Work Measurement

The purpose of work measurement is to determine the time it ought to take to do a job. The problem is in the definition of â€Å"ought to. † Work measurement analyst define this as the time it should take an experienced and well-trained operator to perform the job in a specific and well-defined method at a speed that can be maintained all day, day after day, without undue fatigue. This time, called standard time, can be divided into several parts: the actual elements used to perform the job; the rating factor used to determine the â€Å"normal† pace of these elements (the method used to determine the â€Å"ought to† time); and an allowance for personal time, unavoidable delays, and slowing due to fatigue. There are four main systems of work measurement. First, and most used, is time study, specifically, stop-watch time study. Motion picture and video cameras, computers, and various production timing devices can also be used in the place of, and in conjunction with, the stop watch. The second system, work sampling, is a statistical procedure for measuring work and requires an understanding of the techniques of statistics and probability. The third system, predetermined time systems (PDT), uses sets of tables of basic motions that have already been â€Å"normalized† by experts. Thus, PDT systems do not require the analyst to â€Å"rate† or â€Å"level† the measurement. Finally, there is the standard data system of work measurement which, strictly speaking, is not a measurement technique at all. Here similar elements made up of similar groups of motions from the other measurement systems are tabled and then reused as needed for subsequent products and standards. USES OF WORK MEASUREMENT Work measurement is used to determine standards against which comparisons can be made for a variety of purposes. 1. Wage incentives. If workers are to be paid in accordance with the amount of work accomplished rather than the amount of time expended (hourly), some means of determining an acceptable, or fair, amount of work is needed. The payment for work accomplished could be based on sales price and profits, but a fairer method is to establish a standard and pay in accordance to that standard. 2. Schedules. In order to schedule work effectively and keep things running smoothly and orderly, a knowledge of expected working times is an absolute necessity. Budgets. Budgets provide needed control over funds. One of their more important inputs is operating costs. Standards provide the expected operating times from which these costs are computed. 4. Labor cost control. Labor cost is usually a very significant percentage of the total manufacturing cost (normally from 10 to 40 percent). To control these costs, the actual costs must be compared to a standard and any deviation corrected, especially if the actual is greater than the standard. . Downtime studies. Properly developed standards include reasonable allowances (extra time) for personal time, unavoidable delays, and fatigue. Both time study and work sampling can be used to determine these allowances. They can also be used on a continuing basis (daily or weekly) to measure actual downtime and personal time when definitive production records are not kept and standards are not used.

Interpreter of Maladies Analysis

Jhumpa Lahiri’s, â€Å"Interpreter of Maladies,† tells the story of a family on a trip who consistently face communication issues and Mr. Kapasi, a much wiser man, who is expected to repair the problems of the family. Throughout the story, we learn about the dysfunctions of both the Das and Kapasi family. While some may argue that Lahiri does not believe in the power of communication, it is self evident that Lahiri does in fact believe in the power of communication.We know that he believes in the power of communication because he presents to us a family with no communication and all the issues that can be solved should they communicate with each other. Some people may argue that Lahiri does not believe in the power of communication, and that communication may kill a relationship. Communication is a sign of trust, you’re opening up to someone, and Mrs. Das did just that with Mr. Kapasi when she made her revelation. â€Å"Is it really pain you feel, Mrs.Das or is it guilt?†¦ properly insulted †(66). This quote suggests the ultimate end to their relationship, because we know after this quote she walks out on him and back to her husband. Mr. Kapasi was asking this question because he knew that Mrs. Das was guilty, he found out what was wrong with her and she won’t have it. This argument can be rebutted in the future of the story because we see that Mr. Kapasi still cares about Mrs. Das because he doesn't want her to be scared or in the end where Mrs.Das tells Mr. Kapasi to save her son from the monkeys, not Mr. Das. Lahiri presents to us the communication issues that the Das family has multiple times throughout the story and constantly uses it throughout the story as a theme. The conversation between Mrs. Das and Mr. Das shows us the lack of communication and even care the Das family has for their kids, â€Å"Mr. and Mrs. Das bickered about who should take Tina to the toilet†¦ she did not hold the little girl’s h and as they walked to the restroom†(43).The fact that Mr. Das has to remind his wife that he gave Tina a bath shows that neither parent is aware what the other does with their kids, t`he bickering itself suggests problems in the relationship. â€Å"She did not hold the little girl’s hand† suggests a lack of connection and care that Mrs. Das has for Tina because she refuses to hold her daughters hand. Hold a daughters hand has always been a symbol of love, care, and protection, Ms. Das indicates to have neither of these.In the end of the story, we see that after Mrs. Das let’s out what she has been feeling we see much more interest and awareness on the kids, â€Å"Poor Bobby.. Come here, let Mommy fix your hair. † This quote shows that Mrs. Das is accepting motherhood and no longer is the â€Å"big sister† she was compared to previously. After communicating with Mr. Kapasi she can finally be the mom she long desired to be, even if it meant lea ving her past behind, including Mr. Kapasi

Alaska Airline & Corporate Culture Essay

A unique cultural characteristic of Alaska Airline would be the benefits they allot their employees. After 90 days of working with Alaska Airline, an employee earns benefits which allows him or her to fly anywhere at anytime with 1 other individual. In addition to this, the employee is given 6 â€Å"buddy passes† each year which allows the employee to give 6 roundtrip tickets to people other than himself or the 1 person he chooses to travel with. The best part about these benefits is that as long as the employee remains in good standing with the company, they are issued indefinitely, even after retirement. Companies can unknowingly cultivate negative culture among its employees and customers. This can happen in numerous ways. If a company were to institute a new policy which applied undue stress to its employees, adopt new prices that are greatly higher than what its customers are accustomed to paying, or allow a top representative to behave in a manner which sharply contradicts the values of the company, it would certainly be cultivating negative culture. While such behaviors may be immediately illusive to the company, some, if not many, employees and customers will notice it, and the company will suffer for it. In order to know specifically how a business’ corporate culture can be amended for the better, it would be necessary to know which business is being discussed or at the very least, the disposition of it’s corporate culture. While a grocery chain may need to focus on training employees to assist the elderly or the otherwise incapable individuals with carrying and loading groceries into cars, the corporate culture of an electronic store may benefit from having better-educated employees about the products in order that said employees may help customers make better-informed purchases. As far as developing a sense of corporate culture directed at the employees, a company may issue monthly kudos to employees who overachieved or plan celebrations after goals have been reached. Nevertheless, any and all amendments put into effect by a business for the purpose of improving corporate culture must result in an enhancement of customer or employee experience and or perception. There will certainly be a cultural shift in Microsoft as they reorganize to emphasize customer service. Before, the company was not so focused on customer service, and therefore had a corporate culture with its center of gravity more on product development. Now, however, the company must necessarily implement changes ubiquitously, effectively replanting its center of gravity, in order to meet is goal of honing in on customer service. Such a drastic make-over will involve a significant cultural shift. While Jet Blue has experienced much difficult as a result of bad weather which has in fact damaged their culture, it would be hasty to say their culture has been irreparably damaged. There can be work done through public relations and customer appreciative measures to repair its damaged culture. Work Cites 1. â€Å"Work-Life and Benefits- Alaska Airlines.† alaskaair.com. Alaskaair, n.d. Web. 20 April 2011. 2. March, Suzanne. â€Å"JetBlue Airways – Flight Change Fees Waived For Passengers Affected By Bad Weather .† starglobaltribune.com. Starglobaltribune, n.d. Web. 20 April 2011.

Homework 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Homework 3 - Essay Example The physical stimulus of temperature is transduced in the development so as to modulate the expression of the genes coding for steroid genic enzymes and sex steroid hormone receptors. In the temperature dependent sex determination, every individual possesses an equal ability of becoming either male or female. Temperature triggers the activation of one sex-determining cascade. Temperature dependent sex determination is an evolutionary precursor to the genotype sex-determining mechanisms, mainly characteristic of birds and mammals (Becker 249). Exogenous estrogens are used in embryos for the production of females at temperatures that produce only males. On the other hand, an aromatase inhibitor is administered to produce males at temperatures that produce only females. Aromatase is administered since it is the key enzyme that converts androgens to estrogens (Valenzuela & Lance 211-227). In the temperature dependent sex determination, temperature is the regulatory factor that determines the sex of the organisms. It is during the incubation period that the temperature is controlled in favor of the desired sex. The method has proved to be efficient form of environmental sex determination

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave Essay - 5

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave - Essay Example The book is a detailed account of his life as a slave until he was emancipated. As with every other race story and accounts in the different literature books such as Handlin’s or even Daniel’s, the minority race (in this case the blacks) were always on the receiving end of every evil their white masters and even the rest of the white people subjected them to. Fredrick’s case is not different, in chapter 10 when he was working in Mr. Covey’s plantation, he was constantly thoroughly whipped and mercilessly for that matter until he ran away because he thought he was going to die after collapsing one day from the beating (Douglass 77). He is also abused by other white men when he goes to work in the shipyard and he has to leave there too. This is an indication of how one race considered them so superior over the other that even people on the same job category still treated the blacks as slaves and with disdain. The worst part is that even with evidence of physical abuse, the police and lawyers cannot come to the rescue of the blacks simpl y because even the system is wretched and corrupt with racism. Fredrick may have managed to get slavery abolished but that does not mean that other forms of modern-day slavery do not exist. Issues such as racism as explained by Fredrick are still in existence even to date with some white still feeling superior to the blacks and even people of law (such as police, lawyers, advocates, and some judges) still separates these two races to date. Even though the slavery may not be as intense as it used to be when Fredrick was growing up where even the food provided by the master was little and children were separated from their parents at a very tender age so that they cannot know love (Douglass 20), there is still the lack of complete freedom for the immigrants and people of minority race and ethnicity not only in the United States but in other nations of the world as well.

