UK Government Urban Policy Agenda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

UK Government Urban Policy Agenda - Essay Example The implication of various reports that have been projecting the growth of population in UK is increased house-building especially on undeveloped green fields. Every incoming government has been targeting to increase the number of houses in the cities in order to solve the housing problem. However, according to the Urban Task Force, these interventions are insufficient. This is because an appropriate strategy must address the increasing level of dissatisfaction among the city residents. Many of these people feel that little attention is being directed towards making city life better . Therefore, there is an argument that the policies should not only focus on accommodating people in urban areas, but also make the cities attractive for the people living in them. The last government’s urban policy agenda failed to achieve the set objectives. For instance, in 1999, the Regional Development Agencies was launched. The main aim was to transform the UK’s regions through sustainable economic development. This is through creating the right conditions for growth and bringing expertise to the task of economic regeneration and development. This is through improving the physical infrastructure and providing the necessary support to the people. In 2002-2007, the agency received a large amount of money from the government.

French culture Essay Example for Free

French culture Essay France is a Western Europe country with a population of approximately 60. 4 million people as by July 2004. France has a diversity of religions but the dominant religion is Roman Catholic with Jewish religion having the least followers (Kwintessential, 2010). These preliminary diversities in ethnicity and religion signal a diverse French culture. This paper discusses French culture by looking into different beliefs and attitudes common to French people. Language is also a central part of French culture as well as other important values. A diverse French culture Every people have their identity which is mainly entrenched in their culture. The French are not exceptional for the French culture is rich in almost all dimensions. The culture is usually best felt when you explore philosophy or by looking at the unique literary and art work. The input of French people in philosophy is outstanding with prominent philosophers like Rene Descartes (1600s) prided as the pioneers of modern philosophy. Montaigne is also a renowned sixteenth century philosopher who is celebrated for his ability to institute as part of art. Other French philosophers include Voltaire, Pascal and Jean-Jacques Rousseau (LERC, 2010). Having such renowned philosophers indicate that the French culture has been very influential not only in European countries but also in the Western nations and practically the whole world. A people’s art is a mirror of the people and what their values are all about. French art is in the form of literature, theatre as well as other forms of art. Some of the art works are very old thus portraying a rich history of the French culture. Some of the French artists who are known worldwide include Claude Monet who is known for his contribution to impressionist art which is an impression of ones view about nature (Cauderlier, 2009). Other artists include Edouard Manet, Auguste Renoir and Armand Guillaumin. The cathedrals of France such as the Notre Dame and Chartres cathedral are popular structures that showcase French artistry. In particular, the Notre Dame cathedral has its walls decorated with statues as well as gargoyles. On the other hand, Chartres cathedral has its windows made of about 3,000 m2 of stained glass (LERC, 2010). All these are magnificent features of the French art work. Writing, poetry and theatre make up a beautiful French literature. France prides of the Academie francaise which is made of prominent writers. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was for instance the work of novelist Victor Hugo in the 1800s. Among other French writes whose works have been influential in development of culture include Alexandre Dumas and Charles Baudelaire (LERC, 2010). In poetry, the works of Ronsard and Lamartine regarding nature and love are still influential (French Language, 2010). French theatre is also a unique symbol of French culture. For instance, Moliere has several comedies which portray the vanities of human nature as a satire. Other playwrights include Racine and Corneille. These pieces of literature unique to French people are a source of pride and identity to the French people thereby displaying one aspect of their culture. Language is an important aspect in the French culture. French is the predominant language with about 88 percent of the communicating through French with even most of the rest speaking French and another language. Other spoken languages which are spoken by a small percentage of people include German dialects, Flemish, Italian, Catalan dialects, Breton and Basque. Immigrants have such dialects as the Corsu, Kabyle as well as Antillean Creole (Kwintessential, 2010). French people not only utilize verbal communication but they also regularly use non-verbal communication mainly in form of gestures. For instance, an eye contact is mainly used to signify equality or to act as a cue for friendship request. Shaking hands among acquaintances is also highly regarded by French people. Specific gestures are used for counting (using fingers starting from the thumb) whereas covering ones mouth with the hands indicates making an apology or an acknowledgement that one has made a mistake (LERC, 2010). French people also have their food which is unique and defines them. French cuisine varies mainly according to regions in France as regions influence availability of food. The most common traditional meal is the baguette and cheese accompanied by wine. Other meals have several courses with an air of sophistication. Since each region has different ingredients, each region seems to specialize in such ingredients but the foods have commonalities such as use of olive oil and tomatoes. In addition to the influence of local availability, French foods also vary depending on the influence of bordering countries and immigrants (sauerkraut common Alsace which borders Germany) Lunch break usually takes about two hours for most people (FPSi, 2010) The French society also has unique family and societal values, customs and etiquettes which are an important feature of the French culture. The family is highly valued and they are families are composed of few children. The roles of each family member are clearly defined with the parents being guardians and providers. The extended family offers support either financially or emotionally. French people usually develop open and polite dealings with family members and friends. Exchange of gifts bears some given etiquettes. For instance, one is not supposed to give an even number of flowers. Nevertheless, number thirteen is said to be unlucky and therefore such a number of flowers should not be given. It is also a requirement to open gifts immediately they are received (Kwintessential, 2010). French people are time conscious and they value keeping time. For instance, one is not supposed to be late for dinner for an invited dinner for more than ten minutes without prior explanation for being late. There are unique table manners such as being a requirement to finish food in ones plate. Business is usually conducted formally and courtesy is among the most important etiquettes. For a person who cannot speak French, it is always preferable for them to apologise if they are to establish a meaningful relationship. Dark-coloured suits are recommended for as business wear for men while women can do with either business suits or if it has to be a dress, then it must be elegant and having soft colours (Kwintessential, 2010). This is an exemplary culture as it has been adopted in the business environment virtually all over the world. Conclusion French culture is interesting, unique in many ways and has influenced other cultures in the world. The philosophy, art and literature are renowned worldwide and are an identity for the French people. French culture is also clearly defined in language, foods, general etiquettes in the society as well as unique business etiquettes. The French culture is undoubtedly interesting and influential especially if one considers every minor detail of the culture. As French, one finds reason to be proud of their culture which is outstanding even in the modern world. Bibliography Cauderlier, A. (2009). Monet. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://giverny. org/monet/welcome. htm FPSi. (2010). French food culture. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. france-property-and-information. com/french_food. htm French Language. (2010). French culture. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. frenchlanguageguide. com/french/culture/ Kwintessential. (2010). France-French culture, customs and etiquette. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/resources/global-etiquette/france-country-profile. html LERC. (2010). French culture, communication and gestures. Retrieved 12, May 2010 from http://lerc. educ. ubc. ca/LERC/courses/489/worldlang/french/frenchcultandcomm. html

The American Revolution And Womens Freedom Essay -- Essays on America

The American Revolution (1775-1783) was a time of great change in America. American men were fighting for their right to be free from an oppressive ruler 3000 miles away. They wanted to have their say about what went on in their own country. America won the Revolution and its freedom, but while this was going on something else was happening. Internally changes were coming about too during all this fighting. The Revolution was the catalyst for women to make progress towards freedom. Women were making economic and political gains to further women's rights. While their husbands were away at war, the women had to work and take care of the home. Women who had never worked outside the home before had to work out in the field all day now, or if a woman lived in the city she had to get a job to support the rest of the family. During this time in the city of Philadelphia, colonial women had a job either within or outside the home, and most women worked for pay. According to Karin Wulf, "These women… helped to shape urban community and urban culture in the eighteenth-century city." Ruth Henshaw a nineteen- year old girl kept a diary focusing on her work with textiles, her school teaching and her familial and social life in 1792. , Clearly by her entries it can be seen that even girls of nineteen could hold jobs, make money and survive on their own, independent of a man if they had to or wanted to. Economic progress can also be seen in the fact that many women once widowed never remarried. "As independent women, they could act legally a nd economically in ways that their married sisters could not." They were able to rent property to and from their neighbors, buy and sell goods, and have a paid job outside the home. Sure, women may hav... ... Colonies," in Major Problems in American Women's History, 3rd ed., edited by Mary Beth Norton and Ruth M. Alexander, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003), 52-54. "The Patriot Esther DeBerdt Reed Describes the ‘Sentiments of an American Women,' 1780." Reprinted in Chapter 4, "The Impact of the American Revolution," in Major Problems in American Women's History, 3rd ed., edited by Mary Beth Norton and Ruth M. Alexander, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003), 71-73. Wulf, Karin. "Rachel Draper's Neighborhood: Work and Community," Not All Wives: Women of Colonial Philadelphia (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 2000), 119-121, 130-148. Reprinted in Chapter 3, "The Economic Roles of Women in the Northern Colonies," in Major Problems in American Women's History, 3rd ed., edited by Mary Beth Norton and Ruth M. Alexander, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003), 61-68.

