Juvenile Detention Facility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Detention Facility - Essay Example The detainees are predominantly criminal offenders, but children requiring supervision and traffic violators occasionally serve time at James River. As it is with most detention centers, the focus at James River is on providing detainees with the programs and services to ease the transition back in to their communities and to foster a crime free future. In order to ensure the best possible results, there is close supervision from all three counties and they have implemented educational, religious and recreational programs as well as psychological screening. The cornerstone of the rehabilitation effort at the James River Detention Center is the educational program. The program is composed of individual and group learning classes, personally tailored to address the individual needs of the detainee. Individual Education Programs (IEP), are used to simulate the curriculum of the respective detainee's home school. This is important because an efficient transition back into the school system aids in the overall rehabilitation process. While it is difficult to properly gauge the effectiveness of this center's success, they certainly appear to have the right idea with regards to their educational programs. Conversely, it seems that James River Regional Juvenile Detention Center has some proverbial "red flags." For instance, three counties currently have administrative voices in the operations, which presents a potential problem. As previ

Ethical Policies Essay Example for Free

Ethical Policies Essay The first one I have chosen is technically referred to as â€Å"Bribery or 18 USC  § 201-Type Violations† is a law implemented to any individual who puts forward, pledges, or gives anything to a â€Å"public official† to pressure, manipulate, or persuade any â€Å"official act† (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). It is a law which prohibits any â€Å"public official† to insist, ask for, or accept anything in exchange of performing an â€Å"official act† (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). The second is technically known as â€Å"Conflict of Interest or 18 USC  § 208-Type Violations†, which prohibits any person working for the â€Å"executive branch of the United States Government† or any â€Å"independent agency of the United States† to play a part in the endorsement, authorization, censure, rendering of advice, arrest, contract, wherein he or she has a financial interest in (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). Last but not least is technically referred to as â€Å"Misuse of Government-Owned Vehicles or 31 U. S. C.  § 1349†, which disallows the use of government-owned vehicles in â€Å"unofficial business†, meaning, transactions/travels/etcetera which are not authorized by the government (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). Examples An example of â€Å"Bribery or 18 USC  § 201-Type Violations† is this: â€Å"A man who wanted to his visa to another country be approved as soon as possible and so he offered money and jewelries to the officer in charge of the approval and issuance of visa and because the officer in charge accepted it, he was charged with bribery† (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). On the other hand, an example of â€Å"Conflict of Interest or 18 USC  § 208-Type Violations† is this: â€Å"A caterer, who is the wife of the mayor’s secretary, has been allowed to cater for the dinner meeting at the mayor’s office; the secretary ought to be charged here because he used the office the mayor to enter into contract with his wife, which apparently shows conflict of interest† (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). Finally, an example for the â€Å"Misuse of Government-Owned Vehicles or 31 U. S. C.  § 1349† is this: â€Å"A regional director uses the government vehicle even after office hours to go to the casino, meet with realtors, or attend Rotary Club meetings† (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). Possible Fines/Punishment for the Violation Meanwhile, if an individual is proven guilty with the first violation that I have chosen first, which is technically referred to as â€Å"Bribery or 18 USC  § 201-Type Violations†, the person may be obliged to pay a fine or he or she may be sent to prison for two (2) years or less, or he or she could be made to pay for the fine and at the same time may also be sent to prison (Cornell University Law School, n. d. , n. p. ). Similarly, if an individual is proven guilty with the second violation that I have discussed briefly, which is technically known as â€Å"Conflict of Interest or 18 USC  § 208-Type Violations†, the person may be obliged to pay a fine or he or she may be sent to prison for one (1) year or less, or he or she could be made to pay for the fine and at the same time may also be sent to prison (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). With the last violation discussed, â€Å"Misuse of Government-Owned Vehicles or 31 U. S. C.  § 1349†, if an individual is proven guilty of it, he or she is given one (1) month suspension or more depending on how bad one’s case is (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). A person proven guilty of the aforementioned may also be â€Å"removed from office† (Department of Defense, 2006, n. p. ). One Ethical Policy that I would Like to Change If given the opportunity I would like to make some changes with regards to the policy on the â€Å"Misuse of Government-Owned Vehicles or 31 U. S. C.  § 1349†. Since money is scarce nowadays, everyone should be obliged to save; including those in the government and one way to save is not to use government vehicles in unofficial businesses. The punishment should not be just suspension or being fired from work, guilty individuals should also be sent to prison so that they will serve as examples because if the punishment is as â€Å"light† or â€Å"easy† as getting fired or suspended then most employees will not really be prevented to violated this law. References Cornell University Law School. (n. d. ).  § 201. Bribery of Public Officials and Witnesses.Retrieved July 22, 2008 from http://www4. law. cornell. edu/uscode/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000201-000-. html Department of Interior (2006). Department Manual. Retrieved July 22, 2008 from http://elips. doi. gov/elips/release/3712. htm Department of Defense. (2006). Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure. Retrieved July 22, 2008 from http://209. 85. 175. 104/search? q=cache:REUtRKuChKEJ:www. dod. mil/dodgc/defense_ethics/dod_oge/Encyclopedia_of_Ethical_Failures_2006_Full_Version. doc+Encyclopedia+of+Ethical+Failure. hl=enct=clnkcd=1gl=phclient=firefox-a

What is the main contribution made by the chorus in The Burial at Thebe

Heaney’s play The Burial at Thebes is a version of the Greek tragedy Antigone by the Athenian dramatist Sophocles (c496-406 BCE). According to Heaney it is not a translation but a version as he was â€Å"looking for meaning not language† (Heaney, 2009, CDA5937, The Burial at Thebes - Interviews). This is in keeping with the commissioning of the play to celebrate 100 years of the Abbey theatre in 2004 as the founders, W.B Yeats and Lady Gregory, were Irish â€Å"cultural nationalists† (Hardwick, 2008, p193) . The change in title from the traditional Antigone to The Burial at Thebes moves the emphasis away from the characters to the â€Å"controversial question of the burial of a prince, who was regarded as a turncoat† (Theocharis, 2009, CDA5937, The Burial at Thebes - Interviews) enabling Heaney to intertwine the tradition Greek ideology with Irish nationalism. The chorus in Greek tragedy is defined as a group of people who often participate in and comment on the dramatic action, emphasising traditional moral and social attitudes and providing commentary (Moohan, 2008). In Greek theatre they also provided a more practical role, entertaining the audience during the play with songs and dance and allowing the performers to change. Most performers performed two or more roles known as doubling. In The Burial at Thebes the director, John Theocharis (2009), states that the chorus also adds dramatic tension and suspense whilst creating subjective and objective voices that underpin the context of the play. In looking at the contribution that the chorus makes this essay will look at the various functions of the chorus - their role as a commentator, participating in and commenting on the dramatic action and how they present traditional moral and soci... ...ture of the play, mainly based on the Greek, outlines these values in poetical format in the Choral Odes. The chorus’ commentary on the characters and drama and its subsequent participation pushes the plot towards traditional ideas with the encapsulation in their ending summation. Works Cited Hardwick, L. (2008), ‘Seamus Heaney’s The Burial at Thebes’, in Brown, R (ed.), Cultural Encounters (AA100 Book3), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp.192-235 Heaney, S. (2004), The Burial at Thebes, London, Faber and Faber Ltd Heaney, S. (2009), CDA5937 The Burial at Thebes – Interviews (AA100 Audio CD), Milton Keynes, The Open University Moohan, E (2008), ‘Glossary’, in Moohan E (ed.), Reputations (AA100 Book1), The Open University, pp.231-238 Theocharis, J (2009), CDA5937 The Burial at Thebes – Interviews (AA100 Audio CD), Milton Keynes, The Open University

