Sunday, October 6, 2019
Human Evolution Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Human Evolution - Article Example In this case, relating human evaluation with how humans connect to animals is a new idea altogether. This is because in most cases and with most scientists, human evolution is generally considered as a physical change. The author believes that most developments in the evolution of human beings are contributed by the care shown by humans towards other animals. For example, about 2.6 million years ago, when hunting was the main activity among humans, after hunters were attacked by tigers and lions, they developed weapons and advanced tools for defense. Connecting with other animals compel humans to learn more about them, as well as, having a better understanding of one self. This is because, caring for other animals humans is an ecological transition that no other living thing has made. In addition, by doing these, humans are in a position to learn what other living things do, where they are, their way of communication, as well as, the way they move. There are a number of development o bserved as a result of human connection with animals. The first one is development of symbols and language. The author indicates that human beings developed symbols to alert or warn their fellow humans upon a threat by either predators or dangerous animals. The second one is domestication of animals. Roughly 40,000 years ago, human being started rearing animals not only to get food but also with the motive of getting other resources such as clothing and security, therefore, these prompted them start selectively breed certain animals with specific traits. Lastly, evolution in the means of transport where animals are used as an aid in transporting goods. For example, in the arid areas hardly animals such as camels were used in transporting cargo across the deserts. From the article it is clear that the connection of human to animals has led to human evolution. However, the article does not illustrate how human connection to animals influence physical change. Also not all people like o r are close to animals as such. Therefore, how did such people evolve? The second article is driven by the desire to find out the truth claims advanced by some scholars that human beings are still evolving. This article provides an analysis of the research done by a leading scientist Stephen Stearn who believe that human beings are still evolving. This article ascertains that human beings are evolving gradually and over the years an average human being will be 2cm shorter and 1kg heavier. The study was carried out in great caution to eliminate the chances of cultural and social influences. The study also suggests that natural selection in todayââ¬â¢s environment is not based on survival but on the fertility levels of women. It asserts that women with high fertility levels are likely to pass on certain traits on to their children and grandchildren. In addition, the physical characteristics of mothers had a direct correlation with the number of children that she gave birth to. The other thing that has emerged from the article is that evolution is a gradual process that is difficult to notice. The author asserts that cultural factors tend to play a larger role in influencing evolution of human beings than natural selection. This makes persons to neglect the idea of evolution, Genetic evidence also proves this assertion by indicating that about 1800 variant genes have spread faster due to their modern day evolution benefits. In addition, it was realized that mutations
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Marketing in Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Marketing in Tourism - Essay Example This is combined with renowned Indian hospitality, music, dance and attractive costuming (KTDC, 2009). This combination of natural and man made attractions led to the terming of the place as ââ¬Å"Godââ¬â¢s Own Countryâ⬠by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation [KTDC]. This was a strong selling point (KTDC, 2009). However, despite the fact that there was a great increase in the number of visitors to the region; from 5 million in 1999 to 8 million in 2008; there has been a marked decrease in foreign tourist arrivals. This decreased ranged between 19% to 22% in different parts of Kerala (Tourism in Kerala. 2009). One of the primary indicators of this reduction is the number of foreign tourists recorded to have visited the country in an assortment of years ranging from 2002 to 2009. There was a steady rise in the number of foreign tourists between 2002 to 2008. However, this saw a steep nosedive in 2009 as tabulated below (Tourism in Kerala. 2009). Another of the primary indicators of this reduction is the drop in foreign currency injection into the area. International Tourists are a major source of foreign currency for the region. The drop in international tourists also saw a sharp drop in foreign currency as seen from the tabulated results in Figure 1 below. It is obvious from the foregoing that the concerns of the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation [KTDC] are well founded. Considering that this came at time when they had injected millions of dollars into tourism development activities, the drop in arrivals caught them off guard and negated most of the good work they had put in. Evidence of this promotion exercise abounds in the KTDC website (Tourism in Kerala. 2009). There is however more than meets the eye in the interplay of factors that caused this sudden reduction in visitors to the region. Though some of the factors may be quite obvious, taking into account that
Friday, October 4, 2019
