Organizational Effectiveness

Organizational Effectiveness â€Å"Researchers analyzing what CEOs and managers do have pointed to control, innovation, and efficiency as the three most important processes managers use to assess and measure how effective they, and their organizations, are at creating value (L. Galambos, 1988)†. Control is essential over the external and internal environment by knowing what the demand for a business is. A tool to help make these decisions with control is to conduct a trend analysis. An analysis will reveal patterns be it internal or external of an organization.To identify current patterns along with the status of the organization managers are able to determine how to restructure the business in or to produce product or services in the most efficient way possible. This may include adding additional skills, technologies, or current assets to the current workforce anything that will produce the best output of an organization in the most efficient way. An organization must be inno vative when introducing their product or services to the market.This may require management to demand radical changes to the organization by improving or changing processes, advertising, and just acquire the capability to adjust to any environment the organization has to confront be it internal or external. An organization does not need to use the three methods to assess and measure organizations effectiveness it would depend on what needs attention, but it is always good for an organization to know the health of their organization pertaining to the three measures. Table 1 (Jones. , 2010) L-3 communications. Revenue: Over $5 bil. Employees: Over 10,000 Fortune 1000, Fortune 500, Russell 3000 Industry: Aerospace & Defense , Consumer Electronics , Consumer Goods , Manufacturing SIC Codes: 3663 NAICS Codes: 334220 L-3 is a prime contractor in Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C3ISR) systems, aircraft modernization and maintenance, and nati onal security solutions. L-3 is also a leading provider of a broad range of electronic systems used on military and commercial platforms.Our customers include the U. S. Department of Defense and its prime contractors, U. S. Government intelligence agencies, the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, U. S. Department of State, U. S. Department of Justice, allied foreign governments, domestic and foreign commercial customers and select other U. S. federal, state and local government agencies (Company Profile, 2013)†. Currently L-3’s concern is to operate in an efficient manner to maintain and increase their target market.L-3’s similar companies are Raytheon Company, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Northrop Grumman Corporation, and The Boeing Company. They are giants in their field and are companies that are veterans to the profession. With a majority of veteran companies, the challenges are similar with L-3 the continually changing environment. Example: the changing t echnology, changing target markets causes the reluctance of change in the internal cultures of these large companies and L-3 is not immune to this challenge.The best approach to use for L-3 is the metrics that would help improve organizational effectiveness. This is the internal system approach see [ Table 1 (Jones. , 2010) ]. This method includes improving the communication process between the levels of management. Elevate problems in a timely manner to upper management. The internal health of the company is beneficial information ( be it negative or positive) quickens decision-making process which in turn allows the organization to continue with planed processes.One of the main issues to correct is the workforce to shift into using new tools, processes, and just looking at the organizations requirements differently for the organization is changing, nothing is consistent with change. This constant change without training causes decrease in motivation, create conflicts and certainly prevents L-3’s output to its’ market, and in the end a delay in output to the market does disrupts the external environments. Thus, processes need to be re-evaluated and restructured.Replacing the aging tools with current tools results in a streamline and automates processes. â€Å"The Benefits of Process Automation: Improved Efficiency. Many business processes span systems, departments, or even external business partners. Manual effort, poor hand-offs between departments or partners, and the general inability to monitor overall progress results is a significant waste for most processes. Process automation eliminates or significantly reduces these problems with a resultant reduction in labor hours, time span, and increased throughput.Increased Productivity. By automating processes that are currently being implemented manually, individuals can work more efficiently and can take on new or additional workloads. Process automation allows us to rise to the challenge of be ing asked to do more with less. Shorter Cycle Times. Time is money. By automating processes, they are kept moving, hand-offs are facilitated, consistency is assured, and cycle times to complete the process are shortened. Getting the product or service to the end user or to market quicker can result in significant financial benefits.Consistent Process Implementation. Consistency comes from having a documented process that is understood and followed every time. Process automation makes the process easy to understand and enforces adherence to the process steps. This eliminates missed steps often found in manual processes, resulting in consistent, reliable measures that assist in making decisions and implementing process improvements. Corporate Governance and Compliance. Process compliance, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance are ever increasing in importance.Organizations must demonstrate consistency and show that effective controls and business monitors are in place to ens ure processes are sound and will provide financial accountability, visibility, and reduce risk and fraud. Process automation can help your company with compliance issues surrounding regulations like the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Combined Code for Corporate Governance, Bilanz Reform, and more. Noncompliance or lack of adequate controls can cost your company big-time.Process automation ensures your processes are followed as they are laid out. Ability to Quickly Implement Change. Another benefit of automated process is that the reliable, consistent information provided can enable you to recognize the need for change or improvement quickly and then be able to make that change and put it into effect in a faster and more controlled manner than you could with a manual process. The ability to change quickly provides an important business advantage. Improved Customer Service andSatisfaction. Customers are much more satisfied when they receive timely, top quality products and services. Process auto mation enables you to build consistency into your products and services, facilitate continuous improvement, and get the product or service to your customer faster. Happy customers are repeat customers. Reduced Costs and Improved Profits. All of the above benefits result in direct bottom-line results of reduced costs, ability to take on more work, and improved profitability.All things any company is seeking (A. Moudry, 2013)†. To establish organizational effectiveness, management L-3 needs to focus on structuring their workforce, internal employee management systems, and the organization and abilities (including the organizational culture) to the plan. This is a crucial point to any strategy and engagement from all involved dictates whether organizational effectiveness, management is a success. References: A. Moudry, J. (2013, March 16). Real Benefits of Automated Processes.Retrieved from NEXTGENPINEW. COM: http://www. nextgenpinews. com/files/Real%20Benefits%20of%20Automated%2 0Processes. pdf Company Profile. (2013, March 14). Retrieved from L-3: http://www. l-3com. com/about-l-3/company-profile. html Jones. , G. R. (2010). The Organization and Its Environment. In G. R. Jones. , Organizational Theory, Design, and Change, Sixth Edition. Prentice Hall. Copyright  © 2010 by Pearson Education, Inc. L. Galambos. (1988). â€Å"What Have CEO’s Been Doing? †. Journal of Economic History, 18, 243–258.

