MGMT 464
From Snowboarders to Lawnmowers Case Study
Case Analysis Worksheet #1
Case Analysis Session 1 : Focus on Inspiring a Shared Vision (Principle #2)
Inspiring a shared vision has two main components [1] creating a vision through common purpose, and [2] enlisting or getting people ‘on board’ with the vision.
In your small groups, discuss and document your group’s response to the following questions. Upload your typed document into one of your group member’s D2L dropbox by the assigned due date on your course schedule. Be sure to include on your worksheet all group member names. If present in class, all group members will receive the same grade for this case analysis assignment (maximum 30 pts). Group peer evaluations will be used to determine overall individual group member participation points for both of these case study discussions (maximum 15 pts).
1. In what specific ways did Michael fail and/or succeed in ‘listening deeply’ to his employees?
2. In what specific ways did Michael show that he was not “open to influence?” How would Michael being open to influence have made him more effective, ( i.e., who were the “local experts” and how could he have benefited from them)?
3. When you consider the employees of Bedford Mower as they were before Michael arrived, how would you characterize them in terms of what was personally meaningful to them?
4. When creating his vision for the company, in what specific ways did Michael fail and/or succeed in ‘determining what was meaningful’ to his employees, and what was the impact?
5. What specific mechanisms, or opportunities did Michael have available to him for enlisting others?
6. To what extent did Michael take advantage of these? To what extent were they effective in terms of getting everyone on board with the new vision?
7. In thinking about his attempts to enlist others, in what ways did or didn’t Michael incorporate common ideals into his communication with his employees as it related to the new vision?
8. How successful was Michael in “animating the vision”? How would you characterize him in terms of his use of symbolic language, providing imagery of the future, practicing positive communication, expressing emotion, and speaking from the heart, in his communications to his employees?
9. What would you have done differently with this group of employees in terms of inspiring a shared vision?
Team Leadership Case
From Snowboards to Lawnmowers
Michael Francis, a man in his late 30s, born and raised in Oregon, was an avid snowboarder. He was known among his many friends and associates as a risk-taker, highly intelligent, innovative, a bit of a rebel, but an extremely smart businessman. When he was in his early 20s, he started his own snowboarding company designing and manufacturing what became known as some of the most cutting edge boards available. Having recently married a woman who was raised on the East coast, he decided to sell his company and move to Vermont where h ...
Team Leadership Case From Snowboards to LawnmowersMicha.docxssuserf9c51d
Team Leadership Case
From Snowboards to Lawnmowers
Michael Francis, a man in his late 30s, born and raised in Oregon, was an avid snowboarder. He was known among his many friends and associates as a risk-taker, highly intelligent, innovative, a bit of a rebel, but an extremely smart businessman. When he was in his early 20s, he started his own snowboarding company designing and manufacturing what became known as some of the most cutting edge boards available. Having recently married a woman who was raised on the East coast, he decided to sell his company and move to Vermont where his wife could be close to her family and in more close proximity to New York City where she did a fair amount of freelance work, and where he could get in a lot of good snowboarding. The sale of his business made him a wealthy man, and although working was not a financial necessity for him, he was seeking some new business challenge that could stretch him in a different direction. Although he had worked extremely hard to build his snowboard company and he had loved every minute of it, in many ways it had been easy for him to be successful in that realm.
Michael began to research potential business opportunities in Vermont. During the course of his search, his brother-in-law informed him of a relatively small, family-owned lawn tool company, Bedford Mower, in Bedford Vermont, that was going to be sold soon. The company had a few side product lines consisting of small lawn tools, but their main product, and the one that the company had been known for since its inception, was a special model of lawn mower. Michael’s brother-in-law knew about the company because one of his former college friends was the only grandson of the company’s founder, Edwin Emerson, and the ‘heir apparent’ slated to take over the president position as his grandfather and father had before him. Unfortunately for the Emerson family, the grandson had clear intentions of going to graduate school and pursuing a career in architecture, and had no plans to carry on in the family business. Because his grandfather, the company founder, had recently passed away at 92, and his father was being forced to retire due to severe health problems, the Emerson family had reluctantly come to the hard decision to sell the company.
Although his brother-in-law had half-jokingly informed Michael of the company thinking he would never go from making high-tech snowboards to lawnmowers, there were a number of aspects that appealed to Michael about the whole concept. Before he had died, Michael’s father had actually owned a small business repairing lawn mowers. Although Michael was only seven when his father died, he had fond memories of spending time with him in his workshop while he carefully took the lawnmowers apart and reassembled them. Another plus was the company’s location. It was located in a small town that his wife’s family had vacationed in summers while she was growing up. Michael had actually been ...
Let's Take Flight - Personal Branding Strategy and Storytelling with Samantha...Samantha Nolan
Samantha Nolan, Founder and CEO of Nolan Branding, syndicated columnist of "Dear Sam", professional speaker, certified resume writer and personal brand strategist has a cross-continental story that has taken her from a childhood in Wales, UK, her tween years exploring the wonders of Big Sur, California then on to middle school and high school in England and Scotland and finally back to the U.S. for undergraduate and graduate studies. Along the way, she met her better-half, started a family and launched a successful personal branding firm that has served 10,000 customers worldwide as well as a nationally syndicated column, "Dear Sam", followed by millions of loyal readers.
Each phase of Sam's journey has taught her crucial lessons about life, family, career, and the role of personal brand within all facets of her life story. As a professional speaker, Sam passionately tells her story in hopes of motivating others to identify their goals, empowering them with the knowledge and tools to achieve them and celebrating all wins - great and small.
Team Leadership Case From Snowboards to LawnmowersMicha.docxssuserf9c51d
Team Leadership Case
From Snowboards to Lawnmowers
Michael Francis, a man in his late 30s, born and raised in Oregon, was an avid snowboarder. He was known among his many friends and associates as a risk-taker, highly intelligent, innovative, a bit of a rebel, but an extremely smart businessman. When he was in his early 20s, he started his own snowboarding company designing and manufacturing what became known as some of the most cutting edge boards available. Having recently married a woman who was raised on the East coast, he decided to sell his company and move to Vermont where his wife could be close to her family and in more close proximity to New York City where she did a fair amount of freelance work, and where he could get in a lot of good snowboarding. The sale of his business made him a wealthy man, and although working was not a financial necessity for him, he was seeking some new business challenge that could stretch him in a different direction. Although he had worked extremely hard to build his snowboard company and he had loved every minute of it, in many ways it had been easy for him to be successful in that realm.
Michael began to research potential business opportunities in Vermont. During the course of his search, his brother-in-law informed him of a relatively small, family-owned lawn tool company, Bedford Mower, in Bedford Vermont, that was going to be sold soon. The company had a few side product lines consisting of small lawn tools, but their main product, and the one that the company had been known for since its inception, was a special model of lawn mower. Michael’s brother-in-law knew about the company because one of his former college friends was the only grandson of the company’s founder, Edwin Emerson, and the ‘heir apparent’ slated to take over the president position as his grandfather and father had before him. Unfortunately for the Emerson family, the grandson had clear intentions of going to graduate school and pursuing a career in architecture, and had no plans to carry on in the family business. Because his grandfather, the company founder, had recently passed away at 92, and his father was being forced to retire due to severe health problems, the Emerson family had reluctantly come to the hard decision to sell the company.
Although his brother-in-law had half-jokingly informed Michael of the company thinking he would never go from making high-tech snowboards to lawnmowers, there were a number of aspects that appealed to Michael about the whole concept. Before he had died, Michael’s father had actually owned a small business repairing lawn mowers. Although Michael was only seven when his father died, he had fond memories of spending time with him in his workshop while he carefully took the lawnmowers apart and reassembled them. Another plus was the company’s location. It was located in a small town that his wife’s family had vacationed in summers while she was growing up. Michael had actually been ...
Let's Take Flight - Personal Branding Strategy and Storytelling with Samantha...Samantha Nolan
Samantha Nolan, Founder and CEO of Nolan Branding, syndicated columnist of "Dear Sam", professional speaker, certified resume writer and personal brand strategist has a cross-continental story that has taken her from a childhood in Wales, UK, her tween years exploring the wonders of Big Sur, California then on to middle school and high school in England and Scotland and finally back to the U.S. for undergraduate and graduate studies. Along the way, she met her better-half, started a family and launched a successful personal branding firm that has served 10,000 customers worldwide as well as a nationally syndicated column, "Dear Sam", followed by millions of loyal readers.
Each phase of Sam's journey has taught her crucial lessons about life, family, career, and the role of personal brand within all facets of her life story. As a professional speaker, Sam passionately tells her story in hopes of motivating others to identify their goals, empowering them with the knowledge and tools to achieve them and celebrating all wins - great and small.
Assignment I
Value-Based Reimbursement (250-300 words) $10
Resources
· Review "Perspective 1.2 Life in the 'Gap'" from page 17 of your Financial Management of Health Care Organizations text by Zelman, McCue, Glick, and Thomas.
Eight strategies are offered as a means to help organizations prepare for the transition to value-based reimbursement. Discuss two of these strategies and offer the strengths and weakness of each.
Remember to use citations and references as appropriate. Your post must follow APA sixth edition style and formatting guidelines. An iGuide page APA Style and Format is included in the resources, which may be helpful to you.
Assignment 2 / Unit 2
Balance Sheet $15
Resources
· Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.
· APA Style and Format.
Using Excel, complete problem 11 on page 77 of your Financial Management of Health Care Organizations text by Zelman, McCue, Glick, and Thomas. Post your workbook to this discussion. Also, include a brief assessment of the financial position of Ray Hospital based on your completed balance sheet.
Remember to use citations and references as appropriate. Your post must follow APA sixth edition style and formatting guidelines. An iGuide page APA Style and Format is included in the resources, which may be helpful to you.
Response Guidelines
Respond to the posts of two of your peers concerning their financial position assessments
Assignment 3 / Unit 2
Accrual-Basis and Cash-Basis Accounting (250 words) $10
Resources
· Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.
· APA Style and Format.
Discuss accrual-basis accounting and cash-basis accounting. What are the differences between the two?
If you were to start a new health care organization, which method would you use? Describe your organization (hospital, private practice, et cetera) and explain why you chose that method. Consider the long-term financial implications of your chosen method.
Remember to use citations and references as appropriate. Your post must follow APA sixth edition style and formatting guidelines. An iGuide page APA Style and Format is included in the resources, which may be helpful to you.
Assignment 4 / Unit 3 $25
Ratio Analysis
Resources
· Ratio Analysis Scoring Guide.
· APA Style and Format.
Part One
Complete problem 13 on ratio analysis on page 188 of your Financial Management of Health Care Organizations text by Zelman, McCue, Glick, and Thomas. Using an Excel spreadsheet, calculate all of the ratios listed in the problem (13 ratios for each year or 26 total for 2 years).
Part Two
Use your answers from part one to complete the following:
· Conduct a strategic assessment based on the health care data presented for Longwood Community Hospital.
· Analyze the 26 financial ratios calculated for the hospital to state its financial position.
· Develop a perspective on long-term financial trends for the hospital.
· Assess the potential financial impact on the hospital's organizational strategy and potential implications on patient ca ...
Essay With Thesis Statement Example. Developing A Thesis - What is a good th...Bridget Zhao
45 Perfect Thesis Statement Templates (+ Examples) ᐅ TemplateLab. Developing A Thesis | - What is a good thesis statement for letter from .... 15 Thesis Statement Examples to Inspire Your Next Argumentative Essay .... Write My Thesis Statement For Research Paper. What is a Thesis Statement. Thesis Word Art - Essay Stock Illustrations | Our Top 266 Essay art .... How To Write A Thesis Statement (with Useful Steps and Tips) • 7ESL. PPT - Writing a Thesis Statement PowerPoint Presentation, free download .... Example Of Thesis Statement For Compare And Contrast Essay - Thesis .... college thesis template - Google Search | Thesis statement examples .... What Are The Different Types of Thesis Statements. Thesis Statement Template Fill In The Blank - Thesis Title Ideas for .... thesis statement for social media - casualbeachweddingoutfitsmen.
1.Intorduction To begin with, we have decided to come up with a.docxchristiandean12115
1.Intorduction
To begin with, we have decided to come up with a product called “Build Your Future.” The purpose for our brand “Build Your Future” is to help people find that perfect spouse they’ve been missing or searching for. Who wouldn’t want the perfect spouse for someone who’s always going to be there for you and never cheat. “Build Your Future” is also for people who are lonely and don’t have what it takes to get the person they want. Our company will be building human like robots with artificial intelligence from the ground up based off the buyer’s preference. Consumers will have the choice of everything they would want to be included in their person of interest for instance; hair color, skin color, height, weight, and personality.
2. Method
The mastermind behind the planning came about via social media. Social media is a platform that allows many individuals to create and share their ideas in social networking. So as I prepared to do my secondary research, I used social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to gather all the intake I needed for our new products. While doing this, we found many sources like “Being single hits very hard at night”, “I deserve everything and then some”, “The older you get the harder it is to like somebody”, “This generation will really have you kicking it solo”, and many more. Going about this process gave me a lot of information I needed, being that almost everyone in this generation communicate through the internet.
Based off of our research for our secondary data, we decided to provide surveys amongst several individuals. In the survey, we asked if any would want to find their significant other the natural way or build one. Out of a total of 100 surveys, 75% of the people requested build as their choice. Also in the survey, we provided other questions regarding the choice of building their soulmate like; descriptive features, personality traits, and other qualifications that would matter in their case for their spouse to convey. The answers to those questions would help significantly being that our new product has the ability to assemble whatever you would prefer your spouse to have. Interviews were also conducted to go off of the surveys presented to strongly justify the individual’s choice and honesty.
3. Summary of Secondary Research
4. Target Market
Target market consists of anybody who is seeking love. Teenagers, Young Adults, Senior Citizens, and Middle Age People of all ages. On our website we will have a We always see people complain or have problems with their spouse no matter the age this product will be useful and helpful. Build Your Future gives these people the ability to have it all and create just what you want in a spouse.
5. Product Description and Benefit Analysis
Our product is an actual man or woman you have the opportunity to create and build your own spouse. The benefits of this product gives the.
Ownership transition activity in the architecture and engineering (A/E) space is certainly on the upswing with the Baby Boomer generation looking to retire in increasing numbers. But, how ready are you for taking on the task of transitioning ownership of your firm? Have you primed the pump with a list of possible successors?
