the issues poverty throws on its children. The government has â€Å"tried† to solve the educational poverty issue with No Child Left Behind. This act hides behind the blanket of all children are equal, but the truth is they are not.If they were then all children would have the same opportunities. There would be programs in place for summer enrichment to help stop the loss of information they experience during the summer. Poverty also shows itself in the minority groups and their graduation success rate. In 2006–07, 7. 7 million students attended poverty schools 33 percent African American and 35 percent Latino (â€Å"Child poverty in,† 2006). Only half of the African American male population actually graduates high school. Poverty is the root that bears down to hold on to generation after generation.If society does not change its ways of informing families and students then our society is going to keep falling behind. In order to make minority groups more successful in education, we are going to have to inform them on the statics of graduation, what is needed to graduate, be able to identify at-risk students, and show them the next step, college. If students have a vision of what is next, they can envision themselves on that path. My personal experiences help me and inhibit me in my understanding of the future of our youth. The fact that I grew up in poverty helps me see the need for intervention.If I was not exposed to the interventions that my school had in place then I would not have had the visions for what I needed to be successful. The downfalls to the interventions were that they were only for those A students. I was exposed to the next step because I did well in school. My mother and father were not high school graduates but pushed and showed that education was important. Though I grew up in poverty, I lived in the suburbs. This inhibits me with gun violence to a certain sense. The only gun violence I was exposed to was the untimely death of a classmate because he was playing with a handgun.I am not familiar with street gun violence, the need to be in a gang or the readily available hand guns. This kept me from seeing the issue of inequality until I reached the classroom as a teacher. I became a teacher in ’07 in an inner city school. My familiarity with growing up in poverty helped me connect with my all black classes. I knew when they first saw this â€Å"white lady† they would feel no connection but that quickly changed. They figured out that we had more in common than they thought. I used my experiences of the unknown to keep them from having the same unknowns.I may have no idea of the fear they live in with constant gunfire in their streets at night, I do understand the long, dark path that they see in front of them with no light to guide them through the goals they have rooted in them. I try to provide a spark in the beginning that will eventually lead to an ever burning light that shows them there is no dark place, that success is theirs. They can do and be anything they strive to be. Diligence and will are the keys to success. As an educator I have to stay educated on the adverse society we live in and the proven strategies that will help me be successful to keep my students successful.Our future needs a change in education, in poverty, and in thought. Technology is a beautiful tool, but our country has its hands in the wrong pocket. Taking from education is only hindering our future economic success by filling our prisons and emptying our school desks. Gun violence is being used by our youth as a tool for change but this change is a life altering change in the wrong the direction. Having politicians without educational background guiding our educational realm will continue to lead it into a hurricane of destruction.References (2009). African americans and education. Retrieved from http://naacp. 3cdn. net/e5524b7d7cf40a3578_2rm6bn7vr. pdf Aldridge, J. , & Goldman, R. (2007). Current issues and trends in education. (2nd ed). Boston: Pearson Education. (2006). Child poverty in america. Retrieved from http://www. fightpoverty. mmbrico. com/facts/america. html (1996). Reducing Youth Gun Violence:, Retrieved from https://www. ncjrs. gov/pdffiles/redyouth. pdf (2011). State of america's children. Retrieved from www. childrensdefense. org

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Imaging System Division Essay

3 of them were: * Imaging System Division (ISD) sold ultrasound and magnetic imaging system * Heidelberg Division (Heidelberg) sold high resolution monitors, graphics controllers and display subsystems 50% served ISD, 50% outside customer * Electronic Component Division (ECD) sold application specific integrated circuits and subassemblies. It was established as a captive supplier to other Zumwald divisions but now served outsider also * Total revenue â‚ ¬ 3 billion * Highly decentralized basis management * Division performance indicators were achievement of budgeted target Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) and sales growth * Partially vertical integrated * Each division allowed to outsource the component Imaging System Division (ISD) is going to launch new product namely X73 The characteristic of X73 was as follow: * It was a new ultrasound Imaging system * The product was faster, cheaper and more compact * Design was supported by Heidelberd division’s engineers at full cost of time compensation. To get a best price for its component, ISD did a bidding which involved Heidelberg. Unfortunately Heidelberg bidding price was much higher than outsider company, therefore ISD decided to buy from Display Technology Plc Here is the bidding: Supplier | Cost per X73 System (â‚ ¬) | Heidelberg Division | 140,000 | Bogardus NV | 120,000 | Display Technologies Plc | 100,500 | The decision triggered a dispute since Heidleberg felt that ISD did not show a team work in this case. 1. What sourcing decision for the X73 materials is in the best interest of a. The Imaging Systems Division? Base on the pricing structure X73 below are the calculation of Contribution Margin base on each suppliers’ bidding price: Item| Bidding Supplier| | Heidelberd| Bogardus| Display Tech| Price X 73| 340,000 | 340,000 | 340,000 | | | | | Direct Material| 140,000 | 120,000 | 100,500 | Other Component| 72,000 | 72,000 | 72,000 | Conversion cost| | | | Variable overhead| 27,000 | 27,000 | 27,000 | Fixed cost| 117,000 | 117,000 | 117,000 | | | | | Total cost| 356,000 | 336,000 | 316,500 | | | | | Profit Margin| (16,000)| 4,000 | 23,500 | In this case Display Tech is the best sourcing for ISD since by pricing at 340,000 per unit of X73, ISD would get highest profit compared to other offers. Heidelberg offered its standard price to ISD which would give ISD negative profit. b. The Heidelberg Division? In bidding, Heidelberg has to estimate how its competitors bid prices would be before determining its price. Hiedelber has to put only relevant cost plus a certain markup for profit to win. Bidding is a close price offer and the ethic is clear that there should be no more negotiation after the price opened. The proper price bidding for X 73 Heidelberg offers should be as follow: Item| Heidelberg| | Current Bid| Competitive Bid| Direct Material| 21,600 | 21,600 | | | | Conversion cost| | | Variable overhead| 28,400 | 28,400 | Fixed cost| 55,000 | | | | | Total cost| 105,000 | 50,000 | | | | Markup (33%)| 35,000 | 16,500 | | | | Price to Offer| 140,000 | 66,500 | Fixed cost which consisted of labor cost was not relevant cost for the bidding price since even Heidelberg awarded for X73 or not, Heidelberg should pay it anyway. As its capacity currently was 70%, there was no opportunity cost to be added. Therefore the actual lower bound Heidelberg could offer was â‚ ¬ 50,000. However that price would give zero profit to Heidelberg. To make the profit positive, Heidelberd could do some markup (eg. 33%). This profit was beneficial for Heidelberg to cover some fixed cost. c. The Electronic Components Division? ECD has been set as internal supplier whose pricing has been standardized to that purpose. with 20% marked up from Absorption cost. This was actually the proper transfer pricing for the company in supplying to other division. Item| ECD Current| | | Manufacturing cost | 18,000 | | | Profit Margin (20%) | 3,600 | | | Price Component for X 73 | 21,600 | | | d. Zumwald AG? Since Display Tech was the one who win bidding, from the launching of X73, Zumwald would get profit only from ISD Division amounting of â‚ ¬ 23,500, as describe on the Calculation below Item| Supplier | | Display Tech| Price X 73| 340,000 | | | Direct Material| 100,500 | Other Component| 72,000 | Conversion cost| | Variable overhead| 27,000 | Fixed cost| 117,000 | | | Total cost| 316,500 | | | Profit Margin| 23,500 | There are 2 more calculation scenario we could add if Heidelberg win the bid: 1. Heidelberg and ECD with current price offer Item| ISD| Heidelberg| ECD| Total| | | | | | Price X 73 & component| 340,000| 140,000| 21,600| | | | | | | Direct Material| 140,000| 21,600| | 161,600| Other Component| 72,000| | | 72,000| Conversion cost| | | 18,000| 18,000| Variable overhead| 27,000| 28,400| | 55,400| Fixed cost| 117,000| | | 117,000| | | | | | Total cost| 356,000| 50,000| 18,000| 424,000| | | | | | Profit Margin| (16,000)| 90,000| 3,600| 77,600| 2. Heidelberg & EDC with Transfer price, Price X73 = â‚ ¬ 340,000 Item| ISD| Heidelberg| ECD| Total| | | | | | Price X 73 & component| 340,000 | 66,500 | 21,600 | | | | | | | Direct Material| 66,500 | 21,600 | | 88,100 | Other Component| 72,000 | | | 72,000 | Conversion cost| | | | – | Variable overhead| 27,000 | 28,400 | | 55,400 | Fixed cost| 117,000 | | | 117,000 | | | | | | Total cost| 282,500 | 50,000 | 18,000 | 350,500 | | | | | | Profit Margin| 57,500 | 16,500 | 3,600 | 77,600 | Analysis: 1. For Zumwald AG it was important for Hedielberg to win the bidding, since it would generate more profit either Heidelberg offered current price or transfer price, 2. With first scenario ISD division would suffer for a â‚ ¬16,000 lost 3. If Display Tech win, Zumwald would lost â‚ ¬ 54,100 (â‚ ¬77,600 – 23,500) profit 4. The first scenario it looked ISD would be the loser but in second scenario ISD would generate biger profit (assuming X73 would be priced at â‚ ¬ 340,000) 5. With the second scenario, ISD actually could review the X73’s price it’s, since the transfer cost allowed ISD to lower the price so that X73 could better compete in the market 6. Vertical integration rules should be set up and applied in Zumwald AG 2. What should Mr. Fettinger do regarding the X73 sourcing issue? Considering some factors as mentioned below: a. ICD has announced Display Tech as the winner. b. There was a decentralized policy among the division that Fettinger has to be respect for c. Credibility issue of the company in the eyes of outside suppliers if Fettinger intervene in this case by changing the decision and winning Heidelberg Mr Fettinger should let ICD to source its X73 component to Display Tech as the winner. It could become a learning for him and management. However this consideration should not base on the amount of the business which was estimated to be small, because in my opinion for a competitive product such as X73, pricing was one of important part to success. If ICD could get any better price from other division, ICD may consider a lower price to the market X73 and the revenue may be double or triple. Then Mr Fettinger has to gather his division heads with a standard policy on transfer price among the divisions. 