Sunday, April 5, 2020

Effect of Psychological Contract Violation on Organisational Commitment in India

Introduction Employees are very important in the normal running of organisations. According to Adetule (2011, p. 94), employees are the wheels upon which an organisation runs towards its goals and objectives. Many organisations that have achieved massive success realised the importance of employees. The management must ensure that there is satisfaction of all the employees, from the middle managers to the junior most workers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Psychological Contract Violation on Organisational Commitment in India specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Motivated employees tend to deliver better results than those who work under frustrations. When hiring an employee, there is always a psychological contract that is signed between the employer and the employee. Shahnawaz and Goswami (2011, p. 210) defines psychological contract as â€Å"An individual’s beliefs regarding the terms and condit ions of a reciprocal exchange agreement between that focal person and another party.† The employer would have some expectations that should be met by the employee. The employee would also have some expectation about the benefits to be offered by the firm, and the kind of tasks that will be assigned. The main problem with this psychological contract is that it is rarely spoken about in a formal setting. In some occasions, these expectations are met in one way or the other. In other occasions, the expectations are not met at all. Failure to meet these expectations would constitute a violation of the psychological contract. Adetule (2011, p. 73) defines psychological contract violation as â€Å"The emotional or affective state that may result from the perception of psychological contract breach.† On the other hand, Shahnawaz and Goswami (2011, p. 211) defines psychological contract violation as â€Å"The feelings of anger, injustice, resentment and distrust that arise fro m the realisation that an organisation has not honoured the psychological contract.† This research paper will analyze the effect of psychological contract violation on organisational commitment, trust and turnover intention in public and private sector organisations in India. Critical Review of the Article This article has given a detailed insight into the role of psychological contract in boosting employees’ performance. According to McGregor’s Theory X, human being fear work naturally, and would always seize any opportunity available to avoid some of the tasks that they are fully aware they should undertake. For this reason, the management must always subject them to strict supervision in order to avoid any form of laziness within the organisation. However, McGregor was also conscious of the self-driven people who were always focused on achieving good results even without supervision. He therefore, developed Theory Y which holds that people always have the inte ntion of working hard, and with minimal motivation, they can deliver good results without any strict supervision.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The two cases can possibly occur within different organisations depending on the perception of the employees. It is very rare for an employee to get into an organisation with a culture of team spirit and commitment amongst all employees and apply contrary. As Shahnawaz and Goswami (2011, p. 211) say, if such a lazy employee finds that the culture of this organisation do not tolerate this laziness, he or she will have the option of quitting the firm or joining others in their organisational culture. This article observes that when an employee is hired, he or she will develop a psychological contract with the firm and the management on various issues. Some of these issues may include the salaries to be earned, and its possible adjust ment as time goes by based on the output of the employee. Others may not be discussed in a formal setting during the process of signing a contract such as organisational culture and team spirit amongst the employees. However, the employee would develop these expectations with the anticipation that they shall be met. Successful organisations have learnt how to manage these expectations in order to ensure that their employees remain motivated. One of the ways of managing these expectations would be to engage the new recruits in consultative forums about what they expect out of the organisation. This should be the case both in public and private sectors because the reaction of the employee in both cases would always be similar. When the employee expectations are understood, it would be possible to find a way of addressing them to be in line with the organisational culture, and to find a way of maximising the exact potential of the employees. Understanding individual employee’s e xpectation within the firm makes it possible for the management to manage them as a way of maintaining focused workforce. This research article observes that the commitment, trust and turnover of employees will always depend on the ability of the employer to respect their psychological contract. As Adetule (2011, p. 6) says, people would like to be respected. Employees like an environment where their views are given consideration. This way, they feel that they are part of the organisation. Respecting employees is one of the ways of respecting the psychological contract. It helps cement the relationship between the employer and the employee. The employee will feel committed to the organisation and this will be reflected in the turnover. They would feel obligated to give back to the firm as a way of realising a mutual benefit. Adetule (2011, p. 4) notes that successful firms- both private and public- have realised the importance of respecting their employees and giving their views ser ious consideration. This helps in eliminating the perception that they are just employees who will one day leave the firm when the terms of service ends. In its place, it develops the feeling that employees are part of the organisation that forms its future. When the employees are made to feel that their future is tied together with the future of the firm they work for, they tend to be committed, a fact that promotes their output within the organisation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Effect of Psychological Contract Violation on Organisational Commitment in India specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Any form of disrespect from the management or any employee in authority is always reflected as a breach