Competing in the global arina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Competing in the global arina - Essay Example Globliztion is "neither new nor folly but global movement of ides, people, technology nd goods from one region to others benefiting the people t lrge" (mrty Sen cited Stiglitz 2002, p. 6). The main companies contributed to globalization are McDonald's, General Motors, Wal-Mart, Google and Yahoo! which account for over half of the world's output. This geographical concentration reflects existing economic relations between the North and the South (Bhagwati 98). Rivalling nation-states in their economic power, these corporations control much of the world's investment capital, technology, and access to international markets. In order to maintain their prominent positions in the global marketplace, transnational corporations merge with other corporations. These companies have consolidated their global operations in an increasingly deregulated global labor market. The availability of cheap labor, resources, and favorable production conditions in the global South has enhanced corporate mobility and profitability (Hirst and Thompson 134-135). The main drivers of globalization are technology, free trade and low barriers to trade, investments and democratization processes. A combination of weak and unstable governments, small and vulnerable economies, warlike conditions, and widespread poverty creates unattractive conditions for the major drivers of globalization, especially the global corporations and other private sector investors (Bhagwati 23). Apart from mining and other natural resources extractive industries, these countries are not players in the global economy. Moreover, lack of good governance often means that the proceeds from these economic activities benefit only a select group of elites, giving rise to private armies and guerrilla movements (Stiglitz 90). Price system help companies to sell product around the world and meet diverse customers' needs. Indeed, the network's market share increased even further as a result of the dramatic reduction in the price and size of satellite dishes. Suddenly, such technolog ies became affordable, even for low-income consumers (Bhagwati 21). For instance, a new economic order allows the farmers to produce more than the market can absorb but get paid at a fair price. It also keeps agricultural goods, produced elsewhere more cheaply and efficiently, out of these countries' markets. Globalization, as it relates to trade, is aimed at reducing or eliminating protectionism in order to maintain a level playing field for all trading nations. Still, developing countries continue to face a wide range of nontariff administrative instruments of protectionism, which keep their exports out of the rich markets of developed countries. Protectionism by the developed countries-aimed at keeping developing countries out of the formers' markets especially in sectors such as agriculture, textiles, and light manufacturing where the latter have a decided comparative advantage-is a serious impediment to free trade and globalization and a constant source of conflict in multilate ral negotiations (Hirst and Thompson 98). Contrary to public perception, export subsidies are not an efficient public policy instrument for allocating resources. This is particularly important for developing countr

Positive Impacts of Digital File Sharing Article

Positive Impacts of Digital File Sharing - Article Example With the rapid advancement and popularization of the internet, digital file sharing technology is now permeating into people’s daily life. Having noticed this trend, musicians and music retailers are now focusing on the online market leading to large changes in music culture. The virtual market has great potential: Both the accessibility and diversity of music have been greatly improved. Although online file sharing community has seemingly led to a decline in the sales of albums and the quick emergence of piracy, relative studies indicate that it does have a positive influence on the economy of the music industry as a whole, generating more revenue for music producers. While technology gives the go-ahead to distribute music all over the world with a touch of a button and makes it possible for artists to advertise on an unmatched scale it also permits music piracy anywhere, anytime. This is the unauthorized replication of goods protected under intellectual property law. This was the case when music technological advancement started back in the 1920s. Artists only got paid for sales of music purchased by radio stations but not the number of times their music got airplay. Then followed the invention of the cassette tape, which and very poor sound quality. This was followed by CDs that were largely pirated and artists got no revenue from it. The invention of file sharing and internet in the music industry increased the piracy rates, but the positive impacts that these digital platforms have brought are more than any piracy losses. Boorstin S. Eric, a lawyer graduated from Princeton University, once conducted a study about the impact of the emerging online music retail industry on total disc sales. He combined data on population characteristics with Nielson SoundScan data on CD sales for 99 metropolitan areas in the years 1998, 2000, and 2001: The total sales in music during the year 2002 were the US $32.2 billion; 41% in North America, 18.6% in Asia, 34.5% in Europe. Japan had more than 80% of the total sales in Asia, leaving Latin America and the rest of Asia and Africa to have 3.1% and 2.7% respectively.

