The Organizations Own Evaluation Of Change Process Information Technology Essay

The Organizations Own Evaluation Of Change Process Information Technology Essay The main objective of this paper is to present the management change and business process change in PLIVA pharmaceutical industry, Incorporated (PLIVA pharmaceuticals, Inc). In this research, the advantages and the benefits (tangible and intangible), as well as the problems, of the BPR and the ERP implementation projects were analyzed, discussed and compared to the similar research. The impacts of information technology (IT) were also discussed. This study presents the results of research conducted on reengineering business processes. It also discussed about the selected aspects of the business processes and information modelling in PLIVA, together with the results of analysis of the status and characteristics of ERP systems in PLIVA. Introduction Type of Change: The type of the change in PLIVA is transitional change and development change i.e., ERP implementation and BPR projects. Transitional change is more intrusive than developmental change as it replaces existing processes or procedures with something that is completely new to the company. The future of the organization is unknown when the transformation begins which can add a level or discomfort to employees. The outcome of transitional change is unknown so employees feel that their job is unstable and their own personal insecurities may increase. They provided education on the new procedures should be commenced at each stage of the new process. This allowed employees to feel that they are actively involved and engaged in the change. As an employees level of engagement in the new procedure increases, their resistance to change decreased. One of its main problems in business management was the availability of information. Until now the available information often failed to give an accurate picture of the current business situation. Today companies need up-to-date information in order to make the right business decisions. Impact of Change: Management is cognizant of the impact and stress of these changes will have on their employees. The company continued to inform the employees of their status offer support in helping them deal with the personal adjustments they will be forced to make (Vuksic Spremic, 2005). The impact of development change caused little stress to current employees as long as the rationale for the new process is clearly conveyed and the employees are educated on the new techniques. ERP implementation significantly impacts company culture, organizational structure, business processes, procedures and rules. Furthermore, ERP applications integrate many best business practices and much knowledge that could be worthwhile if included as a part of BPR projects. By taking the best practices inherent in ERP applications, PLIVA can change their processes simultaneously with technological change (Vuksic Spremic, 2005). As a result, PLIVA has to change their business processes to fit the ERP system requirements, and the possibilities of ERP systems have been used to underpin BPR. Background Information PLIVA is the largest pharmaceutical company by turnover in Central and Eastern Europe and continues to expand its operations with recent acquisitions of Pharmaceutical and RD companies in the Czech Republic, France, Germany, United Kingdom and USA. With increasing efforts concentrating on the global Pharmaceuticals market, PLIVA has divested its cosmetics, food and agrochemicals production units as standalone companies (Al-Mashari Zairi, 1999). Since its 1996 listing on the London and Zagreb Stock Exchanges, PLIVA has made notable advancements in internationalizing its business and implementing global and innovative strategies. PLIVA is a rather unique company with investments in both research and development. With over 400 patents in its possession, PLIVA has proven the high calibre of its RD capabilities, most notably through the discovery of its blockbuster azithromycin. This macrolide antibiotic, globally known as Zithromax (under license to Pfizer) or Sumamed (PLIVAs brand), is the top selling antibiotic in its class (Al-Mashari Zairi, 1999). PLIVA consists of 44 legal entities, has 5 major business divisions (research, fine chemicals, pharmaceutical, OTC, DDI) and 9 strategic/corporate divisions (development, regulatory affairs, finance, human resources, IT, quality assurance, legal affairs, corporate communications and engineering). PLIVA employs almost 7500 people in 33 countries (including 120 IT professionals not including out-of-house consultants), has 5 main production locations (Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and USA) and 43 subsidiaries in 23 countries (Vuksic Spremic, 2005). Research Methodology We gathered information about PLIVA from different case studies, white papers, and websites. We have read those cases and understood how did they done their research before implementing ERP and BPR projects. As the cases said that they had sent some questionnaires to managers of 14 different companies in Croatia and got the feedback from those companies. We have discussed about the change process in the evaluation section and how much time they have take for the research. Description of Change Process Pliva needed to standardise their business processes to help enhance their productivity and flexibility and maximise the efficiency of the business processes across the entire enterprise. They also wanted to implement new business and growth strategies to grow their business worldwide. Updating and integrating their business processes with an enterprise system would enable Pliva to take on more business and grow in new directions. Pliva found that implementing SAP will help them standardize their business and prepare for acquiring other companies, thus enabling them to expand their business. Increase productivity Improve business process efficiency Increase revenues scale for growth and economic recovery prepare for mergers and acquisitions PLIVA decided to solve this problem using the experience of other companies from all over the world. The management team was well aware that there was no point in trying to find their own solution: It was better to purchase a packaged business solution from an internationally renowned and experienced software vendor. PLIVA wanted user-friendly software that would integrate all areas and levels of their business, and research on the worlds software market indicated that the most suitable solution would be SAP R/3. SAP R/3 would improve the efficiency of their business by giving them the functionality to enter the information only once and have it available everywhere (Vuksic Spremic, 2005). This gives PLIVA: A unique database More efficient management The ability to make business decisions in real-time An integrated solution that connects all business areas. Once the decision to implement SAP R/3 had been made, PLIVA appointed a team to manage the SAPLI project (short for SAP and PLIVA). The team included experts from PLIVA, Intelligroup Inc. USA, SAP AG and SAP Hrvatska, HP Hermes Plus (Al-Mashari Zairi, 1999). Since SAP R/3 includes many different modules, we decided to implement FI and CO first, said PLIVA.s IT Manager, Ms. Jasna Turkovic. FI is a crucial module that integrates all business information; the whole business cycle begins and ends in FI. Once we have implemented SD, PM, PP, QM and