Monday, January 27, 2020

Hack man and old hams Job Characteristic model

Hack man and old hams Job Characteristic model (JCM) has been used extensively for a long time as a outline to understanding five key charachteristics to promote satidfaction and motivation within a work place. These five factors are skill variety, taks identity, task significance autonomy and feedback from the job (Hackman and Oldham 1976) these characteristics in turn promote psychological states experience of meaningfulness, experience of outcome responsibility, and knowledge of results of work (Hackman and Oldham 1976). These states subsequently effect the outcomes; work motivation, performance, satisfaction within the work, low absenteeism, and turnover (Hackman and Oldham 1976). Hackman and Oldham proposed that when these five job characteristics and the work outcomes are combined to find motivating potential score (MVS), which can then be used measure the job will affect employees satisfaction, behavior , and desire to grow within their job. This theory was used as a framework for many years, generating a great deal of research. As a whole the JCM does maintain the prediction that when a worker is motivated, satisfied , and their performance is high, they see their job as high within The five key job characteristics, and mediates a more positive physical state. (Fried and Ferris 1986). However the JCM comes under scrutiny, due to the distinctiveness of the five job characteristics that it uses, it doesnt approach the job with the certainty that it can be changed. Within the five core characteristics Hackman and Oldham (1967) failed to recognize important features within a work place such as the social envirmonment and work context (Humphreys et al 2007) One of the limitations to the JCM that needed looking into more detail was the mediation of critical psychological states(CPS). Fried and Ferris (1987) found that although the JCM has stimulated over 250 published studies, only eight of these studies included the CPS. Hackman and Oldham originally stated that the CPS would each separately act as mediators, however Oldham(1996) later corrected this by stating that the true mediation model is different. Johns et al (1992) also backed this statement in their earlier research suggesting that experienced meaning was a particularly encompassing psychological state and it served as a mediator for all five motivational characteristics (Johns et al 1992 in Humphrey et al 2007 )Johns et al (1992) was not suggesting that the other states should be taken out but each contributes in their own way to the mediation development. Since Hackmans and Oldhams (1976) theory, other researchers have expanded on the JCM, as although it was evolutionary in expanding the understanding of occupational psychology it was also very limited. Humphreys (2007) meta analysis is a good example of this, as it has found enchanced characteristics than the initial core five that Hackman and Oldham (1976) came up with. One of the first important factors accounting for motivation which was stated earlier the social environment and work context (Humphrey et al 2007) both incrementally predicted enchanced motivation and positive behavior better than the original five core characteristics. Humohrey expanded on the importance of social environment, observing that social characteristics are extremely important factors to promote a positive environment at work motivational qualities, well beingness, and how meaningful the work is to the employee( Myers 1999). Because these characteristics reduce the likeliness of negative events happening at the work place, they therefore reduce the job stress on the employee. These are extremely imrotant factors in promoting occuopational health as Adler anKwon (2002 in Humphrey et al 2007 ) found that they also increase motivation and prosocial work behavior, promoting resilence, security , and positive moos on the job. When redesigning jobs, consultants might look at social characteristics such as organized team work, which promotes interdependence between associates. Furthermore interdependence offers social support and a network of co workers and supervisors to assist fellow employees and offer support when needed. This network of support also offers role identity and deal with concerns they have More generally working in a team just sustains the opportunity for social interaction, researchers have now started to emphasize the significance of team work and interdependence (Arthur, Edwards, Bell, Villado Bennet 2005). This also helps to clarify which roles the particular person fills. Which in turn allows for feedback to enhance perception of the individuals responsibility within a role . Biddle (1979 in Humphreys et al 2007) emphasized that social