Financial Management - WHSmith PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Financial Management - WHSmith PLC - Essay Example However, WHSmith Retail sales fell by 1% to 1,453m from last year's 1,463m, driven mainly by a 2% loss in its High Street Retail business. This loss in high street retail was only mildly offset by the excellent performance in travel retail characterized by an 11% increase in profits to 21m from 19m in the previous year, and a 3% increase in sales. Reasons for the overall profit loss of the group were attributed to a significant decrease in sales due to unsuccessful marketing and promotions and the continued sale of products with decreasing demand; and an unsuccessful investment in technology, which contributed to the company's increased costs. Another aspect of the retail business is WHSmith Online. Launched in 2000, the retail website, www.whsmith.co.uk, has not been utilized by the company to its potential and is not integrated with the rest of the retail business. It experienced a loss of 2m in profit, similar to the previous year and sales of 7m. In order to turn the company around and increase retail sales, the company will focus on developing a multi-channel retail strategy, taking advantage of WHSmith Online's full potential to increase online sales, as well as sales in high street and travel stores. Shank and Govindarajan (1991) defines strategic cost management as "the process through which a sophisticated understanding of an organization's cost structure is developed and used in the search for sustainable competitive advantage." They argue that blending the three themes of value chain analysis, cost driver analysis, and competitive advantage analysis represents the most powerful way to determine which strategic direction will be most beneficial for an organization (Shank and Govindarajan, 1992). By applying Shank and Govindarajan's framework, one can understand why implementing a multi-channel strategy will benefit WHSmith's retail business in the long run. WHSmith Value Chain Analysis A value chain is "linked set of value-creating activities" (Shank and Govindarajan, 1992). Based on WHSmith's value chain, one can see that a multi-channel retail strategy is most profitable for the company. First, by analyzing WHSmith's internal value chain, one can infer that WHSmith Online has developed as a separated business division that is not integrated into the WHSmith Retail since its launch in 2000. WHSmith Online does not support any of the value chain activities of the group and its potential was not fully explored. Thus, it remains to be a traditional retail business. In the purchasing stage, products are purchased from its distributors based on the demand forecasted by the company. These products are then shipped to warehouses, which deliver them to the respective high street retail stores in the distribution and merchandising stages. High street retail stores then arrange these products, utilizing the available spaces and conduct marketing activities as directed by the central office in the store operations and marketing stages. At this stage, the point of sale is situated at cash registers in each store and mails received by the company from its loyal customers. Figure 2. WHSmith Internal Value Chain Analysis Based on the existing internal value chain and the performance during the previous year, the following improvements need to be employed (WHSmith, 2004): Purchasing: Discontinue purchase
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Leading & Managing People - Expatriate Essay Example for Free
Leading Managing People Expatriate Essay Multinational firms throughout the world are increasingly concerned about hiring, developing and retaining managers with international experience and global perspectivesâ⬠quoted by Briscoe and Schuler in 2004. This report will be focusing on variety of issues relating to Human Resource implications which faced by the expatriate working in MNC located in Malaysia as well as Malaysian working in overseas. The extraction will be from the most recent newspaper, journal and articles relating to the following topics in human resource management. 1) Expatriate Failure and the Selection policy 2) Training and development for cross-cultural 3) Performance appraisal for expatriate The expatriation was subjugated by professionals sent by their employers to foreign subsidiaries or headquarters. 3. 0 KEY ISSUES AND ANALYSIS 3. 1 Expatriate Failure and the Selection policy Expatriate facade many new challenges both in the workplace and the community. For instance, culture shock differences in work-related norms, isolation, homesick, housing, schooling, language, customs, cost of living and coping with his/her spouseââ¬â¢s problems of adapting to new environment. According to Stone(2008), research indicates that a managerââ¬â¢s inability to adapt or their partnerââ¬â¢s inability to adapt is the major cause of expatriate failure. Harvey(1983) cited the consequence include premature return from a foreign posting and high resignation rates, with expatriates leaving their company at about twice the rate of domestic managements. Tung (1987) expounded the three main reasons contributing to the failure of expatriates in US MNC is as follows:- * the inability of the managerââ¬â¢s spouse to adjust to a different physical or cultural environment; * the managerââ¬â¢s inability to adapt to a different physical or cultural environment; * other family-related problems. One study by International Orientation Resources, an HRM consulting firm, found that 60 percent of expatriate failures occur due to these three reasons too(Solomon,1994). Besides the above mentioned reasons, include inappropriate selection practices, inadequate preparation and training as well as the stresses associated with expatriation which identified by New Zealand research (Enderwick and Hodgson, 1993). Another critical reason is the cross-cultural communications can be a struggle for the international manager. Gestures, facial expressions, behaviour and words can have different meanings