Focus Group Essay Example for Free

Focus Group Essay Qualitative research Definition- it is a research, which is undertaken using an unstructured research, approach with a small number of carefully selected individuals to produce non-quantifiable insights into behavior, motivations and attitudes. Qualitative and quantitative research as two distinctly separate bodies of research – many studies encompass both approaches, with qualitative research being used to explore and understand attitudes and behavior, and quantitative research being used to measure how widespread these attitudes and behaviors are. Qualitative research can be used when managers need exploratory research. Managers use exploratory research to understand customer attitudes, emotions, preferences and behaviors. It can also be used in new product development or creative development research. Individual depth interview It is an interview that is conducted face-to-face, in which the subject matter of the interview is explored in detail using an unstructured and flexible approach. As with all qualitative research, depth interviews are used to develop a deeper understanding d of consumer attitudes and the reasons behind specific behaviors. This understanding is achieved through responding to an individual’s comments with extensive probing. The flexibility of this probing sets this interview approach apart from oter questionnaire-type interviews. Although there is an agenda of topics to be covered, the interviewers will use their knowledge of the research objectives, the information gained from other interviews and the comments of the respondent to select which parts of the dialogue with the respondent to explore further, which to ignore, and which to return to later in the interview. Not only is the depth interview flexible, it is also evolutionary in nature. Focus group Focus groups are depth interviews undertaken with a group of respondents. It is different to individual interviews in the number of respondents and interaction between participants. Several factors affect focus group Recruitment is a very critical element of group discussions and has long been a major quality-control issue in the UK marketing research industry. Group discussions are unlikely to achieve their research objectives if the wrong types of participant are recruited. The research proposal will set out the type of participants required for a group discussion. For example, if Colgate is researching a new type of toothpaste for a sensitive teeth. Their specification may request respondents who regularly purchase toothpaste with sensitive protection function. Respondents age (for example 25-64), living area, etc. Managers can also use Screening questionnaire to identify suitable respondents for its group discussion. The area that respondents are recruited normally should be in street or telephone interviews. The location that group discussions were held should let respondents feel comfortable. Locations such as viewing rooms or hotels for business should have no special facilities apart from audio type recorder. Food or snacks will also be provided to assist in relaxing the atmosphere. Time to hold the discussion should be well scheduled. Times should be available to target group. For example, outside working hours, times of available public transport etc. The number of groups should be 3-4. As the 3rd and 4th group can used to exam atypical views. * There are problems involving focus groups. For example in the case of overlapping dialogues from different speakers which may affect the transcript. * Moderators must learn to control such people and encourage those less willing to speak up and let their opinions be heard. Comparing to traditional group discussion, online group discussion or chat room is becoming popular. Apart from lower cost and possible time-saving, it can allow more people to be involved in observing the research, particularly if it is being carried out in a different region or country. However, a cheaper version of online group discussion or chat room where a group is recruited who are willing to discuss a subject online usually using text. It can be difficult to develop any real group dynamics and it is impossible to see people’s facial expression. Even with webcams, the video picture is usually so poor. Participants may also be distracted by events within their own office or home, as the environment is not under the control of the moderator. However, it may be useful with people who could be unwilling to attend a group discussion because of their geographical dispersal or their introverted nature. Projective techniques Projective techniques are techniques used in group discussions and individual interviews to facilitate a deeper exploration of a respondent’s attitudes towards a concept, product or situation. They enable respondents to express attitudes that they find difficult to verbalize. Projective technique projective techniques may gather ‘richer’ data than do standard questioning and discussion. There are many types of projective techniques. The most common three techniques are projective questioning. It is a projective technique that asks the respondent to consider what other people would think about a situation. An example of this could be â€Å"What do you think people in your street would think if they saw a BMW parked in your driveway?† The advantage of projective questioning is that it usually reflect the opinions of the respondent without causing them any embarrassment. Managers can get more objective answers. Word association tests It is a projective technique that involves asking respondents what brands or products they associate with specific words. In marketing research, word association is typically used in conjunction with brand names or celerity endorsers. This can assist marketers in developing communication objectives and strategies to position or differentiate their brands from those of competitors. In addition to the direct outputs of word association, the technique is also very useful as a way of warming up a group by getting everybody contributing and involved. Brand personalities Brand personalities involve respondents imagining a brand a person and describing their looks, clothes. Lifestyles, employment etc. For example, if ‘Nokia’ was a person, what type of person would he or she be? The answer could be such as a modern, relatively young slightly quirky male. This could compare with other brands. Developing brand personification can help to verbalize the imagery and vocabulary associated with the brand. Sentence completion Sentence completion involves providing respondents with an incomplete sentence or group of sentences. Respondents are then asked to complete them. For example, ‘Tesco, as a supermarket, is†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in many way, sentence completion is similar to word associations, although it can enable researcher to put the respondent’s thinking process into a proper context. Observation research Observation is a data-gathering approach where information on the behavior of people, objects and organizations is collected without any questions being asked of the participants. Observation can take a quantitative format where a large number of events or people are observed and the outputs are analyzed using statistical method. The major advantage of it over surveys of respondents is that the data collected do not have inaccuracies as a result of memory error or social desire bias. The data recorded reflect the actual behavior that took place. For example, video record gives a true representation of rental behavior. Observation overcomes the high refusal rates that may exist for some survey research. However, observation cannot investigate reasons behind behavior. Also, only public behavior is observed. Examples of what can be observed are consumers behavior in store, family consuming behavior at home, comments on the internet. Typical methods of observation are internet monitoring (club card, cookies), in-store observations (CCTV), mystery shopping(researchers participant into observation to look at process not the outcome of number of satisfaction), content analysis(how many time that the word appear in the article), ethnography(could be costly and have ethical issues). Ethical problem Questionnaire A questionnaire is the research instrument designed to generate the data necessary for accomplishing a project’s research objectives. Questionnaires have advantages over some other types of surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much effort from the questioner as focus group, and often have standardized answers that make it simple to compile data. However, questionnaires also have many of the same problems relating to question construction and wording. The effect of questionnaire might also limited by the location that respondents do the questionnaire. For example, respondents who did questionnaire in high street could be affected by noise. There are many types of questionnaire. There are open-ended question, closed question, scaling questions. There are many factors when comparing Focus group, depth interviews, projective techniques, observation and questionnaire. In terms of degree of structure, focus group are relatively high as managers will guide and control the whole discussion until all tasks are finished. In terms of probing of individual respondents, depth interviews are high and focus group and questionnaire are low. Moderator bias in depth interviews are high and others are medium. Observation has none effects in terms of both probing of individual respondents and moderator bias. Focus group is also high in discovering innovative information. Projective techniques and observation are high in uncovering subconscious information and obtaining sensitive information. Questionnaire and projective techniques are involving unusual behavior or questioning.

