Strengths and weaknesses of situational leadership model

Strengths and weaknesses of situational leadership model According to situational leadership models in general, leaders should adopt different leadership approaches depending on the situations that they encounter. Leadership competencies which work in one given situation may not be effective under different circumstances (Graef, 1983). In other words, other factors must be taken into account when deciding which leadership style to use in a given situation. Therefore, successful leaders can be characterised as those who are able to adjust their leadership styles according to situations which warrant their intervention. The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model is built on the concept using follower maturity as the key issue which affects adjustment in leadership styles.  [1]  Follower maturity, which defines the readiness of followers to perform in a given situation, is based on two major factors the ability and confidence in performing the tasks. Four leadership styles which emerge from this two-by-two matrix model (see Table 1) are Participating, Selling, Telling and Delegating. All these four leadership styles have varying levels in terms of follower ability and confidence. Table 1: Hersey-Blanchard Situational Table Leadership Model High PARTICIPATING STYLE Followers are capable but Relationship Behaviourunwilling and not confident SELLING STYLE Followers are unable but willing and confident DELEGATING STYLE Followers are capable, willing and confident TELLING STYLE Followers are unable, unwilling and not confident Low Task Behaviour Low High Managers who are keen to use the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Model must first fully understand or be able to assess/gauge the level of maturity of its subordinates with reference to their readiness or commitment to perform their job tasks.  [2]   Based on the case analysis presented and the leadership model depicted in the table above, it can be concluded that John Terrill had adopted the Delegating Leadership Style in dealing with the situation at DGI Internationals Technical Services division. Delegating Leadership Style Looking at the two-by-two matrix, the Delegating Leadership Style is described as Low Task, Low Relationship, whereby intervention from managers is kept to a minimum with the assumption that the subordinates are able, willing and confident of accomplishing the tasks at hand. Managers who adopt this style of leadership will allow their followers or subordinates to take responsibility for their assigned tasks with minimal supervision from them. In the case of DGI Internationals Technical Services division, John Terrill practiced the delegating style based on the profile of the team in his division. Since it was stated that all 20 of his subordinates are engineers who are highly paid and best educated, it can be deduced that this group of employees are high performers in their area of expertise within the organization. Management will not be willing to pay them highly if they do not possess high level of job maturity, which refers to their job capabilities and confidence in accomplishing their tasks as engineers. Based on their aptitude and the fact that the engineers requested top management to stop making them spend too much time on writing reports, Terrill was able to gauge that the employees possess high capabilities of performing their tasks and are also willing and confident to do their job provided that they were given the opportunity and time needed to accomplish their tasks. The engineers did not need much prompting and directions from him to take on new initiatives which help contribute to their productivity. Terrills delegating style can be further identified when he promised to stay off the engineers backs and also make sure that top management did the same. This indicates that Terrill will not interfere much with the daily tasks of the engineers because he believes the engineers know what are expected of them, what they are supposed to do and do not need much direction from Terrill to accomplish their tasks. Strengths of Delegating Style This style of leadership empowers followers to be responsible for their own actions and decisions. For example, the engineers are given high autonomy in completing their tasks with minimal supervision by Terrill. For mature followers who have high level of job readiness, this leadership style will give them a great sense of accomplishment which acts as motivator to give their best and increase productivity (Hersey and Blanchard, 1988). In this case, the engineers are able to concentrate on accomplishing their tasks and productivity of the division will improve. Empowerment allows for a certain degree of independence which promotes accountability and creativity in individuals. A leader who is able to delegate his authority in terms of job accomplishment will have time to focus on other strategic matters. Followers of this leadership style will feel more trusted and will build a closer working relationship with the leaders and foster better team work. Inadvertently, it will be easier for Terrill to turn around the department because his engineers will have more respect for him and will not hesitate to help him achieve their goals. Weaknesses of Delegating Style Measurement of job readiness is subjective and based on several factors, mainly job ability and job confidence (Hambleton et al., 1977(. However, if