Saturday, January 25, 2020
Journalists And Public Relations Practitioners Media Essay
Journalists And Public Relations Practitioners Media Essay Since studying and undertaking work experience in the field of public relations I have realised the need for a good relationship between journalists and PR practitioners if both professions want to achieve their goals and do their job to the highest standard. Writing press releases and then sending them to journalists is an important aspect of a PR practitioners job, so a good relationship between the two is important. Both professions rely on each other; journalists need PR practitioners to provide them with newsworthy stories about their clients or organisation they are working for and PR practitioners need journalists to publish the press releases that they send to them on behalf of their clients or organisation. After writing some press releases and sending them to journalists while undertaking work experience at The Phoenix Partners I found that three of the four press releases which I had written were published by at least one of the journalists which I had sent them to. I also found after analysing press cuttings that many of the press releases written by my colleagues were also often used by journalists. After speaking to two PR practitioners who previously worked as journalists, I was told that PR practitioners are having a big influence in the setting of the news agenda as many of their news stories are being used by the relevant media. What I have learnt while studying PR confirms that what I have seen first hand from my work experience and what I have been told by ex journalists is correct and I have decided to research this topic further to gain a more in-depth knowledge of it. Research Questions In order to come to a conclusion to see whether the influence of the news agenda is being transferred from journalists towards PR practitioners, I have formulated the following research questions: How common is it for news in media outlets to be as a result of PR activity? Do PR practitioners generally have a good relationship with journalists? Has there been a shift in employment in PR and journalism? Methodology To answer the question and to see whether the influence of the news agenda is being transferred from journalists towards public relations practitioners, I will be using a combination of primary and secondary research methods. There has already been a lot of secondary research conducted on this area of PR and journalism and this research will help me to answer all of my research questions. This secondary research includes research already conducted by national organisations and academic teams. I will also be using academic and professional sources in researching the topic. This includes the use of academic textbooks, websites, magazines, newspapers and media reports, allowing me to use a mixture of factual data as well as the thoughts and opinions of researchers, academics and practitioners in the field of PR and journalism. My study will also make use of primary research methods in answering two of my research questions; how common is it for news in media outlets to be as a result of PR activity and do PR practitioners generally have a good relationship with journalists? The primary research will consist of conducting questionnaires, one sent to PR practitioners and one sent to journalists within the West Midlands, England. The questionnaires will ask both open-ended and closed-ended questions which will provide me with enough information to analyse my findings and answer my research questions. I have chosen to use the West Midlands for my investigation as I already have lots of contacts who are PR practitioners within this area and therefore I will benefit from a higher response rate than if I were to send the questionnaire to people who I dont know from other areas. I will use my PR contacts to help me find journalists to respond to the questionnaire, as well as using Mediadisk to find journalists within the West Midlands and contact them directly. The sampling methods I am using are a combination of convenience sampling and snowball sampling. Forzano and Gravetta (2008) state that convenience sampling is where researchers use participants who are easy to get based on their availability and willingness to respond. Babbie (2009) feels that snowball sampling works well when a population is difficult to locate. This is because the researcher collects data from the members of the target population that they can locate and then asks them to help locate other members of the target population that they may know. Ethical Issues When conducting primary and secondary research for my study I need to consider any ethical implications of my research methods. As I will be using secondary data already conducted by national organisations and academic teams, I will ensure that I dont pass any of the research off as my own and I will cite what source I have got the research from. While I analyse my findings from the questionnaires sent to PR practitioners and journalists I will make sure that I dont fabricate, falsify or misinterpret research data. This will ensure that my research is honest and truthful, this is important in order to make my study represent a true reflection of my findings. One of the main factors which discourage participants in taking part in a questionnaire is that they want their answers to remain confidential and anonymous, even to the researcher. To ensure respondents answers to the questionnaire will be kept anonymous, I will be setting up the questionnaire online and wont be asking respondents to fill out their name. This will ensure that any participants who fear for their anonymity can be sure that this ethical issue will not pose them a problem. Literature Review The relationship between journalists and PR practitioners, which has typically been characterised as essentially in conflict, has recently been recast as a trading or exchange relationship in which under-resourced journalists, working in under-staffed newsrooms, increasingly rely on PR sources for editorial copy while offering access to editorial columns for PR messages in return (Gans 1978, Jones 2006). However, Tench and Yeomans (2006) state journalists feel that PR practitioners are incapable of manipulating them and that they are an annoying distraction to them when theyre setting out to do their jobs. While PR practitioners argue that media relations works best if its aim is to provide a service to the media, instead of acting mostly as a promotional channel for their clients or organisation. A long standing stream of PR research has looked at the influence of the news agenda. There is more than 80 years of research on this topic in the USA, Australia and UK. Macnamara (2009) states that USA studies go back as far as 1926 when Silas Bent studied the New York Times and found that out of the 256 stories in the newspaper, 147 of them came from PR sources. In 1963 when a series of studies of the news media was conducted in the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, it found that 45% of the stories in newspapers and 15% of news aired on radio and television were in some way sourced from PR activity. (Grunig and Hunt, 1984) The