Management Society and new forms of work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management Society and new forms of work - Essay Example On the other hand, it can be seen that this concept raises a lot of social issues that might also destabilise peace and tranquillity in different areas. Against this backdrop, this paper has been designed to explore the reasons why the issue of precarity is of concern to the current labour and management practices. The paper starts by outlining the concept of precarity and its impact on the welfare of people as well as to suggest measures that can be implemented in order to address this particular problem. The concept of precarity is a quite a new sociological discourse in the contemporary labour and management practice. â€Å"In 2003, the concept of precarity emerged as the central organizing platform for a series of social struggles that would spread across the space of Europe,† (Neilson & Rossiter, 2009, p. 51). This concept is concerned with highlighting the issue that social security in different workplaces is disappearing as a result of the fact that the employers are pr imarily concerned with productivity in their organizations while overlooking the needs and interests of the employees such as improving their welfare through offering them rewards for their efforts. This scenario is evident in different sectors of the society where people working on part time basis, permanent employees as well as the unemployed often find themselves in a predicament where they often fail to derive security from their jobs. These people live a precarious life whereby it can be seen that they are not in a position to secure themselves against things like mounting debts as well as to enjoy good welfare. People who are entitled to low wages also face the same predicament since they are forced to eke a living from the meagre income they earn from their work. The concept of precarity has negative effects on different sectors of the economy and society at large. Generally speaking, employees living under precarious conditions are not satisfied with their work. According to a study by Patterson et al (1998) entitled, ‘Impact of People Management Practices on Business Performance,’ it can be seen that people in an organization make a difference between success and failure. The management practices have an impact on the performance of the people in the organization. People who are satisfied with their work are productive compared to those who are not. Satisfaction can be derived if the employees are rewarded for their effort in an organization. However, if there are no measures in place that are designed to address the issue of employee motivation through giving them rewards for their performance, it can be observed that the workers are likely to lose goodwill in the company in the long run. The adverse effects of precarity among the workforce during the contemporary period mainly involve aspects related to quality of work as well as productivity. According to Robbins (1993), a workforce that is dissatisfied is likely to be less productive compared to workers who are happy about their work. This impacts on the performance of the organization as a whole since it may fail to achieve its set goals. On the other hand, it can be seen that this state of affairs can also compromise on the aspect of quality of the goods and services offered by the company concerned. This in turn may impact on the profitability of the company since the targeted customers

Perspective on Health Care Paper Essay Example for Free

Perspective on Health Care Paper Essay A)What interested me about the history of health care? Theres no doubt that the healthcare industry offers plenty of profitable careers. In fact most of the best paid and the fast growing careers belong to this industry. Thats why I am heading in Health Care Administration because I want to be an administrator for Center of Disease Control (CDC). I have passion for serving people and to make positive impact in their lives. I consider it as one of the fastest growing healthcare career and a high paying medical career and don’t only offer me a decent pay, but they provide me several other reasons. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, eight of the top 20 fastest growing careers belong to the medical field or the healthcare industry. The industry has offer as many as 13 million jobs. Technologies had given a path way to the continuous advancement in medical field in the health system. I have to say that what interested me in the history of health care are the development of the vaccinations for disease throughout the years as well as the developments of programs like the Center for Control of Disease and Prevention (CDC) giving rise after World War in 1946. Vaccinations are what I captured in chapter one in the nineteenth century between 1850s and how about (30,000) persons died from yellow fever and cholera epidemics. Many have died from contaminated water and food, inadequate living situations and sewage disposals. Now in this century there are vaccinations for these disease and many others that has dropped the death rate since then as with better disposing of sewage and safeguarding our foods and facilities with the concern of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have also helped with the decrease of morality, deaths and illnesses reduction. B)What areas of health care I am interested in pursuing? Why? I am interested in the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which involve national concern to deal pre-existing conditions of disease to control and prevent them. The best part about pursuing a healthcare career is that you will be making a positive impact on peoples lives. In fact, theres no other occupation where I could get the opportunity to make such a strong impact in the lives of people. It really gives me a lot of satisfaction and enthusiasts when I can save an ending life or help bring a new life into the world. By treating different forms of ailments, and I will also make a great positive impact on the entire community. Another big advantage of pursuing a healthcare career is that I will never have a dull moment because the medical field is ever-changing; it always keeps me excited about new developments and advancements in technologies. The profession is really dramatic in nature, and I will never get bored because I want to always interacting with new patients helping them to improve their lives. Another option or choice would be health promotion so that help people learn and give information on what they can do to stay healthy that is why I am doing Information Technology System blending these courses. Another choice would be with illness and prevention services which also educate consumers on risk factors that were conveyed in chapter 2. C) Which positive and negative health outcomes linked to demographic indicators intrigued me? â€Å"Health care is the process of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans.† (Wikipedia, 2012). There are many forms of care that can be practiced from medicine, chiropractic, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, psychiatric and much more. With the fact that there is emerging trend towards overweight-obesity in poorer families, and it is one of the major illnesses that concern is attached. This is, of course, not true in developing countries, but can be seen in North America because mass produced unhealthy food is cheaper and is easier to find in poorer neighborhoods. We are putting our lives in the hands of others to care for that is why one can see why health coverage can be extremely expensive. Health care varies from place to place, and it is largely influenced by social and economic situations as well as health policies that are in place. There is a wide range of area in health care that one can contribute their help in making a difference in people’s lives. There are many forms of care that can be practiced from medicine, chiropractic, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, psychiatric and much more. That’s primarily because 45.7 million Americans are without health insurance. That’s roughly 16 percent of Americans who sometimes have to forego healthcare, or face financial obligations with insurance providers. The primary issues are access, and affordability of healthcare. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the health care and social assistance industry should create 28 percent of all new jobs between 2010 and 2020. And when it comes to the industry itself, heath care is expected to increase by 33 percent (thats 5.7 million jobs!) between 2010 and 2020. D) What resources are there for finding more information on the history of health care in the United Sates? The internet search engines, Public libraries, and my student website are ways of obtaining information. As many people have discovered, clicking on a favorite search engine and entering a disease or medical condition can often result in hundreds, even thousands, of hints. This can be discouraging, and here are a few ideas for filtering the available web pages to a manageable number: 1. If you are using a search engine such as Google or Yahoo, take advantage of the health subsets of these services for your search. Learn how to use the advanced searching features of the sites so that you can combine terms to make your retrieval more precise. For example, entering the term cancer and chemotherapy linked together is more powerful and precise than trying to read through all the ideas found by simply entering the general term cancer. 2. Become familiar with the general health information finding tools such as MedlinePlus (http://www.medlineplus.gov), produced by the National Library of Medicine, or Healthfinder  ® (http://www.healthfinder.gov) from the US Department of Health and Human Services. 3. When you have found sites that look relevant, use the guidelines below to help you decide whether the information is as credible, timely, and useful as it looks. These are few websites that we can site with viable information about health care; http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer, http://www.nih.gov, http://www.medicare.gov

The Great Controversy according to Young Goodman Brown :: Free Essay Writer

In our own Christian struggles, people tend to believe that it is simple as good evil. People don't realize however that in this fight, the Devil can infiltrate a seemingly normal, Christian Human Being, but it's true. Better yet, in our own walk with God the Devil lurks near to test what might look like a strong relationship with Christ. As shown in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown," even a grounded, sincere Christian can have his or her faith tested. Hawthorne's story refers to Brown's travel companion as 'the serpent,'; and though the story is allegory based the story itself raises an age old battle that is being fought to this day, the great controversy. The Great Controversy as it is formally known as, is the fight between good and evil…Michael and Lucifer. On the issue at hand Ellen White says 'The great controversy between Christ and Satan, that has been carried forward for nearly six thousand years, is soon to close; and the wicked one redoubles his efforts to defeat the work of Christ in man's behalf and to fasten souls in his snares. To hold the people in darkness and impenitence till the Saviour's mediation is ended, and there is no longer a sacrifice for sin, is the object which he seeks to accomplish.'; Within this fight, man, sinful in nature is in the middle of it. According to the Story Young Goodman Brown, Brown left faith or his faith to walk with the serpent, or the devil. He was so deep-rooted in his faith but disregarded it to walk with the devil. All throughout the walk the devil tried to test his faith by showing him harsh realities and telling Young Goodman Brown about his past and the negatives about his family's heritage. That is just one of the traps of the devil, more so the one of the greatest tests of faith can be the existence of evil spirits. Ellen White says in her book The Great Controversy, 'There is a growing tendency to disbelief in the existence of evil spirits, while the holy angels that "minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Hebrews 1:14) are regarded by many as spirits of the dead. But the Scriptures not only teach the existence of angels, both good and evil, but present unquestionable proof that these are not disembodied spirits of dead men.';(White 111) In the story the devil used his evil minions to deceive Young Goodman Brown and to make it appear that the people that appear to be good and upstanding Christians aren't.

Life in the Colombian Cocain Trade Essay -- essays research papers

Colombian Cocaine Trade Cocaine is produced from the Coca plants usually found in the mountain climates of Colombia. The first cocaine alkaloid was not achieved until 1855. The cocaine alkaloid was first isolated by a German Chemist Friedrick Gaedcke. Cocaine was first used in the 1880’s as an anesthetic in eye, nose, and throat surgeries because of its capability to provide anesthesia as well as to constrict blood vessels and limit bleeding. Its therapeutic applications are obsolete in this day and age because of the technological advances to produce safer drugs . Cocaine is the most devastating and potent stimulant of the natural realm. In this paper I will be discussing the history of cocaine, the impact in the world, and lastly the War on Drugs. Dating back thousands of years the South American Indigenous people have chewed the coca leaf. The leaf contains important nutrients and can be life saving to a person who hasn’t eaten for days. When the Spaniards conquered South America they discovered that the claims of the leaf being nutritious were true and started taxing 10% of the value of the crop . The taxes actually became the main source of support for the Roman Catholic Church in the region. In 1999, Colombia remained the world's leading producer of cocaine. Three quarters of the world's annual yield of cocaine is produced there. In the year 2000, Columbia still remains the world's leading producer of the drug .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The coca cultivation that goes on in the Andean jungle is damaging the health of the environment in the region. The main threats to the environment are deforestation caused by clearing the fields for cultivation, soil erosion caused by several factors, and chemical pollution from insecticides and fertilizers. The process of mixing coca and poppy into cocaine and heroine has devastating effects on the environment as well. These environmental issues are difficult to address due to coca being a traditional crop and trade item, the influence and wealth of the drug traffickers opposing restrictions, and the issue of national sovereignty. Most realize the social impact of the drug trade worldwide, but few realize the environmental impact. The natives who used to live on eating the fish from the rivers no longer are able to find any edible fish.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Polluti... ... and a peasant. Escobar started his legacy of being a notorious ruthless cocaine distributor in the 1970’s. By the 1980’s Escobar’s cartel was responsible for over 80% of the worlds cocaine productivity. Between 1984 & 1987, fifteen judges and numerous other governmental figures were assassinated in streets of Medellin. By 1993 credited with killing more than 200 judges, an attorney general, three presidential candidates, estimated 1000 police officers, dozens of journalists, and thirty kidnappings. Escobar's killing in December 1993 ended a long terror campaign that shook Colombia to its core. The drug lord's gang set off bombs, downed an airliner and killed dozens of police officers and officials to coerce the government to not extradite drug suspects to the United States. The United States for some time has been helping Columbia with military aid, including training and intelligence gathering. Special units from the military, CIA, FBI, DEA, and half dozen other agencies, in conjunction special units of the Columbian police , were all responsible for the take down of Pablo Escobar and friends. This was also labeled one of the greatest take downs in the history of Colombia.

