Sunday, January 26, 2020

Horizontal Communication Advantages and Disadvantages

Horizontal Communication Advantages and Disadvantages A barrier to communication as defined by Waltman A communication barrier is anything that impedes the communication process. These barriers are inevitable. While they cannot be avoided, both the sender and receiver can work to minimize them. One of the main Barriers to effective communication is the channel, shown below is a diagram that shows how effective each channel is. A communication channel as defined by Waltman (2010) Communication channels-or the media through which messages are sent-can have an influence on the success of communication In this case the channel that was used by Leigh Randell was a memo so as on the media richness graph it is listed on the bottom half of the triangle which is lower media richness. Media Richness definition as stated in Mcshane and Glinow (2003) the data-carrying capacity of a communication medium including the volume and variety of information it can transmit. By choosing to write a memo Leigh Randell has used a channel that is not as effective as a Telephone call or a Face to face talk to communicate with Tom Ballard. Therefore the impact it would have on Tom Ballard was minor. For instances if she called and explained her idea to him, she could have got an instant reply from Tom Ballard and could have got his ideas also on the strategy she was developing. So this is one of the main Barriers to effective communication. Information Overload The Next Barrier is information overload as defined in Mcshane and Glinow (2003) A condition in which the volume of information received exceeds the persons capacity to process it. As stated in the case study Leigh Randell did not get any information from Tom Ballard. When questioned about the reason why he dint reply to the memo, he answered Too busy this could be a very realistic situation in which case he has so much of work that he cant even reply to memos. This could be a problem in the organization, which therefore have a major impact on the communication process. This problem can be solved to some extent by dividing the organization employees into teams there by dividing the work load. Authority, Gender and Attitude towards the sender In this case we could say that there is a problem of authority, this could be seen by the statement of Tom Ballard Besides, I dont report to her. This clearly shows that Tom Ballard is a person who does not consider ideas from people in the same level or lower levels on his job/field. Because Leigh Randell was in the same level in the organization hierarchy (shown below) Tom Ballard did not want to reply. Organization Layout Model Exhibit: Omega Airlines, Atlanta Organization Hierarchy Also we could see that gender also has an issue in this case. This is clearly seen in the statements by Tom Ballard To busy, Her question was out of sight. There was no time for me to answer this sort of request. Ive got a job to do. This shows that even though Leigh Randell was more senior in terms of experience than Tom Ballard he dint consider it and decided to ignore her memos. This also can be related to the attitude towards the sender which is another barrier that causes a lot of problems in effective communication. No, it dint look like that to me, I also had ideas on how to improve the system This shows that Tom Ballard (male) thinks his ideas are more superior to Leigh Randell (female). This is unfair to Leigh Randell who is going out of the way to help the organization. Horizontal Communication effectiveness Horizontal communication is basically when 2 employees in the same level of the organization hierarchy communicate. And in this case the effectiveness of the communication was very low. Leigh Randell used the communication method show in red three times and had no reply from Tom Ballard. Then she used the communication method (Bottom Up) which is displayed in Green and contacted Alan Brock, which was effective. We can come to an assumption that horizontal communication is not effective because the person is not compelled to reply, unlike top down communication. We can come to a clear conclusion that because of the week horizontal communication the company Organization Communication Model Exhibit: Omega Airlines, Atlanta Communication graph 2. Is anyone wrong in this situation? By what other means could Randell have requested the information from Tom Ballard? What do you think of Tom Ballards reaction? Why? a) After analyzing the case study the wrongs are as follows, Leigh Randell and Tom Ballard did wrong in various ways. First of all focusing on Leigh Randells wrong, she used a channel not suitable for inquires like that. She should have used a channel that has higher media richness such as a telephone call or a face to face discussion. Also she should have switched the communication channel after she sent the memo twice and had no reply she should have got some idea that the channel is defective. But she continued to send memos to Tom Ballard. This is wrong on her part for choosing a bad channel and kept on using the same channel after not getting any results. Next taking into consideration the wrong committed by Tom Ballard, he was wrong to read the memos and not reply to them. By not providing feedback to Leigh Randell, she was not able to continue her work, which could have beneficial to the organization. Also having own idea on the same topic does not mean others have no right to express their views. He was being very self-centred about his thinking method. This could be clearly seen from his comments at the meeting, To busy, Her question was out of sight. There was no time for me to answer this sort of request. Ive got a job to do. So finally we could say both parties committed wrong but more weighted on Tom Ballard for his ignorance and his attitudes, and for Leigh Randell she is been more traditional way of acquiring information. b) Leigh Randell had many other ways and means to contact Tom Ballard such as, Face to face meeting Video Conference Telephone call Using these modes of communication would have had a much more fruitful outcome, because media richness is high in these modes. In other words the variety and amount of information that could have been transmitted is higher. These are the recommended channels to achieve the best results. The more modern modes will be discussed in the 3rd question under recommendations but few of them are as follows. 