Scientific Management

Course: Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) Module: Principals of Management Title: Explain Scientific Management. Comment on the contribution of this approach to the development of management thought. What are its limitations? 33 Submission Date: 8th of March 2010 Word Count 2183 â€Å"The Principal object of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee† (Taylor, 1947) Introduction The Author will discuss Scientific Management under the following headings: Section 1 An explanation on Scientific Management. Section 2, The contribution of Scientific Management to the development of Management thought and Section 3 looks at the limitations of Scientific Management. What is Scientific Management? Bratton et al (2007: 355) defines scientific management as a process of systematically partitioning work into its smallest elements and standardising tasks to achieve maximum efficiency. The scientific management approach was developed at the end of the 19th Century; its father is commonly accepted to be Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1917) although some variations of the theory have been developed by Gantt and Gilbreth. The scientific management approach was set up to improve labour productivity by evaluating and setting up workflow practices. Taylor was Chief Engineer at the Midvale Steel Company his first-hand experience here led Taylor to recognise that labour productivity was largely inefficient due to a workforce that functioned by â€Å"rules of thumb† methods. In 1898 Taylor was employed as a consultant by the Bethlehem Steel works Company, where he applied his principles of scientific management through evaluating work in a scientific manner. Taylor gained this information with his â€Å"Time and Motion Study†, as Dale explains, Taylor employed a young man to analyse all the operations and the motions performed in each and to time the motions with a stopwatch. From knowing how long it took actually to perform each of the elements in each job, it would be possible †¦ To determine a really â€Å"fair days work†. (Dale 1963, p155) Taylor’s experience at Bethlehem Steel led him to develop four principals of management. The first being substitute rule of thumb work processes with processes based on a scientific study of the tasks. Taylor broke down each part of the production process into individual tasks to accomplish task specialisation. Taylor also used time and motion studies to establish the most proficient technique for performing each work task and giving rest periods. Secondly, managers should select, train, teach and develop the most suitable person for each job. Taylor hated â€Å"soldering†, and by introducing a piece-rate system of pay he eliminated the group process in which workers slowed their speed of work to suit the ordinary worker’s needs. Thirdly, comprehensive training and supervision to each worker must be given by management to guarantee the job is done in a scientific way and finally scientific management principals need to be applied to the planning and supervising of work and the workforce complete the tasks. The Principals of scientific management were widely accepted and spread as far as the Soviet Union where Taylor’s principals were included into a variety of five-year development plans. The most well-known application of Taylor’s principals of scientific management was in Henry Ford’s Model T. Frank Gilbreth (1868 –1924) and his wife Lillian (1878 – 1972), developed variations of Taylor’s scientific management, they were mostly concerned with the elimination of waste and like Taylor thought that a â€Å"One Best Way† to carry out a task could be found. Another contributor to scientific management was Henry Gantt (1856-1915) who was a protege of Taylor’s who designed the Gantt chart a straight line chart to display and measure planned and completed work as time elapsed. The contribution of Scientific Management to the development of Management thought Scientific management does play an important role in the 21st Century. Examples of scientific management can be seen in our car and computer industries, the hospitals and the restaurants we eat in and nearly all function more efficiently due to scientific management. In today’s economic environment scientific management is probably more important in today’s businesses then ever before. The Author will discuss this under the following headings: Scientific Study of work, use of incentives, division of labour and the selection and training of workers. Scientific Study of work The fundamental tools that result in increased productivity are time study standards and work design. For example in the production department of any company materials are requested and controlled; the sequence of operations, inspections, and methods are determined; tools are ordered; time values are assigned; work is scheduled, dispatched and followed up. A good example of scientific management in today’s society is any of the directory enquires numbers, staff read from a script and simple ask what number you want and then a computer reads out the number and even asks if you would like to be connected. Use of incentives According to Taylor workers were only motivated by money, in today’s workplace Taylor’s piece rate pay may have a different name â€Å"performance related pay† is how its new trading name and most of the Multi International companies now pay their workers a very basic pay and only rewards staff who excel at there jobs. According to Taylor one should â€Å"pay the worker, not the job†. In the Authors organisation Eircom all staff from the lines engineers to the managers are all paid by performance and this has helped to eliminate a lot of the ‘soldiering’ that used to take place. Division of Labour Scientific management gives managers control and this can be seen in many of our call centres whether its directory enquires or calling the bank ‘thank you for calling and how may I direct your call? ’ these scripts show us 21st Century management control. Management see these scripts as necessary to keep workers efficient and consistent but it is just modern day Taylorism which assumes that workers are dim and lazy. Selection and training of workers Finding the ‘best’ person for the job is still a challenge for many companies. Many companies now use automated curriculum vitae processing by computers with scientific personality testing to try and match the job to the right person. Employers are looking for employees to work hard, be flexible and to be skilled. It is imperative to get the right people, with the right skills in the right positions and at the right time. Choosing the right people may increase an organisations competitive advantage which is after all central to competitive success of any organisation. Limitations of scientific management Scientific management has been in a state of constant evolution since its adoption. The objective of the scientific management movement was to increase efficiency by carefully planning workers’ movement in the most efficient way. Taylor’s ideas and those of his followers led to time-and-motion experts with their stopwatches and clipboards observing workers, and seeking the ‘one best way’ in which every job could be performed. From the late 1920s, a ‘human relations’ school of thought emerged, challenging Taylorist beliefs in formal work structures and what was considered to be the over-simplification of the concept of motivation. Scientific Management was based on the assumption that workers were driven entirely by economic concerns but Human Relations researchers examined the behaviour of people at work and argued that social factors such as informal work groups and management styles influenced performance. As a result, the personnel management function began to focus on matching the needs of employees with those of management, through the creation of informal structures and managerial styles (Gormley 2009). The Hawthorne Studies conducted by Elton Mayo and his colleagues are exemplary early studies in this tradition and work on motivation by Abraham Maslow although their ideas were built on the original quantitative theories of measuring work as seen in scientific management they also discovered some of the limitations of ‘Taylorism’. The Author will now discuss the limitations of scientific management as discovered by Mayo, Maslow and Deming. Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne Studies The Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiments which involved a group of men being observed in their natural work setting with no changes to their working conditions but with an observer taking notes and interviewing them. The group had set there own standards and restricted their output. They had decided what their daily limit was and what constituted as a fair day’s work and this was not to be exceeded by any worker. The results showed Mayo that workers were dissatisfied with the scientific approach. Mayo’s results placed focus on the social context of work: in particular, worker motivation, group dynamics and group relations. The workers were joined in there opposition to management and were not motivated by the financial incentives offered for higher output. Data gathered at the Hawthorne plant (collectively known as The Hawthorne studies) suggested a positive association between labour productivity and management styles. Abraham Maslow (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) Maslow was concerned with the issue of employee motivation and wanted to explain how workers could be motivated to achieve higher performance. Maslow focused on the paternalistic style of management focusing on employees’ social needs as the key to better relations and better erformance. This became known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the needs which Maslow identified started with †¢ Physiological needs – food and shelter †¢ Safety needs – the need to feel secure †¢ Acceptance needs – the need to feel accepted by others †¢ Esteem needs – the need for self respect †¢ S elf Actualisation – the need for self achievement and fulfilment W. Deming and Total Quality Management Total quality management (TQM) sees quality as a key to organisational success and emphasizes prevention rather than the correction of mistakes. In the Authors opinion TQM is probably the modern day ‘Taylorism’ the four principals of TQM are. Plan Prepare and plan in a structured way by learning from the past and setting benchmarks for change. Do If your goal is far-reaching, start small and evaluate your results before going wider. Study Analyze the results of what you have done and find out how to apply what you have learned to future activities. Act – Do what you need to do to make your process better and easier to replicate In Demings 14 point management plan, Deming wanted everything to be uniform , in delivery times , prices and work practices. . Create constancy of purpose towards improvement. Replace short-term reaction with long-term planning. 2. Adopt the new philosophy. The implication is that management should actually adopt his philosophy, rather than merely expect the workforce to do so. 3. Cease dependence on inspection. If variation is reduced, there is no need to inspect manufactured items for defects, because there won't be any. 4. Move towards a single supplier for any one item. 5. Improve constantly and forever. Constantly strive to reduce variation. 6. Institute training on the job. If people are inadequately trained, they will not all work the same way, and this will introduce variation. 7. Institute leadership. Deming makes a distinction between leadership and mere supervision. 