Operational Effectiveness of Dow Chemical Co. (Dow) Essay

Operational Effectiveness of Dow Chemical Co. (Dow) - Essay Example This essay explores basically four inter-related processes in relation to the operational effectiveness cycle.   The first process involves the leading and controlling of functional performance such as sales, production, logistics, research, and development among others. These functions are specialized to ensure that there is focus on the organization’s core competencies, which differentiate the company from its competitors. Aside from the functions, processes also play a vital role in the company’s operations. As such, measuring and improving processes or standard methods follow. Operational effectiveness also requires the constant and systematic search for opportunities to leverage the company’s core expertise. These processes result in the continuous improvement in functional performance. Dow is a $33 billion enterprise, which serves customers in more than 180 countries. The company may be virtually unknown to the end-user sector since its products are not g enerally used by consumers. Dow provides innovative â€Å"building block† chemical, plastics and agricultural products that form part of a wide range of consumer industries. Top industries for Dow’s products include automotive and transportation, building maintenance and construction, electronics and entertainment, food and food packaging, health and medicine, home care and improvement, paper and publishing, and water purification. In an interview with Mr. William S. Stavropoulos, Dow Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer, he admitted that the company has undergone massive restructuring and changes in its product line. Its corporate plan is divided into two phases, the positioning stage, and growth stage.

Environmental Audit (Data Response) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Audit (Data Response) - Essay Example There may many country specific factors, which could impact the functioning of the organization in the Host country, including its Human Resource (HR) functions. When an organization starts off its foreign operations, the role of HR department and optimum HR practices is crucial because it can only facilitate and encourage coordination and cooperation between employees from both the host country as well as home country (company’s home country). In this report, Russia is the host country, and so this report will discuss how a multinational company in IT sector, while entering Russia particularly in the form of Joint Venture (JV) need to analyse its HR functions to optimally manage its operations there. Economic Indicators Russia's geographic position as neighbour and a key influencer of the expanding European Union and the dynamic countries of Asia including China and India has given it new options to optimize its globalization drive. So, it is encouraging many multinational co mpanies (MNC) to enter and start their operations. Actually, Russia’s incorporation of globally dominant norms, rules, etc as part of economic globalization, took some time to actualize. That is, when Russia endorsed and embraced globalization, it was not a smooth transition, as certain tough decisions were taken. When globalization made its entry into Russia, there was sceptical feeling that globalization and the entry of foreign firms particularly from Western countries is actually a form of US-led hegemony increasing Russia’s marginality in world affairs. â€Å"Their fear of globalization is heightened by the perception that the process is not driven by the impersonal forces of the information revolution and the market, but controlled by the United States as part of a hegemonic project† (Federov 2000). Russia voluntarily took certain steps to welcome globalization and thereby open its market to foreign firms. That is, by introducing convertibility of the nati onal currency and liberalizing both current and capital accounts of her balance of payments, Russia fully exposed herself to globalization. (Vorobyov and Zhukov 2001). From that time, Russia is encouraging entry of foreign firms and also Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in the Russian IT sector. Although, Russia’s IT industry and market is considered small, when compared with other regions and countries, MNCs like SAP, TietoEnator, T-System, etc are expanding their operations, along with the domestic players. Importantly, the potential of Russia’s IT market is going to optimize, with its quick recovery from the economic recession. â€Å"Russia has experienced a surprisingly quick rebound after being heavily affected by the economic crisis in 2009†¦The Russian ICT market is being driven by information technology spending, which is expected to increase by 12 percent to 15 billion euros in 2011.† (eito.com 2011) Comparative analysis of HR systems in both Europ e and the US Each nation is different from one another based on their culture, people, language, climate, etc, etc†¦and based on these differences; there will be different styles of HRM. Thus, different management styles and importantly HRM policies seen in the functioning of MNCs are dependent on the culture and other regional factors of a country. That is, when one focuses on the HRM policies in USA, it

School Uniforms Essay Example for Free

