Radioshacks Woes free essay sample

This paper explores the recent difficulties RadioShack Corp. (RadioShack) has experienced pertaining to organizational culture, job design, job satisfaction, and employee policies. RadioShack’s difficulties were gathered from current and former company employees that were questioned about their experiences. In addition to discussing the trials that RadioShack has experienced, the paper will suggest a solution to get the company’s culture back in line with their mission statement as well as the corporate vision. Topics including employee motivation, supervisory leadership training, and workplace enhancement will be examined. The conclusion will analyze the steps that RadioShack needs to make improvements and ultimately how successful they could be. The analysis will be based on financial reports and independent employee interviews performed by the author on location at several local RadioShack locations. The opinions of the employees varied on many of the different topics but the overall opinion of the company’s culture and practices was very poor. We will write a custom essay sample on Radioshacks Woes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page RadioShack’s Woes RadioShack is a familiar name in the American electronics retailing industry. They operate nearly 5000 stores across the country and deal in the highly competitive consumer electronics segment. The brick and mortar based retailer has experienced limited success in battling their â€Å"big box† competitors like Best Buy, H. H. Gregg, Target, and Wal-Mart to name a few. The emerging online battlefield has left them reasonably behind as well. Their well documented financial distress is tearing at the foundation that holds this company together and is threatening to destroy it from the inside out. The problem is escalating quickly and changing the behaviors of the people within the organization. Problems within the Organization RadioShack’s admits that the staying power of the company which has been in business for over ninety years is their customer oriented approach (RadioShack Corp. , 2012). The company website harps on the company’s diversity and commitment to sound corporate governance. These are very important factors in any business to say the least, but the biggest problem in the RadioShack equation is their lack of interest in their own employees. The employees are the ones that are task with engaging, educating, and serving the customers that are the key to the staying power motto. Yet these same employees face many challenges that limit their ability to perform this invaluable task. The employees complain about long hours, unfair commission structures, and unattainable rewards standards issued by the company. Organizational Culture The cognitive framework consisting of assumptions and values shared by organization members is the scientific definition of organizational culture (Greenburg, 2010). Having a healthy organizational culture is something that is the mark of a strong company. Companies where the employees do not feel valued are said to have toxic organizational cultures and that is where RadioShack will find themselves if they do not take steps to improve the culture from its current state. Organizational culture shapes, influences, and redefines training programs which in turn shape, influence, and redefine the organizational culture (Kissack, 2010). The function of organizational culture. There are three vital functions that organizational culture serves within an organization. The first is to provide a sense of identity for the members, give them something to relate to as well as a sense of purpose. Secondly, generating commitment to the organization’s mission will make employees rally around the ideals of the company. Lastly, clarifying and reinforcing the standards of behavior or stabilizing the behaviors or the organization’s members. Competing values framework. This tool utilizes two sets of opposite values to analyze the driving forces in an organizations culture. These two sets are flexibility and discretion versus stability and control; then, internal focus versus external focus. Using this framework in tabular form allows for the definition of four different types of cultures. Hierarchy implies companies that have an internal focus and emphasize stability and control. Market cultures are concerned with stability and control but they have an external focus. Clan culture is described by companies that have a strong internal focus while being flexible and discreet. Finally, adhocracy cultures are externally focused while being extremely flexible. RadioShack’s current culture is an attempt at market style; unfortunately it is not being properly maintained, ruining its effectiveness. The method has been unsustainable for the current management and is showing no immediate signs improving. To transmit a fresh an appealing organizational culture RadioShack needs to utilize tools such as symbols, stories, jargon, ceremonies, and principal statements. Utilization of these tools is not currently being pushed to the organization’s members. Job Design For more than two decades, research and practice in the field of  job design  has been dominated by two theoretical frameworks, exhibiting strong convergence in terms of the characteristics of individual  jobs  likely to impact on employee  job  performance and  job  satisfaction and the underlying mechanisms that lead to these relationships (Rehman, 2011). In RadioShack’s case, the job design is mandated by the size of the stores, products available for sale, and hours of operation. These are the boundaries that are set for retailers of all sorts. The main problem is the immense level of responsibility bestowed upon the store associates with the limited compensation that they receive. It is the equivalent of having the responsibilities of a sole proprietor with the compensation of an hourly worker. This job design instills a level of resentment in the employees from the start. This resentment caused job performance to suffer which yields lower productivity and sales for the organization as a whole. This poor job design also significantly inflates the turnover of the store level positions. Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction cannot be directly linked to the quality of service an employee provides (Makiko, 2008). However, the correlation is something that yields interesting results in practical applications. A hard day’s work, for fair day’s pay in the principal that goes hand and hand with job satisfaction. Even before getting into the issue of employee growth and retention, RadioShack has a problem with the compensation structure for the employees and it has made it very difficult for them to secure and retain key personnel in many levels of the organization. Without prematurely going into the detail of the policies and procedures that are in place for the employees the overall sentiment of current employees from a brief interview conducted at a few of my local RadioShack retail locations revealed three significant findings. First, 4 out of 5 of the group would take a new position at another retailer if it were available. Second, 5 out of 5 felt that they were under compensated for their current position. Third, 1 out of 5 felt that the organization truly cares about the store level associates. This study though limited in scope allowed me to get an idea of what the basic RadioShack employee thinks about their company and their job. Employee Policies The policies and procedures that govern a workforce are the most important tools when looking at the reason for particular employee behaviors. This is the biggest problem facing RadioShack currently. The policies regarding scheduling, compensation, training, and engagement are far below levels sufficient to build and maintain a dependable, reliable, and efficient workforce. Scheduling. A major concern for many employees is the long and unusual shifts that are scheduled weekly. The lack of consistency is frowned upon and leads to many conflicts with personal scheduling for the store employees. Compensation. A very low base pay is offered with a commission bases supplement. However, a large number of employees are not able to reach the sales goals required to benefit from the commission structure. The fact that the rates for the commission recently was downgraded also is problematic for employees since future achievements are not harder to obtain and worth less at the same time. Training. As in many retail based jobs the average employee requires training prior to being able to perform on the sales floor. At RadioShack, associates are trained superficially and then told what products to push to the customers. This lack of product knowledge limits the amount of value that the associates can impart to the customers. Engagement. Organizations with a health culture have many different ways to communicate, inform, and engage with their employees. In the case of RadioShack, employee feel that the only communication that comes from superiors is sell more cellular telephones. This unidirectional communication path does not allow the free flow of ideas that is so important in many of the world’s most successful operations. RadioShack has to fix the segmentation that exists in their organization that prevents the company from making a unified effort to achieve corporate goals. Solving the Dilemma In order to fix RadioShack’s organizational culture, an understanding of its effects and capacity to change is needed. The importance cannot be understated; however the strength of corporate culture shapes the organizations performance. That organization performance in turn aids the financial performance of the firm. Finance is something that each and every company is concerned about. RadioShack needs to change perceptions across the board. They need to make sure the mission and philosophy is clear. Spend more time communicating values and beliefs and be sure to hire people based on those beliefs. Start celebrating company traditions and milestone accomplishments. Form a standard set of values and tendencies that are shared by all members of the organization. Once the company has fixed the foundation, they can look to change the culture for the better. The tools of change for an organization of this size are few, but in this case the limited number of tools only makes the solution easier for RadioShack to select. To change the culture they need to make a significant change to the composition of the workforce. Changing the people that make up the working environment is a surefire way to enhance the culture of the overall organization. Bringing the skill level and education of the employees to a higher level will infuse new confidence into the culture. Becoming a leader in the marketplace and not just another face in the crowd will build loyalty and commitment in the organization and the mission of the company. This method can be supported by planned organizational change. My recommendation would be to implement both of the methods simultaneously. This would require bringing in a new