Mass Media for Environmental Awareness

Mass Media for Environmental Awareness Perspective of pollution and use of mass media in environmental awareness for The Upper Lake: A case study Introduction South Asia, home to over one-fifth of the world’s population, is facing a growing water crisis. This region is in the grip of continuing flood and drought cycles, dictating the need for a long-term strategy for management of its water resources. Big and small water bodies, in the form of lakes and reservoirs, dot the landscape of South Asia. These ecosystems impound precious freshwater, and are the most easily-accessible source for human use. Historically, major cities in this region flourished in geographical regions with assured water supplies that sustained civilization for centuries (Kodarkar Mukerjee, 2006). Unfortunately, the last half of the 20th century has witnessed large-scale degradation of the environment in general, and water resources in particular, due to multiple anthropogenic factors such as unprecedented population growth, and consequent urbanization, industrialization and chemical intensive agriculture. Among the first victims of this degradation process were the lakes and reservoirs in the vicinity of urban areas that underwent large-scale pollution due to sewage and industrial effluents and toxic chemicals. In most cases, nutrient enrichment led to eutrophication of water bodies (Edmondson 1991), and exhibiting negative manifestations such as: Loss of water-spread area because of siltation and construction activities; Continuous algal blooms; Excessive growth of macrophytes (e.g, water hyacinth) and loss of biodiversity; and, Water quality degradation There also are drastic alterations in the morphometry (the process of measuring the external shape and dimensions of landforms, living organisms, or other objects) and water-holding capacity of lakes and reservoirs, due to inflow of silt, dumping of garbage and reclamation activities. The process has been further aggravated by encroachments and unauthorized construction activities in the catchment and on the lakebed. Compared to rural areas, the impact of this degradation is more severe in urban areas due to their high population densities. Because of the ecological, economical and recreational potential of lakes, there is an urgent need to protect, rehabilitate and conserve them as precious natural resources. Objectives This case briefly examines how these issues have been addressed for the Upper Lake of Bhopal, a part of the Bhoj Wetland, and the use of various media tool in environmental awareness for The Upper Lake, the Bhojtaal. Method Case study method is an approach that emphasizes detailed contextual analysis of a limited number of events or conditions and their relationships. Various researchers have used the case study research method for many years across a variety of disciplines. Journalists and media persons, in particular, have made wide use of this qualitative research method to examine contemporary real-life situations and provide the basis for the application of ideas and extension of methods. Researcher Robert K. Yin defines the case study research method as an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context; when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident; and in which multiple sources of evidence are used (Yin, 1984, p. 23). The present study, in this regard, used case study approach to the problem identified as above. For addressing the problem, secondary database from multiple sources have been used. The sources for the data collection were libraries, internet blogs, journals and books. Results and Discussion Available literature indicates that, in India, construction of storage reservoirs is an age-old practice. Former rulers contributed significantly by constructing large numbers of impoundments for providing drinking water to the people in their cities. This was particularly necessary in arid, semi-arid and other regions with highly erratic rainfall. The Upper Lake of Bhopal, arguably the oldest among the large man-made lakes in the central part of India, falls in this category. This lake was created in the early-11th century by King Bhoj by theParmaraRaja Bhojduring his tenure as a king of Malwa(1005–1055), by construction of an earthen dam across the Kolans River, a rain-fed tributary of the Betwa River. He is also said to have established the city of Bhopal (also named after him, then as Bhojpal) to secure the eastern frontier of his kingdom. There is a legend why the built the lake. The story behind creation of Bhojtaal According to an old story, once king Bhoj suffered from skin disease and allVaidyas(Doctor in English) failed to cure him. Then, one day asainttold the king to build a tank to combine 365 tributaries and then have a bath in it to wipe out the skin disease. Bhoj called upon his engineers to build up a huge tank. They spotted a place near riverBetwa, which was 32km away from Bhopal. It was found that it has only 359 tributaries. AGondCommander Kalia fulfilled this shortage. He then gave the address of an invisible river. After merging the tributaries of this river the number 365 was completed. The lake was created by constructing an earthen dam across the Kolans River. An eleven gate dam called the Bhadbhada damwas constructed at Bhadbhada in 1965 at the southeast corner of the Lake, and now controls the outflow to the river Kaliasote. The Upper Lower Bhopal lakes, collectively known as Bhoj Wetlands, are urban water bodies. The upper lake is a major source of potable water for the people of the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India. The lower lake was constructed much later on the downstream of the dam of Upper lake. The eastern catchment of Upper Lake is urban whereas the western catchment is rural in nature. The Lower Lake is surrounded from all sides by human settlements. Economic Value The Upper Lake is a source of potable water and meets 40% of the demand i.e. 29 MGD of drinking water for the city’s growing population. Its fishing rights have been given on long lease by the BMC to a fisherman co-operative consisting of some 500 fishermen families. The Lower Lake is mainly a recreational site. The livelihood of 250 washer-men families belonging to socio-economically weaker sections of the society is dependent on the Lower Lake. Table 1: Details of the Bhojtal (Upper Lake) and Lower lake Environmental issues surrounding Bhojtaal According to various sources referred, the major issues concerning the environment of the lakes are as described below (table 2): Table 2: The Problems and causes surrounding pollutions in Bhojtaal. Problems Causes Reduction of storage capacity of lakes Inflow of silt and organic materials from urban and rural catchments along with monsoon runoff and dry weather flow. Addition of clay and non-biodegradable materials through immersion of idols. Obstruction to smooth flow through the spill channel of the Upper Lake resulting in a threat to the stability of the earthen dam. Constriction of the spill channel due to deposition of silt. Increase in seepage through the earthen dam of Upper Lake Improper maintenance and growth of vegetation over the dam had caused dislocation of stone lining of the dam Deterioration of water quality Inflow of untreated sewage from habitation. Dumping of Municipal wastes not collected by the Municipal Corporation. †¢ Dissolving of paints in water during immersion of idols. †¢ Run off of chemical fertilizers from the catchment. †¢ Activity of washing of cloths by people resulting in release of detergents. †¢ Leakage of oil during motor boating and cruise movement Flourishing growth of invasive aquatic plants †¢ High Nutrient load of lakes due to inflow of sewage and agricultural wastes. Reduction of water spread area. †¢ Encroachment on the lake fringe area which gets exposed when water level falls after rains. Environmental Pollution and impurities Caused by garbage thrown carelessly, empty bottles, throwing of food stuffs remained carelessly and diesel released by boats. Impurities are drawn in the lake coming out from the colonies, hotels and resorts and causes water pollution. Medical waste thrown in the lake Media tools used for awareness generation Media tools and materials developed and used for public awareness programme towards creating awareness of environmental pollution and its impact on Hoardings at Strategic locations Publications of special bulletin (Tal Sandesh to create awareness regarding diversion of Idol immersion activities). Advertisement in news papers regarding project actions. Communication through TV/Radio. T-Shirts/Caps showing massage of Save Bhopal Lakes used by the students/volunteers involved in awareness campaign. Stickers having various slogans for lake conservation were used sparingly to communicate the massage. The analysis of various literature reveals that several Public awareness programme and educational materials developed were developed like use of street theatres, Rallies, open forum discussions, workshops, seminars, Lectures and Audio-Visual shows, organizing various fairs, Mera Taal Mera Bhopal on World Environment Day, Jheel Mahotsav (in 2014), etc. Apart from all the above, big media houses participated in awareness generation activities to save the upper lake. Dainik Bhaskar’s Jalsatyagrah campaign was a big event in this regard. This Jalsatyagrah campaign is carried out by Dainik Bhaskar Group in many cities on regular intervals. The campaign includes activities like road shows, public meetings, awareness educational programes in schools and residential areas. Mobile exhibition demonstrating a working model of roof water harvesting is also organized in various cities. Dainik Bhaskar and other media groups like Dainik Jagran, Ptrika, etc. carries out special stories columns in its group newspaper on water conservation. Advertisements are also released on regular basis to create awareness about water conservation. In addition, Bhaskar Foundation has restored many village ponds in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Di-silting has been carried out with the help of public participation Conclusion In the developing countries, where financial resources are limited for infrastructural development, implementation of conservation plan for the conservation of a wetland system like Bhoj wetland is unique. It has tried various innovations both in case of application of technology and for taking help of public by the use of various IEC (Information, Education, and Communication) tools. Involvement of the public with the project, in part to solve the religious and social issues, is worth emulating in these parts of the world. Further, the use of various mass media tools have come out as innovations that has turned out as a positive change for the people of Bhopal and the lake itself. Bibliography Anonymous, (2004). Completion Report of Public Participation and Awareness Campaign under Lake Bhopal Conservation and Management Project. Detailed Project Report of Dredging and Desilting of lakes. (1998). Bhoj Wetland Project. Fateh, A.L. (1982). Our Environment. National Book Trust of India: New Delhi Kodarkar , M. S., Mukerjee, A. (2006). Bhoj wetland, Experience and lesion learning brief. Madhya Pradesh lake conservation authority, Bhopal, India, pp.1-2. Mukerjee, A. (2000). â€Å"Religious Activities and Water Pollution: Case Study of Idol Immersion in Upper and Lower Lakes of Bhopal.† Paper presented in World Lakes Session, 2nd World Water Forum in The Hague, Netherlands. Mukerjee, A., P.K. Nandi A.K. Bajpai. (2000). â€Å"Dynamics in Bhoj Wetland, Bhopal.† Paper presented at the 20th Annual International Symposium of the North American Lake Management Society, Madison, USA. Pani, S., B.J. Khan P.K. Nandi. (2002). â€Å"An analysis of effectiveness of restoration measures in the improvement of water quality of Bhoj Wetland.† In the Proceedings of the International Conference on Hydrology and Watershed Management, Hyderabad, India. Postel, S. (1984). â€Å"Water: Rethinking management in an age of scarcity.† World Watch Paper 62. Subrata, P. S.M. Misra. (1993). â€Å"Impact of hydraulic detention on the water quality characteristics of a tropical wetland (Lower lake).† In Pankaj Srivastava (ed.). Environmental pollution and its management. Tekale, N.S. (2003). â€Å"Idol immersion: A critical analysis of environmental impact on urban lakes and remedial measures.† In the Proceedings of the UGC-sponsored National Conference on Urban lakes: Environmental status economics and management options, Hyderabad, India Yin, R. K. (1984). Case study research: Design and methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Zafar, A.R. (1959). â€Å"Taxonomy of lakes.† Hydrobiologia 13(3): 187-299. Indu B. K. Upadhyay1

Organisational Change and Transformation

Organisational Change and Transformation INTRODUCTION Organisational change practice and research aims at the improvement and development of organisations for the purpose of enhancing effectiveness and responsiveness to external changes through better people management, competence, communications, systems and structures. It is not a discipline that has more practical relevance in one sector than in another: the methods and approaches of the discipline are being applied in business and government alike. Because of increasingly dynamic environments, organizations are continually confronted with the need to implement changes in strategy, structure, process, and culture. Many factors contribute to the effectiveness with which such organizational changes are implemented. Whether the change processes are essentially unplanned and discontinuous, planned and strategic, or incremental or revolutionary, they have profound implications for people management and development. Change of any sort evokes the need for innovation, creativity, learning and culture change, all of which lie legitimately within the sphere of interest of personnel and development. Professionals working in personnel and development can be central actors in the management of change in such matters as people resourcing, learning and development, reward structures and the development of new sorts of employee relations all in a strategic context. Personnel and development professionals at a senior level need to demonstrate the contribution they can make in helping people in the organisation to: †¢ Recognise and interpret the relationship between organisational vision, capability and the internal and external environments †¢ Mobilise processes that enable change processes at the appropriate level for the requirements of the organisation. There are seven aspects of change readiness according to researches, which include perception toward change efforts, vision for change, mutual trust and