Understand the Relationship Between Organizational Structure and Culture.

Task 1: Understand the relationship between organizational structure and culture. P1. 1: Compare and contrast different organisational structure and culture. According to Buchanan and Huczynski, an organisation is a ‘social arrangement for the controlled performance of collective goals’. Chester Barnard described an organisation as ‘a system of co-operative human activities’. Organisation are can be define as; ‘A deliberately formed group of human being with known boundaries and common goal’. Or, a group of people working together to achieved a common goal. There are 2 types of organisation: i. formal organization and ii. Informal organisation. A formal organization is one which is deliberately constructed to fulfil specific goals’. It is characterized by planned division of responsibility and a well-defined structure of authority and communication. ‘An informal organization is one which loosely structured, flexible and spontaneous, fluctuating with its individual membership’. Examples of an informal organization are colleagues who tend to lunch together. Organizational structure: There are many types of organisational structures exist. Following are the common types that include their advantages and disadvantages: A. Geographical organisation: In a structure of geographical, regional or territorial departmentation, some authority is retaining at head office, but day to day operations are handled on a territorial basis. Example: northern region, western region. Advantage: i. There is local decision-making. ii. It may be cheaper to establish local factories or office. Disadvantage: i. Duplication and possible loss of economies of scale might arise. ii. Inconsistency in stander may develop from one area to another. B. Functional organization: functional organization involves grouping together people who perform similar tasks or use similar technology or materials. Primary functions in a manufacturing company might be production, sales, finance marketing and general administration. Advantage: i. Expertise is pooled and related technology/equipment or materials accessed more efficiently. ii. It avoids duplication and offers economies of scale. iii. It makes easier the recruitment, training and motivation of professional specialists. Disadvantage: i. It is organization by inputs and internal processes, rather than by output and customers demand. i. Communication problems may arise between different specialism, with their own culture and language. iii. Poor co-ordination may result, especially in a tall organization structure. C. Product-based organization: Some organizations group activities on the basis of product or product line. Some functional departmentation remains but a divisional manager is g iven responsibility for the product or product line. Example: manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales. Advantage: i. Accountability. ii. Specialization. iii. Co-ordination. Disadvantage: i. It increased the overhead costs and managerial complexity of the organization. ii. Different product divisions may fail to share resources and customers. D. Matrix organization: Matrix organization crosses functional and product, customer and project organization. Advantages of the matrix organization: i. It attempts to retain the benefits of both structures ( functional organization and project team structure ). ii. Coordinates resources in a way that applies them effectively to different projects. iii. Staff can retain membership on teams and their functional department colleagues. Disadvantages of the matrix organization: i. Potential for conflict between functional vs. project groups. ii. Greater administrative overhead. iii. Increase in managerial overhead E. Centralization and decentralization organization: In a centralised organisation head office (or a few senior managers) will retain the major responsibilities and powers. Conversely decentralised organisations will spread responsibility for specific decisions across various outlets and lower level managers, including branches or units located away from head office/head quarters. An example of a decentralised structure is Tesco the supermarket chain. Each store of Tesco has a store manager who can make certain decisions concerning their store. The store manager is responsible to a regional manager. F. Multi-functional and Multi divisional organization: In a functional structure jobs become differentiated around areas of specialty. For example, accounting and human resource specialists are hired to handle these specialized tasks. These specialists (functional line managers) report to the CEO, but usually have autonomy for day-to-day decision-making, e. . , hiring and firing personnel. The multidivisional structure centres on the use of separate businesses or profit centres. The M-Form is used by many organizations that compete in the global economy. General Electric is an example of a company that uses this structure. Each unit is operated as a separate business with its own corporate staff including President. Some parent companies do little more than provide capital and guide units to an organizational-wide strategy. The overall goal is to maximize the overall organization’s performance. In order to accomplish this, managers at the â€Å"parent† use a combination of strategic and financial controls. G. Internal and external network structure: ‘A behavioral view is that a network is a pattern of social relations over a set of persons, positions, groups, or organizations’. ’ Network organizations are defined by elements of structure, process, and purpose’. A network organization maintains permeable boundaries either internally among business units or externally with other firms. H. Organizational charts: Organization charts, such as those used to traditional way of setting out in diagrammatic form: i. The units (department etc. ) into the organization are divided and how they relate to each other. ii. The formal communication and reporting Chanels of the organization. iii. The structure of authority, responsibility and delegation in the organization including. iv. Any problems in the above: insufficient delegation, long lines communication or unclear authority relationships. I. Span of control: The span of control refers to the number of subordinate immediately reporting to a superior official. The right Span of control is depended are those things: i. A manager’s capabilities limit the span of control. i. The nature of the manager’s work load. iii. Subordinates work. iv. The interaction between subordinates. J. Flexible working: A useful definition of flexible working relates to when, where, how and what work is done: Flexible time:Work is performed at times that better suit the employer and/or employee Flexible place:Work is carried out wherever is most appropriate and effective for the employer and/or employee. Flexible contract:Workers are employed and/or rewarded in non-standard ways. Flexible tasks:Multi-skilled workers are able to undertake a variety of tasks according to need. Organizational culture: Organizational culture (in the sense organizational climate) is the collective’s self-image and style of the organization; its shared values and beliefs, norms and symbols. In the bellow we discuss about various organizational culture: Power culture: This is also known as web structure. This is usually associated with the small organizations. This is where the central character, usually the founder has all authority and is typically surrounded by people they get on with and usually seen with empowerment since there is lot of trust between the webs. There is a central power source and the rays of influence spread out from that central figure. In this type of organization individuals rather than a group make all the decisions. The danger of this sort of culture is that, because it is autocratic, there can be a feeling of suppression and lack of challenge in the workforce. Since this is associated with small organizations there are not many theories associated with it and are only seen in smaller companies, which shows it, will only work on small scale. Role culture: The role culture is typical of bureaucracies. In the role culture, the jobs that people do- their roles – are more important than the people themselves. Managers have power and influence due to their status within the organization and not because of personal influence or expertise. Business would be divided into various functions (e. g. finance, marketing, production etc. ). These would then have a hierarchical ordering of offices (e. g. Finance director, Production manager, Supervisors, operators etc. ). Role cultures can only be successful where the environment in which the business is operating remains stable. Where a business faces rapid change, the role culture is likely to collapse. The large organizations, which can be difficult to control often, have a role culture. Task culture: Task cultures have become very important in business in the first decade of twenty first century. The task culture focuses on getting the job done. Groups or teams within this culture are not fixed but are made up of individuals brought together to achieve a specific task. In the task culture there is a strong emphasis on building the team. Team members will need to share values and aspirations. They will also need to feel valued by the organization they work for. In task culture, teams will often have considerable input in determining how a particular job will be done. Their views and opinions will be listed. Person culture: In a person culture, individuals are central. Person culture is also known as cluster structure. This is very rare and is only associated to small organizations with very short structures and an extremely wide base. This is because they are usually conjoined with the organizations that are specialist in many different areas (universities, many lawyers and scientific researching) there is no real rules, only law associated with the types of experimenting and research. Organizational cultures values and beliefs: i. It affects the motivation and satisfaction of employees. ii. It can aid the adaptability of the organization, by encouraging innovation, risk taking, sensitivity to the environment, customer care, willingness to embrace new methods and technologies. iii. It affects the image of the organization. Development of organizational culture: There are many factors which influence the organizational culture, including the following: i. Economic condition. ii. The nature of the business and its tasks. iii. Leadership style. iv. Policies and practices. v. Structure. vi. Characteristics of the work force. P1. 2: Explain how the relationship between an organizations structure and culture can impact on the performance of the business. Broadly, we can say that a behavioural problem is anything in the behaviour of people-individual, interpersonal and group. At first we discuss about various type of diagnosing and interpersonal behavioural problems; Diagnosing behaviour problem: Diagnosis is the thorough analysis of facts or problem in order to gain understanding. Principles of diagnosis: i. Distinguish the symptom from the problem. ii. Look at the facts. iii. Don’t be simplistic about causes. iv. Focus on the problem, not the person. v. Don’t impose your own judgments. vi. Respect privacy and confidentiality. Methodology of diagnosis: i. Observation. ii. Interview. iii. Questionnaires. iv. Reports. Perception: Perception is the psychological process by which stimuli or in-coming sensory data are selected and organized into patterns which are meaningful to the individual. Perceptual selection: Perceptual selection as determined by any or all of the following: i. The context. ii. The nature of the stimuli. iii. Internal factors. iv. Fear or trauma. Perception and work behavior: Perception and work behavior do are following way: i. Consider whether you might be misinterpreting the situation. ii. Consider whether others might be misinterpreting the situation or interpreting it differently from you. iii. When tacking a task or a problem, get the people involved to define the situation. iv. Be aware of the most common clashes of perception at work. Such as, manager and staff, work culture, race and gender. Attitudes: An attitude is a mental and neural state of readiness, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individual’s response to all objects and situations with which it is related. Ability and aptitude: there have been many attempts to make a useful distinction between: i. Abilities-thins that people can do or are at- largely believed to be inherited. ii. Aptitudes-the capacity to learn and develop abilities or skill. Intelligence: Intelligence is a wide and complex concept. There are many forms of intelligence: i. Analytic intelligence. ii. Spatial intelligence. ii. Musical intelligence. iv. Physical intelligence. v. Practical intelligence. vi. Intra-personal intelligence. vii. Inter-personal intelligence. P1. 