Sunday, October 13, 2019
Influenza Outbreak :: Journalism Media Studies Health Essays
Influenza Outbreak Four years ago the good citizens of this city voted to allow city funds to be allocated toward a new civic center located in the heart of Irvine. Four years ago the good citizens of this great city had no idea that a terrible pandemic would threaten their very lives and the lives of their loved ones. When signs of the flu season came around in late October this year, no one would have imaged that a disease, often with symptoms like a common cold, would have by the end of the year killed almost half of those killed in the Great War itself. Places all across the nation have had to deal with the sick and dying and Irvine is no exception. This week alone there have been reportedly 3369 new cases of influenza resulting in 60 deaths. This is a staggering jump from last week's amount of 1200 cases. This week's newest count has prompted city officials to call a special session in order to decide on how to deal with the outbreak in monetary terms. The State of California has already given Irvine all that it can until more Federal Aid can be released. In an overwhelming 5-0 vote the city council decided to divert the money set aside for construction of the new civic center and allocate those funds toward medical equipment and vaccines to help fight the deadly disease. Mayor Beth Krom stated that, "It was the only logical thing to do. With the city not receiving anymore State or Federal aid anytime soon it was only right that priorities be rearranged." In a news conference Council member Sukhee Kang was quoted as saying "I mean we're talking about lives here, not a few slabs of concrete and steel. What good is a civic center if there's no one to seat in it?" The civic center, which was set to open May 16, 1919, will be left standing half complete and no new date has been set as to when construction will resume. If things continue to go in this direction then the civic center may never be finished. In the long run this may end up hurting the city financially. A lot of money was invested into the project in hopes that it would help make Irvine the cultural capital of Southern California which would translate into more people and more business.
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Enron and its Shortcomings Essay -- essays research papers
Enronââ¬â¢s overall business practices are not ethical. One business practice of Enron that I think poses an ethical issue is their attitude towards its employees. They create a highly competitive and a result oriented business atmosphere. They used a system where they would rank employees every half a year and fire employees who ranked on the bottom 1/5 of the scores. This kind of attitude where only results matter and if you donââ¬â¢t produce anything good you will get fired will only hurt the company. This promotes unethical behavior and getting what needs to be done to get good results no matter what and if you do well you will receive big bonuses. This approach towards Enronââ¬â¢s employees did not have very good utilitarian reasoning. This doesnââ¬â¢t help employees morale and psychological satisfaction. The cost of this kind of approach was very low because in fact you will weed out the slackers but the results Enron had where employees afraid to question unethica l situations in Enron in fear of their jobs. à à à à à Another section of Enronââ¬â¢s business practice that is definitely not ethical is their accounting methods. In a technical aspect their accounting methods were fine, but this was only because of a loophole. Andrew S. Fastow was described as a financial whiz kid because of these loopholes that he knew how to take advantage of. Some of these things that he, and Enron, were able to take advantage of were the setups of special purpose entities. They would setup these special purpose entities and have either their friends or employees to invest in these special purpose entities so that Enron my say that their debts and liabilities are actually under the special purpose entities and not of Enron. This made it look like Enron didnââ¬â¢t have as much debt as it should have had. A second practice in the accounting methods that were not ethical was their manipulation of their revenue. What they did was to make either their earnings more or inflating their stock. They would make sure that any potential deals that could make money in the future they wrote down in the books in the present, which is not a good accounting practice. Also they used sham swaps with other companies that would buy products and services with each other to make it look like they where making sales and money, when in fact that all they did was trade some assets and wrote a sale.... ...d of the day. Enronââ¬â¢s legal responsibility was low while their economic responsibility was relatively high. They wanted to make money but they where doing