of this contract. When employees feel that there is some form of breach of the contract, they would develop withdrawal symptoms. The feeling that they are not part of the organisation sets in, and their commitment to the firm wanes away. This would result into a massive drop of their output, a fact that would be reflected in the dismal performance of the firm. According to this article, it is very challenging to meet the psychological expectations of employees. Firms have started embracing downsizing and rightsizing as a way of improving their output. According to Shahnawaz and Goswami (2011, p. 217), one of the factors that have devastating effect on the morale of the employees is the act of retrenchment. It is a fact that many would expect that after retrenchment, those who remain within the organisation would be expected to be happy, not just because of their luck, but also because it is a sign that the organisation recognises them as pillars that cannot be eliminated. However, this is not always the case. The employees who remain after others have been retrenched always develop a sense of insecurity. They feel that the way psychological contract of their peers were violated, so shall theirs ’ be after some time. This alone, will make them feel that the management has betrayed them. They will feel that their psychological contract with the firm has already been violated. The effect would always manifest itself almost immediately. Employees would focus more on issues that would protect their future than those that are meant to bring success to the firm. They will develop a feeling that their future is not tied with that of the firm, and therefore, any futuristic benefit to the firm would not be shared with them. This makes them develop a negative perception about their assigned tasks. A lot of their efforts will be taken in looking for alternative jobs that have a sense of security. This happens in both public and private sectors within the environmental context that this research was conducted. Organisational trust is one of the factors that have been associated with positive output of employees. Shahnawaz and Goswami (2011, p. 214) defines trust in the organisat ion as â€Å"The evaluation of an organisation’s trustworthiness as perceived by the employee.† Employees should develop trust with the organisation they are working for, especially the management. In India, and many other developing nations, there has been a lot of confrontation between employers- in both the public and private sectors- and the employees in the organisations. One of the factors that have been associated with this confrontation according to Adetule (2011, p. 112), has been due to unfulfilled promises.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An organisation can make a promise, out of collective bargain, that it will make a given payment to its employees at a given period. It is the responsibility of that organisation to ensure that such promises are met in order to build trust between the employer and the employees. It is natural that there might a case where the promise made may not be fully met within the originally set period. It would be appropriate to ensure that such information is communicated to the relevant people within the right time. The reason given should be valid, and the management should not forget to emphasise on the fact that it is still committed to its promise. It may be necessary to give a date when the promise would be met. This will help maintain trust that exists between the employer and the employee. According to Adetule (2011, p. 215), the top management is the agent of the owners, and when they make promises to employees, they always believe that the promise is made by the firm itself. These promises made at individual levels should also be fulfilled to ensure that the individual develops trust with the firm at a personal level. It may appear that fulfilling these promises can be a very expensive process. However, it goes a long way in building a strong trust between the employer and the employee. One factor that the management should keep in mind is that promises should be as minimal as possible. The management should try to avoid making promises that may not be fulfilled because it may lead to a lot of problems in the future. Psychological contract violation was also considered to be closely related to employee turnover within an organisation. According to Adetule (2011, p. 53), it is important to understand the difference between intention to turnover and the actual turnover. The intention to turnover refers to the resolve that an employee has to quit his or her current job. This drive may make an employee develop some justification that would make him or her quit th e current company to look for other employers. The intention to turnover would lead to actual turnover. The intention to turnover is always affected by the perception of the employees towards the employer. When the employee feels that the employer is not caring for him or her, the intention to turnover would exist. The drive to deliver good results would go down, and this would lead to low actual turnover. When the employee feels that the psychological contract that existed between him or her and the employer is violated, the intention to turnover would be very high. This will affect the overall performance of such an employee, a fact that reflects the intention to quit the current employment. Implications of Shahnawaz and Goswami’s Findings The findings of Shahnawaz and Goswami have a clear message to the employers about effective management of employees and how this affects their commitment to the employing organisation. This article clearly states that employees are very i mportant assets within an organisation. However, unlike other assets, employees are human beings with feelings and emotions which have direct impact on their output. When an employee is hired, he or she will develop a psychological contract with the employer. In some cases, the psychological contract would be based on the formal agreements that the management has made with the employee when signing the contract. In other cases, the psychological contract would be based on some personal feelings and expectations of the employee based on various environmental issues. From this article, it is important that the management understands this psychological contract in order to maintain a pool of motivated employees. Employees’ commitment will always be influenced by the ability of the employer to respect this psychological contract. This article clearly indicates that when the management