Saturday, November 9, 2019

Organizational Conflict Essay

Conflicts within an organization can be difficult on employees. Some conflicts may be petty and some could end up in violence. They are often started because of the difference of opinions between employees (Shetach, A., 2012). Regardless of the situation; employers cannot afford to have conflicts within their organization. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the reason for the conflict within this organization and to come up with ways to help solve the conflicts. Description of the Conflict The conflict at my place of employment is that there are never enough associates scheduled to perform the duties that are needed to be done. The ICS team is the main team that goes through the inventory in the back room on a daily basis. Their job is to bin every item that comes within this store with a labeling system. The problem that is being cause is that there are not enough associates able to keep up with binning the items after the ICS team finishes scanning and counting their freight. What conflict that has occurred from this is that the unloaders are coming in and they have to help them out. In return the un-loaders are falling behind in their work. When the morning shift associates comes in; mainly department managers they have to work out the items that the ICS team has scanned. When you look at the amount of freight that is needing to be work out, it could be from four to fifteen L-carts. L-carts are the large carts that are used to move large freight to the floor or to the customer’s car. Production was falling behind because there was not a good plan set into place on who, what, and how the receiving area of the store would be operated. There was lack of communication that was going on between upper management and lower management. It seemed as though the associates were the ones that were making the decisions instead of the managers. The ICS team and the un-loaders were constantly arguing with each other, claiming that the other one is not doing their job. The department managers were coming in to work stating that the overnight associates were not putting out freight. It looked as if the same freight was left from the day before was not being worked. Level of Conflict There are four levels of conflict within an organization (Baack, D., 2012). What is going on within this organization is called intragroup conflicts. Intragroup conflicts occur when incidents between members of a team do not have the same mind set concerning goals. They disagree with the way the operations are being handled and the leadership (Baack, D., 2012). If conflicts are left unattended within an organization it could affect the overall goal of the company. The teams may not do what they need to do and the decision that they make in doing their job may not be the right decision (Baack, D., 2012). Propose Steps to Resolve the Conflict There are five steps that must be followed in order to help resolve conflicts within this organization. The first thing is to identify the parties that are involved in the conflict. Determining if the entire team is involved or if there is an individual that is causing the conflict need to be investigated first (Baack, D., 2012). By doing this, it will allow for the managers to help determine what is need to be done in order to resolve the conflict. This conflict can be stopped with the proper communication between team members and management. But they need to have weekly meeting in order to go over their goals and their concerns (Shetach, A., 2012). Having meeting will allow the team members to voice their opinions if they feel they may not be doing ample amount of production that is needed in order to be productive. This can be analyzed by management as soon as it is brought up in the meeting. The management team needs to find out what the real issue is within the team and figure o ut how the problem started. While they are investigating this issue they need to also know what position that each team member have concerning this conflict (Baack, D., 2012). This can help management to understand where each team member stands on this conflict so it could help them come up with a better solution in order to stop the problem. Finding an area in which there can be bargaining is very important in resolving conflicts within an organization (Baack, D., 2012). Management need to stay neutral in making a decision regarding the conflict that is going on between the ICS team, the unloaders, and the department managers. There should be lines in which the managers need to be able to listen to all sides and not show favoritism. Finding the best solution for the organization in what is important. The policies need to be addressed at the time when bargaining process is going on (Montgomery, M., 1995). At the same time, the team members need to be able to work through their conflicts. There need to be a check list that needs to be done on a daily basis in order for each backroom associate to follow. If they are not able to do what they are assigned then they should be able to type in the reason why. For example, I was called to work in the garden center by Assistant Tony. It should have the time, and date on the log so that it can show the reason why a task was not completed. Management should not be able to call an ICS member out of their work area for more than 15 minutes a day. Considering they might be one of four that was assigned to scan in what is coming off of the trucks. Another step that could help resolve the conflict is to schedule people with the department managers that only have one associate. Some department managers do not have more than one associate within th eir area. A department