Towards Innovation Essays - Organizational Theory

Towards Innovation The world today is experiencing the most rapid pace of change in its history. The purpose of this essay is to discuss what organizational structure is suitable in the business circumstances of today. This essay will argue that the environment of the 21st century is such, that to be effective, organizations are tending towards less formalized structures than used in the past. To support this argument, firstly organizations will be defined, and then the properties that make an organization effective will be identified. Next organizational structure will be appraised, and what constitutes business environment will be established. Finally the influences globalisation and technology have had on the will be addressed in relation to changes in organizational structure. Robbins et al. define an organization as a deliberate arrangement of people to accomplish some specific purpose (2000: 5). While Wood et al. consider organizations as collections of people working together in divisions of labour to achieve a common purpose (1998: 15). These definitions fits a wide variety of groups such as sporting clubs, religious bodies, voluntary associations etcetera however for this essay will concentrate on business organizations. A Business organizations purpose is to deliver and product or service in such a way that a benefit is gained for the organization, profit or goodwill for example. The Macquarie dictionary is defines effective as producing the intended or expected result and producing a striking impression (1990). Thus an effective organization is an arrangement of people that successfully achieved their purpose, ie. a large profit of fine product, and have done so in a noteworthy, exemplary, commendable method or fashion. It is understood that to be effective an organization must be efficient. Efficiency is defined as the relationship between inputs and outputs, the goal of which is to minimize resource cost (Robbins et al., 2000: 8). Usually a business organizations success is primarily measured in financial profit, though this is not the only benchmark. Organizational structure is defined as the organizations formal framework by which job tasks are divided, grouped and coordinated (Robbins et al., 2000: 351). Generally an organizations structure is considered to be the managerial framework that directs the non-managerial employees. Traditionally western organizational structure can be argued to have developed from the feudal system of government where a strict pyramidal power and class structure existed. Termed as mechanistic organizations they are described by Robbins et al. as being characterized by high specialization, extensive departmentalization, narrow spans of control, high formalization, a limited information network, and little participation in decision making by low-level employees (2000: 361). Organic structures on the other hand developed as alternatives to mechanistic structures. The underlying philosophy of the organic model is to provide the space for all people to contribute ideas and effort towards the well being of the organization. Organic organizations are characterized by Robbins et al. as highly adaptive and flexible with little work specialization, minimal formalization and little direct supervision of employees (2000: 362). Examples of organic structures include team based structures, matrix organizations, project structures, boundaryless organizations and learning organizations (Robbins et al., 2000: 370-377). Organic organizations usually provide employees with more autonomy than those with mechanistic structure. Business organizations are classed as open systems, that is, they dynamically interact with their environment (Robbins et al., 2000: 18). Robbins et el. define environment to be outside institutions or forces that potentially affect an organizations performance (2000: 101). Wong et al. list elements of the environment to include competition; economic conditions; physical environment; political and legal atmosphere; socio-economic characteristics; sociocultural elements; population distribution; infrastructure; technological conditions; workforce composition and education of the population (1998: 4). Once an organization could essentially ignore environmental forces but Wood et al. states now an effective organizational design reflects the powerful external forces (1998: 417). Organizations need to know their environment in order to recognize and take advantage of the opportunities it offers, to recognize the constraints it imposes and to seek to turn the constraints into opportunities (Dawson, 1992: 80). To Know their environment organizations must engage in environmental scanning, described by Robbins et al. as the screening of much information to detect emerging trends and create scenarios (2000: 311). Robbins et al. argues that organizations have to pay special attention to the part

101 Rhetoric Review and Self-Segregation Professor Ramos Blog

101 Rhetoric Review and Self-Segregation Rhetoric Review Rhetoric Review In small groups design and color a poster with your explanation, definition, and examples for   your term. Rhetoric Ethos Logos Pathos Argument/Persuasion Fallacy Why America is Self-Segregating danah boyd In small groups, cover your section and figure out the main points, examples, takeaways, need to knows. Intro 219 Privatizing the Military 221 A Self-Segregated Life 223 Diversity is Hard 225 You will have six minutes to figure out the main points. Pick a scribe, and a presenter. Write the points up on the board. The presenter will have 2 minutes to explain the main points.