8. Drive out fear. Deming sees management by fear as counter- productive in the long term, because it prevents workers from acting in the organisation's best interests. 9. Break down barriers between departments. Another idea central to TQM is the concept of the ‘internal customer', that each department serves not the management, but the other departments that use its outputs. 10. Eliminate slogans. Another central TQM idea is that it's not people who make most mistakes – it's the process they are working within. Harassing the workforce without improving the processes they use is counter-productive. 11. Eliminate management by objectives. Deming saw production targets as encouraging the delivery of poor-quality goods. 12. Remove barriers to pride of workmanship. Many of the other problems outlined reduce worker satisfaction. 13. Institute education and self-improvement. 14. The transformation is everyone's job. Each of these management models teaches us something about the limitations of scientific management. Scientific Management is often associated with negative consequences both for workers, who may consider themselves to be victims of exploitation and for managers, who may find it difficult to motivate such workers or to deal with poor performance and resistance. Conclusion Considering that Frederick Taylor has been dead for nearly a century and in this time a knowledge explosion has taken place, Taylor’s track record is extraordinary. If Taylor, Gantt, Gilbreth and Lillian were alive today would they be happy with what has become management thought? In the Authors pinion many of the different management styles all share certain similar characteristics of scientific management and the Author believes that they would all find the total participation movement quite acceptable. The Scientific management theories discussed above evolved from the needs of the past to manage mainly the labour force. The needs of the present in the current economic climate may require similar recordin g of procedures as involved with time and motion studies during the Industrial Revolution in the past to regulate the workings of Finance in Banking and related areas mainly facilitated by the IT Revolution. Rest assured that changes in the past and the present and their successful resolution by scientific management will be replicated many times in the future and hopefully the resolutions will improve/maximise the return for the employer (stakeholder) and employee. In conclusion there is no single ‘best’ strategy or style of management. The ‘best’ solution is the one that is most fitting in relation to the particular needs of that organisation. Bibliography Bratton, J, (2007) Work and Organisational Behaviour, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, . Dale, E. (1973) Management, Theory & Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill. Griffin, R. (2009) Fundamentals of Management. (5th Edition), USA: South Western College Gunnigle, P, and Heraty, N. and Morley, M. J. , (2006). Human Resource Management in Ireland. (3rd Edition) Dublin, Gill & Macmillan. Taylor, F, (1947). Scientific Management . New York: Harper Row. Tiernan, S. and Morley, M. and Foley, E. (2006). Modern Management (3rd Edition) Dublin, Gill & Macmillan Scientific Management While this theory has made many positive contributions to management practice, there have also been negative implications. On a positive note, Taylorism has made an impact on the introduction of the 8 hour working day, minimum wage rates and incentive and bonus schemes, and more importantly, highlighted management as an important area of study, allowing for other theorists to improve on, or provide alternative management theories in response to scientific management such as more worker orientated theories, namely behavioural management. Taylor’s ideals have however been under constant scrutiny as managers highlight the shortfalls of scientific management. While the highly mechanistic way of practice may lead to increased productivity, it essentially works by dehumanising workers and viewing them simply as an ‘appendage of machinery. ’ Caldari argues (2007: 61) that Taylor’s ignorance of social considerations leads to conflict, low worker morale, and low trust between workers and neglect the ability for individual creativity to provide a positive input to the workplace. While Taylor’s theories have been subject to many criticisms, scientific management has made an instrumental contribution to modern management practice across the world. By placing emphasis on the management of workers, Taylor essentially highlighted the importance of management theory and paved the way for further development on management as an important element of business practices. Taylor created a way of replacing the ‘guesswork’ involved in the manufacturing process by replacing it with a scientific way of thinking, strict rules and procedures (Caldari 2007: 58). This form of management practice allows managers to more efficiently control and direct their labour force and similarly it provides space for managers to monitor the workforce, and identify inefficiencies and sources of waste in the manufacturing process. As Parker and Ritson discuss (2005: 1340), this allows managers to observe the labour force and ensure that appropriate work procedures are being followed and appropriate results are achieved. Thus, creating space for managers to correct these inefficiencies early in the manufacturing process and minimise waste, subsequently maximising profits. Therefore, although Taylor's contributions were considered controversial and even radical, his theory and dedication to management practice remains influential on contemporary business management, and he can be held responsible for laying the foundations for current strategic and systematic methods of planning and execution of tasks (Darmody, 2007: 1). Regardless of the benefits that may be gained from scientific work practices, criticism stemmed from the impression that Taylor had little concern with the psychology of workers. Taylor’s search for a healthy and efficient workforce however, stemmed from research conducted on the relationship between long working hours and fatigue. Taylor was concerned with the effect that working hours was having on productivity and upon results of such experiments, proceeded to introduce shorter working hours believing that with fewer hours comes higher efficiency, intensified laboured hours and improved employee wellbeing. It is upon this philosophy, that Nyl (1995: 2) argues scientific management; primarily Taylor’s thinking was instrumental in creating the 8 hour working day of which is still implemented in many businesses today. In despite of the above mentioned interest in worker well-being, Caldari (2007: 64) emphasises that Taylor naively assumed that with less, but more intense hours, increased productivity and wages, well being of workers would automatically improve. However, due to the intensely standardised and restrictive rules and procedures that scientific management brings workers are likely to feel unappreciated leaving the door open to the potential of conflict between workers and managers. In this case, a strict line of command is seen to have connection with low worker morale as high productivity is achieved at a price. Caldari cites Marshall (2007: 66) saying that â€Å"trust, esteem and affection for staff are a valuable business asset, of a kind which machinery cannot achieve. † This emphasis recognises one of the downfalls of scientific management in that it restricts the development of a cohesive ‘team’ like workforce, rather restricting management focus to individuals. The constraints that are placed on individuals prevent any worker initiative and eventually depriving a business of potentially important and vital input from employees. As Caldari (2007) points out, managers â€Å"can miss the opportunity of taking advantage of potential resources but also, and moreover, for society that it is likely to waste its more important kind of capital. † (p. 67) With this impression in mind, although Freeman’s discussion (1996: 2) focused primarily on the effect of scientific management in a Japanese business environment, he makes some interesting observations about Taylor’s mechanistic approach that can transcend cultural barriers. Freeman highlights that while criticism’s of Scientific management revolve around it being ‘anti-worker,’ scientific management and ‘democratic’ management (which pays closer attention to the psychology and respect for workers) do not necessarily have to conflict. It is held that while the needs of workers are of foremost importance, Taylor’s ideal of quality management allowed for reduction in waste and increased production in Japanese business practices. In this context, scientific management was instrumental in improving efficiency and creating quality constraints, which ultimately lead to increased profits. Freeman highlights (1996: 6) that by working with unions with an even handed focus on the interests of workers and productivity, business practice can meet a happy medium between scientific management and human relations in the management of business. This ideal emphasises that although some managers claim that there is no place in modern business practice for scientific management, it is possible for Taylor’s ideals to transcend time as managers adapt scientific theories and collaborate Taylor’s methods with other theorists that have followed in his steps. Taylor’s scientific management has resulted in both positive and negative implications for business practice over the 20th and 21st century. We can see its contribution to modern business management in that many of its principles are still used today for example, minimum wage, rest periods and incentives for workers who reach a specified target. While these theories were originally implemented in businesses such as Henry Ford’s car manufacturing, we can see that these processes continue to benefit managers today both in that very same business, and in the same ways in other industries including, and not limited to the hospitality industry where for example, detailed procedures and rules are enforced by a strict line of autocratic managers in a strict line of command at McDonalds or Hungry Jacks. It has been highlighted that although Taylor’s scientific management incorporates shortfalls with regards to the management of a workforce as far as viewing a workforce as valuable human resources rather than machinery, in today’s management practices, elements of Taylor’s theory are able to work in conjunction with often more palatable behavioural theories in order to control and monitor a successful workforce. Taylor was instrumental for creating a new ‘paradigm’ of management thinking and the scientific management theory does, and will continue impart to influence the way businesses operate and complete day to day tasks and assignments (Darmody, 2007: 1). Caldari, K. (2007). ‘Alfred Marshall’s critical analysis of scientific management. ’ The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought,14 (1), 55-78. Darmody, P. J. (2007). ‘Henry L. Gantt and Frederick Taylor: The Pioneers of Scientific Management. ’ AACE International Transactions, 151. Davidson (2008) Management: Core Concepts and Skills in ‘Management', John Wiley, Milton. Freeman, M. G. (1996) ‘Don’t throw scientific management out with the bathwater. ’ _Quality Progress,_ 29(4), Parker, L. D. Ritson, P. (2005) ‘Fads, stereotypes and management gurus: Fayol and Follett today. ’ Management Decision, 43(10), 1335. Scientific Management Course: Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) Module: Principals of Management Title: Explain Scientific Management. Comment on the contribution of this approach to the development of management thought. What are its limitations? 