Organizational Essay Example for Free

Organizational Essay Table of Contents Introduction Organizational culture is an important part of any organization, for this is the principles a company stand for. Without a strong, stable culture, an organization is sure to fail sooner than later. I will now discuss the subjects briefly mentioned in assignment 1. 1. The organizational culture of the organization where I work: 1. 1. A) Definition of Organizational culture and 4 types of cultures. Organizational culture refers to the shared values, norms, visions, symbols, beliefs, habit, working language between people sharing a working environment. There are, according to (Greenberg, 2011) four types of organizational cultures that exist. (Control) Hierarchy culture: These are typically large, bureaucratic corporations where smooth production, without wasted time is important. Stability, control, internal focus, standardization and integration are key principles to this system. Leaders in such a system should organize, monitor and coordinate the people and process thoroughly. (Compete) Market culture: These organizations are also concerned with stability and control, but rather than focusing on internal factors, they focus on external. This system is concerned with competition. They look at all the other organizations competing in the same market and then focus on their relationships- or transactions with suppliers, customers, contractors, unions, legislators, consultants, regulators etc. They believe that they’ll achieve success by focusing on effective relations (external). (Collaborate) Clan culture: Inward focus is important, same as the hierarchy system, however clan cultures emphasizes flexibility rather than control and rigidness. At such organizations, the well-being of workers comes first. It is said that people working in a clan-cultural environment feel related to their co-workers due to the warm, friendly nature. (Create) Adhocracy: This culture refers to the opposite of bureaucracy, focusing on flexibility and the external environment. It’s all about opportunities, problem-solving and outcome. These type of companies should always be up to date regarding development and technology. Typical example of such organizations is software-developing companies. The culture of the organization where I work: The organizational culture at my company is the Create or Adhocracy culture (defined above) According to Waterman’s theory (cited in Greenberg, 2011) an Adhocracy culture goes beyond the ordinary bureaucratic lines to capture opportunities, solve problems and get results. In my organization, we focus on innovation and creativity. Team work is essential, because software engineers have to split up the work due to the work-load. 2. How are new employees accommodated in the organization? Accommodation can refer to special needs of some employees or just taking account and respecting all members’ race, ethnic group, color, nationality, social origin, religion, age, marital status, sexual orientation, sex, opinions, family status and source of income. In my company, respect is a very important aspect, we accept every member the way they are. Supporting each other rather than rejecting. (Denison, 1990). In my organization, we use a process called â€Å"Onboarding†. Onboarding is the process whereby information, training, mentoring and coaching is provided to new members. This makes new members feel welcome and informed. This also increases productivity from the beginning, reduces costs due to flaws and saves co-workers training time. According to (Parker, 1993) this process includes four stages to let new employees â€Å"onboard†. Acquiring is the first step we use in the onboarding process: In this first step, newcomers will be introduced to co-workers. The group in which the employee will work is already decided before his/ her arrival. The employee will now get the opportunity to talk to other group members to create a mental picture of what the work will include. Accommodation is the next step, new employees are provided with all the necessary resources to make their working experience pleasant. In my company, new employees get a computer, which stays at the office at all times. This computer will have all the newest software on it, ensuring that the employee can do the tasks effectively without any discomfort. Assimilation is step 3 of onboarding. The intern will now be allocated to a more experienced member. This member will show the intern around, showing him where everything is and given him a crash-course about what will be expected of him. The intern can now shadow the person to get the hang of things. Please do note that the newcomer is expected to have all the skills needed to obtain this job. Like the necessary degrees etc. , which was considered before appointing the job to the person? Acceleration: In this stage, new members engage in their working tasks, still learning as they go, but now they are able to feel comfortable in their working environment. In this stage the results are brought to the table and fairly employees now have the chance to perform and show everybody what their made of. 3. How my organizational culture can be improved: Before discussing the stages I shall take to do so, there are a few core principles that should be in place. Values are the first, which means the core values and believes of the company should be spelled out very clearly. All employees should know what the company stands for. Second are goals. When everyone knows what the goals and milestones of the company are, they know what is expected of them. Consistency is the next fundamental point- keeping the standards and goals high. Communication, important in every aspect of life is also important to improve the culture in organizations. The last point is celebration- everybody needs some reward for good work done. This will motivate employees to work hard to reach the upcoming goals and having fun in the workplace is fundamental. (Denison , 1990). The above is not the strategies I will follow to improve my organizational culture, its important elements that forms the basis of a good organizational culture. The stages of improvement include strategies to spread the culture throughout the company and beyond the borders of the company and let everyone be aware of them. I believe through doing that, the culture will improve. Here follows 6 strategies Symbols: Symbols are, according to (Ornstein, 1986) those objects, not needing words to be described. The symbols of an organization can rest in the waiting room, the size of the building, the awards hanging around, the atmosphere when you walk into the doors etc. these symbols let you know what the company is all about. Thus, it spells out the organizational culture. Slogans- Phrases that summarize the organizational culture: Slogans are those catchy tunes or saying things unique to a certain company. The slogan can tell you a lot about the companies’ culture, because the companies â€Å"heart† is captures in a few phrases. Thus, the employees and public can grasp the essence of the organizations- whereas the culture is improved. Stories: These are the re-authoring of important and catchy moments in the company’s history. The telling of these stories can re-introduce important values to employees. (Martin, 1982). These stories might be told in a formal way (in a meeting) or informally (employees drinking coffee). These stories remind employees how â€Å"we use to do it around here† and indirectly creating some expectations or guidelines. Through this the employees get a clear understanding of what the company cherishes. Jargon: These are the everyday language used in the company. Companies may also create their own phrases or words, which are understood by each other. These jargons might become unique to this company, but may also spread out to the public, making the company â€Å"famous† for their unique words. According to (Carroll. 1993) Jargons are especially popular in the high-tech world (like my company is). Ceremonies: These special events celebrate whatever it is that it most essential to the company. By looking at the reason for celebration, you will get to know the core beliefs and values of a company. Therefore, by hosting ceremonies, the employees and public can see what is valued the most. This will strengthen the culture of the organization. Lastly is Statements of Principle: Defining culture through writing: This means bringing forward a statement of principle. In this statement lie the core values of your company, reinforcing and clarifying the qualities of the company. (Carroll, 1993). Bibliography Carroll, P. (1993). Big blues: The unmaking of IBM. New York: Crown. Denison, R (1990). Corporate culture and organizational effectiveness (3rd ed. ) Oxford, England: John Wiley Sons. Greenberg, J (2011). Behavior in Organizations. Martin, J. (1982). Stories and scripts in organizational settings. In A. Hastorf A. Isen (Eds. ), Cognitive social psychology (pp 255-306). New York: Elsevier-North Holland. Ornstein, S. L. (1986). Organizational symbols: A study of their meanings and influences on perceived psychological climate. In J. Greenberg, Behavior in Organizations (p 520). London: Pearson Publications. Parker, M (1993). Postmodernism and organizations. Sage Publications ltd.