and connotations. China, Korea and Japanese have high-context cultures where considerable importance is given to non-verbal and situational cues. In contrast, Australia, Canada, the US and Britain have low-context cultures where what is said is what it meant(Stone,2008). In contrast, some Malaysians who work aboard feel that the grass is greener on the other side. In Appendix A, this article highlighted the reasons why some Malaysian prefer to remain overseas. Due to higher paid, to widen their horizons, the prestige of working in a foreign company and the quality of life is unbeatable. The expatriate is unable to adapt in the foreign environment due to lack of cultural skills. According to HRM consulting firm, this is because the expatriate selection process at many organisations is essentially flawed (Solomon, 2000). Expatriates failed because these three focal reasons which mentioned by Tung that have not been part of the selection process. The underlying message was that the family is the basic unit of expatriation, not the individual. The MNC needs to look into this matter seriously in order to reduce expatriate failure. 3. 2 Training and development for cross-cultural Many companies including MNC have been ignored on providing training for employees whether local or global organisations. MNC recruits expatriate based on technical competence and past job performance as the key selection criteria and assumed the expatriate is able to adapt in the country where he was posted. MNC should not take them for granted. They should be pre-prepared by providing orientation, training on the cultural, language and living skill in the host country. Shown in Appendix D, expatriate reports interviewed an expatriate working in Nanchang, China on how significant was the culture shock he experienced when he moved abroad? He replied that quite significant and hard to adapt to the Chinese food and people spitting on the streets. Certainly, at the initial stage every expatriate will face cultural shock difference which may lead to miscommunication, misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Then directly he will be unproductive, inefficiency and faces expatriate failure. The MNC has to recruit a new manager to replace him which will be time consuming and have to repeat the process of selection and hiring. The MNC requires the expatriate to train the local employees in the host-country by transferring his knowledge and skills to them so that they are able to be independent and step into the positions/responsibilities within the shortest possible time. The article in Appendix B highlighted Malaysia government will review the education system to produce talent needed for an advanced nation and also perks to lure home highly skilled Malaysians (brain drain) and retain global talent to develop a quality workforce. Even our government recognise the essential of education/training to develop our highly skilled employees that are not only vital to the companies but also making the nation into globally competitive and transforming it as the high-income economy for instance Singapore, HK and Shanghai. 3. Performance appraisal for expatriate Stone (2008) cited that performance appraisal is a matter of serious concern for many expatriates. This is because performance appraisal is often handled badly. Companies fail to take into account the added complexities that come with international appraisals. Key issues involving performance expectations, performance measures and who will be responsible for the conduct of the appraisals are left vague or undecided. Worse, some head office managers ignore the international appraisal and do not incorporate it into the career development process. The end result is that expatriates perceive the appraisal process as unfair and as a source of never-ending frustration. Groeschi (2003) quotes that a number of comparative international and cross-cultural management research projects have concluded that HRM is influenced by culture. He also highlighted the same HRM policy is likely to be attributed quite different meanings by different cultural groups for instance performance appraisal. An organisationââ¬â¢s performance appraisal systems are an important element of its control systems, which is a central component of organisation architecture (see Figure 1 as below). In many international companies, the thorny issue is how best to evaluate the performance of expatriate managers (Hill, 2009). During the appraisal evaluation for the expatriate, there are two groups who evaluate the performance of expatriate managers. They are host-nation manager and home-office managers whom are subject to bias. The host-nation managers may be biased by their own cultural frame of reference and expectations. On the other hand, home-country mangersââ¬â¢ appraisals may be biased by distance and by their own lack of experience working abroad. Home-office managers often not aware of what is going on in a foreign operation and they tend to rely on hard data in evaluating an expatriateââ¬â¢s performance, such as the productivity, revenues, profitability or market share which reflect factors outside the expatriateââ¬â¢s control. Due to such biases, many expatriate managers believe that headquarters management evaluates them unfairly and does not fully appreciate the value of their skills and experience. It also one of the reasons many of them believe a foreign posting does not benefit their careers (Hill, 2009). 4. 0 RECOMMENDATION 4. 