manage usually have five hundred to five thousand prices changes to do on a daily basis. They have to work their bins; bins are the freight that they have to put out on the shelves. If more associates are schedule past 5 pm, it could help the organization to make a better profit; because the shelves will be filled. Not all conflict situations are the same. Some may be resolved if the people that are involved learn the effect that their opinion, attitudes, or behavior have on other team members (Montgomery, M., 1995). Some of the managers need to be more productive by helping the team members to see what they need to improve in or what they have to offer to make the team stronger. Outcomes to the Conflict Resolution By not doing anything and letting the teams argue about what each other are doing it will cause a lack of production within the team. It could affect the entire team as a whole. Agreement is very important in a conflict resolution (Baack, D., 2012). When all of the team members on the ICS, department managers, and the un-loaders believe that their opinions matters that is when agreement is reached. The managers have to let them all know that all of the concerns that were leading up to their conflicts have been met. Everyone will be held accountable for their own job expectation, and no one will be pulled out of their area for more than fifteen minutes a day. The night managers will make sure that they have associates working in areas that have the largest amount of freight in order to keep the department managers from being over whelmed. Stronger relationships may develop between the teams; however, some teams like to work without other teams being involved. Take the ICS team for example; they do not trust anyone to count what is coming in on the truck. If an upper member of management scans what comes in on the truck they do not have much of a choice. If a new employee is in training they have to gain trust within this group before they let them work by themselves. And finally organizational learning can take place among team members. The can learn how to work together by coming up with better ways to find solutions to the problems they may encounter within their team (Baack, D., 2012). They can learn how to deal with each other on a personal level because they may have learned what each team needs. If the meetings continue to be given between these three teams on a weekly basis, this will teach them. In conclusion, there conflicts can make it difficult for team to work together. This paper was to show ways that teams could resolve their conflicts in order to help their organization to run smoothly and put a handle on conflicts. References Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc Montgomery, M., (1995). Five steps to resolves conflicts. Supervisory Management, 40(10), 8 Shetach, A., (2012). Conflict Leadership. Navigating Toward Effective and Efficient Team Outcomes. Journal for Quality & Participation, 35(2), 25-30

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Jeff and Ham essays

Jeff and Ham essays Jeffersonians and Hamiltonians had differing philosophies on the key issues of the late 18th century. These issues included the political opinions on how to pay off the debt, if the United States should have a bank, how we should deal with the French Revolution, and lastly the question of who should govern the country. There were many different thoughts on how the United States should deal with the issue of the nations debt. Hamiltonians, the wealthy Federalist Party, felt that there were two steps to take in funding the debt. The first step was funding at par, which meant that the federal government would pay off its debts at face value, plus accumulated interest. The second step was assumption; this was when Congress would assume the debts of the states. Hamiltonians believed that assumption was a good idea because it would tie the states closer to the federal government, making them depend on it. The Jeffersonians on the other hand did not exactly feel the same way about these philosophies. They did agree with funding at par, but were hesitant towards the policy of assumption. The Jeffersonians were the common people of the country who supported states rights, and they did not think that it was fair that the national government assume the state debt. They felt that some states had alr eady paid off their war debt, and that it was not righteous to assume them more debt. The two parties also had differing views on economic strategies on paying to run the government and the interest on the huge debt. The Hamiltonians thought that we should pay for them by a whiskey excise tax and a protective tariff. They believed that the Constitution stated that the Congress had the power to lay and collect taxes to pay the debts for the welfare of the United States. The Jeffersonians did not feel the same way about these taxes. They opposed the whiskey tax because they considered whiskey to be a necessity and not a luxur...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Characteristics of Heart Urchins, or Sea Potatoes

