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Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Organizational Change and Development Assignment

Organizational Change and Development - Assignment Example This discussion identifies three perspectives, people, approach and method of change implementation at the broader level that impact change management process.  Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is known to be the first person who touched upon the ‘changing’ nature of the world, in his words, â€Å"you never step into the same river twice,† (Cameron & Green, p.10) and â€Å"all is in flux† (Stetson & Conti, p.29). This concept is equally apt to the world of business with increasing competition, meeting customers’ expectations, and finding new opportunities for growth in business, career and sustaining the competitive edge in the changing markets (McGrath & MacMillan, 2005). Organizations will have to embrace these challenges in order to sustain in the competitive world. In order to achieve their goals, while catering to the changing demands of the industry, organizations adopt strategic changes, appropriate for achieving every single objective. These strategic changes are meant to bring about radical or transformational change to the established ways of working from both organizational and employee perspectives. Nevertheless, bringing about change at the workplace, whether structural, procedural, technological or financial, in order to improve the situation or for better business results entails more efforts than planning the change and its implementation.   The forces that cause organizations to opt for radical transformations could be external such as technological advancements, government regulations, increasing competitiveness, and/or changing demands; and internal such as organizational bureaucracy and complacency.   Usually, implementing change is impacted by factors such as time and investment required; the impact of change on the financial performance of the business; return on investment; an intensity of improvement; and importantly, its impact on the end customers.   At an organizational level, planning for the c hange and change management as a responsibility rests with, or is the function of, specific project management team or division, but its implementation at an organizational level requires the involvement of various, or all, other functions/departments failing which the proposed change itself may fail.   This failure can be disastrous for the organization or business and/or to the people associated with the change and the organization, which includes all stakeholders, i.e. employees, customers, and all shareholders. Therefore, bringing about a change should equally be balanced by the way change is being managed in order to succeed.   Michael Dell believes that companies that learn to manage change are in the best position to continue to take the risks needed to stay out in front (cited Matejka & Murphy, 2005; p.19).

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Teletech Case Essay Example for Free

Teletech Case Essay Background The Teletech Corporation operated in two business segments: Telecommunications Services (TS), and Products and Systems (PS). Though Teletech was a dominant service provider in the area, the company has been experiencing a downtrend of earning growth and stock prices due to keener competition and worse performance in certain segment. Problems statement Teletech has been using economic profit as a measure of value creation at the segment and business-unit level and net present value as a measure of value creation at the project level; and both these values were calculated using the hurdle rate. The main problem faced by Teletech was that the company leaders had to decide what hurdle rate(s) should be used for evaluating performance and budgeting of each segment; and what would be the future of the PS unit, having in mind the accusatory letter of the new 10% stakeholder, Victor Yossarian. By October 2005 only one corporate hurdle rate of 9. 30% was used for performance assessment, and the rate was based on the Teletech’s WACC as a representation of the opportunity cost of money. There was an ongoing debate if one common corporate hurdle rate should continue be used for valuation, or different hurdle rates which take into account the associated with the investments risk should be implemented. There was a doubt that the returns of the PS segment were relatively high because they were compared to the not risk-adjusted corporate hurdle rate, and that in fact the PS segment was reducing the shareholders’ value. Victor Yossarian’s opinion was that Teletech had to get rid of the PS segment as it was not providing adequate return. Hurdle rates recommendation We recommend that Teletech should use two different hurdle rates for both segments. First, using WACC as a corporate hurdle rate is not appropriate since different segments have different investment risks. The Products and Systems segment (with the beta of 1. 36) clearly had higher risk than Telecommunication services (with the beta of 1. 04). Thus, instead of using one hurdle rate calculated based on the corporate beta of 1. 15, using two rates will allow the returns of the segments to be compared to more suitable risk-adjusted rates. See Exhibit 1) Second, our calculation shows that using two hurdle rates would result in higher economic profits of each segment as well as in total (See Exhibit 3). Higher profit would make company more attractive to investors. Third, using different hurdle rates also would help the assessment of capital-investment proposals more accurate. Since different segment has different risk, when evaluating a project, the firm shoul d classify the project into each segment and use an appropriate hurdle rate of the corresponding segment to calculate NPV of the project. That would make the NPV of the project more precise. For example, the Telecommunications services had lower risk, lower beta, thus it had lower cost of capital. So, if everything else equals, the NPV of a project in the TS segment should be higher than that of the PS segment. This should be reflected in a lower hurdle rate for TS and a higher hurdle rate for PS. PS recommendation We recommend forming PS as separate entity (financially) , considering possible unit reorganization or sale. Our reasoning is: †¢ The PS segment does not provide satisfactory return, although it is shown as profitable when compared to the corporate hurdle rate of 9. 