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Define Risk And The Risk Management Process

Define Risk And The Risk Management Process

Risks refer to the uncertain events which cannot be controlled in organization despite the proper planning. However, risk management is a process of recognizing as well as, managing the internal events and external threats which are likely to have an impact on the success of a project. Today, risk management is applied to all levels of an organization in both operational and strategic contexts (Larson & Gray, 2003). Risk management process includes; risk identification, risk assessment, risk response development and risk response control. In risk identification, lists of possible risks are generated through risk profiling, brainstorming along with problem identification. In risk assessment, the vulnerability of the risks are analyzed and measured (MacCrimmon Wehrung, & Stanbury, 2006). In risk response development, the risks manager identifies all the activities which aim in reducing the likelihood of the risks from happening. These include; risk mitigation, risk avoidance, risk transfer and risk retaining. However, in risk response control, the risks managers establish a change management system and risk control such as initiating contingency plans while monitoring, tracking and reporting risk (Lientz & Larssen, 2006).

Explain the relationship between risk and cost during the project life cycle (5 Points)

The relationship between risk and cost during a project life cycle is that, on the basis of uncertainty, risk management cost under certainty while risk loss cost under uncertainty. During project development, the project developer has to balance cost and risk by understanding their relationships as well as, developing a learning organization from cost and risks lessons. During the project development, the cost and risk are very high. For instance, the cost used to develop the project may be higher just like risks that the project may not be the best, hence can be rejected by the client (Larson & Gray, 2003).

Explain the project change control process. (10 Points)

The purpose of the project change control process is to ensure that an action on the proposed changes occurs on purpose, but without unnecessary delay as well as, interfering with the project process (Lientz & Larssen, 2006). The project change control is significant because it allows the project team to identify, evaluate, approve as well as, document the proposed changes to the project baseline. First, the process is initiated a change request. The change request is a formal mechanism used to propose and assess a deviation to the project being developed. After the change request is evaluated, there is approval that is granted at an appropriate level after which the change request becomes a change order for implementation (Larson & Gray, 2003).

Second process is where the change order is communicated to the affected parties along with cooperating them in the project baseline in that data integrity is preserved and budgets reconciled across the project documentation such as work Authorization Document (MacCrimmon Wehrung, & Stanbury, 2006). In change control process, the three phases such as request change, review phase and documentation phase are accomplished in request change phase, appropriate classification is determined, however, for the review phase, assessment of a proposed change request is accomplished while the approval is obtained from an appropriate authority level. Lastly, the approved changes are thus implemented and the integrated project baseline documents are revised in the document phase (Lientz & Larssen, 2006).

Silver Fiddle Construction Case

Potential risks associated with the project

Risks are events which its occurrence can cause positive or negative effects on the project’s objectives. However, risk management helps in identifying, assessing, responding, monitoring as well as, reporting of the risks. For the Silver Fiddle Construction Case, the risk management plan will define how risks associated with the Silver Fiddle Construction Company are monitored throughout the project lifecycle while providing practices for recording and prioritizing those risks (Larson & Gray, 2003). Conversely, there are various potential risks which can be associated with the project. For example, these risks may be;

Unfavorable weather conditions such as earthquakes, rain, snow and many others

The workers may decide to on strike during the projects development

The Czopek on the other hand may change their mind on a certain part of the house

If the project need more materials to be used than what was projected

The Silver Fiddle Construction (SFC) may fail to find enough subcontractors to help with all the 11 projects

If the house costs more than the actual cost of $500,000 to finish the project

If the Silver Fiddle Construction (SFC) receives faulty appliances such as kitchen appliances.

Risk assessment form to analyze identified risks

Risk Event Likelihood Impact Detection Difficulties When

Unfavorable weather 4 6 4 From when groundbreaking begins till completion

Workers strike 2 2 2 Throughout the whole project

Czopek’s change their mind on the part of the house

3 5 5 After the foundation has been poured and frame built

Need more materials than what is projected 3 4 2 Early stages of development

Receive faulty appliances 2 4 2 End of the project or when the appliances are installed

House costs more than the projected cost 3 3 2 Throughout the project’s completion

Less subcontractors – – – Prior to beginning the project

Developing a risk response matrix similar to outline how to deal with each of the risks

Risk event Response Contingency planning Trigger Who is responsible

Unfavorable weather Retain Working around until the issue of weather clears up When unfavorable weather is predicted for the future No one

Workers strike Avoid Avoid all cost and if it continues to happen seek for other subcontractor Workers start to complain Kimberly and Ronald

Czopek’s change their mind on the part of the house

Avoid Avoid through communication if this will make them to feel happy The Czopek’s may start to ask for additional work to be added to part of the house Kimberly, Ronald, subcontracted companies

Need more materials than what is projected Avoid Avoid by ordering more projects Materials start to be scarce The subcontracted Companies

Receive faulty appliances Avoid Go for a reputable supplier Appliances malfunction General contractor

House costs more than the projected cost Avoid Get insurance in the beginning Start to exceed the budget General contractor and book keeper

Less subcontractors Mitigate Outsource reliable company Project is a month away from beginning General contractor

References

HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Larson, E., & Gray, C. (2003). Project management. The Managerial process. Retrieved December 27, 2013, from http://www.engr.sjsu.edu/fayad/current.courses/cmpe203-fall2013/docs/Articles/Project%20Management%205th%20Edition.pdf

HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Lientz, B. P., & Larssen, L. (2006). Risk management for IT projects: how to deal with over 150 issues and risks. London: Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann.

HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” MacCrimmon, K. R., Wehrung, D. A., & Stanbury, W. T. (2006). Taking risks: the management of uncertainty. New York: Free Press ;.

HYPERLINK “http://www.bibme.org/” o “Edit this item” Saporita, R. (2006). Managing risks in design & construction projects. New York: ASME Press.