Original Writing Coursework

I always knew I was different, but it wasn't until I hit the 4 or 5 mark, when I first started interacting with other children my age, that I realised I wasn't normal, and in this culture, not being normal, was bad. I started to realise I was unique in lots of small situations, such as in class the teachers would ask us if we knew the answer, the other children would comply and quite often get it wrong. How often I lay awake wondering, if they could do what I do, would there be any need for this? Is it all a sham? That was when the paranoia set in, the endless tumbling or random thoughts in my mind as they swirled around questioning every flicker in another persons eye, every dodgy look sent my way was examined analysed and pondered. At such a young age of course this had a negative impact on me, and I was very much alone in that place, as the other children avoided me because in my own way I shunned them, alienated them, to afraid to get to close to them, to insecure really, all bec ause of this, this ‘gift' I had. If I was a second rate charlatan, in some country fete that sat in the back of a dark tent with a scrap of cloth across my eyes, I would claim I could read minds, and then it would be a case of off I go to the mental hospital; â€Å"Hello miss, I can read your mind, and I know just how much you despise us and if you had your way you would hang us from the third floor window.† No. This is not what people want to know, just imagine how much they would spurn you, if they knew just how deeply into them you could travel, just how closely you could experience their emotions, like a rollercoaster, a back seat passenger in the ride of their life. So I kept quiet, and eventually over the years I have learned how to use my gift to my own advantage, and yes, I call it my gift because, as I like to imagine, it was given to me for some higher reason. Why? You ask, wondering why such an amazing thing would be bestowed upon some middle-class girl with no real experiences under her belt except the ones she has felt through leaching the minds of others. Maybe that is the answer to your question, give a girl, exactly the same as me in every way, apart from she has grown up in a starving family of seven, their every day, week, month is a struggle for ample food and warmth. How overwhelming would my gift be to that poor girl? Not only is she experiencing her own torrid state, but sevenfold from her extensive, suffering family. Do you think she could handle this? Would she be able to explore it? Question it? Try to understand it to the extent I have? I often like to think there was a reason I was chosen, not just a freak clash of genetics in the womb and hey-presto she's a mutant. Every day I wonder how and why I will use it, and I hope one day it will become clear, that my mind will suddenly expand and I will just know, like in those films you see and everything is so blurry and out of focus to them and some divine intervention occurs and it all becomes razor sharp and resolute. Until then I continue as normal, living every day as easily as I can, learning always the extend and limitations of my abilities, such as I can't send thoughts, I seem to be more like a receiver than a transmitter. However on one very unusual day it seemed that I linked the minds of two people, I've never really understood how, or why, or even if it really took place, but deep down I know that I did, and it has perplexed me ever since . The two subjects were a boy and a girl, they had only one class with me, and in this class they were forever holding hands, continuously whispering and having those shared ‘moments' which they find so special but the rest of the room find nauseating. Anyway, I was on something I like to call ‘open mode' where I allow the shallow superficial thoughts of the people in the room to wash over me, meaning it needs little or no concentration from me, and I found it very soothing. However a sharp spike of emotion punctured the noise, which in a metaphorical sense is very much like screaming into a noisy room, everything went silent as my gift zoomed in on this one particular mind. It turned out to be the boy, who was sat at the back with this girl, his arm casually slung across the back of her chair, his face lit up with easy laughter, but his thoughts were like dirt, they had an aura of a bad smell which left me nauseated. As it turned out the boy was sleeping with his girlfriends so called best friend and my god did he revel in it! It wasn't just the smug masculine thought of it, he was actually proud of himself, of the thought he could break this girls heart to pieces if he wanted, he loved the control and had absolutely no compassion for this girl he was cruelly playing. How angry I was, that this boy even dared to do something like this, and then so nonchalantly continue, be so happy about what he was doing, in some small way I pitied him, but only very briefly, and this small shred was overwhelmed and converted to anger as quickly as it had occurred. How I wished the girl could know, that she could see this cess pit lurking behind this pretty boy faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade, and I think that's what did it, my pure raw emotion connected the two, only briefly, but it was enough. The girl must of seen something in the boy, a glimpse of what I had encountered, and it scared her, so much so that she distanced he rself from him, she never did fully realise why she ran away from him, but ultimately I think she knew she had done the right thing, she had spared herself. See is this what I'm here for? To protect girls from their unfaithful other halves? I like to think not, but at the same time I was just happy I was accomplishing something with my gift, at a time when I was still to naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve to know what I could really accomplish, just how far I could go. For years I wondered what I was to become, I did well in all my exams, as the questions I didn't know I could glean from the minds of others, and yes it is cheating, but no-where in the rules is mind reading prohibited, so I used it to my advantage. Even when my education was over I was still perplexed, every day was a constant annoyance as I tried to figure out how best to use my gift, to what mundane earthly job was it suited for? I quizzed myself non-stop, losing sleep and growing more irritable, and at this point I lived alone in a small shabby flat in Sheffield, so I was allowed no reprieve from my thoughts. I was working a full time job in the local supermarket, taking a gap year to save some money before I finally got my act together and applied at a university, finally figured my sorry state out. And yes eventually it did happen, like I had hoped it would a blinding flash of illumination came over me, it wasn't anywhere special, there was no earth-shattering clash of thunder, the heavens didn't suddenly open, no. I was sat talking on my phone, my frozen hands clutching the small thing to my ear and my entire body shook continuously to warm itself up. We were talking about mindless girl stuff if I remember, she was telling me about some show she had been watching, and oh it was so exciting and I just had to see it, well me being an ice block I just murmured back an unintelligible response. Suddenly she stopped her babbling and started tutting and sighing theatrically. ‘I honestly don't know who writes all this, but it's all lies anyway.' Being quite used to her vague tangents I inquired further, ‘Well these bloody Politicians' came back her heated answer, ‘They just get someone else to write their speeches and cart out the same old promises year after year, and how much of it is ever actually put into practice? None' However I had stopped listening to her, because this was what I had been waiting for, babbling excitedly into the phone I apologised profusely to her and promised to call her back later. No longer cold from my excitement I keyed in my parents home number from memory, almost falling over in my tension as it rang. ‘Hello?' My Dad. Breathless I gabbled into the phone ‘Dad, I want to be a Politician.'

Analysis of Competitive Environment Models and Tools Essay

Introduction   Ã¢â‚¬ËœClosed’ systems are described as systems having no relationship, communications and interface to its outside world.   Systems including human organizations, which is self-sustaining (both food producing and waste material recycling) has always been in touched with other organizations and its environment.   Imagine an entity floating in outer space carrying living organisms in it.   And such are producing their own food, energy and raw materials needed for survival.   But such entity will die in the future for it will need to replenish its need, energy to use and food to eat.   This fact makes an entity virtually lonely and survival impossible, thus organizations, social groups and social entities are interconnected. This connections and interactions render them as ‘open’ entities.   This connection allows entities to exchange the necessary things that will allow the survival and sustainability of its existence.   Organizations interact with its environment and other organizations for resources, information and technology, weapons, goods and services.   Thus transformation of organization becomes inevitable.   The point is it is a necessity rather than a requirement for organizations to work with or against other organizations and its environment for growth, survival and development.   A typical example of an entity, which houses everything that it needs and for its consumer: the hypermarkets. Hypermarket is a combination of a supermarket and a department store. It is a huge retail store which house a wide range of products. A well planned hypermarket allows a consumer to purchase everything in this type of facility. Like malls and grocery stores, hypermarkets follows a   on high-volume, low-margin sales model. The size of hypermarket facility covers an average of 150,000 square feet.   Such facilities are located on suburban and highly accessible areas for vehicles to accommodate large numbers of shoppers. (Wikipedia, 2007). In 1957, Carrefour was the first to introduce hypermarkets in 1957 owned by Fournier and Defforey (Wikipedia, sec 1).   This entity targeted a wide range of customers that the concept of housing all the necessary things human beings would possibly need was made in one entity.   Analysing this kind of organization using the different environmental analysis models and tools, we can get rich lessons from   Carrefour. The STEP checklist (Social, Technological, Economic and Political). STEP is simple and has many applications in many fields.   STEP is an acronym, which stands for Social, Technological, Economic and Political Checklist.   This method determines the factors that influences organizations/entities accurately and systematically.   The STEP checklist facilitates ease of determining the factors that influences the organization (Armson et al, 12-13). Social factors include demography, culture and values of an organization, vision and mission. The physical aspects of the society are measured by sociological factors like age, class, trends in migration and emigration, and so on.   Carrefour had integrated a multilevel marketing strategy based on this indicator.   A family as a unit has special need for each member. If Carrefour could bring all these needs in one place, the family need not go on separate ways.   As they acquire the needs, the company of each member is not sacrificed.   Exchange of opinions regarding clothes for each member and the amount of consumption and expenditure is also discussed while they go shopping around. Technological factors refer to machines, discoveries and techniques developed that improve communication, systems, and the general way of life.   Economic factors refer to the financial growth, family income and other economic indicators.   Political factor translates to the rules and regulations, government and system of governance and the political direction of the organization in terms of leadership.   Carrefour in this example had brought in together in one place the advances in technology.   The barcodes that we have, the electronic transactions that we have are all products of the chain reaction in putting together shops in one place.   The need for efficiency and fast movement of goods was conceptualized little by little. The Transformation Model The STEP model is an overview of everything that occurs in an organization.   It determines individual movement of society and its causal agent.   In transformation model, inputs determine the output using a certain ‘transformation’ process. This Input-Process-Output process has been borrowed from Ludwig von Bertalanffy in 1950 in his general systems theory (Wikipedia, par 1, sec. 1).   This theory is an approach that looks into the properties of systems in terms of relationships and processes and those that emerge from these relationships and processes which also conveys the whole. In the point of view of customer relations, Carrefour had encountered a lot of challenges that it evolved into an efficient system of customer service.   A special section perhaps dealing with product complains, product testing and purchase returns was created.   The reaction to its competitors was to move the same. Show the customer concerns and care for their needs as they value their hard earned money.   Other inputs like management had evolved from simple to complex structure.   But as this processes occurred, everything also move with them like customer perception, supplier value-adding activities, government regulations and even lifestyle of the community which they exist. Mintzberg’s ‘Physiognomy’ Physiognomy was used by palm readers to read lines in human hands in relation to the human character.   In this case, we use faces to read characters of organizations.   Mintzberg believes that organizations should forged links or ‘coalitions’.   These coalitions are useful when problems that require resolution arise.   When the different interests relating to the problem represent different groups, power groups are said to arise (Armson et al, 12-13). In addition to this, Mintzberg created ‘cast lists’ of every groups and/or coalition, which could be used as checklist also.   He named key players in these coalitions such as owners, associates, associations, and publics. Economic Sector Analysis Another method of dissecting business environment is the use of sectors and markets in the economics point of view (Armson et al, 14-15).   Economists termed sector (more like industries) in the use of economic activities.   In a sector, similar goods and services are produce such that each is affected by one another.   For example, a growing sector affects other sectors as well as the organizations within that sector.   Whether these effects are large or small, the use of sector analysis allows us to explore organizations in the same sector especially what is distinct in that organization.   Again Carrefour as a hypermarket entity pioneer spurred other hypermarket entities to compete and also join industries to lobby for government policies. References: Armson, Rosalind, John Martin, Susan Carr, Roger Spear and Walsh Tony. The Open University: Managing in Organizations: Identifying Environmental Issues. 1995. p11-15. General Systems Theory. Wikipedia- the Free Encyclopedia.   2006. Hypermarket.   Wikipedia- the free encyclopedia: 2007 â€Å"Carrefour† Wikipedia- the free encyclopedia.   12 February 2007.

