Fundamentals of Management Essay Example for Free

Fundamentals of Management Essay How does being decisive help, or hurt, conflict resolution? Should every decision be solely made by the manager? How should a manager handle criticism of his/her decisions by followers? There is nothing more annoying than a manager who can’t make a decision. If you don’t like making decisions or you feel you aren’t any good at it, you will disappoint a lot of people. On the other hand, it is preventable. Being decisive isn’t about making the right decision, it’s about making a decision. It’s about putting yourself in the driver’s seat of the car, you may decide to turn a different way later, but for now, you control the wheel and you choose where the car goes. Developing real conflict resolution skill sets are a crucial part of a building a maintainable business model. Unsettled conflict frequently results in a loss of production, represses creativeness, and creates obstacles to teamwork, most importantly for leaders, good conflict resolution skills equals’ good employee retention. Leaders who don’t deal with conflict will eventually watch their good talent walk out the door in search of a healthier and safer work environment. Decisions should be made solely or primarily by considering ones duties and the rights of others? The principle of management is making decisions. Managers are always required to evaluate alternatives and make decisions concerning a wide range of matters. Just as there are different managerial styles, there are different decision-making styles. Decision making involves confidence and threats. Decision makers have variable degrees of risk. Decision making also involves qualitative and measureable analyses, and some decision makers choose one form of analysis over the other. Decision making can be affected not only by rational judgment, but also by non-rational factors such as the personality of the decision maker, peer pressure, the organizational situation, and others. When it comes to criticism, it’s important to first understand that half of the stuff people say about you is true. So just take inventory, suck it up and change. And the other half they say about you is not, they are just revealing issues in their own lives. If you know yourself, you will know what you are good at and what you are not. Criticism will never stop, and it have a negative effect in your life. And that’s a big lesson I had to learn that has helped me as a person. â€Å"If you’re getting kicked in the rear, it means you’re out front. †

Problems with Act Utilitarianism

Problems with Act Utilitarianism According to act utilitarianism, the measure of the value of an act is the amount by which it increases happiness to a person. If the act produces much happiness as compared to any other act then the act is morally right. To understand the term act utilitarianism, compare the consequences of doing a charity work and the consequences of watching TV at home. A person can generate more happiness by doing charity work as compared to watching TV. In this situation according to act utilitarianism, the right thing for a person is to do charity work as compared to watching TV because charity work will generate more happiness. Problem with Act utilitarianism Though there is some criticism on this theory because for some people the act of torturing and enslavement is a source of happiness and this theory allows these act morally. This act according to some critics justifies crime. Another issue about this act is that how will the happiness be calculated. This is always difficult to find out that which act will generate more happiness. Rule utilitarianism Rule utilitarianismÂÂ  is a form ofÂÂ  utilitarianismÂÂ  that says an action is correct only if it conforms to a rule that leads to the greatest good and generates happiness. For rule utilitarians, the amount of good brought about when followed determines its rightness. ÂÂ  Rule utilitarians argue that following some rules leads to the greatest good will, and this will have have better consequences overall. Problem with rule utilitarianism In some cases ÂÂ  breaking the rule produces more utility so people tend to break rules. In this case sub-rules should be added that can handle such cases. Difference between Act utilitarianism and Rule utilitarianism These two forms of utilitarianism differ from each other. Act utilitarianism is based on consequences while rule utilitarianism is based on rules. Act utilitarianism sees the consequence of an action in itself whereas rule utilitarianism sees the consequences as if it will be repeated all over again. Act utilitarianism before choosing an act first looks into the consequences then the one with the better consequence is selected while rule utilitarianism looks first into the consequences of choosing what rule to follow. The more correct choice is the rule that generates the greatest utility or happiness. According to the theories, act utilitarianism is the belief that it is correct to break a rule as long as it brings a greater good and happiness, while Rule utilitarianism is a belief that even if a rule does not bring a greater good, breaking it will not bring a good either. In Act Utilitarianism the value of an action is not judged in terms of laws. Instead it states that when the actions benefit the most people they are moral. For example, a person might say it is moral to murder someone if they are a danger to society. even though the law is present against murder. Rule utilitarianism states that an action is correct only in reference to a rule. It measures the amount of good an individual action does by acting according to a law. For example, taking the same example of murder, a person might say ÂÂ  Murder is wrong according to the law and if everyone follows the law, no one will have to be afraid of being murdered and we can be in public and private spaces without any fear. Conclusion Act utilitarianism states that an act is correct if the act produces much happiness as compared to any other act. Act utilitarianism sees the consequence of an action in itself . There is some criticism on this theory because for some people the act of torturing and enslavement is a source of happiness and this theory allows these act morally. Rule utilitarianismÂÂ  is a form ofÂÂ  utilitarianismÂÂ  that says an action is correct only if it conforms to a rule that leads to the greatest good and generates happiness. There is some criticism on this theory because in some cases ÂÂ  breaking the rule produces more utility so people tend to break rules. The difference between these two acts is that act utilitarianism sees the consequence of an action in itself whereas rule utilitarianism sees the consequences as if it will be repeated all over again. Act utilitarianism is the belief that it is correct to break a rule as long as it brings a greater good and happiness, while Rule utilitarianism is a belief that even if a rule does not bring a greater good, breaking it will not bring a good either.

