Transformatiomal Leadership Essay Example for Free

Transformatiomal Leadership Essay Leadership is the quality of an individuals behavior whereby he is able to guide the people or their activities towards certain goals. 1. INTRODUCTION Leadership is the ability to get work done with and through others, while at the same time winning their confidence, respect, loyalty and willing co-operation. The first part of this definition is the same as for management. It is the second half, which highlights the difference between a leader and a non-leader. Managers who possess the quality of guiding and directing the subordinates in an organization to perform their jobs efficiently can be called business leaders. A leader interprets the objectives of the group and guides it towards the achievement of these objectives. Leadership means different things to different people, and sometimes the most effective leaders can appear not to be leading at all. Good leadership is essential in all aspects of managerial functions whether, it be motivation, communication or direction. Good leadership ensures success in the organization, and unsatisfactory human performance in any organization can be primarily attributed to poor leadership. Total performance is the result of a host of factors and not of leadership alone, hence can be evaluated in the light of these factors. A leader influences others by his qualities, viz. confidence, communicative ability, awareness of his impact on others as well as perceptions about the situation and his subordinates. The effect of a leaders background experiences, his communication ability, self-awareness, confidence, his perceptions of subordinates, the situation and the self are shown below: SOCIAL VALUES ECONOMIC CONDITIONS LEADER STRUCTURE FOLLOWERS POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS Fig. 5 Qualities of Leader [Source: Taken from, Prasad LM, (2006) Organizational Behavior, Fig 26.1 p 287] All these factors interact together to determine the leaders ability to influence others. 2. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP The concepts of transformation and transaction leadership was first introduced by James MacGregor Burns (1978), what was once the treatment of political leadership is now widely used in the fields of organizational psychology. Leaders who raises the motivation of followers to reach far beyond their established standards and that promotes effective change individually and holistically in organizations are all characteristics of a transformational leader. In contrast, transactional leaders are extrinsic motivators, they accepts the given goals and just do it. In order for us to better understand what each of these leadership styles have to often and how effective they are we need to examine the makeup of these concepts According to Burns (1978) the style of transformational leadership is comprise of four components: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration: 1. Idealized influence A leader who shows idealized influence is someone who is usually not affair to make very compelling conviction on a stand that they strongly believe in but not necessary the popular stand. Followers often admire idealized influence leaders as they have a clear set of values that they follow and demonstrate as a role model in which followers can identify with the leader by. This trait has a direct relationship to managing one’s own emotion in the concept of emotional intelligences (Barling et al., 2000). Leaders can serve as a respectable role model for their followers when they able to display self-control on their emotions which thereby enhances the trust of the relationship. 2. Inspirational motivation The second component of the transformational leadership style is inspirational motivation. As a visionary leader, they can articulate their vision in a powerful persuasive appealing manner that it is naturally inspiring to followers. They will consistently and optimistically communicate the meaning for the task at hand as well as challenging their followers to reach higher than the establish standards. By being able to understand and realize what a follower’s potential is, the leader can better set goals and push the follower towards success more effectively. This is directly related to the understanding of others component of emotional intelligences. 3. Intellectual stimulation The third is the art of intellectual stimulation. Leaders who are high in intellectual stimulation usually encourage creativity in their followers by setting up an aroma to permit trail and error. Furthermore, these leaders often encourage followers to take risk, follow their own instincts, and there is no such thing as a â€Å"stupid â€Å"suggestion. 