Difference Between Leadership and Management Essay

What is leadership? What is management? Leadership and management are two words that are considered synonymous but describe two distinct concepts. Both are needed in a successful organization. Leadership and management together will build and maintain a successful organization. Interest in leadership in the American culture increased in the early twentieth century and continues to development in context. Behavioral theories evolved to today’s transformational leadership and visionary leadership. All the theories are attempting to identify leadership traits and behaviors. Leadership Term Paper: Excerpt If the role of situations is vital in matters of self-control, how much more significant must it be in connection with social control and leadership. If â€Å"character varies from situation to situation,† then it is fair to assume that leadership likewise varies. Consistency of behavior is doubtless a leadership trait, but behavior may vary according to situations, even on the part of any person. A person may be generally consistent in some situations and inconsistent in others. It is apparently necessary, therefore, to study situations in relation to personality reactions in order to account for ability, or for failure, to lead. Leadership Term Papers: Excerpt Situational leadership often explains leadership unevenness. A person may use leadership technique in a situation for which it is not intended with the result that it does not work well, or it fails. Every after dinner speaker has told more than one joke which he thought appropriate but which â€Å"fell flat,† because there were situational factors that the speaker did not suspect. Whenever a situation contains factors that a leader does not take into consideration, his leadership is endangered. A wise leader â€Å"knows his situations,† or else his leadership displays much unevenness. Leadership Research Paper: Excerpt The situational nature of leadership explains why a leader sometimes seems to contradict himself and to act like a hypocrite even though he loathes hypocrisy. It often happens, as any leader in an administrative position can testify, that a person may act sincerely and honestly in each of two different situations and find that he has contradicted himself, simply because the two situations are contradictory in certain particulars. Loyalty in one situation may contradict loyalty in another. A leader who desires to please is especially subject to this dilemma. Leadership vs. Management There are several distinctions between thoughts of management and leadership; some of the key points are discussed below. I believe that effective management ceases to reach its potential without respected leadership. Although leadership and management are necessary ingredients to creating actualized organizations. 1.Management implements the structures and tasks to create a holistic team of productive employees, while leadership sets the vision and creates an atmosphere where the teams commit to the mission and are encouraged to reach their potential. Management is more of a hands-on approach to ensure leaderships vision and strategy is in congruence with the companies operations. One of the goals of management is to ensure the organization effectively deploys of resources. One of the major goals of leadership is to assist customers and employees to understand the values and mission of the organization while having the responsibility of ensuring those constituencies are committed to the organizations value offering. I feel that leadership responsibility is to identify what the change initiatives need to be in conjunction with employees, customers and suppliers while management’s responsibility is to ensure effective implementation of those initiatives. According to Senge; profound change initiatives invariability lead people to a heightened sense of meaning and aspiration. Leadership has the responsibility to ensure the opportunity for meaning and aspiration occur within the organization, great leaders strive to continually inspire such. Management has the opportunity to see to it that meaning and aspiration is actually being achieved while leadership creates the atmosphere for it to thrive. 1.Management challenges the vision of the company, which was created by leadership as to ensure the desired results are being achieved, while leadership identifies continual opportunities for a greater vision. According to Nonaka (quoted from Dance of Change), â€Å"A company is not a machine but a living organism. Much like an individual, it can have a collective sense of identity and shared purpose†¦ a shared understanding of what the company stands for†. Leadership must create opportunities for that shared vision and collective sense of identity to emerge. Leadership can inspire this to happen through management developing initiatives within cross-department relationship building and teamwork building. Management has the responsibility to ensure this takes place while leadership sets the strategy and places the goals high on the corporate agenda. Leadership sets the priorities, while management gets the priorities done. Among many other tasks, Leadership has the responsibility to: 1.Develop an overall strategic vision for the organization or team 2.In conjunction with the organization, drive the desired results 3.Enable an atmosphere which encourages cross-functional teamwork 4.Be in-touch with the organization at all levels 5.Asks the high-level questions and ensures the answers are understood by all in the organization 6.Encourages the organization to explore alternatives and better ways of doing business 7.Assists the organization to see the big picture In contrast among other tasks, management has the following responsibilities: 1.Management includes the actual coordination of processes and work-flows 2.Includes the process of evaluating resources, assessment and measurement of various pieces throughout the organizations 3.Management includes ensuring that all feedback, comments, and innovative change initiative ideas are brought to the forefront of the decision making process 4.Seeks to make the planning process a more successful endeavor 5.Helps to implement the answers to the big questions into best practices for the organization The Role of Leadership in Strategy The role of leadership in strategy includes many facets some that are tangible and some that are not. For example the role of leadership in strategy is to determine what the big picture is and to ensure the organization has a plan for discovering those answers to the big questions. I believe the role of leadership in developing strategy is to create many areas of possibility for the organization and to create an atmosphere where employees feel committed to creating those possibilities. The example provided by Senge about what was happening in South Africa in the early 1990’s is a great one. Leadership of South Africa was trying to develop a set of alternative stories about what might happen in South Africa. They came together and developed several stories and tried to examine what the country will look like in the future. Leadership in fact, was trying to shape and define the story and to have this story be as positive as possible for the country. I believe the same high-level story development is the main responsibility of leadership in strategy for an organization at all levels. The role is for the leadership to define how they want the company to interact in the world and to develop a story that is much bigger than the organization. This story must be believed by all participants in the organization and must be walked the talk by leadership. For example the role of leadership in defining one of the key tenants for Whole Foods is â€Å"We Sell the Highest Quality Natural and Organic Products Available†. The role of leadership in developing this strategy is key to the companies fundamental belief system, and many of the employees and customers are committed to this strategy. The role of leadership is to create the vision and ensure it is in real congruence with the organizational realty. How is leadership critical to realizing strategy? I believe without leadership, strategy cannot be truly realized for a sustainable period. For example if there lacks a person or people who rise above and create the vision and see to it, that it is a manifestation throughout the organization, the strategy will be lost at sea. The waves of business cycles and changing resources will ensure the strategy is tossed and turned and will not go on a path toward true-fulfillment of the highest levels of success. Leadership sets the stage for strategy by asking the core questions, shaping the vision, and allowing for an atmosphere, which encourages the awareness and commitment to the strategy. Leadership is critical: 1.It creates a vessel for continuous improvement and adaptation of strategy 1.Ensures the proper questions are asked and answered 2.Creates an atmosphere for growth and change 3.Demonstrates effective behavior 4.Tries to get the highest potential out of resources 5.Creates the strategic vision 6.Brings together key aspects of the strategy The world we live in is changing at an alarming rate as a result of all the new discoveries that have been made over the years. These new discoveries have been aided by the availability of better learning facilities and equipment. These were not available in the early days. As scientists continue to discover and invent new equipment, the world is adapting them and incorporating them in the societies. As a result, the world we are living in is heavily dependent on inventions and machines to carry out tasks. Moreover, as a result of the advanced technology, people are getting more intelligent hence they are able carry out more researches of their own as well as make their own new inventions. In the medical world this has eased management as well as other treatment methods such as surgery.

