Friday, January 24, 2020

Leaders in Business Essay -- essays research papers

The business sector in today’s society is increasing rapidly, and with this increase comes the need for more people to manage and lead growing companies. This growing need also raises some potential questions: Can anyone become a leader or a manager? Is there a difference between the two? Can people be trained to become leaders or managers? Just like many other questions that might be asked in business; these questions have no one, definite answer. Let’s begin first by acknowledging the definitions of the two root words; the word â€Å"manage† means to handle, where as the word lead means to go. Similarly as the two words have different definitions, they also have different purposes. To help individuals increase their potentials in business, an internationally recognized motivational speaker by the name of Marc Sanborn has developed certain â€Å"theories† that, much like in science or art, prove some things to be more true than others by providing suppor ting facts to prove the validity of certain ways of thinking. Many of Marc’s theories validate the fact that in general, good managers tend to be good leaders, but good leaders are not always good managers. It is said, "Any company that cannot imagine the future won’t be around to enjoy it." Therefore before any manager or leader can affect changes in their business they have to do what Marc describes as visioning; they must mentally â€Å"look† into what they want to see as the potential outcome of any given situation. Managers are concerned with the problem at hand; they focus on what has to be done. Leaders on the other hand, notice what has to be done, but spend their time figuring out how to get it done. Marc states â€Å"managers vision the destination, leaders vision how to get there†. To be an effective leader it is important to focus on the gritty details of a situation, look for opportunities and how to achieve them. Visioning cannot be taught but can be developed. Marc suggests people start from the end and work backward, or think to themselves â€Å"what will this team accomplish because of me?† Leadership is all about taking an organiza tion to a place it would not have otherwise gone without you, in a value-adding, measurable way. When you vision, you think your way into a situation and it is the approach in visioning that separates managers from leaders. Visioning however is not the only method that separate... ...by now that there indeed is a difference between managers and leaders and it is eventually the approach taken upon certain methods that is the determinant of your leadership role. Marc Sanborn explains that managerial power is positional power; it is power over people whereas leadership is supportive power, and it is power with people. Whether you vision the destination, or the transportation there, whether you try to be efficient or effective, and whether you focus on the speed or the path all come into play as your leadership quality level. These qualities can be improved and developed, if they are all focused on the right things. That is why good managers tend to be good leaders, because they can focus on getting tasks done efficiently and also do it right at the same time. Managers are good disciplinarians; they are able to manage certain objectives while being efficient. However good leaders are more supportive and creative and might sometimes lack the disciplinary quality o f getting the right thing done as efficiently as possible. For the most part, there is a very fine line between good managers and good leaders, but good leaders just aren’t and do not want to be, managers.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Putting the Service †Profit Chain to Work

