Friday, January 31, 2020

Organisational Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Organisational Behaviour Essay In any organisation, the employers exhibit varied behaviours. Behaviour is a social corporate responsibility (Antal Sobczak, 2004). An organisation should not just demand some kind of behavior but be incorporated in ensuring that this is achieved. The systematic study of how individuals act in an organisation, either individually or as a group is referred to as organisational behaviour (Michael, 2005). There exists many factors that would shape the way people interact in organisations. These seek to predict, control and explain some facts. Despite major criticisms concerning the ethics of controlling the behavior of workers, organisational behaviour has been very instrumental in the development and success of organisations. In the modern world, organisational behaviour is a rapidly growing field. People from different regional and cultural backgrounds have to work together thus making it necessary to moderate the way they interact. These studies have been integrated with other domains for effectiveness, these are: anthropology, ethics and leadership. The leadership domain seeks to give an insight into the role leadership plays in an organisation in the change management process. An individual learns some behaviour from an organisation either directly or indirectly (ICMR, 2007). Theories widely accepted in learning are cognitive, behaviouristic and social learning theories. Learning is attributed to the association between stimulus and response. In behaviouristic theory, the desired behaviour is achieved through the application of theories on behaviour. This theory tends to deal with those skills learnt to be used later excluding those capabilities that are inborn (Behavioural Theory, 2008). People are taught and learn rather than inherit traits. In the context of Waiting Tables for Godot passage, we can analyse some of the traits that are taught rather than the inherent ones. Jean-Pierre Godot, the owner of La Maison taught his staff some of the things he expected them to observe. He taught the workers to work as a team and work excellently for that matter. It is out of this that Diane knew that she had to give her best. How else could she be excellent? In essence, she was putting into practice what was taught to her by Godot; excellence in duty. It is also easy to see that Diane had acquired some other knowledge elsewhere. She had learnt to balance several plates on her arms. Diane could speak French despite living and studying in Australia. It is therefore only wise to conclude Diane should have been taught French. This enabled her to perform well since it is clear from the passage that she was an excellent worker. Customers complemented her for offering efficient service and even gave her tips. Cognitive theory involves learning through mistakes (Domjan, 2003). An individual avoids the path leading to pre-committed mistakes the next time similar activities are undertaken (Jaffee, 2000). In the case passage, when Diane dropped a bowl of bouillabaisse appetiser, her boss yelled at her and even went ahead to deduct $44. 95 form her pay. This taught Diane that carrying many order plates at once was not safe. It also made her realise that Godot was not concerned with the good deeds by the workers but rather by their shortcomings. Slowing down her pace was the immediate lesson that Diane learnt from this experience. From the same mistake, the University of Canberra student realised that with a slower pace, she would make little money to meet her needs. It was only advisable for her to carry on at the same pace but take more caution to avoid any outbursts from her boss. Lastly, the kind of behaviour that is passed on through observation is expounded in social theory. An individual watches some traits that others exhibit and adapts the same. It is very common with children. According to Miller and Dollard (1941), the observer imitates the observed action which is then adapted and rewarded with a positive reinforcement. Diane, a newly employed worker at La Maison observed the cook being scolded by Godot. She immediately learnt that she had no option but to give the best in her capacity if she was to avoid any trouble. By observing the nature of her customers, she learnt to be friendly and even employ some other skills like speaking French when need be. Diane observed that by warmly welcoming customers she had served before, she was able to retain them. She thus employed her courtesy skills to retain customers. Social behavior includes the inherent characteristics. Diane exhibited traits like the art of balancing several plates on her arms. She was also talented in the recommendation of wines that go well with specific meals. This Canberra student had persuasive skills to convince customers to buy lavish desserts by the way she described them. Her memory never failed. She correctly entered her orders and duly delivered them. Moreover, she remembered repeat customers and ushered them back warmly. These are some behavioural traits that are not necessarily