MGMT 511Location ProblemGeorge Heller was so successful in.docxandreecapon
MGMT 511
Location Problem
George Heller was so successful in his previous assignment that he was promoted to the coveted position of Infrastructure Manager on the Mergers and Acquisitions Team.
Again Agame has recently acquired a competitive company with a plant and a warehouse in a nearby city. Management has decided to keep the additional warehouse. However, they are unsure if they need to keep the additional manufacturing plant. All products can be manufactured in either plant and shipped from either warehouse. Each plant and each warehouse has sufficient capacity to meet the total forecasted demand individually.
Prepare a report for management with your recommendation. Three possible choices exist. 1) Close the Competitor plant and satisfy all demand from the Again Agame plant; 2) Close the Again Agame plant and satisfy all demand from the Competitor plant; 3)Keep both plants open.
Your recommendation should include a solution for each of the five years in question. Include your calculations and spreadsheets in support of your recommendations.
Sales Forecast (cases)
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Competitor Warehouse (WH1)
15,000,000
20,000,000
26,000,000
34,000,000
44,000,000
Again Agame Warehouse (WH2)
6,000,000
7,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
21,000,000
Fixed Costs
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Competitor Plant (P1)
900,000
900,000
900,000
900,000
900,000
Again Agame Plant (P2)
800,000
800,000
800,000
800,000
800,000
Transportation Costs
$1.00 / 1,000 cases / mile
4
Costs -- Both Plant Scenario
20112012201320142015
Transport P1 - WH1
Transport P2 - WH2
Fixed Cost - P1
Fixed Cost - P2
Total
General Info.Infrastructure ExerciseDate: 28/10/97Situation:a) Package -RGBb) Nr. Plants -2c) Nr. WH -2d) Period -5 yearse) Sales Frcst. -DecreasingCapacity MM U/C per Year:Plant 1 -5avg. HK 70 (KS)Plant 2 -3avg. HK 42 (KS)Distance Matrix: (Km)WH1WH2P150600P2600100Diagram:
&A
Page &P
WH2
Franchise 2
Franchise 1
P2
P1
WH1
Sales Frcst.Infrastructure ExerciseDate: 28/10/97Sales Forecast (M U.C)RGB'98'99'00'01'02WH15000.04000.03400.02800.02400.0WH23000.02400.02000.01600.01400.0Obs. Volume is Decreasing 15% per year.
&A
Page &P
CostsInfrastructure ExerciseDate: 28/10/97Transport Costs:0.51,000 cases per KmFixed Costs:900,000P1 = $600,000/year800,000P2 = $500,000/year
&A
Page &P
AnalysisInfrastructure ExerciseDate: 28/10/97Fixed Costs'98'99'00'01'02P1800,000800,000800,000800,000800,000P2700,000700,000700,000700,000700,000Total1,500,0001,500,0001,500,0001,500,0001,500,000Transportation Costs'98'99'00'01'02P1 - WH1125,000100,00085,00070,00060,000P2 - WH2150,000120,000100,00080,00070,000P1 - WH2900,000720,000600,000480,000420,000P2 - WH11,500,0001,200,0001,020,000840,000720,000Total 1275,000220,000185,000150,000130,000(both plants)Total 21,025,000820,000685 ...
MG345_Lead from Middle.pptLeading from the Middle Exe.docxandreecapon
MG345_Lead from Middle.ppt
Leading from the Middle: Exerting Influence Sideways & Upward
MG345 Organizations & Environment
Tony Buono
Fall 2104
Unfreezing
Changing
Refreezing
Planned
Change
Guided
Changing
Freezing
Rebalancing/
Translating
Unfreezing/
Improvising
Directed
Change
Present
State
Desired
State
Conceptualizing Change Processes
Low
Low
High
High
Business Complexity
Socio-Technical
Uncertainty
Authority
Acceptance
Persuasive Communication
A Question of Rhythm?
Leadership Styles
TASK FOCUS
PEOPLE FOCUS
LEARNING FOCUS
ORGANIZATIONAL EMPHASIS
INDIVIDUAL EMPHASIS
Commanding (Coercive)
Pacesetter
Visionary
(Authoritative)
Affiliative
Democratic
Coaching
EQ Adaptive Ability
Across Styles
Managers as Linking Pins
Middle Management …
“… story of gradual disempowerment in which reasonably healthy, confident and competent people become transformed into anxious, tense, ineffective and self-doubting wrecks.”
Barry Oshry, “Converting Middle Powerlessness to Middle Power,” National Productivity Review
Intervening in the MiddleConceptualizing and Understanding One’s Sphere of InfluenceControllables v. UncontrollablesControlled (Contained) EmpowermentLooking for Opportunities in AmbiguityPursuing “Small Wins”
Source: A.F. Buono & A.J. Nurick, “Intervening in the Middle: Coping Strategies in Mergers and
Acquisitions,” Human Resource Planning, 1992, vol. 15, no. 2.
Lewin’s Force-Field Analysis
Status Quo
Change Drivers
Change Resisters
2-
C
H
A
N
G
I
N
G
1-UNFREEZING
3-REFREEZING
KEY:
Own versus
Induced Forces
Dealing with ResistanceApproachUseAdvantagesDisadvantagesEducation +
CommunicationLack of or inaccurate infoHelps to inform and persuadeTime consuming, especially if many people are involvedParticipation + InvolvementInitiators do not have all info; others have considerable power to resistParticipation leads to commitment; recipient info integrated into change planTime consuming; participators can design inappropriate changeFacilitation + SupportResistance due to adjustment problemsBest way to cope with adjustment issuesCan be time consuming; can still failNegotiationSomeone/group loses out and has power to resistRelatively easy was to avoid problemsCan be expensiveManipulationOther tactics don’t’ workQuick, inexpensiveShort-term utility, can lead to future problemsExplicit + Implicit CoercionSpeed; you have powerSimple, straightforwardShort-term benefits, can be risky; retribution
“Managing” Your Boss
Understand your boss
Goals & Needs Working Style
Strengths & Weaknesses
Understand yourself
Goals & Needs Working Style
Strengths & Weaknesses How you react to your boss?
What do you do to help/hurt your relat ...
MGMT 345
Phase 2 IPBusiness MemoTo:
Warehouse ManagerFrom:[Your Name]Date:February 25, 2015Re:
Effective Supply Chain Design
Enhancing Profitability and Stakeholder Value with Effective Supply Chain Design
Supply Chain Networks
Supply Chain Drivers
Supply Chains and Distribution of Assets and Resources
Supply Chain Visual
Figure 1: The Food Production Chain.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/images/food_production_chain_400px.jpg
References
Do not forget to put your references in alphabetical order (vertically, NOT horizontally) by author’s last name, and use only first initials, not first name. If one of your references begins with the word "The," put the rest of the name first and insert a comma, followed by the word The (example – Associated Press, The.).
Author's Last Name, First Initial. (year). Title of article/Internet page. Retrieved from http://complete URL here Do Not end with a period (EXAMPLE OF AN INTERNET SOURCE – IF NO DATE IS GIVEN ON THE INTERNET PAGE USE: (n.d.). IN PLACE OF THE YEAR.)
Author's Last Name, First Initial. (year). Title of book. City, ST: Publisher. (EXAMPLE OF A BOOK)
Author's Last Name, First Initial. (year, Season). Title of article. Magazine Name, 12(8), 27. (EXAMPLE OF A MAGAZINE ARTICLE - Note – only capitalize the proper nouns in the title of the article; capitalize all the words in the magazine name; the 12 is where the volume number goes, the 8 is where the issue number goes, the 27 is where the page number goes.)
Berube, M. S., ed. (1989). The American heritage dictionary. New York: Dell. (EXAMPLE OF A DICTIONARY)
Bird, I. (1973). A lady's life in the Rocky Mountains (Reprint ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. (EXAMPLE OF A BOOK)
Food Production Chain, The. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/images/food_production_chain_400px.jpg
Grant, A. M. & Berry, J. W. (2011). The necessity of others is the mother of invention: Intrinsic and prosocial motivations, perspective taking, and creativity. Academy of Management Journal.54 (1), 73-96. DOI: 10.5465/AMJ.2011.59215085 (EXAMPLE FROM OUR BONUS LIVE CHAT, PLEASE VIEW THE BONUS LIVE CHAT TO SEE HOW TO FORMAT A REFERENCE WHEN RESEARCHING FROM THE CTU LIBRARY, WHICH IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TASK)
Leonard, S. J., & Noel, T. J. (1990). Denver: Mining camp to metropolis. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado. (EXAMPLE OF A BOOK)
Morson, B., & Frazier, D. (2000, December 7). For years, brown cloud fouls Denver image [Electronic version]. Denver (Colorado) Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved October 3, 2002, from http://insidedenver.com/millennium/1207stone.shtml (EXAMPLE OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE VERSION OF THE NEWSPAPER)
National Jewish Medical & Research Center. (2001a, January 5). The 'Brown Cloud,' cold-induced asthma, winter allergies and seasonal affective disorder around the corner as winter approaches. Retrieved October 4, 2002, from http://www.njc.org/news/ winter1.html (EXAMPLE OF AN ORGANIZATION ...
MGMT 3720 – Organizational Behavior EXAM 3
(CH. 9, 10, 11, & 12)
Question 1
1.
While discussing their marketing campaign for a new product, the members of the cross-functional team responsible for Carver Inc. realized that a couple of changes relating to their prior plan would be beneficial. The offer of a franchising that had earlier been brushed off by the company head was discussed thoroughly and it was decided that it would be implemented on a trial basis initially, and on full scale if found to work well. From the information provided, it can be concluded that this cross-functional team has a high degree of ________.
Answer
reflexivity
uncertainty
diversity
conformity
demography
Question 2
1.
Max Hiller was recently hired by Sync, a consumer goods company. During his first meeting with the sales team, Max impressed upon his team that work performance is the only criterion he would use to evaluate them. To help them perform well and meet their targets, he pushed his team to work extra hours. He also gave very clear instructions to each member regarding their job responsibilities and continually verified if they were meeting their targets. Which of the following, if true, would weaken Max's approach?
Answer
Sales figures for the region that Max's team is responsible for have improved in the last quarter.
Max is leading many new employees who have joined his team directly after training.
Max's sales team is comprised of independent and experienced employees who are committed to their jobs.
Max's team functions in a sluggish manner and picks up pace only a week or so before the monthly operations cycle meetings.
Max's team does not display high levels of cohesiveness and members fail to coordinate with each other.
Question 3
1.
Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect of group cohesiveness and performance norms on group productivity?
Answer
When both cohesiveness and performance norms are high, productivity will be high.
The productivity of the group is affected by the performance norms but not by the cohesiveness of the group.
If cohesiveness is high and performance norms are low, productivity will be high.
When cohesiveness is low and performance norms are also low, productivity will be high.
If cohesiveness is low and performance norms are high, productivity will be low.
Question 4
1.
Neutralizers make it impossible for leader behavior to make any difference to follower outcomes.
Answer
True
False
Question 5
1.
Communication includes both the transfer and the understanding of meaning.
Answer
True
False
Question 6
1.
According to the path-goal theory, directive leadership is likely to be welcomed and accepted by employees with high ability or considerable experience.
Answer
True
False
Question 7
1.
Before buying her new phone, Gina listed the various requirements her new phone must meet. As a wedding planner, much of her work revolved around usin ...
Mexico, Page 1 Running Head MEXICO’S CULTURAL, ECONOMI.docxandreecapon
Mexico, Page 1
Running Head: MEXICO’S CULTURAL, ECONOMICAL, AND POLITICAL STATE
Mexico’s Cultural, Economical, and Political State
For
Firms Pursuing Business In or With Mexico
By
Kashmala Khan
For
Athena Miklos, Professor
ECN 2025-102947
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:20 AM
College of Southern Maryland
La Plata, Maryland
November 15, 2012
Mexico, Page 2
Summary
Before a firm does business in Mexico it is imperative to understand the achievements
and pitfalls of its cultural, economic, and political forces. Although Mexico has improved
substantially with its technological development, investment policies, foreign exchange policies,
and tariffs, it still has significant pitfalls when it comes to honoring contracts, legal framework,
and enforcing laws.
The cultural forces of Mexico are largely dependent on social structure. Mexicans respect
authority and look to those above them for guidance and decision-making. This makes it
important to know which person is in charge, and leads to an authoritarian approach to decision-
making and problem solving. Since 92.7% of the total population in Mexico speaks Spanish
only, it will be beneficial to learn Spanish or have a translator at hand at all times. Shared culture
makes it easier to market and sell goods and services.
The economic forces in Mexico offer both favorable and unfavorable qualities. Mexico is
currently the second largest export market for U.S. goods. Some of the greatest achievements of
economic forces include physical infrastructures, telecommunication systems, production
capabilities, and technology. The unfavorable qualities of the economic forces include high
employment rate and unskilled labor.
The political forces in Mexico also play a great role in opportunities and pitfalls. The
opportunities include efficient settlements to disputes and reasonable trade regulations and
standards. The pitfalls include wars and terrorism caused by the drug wars and cartels.
There are numerous opportunities for firms in the Textiles and Clothing industry of
Mexico. A firm should be knowledgeable about the cultural differences in Mexican people in
Mexico, Page 3
order to undergo business successfully. A firm should also be aware of the potential profit
Mexico has to offer, as well as the potential problems. To conclude from this research, U.S.
firms should enter the Textiles and Clothing industry in Mexico because there are a lot of
opportunities and the Mexican economy will further expand in the near future.
Mexico, Page 4
Introduction
This paper will review and relay the most recent information regarding Mexico’s cultural,
economic, and political forces. The objective of this paper is to assist firms who are interested in
entering the Textiles and Clothing industry in Mexico by portraying the opportunities, issues,
and pros and cons of doing business in Mexico. Th ...
MGM316-1401B-01Quesadra D. GoodrumClass Discussion Phase2.docxandreecapon
MGM316-1401B-01
Quesadra D. Goodrum
Class Discussion Phase2
Colorado Technical University
Professor: Edmund Winters
4/07/2014
In an ever-changing world, intercultural business communication is one of the most vital aspects of carrying out business in foreign countries. We are set up to fail if we enter into foreign business agreements blindly. In the absence of proper communication skills, cultural awareness comes into play knowing the culture in which we are dealing. All of your concepts you may have grown up with and ideas that you have formed beforehand need to be thrown away and cast to the side. Your concepts and ideas in these business meetings will only be as effective as your communication skills. If your communications skills are weak so will be your presentation of your projected business plan. If I was going to develop a training program on the same, my lesson plan would look as illustrated below:
I. Class Objectives: The goals or objectives for class include understanding how language affects intercultural business communications and learning about different cultures and how they communicate when conducting business activities.
