Leadership Legacy

Table of Contents Abstract Introduction Leadership Approaches Desirable Leadership Qualities Types of Leadership Conclusion Reference List Abstract Leadership is an important skill and trait that allows individuals to guide others towards specific goals and aspirations in a given setting. For a long time, leadership has been viewed as a complex issue, which no one can easily claim absolute prowess.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Legacy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The ability of leadership to attain results is dependent on many factors such the followers, the environment, resources, and activities that go towards the achievement of the goals that the leadership is established to attain. Despite the uncertainties of leadership, an elaborate literature has been dedicated to the activities or qualities that make leadership successful and effective. For instance, Your Leadership Legacy by Galford and Maruca and Leadership by DuBrin are two important books that propose various approaches that are advanced towards guiding leadership roles towards better outcomes for the setting where it is applied. This paper discusses the concept of leadership by drawing a comparison from the above two books. The goal is to show how the topics in the book Leadership are reflected in Galford and Maruca’s work. Introduction Leadership is defined as the act or ability to lead others towards a specific goal. Leadership is practiced in many situations, both formal and informal. However, it is guided by the desire to achieve specific goals that have been agreed upon by the individuals, a group, or organizations. However, of the settings where leadership is practiced, organizational leadership has received more research and mentioning in the existing research. Organizations provide an important platform where leadership accountability can easily be measured against well-established goals and respective deliverables. However, one might want to know what makes leadership good or successful. While the ability to achieve the specific goals that have been set forth is a good way and a popular method of assessing the effectiveness of leadership, the effectiveness of leadership can only be measured in terms of whether one or more of the specific goals have been achieved or not. This paper focuses on the books Your Leadership Legacy by Galford and Maruca and Leadership by DuBrin. The aim is to show how the latter book’s contents appear in the former. Leadership Approaches In their book Your Leadership Legacy, Galford and Maruca present important approaches that leaders can use to plan for the success or legacy of their leadership. In other words, the effectiveness or success of leadership should not be a matter of evaluation after the completion of a given project, program, or a setting where the leadership is applied.Advertising Looking for essay on business econo mics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Rather, it should be a systematic process of planning beforehand for the success of the leadership, even before the beginning of the application of the leadership approaches by the given leadership. According to Galford and Maruca (2006), leadership approaches and outcomes should be foreseeable. They should be well designed from the start to ensure prosperous leadership. Similarly, the other book Leadership by DuBrin offers important characteristics and qualities of a leader that are vital for successful leadership. The book defines governance as the capacity to instigate and provide for others towards the accomplishment of administrative objectives. The ability of leadership to put a lasting impression and impact on an organization is viewed as an important aspect of determining successful leadership. In the process of creating a lasting impact or ‘leadership ‘legacy’, Galfo rd and Maruca (2006) establish important qualities and characteristics of leadership that leaders must adopt in their leadership practice. The qualities and approaches that allow a leader to be successful and/or leave a legacy lead one towards an in-depth analysis of various leadership qualities and practices that separate successful leaders from the rest. Accordingly, leadership is a systematic process that should involve active planning and execution of plans that will ensure that the leader not only helps the organization to achieve its specified goals but also the ability to ensure lasting changes and improvements or impacts that will positively affect the organization even long after the leadership has been changed. While the book by DuBrin (2015) does not discuss leadership through the leadership legacy approach, it offers important qualities and characteristics that should be evident in an effective leader and hence indirectly concurring with the approaches that have been put forward to guide leaders towards the leadership legacy as Galford and Maruca (2006) establish. Successful leadership understands the importance of leadership role in the achievement or letdown of the organization. In this case, it is imperative to understand that headship is vital from the beginning for the attainment of the immediate and lasting objectives of an organization. In chapter one of Leadership by DuBrin (2015), the book discusses the important role that leadership plays in an organization, especially in guiding and inspiring others to achieve their respective goals and deliverables to ensure the overall achievement of the organizational goals. According to DuBrin (2015), the importance of leadership can only be understood by firstly appreciating its nature. In this case, headship is summed up as a collective obligation, partnership, or affiliation between a leader and the supporters. Further, DuBrin (2015) makes important comparisons between leadership and management.Ad vertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Legacy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a mutual obligation and collaboration, headship is not a one man’s show. It requires the input of all members of a given organization or setting where the leadership is applied (DuBrin, 2015). As such, a leader does not micromanage people. Instead, he or she supports and inspires them towards believing in their abilities and consequently working actively towards achieving the goals for the benefit of the organization and themselves. Effective leadership recognizes the importance of the qualities that the other members of the organization bring on the table. It provides them with an active and open platform where they can make important contributions to the overall success of the organization (DuBrin, 2015). By recognizing leadership as a shared and collaborative role, the leader allows members who have expertise in specif ic areas of the group’s activities to rise and guide the team towards the achievement of the deliverables that are expected for the specific task. Such shared responsibilities allow a team or an organization to recognize and use them to its advantage based on the various qualifications and strengths that are found within each member of the group, hence giving the members a role that ensures that they feel that the organization’s leadership values their input. The second most important component of a leader is the relationship. DuBrin (2015) views leadership as a relationship-building process. In other words, governance does not occur in an empty space. In this case, it is important for leadership to enhance and build the relationship, which will lead to its validation. Good leadership recognizes how ‘people’ are essential resources in any organization. Consequently, they work actively towards making good working relationships that will support the leader a nd the organization towards achieving the expected outcomes. When the followers feel discontented or disconnected from the leadership, they are likely to have low motivation or have opposing views on the goals of the organization and hence leading to their failure. Therefore, successful leadership is built upon close and strong working relationships with the people who are important to the success of the organization.  Echoing the same sentiments, Your Leadership Legacy by Galford and Maruca (2006) offers important insights into what makes a successful leader who can leave a legacy. Effective and successful leadership goes beyond the ability to achieve an organization’s goals and deliverables, but also the ability to influence the individual positively. The ‘individual’ in this case refers to the people who are being led by the leader in a given setting or organization. Therefore, the leadership legacy or leadership effectiveness can be achieved through the peo ple (Galford Maruca, 2006).