Management and organizational behaviour

Management and organizational behaviour Free Online Research Papers I was working for the Head Office of a south region subsidiary of JSC â€Å"BTA Bank† (BTA) for 5 years. BTA is one of the leading banks in Kazakhstan, which has 22 subsidiaries and 230 branches all over the country. Our subsidiary had 130 employees, the main realm being retail banking, which consisted of mortgage loans, credit line, auto loans, express credit and credit card departments. During that time, â€Å"Raya† held the position of â€Å"Supervisor† in the mortgage department, where supervised 10 people. Due to the primitive size of the group, a friendly and cohesive working atmosphere within the group was established, which continued even after work hours. Even though the group received the same remuneration, the group worked in harmony and peace. Hence, the group consistently met sales targets and achieved performance efficiency, ranking higher than varying departments selling different banking products. The status within the group began undergoing changes during the peak of economic development, in which the demand for mortgage loans increased sharply, causing the volume of work and working hours to increase without the provision of overtime pay. Complaints arose within the group regarding the disparity between the high volume of work and additional unpaid working hours. After discussing staff complains with management, group size was expanded to 15 people, and last an extra member was added to Raya’s group; Klara. At the age of 22, the latter had previously worked as Head of the â€Å"Express Credit† department, but was demoted due to low sales and dissatisfaction experienced by her subordinates. In her previous position, Klara was known to be an active and sociable person, prone to giving orders to people. A close relative of the management, Klara took the position of the main specialist, however, keeping her old remuneration. According to Raya’s numerous resp onsibilities, all training responsibilities were delegated to an experienced manager named â€Å"Indi†. After Klara’s probationary period, her performance was found to be extremely weak; weaker than expected. The latter’s unwillingness to learn was also taken into account. Consequently, Raya extended her training period by adding Klara to her existing group of agents, collectively learning the basics of mortgage products and the selling process. In addition, Klara was late almost every day without informing her supervisor. The former was given warnings on several occasions which proved to be ineffective. This pattern of behaviour affected her entire department negatively. A number of her group members subsequently began to imitate her unpunctuality. On a particular occasion, Klara was absent for half a day. This behaviour was discussed between her and Raya in the deputy director’s cabinet, with reference to previous offences. Unable to ignore this and adamant not to wait until the scheduled staff meeting, Raya called an emergency meeting immediately for the purpose of reminding staff of the conditions of their employment, with emphasis placed on punctuality. Unadvised delay in BTA is punishable by a 5-15% salary deduction, whilst an excess of three separate occasions of absenteeism results in the termination of one’s contract. Thus, the problem of absenteeism was seemingly solved; Raya and the staff apparently arriving at a mutual agreement. Certain mannerisms and attitudinal elements which usurped the company code of ethics were manifest in Klara, such as laughing loudly inappropriately in front of clients, distracting others from their work, the usage of the company line for personal use and so on. In conclusion, the combination of these factors affected the group and group dynamics drastically. The mortgage department suffered from low job satisfaction, low productivity and low motivation, both before and after her departure from the company. Another affect was made clear in company profits; our department in particular making experiencing a reduction in sales of 40%, which was accompanied by depreciation in the value of customer service provided by the group. Impact of Events on Attitudes and Perceptions Attitudes and perception at work are important simply because, directly or indirectly, they affect work behavior (Nelson Quick 2007). It has been revealed that attitudes are evaluative statements – either favorable or unfavorable – about objects, people or events, which reflect how we feel about something (Robbins et.al 2009). Other author disputes this statement as an attitude is a predisposition to respond in positive or negative way to someone or something in our environment (Wood et.al 2010). In the case of Klara, one may observe the negative attitude towards her job such as her unpunctuality, unwillingness to learn, talking on the phone, distraction of colleagues from their daily tasks and the like. One of the reasons of her misbehavior may be derived from her dissatisfaction with â€Å"psychological contract†. In various research findings of Bloisi, Cook Hunsaker (2007) when people enter to organizations and jobs they bring their own expectations about what they will have to contribute and what they will receive in response, a set of called expectations called a â€Å"psychological contract†. In turn, individuals provide such qualities as their skills, effort, time, loyalty and commitment to an organization. In exchange, the organization offers such things as pay, security, opportunities and benefits to satisfy such motives as need for achievement, power, status and affiliation (Bloisi, CookHunsaker 2007). As shown in the scenario, Klara in her previous p osition as supervisor of the express credit department was strongly disposed to giving orders. Hence, a need for power and status developed. In the process of her demotion, Klara was under the supervision of Raya. It is obvious that Klara harbored dissatisfaction with her newfound position. The findings of David Guest and Neil Conway (2001) state that both the individual and organization feel satisfied if they perceive the psychological contract to be fair. Stated below