CEO and working from the top down as well as the bottom up the completely overhaul the organizational culture using and interior focus to further elevate member loyalty and commitment. Employee Motivation To motivate the employees, the management will first need to revise the policies and procedures that govern them. It is imperative to address the negative feedback on the compensation structure, the high turnover rate, the unconventional hours, and the lack of training and education available. Compensation. The low base and unrealistic bonus schedule is hindering the efforts currently at the store level. Switching to a plan where the base is elevated and the bonus is based on the overall store performance would be more of an incentive for better teamwork, more concerned management, and enhanced training and communication between associates. This would allow stores, and not individuals to win or lose as a team instead of creating an environment for commission theft and pushy tactics. Employee turnover. This problem needs to be quickly and abruptly halted. Investing more in your employees means that you want them to be with the company longer to reap the benefits of their growing skillsets. Offering benefits that suit the composition of the workforce will make the job more than just a paycheck. Scholarships, internships, and advanced training will make the workplace somewhere that employees treasure and long to be a part of. Recognition of associates that have gone above and beyond with their service will also encourage higher retention rates. Scheduling. Creating a format for scheduling that better suits the store hours an allocated payroll budgets will create a better work-life balance (Colley, 2010). Stringing together a series of shifts that no one wants to work is not a good way to maintain a workforce. This is the current practice exercise my RadioShack management. Proper scheduling with adequate coverage for seasonal and temporary requirements will cover the complaint very easily. Education and training. In the retail setting, knowledge is king to the customer. An associate that can explain the use, benefits, construction, and features of products is good; but one that is intelligent, knowledgeable, and confident is far better. When the customer can be educated about a product by the employee this builds loyalty and commitment with the customer. That will make that person frequent RadioShack instead of the other retailers due to the product knowledge and security available. Not only will this differentiate RadioShack from other retailers in the marketplace, it will take advantage of the investment in the human resources of the company. Supervisory Leadership Training I would also recommend special training for the store level leaders. This advanced training would prepare the supervisors to instill the mission and objectives into each and every new hire. Training would include how to hire people that fit the organizational culture, how to lead by example, how to train others to deal with customers and ultimately schedule and manage their associates. Workplace Enhancement This suggestion would require significant capital expenditure but I feel that it is needed to complete the over organization culture change. The layout and finishes of the stores need to be reworked. The ambiance and engagement within a RadioShack location is not well suited to today’s hands on consumer. With so many display cases and products that are inaccessible to customers hinders the sell through rates at the company which in turn hurts the associates and management. Creating an environment where the associates and customers can get acquainted with the products via display models and working units will make the job more enjoyable and the shopping experience better at the same time. RadioShack Today In conclusion, RadioShack has tried to create a spark with new marketing and more targeting product offerings. This approach cannot fully work until the core of the organization is changed. The recommendations within this paper are internally focus on making the foundation of the company more stable and transparent. To turn their focus from external perception and reflect on the element of their business that has the biggest impact on their bottom line. Taking my advice and ushering in a more employee bases operation will return RadioShack back to its place and one of the premiere consumer electronics retailers in the country. Motivating not only the hourly associates but the managers all the way up he line will build new loyalty and make organizational member want to be with the company for extended periods of time (Meyer, 2004). The recommendations will completely change the job design and transform the positions into more than just a paycheck. This will make working with RadioShack a journey into the world of consumer electronic retailing; a gateway where associates can ascend to well-payi ng salaried positions that demand more education and more training. This means that the overall job satisfaction will be significantly higher. Promoting a more comfortable and efficient work environment will simply become part of the strategic plan. In closing, RadioShack is at a crossroads where they can continue their current path which leads to an imminent merger or bankruptcy; or they can invest in building a better organization starting with the core corporate culture. This will be a sustainable, well planned change that will increase the intrinsic value of the firm and provide the organization with a responsive market for years to come.

