Employee Motivation: Implementing Mcclelland’s Three Needs Theory

Employee Motivation: Implementing McClelland's Three Needs Theory Fundamentals of Management MGT 3371 September 30, 2010 ABSTRACT What motivates employees to perform? Is it money? Power and prestige? Camaraderie? Personal achievement? On the surface, it is logical to assume that money motivates people to work. Money is needed to meet the basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. The more money you make, the more things you can afford to buy. Yes, money is a great motivator. But is it THE motivating factor that drives employees to perform? What about power and prestige?Is that â€Å"atilla the hun† type executive more influenced by his big paycheck or is it his need for control, recognition and status symbols that drives him? What about camaraderie? Some workers excel in work environments where there is a lot of human interaction and harmony within the group. Others prefer to work alone, rarely having to deal with other people. What about personal achievement? Take for e xample, two employees who go to work for the same company at the same time, same job, same pay. One stays on the same job for 20 years content with where he is.The other, over the same 20 years, advances within the company to more and more difficult jobs with more and more responsibility until he reaches upper management where he finds himself not nearly as happy as the other guy. He is making much more money, yet he is unhappy. Perhaps, he never was â€Å"suited† for a management position. Is there a way to know which employees are better suited for which jobs? David McClelland thought there was. He believed that if we could identify what it was that motivated employees then we could put them into the appropriate jobs to meet those needs.This in turn would produce a motivated workforce contributing to economic growth (Nohria ; Groysberg, 2008). McClelland developed a theory known as the three needs theory or the learned needs theory. He proposed that an individual's needs ar e acquired over time and are shaped by our life experiences. Most of these needs can be classified as either achievement, affiliation, or power. Motivation and effectiveness on the job are influenced by these three needs. Achievement The first of the three needs is achievement (nAch).People who are achievement-motivated tend to look for ways of doing things better, making improvements. They are not gamblers, but do like some moderate risk. They enjoy tasks that are not too hard nor too easy. In their eyes, if it is too difficult, they risk failure. Too easy and they don't feel a sense of accomplishment, anybody could do it (Dowling, 1972). To the high achiever, achievement is more important than financial reward. Meeting goals is more rewarding than praise and recognition. Feedback is essential to achievement motivated employees.It can be in a number of different forms. Meeting and/or exceeding goals and expectations (such as sales goals) is one way. Money is also a form of feedback , as it let's the person know that they are performing well. They see financial rewards as a measurement of success rather than a means to an end. They prefer feedback about their work over comments about their personal characteristics. People who are assessed as high achievers are likely to be the employees who get things done. They are the ones who make things happen and get results.They prefer jobs in which their success depends on their own efforts and abilities rather than chance and factors beyond their control. Achievement-motivated people are well suited for jobs in sales, real estate, business management and entrepreneurial roles such as owner of a small business. Affiliation The second of the three needs is affiliation (n-Affil). Affiliation-motivated people have a need for friendly relationships and prefer interaction with other people. They like atmospheres that are cooperative, supportive, and friendly.A sense of belonging and group conformity is preferred to working al one. The affiliation-motivated employee is your team player. They work well in customer service and client interaction situations (Yukl, 1989) People who score low in affiliation tend to be loners and may be uncomfortable in social situations. They often lack motivation to maintain social contacts so important in networking, group presentations, public relations, and maintaining personal relations with peers and subordinates. Therefore, low n-Affil do not make the best managers. Power The third of the three needs is power (nPOW).Power, or authority-motivated people have a drive to be influential, effective, and make their mark. Personal status and prestige are important to them. There are two types of power included in the â€Å"need for power† category, personal power and institutional power. People who are driven by a need for personal power have a desire to be in control, to direct others. They may exercise their power impulsively. There is also tendencies toward being rud e, drinking excessively, sexual harassment, and collecting symbols of their power such as fancy cars, big offices, etc. faculty. css. edu). Institutional or social power motivated people have a need to organize the efforts of others and further the goals of the company or organization. They make great leaders. They tend to use their power in ways that benefit others and the company rather than for personal gain. Money is secondary to the need for power. Institutional power motivated people can be found in top management positions. Measuring Needs How do we find out where we fall on the needs scale?McClelland used the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) to measure the needs of individuals. During the test, the subject is presented with a picture and they have to come up with a story that explains the picture. The idea is that the person will inject his or her own needs into the story they come up with. For example, in McClelland's book â€Å"The Achieving Society†, a picture is s hown that depicts a boy sitting at a desk with an open book in front of him. To a low achiever, the picture may appear to be a boy who is just daydreaming or reading.To a high achiever however, they may see a boy who is taking a one hour exam. He is almost finished and trying to think it through. He is upset with himself because he studied hard but still can't come up with all of the answers. This anxiety would indicate someone who cares a lot about achievement. The TAT has been shown to give fairly reliable results in assessing the needs for achievement, affiliation, and power. It can be a very effective tool to use for identifying what types of jobs are suited to different people.For example, if you are looking for someone to fulfill the role of management in a large organization, look for someone who scores high in nPOW, moderate in nACH, and moderate in nAFF. Owner/managers of small businesses typically will have scores of nACH-high, nPOW- moderate, and nAFF- low (faculty. css. edu). Conclusion Using David McClelland's â€Å"Three Needs Theory† can be a useful tool in identifying strengths and weaknesses of employees. By identifying those strengths and weaknesses, employees can be placed in roles that not only meet their needs, but the company's as well.Happy employees perform better and produce more. They will stay with the company rather than going elsewhere to meet their needs. In today's economy, companies are under pressure to reduce costs and ensure that their employees have the necessary skills to not only compete effectively, but to ensure the companies survival (Derven, 2008). Assessing employee's needs is certainly one way to meet that goal.References Derven, M. (2008). LESSONS LEARNED: Using Competency Models to target Training Needs. T+D,62(12), 68-73. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database. Dowling, W. (1972). Conversation†¦ with DAVID McCLELLAND. Organizational Dynamics,  1(1), 56-72. Retrieved from Business Source Prem ier database faculty. css. edu/McClelland. html. Retrieved September 30, 2010. McClelland, D. , ; Burnham, D. (1976). Power is the Great Motivator. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from ERIC database. Nohria, N. , Groysberg, B. , ; Lee, L. (2008). Employee Motivation. Harvard Business Review,  86(7/8), 78-84. Retrieved from Business Source Premier database

Causes & Symptoms of Stress

For many people, stress is so commonplace that it has become a way of life. Modern life is full of hassles, deadlines, frustrations, and demands. Stress isn’t always bad. In small doses, it can help you perform under pressure and motivate you to do your best. But when you’re constantly running in emergency mode, your mind and body pay the price. The events that provoke stress are called stressors, and they cover a whole range of situations everything from outright physical danger to making a class presentation or taking a semester's worth of your toughest subject. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life. The body does not distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you’re stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be on most of the time. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off. Long term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression. However, anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful. This includes positive events such as getting married, buying a house, going to college, or receiving a promotion. What causes stress depends, at least in part, on your perception of it. Something that's stressful to you may not faze someone else; they may even enjoy it. You may feel like the stress in your life is out of your control, but you can always control the way you respond. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. Stress management involves changing the stressful situation when you can, changing your reaction when ou can’t, taking care of yourself, and making time for rest and relaxation. You can’t completely eliminate stress from your life, but you can control how much it affects you. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing activate the body’s relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. When practiced regularly, these activities lead to a reduction in your everyday stress levels and a boost in your feelings of joy and serenity. They also increase your ability to stay calm and collected under pressure.

Literature Review for research on benefits of prekindergarten programs Essay

Literature Review for research on benefits of prekindergarten programs on literacy readiness - Essay Example The paper tells that Assel, Landry, Swank, and Gunnewig (2007) conducted an investigation to prove that American pre-school children lack sufficiency in language and literary skills to move forward to kindergarten. Prior to conducting this, they have their reference from two language and literacy curricula. In order to justify their point, Assel, Landry, Swank and Gunnewig created a pre and post-test design and initiated them to 603 children as chosen respondents plus a control group. In the data analysis, they formulated a multilevel growth curve modeling having child outcomes as dependent variables, while child’s level performance and rate of growth between pre and post test as independent variables. Based on the result, compared to those in the control group, the skills of children under language and literacy curricula have significant improvement. Thus, the proponents concluded that a well-specified curriculum in prekindergarten programs has a substantial impact on childre n’s learning. In conclusion, it is obvious that prekindergarten programs have remarkable impacts on children’s literacy. However, understanding this aspect requires careful evaluation of the subject matter itself. The entire issue is not only confined in the actual evaluation of children’s literacy skills but including their environment and especially the entire prekindergarten program itself. At this point, it would be remarkable to consider the most obvious about how prekindergarten programs could be maximized for children’s literacy benefits.