respect, change initiatives, management support, acceptance, and how the organization manage the change process. At its core, change readiness involves a transformation of individual cognitions across a set of employees (Amenakis, et al., 1993). It is the people who are the real source of, and the vehicle for, change because they are the ones who will either embrace or resist change (Smith, 2005) Therefore, it is vital to assess individuals readiness perception prior to any change attempt. ORGANISATIONAL BACKGROUND AND PERCIEVED NEED FOR CHANGE: For this Analysis we have learnt and understood a Chemical Company named Omega Chemical Company. Omega Chemical Company Inc. is a Canadian-based company specialized in the manufacturing of chiral compounds such as: Chiral amino alcohols, Protected chiral amino alcohols (BOC and FMOC), Chiral protected amino aldehydes, Beta-amino acids, Amino acids analogues, Building block and more Need for Change: Over the past decade, the chemical industry has been increasingly commoditized. Cost pressures have been abundant and the ability to succeed has become dependent upon highly efficient internal processes and better customer service. To better compete in this environment, one Omega chemical determined they needed to re-engineer their global ordering processes and the systems that support them. Their aim was to create the perfect order process The perfect order process would yield the following benefits: Increase customer loyalty by creating easy, flexible and reliable interactions with the company. Provide the competitive edge of a Six Sigma capable order management process. Eliminate the cost of rework. Maximize employee productivity and satisfaction by providing the right data and the right tools. The technology was available. The perfect order would assure that it is integrated to work more smoothly. This process had many components to it: An integrated desktop that would provide customers with the information they need in the shortest possible time. Technical service representatives armed with knowledge of many topics and access to many types of information everything from product specifications to product data sheets and regulatory information. Easy access to all the information sales representatives need to more quickly address customer goals and needs. A cross-business view of an account, to help them leverage relationships. A portal to the many people who contribute to serving the account, such as marketing, customer service representatives, to allow them to more easily share information. Customer service representatives empowered with all the information they need about a customer or an account from one starting point. Data from SAP, Siebel or other sources would be only a click away. In addition to speeding service to customers, the processes and systems would improve personal productivity of employees as a result of reduced systems look-up, seamless movement across multiple business systems and a consistent interface across multiple communication channels. Integrating customer segmentation and customer service rules facilitates on-the-spot decisions by front-line employees. Training time could also be reduced as a result of an intuitive customer interface and simplified screen navigation. Thus Organisational change was inevitable. Key components for organizational change for Omega Chemicals: Communication channel control intelligently routes and manages inbound/outbound voice, fax and e-mail communications Fast access to enterprise applications such as SAP, Siebel, Rail Fleet Management System Access to Intranet/Internet and other internal databases Customer Account and Contact Profiles in Siebel Activity assignment with sales, technical support and Customer Information Group Customer surveys Reporting DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCESS: Brief Assessment: Establishing a Sense of Urgency Examining market and competitive realities Identifying and discussing crises, potential crises, or major opportunities Forming a Powerful Guiding Coalition Assembling a group with enough power to lead the change effort Encouraging the group to work together as a team Creating a Vision Creating a vision to help direct the change effort Developing strategies for achieving that vision Communicating the Vision Using every vehicle possible to communicate the new vision and strategies Teaching new behaviors by the example of the guiding coalition Empowering Others to Act on the Vision Getting rid of obstacles to change Changing systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision Encouraging risk taking and nontraditional ideas, activities and actions Planning for and Creating Short-Term Wins Planning for visible performance improvements Creating those improvements Recognizing and rewarding employees involved in the improvements Consolidating Improvements and Producing Still More Change Using increased credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that dont fit the vision Hiring, promoting, and development employees who can implement the vision Reinvigorating the process with new projects, themes, and change agents Institutionalizing New Approaches Articulating the connections between the new behaviors and corporate success Developing the means to ensure leadership development and succession Our analysis finds out that there are specifically the seven aspects of an organization readiness for change. Organisation Change Process should analyse all these aspects strategically: 1. PERCEPTION TOWARD CHANGE EFFORTS Employees perception toward change efforts that take place within the company Omega is an important aspect of change readiness. Moreover, employees perceptions of the organizations readiness for change have been identified as one important factor in understanding sources of resistance to large-scale change (Eby, et al., 2000). These perceptions can facilitate or undermine the effectiveness of a change intervention (Armenakis, et al., 1993; Lewin, 1951). Employees as the target of change are central to the success of the change efforts because their attitudes, skills, motivations and basic knowledge form a significant component of the organizational environment in which change is to be attempted (Smith, 2005). Perception influences employees attitudes and behavior intention in facing the impending change. Past experiences, on the other hand, influence perception process in interpreting information that pass through individual cognitive process. Employees perceptions toward the success of previous change efforts also influence change readiness. Information related to change will be associated with the individuals past experiences by giving particular attribute toward the initiated change. Individuals have preconceived notions about the extent to which the organization is ready for change. These perceptions are likely to evolve over time as individuals develop a history within the organization (Eby, et al., 2000). McDonald and Siegal (1993), Iacovini (1993), and McManus, et al. (1995) suggested that employees attitudes toward a pending change can impact morale, productivity and turnover intentions (Eby, et al., 2000). Moreover, employees perception toward companys flexibility in facing change is also crucial. Employees perceptions of the organizations ability to accommodate changing situations by altering policies and procedures was strongly related to