52 Effective Social Media Post Ideas and Examples to Fill Your Calendar

52 Effective Social Media Post Ideas and Examples to Fill Your Calendar For a marketer, theres nothing worse than struggling with a creative block. When youre pressed to create on a deadline, but you just cant think of something original to post, or an original concept for your next campaign, its easy to fall into despair. In fact, thats probably why youre here. Its okay though. We all need some inspiration now and then to help us shake off the rust and get back to creating awesome stuff. If that sounds like something you need, scope out this enormous list of social media post ideas. Theres inspiration here to cover every social network, too. So, no matter where your audience is most active, youre sure to find something you havent shown them before. 52 Effective Social Media Post Ideas and Examples to Fill Your Calendar via @But First, Here Are Some Free Social Media Resources If youre going to succeed on social media, you need the right tools. These freebies will help you do something with the inspiration youll get from this post: Social Media Calendar Template: Plan all your posts ahead of time. How Often to Post On Social Media Infographic: Learn exactly how to map out your posting schedule. Social Media Strategy Checklist: Build out a comprehensive strategy for your social media content. Not Sure Which Social Media Network to Choose? Before posting to any social network, it's worth considering how each one is used. Here's a quick reference sheet: How Do You Actually Put These Ideas Into Practice? If you're searching for social media ideas, you might be experiencing a few different problems: Lack of creative inspiration. Sometimes, you just don't feel like you have anything kicking around in your head. Constant fire drills to find content to share. You might also be scrambling day-to-day to find enough content to share. Content that isn't getting results. In this case, it might be time to try something you haven't thought of before. Sound relatable? Keep these solutions in mind: Plan Ahead With a Social Media Calendar The best way to keep social media posts organized is on a calendar. In fact, that's why we've included a free calendar template in this post. Here are some of the benefits of using a calendar: They give your team full visibility into your social media schedule. They make it easier to plan posts ahead of time. And make sure you're posting at the best times. They make it possible to plan content + social promotion in one place. No more switching between tabs and tools to map out your publishing schedule. Recommended Reading: How to Effectively Organize Your Social Media Editorial Calendar (Free Template) Plan Cohesive Campaigns The best way to drive a message home is to build a complete campaign. Oftentimes, brands struggle to keep up with their social posting schedule because they're too reliant on one-off posts. This makes staying organized difficult. Plus, it's tough to always be writing posts on the fly without much thought ahead of time. So, plan campaigns. These can be around: Campaigns to promote events. A series of posts promoting a single piece of content. A string of branded posts carrying a consistent message or hashtag. Recommended Reading: 24 Creative Social Media Campaign Examples to Boost Your Inspiration Schedule Ad Hoc Posts In addition to your planned campaigns, mix in some ad hoc posts. These are spontaneous one-off posts that aren't necessarily connected to a broader campaign, but still reinforce your overall brand message. Leaving some flexibility in your schedule makes it easier to react to trending topics and hashtags, which you can capitalize on for added brand exposure. With these three tips and all of the following ideas, you should have no trouble staying inspired and keeping your posting schedule ful. And Now, 52 Content Ideas For Businesses to Post on Social Media There's an endless possibility of content to share on social media. But these are the types of content that your audience will appreciate. 1. Your Company's Blog Posts Does your business have a blog? The best way to get your blog  seen is to share it on your own social media platforms. You know it's relevant to your business because  it came from your business.   Be sure the content you're writing for your business blog is valuable and will connect with your audience. The best way to do this is by writing actionable content such as "How to" posts. Recommended Reading: The Ultimate Blog Writing Process to Create Killer Posts 2.  Posts Showing Your Company's Culture What better way to showcase your business then by sharing a culture post? A culture post is an image or article that highlights what your business is all about. It could be a behind-the-scenes image of your employees doing something quirky or an article about how your business does something a certain way. 3. Industry News In raw numbers, news articles get more social shares than any other type of article. Most businesses that produce content are focusing on deep long form content rather than as-it-happens breaking news. Create a list of news sources in your industry. This could include trade publications or websites. Then, find those sources on Twitter and follow them. When they share something interesting, retweet it to your followers (or share it on another social network, like Facebook or Google+). 4. Curated Content Content curation is simply sharing the content of others in your niche. Sometimes the things you want to share with your audience have already been written. So rather than spending the time crafting an in-depth post, you can quickly share one that's already been written (by giving them credit of course.) At , we use our handy-dandy Chrome Extension tool to help with our content curation. Here's an example of a post we shared from Kissmetrics: Recommended Reading: How to Schedule Your Social Media Content Curation for Massive Growth 5. Question Posts Not everything you share on social media  has  to be a blog post or article.  Get your audience talking and engaging with one another by asking a burning question. For example, you could ask "What sort of content should I blog about next?" It's the best way to know what your audience  really  wants to read. Asking a fun question or creating a Twitter poll is a good way to get your audiences' insights. 6. Product/Company Videos Visuals are eye-catching when your audience is  scrolling through their news feed. It’s been proven time and time again that visuals help improve engagement, but what about videos? Research shows that videos have a 135% greater organic reach compared to photos. That’s a crazy high number. Take advantage of this organic reach opportunity by sharing videos about your company or a new product you have. 7. Customer Reviews And Testimonials Does your company have dedicated fans!? Let their voices be heard and share their thoughts on your social media. You can do this by retweeting their kind words or creating a graphic with their testimonial directly on it. Don't forget to include their name/handle! 8. Quick Tips And Advice Aside from sharing an entire 'How to" post giving in-depth tips and advice, you can share a few tips that you think are the MOST important. Sharing a simple tidbit is an easy way to share valuable information with your audience. Here at , we call them "Pro Tips." 9. Memes or GIFs Aside from sharing images to your social media, you can use memes and GIFs when publishing your content. This adds a fun spin to your plain post and will be too irresistible for your audience to scroll past. â€Å"GIFs are a great way to showcase your brand’s personality, stay trendy, and have fun† -HeyOrca. Memes and GIFs are becoming extremely popular among top companies.  At , we’ve recently started using memes and GIFs on Twitter and have found that they receive far more likes and retweets than regular images.Just remember to keep the meme or GIF relevant to your company and audience! 10. Contest Posts Encouraging people to participate in a social media contest  that is related to your brand will boost engagement with those who  are already followers and can help you increase subscribers by requiring those that don’t follow or like your page yet to do so in order to participate. Be clear about your objectives and exactly how you want your audience to participate for the best outcome. Define easy, simple rules before you launch your contest. 11. Holiday Posts No matter where you live, holidays are a big deal. Show your holiday spirit by sharing a holiday-related post on your business page. Whether it be an image, video or article your audience will appreciate that your business has real people that also get excited about holidays! Starbucks is known for getting exceptionally excited during Christmas season: 12. Photos From Company Events We discussed sharing culture posts that showcase your company's personality, but you can take that a step further by sharing photos from a company event. If your business hosts a charity event or fundraiser, a great way to spread awareness is by sharing it on social media. 13.  Post An Answer To A Commonly Asked Question Are you receiving the same question over and over again from your audience? Instead of constantly responding to this question one by one, solve it once and for all by sharing a post with the answer. Make sure to "pin" the answer to the top of your social media page so that your audience can easily see it. Here's how to pin posts on Facebook and on Twitter. 14. Share Infographics Infographics are a fantastic way to show a step-by-step guide, especially on Pinterest. (Hello! DIY) Infographics allow you to share  a ton of information with the use of visuals. They make boring statistics look appealing! Whether it be your own or a curated infographic, your audience will be drawn to the visual aspect and be sure to keep reading. Recommended Reading: How to Make the Best Social Media Images the Easy Way (+84 Free Images) 15.  Start A Conversation With A Leader In Your Industry Cross-promote yourself by getting your name out there, the best way to do this is to start a conversation with somebody in your niche. Twitter is a great way to start up a conversation that your audience will see. Find an industry leader's Twitter handle and make the first move! This presentation from Jay Baer explains the importance of connecting with influencers (and how to find them): 16.  Links To Free Resources Who doesn't love free stuff!? Whether it be ebooks, white papers, or other downloadable content, your audience will appreciate the free resources. Put together a content bundle, or a downloadable infographic so your audience can use it for reference. (Psst! You can get all of our bundles for FREE here!) 17.  Podcast Episodes Sometimes reading content can be time-consuming, so give your audience's eyes a break and share a podcast episode. Or even better, start your own! We recently started our own podcast  and have had great success with it! We cover topics and challenges our audience faces. If you decide to start your own podcast, check out this post to help get you started. Recommended Reading: How to Start a Podcast (Authentic Advice from Someone Who's Done It) 18. New Job Listings Is your team expanding? Let your audience know! Who better to work for your company than a dedicated fan who's watched your company grow? Or maybe they have a friend who would be interested in working for you. Be sure to list what positions are open like Built Visible does in this example: 19.  Hiring Announcements And New Team Members After posting your job listing, you're likely going to find the right candidate.  Once you've found the right candidate(s), take it a step further and show them off to your audience! Let everyone know that you're excited to have them be part of your team 🠤â€". 20. "On This Day In History" Posts The Huffington Post shares "on this day in history" articles everyday. Take this approach and use it in your own social media strategy. Find something interesting that happened in your town or city and let your audience know! You can also share "National Day" posts. Check out NationalCalendarDay.com to find things like National Coffee Day (and tons of other days you probably never knew existed), and create some posts for ones relevant to that day. 21. Event Promotion If an event happens and nobody hears about it, did it really happen? You can create an Event Page on Facebook to make your event feel more personable to your audience. Then promote the heck out of it on your social media channels! 