Jaelen Venable Essays - Films, Groundhog Day, Woodstock, Illinois

Jaelen Venable English 101 Dr. Barber October 15 2015 Groundhog Day If some say history repeats itself, how can we change it? In Harold Ramis's Groundhog Day, Phil Connors, a cocky self-centered weather forecaster, is stuck in time, causing a reoccurrence of the same day. Phil tries different things to get out of the time loop, but essentially nothing is working. A particular scene that stands out throughout the movie is the scene with the homeless man on the street, this is when Phil finally discovers what his purpose in life is. In this scene, Phil passes the homeless man each day not caring whether he has a meal to eat or a roof to sleep under. Then, when Phil gets stuck in this time loop he decides to give the homeless man money to hopefully change the reoccurring loop. As the movie progresses, Phil sees the homeless man dying. Phil then tries to do more so that he can save the homeless man, this aids him in finding his purpose in life. In the beginning of the film, Phil Connors is very selfless, only looking to please himself while not considering others in the process. A life of selfishness is not a good life to be lived. Phil is a middle-aged man that has a steady career and seems to be well off. He does not help the poor homeless man that he continues to see on the street for a long period of time. Phil was blinded by his own selfish ambition to help this man out. Five scenes go by before Phil actually decides to help the homeless man and even then he was still reluctant in aiding him. Phil says "I killed myself so many times I don't even exist anymore" (Groundhog Day) because he has not found his purpose in life yet. Initially, Phil was not helping the homeless man because it was the right thing to do, on the other hand, he helped him because he hoped it would change time and he'd be able to get out of the never ending Groundhog Day. Finally, when he ends up giving the homeless man some money it seems to not change anything. Could this be because he was only looking out for his best interest? Phil then proceeds to give him even more money, but once again it still has no effect. Helping others only to benefit yourself is still selfish. Phil Says "I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank Pina Coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. That was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over?" (Groundhog Day) This quote not only shows how selfish Phil is at this point in his life but also how he wishes that he could have been stuck in a day that was more beneficial to him. In the next few scenes with the homeless man, Phil sees the poor man dying even after he gave him money. Phil sees that his help was not enough, so he continues to try everything and anything he can to save the homeless mans life. This is when we, the audience, see Phil having a change in heart. It is only through the experience we accumulate in our lives, that we can learn and grow from our mistakes. Phil's experience with the homeless man leads him to better himself and change his ways to save this mans life. Once Phil realizes he cannot save the homeless man each day he goes on a path of helping everyone in the city of Punxsutawney. Phil Is inspired and finds his purpose in life. He is no longer selfish and starts to put others before himself. This is why he was able to break out of the time loop and continue with his regular life. The scene with Phil and the homeless man can be a great learning tool for everyone. We should not be self-centered and consider others before ourselves. This will lead to a life of bitter loneliness. Once Phil starts helping people you can see his life start to change and him become a happier person. Phil transforms

Profile of Stanley Woodard, NASA Aerospace Engineer

Profile of Stanley Woodard, NASA Aerospace Engineer Dr. Stanley E Woodard, is an aerospace engineer at NASA Langley Research Center. Stanley Woodard received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Duke University in 1995. Woodard also has bachelors and masters degrees in engineering from Purdue and Howard University, respectively. Since coming to work at NASA Langley in 1987, Stanley Woodard has earned many NASA awards, including three Outstanding Performance Awards and a Patent Award. In 1996, Stanley Woodard won the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Outstanding Technical Contributions. In 2006, he was one of four researchers at NASA Langley recognized by the 44th Annual RD 100 Awards in the electronic equipment category. He was a 2008 NASA Honor Award Winner for exceptional service in the research and development of advanced dynamics technologies for NASA missions. Magnetic Field Response Measurement Acquisition System Imagine a wireless system thats truly wireless. It doesnt need a battery or a receiver, unlike most wireless sensors that must be electrically connected to a power source, so it can safely be put almost anywhere. The cool thing about this system is that we can make sensors that dont need any connections to anything, said Dr. Stanley E. Woodard, senior scientist at NASA Langley. And we can completely encapsulate them in any electrically nonconductive material, so they can be put in lots of different locations and protected from the environment around them. Plus we can measure different properties using the same sensor. NASA Langley scientists initially came up with the idea of the measurement acquisition system to improve aviation safety. They say airplanes could use this technology in a number of locations. One would be fuel tanks where a wireless sensor would virtually eliminate the possibility of fires and explosions