Strong Cultural Cohesion Organizational Norms And Behavior Patterns - 3850 Words

Strong Cultural Cohesion: Organizational Norms And Behavior Patterns (Research Paper Sample) Content: Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: Case Study Report Contents  TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015960"
Executive Summary  PAGEREF _Toc303015960 \h
3  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015961"
Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc303015961 \h
3  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015962"
Organizational culture  PAGEREF _Toc303015962 \h
3  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015963"
Strong Versus weak organizational culture  PAGEREF _Toc303015963 \h
4  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015964"
Cohesive organizational culture  PAGEREF _Toc303015964 \h
4  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015965"
Benefits of a strong cohesive culture  PAGEREF _Toc303015965 \h
5  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015966"
Current values and practices in BSG Ltd  PAGEREF _Toc303015966 \h
5  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015967"
Changes Needed in the Organization  PAGEREF _Toc303015967 \h
6  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015968"
Recommendations  PAGEREF _Toc303015968 \h
7  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015969"
Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc303015969 \h
7  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc303015970"
Bib liography  PAGEREF _Toc303015970 \h
9  Executive Summary BSG Ltd is an organization that has faced a lot of problems related to the organizational culture that they exhibit. Organizational culture includes such elements as norms and behavior patterns which are unique to the given organization. The research has shown that cultural cohesion in the organization can be very beneficial to an organization more so for those that have experienced problems in the past. The cohesion helps in the bonding between the employees, reduces conflicts and stress. The research has also shown that strong cultural cohesion will also bring such indirect benefits as the reduction of the need to supervise the employees as they will be well aware of what is expected of them by the organization. Some changes to the organizations culture have been proposed for instance encouragement of teamwork and trust, staff retention policies and cultures relating to the use of innovation and new ideas. The above changes can be implemented by shedding of the ex cess bureaucracies, better working conditions and strong leadership in the organizations. The report begins with an introduction that contains an overview of the problems facing the company. The body of the report contains the definitions of organizational culture according to a variety of scholars, an overview of the differences between strong and weak cultures is give followed by the definition of a cohesive organizational culture and the benefits that an organization can derive from it. Towards the end of the report, proposed changes to the organizational culture are given. The body ends with practical recommendations on how the changes can be implemented. A conclusion is then given as a summary of the argument of the report. Introduction BSG Ltd is a company that is currently facing an array of problems which have greatly reduced the profitability of the company in two consecutive years. A recent survey of the culture and attitude of the employees of the organization showed a my riad of problems. The problems included low levels of employee job satisfaction and commitment to the organization, lack of cohesion and trust among the employees and the management. In addition, a strong belief by the staff that there was little opportunity for advancement was also noted. The above issues led to high staff turnover and an increase of pilfering. The purpose of the report is to find out the benefits of a strong cohesive culture in the organization and to identify what the management of BSG Ltd need to do in order to reverse the current trends in the company. The report will also give recommendations on workforce acceptable changes that the management will need to implement. The structure of the report will follow the same order as shown in the purpose of the report. Organizational culture Organizational Culture refers to the way of thinking in an organization which considers the symbolic phenomena and culture of the people which include their norm systems and behav ior patterns which are informal (Alvesson, 2002, p. 3). Frost et al. (cited in Alvesson, 2002, p. 3) also defined organizational culture as the importance that people attach to symbolism for instance the myths, stories, rituals and legends and finally how the groups where people live influence how they interpret experiences, ideas and events. Organizational culture includes aspects of assumptions and values which people uphold in relation to a social reality. Organization culture also refers to the complete systems of values and behavior which are important for the creation of a distinctive psychological and social environment (Business Dictionary, Online edition, 2011, para. 1). It goes ahead to state that the organizational culture includes the current and past suppositions, philosophies, experiences and values that bind the organization. The culture of the organization involves the rules, image and the beliefs that have developed over time in the organization. Hill & Jones (2010, p. 394-5) argued that an organizational culture refers to the precise values and norms which a group of people who work for an organization share. The actions of the people and the group in ...

