Analyzing Personal Conflict Management Styles Essay

Conflict management is the detriment of many teams or groups in accomplishing its goals. This is because most people do not understand the different conflict styles and how to apply the rules and principles associated with the style you may be dealing with. In this paper I will analyze three of the five management styles discussed in the textbook Communication in Small Groups. Avoidance and competition are two styles that I believe have the greatest effect on hindering a group or team from accomplishing its goals. Collaboration, however, is a style that I believe is most effective in assisting a team in attaining its goals. This is a style that I use not only in my professional life but also in my personal life and have seen the difference this style of conflict management makes on individuals who are approached with this technique. Avoidance, according to the Collins English Dictionary is â€Å"the act of keeping away from or preventing from happening. † This definition sums up the reason I believe that of the five conflict managing styles, this one is among the top reasons some teams fail at achieving their goals. Whether it is just that a person does not like confrontation, are afraid to voice his or her true opinions out of fear, or simply do not want to hurt another person’s feelings, the simple fact remains that the team may not be aware of everything they need to consider. They miss the opportunity to be more objective in reaching an educated decision on the goals the team is trying to attain. This can also lead to members of the team feeling as though a member does not care and give them reason to discount whatever input that member may have. It is important to remember that there are certain instances when avoidance is needed to move the team along. For instance if what is causing the conflict is something trivial that will not have an adverse effect on the ultimate goal of the team it is likely a good idea to avoid it. It may be also be a good idea to use this method temporarily to give a team time to gather their thoughts on an important issue they need to resolve, but cannot get certain members to be objective or reasonable because they are standing firm behind their point of view. Competition is a conflict management style exactly opposite of avoidance. This is a very confrontational style, which characteristics consist of forcefully persuading others that their position is the only correct position. A person who exerts this style in most cases seeks to win with the intent of another person losing. They want control and work to achieve it no matter what. This type of style is infectious to a team. It is hard for a team to work at attaining a common goal if the level of competition in the team is such that no one can agree. Competition often leads to unethical ways of trying to persuade others in the team like shouting, or even threatening. These types of behaviors lead to defensiveness and distrust as members may feel as if they are forced into a decision rather than arriving at a decision on their own. Again, just like with all management styles it is not always a bad thing to be competitive. When working as a team it is important to remember the goals of the team and be mindful that the actions taken are working toward that goal. No matter how right a person is individually, he or she must find a way to get the rest of the team to agree that their point of view is correct or the best action for the goal the team is trying to accomplish. Otherwise, they will accomplish nothing and alienate themself from the team. The other members of the team can again feel as if that member does not care about what is best for the team and discount his or her ideas as one sided. Of all of the conflict management styles, collaboration is the style that most researchers agree is the best for achieving the goals of a team. â€Å"To collaborate is to have a high concern for both yourself and others† (Beebe & Masterson, 2009, p. 52). This common belief among users of this style drives them to search for answers using all of the tools at the team’s disposal. The different dynamics of the team become assets. They see the differences that distinguish the members of the team as points of view are respected and viewed objectively. Differences like a male versus a female’s perspective, race, culture, and even social or economic status are viewpoints that give all in the team a bigger picture of the different issues they may need to consider when coming to a conclusion about how best to achieve their goal. Though this style is thought of as the best route for teams to use, it is lso one of the most difficult. Even a person who has a natural talent or personality that promotes this style of conflict management has to practice to be effective using this style in a team setting. A person cannot be judgmental and must be sure not to take anything said personally. This is something that most if not all of the team members must have an awareness of. All team members have to feel comfortable with the results and with what was given up from their own personal point of view to arrive at the team’s decision. This style is also very demanding so it requires a good amount of patience. Depending on how quick a decision is needed it is not always possible for a team to achieve and some in the team may not believe that their best interests were achieved. I realized through this research that I am a person who naturally uses the collaboration style of conflict management in many areas of my life. In my relationship with my wife, I use collaboration as a way to strengthen our alliance in running our household. Feeling as if we are a team benefits the decisions we make for our family. Our children see us as united in our decision making. This is something we had to work to achieve and collaboration was the key to its success. We had a competitive style at first and our children would use that fact to split us up on decisions that we made pertaining to them. I could break that cycle by focusing on putting our ego’s aside. Our discussions were no longer about who was right or wrong. It was a process that started with accommodation to show I was willing to take the first step. That eventually grew into compromise, which is what most couples strive for. Finding a middle ground gives most couples the sense that they are working as a team. Collaboration, however, is the ability of that team not to find a middle ground, but actively work to agree and the best plan or action together by understanding and processing each other’s viewpoint to come up with decisions together. It is a style that comes in handy when training my children on the importance of being responsible and accountable for their actions. Collaborating on goals so that they are part of the decision-making process empowers them to believe they have control over what decisions they make. In my school and professional life collaboration has proven to be a way to drive for results. Team members work better when they are at ease in their decision-making, and everyone is comfortable with each other. Disagreements work themselves out with little stress because of the trust established through everyone’s willingness to collaborate on the goals set in place. Because the goals were set together, everyone has a vested interest in its outcome and most want that outcome to be a successful one. When I do encounter a person on my team with a conflicting style, I tend to take some time away from the situation to evaluate the best course of action for our progress. I take into account the level of importance our issue may have on our ultimate goal and what if any ethical issues are involved. Collaboration, though it is my favorite approach, is not always the approach I may use to resolve the issue. I am not one to avoid the issue entirely, but I have had to use accommodation, compromise, and even competition depending on what the issue is and what personality I am dealing with. In conclusion, you can see that there is no one way to manage conflict. I believe that being able to adapt to the different conflict styles will assist a person in overcoming conflict. Collaboration best supports a person who is adaptable and best supports a team’s objective because it focuses on the goals of the team by giving each person on the team’s needs equal importance.

Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership Essay

To improve ethical decision making in business, one must first understand how individuals make ethical decisions in an organizational environment. Too often it is assumed that individuals in organizations make ethical decisions in the same way that they make ethical decisions at home, in their family, or in their personal lives. Within the context of an organizational work group, however, few individuals have the freedom to decide ethical issues independent of organizational pressures. ETHICAL – ISSUE INTENSITY The first step in ethical decision making is to recognize that an ethical issue requires an individual or work group to choose among several actions that various stakeholders inside or outside the firm will ultimately evaluate as right or wrong. Ethical issue intensity, then, can be defined as the relevance or importance of an ethical issue in the eyes of the individual, work group, and/or organization. it is personal and temporal in character to accommodate values, beliefs, needs, perceptions, the special characteristics of the situation, and the personal pressure prevailing at a particular place and time. Ethical – issue intensity reflects the ethical sensitivity of the individual or work group that faces the ethical decision – making process. Research suggest that individuals are subject to six â€Å"spheres of influence† when confronted with ethical choices – the workplace, family, religion, legal system, community, and profession – and that the level of importance of each of these influences wiil vary depending on how important the decision maker perceives the issue to be. Additionally, the individuals sense of the situation’s moral intensity increase the individuals perceptiveness regarding ethical problems, which in turn reduces his or her intention to unethically. Moral intensity relates to a persons perception of social pressure and the harm the decision will have on others. The perception of ethical issue intensity can be influenced by managements use of reward and punishments, corporate policies, and corporate values to sensitize employees. In the words, managers can affect the degree to which employees  perceive the importance of an ethical issue through positive and/or negative incentives. INDIVIDUAL FACTORS When people need to resolve ethical issues in their daily lives, they often base their decisions on their own values and principles of right or wrong. The generally learn these values and principles through the socialization process with family members, social groups, and religion and in their formal education. Research regarding individual factors that affect ethical awareness, judgment, intent, and behavior include gender, education, work experience, nationality, age, and locus of control. Education, the number of years spent in pursuit of academic knowledge, is also a significant factor in the ethical decision-making process. The important thing to remember about education is that it does not reflect experience. Work experiences is defined as the number of years within a specific job, occupation, and/or industry. Generally, the more education or work experiences that one has, the better he/she is at ethical decision making. Nationality is the legal relationship between a person and the country in which he/she is born. Age is another individuals factors that has been researched within business ethics. In other words, the older you are, the more ethical you are. However, recent research suggest that there is probably a more complex relationship between ethics and age. Locus of control relates to individual differences in relation to a generalized beliefs about how one is affected by internal versus external events or reinforcements. In other word, the concept relates to where people view themselves in relation to power. Those who believe in external control see themselves as going with the flow because that’s all they can do. They believed that the events in their lives are do to uncontrollable forces. They consider what they want to achieve depends on luck, chance, and powerful people in their company. Conversely, those who believe in internal control believe that they control the events in their lives by their own  effort and skill, viewing themselves as masters of their destinies and trusting in their capacity to influence their environment. ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS Although people can and do make individual ethical choices in business situations, no one operates in a vacuum. Indeed, research has established that in the workplace the organizations values often have greater influence on decisions than a persons own values. Ethical choices in business are most often made jointly, in work groups and committees, or in conversations and discussions with coworkers. The outcome of this learning process depend on the strength of each person personal values, the opportunities he or she has to behave unethically, and the exposure he or she has to others two behave ethically or unethically. A corporate culture can be defined as a set of values, beliefs, goals, norms and ways of solving problems that members of an organization share. An important component of corporate, or organizational, culture is the company’s ethical culture. Whereas corporate culture involves values and rules that prescribe a wide range of behavior for organizational members, the ethical culture reflects whether the firm also has an ethical conscience. Ethical is a function of many factors, including corporate policies on ethics, top managements leadership on ethical issues, the influence of coworkers, and the opportunity for unethical behavior. Obedience to authority is another aspect of the influence that significant others can exercise. Obedience to authority helps to explain why many employees resolve business ethics issues by simply following the directives as superior. OPPORTUNITY Opportunity describes the conditions in an organization that limit or permit ethical or unethical behavior. Opportunity results from conditions that either provide rewards, whether internal or external, or fail to erect  barriers against unethical behavior. Example of internal rewards include feelings of goodness and personal worth generated by performing altruistic acts. External reward refer to what an individual expects to receive from others in the social environment. Rewards are external to the individual to the degree that they bring social approval, status, and esteem. An example of a condition that fails to erect barriers against unethical behavior is a company policy that does not punish employees who accept large gifts from clients. Opportunity relates to individuals immediate job context – where they work, whom they work with, and the nature of the work. Opportunity also comes from knowledge. Major misconduct observed among employees in the workplace include lying to employees, customers, vendors, or the public or with holding needed information from them. The opportunity for unethical behavior cannot be eliminated without aggressive enforcement of codes and rules. BUSINESS ETHICS EVALUATIONS AND INTENSIONS Ethical dilemmas involve problem-solving situations in which decision rules are often vague or in conflict. The results of an ethical decision are often uncertain, no one can always tell us whether we have made the right decision. An individuals intentions and the final decision regarding what action he or she will take are the last steps in the ethical decision-making process. When the individual intention and behavior are inconsistent with his or her ethical judgment, the person may feel guilty. Guilt or uneasiness is the first sign that an unethical decision has occurred. The next step is changing one’s behavior to reduce such feelings. This change can reflect a persons values shifting to fit the decision or the person changing his or her decision type the next time a similar situations occurs. For those who begin the value shift, the following are the usual justifications that will reduce and finally eliminate guilt: 1.I need the paycheck and cant afford to quit right now. 2.Those around me are doing it so why shouldn’t I? they believe it’s okay 3.If I hadn’t have done this, I may not be able to get a good reference from my boss or company when I leave. 4.This is not such a big deal, given the potential benefits 5.Business is business with a different set of rules 6.If not me, someone else would do it and get reward The road to success depends on how the business person defines success. The success concepts drives intentions and behavior in business either implicitly or explicitly. USING THE ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING FRAMWORK TO IMPROVE ETHICAL DECISIONS It bears repeating that it is impossible to tell you what is right or wrong; instead, we are attempting to prepare you make in framed ethical decisions. Although this chapter does not moralize by telling you what to do in a specific situation, it does provide an overview of typical decision-making processes and factor that influence ethical decisions. The framework is not a guide for how to make decisions but is intended to provide you with insights and knowledge about typical ethical decision making processes in business organizations. Because it is impossible to agree on normative judgments about what is ethical, business ethics scholars developing descriptive models have instead focused on regularities in decision making and the various phenomena that interact in a dynamic environment to produce predictable behavioral patterns. THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP AN A CORPORATE CULTERE Leadership the ability on authority to guide and direct others toward achievement of a goal, has significant impact on ethical decision making because leader have the power to motive others and enforce the organization’s rules policies as well as their own viewpoints. LEADRESHIP STYLE INFLUENCE ETHICAL DECISIONS Leadership styles influence many aspects of organizational behavior, including employees’ acceptance of and adherence to organizational norms and values. Styles that focus on building strong organizational values among employees contribute to shared standards of conduct. The ethical leadership concept is not only for CEOs, boards of directors, and managers but can also  be fellow employees. Ethical leadership by the CEO requires an understanding of the firm’s vision and values, as well as the challenges of responsibility and the risk in achieving organizational objectives. Six leadership styles that are based on emotional intelligence—the ability to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively—have been identified by Daniel Goleman. 1.The coercive leader demands instantaneous obedience and focuses on achievement, initiative, and self-control. Although this style can be very effective during times of crisis or during a turnaround, it otherwise creates a negative climate for organizational performance. 2.The authoritative leader—considered to be one of the most effective styles—inspires employees to follow a vision, facilitates change, and creates a strongly positive performance climate. 3.The affiliative leader values people, their emotions, and their needs and relies on friendship and trust to promote flexibility, innovation, and risk taking. 4.The democratic leader relies on participation and teamwork to reach collaborative decisions. This style focuses on communication and creates a positive climate for achieving results. 5.The pacesetting leader can create a negative climate because of the high standards that he or she sets. This style works best for attaining quick results from highly motivated individuals who value achievement and take the initiative. 6.The coaching leader builds a positive climate by developing skills to foster long-term success, delegating responsibility, and skillfully issuing challenging assignments. Transactional leaders attempt to create employee satisfaction through negotiating, or â€Å"bartering,† for desired behaviors or levels of performance. Transformational leaders strive to raise employees’ level of commitment and to foster trust and motivation. HABITS OF STRONG ETHICAL LEADERS In particular, we believe that ethical leadership is based on holistic thinking that embraces the complex and challenging issues that companies face on a daily basis. Ethical leaders need both knowledge and experience to make the right decision. Strong ethical leaders have both the courage and the most complete information to make decisions that will be the best in the long run. Strong ethical leaders must stick to their principles and, if  necessary, be ready to leave the organization if its corporate governance system is so flawed that it is impossible to make the right choice. Ethical Leaders Have Strong Personal Character There is general agreement that ethical leadership is highly unlikely without a strong personal character. The question is how to teach or develop a moral person in a corporate environment. White, a leading authority on character development, believes the focus should be on â€Å"ethical reasoning† rather than on being a â€Å"moral person.† Ethical Leaders Have a Passion to Do Right The passion to do right is â€Å"the glue that holds ethical concepts together.† Some leaders develop this trait early in life, whereas others develop it over time through experience, reason, or spiritual growth. They often cite familiar arguments for doing right—to keep. society from disintegrating, to alleviate human suffering, to advance human prosperity, toresolve conflicts of interest fairly and logically, to praise the good and punish the guilty, or just because something â€Å"is the right thing to do.† Ethical Leaders Are Proactive Ethical leaders do not hang around waiting for ethical problems to arise. They anticipate, plan, and act proactively to avoid potential ethical crises.44 One way to be proactive is to take a leadership role in developing effective programs that provide employees with guidance and support for making more ethical choices even in the face of considerable pressure to do otherwise. Ethical Leaders Consider Stakeholders’ Interests Ethical leaders consider the interests of and implications for all stakeholders, not just those that have an economic impact on the firm. This requires acknowledging and monitoring the concerns of all legitimate stakeholders, actively communicating and cooperating with them, employing processes that are respectful of them, recognizing interdependencies among them, avoiding activities that would harm their human rights, and recognizing the potential conflicts between leaders’ â€Å"own role as corporate  stakeholders and their legal and moral responsibilities for the interests of other stakeholders. Ethical Leaders Are Role Models for the Organization’s Values If leaders do not actively serve as role models for the organization’s core values, then those values become nothing more than lip service. According to behavioral scientist Brent Smith, as role models, leaders are the primary influence on individual ethical behavior. Leaders whose decisions and actions are contrary to the firm’s values send a signal that the firm’s values are trivial or irrelevant. Firms such as Countrywide Financial articulated core values that were only used as window dressing. On the other hand, when leaders model the firm’s core values at every turn, the results can be powerful Ethical Leaders Are Transparent and Actively Involved in Organizational Decision Making Being transparent fosters openness, freedom to express ideas, and the ability to question conduct, and it encourages stakeholders to learn about and comment on what a firm is doing. Transparent leaders will not be effective unless they are personally involved in the key decisions that have ethical ramifications. Transformational leaders are collaborative, which opens the door for transparency through interpersonal exchange. Earlier we said that transformational leaders instill commitment and respect for values that provide guidance on how to deal with ethical issues. Ethical Leaders Are Competent Managers Who Take a Holistic View of the Firm’s Ethical Culture Ethical leaders can see a holistic view of their organization and therefore view ethics as a strategic component of decision making, much like marketing, information systems, production, and so on. Although his company is called Waste Management, CEO David P. Steiner is as committed to renewable energy as just about anyone working for a multibillion dollar business. Steiner was selected as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics by the Ethisphere Institute in 2007, and his company, Waste Management, was chosen as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2008. Case study : Tyco International: Leadership Crisis INTRODUCTION On September 12, 2002, national television showcased Tyco International’s former chief executive officer (CEO) L. Dennis Kozlowski and former chief financial officer (CFO) Mark H. Swartz in handcuffs after being arrested and charged with misappropriating more than $170 million from the company. They were also accused of stealing more than $430 million through fraudulent sales of Tyco stock and concealing the information from shareholders. The two executives were charged with more than thirty counts of misconduct, including grand larceny, enterprise corruption, and falsifying business records. Another executive, former general counsel Mark A. Belnick, was charged with concealing $14 million in personal loans. Months after the initial arrests, charges and lawsuits were still being filed—making the Tyco scandal one of the most notorious of the early 2000s. TYCO’S HISTORY Founded in 1960 by Arthur J. Rosenberg, Tyco began as an investment and holding company focused on solid-state science and energy conversion. It developed the first laser with a sustained beam for use in medical procedures. Rosenberg later shifted his focus to the commercial sector. In 1964, Tyco became a publicly traded company. It also began a series of rapid acquisitions—sixteen companies by 1968. The expansion continued through 1982, as the company sought to fill gaps in its development and distribution networks. Between 1973 and 1982, the firm grew from $34 million to $500 million in consolidated sales. THE RISE OF DENNIS KOZLOWSKI In 1975, armed with a degree in accounting, Dennis Kozlowski went to work for Tyco, following brief stints at SCM Corporation and Nashua Corporation. He soon found a friend and mentor in then CEO Joseph Gaziano. Kozlowski was impressed by Gaziano’s lavish lifestyle—company jets, extravagant vacations, company cars, and country club memberships. However, Gaziano’s reign ended abruptly in 1982 when he died of cancer. Gaziano was replaced by John F.  Fort III, who differed sharply in management style. Where Gaziano had been extravagant, Fort was analytical and thrifty. His goal was to increase profits for shareholders and cut the extravagant spending characterizing Gaziano’s tenure, and Wall Street responded positively to Tyco’s new direction. Kozlowski, who had thrived under Gaziano, was forced to adapt to the abrupt change in leadership. Adept at crunching numbers, Kozlowski focused on helping to achieve Fort’s vision of putting shareholders first. Kozlowski’s largest acquisition was Wormald International, a $360 million global fire-protection concern. Integrating Wormald proved problematic, and Fort was reportedly unhappy with such a large purchase. Fort and Kozlowski also disagreed over rapid changes made to Grinnell. Kozlowski responded by lobbying to convince Tyco’s board of directors that problems with Wormald were a â€Å"bump in the road† and that the firm should continue its strategy of acquiring profitable companies that met guidelines. KOZLOWSKI’S TYCO EMPIRE After Fort’s departure, Dennis Kozlowski, then 46, found himself helming Tyco International. With a new lifestyle—parties and multiple homes in Boca Raton, Nantucket, Beaver Creek, and New York City—and an aggressive management style, he appeared to be following in the footsteps of his mentor, former CEO Joseph Gaziano. Kozlowski knew Tyco from the bottom up, and stated that he was determined to make it the greatest company of the next century. Among other things, he recognized that one of Tyco’s major shortcomings was its reliance on cyclical industries, which tend to be very sensitive to economic ups and downs. In 1997, Kozlowski acquired ADT Security Services, a British-owned company located in Bermuda. By structuring the deal as a â€Å"reverse takeover,† wherein a public company is acquired by a private company so as to avoid the lengthy process of going public, Tyco acquired a global presence as well as ADT’s Bermuda registration. The majority of members had served for ten years or more, and they were familiar with Kozlowski’s management style. As directors, they were responsible for protecting Tyco’s shareholders through disclosure of questionable situations or issues that might seem unethical or inappropriate. Despite this, after the arrests of Kozlowski and Swartz, investigations uncovered the following troubling relationships among the  board’s members: 1.Richard Bodman invested $5 million for Kozlowski in a private stock fund managed by Bodman. 2.Frank E. Walsh, Jr. received $20 million for helping to arrange the acquisition of CIT Group without the other board members’ knowledge. 3.Walsh also held controlling interest in two firms that received more than $3.5 million for leasing an aircraft and providing pilot services to Tyco between 1996 and 2002. 4.Stephen Foss received $751,101 for supplying a Cessna Citation aircraft and pilot services. 5.Lord Michael Ashcroft used $2.5 million in Tyco funds to purchase a home. Meanwhile, Jeanne Terrile, an analyst from Merrill Lynch who worked for Tyco, was not impressed with Kozlowski’s activities and Tyco’s performance. Her job at Merrill Lynch was to make recommendations to investors on whether to buy, hold, or sell specific stocks. After Terrile wrote a negative review of Tyco’s rapid acquisitions and mergers and refused to upgrade Merrill’s position on Tyco’s stock, Kozlowski met with David Komansky, the CEO of Merrill Lynch. THE FALL OF DENNIS KOZLOWSKI AND OTHERS In early 2002, Kozlowski announced Tyco’s split of its four divisions into independent, publicly traded companies: Security and Electronics, Healthcare, Fire Protection and Flow Control, and Financial Services. Kozlowski stated, â€Å"I am extremely proud of Tyco’s performance. We have built a 5 great portfolio of businesses and over the five years ended September 30, 2001, we have delivered earnings per share growth at a compounded annual rate of over 40 percent and industry-leading operating profit margins in each of our businesses. During this same period, we have increased annual free cash flow from $240 million in 1996 to $4.8 billion in fiscal 2001. Nonetheless, even with this performance, Tyco is trading at a 2002 P/E multiple of 12.0x, a discount of almost 50 percent to the S&P 500.† Also in 2002, the New York State Bank Department observed large sums of money moving in and out of Tyco’s accounts. What made this unusual was that the funds were being transferred into Kozlowski’s personal accounts. Authorities discovered that Kozlowski had sought to avoid around $1 million in New York state import taxes. In September of that year, Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, who also had resigned, were indicted on thirty-eight felony counts for allegedly stealing $170 million from Tyco and fraudulently selling an  additional $430 million in stock options. Among other allegations, Kozlowski was accused of taking $242 million from a program intended to help Tyco employees buy company stock. REBUILDING AN EMPIRE After Kozlowski’s resignation, Edward Breen replaced him as CEO. The company filed suit against Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz for more than $100 million. The SEC allows companies to sue insiders who profited by buying and selling company stock within a six-month period. Tyco stated, â€Å"To hold him accountable for his misconduct, we seek not only full payment for the funds he misappropriated but also punitive damages for the serious harm he did to Tyco and its shareholders.†