Differences and connections between groupware and ordinary databases, Essay

Differences and connections between groupware and ordinary databases, and why they matter - Essay Example Various researchers have categorized groupware applications into 3 categories including conferencing tools, communication tools and collaborative management and working tools. In this scenario, communication tools comprise FAX, email and voice mail. The second category conferencing tools comprise voice, data and video conferencing, chat rooms and message boards. Finally, collaborative management systems and tools comprise project management systems, electronic calendars and workflow systems. Moreover, various researchers categorize groupware applications into 2 categories with respect to time and place. In this scenario, an application that is used by all the staff members of an organization simultaneously is acknowledged as synchronous groupware application. Additionally, staff members can make use of similar application at different times using asynchronous groupware systems. The place connected types are collected, groupware that is utilized by people in same place as well as distance.Additionally, at the present, businesses, no matter what their working and operational structure is, as well experience the power of the augmented data and informational flow. In addition, businesses are continually receiving and transferring tons of data and information files through posts, telephones, online messengers, emails, and faxes. Normally, organizations use these tools to communicate with their clients as and suppliers, experts or for negotiations. In this scenario, the longer their collaboration with a supplier or client is, the more data and information they would be able to interchange. As well, as the business grows the figures of clients and suppliers also grow. Consequently, the amount of information rises at an exceptional rate. Thus, if these valuable data and information are not arranged it will cause many problems. Besides, they are certain that all of their staff workers work hard? In other words, organizations require high level quality and time-frames of their work. In situations of data and informational chaos, this is quite a complex job. In addition, generation of a variety of reports as well turns out to be a time-consuming task (MetaQuotes Software Corp., 2011) and (Computer Networks IT, 2011). Furthermore, the ineffective collaboration between a business system and government reduces the working competence of our staff members and nonmanufacturing overheads augment. Additionally, an organization turns out to be less well-organized, as their staff spends a greater amount of their time on technical tasks. Consequently, every client costs more and every working hour of organization’s workers formulates fewer investments into their company's efficiency. In this scenario, organizations make use of groupware applications for a multiplicity of causes. However, one main reason is to avoid the customary issues of having workers in dissimilar places who require performing tasks on similar function. In addition, by logging in to a communication network or intranet server, workers in diverse places are able to access the same application as well as get advantage from a variety of

The Competition & Consumer Act of 2010 Replaces Trade Practices Act of Essay

The Competition & Consumer Act of 2010 Replaces Trade Practices Act of 1974 - Implications and Significance - Essay Example The Trade Practices Act of 1974 has always been an integral component of Constitution of Australia as a guarantor of purchaser. Background & Evolution: The need for the formation of a business law was felt during the British rule in Australia in the first half of the 19th century however, at that time all the companies were governed by â€Å"English Company Act of 1862†. In the first half of the 20th century Federal Parliament of Australia formed "foreign corporations, and trading or financial corporation’s formed within the limits of the Commonwealth" and the Small Business activities were left within the domain of the state and the particular territories in a geographical location. In the year 1961-62 for the first time in the history of Australian Business Law State Legislation and Commonwealth Legislation formed â€Å"A Uniform Companies Act†. The year 1965 Trade Practices Act crafted a â€Å"Commissioner of Trade Practices and a Trade Practices Tribunalâ₠¬  to scan trade accords and performances. However, this act was ephemeral and finally the High Court in Australia had to annul the aforesaid act due to â€Å"Constitutional Difficulties† and replaced the same with Restrictive Practices Act in 1971. The Trade Practices Act of 1974 was endorsed to deal with issues relating to Consumer protection was exclusively in charge of looking after the interests of the consumers at all levels however, the Legislation regarding fair trading and other issues external to Trading Corporation remained within the realm of respective states and territories. Thus, The Trade Practices Act 1974 became the decisive Legal entity governing the trade policies to ensure the welfare of the consumers. Finally the Trade Practices Act 1974 was replaced by â€Å"Competition and Consumer Act of 2010.†(History of Business Law, 2010) The Trade Practices Act 1974 Hence the primary task of the Trade Practices Act was to ensure healthy competition without compromising the interests of the consumers. Fair Trading was the benchmark to analyze the role of big companies concerning the protection of consumers. From patrons, merchants, contractor and traders they all fall within the ambit of the Act. In short it included every facets of market place. Regulation of trade through Price monitoring is one of the key ingredients for accomplishing the consumer protection. Other means for safeguarding the interests of the consumers could be ensuring product security, labeling of products and finally restricting â€Å"unjust marketplace practices†. The Competition & Consumer Act of 2010 January 2010 marked the New Year with a new set of laws and legislations that was passed for safeguarding and protecting the rights of the Consumers as well as business groups. If one has to carefully analyze and understand the special benefit of this new law that has replaced the former Trade Practices Act, one can draw two main benefits which are evident. Special Significance of the Act: First it accommodates and accepts the nationwide agreed sets of protections on a consumer known as Australian Consumer Law (ACL). According to this new Act there would be a single uniform Consumer Law all over the country. Hence it would relieve the burden on the business enterprise to abide by the various inter–states rulings. The consumer on the other hand would feel less discriminated against as there would be a uniform law safeguarding and

An analysis of the idea of measuring and reporting human capital in Essay

An analysis of the idea of measuring and reporting human capital in the balance sheet - Essay Example 77). Companies including human capital will improve the companies’ goodwill in the external and internal environment. The political economy of the firms will improve when the company illustrate its relationship with different skilled employees since the society will appreciate the move by the firm to treat its employees in the best ways possible since they are part of the society. The company that includes training of its employees in the financial reports creates better coexistence with the government thus increasing their good reputation and in return generate more profits since the government helps it in training and developing employees who are skilled to produce quality goods (Blair 1999, pg. 43). It is important for a company to include equity to portray it does not discriminate against the physically but skilled employees or recruits creates a better image that will shape the scope of the market stock prices. Gender equality will portray better correlation with the society, which is important in expanding their company on its improved goodwill (Wyatt & Frick 2010, pg. 213). The inclusion of human capital in a financial report is very beneficial to firms thus this essay shows the reason behind exclusion of such a beneficial factor in the financial reports of most companies. Financial reports are responsible to portray the company’s financial activities and the best way the company is able to allocate its resources. This information is important to the shareholders or investors, competitors and the society. The shareholders who invest money in the company should have the knowledge of the composition of the employees the company operates with to ensure they make justifiable judgments on the funds to invest (Sveiby 1997, pg. 137). If the company prove that, the employees are talented, innovative, skilled and self-motivated, the shareholders will invest more funds since they are sure the employees at hand will generate more profits making the

HUMAN GROWTH BEHAVIOUR (SOCIAL WORK) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

HUMAN GROWTH BEHAVIOUR (SOCIAL WORK) - Essay Example role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generatively vs. stagnation and ego integrity vs. despair. According to the theory, successful completion of these stages will ensure a positive personality (Erikson, 1995). J. Bowlby who is known as the father of attachment theory (Cherry, n.d) first created the attachment theory. According to Bowlby, attachment needs begin when a child is born and continues throughout his life. The infant develops his first attachment with his mother who is the first and most important caretaker. A child has natural instincts to explore the world, but if while exploring he encounters a danger; he will take refuge by coming back to his mother for security. Moreover, discipline must be the main part of a child is training otherwise it will affect his future (Barnes, 2004). Bowbly discovered that the infants who had a strong bond with their mothers, had high IQ levels, strong self-esteem and performed well at school. The infant develops a sense of security and has a positive impact later on his life. Another renowned psychologist Mary Ainsworth later extended Bowbly’s theory by stating the main styles of attachments; secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, disorganized attachment and avoid-insecure attachment (Holms, 1993). Ambivalent-insecure attachment refers to a situation when a child becomes extremely insecure when the parent leaves, this happens due to the unavailability of a parent. In Avoid attachment, the infant tries to avoid or distance the caregiver and may easily trust a complete stranger. The reason for such behavior is the result of abusive parenting styles. In disorganized style of parenting, a child may both avoid and trust a parent, thus it results in disorganized behavior in child. Hence, attachment theory is very useful in understanding a relationship not only between a mother and child but also between adult partners. Mary is 45 years old and is in relationship with a man for more

To Maintain A Commitement To Professionalism Essay Example for Free

To Maintain A Commitement To Professionalism Essay To maintain a commitment to professionalism I must remember that the parents are the primary teachers and I am there to support them. To me professionalism begins at the top, therefore in order to maintain a commitment to professionalism I will perform my job to the best of my ability. In order to help nurture the potentials of the children there are goals and activities that must be set forth. My goals for children are to instill a sense of well being and accomplishment, while infusing knowledge. In order for this to be accomplished this will not only include the students but also their families and teachers. Some of my goals include commitment , organization, and helping promote learning and child development. I will continuously observe the children to gather information about their skills so I can plan appropriate activities. Skills will include writing, language, use of materials, and fine motor skills. I will work with other professionals and parents to help me make a decision on the needs of the children and families. I find that meeting the needs of the children requires strong commitment. Working with children also takes time and dedication. I complete developmentally appropriate curriculum for each age group, even if it means doing extra work at home. In order to maintain professionalism I believe its important to communicate. I communicate not only with the children but with the parents and teachers. Its always good to know what area a child is lacking in during school, that way I can provide extra help when they are under my care. There are many different activities that I do with each age group of children in order to achieve my professional goals. These activities include open ceremony and discussion time. In this time the children are able to talk about their day at school, their weekend, or any other topics that they bring up. Other activities include homework, kids literature, indoor and outdoor games, arts and crafts, music, and science. During theses activities I am able to see the different skills that the children can perform.

