User Interface Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

User Interface - Case Study Example The dialog box shall hide when a user presses any of the two buttons. 1. The list of Portfolio Manager, Stock, and Trader Name shall be populated dynamically via retrieving the data from a database (for e.g. MS Access), spreadsheets (for e.g. MS Excel), or simple text files, and the user shall select the desired item from the drop-down list rather than typing. The users may also be allowed to add, edit, or delete the items of the drop-down lists. 3. A numeric up and down control shall be used instead of text field for the ‘Quantity’ input. This will allow the application to restrict the user to enter only numeric inputs and within the specified range. 1. The list of Stock shall be populated dynamically via retrieving the data from a database (for e.g. MS Access), spreadsheets (for e.g. MS Excel), or simple text files, and the user shall select the desired item from the drop-down list rather than typing. The users may also be allowed to add, edit, or delete the items of the drop-down

Law and management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law and management - Essay Example Simply put, if you promise that you will do something for another person and in return, that person agrees to pay you something, then you and that person have made a contract. A contract can be in verbal or written form but the most important thing is that there would be an agreement especially between two parties. Likewise, according to the labour laws of many countries, both the worker and the employee are bound by certain statutory regulations that would ensure that no party will breach the agreed contract. Indeed, when a person has decided to enter into an agreement with someone, both parties should have a common ground of understanding of the nature of the contract they would be agreeing upon so as to avoid conflict and misunderstanding in the future. (ii) When another party has frustrated the contract entered into between the two involved parties, it can be said that this other part would have failed to owner the obligations stated in the contract in the long run as a result of difficult conditions arising during the course of the contract. Thus, according to information obtained online, the issue of frustration here is about the subsequent impossibility of the contract which may be a result of an unforeseeable event to both parties. In most cases, this event would be beyond the control of both parties such as death. No mortal being is able to stop death hence this becomes impossible for both parties to stick to the contractual obligations since it would be difficult to press ahead especially in the absence of a key actor in such a scenario. (b) The case involving Harry and Ian can be attributed to frustration of contract which in this case can be summed up as a legal termination of a contract as a result of unforeseen circumstances which may prevent that particular contract to achieve the intended goals or objectives. Whilst Ian had agreed to buy a motor vehicle from Harry, it is

A History of Pakistan Essay Example for Free

A History of Pakistan Essay â€Å"Believe it or not, India and Pakistan were once a solid and unified country: the citizens of the Indian border states of Rajasthan and Punjab were almost looking similar to the citizens of Pakistan† (Paul, 2005). â€Å"So when India became free from the British colonizers in 1947, conflicts between the India and Pakistan started to become intense. Since then, India and Pakistan have continuously been angry and uninterested towards each other—in fact, they have already participated in three major wars—and even during periods of peace, the two country’s relationship had always been on the line† (Jaffrelot, 2005). â€Å"Inspired by their conflicts regarding territories† over the region of Kashmir, anger and hatred developed between the two countries over the years. For Pakistanis, the Kashmir dispute has become a symbol of broken pledges and Indian duplicity, and they are constantly attempting to raise the issue whenever possible, thus drawing strong reactions from India; on the other hand, India considers Kashmir as a vital part of the country, and attempts of the Pakistanis are viewed as an act to smear India’s image (Conboy, 1992). Read more:  Current Political Situation of Pakistan Up to this day, Kashmir remains the worlds largest and most highly militarized territorial dispute. Worse, as the years passed by, many issues have coupled the long-lived dispute over Kashmir, such as: the linked issues of the Siachen Glacier, the Wular Lake Barrage, and the current Kashmiri struggle; communalism and the plight of the minorities; nuclear developments; periodic domestic troubles; the Afghanistan crisis; and the involvement of outside powers (King, 1998). The Benefits of Pakistan Partition â€Å"Economic programs in Pakistan after the period of its partition emphasized on core planning. The Pakistani government established objectives for controlling private industries. The partition was established in order to improve domestic businesses and reduce dependence on foreign trade. These efforts led to the stability of its economic development in the 1950s† (Jones, 2003). However, excellent results stopped coming in the two straight decades. By the early 1970s Pakistan had succeeded in conquering its goal of stability in terms of food availability, â€Å"although this food was not really available to all Pakistanis because of the flawed distribution and shortcomings in the harvest†. In the late 1970s the Pakistani government began to decrease its power over the economy, which led to slowed development toward this goal. By 1991, however, the Pakistani government still controlled or managed many industries, including mining and financing, manufacturing and construction. Economic development enhanced during this time, at least gradually as a result of economic programs supported by foreign loans (Jones, 2003). A financial crisis after the partition stimulated Pakistan to institute major economic reforms. Because the partition resulted into an incredible surge in oil prices, Pakistan was haunted by a barrage of payments problem. To gather loans from well-regarded funding organizations, Pakistan made up its mind to implement programs in order to free its economy. These economic programs eliminated many strict government policies on investment, and established tariff systems that maintained trading at a manageable level. â€Å"Also, reform deregulated many industries and privatized many public enterprises. These