Los Lobos (Musical Band of Los Angeles) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Los Lobos (Musical Band of Los Angeles) - Essay Example It is their similar interest in music of the same genre and musical acts like the Fairport Convention, which perpetrated their working together musically; therefore building their musical career as a band. The two visited one another in their homes occasionally, where they listened to various music recordings, playing guitar; especially for David, who was very good at it and later on even started writing their songs. It was not very easy for them to work on their music regularly as they both had regular jobs to attend to and most of the time therefore had to work during odd hours; especially at night in order to make up for the time spent at work. David and Perez also did much of borrowing of music recordings from a friend, which were of the parody and free form jazz. It is through these many recordings borrowed that the two made a collection out of it, creating multi-track recordings. To form a complete band that they had wished for, they decided to recruit some of their classmates who are Cesar and Conrad; that was in the year 1973. Their coming together to form a band had them record an album that was titled, ‘How Will the Wolf Survive? that gave them a lot of praises and made them very popular in Los Angeles. They later released La Bamba in 1987 that created even more opportunities for them musically, due to the added praise and popularity that the band received. Since then, the band has never disappointed their music fans in Los Angeles and across the world with their rock and Latin music. Despite all the challenges that Musical bands are faced with in each passing day, Los Lobos have managed to overcome all these challenges by recording over 20 albums in approximately 3 decades and making sure to reach their fans with total satisfaction. However, their ride in the music industry was not as smooth as any other person would think. The sale of their music videos was a bit lower in the beginning and therefore

ECE420 Journal Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ECE420 Journal Report - Essay Example It is important to use simple functions and basic algebra to achieve this goal. The curriculum also reveals that it is important to intertwine mathematical concept with real life situations. This will act as an eye opener for the children into the actual applicability of mathematics in the tangible real world (Aiken, 2009). A good example is creating a real life simulation, for example, a pharmacy. The unit also taught me that an effective teacher is one who appeals to each student individually. In essence, an effective teacher has to relate to each student on a personal level and in the process empower the child. This interaction will enable the teacher to pinpoint weaknesses relative to each child and formulate a mechanism to deal with these weaknesses at an early stage. The teacher should also engage the students in setting up class activities. These activities are primarily aimed at teaching students while at the same time keeping them entertained and excited, in the process streamlining early childhood development with the child’s development process (Aiken,

Los Lobos (Musical Band of Los Angeles) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Los Lobos (Musical Band of Los Angeles) - Essay Example It is their similar interest in music of the same genre and musical acts like the Fairport Convention, which perpetrated their working together musically; therefore building their musical career as a band. The two visited one another in their homes occasionally, where they listened to various music recordings, playing guitar; especially for David, who was very good at it and later on even started writing their songs. It was not very easy for them to work on their music regularly as they both had regular jobs to attend to and most of the time therefore had to work during odd hours; especially at night in order to make up for the time spent at work. David and Perez also did much of borrowing of music recordings from a friend, which were of the parody and free form jazz. It is through these many recordings borrowed that the two made a collection out of it, creating multi-track recordings. To form a complete band that they had wished for, they decided to recruit some of their classmates who are Cesar and Conrad; that was in the year 1973. Their coming together to form a band had them record an album that was titled, ‘How Will the Wolf Survive? that gave them a lot of praises and made them very popular in Los Angeles. They later released La Bamba in 1987 that created even more opportunities for them musically, due to the added praise and popularity that the band received. Since then, the band has never disappointed their music fans in Los Angeles and across the world with their rock and Latin music. Despite all the challenges that Musical bands are faced with in each passing day, Los Lobos have managed to overcome all these challenges by recording over 20 albums in approximately 3 decades and making sure to reach their fans with total satisfaction. However, their ride in the music industry was not as smooth as any other person would think. The sale of their music videos was a bit lower in the beginning and therefore

Japanese Management Essay Example for Free