breaches the psychological contract that exists between it and the employees, then it would not be possible for the firm to achieve its strategic goals with the same employees. According to Adetule (2011, p. 97), many unsuccessful organisations have failed to appreciate the importance of respecting employees. This is particularly common in the public sectors where those trusted with the management do not feel that they own the organisation. Instead of employing transformational leadership approach that would ensure the rights of employees are respected and their views taken into consideration, some managers still use the dictatorial management approach where their statements are supposed to be respected without any challenge. This may be in contravention of the rights of employees. Such management practices would constitute the psychological contract violation. When this happens, Shahnawaz and Goswami (2011, p. 213) say that employee’s output will drop, leading to a lower output of the organisation. When the employees feel that they are not respected, their commitment t o the firm fades away. They develop the feeling that if the management is not committed to their rights, then it is unnecessary for them to remain committed to the firm. They would start treating various issues and assignments casually. Their intention to turnover increases because of lack of commitment. They feel that they are not obliged to give a positive output to the firm. This is particularly dangerous in a work setting where the output of a firm directly depends on the attitude with which, employees approach their work. According to Shahnawaz and Goswami (2011, p. 212), there are some work settings that are more sensitive to the attitude of employees than others. For instance, a hotel that operates with a team of disillusioned employees is more likely to have an instant negative impact on its overall performance. When customers visit the facility only to be met by gloomy employees who feel that they are not obligated to deliver good results, then it becomes almost impossible to satisfy such customers. Some of the customers may ignore such cold receptions, but others would leave such facilities even before they can be given any service. This article also emphasises on the relevance of managing employees’ expectations. The two scholars realised that managing expectations of the employees is one of the ways of keeping them constantly motivated within the firm. Different employees will have different expectations when they are hired. Some of these expectations can be met by the firm within the time they shall be working in the firm, while others may not easily be achieved because of various reasons. These expectations would constitute factors that would define the psychological contract that an employee develops with the firm. Adetule (2011, p. 74) says that it is important to ensure that all the expectations of the employee are addressed before they are hired. This can only be possible by engaging them in a consultative forum where they will be expe cted to share their expectation with the employing authority. The employer is required to evaluate the expectations with the view of addressing them before hiring the individual. The management should be clear to the employees about the needs that can be met, and those that are beyond the capacity of the firm. This makes the employee re-evaluate the psychological contract to make it fit within the environment that has just been explained. This will avoid cases where employees harbour some expectations that may appear wild to the management. This means that when they accept the job, they will be accepting the terms offered by the management. They will feel obligated to the firm even when their initial expectations are not met because they were informed before their deployment. Conclusion Employees form a very important part of an organisation. They are the policy implementers whose activities are expected to make a firm succeed in the market. Public and private organisations have the obligation of maintaining high levels of motivation among their employees. From the discussion above, it is clear that a team of motivated employees can be very important in helping a firm achieve its operational and strategic goals. This motivation largely depends on the way employees feel that they are treated within the organisation. If they feel respected, then they will be committed to the firm, and this will motivate them to deliver good results. The employer must therefore, maintain respect with the employees. List of References Adetule, J 2011, Handbook on management theories, Author House, Bloomington. Shahnawaz, M Goswami, 2011, Effect of Psychological Contract Violation on Organisational Commitment, Trust and Turnover Intention in Private and Public Sector Indian Organisations. Vision, vol. 15. no. 3, pp. 209–217. This essay on Effect of Psychological Contract Violation on Organisational Commitment in India was written and submitted by user Brodie J. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Lajom, John Froilan C. Oral Communication Essays - Cultural Studies

Lajom, John Froilan C. Oral Communication Essays - Cultural Studies Lajom, John Froilan C. Oral Communication S11-08 How is intercultural communication exhibited in the film? Cite two scenes to support your answer. As we know intercultural communication is communication between at least two people from different culture. From the time Anna somewhat unfortunately landed to Wales and started to be with the Irish people, intercultural communication was display. One scene that exhibits this kind of communication is when she talked to Declan and the elders about her planned proposal to his boyfriend and how and when Declan and Anna will be able to go to Dublin. The elders are trying to say the day that is not advisable to travel and Anna, being new to the town just pretend to listen which is not good to intercultural communication. Another scene is the first parts of the journey of Declan and Anna to Dublin when they find that the herd of cows has blocked the road, Declan instantly sits down and wait while Anna attempted to get the cows to move. Nonverbally intercultural communication was not exhibited very well because they don't connect a channel to communicate; Declan is carefree while Anna is al ways in a hurry. Also Declan switch to his own language while talking to Anna by saying Bob which means money this is not right for intercultural communication. Describe how Anna communicated with the Irish people. Anna is not really an effective communicator with the Irish