School Uniforms Essay The issue of school uniforms in today’s public schools is a silent but very controversial issue, Gaining momentum with school administrators and parents debating on whether or not to convert their public schools. With academics on a decline compared to the world average, (Wu, Elaine) along with school violence at its highest that it has ever been. The United States is a seeing a change towards school using school uniforms to help solve many problems associated with public schools. School uniforms in today’s society â€Å"promote school safety and enhance the learning environment, and diminish the clothing completion† As said by Marsha Boutelle. School uniforms unify a school and help the blending of the school cultures, instead of massive polarization among students. Of course student who could not wear uniforms due to religious reasons or other appropriate reasons could sign out doing so along with parent permission. Along with School uniforms we see a boost in academic performance. With the United States dropping behind other developed nation ranking in at number 18 of 24. (Wu, Elaine) this is low for a nation that is spending a lot on education every year. Kids are losing focus on school and are competing for what the newest fashion or gadget rather than focusing on school these days. With the addition of school uniforms in American society kids can focus more on their classes rather than social factors that students focus on when there is no school uniform and the dress code is not strict. With the addition of school uniforms in public schools you can see students bonding together helping students feel like they are accepted and part of a much bigger picture than just them. Also the boost in academics helps out everywhere with helping students get into universities of their choice rather than just a university that excepts them and helps them get scholarships, which a lot have a GPA requirement, that must be met in order to qualify or to continue receiving. This helps out students and parents get funding for the college or trade school they attend. And with the millions of dollars in scholarships that go unused each year. Students could defiantly use this money to pay or help pay for their college. And this helps out businesses get tax cuts find what could be future employs and save them money in the end when taxes are due. But many people argue against school uniforms in America and say that it affects their creativity and violates the first amendment. (Cornell) Arguing against school uniforms parents feel that not being able to dress in the latest clothing fashions. They feel that their children are being restricted on their creativity and ability to freely express themselves. Coming back to the United States constitution’s first amendment which is the freedom of speech, saying that what the students are wearing is a symbol of speech and is expressing them. But this argument is flaw when it comes to students who still cannot abide by even the schools standard dress code policies. For example â€Å"sixth grader tiffany gets sent to the principal’s office because the teacher thinks she is dressed inappropriately. She is wearing a micro mini skirt and a halter top that shows her midriff. Principle Judy Montgomery, of Sacramento’s Bear Flag Elementary School, takes Tiffany home to change her clothes and to check in with her parents. There reaction isn’t what she expects â€Å"Her mother was upset with me† Montgomery says. Her mother says she looks cute. † (Boutelle) This is showing that some parents can’t even enforce a school appropriate dress code on their children in this day and age. This example is showing how kids are being influenced by today’s hip hop culture. Effecting what young people are wearing even if it is degrading to them. And its creating distractions to other people in the academic environment therefore hindering others ability to do their best and distracting them from being creative in their own ways. So this argument is invalid when kids are so dressed down that it’s distracting to others. And the inability for parents to be able to tell their children that what they are wearing is inappropriate and shows that a standardized dress code should be put in place. There is a time and place to dress however you like and that is outside of school. Kids can dress however they please outside of a standardized institution. Also it would be very unprofessional if parents had to meet a teacher or principle for a conference or something school related. And the teacher or principle was wearing unprofessional clothing looking unclean and not clean cut, In other words not looking professional for their job. Students and parents alike don’t like to see this it’s very hard to take them serious and consider them professional. So the argument is flawed when it comes to it in the end, because in schools are supposed to be unifying and be an academic environment. Another problem in American schools is school violence School violence can be greatly reduced by the use of school uniforms. With kids unable to noticeably tell or distinguish which kids belong to what gangs in school if any at all. Also with uniforms it’s much harder to tell which kids come from money and which kids come from needy families. Relieving kids of the stress of which social economic status you come from. With a blending, it helps kids see who the actual person is rather then who or where they came from or what their culture is or background. For example all you have to do is step in to any public school with a normal dress code during lunch and you can just see all the different groups that are happening in a school from rich kids and jocks to the nerds and the poor kids. You see the school gangs separating representing for their gang or group. At any moment there could be a confrontation between any of these groups and instantly a conflict has started or worse school violence could happen between people. Since something has happened everything is stopped until the situation gets resolved whether it’s broken up by the school cop, teachers, or resolved by the people it happens between. Some of this can be stopped, as bill Clinton said in his 1996 state of the union address â€Å"I challenge all our schools to teach character education, to teach good values and good citizenship. And if it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms. † (Clinton) This quote is showing how kids are committing violence in school over something as simple as a â€Å"designer jacket†. (Clinton) everyone wearing uniforms also makes it very easy to recognize people who are not supposed to be there or can make an intruder stand out in a crowd. So