Organizational training design

Organizational training design Introduction Organization training design is an activity that involves six key steps, namely, organization analysis, laying out training program objectives, creating a detailed lesson plan, creating a before, during and after matrix, evaluation rating and doing cost benefit calculations.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Organizational training design specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The outcome of the design process is a training program whose integration into an organization facilitates the realization of the organizations mission as it is outlined in its mission statement. According to WebFinance, a formal definition of an organization is a social unit made up of people who systematically work together with unity of purpose to achieve collective goals that reflect the mission of the organization (2010, 3). For the synthesis project, the process of organization training design is applied to Netsoft, a private sector company. Netsoft is a global telecommunications company that has it’s headquarter in the United States. It has one of its branches in Kenya, Netsoft Kenya, where a submarine fiber optic communications cable is to be installed that will link Africa with the rest of the world. The fiber optic cable is to bring a world of opportunities not only to the country but to the continent as well. Netsoft wants to seize this opportunity and increase its dominance in Africas internet market as a strategic move towards increasing its earnings. However, its five-telecommunication engineers in Kenya are not conversant with fiber optic technology that is already in use in the rest of the world (Kenya is a third-world country). The engineers are, however, individuals with high academic qualifications and with vast experience in telecommunication and its related fields. Thus, considering these facts the top management of the company has commissioned a one-day training program to teach the Keny an engineers on fiber optic technology. Discussion Organization analysis According to Miller and Osinski, organization analysis is one among the three levels of the needs assessment phase of designing an organizations training and development program (2002, 2).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The other two levels as given by the authors are task analysis and individual analysis whereas the other phases of designing an organizations training and development program are instructional objectives (2nd phase), design (3rd phase), implementation (4th phase) and evaluation (5th phase) (Miller and Osinski, 2002, 1-2). The purpose of the needs assessment phase is to aid a training manager set the objectives of the organizations training program. Therefore, by the end of the needs assessment phase the training manager has to have established if the training program is neces sary and if it is, what is it on and who are the participants. It is the idea that a properly conducted needs assessment phase reveals no conflicts between the interests of stakeholders and the objectives of the organizations training program. The objective as to why organizational analysis is undertaken is to improve the efficiency, performance and output of an organization (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 2011, 1). To achieve this objective the analysis procedure assesses the organizations systems, capacity and performance in an aim to create an understanding of the behavioral relationships, structures and technology in place and in use in an organization (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 2011, 1). In organizational training design, the theory and models underlying organizational analysis are customized so that the outcome of the procedure is concepts that form a strong basis on which to successfully implement an organizational training program. At the end of an organizational analysis pro cedure that is part of an organization training design, it is fundamental that 10 things be known.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Organizational training design specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The first is how the content of the training program affects the relationship between the organizations employees and its clients. The second is the degree to which the organizations suppliers, partners and clients need to be informed about the contents of the training program. The third thing is how well the training programs augment with the strategic needs of the organization. The fourth thing is whether to devote the organizations resources to the training program. The fifth thing is what input is necessary from the organizations mangers and peers in order for the training program to succeed. The sixth thing that needs to be known is the features of the organizations internal environment that can hamper the success of t he training program. The seventh thing that needs to be known is whether experts can be found who can aid in the formulation of the training program and who enlighten on the correlation between it and the business needs of the organization. The eighth thing that has to be known at the end of the organization analysis procedure that is part of an organization training design is the perception that employees have towards the training program. The perception should be described either as a waste of time, an opportunity, a reward, a punishment or even a combination of these. The ninth thing that has to be known is the section of people in the organization who are interested in the success of the training program. The tenth thing that needs to be known is whose support is critical to the success of the training program. In addition to these 10 things, Miller and Osinski point out that an organization analysis procedure should also identify global markets that are growing and economy stat e and its impacts on organizations operating costs and (2002, 3). How training program aligns with Netsoft’s strategic needs There is a need for the company to seize the opportunity presented by the submarine fiber optic cable as this is essential in aiding the company realize its mission which is to become a global leader in telecommunications.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The training program equips Netsofts Kenyan engineers with the knowledge and skills for designing, implementing and administering fiber optic networks. This paves the way for the company to assert its dominance on Africas internet market. Thus in this way the training program aligns with Netsoft’s strategic needs. Features of work environment that might interfere with the training A feature of the work environment that may interfere with Netsoft’s training program is lack of up-to-date training facilities. Considering that the training is to take place in third-world country getting state-of-the-art facilities to conduct the training can be a challenge. Another feature of the work environment that may interfere with the training is poor organizational culture at the branch. It is possible that the organizational culture in place at the companys Kenyan branch does not encourage or motivate its employees to learn new things and thus this might be a considerable hindrance . How employees will perceive training program The engineers and the other employees in Netsofts Kenyan branch should perceive the training program as an opportunity. If the training program is a success it is the green light for the company to make strategic moves that will enable it assert its dominance in the African Internet market. This means more earnings for the company, which in turns means likely salary increases for the engineers and other employees in Netsoft Kenya. Persons or groups interested in the success of the project The top management of Netsoft is interested in the success of the training program. This is because from it they can take hold of the opportunities presented by the submarine cable and make huge profits for the company at minimal costs. Training objectives The second key activity in organizational training design is setting the objectives of the training program, which can be thought of as sub-goals (SIL International, 1999, 1). The objectives of the t raining program are a byproduct of the needs assessment phase. To create a learning atmosphere it is very helpful that the participants of an organization’s training program understand the programs objectives. The objectives of an organization’s training program capture for each individual training activity in the program its purpose and expected outcome. Depending on a number of factors that include the structure of the organizations training program objectives can be set for the various training sessions and the overall program. It is imperative that trainees not only understand but as well accept and commit to realizing the training objectives set for a given organizations training program especially when the objectives double up too as the organizations goals. A training needs analysis is undertaken so that an organization’s employees can appreciate the need for a training program as well as why they need to learn. Thus, this is why it is a sound recommendat ion that the training objectives be a derivative of a training needs analysis. In addition to streamlining the learning process, training objectives facilitate the identification of certain outcome types that when measured evaluate the effectiveness of an organizations training program. The first of the three components of a training objective is a statement, which clearly describes to an employee what he or she is expected to do. The second of the three components of a training objective is a statement, which describes to the trainees the acceptable performance quality or level. The third of the three components of a training objective is a statement that describes to an employee for a given outcome the conditions under which he or she has to perform in to achieve it. It is important that a training objective always describe performances that are observable and measurable. Donald Kirkpatricks Four Level Evaluation Model is a useful procedure for judging an organizations training pr ogram (Big Dog Little Dog’s performance Juxtaposition, 2010, 1). The constituents of the model are four levels, namely, reaction, learning, behavior and results. In the reaction, level of the evaluation procedure a measurement is done of how the participants of an organizations training program react to the process of learning, that is, their perception towards the program. The measurement is done with the aid of attitude questionnaires that are filled by the participants. In the reaction level of the evaluation procedure measurement of three aspects is done. The first is the extent to which participants change their attitude resulting from the organizations training program. The second is the extent to which participants have improved their knowledge resulting from the organizations training program. The third is the extent to which participants have increased their knowledge because of the organizations training program. In the performance level of the evaluation procedure testing is done to determine the participant’s capabilities to utilize the skills they have acquired on the job place. In some cases, performance evaluation is done through observation only. In the results, level of the evaluation procedure the effectiveness of the organizations training program is measured. Objectives of Netsoft’s training program Using Kirkpatrick’s four level evaluation framework two reaction level objectives for Netsoft’s training program are: Create an understanding of what fiber optic technology is Enable participants appreciate its importance in realizing companys strategic needs and mission The three behaviors are: Understanding Appreciation Pro-activeness The three criteria are: Verbal quiz Paper quiz Observation The three conditions are: Teaching facilities are sufficient Participants agree that they have understood course material Quiz is the same for everyone Using Kirkpatrick’s four level evaluation framework two learning objectives for Nestsoft’s training program are: Participants are able to explain the underlying concepts of fiber optic technology Participants can outline the strengths and weaknesses of the technology The three behaviors are: Competency Understanding Mastering The three criterions are: Verbal quiz Paper quiz Observation The three conditions are: Teaching facilities are sufficient Participants agree that they have understood course material Quizzes are the same for everyone Using Kirkpatrick’s four level evaluation framework two performance objectives for Netsoft’s training program are: Participants are able to successfully design, implement and administer fiber optic networks Participants are able to troubleshoot faulty fiber optic networks The three behaviors are: Competency Understanding Mastering The three criterions are: Practical test Verbal quiz Observation The three conditions are Teaching facilities are sufficient Participan ts agree that they have understood course material Quiz and test is the same for everyone Using Kirkpatrick’s four level evaluation framework two results objectives for Netsoft’s training program are: Training program yields an acceptable ROI Training program yields an acceptable CBR Detailed Lesson Plan A detailed lesson plan contains a variety of components. These include course title, lesson title, lesson length, learning objectives, target audience, room arrangement, materials and equipment needed, evaluation and assignments as well as comments from the trainer (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 2011, 1). The course title is the subject heading of the field the trainer intends to teach. The course is derived from wide field of knowledge or specialization. The degree of extend of the content of a subject vary from one course to another. The inclusion of course title is important to the lesson plan because it communicates to the trainee the overall scope of knowledge to be covered by the different lesson sessions in that course. Lesson title states the scope of content to be covered in a single lesson session. The contents of a lesson title are a subset of course title. Lesson sessions act as building blocks of a course. Depending on the scope and complexity of title it can be divided into several lessons which are convenient to both the trainer and trainee. One of the main importances of having a lesson title is to delineate the content to be covered during the lesson. This avoids the chances of veering of from the intended content. Lesson length in a lesson plan details the duration which a single lesson will last. The lesson length will be determined by a number of factors: availability of time, complexity and scope of the subject and cost of executing the lesson. When deciding on the lesson length, there is need to determine when trainers are to avail themselves while the program is on course, the time constraints on the trainees, program brea ks for snacks, lunch and dinner as well as opportunities for practice and feedback. Some lessons may last full day while others are part time. Learning objectives are the thematic areas within a lesson the trainer intends to communicate and be grasped by the trainees. It is important to factor in the lesson plan the genre of the target audience. The target audience determines the level of communication and interaction between the trainer and trainees. The prerequisites encompass trainee and instructor. Trainee prerequisites refers to possible preparation requirements, necessary skills or the scope of knowledge needed to be trained on prior training sessions or successful completion of tests or certificate or degree programs. Instructor prerequisites points towards what is needed to be done to prepare for the session as well as other educational qualification necessary for the trainer. Before the lesson execution the room arrangement of the trainees is another important component to consider. For instance, the room could be arranged in fan-shape so that the trainees can clearly see the trainer as well as their peers. Fan-shape is also suitable for role play exercises that entail working and organization into groups of two or three. In the lesson plan the trainer ought to include the materials and equipments required. These materials and equipments act as aids to training and enhance the ability of the trainer to relay information effectively. The assortment of materials and equipments in any given set up vary, but, they may include a video cassette recorder (VCR), pens, overhead projector, transparencies, and VCR tapes with titles of the lesson. In the case of evaluation and assignments, role plays could be instituted. Comments imply on the overall appraisal of lesson outcomes and remarks on the way forward. Detailed lesson plan for Netsoft’s training program The detailed one-day lesson plan for Netsoft’s training program is shown in appendix A. B efore, during and after matrix The before, during and after training matrix is a table-like structure that serves two purposes. The first purpose is that it facilitates the diagnosis of problems that are associated with transfer of training. The second purpose is that it serves as an assurance that the transfer of training activity was done to completion. The constituent elements of the matrix are the training manager’s, trainer’s and the trainee’s responsibilities before, during and after learning has been transferred. Each of these elements is entered into its appropriate cell in the before, during and after training matrix. Figure 1 in appendix B shows an empty before, during and after training matrix. Before, during and after matrix for Netsoft’s training program The before, during and after matrix for Netsoft’s training program is shown in appendix C Evaluation rating By doing evaluation rating, a rating form is useful in measuring the behavio r of individual participants in an organizations training program. The rating form is usually accompanied with a corresponding rating scale. The rating form usually has a number of items for which the participants of the organizations training program get graded for. The measuring process of the evaluation rating activity usually has its designated period in which to measure the behaviors of the participants. In an example of an evaluation rating procedure it may be required that the sensitivity (which is the behavior) of a manager be measured using data collected for 3 months. Sensitivity in this case may be defined as the manager’s perception of the personal problems, needs and concerns of others. The rating scale may be 1 to represent always, 2 to represent usually, 3 to represent sometimes, 4 to represent seldom and 5 to represent never. To measure the behavior (sensitivity) a question can be put forward as to how many times in the three months the manager has elicited th e perceptions, feelings and concerns of other individuals? Using the rating scale the answer to this question can be 1 to imply that the manager over the past 3 months always elicited the perceptions, feelings and concerns of other individuals. Evaluation rating for Netsfoft’s training program The evaluation rating done here for Netsoft’s training program follows a 60 days assessment of level 3 (performance) objectives. In this rating, the behaviors to be measured are competency, understanding and mastering. Competency is how well vast a participant is with fiber optic technology. Understanding is how well a participant synthesizes the various concepts of fiber optic technology. Mastering is how well a participant retains the knowledge he or she as acquired on fiber optic technology. These three behaviors are measured on a scale of 1 to 3 such that 1 represents poorly, 2 represents fairly and 3 represents well. Depending on how a question is answered, a participant can only score one of these ratings. After answering all the questions, the average is taken and the participant’s level of competency, understanding and mastering determined. For competency the questions to be asked are: What is fiber optic? What is fiber optic technology? Which are the concepts that underlie the technology? For understanding the questions to be asked are: Explain the fundamental concepts underlying fiber optic technology Explain are the advantages of the technology? Explain are the disadvantages of the technology? Explain the standards that govern fiber optic technology For mastering, the questions to be asked are: Name the advantages of the fiber optic technology Name the disadvantages of the technology Name the networking standards that govern the technology Cost benefit calculation In the doing cost benefit calculations stage of the organizational training design two important values are determined which are the Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) and the return On Investment (ROI). These two values are calculated from the costs that an organization as incurred to successfully complete the training program and the benefits it has yielded. The BCR is a ratio that gives the magnitude of correlation between the costs an organization as incurred to the successfully complete the training program and the benefits it has yielded (Investopedia, ULC, 2011, 1). It is given as the quotient of the total benefits and total costs of an organizations training program. The ROI, sometimes given as a percentage, is a performance measure that evaluates the efficiency of an organizations investment, which in this case is the training program (Investopedia, ULC, 2011, 1). The ROI is given as the quotient of the net total benefits realized from an investment and the total costs of the investment. If the ROI is to be given as a percentage, 100 multiply the quotient. Cost Benefit calculations for Netsoft’s training program From the data given in part F of the synthesis project, the BCR for Netsoft’s training program is, BCR = Total benefits/Total costs = 329,201 / 164,863 = 1.9968. From the data given in part F of the synthesis project, the ROI for Netsoft’s training program is, ROI = ( Net total benefits/ total costs) 100 = ((329,201 164,863) / 164,863) 100 = 99.6816%. Conclusion The report’s main conclusion is that organization training is important in helping a company achieve its mission and goals and thus each stage of the organization training design process should be carried out properly. The goals to be attained as a result of an organization’s training program should be in line with the strategic needs of the organization in which the program is implemented. References Big Dog Little Dog’s performance Juxtaposition. (2010). Kirkpatrick’s four-level training evaluation model. Retrieved from nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/isd/kirkpatrick.html Investopedia, ULC. Benefit cost ratio. Retrieve d from investopedia.com/terms/b/bcr.asp#axzz1dWAsa79S Investopedia, ULC. Return on investment-roi. Retrieved from investopedia.com/terms/b/bcr.asp#axzz1dWAsa79S Miller, J. A. and Osinski, D. M. Training needs assessment. Retrieved from ispi.org/pdf/suggestedReading/Miller_Osinski.pdf SIL International. (1999) What is an objective. Retrieved from sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/ReferenceMaterials/glossaryofliteracyterms/WhatIsAnObjective.htm WebFinance. (2010). Organization. Retrieved from businessdictionary.com/definition/organization.html Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.(2011) Organizational analysis. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_analysis Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.(2011) Lesson plan. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_analysis

