Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Alexander The Great Essays (521 words) - Alexander The Great

Alexander The Great Essays (521 words) - Alexander The Great Alexander The Great Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), ruler of Macedonia, champion of the Persian Empire, and one of the best military virtuosos all things considered. Alexander, conceived in Pella, the antiquated capital of Macedonia, was the child of Philip II, ruler of Macedonia, and of Olympias, a princess of Epirus. Aristotle was Alexander's coach; he gave Alexander a careful preparing in talk and writing and animated his enthusiasm for science, medication, and reasoning. In the mid year of 336 BC Philip was killed, and Alexander climbed to the Macedonian seat. He ended up encompassed by foes at home and compromised by insubordination abroad. Alexander arranged rapidly everything being equal and local adversaries by requesting their execution. At that point he plummeted on Thessaly, where partisans of freedom had picked up authority, and reestablished Macedonian standard. Before the finish of the mid year of 336 BC he had restored his situation in Greece and was chosen by a congress of states at Corinth. In 335 BC as general of the Greeks in a crusade against the Persians, initially arranged by his dad, he completed a fruitful battle against the surrendering Thracians, entering to the Danube River. On his arrival he squashed in a solitary week the undermining Illyrians and afterward hurried to Thebes, which had revolted. He surprised the city and wrecked it, saving just the sanctuaries of the divine beings and the place of the Greek verse writer Pindar, and selling the enduring occupants, around 8000 in number, into bondage. Alexander's instantaneousness in pounding the revolt of Thebes brought the other Greek states into moment and miserable accommodation. Alexander started his war against Persia in the spring of 334 BC by intersection the Hellespont (present day Dardanelles) with a multitude of 35,000 Macedonian and Greek soldiers; his central offic ials, all Macedonians, included Antigonus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. At the waterway Granicus, close to the antiquated city of Troy, he assaulted a multitude of Persians and Greek hoplites (hired soldiers) totaling 40,000 men. His powers crushed the adversary and, as indicated by custom, lost just 110 men; after this fight all the conditions of Asia Minor submitted to him. In going through Phrygia he is said to have cut with his blade the Gordian bunch. Proceeding to propel southward, Alexander experienced the fundamental Persian armed force, told by King Darius III, at Issus, in northeastern Syria. The size of Darius' military is obscure; the old convention that it contained 500,000 men is presently viewed as a fabulous embellishment. The Battle of Issus, in 333, finished in an extraordinary triumph for Alexander. Cut off from his base, Darius fled northward, relinquishing his mom, spouse, and kids to Alexander, who rewarded them with the regard because of sovereignty. Tire, a firmly strengthened seaport, offered unyielding obstruction, however Alexa nder overwhelmed it in 332 following an attack of seven months. Alexander caught Gaza next and afterward passed on into Egypt, where he was welcomed as a deliverer. By these victories he made sure about control of the whole eastern Mediterranean coastline. Later in 332 he established, at the mouth of the Nile River, the city of Alexandria, which later turned into the scholarly

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Definition of Collective Noun

Meaning of Collective Noun Definition: A solitary thing that represents a gathering of things or creatures. In both English and Spanish, aggregate things are ordinarily utilized when alluding to gatherings of creatures, for example, a group of sheep (un rebaã ±o de ovejas) and a school of fish (un banco de peces). Be that as it may, they are utilized in numerous different settings too. It isn't unexpected to follow an aggregate thing with the relational word of (de in Spanish) and a plural thing, as in the two models above, yet it isn't important, particularly when the significance is obvious from the specific circumstance. In standard English, aggregate things, when the subject of a sentence, are commonly utilized with a particular action word: The class of understudies concentrates hard. In Spanish, an action word that promptly follows an aggregate thing is solitary: La gente tiene mucho dinero. (The individuals have a great deal of cash. Note this is a case of a Spanish solitary thing that regularly requires a plural interpretation in English.) But when there is a plural thing between the aggregate thing and action word, either a particular or plural action word can be utilized in ordinary discourse and composing, with the plural action word most likely being increasingly normal. In this manner you may hear both La bandada de pjaros se acercã ³ (The herd of feathered creatures drew closer, solitary action word) and La bandada de pjaros se acercarã ³n (The group of fowls drew closer, plural action word), with no calculable contrast in significance. Otherwise called: Nombre colectivo in Spanish. Models: gathering of individuals (grupo de personas), group (equipo), a score of years (una veintena de aã ±os), lair of lions (guarida de leones)