The Golden Lily Chapter 3

EVEN THOUGH EDDIE had told me not to worry about Angeline, the curious part of me couldn't help but prod him about it on the drive over to Adrian's apartment. â€Å"How are you going to handle it?† I asked. â€Å"Have a heart-to-heart?† He shook his head. â€Å"Mostly I was going to simply avoid her unless absolutely necessary. Hopefully she'll lose interest.† â€Å"Well. I guess that's one method. But, I mean, you're a pretty direct person.† If faced with a roomful of Strigoi, he would've walked in without hesitation. â€Å"Maybe you should try that kind of approach instead. Just confront her and tell her honestly that you're not interested.† â€Å"That's easy in theory,† he said. â€Å"Not so much in person.† â€Å"Seems easy to me.† Eddie was skeptical. â€Å"That's because you've never had to do it.† Going to Adrian's was a lot easier than it once had been for me. His apartment used to belong to Keith and was also the site where a Moroi named Lee and two Strigoi had died. Those were hard memories to shake. The Alchemists had offered the apartment to me, since I'd also taken on full responsibility for Palm Springs, but I'd yielded it to Adrian. I hadn't been sure I wanted to live there, and he'd been pretty desperate for his own place. When I'd seen how happy the apartment made him, I knew I'd made the right choice. Adrian opened the door before we'd barely had a chance to knock. â€Å"The cavalry! Thank God.† I hid a smile as Eddie and I stepped inside. The first thing that always hit me about this place was the sunny yellow paint Adrian had put up on the walls. He was convinced it helped the mood and had warned us not to question his â€Å"artistic sensibilities.† The fact that the yellow clashed pretty terribly with his secondhand plaid furniture was apparently irrelevant. Or maybe I just wasn't â€Å"artistic† enough to appreciate it. Nonetheless, I actually found the erratic style comforting. It bore little resemblance to Keith's decorating, making it a little easier to blot out the events of that awful night. Sometimes, when I looked around the living room, my breath would catch as visions of the vicious Strigoi attack and Lee's death haunted me. Adrian's stamp on the apartment was like light chasing away the gruesome shadows of the past. Sometimes when I was down, Adrian's personality had a similar effect. â€Å"Nice blouse, Sage,† he told me, deadpan. â€Å"It really brings out the khaki in your pants.† His sarcasm aside, he looked supremely delighted to see us. He had the tall, lean build that most Moroi guys did, along with their typically pale (though not Strigoi-pale) skin. I hated to admit it, but he was more good-looking than he had any right to be. He wore his dark brown hair stylishly messy and had eyes that sometimes seemed too green to be real. Adrian had on one of those button-up printed shirts that were trendy with guys lately, with a blue pattern on it I liked. He smelled like he'd been smoking recently, which I didn't like. Dimitri and Sonya were sitting at the kitchen table going over a bunch of papers with hand-written notes on them. The papers were kind of haphazardly scattered around, which made me wonder how much work they could really be accomplishing. I would have had those pages neatly stacked and organized by topic. â€Å"Glad you're back, Sydney,† said Sonya. â€Å"I've needed a little female support here.† The prettiness of her red hair and high cheek bones was tainted by the fact that she showed her fangs when she smiled. Most Moroi were taught early to avoid that, to prevent detection from humans. Sonya had no qualms about doing it in private. It still bugged me. Dimitri smiled at me. It made his already handsome face even more so, and I knew that â€Å"Zen master wisdom† wasn't the reason Rose had fallen for him. â€Å"I'm guessing you didn't take a nap.† â€Å"Too much to do,† I said. Sonya gave Eddie a curious look. â€Å"We've been wondering where you were.† â€Å"Busy at Amberwood,† said Eddie vaguely. He'd mentioned in the car that it might be best if Angeline's indiscretion and his forced shopping weren't mentioned. â€Å"You know, keeping an eye on Jill and Angeline. Besides, I was waiting until Sydney came back since she wanted to see what we were doing.† I let the white lie slide. â€Å"How is Angeline?† asked Dimitri. â€Å"Is she improving?† Eddie and I exchanged glances. So much for avoiding her indiscretions. â€Å"Improving how exactly?† I asked. â€Å"In combat, in following the dress code, or in keeping her hands to herself?† â€Å"Or in turning off caps-lock?† added Eddie. â€Å"You noticed that too?† I asked. â€Å"Hard not to,† he said. Dimitri looked surprised, which was not a common thing. He wasn't caught off guard very often, but then, no one could really prepare for what Angeline might do. â€Å"I didn't realize I needed to be more specific,† said Dimitri after a pause. â€Å"I meant combat.† Eddie shrugged. â€Å"There's a little improvement, but it's hard to get through to her. I mean, she's absolutely dead set on protecting Jill, but she's also convinced she already knows how. She's got years of that sloppy training drilled into her. It's hard to break that. Plus, she's†¦ easily distracted.† I had to swallow a laugh. Dimitri still looked troubled. â€Å"She has no time for distraction. Maybe I should talk to her.† â€Å"No,† said Eddie firmly, in a rare show of contradicting Dimitri. â€Å"You've got plenty to do here. She's my responsibility to train. Don't worry.† Adrian pulled up a chair, turning it backwards so he could rest his chin on its back. â€Å"What about you, Sage? I know we don't have to worry about you violating the dress code. Did you have fun at your Alchemist spa this weekend?† I set down my bag and walked over to the refrigerator. â€Å"If by spa, you mean underground bunker. And it was just business.† I made a face as I looked inside. â€Å"You promised to get me diet pop.† â€Å"I did promise that,† said Adrian, no remorse whatsoever. â€Å"But then I read some article that said those artificial sweeteners aren't good for you. So, I figured I'd watch out for your health.† He paused. â€Å"You're welcome.† Dimitri said what we were all thinking. â€Å"If you want to start tackling healthy habits, I could suggest a few.† If Eddie or I had said that, it would have rolled right off Adrian – particularly since it was completely valid. But coming from Dimitri? That was different. There was a huge amount of tension between the two men, tension that had been building for a long time. Dimitri's girlfriend, a notorious dhampir named Rose Hathaway, had briefly dated Adrian. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but she'd been in love with Dimitri the whole time. So, there was no way that situation could have ended well. Adrian still carried a lot of scars from that and was particularly bitter toward Dimitri. â€Å"Wouldn't want to inconvenience you,† said Adrian, a bit too coolly. â€Å"Besides, when not hard at work with this research, I'm actually conducting a side experiment on how cigarettes and gin increase charisma. As you might guess, the results are looking very promising.† Dimitri arched an eyebrow. â€Å"Wait, go back. Did you say hard at work?† Dimitri's tone was light and playful, and again, I was struck by the double standard here. If I'd made that comment, Adrian's response would've been something like, â€Å"Absolutely, Sage. I'll probably win the Nobel Prize for this.† But for Adrian, Dimitri's words were a call to battle. I saw a glint of something hard in Adrian's eyes, a stirring of some old pain, and it bothered me. That wasn't his way. He always had a smile and a quip, even if they were often irreverent or inappropriate. I'd gotten used to that. I kind of liked it. I glanced at Adrian with a smile that I hoped looked genuine, rather than a desperate attempt to provide distraction. â€Å"Research, huh? I thought you were a gambling man.† It took Adrian a few moments to drag his gaze from Dimitri and fix it on me. â€Å"I've been known to roll the dice now and then,† he said warily. â€Å"Why?† I shrugged. â€Å"No reason. Just wondering if you'd put your charisma research on hold and step up for a challenge. If you went twenty-four hours without cigarettes, I'd drink a can of pop. Regular pop. The whole can.† I saw the glimmer of Adrian's earlier smile returning. â€Å"You would not.† â€Å"I totally would.† â€Å"Half a can would put you into a coma.† Sonya frowned. â€Å"Are you diabetic?† she asked me. â€Å"No,† said Adrian, â€Å"but Sage is convinced one extraneous calorie will make her go from super skinny to just regular skinny. Tragedy.† â€Å"Hey,† I said. â€Å"You think it'd be a tragedy to go an hour without a cigarette.† â€Å"Don't question my steel resolve, Sage. I went without one for two hours today.† â€Å"Show me twenty-four, and then I'll be impressed.† He gave me a look of mock surprise. â€Å"You mean you aren't already? And here I thought you were dazzled from the moment you met me.† Sonya shook her head indulgently at the two of us, like we were adorable children. â€Å"You're missing out, Sydney,† she remarked, tapping the open pop in front of her. â€Å"I need about three of these a day to keep me focused on all this work. No detrimental effects so far.† No detrimental effects so far? Of course not. Moroi never had any. Sonya, Jill†¦ they could all eat whatever they wanted and still keep those amazing bodies. Meanwhile, I labored over every calorie and still couldn't reach that level of perfection. Fitting into these size four khakis had been a triumph this morning. Now, looking at Sonya's slender build, I felt enormous by comparison. I suddenly regretted my comment about drinking a can of pop, even if it had succeeded in distracting Adrian. I supposed I could rest easy knowing that him skipping cigarettes for a day was impossible. I'd never be called to pay up on my sugary wager. â€Å"We should probably get to work. We're losing time.† That was Dimitri, getting us back on track. â€Å"Right,† said Adrian. â€Å"This is five minutes of valuable research wasted. Up for more fun, Castile? I know how much you love sitting around.† Because they were trying to find something special about Dimitri, Sonya and Adrian would often sit the two dhampirs side by side and study their auras in fine detail. Their hope was that Dimitri's Strigoi conversion had left some sign that would help explain the immunity to being turned again. It was a valid idea, though not something that someone as active as Eddie enjoyed. He didn't complain, of course. Eddie wore a look as tough and determined as Dimitri. â€Å"Tell me what you need.† â€Å"We want to do another aura study,† said Sonya. Looked like poor Eddie would be doing some more sitting around. â€Å"Last time we focused on any sign of spirit. This time, we want to show both of you some pictures and see if they trigger any color changes in your auras.† I nodded in approval. A lot of psychological experiments attempted similar techniques, though they usually monitored physiological responses instead of mystical auras. â€Å"I still say it's a waste,† said Adrian. â€Å"They're both dhampirs, but that doesn't mean we can assume any different reactions they have are because Belikov was a Strigoi. Everyone's unique. Everyone's going to respond differently to pictures of kittens or spiders. My old man? He hates kittens.† â€Å"Who could hate kittens?† asked Eddie. Adrian made a face. â€Å"He's allergic.† â€Å"Adrian,† said Sonya. â€Å"We've already been over this. I respect your opinion but still think we can learn a lot.† I was actually impressed that Adrian had an opinion. So far, I'd kind of felt like he was just going along with everything Sonya and Dimitri told him to do and that he didn't give these experiments much thought. And, although I wasn't familiar with the auras that surrounded all living creatures, I could understand his point that individual differences would throw off their research. â€Å"All data is useful in this case,† said Dimitri. â€Å"Especially since we haven't found anything so far. We know there's something different about former Strigoi. We can't rule out any chance to observe it.