33 Submission Date: 8th of March 2010 Word Count 2183 â€Å"The Principal object of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee† (Taylor, 1947) Introduction The Author will discuss Scientific Management under the following headings: Section 1 An explanation on Scientific Management. Section 2, The contribution of Scientific Management to the development of Management thought and Section 3 looks at the limitations of Scientific Management. What is Scientific Management? Bratton et al (2007: 355) defines scientific management as a process of systematically partitioning work into its smallest elements and standardising tasks to achieve maximum efficiency. The scientific management approach was developed at the end of the 19th Century; its father is commonly accepted to be Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1917) although some variations of the theory have been developed by Gantt and Gilbreth. The scientific management approach was set up to improve labour productivity by evaluating and setting up workflow practices. Taylor was Chief Engineer at the Midvale Steel Company his first-hand experience here led Taylor to recognise that labour productivity was largely inefficient due to a workforce that functioned by â€Å"rules of thumb† methods. In 1898 Taylor was employed as a consultant by the Bethlehem Steel works Company, where he applied his principles of scientific management through evaluating work in a scientific manner. Taylor gained this information with his â€Å"Time and Motion Study†, as Dale explains, Taylor employed a young man to analyse all the operations and the motions performed in each and to time the motions with a stopwatch. From knowing how long it took actually to perform each of the elements in each job, it would be possible †¦ To determine a really â€Å"fair days work†. (Dale 1963, p155) Taylor’s experience at Bethlehem Steel led him to develop four principals of management. The first being substitute rule of thumb work processes with processes based on a scientific study of the tasks. Taylor broke down each part of the production process into individual tasks to accomplish task specialisation. Taylor also used time and motion studies to establish the most proficient technique for performing each work task and giving rest periods. Secondly, managers should select, train, teach and develop the most suitable person for each job. Taylor hated â€Å"soldering†, and by introducing a piece-rate system of pay he eliminated the group process in which workers slowed their speed of work to suit the ordinary worker’s needs. Thirdly, comprehensive training and supervision to each worker must be given by management to guarantee the job is done in a scientific way and finally scientific management principals need to be applied to the planning and supervising of work and the workforce complete the tasks. The Principals of scientific management were widely accepted and spread as far as the Soviet Union where Taylor’s principals were included into a variety of five-year development plans. The most well-known application of Taylor’s principals of scientific management was in Henry Ford’s Model T. Frank Gilbreth (1868 –1924) and his wife Lillian (1878 – 1972), developed variations of Taylor’s scientific management, they were mostly concerned with the elimination of waste and like Taylor thought that a â€Å"One Best Way† to carry out a task could be found. Another contributor to scientific management was Henry Gantt (1856-1915) who was a protege of Taylor’s who designed the Gantt chart a straight line chart to display and measure planned and completed work as time elapsed. The contribution of Scientific Management to the development of Management thought Scientific management does play an important role in the 21st Century. Examples of scientific management can be seen in our car and computer industries, the hospitals and the restaurants we eat in and nearly all function more efficiently due to scientific management. In today’s economic environment scientific management is probably more important in today’s businesses then ever before. The Author will discuss this under the following headings: Scientific Study of work, use of incentives, division of labour and the selection and training of workers. Scientific Study of work The fundamental tools that result in increased productivity are time study standards and work design. For example in the production department of any company materials are requested and controlled; the sequence of operations, inspections, and methods are determined; tools are ordered; time values are assigned; work is scheduled, dispatched and followed up. A good example of scientific management in today’s society is any of the directory enquires numbers, staff read from a script and simple ask what number you want and then a computer reads out the number and even asks if you would like to be connected. Use of incentives According to Taylor workers were only motivated by money, in today’s workplace Taylor’s piece rate pay may have a different name â€Å"performance related pay† is how its new trading name and most of the Multi International companies now pay their workers a very basic pay and only rewards staff who excel at there jobs. According to Taylor one should â€Å"pay the worker, not the job†. In the Authors organisation Eircom all staff from the lines engineers to the managers are all paid by performance and this has helped to eliminate a lot of the ‘soldiering’ that used to take place. Division of Labour Scientific management gives managers control and this can be seen in many of our call centres whether its directory enquires or calling the bank ‘thank you for calling and how may I direct your call? ’ these scripts show us 21st Century management control. Management see these scripts as necessary to keep workers efficient and consistent but it is just modern day Taylorism which assumes that workers are dim and lazy. Selection and training of workers Finding the ‘best’ person for the job is still a challenge for many companies. Many companies now use automated curriculum vitae processing by computers with scientific personality testing to try and match the job to the right person. Employers are looking for employees to work hard, be flexible and to be skilled. It is imperative to get the right people, with the right skills in the right positions and at the right time. Choosing the right people may increase an organisations competitive advantage which is after all central to competitive success of any organisation. Limitations of scientific management Scientific management has been in a state of constant evolution since its adoption. The objective of the scientific management movement was to increase efficiency by carefully planning workers’ movement in the most efficient way. Taylor’s ideas and those of his followers led to time-and-motion experts with their stopwatches and clipboards observing workers, and seeking the ‘one best way’ in which every job could be performed. From the late 1920s, a ‘human relations’ school of thought emerged, challenging Taylorist beliefs in formal work structures and what was considered to be the over-simplification of the concept of motivation. Scientific Management was based on the assumption that workers were driven entirely by economic concerns but Human Relations researchers examined the behaviour of people at work and argued that social factors such as informal work groups and management styles influenced performance. As a result, the personnel management function began to focus on matching the needs of employees with those of management, through the creation of informal structures and managerial styles (Gormley 2009). The Hawthorne Studies conducted by Elton Mayo and his colleagues are exemplary early studies in this tradition and work on motivation by Abraham Maslow although their ideas were built on the original quantitative theories of measuring work as seen in scientific management they also discovered some of the limitations of ‘Taylorism’. The Author will now discuss the limitations of scientific management as discovered by Mayo, Maslow and Deming. Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne Studies The Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiments which involved a group of men being observed in their natural work setting with no changes to their working conditions but with an observer taking notes and interviewing them. The group had set there own standards and restricted their output. They had decided what their daily limit was and what constituted as a fair day’s work and this was not to be exceeded by any worker. The results showed Mayo that workers were dissatisfied with the scientific approach. Mayo’s results placed focus on the social context of work: in particular, worker motivation, group dynamics and group relations. The workers were joined in there opposition to management and were not motivated by the financial incentives offered for higher output. Data gathered at the Hawthorne plant (collectively known as The Hawthorne studies) suggested a positive association between labour productivity and management styles. Abraham Maslow (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) Maslow was concerned with the issue of employee motivation and wanted to explain how workers could be motivated to achieve higher performance. Maslow focused on the paternalistic style of management focusing on employees’ social needs as the key to better relations and better erformance. This became known as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the needs which Maslow identified started with †¢ Physiological needs – food and shelter †¢ Safety needs – the need to feel secure †¢ Acceptance needs – the need to feel accepted by others †¢ Esteem needs – the need for self respect †¢ S elf Actualisation – the need for self achievement and fulfilment W. Deming and Total Quality Management Total quality management (TQM) sees quality as a key to organisational success and emphasizes prevention rather than the correction of mistakes. In the Authors opinion TQM is probably the modern day ‘Taylorism’ the four principals of TQM are. Plan Prepare and plan in a structured way by learning from the past and setting benchmarks for change. Do If your goal is far-reaching, start small and evaluate your results before going wider. Study Analyze the results of what you have done and find out how to apply what you have learned to future activities. Act – Do what you need to do to make your process better and easier to replicate In Demings 14 point management plan, Deming wanted everything to be uniform , in delivery times , prices and work practices. . Create constancy of purpose towards improvement. Replace short-term reaction with long-term planning. 2. Adopt the new philosophy. The implication is that management should actually adopt his philosophy, rather than merely expect the workforce to do so. 3. Cease dependence on inspection. If variation is reduced, there is no need to inspect manufactured items for defects, because there won't be any. 4. Move towards a single supplier for any one item. 5. Improve constantly and forever. Constantly strive to reduce variation. 6. Institute training on the job. If people are inadequately trained, they will not all work the same way, and this will introduce variation. 7. Institute leadership. Deming makes a distinction between leadership and mere supervision. 