Reflection on Nursing Communication Scenario

Reflection on Nursing Communication Scenario INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION SKILLS Communication is a vital part of the nurses role. Theorists such as Peplau (1952), Rogers (1970) and King (1971) all emphasise therapeutic communication as a primary part of nursing and a major focus of nursing practice. Long (1992) further suggests that communication contains many components including presence, listening, perception, caring, disclosure, acceptance, empathy, authenticity and respect. Stuart and Sundeen (1991, p.127) warn that while communication can facilitate the development of a therapeutic relationship it can also create barriers between clients and colleagues. Within Healthcare, communication may be described as a transitional process that is dynamic and constantly changing (Hargie, Saunders and Dickenson, 1994, p.329). It primarily involves communication between the nurse and the patient. If the interaction is to be meaningful, information should be exchanged; this involves the nurse adopting a planned, holistic approach which eventually forms the basis of a therapeutic relationship. Fielding and Llewelyn (1987) contend that poor communication is the primary cause of complaints by patients. This is supported by Young (1995) who reports that one third of complaints to the Health Service Commissioner were related to communication with nursing staff. Studies by Boore (1979) and Devine and Cook (1983) demonstrate that good communication actually assisted the rate of patient recovery thus reducing hospital admission times. This suggests that good communication skills are cost effective. In this assignment, I have reflected on situations that have taken place during my clinical work experience. These situations have helped to develop and utilise my interpersonal skills, helping to maintain therapeutic relationships with patients. In this instance, I have used Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle as the framework for my reflection. Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle consists of six stages in nursing practice and learning from the experiences. Description of the situation that arose. Conclusion of what else would I could have done. Action plan is there so I can prepare if the situation rises again. Analysis of the feeling Evaluation of the experience Analysis to make sense of the experience My Reflective Cycle Baird and Winter (2005) illustrate the importance of reflective practice. They state that reflecting will help to generate knowledge and professional practice, increase ones ability to adapt to new situations, develop self esteem and greater job satisfaction. However, Siviter (2004) explains that reflection is about gaining self confidence, identifying ways to improve, learning from ones own mistakes and behaviour, looking at other peoples perspectives, being self aware and making future improvements by learning from the past. I have come to realise that it is important for me to improve and build therapeutic relationships with my patients by helping to establish a rapport through trust and mutual understanding, creating the special link between patient and nurse as described by Harkreader and Hogan (2004). Peplau (1952), cited in Harkreader and Hogan (2004), notes that good contact in therapeutic relationships builds trust as well as raising the patients self esteem, often leading t o the patients personal growth. Ruesh (1961), cited in Arnold and Boggs (2007), states that the purpose of therapeutic communication is to improve the patients ability to function. Therefore, in order to establish a therapeutic nurse/patient interaction, a nurse must possess certain qualities e.g. caring, sincerity, empathy and trustworthiness (Kathol, 2003) (P.33). These qualities can be expressed by promoting effective communication and relationships by the implementation of interpersonal skills. Johnson (2008) defines interpersonal skills as the ability to communicate effectively. Chitty and Black (2007, p 218) mention that communication is the exchange of information, thoughts and ideas via simultaneous verbal and non verbal communication. They explain that while verbal communication relies on the spoken word, non-verbal communication is just as important, consisting of gestures, postures, facial expressions, plus the tone and level of volume of ones voice. Thus, my reflection i n this assignment is based on the development of therapeutic relationships between the nurse and patient using interpersonal skills. My reflection is about a particular patient, to whom, in order to maintain patient information confidentiality (NMC, 2004), I will refer to as Mr R. It concerns an event which took place when I was working on a surgical ward. Whilst there were male and female wards, female and male surgical patients were encouraged mingle. On this particular day, I noticed that one of the male patients was sitting alone on his bed. This was Mr R., a 64 year old gentleman who had been diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the pancreas, with a life expectancy of 18-24 months. He was unable to control his pain, and whilst some relief could be provided by chemotherapy, Mr R. had a good understanding of his condition and knew that there was no cure available. He was unable to walk by himself and always needed assistance even to stand up or sit down. Because of his mobility problems I offered to get him his cup of tea and I then sat with him as he was lonely. I would now like to discuss the feelings and thoughts I experienced at the time. Before I gave Mr R. his cup of tea, I approached him in a friendly manner and introduced myself; I tried to establish a good rapport with him because I wanted him to feel comfortable with me even though I was not a family member or relative. When I first asked Mr R. if I could get him a cup of tea, he looked at me and replied I have asked the girl for a cup of tea, I dont know where she is. I answered Well, I will see where she is and if I cant find her, I will gladly get one for you Mr R. In doing this, I demonstrated emphatic listening. According to Wold (2004, p 13), emphatic listening is about the willingness to understand the other person, not just judging by appearance. Then I touched MrR.s shoulders, kept talking and raised my tone a little because I was unsure of his reaction. At the same time, I used body language to communicate the action of drinking. I paused and repeated my actions, but this time I used some simple words which I though Mr R. would understand. Mr R. looked at me and nodded his head. As I was giving him his cup of tea, I maintained eye contact as I didnt want him to feel shy or embarrassed. Fortunately, using body language helped me to communicate with this gentleman. At the time I was worried that he would be unable to understand me since English is not my first language but I was able to communicate effectively with him by verbal and non-verbal means, using appropriate gestures and facial expressions. Body language and facial expressions are referred to as a non-verbal communication (Funnell et al. 2005 p.443). I kept thinking that I needed to improve my English in order for him to better understand and interpret my actions. I thought of the language barrier that could break verbal communication. Castledine (2002, p.923) mentions that the language barrier arises when individuals come from different social backgrounds or use slang or colloquial phrases in conversation. Luckily, when dealing with Mr R. the particular gestures and facial expressions I used helped him to understand that I was offering him assistance. The eye contact I maintained helped show my willingness to help him; it gave him reassurance and encouraged him to place his confidence in me. This is supported by Caris-Verhallen et al (1999) who mention that direct eye contact expresses a sense of interest in the other person and provides another form of communication. In my dealings with Mr R., I tried to communicate in the best and appropriate way possible in order to make him feel comfortable; as a result he placed his trust in me and was more co-operative. Evaluation In evaluating my actions, I feel that I behaved correctly since my actions gave Mr R. both the assistance he needed and provided him with some company. I was able to successfully develop the nurse-patient relationship. Although McCabe (2004, p-44) would describe this as task centred communication one of the key components missing in communication by nurses I feel that the situation involved both good patient and task centred communication. I feel that I treated Mr R. with empathy because he was unable to perform certain tasks himself due to his mobility problems and was now refusing chemotherapy. It was my duty to make sure he was comfortable and felt supported and reassured. My involvement in the nurse-patient relationship was not restricted to task centred communication but included a patient centred approach using basic techniques to provide warmth and empathy toward the patient. I found that I was able to improve my non-verbal communication skills in my dealings with Mr R. When he first mentioned having chemotherapy, he volunteered very little information, thus demonstrating the role of non-verbal communication. Caris-Verhallen et al (1999, p.809) state that the role of non-verbal communication becomes important when communicating with elderly people with incurable cancer (Hollman et al 2005, p.31) There are a number of effective ways to maximise communication with people, for example, by trying to gain the persons attention before speaking this makes one more visible and helps to prevent the person from feeling intimidated or under any kind of pressure; the use of sensitive touch can also make them feel more comfortable. I feel that the interaction with Mr R. had been beneficial to me in that it helped me to learn how to adapt my communication skills both verbally and non-verbally. I used body language to its full effect since the language barrier made verbal communication with Mr.R. difficult. I used simple sentences that Mr R. could easily understand in order to encourage his participation. Wold (2004, p.76) mention that gestures are a specific type of non-verbal communication intended to express ideas; they are useful for people who have limited verbal communication skills. I also used facial expressions to help encourage him to have chemotherapy treatment which might not cure his problem but would give him some relief and make him feel healthier. Facial expressions are the most expressive means of non-verbal communication but are also limited to certain cultural and age barriers (Wold 2004 p.76). My facial expressions were intended to encourage Mr R. to reconsider his decision with regard to chemotherapy treatment. Whilst I could not go into all the details about his treatment, I was able to advise him to complete his treatment in order to alleviate his symptoms. Analysis In order to analyse the situation, I aim to evaluate the important communication skills that enabled me to provide the best level of nursing care for Mr R. My dealings with Mr R. involved interpersonal communication i.e. communication between two people (Funnell et al 2005, p-438).I realised that non-verbal communication did help me considerably in providing Mr R. with appropriate nursing care even though he could only understand a few of the words I was speaking. I did notice that one of the problems that occurred with this style of communication was the language barrier but despite this I continued by using appropriate communication techniques to aid the conversation. Although it was quite difficult at first, the use of non verbal communication skills helped encourage him to speak and also allowed him to understand me. The situation showed me that Mr R. was able to respond when I asked him the question without me having to wait for an answer he was unable to give. Funnell et al (2005, p 438) point out that communication occurs when a person responds to the message received and assigns a meaning to it. Mr R. had indicated his agreement by nodding his head. Delaune and Ladner (2002, P-191) explain that this channel is one of the key components of communication techniques and processes, being used as a medium to send out messages. In addition Mr R. also gave me feedback by showing that he was able to understand the messages being conveyed by my body language, facial expression and eye contact. The channels of communication I used can therefore be classed as both visual and auditory. Delaune and Ladner (2002 p.191) state that feedback