Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Scientific Revolution Enlightenment free essay sample

Scientific Revolution Aristotle and Claudia Ptolemy 16th century science was based on their conclusions Geocentric model: Earth is motion less other planets revolve around it Epicycles- Polymers idea circles within circles Crystalline spheres: heavens are made of a weightless substance allowing them to move Medieval thinkers used Aristotle and Ptolemy ideology into a Christian framework Thomas Aquinas uses Unmoved Mover concept to confirm G-ads existence Medieval thinkers believed their hypothesis but were unsure as to why the earth was in the center, salvation can only OCCUr on earth so g-d placed it there-?one train of thought Mathematics and science became the answers to solving Earths mysteries Nicolas Copernicus (1473- 1543) Heliocentric model: sun in center, circular (epicycle) orbit around On the Revolution of the Heavenly Spheres: theory published 1543 Critics disagree stating it is UN-Christian and illogical Disagreed with their theology main leaders against it: martin Luthe r, john Calvin 1 ; If corp. We will write a custom essay sample on The Scientific Revolution Enlightenment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page . Correct church and bible are wrong new direction of thinking this is only a theory, does not have mathematical tools to prove this idea Itchy Brave (1546- 1601)Danish astronomer Does not have a telescope but has a lab and finds very precise data 1572- discovers new star 1577- discovers comet Johannes Keeper (1571- 1630) Assistant to TUB New Astronomy (1609) Laws of Planetary Motion 1: elliptical orbits 2: speed of planet in larger orbit is slower speed of planet in smaller orbit faster 3: farther from the sun slower orbit Keepers law provide the foundations of Newtons Laws of Gravity Galileo Galilee (1564- 1642) First to use the telescope: support for heliocentric theory Bible unreliable source Dialogue on Two Chief Systems of the World (1632) index of prohibited kooks: -earth rotates on an axis and earth revolves around the sun Condemned by Catholic Church-?house arrest Pendulum, principles of inertia. Covers objects of different weight fall at the same speed By the middles of t he 1 7th century, the new science becomes an increasingly Protestant and northern Europe phenomenon Argued that nature was cold, rational, mathematical and mechanistic Laid foundation for the modern study of mechanics-?foundation for Newton Isaac Newton (1642- 1727) Universe is mathematical, empirical, practical, no miracles Calculus, concept of gravity, gravitational pull Keepers 3 Laws of Planetary Motion becomes Newtons Laws of Motion Inertia, acceleration, for every action that is an equal and opposite reaction Principia Mathematical (1687) mixture of science and math -Universal gravitation: planets and star move b/c of gravity, gravity: why planets move in an orderly rather than chaotic sass every scientist looked up to Newton Cornelius Itchy Brave Johannes Keeper (mathematics) Newt.Collectively shatter geocentric theory Natural Philosophy (Modern Science) Attempt to understand the workings of nature and the structure of the universe Scientific Revolution: reaches its culminati on with Newton and his endings Biology, Chemistry, and Medicine: greater advances in physics and astronomy in 16 and 17 Andrea Versatile: The Structure of the Body (1543), dissection learning about anatomy William Harry: blood circulation (1628) Robert Bayle: father of modern chemistry, distinction between chemical elements, compounds, and reactions. Scientific Reasoning and Logic/ Philosophy Responds to science Scientists and philosophers see universe as a governed universal laws that can be seen, and discovered with rational inquiry and experiment Francis Bacon (1561- 1626) Lord Chancellor of England l will put a new route to intellectual discoveryJust because an idea has been around for a while does not make it valid Knowing: secured by experience and data Nova Organza (New Method): what we can know is limited to what we can run experiments on Causes of Human Error: Idols of the Tribe, Idols of the Cave, Idols of the Marketplace, Idols of the Theatre Table of discovery: Experimen ts Lucifer: uncover info about the globe Experiments fructified: experiments that prove things wrong Inductive reasoning to find conclusions Small pieces of experiments and drawing larger conclusions from them If on observes enough apples falling from a tree can conclude apples fall, not tideways Build up data to build up logical conclusion-? inductive reasoning Human Philosophy psychology building blocks Rene Descartes (1596- 1650) Founder of modern philosophy Rationalism/ philosophy of the mind: understanding world based on reason Discourse on Method most famous (1636) and Meditation on First Philosophy (1636) The Dread Argument/ Deceiving G-d Argument/ Evil Demon Argument: all he knows is false and could be false If we cant trust our senses to convey true information about the world around us then we cant trust the conclusions weve made on the grounds of that sense perception Thought recess: sensory data is false my mind is real l think therefore I am -?> G-d is then also real an d Hes not tricking us about the World -?> sensory data is not false, use math and reason to find truth Truth is in the mind a human is a rest cogitations (thinking thing) not an rest extents (extended thing) Cartesian Dualism: idea of reality cogitator ergo sum (l think therefore I am) G- d original cogitator himself, allows clear thinking Best way to understand physical World is through math and reason Deductive reasoning: logic and reason to find the truth The modern Scientific Method Induction (Francis Bacon- inductive) EmpiricismDeduction (Desecrate deductive m) Rationalism Moving from the specific to the general Begins with the general and ends with the specific Carols Linnaeus: classified plants and animals by gees and species William Gilbert: electrical charges in substances Ben Franklin: Identified electricity in lightning an invented lighting rod Alexandra Vote: storage battery, harness electricity due to battery New Science Royal Society for Improving Natural Knowledge, Lo ndon 166 French Academy of science, 1 666 Berlin Academy/ Prussian Academy of Science, Berlin 17 The Enlightenment The Enlightenment (1700- 1800) Deism: G-d as divine watchmaker does not get involved (most distant) John Tolland Christianity Not Mysterious -coined term deism Pantheism: G-d is everything (everything is the same) and everything is G-d (more extreme) Monism: everything is unified by a single substance Branch sipping (1632- 1677) Ethics: disprove Descartes Dualism (mind is separate from