8. Drive out fear. Deming sees management by fear as counter- productive in the long term, because it prevents workers from acting in the organisation's best interests. 9. Break down barriers between departments. Another idea central to TQM is the concept of the ‘internal customer', that each department serves not the management, but the other departments that use its outputs. 10. Eliminate slogans. Another central TQM idea is that it's not people who make most mistakes – it's the process they are working within. Harassing the workforce without improving the processes they use is counter-productive. 11. Eliminate management by objectives. Deming saw production targets as encouraging the delivery of poor-quality goods. 12. Remove barriers to pride of workmanship. Many of the other problems outlined reduce worker satisfaction. 13. Institute education and self-improvement. 14. The transformation is everyone's job. Each of these management models teaches us something about the limitations of scientific management. Scientific Management is often associated with negative consequences both for workers, who may consider themselves to be victims of exploitation and for managers, who may find it difficult to motivate such workers or to deal with poor performance and resistance. Conclusion Considering that Frederick Taylor has been dead for nearly a century and in this time a knowledge explosion has taken place, Taylor’s track record is extraordinary. If Taylor, Gantt, Gilbreth and Lillian were alive today would they be happy with what has become management thought? In the Authors pinion many of the different management styles all share certain similar characteristics of scientific management and the Author believes that they would all find the total participation movement quite acceptable. The Scientific management theories discussed above evolved from the needs of the past to manage mainly the labour force. The needs of the present in the current economic climate may require similar recordin g of procedures as involved with time and motion studies during the Industrial Revolution in the past to regulate the workings of Finance in Banking and related areas mainly facilitated by the IT Revolution. Rest assured that changes in the past and the present and their successful resolution by scientific management will be replicated many times in the future and hopefully the resolutions will improve/maximise the return for the employer (stakeholder) and employee. In conclusion there is no single ‘best’ strategy or style of management. The ‘best’ solution is the one that is most fitting in relation to the particular needs of that organisation. Bibliography Bratton, J, (2007) Work and Organisational Behaviour, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, . Dale, E. (1973) Management, Theory & Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill. Griffin, R. (2009) Fundamentals of Management. (5th Edition), USA: South Western College Gunnigle, P, and Heraty, N. and Morley, M. J. , (2006). Human Resource Management in Ireland. (3rd Edition) Dublin, Gill & Macmillan. Taylor, F, (1947). Scientific Management . New York: Harper Row. Tiernan, S. and Morley, M. and Foley, E. (2006). Modern Management (3rd Edition) Dublin, Gill & Macmillan Scientific Management While this theory has made many positive contributions to management practice, there have also been negative implications. On a positive note, Taylorism has made an impact on the introduction of the 8 hour working day, minimum wage rates and incentive and bonus schemes, and more importantly, highlighted management as an important area of study, allowing for other theorists to improve on, or provide alternative management theories in response to scientific management such as more worker orientated theories, namely behavioural management. Taylor’s ideals have however been under constant scrutiny as managers highlight the shortfalls of scientific management. While the highly mechanistic way of practice may lead to increased productivity, it essentially works by dehumanising workers and viewing them simply as an ‘appendage of machinery. ’ Caldari argues (2007: 61) that Taylor’s ignorance of social considerations leads to conflict, low worker morale, and low trust between workers and neglect the ability for individual creativity to provide a positive input to the workplace. While Taylor’s theories have been subject to many criticisms, scientific management has made an instrumental contribution to modern management practice across the world. By placing emphasis on the management of workers, Taylor essentially highlighted the importance of management theory and paved the way for further development on management as an important element of business practices. Taylor created a way of replacing the ‘guesswork’ involved in the manufacturing process by replacing it with a scientific way of thinking, strict rules and procedures (Caldari 2007: 58). This form of management practice allows managers to more efficiently control and direct their labour force and similarly it provides space for managers to monitor the workforce, and identify inefficiencies and sources of waste in the manufacturing process. As Parker and Ritson discuss (2005: 1340), this allows managers to observe the labour force and ensure that appropriate work procedures are being followed and appropriate results are achieved. Thus, creating space for managers to correct these inefficiencies early in the manufacturing process and minimise waste, subsequently maximising profits. Therefore, although Taylor's contributions were considered controversial and even radical, his theory and dedication to management practice remains influential on contemporary business management, and he can be held responsible for laying the foundations for current strategic and systematic methods of planning and execution of tasks (Darmody, 2007: 1). Regardless of the benefits that may be gained from scientific work practices, criticism stemmed from the impression that Taylor had little concern with the psychology of workers. Taylor’s search for a healthy and efficient workforce however, stemmed from research conducted on the relationship between long working hours and fatigue. Taylor was concerned with the effect that working hours was having on productivity and upon results of such experiments, proceeded to introduce shorter working hours believing that with fewer hours comes higher efficiency, intensified laboured hours and improved employee wellbeing. It is upon this philosophy, that Nyl (1995: 2) argues scientific management; primarily Taylor’s thinking was instrumental in creating the 8 hour working day of which is still implemented in many businesses today. In despite of the above mentioned interest in worker well-being, Caldari (2007: 64) emphasises that Taylor naively assumed that with less, but more intense hours, increased productivity and wages, well being of workers would automatically improve. However, due to the intensely standardised and restrictive rules and procedures that scientific management brings workers are likely to feel unappreciated leaving the door open to the potential of conflict between workers and managers. In this case, a strict line of command is seen to have connection with low worker morale as high productivity is achieved at a price. Caldari cites Marshall (2007: 66) saying that â€Å"trust, esteem and affection for staff are a valuable business asset, of a kind which machinery cannot achieve. † This emphasis recognises one of the downfalls of scientific management in that it restricts the development of a cohesive ‘team’ like workforce, rather restricting management focus to individuals. The constraints that are placed on individuals prevent any worker initiative and eventually depriving a business of potentially important and vital input from employees. As Caldari (2007) points out, managers â€Å"can miss the opportunity of taking advantage of potential resources but also, and moreover, for society that it is likely to waste its more important kind of capital. † (p. 67) With this impression in mind, although Freeman’s discussion (1996: 2) focused primarily on the effect of scientific management in a Japanese business environment, he makes some interesting observations about Taylor’s mechanistic approach that can transcend cultural barriers. Freeman highlights that while criticism’s of Scientific management revolve around it being ‘anti-worker,’ scientific management and ‘democratic’ management (which pays closer attention to the psychology and respect for workers) do not necessarily have to conflict. It is held that while the needs of workers are of foremost importance, Taylor’s ideal of quality management allowed for reduction in waste and increased production in Japanese business practices. In this context, scientific management was instrumental in improving efficiency and creating quality constraints, which ultimately lead to increased profits. Freeman highlights (1996: 6) that by working with unions with an even handed focus on the interests of workers and productivity, business practice can meet a happy medium between scientific management and human relations in the management of business. This ideal emphasises that although some managers claim that there is no place in modern business practice for scientific management, it is possible for Taylor’s ideals to transcend time as managers adapt scientific theories and collaborate Taylor’s methods with other theorists that have followed in his steps. Taylor’s scientific management has resulted in both positive and negative implications for business practice over the 20th and 21st century. We can see its contribution to modern business management in that many of its principles are still used today for example, minimum wage, rest periods and incentives for workers who reach a specified target. While these theories were originally implemented in businesses such as Henry Ford’s car manufacturing, we can see that these processes continue to benefit managers today both in that very same business, and in the same ways in other industries including, and not limited to the hospitality industry where for example, detailed procedures and rules are enforced by a strict line of autocratic managers in a strict line of command at McDonalds or Hungry Jacks. It has been highlighted that although Taylor’s scientific management incorporates shortfalls with regards to the management of a workforce as far as viewing a workforce as valuable human resources rather than machinery, in today’s management practices, elements of Taylor’s theory are able to work in conjunction with often more palatable behavioural theories in order to control and monitor a successful workforce. Taylor was instrumental for creating a new ‘paradigm’ of management thinking and the scientific management theory does, and will continue impart to influence the way businesses operate and complete day to day tasks and assignments (Darmody, 2007: 1). Caldari, K. (2007). ‘Alfred Marshall’s critical analysis of scientific management. ’ The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought,14 (1), 55-78. Darmody, P. J. (2007). ‘Henry L. Gantt and Frederick Taylor: The Pioneers of Scientific Management. ’ AACE International Transactions, 151. Davidson (2008) Management: Core Concepts and Skills in ‘Management', John Wiley, Milton. Freeman, M. G. (1996) ‘Don’t throw scientific management out with the bathwater. ’ _Quality Progress,_ 29(4), Parker, L. D. Ritson, P. (2005) ‘Fads, stereotypes and management gurus: Fayol and Follett today. ’ Management Decision, 43(10), 1335.

