Availability Of Information Online Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accessibility Of Information Online - Essay Example E-learning is electronic based preparing which includes the exchange of directions and instructive material through the web or intranet or potentially CD-ROM (Mason, 2006). It might incorporate utilization of recordings, sound, or composed materials. Intelligent learning Reflective learning can be named one of the soonest learning technique. This strategy for learning can be clarified as intentionally pondering a circumstance and breaking down what one has done or is doing. The reasoning can include searching for shared characteristics, contrasts, and interrelations past their shallow components. It very well may be additionally observed as gaining from present or past experience (Moon, 2004). At long last, intelligent learning is the procedure by which one causes importance from encounters that to include more than basically taking care of occasions yet additionally, the cooperation others, nature and the world. Intelligent learning energizes investment, guarantees convergence of th e understudies and offers important system for improvement of experts in their individual fields. Intelligent adapting additionally empowers educators to gain from their encounters of instructing and encourage understudies learning (Brookfield, 2000). By utilization of the Kolb cycle (a lot of four distinct stages) teachers can gain valuable model by which to build up their training. The supposition of the Kolb cycle is that it is inadequate to incorporate an encounter to learn and that the cycle can be entered at any stage. The four phases of the Kolb cycle are solid experience, intelligent perception, dynamic conceptualization and dynamic experimentation. Solid experience includes real doing of a demonstration in order to have the direct understanding. Intelligent perception may include looking into and thinking about the experience obtained (Scho?n, 1987). Reflection conceptualization includes the reasoning procedure and closing of the learning experience. Dynamic experimentation is the arranging and the giving a shot of the data and encounters obtained. It is clear that through intelligent learning, the instructor obtains the important abilities which can empower the person in question successfully educates and guides the understudies (Scho?n, 1987). E-learning and Reflective learning The presentation and proceeded with spread of e-learning may prompt the division of scholastics from the researchers and will in general lead to the expectation that classes can be triumphant without the up close and personal contact of the understudy with the educator. E-learning might be generally proper if three variables are altogether tended to, which are innovation, instructional requirements, and training (Lynch, 2002). Nonetheless, most present day speculations of picking up (counting E-learning) advance the idea of intelligent learning as fundamental for profound and critical learning. The headway in innovation has empowered e-figuring out how to beat the customary i nconveniences of utilizing innovation to pick up understanding and information. (Stephenson, 2001) previously, web based learning was inactive, utilizing the typical showing focused methodology. Be that as it may, the e-learning approach utilized this days fuses the intelligent hypothesis of getting the hang of empowering students to watch, reflect, plan, and even to design their own learning. The web based learning action, highlighting reflections and coordinated effort, endeavors to help understudies in self-coordinated learning and in improving their aptitudes and information through planning customized learning programs that are appropriate to every understudy (Clarke,

Definition and Examples of Subvocalizing

Definition and Examples of Subvocalizing In spite of the fact that subvocalizing, the demonstration ofâ saying words quietly to oneself while perusing, will in general breaking point how quick we can peruse, it isnt fundamentally an unfortunate propensity. As Emerald Dechant watches, It appears to be likely that discourse follows are a piece of all, or almost all, thinking and most likely even quiet perusing. . . . That discourse helps believing was perceived by early savants and clinicians (Understanding and Teaching Reading). Instances of Subvocalizing An incredible however woefully under-talked about effect on perusers is the sound of your composed words, which they hear inside their heads as they subvocalizegoing through the psychological procedures of creating discourse, yet not really activating discourse muscles or articulating sounds. As the piece unfurls, perusers tune in to this psychological discourse as though it were spoken so anyone might hear. What they hear is, truth be told, their own voices saying your words, yet saying them silently.Here is a genuinely regular sentence. Have a go at reciting it quietly and afterward for all to hear. It was the Boston Public Library, opened in 1852, that established the American convention of free open libraries open to all residents. As you read the sentence you should see a delay in the progression of words after Library and 1852 . . .. Breath units partition the data in the sentence into fragments that perusers subvocalize separately.(Joe Glaser, Understanding Style: Practical Ways to Improve Your Writing. Oxford Univ. Press, 1999) Subvocalizing and Reading Speed The greater part of us read by subvocalizing (saying to ourselves) the words in the content. In spite of the fact that subvocalizing can enable us to recall what we read, it constrains how quick we can peruse. Since undercover discourse isn't a lot quicker than obvious discourse, subvocalization limits perusing pace to the pace of talking; we could peruse quicker on the off chance that we didnt make an interpretation of printed words into discourse based code.(Stephen K. Reed, Cognition: Theories and Applications, ninth ed. Cengage, 2012)[R]eading scholars, for example, Gough (1972) accept that in rapid familiar perusing, subvocalizing doesn't really happen on the grounds that the speed of quiet perusing is quicker than what might happen if perusers said each word quietly to themselves as they read. The quiet perusing speed for twelfth graders when perusing for importance is 250 words for each moment, though the speed for oral perusing is just 150 words for every moment (Carver, 1990 ). In any case, in starting perusing, when the word-acknowledgment process is far more slow than in gifted familiar perusing, subvocalization . . . might be occurring in light of the fact that the perusing speed is so much slower.(S. Jay Samuels Toward a Model of Reading Fluency. What Research Has to Say About Fluency Instruction, eds. S.J. Samuels and A.E. Farstrup. Universal Reading Assoc., 2006) Subvocalizing and Reading Comprehension [R]eading is message reproduction (like perusing a guide), and generally understanding of significance relies upon utilizing all the signals accessible. Perusers will be better decoders of significance is they comprehend sentence structures and on the off chance that they concentrate the majority of their preparing capacity on the extraction of implications utilizing both semantic and syntactic setting in perusing. Perusers must check the legitimacy of their forecasts in perusing by observing whether they delivered language structures as they probably am aware them and whether they bode well. . . .In rundown, a sufficient reaction in perusing along these lines requests substantially more than the insignificant recognizable proof and acknowledgment of the design of the composed word.(Emerald Dechant, Understanding and Teaching Reading: An Interactive Model. Routledge, 1991)Subvocalization (or perusing quietly to oneself) cant in itself add to significance or seeing anything else than perusing out loud can. Without a doubt, such as perusing out loud, subvocalization must be practiced with anything like ordinary speed and sound on the off chance that it is gone before by understanding. We dont hear ourselves out murmuring pieces of words or sections of expressions and afterward grasp. On the off chance that anything, subvocalization eases back perusers down and meddles with understanding. The propensity for subvocalization can be broken without loss of appreciation (Hardyck Petrinovich, 1970).(Frank Smith, Understanding Reading, sixth ed. Routledge, 2011)

How to De-Stress With a Smile

How to De-Stress With a Smile Stress Management Management Techniques Print How to De-Stress With a Smile Boost Your Mood (and Your Heart) By Sharon Basaraba twitter Sharon Basaraba is an award-winning reporter and senior scientific communications advisor for Alberta Health Services in Alberta, Canada. Learn about our editorial policy Sharon Basaraba Updated on February 04, 2020 How Stress Impacts Your Health Overview Signs of Burnout Stress and Weight Gain Benefits of Exercise Stress Reduction Tips Self-Care Practices Mindful Living Hero Images/Getty Images Next time youre so frustrated you feel like gritting your teeth, you might try grinning instead. Studies suggest  smiling is not only good for you psychologically, but physiologically, too. Surprisingly, a smile can bring you health benefits even if you don’t start out feeling happy. A team of psychologists from the University of Kansas set out to discover whether having your face in a smiling position could reduce stress. In their study, published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers Sarah Pressman and Tara Kraft wanted to test the old adage “grin and bear it to determine not what makes a person smile, but what a smile can do once it’s in place. About the Research Subjects were given a couple of different tasks known to be stressful, including tracing the outline of a star using the non-dominant hand while looking in a mirror (phew!)  and plunging a hand into a bowl of ice water for one minute. Study participants performed the tasks three different ways: without smiling, with the teeth held in a moderate smile and with a broad smile, all while holding a chopstick between their teeth as instructed by researchers. The chopstick provided a way of standardizing the facial expressions, in order to compare them and to create a smile artificially. A broad, or so-called Duchenne smile - named after the French neurologist who documented facial expressions back in the 1860s - engages not just muscles around the mouth, but around the eyes as well. Subjects with Duchenne smiles were coached to engage those muscles, too, though not asked explicitly to smile. What They Found Stress levels were gauged two ways: by taking heart rate measurements and by asking the subjects how stressed they felt while performing the difficult tasks. All of the participants, regardless of facial expression, reported feeling about the same degree of stress during the tasks. What differed, however, was how quickly the different groups heart rates returned to normal: the heart rates of the subjects with a neutral expression (no smile) took the longest to recover. Subjects heart rates in the broad-smiling group recovered the most quickly, and those with a moderate or so-called standard smile were in-between, still experiencing better heart rate recovery than those with a neutral face. The results support prior studies in which research subjects who used pencils to manipulate their facial expressions found certain cartoons funnier when their faces were held in a smiling position than when their expressions were neutral. Pressman and Kraft also cite past research that found similar areas of the brain appear to be activated, whether a smile is spontaneous (a result of good feelings), or displayed intentionally, without those emotions. Fake It Till You Make It? Should you fake a happy demeanor, would you feel less stressed? It depends. Research published in 2007 in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology reveals that subjects in a customer service call center simulation who were told to be enthusiastic and hide their frustration were more exhausted and made more mistakes on the job. The authors cite the energy cost felt by workers trying to act happy on the surface when they are not. Despite this, researchers write that focusing on positive thoughts or reappraising a difficult situation can help improve feelings over time. Deeply acted” faking of feeling happy is tiring but focusing on the positive can eventually result in a more positive outlook. The key may lie in how long the stressful situation lasts, according to Pressman. “Smiling is not a cure-all for every type of stress, especially for long-term stressors,” she says, like dealing repeatedly with hostile customers or other difficult people, but it may offer relief “for brief, acute stressors, and only for short periods of time or as an antidote to a passing negative mood.” So next time you’re stuck in traffic or the person ahead of you in the grocery line is taking too long, consider smiling. It may make you feel better and bring your heart rate down, too.