22. Live Videos Live videos have become huuuuge on social media  recently. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram AND Snapchat have options for going live. Find the right platform that works best for you and where you will get the most views from your audience. Try to make it a weekly video. For instance "Tip Tuesday" or "Fun Fact Friday." This way your audience will be sure to tune in on those days. 23. Promote Email Sign-Ups If you want your audience to attend a webinar or demo (surprise!) you'll need to let them know by promoting the sign-up link on social media. Promote signup forms for webinars, demos, email newsletters, and so forth. 24. Image Scrambles You'll have your audience scratching their heads in no time when you post image scrambles. Image scrambles can be  posts where an image is scrambled up or zoomed in so your audience has to guess what it is. This is a great way to get engagement from your audience. What is this a picture of? Answer: It's an orange crayon! Recommended Reading: The 6 Types of Social Media Content That Will Give You the Greatest Value 25. Inspirational Quotes Okay, I know. Inspirational quotes can be  cheesy, but if done correctly they can be effective. At , we use quotes from industry leaders that we know our audience will relate too. Find quotes from leaders in your industry or testimonials from your audience  that will resonate with your target audience. 26. Company Accomplishments Believe it or not, your audience cares about you and they want to see you succeed. Share your successes with them on social media and celebrate together! Whether it be  awards you've won, reaching a certain number of customers, etc. let your audience know! 27. Host A Twitter Chat What is a Twitter chat?  It’s a conversation around one unique hashtag. This hashtag allows you to follow the discussion and participate in it. Twitter chats are usually recurring and on specific topics to regularly connect people with these interests. When hosting your own: Decide on a clear and brief hashtag that represents your brand. Choose a day and time that you can consistently hold Twitter chats. Come up with an appropriate topic and questions. Plan and promote your chat via Twitter. 28. Ask For Customer Feedback Not sure how your audience will respond to a new feature, event, or your next post? Find out how they will respond  before it happens by getting customer feedback. "Would you be interested in a social media event?" "Would you like if we created a custom label feature?" "Would you like if we wrote a blog post about email marketing?" You can even do this via Twitter poll to get your answer. 29. How-To Videos Aside from going live, you can create simple and short how-to videos explaining how a feature or tool works. These videos will give your audience an inside look and make them more likely to try out your tool after seeing how it works. Recommended Reading: How to Get Started With Twitter Video Marketing How to Do Facebook Video Marketing the Right Way How to Make a Video Content Marketing Strategy to Boost Your New Series 30. Product Reviews User reviews are proven sales drivers, and something the majority of customers will want to see before deciding to make a purchase. Many people read online reviews before deciding to buy something (I'm guilty of this too!) This is a great tactic if you're working in e-commerce. Try sharing reviews of products you carry. Or, you could review a tool that your company uses or integrates with to help drive sales. 31. Images Or Videos Of Your Product The best way to show how something works is through visual representations. You would never buy a car without test-driving it first, just like you wouldn't buy an online tool or product without seeing how it works first. Give your audience a firsthand look at how your product works, and maybe even throw in a cool tip they might not know if they didn't see the image or video. 32. Twitter QA Sessions Sure you could do a Twitter chat, but your topic has to be relevant PLUS there's a great deal of planning involved. By simply hosting a Twitter QA session, this allows your audience to ask a variety of questions. Your audience can finally get their burning questions answered and you can interact with your audience in a new way. Check out this post  from Passion Digital on how to host a QA session. 33. Spotify Playlists If you want to share music or whole playlists with friends, posting a Spotify playlist is the way to go.  Sharing music with friends is a time-honored way to discover new bands, talk over your music tastes, and learn a bit more about the bands that you love. Spotify has fun and useful playlist sharing features. You or a friend can build a playlist packed with your own music or music you’ve discovered through Spotify’s massive music library, and you have the option of sharing that playlist directly with others by passing around the playlist URL or Spotify link. Let your audience know what you're listening to and get them inspired! Get your audience pumped! Share a @Spotify playlist and let the world know what your office is...34. User-Generated Content We know you have super fans out there! Don't be afraid to show them off by posting fan-worthy content. Here at we send out 'swag' to those that grab our attention on social media or leave killer product reviews. Those people often share pictures of themselves decked out in our swag, and it's so awesome to see! I LOVE my new swag. Thanks, @! #happybirthdaytome pic.twitter.com/JNkXCvhs41 Amanda Huggett (@AmandaHuggett) October 10, 2016 If a fan shares anything noteworthy about your company, give it a share! 35. Posts Showing Off Your Company History Has your company been around longer than microwave popcorn? Then you have some history to share! It's always fun to see how far a business has come and where they started. Sharing a quick tidbit or piece of history is sure to intrigue your viewers. At , we are a start-up company, which means we're constantly changing and evolving (and even getting a new space!) New office decor arrived at @today!Thanks @jnhartford 😊 pic.twitter.com/UpvrgfznpH Ashton Hauff (@ashtonhauff) March 23, 2017 36. Company News Announcements Speaking of sharing your  history and getting a new space, let your audience be in the loop! Getting a new space? Launching a new product? Just have big news in general? What better way to get the word out than by sharing the news with the people who care. Make it fun and make it big! Get your audience as hyped about the news as you are. 37. Create a Regular Series Here's a great way to use live video on social media: create a weekly series or show. There are a few ways you can do this: Use a traditional talk show format. Have a guest each week. Paste does this well, hosting musicians in their studio to perform on Facebook Live: div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/PasteMusicAndDaytrotter/videos/10156378216834529/" data-width="770" data-show-text="true"blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/PasteMusicAndDaytrotter/videos/10156378216834529/" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"a href="https://www.facebook.com/PasteMusicAndDaytrotter/videos/10156378216834529/"Rainbow Kitten Surprise live at Paste Studio NYC/apWatch Rainbow Kitten Surprise live at Paste Studio NYC!/pPosted by a href="https://www.facebook.com/PasteMusicAndDaytrotter/"Paste Music amp; Daytrotter/a on Wednesday, April 11, 2018/blockquote/div 38. Repurpose Blog Graphics Creating new visual content for every social media post can be resource-intensive. So, why not create blog graphics with social sharing in mind? To do this, create versions of your blog graphics correctly proportioned for your chosen social network: Then, create social media posts (or even entire campaigns) around those posts, reusing their inline graphics: 39. Share How-To Videos Social media is great for sharing quick videos showing people how to get something done. Here's a fun example from the DIY Network: 40. Share Your Company's Financial Earnings For large publically traded companies, your followers might be interested in knowing how you're performing financially. So, consider creating an engaging GIF or video to accompany your earnings page on your website, or a blog post announcing your quarterly earnings. Here's an example from Home Depot: 41. Share a Case Study On One of Your Customers Do you have a customer that you know has had success (thanks to your company or product)? Get them involved in a case study! Then, share it on social media: 42. Share a Survey Check out this example from Case Study Buddy: 43. Promote a New Product or Event Here's another example from Case Study Buddy: 44. Share a Fill-In-The-Blank Post Asking your audience to finish a sentence can be fun, and it definitely encourages engagement. Think something like this: "What's your favorite ___________________?" "Fill in the blank: my favorite thing about [YOUR BRAND] is [ANSWER]". "When I need to [SOLVE PROBLEM], I use [PRODUCT/TACTIC]". Get creative with it, and see what you can come up with. 45. Share a Statistic This tweet from the Twitter accounts shares a snippet about Starbuck's marketing strategy that people might not have known: 46. Reshare Your Top Performing Posts You don't always have to reinvent the wheel. If a post did well once, what's to say it won't do well again? In fact, according to research from , there's data backing up the idea that it might even do better the second time around: The easiest way to identify top performing posts and automatically reshare it is with . Use social analytics to discover your best-performing posts: Then, use ReQueue to create an intelligent queue of social posts to reshare automatically:47. Promote Your Partners Add some positivity to your audience's feed, and shout out a company you work with that's killing it out there. Wow, what a lovely post to read. Thank you @Sally_Newm for nominating me and for everything you said. I honestly appreciate it so so much. Thanks @rustybrick for pulling all these together, it is a lovely idea and really shows how much our industry value each other. https://t.co/ir9nazs4kD - Samantha Noble (@SamJaneNoble) April 30, 2018 48. Share Some Interesting Industry Research In a lot of industries, having the latest knowledge and research is key to maintaining a competitive advantage. Tap into that by sharing stats and snippets of industry research reports, either ones you've created yourself, or ones you've curated around the web. 49. Use Paper.li to Share News Roundups Ever since Storify closed its doors, marketers have been searching for a replacement. Paper.li is a great stand-in, making it possible to create custom social media-driven online newspapers. By creating an account, you can curate content from different social media networks, and present it all in one place. Here's a look at how it works: 50. Preview a New Product or Event Everyone loves being first to see new stuff. By consistently sharing previews of new products or features, your audience will know to go to your social channels to find your latest developments. This example from NAMM, a major musical instrument expo, uses a GIF to promote an exclusive events: Have you always wanted to attend #SummerNAMM? Heres your chance! The Make Music Experience – an all-day, all-access pass for the prosumer audience to trial the latest music and pro audio gear from top manufacturers. Buy your tickets ($10 advance) here: https://t.co/V13CQfEXNf pic.twitter.com/MirrnacX9M NAMMShow (@NAMMShow) April 4, 2018 51. Get Creative With Emojis Love them or hate them, emojis can add fun and flash to your social media posts. Make sure you're using them appropriately, and in conjunction with other guidelines, by following this infographic: 52. Give Away Something Free Who doesn't like free stuff? By offering your audience an incentive to take action to get a freebie, you can drive some strong engagement, and help promote your products. Here's an example from PlayStation. In exchange for pre-ordering a game, fans can get a free customized theme for their console, which the video demonstrates: Pre-order the Spyro Reignited Trilogy and snag this dynamic theme for your PS4! pic.twitter.com/D8tGAsqoS5 PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 12, 2018 What Will You Post On Social Media? Phew! That was quite the list we ran through. Hopefully, you can implement these tactics into your own social media strategy, but those aren't all the things you can share with your audience. Do you have something you like to share on social media? Let us know down in the comments!