Community: Sharing One Skin

The Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the U. S. -Canada boundary in Washington state and British Columbia. (Wiki, 2011) Known in their own language as the Syilx, they are part of the Interior Salish ethnological and linguistic groupings, the Okanagan are closely related to the Spokan, Sinixt, Nez Perce, Pend Oreille, Shuswap and Nlaka'pamux peoples in the same region. Wiki, 2011) When the Oregon Treaty partitioned the Pacific Northwest in 1846, the portion of the tribe remaining in what became Washington Territory reorganized under Chief Tonasket as a separate group from the majority of the Okanagans, whose communities remain in Canada. (Wiki, 2011) The Okanagan Tribal Alliance, however, also incorporates the American branch of the Okanagans, who are part of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville, a multi-tribal government in Washington State. Wiki, 2011) The bounds of Okanagan territory are roughly the Basin of Okanagan Lake and the Okanagan River, plus the basin of the Similkameen River to the west of the Okanagan valley, and some of the uppermost valley of the Nicola River. (Wiki, 2011) The various Okanagan communities in British Columbia and Washington form the Okanagan Nation Alliance, a border-spanning organization which includes American-side Okanogans resident in the Colville Indian Reservation, where the Okanagan people are sometimes known as Colvilles. Wiki, 2011) A group of Okanagan people in the Nicola Valley, which is at the northwestern perimeter of Okanagan territory, are known in their dialect as the Spaxomin, and are joint members in a historic alliance with neighboring communities of the Nlaka'pamux in the region known as the Nicola Country, which is named after the 19th Century chief who founded the alliance, Nicola. (Wiki, 2011) This alliance today is manifested in the Nicola Tribal Association. As in the reading, you can imagine how spiritual and well-being play a huge role in their culture. Every word in their ulture has a very important meaning for their way of life. Jeannette Armstrong refers to her culture and the word â€Å"Okanagan† in a lot of deep and emotional depth. Armstrong explains the word Okanagan comes from a whole understanding of what they are as human beings. They can identify each other through that word in their interaction, prayer, and they identify there selves as human as well, different from birds trees and animals. The first part of the word refers to the physical realm. The second part of the word refers to the dream or the dream state, but Okanagan doesn’t precisely mean â€Å"dream. It actually means â€Å"the unseen part of our existence as human beings. † They are dream memory and imagination. The third part of the word means that if you take a number of strands, hair, or twine, place them together and then rub your hands and bind them together, they become one strand. Use this thought symbolically when you make a rope, twine, or weave a basket. They are tied into a part of everything. â€Å"I know my position and my responsibilities for that specific location and geographic area, which is how I introduce myself. The Okanagan people identify there selves as four main capacities that operate together: the physical self, the emotional self, the thinking-intellectual self, and the spiritual self. The Okanagan people teach that each person is born into a family and a community. No person is born isolated from those two things. As an Okanagan you are automatically accepted. You belong. You are them. Wouldn’t this be nice in our current society here in the U. S. The Okanagan refer to relationships with others using a word that means â€Å"our one skin. This means that they share more than a place; they share a physical tie that is uniquely human, that the many that became before the Okanagan and the many ahead of the Okanagan share their flesh. Community comes first, then family and finally the individual. This is interesting to me. Do you think we as a population have this line of thinking? I would have to say a big percent of us think of ourselves in this society. Indigenous people, not long removed from their cooperative, self-sustaining lifestyles on their lands do not survive well in this atmosphere of aggression and dispassion. The Okanagan word they have for extended family is translated as â€Å"sharing one skin. † The concept refers to blood ties within community and extends the instinct to protect our individual selves to all who share the same skin. Armstrong knows how powerful the solidarity is of peoples bound together by land, blood, and love. This is the largest threat to interests wanting to secure control of lands and resources that have been passed on in a healthy condition from generation to generation of families. Armstrong goes on to saying she is pessimistic about changes happening; the increase of crimes, worldwide disasters, total anarchy, and the possible increase of stateless oligarchies; borders are disappearing, and true sustainable economies are crumbling. However, she has learned that crisis can help build community so that it can face the crisis itself. Since time immemorial, the history of the Okanagan began, long before the arrival of the Europeans. They are the Syilx-speaking people – the original inhabitants of a vast and beautiful territory that encompasses forests, grasslands, lakes and desert. For thousands of years, the Okanagan people were self-reliant and well provided for through their own ingenuity and use of the land and nature. They lived united as a nation with a whole economy, travelling the breadth and depth of their territory, hunting and fishing, growing and harvesting, crafting and trading to meet their needs. Since reading this chapter of the Okanagan people, I have learned a lot about these very fascinating people. I also believe if every culture was like the Okanagan people, our planet would be a much peaceful, spiritual, and well respected place.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Great Eastern Tourism Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Great Eastern Tourism Essay Great Treasure Wonder – is a vibrant bequest plan that is supreme for soaring achieving individuals. It comes with an amazing rewards and a regular payment. Apart from that, it also has partial sum terms, assured flow of cash all through policy term, rising fortification with extra amount guaranteed and finally cash bonuses. Great Cash Wonder – an endowment plan especially intended for individuals who would like to witness their investments develop in the extensive term not including the obligation of an extended best imbursement term. Great Income Plus – is a long-term monetary security and safeguard with restricted payment stage. Great EduPlanner – is an education fund especially for children. It also offers the additional benefit of protection adjacent to life’s suspicions to ensure your child enjoys a more protected tomorrow. Great Cash gain – offers a substitute technique to lay aside for your coming days and also gives you the benefit of protection against life’s uncertainties. Elite Builder – guaranteed survival benefit even for a long term which is for the future. SmartInvest Growth – Asset-linked assurance outline planned to do just with the purpose of by enhancing your protection and delicate safety net. SmartInvest Premier – a plan that gives importance on investing money through higher portion rates and Loyalty Incentives. (Great Eastern Life is Great, Product, 2012) Life Protection There are 2 types of Life protection at Great Eastern:- Great Prime Protect – a term insurance plan premeditated particularly to provide you with reasonable life insurance coverage. Great MaxiProtector – it’s an affordable entire life insurance plan that helps take care of future finances. (Great Eastern Life is Great, Product, 2012) Health Protection There are 4 types of health protection:- Smart Medic Enhancer – facilitates an individual to be better prepared in medical e mergencies. Smart Medic – the inclusive medical rider for investment-linked assurance policy. Smart Early Payout CriticalCare – investment-linked insurance rider, which pays upon premature analysis of a serious illness enclosed under this plan. Great MediCare 2 – an Overall Annual Limit that look after you adjacent to obnoxious bombshells. (Great Eastern Life is Great, Product, 2012) Life + Health Protection There are 4 types of Life + Health Protection:- Great Ideal Living – inclusive guardianship arrangement that accommodates guarantee. Great Compare Care – proffer you living, vital infirmity and mishap protection for a supple coverage period. Smart Educate Planner – so that your child may have enhanced edification chance. SmartPortect Essential – Investment-linked assurance plan with the aim of adapting to your standard of living. Supplementary Riders To improve profit on your investment-linked plan, entire life plan, tenure plan o r bequest plan. Advantages and Disadvantages of Great Eastern Mostly all the companies or organization has its advantages and disadvantages and Great Eastern is not excluded. There are many advantages that Great Eastern Company provides and it categorize in three different areas. Below are the three areas. Advantages 1-Individual 2- Group 3-Bancassurance 1-Individual Through individual, there are 3 different groups that provide advantages for the Great Eastern customers. Which is:- > Savings > Life Protection > Health Protection -Savings Ultimately, a savings plan that will astonish you with its limited premium payment terms and possibly enormous total payouts. At this moment you can knowingly upsize your savings to reach better goals in life, have a regular income stream and get better protection for you and your loved ones. The commitment is of 5 years or 10 years. (Great Eastern Life is Great, Product, 2012)

The Correct Recognition Of Words Based On The Depth Of Processing Research Paper

The Correct Recognition Of Words Based On The Depth Of Processing - Research Paper Example Long term memory, which is defined to be the component of memory where information is never lost and can be retained at any given moment. However, these three components are not the only components of memory, a different breakdown of memory is included. This breakdown includes the idea of how deep one thinks about information. There are many variables that can help one remember information, capacity and duration are one, but depth is also another component. How deep someone thinks about a piece of information is critical in being able to retrieve it later. How deep someone thinks about information can be portrayed in many ways depending on how the information is presented. It can be in ways like in a sentence or next to another word that has the same definition, or even the number of vowels and consonants is presented. How deep one thinks about the information depends on how well they will retrieve it in a later task. Experiments prior to this one tested how recognition is affected by the depth of processing. The article by Craik and Tulving (1975), profoundly describes how processing words in different depth levels affects the retrieval of those words in a recognition task. Craik and Tulving used three levels of encoding, shallow, medium, and deep. Their shallow level included typescript words which was asking if the word was in upper case or lower case. The medium level of encoding was asking rhyme questions, if the words rhymed with other presented words. The deep level of encoding included fill in the blank questions. Each participant was shown these question formats in a sum of 60 trials.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 24

Management - Essay Example This is because when a company is operating independently within the market they may be more privy or more â€Å"in the loop† to market information that exists. This could make them more capable of adapting to market changes and could also make them more capable of gaining a competitive advantage through things like innovation. An example of information being lost is if, say, a company has its own program for measuring performance and then has to switch to the program of the company that acquired them. Certain information may not transfer in the same way or may be considered irrelevant by the absorbing company. In this way information could get lost in the mix. This is not only true for information but for the organizational culture and structure of the company as well. Since economic performance is important to any company, implementing performance methodologies that are in line with overall economic performance is crucial to a company’s success. An effective performance methodology should be in line with the company’s overall performance. In other words, anything that influences a company’s economic performance needs to be accurately measured. Once these measurements are in place, a more accurate assessment of the company’s overall performance will be realized. An effective analogy could be to look at a football game. The goal of a football game is to score more points than the other team. All of the other measurements statistical measurements used in football are secondary. Yet it is also important to find out which of these measurements led to one team scoring more points than another team. In this way you can get a better idea of how the team is winning games and focus on improving in those areas that are the most i mportant for success. Finding the optimal transfer price is important because it can help to maximize a firm’s overall profits. Effective transfer pricing is therefore important to the overall economic performance of the

Applied Strategic Management Speech or Presentation

Applied Strategic Management - Speech or Presentation Example It is alleged that the main problem was complacency in the area of management and absurd demands from the UAW, for instance, the Jobs Bank paid workers around 95% of their previous wages until the organization found them a job and the management was reluctant to solve the problems (Ingrassia 87). It is alleged that one thing that the General Motors did right was to lead Detroit in establishing a joint venture with the Japanese companies that helped Ford and Chrysler to equally engage into partnerships. Consequently, they were able to see first hand how the Japanese worked to ensure a competitive advantage. During this period, they learned that the Japanese registered higher profits because they kept their inventories lean, did not keep the store weeks’ worth of parts at great costs unlike the Detroit, and practiced just in time delivery to ensure timely supply of the materials. Moreover, unlike Detroit, the Japanese motivated their workers by rewarding them. Consequently, this gave them a competitive edge (Ingrassia 78-79). Despite what the three big companies learnt from the Japanese, they failed miserably during the recession period that saw competition heighten. Between 1979 and 1982, Chrysler and Ford lost around $ 5billion, while the General Motors lost $763 million. Consequently, other people were affected, like in the case of the employees whereby, around 250,000 of them got fired (Ingrassia 80) It is argued that people panic when gas prices go up to an extent of vowing to drive less and to purchase vehicles with better mileage. However, when the gas prices go down, the people go back to their old behavior as well as the actions that had initially created a market for big trucks and SUV’S. For instance in the 1980s, when the gas prices started to drop, Americans started buying the big cars just like before (Ingrassia 85). It is claimed that organizations end up selling their jets during unstable economic times and even buy better models onc e the risks are over. Additionally, the unions end up giving wage benefits and hikes only to realize that the management has heightened their bonuses and the retirement figures (Ingrassia 88-92). Consequently, this creates conflicts and long term hatred; hence, destroying all efforts to have a collaborative partnership that is required to have an effective and a successful organization. Various reasons have been linked to the challenges that faced the ‘big three’. For instance, after the US engaged in the Persian Gulf War, the economic recession heightened as the sale of cars dropped. During this period, General Motors lost around $2 billion. Instead of correcting the situation, the company ended up coming up with rigorous management strategies such as layoffs followed by plant closings. Subsequently, the company went into bankruptcy following the poor management by the CEO, Stempel. As a result of poor management and lack of rational changes, GM, Chrysler, and Ford con tinued to record more losses. The companies tried to reorganize, diversify and form joint ventures with no success. The Japanese companies such as Toyota, Nissan, and Honda, on the other hand, continued to expand and register higher profits than that of Detroit as they launched new brands such as Acura and Lexus