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Turning A Book Into A Movie - 902 Words

Turning a Book into a Movie for Whose Gain? The article: Turning a Book into a Movie: An Author’s Perspective, written by Michael Murie as a summary of a panel, at the Boston Book Festival, in which five authors discussed their experiences when their books were turned into movies. The five authors were: Nick Flynn, Daniel Handler, Buzz Bissinger, Rachel Cohn and Andre Dubus III. Just as each of the authors books were different, their experiences in the filmmaking process were very different. Cohn was thrilled with the production of her novel, Nick Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Cohn saw the movie as a â€Å"Two-hour advertisement for your [her] book† (Murie). In contrast, Bissinger was disappointed with the movie and TV series, which although†¦show more content†¦They both get publicity from each other, and both receive a share of the profit. If you remember in Michael Murie’s article Cohn says â€Å"It’s [the movie] like a two hour advertisement for your [the author’s] book† (Murie). Cohn’s quote illustrates the publicity the book gets from the movie, by comparing it to an advertisement. The movie gets publicity from the book in similar ways. For example the cover of my paperback copy of J.R. Tolkien’s Hobbit exclaims in bold letters â€Å"Now a Major Motion Picture†. Not only do both sides get publicity from each other, but both sides also share in the profit. Authors receive a profit by selling the rights of their book. Movie Producers make a fortune if the movie is a success. In addition to the publicity and profit, movie producers also receive a foundation for the movie and fans from the start, when they base their movies on books. Even though a book provides the movie producers with a foundation, the book can also stifle creativity. The five authors in Murie’s article all agreed that books do not make good scripts (Murie). Often the fans of the book transform into fans and supporters of the movie. Interest in the movie is generated before the movie is even created. However excitement for movies can be generated in other ways just as easily. For example fans of Marvel Studio movies will be excited for the next Marvel movie because it carries the Marvel name. Or a certainShow MoreRelatedThe Breakfast Club Movie Analysis1668 Words   |  7 Pagesbasketcase,† the students all have distinct personas. However, as the movie progresses, they discover they all have much more in common than they had previously thought. As a former high school studen t, the concept of the movie is relatively familiar to me. Communicating between strangers, bonding with other students much different from yourself, and forming of new friendships are all situations I have witnessed firsthand. 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The word ethics is defined as â€Å"standards of conduct or moral behavior.† The movie Wall Street, was the exact opposite of these definitions. The movie shows examples of hostile takeovers, insider trading, greed and unethical behaviors in the attempt to build fortune on the all mighty dollar. The movie focuses on the stock market and the way inside information is used to make decisions to build cash and profits at the costs of others. Read MoreAnalysis Of The Movie The Battle Of Thermopylae Essay1165 Words   |  5 Pagesover the world because its huge charm that can grab everyone s attention on it. The movie 300 it had to reveal the mysterious of Sparta, it had come to refresh people s memory of Sparta. Also, its magnificent film and excellent action thought out the movie impact our impression of Spartans. The Spartans had once again come in front of people, its amazing history had remembered by everyone who saw the movie. 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Roles of Reality in Children’s Literature Free Essays

The Role of Reality in Children’s Literature Anna Scott The Role of Reality in Children’s Literature Historical Fiction Historical Realism attempts to recreate a reality of the past, to capture the milieu of a time gone by and must be set at least a generation before the writing of the book. It has the power to broaden our horizons, to learn more about the people and places of our world by reading about the past—where we all came from (Russell, 2009). One such powerful story, one of the inhumanity and sacrilege of World War II and a family’s journey through it all is Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars. We will write a custom essay sample on Roles of Reality in Children’s Literature or any similar topic only for you Order Now Family and Social Values Number the Stars is an excellent example of historical fiction which deals directly with the Nazi regime. Here and there is a bit of violence, suspense and fear of the soldiers, but it is mostly a story of bravery, courage, friendship and hope. A young girl named Annemarie Johanson grows up in occupied Denmark during the Second World War. She learns first-hand about the plight of the Jews in her country when she and her family help her best friend Ellen Rosen and her family escape to Sweden. A soldier appears when the Johanson’s take Ellen in for one night while Ellen’s mother and father are taken to a safe place. Annemarie helps Ellen by hiding her Star of David necklace so the soldiers do not see it. Ellen pretends to be Annemarie’s dead sister Lise and is hopeful that the soldiers do not find out. The next day Annemarie, her mother, Annemarie’s Uncle Henrik and Brother-in-law Peter help Ellen and her family flee to Sweden. During the most intense parts of the book, the two families (Johanson’s and Rosen’s) are often put face to face with the enemy. At one point, the family is gathered around a coffin along with other families in hopes to meet to discuss future events that will aid in their safe departure from the country. But when a soldier enters and demands the coffin be opened, the family must decide quickly a plan to fool the soldier and to convince him that they are truly mourning a death, and not conspiring against the soldiers. Uncle Henrik tells Annemarie: â€Å"It is much easier to be brave if you do not know everything†¦ e only know what we need to know† (Lowry, 1989) and Annemarie quickly discovers that it is better to know less than to know the truth, as the fear is so much more apparent when the truth is known. This story is filled with aspects of respect and unity as both families treat each other equally and protect each other, even though Ellen’s family is Jewish and Annemarie’s isn’t. Ellen and Annemarie’s friendship is a true testament to how far you will go to protect a friend. Almost every character exemplifies bravery in one way or another. Annemarie does not think she is brave even though she took her Uncle his forgotten â€Å"lunch† and takes on two German soldiers. When Uncle Henrik tells her, â€Å"That’s all that brave means, not thinking about the dangers. Just thinking about what you must do† (Lowry, 1989), Annemarie learns that being scared or frightened does not mean that one is not brave. Annemarie and her family push through the fears and the unknown to strive for what is right and what they believe in. Literary elements and structural devices Number the Stars is a serious yet hopeful story that provides details about wartime experience. Told in third person, Number the Stars reflects a child’s view of the Nazi occupation in Denmark. The characters main cultures are Danish, Jewish and German and it is assumed that the characters have traditional gender roles and behaviors. The story is set in the Protagonist against Society conflict where the protagonists are the main characters: Annemarie and her family and Ellen and her family and they are against the Nazis values and morals. Number the Stars is a coming of age story about family and close friends that entails the characters likes, dislikes, struggles and triumphs. Based in fact or History In Number the Stars, Lowry tells of the realistic story of life in Denmark during World War II through the lives of two young girls, but while reading there is not too much evidence that the story is not real. The book tells the true events of the Nazi soldiers in that time period as well as Jewish people becoming targeted by Nazi’s and other’s helping them hide. According to Lowry, Number the Stars is a novel that was inspired by a friend who had grown up in Denmark during World War II. It is based on hours of conversations with her friend and others who experienced the hardships of World War II and in much of her writing; Lowry tries to tell the big story by relating small details (â€Å"Study Guide for Number the Stars (pdf)†, n. d). Most of her explanation about where the story came from and where fact ends and fiction begins is at the end of the book in the Afterword. Here she explains that she had always been fascinated and moved by her friends descriptions not only of the personal deprivation and sacrifices that her family and neighbors suffered through but the courage and integrity of the Danish people and the leadership of the kind they loved, Christian X (â€Å"Study Guide for Number the Stars (pdf)†, n. d). Reading this afterword, adds an element to the story that you thought was already there. You can easily identify the time, place and discover the families while you are shown examples of honor, hope, friendship, bravery and courage all knowing that portions of the story have a small inkling of truth. Summary We read realism because we are interested in the lives of the characters—their loves, fears, likes, dislikes, struggles, and triumphs. What we learn is that human beings of different times and places have a great deal in common (Russell, 2009). In Number the Stars, there are lessons of friendship, honor, respect, unity, and bravery within the story. Lois Lowry gives us a moving story that shows us in the face of Nazi bigotry and hatred, honor and hope still prevail. We are told that we can learn from the past, that we can avoid the same mistakes however, covering it up does not erase it. Being ignorant only leaves us unprepared for the future so we should not only uncover the horrors of the past, but also show the glories as well. References EBOOK COLLECTION:  Russell, D. L. (2009). Literature for children: A short introduction (6th ed. ). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn Bacon. Lowry, L. (1989). Number the Stars. New York, New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. Study Guide for Number the Stars (PDF). (n. d. ), Retrieved from http://www. glencoe. com/sec/literature/litlibrary/pdf/number_the_stars. pdf How to cite Roles of Reality in Children’s Literature, Papers

