Understanding People in the Workplace.
Understanding People in the Workplace Presentation - reflective account. Thom Lant The group for our presentation comprised of four members: Steve Adams, Paul Hylton, Simon Nadin, and myself Thom Lant. The topic we chose was the flexible firm. Unfortunately Steve left the course half way through, so the other members had more work to do. The group norming process was painless, as Paul, Simon, Steve and myself had worked together before. Ben joined at a later stage but was a welcome edition; we had met and talked before. The group norms were quickly and efficiently sorted out. Each member chose which part of the presentation they would like to do, however through out we collaborated closely on our task as a whole. The decision making process of the group was very democratic, using a majority voting system. The presentation plan we put together consisted of a brainstorming session, to get some initial ideas. We worked out the basic structure of the presentation and then carried out individual tasks for our allotted piece of the presentation. This was supported by regular meetings to track progress, help each other and work out any problems. Individually and as a group we performed in depth research into the subject matter and also the technique and choreography of effective presentations. To do this the group and myself utilised various tools and sources including: the
In the light of the evidence available, to what extent can Red victory in the Civil War be attributed to Trotsky's leadership?
History Corsework In the light of the evidence available, to what extent can Red victory in the Civil War be attributed to Trotsky's leadership? Sources 1 and 2 in cooperation agree that Trotsky's leadership was a key factor in the Red Army victory. Source 1 shows Trotsky's determination in succeeding because he lived in a train for two and a half years. The train carried limited equipment and zealous communists suggesting the organisational skills of Trotsky, but by this, it suggests he strengthened communists within the forces, increasing morale and satisfying soldiers with limited but new equipment. Trotsky being, situated on the train was of primary importance as the train connected various cities across Russia implying the Reds were in charge. Nevertheless this was written a decade after the event and was a memoir so there could be an element of exaggeration. Source 2 attributes to Trotsky's leadership by implying he was ruthless towards deserters, suggesting his skills of turning negatives into positives and how he was charismatic, in that he inspired people to follow him. However, we do not know success of this propaganda and the impact on others, which brings limitations to the source. Source 1 is linked with Source 3, in that as Trotsky was on the train for two and a half years, he had a chance to appeal to the Reds but also the Whites because the train goes
Group decision support systems.
Group decision support systems (GDSS) have been used in many organisations for a large variety of purposes. Consider the case of the world economic forum (WEF), which is a consortium of top business, government, academic and media leaders from virtually every country in the world (REF). Until 1998, the members conferred privately or debated global issues at meetings, and consequently follow up was difficult (REF). A solution was proposed to implement a GDSS that would allow members to communicate more readily with each other, and subsequently the WEF developed a collaborative computing system called the World Electronic Community (WELCOM) (REF). This provided members with a secure channel to send e-mail, read reports & communicate in videoconferences, and by 2001 the system was completely on the web (REF). Another case examined by Betts (1997) is the joint effort by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and GDSS to use technology to communicate student progress to the public, and enhance accountability. The organisation Scoreboards for Schools implemented a groupware tool, which for example, could display how many students are at or above a grade level for a given subject area (Betts, 1997). Stakeholders such as staff members, parents and community members could then access this information on a secured internet web site in the form of detailed
Nuclear weapons ethical analysis
Nuclear weapons A nuclear weapon is a weapon of mass destruction, the explosive power results from a nuclear reaction. The history of nuclear testing began on the morning of 16 July 1945 at a desert test site in Alamogordo, New Mexico when the United States exploded its first bomb. Since then over 2000 nuclear weapons have been detonated for testing purposes, over 500 in the atmosphere, under water or in space, and the rest underground. Of these about 1000 were conducted by the United States, 700 by the Soviet Union, 30 by the UK, 180 by France, 35 by China, 5 by India and 5 by Pakistan. The ethical problem is that nuclear weapons development and testing leads to radioactive contamination of the environment. Atmospheric tests resulted in radioactive fallouts over large areas, causing serious harm to people and tremendous damage to the environment. Underwater tests conducted close to the surface dispersed large amounts of radioactive water and steam, contaminating anything nearby, including people, ships, islands and the surrounding water ( CBTTO preparatory commission, 2008, Para 4). Approximately 3,830 kilograms of plutonium has been left in the ground as a result of all underground nuclear testing and some 4,200 kilograms of plutonium has been discharged into the atmosphere as a result of atmospheric nuclear testing. Clearly this is an issue that needs to be addressed,
Cross-cultural communication in business.