PUTTING THE SERVICE – PROFIT CHAIN TO WORK Group – 5 Introduction: Factors that drives profitability Investment in people Leadership Vision – Patina of spirituality, importance of mundane Profitability Technology supporting frontline workers Successful service companies: Banc One, Intuit, Southwest Airlines, Service Master, USAA, Taco Bell, and MCI Compensation linked to performance Recruiting and training practices The Service – Profit Chain †¢ Establishes relationships between profitability, customer loyalty, and employee satisfaction, loyalty and productivity †¢ Measure and management techniquesSupport services and policies Employee loyalty, satisfaction, productivity Value and service Customer satisfaction Customer loyalty Profit and growth The Links in the Service-Profit Chain †¢The service profit chain is also defined by a special leadership †¢Examples: Herbert Kelleher – Southwest (Patina of spirituality), William Pollard – ServiceMaster (Teacher-learner managers, servant’s heart), John McCoy- Banc One (Uncommon Partnership, system of support) Customer Loyalty that drives Profitability and Growth 5% increase in customer loyalty can produce profit increases from 25% to 85% †¢ Quality of market share in terms of customer loyalty as important as quantity of share in the market †¢ Example: Banc One †¢ Measures of Customer retention †¢ No. of services used by each customer – depth of relationship †¢ Level of customer satisfaction †¢ XEROX Customer satisfaction Drives Customer Loyalty †¢ Polled 480,000 customers per year †¢ Five point scale – satisfaction(product and service) †¢ Relationships between the scores – actual loyalty differed greatly between 5s and 4s apostles †¢ Terrorists – unhappy customersValue drives Customer Satisfaction †¢ Value – related to the total costs (price and other costs incurr ed) †¢ Example: †¢ Progressive – insurance company – Quick processing and payment to claims – Little policy holder effort – CAT (catastrophe) team Employee Productivity Drives Value †¢ Southwest Airlines †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 7th largest US domestic carrier 86% of employees unionized (total 14,000) Employees can perform several jobs Schedules, routes and company practices to enable speedy boarding and deplaning (15 min. 40% more pilot (70hr/month) and aircraft utilization Fare charges 60-70% lower Customer perceptions of value are very high without additional facilities 14,000 employees – marketing research unit Employee loyalty drives productivity †¢ Study of automobile dealer’s sales personnel †¢ More employee turn over more loss Employee Satisfaction drives Loyalty †¢ Propriety study of a property and casualty insurance company †¢ Southwest – highest reten tion (95%) †¢ USAA – Insurance and financial services providerInternal Quality drives Employee Satisfaction †¢ Working environment †¢ USAA – telephone sales and service representatives †¢ Information system †¢ Training †¢ ServiceMaster †¢ Attitudes of people toward one another †¢ Cleaning and maintenance †¢ Importance to mundane Leadership Underlies the Chain’s Success †¢ Corporate culture centered on service †¢ Willingness and ability to listen †¢ Examples Relating Links in the chain for management Action †¢ Few have links in meaningful way †¢ Examples Property and casualty insurance company †¢ MCI †¢ Taco Bell  » Employee participation  » Periodic round table meetings, interviews Service – Profit Chain Audit †¢ PROFIT AND GROWTH †¢ How do we define loyal customers? †¢ Do measurements of customer profitability include profits from referrals? †¢ What pr oportion of business development expenditures and incentives directed to the retention of existing customers?†¢ Why do customers defect? Service – Profit Chain Audit †¢ CUSTOMER SATISFACTION †¢ Are customer satisfaction data gathered in an objective, consistent, and periodic fashion? Where are the listening posts for obtaining customer feedback in your organization? †¢ How is information concerning customer satisfaction used to solve customer problems? Service – Profit Chain Audit †¢ EXTERNAL SERVICE VALUE †¢ how do you measure service value? †¢ How is information concerning customers’ perceptions of value shared with those responsible for designing a product or service? †¢ To what extent are measures taken of differences between customers’ perceptions of quality delivered and their expectations before delivery? Do our organization’s efforts to improve external service quality emphasize effective recovery fro m service errors in addition to providing a service right the first time?Service – Profit Chain Audit †¢ Employee productivity †¢ How do you measure employee productivity? to what extent do measures of productivity identify changes in the quality as well as the quantity of service produced per unit of input? †¢ Employee loyalty †¢ How do you create employee loyalty? †¢ Employee Satisfaction Is employee satisfaction measured in ways that can be linked to similar measures of customer satisfaction with sufficient frequency and consistency to establish trends for management use? †¢ Are employee selection criteria and methods geared to what customers as well as managers believe are important? †¢ To what extent measures of customer satisfaction, loyalty or the quality and quantity of service output used in recognizing and rewarding? Service – Profit Chain Audit†¢ INTERNAL SERVICE QUALITY Do employees know who their customers are? †¢ Employee satisfaction with technological and personal support? †¢ LEADERSHIP – To what extent – – – – – Energetic, creative vs stately, conservative? Participatory, caring vs removed, elistist? Listening, coaching and teaching? Motivating by mission vs motivating by fear? Leading by means personal values vs institutionalized policies? Time spent developing and maintaining culture? †¢ RELATING MEASURES †¢ what are the most important relationships in company’s service profit chain? .