is the definition of â€Å"perception†: According to Nelson and Quick (2008), perception involves the way we view the world around us and it is the primary vehicle through which we understand ourselves and surroundings. Robbins (2009) comments perception is a process by which individuals organize, and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to environment. What one perceives can be substantially different from objective reality. The differences in perceptions in organizations have impact on an organizational outcome (Schyns, B Wolfram, HJ 2008). Figure1. The perceptual process: from stimuli to behavior Source: Wendy Bloisi, Curtis W. Cook, Philip L.Hunsaker, Management Organizational Behaviour, 2nd edition, Mc Graw Hill Education, UK. To summarize, understanding the perception process (Fig1) provides managers with a better understanding of why people perceive things in certain ways and why perceptions differ. This enables managers to deal better with such differences and minimize some of the â€Å"distortions† that occur. The second reason may be derived from dissatisfaction of her current job, and in general, satisfied workers are more regular in attendance and are less likely to be absent for unexpected reasons (Wood et.el 2010). And Robbins (2009) says that a person with a high level of job satisfaction holds positive feeling about his or her job, while a dissatisfied person holds negative feelings (Robbins, 2009). Klara showed unfavorable attitude towards her job, maybe she didn’t see any perspectives from her current position, due to she feel not satisfied with her work. The job satisfaction is important factor in workplace, because job satisfaction influences absenteeism (Wood et.el 2010). Absenteeism is a huge cost and disruption for employers and it is obviously difficult for an organization to operate smoothly and attain its objectives if employees fail to report to their jobs. The work flow is disrupted, and often important decisions must be delayed and absenteeism can be considerably more than disruption, it can result a drastic reduction in the quality of output in organization (Robbins, 2009). Two Relevant Motivational Theories and impact of events in scenario upon the motivation of staff Motivation is the process of satisfying internal needs through actions and behaviours and concerned with a composite of mental and physical drives, combined with the environment that makes people behave the way they do. Its presence or absence can be recognized by observing employee behaviour (Ronald R.Sims 2002). The following two motivational theories will be considered: Hertzberg’s Two Factor Theory and Vroom’s Expectancy Theory. Content Theory – Hertzberg’s Two Factor Theory According to the Two Factor theory of Frederick Herzberg individual is influenced by two factors, which are: satisfaction and psychological growth was a factor of â€Å"motivational factors† and dissatisfaction was a result of â€Å"hygiene factors† as shown in figure 2. Figure2. Two factor Theory Herzberg Source: valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_herzberg_two_factor_theory.html According to Two factor Theory – Herzberg (fig2) Klara was on first stage, she was dissatisfied and unmotivated, because after demotion from position she lost motivation factors or motivators how it called by Herzberg. Herzberg says that motivation factors are needed in order to motivate an employee into higher performance and these factors result from generators in employees, and as shown in fig3 typical motivation factors include: achievement, recognition for achievement, responsibility for task, interest in job, advancement to higher level tasks and growth (Kreitner Kinicki, 2008). Motivators No satisfaction Satisfaction Job that do not offer achievement, recognition, stimulating work, responsibility and advancement. Job offering achievement, recognition, stimulating work, responsibility and advancement. Hygiene factors Dissatisfaction No dissatisfaction Job with poor company policies and administration, technical supervision, salary, interpersonal relationships with supervisors, and working conditions. Job with good company policies and administration, technical supervision, salary, interpersonal relationships with supervisors, and working conditions. Figure3. Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene Model Source: Kreitner Kinicki, Organizational Behaviour, 8th edition, 2008, The McGraw-Hill Companies, New York. Furthermore, Biswajeet (Biswajeet Pattanayak 2006) says that true motivators motivate people to superior performance, accept challenging tasks, growth and development. And Herlsberg suggested job enrichment to provide true motivation. Job can be enriched by increasing skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback. According to (Biswajeet Pattanayak 2006) hygiene factors are essential for people to work but true motivators play an important role in helping people to work more and better. Process Theory – Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory Victor Vroom’s expectancy theory is one of the most widely accepted descriptions of motivation. Vroom first applied the theory of individuals in the workplace (Moorhead Griffin 1995). The basis of the theory is the degree of motivation for an individual depends on the power of expectation that his act will be followed by an outcome i.e. a good performance appraisal and the outcome will yield something attractive i.e. salary increase or promotion (Robbins 2009). Figure4: Vroom’s expectancy theory Source: arrod.co.uk/archive/concept_vroom.php Klara as employee was unmotivated as a good performance method currently did not exist. A good appraisal programme will serve as a benchmark for the employees to upgrade and evaluate themselves with their superiors. The main components of the theory are effort, performance and outcome (Robbins 2009). The components are linked by these relationships which are (Fig4) effort-performance relationship which describes an individual’s perceived probability that effort will lead to performance. Performance-outcome relationship which describes an individual’s perceived probability that performance