4. Individualized consideration Lastly, the component of individualized consideration is the degree of the leader’s ability to listen, understand, and attend to the needs of their followers. Making sure that their followers are getting the respect they deserve for their accomplishment. Perhaps being there, as a mentor or a coach for their career advancements or to be a sympathetic support when problematic issues arise. Being able to correctly realize and understand the needs of followers a leader should be evident in the empathy component of emotional intelligences. In contrast the transactional leadership that is very often associated with laissez-fair leadership is more action oriented. It is comprised of two components: Contingent rewards and management-by-exception (Burns 1978). This type of leadership is very distinct in ways that it is very reward oriented. Leaders utilize the promises to reward for good performance and reorganizations to entice followers to perform at their best. Management-by-exception refers to a practice that leaders are there to make sure things continue to work as they are working now. The attitude around these leaders are â€Å"if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it†, they only intercept when something is going wrong. The management-by-exception leaders are leaders that are very detail oriented and are at a constant alert for things going wrong where they are quick to fix immediate problems. TRANSFORMING LEADERSHIP 3. Visionary Enabler Transforming leadership requires the leader to direct his energies outwards rather than inwards. The focus is on relinquishing the controller/ manipulator in favor of the visionary enabler. To do this, the groups full potential must be allowed to develop by always using the style congruent with their ability and willingness or one even slightly higher on the trusting side. Unfortunately, the opposite is often the case and the group is over led rather than under led. Over leading often-called macho using a style more controlling than appropriate for the groups ability and willingness. It can arise from both personal, psychological reasons and from forces in the organizational and hierarchical structure (Ahuja K, 2005, p.698). The feeling persists that management knows best and that true leadership means the exertion of authority in order to get a reluctant workforce to perform duties to which it contributes little beyond elementary, regimented skills. Managers with such an outlook consistently over lead groups by being more interventionist than necessary. The tendency to over lead is often compounded by the organizational climate. If the top management exhibits, macho, tendencies it is very difficult for a manager to pursue a progression of styles towards trust. If he does, it will be seen as weakness and an abdication of management responsibility rather than a positive process of development. 4. Organizational Constraints to Leadership Role Organizational constraints can be very powerful and, for that reason, it is important that any serious effort at leadership training should begin at the top to ensure that everyone in the hierarchy understands the philosophy and supports the new approach. Transforming Leadership is concerned with the choice of Leadership role, it is generally outward looking long term and proactive. Transforming leadership focus is on vision and values relating to individual and organization. It develops an individual and generates new ideas. It releases energy by creating a sense of belonging and excitement in the job. Visionary/Enabler is the transforming leader required in increasingly complex situation, where performance is difficult to measure directly. Visionary/Enabler creates a mental attitude in a team, creates a feeling that you can do it and ensures that things are possible and success is in all what we are doing. Visionary/Enabler creates a climate of success and a sense of belonging. Visionary/Enabler emphasis that the individual can create a feeling in them, that they will be developed. It promotes self-control and encourages the workforce by giving them responsibilities and ensuring success. Visionary/ Enabler creates a sense of excitement in the job (Ahuja K, 2005, 714). 5. Changes Transforming Leadership Due to changing technology and changing social expectations, industry and commerce is becoming increasingly complex and inter-dependent. As a consequence, work requires higher levels of individual skill and management expertise. These pressures make the, controller, style of management less and less appropriate. As the technical skill of jobs in industry increases, an increasing reliance must be placed on self-motivation of the workforce to ensure high performance. It is marginal effort that makes the crucial difference between satisfactory and outstanding performance. Whereas normal levels of output can be more or less controlled, the marginal effort, which is so crucial, is very much at the discretion of the subordinate. For this reason, the transforming leadership role is increasingly essential. Transforming leadership is required to get the best out of knowledgeable workers (Prasad, 2006, 294). In today’s, complex, knowledge based working environment it is increasingly difficult to measure the subordinates, output. Control becomes impossible and has to be replaced by trust and transforming leadership. As the world grows more complex, the individual is not able to understand it alone. Reliance has to be placed on the specialist knowledge of the team requiring creation of the right climate for that knowledge to be applied. The group must be developed to maximize learning and the increase of the knowledge base. Such a climate will also encourage synergy and the sparking of creative interactions (Ahuja K, 2005, 552). Transforming leadership is required to accelerate the shift of the point of congruence in the direction of the visionary/enabler. The transforming leader consciously fights the lure of the interventionist. He creates a sense of vision to inspire the group and place on the team members the responsibility for making decisions and solving their own relationship problems. The transforming leader adopts the visionary/enabler role and frees his