3G Calls/ webcam Instant Messaging Google Wave Explanations will be in the recommendation part. C) Tom Ballards characters as depicted by his comments are very self cantered and arrogant in a way. This is in one way a disadvantage for him and his co-workers. This can be seen by his statements given below To busy, Her question was out of sight. There was no time for me to answer this sort of request. Ive got a job to do, Besides, I dont report to her NO, It dint look like that to me. You know i.ve also had ideas on how to improve the system for quite some time. Anyway she is going about it all wrong The behaviour shows us a basic masculine instinct of trying to show who has more power, in other words dominance. He felt threaten by her because she was trying to do his job. By Tom Ballards action it is possible to say that he is not a team player and like to work alone. This is totally unacceptable in an organization that needs allot of coordination. Also by his comment You know Ive also had ideas on how to improve the system for quite some time. This shows that he does not want express his ideas on how to improve the company but keeps them to himself. Also showing us, he does not feel part of the company. 3. a) While communicating vertically up or down the organization does not present a major problem, why is horizontal communication more difficult to attain? b) Give your recommendations to improve communication in this organization To explain this the following model is down below Organization communication model Horizontal Communication Exhibit: Omega Airlines, Atlanta Communication graph The arrow displayed in green represents horizontal communication, the green box displays the horizontal communication happening in the organization. The reason it is not effective can be that Problems In Horizontal Communication Solutions Both have equal authority/ same level of power Organization trips Mismatch of Ideas between peers in same level Get-togethers Competitiveness in the organization Organizational Parties Attitudes towards other peers Team building workshops These are problem most organizations faces and have taken steps to increase the effectiveness of horizontal communication. The importance of horizontal communication is explained by Juneja, H (2009) horizontal communication in an organization which is also very important. It is essential that people working at same level should have effective communication amongst them so that there is co-ordination between them. Workers are more likely to be more serious when it comes to communication with their superiors In this case Kent Davis summoned a hastily meeting to solve the issue that had happen in this horizontal communication, showing us that the organization is taking its communication issues seriously. Especially for an Airline which requires allot of co-ordination. For an Airlines or any organization to compete in this modern world they require the best state of the art technology in communication available. This is because communication is a key in achieving any objective. Omega Airlines needs to improve its communication technology to overcome future problems. A quote from an article by Baker, K.A. (2002) , new communication technologies can enable almost every aspect of organizational management and effectiveness, including change management, knowledge management, participative management, innovation, and organizational partnerships and alliances Server/ Database Creation My recommendation firstly to build a Server or Database where only organization employees can access and store all data that can be used by other employees. This will not only speed up the information distribution and communication process but also organize the data in one place so all records can be viewed 24/7 365 days. Source: Google images 2010 Video Conferencing/ webcam/ 3G calls This is a new way that modern companies contact employees, because the media richness is higher in a video call than a normal telephone call. And it is proven than visual communication has a bigger impact or stays in the brain/ memory much longer. Source: Cisco Official Website 2010 Instant Messaging These are Messaging programs that are very user friendly and do not take long to reply. For example when sending an email you have to get the address and then after sending you have to wait for a reply. But with instant messaging software its not necessary, once the person comes to the organization he can login and any message will be sent and replied to instantly. Also the best thing its all free. Source: Google images 2010 Google Wave Source: Google wave website 2010 Google wave is a new technology that is revolutionizing the organization communication process. The description as given in Google (2010) Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration, A wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more. In other words this plays the roles of an instant messenger, video conference software also it has the features of an email message. This is the future. As a conclusion, by implementing these technologies all aspects of the organization will be improved drastically, especially in organization such as this where communication is KEY. Having technology is one thing but for people to adapt is the difficult part. But all the technology and software that was said here are very user friendly easy to use and easy to update. There by not only will make the organization a better more efficient organization but also an up to date one. And will give an assurance that incident like this between Leigh Randell and Tom Ballard not happen again.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Flash Fiction and Prose Essay