Monday, August 3, 2020

Looking ahead to IAP

Looking ahead to IAP Three days of class: 20 sheets of notebook paper Four days of non-stop studying: 8 cups of coffee Three exams: 5 wrinkles and 3 gray hairs Having 2+ weeks of winter break and a month of IAP: Priceless Winter break is upon us and promises to be a grand ole time. Im especially excited about Independent Activities Period (IAP), which lasts from January 9- February 5. Students have the option of either staying at home/traveling/doing whatever they want or coming back on campus and taking advantage of what is, in my opinion, one of the coolest times to be at MIT. By browsing the IAP website, you can choose from hundreds of credit and non-credit activities. Another popular option is working on a UROP. If you dont have a UROP yet, IAP is a really great time to start because you can work up to 40 hours per week with your supervisor, giving them a lot of time to train you and get you on the right track before classes start and things start to get hectic. Last year, I started my UROP in the Chen Lab in the Center for Cancer Research at the beginning of IAP and continued until the end of the year. It was pretty intense, but twice a week after work I went to a No Book, Just Cook cooking class taught by two MIT graduate students. I have always been passionate about food (I think it comes from my Turkish roots, where food is used to bring people together) and this class equipped me with confidence and a fabulous set of recipes. The point of the class was to teach the process of improvisation and how to combine different ingredients to make yummy new dishes. We watched the teachers cook for two hours, while they explained everything from their choice of ingredients to tricks of the trade, and at the end of each class we got to sample everything they made. Through the class, we learned to make red wine risotto, goulash, tomato soup, whole roast chicken, lamb stew, roast pork tenderloin, scallops with scallions, oven baked trout/salmon, overn roasted Pollack, pasta with Gorgonzola cheese and apples, swordfish, pears in wine, and tiramisu. Unfortunately, I dont think the class is being offered this IAP. As a Mechanical Engineering (Course 2) major, we are required to take a 6-credit class called Mechanical Engineering Tools (2.670) for two weeks of IAP. The class meets every day from 9 AM 4 PM and teaches the fundamentals of machine tool and computer tool use. Using the different tools in the machine shop, we get to create our own Stirling Engine that is powered by an ethanol burner. Heres an explanation from the website: Air in the engine is cyclically heated (by an alcohol burner) and expands to push the power piston (shown in blue) to the right. As the power piston moves to the right, the yellow linkage forces the loose-fitting, red piston (on the left half of the machine) to displace air to the cooler side of the engine. The air on the cool side loses heat to the outside world and contracts, pulling the blue piston to the left. The air is again displaced, sending it back to the hotter region of the engine, and the cycle repeats. The Stirling engine cycle can also be used in reverse, to convert rotating motion into a temperature differential (and thus provide refrigeration). Use your favorite search engine to find additional links on Stirling engines! 2.670 is a prerequisite for the robotics competition called Design and Manufacturing I (2.007). The challenge of the class changes every year, but m so excited! The competition occurs at the end of the semester and everyone is invited, Ill be sure to disclose the details when theyre available! So, IAP is four weeks long and 2.670 is a two-week class. You might be asking yourself, Melis, what are you planning on doing for the rest of IAP? Sleeping? Reading? Watching movies? Ah, yes, all of the above, and a few other things as well. For a week, Ill be participating in the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP) (http://web.mit.edu/engineering/upop/), which I know sounds almost exactly like UROP, which can get very confusing. Well, UPOP is pretty different from UROP. It is an internship program sponsored by the School of Engineering that teaches sophomores about professional life, helps us get a summer job in industry, and assists in the transition from MIT to the Real World. They call the IAP seminar a pre-employment boot camp where were drilled with practice interviews and mocktails. Upperclassmen have raved about how useful it is and 98% of participants get a summer job! Finally, I hope to take Beginners Life Drawing through the Student Art Association. One thing I feel that my class schedule lacks is an art class. Granted, there are many music classes available and a few in visual arts, but nothing like drawing, painting, or sculpture (correct me if m wrong!). I just found out about the MIT Student Arts Association when I stumbled upon some of their kilns in the Student Center. So, hurray, now I get to learn how to draw! I have a lot of artsy people in my family, my aunt is an artist and my parents are architects. When I was little I loved to draw, but I was never really motivated to continue, but now I think it will be a good way to relax and have some fun. Other art classes available include: oil painting, clay, darkroom techniques, potters wheel, Chinese brush painting, Gum Bichromate, and more! Ok, back to work! Good luck, everyone! Looking ahead to IAP I got this email in my inbox: Hi Eveyrone! I know its hard to believe but IAP is fast approaching and, along with it, the 2007 MIT Mystery Hunt! This years hunt will begin on Friday, January 12th at 12pm in Lobby 7. Thanks! Jennifer for The Evil Midnight Bombers What Bomb At Midnight Just to show you how much I love mystery hunt, a few old blog entries: Mystery Hunt 1 Mystery Hunt 2 :-D Post Tagged #Mystery Hunt