perceived readiness for change (Eby, et al., 2000). Employees perceptions of the degree to which their organization has the flexibility to achieve change, and the extent to which they can actively and genuinely participate in the process, are important factors in achieving successful change (Smith, 2005). Thus first step that Omega Chemicals need to take is to analyse and let their employees know the need for the organizational change to the company and their betterment by the organizational change strategies. Management need to let them know that overall benefit of this change management or organizational change will lead to organizational betterment and in turn their growth and betterment. Here Omega Chemicals needs to be very careful as it has been observed in past that employees believe that if there are organizational changes these would not benefit them, else these would be designed to get more work from them or to reduce their numbers in terms of employees size and strength. Thus Management need to draft these strategy very tactically that they can influence the employees and there betterment with these changes. 2. VISION FOR CHANGE A vision states and clarifies the direction in which an organization needs to move. Without a sensible vision, a transformation effort can easily dissolve into a list of confusion and incompatible project and can take the organization in the wrong direction or nowhere at all (Kotter, 1995). Therefore, employees understanding and comprehension toward companys vision and changes vision is very vital. Kotter (1995) also suggested the importance of creating a vision of what the change is about, tell people why the change is needed and how it will be achieved (Smith, 2005). Martin (1993) as well as Terry (2001) pointed out that a vision is an important part of a change process but leaders of organizations need to be aware that a vision should only give a direction to employees (Stadtlander, 2006). People within an organization have to have the same aspiration toward the imminent change. Strebel (1996) noticed that many change efforts fail because executives and employees see change differently. For example, for many leaders, change means opportunity both for the business and for themselves. But for many employees, change is seen as disruptive and intrusive (Stadtlander, 2006). Through active, ongoing and meaningful involvement in the change process people can be helped to see the connections between their personal work and attitudes and overall organizational performance and employees can be encouraged to embrace personal responsibility for achieving change (Smith, 2005). Personal valence, which clarifies the intrinsic and extrinsic benefits of the changes, can help develop momentum for change. Specifically, when employees see how the change will benefit them, they will begin to seek out ways to improve the transition (Bernerth, 2004). However Management Team must have answers for the query or questions raised by the employees. Therefore they should analyse under mentioned points with respect to Omega Chemicals: Operational indicators Practitioners must be able to: 1 Identify the influence of the political, social and economic environment on the organisation and change as a reactive or proactive response. 2 Undertake diagnosis of the influence of such events and processes as mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances, downsizing, delayering. Knowledge indicators Practitioners must be able to understand, explain and critically evaluate: 1 The implications of globalisation, mergers, take-overs, acquisitions and strategic alliances in the development of organisations as dynamics in the change and transformation processes. Indicative content 1 The emergence of the virtual and network organisation. 2 The influence of concepts such as best value and changing stakeholder requirements. 3 The identification of triggers for change within the organisation. 4 The relationship between change and innovation in organisations. Change Process and Their Implications: Operational indicators Practitioners must be able to: 1 Identify the relevance of the major models of planned change and the different levels of risk they carry, and relate them to different organisational situations. 2 Help to build those processes, routines and systems that ensure transfer of information and understanding from individuals and small groups to the organisation as a whole, to influence strategic decisions and produce the foundations for new capabilities. 3 Judge what will and will not work in the change management context and ensure that the personnel and development role in the change management process is clearly adding value by helping to drive organisational improvements. 4 Make informed choices between large- and small-scale approaches to change management. 5 Assess the level of change required at different epochs in the organisations life cycle; issues of style and speed of change. 6 Analyse the elements for successful change at each stage of the process. Knowledge indicators Practitioners must be able to understand, explain and critically evaluate: 1 Different levels and types of the strategic change process: †¢ from ‘light touch to radical, transactional to transformational, continuous to discontinuous †¢ and the ways each level and type of change is likely to have different effects on people and organisational performance. 2 The ways organisation members understand, identify and use different triggers of change and transformation, both internal and external. 3 Processes for the evaluation of success, failure and risk in the change process, recognising the implications of success or failure for future change processes in the organisation. 4 Strategies and techniques for the successful implementation of the change management effort project management, participation and process management. Indicative content 1 The dynamics of change and: †¢ the strengths and limitations of Lewins fundamental change model †¢ the assumptions that underlie different approaches to change. 2 The strengths and weaknesses of the planned change approach. 3 The distinctions between emergent, planned and discontinuous approaches to change. 4 The role of the senior management group and the chief executive officer in the change process. 5 The scope of managerial decision-making in relation to change, transition and transformation. 6 Issues of ‘top down and ‘bottom-up change and reconciling them both. 7 Risk assessment/management in change and transformation situations. 8 Processes that mature, successful organisations can use most effectively in the change processes. 9 The critical significance of diagnosis to identify the need for, and the processes of, change, transition and transformation. 3. MUTUAL TRUST AND RESPECT Individual and organizational readiness and capacity for change needs to be based on a sound foundation of mutual trust and respect. It is important that a sufficient amount of trust is established to allow staff members to openly express dissenting views and compromise democratically. According to Cummings and Huse (1989), for change efforts to be successful, employees must trust not only the management, but also their co-workers (Eby, et al., 2000). Mutual respect and trust are the important foundations for an effective work team. Sundstrom, et al. (1990) revealed that organizations are increasingly implementing work teams for many different reasons; to better meet customer needs, to increase innovation, and to improve organizational productivity (Eby, et Al., 2000). He, and also Goodman, et al. (1988) found evidence that work teams can enhance a variety of important organizational outcomes under appropriate conditions. While Goodman, etal. (1988), as well as Cohen and Bailey (1997) found outcomes associated with the use of work teams include more favorable employee attitudes and other quality of work life indicators, as well as enhanced productivity and overall organizational effectiveness (Eby, et al., 2000). 