Determining Significant Figures

Determining Significant Figures Every measurement has a degree of uncertainty associated with it. The uncertainty derives from the measuring device and the skill of the person doing the measuring. Lets use volume measurement as an example. Say you are in a chemistry lab and need 7 mL of water. You could take an unmarked coffee cup and add water until you think you have about 7 milliliters. In this case, the majority of the measurement error is associated with the skill of the person doing the measuring. You could use a beaker, marked in 5 mL increments. With the beaker, you could easily obtain a volume between 5 and 10 mL, probably close to 7 mL, give or take 1 mL. If you used a pipette marked with 0.1 mL, you could get a volume between 6.99 and 7.01 mL pretty reliably. It would be untrue to report that you measured 7.000 mL using any of these devices because you didnt measure the volume to the nearest microliter. You would report your measurement using significant figures. These include all of the digits you know for certain plus the last digit, which contains some uncertainty. Significant Figure Rules Non-zero digits are always significant.All zeros between other significant digits are significant.The number of significant figures is determined by starting with the leftmost non-zero digit. The leftmost non-zero digit is sometimes called the most significant digit or the most significant figure. For example, in the number 0.004205, the 4 is the most significant figure. The left-hand 0s are not significant. The zero between the 2 and the 5 is significant.The rightmost digit of a decimal number is the least significant digit or least significant figure. Another way to look at the least significant figure is to consider it to be the rightmost digit when the number is written in scientific notation. Least significant figures are still significant! In the number 0.004205 (which may be written as 4.205 x 10-3), the 5 is the least significant figure. In the number 43.120 (which may be written as 4.3210 x 101), the 0 is the least significant figure.If no decimal point is present, the right most non-zero digit is the least significant figure. In the number 5800, the least significant figure is 8. Uncertainty in Calculations Measured quantities are often used in calculations. The precision of the calculation is limited by the precision of the measurements on which it is based. Addition and SubtractionWhen measured quantities are used in addition or subtraction, the uncertainty is determined by the absolute uncertainty in the least precise measurement (not by the number of significant figures). Sometimes this is considered to be the number of digits after the decimal point.32.01 m5.325 m12 mAdded together, you will get 49.335 m, but the sum should be reported as 49 meters.Multiplication and DivisionWhen experimental quantities are multiplied or divided, the number of significant figures in the result is the same as that in the quantity with the smallest number of significant figures. If, for example, a density calculation is made in which 25.624 grams is divided by 25 mL, the density should be reported as 1.0 g/mL, not as 1.0000 g/mL or 1.000 g/mL. Losing Significant Figures Sometimes significant figures are lost while performing calculations. For example, if you find the mass of a beaker to be 53.110 g, add water to the beaker and find the mass of the beaker plus water to be 53.987 g, the mass of the water is 53.987-53.110 g 0.877 gThe final value only has three significant figures, even though each mass measurement contained 5 significant figures. Rounding and Truncating Numbers There are different methods which may be used to round numbers. The usual method is to round numbers with digits less than 5 down and numbers with digits greater than 5 up (some people round exactly 5 up and some round it down). Example:If you are subtracting 7.799 g - 6.25 g your calculation would yield 1.549 g. This number would be rounded to 1.55 g because the digit 9 is greater than 5. In some instances, numbers are truncated, or cut short, rather than rounded to obtain appropriate significant figures. In the example above, 1.549 g could have been truncated to 1.54 g. Exact Numbers Sometimes numbers used in a calculation are exact rather than approximate. This is true when using defined quantities, including many conversion factors, and when using pure numbers. Pure or defined numbers do not affect the accuracy of a calculation. You may think of them as having an infinite number of significant figures. Pure numbers are easy to spot because they have no units. Defined values or conversion factors, like measured values, may have units. Practice identifying them! Example:You want to calculate the average height of three plants and measure the following heights: 30.1 cm, 25.2 cm, 31.3 cm; with an average height of (30.1 25.2 31.3)/3 86.6/3 28.87 28.9 cm. There are three significant figures in the heights. Even though you are dividing the sum by a single digit, the three significant figures should be retained in the calculation. Accuracy and Precision Accuracy and precision are two separate concepts. The classic illustration distinguishing the two is to consider a target or bullseye. Arrows surrounding a bullseye indicate a high degree of accuracy; arrows very near to each other (possibly nowhere near the bullseye) indicate a high degree of precision. To be accurate, an arrow must be near the target; to be precise successive arrows must be near each other. Consistently hitting the very center of the bullseye indicates both accuracy and precision. Consider a digital scale. If you weigh the same empty beaker repeatedly, the scale will yield values with a high degree of precision (say 135.776 g, 135.775 g, 135.776 g). The actual mass of the beaker may be very different. Scales (and other instruments) need to be calibrated! Instruments typically provide very precise readings, but accuracy requires calibration. Thermometers are notoriously inaccurate, often requiring re-calibration several times over the lifetime of the instrument. Scales also require recalibration, especially if they are moved or mistreated.

AP StyleGuard and the Death of Editing

AP StyleGuard and the Death of Editing AP StyleGuard and the Death of Editing AP StyleGuard and the Death of Editing By Mark Nichol Thanks to a new software program called AP StyleGuard, human intervention in improvement of written content is no longer necessary. All editors, please clean out your desks and report to Human Resources for your exit interview in five minutes; HR staff will provide information about career-change counseling on request. That’s a joke, folks. (So’s the headline.) But StyleGuard is fact, not fiction: The Associated Press announced it last week in a press release. According to the release, the plug-in â€Å"is similar in functionality to Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar proofing tools and intuitively checks Word documents for the AP Stylebook’s fundamental spelling, language, punctuation, usage, and journalistic style guidelines.† That’s all well and good just another layer of technological assistance for writers, like spell-checking functions but every editorial enhancement like this increases the possibility of two unfortunate outcomes: 1. Upper management will assume that such tools obviate or reduce the need for flesh-and-blood-and-red-ink editors. 2. Writers will become less diligent about taking responsibility for the quality and clarity of their prose. Call me biased, but I strongly believe that the classic editorial-review protocol writer, editor(s), proofreader will never go out of (ahem) style. The latter stages can be (and often are) omitted, but at the expense of editorial excellence. As an editor and writer, I know all too well, from both perspectives, how the lack of an editing stage can have a deleterious impact on prose, or at least result in published errors. Also, I know that tools can become crutches if they supplant rather than supplement human judgment. Spell-checking and grammar-checking programs, StyleGuard, and similar innovations to come will never replace the writer’s own critical eye (or an objective second opinion), and there is some evidence that using them can cause one’s own editing skills to deteriorate. Not only that, but less skillful writers can overrely on such tools, accept their sometimes flawed corrections without question, and otherwise ignore their shortcomings. Do I use spell-checking? Of course. No sensible writer (or editor) should bypass the opportunity for its assistance. But I overrule it regularly, and I carefully peruse my prose (admittedly, sometimes not carefully enough) before I submit it for publication. Would I use StyleGuard? Of course if I adhered to Associated Press style. (And if I used a PC; it’s not compatible with Macs.) But I don’t. It’s ideal for writers who do so, thoroughly or with few exceptions. But AP style is highly formulaic, allowing for little flexibility or ambiguity. Compare it with the much more complex (and therefore, for me, much more useful) guidance of The Chicago Manual of Style. Because Chicago often offers alternatives and is much more detailed it’s ill suited for a regimented software program. By all means, buy AP StyleGuard if it suits your needs. But don’t uninstall your brain. 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 Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Play HQ Words: Cheats, Tips and TricksDissatisfied vs. Unsatisfied