3: Discuss the factors which influence individual behaviour at work: In the bellow we discuss about various type of individual’s behavior: Personality: personality is the total pattern of characteristic ways of thinking, feeling and behaving that constitute the individuals distinctive method of relating to the environment. Traits and types: Traits are consistently observable properties or the tendency for a person in a particular way. Self and self-image: Self: self has a two component: A. T- the unique, active, impulsive part of the individual, which rises above conformity. And B. Me- the mental process which reflects objectively on the self and measures it against the social norms, values and expectation. Self-image: People have a subjective picture of what their own self is like, this called a self-image. Personality and work behavior: Obviously personalities are complex and individual. Personality and work behavior conflicted in organization; manager will have to consider the following aspect: i. The compatibility of an individual’s personality with the task. ii. The compatibility of an individual’s personality with the systems and management culture of the organization. iii. The compatibility of the individual’s personality with that of others in the team. Where incompatibilities occur, the manager will have to: . Restore compatibility. ii. Achieve compromise. iii. Remove the incompatible personality. Organizational structure and Culture of Sainsbury and Tesco: Sainsbury’s organization structure: The organizational structure of Sainsbury’s is hierarchical because there is series of levels of people and the level above controls each level. Each lev el is the responsibility of the level above. For example senior managers are responsible for the line managers and line managers are responsible for sales assistants. The diagram below shows the downward flow of communication in Sainsbury’s. I think Sainsbury’s structure is between hierarchical and tall structure. Tall structure has many layers but not as many layers as matrix structure and as less as flat structure and this means the information is not a s fast in flat structure and not as slow as in matrix structure. Due to fast flow of communication it is easier and clear between each layer. This when decisions are made they will be specific to order instructions. Strengths of Sainsbury’s structure: i. It gives them a greater sense of unity and purpose as they can see themselves as members of a team. i. It is easier to get help, as they can ask experienced colleagues or take more difficult problems to boss. iii. It makes easier to carry out joint projects as everyone involved is working together. iv. There are economies of scale as specialist staff can do more work efficiently. v. Communications from top to bottom are better, as there are definite channels through which orders can flow. Weakness of this structure: i. Hierarchies usually have tall organizational structures with seven or eight levels of authority. This means that there is long chain of command. i. Each employee is concerned mainly with his or her own function, or specialized work, and often has only employees in other departments. iii. There is natural tendency for managers to protect the interest of their own department. This may make them more concerned with office politics than with the interests of the whole firm. iv. The hierarchical system emphasizes status. This creates divisions in the firm, which are reflected in separate car-parking spaces for managers, longer holidays for white-collar workers and separate canteen for blue-collar workers. Tesco organization structure: Tesco has a hierarchical/pyramid structure. In Tesco organisational chart they have more levels and they have more employees at down level. In hierarchical structure each functional area has many staff to do a particular task they are specialised in the job. Each person has a job role and there will be a specific salary for the job. In a hierarchical structure the communication can be distorted because their chains of command are long. When messages pass from top level to the bottom level they receive a message slightly different message than the one they intended to receive. In hierarchical structure the staffs at the bottom level feels that the manager at the top has no idea what they think or do. In a hierarchical structure many people have to be consulted before a decision is made. This means that the company is slow in responding to changes. The span of control is less in Tesco because they have many levels and the span of control explains the person who is responsible for you. For example if a store manager has 4 sections manager then his span of control are four. In hierarchical there is a good promotion prospectus because of many levels. Sainsbury’s organizational culture: Sainsbury is a varied company and I don’t feel it can safely be placed into any of these categories, but I will say it’s a mixture between Role culture and Task culture. Since Sainsbury is a big organization there can be many things at once, I feel Sainsbury has taken the best attributes of the two and made their own Sainsbury’s culture. This includes: – i. Very tall and board structure but with many web links. ii. Strict communication channels low down. iii. Jobs, not people lowdown (but they do get their say when needed). iv. Jobs suited to the task in the central range. . Communication between departments by knowledgeable workers (not manual laborers). vi. Formal communication going up the hierarchy. All these are associated with the two cultures and so Sainsbury can’t be defined to one group. Since Human culture is a mixture of hundreds of separate culture trying to produce the best of all words. In my opinion Sainsbury’s would more suite the Role culture since the formal structure also emphasizes this by adding a rigid structure you add a formality quality or a freedom associated with the person, thus the job is more than the employee, which is the role culture. These two also dictate the management style because Role culture has important job. There is communication with the job not the person, this is autocratic because the person has no say. The structure means there is a formality also so Sainsbury is a formal business and this means all jobs are done in formal and this should increase production by having quick workers who don’t have to think. All the difference influences each other because they all have an effect on certain aspects of the company. They all knock on to each other and manipulate the finer points of each. Tesco organizational culture: Tesco’s corporate culture can be determined from its corporate responsibility statements, which describe its core values and core ideologies as well as some aspects of cultural artifacts. Tesco’s stated core priorities include: i. Ensuring community, corporate responsibility and sustainability are at the heart of our business. ii. Being a good neighbor and being responsible, fair and honest. iii. Considering our social, economic and environmental impact as we make our decisions. (Tesco, 2008) These values have had a significant impact on the way in which Tesco does business, as well as its inancial performance. For example, its expansion into California was designed to be not only profitable, but also socially responsible. As in the United Kingdom, American inner cities have a food supply problem wherein there are few large supermarkets and the smaller supermarkets do not have an adequate supply of fresh foods, including fruits, vegetables and proteins. How the relationships structure and culture can impact Sainsbury and Tesco’s performance: Tesco’s organisational structure is a hierarchical structure. In a hierarchical structure the communication can be distorted as messages pass from one level to another means that the staff at the bottom level receive a slightly a different message than the message they intent to receive it. Many people’s have to be consulted before a decision is made so the company is slow in responding to changes and challenges. This means they cannot provides quick services to their customers and it is going to affect in terms of sales and profit but there is an advantage that if everybody is consulted they will come out with the best results. In hierarchical structure there are specific functional areas and job roles. The employees can be easily identified and given training so they can provide good services to their customers. Hierarchical structure has good delegations because they are many people’s with specialised skills are working here so they can easily assign their subordinates for a particular task. The span of control is less than the flat structures. In hierarchical structures they have good promotion prospectus so the staff are motivated and they provides good services to their customers. I think that the impact of the organizational structure has an excellent impact on Sainsbury due to the staff of Sainsbury working hard and being highly motivated in the work that they do, and the customer service that they provide for the customers that shop at Sainsbury. This is due to the human resources function of Sainsbury recruiting staff that they feel is suitable to work at Sainsbury, this could be due to the experience, qualifications, and availability of the member of staff working at Sainsbury. The finance function helps Sainsbury by the accountants keeping accounts up to date, this is an advantage because this has an impact on Sainsbury by enabling it to see if the financial factors of Sainsbury are improving or declining, and if new targets should be set, and if new objectives should be made. The marketing function has an impact on Sainsbury by the way that it helps the supermarket grow bigger by the advertisement campaigns it launches to make potential customers of Sainsbury notice what Sainsbury has to offer them. Task2: Understand different approaches to management and leadership. P2. : Compare the effectiveness of different leadership style in different organizations. In the below we discuss about various type of management style: Scientific management: According to Fredrick Winslow Taylor, â€Å"Scientific management means knowing exactly what you want men to do and seeing that they do it in the best and the cheapest way. † Classical administration: Henri Fayo l was a French industrialist, according to him, the idea that all organizations could be structured managed according to certain rational principle. Bureaucracy: An organization structured on classical lines is often identified as a bureaucracy. Human relations approach: The human relations approach emphasised the importance of human attitudes, values and relationships for the efficient and effective functioning of work organizations. Systems approach: Systems approach described as which consists of interdependent parts. Every system has a boundary which defines what it is ‘inside’ what is ‘outside’ the system. Contingency approach: The contingency approach to organization developed as a reaction to the idea that there are universal principles for designing organization, motivating staff and others. In the below we discuss about some function of management: Planning: This essentially means looking to the future. It involves selecting the ends which the organization wishes to achieve. Organizing: The work to be done must be divided and structured into task and jobs. Commanding: Fayol called this maintaining activity among the personal. Co-ordination: this is the task of harmonizing the activities of individuals and groups within the organization. Controlling: This is the task of monitoring the activities of individual and groups. P2. : Explain how organizational theory underpins the practice of management In the below we discuss about various managerial role: Interpersonal Roles: Interpersonal roles process and outlined three basic roles. Those are: i. Figurehead. ii. Leader. iii. Liaison. Informational role: A manager is likely to have a wider network of contacts within and outside the organization than his subordinates. So he is the best parson to gather and spread information. Decisional roles: The manager’s formal authority and access to information put him in a strong position to take decisions. In the below we discuss about nature of managerial authority: Power: Power is the ability to do something or get others to do it. Authority: Authority is the right to do something or to get others to do it. Responsibility: Responsibility is the liability of a person to be called to account for the way he was exercised the authority given to him. Delegation: Delegation is the process whereby superior A gives subordinate B authority over a defined area which falls within the scope of A’s own authority. P2. 