My Blueprint of Professional and Personal Growth

This paper is my analytic theorem to my Blueprint of Professional and Personal Growth from the course â€Å"Managing People & Promoting Collaboration†. It gives a brief breakdown of my path to become a manager I aspire to be, how my relationship with my family, partner and work can be a root of my happiness and how sure I maintain my personal integrity of ethics and morales within my work environment.An executive summary is presented to show how the course educated me in a more systematic way and how it helped me identify my strengths and weakness as a manager, how I can build a functional team, managing team and teams in virtual environment, building a team charter and etc†¦ Furthermore, in detail is one goal I added to my previous goals I identified in the previous course â€Å"Dynamic Leadership†, that I plan to achieve in my personal and professional development.Executive SummaryThroughout this course, Managing People & Promoting Collboration has educated and e nlightened me in four aspects – how to manage people, how to build a successful team, how to select a strategy to use in supporting a positive work environment and creating & sustaining culture in organization. Managing people can be natural as well as an acquired skill. Due to human nature that is ever changing and evolving, management also in order to be effective must also be evolving and be able to accommodate dynamicity. As this course exposed me to so many different concepts, theories and strategies in building a functional team, team work and fostering collaboration.I was able to identify my strength and weakness as a team leader which actually can aid as well as can hamper my ability to manage. Thought-provoking topics we covered during the eight (8) weeks ranging from finding an effective  manager; ensuring effective communication in organizations; handling difficult conversations; motivating others & personal motivation and purpose; strategies required to motivate team members; giving effective feedback; forming a team & selecting members; building a team charter; building functional teams; managing diverse teams and teams in a virtual environment; my role as an effective collaborator; ethical challeneges and legal risks of being a manager; creating a sustainable organization; strategies, theories and concepts on promoting a positive work environment and being a manager that’s a dynamic leader.Two elements that improved my understanding of managing people and fostering collaboration is effective communication and vulnerability based trust. The key to effective communication within team members is the context of the information. â€Å"Team members, therefore, must be aware of what, where, and when to communicate information to achieve effective and efficient outcomes† (McComb, 2012). Furthermore a team with a creative behavior creates an environment that could compel them to work with determination. Being able to make a difficul t task look like a fun game, the ability to challenge each other’s ideas in order for a new idea to arise and to be innovative.â€Å"When teams engage in creative behavior, their activities are focused on generating novel and useful ideas and solutions† (Colquitt, Lepine, Wesson, 2013). Also having energetic persona within the team keeps the team in rhythm and enables the team members to make spontaneous decisions – energetic persons have the natural powers of conviction and are able to communicate to others their point of view openly and with acuity. Most importantly, building vulnerability based trust according to Lencioni, â€Å"This means that members of a cohesive, functional team must learn to comfortably and quickly acknowledge, without provocation, their mistakes, weaknesses, failures, and needs for help.They must also readily recognize the strengths of others, even when those strengths exceed their own† (Lencioni, 2003). Such a trust enables the team to work with each other recognizing and admitting their strengths and weakness and they accept each other’s challenge as a lesson or an experience to their skills and not as an offence. Learning to be humble and show humility with each other will lead to successful team collaboration. This will enable the team to accept others point of view with keenness and also allow them to face any hindrances and challenges with  diplomacy.Moreover, this course assisted me in learning how to create a team charter in which it has showed me my strength and weakness. A Team Charter helps â€Å"team members recognize their complementary skills, their common purpose, common goals, and mutual accountability† (Byrd & Luthy, 2010, p. 14). It made me understand how to be prepared for any arising conflicts and how to manage it. †Conflict management works best when the parties involved in a disagreement are equipped to managing it themselves† (Weiss & Hughes, 2005). I also learnt the importance of feedback and feed forward. â€Å"Feedforward helps people envision and focus on a positive future, not a failed past† (Goldsmith, 2002). How it puts the employees in a check list in order to spot where they are wrong and perform better.â€Å"Effective feedback helps the coachee see the gap between intended performance and actual performance† (Payne, V. 2007). The requirements needed to excel and improve in their workforce. †Employees can provide useful input on the effective of procedures and processes and as well as input to managers on their leadership effectiveness† (Goldsmith, 2002). I believe that I can be more impactful to organizations due to my improved understanding by the way I can improve team building and team work as well as forster collaboration among collegues. I would also be able to be impactful as a manager who is able to lead, a leader who is able to communicate effectively, and one who can motivate others, a good manager that has an inspiring values following with ethics and morales at work and with the team memebrs; most importantly I can be a leader who can manage people and resources of an organization effectivtely and efficiently.â€Å"Some of the most critical decisions a manager makes involve personal values- how much emphasis to place on the immediate interests of the customer or the long-term interests of the company† (Posner, 2009). The understanding of effective communication has changed the way I view the job of a manager and the way I can practice collaboration in the organization because it has made me realize that the manager is not just a post or position but a responsibility taken upon oneself to utilize resources in an organization and to make sure that every individual under his control is aware and equipped with all the necessary information and that communication flows to and fro management to employees and between employees in oder to keep all parties involved in tune with organization’s objectives and targets.My goals to be successful and finish with my MBA in  the nearest future has grown even more stronger and this course has exposed me to the possibility of using other people to achieve these goals by learning from them and openining myself to opinions of others. Taking advices as well as giving advices to others that have problems and learning from the results. In other words, this course taught me how to feed forward effectively. â€Å"Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things.