it the illegal way, and because of this their social responsibility was just terrible. In the end of the company no matter what was done all the illegal actions were catching up to them and this showed to the world how irresponsible Enron was. They were not socially responsible to any of their stakeholder. The stocks fell and their company went into bankruptcy, many people lost money. Employees lost their jobs and life earnings, and because Enron was a huge company the end of Enron had a ripple affect. All other companies that worked with Enron lost business and they might have had to cut back on costs. Customers lost because they didnââ¬â¢t have the services of Enron, a company that deals with electricity, water, broadband, pulp, paper, and lumber. Creditors had to write off loads of bad debt because Enron would not be able to pay it back. Companies should take a look at Enronââ¬â¢s approach to business and learn that you need to responsibly balance all three responsibilities of business to have a successful business in todayââ¬â¢s world.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Elder Abuse and Living Arrangements in Late Adulthood Essay
Late adulthood is a period of various biological changes which can impact on an individualââ¬â¢s health and ability to function as easily in society. The stereotypical changes of this stage are paler less elastic skin resulting in wrinkles, thinning hair gradually turning from grey to white, weaker bones, muscle loss, and vision and hearing impairments e. g. cataracts and difficulty with word discrimination. There are changes to the brain also, such as the loss of dendrites which causes a reduction in brain weight and volume and slower synaptic speeds resulting in slower reaction times (Bee 1998, p. 53). Their immune system slows down as well, becoming less effective, and making them more prone to illness (Fernandez 2010, p. 794). Alzheimerââ¬â¢s disease is the most common cause of dementia and is a change in the brain structure due to the tangling of dendritic fibres in the brain causing severe memory loss and personality changes (Bee 1998, p. 459). Overall, the elderly are mo re likely to have a chronic illness and disabilities which may impact upon their ability to bathe, walk, feed themselves, prepare meals, shop, dress themselves, and even live independently (Bee 1998, p. 56). This stage of life is characterised by a number of stresses and is a time of reflection. An individualââ¬â¢s changing work status, in particular when they retire, can be a source of stress as work is a major component of adult life and they now have to find other activities to fill their day. There is also the uncertainty of their financial future and whether they will have enough to live comfortably off (Fernandez 2010, pp. 853-855). Their health or partnerââ¬â¢s health may be another source of stress for them, especially if it results in a caring role being required to complete everyday tasks; and the knowledge that their life is coming to an end (Fernandez 2010, pp. 867-868). Fernandez (2010, p. 851) states that late adulthood is a ââ¬Å"â⬠¦ time of looking back and taking stock of where weââ¬â¢ve been, what weââ¬â¢ve accomplished, and whom we have touched. â⬠This results in a process called ââ¬ËLife Reviewââ¬â¢ which is gradually looking back at past experiences analysing and evaluating them to develop more secure and complex self concepts (Bee 1998, p. 02). Social interaction is an important part of life, continuing on in late adulthood and is associated with good health and life satisfaction. The elderly have frequent contact with family, finding strong emotional and practical support through them, especially adult children, and tend to have lower levels of institutionalisation with couples and relatives providing a high level of care and assistance to each other (Bee 1998, pp. 484-490). Friendships play an important role in late adulthood, with many enjoying time with friends more than with family (Fernandez 2010, p. 43). They provide companionship, intimacy, acceptance, opportunities for laughter, sharing of activities, links to a larger community, and protection from the psychological consequences of loss (Berk 1998, p. 609). In late adulthood where and with whom individuals are going to live is an issue they face. There are a number of options available to the elderly such as mobile homes, age segregated villages/communities, institutions, with family, or in their own home (Kalish 1975, pp. 97-99). Deciding which option is the most suitable for an individual can be influenced by a variety of things, such as health, disability, socio-economic status (SES) and culture. Mobile homes such as caravans suit those looking for a low cost and informal arrangement, however, those that have a mobility affecting disability or very poor health may not be suited to this option as they are usually small and on outskirts of towns (Kalish 1975, p. 