Corporate Newsletter-Social Influences; Group Judgements and Decisions :: essays research papers fc

In recent months, the management team of this organization has been working tirelessly to diminish biases among group members and to establish a proposal focusing on the elimination of in-store employee theft. This criminal activity associated with inventory shrinkage and major revenue loss has proved to be a detriment to our company, but thankfully, is now in the process of being reversed. The success of our proposal resulted from the dynamics of an open discussion format in our group setting and the determination of each member to make the necessary modifications and improvements for this company. In the following article, I will review and discuss the systematic procedure of decision-making utilized by each member and the obstacles encountered so that others involved in management can replicate the knowledge and experiences acquired throughout this process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The panel successfully achieved a consensus decision by unofficially appointing a permissive leader and by relying on the positive effects of conformity. The leader encouraged each subordinate to take part in decision-making, giving him or her a considerable degree of autonomy in completing routine work activities. Once key components were decided upon, group members proceeded to conform to those judgments in order to begin the experimental phase of action. Individuals were given a deadline to present their contributions for the project, which allowed the opportunity of complete participation, as well as emphasizing the importance of discipline among management.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The required process for group decision-making noticeably and significantly differs from the format of individual decision-making. Many individuals can be relatively ineffective or incorrect when attempting to form a decision. They may become victims of common traps such as overconfidence, self-fulfilling prophecies, and behavioral traps. They are also vulnerable to satisficing, attribution theory, and other biases experienced regularly. However, when participating with peers, many become more effective and efficient. There are greater percentages of correct answers, and most members enjoy the positive atmosphere and camaraderie experienced within the group setting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although group interaction allows for a more dynamic outcome, there are still many biases associated with this system of decision-making. While avoiding many of these unnecessary biases, such as groupthink and group polarization, our management team unfortunately fell victim to others. To deter the effects of biased judgments, many members privately discussed techniques, and then presented that information, thus utilizing the benefits of subgroups. Also, each member avoided over zealousness of personal opinions, thereby eliminating group polarization and the choice shift phenomenon.