† â€Å"Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It improves responsibility.† – Peter DruckerLive, Learn & Loveâ€Å"The worm on the hook for the fish† – I stated this in my previous post as my motivational theme. The desire to achieve the goal and knowing what needs to be done to achieve that goal. The truth is I don’t know if I would be happy in my career, but I do enjoy and d o know that I want to be happy in any field I choose to be in and give a hundread percent to achieveing things expected of me. Being a manager must start with me being able to first manage myself, because if I can not take charge of things around me that are available to me and motivate myself to be the best I can be with the resources at my disposal then it would definitely be unnatural to manage others.And I can be that manager I aspire to be by gradually practicing and building on myself and then applying it to with others. I have to show others that I can lead and manage and that I believe in myself- by coaching and teaching them through what I have learnt and through my experiences. I must say it is an uneasy task to lead and manage especially when it comes to a diversity workforce of gender, qualifications, ethnicities and etc†¦ But I like the challenege as it gves me joy and eagerness into gaining more experience, learning openly without fear of making mistakes and enabl e me to make the right decisions. No relationship is perfect, I argue with my spouse and family at times and yet they are the one’s I seek advices and support from. I love them and they love me and we want to keep loving each other and pushing each other to attain the best things we want to acheive in life and more.My father taught me that family comes first and there is no joy if there is no family bond. Nothing is perfect and what makes the thrill of the bond to be unbreakable is all those arguments and laughter after that. What makes me sure that I can be happy with my partner and family is  because first and foremost, I want to be happy and remain that way with what I have. Though there would be differences and clashes at times because no one and nothing is perfect, I know that we can always try to make each other content and importantly, as long as we keep trying, that’s really want counts.Regardless of the fact that I may not be able to see or have enough time for my partner and my family am just glad that technology beats it all in bringing me close to them through phone calls, emails, skype and other applications. I for one can not please or make everyone happy, but to sustain my relationship with my family, partner and work I try as much as possible to separate my professional life from my personal life and also as I give my full time to my work I also have to give sometime for my personal matters. When it comes to intergrity, personal morales and ethics, I have come to realize that when in Rome, behave as the Romans would at the same time having standarnds and limits to what you can accept from others that are not ethically accepted by you is important.In business it is no new thing to get dirty for the greater good of the organization like to lobby or tell white lies; like hyping in other to make the organization have a favorable postion but at the same time safety, health and respect should never be compromised. I would as a leader work for the interest of the organization and push on to hit its projected targets but would pull the plug when its target are harmful and could end up bringing more loss then profit to the myself, the organization and its employees. Moreover, instilling humility and fairness is an important factor of my values in giving me a firm stand of integrity.Of course as a leader of a hospitality company I do make aware to my staff about policies and rules in order to control any unforeseen unethical behavior. Strategies that I am using at the moment in my organization as well as my personal life is firstly to communicate effectively – from the article of â€Å"Difficult Conversations† by Christensen, K 2011; feedforwad instead of feedback; the five (5) basic conditions to maintain an effective team by Coutu & Beschloss, 2009; building trust – vulnerability based trust by Lencioni, 2003 and the 4Rs of motivation by Maccoby,M 2010.The shared practices within the forum, he lped me to be more analytical and logic. Reading from my peers their diverse experience and goals, not only  powered me to achieve more, open other types of companies, listen more, better creative ideas, but most importantly they give me the â€Å"determination† in achieving them without fear and be prepared to face predicted challenges. My passion driven for the purpose; as the previous course â€Å"Dynamic Leadership† has taught me the dynamic styles of leadership due to dynamic personalities a leader have to encounter when leading others. This combined with Managing people & promoting collboation have broadened my goals and how I would develop my action plan.Action PlansDuring the shared practices and articles read during the eight (8) weeks of the course â€Å"Managing People & Promoting Collaboration† and the previous course â€Å"Dynamic Leadership†, I was able to build an action plan that I was taught from my previously. This has helped me see th ings more clearly and able to establish a clear game-plan and clarify my goals as a leader. Moreover, I was able to draw out many short and long term goals and have them prioritized. From the action plan that I have set, it is much easier to ride the wave of my success. As it is a stimulating elemenet that drives my passion for the purpose as I excel in my performance and also help others excel in theirs. Below is a new goal added to my list of the other goals I have planned previously.New Goal : My new goal is to improve my ability to motivate myself as well as others. My aim is to understand the personality traits of each employee and how they interact together; by identifying their strengths and weakness and coaching them if the need be. Motivation internal and external is a great factor that fuels the urge to achieve the unachievable. â€Å" Men and women want to do a good job, a creative job and if they are provided the proper environment, they will do so.