98). Age segregated villages/communities include retirement homes that provide independent living arrangements or some support depending on the individualââ¬â¢s needs (Johnson 1960, p. 7). They tend to be in semi-isolated areas (making it hard for those with serious health issues to access medical attention), and are quite expensive (only those of high SES tend to be able to afford them) (Kalish 1975, pp. 98-99). The most common institution for the elderly is a nursing home, which cares for those who need considerable attention due to severe physic al or mental disabilities (approximately 5% of the aged population) (Kalish 1975, p. 99). Some residents are unable to feed, dress or bathe themselves, are incontinent or unaware of where or even who they are (Kalish 1975, p. 9). Medicare subsidises some of the costs, but not enough, meaning some individuals are still unable to cover the costs (Kalish 1975, p. 99). Family members provide the most long term care, whether that is a spouse, partner or adult children (Berk 1998, p. 575). It is more common for an elder of an eastern culture to live with their children and extended family, even if healthy, than for an elder from a western culture. Most individuals, even with a moderate disease or health problem, donââ¬â¢t live with relatives, but in their own house (Bee 1998, pp. 82-483). Living in their own home provides the greatest personal control, but those living alone are often poverty stricken and have unmet needs (Berk 1998, p. 601). This is where the Government and charity or ganisations help; they both provide small homes at low costs in suitable areas, as well as providing services such as home help (cleaning mainly), home visiting, and Meals on Wheels (Johnson 1960, p. 48). Elder abuse is a very real and serious issue that occurs during the late adulthood stage of life. There are many different types of elder abuse, including physical abuse (use of physical force resulting in injury, pain or impairment), sexual (non-consensual sexual contact), emotional/psychological (inflicting anguish, emotional pain or distress), neglect (failure to fulfil obligations or duties to an elder), financial exploitation (improper use of an elderââ¬â¢s funds, property or assets), and medical abuse (failing to provide adequate medical treatment or misusing medications) (Biggs 1995, pp. 6-37). It can also be intentional (conscious and deliberate attempt to inflict harm) or unintentional (inadvertent action resulting in harm, usually due to ignorance, inexperience, lack of desire or inability to provide proper car) (CSAPââ¬â¢s Prevention Pathways 2004). Stereotypically, it is nursing home residents that are more likely to be abused, as they are believed to be ââ¬Å"vegetablesâ⬠, and Kalish (1975, p. 9) states that health care professionals sometimes describe fe eding the resident using the expression, ââ¬Å"watering the vegetablesâ⬠which highlights this view and often leads to elder abuse as a way of degrading the elder and punishing them for needing attention and help. Unfortunately many nursing staff receive little or no in-service training and receive a very poor wage, so they feel out of their depths and do not enjoy the tasks required of them, which increases the risk of elder abuse as they feel frustrated, especially if the elderââ¬â¢s abilities are declining and need more care (Kalish 1975, p. 00). This leads to very few long term facilities providing intellectual or sensory stimulation. The more staff fail to stimulate the residents, the more they have to do for them, and the more the residents sink into despondency, creating more stress and frustration for the carers; becoming a viscous cycle (Kalish 1975, p. 100). The lack of stimulation itself, could be a form of unintentional neglect, as their intellectual needs are n ot being met. Despite the stereotypical view of nursing homes, it is in fact those who live in their own homes or with family who are abused the most, and it is the family that are usually the abusers, especially sons (Biggs 1995, p. 41). Victims of psychological or physical abuse tend to be physically well but have emotional problems while the abusers tend to have issues with alcohol and/or mental illness and live with the victim and are usually dependent on them (Biggs 1995, p. 43). Victims of neglect are usually very old and mentally or physically impaired with very little social support, and the abuser suffers chronic and continuing stress (Biggs 1995, p. 43). Those who are unmarried with limited support are at more risk of being financial exploited, with the abuser having financial problems or dependent on the victim for finances and accommodation (Biggs 1995, p. 43). In 1993 the Commonwealth Government established the Working Party on the Protection of Frail Older People in the Community to protect the rights of residents in nursing homes (Biggs 1995, p. 53). Interestingly, mandatory reporting legislation