Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Managing Oneself by Peter Drucker - Essay Example Now, each individual must assess one’s own strengths and working style and match them with potential opportunities of work to find the best fit. In addition, it is important to see if personal values clash with the organization’s value system. Finally, it is important to understand that today’s work environment is a two-way street and that the worker needs to continually see how he or she can contribute positively while communicating well with colleagues. Identifying one’s strengths is a tricky business. People imagine they know what they are good or bad at but they are mostly wrong. Drucker suggests using the feedback analysis to assess one’s strengths by noting expected results at every decision point and then matching them with actual results several months later. Through continued use of this method and assessing the results, it is possible to eventually filter out areas where one is not good at and also to identify the strong areas of oneâ€⠄¢s personality. It is important then to concentrate on improve on one’s strengths and fill gaps in knowledge. In the process, one must differentiate between being intelligent and being knowledgeable. A lot of times, intelligent people place barriers upon themselves against gaining knowledge or communicating with others. Feedback will also reveal areas of improvement by showing why certain bad habits result in unexpected results. Assessment of these factors and strengths can allow one to decide on which type of job one is suited for. The next step is to identify one’s own working style and see if the organization offers a conducive environment for such a style. For example, it is important to know whether one is a listener or a reader – meaning whether it is easier to assimilate information by listening to people or by reading it. President Lyndon Johnson made the mistake of keeping President Kennedy’s staff who prepared briefs for him before any  meeti ng.  

Long-Term & Short-Term Budgetting Essay Example for Free

Long-Term Short-Term Budgetting Essay Introduction Budgeting is indeed a key component in managing short and long term planning. To define a broad objective such as wealth maximization is clearly not sufficient to achieve the goal. It is very important for an entity to get into more details over how to work towards the objective. Businesses typically do this by crafting a long-term plan and short-term plan which I will be explaining in details. Budgeting Before I proceed, it is very important for us to understand what is budget and how it works. A budget is a formal written summary (or statement of management’s plan for a specified future time period, expressed in financial terms. A budget becomes an important basis for controlling operations and evaluating performance. Thus, it promotes efficiency and serves as a deterrent to waste and inefficiency (Carlon, et al., 2009, p. 882) Types of budget There are several types of budget namely trade receivables budget, sales budget, finished inventories budget, trade payables budget, production budget, direct labour budget and many more. The list continues and varies from industry to industry. Budget usefulness Budgets are generally regarded as having four area of usefulness. * Budgeting promotes forward thinking and the possible identification of short-term problem. * They can also be used to help co-ordinate various sections of the business. * They play an integral role into motivating managers to perform better. * Providing basis for a system control, and lastly * Budgets can provide a system of authorization for managers to spend within the limit. (Merchant, Hawkins, Anthony, 2006, p. 560) The Planning process Figure 1 the planning process Source: (Banham, 2000, p. N.A) The above shows the relationship between budgets, long-term planning and short-term planning. The budgeting process The development of the budget for the coming year generally starts several months before the end of the current year. The budgeting process usually begins with the collection of data from each of the subunits of the entity. Past performance is often the starting point in budgeting, from which future budget goals are formulated. The budget is developed within a framework of a sales forecast that shows potential sales for the industry and the entities expected share of such sales. Sales forecasting involves a consideration of such factors as: I. General economic conditions. II. Industry trends III. Market research studies development IV. Anticipated advertising and promotion V. Previous market share VI. Changes in prices VII. New products VIII. Technology Short-term planning Short-term planning or budgeting is a process that focuses on short term, commonly one year, and results in the production of budgets that set the financial framework for that period. It is likely to