people. It seems like she doesn't know how to interact intercultural because she interfere what Irish people are and their cultural dimensions. It's not that she is not polite when approaching them, but she gave them not-so-good impression. She is bland and sound like always in a hurry and unwilling to defer gratification. She always follows her "strict time schedule". That is only at the first parts of the film because as the story goes, she started to go along with the polychromic environment of the Irish people. Maybe she's just not that used to the carefree spirit of Irish people, especially Declan, making a difference in the message she is trying to convey. Identify the effective communication skills (i.e.. eye contact visible mouth, body language, silence, checking for understanding, smiling face, summarizing what has been said, encouragement to continue, some questions) applied by a character in the movie. Justify your answer. Although not one of the main characters the wife of the train station employee shows effective communication skills to Anna and Declan. When talking she speaks while looking at the person's eyes and speaks clearly. She smiles frequently (and appropriately) giving the two visitors a warm feeling and welcome. She also listens whenever any of the two speaking like for example, when Declan was taking a shower. She also shows her authenticity by being real to the two like when she shows the two how to kiss their loved ones. Also, she asked questions to continue the conversation and make it more pleasing. All in all she communicates with them despite difference in culture and perspective.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Strategic Management - Essay Example A group of companies that can successfully construct core competencies via its value chain functions to promote competitive advantages and then those capabilities may lead to synergies of that corporation.  Virgin is a motley collection of over 200 separate companies within main business lines- travel, lifestyle, media & mobile, music, and money. The whole virgin group covers the businesses ranged from airlines to bridal stores. There are only two things common to the diverse range of whole Virgin enterprises: Richard Branson as the founder and CEO of the group, all business units are under the brand name, Virgo. There is no parent company for the whole group and Mr. Branson once said each of the small companies are separate and has to stand on its own. Virgin group pursues Japanese keiretsu in addition to brand franchising strategy. Virgin member companies used to share a similar identity but possess their own independent operations.  Virgin pursues an unrelated diversification strategy with many product lines. Most companies diversify their business for the survival of their company, the extension of distinctive competencies to new businesses or in search of new competencies. Whenever Virgin diversifies its businesses, it is attached with the purpose of to make things better for the customers in the intended new industry. Diversification is known as the riskiest of the four strategies of the Growth.  Matrix: Market penetration, Product development, Market development, Diversification. It is said because diversification strategy needs to find many new competencies for a corporation such as new techniques, skills, etc. Thus, only a corporation that possesses some synergies to adapt well to the inexperienced field. After doing thorough research and appraisals for the next line of business concerning industry analysis and customer point of views, Virgin used to enter into that industry to create its brand name and excellent customer values and services.  

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Federal emergency grant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Federal emergency grant - Essay Example The center works in liaison with the US fire administration, police, Emergency Response Institute and the Federal Emergency Management Agency among others for better preparedness (Kimmel 2006).Apparently San Marcos is prepared to respond to emergency through the many training sessions facilitated by Emergency Response Institute (ERI), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Texas State University. There is also awareness creation on the potential hazards in the area through participatory assessment of those hazards (Ashby, 2010). The school has and the community has access to hotlines in case of emergencies for immediate response. The school needs the grant to improve their preparedness by increasing the equipment required, expanding the transport system to prevent possible accidents. They also needs funds to conduct a comprehensive, strength based vulnerability assessment of the school buildings and grounds given that the district lies on the fault line. This will help us improve our mitigation plan (Burnet, 2008). Currently the fault lines have led to creation of springs which provide water to the residents and act as tourism attraction. San Marcos River as never run dry thus providing water for agricultural purpose. The Aquarena and wornderworldare spring are major tourist attraction for rearing some of the endangered aquatic species on earth. The school is collaborating with the community to develop appropriate policies and procedures in building a better team that is well prepared to respond to crisis. This way the process is integrated so as some of the resources can be shared. The school has looked at Federal Emergency Response and Crisis Management Plans Discretionary Grants legislation, regulation and administrative requirement and is certain to comply with them. The school is ready to sign the required agreements, documents and permits together with preparing a quarterly

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Projectification of the organisational world