Mgt 445 Week 5 Individual Assignment: Article Analysis

A negotiation is a civil process that takes place to resolve and develop a solution between all parties involved. Negotiations take place between all types of parties; organizational and global. They are structured to resolve the situation in an orderly manner with steps and strategies. In 2003, a global situation occurred that required negotiation between countries. North Korea announced they were withdrawing from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). Upon making this announcement, they also stated they do not intend on producing nuclear weapons.This information was revealed from the official North Korean News Agency, NKNA. When this was announced, it raised red flags around the world. Even though North Korea declared the withdrawal immediate, according to Article X, countries must give a three month notice before withdrawal. North Korea made the decision to withdraw from the NPT is based on Bush’s 2003 State of the Union Address, when he declared North Korea to be part of the ‘axis of evil’ along with Iran and Iraq (Global Issues, 2006).Since the United States were preparing to invade Iraq, they felt they needed to create a credible deterrent in case they were next. The non-proliferation treaty was developed to convince countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, and North Korea to be non-nuclear countries. The treaty was enforced in 1970 and provided the framework needed to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. A decade before in 1993, North Korea threatened to withdraw from the NPT.There were several bilateral negotiations that took place resulting in North Korea retracting their statements just a few days before the withdrawal became effective. Since North Korea was no longer an official member of the treaty, there were few obstacles stopping them from developing and selling nuclear weapons, technology, and materials to other countries. There are only a few countries that are not members of the NPT. These countries are India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea. There were several key factors in this initial negotiation of nations.In order to prevent other countries from evaluating their stand on the NPT, the Bush Administration developed a new approach to global security. Several key global arms control agreements were implemented, these agreements included the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the Sort Treaty, and the process of strategic arms reductions with Russia (Global Issues, 2006). When North Korea decided to withdraw, they invoked their legal right to do so.The United States was worried that this action would increase international tension and risk Japan evaluating their position on nuclear weapons. Bill Richardson acted as a mediator between the United States and North Korea. After several discussions and negotiations, North Korea said they would halt all nuclear weapon developments. Shortly after making this agreement, they restated saying they would not give up their nuclear weapon program until the United States provides it with a civilian nuclear reactor.These actions made provisions for the entire treat to be reviewed, revised, and negotiated between countries. Actions or comments made by countries caused commitments to a nuclear weapons treaty to be revoked. This is a serious and sensitive subject globally and a nuclear war is feared by every country and their leaders. The same steps of negotiation are used in a global topic such as nuclear weapons and the NPT and it would be in an organizational negotiation.When these steps are carefully followed and sometimes calling in a third party mediator is necessary, a solution can be developed and implemented for the sake of all parties involved. References CNN World. (2003, January 10). Retrieved from Nuclear Weapons: North Korea Leaves Nuclear Pact: http://articles. cnn. com N Korea Withdraws From Nuclear Pact. (2003, Januar y 10). Retrieved November 9, 2012, from BBC News World Edition: http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/asia-pacific. com Global Issues. (2006, October 26). Retrieved from North Korea and Nuclear Weapons: http://www. globalissues. org

