Communication in Early Childhood Education Essay

Effective communication creates a learning environment where students can learn according to their individual needs in a safe and accommodating environment. Think about your early childhood education (or your child’s early education), was it flexible to suit individual learning experiences or were children required to conform to the teacher’s methods of teaching? If you answered the latter, do you think the former would improve the quality of education? Pedagogues’ in all divisions of education should possess proficiency in different levels of communication, whether  they are teaching primary or secondary students or university alumni, to be able to address a combination of the various age groups (colleagues, students, parents or superiors). Educators will face difficulties in providing a satisfactory level of education without the necessary skills to communicate effectively to these groups of people. Early childhood educators with effective communication skills demonstrate an ability to adapt their teaching methods to suit the needs of their young individual students, which benefits the progression in child development. The teacher’s positive mood determines the emotional climate of the classroom,  creating a healthy and safe learning environment for the children and allows teachers to communicate comfortably with children, parents and colleagues, therefore, resolving issues efficiently. Early childhood educators who communicate effectively with children and parents create a positive classroom atmosphere, where successful learning can take place. Teachers and parents must be able to communicate and cooperate to build a strong relationship for the best interests of the child. Do parents have an innate trust in teachers? (For them to leave their children in the teachers care, in some  cases, almost a stranger) Whether or not this is accurate, teachers must build on this trust to create a supportive parent-teacher relationship. Each situation is different and teachers should be aware of their body language, and use of language, so when speaking with parents their communication should be different when talking to parents than when they are chatting with friends. The first step is establishing a dialogue by approaching the parent first and making them feel welcome and relaxed, as parents may be resistant in making first contact, due to, a bad experience with teachers themselves, as children or bad experiences in other  schools with other teachers (Miller, 2003 & Roffey, 2002 as cited by Porter, 2008). There are different strategies teachers can use to maintain effective communication with parents and build strong relationships once they have made communication. Keeping a parents trust is important in maintaining open lines of communication so they can discuss concerns relating to the child and solve issues promptly. Teachers can gain parents confidence by always respecting confidentiality and avoiding rumors. If a parent finds out that, their child’s teacher breached confidentiality or is  a known gossip, parents will find it difficult to confide in them with an issue regarding their child, particularly if it is of a personal nature. Parents are also more likely to approach their child’s teacher if they know they can discuss issues and reach a mutual agreement (Bender, 2005). Teacher-parent communication is all about showing trust and comfort with each other. Frequent communication between these two parties creates less tension, when an issue arises, allowing a constructive discussion to take place and reaching an agreement sooner without hostility. Teachers can increase parent participation in the child’s learning by updating  them in upcoming activities and events, so they can be included in their child’s education, stay informed in their child’s successes and concerns, participate in special events, and contribute to their child’s overall learning process. The activities and responsibilities of the school should not be limited to the school environment and cease once the child has reached home, therefore, teachers and parents should allow room for overlapping (Edwards, 2000). Keeping parents updated on their child’s school progress allows parents to provide the necessary support and encouragement at home, giving them a better understanding of their child’s development. At the same time, teachers should obtain information from parents regarding the child’s progress at home, so teachers can help children accordingly at school. This back and forth communication between parents and teachers will provide students with a supportive network that benefits everyone concerned (Ramirez, 2006). It is also the responsibility of teachers to advice parents when their child is involved in an accident. Teachers should always take detailed notes of incidents, remembering to keep confidentiality (between parents), if more than one student was involved (Koza, 2007).  If a parent became aware about an incident through their child, it may give the parent the impression that the teacher tried to conceal the incident. By keeping parents constantly informed, reinforces the parent-teacher relationship, giving parents’ confidence in the teacher’s ability to care for their child. Teachers need to be flexible in their teaching, to meet each individual’s needs. Teachers must demonstrate various teaching styles to accommodate how each individual â€Å"learnt-to-learn† (Edwards, 2009), by applying the learning methods children are familiar with enables them to accomplish more and feel comfortable in  their new learning environment. The way children learned to do tasks at home is crucial to their learning when they reach early childhood education, since each child learned to follow instructions and complete tasks differently, it would be insensitive to treat all children the same without taking into account their cultural differences and experience (Marotz, 2009). Educators teaching young children must consider the learning methods each individual is already accustomed to and design their teaching methods around the children’s experiences, and so, communication can be  used effectively by incorporating different teaching strategies such as speaking, writing and visual demonstrations. For example, a child who has learned to complete a task by reading instructions will perform more efficiently if they are able to read from the board or paper, instead of following verbal instructions from a teacher. Teachers should make the effort to understand each child’s previous learning experience and background, so they can identify the best teaching method required by each child. Teachers must adopt appropriate methods and language for teaching and should outline the schools (or teachers) code of conduct regarding  language, to parents, so they can enforce the same rules at home to avoid children bringing inappropriate language to school, causing disruptions in the learning of other children and disgruntling other parents. As teachers gain experience with children and parents of different cultures, religions and abilities, they develop their own communication skills so they can provide improved services to the children they teach in the future. A safe and positive classroom is an important environment for the learning and development of a child. As a classroom leader, the teacher must behave and  communicate in a manner that creates a positive emotional climate in the classroom; firstly, teachers must resolve or reduce stress caused by work and personal issues, doing so outside of the classroom, so they can concentrate on the needs of the children when they are in the classroom. Secondly, by displaying self-confidence, a strong sense of self-worth and control over their emotions creates a classroom atmosphere where children are happy, comfortable and safe, as a result, children respond more positively to their teachers and classmates (Marotz, 2009). Ebbeck & Waniganayake (2003) stated that young children generally have a  sense of happiness and positiveness in them, but society depresses this and upsets the way children view the world and future, by creating fear in them (the media showing violence, bad behavior, and superficial concerns). However, teachers can empower children by showing them â€Å"how to take their place in society and create a better now and future† (Ebbeck & Waniganayake, 2003) and give them a feeling of optimism in everything they try to accomplish. Teachers who build a trusting bond with their students are also better equipped, in understanding each individual, allowing children to open up and discuss personal problems with them. This enables  teachers to speak and listen to each individual easily and identify signs of possible abuse, bullying or other health and safety concerns. In conclusion, effective communication is essential to all learning environments and without it, teachers will struggle to teach and students will face learning difficulties, resulting in a decline in the quality of education. In early childhood education, it is up to the teachers to ensure that each child’s education environment is safe and comfortable for the child, by showing flexibility in teaching to meet individual requirements and showing care and understanding to assist children with concerns. A strong parent-teacher relationship creates a support network where information is exchanged and issues are solved, to allow the child to concentrate on his or her learning and development. Early childhood educators are there to guide and support children in all aspects of life. References Ebbeck, M. & Waniganayake, M. (2003). Early childhood professionals: Leading today and tomorrow. East Gardens, Australia: Maclennan & Petty Pty Ltd Edwards, MC (2000) Center for effective parenting is a collaborative project of: The Jones center for families, 3. Retrieved from http://www. parenting-ed. org/handout3/Parental Involvement/Communicating with. Teacher Handout. pdf Edwards, S. (2009). Early childhood education and care. Castle Hill, Australia: Pademelon Press Koza, W. (2007). Managing an effective early childhood classroom. Huntington Beach, USA: Shell Educational Publishing. Marotz, L. R. (2009). Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child (8th ed. ). Australia: Cengage Learning Porter, L. (2008). Teacher-parent collaboration: Early childhood to adolescence. Camberwell, Australia: ACER Press Ramirez, L (2006) Parent teacher – The benefits of creating a supportive parent teacher relationship. Retrieved from http://www. parenting-child-development. com/parent-teacher. html.