Favorite holiday's destination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Favorite holiday's destination - Essay Example In addition, the red-robed Maasai community inhabits the park, and together, they live in harmony with the animals while protecting them from poachers. The period between the months of July to October is an ideal time to visit the Maasai Mara because people get to see the migration of the wilder beasts from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Mara in Kenya. In the year 2006, the American National Newspaper regarded the migration as one of the new wonders of the world, as depicted in the photograph above. During this time, the big cats and the crocodiles are seen hunting the animals stuck in the river during the migration. At night, the Mara becomes ablaze with bonfires as the Maasai warriors entertain the guests with traditional songs and roasted meat, as is their custom. The Mara is a beautiful place to visit and one leaves there with an unforgettable experience to behold and cherish forever. I cannot wait to go back to the Maasai

Workplace Incivility vs. Organizational Affective Commitment Essay

Workplace Incivility vs. Organizational Affective Commitment - Essay Example Although there is no guarantee that HR can reduce the negative effects of workplace incivility that lead to low employee morale, job satisfaction, stress, health problems, high absenteeism and high turnover at the workplace, certain HR practices such as hiring, orientation and mentoring newly hired employees are developed to control workplace incivility. A fundamental HR practice that enhances affective commitment, on the other hand, would be developing and creating a work environment that discourages workforce incivility and allows workers to be treated with respect and dignity. Workforce incivility refers to a less intense nonstandard behavior pertaining to the breach of workplace norms where the intention of inflicting harm on the other party is unknown (L.M. and C.M. 1999). Incivility at the workplace can manifest itself in forms as subtle as displaying reluctance to work, feeling de energized, demoralized and underappreciated. In short, workforce incivility implies an atmosphere whereby the workforce is faced with rudeness and socially unacceptable behavior at the workplace. More often than not, the cause of workforce incivility is the behavior of co-workers rather than supervisors (Yeung and Gnffin 2008). Several researches have been conducted regarding the relation of workforce incivility to self-esteem and the self-respect of the workforce. Several workplace practices have contributed to workforce incivility; de-layering, downsizing, Business Process Reengineering, cutting budgets, enhancing productivity to name a few (Yeung and Gnffin 2008). According to one research conducted, over 71% of respondents had gone through some acts of workforce incivility in a five year time period (Cortina, et al. 2001). The speed with which advanced communications technology evolves, including advanced cell phones such as Blackberry, has also enhanced the scope of workforce incivility. The instances of mistreatment are no longer limited to the workplace; they have spread to the cyberspace as well. A more inclusive approach towards workforce incivility defines it as the set of explicit (verbal) and implicit (non-verbal) actions that lead to individuals feeling demoralized, de-energized, oppressed, exploited or humiliated in the workplace (Yeung and Gnffin 2008). Furthermore, it has been proven that workforce incivility translates to low employee morale, job satisfaction, stress, health problems, high absenteeism and high turnover at the workplace. Evidence also suggests that if this mistreatment is not rectified, it eventually results in high costs of hiring and training, poor work environment, lower productivity, costs of claims and law suits. According to one author, Sutton’s methodology, the total cost of workforce incivility for Silicon Valley owing to the incivility of one key worker amounts to US$160,000 per year (Yeung and Gnffin 2008). In this study he fully considered the cost of incivility in terms of the victims, management, law as well as human resources. According to research conducted by the U.K Department of Health, the cost of stress induced by workforce incivility amounts to ? 1.3 billion annually (Yeung and Gnffin 2008). Throughout the world, the engagement of employees has been considered as an essential factor in identification of best employers as well as talent. Employee engagement is a holistic construct which is defined in terms of emotional and cognitive commitment. Commitment here is defined as the urge to â€Å"stay† (continue to work in the company), â€Å"strive† (put in extra endeavors to enhance the performance of the company beyond the tasks mentioned in the job description) and â€Å"say† (spread positive word of mouth regarding the organization) (Yeung and Gnffin

Six Cultural Intelligence Profiles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Six Cultural Intelligence Profiles - Essay Example Such people simply feel others. After interacting with a representative of a foreign culture for several minutes they intuitively know the right pattern of behavior. However, this ability develops with time and experience and sometimes it may let you down. Certainly, intuition is a good advisor in business, yet it is necessary to use your head and body as well, basing your work on systematic learning. The ambassador style is the most widely used one. A person, following this behavioral pattern, â€Å"convincingly communicates his certainty† of belonging to a new culture even if he knows nothing of it yet. Confidence is found to be a very powerful instrument of cultural intelligence. However, this style is often based on analytical observations and systematic learning, just as it happens in the analyst profile. Besides, the authors emphasize the necessity of having the humility to know what you don’t know. It is very dangerous to avoid underestimating cultural difference s and it is important to be able to accept one’s ignorance. The mimic style is based on body control. The mimic has â€Å"insight into the significance of the cultural cues he picks up†. Mirroring foreign partners’ gestures, speech, and mimicry, the mimic makes his guest feel at ease, facilitating communication and building trust. The style has obvious advantages and to my mind should be mastered (at least to a certain degree) by all the managers. The representatives of NLP explain how this works. The NLP technologies, permitting to acquire the necessary skills, are widely used in the world of business. Finally, chameleon style is characterized by high levels of all three CQ components.

Managing people and developing, leading team Essay

Managing people and developing, leading team - Essay Example I am a member of the Libyan students’ society in Leicester; I was involved in a social program that was working with young Libyan people. The organizations involved in coordinating the social program were Libyan Red Crescent and some civil society organizations. The main objective of working with the civil society was to carry out charity works and equip community members with assertive skills with respect to observance of civil rights. Working with young Libyan people was both fun and challenging at the same time because of the stubborn nature of young men when they grow up. This program offered a platform to sharpen my skills, as they will be needed during the next visit. It was crucial that we avoid past mistakes and use new techniques. I worked with young Libyan people in Libyan secondary school in Leicester and Taiba mosque near Libyan school. The project was organized based on the presumption that most young people need some motivations to navigate life and still lead he althy lives. The charity programs helped to reduce the desperation of the locals who were faced with a high rate of unemployment. I applied my aesthetic skills in helping restore the dignity of girls who have been victims of rape and other abuses. There were a lot of activities that indulged young Libyan people, for example, participating in lectures about first aid, playing football, visiting interesting places and others. In order to accomplish the project’s objectives, there was need to partition ourselves into various teams and use the teams as a means of getting to the end. We organized ourselves into strategic teams, which were headed by my fellow colleagues. There was a need to identify common values, goals, and objectives. This was crucial in the management of conflicting interests and desires. The boys were teenagers in their early and late teens, and had a lot of enthusiasm for fun games. Our aim was to use the principles

Reflaction essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reflaction - Essay Example he semester and from the number of essays I have written to meet the above objective, it is evident that my writing skills have gradually improved, and have partially met my objective of writing perfect mistake free essays, though there are still a few areas that need more efforts and improvement. One of the improvements that I have made this semester in effective writing is the ability to narrow down my thoughts to specific and narrow issue, which allows better coverage of the topic. In the water shortage essay that I wrote, I managed to narrow down the topic in addressing the problem of water shortage, specifically in Tucson, Arizona. Narrow topics are easier to cover and present ideas concretely rather than dealing with a broad topic that may not be addressed to a good degree of material coverage (Ferris and Hedgecock, 40). Another major improvement in the course of the semester is ability to formulate a narrow thesis to guide my essay in proper and systematic presentation of ideas. For example, in this essay, my thesis was based on issues that may lead to shortage of fresh water specifically in Tucson, which is a narrow area of coverage, and a specific objective that guided me in the entire essay as required in effective writing. Another improvement that I have made in writing skills in the course the semester is in using data to support my ideas, which gives concise information on the extent of problem being addressed. For example, in the essay in have noted that only 2.5% of water may be considered fresh water, and out of this, only 0.88% of fresh water is available for use to man currently. Such statistics and others as used throughout the essay makes the essay to be more authoritative in portraying the extent of the problem being addressed, which might not be perceived through the use of plain text in presenting these ideas. This has been my major breakthrough in research and presenting ideas. Moreover, I have improved in the use of references in

Managing people and developing, leading team Essay

Managing people and developing, leading team - Essay Example I am a member of the Libyan students’ society in Leicester; I was involved in a social program that was working with young Libyan people. The organizations involved in coordinating the social program were Libyan Red Crescent and some civil society organizations. The main objective of working with the civil society was to carry out charity works and equip community members with assertive skills with respect to observance of civil rights. Working with young Libyan people was both fun and challenging at the same time because of the stubborn nature of young men when they grow up. This program offered a platform to sharpen my skills, as they will be needed during the next visit. It was crucial that we avoid past mistakes and use new techniques. I worked with young Libyan people in Libyan secondary school in Leicester and Taiba mosque near Libyan school. The project was organized based on the presumption that most young people need some motivations to navigate life and still lead he althy lives. The charity programs helped to reduce the desperation of the locals who were faced with a high rate of unemployment. I applied my aesthetic skills in helping restore the dignity of girls who have been victims of rape and other abuses. There were a lot of activities that indulged young Libyan people, for example, participating in lectures about first aid, playing football, visiting interesting places and others. In order to accomplish the project’s objectives, there was need to partition ourselves into various teams and use the teams as a means of getting to the end. We organized ourselves into strategic teams, which were headed by my fellow colleagues. There was a need to identify common values, goals, and objectives. This was crucial in the management of conflicting interests and desires. The boys were teenagers in their early and late teens, and had a lot of enthusiasm for fun games. Our aim was to use the principles