The History of Aluminum

The History of Aluminum Aluminum is the thirteenth element on the periodic element and its in the thirteenth roll (Dynamic.) Aluminum was discovered by Hans Christian Oersted in 1825 in Denmark. Hans Christian Oersted born on August 14, 1777 in Langeland, Denmark. He became interested in Chemistry at age twelve while working at his fathers pharmacy. Not only was Oersted the first to extract aluminum from rocks, but he also discovered electromagnetism (Home.) The aluminum word derived from the Latin word alumen meaning alum. Aluminum is the most common metal found in Earths crust (Home.) They obtained it from ores a surface near the surface of the earth. At that time, aluminum was worth a lot of money and was more valuable than gold (Winter,M.) Aluminum is also found in the Earths crust, rocks, clay, soil, and vegetation. Hans-Christian was the first to produce nodules of aluminum by heating potassium amalgam with aluminum (AzoM,.) Hans Christian Oersted produced aluminum by reducing aluminum chloride with a potassium-mercury amalgam (Home.) This experiment was difficult to do because all naturally occurring aluminum exists in a bonded state with other alloys, elements, and substances, making it tricky to discovery and produce (How.) When aluminum was discovered, the Greek and Romans used it in making medicines and when dyeing fabrics. When it was first discovered, it was worth $1,200 per kilogram in the nineteenth century, thats more valuable than a bar of gold. Thats $28,383 in todays money (How.) When aluminum was worth more than gold, it was used for making jewelry and art objects. During this time, aluminum was considered an elite material. Aluminum was like the gold and silver of the 1850s. It was used to make many necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and silverware used for special guests. The process that allowed aluminum to be produced at low costs was called electrolysis. This technique ran dissolved aluminum ore through a bath of liquid while it was electrified. When the dissolved aluminum ore molecules were shocked, small gray nuggets were collected. Soon after this process became known, many factories were built for the purpose of isolating and selling aluminum. The United States went from producing a couple of ounces of aluminum per month to producing around fifty pounds of aluminum per day (Kean,S.) Today, aluminum isnt worth the same as gold or silver. Because it is now mass produced, the value of aluminum has drastically declined. Today, aluminum is used for basic things like soda cans, foils, kitchen utensils, and airplane parts (Google.) Aluminum foil is produced today by extracting impurities, like oxide, silica, titania, and water, then the aluminum oxide is melted and made into pure aluminum. After that, the pure aluminum is rolled into foil (Aluminum.) Works Cited AZoM, W. B. (2013, June 11). Aluminium, The History, Discovery and Development as a Product. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1530 Dynamic Periodic Table. (2008, November 18). Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.ptable.com/ Google. (2014, October 23). Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://www.google.com/#q=what is aluminum used for today*spf=611 History of Aluminum. (2017, March 09). Retrieved March 15, 2017, from http://www.aluminum.org/aluminum-advantage/history-aluminum Home. (2009, May 03). Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://www.famousscientists.org/hans-christian-oersted/ How did Hans Christian Oersted discover aluminum? (2013, October 13). Retrieved March 16, 2017, from https://www.reference.com/beauty-fashion/did-hans-christian-oersted-discover-aluminum-71fc26839514883c# Kean, S. (2010, July 30). Aluminum: It Used To Be More Precious Than Gold. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/elements/features/2010/blogging_the_periodic_table/aluminum_it_used_to_be_more_precious_than_gold.html Winter, M. (2008, July 12). Aluminium: historical information. Retrieved March 15, 2017, from https://www.webelements.com/aluminium/history.html

Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye Essay -- Toni Morrison Bluest Eye Essay

Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye provides social commentary on a lesser known portion of black society in America. The protagonist Pecola is a young black girl who desperately wants to feel beautiful and gain the â€Å"bluest eyes† as the title references. The book seeks to define beauty and love in this twisted perverse society, dragging the reader through Morrison’s emotional manipulations. Her father Cholly Breedlove steals the reader’s emotional attention from Pecola as he enters the story. In fact, Toni Morrison’s depiction of Cholly wrongfully evokes sympathy from the reader. The sympathy for Cholly evoked in The Bluest Eye from the reader is not deserved. By definition, sympathy means feeling pity or sorrow for the distress of another, or compassion. The skillfulness of the author manipulates the reader into feeling a certain way towards particular characters. Sympathy for characters – Cholly being no exception – derives from an author’s ability to use words and the construction of the story to lead a reader into a certain emotional direction. The reader is the prime reason the author constructs a story. Because all authors are completely aware that an audience exists for their stories, authors are, in turn, completely aware that their words can manipulate their readers. It is this awareness that allows all sentence structures and idea portrayal to be the product of an author’s manipulation. Because there exists an audience, there exists someone to persuade or influence. Thus, an author, like Morrison, builds a textual relationship between the characters in her story and that of the reader digesting her story. Morrison, like all authors, understands that the reader searches for a... ...ror of Pecola’s first sexual experience: her father rapes her), and a difficult marriage situation (caused by his own drunkenness). The â€Å"bads† certainly outweigh the â€Å"goods† in his situation. Thus, the reader ought not to feel sympathy for Cholly. But, Morrison presents information about Cholly in such a way that mandates sympathy from her reader. This depiction of Cholly as a man of freedom and the victim of awful happenings is wrong because it evokes sympathy for a man who does not deserve it. He deserves the reader’s hate, but Morrison prevents Cholly covered with a blanket of undeserved, inescapable sympathy. Morrison creates undeserved sympathy from the reader using language and her depiction of Cholly acting within the bounds of his character. This ultimately generates a reader who becomes soft on crime and led by emotions manipulated by the authority of text. Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye Essay -- Toni Morrison Bluest Eye Essay Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison’s novel The Bluest Eye provides social commentary on a lesser known portion of black society in America. The protagonist Pecola is a young black girl who desperately wants to feel beautiful and gain the â€Å"bluest eyes† as the title references. The book seeks to define beauty and love in this twisted perverse society, dragging the reader through Morrison’s emotional manipulations. Her father Cholly Breedlove steals the reader’s emotional attention from Pecola as he enters the story. In fact, Toni Morrison’s depiction of Cholly wrongfully evokes sympathy from the reader. The sympathy for Cholly evoked in The Bluest Eye from the reader is not deserved. By definition, sympathy means feeling pity or sorrow for the distress of another, or compassion. The skillfulness of the author manipulates the reader into feeling a certain way towards particular characters. Sympathy for characters – Cholly being no exception – derives from an author’s ability to use words and the construction of the story to lead a reader into a certain emotional direction. The reader is the prime reason the author constructs a story. Because all authors are completely aware that an audience exists for their stories, authors are, in turn, completely aware that their words can manipulate their readers. It is this awareness that allows all sentence structures and idea portrayal to be the product of an author’s manipulation. Because there exists an audience, there exists someone to persuade or influence. Thus, an author, like Morrison, builds a textual relationship between the characters in her story and that of the reader digesting her story. Morrison, like all authors, understands that the reader searches for a... ...ror of Pecola’s first sexual experience: her father rapes her), and a difficult marriage situation (caused by his own drunkenness). The â€Å"bads† certainly outweigh the â€Å"goods† in his situation. Thus, the reader ought not to feel sympathy for Cholly. But, Morrison presents information about Cholly in such a way that mandates sympathy from her reader. This depiction of Cholly as a man of freedom and the victim of awful happenings is wrong because it evokes sympathy for a man who does not deserve it. He deserves the reader’s hate, but Morrison prevents Cholly covered with a blanket of undeserved, inescapable sympathy. Morrison creates undeserved sympathy from the reader using language and her depiction of Cholly acting within the bounds of his character. This ultimately generates a reader who becomes soft on crime and led by emotions manipulated by the authority of text.