† – Bill Hewlett – Co-founder, Hewlett-PackardObejctive 1: Self MotivationMilestones: a. Set mini goals or mini targets. This will aid me achieve a fraction of the major goal I have set. So this will actually help me feel like I am accomplishing something and I am moving forward in a bid to attain the entire target. Milestones: b. Positive mental attitude & enthusiasm to work. By avoiding negative feelings and persistently focus on the positive and eyes on the target. By talking to inspiring people or listening to new ideas. Being enthusiastic in finishing the mission; maintaining a healthy work and life balance. Obejctive 2: Motivating OthersMilestones: a. Mountain of vote of confidence. By making them aware that I am confident in the team members ability in getting the work done. Keeping things in perspective. According to Christensen article, Frederick Herzberg stated â€Å"the powerful motivator in our lives isn’t money, it’s the opoortunity to learn, grow in respo nsibilities, contribute to others and be recognized for achievements† (Christensen, 2010) Milestones: b. Recognition for those who portray exemplary attitudes in aiding the team, achieve its goals as well as also a collective reward for the teams success.Below is my previous goals I have listed in my previous course â€Å"Dynamic Leadership†. Goal 1 : My first goal as I mentioned in the post of week 7, is to successfully improve and expand the hotel industry that I am leading. My aim is to attract more customers and offer quality services. My calculated time frame for this is between 2 to 3 years.Obejctive 1: To do this I have to achieve my MBA within 2 years. Milestones: a. Implementation of new approaches and different leadership styles.Although with these time set objectives, there are other points that   will stay for a long term such as building team work that involves   shared goals, productivity and problem solving. b. Professional training: A period of 6 mon ths period will be   offered for advanced staff training to a more higher professional   level. With this knowledge I would be able to help guide the   people I lead, share with them my experiences and foremost   improve myself personally and professionally. Obejctive 2: Improve many features within the hotel industry which will take 6 to 9 months. Milestones: a. Establishing flexibility to access: Such as improve the  quality of   services, improve the advertisement criteria by subscribing to   different online booking websites like www.booking .com or   Expedia and also spreading of flyers to the airport and other public   vicinity – cafeterias, malls or supermarkets. b. Enlargement of infrastructure or amenities by increasing more   rooms and provide other facilities such as business center, spa and   gym which this will take approximately a year or so to put that into   settlement.Goal 2 : Obtain another MBA degree in Marketing to be achieved in th e commencement of the 3rd to 5th years. Obtaining more degrees may open doors to so many opportunities such as becoming more effective, more strategic, more developed, more crtitical thinking and be able to progress more strengthing my pillars in the realm of my business.Obejctive 1: To do this I have make a thorough research on the subject. Milestones: a. This is a milestone itself to plan to have another MBA degree in Marketing. I would do researches on the subject through the   internet or library or articles And also seek vices from my   academic advisor. b. Seek opinions and advices from family, friends, peers, colleagues   at work and most importantly from my academic advisor. More   prominently to know how this MBA, if pursued how it could be a   transition to effectively prepare for a career progression or a career direction.Obejctive 2: Time Management & Finances Milestones: a. Being that I am already pursuing an MBA degree I have to virtually draw a schedule betw een work, family , MBA – Project Management , Upcoming MBA – Marketing and myself. It is   essential that I don’t cram myself up and know if there is a   possibility I could pursue it comfortably. In the case if I did I would end up being workaholic plus MBA-holic. b. Financing my education wont be that much of a problem, being there is so many possibilities that I could fund my MBA. By   loaning from my income, family help maybe but may not be   needed, bank loan or a financial aid if applicableGoal 3 : Finally my last and ultimately crucial goal is to develop and enhance myself. After taking the Personal Values Survey, I was able to identify my eakness and would like to transform it into strength.Obejctive 1: Improve my communication skills with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds. Milestones: a. Improvement of communication skills, strengthening my   presentation as well as the way I carry myself in the business world   as well as in the society. b. Improve my ability to get information to and fro, people of diverse  culture and background in a clear, accurate and concise manner that would enable my messages to be clear and easy to understand. As in straight to the point, simple and understandable.Obejctive 2: To be more courageous Milestones: a. Build my courage esteem to venture into opportunities, ask questions and have a stand in decision making. b. To instill the valor to follow what I believe. As well as having a  personal and professional evaluation of things. Moreover I want to   have the courage to believe in my judgements and my intuition on business and other important decisions.As implied above, by achieving the goals and others I am planning for, I see and believe that these will help me advance to the next higher level and more professional. There is this quote that I stumbled across which resonated to me, â€Å"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.† – Vince Lombardi. I couldn’t agree less to this quote, because your team portrays you and vice versa, therefore in order to be an exemplary leader  for your people to look up to, one would have to be a genuine leader who is wise, modest, trustworthy and fair; to be supportive, to allow them the initiative, to involve them and to be true.I am aware of all the possible obstacles that could delay me and cause hindrance but I believe if you want to achieve something you will have to be well prepared to face the challenges ahead. Therefore, from the knowledge I have gained from this course, Managing People & Promoting Collaboration, not only it has heightened my beliefes but also give me the power to advance to another level I was not expecting to heed. My dad said, â€Å"Nothing comes easy†¦ To dream and to talk is free†¦ To achieve it requires your utmost effort and preparedness†.Therefore, I am de termined with trust and belief that together with my team I will achieve my goal with full passion and nothing is going to hold me back. A good relevant quote that shares the same point, â€Å"There’s nothing anyone can do to prevent you from reaching your potential; the challenge is for you to identify your dream, develop the skills to get there, and exhibit character and leadership. Then you need to have the courage to periodically reassess, make adjustments, and pursue a course that reflects who you truly are† (Kaplan, 2008).