Language Anthropology in Different Societies Essay

Language Anthropology in Different Societies - Essay Example The development of languages follows cultural experiences of the people owning the language. Some languages remain limited to the societies speaking the language, and their spread remains constrained to limited space location. In localized languages, the grammatical use of languages remains constricted within varied environments; hence limitation in the development of these languages. Linguistic anthropology focuses on different paradigms that enable continuity of languages avoiding extinction of languages, like the cases of various North American languages (Eriksen, 1995). The development of languages in different societies remains unique and follows different societal elements that assist in the composition of languages. Grammatical descriptions of languages help researchers in analyzing the different elements of language development across numerous societies. The socio-cultural identity of language defines how language develops in children as they grow. Children in different societies acquire language skills through the environmental factors affecting social development. Language acquisition skills in children follow the various the various societal elements including the behaviors of the people owning the language (Fedorak, 2008). Within societies, children acquire the languages spoken within their immediate environments. The development of lingual capabilities in children, therefore, remains heavily reliant on the surrounding society and environment. Socialisation remains a fundamental element of language acquisition in children adopting their first language. Individuals living in different societies socialize children to language through naturally occurring stories, often told to children through other individuals within the society. Language acquisition in different societies occurs accompanied by the enculturation, with both processes occurring concurrently.  

Intercultral Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Intercultral Experience - Essay Example I googled ‘Tibetan Meditation’ and a rather large list of meditiation classes, books and journals popped up. I decided to check out one of them, which said that 15 minutes per day was all that was required. When I entered the site, there was soft music playing and text slowly scrolled down the page, asking me to read something about this type of meditation. I almost closed the site but then I decided to continue and suddenly, it was 20 minutes later. I had learned something about Tibetan history, of the destructive power of stress and of the healing power of meditation. When I had finished reading, there was a little questionnaire, asking me about my sleeping habits, the way I breathe and a number of other questions, all related to stress. After I had answered everything, I had to give my first name – which I was ok with – and a little folder popped up with my name on it. When I opened it, it had in it a series of exercises, 10 of them, with repetitions and some buttons to chose music and the pace at which I wanted to do the exercises. By now I was thoroughly hooked and I did the exercises straight away. The first set just asked me to sit quietly and close my eyes. The next one asked me to rotate my head, first forward, then sideways, backwards and to the other side.

Revised Annotated bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Revised - Annotated Bibliography Example This article talks about mechanisms of employing the Internet as a tool in addressing critical issues affecting SMEs in Saudi Arabia. The article mentions issues such as rapidly changing market environment, increased consumer demand for quality, increased global competition, increased partnerships between small and large/intermediate businesses, and growing need for instant access to business information from multiple sources. This article primarily assesses the current level of Internet usage as a tool of business by SMEs forming the basis for earlier studies. This article addresses the usable and accessible websites in SMEs despite the advancing competitive environment where a prominent place has been occupied by the internet. The article talks about transferring a brand to the online environment from an offline environment as an issue to companies. The article also talks about how to ensure websites are accessible and usable in order to enhance web navigation and enable brand communication as well as improve the image of the company. This article presents the findings of a study that measured the degree to which medium and small enterprises employ accessibility and usability as a pillar that supports brand to communicate with other audience online. This article addresses the factors that affect internet based sales adoption by SMEs. The article asserts that the internet doubles every year and spans the globe in which the exchange of digital data is carried out. The article also talks about the coverage which is relatively understood concerning the effect of the internet in the popular press. This article also reports investigation of an exploratory study examining crucial concerns around internet usage in emerging SMEs. It describes how SMEs develop and use internet, explores factors motivating companies to invest in e-commerce, and assesses the significance of the benefits of electronic commerce. The

Effective Habits Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Effective Habits Worksheet Essay Review Phoenix Career Plan results of Career Plan Building Activity: Work Culture Preference, respond to the following in 50 to 100 words each: 1.Describe your ideal study environment. My ideal study environment has to be in a quit and organized place. I like to listen to soft classical music in the background while I study. My dominant intelligences is Visual, Verbal, and Interpersonal. Learning while I listen to music helps me focus. Having my desk organized, I spend less time digging through files and books to find the information I need for my studying. 2.List some of the distractions that might hinder your study progress or your performance in an online classroom. There are few distractions that can hinder anyone’s studying progress. With the online classroom, you need to go on the internet. There are many interesting pop-up ads and web site that will get your attention. Social community web sites such as Facebook can also distract your studying habit. The internet can be helpful in many ways, but it can also hinder your studying progress. 3.What actions can you take to manage and eliminate distractions? The best way to eliminate distractions is to set your homepage to the University of Phoenix web site. You should also bock any pop-up advertisement through internet options settings. Keep your desk organize for you to easily locate the things near your surroundings. This will help you focus on the subject your studying. 4.How will you apply your personal learning style? How does your personal Learning style affect your study habits? After finding out my VARK score, this gave me the best way for me to learn using different strategies. I have learned that I am better with Visual learning strategies. I will be more focused with underlining my notes, use symbols, charts, or graphs to display my notes. This will be more effective and going back to my notes will help me remember the lesson I have learned. 5.List 5 effective study strategies from this week that you will use. Explain why you selected them and why they are effective strategies for online learning. 1.Making studying into a part of my daily routine. Even with the busy schedule that I have, having it as my daily routine will allow me to go online and follow my syllabus and stay on track with my learning habit. This is also effective for online learners because, it is self-studies and you need to manage your time wisely to achieve your success. Your professors are not there to check up on you daily. 2.Collaborate with others will help me with the understanding of the topics. They can provide with the ideas that I haven’t thought of. Going into the discussion form, you can chat with others and express your own opinions to get feedbacks. This will help the online learns since they are not in the class room environment. 3.Trying to get more sleep daily. This is something I really focused this week. Sleeping will reduce your stress level and help you focus more on the topic. Online learners might be busy with their schedules. This is something they all should consider. It will improve your personal as well. 4.Following a regular exercise program is something I am going to try. Exercising is also related to stress level. It is very difficult to focus when you are stressed. The best way to release stress is to exercise. Exercise will help everyone who are studying online. 5.Getting a tutor will be something I will use later in the difficult courses. With my current busy schedule, it is very difficult keeping up with the subjects. Having a tutor will help me with the things I missed. This will help the online learners in the same way that I did. 6.Identify one change you can make immediately to increase the effectiveness of your study habits. Explain how this will help you become more effective. Making studying into a part of my daily routine will be the most effective way to increase the effectiveness of my studying. Set myself with a fixed time schedule and always committed to the studying schedules, As long as I follow the schedule well, this will change my daily routine and I will always make an appointment around my studying time. 7.How does your personal learning style relate to your ideal workplace and your personal work competencies? With my personal learning style, I am likely to gain more from visual, verbal, and interpersonal environment. With my work culture, I am better with teamwork centered and leadership intensive. This relates to my interpersonal skills and I share information with others and teach the information as well. This can also relate to my competencies strengths. I have well organizing skills which tells me that it also relates to my personal learning style, 8.How is understanding your ideal learning environment applicable to selecting your ideal workplace? Understanding you ideal learning environment, you will have the knowledge how to make it more effective and how to learn in a stress free environment. Everyone has a different ways to learn. Once you have mastered how to effectively study with you learning habit, you can look for a position which will allow you to work more effectively and produce the most profit for the company.