reforms continued through the mid-1990s, although at a slower rate because of political changes in India’s government. In 1993 Pakistan permitted Pakistan-owned private banks to be established along with a minority of foreign banks† (Holliday, 2000). â€Å"With the reforms, Pakistan incredibly made a smooth transition from a closed and very restrictive economy to one that is open and free to the world. By 1996 to 1997, foreign investment had grown to nearly $6 billion, up from $165 million in 1990 to 1991. Exports and imports also improved significantly at the same time. Economic growth since the 1980s has brought with it an expansion of the middle class, which was estimated to form 20 to 25 percent of Pakistan’s population in the mid-1990s. As a result, the demand for consumer goods has expanded rapidly† (Mittmann, 1991). In Pakistan, the upsurge of innovative activity seems to have had more to do with the advent of partition than with the Silicon Valley phenomenon. The partition has dramatically changed the market and supply conditions, from being shortage and seller driven to being buyer and competition driven. To survive and grow, firms have to focus on improving their competitiveness. They are realizing that the real source of industrial competition today lies in innovation and the rapid technological change taking place throughout the world. Technology is now a key determinant of strategic change in Pakistani firms. Industrial development based on indigenous technology development is still an elusive dream, but the process of technology acquisition and assimilation is now very much a strategic process, aligned with firms need to build competencies (Kudaisya, 2001). The partition has stimulated the rapid growth of innovation-driven industries such as information technology (IT), communications technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. This has led to a new type of business enterprise known as the knowledge enterprise and a new sector of the economy known as the knowledge economy. This sector is now a significant component of the national economy and accounts for a large portion of economic growth. The partition created renewed interest in innovative entrepreneurship as a key driver for the rapid diffusion of innovation in business and industry. Entrepreneurship occupies centre stage in the wealth creation process in the knowledge economy (Cohen, 2004). References: Cohen, S, 2004. The Idea of Pakistan. Brookings Institution Press. Conboy, K, 1992. Elite Forces of India and Pakistan. Osprey Publishing Holliday, T, 2000. Insight Guide Pakistan. Insight Guides; 3rd edition Jaffrelot, C, 2005. A History of Pakistan and Its Origins. Anthem Press; New edition Jones, O, 2003. Pakistan: Eye of the Storm. Yale University Press; 2nd edition King, J, 1998. Lonely Planet Pakistan. Lonely Planet Publications; 5th edition Kudaisya, G, 2001. The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia. Routledge; 1st edition Mittmann, K, 1991. Culture Shock! : Pakistan. Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company Paul, T, 2005. The India-Pakistan Conflict: An Enduring Rivalry. Cambridge University Pres

Effects of Demographics on Performance Appraisals

Effects of Demographics on Performance Appraisals 23 Geddes This study examined the effects of demographic similarity and dissimilarity on perceptions of performance appraisals and reactions to negative feedback. When organizational members accept task-relevant feedback, they are more likely to maintain and/or modify their behaviors in ways that will improve future performance. In contrast, when employees reject supervisor feedback, more common when an evaluation indicates performance deficits, they may respond unfavorably (Fedor et al., 2001; Ilgen Davis, 2000). Fedor, D.B., Davis, W.D., Maslyn, J.M. Mathieson, K. Performance improvement efforts in response to negative feedback: The roles of source power and recipient self-esteem. Journal of Management, 2001, 27, 79-97. Ilgen, D. Davis, C. Bearing bad news: Reactions to negative performance feedback. Applied Psychology, 2000, 49, 550-65. 9 Catano The limitations of performance assessment, such as inflated ratings, lack of consistency, and the politics of assessment (Tziner, Latham, Price, Haccoun, 1996), often lead to their abandonment. Managers responsible for delivering performance reviews who are uncomfortable with the performance rating system may give uniformly high ratings that do not discriminate between ratees. Poor ratings detract from organizational uses and increase employee mistrust in the performance appraisal system (Tziner Murphy, 1999). Employees on the receiving end of the appraisal often express dissatisfaction with both the decisions made as a result of performance assessment and the process of performance assessment (Milliman, Nason, Zhu, De Cieri, 2002), which may have longitudinal effects on overall job satisfaction (Blau, 1999) and commitment (Cawley, Keeping, Levy, 1998). legally sound performance appraisals should be objective and based on a job analysis, they should also be based on behaviors that relate to specific functions that are controllable by the ratee, and the results of the appraisal should be communicated to the employee (Malos, 1998). Second, the appraisals must be perceived as fair. Procedural fairness is improved when employees participate in all aspects of the process, when there is consistency in all processes, when the assessments are free of supervisor bias, and when there is a formal channel for the employees to challenge or rebut their evaluations (Gilliland Langdon, 1998). In addition to perceptions of fairness, participation by employees in the appraisal process is related to motivation to improve job performance, satisfaction with the appraisal process, increased organizational commitment, and the utility or value that the employees place on the appraisal (Cawley et al., 1998). Tziner A, Latham GP, Price BS, Haccoun R. (1996). Development and validation of a questionnaire for measuring perceived political considerations in performance appraisal. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 17, 179-190. Tziner A, Murphy KR. (1999). Additional evidence of attitudinal influences in performance appraisal. Journal of Business and Psychology, 13, 407-419. Milliman J, Nason S, Zhu C, De Cieri H. (2002). An exploratory assessment of the purposes of performance appraisals in North and Central America and the Pacific Rim. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 40, 105-122. Malos SB. (1998). Current legal issues in performance appraisal. In Smither JW (Ed.), Performance appraisal: State of the art in practice (pp. 49-94). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 60- Maurer Structured interviews can be quite demanding for interviewees, combining social and cognitive processes (Campion, Palmer Campion, 1997, Dipboyes, 2005) 55 Levinson Because management by objectives is closely related to performance appraisal and review, I shall consider these together as one practice, which is intended: To measure and judge performance, To relate individual performance to organizational goals, To clarify both the job to be done and the expectations of accomplishment, To foster the increasing competence and growth of the subordinate, To enhance communications between superior and subordinate, To serve as a basis for judgments about salary and promotion, To stimulate the subordinates motivation, and To serve as a device for organizational control and integration. Major Problems. According to contemporary thinking, the ideal process should proceed in five steps: 1) individual discussion with the superior of the subordinates own job description, 2) establishment of the employees short-term performance targets, 3) meetings with the superior to discuss the employees progress toward targets, 4) establishment of checkpoints to measure progress, and 5) discussion between superior and subordinate at the end of a defined period to assess the results of the subordinates efforts. In ideal practice, this process occurs against a background of more frequent, even day-today, contacts and is separate from salary review. But, in actual practice, there are many problems: No matter how detailed the job description, it is essentially static that is, a series of statements. However, the more complex the task and the more flexible an employee must be in it, the less any fixed statement of job elements will fit what that person does. Thus, the higher a person rises in an organization and the more varied and subtle the work, the more difficult it is to pin down objectives that represent more than a fraction of his or her effort. With pre-established goals and descriptions, little weight can be given to the areas of discretion open to the individual but not incorporated into a job description or objectives. I am referring here to those spontaneously creative activities an innovative executive might choose to do, or those tasks a responsible executive sees need to be done. As we move toward a service society, in which tasks are less well defined but spontaneity of service and self-assumed responsibility are crucial, this becomes pressing. Most job descriptions are limited what employees do in their work. They do not adequately take into account the increasing interdependence of managerial work in organizations. This limitation becomes more important as the impact of social and organizational factors on individual performance becomes better understood. The more employees effectiveness depends on what other people do, the less any one employee can be held responsible for the outcome of individual efforts. If a primary concern in performance review is counseling the subordinate, appraisal should consider and take into account the total situation in which the superior and subordinate are operating. In addition, this should take into account the relationship of the subordinates job to other jobs. In counseling, much of the focus is on helping the subordinate learn to negotiate the system. There is no provision in most reviews and no place on appraisal forms with which I am familiar to report and record such discussion. The setting and evolution of objectives is done over too brief a period of time to provide for adequate interaction among different levels of an organization. This militates against opportunity for peers, both in the same work unit and in complementary units, to develop objectives together for maximum integration. Thus, both the setting of objectives and the appraisal of performance make little contribution to the development of teamwork and more effective organizational self-control. Coupled with these problems is the difficulty that superiors experience when they undertake appraisals. Douglas McGregor complained that the major reason appraisal failed was that superiors disliked playing God by making judgments about another persons worth.[1] He likened the superiors experience to inspection of assembly-line products and contended that his revulsion was against being inhuman. To cope with this problem, McGregor recommended that an individual should set his or her own goals, checking them out with the superior, and should use the appraisal session as a counseling device. Thus, the superior would become one who helped subordinates achieve their own goals instead of a dehumanized inspector of products. Every management by objectives and appraisal program should include regular appraisals of the manager by subordinates, and be reviewed by the managers superior. Every manager should be specifically compensated for how well he or she develops people, based on such appraisals. The very phrase reporting to reflects the fact that although a manager has a responsibility, the superior also has a responsibility for what he or she does and how its done. 57 Lievens High structured interviews appear to be less frequently used in personnel management practice than might be expected given their good reliability and validity. Meta-analytic research has demonstrated that low structure interviews are considerably worse than high structure interviews in terms of reliabilitry (Conway, Jako and Goodman, 1995) and criterion-related validity (Huffcutt Arthur, 1994 Marchese) 6- Brewer Organizational commitment is the extent to which employees identify with their organization and managerial goals, show a willingness to invest effort, participate in decision making and internalize managerial values[10]. 10. OReilly, C. and Chatman, J., Organisational commitment and psychological attachment: the effects of compliance, identification and internalisation on prosocial behaviour, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 71, 1986, pp. 492-9. 3 Baruch The process of performance appraisal (PA) is of most importance in human resource management (HRM). In a broad sense, PA systems are used for two main purposes: as a source for information for management; and as a feedback instrument for individuals employed by the organization. In the first case, the applications of the use of PA serve a variety of management functions. These could be decision-making about promotions, training needs, salaries, etc. Where feedback is the main goal, the fundamental purpose is to provide the employee with information that will improve personal performance and effectiveness. Recently the second approach has gained more attention. Providing the employee with feedback is widely recognized as a crucial activity. Such feedback may encourage and enable self-development, and thus will be instrumental for the organization as a whole. 