II. Connection to Course Goals: The class’s daily objectives will connect to the overall course goals by dealing with one topic at a time.
III. Anticipatory Set: What is usually involved in intercultural business communication and how should one behave if relocated to foreign countries such as United Arab Emirates, Mexico, China and Israel?
IV. Cultural Awareness
V. High vs. Low Context Cultures
VI. Language: Verbal vs. Non-Verbal
VII. Conversational Taboos
VIII. Interaction: Ethical/Unethical awareness
IX. Conclusion: connecting the objectives
My developed training program will help my students target and grasp the importance of the concepts listed and how they connect to one another. You will need to know a number of things regarding Cultural Awareness, High vs. Low Context Cultures, and Verbal vs. Non-Verbal, Conversational Taboos, and Interaction Ethical/Unethical awareness, and connecting the objectives. “Low context language is where things are fully spelled out or made explicit where there is also considerable dependence on what is actually being said or written (Gibson, 2002).” Western cultures tend to be inclined more toward low context language while Eastern and
Southern cultures are more inclined to use high context language (LeBaron, 2003).“High context language is whereby communicators assume a great deal of commonality of opinions and knowledge so that not much is made explicit (Novinger, 2001).” In other words, communication is in indirect ways. It is of crucial importance for business individuals venturing overseas to learn more about the business culture and etiquette present in countries such as Mexico, China, United Arab Emirates and Israel as they are not the same as the American business culture.
International Business Communication
Understanding other cultures tend to greatly enh ...
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Assignment I
Value-Based Reimbursement (250-300 words) $10
Resources
· Review "Perspective 1.2 Life in the 'Gap'" from page 17 of your Financial Management of Health Care Organizations text by Zelman, McCue, Glick, and Thomas.
Eight strategies are offered as a means to help organizations prepare for the transition to value-based reimbursement. Discuss two of these strategies and offer the strengths and weakness of each.
Remember to use citations and references as appropriate. Your post must follow APA sixth edition style and formatting guidelines. An iGuide page APA Style and Format is included in the resources, which may be helpful to you.
Assignment 2 / Unit 2
Balance Sheet $15
Resources
· Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.
· APA Style and Format.
Using Excel, complete problem 11 on page 77 of your Financial Management of Health Care Organizations text by Zelman, McCue, Glick, and Thomas. Post your workbook to this discussion. Also, include a brief assessment of the financial position of Ray Hospital based on your completed balance sheet.
Remember to use citations and references as appropriate. Your post must follow APA sixth edition style and formatting guidelines. An iGuide page APA Style and Format is included in the resources, which may be helpful to you.
Response Guidelines
Respond to the posts of two of your peers concerning their financial position assessments
Assignment 3 / Unit 2
Accrual-Basis and Cash-Basis Accounting (250 words) $10
Resources
· Discussion Participation Scoring Guide.
· APA Style and Format.
Discuss accrual-basis accounting and cash-basis accounting. What are the differences between the two?
If you were to start a new health care organization, which method would you use? Describe your organization (hospital, private practice, et cetera) and explain why you chose that method. Consider the long-term financial implications of your chosen method.
Remember to use citations and references as appropriate. Your post must follow APA sixth edition style and formatting guidelines. An iGuide page APA Style and Format is included in the resources, which may be helpful to you.
Assignment 4 / Unit 3 $25
Ratio Analysis
Resources
· Ratio Analysis Scoring Guide.
· APA Style and Format.
Part One
Complete problem 13 on ratio analysis on page 188 of your Financial Management of Health Care Organizations text by Zelman, McCue, Glick, and Thomas. Using an Excel spreadsheet, calculate all of the ratios listed in the problem (13 ratios for each year or 26 total for 2 years).
Part Two
Use your answers from part one to complete the following:
· Conduct a strategic assessment based on the health care data presented for Longwood Community Hospital.
· Analyze the 26 financial ratios calculated for the hospital to state its financial position.
· Develop a perspective on long-term financial trends for the hospital.
· Assess the potential financial impact on the hospital's organizational strategy and potential implications on patient ca ...
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1.Intorduction To begin with, we have decided to come up with a.docxchristiandean12115
1.Intorduction
To begin with, we have decided to come up with a product called “Build Your Future.” The purpose for our brand “Build Your Future” is to help people find that perfect spouse they’ve been missing or searching for. Who wouldn’t want the perfect spouse for someone who’s always going to be there for you and never cheat. “Build Your Future” is also for people who are lonely and don’t have what it takes to get the person they want. Our company will be building human like robots with artificial intelligence from the ground up based off the buyer’s preference. Consumers will have the choice of everything they would want to be included in their person of interest for instance; hair color, skin color, height, weight, and personality.
2. Method
The mastermind behind the planning came about via social media. Social media is a platform that allows many individuals to create and share their ideas in social networking. So as I prepared to do my secondary research, I used social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to gather all the intake I needed for our new products. While doing this, we found many sources like “Being single hits very hard at night”, “I deserve everything and then some”, “The older you get the harder it is to like somebody”, “This generation will really have you kicking it solo”, and many more. Going about this process gave me a lot of information I needed, being that almost everyone in this generation communicate through the internet.
Based off of our research for our secondary data, we decided to provide surveys amongst several individuals. In the survey, we asked if any would want to find their significant other the natural way or build one. Out of a total of 100 surveys, 75% of the people requested build as their choice. Also in the survey, we provided other questions regarding the choice of building their soulmate like; descriptive features, personality traits, and other qualifications that would matter in their case for their spouse to convey. The answers to those questions would help significantly being that our new product has the ability to assemble whatever you would prefer your spouse to have. Interviews were also conducted to go off of the surveys presented to strongly justify the individual’s choice and honesty.
3. Summary of Secondary Research
4. Target Market
Target market consists of anybody who is seeking love. Teenagers, Young Adults, Senior Citizens, and Middle Age People of all ages. On our website we will have a We always see people complain or have problems with their spouse no matter the age this product will be useful and helpful. Build Your Future gives these people the ability to have it all and create just what you want in a spouse.
5. Product Description and Benefit Analysis
Our product is an actual man or woman you have the opportunity to create and build your own spouse. The benefits of this product gives the.
Ownership transition activity in the architecture and engineering (A/E) space is certainly on the upswing with the Baby Boomer generation looking to retire in increasing numbers. But, how ready are you for taking on the task of transitioning ownership of your firm? Have you primed the pump with a list of possible successors?
MGMT 511Location ProblemGeorge Heller was so successful in.docxandreecapon
MGMT 511
Location Problem
George Heller was so successful in his previous assignment that he was promoted to the coveted position of Infrastructure Manager on the Mergers and Acquisitions Team.
Again Agame has recently acquired a competitive company with a plant and a warehouse in a nearby city. Management has decided to keep the additional warehouse. However, they are unsure if they need to keep the additional manufacturing plant. All products can be manufactured in either plant and shipped from either warehouse. Each plant and each warehouse has sufficient capacity to meet the total forecasted demand individually.
Prepare a report for management with your recommendation. Three possible choices exist. 1) Close the Competitor plant and satisfy all demand from the Again Agame plant; 2) Close the Again Agame plant and satisfy all demand from the Competitor plant; 3)Keep both plants open.
Your recommendation should include a solution for each of the five years in question. Include your calculations and spreadsheets in support of your recommendations.
Sales Forecast (cases)
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Competitor Warehouse (WH1)
15,000,000
20,000,000
26,000,000
34,000,000
44,000,000
Again Agame Warehouse (WH2)
6,000,000
7,000,000
10,000,000
15,000,000
21,000,000
Fixed Costs
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Competitor Plant (P1)
900,000
900,000
900,000
900,000
900,000
Again Agame Plant (P2)
800,000
800,000
800,000
800,000
800,000
Transportation Costs
$1.00 / 1,000 cases / mile
4
Costs -- Both Plant Scenario
20112012201320142015
Transport P1 - WH1
Transport P2 - WH2
Fixed Cost - P1
Fixed Cost - P2
Total
General Info.Infrastructure ExerciseDate: 28/10/97Situation:a) Package -RGBb) Nr. Plants -2c) Nr. WH -2d) Period -5 yearse) Sales Frcst. -DecreasingCapacity MM U/C per Year:Plant 1 -5avg. HK 70 (KS)Plant 2 -3avg. HK 42 (KS)Distance Matrix: (Km)WH1WH2P150600P2600100Diagram:
&A
Page &P
WH2
Franchise 2
Franchise 1
P2
P1
WH1
Sales Frcst.Infrastructure ExerciseDate: 28/10/97Sales Forecast (M U.C)RGB'98'99'00'01'02WH15000.04000.03400.02800.02400.0WH23000.02400.02000.01600.01400.0Obs. Volume is Decreasing 15% per year.
&A
Page &P
CostsInfrastructure ExerciseDate: 28/10/97Transport Costs:0.51,000 cases per KmFixed Costs:900,000P1 = $600,000/year800,000P2 = $500,000/year
&A
Page &P
AnalysisInfrastructure ExerciseDate: 28/10/97Fixed Costs'98'99'00'01'02P1800,000800,000800,000800,000800,000P2700,000700,000700,000700,000700,000Total1,500,0001,500,0001,500,0001,500,0001,500,000Transportation Costs'98'99'00'01'02P1 - WH1125,000100,00085,00070,00060,000P2 - WH2150,000120,000100,00080,00070,000P1 - WH2900,000720,000600,000480,000420,000P2 - WH11,500,0001,200,0001,020,000840,000720,000Total 1275,000220,000185,000150,000130,000(both plants)Total 21,025,000820,000685 ...
MG345_Lead from Middle.pptLeading from the Middle Exe.docxandreecapon
MG345_Lead from Middle.ppt
Leading from the Middle: Exerting Influence Sideways & Upward
MG345 Organizations & Environment
Tony Buono
Fall 2104
Unfreezing
Changing
Refreezing
Planned
Change
Guided
Changing
Freezing
Rebalancing/
Translating
Unfreezing/
Improvising
Directed
Change
Present
State
Desired
State
Conceptualizing Change Processes
Low
Low
High
High
Business Complexity
Socio-Technical
Uncertainty
Authority
Acceptance
Persuasive Communication
A Question of Rhythm?
Leadership Styles
TASK FOCUS
PEOPLE FOCUS
LEARNING FOCUS
ORGANIZATIONAL EMPHASIS
INDIVIDUAL EMPHASIS
Commanding (Coercive)
Pacesetter
Visionary
(Authoritative)
Affiliative
Democratic
Coaching
EQ Adaptive Ability
Across Styles
Managers as Linking Pins
Middle Management …
“… story of gradual disempowerment in which reasonably healthy, confident and competent people become transformed into anxious, tense, ineffective and self-doubting wrecks.”
Barry Oshry, “Converting Middle Powerlessness to Middle Power,” National Productivity Review
Intervening in the MiddleConceptualizing and Understanding One’s Sphere of InfluenceControllables v. UncontrollablesControlled (Contained) EmpowermentLooking for Opportunities in AmbiguityPursuing “Small Wins”
Source: A.F. Buono & A.J. Nurick, “Intervening in the Middle: Coping Strategies in Mergers and
Acquisitions,” Human Resource Planning, 1992, vol. 15, no. 2.
Lewin’s Force-Field Analysis
Status Quo
Change Drivers
Change Resisters
2-
C
H
A
N
G
I
N
G
1-UNFREEZING
3-REFREEZING
KEY:
Own versus
Induced Forces
Dealing with ResistanceApproachUseAdvantagesDisadvantagesEducation +
CommunicationLack of or inaccurate infoHelps to inform and persuadeTime consuming, especially if many people are involvedParticipation + InvolvementInitiators do not have all info; others have considerable power to resistParticipation leads to commitment; recipient info integrated into change planTime consuming; participators can design inappropriate changeFacilitation + SupportResistance due to adjustment problemsBest way to cope with adjustment issuesCan be time consuming; can still failNegotiationSomeone/group loses out and has power to resistRelatively easy was to avoid problemsCan be expensiveManipulationOther tactics don’t’ workQuick, inexpensiveShort-term utility, can lead to future problemsExplicit + Implicit CoercionSpeed; you have powerSimple, straightforwardShort-term benefits, can be risky; retribution
“Managing” Your Boss
Understand your boss
Goals & Needs Working Style
Strengths & Weaknesses
Understand yourself
Goals & Needs Working Style
Strengths & Weaknesses How you react to your boss?
What do you do to help/hurt your relat ...
MGMT 345
Phase 2 IPBusiness MemoTo:
Warehouse ManagerFrom:[Your Name]Date:February 25, 2015Re:
Effective Supply Chain Design
Enhancing Profitability and Stakeholder Value with Effective Supply Chain Design
Supply Chain Networks
Supply Chain Drivers
Supply Chains and Distribution of Assets and Resources
Supply Chain Visual
Figure 1: The Food Production Chain.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/images/food_production_chain_400px.jpg
References
Do not forget to put your references in alphabetical order (vertically, NOT horizontally) by author’s last name, and use only first initials, not first name. If one of your references begins with the word "The," put the rest of the name first and insert a comma, followed by the word The (example – Associated Press, The.).
Author's Last Name, First Initial. (year). Title of article/Internet page. Retrieved from http://complete URL here Do Not end with a period (EXAMPLE OF AN INTERNET SOURCE – IF NO DATE IS GIVEN ON THE INTERNET PAGE USE: (n.d.). IN PLACE OF THE YEAR.)
Author's Last Name, First Initial. (year). Title of book. City, ST: Publisher. (EXAMPLE OF A BOOK)
Author's Last Name, First Initial. (year, Season). Title of article. Magazine Name, 12(8), 27. (EXAMPLE OF A MAGAZINE ARTICLE - Note – only capitalize the proper nouns in the title of the article; capitalize all the words in the magazine name; the 12 is where the volume number goes, the 8 is where the issue number goes, the 27 is where the page number goes.)