Japanese Management Essay In the early 1980s, William Ouchi asserted in the U.S. soil the significance of Theory Z (1981), a Japanese management style that includes communal relationship in organizations and strong trust bonds as a more effective way to handle business as evidenced by the success of Japanese corporations.   This has made the interest and appreciation for the Japanese style of management and practices grow for the last twenty years, especially those successful Japanese companies who used unusual approaches (Lee and McCalman, 2008). For Japanese firms, the development of good relationship is a primordial interest. A Japanese firm may refuse to deal with another and ink a partnership regardless of the possible profits it may gain from the venture. The drive to develop a good relationship is primarily due to the very important principle called â€Å"tsuikiai† (socialization) (Lee and McCalman, 2008). Peer-to-peer relationship is more essential than relationship between levels as the Japanese believe that an organization draws strength from the former rather than from the latter. Hence, for American managers, it is only normal to assess their subordinates based on certain criteria. On the contrary, Japanese organizations tend to assess their employees based on their ability to work with their colleagues (Byham, 1993). Japanese managers get good evaluations if their subordinates can work well with each other. As such, Japanese firms give more emphasis on the ability of the employees to work with other employees and not much on their performance. This is due to their belief that as long as a good relationship is established within the organization, the organization can handle other matters effectively (Lee and McCalman, 2008). For the Japanese, good relationships can be developed through the following: 1) After work dining drinking session As previously mentioned, the principle of tsuikiai or socialization allow the Japanese to continue to incorporate good relationships as part of their corporate management style. Apparently, this can be seen in their popular practice of usually having dinner and drinking sessions amongst employees after office hours (Lee and McCalman, 2008). This is also the idea of the â€Å"communication plaza concept† wherein the executives meet their employees informally to have lunch or dinner and at the same time to listen to each other   (Otsubo, 1993). Through such engagements, employees have the chance to be more familiar with each other away from the four corners of their business premises. This positively affects the connections among the employees. This enables the Japanese organizations to create a warm and communal workplace where employees feel that they can communicate freely with everyone (Sullivan, 1992). Such practice is not the same with Americans where the latter would pr efer to   maintain the division between their personal and work life. According to Arenson (1993), the connection between U.S. workers and their companies are created by written contracts and the compensation that the companies renumerate to their employees. This complimented the observation rendered by   Rehder (1979) that Japanese managers treat their subordinates like their family members while western managers’ relationships with their subordinates are through contracts which makes the relationship depersonalized.   This is contrary to the belief of Japanese workers that they are obligated to the company they are working for because of the close relationship and bond that they have with their company and this creates mutual trust between the employees and the company. They likewise have a sense of shared focus to reach the goals of the organization. This management theory has been one of the core values of Honda from 1980s when they first established their operations in the United States and this was adopted by Nissan, Mazda and Toyota ( Sullivan, 1992). 2) Quite often meetings rather than electronic or paper work Americans would prefer to have everything first on paper before they can act on a project. Whereas Japanese prefer to do meetings rather than convey their messages through e-mails or doing paper works primarily as they despise memos and paper work (Arenson, 1993). According to Lee and McCalman (2008), it is through meetings that the workers would begin to know each other and determine the things that need to be done. This is most applicable in cases where there are no contracts or written documents involved and through meetings, the employees are able to worke on matters they need to attend to (Lee and McCalman, 2008). 3) Informal arranged agreements vs. legal agreements Before an American company would deal with another enterprise, it is not needed that the two companies develop a good relationship. It does not matter if a company would deal with a competitor provided that the two companies would gain mutual benefit. As a sense of security, American companies need to employ countless lawyers and execute numerous contracts before setting matters off. As a pre-requisite, everything needs to be laid out on paper before anything is started (Lee and McCalman, 2008). The mentality in America is that everything is governed by laws to make sure that people involved know what is set on the line (Arenson, 1993). It is ordinary for companies to deal with strangers and just develop a relationship during their venture (Lee and McCalman, 2008). This is not the case for Japanese companies as they require developing personal relationships before they transact with other business entities. This is because of their belief that it is important that a trusting relationship between two companies is developed before considering to have business venture   (Lee and McCalman, 2008). In Japan, there is less dependence on the laws and rather, more premium is placed in developing a trusting relationship before going into a business transaction. Unlike Americans that prefer to settle everything in a legal way or execute contracts first, Japanese are known to have healthy disdain for lawyers and legal or written actions. And unlike the Americans that would employ lawyers and execute contracts before the transaction, Japanese dislike being forced to deal just because of the contracts and in the process may just ignore some provisions thereto. They believe that the situations will have changed after signing the contract (Lee and McCalman, 2008). In fact, the two countries have a big difference in the number of lawyers as in the United States, there are over 800,000 lawyers as compared to Japan that has 15,000 lawyers only (Arenson, 1993). Moreover, Japanese would prefer to spend more time interacting with their potential customer or supplier before they would commit themselves   (Otsubo, 1993). 