Analysis of Edgar Allan Poes The Black Cat :: Poe The Black Cat Essays

Analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat      Edgar Allan Poe wrote that the single effect was the most important aspect of a short story, which everything must contribute to this effect. Poe’s gothic tale â€Å"The Black Cat† was written trying to achieve an effect of shocking insanity. In this first person narrative the narrator tells of his decline from sanity to madness, all because of an obsession with two (or possibly one) black cats. These ebony creatures finally drive him to take the life his wife, whose death he unsuccessfully tries to conceal.   This short story easily achieved the effect that Poe was looking for through the use of description of setting, symbolism, plot development, diverse word choice, and detailed character development. In most cases, the setting is usually indelible to a story, but â€Å"The Black Cat† relies little on this element. This tale could have occurred anywhere and can be placed in any era. This makes the setting the weakest element of â€Å"The Black Cat.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Next, symbolism is always an integral part of any Poe story. The most obvious of symbolic references in this story is the cat’s name, Pluto. This is the Roman god of the underworld. Pluto contributes to a strong sense of hell and may even symbolize the devil himself. Another immensely symbolic part of â€Å"The Black Cat† is the title itself, since onyx cats have long connoted bad luck and misfortune. The most amazing thing about the symbolism in this story or in any other of Poe’s is that there are probably many symbols that only Poe himself ever knew were in his writings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, Poe’s plot development added much of the effect of shocking insanity to â€Å"The Black Cat.† To dream up such an intricate plot of perverseness, alcoholism, murders, fire, revival, and punishment is quite amazing. This story has almost any plot element you can imagine a horror story containing. Who could have guessed, at the beginning of the story, that narrator had killed his wife? The course of events in â€Å"The Black Cat’s† plot is shockingly insane by itself! Moreover, the words in â€Å"The Black Cat† were precisely chosen to contribute to Poe’s effect of shocking insanity. As the narrator pens these he creates a splendidly morbid picture of the plot. Perfectly selected, sometimes rare, and often dark, his words create just the atmosphere that he desired in the story.

Government Censorship :: Internet Censoring Government Essays

Government Censorship Thesis: Government Censorship would damage the atmosphere of the freedom to express ideas on the Internet; therefore, government should not encourage censorship. The Internet is a wonderful place of entertainment and education but like all places used by millions of people, it has some murky corners people would prefer children not to explore. In the physical world society as a whole conspires to protect children, but there are no social or physical constraints to Internet surfing. The Internet Censorship Bill of 1995, also known as the Exon/Coats Communications Decency Act, has been introduced in the U.S. Congress. It would make it a criminal offense to make available to children anything that is indecent, or to send anything indecent with "intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass" ("Stop the Communications ..." n.p.). The goal of this bill as written (though not as stated by its proponents) is to try to make all public discourse on the Internet suitable for young children. The issue of whether is it necessary to have censorship on the Internet is being argued all over the world. There are numerous homepages on the World Wide Web discussing this issue, or asking people to sign the petition to stop government censorship. The Internet was originally a place for people to freely express their ideas worldwide. It is also one of America's most valuable types of technology; scientists use email for quick and easy communication. They post their current scientific discoveries on the Usenet newsgroups so other scientists in the same field of study all over the world can know in minutes. Ordinary people use the Net for communication, expressing their opinions in the newsgroups, obtaining up-to-date information from the WWW, acquiring files by using FTP, etc. Censorship would damage the atmosphere of the freedom to express ideas on the Internet; therefore, government should not encourage censorship. In the Internet community, there is a large volume of technical terms. For this reason, it is first necessary to examine the terminology specific to Internet. The Internet is a world wide computer network. The "Net" is frequently used in place of Internet. In the words of Allison and Baxter, two experts on Internet Censorship at the Monash University, "the Internet is comprised of various digital media subsuming many of the distinct roles of traditional media" (Allison and Baxter 3). Electronic mail (email), which is one component of the Internet, approximates person to person letters, memoranda, notes and even phone calls.