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Ablenet Equals - Math Curriculum for Differing Ability

Compare Prices Equals is a special education mathematics curriculum designed for a range of disabilities. There are resources for teaching children with disabilities, like Touch Math, but this is probably the only curriculum designed specifically for children with serious differences. Its strength is the fact that it reflects the breadth of the mathematics curriculum most states cover in their standards. Its weakness is that it is somewhat unwieldy, and really needs the support of training and ongoing leadership from a curriculum specialist or coordinator. Assessment Divided into 12 Chapters the curriculum ascends from attending, to fractions, covering calculation, geometry, problem solving, and functional math skills. Designed to accommodate students from the severely disabled to the mildly disabled, the program can support students alongside typically developing students, possibly entering junior high with similar competencies to their peers. It can also help more severely disabled students to build a basic level of mathematical literacy, without perhaps the same level of skills. Equals provides its own assessment program with flip books and test booklets which can be easily administered and scored. The program also provides guidelines for matching scores to the place were a disabled student will need to begin the program. For children who have acquired some math skills, they may be able to start in chapter 3 or 6. For children with more serious disabilities, they may need to start at chapter 1, and may move more slowly through the curriculum. Differentiation Each lesson begins with a warm up, continues with exploration at the three levels (severe, moderate and mild disabilities.) Each lesson continues with Introduce and Connect which builds on prior knowledge, Teach, Problem Solving and Close, with the lesson presentation providing for each of the three levels. Each lesson is followed by problem solving, work stations (learning centers) and games. The program comes with a complete set of high quality math manipulates and materials. The materials include work mats, designed to structure instruction using the manipulates. Brightly colored and attractive, they provide a good alternative to pencil and paper, as well as accommodating different means of responding, from placing counters on the chart, to using eye gaze to identify the correct response. A printed set is included in the boxed curriculum set, but are also on the CD Rom provided by the publisher. The scope and sequence lay out the differences as well, suggesting a mildly disabled students needs three days to cover a lesson, whereas a severely disabled child might need three weeks to master the same material. Equals also provides strong materials to support functions skills, such as money, time and measurement. Resources The kit includes an attractive set of high quality materials to support instruction. Rather than cheesy, poor quality counters, the kit includes well made items available through Abilification. Obviously, Ablenet wanted to provide materials that should hold up and provide service for years. Which is good, since at $1,700 a kit, this is not cheap materials. The kit also comes with a CD Rom with printable resources: the work mats, the activity cards, all the paper resources required for the program. Obviously new, the CD is not easy to use. When you open the CD its hard to see which icon you should click on: I recommend files. The others require that you save the documents before you can open them. Im sure that this will be worked out in future editions, though its a bit of a challenge now. I hope your district is also willing to invest in a color printer for your desk. I know a lot of districts are trying to save toner costs by making everyone print to a shared laser printer, but these materials will be most attractive for visual learners if you can make them in color. Recommendation This is a great program for a district that is going to make the commitment to support the materials with workshops, training and trained curriculum specialists. Like Everyday Math, the materials provide lots of concrete support to help scaffold the cognitive challenges of math for disabled students. Like Everyday Math, teachers need to understand the different conceptual structures they are using to support deeper math understanding. This is also not cheap materials. At $1,700 a classroom, its a major economic commitment on the part of the district. Still, if a district uses the program to parallel the main curricular materials, it has the potential to bring mildly disabled students to a parallel place with typically developing students by middle school. The disadvantage of Touch Math is that it often locks kids into a single strategy for doing functional math. The strength of Equals is that it provides broad mathematical instruction. But buyer beware: it does not free a special education teacher from the need to collect data and be attentive to functional math skills, especially those needed to thrive in the community. So, if you think Equals may work for your district, and you can get the commitment of your special education director and the powers that be, contact Ablenet and check it out. Compare Prices

Monday, December 30, 2019

Documentary Central Park Five was Directed by Kevin Burns,...

