Developments in Organizational Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Developments in Organizational Politics - Essay Example Defined as a â€Å"controversial concept† by Vigoda- Gadot (2003), organizational politics is a common occurrence the degree of which differs from organization to organization. Self-interest is the main cause of organizational politics and it has been aptly described as â€Å"the pursuit of self interest at work in face of every sort of opposition real or imagined† (Kreitner2008). A more detailed explanation of organizational politics is given by Jennifer (2009) who has described it as activities the managers indulge in to strengthen their position in the firm. Elaborating further Jennifer (2009) said that it is a means through which managers gain power and thereby use it to their advantage such as pursuing goals suited to the individual or the department. Organizational politics originates from a number of sources and operates at individual, collective and organizational level (Yammarino 2002). However it has been observed that an individual could certainly benefit fro m organizational politics (Porter, Angle &Allen 2003). Generally the organizational politics is seen in a negative light and is described as the process which does not conform to the normal role behavior of the organization and is the means through which people acquire and use power to meet their personal goals (McKenna 2000). This statement was confirmed by a majority of employees who stated that organizational politics was harmful for the organization. ... Those managers who obtain a greater share of resources are considered powerful and influential and that’s why managers use dishonest methods such as inflating the budget to gain a favorable share. It has been seen that conflicts occur during annual budget allocation and these conflicts cause political activity in organizations (Daft 2009). Jennifer (2009) believes that as growth in an organization becomes limited especially for managers who already occupy senior positions organizational politics become common to gain power and influence by several methods including impressing the kingpins (Jennifer2009). Organizational politics also occurs because of the presence of uncertainty and lack of clarity in an organization. Organizational politics comes into play when company adopts ambiguous goals. These ambiguous goals provide a perfect opportunity to managers especially those at the top to pursue personal goals in disguise of organization goals. Moreover, political activity become s more prominent when non-programmed decisions need to be taken for instance two managers competing for the same post can be manipulative. Badham& Buchanan (2008) have labeled personal ambition and competition between the various departments as other sources of organizational politics. Another important origin identified by Badham& Buchanan (2008) is â€Å"change†. According to them when change occurs in an organization, it tends to disturb the comfort zone of the employees so to preserve their interests, they engage in organizational politics. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory gives another view to the organizational politics. According to this theory the expectations of an employee significantly influence his perceptions,

Corporate social responsibility influence consumers behavior Dissertation

Corporate social responsibility influence consumers behavior - Dissertation Example The presentation and discussions of variables that were collected by use of the questionnaire are therefore undertaken below. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION General Information Gender of Respondents From the responses that were received, it was found upon sorting of responses according to the gender or sex of respondents that forty three (43) of the respondents were females whereas eight (8) respondents were males. From the data, it can be said that there was an apathy on the side of the males when it comes to responding to customer behavior related questions as the ratio of males to females is more than 1:5. In relation to the literature reviewed, it can be said that there are more females who are more enthused about keeping a specific shopping (customer) behavior as compared to males. Age of Respondents Two major categorizations were provided for respondents to choose from in terms of their ages. From the coding that was done, it was realized that a specified pattern as shown in the age gr oupings of respondent. From the responses, it can be noted that there were more respondents within the age group of 18 to 24, which had as many as 43 call ups as compared to those aged 25 to 34 within just 8 call ups. This trend could actually suggest that M&A has more young customers as compared to older customers. Among other reasons, the fact that most products and services offered by the company are highly oriented for tertiary education students who often fall in the age group of 18 to 24 (Burke et al, 2006). Employment Status of Respondents Respondents were asked to indicate as part of the general and demographic information, their employment status. The responses that were sampled have been presented in the table below. Employment Status Number of Respondents Percentage Part time student 1 1.86 Full time student 45 83.3 Unemployed 3 5.56 Part time employed 2 3.702 Full time employed 3 5.56 Retired 0 0 Total 54 100 From the table, it can be seen that as many as 83.3% of the re spondents were full time students. This is a direct confirmation of literature that M&S is more popular among tertiary education students because of the line of products and services that the company offers. Other contributing factors to this are the strategic location of shops undertaken by M&A in various university campuses as a marketing strategy (Weber, 2010). 5.56% each were unemployed and full time employed workers whiles 3.7% were part time employed workers. There was 1.86% part time student with no retiree answering to the questionnaire. Average income of respondents A range was set for the average annual earning or income of respondents. The range was given ?10,000 interval and responses from participants is represented below. Annual income Number of Respondents Percentage 0 to 10,000 45 88.24 10,001 to 20,000 3 5.88 20,001 to 30,000 3 5.88 30,001 to 40,000 0 0 Over 40,000 0 0 Retired 0 0 Total 51 100 The table shows that greater percentage of respondents too an annual sala ry of ?10,000 or less. Their percentile is given as 88.24 whereas those who took more than ?10,000 but less than ?20,000 had a percentage representation of 5.88%. The same percentage was recorded for those taking between ?20,000 and ?30,000. Based on literature that shopping activities are common among people who make average minimum wage