Explain the Buddhist concept of nirvana. What is its connection to Assignment

Explain the Buddhist concept of nirvana. What is its connection to Anatman - Assignment Example That is why many Western theologians criticized Buddhism for being a pessimistic and nihilistic religion. Though the notion or concept of Nirvana exists in multiple Eastern traditions, yet the Sanskrit term Nirvana is intimately associated with Buddhism. In Pali it is known as Nibbana (Hawkins 117). Nirvana is the eventual goal of pursuing the Buddhist way of life in most of the Buddhist traditions. Since it is a Sanskrit word, in a literal sense Nirvana means extinguishing or getting extinguished. In a thematic context it means the way to the cessation of suffering owing to the extinguishing of the three poisons of ignorance, hatred and desire, which eventually leads to the cessation of rebirth and suffering. Nirvana as per Buddhism leads to the final settlement of all karmic debts of an individual. The thing that needs to be understood is that as per Buddhism, Nirvana no way means a final annihilation or merging with some higher Brahman. Rather it means passing into a superior state of consciousness, of which there is no parallel that could be mentioned. His holiness the Dalai Lama defines Nirvana as â€Å"a state of freedom from a cyclical existence or Samsara (Lama 84).† It is an eventual unhinging of the state of mind from an array of defilements pervading the Samsara. It frees an individual from the effects and counter-effects of Karma and eventually liberates an individual from the never ending cycle of life and death. The concept of Nirvana is intimately related to the Buddhist notion of Anatman. As per Buddhism there are five Skandhas or states of existence that are forms, sensations, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness (Hawkins 118). Thereby, according to Buddhism individuals are devoid of any self possessing self and this doctrine of no-self is referred to as anatta or Anatman (Hawkins 42). The individual self or what is known as ego is a

How effectively do the functional areas in Lex Transfleet work together Essay Example for Free

How effectively do the functional areas in Lex Transfleet work together Essay Marketing and sales function Purpose of the marketing function: the marketing function makes sure that they are getting the right product to the right people at the right price. Crucial to the success of Lex Transfleet or any business. One of the objectives of Lex Transfleet is to To carry out research to improve its products and services. Lex Transfleet should make sure of the following: Product – finding out and producing what the customer’s wants, for example what van or truck rental services the customers need. Lex Transfleet will carry out research to find out what the customers want and what demand there is for that service and they will try to fulfil that so that they have more customers who are interested in their services. Price – Fixing the price at which the customers will buy the product so that when the customers are interested in the products and different services they will want to know how much money they will be giving for this product or service and it will be easier for Lex Transfleet as they will know the price for this because they have already set it. Promotion Deciding how they are going to promote their product using advertising, publicity and special offers and when Lex Transfleet does this they will attract more customers and their company will get more famous. Place – This is where the sales function comes in, the sales function will help Lex Transfleet decide on where and how they are going to sell the product; whether it is locally, nationally, over the phone or the internet. I think they work quiet affectively together because they share an improvement which means they get each others opinions on how to change things to make them better. Sales is the last part of the marketing strategy which means to sell the product after the prices, promoting, places and products are all don’t and updated so the customers will be satisfied knowing that Lex Transfleet is giving them a good secure and safe product it is important that these things are accurate because they are the main reason the business is up and running without them there is no business. Products and the Customers Lex Transfleet will need to get to know their customer and what the customer wants for example a customer will want to hire out a truck but for that Lex Transfleet will need to know what kind of a truck or van that is an check if they do them type of trucks. A customer – a customer is a person who buys a product for e.g. someone comes to Lex Transfleet and hires out a truck the person who hires it is the customer. A consumer Is the person that uses the product for example if a truck is hired out for someone else to drive it he/she is then known as the consumer. Consumer types: The market is made up of different types of consumers as it has different segments trying to sell the product to everyone will not work for example selling expensive products to poor people. Consumers can be classified by: Age Gender Wealth and income Geographical area Lifestyle (fashion and taste) Lex Transfleet carries out a research into people, businesses and the governments to find out what type of vans, trucks and services they require. They link this with the finance function to get finance to carry out the research and advertising. They also link this with the Human resources to get the employees as they recruit and select people and researchers to carry out the research and get HR to train them for example induction training. The wages are paid by the finance function to pay for researchers and this means it is then auditable because it is recorded and so all the functional areas can work together to meet the aims and objectives effectively. Market research involves field (primary) and desk (secondary) research: Primary research – this involves communicating directly with the consumer to find out what they exactly it is that they need. Lex Transfleet carry out questionnaires and they invite customers to their business to interview them and this is what helps them with their research to meet there customers needs better. Lex Transfleet can also give loyalty cards which records every item bought by the customer. Secondary Research: Involves publish material for example reference books, statistics and marketing reports by specialist companies. This allows the marketing and sales department to find out information about consumers income and expenditure. Government publications also have information about spending, population changes, household information and family income. Pricing The price of the truck rental service needs to be fixed in Lex Transfleet and the reason for this is because Lex Transfleet wants to: Make profit – Lex Transfleet wants to cover the cost of it trucks so it does not make a loss in the business. Beating competition – Lex Transfleet will want other businesses to rent the trucks from them instead of competitors by keeping prices low and maximising sales which will attract more customers to come and buy trucks and other services from them. Providing a quality product or service – Lex Transfleet will need to make sure it is not undercharging for its services and products because customer will pay high prices for better products so this also means they will not have any loss in the profit. Lex Transfleet has also changed its name to RAC plc as it is branded and it will attract more customers. Promoting the product The Promotion Process involves the following which Lex Transfleet does: Advertising – informing the public or other businesses about Lex Transfleets products and services, e.g. they use the internet, newspapers. Branding – Lex Transfleet makes sure they create an image of the product or service in an attractive way Lex Transfleet has changed it name recently to ‘RAC’. Having a logo to and image to persuade customers to use them. Packaging – Lex Transfleet presents the product in an attractive way so the trucks have M.O.T and are safe and practical to use. Publicity – in the media which mean special promotions and sponsor which Lex Transfleet have on their website. Lex Transfleet have had good publicity in the news paper and press so get positive image. Give special offers to big companies who rent lots of trucks and for longer. They do have a website which they are on http://www.lvl.co.uk/vans/van_info/lex_transfleet.php giving promotion to subscribe to a van and light truck magazine. Place Involves selling the product for example selling the vans and truck rental services all over the U.K and they have a website which can attract customers. Lex Transfleet sell truck rental services directly to the customer which is safe. Lex Transfleet will give customers a quote through their internet using online bookings or emailing them and over the phone. Lex Transfleet uses telesales for selling to the customer over the phone so they will need call centre staff. Direct mail which Lex Transfleet uses to send their brochures out the businesses. E-commerce Lex Transfleet sell their services over the internet through their website you have to email them first to get a quote Lex Transfleet uses ICT in the marketing and sales function for: advertising and website, keeping customer’s profiles on the system, online marketing and also finding out research on their competitors by looking at the internet and other websites. Human Resources Function Purpose of the human resources function: Deals with hiring, firing and well being of the staff and all other functions for example sales and marketing, administration and finance ect. So it can run effectively. In Lex Transfleet they will need to deal with: Recruitment of staff which means that Lex Transfleet will need to be advertising vacancies liaise with finance for costs and payment, how many people to recruit. Disciplining and dismissing staff in other functions to run smoothly and to reduce costs. Training and development and promoting of staff which will liaise with finance for cost of training and other functional areas to check who needs training for example in Lex Transfleet induction and health and safety or other courses are taken place for this and if someone is in the sales and marketing function they will need training to do the job properly. Maintaining good working conditions of the staff and Health and safety in Lex Transfleet. Looking after employee and the business relationship and liaising with other functional areas like sales and marketing to find out how well the staff in Lex Transfleet are doing and rewarding staff by giving pay rises and liaise with finance about budget to give pay rises. Dealing with employee organisation for example the trade unions. The employees and the business have rights and responsibilities and Human Resources have to deal with this and make sure staff is aware of this in Lex Transfleet. Interest of employees protected by the trade union and by staff associations and also the rights of the employees protected by the employment laws liaise functional areas to make sure there is a safe working environment in Lex Transfleet. Everything is recorded so the employee will know if they have made any mistakes and need to improve or they have met their needs. Operations and management function Purpose of the management function: This function transforms the business resources into products and services for example operations which is the production of a goods or service. Land machinery – Lex Transfleet needs to find land, offices, call centres, machinery or equipment required and need to get information from other functions to get the right amount. Machinery equipment – Lex Transfleet has software, computers, photocopiers which the business needs. People who work there and for the business call centre staff, mangers, supervisors, operator’s consultants, accountants, specialists, solicitors. Materials and stock used by the business – trucks that are brought, truck parts, stationary, computers, software. Factors of production Land – the offices , buildings Labour- the people who work there Capital –the money invested into the business Enterprise –the input of the entrepreneur The resources used by Lex Transfleet will have to be paid for. This results on costs for the business for example wages, rent, rates, materials, stock, electricity, phone bills all of these have to be dealt with the finance department. When operations in Lex Transfleet are trying to produce a product or service it will have to look at its costs to manufacture that item or service and it will have to make sure that the sales department will cover the day to day costs and the greater the added value the greater the possible profit. So the more money they get from sales and they take away that from the running cost they get profit. Efficiency and productivity Efficiency means – making the most for the resources for example good productivity by the staff and also the number of sales made by staff in Lex Transfleet or the number of calls taken by the employee. Some employees paid a bonus for selling more services and also to motivate them to make more sales for Lex Transfleet. Quality assurance quality assurance is very important as it means more returns to the businesses. Quality control of a service or product is very important for feedback to the marketing department. Operation check with sales as they monitor the calls and make sure the quality of service is very good. Sales liaise with Human Resources to give training to customers in Lex Transfleet. Operations liaise with Human resources to give training operation staff. Operations also monitor number of complaint and reasons for complaint to minimise this and improve services better by liaising with sales team to find out what their customer views are as they are in the front line and dealing with customers on a regular basis. Operations liaise with marketing to get information about customer demand, competitor information and lots more. Operations also check with sales function to check which items/services are selling more to make decision about producing more or less of these goods or services and then contacting the marketing function to either advertise more or less. Operations will liaise with finance to buy more or less to expand and liaise with Hr to get more staff. Finance Function Purpose of the finance function: To control inflow and outflow of money in the business and is also closely involved in the production of goods or services and links in with other functions of the business and senior management. Finance department Other functional areas Sales of products have to be recorded Sales Cost relating to the production have to be recorded Money has to be raised for producing the services and products (sales staff, trucks, offices) Operations/production Bills have to be paid Administration Wages have to paid Human resources Accounts have to be kept to calculate profit and loss All departments above Financial planning reports have to prepared Senior management In Lex Transfleet the finance department looks like this the table below shows this as the finance director. Finance director Financial accounting Costing and budgeting Managing finance Payroll Recording transactions Keeping accounts Preparing reports for the senior management Working out the cost of the product and services. Interpreting past costs and income Setting targets for cost and income Working out what resources are needed Raising capital and loan to finance the resources Rescoring hours worked by employees Calculating pay and deducting tax Financial accounting All transactions have to be recorded. Sales of the products and services from the sales department so they are auditable as they are recorded. Purchases made for stock or material from the operations department again so it’s recorded. Each type of expense for example electricity, bill rent, and wages are from the administration department. Wages is the information collected from the Human resources function so employees are paid on time and correct. Debtors are people who owe the business money for example the customers who have brought a product and still haven’t given the money for it. Creditors are people whom the business owes money for example if Lex Transfleet has brought something from somewhere e.g. a truck then they owe the money to the suppliers if they haven’t yet paid for it. Accounting ICT used to records all the transaction and special accounting software used to records wages. Financial statement is produced for management and this shows profit and loss and also, helps management monitor the main aims and objectives of the business the information on financial statements are on computer databases and so computers prepare the accounts automatically Finance produce 2 main accounts: Profit and loss shows sales figures form the sales functions, expenses from all functions and then can calculate the profit. The balance sheet shows how much the business owns and owes. Costing and budgeting this is how the function works together: Operations tell the finance of the cost of raw material purchased, for example trucks, tyres, equipment purchased by Lex Transfleet. The cost of paying the wages for the employees working for Lex Transfleet which the human resources function will let them know about. Other expenses such as: Bills which are the costs from administrations function. Electricity, water, rates, stationary are also in the administrations function. Advertising , promoting the business – sales and marketing function and they communicate with administration function so the suppliers are paid on time. The Finance function has to liaise with other functional areas to calculate the costs for making the product and service to ensure that there is a sufficient finance to cover the costs and also the business is making the most of efficient use of its resources. Budgeting Finance has to set budgets there are two kinds of budgets, a sales budget I used to forecast the income of the business from sales, and a production budget which is used to plan for the cost for producing the service for example cost for buying trucks and hiring people. Both Budgets will monitor the actual figures with forecasted and if the figures do not match for examples sales figures then they will liaise sales function to change their forecast or with marketing to advertise and promote the services better. Raising finance are the Long term finance needs which are used for investing in premises, trucks, machinery, computers and lots more, and theirs short term needs which is like buying stock for example trucks, paying bills, and paying wages. Finance has to raise money for the other functions such as marketing, sales, operation and administration to finance their expenditure so that the activities can takes place to meet Lex Transfleets aims and objectives. Payroll Works out pay and deduction of tax and national insurance of its employees and it gets it information from the Human Resources function and it is done by computers in Lex Transfleet as it is a large Plc and also uses computer payroll programmes as they are faster and very accurate., so the employees are happy as they will be being paid properly and accurately. Administration Function Purpose of the administration function: Administration is making sure that the right resources are in the right place at the right time. The administration function makes the business run smoothly and makes sure that: Paper in the photocopiers Paper in the loo Premises are safe Telephone messages are passed on Administration and communication: Information and messages such as enquiries, orders, complaints from external sources. Callers with or without appointment will call in and different functions will communicate with each their for the day to day running of the business these methods include paper, documents, telephone, fact, internal email and meeting. If finance needs to meet with operation function to make decisions the administration function will arrange it for example if a customer wants a meeting with the sales team the administration function will arrange it. The marketing function is done by: Sales so that they get records of customers, finance so they get to process accounts and payroll. Opening and distributing post when it arrives to all other functions and collecting and stamping the post going out at the end if the day from all other functions. Operating and telephone switchboard which means transferring these calls to the relevant people in other functions. Dealing with callers to premises and directing them to the relevant functions. Designing and printing forms for all the different functions and also filling and database maintenance and making sure the premises are clean and secure: Cleaning can be outsourced in Lex Transfleet which means using external companies which come and carry this out so the place is clean and safe for employees and visitors.