Heres why your paycheck is disappearing

Heres why your paycheck is disappearing It’s not a magic trick- your paycheck may seem like it’s vanishing faster than you can earn it, but there are reasons why this seems to happen. It’s a common phenomenon: payday comes around and you start thinking about all of the things you’d like to do with your money when it comes in, but then reality hits, and your grand plans for your paycheck seems to evaporate into thin air, along with your funds. If you’re often struck by this disappointing occurrence, take comfort in the fact that you’re not alone. The simple truth comes down to this: for many of us, the size of our paychecks haven’t kept pace with the rising costs of the things we purchase, and when this occurs it should be no surprise that the â€Å"vanishing paycheck† is such a common phenomenon.What you’re earningThe statistics on historical wage trends paint a daunting picture, and goes a long way to explain why our earnings don’t seem to go as far as we’d like them to. According to a recent report by The Brookings Institution, inflation-adjusted wages have only grown around 10 percent over the last 45 years, with real wage growth crawling forward at a paltry .2 percent annually. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that when adjusted for inflation, real average hourly earnings have remained virtually unchanged for the American workforce over the last four decades.There are a number of factors that can be pointed to in an effort to explain this trend, from cheap labor overseas affecting supply and demand to globalized corporate competition and an economy weakened by the Great Recession and unexpectedly high inflation, but the bottom line is that this level of wage stagnation reflects a significant lack of opportunity for economic advancement for the average American worker.Furthermore, although companies have been earning massive profits in recent decades, largely due to rising costs of products and globalization o f markets and labor pools, this increased revenue simply has not made its way into the pockets of the employees who contribute to their success. The Economic Policy Institute reports that the average worker’s share of corporate-sector income in the form of wages and benefits has been on the decline since 1979.Wage inequality is another recent yet disturbing trend. According to recent BLS data, although there has been wage growth for those in the top earning percentile brackets, the opposite is true for workers in the bottom and lower-middle earning categories. This growing economic stratification creates a deep divide between the â€Å"haves† and â€Å"have nots,† leaving many workers with little hope that their financial situations will dramatically improve.What you’re spendingIf stagnant wages wasn’t challenging enough, consider the fact that the goods and services we purchase are taking bigger and bigger bites out of our paychecks than ever befo re. This includes everything from essentials like housing, food, and utilities to non-essential purchases like luxury items, vacations, and even expensive coffee (which has turned into a multi-billion-dollar-a-year industry), all of which gnaw away at our earnings faster than we thought possible.Current BLS data indicates that average prices for consumer goods are increasing at an average rate of around 2 percent a year; this may not seem significant, but when many workers don’t see steady wage increases each year, paying an extra 2% for everything they purchase can really add up. There’s also a wide array of expenses that today’s average worker shoulders that previous generations did not have to worry about- think student loans, smart phone bills, and numerous credit card payments to name just a few- all of which further stretches workers’ paychecks beyond capacity.The bottom lineWhat does this all mean? There’s a growing unbalance between what th e average American worker earns and what he or she spends, and it paints a bleak economic picture for many people. If you’re not a captain of industry or among the earning elite, chances are good that the money you’re earning just isn’t going as far as you’d like it to, due to a variety of disadvantageous economic forces and trends that are showing no sign of reversing anytime soon. With all of these factors at play, the magic trick known as the â€Å"vanishing paycheck† isn’t so mysterious or magical after all.

Promotional media ecologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Promotional media ecologies - Essay Example Having its root in the agricultural economics, marketing management was developed to cope with mass production that triggered mass consumption in the 20th century. Additionally, the establishment of market research was a major step that was undertaken by early marketers in order to fully understand the needs of their customers. In this way, organization would produce quality brands based on the requirement of their consumers. Another key strategy that local and international companies have adopted is the storage of consumer’s information in order to contact them in future. This paper critically discusses the implications of digital panopticism and profiling for consumers. As stipulated by Foucault (2004), profiling for consumers is imperative for organizations that are focused at in identifying and responding to the changing consumer needs. In the same way, Tredinnick (2008) indicates that the growth of modern technology is vital in undertaking consumer surveillance. In this r egard, one of the major implications of digital panopticism is effective market research that is vital in identifying what the consumers want. During the 2oth century, companies market segments were significantly big a situation that affected effective management of markets thus making it difficult to provide personalized products and services. However, due to the digitization and development of new information technologies, smaller consumer clusters and smaller market segments have emerged. Likewise, the establishment of consumer database is a key