from faulty wires arcing or sparking. Another would be landing gear. That was where the system was tested in partnership with landing gear manufacturer, Messier-Dowty, Ontario, Canada. A prototype was installed in a landing gear shock strut to measure hydraulic fluid levels. The technology allowed the company to easily measure levels while the gear was moving for the first time ever and cut the time to check the fluid level from five hours to one second. Traditional sensors use electrical signals to measure characteristics, such as weight, temperature, and others. NASAs new technology is a small hand-held unit that uses magnetic fields to power sensors and gather measurements from them. That eliminates wires and the need for direct contact between the sensor and the data acquisition system. Measurements that were difficult to do before because of implementation logistics and environment are now easy with our technology, said Woodard. He is one of four researchers at NASA Langley recognized by the 44th Annual RD 100 Awards in the electronic equipment category for this invention. List of Issued Patents #7255004, August 14, 2007, Wireless fluid level measuring systemA level-sensing probe positioned in a tank is divided into sections with each section including (i) a fluid-level capacitive sensor disposed along the length thereof, (ii) an inductor electrically coupled to the capacitive sensor, (iii) a sensor antenna positioned for inductive coupl7231832, June 19, 2007, System and method for detecting cracks and their location.A system and method are provided for detecting cracks and their location in a structure. A circuit coupled to a structure has capacitive strain sensors coupled sequentially and in parallel to one another. When excited by a variable magnetic field, the circuit has a resonant frequency tha#7159774, January 9, 2007, Magnetic field response measurement acquisition systemMagnetic field response sensors designed as passive inductor-capacitor circuits produce magnetic field responses whose harmonic frequencies correspond to states of physical properties for which the s ensors measure. Power to the sensing element is acquired using Faraday induction. #7086593, August 8, 2006, Magnetic field response measurement acquisition systemMagnetic field response sensors designed as passive inductor-capacitor circuits produce magnetic field responses whose harmonic frequencies correspond to states of physical properties for which the sensors measure. Power to the sensing element is acquired using Faraday induction.#7075295, July 11, 2006, Magnetic field response sensor for conductive mediaA magnetic field response sensor comprises an inductor placed at a fixed separation distance from a conductive surface to address the low RF transmissivity of conductive surfaces. The minimum distance for separation is determined by the sensor response. The inductor should be separat#7047807, May 23, 2006, Flexible framework for capacitive sensingA flexible framework supports electrically-conductive elements in a capacitive sensing arrangement. Identical frames are arranged end-to-end with adjacent frames being capable of rotational movement therebetween. Each frame has first and second passages extending therethrough and par #7019621, March 28, 2006, Methods and apparatus to increase sound quality of piezoelectric devicesA piezoelectric transducer comprises a piezoelectric component, an acoustic member attached to one of the surfaces of the piezoelectric component and a dampening material of low elastic modulus attached to one or both surfaces of the piezoelectric transducer.#6879893, April 12, 2005, Tributary analysis monitoring systemA monitoring system for a fleet of vehicles includes at least one data acquisition and analysis module (DAAM) mounted on each vehicle in the fleet, a control module on each vehicle in communication with each DAAM, and terminal module located remotely with respect to the vehicles in the#6259188, July 10, 2001, Piezoelectric vibrational and acoustic alert for a personal communication deviceAn alert apparatus for a personal communication device includes a mechanically prestressed piezoelectric wafer positioned within the personal communication device and an alternating voltag e input line coupled at two points of the wafer where polarity is recognized.

Group and team behavior - Organizational behavior Assignment

Group and team behavior - Organizational behavior - Assignment Example Teams also perform management or supervisory role along with doing work. The revolutionary concept was adopted purely due to market needs and as a departure from traditional corporate functioning. The adoption has increased 3M productivity up to 300 % at some places. Advantages of using this system include improved customer relationship and loyalty, increased productivity and efficiency, greater freedom of action and adaptability, low organizational costs, less job categorization, worker welfare, improved services and survival of fittest. Limitations of using this system are initial risks, requisite training, time required in adopting culture, learning of basic management skills by all and bigger responsibility at lower level. Major challenges in this system are focus and involvement of employees, and customer satisfaction. Motivated employees are the best assets any firm can have. Rewarding for good performance is the best source of motivation. Rewards may be given in the form empow erment, recognition amongst peers, financial benefits, promotions, acknowledgement for creativity and innovation, training, quality of living and facilities. At 3M, work teams are rewarded with variable pay, which includes sales commissions and annual incentives.