3: Evaluate the different approaches to management used by different organizations. Opportunist: The opportunist action-logic is aimed at controlling their environment in order to survive. Typically development has been blocked by a legacy of mistrust, egocentrism and manipulativeness. The title for this action-logic denotes a tendency to focus on personal wins and to see relationships as opportunities to be exploited. From the opportunist action-logic, the world is highly competitive. Only the fittest individuals survive and, since the opportunist assumes everybody else is also operating from this frame of reference, competition rather than collaboration is the only viable course of action. Diplomat: Moving away from the â€Å"anything-goes-that-serves-me† framework of the Opportunist, Diplomats are aware of group strength over individual power. Thus, they seek to belong to established groups which may be based on kinship, club, church or profession. Since power comes from affiliation with others, rules and social norms are followed to seek approval and safeguard status as a group member. Achiever: Leaders who have developed this action-logic can be both challenging and supportive, creating a positive atmosphere both inside the team and external to the team. They represent approximately 30% of the general managerial population and are tightly focused on deliverables. People whose developmental focus is on the Achiever action-logic have a more complex and integrated understanding of the world than do managers who display the previous three action logics. Strategist: At 4% of leaders, people who have developed to this action-logic are likely to be found in less conventional settings. If they have survived life in the Public service, they are likely to have developed a reputation as transformational leaders. They distinguish themselves from Individualists through their focus on organizational constraints and perceptions, which they treat as discussible and transformable. Transformational: Transformational leadership occurs when the leader and the follower elevates one another to higher levels of motivation and morality. Carlson (1996) points out that Burns felt that leadership theories developed up to the mid-seventies were lacking ethical/moral dimensions so he elaborated on his exchange theory which maintains that followers play a crucial role in the definition of leadership. This theory is made up of power relations and entails bargaining, trading and compromise among leaders and followers. Management styles and leadership used in Tesco’s: Tesco’s tend to use autocratic because the company needs too or the e tasks won’t be carried out within the business, also decisions need to be made quickly or they won’t be done for example a task that is set for a shelf filler to put the milk out but hasn’t been told to put the milk out because the management are still deciding who’s going to put what out, so the milk would be still sat in the storage room and the customers cant buy it. So if the management didn’t use autocratic then Tesco’s wouldn’t be run sufficiently. Tesco also uses management by objectives. They use this because they state to each employee in their appraisals what their objectives are for a certain period. Also each manager is set objectives by their line manager for their team for example the sales team’s objective that has been set is to increase the amount of customers using Tesco by 25%. The way in which Tesco is structured and managed. (Management at Tesco. † 123HelpMe. com. 05 Jan 2012 . ) Management styles and leadership used in Sainsbury’s: If a company adopts the consultative style, then the person may well set the objectives and this would mean a lesser extent of pushing to achieve objectives. In my opinion Sainsbury uses a mixture of two types of management style. First being autocratic means the objectives would be set up and to a good standard; they will want the most work out of their subordinates, to gain maximum value. For the key areas of operations: Sainsbury is using autocratic management style, for setting its objectives, policies at top management level. They also use democratic management style. These would be set to gain maximum revenue they would want this and strive to get this because this style is associated with the managerial levels and will mean they get bonuses. For overall working of the organization at middle management levels and lower management levels, the style of Sainsbury is democratic, because the area of operations is widely decentralized and for the implementation of policies in three different segments, policies should be consulted with the local personal, which are specially appointed for this purpose. As they know the inner constraints, strengths of that particular segment. Task3: Understand ways of using motivational theories in organization. P3. 1: Discuss the impact that different leadership styles may have on motivation in organizations in periods of change. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs: The basis of Maslow's theory of motivation is that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be addressed. Per the teachings of Abraham Maslow, there are general needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) which have to be fulfilled before a person is able to act unselfishly. These needs were dubbed â€Å"deficiency needs. † While a person is motivated to fulfill these basal desires, they continue to move toward growth, and eventually self-actualization. The satisfaction of these needs is quite healthy. While preventing their gratification makes us ill or act evilly. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Chart As a result, for adequate workplace motivation, it is important that leadership understands which needs are active for individual employee motivation. In this regard, Abraham Maslow's model indicates that basic, low-level needs such as physiological requirements and safety must be atisfied before higher-level needs such as self-fulfillment are pursued. As depicted in this hierarchical diagram, sometimes called ‘Maslow's Needs Pyramid' or ‘Maslow's Needs Triangle', when a need is satisfied it no longer motivates and the next higher need takes its place. Herzberg’s theory: Hygiene Factors Hygiene factors are based on the need to for a business to avoid unpleasantness at work. If these factors are considered inadequate by employees, then they can cause dissatisfaction with work. Hygiene factors include: – Company policy and administration Wages, salaries and other financial remuneration – Quality of supervision – Quality of inter-personal relations – Working conditions – Feelings of job security Motivator Factors Motivator factors are based on an individual's need for personal growth. When they exist, motivator factors actively create job satisfaction. If they are effective, then they can motivate an individual to achieve above-average performance and effort. Motivator factors include: – Status – Opportunity for advancement – Gaining recognition – Responsibility – Challenging / stimulating work Sense of personal achievement & personal growth in a job McGregor’s theory X and Y: Theory X Theory X assumes that the average person: †¢Disl ikes work and attempts to avoid it. †¢Has no ambition, wants no responsibility, and would rather follow than lead. †¢Is self-centered and therefore does not care about organizational goals. †¢Resists change. †¢Is gullible and not particularly intelligent. Essentially, Theory X assumes that people work only for money and security. Theory Y The higher-level needs of esteem and self-actualization are continuing needs in that they are never completely satisfied. As such, it is these higher-level needs through which employees can best be motivated. Theory Y makes the following general assumptions: †¢Work can be as natural as play and rest. †¢People will be self-directed to meet their work objectives if they are committed to them. †¢People will be committed to their objectives if rewards are in place that address higher needs such as self-fulfillment. †¢Under these conditions, people will seek responsibility. †¢Most people can handle responsibility because creativity and ingenuity are common in the population. Vroom and Expectancy theories: Essentially, expectancy theory states that the strength of an individual’s motivation to do something will depend on the extent to which he expects the result of his efforts, if successfully achieved, to contribute towards his personal needs or goals. Maccoby, Mccrac and costa: There is relative consensus on a five-factor structure of personality, based on a bipolar taxonomy of underlying traits, which is supported by factor analyses of extensive lists of trait adjectives. The five broad personality dimensions are commonly labeled extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability, and openness. It should be noted that these dimensions are not types, meaning that personality is made up of scores on the five dimensions. Motivation and performance: Motivation, as it most nearly concerns the manager, is the controlling of the work environment and the offering of rewards in such a way as to encourage extra performance from employees. Rewards and incentives: A reward is a token (monetary or otherwise) given to an individual or team in recognition of some contribution or success. An incentive is the offer or promise of a reward for contribution or success, designed to motivate the individual or team to behave in such a way as to earn it. Motivation and manager: Managers are constantly searching for ways to create a motivational environment where associates (employees) to work at their optimal levels to accomplish company objectives. Workplace motivators include both monetary and non-monetary incentives. Monetary and Non-monetary rewards: The purpose of monetary incentives is to reward associates for excellent job performance through money. Monetary incentives include profit sharing, project bonuses, stock options and warrants, scheduled bonuses (e. g. , Christmas and performance-linked), and additional paid vacation time. Traditionally, these have helped maintain a positive motivational environment for associate. The purpose of non-monetary incentives is to reward associates for excellent job performance through opportunities. Non-monetary incentives include flexible work hours, training, pleasant work environment, and sabbaticals. P3. 2: Compare the application of different motivational theories within the work place. Leadership in organization: This definition is similar to Northouse's (2007, p3) definition — Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal. Managers and leaders: Influence is the process by which an individual or group exercises power to determine or modify the behavior of others. Leadership traits: People who believe that leaders are born are likely to buy into the Traits Theory. This theory basically centers itself on the leader. What are the qualities of a leader? Now if you look at the different leaders of the world, companies or armies they all carry certain traits. It is believed that if one carries these characteristics then one is likely to become a leader. So, this theory defines what are the qualities that a leader should posses rather than leadership. If one is a leader then these leadership traits should be present. Management style: Managers have to perform many roles in an organization and how they handle various situations will depend on their style of management. There are two sharply contrasting styles that will be broken down into smaller subsets later: oAutocratic oPermissive Each style has its own characteristics: Autocratic: Leader makes all decisions unilaterally. Permissive: Leader permits subordinates to take part in decision making and also gives them a considerable degree of autonomy in completing routine work activities. Contingency approach: The Contingency Theory takes in consideration the weaknesses of the previous theories. Since leadership functions in a dynamic situation, it is only logical that different styles and traits will work in different situations. The Contingency Theory takes into consideration the context where leadership is exercised. P3. 3: Evaluate the usefulness of a Motivation theory for managers. Leadership and successful change in organizations: Pluralistic: inclusive enough consistent with the needs of pluralistic leadership. Such organizations emphasize hierarchy, authority and structure over participation and inclusiveness. Pluralistic leadership results in diversity and diversity results in pluralistic leadership (Bass, 1990; Millman and Kanter, 1986). Pluralistic leadership is very consistent with notions of participation of all in the leadership decisions and the understanding of multiple perspectives within the organization and outside it (Kezar, 2000). Transformational: It depends on two main points of view: – The theoretical, and – The applied Theoretical definitions come from those that study leadership, who have the formal qualifications to write long dissertations on the subject. This body of knowledge is fantastic for grounding in the subject and to get into the depth of the potential implications, especially when it comes to the morals and ethics department. The applied is the interpretation, and then applied action in a specific field of endeavor. We’ll use the personal, organizational, and global contexts for this purpose. You will have your own applied experience, or not, depending on where you are on your own personal Transformational Leadership journey. Communications: The closest definition of a communication leader is Gramsci’s definition of the organic intellectual – which Gramsci essentially sees as a leader. Gramsci sees in the intellectual not only as a leader but also as a poet, thinker, reader and activist. Sainsbury’s motivational theories: Sainsbury agree that employees are their most important assets and need to be treated fairly. The good performance of employee’s management s has an effect on the organization's success, in terms of profitability. Sainsbury give out financial rewords to most people who complete the training programme. Training is designed to keep employees motivated and is convinced to complete their training by rewarding them with financial gain. Motivation comprises of the need for employees and controls their action. Using motivation techniques can improve productivity and customer service. Also employee satisfaction leads to good service that leads to customer satisfaction. Maslows- Hierarchy of needs This theory is based on meeting staff needs with in the workplace and suggests that meeting their needs can lead to be fill are: – Self- fulfillment- researching your full potential Self-esteem needs- status and recognition, achievement and independence Social needs- love, friendship, a sense of belonging part of a team Safety needs- protection against danger, fair treatment, job security Physiological needs- food, rest and shelter Mc Gregor- Theory x and theory y They are two types of main types of managers. Theory x