New York Times was again looked at along with the Washington Post when Leon Sigal found that around two-thirds of articles originated from press releases and other PR sources. Only 26% of news resulted from reporting, interviews or the journalists own analysis. (Macnamara, 2009) Studies on this subject in Australia date back to more recent times. Macnamara (1993) conducted a study to examine the relationship between PR practitioners and journalists; it also looked at the conflicting claims over the role of and impact of PR in shaping the news agenda. He undertook research for his Masters of Arts by conducting a survey of 417 journalists and editors in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. He found that 86% claimed to have very frequent contact from PR practitioners and 74% said that they received over 20 press releases or other PR communications per week. At the same time 150 press releases were gathered from 27 different companies and a national press clipping service provided 2,500 articles on the topics of the press releases. The study found that 31% of stories were based on the press releases, only nine press releases out of 150 tracked (1.2%) were not used by the media and the average usage rate for the press releases was seven times. A more recent analysis of media content in Australia by Zawawi (2001) conducted an examination of 1,163 articles published by three leading newspapers to identify the origin of news stories. The research confirmed the origin of 683 articles, of which 251 (37%) were sourced from PR activity. The analysis found that surveys, papers and submissions sent to journalists with the aim of attaining media coverage could also be considered as PR activity and these accounted for a further 88 news stories. Taking this into consideration it was concluded that 47% of news items were resulted from PR activity. Davies (2008) commissioned expert researchers from the journalism department of Cardiff University to study a sample of the news running through the British media in 2008. It focused on five daily newspapers; The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph. They chose two random weeks and examined each domestic news item put out by these newspapers, a total of 2,207 pieces. The study found that 54% of news items showed signs of being sourced from PR activity. It also found that only 12% of news stories in newspapers were independently sourced. Schedule 3/5 7/5 8/5 12/5 13/5 17/5 18/5 22/5 23/5 27/5 28/5 1/6 2/6 6/6 7/6 11/6 Preparation Reading literature Note taking Designing Questionnaire Data Collection Distribution of Questionnaire Collection of Questionnaire Data Analysis Analysis of Questionnaire Results Evaluation of Questionnaire Results Writing Introduction Methodology Literature Review Analysis Study Limitations Conclusion Recommendations Proof Reading Chapter Plan Abstract Introduction Methodology 3.1 Research Design Literature Review The Influence of the News Agenda in Australia The Influence of the News Agenda in USA The Influence of the News Agenda in Britain The Relationship Between PR Practitioners and Journalists Changes in Employment in Journalism Changes in Employment in PR Reasons for the Change in Influence of the News Agenda Primary Research Findings of Questionnaire Sent to Journalists Findings of Questionnaire Sent to PR Practitioners Analysis How common is it for news in media outlets to be as a result of PR activity? Do PR practitioners generally have a good relationship with journalists? Has there been a shift in employment in PR and journalism? Is the influence of the news agenda being transferred from journalists towards PR practitioners? Study Limitations Conclusion Recommendations Bibliography References Appendix
Friday, January 17, 2020
Lesson Plan Template Essay
The student will be able to solve an equation that contains two single digit numbers. The student will recognize the symbol for addition. The student will successfully set up the equation and put the numbers in the correct sequence. Anticipatory Set Teacher will introduce the lesson by calling two students to the front of the room. One student will write one number (1-9) and the other student will write another number (1-9) on the board Teach Lesson / Model The teacher will place an addition and equals sign on the board and then introduce the lesson topic. The teacher will then briefly re-teach how numbers represent quantities. The tens blocks will then be used to represent the numbers in the equations. The teacher will then complete several equations using both the tens blocks and the number line Guided Practice The teacher will then place several equations on the board and allow students the opportunity to help solve them. The teacher will use the mum ball (when the teacher or another student throws the mum ball to the student, they are allowed to speak) to call on students to participate. Students tend to like this and it allows for movement. The teacher will ensure that each student gets a chance to answer one question. Independent Practice Students that require extended time will be granted more time, and the same applies for students requiring separate settings. The students will be met on their level. The teacher will check the work of each student and will offer more practice during the next dayââ¬â¢s morning work. Also will have each student time to do IXL Online Math Practices and test Closure The teacher will collect the activity sheets and ask the students their thoughts on the lesson. The teacher will ask why topics such as this are important and have students provide situations where this skill could be beneficial Evaluation *Assessment/Rubrics Students should be graded on participation and the accuracy of their counting and writing skills students will be assessed through the weekly skills test that is conducted each Thursday. If the student is determined to have not mastered the concept, re-teaching will occur on Friday. MATERIALS AND RESOURCES Instructional Materials (handouts, etc. ) The instructor will use the blackboard/dry erase board to begin the lesson. The students will be provided with a worksheet with ten addition problems as well as sets of nine blocks. The will be allowed to use a number line. Resources Internet IXL Online Math for practice and testing Review adding several 1-digits numbers in the vertical format, emphasizing that when the total is ten or greater you ââ¬Ëcarryââ¬â¢ the number to the top of the tens column. Then add the numbers in the tens column, which, at this point, is only the number that was carried. Review adding a 1-digit number to a 2-digit number in the vertical format, pointing out that when the units column is ten or greater you put the number from the tens place in the answer at the top of the tens column of the 2-digit number. Then you add those two numbers in the tens column and put the sum in the tens column of the answer. The K- Kindergarten will be able to add two single digit numbers, each being no greater than 10, when provided with an oral equation within a one minute time period. (This task analysis is for a child who is able to see, and hear, and has normal developmental abilities. Some addition or variant steps may be required for a child who has special needs).