BIM and Knowledge Management Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the BIM and Knowledge Management. Answer: Introduction: The growth of the nation economy depends upon construction industry. The construction industry helps in increasing 105 of GDP. The construction sector is facing problems such as spiralling costs, increasing efficiency of the demand, issues related to fragmentation, lack in collaboration, and lack in coordination among team members. The initiatives are going in the field of knowledge management to increase the level of construction industry. The knowledge management strategy helps in facilitating the communication and coordination among the supply chain management program. The use of business information modelling framework helps in enhancing the knowledge repositories to develop the strong communication relationship among the team members. The knowledge intensive activities are laid down in the construction organization to manage the efficiency and effectiveness of the information. The awareness of the knowledge management program brings change in practices, innovation, and procedure s (Kenley, 2011). The quality of the work can be improved by focusing on the knowledge management strategy to provide effective and efficient information according to the requirement of the work. The use of BIM provides the set of tools and technologies to improve the product performance by focusing on associated stakeholders and variation in processes and requirement. The BIM is the tools which are used for designing 3 dimensional digital models (Boston, 2012). The information can be effectively accessed by the participating units. The strong relationship can be developed between stakeholders and the process used to develop the construction projects. The contemporary technologies of BIM helps in facilitating the design and construction process which is deployed for developing the projects. The BIM provides the model for virtual building to develop collaboration between architecture, engineering tools, and construction activities. The role played by the BIM knowledge management is to provide ease of collecting and managing information, developing relationship between various participating objects, tracking and managing of information, ensuring identification of problems, and others. The transformation of the infrastructure can be done by changing the process associated with designing, planning, analysing, and managing. BIM and Knowledge Management: The building knowledge model can be efficiently developed by using the BIM technology. The digital design is efficiently developed by team members to facilitate the construction activities (Omotayo, 2015). The knowledge management maintains the flow of information to handle the complexity of supply chain management program throughout the life cycle of the project. The knowledge can be reused by effectively manage the integration between BIM and KM. The BIM make use of the web technologies to provide the visual platform to demonstrate the flow of construction activities. The following table shows the areas of knowledge management which make use of BIM: Knowledge management Area Use of BIM Role Gather Capture information BIM helps in representing the current status of the facility elements BIM focuses on collecting the relevant information Quantify the information It helps in measuring the advantage of processes which are undertaken Quantification of processes Monitoring The performance of the system can be monitored correspondent to the user expectation Observation and measurement of activities Qualify Identification of the good quality elements It helps in tracking and identifying the good quality activities Generate Prescription of activities Helps in specifying the flow of construction activities Specify the sequence of activities Arrangement Location and placement of construction activities Configuration of layout of construction activities Size Helps in determining the magnitude of the flow of activities Scaling the activities which are relevant to the project Analysis Coordination of activities Developing the relationship between the associated stakeholders (Yang, 2013) Detecting and managing the coordination of activities Forecasting The forecasting of activities helps in predicting the future performance of the activities Simulation and predicting the flow of activities Validation The accuracy of the information should be logically checked Confirmation of the activities should be taken periodically Communication Visualization The realistic representation of the activities helps in enhancing the performance of the construction activities (Joseph, 2011) The periodic review of the activities should be carried out Transformation Modification of information helps in enhancing the performance of the process Translation of processes Drawing and designing The symbolic representation of construction activities Development of the draft in detail Documentation The information of the project activities should be recorded for future use Schedules and reports should be prepared Realization Fabrication The manufacturing of the processes can be improved Manufacturing of activities Assemblage The assembling and integration of activities can improved the quality of activities Pre-fabrication of activities Controlling The physical manipulation of activities can enhance the working capability of the processes Manipulation of activities Regulation The operation of the activities should be regulated periodically Direct usage of activitis BIM Conceptual Framework: The conceptual framework of construction activities helps in enhancing the knowledge management system of the proposed project. The creation and deployment of the sharing parameters helps in taking initiatives of the project (Bouzza, 2015). The generation of knowledge can be created by focusing on the reviews, omissions, and errors. The framework of BIM depends on five major component field which are categorised as designing, construction, operation, stakeholder management, and improvement in performance. It focuses on constructing the activities related to design, construction, and engineering. The graphic information model is used for sharing of information by deploying the virtual construction system. The sharing of information and scheduling of activities depends on the virtual design of the construction project. Various knowledge management areas are used for sharing the text based illustration to enhance the affordability of illustration. The BIM based environment effectively i ncreases the knowledge sharing process by improving the decision making capability of the project manager and top management. The BIM model requests for appropriate information to develop the scenario to resolve the issues of the existing situation. The performance of the project can be improved by using the technique of BIM. The BIM make use of methodology for leveraging the object oriented inheritance (Liu, 2010). The sharing of innovative ideas and information helps in enhancing the construction process. The framework makes use of knowledge management to enhance the functionality of the construction activities. The schematic design phase can be developed with the use of shared parameters. The strategies should be built between dissemination and knowledge generation (Rowlinson, 2013). The construction process helps in achieving the milestone of the organization. The continuous improvement of the project depends upon the dissemination of knowledge. The database of the system helps in retrieving the information related to stakeholders, project processes, procedures, and others. The knowledge management in construction industry is used for collecting, reusing, modelling, evaluation, and maintaining knowledge information associate d with the construction industry. The efforts are going in the field of knowledge management to improve the quality of work provided to enhance the construction activities. The key drivers of the knowledge management helps identifying and mitigating risks associated with the project. The BIM is the recommended technology to resolve the risks associated with the construction industries. Procedures used to deploy BIM knowledge management: There are several phases in the deployment of BIM knowledge management procedures which are summarised in the table below: Phases Description Creation of issues The developer should focus on the project procedures, methods, policies, activities, and others to generate list of issues and risks associated with the development of the project to opt the mitigation methods. Sharing of Knowledge Different methods should be used for sharing of implicit and explicit knowledge for providing proper structure to the coordinated units. Updating knowledge phase The identification and editing of the knowledge associated with the project activities should be done periodically to remain proactive of the new risks which can generate with the flow of activities. Description: The design of the construction project can be improved with the help of BIM. The cost of the project can be reduced to the high extent. The designing of the project is done in such a way so as to complete it before the expectation of the customers. The BIM is applied in all the three phases of the construction which are categorised as pre-construction activities, construction activities, and post construction activities (Aziz, 2013). The efficiency of the project can be improved with the use of BIM tools and technologies. The decision making capability of the management can be improved which results in providing high quality construction work at the site. The completion of the project can be done within the specified time and cost. The clashing of activities can be resolved with the use of business information modelling. The quality of the construction project can be improved by organising the activities in proper format during the initial stages of the project (Lindblad, 2013). The following table shows the role of BIM in construction activities: Phases and activities Stage Description Pre-construction activities Modelling of the existing condition It helps in enhancing the accuracy based on existing condition Planning It focuses on scheduling the sequence of activities during the initial stages of the project Designing phase It helps in enhancing the communication mechanism for providing decision at faster rate. It helps in detecting and analysis of the clashing of activities. It focuses on increasing the effectiveness of the design Scheduling The sequence of activities can be generated to enhance the efficiency of the construction activities. The progress of the activities can be tracked with the help of BIM tools. Estimation The 3D project model gives the clear view of the project before its development Analysis of the site The tracking of cost and time helps in developing the project within the allocated budget and cost Construction activities Construction and development phase The construction phase helps in maintaining the flow of traffic, materials required for the site development, and required associated machinery (Kivitis, 2013). The controlling of cost and cash flow helps in tracking of activities The flow of resources helps in completing the project activities before the allocated time (Krystyna, 2011) Post Construction activities Management of operation and associated facilities Keeping track of the construction site Proactive management of facilities provided Development of schedule for maintenance program The activities such as designing, planning, budgeting, and scheduling which are associated with the construction of project can be actively developed and maintained with the use of BIM tools and technologies. The platform of BIM helps in providing evolutionary design of architect of the infrastructure. The speed of the designing process can be increased by maintaining proper communication with the stakeholders. The visualization of the 4D model helps in enhancing the construction process to solve the problems associated with the building of the assets. The quality of the design, decision, and working capability can be improved by using the BIM tools in the working curriculum of the construction activities. The cost estimation accuracy can be achieved by using the business information modelling. The coordination of the activities help in resolving the conflicting issues associated in the construction activities. The integration of the activities helps in resolving the internal conflic t. The BIM based automated code checking process is used for maintaining distribution of activities at construction site. The Business information modelling and knowledge management helps in