will lead to certain outcomes. Outcome or rewards are divided into intrinsic rewards such as growth opportunities, challenges in the job and autonomy and extrinsic rewards such as position and benefits (Gordon 1999). Critically discuss Group Dynamics and Teamwork Group is defined as two or more individuals interacting and interdependent, who come together to achieve particular objective. (Robbins 2009) Group dynamics are the forces that function in groups to influence upon group accomplishment and member contentment in the group. In BTA the group is formal groups that are created by organization, intentionally designed to direct its members toward some organizational goal (Jerald Greenberg Robert A.Baron, 2006). Working group had number of recognized dysfunctions inside; one of them is social loafing. This problem occurs when members reduce their effort and performance levels when acting as group and primary causes include lack of performance feedback within the group, tasks are not intrinsically motivating, situations in which the performance of others will cover for the reduced effort given by some members, and the â€Å"sucker effect† of not wanting to do more than the perception effort being given by others (Fred Luthans 2008). Required behaviours are those contributions the organization formally requested from group members as a basis for continued affiliation and support, which are may include work-related behaviours such as being punctual, treating customers with respect and helping coworkers (Wood et.el.2010). But as it may seen these norms are not followed by group, because of existed absenteeism and decreased quality service. Due to not spending time together like before, BTA group become differ in cohesiveness, a degree to which group members are attracted to each other and motivated to stay together in group (Emmerick et al.2005). Because of the size of organization become quite large the staffs seldom spend time together and are low in interaction which lowers productivity. The most effective teams have fewer than 10 members. Expert recommends via smaller number of people, the assignment can be done. Unfortunately a pervasive inclination for managers to err on the side of creating teams too large as happening in BTA, results in coordination problem (Greenberg Baron 2008). When teams have excess members, cohesiveness and mutual accountability declines, social loafing increases, where by more people do things that are not related to them. Studies shown relationship of cohesiveness and production depends on performance related norms in a company. (Robbins 2009). Groups have life cycles similar to people and group’s effectiveness is influenced by its stage of development which are forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (Wendy Bloisi et.al 2003). Group in scenario is having period of high emotion and tension among the group members which called â€Å"forming stage† (Wood et.al 2010). One serious phenomenon that occurs in groups in this stage of development is groupthink which the norm for consensus overrides the sensible evaluation of alternative courses of action. (Robbins 2009). The BTA staff usually won’t contribute much as senior management tends to play major role in their idea and puts less weigh in their subordinates views and opinions. Isolation usually takes place as the staffs usually comes for the meeting just to fulfil the quota as an attendee for the group meeting and discussion. Recommendations: Managing Attitudes and Perceptions Rationale Reward power Wishes and directive of another make people comply, by doing so it produces positive benefits. Rewards can be both financial such as controlling pay rates, raises and bonuses or non financial including recognition, promotions and interesting work assignments. (Robbins 2009). BTA can include this reward power into their system, awarding people for all the effort put by them. This will change staff perception towards work and remove negativity in them. Training, seminars and workshops Giving employees these special learning opportunities, both within and outside organization, encourages personal and professional development – and often increases motivation as well. It tell employees that company value their performance and wants to give them more opportunities (Bruce Pepitone 1999) Attitude surveys Attitude surveys identify the missing links between staff ‘attitudes’ and ‘behaviours’ and aid in creating goals and objectives to move an organisation forward, hence feedback and action planning should follow any survey implementation (Carey Warner 2002). Additionally, 360 º feedback tools that rate performance via peer to peer, manager to peer etc, can be used to identify gaps to develop employees, hence contributing to personal satisfaction and empowerment (Cawley et al. in Tovey Uren 2006) Leadership learning Leadership learning is required from the Supervisor to drive change, navigate strategic direction, retain talent, enhance relationships and build stamina for sustained developmental learning (Harris Hartman 2002). Actions to improve motivation Rationale Reward-based system The practical idea of this idea begins with remuneration, company adopts a reward-based system, with staff encouraged to establish key performance indicators (KPIs) (Wood et.al 2010). This method is suitable for BTA, it can increase productivity, because if staff achieve KPIs level, they can earn extra money on top of their base salary. Job rotation Some of BTA employees suffer from over routine of their work. Job rotation can be used changing an employee from one task to another. Rotation can be done into similar skill requirement after the staffs spends time in the same activity.