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Lauren Touchet. Cjus301. 17 February 2017. Research Paper/Lit
Lauren Touchet CJUS301 17 February 2017 Research Paper/Lit Review Part I Since mandatory sentencing began in the mid-1980s, the United States prison system has seen a dramatic upswing in incarceration rates (Glaze Maruschak, 2008, p. 1). ââ¬Å"The United Statesââ¬â¢ increasingly punitive sentencing philosophy has resulted in an overreliance on incarceration, resulting in an incarcerated population that has soared from approximately 340,000 in the early 1970s to nearly 2.3 million todayâ⬠(Raeder, 2012). ââ¬Å"Parents held in the nationââ¬â¢s prisonsââ¬â52% of state inmates and 63% of federal inmatesââ¬âreported having an estimated 1,706,600 minor children, accounting for 2.3% of the U.S. resident population under age 18â⬠(Glaze Maruschak, 2008, p. 1). Inâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬Å"Prisoners earn little while incarcerated and even after release, men with a history of incarceration face structural and social barriers to employment. Many are unable to find stable and well-paying work even long after their releaseâ⬠(Geller et all., 2009). Low-earning parents tend to live in poorer neighborhoods. These neighborhoods often have poorer schools within them which directly affect a childââ¬â¢s academic success. However, researchers agree that adding an incarcerated parent to this equation intensifies the negative effect their children experience with academics. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) is a ââ¬Å"school-based longitudinal study of a nationally-representative sample of adolescents in grades 7-12 in the United States in 1994-95. Data have been collected from adolescents, their fellow students, school administrators, parents, siblings, friends, and romantic partners through mult iple data collection components, including four respondent in-home interviewsâ⬠(Add Health, 2017). The study design included a sample of 80 high schools and 52 middle schools with an unequal probability of selection, ensuring representativeness with regard to region of country, urban city, school size, school type, and ethnicity. The sample has been followed through adolescence and early adulthood (with ongoing data collection). More than 20,000 students participated in the first wave of data between years 1994 and 1995.1 Approximately 15,700
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
What Is Diversity - 583 Words
At the beginning of the semester, we completed our brown bag assignment by including important things relating to our lives. After learning what diversity, culture, and the ââ¬Å"-ismsâ⬠of education really are, I have realized that people, who looked most different from me, have turned out to be the most similar to me. The ââ¬Å"-ismsâ⬠of education include racism, classism, gender and sexism, heterosexism and GLBTQI, disability and ableism, religious diversity, and linguistic diversity. One cannot define diversity without first defining culture. At the beginning of the semester, we were asked to define culture based on our knowledge prior to the course. I defined culture as, ââ¬Å"the background that a person of group of persons come from; ranging from economical, religious, and social aspects of life with interests in food, music, clothes, and just basic ways of lifeâ⬠. The Merriam-Webster dictionary, however, defines culture as, ââ¬Å"the quality in a per son or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits; and the development or improvement of the mind by education or training; and the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age groupâ⬠(Merriam-Webster). At the beginning of the semester, I labeled culture and diversity as the same thing. However, after completing this course I have realized two things: culture and diversity are alike, and second, human beings are diverse within theirShow MoreRelatedEssay on Diversity...What Is That?655 Words à |à 3 PagesWhat is diversity? Diversity is when you have a group of different races and cultures come together in one setting. I think that diversity is something that everyone should be introduced to at some point of his or her life. 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Genetic diversity can improve the lifespan of a population and individuals and protect the body from foreign substances. What is genetic diversity? Genetic diversity is the different level of genes in an individual. Genetic diversity, in a population, is the population contains most of one or more alternative forms of a gene that mutate at the same place on the chromosome (Paritsis). Furthermore, genetic diversity helps the population to adapt to the environmentRead MoreWhat Diversity Means to Me768 Words à |à 4 PagesWhat Diversity means to meâ⬠¦ Diversity to me is the balance of different cultures, races, sexes, religion, appearance, sexual orientation, disabilities, and many more things. Itââ¬â¢s the ability to look at someone else and to realize they are different but not treat as they are. The way you look at others and judge them could be the same way others look at you and judge you and make decisions based on what they do and do not like about you. You would not want someone to do this to you or to treat youRead MoreWhat Does Diversity Do With Ethics?1075 Words à |à 5 PagesWhat Does Diversity Have to Do with Ethics? When contemplating the subject of diversity in relation to ethics, several questions may arise for the first-year counseling student. These inquiries may be broad or rather specific. Primarily, one may wonder if the topic of diversity itself is such a significant subject that it is outlined in a code of ethics. Secondarily, if diversity is addressed, is it treated as a singular subject or broadly covered under an umbrella of principles? ConsequentlyRead MoreWhat Does Culture And Diversity Mean?898 Words à |à 4 Pagesbackgrounds and will consequently have diverse needs. Using critical theory and post-colonialism, this paper will focus upon how teachersââ¬â¢ intercultural sensitivities about difference and diversity (more specifically, cultural diversity) might impact upon students learning. 