An analysis of the poem ‘Monsoon History’ Essay

The poem is about the persona is reminiscing her childhood memories. It describes the persona’s â€Å"Peranakan† household during the monsoon season. In the â€Å"Monsoon History†, the lines are arranged in a particular way to create effect and the choice of words that the poet is focused on engaging the audience to interact with the poem. One of the themes of this poem is appreciating nature. The poem provides a vivid description of nature, which are the presence of creatures that are full of life, and the natural phenomena such as the monsoon. The monsoon is a period of uncertainties but when it is over there is tranquillity. We should learn to live by understanding the wonder of nature, even at times of uncertainties. The poet uses a lot of elements of nature and even small insects such as â€Å" gnats†, â€Å"black spiders†, †termites† in her poem. This shows that the poet is really observant of the things that are going around her and appreciating nature as she realised their peaceful co-existence. Furthermore, the persona faces the realities of life especially during the monsoon where the situation reflects uncertainties as indicated in stanza 2. The monsoon brings thunderstorm and rain, the atmosphere becomes moist. This is the reality of life in Monsoon History. One has to face this reality. Natural phenomenon in the form of the monsoon is in control and there is rolling darkness. The poem provides a realistic picture of what happens during the monsoon. The poem also highlights cultural richness. Traditions and customs are part of the culture practised by the people portrayed in the poem. There is a rich cultural heritage that needs to be preserved from generation to generation. This can be seen through strong presence of cultural sentiments that are symbolically presented this poem. For example, the poem provides some of the cultural practices such as the Nyonya-Baba tradition of wearing â€Å"sarong† and the burning of â€Å"silver paper† for the death. The â€Å"pantun† is also part of their culture and the â€Å"wash feet† is a taboo for them which symbolises whoever does not wash their feet before sleeping may have nightmares. The poem shows that people are identified through their cultural practices. The poet uses a lot of imageries which make our senses engage through the use of particular imagery in this poem. We as the readers feel the experiences as if we too are part of the experiences. For example, the auditory imagery such as â€Å"the air ticks† and â€Å"listening to down-pouring† are used to describe atmosphere. The poet also uses a lot of kinaesthetic as well as sight imagery by personifying animals, insects and the elements of nature in this poem. The use of words such as â€Å"air walking† and â€Å"fat white slugs furled† in this poem show actions and movement that makes the poem seem alive and engages our senses. The poem above is suitable to teach students for a reading lesson. For the pre-reading stage, teacher may ask students to work in pairs and share their childhood memories with their friends. They can talk about the foods, the clothes, the places that they used to eat, wear and go. This warm-up activity is helpful in activating students’ schemata and arousing their interests to analyse and understand the poem. As Aebersold and Field (1997) state, pre-reading is important to raise students’ awareness of the text that they are going to read later. After the warm-up activity students are usually ready to look at the poem. Therefore, as while reading activities, there will be two activities. First is the teacher introduces the poem to students. Teacher does a reading chain activity with students by asking the students to read one line each. Teacher may then ask students to get into group and discuss the elements such as the meaning, the themes and literacy devices of the poem as well as discuss the questions that are given to them by relating it to what they understand from the poem. By doing this activity, students may share their opinions and ideas. As a result, it may develop students’ interpretive skills. Lastly, as follow up activity at the post-reading stage, teacher may ask students to do a class project of Baba and Nyoya culture. Students are divided into four group: (1) Clothes, (2) beliefs, (3) traditions, and (4) background. In groups, they have to discuss, write and draw the ideas about Baba and Nyonya’s culture. Then, teacher compiles all the students’ work for the class magazine. This activity helps students to appreciate the poem more. In conclusion, Monsoon History is one of the good poems written by a famous Malaysian poet that has many good values to be taught to Malaysian students. Other than incorporating other type of literature such as British and American literature, Malaysian literature should also be embraced in education system seem they are appeal to students’ culture.

Historic Contextual Essay of T essays

Historic Contextual Essay of T essays The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, takes place in late 19th century England. The Picture of Dorian Gray incorporates a lot of the culture of the time period into it making it, for the most part, a believable and realistic story. He talks about how the rich lived in large homes with gardens and servants, he talks about the opium dens, and he also talks about the playhouses where Dorian meets Sibyl Vane who he gets engaged to before driving her to suicide. He also incorporates a lot of the ideas of the time period about art and beauty in general into the story. Overall Oscar Wilde gives an accurate representation of the life and ambiance of late 19th century England. In the story, the upper class English society lived rich, comfortable lives and squandered away there time at social gatherings, in the theatre, and as a rule, not doing any work at all. The few people that are upper class and the book tells us how they got there, inherited their land and riches from distant relatives. That is pretty much what happened in the real England. The upper class people of that time period got there land and money from there relatives in the medieval era. The people who had lots of land became the kings during the medieval ages and got their riches from using and abusing the people without any land. They would pretty much just sit around and eat all day while their servants did all the work in the fields for them. The kings later transformed into the upper class citizens of England. The story also talks about Dorian Gray running off to an Opium Den after he kills Basil. He is so distraught over what he had done that he got Opium out of his house and took it with him to an opium den to try and numb the pain. He remembered Lord Henrys thoughts on how Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul. In late 19th century England there were lots and lots of Opium Den...

The accuracy of joule meter Essay Example

The accuracy of joule meter Essay Example The accuracy of joule meter Paper The accuracy of joule meter Paper Aim: To investigate how the efficiency of an electric motor varies when it is lifting different weights. Summary: I have investigated how the efficiency of an electric motor varies when it is lifting different weights. I found that the efficiency of my motor (using an input voltage of 4v) was maximum when it was lifting 500-800g weights. I also found that the efficiency of the motor depended on its internal resistance and friction. I also used my results to estimate the internal resistance of the motor and I found it was about 0. 5? In my extension experiment I used the electric motor as a generator. I dropped a variety of weights from my pulley system and I measured the amount of energy produced using a joule meter. I found that the efficiency of the generator increased as the mass of the weight I dropped increased. The percentage efficiency of the generator also appeared to tend towards 14%. Finally I discussed whether my experiment was time reversible. I decided that it was to an extent but not completely. I decided this since I only retrieved about 1-2% of the energy I used to lift the weight when I dropped the weight again, using the motor as a generator. Experiment 1: See Diagram1 for Apparatus and circuit diagram Experimental Method: I will use a 12v electric motor to lift a variety of weights a fixed height and I will measure the voltage and current in the motor coils. I will also measure the time taken to lift the masses. How will I make my experiment accurate? 1. In my experiments I will keep all variables constant except the one I am investigating. I will vary the mass of the load but I will keep the input voltage to the motor and field coils constant and I will lift the load to the same height each time. 2. I will repeat each measurement in till I am satisfied that it is accurate and then I will use an average when I am analysing my results. I will also take a wide range of results to ensure I get a complete picture. 3. I will do a trial experiment to decide on appropriate values for the voltage in the motor and field coils. I will also need to decide on appropriate range of masses to test. I want the voltage in the motor coils to be large enough so that I can measure the current/voltage in the motor coils accurately with a 1-10 V/A meter however I want the motor to be able to lift a wide range of masses at this voltage. Acknowledged Errors: 1. Friction in the pulley will reduce the efficiency of the motor . The pulleys are needed to reduce the torque the motor requires to lift the weights. By reducing the torque the motor can lift a wider range of weights. I have tried to reduce the friction in the pulleys by oiling them. 2. The radius of the cotton reel used to wind the string around the motor shaft increases as more string is wrapped round it. As a consequence the torque on the motor is increased. This error is unavoidable and I will attempt to correct for it by using an average value for the radius in my calculations. 3. The internal resistance of the power supply and the ammeter used in my experiment will affect the voltage across the motor. For this reason I will directly measure the voltage across the motor and I will not simply use the E. m. f of the power supply in my calculations. 4. The bottom pulley contributes to the weight of the load. It weighs 104. 8 grams (error +/-0. 1g) My results: Experiment1: Field coils voltage=9. 88V, Motor Coil input voltage (as show on power pack)=4V, the height the mass was lifted=1. 025 m (% error=0. 9), g=9. 8(Estimated error=1%) I repeated each reading in till I got reliable results the value given in the table is the average value I recorded. Mass (including pulley) in grams Average Voltage (V) Average Current (A) Average time taken to lift mass I. 025m Estimated Error=+/- 1% Estimated Error==+/- 0. 05V Estimated Error=+/-0. 05A Estimated Error==/-Â  Experiment 2: Although the voltage and current remained roughly constant while I was lifting the weights at a steady speed, they varied by as much as . 3V/A. This variation was due factors such as the varying friction of the pulley system and it made taking accurate results difficult. In my second experiment I am going to use a joule meter to measure the amount of energy given to the motor. The joule meter will take in account the fluctuations in voltage/current that I observed and therefore it should give more accurate results. This is assuming that the joule meter is accurate. See Diagram 2 for circuit diagram Experimental Method: I will attach different masses to the pulley and I will measure how high they are lifted if 20J of electrical energy is given to the motor-As soon as the joule meter reads 20J I will stop the weight and measure the distance it has moved. I have chosen this method since the joule meter I am using can only measure the number of joules received to the nearest 10J. In my experiments I was only using about 30-70 Joules and therefore the error in my results could be as high 33%. However using the joule meter I can accurately tell when exactly 20J of energy has been used, and then I can then use the ruler to measure the height of the weight to the nearest millimetre. Using this method and assuming that the joule meter is accurate, I estimate the experimental error to be about 2-3%. My results: Motor coil voltage (as shown)=4V, Field Voltage=9. 80 Mass (g) (inc pulley) Voltage (V) Height Lifted (Cm) Height lifted Exp2 (Cm) Average Height Lifted(Cm) Average Time taken to lift weight (s) Estimated Error=+/- 1% Estimated Error==+/- 0. 1V Estimated Error =+/-0. 5cm Estimated Error =+/-0. 5cm Estimated Error =+/-0.5cm Estimated Error=Testing the accuracy of the joule meter Before I analyse the results from my experiment I will test the accuracy of joule meter. See Diagram 3: For Diagram of Apparatus used Experimental Method: I will supply the joule meter with a constant voltage and I will time how long it takes to record energy of 10J. From this information I will be able to compare the energy I put in to the joule meter and the energy it recorded and I will be able to draw a calibration curve. My Results: Load=10. 3? Voltage (V) I would have repeated my results for this experiment if I had more time Analysing the results of the calibration experiment: Voltage (V) Time for 10J (s) Power in (watts) Power recorded (W) Joules in Joules recorded % Error Voltage squared 1. This is how I calculated the above values: Power in= V2/R R=10. 3? Power recorded=10J/Time taken Joules in=(Power in) (time taken for 10J) % Error=100(Joules recorded-Joules in)/Joules in Is the power recorded equal to? If the joule meter is accurate the power it records will be equal to . To test this I have plotted the power recorded against the voltage I recorded squared.