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION - Essay Example That is, the thought that customs, usages, traditions, and habits are all necessary and sufficient features of culture has been dominant throughout the history of sociology (Geertz, 2000, p. 25). Rather, it seems that the idea of computer programs is a more accurate picture of culture, which produces various rules, instructions, recipes, and plans that govern behavior. On this concept, culture is not merely an interesting intellectual consideration in understanding how people behave, but a necessary mechanism in determining what an individual person does and accomplishes (Geertz, 2000, p. 25). The idea of a â€Å"multicultural education†, like culture, engulfs many different perspectives and ideas; namely, it is not merely an idea, but also an educational reform movement and a process of distinct goals. The primary goal of the multicultural education movement is â€Å"to change the structure of educational institutions so that male and female students, exceptional students, a nd students who are members of diverse racial, ethnic, language, and cultural groups will have an equal chance to achieve academically in school† (Banks & Banks, 2009, p. 1). ... ystems, interactions are governed to varying extents by various kinds of prejudices, biases, discrimination, and norms that may restrict (or enhance) group cohesiveness or separation. In the four-step pyramid, the two more fundamental steps involve the educator’s awareness of what he or she is projecting into the society of the school. If, for instance, an educator exhibits a cultural bias against students, then the culture that bias creates will likely have an effect on other students, who tend to mirror adult behaviors. This result demonstrates the fundamentality of teacher attitudes toward students in the classroom, especially with younger children who are especially impressionable. The top steps in the pyramid reflect the need for the educator to recognize outside sources of cultural biases and the need to address those. In a multicultural education, the educator is responsible for managing the impressions of cultural bias and class prejudices in their students. Treating t he school as an ordered social society once again, it is important not to allow factors from the exterior environment to leave an impact on the participants (the students) that will lessen the potential for a welcome, helpful cooperation. Children in elementary schools, although impervious to various kinds of indicators of social class like homes and possessions, are likely to pick up on less concrete signs: such as the effects of economic disadvantage and their parents’ interactions with employers. These clues toward social class ultimately affect a child’s perceptions of the world (including the relationship between school and their future) and their interactions with others (Ramsey, 2004, p. 94). A multicultural education, as an education that seeks to equalize educational opportunity, is

Behavioral Theory With Reference To Coca Cola Company Business Essay

Behavioral Theory With Reference To Coca Cola Company Business Essay Leadership theories are widely spread around us with their roots emerging from different practical examples and real time implications from numerous organizations. The basic aim for the evaluation of leadership theories is to provoke an environment of successful management and maintain the smooth running of the management with management and leadership qualities. Following leadership theories are quoted from Coca Cola Company, how the company has gained such phenomenal success and a word from CEO. Coca cola Company mainly sees these theories to build the leadership qualities among their employees. Behavioral Theory With Reference To Coca Cola Company: The developers of behavioral theory suggest that leaders can be made, they are not always born. They believe in the fact that leadership qualities can be learned over a period of time and they are not merely innate traits but they are successful behaviors of describable and explainable actions present in the behavior itself. These actions are easier to be learnt rather than adopting numerous different traits. CEO of Coca Cola Company persuades and ensures that the employees are given a chance to learn and develop leadership skills monitoring the improvement from time to time followed by selecting those employees who possess successful leadership skills. Developing a behavioral theory is comparatively easier assessing leaders and leadership success actions. Here CEO can recognize behavior use which raises to failure there it added a second layer of understanding. Trait Theory With Reference To Coca Cola Company: Trait theory suggests that successful leadership is an amalgamation of traits that defines leadership skills and qualities. Companies like coca cola assess the employees on psychological traits focusing on unique qualities. CEO of Coca Cola Company evaluates the employees on the basis of their behaviors and work structures. Trait theory suggests the possession of the following qualities and skills confirms successful goal leaders and Coca Cola Company focuses on retention of them. Qualities Skills Assertive Willing to assume responsibility Energetic Tolerant of stress Assertive Cooperative Adaptable to situation Persistent Desire to influence others Alert to social environment Achievement oriented and ambitious Decisive Persuasive Organized Fluent in speaking Conceptually skilled Diplomatic and tactful Creative Clever Knowledgeable about group work The above list of qualities and skills are essential in achieving organizational goals and serve as an inherent part of a good leader. Participative Leadership Theory: This theory aims at developing an understanding to decision making in different scenarios. The theory suggests that people working in teams must be more collaborative and less