matter) Substance: is a substance (inner being or essence) Modes: beings and everything ( expression) No good and evil, only perspective State of Nature: anarchy or constant state of war fear of chaotic Social Contract: agreement made to maintain social order and peace ThomasHobbes (1588- 1679) Pessimistic believed individuals are bad Leviathan: 1651 advocates absolutism, move away from what the fear and towards desires Fundamental desire is survive Likes absolutism Dislikes Anarchy Man m ust pick ruled: absolutism (only right gobo) and security free: anarchy and fear Bad and lack a master Give up power to leviathan so he can protect us John Locke (1632- 1 704) Optimistic Essay Concerning Human Understanding: Theory of Tabular Rasa -blank slate -knowledge from experiences -environment effects human behavior -society progresses with education Two Treatises of Civil Government (1690) In state of nature Pl. Are equal and good Social contract-Pl. Arm government protects natural rights (liberty property happiness) Rebellion: violation of rights Constitutional government is supported Biases Pascal (1623- 1662) Reunite science with religion Mystical experiences enables Pascals Wager: better to believe then not to, gain you gain all, loose you loose nothing Pennies (Thoughts) Witch Craft!!! 70,000- 10,000 women sentenced women older, widows 80% elderly 1700 end of witch craze traditional beliefs and fears result in witch panics and craze Voltaire (Franà §ois Marie Route) (1694- 177) Constitutional monarchy > French absolutism teeters on the English: contrasted English political liberty and intellectual independence with Frances tyranny and bondage Letters are the first sparks in the French Revolution Enlightened Despotism: guest at Potsdam in court of Frederick the Great, form Of absolutism , looses favor with him and is exiled from Prussia.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Free Essays on Accounting Articles

I recently read an article out of the Dayton Business Journal, entitled â€Å"Accounting Office goes Paperless.† Brady Ware, an accounting office in Dayton, has eliminated paper and pencil accounting in their office and has switched to a totally computer based accounting office system. This transformation is expected to substantially decrease the amount of money spent on paper, as well as lessen the time used for handling paper and searching for files, so that accountants may focus on the customers’ needs instead. I think that this is a great revolution for accounting firms as well as for other businesses; more companies should follow Brady Ware’s lead. There are only a few businesses ready to jump into computer technology, at this magnitude, at this point in time, but those businesses that have, are seeing the positive affects that this technology has on a business. One great example is the cost of paper. In a field where ultimately everything is done on paper, the costs can become excruciating. In this article one expert says, â€Å"Paper is a huge cost to businesses and an unnecessary burden.† Utilizing computers can change this burden. Rather than writing everything out and then having to store it in file cabinets, with a computer you simply type in all your information and then store it right there, no paper necessary. Businesses will spend less money on paper and storage units, which (in a perfect world) would be great from employees because Businesses could use the extra money on better employee benefits and pay raises. People may not realize it, but I think that computerized systems make work less stressful. You would never lose files, because they are in the computer; never have to go digging through file cabinets; no more filing, you would have everything at the tips of your fingers. It would be great! In this article they also discussed how most of the employees at Brady Ware were having negative attitudes towards ... Free Essays on Accounting Articles Free Essays on Accounting Articles I recently read an article out of the Dayton Business Journal, entitled â€Å"Accounting Office goes Paperless.† Brady Ware, an accounting office in Dayton, has eliminated paper and pencil accounting in their office and has switched to a totally computer based accounting office system. This transformation is expected to substantially decrease the amount of money spent on paper, as well as lessen the time used for handling paper and searching for files, so that accountants may focus on the customers’ needs instead. I think that this is a great revolution for accounting firms as well as for other businesses; more companies should follow Brady Ware’s lead. There are only a few businesses ready to jump into computer technology, at this magnitude, at this point in time, but those businesses that have, are seeing the positive affects that this technology has on a business. One great example is the cost of paper. In a field where ultimately everything is done on paper, the costs can become excruciating. In this article one expert says, â€Å"Paper is a huge cost to businesses and an unnecessary burden.† Utilizing computers can change this burden. Rather than writing everything out and then having to store it in file cabinets, with a computer you simply type in all your information and then store it right there, no paper necessary. Businesses will spend less money on paper and storage units, which (in a perfect world) would be great from employees because Businesses could use the extra money on better employee benefits and pay raises. People may not realize it, but I think that computerized systems make work less stressful. You would never lose files, because they are in the computer; never have to go digging through file cabinets; no more filing, you would have everything at the tips of your fingers. It would be great! In this article they also discussed how most of the employees at Brady Ware were having negative attitudes towards ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Problems in Total Quality within the Workplace Assignment