Developments in Latin America and Southeast Asia Essay

Challenges in economy and politics emerged in different part of the world after war against Japan. Development in Southeast Asia and Latin America notably different from others, Standard of living in Latin region significantly much higher than in Southeast Asia (Rozenwurcel qtd. in Grabowski 25). Countries are moving towards Industrialization in different regions, on the other hand protecting local industries against import products through imposition of tariffs and quotas. The inward-oriented development strategy of Latin America brought economic environment which created total productivity that challenge competition, internal and external economic policies, this strategy failed resulted in low productivity of Latin America’s economy. The region of Latin America has abundant land relatively with rich natural resources but a labor-scarce region. Latin American countries decided to shift strategy from inward-oriented to outward-oriented strategy i. e. there is a difficulty in moving towards production of labor-intensive manufacturing goods from production of natural resource-intensive goods (Grabowski 26). Changing strategy has been impossible to attain for Latin America, this would cause extreme devaluation (an official value reduction of a currency) which in fact, devaluation creates inflation in the local economy (Mahon qtd. in Grabowski 26). However Latin America diverge their attention in addressing problems of inequality and population, the capabilities of the region led to their development, this extreme inequality allowed elites to use their power to influence the development of both economic and political institutions, these economic and political rules excluded the continuous population growth and became responsible for wealth and power of the elite (Engerman and Sokoloff qtd. in Grabowski 27). The economy and politics in Latin America strengthened through proper management and enforcement of policies despite of their inability to effective adaptation of outward-oriented strategy. According to Dr. Diouf in his interview about Inequality about development in Latin America, the capable leadership and the necessary political will, the countries of Latin America will be able to rise to the challenges of hunger, malnutrition, inequality and economic problems. World War II paved the way for Asian countries to attain their independence from powerful countries namely United States and Great Britain. In Southeast Asia, development of one country is different from others, but one thing is common that their economic development has been connected with environmental degradation (Iwami 1). Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Burma and Singapore achieved independence from British colony while Philippines from the United States, in fact, the abundant natural resources exploited since before 1945. It is much easier to prepare the path towards industrialization if there is a strong agricultural base; countries with rich agriculture become supplier of raw materials and labor to industrial countries. To accelerate development of idle natural resources, governments in the region have been attracting foreign investments which possess plenty of money, modern technology and expertise in management, the region greatly involved in industrialization as producers of raw products and laborers due to global economic interdependence. Many countries in different regions believe that industrialization is their hope for economic liberation from colonial economy and solution to problems of poverty, hunger and diseases. Industrialization has been bringing opportunities for employment, utilization of agricultural resources and fits to the total economic development program of the country. References â€Å"Modes of long-run development: Latin America and East Asia. † 2008. Journal of Institutional Economics. 15 November 2008 . â€Å"Inequality impedes Development in Latin America and Caribbean. † 28 April 2004. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 15 November 2008 . â€Å"Economic Development and Environment in Southeast Asia: An Introductory Note. † October 1999. Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo. 15 November 2008 < http://www. e. u-tokyo. ac. jp/cirje/research/dp/99/cf61/dp. pdf>.

Pilinut Essay

Our company engages into pilinut business. Pili tart is a very profitable product, it has the so called 3C’s of Bicol pili nut: Competitive (market); Capability (financial); and Capacity (production) (Melchor A Aguilar). Because the Philippines is the only country where the fruit has market. No other country process pili in commercial quantity, meaning, we have the monopoly of processed pili in the foreign market, this kind of business has a very high potential of being successful especially if it will engage in exporting. There are many producers and processors of pili tart in the Bicol region, but this will be very few compared to the world market. Only few of these processors are into exporting business. Pili are very nutritious even as confection. Nutritionally, the kernel is high in calcium, phosphorous, and potassium, and rich in fats and protein. (DOST), so there is no issue to health concious. Our products will be of superior quality associated with the right price so that almost every body can afford it. We will produce product using ingredients of high quality so that it is guaranteed to be tasty and delicious. We will provide products that are not health and environmental hazard but instead a pilinut product that everyone can enjoy and environmental friendly that undergo in the right procedure. We will produce different pilinut products that are best for export, which does not easily spoil, and remain fresh even on long period of time. Pilinut for ordinary people may not be so important, but for a business person like us, pilinut has a long way to go and has a very large market to serve. Profit from this business may be abundant due to the monopoly of the products. We can start at a small capital but the comeback will be great. In not more than three years, we will regain our investment from this business and still continue to grow.

Introduction to inllectual property Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction to inllectual property - Coursework Example ments of the patent is that it contains a clear description of the invention, so that people skilled in the field of engineering may be allowed to apply it. By law the patent is issued in the name of its actual inventor. However a joint inventor is allowed to contribute and conceive some elements as mentioned in the claims. Any technician or any other individual who worked under the guidance of the inventor is not considered to be the joint inventor, unless or until they have made any individual contribution. Patents can also be used as a negotiating tools for the cross licensing agreements that may at times include certain trade secrets. Copyright is used to keep the publishers and other entities from using the each other books without making payments. The basic concept indicates the fact that some spark of originality and creativity must be present for the protection of copyright. The concept of copyright is based on the fact that only the expression of functions or ideas is protected not the idea itself. It is certain that the idea of spreadsheet cannot be copyrighted; however some particular screen choices can be. Copyright gives long term protection to the publisher in comparison to the patent. The term covers the whole life of the author plus 50 years more. Decompiling codes is often used for in order to discover the working of software products. The information gained in this case should be abstracted before it is even applied. The clean room technique is an approach used for insulating an idea rather than expressing it. However if some new work is created by the author with reference to his previous copyrighted material, then such material is classified as derivative work. This derivative work is not considered original but it is considered to be the part of the copyrighted material. Trademarks are considered to be the logos, regular patterns or the stylized patterns used by the businesses and entrepreneurs as a shorthand identity to represent their

Advanced strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Advanced strategic management - Essay Example This essay is a critical evaluation of an organization facing a problem associated with a strategic issue. It focuses on Woolworths Group Plc. which is a renowned organization dealing with entertainment and media in the United Kingdom. The risks associated with focusing and directing most of the resources on improvement of operational effectiveness. Potential avenues for addressing this problem have been discussed focusing on the various techniques and models available, including the regression and the time series models. The organization expanded rapidly since its establishment in 1909, leading to expansion in foreign markets for its entertainment products. It began going global in its operations, initially establishing in Liverpool and later expanding in the whole of the UK. By 2001, the company entered the London stock exchange after it broke off from its merger with Kingfisher Plc. The organization had been doing well in its recovery strategies, mainly focused on doing away with the huge amounts of stock that was in excess as well as offsetting the debts acquired while it was in a merger with Kingfisher. The management had to be strengthened. The organizational performance rose considerably since 2001 (Johnson et al 2004 p 66). The organization was focused on improving its operational effectiveness through approaches aimed on reinforcement of infrastructure, whereby there were improvements in managing stocks, and the supply chain. Other aspects of operational effectiveness included reduction of suppliers and improvements in branding. More offices were bought in order to bring better services to customers in foreign markets such as Hong Kong (Johnson et al 2004 p 67). The organization also focused on product improvement, a factor that improved its competitive advantage in the short run. It established two operation lines, whereby according to Johnson et al, it had a woolies arm for retail while on the other

Business In Asia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business In Asia - Research Paper Example The Asian Financial Crisis which happened during 1997 in stark continuation with the happening of the global financial crisis rendered significant implications on separate economies of Asia. The paper in this connection endeavours to understand the impacts of the Asian Financial Crisis on economies of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Japan entered the realm of financial crisis owing to the decline in the currency of Thailand. During the era of financial crisis, both the currencies of Asia and America became overvalued leading to mass scale investments in the region of Thailand. Investments which were driven to Thailand mainly catered to the development of construction industry leading to the rise of the property bubble. However, the situation of the financial institutions in Japan deeply worsened which lead to the region’s further dependence on international funds. As compared to the Japanese effect economic and financial situation of other economies like Taiwan and Singapore al so reflected similar slowdowns. The growth of the Asian Financial Crisis also leads to the final demise of economies like Indonesia and Southern Korea. The Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, the region of Hong Kong and the Philippines Islands were all swept by a huge recessionary wave. Further, the decline in the currencies of the Asian economies also made these economies highly dependent on foreign currencies making them equally expensive. Thus, the financial institutions of these Asian economies started finding it difficult to meet the debt of the external borrowings. (Moe, 2004, pp.231-232). Thus, it is found that the happening of the global financial crisis changed the face of the Asian economies. Leaving the Chinese and Taiwanese economies, the Gross Domestic Product of other Asian economies like Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and the like was adversely affected owing to the wave of global financial crisis. Several policy decisions were taken at the regional level to counter the growing effect of the financial crisis. The

Course-work assignment 2, Lent term, 2015 Essay

Course-work assignment 2, Lent term, 2015 - Essay Example This question may be explicit or remain hidden. Luc Besson is known due to his action movies and blockbusters, there are hidden layers that involve social questions, depth of feelings and life choices to be resolved. He has his unique individual style to depict the way the events of life create the presuppositions for formation of people’s features of character, shaped by the challenges and experiences they face. This paper appoints as its goal an attempt to interpret the phrase â€Å"I am guided by a single preoccupation: that modern society creates a familial crisis, and an emotional lack for young people† by Luc Besson through the films he created, particularly â€Å"Nikita†, â€Å"Leon† and â€Å"Fifth Element (as a supportive source). Reviewing films of Luc Besson, it is important to view shortly his biographical background as it evident that the way childhood and maturation passed determines the formation of personality and the products he or she creates. The child of two scuba educators in Paris, Luc was born on March 18, 1959, and spent a large portion of his childhood taking after his parents on the club Med circuit in the middle of Greece and Yugoslavia. Luc was an avid diver like his parents. At ten years old, â€Å"he swam with a wild dolphin while his parents were diving† ("Luc Besson full biography," 2010). The experience influenced him so that he chose to commit his life to watching and comprehension the ocean creatures by turning into a sea life researcher. Bessons fantasies of turning into a sea life researcher were dashed at 17 years old after a mishap that rendered him not able to dive. Taking after his recovery, he went to Paris to complete school. While adapting to city life, Besson found T V and the filming ("Luc Besson full biography," 2010). They soon substituted his enthusiasm for the ocean, and he chose to seek after a filmmaking profession; in the wake of dropping out of school, he started