Issues Involved In Bed Bathing A Patient Nursing Essay

Issues Involved In Bed Bathing A Patient Nursing Essay Heron (1977) refers to the process of reflecting as a conscious use of the self. Once one becomes consciously aware of their actions, it is easer to recognise the reason for doing them in the first instance. The first stage of this process is to acknowledge our actions by reflecting we reveal to our selves how we act, such actions are spontaneous and without forethought attention. To maintain my clients autonomy I am unable to disclose any client information, accordingly I have given my client the name Mrs Jones this is to protect and respect my clients confidentiality as stated by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct. Gibbs model of reflection (1988)DescriptionDuring any clients admission stage an assessment on the clients skin care regime is made, this takes into account the clients personal preferences, the level of function the client may have to provide self-care and the amount of assistance required to promote optimal hygiene procedures in the form of bed baths, in respect of encouraging independence. The reason why we bed bath clients is to promote personal hygiene and to give them a sense of well-being it also maintain intact skin i.e. prevention of pressure sours. Bed bathing allows the caregivers to monitor changes in the clients skin condition. (Staff Nurse, during placement)It was approximately 07:45 Friday morning of mid June, three weeks into my placement. After handover I was given the task of bed bathing a female client. Mrs Jones, what I learned about Mrs Jones in handover was very brief. She was admitted to hospital as she was suffering shortness of breath, she had been suffering from Parkinsons disease for ten years, she also had a catheter instituted, she had very little control of the lower half of her body, her right shoulder was dislocated and she was MRSA+. Mrs Jones took part in a trial drug many years ago this was to help her control her Parkinsons disease coming off the drug became impossible and as a result Mr Jones is reliant on this drug, this drug was referred to as apple morphine on the ward. The basic bed bathing equipment I required was one bath towel, one hand towel, several disposable swipes, clean bed linen, (2 x sheets) laundry bags, (in this case red bags as the client is MRSA+) a slide sheet, small yellow bag for clinical waste, pad and incontinence sheet, bowl of warm water and a set of pyjamas and or gown all provided by the hospital. The client had acquired her own personal toiletries before admission this consisted of a bar of soap, shower gel, talcum powder, perfume, two flannels, (one for the upper part of the torso and the other for the lower half) moisturiser, a comb, dentures pot, tooth brush and tooth past. In addition to this the client required saline solution, disposable wipes, new dressing cut to size and tape and a yellow clinical waste bag for the disposal of old dressings. Myself and Claire the Auxiliary Nurse who I was paired with to work alongside put on our protective disposable gloves and red aprons on after collection the supplies from the linen room. I greeted Mrs Jones and introduced myself and Claire. Morning Mrs Jones, how are you this morning? She replied Oh, hello, I could be better I continued my name is Sharon (as this was easier for people to pronounce, after consulting Sister) Im a student nurse and Im going to be looking after you today, and Im Claire, and Im also going to be looking after you today too. I continued can we help you to get ready for breakfast? Yes please, Replied Mrs Jones. Before we began we asked if Mrs Jones if she had any objections to either me or Claire giving her a bed bath, as she looked apprehensive, she replied that this would be fine. We also asked if she had any pain and how her night was, she stated that she was in pain quite a bit but that it was normal for her at this time in the morning. She also stated t hat her night was awful, as patients in the next bay kept her awake most of the night. Myself and Claire consulted the staff nurse about Mrs Jones pain, the staff nurse spoke to Mrs Jones about her medication and said that it was not due until 8:30 and so we were asked to continue as long as the Mrs Jones was happy for us to do so. Mrs Jones replied if that was the case there was nothing she could do other than for me and Claire to continue. We explained the procedure to Mrs Jones and gain her consent she allowed us to obtain any necessary toiletries from her draws whilst I did this Claire prepared a bowl of warm water. I removed Mrs Joness personal belongings from the table and placed them in the draws for safe keeping. I wipe over the table with an alcohol wipe to sanitize the surface and place on there the necessary items we would need to give Mrs Jones a bed bath. We draw the curtains closed to maintain Mrs Joness privacy and dignity at all times. Before we began I asked Mrs Jones if she would like to use a bed pan before we continued any further. She informed us that it was probably too late and she felt she had already made a mess. We reassured her that everything was alright and we would help to get her cleaned up as quickly as possible. Mrs Jones apologised a number of time and started to get upset. We again tried to reassure her again and clam her down, we in forced the reason that we were there and that was to help her in any way to see that she is alright. She agreed with us and asked us to continue. We raised the bed to the appropriate height to avoid putting undue strain on our backs, whilst I did this Claire emptied Mr Jones Catheter and placed the bag on the bed. We decided to place a sliding sheet under the client to assist us in rolling the client. I took the liberty of explaining the procedure to Mr Jones as we carried out the task. I asked if it was possible for her to roll on her right side as I was aware the Mrs Jones right shoulder was dislocated, she insisted that this was fine as it had been seen by the doctors and nothing could be done about it and insisted that she had rolled on it sever times before. We assisted Mrs Jones in removing her night gown, we freed her left arm first then her over her head and then gently freeing her right arm avoiding injuring her arm any further, to maintain Mrs Jones dignity we placed a large bath towel over her covering her private areas. I helped Mrs Jones to bend her left leg and asked her to hold on to the cot side with her left h and. I placed my right hand on the left side of Mrs Joness waist and my arm across her left leg to provide added support. I placed my left hand on her left upper back. Claire had prepared the slide sheet, clean linen sheet and an incontinence sheet to go under her. On the instruction ready steady (then the manoeuvre intended, in this case it was) roll, we all assisted in rolling. Claire placed one of her hands on Mrs Joness back to provide added support and prevent her from rolling back. Claire folded the old linen in to its self, to as far as it would go until it reached Mrs Jones. Claire placed the clean slide sheet, linen sheet and incontinence sheet already folded in preparation under the old linen sheet. On Claire say so we rolled Mrs Jones on to her back, Claire were rolling you over a slight bump now, ready steady roll. To roll Mrs Jones on to her other side me and Claire switched roles and this time Mrs Jones was holding on to right side of the cot side but with her left han d. I removed the old linen and placed it inside the red linen bags. I took the liberty of cleaning Mrs Jones with her permission. I used a damp disposable wipe which Clair handed over to me and wiped away from the genital area, I placed the soiled wipe on the soiled incontinence sheet I continued doing this until the are was clean, once this was clean I washed the area with soap and water. I folded the soiled incontinence sheet into its self and disposed of it in the yellow clinical waste bag. I took this opportunity to wash Mr Joness back, neck and the backs of her legs with soap and water, I then wash off the soap and dried. I straightened out the clean slide sheet, linen sheet and the incontinence sheet and then Mrs Jones lied on her back. After a few minute, I placed the hand towel over the clients chest and with her permission began to wash her face at the clients request I used water only on the face. I used separate wipes for each eye to prevent any cross contamination and a separate wipe for the rest of the face and then dried. Whilst I was doing this Claire began to wash Mrs Joness hands with soup and water after gaining permission to do so, Claire continued down the arms and rinsed off, whilst I dried the hands and arms Claire continued to wash the clients chest. Claire removed the dressing from around the tube of the catheter and disposed of it and her gloves in the clinical waste bag, she then went to wash her hands. When Claire retuned she had a fresh pair of gloves on she began to cleanse the skin from the tube outwards and then dried the area, she decided not to reapply another dressing as she felt it was not required but did tape down the tube to Mrs Joness stomach to prevent it from dislodging. Claire car ried on washing and rinsing Mrs Jones (Underarms, stomach, waste, genital area, (working outward to prevent infection) legs and feet) and I dried following Claire as she washed. The water that we used was kept clean at all times, as the used deposable wipes were not re-entered into the bowl. Whilst carrying out the bed bath myself and Claire assessed the Mrs Joness skin condition for any sours or broken skin. We applied talc to those areas Mrs Jones requested and then helped her to dress. We put the right arm in the nightgown first as this was her bad arm then subsequently her neck and left arm, there was no need to lower the nightgown much as this was a hospital nightgown with an open lower half, we then placed a linen sheet and blanket over her to keep her warm at Mrs Joness request. We raised the head of the bed to a seated position so that Mrs Jones was sitting upright. As I attended to Mrs Joness oral hygiene Claire combed Mr Jones hear to her particular style. I then started t o tidy and clean the area and Claire began to document and update the care plan. Once I had cleaned and sanitised the table I replace Mrs Joness belonging on the table and placed the table close to her so everything she may need was of reach. FeelingsIn reflection to the incident at the time I felt as though everything went fine, but as I have had the opportunity to reflect on my experience in much more depth and detail I in writing this essay I felt as though I took the lead but only because I was given the opportunity to do so. Claire was fairly new to working as an Auxiliary Nurse and was somewhat inexperienced as this was the only ward she had worked on she had more knowledge of the ward setting and the type of conditions people are admitted with on the ward. I was quite confident in assisting in a bed bath of a client as I have worked in providing personal care to all type of client for a good few years now and believe that my experience as a Health Care Assistance helped me immensely. My uncertainty was of the clients abilities and reactions to what we were actually doing it, thats when I decided to talk to the client and guild her through what we were doing. The thoughts in my head at the time were that the client may not have experience the type of bed bath that we were performing and may have not been something she was used to. I felt calm but a little apprehensive due to this but could find the words at the time to ask her if this was the way her carers would normally perform a bed bath. It is important to remain professional at all times and make sure the client didnt feel too uncomfortable. I remember feeling somewhat responsible for the client as I was looking after her. I believe I acted in the best interest of my client and have acted in such a manner set out by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct. I felt that it would have been better for the staff nurse on duty to explain to the client in much more depth, why it was not possible to administer the drugs at the time of the clients request rather than just to say its not the right time and the drug round starts at 8:30. Although my client had told me the truth about her dislocated shoulder had been seen by the doctors and that it was safe to manoeuvre on as long as it was comfortable it was my responsibility to seek professional advice because of my uncertainty at the time. If for any reason had this not have been the truth there may have been serious repercussions. I dont think I would have known what to do if her condition had worsened due to the manoeuvre. The steps forward build on the steps backwards or sideways. They are also the steps necessary for self-reflecting from this statement emphasised by Tschudin (1999) I able to understand that confidence in the self is quite an important quality to be have in order to acknowledge setbacks and mistakes, your should be able to learn from them and even see them as part of the overall picture. EvaluationI have grater knowledge of such issues that can arise if set guideline, policies and procedures are not followed. There are very few bad points that had taken place during this reflective experience. I believe it is important to involve the client in decision making which I failed to illustrate wherever possible this was when we redressed the client after bed bathing without involving the client and allowing the client to choose. We all have a professional responsibility to provide care to all patients/clients to the highest possible standards of care that will not be compromised by infections standard set out by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct. I acknowledged limitations set out by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, in that my knowledge and experience of the drugs on the ward was very limited and therefore I acquired help from a qualified member of staff. You must behave in a way that upholds the reputation of the professions outlined by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct this was maintain throughout the whole experience as I never spoke over the client nor did I ignore the client I showed the client up most respect. I was able to build a level of trust with theMy experience of working as a Health Care Assistance for and agency has enabled me to perform better in such conditions. By planning and discussing with the care team during handover and then with the patient about what our intentions are, what we are going to do and why, I was able to identify and minimise risks to the client. Seeing the way in which others behave or make mistakes allowed me to reflect on the point of view of others and to learn form them help me build on my knowledge. AnalysisI chose this experience as it is a procedure that I am quite confident with performing. Thiroux (1995) created his own set of principles of ethics, which can be applied to any situation. 1) The value of life, 2) Goodness or rightness, 3) Justice or fairness, 4) truth telling or honesty and 5) individual freedom. Ethical acts are executed in every day life even if we acknowledge it or not, the way we greet colleagues and clients even in the way in which we say good morning. Tschudin (1999) p175. As a training professional we are accountable for our actions and therefore must be able to backup any decision making with evidence I could see from my clients facial expressions that she was uncomfortable and was experiencing some sort of upset, during which in actual fact she was in a fair amount of pain. ConclusionI felt that the approach I took was in the right way and with the right intentions set out by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct. My reflective experience was very basic I felt and did not allow for much discussion, although a lot of the experience was preparation, planning and assessing which prevented the experience to go bad in anyway. I feel that as I am a first year nursing student I am very limited in what I can do and because of this little opportunity is given to me to experience other than what I have preformed as a Health Care Assistant. I felt that myself and the Auxiliary Nurse worked well together and were able to share the responsibility equally. Overall I found reflection on my experience interesting as it allowed me to look at legal, ethical and professional issues surrounding nursing practice. Action PlanIf a situation like this was to arise again I think I would like to try to take out more time to talk to the client about how they are feeling, at time I felt like I was prying too much as I felt like I was doing most of the talking. I also feel that it is important for me to work along side more experienced members of staff or qualified member of staff to be able to learn more whilst on my placements. Although I experienced in providing personal care to client I am not too familiar with ward setting. I do not think I have learnt an awful lot on the practical side of my experience but by reflecting on my experience in this assignment has allowed me to understand professional, legal and ethical issues of providing care and the dilemmas surrounding health care professionals. In the future I would not always go on the clients say so and seek professional advice and not just take the patient word. BibliographyBartter. K, (2001) Ethical Issues in Advanced Nursing Practice. London: Reed Elsevier Plc GroupBurnard. P, Chapman. C, (2004) Professional and Ethical Issues in Nursing. 3rd Edition. London: Elsevier LimitedGlasper. A, Grandis. S, Jackson. P, and Long. G, (2003) Foundation Studies for Nurses: using Enquiry Based Learning. New York: Palgrave MacmillamThe NMC Code of Professional Conduct Standards for Conduct, Performance and Ethics. Standards 07-04. London: Nursing Midwifery CouncilTschudin. V, (1999) Nurses Matter: Reclaiming Our Professional Identity. London:Macmillan