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Ancient Civilization An Essential Design - 992 Words

Praju Gajurel Classical/Medieval Humanities- TR02F Hayden Roberts Oklahoma City Community College 12 November 2015 Civilization is an essential design. Civilization, to some extent is a prominent basis of cultural and technological progression. It is the rectification of thoughts and manners in society. Without civilizations, the world as we know it would not be. A civilization develops superfluous of things that help the people be a stable community. These build up an outline for the advancement and rise of the empire. Government is also existent in civilizations. Likewise, the Roman Civilization is an essence on the mankind. It gifted us with their rich culture and also preserved the tradition of the Hellenistic world. The Roman Empire has been one of the most dominant civilizations of all time. Its culture has been mixed throughout many societies. At its peak, the Roman Empire expanded Europe in its vastness and even stretched to Africa and Asia. The Romans left its trace on many societies and left behind a gift of cultural fortune. The Romans started out as a small group of tribes called the Italics, which included Latins, Sabines, and Samnites which were the three largest tribes of the Italics. In the long run, the Latins and Sabines developed to the Romans civilization. The story of Romulus and Remus explains this combination. The ancient Romans believed in a comfortable lifestyle. They lived in style and that was a very important aspect of their living. TheyShow MoreRelatedPlan 700 Planning Paradigms And Theory1711 Words   |  7 Pages9th, 2016 Cities Before Planning: Development, Consequences and Challenges To understand the ancient and pre-industrial cities, learn from urban history, and explore the conditions that led to the appearance of formal planning, different approaches to ancient urban planning have been researched by previous studies. Based on ancient urban planning literature, this paper summarizes the development of ancient cities before the Industrial Revolution, explores the consequences and challenges of the absenceRead MoreAncient Civilizations1009 Words   |  4 Pages Ancient Civilizations Ancient Civilizations were more pronounced in the Bronze Age. This historical period lies between 4000 to 1200 BCE. Ostensibly, these civilizations were triggered by the onset of irrigations systems, which concomitantly increased food and water supply. Irrigation schemes and availability of food set precedence for people tens of thousands of people to live together in a common geographical location. Cities, states, and centrally developed kingdoms developed. From historicalRead MoreAncient Greeks And The Ancient Romans1150 Words   |  5 Pageshad one of the most innovative and influential ancient civilizations. Although arguments can be made for the Ancient Greeks and the Ancient Egyptians, it can be seen that the modern world had adopted many of the values and ideas of the Ancient Romans. The achievements, ideas, and values of the Ancient Romans have had a lasting impact on the modern world. The majority of people don’t know that many of the things they take for granted ca me from Ancient Rome. Architecture One of the things the RomansRead MoreThe Civilization Of Ancient Rome1595 Words   |  7 Pages The civilization of Ancient Rome thrived from the sixth century BC to the fifth century AD. The Roman Empire was the second empire to conquer most of the Mediterranean Sea basin, the first being the Ancient Greeks. After taking over the former Greek Empire, the Romans assimilated many aspects of Greek culture into their own, including the Greek