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More An effective leader not only understands the importance of adhering to the vision and mission of an organization, but also ensures a highly motivated labor force, which believes and shares the vision and mission of the organization. Without people, a leader can never make a heritage. Hence, leadership is strongly tied to the followership in the given setting.  This description of leadership compares well with DuBrin’s (2015) definition of leadership as a relationship. Galford and Maruca (2006) give an analogy of the photo mosaic to explain leadership. Accordingly, leadership is viewed through the collectivity of all members in an organization, just as a photo mosaic is only possible by bringing individual segments of the photos together to form a whole picture that is relevant and understandable. The photo mosaic analogy can be viewed as indicating leadership as a shared responsibility and collaboration as DuBrin (2015) puts it. Desirable Leadership Qualities Leaders must p ossess various qualities that make them capable of leading others towards the success of a given activity or towards the achievement of a legacy. While the qualities of a leader may vary from one individual to another, a combination of some or all of them makes individuals stand out from the rest as good leaders. In Chapter 4 of Leadership by DuBrin (2015), the author views these qualities as behaviors, attitudes, and styles that leaders adopt or naturally uphold. Such elements are important in ensuring the success of the leadership.  Firstly, DuBrin (2015) regards the initiation of a workable leadership structure as the most important plan that leaders should have to ensure the best outcomes for the team that they lead. In terms of contemplation, the leader must understand the importance of a good working atmosphere where responsive sustenance, cordiality, affability, and conviction prevail. When the followers feel that their emotional needs are addressed, they are likely to be m ore effective and motivated to work (DuBrin, 2015). In addition, a leader who creates a warm, friendly, and trustful environment promotes a good working relationship with employees while ensuring that they are highly motivated to perform to their best for the benefit of the organization and consequently the success of the leadership. The second most desirable quality of a leader is initiating a leadership structure (DuBrin, 2015). A leader has the ability to organize the team with well-cut goals and expectations that will guide the group towards a successful completion of the expected goals. In this case, the leader ensures and supports relationships by organizing clear-cut goals and specific tasks for each member or team in the organization. Further, the boss establishes clear procedures and schedules, expectations, and realistic goals that ensure that each group achieves its expectations. The leader is also at the forefront in establishing unambiguous roles for each individual. Be sides, he or she has to define how such roles relate to the other group members’ agenda while at the same time demonstrating their relevance to the overall organization or project. Without a working structure, a group is likely to have troubles such as poor communication and ultimately the failure to complete what is expected of it.  In the above paragraphs, it is evident that DuBrin (2015) has put forward important qualities that are desirable for a leader. These qualities are also reflected in Galford and Maruca’s (2006) work on Your Leadership Legacy. For instance, the quality of consideration is well handled in the ‘What King of Impacts are You Having?† segment where Galford and Maruca (2006) discuss important actions that determine whether the leadership practices are generating positive or negative impacts on employees and consequently the overall organization. Further, the book considers the ability of the leader to connect with the employees as an important part of the process of legacy leadership where the interaction goes beyond the confines of the criteria of interaction that is dictated by the organization. In other words, a good leadership allows people to achieve high levels of satisfaction, a feeling of being in the right place, and motivation to work with the organization. Galford and Maruca’s (2006) book discusses the importance of creating a good working environment where employees will be more willing and inclined towards delivering their best in their respective roles. In the section â€Å"What Role Are You Playing?†, Galford and Maruca’s (2006) delve into both intentional and unintentional impacts of leadership on the behavior of the followers. In terms of the intentional impact, the leader is in control of his or her actions. The actions have a direct impact on how the followers react and/or act in their respective roles. One of the most important intentional impacts of leadership is the ab ility to create a good working structure where the skills of individuals are matched with the requirements of a given project or program in the organization. This process kicks on at the inauguration of an individual’s entry into an organization where the skills and responsibilities that are deemed essential for the role at hand are matched with the qualifications, knowledge, abilities, and skills of a potential employee. The most qualified contender is hired. Further, during the execution of various projects, the leader also plays an important role in matching the skills and responsibilities of individuals with the requirements of the project at hand. The importance of the process of matching responsibilities and roles with the skills and qualities of the individual is to ensure that each individual is performing at his or her best. This working strategy ensures that employees’ skills and impact are valued. Types of Leadership DuBrin (2015) recognizes leadership as ha ving different qualities and leading approaches, which are all aimed at delivering the best outcomes for the organization. Although the leadership approaches aim at achieving the best outcomes for the organization, they vary significantly in terms of how the practice of leadership is undertaken. For instance, DuBrin (2015) recognizes contingency and situational leadership as an important type and approach to leadership. This leadership strategy is highly dependent on the specific situations where the leadership practice is applied. In other words, it is difficult for the leadership to make important decisions without a consideration of the prevailing conditions in a given setting. However, such leadership is criticized for being responsive, rather than proactive. The leadership decisions are often made very close to activities and outcomes, which give followers a short duration of reacting or effecting the desired changes to drive the project towards the final goals and outcomes. By understanding the prevailing conditions and situations, the leader is in a better position to make important decisions that will guide the project or program towards the desired goals and outcomes (Moynihan, Pandey, Wright, 2012). However, such leadership approach requires close interaction with employees and the program to ensure that the leader is aware of the nitty-gritty details of the project. At times, these minor elements can make the leader feel as if he or she is very intrusive on the followers who may not take it well since they may feel as if they lack their independence. However, the secret for the successful application of the contingency and situational leadership lies in its ability to promote good working relations where respect and open communication prevail. Employees will feel free to communicate and get feedback from their leader. This move will also provide the leader with the important information that is needed for decision-making as the project continues. T he second leadership style or type is the charismatic and transformational leadership. According to DuBrin (2015), charismatic and transformational leadership focuses on creating a highly conducive working environment where the followers are inspired to perform to their level best on their volition. Such leadership is based on good working relationships between the leader and the followers and/or between the followers themselves. The leader is at the forefront in creating good working relationships where each individual or stakeholder who contributes to the success of the program understands his or her role in the organization (Birasnav, Rangnekar, Dalpati, 2011). He or she actively works towards the success of the given role and in overall, the success of the organization. Such leadership