managers tend to have the point of view that the average dislikes and will try to avoid it. Therefore the managers must control direct and punish them to get them to work towards business objectives. Theory y suggests that the ordinary person does not dislike work; it all depends on the conditions in which the work takes place. If people are committed to objectives, they will be motivated towards achieving them the biggest motivation factor is the personal satisfaction of completing the job. (â€Å"A Report on Sainsbury's Resource Management. † 123HelpMe. com. 5 Jan 2012 . Tesco motivational theories: Tesco is Britain’s largest retailer. It now has over 2,200 stores. As well as food, it also sells other products such as insurance and banking. To support growth, Tesco needs staffs who are motivated. It achieves this by increasing their knowledge, skills and job satisfaction through training and reward systems. Needs: Self-fulfill: Tesco offers Personal Developme nt Plans, recognition of skills and talents, opportunity for promotion and career progression programmed. Career discussions feed into Tesco’s Talent Planning meetings. The Options fast-track management programmed provides a route for capable staff to reach higher levels. Self-esteem: Tesco values emphasize self-respect and respect for others and praise for hard work, its self assessment, 360 degree feedback and appraisal system help to recognize individuals’ contributions and importance and celebrate achievement. Social needs: Tesco promotes team and group working at various levels; The Company ‘Steering Wheel’ assesses individual and group work and enables store staff to work as a team. Working conditions and a home-from-home ethos encourages long service. Basic/physical needs Security needs: Tesco provides the security of formal contracts of employment as well as pension and sickness schemes and the option to join a union to give people a sense of belonging. It ensures health and safety in the workplace. Basic/physical needs: This would include a place of work, regular monthly pay and essential facilities such as a restaurant or lockers for personal belongings. Tesco provides motivation for its staff through many different routes. Reviews and personal development plans ensure that employees are able to develop and grow. This benefits both staff and the business. (The Times 100 Edition 15 | www. hetimes100. co. uk) EDITION Task 4: Understand mechanisms for developing effective teamwork in organizations. P4. 1: Explain the nature of groups and group behavior within organizations. Groups: Groups in business organizations are, in effect, sub-organizations and they require management for controlled performance of collective goals, not only their own collective goals, but those of the business organization as a whole. Definition of group is ‘A group is any collection of people who perceive them to be a group’. Informal group and formal group: Informal groups will invariably be present in any organization. Informal groups include workplace cliques and networks of people who regularly get together to exchange information, groups of mates who socialize outside work and so on. Formal groups, put together by the organization, will have formal structure and a function for which they are held responsible, they are task oriented and become teams. Team: A team is a formal group established to achieve particular objectives. Purpose of teams: i. Team allows the performance of tasks. ii. Team encourages exchange of knowledge and ideas or creation of new ideas. iii. The power of the team over individual behavior can be both: control and motivator. Selecting team members: A manager is able to select team members, he or she shuld aim to match some requirement: i. Specialist skills and knowledge. ii. Experience. iii. Political power in the organization. iv. Access to resources, v. Competence. Team roles: RM Bellbin researched business-game teams at the Carnegie Institute of technology. He developed a picture of the character-mix in team, which many people fine a useful guide to team selection and management. Bellbin suggests effective team is made following eight roles: i. The Co-coordinator. ii. The shaper. iii. The plant. iv The monitor and evaluator. . The resource investigator. vi. The implementer. vii. The team worker. Viii. The finisher. Multi-disciplinary teams: Multi-disciplinary teams bring together individuals with different skills and specialism’s, so that their skills, experience and knowledge can be pooled or exchanged. Teambuilding: The team building goal in this learning journey is to help participants devel op increased awareness of team dynamics, practical skills for maximizing team performance, and developing a belief in the power of teamwork. Team building assists participants in planning specific improvements in the way the team operates. Participants will gain an integrated set of skills that can be applied anytime and anywhere, while enhancing their team performance, leadership abilities, and team unity. The result of applying these skills will be serious TEAMWORK – not teamwork in the ordinary sense, but something stronger, more committed, more productive, and more personal. Team identity: A manager may be able to increase his work groups sense of itself as a team by any or all the following means: i. Giving the team a name. ii. Giving team a badge or uniform. iii. Expressing the team’s self-image. iv. Building a team mythology. Commitment to shared belief: All team members must agree on what the team is trying to accomplish. Teams work much harder if members have a say in team goals and focus. Having team members discuss and decide on team goals would foster this sense of team commitment. P4. 2: Discuss factors that may promote or inhabit the development of effective teamwork in organizations. Group norms: The rules of behavior that are part of the ideology of the group. Norms tend to reflect the values of the group and specify those actions that are proper and those that are inappropriate, as well as rewards for adherence and the punishment for conformity. Group decision-making behavior: As we noted, empowerment involves groups in decision-making. This can be having benefited where: i. Pooling skills, information and ideas. ii. Participation in the decision-making process makes the discussion acceptable of the group. Dysfunctional team: Dysfunctional is defined as â€Å"abnormal or unhealthy interpersonal behavior or interaction within a group†. Most definitions state that a team is dysfunctional when individuals strive to conform to the prevailing thought processes or decisions within the group, at the expense of feelings of individual responsibility or personal views. Cohesiveness: Cohesiveness is generally defined as â€Å"the resultant of all forces acting on all the members to remain in the group† (Cartwright, 1968, p. 91). Group cohesiveness is one of the essential concepts for understanding group dynamics (Zander, 1979) studied for its conceptual similarity with teamwork. P4. 3: Evaluate the impact of technology on team functioning within a given organization. Technology: Technology teams share a common goal: all members are dedicated to helping writing project site leadership meet local needs and priorities through the wise integration and implementation of technology. But while these tech teams generally have a similar purpose, the ways in which writing project sites have gone about establishing and using their technology teams are as nuanced as the sites themselves. Communication: One way to start developing a communications strategy is to look at the nature of the different kinds of work the team will be doing and what kind of communication is needed to support that work. There is a continuum which describes how individuals (or sub-groups) on the team are working from autonomously to interdependently. For example, there may be some tasks unique to a specific country which team members can do on their own without interacting with anyone else on the team. Other product-related projects may require more collaboration among team members in different parts of the region. Change: All these changes in organizations have changed how teams are formed and how they operate. Teams have changed: From fixed team membership all team members drawn from within the organization team members are dedicated 100% to the team team members are co-located organizationally and geographically teams have a fixed starting and ending point eams are managed by a single manager To shifting team membership team members can include people from outside the organization (clients, collaborators) most people are members of multiple teams team members are distributed organizationally and geographically teams form and reform continuously teams have multiple reporting relationships with different parts of the organizatio n at different times Network and virtual teams: The nature of teams has changed significantly because of changes in organizations and the nature of the work they do. Organizations have become more distributed across geography and across industries. Relationships between people inside an organization and those previously considered outside (customers, suppliers, managers of collaborating organizations, other stakeholders) are becoming more important. Organizations have discovered the value of collaborative work. There is a new emphasis on knowledge management – harvesting the learning of the experience of members of the organization so that it is available to the whole organization. Global and cross-culture teams: Cross-cultural training usually occurs as an integral component of training that's designed primarily to attain a broader objective. Two of GROVEWELL's Global Leadership Programs provide examples. †¢Influencing Colleagues across Organizational Units & Mindsets is primarily about influencing colleagues within global organizations, but is infused with the intercultural perspective. †¢Working Effectively on International Projects is primarily for the managers and staff of global projects; it, too, is infused with the intercultural perspective. Effective teamwork in Sainsbury: General theories of work design suggest that groups can humanize work with group tasks designed to create meaningful work. Team working is associated with higher job satisfaction according to job characteristics and participative management theories. The variety of tasks in teams encourages workers to learn and use different skills and rotate between jobs to reduce the boredom of repetitive work. This enables team members to share a sense of collective responsibility for work in their area and to develop the mix of skills necessary for effective work teams who share both identification with a common task and mutual beliefs. Teams also make possible employee participation in goal setting, thereby enhancing intrinsic motivation for team members. www. sainsburys. co. uk J Sainsbury plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2005 accessed through www. sainsburys. co. uk) Effective teamwork in Tesco: We treat people how we like to be treated. We want our people to enjoy working at Tesco. Our people do a great job each and every day by giving our customers the best possible shopping trip. By creating an open e nvironment of trust and respect, our people feel supported, they share their knowledge and experience and work hard to give our customers great service. We support our people, trusting in their ability to deliver while helping them to reach their full potential. We encourage our people to learn on the job and take responsibility from day one. Giving our people an opportunity to get on in their careers is very important. With the increasing breadth of the Tesco business, our people have a great opportunity to develop their skills and experience across new product areas, services and countries. Every year, we build our plans for the year around our People Promises. We want all of our people across all of our markets to: †¢ be treated with respect; †¢ have an opportunity to get on; †¢ have a manager who helps them; and †¢ have an interesting job. It’s through our People Promises and our benefits package that we are proud to say that our people stay with us for a long time. Around half of our Director population has at least 12 years’ service. Effective teamwork in Asda: Asda changes Norman outlines – in the way people work together and communicate with each other – are more complex. The company's goal is to become a genuine leader in fresh foods and clothing – making the George brand a ‘real brand', second in the UK to Marks & Spencer's St Michael – and also to create an ‘organization which is the preferred place to work', offering customer service ‘with a personality derived from the heart of the company'. One change has, accordingly, been in the approach to recruitment, which now aims to seek out people for the stores who really do want to serve the customers and who genuinely like selling. There is no point, he remarks, in employing people who won't like the ‘Asda Way of Working'. This is the name given to the new approach, intended to transform the old culture, which had grown autocratic and slow-moving, to one where all members of Asda feel involved in improving the business – the equivalent, within the context of a corporation, of market-stallholders, who run their own show, and who engage actively with their customers. (http://www. managementtoday. co. uk/news/410110/UK-ASDAS-OPEN-PLAN Bibliography: Reference: 1. HNC, HND BTEC Business Course Book, Organization behavior, Unit-3, first edition September 2000, publishing BPP, ISBN 0 7517 70337.