47 Kuvaas Performance appraisal (PA) is among the most important Human Resource (HR) practices (Boswell and Boudreau, 2002; Judge and Ferris, 1993) and one of the more heavily researched topics in work psychology (Fletcher, 2002). PA has increasingly become part of a more strategic approach to integrating HR activities and business policies and may now be seen as a generic term covering a variety of activities through which organizations seek to assess employees and develop their competence, enhance performance and distribute rewards (Fletcher, 2001) failure (see, e.g. Cardy and Dobbins, 1994; Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). 44 Klehe The distinction between what people can do (maximum performance) and what they will do (typical performance) has received considerable theoretical but scan empirical attention in industrial-organizational psychology. The distinction between typical and maximum performance holdwide -researching practical and theoretical implications for performance appraisal and research validating fundamental assumptions of the typical-maximum performance distinction is as yet unavailable. 31 Harung Management is by nature a holistic profession. Management calls for the necessary understanding of a wide spectrum of factual knowledge and theories (economics, finance, technology, law, etc.). It calls for competence in the particular type of business one is managing and the ability to take part in and oversee manifold processes such as communication, team building, group decision and production. 39 Ivancevich Feedback of performance appraisal information has received increasing attention in the applied organizational behaviour literature (Latman Wexley, 1981). Ilgen, Fisher and Taylor (1979) in a thorough review of the literature discussed the nature of feedback, element of the feedback process and the implications of feedbacks in the work environment. Another related approach to providing feedback is the use of goal setting procedures. There has been an increasing number of studies that indicate that goal setting can be an effective approach for improving attitudes and increasing performance (). 82 Tziner Investigations of performance appraisal instruments have focused primarily on their psychometric properties (Bernardin, 1977, Borman 1979, Tziner, 1984). The result of the field experiment provided strong support for the proposition that a performance review consisting of performance feedback followed by goal setting would favourably influence work satisfaction and organizational commitment to a greater extent than performance review comprising feedback only. A plausible explanation as to why performance feedback has an impact rests with the fact that people are basically feedback seekers (Ashford, 1986). Feedback is a vehicle trough which the appraisee receives information about how well he meets organizational expectations and work requirements. Performance feedback followed by goal setting caused nonetheless a considerable magnitude of improvement. Most researchers have reported little or no training of appraisal with regard to proposed appraisal instruments. 65 Meyer To say that the performance appraisal feedback problem has been an enigma for managers and personnel specialists is probably a glaring understatement. The appraisal and feedback program is one of the psychologists and personnel specialists popular topics in the personnel literature. Problems experienced with performance appraisal programs are myriad. Significant eyidence has shown that most managers find the program onerous and distasteful. Feedback regarding job performance seems necessary to justify administrative decisions, such as whether a salary increase is awarded and the size of the increase, or whether an employee should be transferred to another job or scheduled for promotion. Feedback should contribute to improved performance. The positive effect of feedback on performance has always been an accepted psychological principal. For employees who are not in an obviously dependent role, an appraisal discussion designed to serve communication, motivation, and development purposes should be based on the subordinates self appraisal. To improve the value of a feedback discussion based on self-review, the grading aspect should be eliminated. If a goal setting program is being used, such as Management by Objectives, this annual review discussion is not the best place to establish detailed job goals for the year. Training supervisors to handle this type of discussion could be valuable. It need not be any more extensive than the training given for conventional appraisal programs, 29 Gunn A boss should ensuring privacy, removing distractions, setting context, providing specifics, allowing time for dialoguebut thats all blocking and tackling. It fails to address the fundamental problem: a blurred line between feedback and criticism. Even if we simply point out or describe another persons behaviour as a neutral observer, we are acting as a critic. Feeling judged, the person to whom we are giving feedback is likely to head south emotionally. Open-ended questions help maintain the right frame for the conversation. Feedback is truly a gift.. .but its the giver who receives it. In the process of delivering feedback in an open-minded way, we are invited to explore our own thinking, our mental assumptions, with another person. 58 Lindenberger They fear performance evaluations, so they avoid giving feedback. They dread the emotional part, so they refuse to risk saying anything that might make their colleagues unhappy. When they do give feedback, they send the wrong message by emphasizing only poor performance. 