HR, all our business processes will be managed by information technology and any information entered into the system will be available everywhere in real-time. The implementation of the SAP solution took place in individual phases, with two modules in the area of cost centre accounting and profit centre accounting implemented in 1997. This enabled the better control of financial resources, forecasts and a new type of analysis. During the process of implementation, one of the major problems faced by Pliva was resistance to the change process mainly by the warehouse employees. The reasons for the resistance, Vuksic Sprenic (2005): the employees feel they dont require complicated system and the change is unnecessary they feel threatened and insecure about losing their jobs and lack of skill to use the new system In addition to resistance to change, the most significant problems in the system implementation were in the weak experience and quality of consultants who bid in the public tender, the lack of time and the specificity of the pharmaceutical industry. During the implementation of the IS, the consulting company Price Waterhouse Coopers conducted a reengineering project, or the reorganization of business operations aimed at determining the key sectors of future operations: the core business. Though these were two fully independent projects, they were harmonized at the level of the steering committee. The project team consisted of 25 members, all of whom were experts in their fields, said Mr. Damir Martinovic the SAPLI Project Manager. They were responsible for making all operational and strategic decisions during software implementation. Experts from our consulting agencies helped us get the best results from particular modules and consultants from SAP Hrvatska (Al-Mashari Zairi, 1999) provided support with technical issues and the software itself, particularly regarding Croatian legal requirements. The process of preparations and employees training and education lasted 4 months in 2 shifts, which included 700 employees (average training period of 7 days per employee). The transfer of operations to the new system (in the second phase of implementation) lasted 12 days, as the problem of shifting from the old coded system (taking over old data) needed to be resolved. During the transfer to the new system, operations were halted for 10 days, while inventory and a detailed financial harmonization were conducted. During the implementation of the new information system, and in running information systems in general, project organization with the usual participants stands out: the project sponsor, steering committee, project teams, team leader, functional teams and team members. An interesting organizational solution used in PLIVA are the validation teams, which are separated from the project teams, having the task of control the teams work, measuring harmonization with business plans and goals and coordinating the cross-functionality of teams. The validation team is led by a person from Quality Assurance (QA), responsible for validating the information system. The members of the validation team are also team leaders for the remaining teams in the project. It must be also pointed out that the IT Department in PLIVA has a strategic position in the company. It is directly responsible to the top management and is organized as a profit centre, meaning that daughter companies are billed for the transfer, implementation and use of the existing IS in the daughter companies (roll-out in 2003 in Czech Republic and 2004 in Germany). Considering that PLIVA has over 1500 SAP licenses, a help desk, ABAP programmers, highly educated employees (18 employees are SAP consultants) and an organizational management for user support, all the conditions have been set for PLIVA to become a SAP Customer Competence Centre, which would then reduce the costs of license maintenance on 20%. SAP modules were implemented through 4 phases: (Vuksic Spremic, 2005) 1) 1996-1997. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ SAP 3.0 modules: FI-Financials, CO-Controlling, BC-Basis components, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ UPGRADE SAP 3.0-3.1 H 2) 1998-2000. Modules: MM- Materials Management, PP Production Planning, QM-Quality Management, SD-Sales Distribution, WM- Warehouse Management, HR-Human Resources, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ UPGRADE SAP 3.1H-4.0B-2000 (JAN) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ UPGRADE SAP 4.0B-4.6 C 2000 (JULY) 3) 2001. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Modules: SAP PP-PI-Production Planning- Process industries-extension of PP module à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ QM module-advanced functionality of Quality control à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ PM-Plant Maintenance 4) 2002. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ International roll-out A thorough review of the information system according to SAP specifications and standards was also conducted, and the implementation of the following modules was planned in 2003: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ SCM- Supply Chain Management, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ BIW- Business Information Warehouse, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Project Systems, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Treasury The Organizations Own Evaluation of Change Process A research titled comparative analysis of program support information systems in Croatia was conducted in the month of November, 2000 to aid the companies implementing ERP by providing information regarding market status and allocation of expenses regarding training, development and other intangible and tangible aspects of implementation of ERP. The ministry of Science and technology assisted in compiling data for this research. The data was collected from fourteen companies who were in the process of implemented or had already implemented ERP. Ten other companies who were ERP users also participated in the study. For the evaluation phase, only 25% of the companies participated and Pliva pharmaceuticals fell in this group. For thorough evaluation each component was studied individually and was graded with a range of possible scores. The relevance and criticality of the component could be assessed by its expressed weighted factor. With respect to the change concerning the business process reengineering, a research was conducted by IT researchers from the Department of Information Science and Business Computing of the Faculty of Economics and Business in Zagreb (Croatia) in 2002.The main purpose being, examining all the possible issues and problems which arose while adapting BPR practices (Al-Mashari Zairi, 1999). A questionnaire was prepared and survey was considered the most appropriate research methodology for this study since it involved a large sample space of 400 of the largest Croatian companies. To determine the largest companies their annual revenues were considered. Another case study was conducted by Pliva on their own business processes. They implemented the ERP systems in phases by implementing the main key modules first and later upgrading their system and adding other modules (Al-Mashari Zairi, 1999). The results of the case study conducted by Pliva were compared with the results of the research that were done on ERP and BPR and the following results were concluded: Pliva