is based on the goal of achieving high motivation levels of followers, as well as matching the goals of the organization or project with the individual goals of motivation and satisfaction in the workplace. Based on this approach, the leadership focuses on encouraging followers towards a level of interaction where their activities in the organization will lead to self-gratification and satisfaction. The ability to achieve such an interaction between the organization’s goals and the individual aims of satisfaction and purpose for the employees allows followers to get inspiration from the leadership and to work towards the successful completion of the tasks, not just for the success of the organization, but also for the employees or follower satisfaction. On the other hand, Galford and Maruca (2006) discuss their approaches to leadership using different approaches that are centered on building a legacy leadership. In the book, chapter three discusses the role and importance of natural traits and roles of a leader. These traits and roles can be viewed as focusing on the types of leadership that DuBrin (2015) discusses in his book. The natural roles and traits of a leade r are important since they are a clear indication that leadership is not for everyone and that some people are better positioned to lead in relation to others. Above all, the most important trait in leaders is the ability to create and maintain good working relationships with mutual respect, which can be viewed as the charisma that is put forward in Galford and Maruca’s writing. However, the most important and most influential determinant of leadership legacy is the ability to inspire and increase employee motivation in the workplace (Birasnav et al., 2011). Such inspiration via incentives will be closely tied to their satisfaction at the workplace. Such leadership is focused on improving employees’ outlook concerning their tasks and life while at the same time ensuring that they have the right motivation and skills to effectively deliver on their respective roles in the organization. By tying job satisfaction to job delivery, a leader stands a chance to create a lasti ng impact on employees, especially at a time when many organizations are complaining about the lack of interest and the increasing disengagement of employees. These two elements are indicators of low motivation and discontent of the roles and the responsibilities of the employees and the actual roles that they undertake. Such leadership can be viewed as charismatic or transformational. It goes beyond the boundaries of the organization. Consequently, it ensures that the leader is an inspiration and a positive influence on the followers at all levels.  DuBrin (2015) discusses what he refers to as entrepreneurial leadership as an important leadership style and trait that a good leadership should uphold. In this case, it is worth noting that leadership is about creating value for the organization and the stakeholders. This goal is achieved through the profits that an organization makes out of its business, thanks to the dedicated human resources. By thinking as an entrepreneur, the le ader can devise ways of eliminating or reducing any unnecessary costs while at the same time maximizing profits through many activities such as venturing into new markets, increasing customer satisfaction, or through new ventures that provide new income streams. On the other hand, Galford and Maruca (2006) cover this quality or approach to leadership in the segment ‘The Creative Builder’. Accordingly, legacy leadership is based on the ability of the leader to be creative in terms of coming up with activities and roles that will ensure that an organization remains not only relevant but also able to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors. Further, these activities and roles are important in ensuring that an organization achieves high returns and recommendable levels of employee motivation and satisfaction, which will certify that the leader has achieved impressive impacts that will last for long while contributing to the creation of legacy. Conclusion Although the two texts approach leadership from different angles, it is evident that the contents of their approaches to leadership discuss the same methods and concepts that relate to effective leadership. Leadership legacy is about the ability of a leader to leave a lasting positive impression on individuals. The impression should last beyond the leader’s tenure. Such headship emphasizes the desire to create important relationships and good working relations between the prime candidate and the supporters. It focuses on ensuring that employees are not only able to deliver on their roles but also get satisfaction out of their activities. The concept of legacy leadership as put forward by Galford and Maruca (2006) adds value to the leadership field. It presents important qualities and activities that go towards the creation of legacy leadership. Such qualities compare with DuBrin’s (2015) leadership concepts. For instance, successful leadership is viewed as the ability to lead t he organization towards the successful completion of the roles at hand while safeguarding the working environment where followers are satisfied and motivated to work for the betterment of the organization. In this case, leadership is not a trial-and-error practice, but a discipline that requires systematic planning and actions that will drive the organization forward while at the same time ensuring that employees feel that they not only have a purpose but also obtain satisfaction from their roles. Further, the two books discuss the styles of leaderships that include charismatic and transformational leadership, contingency and situational leadership, and entrepreneurial leadership as DuBrin (2015) confirms. Leadership is a highly researched discipline. Despite the enormity of the research, it narrows down to the ability to influence followers towards positive outcomes not only on the respective roles that are laid forward by the organization, but also on the general life where issues such as satisfaction, motivation, and a close feeling of purpose prevail. If a leader can achieve the above leadership goals, he or she can be considered a good leader who is on the right path towards the creation of a legacy. Reference List Birasnav, M., Rangnekar, S., Dalpati, A. (2011). Transformational leadership and human capital benefits: The role of knowledge management. Leadership Organization Development Journal, 32(2), 106-126. DuBrin, A. (2015). Leadership: Research Findings, Practice and Skills. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Galford, R., Maruca, R. (2006). Yoir Leadership Legacy: Why Looking Toward The Future Will Make You A Better Leader Today. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School of Publishing. Moynihan, D. P., Pandey, S. K., Wright, B. E. (2012). Setting the table: How transformational leadership fosters performance information use. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 22(1), 143-164. This essay on Leadership Legacy was written and submitted by user Kimberly Whitley to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

ISDN essays

ISDN essays Gas bubbles form in magma. As magma rises higher and higher, the bubbles get bigger and bigger. When the magma reaches the surface and erupts, the bubbles expand very rapidly, and an explosive eruption happens. The easiest answer is that it erupts when the pressure of the magma inside becomes so great that the volcano splits and the magma gets out. The magma pressure can get high if the supply to the volcano from the Earth's mantle is high. The magma pressure can also get high if magma is just sitting around in the magma chamber within the volcano. This is because as the magma in the chamber starts to cool off, it releases gases. These gases can increase the pressure until the volcano fractures and you have an eruption. Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument At 8:32 Sunday morning, May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. In a few moments this slab of rock and ice slammed into Spirit Lake, crossed a ridge 1,300 feet high, and roared 14 miles down the Toutle River. The avalanche rapidly released pressurized gases within the volcano. A tremendous lateral explosion ripped through the avalanche and developed into a turbulent, stone-filled wind that swept over ridges and toppled trees. Nearly 150 square miles of forest was blown over or left dead and standing. At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. Wet, cement-like slurries of rock and mud scoured all sides of the volcano. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments. ...