followers from the dead hand of the interventionist and transactional routine. Transforming leadership concentrates on the leader in the visionary/enabler role and on avoiding the seductive alternative roles that tend to trap leaders into various forms of controller/manipulator behavior. The transforming leader acts as a visionary/enabler to develop the individual capabilities of his team members and to mould them into a fully functioning team. Above all, he is concerned to create a sense of mission, which will give the team a vision of what their job is all about. This vision carries the group beyond the narrow confines of daily routine and puts work into a context of meaning and value (Prasad, 2006, 364). The transforming leader acts-as a contributor or a catalyst, always-keeping to moderate levels of task and relationships behavior 6. Literature Review Leadership is he ability to get work done with and through others while gaining heir confidence and cooperation. Almost every aspect of work is influenced by, or dependent on, leadership. Leaders have three limiting factors- their own knowledge, and skills, their subordinate’s skills, and the work environment. Formal leaders (managers, supervisors) are appointed to groups by the organization, and group members choose informal leaders. Formal leaders aim to achieve organizational objectives, whereas informal leaders satisfy the group’s needs for friendship and recognition. There are four key sources of leadership: Legitimate power, which comes from being appointed by the organization into a leadership role; expertise or skill power, which comes from having knowledge or skills which will help the group to achieve goals; respect or affection power, where a leader who is liked and respected b subordinates, peers and superiors, will have influence over a group of people; and reward/ coercive power, which comes from the power to influence pay, promotion and recognition of followers. (Yvonne, 2003 196) There are three main approaches to understanding leadership: traits (which involves identifying traits which characterize successful leaders); behavioral (which focuses on leadership functions and style); and contingency (which focuses on situations, matching leadership style with circumstances). There are a number of factors influencing a leader’s effectiveness. These range from the leaders background, experience, and expectations, to the organization’s policies and procedures, and to the prevailing industry trends, and social norms. Bass (1978) suggested that transformational leaders exhibit three key characteristics. These are ïÆ'Ëœ Charisma ïÆ'Ëœ Individualized considerations; ïÆ'Ëœ Intellectual simulation. Transformational leaders are able to arouse enthusiasm, general energy and inspire respect. They also work towards helping others to realize their potential through attention to training and development and at the same time treating others with respect. They also stimulate the imagination of their followers and encourage them to stretch their capabilities. Transformational leadership isn’t a substitute for transactional leadership; rather it can be seen as going a step beyond transactional leadership. Transformational leaders are more likely to emerge in times of turbulence and rapid change. In today’s circumstances where we are experiencing accelerating change transformational leadership offers an opportunity for improved performance. (Yvonne, 2003 197) There is no set formula on how to be an effective leader, but research has highlighted some useful points relating to training style, nature of work and subordinates, and the need to act like a leader. 7. CONLUSION No one is a born leader. People may have certain abilities that enable them to develop into a leader, but they have to work at it. A successful leader is one who is keenly aware of those forces, which are more relevant to his behavior at any given time. He accurately understands himself, the individuals and the group he is dealing with, and the organization and the broader social environment in which he operates (Tannenbaum Schmidt, 1993, 178). However, merely understanding these factors correctly is not enough but he can be successful only when he is able to behave appropriately in the light of these perceptions and understanding. Thus,   The successful manager of men can be primarily characterized neither as a strong leader nor as a permissive one. Rather he is one who maintains a high batting average in accurately assessing the forces that determine what his most appropriate behavior at any given time should be and in actually being able to behave accordingly. Being both insightful and flexible, he is less likely to see the problem of leadership as a dilemma.† (Tannenbaum Schmidt, 1993, 178). Leadership in business is never a bossism because the leader is not synonym of the boss.   A boss depends upon his authority and as such always drives and orders, but a leader relies upon his confidence and goodwill and always believes in coaching and advising his subordinates. Leaders can enhance their performance by adopting a Transformational leadership approach. The successful leadership calls for   `The ability to comprehend that human being has different motivating forces in different situations, the ability to inspire, and ability to act in a manner that will develop a climate for responding to and arousing motivations.’ References Ahuja K. (2005) Personnel Management. Kalyani Publishers. Calcutta. 