what is to stop kids in school from killing or committing violence over any other reason in public schools? But David L Brunsma begs to say that school uniforms can actually solve school violence or even boost school academic performance. After he did a study on how school uniforms. His graph (summary of uniform policy effect) shows that there is either not enough of a change or there was a drop in performance according to his graph. But the graph does not show any numbers on it so it’s hard to say anything about also. On this subject there is a lot of supporting data for both sides which make it hard to say what is legit and what is not because not every study is reproduced in this field. Brunsma says that school uniforms actual cause a false sense of security and are actual detrimental to what is going on in the climate of the school. (School Uniform Policies in Public Schools†) With so much contradicting evidence to his claim it only raises questions to why uniforms help in some parts of the U. S and across the world but not all over the united states. In conclusion school uniforms should be instated in public school, with a boost in academic performance. Which would in turn boost the United States in the ranking system of developed nations, and along with that would make it a much more respected educational institutional as a whole in the world of education. Also school uniforms unify schools bringing them closer to a whole and unifying the school. School uniforms help students feel a part of something bigger than just them. Also it keeps schools much less polarized making students safer and keeping the school violence significantly low. But it won’t solve all conflicts because there is always someone out looking to start something or is suffering from a severe problem. This can be prevented by students taking initiative to help protect their school. Students should help everyone out in their school by helping keeping it unified. Works Cited 1. Boutelle, Marsha. Uniforms: Are They a Good Fit? The Education Digest. 73. 6 (February 2008): 34-7 2. Brunsma, David L. School Uniform Policies in Public Schools. Principal (Reston, Va. ). 85. 3 (January/February 2006): 50-3 3. Brennan, Timothy. Do uniforms make our schools better? Ive seen them boost school climate. American Teacher. 89. 5 (February 2005): 4 4. Firmin, Michael, Suzanne Smith, and Lynsey Perry. School Uniforms: A Qualitative Analysis of Aims and Accomplishments at Two Christian Schools. Journal of Research on Christian Education. 15. 1/2 (Spring/Fall 2006): 143-68 5. Brunsma, David L. , and Kerry Ann Rockquemore. Statistics, Sound Bites, and School Uniforms: A Reply to Bodine. The Journal of Educational Research (Washington, D. C. ). 97. 2 (November/December 2003): 72-7. 6. Daugherty, Richard F. Leadership In Action: Piloting a School Uniform Program. Education. 123. 2 (2002): 390 7. PRESIDENT CLINTON, WILLIAM JEFFERSON, STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS,U. S. CAPITOL JANUARY 23, 1996, http://clinton2. nara. gov/WH/New/other/sotu. html 8. Wu, Elaine, â€Å"U. S. falls in education rank compared to other countries†, The Kapio Newspress, 2004, http://kapio. kcc. hawaii. edu/upload/fullnews. php? id=52 9. Cornell University Law school, http://www. law. cornell. edu/constitution/constitution. billofrights. html.

Statistical Analysis on Crime Rate in Nigeria

Statistical Analysis on Crime Rate in Nigeria CHAPTER TWO 2.1 INTRODUCTION: In this chapter we are going to review some research work which has been carry out. Crime is one of the continuous problems that bedevil the existence of mankind. Since forth early days, crime had been a disturbing threat to his personality, property and lawful authority (Louis et al., 1981). Today, in the modern complex world, the situation is most highly disturbing. Crime started in the primitive days as a simple and less organized issue, and ended today as very complex and organized. Therefore, the existence of crime and its problems have spanned the history of mankind. Nigeria has one of the alarming crime rates in the world (Uche, 2008 and Financial, 2011). Cases of armed robbery attacks, pickpockets, shoplifting and 419 have increased due to increased poverty among population (Lagos, undated). In the year 2011, armed robbers killed at least 12 people and possibly more in attacks on a bank and police station in North-Eastern Nigeria (Nossiter, 2011). However, Maritz (2010) has considered that image as merely exaggeration. He added that, as is the case with the rest of the world, Nigeria’s metropolitan areas have more problems with crime than the rural areas. Most crimes are however, purely as a result of poverty. Despite the fact that, crime is inevitable in a society Durkheim (1933), various controlling and preventive measures had been taken, and are still being taken to reduce the menace. However, crime control and prevention is still bedeviled by numerous complex problems. When an opportunity for crime is blocked, an offender has several alternative types of displacement (Gabor, 1978). However, the introduction of modern scientific and technical methods in crime prevention and control has proved to be effective. The application of multivariate statistics has made some contributions to many criminological explanations (Kpedekpo and Arya, 1981 and Printcom, 2003). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is very useful in crime analysis because of its robustness in data reduction and in determining the overall criminality in a given geographical area. PCA is a data analysis tool that is usually used to reduce the dimensionality (number of variable) of a large number of interrelated variables while retaining as much of the information (variation) as possible. The computation of PCA reduced to an eigenvalue –eigenvector problem. It is performed either on a correlation or a covariance matrix. If some group of measures constitutes the scores of the numerous variables, the researchers may wish to combine the score of the numerous variables into smaller number of super variables to form the group of the measures (Jolliffe, 2002).This problem mostly happens in determining the relationship between socio-economic factors and crime incidences. PCA uses the correlation among the variables to develop a small set of components that empirically summarised the correlation among the variables. In a study to examine the statistical relationship between crime and socio-economic status in Ottawa and Saskatoon, the PCA was employed to replace a set of variables with a smaller number of components, which are made up of inter-correlated variables representing as much of the original data set as possible (Exp, 2008). Principal component analysis can also be used to determine the overall criminality. When the first eigenvector show approximately equal loadings on all variables then the first PC measures the overall crime rate. In Printcom (2003) for 1997 US crime data, the overall crime rate was determined from the first PC ,and the same result was achieved by Hardle and Zdenek (2007) for the 1985 US crime data. The second PC which is interpreted as â€Å"type of crime component† has successively classified the seven crimes into violence and property crime. U usman et al (2012) carried out a research on ‘An investigation on the Ra te of crime in Sokoto Using Principal Component Analysis. From the results, three Principal Components was retained from seven, using the Scree plot and Loading plot indicating that correlation exist between crimes against persons and crime against properties. Yan Fang (2011) use multivariate methods analysis of crime data in Los Angeles Communities and from the findings Principal Component Analysis was successfully applied into the data by extracting five PCs out of the 15 original variable, which implies a great dimensionality reduction. In addition, this 85% variance of the original dataset, thus he does not loss much information. Shehu el al (2009) research on analysis of crime data using principal component analysis: A case study of Katsina State. The paper consists of the average eight major crimes reported to the Police for the period 2006-2008. The crime consist of robbery auto theft, house and store breakings, theft, and grievous hurt and wounding, murder, rape, and assault . Correlation matrix and Principal Component analysis were developed to explain the correlation between the crimes and to determine the distribution of the crimes over the Local Government areas of the State. 2.2 Classification of Crime The classification of crime differs from one country to another. In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation tabulates the annual crime data as Uniform Crime Reports (UCR). They classify violations of laws which derive from common law as part 1 (index) crimes in UCR data, further categorized as violent as property crimes. Part 1 violent crimes include murder and criminal homicide (voluntary manslaughter), forcible rape, aggravated assault, and robbery; while part 1 property crimes include burglary, arson, larceny/theft, and motor vehicle theft. All other crimes count as part II crimes (Wiki/Cr.2009).In Nigeria, the Police classification of crime also depends on what law prescribed. In Nigeria Police Abstract of Statistics (NPACS), offences are categorized into four main categories: i. Offences against persons includes: manslaughter, murder and attempted murder, assault, rape, child stealing, grievous hurt and wounding, etc. ii. Offences against property includes: armed robbery, house and store breakings, forgery, theft/stealing, etc. iii. Offences against lawful authority include: forgery of current notes, gambling, breach of peace, bribery and corruption, etc. iv. Offences against local act include: traffic offences, liquor offences, etc. 2.3 Causes of Crimes Criminal behaviour cannot be explained by a single factor, because human behaviour is a complex interaction between genetic, environmental, social psychological and cultural factor. Different types of crimes are being committed by different types of people, at different times, in different places, and under different circumstances (Danbazau, 2007). Here we discuss some of the causes of crime: Biogenetic factors: Criminologists are with the opinion that criminal activity is due to the effect of biologically caused or inherited factors (Pratt and Cullen, 2000). According to Lombrose (1911), a criminal is born, not made; that criminals were the products of a genetic constitution unlike that found in the non-criminal population. Social and environmental factor (Sutherland, 1939): The environment is said to play significant role in determining criminal behaviour. Factors within the environment that mostly influence criminal behavior include poverty, employment, corruption, urbanization, family, moral decadence, poor education, technology, child abuse, drug trafficking and abuse, architectural or environmental design Oyebanji (1982) and Akpan (2002) have attribute the current crime problem in Nigeria to urbanisation, industrialisation and lack of education. Kutigi (2008) has said that the factors of crime in Nigeria and poverty and ignorance which are at the same time the opinion of many Nigerians (Azaburke, 2007). In another dimension, according to Ayoola (2008), lack of integrity, transparency and accountability in the management of public funds, especially at all levels of government have been identified as the factors responsible for the endemic corruption that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigeria n society over the years. 