transition that has led to effective management of customer segments. As argued by Jason and Detlev (2010) the development of a system of consumer segment that was referred to as A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods ACORN that was focused at proper storage of consumer information was essential. One of the notable icons who significantly contributed in market segmentation through information technology is Jonathan Robbin. Based o n his contributions and development of software in the marketing field, social clusters emerged. Another implication of digital Panopticism was improved market intelligence. Through storing of information that related to various market segments, marketers are now able to clearly understand socio-economic factors, consumer’s preferences and tastes that are fundamental in the production and delivery of products. Through collection of adequate market information that relates to the needs of consumers, firms are in a position to emulate effective marketing mix that matches the needs of their customers. Emergence of socio-demographic surveillance and real development in consumer surveillance is another major result of the digitalization. This was based on the extensive marketing studies that include algorithmic analysis and data mining (Jason and Detlev, 2010). As a result of the extensive use of information technologies, companies can now identify behavioural relationship and con sumption patterns that could not be recognized before the use of modern technologies. For example, through the use of internet, consumers can now give feedback that is used by companies such as Coca-Cola to produce brands that are needed by their consumers. Based on the use of current technologies by market researchers and economic analysts it is now possible to make meaningful and accurate predictions of future consumption patte

Unit 5 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit 5 - Assignment Example This finding is practically true as certain diverse populations show a high level of racial and color tolerance in their civic engagements (Michael). Putman’s report states that diversity may make a group in a community uncomfortable. This discomfort produces deleterious effects such as heightening racial discrimination in the particular community. Beneficial effects include economical, political, and social competition that leads to economical growth. However, the negative effects of diversity are avoidable, especially by the reduction of cases of ethnic and racial intolerance. Social capital thus, leads to harmonious living in diverse communities as people get to appreciate their social ties and more objectively, their political engagements. In cases of social capital depression in a more diverse community, the impacts of ethnic diversity become worse and the population tends to â€Å"hunker down† in the communal issues (Michael). This leads to effects such as greater income rates, higher crime rates and more mobility among the members of the population. These effects lead to both political and social instability in the diverse setting and interfere with the normal living of the residents. Scott Page, The University of Michigan Political Analyst, asserts that the contradicting positive and negative effects of diversity can be contained in a community up-to a definite limit. This is substantially applicable as, for instance, a decline in civil understanding would generate to a hostile community, in which the deleterious effects of diversity would be more prevalent. This therefore, heightens the need to formulate guidelines on controlling the effects of diversity and make it more valuable to the

Effect of Perception and Empathy on Self Concept

Effect of Perception and Empathy on Self Concept Final Paper: Perception, Empathy, and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Matthew K. O’Hara How does perception and empathy towards those we communicate with at an interpersonal level alter one’s self concept and in effect change the fate of the self-fulfilling prophecy? To begin, one must first understand some of the core concepts and definitions of terms that will be utilized in this paper, such that the reader can understand the relatedness and intertwined nature of one’s perception and the self-fulfilling prophecy. Adler and Proctor define the term self-concept as, â€Å"who you think you are,† in their work Looking Out, Looking In (2011). One’s self concept can be affected by an almost infinite number of factors, some of which are: one’s biological make-up (inherited disease or if an individual is generally a happy or sad person), how we believe other’s see us, how other’s treat us or how others have treated us in the past, how we compare ourselves to others in our social environment, our cultural backgrounds, and simply our gender; all affect who we think we are. The concept of one’s self then leads us to the discussion of the self-fulfilling prophecy. Adler and Proctor describe that a self-fulfilling prophecy, â€Å"†¦occurs when a person’s expectations of an event, and his or her subsequent behavior based on those expectations, make the event more likely to occur than would otherwise have been true. A self-fulfilling prophecy involves four stages: 1) Holding an expectation (for yourself or for others); 2) Behaving in accordance with that expectation; 3) The expectation coming to pass; and 4) Reinforcing the original expectation† (2011). Next, we must consider the ever so interesting concept of perception, for which Adler and Proctor describe in matters of experience where, â€Å"†¦each of us experiences a different reality, and failing to understand other people’s point of view can lead to problems on both practical and relational levels†¦.by seeing the world through other’s eyes, you can gain insights that are different – and often more valuable – than those arising out of your own experiences† (2011). Finally, and in my opinion the most vital element of perception that can improve an interpersonal relationship is to understand and practice empathy. Empathy, â€Å"is