20th Century Themes in Midaq Alley - 1710 Words

20th century themes in Midaq Alley Cairo Egypt, as well as the rest of the world today, is going through fast changes quite often. In Midaq Alley, Naguib Mafhouz slows down the fast paced changes in Cairo during World War 2 by revealing the intimate lives of the Alley inhabitants. The roles that the characters are born into are no longer wanted by the younger generations due to the hopeful gains offered in the material world. By referring to and utilizing the four 20th century themes of, global interrelatedness, identity and difference, the rise of the mass of society, and technology versus nature while reading, the audience can better understand life in the Middle East. Midaq Alley helps make clear what the innermost workings and true†¦show more content†¦He goes into great sensual detail about how he watched her grow up from a twig into a slender and endowed 20 year old. Samir’s heart attack essentially leads Hamida to Ibrahim who believes she is, â€Å"a whore by instinct†(Mafhouz 198). Ibrahim greatly manipulated her naivety, anger, and lack of life experience. Her anger was told most presently during their first meeting when, â€Å"her blood boiled. She wanted to humiliate him with loud curses in front of the whole crowd†(Mafhouz 157). Hamidas’ youngness and lack of direction can be seen when Hamida gave into Ibrahim’s charm and entered defeated into his world of prostitution. This can be further grasped when the narrator said, â€Å"She felt that life was the only enemy she did not know how to deal with†(Mafhouz 165). The cafà © owner Kirsha brought disgrace to his family and gossip to the Alley by his lust for and evening sprees with young boys. In turn, Mrs. Kirsha turns to Radwan Hussainy as a last resort for guidance and sums up Kirsha’s struggles by telling him that, â€Å"He is completely immoral and neither his age, his wife, nor children can cure his lechery†(Mafhouz 91). More tow nspeople, such as the filthy cripple maker Zaita and the dirty and uneducated dentist Dr. Booshy, can be seen later in the story giving into their desires by robbing graves for gold teeth plates. This affected all of the townspeople greatly, more so Mrs. Afify who had been given a set of gold teeth from Dr. Booshy (Mafhouz 229).Show MoreRelatedMidaq Alley Essay1794 Words   |  8 PagesThe theme of Midaq Alley cuts to the heart of Arab society. Namely, it shows how a group of characters living in the same slum neighborhood responds to the combined promise and threat of Western-influenced modernization. Midaq Alley is about the Egyptian residents of a hustling, packed back alley in Cairo in the 1940s. The attempts of several residents to escape the alley and move up in status end with dreams broken and unfulfilled. The opening sentences of Midaq Alley points to a world bypassedRead MoreEssay on Midaq Alley1828 Words   |  8 PagesThe theme of Midaq Alley cuts to the heart of Arab society. Namely, it shows how a group of characters living in the same slum neighborhood responds to the combined promise and threat of Western-influenced modernization. Midaq Alley is about the Egyptian residents of a hustling, packed back alley in Cairo in the 1940s. The attempts of several residents to escape the alley and move up in status end with dreams broken and unfulfilled. The opening sentences of Midaq Alley points to a world bypassed

Peer- review article free essay sample

A NEW QUANTITATIVE APPROACH TO MEASURE PERCEIVED WORK-RELATED STRESS IN ITALIAN EMPLOYEES By Cevenini, G. , Fratini, I. , Gambassi, R. (2012) Cevenini, Fratini, and Gambassi (2012) goal was to give accurate quantification of what participants perceived occupational stress to be. Their study is a new quantitative approach of questionnaire data collection and analysis. They chose a statistical multivariate procedure. Their aim was to obtain a one-dimensional estimation of occupational stress which would guide psychologist through intervention strategies to protect workers’ health and safety (Cevenini, Fratini, Gambassi, 2012). Methods Cevenini, Fratini, and Gambassi (2012) shortened their questionnaire by using the principal component analysis. PCA was performed by rotating the solutions with Varimax method and Kaiser Normalization (Velicer, 1990). Cevenini, Fratini, and Gambassi (2012) provided a score for each of the six stress dimensions. This was useful to characterize the different types of stress perceived by the employees. The risk scores were gathered by multivariate statists’ procedures that sequentially combined a clustering technique with linear discriminant analysis (Krzanowski, 1988). We will write a custom essay sample on Peer- review article or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Assumption of the linear discriminant function as risk score, was expressed as a percentage of the whole score range. Cronbach’s analysis was performed by Cevenini, Fratini, and Gambassi (2012) to test their statistical consistency and reliability (Gonbach Shavelson, 2004). A one-dimensional quantitative description of each aspect was obtained using the same clustering approach as for risk scores by maximizing the discrimination level between low and high values of D, R and S, detected by empirical data through non-hierarchical cluster analysis. The solution of the associated linearized system gave: ? 0 = 120, ^ = 0. 08654 and ? 2 = 0. 00561. Under the hypothesis of equal distribution for responders and non-responders, the lack of any statistically significant differences between training and testing data for the stress index (Mann-Whitney test, ? = 0. 897) indicated good model generalization capacity. Median and interquartile values (in brackets) were 0. 133 (-1. 363-0. 853) and 0. 035 (-1. 097-0. 875), respectively. Linear discriminate was applied to the axes scores to find the two discriminant functions and F2. They provide optimal linear separation between each pairs of the three empirically-identified clusters of workers representing the three modeled stress states. In other words, fx and ^ define two discriminant dimensions that allow the best distinction between homogeneous groups of different actual perceptions about occupational stress by Italian employees. Results After receiving a refusal rate for telephone interviews Cevenini, Fratini, and Gambassi (2012) observed 72%, making that a total of 8639 telephone contacts needed to complete the stratified sample of 2419 Italian employees. This process took two months. Their study had a 95% confidence interval of sampling error, of less than 2% of the whole variation range of stress index. In using the PCA to reduce the questionnaire items calculated about 81% expanded variance of the whole phenomenon. Cronbach analysis proved to be most reliable for the model axes, which confirmed the good selection of Delphi group.