had a proactive approach to the change process. The example of PLIVA shows that successful implementation of the ERP system must be accompanied by an appropriate BRP project. From this example, it is possible to conclude that the final results are positive, even when these are completely separate and independent projects. This shows that much attention was given to employee training with the goal of achieving maximal flexibility and readiness for constant organizational changes. This long standing cooperation has resulted in an internal training program which PLIVA employees carry out according to the methodologies of the Management Centre Europe. According to the research, the best supported components are Finance and Sales. From the results of the case study, Pliva disagreed with the research, for even though product planning and management were implemented in the beginning, there were no significant problems and very good results ensued. This indicates that good project management and coordination with the BPR project gives a good final outcome. The time taken to implement the ERP project was 3-4 years. The project was implemented in 4 phases. Although it was too long, the phase-by-phase approach used in the case of Pliva could be assumed as the critical factor of successful implementation. Pliva faced problems with finding a good quality consultant, consultants with experience in implementing the SAP system in pharmaceutical industries. High initial consulting costs. However, Pliva realised that initial consulting cost can be reduced by choosing employees to act as consultants. Although the project of implementing the ERP system and BRP project were independent, they were coordinated at the level of the project steering committee, which permitted proper execution of wide-reaching organization changes and contributed to the overall success of the ERP implementation. The results achieved by ERP and BPR projects in PLIVA improved the process performance in terms of time and costs and can be summarized as follows (Vuksic Spremic, 2005): Reduction of overall inventory by at least 30%, thus increasing the coefficient of Turnover, Reduction of product delivery time to the buyer from 4 days to 24 hours, Reduction of the number of employees by 20-30% in functions where the new system was implemented (redistribution of work meant savings), Reduction in the number of complaints due to mistakes in delivery (complaints reduced to a minimum) Reduction of time of payment by 30% with the implementation of the buyers credit Limit. Analysis of Change Process Lewins model has dominated change management theories for many years. In recent years it has been criticized for: being top-down driven; assuming a stable organizational setting; being suitable only for small organizations; and ignoring organizational politics. Lewin is still relevant to the modern world, the argument goes rather than being outmoded (Litzell, 2005). From diverse and seemingly unrelated disciplines models describing the change process has been gathered and analysed. In tracing their origin it was found that a majority of the models were following Lewins three-stage model (Litzell, 2005). In order to bring about a successful change of a groups performance the change must go through three stages as follows: unfreezing of the present level of performance should it be necessary; moving the group to a new level of performance; freezing the group on the new level of performance (Lewin, 1952). Unfreezing Destabilize old patterns. The key is to create dissatisfaction with the existing situation, which in turn creates anxiety and a need for change. The response to this need is to choose improvements in line with the vision of the new organization. This kind of mobilizing is necessary throughout the change process; a less intense force is needed though to keep the change moving than the initial substantial force needed to get the change in motion (Litzell, 2005). In the case of Pliva the management adds forces working for the change. To support it they tried to Develop a shared vision of how to organize and manage for competitiveness. (Litzell, 2005). The general manager employed towards the vision once there was a core group like the validation team committed to the ERP and BPE change. The vision defined new roles and responsibilities, coordinated information and work throughout the organization. An arrangement working through the formal structure and systems will create less resistance (Litzell, 2005).There are only a few people in any situation that are absolutely essential in making the change happen and the successful manager target these people at the beginning and try to win their commitment and involvement (Litzell, 2005). Moving Analyze, handle and steer When one attempts to change a social force field in equilibrium one has to consider all of the forces working to maintain this equilibrium. These forces may be groups, subgroups and members with different personalities, relations, barriers, communication and value systems etc. making up a social field. This social field has to be studied as a whole and reorganized in such a way that social events flow in a different way. One also has to take into consideration the economic resources available and the cultural values governing the group (Lewin, 1952). As mentioned earlier, Pliva faced to resistance to change from their warehouse employees. But Pliva was proactive to the change process. According to Brown Harvey (2003), resistance to change can be managed by: Move from reactive to proactive management Build a launching platform Diagnose the nature of the change Build a supportive climate Behavioral management of the process alongside strategy projects, start projects aimed at transforming culture and power structures Monitor and control the parallel development of new strategy and new capabilities. Pliva continuously monitored and were on the lookout for arising resistance sources. They developed techniques and effectively used power and communication to overcome resistance. They involved employees to participate and gave them the necessary skills and training. They also implemented a BRP project alongside the ERP project to facilitate change process. PILIVA generated support by displaying the behaviour of leaders. The management made sure that every action taken was in line with the change efforts. They developed structures to manage the transition by developing a step-by-step transition plan and set up an organization to manage and stimulate change. If employee competences are to be exploited the organization was able to structure and channel that competence which they required by allocating key people, use of consultants. Pliva followed the principal of third party consulting by creating validation teams, which consisted of various personnel from different departments. Through this they aimed at having open and effective communications and a standard level of power in order to handle confrontations which could arise between groups. They were established to help understand different perspectives and ideas and respect it. The team would use confrontation as a tool to sort tense situations. According to Brown Harvey (2003), Third-party Consultation uses a third party to help open communications, level power, and confronts problems between groups; Provides diagnostic insight, is non-evaluative, and is a source of emotional support and skills. aim to understand each others