2.4 The Nigerian Police The most important aspect of criminal justice system is the police. Criminal justice system can be defined as a procedure of processing the person accused of committing crime from arrest to the final disposal of the case (Danbazau, 2007). However, for the past three decades there have been serious dissatisfaction and public criticisms over the conduct of the police (Danbazau, 2007). Then, what are the causes of the police failure in preventing and controlling the crimes? So many factors can be attributed to the problem. There are the issue of inadequate manpower, equipment and professionalism (Danbazau, 2007), corruption (Al-Ghazali, 2004) and poor public perception on the Nigeria Police (Okeroko, 1993), which has consequently made the Nigerian Public unwilling to corporate with the police in crime prevention and control. 2.5 Statistics of Crimes in Nigeria Nigeria has one of the highest crime rates in the world. Murder often accompanies minor burglaries. Rich Nigerians live in high – security compounds. Police in some states are empowered to â€Å"shoot on sight† violent criminals (Financial Times, 2009).In the 1980s, serious crime grew to nearly epidemic proportions, particularly in Lagos and other urbanized areas characterised by rapid growth and change, by stark economic inequality and deprivation, by social disorganisation, and by inadequate government service and law enforcement capabilities (Nigeria,1991).Annual crime rates fluctuated at around 200 per100,000 populations until the early 1960s and then steadily increased to more than 300 per 100,000 by the mid-1970s. Available data from the 1980s indicated a continuing increase. Total reported crime rose from almost 211,000 in 1981 to between 330,000 and 355,000 during 1984 – 85. The British High Commission in Lagos cited more than 3000 cases of forgeries annu ally (Nigeria, 1991).In the early 1990s, there was growing number of robberies from 1,937 in 1990 to 2,419 in 1996, and later the figure declined to 2,291 in 1999. Throughout the 1990s, assault and theft constituted the larger category of the crime. Generally, the crime data grow from 244,354 in 1991 to 289,156 in 1993 (Cleen,1993) and continued to decline from 241,091 in 1994 to 167,492 in 1999 (Cleen, 2003). The number of crime slightly declined to 162,039 in 2006, a reduction of 8 percent from 2005 (Cleen, 2006). 2.6 Principal Component Analysis Theories Having a large number of variables in a study makes it difficult to decipher patterns of association. Variables sometimes tend to repeat themselves. Repetition is a sign of multicolinearity of variables, meaning that the variables may be presenting some of the same information. Principal Components Analysis simplifies multivariate data in that it reduces the dimensionality of the data. It does so by using mainly the primary variables to explain the majority of the information provided by the data set. Analysis of a smaller number of variables always makes for a simpler process. Simply stated, in principal components analysis we take linear combinations of all of the original variables so that we may reduce the number of variables from p to m, where the number m of principal components is less than p. Further, the method allows us to take the principal components and use them to gain information about the entire data set via the correlation between the principal components and the original variables. Matrices of correlations or loadings matrices show which principal component each variable is most highly associated with. The first principal component is determined by the linear combination that has the highest variance. Variance measures the diffusion of the data. After the first principal component is obtained, we must determine whether or not it provides a sufficient amount of or all of the information displayed by the data set. If it does not provide adequate information, then the linear combination that displays the highest variance accounted for after the first principal component’s variation is removed is designated as the second principal component. This process goes on until an ample amount of information/variance is accounted for. Each principal component accounts for a dimension and the process continues only on the remaining dimensions. Designating a dimension as a principal component often reveals information about correlations between remaining variables which at first was not readily available. The main objective of Principal Components Analysis is to locate linear combinations , with the greatest variance. We want where ÃŽ £ is the covariance matrix, to be the maximum among all the normalized coefficient vectors à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"i. This result is achieved by way of Lagrange Multipliers. Taking the partial derivative with respect to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"i of the Var(yi) ÃŽ »(à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"iTà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"i – 1), where ÃŽ » is the Lagrange Multiplier results in the equation where à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"i is not equal to the zero vector. From the above equations it can be easily verified that ÃŽ » is a characteristic root of ÃŽ £ and ÃŽ »i is equal to the variance of yi where ÃŽ »1>ÃŽ »2> †¦ > ÃŽ »p are the characteristic roots. Note that they are positive. The characteristic vector corresponding to ÃŽ »1, the root that accounts for the maximum variance, is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã¢â‚¬Å"1. The percentage of variance that any particular principal component accounts for can be calculated by dividing the variance of that component by the sum of all the variances, i.e. We use the high correlations between the principal components and the original variables to define which components we will utilize and which ones we will discard. One device that assists us in this decision process is a scree plot. Scree plots are graphs of the variance (eigenvalue) of each principal component in descending order. A point called an â€Å"elbow† is designated. Below this point is where the graph becomes somewhat horizontal. Any principal components whose variances lie above this point are kept and the others are discarded. The original variables that are highly correlated with each principal component that is kept determine what the label of that particular component will be.