Police, Policy, and Politics

Police, Policy, and Politics Police, Policy, and Politics Police, Policy, and Politics By Mark Nichol Are police and policy related? Not only are they cognates, but they used to mean the same thing- and politics is descended from the same word as well. That word is polis, the Greek term for a city as well as for the concept of the city-state and the body of citizens who constituted that state. This word became the basis for a number of compounds, including acropolis, which means â€Å"upper city† but refers to the fortified heights of a city. (The prefix acro- is also seen in such words as acrobat, which literally means â€Å"high dancer,† and acrophobia, which pertains to a fear of heights.) Acropoles in ancient Greece were generally located the first inhabited part of a settlement (chosen for its defensive properties and therefore the location of the community’s citadel); the Acropolis of Athens is the exemplar of such locations. Another term is metropolis (literally, â€Å"mother city†), originally denoting the capital or principal city of a province but now used to describe any major city. The adjective metropolitan describes the characteristics of a city, often including its underground railway system, which is sometimes abbreviated to metro, but the word also serves as a noun for a Greek Orthodox bishop who oversees other bishops and for the see, or seat, of his administration. Megalopolis, featuring the prefix mega-, meaning â€Å"great,† is the name of an actual city in Greece but also refers generically to an especially large city or a cluster of cities- technically, one with more than ten million people. (A related adjective is cosmopolitan, which stems from the noun cosmopolite, a rare term meaning â€Å"citizen of the word†; the equally unusual word cosmopolis describes a sophisticated city. Meanwhile, a necropolis- the prefix means â€Å"dead†- is a large cemetery.) Greek names for other ancient cities, such as Constantinople/Istanbul (â€Å"Constantine’s city†/â€Å"to the city†) and Persepolis (â€Å"city of the Persians†), include the word; several modern cities, including the American municipalities of Annapolis, Indianapolis, and Minneapolis, follow this tradition. Originally, police, like policy, referred to civil administration (both come from the intermediate Latin noun politia), but by the early 1700s, it came to apply specifically to law enforcement, and within about a century that was its only sense. Enforcers soon came to be called police, as well as policemen (later, policewomen was adopted for female officers, and the neutral term â€Å"police officer† now prevails for all personnel), and the word also became a verb describing the action of law enforcement or the keeping of order in general. (Later, policier came to describe a novel, film, or television program dealing with the solving of crimes.) The two meanings of policy apparently come from different sources. The sense of â€Å"approach† or â€Å"way of management† derives from polis, but the word for an insurance contract may stem from the Latin word apodexis, meaning â€Å"proof.† However, politics, politician, and other such words pertaining to public affairs also derive from polis. An interesting divergence occurred with political and politic, which both originated as adjectives meaning â€Å"pertaining to public affairs†; the latter word acquired the additional sense of â€Å"prudent† and rarely applies to politics anymore, though the verb form, and the noun form politicking, do. (The k was added to the latter word, as it is to picnicking and a few other words, to clarify that the consonant sound before -ing is hard.) Polite and its derivatives impolite and politesse are unrelated, stemming not from polis but from polire, a Latin verb meaning â€Å"polish† (and the source of polish as well) or â€Å"smooth.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About Numbers"Owing to" vs "Due to"Careful with Words Used as Noun and Verb

University dropout Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

University dropout - Essay Example n England had low level of dropout rates (Dearing, 1997; NAO, 2007), the recent data shows that there has been considerable increase in the university dropout rates with only 78.1% of students completing their degree. (Vignoles and Powdthavee, 2008) There are numerous studies contributing towards the cause of dropout while exploring the several aspects of the problems like intellectual, emotional, motivational, interpersonal and attitudinal characteristics. R.E. Pandey (1973) states that though there are several studies on the issue, continued research would enable us to serve at least four important purposes like giving additional reliability to the dominant factors found to the cause of dropout across geographical and social conditions, improve the effectiveness of psychological measurements, compare the findings between the old and new studies and provide up to date information to the educators and counsellors so that they can formulate strategy for the retention and withdrawal of students. A ‘dropout’ is an individual who does not complete or is not able to complete his or her education due to geographical, socio economic and political factors. The present paper attempts to understand the causes for the dropouts in universities by analysing the data gathered from London Metropolitan University. According to Higher Education Statistics Agency increasing number of students will dropout from the universities as more people go into higher education from the so-called non traditional backgrounds, who may be first time university goers, don’t have the experience of relatives and wider social networks to draw on. As per the data revealed from the Higher Education Statistics Agency, 7.4% students left after a year in 2007 as against 7.1% in 2006 which shows that there has been considerable increase in the university dropout rates. According to Gardner, (2007), there are at least 10,000 students who drop out of their degree courses because they feel

Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Global Warming - Essay Example If the inactions of the past several decades is an indication, then the answer is no. Essentially, the greenhouse effect functions in the following manner. When sunlight pierces the atmosphere and hits the earth’s surface, not all of the sun’s solar energy is absorbed. Approximately a third of it is reflected back into space. Specific atmospheric gases serve in much the same way as does the glass of a greenhouse, thus the terminology. These gases allow sunlight to penetrate then trap some of the solar energy which heats the earth (Breuer, 1980). It is a delicate balance and because these greenhouse gases have been artificially augmented by man-made sources, more build up in the atmosphere has occurred thus trapping more of the sun’s energy and reflecting less back in to space. This occurrence is causing the earth to warm. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is the most prevalent of the greenhouse gases. Trees absorb CO2 and when they die, CO2 is restored to the atmosphere. The clearing of forests by mass burning, which is happening at a phenomenal rate in the tropical rain forests, is decreasing the amount of CO2 that is absorbed and increasing the amount that is added to the atmosphere. CO2 supplies about half of the total gases that create the greenhouse effect (Breuer, 1980). Although deforestation is contributing heavily to the excess of CO2 in the atmosphere, a larger portion is caused by the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and coal. Fossil fuels are burned by factories, vehicles and electricity-producing power plants to name a few sources. Other greenhouse gases include methane, which is released when vegetation is burned during land clearing, during oil exploration activities and the coal-mining process; chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which is the substance that cools refrigerators and provides the propulsi on in aerosol cans and nitrous oxide (N2O) which is the lesser cause of CO2 (Breuer, 1980). It is generated from both

Creating a Health Promotion Program for Type II Diabetics Essay

Creating a Health Promotion Program for Type II Diabetics - Essay Example Of course, not all goals will be met for all clients, but it is important to have an optimal objective. The main overall goal of the program is for clients to retain long-term exercise habits. The effective disease management program approaches the problem of diabetes in terms of access, prevention, diagnosis, and prevalence. This is seen as a positive move forward. Goals and methods of the diabetes disease management program include reducing morbidity and mortality. Diabetes often leads the patient to die of a related condition and the patient needs to be educated about risk first and foremost. This group of authors state that, â€Å"The goal is to not only to provide clinical information about new therapy, but also information about the effect of the therapy on aspects of life that are valued by patients, or health related quality of life† (Curtis et al., 13). It is important for evidence based professionals to know their clients and to improve their quality of life, in ways that decrease the incidences of diabetes. The quality of life problems and priorities of people with type II diabetes are various. Patients who cannot control their diabetes or are unable to may develop complications from the disease that are very serious, such as the risk of blindness, renal failure, and even the amputation of lower limbs. â€Å"Adjunctive referral to a diabetes support group may be helpful for some patients when complications arise. Establishing group involvement may be difficult at the stage when serious complications set in, however, because healthier members sometimes have difficulty accepting patients with complications† (Diabetes, 2005). This presents a barrier to the disease management plan for a group format because some patients may see those diabetics with severe complications such as blindness as a reflection their own future with the disease, and react negatively, thus

What issues do HRD managers need to take into account when planning a Essay

What issues do HRD managers need to take into account when planning a management learning and development programme - Essay Example Thus the knowledge-based economy pertains to knowledge creation and its diffusion with the role of information management. All the actors of this new knowledge based economy, whether they are the individuals and companies or even the state have to be wary of losing out the in fiercely competitive global economy .This means that the education and training of the labour force has to be based upon maintenance and knowledge enhancement of the knowledge capital in order to be more innovative and adaptable to technological changes. The HRD plays an important role in the personal development of the labour force.In essence, personal development theory argues that if management implements a specified set of employment as well as work practices, it is going to lead to better performance. A lot of the practices such as teamwork, redesigned jobs, employee participation, teamwork as well as communication and information sharing - have been shown to improve performance, but not in a consistent manner. The strongest results have been obtained where models appear to approximate the real world of work and where measurement and sampling errors are reduced by using special-purpose surveys targeted at workplaces in specific. A common thread running through these studies is that personal development contributes to high performance where workers are expected and encouraged to perform at a high standard. This occurs where HRD and work organization practices provide workers with discretion or control over their work, where they are developed to work competently, and where they are supported and rewarded by management to work co-operatively with colleagues. This theory suggests three mechanisms - structural, motivational and cognitive - that lead to high performance. Structural alterations, for example, the creation of teams or introduction of a new reward system, may provide an initial rather than continuing improvement in performance. For continuous improvement, employees need to increase and sustain their motivation at a high level - a possibility that arises through perceptions and emotions related to greater work satisfaction and empowerment - and/or cognitive changes need to be introduced. These might include improved management communication and investment in formal training and/or on-the-job learning (Appelbaum et al. 737-775). The last 2 decades have seen a significant shift in human resource development (HRD) research from an essentially micro-analytical approach to a new macro-strategic perspective. Other from the conventional administrative role, HRD has identified new roles in terms of employee champion, change agent and strategic partner. Over the years, there has been much speculation about the role of the HRD in the organization going ahead. Authors and business gurus have made various predictions regarding the role, function as well as size of the HRD department. HRD responsibilities have typically come under fire as a result of its perceived unresponsiveness as well as administrative and not strategic focus along with the perception that they are cost centres and not star wealth creation centres they bring in the revenue. The impact on Training of the knowledge based economy thus requires the need for instilling the culture of effective Knowledge management into the learning and education as a whole. According to (Psarras 2006) "Knowledge management is the process of critically managing knowledge to meet existing needs, to identify and exploit existing and acquired knowledge assets and to

Should the government impose stricter guidelines on how much students Annotated Bibliography

Should the government impose stricter guidelines on how much students can borrow in student loans - Annotated Bibliography Example Therefore, it will be significant in enabling us to come up with an in-depth conclusion. Giving loans to students play a significant role in enabling them to finance their education. However, there must be strict rules in order to avoid overspending. This book will be significant in understanding the specific needs that are required. In addition, it will enhance the understanding of benefits of loans to the students. Students’ loans increase equality in the society. It enables the government to distribute funds equitably to the student. This book analyzes the costs of sustaining student loans. Therefore, it will be important in understanding the necessary measures that the government should take in order to help the students. Many students are burdened by loans after finishing school. This is because the government has not put the necessary measures to curb overspending. This book will be important in understanding how the gaps in laws are making it hard for the student and the government to recover from the loans. In addition, it will highlight the challenges that come with the issuance of the loans. Students’ loan has increased inequality. This is because there lacks effective laws to govern its distribution. This book will enable me understand how the loan has increased inequality in the society. In addition, it will be significant in understanding different gaps that need to be closed in order to increase its

What issues do HRD managers need to take into account when planning a Essay

What issues do HRD managers need to take into account when planning a management learning and development programme - Essay Example Thus the knowledge-based economy pertains to knowledge creation and its diffusion with the role of information management. All the actors of this new knowledge based economy, whether they are the individuals and companies or even the state have to be wary of losing out the in fiercely competitive global economy .This means that the education and training of the labour force has to be based upon maintenance and knowledge enhancement of the knowledge capital in order to be more innovative and adaptable to technological changes. The HRD plays an important role in the personal development of the labour force.In essence, personal development theory argues that if management implements a specified set of employment as well as work practices, it is going to lead to better performance. A lot of the practices such as teamwork, redesigned jobs, employee participation, teamwork as well as communication and information sharing - have been shown to improve performance, but not in a consistent manner. The strongest results have been obtained where models appear to approximate the real world of work and where measurement and sampling errors are reduced by using special-purpose surveys targeted at workplaces in specific. A common thread running through these studies is that personal development contributes to high performance where workers are expected and encouraged to perform at a high standard. This occurs where HRD and work organization practices provide workers with discretion or control over their work, where they are developed to work competently, and where they are supported and rewarded by management to work co-operatively with colleagues. This theory suggests three mechanisms - structural, motivational and cognitive - that lead to high performance. Structural alterations, for example, the creation of teams or introduction of a new reward system, may provide an initial rather than continuing improvement in performance. For continuous improvement, employees need to increase and sustain their motivation at a high level - a possibility that arises through perceptions and emotions related to greater work satisfaction and empowerment - and/or cognitive changes need to be introduced. These might include improved management communication and investment in formal training and/or on-the-job learning (Appelbaum et al. 737-775). The last 2 decades have seen a significant shift in human resource development (HRD) research from an essentially micro-analytical approach to a new macro-strategic perspective. Other from the conventional administrative role, HRD has identified new roles in terms of employee champion, change agent and strategic partner. Over the years, there has been much speculation about the role of the HRD in the organization going ahead. Authors and business gurus have made various predictions regarding the role, function as well as size of the HRD department. HRD responsibilities have typically come under fire as a result of its perceived unresponsiveness as well as administrative and not strategic focus along with the perception that they are cost centres and not star wealth creation centres they bring in the revenue. The impact on Training of the knowledge based economy thus requires the need for instilling the culture of effective Knowledge management into the learning and education as a whole. According to (Psarras 2006) "Knowledge management is the process of critically managing knowledge to meet existing needs, to identify and exploit existing and acquired knowledge assets and to