Architecture. The main attributions to Ancient Roman architecture are cement, the arch, the vault, the dome and centralized road systems. The RomanRead MoreAncient Egypt : Unique And Defining Burial Practices1172 Words   |  5 PagesAncient Egypt is memorialized for its opulent history and culture along with the unique and defining burial practices. Ancient Egyptian religion was a very intricate yet complex way of belief. Egyptian religion was based on the worship and fellowship of many God’s who were believed to have a constant and ever being control of all earthly elements. The legends of these gods were to foretell and explain the influences of the forces they represented. The actual practice of Egyptian religion was anRead MoreCivilization Is An Essential Design1000 Words   |  4 PagesCivilization is an essential design. Civilization, to some extent is a prominent basis of cultural and technological progression. It is the rectification of thoughts and manners in society. Without civilizations, the world as we know it would not be. A civilization develops superfluous of things that help the people be a stable community. These build up an outline for the advancement and rise of the empire. Government is also existent in civilizations. Likewise, the Roman Civilization is an essenceRead MoreAncient Egyptian Civilization : Ancient Civilization930 Words   |  4 PagesThe ancient Egyptian civilization is one of the oldest known civilizations in history. It is believed that the ancient Egyptian civilization, based in eastern North Africa, started around 3150 B.C., and survived until 31 B.C. In this ancient civilization, art was considered to be magical. Whether in the form of painting, sculpture, carving or script, art held the power to maintain universal order and grant immortal life by appealing to various gods to act on behalf of people, both in life and inRead MoreCivilization Is An Essential Design1000 Words   |  4 PagesCivilization is an essential design. Civilization, to some extent is a prominent basis of cultural and technological progression. It is the rectification of thoughts and manners in society. Without civilizations, the world as we know it would not be. A civilization develops superfluous of things that help the people be a stable community. These build up an outline for the advancement and rise of the empire. Government is also existent in civilizations. Likewise, the Roman Civilization is an essenceRead MoreEgyptian Lifestyle, Civilization, Religious Beliefs, Authority, Language, And Overall Information About The Pyramids1336 Words   |  6 Pagesthese ancient pyramids served as the foundation for the people during this civilization. The Great Pyramid of Giza is also known as the Pyramid of Khufu, Pyramid of Cheops, or Khufu s Pyramid. This pyramid alone is the oldest and the tallest of the three standing on the Giza Necropolis. It stands 15 1/2 miles outside the city of Cairo, Egypt. It is believed the pyramids took approximately 20 years to build with the help with over 1,000 citizens. This paper will discuss the achievement ancient E gyptianRead MoreUnderstanding By Design Framework By Grant Wiggins And Jay Mctighe919 Words   |  4 PagesAfter examining the Understanding by Design framework by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, I have learned how to develop a unit by working backwards. The development of a unit is multi-layered in its focus on curriculum, instruction, and assessment. In planning I need to first assess what the big ideas are that I want my students to learn and why they are so important. In our study of Mesopotamia, we look at how our world began with the first civilization and the achievements that led to advances