Education in Chinese Philosophy Essay

There were several salient schools of philosophy that arose during early years of the development of Chinese civilization. The era was subject to not only political fragmentation and excessive warfare, but also the birth of unique intellectual foundations as well. Confucius rallied together a school of thought that underscored the utmost importance of humanism and virtue. Han Fei and the legalist movement advocated for a centralized, domineering government that subordinated all citizens to absolute obedience. Taoism insisted on a spontaneous, free-spirited, and laissez-faire approach to life. These three prominent philosophies of the time were very different. For instance, they all placed radically different values on education. In particular, Confucianism promoted intellectual pursuit for both the individual and the populace, whereas Legalism and Taoism had a diverging attitude that was strongly against education. The Confucian ideology is the only one of the aforementioned schools to place a heavy emphasis on intellectual cultivation for both personal purposes and for the sake of a virtuous government. The philosophy looks down on those with faith in intuition and natural understanding, which is a notion that is present in Taoism. They believe that genuine understanding derives primarily from studying a subject; it does not necessarily come to someone spontaneously. Confucius supposedly said, â€Å"By nature men are alike. Through practice they have become far apart† (Analects 17:2, Chan 29). He outlines that men are inherently good for the most part, but interaction with the surrounding environment can significantly mold their values. The influences of external forces are not always for the better and people will often need guidance. Thus, through the practice of education, one can cultivate a strong sense of moral intellect and reinforce virtue. Of the possible areas of study, Confucianism places the most emphasis on morality. One of his most prominent followers, Mencius, frequently underscored the importance of education on the individual level. He stressed that human nature is extremely malleable and that if people are â€Å"comfortably lodged they will become like animals† (Book of Mencius 3A:4, Chan 69). Mencius goes to greater lengths than most Confucians to highlight the detrimental effects of the lack of proper schooling on a person. Without teaching in the realm of ethics and morals, he believes that one will inevitably stoop to the nature of an â€Å"animal†. He saw much more idealized benefits of education than other Confucian thinkers. Xunzi, Mencius’ naturalist counterpart, argued that the intrinsic nature of humans is flawed and â€Å"goodness is the result of activity† (The Hsun Tzu part 3, Chan 128). Even though Xunzi sees humanity as inherently flawed, it is universal in the Confucian philosophy that â€Å"activity†, or education and conscience thought, brings forth the â€Å"goodness† of an individual. However, Confucius believed that â€Å"in education there should be no class distinction† (Analects 15:38, Chan 44). A selection of individuals does not necessarily claim intellectual superiority over the rest of the populace. All people should have equal access to moral and intellectual cultivation. With this mindset, the school aims to create a virtuous society. Although he advocates for the widespread promotion of learned humanism and wisdom, he believes that it begins with the ruler. He insists that as a leader, â€Å"if you desire what is good, the people will be good. The character of a ruler is like wind and that of the people is like grass. In whatever direction the wind blows, the grass always bends† (Analects 12:19, Chan 40). A society will garner the benefits of education through the education of a ruler, as they will â€Å"bend† in whatever direction the leader so chooses to â€Å"blow†. â€Å"Good† nature is maintained through fundamental teachings. If the ruler is â€Å"good† and virtuous with the help of such education, the citizens will adapt and imitate. Thus, in the Confucian school of thought, education becomes an imperative as the nature of the populace essentially rests in it. Conversely, the Legalists took a radical stance against all forms of education for both the individual and the masses. Scholars were considered enemies of the state and almost all forms of literature were targeted for elimination. In their ideal society, there were no books, as only â€Å"the laws serve as teachings† (The Han Fei Tzu, Chan 260). Their motives derived from the notion that educating the populace would consequently lead to the people speaking out against the government. Laws are the only means of subduing citizens. Han Fei believed that there was â€Å"no room for private conceptions of right and wrong† (Ebrey 52). If the people developed their own sense of rationality, they would inevitably voice their opinion, creating weakness and disorder. It is far better for the population to be submissive in order to ensure the efficiency and prosperity of the state. The Legalists retort the Confucian idea that the education cultivates humanity and righteousness by asserting it is impossible to â€Å"expect that every ruler must be equal to Confucius and that all people in the world are equal to his followers† (The Han Fei Tzu, Chan 258). On an individual level, human beings are selfish and shortsighted by nature. Thus, it is impossible to mend the flaws of humanity permanently through education. In their eyes, Confucius is illustrating an unrealistic utopian society. Even with education, only few will reach the enlightened state that Confucius has attained. Moreover, the wisdom of the so-called intellectuals derives from â€Å"unfathomable doctrines that are difficult even for men of highest intelligence to understand† (The Han Fei Tzu, Chan 259). Han Fei asks, if such â€Å"wisdom† is â€Å"difficult† for men of a higher intellectual order to understand, how is it logical that the uneducated masses will be able to decipher and apply the lessons? It will be a wasted effort to try to correct the community through â€Å"doctrines†. The Legalists firmly believe that only a strong obedience to law can correct the behavior of society. Education only leads to a deviance from an orderly government. Furthermore, the school of thought argues, â€Å"when urgent matters have not been accomplished, efforts should not be directed towards things that can wait† (The Han Fei Tzu, Chan 259). When the agriculture, shelter, and safety of the people have not been attended to, there is absolutely no point in educating. The energy should be directed towards satisfying