4. CHANGE INITIATIVE Organizations are continually confronted with the need to implement changes in strategy, structure, process, and culture (Armenakis, et al., 1993). This is because the world has grown increasingly complex, resulting from the greater interdependence among world economies. At the same time, the world has become increasingly dynamic, resulting from the information explosion and worldwide communications (Zeffane, 1996). Without undertaking change, organization will lose its ability to compete. Without introducing adequate change in a timely and ethical manner, organizations will face difficult times and significantly reduce their chances of long-term survival (Christian and Stadtlander, 2006). Most successful change effort begin when some individuals or some groups start to look at the companys competitive situation, market position, technological trends, and financial performance. They then try to communicate their findings, especially those that are related to crisis, potential crisis, or great opportunity that may arise This first step is essential because just getting a transformational started requires the cooperation of many individuals (Kotter, 1995). All members of the organization should have the privilege to propose or initiate necessary change. But at the end it is the organizations leader who has to decide or initiate the necessary changes. Organization leaders become leaders because of their planning skills and their abilities to envisage and communicate a better future (Zeffane, 1996). However, people in the organization must be given the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the change project and they must be given the opportunity to provide feedback (Waddel and Sohal, 1998). It is people who make up organizations and it is they who are the real source of, and vehicle for, change. They are the ones who will either embrace or resist change. Actually, people do not resist change per se, rather they resist the uncertainties and the potential outcomes that change can cause (Waddel and Sohal, 1998). If Organizational change is to take hold and succeed then organizations and the people who work in them must be readied for such transformation (Smith, 2005). 5. MANAGEMENT SUPPORT Management support for change efforts is an essential factor in creating change readiness. Armenakis, et al. (1993) revealed that the degree to which organizational policies and practices are supportive of change may also be important in understanding how an employee perceives the organizations readiness for change (Eby, et al., 2000). This, according to Beckhardt and Harris (1987), and also Schneider, et al. (1992), in Eby et al. (2000), may include flexible policies and procedures, and logistics and systems support (for example, quality equipment, monetary resources). In addition, Armenakis, et al. (1993), as well as McManus, et al. (1995) also found that the level of trust in management may foster perceptions that the organization can withstand rapid organizational change (Eby et al., 2000). Supports for change should be reflected in an effective change leadership. An effective leadership involves monitoring change, making the necessary mid-course corrections, and knowing when to initiate a new vision. Leading and managing strategic change requires that leaders have the capacity to learn from and adapt to change. In that process, organization learning is fostered in an environment of openness and mutual trust that allows people to embrace change and experiment without feeling threatened (Zeffane, 1996). One form of management support toward organizations change effort can be reflected by forming a special team. The team is responsible to conduct analysis toward influencing internal and external conditions, plan change process in more detail, identify possible risks and anticipated actions, and to control implementation including progress evaluation and conduct adjustment toward real situation. Management support can also be reflected from how change is accommodated by management through realignment of performance evaluation and employee compensation with change initiative program. Change demands sacrifice from employee. During change process, employee will feel uncomfortable with the new surrounding. Thus, sacrifice, participation and commitment from members of organizations have to be rewarded through performance evaluation and compensation. Management action toward any obstacle in dealing with change process reflects the extent of management support. Confidence that management has taken optimal steps to face any obstacle reflects the change readiness level. 6. ACCEPTANCE Change should be able to improve the organizations overall performance. However, for many employees, change can create feelings of uneasiness and tension, and as the change begins to take shape, organizational members may feel a sense of uncertainty and confusion (Bernerth, 2004). Because organizational change typically impacts how work is accomplished, an employees reaction to the specific type of pending change may also be important (Eby, et al., 2000). Employees are willing to accept change if they are convinced that the change is beneficial for them. However, many employees do not realize the benefit and advantage of change. They are only concern about the immediate result. On the other hand, the benefit of most change can be enjoyed over a period of time. Developing understanding of the nature of and reasons for change in the early stages can provide a sound base for subsequent changes and a greater willingness to take risks and extend beyond current boundaries (Smith, 2005). A well planned change would not be accomplished without the support of capable and committed change agent. Beckard and Harris (1987) argued that reshaping capabilities involves the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the organization as a whole to carry out the necessary requirements for successful change implementation (Jones, et al., 2005). Turner and Crawford (1998) discussed organizational capabilities needed for change. They proposed a taxonomy consisting of engagement, development, and performance management capabilities. Engagement is based on informing and involving organizational members in an attempt to encourage a sense of motivation and commitment to the goals and objectives of the organization. Development involves developing all resources and systems needed to achieve the organizations future directions. Proactively managing the factors that drive the organizations performance to ensure it consistently and effectively achieves the intended change is the capability Turne r and Crawford label performance management (Jones, et al., 2005). Changes always involve risks. Change involves moving from a known state to an unknown one, of ending the way things are done and doing things in new ways, of letting go. Thus, to reduce this risk, change readiness is mandatory. A failure to assess organizational and individual change readiness may result in managers spending significant time and energy dealing with resistance to change. An investment in developing change readiness can achieve a double benefit. Positive energy goes into creating preparedness for the changes and, in turn, there can be a significant reduction in the need for management of resistance once organizational revival is underway (Smith, 2005). 