How to Write Your Graduate School Admissions Essay

How to Write Your Graduate School Admissions Essay The admissions essay is often the least well-understood part of the graduate school application yet it is critical to your admissions success. The graduate admissions essay or personal statement is your chance to distinguish yourself  from other applicants and let the admissions committee know you apart from your GPA and GRE scores. Your admissions essay can be the deciding factor in whether you are accepted or rejected by a graduate school. Therefore, it is necessary that you write an essay that is honest, interesting, and well organized. How well you structure and organize your application essay can determine your fate. A well-written essay tells the admissions committee that you have the capacity to write coherently, think logically, and do well in grad school. Format your essay to include an introduction, a body, and a concluding paragraph. Essays are often written in response to prompts posed by the grad school. Regardless, organization is key to your success. Introduction: The introduction is the most important part of the essay, especially the first sentence. The first sentence introduces your essay and a bad introduction, in person or in writing, is detrimental to your admissions chances.The first sentence should be unique and compelling, possibly thought provoking or attention-grabbing.First sentences may explain your desire to study the subject of interest or discuss the motivation that influenced your desire to study the subject of interest. State it in a creative manner.The sentences following the first sentence should provide a brief explanation that supports the claim stated in the first sentence.Your goal for the introduction is to entice the reader to continue beyond the first paragraph. The Body: The body includes several paragraphs that provide detailed evidence to support the statements made in the introductory paragraph.Each paragraph should have a transition, which starts each paragraph with a topic statement that will be the theme of that paragraph. This gives the reader a heads up of whats to come. Transitions connect paragraphs to preceding paragraphs, enabling the essay to flow smoothly.Each paragraph should have a resolution, which ends each paragraph with a meaningful sentence that provides a transition to the next paragraph.Experiences, accomplishments or any other evidence that can support your claims should be included in the body. Future goals should also be mentioned in the body.A short summary of your educational background can be discussed in the 1st paragraph of the body.Personal experiences and the reasons for wanting to attend the school can be discussed in the 2nd paragraph.Do not simply repeat what was stated in the application.The last paragraph can exp lain why you are a good match for the program. Conclusion: The conclusion is the last paragraph of the essay.State the key points mentioned in the body, such as your experiences or accomplishments, that explain your interest in the subject. State it in a conclusive and brief manner.Convey your fit to the specific graduate program and field. Your essay should include detail, be personal, and specific. The purpose of the graduate admissions essay is to show the admission committee what makes you unique and different from other applicants. Your job is to display your distinct personality and provide evidence that confirms your passion, desire, and, especially, fit for the subject and the program.

How Did Guns in Parks Happen Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

How Did Guns in Parks Happen - Assignment Example If he is younger, he might shoot because he thinks it’s only a toy gun. Many families and children go to parks. They may be hurt because of this boy. Ms. Ditmer said in the article – â€Å"Since 1983, firearms taken to national parks had to be unloaded, dismantled and locked in glove compartments or trunks. Before that, they weren’t allowed at all.† President Ronald Reagan signed this national park regulation in 1983. This is a good law. I think if people have guns, they should not bring the guns into the park. Many people are responsible. They will not use the gun in a bad way. But, if they have a gun, they will feel powerful. Sometimes some people fight about a nice picnic spot. Sometimes teenagers play games and hit other people. The people become angry. I think an angry person cannot control his actions. If he has a gun, he will be a threat to other people. Some people think guns will protect them from bad people and wild animals. Park Rangers protect people from bad people and wild animals. They have training so they can do their job safe. Ordinary people should not do the park rangers job. They don’t have the park rangers’ training. The writer has an example in her article. The campers in the example were very lucky. The shooter made 9 shots. One shot may hit any camper. Ms. Ditmer assumes law-abiding citizens think guns are possible disasters. Maybe and maybe not. There is a law. It says it’s okay to bring guns to the parks. A law-abiding citizen and he likes guns will not think the gun is a disaster. He will be happy. He can bring his favorite thing on a picnic or a stroll. NPCA Associate Director says maybe not many people will visit the parks anymore. Maybe and maybe not. Many people like parks. Some parks are tourist spots. Maybe the new gun law will not stop them.

Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Government Website Essay

Effectiveness And Efficiency Of Government Website - Essay Example The chief work of the Ready Government website is to educate the public through communication. Therefore, the question is has the website managed to reach the public thorough communication? Is the website effective and efficient in its vital mandate to the public? Lastly, what means has the ready government website used to dispense information? Various bodies have been set up in the America from way back that handle emergency situations in the country like Red Cross and AMREF (Bullock, 281). Furthermore, there are departments like homeland security, national response framework, central intelligence agency, federal bureau of investigations and many more (Bullock, 81).  There are numerous procedures put in place by Ready Government website to communicate with the public, most obvious is the website itself. The website has all the information that the public needs in case of emergency whether it is preparedness or emergencies. The website also educates the public on safety locations i n case of disasters and also affected and dangerous areas. The website receives letters and also sends out letters to the public free of charge. This shows that there is a flow of communication. Additionally, publications are available for download in disaster management (Abramson, 22).  Another way that the Ready Government website communicates effectively with the public is through its corps volunteer’s activities that ensure the safety of the society by ensuring that communities get a fast response in emergency situations (Matthews et al, 121). The pledging sector is easy to access on the website (Abramson, 23). Furthermore, the Ready Government website has managed to communicate with the public effectively and efficiently by taking into consideration the disabled.

Surving Greenscape at Hard Time Essay Example for Free

Surving Greenscape at Hard Time Essay Robbins, S. , Organizational Behavior 2. Buchanan, D amp; Huczynski, A. , Organizational Behaviour 3. Mullins, L. , Management and Organisational Behaviour| Week 6| Feedback sessionFeedback on LO2| | Week 7| Motivation, what is motivation, motivational theories, critical assessment of motivational theories, reward and punishment| Books, Lecture Slides/Notes, Case Studies, Assignment-related resources| Week 8| Understanding Groups, what are groups, formation of groups, formal and informal groups | 1. Robbins, S. , Organizational Behavior 2. Buchanan, D amp; Huczynski, A. Organizational Behaviour 3. Mullins, L. , Management and Organisational Behaviour| Week 9| Team Development, types of teams, developing teams, why teams are not groups| 1. Robbins, S. , Organizational Behavior 2. Buchanan, D amp; Huczynski, A. , Organizational Behaviour 3. Mullins, L. , Management and Organisational Behaviour| Week 10| Feedback sessionFeedback on LO3amp;4| | Learning outcomes Outcomes| Assessment requirements| LO1 Understand the relationshipbetween organisational structure and culture| 1. 1 compare and contrast different organisational structures and culture1. explain how the relationship between an organisation’s structure and culture can impact on the performance of the business1. 3 discuss the factors which influence individual behaviour at work| LO2 Understand differentapproaches to management and leadership| 2. 1 compare the effectiveness of different leadership styles in different organisations2. 2 explain how organisational theory underpins the practice of management2. 3 evaluate the different approaches to management used by different organisations| LO3 Understand ways of usingmotivational theories in organisations| 3. discuss the impact that different leadership styles may have on motivation in organisations in perio ds of change3. 2 compare the application of different motivational theories within the workplace3. 3 evaluate the usefulness of a motivation theory for managers| LO4 Understand mechanisms fordeveloping effective teamwork in organisations| 4. 1 explain the nature of groups and group behaviour within organisations4. 2 discuss factors that may promote or inhibit the development of effective teamwork in organisations4. 3 evaluate the impact of technology on team functioning within a given organisation. Indicative resource materials Textbooks Buchanan, D amp; Huczynski, A. , Organizational Behaviour Mullins, L. , Management and Organisational Behaviour Brooks, I. , Organisational Behaviour, Individuals, Groups and Organisation Bloisi, W. , Cook, C. , and Hunsaker, P. , Management and Organisational Behaviour Journals Academy of Management Journal (Academy of Management) British Journal of Management (John Wiley and Sons) California Management Review (University of California, Berkeley) E uropean Management Journal (Elsevier) Harvard Business Review (Harvard Business Publishing) Journal of General Management (Braybrooke Press Ltd) Journal of Management Studies (John Wiley and Sons) Management Today (Haymarket Business Media) MIT Sloan Management Review (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Websites www. businessballs. com HR and Organisational Behaviour articles and links www. changingminds. org Useful articles on strategic change by leading theorists www. mindtools. com www. 12manage. com www. cipd. co. uk www. incomesdata. co. uk