Modify the essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modify the - Essay Example source of labor for outsourced products, which may as well mean that we are advocating for child labor by promoting companies that outsource indiscriminately. Because Child labor and death of children in factory fires abroad is directly linked to outsourcing, which promotes employment of cheap labor for reduced costs. The morality behind having child labor laws enforced in our nation while giving a blind eye to plight of children in our business partners’ nations is questionable as well as illogical. The author’s claim is very effective in that the laws against child labor in the country do not touch on imports allegedly produced through child labor in countries. Weber’s article is evidence of illegal employment of child labor in textile manufacturing companies to warrant the issue of outsourcing as unethical even bordering on illegal. The first fact is the fire of 1911 that engulfed the Asch Building, which housed the Triangle Waist Company. The author records that fresh immigrant teenage girls were employed in the company to manufacture shirtwaists for women. In the May 10, 1993 fire that razed down Kader Industrial Toy Company in Thailand, most of the dead workers were described as being teenage girls. She uses this evidence and support to highlight the plight of children especially in third world countries who usually go unaccounted for in the event of fires at the factories. The precarious working conditions make the situations worse especially for underage workers who are most likely to die in the event of such fires. Weber’s claim is quite effective as she brings factual evidence by citing previous incidents where childr en formed the majority of workers who succumbed to fire break outs in various companies in developing nations. Using real examples brings the author’s claims in touch with reality, thus drilling some sense into the minds of readers. Weber still give evidence that the children working in textile factories are kept as a secret and

Retail Management Career Path Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Retail Management Career Path Paper - Assignment Example It gives an individual an opportunity to interact with employees and understand their weaknesses and how to improve them (Sims, 2008). This form of skill empowerment is not only important to the organization but is also crucial in improving personal relationships. This is the ability of the human resource manager to maintain focus on the activities that possess the greatest potential of meeting the work commitments. It is an attribute that allows them manager to understands and concentrate on facts that have a greater impact in the meeting of work requirements While other professionals may work from their homes or in pleasant working conditions, an average human resource manager works for a standard 40 hours per week. This is due to the requirements involved in fulfilling the role. These include organizing trainings and concentrating on improving employee output. Human resource managers are required to attend various refresher courses in handling the dynamics of manpower management. The mangers are also expected to work on their individual relation building attributes so as to ensure that they understand the needs of the organization and how to align them with the available manpower (Martin, 2008). Career advancement in the field of human resource goes to the doctorate level. This is the highest point of academic advancement that a human resource manager can archive. There are also training sponsored by renowned human resource trainers in the world. Human resource managers’ are expected to attend such training and receive certifications that are globally recognized (Martin, 2008). The training is tailored to meet the modern requirements in the field of human resource management. The compensation in this field is decided by a number of facts including; education and personal achievements. There is no limit to the nature of compensation that a human resource manager is entitled to. The dynamic involved include the size of the organization, the

Issues Associated with Modern Slavery in the UK Essay

Issues Associated with Modern Slavery in the UK - Essay Example ..9 Appendix A ...................................................................................................................................11 Bibliography †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 Issues Associated with Modern Slavery in the UK Abstract Even in the modern era, many people all over the world are considered property by the industries they are employed by. These people are forced into labor while they are stripped from their basic human rights. Modernized human slavery includes human trafficking, bonded slavery and child labor among other examples. The institutions controlling human slavery are so strong that despite the efforts of many government bodies and NGOs they are still at large. Though such actions make the organizations enjoy low costs and high profitability because of l ower than normal wages they pay to these enslaved people, still this abomination can cause a strain on the social structure of any country. People loose their self respect and the society suffers the strain of low morality. We, as human beings, owe our society to participate in the government efforts so that we can get rid of this atrocity. Introduction Slavery can be defined as a situation where people are considered property by their employers and are therefore forced into labor and deprived from their basic human rights. In today’s world modern slavery exits in many forms which includes human trafficking, child labor and bonded slavery to name a few (See figure 1 in Appendix A). In the past two years it is estimated that roughly around 1,500 cases of slavery and human trafficking have been reported to the British police. The article ‘Modern Slavery in the United Kingdom’ highlights that there are three elements ‘of the exploitative relationship which con stitute slavery’. These are severe economic exploitation, the lack of a basic human rights framework and the control of one person over another by the prospect or reality of violence. Of the 12.3 million people enslaved in the world today, roughly 360,000 are approximated to be present in well industrialized countries, while the remaining 250,000 – 270,000 are expected to be locked in forced labor in less industrialized areas. As slavery is an illegal act executed by organized mafia, employing clandestine methods, its exact numbers will always vary from estimated studies (Craig 2007; Craig et al 2007; Engerman et al 2001). This report focuses on slavery in the UK, which includes all forms of bonded & forced labor. The approach adopted is one of a qualitative analysis across various industries within the UK, with statistics included where appropriate. Main Findings The most common form of modern day slavery is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual or forced labor. However, human trafficking is not always easy to identify as a case of modern day slavery as it may be disguised as any of a variety of other offenses. In 2007, the Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre (CEOP) conducted a study in the UK which resulted in the exposure of 330 suspected & confirmed cases of trafficked children in the country. Of these 183 went missing from social services care. This study concluded that there is a dire lack of awareness of trafficking among those involved with child & teen labor (Yorkshire Post 2007). Many councils