Berube, M. S., ed. (1989). The American heritage dictionary. New York: Dell. (EXAMPLE OF A DICTIONARY)
Bird, I. (1973). A lady's life in the Rocky Mountains (Reprint ed.). New York: Ballantine Books. (EXAMPLE OF A BOOK)
Food Production Chain, The. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/images/food_production_chain_400px.jpg
Grant, A. M. & Berry, J. W. (2011). The necessity of others is the mother of invention: Intrinsic and prosocial motivations, perspective taking, and creativity. Academy of Management Journal.54 (1), 73-96. DOI: 10.5465/AMJ.2011.59215085 (EXAMPLE FROM OUR BONUS LIVE CHAT, PLEASE VIEW THE BONUS LIVE CHAT TO SEE HOW TO FORMAT A REFERENCE WHEN RESEARCHING FROM THE CTU LIBRARY, WHICH IS REQUIRED FOR THIS TASK)
Leonard, S. J., & Noel, T. J. (1990). Denver: Mining camp to metropolis. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado. (EXAMPLE OF A BOOK)
Morson, B., & Frazier, D. (2000, December 7). For years, brown cloud fouls Denver image [Electronic version]. Denver (Colorado) Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved October 3, 2002, from http://insidedenver.com/millennium/1207stone.shtml (EXAMPLE OF A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM AN ONLINE VERSION OF THE NEWSPAPER)
National Jewish Medical & Research Center. (2001a, January 5). The 'Brown Cloud,' cold-induced asthma, winter allergies and seasonal affective disorder around the corner as winter approaches. Retrieved October 4, 2002, from http://www.njc.org/news/ winter1.html (EXAMPLE OF AN ORGANIZATION ...
MGMT 3720 – Organizational Behavior EXAM 3
(CH. 9, 10, 11, & 12)
Question 1
1.
While discussing their marketing campaign for a new product, the members of the cross-functional team responsible for Carver Inc. realized that a couple of changes relating to their prior plan would be beneficial. The offer of a franchising that had earlier been brushed off by the company head was discussed thoroughly and it was decided that it would be implemented on a trial basis initially, and on full scale if found to work well. From the information provided, it can be concluded that this cross-functional team has a high degree of ________.
Answer
reflexivity
uncertainty
diversity
conformity
demography
Question 2
1.
Max Hiller was recently hired by Sync, a consumer goods company. During his first meeting with the sales team, Max impressed upon his team that work performance is the only criterion he would use to evaluate them. To help them perform well and meet their targets, he pushed his team to work extra hours. He also gave very clear instructions to each member regarding their job responsibilities and continually verified if they were meeting their targets. Which of the following, if true, would weaken Max's approach?
Answer
Sales figures for the region that Max's team is responsible for have improved in the last quarter.
Max is leading many new employees who have joined his team directly after training.
Max's sales team is comprised of independent and experienced employees who are committed to their jobs.
Max's team functions in a sluggish manner and picks up pace only a week or so before the monthly operations cycle meetings.
Max's team does not display high levels of cohesiveness and members fail to coordinate with each other.
Question 3
1.
Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect of group cohesiveness and performance norms on group productivity?
Answer
When both cohesiveness and performance norms are high, productivity will be high.
The productivity of the group is affected by the performance norms but not by the cohesiveness of the group.
If cohesiveness is high and performance norms are low, productivity will be high.
When cohesiveness is low and performance norms are also low, productivity will be high.
If cohesiveness is low and performance norms are high, productivity will be low.
Question 4
1.
Neutralizers make it impossible for leader behavior to make any difference to follower outcomes.
Answer
True
False
Question 5
1.
Communication includes both the transfer and the understanding of meaning.
Answer
True
False
Question 6
1.
According to the path-goal theory, directive leadership is likely to be welcomed and accepted by employees with high ability or considerable experience.
Answer
True
False
Question 7
1.
Before buying her new phone, Gina listed the various requirements her new phone must meet. As a wedding planner, much of her work revolved around usin ...
Mexico, Page 1 Running Head MEXICO’S CULTURAL, ECONOMI.docxandreecapon
Mexico, Page 1
Running Head: MEXICO’S CULTURAL, ECONOMICAL, AND POLITICAL STATE
Mexico’s Cultural, Economical, and Political State
For
Firms Pursuing Business In or With Mexico
By
Kashmala Khan
For
Athena Miklos, Professor
ECN 2025-102947
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00-11:20 AM
College of Southern Maryland
La Plata, Maryland
November 15, 2012
Mexico, Page 2
Summary
Before a firm does business in Mexico it is imperative to understand the achievements
and pitfalls of its cultural, economic, and political forces. Although Mexico has improved
substantially with its technological development, investment policies, foreign exchange policies,
and tariffs, it still has significant pitfalls when it comes to honoring contracts, legal framework,
and enforcing laws.
The cultural forces of Mexico are largely dependent on social structure. Mexicans respect
authority and look to those above them for guidance and decision-making. This makes it
important to know which person is in charge, and leads to an authoritarian approach to decision-
making and problem solving. Since 92.7% of the total population in Mexico speaks Spanish
only, it will be beneficial to learn Spanish or have a translator at hand at all times. Shared culture
makes it easier to market and sell goods and services.
The economic forces in Mexico offer both favorable and unfavorable qualities. Mexico is
currently the second largest export market for U.S. goods. Some of the greatest achievements of
economic forces include physical infrastructures, telecommunication systems, production
capabilities, and technology. The unfavorable qualities of the economic forces include high
employment rate and unskilled labor.
The political forces in Mexico also play a great role in opportunities and pitfalls. The
opportunities include efficient settlements to disputes and reasonable trade regulations and
standards. The pitfalls include wars and terrorism caused by the drug wars and cartels.
There are numerous opportunities for firms in the Textiles and Clothing industry of
Mexico. A firm should be knowledgeable about the cultural differences in Mexican people in
Mexico, Page 3
order to undergo business successfully. A firm should also be aware of the potential profit
Mexico has to offer, as well as the potential problems. To conclude from this research, U.S.
firms should enter the Textiles and Clothing industry in Mexico because there are a lot of
opportunities and the Mexican economy will further expand in the near future.
Mexico, Page 4
Introduction
This paper will review and relay the most recent information regarding Mexico’s cultural,
economic, and political forces. The objective of this paper is to assist firms who are interested in
entering the Textiles and Clothing industry in Mexico by portraying the opportunities, issues,
and pros and cons of doing business in Mexico. Th ...
MGM316-1401B-01Quesadra D. GoodrumClass Discussion Phase2.docxandreecapon
MGM316-1401B-01
Quesadra D. Goodrum
Class Discussion Phase2
Colorado Technical University
Professor: Edmund Winters
4/07/2014
In an ever-changing world, intercultural business communication is one of the most vital aspects of carrying out business in foreign countries. We are set up to fail if we enter into foreign business agreements blindly. In the absence of proper communication skills, cultural awareness comes into play knowing the culture in which we are dealing. All of your concepts you may have grown up with and ideas that you have formed beforehand need to be thrown away and cast to the side. Your concepts and ideas in these business meetings will only be as effective as your communication skills. If your communications skills are weak so will be your presentation of your projected business plan. If I was going to develop a training program on the same, my lesson plan would look as illustrated below:
I. Class Objectives: The goals or objectives for class include understanding how language affects intercultural business communications and learning about different cultures and how they communicate when conducting business activities.
II. Connection to Course Goals: The class’s daily objectives will connect to the overall course goals by dealing with one topic at a time.
III. Anticipatory Set: What is usually involved in intercultural business communication and how should one behave if relocated to foreign countries such as United Arab Emirates, Mexico, China and Israel?
IV. Cultural Awareness
V. High vs. Low Context Cultures
VI. Language: Verbal vs. Non-Verbal
VII. Conversational Taboos
VIII. Interaction: Ethical/Unethical awareness
IX. Conclusion: connecting the objectives
My developed training program will help my students target and grasp the importance of the concepts listed and how they connect to one another. You will need to know a number of things regarding Cultural Awareness, High vs. Low Context Cultures, and Verbal vs. Non-Verbal, Conversational Taboos, and Interaction Ethical/Unethical awareness, and connecting the objectives. “Low context language is where things are fully spelled out or made explicit where there is also considerable dependence on what is actually being said or written (Gibson, 2002).” Western cultures tend to be inclined more toward low context language while Eastern and
Southern cultures are more inclined to use high context language (LeBaron, 2003).“High context language is whereby communicators assume a great deal of commonality of opinions and knowledge so that not much is made explicit (Novinger, 2001).” In other words, communication is in indirect ways. It is of crucial importance for business individuals venturing overseas to learn more about the business culture and etiquette present in countries such as Mexico, China, United Arab Emirates and Israel as they are not the same as the American business culture.
International Business Communication
Understanding other cultures tend to greatly enh ...
METROPOLITAN PLANNING ANDENVIRONMENTAL ISSUESn May 2008, the N.docxandreecapon
METROPOLITAN PLANNING AND
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
n May 2008, the Nobel Prize–winning economist Paul Krugman was in Berlin, and
he wrote an Op-Ed piece for the New York Times that began, “I have seen the future,
and it works.” He went on to extol “this marvelous urban environment” with its pitchperfect
public transportation servicing medium height high-rise buildings embedded
in a larger urban-scape of commercial service establishments and green areas. He then
commented: “It’s the kind of neighborhood in which people don’t have to drive a lot,
but it’s also a kind of neighborhood that barely exists in America, even in big metropolitan
areas. Greater Atlanta has roughly the same population as greater Berlin—but
Berlin is a city of trains, buses and bikes, while Atlanta is a city of cars, cars and cars.”
The Nobel Prize winner is speaking here not as an objective scientist, but as another
tourist from America, and one who subscribes to the subjective bias against suburban
sprawl. As any other observant visitor to Berlin can attest, he leaves out other aspects of
the experience: the mixed groups of drug addicts loitering around select public places
including open-air heroin users and speed freaks; Nazi skinheads roaming the very
community transportation corridors Krugman lauds; sectors of the city that could be
called slums in the American style, except that the housing is better maintained and
the streets are cleaner; and, despite the popularity of Berlin, an increasing and denser
development of the region outside the city for the kind of single-family homes that are
most characteristic of the United States and that he seems to dislike despite the fact
that he probably lives in one back in Princeton, N.J., where he is a professor.
To be sure, Krugman has an excellent point and his comparison between Berlin
and Atlanta is well taken. However, any tourist comparing American and European
urban development patterns for public consumption, such as this Op-Ed columnist,
must be held responsible for pointing out the single most important reason for the
contrast. Simply put, European cities have fought sprawl and have a more “rational”
public mode of living that includes clustered high-rises and efficient public transportation
precisely because in Europe planners have political power and leverage over
land use built by profit seekers. America has nothing comparable because Americans
321
I
dislike public housing and government planning and are generally opposed to government
regulation and intervention. The fundamental ideological divide between these
societies could not be more different. Witness the frustrating and irrational response
average U.S. citizens have made in opposition to government-sponsored health insurance
during the summer of 2009. European countries adopted universal health care,
in contrast, scores of years ago. At about the same time, in the post–World War II era,
they also sanctioned local and national planning schemes for housing and ...
Methods of Moral Decision Making REL 330 Christian Moralit.docxandreecapon
Methods of Moral Decision Making
REL 330 Christian Morality
Acquisition of Christian Based Ethical Truth comes from:
1. Written Revelation – the Bible
2. Natural Law
· Human reason is capable of divine ethical truth.
· Human kind made in the image of God is therefore capable of understanding ethical standards revealed in nature.
· Natural tendency for self-preservation, avoidance of pain, defense of children.
3. The Church - A. Narrative component : Stories and images,
B. Normative component: Rules/guidelines
C. Church functions to assist with character development by teaching,
through community, and imagination (raises to new acute awareness &
understanding)
How we decide is a matter of style:
Rule-Based or Deontological Theories of Ethics (Rule or duty based)
A. Divine Command/Absolutism –
Our behavior, actions and moral decisions are based on God’s will.
How do we determine the will of God?
Based on our experience of God and our understanding of the nature of
God.
God is good. We need an understanding of what the Good is.
Do we follow God’s command out of fear or out of love?
Which is more important the rule or the intention?
The problem with moral decision making arises when in a particular situation one needs to choose between protecting one’s own life and the life of another. Complex situations in our nuclear age make it difficult to determine the greater good or the lesser of two evils in many cases.
B. Immanuel Kant’s “Categorical Imperative” - another of the deontological or rule based theories of ethics that may help in ethical reasoning-
His theory states “Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.” Also persons are not to be a means to an end. (Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, 1785; cited in Rachels, 115)
C. Social Contract Theories- a belief that moral judgments are simply conventions determined by a particular society. How this works is evident in the “Peace Child.”
D. Critical Realism- is a method thatasserts that our knowledge of the world refers to the-way-things-really-are, but in a partial fashion which will necessarily be revised as that knowledge develops. Critical Realism attempts to find the real good through dialogue and reason between the ideal rule or norm and the reality of the present world.
Teleological or goal-based theories of Ethical Reasoning- (Also known as consequentialism)
A. Ethical Egoism- a moral act is what benefits me.
B. Utilitarianism- a moral act is what causes the greatest amount of happiness for the most people concerned, i.e.,
· Right actions are those with best consequences.
· In assessing “best consequences” the amount of happiness or unhappiness caused is the only relevant consideration.
· Each person’s welfare is equally important
C. Emotivism- moral judgments ar ...
METHODS TO STOP DIFFERENT CYBER CRIMES .docxandreecapon
METHODS TO STOP DIFFERENT CYBER CRIMES 1
Methods to Stop Different Cyber Crimes
People must be well-informed regarding internet scams and certain vulnerabilities, which permit them to occur sooner or later. With education, they will be in a situation to help in prevention of such scams successfully (Hynson, 2012). It is imperative for people to be familiar with attempts of cybercrimes and to comprehend correct solutions in internet practices and solutions. People will learn with education how to put into practice proper security protocols. When they develop into social media savvy people and when they learn how to safe guard their computer devices, cybercriminals will encounter multiple layers of security, which will limit their illegal activities substantially.
Firewalls have the capability to protect users and their network devices against cyber criminals in the first instance of a attempted breach (Lehto,2013). A firewall monitors the interchange between a local network or the internet and a user’s computer. The firewall should be enabled through the security software or a router. Cybercriminals will be unable to use the interchange traffic to install malware, which is intended to compromise the user’s network and computer. If more people would use firewalls, hackers would be at a chief disadvantage due to being unable to navigate deeper into a system to obtain sensitive information and eventually, cybercrime would be lessened for a time.
Users need to analyze their operating and online systems continually so they can resolve vulnerabilities (Hynson, 2012). Internal accounting information or protocols, which lead to financial information or bank statements, should be checked on a regular basis in order to recognize the risks and mitigate them accordingly. It is very difficult for people to curb the flow of cybercrimes if they are ignorant of the risks in which they face or the weaknesses, which exist within their systems.