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Diversity, as defined in the Merriam Webster dictionary, is ââ¬Å"The quality or stateRead MoreWhat Diversity and Multiculturalism Mean to Me Essay1364 Words à |à 6 PagesWhat Diversity and Multiculturalism Mean to Me By David Meads What does Diversity and Multiculturalism mean to me? I believe that diversity has become so much more than just the basic qualities of race or gender. It now includes all qualities that make everyone unique, as individuals or as part of a larger group. It is also the acceptance, respect, and understanding of these unique qualities that makes diversity work in a given society. Multiculturalism is the system that is centered aroundRead MoreWhat Diversity Can Make Your Company?1435 Words à |à 6 Pages Diversity in the Workplace Devany Irvin Over the course of time, people from many different cultures have migrated to the United States, making our nation and workforce a melting pot of languages. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, it is estimated that currently more than 300 languages are spoken in the United States. This makes it a daily challenge for companies who provide us with our daily needs and wants, it is evident that not all companies hire one person per everyRead MoreDiversity Of Thought And What A Person Looks Like Essay1238 Words à |à 5 PagesDiversity of Thought Diversity in itself differs from diversity of thought. Diversity appeals more to what a person looks like. Diversity of thought appeals more to how a person thinks and processes information based on their perceptions and experiences. Diversity of thought is a process that involves how individuals think and formulate resolutions to challenges faced by their respective companies. ââ¬Å"Looking diverseâ⬠is not enough. TCCC must make a commitment to being attentive by applying
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
Media Concentration Is More Sensitive Than The Largest...
Nevertheless, these changes in the instrument point in the right direction, improving some of the deficiencies mentioned earlier. The new measurement, for example, assigns more weight to criteria such as pluralism and media concentration. The questionnaire section on ââ¬Å"Pluralism and editorial independenceâ⬠includes, for the first time, the following questions, all on a scale from 1 to 10.: D.2 - Do media reflect the range of opinions among members of the public? D.3 - Do public media provide coverage of and access by all political currents? D.4 - Is investigative journalism developed enough to uncover matters of significance? D.9 - To what extent do radio and television stations with the largest audiences present independent and critical news? Question D.11 on media concentration is more sensitive than before, since respondents are asked to evaluate it from a scale from 1 to 10. Moreover, another question is included to assess economic concentration in general and possible conflicts of interests: D.12 - What proportion of general-interest media is owned by companies with other interests in non-media sectors of the economy? (5 if 50%; 10 if 100%) The questionnaire introduces several questions on self-censorship: D.7 - Do journalists practice self-censorship for fear of the following consequences? a) Civil lawsuits or criminal prosecution b) Professional reprisals or attacks on reputation c) Threats to physical safety of the journalist or his family and friends, to hisShow MoreRelatedCOM3702 Portfolio10930 Words à |à 44 PagesMEDIA STUDIES PORTFOLIO STUDENT NUMBER: 35772085 SURNAME AND INITIAL: Moatshe, P MODULE CODE: COM3702 SUBMITION DATE: 7 October 2014 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby declare that this is my own work and personal work, except where the work(s) or publications of others have been acknowledged by means of reference techniques. 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Although these countries offer significant promise, access will come at the cost of fierce competition, potential of counterfeiting and international trade barriers. Bernard Arnault, the head of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy brands, recognizes that penetration, growth and development in these emerging markets are a critical part of the brandââ¬â¢sRead MoreAlcohol Marketing and Advertising25059 Words à |à 101 PagesIntern, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Division of Advertising Practices Executive Summary The Conferees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees directed the Federal Trade Commission to study the impact on underage consumers of ads for new flavored malt beverages, and whether the beverage alcohol industry has implemented the recommendations contained in the Commissionââ¬â¢s 1999 report to Congress regarding alcohol industry selfregulation. 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In more focus, the purpose of this analysis is to examine: - Samsung handsets approach to product, pricing, distribution and promotion. - Samsung handsets future prospects in the context of the increasing competition. - Samsung handsets practices inRead MoreThe Walt Disney Company Report15335 Words à |à 62 Pagesa rapid rate. Since the 2005 takeover of Pixar, The Walt Disney Company has never looked back, it has constantly and steadily growing only to takeover more renowned production powerhouses like Marvel and Lucasfilms. This expansion is not limited to film industry, Disney is spreading its wings to Shanghai, China to open its new and largest Disney Land. While it continues to quietly absorb the film giant UTV motion pictures of India. 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The more an article becomes subject to rapid changes of fashion, the greater the demand for cheap products of its kind. ââ¬â Georg Simmel, ââ¬Å"Fashionâ⬠(1904) Inditex (Industria de Diseà ±o Textil) of Spain, the owner of Zara and five other apparel retailing chains, continued a trajectory of rapid, profitable growth by