4) Networking- personal contacts Japan depends on networking as their society is very much a relationship-oriented one. Japanese would get things done though their personal contacts. For them, a man’s success or failure could be directly affected by their connections that he or she has developed over the years. In fact, a newly graduated Japanese would almost depend exclusively on his or her connections through university or from personal connections to land a job. That is why there is a high probability that the company recruiters would hire applicants coming from the same university as theirs because of the special connection that is existing between the recruiters and the university faculty and staff. This is what Japanese called â€Å"jinmyaku† or the web of human beings. Any internal or external undertaking to the company is accomplished through personal contacts (Lee and McCalman, 2008). It is then ordinary for an employee to develop extensive personal network within and outside the organization to protect his or her success rate especially that a person’s capability depends also on the extensiveness of the networks he or she may have   (Kase and Liu, 1996). Such mentality may affect the attitudes of the Japanese of not working with strangers. Through developing personal contacts takes time, once the networks have been created, everything is much easier as there is not much paperwork and lawyers involved. This principle makes it more difficult for foreign companies to penetrate Japan (Lee and McCalman, 2008). Japanese organizations would prefer hiring somebody who has a connection thereto because hiring a new employee is like welcoming a lifelong member of the corporate family. An individual applying for a position in a company by reason of an advertisement is considered a total stranger. As such, there is a possibility that Japanese companies may look after the personal attributes of an applicant rather than his or her technical attributes (Lee and McCalman, 2008).   It is very vital for an organization to ensure that the person to be hired is a team player and will blend well within the group. This is in contrast with U.S. companies as they prefer to look at the technical attributes of the applicants and highly rely on grade-point averages and specific credentials or competencies (Lee and McCalman, 2008). Networking works wonders in cases where a manager tries to launch a new project and the project is not really within the expertise of the concerned department, managers that have a w ell-established network within the organization could use their connections to persuade their colleagues to support their projects and also use these connections outside the organization to help make the project successful (Kase and Liu, 1996). Japanese manufacturing companies were able to capitalize in their personalized networking system that they were able to establish when they internationalized their operations during the late 1970s and 1980s. The personalized networks developed between their head offices and subsidiaries made the flow of the information run smoothly and eventually positively affect the efficiency of the companies (Kase and Liu, 1996). Moreover, Japanese companies establish personal networking with other Japanese companies in other countries (Yu and Ohle, 2008) for their advantage. 5) Teaming up in everything they do One of the major difference between Japanese management and Western management is that the structure of the organization is loose or poorly defined whereas the structure of the organization of the western management is tight or the specific functions are associated with specific boxes (Rehder, 1979). Teaming is a very important aspect in the management of a project. That is why the composition of teams that will handle organizational projects are carefully selected (Lee and McCalman, 2008). Even in creating an organizational project, the composition of the team that will develop and plan the concerned project is carefully assembled from the different departments of the organization (Gray and Larson, 2003). And up to the time that the organizational project is already running after the planning stage, there are still some times that the personnel from the planning stage will coordinate with the functional managers and project managers of the actual operation of the project (Gray and Larson, 2003). As Japanese companies or the Japanese culture itself has high regard on the â€Å"web of human beings†, it is part of the establishment of trust within the team to develop close personal relationship among the team members. The trust created by the â€Å"tsuikiai† plays an important role in the accomplishment of the interconnected tasks of the team members. A high level of trust is necessary for the accomplishment and implementation of the various tasks that the manager is leading (Kezner, 2000). Every meticulous aspect of the project requires the highest level of cooperation and team work among the players performing the tasks. That is why it is the responsibility of the project manager to build and maintain a high level of trust within the team to ensure the successful operation of a project throughout its course (Kezner, 2000). This is where the American employees of some Japanese companies are impressed with how every Japanese members of the team would persist to wo rk together to collect and discuss data gathered and develop ways to respond to different situations and improve their performance (Sullivan, 1992). Another thing that shows the Japanese persistence to teaming up is their decision-making system, or also known as â€Å"ringi† or decision by consensus system. This enables the employees to be motivated to work together.   The term ringi actually came from two words: ‘ri’, which means to ask from below and ‘gi’ which means to deliberate (Ichiro, 1977). By the Japanese decision-making systems, the organization initially debates on the meaning of a certain question and determines its possible solutions until consensus if finally reached. The process of the decision making and even the initiation of the process are participated in by all levels of the organization, whether the process be a verbal or written one (Naotsuka, 1978). This is because the Japanese have a view that it is important to first debate the problem or the question to achieve full comprehension in its general corporate-wide perspective, after which is to establish a consensus to preve nt groups from taking sides on one solution or another hastily. In such case, clash between the prevailing and losing groups is prevented because conflicts will only weaken the implementation of the favored solution. This normative process is called by the Japanese as â€Å"nemawashi† (Naotsuka, 1978).