occurs when the sender receives information after the receiver reacts to the message, however Chitty and Black (2007, p.218) define feedback as a response to a message. I n this particular situation, I was the sender who conveyed the message to Mr R. and Mr R. was the receiver who agreed to talk about his chemotherapy treatment and allowed me to assist. Consequently I feel that my dealings with Mr R. involved the 5 key components of communication outlined by Delaune and Ladner (2002, p.191) i.e. senders, message, channel, receiver and feedback. Reflecting on this event allowed me to explore how communication skills play a key role in the nurse and patient relationship in the delivery of patient-focussed care. Whilst I was trying to assist Mr R. when he was attempting to walk, I realised that he needed time to adapt to the changes in his activities of daily living. I was also considering ways of successful and effective communication to ensure a good nursing outcome. I concluded that it was vital to establish a rapport with Mr R. to encourage him to participate in the exchange both verbally and non-verbally. This might then give him the confidence to communicate effectively with the other staff nurses; this might later prevent him from being neglected due to his age or his inability to understand the information given to him about his treatment and the benefits of that treatment. I have set out an action plan of clinical practice for future reference. If there were patients who needed help with feeding or with other procedures, I would ensure that I was well prepared to deal patients who werent able to communicate properly. This is because, as a nurse, it is my role to ensure that patients are provided with the best possible care. To achieve this, I need to be able to communicate effectively with patients in different situations and with patients who have differing needs. I need to communicate effectively as it is important to know what patients need most during there stay on the ward under my supervision. Whilst I have a lot of experience in this field of practice, communication remains a fundamental part of the nursing process which needs to be developed in nurse-patient relationships. Wood (2006, p.13) states that communication is the key to unlock the foundation of relationships. Good communication is essential if one is to get to know a patients individu al health status (Walsh, 2005, p.30). Active learning can also help to identify the existence of barriers to communication when interacting with patients. Active learning means listening without making judgements; I always try to listen to patients opinions or complaints since this gives me the opportunity to see the patients perspective (Arnold, 2007, p.201). On the other hand, it is crucial to avoid the barriers that occur in communication with the patients and be able to detect language barriers. This can be done by questioning patients about their health and by asking them if they need help in their daily activities. I set about overcoming such barriers by asking open-ended questions and interrupting when necessary to seek additional facts (Funnell et al, 2005, p.453). Walsh (2005, p.31) also points out that stereotyping and making assumptions about patients, by making judgements on first impressions and a lack of awareness of communication skills are the main barriers to good communication. I must not judge patients by making assumptions on my first impression but should go out of my way to make the patient feel valued as an individual. I should respect each patients fundamental values, beliefs, culture, and individual means of communication (Heath, 300, p.27). I should be able to know how to establish a rapport with each patient. Cellini (1998, p.49) suggests a number of ways in which this can be achieved, including making oneself visible to the patient, anticipating patients needs, being reliable, listening effectively; all these factors will give me guidelines to improve my communication skills. Another important factor to include in my action plan is the need to take into account any disabilities patients may have such as poor hearing, visual impairment or mental disability. This could help give the patient some control and allow them to make the best use of body language. Once I know that a patient has some form of disability, I will be able to prepare a course of action in advance, deciding on the most appropriate and effective means of communication. Heath (2000, p.28) mentions that communicating with patients who have an impairment requires a particular and certain type of skill and consideration. Nazarko (2004, p.9) suggests that one should not repeat oneself if the patient is unable to understand but rather try to rephrase what one is saying in terms they can understand e.g. try speaking a little more slowly when communicating with disabled people or the hard of hearing. Hearing problems are the most common disability amongst adults due to the ageing process (Schofield. 2002, p.21). In summary, my action plan will show how to establish a good rapport with the patient, by recognising what affects the patients ability to communicate well and how to avoid barriers to effective communication in the future. Conclusion In conclusion, I have outlined the reasons behind my choosing Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle as the framework of my reflection and have discussed the importance of reflection in nursing practice. I feel I have discussed each stage of the cycle, outlining my ability to develop therapeutic relationship by using interpersonal skills in my dealings with one particular patient. I feel that most parts of the reflective cycle (Gibbs 1988) can be applied to the situation on which I have reflected. Without the model of structured reflection I do not feel I would have had the confidence to consider the situation in any depth (Graham cited in Johns 1997 a, p.91-92) and I fear reflection would have been remained at a descriptive level. I have been able to apply the situation to theory; as Boud Keogh Walker (1985, p.19) explain that reflection in the context of learning is a generic term for those intellectual and effective activities whereby individuals engage to explore their experiences in ord er to lead to a better understanding and appreciation. Boyd Fales (1983, p.100) agree with this and state that reflective learning is the process of internally examining and exploring an issue of concern, trigged by an experience that creates and clarifies meaning in terms of self and which results in a changed conceptual perspective. However, I personally believe that the reflective process is merely based on each individuals own personality and beliefs as well as their attitude and approach to the life. Appendix Mr R., a 64 year old gentleman, was an inpatient on a surgical ward. Earlier that day his consultant had directly informed him that he had inoperable cancer of the pancreas with a life expectancy of 18-24 months. Some relief might be offered by chemotherapy, but there was no cure. Mr R. was understandably shocked, but had suspected the diagnosis. At that time he remained in the care of the specialist nurse. Later in the day, as I was passing through the ward, I notice Mr. R. alone on his bed. Prescriptive A prescriptive intervention seeks to direct the behaviour of the client, usually behaviour that is outside the client-practitioner relationship. My first intervention was to open the conversation and demonstrate warmth. I provided information myself and gave Mr R. the choice of staying on his own or engaging with me. By shaking Mr R.s hands I was attempting to provide reassurance and support as well as communicating warmth in order to reduce his anxiety and promote an effective nurse-patient relationship. Practitioner: Hello Mr. R, I am one of the nurses here this  morning with Dr. M. Is there anything I can get you or would you rather be on your own? (Shook hands). Mr. R: NO, I remember you from this morning, come and sit down. Ive asked the girl for a cup of tea, I dont know where shes got to. Practitioner: Well give me a minute and Ill bring you one in. Do you take sugar? Mr. R: I suppose I shouldnt, then why worry. Two please. Practitioner: (Returning with a cup of tea) Here we are, dont blame me if its horrible, I got it from the trolley. (I smiled at Mr.R. and tried to establish eye contact, then sat down in the chair next to him). Mr. R: Thanks, thats just what I need. 2. Informative An informative intervention seeks to impart knowledge, information and meaning to the patient. My intention was to reinforce the nurse-patient relationship by smiling and attempting to establish eye contact as well as using facial expressions to put the patient at ease and establish a good rapport. By making Mr. R a cup of tea it created a pleasant response in a time of crisis. Practitioner: Jane (specialist nurse) was here this morning, what did you think about what she had to say? Mr. R: Oh yes she was very nice, mind you Im an old hand at this, I looked after my wife when she had cancer. Mr. R: She was riddled with cancer, but we kept her at home and looked after her. She could make a cracking cup of tea (Mr.R. smiles) Practitioner: (smiles and nods) When did she pass away? 3. Confronting A confronting intervention seeks to raise the clients consciousness about limiting behaviour or attitudes of which they are relatively unaware. By meeting the patients needs at that time I felt the urge to continue to show a display of warmth and develop the relationship further. Mr. R: It will be two years next month that she died. Practitioner: You must miss her. Mr. R: Theres not a day goes by that I dont talk to her. Goodness knows what she would make of all this, its brought it all back. 4. Cathartic A cathartic intervention seeks to enable the client to discharge/react to a painful emotion primarily grief, fear and/or anger. Mr. R spoke emotively and angrily by using such words as riddled and cancer. He spoke loudly and angrily with congruent non-verbal cues. Practitioner: Has what youve been discussing with Jane reminded you of your wifes death? Mr. R: Yes, (patient covers his face with his hands). Practitioner: What is it about what youve heard that is worrying you, do you think you can tell me? 5. Catalytic A catalytic intervention seeks to elicit self-discovery, self direct living, learning and problem solving in the client. Mr. R had a broad scope in which to discuss any concerns he may have had, but his response only concerned his wife, not him as his wife was the one who suffered from cancer. Mr. R: (Pause) ..Im an old hand at this and I dont want any of that chemo. Practitioner: What is it about the chemotherapy you dont like? Mr. R: My wife had it and we went through hell. Practitioner: You went through hell Mr. R: The doctors made her have the chemo and she still died in agony. 6. Supportive A supportive intervention seeks to affirm worth and value of the clients person, qualities, attitudes and actions. It is done to encourage the client to say more and to explore the issue further. Support is provided by non-verbal means like giving warmth, supportive posture and maintaining eye contact. I wanted to convince Mr. R that I was interested in what he had to say and help him believe that he was worth listening to that his opinions really mattered. Practitioner: Do you think the same thing will happen to you? Mr. R: Yes, thats the one thing Im worried about. Practitioner: em, if Im honest with you chemotherapy treatment is not a subject I know a lot about. (Pause), would you like to see the specialist nurse again? She can go over things with you and explain your options. Mr. R Well if she doesnt mind, Im just not sure the chemo will be worth it. Learning outcomes From this experience, I have learned the importance of:- Practice in accordance with the NMC (2004) code of professional conduct, performance, when caring for adult patients including confidentially, informed consent, accountability, patient advocacy and a safe environment. Demonstrating fair and anti-discriminatory behaviour, acknowledging differences in the beliefs, spiritual and cultural practices of individuals. Understanding the rationale for undertaking and documenting, a comprehensive, systematic and accurate nursing assessment of physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. Interpreting assessment data to prioritise interventions in evidence based plan of care. Discussing factors that will influence the effective working relationships between health and social care teams. Demonstrating the ability to critically reflect upon practice.