Different political tribes’ opinions about Islam in Malaysia

Malaysia is a multi-cultural multi-ethnic and multilingual society with Malay, Indian and Chinese being the major races in the population. There are also other indigenous tribal groups and Bahasa Malaysia is the country’s national language although such other dialects like Mandarin, English and Tamil are widely spoken especially in the commercial and business sectors.The country’s official religion is Islam; practiced by majority Malayans but other religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity are also practiced (Verma 96). Malaysia is made up of two major regions that have been separated by South China Sea and consists of a federation of thirteen states and 3 federal territories. Although little interaction is notable, the communities are said to coexist in harmony regardless of their religious and cultural differences (Hussain).In Malaysia like in any other state that is predominantly Muslim it is hard to separate religion and state matters and much attention is paid to the manner in which Islam is represented in the socio-cultural and political spheres. It is no wonder then that in Malaysia, religion has become very much politicized while contentiousness marks the secular state (Lahoud 40, 43). In a multi-ethnic country that is on the modernization path like Malaysia the implications and reality of a government whose policies are rooted in Islam has begun to sink in the minds of most people.Such issues like Islamic state, freedom of religion, the hudoud law and freedom of expression have spilled out into the public arena as the two major Islamic political parties, the opposition PAS (Party Islam se-Malaysia) and ruling UMNO (United Malays National Organization) continue to struggle for political dominance in this nation. UMNO is the major political party and has dominated Malaysian politics for decades.After Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi came to power in 2003, there has been notable attempts to force Islamic values on non-Muslims and h is attempt to promote traditional Islam (Islam Hadari) has turned Islam into the integral part of all government policies (Esposito et al 94-103). The imposing of the Hijab on non-Muslim women in the police force and those working in restaurants, and the ban imposed on couples not to hold hands in public are clear indications of the way Malaysian government policies continue to affect the non-Muslim population.But PAS is opposed to Islam Hadhari and aims at establishing a state of Malaysia based on a theoretical approach of Islam as provided for in the Sunnah (way of the prophet and Quran) (Hussain). In view of the fact that Islam and Malay identity are so intertwined, there is a tough contest between the PAS and UMNO parties as they try to out-do each other on the political and religious arenas and win the role of Islam’s standard-bearer, and in such a way, the vote of the Malay constituents.UMNO has frequently been accused by PAS of failing to uphold Islam and its values wh ile UMNO accuses PAS of being fanatical and led by conservative traditionalists who pose a threat to the economic growth of the country. PAS goes on to criticize UMNO of practicing uneven development and in this way has managed to attract the appeal of the Malay Muslim. The PAS party has diverted its political propaganda from Malay nationalism and value of Islamic law and now stresses that is it’s committed to authentic Islam.The party leaders are using their position to transform social-cultural life among the Northern states governed by PAS (Esposito 94-103). Islamic institutions and mosques in opposition strongholds such as Selangor have been banned from any promotion of Islam Hadhari arguing that it is distorting the religion of Islam by including non-Muslims in its laws. PAS which is an opposition party goes on to argue that Islam Hadhari is leading to a loss of spiritualism in the Islamic religion and that Islam is being misused to promote economic development.Other opp osition parties like the people’s Justice Party (PJP) and Chinese dominated Leftist Democratic Party (CDP) have not opposed this ban. Various Muslim groups have also been debating over the role that Islam should play in Malaysian society, be it in relation to religious freedom in such a plural society, democracy or rights for minorities and women (Lahoud 40-43). In Malaysia, ethnic and religious diversity is prominent and certain religions are identified with certain ethnic groups for example Malays with the Islamic religion, and ethnic Chinese tribes with their traditional religions.The communalization of Islam by the Malays through their approach that ethical and religious interests are equal does not go well with non-Muslims who hold a view that Islam is to blame for underachievement in Malayan society (Verma 94). The Malaysian constitution defines all Malays as Muslim irrespective of their ethnic background and states that Islam should not be challenged either constitutio nally or conventionally. Introduction of religious discourse in national identification defining a Malayan as either Muslim or non-Muslim has not gone well with non-Muslims who view this move as discriminative.Although Islam puts emphasis on such principles as tolerance, peaceful co-existence, human brother-hood and respect for all, the Muslims in Malaysia like in any other Muslim dominated country seem to enjoy special rights and this status-quo is bound to continue until such a time that Islam gets modernized or reformed. Muslims in Malaysia have proved very reluctant to extend equal rights to the minority non-Muslim community and although other religious groups have been given freedom to practice their beliefs, this practice is limited and building of places of worship is sanctioned by the state.Demolition of some Chinese temples and several Hindu temples in 2004 and 2005 raised uproar within these communities leading to discontentment with the authorities. Worship places for Mus lims are also built from public funds while others are privately funded. The