The book The Evolution of management thought

The book The Evolution of management thought In his comprehensive book The Evolution of Management Thought Daniel A Wren writes: Within the practices of the past there are lessons of history for tomorrow in a continuous stream. We occupy but one point in this stream. The purpose .. is to presentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the past as a prologue to the future. Broadly it has been classified into : 1.Scientific management theory 2.Administrative management theory 3.Behavioral management theory 4.Management science theory 5.Organizational environment theory I. PRE SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT ERA à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢I. Ever Since Down Of civilization. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Administration of mohenjodaro harappa Cities Of ancient aryan in 2000 B.C. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Buddha order and the sangha à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢-Organizations of public life in ancient greece. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Organisation of roman catholic church. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Organisation of military force à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢SECOND HALF OF NINETEENTH CENTURY à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Use of management Principles in business. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Robert Owen-1813 :-Development of mgmt Concepts. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Factor which influence the productivity of personnel in plants. Adam Smith (18th century economist) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Observed that firms manufactured pins in one of two different ways: Craft-style-each worker did all steps. Production-each worker specialized in one step. F.W.TAYLOR AND SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT The systematic study of the relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of redesigning the work process for higher efficiency. Defined by Frederick Taylor in the late 1800s Wanted to replace rule of thumb Sought to reduce the time a worker spent on each task by optimizing the way the task was done. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Studied fatigue caused by lighting, heating, and the design of tools and machines. Time and motion studies Breaking up each job action into its components. Finding better ways to perform the action. Reorganizing each job action to be more efficient. ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGEMENT THEORY The study of how to create an organizational structure that leads to high efficiency and effectiveness. Rules formal written instructions that specify actions to be taken under different circumstances Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) specific sets of written instructions about how to perform a certain aspect of a task Norms unwritten, informal codes of conduct that prescribe how people should act in particular situations BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT THEORY The study of how managers should behave to motivate employees and encourage them to perform at high levels and be committed to the achievement of organizational goals. Focuses on the way a manager should personally manage to motivate employees. Mary Parker Follett   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Concerned that Taylor ignored the human side of the organization Suggested workers help in analyzing their jobs lf workers have relevant knowledge of the task, then they should control the task. MANAGEMENT SCIENCE THEORY An approach to management that uses rigorous quantitative techniques to maximize the use of organizational resources. Quantitative management utilizes linear programming, modeling, simulation systems and chaos theory. Operations management -techniques used to analyze all aspects of the production system Management Information Systems (MIS) provides information vital for effective decision making. Total Quality Management (TQM) -focuses on analyzing input, conversion, and output activities to increase product quality. ORGANIZATIONAL ENVIRONMENT THEORY The set of forces and conditions that operate beyond an organizations boundaries but affect a managers ability to acquire and utilize resources Open System A system that takes resources for its external environment and converts them into goods and services that are then sent back to that environment for purchase by customers. There is no one best way to organize The idea that the organizational structures and control systems manager choose depend on-are contingent on-characteristics of the external environment in which the organization operates. What is management? The term management encompasses an array of different functions undertaken to accomplish a task successfully. In the simplest of terms, management is all about getting things done. However, it is the way and the process of how one achieves ones target or goals and it is in this respect that management is considered an art and a science as well. The term management may be recently defined, but it existed at a time when men started learning the art of organizing, strategizing (during wars) and/or simply planning. At the core of it, management was quintessentially considered as an art of managing men and hence the term manage-men-T. Management is like investment. Managers have resources to invest their time, talent and, possibly, human resources. The goal (function) of management is to get the best return on such resources by getting things done efficiently. This doesnt imply being mechanical or narrowly controlling as some writers on management suggest. The managers style is a personal or situational matter and it has evolved over time. With highly skilled and self-motivated knowledge workers, the manager must be very empowering. Where the workforce is less skilled or not very motivated, the manager may need to monitor output more closely. Skilled managers know how flex their style, coach and motivate diverse employees. Getting things done through people is what they do. By saying that management is a function, not a type of person or role, we can better account for self-managed work teams where no one is in charge In a self-managed team, management is a group effort with no one being the designated managerAnd much later, management scholar, Peter Drucker (1993) defined management as Supplying knowledge to find out how existing knowledge can best be applied to produce results is, in effect, what we mean by management. But knowledge is now also being applied systematically and purposefully to determine what new knowledge is needed, whether it is feasible, and what has to be done to make knowledge effective. It is being applied, in other words, to systematic innovation. (Drucker, 1993) Today the importance of management from an organizations point of view has increased multi-fold. It is only through effective management that companies are developing and executing their businesss policies and strategies to maximize their profits and provide with the best of products and services. Management today combines creative, business, organizational, analytical and other skills to produce effective goal-oriented results! Some of the key functions in management includes learning to delegate, planning and organizing, communicating clearly, controlling situations, motivating employees, adapting to change, constantly innovating and thinking of new ideas, building a good team and delivering results which are not just figure -bound but results that also focus on overall growth and development. Management focuses on the entire organization from both a short and a long-term perspective. Management is the managerial process of forming a strategic