Importance Of Career Anchors

Importance Of Career Anchors Edgar Schein, one of the founders in the field in modern organizational psychology, pointed out that, every one of us has a particular orientation towards work. As a result of which, we all approach our work with a set of priority and certain values. This concept is known as Career Anchors. It represents ones combination of perceived career competence and includes talents, motives, values and attitudes that give stability and direction to a persons career. It is regarded as the motivator or driver of that person. The Career Anchor depicts ones highest priority needs and the factors of work lives one may not be willing to give up. Many people are not really clear about their need and competencies and make an inappropriate career choice, that lead to dissatisfaction and frustration at work. Knowing their Career Anchor properly, people develop sufficient insight to make intelligent and appropriate career choices. Importance of Career Anchors Almost all organisations claim to serve the best interests of employees. In practice, they manage their workers careers with the best interest of the organization, not the employees. Very often, people tend to select a wrong career and find it incompatible at workplaces with their true values, resulting in feelings of unrest and discontent and lost in productivity. This necessitates becoming self-reliant, to choose and manage ones career. Career Anchors help an individual in conceptualising his own perceived career. It encompasses ones core areas of competence, motives, and career values. Very often, this perceived career anchor goes against organisational career plans and employees develop a sense of dissonance or certain incongruity about their career plans. Therefore, many organisations seek to identify perceived career anchors of their employees to develop matching career development programmes. Edgar H.Schein has identified eight such career anchors. These eight career anchor categories were discovered in longitudinal research. Subsequently, it was confirmed and corroborated in a variety of studies of different occupation, in different countries (Schein, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1978): 1. Technical/Functional Competence (TF): The persons anchored in technical or functional competence are quite knowledgeable. They are primarily motivated to produce highly effective work in some particular field of specialization. Persons with such competencies prefer to take technically satisfying job such as engineering, systems analysts or it could be different functional areas of management like finance, production and marketing. Primarily, these types of people are motivated by the work content. They tend to identify and establish themselves with their expertise very strongly. The ability to succeed and get recognized in their own areas of specialty determines their self concept. People with this anchor seldom prefer generalist position. They prefer to be challenged and use their skill to meet the challenges by doing the job properly, better than the others. 2. General Managerial Competence (GM): The advancement up in the corporate ladder to take higher levels of responsibility is the key motivation for people anchored in managerial competence. Unlike technical/functional people, fundamental characterstics of these folks are, they prefer to rise to the top, want to be manager. Managerial competence anchored people need to excel in the skills in three basic areas of management i.e analytical, interpersonal, and emotional. Analytical competence is the ability to identify, analyze, and resolve problems under uncertain conditions and with incomplete information. Analytical competence helps them to identify and analyse problems and develop situations to resolve the same. They thrive on taking higher responsibility. Interpersonal competence is characterised by the ability to supervise and influence people, lead and control and motivate them towards achievement of organizational goals. They possess the ability and desire to handle a variety of interpersonal and group situations like problem-solving and tackling unfavourable situations. Emotional competence refers to the capacity to remain energized and proactive and to maintain calm without excessive anxiety or guilt at the time of high stress, emotional and interpersonal crises and at appearances of failure. They become competent and exert leadership powers to gain control over such type of situations, without much of problem. The persons anchored with man agerial competence is characterised with all three attributes. 3. Autonomy/Independence (AU): People who are anchored by this competence have a primary and overriding need to work with their own rules and procedure. They like to work under their own pace, follow their own format, take their own time, and remain independent of others to the greatest extent possible. Usually, they tend to avoid standards and are more comfortable to work alone. The autonomy-anchored person lacks in terms of loyalty and obligation to the employer organization. They would prefer to refuse promotion or transfer, if their independence is given up. They strive to be free, independent, and self-reliant. For which, these type of autonomous people seek to attain high level of education. Fixed working hours, lack of variety of work, defined work rule etc, prevent them from becoming functionally autonomous and independent for which they leave the job t and start their own consultancy and freelancing. Teachers, professors, advertising professionals, management professionals belong to this category. 4. Security/Stability (SE): Persons with a primary need of security and stability seek and prefer to choose secure and stable employment over challenging and riskier employment. Greater stability and continuity is the primary determinant factor for these types of people to lead their lives. They tend to avoid risks and uncertainty and are generally are lifers in their jobs. This career anchored people prefer to work in Government and public sector undertakings. 5. Entrepreneurial Creativity (EC): The individual driven by entrepreneurial anchor has a strong inner urge to create a new business of his own. He has all the motivation and courage to run the risk by overcoming all the obstacles. He is driven by a strong desire to get personal gain and recognition for his own accomplishment. Being anchored for creativity, such type of people prefers to take challenging work assignments. Through innovative product and process design, they create scope for their own identification. Entrepreneurial need people differ from autonomy driven people. The entrepreneurship is firmly rooted and dedicated for ownership. Creating a marketable and profitable product or service regardless of the technology and irrespective of intellectual discipline is the objective of entrepreneurial activity. Basically, it aims at making large amount of money. These types of individuals seldom work for others for long periods of time. They are much eager to be fully active to work for an enterprise of their own. They put heavy weight to ownership and for them success is characterised by wealth. 6. Service/Dedication to a Cause (SV): Service anchored people are principally motivated to dedicate their work and even if sometimes lives in the service of others. They may dedicate their service by working in a position, in which they get opportunities to serve others directly. The counsellors, physicians, therapists, nurses or other helping or supportive occupations and professions belong to this category. Service may also include providing comfort, entertainment, athletic training, extending personal or business support activities, personal or administrative assistant or any other such type of support services that represents a contribution to others. These people have a commitment for the preservation and realization of certain set of values, that they consider much important for their own lives as well as for the larger world. That causes the manifestation of dedication among them. Usually, money is not an important motivator for these types of people. They seek recognition for their work and cause along with along with financial and working support. Dedication to a charitable cause is not the only option for this anchor. A scientist having strong desire and concern for the environment may take up a job and serve the cause. 7. Pure Challenge (CH): People driven by challenge often seek difficult problems as they can tackle it. Challenges matter at the highest possible level for these type of people. They define success in terms of winning the war or getting success over the game, bidding the contract or the sale. Overcoming obstacles, being the best, ranking the first, beating the competition, reaching at the highest, surpassing previous goals and such is the mantra they follow in their life. Experiencing challenge is primary concern for these type of people than that of area of work or specific job. Most often, they seek variety in their careers as well as in their lives. In the absence or lack of challenge make them highly dissatisfied. They tend to change their jobs with getting bored in the current one and add variety in their career. 8. Lifestyle (LS): Work is not the primary vehicle of self-expression for life-style anchored people. They are basically interested in ensuring a life balanced with various interests. They consider family, friends, hobbies, recreational and leisure activities as well as study and learning and other such work related subjects much significant in their career and life. They tend to develop their self-concepts in consideration of their total life style. The way they define and perceive their life style is the major determinant factor in choosing their careers. They prefer to take jobs, careers, occupations and organizations, that allow them to put all the major sectors of their lives together into an integrated whole. Usually, career decisions do not take over their lives. Other anchors The complexity of behaviour has identified several other categories of career concerns, though none have shown up consistently as anchors. Variety, status or identity, and power have been proposed as additional anchors. For example, the prefixes such as Major, Colonel, Brigadier used before the names of military personnel implicate a specific variety of career anchor. Such identification is so visible that they get special uniforms matching their levels in the organisation. Affiliate needs and interpersonal talents to work for a cause yet another anchor predominantly found in some persons. The search for power, influence, control and job variety are examples of other career anchors which people try to achieve in their occupational roles. People are concerned much with each of these issues and most occupations fulfil these set of needs in several of those areas in different degrees in consideration of their relative importance by different people. Employees nurturing specific career anchors are required to make it explicit to the organisation in order to find a matching occupational role without much of behavioural dissonance. Knowledge of these all career anchors are essential for any organisation in order to plan career development. Management Development Programme:- Management development programme is an attempt to improve managerial effectiveness through a planned and deliberate learning process. Unlike general purpose of training management development programme aims at developing conceptual and human skills of managers and executives through organized and systematic procedures. In India, many professional institutes like Administrative staff college of India, Management Development Institute, Indian Institute of Management, Quality Management International, National Institute of Personnel Management, Indian Society of Training and Development etc, conduct different management development programmes to sensitize managers and executives to various emerging problems of the corporate world. Management Development is defined by different authors as follows At the personal level management development is the process by which you and others gain the skills and abilities to manage yourself and others (Margerison, 1991). I define management development as the management of managerial careers in an organisational context (Burgoyne, 1998). Management development has a deceptively simple sound to it. Clearly it means, developing the ability of people to manage in their own organisational environment (Sadler, 1998). Management development is the entire system of corporate activity with the espoused goal of improving the managerial stock in the context of organisational and environmental changes (Lees, 1992). Components of MDP are: 1. Selection: To identify innate potentiality or managerial abilities of executives. 2. Intellectual conditioning: To educate executives and managers on different managerial tools techniques. 