Background Of Toyota Motor Company Limited Management Essay

Background Of Toyota Motor Company Limited Management Essay Since it was founded in 1937, Toyota Motor Company has contributed to the development of the automobile industry and society by providing people with quality vehicles. TMC manufactures automobiles in 25 countries and regions all over the world. Today, its vehicles are sold in more 160 nations worldwide under the brand names of Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu, and Hino, manufacturing small cars to luxury sedans, full-sized pickup trucks, and crossover vehicles. This report is mainly focusing on the human resource management system of Toyota Motor. The major issues like technological issues of HRMS, change management and innovation to management style of Toyota Motor Company in detail. It also depicts the relation between the human resource management system and among these key issues in the context of Toyota motor company. Technological changes in HRMS of Toyota include the recruitment and selection process of Toyota and different techniques how to motivate and encourage employees towards the objectives and goals of organization. In change management an example of change management has been explain about the Toyota Motor and different styles of management which are used in Toyota are also describe in detail and some techniques which Toyotas management is using to control and directing its employees. Some recommendations are given at the end of the report on those areas where Toyota needs some improvements. Background of Toyota Motor Company Limited Toyota Motor Co. Ltd. (TMC) was first established in 1937 as a separated company from Toyoda Automobile Loomworks, the leading manufacturing of weaving machinery. The Toyota Automobile Loomworks was then headed by Sakichi Toyoda, the king of investors (Schewe, Charles and Hiam, Alexander, 1998). The giant automaker faced its one and only strike in 1950. This event, however, supplied Toyota an important philosophy, giving it the labour and management system which helped Toyota to gain mutual growth and success in both domestic and overseas markets. Today, this philosophy is very important to the structure of Toyota. Toyotas production system improved in the late 1950s, establishing the Toyota Production System. This system became the major factor in the reduction of inventories and defect in the plants of Toyota and its suppliers. It also underpinned all of Toyotas operations across the world. It launched its first small cars in 1947. The operation outside Japan started in 1959 in Brazil and continued with growing network of foreign plants. Toyota celebrated its 60th anniversary in August 1997. It believes that its local production can provide customers with the productions they need, giving it the stable and long-term growth. It also has a global network of design and research and development facilities, consisting Japan, North America, and Europe markets (Schewe, Charles and Hiam, Alexander, 1998). Toyota is at rank 8 in fortune global 500 2007 companies of the world Toyota Motor Company is committed to the principle of Equal Opportunities by providing fair and equitable treatment to all individuals and applicants. Toyota seeks to abide by the intent as well as the letter of appropriate legislation in these matters and Toyota management team is committed to the promotion of and adherence to the Equal Opportunities Policy. . Why Toyota Motor need Innovation and Change? Any organization needs change for some reason. It may be for its survival if business is not doing well or may be business wants to attain competitive advantage. Sometimes this change is required due to the external pressure like mergers or change in any legislation. Overall change is for the benefit of the business and their employees. There are so many reasons for the Toyota for the innovation and change which are: Reduced Sales Customer Turnover Employee Turnover Loan Repayment Investments in a new project Extension of Organization i.e. overseas business Need for Technology Core Competence Customer Value Creation Basic Issues to Toyota Motor Company In the past, Toyota was not giving much attention to its Human Resource management system but now it is known that success of the Toyota is more dependant on its employees rather than on any thing else. Toyota Motor also believes its employees are assets for them and sometimes they give more attention to the employees than customers. They believe on the philosophy that organization with more satisfied employees having more satisfied customers. So now, It is necessary for the Toyota to choose the right employee for the right job. Because one wrong decision regarding selection of the employee will harm Toyota till that employee will work on that job. The three most vital issues related to HRMS of Toyota includes Technological Changes in HRMS of Toyota Innovation to Management Styles of the Toyota HRMS Change Management perspective of Toyota HRMS Technological Changes in HRMS of Toyota In this competitive environment of global business, it was very difficult for Toyota Motor Company to remain always competitive and managed profitable relationship with the customers. Toyota Motor is the 3rd best automobile corporation of the world and it always needs innovation (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Innovation can be in any form or in any field e.g. it can be in the design, production processes, quality, product, managing human resource effectively etc. in this report main focus will be on the human resource management system of the Toyota. The solution of technological changes in HRMS of Toyota includes: Innovation in recruitment and selection process How Can Toyota maintains employees satisfaction and low employees turnover Innovation in recruitment and selection process of Toyota With the passage of time, so many technological changes have also come into the recruitment and selection process of the Toyota. Now for the selection of employees Toyota gives special attention. Because finding right employee for the any position is necessary for the Toyota Motors (R. L. Compton, Alan R. Nankervis, 2008). The first step in the process of acquiring the human resource for the Toyota is to specify the kind of work which will be done by the employees. Job analysis and job design are the process used to determine this Job Analysis Job Design Training of Employees Job Analysis Job Analysis means gathering the pertinent information regarding the nature of the specific job. It is determining the tasks that comprise the job which includes skills, qualification, abilities and experience of the employees (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Now job analysis is must for every job in Toyota Motor. Job analysis serves as foundation of the every human resource functions. Products of job Analysis Job description: means written synopsis of nature of the job. Job specification: means description of competencies, educational, and experience qualification the incumbent must possess to perform the job. Job Analysis Method Different methods are used by the Toyota for the job analysis which are: Observation (Motion and time study, Work Sampling) Interview Questionnaires Functional job Analysis Job Design Job Design is the process of structuring work and designing work for the specific job in Toyota. Job design gives the answers to basic questions of how the job is performed, who is to perform. Both job analysis and job design are linked with each other. Two dimensions of job design include job scope and job depth (Ronald J. Burke, Cary L. Cooper, 2006). Job scope refers to the number and variety of tasks performed by the jobholder in the Toyota Motor Company. In Toyotas working environment most jobs have high job scope. In a job with less scope, jobholder has to performed few tasks. Low job scope can be the reason for dissatisfaction of the particularly job. Job depth refers to the freedom of the job holders to plan and organize their own work. Toyotas management gives freedom to its employees up to his control or limit and works at your own pace and communicates according to your need (R. L. Compton, Alan R. Nankervis, 2008) Training of the employees After selecting the employees, Toyota arranged training activities for its employees. To get this training is compulsory in Toyota. This training is very helpful for the employees and it takes less time to learn the employees lots of things than learning on job from own experience. Toyota Motor used different methods for the training of its employees like some lectures and training classes are arranged for them or give them on job training with the senior members who are having vast experience and can help the employees in its training. Job rotation is another term which is used for learning and developing new skills of the employees. How Toyota can maintain employees satisfaction and low employees turnover In managing human resource of the Toyota effectively the first step is to select the right employee for the right position. For this right selection of employees, it is necessary for Toyota to use new innovative techniques for selection of employees, compensating and rewarding to employees. Because job satisfaction is the most important variable and Toyotas success is dependant on its employees. So, Toyota always follows the innovative techniques for managing its human resource. Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, Toyotas success or failure also depends on its employees satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Organization whose employees are dissatisfied with their jobs cost too much to the organization. Mostly they will be absent from the work or might quarrel with the co-workers .These employees do not take interest in their job which affects the overall pr oductivity of the organization and ultimately organization will suffer. There are so many reasons for their dissatisfaction; it can be the environmental conditions in which they work, Nature of the work like repetition etc. There are different techniques which are used to make employee satisfied and ultimately low employees turnover which are: HR Development Career Development Motivation HR DEVELOPMENT Skills and knowledge of staff is crucial for Toyotas innovation process. Most of the innovation ideas are come through the employees of the Toyota Motor. But the time is changing so quickly that every technology and change becomes obsolete in no time. It is important for the Toyota that its employees remain up-to-date with the knowledge and changes to compete in the industry Career Development It is the duty of the Toyotas management to provide the growth opportunities to its employees. Career development is an ongoing process that focusing on the developing and enriching the organizations human resource in the light of both employee and organization need. It is also the responsibility of the Toyotas employee himself to think about his career development. It is something which one can not do for others. It has to come from the individual himself. Toyota also helps, guide and provides opportunities to its employees. MOTIVATION Motivation is a feeling of satisfaction and commitment towards its goals and objectives. This is an internal psychological state which determines the action of the person. Employees are motivated via different ways .It is important for Toyota to give much attention to the needs of its employees and keep moving in the desire direction. Toyota enhances its employees motivation through two basic ways: Financial Non-financial Financial motivators Toyotas financial motivators are connected to the monetary need of the employees which includes salary system, bonuses, and allowances etc. which have usually short term effect on the employees. Base salary: A person is paid a salary for the job he/she is doing in a specific time. In Toyota, persons basic salary depends upon his knowledge, skills, qualification and competencies of the employee. Basic salary should be compatible with the job. It is required for the Toyota to give the compatible salary to its employees which keep them motivated and committed. Variable pay Sometimes Toyota gives incentives to employees to enhance or improve the performance of the employees focusing on the specific targets or projects. Financial rewards provide financial recognition to people. Extra money is given to the employee for their achievements. Benefits are also given to the employees for their well being which includes contribution to pension fund, health insurance schemes, life insurance, loan with no interest or lower interest rate, free use of products or services of the company, etc. Allowances for relocation, transportation, subsistence, accommodation, recreation, etc      Non-financial motivation techniques The most important technological changes which are used by the Toyota to motivate its employees include non-financial motivation techniques. These non- financial motivators are very effective it cost nothing to the Toyota but depend on the willingness of pertinent managers to pay more attention to their staff. These non financial motivators are connected to the work itself and having a longer term effect. Non financial motivators are honors, self respect, Change Management perspective of Toyota HRMS Change Management as it seems made up of two words Change plus Management. Change means to transform while management means the art of controlling, leading, organizing and decision making. So apparently change management means the art of controlling, leading, organization and decision making in the transformation process (J Dawkins, 2007) More precisely, in the context of Toyota Motor, we can define change management as systematic methodology of changing the individuals, teams and organizations from current state to the desired state. This change may or may not include all the employees of an organization. In the case Development of new system was very crucial for Toyota Motor. Company was using old system but new computerized system was needed. And Toyota was facing problems in changing the old system due to its employees behavior (Chaffey D, 2004) Change Management process Change Management process includes the Toyota context, pace and scale of change, people management, change management content plan page and implementation of plan In Toyotas Context In Toyota Motor company, management decided to change its old manual accounting system with new computerized system. Toyota Company needed the new computerized system for the following reason: Toyota Motor wanted to increase its efficiency in doing business and also wanted to gain competitive advantage over its competitor. For the development of new system company took the services of the other organization (J Dawkins, 2007) The new system was after the stage of successful testing was almost complete and the only problem for Toyota was the implementation because its workers who were resisting this new change they were thinking that after the development of the new system they will have problem to use it and they have to made major adjustment even layoffs are expected as a result of new system in