Leadership and Management

ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management: |Centre Number: |R31609 | |Centre Name: |Leeds Metropolitan Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Centre | |Student Name: |Alexandra Hunt | |Leeds Met Student ID: |33251825 | |Student Date of Birth: |15/01/1991 | |Student Email Address: |a. [email  protected] leedsmet. ac. uk | |Gender: |Female | |Assessment Summary | | | |This task requires you to develop and demonstrate your skills or potential skills in leading and building an effective team.In order to gain the ILM 3 | |Award in Leadership and Management you will need to complete and pass a number of questions in this short question test. | | | |Note: To complete the task you will need to draw upon your personal experiences in, for example; a part-time job, voluntary work, other groups (e. g. sports| |teams), and leadership you have observed, are familiar with or have read about. |Understanding Leadership Styles | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe the factors that will infl uence the choice of leadership styles or behaviours in workplace situations | |Question 1: |Describe 2 factors that will influence the choice of leadership styles or behaviours in workplace situations (approximately 100 | | |words) | |If the person is in a situation where a decision needs to be made fast for example a paramedic may use an autocratic leadership style due to being in an | |emergency and needing to work objectively and quickly. | |During my 12 months placement I was working as recruitment consultant, a paternalistic leadership style on reflection was what I used when speaking to | |potential candidates, as it involved me using a lot of enthusiasm and persuasion. I need to use perceptive skills in order to pick up how the candidate was| |reacting and if it was a warm lead or a dead cold call. | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain why these leadership styles or behaviours are likely to have a positive or negative effect on individual and group behaviour | |Question 2: |Following on from the previous question, please explain why these leadership styles or behaviours are likely to have a positive or | | |negative effect on individual or group behaviour (approximately 100 words) | |A con of using autocratic leadership style would mean that you may miss good ideas, and does not encourage team work, so often taking on a heavier work | |load yourself as you put the team in a position where they are needing constant supervision and approval from the autocratic leader. |A con of paternalistic leadership is that the selling only lasts as long as you are on the phone or are around for, and some candidates/people are not easy| |selling targets, you also may waste your time persuading them without gaining any commitment – which came across me time and time again when working as a | |recruitment consultant. | | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Assess own leadership behaviours and potential in the context of a particular leadership model, using feedback from others | |Question 3: |Assess your own leadership behaviours and potential in relation to a leadership model discussed on the programme.Your reflection | | |should be based on what previous team members have fed back to you (approximately 100 words) | |At university currently we are participating in a module called consultancy project, whereby as group we have to write a report, research and offer | |recommendations to a real life client. Over the 4 months we have had 2 peers assessments and my feedback fits into the empowering leadership style, I have | |gained 100% commitment from the client and my team, I have motivated all my team members giving them guidance and reassurance when writing the report and | |they do trust my decisions that I have made. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe appropriate actions to enhance own leadership behaviour in the context of the particular leadership model | |Question 4: |Describe at least 2 appropriate actions to enhance your own leadersh ip behaviour in the context of a leadership model discussed on | | |the programme (approximately 100 words) | |To enhance my leadership skills I think I firstly need to take a more asking approach instead of getting so stressed myself without even consulting the | |other group members. Sometimes I tend to take it all upon myself without building the rest of the teams effort. | |Sometimes also using an autocratic style might be worth it, due to recently working with a team member who does not seem to put as much effort in as the | |others, to improve the group and work on my leadership styles he may respond to getting things done and meet objectives if I set them for him, this is | |something I will take with me and use to improve my group work with. | | | | | | | | |Understanding the Communication Process in the Workplace | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the importance of effective communication in the workplace | |Question 1: |Explain the importance of effective communication in the workplace (approximately 100 words) | |If communication in the workplace is bad it can have several effects such as decreased productivity, low morale and mistakes made. Communication is the key| |to running a successful business or project, it dismisses the pportunity for any important project to jeopardised (Allen Webster) | |High Productivity: the goal of any business, poor communication causes a breakdown in productivity resulting in profit loss or time loss. | |Morale: Not understanding a task causes low morale, as it makes employees feel confused and question wether they can contribute to the job role or not | |which leads to low self esteem. Tasks must be received in a clear concise manner focusing on the manager or the leaders communicative skills when | |surpassing important information. | |Mistakes: Written communication is essential and when writing emails which are now such a frequent task, you must be careful in choice of wording to ensure| |the email is not mi sunderstood or it can lead to unnecessary mistakes in the workplace. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe the stages in the communication cycle | |Question 2: |Describe the stages in the communication cycle (approximately 100 words) | |The basic flow of communication: | |Sender –> Message –> Transmission –> Recipient –> Receiver | | | | | |In this flow the sender sends a message to the receiver and then they can share feedback on the communication process. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Identify possible barriers to communication in the workplace | |Question 3: |Describe two possible barriers to communication in the workplace (approximately 100 words) | |Environmental Barriers: The things that surround us, which prevent us from receiving the speaker’s message for example, other peoples conversation, time | |pressures, the weather, physical discomfort in the room you are sat in. – External barriers. | |Environmental barriers are related to the listener such as how the listener is feeling at the time. |Attitudinal Barriers: The thoughts and feelings going on inside our heads which prevent us from listening, for example boredom, you do not like the person | |who is speaking, – internal barriers. | |Attitudinal Barriers have a lot to do with the mood and beliefs of the listener. | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain how to overcome a potential barrier to communication | |Question 4: |Explain how to overcome a potential barrier to communication (approximately 100 words) | |Effective communication requires listening and strong concentration.So it is important when receiving information, to ensure that the conditions are | |conducive to listening. ILM 3 has taught me that when important conversations are taking place and you are not in the right frame of mind due to | |attitudinal barriers be prepared to take them offline. You can also use the 6 steps to hearing attention, to improve your communication when needed m ost. | |For example an improved step I should take is be aware when it is getting to deep for me, and I tend to switch off when it gets to complicated or complex. | |This is something I need to work on to improve my communication skill set and follow through on challenging tasks that I need to complete. | | | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe the main methods of written and oral communication in the workplace and their uses | |Question 5: |Describe the main methods of written and oral communication in the workplace and their uses (approximately 100 words) | |Written Communication: This should be used when needing to provide detailed information, such as figures and facts. Written communication is useful during | |briefs, it is useful when conducting a presentation to send extra written information out, the main use is when needing to refer back to it throughout a | |project or at a later date you can do, without having to ask the same questions again or repeat yourself. | |Or al Communication: This can be used during presentations, over the phone and is main form off communication. It is verbal, vocal and visual. You can | |convey the information you want to surpass on with passion and conviction and can be sure to get your message across clearly without any errors by using | |the tones in your voice. | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of written methods of communication | |Question 6: |Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of written methods of communication (approximately 100 words) | |Advantages: Can store and be used at a later date. | |Easy to provide detailed information such as facts and figures | |Easy to pass on information from a third party. | | | |Disadvantages: Do not know if the information as been received unless a reply is needed. | |Writing skills are often difficult develop | |Poorly written documents can cost money. | | | | | | | | | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of oral communication | |Question 7: |Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of oral communication (approximately 100 words) | |Advantages: Easy and quick | |Can communicate your point without much room for misunderstanding. |Can be given constructive feedback after a presentation from managers or vies versa | | | |Disadvantages: Need effective listening to be active and cannot always predict | | | | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain how non-verbal communication can influence the effectiveness of oral communication | |Question 8: |Explain how non-verbal communication can influence the effectiveness of oral communication (approximately 100 words) | |A mixed message can occur when a persons body maybe ‘talking’, and when people do speak their bodies sometimes can say different things. For example eye | |contact is sign of confidence which much be used when attending interviews. | |At times a persons body maybe talking wh en they are actually sitting in silence. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the value of feedback in ensuring effective communication | |Question 9: |Explain the value of feedback in ensuring effective communication (approximately 100 words) | |Constructive feedback is a positive way to improve somebodies skill set. When feedback is communicated effectively it can keep some goal orientated. When | |feeding back you must focus on specific behaviours rather than making general statements however still aiming to keep it impersonal. Always ask questions | |to ensure the person understands the feedback and make sure they do not feel like that have been attacked in a negative way. The value of constructive | |feedback is the key to improvement. | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Assess own performance in a frequently used method of communication. Outline actions to improve own performance in communicating | |Question 10: |Assess your own performance (identifying your strengths and weaknes ses) in one frequently used method of communication. Possible | | |methods include; verbal communication, e-mail, telephone etc. Then state two ways in which you could improve your performance as a | | |communicator when using this method. |Written Communication | | | |Strengths – I have managed to establish relationships over email a varied amount of time throughout my 12 month placement, and I have managed to keep a | |professional working relationships with these people, via Linked In, and I feel confident that if I needed there support I would be able to rely upon them | |for advice and support even 12 months later. This shows I have conveyed my personality through email and have managed to be personable and approachable | |through my writing skills. | | |Weaknesses | |My spelling and grammatical errors I something I need to be aware off, I tend to rush many emails, and this cannot look when speaking to a professional | |body as it undermines the content of my email. | |Due to emailing tutors and friends from all over the world, I need to make sure I distinguish the difference between a friendly more informal email to a | |formal email, for example ending an email with Kind Regards and Many thanks, can change the way you want your whole email to come across. So being specific| |with my language is key. | |I have learnt during the ILM course to use the P. O. W. E.R | |Understand How to Establish an Effective Team | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the benefits of effective working relationships in developing and maintaining the team | |Question 1: |Explain the benefits of effective working relationships in developing and maintaining the team (approximately 100 words) | |Bellman and Ryan define an extraordinary group as on which: | |‘Achieves outstanding results while