Modern Political Thoery and Liberalism Essay -- Political Science Argu

Modern Political Thoery and Liberalism The subject given for this paper was to â€Å"assess the alienation from liberalism found in modern and contemporary political theory.† To be honest, I don’t see a correlation with alienating liberalism and modern political thought through the time line of political theory in the 18th and19th century and through the 20th century. So, for this paper, I will prove the opposite. I will show, in my opinion, how the rise of liberalism has kept alive modern and contemporary political thought and action. I will begin with what I know of the beginning of liberal ideas and move through time showing how these liberal movements have been the basis for major changes in countries and that liberalism, in my opinion, has not been alienated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The French Revolution marks the beginning of liberalism where the community lashed out against French society. This is where status was legally stratified by birth. In consequence, French citizens persistently negotiated with one another and with the crown for better and more human rights. This is the marking of citizens wanting â€Å"natural rights† and lashing out against a political organization/government in order to achieve this. Webster’s Dictionary defines Liberal as â€Å"a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil liberties.†(Webster) I think that the rebel of citizens in the French Revolution fits perfectly into this definition and marks the basis for the subject of political thought.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the and after Industrial Revolution, due to liberalism, the social structure of society changed considerably. Before the Revolution most people lived in small villages, working either as farmers or craftsmen. With industrialization everything changed. The new enclosure law had left many poor farmers bankrupt and unemployed and machines capable of huge outputs made small hand weavers redundant. As a result, there were many people who were forced to work at the new factories. This required them to move to towns and cities so that they could be close to their new jobs. It also meant that they made less money for working longer hours. Add to this the higher living expenses due to urbanization and one can easily see that many families' resources would be extremely ... ...ere many outcries for women’s rights through liberalism and this was the basis of Political thought in the late 19th century and early 20th century. This is another example of how liberalism was kept alive in modern Political Thought. There are many feats in liberalism that lead the topic of Modern Political Thought The effect of liberal thought and ideals such as anti-welfare, anti-government regulation of business, anti-minimum wage, anti-income tax, pro-free trade, etc, is the basis for modern Political Thought which leads the way in conversation and essays about Modern Political Thought through liberalism. In this paper I have shown a timeline of modern liberal thinking which translates into Modern Political Theory and thought. I have shown how, in my opinion, the rise of liberalism has kept alive modern and contemporary political thought and action. I began with the French Revolution and showed the timeline of liberal movements and liberal thought which in turn a basis for political thinking was. All of which shows the opposite of the â€Å"Alienation form liberalism mound in modern and contemporary theory and thinking.† Works Cited http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary

Boeing Australia Case Study

Executive Summary Barilla is operating in a very old-fashioned distribution system that needs to be changed. Implementing this new JITD will increase efficiency across the supply chain. The system will reduce manufacturing costs, increase supply chain visibility, increase distributors’ dependence on Barilla, establish better relationship with distributors, reduce inventory level and most importantly improve manufacturing planning and forecasting using objective data. This JITD will see Barilla’s supply chain synchronized from manufacturing to end – users.Strategically, the best decision for Barilla is to implement the JITD program. This will allow for greater capability and flexibility to respond to inputs from end-consumers. In the JITD system, each distributor would provide Barilla with data from products that they shipped to retailers in previous days as well as current stock levels for each Barilla SKU. This data would then be used to make forecasting and rep lenishment decisions. The will result in a smoother running operating system and excellent customer service.To prove the credibility of JITD and win over apprehensive customers the involvement of top management will be employed. Within the next six months Maggali and top management team will analyze daily shipment data of the distribution chain. Next a database of historical and present demand patterns of distributors will be created and shipments will be simulated with JITD in place. This system will reduce stock out rates and inventory levels while increasing service levels. Next, experiments will be run at the Pedrignano depot and then the Milano depot.This will establish the credibility of JITD and win over distributors and retailers who are apprehensive in buying into this new system. Approximately ten top managers, from customer service managers to vice presidents, logistics, purchasing, sales and marketing and information technology managers will be involved in the decision m aking, implementation and monitoring of this new system. This will prove credibility of JITD and convince customers that change is inevitable and in this this case the benefits will be mutual. IssuesDeciding whether or not the Just In Time Distribution (JITD) model should be implemented into Barilla†s operations. Barilla is suffering from escalating operational inefficiencies. The company is being burdened by demand fluctuations in its manufacturing and distribution systems. Also, this large weekly variation in distributors orders is increasing overhead costs. Trying to convince internal and external customers of the benefits of JITD Barilla’s customers are unwilling to give up authority to place orders as they please.The lack of faith in Barilla’s inventory management also made some customers reluctant in giving detailed sales data so that Barilla could improve its forecasting demands. Customers perceived this JITD move as a quest by Barilla to transfer power to themselves. Internal customers are also resistant to this change as they as they view this concept to be infeasible and or dangerous. Environmental and Root Cause Analysis There is a growing burden that demand fluctuations are imposing on the company’s manufacturing and distribution system.Vitali has suggested for years that the company implement this innovative JITD which is modeled off JIT manufacturing. Vitali proposed that rather than follow the practice of delivering products to Barilla’s distributors on the basis of whatever orders distributors placed with the company, Barilla’s own logistics organization would instead specify delivery quantities that would more effectively meet end users’ needs and would also more evenly distribute the workload on Barilla’s manufacturing and logistics. This was heavily resisted both internally and externally.External people are saying that Barilla wants power over its distributors and wants to manage their inventory for them. On the other hand, the internal sales and marketing people thinks this JITD is unworkable and will reduce their workload so they see it as a threat and as a result they are putting up a resistance. The variability in demand is as a result of lack of forecasting systems or sophisticated analytical tools at the distributors end. Orders for Barilla’s dry products swing from week to week and such extreme demand strains Barilla’s manufacturing and logistics operations.For example, the specific sequence of pasta production necessitated by the tight heat and humidity specifications in the tunnel kiln made it difficult to quickly produce a particular pasta that had been sold out due to unexpectedly high demand. In addition, holding sufficient finished goods inventories to meet distributors order requirements was extremely expensive when weekly demand fluctuated so much and was so difficult to forecast. Advertising and trade promotions are also intensifying the resistance to implementing this JITD.Distributors have become accustomed to price discounts through volume orders, promotional activities and transportation. Barilla’s sales strategy relied on the use of trade promotions to push products into the grocery distribution network. Distributors looks forward to these promotions and also sales people within Barilla looks forward to giving distributors discounts in this very old-fashioned distribution system. Alternatives and/or Options Implementing the JITD system would prove beneficial to the company and its overall supply chain management.Benefits of this JITD would be reduced manufacturing costs and inventory levels, better relationship with distributors due to increased supply chain visibility and distributor’s dependence on Barilla and overall improvement in manufacturing planning using objective data collected. For sales people this would be a selling tool rather than a threat to sales. Distributors will also see an improved fill rate to retail stores, additional service from Barilla without any extra cost and reduced inventory holding costs.Disadvantages to these are lack of infrastructure to handle JITD, risks of inability to adjust shipments quickly to stock-outs, cost benefits uncertainties, unconvinced distributors and reduction in responsibilities for Sales Representatives. Recommendation It is recommended that Barilla implement this JITD system in its supply chain. The system will provide customers with additional service at no extra cost. It will also improve Barilla’s visibility with the trade and make distributors more dependent on the company.This dependence or vendor management inventory (VMI) system will improve relationships between Barilla and distributors. More important, is the information regarding the supply at the distributors’ warehouses would provide the company with objective data that would allow for improvement in planning procedures and forecasting. In a ddition, distributors will not only improve their fill rates to retail stores but reduce their inventory holding costs. Sales and marketing people will realize that this JITD will be a selling tool rather than a threat to sales.This in the long run improves overall performance in operations. Implementation Maggiali needs to look at JITD as not only a logistics program but as a company wide effort and get top management from both sides involved in decision -making and teamwork. With top management on board, the first implementation will be done at Barilla’s largest DO (organized distributor) the Cortese. Within the next six months Maggali and top management team will analyze daily shipment data of the distribution chain.Next a database of historical and present demand patterns of distributors will be created and shipments will be simulated with JITD in place. This system will reduce stock out rates and inventory levels while increasing service levels. Next, experiments will be run at the Pedrignano depot and then the Milano depot. This will establish the credibility of JITD and win over distributors and retailers who are apprehensive in buying into this new system. An information system will also be implemented to communicate with all customers.SKUs will be barcoded so that they are easily identifiable; that is Barilla’s code and distributor/customer codes. Using this coding system, the company will be able to receive information through any code and also reduce the impact of internal changes in products on DO systems. Barilla’s forecasting systems will be under improvement so that the company can make good use of information received. Monitor and Control There has to be credibility of this new venture in order to convince customers both internally and externally to sign on.In order to reap success in any new initiative top management have to be involved. A team of approximately ten top managers including managing directors, marketing and s ales managers, logistics managers, purchasing managers, vice presidents and information technology managers will monitor the implementation of this new initiative, JITD. Each day customers will send information to Barilla using EDI (electronic data exchange) systems. This information will include; customer codes, previous day’s stock-outs, previous days sales and advance orders for future retailer promotions.This will help Barilla to improve internal operations for the company and customers alike, now that Barilla will be responsible for determining quantities and delivery schedules. This will see a reduction in inventory levels, distribution costs, manufacturing costs, improved responsiveness to distributors demands. Overall efficiencies in the company’s operations will be evident in every link of the supply chain. Monitoring and control will be an ongoing process to minimize inefficiencies in operations.