Monday, December 16, 2019
Mayan Culture Free Essays
Modern Mayan culture has its roots in a very ancient culture. Ancient Mayan civilization spanned more than 3000 years and featured a written language, agriculture, a well-ordered social class system, a well-developed religious system, development of a calendar and trade. Much of the ancient tradition and culture has survived and been incorporated into the modern Mayan culture. We will write a custom essay sample on Mayan Culture or any similar topic only for you Order Now Religion Mayan religion is a hybrid of Christianity and ancient Mayan beliefs and rituals. The sixteenth century church, a central institution in the process of conquest, set the tone of the future relationship by working to replace Mayan religion with Spanish Christianity and to Hispanicize Mayan culture in general. (Stoll, 2003) Although many of their Gods have been replaced with statues of Christianity, the stories barely resemble the Christian versions. Today, devout Maya worship at mountain and cave shrines, making offerings of chickens, candles and incense with a ritual alcoholic drink. The Maya are a very superstitious people and have countless superstitions regarding events in mature which forewarn the observer of sickness, disaster, and death. Shaman/ daykeepers keep count of the 260 day ritual calendar and provide healing by identifying curses and offended ancestors, counting seeds and crystals in their divinations, and performing curando rituals. Marriage Mayan marriage is not prearranged by the family, although in ancient times it was accepted practice. In the more traditional villages, the young man must still ask the father for his daughters hand in marriage and certain rituals are followed. There is a traditional engagement and weddingà ritual dance that many Maya use in their wedding ceremonies. Most young married couples will live with either set of parents until they can begin a household on their own. The average marriage age of Maya people is 16 for females and 19 for males. Very few Maya remain unmarried as family and children are very important to the Maya. Family Family is a very important part of Maya culture. The average Maya family will have 6-8 children and most newlyweds have their first child within a year of marriage. In the domestic life of the Maya, family ties are strong, although outward displays of affection, such as kissing and embracing, are rare. Couples are considered affectionate if they carry out their respective duties faithfully. To their babies, however, the Maya are demonstrative and fondle and caress them, using baby talk as white parents do. It is evident that most parents are very fond of their children. Very rarely do fathers chastise their children physically and the mothers resort to harsh punishment only occasionally.à à (Steggerda, 1941, p. 49) Food Production Strategies Many of the Mayan still live much the way they did when the Europeans came, weaving, cultivating corn and beans and collecting firewood to cook and heat their adobe houses. Electricity and road access have not changed the local traditions. Corn, which was cultivated by the ancient Mayans, remains the main crop. Most farmers still use the slash and burn method of farming used by their ancestors. Other strategies are share cropping and renting land to grow corn crops. The Maya form groups of up to twenty men, usually kin, rent a large piece of land, and divide it among themselves. Although this arrangement is much preferred to wage labor on the plantations, it à requires a minimum amount of capital for transportation, food, tools, seed, and so on, and expertise in dealing with the Ladino world. Many lack these resources and are forced into the largest of the temporary migratory streams. (Early, 1982, p. 88) Outside Contact The Maya, like most people who live in small and homogeneous groups where strong social controls operate, are conservative and unprogressive. Slow to take up new ideas, their attitudes and their material culture have been very little changed by modern trends and technological developments. Their pottery, weaving, and cross-stitch work have remained very much the same during the entire history of Yucatan. In general, they have not adopted the Spanish language but rather the Spaniards have adopted the Maya language. Their mode of dress has not changed appreciably for hundreds of years, and it is my belief that their daily life is very similar to that which their ancestors led. Only in the large Yucatan towns and cities, where social contacts are freer and where social controls cannot be maintained as strongly as in the smaller communities, are there signs of change. In such towns the European mode of dress is gradually being adopted, especially by the women, and cosmetics are commonly used. The people petition the government for radios, electric lights, and corn-grinding machines, and the idea of progress is gaining a hold in their minds. The cooperative movement and similar modern methods of economic organization are being tried. (Steggerda, 1941, p. 37) In Belize, the founding of the Maya Village Indigenous Experience is attempting to change the limited outside contact of the Maya culture by exposing it to tourism. They hope to bring money to the communities and improve the quality of life in the villages. (Steinberg, 2004) Many other Mayan communities are following this example in an effort to become more modern but they maintain the ancient rituals and beliefs, much like modern day New Orleans. These five concepts show the history and persevering culture of the Mayan people. Traditions with religion and family provide a rich background to pass on to the next generation. While they are struggling to enter the modern age, many of the more traditional Maya see no problem with the lifestyle they currently possess. Living in the United States, technology is readily available and most people are adept at using it. Things we take for granted such as telephones, computers, television, and automobiles are slow to