be expressed mainly in financial terms and is designed to convert the long-term plan into an actionable blueprint for the future. The short-term planning is mainly carried out by Tactical managers and Operational managers. The budget will define precise targets for sales revenues and expenses, cash flows, short-term credit to be given or taken, inventory requirements, personnel requirements, increase profits, control costs, and invest for the future. Long-term Planning â€Å"Exercise aimed at formulating a long-term plan, to meet future needs estimated usually by extrapolation of present or known needs. It begins with the current status and charts out a path to the projected status, and generally includes short-term (operational or tactical plans) for achieving interim goals.† (Business Dictionary, n.d.) The above is a definition of Long-term planning or Strategic planning is usually carried out by senior management. The long-term plan covers a period of at least three years (some go up to five years) on a quarterly basis, forcing the organization into that discipline of thinking further out than one year. These plans should be updated when the short-range plan is prepared. Long-term strategies defines its overall effort in building market share, increasing revenues, decreasing costs, issues such as business take overs, expansion plans, deletion of business segments and radical product/service segment. (Budgeting, 2010) The way in which planning process is conducted depends on the industry and culture of the entity. Nevertheless, the entity outlines its long-term goals and specifies its short-range plans in quantifiable terms which detail how it expects to accomplish its goals (Hillstrom, 2013, p. 4) Long term planning Vs. Short-term planning Now that I put the definition and the functions of long term and short term planning before you. We will now see the advantages of long term and short term planning. * The main difference is the time period involved. The maximum length of a budget (or short term) is usually one year, and these budgets are prepared often for shorter period of time. In contrast, long-range planning usually encompasses a period of 3-5 years. * A second significant difference is the emphasis. Budgeting is concerned with the achievement of specific short-term goals. Long-range planning, on the other hand, is a formalized process of selecting strategies to achieve long-term goals and developing policies and plan to implement the strategies. Management is also responsible to respond to opportunities and challenges with strategic response that arise from anticipated trends in the economic and political environment. * Thirdly, there is difference between the details in the planning. Short term planning can be very detailed, this is to provide a basis for control. While long-rang plans contain considerably less details, because the data are intended for a review of progress towards long-term goals rather than for an evaluation of specific results to be achieved. The main objective of long-range planning is to develop the best strategy to maximize the entity’s performance over an extended future period. * Lastly, many entities today use a continuous 12-month budget by dropping the month just ended and adding a future month. One advantage of continuous short-term budgeting is that it keeps management planning a full year ahead, compared to just one-time planning for long term. Conclusion The preparation of budget is a valuable exercise as it forces management to look ahead and plan long term goal rather than to look back at the past. Once the long term goal has been set, a detailed short term planning can then be created. It is hence vital that budgeting is created as accurately as possible, as an error in data collection could affect the whole of the company’s operational and financial activities. The full benefits of budgeting can only be gained when the actual results are compared with the budgeted results then corrective actions are in place. Thus budgeting is a key component in managing short and long term planning. References Banham, R. (2000). Better Budgets. Journal of Accountancy, N.A. Budgeting. (2010). Retrieved from Entrepreneur: http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82266.html Business Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from Defination of Long-term Planning: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/long-term-planning.html Carlon, S., Mladenovic-Mcalpine, R., Loftus, J., Palm, C., Kimmel, P. D., Kieso, D. E., Weygandt, J. J. (2009). Accounting building business skills. New York: John Wiley Sons. Hillstrom, E. K. (2013, Jan 27). Budgets and Budgeting.. Retrieved from Encyclopedia of Small Business.Vol. 1. Gale Cengage: http://www.enotes.com/budgeting-reference/ Merchant, K. A., Hawkins, D., Anthony, R. (2006). Accounting Text Cases. Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