SOP for MS in Computer Science Essay Example for Free

SOP for MS in Computer Science Essay Ive always been fascinated by research, especially work that benefits common people or the environment. The idea that my efforts may better someones life or help create a greener planet motivates me. So after a successful career in IT, I intend to pursue my MS in Computer Science at University of Pennsylvania in order to build my research skills and work towards my interests in Computer Visualization, Data Mining, and Software Engineering. After completing my bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, I was interested in joining the Information Technology industry. So I pursued my dream by enrolling in a six-month Post Graduate Diploma course in Advanced Computing. At the end of the course I got a job in Software Automation Testing with Verismo Networks. After working in Perl for 1 year at Verismo, I joined Siemens Information Systems Limited. There I worked in Automation Testing using Microsoft .Net Technologies. Working with Siemens was both challenging and rewarding, as we did not use any commercially available tool for testing but rather created, designed and developed our own automation scripts, frameworks, APIs to communicate with the hardware, and developed various automated test tools to check system performance, integrity, stability, etc. After 4 years in Siemens, I joined Schneider Electric where I was given the leadership of introducing automation testing into our project. I worked with several teams to understand the project requirements and built automation testing framework using MSUIA and developed testing tools using MS SilverLight and .Net C#. This strong professional experience has given me a better understanding of the immense potential of technology to materialize innovative ideas ideas which not only help solve our toughest problems but also enrich our everyday lives by objective research and even humble developments. To create innovative technologies and bring research ideas to life, I will need appropriate problem solving approach and a competitive environment that will help sharpen my acumen in research. A Masters degree with thesis will help me acquire these skills. In my 6 years working in the IT industry, I have developed specific interests in the fields of Computer Visualization, Data Mining and Software Engineering. University of Pennsylvania is one of the renowned universities in USA and houses research teams that work on the  areas of my interest. Given a chance, I would like to continue this journey in your department. Developing automation tools for 2D and 3D Imaging Applications of Siemens ultrasound machine, I gained a fair idea of the domain of Ultrasound in Healthcare. I substantiated my knowledge by studying more about specialized areas like Visualization and how it transforms complex data into graphics representations that enhance the perception and meaning of data. 3D Visualization, one of the latest advances in the field of medical science, plays a vital role in diagnosis and has the potential to greatly reduce invasive interventions into the body, increasing physician performance in arresting or curing a disease. However in many countries, like in India/Bangladesh, these advanced facilities are still unavailable to most physicians. Also, in many cases, the visualization of the 3D anatomy is not very easy even with state-of-the-art techniques. Broadening our research areas in the field of medical science might enable us to build more affordable medical equipment. For instance MIT developed an inexpensive smart phone device Catra that can detect cataract. In a country like India where public healthcare services are dismal and even basic level healthcare is beyond the reach of most citizens, we have to devise innovative ways in similar lines to make better healthcare reachable to all. This is an area where emerging research can have a significant positive effect on people’s lives. I want to specialize in the field of Computer Graphics and Visualization to exploit the significant potential of 3D visualization. Not only will this open more options for minimally invasive or non-invasive surgeries, it may also vastly simplify post-operative care and expenses. At University of Pennsylvania, I am especially excited by work being carried out in the Computer Graphics, Computer Vision and User Interfaces research area. I want to develop my skills and knowledge in this field by working in the project group Visualization Research Group under Prof. Sebastian Bauer and use this knowledge to further my chances of a career in a research institute like Siemens Corporate Technology, a research division of Siemens. By  working with this research group, I will learn how vast quantities of complex data can be represented in a visual and legible format to respective users. I may also get a chance to learn about the latest technology 4D Visualization and invent ways to use it in medical domain in a cost effective manner. In my undergraduate project, I worked on Forecasting Power Consumption and Energy Needs for the State Electricity Board based on historical energy usage using Neural Networks. I analyzed huge piles of records to understand the usage behavior based on season, time of the day, location, etc. Although the project was very rudimentary, I quickly realized how helpful, economical and efficient energy usage would be, if this was implemented. Luckily again in Schneider Electric, I worked on energy monitoring application which had similar approach. There I could see the practical benefits. This experience triggered my interest in Data Mining. This is a field that helps develop intuitive systems that forecast future problems and channel solutions based on current data. Rapidly developing economies like the BRIC countries are among the largest markets for automobiles which is leading to heavy traffic issues, fossil fuel wastage and alarming pollution levels. All these can be mitigated if we encourage Data Mining as a research area in the companies working with public service departments. If we look through various databases available to analyze association between population increase/emigration and rate of increase in the number of vehicles, rush hour syndrome, current and upcoming major business areas, etc. we can find a connection among all these which will enable us find solutions to our traffic woes like building intelligent traffic control systems or innovative routes that can ease traffic congestion, reduce fuel usage and cut down emission. Corporate initiatives like IBMs Smarter Cities are using data mining principles to help give authorities the tools to analyze current problems or anticipate future ones from available data and find solutions pro-actively. *I want to study Data Mining to work with such research companies and address some of the challenges most developing countries are facing today. University of Pennsylvania’s ‘MADAI : Models and Data Analysis Initiative research group  is conducting cutting-edge studies in data mining and would give me exceptional opportunities to develop my skills. I am especially interested in the fact that MADAI emphasizes areas that are sometimes in domains outside of computer science. Similarly, I want to use my Data Mining knowledge in solving some real-time problems that cross disciplinary boundaries. I would be excited to work under Prof. Edward Griffin, because my objective of tackling real world problems is in accordance to his research interests. Not every emerging technology is a breakthrough but some truly do have the potential to change our social landscape, and to build such effective technologies we need effective testing tools that will help create a dependable product. This drives me towards Software Engineering. Testing a subdivision of Software Engineering, especially Automation Testing, is one of the most underrated parts of the Software Development Life Cycle. A major area of the IT industry is unable to identify the importance of strong testing skills, resulting in a low skilled team where testing is executed within a limited boundary of a few pass/fail scenarios. In my years working in IT, I realized automation testing requires far more expertise; its just like any development project requiring proper planning, design and commensurate skills. *I also realized how important it is to embrace the latest technologies in automation scripts as the latest software developed are far more enhanced to be truly tested with age old testing methodologies.*Since Ive worked in this domain for so long, I know if I specialize in the field of Software Engineering, I can introduce Software Testing and Methodologies as a research area in corporate level and help promote Automation Testing as a crucial part of software development. Working with Dr. Lars Anderson in ‘Analysis of Computer Systems Group under Software Engineering research area at University of Pennsylvania would help me understand latest software engineering practices and how it can be implemented to expedite software testing and overall product development. While my primary areas of interests are Computer Visualization, Data Mining and Software Engineering, I look forward to gaining a broad foundation in Computer Science during my MS, and I am eager to learn about other research  opportunities. My brother who is pursuing PhD in IISc, Bangalore also strongly recommended your university on the basis of faculty interests and the research work currently in progress. I am confident that earning my MS (with thesis) at University of Pennsylvania will help me hone my research skills and prepare me to contribute as a researcher who helps bring innovative ideas to reality.