30% (or even with a PS segment hurdle rate see detailed calculation in Exhibit 1 and returns-hurdle rates comparison in Exhibit 2), or in terms of Economic profit (see Exhibit 3). However, the reported high returns are mainly because PS is able to receive low-interest debt based on the higher aggregate corporate rating. However, if the PS segment is organized as a separate entity (with assumed BB rating), then it will need at least 86% equity financing to be break even, assuming that PS 11% ROC will remain constant (see Exhibit 4 for the calculation). †¢ The TS segment will be able to provide higher return; because of the expected A rating and the associated lower loan rates and higher leverage. The TS will have a higher price per share, closer to the industry, as a result of the reduced investment risk (surpassing the risk of higher leverage). Assuming that the company activities are transparent, the price per share could go even higher, as there will not be doubt that a profitable segment of the company will cover the unsatisfactory performance of another segment. Other recommendations We recommend that the company should disclose more information. The view that â€Å"All money is green† and investors do not know as much about the firm’s operations as the company, should be rejected. More transparency would narrow the gap between uninformed (or small) and informed (or large) investors, thereby lowering the cost of capital.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Polynomial Matrix Decompositions

Polynomial Matrix Decompositions The interest and dramatic increase in demand for high-speed data transmission has exploded since the introduction of triple play multimedia services. One of the pioneering contributions is the increasingly higher data rates achievable through the use of multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) channels. A further increase in data rates is possible through a well-coordinated multiple channels. Precoding and equalization transmission blocks represent a typical coordinated strategy that enhance the channel capacity of a deterministic narrowband MIMO channel. This strategy can be derived by performing a singular value decomposition (SVD) of a channel matrix. These blocks allow a MIMO channel matrix to solve a host of special multicarrier problems using the orthogonal property of the system. It can also be exploited to approximate low-rank channel matrix by reducing the dimensionality of high-dimensional data sets. The technique referred to here as an orthogonal spatial multiplexing (OSM) method. OSM allows multiple users to use a given bandwidth simultaneously by dividing the available channel into multiple narrow orthogonal bands that are spectrally spaced. Each band is then divided into numerous subcarriers, which are structures so as not to interfere with one another. The transmit signal is then modulated onto these subcarriers. The technique exploits physical separation methods that permit the sharing of channel resources simultaneously.   Every users becomes spatially spaced far enough from each other to counteract interference.   In addition to spacing, dual polarizations are introduced to further avoid interference. When signalling over MIMO channels using an orthogonal spatial multiplexing, an SVD can be used to derive every sub-carrier/tone. In the traditional method, an increase in the number of tones also increase the complex computational load.   It is therefore the focus of this study to investigate an alternative means for obtaining an efficient decomposition. A MIMO channel can be modelled as a weighted sum of the past and present samples of transmit data. The channel considers a finite impulse response (FIR) filters that can be represented by a covariance matrix whose elements are polynomials. This study focuses on investigating algorithms that decompose the covariance matrix directly. Approximation factors can then be introduced to obtain the Precoding and equalization transmission blocks. Existing polynomial singular value decomposition algorithm is used and studied in the context of channel quality and computational complexity settings. The decomposition algorithms were shown to give decompositions of good channel quality, but if the goal is to obtain Precoding and equalization transmission blocks, the computational load is restricted with higher multidimensional channels. An algorithm for approximating direct decomposition of covariance matrices is investigated. Although we discuss simple cases resulted in excellent decompositions but analyse with numerical stability of a spectral factorization steps for large-case decompositions. For high frequency selective MIMO channels, the performance achieved by utilizing the polynomial SVD algorithm were compared to the channel capacity. It was shown that if the transmit sequences are approximated individually at the receiver, as done in the traditional approach, the performance more likely to be sensitive to errors in the decomposition. An equalizer with a spatially joint detector seems promising to achieve a better performance close to the single-user transmission. With such an equalizer, the low complexity property of the traditional approach is compromised with performance. Summarizing, this study has shown that a MIMO channel can be diagonalized in space and frequency using spatial multiplexing method in conjunction with a polynomial SVD algorithm. In order to reach better performance close to the achivable of a single-user, the computational load becomes restraining compared to the traditional approach, for channels with higher multidirectional channels.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