competitive. Team based decision making is better and more committed than individual persons. Coca Cola Company uses this theory and focuses on the development of teams for more focused and cooperative decision making rather than being alone. Leaders are selected for individual teams based on qualities as commitment, collaboration, cooperation, motivation friendly behavior etc. different programs are arranged so that the team member can participate and develop those leadership traits. Coca Cola Company effectively inculcates this process. Leadership Theories Development of Leadership Impact Of Managerial Styles On Organizational Effectiveness At Nestle: Democratic and Decentralized Management: This dynamic world is a constant threat to leaders bringing challenges and even opportunities. To achieve organizational effectiveness Nestle has thereby gained insight to developing and ensuring Democratic and Decentralized Management Style pursuing decision making. Nestle delegates the authority of decision making sharing it among the workforce whereby maintain team leaders to adhere to single coherent direction. The team members are all converged to individual participatory roles for full involvement pertaining to organizational effectiveness. It also believes in sharing of vision and goals and participation of all employees to gain operational speed, removing organizational barriers, leveraging strength of people, and focusing on organizational effectiveness. Nestle supports and employs the idea of minimal levels of management so that the information can be flown through all the levels and there is no communication gap pursuing organizational effectiveness. The idea of minimum spans of control and flexible authority and flatter organizations enable people development and also focusing on fulfilling of targets and goals. Nestle focuses on direct personal commitment and encouragement therefore decentralized management style is the best suited for this organization whilst seeking organizational effectiveness when all the employees will feel themselves a part of the organization and work in correspondence to that. All the above mentioned goals cannot be achieved and organizational effectiveness cannot be in full bloom if applied another management style known as Autocratic, which does not allow the information to be shared among workforce and discourages employees involvement in decision making and gives off a centralized organizational structure not suited to Nestle at this stage. http://www.nestle.com/asset-library/Documents/Library/Documents/People/Management-Leadership-Principles-EN.pdf Motivational Theory Impacting Employee Motivation: Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs: Motivation is defined as a driving force initiating a particular behavior in response to drive (external/ internal cues). A motivated employee is significant to organizational success. They make your organization lucrative and are highly productive and essential to different organizational working conditions. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs theory focuses on the employees internal needs that must be full filled at every level prior going to the next level to motivate their behavior. Considering five basic needs of Maslow involves the fulfillment of these needs along the pyramid as follows: Physiological needs: reflect the basic needs to be fulfilled in the first place which includes food, water, clothing, shelter etc Safety needs: are actually the security needs including medical treatment, adequate wages to support family, better household and the like. Belongingness needs: include the fulfillment of needs of social relationships, maintaining social circles of friends and social networks, being essential part of communities, an active member of society etc Esteem needs: encircle the aspiration for realization, ability, status, and acknowledgment. Self actualization needs: include the upbringing of yourself seeking new opportunities and looking for greater chances of growth in you. If the organization is fulfilling these needs, the employee is motivated and works in order to retain organizational success, development and growth. Example: This motivational theory is found to be in common practice by almost all the firms around the world today including IBM, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Nestle, and General Motors etc ascertaining to employee motivation and morale. http://hotelmule.com/management/html/07/n-2107-5.html Motivating Employees in a Startup Venture from Nataraj Pangal Theories Relating To Work Relationships and Interaction: As the organization continues to grow and expand globally, the evolving work relationships are placed continuously on a broader spectrum. This evolution put forth a challenge to management theory by continually changing the assumptions under which organizations are doing their work. Following theories are focused on work relationships among employees in an organization: Personal Flexibility and Adaptability: This approach is based on the removal of Inter-personal conflicts with its viewpoint to keep the group members appropriate likelihood to develop their own individual comfort zones as being essential part of the group. One way to remove and root out the interpersonal conflicts among the group members is through Mediation approach. http://jethrolmi.com/admin/uploads/attachment-35-J-0031.pdf Systems perspective approach of work interrelationships: This approach delivers the idea that communication is the binding stone as a result of which different systems and subsystems are retained by an organization. Positive synergy: Groups are considered to be more inclined towards performing faster and better when seen in a shared way rather than their individual output expectations. Positive synergy is useful in order to achieve more from the group performance as a whole. Interdependence: Interdependence reveals the fact