3. Can a system be designed to motivate each of Zumwald’s division managing directors to take actions that are not only in the interest of their division but also in the best interest of Zumwald? Explain. It can. The Top Management should set a TRANSFER PRICES for internally transferred goods. However in decentralized organization such as Zumwald AG, the managing directors and his teams often have considerable autonomy in deciding whether to accept or reject orders or whether to buy inputs from inside the organization or from outside. Therefore the transfer pricing rule should promote a GOAL CONGRUENCE among the managing directors involved in the transfer Please refer to the schematic below: Top Management Zumwald AG ECD Heidelberg ISD Components transferred at a transfer price Components transferred at a transfer price Assuming the transfer price is made, the transfer price will not affect the company’s overall profit, however it does affect the profit associated with each division. As a consequence, the trasnfer pricing policy can affect the decisions of autonomous managing directors who are deciding whether to make the transfer Purchase of productive inputs from vendors outside the organization Sales of finished goods to customers outside the organization Top Management Zumwald AG ECD Heidelberg ISD Components transferred at a transfer price Components transferred at a transfer price Assuming the transfer price is made, the transfer price will not affect the company’s overall profit, however it does affect the profit associated with each division. As a consequence, the trasnfer pricing policy can affect the decisions of autonomous managing directors who are deciding whether to make the transfer Purchase of productive inputs from vendors outside the organization Sales of finished goods to customers outside the organization There are general rules that will promote Goal congruence which are divided into scenario: 1. No excess capacity The transfer price = Outlay cost + Opportunity cost Outlay cost : standard variable production cost Opportunity cost : forgone contribution margin from the lost sales Goal congruence maintain because the selling company transfer its product to another division at equal price as if it sells to external customers. The buyer division just needs to pay for the above relevant costs. While Zumwald AG as the holding company would get benefit from both. 2. With Excess Capacity Transfer price= Outlay costs (no opportunity cost to add) Outlay cost : standard variable production cost General congruence: * The seller will get zero contribution since it sells the product at its outlay cost, to make it goal congruence it is advisable to allow the seller to add a markup to this lower bound in order to provide a positive contribution margin * The buyer will get price at outlay costs which allow it to price lower to compete the market * The Holding company off course would get more beneficial since the both division could get profit. In this case if the transfer price policy applied among Zumwald AG’s divisions, actually the bidding is only away to compare or there is no need to do bidding at all. Heidelberg should use the above formula plus a reasonable markup to get a positive contribution margin, therefore ISD will launch X73 on its price with sufficient profit which then beneficial to Zumwald AD as the holding company. General Transfer Pricing rule provide a good conceptual model for the managerial accountant to use in setting transfer prices and in most cases it is implementab le. However when the general rule cannot be implemented, it is advisable to use a transfer price based on market price, costs or negotiation.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Report Information from ProQuest Essay

Abstract: The social and psychological needs of an employee must be understood in order to motivate him to complete the assigned tasks. Unless the leaders fully support the premise that organizations must have a high degree of communication to meet employee’s psychological needs, it will remain stagnant. This may further give rise to grapevines and conflicts which adversely affect the organization. Effective internal communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement. Transformational leaders have a  tremendous influenceontheworkplaceandorganization’sculture. If they wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. Utilizing past literature, survey questions, and interviews, this research paper will find out the strategy and implementation issues in communications flow that the private service sector faces and how a leader can initiate and bring change by alignment with McKinsey’s 7S Framework. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] Links: Linking Service, Linking Service, Linking Service Full text: Headnote Abstract The social and psychological needs of an employee must be understood in order to motivate him to complete the assigned tasks. Unless the leaders fully support the premise that organizations must have a high degree of communication to meet employee’s psychological needs, it will remain stagnant. This may further give rise to grapevines and conflicts which adversely affect the organization. Effective internal communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement. Transformational leaders have a tremendous influenceontheworkplaceandorganization’sculture. If they wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. Utilizing past literature, survey questions, and interviews, this research paper will find out the strategy and