non-Muslim tax-payers are certainly not happy about this and view such a move as exploitation of the minority (Verma 94-103). Traditional Chinese’ view about Islam has however been more bent towards indifference rather than hostility.Ethnic Chinese are far above the Malays in the fields of trade, modern education and business and they find no good reason to show any interest in Islam because of its identification with inferior ethnic groups. The Malays on the other hand question the Islamic worth of ethnic Chinese cultural practices such as use of chopsticks for eating although this practice has been traditionally unacceptable to the Malays. Because of the attitude the Malay Muslims hold towards Chinese culture, the ethnic Chinese has got all the more convinced that Islam is not suitable for the Chinese people.Most of the Chinese oppose radical Islam because as they argue, it poses political oppositi on to Malaysia’s economic transformation. Non-Muslims and liberal Muslims accuse Islam of being intolerant to secularism and trying to interpret any issue on the basis of Islamic religion. They argue that Islam tends to be too rigid and fails to consider that social situations continue to evolve and change with time and that such interpretations as were used in ancient times re not compatible with the changing social situations (Esposito 92-107).In Malaysia, Muslims have all long enjoyed special religio-ethnic privileges at the expense of the Indians, Chinese and other indigenous communities that practice other religions. The non-Muslims are subjected to discrimination in the government-supported sectors such as education (scholarships, schools and universities) as well as in businesses and employment sectors. They are also subject to religious discrimination such as use of the Islamic Sharia laws to settle any religious disputes between the Muslims and non-Muslims, a practic e that is done in Islamic courts which remain inaccessible for non-Muslims.In the recent past, Shariah court rulings in marriage, conversion, child custody and divorce cases involving non-Muslim have also drawn much criticism from the non-Muslim community because the verdict is passed based on Islamic laws (Peletz 3-6, 12). But non-Muslims still continue to convert to Islam for marriage purposes and because they want to enjoy the special privileges accorded to the Muslims. A non-Muslim cannot be married to a Muslim unless the former converts to Islam first. But it is unfortunate that one cannot convert back to their original religion after a divorce because Islam gives no room for someone to desert the faith.They propagate that once a Muslim always a Muslim and those who have tried to change have only changed their belief but legally remain Muslim. In most cases in Malaysia conversion from Islam to another religion is not allowed especially for the ethnic Malay and such an offence w ill lead to a jail term or fine or in some cases both. Most public institutions are Muslim dominated and non-Muslims normally convert to Islam to be included in such institutions. The minority ethnic tribes of Malaysia also identify with Islam as the only means of being recognized by the state and benefiting from state programs (Esposito 92-96).Islam can be a blessing to all Malaysians if it is practiced the proper way. But the fact that the Muslims want to persuade the other communities into living an Islamic kind of life which according to the Muslims is the only acceptable way, has led to a lot of discontentment among the non-Muslims. Muslims forget that Islam is a religion and should not be forced upon others in a multi-racial country that advocates religious tolerance. It should therefore not determine the way of life of a different religious group or even determine the political system in such a multi-ethnic country like Malaysia.In a society where everyone pays tax irrespecti ve of their ethnic or religious background, it is most unfair that tax-payers money is only used to pay Islamic teachers and maintain Islamic institutions at the expense of others (Hussain). Views about Islam are also diverse among the Muslim believers and radical groups propagating for reform such as â€Å"Sisters in Islam† have become very strong in Malaysia. They are calling for more rights for women such as being allowed to learn and become judges in the countries judicial courts, and are also calling for an end to the outdated practice of polygamy.Such groups are fighting against religious radicalism that has been fighting to put the woman back to the confinement of the home in a society where formal education has been extended to every gender (Anwar). There is increased awareness that using Islam to design laws and public policies that will be used to govern private and public live in this country, will lead to a situation whereby it becomes very important to determine who is responsible for defining the role Islam plays in society.In Malaysia, women’s groups, political parties, NGOs, the Media and human rights organizations have began to engage in public debates on several such issues and the role that religion should play in political life. Most of these people feel that the state of Malaysia should be one in which there are equal rights for every citizen but not rights based on gender, ethnicity or religion (Hussain). Opinions about Islam in Malaysia therefore vary in different places depending on the ethnic and religious composition of the population and also depending on the political party that has its stronghold in a particular region.Different political parties, even those that are Islamist have had contrasting secular and Islamist stands. Such parties as DAP and PAS are extremely opposite in their view about Islamic law and practices where PAS takes a radical approach while DAP has a more secular approach. The struggle to attract t he Muslim vote that is going on between UMNO and PAS has however only led to a society where Islam is now more and more being used directly to define the way of life of the Muslims and indirectly that of the non-Muslims (Lahoud 40-43).