that all the employees are dependent on each other. The output of one department and employees become the input for other department and employees, if a ball is dropped by one, the group as a whole is likely to meet failure and goals would not be achieved. Homeostasis: Homeostasis refers to the natural tendency of balance, synergy, coordination and equilibrium, maintained among homogenous or heterogeneous groups and teams of employees. Moreover it is also referred to as the propensity for a given system to continue to maintain its stability in the time of change. Politeness Theory: Politeness theory (PT) was developed by Brown and Levinson hence explaining the fact how interactions are maintained and delivered among participants (employees) by using politeness strategies. Based on Goffmans (1967) conception of individuality and face work, in the politeness theory by Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987) verified when, why, and how interpersonal communication is raised through, or in the absence of, politeness. http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/4984_Dainton_Chapter_3.pdf Characteristics of Different Organization Structures: Organizations are established based on various goals that need to be accomplished over the period of its life, and these functional/ operational goals are achieved by synchronizing the efforts of employees and various other participants of the organization according to the following organizational structures. Functional Structure Functional structure is the division of work force and work processes into separate respective departments. The different departments such as sales force, marketing, finance, research and development departments etc have their own functional perspectives pouring a single coherent outcome. Divisional Structure Divisional structure is used where larger organizations are taken into account, and when the larger organization is divided into different divisions and sub areas. For example, the now-defunct Nestle Company is organized into divisions for each geographic area to handle specific needs. Matrix Matrix structure is an amalgam of divisional and functional structure. Organizations like Nestle a large multinational company, the matrix structure allows for the benefits of functional and divisional structures to exist in one organization. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/different-types-organizational-structure-723.html Culture and Structure of Nestle and its Impact On Organizational Effectiveness: Organizational Structure Of Nestle: Nestle is a worldwide dairy and beverages organization tremendously successful across the world. Nestle exhibits a decentralized organizational structure minimizing the span of control and reducing the levels of management. Decentralized Organization: Organizational effectiveness is a function of organizational culture and its structure depending upon the operations it performs. Nestle is a decentralized organization and it contributes to the success and growth of this organization. Nestle allows its employees equal opportunity to enjoy and sustain a high level of autonomy. This gives them enough courage, sense of responsibility and motivation to perform their jobs fulfilling their job responsibilities. Major changes and the strategic decisions are executed and planned at the headquarters level but the daily routine based activities are handled by the employees. The subordinates are allowed to concentrate, derive and implement daily operations. The responsibility of taking operating decisions is pushed down to strategic business units. The employees enjoy a high degree of autonomy with regard to decisions involving pricing, distribution, marketing, human resources, and so on. SBU or regional managers are not allowed to make operational or strategic decisions on anything except for exceptional situations. Nestle follows a traditional top down hierarchical structure of command. The companys executive body is the Board of Directors. Leading the company is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Nestlà © therefore allows the unchanged person to hold both the positions. Organizational Culture Of Nestle: The culture of Nestle comprises of the distinctive behavior patterns and values that makes up the organization differing them from the rest. A simple and quick assessment of the organizational culture can be made by interacting with the people working in the organization and by exploring how people interact with each other and perform their jobs. A number of aspects of Nestlà ©s values and hence working practices relate to interpersonal relationships among employees, nestle believes in maintaining fair and unbiased relations without any disconcert of race, age, gender and other diverse cultures. All the employees are encouraged to embrace the Nestlà © way of working and interacting with fellow employees and subordinates. Nestlà © aims to maintain fair, sincere, direct, and caring work environment for people making up the organization. Nestlà © has therefore successfully developed a fair and unbiased set of values and principles enabling the employees to get maximum fair and honest treatment. These values and principles clinch the involvement and participation of diverse cultures, respecting them and developing long term relationships with all of its suppliers and customers. These values play a major role in building the organizational culture. The culture of an organization will alter and shift over time, both in response to changes in the external environment as well as to internal pressures within the organization. Nestlà © Lesson Plan from The Times 100 website: www.tt100.biz Case Study: Nestles Growth Strategy http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/261835.html Taking the present merger into account the new organization thus formed needs to be restructured on various grounds. I have thereby stated