a leader wrongly gauged the job readiness of his followers and leave it to them to accomplish certain tasks, he may not achieve the desired results at the end of the day. This style of leadership is open to abuse. Followers may be able, willing and confident to perform the tasks but they may also take advantage of the low intervention from their managers so that the tasks may not be completed on time or productivity is not up to par as expected. A leader is able to delegate the tasks to his followers but accountability of the job still lies with the leader. To sum up, job delegation should be a gradual process until the leader is satisfied and confident that the tasks can be accomplished with minor supervision. However, in the real world, there is no single leadership style that can be applied in all situations. Effective leaders should be able to adjust their leadership styles according to the situation at hand. Leaders who are able to adopt different styles based on what is required of them will be most successful. Question 2 What do you think was John Terrills source of power? Do you think it is effective? The concept of power can be defined in varying ways but generally power is regarded as the ability to influence, affect and mobilize the attitudes and behaviour of others. The term power, authority, domination and control are often used interchangeably as there is a thin line separating their meanings (Pheby, 2004). However, power is not exclusive to only managers and leaders as opposed to authority which comes with certain legitimate positions. Power is able to shape ones actions and behaviour; thus, it can be maintained that decision making can be influenced with the existence of power sources in a system. In an organizational context, power is directly related to hierarchy or structure and legitimacy which come with positions. The ability of those in higher ranking positions to influence their subordinates is driven by power. It is an element which is able to shape managers and followers, and is the key underlying factor for leadership effectiveness. In fact, one of its most important functions is to build interdependency between leaders and followers. Ogden et al. (2006) entails that power need not have goal compatibility but only dependence. Researchers French and Raven (1959) had studied the sources of power and successfully listed them in five distinct forms. The five bases of power in organizations which are able to affect success in leadership are described as follows: Category Source of power Description POSITIONAL POWER Legitimate power This source of power usually comes with specific roles and positions in organisations. This power is also embedded in formal job descriptions that are mutually agreed to by employees in an organisation. Generally, people holding higher position are able to exert more organisational power compared to those in lower ranking jobs. Reward power Normally associated with the formal authority to allocate organisational rewards to employees. This type of power can weaken if the reward is no longer perceived as valuable by the receiver. Coercive power The person holding this power is able to impose punishment. In organisations, punishments can be in the form of reprimand, disciplinary action, suspension, demotion, dismissal, etc. Coercive power is usually associated with authority and can be used as a coercion tool at the workplace. PERSONAL POWER Expert power The ability to influence based on a persons knowledge, skills and expertise which originates from within an individual. This type of power is normally acquired by experts in certain fields. May not necessarily linked to position or authority in an organisation. Referent power An individual with referent power is looked upon as a role model by others. The individual usually possesses a charm, appeal, charisma or admirable qualities which others want to identify with. These five sources of power can be broadly categorised into positional power and personal power. Positional power refers to external power which is vested in an individuals formal role, position or authority. Legitimate power, reward power and coercion power fall in this category. On the other hand, expert power and referent power can be grouped as personal power because they involve internal or personal traits which belong to individuals. In DGI Internationals case study, John Terrill applied a combination of both position and personal powers to solve the problem faced by his subordinates in the Technical Services division. 1. Positional power Being appointed as the head of Technical Services Division clearly indicated that John Terrill held legitimate power over the department. As the new boss to a team of highly paid and skilled engineers, it can be assumed that John Terrill himself possessed quality traits which made top management at DGI International very confident that he can turn the non-performing department around. Terrill first demonstrated his legitimate power during his meeting with the engineers. First, he cleverly gained the engineers confidence by showing great concern for their welfare. Then he exerted his legitimate power by demanding to know the reasons for their lack of productivity and factors which hamper their expected performance. His ability to influence the engineers to voice out their grievances which affected their performance showed that he was successful in getting to the root of the departments productivity problem. In this case, Terrill did not use any reward or coercive power because he did not impose any reward or punishment in getting to the root of the problem and then making sure that his engineers would carry out their tasks after that. He used empathy and diplomacy as a leader by exerting his influence to make them follow his instructions. Terrill also exercised his authority when he issued immediate order for reports to be sent to his office instead of the headquarters as warranted by top management. He was well aware that his orders were against top managements instructions, but he was not afraid to use the legitimate power vested in his position to stand by his decision to keep the management off the engineers backs as promised. 