Samsung Electronics Brand Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Samsung Electronics Brand - Coursework Example The objective of this paper is to evaluate the term 'brand' as it extends to cover the products in the electronics market in general and to examine the strategies followed by Samsung Electronics in building a powerful global brand. The study also examines the strengths and weaknesses of the electronic market to suggest more effective brand marketing strategies. On the basis of a survey conducted among the consumers of electronic products this study concludes that the branding has a large influence in promoting the sales of electronic products especially consumer electronic products in which segment Samsung is one of the major contenders. Extending the business on a global level has its own attractions as well as challenges a company or product has to face in achieving a global position. However it is a difficult proposition to achieve a completely global presence in all the markets with an identical core value. The decision of an organization to take its brand globally stems from the availability of many strategic opportunities like size and magnitude of market, displacement of potential competitors, and possible economies of scale, enlargement of revenue and margins and chances of enhancing innovations. However it must be remembered that each of these strategic opportunities has significant implications on the brand of a particular product that such implications are to be given full attention before setting out to explore newer markets. Failure to consider the brand implications may lead to utter failure of the marketing efforts in the alien soils. Market culture, buyer behaviour, current brand loyalties and many o ther considerations weigh with before any product is being

Ikea Global Sourcing Challenges Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ikea Global Sourcing Challenges - Case Study Example As the discussion stresses if the child labor evidence being utilized at Rangan Exports is precise, the supplier is in direct infringement of IKEA's clause of no child labor. Barner has two clear option decisions in managing this circumstance. In the first place, she can end the contract with the supplier in light of their rupture of the no child labor procurement. This option is legitimate and reliable with. The potential disservice of this option is that it may deny IKEA of a lucrative supplier relationship, and it might briefly slice off access to Indian floor covering sources. In that capacity, it might antagonistically effect IKEA's main concern. Barner's other alternative is to give the supplier a "notice" however look after relations, with the admonition that the supplier quit utilizing child laborers. This would have the upside of keeping up a conceivably lucrative supplier relationship.This paper highlights that  it would likewise give IKEA the chance to "instruct" supplie rs about the perils of child labor. On the drawback, this activity would be in spite of IKEA's set up policies. It could make an impression on different suppliers that IKEA may furtively excuse child labor while straightforwardly censoring it.  Neglecting to do as such would send the wrong message to different suppliers, expanding their dealing power, and damages IKEA's particular policies. Besides, it leaves IKEA open to charges of exploitative conduct.

Professional Values,Ethics and Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Professional Values,Ethics and Law - Essay Example Predefined ethics, legal or professional values are to be taken into consideration by individuals belonging to nursing profession. The code of conduct for nursing is distinct in comparison to other profession. United Kingdom encompasses a separate set of conduct for chief nurse and hospital trusts. The case study would be analyzed from different perspectives so as to identify appropriate action which could be taken by the student nurse. There are wide array of ethical theories incorporated in this essay. These theories would be thoroughly discussed with a clear reference to the case study. The legal documents to be highlighted in the study are Human Rights Act (1998), Data Protection Act (1998) and Family Law Reform Act (1969). All possible relevant literature shall be incorporated in order to explore ethical, legal or professional aspects in context of chosen scenario. There is a well defined structure followed in this essay. Firstly focus will be on ethical values in Kate’s consent, followed by professional and legal values. The study would be centred towards application of ethical values in nursing scenario. These three obligations would help to reflect upon solution for the particular case study. Consent from patient should be gained before any treatment is being undertaken. Ethical values play an integral role in nursing profession. Patients look upon nurses or doctors when their health conditions are at a stake. Honesty is always regarded as the best policy, but this philosophical aspect is highly controversial. The first ethical value is of truth telling. Health professionals can develop effective relationship with patients only on the basis of revealing truth. The quality of being loyal, honest or faithful is deeply rooted in nursing profession. However it is not just about telling truth to patients but it is more about being literal or factual. There is a high degree of

Management decisions & control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management decisions & control - Essay Example In this line, performance will mean how efficient the school is in using the provided resources, both human and material to produce results that are to be considered closely related to the expected results. The close relationship will result to high performance of the school. In such an environment, the performance will be measured by how well the students are trained to become business professionals and how well they are prepared to face the business environment outside school. Additionally, the use of the available resources and the individual performance of each of the players that makeup the schools determines its performance (Lin & Lee 2011, pp 85-96). Performance of the business school can be brought about by a combination of several factors. It is first important to note that not a single player in the business school is capable of making impressive performance alone. There should be cooperation and collaboration in performance for the overall results to be considered a success. This, therefore, implies that one of the causes of performance in business school is cooperation. According to Berkeley (2007), Cooperation must be present between the administration and the students as well among the managers and the students separately. When there is effective teamwork, each performs at his or her capacity in the institution leading to achievement of a common goal (Berkeley 2007, p 384). Similarly, all operations in the school must be geared towards a common goal that should be emphasized for all to understand. When everyone understands his or her roles and the common goal performance is enhanced. Monitoring and evaluation with a perspective ready to effect change is also necessary to cause performance enhancement. There are various other drivers to performance besides cooperation. First, the business school and all the players in it must be committed towards the achievement of the common goals. Lack of commitment leads to failure in some pillars that

Marketing-Santa Fe Grill SPSS Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Marketing-Santa Fe Grill SPSS Analysis - Essay Example Summary statistics for some questions of interest are presented hereunder. The main objectives of this survey were as follows; The average frequency of eating at Joses Southwestern Cafà © was about 4 days per week while at Santa Fe Grill was approximately 3 days per week. Table 1 provides a breakdown of respondents’ frequency of eating for the two restaurants. 33.6% of respondents very frequently had meals at Joses Southwestern Cafà © as compared to 15.8% that very frequently had meals at Santa Fe grill. This is a confirmation of the dwindling customers for Santa fee grill. The pie charts below show the distribution of age by type of restaurant. From the chart, we can see that majority of the customers are aged between 35 and 49. This is true for both Santa Fe Grill and Jose’s Southwestern Cafà © restaurant. To be noted is the fact that Santa Fe has fewer customers aged between 26 and 43 than its competitor. Table 1c below shows the distribution of the number of children customers have at home for the two restaurants. This factor is believed to influence the type of restaurant one chooses to dine at. From the results, we can see that majority of Joses Southwestern Cafes’ customers (44.7%) have 1-2 children at home whereas the case of Santa Fe Grill majority of their customers has no children at home. In order to see if there is an association between a number of children at home and restaurant, a Pearson chi-square test was done and the results presented in table 1d show that at 5% level of significance, this association exists and it’s statistically significant. Table 1e presents results of a cross-tabulation of employee friendliness and restaurant. From the summary statistics, we learn that majority of customers at Santa Fe Grill (40.7%) disagree that the employees of the restaurant are friendly.  

Reflective of Romantic Ideologies Essay Example for Free

Reflective of Romantic Ideologies Essay â€Å"This Lime-tree bower my prison† is one of the most quoted examples of romanticism. Throughout the three stanzas, many romantic ideologies can be identified including aspects such as the romantic’s view towards nature, the power of the imagination and the emphasis on the individual. Romanticism emerged against a time of increased urbanisation and industrialisation, where people sought instead an immersion in nature instead. Coleridge’s poem exemplifies many of the feelings which the contemporaries of the time had towards nature, including impressions of its richness, its superiority to the city and the power of the divine reflected in nature. The countryside (nature) is portrayed as more valuable than the city, with Coleridge claiming that Charles â€Å"hunger’d after Nature, many a year, in the great City pent†, comparing the city to a prison, whilst nature is something to be desired. Using colourful descriptions such as â€Å"and that walnut-tree was richly ting’d† and â€Å"ye purple heath flowers†, Coleridge stimulates the richness and beauty of nature in the reader’s mind. Nature is given a sense of grandeur, vibrancy and vitality, reflecting the elevation of nature common to the time, with even the simple rook becoming a thing of momentary glory as it â€Å"cross’d the mighty Orb’s dilated glory†. Unlike in the Augustan age, where nature existed as something to be tamed by mankind, here nature exists in its own right. In fact, it is even seen to be raised up to a religious level, with Coleridge using the vocative terms â€Å"thou† and â€Å"ye† in reference to the Sun and clouds, essentially lifting them to the level of a deity. Hence they are able to partake in the majesty of God. The Romantics also believed that as nature reflected the divine, they were able to gain a better understanding of God and themselves from it in the form of epiphanies. As Constable says, the sky was â€Å"the organ of the sentiment†. Coleridge reflects this ideology in his own personal epiphany included in the poem, that sometimes one must â€Å"be bereft of promis’d good, that we may lift the soul, and contemplate with lively joy the joys we cannot share† and that â€Å"Nature ne’er deserts the wise and pure. † Through the power of nature, his own feelings and perceptions are gradually altered, with the changes in nature mirroring his inner changes. As the stanzas progress, he is less sorrowful for his situation and more appreciative. In the same way the colours of nature turn from â€Å"poor yellow leaves† to â€Å"broad and sunny leaf†, reflecting the power of nature in his transformation. Also reflective of this is the way the lime-tree bower turns from being a prison, into â€Å"this little lime-tree bower† with â€Å"transparent foliage. † In this way, nature is shown to echo his own experience, through the up and down notion of the poem, where the dell represents his frustrations and wistful longing before he comes up into the ‘wide wide heaven,’ signifying his newfound freedom and finally the serenity of nature shows his reflection. The romantic ideology of the role which the imagination plays in life also comes into play during this poem. Like nature, the imagination can also be used as a tool to foster a greater understanding of things and to transform one’s emotional state, yet it can also be used as a method of escapism from the present situation. Coleridge has said that it is the â€Å"visionary faculty that enables spiritual insight into the ultimate truth† and that it is the â€Å"prime agent of all human perception†. The romantics believed that the imagination held the power to reveal those things which we cannot ordinarily see with our rational minds. In â€Å"this lime-tree bower my prison† this takes place in the way his imaginative journey ultimately leads to a greater understanding of God and its power to change his perceptions about himself and his situation. It is through his imagination that his emotional state is transformed and he ultimately gains an intellectual and emotional release. This transformative power of imagination is similar to that of nature, being reflected in the evocative descriptions which appeal to the senses. After travelling on his imaginative journey, Coleridge is led to a change of feeling about the bower which ceases to be a prison and instead becomes a thing of comfort. It was his own mental processes which shaped it into a prison and it is through his imagination that he can escape this prison. Thus imagination is also presented as a form of escape the poet seeks, with the ability to transcend physical and psychological barriers, although he retains awareness that this is simply his imagination by words such as â€Å"perchance. † Lastly, Coleridge’s poem is reflective of the focus on the individual in omantic literature, where they are a solitary reflective figure as opposed to works focusing on the individual in society. Coleridge stresses the individual through writing in first person and interjecting many â€Å"I† phrases. The antithesis in the first line between â€Å"they are gone† and â€Å"here must I remain† firmly brings the attention to t he individual in the poem, focusing on this solitary figure and his feelings. The conversational style of the poem also helps by reproducing natural speech, giving the feeling of his own train of thought, coming naturally. In fact, the whole poem encapsulates this focus on the individual, with the structure mirroring his meditation, contemplating a problem and finding a solution to it. The form and structure of the poem is shaped around his thoughts and even the landscape reflects these through things such as the transformation in his descriptions of colour. The poem focuses on the individual’s perception of things and how these perceptions change over the course of time through things such as nature and the imagination. Thus, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, â€Å"This Lime-tree bower my prison† exemplifies many ideologies of Romanticism. The richness of nature and its divine role are explored through descriptive imagery, whilst the power of imagination is expressed as a means of learning and escape. Throughout all of this, the focus remains centred on the individual and the effects upon Coleridge himself, reflecting the Romantic ideology of the individual in itself, not in society.