vision, setting objectives, crafting a strategy and then implementing and executing the strategy. A good management style is a blend of both efficiency and effectiveness. There is no point in acting efficiently if what you are doing will not have the desired effect. Management techniques can be viewed as either bottom-up, top-down, or collaborative processes. Management is an organizational function, like sales, marketing or finance. It doesnt necessarily mean managing people. We can manage ourselves or the material assigned to us at work. If you managed a project very well on your own, it would mean that you did the job in a well-organized, efficient manner, making good use of all resources at your disposal. In India, largely the top down approach is popular. In the top-down approach, the management makes the decisions, which the employees have no choice but to accept. On the other hand, in the bottom-up approach, employees submit proposals to their managers who, in turn, funnel the best ideas further up the organization. However the bottom up approach is not a very popular approach in India as most of the Indian businesses are family run businesses. Management as art scientific principles and theories will be able to implemented in actual managerial situations. Instead, these managers are likely to rely on the social and political environment surrounding the managerial issue, using their own knowledge of a situation, rather than generic rules, to determine a course of action. For example, as a contrast to the example given previously, a manager who has a problem with an employees poor work performance is likely to rely on his or her own experiences and judgment when addressing this issue. Rather than having a standard response to such a problem, this manager is likely to consider a broad range of social and political factors, and is likely to take different actions depending on the context of the problem. Henry Mintzberg is probably the most well-known and prominent advocate of the school of thought that management is an art. Mintzberg is an academic researcher whose work capturing the actual daily tasks of real managers was ground breaking research for its time. Mintzberg, through his observation of actual managers in their daily work, determined that managers did not sit at their desks, thinking, evaluating, and deciding all day long, working for long, uninterrupted time periods. Rather, Mintzberg determined that mangers engaged in very fragmented work, with constant interruptions and rare opportunities to quietly consider managerial issues. Thus, Mintzberg revolutionized thinking about managers at the time that his work was published, challenging the prior notion that managers behaved rationally and methodically. This was in line with the perspective of management as an art, because it indicated that managers did not necessarily have routine behaviors throughout their days, but ins tead used their own social and political skills to solve problems that arose throughout the course of work. Another scholar that promoted the notion of management as an art was David E. Lilienthal, who in 1967 had his series of lectures titled Management: A Humanist Art published. In this set of published lectures, Lilienthal argues that management requires more than a mastery of techniques and skills; instead, it also requires that managers understand individuals and their motivations and help them achieve their goals. Lilienthal believed that combining management and leadership into practice, by not only getting work done but understanding the meaning behind the work, as effective managerial behavior. Thus, he promoted the idea of the manager as a motivator and facilitator of others. This manager as an artist was likely to respond differently to each employee and situation, rather than use a prescribed set of responses dictated by set of known guidelines. Another proponent of the management as art school of thought is Peter Drucker, famed management scholar who is best known for developing ideas related to total quality management. Drucker terms management a liberal art, claiming that it is such because it deals with the fundamentals of knowledge, wisdom, and leadership, but because it is also concerned with practice and application. Drucker argues that the discipline (i.e., the science) of management attempts to create a paradigm for managers, in which facts are established, and exceptions to these facts are ignored as anomalies. He is critical of the assumptions that make up the management paradigm, because these assumptions change over time as society and the business environment change. Thus, management is more of an art, because scientific facts do not remain stable over time. Managing is one of the most important human activities. From the time human beings began forming social organizations to accomplish aims and objectives they could not accomplish as individuals, managing has been   essential to ensure the coordination of individual efforts. As society continuously relied on group effort, and as many organized groups have become large, the task of managers has been increasing in importance and complexity. Definition: Management is the art, or science, of achieving goals through people. Since managers also supervise, management can be interpreted to mean literally looking over i.e., making sure people do what they are supposed to do. Managers are, therefore, expected to ensure greater productivity or, using the current jargon, continuous improvement. Management is not easy. It is not an exact science. In fact, it is seen as an art that people master with experience. Managing your businesss most vital assets is too important to leave to chance.People who believe management is an art are likely to believe that there is no specific way to teach or understand management, and that it is a skill borne of personality and ability. Those who believe in management as an art are likely to believe that certain people are more predisposed to be effective managers than are others, and that some people cannot be taught to be effective managers. That is, even with an understanding of management research and an education in management, some people will not be capable of being effective practicing managers. Practicing managers who believe in management as an art are unlikely to believe that scientific principles and theories will be able to implemented in actual managerial situations. Instead, these managers are likely to rely on the social and political environment surrounding the managerial issue, using their own knowledge of a situation, rather than generic rules, to determine a course of action. For example, a manager who has a problem with an employees poor work performance is likely to rely on his or her own experiences and judgment when addressing this issue. Rather than having a standard response to such a problem, this manager is likely to consider a broad range of social and political factors, and is likely to take different actions depending on the context of the problem. The perspective of management as an art assumes to some extent that a manager has a disposition or experiences that guide him or her in managerial decisions and activities. Thus, with this perspective, many managers may be successful without any formal education or training in management. While formal management education may promote management as a science,many development efforts support the notion of management as an art. To cultivate management talent, organizations offer mentoring, overseas experiences, and job rotation. These activities allow managers to gain greater social and political insight and thus rely on their own judgment and abilities to improve their management style. Much of mentoring involves behavior modeling, in which a protà ©gà © may learn nuances of managerial behavior rather than a set of specific guidelines for managing. Overseas experiences are likely to involve a great deal of manager adaptation, and the general rules by which a manager might operate in one culture are likely to change when managing workers in other countries. Finally, job rotation is a technique that requires a manager to work in a variety of settings. Again, this encourages a manager to be flexible and adaptive, and likely rely more on his or her personal skill in manag ing. Management actually more of art than science. A huge part of Management is leadership, and no matter how many books and courses you take on the subject, if you dont have it in you, then the best you can be is a poor manager. On the flip side, a manager, even with the right innate skills, can make a lot of obvious mistakes if he didnt study well.   