2. Personal power The top managements concern about the low productivity further showed the importance placed on his team. Terrill understood that his team of engineers is crucial to the organisations growth since they are the best educated and highly paid employees in the company. From this profile alone, Terrill knew that his division held a lot of expertise required in the manufacturing of refinery equipment. Knowledge and skills of the engineers are highly valued by the organisation, which was why they were never reprimanded for their lack of productivity before. In other words, the engineers have expert power which made them indispensable to the company. Terrills source of expert power was also derived from the engineers knowledge and skills. He could anticipate that top management would agree to his recommendation that management should not bog down the engineers with daily reports because their engineering expertise is a critical resource in meeting the companys production objectives, whereas internal reports are only administrative requirements. In this example, Terrill obviously used the divisions expert power to negotiate with top management to stay out of their way so that they can carry out their engineering work as expected, and hopefully increase productivity as expected of them. Terrill seemed to have gained support from his engineers because they cheered him when he was about to meet top management to fight for their cause. If he successfully gets top management to agree with his plight, he will undoubtedly build his referent power and be admired for his charm and charisma in carrying out his task as their leader. It can be summarized that Terrill effectively used his legitimate power to influence his engineers to confide in him about problems that they faced which hampered productivity of the division. Terrill also successfully exercised the divisions expert power to ensure top management did not impose trivial matters (such as writing internal daily reports) which consume much of the engineers time so that they could concentrate on accomplishing their engineering tasks. Question 3 Henry Mintzbergs research indicates that diverse manager activities can be organized into ten roles. Identify two of these roles that John Terrill performed in carrying out his duty. According to Henry Mintzberg (2004), based on his research on the various activities of managers in a business setting, the roles of managers can be classified into ten types as depicted in the following table: CATEGORY ROLE ACTIVITY Interpersonal Figurehead Perform duties which are symbolic and ceremonial. Regarded as symbol of authority. Leader Directing, motivating, training, advising, influencing, encouraging, promoting development of others. Liaison In charge of internal and external information links. Engage in exchange of information. Informational Monitor Process and assess information. Maintain information and contacts. Disseminator Transmit information to other via phone calls, memos, notes, etc. Spokesman Representing organisation to outsiders in public relations capacity. Decisional Entrepreneur Project initiation, business identification and leads for opportunities. Disturbance Handler Handles internal crises and conflicts involving employees, and also external changes. Resource Allocator Responsible for allocation and sets priority for organisational resources via budgets, etc. Negotiator Negotiates with suppliers, unions, etc. Through his research, Mintzberg (1973) also managed to conclude that all the above ten roles fall into three broad categories which are interlinked. To illustrate the point, all three interpersonal roles Figurehead, Leader and Liaison provide information. Informational roles Monitor, Disseminator and Spokesperson process the information and act as a link to all the managerial roles. Meanwhile, the decisional roles make decision on how to deliver the information to other parties. All these ten roles can be applied to any managerial situation depending on the requirement of the circumstances. Based on Mintzbergs theory, in the DGI Internationals case, John Terrill played the roles of Liaison and Negotiator. Liaison John Terrill applied his interpersonal skills excellently when he first approached the engineers to seek information on their current problems which affected their productivity. During his meeting, he played his role as a liaison or intermediary between the engineers and top management. He did not reprimand the engineers for the poor performance of the Technical Services division without first finding out the cause of their low contribution to productivity; instead, he offered to resolve the conflict by trying to get to the root of the problem and find a lasting