reality company was predicting for the growth they were planning for product development and wanted to add new models and staff for managing this growth (Ayse Saka, 2003). After this implementation of new system lots of employees of Toyota was thinking about the early retirement. Pace and Scale of Change in Toyota Motor Company In pace and scale of change business needs to know that how many people are affected with the development of the new system. For this organization can choose different ways that how they will know about these affected employees because this new system had been used by the same people there was very high cost attached with the new system so Toyota Motor needed to know exactly about the number of people who are affected and how often they had to change their attitudes and behavior. Toyota should know the time period in which the old system will be replaced by the new computerized system (Joel Oleson, 2009) For this change Toyota needs a sponsor and best person fits to this role are senior and as well as influential personality of the Toyota. This was the first step for the Toyota to identify the sponsor next step was to identify champions and change agent who will bring this new change system in the organization. People Management in Toyota In the new system development process at Toyota the most complicated stage in the process was people management. This is the most difficult process of development of new system. Because people are the final user for this new system in this case Toyota was facing some challenges as their employees were not favoring the new system due to some future doubts e.g. they were feeling their selves insecure that this new system will be harm for them (Joel Oleson, 2009) It will not in the benefit of them. There are so many ways organization can manage this issue of contradiction (Ayse Saka, 2003). First it is the responsibility of the Toyotas management to tell about the change to its employees who will be affected by this new system. They should be aware of about this system before its starting so, then these hurdles do not exist. Now proper coaching is required for the employees who will use this new system. They should be trained and learned to use new system. Toyota should communicate new systems benefits and new opportunities which will arise due to implementation of the new system to the employees like presentations, road shows; team briefing and regular meeting of the senior employee would be called and arranged for the employees. Toyotas Change Management Plan Contents Page Change management is a very difficult process that demands a proper step by step process for the change in a firm or organization. It has been often found that employees resist to the change management process a lot. Same as the case of Toyota Motor which wanted to implement a change within the organization and was facing resistance from his employees. Change management plan contents page includes: Initial Knowledge Implementation Plan of Toyota Initial Knowledge For Toyota initial knowledge is called as the foundation to the change process. Toyota Motor believes, when they have a strong introduction to your change requirements, they can have a first impact on the stakeholders who may be the cause of the resistance to the change. The more impressive the introduction to the problem and the change need, you have the most chances of the success in the change management (Ayse Saka, 2003). An introduction is the part of the change process in which you introduce the objectives, needs, rules and policies and deliver change effectiveness. Implementation Plan of Toyota For Toyota Implementation plan in the change process works as the milestones towards Toyotas destination. In the plan first Toyota management sets its milestones so that they may not lose their track from the change process. Plan has a significant importance (Chaffey D, 2004) .It helps the people, technology, process, and the change implementers like Toyota Motor Company define the service, reduce ambiguity in the change process and it also help to mitigate conflicts within the firm where change needs to be implemented. Communication Whenever a change is required, the change management team is required to seek, produce and properly communicate the evidences to Toyotas management in support to the change. Taking employees in confidence has a great importance for Toyota, as the change is mostly not implemented due to the resistance from the employees (Helen Taylor, Cary L. Cooper, 1998) .And to get their support, it is widely required the good communications of the evidences to the support of change. Because if the employees will understand the benefits and reasons behind change, they will respond positively. Implementation plan includes: Readiness measurement By Toyota Involvement of employees Training Readiness measurement by Toyota Along with the strong communication, Toyota Motor also measures the readiness to use the change in the daily operations. If the staff will see it more ambiguous and difficult to implement, they will deny accepting change as it will not be secure to them. It may harm their performance that will impact on their jobs too. The experts in new system may replace them. So they will never accept the change. But if they find the system is easy to use and change, then most staff will embrace changes for the long term security. Involvement of employees Keeping the involvement of the staff and employees in the change process is also an important step for Toyota. If you keep their opinion and suggestions in the changing process, you may face very less probability of the resistance from them. It will give them an affiliation with the change process (Helen Taylor, Cary L. Cooper, 1998). They will consider the success of the change as their success. Keeping them aware and involve also keep them aware what is going on so that there would be less chances of negative words of mouth and rumors. Training The new systems and the changing should have training sessions for the employees who are use to the older systems and the business environment. The training sessions should be conducted by Toyota so that it may reduce the resistance, to increase efficiency and to avoid any risk in the stoppage of the production, jammed processes or other factors related to the less knowledge for the new systems (Chaffey D, 2004). Innovation to Management Styles of the Toyota HRMS Different management styles are used in Toyota to manage its workforce. These styles are dependent on the on various factors e.g. culture of Toyota, nature of the task, skills, qualification of the employees, nature of the leaders (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). Style of leader depends on all these factors and after analyzing appropriate style is employed. Sometimes different styles are used at same time to control the situation. Different Management Styles Normally there are three management styles which are followed by the different organizations including Toyota which are Autocratic Democratic Lassie Faire Autocratic In Toyotas Autocratic style employees involvement is minimal or not taken. No information is shared with the employees. Rules are set and then tell employees to follow them. All the objectives and goals are set by the Toyota top management. The communication flow is from up to downward from top level to low level. The advantage of this style is that objectives and goal remain constant. These type of leaders make unilateral decision and always keep an eye on subordinates whether they are doing the right things. In this style subordinates have no control on any thing and they just need to follow leader (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). The disadvantage of this style is that employees are dissatisfied and which cause the reason of turnovers, absenteeism and low productivity. Democratic In Toyotas Democratic style, employees input are taken in the planning and decision making process. Employees are motivated and encourage participating in the affairs of the Toyota. In this style every issues and problems are solved with the consent of the majority. The communication flow is both way upward to downward and vice versa. Democratic style is more often used at Toyota when the problem is complex and need everyone input. There are some advantages and disadvantages of this style. Employees are more satisfied with their job and turnover rate is low and productivity is high. Disadvantages may include to get everyone consensus is difficult. This style is time consuming because it takes time to get the input from others. Laissez-faire In Toyotas Laissez-faire leadership style, leader gives free hand to employees or a group or team and asked for the end result. Toyotas leader does not set any rules and regulations. Toyotas employees set the rules and objectives according to their need. Leader role is very nominal in this style. The communication style is horizontal in this style (Kotter, J. and Schlesinger, L. 2003). This style is not very common in the so many organizations including Toyota but still used when management feels its need. There are also some disadvantages for this style, lack of staff focus, no clear hierarchy, poor company image and less dissatisfaction of customers How to manage Toyota Human Resource? Toyota motor company has also adopted the different management techniques for keeping its employees competitive, satisfied and to solve all the potential problems related to its HRMS. These different techniques are: Job rotation Job Enrichment Involving employees Communication Management by walking around Employee driven innovation Maintain a knowledge sharing network Job rotation In Toyota job rotation is the newly concept and it is effective as well. The process of moving employees among different jobs is job rotation. Job rotation helps employees to improve their skills, Knowledge and competencies. Employees get bored by doing the repetitive task every time so job rotation is a good way to keep them active and fresh every time (Jeffrey H. Dyer and Kentaro Nobeoka, 2000). Job rotation also helpful for the Toyota itself in the time of crisis, if an employee is unavailable due to the any reason other employee can do its work Job enrichment: Toyota Motor Company knows intrinsic factors in a job such as achievement, responsibility and growth need the job enrichment. With job enrichment employees are more likely to be satisfied with the job and motivated to perform it. Combining tasks takes existing and fractionalized tasks and puts them together and form a larger module of work. Forming natural work units tasks and employee does create an identifiable and meaningful whole. Establishing client relationship increases the direct relationship with the clients. Expanding jobs vertically gives employee more responsibilities and control (Jeffrey H. Dyer and Kentaro Nobeoka, 2000). Opening feedback channel lets employees knows how well they are performing their jobs whether performance have improved or not or remain constant. Involving employees Take input from the employees to increase their commitment is important for the success of the Toyota. The extent to which decisions affect the employees and Toyota should involve the employees. By increasing their autonomy and control over their work lives, employees will become more motivated, more committed to the organization, more productive and more satisfied with their jobs. Communication Keep informing the employees about the goals and direction of the Toyota. Communicate all the related issues regarding employee future, job and performance. Each and every matter which Toyota can share to the employee should communicate them. Every thing which affects the employees itself also communicated to them. Management by walking around: Visit to the Toyotas offices, factories, workshops, and labs regularly, always asking the employees about their work and work related problems, sort out the problems and giving them feedback etc.    Employee Driven Innovation Toyota believes in collection of key ideas and uses the experiences of most of the employees to create opportunities and new ways for them. It is important to bring incremental changes in culture of Toyota, products, behavior, processes, and in business models that create value for customers, stakeholders and the company. Maintain Knowledge sharing network It is necessary for organization to maintain knowledge sharing network that will help in quick knowledge diffusion than other competing manufactures. Due to the best knowledge sharing network organization can gain competitive advantage on other competitors. Knowledge sharing system made organization effective and capable to do any thing with in no time. This knowledge sharing network includes organizations employees, suppliers, management and all the related stakeholders. This network improves the productivity and reduced the delivery time. This knowledge sharing network of will solve three basic problems: Motivate and encourage members involvement and share their valuable ideas Reduce cost of doing business Prevent free Riders Conclusion Studies have proved that organizational success is affected by the innovative management styles. These management styles are vary from every organization to another organization. There are different managing styles which all used to manage employees. Management styles can bring success and innovation in the organization but the most important thing is that management style should be suitable for the organization Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, Toyotas success or failure also depends on its employees satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Organization whose employees are dissatisfied with their jobs cost too much to the organization. The Change Management Could arises from several many situations and could be applied in several many kinds. Actually the type of problem or situation decides why and how to change. The successful implementation of change depends on the human capital that an organization possesses and also on the measures adopted to implement change. The main objective of organizational change is to bring about a strategic change in its organizational structure to better utilize its human and non-human resources to efficiently achieve organizational goal. Recommendations Effective and Timely Change Management is the secret of success of Toyota. But for effective change, Toyota needs to plan the design, sequence and implementation of change proactively. Satisfied and committed employees are asset for the Toyota. It has seen organization with more satisfied employees perform better than other whose are not satisfied. So, it is vital for Toyota to maintain a healthy relationship with its employees in order to become competitive. Today world is changing very quickly so Toyota should change and up grade its self with the modern standards and technologies. Toyota should welcome any key idea by the any employee. Self recognition, self esteem and honors are also very important for the employees so, Toyota should more emphasis on these non financial motivators and keeps its employees as most satisfied and happy.