F Scott Fitzgerald Was An American Dreamer English Literature Essay

F Scott Fitzgerald Was An American Dreamer English Literature Essay Modernism was a literary movement in the 19th century that challenged the traditional way of presenting art and all other aspects of social life, modernism also claimed that the traditional life was outdated and needed reforms and it described both a set of cultural tendencies and many associated cultural movements. Modernism was a contradiction against the conservative values of realism It argued that unlike traditional social system, the modern culture was permanent. It aimed at identifying the root causes that undermined social progress. Fitzgerald uses the basic concepts of modernity to advocate for change in literature and embrace new form of social organization. In his works, Fitzgerald uses various themes that advocate for modernism. Fitzgerald further emphasizes the way in which Modernism is fascinated with the way the mind processes or projects a reality which surrounds the individual but which is often alienating and oppressing. (Camacho) He utilizes the technique of the un reliable narrator to further locate The Great Gatsby within the Modernist sensibility. The experience of modernity was sophisticated and the narrator wishes that everyone would accept modernism. One things sure and nothings surer The rich get richer and the poor get children (www.goodreads.com) Here we are made aware of the fact that riches stood as a definition for the pompous and sophisticated people in society i know Ive been everywhere and seen everything and done everythingSophisticated God, Im sophisticated (Fitzgerald) The Great Gatsby explains in literary style all the characteristics of modernism. The experience of modernity was sophisticated and the narrator wishes that everyone would accept modernism Either you thinkor else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize'(goodbooksincquotes.blogspot.com) Fitzgerald calls out on the society to civilize as he saw tradition as numbing and detaching pe ople who expect positive aspects of modernity. Fitzgerald has cleared in his novel In America about the modernity how the women is set free but is aimless without any goal and is used as a sex object in the novel Tender is the night and because of this reason women like rosemary left behind people like Dick back and marched ahead towards the future One of the most interesting contributions Fitzgerald makes to the analysis of modernity he found in his various sources is his suggestion that the quintessential American art form, the cinema epitomizes the modern tourists consciousness is the movie movie studio at Monte Carlo, where Rosemary goes to meet Brady (Jackson, p. 139) There are many aspects of modernism in F. Scott Fitzgeralds works. Especially, The Great Gatsby, addresses important issues of Modernism. Most of the issues that relate to modernism are the development of technology, feminism, the effect of World War I upon society, a questioning of God, and the possibility of man s place in a possibly Godless Universe. Apart from these themes that deal in Modernist literature, Fitzgerald founded the technique of the unreliable narrator make The Great Gatsby an important part of modernism In fact, F. Scott Fitzgerald is a leader of the modernist movement in literature. His works look at the typical characteristics of modernism.The uniqueness and novelty of Fitzgeralds style put him in the lead of modernist writers. Fitzgeralds works of art and the characterization are used to aptly illustrate Fitzgerald as one who started the modernist movement. Moreover, modernism meant breaking away from traditional responses and predictable forms and raising social issues of decadence in an urbanized and industrial society. In this aspect Fitzgerald has succeeded greatly in his novel, The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald is known for his symbolic writing, like in the novel The Great Gatsby -Fitzgerald uses symbolism in the novel to represents an accurate reflection of the American life in the 1920s -The Doctor T.J. Eckelburgs eyes symbolize a godlike being watching everything a society, The food at Gatsbys party symbolize the members of the 1920s society -oranges show wasteful life, The two women dressed in yellow at Gatsbys party -they symbolize the values of the 1920s. Symbols are objects that recur in a piece of writing, which add an additional layer of meaning to the piece beyond the simple literal function of the object Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but thats no mattertomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther (Fitzgerald), Fitzgerald uses the green light as a metaphoric language to represent the consequences of the past to future dreams; Her porch was bright with the bought luxur y of star-shine; the wicker of the settee squeaked fashionably as she turned toward him and he kissed her curious and lovely mouth. She had caught a cold and it made her voice huskier and more charming than ever and Gatsby was overwhelmingly aware of the youth and mystery that wealth imprisons and preserves, of the freshness of many clothes and of Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor (Fitzgerald). This attraction to the lights and shining things are a symbolic device; as Pachalska said, To some extentthe symbolism of the green light is Fitzgeralds invention, but its interpretation is conditioned and constrained by the conventional associations of green and light, which are not under Fitzgeralds control (Pachalska, p. 283); the symbol is characterizing to darkness as light. In The Great Gatsby, Nick is aware of the influence effect light can have; I liked to walk up Fifth Avenue and pick out romantic women from the crowd and imagine that in a few minutes I was going to enter into their lives, and no one would ever know or disapprove. Sometimes, in my mind, I followed them to their apartments on the corners of hidden streets, and they turned and smiled back at me before they faded through a door into warm darkness (Fitzgerald). In great Gatsby America is like a dream, an illusion which means something that attracts but they are not achievable, everybody seeks ambitiously but eventually realizes that all dreams are not achievable and the dreams were all hallucinations or imaginations. Fitzgeralds lifestyle symbolism represent the superficial life lead by the society during the 1920s the sheep on the back lot of the old Laemmle studio (Fitzgerald, p.75), the sheep symbolize people and how they do what another person does without thinking if it is right or wrong, they follow what is done by others -you dont use your brains and think if what is done is right or wrong. the sheep just follows without thinking. So people are c ompared to them as they also do not think before acting. another big symbol throughout Fitzgeralds works is the car it symbolises the wealth and class, When they got to the coast again the sky way grey, and at Santa Monica a sudden gust of rain bounced over them, Stahr halted beside the road, put them. Stahr halted beside the road, put on a raincoat, and lifted the canvas top (Fitzgerald, p.305) this quote symbolizes wealth -only wealthy people drive nice cars, Everybody had seen it. It was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hat-boxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes, and terraced with a labyrinth of wind-shields that mirrored a dozen suns (Fitzgerald, p. 164) Gatsbys car is a good example as a status symbol. Overall, F. Scott Fitzgerald is very symbolic in his writing and applies those symbols to make observations of the world around him. He uses symbols to criticize human inhabitants and American society in many wa ys.