the inherent needs of the populace above all else. Basic needs must be attended to before teaching can occur. Confucianism disagrees with the legalists on almost all fronts when it comes to education. The Legalists share the same anti-education sentiments as the Taoists do, but for different reasons. The Taoist movement was also highly against intellectual development, as they believe it interfered with genuinely experiencing life. They perceived knowledge through experience as much more valuable than something that can be extracted from a lecture or a book. As the Tao Te Ching outlines, â€Å"the wise are not learned, and the learned are not wise† (Tao-Te Ching 20, Chan 149). The â€Å"learned† refer to the educated who essentially take abstract ideas and divide them up, ultimately becoming even more confused and disorganized than they were previously. The â€Å"wise† become so through experiencing life untarnished by such outside influence. The mystical poet Han-Shan compared an intellectual and his knowledge to â€Å"the words of a blind man describing the sun† (Han-Shan, Red Pine poem 283). He accentuates that artificial intelligence gained through books does not align with people’s experience with the world. Learned knowledge hinders a greater understanding and perception of our surroundings. As the Taoist writer Chuang-tse worded it, a scholar â€Å"is restricted by is own learning† (Chuang-tse, 24). A general concept of Taoism is that scholarly intellect only leaves one with a finite sense of understanding. They reach a wall in which analysis is of no further help and the deeper and broader matters of life are not attainable. In a sense, this philosophy is similar to that of the Legalists. They both believe that education hinders the populace, but in different manners. The Legalists believe in interferes with the order of the government and well being of the general population, whereas the Taoists see it as inhibiting understanding on a more individual level. However, in terms of governance from a Taoist perspective, Lao Tzu preaches to â€Å"administer the empire by engaging in no activity† (Tao-Te Ching 57, Chan 166). With respect to education, he is simply saying not to enforce it on the population. They will become prosperous in their own right. Things will appear less disoriented, vicious, and confusing with a laissez-faire style of government that does not force education upon the people. Again, this school of thought is in stark contrast with that of Confucianism. The Taoists are parallel with the Legalists with respect to education, there is just differing motivation behind their rationale. All three schools, Confucianism, Legalism, and Taoism, all possess unique perspective on the relevance of education on both the individual and government level. Perhaps Confucius starkly contrasts with the other two the greatest, as he is the only one to adamantly support teaching. Confucianism firmly believes that education cultivates morality and virtue on the individual level. Also, if an individual (the leader) is humane and virtuous, it will trickle down to the rest of the population and they will follow suit. Thus, education is of the utmost importance, as it is the primary tool used to guide humanity. Both the Legalists and the Taoists are resolutely apposed to education, but with unique motives. Han Fei and his followers believe that learning disrupts the order of society, and thus affecting the welfare of the individual. Taoism argues that learning hinders the individual’s experience of life and ultimately inhibits one from a greater understanding. Therefore, the government should not be involved with educating the general population either, otherwise it will breed mass disorientation and confusion. Education was a controversial issue in the intellectual foundations of Chinese civilization, as all three primary schools of thought had contrasting opinions on it with regards to its affect on the welfare of people.

Family Traditions

I always know it is Thanksgiving morning when I awake to the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven and the cinnamon apple spice tea brewing on the stove. The rest of the morning is spent helping my mom and grandmother cooking in our large open kitchen. Every year for as long as I can remember, my grandmother uses my Nana’s recipes when cooking the thick butter garlic mashed potatoes, homemade sweet red cranberry sauce, and the rich creamy dark gravy. On the other hand, my mom and I always cook the French green beans, sausage and bread stuffing, and also our homemade pumpkin pie together. While the women spend most of the early afternoon in the kitchen getting things ready, the men normally gather in the living room and watch sports or play a board game on the coffee table. It is a rule in our house that no man is allowed in the kitchen while we are cooking unless he is coming to help with dishes; otherwise the men eat all the food as it is being prepared. Thanksgiving is a day where my entire family can get together and enjoy excellent food as well as each other’s company. My father who lives in the beautiful Birmingham, Alabama drives down every year the day before Thanksgiving and stays with us throughout the weekend. He always brings the finest fresh sweet tea and homemade peach cobbler you can find in Alabama which are essential to our Thanksgiving meal. However, my maternal grandparents drive down from Memphis, Tennessee and bring along with them a small present for each of the kids; which include my two brothers, Jonathan and Harrison, and my sister Allies. Even though this is a day for my family to spend time together, we have always welcomed anyone without a place to go or family to be with to spend it with us as well. Some of the past years we have had neighbors join us and also friends of the children. After we all eat we go outside and plays tackle football. I and my dad are usually the captains. I’ve won the past couple years due to the fact of young age. Some games get to intense due to the fact that my cousin has broken a wrist for being so soft. Playing football has to be my favorite because I love sports and beating my cousin who hates losing to me because everyone thinks I’m a better athlete. I also love beating my little brother. Next we watch the football that is always on ESPN. My uncle is a huge football fan so he is always looking to take bets. One year I bet my uncle 20 pushups the Detroit Lions would lose and of course I won the bet and my uncle had to twenty pushups but he only did like ten due to the fact that he is badly out of shape. I love my family holidays and my family traditions.