facilitating the sharing of knowledge, solving problems, approving proposals and drawings. The relevancy in the process deployed can be achieved by sharing of knowledge. The explicit and implicit knowledge helps in managing the flow of information to enhance the working capability of the construction activities. The role played by the BIM knowledge management is to provide ease of collecting and managing information, developing relationship between various participating objects, tracking and managing of information, ensuring identification of problems, and others. The handling of problems is based on developing the matrix which can evenly identify the knowledge issues, attributes of knowledge, description and the problem area of the project, and attachment of knowledge support such as drawings, proc ess, reports, and document. The user friendly environment is provided to the stakeholders of the project by initializing the methodology of BIM knowledge management. The BIM files helps in granting authority and authentication to the user of the project to handle the construction activities. The interface layer is provided to the end user to access the database and application. The BIM model is capable of storing and retrieving information related with the project activities, comments, knowledge, and others. The accuracy of the flow of activities at the construction site can be enhanced with the use of BIM with Knowledge management scheme to provide good quality construction site. Benefit of BIM: The construction site faces some problems such as delay of the project, construction of the dirty sites, and difficulty in managing site condition, poor work quality, cause of accidents on construction site, and many others. These problems can be evenly managed by using the ICT technology of BIM in the working curriculum of the construction industry. The development of the virtual design helps in managing the construction site effectively (Onyango, 2016). The quality of the work and infrastructure of the site can be improved with the help of the 3D design. The capability of the system depends on the skills associated with the employees of the organization. The potential problems which are associated with the pre-construction phase, during the construction phase, and post construction phase can be resolved by managing project planning with the use of BIM technology. The business information modelling provides the following benefits to the construction industry: Benefit Description Increasing the speed and utility of the construction activities The sharing of information can be easily carried out. The value and the reusability of the information can be enhanced by using the BIM technology Enhancing the collaboration and coordination between construction and design phase The analysis and the simulation of the asset proposal should be rigorously done to improve the performance and benchmarking of the innovative solutions Improving quality of data The flexibility can be achieved in the documentation. The automation in the activities can be exploited. The management of assets depends upon requirement, designing, operational information, and construction. Data visualization The BIM is capable of adding values to the 3D visualization technique. The misinterpretation of the activities can be realign the activities on the basis of the stakeholder expectation Enhancing the finding of the faults The modelling of the design helps in reducing the conflict associated with the construction activities. BIM is capable of resolving the internal conflict of the model. Challenges of BIM: The construction site faces some problems such as delay of the project, construction of the dirty sites, difficulty in managing site condition, poor work quality, cause of accidents on construction site, and many others. There are some negative aspects associated with the BIM activities. Some of the challenges are described below: Disadvantages Description A single design detailed model BIM does not provide any alternative design option for managing the construction activities. Interoperability The BIM provides the standard software to manage the requirement and change needed in the project life cycle. Additional work for the designer The designer has to create the model of the project on the BIM software. The drawing should provide complete portfolio of the building structure. It increases the work pressure of the designer to provide complete design of the building at first site. BIM size and complexity The data sharing is the difficult task for the BIM because the heavy files have to be shared which are associated with the project (Azhar, 2011). The real time accessing of the file requires the broad band internet access. Security Security is the major concern in the deployment of BIM in the working curriculum of the organization. Implication of the trade practices The BIM is becoming the mandatory trading option in some of the countries Issues related with IP The designer developed the rich model which is equipped with IP risks (Abanda, 2015) Issues related with the authentication of user The authentication of users helps in securing authenticity questions Costs The extra cost is spend on the deployment of new technology in the working curriculum of the organization Socio technical issues The implementation of new technology raises the socio technical issues because the employees are not ready to opt new working technology Skill issues The capability of the system depends on the skills associated with the employees of the organization Conclusion: The use of business information modelling framework helps in enhancing the knowledge repositories to develop the strong communication relationship among the team members. The BIM provides the model for virtual building to develop collaboration between architecture, engineering tools, and construction activities. The strong relationship can be developed between stakeholders and the process used to develop the construction projects. The Business information modelling and knowledge management helps in facilitating the sharing of knowledge, solving problems, approving proposals and drawings. The relevancy in the process deployed can be achieved by sharing of knowledge. The graphic information model is used for sharing of information by deploying the virtual construction system. The sharing of information and scheduling of activities depends on the virtual design of the construction project. The BIM make use of the web technologies to provide the visual platform to demonstrate the flow of construction activities. The BIM model is capable of storing and retrieving information related with the project activities, comments, knowledge, and others. The initiatives are going in the field of knowledge management to increase the level of construction industry. References: Abanda, H. (2015). A critical analysis of building information modelling system used in the construction industry. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The author focuses on the user friendly environment provided to the stakeholders of the project by initializing the methodology of BIM knowledge management. Azhar, S. (2011). Building information modelling: Benefits, risks, and challenges. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The paper focuses on the use of BIM in adding values to the 3D visualization technique. The misinterpretation of the activities can be realign the activities on the basis of the stakeholder expectation. Aziz, Z. (2013). A case study of fostering multidisciplinary in built environment using BIM. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The paper focuses on the framework which makes use of knowledge management and BIM to enhance the functionality of the construction activities. Boston, S. (2012). Shaping the future of construction. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 21 Aug. 2016]. The paper highlights that the BIM based environment effectively increases the knowledge sharing process by improving the decision making capability of the project manager and top management. Bouzza, T. (2015). The use of building information modelling in managing knowledge in construction project delivery: A conceptual model. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The modelling of the design helps in reducing the conflict associated with the construction activities. BIM is capable of resolving the internal conflict of the model. Joseph, H. (2011). A critical analysis of building information modelling system used in the construction projects. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The author focuses on the critical analysis of the activities such as designing, planning, budgeting, and scheduling which are associated with the construction of project can be actively developed and maintained with the use of BIM tools and technologies. Kenley, R. (2011). Construction project control methodologies and productivity improvement: EVM, BIM, LBM. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. In this paper the author focuses on the role played by the BIM knowledge management is to provide ease of collecting and managing information, developing relationship between various participating objects, tracking and managing of information, ensuring identification of problems, and others. Kivitis, R. (2013). Enabling Sustainability and asset management through knowledge management. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The BIM provides the model for virtual building to develop collaboration between architecture, engineering tools, and construction activities. Krystyna, A. (2011). Building information modelling: An innovative way to manage risks in construction project. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. In this paper, the author focuses on the accuracy of the flow of activities at the construction site can be enhanced with the use of BIM with Knowledge management scheme to provide good quality construction site. Lindblad, H. (2013). A study of the implementation process of BIM in construction projects. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The author highlights the use of BIM provides the set of tools and technologies to improve the product performance by focusing on associated stakeholders and variation in processes and requirement. Liu, Z. (2010). Feasibility analysis of BIM based information system for facility management 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. In this paper, the author focuses on the feasibility study of the BIM for facilitating the management of the construction activities. Omotayo, O. (2015). Knowledge management as an important tool in organization management: A review of literature. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 21 Aug. 2016]. The Business information modelling and knowledge management helps in facilitating the sharing of knowledge, solving problems, approving proposals and drawings. Onyango, A. (2016). Interaction between lean construction and BIM. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The knowledge management and BIM strategy helps in facilitating the communication and coordination among the supply chain management program. Rowlinson, S. (2013). BIM collaboration: A conceptual model and its characteristics. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The author develops the conceptual framework of activities and highlights the features which are added by the BIM in the implementation of the project. Yang, G. (2013). Application of BIM models for construction process planning. 1st ed. [ebook]. [Accessed 03 Sep. 2016]. The BIM is actively used in every phase of the project life cycle such as planning, designing, analysing, and implementation.