views/issues situations are often tense and emotional Confrontation is a basic feature of this Pliva also adapted BPR in order to facilitate the required changes to their operations to make it more efficient. The fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed Quantum leaps in performance (Hammer and Champy, 1993). Business process reengineering allows rethinking and making radical changes across the organisation. The changes would begin by redesigning the basic processes of the organisation. By doing so they could make their processes more efficient and add value to their enterprise. It could involve combining or removing certain activities. The most effective method could be using top down programme which is neutral, assuming that neither upward flow of involvement or consensus style of decision would help implementing the changes. According to Brown Harvey (2003), Business process reengineering, Seeks to make processes more efficient by combining, eliminating or restructuring activities; Top-down program that assumes neither an upward flow of involvement nor that consensus decision making will work to accomplish dramatic changes. Pliva used survey feedbacks as a method to evaluate their implementation process. Two surveys were done, one for ERP implementation other for BPR. This method would help them grade how successful they were and honest feedbacks would allow them to see places where they require to put in more effort and improve .It also helps them understand if they are heading in the right direction. Using this method they tried to bridge the gap between the current status and the desired status. This method also allows a participative approach through which all employees are engaged. Such approaches help them get a better understanding of the rationales and methods behind the change and they can come up with better strategies and mitigation plans in case of any problems. It also enables positive resistance which can benefit the company. According to CMOE (2000), Survey feedback is a tool that can provide a feedback to help leaders guide and direct their teams. Obstacles and gaps between the current status quo and the desired situations may or may not be directly apparent. In either case, it is vital to have a clear understanding of strategies for diagnosis and prevention of important organization problems. SURVEY PROCESS STEPS: Identify project plan and objectives Brief team leaders and employees about the process Administer survey Conduct interviews and focus groups Train leaders on facilitating team discussions Analyse the data and construct a report Provide feedback to leaders Team leaders conduct feedback action planning and meetings Leaders present reports on progress and results to Senior Management Follow-up by senior leadership to ensure progress and accountability Since the employers have been participating in the planning and implementation they got a feeling of accomplishment from seeing the change through. People develop a sense of ownership through participation (Litzell, 2005). Participation enabled PILIVA to make use of the employees full diversity of competence in the change process. By involving employees in the change work resistance is overcome and the lasting of the change is ensured (Litzell, 2005). Refreezing Continuous perspective. A change of a groups performance is frequently short lived. The change will soon return to the previous level of performance as attention shifts from achieving the change to coping with everyday problems. This indicates the necessity of including freezing of the new level of performance as an objective in the planning of change; it is merely not enough having to reach the new level of performance (Lewin, 1952). Each department in PILIVA elaborated the change and find its own application. This elaboration process helped create commitment to learn and adapt to the new organization (Beer et al., 1990a).When the new organization was in place and running properly, and the right people were in position, and the new approach was settled, then general managers considered how to institutionalize change. PILIVA carried out pilot testing and used the result as learning experiences which can be applied to the change in general. They set up systems ensuring that the change will last (Litzell, 2005). They monitored the revitalization process and adjust strategies according to emerging problems. The basic intangible benefits from the implementation of the new ERP system in PLIVA are (Vuksic Spremic, 2005): Better visibility of the workflow systems and their coordination, Secured forecasts of money flows and planning of available financial resources for a more rapid execution of all business processes, Centralized supply (6-7 employees for the entire company) as a result of the BPR project. Better (monthly) production planning (based on market needs and standing inventory) Better flexibility of the system with regard to business decisions, Automated warehouse (implementation of real warehouse with optimized selection and delivery of products) Well-informed decision making, new quality in planning and forecasting. Recommendation / Conclusion The implementation of a new ERP system will not bring the expected benefits if it is not accompanied by a change in human behaviour and in organizational regulations. There is no point in implementing a new ERP system if a business will then simply continue with its old, inefficient ways. Therefore, the implementation of ERP systems must be accompanied by a thorough change of business processes, procedures and rules. The top management support. Better planning before implementation of ERP. Vision should be communicated to each and every employee. Training for the employees. They can follow some OD interventions or action research theories which we have discussed in this case study. After the research we have done on Pliva there are some recommendations for them As when they are implementing they can follow some action research theories or some OD interventions to motivate the employees and make them to involve in the change. Yes but they got successful with the change but we say that it will be much better if so they had followed some organizational development interventions. Employees will naturally resist change but are more likely to accept the change if they view top management as keeping them informed and supporting them throughout the process. Employees will look for a rationale for the implementation of this major change. Top management should be prepared to involve employees in all phases of the transition. The results presented have outlined the problems of PLIVA in the implementation of reengineering projects, including a lack of preparation for large organizational changes, resistance to change, inadequate information, education of employees, lack of strategic planning and vision and a reactive role of the management. The problems associated with ERP solution implementation were also analysed, such as large initial investments, people need to adapt to software solutions and the long implementation period. This case study shows that with the right management decisions and actions, through simultaneous and coordinated projects of business process reengineering and the development of an integral information system. The poor effects of the listed problems can be minimized or eliminated, which is clear from the tangible and intangible benefits outlined in this case study.