members experience a profound shift in how they see their world’. | |Extraordinary groups are not only productive as employees, but also develop personally during there p articipation. |Authors suggest that effective team work can exhibit these common factors, | |Full engagement, shared leadership, embracing differences etc | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe behaviours which could develop and maintain trust at work | |Question 2: |Describe behaviours which could develop and maintain trust at work (approximately 100 words) | |During team work you spend many hours in creative and energised environment – you get to know each others strengths and weaknesses and become a small | |support network for each other. This enables the employees to form connections which go deeper than usual work relationships. Through my own experience of | |working in a team this year, it has evolved into a long term friendship on a personal level outside of the group work at university. |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the role of communication in developing effective team working | |Question 3: |Explain the role of communication in developing effective team working (ap proximately 100 words) | |Strong communication during team work can ensure that the team know and understand your visions and goals, and how you see the project going. This can make| |it easier when needing to combine an overall aim and setting various objectives. It means that you can achieve something together with no confusion and a | |mutual agreement. |Communication and personable behaviour can lead to strong support networks around, and creating a more confident and friendly environment to work in. | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the differences between a group and a team | |Question 4: |Explain the differences between a group and a team (approximately 100 words) | |A team is internally organised, with specific goals and usually specific roles for different members of the team. A group is a collection of people with | |something in common something as simple as being in the same place or having a shared interest. | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe the stages of an esta blished model of group formation | |Question 5: |Describe the stages of Tuckman’s model of group formation (approximately 100 words) | |Tuckman believes that all teams pass through four stages of development, gradually becoming more effective as the dynamics of the team change dramatically | |from periods of inefficiency and uneasiness through to a high period of performance. | |The four stages are as follows. |Forming: Uncertainty about roles, looking outside for guidance. | |Storming: Growing confidence in team, rejecting outside authority | |Norming: Concern about being different, wanting to be part of a team | |Performing: Concern with getting the job done | | | |He believes that a team will not be fully effective unless it reaches he stage of performing. Unless the four stage process is completed teams may | |degenerate too back into storming. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain how a manager could benefit from knowing team members’ preferred roles as defined i n an established team role model | |Question 6: |Explain how a manager could benefit from knowing team members’ preferred roles as defined in an established team role model, such as | | |Belbin’s model (approximately 100 words) | |If a manager can determine what roles are preferred by each team member they are able to have a strong insight into what is going on and who to go to for | |certain questions. For example if somebody is strong and enjoy financial analysis it makes it easier for the manager to delegate this to the team rather | |them than having to form together and get to know each other before assigning each other roles. Also if something goes the wrong the manager knows who to | |go to. | | |Belbin believes that new team members should be selected so that there is a balance both in terms of skill sets and team roles – if the manager knows what | |is missing he will be able to make an outside confirmed choice of what is needed in the team. | |Also ea ch role has its weaknesses. Knowing these weaknesses is useful for planning to avoid potential difficulties and for helping individuals develop – I | |personally feel this is the managers role. | | | | | Leadership and management Leadership has been the subject for quite some time now. Management experts have shown how leadership is important for organisations and how leaders emerge. There has been a debate on whether leaders are born or are trained to take on leadership roles. It has also been argued whether leaders are charismatic individuals or those who are highly skilled. Gibbons 1992 discusses how organisational roles shape the nature of leadership. Those in entrepreneurial positions are leaders who are risk takers; where as those who are in the supervisory roles tend to be those who conform to rules. George 1992 however takes the view that personality shapes leadership more than other traits. Leaders have been known to be persuasive, committed and visionary people and examples like Napoleon, Lincoln and Gandhi are often chosen to show how personality matters in Leadership roles. Management on the other hand is the ability to reach defined objectives using resources available. Managerial roles have not been seen as charismatic roles, they are more often than not logistical roles that skilled people occupy to be able to take the organisation toward its defined goals. Alvesson and Sveningsson 2003 examine the role of managers in providing leadership. In the modern context, managers are often asked to bear the responsibility of providing leadership in organisations. Today’s corporate manager is seen as a strategist and not someone who necessarily has all the traditional traits of being a leader. Management and Leadership: Similarities Management today is responsible for all the original roles that leadership played. Ohmae 1999 explains how today’s globalized world places different demands on those in power and occupying strategic roles in organisations. Management is responsible for hiring, training and nurturing talent by way of organising and supporting human resources. The manager is also someone who defines company policy in the context of laws and regulations that exist. Also managers are responsible for a long-term business plan that ensures the organisation keeps growing. In modern firms where a large number of employees work together across the globe, the dividing line between managers and leaders gets blurred and modern technology helps all managers communicate as effectively as leaders would have. Therefore today, the gap between leaderships and management is closing because of these growing similarities. Management and Leadership: Differences However there continue to be differences. Leadership is often a position that is acquired through informal developments that give certain people power. Management gives responsibility and authority. Leadership is what defines the long-term mission of organisations while management ensures that these goals are reached most effectively. Management requires specific skills and tools while leadership requires a set of traits that enable the leader lead from the front and do so in a manner that appeals to the entire team. Management is responsible for team building while leadership ensures that the team stays motivated and passionate about its tasks. Management is responsible largely to the shareholders while leaders must take into consideration all stakeholders. In today’s world where firms face pressure from voters, civil society organisations, the media and consumers, it is critical that top management take on a role where they act as spokespersons and ensure that such pressures do not act detrimentally to the interests of the firm. Leadership is often seen as a trait that is a function of the specific time and place and leaders bring special traits that enable them to operate successfully in the given context. Management however is a science that allows managers to operate efficiently anytime and in the globalized context, at any place where they apply the principles of management to generate efficiency. Leaders necessarily need to be good communicators, writers and speakers. Managers need to be clear in what they articulate not necessarily spectacular. Leaders inspire where as managers report. However any growing organisation today requires both leaders and managers. Those firms where managers take the leadership role find the going easier than others. But there are clear roles that both occupy. For firms to grow, in different markets and ensure that growth is sustainable, there is an active involvement from both managers and leaders in defining and implementing strategy. It is firms that are able to generate leaders and nurture managers who would perform well in the marketplace. Reference: Alvesson M and Sveningsson S, 2003, Managers Doing Leadership: The Extra-Ordinarization of the Mundane, Human Relations Gibbons P T, 1992, Impacts of Organizational Evolution on Leadership Roles and Behaviors, Human Relations J. M. George J M, 1992, The Role of Personality in Organizational Life: Issues and Evidence, Journal of Management Ohmae, K. 1999. ‘The Borderless World: Power and Strategy in the Interlinked Economy’. New York: Harper Business. Leadership and Management There are several subtle differences between the concepts of leadership and management. The functions and actions of each title differ in their foundation, expectation and execution. Those positions which exist under each title also differ – in their expectations, and motivations.   It is my goal, through achieving an MBA to develop a cohesion between these two roles in my work, and career endeavors. Leadership is less like a role, than it is an occasional action. (McCrimmon) It is the intention of a leader to inspire his or her followers to achieve their common goals. The focus of a leader is on the entirety of a project or goal. The followers, under the guides of leadership, assume the responsibility of carrying out the necessary actions required to achieve whatever goal is at hand. (CM) Management, on the other hand, handles the delegation of authority differently. Managers are concerned with all levels in the chain of command. Unlike the leaders, managers have subordinates – which, differing from followers, have much less personal inspiration for the work at hand. Managers have to overcome their subordinates’ personal desires with incentives. â€Å"Management requires efficiency, profitability, and depends on minimal inputs for maximum returns†. (McCrimmon) These two roles share a base theory – achieve a goal through the delegation of authority. It is in the manner and execution of this, in which they differ. The effectiveness of each has been proven, and while certain situations lend themselves to a particular set of expectations, both roles can achieve most any goal. Team work, in the American culture, derives from a centralized leader, and his or her subordinates. In the business setting, this would be the group manager. A properly organized team will consist of members which are chosen for their ability to execute certain aspects of a goal with efficiency. While it can be possible for a single person to be good a multiple tasks, if the situation allows, each person would be serve the group with only one responsibility. Conflict within the group setting can offer incentive to work harder, or, reciprocally, create tension. There are two main types of conflicts: affective and substantive. (Jehn 532) Substantive conflict arises through the competition of a task assigned to the group – and often works out through group communication. Affective conflict is far more disruptive. Affective conflict arises through differences in the members of the group – be it ethnic, cultural or other difference – and can stall group production completely. It is the responsibility of leaders and managers to address and – if possible – end conflict within a group. Without the cooperation within a group, it cannot complete the tasks at hand. Therefore, effective leadership and management must be able to identify and remove the sources of conflict. Through my experience as a manager and team leader in various situations including job responsibilities, and other school functions, and responsibilities in a group (i.e. organizational meetings in which I was a leader) I had to prove myself to others that I was up for the task of being a leader.   In order to manage effectively a certain amount of conflict resolution must be incorporated into any situation. I found that the conflict resolution texts that I have read in the past (centering around Gandhi and other peaceful leaders) gave me a certain edge of understanding when it came to difficult situations.   One particular incident in which I had to utilize my conflict resolution, and leadership skills was when I was working at my first job. Although I did not hold the title of manager yet, I was a well liked fellow employ at the local video shop.   Our goal was complete and total customer satisfaction:   the policy being that the customer is typically always right and that the employee must cater to the customer’s needs.   one day, I was just clocking in for my shift.   I went to the back of the store to ask the manager what station she wanted me on that day. She said to go ahead and go up front and handle customers since she was doing inventory in the back.   I went to the front of the store where a customer was already waiting impatiently for me.   He gave me his movies to rent and I asked for his membership card.   When his account came on my screen I informed him that he owed late fees amounting to over twenty dollars.   