Tasks on Management Skills

Tasks on Management Skills Task 1 Identify and evaluate the importance of the personal and professional skills, outlined above, for a successful manager, which enable the manager to meet organizational and own goals (1.1a) The changing role of management: Mary Parker the mother of modern management ,defined management as the art of getting things done through people . At one time, that meant that managers were called bosses, and their job was to tell people what to do and watch over them to be sure they did it . bosses tended to reprimand those who didnt do things correctly and generally acted stern and bossy. Many managers still behave that way. Perhaps you have witnessed such managers yelling at employees at fast-food restaurants or shop floors. Today management is changing from that kind of behavior. Managers are being educated to guide, train, support, motivate, and coach employees rather than to boss them around. Modern managers in progressive companies emphasize teamwork and cooperation rather than discipline and order giving. Managers in some high-tech and progressive firms of all kinds dress more casually, are more friendly, and generally treat employees as partners rather than unruly workers. In general, therefore, management is experiencing a revolution. Managers in the future are much more likely to be working in teams, thisll appraise them below them as well as those above, and theyll be assuming completely new roles in the firm. The following table summarizes the managers different roles. Planning Setting organizational goals Developing strategies to reach those goals . Determining resources needed. Setting standards. Directing Leading, guiding, and motivating employees to work effectively to accomplish organizational goals and objectives. Giving assignments Explaining routines Clarifying policies Providing feedback on performance. Organizing: Allocating resources, assigning tasks, and establishing procedures for accomplishing goals. Preparing a structure (organization chart) showing lines of authority and responsibility. Recruiting, selecting, training, and developing employees.. Placing employees where theyll be most effective. Controlling Measuring results against corporate objectives. Monitoring performance relative to standards. Taking corrective action. Some modern managers perform all of these tasks with the full cooperation and participation of workers. Empowering employees means allowing them to participate more fully in decision making. Tasks and skills at different levels of management: Anyone who has ever played a sport such as basketball, football, or soccer knows theres a tremendous difference between being an excellent player and excellent coach (manager). Often a good player will volunteer to coach the neighborhood team and be disaster as a manager. The same thing happens in business. Few people are trained to be managers. Rather, the process of becoming a manger is similar to the sports example. A person learns how to be a skilled accountant or salesperson or production line worker, and then- because of his or her skill- is selected to be a manger. The tendency is for such managers to become deeply involved in showing others how to do things, helping them, supervising them, and generally being very active in the operating task. The further up the managerial ladder a person moves, the less such skills are required. Instead, the need is for people who are visionaries, good planners, organizers, coordinators, communicators, morale builders, and motivators. Managers must have three skills: Technical skills: involve the ability to perform tasks of a specific department such as selling (marketing) or bookkeeping. Human relation skills: include leadership, motivation, coaching, communication, morale building, training and development, help and supportiveness, and delegating. Conceptual skills: refer to mangers ability to picture the organization as a whole and the relationship of various parts to perform tasks such as planning, organizing, controlling, system development, problem analysis, decision making, coordinating, and delegating. The first line managers need to be skilled in all three areas. Most of their time is spent on technical and human relation tasks (assisting operating personnel, giving direction, and so forth). First line managers spend little time on conceptual tasks. Top managers, on the other hand need to use few technical skills. Instead, almost all of their time is devoted to human relations and conceptual tasks. One whos competent at one level of management may not be competent at higher levels and vise versa. The skills needed are different at different levels. The most difficult task for most managers to learn is delegating. Whats delegating? Delegating is assigning authority and accountability to others while retaining the responsibility for results. Managers are usually selected from those who are skilled at doing what the people they manage are doing. As we noted earlier; most progressive managers of the 21 st century will be team leaders. They will set specific goals in corporation with a team of workers, set up feedback and communication procedures (control procedure) , and minimize the tendency to continually look over the teams shoulder to make sure its doing things the managers way . Employees will be given freedom (empowered) to decide the hows and whens of completion of specific tasks as long as the goals are accomplished on time. Decision-making is choosing among two or more alternatives. It sounds easier than it is in practice. In fact , decision making is the heart of all the Management functions. We have six Ds of decision making, which are: Define the problem Describe and collect needed information Develop alternatives Decide which ethical alternative is best Do whats indicated ( implement solution)) Determine whether the decision was a good one and follow up. Managers often have computer terminals at their desks so they can get internal records and external data of all kinds. But again no data in the world can replace a manager who is creative and make brilliant decisions. Decision-making is more art than a science. Its the one skill most needed by managers and leaders in that all the other functions depend on it. Task 2 Provide a range of practical methods suitable for developing or improving the skills discussed in 1.1b Learning managerial skills: We have explored the broad categories of skills needed by various levels of management. Now lets be know more about specific skills needed to be a good manager. a) Verbal skills: The bulk of a managers duty will involve communicating with others. a communicate his idea to others. To prepare for such tasks, he should take oral communication courses. At least half of communication is skilled listening. A good manager mixes with other managers, workers, clients, stockholders, and others outside the firm . he or she listens to recommendations and complaints and acts on them. Active listening requires the asking of questions and feeding back what youve heard to let others know he is truly interested in what they say. b) Writing skills: Managers must also be able to write clearly and precisely. Much of what he want others to do must be communicated through memos, report, policies, and letters. Organizations every where is complaining about many graduates in ability to write clearly (which will affect our future managers). So if from now on, a future manager, develop good writing skills, he will be miles ahead of his competition. That means he must practice writing, it helps to write anything like, diary, letters, notes and so on. With practice he will develop the ability to write easily- just like he speaks. Also with this shill he will be more ready for his career in management. c) Computer skills: The office of the future will be an office full of computers and related technology. Memos, charts, letters, and most of other communication efforts will involve the computer. When a manger is practicing writing, practice on a word processor. The truly efficient manager of the future will be able to