(Emmerick et al,2005) Motivation is produced in changing employee daily routine; it also gives strength and diversifying effect in them. (Robbins 2009) Actions to improve Group and Team Dynamics Rationale Recognition program Recognition is crucial at all levels in the company, and there is a annual award day with prizes, entertainment and awards for team leaders, sales agents, service agents and project managers who have excelled in the workplace (Wood et.al, 2010). This recognition program will help to BTA build staff motivation levels based on strong internal communication and recognition measures. Reflection The task given in this assignment made me understand clearly all the aspect that is involved in the scenario that I was facing in my working environment. The in depth study of the element that I went through in my real life has given a clear answer to most of the question I have been asking all this while. The scenario revisited thought me to analyse the situation more thoroughly rather than using intuition knowledge. The theory for motivation clearly suggested an organization requires positive motivation. The theory of motivation is not about self-interest in rewards but about the association people make towards expected outcomes and the contribution they can make towards those outcomes. Groups as defined earlier are process of working together in achieving common objective or fulfilling accorded tasks. It was reflected clearly how important different types of groups such as formal group, informal group, command group, task group, interest group and friendship group that enhance people security, status, self esteem, affiliation, power in goal achievement. What is required now in BTA now, are how each group work and create an effective team in any organization we are in. In my scenario, attitudes tap positive and negative evaluation the employees hold about aspects of their environment which mainly involves job satisfaction that BTA were lacking, job involvement and organizational commitment. People’s perception influenced by factors in perceiver (attitudes, motives, interest, experience, expectations), factors in the situation (time, work setting, social setting) and factors in the target (novelty, motion, sounds, size, background, proximity and similarity) operate and sometimes distort perception. My view on BTA is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself (Robbins 2009). Overall the scenario gave a clear set up of all the things that need to be done to analyse improve, set up and change in an individual or organisation for better achievement. Changing the corporate culture can be difficult, as is deeper attitudinal change. Criticality in understanding employee behaviour is the key to brand success requiring critical consistency and congruency between brand, culture and values. A holistic approach to brand management is required by empowering all employees into the change process. List of References Biswajeet Pattanayak, Human Resource Management, 3rd edition, 2006, published by Asoke K. Ghosh, Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi. Bruce A., James S. Pepitone, Motivating employees, Copyright@1999, The McGraw Hill companies, USA. Cawley, B, Keeping, L Levy, P 1998, ‘Participation in the performance appraisal process and employee reactions: a meta-analytic review of field investigations’, ‘Journal of Applied Psychology’, vol. 83, no. 4, pp. 615-633, in MD Tovey ML Uren (eds), 2006, Managing Performance Improvement’, 2nd edn, Pearson Education, Australia. Carey, B 2005, ‘Have you heard? Gossip turns out to serve a purpose’, The New York Times, 16 August, vol. 154, no. 53308, cited in R Wiesner (ed.) 2008, MGT5000 Management and Organisational Behaviour: study book, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba. David Guest, Neil Conway, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Employer perceptions of the psychological contract, 2001, 1st edition, printed in Great Britain by Short Run Press. Debra L.Nelson James Campbell Quick, Understanding Organizational Behaviour, 2008, Transcontinental Louisville, QC, Canada. Emmerick, H.I.J., Sanders, K 2005, ‘Mismatch in working hours and affective commitment: Differential relationships for distinct employee groups’ Journal of Managerial Psychology, vol. 20, no. 8, pp. 712-724, viewed 28 April 2010, Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Fred Luthans, Organizational Behavior, 2008, published by McGraw – Hill Education (Asia). Gordon, J 1999, Organizational Behavior : A Diagnostic Approach, 6th edition, Prentice-Hill Inc, New Jersey. Jack Wood, Rachid Zeffane, Michele Fromholtz, Retha Wiesner, Andrew Creed, John Schermerhorn, James Hunt, Richard Osborn, Organizational Behaviour: Core concepts and applications, 2010, by John Wiley Sons Australia, Ltd. Jennifer M. George, Gareth R. Jones, Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior, 1999, by Addison-Wesley Publishing company, Inc. Jerald Greenberg Robert A.Baron, Behaviour in organization, 8th edition, 2006, Eastern Economy edition, New Delphi. Moorhead, G Griffin, R 1995, Organizational Behaviour: Managing People and Organizations, 4th edn, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. Kreitner Kinicki, Organizational Behaviour, 8th edition,2008, The McGraw-Hill Companies, New York. Rae Andre, Organizational Behavior, An Introduction to Your Life in Organizations, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Ronald R. Sims, Managing organizational behavior, 2002, an imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. O.Jeff Harris, Phd Sandra J. Hartman, Phd, Organizational behaviour, 2nd edition, 2002, West Publishing Company. Stephen P. Robbins, Timothy A. Judge, Organizational Behavior, 13th edition, 2009, by Pearson Education Inc, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Schyns, B Wolfram, HJ 2008, ‘The relationship between leader-member exchange and outcomes as rated by leaders and followers’ Leadership and Organization Development Journal, vol. 29, no. 7, pp. 631-635, viewed 3 December 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited database. Wendy Bloisi, Curtis W. Cook, Philip L.Hunsaker, Management Organizational Behaviour, 2nd edition, 2007, Mc Graw Hill Education, UK. www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_herzberg_two_factor_theory.html, viewed at 29.04.2010 www.arrod.co.uk/archive/concept_vroom.php, viewed at 27.04.2010 Research Papers on Management and organizational behaviourRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseTwilight of the UAWLifes What IfsMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenDefinition of Export QuotasWhere Wild and West MeetResearch Process Part OneThe Project Managment Office System