Has the UN Lived Up to the Ideals of Its Founders Essay

Has the UN Lived Up to the Ideals of Its Founders - Essay Example As the essay discusses the United Nations was formed with several aims; for instance, ensuring that peace prevailed worldwide and developing strong relationships among nations, among others. This essay will discuss the various objectives of the United Nations and whether it lives up to the ideals of its founders to date.From this study it is clear that the main aim of the United Nations was to ensure that peace prevailed throughout the world, that nations would develop friendly relationships, working together to assist people in living better lives through elimination of poverty, illiteracy, and diseases globally. In addition, the UN aims at bringing to a stop environmental degradation, as well as fostering democracy and respect for each other’s rights. Therefore, the United Nations is the main organization that assists countries in achieving the above aims.  Generally, the UN has several principles that guide its operations; first, member states are expected to obey the Uni ted Nations charter, and must have sovereign equality. In addition, the member states are expected to settle their differences peacefully and amicably; nation should also avoid use of force, however, the United Nations does not interfere with the affairs of any country. Nevertheless, the initial aim of the formation of the United Nations in 1945 was to foster peace among nations by ending wars between countries.... In addition, the UN aims at bringing to a stop environmental degradation, as well as fostering democracy and respect for each other’s rights (United Nations publications, 2000). Therefore, the United Nations is the main organization that assists countries in achieving the above aims. Generally, the UN has several principles that guide its operations; first, member states are expected to obey the United Nations charter, and must have sovereign equality. In addition, the member states are expected to settle their differences peacefully and amicably; nation should also avoid use of force, however, the United Nations does not interfere with the affairs of any country. Needless to say, these countries are expected to assist the United Nations in fostering a peaceful world (United Nations publications, 2000). Nevertheless, the initial aim of the formation of the United Nations in 1945 was to foster peace among nations by ending wars between countries. Has the UN lived up to the idea l of it founders? Today, the united nation has grown from the initial 57 states to 193 member states, fostering human rights and peace, which are its main focus globally. In 1945, the founders of United Nations responded to the effects of World War II, by emphasizing on the human rights in their charter, which was signed in June the same year (United Nations, 1996). As a result, respect for human rights is a major concern for the United Nations; therefore, this organization has formed an international criminal court that examines human rights issues. In addition, the United Nations has fostered awareness of human rights via mass communications; among the issues

Survey of job Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Survey of job - Assignment Example They cited large pay and stability of income in choosing a job in the private sector as well as the training they could get from it in addition to their education. They also cited doing what they would like to do and have professional satisfaction. They cited that the prestige in working in their home country lies in the corporate world and business. Most works first in the corporate world to get an experience and feel of the business world then put up their own business. Business is also perceived well in their culture and is desired by many to be the road towards financial success and being in control of their time (that is, they do not have to wake early morning to go work and experience the heavy Manila traffic). Regarding working in the government, they were asked if it is possible to get jobs in the government even if you are from a middle-class family. They said yes for as long as the prospective applicant is well connected. They mentioned that while there are some middle class background Filipinos can get into the government with their own merits, most still depends on one’s connections. If one has connections either from relatives, family friendship or political patrons it is almost certain that one can get into the government. Most of them frown on working for the government because government is generally perceived to be corrupt and incompetent. There is prestige in working for government in their home country. They also worry that their education may become useless because of the bureaucracy. The backgrounds of the respondents vary with some taking business administration, some in line with education and engineering. In their culture, most honest jobs in the corporate and business world is respected and has prestige if one is good at it. They generally strive for jobs that they believe they like with all of the jobs including law, business, education and corporate having the same level of

Organizational Performance Management System Essay Example for Free

Organizational Performance Management System Essay In the pursuit of developing most appropriate organizational performance management system, many organizational performance management systems have emerged, making it difficult to choose the best organizational performance management system. The paper reviews the published literature on organizational performance management, and discusses the shift from traditional to new performance management system framework. Also, Balance Scorecard, which is one of the most commonly used approaches in measuring organizational performance, is discussed. Finally, five most important factors in designing organizational performance management are addressed. Introduction In increasingly competitive market, it is imperative that organizations design and implement an effective organizational performance management system to gauge their competitive advantage in the market. An Organization Performance Management System includes multiple activities that help in establishing the goals of the organization, and monitor the progress towards the target. It is used to make adjustments to accomplish goals more efficiently and effectively. Organizational Performance Management System can be best understood through considering the definitions of the words performance and measurement according to the Baldrige Criteria (NIST, 2001): Performance refers to output results from processes, products and services that permit evaluation and comparison relative to goals, standards, past results, and other organizations. Performance might be expressed in non-financial and financial terms. Measurement refers to numerical information that quantifies input, output, and performance dimensions of processes, products, services, and the overall organization (outcomes). Performance measures might be simple (derived from one measurement) or composite. Underlying performance management at both the organizational and employee levels is a set of performance measures. Performance measures with respect to organizational performance are an instrument to assess progress against stated program and organizational objectives. With respect to individual performances it is to assess progress against stated performances objectives, or â€Å"results to be achieved† for individual employees or teams of employees (Good Carin, 2004). The objective of such system would be to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and performance at both organizational and employee level. The challenge for organizations today is how to match and align both organizational and individual performance measures with business strategy, structures and corporate culture, the type and number of measures to use and how to deploy the measures so that the results are used and acted upon. To address these challenges, organizations have been continually searching for an effective organizational performance management framework. Measuring organizational performance management has variety of uses. As per Vince Kellen (2003) those uses include monitoring and controlling activities, driving organizational improvement, maximizing the effectiveness of the improvement effort, achieving alignment with organizational goal and objectives, rewarding and disciplining. The Changing Role of Organizational Performance Measurement System How to create and measure organizational performance measurement system has been a persistent source of debate. Traditionally, organizational performance management system included measuring financial ratios, such as return on investments, cash flows, and cost of sales. Figure one below depicts traditional performance indicators, focused mostly on financial measures. Figure One Source: Frederico and Cavenaghi 2009 In the recent years the focus has been on measuring non-financial ratios, such as quality, customer satisfaction, safety and other stakeholders. Figure Two shows the new performance indicators, incorporating quality together with other financial indicators. Figure Two Source: Source: Frederico and Cavenaghi 2009 Furthermore, according to Shackleton (2007) financial measures prohibit the guidance and evaluation of an organization’s ability to create future value through investments in customers, suppliers, employees, processes, technology and innovation. Shacketon agues that the pressure for reporting on corporate performance today, has confronted the traditional managerial mindset of historical models for performance measurement, and has required them to be more innovative. Table one below illustrates the shift in the mindset and provides a comparison between traditional and more recent performance measurement systems. Table One TraditionalInnovative Based on cost/ efficiencyValue-based Performance orientedPerformance compatibility oriented Profit –orientedCustomer-oriented Short-term orientedLong-term oriented Prevalence of individual measuresPrevalence of team measures Prevalence of functional measuresPrevalence of transversal measures Comparison with standardImproving monitoring Aim at evaluatingAim at evaluating and involving Source: Shackleton, 2007 From the table it can be concluded that organizational performance management systems are moving towards relationship-oriented understanding of the whole organization progress. It is clear that financial indicators are not ignored, but treated as one piece of the puzzle in a more complex set of criteria’s in measuring organizational performance. Organizational Performance Measurement Approaches: Balance Scorecard Several approaches for measuring and managing organizational performance management system have evolved over time, including Balance Scorecard, Benchmarking, Business Process Reengineering, Continuous Improvement, ISO9000, Total Quality Management, Stakeholder Approach, and Performance Prism Approach amongst others. There is no single framework or model that will ensure success in implementing an organizational performance management system. Exploring all the approaches is beyond the scope of this review, hence Balance Scorecard is review at length since it most commonly used for measuring organizational performance. Balance Scorecard was developed by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton in 1992. It was developed to remedy the weak and vague performance management strategies developed earlier that mostly concentrated on financial indicators.