that America has was rejected by most states in Australia at first and it wasnââ¬â¢t until July 2007 that compulsory reporting of unlawful sexual contact or unreasonable use of force was brought in, but this still doesnââ¬â¢t cover all elder abuse and only applies to residents of an Australian Government subsidised aged care facility (Aged Rights Advocacy Service 2012). Erik Erikson was a German psychoanalyst who developed an eight stage psychosocial development theory; this essay will focus on his last stage, ego integrity versus despair (Fernandez 2010, p. 21). The basic concept of this stage is the question ââ¬ËWas my life meaningful? ââ¬â¢ and involves looking back on oneââ¬â¢s life to determine this. The hope is that the individual will come to terms with and accept who they are and have been, the choices they have made, and the opportunities they have gained and lost, and their impending death and thus achieve the vi rtue of wisdom (Bee 1998, p. 501). If they donââ¬â¢t come to terms with their life they develop despair, where they feel dissatisfied with their life and feel it is too late to change it (Berk 1998, p. 88). For example, someone who has very poor health and is reliant on others to help care for them may feel like a burden and have a sense of hopelessness resulting in them continuing to live alone as they do not wish to put others out. While someone else may view it as theyââ¬â¢ve lived a long healthy life up until now and they have a loving family who is willing to help them in their old age, leaving them with a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction, and will happily move in with relatives. Another example might be living in a retirement home, some elderly may come to resent the age segregation and feel like society has pushed them to the outskirts to die, while others may feel stronger social connections, higher morale and a general higher life satisfaction due to the close proximity of others of similar age. Eriksonââ¬â¢s theory is valuable in providing a guideline by which to understand this stage, but is it as clear cut as having integrity or despairing? Maxine Walaskay classified elderly into one of four categories, integrity achieved (aware of their ageing and accept the life lived); despairing (negative evaluation of life); foreclosed (content with their current life but resist self exploration); and dissonant (just beginning to evaluate their life) (Bee 1998, p. 501). Walaskayââ¬â¢s classification seems to say that not all individuals in this life stage look back on their life and evaluate it, that those in the foreclosed category base it on where their life is at now, so it would seem that Eriksonââ¬â¢s theory does not apply to everyone in this life stage. Stress as a transaction theory looks at a stimulus only becoming a stressor when it is perceived that way by the individual, and whether they believe they have the resources to cope. In terms of elder abuse it would focus on the increasing dependency of the elder and a burden of care giving as the cause of stress thus increasing the risk of abuse (CSAPââ¬â¢s Prevention Pathways 2004). It proposes that there are factors influencing the risk of elder abuse in terms of elder related (physical or emotional dependency, poor health, impaired mental status and a ââ¬Ëdifficultââ¬â¢ personality), structural related (emotional strain, social isolation and environmental problems) and carer related factors (life crisis and burn out or exhaustion) (Biggs 1995, p. 25). For example an institutionalised residentââ¬â¢s dementia worsens making them more reliant on the carer, leading to more stress as the carer may not feel they have the capabilities to handle increased roles and this may cause them to abuse the resident. Another example could be an only child suffering extreme financial distress due to gambling debts, who lives with their mentally impaired mother and feels they cannot pay their own debs so they fraudulently use their motherââ¬â¢s funds. This theory looks at the relationship between the dependency of the elder and the stress this creates resulting in abusive behaviour, which research has been unable to prove (Biggs 1995, p. 30). According to this theory, by reducing the level of care giving stress, the likelihood of elder abuse would decrease as well, but this doesnââ¬â¢t take into account other factors that may be attributing to the abuse such as power roles (being physically and mentally more powerful and degrading and abusing the elder as a way to exert and maintain that power), and even a history of violence (if the elder was abusive earlier in their life and the abused becomes their carer, such as a wife or child, then the carer may have learnt that behaviour and carry it on by abusing the elder). There are many biological, psychological and social factors that impact individuals in the late adulthood stage of life, which can contribute to issues they face such as