Drivers Education for Students with Multiple Disabilities Essay Example for Free

Drivers Education for Students with Multiple Disabilities Essay Students with multiple disabilities are those who are experiencing more that one form of disability. Disability may be mental or physical or combination of both that hinders one from performing various life activities. Such students require much care as they cannot fully do what is required of them with help from another person. Such students should be given helpful education that would enable them contribute to the economy. Drivers’ education for students with multiple disabilities is required for none of the curriculum has considered this during their planning and implementation. Research question The main purpose of the paper is to identify whether there is any need to have drivers’ education for the people with multiple disabilities to offer services in special schools and in public schools. Another aim of the research is to determine how this education would be offered and what type of disability would benefit from the drivers education. How effective would this education be to the disabled. Justification of the research Students with multiple disabilities cannot perform a number of activities an able student can perform; this justifies the research because there is a need to have to have the disabled contribute to the nation building and economy. Drivers’ education would be necessary for the multi disabled students for there are those who can drive effectively despite of the disability. Review of the bibliography The provided bibliography would help in providing a critical review for the research and will give enough literature as to whether this drivers’ education for students with multiple disability is needed and to what extent. Bibliography (Video)The Los Angeles Club of the Deaf Story. DeBee Communications, 6965 El Camino Real, Ste. 105, Carlsbad, CA 92009 Bowe, F. (1978)Handicapping America: Barriers to disabled people, Harper Row, Disability and Chronic Disease Quarterly, Department of Sociology, Brandeis University, Disability Grapevine Online Newsletter. http://www. disabilitygrapevine. com/ Disability Studies Online Magazine. http://www. disabilitystudies. com/index. htm Gary L. (2005)Encyclopedia of disability, SAGE Publ. , Gary L. et al. , eds. (2006) Encyclopedia of Disability. 5 vols. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Health Ethics, Policy and Law,† Cornell Journal of Law and Public http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=950878 Johnstone, D. (2001) An Introduction to Disability Studies, , 2nd edition, Kaushik, R. (1999) Access Denied: Can we overcome disabling attitudes , Museum International (UNESCO) , Vol. 51, No. 3, p. 48-52. Leonardi M; Bickenback, J; Ustin TB; Kostanjsek N; Chatterji S, and on behalf of the MHADIE Consortium (2006) â€Å"The definition of disability: what is in a name?,† Lancet 368(9543): 1219-1221 Mitra S (2006) â€Å"The Capability Approach and Disability† Journal of Disability National Center on Disability and Journalism. http://www. ncdj. org/links. html Paul T. (2005)Understanding Disability: Inclusion, Access, Diversity, and Civil Rights. Westport, CT: Greenwood Policy Studies, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 236-247 Policy, 15(2): 403-482 http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=931703 Ruger JP (1998) â€Å"Aristotelian Justice and Health Policy: Capability and Incompletely Theorized Agreements† Harvard University, Ph. D. Thesis Ruger JP (2003) â€Å"Health and Development† Lancet, 362 (9385): 678 Ruger JP (2006) â€Å"Health, Capability, and Justice: Toward a New Paradigm of Ruger JP (2006) â€Å"Measuring Disparities in Healthcare†, British Medical Journal, 333:274 http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=934987 Ruger JP (2007) â€Å"Rethinking Equal Access: Agency, Quality and Norms,† Global Public Health, 2(1): 78-96 Sen AK (2002) Health: perception versus observation British Medical Journal 324:860-861 Terzi L (2004) â€Å"The Social Model of Disability: A Philosophical Critique†, Journal of Applied Philosophy, 21 (2): 141-157 Terzi L (2005) â€Å"Beyond the Dilemma of Difference; The capability approach on disability and special educational needs†, Journal of Philosophy of Education, 39 (3): 443-459 Terzi L (2006) â€Å"Beyond the Dilemma of Difference: the capability approach to disability and special educational needs† R. Cigman (ed. ) Included or Excluded? The Challenge of the Mainstream for some SEN Children. London: Routledge