effectively use and take advantage of the continuing developments in technology. d) Human relations skills: A manger works with people and that means that good managers know how to get along with people, motivate them, and inspire them. People skills are learned by working with people. good leaders begin early by assuming leadership positions is sports, community groups, and so on. A manager must be aware of how others react with him. If he cause negative feelings or reactions, he has to learn why? He doesnt be afraid to make mistakes and upset others. That is how he could learn. But also he has to learn how to work with others . What is managing diversity? Is building systems and a culture that unite different people in common pursuit without undermining their diversity. Research has shown that heterogeneous (mixed) groups are more productive than homogenous (similar) groups in the work place .men and women, young and old, and all other mixes of people can learn not only to work together but also to work together with more success. In the future, mangers must learn how to deal effectively with people from different cultures. Managers will also be asked to work in foreign countries. The more skilled he can become in other languages and in working with diverse cultural groups, he will be an effective manager. e) Time management skills: One of the most important skills for new mangers to learn how to budget their time effectively. There are many demands on managers time that they need to learn to control telephone interruption, visits from colleagues, questions from subordinates, meetings scheduled by higher management, and such. . This could be by setting priorities, delegating work, choosing activities that produce the mot results and dealing with interruption. f) Technical skills: To rise through the ranks of accounting, marketing, finance, production or, any other functional area , the manager should be proficient in that area. About 60 percent of top mangers have taken courses beyond their bachelors degree. The most common areas of technical expertise among top managers are accounting and finance together. Marketing came in second. Slightly more than half of the top 1000 chief executive officers in the country has a graduate degree. As an example of the skills needed by managers to carry out their work successfully, Ill apply it on my organization and how they are trying to develop these skills from now .They believe that we are the future managers and professors, so we have to learn and apply these skills from now on . I work as a teacher assistant in MIU ( Misr International University). We use to have to attend workshops to improve and develop our ( assistants) skills. These work shops were mainly discussing the following topics : Lesson planning Class management Time management Presentation skills Look at these , these are skills needed from us to have as future professors in MIU.We have to learn how to control a class, how to deal with trouble makers, how to finish what we plan for in the time required..etc. They kept telling us that we are the managers of the class . They resembled the class as an entire organization and Im the leader, manager, controller and evaluator . also they train us to parctice talking in English all the time , to be able to handle all the class teaching in English. Also we have to have excellent computer skills. All of these skills is better off to be learned from now , to apply it in our future careers. This is a simple article from the internet disscussing what should managers do to develop their career. What is expected of me? How well am I doing? Sales Manager: You need to learn how to do relationship selling. Sales Associates response: What exactly does that mean? Executive to manager: You need to be more of a leader and less of a traditional manager. Managers response: What exactly does that mean? The world of work is changing so fast, its difficult to communicate changing expectations quickly and clearly. This is especially true in areas such as sales skills, project management skills and leadership skills. The changes expected in these areas arent easy to observe and measure and, up to now, most companies didnt attempt it. But with competition heating up and hierarchies melting down, the focus on performance and career development has become more intense. For this reason, competencies have become a new tool in the workplace. Competencies are clearly spelled out expectations for a certain role (a leader) or a job (sales associate). They go far beyond a job description to create a template for ideal performance. This tool can then be used for things such as hiring, day-to-day coaching, training and development and performance reviews. Once individuals know what the expected competencies are, the next question is, How am I doing on them now? Many organizations put the competencies into a format that can be used as a feedback instrument. Then they use it to gather 360 degree feedback. This refers to getting feedback from people all around you; your boss, your peers and your employees. Gathering feedback from other colleagues has many advantages. In addition to his or her managers feedback, it also reveals what peers and employees think. It is more comprehensive and less prone to individual bias, since there are multiple perspectives. For example, a manager, who may have thought that his boss was just being picky about his communication skills, will begin to take it seriously when everyone around him is also suggesting that he needs improvement in that area. But there are pitfalls to avoid when setting up competencies and a feedback system like this. If it isnt done well, the damage control will overshadow any good that may have come from it. Here are some things to consider:  · Create a participatory process, where representatives help to establish the competencies and how they will be used. If this process is done to them, rather than by giving them some control, there will be more resistance during implementation.  · Make the competencies as specific to the job as possible. The more generic they are the less effective they will be. In addition, it is key to word the competencies in behavioral language, so everyone knows what the competency means. For example, instead of Effective sales skills, include some behaviors, such as, Builds trust through accountability, honesty and follow-though, or Looks for additional ways to help clients solve their business problem before, during and after the sale, or Makes realistic commitments for themselves and the team, and does what it takes to keep those commitments.  · Use the feedback for coaching and development rather than a for a performance review or to weed out ineffective managers. Although it can eventually be folded into the performance review process, it creates less defensiveness if people have a chance to work on their skill gaps before they are evaluated on them. It isnt fair to surprise employees with a performance review on expectations they havent seen before.  · No matter how open the culture is, people are reluctant to be honest unless they can give feedback anonymously. Later, if managers are genuinely willing to discuss their feedback openly, individuals will come forward with their personal feedback and advice. Initially, each manager should collect data from a minimum of three or more peers and three or more employees so that confidentiality is preserved.  · Time and trouble can be avoided by using an experienced third party to guide the group and to independently gather and tabulate the feedback for each manager. When we help organizations with this process, we find that people are more willing to be honest when they know that a neutral party is doing the tabulation and individual feedback reports.  · Give the data and any summary report back to the manager, not to their boss. Hold managers accountable for creating an action plan that they will co-develop with their manager. The plan should include how they plan to leverage their top strengths and how they plan to improve their weaker areas. The plan should also include how the boss can help with that development.  · An overall report on the organizations strengths and development needs can be used to determine what the training priorities are, what should be included in a core curriculum and where training dollars should be spent.  · An independent third party can provide help to a manager who is struggling with his/her feedback and what to do about it. If they are unfavorably surprised by what their peers or employees think, they will probably appreciate guidance in how to approach their colleagues for more clarity.  · Managers should meet with their manager at least once a year to go over their action plan and discuss progress. The best career development happens on the job, so its important that manager play an active role by coaching their employee, giving them new and challenging assignments that will play to their strengths and develop weaker areas. Companies are realizing that more sophisticated performance management has a bottom -line pay off and individuals are demanding more coaching and development on the job. Systems like these can be a win/win for everyone. Outcome 2 Personal Skills Audit Task 3 Provide evidence of the various personal skills audits carried out as an aid to understanding where you stand with regards to achieving the objective of becoming a more effective manager. These to include the obligatory analyses of the personal learning style and skills audit. Choose from the strengths and weaknesses these reveal, samples that will affect the development of the 4 skills from outcome 1 (1.2a). SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT Good Time Management is an essential quality for anyone who needs to work efficiently and effectively in an everyday working environment. It is essential if you are to achieve the organizations objectives and indeed the individuals personal objectives. There are many techniques which, when combined, give an individual (or team) the skills required to time manage the task effectively. In a nutshell, time management is all about making the most efficient and effective use of your time. Some examples of these skills and techniques are as follows: a. Planning and Organization b. Prioritizing c. Delegating d. Review and Monitoring PLANNING AND ORGANISATION Information/Anticipation: Successful planning requires accurate information from which decisions are eventually made. This accurate information is crucial if these decisions are to be well judged and implemented successfully. An element of anticipation is also a bonus if you are able to best guess a possible arising which may influence your decision. Flexibility: The planning must also be flexible as not all plans are set in concrete Circumstances change and the overall plan must remain flexible and capable of change as the situation determines. Sufficient time spent planning can greatly reduce the overall time taken to complete an activity and should always consider all factors which may have an influence on the tasks final outcome. By giving the objective the correct amount of time in the planning phase, and by factoring in any events which could (if not considered) destroy or devalue the overall outcome of the task. Goal Setting: By ensuring clear goals are set from the outset, and by keeping a constant review of the tasks progress, a successful outcome should ensue when coupled with other skills and techniques in successful time management. Planning should be considered not just in the short term for each single objective but also include daily, weekly and long term planning. PRIORTISING As suggested, planning alone will not necessarily ensure successful objectives are met. Allocated time must also be prioritized in a manner that focuses on the goals set during the planning phase. Many people often spend their day in a frenzy of activity but because they are prioritizing their time correctly, they achieve a lot less output. PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SKILLS REQUIRED TO MANAGE EFFECTIVELY ATTRIBUTES OF A MANAGER To manage effectively, an individual requires many skills and various personal qualities to enable the successful completion of his, or her, objectives. The skills and qualities combine to shape the management style of the individual and the style can directly affect the final outcome of the task completion. These attributes could be broken into four main headings as follows: Proficiency Technical Competence Social and Human skills Conceptual Ability Within each of the above headings there are many sub groups which all combine to give the individual manager his unique style of management which can, or may not be, particularly effective. SPECIFIC COMPETENCES Communication: Managing well requires sound communication skills above all else. No manager can relay their planning and intentions without this basic skill. It is vital that communication, by whatever means, relays the information to the staff and that more importantly, the information is understood and deliverable. Two way communication is essential, everyone will have some part to play in the exchange of information and the communication process. Planning: Sound planning ensures the objectives are met and met within the framework of the organizations structure. Effective planning at the outset will ensure there is a realistic chance of completion in line with the goals set. Knowledge and Information gathering: Planning without the necessary information will very often prove unsuccessful. It is vital that the information is gathered and the plan drawn up based on this information. Accurate information is essential if the plan is to prove a success. Problem solving/decision making: As with any plan there are nearly always options and many ways to skin a cat This will involve decision making and problem solving which the manager can make more effectively if the correct information is in place and the correct people in the team consulted. Time prioritizing: Good time management is vital, without it the manager will become less and less effective as his or her time will be spent less and less productively. The art of successful time management is one which all successful managers must master. Training and Development: The workforce can only be as good as they training they receive and the same applies to management. Personal development and training aimed at improving managerial technique should always be encouraged. Review and Monitor: As with all managed tasks, the monitoring and review of the progress and outcome is essential if lessons are to be learned and improved techniques are to be developed. The process on review should encourage an exchange of information of all those personnel involved and sound two-way communication is essential. Goal Setting: The planning and information gathering stage will provide sufficient knowledge for a manager to set some targets and goals. If this information is accurate and the manager skilled in making judgment, a realistic goal can be set with achievable outcomes in the time given. Interpersonal Skills: The ability of the manager to relate to his staff is vital. It is this communication and personal skill which will persuade the staff member to perform for his manager, that feeling of inclusion and a belonging which the manager relays to his staff member. The successful manager needs to be caring, companionate, and where possible remain calm under a crisis. Listening skills are also essential as are negotiating skills. A good team player normally combines most of these interpersonal skills and uses them to good effect in everyday management. 