the influence of an individualââ¬â¢s health, ability to function effectively in society and social networks on where and with whom to live and the occurrence of elder abuse. The two theories, Eriksonââ¬â¢s ego integrity versus despair and the stress as a transaction theory help provide some guidelines to examine the issues of living arrangements and elder abuse faced by individuals in this stage of life. Reference List Aged Rights Advocacy Service 2012, Mandatory Reporting: Elder Abuse and the Law, Aged Rights Advocacy Service Inc. , accessed 23 September 2012, <http://www. sa. agedrights. asn. au/residential_care/preventing_elder_abuse/elder_abuse_and_the_law/mandatory_reporting> Bee, H 1998, Lifespan Development, 2nd edn, Longman, Sydney Berk, L 1998, Development through the Lifespan, Allyn & Bacon, Needham Heights Biggs, S, Kingston, P & Phillipson, C 1995, Elder Abuse in Perspective, Open University Press, Buckingham CSAPââ¬â¢s Prevention Pathways: Online Courses 2004, Out of the Shadows: Uncovering substance use and elder abuse, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, accessed 23 September 2012, <http://pathwayscourses. samhsa. gov/elab/elab_1_pg1. htm> Fernandez, E 2010, SOCW1003: Human Behaviour 1: Life stress and the life span, McGraw Hill, North Ryde Johnson, E 1960, ââ¬ËSocial Provisions for the Aged: With special reference to accommodation, clubs and foster homesââ¬â¢, in A Stoller (ed), Growing Old: Problems of Old Age in the Australian Community, Halstead Press, Sydney pp. 46-53 Kalish, R 1975, Late Adulthood: Perspectives on Human Development, Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, California
Thursday, October 10, 2019
Wuthering Heights in Relation to Bronte’s Life
Wuthering Heights Relation to Emily Bronteââ¬â¢s life Characterization: 1. Hindley- Bronte used the character of Hindley to represent her brother. Emily Bronteââ¬â¢s brother drank himself to death just as Hindley did. 2. Edgar- When Catherine died, Edgar became exceedingly private and quiet. Edgar represents Emily Bronteââ¬â¢s own father. When Bronteââ¬â¢s mother died, her father followed the same pattern that Edgar did by secluding himself and becoming very quiet. 3. Catherine- Emily Bronte personifies her dislike for womenââ¬â¢s position in society through Catherineââ¬â¢s love for Heathcliff.Because women are not listened to, Bronte represents herself as a man, Heathcliff, in order to be listened to. 4. Catherineââ¬â¢ Cold- Emily Bronte caught a cold at her brotherââ¬â¢s funeral. Setting: â⬠¢Ã à à Emily lived in an isolated area called Haworth in the West Riding area of Yorkshire. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange both reflect the isolated area where she lived. â⬠¢Ã à à Because they were isolated socially by there geographical location, Emily and her siblings created fictional worlds.Emily and her sister Anne created Gondal which is a land of moors, and the world is reflected in moors surrounding the two houses. â⬠¢Ã à à Wuthering Heights literally means stormy heights. Emilyââ¬â¢s life had many hardships or ââ¬Å"stormsâ⬠throughout her life, such as, her brotherââ¬â¢s alcoholism and some of her family dying from tuberculosis. â⬠¢ à à à Emily was home schooled because she easily became homesick when away at normal schools. This can be seen through young Catherine because Catherine is home schooled and not aloud to see the outside world without her fatherââ¬â¢s supervision.Mood: I. Tragic A. Death in Wuthering Heights B. Death during Emilyââ¬â¢s lifetime C. Tuberculosis-caused death of characters D. Tuberculosis-caused death of family E. Drunkeness of Hindley Earnshaw F. Drunkeness of Bronteââ¬â¢s brother II. Isolated 1. Cathy and her father 2. Bronte and her father 3. Characters and their reading 4. Emily and her reading Tone: 1. Defiant tone: Book: Catherine is naughty, does not behave. She is against society ââ¬Å"They both promised fair to grow up as rude as savagesâ⬠¦ â⬠(46, chapter 6). She also believed she could do what she wanted. â⬠¦ if I marry Linton I can aid Heathcliff to rise, and place him out of my brotherââ¬â¢s powerâ⬠(82, chapter 9). Life: Emily was persistent in her goals and beliefs. She and her sisters attempted to open a school, but it failed because of isolation. Before setting the school up she attended an academy to finish studying French and German. In addition, the three sisters published their works under false names because women writers were discriminated against during the time. 2. Humorous tone: Book: Both Catherine and Cathy have a ââ¬Å"humorous toneâ⬠in some scenes.The two have the tendency to not take everything seriously all of the time. ââ¬Å"Her spirits were always at high-water mark, her tongue always going-singing, laughing, and plaguing everybody who would not do the sameâ⬠(42, chapter 5). Cathy has a joyful mood in many instances; the first talking about the Crags. Life: Emily had two imaginary