One successful way of slowing the actions of cyber criminals is by acting like them. This requires law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to assign special undercover agents to gain access to clubs or groups of cyber criminals so they can investigate their steps (Hynson, 2012). The investigation method will become more effective by identifying the source of the problem and in developing a stronger strategy to cripple the efforts of the criminals.
Cyber criminals can hack into systems without difficulty when they encounter uncomplicated passwords. Users should use passwords with at least 10 or more characters so they can amplify the complexity of logging into the computer system (Lehto, 2013). It also helps top add in capital letters and special characters to increase the complexity of a password. In addition, different accounts should have dissimilar ID’s or password combinations to avoid giving hackers ac ...
Mexico The Third War Security Weekly Wednesday, February 18.docxandreecapon
Mexico: The Third War
Security Weekly Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 13:23 Print Text Size
By Fred Burton and Scott Stewart
Mexico has pretty much always been a rough-and
-tumble place. In recent years, however, the
security environment has deteriorated rapidly, and
parts of the country have become incredibly
violent. It is now common to see military
weaponry such as fragmentation grenades and
assault rifles used almost daily in attacks.
In fact, just last week we noted two separate
strings of grenade attacks directed against police
in Durango and Michoacan states. In the
Michoacan incident, police in Uruapan and Lazaro Cardenas were targeted by three grenade attacks during a 12-hour period.
Then on Feb. 17, a major firefight occurred just across the border from the United States in Reynosa, when Mexican
authorities attempted to apprehend several armed men seen riding in a vehicle. The men fled to a nearby residence and
engaged the pursuing police with gunfire, hand grenades and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). After the incident, in which
five cartel gunmen were killed and several gunmen, cops, soldiers and civilians were wounded, authorities recovered a 60 mm
mortar, five RPG rounds and two fragmentation grenades.
Make no mistake, considering the military weapons now being used in Mexico and the number of deaths involved, the country
is in the middle of a war. In fact, there are actually three concurrent wars being waged in Mexico involving the Mexican drug
cartels. The first is the battle being waged among the various Mexican drug cartels seeking control over lucrative smuggling
corridors, called plazas. One such battleground is Ciudad Juarez, which provides access to the Interstate 10, Interstate 20 and
Interstate 25 corridors inside the United States. The second battle is being fought between the various cartels and the Mexican
government forces who are seeking to interrupt smuggling operations, curb violence and bring the cartel members to justice.
Then there is a third war being waged in Mexico, though because of its nature it is a bit more subdued. It does not get the
same degree of international media attention generated by the running gun battles and grenade and RPG attacks. However, it
is no less real, and in many ways it is more dangerous to innocent civilians (as well as foreign tourists and business travelers)
than the pitched battles between the cartels and the Mexican government. This third war is the war being waged on the
Mexican population by criminals who may or may not be involved with the cartels. Unlike the other battles, where cartel
members or government forces are the primary targets and civilians are only killed as collateral damage, on this battlefront,
civilians are squarely in the crosshairs.
The Criminal Front
There are many different shapes and sizes of criminal gangs in Mexico. While many of them are in some way related to the
drug cartels, others have various types of c ...
Mercy College Principles of Management
Professor Tormey
Shadow-A-Company Term Project
The EXACT POWERPOINT sequence or order for your report should be as follows:
1. The Company’s Name
2. The Company’s Logo
3. The Company’s Mission Statement
4. Is the company living up to its stated objectives
5. What additional businesses should this company possibly explore entering?
6. The Company’s three (3) main competitors
7. A picture of, and the name of, the following: the Chairman, the President, the CEO and the CFO
8. The Stock Symbol and Exchange that it is traded on
9. The company’s recent stock price
10. The number of company employees worldwide
11. The location of the company’s corporate headquarters (city/state only)
12. The company’s yearly sales for 2012 in billions of dollars
13. The company’s yearly profit for 2012 in millions/billions of dollars
14. The company’s…STRENGTHS
15. The company’s…WEAKNESSES
16. The company’s…OPPORTUNITIES
17. The company’s…THREATS
18. Several of the company’s STAR product’s and or division’s
19. Several of the company’s CASH COW product’s and or division’s
20. The company’s QUESTION MARK’S product’s and or division’s
21. The company’s DOG product’s and or division’s
22. IMPORTANTLY… a statement from EACH student of exactly what each of you have learned while completing this research project
Shadow-A-Company Analysis
A process by which a student evaluates the products and businesses making up their assigned company.
Portfolio AnalysisPurpose of portfolio analysis:
Resources are directed toward more profitable businesses while weaker ones are phased out or dropped.Standard portfolio analysis evaluates SBUs on two important dimensions:
Attractiveness of SBU’s market or industry.
Strength of SBU’s position within that market or industry.
Figure 2.2:
The BCG Growth-Share Matrix
BCG Growth-Share MatrixStars: High-share of high-growth market.
Strategy: Build into cash cow via investment.Cash cows: High-share of low-growth market.
Strategies: Maintain or harvest for cash to build STARS.Question marks: Low-share of high-growth market.
Strategies: Build into STAR via investment OR reallocate funding and let slip into DOG status.Dogs: Low-share of low-growth market.
Strategies: Maintain or divest.
Figure 2.7:
SWOT Analysis
Mercy College Principles of Management
Professor Tormey
Shadow-A-Company Term Project
Each student will be assigned a specific company to closely monitor and study throughout the duration of the semester.
On our final class meeting date, you will be required to s ...
MGMT 301 EOY Group” Case Study and Power Point Presentation G.docxandreecapon
MGMT 301 EOY “Group” Case Study and Power Point Presentation Grade Sheet-
Group Name: _____________________________ Time of class__________________
Total Paper should be 8-10 pages in length- this includes preliminary or prefatory section
No indentations for paragraphs- single spacing with double spacing in-between paragraphs
APA citations need to be used as your guide for citing reference material!
Preliminary or prefatory section- (this section has different page numbering, ii,iii,etc)
Title Page
Page ii-Table of Contents/ and List of Illustrations/Figures/Tables (10 points) ________
Page iii- Executive Summary- use bullets/ and bold headings (10 points) ________
Body of Paper and Analysis of Case Study and Questions and Answers – (starts w/page 1)
Page 1- Introduction- Starts on Page 1 and is at least ¼ to ½ page (5 points) ________
Page Numbering- After Introduction start your research paper…
Body of paper should be 5-8 pages in length
Research used in your paper
You will need to use at least “Five” different research cites! (50 points)________
You need to include “Five” different areas of analysis
Example: Motivation, Communication, Leadership, etc. (Chapters from your book)
Two Charts or Graphs in body of paper (5 points each) (10 points)________
They both need to be properly cited! (Heading)( Figure 1 or 2)(Source: citation)
Recommendation/Conclusion – (10 points)________
Reference Page- cite all you references on a separate sheet (5 points)________
100 POINTS TOTAL_________________
Points to be deducted in each category:
Poor: Headings, Sub-Heading or lack of Bold Headings (5 points)_________
Poor: Grammar- Sentence Structure - Formatting of Paragraphs (5 points)_________
Poor: Citation of your research material (10 points)_________
WRITTEN PAPERWORTH 100 POINTS TOTAL _______________
Power point Presentation - NOT MORE THAN 10 MINUTES!- Please do voice-over or camera
(Call eCampus or Tech-help or blackboard for assistance with your power point presentation)
Appropriate Business Attire for Presentation--points will be taken off for poor attire
Was there an opening statement? (10 points) ________
Clear - Easy to read - Eye appealing (10 points) ________
Not more than 7 lines per slide and 7 words in a line on a slide
Did you engage your audience?
Voice, clarity, clarity, volume, speed, poise and confidence (10 points) ________
Two graphs in your presentation- must be cited correctly (10 points)________
Was there a conclusion slide and statement? (10 points__________
Points will be taken off if:
Speed of presentation, (too fast or too slow) (up to 5 points) ________
“UHMS” and “H’S” – (1 point for every 10)________
POWER POINTWORTH 50 POINTS TOTAL________
ENTIRE PAPERWORTH 150 POINTS TOTAL__________
CASE
3 Building a Coali ...
MGMT 464New Manager’s Case Study Case Analysis Worksheet #.docxandreecapon
MGMT 464
New Manager’s Case Study
Case Analysis Worksheet #2
Team Case Analysis Session 2: Enable Others To Act (Principle # 4)
Enabling others to act has two main components [1] fostering collaboration, and [2] strengthening others.
In your small groups, discuss and document your group’s response to the following questions. Upload your typed document into one of your group member’s D2L dropbox by the assigned due date on your course schedule. Be sure to include on your worksheet all group member names. If present in class, all group members will receive the same grade for this case analysis assignment (maximum 30 pts). Group peer evaluations will be used to determine overall individual group member participation points for both these case discussions (maximum 15 pts).
1. In what specific ways did Mark create a climate of distrust?
2. In what ways did Mark fail to “set the example” in his work role? What was the impact of his failure to be a good role model for his employees?
3. What type of relevant information and resources did he not share with his employees? What was the impact?
4. In what ways had the former supervisor built his employees’ sense of competence? How did Mark later undermine the employees’ sense of competence?
5. In what ways did the employees demonstrate accountability before Mark took over?
6. What kind of expectations of his employees did Mark communicate, and how did this become a self-fulfilling prophecy (The Pygmalion Effect)?
7. What employee obstacles were apparent in the case that Mark ignored? What actions could he have taken to remove these obstacles?
8. In what sense did the employees have a sense of job meaning and impact before Mark arrived? How did Mark’s actions lead to a decreased sense of job meaning and impact for the employees?
9. What would you have done differently with this group of employees in terms of empowerment and fostering collaboration?
Problems: Answer each question
1. A quality control expert is called in to determine whether a newly installed machine is meeting quality standards in producing a particular cotton cloth according to the specifications set by the manufacturer. The mean warp-breaking strength of this particular cotton cloth has been established to be 66 pounds. A random sample of 36 pieces of cotton cloth is obtained from a production run on this machine. The results of the sample reveal a mean warp-breaking strength of 64.5 pounds and a standard deviation of 5 pounds. Can the quality control expert make the decision that the cotton produced on the new machine meets the warp-breaking specification of the manufacturer at the .05 level of significance?
2. The personnel director of a large insurance company is interested in reducing the turnover rate of data processing clerks in the first year of employment. Past records indicate that 25% of all new hires in this area are no longer employed at the end of one year. Extensive new training approaches are im ...
META-INF/MANIFEST.MF
Manifest-Version: 1.0
.classpath
PriorityQueue.classpublicsynchronizedclass PriorityQueue {
Heap q;
public void PriorityQueue(int, java.util.Comparator);
public Object peek();
public Object remove();
void add(Object);
boolean isEmpty();
public int size();
}
PriorityQueue.javaPriorityQueue.javaimport java.util.Comparator;
publicclassPriorityQueue<E>{
Heap q;
/**
*PriorityQueue initializes the queue.
*
* @param initialCapacity an int that is the heaps initial size.
* @param comparator the priority of various imputs.
*/
publicPriorityQueue(int initialCapacity,Comparator<?super E> comparator){
q=newHeap(initialCapacity,comparator);
}
/**
* Peek, returns the next item in the queue without removing it.
*
* If it is empty then null is returned.
* @return the next item in the queue.
*/
public E peek(){
if(q.size()==0){
returnnull;
}
return(E) q.findMax();
}
/**
* This removes the first item from the queue.
*
* It returns null if the queue is empty.
* @return the first item in the queue.
*/
public E remove(){
if(q.size()==0){
returnnull;
}
return(E) q.removeMax();
}
/**
* This adds item to the queue
* @param item that is added to the queue.
*/
void add(E item){
q.insert(item);
}
/**
* isEmpty returns if the queue is empty or not.
*
* @return boolean if the queue is empty or not.
*/
boolean isEmpty(){
if(q.size()!=0){
returnfalse;
}
returntrue;
}
/**
* size returns the size of the queue.
*
* @return int the size of the queue.
*/
publicint size(){
return q.size();
}
}
ArithmeticExpression.classpublicsynchronizedclass ArithmeticExpression {
BinaryTree t;
java.util.ArrayList list;
String equation;
void ArithmeticExpression(String) throws java.text.ParseException;
public String toString(BinaryTree);
public String toPostfixString(BinaryTree);
void setVariable(String, int) throws java.rmi.NotBoundException;
public int evaluate(BinaryTree);
}
ArithmeticExpression.javaArithmeticExpression.javaimport java.rmi.NotBoundException;
import java.text.ParseException;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Stack;
/**
* ArithmeticExpression takes equations in the form of strings creates a binary
* tree, and can return either the regular or postfix equation. It also allows
* them to be calculated.
*
*
* Extra Credit:
* ** it can handle spaces or no spaces in the string inputted. ** it can return
* regular or postfix notation
*
* @author tai-lanhirabayashi
*
*/
publicclassArithmeticExpression{
BinaryTree t;
ArrayList list;
String equation;
/**
* ArithmeticExpression is the construction which takes in a space
* delimitated equation containing "*,/,+,-" symbols and converts it into a
* binary tree.
*
* If the expression is not valid it will throw a ParseException. This is ...
Menu Management Options· · APRN504 - 5886 - HEALTH POLICY .docxandreecapon
Menu Management Options
·
·
APRN504 - 5886 - HEALTH POLICY AND LEADERSHIP - Spring2016
· Home Page
· Announcements
· Syllabus
· Discussions
· Weekly news update
· Assignments
· Sign up Wiki
· Writing Information
· Groups
· Week One
· PowerPoint Week #1
· PowerPoints Week #1
· Week Two: Information
· Week Three
· PowerPoint:Week #3 Policy
· PowerPoint-Communication
· PowerPoint: SS
· Week Four
· PowerPoint: Finances
· PowerPoint-Ethics
· Week Five
· Week Six
· Week Seven
· Week Eight
· PowerPoint: Lobbying
· Week Nine
· PowerPoint:Workplace
· Week Ten
· Week Eleven
· PowerPoint:Centers
· PP: Putting it Together
· Week Twelve
· Week Thirteen
· Week Fourteen
· Week Fifteen
· APA Links
· Help
· Tools
PowerPoint Week #1
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Content
·
Social Determinants of Health
·
One view of the ACA
·
Another view of ACA
Remember South Carolina did NOT take the Medicaid expansion.