Problems in Total Quality within the Workplace - Assignment Example Unfortunately, this in itself has been a perplexing task since TQM has had various definitions for different people. The TQM philosophy revolves around assumptions that are manifested in people, quality, corporations and the role of top management (Hackman & Wageman, 1995). The strategy outlines four core principles that bring about quality improvement. The first pertains to the process control and design which requires training at all levels of the organization (Hackman & Wageman, 1995). The second pertains to elimination of uncontrolled variance in process standards (Hackman & Wageman, 1995). The third relates to the methodical collection of data and finally, the fourth pertains to continuous improvement (Hackman & Wageman, 1995). However, the implementation of TQM and its application to industries is not as simplistic as its explanation; it is plagued by several problems. Recent research suggests that more than 80% of TQM efforts have failed to achieve desired tangible results since top management fails to set SMART goals (Kearney, 1992). Most organizations have failed to realize significant competitive edge through initiation of these efforts. TQM requires a culture whereby organizations are devoted to increasing quality, often at the expense of short term profits. However, several profit organizations take a myopic view when they aim for short term profits rather than quality. In organizations in the public sector, the issue is that of excessive government intervention and influence on the organization’s activities (Sarkar, 1991). State run organizations are often bureaucratic in nature and tend to deviate from quality improvement activities. In such organizations it is difficult to embed the TQM culture. Furthermore, in certain developing countries the culture is such that it negates change and does not encourage empowerment that is fundamental to the achievement

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Law of the Sea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of the Sea - Essay Example The different provisions of this convention included setting of limits, navigation rules, exclusive economic zones, continental shelf, deep seabed mining, the exploitation regime, prospects of technology, the issue of universal participation in the convention, pioneer investors, protection of the marine environment, marine scientific research, and settlement of disputes3. The present study focuses on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 and discusses about the powers that the Convention provides to flag, port and coastal states trying to determine its effectiveness and appropriateness towards prevention, control and minimization of pollution and damage to the marine environment. UN Convention of the Law of the Sea: Article 94 Presenting Duties of the Flag State: According to the Article 94 of the convention, it was the duty of every State to implement authority and be in command of the managerial, procedural and communal matters in regard to the ships flying its flag4. A regi ster of ships is required to be maintained in every State that contains the details of all the ships flying its flags excluding the ones that are not under the policies of international regulations5. While every State should follow their internal laws, they are supposed to execute significant control over the administration of the ship flying its flag as well as the masters, the crew and the officers associated with the ship6. The convention provides that every State has the responsibility to consider measures for safety in regard to the (a) the construction, equipment and seaworthiness of ships; (b) the manning of ships, labor conditions and the training of crews, taking into account the applicable international instruments; and (c) the use of signals, the maintenance of communications and the prevention of collisions7. The details of the ships flying its flag are required to be monitored and evaluated by qualified surveyors not only before the ships fly their flags but also at reg ular intervals once the ships have started. Charts, nautical publications and navigational equipment and instruments that are necessary for the purpose of navigation safety of the ship also need to be available8. Officers and masters in association of the ships should be suitably qualified in seamanship, routing, communications and marine engineering and that the crew members possess sufficient knowledge regarding the type, size, technology and equipment of the ship9. The convention also provides that the crew members as well as the officers and masters need to be acquainted well with the regulations as directed by the law for the safety of life at sea, the avoidance of collisions, the anticipation, diminution and power of marine pollution, and the maintenance of communications by radio10. For the implementation of the above mentioned measures, the convention also rules that every State should be familiar with the regulations, procedures and practices11 internationally stated and th us consider safety measures accordingly. A State has the provision of reporting to the flag State in case any irresponsibility or lack of proper control is observed by the State in relation to the ship flying its flag12. In case of any casualty or incident in navigation leading to loss of lives or in cases of serious

Monday, November 18, 2019

Cesim Global Challange Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Cesim Global Challange Report - Essay Example This situation made it extremely difficult for the company to be attractive to investors and thereby limiting shareholder participation. It would be admitted that the efforts of Team Ochre has clearly brought some levels of improvement but it has not totally solved the situation. Team Ochre’s success can be attributed to a relatively impressive fixed asset which stood at $766,581. Even though this could be higher, it is generally better than what most other groups recorded. A number of factors can be given to explain this, including the production based investments which have already been referred to. Team Ochre is focused on maximizing shareholder value through the provision of massive global representation. Using the unit sales volumes as an indicator for market shares for the company, it was found that the company recorded positive market share in three technologies globally. Unlike its competitors, Team Ochre’s financial performance was spread across three major technologies. These were Tech 1, 2 and 3 with 0.00% market share in Tech 4. Team Ochre is also able to achieve consistent performance by effective future forecasting of its market demands. For example for Tech 1, the total available products were 8,552,000, all of which were produced in the USA with 0 manufactured in Asia. Meanwhile the demand for both markets was only 1,799,000. For Tech 2 also, the situation was not different with 0 products manufactured in Asia with 5,975,000 USA manufacturing against 1,285,000 demands. This certainly shows the effect of poor forecasting on by Team Ochre, the result of which was overproduction. Looking forward, Team Ochre plans to continue to focus its attention on efficient and lean production. The reason for saying this is that even though the company has become marketable and lucrative to customers and thus attracted some improved levels of sales, profits are still low. As of round 9, the