Newlywed Communication

Newlywed Communication Ashley Metz COM 200 Interpersonal Communication Instructor Tremika Pinckney December 10, 2012 Newlywed Communication Being married, like being a parent, is one of the most rewarding relationships that you can have in life. However, while being married to your best friend can be pure bliss, learning how to communicate and keep lines of communication open throughout your relationship can be tough. Something about having the same last name takes your once perfect dating relationship to a sea of misunderstandings and disagreements.As a newlywed myself, I can relate on these difficult times that occur during the first few months and even the first few years of marriage. There are certain principles you can follow to have effective communication, listening skills that you can learn, have an understanding of non-verbal communication, and realize how self-concept, and self-disclosure, can all play a vital role in your communication within your marriage.While communicat ion has occurred since the dawn of time, becoming an effective communicator really does take some skill and understanding of how interpersonal communication works. Understanding these concepts and skills, will help tremendously in those not so blissful points of marriage. â€Å"To become a more effective communicator, scholars would most likely agree that five specific aspects of interpersonal communication are crucial areas of focus† (Sole, 2011). These 5 skills are listening skills, people skills, emotional intelligence, appropriate skill selection, and communicating ethically.I am sure looking at this list you can pick out which of these skills you think you possess over another, but the key to interpersonal communication is honing in all of these skills and using them together and at the appropriate times. Now let us break each of these skills down and concentrate on the key concepts of each skill. Listening, this is more than just sound waves bouncing through our ear can al, to be in affective listener â€Å"requires focus and attention† (Sole, 2011). A lot of people hear without actually listening.I know that there have been many times that my husband and I were having a discussion and I could hear what he was saying, meaning I knew he was talking and I could hear the words that were coming out of his mouth, but I was not listening to what he was actually saying. Once I stopped and actually listened to what he had to say, we were able to resolve the conflict we were having. People skills, also plays a role in communication, however people skills is a collaborative use of many different skills like problem solving and appropriate self-disclosure.Emotional intelligence is probably the easiest to understand but the hardest to apply in interpersonal communication, for me at least. To be emotionally intelligent is to understand how and when to express certain emotions in given situations. For me, I am very passionate about most things in my life, and when I have an idea or thought, or even problem, I want to get it out in the open as fast as possible. When someone does not agree with me, is upset with me, or even does agree with me, you can see my emotions in my face, hear them in my voice, and can tell by my overall attitude.While in my working relationships this sometimes has posed a problem, I believe in a marriage it is very important to share your emotions with each other, and keeping in mind of the emotions of one another. In a marriage I believe to be emotionally intelligent means to have the ability to express how you feel about something to your spouse, as well as being able to relate to the emotions of your spouse. Appropriate skill selection means that you can recognize a problem in communication and then affectively solving the problem.Finally, communicating ethically, varies in meaning from person to person, as one person’s set of ethics may not be the same as another person’s, however in general to communicate ethically means to keep your own ethics, morals, values, and beliefs in mind while communicating. Speak with a purpose, and let your ethics guide you in not only what you convey when you speak but how you convey it as well. In a relationship it is easy to point out what the other person is doing wrong and how he or she fails to communicate.It is important to take a look inward and realize how you can grow and realize what you can work on too, in order to increase effective communication in your relationship. This may be a hard pill to swallow, but you are not perfect, and realizing that, accepting it, and admitting to imperfection will strongly help any relationship. I think that everyone could agree that listening is equally important, if not more important, as talking. Realizing when we are hearing conversation rather than listening to a conversation will help make the messenger feel like you the receiver not only understands what they are saying, but cares about wh at is being said. I know as a woman, when I feel like my husband is tuning me out, it hurts and I take it much more personal, than if he were listening to me and then not saying anything. â€Å"Listening involves hearing, but it is much more than just the physiological act of your ears perceiving a sound and transmitting the auditory sensation to your brain.Listening is a complex psychological process that can be defined as the process of physically hearing, interpreting that sound, and understanding the significance of it† (Sole, 2011). There are many aspects of being a good listener which we all start to learn in the early years of education, but as adults we tend to tune out, those that boar us or that we feel is unimportant. The first of the many characteristics of being a good listener is a motivation or willingness to listen. You have to make a conscious decision that you are going to listen to the speaker, with an open mind and an eagerness to hear what he has to say.I know this sounds completely cliche but you need to make a â€Å"safe† environment for your spouse so they not only want to talk to you but they feel that they can talk to you and be heard. This was a big concept that both my husband and I had to learn in the first few months of our marriage, and quite frankly, it is something that we are still working on. My husband is a quiet person, and he does not let a lot of things get under his skin. When something does start to bother him he tends to hold it in, and then all at once, it is like a bomb went off and he explodes.For me, it made it hard to talk to him about anything, because he did not want to talk about it or did not have much