Free Essays on Hearing Loss

, 6 babies out of 1,000 will have a consultation misfortune in a least one ear that will influence correspondence, cognizance, and instructive turn of events. Twenty to thirty percent of hearing misfortune in kids happens during earliest stages and youth. A few kids will endure hearing misfortune in one ear or potentially both. There are various kinds of hearing misfortune. A conductive hearing misfortune happens in the center ear. This is the place three little bones associated with hearing are found. A consultation misfortune that happens in this piece of the ear is typically brief. Ceaseless or repetitive ear contaminations may cause a conference misfortune in the center ear. There are situations where there is a deformity around there that can be improved or adjusted through medical procedure. There are events when an issue in the center ear can't be rectified. A sensori-neural hearing misfortune happens in the center ear and shows that there is nerve harm. This kind of misfortune isn't reversible. There are various natures of hearing misfortune some that can be remedied or others that are irreversible. Guardians now and again ask, â€Å"Why did this happen to my child?† sometimes, the reason for a child’s hearing misfortune might be anything but difficult to follow. There might be a family ancestry of deafness, an innate condition, a disease, a mishap, a recommended drug that might be the reason for hearing misfortune. Much of the time, there might be no undeniable explanation behind the conference misfortune. Guardians must come to ... Free Essays on Hearing Loss Free Essays on Hearing Loss This paper depends on a handicap that numerous Americans have, hearing misfortune. The nature, causality, appraisal, avoidance, and settlement are things that will be examined. This paper will likewise talk about a portion of my own encounters of hearing misfortune through encounters my companion has experienced. As indicated by Gallaudet University, around 1 of each 1,000 newborn children is brought into the world hard of hearing while 6 of each 1,000 are brought into the world with some level of hearing misfortune. Perpetual hearing misfortune during childbirth every year influences 24,000 newborn children in the USA. At the end of the day, 6 newborn children out of 1,000 will have a consultation misfortune in a least one ear that will influence correspondence, perception, and instructive turn of events. Twenty to thirty percent of hearing misfortune in youngsters happens during outset and youth. A few kids will endure hearing misfortune in one ear or potentially both. There are various sorts of hearing misfortune. A conductive hearing misfortune happens in the center ear. This is the place three little bones engaged with hearing are found. A consultation misfortune that happens in this piece of the ear is normally impermanent. Constant or intermittent ear diseases may cause a conference misfortune in the center ear. There are situations where there is a deformity here that can be improved or revised through medical procedure. There are events when an issue in the center ear can't be remedied. A sensori-neural hearing misfortune happens in the center ear and demonstrates that there is nerve harm. This sort of misfortune isn't reversible. There are various natures of hearing misfortune some that can be rectified or others that are irreversible. Guardians here and there ask, â€Å"Why did this happen to my child?† at times, the reason for a child’s hearing misfortune might be anything but difficult to follow. There might be a family ancestry of deafness, an innate condition, an ailment, a mishap, an endorsed prescription that might be the reason for hearing misfortune. Much of the time, there might be no conspicuous explanation behind the consultation misfortune. Guardians must come to ...

Job Design as a Motivational Tool Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Occupation Design as a Motivational Tool - Essay Example Occupation enhancement is the act of improving employment content by working into it all the more inspiring elements, for example, obligation, accomplishment, acknowledgment, and self-improvement (Schermerhorn and Hunt and Osborn). An entrepreneur relies a great deal upon the yield of their staff since assets are restricted. The representatives must be enabled by the proprietor so as to get progressively out these workers. The activity advancement procedure can be utilized adequately by demonstrating the representative with more significant level of inclusion in the regular exercises of the business so the worker feels that the general execution of the organization is exceptionally needy of the work the individual is performing. Occupation growth expands the assortment of assignments by joining at least two employments into expected set of responsibilities that used to be performed by various arrangement of laborers. This is an exceptionally run of the mill situation in a private com pany. Now and again the bookkeeper is likewise the promoting administrators. The entrepreneur can utilize this system, however the proprietor must ensure the worker is being remunerated enough in money related terms so the individual doesn't feel he/she is being misused. Occupation revolution is a work design procedure that includes a level methodology which includes the periodical moving or pivoting of representatives into various employment undertakings. In little organization work pivot happens natural without the representatives seeing the entrepreneur is moving their activity obligations. The business need decides the revolution of the worker. Representatives get propelled when the administrator gives them various assignments to perform on the grounds that the dullness of monotonous work undertakings is wiped out. Representatives appreciate working in a spot where their time needs are a piece of the condition. A framework that gives the adaptability workers wanted is strategic scheduling. Strategic scheduling is work plan framework that permits the worker to choose the time the person in question will

Outbox May 19, 2017

Inbox/Outbox May 19, 2017 Last week I worked a shift at a local bookstore, which I do every so often when they need me. I ransacked their collection of advance copies, so I acquired a lot of books. Perhaps too many. Good thing there’s a long weekend coming up (here in Canada, anyway). These are the books in my inbox and outbox this week, along with what’s in my queue to be read next. INBOX (BOOKS ACQUIRED) The History of Bees by Maja Lunde.  This novel, pitched as Station Eleven meets Never Let Me Go (yes, please), is already an international bestseller. It comes out in North America in August. There are  three parallel storylines involving beekeepers: one set in 1852, one in 2007, and one in 2098, after all the bees have died and humans have turned to hand-pollination in order to survive. I’m most intrigued by the last storyline, as it seems increasingly like we’re already living in a dystopian novel. I snagged the bookstore’s only advance copy of this before anyone else could. This Is Just My Face by Gabourey Sidibe.  Sidibe’s memoir is about growing up in New York, her early job as a phone sex worker, and how she got into acting, among other things. She was in Toronto this week, and I was lucky enough to attend the event and grab a copy of the book. I can report that Sidibe is hilarious, charming, and extremely stylish. And also has a very accurate interpretation of “Hotline Bling.” A trusted friend told me that her book is very honest, and I can’t wait to read it. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. I’ve heard nothing but good things about The Daily Show host’s memoir from a wide selection of friends and acquaintances with pretty different reading tastes. With a white father and a black mother, Noah was literally “born a crime” in apartheid-era South Africa. The essays in this book recount his path from this early life to his starring role in late-night American television. I have high expectations for this one. OUTBOX (BOOKS FINISHED) Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz.  I love Agatha Christie and classic British cozies, and evidently so does Horowitz, because this book-within-a-book is a clever homage to golden age detective fiction. The story begins in the present day with an editor, Susan Ryeland, settling in to read the latest manuscript from her troublesome star author, Alan Conway, who writes murder mysteries starring amateur detective Atticus Pund. Along with Susan, we too read the manuscript, a classic country house murder set in a small English village in 1955. But as she reads, Susan begins to suspect that there’s more truth than fiction contained in Alan’s new book… This one comes out in June, and I recommend it to anyone else who needs to wash those images of Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot out of their heads. Orchids on Your Budget by Marjorie Hillis.  This book of advice from 1937 was republished as Bubbly on Your Budget and appears to also be available under that title. I read Hillis’s first advice book, Live Alone and Like It, during a difficult time last year, and her practical and witty life advice was just what I needed. Orchids on Your Budget is more focused on moneyâ€"specifically budgeting and economizingâ€"and therefore a little bit less delightful, but still full of Hillis’s trademark one-liners. For example, here’s what she thinks about ignoring your present in favour of anticipating your future: “Things to which you look forward too long are almost invariably disappointing when you get them, and you might die first anyway.” IN THE QUEUE (WHAT I’M READING NEXT) Public Relations by Katie Heaney and Arianna Rebolini.  This book looks like fun weekend reading. It’s about a publicist, Rose, who suggests that up-and-coming young British singer Archie get into a “fauxmance” with another young celebrityâ€"and finds herself in over her head. I recommended that my library add it to their collection and just heard that they did. Thanks, Toronto Public Library! Solitude: In Pursuit of a Singular Life  in a Crowded World  by Michael Harris.  Looking at the latest neuroscience and behavioral research as well as his own personal experience, Harris investigates being alone: why it’s important, why we’re so bad at it, and why modern life makes it harder than ever. I’m excited to dig into this book over the long weekend, for which I have scheduled no plans. Just all these books, the new season of Master of None, and plenty of solitude. What’s in your inbox, outbox, and queue this week? Fellow Canadians, what’s on your long-weekend reading list?

An Evolution of the Human Brain

Human organs, much like the human heart, have changed and evolved over the history of time. The human brain is no exception to this natural phenomena. Based on Charles Darwins idea of Natural Selection, species that had larger brains capable of complex functioning seemed to be a favorable adaptation. The ability to take in and understand new situations proved invaluable to the survival of Homo sapiens. Some scientists believe that as the environment on Earth evolved, humans did as well. The ability to survive these environmental changes was directly due to the size and function of the brain to process the information and act upon it. Early Human Ancestors During the reign of the Ardipithecus Group of human ancestors, brains were very similar in size and function to those of a chimpanzee. Since the human ancestors of that time (about 6 million to 2 million years ago) were more ape-like than human, the brains needed to still function like that of a primate. Even though these ancestors tended to walk upright for at least part of the time, they did still climb and live in the trees, which requires a different set of skills and adaptations than that of modern humans. The smaller size of the brain at this stage in human evolution was adequate for survival. Toward the end of this time period, the human ancestors began figuring out how to make very primitive tools. This allowed them to begin hunting larger animals and increase their protein intake. This crucial step was necessary for brain evolution since the modern human brain requires a constant source of energy to keep functioning at the rate it does. 2 million to 800,000 Years Ago Species of this time period began moving to different places across the Earth. As they moved, they encountered new environments and climates. In order to process and adapt to these climates, their brains began to get bigger and perform more complex tasks. Now that the first of the human ancestors had begun to spread out, there was more food and room for each species. This led to an increase in both body size and brain size of the individuals. Human ancestors of this time period, like the Australopithecus Group and the Paranthropus Group, became even more proficient in tool making and got a command of fire to help keep warm and cook food. An increase in brain size and function required a more diverse diet for these species and with these advances, it was possible. 800,000 to 200,000 Years Ago Over these years in the history of the Earth, there was a large climatic shift. This caused the human brain to evolve at a relatively rapid pace. Species that could not adapt to the shifting temperatures and environments quickly went extinct. Eventually, only Homo sapiens from the Homo Group remained. The size and complexity of the human brain allowed individuals to develop more than just primitive communication systems. This allowed them to work together to adapt and stay alive. Species whose brains were not large or complex enough went extinct. The different parts of the brain, since it was now large enough to not only accommodate instincts necessary for survival but also more complex thoughts and feelings, were able to differentiate and specialize in various tasks. Parts of the brain were designated for feelings and emotion while others stayed with the task of survival and autonomous life functions. The differentiation of the parts of the brain allowed humans to create and understand languages to communicate more effectively with others.