taught. They could be inborn. Consequences have been used in many cases to determine the occurrence of behaviour. This is referred to as operant conditioning or instrumental conditioning. Learning occurs only at that point where the learner appreciates the connection that exists between behaviour and its consequences (Wagner, 2005). It is operated in by the environment but maintained by consequences. Reinforcement and punishment could either be positive or negative. The positive aspect is achieved when it is delivered due to some response whereas the negative is withdrawn due to a response. Extinction is another tool of operant conditioning where there exists no change in consequences following some response. In punishment, the behaviour of an individual is weakened following the experience of some negative condition (Operant Conditioning Basics, 1999). It is of significance to note that it is only response that is extinguished, punished or reinforced. Positive reinforcement exists where a pleasant stimulus that enhances a certain behaviour is a result of a response. In Waiting Tables for Godot, customers kept complementing Dianes service as a consequence of her excellent service. They would also give tips to this University student. Godot on the other hand always yelled at her workers. The La Maison owner would even use French to express his dissatisfaction. In a way, this made sure things get done the right way. It is seen that even Diane becomes more careful when handling his order plates to avert losses like the one experienced before. Godot explained to new workers what he expected from them; excellent job. This, if taken from Dianes reaction, shows that workers gave their best because of this initiative. On the other hand, negative reinforcement is a situation where a behaviour is a result of stopping a negative condition, usually considered unpleasant. For example, when Godot scolds his cook and chef, they get things moving. When he yells out his anger at Diane for dropping bouillabaisse appetiser on the carpet, Diane reconsiders how careful she is with her job. She therefore averts the negative consequences where she has to break her employers property and even have her pay deducted for compensation. It is also clear that Diane finds some work to do during her vacation than just stay at home to avoid rice and spaghetti meals when she resumes back to Canberra University the following semester. Positive punishment would refer to a situation where a response occurs as a result of an aversive stimulus. This includes the introduction of loud noise or shock. Jean-Pierre Godon knew how to employ this tool. He would yell at his workers if only to get things moving faster. Regularly, he would speak in French if only to drive the point home. At one particular time, when Diane dropped the bouillabaisse appetiser, she was scolded and part of her salary deducted to cater for the losses her employer had incurred. This produced positive change as she became more careful in whatever she handled in La Maison thereafter. When Dianes pay was slashed, she opted to observe extra caution. Not only was her pay deducted but she also lost a considerable amount of tips because of the slow down in her service. This served to improve the way she handled her order plates. This condition where a favorable outcome is withdrawn following an unpleasant behaviour is known as negative punishment (Wagner, 2005). Both the negative and the positive punishment result to decreased behaviour. There are conditions that result when a behaviour that had been reinforced previously ceases to be effective. This is extinction. In the case passage, Diane is portrayed as a very efficient worker who would go extra lengths to accomplish her duties. For instance, she would balance several plates on her arms which made her avoid many trips to the kitchen. She would also carry out her duties so well that Godot, her boss, never crossed paths with her. However, on the day she messed herself by dropping appetiser of bouillabaisse on the carpet, all these things ceased to be meaningful. Her expertise in balancing several plates in her arms was no longer a positive attribute. It had cost her $44. 95 of her pay. It was therefore not worth going on with this but rather resort to carrying just a few plates at a time. Although she did not break any item in La Maison henceforth, Godot was still irritated with this University student. Godot was not satisfied with her wait staff effort. No matter how hard they tried to fulfil their bosss demands, Godot would still hurry them up with insults in French. Their effort was therefore extinct. Dianes life was surely affected by these learning tools in one way or another. Positive reinforcements made her achieve her targets. When customers would complement her, she would feel that she was doing the right thing. This motivated her to offer the best that she could. Customers would tip her, t times to a high of $23 a day which implied to Diane that she would not take rice and spaghetti in the next semester at the University of Canberra. She would also get more customers into Godots