TV News :: essays research papers

TV News I started mowing lawns in my neighborhood when I was only 12. It was the only way I could put money in my pocket. I had several yards and I usually started early Saturday morning and worked right through about midday. There is something euphoric about mowing a lawn. It really gives you lots of time to think about almost anything. It was while doing this that I came across my love for TV. I remember mowing the yards one Saturday after my girlfriend and I had broken up. It was all I could do to keep it off my mind. I started thinking that there had to be other people my age out there with problems and then I wondered; how do other teenagers solve their problems. I thought about it and decided that if they didn’t have a way I was going to come up with one. So I came up with the idea of a teen talk show and pitched it to the manager of the government access station here in town. Teen Link was the name of the show and we discussed everything from breaking up with your significant other to dealing with the loss of a loved one. Although the show is no longer in production it really allowed me to get my feet wet in what was going to be the start of a hopefully long and prosperous career in broadcasting. Working for a news station now I realize how far government TV was from the reality of TV news but a career in news can be particularly exciting. The variety of the job, the gratification of communicating to thousands of people, the fast paced atmosphere makes the job not only exciting but extremely demanding. In general people don’t realize how many people it takes to put on a single newscast. Often times it takes a crew of 10 or 12 to make the news come alive. The most coveted position though out of all of those jobs is anchor. The anchor, or broadcast news analyst, analyze, and interpret news and deliver then news, introduce packages and live reports from reporters in the field. Although it looks like they have it made they probably have one of the toughest jobs in the station. In general the smaller the market is the more work an anchor is going to do. In small markets they will write and produce most of the newscast, as well as the teases and promo spots you see before the afternoon and late night newscasts.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

The Electoral College: Rationale and Process Essay -- History Governme

The Founding Fathers wanted to distinguish the newly formed United States from a pure democracy. The Framers defined democracy as government decisions made directly by the people. They decided to use a republic form of government because it promised wiser government. This type of government would allow decisions to be made by representatives elected by people. The one issue styled under this republican representation was the process on how to choose a president. This process has been the source of continuing controversy for over two hundred years. There have been more attempts to change the twelfth amendment than any other provision in the Constitution. Ironically, in the debates preceding the ratification of the Constitution, the method of presidential selection was not very controversial. Alexander Hamilton wrote, "The mode of appointment of the chief magistrate of the United States is almost the only part of the system, of any consequence which has escaped without severe censure or which has received the slightest mark of approbation from its opponents" (Wright 56). Alexander Hamilton was the chief architect of the electoral college since he distrusted popular democracy. He said that the electoral college would ensure that a few men of insight and reflection would select the ablest president. Specifically, he wrote, "A small number of persons, selected by their fellow-citizens from the general mass would act under circumstances favorable to deliberation" (Wright 59). Hamilton believed that the electoral college system would reduce civic unrest if public participation were directed to certify the results of a presidential election. He noted that the electoral college concept was less susceptible to political manipulation. However, the United States has moved away from the original republicanism rationale experienced by the Founding Fathers. Opponents of the electoral college, such as author Lawrence Longley state, "Today's advancement in communications, computers, and polling computations has permitted our society to accept results the popular vote with confidence" (18). However, the question remains, has the electoral college outlived it original intent and purpose? I believe that we need the electoral college to alleviate future problems that are associated with direct vote presidential elections. Moreover, we have used this system to select pr... ...wer. If it is proposed to change the balance of power of one of the elements of the solar system, it is necessary to consider the others." (Glennon 72). Much contemplation has been focused on solutions to resolve the perceived electoral college problems. However, too often these reformers ignore the rest of the political solar system. Their reforms vary because each have different objectives. These varying objectives are hoped to reinforce the values of federalism, to increase voters enthusiasm of national politics, lessen the danger of a national recount, strengthen (or weaken) the two-party system, or to elect better presidents. Each of these proposed reforms have some ramifications on our political solar system. Today, Americans take pride in our history of peaceful transitions of power. Being so, the electoral college must be considered as a valuable centerpiece to this transition. It is reassuring to know that a handful of average citizens delegated responsibility by their states have been able to achieve what Mexico and the Philippines have not, undisputed electoral results derived from the popular vote. The electoral college has proven to be our political stability.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Reinforcement and Employees Essay