Attracting More Fans to College Games :: Proposal Essays

Attracting More Fans to College Games    Where are the fans? That is the most commonly asked question at a University football game. During the past few years at University football games, the university has been lacking with their football fans. How come nobody comes to the games? At most universities, football season is the largest season of the year. People spend hundreds of dollars on season tickets and go out of their way to attend the games. What can the university do to attract more fans to their games?    It all begins with SOS and SOS+. Those are the freshman orientations. Every freshman has been through it and knows what I am talking about. Many of the SOS and SOS+ leaders told the freshman during orientation that nobody goes to the football games instead, they go to the basketball games. As a freshman you want to do everything that you can to fit into the crowd. Of course if an older student tells you that it is not "cool" to go to a football game, then most likely you are not going to go. Freshman Lucy O'Kelley says, "I was scared to go to the football games after my SOS+ leader told me that nobody went to them. I thought I would be they only one sitting in the stands, so I did not attend the games this past season." If most of the freshman felt that way then that was about 900 possible fans that the SOS and SOS+ leaders scared away. They are supposed to be leaders of the university, but yet they are scaring the fans away.    The game day needs to be changed. If the games were held on Thursday nights instead of Saturday mornings that would improve the turn out of fans. Most people want to watch their favorite football teams such as Alabama and UT play Saturday instead of going to our university football game. Former university football player John Autry says, "There were some games when the university players paid more attention to what was going on in the Florida game." A lot of university students go home on the weekends, so they are not even here on Saturdays. Friday nights are out of the question because that is when everyone wants to watch his or her brother or sister play high school football. If the game started at 7:00 p.

Lord of the Flies: Irony :: Free Essay Writer

Lord of the Flies: Irony William Golding, the author of Lord of the Flies, used irony to tell his story of a group of young British boys stranded on a deserted island. The readers can clearly spot the irony in the dialogue and Ralph, one of the main character, is also aware of the irony in his situation. The irony in the novel forces the readers to step aside and think about the hidden meanings the author is trying to express. The first example of irony occurred in chapter two. Jack says to the group of young, impressionable boys that "We’ve got to have rules and obey them. After all, we’re not savages."(Golding 32)However, in the following chapters Jack is the leader of the tribe and encourages the boys to forget civilization and act upon their primitive instincts. They ignore the laws that they all have agreed to follow while on the island and commit heinous crimes against humanity, such as torture against both humans and animals, and murder. They no longer act like English schoolboys who are the best at everything, but like savages. Relatively early on in the novel Ralph comes to terms with his situation. He realizes that much of one’s life is spent just keeping out of danger and staying alive. After understanding the complex, yet realistic, view of life he remembers his first impression of the island and how he thought they would have fun on the island, like living in one of his books. Now he realized what life on the island would really be like. There is irony in Piggy’ s name. The boys hunt, kill and eat pigs on the island. Not only do they kill the pigs, they enjoy it tremendously. Piggy’ s name suggests that he will be a victim of the beast. Not the beast the boys on the island fear, but the beast within each of them. The author is saying through Piggy that because they kill and eat the pigs they become the beast. Ralph prays to the adult world to send them something grownup, a sign or something. His prayer is answered by a dead parachuter, a casualty of war from the fighting going on in civilized society. The dead man is powerless to help the boys. He actually causes more problems. He is mistaken for the beast and causes more fear in the boys and drives them closer to becoming savages.

Curricular Aims: Assessment of University Capstone :: Education School Essays

Curricular Aims: Assessment of University Capstone Albert North Whitehead (1929) believed that the raison d’etre of universities was neither for the imparting of knowledge nor for the opportunity for research. Cheaper alternatives for both were and are available to achieve those functions. Instead, he asserted. The justification for a university is that it preserves the connections between knowledge and the zest of life, by uniting the young and the old in the imaginative consideration of learning. The university imparts information, but it imparts it imaginatively. At least, this is the function which it should perform for society. A university which fails in this respect has no reason for existence (p. 93). When Whitehead described the purpose of education in his text, The Aims of Education, he had the luxury of his assertions without the burden of proof. The Academy today, while equally as passionate about the aims of education as Whitehead, must not only describe its reason(s) for existence, it must also provide evidence that those aims which it described as important are ultimately attained by its students. This evidence must be considered and presented both for ourselves (The Academy) and for our â€Å"constituents† (i.e. students, accrediting bodies, employers, donors, and society). The authors assert that three issues are paramount to any assessment of a curriculum in higher education. The first deals with the â€Å"reason for existence† issue raised by Whitehead (i.e. Are we doing the right thing?). The second issue has to do with examination of whether we are accomplishing our goals (i.e. Are we doing the right thing right?). The final issue involves how we can assess whether we are doing the "right thing right." Doing the right thing? Several years ago, Millikin University embarked on the difficult challenge to create a seamless curriculum that provided for intentional connections -- connections between the major and the non-major, connections between the curricular components at each level, and connections between the curricular components over the course of four years. In the development of this comprehensive and cohesive curriculum (dubbed the MPSL -- the Millikin Program of Student Learning), the faculty identified "common threads" of the MPSL. Those common threads are 1) Student learning goals, 2) Core questions, values, and means, and 3) Proficiencies. (See the student learning goals in Table 1 for the specific elements defining each one). The faculty vision for the University is actualized through the effective implementation of these common threads within the curriculum.