Ethical issues Essay

1. Environmental Hazards: The pollutants that business industry dumps into the environment are more than just ugly nuisance; they are killers. For example, air pollution has been found to be related to deaths from bronchitis, heart disease, as well as emphysema, and several types of cancers. Studies by the American lung Association have concluded that between 50 to 120,000 thousand deaths a year are linked to the air pollution that are disbursed by air from manufacturing companies. Ant there is little doubt that the depletion of the ozone is caused by atmospheric pollution. According to Coleman/ Cressey (2001), The contamination of our waters with poisonous waste, for example, lead, mercury and dumping radioactive materials at sea to include the sinking of certain types of vessel, has already taken many lives. Thus, alone the American industry creates 3000 new chemicals every year, and most of the hundreds of thousand of chemicals used by industry have never been thoroughly tested to find out how dangerous they really are. For example, Dell Computer has come increasing scrutiny for its failure to take a leading role in reducing the amount toxic materials in the production of computers. All so, Dell Computer is using prison inmates (cheap labor) to handle the recycling of computers component parts. Not only is Dell violating environmental laws and contributing to improper disposal of computers that contain high contents of mercury, but also is endangering the inmate’s health. (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2005). The growth of our ecological problem actually started in the 1960’s, which prompted groups and individuals to lobby congress to establish laws to protect the public and impose stiff penalties on those businesses that violated the laws. Out of this era came the Radiation Control for Health and safety act of 1968, Clean Water Act of 1972, and Toxic Substance Act of 1976. (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2005). The responsibility of enforcing these laws is entrusted to (EPA), Environmental Protection Agency. Even businesses of today, continue to behave in total unethically manner when it come to pollution. Many large corporation don’t have pollution control program and/or mechanism in place that places value on the environment, be it land, sea or air pollution. But, most violators of the â€Å"Acts† receive  just a â€Å"slap on the wrist†. Businesses are more concern about their own self-interest of profits. Thus, continue to show little regards to the fact they are destroying the environment as well as depleting precious resources. Furthermore, the present contemporaries are incline to affluent life style and their materialistic greed have made them careless about the environment. Just as the rules are written for ethical behavior and left open for ones own interpretation and compliance, the same could be said in reference to the pollution control â€Å"Act†, there is a right and wrong way to demonstrate â€Å"environmental awareness†, but organizations continue to ignore the fact that we are on a path of depleting our precious environment. 2. Equal pay for women. â€Å"I believe that not only must the hierarchical nature of the division labor between the sexes be eliminated, but the very division of labor between the sexes itself must be eliminated if women are to attain equal social status with men and if women are to attain the full development of their human potential†. (Hurst, 1998). Throughout history, women were directly involved in production. When the industrial revolution occurred, single women and children were recruited for example from New England to work in textile factories in Rhode Island. Supervisory positions were held by men. Female workers were paid only half of what men were paid, even though they made up approximately 75 percent of the workers (Eisler, 1977). Men were concerned about the entrance of women into the labor market because they felt that it would have a depressing effect on their wages. They fought to keep women out of the craft unions that later developed. Women held strikes in the 1830s and 1840s to protest reductions in wages, speed-ups in work pace, and working hours (Dublin, 1970). Wars change the face of a nation, to include the workforce. During the World War II, jobs held formerly by men were accessible to women. The influx of women into the labor force has continued in recent years. In general, women tend to concentrate in white-collar and service occupations, while men are  more spread out between white collar and blue-collar positions. A decline in occupational segregation has occurred in broad occupational categories, largely because of shifts in technology and organizational structures. But despite these general improvements, women still are found disproportionately in certain occupations such as nursing, teaching and hold only a small percentage of positions as computer specialists, scientist and engineers. Similarly, a man and woman may be both be in sales, but the woman is much more likely to be in clothing sales, while the mans is involved in selling of stocks and bonds. Craft occupations are another group of occupations in which women continue to be severely underrepresented (Herz, Wootton, 1996). According to a US Department of Labor (1996) report, in 1979, women who worked full time made about 63 percent of what men did, but in 1995, women earned about 75 percent as much as men. However, this decline may be due more to decreases in the earnings of men, in general, than it is to real improvement for women (Bernhardt et al., 1995). The Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) guarantee that women holding essentially the same jobs as men will be treated with respect and fairly compensated regarding all rewards of work: wages, salaries, commissions, overtime pay, bonuses, premium pay, and benefits. However, comparisons cannot be made across different companies. Interestingly, employers may pay workers of one gender more than another on the basis of merit, seniority, quality and quantity of production, or any other factor other than sex. Given that women are still reaching a glass ceiling, particularly when it comes to upper management, CEO positions, these allowed practices are still discriminatory practices. How is equality of position established? By determining and setting criteria for skill, effort, responsibility, and working condition. Ivancevic (2004) maintains that the difference in wages includes also â€Å"any type of compensation such as vacations, holiday pay, leave of absence, overtime pay, lodging, food, reimbursement for clothing or other expenses†. In order to close the remaining earning gap, the concept of equal pay for equal jobs to be expanded to include equal pay for comparable jobs has become more widely  accepted. 3. Women comparable worth in the job market: The concept of comparable worth maintains that since females are discriminated in the labor market we have to look at the worth and intrinsic value of the job, and although jobs may be dissimilar in content (i.e. nurse and plumber), both are important to society and the organization. My wife maintains that she thinks that the garbage man/woman has a much greater worth and value (what would happen if the garbage wouldn’t be picked up?) than a doctor, for example, for she seldom goes to the doctor, at least not weekly. Even when men take â€Å"women’s work†, they are on top of the pay scale. The solution to the erosion of inequality is, regardless whether viewed from the perspective of equal pay or comparable worth, that women’s real wages have to rise faster than men’s whose wages don’t have to fall. Though laws now prohibit employers from paying a woman with the same qualification less than a man who does the same work. In support of women rights, I would like to see the law expanded to guarantee that the jobs in which most workers are mostly women are paid at roughly the same rate as comparable jobs in which most workers are men. My own personal experience of equal pay and comparable worth is linked to the military pay system. This particular pay system is a product of across the broad theory, that regardless of gender, the pay at this particular rank is the same for both male and female. There are four major factors that govern advancement for the sexes: education, time in service, training, and experience, though there are special incentives for those with critical skills. In other words, all jobs in this particular specialty are to be considered to be equal in pay for all. Therefore it is my belief regardless if you are male or female with identical qualification and capable of performing at the next level there should be no hesitation in advancement. It has been proven time and time again throughout ranks of military professionals, that women are just as capable and sometime more capable than men at performing the same job, but at a higher rate of success and enthusiasm. In closing, the net worth should be based on the value each job (not female or male) renders to the organization. Reference Bernhardt, Martina Morris, and Mark S. Handcock. 1995. â€Å"Women’s Gains or Men’s Losses? A Closer Look at the Shrinking Gender Gap in Earnings.† American Journal of Sociology 101:302-28. Dublin, Thomas. 1979. Women at Work. New York: Columbia University Press. Eisler, Benita, ed. 1977. The Lowell Offering. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott. Herz, Diane E., and Barbara H. Wooton. 1996. â€Å"Women in the Workforce: An Overview.† Pp 44-78 in The American Woman 1996-7, edited by C. Costellor and B.K Krimgold. New York: Norton. Hurst, Charles E. 1998. Social Inequality: Forms Causes and Consequences. Allen & Beacon: Needham Heights, MA. Invancevich, J. M. 2004. Human Resource Management. (9th ed). New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin. U.S. Department of Labor, January 1996. Employment and Earnings. Washington, D.C: Government Printing Office.