He was irate.   He said that he did not owe any late fees, because he turned those movies in on time.   The computer held testament that he was in fact late.   The tirade continued with a slew of swearing and the customer was obviously very upset about this. I knew that in situations like this it is much easier to react harshly, and yell back at the customer because he was definitely out of line with what he was calling me, and the emotions he was displaying.   However, I had to keep my job, and keep my head in this situation.   I took a moment in myself and realized that to react with the same negativity would only incite danger, and that this person was probably upset about something else in their life and was only letting it out on me because I was easy and he didn’t have to pay the consequences of his actions with me. With the utmost strength I had in self-control, and leadership, I asked the man kindly if he would like to take advantage of our promotion which was if a person donated canned goods then they only had to pay half of their late fees.   The man physically took a step back:  Ã‚   he did not expect this reaction I could tell.   I further informed him that if he wanted to leave and come back for the movies he wanted to rent, while getting canned goods I could hold the movies for him until his return. He took me up on the offer and came back with several cans of green beans, and cream corn, rented his movies, and even stuttered over his thank you when he left.   I feel that in this situation I took a leadership role in taking charge of the direction of the conversation and reflecting a cool demeanor without upsetting the customer.   This type of reaction was the necessary course in a business setting.   With an MBA degree I feel that I could enhance my leadership qualities and become a creative, manager utilizing conflict resolution. WORK CITED Jehn, Karen A. â€Å"A Qualitative Analysis of Conflict Types and Dimensions in Organizational  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Groups†. Administrative Science Quarterly. Vol. 42, No. 3. September 1997. p. 530-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   557. McCrimmon, Mitch. â€Å"Leaders or Managers†. Leadersdirect.com. Self Renewal Group. 2006.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Date of Access: June 29, 2007. URL:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.leadersdirect.com/mgevslead.html â€Å"Leadership vs. Management†. Changingminds.org. 2006. Date of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Access: July 22, 2006. URL: Leadership and Management ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership and Management: |Centre Number: |R31609 | |Centre Name: |Leeds Metropolitan Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Centre | |Student Name: |Alexandra Hunt | |Leeds Met Student ID: |33251825 | |Student Date of Birth: |15/01/1991 | |Student Email Address: |a. [email  protected] leedsmet. ac. uk | |Gender: |Female | |Assessment Summary | | | |This task requires you to develop and demonstrate your skills or potential skills in leading and building an effective team.In order to gain the ILM 3 | |Award in Leadership and Management you will need to complete and pass a number of questions in this short question test. | | | |Note: To complete the task you will need to draw upon your personal experiences in, for example; a part-time job, voluntary work, other groups (e. g. sports| |teams), and leadership you have observed, are familiar with or have read about. |Understanding Leadership Styles | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe the factors that will infl uence the choice of leadership styles or behaviours in workplace situations | |Question 1: |Describe 2 factors that will influence the choice of leadership styles or behaviours in workplace situations (approximately 100 | | |words) | |If the person is in a situation where a decision needs to be made fast for example a paramedic may use an autocratic leadership style due to being in an | |emergency and needing to work objectively and quickly. | |During my 12 months placement I was working as recruitment consultant, a paternalistic leadership style on reflection was what I used when speaking to | |potential candidates, as it involved me using a lot of enthusiasm and persuasion. I need to use perceptive skills in order to pick up how the candidate was| |reacting and if it was a warm lead or a dead cold call. | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain why these leadership styles or behaviours are likely to have a positive or negative effect on individual and group behaviour | |Question 2: |Following on from the previous question, please explain why these leadership styles or behaviours are likely to have a positive or | | |negative effect on individual or group behaviour (approximately 100 words) | |A con of using autocratic leadership style would mean that you may miss good ideas, and does not encourage team work, so often taking on a heavier work | |load yourself as you put the team in a position where they are needing constant supervision and approval from the autocratic leader. |A con of paternalistic leadership is that the selling only lasts as long as you are on the phone or are around for, and some candidates/people are not easy| |selling targets, you also may waste your time persuading them without gaining any commitment – which came across me time and time again when working as a | |recruitment consultant. | | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Assess own leadership behaviours and potential in the context of a particular leadership model, using feedback from others | |Question 3: |Assess your own leadership behaviours and potential in relation to a leadership model discussed on the programme.Your reflection | | |should be based on what previous team members have fed back to you (approximately 100 words) | |At university currently we are participating in a module called consultancy project, whereby as group we have to write a report, research and offer | |recommendations to a real life client. Over the 4 months we have had 2 peers assessments and my feedback fits into the empowering leadership style, I have | |gained 100% commitment from the client and my team, I have motivated all my team members giving them guidance and reassurance when writing the report and | |they do trust my decisions that I have made. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe appropriate actions to enhance own leadership behaviour in the context of the particular leadership model | |Question 4: |Describe at least 2 appropriate actions to enhance your own leadersh ip behaviour in the context of a leadership model discussed on | | |the programme (approximately 100 words) | |To enhance my leadership skills I think I firstly need to take a more asking approach instead of getting so stressed myself without even consulting the | |other group members. Sometimes I tend to take it all upon myself without building the rest of the teams effort. | |Sometimes also using an autocratic style might be worth it, due to recently working with a team member who does not seem to put as much effort in as the | |others, to improve the group and work on my leadership styles he may respond to getting things done and meet objectives if I set them for him, this is | |something I will take with me and use to improve my group work with. | | | | | | | | |Understanding the Communication Process in the Workplace | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the importance of effective communication in the workplace | |Question 1: |Explain the importance of effective communication in the workplace (approximately 100 words) | |If communication in the workplace is bad it can have several effects such as decreased productivity, low morale and mistakes made. Communication is the key| |to running a successful business or project, it dismisses the pportunity for any important project to jeopardised (Allen Webster) | |High Productivity: the goal of any business, poor communication causes a breakdown in productivity resulting in profit loss or time loss. | |Morale: Not understanding a task causes low morale, as it makes employees feel confused and question wether they can contribute to the job role or not | |which leads to low self esteem. Tasks must be received in a clear concise manner focusing on the manager or the leaders communicative skills when | |surpassing important information. | |Mistakes: Written communication is essential and when writing emails which are now such a frequent task, you must be careful in choice of wording to ensure| |the email is not mi sunderstood or it can lead to unnecessary mistakes in the workplace. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe the stages in the communication cycle | |Question 2: |Describe the stages in the communication cycle (approximately 100 words) | |The basic flow of communication: | |Sender –> Message –> Transmission –> Recipient –> Receiver | | | | | |In this flow the sender sends a message to the receiver and then they can share feedback on the communication process. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Identify possible barriers to communication in the workplace | |Question 3: |Describe two possible barriers to communication in the workplace (approximately 100 words) | |Environmental Barriers: The things that surround us, which prevent us from receiving the speaker’s message for example, other peoples conversation, time | |pressures, the weather, physical discomfort in the room you are sat in. – External barriers. | |Environmental barriers are related to the listener such as how the listener is feeling at the time. |Attitudinal Barriers: The thoughts and feelings going on inside our heads which prevent us from listening, for example boredom, you do not like the person | |who is speaking, – internal barriers. | |Attitudinal Barriers have a lot to do with the mood and beliefs of the listener. | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain how to overcome a potential barrier to communication | |Question 4: |Explain how to overcome a potential barrier to communication (approximately 100 words) | |Effective communication requires listening and strong concentration.So it is important when receiving information, to ensure that the conditions are | |conducive to listening. ILM 3 has taught me that when important conversations are taking place and you are not in the right frame of mind due to | |attitudinal barriers be prepared to take them offline. You can also use the 6 steps to hearing attention, to improve your communication when needed m ost. | |For example an improved step I should take is be aware when it is getting to deep for me, and I tend to switch off when it gets to complicated or complex. | |This is something I need to work on to improve my communication skill set and follow through on challenging tasks that I need to complete. | | | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe the main methods of written and oral communication in the workplace and their uses | |Question 5: |Describe the main methods of written and oral communication in the workplace and their uses (approximately 100 words) | |Written Communication: This should be used when needing to provide detailed information, such as figures and facts. Written communication is useful during | |briefs, it is useful when conducting a presentation to send extra written information out, the main use is when needing to refer back to it throughout a | |project or at a later date you can do, without having to ask the same questions again or repeat yourself. | |Or al Communication: This can be used during presentations, over the phone and is main form off communication. It is verbal, vocal and visual. You can | |convey the information you want to surpass on with passion and conviction and can be sure to get your message across clearly without any errors by using | |the tones in your voice. | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of written methods of communication | |Question 6: |Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of written methods of communication (approximately 100 words) | |Advantages: Can store and be used at a later date. | |Easy to provide detailed information such as facts and figures | |Easy to pass on information from a third party. | | | |Disadvantages: Do not know if the information as been received unless a reply is needed. | |Writing skills are often difficult develop | |Poorly written documents can cost money. | | | | | | | | | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of oral communication | |Question 7: |Identify the main advantages and disadvantages of oral communication (approximately 100 words) | |Advantages: Easy and quick | |Can communicate your point without much room for misunderstanding. |Can be given constructive feedback after a presentation from managers or vies versa | | | |Disadvantages: Need effective listening to be active and cannot always predict | | | | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain how non-verbal communication can influence the effectiveness of oral communication | |Question 8: |Explain how non-verbal communication can influence the effectiveness of oral communication (approximately 100 words) | |A mixed message can occur when a persons body maybe ‘talking’, and when people do speak their bodies sometimes can say different things. For example eye | |contact is sign of confidence which much be used when attending interviews. | |At times a persons body maybe talking wh en they are actually sitting in silence. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the value of feedback in ensuring effective communication | |Question 9: |Explain the value of feedback in ensuring effective communication (approximately 100 words) | |Constructive feedback is a positive way to improve somebodies skill set. When feedback is communicated effectively it can keep some goal orientated. When | |feeding back you must focus on specific behaviours rather than making general statements however still aiming to keep it impersonal. Always ask questions | |to ensure the person understands the feedback and make sure they do not feel like that have been attacked in a negative way. The value of constructive | |feedback is the key to improvement. | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Assess own performance in a frequently used method of communication. Outline actions to improve own performance in communicating | |Question 10: |Assess your own performance (identifying your strengths and weaknes ses) in one frequently used method of communication. Possible | | |methods include; verbal communication, e-mail, telephone etc. Then state two ways in which you could improve your performance as a | | |communicator when using this method. |Written Communication | | | |Strengths – I have managed to establish relationships over email a varied amount of time throughout my 12 month placement, and I have managed to keep a | |professional working relationships with these people, via Linked In, and I feel confident that if I needed there support I would be able to rely upon them | |for advice and support even 12 months later. This shows I have conveyed my personality through email and have managed to be personable and approachable | |through my writing skills. | | |Weaknesses | |My spelling and grammatical errors I something I need to be aware off, I tend to rush many emails, and this cannot look when speaking to a professional | |body as it undermines the content of my email. | |Due to emailing tutors and friends from all over the world, I need to make sure I distinguish the difference between a friendly more informal email to a | |formal email, for example ending an email with Kind Regards and Many thanks, can change the way you want your whole email to come across. So being specific| |with my language is key. | |I have learnt during the ILM course to use the P. O. W. E.R | |Understand How to Establish an Effective Team | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the benefits of effective working relationships in developing and maintaining the team | |Question 1: |Explain the benefits of effective working relationships in developing and maintaining the team (approximately 100 words) | |Bellman and Ryan define an extraordinary group as on which: | |‘Achieves outstanding results while members experience a profound shift in how they see their world’. | |Extraordinary groups are not only productive as employees, but also develop personally during there p articipation. |Authors suggest that effective team work can exhibit these common factors, | |Full engagement, shared leadership, embracing differences etc | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe behaviours which could develop and maintain trust at work | |Question 2: |Describe behaviours which could develop and maintain trust at work (approximately 100 words) | |During team work you spend many hours in creative and energised environment – you get to know each others strengths and weaknesses and become a small | |support network for each other. This enables the employees to form connections which go deeper than usual work relationships. Through my own experience of | |working in a team this year, it has evolved into a long term friendship on a personal level outside of the group work at university. |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the role of communication in developing effective team working | |Question 3: |Explain the role of communication in developing effective team working (ap proximately 100 words) | |Strong communication during team work can ensure that the team know and understand your visions and goals, and how you see the project going. This can make| |it easier when needing to combine an overall aim and setting various objectives. It means that you can achieve something together with no confusion and a | |mutual agreement. |Communication and personable behaviour can lead to strong support networks around, and creating a more confident and friendly environment to work in. | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain the differences between a group and a team | |Question 4: |Explain the differences between a group and a team (approximately 100 words) | |A team is internally organised, with specific goals and usually specific roles for different members of the team. A group is a collection of people with | |something in common something as simple as being in the same place or having a shared interest. | | | | |Assessment Criteria: |Describe the stages of an esta blished model of group formation | |Question 5: |Describe the stages of Tuckman’s model of group formation (approximately 100 words) | |Tuckman believes that all teams pass through four stages of development, gradually becoming more effective as the dynamics of the team change dramatically | |from periods of inefficiency and uneasiness through to a high period of performance. | |The four stages are as follows. |Forming: Uncertainty about roles, looking outside for guidance. | |Storming: Growing confidence in team, rejecting outside authority | |Norming: Concern about being different, wanting to be part of a team | |Performing: Concern with getting the job done | | | |He believes that a team will not be fully effective unless it reaches he stage of performing. Unless the four stage process is completed teams may | |degenerate too back into storming. | | |Assessment Criteria: |Explain how a manager could benefit from knowing team members’ preferred roles as defined i n an established team role model | |Question 6: |Explain how a manager could benefit from knowing team members’ preferred roles as defined in an established team role model, such as | | |Belbin’s model (approximately 100 words) | |If a manager can determine what roles are preferred by each team member they are able to have a strong insight into what is going on and who to go to for | |certain questions. For example if somebody is strong and enjoy financial analysis it makes it easier for the manager to delegate this to the team rather | |them than having to form together and get to know each other before assigning each other roles. Also if something goes the wrong the manager knows who to | |go to. | | |Belbin believes that new team members should be selected so that there is a balance both in terms of skill sets and team roles – if the manager knows what | |is missing he will be able to make an outside confirmed choice of what is needed in the team. | |Also ea ch role has its weaknesses. Knowing these weaknesses is useful for planning to avoid potential difficulties and for helping individuals develop – I | |personally feel this is the managers role. | | | | |

Economic questions Essay

1. It has to do with game theory. In the prisoner’s dilemma, two suspects are taken by the police and each told separately that they can gain their freedom by testifying against each other. If neither testifies, they each will serve a six months sentence. If one testifies the other stays silent, the one will go free and the other will serve 10 yrs. If both testify then both will serve 5 yrs. The best thing is for both to be silent, but the more likely scenario is that each, fearful of a long sentence, bails on the other and nobody wins. In economics it is the investors hoping to ride the high flyers into the New Year; the best outcome is for nobody to sell. Most years, that is how it works and year end rallies leave everyone satisfied. 2. Economic theory. Through regulation is the best way market failure or externalities are dealt with when they are harmful to society. Externality is an economic side effect. They are the costs or benefits that come from economic activities that affect others than the individuals that re engaged in the economic activities. Some solutions are negative- taxes, positive-subsidy. 3. Sources of income in a capitalist economy would be their property rights that entitle them to earn a profit for the use of their capital as risk in some form of economic activity. They would be related through labor by human capital. The knowledge and skill acquired by labor through education and labor. 4. The rate is determined by a percentage of its turnover or sales. 5. Investment is something investors decide how much they will spend on new investment. Example: Producers have to decide whether to replace used up or obsolete machinery, whether to expand production these costs will become an investment that in turn should make them money. There are four principal determinants of autonomous investment, the level of technology, rate of interest, expectation of future economic growth and the rate of capacity utilization. 6. With an equilibrium price. The price that equates quantity demanded to quality supplied. If any disturbance from that price occurs, excess demand or excess supply emerges to drive price back to equilibrium. 7. The classical view of how our economy behaves is this: If the economy were left on its own without the interference of government or the Fed. It would move towards an equilibrium rate of growth that would produce with only minor interruptions, full employment without inflation. This hands off rests upon two simple propositions about market, one that all markets are basically competitive and two, all prices are flexible upward and downward approaching equilibrium. Unemployment is only a temporary condition caused by wage rates climbing above the equilibrium rate. A shift in the extraction curves is the economy’s rate of unemployment and rate of inflation. 8. Supply-side economists emphasize the importance of reducing tax rates. They accept the Keynesian idea that lower tax rates will increase consumer demand, but they believe a more important consequence is the added incentive it provides suppliers. For example; lower corporate tax rates increase after tax profit, which induces suppliers to increase aggregate supply. Lower income tax rates encourage more people to work longer, adding as well to aggregate supply. 9. Savings automatically converts to investment; so that investment induced growth is dependent on saving. 10. The division of labor into specialized activities that allow individuals to be more productive. The idea that labor productivity is a function of the degree of labor specialization. 11. Upward sloping trend cutting through the cycle traces the economy’s output performance over the course of a business cycle, measured either from recession to recession or from prosperity to prosperity. The upward sloping character of the trend line signifies economic growth. 12. Every economy, whatever its level of national income, includes people earning different incomes. Knowing someone’s absolute income tells us little about that person’s income status. 13. Consumption spending is rooted in Status. High income people not only consume more goods and services than others, but also set consumption standards for everyone else. 14. Aggregate supply is the total supply of goods and services that all firms in the national economy are willing to offer at varying price levels. Aggregate demand is the total quantity demanded of these goods and services by households, firms, foreigners, and government at those varying price levels. Macroequilibrium is reach when aggregate supply equals aggregate demand. 15. Consumption spending has tended to be more stable than investment spending in the past. MPC can be counted on to remain pretty much unchanged. Autonomous consumption is hardly likely to change. Investment spending is considered volatile. Economists identify changes in aggregate expenditure as the key to understanding why national income changes. Changes in investment have highly magnified effects on national income. The income by which income changes as a result of a change in aggregate expenditure is called income multiplier. 16. The economy’s output or gross domestic product is the total value, measured in current market prices, of all final goods and services produced in the economy during a given year. 17. One solution is to combine wage and price controls with a Keynesian style job creating policy. Stabilization policy is one option. 18. Four principle factors contributing to a nations economic growth, the size of the labor force, the degree of labor specialization, or the division of labor, the size of its capital stock and the level of its technology. Savings automatically converts to investment; so that investment induced growth is dependent on savings. 19. Demand deposits are only half of a banks business. Loans are the other. The bank makes a profit only on the loans it provides, not on it deposits. Borrowers benefit from inflation where lenders, where as lenders lose money. 20. Through the circular flow model, how the economy’s resources, money, goods and services flow between households and firms through resource and product market. 21. Economies with negative balances on current account will find their exchange rate falling. And unless these rates are propped up by government intervention, they will fall to stem the currency outflows exist; the exchange rate will keep falling. Eventually the rate will reach the level appropriate to a zero balance on current account. It takes only time. He would think we were habitual borrows. 22. They are the â€Å"what is† and â€Å"what it should be† 23. Nothing because the infrastructure is what an economy’s ability for development depends upon. Such as with education to educate people involves not only the task of acquiring compliance but the funds needed to build the school and staff them.