How to Conjugate the French Verb Détester

How to Conjugate the French Verb Dà ©tester The French verb  dà ©tester  means to hate. Unlike some other verbs, this one is fairly easy to remember because of its similarity to the English word detest. As with the English verb, you would use  dà ©tester  to express an extreme dislike for something, such as food or a particular household chore youre not fond of. Like the majority of verbs in French,  dà ©tester is a regular verb. Conjugating Dà ©tester Verb conjugations can become a headache for French students because there are so many verb forms to remember. Not only does the infinitive ending change with each tense and mood, it also changes with each subject pronoun. For   example, I hate is je dà ©teste and we will hate is nous dà ©testerons. Its easier to memorize all these forms if you practice them in context and simple sentences. Subject Present Future Imperfect je dteste dtesterai dtestais tu dtestes dtesteras dtestais il dteste dtestera dtestait nous dtestons dtesterons dtestions vous dtestez dtesterez dtestiez ils dtestent dtesteront dtestaient Present and Past Participle The  present participle  of  dà ©testant  is formed by adding -ant  to the verb stem of  dà ©test. While its primarily used as a verb, you will find it useful as an adjective, gerund, or noun as well. Beyond the imperfect, another form of the past tense hated is the  passà © composà ©. This one is formed in a different manner and relies on the  past participle  dà ©testà ©. To complete it, you must also conjugate the  auxiliary verb  avoir.   As an example, I hated is jai dà ©testà © and we hated is nous avons dà ©testà ©. More Conjugations There will be times when you will need to imply some degree of uncertainty to the verb  dà ©tester  as well. For this, use the subjunctive verb mood. In a similar fashion, the conditional form is used when the hating is dependent on something else happening. You should not use the passà © simple unless youre reading or writing in French. The same applies to the imperfect subjunctive, though its a good idea to be able to recognize these as forms of  dà ©tester. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je dteste dtesterais dtestai dtestasse tu dtestes dtesterais dtestas dtestasses il dteste dtesterait dtesta dtestt nous dtestions dtesterions dtestmes dtestassions vous dtestiez dtesteriez dtesttes dtestassiez ils dtestent dtesteraient dtestrent dtestassent The imperative verb form may be quite useful with  dà ©tester  because its often used in exclamations. When using it, the subject pronoun is not required: use dà ©teste rather than tu dà ©teste. Imperative (tu) dteste (nous) dtestons (vous) dtestez

Modern Times Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modern Times - Essay Example Nevertheless, the final film of the series seems to be the most overtly political and inevitably then is the most controversial. Although chock-full of the brand of slapstick, physical humor which has become automatically associated with Chaplin’s acting career, Modern Times is often interpreted to be a representation of Chaplin’s own political affiliations and associations with the Left. However, certain aspects of the film make it quite apparent that Leftist politics hold no monopoly on its figurative content. The aforementioned fans of Chaplin who truly cherish his work cannot help but see through the depictions of poverty and suffering in the film, and see the Tramp urging the Gamin â€Å"to keep smiling†, and to see him relying upon his own values and skills to build a life for himself—ideals that are consistent with capitalism and the American dream. Even before the film starts, any attempt on the part of witch-hunters to tie Chaplin to the Left and condemn Modern Times as hidden socialist propaganda is, all at once, defeated.After the opening credits, superimposed on a clock that symbolizes the tyranny of mechanistic time, the words read: â€Å"‘Modern Times.’ A story of industry, of individual enterprise—humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness.† Expressing the film’s entire thematic content in only a few brief words, such phrases as â€Å"individual enterprise† and â€Å"pursuit of happiness† give attention not to a Leftist political cause in the context of a Depression

RP2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RP2 - Essay Example ed all of his living expenses for his time in Delaware, California and Michigan totaling 30 months, claiming all the expenses for food, rent and transportation were temporary living expenses while he was away from homes. Issues or tax questions: Abdul would like to claim a deduction for his temporary living expenses while he was away from home but IRS examined Abduls returns and challenged the deduction for temporary living expenses. Rationale: Temporary living expenses including travel expenses incurred during temporary work assignment or extended business trip that was intended to last for one year or less (J.k 88). Temporary living expense includes meals, local transportation and hotel accommodation or apartment rent for longer stays. Meals may be estimated using federal per diem rates. On tax return temporary living expenses are deducted as unreimbursed employee business expenses. Authority: IRS periodical 54, page 12, travel expenses are in Form 2106-EZ or Form 2106, allowable unreimbursed expenses are in the 2106-EZ Form or Form 2106 to Form 1040, Schedule A and are subject to a maximum based on 2% of calculated Gross

Common Law Concepts Essay -- Urban Development