The Art of Poetry free essay sample

A comparison of E. Housemans Terence, this is stupid stuff and Archibald MacLeishs Ars Poetica in their analysis of the art of poetry. This paper portrays the works of two poets whose subject matter and deliverance are comparable. The writer discusses their style of writing poetry to emphasize the differences between them and their understanding and belief of the art of poetry. Terence immediately lapses into reasons why poetry can never be a substitute for beer: Theres brisker pipes than poetry. Why, if its false happiness the reader wants, then by all means the reader should get drunk. Malt does more than Milton can/To justify Gods ways to man` refers to Miltons Paradise Lost and typifies Housemans argument. The poet describes the breweries in England, wondering why anyone would prefer poetry to beer for curing malaise, especially those `fellows whom it hurts to think. We will write a custom essay sample on The Art of Poetry or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ` Ale is the drink of choice for anyone who wishes to see the world through rose-colored glasses. When drunk, the `world seemed none so bad,` declares Terence; but `the tale was all a lie; the world, it was the old world yet.` `

Characters in Hamlet Essays

Characters in Hamlet Essays Characters in Hamlet Essay Characters in Hamlet Essay Aphelions descent into madness is the ultimate tragedy of Hamlet when considering her family distrust of her worth and virtue, and her lovers betrayal and cruelty. The first of the many unfortunate series of events which resulted in Aphelions madness was her fathers insensitive advice in Act I SC. , which in other words was him mocking her and installing into her dead the misogynistic idea that all her worth as a woman will ever be is what man she marries. He warns her that if she fools around with Hamlet and lets her supposed silly girlish fantasies get the best of her, she will be deemed a where and her chances at ever maiming a decent man will be diminished. He puts it best in lines 1 10-1 18 of this scene; Affection, pup! You speak like a green girl insisted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his tenders, as you call them? Tender yourself more dearly or youll tender me a fool. pretty harsh, to say the least. He is more worried about his reputation Han he is about his daughters feelings. He had just finished giving her brother, Alerter, such wonderful and useful advice, and he then speaks to her as if she were a naive young girl submerged in lust disguised as love for her beloved Hamlet. This is exactly where the self destructive road begins for the ill-fated Aphelia; consequently leading to her lunacy and loss of self worth. Furthermore into Aphelions heartbreak, her lover proves her fathers lecture to be true when all her heart really wanted was for him to be proven wrong. In Act 3 Sc. 1 Hamlet begins with an extremely malicious sarcasm towards her. He thanks her for her initial pleasantries (l humbly thank you, well, well, well,). He then readily denies that he ever truly cared for her. Since she wasnt expecting this from her dear lover, she is left in shock when her once charming prince demands Get thee to a nunnery (168). The connotations of the meaning of nunnery is enough in and of itself to be a cruel wake up call to her. Aphelions sanity begins to unravel itself even more at this point. Hamlets melancholy grants him the flexibility to convey manic-depressive measures, while Aphelions is much more painful and overwhelming. The sat straw for Aphelia was without a doubt her father, Polonium, death. This is where she shares a common connection with Hamlet: the loss of a parental figure. The difference here is that Hamlet actually causes this despair and remorse, and even after he accidentally murders Polonium it doesnt appear to occur to him the potential effects of his actions to Aphelia. Hamlets slaying of Polonium is what spurs Aphelia into psychosis, and it isnt pretty. She has now lost all hope, and has come to the bitter realization that love is more painful than it is beautiful. She is left utterly alone in the world; her lover has abandoned her and her father dead. All the pain and sorrow she has encountered has given her a deeper perspective on everything.

International Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Business Strategy - Essay Example While smartphone brands are differentiated to some extent, majority of other smartphones that fall in the same price range possess similar functions (Ogunsanwo, 2013: p54). This makes the threat of substitute products high. In addition, now consumers can use 3rd party applications and internet based calls. The number of substitute products makes it easier for consumers to move to another product and get similar benefits. Concentration of smartphone customers is low, ensuring that they do not have much influence over smartphone prices, which, in turn, makes the buying power of consumers low. However, some rival producers like Apple have influences that extend to their channels of distribution (Ogunsanwo, 2013: p55). This threat is reduced somewhat since consumers have the ability to buy from other smartphone manufacturers even when they do not necessarily give them better prices or incentives. The high number of substitute products gives smartphone suppliers less leverage over them be cause of substitute competition. This increased competition has a positive effect on the smartphone manufacturers (Ogunsanwo, 2013: p56). In addition, the increased competition among the suppliers leads to a reduction in price. Finally, supplier bargaining power is reduced by the similarity of input products. Finally, smartphone manufacturers are not under threat when it comes to rival entrants since the smartphone market is difficult to enter. Rival entrants require proprietary knowledge, as well as many patent requirements that continue to embroil even the established smartphone manufacturers like BlackBerry (Ogunsanwo, 2013: p56). The new entrants will also lack brand power that is essential to sales. Strategic Analysis of BlackBerry Shareholder Value: Earnings per Share Year August 2013 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 BlackBerry -0.60 -0.60 4.20 6.34 4.37 3.43 2.26 Samsung 18.85 15.79 15.02 8.07 10.99 6.89 3.68 Apple 8.26 11.13 8.75 7.03 4.64 4.10 3.60 (BarChart, 2013: p1) From th e above figures, it seems that the EPS for BlackBerry has decreased consistently from 2010 to the present, indicating that their earning power is decreasing. This has been in sharp contrast to Samsung and Apple who’s EPS is rising consistently. Samsung’s earnings per share are relatively higher than for both Apple and BlackBerry, indicating that, among the three major smartphone makers, Samsung’s earning power is increasing mostly due to manufacturing the most new models of smartphones, as well as its more diverse electronics range. Price/Earnings Year August 2013 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 BlackBerry 0.00 -17.85 7.24 9.38 15.34 26.24 0.00 Samsung 7.453 10.39 9.10 8.60 16.10 23.3 8.8 Apple 13.12 11.16 14.61 15.35 21.63 31.73 26.39 (BarChart, 2013: p1) The P/E trend for BlackBerry and other smartphone industry players has been falling since 2009 because of the financial crisis. The current P/E ration level for BlackBerry shows that it is very easy to buy at th e moment unlike Apple and BlackBerry who have relatively high P/E ratios, making them more difficult to buy. However, there is a fluctuation of the ratios for both Apple and Samsung, which still seem to be feeling the effects of the financial crisis in 2008/2009 as well. However, it seems BlackBerry was unable to turn its decline around most likely because they failed to introduce any new brands in the period immediately after the crisis. Long

The Cost Allocation Process of Information Technology Essay

The Cost Allocation Process of Information Technology - Essay Example As more firms have adopted computer software over manual functioning. Similarly, computer networks also help the departments within a firm to coordinate and communicate among themselves. With all of these advancements come costs of setting up computer networks and other related costs. Allocation of I.T costs(charging the cost to each department according to its usage of a resource) is among current hot-topic in the corporate world. According to a study done by Forrester, Computer Hardware and Network costs make up to one-third of the I.T department budget. However, the main problem is of allocating costs among various departments within a firm. The most widely used method by accountants is to allocate these costs is by dividing these costs according to the consumption by the respective department. By relative consumption, we mean that each department will be charged a share of cost according to their use. For example, if there are two departments who both use I.T network, now when at the end of fiscal year, the time for cost allocation comes, the department with more usage will be charged more and with less usage will be charged less. The fundamental reason for charging this method is to avoid multiple free-riders problems. Free-riding occurs when those who do not pay for a resource could also use the resource, so no-one is foolish enough to put up his hand and say I will pay for the resource because he knows that even if he doesn't pay for the resource he would be able to use it. For example, let's take an example from out of context here. Suppose that there is a community of fishermen is living near the sea.