solution that will help them to increase their output in the organisation. His openness may have encouraged the engineers to confide in him even though he was new to the organisation. Terrill also successfully executed this role by openly showing his concern for the staffs welfare. Perhaps this helped open up the communication channel between him and the engineers because they feel that Terrill was acting in their interests. After that, the engineers willingly voice out their grouses and complaints when Terrill asked them point blank as to why the division was not performing as expected. His networking skills were clearly demonstrated when he empathised with the engineers and responded positively that engineers in the Technical Services division should not be tied down with paperwork if top management expected them to be more productive. Instead, they should be allowed to focus more on accomplishing their engineering tasks. In his liaison role, Terrill tried to maintain positive relationship with the engineers and not take sides with the top management by using any form of coercion on his team. His objective was to turn around the division and increase the engineers productivity. Therefore, he carefully played his role by offering them a possible solution. Using the power vested in his position as the manager of the team coupled with the mandate given by top management to solve the productivity issue, Terrill issued an order which was against the wish of company management. To illustrate, while the company management requires that the engineers turned in daily reports to headquarters, Terrill ordered them to turn in the reports to his office instead. However, Terrill had anticipated a showdown with top management and had already thought up a plan to back up his actions. He had proven that while the engineers were asked to turn in daily reports, actually nobody in top management would need the report dai ly because for three weeks, nobody in headquarters enquired about the missing daily reports. Negotiator In solving the low productivity issue of the Technical Services division, Terrill also played the role of a negotiator. This role was demonstrated during his first management meeting with the engineers. He explained to them the managements concern for the low productivity of the division despite being the highest paid and best educated group within the organisations. He also asked them to voice out their grouses and the possible reasons for their non-performance. When he found out that the engineers were demotivated by the amount of daily reporting that they had to do instead of focussing on their engineering tasks, Terrill asked the engineers to carry out their engineering duties like they were supposed to and increase the divisions productivity while he took care of the daily report generation problem with top management. He convinced them that he would stay out of their way and get the top management off their backs so that the engineers can accomplish their tasks as expected. Wit h Terrill at the helm of the division, the engineers are able to concentrate on their primary tasks and not worry about other petty issues. The engineers were also confident that Terrill will be able to prove a point to top management by keeping the daily reports in his office, and they seemed to have supported his actions. During the showdown with top management in the presidents office, Terrill displayed his negotiation skills by informing top management that the main reason for Technical Services divisions low output was that the engineers were more occupied with writing daily reports than actually doing their engineering tasks. He successfully proved his point by showing top management that the high stack of report produced over the last three weeks were not read by anyone because no one asked to look at them. He evidently showed them that the amount of time spent on writing the report had gone to waste, and that the precious time should be spent by the engineers to accomplish other important engineering duties. He then suggested that management do away with the daily report and one brief report from his office on a monthly basis is sufficient. In conclusion, managers are involved in a myriad of activities when performing the managerial functions. These activities can be clustered into broad categories and identified into roles. By understanding these managerial roles, managers will be able to discharge their duties more efficiently and effectively. Question 4 Do you think gender makes a difference when it comes to leadership style? Use example(s) and literatures to support your stand. Gender is a socially constructed concept of men and women which varies according to cultures, societies, social classes and even periods in history (FAO, 1997). It is sometimes misunderstood as being biologically determined and solely related to the sexual characteristics of men and women. However, according to Bravo-Baumann (2000) gender relations involves how society determines the rights and responsibilities of women and men. Traditionally, the roles of women are mostly confined to household-related chores and nurturing of family. Many cultures across the globe regarded women as the weaker sex with limited roles to play in the social system. In some countries, women are even denied access to education, rights to freedom, and in extreme cases are relegated to subordinate status (Bass et al, 1971). However, with the rise of movements towards