3. PERSONAL SKILLS AUDIT AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN TABLE 1:- PERSONAL SKILLS AUDIT Skills Examples and evidence Score 1 5 (5 highest) Communication and Literacy skills Good use of written English gained from producing engineering assignments and written formal management reports during my seven years in the Aeronautical Research and Development. department at Bae Systems. Oral presentation skills adequate and improving. Many chances to practice them in seminars and presentations. Prefer making individual presentations to group presentations as then I am more in control of the structure and flow etc. In future I intend practicing any presentation that I have to give in front of a small audience of friends a few times in order to check that it has good content, structure and timing. I am also developing communication skills in a work context. Clear communication between myself and my sub contractors and boss is important. Also, am developing good interpersonal and communication skills in my contact with colleagues at work as well as in my dealings with customers. 4 Group Interpersonal Skills Working with others I have plenty of experience of working as part of a team and being an effective member of a group. This began with sport at school and continued throughout my 27 years in the armed forces where teamwork is essential and vital in certain situations. My current employment offers frequent opportunity to take part in group work as part of the weekly team planning and reporting meetings. I always try to make a positive contribution as my final decision on the outcome of the discussions will decide if the objectives are met, or not. At work, I play the lead role in decision making but consult all my team members on a democratic basis.. This ensures all the team members have a valued input and builds a healthy team ethos. I think that I am quite good at welcoming new employees and helping people to fit in and adjust to the pattern of work. I want to improve my leadership skills further through courses targeted in this area and by continuing to plan and organize team events and expeditions. 4 Organization Personal Skills Independent Learning and Working I am self-motivated as long as the task is interesting and holds my attention. The freedom to make decisions free from senior managers input helps greatly and means I can plan and schedule the work as I choose. Although I feel my Time Management is quite strong, I aim to improve my time management strategies regarding the meeting of programme deadlines for the customer. I currently hold three levels of Sports coaching award and coach Tennis at several different locations. This requires commitment and dedication as the lessons are not always charged for. I have had a number of jobs in the past two years and have been lucky in that I have had to take the responsibility and act on my own initiative in each of the roles. 3 Research Problem Solving Skills I try to view problems as challenges rather than major obstacles. I think that I am systematic and logical when it comes to thinking about problems and their solution. I have developed these skills both as an individual and as part of working in groups where the group task which we are set is frequently of a problem-solving nature, have also gained a good grasp of the processes which one needs to go through to solve problems i.e. problem definition, generating alternative solutions, selection of most appropriate response and the eventual implementation of a carefully-considered solution. 4 ICT Skills I started developing computer skills when I entered into the Research and Development department 9 years ago. I have since carried out the European Computer Driving Licence and work regularly with all MS Office products. I also use MS Project for my planning and scheduling of works but am without formal training on this software. I would like to spend some time on a placement course to improve my skills on this product. I am confident using e-mail and use it on a daily basis both to communicate with my clients, customers and sub-contractors. I also use email a great deal at home to keep in touch with my friends and family. I use the internet for research as well as online banking and booking holidays, reservations, flowers and shopping etc. 4 Application of Numerical Techniques Good basic grounding in maths skills including graphs/charts GCSE grade A and BTEC mechanical engineering. I have good skills at mental arithmetic which is vital for fast track quotations for the customer during unforeseen work and additional items not scheduled. 4 Outcome 3 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN Task 4 Provide a personal development plan- see format supplied by Edexcel showing how you intend to use the knowledge from outcomes 1 and 2 to further enhance or develop the skills you need to improve your managerial effectiveness. This to include a statement of objectives (SMART) and a SWOT analysis.(1.3a) DELEGATION Another important technique of successful time management is the ability to delegate work effectively. Delegation, used wisely, is an essential tool of the successful manager. It can free valuable time to enable the manager to target his or her time more effectively and thereby increasing the chances of a successful outcome. Delegation should be applied using the S.M.A.R.T. principles and not over ambitious. Where: S à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Specific M à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Measurable A à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Achievable R à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Realistic T à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Time The delegation should achieve the desired results through a clear, concise brief which should match the authority and responsibility of the individual and should be used consistently and through the management/staff chain as required. Another positive outcome of successful delegation include improved flexibility within the team, upskilling, increase in morale and motivation, reduced sick leave and a improved team environment where team members feel more informed and inclusive. Task 5 Provide evidence of the monitoring and feedback undertaken where relevant and any adjustments made to the plan so that

Man Against Nature :: Environment Pollution

Man Against Nature I perceived, and continue to perceive, a severe problem with our culture. We see the space we inhabit as not wild, as not nature. Nature is in the parks, is in the mountains we drive over to sun ourselves on the beach, in unreachable and savage depths of countries like Brazil and continents like Africa. â€Å"That is nature,† we say, â€Å"not this, not our home, not our workplace.† A favorite author of mine calls this an â€Å"estranged worldview†, a term she borrowed herself from Friedrich Engels. She describes it thusly: â€Å"We are strangers to natur, to other human beings, to parts of ourselves. We see the world as made up of separate, isolated, nonliving parts that have no inherent value. â€Å"They are not even dead – because death implies life.)†[i] She goes on to say that â€Å"when nature is empty of spirit, forests and trees become merely timber, something to be measured in board feet, valued only for its profitability, not . . . even for its part in the larger ecosystem.†[ii] Starhawk, the author, finds the roots of an estranged worldview laid deep into our past, two millennia and more. In the Enlightenment, she tells us, the separation of the divine and the mundane (from the Latin word mundus, meaning â€Å"world†) promoted by Christianity became what she calls the â€Å"machine image†, a very telling metaphor.[iii] In such a worldview, when we are told by William McDonough that he wants to build a â€Å"building like a tree†, we find the statement odd ad perhaps even laughable. Trees are alive. Buldings aren’t. It seems so simple. I will return to that idea of a â€Å"building like a tree†. By now, you might be protesting to the invisible author – me – that you do connect yourself to nature, that you visit national parks, enjoy camping and hiking, perhaps even teach Environmental Science classes. McDonough and his chemist cohort, Michael Braungart, wonder if â€Å"it is all too easy to leave our reverance in the parking lots.†[iv] Being designers, they take a look at less abstract demonstrations of the estranged worldview than does Starhawk (a Wiccan spiritual and ethical author), and they find it in the famed â€Å"view† that every middle management type is looking to have from his corner office after the promotion.