Friday, November 15, 2019

Rupert Murdoch Media Mogul Case Study

Rupert Murdoch Media Mogul Case Study Since 1952 when Rupert Murdoch inherited two Australian news paper from his father, he started a non-stop career generating growth within the media sector up to the point where the variety of his communication mediums have reached two-thirds of the worlds population. Murdoch has even been accused of monopolistic practices. Criticised by many people but admired by others, his leadership style is matter of analysis as it seems to contradict any Human Resource theory, i.e. the opposite of what is recognised as a good practice. However, his empire is alive and real, News Corporation (News Corp) is the second largest media conglomerate globally just behind The Walt Disney Company. This document will look at insights into Rupert Murdochs behaviour, his learning style as well as his personality characteristics as influencer in his professional development and managerial style. The analysis of competitive advantage for News Corp will be also discussed. From a Human Resource Management (HRM) perspective, News Corps practices need to be analysed in terms of performance appraisal, selection, relationship management, culture and ethics. A further mention with respect to leadership will be made since this is a core aspect that needs to be understood and appreciated. In order to successfully implement changes and improvements in News Corps HRM policy and approaches, improvements and alterations in Murdochs leadership style and approach need to be implemented. Murdochs People Management Style Learning Style and personality characteristics Theoretically, a successful company should have good practices in HRM. Ingham (2007) refers to best practice as an assumption that by doing things in a set best way, any organisation can improve their performance. He also points out that other concepts acknowledge that there is more than one combination of appropriate practices which varies according to context. Through this document, analysis will be made for each aspect as mentioned; linking the personal characteristics of Murdoch with News Corps practices. For years there has been interest in the importance of developing HRM: from hard approaches that looked at employees as a cost to be managed and possibly minimised, to softer approaches looking at employees as investments, valuables and with the capacity to make important contributions to the companys success. For News Corp however, this development has not happened as they are still operating based, clearly, on hard approaches, focusing on the rational management of people as if they were any other factor of production (Ingman, 2007). Murdoch has shaped News Corp and to accurately understand his performance, it is worthwhile to look at him as a CEO but as a person as well. Beyond his managerial and interpersonal skills, or the lack of them, it is undeniable that he has strong business acumen and ability to find new opportunities. For instance, the creation of the first national newspaper in Australia which gave him political clout, and acquisitions of different successful mediums such as Fox tv in the USA or Star Network in Hong Kong .He has been a natural entrepreneur since his youth and some analysts attribute his success to his ability to learn from mistakes, basic rule for a successful management as Templar (2005) highlights. A focused background in the newspaper market, added to his learning style have likely contributed to Murdochs edge. There are many approaches to learning styles by which this could be analysed and understood. One of the most recognised is Kolbs (1984, cited in businessballs) approach, which sets out learning as a cycle and suggests that everybody has a preferred style of learning. HOW TO REFERENCE THIS FRAMEWORK?, I GOT IT FROM: http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm In this framework Murdoch could be described as having an Accommodating Style (combination of feeling and doing). Accommodating people are generalised as those who are hands-on, relying in intuition rather than logic and mainly prefer practical and experiential approaches. According to Kolb, they are persons attracted to new challenges, new experiences and to carrying out plans and setting targets. Murdoch seems to have much of this description. Comparing this description to Felder and Silverman Theory, (1980, cited in mindtools) (Appendix 1) Murdoch seems to be an Active Learner, a person who prefers manipulating, doing and learn by trying. This is a description also confirmed by Honey and Mumford (1982 cited in literature available). Another approach by which Murdoch could be analysed is VAK (Appendix 2), framework in which he can be described as a kinaesthetic person as he has show he enjoy actively doing and experimenting in reality. A combination of his knowledge, learning style and personality, could provide a broad picture to understand his behaviour and motivations. His need for achievement, no matter at what cost, has been clear through this career as a well known risk taker. Murdoch is as well an innovative person who easily incorporated new technologies in his business, as he referred to himself: a catalyst for change. Murdoch has some remarkable characteristics that have led him to achieve his success. He is known for his ever-changing tactics, for exercising control, for his smart mind and acting unlike his competitors. The complexity he has have to cope with in business has led him to think creatively, for instance as it is cited in the case study, when his competitor offered to buy his newspaper he published the opponents offer letter with the headlines Bid for Press Monopoly. As a global figure the press, not just competitors, desire to know his plans and strategies. This has not always been possible since he is considered a very secretive person. His understanding about environmental factors, usually referred at as PESTEL (Political, Economical, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental) has given him distinct advantages. For instance, he identifies financially profitable markets, technologies than can help his business, despite union protests and legal ways to reduce his costs, for example, setting operations of his companies in fiscal paradises henceforth paying less taxes than most of its biggest competitors. Despite the fact that Murdoch is not known as a good relationship manager, he does know the importance of maintaining specific good relationships, such as political ones. Actually, it is said that he switched his political preferences to favour his business. (Between the Republicans and the Democrats in the USA, and between the Tories and