Characteristics of Heart Urchins, or Sea Potatoes Heart urchins (also called spatangoid urchins or sea potatoes) get their name from their heart-shaped test, or skeleton. These are urchins in the order Spatangoida. Description Heart urchins are relatively small animals that are usually not more than a few  inches in diameter.  They look a little like a cross between an urchin and a sand dollar.  The oral surface (the bottom) of these animals is flat, while the aboral surface (the top) is convex, rather than dome-shaped like a normal urchin.   Like other urchins, heart urchins have spines covering their tests.  These spines may be a variety of colors, including brown, yellowish-brown, green, and red. The spines are used for movement, including helping the urchin burrow into the sand.  These urchins are also known as irregular urchins because they have an oval-shaped test, thus they are not round like typical urchins - such as the green sea urchin.   Heart urchins have tube feet  that extend from petal-shaped grooves in their test called ambulacral grooves. The tube feet are used for respiration (breathing).  They also have pedicellariae. The mouth (peristome) is located on the bottom of the urchin, toward the front edge.  Their anus (periproct) is located on the opposite end of their body.   Heart Urchin Relatives Heart urchins are animals in the Class Echinoidea, which means they are related to sea urchins and sand dollars. They are also  echinoderms, which means they belong to the same phylum as  sea stars  (starfish) and sea cucumbers. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: EchinodermataClass: Echinoidea Order:  Spatangoida Feeding Heart urchins feed by  using their  tube feet to gather organic particles in the sediment and in the water around them. The particles are then transported to the mouth. Habitat and Distribution Heart urchins may be found in various habitats, from shallow  tide pools and sandy bottoms to the deep sea. They are often found in groups. Heart urchins burrow in the sand, with their front end pointing downward. They may burrow as much as 6-8 inches  deep.  So that the heart urchin continues  to receive oxygen, their tube feed can continuously move the sand above them, creating a shaft of water. Heart urchins live primarily in shallow waters less than 160 feet deep, although they may be found in waters of up to 1,500 feet deep.  Since these are burrowing animals, heart urchins are not often seen alive, but their tests may wash ashore.   Reproduction There are male and female heart urchins. They reproduce sexually through external fertilization. During this process, males and females release sperm and eggs into the water. After an egg is fertilized, a  planktonic larvae forms, which eventually settles to the ocean bottom and develops into the heart urchin shape.   Conservation and Human Uses Threats to heart urchins can include pollution and trampling by beach visitors.   Sources Coloumbe, D. A. 1984. The Seaside Naturalist: a Guide to Study at the Seashore. Simon Schuster. 246pp.Marine Species Identification Portal. Red Heart Urchin. Interactive Guide to Caribbean Diving.Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 2004.  Encyclopedia of the Aquatic World.Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. Heart Urchins.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Using the literature about Integrated Marketing Communication (Write Assignment

Using the literature about Integrated Marketing Communication (Write evaluation of the articles) - Assignment Example In fact, the creative thinking and analytical reasoning would assist in producing and offering cool goods and services to uncool masses. Southgate (2003) did not collect any quantitative data rather used qualitative methodology and provided an in-depth theoretical insight over aforementioned concepts. The research would like to argue that the increase in competition among business entities has also compelled the strategic planners to formulate new procedures, implement new marketing techniques and create new products to entice maximum customers in the marketplace. Nevertheless, the firms today have greater emphasis on value proposition, brand recognition and equity, product differentiation, innovation, positioning, social networking and cool hunting. Southgate (2003) and (Gurrieri, 2009) elaborated on a relatively new terminology ‘cool’ that refers to supreme or premium quality, which enhances the credibility, authenticity, durability and status of a particular product. The proponents continued that the ‘cool’ tempts potential customers and triggers their purchase responses. In my words, ‘cool’ becomes a symbol of excellence for uncool masses, which later adopt or imitate the idea initially endorsed by the cool people. In lay man’s te rm, a cool could be an extra ordinary person who generates or endorses a unique, distinctive or innovated idea, which is mimicked by masses normally considered as the followers rather thinkers. Southgate (2003) also discussed ‘cool hunting and cool hunters’ in detail to provide readers an insight over aforementioned terminologies and how they relate to contemporary marketing. As far as ‘cool hunting’ is concerned, the researcher would agree with the fact that it has become extremely popular as many large scale domestic and multinational companies with extensive resources as they have inclination to

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Knowledge Management in Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Knowledge Management in Healthcare - Essay Example This paper would expound on the need for and how Knowledge Management is adopted in healthcare, what problems does it address, what are the considerations to maximize its total benefits, what factors may hinder it from being an effective tool in effecting development in the field of healthcare and what are the importance of transferring the explicit knowledge.. "Healthcare organizations are facing many challenges in the 21st Century due to changes taking place in global healthcare systems. Spiraling costs, financial constraints, increased emphasis on accountability and transparency, changes in education, growing complexities of biomedical research, new partnerships in healthcare and great advances in IT suggest that a predominant paradigm shift is occurring. This shift