Lobbying Essay

Lobbying is a pathway of action, a way for citizens to influence government, that is essential for to be able to use, but is dangerous when lobbyists push for ideas that are from a minority instead of the majority. Lobbyists are those who attempt to persuade or influence the opinion of the actions of government through sharing information, persuasion, and political pressure via telephone, email, letters, and voicing your opinions directly to your representatives (Congressmen, city council members, senators). Lobbyists also lobby through offering financial aid for their re-election. Lobbyists lobby their representatives usually because they have a closer connection with and were elected by them and other members of their community. Social lobbying is creating a relationship with your representatives through inviting them dinners and trips in order to discuss issues that they are passionate about. Reasons for lobby are usually Lobbying is beneficial to bringing change faster than the other pathways of action, for lobbyists are directly influencing their representatives. Lobbyists benefit government through giving public opinion to issues and through upholding the desires of the people Federal and State Government officials do no just come up with ideas for laws on the spot by themselves; they obtain ideas for laws through the ideas and concerns of the people in order to keep them happy, for the main goal of any political official is re-election. It is required to register as a lobbyist in Texas after 5 days of lobbying and that has contacted any legislature for the purpose of persuasion along with receiving $1000 in compensation or $500 quad-annually. Lobbying benefits government because it is a pathway of action that the citizens of the country can take for the purpose of influencing government, but it can also corrupt government through lobbying the interests of minorities instead of the majority. The creation of the relationships through social lobbying can put a leash on legislatures, and cause these legislatures to be act on the will of the min ority group.

The Manager as a Critical Thinker Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Manager as a Critical Thinker - Case Study Example By doing so, author aims to broaden the level of critical thinking as well as communication skills. There is one basic issue which is being discussed in this memo which is basically the outsourcing of the information systems of the State's department of transport. Apart from the main issue, other issues which are discussed include lowering wages, jobs lost by the workers, giving access of information systems to third parties, as well as supporting in next elections if the idea of outsourcing the existing systems is opposed at the appropriate level. While concluding, Glenn, Barbara, outlined that the proposal for outsourcing is not only against the interests of the current employees, but it is also against the State and shall be abandoned in order to save the jobs of many who may be rendered jobless due to relocation of their jobs as well as of their job skills may become obsolete. There are different reasons which are being cited as potential harms of the process of privatizing the information systems. While discussing such impacts, memo discusses following reasons for opposing the move by Governor to outsource the Information systems: 3. By dispersing employees to new locations for jobs, not only their skills will become inferior, but they may find it difficult to cope with the change. Such employees who are nearing their superannuation may find it extremely difficult to learn new skills therefore may be shown the door due to lack of skills and competencies. 4. The proposed outsourcing of the job therefore would result into the job losses for many of the employees as it has historically been witnessed that management hardly keep its promises. What words or phrases are ambiguous The memo contains following ambiguous words and phrases: 1. To outsource and privatize: Outsourcing is not privatization. It seems that the author of the memo failed to clearly distinguish between the two concepts. 2. Executive branch of government: It is ambiguous as to how those employees who are working in a purely technical job can work at an executive branch of the government. From this perspective, it may be inferred that the government may finally lay them off. 3. Proposed privatization is an assault on our union: Again this seems to be a misconception as unions successfully exist into private organizations also. 4. Anti-American: The assumption that outsourcing or privatization is anti-American may be ambiguous because America is probably the only country in the world which strongly advocates free market economies. 5. Foreign agents will bid for this privatization contract: It is not necessary that outsourcing process can only be given to foreign contractors. Local contractors can too offer such services. 6. According to the online website Wikipedia: Wikipedia may not be considered as a reliable source of information. 7. You rebut the governor's proposal: The phrase may be indicating a partial and biased opinion of author towards Governor. What are the value conflicts and

Information Security Program Survey Research Paper - 1

Information Security Program Survey - Research Paper Example In protecting its information data, the department involves five offices in its organization to effectively secure data in their possession. These offices are the chief technology officer’s council, the chief information officer’s council, the chief information security officer’s workgroup, and the enterprises architecture workgroup. This paper seeks to analyze information security concepts in relation to the roles of the Chief Information Officers Council (HHS.gov, 2012). Information security programs protect the information the organization gathers, creates, processes, transmits and stores. One of the information security programs the organization applies is the use of computerized system to store sensitive information pertaining to personal employee information, various departments financial and management operations, information pertaining to the medical records of millions of American seeking financial aid through the various insurance programs it operates, such as medicare (HHS.gov, 2012). Computerized system of storing and disseminating data is vulnerable to unwarranted entry and hackers from the cyber space. This has an effect of loss of data, and availability of sensitive and highly confidential information to unwarranted recipients. To protect against these risks, the United States congress, in 2002 passed a legislature requiring all Federal institutions to initiate security measures, aimed at protecting their information systems. The statute is referred to as Federal Information Security Management Act, of 2002. In response to this act, the department of Health and Human Services formed the department of the Chief Information Officer (HHS OCIO), whose role is to advice the secretary, and his assistant on all issues pertaining to information security that pertain to the achievement of the organizations goals (HHS.gov, 2012). The office of OCIO develops programs that protect the

Electronic Displays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Electronic Displays - Essay Example Electronic paper is a more recent electronic display technology (Facchetti and Marks 2010, p213). Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) CRT is a vacuum tube that uses a hot filament to produce electrostatic, magnetic fields, and thermo-electrons to â€Å"focus the electrons into a beam attracted to the high voltage anode which is the phosphor emit luminous radiation† (Maxim Integrated Products 2002, p1). Color CRTs generally utilize three electron sources or guns to target blue, green, and red phosphor prototypes to the screen. Electro-Luminescent Display (ELD) EL display is a solid-state display that uses phosphor to discharge light or a beam in the presence of an electric field. Phosphors utilized are generally green or yellow-orange (Maxim Integrated Products 2002, p1). Flip-Dot Display Each pixel is composed of a hinged disk. The disk is characterized by a reflective or a fluorescent (lit) on one side and a matt black on the other side (unlit). Various methods are used to flip the disk. One technique balances the disk around the electromagnetic soft iron framework. The winding is strengthened to attract the disk towards either of the sides. The remanent magnetism grasps the position and thus, only a small amount of energy (power pulse) is needed to flip the pixel. Incandescent Display (Light Bulb) A tungsten filament (which is coated) is run white hot in the vacuum. The filament generates both infrared (heat) and visible light. Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) LCD utilizes the liquid crystals properties in an electric field to direct light from the opposite polarized back and front display plates. The liquid crystal functions as a helical director to direct the light or beam through 90 degrees from one plate to the other plate. It is important to note that the liquid crystal acts as a director only when the driver gives the correct electric field (Maxim Integrated Products 2002, p2). Light Emitting Diode (LED) LED is a photon generating semiconductor, which generates l ight due to the effect of injection electroluminescence. The emitted light wavelength varies primarily because of the semiconductor material chosen and it is generally in infrared or a visible spectrum. Organic LEDs (OLED) Polymer LEDs (PLED) These forms of display utilize organic electroluminescent materials placed on flexible or a glass substrate. OLEDs are devices dependent on small organic polymer molecules and PLEDs are devices based on the large organic polymer molecules. Light is emitted through injection electroluminescence just like LEDs. The â€Å"choice of organic material sets the emission color OLED pixels are capacitive (tens to hundreds of pictofarads) leading to significant switching losses for large displays with high multiplex ratios† (Maxim Integrated Products 2002, p3). Glow Discharge (Plasma) Indicators (Nixie) Inert gas within a tube (the tube is composed of two electrodes under high voltage) is ionized permitting current to emerge around the cathode. Wh en the tube is driven from an alternating current (AC) source such as a neon indicator, the glow discharge emerges from both electrodes. Sophisticated displays utilize either multiple cathodes designed as complete numerals (each lit at a time) or segments (a character