Free Online Religion Courses

Free Online Religion Courses Whether youre looking for a deeper understanding of world religions or simply want to understand your own faith on a deeper level, these free online religion courses can help. With video lessons, podcasts, and exercises, youll be instructed by religious leaders from around the globe. Buddhism Buddhist Studies - If you want details quickly, youll get them with this Buddhist study guide. Choose your topic and your skill level for explanations of Buddhist spirituality, culture, belief, and practice. Buddhism and Modern Psychology - It turns out that many Buddhist practices (such as meditation) have a proven use in modern psychology. Through this 6-unit course from Princeton University, youll explore how Buddhists view the human mind and human problems. An Introductory Course on Early Buddhism - If youre looking for an in-depth discussion of Buddhist philosophy, this course is for you. The PDF lessons walk students through Buddahs life, the four noble truths, the eight-fold path, meditation, and many other essential beliefs. The Central Philosophy of Tibet - For the academically-inclined, this podcast offers a professorial look at Buddhist principles and practices throughout Tibetan history. Christianity Hebrew for Christians - These text and audio lessons are designed to help Christians study Hebrew to gain a deeper understanding of their early scriptures. Truth for the World - These brief lessons include beginning, intermediate, and advanced topics in Bible studies. Students can browse through written lectures and also view short video segments. Both the Old and New Testaments are discussed. Bible Study Lessons - Take a look at these step-by-step Bible study guides to learn more about the scriptures from a Christian perspective. You can download guides as PDF documents or read them online. Once youre done with each section, take a quiz to see how much youve learned. World Bible School - Through this easy-to-understand course, students can learn the essentials of the Bible from a Christian faith-promoting world view. Email and mail correspondence options are also available. Hinduism American/International Gita Society - Through four levels, this course helps English speakers understand the Bhagavad Gita. The course includes an English language version of the scripture and dozens of PDF lessons guiding seekers through the book. Kauais Hindi Monastery - Take a look at this well-organized site to take online classes on the basics of Hinduism, sign up for a daily lesson, or listen to audio discussions. Interesting audio options include: How to Realize God: Like a Childs Self-Discovery, The Gurus Job: Love, and All Knowing Within You: No Good, No Bad. Islam Studying Islam  - Through this site, students can access a variety of course materials including YouTube videos, text-based lessons, and discussions related to essential topics in Islam. Introduction to the Koran: The Scripture of Islam  - From the University of Notre Dame, this course offers an academic look at the Koran, its text, its cultural meanings, and its place in history. Understanding Islam  - This free online course is designed for students relatively new to Islamic beliefs. With quotes from essential texts, graphics, and easy-to-understand explanations, students work their way through three units. Islamic Online University  - For practicing Muslims, this site offers a variety of course options including The Moral Foundations of Islamic Culture, No Doubt: Conveying Islam with Compassion and Reason, and Arabic Speech Simplified. Judaism Jewish Interactive Studies  - These introductory text-based courses help students understand the fundamentals of Jewish belief and practice. Both the Foundations and the Ethics courses are free in PDF format. Hebrew Learning  - If youre looking to learn Hebrew, this is a smart place to start. Explore dozens of brief lessons with audio and interactive graphics. Reform Judaism Webinars  - These webinars focus on topics of interest in Reform Judaism and are available on topics such as Torah Alive: Every Person Has a Name, Sharing Your Harvest with Others: Sukkot and Social Justice, and Jews and the Civil Rights Movement. Judaism 101  - If youre a young Jew between the ages of 18 and 26, consider taking this foundational online course. Youll learn through expert videos, quizzes, and events. Sign up and complete the requirements, and you may even qualify for a $100 stipend.