Managerial Implications Of The Research Marketing Essay

Managerial Implications Of The Research Marketing Essay 8.3 Managerial Implications of the Research The research observed the trends of consumer liking and its implications for the Indian banks. The findings of the dissertation have a number ofmanagerialimplications for customer relationship management by banksthat contribute to liking. The banks can make their marketing strategies on the basis of results the research as it highlight the significant factors which influence customers liking. Significantly, a number of managerial implications come from this research but two major areas are customer education and problem management. The   customer education that banks should incorporate into their relationship marketing practice as educating customers has an direct impact on liking. Banks should also try to promote customer involvement in the education process (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2000).   The education process can be made more effective by understanding the main gaps in a clients knowledge. Burton (2002), suggests that as the level of understanding increases, customers will only have to be provided with the information required. This will eliminate the need for in-depth educational discussions.   Such knowledge would lead to a more accurate judgment, which will result in better advice being offered to the client. The second is problem management that bank management should resolve and also to enhance job satisfaction level of employees.   The increase in job satisfaction positively affects customer satisfaction as well as service quality that contribute in liking.   Problem management was found not dealt well by the Indian banks for both customers and employees. This finding suggests that service organizations need to develop strategies, specific to customer needs. It makes them more involved with the customer in finding out the solution.   Colgate and Norris, (2001) state service organizations, have very little guidance, when dealing with dissatisfied customers. The management can develop improved strategies for dealing with customers problems by applying a deeper understanding of how customers affective commitment changes their attitude towards the organization. By establishing good relationship with customers, banks can increase their profits (Ndubisi et al., 2007). Bejou et al. (1996) suggest the quality of the relationship between the customer and service-provider is an important pre-requisite to a successful long-term relationship. Ndubisi et al. (2007) point out that, to guarantee quality in relationships, banks must give and keep promises and allow customer participation. They must understand the needs of the customers and then accordingly customise their products and services. As the dissertation highlights the significance of trust and commitment in acquiring and keeping loyal customers, the banks should try to earn customers trust and commitment. Banks can earn customers trust and build quality relationships with them through proactive and reactive ways of handling conflicts, namely: solving conflicts before they are apparent; discussing the customers problems; and avoiding potential conflicts (Ndubisi et al., 2007). There are a lot of advantages linked with customer loyalty, including profitability (Ndubisi, 2003) and cost reduction. Customer loyalty increases profits and can reduce the business operating cost five to sixfold (Rosenberg and Czepiel, 1983). Loyal customers also attract new customers by positive word of mouth about a service provider (Ndubisi, 2003). In view of the above, banks should conduct extensive research to develop and implement programs that strengthen the emotional attachment between the customer and the bank.   The market research is used to understand the nature of a customers emotional bond to a company (Rust et al., 2000).