CONCEPT 1 – COMPENSATION AS A WAY TO REDUCE NUISANCE (Hogan & Edwards, 2003) states the idea of compensation in Common Law is to protect the environment as it amplifies the need for organisations and individuals within a society to prevent nuisance. Furthermore, compensation concept has raised conflict between environmental concerns and restricts the property holder’s rights to fully utilize their resources. Nevertheless, the idea of compensation can also be seen as an ethical guideline for the society, of which if any laws were to be broken, for example harming the environment, appropriate punishments will be conducted. Therefore, the act of compensation may lead to a greater cause in the long run for society to reduce nuisance. To further the statement, an example of compensation having positive justification is when a British oil company British Petroleum (BP) created a large oil spill off the Gulf of Mexico. According to (BBC, 2012) BP faces charges by the United States Government and has to compensate over USD7.5 billion to the victims. Furthermore, BP was responsible to ensure the cleaning of their spillage. Prior to the event, BP reconstructed their health and safety policy by ensuring zero tolerance to callous mistakes for future shipments. This example indicates the establishment of compensation and the involvements in monetary value is of significance and therefore, discourages organisations and individuals from harming the environment in the long run. This is supported by (Reardon, 2012) â€Å"lawsuits have helped push industry to make changes in how they do business.† In other words, compensation acts as an effective way to regulate and teach property holders to refrain from damaging the en vironment. This is justified, a... ...you-cant-sue-your-wireless-carrier-in-a-class-action/ State Environment of Tasmania. (2006, December 14). State Environment of Tasmania. Retrieved from Planning Scheme Provision: http://soer.justice.tas.gov.au/2003/her/6/issue/105/index.php The State of Queensland Department of Environment and Resource Management. (2012). Queensland Government. Retrieved from Land Management: http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/land/state/rural_leasehold/duty_of_care.html Tutor2u Limited. (2012). Retrieved from tutor2u: http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/corporate-social-responsibility-introduction.html Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T., S, J., & Meyer, M. J. (1992). The Common Good. Retrieved from Santa Clara University: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/commongood.html World Commision on Environment and Development. (1987). Our Common Future . Oxford University Press.

Quality – Market Leader

UNIT 10 – QUALITY QUESTIONS 1. What does it mean by â€Å"Quality† and â€Å" Quality Control†? 2. What should companies do to maintain the quality of their products/services effectively? 3. What do you think about the quality of Vietnamese products? What should companies do to enhance their competitiveness in competition? ANSWERS 1. The definition of quality depends on the different circumstances and perceptions. The meaning of quality is also time-based or situational. a. The definition of quality in manufacturing organizations is often different from that of services. Quality de? itions in manufacturing usually focus on tangible product features. The most common quality de? nition in manufacturing is conformance, which is the degree to which a product characteristic meets preset standards. Other common de? nitions of quality in manufacturing include performance— such as acceleration of a vehicle; reliability— that the product will function as exp ected without failure; features— the extras that are included beyond the basic characteristics; durability—expected operational life of the product; and serviceability— how readily a product can be repaired.The relative importance of these de? nitions is based on the preferences of each individual customer. It is easy to see how different customers can have different de? nitions in mind when they speak of high product quality. b. In contrast to manufacturing, service organizations produce a product that is intangible. The intangible nature of the product makes de? ning quality dif? cult. Also, since a service is experienced, perceptions can be highly subjective. In addition to tangible factors, quality of services is often de? ned by perceptual factors.These include responsiveness to customer needs, courtesy and friendliness of staff, promptness in resolving complaints, and atmosphere. Other de? nitions of quality in services include time— the amount of t ime a customer has to wait for the service; and consistency— the degree to which the service is the same each time. Quality control Quality control is a process that is used to ensure a certain level of quality in a product or service. It might include whatever actions a business deems necessary to provide for the control and verification of certain characteristics of a product or service.Most often, it involves thoroughly examining and testing the quality of products or the results of services. The basic goal of this process is to ensure that the products or services that are provided meet specific requirements and characteristics, such as being dependable, satisfactory, safe and fiscally sound. 2. What should companies do to maintain the quality of their products or services effectively? In order to maintain the quality of what we sell, we need to carry out wise quality control program as well as good customer services. 3. 1.Total Quality Control (TQC) program. 3. 2. 1. We have to focus on continuous improvement, tend to think of improvement in terms of plateaus that are to be achieved, such as passing a certification test or reducing the number of defects to a certain level. Because we can never achieve perfection, we must always evaluate our performance and take measures to improve it by using The Plan–Do–Study–Act Cycle. Another way companies implement continuous improvement is by studying business practices of companies considered â€Å"best in class. † This is called benchmarking. . 2. 2. We should also consider empowering all employees to seek out quality problems and correct them. The new concept of quality, TQC, provides incentives for employees to identify quality problems. Employees are rewarded for uncovering quality problems, not punished. In TQC, they are considered a vital element of the effort to achieve high quality. Their contributions are highly valued, and their suggestions are implemented. In order to pe rform this function, employees are given continual and extensive training in quality measurement tools. . 