H.G. Wells’ View of Race Essay

In the assigned reading about and by H. G. Wells there is little to indicate that he is a racist. In the two short stories Wells has the narrator refer to African natives as â€Å"heathens† in â€Å"Aepyornis Islands and as â€Å"niggers† in â€Å"Jimmy Goggles the God. † Likewise in the assigned sections of the of book Tono-Bungay, the narrator refers to niggers. By today’s standards such words are often automatically assumed to be a sign of bigotry against a race, and if they were written today they might very well indicate such a tendency. However at the time when Wells wrote, political correctness had not reared its ugly head and people, particularly English people describing the natives of Africa as â€Å"niggers. † This was the word used. It was not necessary a deprecating term, it was â€Å"the† term. When Wells uses the word he is conforming to the vernacular of the day. This is not to say that there isn’t something of an elitist attitude in the characters Wells created. There seems to be three things that Wells consistently lampoons: the Christian religion, the ignorance of people of all sorts, and the superior, toffee-nosed attitude of the English. Wells was a writer of satire. He pokes fun at religion both when he describes the readiness of the natives to consider him a god in â€Å"Jimmy Goggles the God† as well as enjoying the playing of a practical joke on the missionary to embarrass him in front of the villagers. He clearly dislikes ignorance, particularly those people who foolishly pontificate on things they know nothing about such as the orchids and the aepyornis, and the case of Dawson v. Butcher. Lastly he enjoys satirizing the overly self-important attitude of English men who go into the jungle and expect this to be just they he expected them to be when he was sitting back in his private club in London. It is as if anything that is not English is improper and is only tolerated because the standards of the people in such places as the jungle are embarrassingly low and likely to stay that way. In Tono-Bungay Wells lets the narrator tell his story of a trip into the jungle where a man came from a village and â€Å"hailed us in and unknown tongue† (emphasis mine). He did not say it was a language he did not speak, but because it was not Oxbridge English, it was â€Å"unknown. † Interestingly, because Wells sees fit to make fun of such a superior attitude, one cannot help but wonder if he is not poking fun at himself at the same time because of his attitude toward members of these groups of people.