characteristics should improve and develop role awareness as employees roles become more evident with more contact with other people. Furthermore soci al characteristics enable interections between employees allowing them to learn from one another and gain valuable experience, that can only be sought from face to face interactions. This facilitates the employees to transfer implicit and explicit knowledge, so they can perform more effectively (Humphreys 2007). If employees find the social environment they work in to pbe a positive atmosphere and somewhere they like to work then there will be reduced absenteeism, and will want to carry on working for their employer or organization. Additionally as part of being in a group or team, jobs often require leadership, and group leadership ivolves teams with assorted skills from different division of an organization sucha s cross funsctional teams. Team work envolves sharing leadership roles, or envoles rotating different leaders, allowing team members to gain more experience and elevate power (Bens 2006)   Following this Humphreys et al (2007) found that work context actually accounts for more varience than social environment, Humphreys et al (2007) specifically looked at three work context characteristics these are physical demands, work conditions, and ergonomics. Physical demands indicate the actual amount of physical exertion or activity is required for the job This also looks at how much stamina, patience and activity one has to do with the job and if it is satisfactory for the individual. work conditions examines the physical environment that the employees work in, such as ; health hazards, temperature and noise (Edwards Scully and Brtek 1999). Ergonomics shows if the work allow for travel, stance and movement. All three of these characteristics take into account how the job is designed in terms of biological concerns(Campion 1988). If these three characteristics dont work in synergyand complement each other then the job will be physically unpleasant, and the employees will not find working there to be a positive experience, and absentee levels will rise. Following Hackman and Oldhams theory,. Humphreys meta analysis has allowed us to pinpoint specific out comes, and see where more research needs to take place in order to throuroughly and successfully redesign jobs to promote better health. However it also highlights gaps in research, still the outcomes are unknown and a gnereic model cannot always be used due to individual characteristics, it can only be used to pinpoint specific relationships. Bond and Bunce (2001)s longitudinal study, was a quasi experiment measured job stressers and strain using the occupational stress indicatior, job control, self rated performance and sickness absence, with participants that were particularly stressed within middle management employees working for a government minister, and a very strict control group. A Parcipitative action research program (PAR) was put in place to reduce the employees amount of stress. On the basis of Bond and Bunce (2001) findings , the comitee involved decided to develop proposals and action plans to increase workers jobcontrol over three problem areas: assignment distribution procedures, within-unit consultation and communication, and informal performance feedback(Bond and Bunce 2001). Subsequently in agreement with PAR the committee offered everyone in the different units a chance to give their opinion, and discuss the changes that they would like to improve the occupational health within the company, before the stratagies were finalized. And each Par unit had to meet specific goals set by the committee. The study found that giving the individual some power by being involved in the job redesign gives the indiviaul more job satisfaction. Furthermore it was the longitudinal and quasi experiment to prove that a work restructuring interventeion can reduce stress in the work place and mental health (Bond and Bunce 2001). However there are some problems with this experiment as it lack generalizability due to its common source bias, as the study has asked the individual and it is self report,a job analysis may have beena a better option when redesigning the work place as the results can be generalized more easily. However Bond and Bunces (2001) study is extremely interesting and shows progression in occupational health psychology. In conclusion Hackman and Oldhams (1967) study was very influential in occupational health psychology, and although now it can be criticised greatly for its limitations it is a framework that has just been improved upon time after time, promotiong mediation in job redesign throughout all occupations to make it more positive for the employee.  · ^ Ingrid Bens (2006). Facilitating to Lead. Jossey-Bass.  