2. 3. Teamwork Approach TQC stresses that quality is an organizational effort. To facilitate the solving of quality problems, it places great emphasis on teamwork. The use of teams is based on the old adage that â€Å"two heads are better than one. † Using techniques such as brainstorming, discussion, and quality control tools, teams work regularly to correct problems. The contributions of teams are considered vital to the success of the company. For this reason, companies set aside time in the workday for team meetings. . 2. 4. Use of Quality Tools To control the quality of products or service, some company use quality tools. These are often called the seven tools of quality control and are shown in the picture. They are easy to understand, yet extremely useful in identifying and analyzing quality problems. Sometimes workers use only one tool at a time, but often a combi nation of tools is most helpful. Those tools include Cause-and-Effect Diagrams, Checklists, Flowcharts, Control Charts, and Scatter Diagrams. 3. 2. 5. Product DesignA critical aspect of building quality into a product is to ensure that the product design meets customer expectations. To produce a product that customers want, we need to translate customers’ everyday language into specific technical requirements. 3. 2. 6. Process Management A quality product comes from a quality process. This means that quality should be built into the process. Quality at the source is the belief that it is far better to uncover the source of quality problems and correct it than to discard defective items after production.If the source of the problem is not corrected, the problem will continue. TQC extends the concept of quality to a company’s suppliers and ensures that they engage in the same quality practices. If suppliers meet preset quality standards, materials do not have to be inspe cted upon arrival. Today, many companies have a representative residing at their supplier’s location, thereby involving the supplier in every stage from product design to ? nal production. 3. 2. Customer Services It is wrong to think that the sales process ends right after the moment our customers buy the products.We had better keep an excellent relationship with them by an annual customer satisfaction questionnaire towards our products/services, by offering the products they bought routine checks to ensure that they are well-maintained, by giving them warranty that lasts for an adequate time, or by guarantee our offering compensation if there is still a faulty products. 3. The quality of Vietnamese products Quality is an abstract definition which is usually judged by customers. The fact that a product is said to be of good or bad quality is all depend on each customers’ view.Generally speaking, Vietnamese products are quite good and their quality has been continuously enhancing. An evidence for this is that Vietnamese people have now increased using them, and the value of products exported to other countries also goes up. However, our products still have a lot of limitations. They are hard to compete with the products coming from other countries in both domestic market and global market. What the limitations are and also the reasons for them are mentioned below: * Low quality owing to technological level: Our country is still a developing country.Our corporates are limited about expenditures, capital, experience, and other elements. They cannot afford to buy the advanced machines. Besides, they do not have enough qualified experts to operate the modern new equipment. Made by old techniques and ineffective manufacturing process, our products are usually of lower quality and uncompetitive. Moreover, this has led to a consequence in the structure of Vietnam’s trade balance: exporting mainly agricultural products, crafts and other kinds of un processed goods but not high-technical or processed ones. Popularity of unsafe products and loss of customers’ trust: Some corporates still just focus on their profits but not their value propositions. They try to cut their costs without taking notice on improving product quality. Some small companies even conduct their manufacturing process inappropriately, using some poisons, preservatives improperly or releasing waste directly and polluting the environment. The products made by those companies are not only bad for customers’ health but also unfriendly to the environment. This has a serious bad impact on consumers’ belief on Vietnamese products. Product quality does not commensurate with their price. In the correlation between quality and price, Vietnamese products have to face a lot of pressure from those of other countries. Their tastes, durations and many other criteria of our products are still uncompetitive and unattractive to customers. * Prices and desi gns of products are hard to compare with those of foreign goods. For example, our products are competed by the imported ones coming from China, Thailand, India and many other countries. Especially, Chinese goods are really varied, diversified and at extremely low price.Besides that, the favorite of using foreign products of Vietnamese people also limit competitiveness of Vietnamese goods. * Low position in customers’ mind: The government has made a lot of regulations on products quality and also carried out many methods to test products’ safety. However, not much enhancement is made. Consumers still have to worry about cleanliness as well as safety of Vietnamese products. Moreover, the issue of counterfeiting goods is still serious and this contributes to lower our product position. * The difference in quality between domestic-use products and exporting products due to corporates’ behaviors.In reality, because of the difference in value, exporting products are u sually of higher quality than domestic-use ones. This discrimination has a negative effect on how consumers judge our products. * Infamous and low-trusted brands: Although we are a large exporter in some kinds of goods, our products are still not subject to any specific standards. Not having any national or international standards to ensure their quality, our products are not appreciated