The Fast Food Industry Essay - 702 Words

The Fast Food Industry There are many arguments whether we are better off living with or without the existence of fast food. It is true that there are many reasons why it is good having fast food chains around us, but at the same time, it isn’t that good either. In this article, I will talk you through whether society is better or worse off with the existence of fast food. The example of fast food chain I would be using for this article will be McDonalds. McDonalds is an example of globalization. They have stores everywhere around the world. They’re not far from having one at the corner of each block. But how are they able to open as many stores as this? The reason†¦show more content†¦Many consumers have filed a lawsuit on McDonalds because of what has happened to them health wise. Obesity is the second most common cause of death after smoking. Eating too much McDonalds causes obesity. This has been portrayed in the documentary, Super Size Me by Morgan Spurlock. In the near future, it has been predicted that deaths caused by obesity will surpass deaths from smokers. Other health problems include coronary heart diseases, diabetes and dental decay. Through health problems, there are not only personal health problems, but also health problems within the community. Some cases that have gone to court alleges that McDonalds products, such as Chicken McNuggets were harmful to an amount further than what was understood by the everyday customer. It alleges that McDonalds promoted its foods as being healthy while researchers, as well as the firm’s own dietetic division in France warned otherwise. Not only that, it has been said also that researchers did warn that some foods should not be consumed more than once a week otherwise consumers may suffer health related problems or disease like I have mentioned above. McDonald’s branches are easily accessible, which makes it convenient for people who don’t have time to cook meals themselves. Not only that, but in most countries, their meals are cheap and affordable for most working class. McDonalds have alsoShow MoreRelatedFast Food And The Food Industry1642 Words   |  7 PagesThe majority of Americans enjoy fast food like bees enjoy their honey. Fast food is hard not to love due to families experiencing fast paced days, parents who work more than 20 hours a week, and having children with picky appetites can be rough. For most American families, it can be a challenge to not consider eating fast food more than once a week. The fast food industry has grown tremendously through the years. The one restaurant that is known all over the world for their golden arches and theirRead MoreFast Food Industry2084 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction The fast-food industry has been developing rapidly and has successfully penetrated majority of the markets globally, at the same time bringing about several significant changes in practices, work and employment relations. Fast-food restaurants are distinguished and characterized by their inexpensive food products prepared in a standardized method that is dispensed to their customers quickly and efficiently for takeaway or dine-in and are usually packaged without the provision of utensilsRead MoreFast Food Industry1506 Words   |  7 PagesTable of Contents: 1) Executive Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦P.2 2) Industry Structure Analysis †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦P.2 3) Five Force Model †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.P.3 4) Comparative industry structure analyses †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.P.5 5) Critical Success Factors Now ...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦P.5 6) Critical Success Factors in Future...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.P.7 7) Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦P.8 6) Appendix †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..P.9 Executive Summary: Hong Kong is a city in which efficiency and speed areRead MoreFast Food And The Food Industry979 Words   |  4 Pagesyou see one of the fifty thousand fast food chains in the United States alone (Ransohoff). It might be easy to resist the cheap and easy deliciousness of a McDonald’s cheeseburger for a while, but then you have a long day and cooking seems too tedious for the amount of energy you actually have. Or you are out with friends and the only food options are fast food. That is okay! Today, healthier food options are more accessible in and out of the fast food industry. In today’s world of technology andRead MoreThe Fast Food Industry Essay2085 Words   |  9 Pagesyears old, I got my first job at the most wonderful fast food restaurant ever, Cookout. This was not an ideal job for a 16-year-old. Most teens dream of their first job being in their favorite clothing store, or maybe even their favorite grocery store. I was that teen, but where I am from there are very limited options for 16 year olds so I had to just settle for a fast food restaurant. We have all heard these typical assumptions about fast food employees, they are all uneducated, they work too hardRead MoreFast Food And The Kingdom Of The Fast Foods Industry1532 Words   |  7 Pagesof the fast food industry. Since White Castle, which was known as the first fast food chain in the United States, was established by Walter Anderson and Edgar Waldo â€Å"Billy† Ingram in 1921 (Kieler), other fast food chains also emerged such as McDonalds, Taco bell, Burger King, or Wendyâ₠¬â„¢s after 1941 (Wilson). Among those various fast food chains, especially, McDonalds became the biggest fast food chain not only in the overall America but also all around the world (Wilson). Nowadays, fast food is servingRead MoreThe Fast Food Industry1246 Words   |  5 Pageschanged their spending habits in particular food. This has lead fast food joints to profits, proving that there is an upside to our low economy Todays industry faces high real-estate prices and highway strips teeming with fast-fooleries, there is now one restaurant for every 2,700 Americans, compared with one for every 7,000 in the late 1970s (Clark). Chains have been branching out into sports arenas, airports, hospitals, colleges, turnpike stops, mall food courts, kiosks, airline in-flight meal servicesRead MoreFast Fashion On Fast Food Industry2279 Words   |  10 PagesSlow Fashion Fast fashion is a force that needs constant change from retailers; new garments and new trends cycle out as fast as a bi-weekly basis, putting pressure on the industry to sell fast and cheap to the consumer. However, with the news publishing more articles about the working conditions in factories, comparable to the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, and the run-off pollution these factories produce, the consumer is demanding more transparency in the supply chain. The introduction toRead MoreThe Effects Of Fast Food On The Food Industry2086 Words   |  9 PagesFast Food is the term given to food that can be prepared and served quickly. Typically the term refers to food sold in an economical restaurant served to the customer for eating there or elsewhere but, any meal with low preparation time can be considered to be fast food. It might seem harmless, satisfy your hunger, and be cheap, but research has shown there are more severe consequences beyond just gaining a couple pounds. T he food industry is run very intelligently in that they have many cleverRead MoreEssay on Fast Food Industry968 Words   |  4 Pagesworld has become so fast paced that everything is rushed. Almost every aspect of life has become industrialized. Food and the way it is prepared is no exception to this world that always appears to be in fast forward. The fast food industry has revolutionized how and what people eat. The public has begun to consume more fast food and the problem is that people do not know what they are eating. If the concept of a nutritious meal is thrown out the window for the convenience of fast food then the health