What impact has the evolution of social media had on our society in Essay

What impact has the evolution of social media had on our society in regards to the products we buy and how we receive information - Essay Example These impacts are in regard to the products bought and how information is received.Consequently, it will discuss the influence that social media has on the decisions that people make. The elements of social media are digital objects. They vary in sizes and are of different types. Twitter post also known as tweets have a limitation of up to 40 characters, while email messages are only a few lines of a few paragraphs in length. The variation in sizes causes dramatic patterns of interaction.MediaWiki, gives support to six levels of headers and automatically generates a table of contents, easing the creation of large pages. Social media have developed around a significant kind of a digital object. These objects include You Tube videos, Flickr photos, bookmarks at delicious, books on Amazon, music or podcast at iTunes, TV shows at Hulu, and people at facebook.Tweet at twitter, messages at discussion forums or email lists, pages at Wikipedia, products at eBay, presentations at Slide Share, 3D objects in Second life, and career professionals at LinkedIn are also some of the digital objects (Hansen, Shneiderman and Smith 15). Social media provide avenues for people to take part in presenting their identity themselves (Al-deen and Hendricks 4).There is a great difference between online social interactions and one on one interaction in offline social networks. They offer avenues for expressing minimal restrictions. Those, that use online social networks, can give their views and ideas quite freely than in conversing one on one. The internet has improved buying and purchase power and reduced costs, reduced the barriers to enter markets, increased competition on a globally and reduced intermediation. The Internet has made every company regardless of its location easy to enter the competitive market. The internet has made it easy and less costly to advertise and for various firms to connect with their suppliers and customers (Muller 2).Users go to social media to

2.Housing association governance puts the interests of the Essay

2.Housing association governance puts the interests of the organisation above those of residents. Discuss - Essay Example is community boasts that they have moved ahead of government by being able to enforce these restrictions through the contracts signed by the homeowners that in the public sector might run afoul of constitutional restrictions and statutory limitations. This particular circumstance underscores a dimension in housing associations – whether its administration puts the interests of the organisation above those of its residents. The very name, housing association, is misleading. Housing associations or homeowners associations are often not association in the sense of an expression of organisc life as the center of communal perceptions and common activities, nor, in many cases, are they controlled by homeowners. Nathaniel Gates (1997) argued that the inhabitants of these communities, drawn from many different backgrounds, often have little in common, and the developer nearly absolute control over the community. (p. 253) In a way, housing associations became some sort of private governments that could one day overshadow cities in significance. The rules of the housing associations, no less than cities, define political spheres. An association, like any community with the power to preserve and perpetuate itself, is coercive. This paper will argue that because of this fact, it must assert its own interests against the interests both of outsiders and, at times, of some of its own members. The basic idea for a home association with common ownership and upkeep of open space started with Leicester Square in London in 1734, which was governed by restrictive covenants. The legal concept was exported to the New World when in 1831, Samuel Ruggles drained a swamp in New York City and built a block of homes around a park. This community was called the Gramercy Park and it consisted an eight-foot high fence. Each resident had a key to a gate in the fence for access. The residents held title to the park in trust. These gated or so-called garden communities did not really become

Building an Innovation Strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Building an Innovation Strategy - Assignment Example This theory clearly states that there are stages of adoption of innovation, which starts with awareness, followed by interest, evaluation, trial, and finally adoption (Rogers, 2010). Rogers also suggested that there are factors affecting diffusion of innovation. These include innovativeness, risk-taking and age, resistance to change, innovative attitudes and values (Rogers, 2010). In other words, innovation cannot easily be gained, because it is affected by some individual or personal characteristics (Rogers, 2010). If personal characteristics are directed towards the same goal that will lead to the successful implementation of innovation, then at some point, Rogers’ idea will guarantee us of the achievement of innovativeness linked to risk-taking behavior and age, and the level of resistance to change, and innovative attitudes and values. In reality, the level of innovativeness of every individual varies. There are individuals who are earlier in adopting an innovation compare d to the other members within the entire social systems. Based on the idea of Rogers, this variation will be a remarkable barrier to successful implementation of innovation, because not everyone will have to hold on to the same level of innovativeness. Innovativeness simply is about opportunity at some point or to which it is being presented first. However, not all individuals have the same level of risk-taking behaviors and even age. According to Roger, this factor will have to matter because older managers are less likely to take risks as empirically observed. Even people are also hesitant to accept transition, such as acceptance of new technology as the effect. This is a remarkable manifestation of the individual’s nature to resist change. Finally, there are situations that influenced people attitudes or values because of certain situations. According to Rogers, these are remarkable factors that will influence the level of innovation that will take place in an organization . However, contrary to the idea of Rogers, Joseph Schumpeter argued that innovation can be seen as â€Å"creative destruction† waves allowing it to restructure the entire market for the advantage of those who are able to grasp discontinuities faster (McCraw, 2009). In other words, this theory establishes the point that capitalists have continued enhancement of the existing structure, by administering it, but this can only possibly bring the idea of the cycle between creation and destruction. There is therefore a cycle of things concerning innovation if one will take into account the idea of Schumpeter. This may therefore place some certain firms in â€Å"Open Innovation† by which there is a dominant element of becoming flexible in the use of several business models (Hafkesbrink, Hoppe and Schlichter, 2010). The above concepts and theories closely illustrate the success factors for people and innovation. Next to this point is concerning the organisation design models th at drive innovation. Any effective organizational design models that exist at present are good at aligning business strategies and objectives to guarantee that resources are efficiently

Risk Management Paper Essay Example for Free

Risk Management Paper Essay 1. Individual Risks: Stress, No Family Time, Loss of Control. 2. Business Risks: Instability, Ineffective Management, Financial Loss. 3. Focused Risks: Unknown Markets, Aggressive Competitors, Unfamiliar Terrain. Business development brings weights to a framework that might not have had room schedule-wise/experience to get intended up for expanded generation or administrations. New timings of payables/receivables may make monetary strain. Clients may feel underserved. Workers may be uneasy about all the progressions. Developing is the following enormous test for an entrepreneur its energizing and new. That part is well known. Pushing your current item into new markets, or new items into existing markets will be new and may have unanticipated results. Additionally as you push up against greater contenders, dont be amazed in the event that they battle back! Ponder outsourcing, acquiring makeshift official insightful in development, preparing your staff in new innovation/approach or beginning another organization with new value, as opposed to existing cash flow. Quantitative Risk Analysis is the methodology for numerically breaking down the impact on general venture objectivities of distinguished dangers (comp. Pmbok3, p. 237). On the base of the after-effects of the Qualitative Risk Analysis the Quantitative Risk Analysis is performed on dangers that have been prioritized and analysis’s the impacts of those dangers occasions and assigns a numerical rating to those dangers. As opposed to evaluating the single effects by utilizing a crude typology as a part of the procedure of Quantitative Risk Analysis the effects to the entire undertaking will be made processable and will be processed for creating a more expounded aggregate positioning. Information social event and representation methods like Talking with and registering the likelihood appropriations on the base of master judgment Quantitative risk analysis and displaying systems like:- Affectability investigation which comes about for instance may be spoken to by the tornado graph Expected monetary esteem dissection (EVM) which is a factual idea that ascertains the normal result when the future incorporates situations that could possibly happen. Opportunities are certain qualities,  dangers as negative. Choice tree dissection is typically organized utilizing a choice tree graph that portrays a situation under contemplations, and the ramifications of every accessible decisions and conceivable situations Risk management plan To manage risk, follow the following steps:- Make Risk Management Part of Your Project Recognize Risks Early in Your Project Convey About Risks Consider Both Threats and Opportunities Clear up Ownership Issues Prioritize Risks Break down Risks Register Project Risks Risk response plan Actualizing a danger reaction is the movement that really increases the value of your task. You keep a risk happening or minimize negative impacts. Execution is key here. Alternate standards have helped you to guide, prioritize and comprehend dangers. This will help you to make a sound danger reaction arrange that concentrates on the enormous wins. On the off chance that you manage dangers you fundamentally have three alternatives, hazard shirking, danger minimisation and danger acknowledgement. Maintaining a strategic distance from dangers implies you compose your undertaking in such a path, to the point that you dont experience a danger any longer. This could mean changing supplier or receiving an alternate engineering or, in the event that you manage a deadly hazard, ending a task. Using more cash on a bound undertaking is a terrible speculation. The greatest classification of responses is the ones to minimize dangers. You can attempt to keep a danger happening by affecting the reasons or diminishing the negative impacts that could come about. In the event that you have done tenet 7 appropriately (chance investigation) you will have a lot of chances to impact it. A last reaction is to acknowledge a danger. This is a decent decision if the consequences for the undertaking are negligible or the conceivable outcomes to impact it end up being extremely troublesome, time  intensive or generally costly. Simply verify that it is a cognizant decision to acknowledge a certain danger. Reactions for danger opportunities are the converse of the ones for dangers. They will concentrate on looking for dangers, boosting them or disregarding them (if opportunities turn out to be excessively little). Scheduling The planning technique comprised of four (4) stages. The initial three (3) stages are performed under the supervision of the undertaking group and the fourth stage is performed by the site designer to detail the work prerequisites of exercises. The principal stage begins by welcoming topic masters speaking to distinctive exchanges, for example, structural lives up to expectations, electrical, mechanical, and so on. The masters precisely surveyed the errands identified with their zone of mastery and separate them into exercises and sub exercises that might be effectively overseen. They additionally recognize the required assets, and focus the obliged length of time for every movement focused around standard benefit record, and outline the conditions of those exercises. When the work of the Smes is finished, they meet with the scheduler and assessing and arranging chiefs to draw up the starting calendar, expecting boundless assets. At the second stage, the undertaking group surveys the draft plan and chooses either to acknowledge it, or if the calendar is not agreeable, they may add more assets to decrease the length of time of the task. The third stage will begin if the group is still not fulfilled by the result of the second stage. This may include changing the development routines and/or slamming some discriminating exercises that oblige very talented/exceedingly paid work. Once the last timetable is created, it is given to the site specialist or foreman who will set up the fourth stage plan that exhibits a fleeting itemized action plan that is utilized by laborers to perform their allocated errands. To handle those four stages, they utilizes PRIMAVERA or MS Projects programming, the last programming is utilized when there is a need to interface with different projects. These projects are composed after the principals of the Critical Path Method (CPM). This method is a powerful approach that helps utilize it s assets proficiently and utilize its labour in the best way. Controlling It takes after a decently sorted out framework for controlling their ventures with respect to the two paramount variables, to be specific, time and expense. The control procedure was separated into two sub processes: 1) the observing methodology and 2) the redesigning procedure. Both these methods are legislated by various parameters, as depicted beneath. Checking The primary methodology of controlling undertaking development is checking. This procedure is directed to distinguish any deviations from the first arrange. The site specialist gives a day by day status write about site exercises. This report screens the acquisition prepare alongside the particular development movement. The obtainment observing procedure includes production of material orders, submitting of procurement requests, and conveyance of materials to the worksite. This methodology was emulated as an intends to encourage fractional advancement instalment all through the development process. Amid the real development transform, the Earned Value Analysis methodology is executed with a specific end goal to assess the general status of the venture as far as time and plan. Risk Reassessment The statement reassessment is something that you wouldve heard regularly in genuine living. The significance of Risk Reassessment is in the same lines as the exacting importance/reason for the statement and concentrates on Risks particularly. There are three parts of Risk Reassessment that you must recollect for the RMP Exam. They are: 1. Recognizing New Risks 2. Shutting Risks that are no more relevant 3. Keeping tab on existing dangers to evaluate if any further activity is needed Risk Audits Risk Audits is an alternate apparatus and strategy that we use amid the screen and control dangers process. It is additionally piece of the general procedure change of the undertaking. Risk Audits are concerned with: †¢ Measuring the adequacy of the danger reactions †¢ Measuring the adequacy of the danger administration forms in the task When we perform Risk Audits, we analyze the danger reactions (that were actualized) to figure out whether they were powerful in taking care of the dangers and their underlying drivers. The yield of this review is constantly recorded. Thus, we can additionally review and gage the viability of the danger administration forms in the task all in all as well. The thought behind these sorts of exercises is to be more proactive than be touchy. We are always attempting to refine and enhance our procedures and effectiveness and this danger review can enormously help the danger administration polishes in the venture as well as the entire association too (If we legitimately catch the consequences of our reviews and make lessons learned documents). References:- NASA (2001). NASA NPR 9501.2D. May 23, 2001. Electronic Industries Alliance Standard Systems Engineering Capability Model EIA-731.1 Hagan, Gregory T., Effective Work Breakdown Structures, pp7-8 Barkley, B. T. (2006). Integrated Project Management (1st Ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional.