by customers. Their brands are also unpopular with them. In some cases, some brands have been certificated by Globalcap standards such as Nam Roi Grapefruit.However, they are now still threatened because our government does not have enough expenditure for recertification. In sum, Vietnamese products have a lot of limitations that need to be changed to raise their competitiveness. Enhance product’s competitiveness All we have to do is to fix the limitations as mentioned above. * Consumers only want to buy necessary goods of high quality. Hence, after investigating the demand of them towards ce rtain goods, we upgrade our production chain so that we can satisfy our customer totally. But how do we pgrade our production chain? A survey carried out in 2012 showed that among nearly 8000 enterprises in the field of manufacturing, 96 per cent claims the crux of the problem is that they cannot afford to invest in new technologies. Assistances from our state are not enough. Therefore, to do this really difficult thing, companies have to recruit qualified experts who can help them develop new ways, new methods of production. Once they have been successful, they are truly bailed out to provide customers with high quality items. * Create a unique image for our products.This is the only way to retain customers’ faith towards our products. They will know well where our products are and buy them, not faked ones. Also, using a signal or friendly slogan for products can help customers to remember us, typically. A practical action to solve this problem is to teach customers to reali ze us among the crowd. * Make our products value for money. Enterprise must be wise when performing price strategies so that customers gain the satisfaction when using our products, without whispered complaints on them being too expensive.High quality, but value for money. And, don’t try to lower the prices as what our rivals do, set the lowest level for our prices. This determines our true value. To some extent and in some segment, consumers they no longer pay the best attention in prices, but value – or quality. Keeping our prices at a reasonable level can create a good impression on our customers, that they are our life. * Gain the diversity when design our products. Imagine we have a large market for one kind of product. We make items the same as the others, and customers are fed of them.Especially girls, they don’t want others to â€Å"copy† their style. Thus, our product designers had better be innovative ones, or we have to hire more and more desig ners. * Once it is Vietnamese product, it must be as good as each other. The markets where we sell our products cannot decide the quality of them. This thinking will help our products to win the trust from our customers everywhere, for its being always of high quality. * We also need to change our mind of doing business. Vietnamese people tend to think they are never as good as foreigners.This one-track thinking indirectly do foreign business people a favor. We can do better than them if we can draw carefully a practical and effective plan. And the most important thing is that enterprises have to take actions to maintain the quality of the products for the forthcoming periods in which the state of the global as well as the local economy may come unexpected. Besides, we need to get help from other factors including productivity of motivated employees, wise and effective advertising campaigns or applying new methods in delivery.

Essay on Why Should Students Study Shakespeare In School

Simply stated, students should study Shakespeares works in school because of the incredible value within them. In addition to exposing students to a multitude of literary techniques, Shakespeares plays challenge the student with difficult language and style, express a profound knowledge of human behavior and offer insight into the world around us.William Shakespeare is recognized by much of the world as the greatest of all dramatists. The intricate meanings, extensive vocabulary, and powerful imagery contained within his works demonstrate the phenomenal story telling ability of the English playwright. quot;Shakespeares use of poetry within his plays to express the deepest levels of human motivation in individual, social and universal†¦show more content†¦Much of the text is dated or archaic and is initially unknown to the typical student. Yet upon thorough study, the student will gain a deeper knowledge and understanding of Shakespeares words and the English language.Despite the difficulty that dated text presents, the passions and emotions described by Shakespeare touch the hearts of his readers and audience, students included. Vivid imagery and poetic descriptions are presented effectively and have a great impact on the audience. Readers are provided with the opportunity to step into the lives of his characters; to feel their emotions and understand their motivations, a rewarding experience for the student.Although Shakespeares wrote his plays more than 350 years ago, the relevance of their themes and subjects still exists. The morals and values presented in his works speak to the audience, often offering a new perspective on the world in which they live. Students are affected by the powerful and complex characters and are rewarded with profound insights into human nature and behavior.I firmly believe that Shakespeares works, like no other literature in the high school curriculum, challenge and invigorate the minds of students. Because of the complex characters, difficult vocabulary and style in which he writes, students must elevate their level of learning to grasp a clear understanding of his works. Shakespeares plays hold intricate meanings and messages. HisShow MoreRelatedShould We Continue to Study Shakespeare in Schools?805 Words   |  3 PagesVirtually every school student will study Shakespeare at some point. Most say that he is too hard to understand, too old or too boring. This begs the question: why should students be forced to study an outdated, irrelevant, and unimportant playwright? Wha t does the bard offer school students in 2014? 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