Conflict Process and Management Free Essays

string(138) " one person seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the impact on the other parties to the conflict, he/she is competing\." Conflict Process Managing Conflict Case Studies Organizational Conflict Nidhi S Kohli 123720 R L Aparna 123716 Manisha K 123717 Priyanka G 123726 Swetha Joshi 123734 Sri Lakshmi 123732 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 1. CONFLICT PROCESS i. We will write a custom essay sample on Conflict Process and Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now Stephen. P. Robbins’s Classification ii. Ashwattapa’s Compilation 2. MANAGING CONFLICT * Conflict Resolution Techniques * Conflict Stimulation Techniques * Types of Conflict and Resolution 3. CASE STUDIES i. Maruti Suzuki – Manesar Plant * Introduction * Findings * Suggestion Conclusions ii. Indian Health Care Organization * Introduction * Findings * Suggestion Conclusions 4. BIBLIOGRAPHY Introduction Conflict Defined It is a process which begins when one party perceives that another party has negatively affected, or is about to negatively affects, something that the first party cares about. Two main Schools of Thought * Traditional View A Belief that all conflicts are harmful and should be avoided. * Human Relations View Belief that conflict is natural and an inevitable outcome in any group. It is not only a positive force but is also necessary for a group to perform well. CONFLICT PROCESS (As proposed by Stephen Robbins) Stage 1: Potential Opposition or Incompatibility: * The first step in the conflict process is the presence of certain conditions that create opportunities for conflict to arise. * They need not lead directly to conflict, but one of them is necessary for conflict to arise. * These are the SOURCES of conflict. They can be broadly classified as: i. Communication Semantic difficulties, misunderstandings, and â€Å"noise† * Semantic difficulties arise as a result of difference in training, selective perception inadequate information about others. * Potential to conflict arises in case of information overload or when information is too less. * Differing word connotations, jargon, insufficient exchange of information noise in the communication channel are antecedent conditions to conflict. * The filtering process as information is passed through different levels of organization offer potential opportunities for conflict to arise. i. Structure * Size and specialization of jobs The larger the group more specialized its activities, the greater the likelihood of conflict. The potential of conflict is greatest when group members are younger turnover is high. * Jurisdictional clarity/ambiguity The greater the jurisdictional ambiguity in precisely defining responsibility for actions, the greater the potential of conflict, as it increases inter-groups fighting for control of resources territory. * Member/goal incompatibility Groups within organizations have diverse goals. This diversity of goals among groups is a major source of conflict. * Leadership styles (close or participative) Tight continuous observation with general control of other’s behaviors increases conflict potential. Also, research points out that participation conflict are highly correlated, because participation encourages the promotion of differences. * Reward systems (win-lose) Conflict is created when one member’s gain is at another’s expense, especially in a group. But, if a group is dependent on another group, opposing forces are stimulated if one’s gain is at another’s expense. * Dependence/interdependence of groups iii. Personal Variables * Differing individual value systems: The most overlooked variable is social conflict, i. e. differing value systems. They are differences such as prejudices, disagreements over one’s contribution in the group and rewards one deserves and the likes. * Personality types: Having employees with different or opposing personality type, may lead to conflicts. Eg: Individuals who are dogmatic and highly authoritarian and who demonstrate low esteem may lead to potential conflict. Stage 2: Cognition and Personalization: If the conditions cited in stage 1 negatively affect something that one party cares about, then the potential for opposition or incompatibility becomes actualized in the second stage. The antecedent conditions can only lead to conflict when one or more of parties are affected by, and aware of, the conflict. As we noted in our definition of conflict, perception is required. Therefore, one or more of the parties must be aware of the existence of the antecedent conditions. However, because a conflict is perceived does not mean that it is personalized. Example: A may be aware that B and A are in serious disagreement†¦ but it may not make A tense or anxious, and it may have no effect whatsoever on A’s affection towards B. It is at the felt level, when individuals become emotionally involved, that parties experience anxiety, tension, frustration or hostility. IMPORTANCE OF STAGE 2: It is where conflict issues tend to be defined. It is the stage where the parties decide what the conflict is about. As a result this â€Å"sense making† is critical because the way a conflict is defined goes a long way towards establishing the sort of outcomes that might settle it. Example: if I define our salary disagreement as a zero –sum situation –that is, if you get the increase in pay you want, there will be just that amount less for me- I am going to be far less willing to compromise than if I frame the conflict win- win situation (i. e. the dollar in the salary pool might be increased so that both of us could get the adds pay we want) ROLE OF EMOTIONS IN STAGE 2: Emotions play a major role in shaping perceptions. As they are classified into two: i) Negative emotions- to produce over simplification of issues, reduction in trust, and negative interpretations of the other party’s behavior. ii) Positive emotions- to increase the tendency to see potent ial relationships among the elements of problem, to take a broader view of the situation and to develop more innovative solutions. Stage 3: Intentions: Intentions are decisions to act in a given way in a conflict. Intentions intervene between people’s perception and emotions and their behaviour. The dimensions of intentions are: * Cooperativeness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy the other party’s concerns) * Assertiveness (the degree to which one party attempts to satisfy his or her own concerns) Using these two dimensions five conflict handling intentions can be identified. When concern for the self is low, they could be unassertive and if concern for the self is high, they could be very assertive. If the concern for others is low then they tend to be uncooperative and vice versa. 1) Competing: When one person seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the impact on the other parties to the conflict, he/she is competing. You read "Conflict Process and Management" in category "Essay examples" A competing style is high on assertiveness and low on cooperativeness. Competing style may be necessary when a quick, decisive action is required or when unpopular courses on important issues need to be implemented such as cost cutting and discipline a staff member. In addition this style may be required when â€Å"you know you are right† is an issue. ) Collaborating: A situation in which the parties to a conflict each desire to satisfy fully the concerns of all the parties. In collaborating, the intention of the parties is to solve the problem by clarifying differences rather than by accommodating various points of view. A collaborating style is high on both cooperation and assertion. The parties to a conflict view it as a problem solving situation. A problem solving approach requires the following conditions: * The parties to a conflict channel their energies in solving the problem rather than defeating each other. The goals, opinions, attitudes and feelings of all parties are accepted * The parties should realize that the conflict issue can make an effective contribution to the quality of human relationships if the issue is solved through a supporting and trusting climate. A critical concept is here that no blame is assigned to anyone and the issue is kept in focus. It is time consuming and may be costly when many individuals are involved. It can be used in following situations: * When there is a high level of trust When you don’t want to have full responsibility * When you want others to also have â€Å"ownership† of solutions * When the people involved are willing to change their thinking as more information is found and new opti ons are suggested 3) Avoiding:  A person may recognize that a conflict exists and want to withdraw from it or suppress it. Avoiding includes trying to just ignore a conflict and avoiding others with whom you disagree. Avoiding might take the form of postponing an issue for a better time or simply withdrawing from a threatening issue. An avoiding style may reflect a failure to address important issues and a tendency to remain neutral when there is a need to take position. It can be advisable in situations like: * When more information is needed to take a good decision * When you desire that people should cool down so that they regain their perspective after which tension may be handled properly and productively * When someone else can resolve the conflict more effectively 4) Accommodating: when one party seeks to appease an opponent, that party may be willing to place the opponent’s interests above his or her own. One party is willing to be self-sacrificing in order to maintain the relationship. This style is low in assertiveness and high in cooperativeness. A person who uses this style may be showing too little concern for personal goals as a result it may lead to lack of influence and recognition. The conflict is resolved without each party to a conflict presenting his or her own views. This style may be useful in following situations: * When maintaining harmony is more important * A conflict issue is more important to other person * Where relationships involved are more highly valued then a conflict issue ) Compromising: A situation in which each party to a conflict is willing to give up something. Compromise is a common and practical approach to conflict management, in which two equally strong and persuasive parties attempt to work out a solution. It is an important style to settle complex issues in the short run. It can also be used as a backup mode when both collaboration and competition fail to work effectively in resolving the conflicts. Conclusion: Intentions provide general guidelines for parties in a conflict situation. They define each party’s purpose. Yet people intention is not fixed. During the course of conflict, they might change because of an emotional reaction to the behavior of other party. Stage IV: Behaviour: * The behaviour stage includes the statements, actions and reactions of conflicting parties. * This conflict behaviour is clear attempts to implement each party’s intention. * It is a dynamic process of interaction with a continuum. * Outcome maybe functional-improving group performance OR dysfunctional-hampering group performance. * When most people think of conflict situation they tend to focus on stage IV because this where conflict becomes visible. The behaviour stage includes the statements, actions and reasons made by the conflicting parties. These conflict behaviours are usually overt attempts to implement each party’s intentions, but they have stimulus quality that is separate from intentions. As a result of miscalculations or unskilled enactments, overt behaviour sometimes deviates from original intentions. * It helps to think of stage IV as a dynamic process of interaction. For Example: you make a demand on me, I respond by arguing, you threaten me, I threaten you back, and so on. * All conflicts exist somewhere along this continuum. At the lower part of the continuum, we have conflicts characterized by subtitle, indirect and highly controlled forms of tension, such as a student questioning in class a point the instructor has just made. Conflict intensities escalate as they move upward along the continuum rage. * The outcomes may be functional or dysfunctional. Functional -improving group performance. Dysfunctional -hampering group performance. For the most part, conflicts that reach the upper ranges of the continuum are almost always dysfunctional. Functional conflicts are typically confined to the lower range of the continuum. STAGE V: Outcomes: The action-reaction interplay between the conflicting parties results in consequences or outcomes. These outcomes may be: * Functional in that the conflict results in an improvement in the group’s performance, or * Dysfunctional in that it hinders group performance. Functional conflict: A functional conflict is a confrontation between groups that enhances and benefits the organization’s performance. * For example, two departments in a hospital may be in conflict over the most efficient and adaptive method of delivering health care to low-income rural families. Two departments agree on the goal but not on the means to achieve it. * Whatever the outcome, the low-income rural families probably will end up with better medical care once the conflict is settled. Without this type of conflict in organizations, there would be little commitment to change, and most groups would become stagnant. Functional conflict can lead to increased awareness of problems that need to be addressed, result in broader and more productive searches for solutions, and generally facilitate positive change, adaptation, and innovation. Dysfunctional conflict: A dysfunctional conflict is any confrontation or interaction between groups that harms the organization or hinders the achievement of organizational goals. Management must seek to eliminate dysfunctional conflict. Beneficial conflicts can often turn into harmful ones. In most cases, the point at which functional conflict becomes dysfunctional is impossible to identify precisely. The same level of stress and conflict that creates a healthy and positive movement toward goals in one group may prove extremely disruptive and dysfunctional in another group. A group’s tolerance for stress and conflict can also depend on the type of organization it serves. Auto manufacturers, professional sports teams, and crisis organizations such as police and fire departments would have different points where functional conflict becomes dysfunctional than would organizations such as universities, research and development firms, and motion-picture production firms. Conflict can be considered as functional or dysfunctional depending on its effects on the organizational performance. Conflict also affects relationships within and between groups in several ways. We will look first at changes that typically occur within conflicting groups and then at the changes that occur in the relations between such groups. Changes within Groups: Within groups engaged in conflict, the following changes are often observed: 1. First, external threats such as conflict bring about increased group cohesiveness. As a result, groups engaged in conflict become more attractive and important to their own members. 2. Increased cohesiveness suggests that conformity to group norms becomes more important. This may take the form of blind acceptance of dysfunctional solutions to the conflict. This is referred to as the emphasis on loyalty. 3. Ongoing conflict also stimulates an emphasis on task performance. All efforts within each conflicting groups are directed towards meeting the challenge posed by other groups, and concerns about individual satisfaction lose importance. 4. A sense of urgency surrounds task performance; defeating the enemy becomes uppermost, and there is much less goofing off. 5. In addition, when a group is in conflict, otherwise reluctant members will often submit to autocratic leadership to manage crisis, perceiving participative decision making as slow and weak. . A group in such circumstances is also likely to place much more emphasis on standardized procedures and centralized control. Changes between Groups: In addition to these four changes within groups, four changes often occur in relations between conflicting groups: 1. Hostility often surfaces in the form of hardened â€Å"we-they attitudes†. Each group sees itself as virtuous and othe r groups as enemies. 2. During conflicts, the perceptions of each group’s members become distorted. Group members develop stronger opinions of the importance of their unit. The marketing group in a business organization may think, â€Å"Without us selling the product, there would be no money to pay anyone else’s salary†. * The production group, meanwhile, will say, â€Å"if we don’t make the product, there is nothing to sell. † 3. The final change between groups is decreased communication. This can be extremely dysfunctional. The decision-making process can be disrupted, and the customers or others whom the organization serves can be affected. PROCESS OF CONFLICT (As Proposed by Ashwathappa) The process of conflict comprises of five stages: 1. Latent Conflict 2. Perceived Conflict 3. Felt Conflict 4. Manifest Conflict 5. Conflict Outcome 1. Latent Conflict: When two or more parties need each other to achieve desired objectives, there is potential for conflict. Other antecedents of conflict such as interdependence, different goals, etc, do not automatically create conflict. But when they exist, they make it possible. Latent conflict often arises when a change occurs. Conflict is likely to be caused by a budget cutback, a change in organizational direction, a change in personal goals or the assignment of a new project to an already overloaded team. Antecedents of conflict: * Incompatible personalities or value systems. * Overlapping or unclear job boundaries. * Competition for limited resources. * Inadequate communication. * Interdependent tasks. * Organizational complexity (conflict tends to increase as the number of hierarchical layers and specialized tasks increase). * Unreasonable or unclear policies, standards or rules. * Unreasonable deadline or extreme time pressure. * Collective decision making (the greater the number of people participating in a decision, the greater the potential for conflict). * Decision making by consensus. Unmet expectations (employees who have unrealistic expectations about job assignment, pay or promotions are more prone to conflict). * Unresolved or suppressed conflict. 2. Perceived Conflict: This is the stage at which members become aware of a problem. Incompatibility of needs is perceived and tension begins as the parties begin to worry about what will happen. But no party feels that it is bei ng overly threatened. 3. Felt Conflict: At this stage, parties become emotionally involved and begin to focus on differences of opinion and opposing interests- sharpening perceived conflict. Internal tensions and frustration begin to crystallize around specific, defines issues, and people begin to build an emotional commitment to their position. 4. Manifest Conflict: At this stage, parties engage in actions that help achieve own objectives and thwart those of others. Conflict behaviours vary from the subtle, indirect and highly controlled forms of interference, to direct, aggressive, violent and uncontrolled struggle. At the organisational level, strikes or lock-outs are the result. 