425-775 Barling, J., Weber, T. and Kelloway, E.K. (1996), â€Å"Effects of Transformational Leadership Training on Attitudinal and Fiscal Outcomes: A Field Experiment†, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol 81, pp827-32 Barling, Julian, Frank Slater, and E. Kevin Kelloway. â€Å"Transformational leadership and emotional intelligence: an exploratory study.† Emerald Volume 21 Number 3 2000: 157-161. Bass, B.M. (1997), Does the Transactional Transformational Leadership Paradigm Transcend Organizational and National Boundaries?’’ American Psychologist, Vol. 52, pp. 130-9. Burns, J.M. (1978), Leadership, Harper Row, New York, NY David Buchanan Andrzej Huczynski. (2004). Organizational Behavior – An Introductory Text, Prentice Hall Hater, J.J. and Bass, B.M (1988), â€Å"Superiors† Evaluations And Subordinates’ Perception of Transformational and Transactional Leadership†, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 73, pp. 695-702 Hersey P Blanchard K. (2002). Management of Organizational Behavior, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey Lowe, K.B. and Kroeck, K.G. (1996), Effectiveness correlates of transformational and transactional leadership: a meta-analytic review’’, Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 7, pp. 385-426. Prasad LM. (2006). Organizational Behavior. Educational publishers. Daryaganj. P. 262-387 Tennenbam Robbert Schmidt. (1993). How To Choose A Leadership Pattern. Harvard Business Review: May-June, 175-180 Yammarino, F.J. and Dubinsky, A.J. (1994), Transformational Leadership Theory: Using Levels Of Analysis To Determine Boundary Conditions’’, Personnel Psychology, Vol. 47, pp. 787-811. Yammarino, F.J., Spangler, W.D. and Bass, B.M. (1993), Transformational Leadership and Performance: A Longitudinal Investigation’’, Leadership Quarterly, Vol. 4, pp. 81-102. Yvonne McLaughlin.(2003).Business Management: A practical guide for managers, Supervisors Administrators. Synergy Books International. P.186-215

Loyalty in Julius Caesar :: Julius Caesar Essays

A Question of Loyalty in Julius Caesar Loyalty defined means faithfulness to one's friends, country, ideals, etc. What should one do when these loyalties conflict with one another? One would have to choose. A choice that can make or break a man, which I believe broke many men in the play Julius Caesar. One did not know who was friend or foe. One's dearest friends actually your foes? Not possible, is it? Yes, it is. That is the story of Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar, a great, noble man. A man for his country. A man loved by many and respected by all. Even respected by the men that cursed him with death. Why would men that loved and respected one kill them? Loyalty is the answer. A feeling of loyalty for your country that surpassed the loyalty of righteous virtues. Perhaps if loyalty had not been involved, the country of Rome would not have been torn apart. Or perhaps if loyalty to all and everything had been involved a great ruler named Caesar would have reigned for years. If the people of Rome would have remained loyal to Caesar perhaps a war would not have occurred, in fact, it most certainly would not have. After the death, the angry mob should have put the conspirators to death, not let them toy with their minds as they would a five year old. The mob, like a great many people, believe what is easiest to hear. In the mob of people did loyalty exist? Doubtful, little if any. What coexisted in the crowd with that little loyalty was ignorance, and much of it. I believe that Brutus showed the greatest amount of loyalty to his country. He just went about showing it in a corrupt manner. He sacrificed a great friend for what he thought would better Rome. Perhaps Brutus was one of the most noble in the play, but he was also the most misled. He was noble for assassinating not for selfish needs, but for the needs of the country. However, I believe he was weak. Weak for believing that Caesar was "ambitious". Brutus believed the one side of things that he heard, and that was from Cassius. Brutus is a prime example of people believing what

Payments Method

Fee-for-service is when a patient pays a fee for the services provided by a healthcare provider. According to Valerius et al. (2012), the more patients a physician sees in the fee-for-service, the more charges the health plan repays (section 1. 4, p. 11). On the other hand, capitation payment cycles involve the first party, which is the patient, policyholder or employer (Valerius et al, 2012). Also the capitation payment cycle includes the second party, which is the provider and insurance specialist, as well as the third party, which is the health plan (Valerius et al, 2012). Capitation is a fixed payment method, which a certain amount of money is reimbursed to the provider for patients enrolled for a specific time frame regardless of the services delivered or how many office visits(Valerius et al, 2012). In this situation of capitation, the money is received before the patient even visits the office, and if the patient does not receive medical services for that specific time (Valerius et al, 2012). Furthermore, the physician agrees to take on the risk that an insured individual will utilize more services than the fee covers, and use less services (Valerius et al, 2012). Nevertheless, the physician still only collects the contracted rate, even if their expenses are higher than the rate for the time frame, and the physician risks getting less per office visit revenue.