Glaxo Wellcome Mini Case

Glaxo Wellcome Inc. Mini-case Report April 2, 2007 [pic] Executive Summary Glaxo Wellcome Inc’s primary business is to market prescription products to physicians and health care providers. One of the top three pharmaceutical firms in the world, Glaxo Wellcome Inc. held about 4 percent of the worldwide prescription pharmaceutical market. The U. K. based company was formed in 1995 when Glaxo Pharmaceuticals acquired Burroughs Wellcome. While the company is based in the U. K. , the U. S. market represented approximately 40 percent of worldwide sales while the U. K. produced about seven percent. As of 1997 Glaxo Wellcome Inc. had 22 local operating companies in nine countries including the U. S. Because of the harsh requirements of the Food and Drug administration (FDA) most products are introduced in one of the other eight countries before seeking U. S. approval. Migraine medicine is a primary growth area for Glaxo. The company was first to manufacture and market triptans, a new class of prescription migraine medicine. Triptans were launched in 1993 and work specifically on the 5HT-1 receptor sites believed to be the primary cause of migraine headaches. Imitrex was the first triptan produced and sold by Glaxo in the U. S. The concern now is how the company should best market the second-generation triptan by the company, Amerge. This will be the first time a pharmaceutical company has two prescription triptans available on the market. Problem Statement and Key Issues Glaxo Wellcome’s U. S. division faces the task of determining a positioning strategy for their new triptan, Amerge, to increase total market share in the currently underdeveloped migraine market. Not only should the marketing decisions combat pressure from competitors with comparable products, but also the pharmaceutical marketers must elevate the importance of the new product’s placement on the formularies of managed care plans. Additionally, the development of a direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising campaign that is informative and persuasive, without offending the medical community, must be included as a part of the positioning strategy. SWOT Anaylsis for Glaxo Wellcome Inc. Strengths: Seen as a reliable prescription drug manufacturer, therefore has a positive reputation †¢ Global company with 4% of the worldwide prescription pharmaceutical market †¢ Company has a strong balance sheet and growth potential †¢ Imitrex dominates the migraine market as the first and only triptan available from 1995-1998 Weaknesses: †¢ Does not have a clear marketing strategy for the triptans †¢ Largely focused on competitor activity instead of growing market shar e †¢ FDA regulations create long approval periods The recent business combination of Glaxo Pharmaceuticals and Burroughs Wellcome in 1995 has created organizational challenges Opportunities: †¢ 90% of the migraine market is underdeveloped †¢ More marketing options include the ability to directly contact consumers as well as doctors and hospitals (in the U. S. division) †¢ Ability to market line extensions for new products such as Amerge †¢ Difficult for new competitors to enter the market because of R&D and approval processes Threats: †¢ Non-acceptance as a formulary of managed care plans Competitors’ products, such as Zomig, released before and out-performing Amerge †¢ Changes in healthcare legislation, including Medicaid and Medicare Alternative Courses of Action 1. Replacement Strategy: the U. K. division chose this plan of action, ceasing all promotion of Imigran (U. K. name brand for Imitrex) and positioning Naramig (the U. K. brand nam e for Amerge) as the recommended drug to start treatment of migraine patients. The replacement strategy results met Glaxo U. K. expectations, but damaged the growth of Imigran and did not prevent Zomig from successfully entering the market. Furthermore, the U. K. market has two major differences from the U. S. market: pharmaceutical companies cannot legally advertise their products to consumers, and the health care system is socialized. The implications of these two differences in terms of positioning strategies are vast. The inability to utilize DTC advertising prevented the U. K. from successfully pursuing alternative positioning strategies, such patient-based segmentation, due to concerns about the physician’s ability to identify such segments and further confusing the prescribing process. Moreover, in a socialized health care system where patients are entitled to free medical care, patients can seek treatment easier and can be less involved in the prescribing process than in an insurance-based system where there is more monetary involvement. Although this strategy might communicate a clear message about the drug’s superiority, it would devalue the brand name built for Imitrex, drastically impacting its potential profitability as well as the ability to continue to recuperate the high investments already sunk into the R&D and marketing of Imitrex. . Competition Strategy: since Zomig is expected to be launched prior to the FDA approval of Amerge, Glaxo U. S. can position Amerge directly against Zomig. They can utilize their position as the market leader to leverage Amerge’s positioning as the true second-generation triptan providing the best relief on the market. Glaxo U. S. can back up their claims with the results from the UK where the majority of previou s non-triptan users prefer Naramig. Although this strategy could successfully prevent the competition Zeneca from gaining substantial market share through the marketing of a second-generation triptan, it would also devalue the Imitrex brand similar to the replacement strategy. 3. Pricing strategy: one of the weaknesses identified for Imitrex is its relatively high price in comparison to over the counter (OTC) medication, which is further exacerbated by the medication’s high rate of recurrence. Since most patients in the US pay either partially or fully for their medication, Amerge could be positioned as an affordable alternative to Imitrex. Amerge could be priced similar to OTC medications and its lower recurrence rate could be promoted to further emphasize its affordability. A possible downside to this strategy is devaluing the image of Glaxo Wellcome for physicians because of a perceived â€Å"lack of quality† that can accompany low priced products. On the positive side, it could detract from competitor’s noise and would allow Imitrex to continue in its position as the market leader. It could also improve the consumer perception of Glaxo Wellcome as a company that cares for patients that cannot afford expensive medication. 4. Lifestyle Segmentation Strategy: Glaxo U. S. could create an emotional appeal for Amerge by merging the facts about its efficacy, side effects and dosage with the feelings of patients. Prospective consumers seek treatment for their migraines not only to abate the pain, but also to be able to continue productivity in their lives during a migraine episode. Therefore, Amerge’s proven efficacy, combined with low risk of side effects, low recurrence rate and ease of administration could be used to promote it as the migraine medicine that â€Å"let’s you get on with life†. Unlike the pricing strategy, this course of action would emphasize the product benefits and thus would be more beneficial to Glaxo’s image. But similarly to the replacement and competition positioning strategies, it weakens Imitrex’s position in the marketplace. 5. Benefit-based Portfolio Strategy: Glaxo U. S. can present both migraine medicines as a portfolio of solutions to migraine pain. Amerge could be positioned as the â€Å"milder† new-generation triptan, and Imitrex could be repositioned as the â€Å"strongest and fastest† triptan with proven efficacy to treat acute pain. This positioning strategy would allow Glaxo U. S. to continue to reap the benefits from the marketing initiatives already invested in Imitrex, while utilizing its current standing as the market leader as a platform from which to launch Amerge. Possible drawbacks to this strategy include cannibalization of Imitrex sales as well as confusion in the minds of physicians and consumers as to which drug would be the best option for a patient. Recommendations Given the considerable expenditure in R&D and marketing of pharmaceuticals, we recommend that Glaxo U. S. choose the benefit-based portfolio strategy. We feel strongly that Glaxo U. S. should not abandon the efforts placed in the marketing of Imitrex, but rather leverage its current market position to support the launch of Amerge. We believe this strategy could effectively combat competitors’ efforts to enter the marketplace. The company can utilize DTC advertising to send a clear message of the benefits each drug offers to patients. Nevertheless, it is imperative that Glaxo U. S. also invest resources in conveying the right message to physicians and negotiating placement of both drugs on the formularies of managed care plans; otherwise the likelihood of switching to a different brand or forgoing treatment altogether increase significantly. With a portfolio strategy and clear differentiation among the products, Glaxo U. S. is better armed to capture the 90% of migraine sufferers that were not being medicated with a triptan as of 1997. Conclusion Although Glaxo Wellcome is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world it has many opportunities for growth and development. One of these opportunities is with the migraine medicines known as triptans. Although Glaxo already has one triptan on the market, there are still many migraine sufferers that are not being treated. With the benefit-based portfolio strategy Glaxo can market its second-generation triptan, Amerge to the millions of migraine sufferers.