Define stakeholders and explain why they are important to a project

Stakeholders

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Insert Institutional AffiliationDefine stakeholders and explain why they are important to a project

Stakeholders can be defined as the various individuals or organizations that are actively engaged with the project process or those whose interests are either negatively or positively affected upon execution or completion of the project (Snyder, 2013). These stakeholders include customers to the project, project sponsors, resource managers, the organization executing the project and the public. The interest of these stakeholders may be direct or indirect. Project stakeholders are important to the project for three main reasons. First, they might be sponsoring a project hence they have a financial interest in the project or are concerned about effective completion (PMBok 2013). Secondly, upon completion, or execution of the project they may have an interest or gain to attach. This especially applies to the customer of the project, executing organization and the individuals to benefit from employment when the project is in process. Thirdly, the stakeholders are important to the project because they may have a positive or negative influence in the process of project execution or completion. The society and the government are examples of stakeholders that mostly fall under the third consideration. Through government legislation, a project can stall or continue to completion. The government does (or is expected to) represent the interests of the general public or society hence they mostly have coincidence of interests in projects. Maylor (2010) argues that when stakeholders are put in groups, it is possible to come up with three main groups for the stakeholders as internal stakeholders, core external stakeholders and the rest of the world. Based on this classification, examples of internal stakeholders include financial managers, the legal and regulatory team, systems and human resources among other persons generally found in the internal environment of the executing organization. Similarly, external stakeholders include suppliers, consumers, the lobby groups, the media, unions, regulators and competitors. The rest of the others are the other stakeholders who have no direct interest in the project execution and completion.

Stakeholder Systematic Identification Process

In order to establish all the stakeholders to a project, the process should involve a systematic process that starts with identification of all stakeholders involved followed by identification of their interests and this may either be direct interests or indirect interests. After identification of the stakeholders’ interests, the next process is to identify the judgment criteria of the stakeholders and then identify which ones are needs and which ones are wants. Any potential conflicts must then be identified and resolved or ways of resolving such conflicts aptly identified (Mantel et al 2011). The next step is to evaluate the impact each stakeholder, their respective interests and the conflicts identified have on the project execution and completion. In the process of identifying the stakeholder interest, those stakeholders with low interest but high power in the project need to be kept sufficiently involved in the project execution because they are moderately priority group to the project (PMBoK, 2013). They need to be kept satisfied that the project is being executed as expected and that all aspects are under control (Maylor 2010). Stakeholders with high level interest and high power have the highest priority in the project and they need to be managed closely through active stakeholder engagement (Maylor 2010).

Still on the issue of stakeholder power and interest, stakeholders with low power and low interest in the project have the lowest priority for the project management and therefore they don’t need to be overloaded with communication. The project manager can monitor them with minimum effort. There are those with low power in the project but still have very high interest in it. This group should be a moderately priority group for the manager and therefore the project manager’s objective is to keep their interest going and weight them when it is deemed they are useful to the project (Burke, 2003). Lastly, there is need to identify what each stakeholder can do for the project. This means that each stakeholder’s contribution to the project has to be assessed and determine which stakeholder has a greater and key contribution to the projects execution and completion.

Describe various communication methods you might use to work with stakeholders to scope the project and its deliverables; for each method give an example of an appropriate project that could use that

The method adopted for communicating with the stakeholders depends mainly on the requirements of the stakeholders and the project and can range from phone calls, communicating through public forums, through interviews, via workshops where communication is through issues, and requirements among other ways (Meredith et al 2008). Communication may also be achieved through focus groups, and project chartering sessions. Public forums are essential where the project’s main consumers are the public or the public have key interest and high power in the project and therefore either need awareness or they need to be provided with progress reports and knowledge of the project. Phone calls are best for projects which do not have extensively technical details that have to be communicated or where the stakeholders have full information about the project and communication is only meant for minor or intermittent issues. Interviews are essential where the project demands for stakeholder feedback. Focus groups can be used for projects that have a certain group of stakeholders that comprises a lot of people and their interests are homogeneous.

What method/criteria would you use to rank stakeholders and identify the “key” ones?

The criteria and method for stakeholder ranking start with stakeholder identification where all stakeholders are listed as shown in the second section (Walesh, 2012).. This is followed by analyzing the stakeholders to gauge their perspectives and interests. Stakeholder mapping follows where the relationships to objectives between stakeholders are visualized. Stakeholder ranking then comes and this is achieved through assessment of stakeholder relevance and identifying key issues. As an example, key stakeholders can be identified through their requirements, what it is expected of them, their degree of influence and power, and communication strategy needed to engage them.

Give examples of how you could maintain contact with the “key” stakeholders during the project.

The table below gives examples of how to maintain contact with key stakeholders.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 1: Keeping Contact with Key Stakeholders. Source: Class Notes

References

Burke, R. M. (2003) Project Management: Planning and Control Techniques (4th Edition) John Wiley & Sons

Frame, J. Davidson, (2003) Managing Projects in Organizations: How to Make the Best Use of Time, Techniques, and People, 3rd edition, Jossey-Bass, ISBN 0-787-96831-5

Mantel, J. S., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M. & Sutton, M. M. (2011) Project Management in Practice; 4th Edition. John Wiley & Sons

Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management. Financial Times Prentice Hall

Meredith, R. Jack and Mantel, Jr., Samuel J., (2008) Project Management: A Managerial Approach, 7th edition, Wiley, ISBN 0-470-22621-8

Project Management Institute- PMI (2013, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: (PMBOK’s Guide), 5th edition, PMI,

Snyder, C. (2013). A user’s manual to the PMBOK guide–fifth edition. 1st ed. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley.

Walesh, S. G. (2012). Project Management: Critical Path Method and Scope Creep. Engineering Your Future: The Professional Practice Of Engineering, Third Edition, pp. 195–230.

Define the terms autotrophy, heterotrophy, primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer.

Define the terms autotrophy, heterotrophy, primary producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer.

Autotrophic are those organisms that use other organic chemicals to manufacture their own food. Autotrophic are known to be independent on this process of manufacturing food. They highly depend on nonliving substances like sunlight and chlorophyll which acts as a catalyst in this process. The process of the autotrophic manufacturing their own food is known as photosynthesis. Examples of autotrophic organisms include plants, blue-green bacteria and algae. These organisms diffuse solar energy from the radiations to help in the process of photosynthesis.