Young People and Sexual Agency in Rural Uganda | Review

Young People and Sexual Agency in Rural Uganda | Review Critical Summary:  Bell, S. A. (2012). Young people and sexual agency in rural Uganda.  Culture, health sexuality,14(3), 283-296. Charles Ncube Summary of paper HIV and AIDS continues to be an ongoing concern in many countries globally and even more so for African countries. Research published in 2012 by Stephen A. Bell, â€Å"Young people and sexual agency in rural Uganda† examines the decision making process leading young Ugandans involvement in sexual relationships, the transactional negotiations and factors that may influence sexual health decision making choices.1 Bells’ research builds on existing literature as it examines how young people’s sexual agency has an impact on their sexual health choices and lifestyles; with the intention of providing health promotion practitioners a more sensible and practical starting point from which to design HIV and sexual health programmes. Bell contextualises his research with a broader framework of â€Å"empowerment†. The research seeks to explain how young people (11 – 24 years old) make choices regarding their sexual behaviour unpacking the type of information available to them, contraceptive knowledge and the stigma attached to sexual activity at an early age.1 Bell’s research inquiry is informed by the theoretical framework of â€Å"individual agency, defined by Petesch, Smulovitz and Walton as the capacity of individuals to make purposeful choices and transform these into desired actions and outcomes†.2 In doing so, Bell discusses the notion of â€Å"sexual agency† to refer to a process where young people become sexually active and the strategies, actions and negotiations involved in navigating broader social expectations. The study design incorporates multiple qualitative methods. The research is conducted in three rural locations in Uganda over 2 years. The methods applied are focus groups and structured interviews. The focus groups sample is drawn from local schools and non-school attendees. From the focus groups purposive sampling is used to then invite participants to participate in the structured interviews. A broad range of topics are discussed including what they liked or disliked about their communities, their social and cultural expectations, home situations, their social networks, economic and social wellbeing, relationships and sex and their aspirations for the future. The 3 key findings reported were: Factors influencing decision making leading to involvement in sexual and intimate relationships; Actions and negotiations within these relationships; and Outcomes arising from sexual agency. 1 Critique The research provides a detailed and rich insight to the decision making process of young people regarding sexual health. In light of this, a more detailed examination that focuses on the generalizability of the findings to a different and diverse population is required. Focus groups (between 8 and 12 participants) are social contexts characterised by the forms of communicative interaction and meaning making found in everyday conversations. 3 The purpose of the focus group is to draw upon the participants’ attitudes, beliefs, feelings experiences and reactions in way not possible using other methods. These attitudes, feelings and beliefs are more likely to be revealed via a social gathering and the interaction which being in a focus group entails.4 Focus groups are flexible in nature, have high face validity and can generate lots of data however there are also limitations to this approach namely, in recording, transcribing and analysing this data which needs to be taken into account. In the case of Bells research the chance of introducing error or bias are particularly high if the discussion has to be translated from the native language to the language of the investigator and this a problem which is significant in multilingual environments. Bells linguistic attributes in the local language is not disclosed nor the language used in the focus group session. Considering the age of some of the participants and the potential cultural influences, free expression is not always possible in a group setting and the group can in fact inhibit discussion. For example, Vlassoff (1987) described a focus-group discussion amongst adolescent girls in India, during which the girls were painfully shy, not wishing to discuss their opinions in front of other people, despite extensive efforts to create a relaxed setting conducive to discussion.5 Other limitations of focus groups are their small samples size as well as being purposively selected. The results from this sample may not allow generalization to larger populations where the research outcomes may be applicable. In addition, as with other qualitative methods, the chances of introducing bias and subjectivity into the interpretation of the data are high.6 While the focus-group discussion can provide plausible insights and explanations, one should not extrapolate from focus group discussions to a broader and heterogeneous population. This tenet may not always be followed. In fact Merton, a key author of focus-group discussions, suggests that â€Å"focus group research is being mercilessly misused as quick-and-easy claims for the validity of the research are not subjected to further, quantitative test†.7 Implications of Position Due to the abovementioned limitations the data gathered may not provide a conclusive guide across other young people populations in similar settings, i.e. Ugandan communities or other countries in the region. This in turn makes it difficult for health promotions agencies to develop and deliver programmes focus on â€Å"safe sexual health† practices targeting the young people aged between 11 and 24 years. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO, 1986) emphases the need to create supportive environments and strengthen community actions.8 What is evident is the need to educate the whole community to facilitate social change. There are multiple theories underpinning community wide approaches to health promotion for example, the three-stage Freirian Praxis Model of change suggests that people engaged in Freirian programs can evolve beyond powerlessness to create a sense of empowerment—that they can make a difference in their worlds.9 Bell reports that young people do know what they are doing in relation to their sexual choices; they are able to articulate their needs and feelings and then act on these. The research provides valuable insight and health promotion programme designers may want to consider how these can be tailored and incorporated to a local context. Further research is required to understand the community at large and the cultural influences that may be barrier to young people accessing timely, accurate and appropriate sexual health information. References: Bell, S. A. (2012). Young people and sexual agency in rural Uganda.Culture, health sexuality,14(3), 283-296. Petesch, P., Smulovitz, C., Walton, M. (2005). Evaluating empowerment: A framework with cases from Latin America.Measuring empowerment: Cross-disciplinary perspectives, 39-67 Barbour, R., Kitzinger, J. (Eds.). (1998).Developing focus group research: politics, theory and practice. Sage. Department of Sociology, University of Surrey, accessed on 25 August 2014, http://sru.soc.surrey.ac.uk/SRU19.html> Vlassoff, C. (1987). Contributions of the micro-approach to social sciences research. Report prepared for IDRC. Khan, M. E., Anker, M., Patel, B. C., Barge, S., Sadhwani, H., Kohle, R. (1991). The use of focus groups in social and behavioural research: some methodological issues.World Health Stat Q,44(3), 145-149 Merton, R. K. (1987). The focussed interview and focus groups: Continuities and discontinuities.Public Opinion Quarterly, 550-566. WHO, (1986), The Ottawa charter for health promotion, accessed on 25 August 2014, http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/index1.html> Wallerstein, N., Sanchez-Merki, V. (1994). Freirian praxis in health education: research results from an adolescent prevention program.Health Education Research,9(1), 105-118. Case Study: Sales Planning Operation Case Study: Sales Planning Operation Sales, is the name of the game in many businesses and organizations. To have a successful business you must have profitable sales. In the first phase of this assignment Personal selling is evaluated in depth. Communication mix is described in every aspect of sales by giving examples, selecting two organizations from the market. Identified environmental and managerial forces affecting selling and well described personal selling. In the second phase of the assignment selling process is well described pointing out its principals. Each stage well evaluated and suggestions given in order to make new improvements. In the third phase sales strategies and corporate objectives of selected 2 organizations well explained. Appropriate recruitment and selection procedures devised accordingly. Motivation, remuneration and training is well discussed in this phase. In the fourth phase of this assignment assessed the implications of operating in different sales environment and contexts. Its well evaluated by pointing realistic examples from the current business environment, and assessing theories and techniques. Contents Task 1 Introduction on Sales and Operations Planning Sales and operations planning, sometimes known as aggregate planning, is a process where executive level management regularly meets and reviews projections for demand, supply and the resulting financial impact. SOP is a decision making process that makes certain that tactical plans in every business area are in line with the overall view of the companys business plan. The overall result of the SOP process is that a single operating plan is created that identifies the allocation of company resources, including time, money and employees. Sales and operations planning is an integrated business management process through which the executive/leadership team continually achieves focus, alignment and synchronization among all functions of the organization. The SOP plan includes an updated sales plan, production plan, inventory plan, customer lead time (backlog) plan, new product development plan, strategic initiative plan and resulting financial plan. Plan frequency and planning horizon depend on the specifics of the industry. Short product life cycles and high demand volatility require a tighter SOP planning as steadily consumed products. Done well, the SOP process also enables effective supply chain management. A properly implemented Sales and operations planning process routinely reviews customer demand and supply resources and re-plan quantitatively across an agreed rolling horizon. The re-planning process focuses on changes from the previously agreed sales and operations plan. While it helps the management team to understand how the company achieved its current level of performance, its primary focus is on future actions and anticipated results. Companies that have an integrated business management process use the SOP process to monitor the execution of the companys strategies. Main Elements of Communication Mix. Marketing Communication Mix is the Promotion of the Marketing Ps and covers every method and medium of communicating with your target audience. In many ways, the marketing communication mix is the heart of the marketing strategy around which everything else in sales and marketing is predicated. If business consists of creating value and creating customers, Marketing Communication covers exactly how you are going to create customer by taking your value message to the market. Advertising Any paid form of nonperson presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor. Personal selling Personal presentation by the firms sales force for the purpose of making sales and building customer relationships. Sales promotion Short-term incentives to encourage the purchase or sale of a product or service. Public relations Building good relationships with the companys various publics by obtaining favorable publicity, building up a good corporate image, and handling or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories, and events. Direct marketing Direct communications with carefully targeted individual consumers to obtain an immediate response and cultivate lasting customer relationships. (http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-personal-selling.html) Advertising This is the mass media method of marketing communication and provides exposure to the largest, most geographically dispersed audience at the lowest cost per head. That being said, advertising costs can add up quickly with mediums like television, radio and even online advertising which can be prohibitively expensive for many businesses. Other traditional forms of paid advertising include newspapers and magazines, the Yellow Pages, billboards, signs and posters. As well, advertising on buses, benches, gas pumps and even public restrooms is in vogue today. Basically, any medium which provides an opportunity to target eyes and/or ears can be a venue for advertising and you can see examples of successful promotion in the most unlikely places. Direct Marketing This marketing communication competency enables companies to reach out directly to consumers without intermediary channels such as those required for advertising. This component of the marketing communication process includes direct mail, catalogs, coupons and inserts, telemarketing, online marketing and television infomercials. Done correctly, Direct Marketing is extremely effective in the long run and allows for a targeted marketing approach to specific consumers to create valuable lasting relationships. Direct Marketing is the marketing communication method that enables companies to interact with a relatively large number of customers and encourage a call to action or most wanted response which is usually a purchase. The downside of Direct Marketing is that it is usually unsolicited and seen as a nuisance by the general public. Telemarketing, e-mail spamming and junk mail are universally despised and so Direct Marketing tools should be used with thought and caution. Personal Selling This is the most dreaded as well as the most expensive of all methods in the marketing communication process. However, if you are a small business owner or otherwise have the ability to personally sell and build relationships with customers, it can be one of the most rewarding aspects of the marketing process, both personally and professionally. Just as with traditional marketing, successful selling begins and ends with the customer. The whole objective is to ascertain needs and create the best solution for customers. Along the way you build relationships and continue to gather information about how you can better serve customers which is your reason for being in business in the first place. Sales and marketing are fundamental to the survival of any business and both involve creating customers for the business value you have created. The former targets one person (or entity) whereas the latter targets many. Both engage, inform and persuade through a variety of communicational tools. Aligning both will increase your success regardless of conditions. Successful sales and successful marketing both begin with an attitude and that attitude is customers first Public Relations This refers to how you handle your relationships and the flow of information with your various publics or the people who have a stake in or are affected by your business. This includes the general public, consumers, shareholders, employees, partners, competitors and the government. PR becomes a more and more crucial element of the marketing communication mix as a business or organization grows larger. That being said, it is still a vital component of the marketing communication process to think about for smaller businesses as well. PR tools include press and media releases, lobbying, charitable and public events, advertorials, financial reports, promotional collateral, facility tours, sponsorships, interviews and any other method for the promotion of a positive image to people. Being people conscious starts with the individual and carries through to the organization. Once again, people buy from people at the end of the day and the most successful people and organizations are those that benefit other people the most. As with many facets of sales and marketing, PR also has a good and bad side. The good side of PR is fostering socially conscious business practices whereas the bad side is epitomized in shady political lobbying, spin doctors and so forth that divert from the truth as opposed to promote it. Suffice it to say that in todays connected world, more than ever, any sized organization needs to be cognizant that it operates within the larger framework of society and has corresponding responsibilities. Sales Promotion This is the last traditional component of the marketing communication mix that is discussed here as part of the marketing communication process. Sales promotion simply refers to purchase incentives that you provide your customer with. These can assume a number of forms including offering free goods or services, coupons and vouchers, gifts and prizes, discounts, samples, financial incentives, charitable promotions and any other value-add over and above your standard product or services. Sales Promotions are generally short-lived, one off incentives intended to provide consumers with that last push to buy. The main takeaway is that regardless of the size and type of your business, you should continually look at ways in which to create additional value for customers. Your customers will appreciate it and, in facts, customers have been shown to pay premium prices for real value and real service. Role of Personal Selling on my Selected Organization Personal selling is all about Delivery of a specially designed message to a prospect by a seller, usually in the form of face-to-face communication, personal correspondence, or a personal telephone conversation. Unlike advertising, a personal sales message can be more specifically targeted to individual prospects and easily altered if the desired behavior does not occur. Personal selling, however, is far more costly than advertising and is generally used only when its high expenditure can be justified. For example, the marketing of a sophisticated computer system may require the use of personal selling, while the introduction of a new product to millions of consumers would not. Two other forms of personal selling that are not used with high-end products are door-to-door selling and home demonstration parties. These two personal selling methods are primarily used for personal care products, cosmetics, cookware, encyclopedias, books, toys, food, and other items of special interest to h omemakers. Ideally, personal selling should be supported by advertising to strengthen its impact. (http://www.davedolak.com/promix.htm) Buyer behavior in relation with personal selling If a marketer can identify consumer buyer behavior, he or she will be in a better position to target products and services at them. Buyer behavior is focused upon the needs of individuals, groups and organizations. It is important to understand the relevance of human needs to buyer behavior (remember, marketing is about satisfying needs) Lets look at human motivations