Intelligent Buildings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Intelligent Buildings - Essay Example This environment works like a computer in which different parts and facilities are integrated to efficiently accomplish resources in a synchronized way with the intention of maximizing occupant protection, saving expenditures associated with operations and energy, attaining effectiveness and easiness in dealing with changes. In this scenario, am intelligent building offers an easy, creative and affordable atmosphere through an effective optimization of three significant components: products (such as structure, materials, machinery, services, facilities and so on), people (like that builder, owner and occupants), and processes (such as process control, automation, performance, maintenance, and so on) along with effective communication between all these element (Sharma, 2013). This paper discusses some of the important elements of an intelligent building. This paper will discuss: building management systems, security management, telecommunication systems and fire detection and preventi on. A large number of researches and experiments are being conducted to determine the uses and effectiveness of technology for managing and controlling the different tasks of buildings. However, the management of the technology that is used to manage different tasks of intelligent buildings is a serious challenge. In fact, this management has turned out to be more challenging with an increase in the number of systems that are integrated into buildings. Additionally, the ultimate power of Internet and extensive developments in IT infrastructures combined with building management systems, have ended in the formation of intelligent buildings (Fernandez, 2013). Building management system is a system that integrates a wide variety of management options that are used to manage different technological services and elements of a building. These technological services and elements can include: safety options, access controls and processes, lighting facilities, fire detection and management

Personal Career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Career - Essay Example First, I need to evaluate my principles/values and align my career in a way that honors these values in order to have a deep satisfaction in the career that I intend to pursue. Since childhood to date, I have passion for economics and finance and math. I really look up to building a successful career in financial analysis in a prominent investment firm. This is because this is a prestigious career that is highly respected in the business world and I intend to work my way from junior position to senior level. Secondly, I have to make adequate planning on my career. I believe I have done so, since I have already set my vision, mission and overall objectives. My vision is to be a highly qualified business analyst who provides quality services to others (Hooley, Watts, Sultana & Neary, 2013). My mission is participation in business consultancy world with the aim of providing quality financial solutions to firms, individuals, institutions and the government in general. Additionally my objectives are, to provide quality financial solutions to firms and to maximize profits while maintaining economic ethics. Additionally, since I am undertaking a business related course, I believe that the skills acquired will enable me perform the duties as required and since I intend to further my course by doing business mathematics, economics and computer packages, my skills will be very essential and will facilitate me achieve success (Hooley, Marriott, Watts & Coiffait, 2012). In addition to this, I intend to evaluate my career plans annually. This will bring clarity and focus to my career and enable me avoid distractions. This annual evaluation will enable me to reflect on my career course, as well as identify areas of failure, success opportunities wasted and threats to my career. It is very important to integrate personal likes, dislikes, hobbies, past time activities basic wants and needs in your career plan. In this regard, I have to

Write a reports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Write a reports - Essay Example The characters in this play really seemed to have a good time playing their part. The audience reaction was generally a laugh-out-loud or â€Å"Did they really just say or do that?† kind of response. The atmosphere was just as fun as the performance because it was mostly filled with women and a lot of them were laughing so hard that they had tears coming out of their eyes which made it that much more funny. There were some good laughs but I kind of thought that there were parts of it that were more vulgar than funny. I was surprised, however, at how many people left. I guess it is hard for some people to watch that kind of live performance. I just really like comedy and thought that this would be a good live performance to go see just for a laugh. It was an entertaining piece. Sometimes, though, I felt bad for the actors because some of their lines were so raunchy. I think that some of the performance had material in it that made people very uncomfortable. At $35 per ticket, it was kind of expensive to sit through and watch. However, many of the audience members, myself included, found that the characters engaged with us. That is what made it livelier. Parodies are generally intended to poke fun at something. They are also kind of dumb but are sometimes a bit laughable. The Spank! performance was nothing short of what to expect of a parody. I just thought it was really interesting how they took a story line like that and somehow turned it into a musical. Of the people who were around me had read the book, I could tell that there were some parts that I did not get because I had not read it and did not understand the references that the live performance had made. I did realize that it had become one of the world’s top theatrical parodies because so many people had gone and enjoyed it. I guess what made it most entertaining for me is that I do not typically visit the theater

History of the French Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Analytics, Interfaces, and Cloud Technology Research Paper - 1

Analytics, Interfaces, and Cloud Technology - Research Paper Example In this sense, the notion of coming up with a strategic plan on the implementation of Analytics, Interfaces and Cloud Technology is a subject of great concern in promoting the success of Auction Analytics (Hugos and Hulitzky, 2011). In simple terms, Analytics and cloud technology is composed of an online service model, which is about systematic analysis of online data captured and presented over a private or public cloud network (Hugos and Hulitzky, 2011). For our company, Auction Analytics, adoption of this technology can add immense value on the quality of services we offer to our clients. The plan in implementing this technology at our company has to be based on use of a public cloud technology where any user all around the globe can access information and his or her details captured for analysis. The application of public cloud network is very important in increasing our customer base as it paves way for users all around the globe to connect to the service (Hugos and Hulitzky, 2011). Alongside this should be the company’s private cloud network, which acts as a virtual private network where only our company employees can access a prescribed set of information. The private cloud network offers crucial security advantages necessary for protecting our company data and private information from any unauthorized access (Hill, 2013). It is vital to make it clear that the term cloud technology engrosses a networking technological feature where a company’s applications, services and information or resources are made available online using cloud-computing servers. The main objective in the use of cloud technology revolves around provision of services that play a huge role in ensuring the satisfaction of three crucial properties of a quality computer system. These are confidentiality, integrity and availability. Furthermore, the technology is also

Identity and immigrants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Identity and immigrants - Essay Example Sen’s form of clothing and the American way of dressing. It is the cultural norms, beliefs and values which motivate immigrants to preserve their culture (Tong 562). Baharati is less conservative in the mode of dressing while on the other hand Mira and Mrs. Sen are very conservative to the Indian way of dressing. Baharati’s form of clothing does not depict the Indian identity but rather the American identity. This is a form of cultural rebellion which characterized some immigrants (Ahadi and Rogelio 848). Mira and Mrs. Sen maintain the Indian identity through their clothing because they feel obliged to maintain their culture. The conservative nature of the two women stems from the fear of betraying their ethnic values and beliefs (Khanna 59). The attitudes and choices related to marriage among immigrants are culturally instigated (Tong 563). Baharati and Mira used to express the same views or opinions about marriage when they were back in India. However their viewpoints on marriage differed when they reached America. Mira retained her Indian viewpoints of marriage when she arrived in America. This is depicted by the fact that she married an Indian student from Wayne State University. Baharati’s views on Marriage are Americanized. This is revealed by the fact that she decided to marry a fellow student regardless of the fact that he was not of Indian origin, but an American whose parents were Canadian. It is therefore evident that Baharati’s views on marriage were based on the fact that you do not have to marry someone from your own ethnic background. On the other hand Mira believed that she had to marry someone who is Indian like her. It is evident that Baharati was prepared for the emotional strain that wou ld result from marrying someone who was not from her own ethnicity (Baharati 274). Mrs. Sen was similar to Mira on her views on marriage. For instance, her husband Mr. Sen is from her own ethnic background. Mrs. Sen also maintained her