Advantages of oligopoly in UK supermarket industry

Advantages of oligopoly in UK supermarket industry Oligopoly in UK supermarket industry Supermarket, which provides a retail sales service, is an indispensable place for people who buy the daily things. The definition of oligopoly is that an economic condition in which there are few independent suppliers of a particular product that competitive pricing does not take place (Answer, 2010). It is manifest that the UK supermarket is under the structure of oligopoly. There are four main characteristics of supermarket in the UK. The first point with respect to this is that all the super markets in the UK sell similar products and produce branded products. Secondly, look at the bar chart on the right, the big companies has larger market share, because the big supermarkets will set high barriers to avoid new supermarket into market. More importantly, the companies must be interdependent. If one large supermarket takes an action, it will directly affect another supermarket. The chairman in the supermarkets has to take into account likely rea ctions of rivals to any change in price and output and the interdependence of sellers can keep the price stability. Finally, non-price competition is a significant strategy for selling, such as the VIP cards, online shopping. The term marketing mix refers to different elements within a strategy designed to create demand for a product (Anderton, 2008; 324). Considering of the marketing mix right for the products means all the important bases are covered in the marketing campaign and it will help the companies gain more profits. This market structure creates both advantages and disadvantages. The lower price and the creative services are the advantages, but in the oligopoly market, the collusion between the companies will have detrimental influence upon the consumers. In oligopoly market consumers can enjoy a lower price for the products. Most of supermarkets in the UK sell the products from the same grocery brands, such as Kellogg’s, Heinz and Walkers Crisps (Which, 2007). The products which be sold in different supermarkets are the same and we called it homogeneous. Mysupermarket (2010) illustrates that the same products in different supermarkets have a similar price. Thus, it means that all the supermarkets need to pay almost the same cost of the products. The larger companies might pay slightly lower than the smaller one, because the quantity of the goods which the larger companies need to buy is more than the small companies so that larger companies will have a bigger discount. The lower cost help the larger supermarkets have superiority in the low price to attract the consumers. Because of the oligopolistic market, all the companies compete on price so that different companies take different measures appeal to the consumers. Figure 2 is a kinked demand curve and it assumes that a firm will reduce its price if a competitor starts a price war, but will leave price unchanged if a competitor raises its price. Thanks for the oligopoly structure, price is rigidity. Tesco promotes the discount coupon to the consumers and they can use these coupons to save their money while they buy goods in Tesco (Couponmountain, 2010). Discount coupon appeals consumers to shopping in this supermarket, thereby making the contribution to marketing. BBC(2006) reports â€Å"Supermarket Sainsbury’s is to sell more than 500 of its own-brand products in compostable packs instead of plastic as it seeks to cut packaging waste†. Sainsbury’s uses new packing way to pack the organic fruit and vegetables. This can reduce the cost of products and it is also a good way for the environment. Providing the low price is in the best interests of consumer.

Professional ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional ethics - Essay Example The professional ethics usually go in line with the moral ethics, placing expectations to the members of the profession to act in a morally permissible manner. Examples of common professional ethics that cut across all professions include loyalty, transparency, integrity, honesty, among others. Some professionals such as medical practitioners have their own universal code of ethics which are observed world-wide by all the members of that profession. All medical doctors have to abide to the ‘Hippocratic oath’, which is their universal form of professional ethics. Professional ethics are very important not only for the professionals but also for the members of the public. They place some responsibilities on members of a certain profession in line with the training and expectations of the society from the professions. For example, professional ethics of a police officer give him or her responsibility of maintaining law and order, preventing crime and ensuring the general wellbeing of the society. It would thus be against the professional ethics of a police officer if a crime is committed in his presence and the officer does not respond to the situation. On the contrary, an ordinary citizen or member of another profession who has no training in law enforcement will not be held responsible for being unable to stop a crime in progress as that is not his/her responsibility. Professional ethics also aid in ensuring optimum service delivery by members of a profession by maintaining discipline within the profession. For example, professional ethics expect members of a profession always to strive to deliver as per the main objectives of the profession without looking at monetary gain. This means that for one to be a member of a given profession, he or she must have a passion and will to serve the people as per what the society expects of them without looking at how much he/she will gain from doing so. For example, it is professional ethics that