Basic Concept of Organizational Behavior Essay -- Fundamentals of Organ

Perhaps the single most important technique for motivating the people you supervise is to treat them the same way you wish to be treated: as responsible professionals. It sounds simple; just strike the right balance of respect, dignity, fairness, incentive, and guidance, and you will create a motivated, productive, satisfying, and secure work environment. Unfortunately, as soon as the complexities of our evolving workforce mix with human relationships, even the best-intentioned supervisors can find the management side of their jobs deteriorating into chaos. Theories As corporations strive to boost earnings in an increasingly competitive environment, they inevitably turn their attention to the issue of employee productivity and motivation. When employees are unsatisfied with their current work situation, productivity decreases, tension builds in the workplace, and morale becomes very low. Companies have known historically that morale affects productivity, yet management has struggled to come to terms with the factors that can create positive morale and an environment that attracts and retains workers and encourages them to produce. For this reason, many companies look for training and practices that aim to achieve a higher level of employee motivation. Maslow ¡Ã‚ ¦s & Herzberg ¡Ã‚ ¦s For many years various motivation theories have made assumptions and offered explanations regarding human nature. However, no single motivation theory has proven to be the end all - be all - of motivation. In order to understand the various underlying themes related to motivation the following three theories have been identified - content, process and reinforcement. Content theories are primarily concerned with what arouses behavior or particular attributes that motivate individuals. The most prominent content theory of motivation is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg ¡Ã‚ ¦s Motivational-Hygiene Theory. Maslow offered that human beings have their needs arranged in a hierarchy such that they are motivated to seek satisfaction of the lower levels of need first. Once that level of need is satisfied it is no longer a motivator, and the person is motivated by the next level up the hierarchy. From a managerial perspective money, status, achievement, working conditions, friendly supervisors and co-workers can satisfy these individual needs. Herzberg used this theory as... ...t's your department; the buck stops with you. Your team respects your integrity and trusts you to lead. You become a champion, not an oppressor. Share the Spotlight: The flip side of accepting responsibility for everything that goes wrong is giving subordinates just credit for everything that goes right. Never take credit for a subordinate's work, and mention names at every possible opportunity. Don't be afraid that this approach endangers your own career. You were made a supervisor because others in authority recognized your capabilities. The test of your value as a supervisor is your ability to create a productive, efficient team. Show management that working for you is the best thing that ever happened to your staff by drawing attention to each subordinate's excellent performance. If your team is performing at a high level, you won't need to blow your own horn - your value will be obvious. Conclusion The face of business is evolving at a mind blowing pace. As the economy fluctuates and organizations seek ways to beat the competition and be profitable, nothing remains more important to this goal than keeping the employees and management motivated in the modern workforce. Basic Concept of Organizational Behavior Essay -- Fundamentals of Organ Perhaps the single most important technique for motivating the people you supervise is to treat them the same way you wish to be treated: as responsible professionals. It sounds simple; just strike the right balance of respect, dignity, fairness, incentive, and guidance, and you will create a motivated, productive, satisfying, and secure work environment. Unfortunately, as soon as the complexities of our evolving workforce mix with human relationships, even the best-intentioned supervisors can find the management side of their jobs deteriorating into chaos. Theories As corporations strive to boost earnings in an increasingly competitive environment, they inevitably turn their attention to the issue of employee productivity and motivation. When employees are unsatisfied with their current work situation, productivity decreases, tension builds in the workplace, and morale becomes very low. Companies have known historically that morale affects productivity, yet management has struggled to come to terms with the factors that can create positive morale and an environment that attracts and retains workers and encourages