The Peach Tree Essay -- Observation Essay, Descriptive Essay

The Peach Tree When I reminisce about my childhood, the fondest memories I have revolve around food. We often went on picnics to the beach. There at the water's edge, my father would struggle to light the charcoal in the wind that kept both the hot dogs and the kids cold. My mothers' anise-sweetened bread was the perfect match for ham every Easter morning, afternoon, and the days that followed. On my birthday we always had gnocchi, fluffy pillows of pasta that melted in our mouths, tossed with an ethereal tomato sauce. In August we had peaches and not just any peaches, peaches from our peach tree. I loved our peach tree. I love the memory of that tree. In retrospect, the peach tree was an integral part of my childhood. I cannot recall when we first got the peach tree. It seems as if it was always there in the backyard. I do know that it was a gift from my aunt and uncle who worked at Del Monte's Agricultural Research Facility. Whether it was a rare or special breed, I wonder. The fruit was so sweet that I can't imagine Del Monte choosing such a fine specimen only to douse it in heavy simple syrup. Whatever its parentage, it was our good fortune to receive such a tree; it produced the sweetest, most succulent peaches I've ever eaten. The peach tree was special to us. It was, in fact, the only tree in our small yard. We grew through the seasons with it. Every February the first bits of pink showed through the tightly closed flower buds. By March, it was covered in pink, like overgrown cotton candy. In April, little flecks of green accented the pink blossoms and slowly pushed out the pink until a fresh, vibrant green blanketed the crown of the tree. During this transition, the lawn became a carpet of pink. Then slowly th... ... the old tree was producing only a few runt-sized fruit. One winter my parents cut down the tree. It left a scar on the lawn and a barren space in the yard. I hadn't thought much about that old tree for some time. It was the peach tree, after all, along with my grandparents' vegetable garden that planted the seed, so to speak, of my passion for the garden. The first fruit trees I planted in my own backyard were peaches. When I told my sisters that I was writing about the peach tree, they both smiled a familiar smile. For a moment, they were transported to another place and time. And I knew that it wasn't simply nostalgia seen through the nearsighted eyes of memory, it was real. In the years that have followed I have never found a peach as large, juicy and luscious as the ones from our tree. It may have been Del Monte's secret special breed, but I think it was more.

Life in Russia

It is quite possible that Russia may be best known for it†s long, and bitter winters. This extreme coldness also aided the country as a whole by keeping invaders at bay; For example, Adolf Hitler, and his Nazi army, were hesitant in entering the country during World War II. In Moscow, snow covers the ground for at least five months of the year. In the Northernmost region of Russia, there is snow present for between eight and ten months. Most of the coastal waters, such as: ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams, remain frozen during the majority of the year. But after the harsh winter months have past, the weather swings harshly in the opposite direction. During the warmest days of the summer, it is not uncommon for the mercury to hit 100? F, although they average around 60? F. Precipitation throughout the year, rain, sleet, and snow, is usually light to moderate. The wettest part of the country is the European Plain, or the East Siberian Uplands, where rain falls on a daily basis during the spring. The majority of the vast inland receives little or no rain, but approximately four feet of snow during the winter. Russians, like Americans, enjoy watching television, and reading. They also love to play chess; visit the movie theaters; soak up the culture of an opera, or play; travel to a local museum; go for a walk, or participate in sports. The government of Russia strongly supports athletic events, especially team sports. Soccer is unopposed as the most popular participant, and spectator sport in the country. Russians also enjoy gymnastics, basketball, and during the winter, ice hockey is a hit among the children of the countrymen. Russians also enjoy nature. They really enjoy going on hikes, and spending time in the forests. Many have country cottages called dachas. There, they garden, hike, bicycle, swim, fish, gather mushrooms, and take part in the other outdoor activities. Russian people also love going on vacation to places other than their dachas during the summer. Popular vacationing sites include: the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Volga River. In Russia, fighting has been a way of life, as seen during all parts of its history. Russia has been a fighting country since the 800†³s. They were involved in constant war with the Mongols. Also, civil war has been a enormous problem for the Russians. In the early 1600†³s, a civil war broke out, inspired by an invasion by the Mongols, and the political confusing that followed about killed the country as a whole. Most recently, Russia was involved in World War I, fighting countries such as Germany, and Austria-Hungary. Shortly after, there was another civil war between the Communists and the anti-Communists. This war lasted two years, and ended up with a communist victory that led to the establishment of the USSR, or the Union of Soviet Social Republics, or in Russian, Rus Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, A union of the several countries that lay around Russia. Politically the USSR was divided (from 1940 to 1991) into 15 constituent or union republics-, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia Gerogia, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldavia Russia, Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, until its breakup in 1991. Since then, Russia, and other Soviet republics have become independent nations. The most well known being the Ukraine. Ukraine broke off, and quickly established its own currency, the Ukraine Ruble. The Ukraine is constantly bragging to Russia of all its wealth, but the Ukraine also boasts much higher inflation, and higher unemployment, for they are not as successful as they brag to Russia to be. Russia†s health care is free to its citizens. The government cares a lot about the health of its citizens, and it most certainly shows. They†re committed to meeting the basic needs of its people. Because of their poor economic state, the government does not have sufficient funds to support its health-care systems. This has led to medicine and equipment shortages, and low wages for health-care providers. Russia has an abundance of farmland. Due to the short growing season, insufficient rainfall, and lack of fertile soil, farming in Russia is extremely difficult. Many of the farms are operated like government factories. These farms are called sovkhozys. People do work, but don†t have much say in what†s grown. The other farms, called Kolkhozys, are government controlled, but partly managed by the farmers. What goes on here is that the farmers decide what to grow and the government tells them if it is acceptable to them or not. The major crops grown in Russia are barely, fruits, oats, potatoes, sunflowers, rye, sugar beets, and wheat. The diet of the Russians is very healthy and hearty. They eat bread virtually every meal. They also consume large quantities of sugar. Their main method of preparing food is by frying. They also drink large amounts of tea because coffee is too expensive. Their trademark drink is Vodka. They also drink wine, champagne, beer, and other alcoholic beverages. Alcohol abuse has been and remains to be a major social