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Five Marketing Steps in Bowie State Expansion Essay

Marketing is the activity and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large. Marketing as it applies to Bowie State University plays an integral part in the longstanding tradition and the growth of the university. In order to fully understand marketing you have to be aware that the ability to adapt and change is a major part of grasping and successfully competing in this global marketing society. Accountability in marketing is more important than ever today due to the tight economic restraints and an ever evolving society. Bowie State University realizes that they cannot spend large amounts of money on unproductive marketing campaigns, but in order to be successful an effective marketing plan must be in place. Bowie State University goal should be to create a strategic marketing plan that will have a measurable impact on obtaining and maintaining student enrollment at a minimal cost. There are critical marketing concepts such as relationship marketing, integrated marketing, internal marketing, interactive marketing and market adaptation that all play an important role, not only in society, but also in the development and success of Bowie State University and any other entity or corporation. Relationship marketing is a type of marketing that puts an emphasis on consumer satisfaction and retention. It focuses on the longstanding relationship with the consumer rather than the prominent focus on an immediate sales transaction. With the growth of the internet in the past two decades, relationship marketing has continued to evolve and move forward as technology opens more collaborative and social communication channels. Relationship marketing extends to include inbound marketing efforts, public relations, social media and application development. The overall goals of relationship marketing are to discover, attract and win new clients, take care of and retain those the company already has, attract former clients back into the fold, and decrease the costs of marketing and client service. Retention is a major factor in relationship marketing and to the demise of Bowie State University. The implementation of random surveys to current students is an excellent tool used to measure customer/student satisfaction of the university as a whole. In addition to, there must be some interactive relationship building with future students in whom they are attempting to acquire and retain. I have noticed as new student to the campus of Bowie State that the university doesn’t place enough emphasis on customer satisfaction, because I have been enrolled for two semesters and nobody in the student affairs/customer relations has inquired to my satisfaction. I have definitely been pondering the idea of accepting some of the other offers provided for the MBA program. I am huge on excellent customer as I have personally worked in that area for many years and I understand the importance of retention to the success of one’s business. Bowie State desperately needs to re-direct some resources in that area to decrease the retention rate and increase student morale, and also to a ttract new clients to the campus. Relationship marketing is a concept not only intended for current students, but also for potential staff and faculty that the university is attempting to acquire. Integrated marketing happens when the marketer devises marketing activities and assembles market-programs to create, communicate, and deliver value for consumers such that â€Å"the whole is greater than the sum of its part.† All company communications must be integrated, meaning that being able to choose communication options that reinforce and complement the one another. In order for Bowie State to achieve in this area, there must be commercials via television and the radio, printed advertisements, public relations and some kind o events to entice a more loyal customer population. Bowie State University website is very user-friendly, but the website alone is not sufficient to the success of a greater student enrollment and retention. Integrated marketing must be employed to ensure Bowie State University’s success, because they must equally maximize all areas to ensure and reinforce the face of the university. The ability to employ integrated marketing puts Bowie State University at the center of its strategy and executes extremely well across all channels and lines of business. Integrated marketing doesn’t stop at the organizational boundaries of the marketing department. Integrated marketing requires an integrated approach to marketing, sales, and service. Internal marketing is the task of hiring, training, and motivating able employees who want to serve customers well. This concept is just what it says-internal and Bowie State University in my opinion, isn’t utilizing this concept to help grow the business. This process occurs within an organization where the functional process aligns, motivates, and empowers employees at all management levels to deliver a satisfying customer experience. Over recent years internal marketing has increasingly been integrated in brand management, which strives to build stronger links between the employee brand experience and customer brand experience. The challenge for internal marketing is not only to get the right messages across, but to implant them in such a way that they both change and strengthen employee performance. Bowie State University has a major need for internal marketing, because in my brief experience here on campus I’ve noticed how the faculty and staff are unequally balanced and not customer motivated. We as students are the customers to the university and yet I feel we are treated as to be insignificant and are expected to just accept whatever is offered by key administration. It appears if there is some type of buddy system in place when it comes to hiring qualified staff, because in my observation I have noticed that many instructors aren’t prepared for class, nor are they even delivering a quality education. My experience here at Bowie State University has been a bitter-sweet one, because of the inequalities and inconsistencies I have noticed. Interactive Marketing refers to the evolving trend in marketing where marketing has moved from a transaction-based effort to a conversation. Interactive marketing is the ability to address an individual and the ability to gather and remember the response of that individual leading to the ability to address the individual once more in a way that takes into account his or her unique response. The ability to remember what the customer has said and implementing those ideas can and will benefit the brand of Bowie State University. Amazon.com is an excellent example of the use of interactive marketing, as customers record their preferences and are shown selections that match not only their preferences but recent purchases. Interactive Marketing allows customers and prospects to participate in the process of building a brand’s image in a certain market or target group’s minds and as a result it makes the customer feel empowered and heard. With brands becoming more defined by actions and not simply words, social networks, search engines and mobile device growth gives our consumers even more power, so it’s important to love your customers and most of being able to respect their opinions and views on certain things that would better enhance the brand name of Bowie State University. I would really love to sit with the marketing department and observe their thought patterns as it relates to the student body who are the customers of Bowie State University. Performance marketing is a type of marketing in which business rewards one or more affiliates for each customer gained based on their marketing efforts. I feel that this particular program should also be implemented within the marketing/admissions department here at Bowie State University; however, it should also extend to the number of satisfied customers retained as well. Many times the business is acquired, but maintenance and follow-up is critical to the success of any organization or social enterprise. Bowie State needs to have a plan in place that rewards faculty and staff for generating new referrals/students or staff to the campus. At the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, it is and has been a practice that whenever new undergraduate or graduate students come on-board they are uniquely placed with a current students whose responsibility is to aide them in any means necessary until they are solely comfortable with the campus, the administration and all of the resources th at are offered to the student. Bowie State University acquires the students, but really no follow-up to see how comfortable they are. Now, in my opinion this isn’t good customer service nor should any reward be granted based on that kind of behavior. Performance marketing needs to be measured very closely by upper administration, because many times lower ranked staff generally take the attitude as if it’s not their problem. So, if everyone is taking on that same approach then it’s obvious as to why enrollment has significantly dropped. In my conclusion, Bowie State University has many opportunities where it can advance in the marketing arena. Unfortunately, if they continue down this path then all the other major colleges and universities will obtain and retain the vast majority of business that is streaming abroad.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Censorship: Friend or Foe?