Q3. What tools does Walmart use to motivate employees? How might a lack of motivation affect associates and how should managers respond? Give me a W! Give me an A! Give me an L! Give me a squiggly! Give me an M! Give an A! Give me an R! Give me a T! What’s that spell? Walmart! Whose Walmart is it? It’s my Walmart ! Who’s number one? The customer! Always! The good times continue at Walmart, and so do hard work and achievement. For many employees, seeing peers rewarded for a job well done proves highly motivational. Executives at Walmart refer to the company as one big family. There are no grunts or gophers –no employee, no matter how new, is thought of as low person on the totem. According to the company’s â€Å"open door† policy, all associates are encouraged to speak freely, share concerns, and express ideas for improving daily operations. In return, they can expect managers to treat all discussions fairly with an open mind. The policy is ri ght out of Walton’s playbook. â€Å"Listen to your associates,† Walton urged. â€Å"They’re the best idea generators.† The founder’s wisdom is routinely reaffirmed through the oft-repeated quote that â€Å"nothing constructive happens in Bentonville† – a reference to Walton headquarters. In Walton’s grass – roots ethic, local employees are the ones most likely to produce fresh ideas. One significant way managers can meet higher motivational needs is to shift power down from the top of organization and share it with employees to enable them to achieve goals. Empowerment is power sharing, the delegation of power or authority to subordinates in an organization. Increasing employee motivation for task accomplishment because people improve their own effectiveness, choosing how to do a task and using their creativity. Empowerment is one way managers promote self- reinforcement and self- efficacy, as defined in the discussion of social learning. Empowering employees involves giving them four elements that enable them to act more freely accomplish their jobs: information knowledge, power, and rewards. First of all, employees receive information about company performance. In companies where employees are fully empowered, all employees have access to all financial and operational information. Secondly, employees have knowledge and skills to contribute to company goals. Companies use training programs and other development tools to help people acquire the knowledge and skills they need to contribute to organizational performance. The third motivation is employees have the power to make substantive decision. Empowered employees have the authority to directly influence work procedures and organizational performance, such as through quality circles or self- directed work teams. And last but not least, employees are rewarded based on company performance. Organizations that empower workers often reward them based on the results shown in the company’s bottom line. Organizations may also use other motivational compensation programs described in Exhibit 16.8 to tie employee efforts to company performance. Exhibit 16.8 Many of today’s organizations are implementing empowerment programs, but they are empowering workers to varying degrees. At some companies, empowerment means encouraging workers’ idea while managers retain final authority for decisions; at others it means giving employees almost complete freedom and power to make decisions and exercise initiative and imagination. Current methods of empowerment fall along a continuum, as illustrated in exhibit 16.9 . The continuum runs from situation in which front- line workers have almost no discretion, such as on a traditional assembly line, to full empowerment, where workers even participate in formulating organizational strategy. Exhibit 16.9 Perhaps the most important things managers can do to enhance organizational communication and dialogue can encourage people to communicate honestly with one another. Subordinates will feel free to transmit negative as well as positive message to managers without fear of retribution. Efforts to develop interpersonal skills among employees can also foster openness, honesty, and trust. Second, managers should develop and use formal communication channels in all direction. Scandinavian Designs uses two newsletters to reach employees. Dana Holding Corporation developed the â€Å"Here a Thought† board- called a HAT rack- to get ideas and feedback from workers. Other techniques include direct mail, bulletin boards, blogs, and employee surveys. Third, managers should encourage the use of multiple channels including both formal and informal communications. Multiple communication channels include written directives, face- to- face discussions, and the grapevine. For example, managers at GM’s Packard Electric plant use multimedia, including a monthly newspaper, frequent meeting of employees’ teams and an electronic news display in the cafeteria. Sending messages through multiple channels increases the likelihood that they will be properly received. Fourth, the structure should fit communication needs. An organization can be designed to use teams, task forces, project managers, or matrix structure as needed to facilitate the horizontal flow of information for coordination and problem solving. Structure should also reflect information need. When team or department task are difficult, a decentralized structure should be implemented to encourage discussion and participation. Empowerment is the process of distributing decision-making power throughout an organization. It is a process which enables employees to set personal work goals, make minor decisions