·
South Carolina and Medicaid
·
The IOM and Nursing
· Nursing and Politics
·
Mentoring
·
The Difference in Political Philosophy
·
Policy Process
GRADING RUBRICS:
Journals: The Journals should be a synopsis of ALL your required readings and PowerPoints. These papers are three to six pages long and include a reference page. Tell me what you learned. Failure to cover any aspect of the information will result is loss of points. APA format is required so remember your title page. The required APA textbook has examples from pages 41-59. Spelling and grammar issues will result in loss of points. Late Submissions: Minus 10 points/day.
Forum: Discussion Board
Organize Forum Threads on this page and apply settings to several or all threads. Threads are listed in a tabular format. The Threads can be sorted by clicking the column title or the caret at the top of each column. More Help
Content
Top of Form
This is a 'post-first' discussion forum.
There are currently 18 threads in this forum. Join the conversation by creating a thread!
Create Thread
Forum Description
Introduce yourself. Tell us your background and what track you are currently in. Have you had any experience with politics, leadership or political events? What do you hope to gain from this course? What are your concerns about taking a hybid course? What do you wish other people knew about you? Where do you hope to be five years from now? What has been your experience in a Political Group (ANA, SCNA, ANCC, ACNP, SCMA, Republican Party, Democratic Party, etc) and the role they play in politics? Inform us of what district you live in, who is your current represenative and senator for your district. A meaningful response to two classmates and facilitation of a dialog is an expectation for the discussion board. You can not post "I agree" or "I disagree". A discussion is like a ball being tossed back and forth. If you ask questions of your classmates you facilitate dialog. The discussion Boards are open for two weeks and close on Sundays at 11:59 pm. Do not wait until the last minute to post becaus ...
MGMT 673 Problem Set 51. For each of the following economic cond.docxandreecapon
MGMT 673 Problem Set 5
1. For each of the following economic conditions, place an X in the table to indicate the appropriate range in the Aggregate Supply Curve
Condition
Keynesian
Intermediate
Classical
Unemployment is above the historical average
The nation’s factories are running at capacity
Any increase in GDP will be accompanied by high inflation
The nation is suffering through a severe recession
A mid-point in the business cycle expansion phase
GDP can increase without an increase in the Price Index
2. Many exogenous factors can cause a shift in the Aggregate Supply Curve. For each of the following factors, place an X in the table to indicate how the AS curve would shift.
Factor
AS shift right
(increase in AS)
AS shift left
(decrease in AS)
World oil prices increase substantially
Environmental Protection Agency enacts broad pollution restrictions
Business taxes are reduced
Internal combustion engine fuel efficiencies are greatly increased
Adverse winter weather persists for months more the normal
New restrictions slow immigration
Federal minimum wage is increased by 30%
3. Earlier we learned that Demand, which we now call Aggregate Demand, is comprised of 4 components: Consumption (C), Investment (I), Government spending (G), and Net Exports (NE). Any exogenous factor that increases any of the component(s) will also increase Aggregate Demand. For each of the following, place an X to indicate the component affected and an R (increase) or and L (decrease) to show whether the AD curve shifts Right or Left. Consider only the primary effect.
Factor
C
I
G
NE
R or L
Real interest rate decreases
Consumers and executives become more confident in the economic future
The stock market rises
China’s economic growth slows
Congress increases spending for in the current fiscal year
Tariffs are imposed by many countries to protect domestic employment
The US Import/Export bank eliminates guarantees for loans to foreign airlines to purchase Boeing aircraft
Congress enacts tax incentives for firms purchasing new equipment and facilities
4. For each of the following government economic actions, place an X in the table to indicate whether the action is fiscal or monetary policy.
Action
Monetary
Fiscal
Taxes are increased on the wealthiest 1% of households
The Fed purchases Mortgage-backed securities (MBS)
The US Treasury borrows money to finance increased government spending
The federal government provides a rebate to first time home buyers
The President signs and enacts the Affordable Care Act
The Fed promises to keep interest rates near zero for an extended time
5. For each of the following government actions, insert the original and shifted AD curve. Insert an arrow to show the shift in the AD curve. Here’s an example:
GDP
Price
Index
Real GDP
AS
a. While in a steep recession, the federal government enacts a stimulus program of increased spending and r ...
Mental Illness Stigma and the Fundamental Components ofSuppo.docxandreecapon
Mental Illness Stigma and the Fundamental Components of
Supported Employment
Patrick W. Corrigan, Jonathon E. Larson, and Sachiko A. Kuwabara
Illinois Institute of Psychology
Purpose/Objective: The success of supported employment programs will partly depend on the endorse-
ment of stigma in communities in which the programs operate. In this article, the authors examine 2
models of stigma—responsibility attribution and dangerousness—and their relationships to components
of supported employment—help getting a job and help keeping a job. Research Method/Design: A
stratified and randomly recruited sample (N � 815) completed responses to a vignette about “Chris,” a
person alternately described with mental illness, with drug addiction, or in a wheelchair. Research
participants completed items that represented responsibility and dangerousness models. They also
completed items representing 2 fundamental aspects of supported employment: help getting a job or help
keeping a job. Results: When participants viewed Chris as responsible for his condition (e.g., mental
illness), they reacted to him in an angry manner, which in turn led to lesser endorsement of the 2 aspects
of supported employment. In addition, people who viewed Chris as dangerous feared him and wanted to
stay away from him, even in settings where people with mental illness might work. Conclusions/
Implications: Implications for understanding supported employment are discussed.
Keywords: stigma, supported employment, discrimination
The disabilities of serious mental illness can block people from
obtaining important life goals, including a good job. Several kinds
of vocational rehabilitation programs have emerged to address
work-related disabilities. Some of these approaches are known as
train-place strategies (Corrigan & McCracken, 2005). Through an
education-based strategy, in train-place programs, participants
must learn prevocational and work readiness skills before they are
placed in work settings. These work settings are often sheltered;
that is, the job is “owned” by a rehabilitation agency, which can
protect participants from stressors (Corrigan, 2001). Alternatively,
supported employment is place-train in orientation. People are
placed in real-world work and subsequently provided training and
support to address problems as they emerge, thereby helping a
person to maintain a regular job. The latter group has dominated
recent supported employment models for people with psychiatric
disabilities (Bond et al., 2001; Bond, Becker, Drake, & Vogler, 1997).
Some forms of supported employment recommend rapid placement
of people in work settings of interest to them (Becker & Drake, 2003).
Unlike train-place programs, supported employment does not
try to protect people with disabilities from the work world (Cor-
rigan, 2001; Corrigan & McCracken, 2005). Instead, providers
offer direct support in vivo. This kind of approach is more suc-
cessful in communities where the intent of supported ...
Merck & Co. Inc. MRKCopy and pasteany three Notes to the Fina.docxandreecapon
Merck & Co. Inc. MRK
Copy and pasteany three “Notes to the Financial Statements” (except for the one addressing “Significant Accounting Policies”)
Complete the following tasks and questions:
1. Does your company have a Deferred Tax Asset or Deferred Tax Liability, or both? How much are they?
2. What was the Income Tax Expense for the year?
3. What is the Income Tax Payable or Refundable for the year?
4. How much Taxes was paid for the year?
5. Copy and paste the disclosure note that relates to Taxation. (Note - not the one that appears in Significant Accounting Policies)
6. Does your company have any Uncertain Tax positions? If so, what are they for?
7. What did you find most interesting about the company’s Tax disclosure note?
...
Synthetic Fiber Construction in lab .pptxPavel ( NSTU)
Synthetic fiber production is a fascinating and complex field that blends chemistry, engineering, and environmental science. By understanding these aspects, students can gain a comprehensive view of synthetic fiber production, its impact on society and the environment, and the potential for future innovations. Synthetic fibers play a crucial role in modern society, impacting various aspects of daily life, industry, and the environment. ynthetic fibers are integral to modern life, offering a range of benefits from cost-effectiveness and versatility to innovative applications and performance characteristics. While they pose environmental challenges, ongoing research and development aim to create more sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives. Understanding the importance of synthetic fibers helps in appreciating their role in the economy, industry, and daily life, while also emphasizing the need for sustainable practices and innovation.
Students, digital devices and success - Andreas Schleicher - 27 May 2024..pptxEduSkills OECD
Andreas Schleicher presents at the OECD webinar ‘Digital devices in schools: detrimental distraction or secret to success?’ on 27 May 2024. The presentation was based on findings from PISA 2022 results and the webinar helped launch the PISA in Focus ‘Managing screen time: How to protect and equip students against distraction’ https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/managing-screen-time_7c225af4-en and the OECD Education Policy Perspective ‘Students, digital devices and success’ can be found here - https://oe.cd/il/5yV
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
An EFL lesson about the current events in Palestine. It is intended to be for intermediate students who wish to increase their listening skills through a short lesson in power point.
How to Split Bills in the Odoo 17 POS ModuleCeline George
Bills have a main role in point of sale procedure. It will help to track sales, handling payments and giving receipts to customers. Bill splitting also has an important role in POS. For example, If some friends come together for dinner and if they want to divide the bill then it is possible by POS bill splitting. This slide will show how to split bills in odoo 17 POS.
How to Make a Field invisible in Odoo 17Celine George
It is possible to hide or invisible some fields in odoo. Commonly using “invisible” attribute in the field definition to invisible the fields. This slide will show how to make a field invisible in odoo 17.
Unit 8 - Information and Communication Technology (Paper I).pdfThiyagu K
This slides describes the basic concepts of ICT, basics of Email, Emerging Technology and Digital Initiatives in Education. This presentations aligns with the UGC Paper I syllabus.
How to Create Map Views in the Odoo 17 ERPCeline George
The map views are useful for providing a geographical representation of data. They allow users to visualize and analyze the data in a more intuitive manner.
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptxJheel Barad
This presentation provides a briefing on how to upload submissions and documents in Google Classroom. It was prepared as part of an orientation for new Sainik School in-service teacher trainees. As a training officer, my goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and proficient with this essential tool for managing assignments and fostering student engagement.
Instructions for Submissions thorugh G- Classroom.pptx
MGMT 464From Snowboarders to Lawnmowers Case Study Case An.docx
1. MGMT 464
From Snowboarders to Lawnmowers Case Study
Case Analysis Worksheet #1
Case Analysis Session 1 : Focus on Inspiring a Shared Vision
(Principle #2)
Inspiring a shared vision has two main components [1] creating
a vision through common purpose, and [2] enlisting or getting
people ‘on board’ with the vision.
In your small groups, discuss and document your group’s
response to the following questions. Upload your typed
document into one of your group member’s D2L dropbox by the
assigned due date on your course schedule. Be sure to include
on your worksheet all group member names. If present in class,
all group members will receive the same grade for this case
analysis assignment (maximum 30 pts). Group peer evaluations
will be used to determine overall individual group member
participation points for both of these case study discussions
(maximum 15 pts).
1. In what specific ways did Michael fail and/or succeed in
‘listening deeply’ to his employees?
2. In what specific ways did Michael show that he was not
“open to influence?” How would Michael being open to
influence have made him more effective, ( i.e., who were the
“local experts” and how could he have benefited from them)?
3. When you consider the employees of Bedford Mower as they
were before Michael arrived, how would you characterize them
in terms of what was personally meaningful to them?
4. When creating his vision for the company, in what specific
ways did Michael fail and/or succeed in ‘determining what was
meaningful’ to his employees, and what was the impact?
2. 5. What specific mechanisms, or opportunities did Michael have
available to him for enlisting others?
6. To what extent did Michael take advantage of these? To what
extent were they effective in terms of getting everyone on board
with the new vision?
7. In thinking about his attempts to enlist others, in what ways
did or didn’t Michael incorporate common ideals into his
communication with his employees as it related to the new
vision?
8. How successful was Michael in “animating the vision”? How
would you characterize him in terms of his use of symbolic
language, providing imagery of the future, practicing positive
communication, expressing emotion, and speaking from the
heart, in his communications to his employees?
9. What would you have done differently with this group of
employees in terms of inspiring a shared vision?
From Snowboards to Lawnmowers
Michael Francis, a man in his late 30s, born and raised in
Oregon, was an avid snowboarder. He was known among his
many friends and associates as a risk-taker, highly intelligent,
innovative, a bit of a rebel, but an extremely smart
businessman. When he was in his early 20s, he started his own
snowboarding company designing and manufacturing what
became known as some of the most cutting edge boards
available. Having recently married a woman who was raised on
the East coast, he decided to sell his company and move to
Vermont where his wife could be close to her family and in
more close proximity to New York City where she did a fair
amount of freelance work, and where he could get in a lot of
3. good snowboarding. The sale of his business made him a
wealthy man, and although working was not a financial
necessity for him, he was seeking some new business challenge
that could stretch him in a different direction. Although he had
worked extremely hard to build his snowboard company and he
had loved every minute of it, in many ways it had been easy for
him to be successful in that realm.
Michael began to research potential business opportunities in
Vermont. During the course of his search, his brother-in-law
informed him of a relatively small, family-owned lawn tool
company, Bedford Mower, in Bedford Vermont, that was going
to be sold soon. The company had a few side product lines
consisting of small lawn tools, but their main product, and the
one that the company had been known for since its inception,
was a special model of lawn mower. Michael’s brother-in-law
knew about the company because one of his former college
friends was the only grandson of the company’s founder, Edwin
Emerson, and the ‘heir apparent’ slated to take over the
president position as his grandfather and father had before him.
Unfortunately for the Emerson family, the grandson had clear
intentions of going to graduate school and pursuing a career in
architecture, and had no plans to carry on in the family
business. Because his grandfather, the company founder, had
recently passed away at 92, and his father was being forced to
retire due to severe health problems, the Emerson family had
reluctantly come to the hard decision to sell the company.
Although his brother-in-law had half-jokingly informed Michael
of the company thinking he would never go from making high-
tech snowboards to lawnmowers, there were a number of aspects
that appealed to Michael about the whole concept. Before he
had died, Michael’s father had actually owned a small business
repairing lawn mowers. Although Michael was only seven when
his father died, he had fond memories of spending time with
him in his workshop while he carefully took the lawnmowers
4. apart and reassembled them. Another plus was the company’s
location. It was located in a small town that his wife’s family
had vacationed in summers while she was growing up. Michael
had actually been there a number of years back while
participating in a snowboarding competition and recalled liking
the town very much. Obviously, the line of business was quite
different than snowboards so it would also provide him the
opportunity to test his business skills in a different venue. He
decided to fly to Vermont in September and meet with the
founder’s grandson and find out more about the company.