Positive Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Positive Economics - Essay Example Citing John Neville Keynes, Friedman identifies two types of science - positive science and normative science - whose relevance in economic theory depends on its practical application in economic policy (cited in Friedman 1966, p. 3). Whereas normative science deals with what ought to be, normative economics assists policy makers in crafting economic policies that ethically just, depending on the values they hold. In this regard, positive economics, through positive science dealing with "what is", guides policymaker's judgments by providing them with accurate predictive tools to ensure that sound economic policies are produced and that these policies yield results that they are expected to. Hence, positive economics would only hold value if their ability to predict economic phenomena accurately. In the words of Friedman, "[t]he ultimate goal of a positive science is the development of a 'theory' or, 'hypothesis' that yields valid and meaningful predictions about phenomena not yet obs erved" (p. 7). ... maintain objectivity given the imminent significance it holds on the public, as well the economist himself, how can economic theory gain the same confidence and respect wielded by its counterpart in the physical sciences To address this question, Friedman refers to the two elements constituting economic theory, and theory in general - its language and its method of reasoning. First, with regard to the language of theory, Friedman argues that "logistical completeness and consistency are relevant but play a subsidiary role to assure that the hypothesis says what it is intended to say" (p. 10). In this respect, empirical evidence that can be gathered through controlled experiments is only valuable insofar as it can assist in the prompt validation of a theory. It does not hinder the testing of a theory's hypothesis (p. 13). And consequently, it does not affect the ability of economic theory to predict phenomena. Second, with regard to a theory's substantive method of reasoning, Friedman calls attention to the manner that a theory's hypothesis is constructed and further tested. In this respect, Friedman critiques the manner that economists construct a hypothesis by making them "realistically accurate" to conform to empirical data. As Friedman notes, this manner of theory construction is not only impractical and inadequate, but insignificant as well. With regard to its impracticality, Friedman points to the logistical impossibility that surrounds the exercise of making sure assumptions are "realistically accurate." Hence, it is impossible to account for all the facts surrounding a phenomenon to be explained because this phenomenon constitutes a wide range of facts that are both relevant and irrelevant to a theory. It is also inadequate because, as Friedman notes, an

Solving problems and making decisions Essay Example for Free

Solving problems and making decisions Essay Background As the Head Phlebotomist at the RDE Wonford site I oversee the day to day running and supervision of 32 members of staff. 20 staff members are contracted, working between 12 and 37.5 hours per week and the remainder are bank workers working on an ad-hoc basis when required. Daily we have a minimum of 15 phlebotomists working throughout the site. The role of the phlebotomist is primarily to obtain blood samples from inpatients and outpatients as requested by the doctors and clinical staff. To do this, requests are placed on an order communication system known to us as Medway. To access Medway every phlebotomist has their own laptop installed onto a portable trolley which is then wheeled from ward to ward. A daily minimum of 12 laptops require a WiFi signal to operate whilst the remaining 3 laptops are continuously hard wired into static modem ports. The department has a total of 19 laptop packages. Present Situation (Analysis of the problem) A daily problem facing the Phlebotomy team is with information technology. This includes hardware, software and human nature. Hardware –   The laptops are made up of a â€Å"package† which includes the laptop itself, the primary and secondary batteries required to enable it to last wirelessly for the 4 hour shift worked, the small label printers required to print patient identifying labels for each blood sample bottle and the chargers for both the laptop and the printer. Each of these laptop packages were purchased in 2011. Some components are now beginning to fail owing to their age, the heavy use they get and occasionally because they have not been treated or looked after as per the recommended suppliers guidelines. When one of the elements of these packages fails it declares the whole package unusable. Software – Each laptop has a minimum of Medway and WiFi software loaded to enable the phlebotomists to carry out their work. WiFi is dependent on many contributing factors to enable it to operate satisfactorily. These have been  confirmed by the operating systems department within the RDE and include physical obstructions, network range and distance between devices, signal interference and restrictions, signal sharing usage and load, poorly deployed antennas and the local environment (4Gon, 2014). All of these can and do affect the performance of each laptop causing them to slow down significantly and occasionally freeze and stop working altogether. Medway is also a very slow running programme which causes delays. Human nature – The phlebotomy team range in age from 23 to 69. Their ability to use I.T equipment is vast in range. Many of the phlebotomists has difficulties resolving I.T issues that others may find simple, for example changing passwords and logging into programmes. More complex issues that a phlebotomist may experience include identifying a WiFi issue or why a screen has frozen and how to rectify this. A lack of patience, understanding and confidence from the Phlebotomists is a restricting factor as this often causes additional problems when incorrect icons or buttons are pressed in frustration. If a phlebotomist is unable to operate every element of their laptop package for any of the above reasons they are then unable to continue their job until the problem is resolved. This often means a single phlebotomist will have stopped working for around 30 minutes each time a problem occurs. This delay causes an impact on their colleagues both physically and on morale. It also has an impact on the patients who will have a delay on having their blood taken and tested which, in some circumstances, may mean further procedures or treatments are delayed or in exceptional circumstances, cancelled. By solving this problem the phlebotomists would be able to carry out their duties with more confidence. Staff morale would be much higher as they would have equipment fit for purpose they could use without any issues. There would be no delays in patient treatment meaning the flow of patient care would be uninterrupted. There would be less time spent contacting the I.T service desk to report problems which would reduce their workload. If this problem is not resolved the department will have no working I.T equipment. Staff morale reduces which promotes frustration, conflict and sickness within the team putting pressure on the service we supply. The RDE Foundation Trust has created a  contingency plan (Appendix A) which would be implemented to ensure the service did not stop as this is not an option. Testing blood is a compulsory part of diagnosis and treatment. The contingency would include using paper forms to record blood sample requests although this would create a significant impact on the labs, causing further delays and more staff would be required to complete the workload adding financial pressure. The process would also be open to patient identification errors causing possible fatal errors in diagnosis and treatment. A contingency plan is a very short term work around it is not a solution. Investigation and identification of possible solutions to the problem Phlebotomists regularly contact me to complain about a wide range of IT problems. To begin accurately identifying and logging the problems concerned I created a small questionnaire (Appendix B) and asked each phlebotomist to complete it with as much information as possible each time a problem occurred. These were completed and collected over a period of 1 month to capture as many types of problems as possible. This information is then collated onto a spreadsheet (Appendix C). From this I identified how the main problems are grouped into the following categories: Hardware – Faulty printers Software – Medway errors, Wifi errors, Screen errors, Windows security errors Human – Password errors, Generic log in errors, Wifi errors, Screen errors Table 1 – Shows the types of problems, the frequency and the category based on the information collated. Immediately from the information gathered I can see that many problems cross multiple categories. Out of the 19 laptops and users 47% have experienced problems with 26% experiencing more than one problem across multiple categories. There were 15 problems identified which could have been caused by either category. The amount of possible causes equals 27 across all categories. The highest amount of problems are possibly caused by software issues at 44%, human problems follow at 33% and hardware problems at 22%. On average 47% of laptops with problems that have 27 possible causes a mean  average of 3.37 problems experienced each over the 1 month period. The mode average of people experiencing the same problem regardless of the cause is 2. The median average of all problems experienced regardless of the cause is also 2. Solutions to resolving these problems would be to replace or repair existing ageing hardware and to retain a small level of equipment items such as batteries and chargers in stock for immediate replacement. Replacing or updating existing software programmes. A solution to resolve the human grouping of problems is staff training. Problems that require help from the IT service desk will be their responsibility although, the generic log in problem could be avoided with staff training. By reporting these problems to the I.T service desk we can ask more specialised engineers to look into why, specifically, the WiFi regularly fails. A solution to the software grouping of problems is harder to find as the trust has purchased software that it feels is sufficient for its purpose. Staff training could help with some problems experienced in this area. Evaluation of possible solutions I have chosen to use the Benefit Cost analysis (CBA) tool (Jules Dupuit 1804-1866) to evaluate the solution options as follows: Replace or repair existing ageing hardware and stocking replacement items Benefit Cost Staff morale would increase if equipment is fit for purpose. Sickness absences due to stress would decrease saving money on replacement bank staff. The department would be able to make use of all the equipment available to them specifically during busier periods and for staff training. The equipment would be safe. Smaller faulty items could be replaced immediately maintaining continuity of use. Delays on taking and testing samples would reduce resulting in few or no delays with patient treatment/procedures. Phlebotomists would not need to contact the I.T service desk as often so reducing their workload. Contingency plan would not need to be implemented saving time, money, staff stress and treatment delays. Sickness absences have financial and health implications to other phlebotomists and the department. The department has a total of 19 laptop packages. The financial cost to replace all the equipment would run into thousands of pounds which we do not have the budget for.   