th e Laboritie in the UK). Competitive Advantage From the point of view of business performance, his job as News Corp CEO has been successful. But the issue is how sustainable could the performance be?. Barney (1991, p.99) points out that firms obtain sustained competitive advantages by implementing strategies that exploit their internal strengths, through responding to environmental opportunities, while neutralizing external threats and avoiding internal weaknesses. By delivering the desired content that members (subscription based customers) want, often referred to as populist Murdoch truly has exploited his organisational strengths. As discussed, he often takes external opportunities. It is arguable that beyond neutralizing threats he is his competitors threat and in external issues his political manipulation has helped him significantly. Theoretically speaking, News Corp should have a sustainable competitive advantage. However, the resource-based model (Barney, 1991) suggests that a resource to generate sustainable competitive advantage must be valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable and without strategically equivalent substitutes. Murdochs strategies have been rare to say the least, unexpected in many ways since he has never let anyone else to know about them and imperfectly imitable due to his power and the size of his company which makes for the competitors it difficult to follow him. However, he is wasting the most important resource by ignoring it as an asset: human resource. The size of his company is greater than most in the sector, having 47,300 employees (CNN); but taking into account his leadership style it is hardly a surprise that for him, employees are not a resource nor an asset. Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence is an aspect that have been gaining importance as it has been recognised as a key factor in relationships and leadership. Goleman et al, (2002 p.3) highlight that No matter what leaders set out to do whether its creating strategy or mobilizing teams to action their success depends on how they do it. Even if they get everything else just right, if leaders fail in this primal task of driving emotions in the right direction, nothing they do will work as well as it could or should. There are four aspects enclosed in Emotional Intelligence, also referred at as Leadership Competences: Self-Awarness, Self-Management, Social-Awarness and Relationship-Management. Self-management clearly is not part of his strengths as he uses to terrorize his employees without stopping and thinking. Social awareness is also missing in his managerial skills as he does not care about what people feel nor try to listening to them. As CEO he is feared rather than respected. His mood and behaviour influenced his treatment toward people. His management of himself and his relationship with people is a clear sign of his poor in emotional intelligence both, in personal and social competence. Relationship management is the result of understanding people and treating them appropriately, according to Bradberry and Greaves (2009); this is clearly a characteristic that Murdoch lacks. In research published in 2005 by Harvard Business Review entitled Heartless Bosses focusing on emotional intelligence, they took a sample from different industries, levels in the organisations and continents. The results showed the lowest average emotional intelligence at CEO level which points out a generalised weakness in this field as a managerial skill. However Murdoch is still an exceptional case. Management Style Murdoch is a recognised manager, who gives results to the shareholders. But analysing in detail, he is managing only the numbers, financial capital ignoring human capital. In this style, some of his approaches are successful while some others are not. For instance, Templar (2005) cites Follow your instinct/ gut instinct and learn from your mistakes as two of the rules of management, but also create a good atmosphere which Murdoch is absolutely not doing. Handy (1995), defines four types of Managers depending on the culture of the organisation: Zeus: The club culture Apollo: The role culture Athena: The task culture Dionysius: The existential culture Murdoch, seems to be a Zeus Manager, a strong leader who likes power and exercises it. However, different to Handys relationship between managerial style and organisational culture, News Corp is better described as a Role Culture or Role Tribe as will be discussed later. To understand why Murdoch share most of his managerial characteristics with Handys Zeus, is worthwhile to look at the following comparison: HOW TO REFERENCE IT:? IT IS FROM THE BOOK GODS OF MANAGEMENT, PAGE 90. DIAGRAM BASED ON KNOW YOUR OWN PERSONALITY EYSENK HR Management in News Corp Performance Appraisal Murdoch is an authoritative person, a control freak, who principally emphasises his employees performance based around his own yield as a Key Performance Indicator (KPI). But if someone did not perform as he liked, then they were fired for not meeting his personal standards. Theory highlights that KPI should help to measure performance reflect on organisational goals and evaluate success or progress. These should be quantifiable and periodically assessed. None of these characteristics can be attributed to Murdochs performance analysis. The case study points out that News Corp HR Systems were poor. With very poor performance appraisal systems and with no annual reviews of staff and no process by which talented people could be promoted this reflects a significant and inappropriate lack of development plans. Early in News Corp launch, Murdochs approach to HR could have been acceptable but in todays fast changing environment, employees are more demanding and relevant theory about good HR practices is being championed by companies, making the leadership style that has been used in News Corp potentially not longer sustainable. Recruitment and Selection Academic literature suggests that a core theme in HRM practice is that people are central to the organisation and it should focus on values and the individual. Human resourcing is often described as a strategic activity, where people are an organisations most valuable asset, and represent the long-term future of the company. Murdochs style is not HR focused. However, some of his practices could be in fact matched with successful HR practices, for instance part of his success could be due to the News Corp selection process. He might not have an HR development plan, but what is clear is he has placed the right people in all his companies, perhaps people with the right skills, knowledge and competences that contribute to the strategy of the organisation. For