5. Conflict Outcome: The conflict finally results in an outcome, which may be functional or dysfunctional. * Functional conflict refers to confrontation between two ideas, goals and parties that improve employees’ and the organisation’s performance. * Dysfunctional conflict is the negative side of functional conflict. * If the conflict is handled well, the result is functional conflict. * If the conflict is mishandled, the consequence is dysfunctional conflict. MANAGING CONFLICT 1. CONFLICT RESOLUTION TECHNIQUES Problem solving| Face-to-face meeting of conflicting parties to identify ;resolve conflict through open discussion| Super ordinate goals| Creating a shared goal that cannot be attained without the cooperation of each conflicting party| Expansion of resources| Expansion of resources can create a WIN-WIN situation| Avoidance| Withdrawal from, or suppression of the conflict| Smoothing| Playing down differences while emphasizing common interests between conflicting parties| Compromise| Each party to the conflict gives up something of value| Authoritative command| Management uses its formal authority to resolve the conflict, then communicates it to the conflicting parties| Altering human variables| Using behavioral change techniques, such as human relations training to alter attitudes ; behaviors that cause conflict| Altering structural variables| Changing formal organizational structure ; interaction of patterns of conflicting personalities through ob design, transfers, creating of coord inating positions etc| 2. CONFLICT STIMULATION TECHNIQUES Communication| Using ambiguous or threatening messages to increase conflict levels| Bringing in outsiders| Adding employees to a group whose backgrounds, values attitudes or managerial styles differ from those of present members| Restructuring the organization| Realigning work groups, altering rules ; regulations, increasing interdependence, ; making similar structural changes to disrupt the status quo| Appointing a Devil’s Advocate| Designating a critic to purposely argue against majority positions held by the group. | TYPES OF CONFLICT ; RESOLUTION 1) INTRA – PERSONAL CONFLICT 2) INTER – PERSONAL CONFLICT 3) INTRA – GROUP CONFLICT 4) INTER – GROUP CONFLICT 1. INTRA – PERSONAL CONFLICT: Intra personal conflict refers to the discord that occurs within an individual. It is also called ‘Intra individual Conflict’ or ‘Intra psychic Conflict’ and is often studied by psychologists and personality theorists who are interested in the dynamics of personality and factors that pre-dispose people to inner conflicts. * Intra personal conflict can develop out of a person’s thoughts, ideas, emotions, values and pre-dispositions. This type of conflict is important because we encounter it on a daily basis and have to negotiate through it. * Though conflicts are usually viewed as negative, intra personal conflict has certain benefits. Healthy conflict provides an individual with the skills needed to develop better relationships, gain an understanding of oneself, increase resolution skills and avoid negative and damaging reactions. Intra personal conflict can be disruptive and stressful if we do not understand our own needs and desires. Therefore, it is important to understand our deep emotions and interests and stay in touch with ourselves. Causes of Intra personal Conflict: Intra personal conflict occurs when there is incompatibility or inconsistency among an individual’s cognitive elements. It implies that a new cognitive element is at variance with a prior explanation or expectation. Causes: * Difficulty in making a decision because of uncertainty. * Individual’s are pushed or pulled in opposite direction, i. e. , attractive or unattractive alternatives. * Simultaneous forces of about equal strength. A person is motivated to engage in two or more mutually exclusive situations. * When a person is required to perform a task that does not match his/her expertise, interests, goals and values. Intra personal conflict also arises from frustration, numerous roles which demand equal attention but is n ot always possible to devote, goals having both negative and positive aspects, cognitive dissonances, and neurotic tendencies. Conflict from Frustration: Frustration occurs when a motivated drive is blocked before a person reaches a desired goal. GOALS (Reduction of Drives ; fulfills Deficiency) BARRIERS i. Overt ii. Covert DRIVE (Deficiency with Direction) NEED (Deficiency) ( DEFENCE MECHANISMS A. Aggression B. Withdrawal C. Fixation D. Compromise FRUSTRATION * An individual driven by an inner state of deficiency engages in some action to fulfill the deficiency. * But his/her attempts to reach the goal are checked by barriers which may be Overt (external) or Covert (internal). * The overt barriers may be social or non-social * The social barriers are those which are placed by others in the way of reaching one’s goal. * The non-social barriers include floods, power failures, etc. * The covert barriers are those which are inherent or within an individual. These last longer than the external barriers. The internal barriers include physical weakness, disabilities, personal limitations like lack of skill and intelligence, etc. * Blocked by these barriers, an individual becomes frustrated for being unable to reach his/her goal. * Frustration normally triggers defence mechanisms in the person. Defence mechanisms refer to unconscious pr ocesses that protect an individual from anxiety, stress, external threats, etc. * They do not alter the objective conditions of danger, but simply change the way a person perceives it. They involve an element of self-deception. * The frustrated individual adopts any of the four defence mechanisms: Aggression, Withdrawal, Fixation or Compromise. Aggression refers to the attack of the barriers, physically or symbolically. * Withdrawal refers to backing away from the barrier. * Fixation refers to the continuation of efforts to break the barrier. * Compromise refers to the search for a new goal. * Conflict occurs in all the defence mechanism situations. Goal Conflict: Goal conflict is more complex than conflict from frustration and occurs when the attainment of one goal excludes the possibility of attaining another. There are four major forms of goal conflict. They are: 1. Approach-Approach Conflict 2. Approach-Avoidance Conflict 3. Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict 4. Multiple Approach-Avoi dance Conflict 1. Approach-Approach Conflict: This conflict arises when the individual is caught between two or more positive but mutually exclusive goals. * Approach-Approach conflict is hardly a conflict at all, because whichever choice the individual makes, he/she will attain a positively valued outcome. * Such a conflict is easily resolved by satisfying one goal first, then the other- Eg. Eating first and then sleeping. * Alternatively, this conflict is resolved by giving up on one of the goals. Obviously, Approach-Approach conflict does not generate much anxiety. Unfortunately, Approach-Approach conflict does not always end as stated. Often, when the choice is made, â€Å"decision regret† may occur. The option not chosen now becomes more attractive, simply because it was not chosen. Decision regret may lead decision makers to reconsider the positive aspects of the chosen option and give them more weight to justify and validate the decisions made. 2. Approach-Avoidance Conflict: * This conflict occurs when an individual is simultaneously attracted to and repelled by a single goal object. * If the motive to avoid the goal is stronger than the motive to approach it, the person will be caught where the strengths of the motives are roughly equal. * As the person moves towards or away from the goal, the relatively stronger motive takes over and brings the person back to the point where he/she vacillates. Generally, the Approach-Avoidance conflicts that are most pervasive and difficult to resolve take place in the following: i. Independence vs. Dependence: In times of stress, a person feels like resorting to the dependency characteristic of childhood, to have someone take care of a person and solve his/her problems. But he/she is taught to stand on his/her own feet which is a mark of maturity. ii. Co-operation vs. Competition: A person is taught to compete with others and make a success of one’s own efforts. At the same time, one is taught to co-operate and be helpful to others. iii. Impulsive Expression vs. Moral Standards: All societies place some degree of regulation upon impulse control. Sometimes. A person’s impulses may conflict most frequently with normal standards, and violation of these standards may generate strong feelings of guilt. The Approach-Avoidance conflict is most relevant to the study of Organizational behaviour. Generally, organisational goals have both positive and negative aspects for organizational participants, and hence, it may arouse a great deal of conflict within a person and can actually cause the person to vacillate anxiously at the point where approach equals avoidance. 3. Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict: * This conflict occurs when an individual is forced to choose between two mutually exclusive goals, each of which possesses unattarctive qualities. The net result is that a person is caught between two options. * Faced with an Avoidance-Avoidance conflict, most people will vacillate between the two options, without resolving the conflict. In the context of an organization, Avoidance-Avoidance conflict may be exemplified by a worker who is caught in the dilemma of bearing with the supervisor whom he detests most and quitting the organization and remaning jobless. Two kinds of behaviour are like ly to be conspicuous in Avoidance-Avoidance conflicts. * The first is vacillation. As the growth of a goal increases, the closer a person gets to the goal. As the person approaches a negative goal, he/she finds it increasingly repelling. Consequently, the person tends to withdraw, but when a person does this, he/she comes closer to the negative goal and finds it in turn increasing the negative valence. * A second feature of this kind of conflict is an Attempt to Leave the conflict situation. Theoretically, a person might escape Avoidance-Avoidance conflict by running away from it altogether. But in practice, however, there are additional negative goals in the periphery of the situation and these prevent us from leaving. A person in Avoidance-Avoidance conflict may resort to other means to get relief from anxiety aroused by the conflict. 4. Multiple Approach-Avoidance Conflict: Often we are confronted with several possibilities for action, each having several desirable and undesirable features. A conflict of this type in which two alternatives- both involving positive and negative features- is referred to as a Double Approach-Avoidance Conflict or a Multiple Approach-Avoidance Conflict. Role Conflict: The final reason for intra-personal conflict is the need of an individual to play several roles simultaneously but finding time and resources inadequate to do so. * Role conflict is a type of social conflict caused from an individual being forced to take on separate and inco mpatible roles. * Role conflicts can occur individually, as in the case of one person being torn between separate roles for different organizations or groups, or within an organization, when an individual is asked to perform multiple roles in the same group. * Although all the roles which individuals bring into the organization are relevant to their behaviour in the study of Organizational behaviour, the organizational role is the most important. Cognitive Dissonance: * Cognitive Dissonance can lead to intra-personal conflict. Dissonance is the state of psychological discomfort or conflict created in people when they are faced with two or more goals or alternatives to a decision. * Although these alternatives occur together, they do not belong or fit together. * Cognitive Dissonance occurs when individuals recognize inconsistencies in their own thoughts and behaviours. * Such inconsistencies are stressful and uncomfortable, leading to intra-personal conflict. * Employees seek to rem ove inconsistencies by changing thoughts and behaviours, or by obtaining more information about the issue that is causing the dissonance. But cognitive dissonance, till it is removed, remains a source of conflict. Neurotic Tendencies: These are irrational personality mechanisms that an individual uses that create inner conflict. In turn, inner conflict often results in behaviours that lead to conflict with other people. * One example of neurotic action is the excessive use of tight organizational controls by neurotic managers, because they distrust people. Their excessive distrust and need to control, triggers conflict with others, especially subordinates who come to feel micromanaged and distrusted. * A common reaction to leaders with neurotic tendencies is either overt (open) or covert (hidden) aggression and hostility. Subordinates often try to settle the score and protect themselves from further abuse. These actions give the manager an even stronger sense of employee worthlessne ss. The manager’s hostility and attempts to control and punish become even more vigorous. STRATEGIES FOR RESOLVING INTRA-PERSONAL CONFLICTS: Intra-personal conflict arises from frustration, competing roles, or goals having positive or negative aspects. 1. Conflict from Frustration: * To the extent that conflict from frustration results from blocked goal realization, removal of barriers (overt and covert) will help resolve this conflict. It is the manager’s responsibility to clear his employee’s path for advancement in his career. * Frustration is not always bad- it may contribute to improved performance. The frustrated individual may divert his attention from barriers, towards his job and try to show better results. * This is particularly true with an individual who has a self concept that includes confidence in being able to do a job well. But this is no consolation for a manager to ignore the frustration of an employee. If conflict from frustration is not resolved for long, the manager will be running the risk of losing the services of a competent and sincere employee. 2. Goal Conflict: Goal conflict has three main dimensions: approach-approach conflict, approach-avoidance conflict and avoidance-avoidance conflict. * Of the three, approach-approach conflict has the least impact on organisational behaviour. The manager’s involvement is not needed to resolve the conflict. It is best resolved by the employee himself/herself. The well known theory of Cognitive Dissonance helps the individual resolve the approach-approach conflict. The theory states that the person experiencing dissonance will be highly motivated to reduce or eliminate it and will actively avoid situations and information which would increase it. * Approach-avoidance conflict can be resolved by refusing to select either approach (positive aspect) or avoidance (negative aspect) choice. But an organizational member cannot avoid the conflict situation. He/she is forced to make a decision, and is therefore, exposed to conflict. This conflict too can be resolved in the same way as cognitive dissonance: having decided either way (approach or avoidance), the individual may defend the decision. The manager has a responsibility to help the individual defend his/her choice. * Avoidance-avoidance conflict may be resolved by examining and solving the problems causing the conflict. An understanding of the reasons may help a person to overcome any prejudice he/she has developed against another person. Sound counseling from another person will be highly useful to the affected party. 3. Role Conflict: Role conflict can be resolved by minimizing the number of roles and fixing priorities for them. Once the priorities are determined, there must be no overlapping of roles. Much of the intra-personal conflicts in an organizational member can be resolved by developing compatibility between his/her personal and organizational goals. * A realization that he/she is working for the organisation and not for the managers will help him/her regain his/her balance and remain cool, irritants and hassles notwithstanding. The best solution for intra-personal conflict is to look to Hindu Philosophy and learn a valuable lesson from it. According to the philosophy, an individual is composed of three Gunas or psychogenic substances. They are: Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. * Sattwa: It means Purity, Serenity, Poise, Calmness, Discrimination, Compassion, Clarity, Goodness, Altruism, Dispassion, Contentment, etc. , or together known as ILLUMINATION. Rajas: It means Love of Fame, Passion, Lust, Strife, Impatience, Jealousy, Pride, Display of Power, etc. , or together known as MOVEMENT. * Tamas: It means Anger, Pride, Ignorance, Stolidity, Offering Resistance, Inertia, forgetfulness, Confusion, Darkness, Brutality, etc. , or together known as OBSTRUCTION. It is essential that one should develop sattwic gunas in oneself, be it the manager or the managed. One can develop sattwic quality by reading holy scripts, regular prayers, m oving with pious people, and leading a disciplined life. Unfortunately, modern organizations are filled with people who are imbedded with rajasic or tamasic qualities. Hence, the absence of harmonious industrial relations. 2. INTER- PERSONAL CONFLICT: Too often when a conflict occurs between supervisor-subordinate, employees-customers, coworkers, or even friends, there tends to be either a fight (personal attacks) or a flight (embarrassed silence or leaving) response. Neither is an effective way of handling interpersonal conflict. More appropriate for resolving conflict and preserving positive relationships would be to follow this process. 1. Allow time to cool off. 2. Analyze the situation. 