and to solve conflicts by using their personal authority. Team Bonuses, in situations in which employees should cooperate with each other and isolating employee performance is more difficult, companies are increasingly resorting to tying employee pay to team performance. For example, in 2007, Wal-Mart gave bonuses to around 80% of their associates based on store performance. If empl oyees have a reasonable ability to influence their team’s performance level, these programs may be effective. One way Wal-Mart facilitates respect for an individual is through an open-door policy that allows employees of all levels to communicate with managers in higher levels of the company. This open-door policy is also a way of keeping unions from forming in the company. The philosophy is that when employees have avenues for expressing their complaints and problems, there will be no reason to have union representatives (Cray, 2000; Slater, 2003). However, people may question how effective this policy is, because employees still attempt to form unions. Walton also believed in the importance of having a clear flow of communication with his workers, claiming that the more information they received the harder they would work for him. â€Å"The more they know, the more they’ll understand,† he said. â€Å"The more they understand, the more they’ll care. Once they care, there’s no stopping them.† To Walton, the free flow of information between him and his worke rs demonstrated the trust and respect he had for them. Without that trust, Walton felt he could not succeed. â€Å"Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitor,† he said. For Walton, the bottom line was to appreciate his workers and to make them feel valued. He knew that a paycheck and stock options alone would not guarantee loyalty or hard work. Instead, he realized the importance of making sure his workers knew they were appreciated. â€Å"Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise,† he said. â€Å"They’re absolutely free – and worth a fortune.† By having motivated and loyal employees, Walton could then use them as his secret weapon. â€Å"The folks on the front lines – the ones who actually talk to the customer – are the only ones who really know what’s going on out there,† he said. By listening to his workers and their ideas, Walton could stay on top of his game; â€Å"This really is what total quality is about.† Listen to everyone in your practice/team. Obviously your team is a lot smaller than Wal-Mart, but Sam’s tactic of figu ring out ways to get â€Å"front line† people talking holds true for advisors. You can gain a lot of insight into your clients, and it will help strengthen relationships with support personnel. And yes, listen to your clients too. continuous communication is the most important thing to remember. Change usually causes fear about different things. Communication must be very open, honest and encouraging. It also has to cover all the parties involved in the change. Happy employees mean happy customers. Walton admitted that initially he was so stingy and did not give good pay to his employees. But eventually he realized that he should give a larger payment to his employees because they are considered as â€Å"business partners†. According to Walton, who treated the way management is the same business partner in a way that applied to the consumer. If the business partner treats their customers well then the consumer will come again and again therein lies the advantage and business success. Walton also often visited his shop and asked for their opinions, especially employees who are on the front lines, those who actually faced and talking with customers, as people who know the real situation on the ground. Management’s number one goal with their employees is to make working at Wal-Mart fun and rewarding. They even have their own cheer to boost associates morale and organizational spirit (Wal-Mart, 2008). â€Å"Who’s Wal-Mart? It is my Wal-Mart† (Wal-Mart, 2008). This is the type of leadership styles that all organizations need to use. This style makes employees want to come to work everyday and they feel secure knowing that they are working for a great organization. Wal-Mart is like one big family and like to make their associates feel like they are an important part of keeping the doors open for everyone. If Walmart this organization are lack of motivation it’ll affects associates also called employees. Lack of motivation equates to less work being accomplished. Productivity does not disappear; it is usually transferred to aspects not related to the organization’s work. Things like personal conversations, Internet surfing or taking longer lunches cost the organization time and money. Reduced productivity can be detrimental to an organization’s performance and future success. Low employee motivation could be due to decreased success of the organization, negative effects from the economy or drastic changes or uncertainty within the organization. No matter what the cause, having the reputation of having an unpleasant work environment due to low employee motivation will ultimately impact how existing and potential clients or partners view working with an organization. A reputation can precede an organization and dictate its future in the industry. The reinforcement approach employee motivation sidesteps the issue of employee needs and thinking processes described in the content and process theories. Reinforcement theory simply looks at the relationship between behavior and its consequences. It focuses on changing or modifying employees’ on –the-job behavior through the appropriate use of immediate rewards and punishments. Behavior modification is the name given to the set of techniques by which reinforcement theory is used to modify human behavior. The basic assumption underlying behavior modification is the law of effect, which states that behavior that is positively reinforced tends to be repeated, and behavior that is not reinforced tends