Ethnic literature Essay Example for Free

Ethnic literature Essay The definition of ethnic literature â€Å"is literature like any other, except that it contains ethnic references. † (Reilly p. 2). Another definition of ethnic literature is when there is a literature work that contain religious beliefs, racial issues, linguistics, or cultural heritage. In another word, ethnic literature is the literary work that includes particular culture, beliefs, or linguistics distinction. Postcolonial literary theory draws attention in the issue of cultural difference emerging in the society. One of the issues which may often appear during the class discussion is hybridity. It seems that people who have been faced by the fact that they are living in a ‘hybrid world’ tend to be confused by their real status. They realize for their interest, but they can not avoid the possibility becoming ‘in between’. Although , they are included into one part, the native part, but on the other hand they can not deny the deep feeling to be pleasant considering themselves different with the other. There is a kind of more value they have compared with their surround, and they think it is worthy to be kept. Of course, this feeling comes into their mind by some reasons. There must be an additional value added into their original culture. The additional value may be in the form of a new ideology, belief or view which are brought by the dominating. The dominated rarely conscious with the impact. They usually only feel that it is a natural process which become the impact of daily social interaction they are engaged in. Another issue which emerges in postcolonial discussion is about dominated-dominating one. We can not expect who actually take the role as ‘dominating’ or ‘dominated’. The practice may turn over, the dominated may become the dominating in the same time toward different object, vice versa. We are also introduced by ‘Otherness’ theory. It makes someone consider that she or he are different from the other, and other people is not the same with her or him. Gadis Tangsi tells a story about a girl life, namely Teyi. She is a Javanese girl who grew up in the Javanese tradition. She lives with his parents and sibling in tangsi area. She was taught to become an obedient girl by her mother with many limitations as a girl. She helps her mother to sell fried bananas every day. Teyi finds herself limited by some rules which are considered as the right rules for her mother. She even does not know how ‘love’ or how to be ‘loved’ by a man. She was taught to be a polite woman. She finally finds who she is when she is introduced to Putri Parasi by Ndara Tuan Kapten Sarjubehi who has helped her. That is the beginning of her new experience to recognize a new world, the world that she has never imagined before. Putri Parasi teaches her everything to be ‘a good lady’. Putri Parasi likes Teyi for her politeness. She more likes Teyi after being saved when her disease comes immediately. Putri Parasi expects to teach her how to behave well. She even teaches Teyi to speak Dutch. Teyi starts to be able to read and write. Putri Parasi really wants to prepare her to be taken to Surakarta Keraton and introduced her to a man who will be married with her. She plans to make Teyi deserve to have a husband from Keraton families. In the novel Gadis Tangsi written by Suparto Brata, we can see some unexpected phenomenon occur. It makes me realize that actually there are still many things covered even by what Javanese people considered as ‘budaya adiluhung’. The word ‘politeness’, ‘hospitality’ and ‘dignity’ which come into people mind when they heard about Javanese culture become blur after they read this novel. Javanese woman who is considered as an obedient woman and become a mercy for whom takes her as a wife may be surprised by what Suparto tells about Teyi and Dumilah. He brings them in this novel as representative of Javanese woman character, in different point of view. However, the story about them, for me, is far from the stereotype of common Javanese women (may be just a few). The feeling of ‘in between’ seem to be experienced by Teyi. She starts to know about how the way the higher status people behave since she meets Putri Parasi. Teyi realizes that her life style is quite different from her, and she is glad when she knows that Putri Parasi does not mind introducing this new culture to her. From this intentional interaction, after she is taught how to behave like ‘putri bangsawan’, Teyi starts to consider she has a chance to be the same with them. Even she lives with her parents, she starts to consider that she is better than them. She has been raised from the lower part. She has more power than the people in the house. The very obvious impact of this teaching actually appears when Teyi has been left by Putri Parasi. After she passed away, Teyi become independent from the influence of Putri Parasi. Although, there are still some traces of her teaching inside Teyi which reflect in the way she behaves. She seems take the dominating position over her husband, Sapardal. Sapardal feeling about his lower position when they have been married becomes the cause of the divorce. Only two days of marriage, and Teyi considers that she has a right to sue divorce, while Sapardal can only keep silent without any comment. In this relationship, Sapardal as a man who actually considered as ‘the dominating’ take the role as ‘the dominated’. He does not feel on the same level with Teyi. He admits that he has no power compared to Teyi. He even has no courage to touch her in their first night of marriage. Here, we can see the role between man and woman has shifted. Brata seems to show us that the role of people in the society is like running on the moving wheel. The dominating and dominated are only a symbol of someone position, which also can be shifted based on where we are standing. Sapardal may fail in maintaining his position as superior in front of Teyi. The cultural change also appears in this novel. Sexual intercourse is not considered as a sacral any longer for almost all the women in this novel. During my reading, I wonder if I read Indonesian culture literary work, especially belong to Javanese one. However, Brata wrote the novel using the Indonesian condition in the past, in the colonial occupation. In this situation, it is not easy to determine which one who still hold the original value since the influence of other ideology come into the life in that simple way. The force of a new ideology input is not directly felt in this novel. The indigenous people enjoy the acculturation between the dominated and the dominating. It also happens in the shifting of the way they see sexual intercourse actually is. What we call as a taboo becomes commonly conducted by the people. Teyi is defined as a free woman, even she has been married and becomes a wife of Sapardal, and she breaks the rule by having intercourse with Ndara Tuan Kapten Sarjubehi. It seems that she wants to take a revenge to Dumilah who is considered had cheated her by having romantic affair with her master. Sapardal can not do anything. He has failed to become a good husband. This thinking is from his own side. When we look at this phenomenon, again, Teyi proves that she has had a power over a man from her own society. She starts to have a right to consider a man like Sapardal is not at the same level with her. However, in my opinion it will not happen if Sapardal never has the way of thinking. Actually, he has thought that she is great and different from the other woman in his environment before they are married. That makes he has no courage to touch her at their first night. It also makes Teyi feels not being regarding or respecting as a wife. She thinks that Sapardal has no desire toward her, and she thinks that it is better to ask divorce. What a short way of thinking! I found that Teyi has put a wrong way of thinking about what Putri Parasi had taught to her. It seems that she does not consider marriage as a sacral relationship any longer. ‘Love’ relationship has been considered as a ‘real’ relationship when we have passion to have sex with our couple. Is that so simple? That is the way Teyi think about love basically. It is shown also when she does not mind to have sex with her ex-master, Ndara Tuan Kapten Sarjubehi, and then she starts to love someone else, Ndara Mas Kus. There is no any guilty feeling. Finally, we can conclude that there are three aspect of postcolonial reading for Gadis Tangsi has been discussed above. First, hybridity appears when Teyi finds herself has involved and being a part of Putri Parasi’s society, Keraton environment since she has been able to behave and speak like her, so she considers that she is a part of Putri community. While she has that feeling, she still can not avoid other people consideration about her who is only becoming a servant and will not become like them. Second, dominating feeling toward Sapardal comes into her mind. There is dominating-dominated in shifting model between them. It seems a denial for a man who usually considered as the dominating one, while Teyi proves that it can be shifted. Last, ‘Otherness’ theory also emerges in this novel. After having taught to have attitude and behave like Putri Parasi model, Teyi finally considers herself different with other woman in her society. It appears in the way she treats Dumilah who is her old friend. She thinks that Dumilah has no right to become ‘a munci’ of Ndara Tuan Kapten Sarjubehi because she is not at the same level with her or Ndara. Reference Ashcroft, Bill, et. al. 1946. The Empire Writes Back. London : Routledge Barry, Peter. 1824. Beginning Theory. Manchester : Manchester University Press Brata, Suparto. 2004. Gadis Tangsi. Jakarta : Kompas Reilly, John. 1978. Critical Approaches to Ethnic Literature. London : Oxford University Press