Environmental analysis Essay

Rivalry Competition in the US video rental industry is fierce. There are actually several different segments of players within the industry, like rentals who establish physical store locations and rentals who serve mail-orders, but these different segments are competing to gain the same market share. Blockbuster reveled that the business actually has a small profit margin, due to the high cost of building and equipment maintenance. Furthermore, the movie rental industry has a stagnant market condition, or in simple words, the market does not reveal any meaningful growth within the years. This means the only way to grow is by taking away a piece of competitors’ market share. Thus, competition is s serious issue for Blockbuster because in one hand, the company cannot afford to loose more market share due to its minimum profit margin, and in the other hand, Blockbuster would also need to experience some kind of revenue growth. Ironically, competitors of Blockbuster also possess the same obsession. As a result, price war is the only way to determine which player would lead the market. Unfortunately, most of the players in the industry has already sustain heavy operational and maintenance that they cannot afford to reduce rental prices. In addition, most of these players have also minimum promotion budget because of the small profit margin. Today, competition industry enters a stage where all the players are stagnant in most of its departments (Brem, 2002). Not all movie rental industry can survive in a long term, especially if the industry is online. With the recent tightening in the market, some executive and investor are challenging Blockbuster.com to show some results: higher revenues, more customers, perhaps even a profit. This is should become tough news for Blockbuster. com who have spent most of their money on expensive advertisements, PR campaigns, or websites that look attractive. The full integration of Blockbuster. com online and in-store programs planned for next year will enable them to provide their customers, young and old, with unmatched convenience, service, selection and value. If a customer is in their store and wants to return a movie they rented online, Blockbuster.com will be able to accommodate them. If a member rents primarily in-store, but wants a hard-to-find title Blockbuster. com does not typically carry in store, they will be able to go online and get it. It is a matter of maximizing convenience and choice (â€Å"About Blockbuster. com†, 2006). Blockbuster has not been watching these developments lazily. It has launched its own online rental service in response to the competition, despite the set-up costs and the fact that it could take revenue away from its retail operation. It has also introduced a number of initiatives, such as a part-exchange deal on VHS tapes, and is currently exploring offering an in-store download service. †¢ Buyer Power Due to the stagnant market and the need for huge economies of scale to reach profit, buyers of the video rental industry has quite an influential power. In a nutshell, by choosing to go to which rentals, buyers will determine which one will reach profit within the financial period and which one will fall below targets. The increasing use of Internet becomes the power of buyers that soon force Blockbuster to provide online services. To change itself from a zone of movie rental store into an â€Å"anywhere-anytime† entertainment destination that eventually will enable customers to rent, buy or trade movies and games, new or used, in-store and online, Blockbuster initiatives to continues their accomplishment as the online rental service company (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). Blockbuster. com becomes the business through information technology (I. T. ) marketing. Because of the online marketing Blockbuster can live and breathe. They can get more competitive, lower their costs, and provide better service through continuous improvement of the I. T. marketing (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). However, as online retail, marketing efforts of Blockbuster. com could be even more effective if they asked the consumer for a dash of personal information. So far, businesses were hoping that personalization technology would serve as the equivalent of a best friend who just happened to have all the same tastes in products and services. More consumers are choosing to rent online, which has no late fees and have the movies mailed to them. It makes Blockbuster. com has increased their membership (â€Å"Blockbuster goes broadband, streams movies to TV†, 2001). The only way for movie-rental stores to continue operations is to rise to the challenge and shift their business model to stay practical. To develop a substantial share of the online rental business by the end of next year, Blockbuster. com is providing rental plan and their practical understanding marketing. It should help Blockbuster. com to be more successful in the next period. Movie distributors and the large chains, such as Blockbuster, Inc.directly negotiate revenue-sharing agreements covering most titles distributed by the upstream (â€Å"BBI: Profile for BLOCKBUSTER INC. †, 2006). Personalization and community features are very important. Blockbuster. com should allow film fans to rate films and write reviews to help inform other users. In addition, Blockbuster. com need to have a management team with bags of expertise, which they believe differentiates us from the competition. †¢ Supplier Power Suppliers of the industry generally have little power over the Blockbuster. The prices of inputs are nearly identical for most suppliers and there is no price discrimination because of the widely available substitutes. †¢ Threats of Substitutes The video rental industry is actually facing quite significant threats from various substitutes. Examples of substitutes are: pay-per-view, video-on-demand, streaming on-line videos, etc. All of these alternatives are delivering the same product in a quite similar quality, which means that they contribute notably to the tension within the video rental industry (‘Videotape Rental’, 2004). Barriers of EntryAnalysis of the industry indicated that Blockbuster is actually enjoying significant level of entry barriers. First, as mentioned earlier, the industry generally has a small profit margin, which means that a huge economic of scale is required to create a profitable business. This is caused by the high operational and maintenance costs, profit sharing agreement with studios, etc. Second, Blockbuster enjoyed a positive image due to its long-time presence and its popularity within the US market. Both of these factors ensured the triumph of Blockbuster against any newcomer. Most of these conditions however, are now becoming obsolete. This is true partly due to the presence of internet. As internet shopping becomes more popular, mail-order rentals like Netflix gain notable attention from the market. In addition, Blockbuster made the mistake of not providing enough copies of popular and recent movies, which ultimately get customers to think of going to alternative rentals. Another factor that reduces the entry barrier is the popularity of DCDs over the old VHS which no longer require negotiating revenue gain agreements with studios (Brem, 2002; Wagner, 2003).