Monday, May 11, 2020

The Costs Of Loss Prevention Essay - 950 Words

3. The Different Costs of Loss Prevention Detailed below are the costs of LP and, from them, we can see that when weighed against the marginal benefit, it is a relatively low cost because LP budgets in 2014 averaged to be less than 1% of total 2014 sales and LP prevented more than that in shrink (Hollinger et al., 2015: 6). All of the percentages listed below are from the most recent National Retail Security Survey and they represent the different percentages of the loss prevention budget (Hollinger et al., 2015: 8). This survey estimates that from the retail companies surveyed the mean percentage of the LP budget spent on payroll expenses for the field and corporate members of the LP department is 0.22%, while their other non-capital expenses excluding payroll, were, on average, 0.13% of the LP budget (Hollinger et al., 2015: 8). Last year, the retail companies in this study spent on average 0.14% on capital expenses, such as EAS pedestals and CCTVs. Overall, retailers surveyed in 2014 reported an average shrink of 1.38%, h owever, three out of ten (30.3%) reported a higher average shrink for 2014 (Hollinger et al., 2015: 7). The National Retail Security Survey reports that the average shrinkage rates in 2014 decreased or remained flat for more than six out of ten retailers (Hollinger et al., 2015). This demonstrates progress in implementing anti-theft measures, training, and internal processes because retailers continued to combat this problem with more advancedShow MoreRelatedcost management TI case1724 Words   |  7 Pagesconsidered by many to be the best way to enhance customer satisfaction. Cost saving and improve productivity : Improving quality is the best way to reduce manufacturing costs and to increase productivity. → Bird-eye view : TI want to do their job right the first time. Their organizations treat strategic planning and quality improvement planning as an integrated activity. They want to find hidden quality costs and reduce hidden costs using COQ. 2) Reason of choosing a financial measure of quality Read MoreEvaluating The Redistributive Crime That Occurs By Using A Case Essay1654 Words   |  7 Pagesthis may actually result in the increased theft of less secure, bottom-shelf goods. This incidence is referred to as redistributive crime. There is a loss prevention (LP) department in retail companies that is specifically tasked with minimizing product loss, commonly referred to as inventory shrink. LP is implemented to reduce the preventable loss of a company’s assets by utilizing technologies that mitigate theft and fraud. Retailers continuously adapt their technologies to handle threats, butRead MoreQht1 Task 1665 Words   |  3 Pagesto take the time to explain some of our costs. In our particular field of designing and manufacturing products, we are always engaging in ways that we can mitigate loss and improve our processes. Performing such changes will give a stronger presence in the market by allowing us to remai n competitive. While we are performing our analysis on different aspects of the company, we look at the three main types of cost. When we remain devoted to improving our costs, and the faults related, we show our sameRead MoreQht1 Task 1702 Words   |  3 Pagestypes of cost when quality considerations are made Given the highly competitive nature of today’s markets we as a company must provide high quality products to survive. Quality itself has become a major competitive factor and in many ways is a contributing factor in success or failure. The intent of this memo is to identify, explain and evaluate the three types of cost associated with quality. The three types of cost of quality are Prevention costs, Appraisal costs and Failure cost (Both internalRead MorePrevention And Prevention Of Infection Prevention1528 Words   |  7 Pages The cost of the program will include the salary of infection prevention nurse (who is monitoring, providing staff training, skills orientation, and in-services), portable alcohol base Sanitizers for employees to carry, monitoring, reporting, surveillance, and data programming and interpreting. Since hospital already has a sterilization system, alcohol base sanitizer in the room and wall, PPE, and other perishable items in the hands, we only need disposal blood pressure cuff and thermometers. TheRead MoreEssay about reginajpatton MAN3554 12 Week 6748 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬Å"Business Impact Analysis (BIA) Capital Strategies† My Individual Work: Protected Information in a BIA How to prevent its Loss By: Regina J. Patton Workplace Continuity Contingency Planning – 4 Instructor: Sheila Highland Everest University Online Date: November 21st, 2014 (Author Notes) Kaye, David is a leading author, lecturer, examiner and workshop leader on Risk Management and business continuity subjects. Professor Kaye guides a diverse range of companies, and public sector organizationsRead MoreWgu Qht1 Task 1863 Words   |  4 PagesManagement Tasks Task 1 Cost Quality Relationship Product production comes with many types of costs. Four of the most common costs are prevention costs, appraisal costs, internal failure costs and external failure costs. These four costs are called quality costs and are costs that all businesses that produce products will pay. The amount of money that will go to each cost is dependent on the amount spent on the other costs. In other words, an increase in one type of cost can result in a decreaseRead MoreMental Health : Mental Illness1604 Words   |  7 Pagesincluding genetic factors such as chemical imbalances and complications during pregnancy. Furthermore, having an unstable environment can also contribute, such as lack of support, isolation/alienation, negative family situation, being bullied/abused or loss of family/friend. Changes of environment such as change of house or country are also risk factors. Finally, general life stresses such as break-ups, financial issues, unemployment, and failure to meet expectations or pre viously having a mental illnessRead MoreCrime, Fear, And The Cost Of Crime928 Words   |  4 Pages Crime, Fear, and the Cost of Crime in Society There are two systems mentioned in the textbook that measures crime in the United States, the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). These systems provide statistics to see how new laws and programs are working. The UCR is a computer-based program used by law enforcement to report crimes into a database within the United States for statistical purposes. This system is broken down into parts, part I being violentRead MoreMental Health : Mental Illness1604 Words   |  7 Pagesincluding genetic factors such as chemical imbalances and complications during pregnancy. Furthermore, having an unstable environment can also contribute, such as lack of support, isolation/alienation, negative family situation, being bullied/abused or loss of family/friend. Changes of environment such as change of house or country are also risk factors. Finally, general life stresses such as break-ups, financial issues, unemployment, and failure to meet expectations or pre viously having a mental illness