Impact of Shock on the Body

Impact of Shock on the Body Steve Powell It is important to understand by what is meant by shock. Shock in a physiological is a life threatening condition, and must be taken lightly. Shock as a definition is: â€Å"failure of the circulatory system to maintain adequate perfusion of vital organs†. (1) Mitch Taylor. (2010). Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome Available: http://acls4u.homestead.com/MultOrganDysfunctionSyndromeVoiceOver.pdf. Last accessed 01/06/2014 Shock comes used to be classified as separate types: Cardiogenic Hypovolaemic Anaphylactic Neurogenic Toxic Recently this has been condensed in three types: Cardiogenic Hypovolaemic Distributive The definitions of these types of shock are: Cardiogenic –pump failure resulting in the blood cannot get to where it’s supposed to go i.e. the tissues, hence a low cardiac output. Hypovolaemic –a low volume of blood in the body as a result of major trauma or massive haemorrhage Distributive (Vasogenic) –this type of shock relates to changes in the body’s blood vessels, vascular changes, as a result of Anaphylactic, Neurogenic or toxic insult on the body.(2) Mitch Taylor. (2010). Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome Available: http://acls4u.homestead.com/MultOrganDysfunctionSyndromeVoiceOver.pdf. Last accessed 01/06/2014 In Cardiogenic shock we have ascertained that it is down to pump failure and the bodies in ability to circulate adequate blood around the body to meet its metabolic needs. We have seen that it can be caused by a low cardiac output that is caused by, massive haemorrhage trough trauma or pathophysiological reason (dissected aortic aneurysm). It can also be caused by: a myocardial infarction (heart attack), dysrhythmias, and heart failure. A second cause is obstruction to the pump flow, that is to say conditions such as: valve dysfunction, pulmonary embolism, and tamponade (pericardial effusion that effects the normal action of the heart in pumping). Question 1 cont†¦. Hypovolaemic shock as the name suggests is â€Å"low volume†, causes range from massive haemorrhage through trauma or pathophysiological reasons (triple A). Burns victims are at particular risk as it affects these types of patients at a cellular level, the loss of fluid out of vascular spaces. Technically shock in burns victims a combination of distributive and hypovolaemic shock. In as much as it is seen as volume depletion within the intravascular system, lowered pulmonary artery pressure and an elevated systemic resistance, resulting in a low cardiac output. The low cardiac output is a direct result of an increased after load, a reduced contractility, and a lowered level of plasma volume. (3) Barbara A. Latenser, MD, FACS. (2009). Critical care of the burn patient: The first 48 hours Society of critical and medicine. 37 (10), p2819-p2826 Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome or MODS as it’s also known is a condition where two or more of the body’s systems have failed. MODS can be described as a â€Å"systemic activation of an adaptive host stress response to a catastrophic event†. (4) Sat Sharma and Gregg Eschun (2008) Hypotension and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome Journal of Organ Dysfunction 4 (1), p130-p144 Once a state of prolonged shock has been induced an over the top bodily response takes place. This is known as a â€Å"systemic inflammatory response†. Once this stage has started, the body releases inflammatory mediators that are intrinsic to the pathogenesis of SIRS (systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Where sepsis is not a key trigger, hypotension through hypovolaemic will contribute to the onset of SIRS and eventually MODS. The combination of these three conditions, Sepsis, SIRS, and MODS, combine conditions that have a massive impact on haemodynamic abnormalities, coagulation problems, and systemic issues.(5) Sat Sharma and Gregg Eschun (2008) Hypotension and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome Journal of Organ Dysfunction 4 (1), p130-p144 Any insult to the body and normal function (haemostasis) will initiate a cycle of metabolic chaos that includes an increase for oxygen versus an inadequate supply at a molecular level. Question 1 cont Inadequate blood supply to the tissues and cells in hypovolaemic shock and associated hypotension is the key to MODS in this instance. (6) Mitch Taylor. (2010). Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome Available: http://acls4u.homestead.com/MultOrganDysfunctionSyndromeVoiceOver.pdf. Last accessed 01/06/2014 What we can say about the timeline for MODS is: The event that starts the cascade off, infection, hypoxia, trauma, in our case hypovolaemic shock via traumatic infarct trauma. Increase in levels of cytokines (immune system signalling cells). Leads to a release of ELAM and ICAM that induce leukocyte adhesion. This in turn triggers a multiple release of chemicals and compounds resulting in endothelial damage Resulting oedema eventually leading to organ dysfunction. Word count 611 References Mitch Taylor. (2010). Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome Available: http://acls4u.homestead.com/MultOrganDysfunctionSyndromeVoiceOver.pdf. Last accessed 01/06/2014 Mitch Taylor. (2010). Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome Available: http://acls4u.homestead.com/MultOrganDysfunctionSyndromeVoiceOver.pdf. Last accessed 01/06/2014 Barbara A. Latenser, MD, FACS. (2009). Critical care of the burn patient: The first 48 hours Society of critical and medicine. 37 (10), p2819-p2826 Sat Sharma and Gregg Eschun (2008) Hypotension and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome Journal of Organ Dysfunction 4 (1), p130-p144 Sat Sharma and Gregg Eschun (2008) Hypotension and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome Journal of Organ Dysfunction 4 (1), p130-p144 Mitch Taylor. (2010). Multi-Organ Dysfunction Syndrome Available: http://acls4u.homestead.com/MultOrganDysfunctionSyndromeVoiceOver.pdf. Last accessed 01/06/2014 Reflection As far as a reflective piece of work goes, I find myself having to reflect on skills that I learnt 10 years ago and have been employing on a regular basis. Although reflection should take place on a regular basis, it is never too late to reflect on things. Even though the skills were learnt 10 years ago there is 10 years scope to develop bad habits if not identified and rectified. The four skills in question inspection, auscultation, percussion, and palpation form part of the primary and secondary surveys for healthcare professionals worldwide. The initial primary survey should take seconds. I can remember when I first started doing patient inspections/assessments, it would be very text book orientated, not a bad thing you would have thought. However when you’ve exhausted all the text book questions you suddenly come to stand still and there is a period of silence then between yourself and the patient and sometimes the relatives. What I started to do, on the advice of a colleague, was, as i approached the patient I would assess their â€Å"colour posture and behaviour†. These three things would give me an idea of the state of the patient. If the patient answered the door and looked well and was ambulatory (as happens) then I would be off to a fairly good start. The patient had spoken to me (airway was clear); they looked well perfused and were mobile, no obvious life threatening conditions. If for instance the patient answered the door and was pale, sweaty, breathless and complained of chest pain then that would put a completely different slant on the primary survey. The patient would then have to be sat down immediately and further cardiac assessment undertaken. So by employing this little method (colour, posture, and behaviour) I was able, at a glance to do a quick assessment of the patient. Other aspects, such as scene safety etc†¦. soon became second nature as was the ability to do rapid risk assessments at the scene’s of RTC’s and other scene’s where there may be hazardous. There is a lot to take into consideration when carrying out an assessment, it is however a rolling concept where you question as you asses or treat. For non life threatening conditions then there no need to rush and miss your history taking, if you stick to the AMPLE model of: Allergies Medicine Past medical history Last meal/oral intake Events that lead to calling 999. These questions are limited and can take 1-2 minutes to ask and be answered. This is where you can expand on the history take and delve further in to the patient’s medical, social, familial history. When I first qualified I was encouraged by work colleagues to use all my extended skills. The auscultation side of the assessment was a little difficult at first because I just didn’t know what I was listening for; it wasn’t long before we started getting quite a few patients with respiratory problems. This enabled me to match the condition with what I was listening to. I remember also listening to chest sounds on the internet, a useful exercise, but not like the real thing. One thing that stick s out, and is still relevant o this day, is that its well and good listening to chest sounds on the computer and in the back of a relatively quiet ambulance, that it is at the side of a road with traffic rushing by and the sound of the fire services generators going at full tilt. Auscultation is a tool that I use frequently in my patient assessment. The percussion side of my assessment, I have to be honest and say that I do it for respiratory cases and trauma cases, but not for every patient that I see. It’s probably an area where i could do with more practise if I’m being hypercritical. Would I know a hyper/hypo-resonant chest? I believe so, however if I were to do a SWOT analysis then this would probably be in my weak box. Palpation I tend to use a lot more, whether it is because I get far more abdominal calls than critical chest’s I don’t know. The fact remains that I use palpation far more than percussion. Palpation is an extremely useful tool in the ballpark when it comes to abdominal complaints. However what I have learnt about abdominal related problems over the years, is that, as well as not being in my scope of practise to diagnose and discharge (without referring to a gp first), more analytical tools are needed. Tools such a doctor, ultrasound and bloods to name (various other scans can be utilised at DGH). Looking back or reflecting over the past 10 years, I feel i took on board the training that I received both EMT and Paramedic, and have built on them to a point where I more than comfortable treating an 80 year old gentleman in his living room with chronic emphysema to a road traffic collision where it’s quite a challenging environment. I have however identified a possible weakness in my practise that I will be address at the soonest opportunity.