Management as science Science can be defined as any skill or technique that reflects a precise application of facts or a principle.. In practice, management as a science would indicate that managers use a specific body of information and facts to guide their behaviors, and that management as an art requires only skill and no specific body of knowledge,. Management Science deals with development and application of the concepts and models in case of any issues and solves managerial problems. The models are usually represented mathematically, but sometimes a few other methods such as computer-based, visual or verbal representations are also used. Believers of management being a discipline of science believe that there are ideal managerial practices available for certain situations. A manager who believes in the scientific principles, when encounters a managerial dilemma has got the view that there must be a rational and objective way to determine the correct course of action. It is possible that the manager will adopt the general principles and theories and also by creating and testing hypotheses. For example, when the employees performance is poor then the manager assumes that certain principles will work in most situations and reacts accordingly to the issue. The concept may be something learnt from a business school or through any f ormal means of training that the person might not consider other factors such as the political and social factors involved in the situation. Many early management researchers opined that managers are like scientists. The first theory that served subscribed to the vision of managers as scientists. The scientific management movement was the primary driver of this perspective. Scientific management, by Frederick W. Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and others tried to discover the one best way to perform jobs. The theory was published in Taylors monographs, Shop Management (1905)] and The Principles of Scientific Management (1911).The main aim was to bring in a theory to evaluate and organize work in order to get the optimum efficiency and effectiveness. The pig iron is the best illustrative of the scientific management theory. The load was split into lots weighing 92 pounds each, known as the pig. On an average 12.5 tons were loaded onto the rail cars by the workers but Taylor believed that it could be increased to 47 or 48 tons per day and as he had believed it completely worked. The following result was achieved by Matching the skill sets of the workers with that of the task that is required to do. Clear instructions are being provided for the workers on how to perform each of the tasks and it was ensured that the the instructions were being followed. Equal division of labour between the workers and the management. The employees were then motivated by providing them with a significantly higher daily wage. It was believed that the shop floor by 200% through the following principle. The theory of scientific management was adopted throughout the world including France, Russia and Japan. McDonalds has been successfully adopt the principles of Scientific Management into its system in the areas of bonus systems, the mutual understandings with the workers and systematic training provided The theory completely created a paradigm shift in the understanding the psychology of workers thus reducing the efficiencies to a very large level. Management, like other sciences has its own principles, laws, generalization which is universal in nature and can be applied to various situations. But management could not be treated in the same way as the other sciences are being treated, the sole reason being that management deals with people and it is very difficult to predict human behaviour accurately. Therefore, it can be said that management falls under the category of Social Sciences. Management has taken a giant leap in this century. Many are of the misconception that the scientific method will provide solutions to all problems but managers must understand that they must contend with the uncertainties that cannot be removed by the scientific endeavour. With the era being an era of science and technology, it is quintessential that we understand their importance. It is inevitable that every business involves some amount of scientific and technological systems. Management is a science as the scientific principles and rules (such as Taylors theory of scientific management and Webers conception of social and economic organization) that have been devised can be applied for improving productivity. Management as technology What is managementWhat is technologyAre these two related somewayIs technology good or bad These are some basic questions that we shall try to answer to understand this concept of management as technology Technology is the scientific methodology and the materials used to achieve certain goal or solve a particular problem. Management is the process of getting activities completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people. In laymans words, Management is to manage the man, money machine and technology helps in better management In todays world everybody is using technology in some way or the other whether knowingly or inadvertently. Technology is everywhere around us; in our homes, in our offices etc. The role of technology becomes even more important when it comes to the application of various functions of management. Todays business scenario is extremely fast, dynamic and full of uncertainties. Todays managers cannot afford to waste time on getting information ,then analysing it, then concluding results out of that raw information and then executing plans .Thus .here comes technology to his rescue. Technology makes it faster, far more efficient and easy for the managers to get results out of pieces of information and then formulate and execute plans and in turn generate profits for the business. But the question is How does technology do it and what technologies are available? A lot of technologies are available today to help out managers to take fast and effective decisions as well as expand their businesses. With the help of technology various software tools have been designed to manage all types of help desk customer service related tasks. It allows you to centrally record, track, update proactively manage customer service CRM related tasks, issues projects by allowing you to create, customize and automate workflows processes. Technology is designed to create, optimize automate business process based upon the customers requirement. It delivers complete transparency control to manage different workflows approvals for all types business enterprises. Technology allows organizations to proactively manage issues. Technology provides simple, easy to use, customizable web-based business management tools.   