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Action Learning Review Free Essays

The Longwall department is responsible for the majority of coal production at the mine and hence, revenue for the business. The management group in this department consist of five staff members, with the Superintendent as the senior person reporting to the Mine Manager. As Technical Services Manager I am a member of the senior management team for the mine, and a peer to the Mine Manager. We will write a custom essay sample on Action Learning Review or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, I have no direct authority over the Longwall department. Although it is suited to the approach, the Longwall department does not tend to operate effectively as a team. Whilst there is a clear annual performance target set by senior management, there will often be confusion amongst the group when they attend the mine’s planning meetings as to what the specific short term priorities for the department should be and the best way to achieve them. This confusion invariably leads to conflict in these meetings between group members, with individuals attempting to ensure that their specific area of responsibility is not affected by the other’s individual priorities. There has been a high turnover of staff in the past year and the overall performance of the Longwall has been poor, with production results 40% below budget impacting significantly on the profitability of the business. Analysis The Longwall mining process is complex and to be successful requires reciprocal interdependence of tasks (Thompson, 1967). The engineers must work closely with the operations staff in the department through the planning and implementation stages to ensure safe and productive operations with minimal unplanned delays. This requirement of interdependence makes the Longwall process ideally suited to a team approach for management. Although it is a small group comprised of five staff with complementary skills, and a common production target for the year, the Longwall department does not currently satisfy the requirements of Katzenbach and Smith’s (1993) definition of a team. They fail to define short term goals and work processes which would lead to achievement of the annual production target and, in addition, the group does not hold themselves mutually accountable for their performance. The lack of team approach towards these highly interdependent tasks leads to competing short term priorities within the group and results in poor overall performance. One of the key reasons that the Longwall department has failed to come together as a team is a lack of group cohesiveness (Shaw, 1981). The members of the group are heterogeneous (Managing People Organisations, 2006), with different expertise and experience and as a result there is often competition and conflict (Raelin, 1985) with regards to the best approach to various tasks. This is potentially linked to the lack of specific short term goal setting completed within the group as they seek to avoid conflict because they lack the interpersonal skill of conflict resolution (Managing People Organisations, 2006). However, this conflict inevitably occurs when the group attends the mine’s planning meetings, as the individuals promote different priorities and ideas. If the group was more cohesive and co-operative, individuals would not feel threatened by other members and the heterogeneity of the group could be harnessed in a positive way through creative and flexible solutions to problems. For example one of the mining staff may have a different solution to an engineering problem which was not considered by the engineers. The lack of cohesiveness has led to a high turnover of staff over the past year. This means that Tuckman and Jensen’s (1977) life cycle of the group has had to return to the forming stage of the on a number of occasions and this in turn has hindered the development of group norms (norming stage) which would enhance co-operation within the group and is essential to achieve the required performance. This lack of progress through the group life cycle is also linked to the level of competition between heterogeneous group members as they battle for power and influence in the group. The required short term goal setting and work approaches would be more easily achieved by a cohesive group. If the group was able to achieve the latter stages of the life cycle it is likely that group cohesiveness would be high and there would be significantly less staff turnover. The management processes at the mine currently manage individuals rather than teams (Hackman, 1990). This is linked to the Longwall department’s reluctance to embrace mutual accountability for performance and also the reluctance of the Superintendent to effectively lead the group as a team, as discussed below. Remuneration and bonuses are reviewed on the basis of individual performance, with little accountability for performance as part of a team. This leads individuals to â€Å"protect† themselves by making excuses and blaming others for poor performance. It also encourages individuals to focus on the specific tasks and priorities that are linked to their individual performance rather than those best suited to the overall department’s performance, resulting in conflict and a lack of co-operation in the planning and implementation of tasks. On the basis of Thompson’s (2000) model, the Longwall department achieves two out of three essential conditions to be an effective team. The group has the requisite knowledge, skills and ability to complete the required tasks and their motivation to do so is evidenced by the long hours that each individual spends at work focussing on those tasks. However, as mentioned earlier, the group lacks co-ordination strategies such as short term goal setting and work method development which prevents them from developing into a real team. In addition, Thompson’s team effectiveness model also requires an appropriate environment in which the team can operate. As discussed earlier, the design of the team is appropriate however the requisite organisational context and team culture are currently absent. As can be seen from the earlier analysis, the management of the Longwall mining process is well suited to a team approach, provided that the personnel are managed effectively as a team rather than as individuals in a group. On the basis of Katzenbach and Smith’s team performance curve (1992) the Longwall department is currently at the potential team stage. The individuals in the department have a clear annual production target and are all working hard to achieve it, however, they lack specific short term goals, a common working approach and an attitude of mutual accountability. To achieve the desired performance and meet the annual production targets, the team will need to move from the potential team stage to the real team stage. Improvement Planning From my analysis of the Longwall department I have identified three