the ability to re-create another person’s perspective, to experience the world from the other’s point of view† (Adler and Proctor, 2011). My first example will be based on observations of a colleague (and friend), with whom I currently work. To say that this friend was at times, the most negative person in the world may be an understatement. He would often say things like, â€Å"nothing ever goes my way†¦you just get lucky†¦whatever, I’ll probably get fired soon anyway†¦they [our employer] give me the worst clients,† among many other similarly negative uses of language. Another co-worker (and also a friend) and I, would try to turn his negative attitude into more positively provoked thoughts based on several factors. We would say things to him such as, â€Å"we are all very fortunate to have the jobs that we do in this economy†¦if things didn’t work out with this client, you have to move on to the next†¦we just started a year ago – things will get better/easier†¦you were hired for a reason – don’t be so hard on yourself†¦try to see things a l ittle bit differently.† This was of course not the full extent of our conversation, but this should give the reader some context as to how we would communicate with him. More specifically, there was an instance where this â€Å"negative† friend was preparing for second meeting with a client. In our line of work, the second meeting is where we as advisors diagnose the issues we’ve uncovered regarding a client’s situation; as well as provide suggestion, recommendations, and ultimately â€Å"ask for the business.† â€Å"Asking for the business,† could be having the client transfer money from another firm to ours, or to invest the money they have with us in a more productive manner. Nevertheless, I stopped by his office to see how he was feeling going into the meeting. Not surprisingly, he had what I perceived to be a â€Å"negative† attitude towards the outcome (his mind was already focused on the future or rather his anticipated outcome three hours ahead of the present moment)! I said to him, â€Å"Frank (pseudonym), you have no control on what decision the client will make; therefore instead of thinking the c lient will not do what you recommend, why not feel good about the work you have already done for the client; and think in a way that you believe they will act on your recommendation, because you believe it is in the client’s best interest to do so? And if they don’t act now, perhaps they will act later – but nothing positive will happen if you don’t believe it will.† He then replied something in the manner of, â€Å"yeah, I guess you’re right – I’ve got nothing to lose anyway† (followed by a, â€Å"I don’t care anyway† laugh). I said, â€Å"Great you can do this – and you will. And if you’re confident in your delivery, they will act on your recommendations.† He thanked me; I walked to my desk as he closed his office door and put the finishing touches on his â€Å"mental† preparation for his meeting. Fast forward, after he escorted his clients past my office and to the lobby where he said his good-byes; to my delightful eyes he came back to my office with a bounce in his step. He was walking differently than normal, he was standing more erect, he was smiling – a huge, very happy smile. He said to me (in our non-business, friendship-like communication style), â€Å"bro – you’re not going to believe this†¦.they did everything! They’re going to bring over $2 million from XYZ company, they want to meet with our estate planning expert; and they want me to review their $3 million life insurance policy – oh and he thinks I can help some of the other board members of his university’s endowment fund; he took like five business cards!† I stood up out of my chair in utter excitement, and fueled by his positive attitude – gave him a â€Å"high-five,† and said, â€Å"congrats dude, I knew you could do it – now you’re in a great position to hit your year-end goal.† He thanked me for ac knowledging his accomplishment, but also thanked me for my little â€Å"pre-game† talk when I stopped by his office only a few hours earlier. He said to me, â€Å"you were right, if I just look at these opportunities a little bit differently, perhaps I will have more success.† I said, â€Å"You’re absolutely right.† This was a first-hand experience whereby I saw how a change in perception was indefinitely the game-changer for my friend to perform better, and come across more confident and reassuring to his clients – which ultimately enabled him to earn their trust, and â€Å"win† their business. My next example is such that I consider the positive effects that the practice of Yoga has on an individual’s self-concept, their actions towards others based on their empathetic nature, and finally how all of these positive thoughts and actions promote a positive self-fulfilling prophecy. There is a well-known Yoga sutra that states that minds perceive differently. â€Å"Although the same objects may be perceived by different minds, they are perceived in different ways, because those minds manifested differently.† This is exactly in line with what Adler and Proctor mean when they discuss the many factors that affect one’s self-concept; which in affect alters one’s ability to perceive a certain way. An example of which is described by Swami J. in his writings. â€Å"Imagine that four people are sitting together, meditating on the same object, a flower, for example. One person is meditating on the beauty of the flower. A second person is meditating on the molecular structure of the flower. A third person is meditating on the subtle essence of light that forms the flower. A fourth is meditating on the primal elements, the gunas, out of which the flower manifested. The flower is the same, while the minds differ: In this example, it is not the flower which has changed. Rather, it is the nature of the four different minds that determines the way the flower is experienced. Each of the four minds in this example is operating from progressively deeper levels of being, and thus, the object perceived is experienced at its different levels of manifestation.