few dimensions that need to be discussed for employee effectiveness in the new organization: Meeting Notes: Organizations can facilitate information and creativity through effective communication and effective HRM. Creativity is at the heart of all organizations and recently has gained a principal focus. For example IBM focuses in innovative engineering and its success and growth depends on creativity in field of technology and newer unique outputs. While recruiting, strategic HRM is concerned with selecting those individuals who continues to elicit high level of creativity in their work, skills and abilities, who knows how to respond to various solutions in unique ways, and undergoing different problem handling parameters. As IBM has reported that one of the greatest achievement for any organization to have leadership competence is through Creativity http://www.cersi.it/itais2009/pdf/TR_3/itais2009_submission_25.pdf http://executivenewswire.com/2011/02/how-can-creativity-and-innovation-be-facilitated-within-a-company-by-emmanouel-perakis/ http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09585192.2012.690567 The importance of learning in organizations has been raised to a point that enables the employees to learn from their mistakes and a new organization that is undergoing restructuring after merger must take into account this parameter for performance. Hero merged with Honda Company in India and went into restructuring of organization leading to organizational learning, to help make the new management learn a blend of new and existing organizational operational styles. Organizational learning brings continuous improvement to employees performance and thereby facilitation organizational success, survival and growth. According to the book The Fifth Discipline  by Senge, explains his point of view as The ability to learn faster than your competition may be the only sustainable advantage for your organization in the long run. Moreover Learning organizations helps in generating and practicing new knowledge. This ability enables companies to stay ahead of change and the competition. http://www.leadershipandorganizationalculture.com/2012/04/importance-of-learning-in-organizations.html Effectiveness of Team Learning: Traditional learning had been the practice of the past when the peer team leader primarily acts as a disseminator of information responsible for ensuring learning, solely. On the other hand, team learning means to empower the team members giving them the opportunity to think, plan and act, enhancing their abilities to perform. According to the researches by various institutes including Stanford University and University of Michigan etc, team based learning is an important evaluator for effectiveness of employees (team members). Sharing of information among team members and flexibility to perform and cooperate within teams is essential to the completion of any task on a regular basis. Through team learning, members freely and easily recognize their shared and individual roles and responsibilities in an effective way. Team Learning Effectiveness is a proven and practical diagnostic tool for assessing team effectiveness and improving work group performance in any organization especially for a new restructured one like this. http://teaching.uncc.edu/articles-books/best-practice-articles/instructional-methods/building-learning-teams http://www.reliablesurveys.com/teameffectiveness.html Approaches To Organizational Decision Making: Valuable information is the building block to organizational decision making. Many firms such as Mckinsey and Co. provide consultation on how firms use the appropriate data. Organizations have preordaining access to large amounts of data, including consumers, economic concerns, employees, stakeholders, financial figures, competitors etc in raw and unstructured format. An organizational setting like this binding into a merger recently needs to focus on evaluating the importance of data collected since past. In order to realize value and to help organizations become more sustainable in the longer term, it is crucial to improve the ways they measure and manage their performance. Such mountains of data make decision making difficult and vague. Therefore value data is extracted from the raw data known as information which is meaningful to the organization when updated, relevant, timely and accurate. Using different information systems and information technology tools make effective decision making. Tools such as Decision Support Systems and Management Support Systems etc are of critical value. http://www.auditcommission.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/AuditCommissionReports/NationalStudies/Cranfield_Information_use_review.pdf Approaches To Risk And Uncertainty In Decision Making: Different workshops are conducted enabling the participants to undergo decision making based on simulated situations. This enables them to perform well under actual circumstances. Workshops increase their level of performance and risk handling under uncertain conditions. In addition to this I also prefer the development of mitigation policies to be pursued under risky and uncertain circumstances while undergoing decision making. Integrated assessments can inform decision makers of the relationship between risk involving factors, adaptation potentials, and costs of emission reductions and the benefits of avoiding uncertain scenarios. These assessments have frameworks to deal with incomplete or imprecise data. As with Unilever and Procter and Gamble they estimate the demand and supply based on pre defined policies to handle the uncertain high or low demand times. http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg3/en/tssts-ts-2-2-decision-making-risk.html Workshop on Risk Assessment and Safety Decision Making Under Uncertainty Evaluation of Effectiveness of Organizational Decisions: Organizations such as International