Summarizing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Summarizing - Essay Example These two groups arguably will have less to offer by way of industry experience, with possible implications on the perception and reality of the education quality from this revamped educator pool. The key thing is the study is in the culling of the perceptions of existing faculty and the student body tied to how important faculty experience in the industry is. The study findings are said to be relevant with regard to informing school planners and administrators on how best to keep the level of academic rigor high within their programs, with the perceptions being used as inputs in devising hiring programs for educators moving forward (Phelan, Mejia and Hertzman 2013). The study proponents listed down three objectives for the study. One is the determination of the importance faculty place on experience in the industry preceding the teaching phase. Two is the determination of how faculty perceives how important industry experience is to the teaching posts in different disciplines within the hospitality umbrella discipline. Three is the determination how related the industry experience of faculty member is to the importance placed on industry experience prior to the teaching phase (Phelan, Mejia and Hertzman 2013). II. Literature Review The literature review traces the roots of the hospitality field as an academic discipline and as a professional practice to the trainings that were given in the course of employees doing their work in restaurants as well as hotels. This vocational education gave rise to more structured educational programs that soon became full-fledged academic programs. Having its roots in practice, however, the hospitality academic education is seen as benefitting from the experience gained by educators in the field, doing the actual work, and then supplementing the experience with the academic rigor associated with structured educational programs that grant degrees. The problem lies precisely in the perceptions with regard to the lack of experien tial grounding in the industry for some of the academic practitioners and how that lack of experience leads to a disconnect between theory or academics and actual industry experience or practice. The literature review then goes on to examine studies relating to practices to bridge the divide between practice on the one hand and theory on the other, with the emphasis on improving learning outcomes by making sure that educators are properly grounded in substantial experience in the industry (Phelan, Mejia and Hertzman 2013). III. Methodology An online survey of 445 faculty in the hospitality discipline was conducted, with the survey being self-directed and the link to the survey being sent out via emails to the potential respondents, and out of that total population a total of 39.3 percent sent responses via email of their completed surveys. Of the respondents, just 4 percent had no prior industry experience in the hospitality field, and the respondents represented faculty in 18 diffe rent countries, with most of the respondents coming from the United States. The other represented countries in the survey are the following:

Organizational Systems Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organizational Systems Theory - Essay Example If environment is Placid, Predictable, Homogeneous, Stable and Resource Munificent then structural form is Mechanistic, Bureaucratic, Centralized and Clear Goals. But if environment is Turbulent, Uncertain, Complex, Unstable and Resource Scarce then structural form is Organic, Informal, Networked; Ambiguous Goals. Since organizations differ in the type of tasks they perform and environments they face, the appropriate organizational structure in each case is a function of four factors which are Organization’s size, technology, environment and strategy. The resulting structures can be formal, differentiated, vertical, horizontal, central and complex. [4] In the book Handbook of Media Management And Economics by Alan B. Albarran, Sylvia M. Chan-Olmsted, Michael O. Wirth, it is explained that the primary approach in organizational studies to the study of issues of organizational structure has been Structural Contingency theory. This theory describes the relationship between the organizational structures and performance outcomes. Grounded in assumptions of economic rationality this theory argues that organizations will adopt structures that maximize efficiency and optimize financial performance according to the specific contingencies that exists within the organizations’ marketing environments. Consequently there is no single organizational structure that will be equally effective for all companies. According to them Structural Contingency theory first emerged in organizational studies during the 1950s and generated a great deal of attention. This book states that under this theory, organizational structures are considered to include authority, reporting, decision and communication relationships and organizational rules, among other elements. The primary contingency factors that influence organizational structures include organizational scale and task uncertainty. Small organizations and those facing low levels of

Write summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Write summary - Essay Example Threats from white American ensure and the find themselves targets of threats from the violence. Forasmuch as Anne accomplished the goals of demonstrating for blacks, she however concludes that the movement and demonstration had not brought any transformation to the lives of people in Mississippi. The movement had focused too much on how voters were going to register and some other political issues like, such as Freedom Vote, which is a vote intended to bring freedom to blacks (Moody, 253). Anne desired that the sole purpose of demonstration would be centered on economic empowerment for instance, demonstrating so that black farmers are given lands where they can either live of farm. Before the book ends, Anne meets with her allies, Bob, in a bus, going to Washington. The bus is occupied with volunteers who all seem far more enthusiastic and younger than she. All in one accord they sung a â€Å"We Shall Overcome,† chorus. The notion of whether blacks will ever conquer racism gr ips the mind of Anne all the way to Washington. The information provided in this chapter is very relevant to US history. The chapter majorly talks of how black American fight for their freedom and rights. This is clearly illustrated by their act of voting and activism (Moody, 255). Whites argued that black were genetically inferior. The chapter is a wakeup call to end racism and live in harmony as one nation one people. The book Making America is enriched with a clear evolution of events pertaining to politics. The book also zoom into various experiences from different individuals and cultures that make up the society of America. Historical topics are clearly dealt with and analyzed. This makes it interesting and enticing for students to read the book. For teachers whose classrooms reflects the variety of college students of our current world and society, the book is arrange in a orderly sequence that make it easier for the teacher to teach. It is rich in

Personal Strengths, areas to develop more fully, 2 important Statement - 1

Strengths, areas to develop more fully, 2 important accomplishments - Personal Statement Example e grouped into four categories: social competence, problem solving, autonomy, and sense of purpose, which recent studies believed to transcend borders and cultures. Social competence or interpersonal intelligence, such as responsiveness, communication, empathy and caring, and compassion, altruism and forgiveness, is the ability to form positive relationship with others. Problem-solving skills or good intellectual functioning, which involves planning, flexibility, resourcefulness, and critical thinking and insight, is the ability to figure things out and find a solution to it. Autonomy, constituted of positive identity, internal locus of control and initiative, self-efficacy and mastery, adaptive distancing and resistance, self-awareness and mindfulness, and humor, is the ability to act independently and to take control of one’s own life. And, a sense of purpose, which includes goal direction, achievement motivation, and educational aspirations, special interest, creativity, an d imagination, optimism and hope, and faith, spirituality and sense of meaning, is the belief that one lives not only to breathe but to fulfill a mission. (13-35) Assessing my strengths based on the four categories stated above, I think I have strengths in all of them, specifically communication, planning, resourcefulness, critical thinking, self-efficacy and mastery, goal direction, and optimism. These aggregate of strengths help me reach my position today. However, there are areas that I have to develop more fully to further my success in life and to achieve satisfaction. Most of these fall on the category of sense of purpose. One of these is educational aspirations. This is so because though I am achievement motivated, I did not bother to further my studies. In fact, from being a market analyst of a multinational company, I have progressed to regional manager in a matter of six years, yet I lack post-graduate and relevant special studies as well to further my career. I think taking a

Personal Leadership Philosophy and Practice Paper Thesis

Personal Leadership Philosophy and Practice Paper - Thesis Example What is leadership? Leadership can be broadly defined as unique approach of individuals or leaders who can bring about changes in other people. It is an integral part of human behaviour as it is linked to followers. Kouzes and Posner (2007) assert that leaders’ approach to tackling issues or promoting a cause is major factor that makes them popular amongst the followers. It becomes highly pertinent within the organizations as it helps to meet the challenges of work paradigms and inspires others to achieve a common goal. Leadership styles Chandler (1977) has explored the issues with reference to individual approach and says that strategies of managerial leadership become their major motivating factor for their success within the organizations. I believe that three major styles of leadership are popular within organizations: Transformational; situational; and participative. James Burns (1978) states that transforming leadership is based on a relationship of mutual inspiration an d elevation that converts followers into leaders and may convert leaders into moral agents. The political leaders are often endowed with traits of transformational leaders who take up social causes as major agenda to transform them into staunch followers. Situational leaders exploit situations to enhance performance. Sjostrand and Tyrstrup (2001) believe that managerial leadership is relational ongoing social construction which adapts to the changing equations. This is very important in the contemporary environment of fast changing technology and globalization. Such types of leaders are able to convince others to adopt changes and take them as opportunities for improving productive outcome. Participative leadership takes into consideration the views of others and promotes collectives decision making based on informed choice for common goals. Tannenbaum & Schmidt (1973) emphasize that organizational leaders increasingly prefer participative leadership as they can use effective commun ication to share organizational vision, mission and goals with the workforce. Leadership traits Leadership qualities and traits encourage participation of the workforce in the overall strategy of having collective goals through shared learning. Many scholars have conducted studies to find the traits and behaviour and leadership style that has transformed common man into effective leaders (Stogdill 1974; Yukl 2002). Few of the important traits that a leader must inculcate are: good communication; vision; adaptability towards change; positive attitude and commitment; creativity, initiative and belief; integrity and ethics; compassion and caring nature. Effective communication is one of the most crucial traits of the leaders which is used to disseminate information and inculcate a sense of responsibility amongst the various stakeholders of the organization. Visionary leaders empower their followers so that they can make decisions based on informed choices. It facilitates in adapting to the changes which occur due to transforming technologies and values and significantly impact organizational processes. Indeed, effective leadership influences cultural identity and helps adapt to the changing environment. The organizational le