problem in Russia. The education in Russia is much different then the USA†s method of education its people. It consists of first through 10th grade, plus higher education. Using this method, which may seem abridged to Americans, eliminates two years of useless classes, and allows for Russians to leave school, and either begin to work, or go on to higher education. Elementary school consists of first through fourth grade. Classes meet six days a week for 4 ? hours a day with shorter periods on Saturday. Courses include math, art, music, language, P. E. , simple skills, and history. Intermediate grades consist of fifth through eighth grade. They meet thirty hours a week and are taught, zoology, physics, geography, shop work, and chemistry. Secondary grades consist of ninth through tenth grades and consist of math, science and work skills in different trades. This is to meet the governments need for specialists in science and Industry. Graduates with high marks receive medals and are relieved from required mandatory services so the can continue their education; these mandatory services include 2 years of military service for all graduates, except when they are relieved to pursue higher education. The higher schools that are present in Russia consist of 650 specialized schools and 70 universities which are currently educating some 6 ? illion students. Most programs take five years to complete, and then they must work for the government for 3 years, in order to repay their country for relieving them of their mandatory military service. They receive their diploma after one year of work. Russia thinks education is their road to success, and instead of offering countless useless classes, Russia provides healthy education, with strong emphasis on chemistry. They have over 52 million students and a strong majority of Russia†s country men are able to read and write in their native language. The U. S. S. R has a long constitution that gives all political power to the people and their elected representatives. However the country†s completely controlled by the communists. The Soviet Union lets no other political party to oppose the communist party. The ironic thing is only 17 million of the people in Russia are actually communists. Russia†s government resembles a triangle because each government body has to report to a higher authority. At the top of this triangle is the Supreme Soviet of the USSR The members are elected to 5 year terms and they only meet twice a year for about two weeks. They pass without question all the laws proposed by the communists party. The freedom of the Supreme Soviet is the head of state or president. He is elected by the communist leaders and he handles legislative matters between sessions of the Supreme Soviet. The council of Ministers are another government group in Russia and are the highest executive body. It controls economic and cultural life through various ministries and committees. The council of ministries also handles relations with other nations. It consists of 120 members, many of them are the highest ranking officials in the communist party. The Russian Orthodox Church was the central religion of Russia until the communists came to power. Communists are atheistic (people who are against the belief in God or Gods) and they view religion as â€Å"Opium for the people† a drug, or disease. When the communists came to power they destroyed churches and killed church leaders. However religion in Russia survived. In the 1940†³s, persecutions and restrictions eased up mainly because the church supported the governments choice of being involved in world war two. Then in the late 1850†³s the communists began closing non official places of worship. They also tried hard to discourage religion through education and propaganda. Still religion survived, there are 20 to 45 million followers of the Russian Orthodox Church; The people in the former Soviet Union are still among the most spiritually open people in the world – especially the youth – and for this, the number is rising. Muslims are the second largest religious group. Some religions like Jehovah†s witness are strictly prohibited by the communists. Russian language is remarkably similar even though there is such a diverse population. Russian language is understood from the west to the east part of the country. The Russian language is based on the Cyrillic alphabet. Certain minorities in Russia have their own language but they speak Russian as a second language. Russia like most countries has both urban and rural life styles. ? of Russia†s people live in cities. Russia has 35 cities that have 800,000 people or more, and Moscow along with St. Petersberg has 4 million. Many modern conveyances such as plumbing and air conditioning are not found. There is also a shortage of food and too much crime in Russian cities. Farmers populate much of Russia rural areas. There is also a lot less education and health care in the rural areas of Russia, for schools are not easily paid for in areas such as these. Russia is one of the richest countries on natural resource. Russia†s vast area provides for a lot of forest space, and water for hydraulic energy. There are also extensive mineral deposits. Russia also has a wide variety of plant and animal life. Industry is vital to Russia†s economy. Moscow and St. Petersberg are the biggest areas for manufacturing in Russia. Russia produces a lot heavy machinery and has many chemical, oil, and plant refineries as well. St. Petersberg also has a large ship building industry, and an even larger airplane parts industry. There is heavy trading with the US in airplane parts. Russia†s chemical plants produce items such as chemical fibers, mineral fertilizers, plastics, and synthetic resins. Transportation in Russia is very difficult because of its lack of roads and it†s vastness. Trains are the most common form of transportation and shipping. Aero Flat is Russia†s national airline and makes up most airline travel, although most people are unable to afford the enormous bill created by purchasing an airline ticket through Aero Flat. Roads are not commonly found because only 60 out of every 1,000 Russians own a car. City travel in Russia is taken care of by buses, trains, and subways. Communication equipment is unevenly distributed and not modernized, because of this only 15 out of every 100 Russians own a telephone. Russia is in a state of economic turmoil at the moment. It has had a lot of trouble moving from a centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. However Russia is making advancements under president Yeltsin; Inflation fell from 131% to 22% in 1996. These advancements are partially due to the fact that now, 80% of industry is now privatized; meaning, that 80% of all goods produced in Russia, are produced in a private sector of the country, by companies who control themselves. As of May 16, 1999, one United States Dollar would be converted into 24. 7367 Russian Rubles. Currently over 30 billion United States Dollars circulate throughout Russia, for just as in all foreign countries, the Russians hold on to the Dollars, and when the exchange rate is just right, they can make a pretty profit from their Dollar. Unemployment is not a very big problem in Russia. Only 9. 3% of its population remain unemployed, leaving a 73 million manned labor force ready to work. Many of these men work closely with the government, packaging and shipping exports, or receiving and checking over its imports. Major exports of the country include petroleum, natural gas, metals, and chemicals. Hard to find in Russia, and therefore heavily imported are: machinery, medicines, meat, grains, and especially sugar. The majority of this trading is done with North America, although Russia is also close trade partners with most of Europe, Japan, and some third world countries.