During his visit, Michael was given an extensive tour of the
company and spent 5 days meeting with the grandson and the
corporate attorney gathering as much information as he could
about the operation. He was quite impressed with what he
learned. In its 72 years of operation, the company had made a
profit every year except during four years of the Depression.
The financial records did indicate that the profit margin had
been slowly, but steadily, decreasing over the last 10 years as
the company accumulated increasing costs in some critical
areas. The founder’s grandson informed Michael that his
grandfather was very insistent on sticking to certain ways of
doing business, and although his father had increasingly noticed
that these practices were costing the company money, he had
been reluctant to make changes given the founder’s strong
position on the matter. Michael was not overly concerned about
this trend because it was evident what the problem areas were
and he felt that they could be taken care of with a few “quick
twists.” The model of lawn mower the company produced was
well constructed, had a good reputation for quality, and a solid
customer base. The company also enjoyed ties with a strong and
stable network of suppliers and distributors. In addition,
employee turnover rate was much lower than average for that
particular industry and the grandson stressed that the company
consisted of a very loyal and committed workforce of around
300 employees. He noted, in fact, that a fair amount of the
5. employees were actually related (e.g., cousins, siblings) and it
was not unusual to have “third generation” hires working along
side their parents and sometimes grandparents. Another plus in
Michael’s mind was the fact that the company had existed this
long as a non-union shop. He had run into some difficulty with
the union in his last company and was hoping to avoid that in
the future.
Sitting in his hotel room his last night in Vermont, Michael
became increasingly excited about the possibilities as he
outlined some ideas for some fundamental changes to both the
product line and the way the company could operate under his
reign. He felt that the company had the foundation to be
something great but was a bit antiquated in terms of its product
orientation and its processes. Over breakfast the next morning
with the founder’s grandson, Michael expressed strong interest
in acquiring the company and sketched out a few of his ideas
for change. The grandson listened attentively to Michael’s ideas
and then politely interrupted him. “I agree whole-heartedly with
where you are going with this, and I do think this place does
need to move into the current century” he said with a chuckle,
“but in the spirit of full disclosure, I have to tell you that this
company is very much a typical ‘New England’ style institution
– a very conservative, traditional, paternalistic, bureaucracy.
Don’t get me wrong…my family has treated the employees very
well over the years. That’s why the turnover is so low. People
like working here. Until he turned 90, my grandfather was here
every work day along with my father closely overseeing the
operations. My grandfather and my father knew every employee
by name, knew about their families – who had a baby and whose
kid went off to college, what they liked to do on their family
vacations. Hell, I know for a fact that they’ve helped put some
employees’ kids through college, or lent a hand when numerous
employees were struggling with mortgage payments and things
like that. But I guess my point is that people here are used to
this company being run in a certain way, and in general, I think
6. change is hard for them. It’s hard to believe, but there are still a
number of operating practices in place that my grandfather
instituted when he started the company. Like the Friday
executive meetings. From the day the company was large
enough to warrant hiring its first manager, my grandfather
would hold a meeting every Friday to discuss the company’s
operations and strategy and to give management their ‘marching
orders’ for the next week while drinking scotch and smoking
cigars. It’s a tradition at the company. It’s pretty much the only
time that large conference room is used. My father and
grandfather insisted I attend a number of the meetings and they
were pretty amazing – it was like sitting in on an exclusive
‘old-boys’ club with lots of back slapping, politicking,
managers lobbying for more resources for their departments, or
for promotions for themselves. Lots of major decisions being
made in those meetings over scotch and cigars. As you saw from
the organizational chart, the company is very formal and ‘top-
down’ in terms of decision-making. There is a very clear chain
of command and notions such as ‘employee empowerment’ and
‘self-managing teams’ that we studied in business school do not
apply here. Personally, I couldn’t stand it, but the employees
don’t seem to mind. Their jobs are well defined, they know
what is expected from them, and they do it and do it well. I’m
not saying someone couldn’t make changes here, I’m just saying
you might have your work cut out for you is all.”
After returning to Oregon, in October Michael decided to make
the move to Vermont and purchase Bedford Mower. He spent
the next few months doing extensive research on lawn
equipment, its design, manufacture, and market. He finalized
his strategy for making the company more profitable and
competitive. Given that the acquisition came during the
company’s slow season, right after Christmas, he contacted the
three Vice Presidents and informed them that Bedford Mower
would be closed down for three weeks to allow for some
remodeling and restructuring. He asked that all employees be
7. notified that due to the new ownership transition, they would
have three weeks paid leave, and were to report back to work on
February 1st in the town hall building to meet the new owner
and president of Bedford Mower.
Michael felt that in order for Bedford Mower employees to fully
appreciate that “they were all embarking on a new, energizing,
innovative path” the company was going to need a new look.
When he walked around the building, everything spoke of
stodgy tradition and bureaucracy. All the walls were painted
standard issue beige or light green, and lined with pictures
dating back to the company’s inception. They depicted the
founder standing next to the first lawn mower he had designed
and built by hand, the founder and the first salesman dressed in
suits while cutting the grass of potential customers as a means
of demonstrating their product, the company’s first building,
and numerous photographs of company picnics and employees
throughout the years. Because they were a part of the
company’s history, Michael couldn’t quite bring himself to
throw them away, but he ordered them taken down and put into
storage. He didn’t want the employees dwelling on the past, he
wanted them in the mindset of thinking about the future. He
hired a corporate interior consultant and together they picked
out vibrant colors for the walls, and arranged to have several
pieces of Michael’s contemporary art collection hung in the
main hallway.
Part of Michael’s overall strategy was to reorganize the
company from a traditional functional department structure
(i.e., all the marketing and sales employees located in one
department, finance employees in another) to a cross-functional
product team structure whereby existing, and new, product line
areas would be staffed with employees from each of the
functional areas. So instead of a finance employee working with
other finance employees in the distinct Finance department, that
employee would now be working with members of marketing,
8. sales, and operations, in a product specific area. Another
addition was that under the restructure, functional employees
would now report to a newly appointed product manager for that
particular product line, as well as their traditional functional
manager. This product-oriented structure was one that Michael
had used in his snowboard company and it worked very well for
them. In order to facilitate the new form of interaction across
functional area employees, Michael had the workspace
redesigned from a series of small offices to a series of open
workspaces organized by short cubicle walls with product line
employees clustered together. Michael also ordered all of the
desks, many that looked old enough to be antiques, donated to a
local charity and had them replaced with new, sleekly designed
desks and chairs that were more space efficient. A total remodel
of the corporate conference room was completed including the
removal of the bar, pool table, old leather lounge chairs, and
ash trays.
In mid January, Michael called a meeting with the three
presiding Vice Presidents (of Marketing/Sales, Finance, and
Operations/Manufacturing) in which he discussed the changes
he wanted to be made in the company. When the Vice
Presidents walked into the conference room, they were quite
surprised to see all of the physical changes that had taken place,
and unsure as to why three people they had not previously met,
two woman and two men, were sitting around the new
conference table fully engaged in conversation with the new
president. Michael quickly introduced the four strangers as
“talented employees” from his former company who had agreed
to come on board and work with him at Bedford Mower as
product managers. When the VP of Operations commented, “but
we don’t have product managers here,” Michael smiled and said
“Well we do now, and let me tell you how that is going to
work.” He noted that the company needed to think bigger and
broader than just their current focus on producing residential
lawn equipment for domestic markets, and also needed to adopt
9. a leaner, flexible structure and operating processes. He reported
that they were missing a big opportunity for larger profit
margins by not being in the professional lawn care market and
by not having more of an international presence. He also
commented that the current chain-of-command structure was too
“management heavy” which was causing the company to incur
unnecessary salary costs and resulting in slower response time.
The VPs exchanged worried glances and one said, “Well, we’re
certainly all for what is in the best interest of Bedford Mower.
To that end, as you can see, we have brought along copies of the
company policies and procedures manuals, as well as the results
of our last strategic planning meeting to help you get more
acquainted with us and how we’ve been able to operate
successfully for so many years…” Michael interrupted the VP
saying, “I’ve seen all of that. That’s what Bedford Mower was
before. What we are here to talk about today is how Bedford
Mower is going to be reinvented!” With that, he proceeded to
outline the following changes.
· The company would add two new product lines: (1)
professional lawn equipment, and (2) a line of residential
equipment to serve more international markets.
· The company would maintain their two current product lines
of (1) residential mowers and (2) small lawn tools, but these
would no longer be the sole focus of the company.
· A Japanese equipment design firm would now be responsible
for ‘updating’ the design of the company’s current mower line,
and for providing the design ideas for the two new product
lines. The existing two-person, in-house design department
would be eliminated.
· Parts for product lines would now be purchased from a large
manufacturer in India that provided quality parts at a much
more competitive price than the local parts supplier currently
10. used. Use of the current local supplier would be phased out
within two months of the company’s reinstatement of operation
in February.
· Work processes in the non-manufacturing side of the company
would move from a functional design to a new cross-functional
product design focusing on their four defined product lines
· Two layers of non-manufacturing management would be
eliminated – a layer of mid-level managers and the immediate
work group supervisors. The mid-level managers were to be let
go and the supervisors given the option of assuming their
former non-supervisory position, or being let go.
· There was to be more decentralized decision-making taking
place within the product line groupings with the product line
managers reporting directly to the president.
· Most employees on the non-manufacturing side would now
report to two managers, their functional area manager as well as
their new product line manager.
· A new, more high-tech extension of assembly line equipment
would be installed in the manufacturing site to replace some of
the existing assembly line equipment. Both lines would be run
temporarily until the assembly line employees became
acquainted with the new line – at which point the old equipment
would be permanently removed.
When Michael concluded, the 3 VPs sat for a few minutes in
silence not quite knowing what to say. Finally, they began to
voice strong concerns about a number of Michael’s initiatives
especially the movement into the new product areas and the new
structuring. They argued that the company had developed a
strong identity and brand around their core product, the
11. residential lawn mower, and that moving away from this target
into “uncharted” product areas could cause them to lose their
established brand base, and go under if the new lines failed. The
VP of Operations/Manufacturing added, “Why do we have to
mess with how people work? Around here marketing folks work
with other marketing folks, they don’t work with finance and
operations folks. And I mean no disrespect to your friends here,
but why do employees need another manager to report to? I
think this is going to be very confusing.” The discussion
continued for 2 ½ more hours with Michael mainly defending
his decisions against the VPs’ increasingly stringent arguments.
Finally, Michael said, “Look. I know change is tough, but it’s
necessary for advancement in any area. This company cannot
continue on as it had been operating, and I made this acquisition
to move it in a different direction. If any of you feel that you
cannot make this work, I understand and will respectfully
accept your resignation. My hope, however, is that you will all
stay on and help me move the company into a new and exciting
era.” With that he provided them with the list of mid-level
managers who were to be let go, a memo that would be sent out
that week to all employees explaining the new changes, and a
list of action items that he needed them to accomplish between
now and the company’s re-opening.
More than anything, Michael hated meetings. In fact, he had a
sign on his office wall that read “Excessive meetings are the
tool of those who do not have the capacity to get things done.”
As such, he also informed the VPs that the Friday Executive
meetings that had taken place since the company’s inception,
would no longer be held. He noted that with the new, leaner
structure and decentralized decision-making process in place,
communication between levels should be more efficient and that
it did not seem necessary to have all managers meet with him
every week. His plan was to have the cross-functional teams
meet on a weekly basis with their product line manager, and
have the three product line managers meet with the “top
12. management team” (the 3 VPs) every month. He also informed
the VPs that he was a big proponent of open forum meetings,
and that he had arranged to have the town hall available the last
Friday of every month to hold a company-wide meeting where
anyone could ask questions, or discuss anything they felt was
relevant to the company or their jobs.
The next day he met with Mrs. Hockson, the manager of the
Human Resources department, who had been with the company
for 40 years. He informed her of a number of steps that needed
to be taken in that area. He shared that he has aware of the
company tradition of “legacy hiring” by which employees’
relatives tended to be given preference in hiring decision.
Because he was concerned that this practice could lead to
nepotism and less than optimal hiring and operating decisions,
he was implementing a new policy that prohibited the hiring of
current employees’ direct family members. Those who were
already employed could stay, but no additional family members
were to be considered for job openings. When the HR manager
stated that the town, and the family members, was the viable
employment base for the company, he recommended that the HR
department begin broader recruitment efforts that would include
2 towns within 45 minutes of Bedford. Michael also told her
that given the transitions that were taking place and some pretty
hefty start-up costs he had incurred, they would need to
postpone the employee performance reviews, and associated
wage increases, for about six months. When she expressed
concern about this decision, Michael noted “I have always been
more then generous with my employees and when people here
get to know me, they will see that. We will catch everyone up
in due time – right now is just not that time.” As Michael, got
up to leave, the HR manager hesitated for a moment and then
said, “Well you know Mr. Francis, a tradition around here is the
company president’s barbeque that is held every July at his
home. It’s quite the big deal with all employees invited as well
as our distributors and suppliers. Some of them even fly in from
13. other parts of the East coast. And I’m the one in charge of
planning the whole event – which I like to get started on in
February. I know that you and your wife bought that nice piece
of property down by the lake which would be a perfect spot for
the barbeque and I’m sure your wife would want to get involved
in the picnic plans as well.” Quickly, images flashed through
Michael’s head of the old company photographs he had removed
depicting horse shoe competitions and softball games and whole
hogs on a barbeque spit. Then his mind quickly transitioned to
the fact that he had promised is wife, a strict vegetarian and not
your typical picnic-planning type of woman, that they would
finally take their delayed honeymoon in Europe for the month of
July. He turned to the HR manager and said “You know, I was
really thinking about doing something different this year.
People are probably bored with the whole picnic thing by now.
What if we have some type of winter sports event in which all
employees can get involved? Wouldn’t that be fun? I like that
idea -- let’s talk about that in a few more months.”