The role of stress and depression in fibromyalgia Essay

The role of stress and depression in fibromyalgia - Essay Example The term ‘fibromyalgia’ means pain in the muscles, ligaments and tendons. It is a confusing and often misdiagnosed condition. Perhaps fibromyalgia could be better explained to some by discussing the following: Fibromyalgia is defined as a â€Å"†¦chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and multiple tender points that occurs in precise, localized areas, particularly in the neck, spine, shoulders, and hips; also may cause sleep disturbances, morning stiffness, irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, and other symptoms.† (â€Å"UK HealthCare†, 2005). It is a complex and painful condition, which occurs primarily – about 80% of the time – in women. It affects up to 5% of the entire population, including children. Many medical professionals believe that there is a connection between fibromyalgia and chronic sleep disorder, and in fact some even theorize that they are actually the same syndrome. The symptoms and signs of fibromyalgia can be minute, large, often painful, and sometimes even debilitating, but are not life threatening. Symptoms of this disorder include: aching, burning or throbbing pain, sleeping disorders, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, cramps, diarrhea, numbness or tingling sensations, chronic headaches, heightened sensitivity to such things as loud noises and bright lights, painful menstrual periods, painful sexual intercourse, frequent urination, rapid or irregular heart rate, shortness of breath, impaired memory and concentration, skin sensitivities and rashes, dry eyes and mouth, anxiety, depression, ringing in the ears, dizziness, vision problems, and sensation of swelling in the hands and feet – just to name the most common. Pain is the primary symptom, and is reported in virtually 100% of cases, most often in areas of the following: back of the head, elbows, hips, knees, neck, upper back, and upper chest. The severity of this pain is

A perspective on charity in the gospel of wealth a book by andrew carnegie Essay Example for Free

A perspective on charity in the gospel of wealth a book by andrew carnegie Essay Andrew Carnegie, who wrote The Gospel of Wealth, had a particular view on how society should correctly work. He believed that with the wealth of millionaires, that he could recreate society to think of the rich as â€Å"trustees† to provide money to the poor. Carnegie gave away most of his capital to projects he thought that benefitted the community. He built over 2,500 libraries, endowed many parks, and he even gave money to universities and other foundations he thought would â€Å"improve the race. †Ã‚   Although I respect what Carnegie did for our culture, if I were a billionaire, I would pay more attention to the dire needs of the poor because I believe that this kind of giving contributes more to the common good. Within the first few paragraphs of The Gospel of Wealth, Carnegie summarizes that throughout time, things have been revolutionized for the better and have created a better community for the world, but the problem seems to be the proper administration of capital, so that the ties between the rich and poor can continue in a balanced manner. Because of the wealth administration problem, the gap that has been made between the rich and poor has created a lot of tension between the two classes. Carnegie noticed, â€Å"The contrast between the palace of the millionaire and the cottage of the laborer with us to-day measures the change which has come with civilization† (486). While we humans owe the progress of material conditions to manufacturing and improvements, it has created a market for competition. From competition, inequality rises and Carnegie believes only talented men can rise above everyone else and make more capital. However, men who have the talent to make large amounts o f money can be the benefactors of society. This is where Carnegie notes that if they have a lot of money they don’t know what to do with, it can be used for the well-being of the race. Carnegie’s main focus was to solve the problem of how to administer money for the common good. He believed in helping mankind progress through philanthropy. Carnegie thought of three ways to distribute his surplus money: â€Å" It can be left to the families of the descendants, or it can be bequeathed for public purposes; or, finally, it can be administered during their lives by its possessors† (489). The amount of poverty in the world is constantly on the rise. While communism was all for equality, it wanted to change human nature. However, Carnegie believed, â€Å" It is criminal to waste our energies in endeavoring to uproot when all we can profitably or possibly accomplish is to bend the universal tree of humanity a little in the direction most favorable to the production of good fruit under existing circumstances† (489). With almost unlimited wealth, Carnegie can be seen as generous because he built many libraries. However, the conditions he created for his workers were not ideal. In an article, Was Andrew Carnegie Generous? written by Daniel Putman, Carnegie is criticized as not being fair to his workers, but his help among the world outweighs his worker’s conditions. For example, Putman states, â€Å"Utilitarians may well rejoice at the results of what Andrew Carnegie did and it is quite likely that the good he did over time outweighs what his workers had to experience. But Carnegies generosity is tempered not by his lack of genuine motivation, nor by his attitude toward workers, but by the very specific fact that much of what he gave away was not his to give†. In fact, Carnegie’s wealth was only capable for him to achieve before the Roosevelt/Wilson reforms. While Carnegie had dreams of creating a better society and providing culture to all, his confidence in poor people was slim and he once said, â€Å"the man of wealth thus becoming the mere agent and trustee for his poorer brethren, bringing to their service his superior wisdom, experience, and ability to administer, doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves† (493). I agree with Carnegie’s basic idea to create a better society by administering wealth among everyone, but I believe the money should be distributed to poorer people and their needs. For example, I would imitate many billionaires such as Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates, have paired up within the past few years to give away half of their fortunes to charitable causes either during their lifetimes or in their will. If I had their money, I would consider doing the same thing they are doing: The Giving Pledge (created by the three billionaires mentioned above), has helped with n umerous amounts of issues that plague today’s world. They have worked with providing vaccines, schools and even hospitals to those in South Africa who cannot afford to provide those things to their families. Another example of a charity I would donate to is ‘GiveDirectly’. The point of this charity is to give money to poor people in Kenya with no strings attached. It’s a simple charity because it’s economics 101: poor people will know what they need and if they’re given the money for it, they will most likely go out and buy it. This is an example of how when poor people are given a little help, they are most likely going to succeed by using that money as an investment in themselves. Heifer International is also another example of charity that I would donate too. In African countries, Heifer gives animals to poor families so they provide food and reliable income. They can collect dairy products such as milk, eggs and honey which can be traded or sold at a market. This sustainable income allows for families to build schools, agricultural opportunities and forms a community saving that funds small businesses. Although one can appreciate what Carnegie has done for the world by building libraries and such, he did not address providing needs for poor people other than if he gave them money, they would most likely not use it to leverage themselves in society. In today’s world, Carnegie’s ideas might look generous on paper, but there are other direct issues that need to be dealt with harshly. Many millionaires have pledged or have already spent billions in trying to provide basic needs to poor people of almost every country by building schools and providing medical assistance. Other charities have given the resources needed to help poor people. These charities allow open doors for individuals and communities who are struggling to get their foot in the door to help themselves. Charity is a just a small lending hand that gives poor people leverage as well as creating new opportunities that contribute to the common good. Works Cited Carnegie, Andrew. The Gospel of Wealth. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Writers. Ed.   Lee A. Jacobus. Boston: Bedford, 2013. 485-495.   Print. Putman, D. (2010).   WAS ANDREW CARNEGIE GENEROUS? THING, 9(26), 91-98. â€Å"World Hunger and Poverty Heifer Mission.† World Hunger and Poverty Heifer Mission. Np., n.d. Web. 12 May 2016.