61 maylett Feedback has been used for decades as a measurement of past performance and behaviours. However, it wasnt until the mid-1980s that extensive use of 360-degree feedback became common for identifying strengths and development needs that might not be exposed in traditional performance evaluations. Similar to the 360 degrees of a circle, with the participant figuratively at the center of that circle, feedback is gathered from those most familiar with that participants performance: supervisors, peers, and direct reports. Most 360-degree feedback assessments and employee engagement initiatives fall under the umbrella of training and development, organizational development, or HR departments. It is important that these professionals understand the connections these instruments have to the bottom line. 13 Cook The importance of people to organizational performance has long been recognised (Pragald and Hamel, 1990), yet according to Fletcher (1993) more than 80 percent of UK organizations surveyed in the UK express some dissatisfaction with their performance appraisal systems, perceiving that they fail as a mechanism to develop and motivate people. The Achilles heel of the entire process, according to Kikoski (1999) is the annual performance review interview; line managers are under-preparated to handle the interview and reluctant to give negative feedback, leading to a situation where the people being appraised receive incomplete and inaccurate messages about their performance. The litterature suggests that people will only be satisfied with a performance appraisal peocess if it fulfils the criteria of fairness. It has also been suggested that a lack of appraisee trainibg in the PA process may cause discrepancies between expected and actual performance assessments which will contribute to dissatisfaction with the system (Bretz et al. 1992). People have been identified as the source of competitive advantage for organizations by numerous researchers (McGregor 1960, Barney, 1995, Prahalad and Hamel, 1990, Storey, 1991). People who are not appraisers, but are asked to provide input to another persons annual review, should also receive training to allow them to provide effective. The importance of training people to partecipate to PA is stressed by Bretz et al (1992) who advocate that it should be an ongoing process to achieve maximum effectiveness. Effective training should increase the effectiveness of the PAS and ultimately lead to greater organizational effectiveness. 50- Laird Mayfield documented that 90 percent of the people who had been evaluated expressed satisfaction with the performance appraisal procedure. While the idea of performance appraisal is almost universally accepted, its actual operation in some instances has failed to live up to its promise as an effective managerial tool. 64 Messmer Performance reviews can be a powerful tool for motivating team members to higher performance levels and improving relationship between managers and employees. - 16 deGregorio Research to date has clearly found that performance feedback is necessary in order to maintain and/or improve job performance (Catano, 1976; Erez, 1977; Kim Hamner, 1976; Komaki, Barwick, Scott, 1978). A self-appraisal instrument can provide a vehicle through which subordinate participation in the feedback process is ensured (Bassett Meyer, 1968; Kay, Meyer, French, 1965). The results indicated that performance appraisal based on a self-review was more satisfying to managers and subordinates than manager-prepared appraisals. Employees who have not previously participated in performance discussions are not always satisfied with the self-appraisal approach. In Bassett and Meyers study, such employees stated that when top-down appraisals were used, supervisor expectations were much clearer. 17 Dobbins If ratees are dissatisfied with the appraisal system or perceive it as unfair, they will be less likely to use evaluations as feedback to improve their performance (Ilgen, Fish Taylor, 1979). Similarity, dissatisfaction with appraisal procedures could potentially lead to employee turnover, decreased motivation and feeling of inequity. Past research suggests that appraisal satisfaction is a function of both the level of evaluation and the feedback provided by the evaluation. Ratees are also more satisfied with appraisal systems that provide useful feedback about job performance. As noted by Carroll and Schneier (1982), one of the primary purposes of the formal appraisal is to provide clear, performance-based feedback to employees. As noted earlier, it is widely recognised that appraisal system can provide employees with feedback concerning the adequacy of their job performance (Bernardin Beatty, 1984). Feedback can be defined as a subset of information that allow employees to judge the appropriateness or correctness of behaviours for attaining various goals (Ashford, 1986). 76 Segalla The future looked likely to prefer high performance, well trained and multi-lingual managers. 43 Jaworsky Supervisory feedback is a useful mechanism for controlling salespeoples performances (Teas 1983, Tyagi, 1985, Walker, Churchill and ford 1977). Importantly, supervisory control can be exercised at the input, process or output stages (Jaworsky, 1988). Further, given the positive feedback can pertain too to outputs or behaviours, the issue of comparative effectiveness of alternative types of supervisory feedback takes on greater complexity. The typology of supervisory feedback used in our study is drived from two dimensions. The first dimension is the locus of feedback, whether feedback pertains to a sales persons output or behaviour. The second dimention is the valence of feedback, whether feedback is positive or negative. Feedback is argued to improve performance through it informational and motivational effects. 35 Hiltrop Employees are expected to do their work and think of ways to improve it, achieve new levels of performance, contribute to change efforts and manage their own ongoing learning processes (Mohrman and Mohrman, 1993). Organizations will become more complex and ambiguous place to work (Handy, 1989) The role of the manager will become more lateral, with much more focus on people, customers and processes. As Cannon (1996) points out: managers are being asked to show their worth on a more decentralized workplace, worth valuated in terms of effectiveness in creating conditions in which people can deliver the best results. Most commentators agree that managers of the future will require a more extensive mix of skills and competencies than their processors. For instance, Allred et al. (1996) argues that, as more companies adopt some type of networked structure, managers need to have not only strong collaborative, partnership and relationship skills. In the organization of the future, managers role have been portrayed as those of portfolio specialists, whose work and income comes first and foremost from having high expertise in a particular field or subject that is essential to the business (Nicholson, 1996). Managers of the future will have to develop a much wider range of skills and competencies than their predecessors. According to Carson and Carson (1997) many organizations are burdened with workers who want to jump ship, but who stay firmly on board grasping for long-term security in the face of widespread job cuts. There is no doubt that the successful managers for the future will need a very different set of skills and competencies than their predecessors. 