Gap Exploitation Essay -- essays research papers

Gap Inc. was founded in 1969 by Donald and Doris Fisher in San Francisco, California, with a single store and a handful of employees. Today, they’re one of the world's largest specialty retailers with three of the most recognized and respected brands in the apparel industry - Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. Gap Inc. has more than 153,000 employees supporting over 4,200 stores in more than 3,100 locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan and Germany. Their 2004 Sales were well over $15 billion, bringing in a net income of $1.03 billion, a 115.7% income growth from previous year. Gap Inc contracts factories in 64 Countries, allegedly also making clothes within the US . And by â€Å"Made in the USA,† they mean, â€Å"Made in the indigenous countries that, out of desperation, joined the United States in hopes of gaining more stable government regulations, yet remain excluded from basic employment rights and minimum wage laws.† The â€Å"guest workers† from countries like Saipan, who joined the United States in 1975 to be citizens of the â€Å"land of the free,â€Å" commit themselves to conditions that are simply shameful to basic human rights. Once committed, workers who toil for 12 hours daily behind barbed-wire fences, eat infested food, sleep on cots in dormitories that they are forced to pay more "fees" for, and work "off the clock" hours that they aren't paid for, can’t escape from the madness, unless they can pay a mandatory $10 thousand dollar fee for this â€Å"privilege.† Despite over 1,000 citations over a mere 5 years in Saipan, GAP remains stern on their refusal to pay a settlement with exploited workers. One worker was quoted: â€Å"Before 1997, we called for the strike because we were forced to work overtime with no opportunity to take a holiday, we wanted to go home for the holiday. But now we have so many holidays, and we have no money to go home. There is nothing in balance†¦ I have no question why people commit suicide.† Of course, not all of the factories that GAP contracts could possibly conduct themselves like that, right? They have model factories like the Shin Won factory in Guatemala, acclaimed by industry reps and retailers, as well as winning several exporting awards in recent years. From afar, Shin Won is just an average factory ... ...other loan for $20 from a loan shark.† To think that these are just individual problems or â€Å"special cases† is outright foolish. 24 of 27 factory workers in Lesotho said that they owed money to loan sharks. Even more shocking, many loan sharks are supervisors at the factories in which these people make a living. This means that the supervisors can deduct money from the checks of people who borrowed the money. What does this mean to the workers? Weeks of work without pay, and the need to, you guessed it, borrow more money. How could so much corruption ensue in these factories when the Gap’s 90 inspectors are paid to keep tabs on violations of their Code of Conduct? One Lesotho worker had this to say: â€Å"In our factory we have this policy that we have two separate time sheets, one for the buyer and for the owner. Whenever the buyer comes, they show that person a sheet which does not have our actual salary. The management does not show the buyer our original time sheet, the one which shows what we are actually paid. We have two time sheets, and we have to sign both sheets. If I don’t then I will get fired. I have no other option but to sign both sheets.†

Imperialism in Heart of Darkness

Before being published in the present form of the novel, Heart of Darkness was printed in a serial form in 1899 and then part of a volume entitled Youth: A Narrative and Two Other Stories in 1902. Based on Conrad’s own personal experiences after the African country of the Congo and the famous Congo River flowing through this country the story assumed the present novel. It was in this year 1890 that Conrad had performed his sailing trip upon the river Congo as a captain or skipper of a Belgian steamship.During his trips, Conrad studied at first hand the conditions which prevailed in the Congo and formed his own impressions of the kind of life which the savages were leading under the imperialist Belgian rule. Conrad also observed the attitude of white traders and their manner of treating the native savages. His reaction to the treatment was unpleasant and, in fact, he was greatly dismayed and even shocked at what he observed. We find in his novel, Heart of Darkness, more or less a record of all this which experienced during his own travels through the Congo and the Dark Continent.The title of the novel Heart of darkness signifies simply the interior of the dark country known as the Congo. The theme of Heart of Darkness is the conditions prevailing in the Congo under the imperialist rule of the Belgian King, Leopold II. These conditions include the impact of white traders and explorers on the life of the African savages, and the influence of the native way of life on the white man, with special reference to one man who is given the name of Kurtz. In fact, Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness has several themes, one of which is the theme of imperialist exploration of a backward country.In this essay I’ll show imperialism intervened with his life and Conrad as a victim of imperialism; the experiences of Conrad in the dark country of the Congo where the white man had become unsuccessful in performing civilizing function. I will end my essay discussin g the white man’s callous treatment towards the native savages and demonstration of their hypocrisy in the novel. Joseph Conrad (Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski) worked as sailor on French and British ships before becoming a ‘naturalized British subject’ in 1886. He developed an elaborate and beautiful English prose style.His work was adventurous and ‘darkly pessimistic’. â€Å"One of the most noted practioners of literary impressionism, Conrad offered a fictional rendering of subjective response that had a profound impact on writers like Ford Madox Ford and Virginia Woolf. He wrote that the primary task of the novelist was â€Å"to make you see. †Ã¢â‚¬  Conrad was born in the city of Berdychiv in Russian-controlled Ukraine, on December 3, 1857. Conrad was orphaned at the age of eleven. His father was imprisoned by the Russians for his nationalist political activities. At the age of seventeen he went to Marseille to become an apprentice in the merchant marine.He was hired to take a steamship into Africa, and according to Conrad, the experience of firsthand horrors of colonial rule left him a changed man. Heart of Darkness is a fictionalized exploration of his life. Conrad’s novel, Heart of Darkness is largely a record of Conrad’s own experiences in the dark country of the Congo. The character named Marlow, the chief narrator in the novel, is largely none else but Conrad. Marlow, like Conrad, experiences a strong sense of disillusion and disappointment after observing the behavior of the white traders and also the conditions of the natives.There is a lot of resemblance between Conrad’s Congo Diary and the contents of the novel Heart of Darkness to justify such an assumption. It might be said that Marlow’s view of philosophy of life is very much the same as that of Conrad himself. Conrad in the novel talks about the unproductive efforts of the white-men to civilize the savages. The white-men instead became exploiters. At the time the Congo was being governed by the Belgian King, Leopold II, the Belgian trading companies were sending their agents into Congo for trading purposes.The chief commodity these Belgians found worthy was ivory and to the native savages ivory was of no use. The white traders collected ivory and sent it to Europe where it could be used profitably. We can see, throughout the novel, the mention of ivory is constant and dominates the thoughts of almost all the white characters, like the manager of the Central Station, the Brick Maker, and many others. They loiter around the country in search of ivory and Marlow describes these agents as â€Å"faithless pilgrims†. ‘Subsequently we find that ivory not only dominates the thoughts of Mr.Kurtz but has become an obsession with him. ’ Marlow is told by the manager of the Central station that Kurtz collects more ivory than all the other agents put together. Thus, ivory becomes the symbol o f greed in the novel, symbolizing the white men’s greed and commercial mentality. We have the failure of Mr. Kurtz to civilize and uplift the savages of the Congo. Even Mr. Kurtz who has begun to identify himself with the savages, has done nothing for the uplift of the natives. Instead of improving their mode of life, he has himself become a savage in their company.He has begun to satisfy his various lusts without any limits. Even in his prime of life, when he had supported the view about white man’s civilizing role, he had written down the following words conveying an opposite message â€Å"Exterminate all the brutes. † Instead of a civilizing effect in the novel, we find the white man’s callous treatment towards the savages. The sight seen by Marlow after getting down from the streamer is very disheartening and freighting. This reflects the wretchedness and the misery of the natives of the Congo. Marlow sees a lot of black people mostly naked, moving ab out like ants.Later he sees half a dozen men chained to one another, and each wearing an iron collar in his neck. Marlow feels deeply upset to see the sight. Alongside, there are quite a few other scenes which clearly demonstrate the hypocrisy of the white men. They are simply wasting time and effort to show that some kind of constructive work is going, while in actuality there is none. There is a project to construct a railway line in this region; but Marlow sees that a rock is being blasted with gunpowder even though this rock doesn’t stand as an obstruction. Then he also comes across some pieces of decaying machinery, and a large heap of rusty rails.The whole effort of the white man is completely misdirected. The futility of the white man’s efforts becomes clearer when we come across certain employees of the trading company. Marlow’s description of the brick maker is satirical. He describes him as a â€Å"paper-mache Mephistopheles† because of this man ’s cunning. In the end we may say that Conrad has exposed the Belgian imperialism in Heart of Darkness. There are wider implications of the Belgian imperialism as depicted by Conrad in his novel. It conveys to us the deceit, fraud, slave-trading and other cruelties of the Belgian rule.But Conrad here is not only exposing the hollowness and the weakness of the Belgian imperialist rule over the Congo, but also indirectly remind us of the British imperialist rule over the countries of the world of his time. Heart of Darkness is an autobiographical novel, in the sense that the book contains indirectly Conrad’s own experiences in the dark country known as the Congo, and is a firsthand account of his own voyage upon the river also named as the Congo. But the novel is not a straight biography as Conrad doesn’t speak in his own person but through the character of Marlow and also through another narrator.