is necessitating a focus on interaction, collaboration and increased sharing of information and knowledge which is in turn leading healthcare organizations to embrace the techniques of Knowledge Management in order to create and sustain optimal healthcare." (Sharma et al., 2005) Indeed healthcare plays by the rules of the economy and the society too, it lends itself vulnerable to the limitations of the body administering it. As acquiring information does not come without a cost, readily available yet reliable information are sought for, thus the role of Knowledge Management to regulate and pass on information. (Tandon, Angrish, Anand, 2006) Knowledge Management, though having relative definitions sums up the process of creating, controlling, channeling and transferring knowledge assets to address competitive advantage and optimal performance. (Morgan, Doyle, Albers, 2005) In healthcare, most especially in nursing care, knowledge continuity is posed as an organizational challenge. In the US, there is a high turnover rate among hospital staff-already amounting to 20% (Morgan et al., 2005). This dynamics breaks the links of transferring knowledge from old to new employees leading to poor acquisition or transfer of valuable knowledge assets. In basic terms, knowledge is shared through a "traditional scholastic medical education" through "textbook based" learning, and acquiring lessons through experience and mentorship. Although this, in the beginning, could let the workers harness best business practices, it could also mean lack of diversification in knowledge unless branching out to different hospital units is initiated. "There are a number of organizational benefits to KCM [Knowledge Continuity Management] such as decreasing job turnover costs, increasing organizational effectiveness, improving training for new employees, facilitation of organizational learning, speeding the maximal productivity of new employees, and improving the decision making and decreasing the process errors of new employees." (Morgan et al., 2

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Mistakes in Business Start-Up Research Proposal

Mistakes in Business Start-Up - Research Proposal Example   In my case, I shunned the idea of daily record keeping, and at times I found myself having put no record of a day’s job. According to Pinson & Jinnet (2006), record keeping can be described as the backbone of the operation of any kind of business, no matter how minute the profits may seem. At one moment in my business, I found myself keeping substandard records that at times were recorded at the back of several exercise books in my office. In the long run, I could barely make out what records were of what date and which attendant did what. During the Christmas season when the sales were too high, it became exceedingly overwhelming for me to deal with the numerous clients getting into the store for new bicycles or even spare parts. It is almost obvious to indicate that my store incurred huge losses which took place as a result of double sales, and improper calculations whilst making sales. Pinson & Jinnet (2006) indicate that with proper record keeping, the entrepreneurs are able to develop a sense of accomplishment in their work, unlike entrepreneurs who do not keep records. With the feeling of having let things run on their own, has been recorded to be suicidal for businesses. In the case of businesses selling products of high demand like in the case of my business during the Christmas period, with many caregivers in need of presents for the festivity, I held the opinion that I did not manage the business right from the onset.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Reflective Analysis Of A Students Induction Week

Reflective Analysis Of A Students Induction Week Reflective Analysis has gained a high level of recognition in higher education, it is now used to structure students learning ability, Reflective Analysis as helped me to be able to analyse and assess current and past events, situation and experience. Ann Mathews (2007) state that it is a way whereby an individual turn out to be self independent so as to be able to solve problems the purpose of reflection depends on hypothesis, this deals with putting into practice all the achieved knowledge from academic and organisational environment, its also deals with the skills and ability that an individual has to pass these achieved information to someone else with the aim that the person with hit upon the information judiciously. Kolb (1975) state that when an individual comes up with ideas and re-assess old knowledge into learning however it also deals with turning or re-cycling old and new experience learnt into knowledge so as to use them for future purposes this is an important aspect when writing a report in higher education because it helps students to come up with new and old ideas on how problems are solved. These are what I attained while writing my applied management project: 1) Reflective learning helped me while writing my applied management project because I was able to come up with past and present experience and this aspect helped me in analysing all the necessary concepts on how to get and compile informations so as to achieve my aims and objective. 