business place because of her good communication and interpersonal skills. Nonetheless, some negative reinforcement aspects caused her humiliation. When Godot finds her on the wrong and scolds her, she is forced to do away with quite a portion of her pay as compensation for the losses the boss incurs. She is prompted to reduce her service speed to avert similar happenings. When Godot imposes a fine to Diane for her actions, he knows that this will assist this lady avoid carelessness in the future. She is forced to serve lesser customers which implies reduced tips for her. This is positive punishment since it is meant to give positive results. It is out of this that this student becomes cautious with her work. Though this impacted negatively on her goals, losses in the organization was prevented. From the unpleasant behaviour of Godot in the context of Diane, this worker changes and becomes even a better employee as she does not break items anymore but becomes more cautious. There are various ways that an employer would incorporate in their management to yield the desired results. Godots idea was to pay per hour and allow the workers have tips from customers. It would thus ensure that at no one particular hour would the workers desire to do nothing. They would always seek to be busy each unfolding hour. This simply meant that Godot would have an all time operational business. This translates to more work and more profits for him. He would also not have to pay for any wasted hours during the day than if he was to pay, say per month. It will also mean that he could employ new employees every hour and avert the problem of absenteeism. Tips on the hand encouraged the workers to serve more customers in anticipation for more tips. This similarly translates to more work and consequently profits for Godot.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Transcontinental Runs :: Running Athletics Papers

Transcontinental Runs One of the most distinct features of humans exists in the fact that we are innately motivated to achieve certain goals. We are in essence a species of curiosity, always testing how much stress we can take both mentally and physically. There have been many people over the years that tested their mental and physical states, but few can say they put their very existence to the limit like James Shapiro and Bhaktimarga Swami. Shapiro, an American runner and author, completed a virtually solo run across the United States in 1980, covering 3,026 miles in eighty days of trials and tribulations.(Shapiro preface) Swami, a Hare Krishna monk in Canada, is well on his way to completing his trek across his native land.(Internet 96) It was the age of 33 in 1980 when Shapiro started to run from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.(Shapiro preface) While the distance of over three thousand miles seems near impossible, Shapiro had plenty of experience in ultra-running prior to his trip. He began running in his early youth, participating on his schools’ track teams. He enjoyed little success in these early races but was confident that one day he would find a long distance where he could excel. In 1975, after witnessing the Boston Marathon, Shapiro decided that he would run a marathon himself. Five years and thousands of miles later Shapiro had run several marathons and even ultramarathons up to fifty miles long. But the thought of the solo venture across America was not a glimmer in Shapiro's eye until he met two runners who had run the length of England across America. He then made it a point to train twenty miles a day for eight weeks up until his departure in July of 1980.(Shapiro preface) If he finish ed he would join a select group of twelve living runners that have mastered comparable runs.(Shapiro preface) After catching a one way flight to California from his native state of New York, Shapiro settled on Dillon Beach as his starting point for its beauty and openness.(Shapiro preface) Shapiro was going to have to get used to this sense of openness, for except for parts of Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming where a car accompanied him for hydration purposes, he would be traveling the open lands of America alone. "It was scary to sense how alone I was going to be and how much I would have to live with myself, and be comfortable doing so.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Organizations Become More Global