Projectification of the organisational world It is fascinating to observe from the management and business sciences, how organisations are changing their structural behaviours: Nowadays, it is hard to imagine an organisation that is not engaged in some kind of project activity. Over the past decade, organisations have been turning from operations to project management as part of their competitive advantage strategy. Organisations are now redefining their business structures by adopting project management practices, thus Maylor et al. (2006, p.663) point out that projectification is the process that comprehends organizational changes through a process where work is managed by projects. We should therefore look at projects as projectification means to get to the implementation of strategy although it might be a realistic statement, it still has a more in dept reasoning behind it and we hope this document will enlighten this further. Projects as the fundamental of projectification are defined as temporary organizations created to deliver one or more business products translated in to project objectives according to their business case requiring specific competencies or skills for a pre-determined period of time according to The Office of Governament Commerce (OGC, 2009, p.31). However, Maylor et. al. (2006, p.664) have a different designation of projects, as managerial tools and structures for innovation and change. Other interconnected concepts related to projects will be further explained looking at the projectification of the organisational world. Maylor et. al. (2006, p.663) support that there are two completely opposite ideas between the managerialist concept of a project as a way to control and the idea that projects are flexible and less bureaucratic structures and as many commentators according to Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.8) cite, they position projects as more appropriate for implementing deliberate strategies. Despite the above, Maylor et. al.(2006, p.664) citing Davies, Brady and Hobday point out that organisations are finding that traditional organizational structures (i.e. with departments, business units and divisions) are no longer appropriate. However, Haniff and Fernie (2008) defend that projectification is not always seen as the most favourable process and it can become problematic if different organisations working together do not have the same projectification approach. Thus, projectification is not seen as a firm solution, i.e. in the perspective of delivering deliberate strategies. That might be the case in the construction sector where Haniff and Fernie (2008, p.9) state that it is naive to assume that any pre-determined project plan can be simplistically implemented. According to above pessimistic view, Maylor et. al. (2006, p.667) agree that we might face barriers to projects being carried out, this might in turn show that is an unwanted consequence of the projectification process but one to account for as limitations in the implementation of the organizational strategy may emerge. Despite these limitations, Maylor et. al. (2006, p.664) citing Packendorff and Hodgson support that there is an evidence of increasing belief of projectification through projects. This is stated by Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.5), they believe that corporate strategy is now a means of thinking through and articulating how an organizations corporate goals and objectives will be achieved. This lead us towards how Bracker cited in Shirley (1982, p. 263) characterises business strategy: as an environmental or situational analysis to determine a firms posture in its field and if the firms resources are utilized in an appropriate manner to attain its major goals. Some consider that business strategy is folded in strategic initiatives such as Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.5), explain that these initiatives are often clustered into portfolios of programmes and projects for implementation, whose support is given by organization roles in particular project workers and managers as Packendorff and Hodgson cited in Maylor et. al. (2006, p.664) emphasize. Again, Maylor et. al. (2006, p.666) agree these developing roles are a consequence of projectification as well as the search for authority by project managers. These are responsible for the planning, delegating, monitoring and control of all aspects of the project, and the motivation of those within the temporary organization to achieve the project objectives within the expected project performance measures, time, cost, quality, scope, benefits and risks according to OGC (2009, p.4). Gaddis (1969, p.96) makes a good point when distinguishing tactics from strategy doing the analogy to the advanced-tec hnology project manager and the research administrator, where the first is considered the tactician and the other the strategist. Therefore, project managers are not directly seen as a strategy deliver role as Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6) citing Thomas, Delisle, Jugdev, and Buckle argue. In addition project managers are seen as strongly execution oriented role, as per project management responsibilities, and as such, they are not perceived as strategically important by senior managers.Although, Pellegrinelli and Bowman (1994, p.126) see that projects are grouped in programmes to actually achieve beneficial changes of strategic nature for an organisation. Unlike project management, Pellegrinelli, Partington and Young cited in Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.8) see implementation of strategy through programme management, as well as McElroy cited in Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6) emphasizes the need for senior management involvement for successful strategy implementation. A more realistic view from Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.8) is that many commentators position projects as more appropriate for implementing deliberate (planned) strategies, while considering programmes for both deliberate and emergent (unplanned) strategies. Including the view of the Association for Project Management (APM) cited in Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6) for good governance practice is that now clearly requires alignment between business, portfolio, programme and project plans, and transparent reporting of issues throughout the strategic hierarchy as well as Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6) defend that these should have a reciprocal relationship. Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.8) bring to this context that corporate strategy is not translated into project strategy by a simplistic process. It is further complex and it requires an extensive range of management competencies and a clear definition of roles and responsibilities. See Figure 1 below. Figure 1 Organisations Strategic Hierarchy Subsequently, Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.16) defend that the hierarchy of objectives and strategies, represented in Figure 1 by the interconnectivity between those 5 blocks, enable organizations to cascade strategy in a systematic way, such as the Archibalds model mentioned in Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6) specifies, objectives and strategies are developed at the policy, strategic, operational and project levels and cascaded down, thereby ensuring alignment and continuity of strategy. Partington cited in Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6), suggest three levels of strategy (See Figure 1) as corporate, business and operational being operational level focussed on programmes and projects. Yet, according to Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6), this hierarchy of objectives and strategies can generally be formed as a result of using a strategy planning process which in turn can be a highly effective mean of structuring and managing strategy, and communicating it to the organization and through out. Johnson and Scholes cited in Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.5) highlight that, strategic management is often ambiguous, complex and dynamic, fundamental and organization-wide, and generally has long-term implications. Although, there may be pre-established strategy planning processes and practices, strategy may not be realized in a straightforward way as many planners assume according to Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6). Baker, Bard, Cooper and others cited in Srivannaboon and Milosevic (2006, p. 494) argue that aligning project management with the business strategy is not a clear process but Gomolski cited in Rathnam (2004, pp. 2-3) defend that with business ownership and accountability can lead the way to ensure alignment of business strategy. Most studies link business strategy with project management through project selection and see that as part of the alignment process. Others such as Thompson cited in Henderson and Venkatraman (1990, p.26), see alignment made not only of static elements but a combination of strategy dynamics and behaviors which are managed by external factors to the organization. Supporting this view, Mintzberg and Waters (1985, P. 271), argue that managing requires: ÂÂ ´a light deft touch to direct, in order to realize intentions while at the same time responding to an unfolding pattern of actions. Again, the interaction between projects or programmes and the organizations strategy may be both deliberate and emergent when attempting to implement the intended strategy, according to Grabher, cited in Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.6). The UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.8) considers the alignment between strategy and projects to be one of the main benefits of programme management. However, this seems out dated regarding recent guidance on governance. It is expected that increasing need to understand this alignment issue will be translated in to more literature and experience based contributions on this subject. The project management has become an important business process for organizations and Srivannaboon and Milosevic (2006, p.493) support that project management and the business strategy alignment help organizations to focus on the right projects, given the objectives of the business strategy. On the other hand, any misalignment may cause an organization to lose market opportunities and the organizations recovery process might be difficult. Therefore, to effective project management and to achieve the business strategic alignment it is required to have a deeper understanding of these complexities. Accordingly to Shirley (1982, p. 268) it is in the study of such complexities in relation to internal strengths, weaknesses, and values of the organization that students and faculty are challenged and also confused with processes involved in strategy making. This is furthermore complex when various organisations are working together to deliver the projects objectives and therefore the business strategy. Accordingly to Haniff and Fernie (2008, p.9), each individual organisation has got their one project strategy that aligns with the organizational strategy. This results in individual team members influencing at some level the project strategy by creating an emergent project management strategy. Similarly, Jamieson and Morris cited in Srivannaboon and Milosevic (2006, p.495) suggest that most of the elements of the strategic planning process, such as internal analysis, organizational structures, and control systems, are strongly linked to project management processes and activities and thereby strongly influence intended business strategies. Accordingly to Mintzberg and Waters (1985, p.272) this strategic control mentioned above may be in managers which is further recognized by the patterns and actions of managers on their own actions with in the organization configuration. Despite project management processes, other issues co-exist such as the lack of a single coherent project strategy that can lead to loss of business understanding and directly influencing the link between business strategy and project implementation which may be extremely affected according to Morris and Jamieson (2005, p.11). In addition, Rathnam (2004, p.2) draws attention to research made by others that leads us to communication and understanding to be the strategy alignment problem. Morris and Jamieson (2005, pp.7-8) also point out that the business and operating requirements of a project frequently affect the project strategy significantly. Per instance, in the IT industry as Rathnam (2004, pp.4-5) shows, the lack of business strategy, lack of focus on business process, misalignment between business areas and organization structural barriers, lack of an enterprise-wide view, business against IT mentality, lack of awareness in need for strategy alignment, difficulty in communicat ing and understanding IT, resistance to escalate misalignment conflicts to executive management and rapid rate of technological change where considered the main gaps for strategy alignment. Cicmil et. al. (2006, p.679) argue that, If projects fail because of miscommunication and failure to meet expectations, what is it about project management that makes this happen so much in a project environment? Projects are very complex and characterized by issues related to uncertainty, control and mutual interaction among project intervenients according to Cicmil et. Al. (2006, p.676). In addition Cicmil et. al. (2006, p.683) claims that management actions to accelerate perturbed projects make the problem worse which is the case when the project is heavily time-constrained. Avots (1969) adds that the wrong man appointed as project manager, lack of support from the company management, inadequate task definitions, management techniques not appropriate or project termination not well planned are also the reasons for a project failure. Despite the fact