equality in gender in the modern world, more societies have begun to change their mindsets and accept the fact that women also have roles to play in the development of the society and economy (Inglehart and Noris, 2003). The last several decades have witnessed the emergence of women holding managerial roles in organizations. Although men still hold the fort, more women are seen entering the workforce with an increasingly number of them being promoted to high managerial positions (Druskat, 1994). However, many women nowadays earn their organisations mandate and are appointed as CEOs and MDs of companies. Currently, some countries are headed by female premiers and presidents, for example Australia and New Zealand. These show that women are fast being recognized in their roles as capable leaders. As a result of the increase in female leadership roles, there have been a string of researches aimed at studying the leadership styles and behaviour differences between men and women leaders (Statham, 1987; Carless, 1998; Davidson Ferrario, 1992; Van Engen et al., 2001). Some researchers failed to find disparities in leadership styles between men and women (Pounder and Coleman, 2002; Van Eagen, Van der Leedeen Willemsen, 2001). Even though there are varying outcomes from these researches, a majority of the research results agreed that differences in leadership styles definitely exist among male and female leaders. Conceptually, due to the differences in nature and characteristics of men and women, there are bound to be distinct features which affect their leadership styles. It is generally accepted that the leadership styles of men and women vary because of differences in behaviour of men and women which are shaped by society and culture (Eagley, Wood and Diekman, 2000). Women in leadership roles were seen to be more collaborative, less hierarchical and more cooperative, caring and promoting self-worth of others (Helgesen, 1990; Book, 2000; Rosener, 1995). In contrast, due to the masculine nature of men as perceived by societies, male leaderships tend to be more assertive, aggressive, controlling and confident (Eagley et al., 2000). The above findings are further supported by a study by Eagly, Karau and Johnson (1992) on leadership styles among school principals supported this notion. From the study, it was concluded that: Female principals are more task-oriented compared to male principals. In the role as school principal which requires more interpersonal ability, women display greater task-orientation. However, in male dominated roles, men will appear to be more task oriented (Eagley and Jonhson, 1990). Female principals are also more democratic or participative while male principals adopted a more autocratic or directive approach. Due to social values, experience and thoughts associated with feminine characteristics (Goldberger, Clinchy, Belenky and Tarule, 1987), women leaders generally use the soft approach when dealing with others. Hence, women naturally develop leadership styles that are more democratic and participative. Male leaders, on the other hand, adopted stronger approaches which are consistent with natural dominating and controlling characteristics of men. Differences in leadership styles have an impact on the effectiveness and direction of an organization. Leaders must be able to adopt different approaches when confronted with varying circumstances because not all situations will warrant the same types of actions. Hence, leaders are most successful and effective when they can evaluate a situation accurately and act according to the requirements of the situation instead of generally applying the same form of leadership across all circumstances (Fiedler, 1951). Leadership styles can also be affected by external factors such as the nature of work, business environment, organizational culture and industry structure. To illustrate the point that gender differences in leadership styles do exist (Kanter, 1991), we will take a closer look at Transformational (largely associated with women leaders) and Transactional (dominant in male leaders). The following table highlights the differences in the two types of leadership:  [3]   Transformational Leadership Transactional Leadership * Leaders motivate their followers by arousing their emotions and acting beyond the framework of exchange relations. * Leaders are proactive and help form new aspirations and expectations of followers. * Leaders are differentiated by their ability to inspire and provide individual consideration, stimulation and influence to followers. * Leaders help in creating learning opportunities and stimulate their followers to find solutions to their problems. * Leaders develop emotional bonds with their followers using their management and rhetorical skills and great visions. * Leaders encourage followers to strive for their goals beyond self-interest. * Leaders are conscious of the relationship between reward and effort. * Leadership is responsive with high orientation to solve present issues. * Leaders control the actions of their followers by depending on reward, inducement, punishment and sanction. * Leaders use rewards to encourage their followers to achieve desired results. * Leaders reinforce behaviour of followers for successful execution of plan. Source : http://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com Introduced by James MacGregor Burns (1978), the transformational leadership concept defines an approach which encourages