While some will make the argument that it depends on the authority of a child, some children mature less quickly than others. There's no way of telling who can handle the material until it's too late. Censoring in the beginning is like a safety net to make sure nothing offensive is being said. On the other hand, a high school student should be mature enough to handle anything that is thrown their way. By the time they get to that age, they already know a good handful of the stuff that administrators are trying to censor.Offensive topics eke racism, sexual contact, rape, and homosexuality may be contained in the book being read, but In all reality, there is nothing more real to the book than there Is to a scary movie. President Obama said â€Å"censorship Includes teaching our children the truth about history and this country, which Is not currently done, since the education department Is a tool of the Liberal and their revolutions history to convert our country into communist societ y. Meaning censorship could be depriving children of the ability to learn about not only their country and government, as it seemingly being said here, but about the world and how it functions. As anyone could say, censorship is as easy a topic as politics or religion, there are so many different ways to look at it. In one hand there is the fact that some people are not mature enough to handle some of the points being made, and some of the things being said. While in the other hand, there is the fact that censoring a book of things that a child already knows is shielding them from something they have en before.In response to both opinions, children are all maturing at different rates, the way of knowing who can handle such harsh topics and Ideas is only In the minds of the children. Censorship Is not helping, nor depriving the children of today. It's Just a movement to try to protect the feelings of different beliefs. Censorship should be decided by the parents. As at C. J. H. , the children were given an option to read The Kite Runner: by Exhaled Houses, or Lord of the Flies: by William Gilding, leaving the anal option to the parents of the children by sending a permission slip home.

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Francis Fukuyama s The End Of History - 985 Words

Life of Ideology, Life of Conflict: Francis Fukuyama and Samuel Huntington In Francis Fukuyama s â€Å"The End of History?† published in 1989, he posits that with the end of the Cold War, humanity is reaching a point where Western liberal democracy and economic structure is the highest form of ideological development. Other ideologies (communism, fascism, etc.) are vestigial forms of thinking destined to fail and disappear in an inevitable progression towards a liberal system (Fukuyama 1989). In â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations?† published in 1993, Samuel Huntington writes that the world is divided into civilizations, based on culture (not ideology or economic factors), and that the conflicts of the future (and some in the present) will be based on divisions along those lines. These include, according to Huntington, â€Å"Western, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American and possibly African...† (Huntington 1993, 25). While these theories are seemingly compatible at first glance – Fukuyama s Western l iberalism can be the victor in Huntington s war of civilizations – there is a major difference, and some important reasons for this difference, which we can find in the authors pasts. I believe that the major difference is Fukuyama s faith in a victory for Western liberalism. While Huntington is satisfied with showing that other civilizations/cultures will clash with the West s, Fukuyama is confident that the West is already on its way to victory. We canShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Francis Fukuyama s The End Of History And The Last Man 2342 Words   |  10 PagesReview describes Francis Fukuyama as â€Å"one of the most important thinkers in America† because of his status as a triple-threat in public intellectual life: he is able to â€Å"maintain high appointments in academe, produce popular books and magazine writing, and advise American presidents and foreign leaders directly†. 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