not to be repeated. Reinforcement is defined as anything that causes a certain behavior to be repeated or inhibited. The four reinforcement tools are positive reinforcement, avoidance learning, punishment, and extinction, as summarized in exhibit16.6 Positive reinforcement is the administration of a pleasant and rewarding consequence following a desired behavior, such as praise for an employee who arrives on time or does a little extra work. Research shows that positive reinforcement does help to improve performance. Moreover, nonfinancial reinforcement such as positive feedback, social recognition, and attention are just as effective as financial incentives. One study of employees at fast- food drive- thru windows, for example, found that performance feedback and supervisor recognition had a significant effect on increasing the incidence of â€Å"up- selling† or asking customers to increase their order. Montage Hotels &resorts, known for its culture of gracious yet humble service, uses a variety of employee recognition programs to positively reinforce employees for providing exceptional service. CEO Alan J. Fuerstman says â€Å"it’s simple psychology. People commit more acts of kindness when they are appreciated f or them.† Avoidance learning is the removal of an unpleasant consequence once a behavior is improved, theory encouraging and strengthening the desired behavior. Avoidance learning is sometimes called negative reinforcement. The idea is that people will change a specific behavior to avoid the undesired result that behavior provokes. As a simple example, a supervisor who constantly reminds or nags an employee who is goofing off on the factory floor and stops the nagging when the employee stops goofing off is applying avoidance learning. Punishment is the imposition of unpleasant outcomes on an employee. Punishment typically occurs following undesirable behavior. For example, a supervisor may berate an employee for performing a task incorrectly. The supervisor expects that the negative outcome will serve as a punishment and reduce the likelihood of the behavior recurring. The use of punishment in organization is controversial and often criticized because it fails to indicate the correct behavior. However, almost all managers report that they find it necessary to occasionally impose forms of punishment ranging from verbal reprimands to employee suspensions or firings. Extinction is the withholding of a positive reward. Whereas with punishment, the supervisor imposes an unpleasant outcome such as a reprimand, extinction involves withholding praise or other positive outcomes. With extinction, undesirable behavior is essentially ignored. The idea is that behavior that is not positively reinforced will gradually disappear A New York Times reporter wrote a humorous article about how she learned to stop nagging and instead use reinforcement theory to shape her husband’s behavior after studying how professionals train animals. When her husband did something she liked such as throw a dirty shirt in the hamper, she would use positive reinforcement, thanking him or giving him a hug and a kiss. Undesirable behaviors, such as throwing dirty clothes on the floor, on the other hand, were simply ignored, applying the principle of extinction. Reward and punishment motivational practices based on the reinforcement theory dominate organizations. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 84 percent of all companies in the United States offer some type of monetary or non- monetary reward system, and 69 percent offer incentive pay, such as bonuses, bases on an employee’s performance. However, in other studies, more than 80 percent of employers with incentive programs have reported that their programs are only somewhat successful or working at all. Despite the testimonies of organizations that enjoy successful incentive programs, criticism of these â€Å"carrot- and- stick† methods is growing, as discussed in the Manager’s Shoptalk. If rewards and motivation are failed to fulfill the employees the manager of Walmart should apply some positive reinforcement in order to safe the situation. Positive reinforcement is the practice of rewarding desirable employee behavior in order to strengthen that behavior. For example, when you praise an employee for doing a good job, you increase the likelihood of him/her doing that job very well again. Positive reinforcement both shapes behavior and enhances an employee’s self-image. Recognizing and rewarding desirable employee behavior is the essential key to motivating employees to work more productively. This method will reap many benefits, first it clearly defines and communicates expected behaviors and strengthens the connection between high performance and rewards. It reinforces an employee’s behavior immediately after learning a new technique and promotes quick, thorough learning. It motivates effective workers to continue to do good work. Lack of reinforcement leads to job dissatisfaction. It increases productivity by rewarding workers who conserve time and materials. Employees who are rewarded after they successfully perform feel self-confident and become eager to learn new techniques, take advanced training, and accept more re sponsibility. Rewarding employees who suggest improved work procedures will produce more innovation – if you create a relaxed work environment, reward new ideas and tolerate innovative failures. Employees who receive recognition for their achievements are more enthusiastic about their work, more cooperative, and more open to change. Besides that, when you show appreciation and reward employees for good work, you’ll be able to increase their job commitment and organizational loyalty. In conclusion, giving positive reinforcement does not mean that what is done incorrectly by an employee is to be ignored. Instead, it means to recognize what portion of the work was done correctly first, then follow-up with what can be done better the next time