An Empirical Study on Why Sociological Research and Theory Focus on Essay

An Empirical Study on Why Sociological Research and Theory Focus on Issues of Identity - Essay Example Vander Zanden (1990a) presented this as both tackling a problem, is faced with initial perplexity and assumptions, then comes the search for evidence, perceptive reasoning, false leads and eventually, or ideally really, the final sense of victory. In contrast yet the justification as well, Zanden continued, (1990b), "detectives undertake to identify and locate criminals and collect evidence to convict them in a court of law. Sociologists develop concepts and theories to explain people's behavior. Even though their goals may differ, detectives and sociologists attempt to answer two types of question: "Why did something happen" and "Under what circumstances is it likely to happen again" In brief, both attempt to explain and predict." In grasping both comes thereafter the issue of identity issues. Simply put, one needs to know the proper approach and yet even before that, how to do it, when to do it right and why it is best to do it right. The late Professor C. Wright Mills (1959a) aptly addressed this when he said, "Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both. The history that now affects every man is world history." Very true. Identity issues do confront every single citizen of this world no matter the creed, race or religion. From social identity issues, to political and gender issues, all these help shape and unshape a nation and the many communities, societies in it. For anybody and everybody to achieve triumph or come close to overcoming these issues hounding the world and its populace, imperative then to understand how these personal battles have become public issues. Sociological imagination as Mills labeled it (Mills 1959b) and explained as the ability to see our lives, concerns, problems and hopes entwined within the largest social and historical context in which we live. (Zanden 1990c, p.7) And from thereon comes government policies, formulated and designed to address the specific public issues that have become more than social issues. Ours is a "human-made world," as yet another renowned sociologists Zygmunt Bauman and Tim May pointed out in their joint

An Analysis of the Stubbies Advertisement by Coca-Cola Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of the Stubbies Advertisement by Coca-Cola Essay The 2005 ‘Stubbies† advertisement by Coke-Cola owned soft drink company Lemon and Paeroa (LP) is constructed in such manner to produce ‘New Zealand’ within it text. The advertisement has been produced with particular attention and reference to New Zealand and New Zealanders, subjugating a sense of nationalism among viewers. This essay analyses and explains how LP creates and fosters a sense of national identity among viewers through elements of; nationalism, banal nationalism, and symbolism. The 1970s styled advertisement for LP was created by the production company Sliversceen Auckland. The storyline shows a formally dressed suited male entering a tailor shop and becoming acquainted with the casual clothing item of ‘stubbies’ shorts (Vist4ads 2005). These are an iconic clothing item associated with rural New Zealand and are coupled with values such as practicality and comfort. A range of men are then shown in variety of situations depicting the versatility of the stubbies shorts. Although a great deal of focus is given to the stubbies shorts, the item being advertised is the soft drink LP. It is drunk throughout the commercial, and the advertisement suggests that both stubbies shorts and LP are essential items of iconic ‘kiwi’ culture. This is reinforced through catchphrase ‘You were there and so was LP.’ The use of personal pro-noun ‘You’ connects and involves the audience with advertisement through the nationalistic branding technique of ‘co-creation (ZALA VOLCIC and MARK ANDREJEVIC 2011).’The reliance as brand placed upon consumers to build and disseminate the brands identity. The brand LP has constructed their advertisement in a particular way which leaves a reliance on consumers to reflect, build and distribute brand identity of being an iconic ‘kiwi’ favourite soft drink through drawing on their proud heritage and positive pastimes which make up New Zealand identity and culture. The consciousness of a space as a nation requires a level of imagination: a sense of people affiliating to the same state who negotiate and construct meanings. The definition of a nation requires a construction of representation of an image (Bell 1996). LP strives to be an iconic image which in turn encapsulates the embodiment of what it means to part of the nation of New Zealand. Media scholar Claudia Bell states that the building of a nation is not all natural, rather facilitated through socialisation mechanisms that guide us a citizens (Bell 1996). The advertisement aims to guide viewers to reflect on time when men wore ‘stubbies’ and ‘everyone just left their keys in the car anyway’. The portrayal by LP of these events is suggestive that these were ‘the good times’ for New Zealanders. The viewing population of New Zealand absorbs these values, reflections and associations with LP as assumptions of identity, which are unconscious taken on board. The connective association with LP and New Zealand national identity is an is an implicit marketing tool by Cola-Cola in order the present LP as New Zealand ’s drink of choice and a natural feature of a nation as summarized through the slogan â€Å"world famous in New Zealand since ages ago.† This reminds the viewer that a nation can only be formed through history which makes us unique as a nation. Production and construction of ‘New Zealand’ in the advertisement occurs through the advertising construction and production of banal nationalism. Banal nationalism is a concept founded by Michael billig which argues that the consistent reference to the everyday representations of the nation conceptually forms expressions of nationalism such as forming an imagined sense of national solidarity and belonging among those united in a national sense. Billing claims that everyday expressions of nationalism can be as important and reactivate as the representational flag-waving of nations. (PRIDEAUX 2009) Banal nationalism is repeated throughout the LP advertisement in a variety of ways. Firstly the sense of implied unity through the advertisements plotlines desires to be ‘our’ story and a snapshot of everyday New Zealand in the summer time of the 1970s. This is achieved through the voice-over language and popular expressions throughput the advertisement such as the colloquiums â€Å"back in the day† and ‘Kiwi’s.’ The casualness of the phrases projects a sense of understanding and unity among the New Zealand audience. The LP drinking New Zealanders shown the advertisement embody characters which are portrayed as typical ‘Kiwis’ in 1970s such as the small Maori boy with a large afro hairstyle posed next to his bike and the characteristic rural New Zealand bloke complete with singlet, jandals, and a mullet. Banal nationalism also occurs through the advertisement portrayal of typical New Zealand scenes which are familiar with such as the dairy, the rural country side, and a summer barbeque. These are relatable settings to almost any New Zealander and enables personal reflection. The symbols of banal nationalism symbols are most effective because of their constant repetition, and almost subliminal nature, therefore a very powerful marketing and advertising tool. The production of ‘New Zealand’ occurs in the LP advertisement through the placement of a range of symbols which are an attempt to reference and embody New Zealand as a nation. The repeated image of the kiwi bird along the window in scene when a stubbies clad male is impressing a pretty girl is not a coincidence. The kiwi bird is the product of New Zealand and being used to repeatedly remind viewers of their place in the nation, a process Michael billing describes as being ‘flagged,’ a term coined by nations overuse flying nation flags. The kiwi is iconic since the bird is native to New Zealand. The advertisement also couples the kiwi with other iconic symbols associated with New Zealand and national pride such jandals, and the act of a large summer barbeque which are symbolic of deeper meanings to the New Zealander such as relaxation and family. New Zealand indigenous symbols such as the kiwi bird that are distinctively New Zealand are particular important in the production of nationalism within advertisement simply as they are not British. Historically New Zealand derived symbols of national identity from the motherland such as Britannia (Bell 1996). The kiwi build nationality as it is naturally occurring and guides New Zealanders as citizens. Symbols are closely interlinked with national identity as they draw associations among viewers. The production of national symbols like the kiwi into this advertisement that is selling bottled soft drink is not random, rather an attempt to associate the idealised images associated with the symbol and merge with the marketed product o f LP. The advertisers wish to make LP symbolic and iconic and to naturally compel viewers to place LP into their symbolic category of what embodies New Zealand as a nation and what it is to be a New Zealander. New Zealand is multicultural nation and this has been understood by the advertiser by portraying a range of different New Zealander within the thirty second video clip. This is most effectively portrayed in the end scene of summer barbeque. The barbeque is made up both Pakeha and Maori attendees who seen chatting, relaxing, and drinking LP. The use of people who literally look like they are New Zealanders localises the advertisement for effective absorption of values. Although New Zealand has many cultural issues such as regular Treaty of Waitangi disputes, these are brushed aside and New Zealand mixed culture is produced and perceived as positive. Although LP is part of a global multinational company Coke-Cola this is ignored and the advertisement is produced with a distinct New Zea land feel leading consumers to believe the drink is of local origin, in particular the small town of Paeora which the drink shares its name. The advertiser claim ‘world famous in New Zealand’ also slants towards the projection the soft drink is locally produced and therefore competes on a level international soft drinks cannot. (Bell 1996). A key component of nationalism is an understanding of history and the intermingled of both of New Zealand major ethnic races pays homage to New Zealand colonial past and assimilating cultures. LP understands that the world is rapidly changing and globalisation is rapidly expanding and increasing the dominance of transnational marketplace therefore produced affirmation of ‘New Zealand† and nationalism with their stubbies advertisement to showcase and assert distinctiveness of the nation’s unique local, regional, and national identity (Bell 1996). â€Å"Any nation’s existence relies on some sense of loyalty to that nation, on patriotic sentiment, on awareness of nationalism. A sense of shared purpose, a pride in a place, acknowledgment of national success. All these combine in a sense of belonging (Bell 1996)†. Michael Billing noted that Billing noted that every day we are reminded that we belong to a nation through routine occurrences including using passports, the language of political speakers, the media and academia (Billing 1995 ). However through examination it has become apparent that nationalism has become a tool by advertisers to foster nationalist feelings to their audience. The advertisement establishes and produces New Zealand as a nation and then reproduces and represents New Zealand as an LP loving nation. In advertising, the power of recognition is manipulated for economic ends. The ‘stubbies’ advertisement shows an idealised version of New Zealand is order to create a collective inter est in the product. Bibliography Bell, Claudia. Inventing NZ: Everyday Myths of Pakeha Identity. Auckland: Penguin Books, 1996. Billig, Michael. Banal Nationlism . London : Sage Publishing , 1995 . PRIDEAUX, JILLIAN. Consuming icons: nationalism and advertising in Australia. Nations and Nationlism (School of Political Science and International Studies, The University of Queensland) 15, no. 4 (2009): 616–635. Vist4ads. LP stubbies. 2005. http://www.visit4ads.com/details.cfm?adid=20954 (accessed 08 2, 2013). ZALA VOLCIC and MARK ANDREJEVIC. Nation Branding in the Era of Commercial Nationalism. International Journal of Communication 5, 2011: 598–618.