Leakey, Richard :: essays research papers fc

Richard Leakey- Homo habilis Richard Leakey was born December 19, 1944 in Nairobi, Kenya. His parents were the esteemed anthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey. Richard first became a tour guide in Kenya, but changed his mind when he found an extinct human jaw. He then schooled himself by completing a two-year secondary education program in six months. From 1967-77 he and his co-workers dug up around 400 fossils, that accounted for 230 individuals. The most important discovery was an almost complete skull found in 1977, which Richard believe to be a new species called Homo habilis. Richard Leakey’s accomplishments are discovering the crania of Australopithecus boisei in 1969 with the archaeologist Glynn Isaac on the East shores of Lake Turkana, Homo habilis in 1972, and Homo erectus in1975. He was appointed administrative director in 1968 of the National Museum of Kenya, and in director 1974. Since 1989 he has been director of the Wildlife and Conservation Management Service, Ke nya. His publications include Origins in 1977 and The Making of Mankind in 1981, both with Roger Lewin. Australopithecus africanus inhabited the earth roughly 3 - 1.6 million years ago. The characteristic difference between the Ausrtalopithicus afarenis and africanus is the height and brain capacity. The height of the africanus is 1.4 m and the brain capacity is approximately 400 - 600 cc. Smaller incisor teeth and a slightly flatter face are also noted. The afarensis has a height of 1.2 m and a cranial capacity of 380 - 450 cc. Sticks, and stones were most likely used to gather food by the Australopithecus africanus. Homo habilis (also known as "handy man") is theorized to have lived with Australopithecus africanus. Homo habilis was known as â€Å"handy man† because he used primative stone tools. The flat face and large molars of the Homo habilis resemble the Australopithecus lineage. The brain size of the Homo habilis is about 700 cc which is larger than the Austr alopithecus). The "apelike" body structure with long arms and a small body was a characteristic of the Homo habilis. Recent discoveries, such as from Lake Turkana, of better-preserved fossils have revealed new insights on early Homo in the Plio-Pleistocene. Of this new habilis material, the most amazing is a nearly complete cranium discovered in 1972 at East Lake Turakana. This individual, with a cranial capacity if 775 cm3, is clearly outside the known range for Australopithecines and it overlaps the lower boundary for Homo.

Leadership strategy that supports organizational direction Essay

Organizations need leadership strategies in order to create confidence for employees and other stakeholders that there is a clear direction in which the organization aims to head. Understanding leadership culture is the first stage to creating an effective leadership strategy; the next step is to assess the relationship between staff and their leaders and bring emotional intelligence into play, this will become a necessity for leaders in creating their strategies (Gordon n.d). The retail store Diamond relies on different leadership and management theories but the selected theory of discussion is the Open Systems Theory. The impacts of different theories of management and leadership used within the retail industry is countless. A retail company like Diamond utilizes multiple theories in order to achieve their organizational goal but the dominating theory is the Systems Theory. Setting strategies relies on a time frame, and as such elements and resources must be allotted within the set time. The preeminent strategy that supports organizational direction is recognizing the culture which Diamond operates and the dominant leadership style. The Open Systems Theory allows managers to examine patterns and events in the workplace and will be helpful in coordinating agendas to work as a group for the complete goal or mission of the business rather than for insulated departments in achieving the organizational goals and keeping progress on track (Hawthorne 2015). This allows Diamond to manage and control its budget and will make a considerable amount of profit for the organization. Leaders who rely on emotional intelligence will take into account the feelings and needs of the staff and other stakeholders within Diamond. Being compassionate to staff and stakeholder allows the leader to connect with and grow a relationship throughout the organization, thus creating synergy. The leader can make an assessment on their thoughts on Diamond, how the leader can improve the company so they enjoy working there. This tactic will be helpful due to the fact that this is a motivational exercise and staff will gain a sense of belonging and pride. Staff will work more diligently, productivity will inevitably increase and profit will be maximized. Granted, this new leadership strategy with take some time to implement and be fully functional but with the use of a good change management model, the transition will feel  natural to the staff over a period of time. Reference Gordon, Jon. ‘Developing Positive Leaders, Organizations And Teams’. Jon Gordon Blog. Web. 22 Mar. 2015. Hawthorne, Madison. ‘Management Theories & Concepts At The Workplace’. Small Business – Chron.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.