Are networks important to entrepreneurs when starting new business

Are networks important to entrepreneurs when starting new business In this essay, I have chosen to write a report about why networks are important to entrepreneurs when starting a business. In this essay, I will analyse and describe the use of social relations in the business establishment process, and the benefits behind networks in entrepreneurship. I will write this essay using my findings in books, articles, newspapers and the internet. I will try to not only produce a logical argument concerning why networks are important, but try and apply theories to back up my view and points. I will also use my personal understandings of why networks are important to entrepreneurs, but reflecting understandings and knowledge I gained by interviewing an entrepreneur. Main Body An entrepreneur is an individual who has a new idea, or enterprise who accepts the financial risks to capitalising on that idea and undertakes a new financial venture. The word entrepreneur derives from the French language, which applies to any individual who is starting a new project or business. (Hisrich, Peters, Shepherd, 2006). To some economists, an entrepreneur is someone who is willing to take the risks of starting a new business if there is an opportunity for them to make profit out of the idea. The concept of entrepreneurship was first created in the 1700s, and the meaning has evolved ever since. There are hundreds of different theories and explanations for defining entrepreneurship. However, all economists and business academics agree entrepreneurs posses behaviours like: initiative taking, the structuring and restructuring of social and economic social mechanisms to turn resources and situations to practical account and lastly the acceptance of risk or failure (Hisrich, Pe ters, Shephard 2006). My definition of an entrepreneur is someone who has an idea, and the idea progresses from just being an idea, to becoming a passion, something that an entrepreneur would sacrifice a lot to see succession in. So why are networks important to entrepreneurs? People usually develop relationships with people like themselves. Athletes develop ties with other athletes, wealthy people develop ties with other wealthy people, and educated people develop ties with other educated people. Its part of our nature, we tend to be attracted to those who are similar to us. So what is the reason for this? Perhaps we feel more comfortable when around those who are similar to us? I believe the answer is yes. Socially similar people, even when competing against each other, spend time in the same locations, which cause relationships to occur (Swedberg, 2000). Having a large network range matters. People with larger contact networks gain better paying positions than people with smaller networks . Network range, indicated by size, is the primary measure (Cosson, 2010). Its simple, the more people you are in contact with, the quicker you will learn the tricks and shortcuts. Dragons Den is a television show, broadcasted on BBC, on which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas in pursuit of securing an investment from one of the dragons (the investors). However, most of the entrepreneurs arent exactly interested in the investment, but the network of contacts that the investor can offer the business. Whenever an entrepreneur secures an investment, they ask the dragons a series of questions concerning whether they have the right contacts which the entrepreneur could use in their business. Having social networks is important, full stop. In any type of activity you take part in, there are advantages of having acquaintances who possess knowledge in that. Being a student, I know the advantages of building friendship with those who are on the same degree scheme as me. At times if I struggle, there are always people that I can turn to for guidance. Its the same concept with an entrepreneur. No matter how clever you are, or how academically brilliant you are, you will always face problems, and at times, these problems could have major impacts on the whole business. Networks help you Accomplish a positive relationship with people who are knowledgeable in a specific field, not only will it strengthen your option of networks, but it can help the entrepreneur enlarge their networks to get important information and resources from their contacts (Wiklunk, 2006). The next advantage is positioning, entrepreneurs position themselves within a social network to shorten the route the more experienced others took to get what they need. Its about finding shortcuts, and possessing a selection of experienced contacts can help you find these shortcuts faster (Burt, 1992). Networking between entrepreneurs is a very effective tool, it various advantages (Cosson, 2010): To improve commercial acumen Encourage collaborations between similar businesses Support one another, help to enlarge the specific market that youre involved in A personal network, consists of all those individuals whom the entrepreneur has direct relations to, this includes individuals like employees, suppliers, partners etc. Strong tie relations are those that the entrepreneur can count on and trust weak tie relations are only casual; people rarely have emotional investments in them. So what is the importance of sustaining weak ties?. Reflecting on Granovetters (1973) reasoning, which links weak and strong ties together, states that entrepreneurs are typical to be found in positions where centrality is high, this allows them to many diverse sources of information (Landstrom, 2009). To explain Social Networks in basic terms, the acquaintances of our friends, are also our friends (Aldrich and Kim, 2005). However, a personal network is a high density network, due to all the persons involved in that network being well known to each other. My interpretation of this is that it is important to sustain a balance of weak and strong ties. In basic w ords, its word of mouth, which plays a crucial role in starting or operating a new business. You might not know the contacts, but perhaps maybe your strong ties are in some form of relation to those weak ties, and that creates a flow of information which the entrepreneur could benefit from (Cosson, 2010). . The social network concept is the relationship between an entrepreneur and the networks of contacts they have who provide them the resources that are important in starting a business and most importantly successfully running the business (Carsrud, Brannback, Brannback 2007). These acquaintances usually have some form of experience and knowledge concerning that specific field. Every entrepreneur, has, or believes to have some kind of knowledge to be capable of running the business, but they also need complementary resources to produce or improve their products (Casson, 2010). The contacts dont necessarily have to be formal, they can be informal, such as friends, family or people who studied on the same degree scheme as you in university. These networks are absolutely crucial in obtaining a successful business (Ross and Brown, 1993). Those acquaintances who guide the entrepreneur to success are their social capital, and one of their key elements of their networks (Casson, 2010). Social Capital is a concept which means the connection and relationship between social networks, in this case, between the entrepreneur and their network. This can be seen as an investment for the entrepreneur. The word investment shouldnt necessarily mean financially investing in a product or company, but, anything that you establish and become part of that is beneficial to you in the long term (Burt, 1992). I personally believe formal networks are as crucial to an entrepreneur as informal networks are. The entrepreneurial process has many lonely and difficult times. Its part of becoming successful. There will be times when establishing a moral-support network is critical. The moral-support network is your friends and family, in simple words, people who make you happy (Hisrich, Peters, Shepherd, 2006). There will be times where even a single phone call from a friend or family will make you feel better, someone to encourage you to pick yourself up and carry on in pursuit of succession. Friends are a critical part of moral-support network, not only can they provide you with honest advice, the form of advice and opinions that others might not be so comfortable in delivering, but they can also provide you with assistance and you can confide with them without the fear of criticism (Cosson, 2010). Although not necessarily true, most entrepreneurs have parents who also own their own businesses or small firms (Cosson, 2010). Young entrepreneurs are able to take advantage of the experience a nd knowledge their parents possess and use it when developing a business of their own. However, a problem comes with this scenario. Off course family members are helpful at particular aspects when giving advice and feedback, however, too much dependence on family members may impact and restrict the entrepreneurs network. Economists stress that dependence on family members may limit an entrepreneurs networking circle. Entrepreneurial parents are a great source of information, there is no doubt about that, but knowing the limit of how much information to acquire from them is critical. You have to interact with the real world, the hard world, to be able to substance a successful business. Sooner or later your parents will be incapable of giving you information, and in that situation, you have no choice but to turn to networks outside your family zone (Birley, 1985). A study by Aldrich, Rosen and Woodward (1987) has suggested that those entrepreneurs with variable networks are more like ly to experience better results. The applicants of the research, reported to have a higher than average number of contacts per week with core network members (Landstrom, 2010). A close friend of mine, Irfan Patel, after 4 years of planning and research, owns his own business, Citybeat53. Citybeat53 is a business that offers young talented musicians events and advertisement through its own channel of networks. it provides opportunity to those who need guidance and help. Irfan is a Music Engineering graduate from the University of Leeds. After graduating, he successfully secured an internship to work for SONY BMG. As he explained, whilst being an employee for Sony BMG, he learnt an ocean of information and skills. He believes it was due to the people he worked with, all of whom had side activities and businesses. Whilst working at the company, he formed a relationship with a colleague who specialised in organising concerts, book signings and formal events. And he began a string of net works for Irfan. Using those networks, Irfan managed to gather enough information and resources to create this incredibly unique business. As he explained, when the business established, the first year was the loneliest and most difficult time he has ever experienced. He explained that if it wasnt for the relationships he formed whilst working for Sony BMG, he would have never made it this far. He values the network he established in London, more than achieving his degree. At times, he believe that maybe he should have done things differently, maybe taken different routes, but he believes everything that has happened to him counts as experience. To conclude this essay, I have learnt that to be a successful entrepreneur, its critical to obtain a variety set of networks for yourself. To set up a successful new business, you must make relations with those who you believe can help you gain better results. By reading through this essay, I have learnt that not only the entrepreneurial experience is a hard and at times, long process, but it can affect an individual mentally. By carrying out a research about this field, I have learnt that those entrepreneurs who constantly try and expand their networks, and use their social network contacts to learn about new opportunities, often find a shorter route to success than those solo entrepreneurs (Wiklunk, 2006). Trying to expand your network of contacts is like investing in a flow of information, at a cost of putting the effort of finding those contacts and maintaining a positive relationship with them. By looking at different types of theories and stories from entrepreneurs, I learnt th at the majority of experienced entrepreneurs advice those younger entrepreneurs to expand their range of networks, and most importantly, maintain a diversified network. Weak ties are as important as strong ties. Entrepreneurship is about change, its about offering the market something unique, and throughout the entrepreneurial process, the entrepreneur will face environmental changes, changes which can be extremely challenging, hence the entrepreneur needs to be prepared to face these challenges. Having a network becomes like mechanism, a device created to help you to successfully respond to these changes.