Body Image Distortion Among Women In The Media

Body Image Distortion Among Women In The Media American society, most commonly women within the United States, have a rather unhealthy obsession with their personal looks, the physical strive and determination to be acceptingly beautiful, and the idea of looking as flawless as humanly possible. The common perception of beauty is falsely created for women to believe that the ultimate perfect image is obtainable. However, it is indeed an impossible standard for most women in American society today. This idea of impossible perfection is mostly driven by the beauty industry who work to sell their products to those women who are insecure about their image. The media alone is at war with body image. Women in todays society are viewed as being digitally transformed, airbrushed, surgically improved, or suffering from various different eating disorders. These are just a few of the many different difficulties facing women in American society today due to the largely exaggerated media influence. Teenaged girls especially learn what society considers an ideal physical appearance generally from the media and the images that they are crowded with in magazines, movies, television, and also in music which in turn manipulates what is truly fashionable and attractive. Recent studies have found that by the time a women is seventeen years old, she has received overs 250,000 commercial messages through the media. (Body Image and Advertising, 2000) Women tend to see multiple different images throughout their lives which impacts the ways they think of themselves and their own self-worth within American society. Today, models weigh about 23 percent less than the average woman. (Weighty Matters, 2007) According to the National Eating Disorders Association, the average American model is 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighs 117 pounds. The average American woman is 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds. (Body Image: Loving Your Body, n.d.) All too often, American society associates being thin with hardworking, beautiful, strong, and self-disciplined. On the other hand however, being fat is usually associated with being lazy, ugly, weak and lacking willpower. (Body Image: Loving Your Body, n.d.) Similarly to this idea, a life-sized Barbie doll would measure a thirty-eight-inch bust, eighteen-inch waist, and thirty-four-inch hips. (Ojeda, 2003, p.14) The average American woman measures a thirty-seven-inch bust, a twenty-nine-inch waist, and forty-inch hips. (McDowell, 2006, p.48) What is the media trying to teach women within the American society? Some critics in the American society believe that the unrealistic ideas of physical looks and personal flaws may cause young children to face insecurities and lead to poor health choices later on in life. What most people dont realize is that every image of a model or actress in a fashion or beauty magazine has been touched up using the latest computer enhanced technology to remove flaws that are most commonly faced by women including pimples, bumps, stretch marks, wrinkles, and various other different imperfections. Advertisements emphasize thinness as a standard for female beauty, and the bodies seen in the media are frequently not typically normal, healthy women. In fact, 69 percent of girls in one study said that magazine models influence their idea of the perfect body shape, and the acceptance of this impractical body type forms an obtainability that is rather unrealistic for virtually all women in society today. (Body Image and Advertising: A Thin Ideal, 2008) This concept pushes forth the idea of vast concern for the rise in eating disorders and other topic related areas. Many Americans attribute eating disorders to society as a whole. Hollywood and the media demand an impossible standard of thinness, and young people feel that in order to be attractive to those around them, they have to look like celebrities in the spotlight which is what many media outlets are influencing generation after generation with. With approximately six billion people in the world, and ten million of them suffering with some type of disordered eating, the media obviously doesnt cause everyone to develop anorexia, bulimia, or compulsive overeating. Current statistics have indicated that approximately one in every one hundred teenage girls may develop an eating disorder. (Re: What Are the Causes of Eating Disorders, Pitso, 2008) Diet advertisements are also another source of problems. Whether it be on television, in health journals, magazines, newspapers, and other media sources, society is continuously influenced with the concept that losing weight will make an individual more confident and reliable to stick to a specific diet plan. Often times, many Americans are persuaded with the idea that by sticking with a certain diet plan, individual success is a guarantee however, it has been proven through various different general studies and statistics that most diet plans do not indeed show results or in many cases do not even work. As long as society continues to buy into diet companies and their fabricated claims by purchasing these products, the more the diet industry will keep pushing forth their mottos on American consumers. With a distorted view of foods role in life, some teenagers mistakenly expect that losing weight will make everything in an individuals life better and more sufficient. People naturally have different shapes and body types. There are a numerous variations in height, skin tone, eye color, hair color, height, weight and other physical features which make up the incredibly large diversity of America. The millions of messages about thinness, dieting and beauty tell ordinary people that they are always in need of adjustments, that that the female body is an object to be perfected. Researchers report that womens magazines have ten and one-half times more ads and articles promoting weight loss than mens magazines do, and over three-quarters of the covers of womens magazines include at least one message about how to change bodily appearance, whether it be for dieting, exercising or cosmetic surgery. (Beauty and Body Image in the Media, 2010) Even the average woman is said to fit into anywhere between sizes ten and above, whereas the average model fits into a size two or three. Knowing that todays ideal body is another passing trend does not lessen the desire teenage girls and younger adult woman have to adhere to the current ideal and be considered attractive. However, it is important to remember that the current standard of extreme thinness is unrealistic and impossible for most women to achieve. (Ojeda, 2003, p.16) In 2003, Teen Magazine reported that approximately 90 percent of women are dissatisfied with their appearance in some shape or form. (Womens Body Image in Canada and the Facts, 2008-2010) Rather than striving for the ideal image, keeping the body healthy by exercising regularly on a routine basis and eating nutritious food is beneficial in more ways than one and create strong and fit lifestyle habits for the majority of women in American society today. Naturally, feeling healthy can boost your self-esteem and your body image. (Ojeda, 2003, p.16) In todays society, the problem that we, as Americans, are faced with is rather complicated and as a result, there are no real easy solutions. Many individuals tend to lean towards a more active approach mostly by watching out for themselves and being conscious of what is going on in the media however, taking appropriate responsibility for ones self and limiting the exposure of the vast media will propose a healthier lifestyle. Distorted and unattainable images are the inevitable consequences of a social system that face many downfalls. As a society, Americans have created an environment so obsessed with the bodily image that those with power give approval for being thin and disapproval of being fat, creating a generation of individuals so self-conscious about their bodies that it in turn most often, negatively affects their health. Everywhere an individual looks, this situation seems to be a fab that one cannot get away from, the concept it simply too overpowering. Todays pretty faces represent a new kind of people, female figures and displays in stores are revealed with a large amount of sex appeal. With a stressed importance on the ideas of absolute beauty and flawlessness, television commercials, magazines, billboards, and various other mass media sources across the country are just a small, insignificant consideration and excuse of just how warped American societys view is of beauty and real body image. According to the narrow minded society in which Americans live, there just doesnt seem to be a limit on how beautiful an individual can become, especially for women. Most of us are aware of our societys emphasis on the importance of appearance, and we know what the socially sanctioned standards of beauty are. But not all of us accept or internalise these standards: strong-minded individuals who reject current standards are more likely to have a positive body-image. (Mirror, Mirror, 1997)