as introduced by Abraham Maslow by his hierarchy of needs: The hierarchy is triangular. This is because as you move up it, fewer and fewer people satisfy higher level needs. We begin at the bottom level. Physiological needs such as food, air, water, heat, and the basic necessities of survival need to be satisfied. At the level of safety, man has a place to live that protects him from the elements and predators. At the third level we meet our social and belongingness needs i.e. we marry, or join groups of friends, etc. The final two levels are esteem and self-actualisation. Fewer people satisfy the higher level needs. Esteem means that you achieve something that makes you recognised and gives personal satisfaction, for example writing a book. Self-actualisation is achieved by few. Here a person is one of a small number to actually do something. For example, Neil Armstrong self-actualised as the first person to reach the Moon. The model is a little simplistic but introduces the concept a differing consumer needs quite well. (http://tutor2u.net/business/marketing/buying_stimulus_model.asp) In the above model, marketing and other stimuli enter the customers black box and produce certain responses. Marketing management must try to work out what goes on the in the mind of the customer the black box. The Buyers characteristics influence how he or she perceives the stimuli; the decision-making process determines what buying behavior is undertaken. Union International Accessories (Pvt) Ltd Union International Accessories (Pvt) Ltd has been in the garment accessories business since 1993 in collaboration with M. Y. Company in Hong Kong. Together they have earned a reputation of being a reliable supplier of the highest quality of all kinds of garment accessories. Union International supply all kinds of regular items such as zippers, buttons, threads, elastics, webbings, draw-codes, stoppers, buckles, eyelets, fashion belts etc, to more sophisticated trims such as rhinestones, rhinestuds, motifs, sequin patches, glitter belts, rubber badges, heat transfer glass beads and so on. Union International work directly with as many as five zipper plants in the World. This gives us the edge over many of our competitors placing us in a very strong position to offer better and faster deliveries for any type of original zippers that is required by our customer. Union International have an extensive customer base in Sri Lanka and other countries such as India, Bangladesh, Nepal, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, USA, UK, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia. We have developed and built a strong lasting business relationship with all our customers through our dedicated, conscientious, reliable and personalized service rendered throughout the years. Some prestigious names our customers process orders for include Wal-Mart, Gap, Tesco, London Fog, Primark, Debenhams, Marks and Spencers, Abercombie and Fitch, Liz Clairborne, Dillards, Ralph Lauren, May Department, Columbia, Target Stores and so on (http://www.union-myco.com/contact_us.html) B2B Selling B2B is contemporary shorthand for a longtime sales practice called business-to-business. B2B transactions primarily target companies and other wholesale buyers, while transactions targeting individuals are called B2C, or business-to-customer. Many organizations have both B2B and B2C components, but its not unusual for a company to specialize in B2B services or sales. In fact, the vast majority of products and services sold are considered to be B2B in nature. Union International is in garment Accessories based business and most of the time the organization deal with the Garment Factories by supplying them the accessories which needed to complete the final garment product. 99% of Union internationals business is to the manufactures, not to the final Customers. One major reason for the popularity of B2B sales and services is sheer volume. An individual customer may visit a clothing manufacturers website catalog and order two pairs of shoes or a sweater. The buyer for a national chain of clothing stores, however, may order 5,000 pairs of shoes and 2,000 sweaters. Without a B2B component, the manufacturer would have lost out on a very lucrative sale. This is why many companies provide B2B options alongside the B2C offerings at their websites and other outlets. B2B sales are also generated by providing a specialized product line or service not available to the general public. This form of B2B transaction is very common in the manufacturing world. A company which produces shaving cream in cans, for example, may need a specific plastic nozzle. Several plastic injection molding companies would send sales representatives to pitch their particular designs. These nozzles would be useless for individual customers, but a manufacturer may order thousands of them. Union International is in garment Accessories based business and most of the time the organization deal with the Garment Factories by supplying them the accessories which needed to complete the final garment product. 99% of Union internationals business is to the manufactures, not to the final Customers B2B Focus on Relationship driven Maximize the value of the relationship Small, focused target market Multi-step buying process, longer sales cycle Brand identity created on personal relationship Educational and awareness building activities Rational buying decision based on business value B2C Selling B2C. A transaction that occurs between a company and a consumer, as opposed to a transaction between companies (called B2B). The term may also describe a company that provides goods or services for consumers. Union International does is business only to Manufactures but not to customers directly. Product driven Maximize the value of the transaction Large target market Single step buying process, shorter sales cycle Brand identity created through repetition and imagery Merchandising and point of purchase activities Emotional buying decision based on status, desire, or price The personal selling process consists of the following steps: 1) Prospecting Prospecting refers to identifying and developing a list of potential clients. Sales people can seek the names of prospects from a variety of sources including trade shows, commercially-available databases or mail lists, company sales records and in-house databases, website registrations, public records, referrals, directories and a wide variety of other sources. Prospecting activities should be structured so that they identify only potential clients who fit the profile and are able, willing and authorized to buy the product or service. This activity is greatly enhanced today using websites with specially-coded pages optimized with key words so that prospects may easily find you when they search the web for certain key words related to your offering. Once prospecting is underway, it then is up to the sales professional to qualify those prospects to further identify likely customers and screen out poor leads. Modern websites can go along way in not only identifying potential prospects but also starting this qualification process. 2) Pre-approach Before engaging in the actual personal selling process, sales professionals first analyze all the information they have available to them about a prospect to understand as much about the prospect as possible. During the Pre-approach phase of the personal selling process, sales professionals try to understand the prospects current needs, current use of brands and feelings about all available brands, as well as identify key decision makers, review account histories (if any), assess product needs, plan/create a sales presentation to address the identified and likely concerns of the prospect, and set call objectives. The sales professional also develops a preliminary overall strategy for the sales process during this phase, keeping in mind that the strategy may have to be refined as he or she learns more about the prospect. 3) Approach The approach is the actual contact the sales professional has with the prospect. This is the point of the selling process where the sales professional meets and greets the prospect, provides an introduction, establishes rapport that sets the foundation of the relationship, and asks open-ended questions to learn more about the prospect and his or her needs. 4) Making the Presentation During the presentation portion of the selling process, the sales professional tells that product story in a way that speaks directly to the identified needs and wants of the prospect. A highly customized presentation is the key component of this step. At this point in the process, prospects are often allowed to hold and/or inspect the product and the sales professional may also actually demonstrate the product. Audio visual presentations and/or slide presentations may be incorporated at this stage and this is usually when sales brochures or booklets are presented to the prospect. Sales professionals should strive to let the prospect do most of the talking during the presentation and address the needs of the prospect as fully as possible by showing that he or she truly understands and cares about the needs of the prospect. 5) Overcoming Objections Professional sales people seek out prospects objections in order to try to address and overcome them. When prospects offer objections, it often signals that they need and want to hear more in order to make a fully-informed decision. If objections are not uncovered and identified, then sales professionals cannot effectively manage them. Uncovering objections, asking clarifying questions, and overcoming objections is a critical part of training for professional sellers and is a skill area that must be continually developed because there will always be objections. Trust me when I tell you that as soon as a sales professional finds a way to successfully handle all his or her prospects objections, some prospect will find a new, unanticipated objection if for no other reason than to test the mettle of the sales person. 6) Closing the Sale Although technically closing a sale happens when products or services are delivered to the customers satisfaction and payment is received, for the purposes of our discussion I will define closing as asking for the order and adequately addressing any final objections or obstacles. There are many closing techniques as well as many ways to ask trial closing questions. A trail question might take the form of, Now that Ive addressed your concerns, what other questions do you have that might impact your decision to purchase? Closing does not always mean that the sales professional literally asks for the order, it could be asking the prospect how many they would like, what color they would prefer, when they would like to take delivery, etc. Too many sales professions are either weak or too aggressive when it comes to closing. If you are closing a sale, be sure to ask for the order. If the prospect gives an answer other than yes, it may be a good opportunity to identify new objections and co ntinue selling. 7) Follow-up Follow-up is an often overlooked but important part of the selling process. After an order is received, it is in the best interest of everyone involved for the sales person to follow-up with the prospect to make sure the product was received in the proper condition, at the right time, installed properly, proper training delivered, and that the entire process was acceptable to the customer. This is a critical step in creating customer satisfaction and building long-term relationships with customers. If the customer experienced any problems whatsoever, the sales professional can intervene and become a customer advocate to ensure 100% satisfaction. Diligent follow-up can also lead to uncovering new needs, additional purchases, and also referrals and testimonials which can be used as sales tools. Impact on Personal Selling TASK 2 Task 3 Sales manager Job description and activities Sales managers organize, motivate and lead sales teams in a wide range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, fast moving consumer goods (FMCGs) and finance. They are responsible for the combined performance of the team and for ensuring that everyone within their team reaches their targets. They may set the targets themselves or receive them from the sales director. They may also operate incentive schemes that motivate members of their team to reach or exceed sales targets. Typically, sales managers direct a companys sales program. They assign sales territories, set goals, and establish training programs for their sales representatives. Sales managers may also advise their sales representatives on ways to improve their sales performance achieve goals and obtain expected quotas. Whilst management structures vary significantly between companies and sectors, most sales managers will be responsible either for specific geographical areas (area sales managers) and/or particular products, or for specific types of customer. Sales managers will usually be responsible for: recruiting and training sales staff; supervising, motivating and monitoring team performance; allocating areas to sales executives; setting budgets/targets; liaising with other line managers; reporting back to senior managers; liaising with customers (which may include actual selling); maintaining detailed knowledge of the companys products or services; Keeping abreast of what competitors are doing. Depending on the culture of the company and level of seniority within it, sales managers may also be involved with product development, identification of new business opportunities and the development of marketing strategies. (http://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/sales_manager_job_description.jsp) Expected Tasks form a Sales manager in a Organizations Point of view Single point of contact: In fact, the sales manager is the single point of contact for all the salesmen when it comes to any questions and queries about the product or the company. Team leader: The sales manager can generally be termed as the team leader for the sales team and should have all the qualities that a team leader would have. Team person: The sales manager should be a team person, who understands any differences that crop in his or her team and work towards solving them in an amicable and quick manner. Strong sales background: Other than these internal qualities, the sales manager should have a strong sales background and should be able to lead his or team from the front with their sales expertise and talents. Hiring the new sales executives: The sales manager is also expected to hire the new sales executives. Therefore, the sales manager should be experienced and equipped enough to judge a person whether they can be good in sales or not. The one issue with sales is that sales is an inborn quality. Of course, having a business administration does help, but still, some people just have it in them to sell a product. As a sales manager, you should know how to recognize that. Sales Manager Qualities Sales management is one of the most challenging balancing acts in all the business world. Good sales management is worth its weight in gold. To fully view the valuable products of good sales management, one must go beyond the high gross figures and stout net profits being rung up at the register. Good sales management is also marked by a sales force which is flourishing and prospering, and a customer base which is satisfied beyond expectation. When a sales force has a good sales manager, they not only produce well and stably, but they tend to stay loyal and stay long. What are the distinguishing qualities of good sales management? A good sales manager motivates and leads the sales force, while at the same time seeing to it that the goals and purposes of the sales organization and its ownership are being met. Sales management at its best executes command intention, when he sees that the marching orders will indeed produce the effects that ownership and management intend it to, and queries the orders when he considers that those orders would actually get in the way of their own goals. A good sales manager commands with authority, but in a way that draws respect rather than contempt. A good sales manager corrects poor attitude with skill and understanding, at the level of firmness required by the circumstances at hand. A good sales manager continues to become more and more expert on the theory and application of all five steps of a sale, as detailed in the book, HOW TO SELL Clear and Simple, and guides his sales force in the successful use of these steps. A good sales manager effectively uses his knowledge of the five-step procedure as his primary tool for improve poor performance. And a good sales manager sets real, though challenging goals and then does everything necessary to assist all concerned to reach and exceed those goals. If a salesman were ambitious and was looking for one of the most demanding, and most rewarding challenges in the world of business, he would do well to aspire to become a part of sales management. (http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/452/What-Makes-a-Great-Sales-Manager.html) Reduce turnover by hiring smart instead of often. Establish compensation plans that drive sales and profits. Develop sales systems that facilitate consistent sales results. Coach and train your sales team toward service-minded selling. Provide motivation, recognition and accountability. Increase sales and profits to the type of customer you prefer. Relieve you from sales management responsibility. Human resource functions Handled by Sales Manager The sales manager is also responsible for some of the functions handled by the Human resource as the sales manager is the person who will be working with the selected employee so he will make sure that he also takes part in each function and make sure no mistake is made and below are some functions which the sales manager will involve in the HR handlesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Recruitment and selection Employing the right person has the potential to, in the long run, save you thousands of dollars. Clearly the right initial choice will save money by reducing turnover but there are many other costs involved, some less quantifiable than others. Most sales managers agree that they cannot afford even one non-productive team member, yet most managers have their own horror stories regarding troublesome or struggling employees. This highlights the importance of recruitment and selection of sales people. Various practices can and should be employed to best avoid the unenviable situation of having hired the wrong person for the job. Eg: Company Union International Accessories used to involve the sales manger when recruiting and selecting the person inorder to make surer that he has the right person in his team Motivation In motivating people only the HR cannot take its own decision as the sales managers involvement will be very important in this function as he knows very well how each employee had been working and who the appropriate person to be promoted is. In case this decision is taken only by the HR it might not be accurate so to avoid such problems the sales manager will be involved in this function. Eg: the sales manager of Union International Accessories is involved when any motivation program organized by HR to make sure there is no mistake in the decisio

