Performance Standards and Appraisals Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance Standards and Appraisals - Term Paper Example In my workplace, performance appraisal is an ongoing process whereby employees are evaluated in a constant basis. The role of performance appraisal in my workplace falls solely on the nurse managers. It is done in the form of an interview whereby both the employee being evaluated and the nurse manager fills a performance appraisal form on the employees performance. Performance in all areas is evaluated and employees are gauged in a scale of one to five with one denoting poor performance and five denoting excellent performance. This, according to Laureate Education Inc (2006) is important as managers may have divergent views in regard to the performance of an employee. This also fosters dialogue between the manager and the employee aimed at ensuring the employee understands all the aspects of the evaluation (Laureate Education Inc, 2006). Areas of weakness are identified and strategies are implemented to help improve employees performance for instance through training. All through the process, the manager conducting the appraisal documents the process through taking notes which are then co-signed by the employee being evaluated. Performance standards in my workplace are created in collaboration with employees. This is important as engaging employees in designing performance standards fosters a better understanding of the standards and guidelines and hence they are more likely to exceed expectations in their performance (Laureate Education Inc, 2006). The manager guides the employees in identifying behaviors and attitudes that are beneficial and constructive, and those that could have negative implications. These performance standards in my workplace are communicated through trainings, either on-the-job training or formal trainings. Effectively training employees enables them to understand and comprehend what they are expected to accomplish and achieve in their jobs (Laureate Education Inc, 2006). One of the strengths of this appraisal system in my workplace is

Evolution of supply chain management Assignment

Evolution of supply chain management - Assignment Example b) Integration era – the integration era marked the use of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This era stressed on value added and cost reduction supply chain management through integration. c) Globalization era – the globalization era was characterized by the emergence of global system of vendors and suppliers and the expansion of supply chain over national and international boundaries. In this era, organizations aimed to attain competitive advantage by creating value added services and products. At the same time, it aimed to reduce costs through global sourcing. d) Specialization era (Phase I – Outsourced manufacturing and distribution) – this era saw the creation and development of the specialization model which composed of numerous individual supply chains specifically for products, suppliers and customers who worked together to manufacture, design, market, distribute, sell and service a particular product. e) Specialization era (Phase I – Supply chain management as a service) – the commencement of warehouse management, transport brokers and freight carriers has matured into the aspects of collaboration, supply planning, performance management and execution. All this was possible due to the breakthroughs achieved in technology. f) Supply Chain Management 2.0 – this terminology was coined to explain the changes within the supply chain industry and the evolution of methods, tools and processes used to manage resources now. It is very important for an organization to develop supply chain strategy as it creates value for the organization. The first step is to develop a supply chain strategy. For this the first step is to understand the business strategy. If the business strategy is to reduce costs, then the supply chain strategy must be developed to support the same. It is important to find out supply chain competencies and leverage them for the benefit of th e organization. The next step is to access the extended supply chain. This is attained by conducting a realistic, detailed monitoring of capabilities existing within the firm and the extended supply chain. Once the assessment is complete it is very necessary to prioritize and review the recommendations, define the risks, validate the opportunities and the requirements for implementing the supply chain strategy. 2. Explore strategies used by organizations to develop and maintain effective supplier relationships: ? determine suitable strategies with regard to the development of relationships with suppliers, using appropriate web-based technologies ? evaluate the effectiveness of strategies used by an organization ? devise effective systems for relationship maintenance The breakthroughs achieved in web-based technology have made us realize the importance of information exchange that can play a vital part in the competitive strategies adopted by different organizations. It is possible t o maintain good business to business and business to consumer supplier relationships by means of web based techniques. Extensive telecommunication networks are used to develop and maintain effective supplier relationships. Electronic trading is one such method which has effectively helped to maintain vendor relationships (Croom 2000). Another web based technique used to maintain effective supplier relationship is that of electronic warehouse management. It is now possible to inform a client well in