2) Reflective learning as also helped in turning my experience to learning, these has helped me to assess seriously all the process of learning and as also improve my learning experience academically. RECOLLECTION OF EXPERIENCE Now that the induction week is over, it is now time for me to commence with my dissertation, the induction week lasted for 1 week and it started on the 8th of February 2010 which was on a Monday although we were divided into two cohort and I was lucky to be part of cohort B, the first day of the induction was generally about the introduction to the unit which was given by Vincent Org and Peter Patrick, the second day was more interesting because Alan Bullimore and Peter Patrick talked about how to source for informations and referencing, on that same day we were all asked to form a group of seven to eight member and topics where given out to each group accordingly, on that same day Steve Briggs and Prof Brain Mathew talked about writing a report, Plagiarism and TurnitinUK, During this lecture we were told that the rest of the week will be a group discussion and we will be able to ask necessary questions about the topic from how tutors and we where also told that after the ends of the se induction week no one will be able to receive any help or assistance from any tutor. After the end of the induction week I realised that it was time for me to commence with my chosen topic although I came across a lot of challenges, this gave me a lot of concern because I was the only person in my group so I had to no one to exchange ideas with, I had to draw up a strategy to monitor my progress while I was busy writing on my chosen topic, I knew I had to start searching for relevant journals and articles which helped me a lot to understand what the topic was all about, I had no choice than to build up courage more over this is the finally stage that will determine if I would be awarded a master degree in Logistics Business and Management. Even though this is my second attempt, I knew I had to prove a point by making sure that I dont make that same mistake I made while I was writing my first chosen topic, while writing on my chosen topic I noticed some shortcomings which I realised that I had no choice than to tackle or find a solution to them. The follow were my sho rtcomings SHORTCOMINGS 1) Insufficient Fund: while I was writing on my chosen topic, I came across some relevant articles and journal online which were for sale and very expensive to purchase, this particular weakness was heartbreaking because at that particular moment I was not financially stable to purchase all the relevant journal and articles online. 2) Lack of understanding: Understanding the chosen topic was another challenge I faced while I was writing on my chosen topic, at first I had less idea about how to come up with relevant and necessary information and particularly the kind of information I need to include in the headings and sub-headings, I spent a lot of time on these before I figured out things. CORRECTION MADE 1) With the help of the learning resources centre, I was able to get more journals, articles, magazines, books and newspapers relating to my chosen topic, corporate social responsibility. 2) I had to call my sponsor about my present financial situation, I was given all the necessary support I needed, this really helped me because I had more opportunity to assess more journal, articles and books online. GROUP FORMATION On the 9th of February 2010, Vicent Org and Peter Patrick asked everybody in each department to form a group of seven to eight members, unfortunately I am just the only person in my group because this is my second attempt, there was no-one to relate or exchange ideas with, I had to some up courage within myself so that I would be able to accomplish my aims and objectives of coming to the university of Bedfordshire to study, I drew up a strategy which I used to check my progress while I was writing my chosen topic, I gave myself a target which I had to meet up with at the end of each day. LEARNING EXPERIENCE Although this is my second attempt that I am writing this same module (Applied Management Project), I have gained a lot of experiences both from my first and second attempt, writing a dissertation is a huge challenge so I had to apply all the necessary skills learnt from both past and present knowledge. These are the lessons learnt while writing on my chosen topic: 1) I have learnt how to be efficient and effective in problem solving and also produce a quality outcome. 2) I am capable of handle my own learning and career process efficiently and effectively. 3) I have learnt how to be self motivated and this as also improved my decision making skills, I can now work on my own without getting assistance from group members. 4) I have learnt how to manage my own time set a realistic target and monitor my progress while working on my chosen topic. 5) With the help of Alan Bullimore and Peter Godwin I have learnt how to search and retrieve important and relevant information from recognised sources. LESSON FOR FUTURE PROJECT 1) Time Management: Time management is an organised use of common sense tactic and planning, when writing or embarking on a project or dissertation, one should be cautious about time management because it basically deals with how and when to meet up with targets if it is used effectively and efficiently, time should be made for errors and corrections, I now see time management as a continuous process in life in other to achieve aim goals and objectives. 2) Self Management: Self Management is the actual process of utilizing time marginally and making a technical decision so as to achieve ones aims and objectives, before embarking on a project one as to have the following attributes: self confident, self reliance and self control, these qualities are very important while writing a project or before embarking on a project because they help during and after the research process. 3) Measuring Performance: When writing a dissertation, it is advisable for students to set up a realistic tactic or strategy which will be used to measure their progress while writing on their chosen topic, this lets students know if he or she is working as scheduled, these aspect helps to achieve the major aim of writing this project which is handing in the project or dissertation before deadline. 