Victorian Era Consciousness

How would you describe the consciousness of the Victorian Age? Think about their perception of their place in the world. The consciousness of society in the Victorian age is an interesting factor that greatly changed and evolved during the time period. The era’s beginning and end is marked by the birth and death of the reigning monarch of the time, Queen Victoria, spanning from 1837 to the early 1900s. With the effects of the Industrial Revolution distinctly felt by all classes within society, it was a time of significant social reformation and drastic change in all aspects of life, and in short was a diverse and complex though tremendously exciting period for those who were living in it. As a result of such rapid growth, expansion and change, it is only natural that there was widespread excitement and perhaps apprehension at the same time. A new world was being created away from the manual driven labour of the old, and one of steam power and coal was emerging, of urbanisation and industrialisation. This constantly transforming and thriving world to the people at the time must’ve been overwhelming and thrilling, as they gained a realisation that all aspects of their lives were becoming influenced in some way or other by the increasingly advanced technologies and innovation. As a result, there was a great influx of population from the countryside to the city, with the realisation that there was a quickly approaching transition away from an agricultural-based economy towards machine-based manufacturing. However there must’ve been a great deal of anxiety and people may well have been wary towards the great changes that were happening around them. There would’ve been a growing new consciousness as society had to perceive the world in a different way than they previously had in order to ‘keep up with the times. As one tiny pebble when thrown into a pond causes consequent ripples to spread throughout the surface, the Victorian Age was like a pond where a great many pebbles were being thrown into. As a result, their way of thinking and apprehending the constantly developing world around them had to be open-minded in the sense that they had to be prepared for more surprises. They had to become receptive to things previously thought impossibl e or perhaps not even imagined at all which came to life- it was supposed to be a new Golden Age and indeed it was. However, the Victorian Age also had its dark side- the side of child labour, devastating unemployment, opium and prostitution. Nothing was certain anymore and with the modernism movement arising towards the end of the 19th century, people began to question many values and concepts that had before been unarguably taken for granted and accepted within society. With the rejection of established patterns of thought, a new consciousness arose where old traditions and customs were critically examined and people realised they had more freedom of thought than ever.