of an opinion on the subject. When I would ask if something was bugging him, he would say nothing until that bomb went off. Because of this ticking time bomb that I felt would go off at any moment it made it very hard for me to come to my husband when I had something I wanted to talk about. So whil e he was not making a safe environment for me to come and talk to him, I in turn, was not making a safe environment for him either. He felt like when we did talk, I was not actually listening to him, and only wanted things my way.I was not allowing him to feel like he could come and talk to me, so he did not do so. Once we got this out on the table, it made our communication much more effective. Crossing your arms, rolling your eyes, tapping your foot, these are all ways that we can communicate with other people without words even coming out of our mouths. We send off a vibe through our body language that can let a person know how we are feeling without saying anything, or a person can misunderstand a vibe that you may not be giving off, but because you are unaware of your body language you do not realize it. Research shows that 55% of communication is conveyed by the body language we use, that is use of eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions. 38% is conveyed through voice, i ts quality, use of tone, and inflections. Only 7% is conveyed in the words we use† (Makodia, 2009, p. 6). When the first few issues arose in my marriage, we would try and have a conversation to work these issues out. My husband is not one to convey his feelings very well verbally. To be honest, it is much easier to talk about things with him via email or even text message.When we would talk with each other he was the king of just blankly staring at me with his arms crossed, while I was speaking. This infuriated me. It made it impossible to talk to him and I would end the conversation and nothing would get solved. As you can see, sometimes it is not even what you say, not how you say it, but the way you use your hands, your face, your entire body to convey a message. A simple smile can take a conversation from stagnant and cold, to warm and understanding.When talking out a disagreement, try smiling and talking about it, that alone can turn the entire vibe of the relationship an d you may get further than using cold gestures, like crossed hands or a mean scowl. Going back to what I stated before about creating a â€Å"safe† environment for your spouse is key to having effective communication. When you have a harsh body language, you can make yourself come across unapproachable where as if you keep your body language carefree, it can make it easier for your significant other to bring up a situation.In understanding communication, and how your spouse communicates with you, you must understand yourself and why you are the way you are. For example, growing up I was always getting in trouble for my siblings mistakes. As the oldest child I picked up the heat for almost everything. Now as an adult, I can come off very offensive if someone accuses me of something I felt that I did not do. When I could understand there was a reason for me getting on the defense it helped my husband understand how to approach topics that I might react in a negative way about. Self-concept is comprised of relatively permanent self-assessments, such as personality attributes, knowledge of one’s skills and abilities, one’s occupation and hobbies, and awareness of one’s physical attributes. † (Sinha, 2009, p. 2) Being aware of one’s self not only will help in learning and grasping the concepts of interpersonal communication, it will also help you understand why it is that you communicate the way you do and allow you to let your spouse know why you are the way you are.As I stated before, once the title of your relationship changes from engaged to married, it seems that things may change drastically. Living together creates a whole different slew of problems. Having children creates another chapter of problems. Life happens, and it is only natural that you and your spouse are going to disagree on these subjects, but knowing how to overcome disagreements, and how to convey your point in an effective way, makes all the differenc e. As humans we grow, change, evolve every day.Our interests change, our hobbies vary, and if you are anything like me, you have a new favorite color every season. When a couple first starts dating the best ways they start to understand and get to know each other is by self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is asking and answering questions like â€Å" What is your favorite movie? †, â€Å"Where do you see yourself in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years? †. Questions like this help one another learn, understand, and is a big part of communication in a relationship no matter how new or how old. Quality communication is defined somewhat differently from study to study, but research consistently has shown a link between happy marriages and â€Å"self-disclosure,† or sharing your private feelings, fears, doubts and perceptions with your partner† (Schoenberg, 2011). I have a running list of questions that I keep in the notes section of my phone. Every so often I go through th e list and ask my husband a few questions. This is either face to face, via text or email, or sometimes I ask in a letter that I write to him which I will slip into his lunch. It is not once a week or even once a month.Just when I think about it, or once a year, we talk about our goals that we would like to accomplish for the year and how we can reach these goals. This year or goals are to put at least $5000 into savings, and pay off all of our credit card debt. Keeping in mind that we are ever-changing as humans, setting up a time where we ask our spouse these self-disclosure, types of questions, can greatly impact the quality of communication in your relationship as a whole. Focusing on quality rather than quantity of communication can aid in each other’s understanding of one another and how to effectively communicate.My husband is a Recruit Division Commander, which in not so many words means he is a Navy boot camp drill sergeant. This means that he is working from anywher e from 4am to 10pm, 7 days a week, for at least 13 weeks at a time. I have a full time job working 8am until 5pm and then come home to take care of our 1 year old. By the time 1030 rolls around and he walks through the front door we are both tired and ready for bed, but we make it a point to take 15 minutes, and unload about our days. These 15 minutes gives us enough time to connect with each