implementation issues in communications flow that the private service sector faces and how a leader can initiate and bring change by alignment with McKinsey’s 7S Framework. Keywords: Change Management, McKinsey’s 7S Framework, Organizational Communication, Transformational Leadership Introduction An organizational setup is a conjoint effort of leaders and followers who work for the accomplishment of certain predefined objectives. The leader’s role is paramount and he has the ultimate responsibility of taking the resources in the desired direction. The concept of leadership has evolved across a period of time. Balgobind (2002), in a comparative study of different transformational leaders, has found that in the past the leader was transactional who was aware of the link between effort and reward. This kind of leadership was responsive and its basic orientation was to deal with   current issues. These leaders would rely on standard forms of inducement, reward, punishment, and sanction to control followers. They motivated followers by setting goals and promising rewards for desired performance. Leadership depended on the leader’s power to reinforce subordinates for their successful completion of the bargain. But times have changed and so has the role of a leader. The leader of today is transformational. These leaders arouse emotions in their followers which motivates them to act beyond the framework of what may be described as exchange relations. Leadership is proactive and forms new expectations in followers. Leaders are distinguished by their capacity to inspire and provide inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and idealized influence in the followers. They create learning opportunities for their followers and stimulate them to solve problems and possess good visioning, rhetorical and management skills. They motivate followers to work for goals that go beyond self-interest. The success of any organization depends largely on the processes and flow of internal communications. The flow of information can be one way or two ways, formal or informal and personal and impersonal. The relationship between employees is based on personal, professional and ethical roles. The communication flow has a great influence on the kind of relationships that exist in the organization. As long as the right messages are conveyed within the defined limits of authority and responsibility, it is helpful for goal attainment. But there are instances when the formal channels of communication are not used and the need to exchange and share ideas gives rise to grapevine communication. The messages are distorted and the incorrect information is spread across. Many times this exchange results in conflicts and strained relationships. If the situation is not taken care of it may affect the organization greatly and may even result in a loss of job for some and may put the organization in severe crises. This situation needs to be corrected and a leader’s intervention can bring a positive change. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make the organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. The private service sector plays a major role in the growth of any economy and employs large number of people. The interrelationship across all levels is largely dependent on the communication flow in this sector. Most of the information is not communicated in the right manner and employees resort to grapevine for their satisfaction. As such the communication problems in this sector multiply and threaten the survival of the organization. Based on present survey and past studies, the paper aims at highlighting the role of a transformationalleaderinsolvingthecommunication problems related to the private service sector. The McKinsey’s 7S Framework has been aligned with leader’s role for bringing organizational change and excellence. Literature Review Transformational leadership theory has captured the interest of many researchers in the field of organizational leadership over the past three decades. This theory was developed by Bums (1978) and later enhanced by Bass (1985, 1998) and others (Avolio &Bass, 1988; Bass &Avolio, 1994; Bennis &Nanus, 1985; Tichy &Devanna, 1986). Bums (1978) first introduced the concept of transformational leadership in his research of political leaders, establishing the concepts of transforming leaders and transactional leaders, and concluded that leaders and followers help each other to advance to a higher level of motivation. The major premise of the transformational leadership theory is the leader’s ability to motivate the follower to accomplish more than what the follower planned to accomplish (Krishnan, 2005). Transformational leadership has four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985). Bums postulated that transformational leaders inspire followers to accomplish more by concentrating on the follower’s values and helping the follower align 06 November 2014   these values with the values of the organization. Furthermore, Bums identified transformational leadership as a relationship in which the leader and the follower motivated each other to higher levels which resulted in value system congruence between the leader and the follower (Krishnan, 2002). Leaders have a tremendous influence on the work place and effect on the organization’s culture. If leaders wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture (Sheahan, 2012). The effectiveness of organizational communication is determined by leadership and leadership traits that allow for an open path of communication with employee and organization (Pirraglia, 2012). McKinsey’s 7S framework provides a strategic approach to HRM. It was developed in the early 