Effects of Absent Fathers on Adolescents Essay -- Social Issues, Divor

The role of the father, a male figure in a child’s life is a very crucial role that has been diminishing over the years. An absent father can be defined in two ways; the father is physically not present, or the father is physically present, but emotionally present. To an adolescent, a father is an idolized figure, someone they look up to (Feud, 1921), thus when such a figure is an absent one, it can and will negatively affect a child’s development. Many of the problems we face in society today, such as crime and delinquency, poor academic achievement, divorce, drug use, early pregnancy and sexual activity can be attributed to fathers being absent during adolescent development (Popenoe, 1996; Whitehead, 1993). The percentage of adolescents growing up fatherless has risen from 17% to 36% in just three decades between 1960 and 1990 (Popenoe, 1996). Dr. Popenoe estimates this number will increase to approximately 50% by the turn of the century (Popenoe, 1996). The US Census Bureau reported out of population of 24 million children, 1 out 3 live in a home without a father (US Census Bureau, 2009). The role of a father is more than just another parent at home (Popenoe, 1996). Having a father, the male biological parent in a child’s life is important because it brings a different type of parenting that cannot be replicated by anyone else (Stanton, 2010). Fathers who are present and active in a child’s life provide great benefits to a developing child (Popenoe, 1996). Having a father brings a different kind of love. The love of the father is more expectant and instrumental, different from the love of a mother (Stanton, as cited in Pruett, 1987). The effect of an absent father can be quite devastating to the developing ad... ...istics, 1999). McBride, Brent A., Sara K., Sullivan, and Ho-Ho (2005) reported about the achievement levels in a adolescent who grows up with a father, â€Å"A study of 1330 children from the PSID showed that fathers who are involved on a personal level with their child schooling increases the likelihood of their child's achievement. When fathers assume a positive role in their child's education, students feel a positive impact.† (p. 201-216). Children who do not grow up in a two parent homes, are more likely to fail and repeat a grade in school. It is also important to note that children who grow up in single parent families are less likely to have parents involved with the school, 62% of children with two parent homes have parents that are involved in school, while children from single parent homes have half of them involved in school (Nord, Winquist, West, 2001).

I Know Its Over by Steven Patrick Essay -- Papers

I Know It's Over by Steven Patrick Summary This is a bleak, perhaps morbid, but sensitive and intelligent song lyric, which most critics see as being about the end of fictional or fantasy relationship. But the interpretation can be much deeper, indeed, a bottomless pit for those who are inclined to wallow in helplessness and suicidal thoughts. There are four distinct sections that are not entirely connected and this leads to a variety of interpretations in linking them, enabling the audience to project their own feelings onto the words. And yet, the emotional intensity seems to produce elation[1] not depression (perhaps more in the performance than the poetry). Speculation about the meaning of the lines (as long as it is not overdone) can lead to a satisfying enjoyment. Structure The first section describes our hero's immediate state of mind with the image of his empty bed as a grave: Oh Mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head and as I climb into an empty bed Oh, well. Enough said. As if being buried alive, the melancholy protagonist feels that his life may as well be over: I know it's over - still I cling/I don't know where else I can go. Perhaps an intense relationship has come to an end, leading to thoughts of despair and suicide, but it may be less obvious. He equates his imagined forthcoming death with a feeling of utter helplessness, but it seems that death is not an option because he finds it difficult to act, as we shall see. So, although the sea wants to take me/the knife wants to slit me, he does not seem to want it. He does ask do you think you can help me? but of whom? His mothe... ...tates that love is Natural and Real: is he afraid that for such as you and I, my love it is unnatural and imaginary? Themes Typically for this writer the themes are unrequited love, isolation, loneliness, helplessness, etc. The Wildean themes are, perhaps, in the mind of the reader/listener. Indeed, the overall vagueness and ambiguity, typical of this author, together with the complexity of the structure allows for a dichotomy of interpretations. --------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] However, I acknowledge David Pinching, writing in his essay Oscar Wilde's influence on Stephen Fry and Morrissey, when he says that "Wilde represents isolation within one's own world and a grand set of theories about the most irrelevant and absurd things." [2] All italics original