make their way into the more rural areas of the Maya culture but they live full lives without these things. This is a huge culture difference because most Americans do not believe they can live without technology. The family tradition is also vastly different. Americans live a much faster paced life and many things must be balanced: work, children, marriage. Mayan women are traditional homemakers and Mayan men do the heavy labor. American women do many of the heavy labor jobs and not many people can afford to stay home with the children full time. Both cultures have proââ¬â¢s and conââ¬â¢s to their lifestyle and culture but both are ever changing and adapting to the world around them. Both realize the importance of religion within a culture and continuing the race through children. The United States, however, is not one culture but hundreds and this gives it a unique background. It is much more varied than the ancient Mayan history the modern Maya still cultivate. References Early, J. D. (1982). The Demographic Structure and Evolution of a Peasant System: The Guatemalan Population. Boca Raton, FL: University Presses of Florida. Steggerda, M. (1941). Maya Indians of Yucatan. Washington, DC: Carnegie Institution of Washington. Steinberg, M. K. (1994, Summer). Tourism Development and Indigenous People: The Maya Experience in Southern Belize. Focus, 44, 17+. Retrieved June 08, 2007, from Questia database: https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-19897117/tourism-development-and-indigenous-people-the-maya Stoll, D. (2003). Dow, James W. Alan R. Sandstorm (Eds). Holy Saints and Fiery Preachers: The Anthropology of Protestantism in Mexico and Central America. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 9(3), 595+. Retrieved June 09, 2007 How to cite Mayan Culture, Essay examples
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Occupational and Organizational Cultures Administrative
Question: Discuss about the Occupational and Organizational Cultures Administrative. Answer: Introduction Wilson Brothers is a Canadian company which manufactures and supplies different categories of prepared foods which entail a variety of baked products and other kinds of bottled drinks for the Canadian people from many of its branches. The industry was started in 1960 by Bob and John. The company has six functioning branches in Canada and its headquarters are situated in Brandon Manitoba. Due to increased demand of its products, the company has widened its market and opened more plants. The Human Resource Manager requires assessing the companys performance and measuring its output based on the available resources. This will involve designing and structuring the business, designing jobs to impact its performance, enhancing effective decision making, engaging in equity when it comes to issues related to fairness in the company, facilitating productive organizational culture and change, improving team or group work, how conflicts within the organization can be resolved, choosing and prac ticing of the best leadership style, and use of power in a motivational and productive manner (Wilson Brothers Enterprise Ltd., n.d.). Organizational Design and Structure The industry has a medium sized branch in Ontario, Cambridge. Up to recently, bakery products and bottled drinks were prepared at this plant. For the recent 30 days the industry has made a deal with some big grocery chains to distribute the baked products that are part of their present market products as well as new bakery products that the grocery businesses have ordered. It is an opportunity to the company since many of the grocery chains have made a decision not to prepare the bakery on their own but rather buy them from Wilson Brothers and sell them for a profit. This means the company will increase its supply and sales based on the deal it has finalized with the grocery chains (Ancona, 2013). Since the branch in Cambridge does not have the potential to manufacture the products to address the needs of the contracts, the company through the Human Resource manager should seek for more facilities that can be on sale. For instance, it got a manufacturing industry in Scarborough that was previously under a Company that as well prepared baked foods. The branch has the vats, ovens, packaging, conveyor, and prep sections which are essential for producing products that are requested by the new contracts. This branch is designed to produce more bakery products, five times the capacity of the present Cambridge plant. A little blow over of trucks, majority with refrigerators, was also contained in the package deal; therefore the new branch shall not be contracting with a trucking organization supply their products to the consumers. Late increases in orders for bottled drinks will lead to the increased output of the bottling function at the Cambridge branch, hence, taking over the spac e lately utilized by the bakery function (Fleishman, E. A. (2013). The globalization as well as the economic crisis forced the company to re-thing the strategies and change the ways they are operating. The company began switching their focus from the market to products and the competitors resulting in the lots of piecemeal change initiative instead of looking at the overall organization design. The structures, roles and the functions of the company were realigned with the new objectives of the company. The company expands its supply of food to outside United States, Europe and any other countries to ensure that the global market is reached. However, one disadvantage with this design and structure does not make use of economies of scale (Feldman, 2016). Job Design Employee motivation is significant in any workplace whose aim is to maximize productivity and revenue generation. A Human Resource manager requires making all the efforts possible to increase output in the companys operations. As a result, Human Resource needs to apply all the job design guidelines to ensure they lead to the staff participation and motivation. In so doing, every employee should be assigned