3. State the problem to the other person. Some other strategies for resolving conflicts are: * LOSE – LOSE: In this lose-lose approach to conflict both the parties lose. This approach can take several forms. One very common approach is to compromise or take the middle ground in a dispute. A second form can be to pay off one of the parties in the conflict. These payments can take the form of bribes. A third approach can be to use an outside party or arbitrator to settle the dispute. A fourth approach can be to resolve the conflicts through the existing rules and law. It can sometime resolve the conflicts but the results are not always as desirable as win-lose and especially win-win approach. Lose-lose conflict is damaging and unhealthy to a relationship. Some people try to avoid conflict because they feel it’s negative and will hurt someone’s feelings. People like this will lose out because they don’t give their honest opinion or feedback. They become too concerned with how other people feel at the expense of their own feelings. WIN – LOSE: A win-lose conflict means just that–win or lose. It’s a type of conflict where just one person wins the argument while the other one feels bad. It’s a game to those who view conflict as a battle to win at all times and at the expense of another person ’s loss. The win-lose approach is often used in American business settings. The primary emphasis is on winning all you can, overstate your position, and make decisions quickly. In contrast to this, the Japanese approach to business focuses on team work, cooperation, saving face, avoiding confrontation, understating your position, informally letting others know the bottom line, and reaching areas of agreement. Though win lose strategy helps diffuse conflict, it may not be a permanent solution since the loser will tend to be bitter The following points make the strategy more clear: * There is a clear â€Å"we-they† distinction between the parties. * The parties see the issue from their own point of view. * The emphasis is on the solution rather than on the values, goals and objectives. * There is no planned sequence of activities. * WIN – WIN: It is the most desirable way of resolving conflicts. In this situation, the energies and struggles are directed to solve the problem rather than beating the other party. The outcomes of this approach are so that both the parties are happy and results have benefits for both the parties. Although this is the difficult most strategy to solve the problems but this should be goal of the managers to resolve interpersonal conflict Interpersonal conflicts arise in every workplace. Supervisors may help reduce the number and severity of these conflicts by: * Emphasizing that employee must, despite their differences, treat each other with respect, dignity and fairness. * Eliminating a defensive climate in which employees judge and criticize each other, have hidden agendas and are close-minded to new ideas and changes. * Establishing a supportive climate where employees openly discuss and understand each other’s ideas and concerns, are willing to listen to each other, and focus on accomplishing their work and group goals. Providing training to employees on improving communication skills and settling differences effectively and on a timely basis. WAYS OF RESOLVING INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS: The Defusing Technique: The other person might be angry and may come to the situati on armed with a number of arguments describing how you are to blame for his or her unhappiness. Your goal is to address the other’s anger –  and you do this by simply agreeing with the person. When you find some truth in the other point of view, it is difficult for the other person to maintain anger. Empathy: Try to put yourself into the shoes of the other person. See the world through their eyes. Empathy is an important listening technique which gives the other feedback that he or she is being heard. There are two forms of empathy. Thought Empathy  gives the message that you understand what the other is trying to say. You can do this in conversation by paraphrasing the words of the other person. * Exploration: Ask gentle, probing questions about what the other person is thinking and feeling. Encourage the other to talk fully about what is on his or her mind. For example, â€Å"Are there any other thoughts that you need to share with me? † * Using â€Å"I† Statements: Take responsibility for your own thoughts rather than attributing motives to the other person. This decreases the chance that the other person will become defensive. For example, â€Å"I feel pretty upset that this thing has come between us. † This statement is much more effective than saying, â€Å"You have made me feel very upset. † * Stroking: Find positive things to say about the other person, even if the other is angry with you. Show a respectful attitude. For example, â€Å"I genuinely respect you for having the courage to bring this problem to me. I admire your strength and your caring attitude. † 3. INTRA – GROUP CONFLICT: * Intra-group conflict refers to the incompatibility, Incongruence, or disagreement among the members of a group or its subgroups regarding goals, functions, or activities of the group. In Intra-group conflict the majority of the members of a group or its subgroups must be involved. Importance of groups: * First, groups are the building blocks of an organization. * Second, groups provide the primary mechanism for the attai nment of organizational goals. * Third, groups provide psychological and other support to the individual members. The definition of a group should include the following: * A group must consist of two or more members. * A group must possess a stable structure; * The members should be interdependent. * The members should interact with each other. * The members should work toward the attainment of a common goal(s). Types of Groups: Groups can be broadly classified as formal or informal. 1. Formal Groups: These are further classified as follows: * Task/Functional Groups: Fiedler (1967) classified task groups into three types according to the nature of task interdependencies among group members in attaining their group objectives. * Interacting group * Coaching group * Counteracting group * Project Groups 2. Informal Groups: These are further classified as follows: * Interest Groups * Friendship Groups Effects of Intra-group Conflict: * Quality and quantity of team performance are considerably higher in competitive than cooperative conditions, * Heterogeneous members and consequent conflicts of interest and opinion produce better solutions to standardized sets of solutions. Affective conflict negatively influences group performance, group loyalty, work-group commitment, job satisfaction, and intent to stay in the present organization. Sources of Intra-group Conflict: * Leadership Style: * Situation A. * Situation B. * Situation C. * Universalistic approach and contingenc y approach, * i. e. , System IV for Likert and high concern for both production and people for Blake and Mouton) * Leadership can influence other variables, such as task structure, group composition, and size. * Task Structure * Routine (Simple, defined goals, procedures) * Non-routine (Complex) * Group Composition * Size * Cohesiveness and Group thinking External Threats: 1. The external conflict needs to involve some threat. 2. The external conflict must affect the entire group and all its members equally and indiscriminately, and involve a solution. 3. The group needs to have been an ongoing one with some pre-existing cohesion or consensus, and to have a leadership that can authoritatively enforce cohesion (especially if all the members of the group do not feel the threat). 4. The group must be able to deal with the external conflict, and to provide emotional comfort and support to its members. Intervention: * Process * Team building * Structural * Change group membership * Changing the group size Altering the task * Changing the reward system * Modifying rules, procedures and appeal system. STRATEGIES FOR RESOLVING: 1. Invulnerability 2. Rationale 3. Morality 4. Stereotypes 5. Pressure 6. Self-Censorship 7. Unanimity 8. Mind guards 4. INTER – GROUP CONFLICT: Intergroup relations between two or more groups and their respecti ve members are often necessary to complete the work required to operate a business. Many times, groups inter-relate to accomplish the organization’s goals and objectives, and conflict can occur. Some conflict, called functional conflict, is considered positive, because it enhances performance and identifies weaknesses. Dysfunctional conflict, however, is confrontation or interaction between groups that harms the organization or hinders attainment of goals or objectives. Causes of Intergroup Conflict: * One of the most prominent reasons for intergroup conflict is simply the nature of the group. Other reasons may be work interdependence, goal variances, differences in perceptions, and the increased demand for specialists. * Also, individual members of a group often play a role in the initiation of group conflict. Any given group embodies various qualities, values, or unique traits that are created, followed, and even defended. * These clans can then distinguish â€Å"us† from â€Å"them. Members who violate important aspects of the group, and especially outsiders, who offend these ideals in some way, normally receive some type of corrective or defensive response. * Relationships between groups often reflect the opinions they hold of each other’s characteristics. When groups share some interests and their directions seem parallel, each group may view the other positively; however, if the activities and goals of groups differ, they may view each other in a negative manner. * When trying to prevent or correct intergroup conflict, it is important to consider the history of relations between the groups in conflict. * History will repeat itself if left to its own devices. Limited resources and reward structures can foster intergroup conflict by making the differences in group goals more apparent. Resolving Inter-group conflict: The approaches available for resolving intra-personal and inter-personal conflicts can be used to solve inert-group disputes too. However, certain unique approaches are available for resolving inter-group conflict. They are: 1. Problem-solving: problem-solving is considered to be the most effective approach available as it emphasizes the attainment of the common interest of both conflicting parties. In the problem-solving strategy, attempts are made to find a solution that reconciles or integrates the need of both the parties. The two parties work together both to define the problem and to identify mutually satisfactory solutions. Moreover, there is open expression of feelings as well as exchange of task related information. 2. Organisation redesign: changing organisational structure is another approach for resolving conflict, particularly when the sources of conflict come from the coordination of work among different departments or divisions. One way of redesigning organisations is to reduce task inter dependence between groups and give each group clear responsibilities. Another way is to transfer or exchange members of conflicting groups. An appeal system may also be developed to eliminate the arbitrary use of power. 3. Super ordinate goals: appealing to super ordinate goals is another way of resolving conflict. The super ordinate goal is a common goal of both conflicting parties and the combined efforts of both parties will be needed to realize the goal. It takes precedence over other goals which may separate the conflicting parties. Survival of the organisation for example, can be a super ordinate goal. Creating awareness that the organisation’s survival will be jeopardized if conflicting groups do not work in unison and can have a salutary effect on disputing parties. 4. Expansion of resources: to the extent that scarce resources cause conflict, removing their scarcity will help resolve conflict. If Upgradation of one’s position has caused ripples elsewhere, some more jobs might be similarly upgraded. If increased budget allocation to one department has caused heart burn to the members of rival departments, the rival division’s allocation can also be correspondingly increased, and so on. 5. Avoidance: when the issue is trivial, avoidance strategy will be useful. In the avoidance strategy, the party or parties to the conflict may either withdraw from the conflict or conceal the incompatibility. In the first instance, one of the conflicting parties or both will withdraw from the conflicting situation. Where avoidance is not possible, concealing the fact by either or both conflicting parties that there is conflict may help defuse the conflict. 6. Smoothen: the process of playing down the differences between the individual and groups and highlighting their common interest is called smoothening. Finding and emphasizing similarities between conflicting parties, while playing down differences, can eventually lead the parties to realize that the two are not as far apart as was first believed. With shared viewpoints on some issue, the ability to work towards a smoothen can help reduce the intensity of the conflict and avoid an escalation of open hostility. However, smoothen is recommended as a stop gap measure to let people cool down and regain perspective. CASE STUDIES 1. Maruti Suzuki (Manesar) Company Profile: * MSIL – Maruti Suzuki India Ltd * It is a Japanese automobile company * Publicly listed automaker in India * First to mass produce and sell more than million cars The company’s headquarters are located Kasturba Gandhi Marg in New Delhi. * Products: Maruti 800, Alto, Wagnor, Ritz, Swift, Dzire, Omni, Kizashi Evolution in India: * 2 phases pre-liberalization (1983-1996) * 2 phases post liberalization (1997-2001) * Employee number : 6,903 * Style of manageme nt : Japanese style * Captured and maintains 80% market share Reasons for choosing Maruti Manesar: * It is the most recent organizational conflict * Shows practical framework of theory * Availability of proper and abundant information * It is a classic example of inter-group conflict Case Findings: * Management-Worker rift reasons: * WORKERS’ TAKE: Workers were paid lesser than counterparts in other locations * Workers were paid lesser than competitor’s workers in same position * Contract , permanent and seasonal workers were paid same wages * Working conditions – only 7 minutes tea break (both shifts) – Not allowed to attend nature’s call * The managers and supervisors resorted to use of derogatory and abusive behaviour constantly. * MANAGEMENTS APPROACH: * CEO Shinzo Nakanishi said he did not have any indication of such discontent. * workers did not attend the pre-shift meetings * Workers productivity was less, hence they were laid off Result: * Workers’ demands of wage hike not met immediately * First Step – AVOIDANCE * Second Step – De-recognition * Third Step – Fired workers * Plant and company’s productivity suffered almost 50% * Company’s goodwill marred Comparison between Theory and Practice: Summary Conclusions: * It is a case of inter-group conflict It followed closed leadership style is latent conflict * Discontent was brewing for over an year before the volcano erupted * The management should have been pro-active * Channels of communication must be strengthened * The workers should not have resorted to violence * Proper conflict resolution system should be put in effect and its presence communicated to all * Management should have empathized. * Management should alternate conflict resolution strategy as per situation 2. Indian Healthcare Organization (A Case Study on inter-personal and inter-group conflicts) Profile: * The Indian Healthcare Organization is situated in th e Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir. * The hospital is a non-profit one, formed in the year 1979. Reasons for choosing this case study: This case contains both, inter-personal inter-group conflicts * Conflicts in a medical organisation will drastically affect the society * Through this case, we can get a clear understanding of the: * Conflict Process * Adult egos * WIN-WIN situation Situation: * One fine morning, the Indian Healthcare Organization was gearing up for its monthly meeting of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), its other Medical and Para-medical officers. * Mr. Kumar, who is one of the paramedics in the hospital, had fixed a prior appointment in connection with discussing some problem with the CMO, Mr. Sharma, through the CMO’s personal assistant (PA). As he approached the PA’s room, a saw a Dr. Kapoor, one of the doctors in the hospital, talking to the PA. So he waited outside for sometime. * As the time of the meeting was approaching nearer, he went ins ide the PA’s room and reminded the PA of his appointment. At this Dr. Kapoor got very much irritated and annoyed for this interruption and shouted at him to leave the room, calling him an idiot. * Mr. Kumar was taken aback and felt crest fallen and started murmuring and came out of the room teary eyed. * Mr. Kumar reported the matter to his fellow paramedics who were standing outside in the corridor. All of them got infuriated and took it as an insult to the whole group. In this process, other doctors who had assembled there asked Dr. Kapoor about what has happened and learning of the whole situation, advised Mr. Kumar to forget the incident and seek a fresh appointment. * At this, a strong reaction came from the paramedics’ group and they started protesting and raising slogans. This protest eventually led to verbal as well as physical abuses between the two groups. * The CMO, Mr. Sharma came out of his Room after hearing the loud voices. Seeing the protests, he called Mr. Kumar and his group to his room to hear from them about the situation. * The group requested Dr. Sharma for immediate justice in the form of a written apology from Dr. Kapoor to Mr. Kumar, who for his no fault was badly insulted. At this, Dr. Sharma was shocked. * After this, Dr. Sharma also called Dr. Kapoor and his group members inside to hear their version and informs them about the APOLOGY demanded by the other group. They refused to do the same. * At this point Dr. Sharma was wondering how to conduct the monthly meeting. He started thinking as how to end this conflict between MEDICAL AND PARAMEDICAL GROUP. * MR. SHARMA decides to call MR. KUMAR and DR. KAPOOR together to sort out their problem. Result: * DR. KAPOOR and MR. KUMAR sit face to face in the presence of DR. SHARMA * They realize they are fighting over a petty issue They reconcile and communicate this to their respective groups who in turn mellow down. Comparison between Theory and Practice: Theory PUT into practice | Theory NOT put into Practice | * Dr. Sharma used Exploration technique. * DR. SHARMA also used problem solving and smoothing techniques of conflict resolution. * Both the parties com promised in the end and let go of â€Å"adult ego†. | * Since it is a case of conflicting personalities, STAGE IV (Behaviour) becomes STAGE I here. * Mr. Kumar did not approach the Redressal Forum. * Dr. Sharma approached both parties separately. * Both the groups did not follow protocol. | FINDINGS: It is an inter-personal conflict which blew up into an inter-group conflict * It is a WIN-WIN situation * It is also Felt conflict with parties becoming emotionally involved. * DR. SHARMA used the problem solving conflict resolution technique * The smoothing technique is also used SUGGESTIONS: * The PA should have acted in a more responsible manner * Dr. Kapoor should not have resorted to abusing Mr. Kumar * Mr. Kumar should not have involved his colleagues * Dr. Kapoor should also have refrained from group discussion * Dr. Sharma should not have met the parties separately MANAGING CONFLICT Actions to Avoid in Conflict Resolution: Do not avoid the conflict, hoping it will go away . * Do not meet separately with people in conflict. * Do not believe, for even a moment, the only people who are affected by the conflict are the participants. Actions to Undertake: * Ask each participant to describe specific actions they’d like to see the other party take * You, as the supervisor, must own some of the responsibilities * Understand if the situation needs further exploration * All participants discuss and commit * You expect the individuals to resolve the conflicts proactively as adults. * Assure both parties that you have every faith in their ability to resolve their differences BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: Websites: How to cite Conflict Process and Management, Essay examples