The documentary directed by Kevin Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon called Central Park Five was about the trials, prosecutions, and exonerations of five young men. On April 1989 a woman was found in Central Park of New York City after she had been brutally raped and beaten. She was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and later made a miraculous recovery having no memory of the event. Police arrested Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise—who were all minorities from lower socioeconomic classes and between the ages of 14 and 17—since they happened to be in the park that night causing a much lesser degree of trouble than what they were accused of. They went through long harsh interrogations and eventually gave false witness statements (that the detectives had provided for them) in desperation to go home. Despite having no physical evidence and the fact that boys had not been in any trouble with the police prior to this event, the coerced confessions lead to their arrests for the crime. All of them went to trial, were found guilty, and sentenced 5-15 years in either a juvenile or adult prison. After having their youths stolen and being dubbed the most heinous people in the city of New York for over seven years, Matius Reyes came forward and confessed for the crime. After reexamination it was obvious to many that this new confessor was the real criminal not the young men. They were soon exonerated and those who were still

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The British Monarchy - 1476 Words

1. THE BRITISH MONARCHY IS AN OUTDATED GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE THAT HAS NO PLACE IN THE MODERN WORLD A monarchy is political system based upon the undivided sovereignty or rule of a single person. The term applies to states in which supreme authority is vested in the monarch, an individual ruler who functions as the head of state and who achieves his position through heredity. Succession usually passes from father to son or follows other arrangements within the family or the monarchical dynasty. In particular, the British monarchy is the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, which traces its origins back to the 11th century. With regard to the statement that the British monarchy is an outdated†¦show more content†¦After all, the Queen, by all accounts, is quite a nice lady who has done her best over the last 60 years to balance privileged inheritance with a strong sense of public duty. She remains hugely popular among working-class communities that have not enjoyed her lifestyle. She brings in a lot of revenue from tourists who flock to see the pomp and ceremony of royal traditions, even though most of them date only from Victorian times. Economically, she is worth more than she costs. There seems to be quite a long list of pros for the British monarchy, not to be mentioned that the United Kingdom was and still is one of the most powerful countries in the world. To make a comparison between monarch and elected leaders, I think we could all agree that elected heads of state are often concerned more with their own political futures and power. Monarchs are not subject to these influences; however, they know that in the 21st century they are only in power by the will of the people. If they step out of line they can be deposed. A monarch represents centuries of history, where elected politicians often undo the achievements of their predecessors and lay booby traps for their successors. Monarchs, with their secure tenure, think only of the good of the country. A long-reigning, experienced monarch can put enormous exp erience at the disposal of transient political leaders. The royal family incorporates a number of trained people who have acquired knowledge and interest,Show MoreRelatedDebate on British Monarchy893 Words   |  4 PagesA debate on the British monarchy Good evening, everybody. Today I am going to bring in the debate on should the British Monarchy be demolished or not. I will talk on both sides and would like everyone to pay attention so that you all can be part of this discussion. The British monarchy can be discussed in Britain as well and if it did have a vote the result outcome would be equal and would have a stronger and more interesting debate. In UK the power of the queen is not much as a head of stateRead MoreEssay about The British Monarchy700 Words   |  3 PagesThe British Monarchy Nowadays, some scandals and salacious gossip that surrounded the royals seriously undermined the symbolism of the constitutional monarchy, which indirectly influenced the current political situation. The issue to be discussed, as to if the advantages of the UK having a constitutional monarchy are greater than the disadvantages boils down to