HRM Consultancy Report †BancRoyale Amsterdam Essay

In a survey undertaken by PWC of customers and outsourcing service providers cut across different advanced countries, over 80% customers noted that outsourcing activities delivered targeted gains provided for in the original business case. By implication therefore, it can be said that outsourcing and offshoring in the case of Bancroyale is a basic part of organizational strategy in a bid to maintain competitive advantage and staying ahead of other organizations. The need to outsource certain business processes by organizations over the years have been attributed to the recession that hit hard on world economies and businesses, it is also borne out of the need to reduce and contain costs while maximizing benefits and increased efficiency. As we speak and in coming years, process enhancement and productivity as well as governance, risk and security are other needs to be met by business process outsourcing. It is a trend that continues to emerge over time. Business processes such as IT and payroll management is of the essence to be outsourced due to their dynamic nature for the former and better efficiency in management by 3rd parties for the latter. Studies have shown that about 50% of clients are discouraged from outsourcing due to a lack of experience by service providers and their inability to justify the costs against benefits and therefore provided a justification for preference for in-house employees over 3rd parties while some companies do not have the skills to manage outsourcing activities and the service providers. Some are of the opinion that they require to put their house in order before outsourcing certain business processes. Banc Royale Amsterdam known and popular for superior and friendly customer service has taken steps to outsource its online customer service unit to a small South American company to handle due to increasing costs of maintaining this department. It is pertinent to take note of issues that may arise due to this change and its effect on the bank and also its customers. Majority of organizational change management systems fails as proven by research because employees who are at the core of these programs are not carried along and feel left out, this leads to low morale which results in demotivation and its consequences. Dawson and Jones (n.d), said that it is the people/employees that are subject to change and must adapt to change as against the organization adapting to change therefore human capital is the most important and critical element when instituting any form of change. People/employee and customer issues would arise and worthy of note is the language barriers already raised by the firm saddled with the responsibility of handling this unit. It is expected that most customers of Banroyale would speak Dutch or French and this should have been put into consideration while contracting this unit out to a South American firm. From the onset, management ought to have determined if this firm has Dutch speaking customer service consultants that would be able to communicate with their customers and also keep up with the standard of superior customer service set by the bank. The entire reason to outsource this unit is completed defeated if the bank cannot maximize benefits from this exercise as customers that are not pleased with services via the online customer service window are either completely lost or aggrieved thereby making the bank lose more money than it planned to save. The decision to outsource a key unit of the bank by the management is also likely to cause collective distrust amongst employees in spite of the fact that the decision is a strategic performance management decision that is expected to make the bank cut down on its increasing costs. According to Shawn 2008, the decision to outsource creates uncertainty for existing employees and it could make them to look elsewhere for employment, in cases where they do not leave, they most times do not cooperate with the new service providers to provide them with adequate information that would make the task easier to handle thereby causing also decreased efficiency in service delivery and bring in operational risk. Another major people management issue of outsourcing of this unit has to do with the customers to be attended to. In most cases, the service provider, that is the South American firm even though based on recommendation are highly professional most often than not would not be able to provide 100% banking services customers have always enjoyed because they have limited access to the bank’s customer database and hence, all they would be able to do while trying to serve the bank customers is to only take down messages and tell the customers someone would get back to them, these are customers that probably want to know their bank balance, ask questions regarding interest rates, cancel standing orders immediately etc. Only staff of the bank that has access to specific customer data base would be able to provide services to these customers. There is a very high likelihood that there would be a wide gap between management goals and eventual performance. One of the bank’s strategic capabilities and strengths is embedded in this unit that is customer service which is a major selling point for the organization; therefore it ought not be toyed or experimented with. In its quest to maintain a competitive advantage other areas should be looked at to reduce costs and expenses. HRM should seek to look at better ways to maximize the performance of this unit by determining unnecessary overheads are proposing to bank management to reduce, it could also develop more work challenges and deliverables to the managers of this unit in order to justify the increasing costs. Increasing costs accruable from this unit should provide increasing bottom lines for the entire bank, therefore performance management systems should be adopted to determine if these increasing expenses are justifiable and are actually increasing the bank’s bottom line. HRM could also propose to the service provider to hire some of the laid off bank customer service consultants and have them on their payroll on their own terms, this would ensure that these people are not so aggrieved for being laid off but also be able to still provide their services to the bank indirectly through the service provider. Lastly, if it is of great necessity that management outsource this unit then it is advised that it be done gradually and strategically in order to integrate the service providers into the system instead of a sudden transfer of this function thereby causing avoidable people management issues. SECTION 2- Organisational Solutions OB-HR Matrix Relationships The study of organizational behavior covers basically how knowledge about people, individuals, and groups are applied within an organization; and covers topics bordering on leadership behavior and power & politics, communication, group structure and process, learning & attitude development and perception, change process, conflict, negotiation and resolution, job design and motivation etc. Organizational behavior (OB) is a field of study devoted to understanding, explaining and ultimately improving the attitudes and behaviors of individual and groups in organizations. Therefore, the findings of this report are meant to be applied by managers to see how relevant they are to real world practical organizational challenges. The managers or HR professionals apply these organizational behavior theories and principles in solving problems that relate to human capital. For instance, while OB would explore the relationship between social recognition or employee motivation and job performance, human resource management would be examining the best ways to structure a perfect rewards system and performance management. In other words, the study of organizational behavior provides significant insights to human resource management when the principle and theories are effectively applied by HR professionals. Motivation and Diversity being very key and relevant organizational behavior concepts relevant to the change process being embarked upon by the organization would be the subject of analysis in this section. MOTIVATION – By making reference to the book ‘’Good to Great’’ by Jim Collins where he analyzed how Fortune 500 companies such as Wells Fargo, Walgreens etc transformed from just good companies to great companies. These companies were reported to have transformed into great companies basically by their commitment to hire the right people with emphasis on character, work ethics, intelligence, values and commitment and refusing to hire when such people were unavailable. This model was also adopted by Apple when they embarked on opening retail stores to serve their customers, they focused on hiring only very highly passionate individuals for their products i.e. highly enthusiastic about Apple products and this would only mean that, employees are first hand self motivated because they are passionate about what they are doing and so whether they are rewarded using the traditional reward systems or not, they are still happy doing what they are doing. However, Apple did not just stop at hiring passionate people, they created very unusual reward systems worthy of note is by not placing sales people on commission so as to ensure tension is completely eroded and employees maintain a very calm mien in dealing with customers. These hired sales people also go through rigorous trainings to acquaint them with the skills and knowledge to succeed in the Retail stores. Career growth opportunities for these sets of employees to grow through different opportunities are provided within the organization. Motivation in this context is therefore defined as an employee’s willingness to put in his maximum effort into his job to achieve organizational objectives while also being able to meet his personal needs and objectives. Motivation was defined by Baron, 1983 as a set of processes concerned with the force that energizes behavior and directs it towards attaining some goals. Simply put, motivation is the reasons why individuals behave the way they behave or do what they do, which implies in a workplace that an employee is said to be motivated on the job when he enjoys doing what he is doing and totally involved in it as against doing it for the sake of only remuneration to be received. A self-motivated employee implies that personal goals align with organizational goals most often than not therefore, employee satisfaction & retention, customer satisfaction & retention and accomplishment of organizational goals are guaranteed even in the long run. Human behavior is goal directed and it is motivation that drives an individual to behave in a particular way he does. Motivated employees are more self driven and autonomy-oriented than those who are less motivated ( Ryan and Deci, 2000), they also show interest in colleagues work more than less motivated employees which makes them more open to challenges and developmental opportunities. Motivation and HRM approaches for BancRoyale. Research and studies have shown and proven that motivation is positively related to employee performance and therefore HRM has a major role in this regard by implementing the concept of performance and reward management. Gungor, 2011 conducted a research on the relationship between reward management systems and employee performance with a major focus on motivation as a critical and intervening factor, he concluded that reward management systems application is significantly and positively related to motivation and employee performance which implies that financial rewards have great impact on employee performance and motivation (be it intrinsic and extrinsic). HRM has the duty to identify employee