A Sense Of Urgency In Your Workforce Business Essay

A Sense Of Urgency In Your Workforce Business Essay The term Change Management refers to managing change successfully in any and all spheres of our lives, not just at work. Wherever the change happens, it is not easy to handle. Most often, the change that happens tends to complicate matters rather than simplifying them. Frequently, when we talk about change, it is in the organizational context, though there are personal and social changes that can be just as hard or even more difficult to handle. Like Gandhi said, We should try to be the change we want to see. If we approach any change, whether it is personal, professional or social, with an open mind, then the chances of successfully coping with it increases. Why is Change so Hard? It is hard because, when we go about our daily lives, we perform most of the mundane tasks on autopilot. We hardly use our conscious mind. Imagine switching on the coffee maker in the morning. You hardly open your eyes when you do it; now imagine that you have traded your regular coffee maker for an espresso machine. How hard do you find it to make your first cup of coffee in the morning? Likewise, in our professional lives too, we get used to our routine and become set in our ways; so we tend to use our subconscious minds more than we think, even at work. So, when there is change afoot, our subconscious mind, which is primitive, is wary of getting re-programmed, to learning new ideas and functions, and so feels threatened. This elemental resistance to re-learning new ideas and functions is the reason, we are resistant to change, which makes changing so difficult. Ch: 1 INDIVIDUAL CHANGE To improve is to change; to be perfect is to constantly change. Winston Churchill. Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Barrack Obama were all well aware of the power of the individual and his ability to effect in himself and in his society. They managed to mobilize millions of people to change the way individuals, communities and governments function by just their beliefs and their tenacity. From their achievements, we know just what one person can do when he or she is steadfast in his or her beliefs and principles. These great souls have managed to bring about mind-boggling changes in their societies and their governments, just by being strong. Each of these great men and women started off as ordinary citizens; each underwent some intense upheaval in their lives that changed them completely. This change brought them greatness and untold benefits to the world around them. Every type of change, whether individual, organizational or societal, starts ultimately with the individual. However, most of us, in our eagerness to succeed, end up committing one of two common mistakes that people make when it comes to change: we either implement the changes much too slowly to be effective, like dipping our toes to test the waters. Or we go overboard and jump in headfirst in our enthusiasm and end up drowning. If you try to change too much too soon, there is the likelihood of you getting frustrated and giving up. It is easy to advocate others to change than to try and change oneself. However, too slow a change might also not bring enough results and lead you to getting disheartened, and hence abandoning the changes. Moderation is the key to success. Everything in moderation should be the cardinal rule for success. Change what you can, without causing too much disruption to your system and routine, and you will succeed. Whether the change you are trying to effect is trivial like your diet or exercise routine or is major like overcoming an addiction or changing your outlook, etc., try it in moderation to succeed. For instance, if you are trying to lose weight or quit smoking, unsuccessfully, try to reduce your portions, while increasing your exercise by maybe 10 minutes, instead of going on a crash diet; likewise, cut down on the number of cigarettes or on the nicotine content, or go for a smaller cigarette with less nicotine. All it needs is a little will power to change, and change successfully. Remember to come up with a realistic plan; also find a good outlet for your possible frustrations; try change counseling; and last but not least, try and remind yourself that the mind controls the body. Try to find inspiration from the world around you, and know that nothing lasts forever; everything is transient and change is the only constant in life! ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE: The first thing to understand, and understand well, about Organizational Change is that it is an Ongoing Process and not a Single Event. Most organizations know the importance of being able to change with the economy and the market conditions. The economy and the market are not static; they are in a dynamic state, changing constantly. So to flourish, an organization should also be amenable to change. If you bend with the wind, you can survive; if you stand rigid, you will break. This is true for every being in nature and it is equally true for each organization. So organizations bring in experts who help them and their workforce to deal with the changed circumstances. Such experts are usually trained in Change Management, which can help individuals, teams and entire organizations to transition from their current state to a better future state. The many stumbling blocks in the path of positive change might be cultural, social or economic. A trained change management expert can identify such causes and address them to effect positive change. To understand Change and to help organizations to handle it better, one should first understand the factors behind the necessity to change, and how and in what form the Change is to take. There are many types of organizational changes, which are determined by some key factors like the goal of the proposed changes, the scope of the changes, the intensity and the time frame involved. Once these parameters are determined, the style of change, namely the implementation parameters have to be decided upon. The change can be instructional or participatory: which means that the change is dictated by the top management, or everyone brings their ideas and it is collaborative in nature; and whether the proposed change to be effected is structural or process-oriented: which goes to say if the changes are going to be in the organizational structure or in its processes. These sorts of crucial decisions, when arrived at after careful consideration of all the factors, are the decisions that can help your organization to change successfully. There should be no room for any ambivalence when setting the agenda for change. Clarity in thought and communication will help in achieving the desired results from your workforce by motivating them in the right way. According to Percy A. Dastur, author of The Art of Change Management, Organizational Change can be broadly classified into Organization-wide involving the entire organization Subsystem Change involving one small section or department Developmental Change involving improving the structure and processes and Remedial Change involving the fixing of any issues or problems that are an impediment to the healthy functioning of the business. There are some sub-classifications called Transformational Change, Incremental Change, Planned Change and Unplanned Change. These are self-explanatory in the type of change they bring about in the organization. The next key factor for Change to be considered is the change driver. A change driver can be External or Internal. In most cases, external change drivers can become catalysts for internal change. For instance during the recent global meltdown, giants like Microsoft and Caterpillar were drastically affected and were forced to cut costs and lay off employees. However, many other companies, large and small, were able to carry on, largely unaffected. This reflects the on the companies structure and policies. Though Caterpillar is the world leader in mining and earth-moving equipment manufacturing, it had to lay off almost 20,000 employees as its operational costs had to be cut down by 25% for it to weather the downturn in the global economy. This is a classic case of unplanned change brought about by an external factor. At times, technology ushers in change, whether you are willing or not; so it becomes a case of swim or sink. Case in point: Nokia was ruling the mobile market until 2004; then Apple came out with its iPod, that changed the way people listen to music; Sony, the world leader in individual portable music players with its Walkman, had to come up with a Network Walkman, after it realized it had to either join the mobile music brigade or lose out. After the unprecedented success of MP3 players, Sony realized that it had to come out with a similar product, or lose a chunk of the market, which might otherwise have stayed loyal to Sony. So in the case of technology-led consumer focused industries like music players and mobile phones, in which Sony and Nokia were the undisputed pioneers, external changes forced them into strategic change. This is an external driver leading to innovation and product enhancement. To truly understand the impact of one revolutionary product on an entire industry, you have to remember that in the case of technologically advanced industries, Apple is an industry outsider in three of the above four categories. Yet it had the entire music and mobile phone industry turn on its head with one single product. With the technological development in many areas growing by leaps and bounds, many organizations are kept on their toes, trying to keep with the latest developments. For instance, digital photography and the advent of the digital camera, gave stiff competition to the film photography industry, both the camera manufacturers and film suppliers, with new entrants like Casio, HP and IBM dominating the market. When the camera phone were introduced I market, the digital cameras are also struggling to find space in the consumers conscience. This is a classic example of technology being an external driver for change. Ch: 2 THE CHANGE PROCESS Generally, an organizational change is a complex maneuver, involving 4 core actions: appreciating the change, mobilizing support for the same, executing it and building change capability. It is the responsibility of the leadership to ensure that these actions are carried out, for successful change. Appreciating change involves appreciating the fact that change is difficult; it is so because it involves changing our mental models. When you talk about an organization as a single entity, you might forget the fact that it is made up of thousands of individuals scattered across the country or around the globe. So the idea of the organization is abstract and emotional than physical. This mental picture of the organization has to be changed, when you talk about changing the organization and that it is not an easy task. The proposed changes might be in any of the following areas of the organization, like marketing, manufacturing, processes, quality control, technology or productivity. Mobilizing support involves motivating your workforce to adapt the changes willingly and wholeheartedly; first the mental models of your managers have to be changed towards accepting the newly introduced changes. Only then they, in turn, can convince their teams to adopt the changes. You can opt for either imposing the changes and expect the support of your workforce, or you can expose them to the benefits of the proposed changes by addressing them and communicating the perceived benefits of the changes to the welfare of the entire organization. This will also help the workforce to develop a positive attitude towards the coming changes, which might ultimately lead to a successful change or an unsuccessful one. Depending on the size and structure of your organization, identify Change Strategists, who can strategize on what to change and its benefits; then appoint Change Implementers who are responsible for implementing the proposed changes; then identify and train the Change Recipients: they are the ones who are directly affected by the coming changes. So their co-operation will determine whether your change succeeds or fails. Executing change is the most critical component of organizational change and is not easy; this phase involves creating the actual new processes or procedures and implementing them; then troubleshooting as and when necessary. It is the most difficult part of the change process; many key people might not like the changes and decide to leave the organization; with a well thought out plan, and clearly outlined ideas for the type of change and scope of change, you can go to some extent to lessen the confusion and maintain some semblance of normality. Quite often, the outcome of the organizational change is decided in this phase; because if this implementing of the change does not happen as proposed, then it is almost a sure thing that it is about to fail. Building change capability is the long term plan for sustained changes so that the organization stays ahead of the competition in a fluid market. Just because you were able to change once successfully does not mean that from now onwards, it is going to be smooth sailing. Change has to be constant and you have to keep adapting and improving according to the fluctuating market conditions in order to stay ahead of the game. Again to help this happen, you have to identify innovative thinkers and strategists and equip them with the authority to effect similar changes and when they deem necessary, in order to sustain the advantages of the organizational change. One of the fundamental ways to help your workforce develop change capability is to help them to learn, how-to-learn; for, over the years, they would have developed their own style of functioning and working in a certain way; for them to change to a new system, they have to re-learn their jobs in the new system. It is not easy to discard something and re-learn a different way to do the same job. It involves enormous stress and re-training and can be quite taxing on your employees. So show them how to learn, for them to cope with change easily. CHANGE LEADERSHIP When your organization is in the middle of a change, or is set to change, your role as the leader is the most essential and influential one. You have the responsibility to understand the need to change, identify the changes needed, identify the people who can strategize and implement, and finally motivate your workforce into embracing that change. You are the cognitive tuner, efficacy builder, systems architect and also the people catalyser, according to V. Nilakant and S. Ramnarayan, authors of Change Management . So the importance of your role to the success of the process of organizational change cannot be overstated. As a leader, your contribution to the organizations future and towards a successful change should be a value proposition. What is a Value Proposition? It is a couple of phrases or statement that has 3 unique characteristics: it offers something of value to the customer; it is customer friendly and it has a differentiator that sets it apart from your competitors. Some fantastic examples of good value propositions are: Dominos offer of 30 minutes or free. It offers the hungry customer the chance to have his meal hot and in 30 minutes, failing which, he does not have to pay at all. This revolutionized the pizza delivery business. Dominos captured the customers mind space by giving a tangible guarantee, failing which instant reward. Walmarts price guarantee: Always Low Prices, Always. Googles faster and wider search results. BMWs ultimate driving experience, etc. Depending on the size of your organization, the change can be leader-driven, process-driven, team- driven, expert-driven or change management driven. The first approach is successful only in the case of small and medium sized concerns. Though you, as the leader will have the decision-making authority, the team driven change has a better chance of success. The process driven one, though, will take time as your workforce has to learn the new process and get comfortable before productivity can reach previously existing levels. Most organizations favor the last method: change management method, which is the team and expert driven method. This method of change brings to the table the expertise, the commitment, the technical know-how and the ownership qualities, thereby almost creating a fail-proof method of change. As a smart leader, you should be aware of the importance of ownership, involvement and commitment of your workforce to the change process for it to be successful in the long ru n. As the leader, you have to persuade your workforce to commit to the changes and there are experts whose ideas are remarkable. Consider the world-renowned social psychologist Robert Cialdini, who in his books about Influence, written after some 30 years in the field, expounds the best ways to persuade your workforce. The specialty of Cialdinis work is that it is based on research of people in industries like car dealerships, real estate, insurance sales, army recruiting and advertising, whose jobs depend on people saying yes to them. He then wrote the 6 Principles of Persuasion. They are Liking, Reciprocity, Social Proof, Consistency, Authority and Scarcity. Liking: When we hear a suggestion from someone we like, we tend to be positive towards that; on the other hand, when a suggestion comes from someone we do not like, we are predisposed to dismissing the suggestion, however valid or helpful it might be. Liking also stems from and towards similarity; so if someone like you tells you something, you are more likely to listen than to someone whom you might perceive as superior or inferior. So, rather than having a mass gathering where you announce the plans for the changes afoot, you need to first inform your team of senior personnel. Let them talk to their teams and so on until the frontline staff are informed by their own supervisors or managers. This will help them to be open to the coming changes, and also help them to feel included rather than being huddled into a great auditorium and addressed by someone from a podium or a screen. Reciprocity: This is nothing new; the Bible says it: Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. This is also Cialdinis expert opinion. When you treat people right and listen to them, they too will reciprocate. So, he recommends that in a large organization, identify those who are well liked and respected; tell them about the coming changes and enlist their help in communicating the same to their colleagues in a positive light. And generally if the workforce is treated well, and taken care of, in times of adversity, they will not mind helping by working extra hard or taking a pay cut or accepting the changes willingly and working harder to learn the new process or technology, as the case may be. However, if the organization is perceived as miserly, the workforce will be resistant to learning new processes that might be implemented as part of the changes. Social Proof: It means validation from our peers and those around us; we are unduly influenced by the opinions of those around us, which can often lead to thoughtless behavior. A classic example of this is the multiple car collisions that we see during rush hour; even though all lanes are moving, slowly but steadily, one driver decides to jump lanes to see if he can go faster; then the next one follows, leading to many others too trying to jump lanes; this leads to numerous collisions during rush hour, frequently. Also called the bandwagon effect, this is one of the best ways to influence your workforce and mobilize support. Consistency: Here it is not used in the usual sense of staying consistent, but rather means consistency in ones words and actions; this particularly carries weight when it comes to garnering support for the proposed changes, especially when they are publicly disclosed. As a general rule, something publicly declared is thought to be incontrovertible; when someone declares something in public, people do not expect them to go back on their word. In change management, this can be a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled manager. However, it will be effective only when it is used not to intimidate or threaten, but in consultation with the workforce. Authority: This principle goes to show that when an expert shares an opinion or fact, we tend to take it at face value; we dont question it or his authority. This expert driven change can be a powerful tool to convince your workforce to adopt the proposed changes in full measure, for the benefit of themselves and the organization. E. Sreedharan, who was invited to join the Delhi Metro, proved his authority by completing the ambitious project in time and on budget. He asked for and was granted full freedom in the operations and in the hiring and firing of his team, with no political influence, which is unprecedented in the Indian bureaucracy. Scarcity: This is based on the idea that we want what is restricted to us. If the workforce is told that unless the proposed changes are adopted whole-heartedly, they might lose their jobs, then they are more likely to work harder to assimilate the new changes and processed. We respond to the threat of something becoming scarce, than to the promise of some benefit. Our primitive psyche responds better to the threat of losing something than to the idea of gaining something. However, a manager should be careful to not use threats when explaining the potential losses. A leaders role when it comes to change management is never ending. One of his core duties is mobilizing support, and there are a hundred different ways, depending on the size, nature, structure and architecture of your organization. But one essential ability is the think out of the box and catch the imagination of your workforce and to be quick on your feet. To be able to out think the others is a great gift for a leader. You have to be a fast thinker, a brilliant strategist and skillful negotiator to be a successful change management leader. Consider this story: Just before a Presidential election, the Presidential campaign managers decided to release some three million brochures with a nice photo of the Presidential Candidate on the cover; almost on the eve of the planned blitzkrieg, in the last few weeks of the campaign, they found to their shock that the photo was copyrighted to a studio in Chicago. The campaign was in a quandary; they did not have the time to reprint the brochers; neither could they risk a lawsuit or a scandal at that late stage of the campaign; inquire about the studio and its owner brought further disturbing news. The owner was someone who was difficult and money-minded; so, after a brainstorming session, the campaign manager had his secretary shoot off a fax to the studio owner, which read: We are considering offering some studios a chance to sponsor a photo of the Presidential Candidate; when we win, it will be a chance for you to gain huge publicity mileage out of it; so what are you willing to pay us for using your photo? The story goes that the offer was a princely sum of $250; which the campaign manager promptly accepted and went ahead with the release of the brochure using the photo. The candidate was Roosevelt, in 1912 and the studio was Moffat Studios in Chicago. This story was told by Professor James Sebenius and the campaign manager is George Perkins. This shows that, if you are clear headed thinker, who can think on his feet, even major catastrophes can be skillfully avoided, just by deft handling, especially if you know human nature. This is the hallmark of a great leader! As a leader, you can beg and barter for change; it all depends on your target audience. If your audience will respond better to negotiation, then you can offer some deal which will benefit them hugely when the changes are in place and the organization is healthier. You also have to pick your time and do whatever is necessary to maintain the momentum. If you can get your workforce to genuinely believe and participate whole heartedly, the changes that you bring to your organization cannot help but succeed. The commitment of your workforce is the key to the success of the proposed changes! Ch: 3 EXECUTING CHANGE Dr. John Kotter, one of the leading authorities on Change Management and author of Leading Change says, Accelerate. It is better to change at a fast pace in order to keep ahead of your rivals, or else, chances are that you will be stuck in a perpetual game of catch-up. And for an organization to change successfully, the behavior of its employees has to collectively change; and that is a mammoth task. However brilliantly you plan and communicate it to your workforce, and get them committed to the idea of change, unless you execute the plan equally efficiently, all that effort will end up getting wasted, and the change process will become an utter failure even before its launch. To help in this Herculean endeavor, Dr. Kotter has devised an 8-step process, of which he says: There are still more mistakes that people make, but these eight are the big ones. In reality, Even successful change efforts are messy and full of surprises. But just as a relatively simple Vision is needed to guide people through a major change, so a vision of the change process can reduce the error rate. And fewer errors can spell the difference between success and failure. Dr. Kotter recommends learning from both your successes and your mistakes: Establish a sense of urgency in your workforce Examine your competition and the market realities. If the market is in a slump, be realistic in your expectations. In a recession, effecting change in your organization can go only so far in bringing results. Organizational change cannot compensate for the prevailing market conditions. As the senior management, you have to identify your weak areas as an organization, and also watch out for any potential crises in the offing. Communicate such looming crises to your employees so that they are ready and willing to accept the coming changes. Your success in changing for the better, as an organization, depends on your managers ability to convince their teams that the coming change is inevitable and that it will benefit the organization and everyone working for it. Plan your strategy to play to your unique strengths, and to take advantage of any opportunities. These initial steps will help you to motivate your employees and help them to adjust to the coming changes, as they have been made aware of the importance of the changes to the future of the organization. Establish a Powerful Guiding Coalition A guiding team made up of individuals from the teams across the board will help in promoting employee cooperation and in wider acceptance of the changes, because your employees feel like stakeholders and also as a part of the decision making coalition. This inclusive approach will yield better results when compared to a top-down approach. This coalition should also be vested with the authority to effect necessary changes within the organization and in its policies to improve the results of any transition planned. Most frequently, failure to improve employee participation in all levels leads to fostering of resentment towards the senior management and thereby resistance to the proposed changes. However, this does not mean that the top management is not responsible for effecting the desired changes. The onus is on the top management to see that employee morale is kept high and that the proposed changes are accepted and adopted by all. A Clear Vision a Simple Plan to Achieve it First you have to envision the changes you want to see in your organization, and then you will have a clear vision of the benefits that the proposed changes can bring to your organization, and then take the time to convey the same to your workforce. Then devise a simple plan to achieve that change, and convey that to your teams. This will help your workforce to feel that they are important to the company and also inculcate a sense of participation and inclusiveness. A simple and sensible plan can do wonders for an organization that wants change by motivating its employees. Simplicity will win every day over grandiose words and actions, as most people can see through them clearly. Share your Vision and your Plan When you share and communicate your vision of the positive changes and your plans to achieve the same, you can reap the untold benefits of employee participation. When your workforce feels included in the decision making, it inspires them to perform better as they feel like stakeholders and not just employees. It is always better for the organization when they volunteer and work harder on their own conviction, rather than being coerced in any way. In an organization with thousands of employees, such voluntary participation and ready support can make a huge difference to the outcome of the proposed changes. Empower your employees Identify those of your employees who can convince their colleagues to follow in their footsteps; when you workforce receives information that is promising from their peers, especially someone they like and respect. When you allocate such responsibilities, you should also allow room for individual ideas and action. New ideas and innovative suggestions should be encouraged and adopted where ever possible. This can go a long way in improving input and in inculcating a sense of ownership amongst your employees. This empowerment will also instill accountability in your workforce, thereby increasing productivity, as the sense of ownership will give them an incentive to see that the organization flourishes. As a corollary, restrictive actions on the part of senior staff and management should be discouraged, as they can be an impediment to successful and sustainable change. Strategize and Plan for Short Term Benefits Any vision for successful change has to be, inevitably on a long term basis; but little successes in the short term have to be acknowledged and rewarded, as that will help your employees feel positive about themselves, their changed circumstances, and also help to boost their morale. Set realistic short term goals and reward those who are successful in achieving them. For instance, you can set up annual reward programs for those who perform well in the newly formulated strategy, or master a newly introduced innovation; this will encourage better participation from your workforce in the changed strategies. Consolidate and Build to Further Improve By this stage of the change process, you should be able to see that your initial efforts are paying off; your employees have adjusted well to the changes and their productivity has increased. The changes have really helped your organization to perform better and to compete in the market, favorably, when compared to its competitors. But do not stop pushing hard, because now is not the time to rest on your laurels. Now is the time to forge ahead, firing on all cylinders and with more vigor. When you achieve positive results from change effected, you gain credibility. Use this credibility to push forward. Otherwise your sense of achievement might prove to be premature as it takes sustained effort to maintain difficult changes in an organization and change is an ongoing process. You can even hire or promote staffs who are open to change, without too much resistance fro