42 Jawahar A primary purpose of formal performance appraisals is the provision of clear, performance-based feedback to employees (Carroll Schneier, 1982; Ilgen, Fisher Taylor, 1979). The significance of feedback to the appraisal process as well as to the broader management process has been widely acknowledged (e.g., Bernardin Beatty, 1984; Ilgen et al., 1979; Lawler, 1994; Maier, 1958; Murphy Cleveland, 1995). Performance feedback has the potential to influence future performance (Ilgen et al., 1979; Kluger DeNisi, 1996), and significantly impact job and organizational attitudes (Ilgen, Peterson, Martin Boeschen, 1981; Pearson, 1991; Taylor, Fisher Ilgen, 1984). Thus, feedback is not only important to individuals but also to organizations because of its potential influence on performance and a variety of attitudes and behaviors of interest to organizations. Satisfaction with appraisal feedback is regarded as one of the most consequential of the reactions to appraisal feedback (e.g., Dorfman, Stephan Loveland, 1986; Giles Mossholder, 1990; Keeping Levy, 2000). For instance, Giles and Mossholder (1990) and others (e.g., Organ, 1988) have asserted that satisfaction as a measure of employees reactions is a more encompassing indicator of reactions to appraisal feedback than more specific, cognitively oriented criteria, such as perceived utility and accuracy of feedback (e.g., Keeping Levy, 2000). In summary, the central role of feedback to the appraisal process and the importance of examining ratees satisfaction with appraisal feedback are widely acknowledged (e.g., Ilgen et al., 1979; Keeping Levy, 2000; Murphy Cleveland, 1995). Satisfaction with appraisal feedback is likely to enhance employees feelings of selfworth and their feelings of positive standing within the organization (Lind Tyler, 1988). If organizations are to realize the benefits of performance feedback, they should take the appraisal process and particularly the feedback discussions between the rater and ratee seriously. Although satisfaction with feedback has been a focal construct in a number of studies, its nomological net is not well understood. The significant relationship between satisfaction with feedback and organizational commitment became non-significant when the influences of job satisfaction and satisfaction with manager on organizational commitment were statistically controlled. Results of this study indicate that the extent to which ratees are satisfied with the performance feedback benefits the ratee, rater and the organization. Ratees benefit as satisfaction with feedback is positively related to their job satisfaction and influences their future performance. Raters benefit as ratees satisfaction with feedback is positively related to ratees satisfaction with them, negatively related to turnover intentions, and influences future performance of ratees. 32 Heathfield Every method of assessing employee performance has its positive and negative characteristics. The traditional process of performance appraisal reflects and underpins an old-fashioned, paternalistic, top-down, autocratic mode of management that relies on organization charts and fear of job loss to keep troops in line. The traditional performance appraisal process treats employees as possessions of the company, fails to create a dialogue and rarely results in positive employee development and progress. Performance management is the process of creating a work environment or setting in which people are enabled to perform to the best of their abilities. Performance management is a whole work system that begins when a job is defined as needed and ends when its determined why an excellent employee left the organization for another opportunity. In a performance management system, feedback remains integral to successful practice. The feedback however becomes a discussion for both progress and personal business goals. 56 Liden Very little work has been done on the poor performers reactions to the leaders responses. Liden (1981) found that subordinates and leaders reported that the most common leader response to ineffective performance was to simply discuss the incident with the poorly performing subordinate. In such a discussion the leader is essentially giving negative feedback to the poor performer. Ilgen, Mitchell, and Fredrickson (1981a) found that poorly performing subordinates perceive specific feedback to be more helpful than general feedback. Similarly, results of a field study indicated that feedback timing, specificity, and frequency are all associated with subordinate satisfaction and perceptions of appraisal helpfulness (Ilgen, Peterson, Martin, Boeschen, 1981b). It was predicted that subjects would rate feedback containing consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus information (i.e., specific feedback) more positively than feedback containing information on none of these three dimensions (i.e., non-specific feedback). Subordinates rated specific feedback more positively than nonspecific feedback. Feedback including consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus information was rated higher than feedback containing information on none of these dimensions. This result supports the Ilgen, Fisher, and Taylor (1979) suggestion that subordinate misperceptions and nonacceptance of negative feedback might be corrected by providing more specific feedback. 19 Falcone In an era where intellectual capital defines any companys ability to stand out from its peers, measuring that human capital as a true asset may dictate the organizations ultimate success or failure. In reality, though, this challenge has gone mainly unresolved because managers see pertbnnance appraisal as an exercise that focuses only quantitatively on individual performance as the core foundation and building block of the performance review process. So much for the Golden Cycle of Performance Management, which is: Goal setting and planning. Ongoing feedback and coaching. Appraisal and reward. Under the current way of handling appraisals, the first two steps rarely get addressed, leaving the culmination in the third step more theory than reality. 27 Grensing-Pophal Many CU managers and business experts note that performance evaluation is perhaps the most important part of the interaction between supervisors and managers. 62- McGregor Formal performance appraisal plans are designed to meet three needs, one for the organization and two for the individual: 1. they provide systematic judgments to back up salary increases, promotions, transfers and sometimes demotions and terminations 2. they are a means of telling a subordinate how he is doing, and suggesting needed changes in his behaviour, attitudes, skills or job knowledge, they let him know where he stands with the boss. 3. They are also being increasingly used as a basis for the coaching and counselling of the individual by the superior. McGregor found that one of the bosss resistance to effective appraisal interview is related to the lack of skills needed to handle the interview. Training programs designed to teach the skills of appraising and interviewing do help, but they seldom eliminate manager