them to produce. For this reason, many companies look for training and practices that aim to achieve a higher level of employee motivation. Maslow ¡Ã‚ ¦s & Herzberg ¡Ã‚ ¦s For many years various motivation theories have made assumptions and offered explanations regarding human nature. However, no single motivation theory has proven to be the end all - be all - of motivation. In order to understand the various underlying themes related to motivation the following three theories have been identified - content, process and reinforcement. Content theories are primarily concerned with what arouses behavior or particular attributes that motivate individuals. The most prominent content theory of motivation is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and Herzberg ¡Ã‚ ¦s Motivational-Hygiene Theory. Maslow offered that human beings have their needs arranged in a hierarchy such that they are motivated to seek satisfaction of the lower levels of need first. Once that level of need is satisfied it is no longer a motivator, and the person is motivated by the next level up the hierarchy. From a managerial perspective money, status, achievement, working conditions, friendly supervisors and co-workers can satisfy these individual needs. Herzberg used this theory as... ...t's your department; the buck stops with you. Your team respects your integrity and trusts you to lead. You become a champion, not an oppressor. Share the Spotlight: The flip side of accepting responsibility for everything that goes wrong is giving subordinates just credit for everything that goes right. Never take credit for a subordinate's work, and mention names at every possible opportunity. Don't be afraid that this approach endangers your own career. You were made a supervisor because others in authority recognized your capabilities. The test of your value as a supervisor is your ability to create a productive, efficient team. Show management that working for you is the best thing that ever happened to your staff by drawing attention to each subordinate's excellent performance. If your team is performing at a high level, you won't need to blow your own horn - your value will be obvious. Conclusion The face of business is evolving at a mind blowing pace. As the economy fluctuates and organizations seek ways to beat the competition and be profitable, nothing remains more important to this goal than keeping the employees and management motivated in the modern workforce.

Ray Bradbury :: Essays Paper s

Ray Bradbury No name typifies science fiction to the American public more than the name Ray Bradbury. For over forty years, he has been writing novels, short stories, poems, plays, and movie scripts that have long since kept him in the forefront of American literature. His stories become standard reading for many high school and college students. His literary style can best be described as "enchantment;" the way he captivates his readers with charm, bewitchment, and stunning verbal evocations. His visions of the past, future, and the present delight his readers. His books are virtually long-time bestsellers and have been translated into over twenty languages. He is quite popular in the former Soviet Union. However, success did not come easily for Bradbury. He inched away at his writing career, crafting story after story, until he was selling and occasional short story for half a cent per word. Much of his childhood, and a little of his adulthood, inspired his writings. In this paper, these influences as well as his method of drawing the reader into a story will be discussed. Perhaps the most important influence in Bradbury's youth was his discovery of magic. The famous Blackstone the Magician once included Bradbury in his act, and it enchanted him. The most influential magician on Bradbury was Mr. Electrico. Bradbury wrote about his experience with Mr. Electrico and stated that Mr. Electrico would sit every night in his electric chair, brushing his Excalibur sword over the audience, sparking them with lightning, and crying, "Live forever!" A few weeks after Bradbury encountered Mr. Electrico, he began writing his first short stories. In July of 1941, Bradbury sold his first story to Super Science Stories. Although he only made $13.75 on the sale, he rejoiced. Within a year from that sale, he was a full-time writer. The Martian Chronicles, his first novel, was published within a decade and he soon found himself famous. Fahrenheit 451 marked a new point in Bradbury's writing style - the pessimistic side of life, where he discussed a future where mankind isslowly destroying itself. The sense of what is best in America and what is best for the American people and humanity as a whole, is another thing that fuels his literature. He writes on topics relevant to what is happening in society. Mars and book burning are a couple of them.