Can someone change your life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Can someone change your life - Essay Example   This was a major change for me because I had in great part relied on other individuals to help me through life. In these regards, there were a lot of daily tasks that I took for granted. For instance, simple things like fixing my car I never took care of, because I had always relied on my brother whenever there was a problem that was needed. For instance, I recall one incident where we were driving to visit a family friend. During the trip, one of the tires went out on our car. My brother immediately got out of the vehicle, opened the trunk, and began to change the tire. After my brother’s accident, he was not able to accomplish tasks such of this. A few months after his accident we were driving to visit another individual and a tire went out on the vehicle. For an instant, I looked to my brother expecting him to jump out of the car and change the tire but instead came to realize that this time I would have to learn how. We rolled the window down and my brother explained t o me the exact steps I needed to take in order to change the tire. This has I learned the process and would be able to accomplish it in future situations. While this situation with changing tires is one incident, it reflects the large change that took place in my life after my brother’s accident. Slowly, I began to learn a lot of skills that I had never had to learn before. My life had truly changed. From this point on I would no longer be able to simply watch television or engage in random past-time activities.... While this situation with changing tires is one incident, it reflects the large change that took place in my life after my brother’s accident. Slowly, I began to learn a large amount of skills that I had never had to learn before. My life had truly changed. From this point on I would no longer be able to simply watch television or engage in random past-time activities. My new life-style involved becoming more active in day-to-day activities. I learned to become more engaged in daily activities. While this took up my time, it also changed the very way I structured my days. I recognized that now I needed to ensure that my homework was done in an efficient way, as I would need to aid my family in a variety of ways. Ultimately, my life changed in drastic ways after my brother’s accident, as I had to fill in areas in which my brother had previously occupied. The second thing I learned was to take greater responsibility for my family and household actions. My brother is older than me, and he was caring for everything. After the accident I need to be responsible about everything he had been taking care of. Although, it wasn’t easy at first, because I didn’t use to have all this responsibility like to care of the home, family, and study. Now everything is normal and easy because I became familiar with it. However, at first things came as a great surprise to me as I was not aware of the many things that I had not learned, which my brother handled. Indeed, it was a major awakening experience to me. Many times in life I believe it is possible for humans to become complacent and fall into a way of living that doesn’t realize the full scope of their surroundings. I recognize that before my brother’s accident this was the world I had come to live in. After my

Discuss how job redesign can improve organisational performance Essay

Discuss how job redesign can improve organisational performance - Essay Example This paper sheds light on how job-redesign improves the overall organizational performance, by enlisting a myriad of advantages that are linked with job redesign. 2. Job Redesign and Organizational Performance 2.1. Employee Motivation The basic objective behind job redesign is to motivate the employee so that he is willing to perform better and produce greater results than before (Zhang & Bartol 2010). Employee motivation brings about increased worker productivity because it guarantees high quality worker job experience. Smith (1994) discusses the reason why employee motivation is at all necessary, and comes up with the answer that organizations need to implement motivational strategies through job redesign to ensure their survival in the market, because when employees are motivated, they perform better. Lindner (1998), in his research about what motivates employees, found that job redesign includes motivating factors such as interesting work, good wages, appreciation, encouragement, job security, healthy workplace environment, promotions, participation in decision-making, and sympathy shown from the supervisors on personal problems. 2.2. Employee Empowerment Job redesign empowers employees, which leads to a boost in employees’ morale, job persistence, productivity, and organizational performance; and, the absence of these factors can destroy the whole organization (Kuo et al. 2010). Gitman and McDaniel (2007:323) have called this â€Å"investing in people† which includes four trends called employee â€Å"education and training, employee ownership, work-life benefits, and nurturing knowledge workers†. Bilton (2007:71) suggests that job redesign must empower the first-line entrepreneurs instead of controlling them, and that it should give â€Å"greater autonomy and flexibility† to the employee, as there are commercial reasons for it like achievement of business goals. 2.3. Job Satisfaction Tella, Ayeni and Popoola (2007, par.15) defin e job satisfaction as a comfortable feeling that results from â€Å"employees’ perception of how well their job provides those things that are viewed as important†. The most precious asset that a company may cherish is its employees, and it needs to be seriously concerned with all issues that may dissatisfy, frustrate or depress them. Without happy employees, no strategy is going to work, and no progress will be seen in the long run. After job redesigning, employees work harder because they have enough motivation to learn and excel (Tims & Bakker 2010). They help their employers to increase productivity and achieve customer satisfaction. Tietjen and Myers (1998) state that organizational support through job redesign guarantees improved turnover behavior among employees, because they want to stick to their jobs when they find that their employers are there to value their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses through proper training. This creates a trustworthy relatio nship between employees and employers, which also results in reduced workplace conflicts and enhanced organizational performance. Today, employers are spending thousands of compensation dollars to devise and implement benefit plans,

Wireless Sensor Chip to Protect Wildlife

Wireless Sensor Chip to Protect Wildlife Name : Boyu Yao Summary The basic motivation of implanting the wireless sensor on different animals is that they are illegally being poached killed and smuggled or traded for the medicinal purposes while the authorities have not been completely able to stop this issues. The wireless sensor networks would be developed to cater this issue in which sensors would be implanted in animal that would give the information to the administrators about the animal being attacked. The information would be collected through camera for visual, micro phone for audio, GPs for location and heart rate sensor for getting an idea about the medical or biological symptoms of the animals whose heart rate increases as it senses danger. The information would be sent to the mobile phones connected to the sensor. This can be a really effective and faster way to overcome the issue and also the find out the real culprit behind this illegal poaching of the animals. Points for Extension Information must be given about the total battery life of the sensor and complete device that would be implanted along with the type of battery being used to make sure it is safe and sound as animals go into water. Detailed ways and mechanism of implanting the sensors into the bodies of the animals must be provided as the picture showed the sensor just placed on the head of the animal. Discussion about placing sensor at right place must be provided The network protocols that would be sued for the wireless communication should be illustrated in more detail. Interesting points The idea of getting the information about the health of the animals through measuring the heart was a great idea of getting the physical information The idea for future development of using the solar energy for battery charging along with size reduction is a good way for making device efficient. The connection and information sent to the monitors mobile is the fastest and most interesting way of communication. Student 2 Name : Shashank Student number: N9537112 Topic: Proximity sensors Summary: This presentation gave a comprehensive overview of the proximity sensors starting with the determination of difference between the capacitive and inductive sensors. The sensors function by measuring the changes in the capacity whenever an object comes near to the sensor while the size and the distance of the object hugely determines the changes in the capacitive. The advantage of the sensor is that it does not need to be in physical contact while the low cost and applications over the wide range of the appliances and electronic devices is another fact. The sensor the sensor works by emitting the electromagnetic fields and then measuring the strength of the signals getting back. The changes in capacitance is measured as sensor acts as the one plate of it and the object acts as the other plate of the capacitance.   The capacity of the sensor as just mentioned is closely related to the size and distances. Point needing Extension There must be more information delivered about the mechanism of installing these sensor in different devices More information should be given about the capacitive sensing abilities of these sensors with respect to a specific location. The working of these proximity sensors is not described in detail as well as the actual or real form or picture of the device was not included. Interesting points The fact that the power consumption of these sensors is very low makes them suitable for application in mobile devices having no direct power contact. The sensors work perfectly without the human intervention in the form of physical contact which makes its convenient and safer for use. It can be applied in a variety of device with the various functions like in car parking to avoid collisions and mobile phones to avoid wrong calls and detect touch.