other and get the important stuff out in the open.Now 15 minutes a day does not seem like a lot of time but it is the quality of our conversation that keeps us strong. This is what I mean about quality over quantity. The elements that create effective communication, listening, non-verbal communication, self-concept, and self-disclosure are all part of becoming an effective communicator in any interpersonal relationship, but especially with your spouse. Understanding these concepts will help you not only know yourself and how to improve your own communication skills but also understand your spou se and how they communicate.It will not always be a cake walk, but when applying the skills I have outlined, it can get better. Communication is key, when life starts getting in the way, just 15 minutes of quality communication every day can go a long way. References: Makodia, V. V. (2009). Role of Body Language in Communication. Jaipur, IND: Paradise Publishers. Sinha, D. S. (2009). Personal Growth and Training and Development. Lucknow, IND: Word-press. Sole, K. (2011). Making connections: Understanding interpersonal communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

IBM’s Smarter Planet Essay

1.(a) Using Medtronic as an example, explain how a mission statement gives a strategic direction. (b) Create a mission statement for your own career. Answer: (a) A mission statement gives strategic direction by stating the â€Å"what† and â€Å"how† of a business in a clear, concise, meaningful, inspirational, statement that will continue to be relevant in the long-term. Medtronic’s mission statement identifies its customers, market, products and technology. They stated the business they are in and their specific goals. (b) It is my business to progressively coordinate strategic methods of empowerment and to do so with passion and commitment. 2.What competencies best describe (a) your college or university and (b) your favorite restaurant? Answer: (a) Wayne College to provides high quality, accessible credit and noncredit educational opportunities to the citizens of Wayne, Medina, and Holmes counties and surrounding areas, and partners with and resource for the communities and organizations it serves. (b) House of Hunan, Fairlawn, has quality Chinese, Thai, vegetarian, & sushi choices. Ambiance is reminiscent of old Chinatown and it is often full of patrons. Great chicken dishes, good dumplings, and very good quality beef. Service is good, food is fresh and satisfying, and the price is fair value. 3.Why does a product often start as a question mark and then move counterclockwise around the BCG’s growth-share matrix shown in Figure 2-4? Answer: When a product is introduced, it is usually a â€Å"question mark† because it is â€Å"new† and there is uncertainty about consumers’ acceptance of them. After a period of time, depending on the product category, the â€Å"not-so-new† product could be classified as a â€Å"star† if its growth rate is sizeable and had a significant share of the product category. If the growth rate in the product category falls substantially and there is great competition from competing brands, the product probably will fall in the â€Å"cash cow† category. If, however, the product isn’t supported with an effective marketing program, it could become a â€Å"dog.† 4.Select one strength, one weakness, one opportunity, and one threat from the SWOT analysis for Ben & Jerry’s shown in Figure 2-7. Suggest an action that a marketing manager there might take to address each factor. Answer: ~Strength: Recognized for its social mission, values and actions. This can be used to reinforce their â€Å"green† base consumers by constantly updating the â€Å"naturalness† of their ice cream according to current food trends. ~Weakness: B&J’s social responsibility actions could reduce focus. By focusing on the product, and constantly innovating flavors, more prospective customers (from all walks of life) could be gained. ~Opportunity: Increasing U.S. demand for 100-calorie novelties such as cones and bars. They could look into developing new products in the low-calorie, low-fat, low-carb, low-sugar spectrum of frozen desserts. ~Threat: Competes with General Mills and Nestle brands. Ben and Jerry’s can research which products and flavors are the most popular among the competing brands and use that as inspiration for new flavors in their own line. 5.What is the main result of each of the three phases of the strategic marketing process? (a) planning, (b) implementation, and (c) evaluation. Answer: (a) Planning phase. Results are formal marketing plans that identify specific objectives to be achieved by a particular time and the specific actions to achieve those objectives. (b) Implementation phase. Results are formal measurements of the results achieved, which can be compared with the plans established in the planning phase to determine if any deviations from plans occurred. (c) Evaluation phase. Results are new actions taken to exploit opportunities where deviations from plans are better than expected or corrective actions where deviations from plans are worse than expected. 6.The goal-setting step in the planning phase of the strategic marketing process sets quantified objectives for use in the evaluation phase. What does a manager do if measured results fail to meet objectives? Exceed objectives? Answer: If the marketing manager discovers a planning gap, which is a difference between the projection of the path to reach a new goal and the projection of the path of the results of a plan already in place for the marketing program, he or she can take the following actions: Failed Objectives: Correct a negative deviation by making minor or major changes to the existing marketing program of a product to better reflect future expectations in the marketing environment. Exceeded Objectives: Exploit a positive deviation by strengthening strategic partnerships and engage in a market development, or product development, strategy to maintain or enhance the firm’s position. 1.What is IBM’s â€Å"Smarter Planet† business strategy? How does this strategy relate to IBM’s mission and values? Answer: IBM’s â€Å"Smarter Planet† strategy is based on the company’s analysis that recognizes changes in the business environment and aims to create a global enterprise using connectivity. It includes the capability of telephones, computers, and other technology. This relates to IBM’s mission and values because they are a company that seeks out ways to keep their consumers happy and are looking for more ways to innovate by developing more advanced technologies. 