Heterotrophic are creatures that take in biomass for production of energy and nutrition in their bodies. All heterotrophic are fully dependent on autotrophic for biological products. All animals are known to be heterotrophic and also the microorganisms. Heterotrophic are classified according to the biomass they take in. For example animals that feed on plants are referred to as herbivores. Animals that feed on other animals are called carnivores. Also there are those microorganisms that feed on dead plants and animals and they are referred to as decomposers. There is also that class of creatures that feed on both plant and animals that are living and they are known as omnivores.

Primary producers are all those organisms that take in chemicals and other nonliving materials to manufacture their own food. They do not feed on other organisms to gain energy and nutrition but they manufacture their own food. All plants and algae are known to be the primary producers. This means that autotrophic are primary producers. On the other hand, all herbivores are primary consumers but not all primary consumers are herbivores. This is because herbivores are those animals that feed on plants only. Plants are known to be primary producers therefore this makes the herbivores to be the primary consumers. Examples of herbivores include cows, goats, sheep, rabbits and all other animals that feed on plants. The other class is that of secondary consumers which carnivores. These are the animals that feed on herbivores. The herbivores feed on plants and the herbivores are feed on by the carnivores. This trend is what creates a food chain as it starts from the primary producers to the last which are the decomposers.

What is Pico plankton? What are some examples of these organisms? Why are they important?

Pico plankton is a fraction of plankton which is usually classified into photosynthetic and heterotrophic. Photosynthetic Pico planktons are those that assist in the process of photosynthesis while heterotrophic Pico planktons are those that do not perform the process of photosynthesis. Achaea form a major part of Pico plankton in the Antarctic and they are also in a large portion in other parts of the ocean. Photosynthetic Pico planktons are found in the central parts of the ocean where the plants are located very deep in the waters therefore the levels of nutrients in those parts are very low. There are present in order to assist in the process of photosynthesis for those plants that are found in the deep waters. Examples of Pico planktons include the prokaryotic and eukaryotic phototrophic and heterotrophic organisms that are located in most of the lakes and tropic state.

Explain the differences between vertebrates and invertebrates?

Vertebrates are all those animals that have a backbone. Vertebrates can either be warm or cold blooded. Those that are warm blooded can only survive on land and places with favorable temperature. Those that are cold blooded have adapted well in water bodies as they retain the heat within the body. Examples of vertebrates include mammals, reptiles, fish, birds and amphibians. All human beings are vertebrates because they have the back bone and a spinal cord. Animals like crocodiles, fish, cows, dogs, frogs and birds are all vertebrates because they have the bone structure. Vertebrates have a high developed brain and nervous system. They have an outer protective skin for their cellular.

However invertebrates are insects and worms that do not have a bone structure. They are termed as invertebrates because they do not have a back bone. They usually reproduce sexually and they have no cell wall. They therefore do not require a skin for protection. Examples of invertebrates include ants, ringworms, tapeworms and grasshoppers. Most invertebrates are known to be heterotrophic.

What are extremophiles? Where can they be found? How can they survive there?

Extremophiles are those organisms that have a unique characteristic of being able to survive in area with extremes. They are known for their high tolerance in areas that are considered of extreme environments. For example there are animals that can survive in waters that are extremely salty and they make that as their habitat. There are those who will do very well in areas whose temperatures are extremely low and others extremely high. There are also those organisms that will be best suite by volcanic pools and they adopt that as their habitat. Basically extremity can only be described by the beholder of such extreme conditions. However there are those organisms like plants and animals that have a complex life and therefore cannot survive in such kind of extremity because they are fragile.

Majority of extremophiles are Achaea and bacteria which can survive in very hostile conditions. They are known to be fragile but they have a way of making themselves adapt to such extreme climatic conditions. Extremophiles can be found in areas with very low temperatures, high concentration of sugars, high levels of dissolved metals and places with very high acidity level. These bacteria need such extreme condition for them to survive and to work efficiently. They have been made in a way to survive in those harsh conditions.

What are wind turbines? Why is it often desirable to locate them offshore?

Wind turbines are devices that are well known for their extraction of energy from the wind. They can only work under the pressure from the wind in order for them to drive a pump. Wind turbines are usually used for the production of electrical power. These wind turbines are best located offshore because this is where the concentration of wind is constant. The quantitative measure of wind energy is best at the offshore of large water bodies. Cyclic winds may destroy the turbines due to the strong forces that accompany them.

What does it mean to be bio-degradable?

Biodegradable matter is usually the organic material such as animal or plant matter that comes from living organisms and their breaking down can be put to use by the microorganism. All living organisms that have cells in them are biodegradable meaning that they decompose easily once their cells are dead. There is an extracellular surfactant that is secreted by the microorganisms that hasten the process of decomposition. The whole process of decomposition of the living organisms is what is known as biodegradation.

Define vulnerability with regard to health. Why are certain groups considered more vulnerable than others (5 points)

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Answer the following questions.

Define vulnerability with regard to health. Why are certain groups considered more vulnerable than others? (5 points)

In the health sector, vulnerability refers to the relevantly higher susceptibility to diseases and illnesses as a result of the lack of or poor integration into the nation’s system of healthcare due to factors like ethnicity, culture, economy, or health bias. The seclusion increases the level of risk to this group of people since they lack access to medical care. The most common groups to be referred to as vulnerable are the racial and ethnic minority, both the rural and urban poor, immigrants that lack proper documentation and disabled people. When we look at the racial and ethnic group, the vulnerability comes along in the sense that the patterns of residential segregation cut them off from the supply of providers, they are faced by a language barrier that hinders communication between them and the doctors and also because they have different employment patterns resulting to low levels of employer-based insurance coverage. The poor fall under this category since they lack the monetary resources required to get access to health care. If they get medical attention, they cannot afford the drugs required for consequent treatment. Immigrants that lack proper documentation are restricted from health care since they are scared of being brought to authorities and they do not want to risk deportation back to their countries. The disabled face the challenge of having small employers dismissing them on the grounds that they have a high chance of having expensive medical needs; something they cannot afford.