Volunteer in a Elementary School Essays

Volunteer in a Elementary School Essays Volunteer in a Elementary School Essay Volunteer in a Elementary School Essay and making photo copy, collating, packet preparation. So why should we volunteer? We should volunteer to support our communities and world. Let me tell you what my experience and opportunity were while I volunteer at my child elementary school, and I hope this will persuade you to volunteer anywhere. The main reason I volunteer at Irving Elementary School was to get experience in working with children’s which seemed very interesting because kids have different reactions to an environment with other people. For example, the mixed emotions children have during their first day of school, it is hard to break the tension building inside them without making them cry or scared. Next, working with children has left an indelible mark in my memory. My experience as a community service volunteer, where I was assigned to do recreational activities for children ages 3-10 year old, much of the wonderful experience is caused by the diversity of the environment when working with young ones for I discovered that a child’s sense of imagination is gives out fresh ideas that positively influence a person’s outlook in life. Most of the time, the varying moods of children tend to start an argument over petty things nevertheless I really enjoyed such service because the experience made me feel young again. The second, reason why I volunteer in an Irving Elementary School was to show my daughter that I am interested in her education, and because this will give my daughter a positive message that I am considering her school a worthwhile cause. Also, volunteering is a huge resource and support for the school community while its showing the kids the importance of participating in the community. Meanwhile volunteering in my daughter school will gain a first- hand of my daughter daily activities and some insight into trends and fads of school life that will help me communicate with my daughter as she grows and changes. Beside, volunteering at my daughter school gave me the opportunity to go on a field trip, which this gave me the chance to get to know all of the kids in her class. This proved to be a blessing to carrying on meaningful conversation with my daughter about her peer interactions. As well, volunteering at my daughter school gave me a basic idea of what my child should be learning and mastering. It also, exposes me to children of different backgrounds and incomes. In addition, your learn more about your child school district and will be able to knowledge it when it comes to school board decisions. Not only, will you gain the trust of children you help, you will gain the respect of the teacher who so desperately need all the help they can get. You will see the needs of each classroom and know invariably what they are lacking in tools and resources to be the best place for the children to learn. Field trips and excursions outside their school can also enable you to give the children a better grasp or what life is like outside of school and home and proper behavior to display when in public.