Effects of Social Network on Malaysian Teenagers free essay sample

The Effects of Social Network on Malaysian Teenagers Social network is defined as the grouping of individuals into particular groups that centers on reflecting and building of social relations or social network among people, for instance, people who share activities, interest, posting information, comment, and images (Carrington, Scott and Wasserman, 2005). Teenagers are among the most prolific users of social network sites. This kind of communication is seen very common with teens as they perceive it as a network for them to improve some aspects in their life or even in their studies through informations provided in the internet. However, social networking sites are not a wholly positive influence in the world. Some research prove that social network can also affacted Malaysian teenagers in any bad ways. The main effects are through academically, mentally and also the society. Most of teenage life surrounded by studies either in school or university. They should put more focus on studies but most of them detected to spent more time on social network moreoverly the internet games, Facebook and Twitter. We will write a custom essay sample on Effects of Social Network on Malaysian Teenagers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This problem will effect them academically. Facebook as example, can be distracting and can negatively impact learning. Studies found that middle school, high school and college students who checked facebook at least once during a 15-minutes study period achieved lower grades (ScienceDaily, Aug 7, 2011). Time left to be spent at home are usually used to get some rest and do other stuff such as watching television and surfing the internet. Surfing the internet is one of the reasons why teenagers will not be able to submit the school homeworks or assignments given by their teachers. It will make them forget about their tasks. Yet, they will probably get tired and not willing to do their homeworks. Besides that, they might also couldn’t pass examination because they are not willing to do revisions or make a study group. Furthermore, students tend to sleep during the examination period after holding the eyes for too long facing the internet. In addition, social network can also effect teenagers mentally through depression and unstability emotions. Overdosing in facebook may lead to development of psychological disorders in teens (Larry Rosen, a professor of physcology at California State University). There are also presence of other psychological disorders, including antisocial behaviours, mania and also aggressive tendencies in teens moreoverly who have strong presence in Facebook. Rumours and ridicules about facebook users that spreaded through a status will somehow make them feel humiliated and depressed. This will also lead them to suicide. Besides that, there are certain things such as family problems that hidden from them but it appear somehow in the internet moreoverly from their own family members blog. Teen who get to know about it might be feel guilty or mad on what had happened around them without their awareness. Furthermore, losing chance in any internet games will get some of them couldn’t control their emotions by being angry and feel ashamed among the fighters in the game involved moreoverly if it is a betting game between them. Socially effects is also included as one of the main effects of social network on Malaysian teenagers. As we barely know that teens oftenly surf videos in internets such as from Youtube. Some videos contain violence actions. They will probably get influenced and they might imitate and practising those action towards other people or even to the public. Teens are known that they have the feel to try anything new during the increasing of ages, hormones while also the experience in teenage life although somehow they didn’t realise that their actions can harm people around them. They could involve in crime such as killing people with or without their intention. Furthermore, over-sharing of some porn videos and watched by the teenagers can get them in other crime such as rape and sexual harassment against women. This problem will lead them to the prison and can destroy their future.

Analysis of Swingers essays

Analysis of Swingers essays Set against the backdrop of the mid 1990s Los Angeles club scene, Swingers, gives us an engaging and realistic look into the L.A. singles life, and serves as a parable for all of those out there that have looked for love, failed and have had the courage to get up and try again. The story centers around Mike (Jon Favreau), a struggling comedian and a generally nice guy, that has not gotten over breaking up with his girlfriend and the trials and tribulations that he takes to try to get back on the dating horse. Along with Mike on his journey to find new love are his friends, a group of struggling actors, that at times act as a Greek chorus to show us his progress and theirs towards meeting these new beautiful babies. The cast is, for the most part, amateurish. Obviously, this is a function of the film's meager budget. Everyone gives a gung-ho effort, but most fail to hit their marks dead on. Favreau himself comes off as little more than an actor playing an actor. Even his walk feels forced at times. Thankfully, it doesn't hinder his likeability, or the rest of the casts. The one standout, of course, is Vince Vaughn as "best friend" Trent. Vince has charisma to spare here, taking his role as the smooth-talking Don Juan to the outer limits. He embodies Trent completely, and through his character gave America several new catch phrases to be used in their everyday vernacular. The line, Your so money and you dont even know it, that he consistently gives to Mike throughout the film to booster his confidence can be now be found in everything from advertising to sports casting Director Doug Liman does a good job with the small independent film budget he is given, and shoots the film in a naturalistic almost documentary type of manner. The film is highly self reflexive and at times he resorts to gimmickry to catch the audience's attention (like the Goodfellas inspired steady cam walk through...

Sustainable Development the Banking Sector

Sustainable Development the Banking Sector Many financial institutions have realized the importance of sustainable development. Several banks are currently involved in approaches, which help other business firms understand the importance of sustainable business practices. Banking institutions need to review their lending policies to ensure borrowers use credit obtained in a sustainable manner.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sustainable Development: the Banking Sector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Financial regulators need to establish strong codes of conduct to ensure banks comply with social and environmental regulations. Banks need to assess if their borrowers have complied with crucial environmental requirements before offering them credit (Stephens and Skinner 175). This will make them transact with customers who are willing to fulfill their social and environmental responsibilities. Some investments which banks finance impact greatly on climate chan ge. They have been criticized for giving less attention to environmental and social issues. The banking sector needs to reclaim public trust and confidence to clean up its reputation. Many banks were heavily involved in the recent global financial crisis, whose effects continue to be felt in many economies. Many financial sectors are not well regulated, which makes it possible for some banks to engage in unethical practices. Banks need to include environmental and social compliance in the loan application criteria, before giving out credit to business owners. This will make them vet corporate loan applicants to determine their level of compliance to social and environmental goals. Banks award their top executives a lot of incentives and this contributes to income inequalities in many societies. These incentives encourage banks to pursue profitability more aggressively, at the expense of environmental and social issues (Stephens and Skinner 176). Many banks are only interested in goo d financial results, which do not have a positive impact on the society. SWIFT, an association of more than 10,000 banks operating in over 200 countries, has proposed radical measures to enable banks contribute positively to sustainable development.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This association has introduced various proposals which advise banks to make a positive impact on social and environmental issues The initiative aims to encourage banks to develop products, which support socially sustainable businesses because they make a bigger impact on the lives of poor people. Small and medium enterprises, whose operations conform to social and environmental goals, need financial support to make a bigger impact in their industries. It is necessary for banks to provide them with adequate financing to make their operations more innovative. Banks need to implement effec tive processes, which enable them achieve sustainable development goals. They need to change their practices to make more people aware of the importance of sustainable development (Stephens and Skinner 178). Financial institutions need to change their attitudes towards social and environmental issues. They need to create effective systems to monitor if their borrowers are complying with crucial social and environmental standards. This will make it possible for them to assess if borrowers use loans for sustainable development. Banks need to provide low interest credit to lower income segments of the market, to enable them sustain positive relationships with their customers. Several European banks have been subjected to a lot of pressure by NGO’s and other watchdog bodies, to stop financing companies, which produce and sell arms (Struyk 330). Weapon manufacturers have been accused of fueling conflicts in war torn countries, which cause death, suffering and destruction. Therefor e, financial institutions need to be vigilant on business ethics to ensure they finance ventures which give people hope for the future. Stephens, Carolyn, and Chris Skinner. â€Å"Banks for a Better Planet? The Challenge of Sustainable Social and Environmental Development and The Emerging Response of The Banking Sector.† Environmental Development 5 (2013): 175-179. Print.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sustainable Development: the Banking Sector specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Struyk, Zach. â€Å"Book Reviews.† Resources Conservation and Recycling 37 (2003): 329-333. Print.