Identify the 4 major racial/ethnic minority categories in the United States (1 pt. each, 4 total)

Hispanic and Latino Americans make up the largest minority

HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American” o “African American” African Americans are the largest racial minority, amounting to nearly 13% of the population

Asian American or Alaska Native

Native Hawaiian (Other Pacific Islander)

What are the 4 major health concerns of children? (1 pt. each, 4 total)

Immunization

HYPERLINK “http://www.news-medical.net/health/Asthma.aspx” Asthma and allergies

Childhood injury

Child abuse, neglect and domestic violence 

Identify the 6 major government funded measures for Rural Health and briefly define each. (2 points each, 12 points total)

Improved Management of Health Programs in Rural Areas

This involves the consolidation, by local bodies in conjunction with the government, of existing funding for specified rural health service delivery programs in agreed rural and remote communities. The local bodies will have the ability to purchase the most relevant health services to the local community.

Health Service Delivery in Rural Areas

These will involve the re-engineering of the administrative arrangements currently under use for rural health programs including the development of new agreements for funding that involve funds for multiple programs.

Reviewing the Royal Flying Doctor Service

A national review of the Royal Flying Doctor Service was conducted to examine the funding, operational activities and governance arrangements. Recommendations were made on how to improve the service and make it accessible to the people in rural areas.

Increasing the access rate to primary health care

The access to primary and allied health services will be maintained through the government facilities with particular focus on the remote and rural areas. National rural primary health projects will be initiated and the government will continue funding projects in rural areas.

The Rural Private Access (RPA) Program

This program was included in the budget and was meant to increase access to private health services in rural areas. It sought to the realize the diversity of the services and make private insurable health services available in rural areas.

Initiative to Support Calamity stricken people who suffered mentally

This program is aimed at providing funds to building of the capacity of rural areas to respond to calamities like drought and the psychological effects it comes with.

Briefly define a MUA. (4 pts.)

MUA is the acronym denoting Medically Underserved Areas which are areas or places that having declared to have very few primary care providers hence high rates of infant mortality. These areas are characterized by high poverty levels and are dominated by old people.

Briefly define a HPSA. (4 pts.)

HPSA is an acronym meaning Health Professional Shortage Areas. These are areas designated as having inadequate level of primary medical care, dental or mental health practitioners and are categorized into geographic areas like a county, a demographic area like a low income population or institutional area like a comprehensive health center

Who are the 2 groups most affected by AIDS? (2 pts.)

The gay people since they know they will get a HIV infection so they just want to get over with it; they will use medication to live longer. They also get tired of condom use since they believe they can tell an infected man from a “clean” one.

Bisexuals due to viral ‘bridging’ that occur when a bisexual man contracts HIV from another man and then transmits it to a female partner.  They are also seen to have very low levels of condom use.

References

Institute of Medicine (U.S.). (2011). The health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people: Building a foundation for better understanding. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Ricketts, T. C. (2007). Rural health in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.

Type your name in the upper-right corner of this page next to Last Name Save your file in the Rich Text Format (.rtf). HYPERLINK “http://repo.pmi.edu/online/Master_Documents/Online_Student_Orientation/Lesson 4 Tutorial/player.html” What’s this? Include the term Access and your First Name when saving your file. Example: Access_David.rtf Upload your completed document using the Browse button, and then click the Submit button.

Points Possible: 35

Defining Conflict and Identifying Personal Mediation Skills

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Defining Conflict and Identifying Personal Mediation Skills

From a sociological point of view, conflicts are a common occurrence in human relationships because of the fact that humans hold varied views and perceptions towards common things and issues. In a work environment, human conflicts are common and have diverse impacts on the performance of the affected employees. Basically, a conflict refers to a state of opposition that occurs when individuals carry out activities that are not mutually consistent. Usually, it is characterized by a form of disagreement in which the parties involved consider the opposing views to be a threat to their concerns, interests or needs. The respective individuals may want to do a similar thing using different ways or may want to pursue different things that are incompatible.

The conflict situation is usually resolved when inherent differences are reconciled and made consistent to each other. Within a social context, the causes of conflicts are wide and varied. In addition, their magnitude is different and the implications that they have on the holistic wellbeing of the individuals in work environments are diverse. Generally, it is widely agreed that conflicts can be potentially harmful if they are allowed to persist. For this reason, various approaches are employed in addressing the conflicts.

In his review, Moore (2003) indicates that the manner in which a conflict is approached directly influences the nature of its management. For this reason, it is important for relevant parties to review the conflict scenario and adopt approaches that would enhance resolution as opposed to escalation. To begin with, the collaboration approach reviews the perceptions of warring parties while asserting authoritative views at the same time. In particular, collaboration reviews the main differences between the involved parties, identifies the major issues and seeks to find a solution through mutual agreement. This is sustainable because the conflicting parties contribute equally to the ultimate solution.

A conflict can also be approached through compromising. In this regard, the warring parties are made to forego certain needs in order to resolve the problem. The accommodating approach on the other hand involves one party accepting the perception of the other party in a bid to reinstate a stable relationship. In certain instances, Boulle, Colatrella and Picchioni (2008) indicate that a conflict can call for avoidance. In this respect, one or both parties delay their response to the conflict or simply withdraw from it. This usually works well in cases where individuals or organizations are very angry and wish to withdraw in a bid to cool off in order to be able to approach the conflict in a more rational manner. Notably, all these approaches are vital in different contexts and are useful for managing a variety of conflicts.

Perhaps the most sustainable and useful approach to conflict resolution pertains to mediation. Cahn and Abigail (2007) contend that the process of mediation is very complex and technical and as such, it requires certain specialized skills. An analysis of my personal competencies of negotiation shows that I have certain mediation skills that have enabled me to resolve a couple of conflicts in an organizational environment. Statistical evidence ascertains that organizations are liable to conflicting scenarios because of the different nature of their human resources. One of the most important mediation skills that I consider myself to be proficient in is active listening. In this regard, I have the ability to give my full attention to whatever the warring parties say. I take sufficient time to understand the various points and assertions made by the respective persons and make inferences accordingly. Whenever I do not understand any point being made by an individual, I ask appropriate questions and request for clarification accordingly. Most importantly, I refrain from frequent interruptions in order to give the warring parties a chance to express their claims with ease.