Safety And Security And The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

Safety And Security And The Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay Introduction and Background of the Study Safety and security plays a big role in this century. Everyone is concerning about their safety and security when they are staying in the hotel during vacation. In the worldwide hotel industry, the management too concern about safety and security issues pertaining on their guests and employees. In the hospitality industry, they are proud of themselves because they are known friendly to everyone in such way of attitude in welcoming their customers or guests. Therefore, they should practice and maintain the concept of a home-from-home with their open-door approach with comfort, convenience and privacy to their guests (Gill, Moon, Seaman Turbin, 2002). After the disasters such as terrorist attack at Luxor Egypt in 1992 and 1993, 852 passengers died on the shipwreck of Estonia in Baltic Sea on 28th September 1994, Iraq war terror attack of September 11, 2001 in New York, United States, the SARS epidemic in 2003, Tsunami disaster on 26th December 2004 in Thailand and Bali bombings, the need for safety and security around the world is growing and the topic of safety and security has become a popular discussion among the people in the world. Besides, most of the hotels have now implemented a safety and security plan as well as quality plan such as providing training for the employees and guests safety and security (Steene, 2009, Lockyer, 2007 and Helena Natasa, 2010). The hotel management has separated the hotel safety into two broad categories which are safety and security. The management categorized safety as in the services provided, also included the construction of the hotel interior designed whereby making sure they are safe built for the employees to work in and in-house guests. However, security in hotel related to threats that set by people than setting by the physical surroundings, which means it depends on the person who set the security danger that cannot be predict (Policy Department, 2008). Based on Enz (2009) personal definition on safety and security, she defined safety as protecting guests safety, while keeping guests property safe will be included in the security definition. In other words, according to Enz and Masako (2002), safety involves in protecting employees and guests while in the hotel area from serious injured and death. In terms of safety, it can be further categorized by various aspects such as fire safety and others aspects of hotel safety. As for hotel safety, it includes food safety, swimming pool safety and not forgetting the hotels property safety such as crime safety (Policy Department, 2008). Problem Statements Training safety and security measures is important to the hospitality industry whereby without the important of measures, the hospitality and tourim industry will not have boom so fast. This is because everyone take their life as precious as gold. Unfortunately nowaday, hotels only used of the tecnology safety and security system to protect their guest. They should have also used of training method and procedures to train their employees and educate guest as a precautions for accidents to happen. Morever, the hospitality should be more concern on which aspects that will have a high rate of accidents happen in the daily rountine. However, why training is crucial for the hospitality industry to look upon on? What are the ways that the hospitality industry able to use to train their employees and guests to keep safe from danger? Which aspects must they concerned on? Research Objectives The intention of this research is done to determine employee safety and security training and education for guests do helps to minimize the safety and security issues in the hospitality industry. This research is carried out to achieve several objectives in the following below: To determined the importance of training safety and security. To determined the ways that the hotels implement to train their employees and educate guests on safety and security to feel secure and comfortable while in the hotel. To identify the factors that the hotels will look into concern and train employees and educate guest to prevent these issues to happen. Research Questions This study is attempted answer the research questions in the following below: Why it is importance of training safety and security? What are the ways that the hotel implements to train their employees and educate their guests on the safety and security? What are the factors that the hotels will look into concern and train employees and educate guest to prevent these issues to happen? Hypothesis Statement The hypothesis in this research will be done based on the value of the population which the hypothesis statement will be related to the importance of training safety and security does lower the percentage of safety and security issues. In this hypothesis research, the author has used a statement which will give less bad effect on the result. Ho = There is no significance between the importance of training safety and security will lower the percentage of safety and security and have no effect on safety and security issues. H1 = There is a significance between the importance of training safety and security will lower the percentage of safety and security and have no effect on safety and security issues. Theoretical and Conceptual Framework The importance of training safety and security on employees and guests Importance of training safety and security Training the employees on safety and security Ways and factors to concerned on Fire safety Accident and private safety Educating guests on safety and security Crime safety and security Figure 1.1 A conceptual framework on the importance of training safety and security on employees and guests in the hotel industry. Basically the above figure shows about this research will be focusing on several facts and facts such as the aspects that the hotel should be more concerned on by implementing ways to protect them. Before the author determined the aspects and ways on protecting the employees and guests safety, the author would like to explain on the importance of training safety and security on employees and guests and not just relying on the safety and security features such as CCTV and others more. As for the aspects for the hotel to be concerned on will be the fire safety, accident and private safety and crime safety and security. These aspects should be concerned on because they will happen in our daily life. Fire is a phenomena aspect which we cannot predict to happen, thus it is important for the hospitality to train the employees and guests on ways to overcome it when it happens. As for accidents and private safety, if the employees and guest are teach to prevent them to happen, the rate of accidents will be lower down. For example, housekeepers should be trained in a right way to clean the room with safety measures. Crime happens almost every day in our life, thus the hotel should also take in precautions even though there are security police and officers. For example, the hotel needs to train employees on ways to not fall into the criminal traps when they suspected suspicious people wondering in the hotels. Significance of the Study Training employees and educate in-house guests in order to keep themselves safe and secure is a very important elements in the hospitality and tourism industry nowadays. With the training of safety and security, they will reach the employees and guests satisfaction where they will feel safe just like they are in their own house. In the mean time, it will also increase the attention from the outsiders and travelers if they know the hotel manage well in safety and security matters, thus this will brings benefits to the hotel when they need more manpower and increase the economy and status of the hotel. The author had recognized the types of training methods for employees and guests to follow to overcome the negative factors which will make them feel safer while being in the hotel at anytime and anywhere. Moreover, the effects of these method used will minimize the safety and security issues. This research will help the organizations in the hospitality industry to understand the purpose of training safety and security will benefit the employees and travelers. This will also benefit the hotel as they practice and applying on the employees and guests to manage and improve the safety and security measures. Scope and Limitation Basically, this research is mainly focusing on the method that the hotels management uses to train their employees and educates their in-house guests in order to keep them safe and secure, also help to reduce negative issues that will happened in the hotel and the surrounding. Hotels keep them safe and secure in terms of avoiding injuries and death on the employees and guests when there are accidents, crime and fire. However, there are several limitations related to this study have occurred in order to complete this research successfully. Firstly, it will be the availability to search for secondary data, the electronic sources. The author has faced some difficulties in searching additional information and electronic articles and journals from the websites that related to training safety and security for employees and educating guests when being in the hotel. Even though, the respective college university has provided several sources for the author like academic websites but there are still lack of sources for the author to collect more information because some of the journals and information need to be purchased before consume. Moreover, the author had faced some challenges because of lacking experience and knowledge in conducting a proposal. It is a great challenge when the author does not have sufficient experience and the skills to collect strong and good data for this research. CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction In this chapter, it will contains the finding of the authors had done research regarding on the important of training the employees and educate the guests, also several ways to train the employees and educate guests to keep safe while they are in the hotel. Besides, it will also include the factors where the hotel will be more concern on and avoid injuries happened. As for the previous researchers findings and theories, they will be used as supporting information also ensuring that the methods and factors will be focusing on will help in this research. Moreover, all information and data that have been gathered for this research are from various secondary data sources such as electronic articles and journals. 2.2 Importance of training for safety and security The word training is means by giving a person the actual and enough information to him or her needed in order to work safely. It is not crucial that training need to have a formal class session or seminars and courses for the employees to attend. In this generation, there are various aspects that make the hotel successful whereby these aspects are health, safety and sustainability of the attractions business (Williams 2008). According to Pitt (2007), in United Kingdom, there are about more than 30 million of working days lost in each year due to employees health sickness and seven million are because of employee injured in the working place. Every year, there are more than a million of employees suffering from bully while working by their own colleagues or public. Therefore, in order to reduce the number of workplace injury and others factors, training employees and guests to keep themselves safe while working and staying in the hotel are crucial. Based on the research by Health and Safety in the Catering Industry Liaison Committee, there is a legal law to provide information and training regarding to health and safety aspects to all employees who are needed (http://www.hse.gov.uk). 2.3 Training employees Weitze (2008) noted that if the hotel management is lacking of employees training, lack of maintaining the policies and procedures and lastly lacking of prevention, these will all lead to a safety related incident. Thus, it is important to train the employees from the hotel itself first before to educate the guests. Moreover, the staffs of Shangri-la Hotel are the first people who will interact with the guests once they step into the hotel. It does not matter they are from which department of the hotel, as long they are Shangri-la Hotel employees such as bell boy, front desk staffs, housekeepers and more, the employees are responsible to create a culture of safety and professionalism to keep themselves safe and keeping the guest safety and security as well (Kwiecinski, 2010). Therefore, it is crucial for the management to train every employee to be able to face to face in any accidents such as fire, police and other emergency services people so that they may help out if that is a need (William, 2008). Based on a health and safety manager, Duncan Aspin, he had stated that managers need to shape up health and safety training policy for ensuring every employee have sufficient training on safety and security issues to reduce accident (Mottram, 2005). For an example, according to Mottram (2005), providing program regarding on staff development and safety training has given a hand to North-West division of Birse Civil to achieve zero percent accident rate, which is also the top 1 company in UK as construction industry for safety. Therefore, training employees not only will help to save their lives but also help Shangri-la Hotel to rise up hotel status. 