GEZ Petrol Station Essay

GEZ Bhd is the major oil company in Malaysia has conducted two main businesses, which is the fuel business and the convenience store business. Under the fuel business, the petrol stations sold Petrol Ron 95 (R95), Petrol Ron 97 (R97), and Diesel. Mr Aiman was as an Area Manager is responsible for directing the sales activities of more than twenty petrol stations in the northern region of Malaysia. They are having a difficulty to sustain in the business even though they are in the stable business segment and consistent in the long run. This is due to the lack of knowledge in finance and costing which is it contributed to the business failure. There were disadvantages associated with a petrol station that is the fuel business had a very low profit margin. It was important that operators manage their cash collection very well. Realising the importance of management accounting concepts, Mr Aiman believed that the dealers and their relevant staff should have the knowledge in cost accounti ng. In order to collect data and build financial model, Mr Aiman has sought the advice from Rizal, a trained management accountant. To begin developing a CVP model, Rizal has gathered the necessary data from Baron Service Station (BSS) which is the busiest petrol station in the city. The petrol station had four pumps for petrol and one for diesel and the total number of nozzle was 20. The model that he would develop could be applied by petrol station operators of the same category. Regarding this case, from the cost-volume-profit analysis, Rizal can find that the breakeven point which is how much sales the petrol station of this type should generate from each of the fuel products and the Selesamart. Mr. Aiman also can learn that the importance of differentiate between fixed cost and variable cost so that the petrol stations can sustain their profitable business and growth. DATA ANALYSIS 1. How lucrative is the petrol station business? To determine how lucrative is this business, we need to identified each component with detailed calculation of the income statement which is does include all the revenue acquired, fixed cost and variable cost that related to the both type of the business. Firstly, we required to understand the definition of each component. Fixed costs are defined as expenses that remain more or less unchanged irrespective of the output level or sales revenue, within the relevant period. By definition, there are no fixed costs in the long run, because the long run is a sufficient period of time for all short-run fixed inputs to become variable. Variable costs are defined as expenses that vary depending on the output level or sales revenue of a company within the relevant period. Generally, as a business’s output increases, variable costs also increase. The more products a business sells, the more money it spends on materials and manpower to produce those products. We categorized all the expenses into fixed and variable costs and calculate the net profits of Baron S ervice Station for year 2009. REVENUE VARIABLE COSTS FIXED COSTS INCOME STATEMENTS (Partial) As describe in the Calculation stated above, the total contribution margin of Baron Service Station consists of two parts, which are fuel business and SelesaMart business. Total contribution margin is RM1,166,341.94. Contribution margin of SelesaMart business is about more and less 20% of the total contribution margin, which means that SelesaMart business is doing well, in addition, profit of SelesaMart will be higher if it doesn’t need to pay a 5% royalty to GEZ. From the income statement we can interpreted that this business in lucrative enough with a good control of expenses and Cost related to the operation, where BSS could generate Nett Profit of RM 772,825.94 (Calculation as per as Attachment 1) 2. Since the margin on fuel business is very low (6%) compared to convenience store (20%), do you agree that the convenience store is subsidizing the fuel business? Firstly, the profit margin for fuel business is very low if compared to convenience store. The fuel business only gets about 6% of profit margin for year 2010. Profit = Sales – cost = 100% – 94% = 6% This is because GEZ Petrol only gain a few portion of profit from the sales of each litre of Ron 95, Ron 97 and Diesel. Below is the profit for each litre of fuel sold by GEZ Petrol Station and the profit margin for each type of fuel. Products Price per litre Cost per litre Profit per litre Profit margin (%) Ron 95 RM1.80 RM1.6856 RM0.1144 6.36 Ron 97 RM2.05 RM1.9356 RM0.1144 5.58 Diesel RM1.80 RM1.7388 RM0.0612 3.40 Besides that, the petrol station also cannot increase the price even though the government increase the price of fuel. In the short run, the margin per litre would remain the same. For example, if the government announced there would be a 40 cents increase in the price per litre, then, operators also have to pay 40 cents higher. So, the profit margin will not increase. Products Price per litre Cost per litre Profit per litre Profit margin (%) Ron 95 RM2.20 RM2.0856 RM0.1144 5.20 Ron 97 RM2.45 RM2.3356 RM0.1144 4.67 Diesel RM2.20 RM2.1388 RM0.0612 2.78 From the above calculation, it shows that the profit margin will not increase due to increase in price.   Although the profit margin for fuel business is lower than profit margin for convenience store, but the revenue gain from fuel business is far better than convenience store. For example, from the monthly average sales of RM 1.7 million; where the large portion of this amount is come from fuel business (RM 1.6 million from the revenue), while only RM 0.1 million comes from convenience store. In addition, in year 2009, the sales revenue of the petrol station is RM 20,682,189.60 and about RM 19,251,897,60 of the amount comes from fuel business; which is approximately 93.08% (RM 19,251,897,60/ RM 20,682,189.60) of the revenue. While, only 6.92% (RM 1,430,292/ RM  20,682,189.60) comes from convenience stores. So, in this situation, it show that the fuel business itself are able to sustain the business of petrol station even without convenience store because the convenience store o nly contributed a little portion of their income. Other than that, most of the customers who come to petrol station are to refuel rather than shop at the convenience store. Only a few customers will buy at their convenience store because if someone wants to buy foods or other daily needs, they will prefer supermarket as they have more choices compare to convenience store. So, large portion of revenues or income that flow into the company is from the sales of Ron 95, Ron 97 and Diesel. Even though the profit margin for fuel business is small but the revenue is far better compared to convenience stores. Therefore, the convenience store is not subsidising the fuel business instead both fuel business and convenience store had contributed to sustainability of GEZ Petrol Station. 