Founding Fathers Of Sociology

Sociology can be defined as the scientific study of society and human behavior. It tries to acquire knowledge about society, and about how the humans making up these societies interact with each other. Auguste Comte was the first true father of sociology. He was the person who coined the term â€Å"sociology†. Other sociologist who can also be called the founding fathers of sociology include Weber, Marx, Engels and Durkheim. In this essay I will be looking at where these sociologists came from and the theories they came up with.Auguste Comte was a French social thinker and was the first person who coined the term â€Å"sociology†. He wanted to establish a science of society as a new discipline. He modeled sociological study around natural science and wanted to discover the laws of society. He aimed to study society through Social statics, which is the study of order and stability and Social dynamics, which is the study of social change. He wants to answer the question o f how one plans for change. One should think about in advance where you want to go and how to get there from here.One should be future oriented and goal oriented, achieving goals by optimal means. Social planning is designed to enhance social functioning by either changing the structural relations among people or providing a tangible support than enables an individual to cope with or overcome a social problem. It is necessary to plan in order to reduce uncertainty and enhance accountability. It also increases the potential for participation. Comte says that the process of change involves three stages; The future state, where the change has occurred.The present state, this is where we are in relation to where we want to get to and it is the period of planning and initiating the desired change. The last stage is the transition state, and asks the question of how we get from where we are to where we want to be. Comte’s idea for sociological study was based on the concept that so cieties evolve through three intellectual stages. These are the Theological stage, which involves the belief in the supernatural, the metaphysical stage, which is the transition stage and the positivistic stage which involves scientific thinking.After the third stage is reached, true understanding of the working of society becomes possible. Social disorder such as crime would be diminished and eventually stop when society’s cogs and wheels are established. Another founding father of sociology is Max Weber. He was a German sociologist. His central focus was on the process of rationalization. He has a middle class protestant background. He defined sociology as the scientific study of human action. Social action is human conduct oriented toward others and based on social meaning given to that conduct.It involves other human beings and is based on intentions and ideas of individuals. It must understand the subjective meaning behind people’s actions and this makes sociology fundamentally different from natural sciences. Weber calls such understanding â€Å"verstehen†, which is the investigator’s attempt to understand human action by viewing the cause of the action through the actor’s eyes rather than his own. The theory became known as Interactionism. Weber focuses on social actions of individuals and says that society cannot think or act, only individuals can.There is an opposition to positivism. The subject matter of sociology is unique and it cannot be studied with principles/methods of natural sciences. It requires verstehen. Another founding father is Karl Marx. He was born on May 5, 1818 in the German city of Trier. His family was Jewish, but he later converted to Protestantism in 1824 in order to avoid anti-Semitic laws and persecution. Marx was forced to go to London in 1849, but he did not work alone. He had help of Friedrich Engels who had on his own developed a very similar theory of economic determinism.Although the id eas later acquired the term â€Å"Marxism†, it must always be remembered that Marx did not come up with them entirely on his own. Engels was also important for Marx in a financial sense. Poverty weighed heavily on Marx and his family. Karl Marx focuses on conflict and inequality. Conflict is a fact of life in society. There is conflict between various social groups derived from a conflict of interest which brings inequality. Power and resources are unevenly distributed in society. Such inequality is maintained by naked coercion or manipulation of norms and values. Marx was interested in a particular type of conflict.This was class conflict or conflict between classes. He says, â€Å" The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle†. Production is a key concept in Marxism. It is the production of material goods and services in society and is the most important human activity. Production is carried out in the context of cooperation between h uman beings. Out of productive activity, human beings organize themselves, establish relations with each other and form a society. Thus change through improves technology of production also implies a change in social relations.Processes of production have given rise to inequality between human beings because production has been carried out by means of exploitation of the majority of the population by a few. Classes are social units based on their relation to the means of production. The means used to produce goods and services example: land, factories, tools, machinery, raw materials etc. The dominant class are the minority who own means of production and the subordinate class are the majority who don’t. Production is carried out by exploitation of one class by the other and this leads to class conflict.Bourgeoisie vs Proletariat. All societies go through stages in history and are destined to reach the communist stage. The communist mode only is not based on class exploitatio n. Communism realizes classless society where no one dominates one another. Marx’s dichotomy of society. Society is divided into two levels: The base/infrastructure (economic) and the superstructure (non-economic sphere). According to Marx the superstructure plays significant role in society. Example: the state. Common view: The state is neutral institution representing the interest of all citizens and society as a whole.Marx’s view: the executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole â€Å"bourgeoisie† (the owners of production). Example: The state. The interest of the state coincide with those of the dominant class. Apparatuses of the state are used to protect capitalists’ interests against worker’s rebellion. There is a contrast with Durkheim. Durkheim says that norms and values of society produce social integration and harmony (social solidarity). Marx says that these norms and values are ideologies which suppress people’s opposition and resistance (which may look like harmony or consensus to Durkheim). Founding Fathers