3. Supervised training: To guide executives and managers on application and use of knowledge in the course of day to day activities. MDP objectives For top management MDP intends to develop better comprehension decision-making power, while for middle level it is meant to develop their intellectual capability besides awareness of managerial problems. For specialists MDP is to increase functional knowledge in specific fields and proficiency in various management techniques. One of the interesting study of management development (MD) comparing the processes of UK and Japan by Storey et al (1994), suggested a number of objectives of MDP As a device to engineer organisational change -particularly in cultural change As a tool in pursuit of quality, cost reduction and profitability To structure attitudes To contribute to the development of learning a organisation To assist with self development Characteristics of Management Development:- Continuous Process Management development is continuous process and required to look after the entire professional career of managers and executives. In India management development is considered as a sporadic activity, resulting in failure to meet the organisational requirements. In Japan, UK, management development is a systematic and continuous activity of any organisation. Knowledge updating activity The need of management development is imperative and appreciated in filling up gap between actual and potential performance. Management development provides scope for continuous improvement in all functional areas. It bridges the gap by enriching the functional capacity of executives and managers by continuously updating their knowledge and skill. A vehicle for attitudinal activity- Human behaviour is dynamic and complex. Management development programmes attempt to understand the behavioural and attitudinal aspects of human behaviour through simulating sessions, ensure better interpersonal skill as an important prerequisite for managerial success. Stimulant to higher competence- Managers and executives are stimulated to bear the intricacies of managerial stress and strain through different management development programmes in order to exert their potential for the benefit of the organisation. Management development programme must be designed considering issues like employees motivation, habits, age mix, pattern of conflict and chaos. and this can enable elevation of managerial functions of the executives during the post training phase. Deficiency improver- Management development programmes are catered to the individual requirements to improve functional as well as personal deficiencies of the individual managers, thereby enabling the organisation to derive immediate benefit from such programmes. A self -development process- Management development facilitates self development of managers, as they learn many things through action learning methods, sharing the experience of each other in a simulated classroom atmosphere. Steps of Management Development Programme To look at the Organizations objective. To ascertain the development needs To appraise the present performance of managerial staff. To propose manpower Inventory. To plan establish trainings development Programme. To evaluate different programmes Benefits of management development There are different benefits the MDP seek for different stakeholders like individual employee, managers and organisation itself. Benefits for individual employee include- An increased ability to develop individual performance A reduction in stress about un-tackled gaps in personal performance requirements An increased chance of holding on to a desired present job An increased chance of developing potential for other job A clearer process for establishing personal aspirations A clearer process for establishing commitment of my manager and the organisation to my development Benefits for the manager of the individual include- A reduction in performance problems An increased use of additional opportunities for effective work in the unit A reduction in the belief that my manager does not believe in development More individuals capable of dealing with new or difficult tasks or complete jobs Benefits for the organisational unit include- Increased ability to meet current and organisational needs Increased effectiveness for the unit, through improved performance Increased likelihood that development for individual is based on organisational need Improved motivations for individuals leading to greater commitment to the organisations Increased provision of continuous learning rather than one off-training METHODS OF MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT The two categories of development methods are on-the-job development, and off-the-job development. Some of the widely used on-the-job development methods are, coaching, job rotation, under study assignments and multiple management. Off-the-job development methods include simulation exercises, sensitivity training, transactional analysis, conferences and lecturers. To ensure the success of the management development programs, they have to be evaluated from time to time. Dilemmas in Management Development Firstly, most of the times management development programme gives more attention to formally designed structured learning than that of informal and accidental learning. That dilemma needs to be reconciled. Management development programme has to embrace both informal and accidental learning opportunities as well as formally created one. A HR director may desire management development programmes, systems and policy primarily to take care of the organisation requirements than that of individual need like easier job mobility, which needs reconciliation to a great extent by sharing views and finding common ground. Secondly, very often management development seems to be looking back even at yesterdays need rather than todays. Somehow management development agenda needs to take balance view of yesterdays need with that of tomorrows. The short-term / long-term dilemma was one identified by Taylor, in 1994 requiring managers to learn to operate across a range of skills at a same time. At the end management development programme always act on a large number of mangers. With the large group there will be a significant difference of need in respect to different functional groups and job requirements which needs to be taken care of. Again management development programme very often ignores relevance of individual difference. Hence an organisation must balance and reconcile all the management dilemmas and take a contingent approach in order to be effective. ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT OD is a strategy or an effort, which is planned and managed from the top, to bring about planned organisational changes in order to enhance the effectiveness of organization as well as bring individual well-being through planned interventions based on social philosophy. The Core Characterstics of OD are Planned intervention for comprehensive long term organisation change: It involves identification of the problem, diagnoses the organisation and a planned intervention in the existing organisation that helps to become more viable. Therefore examines present working norms, values and possible areas of conflict of the organisation and develops alternatives for better health. The interventionist needs to diagnose different sub-system of the organisation and develops alternatives in the area of planning, decision making processes, goal setting, team development, organisation structure, culture, value and upgrading employees skill and abilities as well. OD takes months or years to implement. Humanistic Values: It involves Positive beliefs about the potential of employees (McGregors Theory Y). Therefore, focuses primarily on the human and social side of the organization making the organisation employee friendly and adapts business to employee (B2E) approach of management. Managed from the top. To be effective, OD must have the support of top-management. Top management has to model it, not just espouse it. The OD process also needs the buy-in and ownership of workers throughout the organization. Systems Orientation: All parts of the organization including structure, technology, and people, must work together in order to make the OD effective. It views organizations as complex social systems. Experiential Learning: The learners experiences in the training environment should be the kind of human problems they encounter at work. It should not be all theory and lecture. Problem Solving: The approach of OD is the process of identifying the organisations specific problems, gathering and analysing organisational data and taking corrective action are is taken, progress is assessed, and needed adjustments are made to resolve problems. This process is known as Action Research. Contingency Orientation: OD recognises that each organisation is different from all other and problem solving processes vary across organisation. Therefore, actions are selected and adapted to fit to the need and priorities of the organisation. Change Agent: The services of an outside expert are generally retained to implement the OD process. Active intervention of change agent stimulates, facilitate, and coordinate change. Levels of Interventions: Problems can occur at one or more level in the organization so the strategy will require one or more interventions. Collaborative approach: OD uses a collaborative approach and involves all those affected by the change in the change process unlike the traditional management structure in which orders are issued at upper levels and simply carried out by lower levels. NEED OF ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Human resources People of an organisation certainly make the difference between organizational success and failure. Therefore, how to manage them better is crucial for any organisation. Changing nature of the workplace Modern day workers want feedback on their performance, a sense of accomplishment, feelings of value and worth, and commitment to social responsibility. They need to be more efficient, to improve their time management and of course, to continue doing more work with less people, the processes need to be more efficient. Global markets Our environments are changing, and our organizations must also change to survive and prosper. We need to be more responsible to and develop closer partnerships with our customers. In order to survive and grow, the organisations need to attack the problems, not the symptoms, in a systematic, planned, humane manner. Accelerated rate of change Taking an open-systems approach, the organisations can easily identify the competitions on an international scale for people, capital, physical resources, and information. GOALS OF ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT Organization Development (OD) is the systematic application of behavioural science knowledge at various levels, such as group, inter-group, organization, etc., to bring about planned change. Its objectives are a higher quality of work-life, productivity, adaptability, and effectiveness. It accomplishes this by changing attitudes, behaviours, values, strategies, procedures, and structures so that the organization can adapt to competitive actions, technological advances, and the fast pace of change within the environment (Cunningham, 1990). The important goals of OD are as follows: To develop or enhance the organizations mission statement or vision statement To help in aligning functional structures in an organization for a common purpose To create a strategic plan for the organization is going to meet its future To put in place processes that will help improve the ongoing operations of the organization on a continuous basis To assist in the development of policies and procedures that will improve the ongoing operation of the organization To assess the working environment, to identify strengths on which to build and areas in which change and improvement are needed To emphasise the need for changing from closed system to open system by inculcating various social changes To create more congenial work environment To build mutual trust and confidence and to minimise conflict To make structure and role in consonance with goal accomplishment To promote a sense of ownership and pride in the organisation To decentralise decision making close to the source of activity To emphasise on feedback, self control and self-direction To develop the spirit of co-operation, and interdependency To develop a reward system based upon achievement of goals and development of people STEPS IN ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Organizational development (OD) is a change management strategy, is based on the understanding of behavioural sciences and is concerned with how people and organizations function and how they can be made to function better through effective use of human and social processes. Robert Black and Jane S. Mouton (1963) suggested a six-phase approach to organisational development as under: Investigation by each member of the organisation of his own managerial styles. Examination of boss-subordinate relationship. Analysis of work team action. Exploration of co-ordination issues of interrelated teams. Identifying and defining major organisational problem areas. Planning for executing agreed upon solutions that result in changes in the organisation. However, the OD effort progresses through a series of well designed stages, which can be enumerated as follows: Problem identification and diagnosis-problems that required changes in relation to various units in the organisation should be identified and diagnosed duly examining the feedback from employees. Developing strategy-appropriate strategy is developed by studying people, various sub-systems and organisation as a total system. Implementing the programme-OD programme should be implemented in a phase manner. At the outset it should be tried in a small part of the organisation and on getting positive results only, it should be implemented in total organisation. Reviewing the progress of the programme-review of OD programme should be preferably done by an expert who was not involved in designing and developing the OD programme, for getting an unbiased opinion. However the effectiveness of the OD programme SUMMARY