Politics & Watchmen Essay

Comic books have long held the fascination of young and adult alike. Their social commentary on politics and cultural integration of societies along with their charismatic protagonists pitted against the forces of evil become a gateway into self-reflection – whether or not that self be a person or a government. In Alan Moore’s graphic novel The Watchmen such policy questions and the ambiguity of evil come to the forefront of the story. The Watchmen is a graphic novel with takes place in the United States in the 1980’s but facts about history have changed in order to give the reader a more amoral society: Nixon is still president, America won the Vietnam War and the future looks like a bright place full of peace thanks to Dr. Manhattan’s element introducing new engineering feats to even new fabrics (as seen with Rorschach’s mask that had once been a lady’s dress). All of these elements combine to enlighten the reader and to cause them to question a static government whose lines of good and evil are nonexistence in the face of progress as Moore stated in 1986, â€Å"[I] was consciously trying to do something that would make people feel uneasy. † (Stewart Synchronicity and Symmetry 1987). This paper will seek to develop an analysis of Alan Moore’s classic graphic novel including commentary from other sources that will support and deny the brilliance of this novel and its social commentary on American culture. Alan Moore presents the reader with passages throughout his text which aid the reader in subplots of his story. Some sections are dedicated to Nite Owl while others are dedicated to the tragedy of a pirate shipwrecked in Tales of the Black Freighter. The point of these small diversions from the main story is to give the reader a more comprehensive look into the morals of the story at hand. Moore is giving his readers an idea about heroes and their obligations to justice paired with their personal identities as Singh states, And we meet the protagonists, each with his or her own set of personal demons – including the amoral Edward Blake/The Comedian (a character about whom I would have liked to learn more) whose death sets the plot in motion and the two erstwhile Nite Owls who meet on Saturdays to reminisce about glories past. The only character in the book who actually has supernormal powers is Dr Manhattan/Jonathan Osterman, who developed extraordinary control over matter following a laboratory accident. While the classic superhero comic might have used Dr Manhattan to great effect in action scenes, his function here is different: he serves as a dispassionate observer/commenter on human affairs. (Of course, he is also being used as a weapon by the US – a dubious move, since his very presence in the world encourages the possibility of mutually assured destruction. ) (Singh How Superheroes Fade 2006). Through Moore’s writing the reader discovers that the hero’s battle for justice is being underwritten by the government, especially with the enforcement of the Keene Act: An act which requires masked avengers to give the public their true identity. While some heroes do in fact acquiesce to this new law (i. e. the Silk Spectre/Laurie Juspeczyk, and Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt) or not (Rorschach/Walter Kovacs), or simply retire (the second Nite Owl/Daniel Dreiberg) the fact that the government is requiring for their heroes to divulge their identity and thereby become more of a target to their enemies is part of that running dialogue of government policies that serve no purpose, and definitely no good purpose that Moore was adamant about writing into his story. This idea about heroes begets the ideas about Greek and Roman culture (indeed many comic book heroes have their origins with ancient gods and goddesses) and with this connotation comes another Greek route: That of a hero’s flaw as Bradford Wright writes about Moore’s concept of the graphic novel that The Watchmen is, â€Å"Moore’s obituary for the concept of heroes in general and superheroes in particular. † (Wright 272). There is one hero in this story which allows for the bending of good into the realm of evil to play a dynamic role in the book: Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt seeks to become like Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great conquered the known world- and he did this in order to unite the world and thereby eliminate opposition and evil. In Adrian’s mind, in order to become a great hero he must accomplish a united world in order to have global peace. Thus, he decides to fake a global threat in the form of an alien attack toward the close of the novel. This attack succeeds in uniting the United States with Russia and other leaders (remember this was a time when the Cold War was a serious issue, and even though Moore chose to change the face of the president for his graphic novel, the impending doom of the world is something he still kept in as a fact for his story). As most heroes have flaws, Ozymandias’ flaw may be considered to be his ego – for he wants to be greater than his own personal hero Alexander the Great. Tragic heroes