of Sociology Sociology can be defined as the scientific study of society and human behavior. It tries to acquire knowledge about society, and about how the humans making up these societies interact with each other. Auguste Comte was the first true father of sociology. He was the person who coined the term â€Å"sociology†. Other sociologist who can also be called the founding fathers of sociology include Weber, Marx, Engels and Durkheim. In this essay I will be looking at where these sociologists came from and the theories they came up with.Auguste Comte was a French social thinker and was the first person who coined the term â€Å"sociology†. He wanted to establish a science of society as a new discipline. He modeled sociological study around natural science and wanted to discover the laws of society. He aimed to study society through Social statics, which is the study of order and stability and Social dynamics, which is the study of social change. He wants to answer the question o f how one plans for change. One should think about in advance where you want to go and how to get there from here.One should be future oriented and goal oriented, achieving goals by optimal means. Social planning is designed to enhance social functioning by either changing the structural relations among people or providing a tangible support than enables an individual to cope with or overcome a social problem. It is necessary to plan in order to reduce uncertainty and enhance accountability. It also increases the potential for participation. Comte says that the process of change involves three stages; The future state, where the change has occurred.The present state, this is where we are in relation to where we want to get to and it is the period of planning and initiating the desired change. The last stage is the transition state, and asks the question of how we get from where we are to where we want to be. Comte’s idea for sociological study was based on the concept that so cieties evolve through three intellectual stages. These are the Theological stage, which involves the belief in the supernatural, the metaphysical stage, which is the transition stage and the positivistic stage which involves scientific thinking.After the third stage is reached, true understanding of the working of society becomes possible. Social disorder such as crime would be diminished and eventually stop when society’s cogs and wheels are established. Another founding father of sociology is Max Weber. He was a German sociologist. His central focus was on the process of rationalization. He has a middle class protestant background. He defined sociology as the scientific study of human action. Social action is human conduct oriented toward others and based on social meaning given to that conduct.It involves other human beings and is based on intentions and ideas of individuals. It must understand the subjective meaning behind people’s actions and this makes sociology fundamentally different from natural sciences. Weber calls such understanding â€Å"verstehen†, which is the investigator’s attempt to understand human action by viewing the cause of the action through the actor’s eyes rather than his own. The theory became known as Interactionism. Weber focuses on social actions of individuals and says that society cannot think or act, only individuals can.There is an opposition to positivism. The subject matter of sociology is unique and it cannot be studied with principles/methods of natural sciences. It requires verstehen. Another founding father is Karl Marx. He was born on May 5, 1818 in the German city of Trier. His family was Jewish, but he later converted to Protestantism in 1824 in order to avoid anti-Semitic laws and persecution. Marx was forced to go to London in 1849, but he did not work alone. He had help of Friedrich Engels who had on his own developed a very similar theory of economic determinism.Although the id eas later acquired the term â€Å"Marxism†, it must always be remembered that Marx did not come up with them entirely on his own. Engels was also important for Marx in a financial sense. Poverty weighed heavily on Marx and his family. Karl Marx focuses on conflict and inequality. Conflict is a fact of life in society. There is conflict between various social groups derived from a conflict of interest which brings inequality. Power and resources are unevenly distributed in society. Such inequality is maintained by naked coercion or manipulation of norms and values. Marx was interested in a particular type of conflict.This was class conflict or conflict between classes. He says, â€Å" The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle†. Production is a key concept in Marxism. It is the production of material goods and services in society and is the most important human activity. Production is carried out in the context of cooperation between h uman beings. Out of productive activity, human beings organize themselves, establish relations with each other and form a society. Thus change through improves technology of production also implies a change in social relations.Processes of production have given rise to inequality between human beings because production has been carried out by means of exploitation of the majority of the population by a few. Classes are social units based on their relation to the means of production. The means used to produce goods and services example: land, factories, tools, machinery, raw materials etc. The dominant class are the minority who own means of production and the subordinate class are the majority who don’t. Production is carried out by exploitation of one class by the other and this leads to class conflict.Bourgeoisie vs Proletariat. All societies go through stages in history and are destined to reach the communist stage. The communist mode only is not based on class exploitatio n. Communism realizes classless society where no one dominates one another. Marx’s dichotomy of society. Society is divided into two levels: The base/infrastructure (economic) and the superstructure (non-economic sphere). According to Marx the superstructure plays significant role in society. Example: the state. Common view: The state is neutral institution representing the interest of all citizens and society as a whole.Marx’s view: the executive of the modern state is but a committee for managing the common affairs of the whole â€Å"bourgeoisie† (the owners of production). Example: The state. The interest of the state coincide with those of the dominant class. Apparatuses of the state are used to protect capitalists’ interests against worker’s rebellion. There is a contrast with Durkheim. Durkheim says that norms and values of society produce social integration and harmony (social solidarity). Marx says that these norms and values are ideologies which suppress people’s opposition and resistance (which may look like harmony or consensus to Durkheim).