† The practice of Yoga allows practitioners and followers to see the world as it really is by training their bodies and minds to stay in the present moment – a very important aspect when considering one’s self-concept, as well as imploring the ability to be empathetic towards others in the present moment; a practice of mindfulness. Jeff Martens further describes this concept in his work, â€Å"Yoga and the Mirror of Perception,† such that, â€Å"†¦everything else is just a projection of an imagined future or memory of the past. It is up to us to make sure that our perceptions emerge from a fearless place of love and acceptance. This is the key to living in the eternal present where all things are possible and the world can bloom anew.† Ancient Chinese poet and philosopher, Lao Tzu, said it best, â€Å"†¦wherewe let goof whatweare,webecome whatwe might be.† Further elaborating on the idealistic ways Yoga can help individuals realize their positive self-concept, be more empathic and ultimately have a more positive future (self-fulfilling prophecy), comes from the biographical story of Suzanne Jones, titled â€Å"Exercise Your Empathy.† Her story has to do with how Yoga did in fact change her life, her self-concept, and how empathy towards others changed the way she views and acts towards the world (people, all things living and non-living). She writes, when I was in the darkest time of my life and planning my one shot at doing something right (i.e. removing myself from the world via swallowing a butt load of pain killers), I happened to stumble into a yoga class. And as I learned how to really breathe and concentrated on how to move my body in class and pay attention to how my body was feeling inside, I activated these brain regions†¦I exercised my empathybecause without empathy, we begin to stop being kind to ourselves. And when that happens, we begin to withdraw from others and the cycle of insidious self-destruction begins. Our brains are social organs and in isolation they begin to suffer. (2013). Reflecting back on my own personal experiences, as well as the two stories I shared regarding my friend/co-worker, and the story of Suzanne Jones and how Yoga and empathy changed her life, I truly believe that the intertwined nature of perception and empathy towards those we communicate with at an interpersonal level will not only alter one’s self-concept, but have a lifetime of positive affects in changing one’s fate and ensuring a positive self-fulfilling prophecy. I have supplied both observed and biographical evidence that supports this theory and hypothesis, which suggests that a change in perception and/or empathy towards others will have a positive effect on one’s understanding of the self, which in turn will promote a positive self-fulfilling prophecy (cause and effect). Works Cited Adler, R. Proctor, R. (2011). Looking Out, Looking In. Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Print. Swami, J. (2014). Yoga Sutras 4.15-4.17: Mind Perceiving Objects. Retrieved from http://www.swamij.com/yoga-sutras-41517.htm Martens, J. (2014). Inner Visions Yoga. Yoga and the Mirror of Perception. Retrieved from http://www.innervisionyoga.com/yoga-and-the-mirror-of-perception/ Jones, S. (2013). How Might We Build a Culture of Empathy and Compassion? Retrieved from http://cultureofempathy.com/projects/Conference/Sub/Yoga/ Jones, S. (January 14, 2013). Elephant Journal. Exercise your Empathy. Retrieved from http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/01/exercise-your-empathy/

Scholarships for Artistic Students :: Argumentative Persuasive papers

Scholarships for Artistic Students 1. Purpose College is an important part in continuing education and is also the best time for students to hone their skills and become the best in their field as possible. Inclusion of support, both financial and mental, is instrumental in achieving a college education, and should be given in equal amounts to both athletic and artistic students. But each year, numerous athletes around the United States are offered college scholarships to recognize them for their talent and to encourage them to play at the university awarding the scholarship. At the same time, the same amount of equally artistically talented students are left to pay for college themselves because they are not offered as many scholarships as athletes are. This unfair and unequal distribution of scholarships is a threat to college education of artistic students everywhere. It is a problem that occurs at every university in the United States, including Iowa State University, and it is a policy that needs to be changed so that colle ge is an equally beneficial period for athlete and artist alike. 2. Scope In this paper, I will be comparing information about the athletic and artistic scholarships offered at Iowa State University. As I do so, I will focus on the difference in number, criteria, and cash awarded by these scholarships. I will discuss the needs for the change of this policy, the ideas I have of how to change it, the benefits that will result from changing this policy, and how to implement these changes. 3. History and Needs According to a list of scholarships distributed by Iowa State itself, a greater number of athletic scholarships are offered by the college than there are artistic scholarships. With scholarships available in every sport played at Iowa State, the chances that an athlete will receive a scholarship are much higher than that of an artistic student. In fact, according to the information given by Iowa State, it is five times more likely that an incoming athletic student will receive more scholarships than an equally qualified art student will. The reason for such a difference is that mostly general scholarships are offered to artistic students, and these scholarships are offered to all students, including athletes, thus making the competition and chances of receiving such scholarships much harder. The scholarships offered by Iowa State should be in equal amounts, especially those that are focused on specifically art and athletics.