4) Risk Management: Risk Management is a process of minimizing risk not actually eradicating the risk but counting the loss before the situation occurs, while writing on my chosen topic I had to create the risk of set backs in my target so as to accomplish my mission or else I might have encountered obstacles which might cause delay or set back in my project. 5) Loss of work and Plagiarism: When writing a report or dissertation, it is necessary that all the vital informations and datas gathered are saved in a safe and secured place to avoid damage, furthermore while writing on my chosen topic I was careful about coping directly from authors, inaccurate referencing and chunking because It is a serious academic offence. PERSONAL ENCOUNTER The applied management project is a formidable tax; it has being a terrible experience for me because I had to write this particular module all over again, although the module as facilitated me in gaining more knowledge and also applying these gained knowledge to real life situations. I came across several complications while writing on my chosen topic, the first problem I came across was how to analyse and evaluate my chosen topic; since I was the only person in my group I had no one to exchange ideas and relevant informations with, I had to build up courage so as to achieve my aim and objective which is handing in a good report and rounding up the report two weeks before deadline so as pass my report to my brother to proof read so that necessary corrections can be made, furthermore other difficulties were sourcing for relevant journals, articles, newspapers and books but following all the informations gathered from the induction weeks I was able to draw up strategies on how to tackle this problems and to the best of my knowledge my strategies worked out fine. WRITING THE INTRODUCTION This is a very important part when writing a report or dissertation, I found it really difficult to start writing the introduction because it took awhile before I could apprehend what my chosen topic was all about, I had to go into a serious research so as to have a full idea about the topic, because I wanted a good and perfect report I came up with a strategy to guide me through the process of writing on my chosen topic, this strategy was really helpful since i used it to monitor my progress while writing on my chosen topic, it took me up to two weeks to round up this part, moreover because of my kind of topic I had a lot of informations to discuss on, despite the fact that I was struggling to round up this part I realized that I had some distractions which resulted to me relocating from Luton to Merseyside so as to achieve my key aim and objective of coming to the university of Bedfordshire to study. WRITING THE LITERATURE REVIEW This is the most complex part when writing a report or dissertation, I had to take my time to compile and gather informations since the literature review determines ones strengths and weakness on the chosen topic, furthermore this part of the report requires me to prove to the reader the kind of knowledge, facts and ideas that I have set up on the chosen topic, this part is a channel concept which consist of problems, issues and basically argumentative theories, according to my laid down strategy it took me up to a month to round up this part because I was checking and scrutinizing my work so that I dont get myself involve in plagiarism and chunking. WRITING THE ANALYSES AND DISCUSSION This part is another difficult aspect when writing a report, it entails evaluating, analysing and discussing all the relevant informations in the previous chapters, it took me one week to round up this part because it requires careful interpretation and discussion of each headings and sub-headings furthermore I make sure that all my arguments were logical and reasonable. Although this part was not really taxing because I was self-assured that I was on the right track. Although I came across challenges while writing the analyses and discussion but I was able to tackle it with the help of my laid down strategy and previous experience. WRITING THE CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION Coming up with a reasonable and logical recommendation and conclusion was another taxing experience because it requires proper concise, clarity, consistency, accurate and objectivity, I spent a lot of time trying to round up this part so as to make my report interesting and attractive, I had to lay emphasis on all the literatures I studied and also explain how they justify or contradict each other, with the help of my laid down strategy it took me up to four weeks to round-up this part. CONCLUSION The process of writing this dissertation as been a great experience and achievement for me, even though this is my second attempt I have been able to motivate myself morally and academically on how to be efficient and effective in whatever I encounter in life, This module (Applied Project Management) is a vital aspect during the process of a masters degree programme, I have learnt all the necessary requirements, process, methods and structures of writing a standard and professional detailed report. In addition, through out my learning process at the University of Bedfordshire I have being able to develop my presentation skills, analyse and evaluate academic write-up, business issues and finally gaining a deep understanding about my course (Logistics and Business Management). Finally Applied Project Management is basically about the development of academic skill and ability.