Then, I have superb skills pertaining to reframing and summarizing whatever the warring parties have said. Through summary, I am always able to clarify understanding of main concerns, strictly focus on key issues, allow the warring parties to change whatever they previously said and correct disordered statements and assertions. In most cases, I seldom stop summarizing until the respective party agrees with whatever I have noted down. According to Boulle et al (2008), this implies that the party in question agrees to what it has said. Most importantly, it gives the party a chance to undertake reflection and enables me to adjust or clarify interpretations. On the other hand, reframing of statements gives me an opportunity to adjust, reorder or change statements or words in order to clarify their meanings and understand the underlying intentions of the parties.

Also, I have critical thinking skills that are useful for effective interpretation of meanings. McCorkle and Reese (2004) argue that use of reasoning and logic is of paramount importance in any mediation process. This ability has been particularly important in enabling me to evaluate the credibility of alternative conclusions, strategies or solutions that can enhance problem resolution. In addition, it has been useful for enabling me to analyze and interpret the views and perceptions of the warring parties objectively. In this regard, Wilmot and Hocker (2007) assert that objectivity is very important as it eliminates incidences of favoritism that undermine the credibility of the decisions arrived at.

Nonetheless, there are certain negotiation skills that I am not proficient in and which I require further development. At this point, it is worth acknowledging that attainment of negotiation skills is progressive. Individuals wishing to perfect their negotiation skills require a significant period of time as well as sufficient experience. In essence, negotiation is a learning process that requires patience and consistency. One of the fundamental skills that I consider myself to be lacking pertains to memorization. In particular, I am incompetent in remembering information, pictures, words and procedures with utmost clarity. This in some cases makes it difficult to complete the process of mediation within the stipulated time and attain the desirable quality of results.

Then, I also lack sufficient inductive reasoning skills that are imperative for making inferences accordingly. Basically, inductive reasoning empowers a mediator to establish general rules and be able to reach at viable conclusions. Bush and Folger (2004) indicate that mediators with this ability are creative and can establish relationships between events or statements that are unrelated. This ability is also useful in identifying flaws in statements and determining the credibility of assertions that conflicting parties make. This hastens the mediation process as factual information can be easily be filtered from a pool of false or flawed statements. In addition, inductive reasoning enables a mediator to make timely and effective decisions regarding the process. Developing the preceding skills is essential and it would enable me to attain the highest level of competency in mediation.

References

Boulle, L., Colatrella, M. & Picchioni, A. (2008). Mediation: Skills and techniques. New York: LexisNexis

Bush, R. & Folger, J. (2004). The promise of mediation: The transformative approach to conflict. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Cahn, D., & Abigail, R. (2007). Managing conflict through communication. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

McCorkle, S. & Reese, M. (2004). Mediation theory and practice. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon

Moore, C. (2003). The mediation process: Practical strategies for resolving conflict. (3rd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Wilmot, W., & Hocker, J. (2007). Interpersonal conflict. (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Defining Social Conflicts and Complexity of Social Conflics

Defining Social Conflicts and Complexity of Social Conflics

Introduction

Social conflicts present an important aspect in sociology, which formulates solutions to various challenges that characterize the human society. To this end, sociology studies have been conducted to provide prescriptions of dealing with social conflicts. In this article, various perspectives of the social conflict topic are discussed as contained in a book chapter and a journal article. Definition of social conflicts and their complexity are approached from different perspectives by different authors and the discussion is concluded with a view of the relevant questions that tie the two together. Since the conflict topic is a huge area that attracts interventions that range from diagnosis of intrapersonal and interpersonal conflicts to resolution, a specific and limited area of interest must be picked at a time for significant contribution to be made.

Kriesberg, Louis., Constructive conflicts: from escalation to resolution. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefied Publishing Group, Inc., 2007. Print

Definition of Social Conflicts

The author of this book dedicates a subtopic on conflicts to the perspective of defining social conflicts, which is an important step in construction of appropriate sociological intervention. As mentioned above, the diagnosis of a conflict must be involved in the design of respective intervention (2). The author clearly diagnoses the existence of a conflict by manifestation of incompatible beliefs between the conflicting individuals. Further clarification of the social conflict involves social environment, number of individuals and the manifestation of the dispute, where the author describes the tensions likely to emerge in the dispute. Perhaps an important element of a conflict definition that the author introduces in the chapter is belief by each party to the conflict that they are facing opposition from the other party. Accordingly, the issue of competition among the individuals or groups of persons involved in the conflict emerges since each side wants to overcome the other’s opposing belief (3).

In this definition, the author clarifies that the involved parties must perceive the dispute as a conflict which finally forces them to create the division in thought and belief. Without the aspect of awareness of opposing perceptions resulting into some form of competition, the author reckons that it is difficult to amount to a social conflict as defined in the text. As an illustration, the author gives an account of people competing for employment, yet due to the lack of focus on each other’s intentions, it cannot be quantified as a social conflict. In order for such a scenario to be raised to a social conflict, the author gives a perspective of divisive thoughts in among the competitors such as discrimination on ethnicity and gender.

An equally important aspect of the definition of social conflict is added in the form of continuity in the conflict. Since the social setting implies continued interactions between the individuals, the author argues that the aspect of disruption of the society by the division brought by the conflict must be felt (3). In order to translate this definition to the wider society challenges of unity, it is important that the definition of the conflict is done before designing conflict resolution that aims at destroying the conflict’s building blocks observed in the definition.

Braun, Andreas., Heinke, Eva-Maria., Neumann, Martin., Saqalli, Mehdi. & Srbljinovic, Armano. “Challenges in Modeling Social Conflicts: Grappling with Polysemy,” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 14.3(2011): 9 ( HYPERLINK “http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/3/9.html” http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/3/9.html)

Complexity of Social Conflicts

In this journal article that highlights the complexity of defining social conflicts, the authors concur with earlier observations that dealing with conflicts must be informed from the appropriate diagnosis and identification of the challenge. In light of the nature of social challenges facing the society, sociologists must define the conflict within certain standards of conflicts referred to as simulations. Modeling of social conflicts assists sociologists to design interventions and prescribe solutions to resolve the division in the society (para. 1). The authors explain that the simulations classify conflicts on the nature of the complexity, which makes it easy to pick recommended solutions to deal with the problems. As observed in Kriesberg (2), these authors make the observation that definition of the conflict becomes the foundation of the recommended approach to handle the damaging effects of the conflict in the social setting. As a contribution to the definition of the social problem, the authors provide a list of 16 criteria that have been used by social academicians to classify conflicts (para. 9). The classification adds on the perspectives discussed by Kriesberg (2) for the definition of the social conflict.