Evil in Byrons Dramas: Manfred, Cain, Heaven and Earth, The Deformed T

The Conception of Evil in Byron's Dramas: Manfred, Cain, Heaven and Earth, The Deformed Transformed.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   The depictions of and ideas about evil in Byron's dramas Cain, The Deformed Transformed, Heaven and Earth and Manfred are fairly common between the four texts. On the basic level, evil is seen as a force opposite to good, which all humans have the potential for. Only some humans express this potential, and their downfall into evil is often brought about by temptation, usually from a divine being. God punishes evil. This interpretation of evil is problematic, however. Because God administers punishment, evil becomes anything that questions the omnipotence of God. The hint that God himself may have an evil side is a truth that may not be discovered without first questioning, an action that endangers the questioner.       "Evil" is acknowledged as a force separate and opposite from "good". Cain's Lucifer admits the all-encompassing nature of evil in Act II Scene II: "But ignorance of evil doth not save from evil,/ it must still roll on the same,/ A part of all things". Even before Cain has committed murder or seemingly done anything wrong, Lucifer refers to "thy present state of sin - and thou art evil" (Cain Act II Scene II) Evil, then, is a potential present in everyone, though it is not necessarily acted on in every case, and indeed is not desirable. Cain declares "I thirst for good" and Lucifer's answer shows that this is the normal attitude for men - "And who and what doth not? Who covets evil/ For its own bitter sake? None - nothing! Tis/ The leaven of all life and lifelessness".       Evil seems to be defined in Byron's dramas as selfishness or lack of regard for God. Good, by contr... ... religious morality.    The assertion of individuality is threatening to society and to God, so these entities declare selfishness and over-individuality as sinful and evil, so they are justified in punishing them. What is defined as evil is really anything that threatens authority, be it the authority of God, a ruler of some kind or the authority of the idea of society itself over individuality.    Works Cited Byron: The Poetical Works of Lord Byron. The Albion Edition. Frederick Warne and Co: London. LaCerva, P A: Byron and the Pseudepigrapha: A Reexamination of the Mystery Plays. In Byron Journal, Volume 14 Praz, M, ed. West, P: Metamorphoses of Satan. In Byron, A Collection of Critical Essays. Prentice Hall:New Jersey Raphael, F: The Byronic Myth. In Byron Journal Volume 12 Vuilamy, C E (1948): Byron. Michael Joseph: London

Macbeth - Macbeth Character Study Essay example -- essays research pap

Thesis: Macbeth's changing character over the course of the play can be seen in his roles a general, husband and a king. I. General A. Early in the play he is brave 1. Captain reports 2. Duncan conversation B. Late in the play he is ineffective 1. Fearful 2. Cornered II. Husband A. Initially close to wife 1. Confides in her via letter 2. Has pet name B. Later becomes distant/cold 1. Tells doctor to cure Lady Macbeth 2. Feels resignation, not anguish at her death III. King A. At first is powerful 1. Malcolm and Donaldbain free Scotland 2. He succeeds in killing Banquo B. At end is powerless 1. Fleance escapes 2. Malcolm conquers Scotland The story of Macbeth is one of power at the expense of everything. The main character, Macbeth starts out greatly admired with strong character. As the play progresses, Macbeth's personality and actions become more deceitful leading to his destruction. Macbeth's changing character over the course of the play can be seen in his roles a general, husband and a king. First, Macbeth's changing character is evident in his role as a general. As the play begins, he is a brave general, well respected by his peers. The captain returning from battle reports of this saying, "But all's too weak; for brave Macbeth (he deserves that name)" (1.2. 17-18) Duncan later confers his title as king of Scotland, claiming, "No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his present death, and with his former title,... Macbeth - Macbeth Character Study Essay example -- essays research pap Thesis: Macbeth's changing character over the course of the play can be seen in his roles a general, husband and a king. I. General A. Early in the play he is brave 1. Captain reports 2. Duncan conversation B. Late in the play he is ineffective 1. Fearful 2. Cornered II. Husband A. Initially close to wife 1. Confides in her via letter 2. Has pet name B. Later becomes distant/cold 1. Tells doctor to cure Lady Macbeth 2. Feels resignation, not anguish at her death III. King A. At first is powerful 1. Malcolm and Donaldbain free Scotland 2. He succeeds in killing Banquo B. At end is powerless 1. Fleance escapes 2. Malcolm conquers Scotland The story of Macbeth is one of power at the expense of everything. The main character, Macbeth starts out greatly admired with strong character. As the play progresses, Macbeth's personality and actions become more deceitful leading to his destruction. Macbeth's changing character over the course of the play can be seen in his roles a general, husband and a king. First, Macbeth's changing character is evident in his role as a general. As the play begins, he is a brave general, well respected by his peers. The captain returning from battle reports of this saying, "But all's too weak; for brave Macbeth (he deserves that name)" (1.2. 17-18) Duncan later confers his title as king of Scotland, claiming, "No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest. Go, pronounce his present death, and with his former title,...