Management Questions and Answers :: Team Work, Whistle-Blowing, Group Development

Question 1 There are critics of the five†stage group development model. Their main point is that this presentation of a group’s development is too static. Do you agree with this criticism? Why? Numerous critics of the five-stage model of group development contend the model is too static to accurately describe the progression of groups. In their review of the literature, Hurt and Trombley (2007) point out several deficiencies in the model. The model assumes that all groups progress linearly through five stages (forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning). Critics suggest the model fails to describe groups that do not follow a linear progression. The model also assumes that groups must complete one stage before entering into the next stage, implying that tasks may not be completed. In addition, critical reviews of the model suggest that it ignores a more circular systems perspective. This systems perspective would allow the group to learn from mistakes and be more successful as a whole through the use of â€Å"inputs, outputs, throughputs, and a feedback loop† (Hurt & Trombley, 2007, p. 3). The five-stage group development model does provide some understand ing of the group process, but it seems too rigid to fully explain how groups with diverse individuals form and work together. In that respect, I would have to agree with some of the criticisms of this model. Human beings are by their nature dynamic, not static. Therefore, I question if it is realistic to portray group development in a completely linear, static manner. An individual’s behavior may vary depending on the group’s particular goals and the behavior of the other individuals in the group. Groups have unique personalities depending upon how the all the members interact with each other. For example, it may be possible that some groups skip the storming stage characterized by arguing, conflict, debate, and experimenting with roles (Gibson, Ivancevich, Donnelly & Konopaske, 2012) when some strong-willed individuals unilaterally take over the leadership roles. The model’s assumption that groups do not focus on goals until the performing stage may also be unrealistic. Individuals who are already highly motivated and highly focused on a particular goal from the start may come together and form a group. Group development may also vary based on how important the goal is perceived to be by individual members of the group. It is hard to predict exactly how each group of unique individuals will interact with each other and progress through group development stages.

Could a Computer Feel Pain? :: Technology Feelings Papers

Could a Computer Feel Pain? I define pain as a continuously and purposely optimizing input to a feedback system. I proceed by clarifying and restricting the defining terms to the given context. I then prove the robustness of this definition by demonstrating its compatibility with a biologically-acceptable intuitive and philosophical viewpoint. I conclude that if a computational device were to be designed to meet the definition of the requirements for pain, the computer could be said, then, to feel pain. I further note this definition of pain does not completely integrate with higher-order life forms which are capable of beliefs and intentions which I label representations. I then conclude with a rough sketch of what the requirements would be to define a representational system for the purpose of understanding how a computer could have a mind akin to our own. Function A function maps a set of inputs to a single output. To see this, consider the definitions of "function" which follow. 5. Math. a. A variable so related to one another that for each value assumed by one there is a value determined for the other. b. A rule of correspondence between two sets such that there is a unique element in one set assigned to each element in the other. (Morris 1982:539) From the above, it becomes apparent that a function simply maps one set of points to another such as in the equation of line where we consider x to be the input and y to be the output: y is a function of x = f(x) = y = m*x + b. Note that we can remap the output to the input if we take x as a function of y = f(y) = x = ( y - b ) / m. If we examine definition b of "function", we note that, for each value in the input set x, there is one and only one corresponding value of the output y. Thus, the equation of a circle would not qualify as a function since for many values of x there are two values for y such as a point on the top of the circle and a point directly below on the bottom of the circle. A deterministic, or non-random, function will give the same output y every time a given input x is presented. That is, the input x completely "determines" the output y.