Energy (a masked name) made critical mistakes in decision making incurring extra ordinarily high costs referred to as failure costs. Therefore successful organizations such as Wal-Mart employ a structured approach means establishing assumptions and procedures for the way we make decisions around here. There are five critical elements pursuing effective organizational decisions. The above diagram explains the systematic approach to organizational decision making including criteria, facts, alternatives, commitment, and closure. The main objective of decision making has high lightened that particular goal you want to accomplish in the long run through effective decision making, whereas having vague and incomplete goals leads to failure. Wal-Mart,an online retailer store focuses on goals and makes decisions accordingly. Companies like International Energy focuses on reliable and accurate use of facts when and where required. There is too much data but screening the necessary and vital valued data is an important step t effective organizational decision making. Gaining insight to application of alternatives is essential to making right choices while making critical and great decisions. Seeking for alternatives reinforce the need to examine more than one option and nearly always improves the quality of decision making as the CEO of International Energy reports. Companies like Dow Chemicals, Intel, and Wal-Mart etc embed decisions regarding business-unit strategy in contracts that detail the specific strategic decisions that have been made, the resources required to implement the strategy effectively, and the individuals who are accountable for delivering on the decisions. Moreover when the decision is not communicated,, responsibilities are established with their time frames implementation and a continuous feedback monitoring mechanism for performance, an effective decision will be of no use. Wal-Mart decided not to offer steep discounts during the holiday selling season. On Friday after Thanksgiving, competitors noticed Wal-Marts strategy and began trumpeting their own holiday discounts, sensing an opportunity to draw customers away from the retail giant. But Wal-Mart was closely monitoring results, and its executives figured out that the new scheme wasnt working well enough. They quickly reversed the decision and within days, every store in the Wal-Mart system had returned to the companys traditional practice of holiday discounting. http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/decision-insights-11-how-organizations-make-great-decisions.aspx Analysis of the Effective Management of Change in Organizations: Change management has always been a challenge to the organizations. The dynamic environment surrounding the organizations keeps on becoming uncertain and unpredictable. To manage the flow of events it the principle of change management must be of focal point. Moreover, for an organization undergoing a merger, the new management resulting from the combination of the two pre existing organizations, has to undergo challenging situations of change. This change is necessary as well provoking effective management styles. The change management is about maintaining a dynamic equilibrium within the environment you are operating. By diagnosing the situation which arises as the result of change management one can ensure that: The goals can be achieved as there is enough stability There must be operational continuity so that nothing would be distracted as the result of change The organization is adaptable to different situations and can manage the internal and external events as well as the change There is enough motivation so when the rite time comes the change can be adopted easily The management role is all about coping with the change so that the processes (internal as well as external) should only be minimally disrupted as accelerating change can increase the level of complexity and management problems. It can be a range of activities which can act as a trigger for change like old machinery is beyond repair , changes in legislations , changes in technology , merger and acquisition activity (as in our case) taking place as a consolidation in the banking sector , economic scenarios etc. according to Geliner and Earnst, 1996: The change will bring in Fresh challenges and tasks; this will largely offset the job security situation as more motivation can be gained http://www.mightystudents.com/essay/Managing.Change.Organizations.34325 Summary: The behavioral and traits theories are essential components for understanding the relationship of leadership styles and linking them with innate or learnt behaviors and/ or characteristics. The significance of participative leadership theory is through its implementation at various levels in every organization In addition to this, motivation at every level leads to success and growth promise on part of employees, fruitful for the organization. The different organization styles, structures and diverse cultures operate in large and small organizations. Their base is made stronger with the practice of such rules, policies, structures and cultures making them an inherent part of their organization and allowing new and existing employees to act in unison with them. Lastly the different modes of decision making and the risks in making decisions are also evaluated on experience and judgments based on knowledge and insight. The team based learning helps in better solutions to make the employees perform more collaboratively and less competitively. Conclusion: Lastly I have concluded through my vigorous analysis that leadership theories, motivation styles, organizational culture, structure and styles are most important for the proper functioning of an organization. The effectiveness of decision making factors are also very fruitful and their understanding of flow of information is significant to any organization whether big or small.