Organizational behavior Essay -- essays research papers

To help us understand organizations, we might consider them as political systems. The political metaphor helps us understand power relationships in day-to-day organizational relationships. If we accept that power relations exist in organizations, then politics and politicking are an essential part of organizational life. Politics is a means of recognizing and, ultimately, reconciling competing interests within the organization. Competing interests can be reconciled by any number of means. For example, resorting to "rule by the manager" might be seen as an example of totalitarian rule. On the other hand, politics may be a means of creating a noncoercive, or a democratic work environment. As mentioned, organizations need mechanisms whereby they reconcile conflicting interests. Hence, organizations, like governments, tend to "rule" by some sort of "system". This "system" is employed to create and maintain "order" among the organization's members. Systems of rule within organizations range from autocratic to democratic at the extremes. Between these extremes we find bureaucratic and technocratic systems. Whatever the system, each represents a political orientation with respect to how power is applied and distributed throughout theorganization. Each type of organizational "rule" simply draws on different principles of legitimacy. According to Aristotle, politics stems from a diversity of interests. To fully understand...

Essay --

Prof. D. Wallace Kristian Papa Final Essay – 1 William Wells Brown & Frederick Douglass During the beginning of XVII century slaves narratives started to take another meaning. They were no longer writing just about their sufferings and how bad were their mistress. At this period we notice that famous narrative writers such as, Frederic Douglas and William Wells Brown, were focusing their writings on the importance of literacy. Their narratives are important for the fact that, now they want to make slaves to reflect about their situation. Later we are going to see how both of them, in a way, connect literacy with freedom. â€Å"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.†(Douglass, ***) This was the importance that Douglass gave to literacy. He thinks that now it’s the time when slaves should react. He sees as no other way to save their souls and lives, but to stand against their slaveholders for their rights. He reminds them that: â€Å"I prayed for freedom for twenty years, but received no answer until I prayed with my legs† and â€Å"Without a struggle, there can be no progress.† (Douglass, ***) Adding this thoughts and actions to his narrative he prays also for the other slaves, so they will find the force to escape as Douglass did. We can see this call for freedom that should come from within the slave society, also in Wells Brown. "The last struggle for our rights, the battle for our civilization, is entirely with ourselves." (William Wells Brown, ***) The same as Douglass he points out that the problem is no more in the white society. The problem is that slaves are doing nothing to help themselves. On Wells Brown writing we can see also the fear that he feels when he argues that his people, along with their nation, are losi... ...nterpret Douglass stamen as a fear that whites felt. They felt fear from literacy. Somehow they see literacy as the rising of slaves and the ruining of whites. They saw literacy as the bridge that was destroyed from slave-owners in order to fit slaves in that category. They were afraid that literacy will bring freedom to slaves. In conclusion I would like mention the importance of literacy. We have seen that, that period, literacy was important in different ways. Literacy helped slaves to show to the world their sufferings, mistreatment and how they rights were taken away. Through their narratives they were able to start the â€Å"Abolitionist move† that was against slavery. Literacy, helped also in the conquest of slaves freedom. Through literacy they understood their rights and they saw that the gap that separated slaves form a free man was exactly, Literacy.

Leadership Essay -- Synergistic Leadership Theory

Introduction According to Northouse (2009), leadership is a concept of multi-dimensional facets inclusive of skill, ability, inherent qualities, behaviors, and relationships. All or some of these dimensions may be observed in an individual that possesses leadership potential in different combinations and can be recognized when intent to make a change in an organization is for the greater good (2009). Even with good intentions and desires for positive changes, pathways to leadership can be locked with long periods of time and laborious experiences. The male gender, White males in particular and majority in the United States, have dominated the field of leadership therefore creating psychological barriers that excellence, potential, and aptitude enviably are tied to the male- gender (Jackson, Engstron, & Emmers-Sommer, 2007). Many explorations and developments allure to leadership theories centered around White male-gender prototypes, establishing ideologies ostensible to that same race and gender, signifying status and power, and mentioning minimal influences aspired by females and minorities. The speculations thereof have caused females and minorities to experienced delayed or non-existent advancements in managerial of leadership roles (2007). Recent literature more readily discusses cues that are suggestive of race and male-oriented ideologies of leadership as data depicts possibilities for setting apart females or minorities that may have potential and creditability for top leadership positions. Two articles, The Synergistic Leadership Theory (SLT), (Irby, Brown, Duffy, and Trautman, 2001) and the White Standard: Racial Bias in Leader Categorization (Rosette, and Phillips, 2008) probe female and minority presence ... ...ng from predispositions about behaviors. Subtle aversive racism derived from negative stereotypes continues to lay biases among female and minorities. Leadership prototypes that refer to being White as being â€Å"the† stereotypical characteristic nevertheless existent and lay constructs that affect minorities and not mentioned in these investigation, female minorities. To many instances occur in leadership where individuals in power set the organization’s culture or create biases that undermine the acceptance of leadership potential and follower 7 support. Research that ignores leadership traits, values, behaviors, abilities, and skills establishes, to the contrary, data based on traditional beliefs about any group not excluding the aged, female minorities, and others, is soaked in attitudes given by the majority and questionable.