Social Media Is A Growing Phenomenon Media Essay

Social Media Is A Growing Phenomenon Media Essay Social media is a growing phenomenon in our present information age. For many persons, particularly the youth, social media and other newmedia tools provide the platform to create, disseminate and share information among groups and in other cases consolidate existing connections (Lind Zmud, 1995; cited in Haythornthwaite, 2002). The power and influences of the social media phenomenon in shaping our world today cannot be overlooked. Its impact is witnessed as a coordinating tool for a significant number of the worlds political movements. The angry protests that pushed the removal of Philippine President Joseph Estrada (Shirky, 2011; Safranek, 2012) and the political revolutions that took place in the Middle East commonly referred to as the Arab Spring are but some examples of the potency of the social media in empowering citizens and projecting their will. Again in political campaigning, social media is credited to have contributed significantly to the electoral success of then candid ate Barak Obama as his adoption of the technology facilitated his reach to and garnering support from many young voters, and also support his fundraising during the 2008 American presidential elections (YouTube and the 2008 Election Cycle in the United States, 2009; Haley, 2011/12). In Ghana, a number of the presidential and parliamentary candidates for the 2012 elections have created presence on the various social media platforms targeting their campaign messages at the different social groups found on these platforms. Advertisers, marketers as well as other businesses and brands in Ghana are gradually adopting social media to facilitate interactions between themselves and the audiences they seek to reach. The trend in this means of communication is not much different from what is happening globally. The social media fad is believed to have enhanced cultural exchanges (Grincheva, 2012), created, maintained and deepened social ties in a significant number of social settings (Haythornthwaite, 2002). For quite a number of people, it is almost impossible to exist in our present world and not be affected by the social media phenomenon. It has become part of our new world which is driven extensively by information and communication. The importance of civic engagements in democratic dispensations cannot be over emphasised. Various works suggest less civic engagements in many western nations (Banaji Buckingham, 2010). These works imply decreases, especially among Americas young generation, in social and political happenings such as volunteering for community activities and voting to elect political officials. They conclude that such apathy towards civic engagements poses a threat to the countrys democracy. Civic conversation or discourse is a useful measure of civic engagements. Good civic discourse,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦enriches the set of ideals and choices by which citizens govern themselves (Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy, 2006). Thus in a time where Information and Communication Technology tools are facilitating efficient communication and have become an attraction for many, noticeably the youth, understanding its adoption for the promotion of civic discourses in Ghana cannot be overlooked. Background The social media application runs on the foot of the internet technology. The internet in our world today directs the manner in which efficient means of communication is carried from place to place, person to person and culture to culture. There are expectations that the internet will become ubiquitous (Rao, 2012). Researchers and scholars have divergent opinions of the impacts of the internet and new media technology on our world today. Their opinions are expressed broadly in utopian and dystopian perspectives and cover all aspects of life of which the technology is experienced. The utopians appreciate the Internet as a potentially enormous tool for good. The positive possibilities from the Internet include supporting the practice of democracy, human interactions, concerted political action, education, etc. On the other hand the dystopians, the cyberpunks and the alarmists, see danger in every digital project to the extent of its cause to an ultimate loss of our humanity. The many t exts messages, Facebook comments or tweets that pour into radio and television programmes each day according to Utopians proponents are indicative of the internet empowering ordinary citizens to participate and have their voices heard in the discourses on issues that affect their lives in the communities they live in. However, when stories such as the murder of a 25 year old girl by friends she had met on Facebook make the news (Adeboye Ayodeji , 2012),dystopian proponents have cause to warn of the dangers of the internet technology. (Bell, 2001) Understanding the internet and all its associated technology and applications requires an understanding of the dimensions under which the internet can be studied. Bell explains three ways to understanding the internet or its synonym cyberspace: the material, symbolic and experiential. Bell cites Stanley Aronowitz (1996) as providing the terms ontology, phenomenology and pragmatics as other synonyms to discuss ways of thinking about the internet technology. Material stories of the internet technology provide a historical understanding of how the technology came to exist and the transformations it has undergone. Thus the advent of the ARPAnet-a network of geographically separated computers that could exchange information between military installations (Bellis, 2012) is an example material understanding of the internet technology. Symbolic stories of the internet or cyberspace give literary and generic accounts most notably in cyberpunk but also in science fiction and other speculative fiction (Whittaker, 2004). Bell, citing Jordan (1999), provides an explanation to symbolic stories of cyberspace as the ways in which the realm of cyberspace is depicted in films and fiction, e.g. Robocop, Matrix. Robocop treats symbolic representations of the bad cop and the good cop (Newitz, 1997), scenarios which are on-going debates in our material world. Experiential stories, according to Bell, relate to the intersections of the material and symbolic stories of cyberspace in our everyday life. Our daily interactions with the internet technology provide foundations for understanding the internet and its associated new media technologies. Experiential examples of the new media are evident in its ability to allow people: to more easily work from their homes, to form and sustain friendships and romantic attachments, to bank from their homes, to vote and engage in political and social-issue-based discussions and civic discourse, may empower shy people who find it difficult to participate in communication to share their views on issues. A dystopian view sees the advent of theft of personal information, considerable reduction in physical contact and face-to-face communication, virus threats to data and information storage as well as a lack of productivity in work. Broadly, the discussions on the study will be situated more in experiential understandings of cyberspace. New media and social media New media tools, internet based technologies and applications, provide platforms for social media tools to be used for all manner of conversations including civic discourses (Simon, 2007, pp. 258-259). The new media technology is quickly changing the communication and media industry with its study detailing how digital (computer) technology is applied to mass communications (Hoggatt, 1999). Pointedly the new media technology has not completely dislocated the significance of traditional media channels but thus created a convergence making its impact on society, commerce, and governance phenomenal. The Internet, satellite and cable data transmission, computer assisted mediations and research, multimedia publishing, mobile and phone interactions, and word processing are but examples of new media technology. New media technology has become revolutionary in its ability to handle behind the scenes work and become  the finished product (Hoggatt, 1999). Its ability to break down the obstructions of time and space, change the balance of power in equitable opportunities to communicate in the mass media are recorded contributions to the operations of contemporary societies (Nag, 2011; Hoggatt, 1999). A component of the new media technology is social media which is often erroneously used synonymously to represent new media. Social media refers to online technologies and practices that are used to share opinions and information, promote discussion and build relationships (Crown Copyright, 2009). The application shares the features of Participation, Openness, Conversation, Community, and Connectedness (iCrossing, 2008). According to iCrossing, social media can presently be found in the following basic forms: Social Networks:sites which allow people to build personal web pages and then connect with friends to share content and communication. Facebook, Myspace, bebo and Academia.edu are examples of social networks. Blogs: online journals with entries appearing with the most recent first. Wikis: websites which allow people to add content to or edit the information on them, acting as a communal document or database. The best-known wiki is wikipedia Podcasts: audio and video files that are available by subscription, through services like apple itunes. Forums: areas for online discussion, often around specific topics and interests. Forums came about before the term social media and are a powerful and popular element of online communities. Content Communities: organise and share particular kinds of content. The most popular content communities tend to form around photos (flickr), bookmarked links (del.icio.us) and videos (YouTube). Micro blogging: social networking combined with bite-sized blogging, where small amounts of content (updates) are distributed online and through the mobile phone network. Twitter the clear leader in this field.  [1]   Social media and New media in Ghana With about a 10% gain from 5% in internet penetration (Daily Graphic, 2012)Ghana is not likely to be isolated or insulated from global trends in internet and new media use, especially those associated with the social media. Universally, Facebook is noted as the most popular social media platform (eBizMBA, 2012), and is most recognized in Ghana as well. Currently, there are nearly 2 million Facebook users in Ghana ranking the country at number 69in global ranking of Facebook statistics (Socialbakers, 2012). Socialbakers statistics for October 2012 illustrates that Facebook penetration in Ghanais6.77%compared to the countrys population and 126.98%in relation to number of Internet users. The total number of Facebook users in Ghana is reaching 1,646,920 and grew by more than 435,160 in the last 6 months. About 41% of Ghanas Facebook user population is between 18 and 24 years, an age group that can be found typically beginning university education or exiting into the professional world. Chart (Socialbakers, Ghana Facebook Statistics, 2012) Figure : Ghanas Facebook user age distributions as at July 2012 http://api.socialbakers.com/charts/countries/users.html?country=ghanainterval=last-monthstate=0 (Socialbakers, Users Demography for the Ghana, 2012) Figure : Growth pattern of Facebook users in Ghana as at October 2012 YouTube, twitter and LinkedIn are also popular among Ghanaians. Though their popularity is high among the youth and IT savvy persons, statistics on these social media applications are rather low or unavailable. Statistics for twitter presented by Socialbakers present individual followership rather than an assessment on national. No Ghanaian profile or account is listed in the top 200 global accounts. The same applies with YouTube and LinkedIn. Ghana was one of the first African countries to get connected to the Internet between 1989 and 1990. However, the extent of use of the new media technology generally among Ghanaians is limited (Sey, 2011). This is a result of the underdevelopment of existing telecommunications infrastructure, though in recent times significant investments have been in developing them. The investments have been supported by a national communications policy which highlights the Government of Ghanas commitment to accelerating the socio-economic development process of the country through ICT (Republic of Ghana, 2003, p. 14; cited in Sey 2011). In the wake of this policy, there has been considerable improvements in internet connectivity which begun in the early 1990s with the slow bandwidth dial up access to the now high speed broadband connectivity. Mobile phone telephony is not only big on the African Continent but equally the predominate mode of telecommunications in Ghana. This is attributable to the generally poor development of the fixed line infrastructure in the country. As at the year 2007 just over one fixed line existed per 100 inhabitants (Sey, 2011). Ghanas National Communications Authority announced a mobile telephony penetration rate of about 88.6% as at January 2012 with the leading service provider recording over 10 million subscriptions (Myjoyonline, 2012 ). New media uses of in Ghana Several accounts have been given for the varied uses of the new media technology in Ghana. The technology is appropriated to businesses and community development. For some Ghanaians the Internet serves as an escape mechanism to connect with the Western world as a poverty reduction strategy (Sey, 2011 citing Slater Kwami, 2005). The Internet provides a means to connect with people in developed countries who are seen as prospective sources of financial aid for their migration out of Ghana. Those with no intent to physically leave the country enjoy Western life, indirectly, through foreign content online available via new media tools. Other uses of the new media include sending e-mails, finding and communicating with pen pals, applying to schools abroad, watching movies, listening to music, and playing games (Alhassan, 2004; Burrell, 2009; Daily Graphic, 2003; Slater Kwami, 2005; Cited in Sey 2011). Political parties have also embraced the new media technology and are using social med ia particularly to grasp the attention of young people. A Communication official of the New Patriotic Party says the party adopts a writing style suitable for the social media in its messaging as the technology creates a better communication channel between the party and voters. The National Democratic Congress says the interactive nature of social media facilitates incorporating feedback from voters into the partys decision making processes (Boakyewaa Pokua, 2011). Amongst Students of the University of Ghana, the most popular social media tool is Facebook (Oduro, 2011). Oduro says Facebook uses are varied; including meeting new friends, sharing information on academic work, and updating family and friends with what is happening in ones life. With mobile telephony, Ghanaians surf the internet, store music, receive SMS alerts on international and sports news, send funds, chat via instant messaging services like Whats App or BBM, and even watch mobile TV. Some political parties are raising funds for their political activities through the use of SMS systems (Amega-Selorm, n.d). As the 2012 Presidential and Parliamentary elections draw close, civil election monitoring is being promoted via mobile telephony. The African Elections Project is enabling mobile phone users to be part of the election reporting and monitoring (GNA, 2012). Civic discourse and principles of civic discourse Making reference to the Hurricane Katrina which devastated the Gulf Coast of the United States of America, the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy (2006; pp1) suggests that civic discourses may have the potential to help mitigate the impact of crisis and also help prepare for the next. According to the ICDD, energies spent on media discussions following the disaster which focused on blames and accusations could have been used to discuss how victims of the disaster could be helped. The ICDD suggests that focusing on what mattered rather than blame games could have helped address human need during the crisis or its immediate aftermath. Civic discourse is purposeful communication carried out among citizens dedicated to sharing perspectives and constructing possible actions on issues that matter (ICDD 2006). Effective civic discourse ought to establish principles of inclusiveness, reflection, reciprocity, rationality, recognition of difference, and moderation. Thus the following are identified as Good Principles of Civic Discourse: Provide framework for dialogue (establish ground rules; framework should recognize any cultural differences) Provide all with voice (create safe rhetorical space; manage inequalities of access and power) Focus on issues. Invite/encourage a variety of perspectives (inclusiveness) Value evidence variety testimony, statistical evidence, narrative story telling Seek common ground and consensus when possible Avoid personal attacks Resist relying on ideological sloganeering Seek to understand rather than to persuade Problem statement Studies suggest citizens disconnections from civic life in our present information society (Banaji Buckingham, 2010). These are noticeable among younger generations in Western democracies (Putnam, n.d.). The United States, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom have all recorded younger peoples withdrawal in participating in conventional politics and government (Bennett, 2008, p. 1)which constitute civic activities, in alarming numbers. Americans in the last three decades of the 20th century has witnessed much less engagements in terms of political participation, charitable contributions, involvement in community organizations, and even participation in social activities with some of these trends obvious among college students (Sander Putnam, 2010; Putnam, n.d.). Despite a withdrawal from offline civic life, studies suggest interests in online civic engagements. Online engagement sites facilitate offline activities permitting the youth to access information about issues that affec t them as well as create and maintain connections with their peers for feedback. Ghana is not insulated from the phenomenon of civic recession. A district director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in an online publication revealed the decline in civic engagements attributing it to polarised political discourses often at the grassroots (GNA, 2012). The long historic periods of military authoritarian government has probable contribution to Ghanas civic recession. These were periods characterised by a stifled atmosphere for free civic discussions without fear of arrest and or detention. However, the new democratic dispensation gives opportunity for civic participation in social and political discourses mainly through traditional media. The younger generation of Ghanaians, a good of whom maybe enrolled in the universities, increasingly seek to master the use of the internet and new media technologies including social media to express themselves, explore their identi ties, and connect with peers the opportunity to utilise social media to promote civic discourses amongst their social networks is not readily known. The study thus seeks to ascertain the use of social media for civic discourses amongst students of the University of Ghana and will speak to the questions: Are students of the University of Ghana engaged in civic discourses? Are the discourses extended to or carried via the social media? Are there any benefits of engaging in civic discourse via the social media? Are the civic interactions on the social media platform guided by principles of civic discourses? Purpose This study looks to identify and assess civic discourses of students of the University of Ghana as carried via the social media site. Traditional media following their innovations have provided channels for civic discourses. Professional journalism may account for education on what is civically and politically relevant (Akilah, 2012). Thus the publication of journals, articles, letters and the broadcast of views from varied perspectives provide opportunities for all manner of citizens to engage and be engaged on issues that affect them and the communities they find themselves in generally. However, Robert Putnams description of a generation of Americans cut off from traditional forms of community life and civic engagement and have become passive consumers of mass media (Theater, 2007) suggest that the traditional media may have lost its lead in facilitating civic engagement amongst American citizens. Until recently, the print and broadcast media were restricted in their ability to provide all the characteristics of openness, participation, conversation, connectedness and community at the same time as the social media provides. With about seven (7) billion of the worlds population online or accessing the internet through its varied sources (Internet World Stats, 2012), the broadcast media particularly incorporates social media tools in programming to encourage contributions from its audiences. The print media has also adopted a presence on the internet and incorporated social media characteristics in order to maintain relevance in our increasingly sophisticated world. Objectives The study objectives are: to evaluate whether civic discourses take place among students of the university of Ghana. to identify the forms of such civic discourses students of the university of Ghana are engaged in. to ascertain whether such discourses conform to the principles for civic discourses. Significance of the study There is a gap in literature detailing or explaining civic interactions among Ghanaian students particularly those in tertiary institutions. With the advent of the phenomenal social media, many a youth who are mostly likely to be in tertiary education are engaged in various activities on social media. This study will thus provide data and contribute to filling the gap on social media uses for civic discourse interactions among students of the University of Ghana and make recommendations on the possibility of nurturing a generation of elites who adopt technology to further discourses that affect how they are governed and their society at large. Findings from the study can help in selecting and developing alternate communication channels for the promotion of civic discourse in Ghana and among an increasing youthful population enchanted by the new media and its varied applications. Structure of the thesis The design, procedure and findings of the study are presented in seven (7) separate chapters. In each chapter an introduction of the chapter details is presented. The first chapter sets the context of the study by introducing the place of social media in our world today. It further presents patterns of understanding the internet technology on which the social media application is delivered. An overview of new media technologies is also presented situating the nature of use in the Ghanaian context. The aim of the study, research questions and significance are all placed in this chapter. Chapter Two (2) presents the theoretical framework for the study. Three theories underpin this study: a) Democratic theories would be discussed, b) Discourse Theory and c) Deliberation Technology Theory. Chapter Three (3) presents a review of some scholarly works conducted around the use of online technologies and tools for civic or citizen conversations and participations in decision making processes. Chapter Four (4) details the methodology used for the study. A detail of the design, data gathering procedure and analysis of the data are explained. The Chapter Five (5) presents findings from the study from which interpretations and discussions are provided in Chapter Six (6). The final Chapter Seven (7) concludes with summarises of the results, limitations of the study and recommendations for further studies in the subject area. A list of sourced work is presented in the appendices section. The section also includes data gathering tools used for the study.