Report Information from ProQuest Essay

Abstract: The social and psychological needs of an employee must be understood in order to motivate him to complete the assigned tasks. Unless the leaders fully support the premise that organizations must have a high degree of communication to meet employee’s psychological needs, it will remain stagnant. This may further give rise to grapevines and conflicts which adversely affect the organization. Effective internal communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement. Transformational leaders have a  tremendous influenceontheworkplaceandorganization’sculture. If they wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. Utilizing past literature, survey questions, and interviews, this research paper will find out the strategy and implementation issues in communications flow that the private service sector faces and how a leader can initiate and bring change by alignment with McKinsey’s 7S Framework. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] Links: Linking Service, Linking Service, Linking Service Full text: Headnote Abstract The social and psychological needs of an employee must be understood in order to motivate him to complete the assigned tasks. Unless the leaders fully support the premise that organizations must have a high degree of communication to meet employee’s psychological needs, it will remain stagnant. This may further give rise to grapevines and conflicts which adversely affect the organization. Effective internal communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement. Transformational leaders have a tremendous influenceontheworkplaceandorganization’sculture. If they wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. Utilizing past literature, survey questions, and interviews, this research paper will find out the strategy and implementation issues in communications flow that the private service sector faces and how a leader can initiate and bring change by alignment with McKinsey’s 7S Framework. Keywords: Change Management, McKinsey’s 7S Framework, Organizational Communication, Transformational Leadership Introduction An organizational setup is a conjoint effort of leaders and followers who work for the accomplishment of certain predefined objectives. The leader’s role is paramount and he has the ultimate responsibility of taking the resources in the desired direction. The concept of leadership has evolved across a period of time. Balgobind (2002), in a comparative study of different transformational leaders, has found that in the past the leader was transactional who was aware of the link between effort and reward. This kind of leadership was responsive and its basic orientation was to deal with  current issues. These leaders would rely on standard forms of inducement, reward, punishment, and sanction to control followers. They motivated followers by setting goals and promising rewards for desired performance. Leadership depended on the leader’s power to reinforce subordinates for their successful completion of the bargain. But times have changed and so has the role of a leader. The leader of today is transformational. These leaders arouse emotions in their followers which motivates them to act beyond the framework of what may be described as exchange relations. Leadership is proactive and forms new expectations in followers. Leaders are distinguished by their capacity to inspire and provide inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and idealized influence in the followers. They create learning opportunities for their followers and stimulate them to solve problems and possess good visioning, rhetorical and management skills. They motivate followers to work for goals that go beyond self-interest. The success of any organization depends largely on the processes and flow of internal communications. The flow of information can be one way or two ways, formal or informal and personal and impersonal. The relationship between employees is based on personal, professional and ethical roles. The communication flow has a great influence on the kind of relationships that exist in the organization. As long as the right messages are conveyed within the defined limits of authority and responsibility, it is helpful for goal attainment. But there are instances when the formal channels of communication are not used and the need to exchange and share ideas gives rise to grapevine communication. The messages are distorted and the incorrect information is spread across. Many times this exchange results in conflicts and strained relationships. If the situation is not taken care of it may affect the organization greatly and may even result in a loss of job for some and may put the organization in severe crises. This situation needs to be corrected and a leader’s intervention can bring a positive change. McKinsey’s 7S framework is a model for analyzing organizations and their effectiveness. It looks at the seven key elements that make the organizations successful: strategy, structure, systems, shared values, style, staff and skills. It can be aligned with any organizational issue that needs to be corrected. The private service sector plays a major role in the growth of any economy and employs large number of people. The interrelationship across all levels is largely dependent on the communication flow in this sector. Most of the information is not communicated in the right manner and employees resort to grapevine for their satisfaction. As such the communication problems in this sector multiply and threaten the survival of the organization. Based on present survey and past studies, the paper aims at highlighting the role of a transformationalleaderinsolvingthecommunication problems related to the private service sector. The McKinsey’s 7S Framework has been aligned with leader’s role for bringing organizational change and excellence. Literature Review Transformational leadership theory has captured the interest of many researchers in the field of organizational leadership over the past three decades. This theory was developed by Bums (1978) and later enhanced by Bass (1985, 1998) and others (Avolio &Bass, 1988; Bass &Avolio, 1994; Bennis &Nanus, 1985; Tichy &Devanna, 1986). Bums (1978) first introduced the concept of transformational leadership in his research of political leaders, establishing the concepts of transforming leaders and transactional leaders, and concluded that leaders and followers help each other to advance to a higher level of motivation. The major premise of the transformational leadership theory is the leader’s ability to motivate the follower to accomplish more than what the follower planned to accomplish (Krishnan, 2005). Transformational leadership has four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1985). Bums postulated that transformational leaders inspire followers to accomplish more by concentrating on the follower’s values and helping the follower align 06 November 2014  these values with the values of the organization. Furthermore, Bums identified transformational leadership as a relationship in which the leader and the follower motivated each other to higher levels which resulted in value system congruence between the leader and the follower (Krishnan, 2002). Leaders have a tremendous influence on the work place and effect on the organization’s culture. If leaders wish to institute change, their leadership styles must be strategically aligned to accommodate the organizational culture (Sheahan, 2012). The effectiveness of organizational communication is