specific improvement opportunities that I would pursue if I was the Mine Manager to move the team from the potential team stage to the real team stage. Firstly I would look to improve the group’s specific competencies essential for effective teamwork through formal training and improve group cohesiveness through team building activities. Secondly I would implement a process to facilitate the setting of short term goals and work methods to achieve them. Finally I would modify the performance management system and remuneration packages for the individuals in the department to reflect a team based approach rather than individual management. However, prior to beginning the improvement processes I would begin calling the department the Longwall team so that they begin to identify themselves as a team rather than a workgroup or department. To improve the group’s task-related and interpersonal competencies, which are important for effective teamwork, I would organise for the group to go off site together for one week of formal training and team building exercises (Managing People Organisations, 2006). This training may need to be ongoing. It is important that the group attends this training together so that they can begin to build mutual trust and respect and develop social capital (Lengnick-Hall and Lengnick-Hall, 2004). It is also essential that the training is held off site to ensure there are no distractions. One possible obstacle to carrying out this training is that taking the whole group offsite at the same time leaves the workforce with a lack of supervision or direction. To overcome this I would arrange the Superintendent of another area of the mine who has significant Longwall experience to cover the absence of Longwall Superintendent. I would also arrange for the mechanical and electrical engineers from the engineering department to provide coverage from an engineering perspective. The success of this training can be measured through an assessment process conducted by the training organisation at the end of the training program to examine the understanding and application of the concepts by the individuals in the group. A questionnaire completed by each member of the group would also be implemented to determine their perception of the applicability and success of the training. To facilitate the group’s setting of short term goals and work methods to achieve them, I would send them off site again for two days with an external facilitator. This forum would also include team building activities to break up the workshop and continue to promote team bonding. They would utilise the task-related competencies gained in the formal training process to develop and document short term goals based on achieving the annual production targets set by senior management. They would also be required to assess the potential obstacles and risks to achieving their short term goals and develop and document contingency plans to overcome those obstacles. It is essential that the team develops the goals together so that they have ownership and commitment to achieving them. They need to ensure that the goals and work methods focus on performance not just togetherness (Katzenbach and Smith, 1992). Again, a potential obstacle to this process is taking the group offsite together leaving the workforce with a lack of supervision and direction. This would be addressed in the same manner as previously for the formal training. A second potential obstacle/risk to this process is the quality of the external facilitator. If this person does not have the appropriate skills to keep the workshop on track and the understanding of the desired outcomes, it is likely that the workshop will not be successful. To overcome this obstacle I would interview potential facilitators and seek references from others who have used them in the past. Once selected, I would ensure that the facilitator is very clear about the purpose of the workshop and the required documented outcomes. To measure the success of this workshop I would review the documented short term goals to ensure that they will allow the team to meet the annual production target and I would also assess the adequacy and relevance of the contingency plans to overcome the identified obstacles and risks. A second measure will be whether or not the group achieves its self developed short term goals over the following weeks. To modify the performance management review system I would change it from an individual performance review by the Superintendent to a 360 degree review process. This review would be based on individual contribution to the team performance as viewed by other members of the team and will provide valuable feedback for individuals. I would also change the remuneration system for the individuals in the team to incorporate a bonus related to Longwall performance as a team measured on the basis of coal produced against targets (Gross 1995). This would encourage the team culture to develop with individuals supporting each other and keeping each other on track rather than pursuing individual priorities. One obstacle to this could be the feeling that some things which could impact Longwall production are out of the management team’s control, such as geological conditions. To overcome this I would document the potential influences on performance which are not controllable by the team and undertake to discount the production targets by a proportional amount to any performance impacts suffered to ensure that the bonus arrangement is not compromised. The measure of the success of this improvement strategy will be the achievement of production targets over the short and long term. References Gross, S. E. 1995, Compensation for teams: how to design and implement team-based reward programs, American Management Association, New York. Hackman, J. R. 1990, Groups that work (and those that don’t), Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Katzenbach, J. Smith, D. K. 1993, The wisdom of teams: creating the high performance organization, McGraw-Hill, London. Katzenbach, J. Smith, D. 1992, ‘Why teams matter’, extract from The wisdom of teams: creating the high performance organization, in The McKinsey Quarterly, no. 3 of 1992, pp. 3-27. Lengnick-Hall, M. L. Lengnick-Hall, C. A. 2004, ‘HR’s role in building relationship networks’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 53-63. Managing People and Organisations, 2006, Unit 5, pp. 1-56, AGSM MBA (Executive) Program. Raelin, J. 1985, The clash of cultures, Harvard Business School Press, Boston. Shaw, M. E. 1981, Group dynamics: the social psychology of small group behaviour, McGraw-Hill, New York Thompson, J. D. 1967, Organizations in action, McGraw-Hill, New York. Thompson, L. 2000, Making the team: a guide for managers, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River. Tuckman, B. Jensen, M. 1977, ‘Stages of small group development’ Group and organisational studies, vol. 2.    How to cite Action Learning Review, Essays