Whittington Castle :: European Europe History

Whittington Castle When assigned the England project, I wanted to research something having to do with my heritage. My ancestors originate from England. Correspondingly, I chose Whittington Castle. According to an old English legend, one of my family ancestors, Dick Whittington, set out from the castle for London, in search of his fortune. After residing in London for a time, Dick Whittington went on to be "thrice Lord Mayor of London". That piece of history supposedly occurred in 1368, but the first construction of Whittington Castle was in 845 and modeled after the Norman Motte and Bailey castles of the time. Entirely, my information on Whittington Castle came from Internet sources. Because of the unfortunate ruination of ancient castle, it is almost forgotten today. Except for several small web sites, I found little or no information on Whittington castle. One such site was http://www.data-wales.co.uk/whitt.htm. Another site was http://www.btinternet.com/~whittington.castle/. Intriguing was the next site I found: http://www.castlewales.com/whittng.html. Constructing the Whittington castle in 845, the builders designed it after the Motte and Bailey style castles. But it was later remodeled in 1221 replacing the old structure with stone. Originally, the castle was assembled with seven towers, each about 18 meters high, with wall 3.7 meters thick, and a drawbridge over 12 meters long. Now, only the gatehouse remains. Around the castle, extensive marshlands acted as protection in medieval days. The remnants of Whittington castle are situated in the small village of Whittington, a few miles outside of Shrewsbury, England. Originally, the motte castle of Whittington was built by the Welsh Prince Ynyr ap Cadfarch. After being seized by Roger de Montgomery, the castle was given to Sir William Perveril of Peak. Perveril had no male heir; therefore his eldest daughter Mellet inherited the castle. Passing down through marriage to the fitz Warren family, King Henry III granted the fitz Warrens permission to build a stone fortress on the motte foundation. Although friends with King Henry, the fitz Warrens had an interesting love/hate relationship with the English monarchy. Fulk fitz Warren is reputed to have quarreled with Prince John, eventually causing Warren to flee France. He avoided certain death. Subsequent to Fulk's exile and pardon, he was able to return and repossess Whittington castle. Judiciously, the fitz Warren family held the fortress and its grounds until 1420. Interesting is one legend concerning the heirs of Whittington Castle. In the ruins it said that people have seen and heard two children peering out of the twin towers. Whittington Castle :: European Europe History Whittington Castle When assigned the England project, I wanted to research something having to do with my heritage. My ancestors originate from England. Correspondingly, I chose Whittington Castle. According to an old English legend, one of my family ancestors, Dick Whittington, set out from the castle for London, in search of his fortune. After residing in London for a time, Dick Whittington went on to be "thrice Lord Mayor of London". That piece of history supposedly occurred in 1368, but the first construction of Whittington Castle was in 845 and modeled after the Norman Motte and Bailey castles of the time. Entirely, my information on Whittington Castle came from Internet sources. Because of the unfortunate ruination of ancient castle, it is almost forgotten today. Except for several small web sites, I found little or no information on Whittington castle. One such site was http://www.data-wales.co.uk/whitt.htm. Another site was http://www.btinternet.com/~whittington.castle/. Intriguing was the next site I found: http://www.castlewales.com/whittng.html. Constructing the Whittington castle in 845, the builders designed it after the Motte and Bailey style castles. But it was later remodeled in 1221 replacing the old structure with stone. Originally, the castle was assembled with seven towers, each about 18 meters high, with wall 3.7 meters thick, and a drawbridge over 12 meters long. Now, only the gatehouse remains. Around the castle, extensive marshlands acted as protection in medieval days. The remnants of Whittington castle are situated in the small village of Whittington, a few miles outside of Shrewsbury, England. Originally, the motte castle of Whittington was built by the Welsh Prince Ynyr ap Cadfarch. After being seized by Roger de Montgomery, the castle was given to Sir William Perveril of Peak. Perveril had no male heir; therefore his eldest daughter Mellet inherited the castle. Passing down through marriage to the fitz Warren family, King Henry III granted the fitz Warrens permission to build a stone fortress on the motte foundation. Although friends with King Henry, the fitz Warrens had an interesting love/hate relationship with the English monarchy. Fulk fitz Warren is reputed to have quarreled with Prince John, eventually causing Warren to flee France. He avoided certain death. Subsequent to Fulk's exile and pardon, he was able to return and repossess Whittington castle. Judiciously, the fitz Warren family held the fortress and its grounds until 1420. Interesting is one legend concerning the heirs of Whittington Castle. In the ruins it said that people have seen and heard two children peering out of the twin towers.