determined by leadership and leadership traits that allow for an open path of communication with employee and organization (Pirraglia, 2012). McKinsey’s 7S framework provides a strategic approach to HRM. It was developed in the early 1980s by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, two consultants working at the McKinsey &Company consulting firm. The basic premise of the model is that there are seven internal aspects of an organization that need to be aligned if it is to be successful. These seven features are interrelated and have to be considered jointly to achieve a better integration between HR practice and organizational strategy (Talwar, 2006, p.210). The staff element within the McKinsey 7S Framework refers to employees and their need for development and motivation. Style refers to the actions and behavior of senior executives, rather than what they say. The conduct of top management is an extremely valuable management tool that conveys and reinforces strong messages to stakeholders, particularly employees, throughout the organization (Fleisher and Bensousan, 2007, p.49). A range of highly respected management scholars including Armstrong (2008) and Adair (2009) have emphasized the importance of formulating and promoting shared values within organizations. System relates to processes and procedures that are necessary in order to conduct the business (Murphy and Willmott, 2010). The disadvantages of a tall hierarchical structure have been specified by Dlabay (2011) as inflexibility to respond to changes in the marketplace, loss of communication messages between the layers, de-motivated workforce etc. Johnson (2006) defines corporate strategy as a plan aimed to achieve corporate objectives, Skills, for the organization relate to competencies and capabilities required within the organization in order to achieve organizational objective in an effective way (Schuler and Jackson, 2007). Communication is one of the most dominant and important activities in organizations (Harris &Nelson, 2008). Fundamentally, relationships grow out of communication and the fu nctioning and survival of organizations is based on effective relationships among individuals and groups. In addition, organizational capabilities are developed and enacted through â€Å"intensely social and communicative processes† (Jones et al, 2004). Communication helps individuals and groups coordinate activities to achieve goals, and it’s vital in socialization, decision-making, problem-solving and change-management processes (Berger, 2008). The focus of organizational communication is on the whole system, rather than on parts of the system (Katz &Kahn, 1996). The study of organizational communication centers on processes of interaction, means by which people obtain information, form opinions, make decisions, merge into the organization, leave the  organization, and create rapport with one another (Shockley-Zalabak, 1999). Through communication, people coordinate their actions to achieve individual and organizational goals (Shockley-Zalabak, 1999). Effective organizational communication can be achieved through transformational leadership and will generate greater organizational and employee performance within small organizations (Dario Martinez, 2012). Effective communication is needed for management to develop and sustain a competitive advantage for organizational performance and improvement (Avolio, Lado, Boyd &Wright, 1992; Rowe, 2001). Effective communication succeeds when employees support the leader and the organization if there is a belief that employees’ efforts will be rewarded. Leadership succeeds when initiating response or responding to change and leadership is inextricably linked to the credibility of those leading. Constituents will become willingly involved to the extent that they believe in those sponsoring the change (Kouzes &Posner, 2003). Methodology and Data Collection The experiential survey has been used for the purpose of the paper. Data is qualitative in nature and has been collected through primary and secondary sources. The questionnaire consisted of open ended questions related 06 November 2014  to communication flow and processes. Five private service organizations comprising of hospitality, academia, telecommunication, retail, and insurance were included in the survey. Ten employees from each sector have been taken in the survey and their experiences related to communication problems in the organization have been considered for the purpose of study. Analysis The analysis is based on present survey and past studies. The findings revealed that organizational communication is one of the most important determinants of sound interpersonal relationships within the organization. In a reputed retail store, information was not transmitted through proper channels. There was ambiguity regarding the instructions communicated to employees. This caused discomfort and conflicts in the organization and affected the quality of work. The General Manager-Marketing of the retail store admitted that most of the miscommunication led to conflicts which were difficult to resolve. When asked about the negative influence of past workplace experience on the present organization, the HR Manager of a well known hospital revealed that most of the employees were always thinking about their past work environment and their self-fulfilling prophecies were leading them to live with fear and poor emotional management. In many organizations, most of the information was not communicated to the employees and the decisions were thrown at them. The instructions were not seriously obeyed and the employees turned violent during work. The Area Manager of an insurance company revealed that closed communication gave rise to violent behavior in employees. Grapevine communication has prominence in all organizations and has its own benefits but the Principal of a Technical College revealed that their organizational communication largely depended on grapevine and it was a major cause of dissatisfaction among the employees and resulted into high turnover. The employees of a telecom company expected encouraging behavior from their senior manager. A lower level employee revealed that the absence of compassion in communication and humiliating remarks of their departmental head was extremely offensive to their self-esteem. When these findings were considered around the elements of the McKinsey’s 7s model, it was felt that the 7s model could be linked to the problems related to organizational communication as: Strategy – Improper communication flows give rise to conflicts and hamper the organization’s image. It is important to make the right communication strategies for conflict resolution and sustainable advantage. Structure – Most organizations use formal channels of communication. This results in choking of essential information giving rise to grapevines. The organizational structure has to be designed in a way that information is not choked. Systems – The internal processes and procedures facilitate good communication and it is important to understand how effective they are in maintaining the correct flow. Skills – Communication can flow smoothly if the staff possesses the right skills. Staff – The staff can facilitate effective communication and value needs to be attached to communication skills during recruitment and selection. Style – The management is responsible for promoting a culture of open communication. Shared goals – The organizations’ belief system and attitude towards communication is at the core of other elements.