1 Expatriate Failure and the Selection policy Managing a MNC provides a diversity of challenges which the crucial one will be how the parent-company will recruit potential expatriate to manage their off-shore operations affiliates/subsidiaries. Selection of the expatriate must be right at the first time although time and resources consuming in reviewing and evaluating all the potential candidates follow by filtering them. The expatriate should not be selected based on technical competence and past job performance as the key selection criteria. Expatriate failure in many cases is the result of a lack of personal adjustment rather than a lack of technical skills. Harvey (1997) cited furthermore, research shows that in many companies expatriate selection is often haphazard and irrational. Organisations need to understand that in choosing expatriates, they should take into account differences in the business, social and cultural environment in the specific country and the impact on the potential expatriate, spouse and dependants (Stone, 2008). Stoneââ¬â¢s (1991) study found that both local managers and expatriate managers perceive the essential selection criteria as the expatriateââ¬â¢s ability to adapt and the adaptability of the partner and family. 4. Training and management development for cross-cultural According to Hill (2009), superior performance requires not only strategy must also be supported by the right organisation architecture. Strategy is implemented through organisation. In Figure 1, people are the linchpin of a firmââ¬â¢s organisation architecture. For a firm to outperform its rivals in the global marketplace, it must have the right people in the right postings. Those people must be trained appropriately so they have the skill sets required to perform their jobs effectively and so they behave in a manner that is congruent with the desired culture of the firm. The following trainings are recommended for MNCsââ¬â¢ expatriates:- * Cross-Culture Training prior to departure The purpose of this training allows individuals to more rapidly adjust to the new culture before departing to host-country, and therefore, to be more effective in their new roles (Black and Mendenhall, 1990). It has been widely recognised for more than 20 years that the partners and children of expatriates play an important role in contributing to the success of expatriate assignments (Fukuda and Chu, 1994; Rahim, 1983) Cultural, Language and Practical(Living Skill) trainings * These trainings are helping to control and reduce expatriate failures. There is no question that comprehensive cultural training can have many benefits for MNCs. For starters, it can help orient and develop expatriates to better communicate, understand, and work effectively with people from different cultural, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. Comprehending and valuing cultural differences can al so help expatriates in the effective management of multi-cultural teams. Understanding global markets, customers, suppliers, and competitors is another indirect benefit. Pragmatically, cultural training can have a positive impact on combating very expensive expatriate failure (Luthans, 2002). Their spouse adaption problem, it is important that the spouse and the whole family to be included in this training * Language training usually conducted in host-countryââ¬â¢s language. When the expatriate willing to communicate in the host-country language(even not fluent), can help build rapport with local employees and improve the managerââ¬â¢s effectiveness. * Benefit of practical training in helping the expatriate manager and family ease themselves into daily life in the host country. The expatriate community group can be a great source of support and information sharing in helping the expatriateââ¬â¢s family adapt to a foreign culture. 4. 3 Performance appraisal for expatriate To overcome the expatriateââ¬â¢s frustration and problems, the HR manager needs to ensure that the following key issues are clarified before the expatriate begins an overseas assignment:- * What are the organisationââ¬â¢s performance expectations? * What criteria and standards will be used to measure performance? * Who will conduct the evaluation ââ¬â a local manager, a head office manager or both? * What will be the frequency of the appraisals? What consideration will be given to local environmental influence? (for example, volatility of foreign exchange rate fluctuations, availability of skilled labour, political instability, corruption and so on) * Is the appraisal positively incorporated into the career development process? * Are head office managers cognisant of the local business environment? * Are there any cultural influences that may distort the measurement of the expatriateââ¬â¢s performance? In order to overcome the biases of the two groups who evaluate the expatriate managersââ¬â¢ performance, it is recommended to implement 360-degree feedback.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Constructing A Multi Storey Commercial Building Construction Essay
Constructing A Multi Storey Commercial Building Construction Essay Involved clearing, grubbing (removal and disposal of surface vegetation, roots, stumps and underground part of structures to a depth of at least 0.50m below ground level) and stripping (removal of topsoil to an average depth of at least 100mm below ground level), JKR 1988-1. All the combustible material removed from the designated area is being disposed by burning however if burning is not permitted, it must be disposed in a safe and tidy manner at solid waste dump outside the site, JKR, 1998-1. 1.2 Earthwork Involved excavation of loosening and removing earth and rock from its original position from a cut and transporting it to a fill or a waste deposit (Clarkson ad Hicks, 1981). It must be carried out immediately after the top soil has been removed. Earthwork is important for the construction of drainage, roadway and building foundation. Mass haul diagram is used to ensure the volume of cut and fill are efficient (reduce wastage and import from other place). 1.3 Staking Staking is being carried out by surveying. Markers are being driven into the ground as markers for the building and perimeter fencing. Precise staking is important plot the view perimeter of a building. 