On the wider concept of violent confrontations witnessed in extreme competition in social conflicts, the authors outline some common features that assist in definition of the conflict. Firstly, some connectivity is witnessed among the conflicting parties, which underpins the social setting of the society that lives together to learn the differences in beliefs. Secondly, the competition resists changes likely to advance the status of the other party usually resulting in a brutal feeling. Thirdly, conflicts are differentiated from ordinary tension due to the level of commitment to sustain the division, which is usually very high in a conflict than an ordinary tension.

Finally, the authors identify the openness of challenging the difference to be present in a social conflict, which makes private and personal conflicts less likely to amount into a social conflict (para. 13). The authors (para. 14) introduce the aspect of rational analysis which explains the motivation of the parties to a conflict to continue holding hard lines in the conflict. There are different reasons why persons end up in a social conflict, which must be defined as clearly as possible to come up with a solution. Complex nature of social conflicts implies that the sociologists must not confine their contribution to one approach when designing solutions (para. 26).

Kriesberg, Louis., Constructive conflicts: from escalation to resolution. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefied Publishing Group, Inc., 2007. Print

Questions on Social Conflicts

Regarding the complexity of the definition of social conflict and the design of solutions to the standoffs, the author provides similar contribution as observed in Braun et al (9). Similarity arises from the fact that the author dedicates an insightful subtopic in chapter 1 by the title “Questions About Social Conflicts” (4). In the text, it is clear that the factors of violent conflicts can be traced back from the interests of the conflicting parties as contained in Braun et al (para. 13). Since the range of social conflicts is very wide in a diverse society, it is important to interrogate various social elements that could be failing in making the society live without extreme conflicts. Among the most questionable areas of the social setting include the integrity of the social policy in use.

Kriesberg outlines the payoff matrix that complicates options of individuals when they consider their own interests rather than their common good in the puzzle (8). The author argues that the complexity of conflicts is defined by the cooperation willingness with which individuals party to a conflict are likely to approach a conflict. International conflicts are also discussed to highlight the need for social conflict resolution mechanisms to be based on a cost-benefit analysis for the overall benefit of the society. In this consideration, the author makes a contribution that concludes that the best approach to solve a conflict is to adopt a wide approach that utilizes more options for a more accurate decision (10).

Works Cited

Braun, Andreas., Heinke, Eva-Maria., Neumann, Martin., Saqalli, Mehdi. & Srbljinovic, Armano. “Challenges in Modeling Social Conflicts: Grappling with Polysemy,” Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation, 14.3(2011): 9

Kriesberg, Louis., Constructive conflicts: from escalation to resolution. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefied Publishing Group, Inc., 2007. Print

Defining Transformational Change

Defining Transformational Change

Transformational change refers to dynamic adjustments to an organization, resulting from a shift from processes and strategies that have previously been used. All the relevant people in the organization work as a team to ensure changes are smoothly integrated in the organization over a period of time. It requires the internalization of the change by employees, and adjustments made at both individual and organization levels. Transformational change is done to increase the organization’s competitive advantage in an industry.

Individuals in an organization change their attitudes, perceptions and behaviors to adapt to changes. It involves expanding the mindset of the individual and organization and how they operate. According to Harigopal, conditions that lead to transformational change are the experience or anticipation of severe threat to survival and the perceived or felt inadequacy in current organizational strategy, design and functions to meet external threats.

Examples of areas of transformational change within an organization are shifted from being product-driven to being consumer-driven. This requires the organization to switch its way of doing business to concentrate on customers, and ensuring they are satisfied with products, as opposed to producing many products and ensuring the most sales are made. Another example is in changing the structure of the organization to create more divisions. This requires some processes to be split, so that they are taken care of by different units within the organization. Introduction of new products is also a form of transformational change.

Transformation challenges incurred during the change involve people in the process and the leadership. This is because it is hard to predict how people will react to changes, no matter how much they are prepared. Leadership during transformational change is extremely vital, especially in ensuring employees are inspired to change, and encouraging them to adopt new strategies that are being introduced. Some leaders may not be able to inspire and encourage employees directly involved, and to teach them what is expected.

During transformation, especially where a new product is being introduced, employees have to be given information on new processes to make the change easier. Introduction of new features in an existing product also requires the introduction of new processes. Positive leadership during transformation provides organization and members with the ability to achieve the transformation change. Leaders should show by example to their employees, so as to make the transformation change easier.

Another challenge to the implementation of new strategies is the unresponsiveness and/or non-compliance from employees in accepting new processes and strategies (Harigopal, 2006). Some employees may have to be moved to other processes as required for the production of new products. This will require them to learn the new process, which they may not be able to do as easily, and as fast as their previous duties, since they are new. This leads to a delay in the implementation process, as well as general discontent among employees in organization. Participation by employees and other stakeholders in the process will ensure the smooth transition and fast adoption. Communication should be enhanced between all levels, especially during implementation of smooth transition.

Systems targeted during transformation of an organization in the introduction of a new product include the technology used during the production and the automation of the system. The technology used in production is changed to accommodate the new product. The new product will be, according to research, done on customers’ needs before the transformation is implemented. It should ensure the customers’ satisfaction. The system is also automated to produce more products. This will reduce the number of employees required for the production process. Employees will also have to learn how to operate the new automated system. Products will be produced and made available in a timely manner, so that there are no shortages, and all processes go smoothly.

Innovation and creativity are necessary to the growth of an organization, due to current rapid changes in technology and short product life cycles. These affect the profitability of organization among other things. Innovation and creativity will be enhanced among employees by characteristics, such as openness to change, motivation to change and original problem solving by individuals themselves.