The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest Analysis

The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest Analysis The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Tempest are two masterpieces, which reflect the life of people who lived in the times when the works were created. The two works pertain to different cultures.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on â€Å"The Epic of Gilgamesh† and â€Å"The Tempest† Analysis specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thus, the former is an Ancient Babylonian story, while the latter is one of the most famous Shakespearean works created in postcolonial Europe. The epochs, when the works were written, are very different. Nonetheless, there are certain themes that overlap, which can be explained by archetypal nature of the thematic elements. One of such archetypal themes is supernatural. Thus, Gilgamesh interacts with gods and spirits. He has to fight against horrible giants and is punished by gods for some wrongdoings. Likewise, The Tempest is full of spirits who interact with people. One of the main cha racters of the play is a magician who knows some secrets of the universe. This overlap can be explained by humans’ desire to see mysterious things in something they do not understand. Admittedly, people have tried to explain natural disasters or some universal laws by acts of supernatural entities that rule the world. Therefore, the theme of unknown and supernatural can be regarded as archetypal. Even people, living in the twenty-first century where science has explained lots of the secrets of the universe, tend to practice some religions which also adhere to the area of spiritual and supernatural. Another thematic element that overlaps in the two works is the confrontation of civilization and human nature. Thus, Enkidu and Caliban are symbols of the human nature, i.e. creatures that have not been civilized. The two characters are closer to the nature and they know some secrets civilized people do not understand. At the same time, Gilgamesh and Prospero try to civilize the cr eatures and make them share their (i.e. civilized) values. This conflict has lots of dimensions and it is, by all means, archetypal as people have always experienced the necessity to suppress their desires to fit in the society.Advertising Looking for assessment on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More More so, people have also acknowledged that civilization is associated with alienation from the nature. Thus, barbarians have always been seen as people (or rather creatures) who manage to live in harmony with the environment, while civilized people tend to alter the nature. Finally, the two works share another thematic element, i.e. the relationship between the man and the woman. This is also an archetypal topic as people have always wanted to understand the secrets of the difference between the genders. Thus, the savage loves the woman and cannot have her in the play. In the Babylonian story, a godde ss wants to win the protagonist’s heart but loses. In both stories, there is unshared love, which causes a lot of sorrow. Admittedly, people have fallen in love with those who love others for centuries and there is still no explanation for this peculiarity of human nature. To sum up, it is possible to note that the two stories and the two masterpieces share certain thematic elements. Some of these elements are supernatural, the confrontation between the civilization and the nature, and the secret of love and relationships between the man and the woman. These themes overlap as they are archetypal and recurrent in loads of literary works and cultures. People have always tried to find answers to certain questions. Nevertheless, the questions remain unanswered and this is unlikely to change in the future.