1980s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, two consultants working at the McKinsey &Company consulting firm. The basic premise of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful. These seven features are interrelated and have to be considered jointly to achieve a better integration between HR practice and organizational strategy (Talwar, 2006, p.210). The staff element within the McKinsey 7S Framework refers to employees and their need for development and motivation. Style refers to the actions and behavior of senior executives, rather than what they say. The conduct of top management is an extremely valuable management tool that conveys and reinforces strong messages to stakeholders, particularly employees, throughout the organization (Fleisher and Bensousan, 2007, p.49). A range of highly respected management scholars including Armstrong (2008) and Adair (2009) have emphasized the importance of formulating and promoting shared values within organizations. System relates to processes and procedures that are necessary in order to conduct the business (Murphy and Willmott, 2010). The disadvantages of a tall hierarchical structure have been specified by Dlabay (2011) as inflexibility to respond to changes in the marketplace, loss of communication messages between the layers, de-motivated workforce etc. Johnson (2006) defines corporate strategy as a plan aimed to achieve corporate objectives, Skills, for the organization relate to competencies and capabilities required within the organization in order to achieve organizational objective in an effective way (Schuler and Jackson, 2007). Communication is one of the most dominant and important activities in organizations (Harris &Nelson, 2008). Fundamentally, relationships grow out of communication and the fu nctioning and survival of organizations is based on effective relationships among individuals and groups. In addition, organizational capabilities are developed and enacted through â€Å"intensely social and communicative processes† (Jones et al, 2004). Communication helps individuals and groups coordinate activities to achieve goals, and it’s vital in socialization, decision-making, problem-solving and change-management processes (Berger, 2008). The focus of organizational communication is on the whole system, rather than on parts of the system (Katz &Kahn, 1996). The study of organizational communication centers on processes of interaction, means by which people obtain information, form opinions, make decisions, merge into the organization, leave the  organization, and create rapport with one another (Shockley-Zalabak, 1999). Through communication, people coordinate their actions to achieve individual and organizational goals (Shockley-Zalabak, 1999). Effective organizational communication can be achieved through transformational leadership and will generate greater organizational and employee performance within small organizations (Dario Martinez, 2012). Effective communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement (Avolio, Lado, Boyd &Wright, 1992; Rowe, 2001). Effective communication succeeds when employees support the leader and the organization if there is a belief that employees’ efforts will be rewarded. Leadership succeeds when initiating response or responding to change and leadership is inextricably linked to the credibility of those leading. Constituents will become willingly involved to the extent that they believe in those sponsoring the change (Kouzes &Posner, 2003). Methodology and Data Collection The experiential survey has been used for the purpose of the paper. Data is qualitative in nature and has been collected through primary and secondary sources. The questionnaire consisted of open ended questions related 06 November 2014   to communication flow and processes. Five private service organizations comprising of hospitality, academia, telecommunication, retail, and insurance were included in the survey. Ten employees from each sector have been taken in the survey and their experiences related to communication problems in the organization have been considered for the purpose of study. Analysis The analysis is based on present survey and past studies. The findings revealed that organizational communication is one of the most important determinants of sound interpersonal relationships within the organization. In a reputed retail store, information was not transmitted through proper channels. There was ambiguity regarding the instructions communicated to employees. This caused discomfort and conflicts in the organization and affected the quality of work. The General Manager-Marketing of the retail store admitted that most of the miscommunication led to conflicts which were difficult to resolve. When asked about the negative influence of past workplace experience on the present organization, the HR Manager of a well known hospital revealed that most of the employees were always thinking about their past work environment and their self-fulfilling prophecies were leading them to live with fear and poor emotional management. In many organizations, most of the information was not communicated to the employees and the decisions were thrown at them. The instructions were not seriously obeyed and the employees turned violent during work. The Area Manager of an insurance company revealed that closed communication gave rise to violent behavior in employees. Grapevine communication has prominence in all organizations and has its own benefits but the Principal of a Technical College revealed that their organizational communication largely depended on grapevine and it was a major cause of dissatisfaction among the employees and resulted into high