Surprise endings are tricky. They either work or they don’t; people are either captivated or dubiously disappointed. I must confess that â€Å"The School† and â€Å"Dinner Time† were both extremely strange and vaguely unenjoyable for me. â€Å"School† was quite depressing and raised quite a bit of questions: when does bad luck become just bad? How were the deaths uniform and consistent in plants, animals, and even people? Was there indeed something wrong with the school itself? Or was their a saboteur? I believe the root of the problem was too many questions and not enough answered. On top of that the ending was a walking gerbil which is just odd. The language, depth and vocabulary of the students change all of a sudden and the principal displays public affection with another teacher. As a result the story conveys an unsettling and even worrying atmosphere where children go to learn; the reader gets the sense that the children may not be entirely safe, but from what is still entirely unknown. Similarly, â€Å"Dinner Time† could conceivably be a Mad TV skit or a scene behind a schizophrenic’s eyes. I’m not sure if this bizarre husband and wife team was masochistic, psychopathic, or just plain insane. There is a great deal of anger, frustration and unnecessary pain that I quite simply did not understand. I could not comprehend how this dinner could have presented itself in Edson’s head. Truly, it is nothing but puzzling, and the ending is rather a relief – the reader can finally stop being confused. Conversely, â€Å"A Story About the Body† and â€Å"Sleeping† engages the reader by presenting a picture everyone has been in: babysitter (or babysat) and desire, or in it’s basest form, human connection. â€Å"Body† was the shortest piece we had to read and also managed to convey nearly the most information of all of them. A man desires a woman because of her expression through art, her dancer’s grace and her captivating eyes. But upon hearing of her loss, he at least is able to keep eye contact when he tells her the truth. The reader immediately experiences two different sets of emotions: pity for the woman with graceful hands of art, and a reluctant empathy with the man who changed his mind. It would’ve been an undeniably unnerving experience for him and any man, making love to a woman without what some consider is part of the essence of a woman, no matter how much in love with her he thought himself to be. But then he and the reader are presented with an ending in the form of a gift: a small blue bowl filled with water, rose petals and dead bees. I was completely ignorant of what this might mean and so did brief research on the symbolism of bees and found that the bee has most often been used to represent the soul. I do not know if that is what Hass implied or even intended but it seems to fit best here. Perhaps it is a metaphor for her own body: pretty on the outside (with clothes), damaged on the inside, but still whole – still a woman (naked). Not only was this woman sending him a message, but she was also giving him part of what attracted him to her in the first place: her art. The reader is likewise quickly intrigued in â€Å"Sleeping,† even downright curious as to why Mrs. Winter prevents the hired babysitter from ever confirming the existence of the baby. Is the baby alright? Is it breathing? Does this alleged baby even exist? Whereas â€Å"School† raised disturbing questions about the safety of mass amounts of children, â€Å"Sleeping† raises thoughts of intrigue, deception, and old fashioned mystery. And the ending is not surprising so much as it merely drives the reader to a hunger to know what exactly Mrs. Winters keeps in the â€Å"baby† room. And no Mr. Winter, we do not understand.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Effects Of Video Games On The Society - 876 Words

The rapid advance in technology influences the creation of various entertainment sources. According to a U.S Study by Rideout Et Al (As Cited in Anderson Bushman 2001.a), the popularity of video games specially is rapidly increasing. Nonetheless, ferocious electronic games are an attraction of attention to children, teenagers, and even adults. In fact, in another U.S study by Butchman Funk (As Cited in Anderson Bushman 2001.b) on 4th grade students, three of every four boys and six out of every ten girls favour violent computer games. This essay will argue that violence in video games should be censored. For the purpose of this essay, violence can be defined as the physical force proposed to hurt, damage, or kill either someone or something, and censor may relate to the act of supressing unwanted material (Oxford Dictionaries). Furthermore, the three main points of this essay are: exposure to violent video games leads to aggressive behaviour, computer games negative impacts on th e society, and how ferocity in video games collaborates with affecting the psychology of individuals negatively. Firstly, it is widely believed that computerized games increase aggressive behaviour. Since late 20th century, researches indicate that disclosure to brutality in many sources, including video games, may cause aggressive behaviour (Huesmann, 2007). Likewise, Bandura social learning theory (as cited in Kirsh 2003) suggests that habit imitation may occur from exposure to violentShow MoreRelatedVideo Games And Its Effects On Society1463 Words   |  6 Pages Movies, video games, music and television shows come in different genres. However, depending on age in regards to youth not just anyone is allowed to: watch certain movies, buy just any video game, listen to any music or watch any tv show. Sometimes they can see certain movies with a parent or guardian. Seeing violence in