2.Conduct a SWOT analysis for IBM’s Smarter Planet initiative. What are the relevant trends to consider for the next three to five years? Answer: ~Strengths: Well-known name, owns many new technologies and patents, market sector is well defined, high quality employees, satisfy customers’ wants and needs, and have a clear, concise mission statement. ~Weaknesses: With a big name like IBM, change may be difficult. Many of the products offered are not customizable. Lack of intercultural experience, narrow range of products offered, and most business products are geared towards large businesses. ~Opportunities: Offer new technologies and services locally and in developing countries. Smarter Planet involves new ways of thinking. ~Threats: potential securities risks. Demand for Smarter Planet solutions will depend on interest in change rather than just reaction to problems. In the next three to five years we are likely to see fewer trade barriers, the growth of developing economies, and increasing access to the internet. Growth markets such as China, India, Brazil, and Africa will be able to use IBM products. Customers will have a need for more custom-made technological solutions and cross-technology connectivity. Businesses will need analytics and optimization, cloud and smarter computing solutions and technology for the globally integrated enterprise. 3.How can IBM communicate its strategy to companies, cities, and governments? How is Watson a part of the communication strategy? Answer: The current CEO of IBM, Sam Palmisano, sent out a letter for their annual report, titled â€Å"Letter from the Chairman†. In this letter, he had a powerful statement about the Smarter Planet. According to him, Smarter Planet â€Å"is not a metaphor. It describes the infusion of intelligence into the way the world actually works, the way that almost anything-any person, any object, any process or any service, for any organization, large or small-can now become  digitally aware, networked, and intelligent.† Palmisano also met with some Wall Street financial advisors and held six-hour information sessions with investors to answer questions about their business strategy. IBM also used print and TV ads to campaign in more detail what Palmisano’s message was. These ads focused on the ability to improve the world now, with the help from IBM. The IBM website also supported the campaign with industry reports, video descriptions of the smarter planet concept, and stats a bout the improvements at smarter planet clients. Watson, which is an artificial intelligence program, was also part of the communication strategy. Watson was featured on the game show Jeopardy!, and competed against two different contestants, and won both times. By having Watson on TV, where millions of people could view it, this was one more way to provide a consistent and integrated message. 4.What are the benefits of the Smarter Planet initiative to (a) society and (b) IBM? Answer: (a) IBM’s Smarter Planet strategy benefits society by providing solutions for forward-thinking organizations that share a common outlook: they see change as an opportunity and they act on possibilities, not just react to problems. The retailers, who implemented smart systems to analyze buying behavior, merchandise assortment, and demand were able to cut supply chain costs by 30%, reduce inventory levels by 25%, and increase sales by 10%. The Memphis Police Department reduced crime by 28% by using IBM solutions to analyze its data. Banks are also using smart systems to track loans and manage risk, increasing efficiency and customer service. The solutions also help reduce costs, cut waste, improve efficiency, and increase productivity for companies, industries, and cities. (b) While there may be short-term costs involved in shifting IBM from commodity-based businesses to customizable businesses, IBM believes that the transformation will provide growth for the company and its employees, success for its customers, and improved value for its stockholders. 5.How should IBM measure the results of the Smarter Planet strategy? Answer: Since introducing the Smarter Planet strategy, IBM has collaborated with more than 600 organizations around the globe. In each case, there are different measures of the results of â€Å"smart† solutions. One of the important elements of Smarter Planet is you’re looking at the impact of investments on a whole system. You’re looking not just at internal operational improvements but at the effect on the company’s brand, at strategic advantages it brings and even at the impact on society.

Essay on Motivations for Faustuss Rebellion - 1485 Words

In the Faust legend, a man by the name of Faust or Faustus sells his soul to the devil for twenty-four years of ultimate worldly power. Although the tale of this German scholar/ magician called Johann Faust or Faustus has been re-told many times over, no version has become more prominent and controversial in English literature and history than that of Christopher Marlowes play first published eleven years after his death in 1604. Marlowes reworking is possibly the first dramatization of the medieval myth of a man who sold his soul to the Devil, and who became identified with a necromancer of the sixteenth century. Written in a time of religious uncertainty and social upheaval, the tale of Doctor Faustus explores the elements involved†¦show more content†¦Marlowe used many conventions of the medieval morality play, a popular form which uses a variety of allegory and narrates the gradual education of its hero into an understanding of the difference between essentially right and wrong. He modified this traditional form for Doctor Faustus and fitted it to the legend where conventionally the hero invariably comes to the conclusion of the play a wiser and better man, but due to the satanic nature of Faustuss rebellion he inevitably falls to his doom and is dragged screaming to Hell. But what were his motivations for such a seditious rebellion with inevitably disastrous consequences? Was he just bored and wanted more of a challenge so cast aside any previous knowledge of religious consequences when intellectual and supernatural supremacy is used for bad and not for good? The Chorus provide us with a clear synopsis of a few but compact lines which allow the reader/ audience to form a detailed picture of this growing character; `So soon he profits in divinity, The fruitful plot of scholarism graced, That shortly he was graced with doctors name, Excelling all, whose sweet delight disputes In heavenly matters of theology; As well as providing a useful summation of Faustuss academic record we are introduced to a