7. MANAGING CHANGE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS Following are the few vital steps which Omega Chemicals need to take for Organisational Change: Step 1 Getting organised Have a strong policy Make senior-level managers accountable Have a clear change-management procedure Communicate and include everyone Review and challenge The organisation should have a clear policy for management of organisational change. This should set out principles, commitments and accountabilities in relation to impact on health, safety and the environment. Ideally the policy should commit to proportionate consideration of all organizational changes, large and small; as even those not at first connected to safety need to be given consideration to confirm whether or not they may have indirect impacts on safety. Commitment and resources Although the motivation for the change may be commercial, and not obviously connected with safety, major accident prevention must be regarded as core business, not a side issue. Senior management need to demonstrate a clear commitment to safety by their actions, from the outset. There should be a distinct safety focus within overall change processes, with positive objectives. Make a senior, highly influential manager the sponsor or champion for this. They should ensure the safety aspects of the change receive an appropriate level of resource and attention. The effort and resource put in must be proportionate to: the complexity of the change; the scale of the hazards concerned; and the degree to which the change may impact on the management of major hazards. This can be by categorising of changes, with greater importance and a higher level of management approval for more safety-significant categories. Clear systems Organisational change should be planned in a thorough, systematic, and realistic way. You should follow a documented and structured procedure for each element of organisational change management. This is similar to the processes for managing plant change. The following should be clear: _ Identify the processes or activities that are to be carried out (to ensure that risks arising from the change are identified, assessed and reduced to as low as is reasonably practicable). _ Set out the protocols to be followed. _ Who is accountable and who is responsible for these activities? Getting organised checklist Dont make too many simultaneous changes, resulting in inadequate attention to some or all. Dont delay or defer safety issues c

Hemingway :: Essays Papers

Hemmingway Hemingway Hero’ is the foundation for the main charater in all of Hemingway’s stories. The ‘Hemingway Hero’ is always a man, more so, he is a rough, woodsy type; a real man’s-man. He drinks, he hunts, and he acts first then asks questions later. He goes from one woman to another, and women are good for little more than reproduction. (Shoemaker) He has hopes, dreams, convictions and beliefes which he strictly follows, but he does not talk about them. This is one great example of the ‘Hemingway Hero’ being a man: â€Å"How much did you suffer?† â€Å"Plenty,† replied the old man.† (Ernest Hemingway, â€Å"Old Man and The Sea† 126.) This conversation took place after the old man had been fighting a twelve hundred pound marlin for three days with little drink and only raw fish to eat. This pattern of the ‘Hemingway Hero’ is consistent in all of Hemingway’s writings. Santiago, from â€Å"The Old Man and the Sea,† has a striking similarity to each of the injured soldiers in â€Å"In Another Country.† All of these men are proud and it is shown in the soldiers thoughts about his medals (Adventures in American Literature 649) and in Santiago’s belief that a man can be destroyed, but not defeated; which is also major theme in many of Hemingway’s writings. However, the hero varies from story to story in their realism. In â€Å"In Another Country† the characters display a more human quality of emotion, where as Santiago seems to have a super-human restraint and is always stoic. Hemingway uses most every kind of literary device imaginable in his writing. One major item is the use of understatement (Shoemaker), the quote in the second paragraph is an excellent example as is; â€Å"It is very difficult,† he said â€Å"I am utterly unable to resign myself,† (Adventures in American Literature, 651.) This quote is from an injured soldier morning the loss of his recently wed bride.

A Little Thinking Music :: Biology Essays Research Papers

A Little Thinking Music "Words are the pen of the heart, but music is the pen of the soul" said Shneur Zalman. "Ain't it funny how a melody brings back memories/takes you to another place and time/completely changes your state of mind" croons the old country ballad. "Give me the beat boys and free my soul, I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away" says the classic blues song. We are a species obsessed with these compositions of sound and rhythm. We call it the universal language and provide it the role of conveying our emotions without the restrictions of a linguistic system, we say that it has the ability to trigger memories and change moods. Why do our brains react so powerfully to music? How do we process it and what purpose does it serve? These are some of the questions I set out to answer in my little musical odyssey. When you hear a piece of music, the ear converts the sound waves into vibrations in specific parts of the inner and middle ear. These vibrations are then translated into action potentials that travel through the eighth cranial nerve to the brain stem, the thalamus, and the auditory cortex (1). It seems that the brain takes a song and translates it into it's own neurosymphony-sending electrical impulses to various parts of your brain. These varying patterns of impulses generate thoughts, feelings, and emotions (3) . It sounds almost as though we store various different patterns of these impulses in our brains and when the same pattern of sounds matches a pattern of impulses, it triggers a set of images. The interesting thing is that the same set of frequencies or pattern of impulses generates different images for different people. For instance, when I hear the Beatles' Yellow Submarine, I think of Mr. C, my fifth grade teacher, his old record player, and rock and roll Tuesdays. When m y roommate's brain registers the same pattern of impulses, it brings up the memory of her family's tan colored Volkswagen Rabbit. When I hear Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, I hear raindrops and soft footsteps, while another person might hear rays of light falling on water. We all have distinct visions of the same pattern of sounds. Neurobiologists, like Harvard's Mark Tramo, have yet to figure out exactly how this comes about (3) . Music is one thing that stimulates and utilizes most parts of the brain (2).