and why the performance or work result was not quite what was expected. If this means the manager must take some of the blame for not giving detailed instructions for the desired behavior or result, they should do so in an apologetic manner and then proceed to explain how the manager personally will try to do better. This is an excellent time for the manager to let the employee know they still have faith in them but need their help and cooperation by their asking questions if the manager’s instructions are not clear. This allows both the employee and manager to get better at communication, which results in improved task completion. Remember mangers need to give positive results first, then follow-up with what improvements are needed, apologize if necessary, and then reinforce what was done right again. When working the improvement or follow-up statement do not use the word â€Å"but† as this word often negates anything said before it and the employee may stop listening as they know a negative is coming next.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Mean Creek

Film Report ‘Mean Creek' In the film ‘mean creek' directed by Jacob Aaron Estes. We see a group of teenagers who try to play a trick on the bully in the movie, but it goes horribly wrong. A main Idea In the film Is the way the relationships change between everybody from the start to the end of the movie. The director uses 4 aspects, sound, lighting, camera shots and dialogue, to communicate the theme of change in friend/relationships.The director uses camera shot, lighting and sound in the scene where they are all sitting on the river bank after they play truth and dare and George gets pushed overboard by Rocky because he wouldn't shut up about Martyr's father, but then George freaks out and drowns to death. We see a long shot of them all sitting away from catheter. The director uses positioning to show the feeling of Isolation. The director uses this aspect to communicate the beginning of separation between there friendships.They all feel guilty because they had decided not to play the trick on George anymore, because they started to feel sorry for him, but Marty choose otherwise. The director uses the lighting of a blue filter across the screen to show that this a sad moment and everything has been completely messed up. The sounds of Violins and soft music in the background gives us that felling that everything is changing for the worst and that their relationships will probably never be the same again.Also the aspect of lighting and sound links into the theme of separation and contributes to the mood because up to this point there group was always collective, but are now separate. Now they all have different decisions on what happens to George. Some want to bury him and the others want to confess and go to the police so they don't look guilty. After George dies it goes all silent and that's when it starts to et darker. The director uses dialogue and close ups in the scene where Millie runs off and Sam follows her. We hear the dialogue between the m â€Å"Buck you. † â€Å"We can never be forgiven for what we did. We see a the close up of Mile's face and how scared and traumatized she Is. The director uses these aspects to show us how much Millie has changed from the start, when she was day dreaming about her date with Sam. She seemed so innocent and was only concerned about what she was going to talk to Sam about on her date. Millie was the only one who didn't know of the plan until they got to the river. So there Is a sense of betrayal between her and Sam. This shows how murder can change the way people feel and their relationships can be affected in a situation like this.I think the director is trying to show us how people deal with guilt. Millie try's to blame Sam, Sam try's to blame Marty. But really they are all to blame, they were all apart of It. The director uses sound and close ups in the scene where they are paddling back to 1 OFF paddles hitting the water. The director uses the sound of water to remind us that they are surrounded by water, that water is what killed George and they can't get way from what they did. We also see close ups of each of their faces one at a time. We know that each character is going through conflicting emotions.There is no eye contact or emotion between each other. Their faces look exhausted and pale, some with tears down their face. The director uses these aspects to show and communicate the feeling of guilt and disbelief. It almost gives you a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach. The nonexistent dialogue between each other shows the breakdown In their relationships and makes us wonder what they're thinking and feeling. This for me was one of the most powerful scenes throughout the movie, because I know nothing could be the same again.Lighting is used in the scene where they're driving back from the river and its all dark and silent. It gives off a gloomy, uneasy feel almost like that what they're feeling inside and that's being portrayed through the l ighting of the scene. The director used this aspect to communicate the change in all their relationships between one another, because as seen in the start of the movie the lighting is bright and there is lots of color to give Off nice, relaxed vibe. So the darkness and lack of light gives us he feeling that their relationships have somewhat deteriorated since earlier that day.It also shows the passing of time as it was daylight at the start of their trip and now its evening. This could symbolize not only the end of the day, but the end of Georges life. Also the loss of their innocence. In conclusion he director has communicated the theme of the change in all of their friend/relationships throughout the movie with the help of these four aspects, lighting, sound, camera shots and dialogue. I think this film helped me realize that because of a little mistake made by someone, can or will change your life forever. By Messiah Wales