Team working Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Team working - Essay Example The significance of team work may be explained using the following photograph. The photograph also explains the how efficient service user delivery works, and why it is essential in the success of an organization. Picture illustrating the significance of teamwork (http://www.mkhalid.com/category/project-management-team-work/) The above photographs shows men repairing a broken railway line in a team. I have chosen the picture because the broken railway line connects two geographical regions just like consumers and organizations are connected by services and products. The three men on the right side come from the rightward geographic region while those on the left also reside in the region where they are working. I believe that the two groups represent nurses and patients in the real world. The railway line that connects the two regions is similar to services and communication that takes place between nurses and patients (Naumann, & Ehrhart, 2011). The picture, therefore, indicates tha t teams should compose of workers from different levels such as nurses and doctors, and because of efficient user service delivery, they should also include consumers (Parker, 2010). This is because consumers are the ultimate users of goods, and they determine the success of the activities in an organization (Hiebart, & Clart, 2011). This means that user involvement should begin at the lowest level of a firm in order for it to achieve its objective. The photograph above indicates that teamwork should take place with an objective of increasing efficiency. The men from the right and left in the above picture have come together to repair the broken railway line. This means that the participants of the project would not be together were it not for the purpose of repairing the transport network. The objective of teamwork should also be positive and beneficial to a large number of users (Belbin, 2010). In the photograph above, the aim of the team is to enhance transport of people and reso urces between the two geographic regions. One region in the picture practices agriculture while the other does not, and this means that the railways line helps to deliver food products in the non-agricultural region. I suppose that teamwork in nursing should aim at providing consumers with critical health services that cannot be found anywhere else in the market. Members of teams cooperate and develop efficient techniques of delivering their services (Jasper, 2011). The repairing the railway indicates that service user involvement should have an aim for it to succeed. The lack of efficient communication in a team may lead to conflicts among group members. This indicates that there is need for effective communication skills among team members to avoid distortion of messages. However, in the case of the occurrence of conflicts among members of a group, the team leader should be responsible for ensuring that the misunderstanding ends. A team leader who possesses problem solving skills resolves the conflicts using his skills. This saves time that would be wasted by members on the problem, and it ensures that the team works towards achieving its goals. In the photograph above, there seems to be no team leader, and the members are standing because there is a conflict. The team should have employed a leader who would

Comparing ethical theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparing ethical theories - Assignment Example He stated that an individual experiences the state of happiness by performing actions that they deem as being good. He further added that the good behavior that becomes highly desirable without any reason being associated with it is considered as an ethical act. He further added that the good that is assigned the highest status is the state of happiness (Timmons 215). He stated that an individual can perform various virtues acts that can result in the achievement of happiness. He did not narrowly define what he meant by virtue because virtue for different individuals is defined differently. He even stated that happiness cannot be attained by simply performing a virtuous act for one time; a person needs to carry out those acts throughout their life to attain the state of happiness. Kant was of the idea that an act or opinion can only be considered as an ethical one if the reason for performing that particular act was that the person who is caring out that act was ready to accept the same act being conducted against him in the same situation in which he was making a decision or any other situation (Gensler 294). This means that while performing an act an if an individual makes up his mind for accepting the same act being carried out against him in any situation, then only the act will be recognized as an ethical one. The motive that is drives a particular act was regarded by Kant as maxim which is the reason for carrying out an act (Höffe 263). Kant believed in the principle of universality which means that acts that are considered ethical are considered good throughout the world and there is no difference between how different cultures define the same act while making ethical decisions. The main strengths of Aristotle’s theory are that it emphasizes on the importance of pleasure of an individual. It does not consider

DOM and its impact on web development techniques Essay

DOM and its impact on web development techniques - Essay Example DOM level 2 was introduced in 2000. The level has event model and supports XML namespaces and CSS. DOM level 3 is the current DOM specifications release published in 2004. It has added additional features for XPath, Keyboard event handling, and serialization interface for documents like XML. DOM level 4 is currently in the process of being developed. As at 2005, majority of the W3C DOM were effectively supported through common browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 6, Mozilla, Firefox, and Opera (Koch, 2001). To produce documents like HTML page, majority of the web browsers internal DOM model. The nodes of documents are arranged in DOM tree structure, with the document object being the topmost node. When HTML page is opened in browsers; the HTML is downloaded into the local memory, and automatically displays the page on the screen (Guisset, 2009). DOM supports all navigation directions and allows arbitrary modifications; hence implementation buffers documents that are

Group Dynamics Negotiation Resolution and Conflict Essay

Group Dynamics Negotiation Resolution and Conflict - Essay Example This can only be accomplished through facing up to conflicts and addressing them, rather than steering clear of them. In one situation, there happened to arise a conflict between the management and a group of workers in a food production company. This mainly arose due to the employment terms whereby the full time employees felt that the part time employees were favored by being paid $3 more per hour while working during odd hours. The full time workers were engaged for six hours per day and were entitled to employment benefits that are required by the law. This was not applied for part time workers who only worked for 3 hours in the evening (Russett 2007). This caused a conflict that led to dissatisfaction amongst the full time employees, lowering the organizational productivity. The goal of the employees was that their hourly rates be equal to that of part time workers, while the management felt that the rationale behind the arrangement was the fact that there were differences in the employment benefits entitled to the workers. Under the prevailing conditions both parties had to find a solution since they were mutually dependent in the work place. The management had to maintain the organization’s profitability while the workers needed to maintain their job for their welfare. Group dynamics would have affected the outcome due to differences in opinion if they could not have been addressed. The tactics used by the negotiators were focused on addressing these differences in order for both parties to understand each other’s point of view. Each party went over their views and the disagreement was clear for both of them. The management began by explaining the rationale behind setting up differences in the terms of employment for the part time and full time workers. It also suggested the plans that were being developed in order to improve the working conditions of the workers, which included an extension of the paid