Ernest Hemingway: a Farewell to Arms Essay

Is war ever justified? War has been a part of our society since the beginning of time. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway is a novel that deals with the justification and commitment to World War I. Frederic Henry, an American ambulance driver for the Italians, struggled to find the answer and ended up loosing his commitment to the war because of words and advice from the priest and his love for Catherine Barkley. He ended up running away from the war to be with his pregnant lover Catherine. Henry’s commitment to the war isn’t genuine. As Henry and the priest discussed who was winning the war at the moment and other subjects, they stated, â€Å"And the ones who would not make war? Can they stop it? † â€Å"I do not know. † â€Å"Have they ever been able to stop it? † â€Å"They are not organized to stop things and when they get organized their leaders sell them out. † â€Å"Then it’s hopeless† (Hemingway p71). In this dialogue, Henry feels as if there is nothing anyone can do to end the war. He feels as if he is stuck in it until he finally dies. He feels that it’s hopeless to carry on anymore if there is no sign of halting. This type of attitude shows he is not committed to the war. While Henry was talking to the priest, he stated, â€Å"They were beaten to start with†¦ put him in power and see how wise he is. † (Hemingway p179). Henry thinks that the people that are fighting with him have already lost from the start because it wasn’t their decision to fight. He’s suggesting that the peasants aren’t fighting their hardest. They were forced off there farms and expected to fight. Henry thinks because they have already been defeated that there is no way they are going to win the war. His attitude again shows that he is not committed or hopeful about the war. Later on when Henry is still talking to the priest they say, â€Å"I hoped for a long time for victory. † â€Å"Me too. † â€Å"Now I don’t know. † â€Å"It has to be one or the other. † â€Å"I don’t believe in victory any more. † â€Å"I don’t. But I don’t believe in defeat. Though it may be better. † (Hemingway p179). Henry is saying that he doesn’t believe in Victory or defeat, but defeat may be better. Henry believes that the only way out of this war is through defeat. The Germans will never give in so the only way for the war to end is through the Italians loosing. He is tired of this war and doesn’t care who wins anymore. If Henry was committed to this war, then he would stay with it until victory is ahead. Henry’s commitment to World War I is not genuine. He doesn’t feel like the war is going anywhere and is aggravated that no one has given in. He doesn’t care anymore who wins the war as long as it’s over. He is no longer committed and just wants to leave. Henry’s commitment was never genuine.

Dale Henry’s book “The Proverbial Cracker” Essay

It is not much questioned about how people mostly wanted to be served and be pleased by others. However, the contrary of this fact was the main theme of Dale Henry’s book â€Å"The Proverbial Cracker†. In this particular book it could not be denied that service is the main key for people to get the satisfaction that they need from their own jobs. The realization of each employee that providing service to others is the only key to their corporal success helps them become the person that is particularly needed not only be business organizations but also well appreciated by the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The different proverbs in life pertaining to success have mainly been focusing on the ways by which people could attain self satisfaction from their jobs. However, what the said books are lacking which is in turn present in the book of Dale Henry is the fact that service is viewed as a primary aspect of true enlightenment among people. Reading this book brings the reader to the recognition of providing the best for the others that results to their own satisfaction of their own desires.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Most people see their jobs the way a mosquito sees a nudist camp: all kinds of opportunity, but where do I start?† (Henry, 22) True, it is only when a person realizes the true worth of his job and his responsibilities as a person through his career will he realize that he too has an essential worth to the society. It is only when they see the benefit of what they do are they completely motivated to do their best possible efforts for the sake of their job’s completion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Certainly, this particular book brings about the needed aide for employees or even self-employed people in the society who lack the motivation to do the best they could in their own chosen careers. Dale Henry has fully arranged a humorous yet meaningful approach to the said invitation of one’s ability to doing his duties as a fine worker for his own organization’s as well as his community’s progress towards development. Bibliography Henry Dale. (2002). The Proverbial Cracker Jack: How To Get Out Of The Box And Become   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Prize. Autumn House Publishing.