To some the word â€Å"Globalization† may seem a clichà ©. To others, it may appear an end in itself. Competitive pressures are creating the need for most companies to become Global.Globalization is one means for  becoming and remaining a world-class competitor — a goal encased in the mission statements of most corporations.When developing a globalization strategy, it is clear that the emerging markets present the greatest opportunity. The growth projections for Europe, Japan and the United States pale in comparison to some of the emerging markets.Emerging MarketsThroughout the emerging markets an unprecedented consumer market boom is driving up demand for western-style goods and services. The largest segment of consumers in these markets is a decade short of its peak spending years. In India alone, sales of consumer goods are rising at 14% per year, while China is growing at almost 20% per year. Couple the consumer-spending boom with the still burgeoning need for in frastructure improvements and you’ll have a range of opportunities that extends into the trillions of dollars. Projects are planned or underway in many of these countries to upgrade transportation and  telecommunication systems, explore energy resources, build power generation facilities and provide health care facilities.In addition, the privatization efforts are presenting an incredible range of opportunities for investors, lending institutions, service providers and manufacturers.Four key trend influence emerging market potentialThere are four key trends that are influencing the emerging market potential:1. Demographics: Overall world population growth is now concentrated in the  developing world. Where industrial nations are facing an  increasingly older population, the emerging markets remain  young. The developed world comprises only 11% of the world’s population.2. Governments: Many countries that once relied on centrally planned economies are becoming m arket-driven. Industries that governments  previously restricted to foreign companies are now opening to foreign investment.3. Communications: Access to the emerging markets is increasing due to huge  developments in communications technology such as the Internet and electronic commerce. Cyberspace represents a profound shift in the nature of communications as well as our perception of distance.4. Urbanization: As infrastructure improvements are made, urban growth in the emerging markets will continue to explode.  Estimates indicate that the emerging markets' share of world imports will double by the year 2010, rising to over 38%. Companies dazzled by the magnitude of these numbers must be equipped with the appropriate knowledge, information, and strategy to make its market forays successful.MACRO LEVEL Industry Globalization is due to such factors as :†¢ Level of international trade †¢ Intensity of international competition †¢ Worldwide product standardization †¢ Presence of key competitors in all key international markets. †¢ Intra-firm trade †¢ Technological intensity †¢ International linkages of value-added activities among countries †¢International integration of value-added activities among countries †¢ WORLDWIDE FREETRADE AGREEMENTS †¢ WORLDWIDE ECONOMIC REFORMS †¢ WORLWIDE FINANCIAL REFORMS †¢ REMOVAL TARIFF BARRIERS BY COUNTRIES †¢ REMOVAL OF SUBSIDIES COUNTRIES †¢ ETC ETC ====================================================THE PUSH FACTORS OF GLOBALIZATIONMarket Drivers†¢ Per capita income converging among industrial nations †¢ Convergence of lifestyles and taste †¢ Growth of global and regional channels †¢ Establishment of world brands †¢ Spread of global and regional mediaCost Drivers†¢ Continuing push for economies of scale ( but offset by flexible manufacturing) †¢ Accelerating technological innovation †¢ Advances in transportation (e.g., use of FedEx to deliver urgent supplies from one continent to another) †¢ Emergence of newly industrializing countries with productive capability and low labor costs (e.g., China, India and Indonesia)

Monday, January 6, 2020

My Views On Art As A Child - 1539 Words

Admittedly, I never retained much of an interest in art as a child. Yes, I knew the basic mechanics behind mixing primary colors to make secondary ones, and had even experimented with tertiary colors on occasion. I even developed an innocent curiosity in the works of Leonardo da Vinci as I grew older, but still maintained a blasà © approach towards art in general. Since participating in Art Appreciation at DCCC, my views on that matter have changed. I have gained a new fondness for the seemingly trivial things in life and have since looked at them differently than I did before I signed up for the class. Upon visiting the Reynolda House this weekend with a fellow classmate to work on our first outside-of-class writing assignment, this adapted outlook was especially apparent. The two of us wandered about the museum at a leisurely pace, and while I was already vaguely familiar with the layout from a previous visit as a little girl, three oil paintings from the Victorian era caught my e ye. While they share an initial similarity with each other in their naturistic settings, they also differ in a myriad of ways. The first piece of art that I will be analyzing is The Old Hunting Grounds, an oil painting created by Worthington Whittredge in 1864. Whittredge largely limits his color pallete with mottled shades of green and brown typical of vegetation and forest life, though the canvas’ focal point is dominated by a grove of illuminated birch trees. In comparison to the overall darkShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Pornography1432 Words   |  6 PagesBeing raised in a Cristian Mexican culture home, I was taught early in life to view adult content material such as pornography as taboo. 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