a global company like News Corp, hiring the right people is crucial. From the potential employees point of view it could be desirable to develop a career there, as they can be involved in the glamour of media in a well-recognised company, thus it is likely that qualified professionals are available for the selection process. However, as News Corp has no performance measurements defined, it is difficult to expect that they have a recruitment criteria established based on measurements that they can apply further. Also it could led to think in Golemans (2002) suggestion Just because a particular executive is the most visible, is he the person who actually leads the company? A CEO who heads conglomerate may have no followers to speak of; rather its the division heads who actively lead people and affect profitability most. Relationship management It is also crucial to remember that the establishment of mutually agreed expectations during selection forms part of a psychological contract, which will strongly influence an employees attitudes and feelings about the organisation (Bratton and Gold 2001, p201). Handy (1999) had referred to this as the secret contract. Every time Murdoch disrespects his employees he is breaching this contract, affecting the labour environment and probably the desire of their employees to stay in the company. In the long term this directly affects costs as recruitment is an expensive process which apart from valuable time, includes use of instruments and training costs. Culture and Ethics A remarkable aspect in Murdochs managerial life has been his ability to integrate different cultures of the acquired companies easily into News Corps as the case states. This is not an easy issue but he has managed it successfully. Culture is a very complex matter of study, especially in non-written aspects, such as assumptions, beliefs and values. But News Corps culture is even harder to understand because of its size and unique characteristics. Some aspects of News Corps culture are noticeable, for instance, behaviour in terms of the relationship between management and employee, this includes a clear lack of development and training. According to the literature available, there are 4 types of culture, one of which is control culture, the framework for News Corp, constantly seeking operational excellence. These organisations have a planning discipline, leadership is a function of authority and decision making is directly related to job role. Handy (1995, 1999) lists this culture types as tribes: The club tribe: centralised, surrounded by circles of intimate and influence. The role tribe: organisations are set of roles or job-boxes, joined together in a logical and orderly fashion. Communications are formalised, as are systems and procedures. It is all managed rather than led. (Handy, 1999, p148-149) The task tribe: individuals cab be allocated in different tasks and projects The person tribe: put the person first than the organisations purpose. News Corp, then, is a Role Tribe. Part of culture analysis refers to communication and behaviours. From ethics, a clear dissonance is reflected between what News Corp as a company promotes and the way Murdoch behaves. Ethics is defined as the study of what is right and good in human conduct and the justification of such claims (Lucas et al, 2006) and business ethics as the study of the conduct of people in the business context. The dissonance can be seen through their communication as they have policies about ethics published for all their employees and for the CEO, yet Murdoch has been accused as having downplayed market news and created a monopoly in media all contradicting many of the policies. They also have competition policies, as referred to in their website, but interestingly he changed the prices of his news papers to destroy competition. Some analysts have also questioned behaviours such as supporting George Bush in his war determination arguing a benefit for the economy as oil were down in prices. Literature available, suggests four considerations in describing ethics in an organisational context: Beyond self-interest, universalised, defendable and action-guiding. The actions taken by Murdoch hardly seem to be beyond self-interest and his treatment among employees in not universalised as is influenced by his mood and demeanour, as discussed earlier. Leadership Analysis Leadership Vs management Murdochs leadership style plays an important role in News Corps overall analysis. He has taken the company where it is now but at the same time he has lost the opportunity to create commitment among his employees sharing his vision and engaging them in the process. For the leader who wishes to increase legitimate power, a long term commitment is required. Trust in relationships, which is the foundation of legitimate power, cannot be fabricated ad hoc. (Covey, 1999 p105) Distinctions between management and leadership need to be assessed. Kotter (1996, cited in Bratton and Gold 2001) explained that the main function of managers is to create plans while the main purpose of a leader is to create a shared vision and a strategy to achieve it. Managers control and probelm-solve, leaders, on the other hand, motivate and inspire. A balance is therefore suggested in order to provide effectiveness in a company. The literature available cites that a manager executes a plan and delivers the goals of the business. Is strong in process and systems, producing key results expected by stakeholders. On the other hand a leader is visionary, envisions where the company should be heading and inspires those in the company to make the vision their own. A good leader has excellent people skills, communicating, convincing, persuading, inspiring and motivating. From this perspective, News Corp is suffering from the first of seven chronic problems in organisations cited by Covey (Appendix 3): Problem 1: No shared vision and values: either the organisation has no mission statement or there is no deep understanding of and commitment to the mission at all levels of the organisation (Covey 1999. p 165) Leadership choice Murdoch has been a highly successful manager, but lacks good leadership practice. A simple way to understand Murdochs leadership choice is also given by Covey in his diagram about the Leadership Choice. Power Process YOU Leadership Choice Principle-Centered Power Utility Power Coercive Power Honor Fairness Fear Sustained Proactive Influence Functional Reactive Influence Temporary Reactive Control REFERENCING: PAGE 106. Leadership Style Murdochs leadership choice has been through coercive power. He has created a fear atmosphere where the commitment is superficial. This definition matches with the Commanding Type