one fundamental question: if the present system of the government of the UK adapt to the present societyRead MoreDiscursive Essay - The British Monarchy1436 Words   |  6 Pagesmoment we’ve all been waiting for finally arrives. Thousands fill the Mall, craning their necks as Queen Elizabeth II steps out onto her balcony, offering a smile to her adoring subjects. Clad in her bedazzled hat, she surveys the scene: a vast sea of British flags, frantic in their support of sixty years on the throne, waving in time to a raucous rendition of God Save the Queen. It probably never entered anyone’s heads that the funding was taken from their taxes as they donned absurd red, white andRead MoreThe British Government : Constitutional Monarchy1510 Words   |  7 PagesThe current British government is a constitutional monarchy, where the monarch is the Head of State, but only Parliament has the ability to make laws. This distribution of power originated during the reign of the Stuarts. While absolute monarchs ruled the rest of Europe, the English Parliament slowly forced the kings and queens to relinquish much of their power. However, limits on the power of the monarchy were in place far before the Stuart dynasty. In 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta andRead MoreCritical Reflection on the Hidden Influence of the British Monarchy on Politics1336 Words   |  6 Pagesvisible end of the real power that the British –constitutional- monarchy holds over public employees. Since the limitation of powers of the Crown in the XVII century the royals have been using their forceful influence in an unofficial way for their own benefit (Adams, 2010; Booth 2010 and 2011; Wilson, 1989). Taking into account that the United Kingdom has a democratic and constitutional political system, some serious questions arise from this: how the monarchy has been using –and abusing of- its powersRead MoreBritish Monarchy - Should They Stay or Should They Go? Yona Oshrat1594 Words   |  7 PagesBritish monarchy - Should they stay or should they go? Yona Oshrat The nurse Jacintha Saldanha was looking after Prince William’s wife Kate – who was suffering from morning sickness – when two Australian DJs called the hospital impersonating The Queen and Prince Charles. Believing the call was genuine she then transferred the call to the ward where Kate was staying where another nurse gave information about Kate’s condition. The nurse found hanged after the hoax call to the hospital - she committedRead MoreQueen Victori A New Form Of British Monarchy And Sovereign2238 Words   |  9 Pages A new form of British monarchy and sovereign started when Princess Victorian became Queen of England. During her reign beginning in the early middle 19th century and lasting till the early 20th century, she issued in a new era, known as the Victorian era that helped to shape her reign and British society. Queen Victoria’s relationship with the people closest to her throughout her life helped to mold and shape her ideas and tho ughts that affected her reign politically, economically, and culturallyRead MoreWas Thomas Paine Made No Secret For His Hatred Of The British Monarchy?1557 Words   |  7 PagesKristen Thompson Common Sense M/W 2-3:15 Thomas Paine made no secret for his hatred of the British monarchy. This was partially due to their absolutism beliefs, the oppression of his countrymen, and the system of government where the rich got richer and the poor get poorer. He believed that Britain would never have a balanced government so long as monarchy and hereditary succession stayed in place. When Thomas Paine immigrated to Philadelphia, several things had strong influences on his writingRead MoreThe Monarchy in Canada Essay738 Words   |  3 PagesA monarchy is a form of government in which a single individual holds all the power in government. Since 1918 Britain has been governed in a Democratic system but held a lot of the same customs that it had when it was a monarchy (like a royal family etc.). Canada was a part of the British Monarchy when it was still around and unfortunately is still a part of the monarchy system that remains in Britain today. In 1867 the British North America Act was established and forme d the Dominion of CanadaRead MoreThe Modern Monarchy of Britain Essay1676 Words   |  7 PagesRoyal Family. This hallowed line of descendants makes up the British Monarchy, serving above the people of the Commonwealth under the control of Britain. With such fanfare and dignity come an equally great responsibility. While the structure and ceremonial hype surrounding the British Monarchy has remained nearly unchanged since its creation, the role and powers of Britains current Monarchy is significantly different. The British Monarchy is composed of a King or Queen and their family, whose heirs