3. If the government raised the RON95 price to RM2.10, do you anticipate the profitability of the business will be eroded? If the government raised the Ron 95 price to RM 2.1 per litre, the profitability of business will be affected significantly. The changes of RON95 price from RM1.80 to RM2.10 per litre has incremental price of RM 0.3 per litre. In parallel, cost per litre of Ron 95 also will increase RM 0.2788 from RM 1.6856 to RM 1.9644 per litre due to estimation of cost on price proportion of 93.64%. Total Net profit for RM 1.8 (Ron 95) is RM 766,706.02 and had increase to RM 924,046.16 when Ron 95 price increased to RM 2.1. Net profit margin had increase from 3.71% to 3.98%. For Break- even Analysis, the increase of Ron95 price has indicate a better result which only required 3187559.208 litres/ RM 6,936,231.66 compared to 3618188.562 litres/ RM 7,015,784.34 to achieve zero profit. In overall, rise of Ron95 price by government will benefit GEZ petro station’s financial performance. It has higher profitability and capable to achieve Break Even Point with a lower output level compared to prev ious price which RM 1.8 per litre for Ron 95. Below are the changes of GEZ financial performance if Ron95 price changed. RON95 (79%) **Assuming the portion of fixed cost between Fuel business and Selesa Mart is based on the average sales of 2009 Price per litre RM1.80 Total Fixed Cost (RON95) Portion between fuel business and Selesa Salaries RM195,720.02 = 1.6/1.7 =94.12% Utility Cost RM35,550.00 94.12% of amount in fixed cost for fuel business Rental RM5,487.38 5.88% of amount in fixed cost for Selesa Mart Insurance Premium RM1,427.61 Stationeries RM1,784.52 Total Fixed Cost RM239,969.53 RON 95 Fixed Cost -Salaries Amount Salary(RM) Total per year Portion Fixed cost- Salaries Station Manager 1 3206 38472 0.9412*0.79 28605.78 Supervisor 1 1674 20088 0.79 15869.52 Cashier 3 950 34200 0.79 27018 Crew 12 812 116928 0.79 92373.12 Clerk 1 960 11520 0.9412*0.79 8565.67 General Worker 2 805 19320 0.9412*0.79 14365.35 Security Guard 1 1000 12000 0.9412*0.79 8922.58 Total 195720.02 Input changed: (Exhibit 3) Original Price New Price 4. If a credit card sale is reduced from 40% to 20%, what is the effect on overall profitability? Nowadays more and more people are using credit card in their daily life. People prefer credit cards because they are convenient to use and it is easier to take them instead of carrying a lot of cash. And if wallet or purse is stolen, we can simply call the creditor and close the credit card  account before anyone uses the card. In GEZ petrol station, petrol operators had to face was the increasing cost of credit card fees paid to bank as more and more of their customers were starting using credits cards. When a driver pays for gas with a credit card, GEZ petrol station must pay an average 1% of the sales price to the bank to process the payments. GEZ petrol station have accounted that the credit card sales are almost 40% of their total sales. Research are made to the Baron Service Stations ( BSS) , a petrol station that was located in a city, in the northern region of Malaysia. It was one of the busiest petrol stations in the city. In year 2009, BSS generated sales revenue of RM 19,251,897.60, 40% of the revenue RM 7,700,759.04 was come from credit card sales and the bank will charge RM 77007.59 from the credit card sales. Those fees are so high, it already slim profit margins and made it hard for stations to make money on gas sales. Otherwise when the credit card sales is reduce to 20% of the revenue RM 3,850,379.52 was come from credit card sales and the bank will charge RM 3,850,3.80 from the credit card sales. For details as below: Credit Card Fees (40%) Product Sales (Litres) Price/Litres Total Revenues Ron 95 8,459,604.00 1.80 15,227,287.20 Ron 97 174,576.00 2.05 357,880.80 Diesel 2,037,072.00 1.80 3,666,729.60 19,251,897.60 Usage of Credit Card 40% 7,700,759.04 Credit Card Fees Charges 1% Credit Card Fees 77,007.59 Credit Card Fees (20%) Product Sales (Litres) Price/Litres Total Revenues Ron 95 8,459,604.00 1.80 15,227,287.20 Ron 97 174,576.00 2.05 357,880.80 Diesel 2,037,072.00 1.80 3,666,729.60 19,251,897.60 Usage of Credit Card 20% 3,850,379.52 Credit Card Fees Charges 1% Credit Card Fees 38,503.80 Baron Service Station Partial of Income Statement for Year Ended 2009 (20%) Fuel Business Selesa Mart Revenue 19,251,897.60 Revenue 1,430,292.00 (-) Variable Cost Raw Material Cost 18,139,478.60 Evaporation Losses 83,613.27 COGS 1,144,233.60 Credit Card Fees 38,503.80 Royalty 71,514.60 Contribution Margin 990,301.93 Contribution Margin 214,543.80 Total Contribution Margin 1,204,845.73 (-) Fixed Cost 393,516.00 Nett Profit 811,329.73 Based on the calculation above, when the credit card sales been adjusted from 40% to 20% it will affect the overall profitability of the company. The income statement showed the increase of net profit from RM 772,825.94 to RM 811,329.73 of RM 38,503.79.When the credit card sales decrease, a 1% fees was charged by the banks also will reduce and this effect the variable cost for the company from before change cost is RM 18,300,099.46 to after change cost of RM 18,261,595.67. The difference between both of the cost and company managed to save is RM 38,503.79. The increasing of the amount in using credit card to make payment in the  petrol station will also increase the cost of credit card fees that need to pay to banks, indirectly it will give effect to the profitability of the station. The profit of the station will decrease due to the increasing of cost. If increasing of customers chooses to make payment by cash instead of credit card, then the profitability of the petrol station will increases, because the extra cost on the credit card sales that they bear will be reduce. To cover the problem, petrol stations can shift the cost of credit card charge by charges back the customer when they use cards. However petrol stations need to take risk that they maybe will losing customer. Customer maybe will decide to change to other petrol stations that do not have any charge when they use credit card to make payment. Petrol station also can offer a cash-only discount. This may attract more customer make payment by using cash. 5. What is the appropriate basis