Amd Vs. Intel :: essays research papers

AMD vs. Pentium   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A couple of years ago when Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) introduced it’s K5 microprocessor, the phrase “too little, too late'; was plastered across their name countless times. At that time, if anyone were to name an underdog to the Intel dominated microprocessor market, Cyrix with their dirt-cheap 5x86 processor would have been the favorite.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intel had been the only processor that could handle day-to-day functions at reasonable speeds. Such simple tasks as word processing and calculations, then later gaming and educational work, the processors were unable to perform. The Pentium processor was introduced in 1994; no company could compete with Intel at this point. It took until 1997, for AMD to even be noticed, and then later in 1997 the AMD k6 series was introduced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When AMD’s k6 was introduced to compete with the Pentium!! Processor, it fell short in all areas, except one-price. It was the cheapest micro-processing chip (chip) on the market. The downside to this chip is that it did not follow the same format as Intel chips. It needed a different motherboard, a socket-7 motherboard. This hurt AMD’s chances at the beginning, but in early 1998 they unveiled their mighty K6-2 processor. The K6-2 Processor was “bigger, better, and cheaper.'; The processor ran on a 100mhz bus, while Intel’s chips still ran on a 66mhz bus, this made AMD’s chip faster. It also was nearly 16% cheaper than any Intel based Pentium!! computer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The gaming community accepted the k6-2 with cautious, but open, arms. With their new SIMD-Enhanced (Single Instruction Multiple Data) 3Dnow! the graphics this processor were able to produce were amazing, for the time, due to the use of floating point intensive programs. With the new processor and their own design they were not only keeping up with the giant Intel, but they were innovating.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Intel answered back with its “SSE';, which was to be included in its Pentium!!! processors. This new enhancement was to push graphics acceleration twice as fast as AMD’s 3Dnow! could. When Intel prematurely released the Pentium!!! processor it fell short. Many people got chances to take the new P3 for a run, and they were barely faster than the similarly clocked AMD K6-2’s. Not only that, but they sold for over four times the price. When news of this reached the dealers and public, K6-2s sales had sky rocketed to 43.9 percent of the market, while Intel’s dropped to 40.