Organizational Behavior free essay sample

Company’s performance plummet (Assignment) Summary XYZ Company’s profits are solely based on its sales volumes. In the recent past the sales reports recorded a slump in the figures. Market conditions are favorable for the products and it has been identified the reason for sales drop is the low motivation and morale of the employees. Superiors are facing difficulty to manage day today work as employees have developed a habit to go on unplanned unapproved leave. Some of them notify their superiors or a colleague on the day of the leave and some never. Sabotage acts have created mistrust. Integrity in the organization has become a thing in the past. The latest developments were the clashes between superiors and subordinates reported by the human resources to the CEO showcasing the infested relationships within the organization. This report evaluates the on going crisis of the XYZ Company, the reasons for such behavior from organizations and individual point of view based on the theories in organizational behavior. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Recommendations to overcome this challenging situation will be suggested using the results proven concepts and theories in the field. Literature Review MARS Model McShane, S. L. , Glinow, M. A. V. , Sharma, R. R. (2008) uses the MARS model to explain the drivers of individual behavior and results. The authors have used this to highlight the factors influence the individual’s behavior which results in the performance. The four factors are Motivation, Ability, Role Perception and Situational Factors. The model explains the combined effect of these factors for the performance of an individual. Big Five Personality Traits Costa McCrae, (1992) explained the five traits of personality which have been scientifically discovered to define human personality. This model explains the positive relationship of the five characteristics and performance, motivation and job satisfaction. Schwartz’s  Values  Model Shalom Schwartz (1992, 1994) used his Schwartz Value Inventory (SVI) with a wide survey of over 60,000 people to identify common values that acted as guiding principles for ones life. He identified ten value types that gather multiple values into a single category. The values namely are Power, Achievement, Hedonism, Stimulation, Self-direction, Universalism, Benevolence, Tradition, Conformity, Security, Super-grouping. They can also be collated into larger super-groups namely Openness to change ( Stimulation, self-direction and some hedonism) , Self-enhancement(Achievement, power and some hedonism) ,Conservation (Security, tradition and conformity) and Self-transcendence( Universalism and benevolence) Employee Engagement McShane, S. L. , Glinow, M. A. V. , Sharma, R. R. (2008) defines employee engagement as â€Å"Employees’ emotional and cognitive (rational) motivation, their ability to perform their jobs, their possessing a clear understanding of the organization’s vision and their specific roles in that vision and a belief that they have been given the resources to get their jobs done†. What is happening? If XYZ company challenges were to analyze many years ago, according to Theory X assumptions, by the scholar Douglas McGregor, a pay revise, ensure security of the job or a favorable working conditions (Luthens, Fred, 2008) would have been recommended to boost up the morale and increase the productivity of employees. Many research has identified people are extremely complex, and theoretical understanding empirical research is needed to, implement solutions in order to manage people effectively. As Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin Group, says â€Å"Engaged employees create loyal customers who in turn create bigger profits†. From the description given on the characteristics of the employees at XYZ, it is obvious employee engagement does not exist in the slightest way resulting sales drops caused by poor performance. Employee engagement is described in the book Organizational Behavior by McShane, S. L. , Glinow, M. A. V. , Sharma, R. R. (2008) that the concept refers to, â€Å"Employees’ emotional and cognitive (rational) motivation, their ability to perform their jobs, their possessing a clear understanding of the organization’s vision and their specific roles in that vision and a belief that they have been given the resources to get their jobs done†. As stated in the literature review reasons or drivers for different individual behaviors have been in the focus of organizational behavior experts. Experts have identified the main factors influencing the individual behavior as Motivation, Ability, Role Perception and Situational Factors defined in the MARS model. The model says the four factors have a combined effect on individual’s good or poor performance. These four factors are influenced by individuals’ variables such as values, personality, perception, emotions and attitudes and stress. The most stable important variables in the model are the personality and values (McShane, S. L. , Glinow, M. A. V. , Sharma, R. R. (2008)). Then the importance comes as perception, emotions attitude and stress respectively. The main challenge XYZ company is facing at present is the low morale and low motivation of the employees which has been affected the individual performance and thereby the company’s performance resulting sales drops. Motivation can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. The intrinsic motivation is an incentive to do something that arises from factors within the individual, such as a need to feel useful or to seek  self-actualization. These factors can vary from individual to individual. Then the extrinsic motivation is an incentive to do something that arises from factors outside the individual, such as rewards or punishments. The promise of a bonus if one meets agreed performance targets is an obvious example of such motivation. In this case, with the given context, the employees’ motivation has become low. Therefore it can be assumed that XYZ Company’s employees’ intrinsic or extrinsic drive or both have diminished at present. First factor adversely influencing the individual behavior and results of XYZ company in MARS model is Motivation. According to the context of the XYZ Company it is assumed that its cadre is skilled and competent to do each of their roles. This can be made under the assumption of XYZ’s sales figures had been superior in the past. As a result, the factor ‘ability’ in the MARS model is present in XYZ Company. Further employees’ morale or the dictionary definition, self-confidence or self-esteem or spirit(s) or team spirit or enthusiasm is low. In management subject point of view employee morale is how employees actually feel about themselves as workers, their work, their managers, their work environment, and their overall work life. It incorporates all the mental and emotional feelings, beliefs, and attitudes that individuals and groups hold regarding their job. It could be seen that employees’ perception on what they how they do and to whom they do is distorted and unfavorable. This can be seen in MARS model point of view that another factor namely the individual’s role perception is weak or in danger in XYZ Company. XYZ employees at different levels experience difficulties to carry out their jobs. Assume the company still posses an engaged supervisor, and he / she does not get the support from the subordinates to perform his/she job. On the other hand assume an engaged sales officer does his job and he is unable to complete is job if his / her supervisor is absent. Therefore the situational factors are not in favor of the XYZ Company individuals. In summary, XYZ Company’s employee behavior displays that there are issues in areas of motivation, role perception and situational factors. MARS model says, the four factors (Motivation, ability, role perception, Situational factors) have a combined effect on individual performance. (McShane, S. L. , Glinow, M. A. V. , Sharma, R. R. (2008)) Further it says if any factor weakens there will be an impact to employee performance in a negative manner. Figure 1 depicts what has happened to XYZ Company in the purview of the MARS model. Values Personality Perceptions Emotions Attitudes Stress Individual Characteristics Motivation Ability Role Perception Situational Factors Individual Behavior Results Decreased Performance Figure 1. MARS model of individual behavior and results for XYZ Company Reasons for weakened motivation, role perception, situational factors It is of great importance to evaluate the reasons for issues in the areas of motivation, role perception and situational factors. MARS model indicates the individual characteristics which influence the four factors as values, personality, perception, emotions, attitudes and stress. Out of these factors the two deeply held characteristics of people that influence their attitudes, motivation and behavior and therefore it is vital to study XYZ companies values and perceptions in detail as a measurement to understand why these things happen at the organization. Personality A person’s personality is like all other people’s, like some other people’s, and like no other people’s. ’ This statement was made by kluckhohn and Murray and it explains how complex and diverse a personality is. The experts say heredity, the brain, environment, maturation and learning contribute to the formation of human personality. These complex characteristics are simplified in Th e ‘Big Five’ personality traits. Research shows a positive relationship between the ‘Big Five’ and performance motivation and job satisfaction. Figure 2 analyzes the XYZ employee personalities as specified in ‘Big Five’ core personality traits. Core Trait| Characteristics of High Scorers| XYZ individuals Score| Conscientiousness| Dependable, Hardworking, organized, self-disciplined, persistent, responsible| LowNeeds attention| Emotional Stability| Calm, Secure, Happy, unworried| LowNeed attention| Agreeableness| Cooperative, warm, caring, good-nurtured, courteous, trusting| LowNeeds attention| Extraversion| Sociable, outgoing, talkative, assertive, gregarious| OK| Openness to Experience| Curious, intellectual, creative, cultured, artistically sensitive, flexible, imaginative| OK| Figure 2. The ‘Big Five’ personality traits and XYZ Company’s standing Experts have proved that the most important trait of the five, which has a strong positive relation to performance, is conscientiousness. The background of XYZ Company shows the negative set of characteristics from individuals for the most vital trait, the conscientiousness for high performance. Values â€Å"Employ the whole person, the mind and the soul† (McShane, S. L. , Glinow, M. A. V. , Sharma, R. R. (2008)) Tom Chapell, the co-founder of Tom’s of Maine, speaks about importance of values of an individual to an organization. Values are the stable evaluative beliefs that guide our preferences for outcomes or courses of action in a variety of situations. XYZ’s individual behavior actions at different circumstances are evidence for adverse set of personal values among individuals. Although it is necessary to conduct a survey among employees to come in to a accurate picture of the individual value distribution for the different values