to allocate the cashier cost between four products Ron 95, Ron 97, diesel and SelesaMart? To assign the costs of products, we use cost allocation as it is a tool that can helps manager to track the cost that associated more efficient. Costs are allocated to obtain desired motivation because it sometimes made to influence management behaviour and thus promote goal congruence and managerial effort. Instead, it is used to compute income and asset valuations and to justify costs or obtain reimbursement because sometimes prices are based directly on costs, or it may be necessary to justify an accepted bid. From the information given in the case, GEZ petrol station conducted two main business which is the fuel business and the convenience store business, known as SelesaMart. Since GEZ provide joint provide, thus the appropriate basis is sales value at split-off point. The table shown below is the summary of monthly average sales. PRODUCTS SALES PROPORTION AMOUNT Fuel Business 94.12% RM 1,600,000 Petrol Ron 95 79% RM 1,264,000 Petrol Ron 97 2% RM 32,000 Diesel 19% RM 304,000 SelesaMart 5.88% RM 100,000 AVERAGE SALES (monthly) 100% RM 1, 700,000 Table 5.1 Monthly average sales in 2009 The total monthly average sales given is RM 1,700,000 with RM 1,600,000 was generated from the fuel business and the remaining from SelesaMart which in RM100,000. The highest contribution in fuel business in Petrol Ron 95 with RM 1,264,000 and follow with Diesel which is RM 304,000 then Petrol Ron 97 with RM 32,000. Then, we need to calculate total revenue for R95, R97, Diesel and Selesamart. Thus we multiply sales per litre with price per litre to get the amount of revenue. As stated in the case the sales revenue that BSS generated is RM20,682,189.60 that are comprise RM19,251,897.60 of fuel sales and RM1,430,292 of SelesaMart sales. The calculation can be summarizes as the table shown below : R95 R97 Diesel SelesaMart Sales (Litres) 8,459,604 174,576 2,037,072 – Price per litre (RM) 1.80 2.05 1.80 – Revenue RM15,227,287.20 RM357,880.80 RM3,666,729.60 RM1,430,292.00 Percentage (%) 73.63% 1.73% 17.73% 6.92% Table 5.2 Total revenue and percentage For BSS, they can allocate more cost to Petrol Ron 95 since it contribute the highest revenue which is RM 15,277,287.20 continue with Diesel with RM 3,666,729.60. For Petrol Ron 97 and SalesaMart, BSS can allocate less cost since it contributed only RM357,880.80 and RM1,430,292. In BSS there were two cashiers working at the sales counter. One will concentrate on the fuel transactions, and one for the shop, even though they handle both transactions at times and overall there were 6 cashiers working for BSS. Monthly salary per person for the cashier is RM950. So BSS shall pay RM5,700 to their 6 cashiers and RM68, 400 in annually. The appropriate basis to allocate the cashier cost between the four products RON95, RON97, diesel and SelesaMart is we calculated the revenue for the four products and we divided with the total sales to find the percentage for each products. So the percentage for product RON95 is 73.63%, RON97 is 1.73%, diesel is 17.73% and SelesaMart with 6.92%. The total revenue for Petrol Ron 95, Petrol Ron 97, Diesel and SelesaMart is RM20, 682,189.60. After we find the percentage, we calculated the cashier  cost for each product. To find the cashier cost, we multiple the percentage with the total annual salary for the cashier which is RM 68,400(RM 950 x 6 x 12). The result is, for the product RON95 the cashier cost is RM50, 359.58 followed by RON97 is RM1, 183.58, diesel is RM12, 126.58 and SelesaMart is RM4, 730.25. The total cashier cost is RM68, 400. The calculations can be summarize as shown in table below : R95 R97 Diesel SelesaMart Percentage (%) 73.63% 1.73% 17.73% 6.92% Cashier Cost RM50,359.58 RM1,183.58 RM12,126.58 RM4,730.25 Table 5.3 Percentage and cashier cost The choice of method for allocating common costs should depend on the ease of application, the perceived quality of information reported to external parties, and the perceived fairness of the allocation when multiple product managers are responsible for joint products. However, as discussed above, the allocation of common costs is arbitrary, and no method is conceptually preferable to any other method. All methods of allocating common costs across joint products are generally useless for operational, marketing, and product pricing decisions. 6. Is utility cost fixed or variable? What difference does it make to the breakeven point of Ron 95 if it is classified as i) fixed cost, and ii) variable cost? In our opinion utility cost is fixed cost. This is because,  the cost will be relatively the same as it was used for all the time. This cost wont effect the unit sold even though it not used. Utility cost as FC Utility cost as VC BEP (RM) 5,024,702.71 4,154,075.59 BEP (UNIT) 2,791,501.50 2,307,819.77 If the utility is fixed cost, the Break Even Point in RM is higher compare to the utility cost as variable cost. Same goes to the Break Even Point in Unit, which is the utility as fixed cost is higher compare to the utility as variable cost. CONCLUSION Regarding this case, from the cost-volume-profit analysis, Rizal can find that the breakeven point which is how much sales the petrol station of this type should generate from each of the fuel products and the Selesamart. Mr. Aiman also can learn that the importance of differentiate between fixed cost and variable cost so that the petrol stations can sustain their profitable business and growth. If the utility is fixed cost, the Break Even Point in RM is higher compare to the utility cost as variable cost which is RM5,024,702.71 compared to RM4,154,075.59 . Same goes to the Break Even Point in Unit, which is the utility as fixed cost is higher , 2,791,501.50 compare to the utility as variable cost 2,307,819.77 To assign the costs of products, we use cost allocation as it is a tool that can helps manager to track the cost that associated more efficient. Costs are allocated to obtain desired motivation because it sometimes made to influence management behaviour and thus promote goal congruence and managerial effort. Instead,  it is used to compute income and asset valuations and to justify costs or obtain reimbursement because sometimes prices are based directly on costs, or it may be necessary to justify an accepted bid. From the information given in the case, GEZ petrol station conducted two main business which is the fuel business and the convenience store business, known as SelesaMart. Since GEZ provide joint provide, thus the appropriate basis is sales value at split-off point