The I.T service desk engineers are not always able to resolve problems immediately and can sometimes take several weeks owing to their workloads. Suppliers are not always able to provide replacement equipment. If we retain a small number of replacement items it would be the responsibility of the Head Phlebotomist to identify which item is faulty and if it could be repaired first adding to their workload. Lack of space to store additional replacement equipment. Replacing or updating existing software programmes Benefit Cost Staff morale would increase if software is fit for purpose. Confidence would increase boosting interest and competence. Sickness absences due to stress would decrease saving money on replacement bank staff. Delays on taking and testing samples would reduce resulting in few or no  delays with patient treatment/procedures. Phlebotomists would not need to contact the I.T service desk as often reducing their workload. Contingency plan would not need to be implemented saving time, money, staff stress and treatment delays. Sickness absences have financial and health implications to other phlebotomists and the department. The I.T service desk engineers are not always able to resolve problems immediately and can sometimes take several weeks owing to their workloads. Software programmes are purchased by the trust and cannot be replaced easily. WiFi is implemented through the whole trust and is so widespread it’s not easy to identify where the problem may have started. Time and funding is required to enable the systems teams to identify what area of software is causing the problem and resolve it. Disruption to ward areas whilst investigations are carried out. Staff Training Benefit Cost Phlebotomists would be more confident in identifying problems and resolving them improving competence, interest and morale and reducing sickness absences. The delays in time taken resolving problems would reduce making phlebotomists more efficient and cost effective. Phlebotomists would not need to contact the I.T service desk as often reducing their workload. Delays on taking and testing samples would reduce resulting in few or no delays with patient treatment/procedures. Time needed away from normal duties to attend training for trainers and trainees. Reducing the confidence of some phlebotomists who aren’t computer literate and may feel pressured into attending training above their ability. Some problems are erratic and happen infrequently meaning phlebotomists are likely to forget how to resolve them. Overall, the overwhelming benefit in finding a solution is to ensure there is minimal or no delay in the treatment of a patient. Using the cost/benefit analysis (CBA) I feel the first course of action to resolving this problem would be to implement staff training. Although the benefits only just out way the costs 4 to 3 my reason for this is that we would see faster results as it could be implemented immediately with less personal and financial cost than replacing or repairing existing hardware or software as detailed in the CBA. There would be regular time needed away from normal duties, maybe up to 1 hour per month per phlebotomist and trainer. This could be incorporated into their regular hours at quieter times or bank staff could be used to cover the minimum time requirement. Although it is difficult to calculate an exact financial cost saving I believe that it is fair to assume that as less people and equipment would be involved in implementing staff training the financial burde n would also be less. Also, as detailed in the CBA, phlebotomists would be more confident in identifying problems and could become more competent and interested in resolving them themselves. This would mean an immediate resolution in some circumstances reducing time wasted especially when contacting the I.T service desk. Secondly I would look at replacing or updating existing hardware and stocking replacement items. Although in the CBA the benefits out way the costs 8 to 6 the benefits are expensive. Stocking replacement items such as batteries and chargers is almost an essential although each battery is in excess of  £90 and each charger up to  £60. I believe it would be reasonable to only stock a couple of each at a time. This would enable any of the more easily replaceable faulty items identified to be replaced immediately without further delays. The more complex laptop faults would still need to be  directed to the I.T service desk. These will take longer to resolve and would involve input from an I.T engineer. I can see from appendix c that some faults are still ongoing from before October 2014 when the information in the spreadsheet was collated. Finally in resolving this problem I would look at replacing or updating existing software programmes. The CBA shows the benefits are equal to the costs. The reason I have put this last is mainly because the decision surrounding the purchase of software is made at a much higher management level. Because of this I have no influence over its capability nor do I have the power or expertise to recommend an alternative. Although issues regarding problems or faults within a software programme are encouraged to be reported it is much more likely that the programme will not be replaced for some time owing to contracts and fixes are only possible if the supplier is able to do so. We can log all software/WiFi problems to the I.T service desk. I believe these calls are then passed to the systems support team for resolving either themselves or via an external source. Software programmes are costly and, I believe, often purchased with a minimum contract term making them the most difficult and expensive thing to replace or update when looking at resolving my problem. Recommend implementation plan to solve the problem The following is a table of events detailing what needs to be done. It plans how decisions will be communicated, by whom and by when. This helps to identify the order in which steps need to be taken to resolve issues and time frames to ensure efficiency. What has to be done? Who is responsible and/or involved? How will this be communicated? When should it be done? What is needed? Monitoring/review Discuss the requirements of the phlebotomy service with I.T and explain the importance of rapid resolutions. Head phlebotomist, Phlebotomy manager, I.T helpdesk manager, service engineers Head phlebotomist to arrange and chair a meeting with I.T with clear expectations of what is required. By the 18th November 2014. All involved to attend the meeting. Minutes to be taken.  Head phlebotomist to arrange a follow up meeting 1 month later to review if expectations have been acknowledged and in progress. Order a minimum of 2 of each laptop and printer batteries and chargers for stock. Head phlebotomist to get authorisation and budget code from Phlebotomy manager Head phlebotomist to email I.T with relevant information. Today Budget code for funding. Approximately  £420.00 Head phlebotomist to email I.T on 18.11.14 if these items have not arrived and confirm delivery date. Delivery expected by 30.11.14 Discuss ongoing issues and communicate outcome of I.T meeting to the phlebotomy team. Head phlebotomist, Phlebotomists and Phlebotomy manager Head phlebotomist to arrange and chair a department meeting. Immediately after the I.T meeting has been completed. End of a morning shift 11.30am All phlebotomists working that day to be present. Minutes to be taken. Overtime may need to be paid if meeting goes beyond contracted hours at 12pm Deputy head phlebotomists to check that the minutes have been signed off by all phlebotomists within 1 week of the department meeting. All ongoing issues to continue to be logged. Phlebotomists Questionnaires (appendix B) to be completed daily Daily Deputy head phlebotomist to maintain a good supply of questionnaires. Time within shift to complete them. Head phlebotomist to review these daily and report to I.T service desk immediately if unable to resolve. All problems identified to be logged by Head even if resolved. Phlebotomists, Head phlebotomist, I.T engineers I.T service desk form on intranet to be completed by Head phlebotomist or telephone I.T service desk if urgent. As and when issues occur Time. If resolved by Head phlebotomist then explanation/training given to phlebotomist to show how. If resolved by engineer then explanation of how to see if Head could resolve in future. Daily conversation and email between phlebotomist, Head phlebotomist and engineer to ensure problem permanently resolved or in the process of being resolved. Regular monthly training with phlebotomists on how to look after equipment and easy steps on identifying and possibly resolving reasonably simple issues. Head phlebotomist, phlebotomists, I.T engineers Head phlebotomist to arrange and chair a team meeting to discuss requirements and identify any one to one training. 3rd Wednesday morning of each month before start of shift at 7.50am. Time to complete the meeting and any training required. Head and deputy head phlebotomist to be competent and confident in I.T to answer questions and assist with training. Head and deputy head phlebotomists to liaise with any team member that had questions or needed training within 2 days of the meeting to ensure phlebotomist is now confident and understands how to resolve some issues. Regular feedback to relevant areas regarding outcome of each stage above Phlebotomists, Head, phlebotomy manager, I.T engineers, systems engineers, project managers Head phlebotomist to email phlebotomy manager, I.T and systems engineers with clear concerns or positives. 5.3.15, 5.7.15, 5.11.15 (quarterly) or more often if problems persist. Time to construct the email. Contact details for each person. Relevant constructive feedback including any positive information. Head to ensure email has been received by requesting read receipt and that any actions required from previous quarterly email have been completed or in progress. Any new actions must also be acknowledged. I have also transferred the above information on to a Gantt chart to help monitor and review my implementation plan. This is because the relation of task to time is more immediately obvious and very simple to follow. There are ways in which this can be reviewed using the CPA (Critical care path analysis) or PERT (Program evaluation and review technique). The benefit of using CPA within the planning process is to help you develop and test your plan to ensure that it is robust. CPA formally identifies tasks  which must be completed on time for the whole project to be completed on time. It also identifies which tasks can be delayed if resource needs to be reallocated to catch up on missed or overrunning tasks. PERT is a variation on Critical Path Analysis that takes a slightly more realistic view of time estimates made for each project stage. Often tasks are given unreasonable time frames and this option allows flexibility (Mindtools, 2014). Monitoring and review techniques that are appropriate for my problem include meetings and questionnaires. Team meetings held monthly within the phlebotomy department wll ensure that each member of staff remains confident and competent in their role to assist in resolving the problems that we all experience. Staff will be able to ask questions regarding their concerns and abilities and the head and deputy phlebotomists will be able to identify specific needs that they can help to build up. It should be easy to identify phlebotomists who are struggling with their problems if they are experiencing the same issues regularly however with monthly support these should decrease. Department meetings held with the I.T service desk and engineers every quarter will ensure they are aware of the significance of the problem and the need for it to be resolved as efficiently as possible. I.T will be made aware of the impact of the problem if there are delays in resolving the problem for example ultimately the delay in patient diagnosis, treatment or discharge home. I.T will also have the opportunity to advise if the amount of calls made to them by phlebotomists has reduced. They will be able to explain the progress in resolving a problem and why there may be delays or recurrences. They can also advise of expected dates and times of resolutions. Questionnaires (appendix B) completed daily detailing problems would also be a good way of monitoring and reviewing the problem. I would envisage in 2 months the problems detailed on the questionnaires should become less frequent and severe realistically reducing to problems only fixable by I.T engineers. Phlebotomists will be able to explain what has happened, if they have tried to resolve it using techniques they have gained in their training and reasons why they may have or have not worked.