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Essay on The Future of American Healthcare Free Essays

Healthcare policies in the United States have changed throughout history, today there are programs and Acts in place to help insure Americans. These programs are in the works for reform under the Trump administration. Today, up to 44 million people in the United States do not have health insurance. We will write a custom essay sample on Essay on The Future of American Healthcare or any similar topic only for you Order Now Almost the same amount, 38 million, have insufficient coverage. This being said one-third of the American population is living without the certainty of knowing if they are covered in the event of a medical emergency. The issue today is pursuing a path that insures everyone and provides equal opportunity for all patients. President Donald Trump plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act by the end of 2018. The process of repealing it is long and complicated, currently he is trying everything he can to weaken it. According to The Balance, â€Å"On October 12, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order to modify Obamacare in five ways. These changes went into effect in January 2018†. These five modifications include expanding access to association plans, ease restrictions on short-term health plans, health reimbursement arrangements, limit consolidation, and increase competition. If they were to repeal the bill, what would happen to the 11 million Americans currently insured through Obamacare? What will the replacement plan look like? What changes or improvements would be made? Will insurance companies be allowed to continue to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions? The process is long and slow, there are no permanent results in place but change is happening and looking back on history can help shape the future of healthcare. The history of American healthcare dates back into the 1940’s with the presidency of Truman. During the first years, the prices of medical procedures were increasing due to the medical advances and discoveries. As a result the battle of healthcare began. The Blue Cross was the first to provide healthcare to workers. Healthcare advances and modifications developed over 12 presidencies to get where it is today. The Clinton administration planned for health insurance coverage to be provided through private insurers that competed for customers in a regulated market environment, which would be overseen by regional health alliances in each state. This eventually led to Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The Trump administration is aiming to replace this Act or modify it. As recently as 2013 the Center for Disease Control reports, â€Å"2.4% of people have problems finding a general doctor and 2.1% have been told that a doctor’s office or clinic would not accept them as new patients. Another 2.9% have been told that a doctor’s office or clinic did not accept their health care coverage.† These people are those with pre-existing conditions. In the 20’s the Blue Cross did not deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, regardless of sex and age. When other new for-profit companies emerged they had to up their prices to compete. This is the road the United States is on, more and more companies are popping up and creating more competition. The increased competition is raising the prices of coverage that many Americans cannot afford. Making healthcare coverage available to everyone regardless of age, sex and pre-existing conditions is important to the well-being of the United States. How to cite Essay on The Future of American Healthcare, Essays

Friday, December 6, 2019

Horrace King Bridge Builder free essay sample

Horace king was born in 1807 in South Carolina. He was tri-racial, being Caucasian, African, and Indian. His father was a mulatto named Edmund King; his mother, Susan was the daughter of a full-blooded Catawba Indian and a black female slave. At an early age he learned his trade from his owner John Godwin. Many reference show that Horace was a well-liked, outgoing, enthusiastic man. From letters we have learned that his mother was also owned by John Godwin and that he often called her by the name Lucky. In 1832 John, Horace’s sister, mother, and he moved to Columbus Georgia. It was there that he worked on the first bridge connecting Alabama and Georgia with Godwin. This is the bridge a lot of people know King for because it was the first to connect the two states. The bridge crosses over the Chattahoochee River. At completion, the bridge reached approximately 900 feet long and was built in the Town truss mode. We will write a custom essay sample on Horrace King Bridge Builder or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This earned Godwin and King reputations as master bridge builders. The flood of February and March 1841, destroyed a large portion of the bridge south of Columbus Georgia, and swept away almost all of the main city bridge in Columbus. Godwin repaired both bridges quickly. The first bridge was reopened to traffic by April of that same year, and Godwin rebuilt the main city bridge within only five months. Horace Kings skill helped them a lot in the rebuilding process. He was even able to salvage parts of the old bridges that had washed down stream to rebuild these bridges. Horace made friends with a man by the name of Robert Jemison. This connection would come to serve him in many ways. It was his connection with Jemison that in some ways gained him his freedom. Jemison actually placed a $1000 bond in King’s name to show that he would not be a burden on the state as a free man. As well as working on bridges, King worked on building houses and buildings as well. On one occasion Horace helped to build a large textile mill in Georgia. One of the main reasons Horace was able to build these structures so well was the use of heavy timber beam construction. This form of construction was used for bridge building as well as in the large warehouses like structures. Horace King married in his 30’s which was considered late for a man during that time. He married a young woman named Francis. Francis was of the same racial background as Horace. She was only fourteen at the time they got married. Francis had her free papers when they married. She was educated as well, which may have drawn Horace to her. She bore him five children, four sons, and one daughter. Of his sons, three of them became a large part of King Brother’s construction. Horace married a second time to another multi-racial woman. Both of his wives were buried side by side. Horace King served two terms in the Alabama General Assembly, from 1868-1872. Both the Black and White members of the community respected him and found him to be a good leader. They trusted him. It was also helpful that he was a Mason. Being a Mason helped King in many ways. It is said once before the civil was confederate men came around and collected his mules from him. It wasn’t until he showed that he was a Mason that they were returned to him.