positive and valuable changes in performance and morale of followers based upon the behaviours and characteristics of leaders. Transformational leaders brought about changes in organizations by inspiring, motivating and sometimes acting as role models for employees to identify with (Bass, 1985). By being role models, such leaders will encourage employees to develop skills which could help them enhance their productivity. Transformational leadership style is often displayed by women leaders since women have innate nurturing ability (Kornives, 1991; Ross, 1990). This style can be effective in less-hierarchical organizations such as schools or retail outlets. In male dominated settings such as the military, transformational leadership may not be preferred. On the other hand, transactional leadership style is more visible in traditional organizational settings where male leaders are dominant (Rosener, 1990). Transactional approach values desired results in exchange for rewards, motivations or punishments; thus, transactional leaders will stress on higher productivity and offer rewards (or punishment) as motivation ( Burns, 1978). In conclusion, there are differences in leadership styles by gender. Women leaders generally tend to adopt a softer approach such as democratic and participative. These styles involve relationship with followers through understanding of their emotions and building the self-worth through motivation, aspiration and encouragement. Women leaders try to stimulate the working environment and develop confidence through empowerment (Burke, 1986). In contrast, men display more traditional leadership characteristics such as assertive, controlling, aggressive and dominating. However, the above differences do not limit men and women to any one leadership style. Regardless of gender, successful and effective leaders will find their preferred leadership style, that can be a blend of gender-specific roles, which is most suitable to the situation that they are in. Question 5 If you were the president of DGI International, would you recommend modifications in John Terrills leadership style that you would like him to adopt? Do you think it will be possible for John Terrill to make necessary changes? Why? In the DGI International case study, John Terrill adopted the Delegating Leadership Style (Hersey and Blanchard, 1982) based on the assumption that the team of engineers in the division that he was heading has high level of job readiness or maturity owing to the fact that they are the highest paid and best educated employees within the organization. Also, the statement made by Terrill that he will stay off the engineers back and get top management to stay off their backs too indicates that he will not interfere much with the engineers daily tasks. This indication further supports the notion that the team of engineers is able, willing and confident to accomplish their tasks without much direction or supervision from Terrill. Terrill was hired by DGI International to turn around a non-performing division. When he decided to adopt the delegating style, he must have based his decision on solid grounds highest paid and best educated group of engineers must have possess

Indigenous Art History and the Education System Essay -- Indigenous Ar

â€Å"His Buffalo and horses are always in motion--they're running for their lives. They can't be caught. That's real freedom†(Lee). In the American educational system the curriculum is supposedly designed to enrich the hearts and minds of all the students who wish to become enriched. Professional educators throughout western civilization compose their contributions as to what is considered to be in the best interests of the students. However, some oversights have been made apparent. The history of Indigenous American Art has been ignored, for too long, at the expense of the students who happen to be the descendants of the first peoples of this continent. Furthermore these students also happen to be the majority within the Los Angeles Unified School District; whether these students are of American, Canadian, Mexican, or Central American ethnicity they almost always have one thing in common, the indigenous blood that runs through their veins. Science has established that environment greatly influences behavior, whether that environment is a classroom, a home, or the American Continent. Subsequently, this continent is reflected within the hearts and minds of its people, and inevitably in our artistic expression. We the first people of this continent have existed here for thousands of years before the western civilization stumbled its way to this side of the planet. Indigenous American Art and its history play a vital part in our facet of the human experience. What's more, it is fundamental for fulfilling our potential and responsibilities as human beings. In addition to the contribution to our collective psyche, indigenous art is a historical and anthropological timeline of natural and supernatural phenomena. It is apparent that ... ...de as we all account for each other and ourselves with clear wisdom and responsibility before creation. Works Cited Gangel-Vasquez, Janice. â€Å"Re: Native Art History II†. Email to the author. 17 August. 2003. Lee, Jeff and Donna Hand. â€Å"2 dimensional Art-Ed Defender†. Trophies of Honor. 9 Aug. 2003. www.msstate.edu/Fineart_O...troph1.htm Martà ­n del Campo, Edgar. â€Å"Mesoamerican Deities†. Edgar†s Mesoamerican art page. 7 Oct. 1996. 9 Aug. 2003. members.aol.com/emdelcamp/edgar2.htm McMaster, Gerald R. â€Å"Towards an Aboriginal Art History†. Native American Art in the Twentieth Century. Ed. W. Jackson Rushing III. New York. Routledge. 1999. 81-96. Moreno, Lisa M. â€Å"RudyResponse†. E-mail to author. 15 Aug. 2003. Surrounded by beauty: History and Culture. 9 Aug. 2003. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. www. Artsmia.org/surrounded-bybeauty/history_culture.html