worlds, although she broke off from the first when she was 13 (Angria) The second one, Gondal, she kept on with until she died. 3. Dark, depressing tone: Both Emilyââ¬â¢s life and the novel are filled with the ââ¬Å"darkâ⬠tone.Death is consistent and parallels with one another. Structure: Symbolism: The cold dark kitchen that is described at the beginning of the book is a symbol of the hatred Emily had for the womanââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"stationâ⬠that is symbolized by a kitchen. Heathcliffs starving of himself symbolizes his hunger for life, and in his case his life is Catherine. This relates to Bronte through her own hunger for greater expe riences, love, and happiness. She was also anorexic, so heathcliffs physical starvation relates to her own.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Boston Consulting Group on Strategy Conformity
Today, management of various organizations are obligated to ensure success is achieved despite the plexity and dynamism of the current business environment. It thus largely depends on the organization structure as well as the appropriateness of the strategies formulated by the management. Apparently, the business strategies need planning gurus who can align business projections with short term and long term objectives. Besides, group influence plays a critical role in oneââ¬â¢s ability to formulate decisions. In most cases, an individual may decide to take a particular decision just to conform to group norms. This discussion, therefore, has addressed Yves Morieux contributions on organization strategy and Asch conformity experiment to examine individual conformity to group thinking. Yves Monrieux assertion concerning structure and strategy conforms to the current management imperatives (Yves & Peter, 2014). Today, the success of business greatly relies on the ability of the management to establish effective operational and strategic aims. These goals are supposed to be timely instituted, and affirmative action is taken to ensure they have implemented accordingly. The success needs an administration structure that is flexible and making new decisions based on the situation. There should be smooth coordination and understanding within the departments to enhance a mon focus on the organizational objectives. Thus, it is notable that the blog presents the following ideas: Soundness of the management to the success of the business. The importance of the enactment of effective goals. The relevance of flexibility in the administrative structure. The management levels matter most in determining the responsible authorities in handling various issues. A good administration structure should be the one that roles are clearly assigned and everyone better knows the power to report to (Carl and Michael, 2006, p. 162-190). The ever-changing business environment requires sound business strategies to maintain a petitive edge.à With the consumers varying needs, measures need to be established to ensure the pany is fully satisfying their needs. To remain petitive, businesses are investing in technology, and further encouraging creativity and innovation among staffs to ensure profit is maximized. Notably, a good organization structure enacts operational strategies based on the research and findings. The support of such initiatives is only experienced in an organization where individuals work as a team towards a mon purpose (Lim, et al. 2010).à People hold positions based on the qualifications and capability. And it significantly helps the management understands plans that are relevant to the business, set aside appropriate financial resources and further monitor and evaluate the plans accordingly. Good administrative structures empower employees through training programs, coaching and more to make them relevant to organization needs. Good strategies borrow from the management tools such as SWOT and PESTLE. A thorough understanding both internal and external business environment aids in the formulation of the right business plan (Butler, 2000, p. 39-43). Therefore, it is imperative for the current managers to ensure that the administration structure put in place facilitates the achievement of the business goals and objectives. The structure should facilitate faster decision making, support productive activities intended to propel the organization towards prosperity and that gives the pany petitive edge (Haslam, et al. 2011, p. 23-67). Usually, human beings have various characters and behave differently based on the situation. Getting a plete understanding of an individual regarding how he/she will respond to different scenarios is quite difficult (Griggs, 2015, p. 137). Based on the blog, the following ideas can be extracted: People are influenced by circumstances in making decisions. Personal decisions can also be influenced by individuals around us. One should remain objective in formulating decisions while holding