2.4 Educating guests Besides Shangri-la Hotel train their employees to keep themselves safe and implementing safety and security features for the guest safety, it is also important for them to train their in-house guests to take care of themselves as well. In general, everyone who travels around and look for accommodations would expect they will be safe and their property will be secure leaving them in the hotel while they are out for travel. However, sometimes it is hard to predict that guest will be safe by just depending on the hotels safety and security features, thus the guests should also learn how to protect themselves away from crimes, accidents and fire. According to the research by Mottram (2005), in the year of 2003, 80 people who include the guests and employees of Birse Civils have attended the safety management and courses. In result, the company has recorded as zero accidents occur within the company area. 2.5 Ways and factors that will be concerned on 2.5.1 Fire Safety Fire accident is an accident whereby we cannot predict when to happen and when not to happen. Even if there is a fire, the guests might not know how to handle because they are not aware of it. Therefore, the hotel management should take precautions on handling the safety of their employees and guests. For example, sometimes foreign in-house guests might have slow respond to the evacuation alarms when it rings because they do not have an understanding situation in the local hotel (Roberts Chan, 2000). According to Helena Natasa (2010), in order to protect guest safety, the management of the hotel needs to educate guest by providing instructions, labels and reminders which related to fire preventions. The purpose of implement this so that guests will not be panic and nervous when there is fire accident, in fact they will stay calm and know the way to leave the hotel building safely. Throughout the research, as for the fire precautions to protect the guest and employees safety, Shareton Hotel did the best in training their employees to handle fire incident in order to save their life and the guest life too. They provide full induction and training for all hotel staffs on working safe procedures and responses which relate to fire. Besides, new personnel will be trained to use types of extinguishers and taught them ways to handle when the hotel is on fire (Roberts Chan, 2000). 2.5.2 Accidents and Private Safety In the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), it has stated in 1970 that each working people either man or woman in the nation need to have a safe and healthful working conditions which also means that without having any injuries during the working period (Hobson, 1996). In the hospitality industry, it is important for the hoteliers to look into this aspect because accident can happen in the hotel easily at anytime and anywhere on the employees and guests. In the research by Mottram (2005), the company of Birse Civils does provide training to their employees which included first-aid training. This training is to ensure that their employees are qualified to the Health and Safety Regulation 1981, which need four days training at St John Ambulance premises. Thus, as for all hospitality industry, the management should provide training like this as a protection to their employees and guests safety. In addition, in certain time, housekeeping department has a high percentage of causing accidents when the housekeepers do not handled dangerous chemicals in a proper way and practicing unhealthy poses while cleaning the rooms. Due to they are dealing with dangerous hazardous chemicals which will affect their health and life, safety and security training and orientation are important and should be practice in the housekeeping department even though the housekeepers did not handle any machinery. As an example, Wyswert hotel does provide training and information for the housekeepers on what they are supposed and not supposed to do (Kristanti Kuhn, 2005). However, sometimes it is a part of the employees jobs to protect the in-house guests safety. Leong (2000) has stated that the entire employees need to be trained so that they know about the security procedures to follow on which will be helpful for the guests. Thus, training employees is important especially when the front desks agent is dealing with the arrival guests room key. According to Kristanti Kuhn (2005) and Woods, Ninemeier, Hayes Austin (2007), they have mentioned that front desk agents are not allowed to give out keys, room numbers, messages and mail to anyone from the requester without the owners of the room real identity. Also, during the process when the front desk agent passes the room key to the guest, they should not announce the guests room number out in the public. In addition, restaurant staffs also play a role in keeping the guests safety and security whereby they need to keep their customers property in secure when they are having their meals in the respective restaurant. The restaurant manager needs to train the server to be more alert on the customer belongings (Kristanti Kuhn, 2005). 2.5.3 Crime Safety and Security Nowadays, violent crime in the workplace has become a world issue that everyone will concern. Therefore, it is now has become a problem to the hospitality industry that they will be facing and this problem is increasing in other countries (Hobson, 1996). After the incident of a popular singer was raped with a knife pointed at her in Long Island motel, the issues of security become a serious issue to all hotels in the United States (Leong, 2000). Therefore, hotels have aware of crime issues and security system and start practicing crime management (Gill, Moon, Seaman Turbin, 2002). Crime in the workplace has generally separated into different categories such as robbery and other commercial crimes, employer or other employee direct situations and terrorism. In order to minimize the rate of violence crime in the hospitality industry, the management can strengthen the manager and supervisors security skills and ways to use first aids. It is important for both of them to be expert in managing these securities because they are the one will handle the problems when there is a problem. For example of a case that happened in Pasadena, Texas in 1977, the manger of the hotel did not help the victim because of lacking of security knowledge (Hobson, 1996). Besides training the higher level of management, training the front line employees is needed too so that they will have the knowledge on handling it. The management of the hotel can give training such as smile training which known as dont look them in the eyes training to teach the employees so that they will be more prepare and calm when there is a situation occur. A clear and understandable instruction should be given in order to avoid fighting when there is a robbery (Hobson, 1996). Under the research that has been done by Shellum (2002), several hotels have taken action to strengthen the security issues. They have improved their security-guards training and then evaluate them by standard operating procedures so that it is constant. Research has shown that awareness is the most important tools in order to take care of safety, thus the example of the hotel has done show the right way of training the employees (Helena Natasa, 2010). Thus, they have increased the staff-awareness by giving them more training instead of hiring security guards (http://www.hotelasiapacific.com). CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction In this chapter, the author will be describing about the research methodology which will be using to collect data for this research and seeing how the data will reach the research objectives. With the used of this research methodology by following the structure of guidelines, it will help the author to collect reliable and trustable results for the research. In order to test the results for this research, qualitative and quantitative methods will be used as a support with one another and the outcome of the results will be accurate in this research. 3.2 Research Design Qualitative methods is used for this research whereby it will be rely more upon interviews sessions and some case studies research dealing with some small numbers of people. The author will collect the data and information by targeting to interview the people in Shangri-la Hotel on how they train their staffs and guests to keep themselves safe while being in the hotel. The author would plan to interview the managers based on one on one basis so that more information included own opinions and thoughts will be given by themselves. The interview questionnaire will be set and ask based on the related questions stated in Chapter 1. The progress of doing interview session with the respondent will basically starts with creating the interview questionnaires and scripts that have related to this research. After the progress of preparing the questionnaire that will be asked to the respondent, setting and conducting a direct test steps will be taken for the interview session. After all, the last section of the process will be the author interview the respondent in one on one basis. Quantitative method is another part of research methodology that will be used to collect information from the respondent. This research method will have less interview sessions and observation. However, it is more towards on the collections of the data and analyzes the numerical data and statistic. For this research, survey technique will be used by creating a survey questionnaire for the respondent, which is the guest in Shangri-la Hotel. This is done in order for the author to have more understanding on this research. 3.3 Data Collection In this research, there are two types of data collected that has been used for this study which are the primary data and secondary data. The combination of these two data collection may be useful and able to show accurate results which will help the author to do for this research. 3.3.1 Primary Data In this research, primary data is important for the researchers to collect data because the information that collected is direct from the respondent itself. Therefore, it will be much more accurate. However, this method that will be used requires more time, cost and energy to complete. Thus, the author needs to spend more effort in order to collect great information and data. The primary data for this research will be collecting through one on one interview and questionnaire survey. Firstly, the author will be only target the manager of each department in Shangri-la Hotel to collect information and data which relate to this research. The respondent that will be interviewed will be at least at the manager level; therefore the results taken will be more useful and reliable. The interview questionnaire will be asked will more base on the ways and the factors of safety and security issues will be focusing on. The purpose of using interview method is because data that given will be more in depth and interviewer able to ask more personal question in order to gather extra information. Also, it is possible for the interviewer to record down the conversation during interview session as references and proofs with the permission approve from the interviewees. 3.3.2 Secondary Data Secondary data are data that have gathered and done by previous researchers and now become the needs for the current researcher. Besides, secondary data can be known as ready quick sources with strong facts and evidence. Secondary data includes books, journals, articles, news and others more. As for this research, the secondary data will be more relying on the electronic journals and less on academic textbooks. The data collected will be used more on internet sources because it is easy to gather valuable data which have done by someone else previously. Electronic journals articles that used to find relevant articles and journals as a support for some facts in this research are from the database of EBSCOhost from KDU e-library websites, Emerald from USCI library website and Google Scholar. All information that collected from these three websites is validity, accuracy also free for bias. In addition, the author will borrow some books for extra information which relate to the research doing from the library of KDU University College at Petaling Jaya campus. 3.4 Sampling Design 3.4.1 Sampling Technique The author would choose non-probability sampling as a tool to choose the respondent for this research study. The author will be interviewed the managers of Shangri-la Hotel through quota sampling to get information. However, quota sampling will not be a helpful tool for the author to do this research because not everyone is selected to be interviewed, thus convenience sampling will be use in survey questionnaire. The questionnaire will be distributed to the targeted respondents who are willing to answer the questions sincerely. With the use of this method, it gives the author to have large number of full complete questionnaires fast and inexpensive which help the author to save cost. 3.4.2 Sampling Frame In this research, the hotel that the author choose to do on research is Shangri-la Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, thus the author will only target the respondents who are the guests who stays in Shangri-la Hotel regardless of gender or races for the convenient sampling. As for the quota sampling, the author will only select people who have a high level of management to interview.