† Adrian's lips tightened, and he made no further protest. Maybe it was because he felt overruled, but I had a feeling it was because he just didn't want to engage with Dimitri. With the attention off me, I settled into the living room with a book and tried to stay awake. They didn't need me. I'd simply come to keep Eddie company. Occasionally, I'd check the others' progress. Dimitri and Eddie watched as Sonya flipped through different images on her laptop. In turn, Adrian and Sonya watched the dhampirs closely and made notes on paper. I almost wished I could see the bands of color and light and wondered if there really were any noticeable differences. Studying Eddie and Dimitri, I sometimes would notice a change in facial expression when particularly cute or horrific images showed up on the screen, but for the most part their work remained a mystery to me. Curious, I walked over to Sonya when they were about halfway through. â€Å"What do you see?† I asked in a low voice. â€Å"Colors,† she said. â€Å"Shining around all living things. Eddie and Dimitri have different colors, but they have the same reactions.† She changed the picture on the screen to one of a factory spilling black smoke into an otherwise clear sky. â€Å"Neither of them like this. Their auras dim and turn troubled.† She flipped to the next image, a smile on her lips. Three kittens appeared on the screen. â€Å"And now they warm up. Affection is very easy to spot in an aura. So far, they react in normal ways. There's no sign in Dimitri's aura that he's different from Eddie.† I returned to the couch. After a couple of hours, Sonya called a halt. â€Å"I think we've seen what we needed to. Thank you, Eddie.† â€Å"Happy to help,† he said, rising from his chair and stretching. He seemed relieved both that it was over and that it had involved something slightly more interesting than staring off into space. He was active and energetic, and didn't like captivity. â€Å"Although†¦ we've got a few other ideas,† she added. â€Å"Do you think you guys can power through a little longer?† Naturally, she asked just as I was yawning. Eddie regarded me with sympathy. â€Å"I'll stay, but you don't have to. Go sleep. I'll get a ride home.† â€Å"No, no,† I said, stifling a second yawn. â€Å"I don't mind. What are your other ideas?† â€Å"I was hoping to do something similar with Eddie and Dimitri,† she explained. â€Å"Except this time, we'd use sounds instead of images. Then I'd like to see how they respond to direct contact with spirit.† â€Å"I think that's a good idea,† I said, not really sure what that last one would entail. â€Å"Go for it. I'll wait.† Sonya glanced around and seemed to notice I wasn't the only one who looked tired. â€Å"Maybe we should get some food first.† Eddie brightened up at that. â€Å"I'll go,† I offered. It was a sign of my progress that vampires talking about â€Å"food† no longer made me hyperventilate. I knew she didn't mean blood, not if the dhampirs and I were being involved. Besides, there was no feeder around. Feeders were humans who willingly gave blood to Moroi for the high it produced. Everyone here knew better than to even joke about that around me. â€Å"There's a good Thai carryout place a few blocks away.† â€Å"I'll help,† said Adrian eagerly. â€Å"I'll help,† said Sonya. â€Å"The last time you ran an errand, you were gone two hours.† Adrian scowled but didn't deny the charge. â€Å"Our aura observations have been identical anyway. You can get them started on the sounds without me.† Sonya and I took everyone's orders and set out. I didn't really feel like I needed help, but I supposed carrying food for five people – even for a few blocks – could get unwieldy. I soon learned she had other motives for coming along, though. â€Å"It feels good to get outside and stretch my legs,† she said. It was early evening, with significantly less sun and heat – a condition the Moroi loved. We walked along a side street leading toward downtown, lined with cute apartments and small businesses. All around us, huge palm trees loomed, providing an interesting contrast to the eclectic urban setting. â€Å"I've been cooped up there all day.† I smiled at her. â€Å"And here I thought Adrian was the only one who got cabin fever from the work you guys do.† â€Å"He just complains the most,† she explained. â€Å"Which is kind of funny since he also probably gets out the most, between his classes and his cigarette breaks.† I'd nearly forgotten about the two art classes Adrian was taking at a local college. He usually kept his latest projects on display, but there'd been none in the living room lately. I hadn't realized until that moment how much I missed them. I might give him a hard time, but sometimes those artistic glimpses into the way he thought were fascinating. Sonya gave me a brief recap of her wedding plans as we walked the short distance to the Thai restaurant. Her relationship with dhampir Mikhail Tanner was kind of epic on a lot of levels, I supposed. First, dhampirs and Moroi didn't generally get involved in serious relationships. Usually, they were just casual affairs that resulted in the reproduction of more dhampirs. In addition to the scandal of even being involved, Mikhail had actually wanted to hunt down Sonya when she was a Strigoi to free her from that twisted state. Rose had attempted the same with Dimitri, believing death was better than being a Strigoi. Mikhail had failed, but their love had remained steadfast enough through the ordeal that when she'd defied the odds and been restored, they'd immediately gotten back together. I couldn't even begin to imagine love like that. â€Å"We're still deciding on flowers,† she continued. â€Å"Hydrangeas or lilies. I'm guessing I know what your vote is for.† â€Å"Actually, I'd say hydrangeas. I'm around too many lilies already.† She laughed at that and suddenly knelt near a flower bed filled with gladiolas. â€Å"More than you know. There are lilies sleeping in this bed.† â€Å"They're out of season,† I pointed out. â€Å"Nothing's ever out of season.† Sonya glanced around covertly and then rested her fingers on the earth. Moments later, dark green shoots appeared, growing taller and taller until a red trumpet lily opened up on top. â€Å"Ah. Red. Alchemists ones are white – oh, are you okay?† I had backed up so far on the sidewalk that I'd nearly walked into the street. â€Å"You†¦ you shouldn't do that. Someone might see.† â€Å"No one saw,† she said, getting to her feet. Her face softened. â€Å"I'm so sorry. I forget sometimes how you feel about this. It was wrong of me.† â€Å"It's okay,† I said, not sure that it was. Vampire magic always made my skin crawl. Vampires, creatures who needed blood, were bad enough. But being able to manipulate the world with magic? Even worse. That lily, although beautiful, took on a sinister edge now. It shouldn't have existed this time of the year. No more was said about magic, and we soon reached the main strip downtown, where the Thai restaurant was. We placed a giant carryout order and were told it would take about fifteen minutes. Sonya and I lingered outside, admiring downtown Palm Springs in twilight. Lastminute shoppers were out before the boutiques closed, and all the restaurants were hopping with those coming and going. Many of them had outdoor tables on the sidewalk, and friendly conversation buzzed around us. A large fountain, tiled in bright colors, fascinated children and inspired tourists to stop for photo ops. Sonya was easily distracted by the various plants and trees that the city used to beautify the streets. Even without spirit's ability to affect living things, she was still quite the gardener. â€Å"Hey you! Elder Melrose!† I turned and winced when I saw Lia DiStefano striding toward me. Lia was a fashion designer with a shop here in downtown Palm Springs. I hadn't realized we were standing directly across from her store. If I had, I would've waited inside the restaurant. Lia was short but had an overwhelming presence, enhanced by the flamboyant gypsy style she often chose for her personal attire. â€Å"I've been calling you for weeks,† she said, once she reached our side of the street. â€Å"Why don't you answer?† â€Å"I've been really busy,† I said straight-faced. â€Å"Uh-huh.† Lia put her hands on her hips and tried to stare me down, which was kind of amazing since I was taller. â€Å"When are you going to let your sister model for me again?† â€Å"Miss DiStefano,† I said patiently, â€Å"I've told you before. She can't do it anymore. Our parents don't like it. Our religion doesn't allow faces to be photographed.† Last month, Jill's runway-perfect build and gorgeous, ethereal features had attracted Lia's attention. Seeing as having your picture taken en masse was kind of a bad way to stay in hiding, we'd only agreed to let Jill walk in Lia's fashion show because all the models wore Venetian masks. Lia had been on me ever since to let Jill model again. It was hard because I knew Jill wanted to, but she understood as well as I did that her safety came first. Claiming we were part of some obscure religion had often explained away our weird behaviors to others, so I'd figured it would get Lia off my back. It hadn't. â€Å"I never hear from these parents of yours,† Lia said. â€Å"I've watched your family. I see how it is. You're the authority. You're the one I have to go through. I have the chance to do a major magazine spread for my scarves and hats, and Jill was born to do it. What's it going to take to get her? You want a cut of the pay?† I sighed. â€Å"It's not about the money. We can't show her face. If you want to put her in a Venetian mask again, then be my guest.† Lia scowled. â€Å"I can't do that.† â€Å"Then we're at an impasse.† â€Å"There must be something. Everyone has a price.† â€Å"Sorry.† There was no price in the world she could offer to get me to shirk my duty to Jill and the Alchemists. A restaurant clerk stuck his head outside and called that our order was ready, mercifully freeing us from Lia. Sonya chuckled as we loaded up on our bags and headed back down the street to make the walk to Adrian's. The sky was still purple with the last of the day's light, and street lamps made whimsical patterns on the sidewalk as they cast their light through the leaves of palm trees. â€Å"Did you ever imagine your job here would involve dodging aggressive fashion designers?† Sonya asked. â€Å"No,† I admitted. â€Å"Honestly, I never foresaw half the stuff this job has – â€Å" â€Å"Sonya?† A young man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, blocking our path. He was no one I knew and looked to be a little older than me. He wore his black hair in a buzz cut and was staring curiously at Sonya. She came to a halt and frowned. â€Å"Do I know you?† He brightened. â€Å"Sure. Jeff Eubanks. Remember?† â€Å"No,† she said politely, after a few moments of study. â€Å"You must have me mistaken for someone else. I'm sorry.† â€Å"No, no,† he said. â€Å"I know it's you. Sonya Karp, right? We met in Kentucky last year.† Sonya stiffened. She'd made Kentucky her home while she was a Strigoi. I knew those couldn't be pleasant memories. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she repeated, voice strained. â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about.† The guy was undaunted, still smiling as though they were best friends. â€Å"You've come a long ways from Kentucky. What brings you out here? I just transferred for work.† â€Å"There's some mistake,† I told him sternly, nudging Sonya forward. I didn't know what that mistake could be exactly, but Sonya's attitude was all I needed. â€Å"We have to go.† The guy didn't follow us, but Sonya remained silent for most of the walk home. â€Å"Must be hard,† I said, feeling like I should say something. â€Å"Meeting people from your past.† She shook her head. â€Å"He's not. I'm certain of it. I've never met him.† I'd figured she just wanted to avoid all associations with being a Strigoi. â€Å"You're sure? He wasn't just some casual acquaintance?† She shot me a wry look. â€Å"Strigoi don't have casual acquaintances with humans. They have them for dinner. That guy shouldn't have known who I was.† â€Å"He was human? Not dhampir?† I couldn't tell the difference, but Moroi could. â€Å"Definitely.† Sonya had stopped again and was glancing back at the guy's retreating figure. I followed her gaze. â€Å"There must be some reason he recognized you. He seems pretty harmless.† That got me another smile. â€Å"Come now, Sydney. I figured you'd been around us long enough to know.† â€Å"Know what?† â€Å"Nothing's ever as harmless as it seems.†