described by Goleman et al, (2002) who suggest that there are six types of leadership: Visionary Coaching Affiliative. Democrat Pacetting Commanding The Commanding type is considered the least effective, which defines Murdochs style. such leaders demand immediate compliance with orders, but dont bother explaining reasons behind them. If subordinates fail to follow orders, unquestioningly, these leaders resort to threats. Accordingly, performance feedback if given at all- invariably focuses on what people did wrong rather than what they did well. In short, its a classic recipe for dissonance (Goleman et al, 2002, p76). Dissonant leadership is said by Goleman to generate frustration and resentment, all the contrary to the desirable resonant leadership. Those leaders usually focus only in financial goals regardless for the long-term human cost. In the twentieth-century business, companies were mostly hierarchical and control based, just in the era when News Corp started, but now tends are different and the company has not evolved as it should. Media is a highly competitive sector and the challenges are large and significant. Murdoch has had to successfully navigate through technological changes, for example, the threat that the internet provides to printed news, economic changes globally and different business-related crises. From this point of view his style could have been successful although not appropriate. News Corps initial focus was on printed media, but in the present its main companies are television based. His assertive decisions in its core business has given News Corp a penetration of two-thirds of the population, mainly thanks to Star Network (the Hong Kong based satellite network), Fox Channel in the USA, BSkyB in the UK. It is clear that Murdoch is an excellent business men in terms of results, but, how greater could News Corp be is his leadership style were better? Goleman points out how different leaderships affect different factors in companies, such as climate, financial results, return on sales, growth, efficiency and profitability. Results show that, all the thing being equal, leaders who use styles with a positive emotional impact saw decidedly better financial returns than those who did not (p 54) A CEOs behaviour impacts strongly upon employees, as it is said by Goleman et al, (2002, p 76) Given that emotional contagion spreads most readily from the top to down, an intimidating, cold leader contaminates everyones mood, and the quality of the overall climate spirals down. Thus, News Corps employees are not likely to be committed. This could mean they do just the work they are paid for, not doing their best, nor adding value. As part of a role culture (role tribe) people just do their job, neither more, nor less (Handy, 1995) This is a failure in the psychological contract and as they are not receiving what they expect, they do not do their part. On the other hand, News Corp could experience a brain drain, strengthening competitors and making it harder for News Corp to be sustainable. News Corps organisational climate is another HR aspect that is poorly managed, being the representation of the internal environment among members of the organisation, linked to motivational level (Chiavenatto 2001). It seems to be deficient, taking into account the lack of opportunities of self-actualization, the higher step in Maslows (1943) hierarchy of needs and the relationship of Murdoch with his employees. Murdochs style seems to tend towards Taylorism rather than on relevant, contemporary, focused HR practice, as he is interested on the outcome, efficiency of the work and his employees are just a necessary medium. However, even the scientific management method proposed by Taylor (1911, cited in 12manage) gives its place to training and development in its second step which suggests that the company should select, train and develop the most suitable person for each job, again scientifically, rather than passively leaving them to train themselves Recommendations Based on the analysis outlined here for Murdochs leadership style and his management of his people the following key recommendations are suitable: Move to a more collaborative leadership style: it have been established all the implications that the current leadership style has for News Corp. By improving this core point, the company would gain employees commitment and committed employees will not just work flexibly but rather endeavour to succeed but going the extra mile in pursuit of customer service (Lucas et al, 2006) Redefine Key Performance Metrics to include development and relationship with employees. Clear measurements by which employees could be later appraised. Development plans to ensure the permanence of talent in the company and encourage them to feel ownership; The best people in any field -the talented few who contributes greatest business value- simply dont have to put up with the misery perpetuated by a bad boss. And increasingly, they leave for their jobs. People join companies and leave jobs. (Goleman et al, 2002, p 83). Also performance standards that meet organisational and personal goals, which is often know as good development Succession plan: Through development, ensure the continuity of the business once Murdoch retire, improving in HR Management but keeping the financial and business good results. The following leader should have emotional intelligence strengths as well as control capacity to handle a corporation of News Corps size. Goleman (2002, p27) cites intellect alone will not make a leader; leaders execute a vision by motivating, guiding, inspiring, listening, persuading -and most crucially, through creating resonance. Organisation Development: becoming a learning organisation which means going beyond training individuals. Training all levels in a continuous process and adopting new approaches which take into account more people rather than physical assets. Systematic processes for selection and development. Reach a balance between all the stake holders needs. Good HR practices: Establishment and empowerment of an HRM department to ensure the implementation of good practices and moreover, good fit according to the conglomerate and each organisation that composes it. It might be useful an external consultation to evaluate the situation and suggest ways. However, internal participation is crucial as they know more the company and its environment. Creating sustainable change: Leadership need to be shared in different levels. Decentralising power and looking for collaborative leaders among the company, is easier to make a sustainable change. Any change implies consequences, thus it is necessary take into account the following implications that could