Ethical Business Dilema

Ethical Dilemma Analysis through the 8 questions model by Arthur Dobrin Case 1 – Rental Applicant 1. Facts †¢African-American applicant †¢Stable work history †¢More than enough income to cover the rent †¢Good references from their previous landlord †¢A couple with one young son (Family) †¢Before applicants accepted, rental agent should have done a background check as a standard procedure. 2. Facts we don’t know †¢Verifications of facts – conduct a cross check oWhether or not the facts provided by the applicant are true ? Income – Salary Statement ?References from landlord – Written letter/call Work History – Stable/Unstable work experience †¢Applicants behavior/habit – past rental history oWhether or not they like to break lease or skip town – leave an unpaid rent †¢The reason for postponing the application oWhat does Kate mean by saying â€Å"in my experience†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ whether i t’s actually because of her experience dealing with application or racial discrimination. 3. Facts Interpretation †¢Stable work history ? stable – whether they have work long time or not (cross-check credential) †¢A family more likely to be more settled in one place compare to single status individual. A good reference from previous landlord means that the applicant has a good record of being a good tenant. †¢Have more than enough income means that the applicant has the capability to fulfill its obligation of paying the rent. 4. Walk in another’s shoes (problem viewed from others that involved) †¢Kate might give a stereotype view of the African-American applicant 5. Consequences †¢If we don’t take them : oWe might lose a good tenant oWe might lose our business opportunity oWe might build a strict image to prospective customer †¢If we take them : oThere’s a possibility that we end up having a default rent 6. Feelings †¢Megan Perspective : â€Å"Look very good† for their application †¢Kate Perspective : â€Å"Don’t rush their application† – having negative perception †¢Our Perspective : According to our feeling and in combination with the facts given (provided it is true), plus we can also try to determine based on the intuition from the body language given by the applicant, most likely we will accept the applicant. 7. Conscience †¢Yes ? Provided the documents are true. †¢No ? Provided the documents are false. Verification whether the documents are true or false can be done by cross-checking the credential and/or validating the facts. . Explanation and Justification †¢In making decision, it should not be based on personal needs/views or simply intuition/feelings, it should also be based on neutral judgment from the facts given and validation. Given the normal standard procedure that needs to be fulfilled from the background check o f the applicant and by checking thoroughly throughout the facts, the rental agents should be able to make a decision. Case 2 – Sabotage: Menu Not serving the interest of customers fully (by pushing other menu instead). By using healthy food as a bait strategy to attract customers, according to ‘Dave’. . Facts †¢Food is healthy, but the quantity is limited. †¢Coming up with a new menu. †¢Huge expenditure on advertisement. 2. Facts we don’t know †¢Whether the food which is ‘healthy’ is actually healthy. †¢Assumption whether this strategy will last for a long time. †¢Whether or not people will buy fast food even though the menu is being pushed. 3. Facts Interpretation †¢New ‘healthy’ menu was launched by the company to response the public pressure for healthier lunch choices, thus by having new menu, many money involved to train and advertise the new menu. New menu launched priced lower to bring new customers, thus there will be an effect on the company’s profit. †¢The objective of the business is to make money for the shareholders, thus the business need to make profit. Hence, most likely agency problem would occur, which refers to the ethical dilemma between the shareholder interest and the CEO interest. †¢Dave, the store manager, wanted the staff to push the ‘upsize’ menu options and ice creams for dessert, which this refers to an issue of sabotage. 4. Walk in another’s shoes (problem viewed from others that involved) †¢According to Carol, the manager is more inclined towards his own profit. According to Dave it is fast to maximize the profit and his own commission. †¢According to customer, they might be cheated into buying unhealthy food. 5. Consequences †¢By agreeing to Dave, the profit might be higher in the short term, whereas by going against Dave, the company might lose out on the profit. But by keeping the reputatio n of the company, it will help in the long-term profitability. †¢She might lose her own position if she does not agree to Dave plan. †¢But if she doesn’t want to lose her job, then most likely she will have her personal issue. 6. Feelings If she agrees to Dave, she will be safe, but if she goes against him, she might lose her job. (personal dilemmas) 7. Conscience †¢In order to save the job, Carol might let her inner conscience take the back seat, because this is cognitive resonance within herself. Her decision will be based on how she feels, whether it is good or bad. 8. Explanation and Justification †¢If ‘yes’, she can say that her boss asked her to do so. †¢If she says ‘no’, she can say her inner conscience didn’t allow her and in the long run, it won’t be beneficial to the consumer and the company.