The Roles of Management in an Organization

The success of an organization rests on the ability of managers to plan, organize, direct and control. ‘ The aim of this essay is to examine to what extent the above statement is an accurate appraisal of successful management? To illustrate the arguments put forward this essay will refer to the case study ‘The launch of the centaur' taken from Paton et al text ‘Organizations, Cases, Issues and Concepts'. The case study reports on the problems that occurred when Centaur replaced Paravel car manufacturers. This essay will include a study of Henri Fayol's five key managerial elements in order to display whether it is essential to plan, organize, direct and control followed by practical examples drawn from the highlighted case study. Fayol's career began as a mining engineer and then moved into research geology and in 1888 joined, Comambault as Director. The company was in difficulty but Fayol turned the operation round. On retirement he published his work – a comprehensive theory of administration – described and classified administrative management roles and processes then became recognised and referenced by others in the growing discourse about management. Fayol categorized management into five key elements, which can be seen in appendix one. The first of the elements is planning; Fayol believes that planning † means both to access the future and make provision for it†[1] Fayol views the â€Å"action plan† as the most useful output of the planning process. He notes that this plan must consider the firm's resources, work- in-progress, and future trends of the eternal environment. Fayol also believes that a good action plan must consist of continuity, unity, flexibility and precision. Pugh and Hickson state that † The problems of planning which management must overcome are: making sure the objectives of each part of the organisation are securely welded together (Unity); using both short and long term forecasting (continuity); being able to adapt the plan in the light of changing circumstances (flexibility); and attempting to accurately predict courses of action Precision†[2]. The essence of planning is to allow the optimum use of resources. The views of Fayol and Pugh and Hickson illustrate the importance of planning when seeking to be a successful manager. The second of the elements is organizing, Fayol states that â€Å"personnel is the focus of this section†[3] He believes that managerial duties of an organisation must be realised through the use of personnel. He argues that despite the variety of business, every firm of similar employee size differs mainly in the † nature and relative value of constituent elements†[4]. The task of management is to build up an organisation that allows the activities to be carried out in an optimal manner. Pugh and Hickson state, â€Å"Central to this is a structure in which plans are effectively prepared and carried out. There must be unity of command and direction, clear definition of responsibilities, precise decision making backed up by an efficient system for selecting and training managers†[5]. The views of Fayol and Pugh and Hickson illustrate the importance of organizing when seeking to be a successful manager. Fayol has identified that there are many key objectives of organising, which can be located on Appendix two The Fayol's third element comes logically after the first two, plan and control his third element is to command. In relation to the question command is part of the ability to direct. Fayol states that commanding is â€Å"the responsibility of every manager†[6]. The purpose of this is to achieve the maximum contribution from all personnel to help with the interests of the organization. Pugh and Hickson state that with the â€Å"ability to command the manager obtains the best possible performance from subordinates†[7]. Organisations have a variety of tasks to perform so co-ordination is needed, which is the fourth of Fayol's elements and the other half of the ability to direct. Fayol has created a list of managerial duties/responsibilities, which are highlighted in Appendix 3 Fayol states â€Å"co-ordinating is the harmonisation of resources in their optimum proportions in order to achieve results†[8]. Pugh and Hickson backup Fayol's view † essentially this is making sure that one departments efforts are coincident with efforts of other departments, and keeping all activities in perspective with regard to the overall aims of the rganisation†[9]. Fayol identifies some of the key characteristics of a well co-ordinated organisation. These characteristics are highlighted in Appendix 4. The fifth and final of Fayol's five elements is controlling which logically checks the other four elements are performing correctly. Fayol states that controlling â€Å"consists of the ongoing, routin e verification of plan implementation, instructions issued and principles†[10]. Controlling applies to all processes and its purpose is to identify weaknesses and problems that can be rectified and to prevent recurrences. Fayol believes that organisations should be â€Å"cautious against infiltration of control†[11] such as duality of command. Fayol also stresses the need for independent, objective and impartial inspection. Pugh and Hickson believe that † to be effective, control must operate quickly and there must be a system of sanctions. The best way to ensure this is to separate all functions concerned with inspection from operation departments whose work they inspect†[12]. This backs up the view made by Fayol. The above views illustrate the importance of the ability to command when aiming to become a successful manager. Fayol's managerial functions have been subject to in-depth analysis, which had led to the highlighting of various weaknesses. The main weakness is that the Fayol system is based upon assumption and clearly lacks consideration of human behaviour. One of his five elements taken from Pugh and Hickson (1996) â€Å"To forecast and plan – prevoyance† illustrates this. It is impossible to forecast every activity within the workplace e. g. arguments amongst staff, staff leaving the company and basically any emergencies that arrive. Some might believe that Fayol's theoretical thinking placed too much importance on observation, Mintzberg (1989) himself suggests â€Å"If you ask managers what they do they will almost likely tell you that they plan, organize, co-operate and control. Then watch what they do. Do not be surprised if you can't relate what you see to those four words†[13]. Mintzberg undertook an extensive study of executives at work. He categorized management into three groups that are divided into ten roles which can be seen in Appendix A Roles such as leadership, liaison, monitor, disturbance handler etc, which are not mentioned in Fayol's model of management, clearly illustrate that interpersonal skill have been neglected in his management approach. This is seen, as a major weakness because interpersonal skills are essential in the day to day running of a business, as stated above it is impossible to foresee the future. Chris Argyris and David McGregor highlight other weaknesses Argyris (1957) noted that if classical principles of formal rganization are used, employees work in a certain environment (Appendix 6). This approach to organisations and their management has been subject to substantial criticism. It employs close system assumptions in order to reduce uncertainty and maximise control. Many of its principles are based on common sense â€Å"Truism† and suffer from generality, in that they lack specific guidelines for applications. It regards the organisation as machine and people as its components, or ganisation without people. At its best it regards the individuals as only motivated by money. It, therefore, disregards the social and more complex needs of individuals in organisations. In the late 1950s, Douglas McGregor stressed the importance of Understanding the relationships between motivation and human nature. He believed that managers attempted to motivate employees using one of two basic approaches. The first was a negative theory, labeled theory X. Theory X Followed the traditional view of management based on direction and control. It Suggested that managers were required to coerce, control or threaten employees in order to motivate them. In contrast, the second was a positive theory, labeled Theory Y, and was based on new information about behavior. Theory Y suggested that managers believed that people are capable of being responsible and mature. Despite the above criticism the classical approach still remains influential even today. Many of its principles have formed the foundation for the development of the modern management concepts. It is advised that new managers should consider Fayol's model of management but also consider other theories from academics such as Mintzberg.