According to Shalley and Gilson, the individual is an ultimate source of new ideas, and, therefore, the foundation for the organization’s innovativeness. Creativeness entails finding opportunities for new products or finding new uses for existing equipment and processes within organization. It ensures the continuity of organization in the business world. Leaders can enhance these characteristics by supporting new ideas from employees and their application, if they are practicable. Continuous research should be done to identify new opportunities for organization.

Managers provide support by conducting research and ensuing they keep up with changes in technology and life cycles of products, so that organization maintains its competitive advantage. Leaders, who show support for innovation, empower their employees to encourage creativity even in future (Northhouse, 2001). Having a reward or incentive system for employees who provide innovative ideas also encourages people to be creative. This enhances the internalization of changes by employees which speeds up the transformation process, as they feel like part of the process. According to Northhouse, outstanding leadership provides motivation, openness to ideas and open communication with employees encourages innovation, and is useful even in higher leadership positions, as it will make them more approachable.

Steps in managing transformation change in an organization start from the identification of needs and opportunities of organization, and then assessing all risks involved before implementing the planned change. According to Dunphy, Griffiths and Benn, steps to be followed during the implementation of the experiment are:

Know where you are now

Develop the vision of the dream organization

Identify the gap

Assess the readiness for change

Set the scene for action

Secure the basic compliance

Move beyond compliance

Establish the performance criteria for compliance

Launch and manage the transformational change programme

Maintain the rage

The first three steps of the implementation process are already taken care of during the research part, where innovations are evaluated to ensure they are going to be reproductive. All risks are considered and the impact assessed. After this, organization is assessed for the readiness to change. This includes the capacity of organization to implement the change required, such as getting equipment and resources ready.

Setting the scene for action involves creating awareness within organization about the change that is about to be implemented (Dunphy, Griffiths and Benn, 2003). It helps employees and people involved to get ready for the project. This stage requires an outstanding leadership to inspire employees on the need for change. A strong case has to be made for the change that is being advocated for, so that they can ensure everyone understands implications.

Securing basic compliance involves complying with legal requirements and legitimate expectations of stakeholders (Dunphy, Griffiths and Benn, 2003). This sets the ground for the implementation of the new project without any law implications. It also ensures all safety requirements are met, so as to ensure employees will be safe during the implementation phase.

Next steps involve assessing the sustainability of the change that is about to be made. Measures are taken to build the capacity of organization in implementing the experiment. This includes buying the equipment necessary in the production of new products and for adding new features into existing products. The employees’ capacity to handle the change is also evaluated and improved, where needed.

This makes organization ready to take the transformation change. It also increases chances of the project becoming successful, and desired outcomes being achieved (Dunphy, Griffiths and Benn, 2003). Communication is vital in all steps to ensure the commitment of employees to the plan. The change programme is then introduced to organization, according to the plan. It is closely monitored to ensure it is adapted according to plan, and to monitor outcomes it brings.

The experiment is necessary for creativity, because it enables a leader to come up with ways to motivate employees to come up with new ideas. It gives an opportunity for employees to generate new ways of doing things, new products, and find opportunities for the growth of organization. This is vital to organization as a whole, because it gives competitive advantage to the company. It enables them to seize new opportunities, before other organizations discover them.

Involving employees in the innovation process makes it easier for them to assimilate the change when it is implemented. It also ensures the process is participative right from the beginning. It also ensures there is an open line of communication between managers and employees. This is extremely useful, even in later stages, as it allows managers to be aware of challenges during the implementation process, and even when the change has been smoothly integrated in organization.

When the research is done before implementing plans that will make a significant change in organization, it reduces chances of failure, and makes the implementation process more efficient. It shows the importance of the collaborative effort in the successful implementation of a project, as well as in leadership.

References

Dunphy, D. C., Griffiths, A. & Benn, S. (2003). Organizational Change for Corporate Sustainability: A Guide for Leaders and Change Agents for the Future. London, U. K: Routledge.

Harigopal, K. (2006). Management of Organizational Change: Leveraging Transformation. New Delhi: Response Books.

Northhouse, P.G. (2001). Leadership Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, C.A: Sage Publications.

Definition And Examples Of Annuities

Definition And Examples Of Annuities

Annuities are payments of equal amount of money remitted over particular period of time. An annuity is therefore a fixed payment that is made for a specific number of years from one party to another. As a general rule, the term annuity is used to refer to ordinary annuity except when a different form of similar payment is being referred to. This implies that there are different forms of annuities as highlighted below due to the attributes of the payment and computation. In order to determine the specific value of various forms of annuities, there are simple to complex formulae of computation such as compounding.

The complexity of the determination of the preset value of an annuity is usually dependent on the size of the entire value of the annuity. However, there are specific approaches that such computations can be given to solve the complexity issue. When referring to a general annuity, the timing of remittance is usually at the end of the specified unit period. One principle observation in annuities is that they are effected in a series following a specific frequency over the entire duration of remittance. To this end, annuities are treated differently from other forms of payments (Keown et al, 1998).

Give some examples of annuities

There are different types of annuities depending on various aspects of operating the annuity. Apart from a general annuity where remittances occur at the beginning of the year, the other annuities include the following. Firstly, a compound annuity is the type of an annuity where equal amounts of money are remitted for investment or savings purposes at every end of the period and allowing the money to grow. In such an annuity, the determination of the earnings obtained at the end of the savings period composed of the series of deposits can be computed through a mathematical formula. The technique used in this determination is a compounding equation that values the earnings of the distinct deposits until the end of the depositing period. The following formula is applied in the determination of a compound annuity;

FVn of an annuity=PMT[(FVIFi,n-1)/i]

Where FV= future value after growth period

PMT= value of frequent annuity deposits

i=annual interest rate

n=total number of years

Secondly, annuities due are the type of annuities whose actual dates of payments are brought forward by a year. In terms of actual date of remittance of many other forms of payments, it is supposed to occur at the end of every year but it is different in annuities due. The actual date of remitting the payments in annuities due is at the beginning of every payment period instead. It implies that in compounding the value of payments, an additional payment period is added. The following formula is applied;

FVn(annuity due)=PMT[{(1+i)n-1}/i] (1+i)=PMT(FVIFAi,n)(1+i)

Where,

FVIFAi,n= Future-Value Interest Factor for an Annuity (multiplier used to calculate FV)

Distinguish between an annuity and a perpetuity

Whereas an annuity has a specified duration of time during which payments are made, an annuity continues without a particular end. An annuity continues up to the end of the determined period by way of equal payments whereas perpetuity never ends.