Evaluation of the Fractal Dimension of a Crystal :: Chemistry Chemical Papers

Evaluation of the Fractal Dimension of a Crystal Abstract The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of voltage and molarity changes on the fractal dimension of a Cu crystal formed by the re-dox reaction between Cu and CuSO4. Using the introductory information obtained from research, the fractal geometry of the Cu crystals was determined for each set of parameters. Through the analysis of data, it was determined that the fractal dimension is directly related to the voltage. The data also shows that the molarity is inversely related to the fractal dimension, but through research this was determined to be an error. Introduction A fractal is a geometric pattern that is repeated indefinitely that it cannot be represented with typical mathematics. Fractals can be seen in nature in the way minerals develop over time, the manner in which trees limbs shoot from the trunk, and the development of the human body (i.e. the lungs)1. These fractals determine a way to attempt to simplify the randomness of the universe via probability and theories regarding diffusion and intermolecular attractions. The way dimensions in typical geometry are the typical 0-D, 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D. However, much matter does not fit these basic categories. A great example is a snowflake. If the negligible depth of a snowflake were ignored, it would be considered a 2-D object. However this is not completely true. A 2-D object can always be described by a finite number of tiles all in the same plane, because the snowflake cannot be described with only planes and also requires lines, it can be assumed it possesses properties of both a 1-D and 2-D object. A snowflake can be loosely approximated as a ~ 1.5-D object. This is fractal dimension of the object. In order to determine a more exact fractal dimension of an object, smaller and smaller pieces are zoomed in upon and used to determine a rough estimate of the amount of pieces that exhibit the same pattern (self-similarity) as the whole object. The relationship between the zoom and self similarity of the object determine the fractal dimension:

Dying With Grace, Living in Peace: Hospice Care in America Essay

The beginning of life is celebrated. Books and resources are shared among friends and family in preparation for becoming a new parent. So, what happens as we approach the end of life? Unfortunately, the same care and sharing rarely occurs in those circumstances and many face the process of dying unprepared. In fact, though most people state they would prefer to die at home, this is often not where death occurs. Many Americans spend their last days attached to medical apparatus that keeps the body alive, but it does not allow for communication with family and often requires heavy sedation. Additionally, this level of treatment comes at a high price. As a society, we must become as comfortable in addressing the end of life process as we are with the beginning of life. One way that this can be done more effectively is through increased knowledge and use of hospice care. Hospice care is a viable option that provides substantial health care cost savings, physical comfort to the p atient, and emotional and spiritual support to the caregivers, however as hospice systems become more commercialized, care must be taken to avoid the pitfalls that are inherent in larger organizations. Hospice care is a relatively young option in the United States. In fact, the first hospice organization was founded in 1971 in the US after gaining acceptance in England in the 1950s (Jensen, 2012). Hospice care is provided to those who are diagnosed with a terminal condition that is expected to culminate in death within six months. Unlike regular health care which focuses on curative procedures, hospice services focus on the comfort of the patient in order to ease the process of dying. These services provide benefits to the patient and the caregive... ...NHPCO facts and figures: Hopice care in America. Alexandria, VA. Perry, J. E., & Stone, R. C. (2011). In the business of dying: Questioning the commercialization of hospice. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(2), 224-234. doi:1111/j.1748-720X.2011.0059.x Robinson, L., & Segal, J. (2012). Quality of life at the end of life: A guide to hospice and palliative care at home or in a hospice facility. Retrieved from Helpguide.org: www.helpguide.org/elder/hospice_care.htm Seeger, P. (2012). Turn, turn, turn lyrics. Retrieved from metrolyrics.com: http://www.metrolyrics.com/turn-turn-turn-to-everything-there-is-a-season-lyrics-the-byrds.html Taylor, D., Ostermann, J., Houtven, C. V., Tulsky, J., & Steinhauser, K. (2007). What length of hospice use maximizes reduction in medical expenditures near death in the US Medicare program? Social Science & Medicine, 1466-1478.