1.4 Perimeter Fencing To prevent intruders, public and animals to create disruptions to the project. 1.5 Dewatering Applications of vertical drain, piezometer or surcharge are useful for the dewatering process. This is to ensure the pore water pressure in the soil is in a safety range hence it does not affect the building. 1.6 Temporary Buildings Include site office (meeting and discussion), toilet, store (store building materials), canteen, worker s quarters, etc. 1.7 Temporary Access Road It must be strong, wide and not too steep for heavy vehicles and it should allow to take-over space. Warning signboard and guard house should be equipped to ensure the safety of the site (prevent unauthorised intruder). 2.0 SUB-STRUCTURES Sub-structures are the elements of a building that are located beneath the ground level such as: 1) Piling and foundation 2) Basement/Underground floor 3) Column stumps 4) Ground beam 5) Hardcore and damp-proof materials 2.1 Piling and Foundation To support the structure above it. A system of piles, pile caps, and straps (if required) that transfers the structural load to the bearing stratum into which the piles are driven. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Piling 2.2 Basement/Underground Floor Sometimes, parking lots, merchandise outlets, food-court, etc are located at basement or underground. Proper supervising and soil investigation needed to ensure safety. 2.3 Column Stumps Colums stumps needed for the column to be build especially for high-rise building. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Workers are constructing column stumps 2.4 Ground Beam Ground beams are designed to support brick/blockwork or to form permanent shutter to the edge of in-situ concrete floor-slab. Loading requirements can be achieved by varying the reinforcement. Ground beams are rectangular or square in shape. However, notches / half end plates / sloped faces can be supplied to order. Uploaded with ImageShack.us Ground beams being constructed 2.5 Hardcore and Damp-Proof Materials A protective measure applied to building foundation walls to prevent moisture from passing through the walls into interior spaces. Moisture if in contact with the reinforced concrete, the reinforcement will rust and the strength of the reinforce concrete will be greatly reduced. 3.0 SUPER-STRUCTURES Super-structures are the elements located above the damp-proof material (ground level) such as: 1) Structural frame served as a frame for the construction of the upper floors 2) Upper floors for high-rise building. 3) Wall as a partition. 4) Roof 5) Doors and windows 6) Finishing 7) Utilities providing basic conveniences such as water, power supply, septic tank, telephone, fire detector, sprinkler, elevator, security alarm, etc. 4.0 EXTERNAL WORKS It consists of all the works outside the building such as: 1) Roads 2) Vehicle parking 3) Gutter 4) Sewer 5) Fence 6) Landscaping 5.0 UNIFORM BUILDING BY-LAW There are many elements in the Uniform Building By-Law in Malaysia such as: 1) Preliminary 2) Submission of plans for approval includes supervision of work, scale of plans, plans of alterations, materials not to be deposited in a street without permission, etc. 3) Space, light and ventilation includes open spaces to be provided, access from a street, splayed corner, width of footwear, mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning, height of rooms in residential buildings, shophouses and school, etc. 4) Temporary works in connection with building operations includes commencement of building operation, responsibility of person granted temporary permits, vehicular access to site, etc. 5) Structural requirements includes building materials, general requirements of loading, weight of partitions, mechanical stacking, roof coverings, foundations, brick footings, etc. 6) Constructional requirements includes drainage of subsoil, protection against soil erosion, lift, swimming pools, depth of water, etc. 7) Fire requirements includes rules of measurement, protected shafts, ventilation to lift shafts, smoke detectors for lift lobbies, etc. 8) Fire alarms, fire detection, fire extinguishment and fire fighting access. 9) Miscellaneous building exempted, failure to buildings, etc. 6.0 SITE INVESTIGATION Site investigation is very important to a project to: 1) decide whether the site is generally suitable (whether it is situated at suitable location) 2) get specific information for complete design, safety and economy (determine soil properties) 3) prepare for construction alternatives (special equipments for dewatering and etc.) 7.0 PHASES OF INVESTIGATION The followings are the phases of investigation: 1) Desktop study initial study of available data 2) Site investigation get useful data from the site 3) Soil investigation determine soil properties 4) Analysis of data Sketch of Bad Site Layout Uploaded with ImageShack.us BAD SITE LAYOUT Based on the attached bad site layout, it is considered as bad due to the following reasons: 1) Material storage situated opposite of the road which is inconvenient for the construction work to be carried out. It will cause traffic issue while transporting the materials to the construction site. 2) Site office is far away from the construction site. 3) Worker s quarters are near to the construction site but the canteen is far away from the worker s quarters. This cause inconveniences for the workers during lunch time hour. 4) Toilet is far from the worker s quarters. 5) Parking lots are not located near to the construction site. 6) No pedestrian bridge between the construction site and the parking lots. This will cause a big problem to the traffic especially during peak hours. 7) The material storage, site office, canteen, toilet as well as parking lots should be situated at the empty space indicate in the site layout to minimise the problems discussed above.