Four Elements of Transformational Leadership Essay

Organizations emphasize the concept of leadership in training managers or group leaders to propel a team or the organization forward. Within leadership, the effectiveness of the transformational versus transactional leader is often debated. Transactional leadership relies more on a â€Å"give and take† understanding, whereby subordinates have a sense of duty to the leader in exchange for some reward. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, involves a committed relationship between the leader and his followers. In 1985, industrial psychologist Bernard Bass identified and wrote about four basic elements that underlie transformational leadership. Ads by Google Stanford Exec. Leadership Where innovation and visionary leadership meet. Learn More. gsb.stanford.edu​/​SeniorLeadership Idealized Influence Transformational leaders act as role models and display a charismatic personality that influences others to want to become more like the leader. Idealized influence can be most expressed through a transformational leader’s willingness to take risks and follow a core set of values, convictions and ethical principles in the actions he takes. It is through this concept of idealized influence that the leader builds trust with his followers and the followers, in turn, develop confidence in their leader. Inspirational Motivation Inspirational motivation refers to the leader’s ability to inspire confidence, motivation and a sense of purpose in his followers. The transformational leader must articulate a clear vision for the future, communicate expectations of the group and demonstrate a commitment to the goals that have been laid out. This aspect of transformational leadership requires superb communication skills as the leader must convey his messages with precision, power and a sense of authority. Other important behaviors of  the leader include his continued optimism, enthusiasm and ability to point out the positive.

Tyco’s problem Essay

Tyco’s job was a consequence of top executives and members of the board non supervising what was legal and what wasn’t within their company. CEO’s Kozlowski and CFO Swartz failed to unwrap 1000000s of dollars of low involvement and involvement free loans they received from Tyco. The executives unethical behaviour resulted in stockholders benefits being written off which ended the company traveling into a monolithic debt. The top executives displayed greed for money. 1. What do you believe Kozlowski motive for seeking to avoid gross revenues revenue enhancements on his art purchases was? Kozlowski motive was power and greed for money. Kozlowski knew that he was in a top place of authorization. and most likely believed that no 1 was traveling to oppugn his place or the incorrect things that he was going involved in. There was besides no existent answerability nowadays or trueness to Tyco. Kozlowski realized that if he purchased the graphics with Tyco financess and so falsified the records. so he wouldn’t have to pay the revenue enhancements out of his ain pocket and took a great hazard that no 1 would happen out. He abused Tyco’s assets for his ain pecuniary addition. 2. Explain the construct of commingling assets with regard to the Tyco instance Commingling assets is and is the act of blending the financess belonging to one party with those of another party. particularly when one party has duty to maintain the financess separate for the other party. Tyco used this as a manner to travel around the system for its on personal additions. concealing the true purposes of its executives. Commingling personal with concern assets is overall a hapless concern determination. The executives treated the company’s money as if it were your ain. Besides. the executives used Tyco’s concern assets for their ain personal addition by buying graphics. multiple existent estate belongingss. jewellery. and other dearly-won points for personal usage. By commingling assets. the executives caused attending from revenue enhancement governments and SEC and other condemnable probes due to their delusory behaviours. 3. Would it hold been possible for the board of managers to see the accommodations taking topographic point in the different plans at Tyco? The board members could hold found the unlawful accommodations taking topographic point. but non really likely in this instance. In a sense. the board of managers is every bit much at mistake as the piquing executives because if they played a more proactive function in the concern operations. so the executives may non hold gotten away with every bit much as they did for the long period of clip. If they had taken a more active function. they would hold found deceptive paperss and fraud strategies that were go oning manner Oklahoman than when they were finally discovered. As a consequence of the board non taking an active function. the executive’s actions went on for some clip without any notice. The executives knew what they were making was incorrect and illegal. being involved in revenue enhancement equivocation. hyperbolic net incomes and commingling assets. The executives were besides passing out illegal unauthorised fillips. They besides become involved in paying off functionary to be quiet on the affair. Overall. the incorrect actors of the company knew that their actions were illegal. unethical. and dearly-won to Tyco. but they risked all of these things for their ain personal addition. They believed that no 1 would catch on to their actions. but like all offenses that condemnable commit. it finally catches up with them.

Drug Testing Welfare Recipients Essay

According to a study on the government of Canada’s website, in 2003, 1.7 million people were on government assistance and that number has continued to grow. The current unemployment rate in Canada is 7.2% and many of those families rely on the government to put food on the table, a roof over their heads and clothes on their bodies, meaning that money is absolutely necessary. However, working citizens are often resentful of the citizens taking the money that they earned and some are demanding that welfare recipients be drug tested in order to be eligible. Although nowhere in Canada requires drug testing to receive welfare, several states in the United States do. However, this idea fails to consider that drug testing recipients punishes children, ignores that drug addiction is a disease that needs treatment, and that it has proven to not save money. Therefore, drug testing in order to be eligible for welfare is callous and nothing but a symptom of discrimination and selfishness in society. Taking away money from a citizen that tested positive for drugs would unfairly punish their children, who are innocent and didn’t choose to have the parents they were born to. 81.5% of assistance recipients in Oklahoma are children (Richey), which means that many children could suffer immensely because of their parent’s actions. If a person on welfare were to test positive for drugs and their funds were to be taken away, their children would lose their entire source of income, which would mean they would suffer infinitely more than they already did. The kids born to drug addicts would have no lunch money or clothes for school while alcoholics’ children still received funds. This would be extremely hypocritical and it is cruel to disadvantage children that already have the odds stacked against them. Living in poverty could  cause them to do poorly in school and possibly turn to drugs themselves, completely obliterating any chance they had for a better future. It is possible to argue that if parents are using drugs, they are already wasting the money that could go towards their children. Although this argument is true, completely taking away all of the money is not going to solve the problem. More over, sending more children into the already crowded foster care system would also only cause more problems, a fact that American Public Health Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselor all agree with as they oppose all laws mandating drug testing in order to receive government funding (Richey). Finally, the money that families receive could help struggling parents get into rehab and back on their feet, allowing the children to overcome poverty and live a better life. The blatant disregard for how drug testing those on welfare would ruin children’s lives proves that the policy is callous and selfish. In society it is common for citizens to discriminate and stigmatize drug addicts. They are stereotyped as lazy but in reality, drug addiction is a disease that needs treatment. A person addicted to drugs cannot simply quit when they want to. Continued drug use changes the chemistry of the brain, alters its structure and its ability to function normally. Moreover, images taken of drug addicts’ brains show that the areas that are necessary for proper judgment, and behaviour control are greatly damaged. Once someone is addicted to drugs it is no longer a conscious choice to use, but something their body needs to function. It is wrong to discriminate against addicts because it is first and foremost, a disease, just like any other mental illness and there should not be any stigma attached to it. Therefore, entry into a medically supervised treatment centre is necessary so taking away that addict’s only source of income will not help them in any way and will only result in an increase in the homeless population. It is possible that some people on welfare may be waiting to get into a treatment program and need the money to support themselves while they do so. The blatant disregard that the policy of drug testing welfare recipients has for the physical and neurological effects that drug addiction has on a person clearly indicates the callousness and discrimination that the policy demonstrates. The final and most important argument is that drug testing does not save any money. In  fact it wastes it. The entire idea for drug testing is that drug user’s assistance could be terminated, and therefore save taxpayers from wasting their money however, this is not the case. The costs of producing and administering the tests have proven to cost more money than the governments saved from terminating those found to have been using drugs. Utah spent $30 000 drug testing people on welfare and only 12 people tested positive. Similarly, only 2% of people receiving government assistance in Florida failed the test, compared to national drug usage rate of 8% (Covert). This suggests that the majority of drug users are not those living in poverty, and hints at the unjust discrimination they face. Additionally, a recent New York Times article stated that testing in Florida cost the government an additional $45 780, which is grossly wasteful. Comparably, out of the 8 states that are enforcing legislation, none of them are saving money. In Arizona, only 1 person in 3 years tested positive (Kelly). Every single study done has shown that the state governments are losing money but more and more states are proposing it and citizens of Canada are pushing for it as well. As of 2013, 29 states have proposed the legislation, which is completely nonsensical. If no money is being saved, why are so many people behind the policy? The only possible reason has to be selfishness and the reluctance of citizens for their taxes to be going toward fellow citizens less fortunate than themselves. This exemplifies how drug testing the poor is simply a symptom of discrimination in society and not a means to save money. With all of the evidence considered, there is no rebutting the fact that drug testing in order to be eligible for welfare is callous and nothing but a symptom of discrimination and selfishness in society. The testing punishes children, which is unfair, ignores the fact that drug addiction is a disease and most significantly, doesn’t save any money. So many people are supporting this legislation but being poor should not result in someone being labeled as less than and a delinquent. It is unfair that the only standing reason for implementing or sustaining laws requiring drug testing is that people don’t want their money going to the less fortunate that ultimately, need it for survival. For any person that supports these legislations the main question that should be pondered is why? Why should the poor be drug tested when everyone receives government funds in one way or another? The fact is, they should not. Bibliography Covert, Bryce.†Utah Spent More Than $30,000 To Catch 12 Drug Users On Welfare.† ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. Kelly, Brian P. â€Å"An Inane, Money-eating Sham: Drug Tests for Welfare a Huge Failure.† Saloncom RSS. N.p., 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. Richey, Kate. â€Å"Five Reasons Not to Drug-test.† Oklahoma Policy Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014