Technological Environment Analysis of Cathay Pacific Airways

Technological Environment Analysis of Cathay Pacific Airways: Technological factors include forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities. It is based on considerations as to whether the local market has sufficiently developed technologies to take full advantage of the product. It should be noted that high technologies are required to make full use of the variety of promotional methods using alternative advertising media such as television or websites. 3 1) Information Technology of Cathay Pacific 4Cathay Pacific has devoted to technological advancement all the time. By e-business, Cathay Pacific is using information technology to improve communications with customers, passengers, business partners and staff. It also offers online ticketing, check-in, and online flight schedule, which deliver the updated flight information to customers via email or on their mobile phones. Therefore, the information technology enhances working efficiency and the cu stomers can enjoy flexible and reliable services.Besides, certain electronic devices must not be used on the aircraft at any time such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and remote controlled products but now customers can use mobile data on the plane, which is called eXConnect. 4 It provides limited network service to costumers. Moreover, its in-flight entertainment system offers video channels, audios, games and reading materials on demand system for First and Business class passengers. Cathay Pacific is exclusively showing popular Cantonese television drama series onboard from last year.It can attract new customers onto the plane to try the entertainment system onboard. The series, produced by leading local TV station Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), further enhance the entertainment selection available for passengers. To conclude, the information technology can improve internal and external communications, raise revenue, cut service costs and improve the quality of services. 2) Technologic al advancement on weather forecasting Weather change is one of the reasons that lead to increase costs of Cathay Pacific.It may causes damage of the fleet and waste of fuel because of the unpredictable climate change. Nowadays, airlines could move flight times to avoid storms since the technology of in-flight weather forecasting is getting more accurate continuously. The improvement of radar and other weather-sensing technology complements become more accuracy then before. Not only for 7-day weather forecasting, it can even sense that there is an airstream instantaneously. Therefore, the pilots can adjust the route of the airline to avoid unnecessary damage, and assure the passengers that it is safe on their trip. ) Energy Use of Cathay Pacific Energy uses is one of the technological factors. Cathay Pacific is committed to promoting environmental protection and limiting carbon emissions by investing in technology. Nowadays, the fleet of Cathay Pacific is fuel-efficient but flying un avoidably release carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Cathay Pacific has participated in a voluntary programme called Fly Greener. 5 Passengers who want to take part in this programme may use cash to buy offset the carbon emissions of their flight.The online calculator will calculate the quantity of carbon emission is released by the passengers’ trip. The passenger can decide to pay for one flight only or make a lump sum contribution. It shows that Cathay Pacific obey the polluter pays principle to support environmental production. Moreover, those payments by passengers will be dedicated to Fly Greener for the improvement of the local environment. Although it raises the cost for limiting carbon emissions, it can show its good image to public. 4) Waste managementSince Cathay Pacific is committed to promoting environment protection, solid waste management and disposal is one of the most significant issues in the environmental management of the airline industry. Some of wastes come from in-flight catering service. However, Cathay Pacific is trying to do recycling and removal of waste management. For example, aluminum foils can be collected during food cart washing for recycling; some of the food waste would pass to the waste disposal factory to reprocess for animal feeds. ) Promotion Cathay Pacific makes use of hi-tech promotional method by moving its inflight magazine from prints to pixels. 6 The monthly Discovery magazine is available as an iPad app and everyone can download it from Apple’s iTunes Store for free. Such an app features the same content as the print edition, and it also includes embedded videos, high-resolution images. Those customers of Cathay Pacific can get the newsstands from their tablets and the content of magazine will automatically update each month.The customers are allowed to download the magazine onto their tablet to read in-flight. Conclusion of Technological Environment Analysis of Cathay Pacifi c Airways: Some of technological factors are beneficial to the development of Cathay Pacific even it costs a large amount of expenditure. Cathay Pacific has made use of the technological factors on such aspects that include communication, weather forecasting, energy use, waste management and promotion. For communication, the information system is flexible and reliable in Cathay Pacific.It is effective to enhance the interaction between the customers and the company. The customers can get the information and check their schedule conveniently. Moreover, Cathay Pacific provides a safe and comfortable trip for each flight. The accuracy of in-flight weather forecasting is keep improving. Cathay Pacific takes environmental and social responsibilities seriously. Limiting the emissions of greenhouse gas, recycling and reprocessing of food waste are its daily tasks. Moreover, it takes part in a long-term campaign called Fly Greener to support environmental protection.Technological environmen t changes might bring both positive and negative impact to the company. It alerts strategic managers to impending challenges and promising opportunities. The key to beneficial forecasting of technological advancement lies in accurately predicting future technological capabilities and their probable impacts. 2 Therefore, the technological factors that Cathay Pacific adopted bring opportunities and threats to the company. The entire operations of Cathay Pacific can run efficiently by adopting technological factors.