excess causes violent acts to take place in society because it gives ideas to viewers or listeners especially those who are young. This the reason there are ratings for mediaRead MoreVideo Games And Its Effect On Society Essay1380 Words   |  6 Pagesthe 1970’s, video games in America have been controversial. Currently around 97% of America s children play video games in some form; from home consoles such as Xbox, to personal computers and mobile games on smartphones, even in an educational form, video games are nearly everywhere and bringing in big money. Around $21 billion is being funneled into a domestic video game industry. But what are these kids viewing when playing video games and how does that affect their role in society? A commonRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Games On Society1274 Words   |  6 PagesViolence in video games can affect ones mindset in so many different ways, where we don’t even realize it. For example playing â€Å"Grand Theft Auto† for a few hours will change your mindset. Even though it wouldn’t be in a tremendous way, but for a few minutes your mindset will think, â€Å"This game is so much fun, I want to steal cars, have police chase me, shoot at people, even steal helicopters†. According to Social scientists in the New York Times, Many studies have shown that this is becoming a majorRead MoreVideo Games And Its Effect On Society1525 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"The reason why people find it so enjoyable is that games are usually the right degree of challenging and the player takes an active role (unlike watching television) so there is an incentive to achieve† (Gee) . Ever since video games were invented there was an immediate attachment and an unwillingness to release them. 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It has become the most popular way of entertainment in modern civilization, but it also has become a subject of public concern regarding to its negative effects on peoples psychological and physical problems, especially in children and teens. Video games are now recognized by a study as an addiction according to the journal Psychological Science: â€Å"Researchers used data on 1,200 childrenRead MoreVideo Games And Its Effects On Society2285 Words   |  10 PagesFrom the inception of Pong to the latest chapter of the video game series Assassin’s Creed, virtual gaming has been scorned and shunned as a detriment to society. Older generations speculate that incessant gaming in young children insinuates violence, antipathy, lack of creative initiative, and develops an unhealthy isolation from the real world. However, in recent years, these postulates have been put to the test; a number of scientists have conducted ex perimentation in order to discover whetherRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Game On Society1466 Words   |  6 PagesFor generations games have been an important part of our culture. Many of these games center on war and strategic tactics. Boys and girls have played soldier, Cowboys and Indians, Monopoly, or Chess . Through games such as these the future men and women of society learned strategy and the consequences of controlling and restraining themselves because their actions had consequences. However with the invention of the computer high definition graphics, these games, and many others have been createdRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Games On The Society859 Words   |  4 PagesAccording to a U.S Study by Rideout Et Al (As Cited in Anderson Bushman 2001.a), the popularity of video games is rapidly increasing. In a U.S study by Butchman Funk (As Cited in Anderson Bushman 2001.b), Around 60 percent of 4th grade girls prefer violent games and about 3 out of every 4 boys with a similar age also prefer ferocious ones. This essay will argue that violence in video games should be censored. For the purpose of this essay, violence can be defined as the physical force intendedRead MoreVideo Games And Its Effect On Society1298 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction During the advent of video games, the world was taken by storm, as this new type of entertainment caught the attention and imagination of the populace; but as this attention grew, concern and scrutiny weren’t far behind. Controversy finally got its chance in the 1990s, when games finally upgraded to 16-bit, giving them the ability to depict realistic blood and gore in games like Moral Kombat; which was criticized for excessive violence, a reason Congress used to create the Entertainment

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Swot Analysis Southwest Airlines - 1285 Words

The safest way to travel in the United States are through U.S. commercial airplanes. There are only .06 deaths per billion miles, which is tremendously better than cars and motorcycles who’s are 5.67 and 217 per billion miles (CNN 2015). Southwest Airlines is one of the major airlines in the US and the one of the world s largest low-cost carrier. The airline was created by Herb Kelleher in 1967, their headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. This paper will reflect and analyze the current situation of Southwest and the rest of the airline business by using the PESTEL analysis, value chain analysis, and the ROS, which will compare them to their competitors such as Jet Blue, Delta, and American airlines. In analyzing the airline industry, the first framework to use is the PESTEL analysis, which assesses the strategic relevance of the six principal components. Only a few of the components are a deciding factor in the airline industry of which are the Political, Economical, and Technolo gical. First, the political factor, the airline operated in a highly regulated political environment where the passengers are favored (Makos 2015). There are many regulations to restrict airlines in order to prevent them one business in becoming a monopoly of the industry, which is why