The Dark and Twisted Joyce Carol Oates Revealed Essay -- Biography

Back Ground: Joyce Carol Oates was a true change in American Literature. She associated many novels that revealed political stances along with physical and psychological pain. (1) Joyce grew up in a rough neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. It was not uncommon for her to behold mistreatment, abuse, and gang violence; especially towards women. Detroit was a major political city were women’s rights were being fought. (2) Physical brawls broke out all over the city due to the uprising of women who wanted the same rights as men. (2) This uprising was called the Feminist Rights Movement. Women were mistreated and held unequal to men, they were not even allowed to be apart of any work force or vote. (7) organizations for women started to emerge all of the united States. (4) Joyce took experiences that she undertook and witnessed first hand and used them cleverly in her novels. (3) She accumulated her experiences in one of her most famous novels We Were the Mulvaney’s. (5) This n ovel refers to both physical and psychological pain among all the characters. Rape, death, abuse and how women were treated were all presented in this book. (5) Mrs. Mulvaney, the mother, always tended to her husbands needs, even if she disagreed with them. Mrs. Mulvaney had no say in any of the matters that arose. She even sent away her own daughter for the better of her husband. Joyce’s peculiar inspirations lead many to believe that she was looking for some sort of coping mechanism or some one who could relate to what she has experienced in her life. (1) Her inspirations included Edger Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Williams Faulkner, and lastly Flannery O’Conner. These authors wrote about the dark emotional feelings that arose with death a... ...) Oates novels in the nineteen seventies explored many different complex cultures and elements of human life and tragedy. She barrowed many of these idealistic views from Edger Allen Poe. These ideas referred back to death and love suicide which fell along the same lines of Poe’s. (2) Joyce had a very extensive impact on society. She verbalized her opinions and did not care what critics or anyone had to say about it. (2) She wanted to get her thoughts out there for the world to see and hopefully change their ways for the better. Joyce is broadly known in American literature for her controversial topics, but her most famous topic was the Feminist Rights Movement. She affected a good portion of relationships between males and females with her writing. It is truly inspirational that someone could write novels, and change views in some societies. 

A Positive Life Changing Experience

A positive life changing Experience I had my life set. At the age of 15 1 had no fears, no fears about life. My day-to-day routine comprised of going to school, coming home, resting for d while, waking up, and going out with friends, coming back home, sleeping, and then repeating the same thing the next day. I didn't care about my schoolwork or even glasswork for that matter. Why? My dad, he was the shelter to my ‘whatever-who-cares' way to elite.He provided me testimonial clothing, wristwatches and accessories more luxurious than many of my peer's whole attire. An extremely relaxed and stylish ride to go to school with- I had everything. To my 15 year old mind It was all that mattered, and my 15 year old brain knew that even if it never planned, the person whose it was, could enjoy a lavish fun life anyways. But then, life happened as I woke from the dream. My dad's Industry suffered a loss to such a massive extent that I dropped dreadfully trot being a leader to well- being a regular person.At that time I was angry, furious. I had little understanding of what was really going on, all knew was that I wasn't going to have the things that I was used to been able to live the life that once did. This whole condition took me for a major hit in my young adult fife, in my mind I was going to be Just like everybody else, which was not what I ‘ Off must say this could have been the best thing that happened to me, when I look back on my life, because I had become a materialistic Jerk.Now that I am much mature I grasped that, that's not a good way to go through life because surprising events happen, without anyone's control and I had been whipped into a habit of needing these things to make me feel whole as a person, which ways not needed ,but my day spoiled me to no extreme. I have learned to appreciate the things I have life and not over do it because a name doesn't make you who you are.

The Academic Standards of Schools Today

College or technical schools are supposed to be the gateway to higher paying careers, but most are not all that they are cracked up to be. The standards and goals that society wants met are continually not being met by the students today. Also, many higher learning facilities lack the funds to provide positive learning environments for students. For these reasons and many more are keeping the students of today from benefiting fully from schools. Society today has to make some new choices for the students of tomorrow, choices that will carry them into the next millennium. Society can either â€Å"lower standards so that everybody â€Å"passes† in a way that looses all meaning in the real world† or † raise standards and then meet them† (Barber 479). I personally believe in raising our expectations and doing whatever is needed to meet them. Our countries standards are among the lowest in the world and † at the same moment as we are transferring our responsibilities to the shoulders of the next generation, we are blaming them for our own generation†s most conspicuous failures† (Barber 472). Every election year the candidates use something about education as one of their platforms, but few ever carry through with them once they are elected. Most education bills die in congress in some shape or another and the ones that actually make it through congress, are usually ineffective because they have been changed and modified to the point of ineffectiveness. Also, many of the learning facilities today lack the funding to provide adequate, positive learning environments for students. Underpaid teachers and professors who † make less than accountants architects, doctors, lawyers, engineers, judges, health professionals, auidiors, and surveyors† and thus many student disregard teachers as role models. If people see someone who can score touchdowns or dunk a basketball making millions while their teachers are scraping bottom to survive, then how can an educator possibly motivate them to learn (Barber 470). Many people chase after their â€Å"dreams† of money instead of seeing the reality of learning. Although society today rates an education as one of their top priorities, they still allow learning facilities to become broken and run down. Like animals, children and adults file into buildings with bad floors, horrible plumbing, leaky roofs and ceilings, and pack into desk, usually 35+ per educator. Today the government spends $35,000 a year to keep someone behind bars and only a fraction of that to keep them in school (Barber 475). Tuition, room, and board at most colleges now come to at least $7,000, not counting books and fees. This might seem to suggest that the colleges are getting rich. But they are equally battered by inflation. Tuition covers only 60 percent of what it cost to educate a student, and ordinarily the remainder comes from what colleges receive in endowments, grants, and gifts† (Bird 498). Its about time we started to provide more money. Funding more for education wont solve every problem but no problem can even begin to be solved without it. The so-called higher learning facilities of today are selling students short when it comes to their education. Properly funding the education system and setting new standards for the future is an important part of education reform. Education reform for the US is a vital part of insuring the future for students and bringing them up to the standards set by other countries. The Academic Standards of Schools Today College or technical schools are supposed to be the gateway to higher paying careers, but most are not all that they are cracked up to be. The standards and goals that society wants met are continually not being met by the students today. Also, many higher learning facilities lack the funds to provide positive learning environments for students. For these reasons and many more are keeping the students of today from benefiting fully from schools. Society today has to make some new choices for the students of tomorrow, choices that will carry them into the next millennium. Society can either â€Å"lower standards so that everybody â€Å"passes† in a way that looses all meaning in the real world† or † raise standards and then meet them† (Barber 479). I personally believe in raising our expectations and doing whatever is needed to meet them. Our countries standards are among the lowest in the world and † at the same moment as we are transferring our responsibilities to the shoulders of the next generation, we are blaming them for our own generation†s most conspicuous failures† (Barber 472). Every election year the candidates use something about education as one of their platforms, but few ever carry through with them once they are elected. Most education bills die in congress in some shape or another and the ones that actually make it through congress, are usually ineffective because they have been changed and modified to the point of ineffectiveness. Also, many of the learning facilities today lack the funding to provide adequate, positive learning environments for students. Underpaid teachers and professors who † make less than accountants architects, doctors, lawyers, engineers, judges, health professionals, auidiors, and surveyors† and thus many student disregard teachers as role models. If people see someone who can score touchdowns or dunk a basketball making millions while their teachers are scraping bottom to survive, then how can an educator possibly motivate them to learn (Barber 470). Many people chase after their â€Å"dreams† of money instead of seeing the reality of learning. Although society today rates an education as one of their top priorities, they still allow learning facilities to become broken and run down. Like animals, children and adults file into buildings with bad floors, horrible plumbing, leaky roofs and ceilings, and pack into desk, usually 35+ per educator. Today the government spends $35,000 a year to keep someone behind bars and only a fraction of that to keep them in school (Barber 475). Tuition, room, and board at most colleges now come to at least $7,000, not counting books and fees. This might seem to suggest that the colleges are getting rich. But they are equally battered by inflation. Tuition covers only 60 percent of what it cost to educate a student, and ordinarily the remainder comes from what colleges receive in endowments, grants, and gifts† (Bird 498). Its about time we started to provide more money. Funding more for education wont solve every problem but no problem can even begin to be solved without it. The so-called higher learning facilities of today are selling students short when it comes to their education. Properly funding the education system and setting new standards for the future is an important part of education reform. Education reform for the US is a vital part of insuring the future for students and bringing them up to the standards set by other countries.