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 26

Research Paper Example Their first entry is recorded to be around 793 CE during which they ambushed the Christian monastic community who were residing in the Lindisfarne Island. There well designed long ship helped them move around the coast invading and attacking inhabitants of the Europeans coasts, in harbors and other river settlements. However, the aim of the paper is to describe in details the ‘Vikings art’ during the period between 800 CE and 1100 CE. The Vikings artist focused majorly on the durability of the material they used hence most of their artwork are made of stone, wood, metal ,bone, ivory and textiles. In some cases, they use human skin to present their art inform of Tattoo’s. Wood: This is the material that dominates the Vikings art due to the well-known advantages of wood to the art industry like easy to carve, durability, cheap cost and availability. Evidence of the extensive use of wood is in the Oseberg ship burial carvings in the 9th century, and the Urnes stave church (Grancsay, 21). Stone: use of stone began late in Scandinavia and a few memories of its use are like in the Gotlandic stone pictures and the royal monuments at jelling in Denmark though most of its use came late in the middle of 10th century. The spread of use of stone in the Viking art is related to the spread of Christianity (Grancsay, 59). Metal: Various archaeological evidences showed the presence of various decorations especially of metallic ornaments. The use of metallic art was also reflected on the jewelry that was worn by both men and women. The respectable women were identifiable from the matching brooches that were used just below their shoulder. Therefore, the evidence of the metalwork decorations were in the regained artwork in various designated graves. This is because they believed in accompanying the dead with material possessions. Therefore, it was common to extract jewelry, tools, household goods and weapons from the Vikings graves. Other

Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Franklin D Roosevelt's New Deal - Essay Example First New Deal The First New Deal started functioning during 1933 and ended during 1935, during this period, various reforms were made to strengthen the institutions of US. These reforms include the AAA or Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, this act was passed with the aim of insuring minimum wages for the farmers. According to this Act, farmers were paid in order to produce less so prices of agricultural produce could increase. Another reform made during the period of 1933 was the NIRA or National Industrial Recovery Act, this act was proposed and accepted in three different parts. Under this act, PWA or Public Works Administration was created for the management of government projects. The administration hired huge number of people while spending a total of $7 billion on development of projects. The Administration even created various labour procedures for working hours, competition, banning of child labour and wages. Individuals hired by this administration were paid a minimum wa ge of $1.25/hour and they were permitted to work for eight hours per week. Another adjustment made under this act was related to membership of trade unions. This act allowed trade unions to participate in business matters and these unions were legally allowed to bargain on behalf of the employees. The president even passed the Emergency Banking Act due to which banks reopened and money and gold being saved by the public were deposited back to the banks. According to this act only the best banks of US were allowed to start functioning again, and that too under the supervision of the government and these banks were lend money under compulsory situations. Banks that were smaller in size experienced shutdown and merger with banks that were larger in size, depositor’s money was returned on the basis of 85 cents for each $1 deposited by the customers. Later Glass-Steagall Act was passed by the president; the purpose of this act was to restrict the participation of commercial banks in securities firms. The president even created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, though this corporation, deposits that were higher than the amount of $2500 were insured, and this move was made to decrease the risk of deposit getting out of banks. Second New Deal The second New Deal refers to the next 100 days of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, during this period; he passed various acts and created various programs for correcting the relationship between the government and the public and to further strengthen existing institutions. One of the greatest acts passed by the president was the Social Security Act, under this act under which benefits were forwarded to those who were retired and to the children of those families that that existed without a father. The pensions and the benefits forwarded to the people under this act were to be financed by the taxes paid by the citizens of US. The president even created the Works Progress Administration which helped in prov iding employment to over 8.5 million individuals who worked on the development of government projects such as roads, highways, public offices, irrigation system and playgrounds. These projects not only helped in decreasing unemployment in US, these projects even helped in building the infrastructure of US