Technology management can also be defined as the integrated planning, design, optimization, operation and control of technological products processes and services, a better definition would be the management of the use of technology for human advantage. Today technology is used in every section of management whether it is marketing management, production operation management, human resource management, finance management or systems management. Project management is also the important part of technology management. Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.   The primary challenge of project management is to achieve all of the project goals and objectives while honoring the preconceived project constraints. Typical constraints are scope, time, and budget. The secondary challenge is to optimize the allocation and integration of inputs necessary to meet the pre-defined objectives. Some tools that are used in the Organizations are :- Online business networking Networking is a marketing method by which business opportunities are created through networks of like-minded business people. Businesses are increasingly using business social networks as a means of growing their circle of business contacts and promoting themselves online. In general these networking tools allow professionals to build up their circle of business partners they trust. By connecting these business partners the networking tools allow individuals to search for certain people within their network. Since businesses are expanding globally, social networks make it easier to keep in touch with other contacts around the world. Specific cross-border e-commerce platforms and business partnering networks now make globalization accessible also for small and medium sized companies. Social networking websites like LinkedIn.com, Facebook.com are some technologies that help businessmen meet each other online and remain in contact from any part of the world. Sharing of ideas and thoughts Blogs and certain websites like Twitter.com etc are some technologies which provide a platform where people can share their thoughts and present their opinions. Database management and data mining Today no longer we need any books etc to maintain data and records because today we have online database management systems which not only record our data but we can also query out information very fast and effectively. Data mining is the process of retrieving useful patterns out of data stored in the data warehouses which helps managers to analyze data and take quick decisions from the patterns. ERP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is an integrated computer-based system used to manage internal and external resources, including tangible assets, financial resources, materials, and human resources. It is a software architecture whose purpose is to facilitate the flow of information between all business functions inside the boundaries of the organization and manage the connections to outside stakeholders. Built on a centralized database and normally utilizing a common computing platform, ERP systems consolidate all business operations into a uniform and enterprise-wide system environment. In the absence of an ERP system, a large manufacturer may find itself with many software applications that cannot communicate or interface effectively with one another. ERP systems connect the necessary software in order for accurate forecasting to be done. This allows inventory levels to be kept at maximum efficiency and the company to be more profitable. Integration among different functional areas to ensure proper communication, productivity and efficiency Design engineering (how to best make the product) Order tracking, from acceptance through fulfillment etc. Thus, we just now learnt about some technologies that the managers have at their disposal to help them out perform critical managerial functions. So, now we can certainly say that yes management and technology go hand in hand and without technology, management would become too difficult. Modern Management Theories and Practices Management thought has been evolving and redefining itself . There have been three phases of development during the process The Classical Approach, The Human Relations Approach and the contemporary approaches. The classical approach just emphasized the importance of production and administration process within the organization. The Human Relations Approach elucidated the importance of maintain human relations and thus adhering to sound practices in order to achieve the harmony. The contempropry approaches laid importance on the social systems, the decision making process and the application of quantitative methods. These are often grouped together as modern approaches. The classical management approach, developed during the Industrial Revolution, suggested the development of standard methods for doing jobs and the people were trained and they worked like machines. Every person had his own specialized work and he had to do it. This approach accentuated the work element and did not see the workers as human beings but machines. As management became more sophisticated, there was a shift from the era of production or the stress on production to punctuation on human relations. The Hawthrone experiments clearly indicated that apart from the working conditions and the physiological state of the workers, there were other factors influencing the productivity. George L. Mayo postulated these factors as social and psychological in nature. Recent Developments in Management Theory The recent developments in the management theory have been the Systems Approach, Situational or Contingency theory, Chaos theory, and Team Building theory. The Systems Theory: A system is looked at as having inputs (e.g., raw materials, funds, and human resource), processes (e.g., planning, organizing, motivating, and controlling), outputs (products or services) and outcomes (e.g., enhanced quality of life or productivity for customers/clients, productivity). According to this approach, the four aspects of the system is inter connected and this can be used to determine patterns and events. The Situational or Contingency Theory: This theory postulates that all aspects of the situations must be taken into account when managers make a decision. For e.g. if one is leading a military troop, then an autocratic style or a bureaucratic style must probably be adopted, whereas in the case of a medical facility, a more participative and facilitative leadership style will be more suitable. The Chaos Theory: This theory suggests that systems naturally tend to go complex and hence will lead to more volatility and instability. Thus inorder to maintain a balance, it is important to exert more energy. This trend continues until the system splits and falls apart entirely. Manager must be able to effectively scrutinize and take care so that mishaps dont happen. The Team Building approach: This theory postulates that team building is the essence of providing quality circles, best practices, and continuous improvement within the organization. This theory also elucidates that the reduction of levels of hierarchy or flattening of the system will bring in more effectiveness. Consensus management is the essence of the theory that is involving more people at all levels in the process of decision-making. MODERN MANAGEMENT PRACTICES The basis of Modern Management Practices are based on Leadership and Commitment, Business Planning and Risk Management, Control Systems, Performance Management, Accountability Management Leadership and Commitment: Open-door management style, strong management board, good relationship with staff, importance in the area of values and ethics are all the prerequisites of Modern management. The Senior Financial Officer and the staff play a strong leadership role in the organization and participate in all major business decisions. Business Planning and Risk Management Strong linkage exists between business planning and management accountability agreements. This is achieved by setting well defined the corporate strategies and priorities.