Peter J. Miley Professor Joseph Gillen Unit 3 Leadership and Groups Individual Assignment April 8, 2004 Introduction Communication and the differences in the way people communicate and understand each other may differ from country to country. Understanding and respecting the differences in culture and ethnic background may play a large part to the success of effective communication between people that reside in the different parts of the world. The growth of global competition and co-operation has made it important for us to understand the dynamics of cross-cultural communication. (i) Leaders face differences in cultural and ethnic backgrounds that may influence the way a person makes decisions. Misinterpretation among the different ethnic groups and they way they decipher communication, read body language and the level of context in communication processes are all differences a leader may encounter that may affect the way a person will make a decision. Upbringing and the way people are raised will also contribute to the decision making process. Leaders must understand that not all people even from the same culture behave the same way all the time. Cultural values play a significant role for the decision maker and how they ultimately make their decision. (ii) A member that is part of a global organization can and should change his or communication strategies to
Article Summary of A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products by Larry E. Greiner, Elizabeth Collins
Article Summary of "A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products" by Larry E. Greiner, Elizabeth Collins Citation: Greiner, Larry E., Collins, Elizabeth, "A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products" Harvard Business Publishing. April 2008. Article Summary written by: Rahim Greiner and Collins' article "A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Products" discusses the personality traits and behavior of Alex Sander and how it not only limits his career growth but also affects others within the organization. Alex Sander, a MBA graduate of MIT, is a product manager in the Toiletries division at Landon Care Products, Inc. Alex is a highly talented individual, a fast learner, has entrepreneurial skills with extensive market and product knowledge, is self confident, and self driven. He successfully rebranded two skin care products in over a year's time. However, Alex is emotionally immature and aloof from his colleagues at work. He has a commanding personality as he not only micromanages people but also derides them if he is not satisfied with their work output and this behavior alienates him from other people in the organization. Alex admits that he gets ticked off pretty easily, is very inflexible at work relationships, and expects everyone to put in extra hours
What are the characteristics of an autocratic group leader? How successful are such leaders in motivating members of their group?
What are the characteristics of an autocratic group leader? How successful are such leaders in motivating members of their group? Group working is conceived to be an important part of individual development as a group relies on the cohesion of skills through the harnessing of separate talents and uniting them to achieve more than previously. This group cohesion relies on a type of equity between each individual however it can be seen that all groups require a leader that can motivate the group. The role of leader can be often divided into four types of leaderships, firstly, the collective leadership, where the group itself avoid the concept of a leader and work as equals where status as power are assigned equally and actions are taken as a group decision. Secondly, a laissez-fair leadership role can be adopted where not one person or sub-group takes responsibility for the actions within the group. This type of leadership does not generally work well and little is achieved other than confusion. The third type of leader would be a democratic one. This is where the group comes to decision from all members taking an active role without domination, leading to more united efforts however there may still be an 'elected' leader or a rotated leadership role that would produce equity within the group. The fourth and final leadership role would be an autocratic leader where an
Definitition of Marketing
What is Marketing? Some basic definitions of marketing and the marketing concept. Definitions of Marketing. There are many definitions of marketing. The better definitions are focused upon customer orientation and satisfaction of customer needs. Marketing is the social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others Kotler. Marketing is the management process that identifies, anticipates and satisfies customer requirements profitably - The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). The CIM definition (in common with Barwell's definition of the marketing concept) looks not only at identifying customer needs, but also satisfying them (short-term) and anticipating them in the future (long-term retention). The right product, in the right place, at the right time, at the right price - Adcock. This is a snappy and realistic definition that uses McCarthy's Four Ps. Marketing is essentially about marshalling the resources of an organization so that they meet the changing needs of the customer on whom the organization depends - Palmer. This is a more recent and very realistic definition that looks at matching capabilities with needs. Marketing is the process whereby society, to supply its consumption needs, evolves distributive systems composed of participants, who, interacting under
Types of leadership - Leading and motivating.
Leading and Motivating. Task 2 There are three main types of leadership. They are Authoritarian leadership, Laissez-faire leadership and Democratic leadership. These three types of leadership are all different. There meanings are as follows: Authoritarian leadership This is traditional leadership, which is firm and strict. Authoritarian leadership is when you obey to exactly what is demanded from you. You will do what you are told with no questions asked. The person will not put up with arguments and ask to be treated with respect. They believe in punishment and force. This will be used if you disagree, argue or maybe even question what you have been told to do. For example, if you question or disagree with a gang leaders decision, he will beat you up and punish you. This style of leadership was used extensively in World War 2 when Hitler ruled Germany, he was a real authoritarian leader and nobody was allowed to question his actions of his rules. If they did they would be dealt with! Laissez-faire leadership Laissez-faire is a French word, which means, "letting people do what they want". Laissez-faire leadership is the total opposite of authoritarian leadership. In a way, laissez-faire means no leadership at all. Laissez-faire leadership can't be a leadership if you have no control over any one, but in a way, any leadership allows people to do what they like. For
Building and Planning
Process Identification and Analysis Paper Danielle Burrell, Paula Lemoine, Erika Malone, Stacey Parfait, Lynetta Smith University of Phoenix MGT 449 Darrel Bolman January 21, 2009 Process Identification and Analysis Paper Riordan's mission is to provide their customers with innovative solutions, accurate quality controls, and a compassionate business attitude. The company's strategy is based on this mission. Riordan selected a group of employees and managers within the organization to implement an inventory improvement team. The team developed a strategy that will improve missing inventory of raw materials from current suppliers, improve the mishandling of products and a strategy that will keep track of damaged materials received from suppliers. The process will be well organized, managed, and regularly evaluated for improvement. Traditionally, a physical inventory count is executed once a year by many organizations. Throughout the process, all shipments and receipts are detained (which often holds up the shipment process), and employees count everything in stock. Once inventory is calculated, inventory records are corrected and companies know what they have in inventory for a short time. The dilemma is that the day after the count is completed, inventory is often wrong once again. Cycle Counting can decrease the problems of missed counted inventory (Cycle