Thursday, April 30, 2020

UC Davis Academic Calendar Essay Example

UC Davis Academic Calendar Paper Fall 2017 Instructional Days 50 Quarter Begins Mon 9/25 Instructional Start-Up Mon 9/25 Instruction Begins Wed 9/27 Veterans Day Holiday Fri 11/10 Thanksgiving Holiday Thu-Fri 11/23-24 Instruction Ends Fri 12/8 Finals Begin/End Mon-Fri 12/11-15 Quarter Ends Fri 12/15 Commencement Sa 12/16 Winter Holiday Fri, Mon 12/22, 12/25 New Years Holiday Fri, Mon 12/29, 1/1 Winter 2018 Instructional Days 48 Quarter Begins Fri 1/5 Instructional Start-Up Fri 1/5 Instruction Begins Mon 1/8 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Mon 1/15 Presidents Day Holiday Mon 2/19 Instruction Ends Fri 3/16 Finals Begin/End Mon-Fri 3/19-23 Quarter Ends Fri 3/23 Commencement N/A Spring 2018 Instructional Days 48 Days between Winter Spring 8 Quarter Begins Thu 3/29 Instructional Start-Up Thu 3/29 Cesar Chavez Holiday Fri 3/30 Instruction Begins Mon 4/2 Memorial Day Holiday Mon 5/28 Instruction Ends Thu 6/7 Finals Begin/End Fri, Mon-Thu 6/8, 11-14 Quarter Ends Thu 6/14 Commencement Fri-Su 6/15-17 Summer 2018 Session I 6/25-8/3 Independence Day Holiday 7/4 Session II 8/6-9/14 Labor Day Holiday 9/3