The Good Doctor

The Good Doctor The Good Doctor is a full-length play that exposes the ridiculous, tender, outlandish, ludicrous, innocent, and weird frailties of human beings. Each scene tells its own story, but the behavior of the characters and the resolutions of their stories are not typical or predictable. In this play, Neil Simon dramatizes short stories written by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov. Simon even gives Chekhov a role without specifically naming him; it is commonly accepted that the character of The Writer in the play is a quirky version of Chekov himself. Format The Good Doctor is not a play with a unified plot and sub-plot. Instead, it is a series of scenes that, when experienced one after another, give you a strong sense of Chekhov’s take on the human condition embellished by Simon’s wit and pithy dialogue. The Writer is the one unifying element in the scenes, introducing them, commenting on them, and occasionally playing a role in them. Other than that, each scene can (and often does) stand alone as its own story with its own characters. Cast Size When this play done in its entirety- 11  scenes- appeared on Broadway, five actors played all 28 roles. Nine roles are female and 19 are male roles, but in a few scenes, a female could play a character designated in the script as male. The scene breakdown below will give you a sense of all the roles in all the scenes. Many productions eliminate a scene or two because the action in one scene is unrelated to the action in another. Ensemble There are no ensemble moments in this play- no â€Å"crowd† scenes. Each scene is character-driven by the small number of characters (2 – 5) in each. Set The set needs for this play are simple, even though the action occurs in a variety of locales: seats in a theatre, a bedroom, a hearing room, a study, a dentist’s office, a park bench, a public garden, a pier, an audition space, and a bank office. Furniture can easily be added, struck, or rearranged; some big pieces- like a desk- can be used in several different scenes. Costumes While the character names and some of the language seem to insist that the action occurs in 19the century Russia, the themes and conflicts in these scenes are timeless and could work in a variety of locales and eras. Music This play is billed as â€Å"A Comedy with Music,† but except for the scene called â€Å"Too Late for Happiness† in which lyrics that the characters sing are printed in the text of the script, music is not imperative to the performance. In the script that I have- copyright 1974- the publishers offer a â€Å"tape recording of the special music for this play.† Directors can check to see whether such a tape or CD or electronic file of music is still offered, but the scenes can stand on their own without the specific music, in my opinion. Content Issues? The scene called â€Å"The Seduction† scenes deal with the possibility of infidelity in marriage, although the infidelity is unrealized. In â€Å"The Arrangement,† a father purchases the services of a woman for his son’s first sexual experience, but that too goes unrealized. There is no profanity in this script. The Scenes and Roles Act I â€Å"The Writer† The play’s narrator, the Chekhov character, welcomes the interruption of an audience for his stories in a two-page monologue. 1 male â€Å"The Sneeze† A man in a theatre audience lets loose a monstrous sneeze that sprays the neck and head of the man seated in front of him- a man who just happens to be his superior at work. It’s not the sneeze, but the man’s reparations that cause his eventual demise. 3 males,  2 females â€Å"The Governess† An officious employer unfairly subtracts and subtracts money from her meek governess’s wages. (To view a video of this scene, click here.) 2 females â€Å"Surgery† An eager inexperienced medical student wrestles with a man to yank his painful tooth out. 2 males â€Å"Too Late for Happiness† An older man and woman engage in small talk on a park bench, but their song reveals their inner thoughts and wishes. 1 male,  1 female â€Å"The Seduction† A bachelor shares his foolproof method of seducing other men’s wives with no direct contact until she is on her way into his arms. 2 males,  1 female Act II â€Å"The Drowned Man† A man finds himself agreeing to pay a sailor for the entertainment of watching the sailor jump in the water to drown himself. 3 males â€Å"The Audition† A young inexperienced actress annoys and then enchants the Voice in the darkness of the theatre when she auditions. 1 male,  1 female â€Å"A Defenseless Creature† A woman dumps her considerable woes on a bank manager with such vehemence and histrionics that he gives her money just to get rid of her. (To view a video of this scene, click here.) 2 males,  1 female â€Å"The Arrangement† A father negotiates a price with a woman to give his son his first sexual experience as a 19th birthday gift. Then he has second thoughts. 2 males,  1 female â€Å"The Writer† The play’s narrator thanks the audience for visiting and listening to his stories. 1 male â€Å"A Quiet War† (This scene was added following the first printing and production of the play.) Two retired military officers hold their weekly park bench meeting to continue discussing their disagreements. This week’s topic of conflict is the perfect lunch. 2 males YouTube offers  videos of a stage production of scenes from the play.