The Employee Reaction Toward Organizational Change Commerce Essay

The Employee Reaction Toward Organizational Change Commerce Essay A force drive change is always exists since the Industrial Revolution changed the nature of work. Whether to improve efficiency or create better working environment and productivity has been the base in many organizations. Managers and consultants are continually looking for ways to improve it. Employee dissatisfaction and conflict have also become important farces that push the need for change. At the same time, societal and political forces, such as the fall of communism, increased competition, privatization, and deregulation have an important role. The response of employees to change is hard to be predicted as well, as many factors may have an effect on this. The research investigates the effect of organizational culture to the perception of employee for organizational changes; where organizational culture is characterized by Hofstede cultural dimensions. One of the biggest obstacles to the success of any planned change is employee resistance. Resistance affects a change program. People generally resist change because of its negative consequences. Every person reacts to change differently. The leader of the organization needs to identify the different responses of the employees and be able to deal with their issues and concerns. The most important response that the leader must be prepared for is resistance. Employees may perceive change as endangering their livelihoods and their workplace social arrangements, or their status in the organization. Others know that their specialized skills will be rendered less valuable after a major change. The research tries to find the relation between organizational culture where employees used to work, and the organizational changes. Hofstede dimensions is used to characterized the organizational culture to and relate kind of organizational culture with employees attitude to change. Research Objectives The research has objective of finding the relation between organizational culture and response to organizational change; the research, will determine which one of Hofstede cultural dimensions has larger weight affecting the employees reaction for change, as well as how organizational culture can affect response to change. Research Hypotheses The Research is based on two hypotheses; each of them is related together. First, considers the organizational culture and its characterization with Hofstede cultural dimensions; while the second relates organizational culture with organizational change. The two hypotheses are: H1: Organizational culture is characterized Hofstede cultural dimensions. H2: employees response to change is related with organizational culture. Conceptual Framework Many models and theories have been developed trying to look at organizational change; each is looking the process from different point of view. The modern models for organizational change are:(Kezar, 2001),(Cameron , Green, 2004) Evolutionary Teleological Life Cycle Dialectical Social Cognition Cultural Bullock and Batten, planned change; Kotter, eight steps; Beckhard and Harris, change formula; Nadler and Tushman, congruence model; William Bridges, managing the transition; Carnall, change management model; Senge, systemic model; Stacey and Shaw, complex responsive processes; Some of these approaches are discussed later; while the research is based on relating these approaches, with Hofstede cultural dimensions:(Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004) 1. Power distance 2. Uncertainty avoidance 3. Individualism 4. Masculinity Research has the roadmap as illustrated in Figure 1 . Organizational culture Organizational Change Process Hofstede cultural dimensions Characterization of organizational culture Drivers of organizational change Employee reaction Figure 1 Research road map The above figure illustrates how research theoretical framework is constructed, based on this and beginning with the concept of organizational change, forces behind organizational change is searched , its types, and theories explaining organizational changes, as well as employees response to that change. On the other hand, Hofstede cultural dimensions are studies to formulate the hypothesis linking these two concepts together. A survey is then investigates the validity of these hypothesis, in the same time if valid it will results in weight of each dimension on the response of change. Research structure The research is constructed from five chapters; first chapter introduces a research problem statement; research objectives and conceptual framework; the second chapter introduces a literature review about the organizational change, Hofstede cultural dimensions, and employees response to change, the operational definitions are stated with the most suitable form research point of view. Chapter three discussed the research methodology, method, and sampling; data collection plan and data analysis is stated as well. Findings of the research are presented in chapter four, as well as the analysis of the data. Finally, chapter five is the conclusion ad recommendations. Chapter 2 Literature Review Introduction In this chapter, a review of literature is introduced; the review includes references of books and scientific publications in recent years. As well, definitions of keywords are introduced, based on operational definitions of terms used in the research. What is Organizational change? Organizational change can be defined as the difference in form, quality, or state over time in an organizational entity.(de Ven, Andrew, 2004) where Culture is defined as a set of meanings and values shared by a group of people.(Alvesson, 2002), so relating the organizational change to organizational culture we can define organizational culture as a specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization. ; the research will define the point under consideration of resistance to change as a Negative emotional, cognitive, and intentional responses to change (de Ven, Andrew, 2004) where magnitude of change is the magnitude of change represents a continuum ranging from fine-tuning changes, such as employee training, to radical organizational changes, such as reengineering and mergers. Changes (Pasmore, Woodman, 2007). Organizational change models Modeling the process of change is an important issue; this modeling can facilitate the process of monitoring change, assessing the results (for both Macro and micro levels); models also can explain the reason behind changes happen, its driving forces, and its consequences. The following sections discusses the early theories addressed the organizational change, followed by discussing the modern theories. Categories of Theories and Models of Organizational Change Evolutionary model The model assumes that the change process is dependent on circumstances, situational variables, and the environment faced by each organization. Social systems as diversified, interdependent, complex systems evolve over time naturally. However, evolution is deterministic, and people have only a minor impact on the nature and direction of the change process. The model focus on the inability of organizations to plan for and respond to change, and their tendency to manage change as it occurs. The emphasis is on a slow process, rather than discrete events or activities. Change happens because the environment demands change for survival. The assumptions in these theories range from managers having no ability to influence adaptability to managers having significant ability to be proactive, anticipating changes in the environment. As seen ; The theory ignores important environmental variables, and ignores the complexity of organizational life (Kezar, 2001) by focusing on a few factors within the external and internal environment, such as resources and size of organization. Environmental disturbance and constraints are overemphasized. Teleological model The model assumes that organizations are purposeful and adaptive. Change occurs because leaders, change agents, and others see the necessity of change. The process for change is rational and linear, as in evolutionary models, but individual managers are much more instrumental to the process. Internal organizational features or decisions, rather than the external environment, motivate change. Key aspects of the change process include planning, assessment, incentives and rewards, stakeholder analysis and engagement, leadership, scanning, strategy, restructuring, and reengineering. At the center of the process is the leader, who aligns goals, sets expectations, models, communicates, engages, and rewards. Strategic choices and human creativity are highlighted. Goal formation, implementation, evaluation, and modification based on experience are an ongoing process. New additions to the repertoire of management tools include collaborative culture definition, large group engagement processes, and individual in-depth interventions. The outcome of the change process is similar to that in evolutionary models: new structures or organizing principles.(Kezar, 2001) Based on above , it can be concluded that , the model analyzes the change process strategy as based on technological terms like reengineering, planning, assessment, restructuring; which is more realistic than other psychological terms like motivation. It also assumes that the process of change is controllable by managers and stockholders. The emphasis on the role of people and individual attitudes to the change process was introduced, especially in research on resistance to change. The ability to, at times, forecast or identifies the need for change was an important contribution, helping organizations to survive and prosper in what otherwise would have been difficult times. The main criticisms relate to the overly rational and linear process of change described within the model. Researchers of second-order change demonstrate a chaotic process and find management models to be lacking needed information on the importance of culture and social cognition.(Kezar, 2001) Dialectical model The model assumes that organizations pass through long periods of evolutionary change and short periods of revolutionary change, when there is an impasse between the two perspectives. An organizations polar opposite belief systems eventually clash resulting in radical change. Conflict is seen as an inherent attribute of human interaction. The outcome of change is a modified organizational ideology or identity. Predominant change processes are bargaining, consciousness-raising, persuasion, influence and power, and social movements. Leaders are the key within any social movement and are a central part of these models .collective action is usually the primary focus. Progress and rationality are not necessarily part of this theory of change; dialectical conflict does not necessarily produce a better organization.(Kezar, 2001) It is seen that, this model provided explanation for regressive change and highlighted irrationality.(Kezar, 2001) The model does not take the effect of the environment upon the change processes. Cultural model Most models of change describe organizations as rational places with norms and rules. The major contribution of cultural models to the change literatures their emphasis on irrationality (also emphasized in dialectical models), the spirit, or unconscious, and the fluidity and complexity of organizations. The model assumes that change occurs naturally as a response to alterations in the human environment; cultures are always changing. Cultural and dialectical models often overlap with the image of social movements as an analogy for cultural and political change. The change process tends to be long-term and slow. Change within an organization entails alteration of values, beliefs, myths, and rituals. There is an emphasis on the symbolic nature of organizations, rather than the structural, human, or cognitive aspects emphasized within earlier theories. History and traditions are important to understand, as they represent the collection of change processes over time.(Kezar, 2001) Change can be planned or unplanned, can be regressive or progressive, and can contain intended or unintended outcomes and actions. Change tends to be nonlinear, irrational, non-predictable, ongoing, and dynamic. Some cultural models focus on the leaders ability to translate the change to individuals throughout the organizations through the use of symbolic actions, language as the key to creating change. If there is an external motivator, it tends to be legitimacy, which is the primary motivator within the cultural model, rather than profit or productivity, which exemplify the teleological and environmental models. It is obvious that the model simplifies the culture as it can be easily handled or understood; but this actually not the case; other complex models to handle culture effect on change is introduces but not easy to apply. Organizational change theories and models (Cameron , Green, 2004) Lewin, three-step model: organism, machine Kurt Lewin developed his ideas about organizational change from the perspective of the organism metaphor. His model of organizational change is well known and much quoted by managers. Lewin is responsible for introducing force field analysis, which examines the driving and resisting forces in any change situation. The underlying principle is that driving forces must outweigh resisting forces in any situation if change is to happen. it assumes that ; if the desire of a manager is to speed up the executive reporting process, then either the driving forces need to be augmented or the resisting forces decreased; or even better, both of these must happen. Lewin proposed that organizational changes have three steps. The first step involves unfreezing the current state of interactions. This means defining the current state, surfacing the driving, resisting forces, and picturing a desired end-state. The second step is about moving to a new state through participation and involvement. The third step focuses on refreezing and stabilizing the new state of affairs by setting policy, rewarding success, and establishing new standards. Figure 2 Lewins three-step model Source: Lewin (1951) Lewins model is good, and can be considered as a fundamental base for further study or theory The model is seen as plan of actions, which can be used to make the change, rather than a model of change Model. It also ignores the assumption of the organism metaphor that groups of people will change only if there is a felt need to do so. (Mills, Dye and Mills, 2009) The change process can then turn into an un-well studied plan that does not tackle resistance and fails to harness the energy of the key players. The effect of culture also is ignored in this model. Bullock and Batten, planned change: machine Bullock and Battens (1985) phases of planned change draw on the disciplines of project management; there are many similar steps to changing your organization models. This particular approach implies the use of the machine metaphor of organizations. The model assumes that change can be defined and moved towards in a planned way. A project management approach simplifies the change