Understanding the Management Role The WritePass Journal

Understanding the Management Role Introduction Understanding the Management Role , Accessed 5 June 2012 wdp-drugs.org.uk/pages/what-we-do.html)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Recently have WDP gained some prison based services in which we have a presence within some prisons offering advice and support to people with substance misuse problems. WDP’s is committed   to creating a society that is healthier and safer because it is well informed about drug and alcohol use, where people adversely affected can get effective help. Evidence of this can be seen in the services being provided to the community as a whole. The Finance Team The Finance team handles all aspect of the company’s finances. From the preparation of budgets for tendering purposes, to the raising   sales invoices, to the processing of both staff expenses and purchases invoice, also giving a breakdown of actual vs. budgeted spend to both internal and external stakeholder’s. The finance team ensures that there is a proper utilisation of the financial resources against all aspect of the organisation. The team is made up of 4 staff we have the: Financial Controller who has the overall responsibility of leading and guiding the team and also handles the strategic aspect of the company’s finances and ensures that there is a proper utilisation of the financial resources against all aspect of the organisation. Financial Accountant: dealing with the everyday running of the department and responsible for managing the finance administrators Finance Administrators: There are two people in this position. They deal with processing purchase invoices and other administrative tasks There is a strong emphasis upon teamwork within the department dealing with finance.   The ethos is one of understanding how decisions made by individuals form part of a much larger picture. This ethos of teamwork extends not just to our department, but is part of the overall organisational vision, which is predicated upon the notion that every one of us has a responsibility to society as a whole. The organisation’s structure, functional areas and managerial roles, in relation to its purpose WDP   has a broadly hierarchical structure, that is it consists of several levels with fewer people at the higher levels holding more power, both in terms of authority over others and in terms of swaying decisions about the organisation. At the top (see illustration) is the chair, working with the CEO and other directors. The CEO reports directly to the board, and in turn manages the Directors and Financial Controller of individual departments.   Ã‚  There is then a layer of middle management, consisting of the directors of various departments within WDP.   This layer is also known as the senior management team, and is made up of the HR director, Director of Operations and the Director of Development.   Below this layer are individual managers. There may be more than one manager within a department. Although lower levels are not shown on the diagram, they do exist, for example the administrative staff in the finance department.  Ã‚   The structure at WDP is not as hierarchi cal as some organisations, and there is an ethos of teamwork and cross-level communication, however some division of power between ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ of the scale offers opportunities for progression within work, and allows WDP to deliver its objectives better.   Lower organisational levels can concern themselves with day-to-day tasks, while long-term perspectives and strategy are decided by the board (Dunnette et al 1994).  Ã‚   As well as a division into hierarchical levels, WDP divides into different functional levels (these are also shown in the diagram below): human resources (handling recruitment, discipline, grievance and other aspects concerned with people as a strategic company asset, such as training and education), finance (covering all aspects of finance), development (future planning and ensuring plans are carried out as decided), and operations (covering ongoing running of what we do as an organisation, smooth running of existing contracts and looking for new business opportunities). Things to do:- Investigate the organisational structure (hierarchical structure) Explain the role of the chair The organisations’ stakeholders and their objectives Ideas about stakeholders originate in attempts to introduce ethical practices into business, and move focus away from shareholders. The stakeholders of any organisation are the set of people who are affected by, or who have an effect on, the organisation as it carries out its purpose(s) (Visser et al 2010).  Ã‚   WDP has a number of stakeholders, with different perspectives. What one group holds as the interests most important to them is not always shared by other groups. The main stakeholders of WDP are: Our service users: people with drug and / or alcohol problems Their families People in their community who are affected by the problems of our clients (friends, people who are impacted by their behaviour) The wider local community WDP employees and directors Other community, local authority organisations and / or service providers, for example the police, the courts, prisons and others in the criminal justice system, healthcare providers The local authority commissioners who commission WDP to provide services in the boroughs we work in Each group of stakeholders has a different set of interests, each of which impact on the organisation in different ways. Within each group, there may also be conflicting interests. For example, our service users seek support and help overcoming their drug / alcohol problems overall, but some users might hope for more intensive interventions while others might attend as a consequence of family pressure or pressure from social workers.  Ã‚   Families’ main interests are helping their relative overcome their addiction, but often have unrealistic expectations of the degree and kind of intervention we can make.   The local community’s interest is also varied, from wanting us to make a visible drug / alcohol problem go away, to supporting what we do. Broadly, all employees and the board of WDP are committed to supporting people with addictions and helping them overcome them, but again there is a diversity of opinion here, with some employees wanting or expecting different things from WDP. Overall, WDP need to understand the differing viewpoints of stakeholders, and try to achieve a balance between them in addressing them.  Ã‚   In general, our service users are the priority, but it is also important to take the other positions into account.   Problems arise when stakeholder perspectives are incompatible, for example we have had demands from the community to be less visible, as it is perceived that our presence impacts upon house values in the neighbourhood. Clearly, this is incompatible with our objective of supporting users. In cases like this there is a need for someone to take an overall perspective and decide which need overrides the other, then be able to explain this decision in a diplomatic way. The role of management in achieving goals Management plays a big part at WDP in reaching organisational goals.  Ã‚   My own role has some managerial functions, however I should point out that my own role is not akin to that of middle managers in the organisation, although I do have responsibility for overseeing other people’s work, particularly in supervision, training and mentoring departmental administrators. I also take on some other managerial functions, for example honing office and organisational systems and feeding into board-level decisions, and helping people grow individually and as a team. It is possible to see an organisation in tiers: at the top are the highest levels of management. The concern at this level is the operation of the organisation overall. At the lowest level, different sections of the organisation carry out their function (for example, financial accounting and transactions for the finance department). Middle managers act as a buffer or co-ordinator between the two levels, managing entire departments and feeding into higher level decisions (Hewison 2004).   While I have some input into higher level decisions, I have a line manager, the Financial Manager, who performs the middle management function for my department. In our organisation, middle managers are responsible for the overall efficient and correct running of their department, and for having input into organisational decisions at board level. Because of the ethos of the organisation, there is a strong focus upon taking the views of all employees into account when planning at board level, so the middle manager is also responsible for ensuring that the views of the staff she or he manages is fairly and fully represented, and also that board decisions are clearly fed back to staff.  Ã‚   As well as making sure that lower levels of the organisation have a ‘voice’ at board level, middle managers at WDP need to translate the organisational strategy, developed in its most general form at board level to a workable version, cashing it out in terms of particular actions to be carried out by staff at lower levels.   Middle managers have to be particularly flexible, as they have to ‘translate’ between the everyday workin g role of grass roots level staff and the long-term focus of the board.  Ã‚   There are also issues of accountability. Middle managers are accountable for their entire department, to the CEO and board. Personally, I am accountable to the Finance Controller, and the two Finance Assistants are accountable to me.  Ã‚   I am responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day running of financial matters, and for feeding back to my line management other issues raised by the staff, for example working conditions, co-ordination of leave, training requirements and other issues.  Ã‚   As a manager, like managers higher in the organisation, I am expected to lead both through directing others but particularly by example. The effect of communication and interpersonal relationships on managerial performance Communication skills and interpersonal relationships play a particularly important part at WDP, perhaps because of the high emphasis placed upon teamwork and shared communication, but perhaps also because of the need to be particularly sensitive to our main client group, people with drug and alcohol problems.  Ã‚   Both areas can have negative and positive effects on managerial performance.  Ã‚   Good communication can make the manager’s job much easier. It has been estimated that managers can spend up to 80% of their days communicating with others (Daft and Marcic), and certainly communication plays a central role at WDP.   Personally, I have found that communication can be positively enhanced through careful listening to people, asking questions to draw out what they mean, rather than offering them one or two alternatives (‘open’ rather than ‘closed’ questions, to use a term from neuro-linguistic programming) (Linder-Pelz 2010).   It can als o be improved by paying attention to staff’s body language, for example being aware through non-verbal cues how people really feel. This skill has helped me read people during presentations, and tailor them to people’s boredom level. In both these ways, good communication can help the manager understand his or her staff better, and this is a first step to getting more out of staff, through building a relationship of mutual trust and respect (Templar 2011).  Ã‚   Interpersonal relationships can also have a positive impact on managerial performance. WDP places a large emphasis upon teamwork, because everyone needs to be committed to our goals to make them a success. Therefore, there is also a big emphasis on people working well together.   If the atmosphere in a division is positive, people are willing to help other colleagues out, for example covering for someone when they are ill, and being less resentful of others.   This impacts upon overall productivity. However, both communication and interpersonal relationships can have a negative impact upon managerial performance.   On occasion,   staff have become too close, for example entering into a romantic relationship which alienates other staff members, and creates a difficult atmosphere, particularly if one or both partners in the relationship are already in a formal relationship. This has made, in my experience, managing the situation extremely difficult, as the staff in question are reluctant to see the negative impact of their behaviour, and even more reluctant to end the work relationship.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poor communication can also have negative impacts upon productivity. Where channels of communication are blocked, for example where lower level staff feel unable to approach their line manager, this can lead to frustration and poorer in-work performance, as staff feel they lack the trust and support in which they work best.   I have also seen the effect of rumours about redundancy and the negative impact these can have on workplace performance.  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is also what I see as a natural human tendency to keep information to oneself or share with one or two trusted others, which works against teamwork. Some employees are also more prone than others to gossip and manipulative behaviour. If such an individual is on the team, he or she needs careful management to mitigate the impact of these destructive behaviours. Barriers to communication and effective interpersonal relationship in WDP, strategies to overcome these I have identified a number of barriers to communication and interpersonal relationships: Poorly managed circulation of information: information is ‘leaked’ from higher managerial levels, so some staff know about it before others. This builds an atmosphere of mistrust and secrecy, and divides the workforce. Relatedly, information is often told to people on a ‘need to know’ basis, that is, in passing and not as part of an overall strategy. This has similar negative impacts as above, leading to division between staff and tension Lack of investment in team building: because we are so busy, important exercises which will build us as a team such as regular feedback meetings and ‘bonding’ sessions where we socialise together are either missing or mis-managed. Lack of listening skills on the part of some managers: everyone can improve their listening skills, but certain managers at WDP seem to lack the skills altogether. They seem bored to listen to anyone else but themselves, do not pick up on non-verbal cues, and don’t employ strategies to draw people out in conversation. On a positive note, I believe all these barriers can be overcome. The first and second could be eradicated by better managing the flow of information. It is easy to identify the source of leaks, and the person concerned should be reminded of the repercussions of what they are doing, and perhaps disciplined if the practice continues. There should be a clearer policy at board level about how information is to be circulated to others. I believe that if people saw the wider context of their ‘leaks’ and disclosures, the problem would be reduced if not eradicated.  Ã‚   In terms of the third barrier, I believe that team building needs to be built into the work schedule. All middle managers should be told they must arrange more regular meetings between staff and develop imaginative ideas for ‘bonding’ exercises. There also needs to be financial investment in these exercises. Finally, listening is a skill, and one which can be learned. The barrier caused by poor l istening skills can be addressed by a training programme in listening and communication, perhaps for all managers so the ones with poor skills do not feel singled out. Development opportunities I have used a process called reflective learning to work out which areas in my working life are problematic, and trying to work out how they can be opportunities for development. Reflective learning is   a process of looking at ones experiences in the workplace, particularly reflecting upon areas of concern, in order to isolate the elements of the experience, interpret them and possibly change the way one behaves in the future (Jasper 2007).  Ã‚  Ã‚   Through identifying problematic areas and critically analysing them, I have found several areas which impact upon my managerial ability (see table 2) Area Knowledge Skills Personal Attributes Behaviour Impact on Managerial Ability ‘Can do’ attitude I believe I know everything I need to know I feel I can do everything well enough Control Refuse to allow staff to do things for themselves, hard to delegate Negative – staff become frustrated, can’t make decisions for themselves Independence N/A Accounting tends to be fairly autonomous: something one can do in isolation I am used to working on my own. Not used to having the responsibility of others I tend to let them manage themselves, even when they are struggling People do not function as a team. My staff struggle to cope.  Ã‚   I tend to resent advice from ‘above’. Staff don’t feel they ‘belong’ Not sure what role involves I haven’t been given the information about what my role involves N/A I am reluctant to ask what my role is, in case I look less than competent I struggle along, don’t ask for help or clarification, become bad tempered with staff Staff lose motivation, lack direction and sense of purpose Table 2: breakdown of problem areas Overall, I feel that I am struggling with a new role as a manager. I’m used to working in isolation from others, and see asking for help as a form of weakness. However, I can recognise that I need to be able to enthuse my team more, and build cohesiveness within it.  Ã‚   I feel I’ve not really been adequately trained for the role, and now realise it is not a question of simply teaching other people to do the financial things I do. Rather, there’s a lot more to the role of manager including team building. Although I feel I have good listening and communication skills, I feel I am lacking in other areas such as enthusing others about the organisation as a whole.  Ã‚   I also believe that leadership can be learnt, and is something I can get better at. Action Plan Based on your assessment, determine priorities for further development of your own managerial behaviour and plan activities to achieve these Priority Area to be addressed / developed or improved Precise action to be taken Date to be completed by Job role I need clarification of what role involves Ask line manager for job description, full details of role 1 week Management skills I lack experience in managing others, particularly communication and team building Ask for support / mentoring / formal training 1 week. Control I am used to doing everything by myself. I need to delegate more Break down daily / weekly / monthly tasks and start to delegate at least some of them 2 weeks Independence I am too independent, used to working on my own. Now I need to be able to support others and lead a team Ask for training in building a team / communication. Read around the subject Ask for training: 1 week. Reading ongoing References Daft, R L and Marcic, D (2012)   Understanding Management, Cengage Learning, Belmont, CA. Dunnette, M D, Hough, L M and Charalambos, H (1994) Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Consulting Psychologists Press, USA Hewison, A (2004) Management for Nurses and Health Professionals: Theory Into Practice, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ Jasper, M (2007) Professional Development, Reflection and Decision-Making, John Wiley Sons, USA Linder-Pelz, S (2010) NLP Coaching: An Evidence-Based Approach for Coaches, Leaders and Individuals, Kogan Page Publishers, London Templar, R (2011) The Rules of Management: A Definitive Code for Managerial Success, FT Press, London Visser, W, Matten, D, Pohl, M and Tolhurst,   The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility, John Wiley Sons, Hoboken, NJ MARK SHEET: WORK BASED ASSIGNMENT (M4.01) Centre Number Centre Name Learner Registration No Learner named below confirms authenticity of submission NAME: Criteria WBA Strengths WBA Areas for Improvement Assr mark QA mark The organisation in relation to its purpose and its stakeholders  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The organisation’s purpose and its stakeholders are described  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The organisation’s structure, functional areas and managerial roles are explained       / 24 marks (min 12) The role of management in achieving goals     ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The specific responsibilities of middle managers in enabling the organisation to achieve its goals is described       / 20 marks (min 10) The effect of communication and interpersonal relationships on managerial performance  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effect of interpersonal relationships and communication on managerial performance is explained  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barriers to communication and effective interpersonal relationships in the organisation are identified and strategies devised to overcome these          / 30 marks (min 15) Development opportunities  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Own knowledge, skills, personal attributes and behaviour and their effect on own managerial ability is critically assessed  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Areas for personal development to improve own managerial behaviour is identified  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Priorities for future development are planned and set       / 26 marks (min 13) (External) Assessor’s Decision Quality Assurance Use Total Marks Outcome (circle as applicable) Total Marks Outcome (circle as applicable) Total 50+ overall, AND minimum in each section   PASS/REFERRAL Total 50+ overall, AND minimum in each section   Ã‚   PASS/REFERRAL Section fail if applicable: Date of QA check: Name of Assessor Name of QA Assessor Signature and date QA Signature and date