Death is not the truth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Death is not the truth - Essay Example Tolstoy saw life as something that ought to be avoided, rather than sought or wished for. But a critical analysis of Tolstoy’s view on life shows that his view on life is flawed and untrue. Tolstoy’s view of life is false, first and foremost, on logical grounds. To lay bare the logical weaknesses of Tolstoy’s anti-life argument, it is necessary to first analyze his argument logically, and then point out its weaknesses. Tolstoy’s nihilistic attitude to life was informed by his experiences in life which made him to conclude that life is utterly meaningless. Tolstoy was brought up in a Christian Orthodoxy family and he was taught catechism, but later in life, he lost his faith and stopped going to church. Prior to developing this anti-life attitude, Tolstoy had attempted many things in life in an effort to become wealthy and famous. He had committed all sorts of evils to achieve this goal (Tolstoy, 18). Tolstoy, also, tried very hard to be perfect in whatever he did, so as to become a respected and a famous person. Eventually, Tolstoy’s efforts paid off and he achieved his objectives of becoming wealthy and famous; Tolstoy had stable family, his businesses were doing well, and he was a respected and a well known person. But despite these achievements, Tolstoy wasn’t a happy person; he became deeply distressed in life. At one point he contemplated committing suicide (Tolstoy, 29). Amidst this emotional torture, it dawned on Tolstoy that despite all his achievements in life, death was the inevitable eventuality awaiting him. Tolstoy realized that soon or later, he would die, decompose, and all his efforts and achievements in life would be all in vain. Tolstoy, therefore, conceived life as one big evil that ought to be avoided. He saw the whole of life as being useless since no matter how much we struggle to be successful, we will ultimately die and leave everything that we have worked for.Tolstoy’s argument of life as being meaningless can be logically expressed as follows: First premise, it is meaningless to live and eventually die Second Premise, in human life death is inevitable Conclusion, human life, is therefore, meaningless A critical and logical analysis of this argument shows that the argument is indeed valid, for the conclusion follows necessarily from the premises, but the argument is, however, unsound. While the second premise is true, that death is an inevitable eventuality to all human beings, the first premise, however, is false because the meaning of life doesn’t lie in whether or not human life is mortal or immortal. A critical analysis of this proposition that, it is meaningless to live and die, shows that Tolstoy is wrong in this claim. The main reason that Tolstoy would use to counter my thesis and to support his claim that it is meaningless to live and eventually die, is that after death, we will not be able to enjoy the fruits of our labour and all our fame and our k nowledge/learning in life will become of no more use to us. So on this basis, Tolstoy concludes that life is meaningless. Tolstoy was influenced to make this conclusion by the fact that, even while we are alive, despite our outstanding achievements in life, life is full of misery and, therefore, there is no point of living in perpetual struggle and misery, and eventually we die. Tolstoy, therefo

Strategic Management Business & Management Case Study

Strategic Management Business & Management - Case Study Example The company did not respond to the changing management needs and continued to pay heavy packages to its workers and coupled with low response to fashion changes, it has lost its customers confidence. JZ Benny did not respond to the competitive edge that the new entrants like Spanish El Dorado and Scandinavian Helgar were employing. It remained static in the fashion outsourcing even when its competitors changed to fast fashion model shops. While the competitors outsourced their fashions from Eastern Europe, JZ Benny instead rushed to China and South East Asia which sold at low cost. Thinking this as a cost advantage over the rivals, it turned out to be a stock burden for the company since they had to buy in bulk and hence were left with indispensable stock at the end of the season. This was a miscalculated marketing strategy resulting from inefficient market analysis. The company failed to keep up with its competitors who resulted to e-supply chain which enabled them to connect the customers with the designers hence placed in the market what the customer preferred. This ensured that they were always ahead of other retailers since they stocked what the customers liked. JZ Benny saw a management gap and responded by fishing Bob D'Saster from competitor Helgar Fashions. As the CEO of JZ Benny, D'Saster was confident that cost cutting measures and investment in technology would turn the chain around to start making profit. Cost cut measures were implemented leading to layoff of about 20% of the staff and heavy investment in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags to help in improving the Barcode Inventory Processing. However this did not help the company and the AGM dismissed D'Saster and placed John Hammond as the CEO. As expressed by Courtney et al., 1997, the case of JZ Benny is a management problem. The company has been under a management that does not recognized that the company is in a dynamic industry which is highly competitive. Fashion industry has seen a lot of revolution and even the giants in Paris and Milan have not been spared. With the rise of USA and ASIA and fashion centres of the world, the company needs to wake up to the changes taking place in the market. As part of the strategic management, the company should first embrace the e-commerce models to have more links between designers and customers. It should also look into expansion strategy to widen its operation base. This model should be in line with the following analysis of the business and its operation environment. The company should not be disposed to tycoon McQueen since it can use this proposed model to turn round its fortunes. (Michael and Jude, 1997) External Analysis (a) Political The company operates in an enabling political environment. The fusion of the political and business environment is suitable for its operation. The business commission has already barred McQueen from acquiring the company as per its rules. With the formation of the European Union the company should