process by isolating one part of the organizational machinery in order to make necessary changes, for example developing leadership skills in middle management, or reorganizing the sales team to give more engine power to key sales accounts. this approach implies that the organizational change is a technical problem that can be solved with a definable technical solution. The approach also simplify the process of change , but it can not handle complex situation for organizational change , i.e. when organization has complex situation of changing where change drivers and forces are unknown Kotter, eight-steps: machine, political, organism Kotters (1995) proposed eight steps to make change in organization; his model is derived from analysis of his consulting practice with 100 different organizations going through change. His research highlighted eight key lessons, and he converted these into a useful eight-step model. The eight steps are: Establish a sense of urgency, felt-need for change. Form a powerful guiding group. Assembling a powerful group of people who can work well together. Create a vision. Building a vision to guide the change effort together with strategies for achieving this. Communicate the vision. Kotter emphasizes the need to communicate at least 10 times the amount you expect to have to communicate. The vision and accompanying strategies and new behaviors need to be communicated in a variety of different ways. Empower others to act on the vision. This step includes getting rid of obstacles to change such as unhelpful structures or systems. Allow people to experiment. Plan for and create short-term wins. Look for and advertise short-term visible improvements. Plan these in and reward people publicly for improvements. Consolidate improvements and produce still more change. Promote and reward those able to promote and work towards the vision. Energize the process of change with new projects, resources. Institutionalize new approaches. Ensure that everyone understands that the new behaviors lead to corporate success. This eight-step model gives more defined and detailed procedure for change process; the steps are clear and well defined; but it may take more time to implement and, maybe, it would be difficult to follow strictly. The approach did not refer to the situation of inability of achieving one-step; and how it can be handled. Beckhard and Harris, change formula: organism Beckhard and Harris (1987) developed a formula of change that defines some parameters to take into consideration Figure 3. Figure 3 Source: (Cameron , Green, 2004) Factors A, B, and D must outweigh the perceived costs X for the change to occur. If any person or group whose commitment needed is not sufficiently dissatisfied with the present state of affairs A, eager to achieve the proposed end state B and convinced of the feasibility of the change D, then the cost X of changing is too high, and that person will resist the change. Resistance is normal and to be expected in any change effort. Resistance to change takes many forms; change managers need to analyze the type of resistance in order to work with it, reduce it, and secure the need for commitment from the resistant party. The formula is sometimes written (A x B x D) > X. This adds something useful to the original formula. The multiplication implies that if any one factor is zero or near zero, the product will also be zero or near zero and the resistance to change will not be overcome. This means that if the vision is not clear, or dissatisfaction with the current state is not felt, or the plan is obscure, the likelihood of change is severely reduced. These factors (A, B, D) do not compensate for each other if one is low. All factors need to have weight. This formula is simple but in the same time useful. It illustrates the factors affecting change process; if each party in the process applies in this formula, it will help determining the weak points, and help enhance the performance in each phase of change. On the other hand; the formula gives each factor the same weight, and did not correlate any of these factors together; which may be in accurate. Stacey and Shaw, complex responsive processes There is yet another school of thought represented by people such as Ralph Stacey (2001) and Patricia Shaw (2002). These writers use the metaphor of flux and transformation to view organizations. The implications of this mode of thinking for those interested in managing and enabling change are significant: Change, or a new order of things, will emerge naturally from clean communication, conflict, and tension (not too much). As a manager, you are not outside of the system, controlling it, or planning to alter it, you are part of the whole environment. In Patricia Shaws book Changing Conversations in Organizations, rather than address the traditional questions of How do we manage change? she addresses the question, How do we participate in the ways things change over time? This writing deals bravely with the paradox that our interaction, no matter how considered or passionate, is always evolving in ways that we cannot control or predict in the longer term, no matter how sophisticated our planning tools. As a first look, the model seems to be passive one; it discards the ability of making change goes as we want; also, it assumes that change is an ongoing process by itself, we have no control upon it; all we have to do is to watch and participate in it with a limited role. This can be translated to practical as follow: Managers have to decide what business the organization is in, and stretch peoples thinking on how to adapt to this. Ensure that there is a high level of connectivity between different parts of the organization, encouraging feedback, optimizing information flow, enabling learning. Focus peoples attention on important differences between current and desired performance, between different styles of work and between past and present outcomes. Characterization of organizational culture On the other hand Hofstede cultural dimensions will be used to characterize the organizational culture and can be defined as psychological dimensions, or value constructs, which can be used to describe a specific culture (Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004). where Hofstede has defined 4 dimensions to define culture ,first is the Power distance is The extent to which a society accepts that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally.(Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004), second dimension is uncertainty avoidance, is the extent to which a society feels threatened by uncertain or ambiguous situations. (Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004), third dimension is Individualism, which is loosely knit social framework in a society in which people are supposed to take care of themselves and of their immediate families only.(Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004); and Collectivism, which is the opposite, occurs when there is a tight social framework in which people distinguis h between in-groups and out-groups; they expect their in-group (relatives, clan, organizations) to look after them, and in exchange for that owe absolute loyalty to it .finally; masculinity is The extent to which the dominant values in society are assertiveness, money, and material things, not caring for others, quality of life, and people. (Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004) Hofstede cultural dimensions The pioneering work on cultural measurement could be credited to Hofstede (1980). In the earlier stage, Hofstede identified four dimensions of culture and highlights the most important culture differences in a multinational organization. The four dimensions are individualism versus collectivism, power distance, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity and femininity. These four dimensions were initially detected through the comparison of the value among the employees and managers working in 53 national subsidiaries of the IBM Corporation. Dr. Geert Hofstede, believes that culture counts and has identified four dimensions of national culture:(Harris, Moran , Moran, Judith, 2004) 1. Power distance: indicates the extent to which a society accepts that power in institutions and organizations is distributed unequally. 2. Uncertainty avoidance: indicates the extent to which a society feels threatened by uncertain or ambiguous situations. 3. Individualism: refers to a loosely knit social framework in a society in which people are supposed to take care of themselves and of their immediate families only. Collectivism, the opposite, occurs when there is a tight social framework in which people distinguish between in-groups and out-groups; they expect their in-group (relatives, clan, organizations) to look after them, and in exchange for that owe absolute loyalty to it. 4. Masculinity: with its opposite pole, femininity, expresses the extent to which the dominant values in society are assertiveness, money and material things, not caring for others, quality of life, and people. Criticism of Hofstedes cultural dimensions Hofstedes work on culture is the most widely cited in most of studies. His observations and analysis provide scholars with a highly valuable insight into the dynamics of cross-cultural relationships. However, his work does not escape criticism. In this section, most of criticized points will be listed and discussed.(Jones , 2007) Relevancy Many researchers allude a survey is not an appropriate instrument for accurately determining and measuring cultural disparity. This is especially apparent when the variable being measured is a value which culturally sensitive and subjective. Hofstede addresses this criticism saying that surveys are one method, but not the only method that was used. During the time of its delivery, there was very little work on culture, and at this time many businesses were just entering the international arena and were experiencing difficulties; they were crying out for credible advice. Hofstedes work met and exceeded this demand for guidance. This actually is very convincing for researcher to base their research on Hofstedes work. Cultural Homogeneity This criticism is perhaps the most popular. Hofstedes study assumes the domestic population is a homogenous whole. However, most nations are groups of ethnic units. Analysis is therefore constrained by the character of the individual being assessed; the outcomes have a possibility of arbitrariness. On the other hand, Hofstede tends to ignore the importance of community, and the variations of the community influences. This critic is somewhat true; but if we will speak about the majority of groups within one culture; as well as the probability of being the individual have the common features of his culture, I do believe that is worth to pursue Hofstedes work. National Divisions Nations are not the proper units of analysis, as cultures are not necessarily bounded by borders. Recent research (Jones , 2007) has found that culture is in fact fragmented across group and national lines. Hofstede points out however that national identity is the only means we have of identifying and measuring cultural differences. This is true, as we can agree that national identity is not the only mean to measure cultural differences; but it is one of them, hence the model still valid , may be less accurate but reliable. One Company Approach A study fixated on only one company cannot possibly provide information on the entire cultural system of a country. Hofstede said he was not making an absolute measure, he was merely gauging differences between cultures, and this style of cross-sectional analysis was appropriate. However, this international organization is worldwide spread, and is considered as a typical example of cultural diversity, so it worth to be considered. Out-dated Some researchers have claimed that the study is too old to be of any modern value, particularly with todays rapidly changing global environments, internationalization, and convergence. Hofstede countered saying that the cross-cultural outcomes were based on centuries of indoctrination, recent replications (Jones , 2007), (Nakata, 2009) have supported the fact that culture will not change overnight. Conclusion about Hofstedes cultural dimensions It is obvious that more research is needed to evaluate culture in terms of contemporary standards. However, Hofstedes work has controversy surroundings; the work is still quite high, as it remains the most valuable work on culture. Based on the theoretical and practical value of Hofstedes work, research hypothesis refers to its effect on employs reaction toward organizational changes; and this will be investigated. Resistance to change Resistance to change has been an important area of inquiry. In fact, the importance placed on this issue might lead one to believe that resistance is inevitable when change is being implemented. Newer research (Mills, Dye and Mills, 2009) indicates that this is not always so. On the contrary, some people embrace change and become bored and uninterested if change is not imminent. Some researchers (Wei , 2003) argue that the younger generations of workers are more used to a constant rate of change, are more adept at change, and actually expect to be moving forward constantly. Despite this, resistance to change can and does occur just not all the time by everybody. Given that, resistance to change can be a very real problem for those leading change. Patrick Connor and Linda Lake argue that; (Mills, Dye and Mills, 2009) people tend to resist change or alterations of the status quo. This resistance is broader than simple opposition to a particular change; more widespread than a particular groups or individuals refusal to accept a specific change. There is simply the wish in most people to maintain the consistency and comfort that the status quo holds. This generalized resistance to change stems from a variety of sources. Although their theory of resistance is one of the many that seem to indicate all people will resist change all of the time, their framework is still quite helpful. It creates a framework for understanding why resistance may be happening, when it happens. Employees response to change There are three general forms of responses to system changes: (de Ven, Andrew, 2004) Negative feedback loops. These system responses attempt to attenuate or eliminate the impact of the change on the system. Positive feedback loops. These system responses magnify the impact of the change on the system. This can be in the form of switching (before, during, or after the event) to alternative structures or functions, increased disorder beyond what is directly produced by the change event itself and, if the increased disorder is extreme enough, either creative innovation or collapse. No response. The system may give no apparent response to a given event: This may occur because either the group failed to note the event, or assumed it would not alter the groups fitness landscape, or, Some feature of the groups history, its self-regulatory processes, and/or its routines prevented or impeded response. Alternatively, an apparent no response may be an artifact of the observation process.