specific duties they are trained in and have an extensive experience with the roles they undertake in the production process. For instance, every worker should be assigned a task and responsibilities based on their qualifications regarding the job description that a particular position requires. An accountant should have training in Commerce, finance and any related expertise in the business field. Based on scientific theories to management (Henry Fayols approach), selection of employees should be based on their qualifications that meet the positions needs (Dyer, 2015). When it comes to promoting employees, the process should be fair so that the staff is likely to be motivated. Whenever the process of promotion is unfair, employees get demoralized and feel not accepted and appreciated for the work they do. However, when the promotion is fair and engaging, every employee is likely to do best for future possible promotion. The promotion criteria should be clear and easily understood by every staff member, so that there are possible demonstrations against promotion which may lead to reduction of the companys sales as a whole (Durkin, 2014). The way the job is designed plays a major impact on the employee motivation, commitment to the organization, job satisfaction, absenteeism and the turnover. The work of the managers is to plan the work to be done by the employees. For this case, there is no job appraisal, and successions hence the job design is not well utilized (Deal Kennedy, 2013). Decision Making Strategic decisions that are made by the Wilsons brothers should be communicated to the employees in an effective manner, so that desired goals of the business are achieved. The information should be sent periodically to the employees without fail throughout business period. The employees are told what is not working well so that comfort is build. The company does not concentrate in positives only but they rather call the negative also. The company focuses on what is not going well so that they can dig in and get the better. Employees enquiries are responded in time to avoid situation that the employees are lowering their moral (Chandler, 2014). Decision making is very crucial in any organization. However, the decisions made can be significant based on how they are made and approached. In situations where decisions are made collectively, they are likely to be implemented faster and their outcomes experienced soon because most of the employees were involved in the plan. In such decisions, people work as a team to achieve the goals that are put in place. However, in cases where one or two people make decisions, they are likely to receive resistance and their implementation gets slow and this can lead to underperformance. Whenever the management as well as the Human Resource Personnel come up with certain decisions regarding the companys operations, the staff should be encouraged to take part in this process. It will lead to collective responsibility and accountability (Bradford, Gibb, Benne, 2015). The company should be able to separate ownership from management. Management team should be given sufficient priority to come up with decisions based on their skills and experience. Ownership should play a role in signing some contracts or buying of facilities. But, decisions to do with performance and other productive measures should be upon the management and the staff because they have a considerable experience in the functioning of the company than owners do (Bion, 2014). First of all, there are no equity policies. The perceived fairness determines if the employees are going to make extra effort to reach the organizational goals and the objective of his or her own job. The firm ensures that the rewards of the employees are rooted in the principle of fairness. The core driver of the retention, engagement and performance is the employee perception on fairness. Some of the fairness that the company ensures is making sure that there is career development and opportunities, compensation, work climate is conducive, management of supervisory conflict and by making sure there is no challenging work (Benne Shears, 2013). Issues to deal with promotion should be fair based on department gender and disability. All the three categories of people should be considered while promoting the current staff or recruiting the new employees. Fairness in an organization is a symbol that everyone is recognized in the company. It is through this recognition that the staff can work together as a team without any feeling for jealousy of the other. It is because the entire team is treated fairly and the sense of love will definitely develop among them (Beckhard Harris, 2014). Organizational Culture The strong business culture in the company indicates that employees are like minded and hold similar beliefs and the ethical values. When this beliefs and ethical values are aligned with the objective of the organization then it is proved that building teams is easier for there is quick build of rapport and trust. The culture of the organization has varying impact on the performance of the employees and the motivational levels (Beckhard, 2014). Whenever a weak culture exists, every employee is likely to have his or her own core values. Weak culture also lowers the companys performance since everyone feels to work in their own ways. It results in poor performance because the staff fails to cooperate collectively in achieving the companys objectives that are put in place (Beckhard, 2014). Organizational Change The Wilson Brothers limited expanded to the western United States and several plants in Europe as a way of expanding the market for its products. This allowed the company to sell more products generating more profits. The other change is that there was newly appointed director of human resources (Bass, 2013). The expansion undertaken by Wilson Brothers Company will result in increased profits. Whenever the revenues go high, the company is likely to grow faster and reach massive customers. Consequently, the employees are likely to