Management/performance Appraisal Essay

The movie â€Å"Office Space† is a satirical version of the challenges identified in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. In the movie, Peter Gibbons, the character played by Ron Livingston is the quintessential corporate employee who characterizes the ailments that the Industrial Psychology aims to identify and cure. Office Space points out some burning issues that have emerged with the evolution of the corporate culture. Motivation Employee motivation is a constant challenge for every organization whether it has a strong and ambitious mission statement or not. In the interview with the consultants â€Å"Bobs† Gibbons articulates it accurately when he states that he is not motivated because any extra effort he puts in might lead to a leap in the share price of the Initech stock or better rewards for his management but he is not compensated in any way. He also bluntly points out that the productive period of his, in a regular week is around 15 minutes. This is a challenge that most organizations face, where the job description leaves a lot to be desired in terms of adequate motivation for its employees to work at peak performance levels for a long duration of time. Management/performance Appraisal In the vexing issue of cover sheets for TPS, Gibbons is harassed by more than one boss. He might be exaggerating when he says that he has to report to eight different bosses but he is right in the fact that an employee begins feeling highly insecure when his performance is scrutinized with unusual and unwarranted vigor and by more than one supervisor. Personnel Recruitment and Selection In the entire movie, one of the most effective characters, Milton Waddams, so efficiently played by Stephen Root, is shown as an ineffective employee but is never clear what his role and responsibility is in the organization. In fact he is revealed to have remained in the organization due to a technical glitch though he was sacked five years ago. Any organization needs ot identify every employee’s strengths and weaknesses through its recruitment processes and also nurture their talent through constant training and knowledge initiatives. Change management is an essential function of the management and ineffective handling of such functions leads to the wide spread paranoia that becomes evident in the reactions of the employees towards the external consultants. Team Effectiveness Initech does have a bunch of talented people in Michael Bolton, Samir Nagheenanajar, Peter Gibbons et al, but fails to build effective team spirit because of the low motivation levels and constant insecurity. Besides every employee is preoccupied with their own woes of the working environment and busy dealing with it, rather than trying to maximize their productivity. Leadership In this movie, the characterization of Bill Lumbergh, played so obnoxiously by Gary Cole ( which means he has succeeded completely) is the perfect example of all that might go wrong with the leadership teams of corporates. He is a bully by nature and does not take any initiative to listen to his team members. He is a throw back to an older era when bosses were treated like royalty. Today the leadership has to play a more constructive role and infuse a sense of inclusiveness in decision making. The scene where he asks Gibbons to come in to work on both the days of the weekend without any explanation or pretense of asking for an opinion is classic Mike Judge. When reviewed in detail, Office Space provides examples of almost all the important issues that form the crux of Industrial/Organizational Psychology but the topics mentioned above are the most significant representations of the conflict and the treatment of the movie. While it is important to note the topical significance of the movie, the experience is rendered enjoyable due to some superb performances and believable exaggerations. That, perhaps is the basic reason for the movie’s cult status on the DVD circuit though its theatrical run did not make it a super hit.