Analysis of the organization of a target company (General Motors Essay

Analysis of the organization of a target company (General Motors Corporation) - Essay Example Indeed, the company has been able to harness the capabilities of each individual so that they can help in the historic comeback of a legend in business that has succumbed to the pressures of the financial crisis that engulfed the United States (GM Website). The paper also aims to gather different perspectives from different authors and papers that have been available throughout the past two decades. As such, it is important to note the there has been two significant changes that affected the organization of General Motors. One is the transition from the industrial age to the information age which has yielded what Serrat (2008) calls the knowledge workers. Also, automobile giant has not been spared by the onslaught of the credit crunch that engulfed most of the advanced economies towards the latter part of this century’s first decade. Paradigmatic Perspectives The lens for analyzing this paper has already been settled. As such, the views presented herein will illustrate how Gen eral Motors was able to harness their diverse employees into one functioning organization. There will be various literatures that will be able to shed some light into the organization that has been formed within this company. However, the analysis will be anchored upon the basic paradigm that has been established for this study. As such, this will hopefully show the organization of GM and its employees as it rises back from bankruptcy. Looking at the organization of the company, the channels of communication has been established in order to capture the suggestions of their diverse employees (Hoffman and Gavin, 1998). Still, despite the diversity, the company’s organization has been able to maintain a certain degree of linearity as they are able to funnel all these suggestions from all their diverse employees into the top management. In addition, it is important to see how these employees can be effectively harnessed. Indeed, central to the efforts to improve a company’ s organization is its human resources department. As such, it is important that the company is able to maintain within its organization the needed manpower that fits its culture perfectly and contribute to the company (Huselid, 1995). Also, it is important to note that the employees ought to be able to identify themselves with the company and this is what the organization of GM has so far been banking on. Company Background The company that this analysis will focus on is General Motors Corporation (GM), one of the biggest players in the automobile industry in the United States. Last June 2009, at the height of the Global Financial Crisis, GMC filed for bankruptcy that has practically wiped out jobs and share value. However, after being bailed out by the United States government, the company has been able to recover and has been able to record decent profits. As such, the company has tried to distance themselves from their previous image putting forward the impression that General Mo tors has been remade (GM website). Aside from the help from the government, the company has been able to maintain its diverse pool of talents since they rely on their greatest asset – people. Hence, the company tries to maintain a workplace that employees would prefer to work on by making sure that theirs is an organization where people can perform to the best of their abilities. To do so, they have an organization that welcomes the

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 21

Philosophy - Essay Example On the other hand, categorical are principles that are intrinsically valid in and of themselves; they are acts that must be obeyed at all time and in all situations, in order for the actor be moral. Unlike hypothetical imperatives that are undertaken to achieve an end, for categorical imperatives the fulfilment of the act is the end in itself. There must be no other reason for undertaking a categorical imperative than its very compliance. Another difference is that while hypothetical imperatives are applicable only to those who desire the end (in the example above, only to those who desire to be good athletes), a categorical imperative is mandatory for all moral persons, whether they want to do it or not. For example, â€Å"Do not kill,† is a categorical imperative. Kant states that moral law can only be expressed in the form of a categorical imperative, because categorical imperatives are the demands of moral law. This is because moral law must be done purely out of duty, not because it accomplishes some other purpose for the actor’s advantage. If the actor undertakes the action to derive some specific benefit, then it is not done out of duty. Kant is theoretically correct in this, particularly insofar that all persons must perform categorical imperatives as they do moral law. In practice, though, Kant’s position may be too purist, because people do make moral decisions based on their outcomes. 2. People in distress often make "false promises" in order to alleviate their situation. According to Kant, is such action in accordance with the moral law or not? Paying particular attention to his understanding of the categorical imperative and what it prescribes, explain Kant’s position on this. Do you agree with Kant? Why or why not? According to Kant, â€Å"false promises† are not in accordance with the moral law, whatever the motivation behind it. For Kant, the moral law must be