Reference

Keown, A.J., & Martin, J.D., & Petty, J.W., & Scott Jr., D. F. (1998). Foundations of finance the logic and practice of financial management, 6th edn. New Jersey. Pearson Education Inc

Definition and Explanation of Competency

Name

Profession

Course

Date

Definition and Explanation of Competency

Competency is a combination of measurable and observable skills and knowledge as well as personal attributes that count towards a productive or enhance employee performance. One of the attributes of competency is ultimately organizational success (DeFillippi et al,. 320). To understand competencies, it is important to define various components of competencies such as; in order to understand competency it is worth mentioning knowledge as the first facet. Knowledge is cognizance of truth and facts gained from employee’s formal training or experience. The other component of competency is skill- this is a developed dexterity in mental operations that is gained or acquired via specialized training and ability is the last component of competency that is worth mentioning- ability is the aptitude to perform mental or physical activity that are often affiliated a certain profession. In addition, individual attributes counts towards personal competencies that lead to organization or business success.

Impact of Competency

Despite the fact that competency of an individual does not establish a certain performance baselines in organizations or businesses, they increase the bar on employees performance among other employees performance indicators. As an employee competency is a road map towards increasing my capabilities baseline. Considering that competency focuses on elevating organization values and culture, it is an important tool towards improving my cultural knowledge and skills. These skills are crucial in ensuring that my organization mission and vision as well as the objectives are attained at ease.

As an employee, competencies will help build my career and improve my performance in the following ways; I can integrate it into performance appraisals, boarding orientation and other forms of employee communication (Hoge 520). Improving this will help me build my relationship with other employee as well as organization stakeholders. Since competency helps in addressing both soft and technical skills of a career or profession, it will help me boost my technical skills hence boost my performance.

The other impact of having outstanding competencies is that it can boost my morale as an employee. For example, after having the required competencies, I can be able to improve my ability and skills needed to undertake other roles in the organization hence competencies will help me steer my career (Hoge 522).

One of the main characteristics that employers seek from an employee is his/her personal attributes. With the right competencies in place, an employee is able to present the best attributes to employers. As an employee, competencies can improve my personal attributes hence my performance and career.

How to improve competency

There are several ways to improve competency, but for the case of this paper, the main ones are going to be considered;

The first and the best way of improving competency is by taking formal training.

Working hand in hand with an experienced team of employees so that I can learn more about my career is another way of improving competency

Value of improving this competency

It is worth improving competencies among employees. Outstanding competencies are facets towards career development and growth among other individual benefits.

References

DeFillippi, Robert J., and Michael B. Arthur. “The boundaryless career: A competency‐based perspective.” Journal of Organizational Behavior 15.4 (1994): 307-324.

Hoge, Michael A., Janis Tondora, and Anne F. Marrelli. “The fundamentals of workforce competency: Implications for behavioral health.” Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research 32.5-6 (2005): 509-531.

definition of culture

Definition of Culture

(Author’s name)

(Institutional Affiliation)

The term culture holds several, different meanings to different people. For some individuals it might mean an appreciation if good music, literature, food or art. For others like biological scientists it might mean a colony of microorganisms growing in some nutrient medium in the lab. However, for behavioral scientists, especially anthropologists, culture can be defined as the whole range of pattern of human behavior that is learned. Edward Tylor, the pioneer English anthropologist in his book, first used the word to define such patterns. The anthropologist defined culture as that complex whole that includes belief, knowledge, law, art, custom, morals and any other habits and capabilities acquired by human beings as members of a community (Tylor, 1871). This is one of the most traditional definitions of culture that has since become the key focus of anthropology.

While culture is a strong and powerful tool for human survival, it is a fragile and complicated phenomenon, it is easily lost and it is constantly changing because in the minds of the people. The written languages, building, governments and other things made by humans are just the products of the phenomenon, but in themselves, they are not culture. It is for this reason that we cannot say that archeologists dig up pieces of culture when they do their excavations, the artifacts they find during their excavations of ancient people are only things and materials that reflect the cultural patterns of the ancient people or the things that were created through the cultural skills and knowledge of these people. The APA dictionary of Psychology defines culture differently, as the distinctive values, customs, knowledge, beliefs, language and art of a community or society (APA dictionary of Psychology, 2007).

One can identify culture in urban plans and works of architecture. In today’s world, these two are excellent examples of culture and heritage in many cities. It takes people years to design and build buildings like these. People can tell what a society’s culture is or looks like by looking at different works of architecture and urban planning. For instance, it is easy to identify the work from the Renaissance period because the culture of the people from this period was marred with architectures adorned with magnificent oil paintings and glasses with different colors. Another example is the design of buildings in Washington DC. The buildings are short and uncomplicated but with clear design and structures. The skies are visible from the sidewalks, as exceedingly tall buildings do not harbor them.

The building’s height is limited to the road’s width so that the clouds can be seen from different angles and places all over the city. It is only culture that can result to such distinctive building styles, as the culture in Washington DC has played an essential role in coming up with such detail in design and architecture. People walking around the city have the sense of openness and freedom, as a result, of such design and detail in designing buildings. This design and architectural technique is also mostly unique to Washington. There might be numerous reasons for this, but mostly the culture of the people living in the city contributes to the outcome of the way the city is build and the way it looks.

The term culture means different things to different people. This is because culture is set and formed by people with similar techniques, skills, ethnicity, interests, place of stay and so forth, and these are varied.

Reference

Tylor, E. (1871). Primitive culture. New York: J.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Vanden Bos, G. R. (Ed.) (2007). APA Dictionary of Psychology Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.