management positions. Group conformity is real and can be avoided if one is required to disclose a solution via writing and further if the matter is a subject of personal accountability. People are however, influenced by various factors in making a personal decision. For example, the student can respond to a perceptual question posed by the instructor, based on the other bright student suggestion even if he know the answer is wrong (Aronson, et al. 2010, p. 99-120). Therefore, personal decision making depends on the circumstances facing the individuals and the people around. Before I discovered my capabilities, I used to make decisions based on views from my friends and individuals around. Even if I knew they were wrong, I just planned according to their suggestions to conform and fit the group. This group conformity justifies Asch Conformity Experiment regarding the power of the group. In most cases, the primary forces that determined my decision making when I was in a group were normative and informational factors (Eysenck, 2004, p. 345-370). The primary reason why I conformed to group norms was to avert punishments, rejection and further gain from social rewards associated with the members. Also, lack of information due to unfocused minds in class used to affect my conscience in answering perceptual questions. Thus, I could just stick on what a group memberââ¬â¢s opinion. Currently, I make a decision based on the objective. The knowledge I have gained in the university is significant to allow me stand alone but stick to the truth. The present organization's requirements need leaders who understand themselves and have abilities to align the business goals with strategic plans. Therefore, buying groupsââ¬â¢ suggestions just to be accepted at the expense of the firm can lead to business failure (Breckler, et al. 2006, p. 126). Usually, some people who lack leadership qualities and cannot stand alone from a group are susceptible to conformity to group norms. This conformity should not be the case. If we realize the relevance of staying objective to every matter in the organization set up, elements like creativity and innovation will be natured.à As a result, individuals can grow and always feel free to contribute to the organizational management. However, a group can force an individual to conform to its norms because of the following factors: Difficulty of the task, ambiguous situation, lack of information and identification purposes. First, when a group discovers that the job is tough, it can force a knowledgeable member to take the groupsââ¬â¢ stand so that they cannot be judged as failures (Turner, 2005, p. 1-22). Secondly, an ambiguous situation may make a group to require its members to behave in the same way. Further, when a group lacks adequate information about a subject, it may force members to adopt one stand. Finally, a group can force a member to conform to the norms for identification purposes. Appearing different may portray a wrong image of the group. To sum up, organization strategy is a roadmap that guides the management about the organization priorities. The establishment of the right strategies and strict implementation increases the chances of business success. However, the effectiveness of the strategies depends on the administration structure and the support it has regarding the organization objectives. Besides, group conformity is real, and members conform because of various reason. Managers should thus, always focus on organization needs than following workers thought just to be accepted. Aronson, T. D.,Wilson, R. M., Akert, E. (2010). Social Psychology (7 ed.). Pearson.p. 99-120 Butler Jr., J.K. (2000). A global view of informal organization: Academy of Management Journal, 51, 3, 39-43. Breckler, S. J., Olson, J. M., & Wiggins, E. C. (2006). Social Psychology Alive. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, p.126 Carl W. Stern and Michael S. Deimler. (2006). The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy: A collection of articles on strategy and management, p. 162-190 Eysenck, M. W. (2004). Psychology: An International Perspective. New York: Psychology Press, LTD, p.345-370 Griggs, R. A. (2015). "The Disappearance of Independence in Textbook Coverage of Asch's Social Pressure Experiments":à Teaching of Psychology, 42 (2): 137. Haslam, S., Reicher, S.D., Platow, M. J. (2011). The new psychology of leadership: Identity, influence and power. New York, NY: Psychology Press, 23-67 Lim, M., G. Griffiths, and S. Sambrook. (2010). Organizational structure for the twenty-first century: Presented the annual meeting of The Institute for Operations Research and The Management Sciences, Austin. Turner, J. C. (2005). "Explaining the nature of power: A three-process theory": European Journal of Social Psychology. 35: 1ââ¬â22. Yves Morieux & Peter T. (2014). Six Simple Rules: How to Manage plexity without Getting plicated, 87-100.