Healthcare Workers and Patient Expectations of Death Essay

Healthcare Workers and Patient Expectations of Death - Essay Example Focus is on information gathered from a chaplain of the Sisters of Charity Hospice for the elderly and terminally ill. Interview with the Chaplain Fr. R.J. is a 30 year-old Roman Catholic priest, on study leave abroad from his chaplaincy with the Sisters of Charity Hospice for the Aged in Manila, Philippines. He explained that the Hospice was set up in the 1980s, and it provides healthcare services for sick and dying elders. The Sisters of Charity can be traced to the charismatic Mother Teresa of India, who spread her Christian humanitarian mission in peasant countries of the world. Asked about his perceptions of the work of the Sisters of Charity in Manila, Fr. R.J. said they provide medical and humanitarian care to elders who have been abandoned by their poverty-stricken families. As to his knowledge about the expectations of death among the patients, Fr. R.J. stressed his spiritual role in hearing confessions and counselling. He added to say that foremost among the apprehensions o f the elders were their fear of the unknown in passing awayfrom life, feeling of loss and isolation from their family, and the final pain of dying added to the continuing pain caused by terminal ailment.

Assignment worksheet Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Worksheet - Assignment Example They are drawn to express beauty and the message of solemnity and calmness in the surroundings. The art work has primary colors of red, blue, green. There is definitely harmony in using these colors are red which is the dress worn by the Madonna gave focus to the theme of the art work and blue is used as her drape which provides subdued hues to the red. The touch of green as a backdrop for the landscape is also harmonious as it gives balance to the color complimented by the light blue sky and white cloud. The cream color of the angels with touch of brown was very appropriate as a complementing color highlighting the harmonious relationship of the figures. The sense of space is depicted though fine lines and smaller figures which create the impression of a far location. The more prominent and bigger figures at the center clearly depict nearness and closer perspectives to the viewers of the art work. The actual texture of the art work appears basically smooth. The visual texture shows balance in lines, color, and spaces to give the perfect illustration of the Madonna in the meadow, with angels tending and giving her company. The visual weight and emphasis is carried by the Madonna as manifested in the color (red and blue) and size (biggest among the illustrations in the painting) with darker lines to create the space illusion that it is closer to the viewer than the rest of the landscapes, except for the angels which appear to be closest to the viewer of the painting. The artist expressed a symmetrically balanced work through the illustration of mountains on both the left and right side of the painting; the clouds also on the left and right side of the painting, the angels being two to provide symmetry, trees and shrubs on the left and rights side, and the focal point, which is the Madonna is strategically located at the center with her right

The project chosen for the assignment is the house construction

The project chosen for the is the house construction - Assignment Example The time required is only 8 days. The time allocated was 10, which would be on a higher estimation. The major activity is only the fixing the roof components to the wall frames and placing the skylights. The necessary designs for the skylights could be prepared and fabricated early. Placing this could be undertaken along with the roof work. And the attaching the TV antenna shall also be undertaken along with this. Plumbing and wiring: The plumbing and wiring could be simultaneously undertaken and requires 4 days each for this activity. As the it involves only fixing up of he components 6 days of plumbing could be reduced to 4 days as equivalent that of wiring. Plastering: plastering work need to be undertaken after the plumbing and wiring, as any damages to the structure could be rectified at this stage. 4 days would be enough for this operation as it involves only covering the walls with appropriate mortar. Foundation:, Frames: 14 December 2008, Roof: 22 December 2008, Skylight: 25 December 2008, TV antenna - 28 December 2008, Plumbing and wiring: 30 December 2008; Plastering: 3 January 2009; Finishing: 7 January 2009, Painting: 7 January 2009; Carpets, curtains and sides: 13 January 2009 and landscape: 15 January 2009. The critical activities that would effect the shorted time required to complete the project are foundation, frames, roof,... The other two days could be used for the actual operation. Stage 2 : TV Dummy Foundation Frames RoofSkylight Wiring Plastering Dummy plumbing (e) You will need to list the critical activities in your project and explain why they are critical, you will need to list the activities that are non critical and explain why. ( answer why ). The critical Activities Activity Start date Duration Foundation 8 December 2008 6 Frames 14 December 2008 8 Roof 22 December 2008 8 Plumbing and wiring 30 December 2008 4 Plastering 3 January 2009 4 Finishing 7 January 2009 4 Painting 7 January 2009 6 These activities are considered critical because the minimum duration required for the project to be completed is along this path only. Non Critical activities Activity Start date Duration Sky light 25 December 2008 2 TV antenna 28 December 2008 1 Carperts, curtains 13 January 2009 3 Land scape 13 January 2009 4 They are considered non-critical because further reduction of their time don't reduce the overall project duration. They could be undertaken simultaneously with the critical events. Foundation:, Frames: 14 December 2008, Roof: 22 December 2008, Skylight: 25 December 2008, TV antenna - 28 December 2008, Plumbing and wiring: 30 December 2008; Plastering: 3 January 2009; Finishing: 7 January 2009, Painting: 7 January 2009; Carpets, curtains and sides: 13 January 2009 and landscape: 15 January 2009. The critical activities that would effect the shorted time required to complete the project are foundation, frames, roof, plumbing,