that organisations may be using projects to secure business benefit, Midler cited in Maylor et. al. (2006, p.669) question whether this is actually being achieved by these management practices. The existing concepts for what constitutes a project may not be in agreement within the project management practitioners community. Also the temporary organisation (project team) and expectancy of the project outcomes may not be consistent with all intervenients. This is a result of organisational projectification and as such we shall reconsider the term project given this paper. It is evident that in a multi project level is where we can find a bigger gap in maintaining the strategic alignment through project management and projects. Therefore this presents an area of great interest for both practitioners and scholars. Different project management approaches and methodologies are now being used by organizations at all stages of the project life cycle with project strategy development, review and optimization occurring at specific points. A high percentage of organizations define the personal project management competencies required to develop project strategy. Several organizations stressed the leadership qualities that they expected of their executives in shaping and delivering strategy, at both the project level as well as the corporate level. It can be concluded, therefore, that although project strategy management is an underexplored and insufficiently described subject in the business and project literature, it is, in fact, a relatively well-trodden area, deserving of more recognition, formal study, and discussion. (Word count: Max 2500)

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Collision Avoidance: ADS-B or TCAS :: Essays Papers

Collision Avoidance: ADS-B or TCAS INTRODUCTION Background Collision avoidance is something that has been a problem in aviation for a long time. Most of the flights conducted today rely on the see and avoid concept and ground radar. Both of which have their flaws. The FAA predicts that mid-air collisions will increase by 300% over the next 20 years due to the increase in flights being flown by all areas of the aviation community (Kraus xiv). Civil aircraft have had onboard protection from midair collisions only since 1990 and general aviation aircraft are not required to have any collision avoidance technology onboard(www.cassd.org 1). In order to effectively manage the national airspace system in the future we will need to implement Free Flight. Free Flight is a concept designed to enhance safety and efficiency of the airspace by allowing aircraft to choose their own route instead of using victor airways (www.ads-b.com 1). Along with this freedom there is still the problem of aircraft separation which when on an instrument flight plan is air traffic control's (ATC) responsibility. In free flight there may be areas where ATC cannot give the required collision avoidance necessary. In order to safely manage the safety zone around an aircraft, pilots will need to rely on systems installed in the aircraft for better separation. Purpose The purpose of this report is to identify whether Automatic Dependence Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) or Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II) should be placed in all aircraft if the FAA decides that there is a need for some collision avoidance technology to be required for all aircraft. TCAS is currently required on all commercial passenger aircraft over 30 seats and ADS-B is currently being tested. Scope In this report, I will discuss:  · Automatic Dependant Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B)  · ADS-B's Advantages and Disadvantages  · Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)  · TCAS's Advantages and Disadvantages  · Summarize which system is better for collision avoidance Body ADS-B ADS-B is a collision avoidance tool that allows aircraft to transmit position, speed, heading and identification via a data link to either other aircraft in the air or on the ground and/or controllers on the ground. ADS-B can also be used with equipped vehicles on the surface movement area. An ADS-B emitter will periodically broadcast the required information obtained from the onboard navigation systems. Other equipped aircraft will be able to receive this information and view it on the Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI).

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Advertising for Kids

No matter what children are doing, they are always surrounded by advertisements. Whether it is watching television, Reading a book/magazine, or browsing the internet; advertisements are everywhere. Eric Schlosser has a good point when he argues in his essay â€Å"Kid Kustomers† that more advertisements are being directed towards children each day. It is not only directed toward children, but influencing children to beg their parents for products they do not need or even want. As in, the stuff they see on television are not essentials for life. Children want them simply because they â€Å"look cool. Schlosser explains how in the 1980’s parents felt bad for leaving their children at home all day without spending any quality time with them, so they started buying them good toys, clothes, or whatever else they wanted to make up for this (519). Prior to this, there were only a handful of companies that targeted children, and now almost every company is. For example, Schloss er describes a study published in 1991 from the Journal of the American Medical Association stating, â€Å"nearly all of America’s six-year-olds could identify Joe Camel, who was just as familiar to them as Mickey Mouse† (520).Schlosser later explains one-third of the illegal cigarettes sold to minors were Camel. However, more recently, there have been surveys conducted throughout the malls of America asking children to describe every detail they could about their favorite advertisements. One marketer explained, â€Å"It’s not just getting the kids to whine, it’s giving them a specific reason to ask for the product† (520). The marketer simply means, the advertisers goal is to make children to want the product. The product has to be loud, colorful, and interesting or they need to be able to do something with it to make them want it.For example, the study concluded the talking Chihuahua in the Taco Bell ads were the most popular out of the fast food ads, but the most popular out of all the ads was the ad for Budweiser. To add to the idea of marketers surveying children in the study in the previous paragraph, Schlosser uses the book Kids as Costumers by