Multicultural Society Essay Example

Multicultural Society Essay Example Multicultural Society Essay Multicultural Society Essay Britain is one of the most multicultural society in Europe. It has a population ranging from Caribbean to Chinese. Within the police force this is reflected. For example, Leicester has one of the highest ethnic minority population in UK. Their police force reflects the society, which they serve. The ethnic community would not accept all workers coming from white population. The advantage of the police force by recruiting ethnic minority is that they will be dismantling the psychological barrier. Recruiting an ethnic minority will give them a better chance of understanding the community even better. Black and Asian people always held suspicion over the police and one way of getting around this problem is by getting them to join the force. Recruitment Diversity is central to modernisation in the police service and we want to ensure that the police service accurately reflects the community it serves8. It has been suggested by Kandola Fullerton that one of the advantage of Diversity is recruitment. Organisation have realised that if their organisation is diversity then they have better chance of recruiting high standard of people. I believe if a person was to choose between an organisation, which was not diverse, and one, which was diverse, then they would choose the latter. Certainly there is problem of recruitment and retention problem with the police force. A lot of Black and Asian people do not apply due to the negative views held about the police. And even after they do join they leave after short time. There is a degree of element that diversity improves job satisfaction and increase productivity. If an employee feels that they are being valued and their needs are being met then its only natural that they will pay back their employers. The police force have realised that they cannot just rely on male officers to run the force. They have realised that women can also play a major role. Women represent 44% of economically active population11. In order to reach that target market they have put in several strategies: Promotion Development They have redesigned accelerated promotion scheme- the High Potential Development Scheme. Designed it to be more attractive to women, such as enlighten training delivery, more regular opportunities to join, increased capacity to setp off and back on Gay Lesbian Sexuality Issue This is a market, which has not been touched upon. The Association of Chief Police Officers has issued guidelines to the Police Service on the issue of sexual orientation. Conclusion From my research I have found that the Police are indeed a very diverse workforce compared with other organisation. Maybe this is because they are public service, their main job is to serve the community they represent. I believe the Police Force have accepted diversity not just because they are having problems recruiting people but because they also see the benefit. If they want to provide the best service to the people they serve then the best way is to recruit those people.

College Term Paper

College Term Paper College Term Paper College Term Paper Term paper writing is an answer to question assigned by the tutor. While writing term paper, try to think deeply about the assigned question and find the answer to it. If you want to succeed with term paper writing, you need to analyze the question, examine it, and find interesting and original answer.   Prior to term paper writing, ensure that you understand exactly what your tutor expects. While reading articles and books, collect information and organize notes on your topic. Make note cards, they are very helpful in organizing the gathered material. Once you have found a lot of information relevant to your term paper topic and do not know how to use it - try to narrow your topic and investigate carefully one side of the question. A narrow topic will help you to decrease the amount of information you need to include in your term paper. But, of course, it will be reasonable to narrow your term paper topic prior to writing and information gathering. A narrowed topic will help you f ind relevant information more quickly since you will be able to see the relevant ideas at once. Your narrowed topic allows more focused reasoning as well as targeted research. While looking for information, make a list of the subtopics, they will be useful for better understanding of English term paper topic. College Term Paper Term paper topics require your own way of thinking, your tutor doesn't want to see borrowed ideas. Sure, your tutor is an expert in the field of your research. The notes should be taken reasonably so that you collect only ideas that are relevant to the main topic, not exact words, phrases or sentences. Don't write down too many direct quotes in your notes. Organize the direct quotes according to term paper format. Use the quotes only when the ideas of them are surprisingly expressed or when you need citing examples from the original text to further discussion in your term paper. Always write down a work's complete bibliographic information. If you are making notes on paper, leave lots of free space for your own comments, questions, and reactions to your reading. These comments can virtually become the first draft of your term paper. While writing the first paragraph, provide some background information about your topic; you can use interesting facts or quotations. While writing intro duction, don't forget about thesis statement that is basically the term paper idea. Body paragraphs should be developed to support your thesis - the main idea of the college term paper. The last paragraph should be your conclusion. Custom College Term Paper Writing If you need to write a term paper and do not have enough time, you are welcome to place an order at and our professional writers will ensure that your paper is well-written and answers the question.