The Last Tea Dorothy Parker

The Last Tea By Dorothy Parker The story submitted to the consideration is called â€Å"The Last Tea† and is written by Dorothy Parker. As for the writer, I have to mention that Dorothy Parker  was an  American  poet, short story writer, critic and  satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th century urban foibles. Concerning the title of the story it is thought-provoking and made me read the story. At first glance it seems fairly simple, but with the development of the story is surprisingly complex. The last tea is a story that is addressed to women and deals with 2 main topics: men`s attention and loneliness.This is a bitter story written in a cruel way. Now I’d like to reconstruct the events. The young man and the girl met somewhere at the cafe for a cup of tea. He told her about another woman whom he was delighted by. While he was telling about that woman, the girl heard him out with patience and even with some positive commentaries. At th e end of their conversation he suggested to pay the check and put her on a bus. Instead she refused and said with the irony that he wanted to call up his friend. And he without any suspicion said goodbye to her and gave her the best wishes.Speaking about the theme of the story I’d like to pin down the relationships between a man and a woman. As for the idea, it is the nonmutual love as the result of not having much in common, misunderstanding within sexes. The story presents an interesting example of the indirect characterization. The author does not say directly that the girl is lonely but let her act and leaves the reader draw his own conclusion. The story begins with the description of the young man and the girl who are the main characters of the story.There in not any preface of the story: we know nothing about the past of the people. The author shows the characters in a certain period of their lives. The plot is trivial and the characters are really true to life. The tex t is homogeneous. It`s almost consists of the characters` dialogues, where you can find numerous words and phrases of informal style. E. g:  « That`s good »,  «the poor boy »,  «poor sick thing »Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Also interjection  «Oh, Ah, goodness » introducing some of the passages which normally occurs in oral speech. The sentences have free and careless structures.From the very beginning we come across a witty satire. Such stylistic device is used by the author to draw our attention and to make us commiserate to the girl. E. g.  «The girl with the artificial camellia had been sitting for 40 minutes » but she said  «I was late myself »  «I haven`t been here more than a minute ». She tries to be polite and to show the great care to the man. E. g.  «I`m ruined » he said.  «Ah the poor boy »  «Ah and you came way up here to meet me! You shouldn`t have done that »    â€Å"I would have understood. Ah just think of it coming all the way up here when it `s so sick! – She said. But the man begins talking about another woman Carol McCall. The man considered her to be perfect. He said  «that`s what I call a girl ». This part can be regarded as a climax of the story. To conclude it all up, I’m to say that the problems presented in this text are very topical in our every-day life. People often don’t notice those who are near them, who care about them, who are devoted to them. The best we can do is to pay tribute to the author’s vision of life and to her ability of creating the atmosphere of being entirely involved in the process of the story.

Kiwi Mart Case Study Essay

Answer 1. Strategic sourcing is the major tools and technology in supply chain management and it delivers cost reductions and other offers and advantages. It will make strategic sourcing different from a traditional sourcing. This sounds the most strategic supplier relationship that is based on cost and there is an ability to create new business with technological advances. In the past, the organization was usually focused on tactical functions such as processing of purchase orders, checking the status of delivery and this might contribute to corporate responsibility. Various important approaches like engineering driven approaches and selection of supplier processes lead to the number of suppliers at premium prices. It reduces cost of sourcing, helps in achieving low cost. Plexet has a reliable and valued suppliers and Plexet used to maintain long term supplier relationship, especially with large retail chain known as Kiwi Mart. The purchasing of Kiwi Mart acquired more than 4000 container cases at the discount rate of 4 percent from Plexet. It has decided to benefit with the discounted price rates and selling of high quantity containers. With the selling of 400 container cases at the wholesale price rate, the deal gets negotiated within 3 months. This has helped Kiwi Mart to resolve the challenges such as inventory challenges and other issues with Auckland Kiwi Mart. Just after the negotiation, the head of the Kiwi Mart purchase department had been contacted by Chinex and they offered more than 7 percent discount on more than 5000 container cases of different products such as good seal products. The deal was too strong and good with different orders. The purchasing manager was not aware of the situation and it had a complete line of sizes and quantities with respect to every product. Thus, it has been decided to help and resolve the adjustment of the product line. The purchasing department of Kiwi Mart focu sed on addressing several issues such as potential inventory crisis and it is securing the amount of supply with the recent acquisition of cheaper products. Strategic sourcing is the first thing that is combined with the strategic supplier management and there is the effective day to day purchasing with the outcomes of supply chain management. The organization is able to create and develop new advantages with better and effective roles as well as relationship. It chooses the innovation and leads to the marketplace with strategic efforts on sourcing. This way, the purchase department of Kiwi Mart will be able to develop  strong goals and objectives with respect to communication and suppliers would be able to promote interaction with high opportunities and well defined communication to complete the things in a right manner. This way, they can build strong competitive advantage and opportunity to reduce challenges and complexities and to standardize the possible supply chain strategies. Therefore the purchasing department will be able to reduce the cost to more efficient and effective process and it will be able to deliver better process. Answer 2. There should have successful partnership with long term commitment and it encourages in investing improvements in supply chain to mutual advantages. Thus, it will build and improve long term commitment with the form of collaborative framework partnership with the involvement of business to business relationship and it will meet the expectations in terms of goals and objectives. Answer 3. Plexet will adopt the just in time approach to production to improve the business with reduction on in-process inventory and carrying cost. It will focus on continuous improvement and it will help to achieve employee involvement and high quality. Answer 4. The implementation of inventory system in Kiwi Mart and Plexet will help to organize the distribution software and it will create a cohesive inventory for organization system. It will maintain the balance and inventory with the track of sales of the product and inventory.