Acca F1 Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Leadership, management and supervision Chapter learning objectives Upon completion of this chapter you will be able to: * define the term leadership * define the term management * define the term supervision * explain the difference between a leader and a manager distinguish between the role of the manager and the role of a supervisor * explain the classical approach to management using theories of  Fayol and Taylor * explain the main duties of a manager according to  Fayol * outline the relevance of classical approach to modern data practices * explain the nature of the human relations school aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"  Mayo * describe the modern school of management with reference to the theories of  Mintzberg  and  Drucker * describe the three managerial roles as per work of  H Mintzberg * explain what is meant by authority * explain what is meant by the term responsibility identify the main sources of authority * explain the relationship between authority and respon sibility * explain the situational approach to leadership using  Adair's  theory * explain the contingency approach using  Fiedler's  leadership theory * explain the differences between transactional and transformational leadership referring to the  Bennis  theory * describe the phases of the change process referring to  Kotter  theory * explain the  Heifetz  leadership theory * explain the five scores on the  Blake  and  Mouton  managerial grid * outline the usefulness of the Blake and Mouton grid describe the four leadership styles as per  Ashridge.1 Introduction 1. 1 Leadership Abasic definition of a leader is ‘someone who  exercises  influence overother people'. This can be expanded into a more complex definition:'Leadership is an interpersonal influence directed toward theachievement of a goal or goals'. * Interpersonal aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" between people. * Influence aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the power to affect others. * Goal aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" something that we need/want to achieve. Leadership is a conscious activity and is concerned with settinggoals and inspiring people to provide commitment to achieve theorganisation's goals. . 2 Managers Allmanagers have in common the  overall  aim of getting things done,delegating to other people rather than doing everything themselves. Management can be defined as ‘the effective use and co-ordinationof resources such as capital, plant, materials and labour to achievedefined objectives with maximum efficiency'. A leader can be a manager, but a manager is not necessarily aleader. If a manager is able to influence people to achieve the goals ofthe organisation, without using formal authority to do so, then themanager is demonstrating leadership.Illustration 1 aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Differences between managers and leaders The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. The manager has his eye on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon. 1. 3 Supervision The supervisor is part of the management team. * The supervisor is a person given authority for planning and controlling the work of their group, but all they can delegate to the group is the work itself. * A supervisor, therefore, is a type of manager whose main role is to ensure that specified tasks are performed correctly and efficiently by a defined group of people. In general, supervisors will also be doing operations work and giving advice to others to help solve problems. If the more senior manager is absent, the supervisor will take over the role. Illustration 2 aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" The role of a supervisor Supervisors divide their time between supervisory duties and adetailed task. For example a supervisor in  purchasing  may also regularlycomplete some clerical work like raising purchase orders. Managers must ensure that supervisors understand organisationalobjectives and communicate the power and limits of the supervisor'sauthority.Supervis ion is an important part of the task and process ofmanagement. The role of the supervisor requires direct contact with and responsibility for the work of others. * The supervisor is the interface between the management and the workforce. * Front line aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" resolving problems first hand where the work is done, and often having to resolve problems quickly. * They often need to have direct knowledge of  employment  legislation. * Often have responsibility for negotiation and industrial relations within the department. * Management tasks and operational work to perform. Day-to-day detailed internal information (manager aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" medium-term internal and external information). Test your understanding 1 Briefly explain in general terms the responsibilities of a supervisor.2 Theories of management 2. 1 The classical school Both  Taylor and Fayol  shared the belief that individualsmust subordinate themselves to the needs of the organisation. In returnthe organisation was obliged to provide job security and goodremuneration. * Taylor and Fayol  believed in ‘one best way', the optimum way to: * organise the firm * do the individual job emphasis on the task to be done rather that the person doing it. * some of the main features of their approach were as follows: * belief in one controlling central authority * specialisation of tasks * fair pay and good working conditions, decided by management * clear lines of command. Illustration 3 aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Theories and management Scientific thinking on motivation in the workplace included a belief that reward for effort was a key consideration. Test your understanding 2 Which of the following statements best describes the classical approach to management? A  No one best approach.B  Communication should be encouraged. C  One best approach. D  An employee is considered an input to the organisational system. Fayol  argued that management may be split into five broadsareas: forecasting and planning, organisation, command, co-ordinationand control. Expandable text – Fayol's rules of managerial conduct Fayol  applied 14 rules of managerial conduct. These are: * Division of work  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" to improve practice and familiarity and become specialised. * Authority  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the right to give orders, linked with responsibility. * Discipline  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" respect in accordance with the agreement between the firm and its employees. Unity of command  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" each subordinate answerable to only one superior. * Unity of direction  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" only a single head and plan for a set of activities. * Subordination to the general interest  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the general good prevails over individual or sectional interests.* Remuneration  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" should be fair to both the recipient and the firm. * Centralisation  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" inevitable in organisations, but the degree should be appropriate. * Scalar chain  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" graduated lines of authority should exist from the top to the bottom of the organisation. * Order  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" workers and materials should be in their prescribed place. * Equity  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" combining clemency with justice. Tenure of personnel  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" adequate time for settling into jobs should be allowed. * Initiative  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" should be encouraged within the boundaries of authority and discipline. * Esprit de corps  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" harmony and teamwork should be encouraged in the organisation. Fayol  believed that a manager obtained the best performancefrom his workforce by leadership qualities, by his knowledge of thebusiness and his workers, and by his ability to instil a sense ofmission. Test your understanding 3 Which of the following are elements of management as identified by  Fayol. AControl. BMotivation. CCommunication. DCompromise.The implications of  Taylor's  scientific management are as follows: * Workers should be set high ta rgets, but should be well rewarded for achieving them. * Working methods should be analysed ‘scientifically', including the timing of work. * Management should plan and control all the workers' efforts, leaving little discretion for individual control over working methods. While there may be areas where these principles are still relevant,most modern theorists would argue that a more progressive approach isneeded where: * It is recognised that there is not always a ‘best' way of doing a particular job. Employees can often have considerable insight into a job and can make important suggestions for improvements. * Many workers can be motivated by other methods than tight control and financial reward. These issues are discussed in more details later in this chapter. Illustration 4 aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Theories of management The classical approach is still being utilised today since this isthe principle applied in most call centres: targets are set for thenumber of calls to be ta ken in a predetermined time period and reward isbased on the achievement of the target. Test your understanding 4Which one of the following statements is closest to the beliefs of the classical school? AEmphasis on social groups. BEmphasis on the task to be done rather than the person doing it. CEmphasis on the person rather than the task. DEmphasis on encouraging people to reach their full potential. 2. 2 The human relations school Research carried out by  Mayo  at the General ElectricCompany in Chicago concluded that group relationships andmanagement-worker communication were far more important in determiningemployee behaviour than were physical conditions (e. . lighting andnoise) and the working practices imposed by management. Also, wagelevels were not the dominant motivating factor for most workers. Further research established the following propositions of the human relations school.* Employee behaviour depends primarily on the social and organisational circumstances of wo rk. * Leadership style, group cohesion and job satisfaction are major determinants of the outputs of the working group. * Employees work better if they are given a wide range of tasks to complete. Standards set internally by a working group influence employee attitudes and perspectives more than standards set by management. The usefulness of the human relations approach The school explicitly recognised the role of interpersonalrelations in determining workplace behaviour, and it demonstrated thatfactors other than pay can motivate workers. However, the approachpossibly overestimates the commitment, motivation and desire toparticipate in decision making of many employees. Test your understanding 5 Which one of the following statements is closest to the beliefs of the human relations school?AEmphasis on social groups. BEmphasis on the task to be done rather than the person doing it. CEmphasis on one best approach. DEmphasis on hierarchy of management. 2. 3 Modern writers Contributions made by modern writers on management include: * Contingency approach (‘no one best approach')  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" contingency theorists do not ignore the lessons learnt from earlier theorists, but adapt them to suit particular circumstances. * Behaviouralism  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" concerned with the personal adjustment of the individual within the work organisation and the effects of group relationships and leadership styles. Systems theory  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" expresses a manger's role as being a co-ordinator of the elements of a system, of which people are only one part. Expandable text – systems theory Systems theory takes the view that an organisation is a socialsystem, consisting of individuals who co-operate together within aformal framework, drawing resources from their environment and puttingback into that environment the products they produce or the servicesthey offer: * in doing so the input is converted into the final product or service, hopefully with value being added * an organisation does not exist in a vacuum.It depends on its environment and is part of larger systems, such as society, the economic system and the industry to which it belongs. Examples of the other systems include an information system, production system and a communication system. Drucker  identified five basic operations in the work of a manager. Managers: Expandable text * Set objectives  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" determining what they should be and what the goals in each area should be. They decide what has to be done to reach these objectives and make them effective by communicating them to the people who are going to perform them. Organise  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" analysing the activities, decisions and relations needed. They classify the work, divide it into manageable activities and further divide the activities into manageable jobs. They group the units and jobs, and select people for the management of the units and for the jobs to be done. * Motivate and communicate  aâ⠀š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" making a team out of the people that are responsible for various jobs. * Establish yardsticks  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" by making measurements available, which are focused on the performance of the whole organisation and which, at the same time, focus on the work of the individual and help them to do it.Managers analyse, appraise and interpret performance. * Develop people, including themselves. Mintzberg  identified ten skills which managers need if theyare to develop greater effectiveness, and grouped them together underthree categories, interpersonal, informational and decisional. Test your understanding 6 Is the following statement in line with  Mintzberg's  approach? ‘The manager in the informational role combines being a spokesperson and disseminator with being a monitor of information. ‘ 3 Managerial authority and responsibilityAuthority refers to the relationship between the participants in an organisation. * Authority is the right to give orders and t he power to exact obedience  (Fayol). * Authority is the right to do something, or ask someone else to do it and expect it to be done. * Authority is thus another word for legitimate power. Illustration 5 aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Managerial authority and responsibility When analysing the types of authority which a manager or department may have the following terms are often used: * Line authority  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the authority a manger has over a subordinate, down the vertical chain (or line) of command. Staff authority  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is the authority one manager or department may have in giving specialist advice to another manager or department, over which there is no line authority. (HR department advising the accounts manager on interviewing techniques. )* Functional authority  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is a hybrid of line and staff authority, whereby a manager setting policies and procedures for the company as a whole has the authority in certain circumstances, to direct, design or contr ol activities or procedures of another department. (A finance manager has authority to require timely budgetary control reports from other departmental/line managers. Test your understanding 7 If a manager justifies an instruction to a subordinate by saying'because I am your superior' the manager is relying on which of thefollowing bases of authority? AFunctional BStaff CLine Responsibility is the liability of a person to be called to account for his or her actions. * Responsibility expresses the obligation a person has to fulfil a task, which he or she has been given. A person is said to be responsible for a piece of work when he or she is required to ensure that the work is done. * Responsibility is the obligation to use delegated powers. The important point is that managers and supervisors are ultimately responsible for the actions of their