identified by S. H. Schwartz, with the individual actions at XYZ company it can be identified the majority of the individual values fall in to the colored area (Blue Lines) of the Schwartz’s  Values  Model depicted in Figure 3. Self-transcendence Openness to Change Conservation Self-enhancement Figure 3. Schwartz’s  Values  Model and XYZ Company’s behavioral study Ethics Ethics is defined by the dictionary as a branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct with respect to the rightness or wrongness of certain actions. As mentioned earlier humans are complex and ethics is based on their values, perception and attitudes making the problem of ethics too complex. People perceive things in different ways, but most people agree that ethics involves a lot of common sense. Peoples ethical standards are often based on values instilled in them in their youth, and in their environmental background. As the definition says ethics deals with individual values, XYZ Company’s ethics can be assessed based on the Schwartz’s  Values  Model distribution (Figure 3. ). Among XYZ individuals it is often observed disturbing actions for the daily activities of the company. So me of the ethically deficient behaviors are unplanned leave without notifying, conflicts, loss of integrity and acts of sabotage. Therefore, since these actions are hindering the company performance this behavior can be seen as unethical self conduct, among groups of people in the organization. As Figure 4. depicts when observed the XYZ’s individuals, considering the three principles of ethics it can be derived that the interest is towards ‘My interests’ and ‘Our interest’, but not ‘Everybody’s interest’, in other words not Company interest. Utilitarianism Individual Rights Distributive Justice (Group) Figure 4. Ethical Principles standing at XYZ Company Revisit To the Outcome of Applied Theory To XYZ Company In Summary, from the MARS model it, it says in the given context of XYZ Company, it has issues in Motivation, Role Perception and Situational Factors. It was considered that the most important factors to affecting performance are Values and Personality. When analyzed the personality in detail, the Big Five personality trait showed that the employees has low score characteristics for the core traits namely Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability and Agreeableness. In the area of values XYZ company employee displayed strength in openness to change qualities defined as Stimulation, Self-Direction and Hedonism. In the same way they had the strength in self-enhancement defined as Achievement and Power. The ethical principles analysis showed that the employees are only interested in themselves and the group they are in but not the company. Recommendations Therefore XYZ company has a talented set of employees who has a high ego and talent who’s values are not aligned with the company values. Value motivated workforce is more long lasting than a incentive motivated workforce. They are proven to be more engaged. Starting from the company values ethics should be considered as a vital component for success. The ethical values of the company should be shared with the employees and those should be implanted in them. As David M. Taylor is a professional engineer, says companies having shared values that are consistently modeled within the organization results in: Employees focused on what is important to the organization Less stress on individuals ,Less tension between individuals and departments Enthusiasm in the workplace , Pride in work , Direction in the workplace Less bureaucracy , Positive attitudes , Positive momentum Examples of companies that did not have proper alignment around a value system and paid the price in the marketplace; WorldCom , Enron , Bre-X Examples of companies that have built themselves around their values; Disney , Home Depot , Walmart , Starbucks Some suggested morale-boosters for the high talented employees suggested by Morale  Encyclopedia of Management Practicing of fairness and consistency ,Bestowing praise in public while leveling criticism in private , Encouraging humor and fun in the workplace, Communication ,Listening and remaining receptive to new ideas , Getting to know something about employees personal lives and treating them as individuals, Creating opportunities for employees to learn and grow, Sharing decision making and offering employees choices, Promoting from within, and most importantly Leading by example. Organizational Behavior free essay sample Managers and employees alike should have a set standard of ethics to abide by. While it is impossible to not have any cases of unethical behavior, all organizations should strive to have the least amount of unethical cases as possible. 5. Which of the seven moral principles in Table 1–4 appear to be in force at Whole Foods? Explain. There are a few moral principles that appear to be in force at Whole Foods. Humaneness is defined as having actions that â€Å"ought to accomplish good† (Kreitner Kinicki, 2013, p. 24).Whole Foods appears to be committed to doing â€Å"good† by changing and improving the world. They sell products that are natural and healthy for all. They believe that they are a heroic company because of this. This also ties into the seventh principle of â€Å"the common good†. The company truly does look out for the common good of all. The company encourages consumers to buy their healthy, organic products as opposed to consuming â€Å"junk† food that over time deteriorates the human body. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Finally, Whole Foods appears to be loyal to consumers, employees, and stakeholders.They constantly keep the public trust and abide by all laws. They sell quality products and are proud of their work. While Whole Foods appears to be successful in three of the seven moral principles, they need to strive to achieve all seven. Each moral principle is important and all companies need to strive to be consistent in each of the seven principles. 6. What appeals to you (or does not appeal to you) about working at Whole Foods? Explain. I believe that Whole Foods is a good company to work for.I believe that they do hire managers that will motivate, train, and help their employees achieve success. They appear to be committed to serving the public and try to help the environment. However, I believe that Whole Foods has room to grow. They need to create programs to improve their employees and help them gain even more knowledge. Employees want to feel like they can grow within a company and I am not sure if they are at that point. With the right leadership, direction, and ideas, Whole Foods can become even more successful then they already are. Organizational Behavior free essay sample Is OB Mod a form of manipulation and if it is. Is it unethical for managers to manipulate the behavior of employees? Need to support the argument. Behavioral Modification is used as a technique in both schools and therapy to modify behavior of students and clients, respectively. Likewise, it is used in organizations and referred to Organizational Behavior Modification (OB-Mod), and is used to meet the productivity challenges associated with employee’s behavior. With its roots in modern behaviorist psychology, OB- Mod is a human resources management technique aimed at improving job-related behaviors that are observable and measurable, such as absenteeism or tardiness, or toward behavior products, such as quality or quantity of work. OB Mod calls for intervention to encourage desirable performance behavior and discourage undesirable behavior. The major intervention strategy involves: 1. Feedback on the critical performance-related behavior and 2. Positive reinforcement for progress and attainment Although some argue that OB-Mod it is a form of managerial manipulation and unethical, behavior modification aimed at increasing productivity is aimed at meeting the organizational goals and mission. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore, it could be argues that it is not unethical, but just good business practice. For example, this approach to motivation and dealing with problem behaviors is based on the application of learning theory to people in the workplace. This hardly seems unethical since it is used in schools and therapy regularly to change problem behaviors. However, it does limited the freedom of choice for the employees, so in this sense, it can be considered some form of managerial modification. Whether a person accepts reinforcement theory or not, will determine if you consider it a form of manipulation. Reinforcement theory holds that a desirable behavior can be increased by linking that behavior with positive outcomes, while undesirable behaviors can be decreased by linking them with negative consequences or by eliminating reinforces. Although it is sometimes eferred to as manipulation (and therefore unethical), the advantage of this approach is that it focuses on specific behaviors in the workplace and is thus performance based. It also, at least to some degree, avoids sensitive personal counseling issues in a persons personal life, by focusing on what needs to be done to improve performance. Finally, it provides a clear structure and consequences to employees that encourage them to change in an observable way in a structured time frame (http://faculty. ss. edu/dswenson/web/OB/obmod. html). There has been some reported effectiveness of OB-Mod. For example, B. F. Goodrich has used OB-Mod to increase productivity by more than 300%, and Weyerhauser increased productivity in three different groups by 8%. However, a program initiated by Standard Oil of Ohio was discontinued due to failure to meet objectives, and A Michigan Bell program was considered only modestly successful. However, it is not always successful, because managers cannot find enough reinforcers at times. Perhaps there is a better way to influence and motivate employee behavior in a more open manner. Selling the vision, inclusion, open communication to name a few, have also shown to be highly effective in motivating employees. Organizational Behavior free essay sample The job had met his personal goals and expectations perfectly, and Tony believed he had grown greatly as a person. His work was appreciated and recognized; he had received three promotions and many more pay increases. Tony had also liked the company itself. The firm was decentralized, allowing its managers considerable autonomy and freedom. The corporate Culture was easygoing. Communication was open. The people had been another plus. Tony and three other managers went to lunch often and played golf every Saturday. Their boss had been very supportive, giving them the help they needed but also staying out of the way and letting them work. After the final closing was announced, he spent only a few weeks looking around before he found a comparable position at Reece Enterprises. Well, comparable probably was the wrong word. Indeed, Reece and O’Grady were about as different as you could get. Top managers at Reece apparently didn’t worry too much about who did a good job and who didn’t. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They seemed to promote and reward people based on how long they had been there. Reece was a bigger organization than O’Grady and was structured much more bureaucratically. No one was allowed to make any sort of decision without getting three signatures from higher up. Those signatures, though, were hard to get. All the top managers usually were too busy to see anyone, and interoffice memos apparently had very low priority. Tony also had had some problems fitting in. His peers treated him with polite indifference. He sensed that a couple of them resented that he, an outsider, had been brought right in at their level after they had had to work themselves up the ladder. Tony wondered if perhaps he had made a mistake in accepting the Reece offer without finding out more about what he was getting into. What advice can you give Tony? How would this advice be supported or tempered by behavioral concepts and processes? Is it possible to find an ideal place to worh? Explain. Organizational Behavior free essay sample Organizational Behavior Instructor: Rachana Misraraj December 10, 2012 Organizational Behavior Analysis Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. â€Å"Organizational behavior is a misnomer. It is not the study of how organizations behave, but rather the study of individual behavior in an organizational setting. This includes the study of how individuals behave alone, as well as how individuals behave in groups(Werthiem, 2004). † The purpose of organizational behavior is to gain a greater understanding of those factors that influence individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting so that individuals and the groups and organizations to which they belong may become more efficient and effective. The field also includes the analysis of organizational factors that may have an influence upon individual and group behavior. Much of organizational behavior research is ultimately aimed at providing human resource management professionals with the information and tools they need to select, train, and retain employees in a fashion that yields maximum benefit for the individual employee as well as for the organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Behavior or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The purpose of the paper below is to analyze the organizational behavior of my current or former employer (current: Street, Water, and Sewer Department for my town), by describing how each of the components listed below influences the behavior of the organization in a negative or positive manner, and they include, the Type of culture (Pluralism, Dualism or Salad bowl? ); Modes of communication (Describe the dominant communication form used, e. g. written or verbal); Nature of authority (recognized social rank); Motivational techniques (Describe the motivational driving forces e. g. Intrinsic or extrinsic used to influence productivity and performance? ); Areas of EQ incorporated (Describe how the organization embraces the theory of emotional intelligence); and How are the components of a virtual organization embraced? (Explain how the organization embraces new paradigms such as teleworking and virtual offices? ). Grasping a complex and knowledgeable understanding on why, when, where and how, organizational behavior functions and operates, can provide great tools and skills to an individual or organization to better manage behavior and productivity within a company. I currently work for as a laborer for the Water/Sewer department for my county/town. As a member of the STREET department which is responsible for the maintenance and repair of City roads and right-of-ways; maintenance and repair of drainage located on City property; installation and maintenance of signs and roadway markings; and removal of snow and ice. The Employee’s operates, maintains and repairs various machinery, tools, and equipment. As for the water department, this position is responsible for maintenance and repair of Citys WATERLINE system. Installs any and all new additions to the existing distribution system as well as performs necessary maintenance and or repairs to any part of the water distribution system. Performs miscellaneous duties such as operating and repairing equipment, general clean up, concrete finishing, painting, etc. Uses various hand tools, power tools, heavy equipment and machinery. As a member of the WASTEWATER(Sewer)Department which is responsible for maintenance and repair of the Citys sewer line system. Employee performs necessary maintenance, repairs, and/or replacement of sewer system components. Employee uses various hand tools, power tools, heavy equipment, trucks, and machinery. Employee performs miscellaneous duties such as operating and repairing equipment, general clean up, concrete finishing, painting, etc. Good communications skills are required as this position frequently deals directly with the public. The primary hours of this position are Monday through Friday during the day; however, extended shifts and overtime on weekends, evenings, and holidays may be required. Therefore organizational behavior skills are a must. Type of culture (Pluralism, Dualism or Salad bowl? ) Culture can be defined as the cultivated behavior that is socially transmitted. It involves the accumulation of knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, experiences, religion, relations, concepts of the universe, values, meanings, roles, notions of time, relations, material possessions and objects acquired and a way of life of a group of people throughout the generations. When it comes to the type of culture on my job I would have to describe it as a pluralism type of culture. This refers to the type of culture whereby smaller groups of people within a large society tend to maintain their unique culture identities and their values, behaviors and identities are well accepted by the wider society or culture. The minor groups of people participate fully within the dominant society while still maintaining their cultural differences. It involves coexistent of different cultures in a location without the domineering of one particular culture. The human differences that exist are accepted by the majority and hence it eliminates discrimination in the form of racialism or sexism. It can also be refereed to as multiculturalism (Henry, 2011). † Within the three departments that I participate and work in, there are 5 different nationalities of workers who coincide within the organization, and they include African American, Mexican, Caucasian, Latino, and American Indian. Each and every one of these individuals, have their own way of living, eating, etc.. But when everyone clocks in in the morning, we are all one cohesive group, who knows that the main goal is to come to work, be safe, respect your fellow co-worker, get the job done in a professional manner, and most importantly be in the best interest of the tax payers and the town in general, while at the same time excepting who each individual is a person, where they come from, and their cultural differences. This influences the company in a positive manner because, it incorporates good behavior on the job, respect for the job, positive progress for the people participating at the job, and goal completion. Modes of communication (Describe the dominant communication form used, e. g. written or verbal) â€Å"Communication consists of transmitting, receiving, and processing information. In organizations, communications flow between individuals, between levels in the organizational hierarchy, between departments, and between the company and outside publics. Effective communication has often been linked to interpersonal and company success (Baak, 2012). † Communication is of high importance on any job, especially the one that I work for, due to the risks that are associated with the work and projects that we take on. Even though we may use written communication from time to time, describing what our daily goals and tasks are, verbal communication is the dominant mode of communication throughout the organization. Whether it be verbal or non verbal, both revolve around the importance of everyone, working in sync with one another and most importantly working safely around your fellow co-worker. One example is, when we are replacing larger water lines (12 inches in diameter) within a trench, which may be at a depth of 2ft to 14ft. Therefore, when a worker is in the trench digging around and locating the pipe, there must to be a competent person at the top of the trench looking for cracks or imperfections in the walls, where a potential cave in could happen, injuring or killing the person in the hole. So, verbal communication is regularly used when there is no machinery running, and you have to alarm the workers of a dangerous situation. And non-verbal communication is used, when a gas powered saw is in operation to cut a pipe, in which, the worker cannot hear you verbally, thus non verbal actions and communication are used to alarm the worker of potential danger and they are pulled out of the trench before anything catastrophic occurs. On that note, this influences the company on a postive level, because, both verbal and non-verbal communication is the dominant and vital mode of communication, that provides protection for a safe work environment. Nature of authority (recognized social rank) The nature of authority is also very important on my job because, each individual respects the fact that one should not go over the next persons head of authority, or having curiosity about a co-workers way of life without discussing it with them first. Because, there are individuals on the job who have been there 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, etc, therefore when you join a team or a group of people, you become part of that organizations social system, and you must adjust and relate to that world of work. â€Å"The variables in an organizational system operate in a working balance called social equilibrium. Individuals make a psychological contract that defines their personal relationship with the system. â€Å"When they contribute to the organizations success, we call their behavior functional. The broad environment that people live in is their social culture, and a major change in it can lead to cultural shock. People need to accept and appreciate the value that cultural differences can contribute to the success of an organization (www. angel fire. com). † â€Å"Other important cultural factors include the work ethic and corporate attitudes toward social responsibility. Role is the pattern of action expected of a person in activities involving others. Related ideas are role perceptions mentors, role conflict, and role ambiguity. Status is the social rank of a person in a group, and it leads to status systems and possibly status anxiety. Organizational cultures reflect the assumptions and values that guide a firm. They are intangible but powerful influences on employee behavior. Participants learn about their organizations culture through the process of socialization and influence it through individualization (www. angel fire. com). On that note, the nature of authority can be both positive and negative, because, from a negative standpoint it can be used for growth in power in domination. But from a positive standpoint, it can be sued for uplifting other coworkers, by improvising their skills, capabilities and more