Social Norms :: Sociology
Lately the concept of social norms, common rules of behaviors, has engaged the interest of a numerous philosophers, who are concerned with understanding the rational actorsââ¬â¢ behavior. Kennedy and Brown addresses the concern from different aspects, they are mutually disturbed by the same social norm questions, specifically in the theory of human behavior development that is significant to the construction of legal institutions. In their endeavor to account for social norms they both argue that Human Rights pose challenges for politics. This is far from absolute, Human Rights in a way, present difficulties to politics but it is in fact social norms which pose the most critical problem for politics. At the same time social norms seem to decipher the complications of human rights; they construct a particular problem for politics because they appear to manipulate laws that govern social norms for their own personal use. Theorist challenge the thinking of these such norm compliances to explain a principle that people always act in their own self-interest, to maximize the greediness of their social power. Moreover, Human Rights in this situation are described at presents as a mutual exploited problem. Such as ââ¬Å"institutional practice of human rights promotion propagates an unduly abstract idea about people, politics and society (Kennedy p111).â⬠Because of these general expectations, politics can simply construct this space of lawlessness to circumvent and established social norm traditions. The avoiding of certain taboo like deploying nuclear weapons or tripping the waiters falls into this complicity that society follows. This brings up the rational choice of individualâ â¬â¢s actions. Which is why social norms would sanction governments or people for violating this paradigm of ââ¬Å"language may well establish our legitimacy within a legal framework (Butler p25)â⬠and the ââ¬Å"particular vocabulary (Kennedy p111),â⬠something we know occurs regularly in Human Rights language to be used to create this lawlessness that pose problems for politics. The eruption of criticism to politics that violation Human Rights language is rapidly eclipsed by potential threats of counsel to ââ¬Å"problems of intellectual dishonesty (Brown p461)â⬠which invokes norms instinctively to questions that transpires. In this context of challenging the expectations of rational political institutionââ¬â¢s choice bring forth how social norm constrict and occasionally govern or deceive individuals. For example in the War on Terrorism and Guantanamo Bay, President Bush pushes for a preemptive strike as a legitimize sanction of Human Rights and social norms reactions for security.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Management Process and Organizational Behavior Essay
Q.1 ââ¬Å"Today managers need to perform various functionsâ⬠: Elaborate the statement Managers create and maintain an internal environment, commonly called the organization, sothat others can work efficiently in it. A managerââ¬â¢s job consists of planning, organizing, directing,and controlling the resources of the organization. These resources include people, jobs or positions, technology, facilities and equipment, materials and supplies, information, and money.Managers work in a dynamic environment and must anticipate and adapt to challenges.The manager looks after more than one function. Therefore, managerial practices usedsuccessfully in big firms cannot be blindly used in small-scale units. Basic managerial functionsin large and small business are the same. But the manner in which these functions should becarried out can be different.Managing starts with planning. A manager with a definite and well defined plan has morechances of success than another who tries to start an enterprise without planning. According toKillenâ⬠planning is the process of deciding in advance what is to be doneââ¬Å¡who is to do itââ¬Å¡how it isto be done and when it is to be doneââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢. Planning involves thinking and decision and is, therefore,called a logical process. Planning is a continuous process as changes in plans have to be madefrom time to time to take care of changing environment. Many a times, a vague approach isadapted to planning in a small firm. There is a false impression that small firms areuncomplicated and do not require planning. The small-scale manager does not want to engagehis employees in the planning process due to the desire to keep the secrets with him. Personalaccountability for results, lack of expert staff and not having planning skills are other major obstacles to planning in small firms. The owner or manager of a small enterprise is too involvedin day-to-day operation to try planning before commencing actual operation. But they need pre-planning most because small firms have limited resources to conquer their upcoming problemand cannot afford to finance losses that can take place while adjusting to unanticipatedhappenings/changes.An manager needs an enterprise which can achieve the business objectives. During thefunction of organizing he leads human resources to successful completion of the project,arranging the functions and activities into different levels in the organization structure, thusfacilitating the assignments of personnel according to their capabilities, skills and motivation.According to Peter F. Drucker the process of organizing consists of three steps ââ¬â activitiesanalysis, decisions analysis and relation analysis.