Gate Gourmet Swot Analysis

Gate Gourmet Swot Analysis I choose Gate Gourmet as an organisation for use as case study. It is headquartered at Zurich-Airport, Switzerland and is the worlds second largest airline catering company, providing catering services to many of the worlds major airlines, such as British Airways, Swissair, United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific to name just a few. The scale and complexity of the Gate Gourmet operations is high and it operates in global environment in an industry that is highly competitive and cost sensitive. This gives an opportunity to evaluate the macro and micro environment in line with the strategic options that Gate Gourmet has. Task1 (B) There are several practices that are used for strategic planning in the industry today and the choice of these are driven by factors such as type of industry, market realities, competitive pressures, size of the business and of course the culture and ethical practices of the organisation. Planning horizons have now considerably shortened considering the dynamic nature of business of the 21st century. The horizons have now become 2-3 years. There are however several best practices that have emerged from what is observed across industries: Stretch goals are an imperative to make strategic thinking more out of the box Planning processes are now regarded as evolving and flexible and it is to the organisations credit how quickly it can course correct. With the understanding of importance of stakeholder buy in and support there is an emphasis on communication in the strategic plan. This is an integral part of the quality planning in the strategic planning. Detailed plans are now created to tie the objectives to activities and outcomes. An organisations competitiveness is now determined by a set interconnected core competencies and not by a single core competency. This has emerged from the understanding that there are various organisational aspects that go into building a competitive advantage. In addition to the best practices mentioned above, there are some theories and frameworks that support the strategic planning: SWOT analysis for environmental analysis Porters 5 forces theory for environmental analysis Strategy as an ecology to understand the competition Balanced Scorecard approach McKinseys 7-S model to understand how the organisational factors help drive its operation strategy Ansoffs matrix to define the service or product strategy BCG and McKinsey matrix to review the product portfolio Value chain analysis as to how the organisation is adding value and interacting with its ecosystem Core Competency approach for deciding differentiation approach Top down or bottom up approach for participation and communication Strategic narratives that help in framing and analysis of strategic options Task 1(C) For Gate Gourmet to formulate its strategy, we must look the following: Environmental analysis and the position of Gate Gourmet relative to its environment. I would recommend using Porters 5 forces and SWOT as it will help us understand both the macro and micro environment and link it with the Gate Gourmets position in the competitive landscape. Since the industry of inflight catering is defined largely by operational excellence, we can use the 4-V analysis to understand the areas of operational excellence that can be used to differentiate, not merely to drive operational efficiency, but also to achieve competitive advantage. The SWOT will also then help us understand the core competency of Gate Gourmet and if that fits with the differentiation strategy that will help it achieve competitive advantage. From the core competencies, the balanced scored card can be used to outline the business objectives that will help leverage the core competencies and achieve competitive advantage. These objectives will be defined across financial, customer, human resources and knowledge management aspects of the organisation. Task 1(D) Relevant theories for the marketing plan for Gate Gourmet are product Life cycle management using Ansoffs matrix and BCG matrix, service marketing strategy and innovation based marketing strategy. Looking at the product life cycle of the inflight catering business, we understand that the business is a mature business and therefore will require innovation and service differentiation focus to compete. Also, BCG matrix will help Gate Gourmet evaluate the services and geographies that can be dropped from its portfolios and the ones that need to be consolidated and invested in. Ansoffs matrix will help Gate Gourmet to decide the innovation strategy through new product launch. This will help improve its utilization of the supply chain resources and the investments and thus help reduce its per unit costs. Task 2(A) There are 2 general strategic options that are available to Gate Gourmet: Cost Leadership and Differentiation. Let us look at the relative advantages and disadvantages: Cost Leadership: Gate Gourmets business drives the need for it to be increasingly efficient as its airline customers face heightened cost pressures due to the changing business and economic scenario. It operates in a business which is low margin and increasingly coming under further squeeze. Hence Cost leadership is a requirement for business in this industry in the in flight catering business. It cannot be a source of competitive advantage. Differentiation: Given that efficiency focus is a requirement or a qualifying criterion in the industry of Gate Gourmet, what can lead to a competitive advantage is through a differentiation strategy. Quality and flexibility are areas that can help Gate Gourmet differentiate itself to its competition. However, focus on quality and flexibility will lead to overheads that can act against the cost leadership requirement. Therefore Gate Gourmet will also need to have a robust operational strategy to drive the quality and flexibility differentiation with cost leadership. Task 2(B) The following are Gate Gourmets key stakeholders: Employees and contractors: The strategy of flexibility and consolidation will impact the employees as Gate Gourmet will have to resort to lay offs for its permanent employees and look at flexible hiring model to suit its operations. Raw Material Suppliers: Gate Gourmet will have to look at creating a deeper alliance and information sharing to implement its strategy of flexibility and quality focus. This will happen though further integration of their systems and through real time information sharing. For cost leadership, Gate Gourmet will need to get into longer term contracts and choose strategic suppliers that can offer it better unit prices. Supply Chain/Logistics partners: Gate Gourmet will need to have more integration and alignment with its supply chain partners to put in place a quality and flexibility strategy. It will need to agree with them on standard quality practices to ensure consistent quality experience creating the competitive advantage that Gate Gourmet is looking at. Airlines: Flexibility and cost leadership will require Gate Gourmet to receive information from its airline customers in real time. Gate Gourmet will also need to have Task 2(C) The following are the key areas that need to be paid special attention to by the management team implementing the strategy: Communication The communication of the strategy, its objectives and the rationale behind that needs to be clearly articulated and communicated to the employees. This is required to create the appropriate buy in from them. The communication also needs to be planned to the customers of the organisation to share with them how the organisation is changing for the better and aligning to the market and competitive requirements The partners of the organisation also need to be informed and aligned with the changes so that they too can change their work practices to align with the organisational strategy. Organisation design The organisations structure needs to support the new strategy and ensure that the execution is supported by the new organisation This will also ensure resources are allocated efficiently and minimise the waste Training and development Training programs need to be implemented for the new and existing employees to close the information and skill gap required to execute the new strategy Investments into Systems and Integration For close integration with the partners and customers of the organisation systems need to be put in place to support this. The organisation will need to invest in infrastructure and work practices to put these systems in place Contractual Strategy Serviced Based and Strategic partners The contractual relationships with the partners may need to be revisited and consolidated in view with the new strategy Also existing partners may have to revisit the service levels and scope of the contractual relationships. Task 2(D ) Communication Organisation design Training and development Task 3 Develop vision, mission, objectives and measures of these Task 3(A) Vision statement articulates how the organisation sees itself in the future, in fact it is the long term goal for the organisation which it strives to achieve. Ideally this goal should be such that it can never be achieved by the organisation and it should serve as the drive for the organisation. A mission statement is more of a goal statement for a fixed tenure of time and is usually derived from the Vision statement. From the mission statement the organisational objectives year on year can be derived. Value of the organisation defines the principles and ethics that the organisation abides by and holds dear. These could be targeted at doing business in a specific way, or giving high consideration to employees and customers. These are principles that are considered to be above the business objectives and are the fundamentals on which the company envisions its future. There are many ways in which these can be measured. A representative way of doing this is evaluating how customers and employees believe the organisation is doing business keeping in mind the vision, mission and values. Also, employees can be interviewed to determine how their individual values are aligned to organisational values and if they hold the latter close and let it reflect in their working. The prevailing organisational culture also reflects how the vision, mission and values are absorbed by the different stakeholders of the organisation. Another way of measuring the effectiveness is to determine how the organisations performance management system is aligned to the mission and goals that have been set and how these are supported by the training, development, mentoring and coaching in the organisation. Task 3(B) Gate Gourmet abides a set of brand values and that drives its vision of its business. The Gate group was established as a master brand to reflect the growing diversity of the business. The shapes making up the outline of a star in the logo symbolize Gate groups individual companies and their vast range of capabilities. The points on the star represent the brand values with which we make every effort to serve our customers: QUALITY We deliver best-in-class products and services. INTEGRITY We pledge an ethical and trustworthy relationship. RELIABILITY On-time and with a clear focus on safety. VALUE Optimizing value for you throughout the supply chain. FLEXIBILITY One size does not fit all. We are attuned to your needs. PASSION We lead through innovation and inspiration. RESPECT We celebrate the diversity of cultures among our employees and customers. RESPONSIBILITY We strive to protect the environment and to be a good corporate citizen in our communities. The companys website gives the following information on its mission statement: Customers prefer us because passion shines through everything we do. We measure our success by the success our customers enjoy. (Refer: Source 2) Task 3(C) The organisations cultural and ethical environment provides a mean for realising its vision and mission. These are execution ingredients that it requires to attain the vision and mission that it has set for itself. The culture and ethical conditions are determined by how the employees and partners of the organisation have adopted and aligned with the vision, mission and strategy. It is important to note that without these supporting factors, even the most well crafted vision, mission and strategy cannot be implemented. The stakeholders need to align with these and the McKinseys 7-S model reflects how these factors interact with each other and determine how vision, mission and strategy get implemented. Task 3(D) Gate Gourmet operations can be described as extremely complex requiring optimized efficiencies and responsiveness at the same time, where it must be able to achieve very stringent operational objectives in an extremely competitive, dynamic business environment. Some of its operations objectives are listed and evaluated below along with relative importance of criteria selected for evaluation, conflicts with other objectives and how Gate Gourmet accommodates these changes Driving lower costs through economies and processes Due to the nature of the competition in the industry, and where customers are always looking drive costs lower to increase their profitability, the cost per meal that Gate Gourmet charges to its customers would directly impact the amount of business that it is able to generate from its existing and new customers. Flexibility, responsiveness to changing customer needs and ability to operate in an dynamic environment Though the company has to offer very competitive pricing, it is also very important that the company that it is very flexible to the constantly changing customer requirements and is able to deliver the product and service that are closely aligned with customer expectations. As can be seen from the case, the final requirement for a particular flight is not known till hours before the flight and even that could change due to last minute cancellations or new booking, due to which they have to operate in a just in time fashion, of being able to come up with delivery at the moment the customer requires it. Maintenance of highest quality standards As Gate Gourmets customers are airlines that are extremely conscious of offering the best to their passengers and also ensuring that they have good branding as a company offering the highest quality experience, they would want to ensure that the food that is served on their flights is of the highest standards and that various processes are followed for maintaining quality and consistency. [Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services practices as management benchmarks , Type: Article, Case study, Author(s): Zeph Yun Chang, Wee Yong Yeong, Lawrence Loh, Source: The TQM Magazine; Volume: 9 Issue: 4; 1997] Reliability and service guarantee In addition to the above discussed factors, a very important operational objective for the company to achieve would be the ensure very high reliability in the services that it provides and also providing very high service levels that would ensure its customers business work as smoothly as possible. [Critical success factors for Inflight Catering services: Singapore Airport Terminal Services practices as management benchmarks , Type: Article, Case study, Author(s): Zeph Yun Chang, Wee Yong Yeong, Lawrence Loh, Source: The TQM Magazine; Volume: 9 Issue: 4; 1997] Seamless communication and working with a vast array of partners in a global supply chain As discussed above, the operation of the company, due to the scale at which it operates is very complex where it has to coordinate multiple aspects and work with multiple partners and customers to deliver the required level of service, it is a very important operational objective that there is a very high amount of information sharing and close working together across the entire value chain that would allow for planned service delivery. This is again an important objective and is aligned with the other objectives that ensure that the company is able to deliver. Task 4 Explore the implications of changes in the general and marketing environment for organisations Task 4(A) Let us start by analysing the typology of Gate Gourmet which will then set the context for relevant objectives for Gate Gourmet. This is the key to understanding operations and any gaps in their performance: Volume: Clearly Gate Gourmet completes a high volume of daily transactions across its supply chain with 534 thousand meals a day worldwide, on average 195 million every year. It has 115 flight kitchens in 30 different countries, in locations as diverse as Hawaii, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, New York, Madrid, London, Bangkok, Sydney and Tokyo. Also, it emphasises working in unison with cleaning staff, baggage handlers and maintenance crews to ensure that the aircraft are prepared quickly for departure. Variety: Gourmet Gate faces variety across its airline customers and also within its customers due to the geographical spread of the airline operations, the customer needs differ. Creating a high variety situation for Gate Gourmet. To summarise we the following drivers for variety: Geo disperses airline organisation Geo dispersed end customers Customizations of the end product required based on airline/geo Variation in demand: Gate Gourmet faces mediocre variation in demand that typically emerges from the change in booking status of passengers which is the nature of the airline industry. While demand variation can be high during emergency situations as had been the case during the aftermath of September 2001. Visibility: The Gate Gourmet operations are not customer facing while they supply a product and service that impacts the end customer experience for their airline customers. Task 4(B) Give the 4 V analysis, we need to look at the implications for Gate Gourmet: High transaction volume would mean capital intensive operations for Gate Gourmet which will help it drive high repeatability and lower its unit costs as the volumes increases and economies of scope kick in. Gate Gourmet will also pay attention to introduce specialisation in its operations and allocated its resources as per the areas of specialisation these will be in terms of the geographic operation of the airlines and the airline itself. High variety in its business would mean Gate Gourmet operations to be flexible and aimed to meet the customer needs. The complexity that this introduces in the operations increases the unit costs. Variation in demand is though mediocre, but the Gate Gourmet needs to be in touch with demand and have the ability to anticipate the demand fluctuations and flexibility to cater to these demand variation. Capacity redundancy may not be crucial as there is no regular high variation in the demand. This factor also drives the unit costs upwards. Visibility of operations for Gate Gourmet is low for the end customer, therefore is a delay between the production and consumption of the product of Gate Gourmet. This allows for higher standardisation and staffing with resources with low contact skills. This allows high staff utilisation and centralisation of production therefore driving the unit costs down. The analysis and implications leads us to the objectives that will be key for meeting Gate Gourmets customers and end customer expectations: Dependency of delivery Order Qualifying criterion Speed of response Order Qualifying criterion Cost Order Qualifying criterion Quality Focus Order Winning criterion Flexibility- Order Winning criterion While the high volume and low visibility of the operations help Gate Gourmet standardise the operations and resourcing driving down the unit costs through economies of scope. They have also reduced the number flight kitchens by 10% from 115, when the case was published, to 97 currently and also their daily volumes have gone up by 10% hinting at strong economies of scope driving their unit costs lower. While the need for high variety and medium variation require its operations be flexible and integrate with the customer demand scenario. This drives the unit costs upwards and creates a challenge for gate Gourmet in this low margin and low cost business. Task 4(C),(D) Organisation Design: Gate Gourmet advocates the concept that the organisational structure should reflect the core processes undertaken by the business, with a manager given responsibility for each process. Under the traditional structure, if there is a problem with servicing a flight, no one manager would be responsible-the fault might lie with the purchasing manager for not ordering supplies, the equipment manager for not having the right equipment, the production manager, or the transportation manager. So, some caterers have now organised their production units based on core processes. Gate Gourmet in Geneva (Emad, 1997) identified these as Equipment Handling, Customer Management, and Goods Supply and Preparation Speed of Response: Gate Gourmet integrates tightly with its upstream and downstream supply chain partners through transparent and real time information sharing through the SCALA and e-gatematrix ensuring that the same information is available to all the partners at the same time; demonstrating backward and forward integration for creating competitive advantage. They have integrated the SC partners giving the last mile reliability to their end-customers, though they function as different organisations the information sharing couples then tightly and helping them reach rapidly to changes in their environment. It has created standardised menus in SCALA to ensure consistency and repeatability in its menus. Quality Focus: For quality Gate Gourmets global team of talented and accredited chefs is ready to serve your catering needs and deliver on your vision. (Source: http://gategourmet.gategroupmember.com/index.php/culinary) Gate Gourmet has instituted a total quality management initiative that is aimed at inculcating process quality than relying on inspection quality. This initiative is called Airline Catering On The Move Global Service Excellence and has been implemented internationally across its network of operations. This program was developed through the expert support of Dr. Donald Fisher, a globally-acknowledged expert in the quality management field. Dr. Fisher, of the Mid-South Quality Productivity Center (MSQPC). Dr. Fisher has been acting as an external consultant and has been instrumental in this initiative by bringing in his global experience and expertise. This alliance has been particularly valuable as Gate Gourmet operates in an international context as well. (Source: http://www.msqpc.com/Newsletters/Spring2003.pdf) (Source: Title: High flyer Author(s): Bettye Wells Miller Journal: Managing Service Quality) Flexibility Customer requirements of Gate Gourmet are such that it needs to assemble meals as per the specific guideline provided. Also, the packing and loading onto the service trolleys are as per specification. These service trolleys are loaded onto huge coolers and into loader trucks to send to the aircraft galleys just before the take off. Gate gourmet operates nearly 1700 of these vehicles and many of these are already equipped with cooling systems, cameras and state of the art engines to meet with the strict FDA regulations and also comply with the environmental guidelines. Cost Focus: Gate Gourmet also follows aggressive HR policies to manage its human resources and ramping down based on changes in its customer demand. It also got into union issues due to these practices in the UK in 2005. (Source: http://www.itfglobal.org/solidarity/gategourmet.cfm) Gate Gourmet is also looking at moving from permanent employee base to flexible staffing practices again in an attempt to be flexible and responsive. (Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4153366.stm) It is reported to making losses globally and trying to revamp its operations to stay profitable. (Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/15/business/worldbusiness/15iht-gate.html?_r=1) Gate Gourmet is consolidating its partnerships and acquiring logistics companies to allow it to backward integrate focussing on driving its unit operational costs lower. It is also looking at longer term contracts with it customers to assure a business volume over time. It is also innovating and getting into new lines of business to improve utilisation of its supply chain reduce its cost of operations and also drive top line growth. Gate Gourmet has entered into an alliance with ARINC Inc. (leader in onboard retail management). They are working together to promote on board sales programs for the worlds airlines and rail systems as well. This is helping Gate Gourmet improve utilization of its resources and reduce idle time. (Refer: http://www.arinc.com/news/2008/04-30-08.html) Gate Gourmet has also diversified into non-airline catering where it can use its existing supply chain to service on-land and train passengers as well e.g it has teamed up with Starbucks and railways in Portugal. (Source: http://gategourmet.gategroupmember.com/index.php/culinary/non-airline-catering) (Source: Title: Developing new products and services in flight catering Author(s): Peter Jones Journal: International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management) Task 5 Plan for the implementation of a general or marketing strategy. Task 5(A) The mission and goals will help determine the business objectives that the organisation needs to achieve. Also, timelines for achieving these objectives can be set based on the mission and macro environmental factors of the organisation. The objectives and the timeliness can then be broken down into lower level objectives and activities with shorter timelines. Each of these activities will be assigned to individuals with responsibilities and also resources required to complete these activities. Each of these activities will have outcomes outlined and linked to the key performance indicators. These can then be established as milestones and linked to the key performance indicators that can be used to review the milestones and activity status. Therefore the timetable will consist of the following key elements: High Level objectives Low Level Objectives Low Level Activities Estimated duration of completion Milestones Responsible individuals and departments Resources required to complete the activities Desired outcomes KPIs to be used to evaluate milestone status Task 5(B) Task 5(C) While crafting a strategy, key performance indicators can be determined at the time of planning. A balanced scorecard typically helps determine the required KPIs along the different areas of strategic importance. Also, targeted values for these KPIs can be established during the planning process and how these need to be re-visited with time. The data required for these KPIs can be collected regularly and published as per a pre-determined schedule. These KPIs can then be compared to the target and a root cause analysis be done for those KPIs that are off the targets. Corrective action can then planned based on the root causes determined. Task 5(D) Post the difficulties that the customer airlines of Gate Gourmet were facing, Gate Gourmet decided to go with an approach of flexibility and to be able to match its cost structure with the changing financial situation of its customers. It decided to model its workforce requirement to this strategy as well and laid off workers in UK and US. However, there was an immediate backlash of these lay off specially in the UK leading to major business disruptions in Heathrow airport leading to grounding and delay of several flights prominent airlines. This had not been factored in by gate Gourmet management and they had to go for significant damage control measures post this fiasco. This indicates why Gate Gourmet should have monitored proactively the effects of its flexible strategy. The decision of the Coca Cola company to expand its operations in India as ap art of its Asian strategy was faced with issues when its expansion in Southern India was faced with stiff resistance from the local population and community on the detrimental effects of the factories on the ground water table. This again demonstrated the need to the company to monitor and factor in the community aspects of a strategy.