importantly, their motivational drive on the job. Motivational techniques (Describe the motivational driving forces e. g. Intrinsic or ex trinsic used to influence productivity and performance? ) Due to the constant and unpredictable adjustments that my organization goes through, behavior can change in a instant, with each and every individual on the job. Therefore, motivational techniques are a concurrent thing, on a day to day basis. â€Å"There is no doubt that motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. Motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is driven by an interest or enjoyment in the actions required to achieve a goal, without relying on external rewards or pressures (Amin, 2011). † In my organization the motivational driving force is intrinsic, because pride is everything to a man more than anything, therefore everyone on the job feels a sense of obligation to achieve the goals presented to them to their best ability. Productivity and performance stays at an all time high and positive level, thus, whatever daily goal is presented to us, is handled with confidence and integrity. Our motivation consist of reminding ourselves that what we do, is what we enjoy to do, what we do is appreciated by the tax payers family and most importantly we enjoy knowing that our skills and capabilities are worth the time and effort that we put forth to learn and achieve the skills and tools to complete present and future organizational objectives. Areas of EQ incorporated (Describe how the organization embraces the theory of emotional intelligence) Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perceive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic. And it consists of four branches that include perceiving emotions, reasoning with emotions, understanding emotions and managing emotions (Cherr y, 2012). † Based on the high demands of my job, my co-workers and myself included, may at times have high emotions about whether something on the job is not going right, and show some form of frustration without even knowing it sometimes. Therefore my our organization constantly issues EQ (emotional intelligence ), reminder courses, that helps the crews keep a stable mind set when working in dangerous areas, and if something goes wrong, we use the EQ tools to control and manage our emotions for the sake/safety of our well being the others that are around. EQ classes have been very positive for the organization over the past 5 years, and every since the integration there have been no altercations, accidents, or incidents on the job at all. A 100% success rate. How are the components of a virtual organization embraced? (Explain how the organization embraces new paradigms such as teleworking and virtual offices? ) â€Å"Traditional brick and mortar businesses may become a thing of the past. Today’s modern workplace has embraced the virtual environment. The ultimate goal of the virtual organization is to provide innovative, high-quality products or services instantaneously in response to customer demands (Hamilton, 2012). On that note, my organization has embraced the components of a virtual organization on a very positive and useful level. For example, in the Water/sewer department, we are responsible for the distribution of bills/and cut-off notices for the water use throughout the city. For decades, this task was done by hand; by hand I mean driving to each and every house in the city, knocking on the door, and handing the customer their water/sewer bill for that month. Ever since the company embraced the compo nents of a virtual organization, these tasks are now obsolete. Now we contact the customers, through email, text messaging, and voicemails. When the customer has a question about their bill, they are able to contact the office and have a videoconference with the workers in the water/sewer department, to discuss whatever problem they are having with their water/sewer bill, or their water/sewer in general. My organization has also embrace the concept of a virtual organization in the street department. When there is a down power line, streetlight, street sign, blocked up drain pipes, etc. my organization has integrated a beacon system that alerts us when any of these incidents have occurred and in what area. All we have to do is acknowledge the beacon alert, log on to our computers, locate the problem, and proceed to fix the issue at hand. Integrating the components of a virtual organization has been immensely helpful and positive to our over all daily tasks and duties. In conclusion, Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledg e about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. The purpose of organizational behavior is to gain a greater understanding of those factors that influence individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting so that individuals and the groups and organizations to which they belong may become more efficient and effective. Culture can be defined as the cultivated behavior that is socially transmitted. It involves the accumulation of knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, experiences, religion, relations, concepts of the universe, values, meanings, roles, notions of time, relations, material possessions and objects acquired and a way of life of a group of people throughout the generations. When it comes to the type of culture on my job I would have to describe it as a pluralism type of culture. Communication consists of transmitting, receiving, and processing information. In organizations, communications flow between individuals, between levels in the organizational hierarchy, between departments, and between the company and outside publics. Effective communication has often been linked to interpersonal and company success. The nature of authority is also very important on my job because, each individual respects the fact hat one should not go over the next persons head of authority, or having curiosity about a co-workers way of life without discussing it with them first. Due to the constant and unpredictable adjustments that my organization goes through, behavior can change in a instant, with each and every individual on the job. Therefore, motivational techniques are a concurrent thing, on a day to day basis. Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to perce ive, control and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while others claim it is an inborn characteristic. And it consists of four branches that include perceiving emotions, reasoning with emotions, understanding emotions and managing emotions. Traditional brick and mortar businesses may become a thing of the past. Today’s modern workplace has embraced the virtual environment. The ultimate goal of the virtual organization is to provide innovative, high-quality products or services instantaneously in response to customer demands. All in all the purpose of the paper above, was to analyze the organizational behavior of my current or former employer (current: Street, Water, and Sewer Department for my town), by describing how each of the components listed below influences the behavior of the organization in a negative or positive manner, and they include, the Type of culture (Pluralism, Dualism or Salad bowl? ); Modes of communication (Describe the dominant communication form used, e. g. written or verbal); Nature of authority (recognized social rank); Motivational techniques (Describe the motivational driving forces e. . Intrinsic or extrinsic used to influence productivity and performance? ); Areas of EQ incorporated (Describe how the organization embraces the theory of emotional intelligence); and How are the components of a virtual organization embraced? (Explain how the organization embraces new paradigms such as teleworking and virtual offices? ). Grasping a complex and knowledgeable understanding on why, when, where and how, organizational behavior functions and operates, can provide great tools and skills to an individual or organization to better manage behavior and productivity within a company. References Amin,. (July 21, 2011). Motivate your team intrinsically or extrinsically? Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://blog. 7geese. com/2011/07/21/intrinsic-vs-extrinsic-motivation/ Baack, D. (2012). Organizational behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc Cherry, K. (2012). What Is Emotional Intelligence? Definitions, History, and Measures of Emotional Intelligence. Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://psychology. about. com/od/personalitydevelopment/a/emotionalintell. htm Hamilton, D. Dr. (April 23, 2012). Today’s Organizations Embracing Virtual Business. Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://drdianehamilton. wordpress. com/2012/04/23/todays-organizations-embracing-virtual-business/ Henry,. (April 4, 2004). Culture Definitions and Types. Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://language. ezinemark. com/culture-definitions-and-types-17b25a011fd. html Wertheim, E. G. (February 22, 2004). Historical Background of Organizational Behavior. Retrieved on December 10, 2012 from http://ehcweb. ehc. edu/faculty/ljcumbo/downfiles/historyofOB. pdf http://www. angelfire. com/blues/cannonsessays/org_behavior/ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAV

Ethnic Cleansing in Sophie essays

Ethnic Cleansing in Sophie essays Sophies Choice is a story about a young writer, Stingo, who moves to New York into a boarding house. One night he hears yelling outside of his room, and when he opens his door he finds an enraged man, Nathan, screaming at a woman, Sophie, who was crying. Sophie defended Nathan when talking with Stingo. Sophie was from Poland and Nathan was Jewish. The three adults became friends and inseparable. Throughout the film, anything could set Nathan off to verbally abuse Sophie, but Stingo just could not understand why she loved Nathan if he treated her this way. Nathan and Sophie had an argument one night and the next morning packed up and left with all of their stuff. Stingo went crazy trying to look for them. While at the boarding house, Stingo got a call from Nathan, which was when Sophie walked in. Sophie told Stingo that Nathan had a gun and thought he would use it. Nathan called and threatened them and shot the gun in the phone for them to hear. Sophie and Stingo left to get away. Stingo told Sophie that he loved her, and wanted to marry her and move down south with him to southern Virginia. Sophie said she was not sure, and told him something she had never told anyone before. She said that one the day she and her two children went to Auschwitz, they were standing in line and told an officer that she and her children were Catholics from Poland and were not communist. The officer said she could choose one child since she was Polish. She chose her daughter who she was holding. That choice had been haunting her for all of those years. So when Stingo asked her to marry him and have his babies, she said she was not a fit mother for making that decision. She could never forgive herself. When Stingo woke up the next morning, Sophie left a note for him to read on her pillow. She said that she must be with Nathan for whatever that means. Stingo returned back to the boarding house to find that Nathan ...