turnover. The employees of a telecom company expected encouraging behavior from their senior manager. A lower level employee revealed that the absence of compassion in communication and humiliating remarks of their departmental head was extremely offensive to their self-esteem. When these findings were considered around the elements of the McKinsey’s 7s model, it was felt that the 7s model could be linked to the problems related to organizational communication as: Strategy – Improper communication flows give rise to conflicts and hamper the organization’s image. It is important to make the right communication strategies for conflict resolution and sustainable advantage. Structure – Most organizations use formal channels of communication. This results in choking of essential information giving rise to grapevines. The organizational structure has to be designed in a way that information is not choked. Systems – The internal processes and procedures facilitate good communication and it is important to understand how effective they are in maintaining the correct flow. Skills – Communication can flow smoothly if the staff possesses the right skills. Staff – The staff can facilitate effective communication and value needs to be attached to communication skills during recruitment and selection. Style – The management is responsible for promoting a culture of open communication. Shared goals – The organizations’ belief system and attitude towards communication is at the core of other elements.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Assignment 10 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

10 - Assignment Example (Picturing the Past) These words are brought to life from the picture in the advertisement. We see a ship that appears to have docked and is unloading cargo which is Pears’ soap, and another picture showing a black man crouching in front a white man with a bar of soap by their side. It is implied that the white man has brought in the soap to help the black man achieve cleanliness which is the mark of western civilization. This can also be seen from the picture of the white man who seems to have washed his hands in a very clean bathroom. He is meant to epitomize cleanliness that is the mark of the white man’s civilization. (Picturing the Past) Non Europeans are referred to as ‘dark corners’. The white man is said to use the soap to brighten the dark corners of the earth; which they consider their burden, as civilization advances. This refers to non Europeans who are supposed to be receiving civilization by being made clean. The picture of non Europeans that is presented in the advertisement is one who is inferior to the white man, crouching before him to receive the gift of civilization, Pears’ soap. (Picturing the Past) The phrase ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ can be related to this advertisement because both the phrase and the image portray the white man as superior and the helper to Non Europeans. This is because these are God-like traits that the white man is assuming in trying to ‘lighten their burden’, i.e. make everyone like them, which is also a God-like trait as he made everyone in his own image. (Picturing the Past) The white man’s burden is to bring cleanliness to the whole world by lightening up the dark corners of the earth, and the use of Pears’ soap will enable everyone who uses it to achieve cleanliness. By accepting to use the soap, Non Europeans will be accepting the white man’s ways and in the process lightening up the dark corners of the earth. (Picturing the Past) On analyzing the map of Africa

Monday, August 12, 2019

How have the criminal justice system evolved Research Paper

How have the criminal justice system evolved - Research Paper Example Criminal justice system forms an essential part of the society in every country. Enforcements of the laws, courts and corrections are the major components of the system, where every part has their individual responsibilities and has to work independently keeping in focus the effects of their decisions on the other parts as well as on the human societies as well. The Anglo-Saxons and the Tithing system are known to be the oldest system as far as criminal justice is concerned. In this system, a division of civil government involving ten families launched the standard of cooperative liability for preserving law and order. The ten families were referred to as the tithings (Hess & Orthmann, 2011, pp.1-7). Hue and cry was referred to the shout by a citizen by whom any crime has been witnessed. This would be followed by grabbing the attention of any other individuals present in the scene who might chase the offender and catch him if possible. It was considered as a general alarm leading to citizen’s arrest. In 1066, the Norman Frankpledge System came into existence that demanded for loyalty to the law set by the king and communal neighborhood accountability of all free Englishmen to uphold tranquility. In the twelfth century, the enforcement of law was developed into a public matter by Leges Henrici. The jury system was established by Henry II in 1154 where people had to give information to a judges panel in regard to any crime that has taken place (Hess & Orthmann, 2011, pp.7-8). The current system of criminal justice has been based much on the Magna Carta which refers to a â€Å"decisive document in the development of constitutional government in England that checked royal power and placed the king under the law† (Hess & Orthmann, 2011, p.9). This document involved the rights of the individuals and rested the establishment for necessitating leaders to support the law; forbade taxation lacking illustration; obligatory outstanding procedure