begin their stories with aplomb of luck, or ego, or a rosy view of the world. With literature or drama the tragedy of the unmistakable truth found in the character’s own self-realization is typically the denouement. The writer’s tragic heroes have survived in life under false pretences, thus they are doomed to suffer from their one flaw of ego as Iain Thomson writes,†developing its heroes precisely in order to deconstruct the very idea of the hero and so encouraging us to reflect upon its significance from the many different angles of the shards left lying on the ground†. (Thomson Deconstructing the Hero 101). What is different in Moore’s novel is that Ozymandias doesn’t succumb to his ego – at least not in the written pages of the novel (for Rorschach’s novel does reach the attention of the Frontiersman newspaper and the reader is left to assume its pages will be printed and the truth about the alien hoax will be publicized). Thomson goes on to state â€Å"†¦ develops its heroes precisely in order to ask us if we would not in fact be better off without heroes†¦[and the story’s deconstruction of the idea of a hero] suggests that perhaps the time for heroes has passed [which further illustrates] this postmodern work from the deconstructions of the hero in the existentialism movement. † (Thomson 111). Thus, with the hero turned bad guy (for the cause of world peace) and not being punished by the ultimate superhero of the book, Dr. Manhattan, the reader is left wondering Where is justice? It is this question which spurns on the plots and subplots of the novel. With the Keene Act masked avengers are forced to reveal their identity but The Comedian/Edward Blake does not have to do this as he is an agent for the government. His work for the government is similar to a mercenary soldier – he goes into American occupied territories and takes care of local uprisings. The part of the book dedicated to Blake’s story shows him in Vietnam with a flame thrower killing soldiers. The next scene is of Blake in a bar with a pregnant woman asking him to take of her now that the war is over. Blake laughs at her and she then grabs a bottle and breaks it then attacks him brutally slashing his face as Reynolds states of Blake’s personality, â€Å"[he is] ruthless, cynical, and nihilistic, and yet capable of deeper insights than the others into the role of the costumed hero†(Reynolds 106). The justice of the novel in this scene takes place when Blake takes out his pistol and shoots her in the stomach. The underlining commentary on this scene is further developed as the reader realizes through Blake’s dialogue with Dr. Manhattan that Manhattan could have turned the gun into anything he wanted, but he didn’t, he simply allowed events to play through. So, the characters’ amoral personalities and their ability to follow their government as soldiers and kill villagers then kill a pregnant woman, or even to allow a pregnant woman to be killed when one could have done something to prevent it, layer the story with what are the definitions of good and evil and these traits applications to men who claim to be fighting for justice. Does guilt make evil actions less amoral? This is a question which plagues through Moore’s commentary on the government. The United States government sent Dr. Manhattan to annihilate small villages in order for them to surrender to the U. S. all in under the guise of peace as Klock states, â€Å"[l]ike Alan Moore’s kenosis, [Veidt] must destroy, then reconstruct, in order to build ‘a unity which would survive him. ‘† (Klock 75). Does a government feel guilt over the thousands that die on the opposition’s side? And, if they do feel guilt, how does a feeling make recompense for the harm that is done? Indeed, Moore’s novel about ambiguous feelings gives all of the contradictions of the American government (Sabin 165). In the world of graphic novels, the cut and dry interpretation of the hero fighting side by side with its government and government agencies such as cops, it would seem then that the government would become a hero in association with the protagonists of the story. In Moore’s novel, the reader sees the development of the anti-hero in full climax with the character of The Comedian. The Comedian is a social commentary on how governments, different agencies and countries are a joke – they promise to help the people but when the government sends Blake and Dreiberg to control the rioting in the street all it takes it one person from the crowd to throw a beer bottle at the Archimedes (Nite Owl’s flying device) for Blake to go into the crowd shooting his gun at the people he’s supposed to be protecting. All throughout the novel Moore has Dave Gibbons illustrate the phrase â€Å"Who Watches The Watchmen† written in graffiti all over the city. At this pivotal scene in the novel, when the crowd disperses one lone soul is spray painting this phrase on the side of a building when Blake comes up to them. This is main theme of the graphic novel – who controls the hero when the hero becomes evil? This question comes to a climax with Ozymandias’ character along with (to an extent) Blake’s character.