needs and goals through employee audit and other means that target employees’ individuality. The implementation of performance management systems by BancRoyale would make it benefit greatly from all its positive outcomes such as customer and employee satisfaction and retention and other additional benefits. Individuals have different needs as analyzed by Abraham Maslow in his ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ and theory of motivation where he stated that individual needs are arranged in a hierarchy of importance, he also added that all these needs are insatiable, however as one level of need is satisfied it no longer motivates behavior and therefore the next level is activated. HRM must be able to determine the level on which each employee is on to be able to strategically position the organization to meet such needs. It is important that HRM understands that unmet needs and expectations of employees over time leads to certain behavioral patterns that manifest in absenteeism, frustration, work stress and conflicts with its attendant effect on performance. DIVERSITY – Meanings According to the US Department of Interior, diversity refers to many demographic variables including but not limited to race, religion, color, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age, education, geographic origin and skill characteristics. The Law Society of Scotland says that diversity is about recognizing that everyone is different in a variety of visible and non visible ways; and about creating a culture that respects and value uniqueness and difference in people in order to harness their potential in creating a more productive working environment. Diversity encompasses acceptance and respect of individual uniqueness and differences, exploration of these differences in a safe, positive and nurturing work environment, moving beyond mere tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity within each individual (University of Oregon, www.gladstone.uoregon.edu/) Diversity and HRM approaches for BancRoyale HRM is saddled with the responsibility of managing diversity, ensuring the organization conforms to the legal requirements related to equal opportunity. This process is managed with HR functions ranging from recruitment, selection,evaluation, job design, training, people management to workforce management in terms of placing the right people in the right location and position. Due to seeming economic and business realities in addition to demographic changes taking place within the organization, diversity management is an all-new challenge for HR and the entire bank. If HR performs its functions related in this context, it would save the organization from avoidable litigation, reduced employee costs and better bottomlines. In order to make diversity a strong point of the bank, the following HR processes should be considered: Recruitment and selection: HR must look to assembling teams of diverse backgrounds that would stimulate creativity and innovation with skill sets that complement each other. Technology: diverse workforce often includes virtual teams therefore the need for technological support. HR policy: need to take into cognizance cultural and ethical aspects in addressing equality standards prevalent in each location they are present. Training: Managers and employees need to be trained on leadership and teamwork as it applies in a diverse workplace. KEY HRM ISSUES WITH GREAT IMPACT ON THE TRANSITION FROM IN-HOUSE ONLINE CUSTOMER SERVICE TO 3RD PARTY SERVICE MANAGEMENT IN BANCROYALE Diversity Management Diversity Management – â€Å"Diversity management is the ability of an organization to maximize the advantages of organizational employee diversity and minimize the inherent problems. I.e maximize the benefits and minimize the costs of implementing diversity policy in the workplace† Benefits to Banc Royale Creating a competitive advantage (the business case for diversity) Better understanding of diverse customers. Increased productivity on complex tasks. Better problem solving as a result of inputs of diverse members. Increased innovation Potential issues that may arise in diversity management (Knouse 2008) Diversity members may show loyalty to background groups rather than the team. Potential for increased conflicts amongst employees with diverse background. Potential for exclusion of people different and more cohesion amongst similar groups within networks. Potential for non-cooperation when group members have different values. High potential for miscommunication among diverse organizations Proposed solutions HRM practices must be fair and equitable and take responsibility for the effective delivery of the policy Work groups and teams must be allowed to grow and develop in stages and be given time to fully develop Diversity plan must be well thought out and communicated to be effectively implemented. Change focus from social cohesion to task cohesion Reinforce a culture of diversity through continued management commitment Institute mentoring systems with bias for the diversity cause. Employing the right people to deliver best quality service based on equality of opportunity. Ensuring employees are able to contribute a diverse range of skills and experience. Ensuring Banc Royale harnesses and realises full potentials and performance of employees. Building and encouraging a culture of intolerance to discrimination. Eliminating barriers leading to discrimination and prejudice. Building a culture that fosters cooperation and respect amongst employees. Board of Directors is overall lead. All directors and line managers are responsible for full implementation of the policy. Employees are responsible for adhering and complying with the policies. Trainings, sensitization seminars and workshops are conducted and organized by HRM for employees to learn about the policy. Emergence of virtual teams Virtual teams came to the fore as evolving organizations saw the increasing need to go global and this was characterized by technological advancement. Organizations whose goals are to maintain a competitive advantage believe that creating effective virtual teams are necessary to achieve this goal. Global brands such as Coca cola, Microsoft, Citigroup, Ford, Toyota and even non-profit organizations have been able to lead the pack of their various industries as they have seen ahead that they require to be present across all parts of the world using people as their major resource. Symons et al (2007) have this to say about virtual teams being teams where its members are geographically dispersed and unified by one project. Which invariably means that there are 2 teams: physical teams and virtual teams unified by one organizational goal. While the physical team adopt face to face communication, the virtual team communicate using technology such as telephones, emails, conference calls, or other computer-mediated communication. The foregoing pre-supposes that in building or creating virtual/global teams, there would be a large involvement of a diverse workforce scattered all over the globe which comes with its attendant challenges and even more benefits if systematically harnessed. MIT Sloan School conducted a study in 2009 and concluded that virtual teams could outperform physical teams and provided a justification for their creation which amongst others include: Productivity day in day out due to time zone differences, Sharing of best practices, Reducing costs, Innovation and increased creativity as a result of highly diversed workforce. Bergiel et al (2008) said that such teams as virtual teams allow organizations to attract and retain top talents because workplace flexibility is seen as a crucial aspect of job satisfaction for many employees; for many companies, the use of virtual teams reduces costs and time of employee travel. However, inspite of all the benefits accruable from virtual teams, without proper structures and strategic planning, these benefits may not be harnessed. Trust is a crucial component required in building a cohesive and effective team and it even becomes more complicated when this trust needs to be built where distance is a barrier. In building trust, it is important for team members to have face to face interactions, this allows them to develop rapport, build friendship and relationships and also have a better understanding of the team goals. Frequent communication electronically between members also has a way of fostering relationships. Team training from time to time on technology that has to do with team interaction would also go a long way to promoting the understanding of team goals and objectives Virtual teams are very much likely to fail when organizations do not make appropriate investment in technology and training of team members. Team leaders must be taught how to provide leadership and direction with giving feedbacks effectively through unconventional methods while members should be trained and given guidelines on how to communicate with other team members to encourage team building. At the helm of all of these is the support and trust of company CEO and other management staff in promoting and deepening the activities of the virtual team without which it is bound to fail. The decision to create virtual teams is usually the idea of management and therefore they must be seen to support it by building the appropriate structures that would ensure goals are achieved. Symons et al (2008) concluded and postulated some key points that should be followed by virtual managers which is hereby recommended to the Customer Service Departmental Head in alliance with the South American company that is in charge of it and they are as follows: Communication is a critical component of virtual teams enhanced by the support and the introduction of technology, therefore virtual teams succeed when value are placed on the people than the technology. It implies that the manager must create a definite purpose in cooperation with his team members and effectively communicate it to them. Leadership style advised for virtual teams is democratic in order to get the best out people and promote creativity and innovation. This is the benefit obtainable from having a diverse workforce and it must be adequately harnessed by the leadership approach used. In this kind of work environment, each team member is able to voice his opinion irrespective of his background, language, status etc. The virtual manager is able to create a very high level of trust when conscious efforts are made from the outset to address trust issues and conflicts that might arise as a result of diversity. He therefore should employ essentially face to face interactions in conflict resolutions and better still create an environment of friendship where conflicts are minimal. In addition to these key points, virtual teams are disadvantaged by problems or challenges characterized by difficulties in communication caused by the absence of face to face interactions, lack of employee engagement to get the best out of team members, major trust and integrity issues etc all caused by inability to go through physical interactions. This is responsible for the slow pace of trust building in virtual teams however all of these disadvantages and more can be mitigated to have our dream ideal virtual team or better put, the ideal Customer Service Department by employing tested strategies. The Banc Royale virtual manager is hereby advised to adopt the following strategies in building a cohesive and effective team: Communication All team members must be kept closely via communication. Effective communication is essential from top to bottom and bottom to top ensuring free flow of information. Communication must also be frequent and the manager’s responsiveness to communication or information is also key to effective