the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was created (FAA 2015). Another factor is the economic factor, airlines are affected with anything happening in the economy since it is a huge network. â€Å"The prolongedShow MoreRelatedSwot Analysis : Southwest Airlines1900 Words   |  8 PagesIn 1971 Southwest Airlines started their operations with a vision of being a low cost/low fare carrier for passengers traveling between San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. After early legal battles and struggles gaining market share, their fighting spirit, integrity and will to succeed paid off. Over the course of the next 40+ years, Southwest has become the world’s largest low-cost carrier, while carrying mor e domestic passengers that any other U.S. airline (â€Å"Southwest Corporate,† 2015). Their cultureRead MoreSwot Analysis: Southwest Airlines2215 Words   |  9 PagesSWOT Analysis: Southwest Airlines SWOT Analysis: Southwest Airlines Southwest Airlines made its first voyage back in 1971 with service based in the cities of Dallas, Houston and San Antonio (Brief History, 2009). 38 years later, Southwest Airlines has more than 3300 flights a day and serves 66 cities in 33 states (Factsheet, 2009). Southwest Airlines has demonstrated a variety of strengths in its 38 year presence. Recent economic events have also caused a renewed focus on the company’s weaknessesRead MoreSwot Analysis : Southwest Airlines1462 Words   |  6 Pages Most projects are strapped for time and resources leading to insufficient time to use sophisticated estimation techniques or even to hold lengthy group sessions for estimation. Despite that, the Enterprise Insights (EI) team at Southwest Airlines is the conduit to the Enterprise Data Warehousing (EDW) as well as the team that provides the Business Intelligence (BI) function for the company. The EDW department transforms raw data into meaningful and useful information for business customers. TheRead MoreSwot Analysis : Southwest Airlines1892 Words   |  8 Pagesutilize the PESTEL-Analysis to evaluate SW (Southwest Airlines) to gain an insight into its areas of opportunity, and how it has realized those core factors affecting its business dynamics. PESTEL-Analysis, is an apparatus used to examine and monitor macro economical external environmental factors that impact a business. PESTEL analysis will provide us with the key drivers of success and deliver us the ability to harness the unrealized. Southwest Airlines is a major passenger airline that provides scheduledRead MoreSwot Analysis : Southwest Airlines1305 Words   |  6 Pages217 per billion miles (CNN 2015). Southwest Airlines is one of the major airlines in the US and the one of the world s largest low-cost carrier. The airline was created by Herb Kelleher in 1967. Their headquarters are in Dallas, Texas. By using the PESTEL analysis, Value Chain Analysis, and the Return Of Sales (ROS), I will analyze Southwest. It will compare them to their competitors such as Jet Blue, Delta, and American Airlines. In using the PESTEL analysis, only half of the components are aRead MoreSwot Analysis : Southwest Airlines1895 Words   |  8 Pagesutilize the PESTEL-Analysis to evaluate SW (Southwest Airlines) to gain an insight into its areas of opportunity, and how it has realized those core factors affecting its business dynamics. PESTEL-Analysis, is an apparatus used to examine and monitor macro economical external environmental factors that impact a business. The PESTEL analysis will provide us with the key drivers of success and deliver us the ability to harness the unrealized. Southwest Airlines is a major passenger airline that providesRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Southwest Airlines Routes974 Words   |  4 PagesSummary The Northeastern airlines route presented the connectivity to numerous cities offered by the airline and the profits in United States Dollars value for each passenger are presented for each of the routes serviced by the airline. For example the route between the cities Boston and Providence and between Providence and Boston deliver only US Dollar nine for each passenger as profits to the airline. For delivering its service for these routes, the airline makes use or operates a fleet of sixteenRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Southwest Airline ( Swa ) Points1819 Words   |  8 PagesThe Harvard Case Research about Southwest Airline (SWA) points out both advantages and disadvantages in the company’s strategy in maintaining its position as one of the most flown airlines in the U.S. Profit is vital to the company’s survival, but not the most concerned whereas SWA puts more effort on the bottom line, which includes Performance, People, and Planet. The company’s strengths are low fares, fast services, strong leadership and culture, and environmental sustainability. Weaknesses areRead MoreSouthwest Swot Analysis1497 Words   |  6 PagesBusiness SWOT Analysis Abstract As a mutual fund manager, I have decided to conduct some research on Southwest Airlines. I will provide an overview of the company’s history, and an analysis of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT). While there wasn’t any rhyme or reasoning behind my selection, I do feel that Southwest Airlines is one of the leading airlines in the United States. Conducting a SWOT analysis will help me understand what the company’s strengths and weaknessesRead MoreSwot Analysis : The Airline Industry1678 Words   |  7 PagesThe airline industry is one of the largest industries in the world, it may seem like nothing can affect such a large and stable industry but even a large powerful industry is affected by external environments. This is just one of four important topics that will be covered in this well researched paper. The five forces that affect this industry as well as a well thought out reason why SWOT analysis can be important to Southwest Airli ne, which is the particular company in the airline industry, we will