Case study following Essay Example for Free

Case study following Essay Each student needs to complete a case study write-up and submit by the due date following the submission requirements outlined in the course profile (and provided below). Students need to address the following questions in their case study write-up for the Kanthal A case: 1. Describe the competitive environment in which Kanthal operates. 2. Describe in detail how the old cost system operates. Your answer should include a detailed description of how selling, general and administrative (S,G A) costs are treated. 3. What is the opportunity faced by Kanthal in relation to reducing batch costs? 4. Describe in detail how the new cost system works. Your answer should include a detailed analysis of the calculations in Exhibit 5 and a description of the each of the steps and their importance in in the new cost system. Within each of the steps, the derivation of the separate line should be shown. 5. Calculate the profit on the following orders using information from Exhibit 5. The characteristics of the orders are: †¢ Order 1: Sales SEK2000, 1 order, In stock †¢ Order 2: Sales SEK2000, 1 order, Non Stock †¢ Order 3: Sales SEK160000, 3 orders, Non Stock. †¢ Order 4: Sales SEK160000, 28 orders, 22 Non Stock All of your calculations are to be derived from Exhibit 5. This includes Volume Costs, Order costs for Non-Stocked Products and Selling and Administrative Order Costs. What does a comparison of the orders show? From Exhibit 6 and Exhibit 7 provide an example which matches closely to the four orders above. 6. What are some action plans that Kanthal might pursue in response to information provided from the new cost system? Case Write-up Requirements: Your case write-up should consist of your individual response to each of the questions provided. These questions are aimed at directing your attention to the major problem and issues faced by the company and allow you to apply the concepts and principles covered in ACCT7107 to date to a real business. There is no requirement to answer more than what has been asked in these questions nor to prepare the write-up as a report, however, headings and sub-headings should be used within the answers to each questions to facilitate a good flow. You are limited to 800 words (12 point font and minimum 1. 5 line spacing). The case study will be graded according to your individual write-up. Students are encouraged to follow the ‘How to Prepare a Case Study’ approach prepared by Sid Huff and Ron Weber provided as a handout in Week 1(also provided in the Lecture 1 Learning Materials on the course blackboard website). Submission Requirements: The submission requirements outlined in the course profile are provided below: Submission: Students must submit their case write-up with completed BEL Faculty Assignment cover sheet by 4pm on Friday 2 September, 2011 to the BEL Faculty Collaborative Learning Centre (Level 1 Bldg 39). Students should also note the new requirements for assignment submission also taken from your course profile (section 5. 4 Other Assessment Information): All assignments are now to be electronically submitted via Blackboard. The instructions for submission are in the Online Submission Folder in your course Blackboard site. The online submission is in addition to any other submission requirements that appear in this ECP. Students should also refresh themselves with the University’s policy on academic integrity and plagiarism. The relevant information taken from your course profile is presented below: Academic Integrity It is the Universitys task to encourage ethical scholarship and to inform students and staff about the institutional standards of academic behaviour expected of them in learning, teaching and research. Students have a responsibility to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity in their work. Students must not cheat in examinations or other forms of assessment and must ensure they do not plagiarise. Plagiarism The University has adopted the following definition of plagiarism: Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting as ones own original work the ideas, interpretations, words or creative works of another. These include published and unpublished documents, designs, music, sounds, images, photographs, computer codes and ideas gained through working in a group. These ideas, interpretations, words or works may be found in print and/or electronic media. Students are encouraged to read the UQ Academic Integrity and Plagiarism policy (http://www. uq. edu. au/hupp/index. html?page=25128) which makes a comprehensive statement about the Universitys approach to plagiarism, including the approved use of plagiarism detection software, the consequences of plagiarism and the principles associated with preventing plagiarism. If students cannot meet the due date for the case study write-up, the following university policies and guidelines apply: Applications for Extensions †¢ Medical grounds: Applications for extension on medical grounds shall be made by lodging the Application for Extension of Progressive Assessment form and supporting documentation at the location outlined in Section 5. 3 of the Electronic Course Profile for the course concerned. †¢ Exceptional circumstances: Applications for extension on the grounds of exceptional circumstances shall be made to the relevant Course Coordinator/Program Director by lodging the Application for Extension of Progressive Assessment form and a personal statement outlining the grounds for the application at the location and by the due date outlined in Section 5. 3 of the Electronic Course Profile for the course in which this application is made. If the exceptional circumstances are such that the student cannot reasonably be expected to have complied with these conditions, a case should be made as to why these conditions could not be met. †¢ Outcome of application: Students will be advised of the outcome of their application via their student email. Note: A Case Study submitted after the due date and time (for which no extension has been granted prior to the due date), will incur a late submission penalty. The penalty is at the rate of 5% of the total available marks for the assessment item, for each calendar day or part thereof that it remains overdue.