Debtor Appeal of Boston Essay

1. Case name and citation: In re Boston shipyard Corp. , Debtor Appeal of Boston Shipyard Corp. , No. 89-1144 United States court of Appeals, first Circuit. 886 F. 2d 451 Heard June 7, 1989. Decided September 1989 Before CAMPBELL, Chief Judge Reinhardt and Toruella circuit Judges. Its alleged that the ruling in this case was not fair by the fact that the district court that confirmed the bankruptcy of Boston Shipyard Corporation, BSC in favor of the appellee , the US Military Sealift Command, MSC. 2. Key Facts: BSC entered into agreement with MSC to revamp and repair the USNS Mississinewa (a water vessel) at a final pay of $ 4,997,925. Having been not fully aware, it turned out that the contract required much more in expenses than it was originally estimated. On realizing change in the contract specifications; it filed a change authorization order so that the work could be done with the permission of their client MSC. The orders however accumulated at the MSC’s table such that their delayed resolution resulted to a wide financial implication towards BSC. Till August 1985, BSC’s financial condition had worsened a situation that required the contract partner, MSC to make payments. Failure of MSC to pay BSC led to termination of the contract. The pulling out of the contract by BSC Company was based on the fact that the latter company had been declared bankrupt. It’s reported that on October 17th due to failure of MSC to compensate BSC, and was terminated by the government (West’s Federal Reporter, 1990). 3. Legal issues presented before Court: Among the legal issues presented before the court were several factors. That one, BSC as a company pulled out of a contract it had entered into with the US Military Sealift Command, â€Å"MSC†. The second issue was the fact that the latter, (MSC) had declined to make payments to the contractual partner, (Boston Shipyard Corporation, BSC), to cater for the extra expenses that were not budgeted for by the company. The US Military Sealift Command, MSC was â€Å"supposed† to cater for these cost overruns in order for BSC to provide its services. 4. Holding of the court: The US government, on February 25th 1986, through the US Bankruptcy Court, filed a proof of claim of $ 9. 2 million in Reprocurement costs. On the other hand, BSC, objecting to the Proof of Claim, filed a counter Proof of Claim, which was meant to convert the terminated contract into one that could benefit the government. Six months down the line, the bankruptcy court on making first hearing, it passed a judgement that favoured the government on the basis that BSC had without excuse withdrawn from the contract. This was further accepted to at the district court, a decision that BSC appeals to. 5. Reasoning (rationale): That a cardinal change is created or comes to exist in a contract when the contractor finds that he or she is required to execute tasks that are materially different from those that were originally bargained for at the start. Such changes are not subject to rectification, and so the judging on this, the government was in breach (West’s Federal Reporter, 1990). Basing on the fact that this contract was a â€Å"call and inspect† type, which implied that the vessels had to be opened first and scrutinized before establishing the whole cost to be involved in the contract. BSC may not be justified to abandon or pull out of the contract basing on the change orders written to MSC. Delay in the kick off of a contract is expected in any contractual agreement (Magoba Construction Company vs. United States). Talking of the incapability of BSC to deliver its services due to financial incapacity, one may argue that a contractor’s default may be pardoned if the causes seem to be beyond his control (ruling of Southeastern Airways Corporation vs. United States). However, it’s generally understood that as a contractor who makes and accepts bids from the government or any other individual, he should be having enough funds to support the contract. This is subject to change. Justification of the contractors default may be carried out only if the experienced financial problems were caused by factors beyond the company’s control or by the company itself (ruling of the case of National Eastern Corporation vs. United States). BSC also argues that the government’s delay to pay it some amount of money resulted to it being unable to respond to a contract worth $ 6. 5 million. This is not true. Evidence has, right from the beginning that BSC had a thin financial base before the contract was initiated (West’s Federal Reporter, 1990) At the same time, no blame was to be put on MSC for having caused any delay or disruption. Hence, conclusively, BSC’s financial incapacitation deterred the take-off of the contract. A different decision on this would make government contracts quite unworkable, and hence contractors would demand refund, and or financial consideration for any cost overruns. References: West’s Federal Reporter (1990): Cases argued and determined in the United States courts of appeals and Temporary Emergency Court of Appeals, University of California, p. 452

Progressive Era Dbq

Charlie Shinske During the Progressive Era, pressure from labor, suffrage, and conservation movements profoundly changed the course of American history. Many of the reformers' ideas clashed with the male-dominated, capitalist economic structure present at the turn of the century. Some of the intended reforms opposed the current system, but the level of social unrest necessitated change. Businessmen and activists alike initiated the reforms during the Progressive Era.Government, due to the intention of calming the common man and quieting the seemingly more and more vocal middle  class, supported them from the year 1900 to 1920, Progressive Era reformers were successful in bringing about reform to the United States. Socially, America was gaining strength, with women such as Jane Addams, a women's rights activist, entering the progressive fight. The percent of eligible voters who cast ballots in Presidential elections were at a somewhat steady rate from 1904 to 1916, ranging from 59-6 5%, but in the 1920 election, only 49% of eligible voters actually cast ballots. Document J) Although some may argue that the percent decrease was due to most Americans not liking any of the elected Presidential candidates, and therefore not voting this is untrue because this was the first election in which women could vote, which threw of the ratio of voters and non-voters. In addition, all four candidates running for the title of President, Debs, Roosevelt, Wilson, and Taft, were all progressives, and wanted to reduce the number of trusts. This gave all voters, men or women, some incentive to vote.In the end of the election, Woodrow Wilson won, but not with the majority. During Wilson's presidency, some women spoke out saying that Wilson was â€Å"oppressing† them, and compared themselves to people being oppressed by Kaiser that were living Germany. (Document H) many female rights activists saw the government as putting them down that is why the passing of the 19th amendmen t caused such an uproar, women agreed and were excited with their new found power, but men were not happy (mostly because women promoted prohibition).During this thirty year period in American history our country made major strides in working conditions, moral values, and where we stood in the world’s commerce. We now had a wealthy middle class that could sort of fend for themselves and we were working on making sure that the food we ate and the water we drank was healthy enough for us to drink. The U. S. was starting to boom, then came the depression.

Workforce Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Workforce Diversity - Essay Example The challenge of getting women and minorities into senior-level management positions is difficult. While the proportion of women and minorities in the workforce has increased significantly during the past decade, few of them have made it to the top. Along with shifts in organization demographics come additional competition. Some white male employees must now compete against people they did not consider rivals before--mainly women, blacks, Hispanics, and Asians. Even though they still control most of the managerial positions, many white males sense an impending loss of job entitlements. The transition from a workplace dominated by white males to one in which managerial and supervisory jobs are shared with representatives of other groups usually precipitates tension and conflict. The issue is further complicated by organization downsizing and restructuring--activities that add to the fear of lost opportunities. Contrary to some critics, black workers are still the last hired and the first fired. There is no conclusive evidence to support the assumption that white males are more productive workers than minorities and women. Qualified minorities and women are routinely passed over for jobs and promotions in favor of less qualified white males.

Favorite Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Favorite Research - Essay Example Contact phone numbers and addresses of the association are also given. 2. http://www.prea.org/ this site is hosted by Pension Real Estate Association, the site for institutional investors in real estate ie. Pension funds, endowments, foundations and other funds. The useful information on this site is: b. Research Report under the link "/research/ plansponsorsurvey_2006.pdf" Gives comparative data of 2005 and 2006 on real estate investment actual and targeted. This page also gives the comparative investment strategy of its members. This is very comprehensive information for anyone studying real estate investments. d. The membership is open to institutes (organizations that provide investment management, advisory, consulting, property management, legal, accounting, appraisal or other services to corporate and public pension funds, endowments, foundations, Taft Hartley plans and other institutional investors, not for profit organizations and academic institutions). Rates for membership vary depending upon the status. d. It provides rate information (US Treasuries, repurchase agreements, interest rate swaps, agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, spot FX) and country profiles (country's credit rating, short-term investment alternatives and payment/clearing systems) again for members only.