Alcohol Abuse :: essays research papers

Alcohol Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alcohol abuse is a very dangerous condition in that it can cause many problems in a persons life and affect many aspects of their lifestyle. Alcoholism (or alcohol abuse) somehow effects everyone's life at some point in time; through a parent, a sibling, a friend, or even personal encounters. Alcohol abuse, as a medical diagnosis, refers to a pattern of behavior characterized by excessive alcohol consumption. This consumption can occur at regular intervals, regular weekend intervals, or during binges, which are considered as being intoxicated for at least two successive days. Difficulty in stopping, reducing the amount of alcohol use, and impaired social/occupational role functioning are all characteristics of alcohol abuse.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A number of theories in the medical feild are used to explain alcohol abuse. These are the biologic-genetic model, learning/social model, the psychodynamic model, and the multidimensional model (McFarland 457). Each different model, for alcoholism have varied explanations as to how and why people use and abuse alcohol.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The biologic-genetic model states that there is a specific genetic vulnerability for alcoholism. There has been extensive studies on factors in the genes that could determine or influence the use of alcohol from generation to generation. However, these studies have shown no hard evidence for an association between alcoholism and inherited factors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The learning and social model proposes that alcoholism is a process that is slowly developed within a social situation or atmosphere. This model of alcoholism has also been researched by using both human and animal subjects. A conditioning model of alcohol tolerance has demonstrated that specific cues from the environment such as odor, sight, and taste, produce a stimulus that results in alcohol consumption. If ethanol, the addictive ingredient in alcohol , is not supplied, a psychological compensatory response called a craving is produced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The psychodynamic model of alcoholism proposes that problematic child rearing practices produce psychosexual maldevelopment and dependence/independece conflicts. It is believed that while habitual alcohol use is in process, the habitual drinker may use behavior such as exaggeration, denial, rationalization, and affiliation with socially deviant groups. Results of these behaviors may include decreased work efficiency, job loss, alienation of friends and family, or even hospitalization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The multidimensional model of alcoholism combines the interaction of biological, behavioral, and sociocultural factors. These three factors contribute together to make the strongest model, in which most alcoholics fit. The biological model relates to the progression from occasional initial relief drinking, to the increase of tolerance, and from loss of memory during heavy drinking periods to an urgency of drinking. The behavioral model is helpful in the identification of high-risk situations, in which alcoholics are most likely

Eric Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial Development Essay -- Erikson’s Ei

According to Eric Erikson, there are eight different social stages a person must go through as they mature. Each stage has a positive characteristic and a negative characteristic. If positive characteristics are fulfilled then their future will look good. So to what extent can the lack of reinforcement to the positive characteristics of Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development effect you? The effects can be quite horrifying. Especially if all of the stages the only characteristics fulfilled are the negative aspects. Erikson’s first stage was trust verses mistrust and it occurred from zero to 18 months of age. The point of this stage is to establish trust. Erikson believed this was the most important period in a person’s life. Since a baby depends entirely on his/her parents, the care giving plays an important role in the shaping of this stage (Cherry, 2011). If the child successfully develops trust then the child will feel safe and secure in the world, but the lack can lead to thoughts of an inconsistent and unpredictable world (Cherry, 2011). In the business world, the lack of trust can create a whole new problem. The lack of trust can lead to the â€Å"†¦unseen cost in life and business†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as said by Stephen Covey (2006). Lack of trust creates â€Å"†¦hidden agendas and a guarded communication, which slows the decision-making process† (Covey, 2006). When there isn’t trust in a situation, it hinders productivity, innovation (Covey, 2006). The second stage is autonomy verses shame and doubt. This occurs from about 18 months of age to 3 years old. The basic virtue of this stage is will; can they do things on their own or do they require the help of others? Erikson believed that children around this age wanted to develop a greater sense... ...r past with little or no regrets and will be satisfied overall. If a person is unsuccessful in this phase they will feel that they wasted their life and they will only think of regrets. They will feel despair (Cherry, 2011). Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development were complex, but simple. It is something everyone will go through and experiences will always be different. The lack of reinforcement to the positive aspects of his stages can lead to quite a disaster. Surprisingly, previous stages are highly influential to the proceeding stage. The lack of reinforcement to the positive aspects of his psychosocial stages can have a very devastating effect on a person. This is because the effects built up rather than taking the place of one another. The effects are quite horrifying, but with the right environment, experiences and beliefs, everything can go well.