Michael arrived early to the town hall on February 1st to go
through his Powerpoint presentation one more time before all of
the employees arrived. He had asked his former employees, the
new product line managers, to get there early also to help him
set up as well. His wife had offered to be there with him as
well, but he told her that probably wasn’t necessary. He hated to
admit it to her, but he was pretty nervous about the meeting and
was having second thoughts about this new venture he had taken
on. Things with the VPs had not gone well during the transition
time and he felt like the only people he could rely on for
support and encouragement were his four product line
managers. He had also become increasingly aware of the rumors
that were running rampant throughout the town. He had pretty
much stopped going into town to eat at the local restaurants or
shop at the hardware store because it felt like every time he did,
he would overhear people bashing the new Bedford Mower
owner and the change he was forcing on the company, and
14. lamenting the fact that he was going to run them out of business
within the first year. Not knowing who Michael was at the
time, the town people had felt free to be quite open with their
criticisms. Michael stood behind the stage curtain and peered
through an opening as the employees slowly filled the hall. He
was struck by the fact that with the exception of the three VPs
and the HR manager who were taking seats in the front row of
the audience, he knew no one. Mrs. Hockson gave him a quick,
reassuring smile, but the three VPs completely avoided eye
contact with Michael. He had asked his product managers to
join him up on the stage so that he could introduce them more
easily…admittedly, he also wanted them there for morale
support.
When it was time to begin the meeting, Michael walked
confidently out onto the stage and announced, “Hello, my name
is Michael Francis, and I’m the man who is going to help you
move this company out of the last century!” He had enough
time before the lights dimmed in preparation for his
presentation to quickly look around the audience and see
scowls, arms folded in defiance, or people nudging each other
and rolling their eyes. He proceeded to have a moment of total
panic as the first slide appeared with the words “Introducing
Innovative Lawn Technologies, Inc. formerly Bedford Mower”
and he experienced great remorse over his last minute decision
to change the name of the company, as a flood of angry
responses emanated from the darkened room. He quickly
proceeded to go through his presentation at a record pace
finishing in half the time he had planned. As he requested that
the lights be turned back up, he could barely look at the
gathering of employees. Nevertheless, he told them that he
knew what he was implementing represented a lot of change,
and it would take awhile to get used to things, but after they
did, he was confident that they would be as excited about the
new direction of the company as he was. He then said that he
would like to hear any ideas, concerns, or questions that anyone
15. would like him to address. The audience was eerily quiet. He
was prepared for the VPs to take this opportunity to publicly
voice their numerous oppositions to his ideas, but they just sat
in their seats expressionless. Michael made several attempts to
get the audience to engage in some discussion by offering
things like “Well I’m sure there have been plenty of rumors
flying around about me and what I plan to do here, so if anyone
has any of those to share, I’d be happy to address them.” Still
nothing. Finally, an employee raised her hand and asked if any
members of the Emerson family were present at the
presentation. Michael indicated that they were not. Another
spoke up, asking if the Emerson family had been consulted on
any of the new changes that were taking place. Getting a bit
defensive, Michael responded that they had not expressed any
interest in participating, and since they were no longer the
owners of the company, he did not think he needed to consult
them. After a few more failed attempts to initiate discussion,
Michael began to close the meeting. Suddenly, one of the new
product line managers quietly reminded him that he had yet to
introduce them to the employees. He turned and quickly
introduced them one by one announcing that these were “the
talented individuals who would be leading the new product
lines.” The managers noted that they received no warmer of a
welcome than had Michael as their introductions met with only
a few, half-hearted, intermittent bouts of applause. Michael
closed with “Well, I am looking forward to working with all of
you. Now please, go over to the newly renovated building and
get acquainted with your new work place!” He quickly turned
and headed back stage followed quickly by the product line
managers. As they headed out back to the parking lot, Michael
called “We need to get out of here for awhile – do you guys
have your boards with you?” They did, and all climbed into
Michael’s SUV with their gear and headed for the nearest
mountain.
Over the next few months, Michael had little interaction with
16. the employees. Part of this was due to his promise to himself to
not become a workaholic and to maintain his work-life balance
philosophy he maintained at his former company by which he
would only be in the office Mondays thru Wednesdays. He now
had a great administrative assistant and he stressed to her and
his top management team that he was always available by cell
phone or his blackberry if problems arose and he was needed.
But the reality was, that even when he was physically present,
he found it hard to be around the employees. Walking around
the building, his attempts to make conversation with people
were met with abrupt responses. They weren’t actually openly
rude, but they sure weren’t friendly. He held only two of the
all-employee open forum meetings so far, and no one said a
word in the meetings except him. It became obvious that the
meetings were a waste of everyone’s time. When he approached
the VPs with inquiries as to how things were going, he received
responses such as “Well, we’re all doing our best to acclimate
to the changes…but it’s hard,” or “I guess things are going as
best as they could be under the circumstances.”
Five months into the company’s reopening, the product line
managers invited Michael on a Saturday night to drive with
them to the next town for dinner. Sitting in the restaurant, one
manager said “Listen Michael, we didn’t drive 45 minutes to the
nearest town just for the calamari. There are serious problems in
the company and we didn’t feel comfortable talking to you
about it in Bedford given that, literally, everybody and his
brother seems to work at ILT. We know you’ve been a bit
depressed about how things started out at ILT and the four of us
decided to wait it out awhile and see if things would turn
around, but this whole product line concept is simply not
working. Seriously, we have really tried, but at this point, you
are pretty much paying us for doing nothing because there
really are no product teams operating at ILT.” Michael was a bit
surprised to hear this news because he had been meeting with
the product managers every month, and although the teams had
17. not made great strides, there was clearly some progress being
made in terms of developing the two new product lines and
updating the existing lines. “Well” said another manager
sheepishly, “the little bit of progress that you have been seeing
is pretty much a result of our personal efforts, not that of the
product teams.” They proceeded to inform Michael of the
numerous failed attempts at product team meetings for which
employees would either fail to show up, be present but not have
anything to contribute, or spend time bickering with their team
members from other functional areas. The latter incident was
becoming increasingly common as team members came to the
meetings clearly with agendas from their functional managers
that had everything to do with gaining more resources and
product control for their respective functional areas, and
nothing to do with working cooperatively with other areas to
advance the product line. The two managers from the new
product lines communicated that it was also evident that
employees on their teams had no interest in helping to launch
any new products and would spend the majority of their time
defending the old, existing product lines.
First thing Monday morning Michael asked the VP of Finance to
meet with him and bring him numbers. During their meeting,
the VP informed Michael that ILT had been losing a lot of
money over the first six months and they had a serious cash
flow problem at this point. He reiterated his earlier concerns
that the purchase of the new assembly line equipment was too
costly, and any possible small increment in production that it
could offer, would not warrant the expense incurred by its
purchase. He further relayed to Michael that the Operations VP
had informed him personally that the new line equipment was
not providing any real value added over the old equipment and
that it’s purchase was clearly a bad business decision. Michael
was shocked by this piece of information because he had done
such careful research on the new technology and had seen it in
action at other companies’ plants. He just couldn’t understand
18. why its use was not resulting in a higher production rate of
mowers. In looking over the expenses more carefully, Michael
noticed that the cash outlay for parts had been excessively high
during the first two months of the company’s reopening –
although it had subsequently lowered closer to the average
amount. The Finance VP explained that there were consistent
seasonal fluctuations in parts purchasing and that this spike in
costs was not out of the ordinary.
On Tuesday morning, Michael walked over to the manufacturing
facility and hung out in the observation room for about an hour
unobtrusively watching the production line operate. This was
the first time he had actually spent time there while the line was
running since his visit before he purchased the company. He
was surprised to see the old piece of line equipment still present
on the assembly line floor. As part of the purchase deal for the
new equipment, the sales person had promised to remove the old
equipment at no cost, joking that they would probably be able to
find a good home for it in some museum somewhere. He was
further surprised to see that employees were still using the old
equipment while the new equipment sat on the line totally
unused, except evidently as a place for the workers to place
their cups of coffee. Michael returned to his office and called
the sales person who had sold him the new equipment, inquiring
as to why his company had not removed the old equipment as
they had promised. The salesman informed Michael that the
morning drivers from his company had showed up to retrieve
the equipment at ILT, one of the manufacturing managers
informed them that they had found something different to do
with the old equipment and they would take care of it
themselves. After lunch, Michael returned to the manufacturing
observation room and over the next two hours, watched again as
the new line equipment stood untouched. He gave a quick call to
the training technician the salesperson had sent out to spend the
day with the assembly line workers and their managers four
months earlier demonstrating how to use the new equipment.
19. When Michael inquired as to how the training session went, the
technician indicated that he thought it went “alright…although
the workers had that deer-in-the-headlights kind of look on their
faces as I was going through the demonstration.” He added that
he told the workers not to worry about being intimidated by the
new technology – that although it was “pretty complex,” they
would “eventually get the hang of it.” “I told them that once
they get used to the thing, they were going to love it – its
production rate was lightening fast compared to that dinosaur
they had been using and it was going to save them all kinds of
man-hours. I jokingly told them that the thing could easily do
the work of 20 of them, but they didn’t seem to think that was
very funny.”
At the end of the day, as Michael was getting into his car, he
recognized a young employee from the manufacturing
department who had sought Michael’s advice a few times about
purchasing a snowboard. Michael called him over, and opened
his trunk to show him the latest model of snowboard his
company had produced before he sold. After they talked for a
few minutes, Michael told the young employee that he had been
over to the manufacturing facility several times and was
confused as to why no one appeared to be using the new line
equipment. The employee looked very uncomfortable but when
Michael assured him that he was not going to get in any trouble,
he admitted that they had never really used the new equipment
at all. He said “We were honestly going to try the new
equipment, we were willing to give that a try and some of us
were pretty excited about it too, but when that trainer came out
to show us how to use the thing, it was pretty darn confusing.
He went through all the steps pretty fast and he seemed like he
was in a bit of a hurry to get done. He kept telling us that if we
got messed up to just consult the manual he was leaving, but
that thing was confusing too. Our supervisor was getting really
mad about the whole thing, and then when the trainer told us
that the machine would do the work of 20 of us, that was it.
20. Our supervisor told the trainer that we had it now, and he could
leave. When he left, the supervisor called us all over, patted the
old equipment and said, “I say we stick with what we know, and
what’s not going to take over our jobs,” and from that point on,
we’ve been using the old equipment. And I’m real sorry about
that cause I know it cost you a lot of money.” Michael thanked
the employee for his honesty and went home to try to figure out
what to do about the situation.
Very early the next morning, Michael received a phone call
from their new parts supplier in India. He said that he just was
checking it to see how things were going and when they might
be expecting their first parts order from ILT. He communicated
that based on his early conversations with Michael, his company
had been putting aside the previously discussed quantity of
parts for ILT, but no orders had yet to be placed. He apologized
for calling Michael directly but said he had made numerous
attempts over the last three months to get in contact with the
operations managers by email and phone, but had no luck in
hearing back from them. Michael said that he would look into
the situation and email him later that day. After they hung up,
on a hunch, Michael called the small New England parts supply
company that Bedford Mower had used for years. The president
of the company took Michael’s call directly and expressed how
delighted he was that ILT had not only decided to stick with his
parts company, but had actually increased their supply order
substantially in the months of February and March. He shared
that with all of the new changes taking place, he had been
concerned that the fact that Bedford Mower had been doing
business with his father’s parts supply company for over 50
years might not matter to a new owner. Before hanging up, the
president thanked Michael again for his business, and said he
looked forward to meeting him in person at this year’s barbeque
gathering. Looking back over the financial statements again,
Michael realized that someone had obviously placed, and paid
for, a huge order of supply parts from the existing supplier in
21. the first few months of ILT’s opening with the intent to
stockpile the parts in lieu of ordering from the new Indian
supplier.
Friday afternoon Michael received a call from the HR manager,
Mrs. Hockson. She apologized for calling him at home on his
“day off,” but said that she had come across some disturbing
news that she thought she should discuss with him. He told her
that he would drive right in and meet her at her office. On his
arrival, she informed Michael that it had been brought to her
attention that union representatives had been invited into the
manufacturing facility a number of times now to meet with the
assembly line employees. She stressed that she had nothing
against unions, her husband was a union employee, but she
knew that the Bedford Mower had prided itself on providing
working conditions that made the presence of a union
unnecessary, and she just thought that Michael should be
notified right away. Dejectedly, Michael asked her if there was
anything else he needed to know about. She reluctantly added,
that she had just done the calculations and ILT’s employee
turnover rate had jumped 13% over the last five months – an
unprecedented amount for Bedford Mower. In addition, there
had been a marked increase in the number of informal
complaints made to her from employees who did not like the
way they were being treated by other employees during the
product line team meetings. She looked at Michael and said,
“I’m sorry to say this Mr. Francis, but things are going downhill
here fast and something needs to be done.”
Instead of returning home, Michael decided to head to his office
and call a few friends who also owned small companies, in
hopes of getting some much-needed guidance. When he reached
his office around 6:00pm, he was surprised to see his
administrative assistant still at her desk. When he asked why
she was there past 5:00, she blushed and said she thought she
would just hang around for a bit and try to catch up on some
22. extra paper work. No sooner had she uttered these words, than a
burst of loud laughing emerged from the conference room down
the hall. His assistant nervously looked toward the conference
room and then quickly looked back down at her desk. Michael
headed for the conference room and upon opening the door
found the three VPs making their rounds about the room
liberally pouring scotch for what appeared to be all of ILT
managers and supervisors. Cigar smoke filled the room. The VP
of Operations quickly caught Michael’s attention as he made a
dramatic show of picking up one of the ‘no smoking’ signs that
Michael had placed throughout the conference room and began
to catch it on fire with his cigar. This antic resulted in an uproar
of laughter until one of the managers turned and noticed
Michael standing in the doorway. Suddenly, the room became
quiet. Michael struggled to maintain his composure and said
“What is going on here?” After a few awkward moments, the
Operations VP (no doubt bolstered by many glasses of scotch)
replied, “I’ll tell you what’s going on here! What’s going on
here is that, we, the people in this room who have been with this
company for years, we, the people who really care about thefate
of Bedford Mower, we, the people that the Emerson family and
the people of this town trusted with their livelihood, we, are
trying to save this company despite the best attempts of some
hippie snowboarder from California to run it right into the
ground!! And that’s what is going on here!” Despite his anger,
Michael almost broke out in a laugh after the VP’s drunken
show. He sternly told everyone to have a seat at the conference
table, and leave their scotch behind. He angrily informed them
that despite their opinions, he actually did have the best interest
of the company in mind, that he had not gone out and spent his
entire life savings on a company only so he could run it into the
ground, and finally, that he was a hippie snowboarder from
Oregon, not California. He then called his assistant and
instructed her to order dinner for everyone in the room, and
then join them in the conference room with her laptop and a can
or air freshener. He looked around the room and said “We all
23. have a stake in this problem, and no one is going home until we
figure out a way to solve it.”
* do not cite, quote or use without permission of author, Pamela
Tierney