The effects of concentration camps during the Holocaust on the people Essay

The effects of concentration camps during the Holocaust on the people who lived in them - Essay Example Age, gender and other supporting factors determined where you were selected to go. Millions of Jews were enslaved, exploited for scientific experiments, murdered and subjected to a number of atrocities. This â€Å"widespread destruction of the Jews† has been recorded in history as the Holocaust. However, while the Jews were subjected to the greater number of atrocities, other nationalities and ethnic groups received comparable treatment by virtue of the Nazi’s concentration camps. The concentration (labour) camps in particular were established in German conquered and occupied areas and thus included the Poles, French, Czechs, Dutch, Yugoslavians, Belgians and any other nationalities in the conquered and occupied countries. The majority of prisoners however were Jews and Gypsies who were primarily destined for the extermination camps. Once the Second World War ended, many healthcare professionals came into contact with the survivors of the Nazi concentration camps. Accou nts of the effects of the concentration camps during the holocaust and the people who lived in them began to emerge. German camps were divided into three types: extermination, concentration and labour camps. Extermination camps were designed to murder masses of human beings primarily through gas chambers. Auschwitz-Birkenau served a dual purpose in that healthy Jews were put to work and only temporarily spared the gas chambers. All others were murdered. ... For example the death rate at Dachau camp in Germany was 4% in 1938. But by 1942 the death rate increased to 36%.7 The work was characterized by â€Å"victimization and terror†.8 Victims were forced to work to the point of â€Å"exhaustion† and were not provided with basic working equipment.9 Through the constant inflow of prisoners, the camps became unbearably overcrowded so that living conditions were subhuman.10 A report by one survivor reflects the magnitude of the victims’ struggle to survive in Nazi concentration camps. Elie Cohan, a Jewish physician from the Netherlands, whose parents had been killed in Auschwitz, was sent along with his wife and children to camps in Amersfort and then to Westerbork. Cohen’s life was spared because he was a doctor and the Nazis needed his services. When his wife offended a German Jew, Cohen and his family were immediately transported to Auschwitz where his family was put to death in the gas chambers immediately afte r arrival. Cohen however was not accorded time to grieve and had to work immediately with little food and water. When he was liberated he weighed less than 80 pounds and was described as â€Å"someone on the threshold of death†.11 The effects of living in a concentration camp regardless of whether it was a death camp or a labour camp appear to be entirely the same for all inhabitants.12 Inmates were shaved, dressed in standard inmate attire and forced to wear a tattoo for identification. This forced the people living in the concentration camps to lose all identity and essentially dehumanized them. Even when the Second World War came to an end and the concentration camps were forced to close because of the approaching allied forces, the taste of freedom was also bitter and just as horrifying as incarceration.13The

Form food safety enforcement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Form food safety enforcement - Essay Example However, the basic purpose of this paper is to evaluate the successful outcome or otherwise in the cessation of the outbreak, identification of what went wrong and the measures needed to prevent a recurrence. Food poisoning is defined under the Food Safety Act as 'any disease of an infectious or toxic nature caused by or thought to be caused by the consumption of food or water' (HPA) 2004 (Management of outbreak of foodborne illness in England and Wales). Food safety laws in the United Kingdom center on protecting the consumer by ensuring that food is safe for consumption. Many provisions of the law focus on prevention rather than cure. Food business operators (FBOs) must show that they have adopted hygienic practices at their premises. The risks associated with food processing and preparation must be assessed by the FBOs, the food industry and the food laws enforcers. The degrees of protection are achieved through enforcement of specific provisions and through a framework that seeks to minimize the risk of unsafe food being present in the market. Any breach in the provisions of law results in criminal action. The law and its enforcement are governed by European and domestic laws. Actually, the provisions of law comprise broad principles and they are carried forward in more detailed forms by secondary legislation in domestic law. This process may change the fundamental principles upon which national legislation is based (Professor Bridget M. Hutter and Tola Amodu). There are many organizations in the United Kingdom involved in food regulations such as National Health Service, Local Health Boards, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, and so on based locally, and at the national level. The ministers and central government officials formulate policy and tend not to be specialists in food safety protection. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is an independent Government department with special knowledge in the domain. The FSA formulates policy whilst overseeing and directing the enforcement activity of local players. The Meat Hygiene Service is an executive agency of the FSA and responsible for statutory inspections of licensed premises including slaughterhouses, cutting plants and cold storages in the United Kingdom producing meat for human consumption (Background to the 2006 food hygiene legislation). Self regulation

Men should not be allowed to have more than one wife Essay

Men should not be allowed to have more than one wife - Essay Example Normal relationships are not much serious many people whereas husband and wife relationships are serious to everyone. Genetically, every men and women have some inherited traits of possessiveness. They wanted to keep serious things as their own even though they are ready to share other things. Family life is a serious thing which nobody likes to share with others. â€Å"No polygamous society has ever been a true liberal democracy, in anything like the modern sense. As societies move away from hierarchy and toward equal opportunity, they leave polygamy behind. They monogamize as they modernize†(Rauch, 2006). It is impossible for a society to progress towards prosperity if it allows the males to have multiple partners. It should be noted that individuals constitute family and family constitutes society. Therefore strong bondage between the individuals and family members is necessary for a society to progress in the right direction. Multiple partners never allow men to share their love equally to all. Wives who get more love from the husband may become more loyal whereas neglected ones may look for relationships outside their marriage. Thus social problems may develop. Value of family life rests in the covenant between the husband and wife. Mutual trust between the husbands and wives is necessary to uphold the sanctity of family life. Family life is much more than sexual life. â€Å"In cultures that permit men to take multiple wives, the intra-sexual competition that occurs causes greater levels of crime, violence, poverty and gender inequality than in societies that institutionalize and practice monogamous marriage† (Monogamy reduces major social problems of polygamist cultures, 2012). Many people argue that sex related violence can be reduced considerably if men allow to have more than one wife. In their opinion, illegal relationships are the major cause of domestic violence and such relationships can be eliminated if men allow to

A chance meeting and exciting news Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

A chance meeting and exciting news - Essay Example In addition, there new partnership opportunity offers Per Diem expenses and travel allowances that are paid by the client, meaning that the there will be minimal or even no business expenses that the partners will have to meet at their personal cost. While this opportunity seems to be very promising, there is one major worry though. The fact that the new prospective engineering consulting company has secured a contract for 12 months only poses the danger of the likelihood of a future job and financial crisis, on the event that the contract is not renewed. This would mean that the three partners would be left jobless and without a source of finance to support their lives. Consequently, it is important that a concrete plan is laid down to ensure that the new engineering consulting opportunity goes beyond the single contract that has been secured into a fully-fledged engineering consulting entity that will obtain more contracts from different clients. This way, the future of the new opportunity will be secured, which means that the business opportunity will become sustainable. Therefore, the plan for developing new partnership firm will entail: The opportunity cost analysis assesses the value of the opportunity than an individual has to forego, in order to pick on an alternative opportunity (Lauer, 14). On the other hand, the Cost Benefit Analysis is applied towards assessing the benefits and the costs that the new opportunity has to offer, and then comparing between the costs and the benefits, to determine whether to take the new opportunity or not. Where the costs are more than the benefits, then the new opportunity should not be taken. However, where the benefits of the new opportunity supersede the costs, then the new opportunity can be taken. In this respect, the first stage in the process of developing new partnership firm entails a personal reflection in relation to the question; what is my ultimate goal for my career and

Innovation and Leadership- Critical Analysis Assignment

Innovation and Leadership- Critical Analysis - Assignment Example Consequently organizations are increasingly faced with the need for constantly changing their ways and strategies in business in order to stay ahead of competitors. Innovation plays the key role in today’s organizations as they strive to design better ways and better processes to satisfy their customers. Innovation is said to play a leading role in satisfying customers in businesses through better quality of services, and increased durability of products. Some of the leading organizations in the world have changed the face of the world with their innovative and cutting edge technology. These innovative technologies have consequently changed the working of households and businesses at large. However, the initiatives towards change must be backed by effective leadership and guidance in order to be successful. In an organizational context, innovation is positively related with organizational efficiency, productivity, competitiveness, market share, quality and other aspects. The p roject seeks to bring forth how innovation is critical for the success of organizations in the competitive world. This is followed by the role of leadership in implementing the change initiatives in organizations. A critical analysis is provided in this context in terms of previous research results and findings on the subject. Arguments, both for and against the subject are put forth in the project. This is coupled with real life organizational examples depicting how effective leadership has been instrumental in implementing innovative methods and techniques in the organization which have consequently taken it towards growth and success. Leadership and its importance Much has been written about the role and effectiveness of leadership in driving organizations towards success. Leaders play the most prominent role in driving an organization through a change process. Among the range of definitions that leadership has, the simplest one is its ability to influence others in achieving goa ls and objectives (Selman, 2002, p.1). The personal attributes of a leader plays a significant role in influencing the innovative initiatives taken by executives However there lays a distinct difference between a leader and an innovator. The development of spontaneous leadership within the workforce of any organization is a slow process which remains unresponsive to external elements and this necessitates strategic interventions in the organization. However an innovator might not always play the leader’s role effectively. The initiative towards a new process is generated by the innovator and the change process through which the organization is led is done by the initiative of the leader. That is why extensive research has been conducted to analyse whether innovation is possible without effective leadership. Researchers and practitioners have brought forth views both for and against the subject (Selman, 2002, p.1). Extensive research has gone into the subject of importance and criticality of leadership in organizations. Researchers have primarily made three divisions of the tasks associated with leadership. They are task oriented, relation oriented and participative leadership. Authors have particularly emphasised on such fields of leadership including participative leadership, empowerment and delegation. These studies are particularly helpful for managers for identifying the appropriate decisions to be taken in different situations and circumstances in the

A chance meeting and exciting news Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