James U. McNeal as a source. McNeal describes the different ways of nagging children will do towards their parents in order to get what they want or to get their way.In order for children to do so, advertisers found a way to learn the children’s interest: by studying their lives, then putting the information into the advertisements (521-522). For instance, imagine a marketer discovered children who are girls enjoy watching television shows about fairies and/or play computer games that involve a cute animal mascot; the marketer will then somehow to put those subjects in an advertisement, young girls would want that product. After mentioning the different studies, Schlosser then explains how improving advertisements are more directed towards children.He ends the essay on a s trong not by explaining how the Walt Disney Company signed a contract with McDonalds. Schlosser states, â€Å"Now you can buy a Happy Meal at the Happiest Place on Earth† (526). By McDonalds and Disney combining, children are more likely to beg to their parents to go to Disney World. Eric Schlosser mentions some interesting points in the essay. He is correct when he states that advertisements are harshly aimed toward children. Reviewing back at the advertisements I remember seeing as a kid, when I about 10 years old, I remember looking at the advertisements and seeing amny items that caught my attention and interests.These interests were the following: drinks, toys, movies, new TV shows, and clothes. It makes me reflect on my behavior towards my parents when seeing such ads. While I currently have a younger sister, who watches cartoons, I have noticed the advertisements have declined from their original purposes. One of the declines that advertisements are played on the incor rect TV channels. For example, commercials for a rated PG-13 (or a higher rating movie) should not be played on a TV channel that little children watch.Today a great number of little kids have cellphones, laptops, expensive clothes, and so many more things children should not have, simply because they are not old enough. Cell phones are mainly used for when a person is not around anybody else; young children are always around an adult and if something were to go wrong, the adult would know who to call. According to James U. McNeal, there are seven types of â€Å"nags†: the pleading nag, persistent nag, forceful nag, demonstrative nag, sugarcoated nag, threatening nags, and pity nags. Then he describes his research discovered, â€Å"kids tend to stick to one or two of each that prove most effective . . for their own parents† (521). For example, a child could start crying in the middle of the store repeatedly saying â€Å"please mom/dad† until the parent either gi ves in. The same goes for a child whom could tell their parents they are going to run away if they do not give them a certain product, but either way, it is up to the parent on whether or not they will give in to the nags. Some children perform well at figuring out which nag works best. Everybody knows children (particularly small children) love all kinds of animals. However, do we know exactly how much? A study done by Dan S.Acuff, the author of the book What Kids Buy and Why, suggests that about 80% of children’s dreams are about animals until they are the age of six (522). Also it suggests the reason why so many characters in children’s TV shows and movies have animals as their mascots. Having so, helped the advertisement groups realize they needed new mascots. There is a Character Lab that helps companies make these new mascots, the Youth Market System Consulting that uses, â€Å"technique purports to create imaginary characters who perfectly fit the targeted age group’s level of cognitive and neurological development† (522).However, one flaw in Schlosser’s argument is he does not reflect on the positive advertisements children are watching every day. He mainly mentions how children want their parents to buy them fast food and cigarettes and alcoholic beverages. Though many advertisements are attempting to get children to buy healthy products. For example, I have seen from the TV my younger sister watches, some commercials are about getting out of the house and playing outside with friends. With this commercial, children will get excited to get out of the house and play with outdoor toys, getting exercise, and interacting with other children.Another commercial on the Disney Channel there was an advisement with Michelle Obama telling children to eat healthier and she while gave diet tips. Not only does this advertisement have a popular person in it, but that popular person is the President’s wife. Having her in the ad influences the children to have excitement because they are doing something the President’s wife wants. In addition, this advertisement has children asking their parents for healthier food choices around the house and they will rely the diet tips to their parents.In addition, there are many other commercials on Disney Channel about â€Å"going green† and recycling. On the other hand, there are â€Å"Above the Influence† commercials that express to children that drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and doing drugs are a bad habit, but they always have the option to say â€Å"no. † Without advertisements like these, children would not be as well educated as they are about it now. These types of advertisements make children ask questions to parents, teachers, and older siblings about what is considered right and wrong and the different types of foods that should be in the house.This also helps children focus on more than the TV or computer. In all, sever al points can be made about whether or not advertisements positively or negatively affect kids, or if they are making people buy more products. I believe most advertisements do have a negative effect on children and there should be laws in place to keep this from getting worse. However, in the end Eric Schlosser has declared many points to suggest that his study is correct. He has many sources which proves his knowledge about this topic prior to writing about it.In addition, he orders the essay really well by stating his opinion then backing it up with facts. The only thing he does not preform do in his essay, is explaining and expanding on the other side. Other than that, the essay is good and has made myself pay more attention to whom the advertisement is aimed toward. Works Cited Schlosser, Eric. â€Å"Kid Kustomers. † From Inquiry to Academic Writing. 2nd ed. Ed. Stuart Green and April Lidinsky. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2012. 519-527. Print.