An Introduction To The Operations Management Concepts Business Essay

An Introduction To The Operations Management Concepts Business Essay Operations Management has been defined by Krajewski, et al. (2007) as the control and direction of the processes of the organization that changes its input materials to products and/or services for its customers. This report will compare how Mercedes-Benz and Honda manage their operations. The comparison might be useful because it would help identify various ways an organisation could be run in order to meet its goals and objectives. The report will give a brief background of the two organizations mentioned above and then would move on to the comparison of their marketing strategies and competitive priorities. Finally, the importance of frameworks such as capacity planning, inventory management, supply chain design, Total quality management and performance measures, would be discussed and how they could be useful in helping an organisation function efficiently and effectively. A) COMPANY BACKGROUND OF MERCEDEZ BENZ [MERCEDEZ-BENZ U.S. INTERNATIONAL, inc. (MBUSI)] and HONDA [HONDA MA NUFACTURING OF ALABAMA, LLC. (HMA)]. MERCEDEZ-BENZ (MBUSI) Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. (http://www.mbusi.com) was established for the main purpose of manufacturing the M-Class. The M-class was such a huge success that they decided in August 2000 to expand the facility not only to manufacture more units of It, but also to include the R and GL-classes to its product list. The expansion not only doubled the plant size but also the labor force. The plant consists of a body shop, paint shop and two assembly shops. MBUSI receives orders from their 135 worldwide markets. MBUSI uses the â€Å"Just-in-Time† (JIT) philosophy which implies that they do not stockpile large amounts of the inventory they use to assemble their cars. HONDA (HMA) HMA (http://www.hondaalabama.com) manufactures the odyssey, ridgeline and pilot models for the world wide market. HMA’s investment in Alabama is over $1.4billion with the construction of a new Honda Engineering facility, on-site con solidation center and steel blanking operation. One of their goals is to be able to produce goods with high quality and sell at a reasonable price. HMA can be referred to as a Zero Landfill Facility due to the fact that they are committed to the principle of â€Å"Reduce, Reuse and Recycle†. They have made efforts in curbing energy use during their production processes, and this has earned them an energy star award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A.1) OPERATION/TRANSFORMATION PROCESS OF THE ORGANIZATIONS MERCEDEZ-BENZ (MBUSI) The manufacturing process for both models begins in the Body Shop where the components that comprise the metal body are welded together. From the body shop, they are taken to the ultra-clean Paint Shop where the cars are painted. Finally, they end up in the Assembly where it becomes a new Mercedes-Benz M, R, or GL-Class ready for shipping. From beginning to end, these vehicles are created with style, functionality, and quality in min d (http://www.mbusi.com). HONDA (HMA) Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) has the largest output for Honda light trucks. It has the capacity to create over 300,000 odyssey minivans, pilot sport utility vehicles, Ridgeline pick-up trucks and V-6 engines annually (http://www.hondaalabama.com).

Native American Cultural Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Native American Cultural - Research Paper Example However, these groups of Americans show inspirational inner strategies and reserves for survival. Some major concepts of the Native American’s identity, cultural context, perseverance, and adaptability include a desire to promote a group’s well being, a holistic approach to life, respect for all healing ways, and an enduring spirit. Cultural aspects widespread among Native Americans usually comprise of valuing cooperation, and being oriented in the present. They also place a great value on spiritual beliefs and family. To them, a state of health exists when an individual lives in totality with nature. Sickness is not viewed as an alteration in one’s physiological state, rather as an imbalance between the ill individual and supernatural forces or nature in general. Their medicine men or women, called ‘shaman’ are conducted in case of an illness (Barry, 2000). Traditional healing systems are meant for balancing the body, spirit, and mind within the com munity context of the Native Americans. Contrary to the Western advance to health and healing, this group of people finds it odd to isolate one part of a human being and try by all means to heal that part, a holistic approach that has been practiced for a long time. Their survival depends on their wisdom of the connectedness and interrelatedness of everything in the universe. Their holistic perception involves a sense of connection with land and place. It also entails the practical application of techniques of preventing illnesses that they believe are caused naturally, such as broken bones, as well as illnesses of the spirit and mind. According to Barry, 2000, conventional healing practices rotate around gains to the psychological, emotional, spiritual, and cultural facets of the tribal group. Systems of healing share the belief that huge, communal ceremonies act as a way to promote the well being of all Natives. The role of a healer is to reaffirm the cultural values of the group, combine all the pieces into the cultural framework, and to consider everybody in the community. To them, medicine is all about healing the patient but not curing the disease. Furthermore, some believe that inherited conditions like birth defects are a result of the parent’s immoral life and thus are not easily treated. To others, such conditions are a reflection of God’s touch and may consider them a sort of gift. Native American’s healing approaches aim to bring back wholeness and balance and restore spirituality and healthy pure state. From the cultural beliefs of Native Americans, severity of an illness is often judged with the pain, discomfort, and disability related to it. They also believe that no human part should be eliminated from the body but rather left to heal. For instance, a member of this group has to undergo a surgical procedure but when he reaches the physicians room, he informs him that he has already made peace with his creator and he is will ing to die. Some of the members who are strong believers in culture will not opt to take the patient to the hospital; instead take him to a spiritual healer or use herbs, which may have toxic effects to the affected body part. A Native American patient may not come back for treatment just because the therapist did not recognize the worth of traditional curing interventions. In such cases, a therapist may mistakenly believe that the patient is a victim of neglect or that he is not taking