get maximum motivation that can be inform of promotions or salary increment. The expansion includes the business deal with the grocery chain suppliers. The changes being contemplated in future include fully customer satisfaction and improved experience in their products. Another future contemplation of the industry is the plan of continued expansion to ensure it globalizes and be able to attract many customers to buying their products. In other words the company is maintaining the current market while searching for new customers as it proceeds to globalize and manufacture high quality products (Bass, 2013). Work Groups/Teams The brothers only attend meetings with two noteworthy teams in the company. They should be more present and get involved with other departments and teams as often as possible.There are no formal team meetings held in the office. Work groups and teams are very beneficial to a company because it gives employees the opportunity to stay in the loops, interact, and grow morale. There are no consistent policies on any employee relations issues, any employee at any level can be terminated at any time if he/she fell out of favor with the owners (Barley, 2013). It is beneficial if the brothers could project on improving teamwork within the organization. Teamwork means working as an entire company with equality and fairness. While working in a team, more ideas regarding any situations which arise can help in addressing the situations as soon as possible. Always teams accomplish tasks faster than when everyone works in his or her own ways to complete a particular task allocated to anyone. It is therefore necessary for the two brothers to delegate the responsibilities to team building personnel in an organization so that there is sustained team work to improve productivity forever. When people in an organization work as a group, they develop a strong culture which is supportive to the organization. Conflict There is no specific conflict resolution that is mentioned in the organization. However, various conflicts may arise in the company at any time during the working or off working hours. The conflicts can be employee to employee or organization to employee. There are various methods that can be used to deal with some of these conflicts. Among them include negotiation and arbitration. Negotiation involves bargaining which is aimed at getting the central point where all the parties are satisfied with the decisions made because they take part in achieving them. In arbitration process, the court gets in to settle the differences between the parties involved by law (Bales, 2013). Leadership Style The brothers have no succession plan for when they retire, which could be very damaging for the company. The brothers were very smart in hiring local CEOs in their foreign markets in order to respect the culture and integrate the culture into business practices. They were able to manage their foreign markets with cultural sensitivity and this is beneficial to not only productivity but also to the company's reputation (Argyris Sehon, 2012). Therefore, the company should set rules that govern the selection and appointment of the top management positions. In so doing, the future succession for those positions can be conducted successfully without any difficulties. Whenever there is a written succession plan, the upcoming administrators are likely to adhere to it. This will prevent any confusion in position taking when others retire (Argyris, Putnam Smith, 2014). Power, Influence and Motivation There is strong power which is being exercised by the brothers that makes the employees to be fearful for they suspect they can lose their jobs any time. So they are worried reducing their morals. This is because there are no policies that can defend their affairs as the employees (Argyris Sehon, 2012). The company should have policies that are friendly to the workers whether for employees on a contract basis or those employed as permanent workers. The policies should be written and be able to be signed by the employer and employees. The policies will enable the staff feel secure on their jobs and stop looking for alternative jobs elsewhere due to the fear that they may have while working for the organization. The management should consider applying considerable power to employees so that they do not feel downgraded or more inferior in the workplace (Ancona, 2013). Conclusion The Wilson Brothers Company has a great capacity to become superior in baked products and bottled juices. However, it requires strong Human Resources decisions that can be appropriate to it objectives. Human Resource management is a powerful tool to defining all the roles of each employee and how they can be motivated to achieve maximum production (Ancona, 2013). References Wilson Brothers Enterprise Ltd. (n.d.). From: www.profilecanada.com Ancona, D. G. (2013). Groups in organizations: Extending laboratory models. In C. Hendriek (Ed.), Annual review of personality and social psychology: Group and intergroup processes.Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. Argyris, C., Putnam, R., Smith, D. M. (2014). Action science. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Argyris, C., Sehon, D. A. (2012). 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The visible hand. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Deal, T. W., Kennedy, A. A. (2013). Corporate cultures. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Durkin, J. E. (Ed.). (2014). Living groups: Group psychotherapy and general systems theor. New York: Brunner/Mazel. Dyer, W. G., Jr. (2015). Cultural change in family firms. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Feldman, D. C. (2016). A contingency theory of socialization. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21, Festinger, L. (2014). A theory of cognitive dissonance. New York: Harper Row. Fleishman, E. A. (2013). Leadership climate, human relations training, and supervisory behavior. Personnel Psychology, 6, 205-222.
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