(i). Activities Analysis: It consists of the following:a) Determining the main functions for achieving the objectives of the firm.b) Various sub-functions in each major function.c) Amount of work in each major function and its sub-function.d) The position required to perform the activities.(ii) Decisions Analysis: It consists of the following:a) Choosing the basis of departmentalization so that functions could be grouped intospecialized units. Generally, functional departmentation is appropriate for small-scaleunits. Customers, Products and territorie s are other important base of departmentalization.b) Choosing the type of organization structure so that departments are incorporated into aformal structure. MBA Sem-IManagement Process and Organizational Behavior Subject code MB0022 (iii) Relations Analysis: The authority, responsibility and accountability of every position and itsrelationship with other positions are clearly defined. Various positions are manned with personshaving the necessary education, training, experience and other qualifications.To obtain best possible benefit from each employee it is necessary to delegate functions as far-down in the organization as possible. Owners of small firms are often reluctant to delegatingauthority to their employees even though they expect them to do all functions allocated to themthat require authority. For effective completion of tasks, it is necessary that responsibilityaccompanies the necessary authority. In directing a manager has to supervise, guide, lead and motivate people so that they canachieve set targets of performance. In the process of directing his subordinates, a manager ensures that the employees fulfill their tasks according to the set plans. Directing is theexecutive function of management because it is concerned with the execution of plan andpolicies. Directing commences organized action and sets the whole organizational machineryinto action. It is, therefore, the life giving function of an organization. This is the area where themastery of the art and science of management is put to test. An managerââ¬â¢s leadership styledetermines the work atmosphere and culture of the organization. Above all, he must motivateemployees by setting a good example, setting practical targets of performance and providingsatisfactory monetary and non- monetary benefits.In directing a manager has to perform the following tasks:(a) Issuing orders and instructions(b) Supervising workers(c) Motivating i.e. inspiring to work efficiently for set objectives(d) Communicating with employees regarding plans and their implementation.(e) Leadership or influencing the actions or employees. Controlling is the process of ensuring that the organization is moving in the desired directionand that progress is being made to wards the achievement of goals.The answer to a profitable organization is the skill of the owner or manager to controloperations. He has to establish standards of performance, procedures, goals and budgets. Withthese guides, he supervises job progress, workers performance and the financial condition of the business. The controlling function of the owner manager includes:Setting of standards: ââ¬â Control presumes the existence of standards against which actual resultsare to be evaluated. Standards can not control on their own but they are the targets againstwhich actual performance can be measured. Therefore they should be set clearly andaccurately. They should be precise, adequate, and feasible.Measurement of actual performance: ââ¬â The actual performance is measured and evaluated incomparison with the set standards. Preferably measurement should be such that variation maybe identified in advance of occurrence and prevented by suitable action. Where work involved isof quantitative nature measurement of performance is not difficult. But when the work is notquantifiable measurement becomes difficult. Periodical reports test checks and audits arehelpful in precise measurement of performance. MBA Sem-IManagement Process and Organizational Behavior Subject code MB0022 Analysis of variances: ââ¬â Comparison of actual performance with standards will reveal variation.Variations are analysed to identify their cause and their impact on the organization. Correctiveaction can be possible only where the causes of the problem spots have been identified.Clarification may be called for sudden variation.Taking corrective action: ââ¬â Control means action on the basis of measurement and evaluation of results. Wherever possible self- determining device should be used for bringing back actualresults in line with the standards. Standards should be revised wherever necessary. Other stepsto prevent deviations can be re-organization, improvements in staffing and directions etc. Thereal meaning of control lies in the commencement and follow-up of remedial action. At thisstages control unites with planning.
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