How Our World is Changing :: essays research papers

As the title of this paper states, â€Å"How our World is Changing† our world is constantly changing. Our world changes everyday without most of us ever seeing or noticing any changes, but as we look back in history we can see some tremendous changes. As history is studied these changes become apparent and truly jump out and become real.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Out of all the changes in our history, some of the most significant changes that have made an impact include; women’s rights, civil rights and religion. Women and people of color have made several steps toward earning equal rights over the past forty years. World religions are as diverse as the individuals that participate in them. Women have had quite a few hurdles to get over since the 1950's. In 1958 the proportion of women attending college in comparison with men was 35 percent. (Friedan, 369) Women were supposed to be happy and content at home taking care of her family. In the late 1950's, many women began to feel they needed more, and so a movement was started. Women were drawn into the work place in the 1960's when the economy expanded and rising consumer aspirations fueled the desire of many families for a second income. By 1960, 30.5 percent of all wives worked and the number of women graduating from college grew. (Echols, 400) Women soon found they were being treated differently and paid less then their male co-workers. In the mid 1970's, cities began to have women applying for firefighter positions and by the late 1970's, cities began hiring women as firefighters. This was only a small victory for women. Dealing with the men in a male dominant department would be an even bigger struggle for women. (Seattle) A sexual harassment survey was conducted in 1995 with 551 women firelighters responded. The survey revealed that 88% of the women had experienced sexual harassment. 73% of the women stated they had been treated differently in negative ways, from their male co-workers. (Sexual Harassment) In 1999, a longer survey was given and the percentages increased when women were asked if they had experienced any sexual harassment. I have heard quite a few men say that women cannot do the job because they are not strong enough. Being a Firefighter today takes more brains then 20 years ago. The ability to be a clear thinker is one of the biggest assets a firefighter must have today.

A Brief Look to the Minority Issues in Turkey Essay -- turkish democrac

Currently, Turkey stands between the worlds of Europe and the Middle East, in other words West and East. As Turkey prepares to join the EU, the county’s problematic relationship with democracy needs to be re-examined. Under Turkey’s current system, in operation for nine decades, the country has not been able to establish a stable democratic regime. Since the beginning of the republic, Turkey has created three constitutions. In addition, over the past 40 years, Turkey has faced four military coups or attempts thereof, the most recent in 1997. The EU is certainly not interested in the inclusion of a military state within democratic structures. Yet, as it stands today, the formal democracy of Turkey is notably weakened by its traditional reliance on a paternalistic military. Not only is the state of democracy in Turkey important in light of its EU application, it also carries vital international significance. If democratization can truly take hold and stabilize the country , Turkey could become a model state demonstrating the potential for congruency between democratic and Islamic values. Currently the Turkish Parliament (TBMM) is trying to make up the Republic’s first constitution without a military stance. It is evident for Turkey that without the elimination of Turkish military power from civilian life, there is no way to cure undemocratic problems within the country, for example, the recognition and protection of minorities. Since its establishment in 1923, the Republic of Turkey has faced severe minority rights issues. In that year, the allies (France, the UK, Italy, Greece etc.) and the new republic signed the Treaty of Peace in Lausanne, which included minority subjects. However, until today the parties of the treaty have acc... ...l under the category of either ethnic or religious minorities such as Kurds, Laz and Zaza...etc. Now, the groups along with their problems will be briefly examined. Numbers related to the population will also be provided. Works Cited Oran, B. Tà ¼rkiye’de AzÄ ±nlÄ ±klar: Kavramlar, Teori, Lozan, Ä °Ãƒ § Mevzuat, Ä °Ãƒ §tihat, Uygulama [Minorities in Turkey: Concepts, Theory, Lausanne, Domestic Law, Jurisprudence and Practice] (Istanbul, Ä °letiÅŸim, 2005) at 48-49. Oran, at 48. Will, K. Multicultural Citizenship: A Liberal Theory of Minority Rights (New York, Oxford, 1995) at 1. United Nations, ICCPR, Human Rights Committee, â€Å"General Comment No.31 [80] Nature of the General Legal Obligation Imposed on States Parties to the Covenant: 26/05/2004. CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.13. (General Comments)† online: http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CCPR.C21.Rev.1.Add.13En?Opendocument