communication. Communication does not start or end with passing information, listening and being very attentive is also critical. He must be able to create awareness from time to time so that the team can achieve expected outcomes and results. His ability to make use of the technology resource provided also enhance communication and also train team members on how to optimize the benefits available in the resource. The team leader must seek to understand his members through and through including their cultures and background, this would help him in deepening his relationship and develop trust. Collaboration The virtual manager must be able to create a collaborative mindset in the entire team which harmonises the best of competition and fostering trust and respect amongst team members. Collaboration can only be achieved when divergent views are welcome are analysed to take decisions that would allow for goals to be achieved and eventually create a win-win situation. Defined team objectives The virtual manager must be able to make his team members know the reason for their existence. This reason must be well clarified and communicated, team members must understand the role and contribution of their team to the entire bank, what is expected from each team member, results that are expected from the team etc. This clarity of purpose ensures that employees are properly engaged. Success celebration Milestones and successes must be celebrated to motivate star performers and encourage other team members to do better. Finally, the Customer Service department head could also adopt an account/customer classification approach to structuring the new online customer service just outsourced. The Team lead is advised to divide his team across the types of clients that patronize the unit such as new customers, existing customers broken down into retail, commercial, borrowing and non-borrowing customers. It is also necessary to ensure multi-lingual Customer Service Consultants are hired to avoid complaints as a result of language barriers. Influence of Power and Politics Power is the capacity or ability to influence another and it is drawn from various sources such as formal authority, control of scarce resources, control of decision processes, control of knowledge and information etc Politics is the tactical use of power or practical exercise of power to retain or obtain control of real or symbolic resources† according to Bacharach et al (1980 p. 1). Politics in the workplace or organization is usually driven by personal interests and therefore tantamount to the achievement of organizational goals and objectives. This determines productivity within the organization. The influence of power and politics on Banc Royale Amsterdam as a result of the changes being made can be both positive and negative. Scholars such as Eisendhart et al (1988) believes that politics is linked with poor organizational performance creating inflexibilities, communication barrier, restricting information flow etc. while some scholars are of the opinion that politics is necessary for innovation, creativity and organizational change that are brought about by disagreements and conflicts. This decision as taken by the management has some political undertones to it due to the fact that this unit is a very key unit in the organization, it can be noted that other units also exist within the organization that could also have been outsourced to cut down on expenses. This decision definitely would have caused collective distrust amongst employees not affected by this decision and could lead them to seek for employment in other organizations. According to Shawn 2008, the decision to outsource creates uncertainty for existing employees and it could make them to look elsewhere for employment, in cases where they do not leave, they most times do not cooperate with the new service providers to provide them with adequate information that would make the task easier to handle thereby causing also decreased efficiency in service delivery and bring in operational risk. It would also bring about a situation whereby other existing employees of the entire department would lose confidence in the Manager of the department for allowing such a decision to be taken. They would lose confidence in his ability to provide leadership and therefore bring about a decline the department’s productivity and his ability to be in control. If an individual is perceived by others to have influence then such person holds power and such is arrogated to him. When his employees believe in his ability to control the distribution of rewards valued by others such as promotion, money or even his ability to influence management to retain the â€Å"online customer service unit†, then they believe he has power and influence and would respect his leadership. Power requires one person’s perception of dependence on another person and in this situation, existing employees of this department are beginning to think otherwise. In order to minimize power and politics which is not bad entirely except it is engendering an unethical culture within the organization, it is of necessity that HRM takes a very strong stand to tackle it and I would recommend that they look at HR processes that include Recruitment and Performance Management. In whatever HR process we want to look at, the sole aim is to ensure that negative power and politics is downplayed and HR plays a major role in ensuring that. It is important that structures are built that do align with the objectives of the organization based solely on Corporate Governance policies in order to have management buy in. Section 3: Conclusion ‘Human capital represents one of the last and the best sources of competitive advantage’ (Kaufman, 2010: 292). The strategic objective of Banc Royale is to provide â€Å"helpful banking† to its numerous customers who are mostly retail customers, therefore cannot afford to get customer service wrong so that customers would not lose confidence in the brand. Quick steps need be taken immediately to first address the language barrier issues that are existent between both customers-service providers-bank employees. It is recommended and advised that management should change the focus of this exercise from cost reduction alone to enhanced and improved productivity with greater emphasis on collaboration between the bank officials and the service providers to ensure seamless integration. We all know change is difficult, however, if we consider what we stand to gain as an organization we would be glad to embrace change. Globalization, the need to maintain competitive advantage and churn out good bottom lines at minimal expenses, economic downturn are amongst other justifications for the creation of virtual teams and the need to outsource certain units of an organization. Banc Royale intends to be at the forefront of this, therefore all employees are enjoined to understand the workings and the concept of virtual teams in order to give support as required. Virtual managers have the responsibility to acquaint themselves with the roles required of them which include and are not limited to: Providing strategic direction in alignment with corporate goals Motivating and empowering team members to achieve team goals Identifying and providing required resources to achieve team goals Developing and communicating a clear vision to team members Giving effective employee feedbacks etc. Performance management as it affects human resources is to ensure organizational goals are met by training, motivating and rewarding employees by adopting best practices to achieve competitive advantage. As it applies to Banc Royale at this point in time, there is a need for management to have meetings and round table discussions with existing employees that the organization require to retain and get them to understand the reasons for the decision taken and make them see reason, in addition to this, appraisal could be done for the existing employees so that promotion exercise can be undertaken or probably an increase in compensation so as to win their hearts. The human resource management department of any organization is charged with the responsibility of managing employees, employee welfare and employee performance in alignment to the organizational goals and objectives, it is however in the purview of HRM to direct and guide employees and management to behave in such a manner that would ensure both personal and organizational goals are aligned and delivered. This describes the link between organizational behavior and human resource approaches and concept all described in this report. Human resource management can be used as a tool by management for shaping organizational behavior. The relationship between organizational behavior and human resource management stems from the fact that human resource management can be used as a tool for shaping organizational behavior. The practice of performance management also helps in the integration of other HR practices such as talent management, training and development, reward system management that have been discussed in this report to ensure they are all interrelated and be able to complement each other to achieving overall organizational health goals and objectives. Performance management systems aid the integration and enmeshment of HR policies with overall business organizational goals. REFERENCES Aguinis, H. (2009),†Performance Management (2nd ed.)† Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Aguinis H. & Pierce Charles A (2007), â€Å"Enhancing the relevance of organizational behavior by embracing performance management research†, Journal of Organisational Behavior Bacharach, S. B. & Lawler, E. J. (1980),†Power and politics in organizations†, San Francisco: JosseyBass. Baron, R.A. (1983), â€Å" Behaviour in Organizations†,. New York: Allyn & Bacon, Inc. Bergiel B. J., Bergiel, E. B., & Balsmeier, P. W. (2008),†Nature of virtual teams: A summary of their advantages and disadvantages†, Management Research News, 31(2), 99-110. Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (October 2003) – INDICATORS TO MEASURE THE COSTS EFFECTIVENESS OF DIVERSITY POLICIES IN ENTREPRISES- FINAL REPORT Dawson Mark J. & Mark L. Jones(n.d), â€Å"Herding Cats- Human Change Management† Eisenhardt, K. M. And L. J. Bourgeois (1988), â€Å"Politics of strategic decision making in high-velocity environments: Towards a midrange theory†,Academy of Management Journal, Eidson C., (2009) ,†The benefits and liabilities of virtual teams†, Available from ( http://expertaccess.cincom.com) Accessed on 31st July 2013 Equality and Diversity – Policy and Procedures http://www.grundon.com/PDFs/dutyOfCare/Equality%20Diversity%20Policy%20Procedure%20-%20Jun09.pdf (Accessed 1st July 2013) Gandz J. 2001, â€Å"A Business Case For Diversity† Copyright Queen’s Printer of Ontario Gà ¼ngà ¶r P. (2011),†The Relationship between Reward Management System and Employee Performance with the Mediating Role of Motivation: A Quantitative Study on Global Banks’’, 7th International Strategic Management Conference Greenberg J.(2005), â€Å"Diversity in the workplace† http://diversity.sdce.edu/content/diversity-workplace-benefits-challenges-and-solutions (Accessed 2nd July 2013) Heller R, A. Laurito, Kurt J., M.Martin, Fitzpatrick R. & K. Sundin(2010), â€Å"Global Teams: Trends, Challenges and Solutions†, Cornell Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies, New York. Kaufman, B. (2010), ‘‘SHRM Theory in the Post-Huselid Era: Why It is Fundamentally Mis-Specified’, Industrial Relations, 49 (2): 292. Knouse Stephen B. (2008),†Issues in Diversity Management†, DEFENSE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE DIRECTORATE OF RESEARCH, Internal Report No 05-08, pp 10-13 Maslow, A (1954). Motivation and personality. New York, NY:

Young Goodman Brown Quotes

Young Goodman Brown Quotes Young Goodman Brown is a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne (author of The Scarlet Letter) that centers around a young Puritan in New England and his deal with the Devil. Young Goodman Brown is famous for being a representation of American Romantic literature and is often studied in American literature classrooms as an important short work involving the Puritans and other essential themes. Read the story and check out some of the most iconic quotes from the story, then compare Young Goodman Brown with another famous American story about a mans Faustian deal with the Devil, The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving. Quotes Prithee put off your journey until sunrise and sleep in your own bed to-night. A lone woman is troubled with such dreams and such thoughts that shes afeard of herself sometimes. Pray tarry with me this night, dear husband, of all nights in the year. The traveler knows not who may be concealed by the innumerable trunks and the thick boughs overhead; so that with lonely footsteps he may yet be passing through an unseen multitude. On he flew among the black pines, brandishing his staff with frenzied gestures, now giving vent to an inspiration of horrid blasphemy, and now shouting forth such laughter as set all the echoes of the forest laughing like demons around him. The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of man. The young man sat a few moments by the roadside, applauding himself greatly, and thinking with how clear a conscience he should meet the minister in his morning walk, nor shrink from the eye of good old Deacon Gookin. With this excellent resolve for the future, goodman Brown felt himself justified in making more haste on his present evil purpose. He beheld the figure of a man, in grave and decent attire. But, irreverently consorting with these grave, reputable, and pious people, these elders of the church, these chaste dames and dewy virgins, there were men of dissolute lives and women of spotted fame, wretches given over to all mean and filthy vice, and suspected even of horrid crimes. It was strange to see that the good shrank not from the wicked, nor were the sinners abashed by the saints. By the sympathy of your human hearts for sin ye shall scent out all the places-whether in church, bedchamber, street, field, or forest-where crime has been committed, and shall exult to behold the whole earth one stain of guilt, one mighty blood spot. The fiend in his own shape is less hideous than when he rages in the breast of man. Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness. Welcome again, my children, to the communion of your race.

Pressing and Pressure

Pressing and Pressure Pressing and Pressure Pressing and Pressure By Mark Nichol Press and all the words containing it as a root, as well as a few disguised words from the same source word, pertain in some sense to applying force. This post lists many of the words stemming from the Latin verb premere, meaning â€Å"cover† or â€Å"hold fast,† and its descendant pressare. Press itself means â€Å"cluster,† â€Å"exert force,† â€Å"push forward,† and â€Å"squeeze out.† As a noun, it refers to a device for applying force, including a printing press, from which influence the word came to describe the collective entity of print media (and later all journalistic media). In that sense, in such phrases as â€Å"press conference,† it also acquired adjectival form. It also applies to an approach to applying force, as in a defensive strategy in basketball such as the full-court press. A press is also a crowd or an acting of crowding together. Pressure is the application of force. As a verb, pressure means â€Å"apply force,† and the verb pressurize refers to injecting a gas into a container in a greater concentration than outside the container (or pertains to designing the container for that purpose). The adjectival form is pressurized, and the act is pressurization. (The corresponding antonymic forms are depressurize and so on.) The adjective â€Å"high pressure† denotes a literal or figurative situation in which force is applied, often in the context of its effect on an individual, as when referring to a high-pressure job. Tension or pain resulting from such situations can be alleviated by acupressure, a therapeutic application of pressure to points of the body. (One form of acupressure, developed in Japan, is called shiatsu- literally, â€Å"finger pressure.†) To compress is to push against or together, or to reduce as if by doing so, and something compressed undergoes compression. As a noun, it describes a piece of cloth applied to a body part, especially an injured one, as treatment, or pertains to a device that compresses; an example of the latter might, alternatively, be called a compressor, such as a machine that compresses air to provide force for a tool. To reverse compression is to decompress. Depress, by contrast, means â€Å"push down.† By extension, word also came to apply to lowering someone’s spirits or reducing value. The adjective for all senses is depressive, and depression describes an act of depressing or a physical alteration of a landform or an object that leaves one area or part lower than the rest; the word also has astronomical, mathematical, and meteorological senses. (The historical period of economic distress that lasted roughly throughout the 1930s throughout the world is called the Depression or the Great Depression.) Depressant is a synonym for sedative, and a medication intended to alleviate depression is an antidepressant. Express means â€Å"expel† or â€Å"push out† (hence the borrowed Italian word espresso, which refers to coffee brewed with steam pressure), but it also came to mean â€Å"put into words† or â€Å"represent.† Something that can be expressed in the former senses is expressible, and the latter connotations are represented by the adjective expressive. (The antonyms are inexpressible and inexpressive.) The adverb expressly, however, means â€Å"plainly.† Something expressed is an expression, including an attitude or emotion signaled by the way one’s face is shaped by movement of one’s eyebrows, mouth, and so on. (Expressive also describes something that reveals attitudes and emotions.) Express itself came to be employed as an adjective meaning â€Å"implied,† and both as an adjective and adverb, it refers to a special condition or treatment; for example, an express train is one that travels directly from one station to another, bypassing intermediate stops. In this sense, the word also serves as a noun, as when sending a package by a rapid delivery method. A system of doing so is called an express, and the word used to apply to a messenger employed to deliver something quickly. An expressway, meanwhile, is a thoroughfare with a minimum of exits or intersections. Impress refers to having an emotional or physical effect or influence. Something that leaves a positive emotional impression because it is aesthetically pleasing or demonstrates achievement is impressive. An impression may be an effect or influence, an uncertain or unclear belief or idea, or an appearance or suggestion; the word also refers to an emotional or physical application, such as fixing a personality trait or stamping an object. (The use of press and impressment to refer to an act of forced labor or military service is unrelated; the source of these terms is the Latin verb praestare, meaning â€Å"stand before.†) To oppress is to push against, to repress is to push back, and to suppress is to push down; the adjectival forms add -ive, and actions are indicated with the inflection -ion. All three terms often pertain to using despotic force against people agitating for freedom or rights. Repress and suppress also apply to excluding emotions or thoughts from one’s consciousness. Oppress may also apply to an emotional or spiritual burden. One who, because of a buoyant or determined personality, seemingly cannot be repressed is described as being irrepressible, and a suppressant is a drug that controls or prevents a reaction or state. Print (and imprint) are disguised relations of the press family, as is imprimatur; that word (New Latin for â€Å"let it be printed) originally applied to a printing or publishing license authorized by the Catholic Church, and later referred to approval to do so in general and then, by extension, pertained to any type of approval or a mark of approval. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?"Have" vs "Having" in Certain Expressions10 Functions of the Comma

Service Blueprints Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Service Blueprints - Essay Example According to the researches conducted by Dr. Sabine Moeller (2005) and Wong (2004), humans never get satisfied just by the products that they purchase; in fact, they are looking for the best service as well so that there complete service experience is enhanced. In order to survive in today’s dynamic and competitive environment, the organizations need to design blueprints for their services so that they have clear picture about the level of service as perceived by the customer and what they can do to enhance their experience (Weber and Sparks, 2004). According to Bitner et al. (2007), from the organization’s perspective, the service blueprint is best described as the perfect mix of all the components both physical and non-physical ones and the systems of the services must be designed incorporating appropriate processes of customers and achieving the desired level of service performance. According to Chuang (2007), service blueprint can be best described as â€Å"Service blueprinting is the most effective tool used by the service providers for developing a visual template of expressing their goals and desires and link them to the perceptions of the customers and their needs as well with the progress happening in the service delivery process.† Similar to the blueprints used by architects, these service blueprints will act as a communication tool for the service providers and also the service designers as well. The service designers will help their clients in understanding the complete mechanism of the service design and will enable them to keep the track and delivery status and level of their services. The best aspect of the service blueprint is that all the stakeholders can have a visual look at the complete service process and the customers can even discuss any modifications required in the blueprint so the service level of the service providers get enhanced to a much higher level (Spraragen and Chan, 2008). The main aim of the blue print as identified by Mueller et al. (2003) is to ensure that the highest quality of service is provided to the customers and every element important for the customers is incorporated in the service delivery process. Hence, it is rightly stated by Chuang (2007) that the service blueprint is the best tool for helping the service providers in designing appropriate service delivery mechanism so that the customers remain attracted and loyal to the companies. Hence, every service provider must design its service blueprint so that the customers are satisfied with the service quality and are able to generate good stream of revenues as well. Various Lines of interaction in service blueprint According to Dr. Sabine Moeller (2005), there are six major lines in the service blueprints that are crucial for monitoring the level of service provided by the service providers i.e. Line of provider influence (it is the word of mouth about provider or impersonal communication activities or the service provide r), line of customer-customer interaction (the moment at which the interaction takes place on a customer level), line of provider-customer interaction (interaction between the customers and providers that is on bilateral level and the