subordinates; the term ‘accountable' is often used. * It is accountability for the performance of specified duties or the satisfactory achievement of defined company objectives. * Because responsibility is an obligation owed, it cannot be delegated. * No superior can escape responsibility for the activities of subordinates, for it is the supervisor who delegates authority and assigns the duties. Test your understanding 8 Which of the following statements could be a definition of responsibility?ALiability to be called to account. BAccountability for actions. CAn obligation owed. John French and Bertram Raven  identified five sources or bases of power. * Reward  power aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is based on one person having the ability to reward another person for carrying out orders or meeting other requirements. * Coercive  power aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is based on one person's ability to punish another for not meeting requirements, is the negative side of reward power. * Expert  power aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is based on the perception or belief that a person has some relevant expertise or special knowledge that others do not. Refere nt  power aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is based on one person's desire to identify with or imitate another. * Legitimate  power aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the power derived from being in a position of authority within the organisational structure aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" according to the position they hold within the organisation. Illustration 6 aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Managerial authority and responsibility If a manager justifies an instruction to a subordinate by saying'because I am a qualified accountant' the manager is relying on which ofthe following bases of power? AReferent BReward CLegitimate DExpert Solution D Test your understanding 9If a manager justifies an instruction to a subordinate by saying'because I am your superior' the manager is relying on which of thefollowing bases of authority? AReferent BReward CLegitimate DExpert In every position authority and responsibility should correspond (principle of correspondence): * Having responsibility without authority  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" supervisor may be held res ponsible for time keeping but does not have the authority to discipline subordinate for poor time-keeping. The supervisor is powerless to achieve the levels upon which his or her performance is being judged.This supervisor is likely to become frustrated, stressed and demotivated. Performance is likely to suffer. Conflict will occur if the supervisor fails the task due to lack of co-operation caused by lack of authority. * Having authority without responsibility  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" personnel department employ an individual but will have no responsibility for the employee; they are in a position of false security. Managers not held accountable for their authority may exercise their authority in an irresponsible way, which may not be to the benefit of the organisation.They may take unacceptable risks, because the consequences of decisions will not rebound on them. The control mechanisms of the organisation depend on accountability. Test your understanding 10 John has just joined a small accounts department. The financialcontroller is taken ill. John has been told that he needs to prepare themanagement accounts and requires information regarding salaries. Thepayroll department are not happy about giving John the informationrequired. What is the underlying cause of the problem? 4 Theories of leadership approaches 4. 1 The action-centred approach (Adair) Adair  suggests that any leader has to strive to achieve three major goals while at the same time maintaining a position as an effective leader. * Adair's action-centred leadership model looks at leadership in relation to the needs of the task, individual and group. Test your understanding 11 The table below includes needs that managers have to action. Suggest whether they are likely to be associated with individual, taskor group needs. 4. 2 The contingency approach (Fiedler) Contingency theory sees effective leadership as being dependenton a number of variable or contingent factors.There is no one right wayto lead that will fit all situations; rather it is necessary to lead ina manner that is appropriate to a particular situation. Fiedler's contingency theory * Fiedler  studied the relationship between style of leadership and effectiveness of the work group. Two styles of leader were identified. Psychologically distant managers (PDMs). * Maintain distance from their subordinates by formalising roles and relationships within the team. * Are withdrawn and reserved in their interpersonal relationships. * Prefer formal communication and consultation methods rather than seek informal opinion. Judge subordinates on the basis of performance and are primarily task-orientated. * Fiedler found that leaders of the most effective work groups actually tend to be PDMs. Psychologically close managers (PCMs) * Do not seek to formalise roles and relationships. * Prefer informal contacts to regular formal staff meetings. * They are more concerned to maintain good human relationships at work to ensure that t asks are carried out efficiently. * Fiedler  concluded that a structured (or psychologically distant) style works best when the situation is either very favourable or very unfavourable to the leader. On the other hand, a supportive (or psychologically close) style works best when the situation is moderately favourable to the leader. * He further suggested that group performance would be contingent upon the appropriate matching of leadership styles and the degree of favourableness of the group situation for the leader. Fiedler  went on to develop his contingency theory in ‘Atheory of leadership effectiveness', in which he argued that theeffectiveness of the workgroup depended on the situation. The leadershipsituation is made up of three key variables: * The relationship between the leader and the group (trust, respect and so on). The extent to which the task is defined and structured. * The power of the leader in relation to the group. Illustration 7 aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Theorie s of leadership approaches Fiedler  suggested that a situation is favourable to theleader when the leader is liked and trusted by the group, the tasks ofthe group are clearly defined and the power of the leader to reward andpunish the team, with organisational backing, is high. Test your understanding 12 The accounts manager holds a departmental meeting every Monday at 10. 00 am. How would  Fiedler  define this manager? 4. 3 Transformational leadership (Bennis)Some of the values used to distinguish between managers and leaders have also been identified as: * Transactional leaders aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" see the relationship with their followers in terms of a trade: they give followers the rewards they want in exchange for service, loyalty and compliance. * Transformational leaders aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" see their role as inspiring and motivating others to work at levels beyond mere compliance. Only transformational leadership is said to be able to change team/organisational cultures and crea te a new direction. Expandable text Bennis  is an influential American author on leadership andchange.He focuses on the need to inspire change rather than imposingit. He identifies five ‘avenues of change': * Dissent and conflict aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" top management impose change by means of their position of power, the result being rancour amongst those affected. * Trust and truth aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" management must gain trust, express their vision clearly, and persuade others to follow. * Cliques and cabals aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" cliques have power, money and resources; cabals have ambition, drive and energy. Unless the cliques can co-opt the cabals, revolution is inevitable. * External events aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" forces of society can impose change, e. . by new government regulation or through overseas competition. * Culture or paradigm shift aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" changing the corporate culture is the most important avenues of change. Test your understanding 13 When organisational change requires a change in structure and/orculture would the organisation require a transformational ortransactional leader? 4. 4 Managing change (Kotter) Kotter  set out the following change approaches to deal with resistance: Test your understanding 14 Training in the use of a new information system is a means of overcoming resistance to change by: AFacilitation and support.BEducation and communication. CParticipation and involvement. DNegotiation and agreement. 4. 5 Leadership to mobilise (Heifetz) Heifetz  argues that the role of the leader is to help people face reality and to mobilise them to make change. Heifetzsuggests that the old approach to leadership was that leaders had theanswers, the vision and then needed to persuade people to sign up forthe change. Heifetz believes that leaders provide direction but do nothave to offer definite answers and should mobilise people to tackle thetough challenges for themselves. Leaders have two choices when resolving a situation: Technical change aà ¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the application of current knowledge, skills and or tools to resolve a situation. * Adaptive change aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is required when the problem cannot be solved with existing skills and knowledge and requires people to make a shift in their values, expectations, attitudes or habits of behaviour. This is often required to ensure organisational survival. Expandable text Heifetz  suggests four principles for bringing about adaptive change: * Recognition that the change requires an adaptive approach and understanding the values that need to be shifted and the issues that need to be resolved to make the shift possible. Adaptive change causes unhappiness in the people being led; adaptive change requires the right level of stress to be applied: too little stress and people do not appreciate the need for change: too much stress and there will be no ‘buy-in'. * Keep focused on the real issue of realising the change; do not spend too much time on stress-reducing distrac tions. * Ensure the people who need to make the change take responsibility and face the reality of doing the work of change for themselves. Leaders provide the direction, posing well-structured questions, rather than offering definite answers. Leadership styles 5. 1 Blake and Mouton Robert Blake and Jane Mouton  carried out research intomanagerial behaviour and observed two basic dimensions of leadership:concern for production (or task performance) and concern for people. Based on the results of staff questionnaires, managers can then be plotted on  Blake and Mouton's grid. 1. 1 Management impoverished  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" this manager only makesminimum effort in either area and will make the smallest possible effortrequired to get the job done. 1. ‘Country Club' management  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" this manager is thoughtfuland attentive to the needs of the people, which leads to a comfortablefriendly organisation atmosphere but very little work is actuallyachieved. 9. 1 Task mana gement  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" this manager is only concerned with production and arranges work in such a way that people interference is minimised. 5. 5 ‘Middle of the road management'  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" this manager is able to balance the task in hand and motivate the people to achieve these tasks. 9. 9 Team management  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" this manager integrates the two areas to foster working together and high production to produce true team leadership.Blake and Mouton's  grid can be used to assess the currentbehavioural style of a manager and then plan appropriate training anddevelopment to enable them to move towards 9. 9. Test your understanding 15 Using the scores shown on the above grid, make suggestions as tohow this particular manager could improve his/her managerial style. 5. 2 Ashridge The research unit at  Ashridge Management  College distinguished four different management styles. Tells (autocratic)  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the manager makes all the decisions and issue s instructions which must be obeyed without question. Strengths: * Quick decisions can be made when required. The most efficient type of leadership for highly-programmed work. Weaknesses: * Communications are one-way, neglecting feedback and potential for upward communication or team member input. * Does not encourage initiative or commitment from subordinates, merely compliance. Sells (persuasive)  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the manager still makes all thedecisions, but believes that team members must be motivated to acceptthem in order to carry them out properly. Strengths: * Team members understand the reason for decisions. * Team members may be more committed. * Team members may be able to function slightly better in the absence of instruction.Weaknesses: * Communications are still largely one-way. * Team members are not necessarily motivated to accept the decision. * It still doesn't encourage initiative or commitment. Consults (participative)  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the manager confers with the team and takes their views into account, although still retains the final say. Strengths: * Involves team members in decisions, encouraging motivation through greater interest and involvement. * Consensus may be reached, enhancing the acceptability of the decision to team members. * The quality of the decision may benefit from the input of those who do the work. * Encourages upward communication.Weaknesses: * May take longer to reach decisions (especially if consensus is sought). * Team member input may not enhance the quality of the decision. * Consultation can be a faA §ade for a basic ‘sells' style. Joins (democratic)  aâ‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" the leader and the team members make the decision together on the basis of consensus. Strengths: * Can provide high motivation and commitment from team members. * Empowers a team member to take the initiative (e g. in responding flexibly to customer demands and problems). * Shares other advantages of the ‘consults' style (especi ally where team members can add value). Weaknesses: May undermine the authority of the manager. * May further lengthen the decision-making process. * May reduce the quality of the decision because of the politics of decision making. Test your understanding 16 For each of the statements made by managers listed below, choose an Ashridge leadership style that best describes the statement. Chapter summary Test your understanding answers Test your understanding 1 * Planning the work of the department. * Ensuring by adequate supervision that the work is completed as far as possible according to plan. * Maintaining discipline in the department. * Undertaking the task when required. Having knowledge and ability in all aspects of health, safety and employment legislation that applies to his or her subordinates. Test your understanding 2 C Test your understanding 3 A only Test your understanding 4 B Test your understanding 5 A Test your understanding 6 Yes Test your understanding 7 C Test you r understanding 8 A, B and C Test your understanding 9 C Test your understanding 10 John has been given the responsibility for completing a task but without the authority. Test your understanding 11 Test your understanding 12 Psychologically distant manager. Test your understanding 13Transformational. Test your understanding 14 A Test your understanding 15 The manager illustrated in the above grid is showing good concernfor production (although this can be strengthened further) but is weakin terms of concern for employees. Further investigation would then becarried out to determine why this is the case and in what ways such alack of concern is exhibited. Then rectifying action can be taken. For example: * Attend a training course on people skills and motivation. * Involve staff in more decisions. * Treat staff as valuable assets; adopt an open door policy. Test your understanding 16