Living Conditions of Immigrants in America Today Research Paper

Living Conditions of Immigrants in America Today - Research Paper Example America as a country, is made up mostly of the descents of immigrants from Europe, who moved to the Americas in search of greener pastures. However, the America of today is witnessing another group of immigrants mainly from the third world countries, and in search of a better life contrary to their countries of origin (Avenarius 34). This topic is important in the sense that, while immigrants contribute significantly to the economy of the United States, their plight often go unnoticed at the expense of the bonafide citizens. While there are immigrants who are lucky to discover their dreams in this land of abundant opportunities, others find themselves in dire situations. The world today faces the impact of globalization and the economic crunch that has hit countries across the world including the developed countries such as the United States. As a result, the life of many Immigrants in America is not that rosy as perceived by relatives back in the country of origin. Many immigrants today in America, has to engage in more than one job to sustain both their needs and those of relatives back home. In terms of seeking employment, immigrants in America today faces a milestone since unemployment is widespread, and there is competition for the better job opportunities. On the same note, most immigrants are either semi-illiterate or illiterate and often find themselves looking for menial jobs. Further, most of immigrants in America mainly work in farms, restaurants, factories or any other job that does not requi re professional skills. This makes their living condition a challenge as a result of the meager wages they receive in their places of work. As consequent, most immigrants find themselves unable to afford decent accommodation or housing and healthcare (Conard 163). On another note, most citizens from other countries are often ignorant about the kind of life they may experience in another country. In the developing or third world countries, moving or migrating to the developed world is seen as a way of escaping poverty and other societal challenges common in the developing world. As a result of expecting heaven when immigrants move to a developed country, they end up exploited by rogue employers who underpays their services. This is a challenge for immigrants in America today since, most of these immigrants cannot protest for an improvement of wages. The main reason why most immigrants are unable to challenge employers for better working conditions and wages is because of being in the country illegally. The proper channels to seek work permit or permanent citizenship is involving and some of these immigrants often end up deported back to their countries of origin. To avoid deportation, most immigrants prefer remaining silent about their status as they continue to suffer from exploitation from rogue employers or unscrupulous business persons (Chip 48). Further, to make ends meet, immigrants in America often find themselves engaging in illegal dealings to earn more money to sustain their living and significant others. While most of these immigrants are innocent, they often end up in American prisons or deported to their countries of origins where some may face incarceration. The United States as a country, is considered the world’s number one economy and this means that government offers better social, economic and political structures for its citizens. However, most immigrants often find themse

Babcock marine case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Babcock marine case study - Assignment Example Being the largest warships that the UK has ever commissioned, they are to be built like a giant Lego model and have individual blocks being built at the six shipyards surrounding UK that is before they are transported to Babcock’s Rosyth facility for the final assemble and its integration. If you happen to be in the military or a commercial sea-faring craft, there is an open door for you. A division of the Babcock International, the company provides a wide range of design, support and building services which are inclusive of upgrading, conversion, refitting and maintenance (Brown, 2003). It also offers engineering, as well as, support services to the royal navy. Most of its customers include the government of Canada, New Zealand and Canada. The marine designs the fast ferries, specialist crafts and paramilitary vessels to customers globally. In addition, it offers the water jet propulsion for commercial and military applications, landing craft, workboats, special operations cr afts, design of excluded light in alloy planking in small ship construction and other commercial vessels. Close to that is the ability of the company to provide all spares of procurement services. It supports the third party operators and also the private owners. SWOT analysis Strengths and opportunities The two largest aspects that give the company a reason for existence is the energy and the marine technology. Babcock has provided a platform for the design, integration and also management services in the marine, oil and gas and also in the defense sectors globally. Privileged to have more than 900 engineers and technical support staff, they also have inspired delivery record, proven design and management expertise, focused leadership, it is able to support all its customers on each and every aspect, including the concept of design and modification through the life management together with a safe and environmentally friendly disposal (Kim, 2005). It is the leading UK Engineering su pport services Company, and it is trusted to deliver serious support to the government along with key industry organizations within the globe. The company has proven track record as being the UK’s leader in naval support business that provides its customers with surety and huge confidence regarding its ability to safely and carefully manage and operate some of the countries most core assets together with providence of through-life support in complex programs of national significance (Brown, 2003). Further the submarine partner in the royal navy, the company is the only provider of deep maintenance, infrastructure support and in-service maintenance. The strength of its long term relationship has been portrayed in its involvement in the current and future programmes. It has unique facilities and infrastructure that has enabled the company to undertake about 75% of the UK surface refit refits and also about 50% of fleet maintenance. Managing and also operating two of the three U K naval bases, has enabled Babcock to work successfully with the ministry of Defense over the last ten years and hence delivering considerable cost reductions and further service improvements as part of successful partnering relationship with the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defense. It has unique naval infrastructure across the UK which support complex engineering programmes and at the same time increasing the availability of the customer’