result of moving forward: Resources: financial and non financial Resistance: to change, from those who are affiliates to Murdochs style Processes: need to be implemented and/or improved in terms of metrics, recruitment, policies. Conclusion No one doubts Murdochs success and it is clear to see that he is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. However, sustainability could be a key issue for News Corp, as he centralise decisions and the organisation is closely tied to him as a person. He is a strong figure and when he has to retire shareholders might experience uncertainty just like is now happening with Apple, which is increasing the risk of lose shares value and company good-will due to the imminent retire of Steve Jobs. When a company is a reflect of its CEO personality and leadership, succession becomes a problem. If systems, practices and policies are not implemented now, the maintenance and future development of the organisation cannot be ensured. Next CEO will not have Murdochs leadership style and will have to seek for more collaborative approaches Contemporary thinking and new HRM approaches strongly point out that people are key; therefore a win-win approach is convenient to News Corp future development. By treating people as a resource is likely to reach their commitment and build a step to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. Murdoch have built a successful empire, the issue now is make it sustainable in the long term. If changes in core aspect such a HRM are not made now, it is not probable to happen. REFERENCES Barney, J., 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of management, 17, 99-120. Chiavenatto, I., 2001. Administracion de recursos humanos. 5th ed. Santa fe de Bogota: Mc Graw Hill Handy, Ch. 1999. Inside Organisations. Twenty-one ideas for managers. 2nd ed. London: Penguin Books Handy, Ch. 1995. Gods of Management. The changing work of organisations. London: Arrow Books Limited. Bratton, J., Gold, J. 2001. Human Resource Management. Theory and practice. 2nd ed. New York, N. Y.: Palgrave Bradberry, T. and Greaves, G., 2009. Emotional Intelligence 2.0. San Diego, CA: TalentSmart Ingham, J. 2007. Strategic Human Capital Management. Creating value through people. Oxford UK: Butterworth-Heineman. Covey, S. 1999. Principle-Centered Leadership. London: Simon and Schuster Lucas, R., Lupton, B., Mathieson, H. 2006. Human Resource Management in an international context. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel Develepment. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., McKee, A. 2002. The New Leaders. Transforming the art of leadership into the science of results. Great Britain: Little, Brown. Templar, R. 2005. The Rules of Management. Great Britain: Pearson. Prentice Hall. Kolb, D. 1984. (Online) Experiential learning. Available from: http://www.businessballs.com/kolblearningstyles.htm (Acceded 2nd April 2011). Felder, R. and Silverman, L. 1980. (Online) Learning styles. Available from: http://www.mindtools.com/mnemlsty.html (Acceded 2nd April 2011). Fleming, and Mills. 1992. (Online) VARK learning styles. Available from: http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=categories (Acceded 2nd April 2011). Taylor, F. 1911. The principles of scientific management. Available from: http://www.12manage.com/methods_taylor_scientific_management.html (Acceded 5th April 2011). CNN (online) http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2007/snapshots/6213.html (Acceded 15th April 2011). Bradberry, T. 2005. (online) Hearless bosses?. Harvard Business Review. Avaliable from: http://hbr.org/2005/12/heartless-bosses/ar/1 (Acceded 5th April 2011). BIBLIOGRAPHY Barney, J., 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of management, 17, 99-120. Chiavenatto, I., 2001. Administracion de recursos humanos. 5th ed. Santa fe de Bogota: Mc Graw Hill Handy, Ch. 1999. Inside Organisations. Twenty-one ideas for managers. 2nd ed. London: Penguin Books Handy, Ch. 1995. Gods of Management. The canging work of organisation

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Paolo Freires Visions of Traditional Methods o

Ralph Waldo Emerson and Paolo Freire's Visions of Traditional Methods of Education Paulo Freire and Ralph Waldo Emerson share a similar vision in regards to traditional methods of education. A main common view is that both writers feel that the current education system in most places does not allow for people to reach their full capacity. Freire and Emerson share many other ideas regarding education such as their view of practice and theory and of free thinking. Their works are among the most thought-evoking. In ?The American Scholar? Emerson places a strong emphasis on the role of books in education and their usage of conveying ideas. He states that, ?Books are the best things, well used; abused, among the worst? (p. 297). This refers to his thought that the idea behind books is indeed a well thought out one. However, aside from the possible misuse of books, there are certain tasks that a book can not accomplish. Many are relevant only for a period of time, after which they become obsolete and new books are required. This is one of the reasons that Emerson feels that books alone can not provide a concrete education. They must be supplemented with additional studies, or, according to Emerson, book studies should be combined with experiences and applied to life. To read for the sake of knowing information is pointless; instead, man should read with the intent to apply newly obtained knowledge to his life. Man should read with a dissecting eye, and pick apart the prose, keeping what is relevant and discarding what is babble. This captures the true purpose of books. Paralleling Emerson?s view of books is Freire?s idea of theory and praxis. Man can learn all there is to know about a ... ...that they in fact have nothing to present. Emerson and Freire see eye to eye on many issues regarding the education of man. The main concept that they share is a belief that man should think freely. All other ideas stated by Freire and Emerson are strictly extensions of this point. The educational vision of Emerson and Freire is for man to learn in a society free of preconceptions, where all men?s ideas are valued and where knowledge is ascertained for the use of practice not just as an end in itself. Bibliography: Emerson, Ralph W. "The American Scholar." 1837. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter, et al. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. 1609-1621. Freire, Paolo. "The Banking Concept of Education." Ways of Reading. Ed. David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky. 4th ed. Boston: Bedford Books, 1996. 212-27.