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Eddie Martinez 11/30/2013 History 380- History of Rock ‘n’ Roll Research Paper Rock and Roll was one of the biggest musical, cultural, and social. It was one of the biggest events that has changed the face of music. But this incredible change didn’t happen overnight. While the term was coined in the 1950’s, movements had already been rolling in those directions for a few decades. So many genres and styles contributed to the rise of Rock and Roll and to the different ranges of types that stemmed from it. While there are countless styles and artist that contributed to creating the sound and culture and Rock and Roll there are a few groups that particularly embodied the ideals of Rock and Roll and greatly added to its already rich style. Rock and Rolls origins have been highly debated. Because of its significant impact on society, people are very involved and interested on its development and its decline into its various subcategories. Music has always had direct links to the culture and people it emerges from. The styles that predominantly make up the roots of Rock and Roll begin earliest from jazz and most importantly swing in the 1930’s. the time leading up to Rock and Roll coincided with the time leading up to the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. both Rock and Roll as well as the Civil rights movement for African Americans erupted in the 1960’s after many decades of built up tension. The styles that contributed to Rock and Roll are a combination of White and Black styles of music that were fused and came together as early as the 1930’s. Of course when anyone thinks about Rock and Roll they think of the man with full slicked backed hair and a white rhinestone jumpsuit. Elvis Aaron Presley was a singer, musician, and ... ... most original and amazing songs out there. Originally the band felt that their first album was too much pop; there was no meaning in the words. But by the time they released Rubber Records, which they felt was one of their most cohesive and best records, they were at full Beatles swing. It was all them. The band went through quite a genre transition and crossed all kinds of musical styles in the ten years that they were together. They started out as being a skiffle group, they then embraced 50’s rock and roll, folk, country, psychedelic, and yet still popular and unique. It has been said that before this time there had never been a song that could blend so many different styles and components from so many diverse influences could be put together to make something new. At the end, when things were becoming strained in the group, individual tastes began to surface.

Discrimination: a Class Divided

The PBS video, A Class Divided, has brought to light a sensitive subject that has plagued societies for hundreds, even thousands of years. I have learned a lot about discrimination by watching this video. I was not aware that discrimination is a learned behavior. It seems that anytime there is a situation in which someone is viewed in a critical way, called out on those facts, and an opinion on those facts is expressed, it is a potential for discrimination. It only takes the views of one person to alter another persons perception of the world around them. There are several scenes from the video that has left a lasting impression in my mind. One of the most impressionable events was on the second day of the experiment. On this particular day, Jane Elliot called the children together to discuss what had been happening for the past two days. Once the children were discussing how it made them feel and how wrong it was to treat people that way, I thought that it was amazing that third graders could relate the experiment to real life discrimination. I feel that these children really learned what is was like to discriminate against someone and to be discriminated against. Another scene that left a lasting impression on me, was the last scene of the program, when Jane Elliott was debriefing the adults from the correctional facility. That experiment, even in such a short time, proved how easy it was to break down the barriers of what is right or wrong. Even hough the adults were less tolerant of the ridicule and demeaning accusations, most did not say anything, and the ones that did just gave the discriminators more ammunition. The things that surprised me the most was how easy it was to turn the children against each other. It seemed so easy for the first group of children â€Å"on top† to find things to blame on the inferior group. It was almost automatic that the children in the inferior group to be offended or feel badly when called â€Å"brown eyes. † I didn't think they would react quite so quickly and feel so b ad right away. The blue-eyed children were mean and found lots of ways to discriminate against the brown eyed children. However once the brown eyed children were â€Å"on top† the terrible feeling about themselves seemed to diminish rather quickly, and I think since they knew how it felt to be on the inferior side they were not as mean and the first group of children that were â€Å"on top. † The children that participated in the experience learned a very valuable lesson and were able to carry these values with them through adulthood. It was amazing to me to see how stating facts like the color of someone's eyes and adding an opinion to them, like they are smarter or better, can trigger such negative feelings. The names they used were not necessary derogatory, but were perceived as derogatory because stereotypes and discrimination attached to them. The children learned that just because they perceive something as being acceptable or normal it may cause someone else to feel bad or be hurt. The children also learned that teasing is hurtful and mean. By setting distinct divisions, such as, giving the blue-eyed children five extra minutes at recess or not allowing them to play on the playground equipment the next day enforced the segregation and gave the children sense of hopelessness . Not allowing the children to play together made them feel as if their friends had just been taken away and that they were not as good or smart as the other group. Overall, what the children learned, is to except each other. Even though there are physical differences, human beings deserve to be treated equally and fair no matter what color their eyes or skin may be. I think that this experiment runs parallel to the Sioux prayer â€Å" Help me not judge a person until I have walked in his shoes. † This activity teaches us that we can not fully understand how it would feel to be the minority and to be discriminated against unless put into a situation of such. Nor would we able to judge someone harshly for who or what they are until you have experienced it first hand and literally walked in their shoes.