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Emotional Intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4
Emotional Intelligence - Essay Example Emotional intelligence is defined as an ability to assess and control emotions of the other people alongside with emotions of oneself. This is now considered a great skill and almost an essential trait of a successful leader. Business environment has developed greatly in the past few decades and soft management practices are playing a huge role. It is no longer possible for managers to ignore the feelings or emotions of employees. Today employees are empowered to a great extent and therefore they cannot be treated like herds. This has made the role of emotional intelligence important. Any manager would be successful if he or she is able to understand and manipulate people (not always in bad way). Understanding emotions of others is a gift that can do wonders for managers in organizations. It can help the resolve disputes and motivate employees to work harder in the interests of the organization. Emotional intelligence can help a leader make informed decisions about all aspects of organizational work. Managers can assign jobs that are coherent with the emotions of the employees. This can make a huge difference for any firm as it will lead to maximization of employee productivity. Emotional intelligence also helps managers in assessing potential of an employee. For example an employee who is going through difficult times because of domestic issues might not be a good candidate for a creative job. Similarly an employee who is emotionally aroused might not be apt for forecasting of sales as he might overestimate figures. These employees might be good at other jobs but jobs discussed above are not appropriate for them. Emotional intelligence of a manager will tell him or her that which person is the most appropriate for which job and therefore emotional intelligence is helpful in assessing performance potential. Managerial success can also be achieved through emotional intelligence. By controlling oneââ¬â¢s own emotions managers can make rational and objective
Monday, October 7, 2019
The Scottish Parliament Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The Scottish Parliament Building - Essay Example One of the major reasons of undertaking the project management activities is to add value to a project as well as to meet the set objectives in order to generate sustainable benefits from the project. According to Lewis (2006) the temporary nature of projects stands in contrast withà operations which are rhythmic, semi-permanent as well as permanent functional activities with the aim of producing products or services. In practice, the management of these two systems is often quite different, and as such requires the development of distinct technical skills and management strategies. Project management has been practiced since early civilization. Joseph (2003) stipulates that creating an appropriate project plan is the first thing a firm should adopt when undertaking any kind of project. However, many project managers fail to realise the value of a project plan in saving time, money and other related problems. There are a number of approaches emulated by project managers during init iating a project. Lewis (2006) stipulates that the major approaches include agile, interactive, incremental, and phased approaches. Regardless of the methodology employed, project managers must adopt careful consideration in order to achieve the overall project objectives. In order to achieve the goals of a project, it is paramount for project managers to be articulate in way they manage their teams. It is important to note that even though adequate financial resources are needed for a project to be successful, motivation of team members is an important aspect that project managers should not overlook. Effective motivation of human labour force, for instance through training and salary increment greatly contributes to completion of a project within the preset duration. The section below candidly discusses various aspects that led to the success of Scottish Parliament. Particularly, the section will cover optimal allocation of financial resources, proper planning of time and recruitm ent of skilled and experienced labour force as the main factors that ensured the success of Scottish Parliament. Factors that contributed to success in the construction of Scottish Parliament There are various factors that contribute to a success or failure of any project in progress. One of the major aspects that led to the success in the construction of Scottish Parliament was effective allocation of financial resources by the external donors. As stipulated by Dennis (2007) it is paramount for project managers to emulate proper use of financial resources so as to avoid vices such as corruption and frauds which are major hindrance of timely completion of a project. Based on the regular financial audit that was carried on during the construction of the Scottish Parliament, the possibilities of occurrence of misuse of funds were minimal. Effective time planning by the project managers is another vital aspect that contributed to the success of Scottish Parliament. Taylor (1999) depict s that failure by some project managers to properly manage their time, is a major factor that causes delay in the completion of the project. In this regard, managers who were responsible for the construction of the Scottish Parliament ensured proper scheduling of activities that were involved in the completion of the entire project. According to Taylor (1999) despite the criticisms and a mixed public reaction, the building was welcomed by architecture professionals and critics.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)