A chance meeting and exciting news - Essay Example In addition, there new partnership opportunity offers Per Diem expenses and travel allowances that are paid by the client, meaning that the there will be minimal or even no business expenses that the partners will have to meet at their personal cost. While this opportunity seems to be very promising, there is one major worry though. The fact that the new prospective engineering consulting company has secured a contract for 12 months only poses the danger of the likelihood of a future job and financial crisis, on the event that the contract is not renewed. This would mean that the three partners would be left jobless and without a source of finance to support their lives. Consequently, it is important that a concrete plan is laid down to ensure that the new engineering consulting opportunity goes beyond the single contract that has been secured into a fully-fledged engineering consulting entity that will obtain more contracts from different clients. This way, the future of the new opportunity will be secured, which means that the business opportunity will become sustainable. Therefore, the plan for developing new partnership firm will entail: The opportunity cost analysis assesses the value of the opportunity than an individual has to forego, in order to pick on an alternative opportunity (Lauer, 14). On the other hand, the Cost Benefit Analysis is applied towards assessing the benefits and the costs that the new opportunity has to offer, and then comparing between the costs and the benefits, to determine whether to take the new opportunity or not. Where the costs are more than the benefits, then the new opportunity should not be taken. However, where the benefits of the new opportunity supersede the costs, then the new opportunity can be taken. In this respect, the first stage in the process of developing new partnership firm entails a personal reflection in relation to the question; what is my ultimate goal for my career and

Immigrant and Black Women Status in Workplace Term Paper

Immigrant and Black Women Status in Workplace - Term Paper Example Canada enacted flexible policies to allow a considerable number of immigrants to enter the country. The massive immigration brought in people with diversified cultures and ethnic backgrounds. The ethnic factions extended to the workplace. The immigrants and black women suffered the brunt of ethnic divisions in the labor force in Canada. Before industrial revolution, gender segregation was very high and it was women’s role to perform household chores only1. The black women did not get enough attention to secure jobs because the popular patriarchal ideologies in the workplace. Most of the work was a reserve for the masculine gender. However, things took a positive turn for women with advent of Industrial Revolution. The industries required varied skills in their operations. This paper seeks to analyze the status of immigrant and black women’s status in the workplace and their developments after industrialization in Canada. First, the report will endeavor to reveal the exp eriences that brought about the women’s desire to challenge their status in the workplace. Second, it will point out the process of their development after industrialization. Lastly, the paper will give its conclusion on black women’s developments in Canada2. Diverse cultural, legal, demographic, and ethno-racial influences shaped the history of women in the Canadian labor force. Like men, women in the industrial Canada contributed to their household and community economies through both paid and unpaid labor. However, cultural beliefs, social practices, and laws limited the material rewards. These practices subordinated women to men. The black married women could not sign labor contracts, own property or even claim their wages. The women who worked in the same type of work as their male counterparts earned lower wages than men did. The black women participated in heavy field labor that the Canadian natives could not work in. The immigrants faced a lot of discrimination and social prejudice from the employers’ suppressive policies. This made the employment status of the immigrant and black women uncertain3. During the late 1700s and early 1800s, the Industrial Revolution profoundly changed the conditions under which immigrant and black women worked. Industrial Revolution shifted the workplace away from farms, where men and women lived, to factories, mines, and other spaces away from home. This shift created two different spheres. These comprised of a domestic and a separate working sphere away from the home. Compelling was the strategy that Canadians used to get the Black women to enter the workplace mostly in the textile industries4. It was burdening to women because they served as homemakers and caregivers on top of working in the textile industries. In the middle of the 1800s, the number of women declined in the workplace. The wages of the industrial workers rose making the jobs desirable for men. Canada passed the laws restricting the n umber of workers for the black women and the number of lower-class working-women fell. A cult of domesticity, stressing that women place was in the home and men in the workplace dominated the Canadian culture. This was especially among the middle and upper class. This catapulted formation of strong and vigorous women’s movements that agitated for suffrage, equality to work, equal pay, temperance, and other issues. The women formed most prominent organizations such as National Council of women in Canada, Women Christian

Industrial Grinders Essay Example for Free

Industrial Grinders Essay With the introduction of less costly plastic rings by company, Henri Poulenc, Industrial Grinders is faced with a decision of a total changeover from steel rings to plastic rings for their machines that would also fit similar machines manufactured by other companies. Henri Poulenc has introduced the less expensive plastic rings in a small market affecting 10% of Industrial Grinders’ sales . Industrial Grinders believes the market will eventually change-over to all plastic rings. Industrial Grinders must decide a timeline for changing production. It is estimated that production could begin by mid-September. With raw steel and steel rings already in inventory, IG must sell-off existing inventory before changing total production to all plastic rings. a. Plastic Rings versus Steel Rings Steel rings last approximately 2 months Plastic rings last approximately 8 months 100 steel rings cost $263.85 to produce 100 plastic rings cost $66.60 to produce At a weekly profit/Loss, Net income for 690 steel units would be $390.00 At a weekly profit/Loss, Net income for 172.5 plastic units would be $437.80 If sales continue at 690 units per week from May to mid-September, 10,350  units will have been sold, leaving 15,100 steel rings in inventory at a cost value of $39,713. This would require approximately 22 more weeks of sales to deplete inventory. As steel rings will last for two months, the sale of existing steel rings will have a faster turn- around time for continued depletion of stock. Knowing that Henri Poulenc is affecting sales in only a small portion of Industrial Grinders’ territory, retooling for plastics should also begin while steel rings are being phased out. Industrial Grinders can continue to charge the same amount, or more, for its plastic rings, as Henry Poulenc has set the standard in pricing. During the upcoming slack period, the company will employ workers at 70% of regular wages to finish all steel production, while full-time staff completes retooling on available machines. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. Rings account for a substantial portion of Industrial Grinder’s revenue. b. Plastic rings, sold by Henry Poulenc, are sold for at least the same amount as Industrial Grinder’s steel rings. c. Only 10% of Industrial Grinder’s market is affected by Henry Poulenc. d. Henry Poulenc is the only company producing plastic rings. e. Shipping weight for plastic rings is less than steel rings. f. As plastic ring use spreads, the customer will demand the longer lasting plastic ring. g. Steel ring production will be phased out due to market demand for plastic rings. As the future production of rings within the industry will undoubtedly change from steel to plastic, Industrial Grinders must take swift action to keep up with industry changes and customer needs – jumping ahead of further competition. However, taking into consideration the 8 month life of plastic rings and their lower production cost as opposed to the 2 month life of steel rings at a higher production cost, sales must increase to sustain the higher profit margin of plastic rings. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders should change to plastic ring production. As plastic rings have been introduced by competitor, Henry Poulenc, rings with a longer life will be in increasing demand by customers. Industrial Grinders must forge ahead and heavily market the plastic rings as a better product for their customers. The plastic rings are less expensive to make, less costly to ship but have a longer life on machines. Although some revenue will be lost due to the longer life of plastic, Industrial Grinders will recoup losses with added sales. 2. Inventory Analyzing the cause of the problem or situation A changeover to plastic rings poses a problem for Industrial Grinders. Its inventory of special steel and inventory of produced steel rings must be dealt with before or during the production of plastic rings. a. Raw Steel The raw steel inventory cost value is $26,444. The steel cannot be sold to another party and will have to be used or counted as a loss to the company. b. Steel Rings The steel ring inventory cost value is $67,149. These rings could be sold within the existing market.The total cost of raw steel and steel rings inventory exceeds $93,000.00. The decision whether to use all raw steel and sell all existing steel rings becomes a major concern within Industrial Grinder’s management. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. Industrial Grinders wants to change from steel rings to more cost effective plastic rings. b. Management does not want to absorb the cost of unused inventory. c. Not all management agrees on use of raw steel inventory. d. The introduction of plastic rings will spread throughout the industry. e. Industrial Grinders could produce steel rings while retooling some machines for plastic production. f. Industrial Grinders could sell existing steel rings and take a loss on raw steel. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders is faced with a financial decision regarding disposition  of current inventory. Believing that the future lies with the more cost effective plastic rings, IG should continue to sell existing steel ring inventory while producing further steel rings, using the raw steel inventory on hand. The plant down time could use excess labor to deplete the raw steel. During this period, retooling could also occur and plastic ring production would begin. The machining changeover would be possible with a minimal cost of $1800.With Henry Poulenc affecting only 10% of IG sales, Industrial Grinders should deplete stock and introduce plastic rings. 3. Management Concerns Analyzing the cause or problem of the situation: Within management, it is agreed that plastic rings should be produced. However, the disposition of inventory on hand is not agreed upon between sales management / engineering and plant management/ parent company management. a. Sales Manager, Harry Greiner, believes inventory could be counted as a loss. Plastic production should begin and steel rings should no longer be sold. Selling both steel and plastic would be cause for market retaliation. b. Development Engineer , Anders Ericsson, is concerned about inventory not being depleted by plastic ring production in September. c. German Plant General Manager, Lawrence Bridgeman, is concerned about inventory. He believes, at the onset, that plastic rings should only be sold in markets affected by Henry Poulenc. d. Parent Company Head, Hein Van Boetzalaer, agrees to plastic rings but states that IG must use inventory. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. All but the Sales Manager are concerned about inventory cost. b. Selling plastic rings within some markets may cause steel ring sales to slump when other customers learn of the plastic rings and their longer life. c. The raw inventory could be in production during plant down time. d. The existing steel rings could be sold while the raw steel could be accepted as a loss. e. Henry Poulenc is the only company producing plastic rings. f. IG has time within the industry to sell all existing inventory while retooling for immediate production of plastic rings. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders upper management should implement the course of using and selling the existing inventory while retooling for plastic rings. Although sales and engineering opinions are taken into account, the idea of taking a loss for inventory on hand is unacceptable in IG’s current position. Henry Poulenc only affects 10% of IG’s current market. Upper management must make the decision on the company’s future operations. It is not proven that IG’s total market must immediately receive plastic rings. Depleting inventory, while offering plastic rings in the affected market , is an acceptable alternative. Depleting inventory first, then changing to all plastic rings is also an acceptable alternative. However, the parent company must decide the fate of inventory and future plastic production.