Cadburys Business Assignment Essay

The business that I have chosen to is Cadburys I have chosen to use the product will it is a well knows product that many people know and love, I have chosen this product because it has a very wide range of target audience and Cadburys is a well known business so information will be easy to access and to gather. The nature of the business is simple it is to provide sugary treats to the public the main target audience I would say would be children I would say from the ages of 4 onwards, the customers would be every one that likes chocolate they have a wide range of products such a cream egg this would appeal more to children than adults I would say as they adverts and the angle of the marketing addresses to children’s humour and to the nature of the commercial side of the business were as the product such a a dairy milk bar would appeal to a wider range of people such as adults as its simple and has very little child like qualities. The business brings out new products quite of ten so this would build on the companies reputation and would also help its sales figures as new products appeal to the customers curious nature as if a new product comes out that is advertised well, will make you want to try it and see what it is like, as Cadburys have a wide range of products there is pretty much a product for every one so the target audience is vast. Because of its large product range it will have more customers and because it has been around a long time this would mean that allot of people would have known about it and there for the audience and the people that buy the product will be greater than new businesses or newer businesses such as galaxy. The business Cadburys has existed since 1842 this shows the public that the business is a reliable and trust worthy business and obviously has a good range of products. Cadburys was founded almost 200 years ago and was opened by john Cadburys on bull street in Birmingham in 1824, he started of by making drinking chocolate then expanded by making chocolate and other products. Cadburys is a plc so it is a private limited company so this means it has public shares so the public would be involved in the business. The business is not based anywhere anymore but has business every were and this would make it a world wide company. The main competitors would be businesses such as galaxy and nesquik and other chocolate and sweat manufactures. My companies corporate aims would be to be able to make a healthy profit and be able to keep the business running at a high standard. The objectives of the business would be to be making lots of good quality chocolate and to be always be improving the quality of the chocolate and the recipes, other objectives would be to make their business fully fair trade as this would help the reputation of the business. Another objective would be to expand the business to have lots of stores world wide to increase the popularity of the business, doing this the business would need to make sure that they will be able to survive the market and make it an on going business. To create chocolate that appeals to all ages of the audience they do this by making sure that all of their ingredients are all at a high quality standard this includes fair trade products this would make their products more appealable to their target audience. Due to the nature of the business i think that they should cover some of the gaps such as creating more new products and possibly placing more Cadburys shop around the less populated areas around the country. I also feel as if Cadburys aims and objective are to do with the cream egg are easy and do able and make them accessible to smaller areas and smaller businesses such as corner shops. I have chosen Cadburys Cream Egg for my product that I am researching throughout my assignments, I have chosen this product as it is a noticed and a very well known brand and this product has been out for a while so there would be information to follow up on and to research about, this will be helpful with completing my assignments that I have been given, I have managed to find out allot about this business and this product so I am pleased with my decision. I am going to be finding out about the general aims and objectives for my chosen product that the business has set, I will also be discovering the SMART rule and I will be providing the basis for my marketing plan. I will be introducing this by using sections of the brief to make my plan, also researching the business. Cadburys used to be a family business and was running smoothly until the company went bankrupt in march 2010, since this Cadbury was acquired by Kraft Foods in March 2010. Kraft foods is an American based company that specializes in food such as chocolate and beverages. Kraft foods is a exceedingly good business earning around 1 billion dollars each year, and sells to over 170 different countries. Kraft foods is a public limited company. An aim is where the business wants to go in the future, its goals. It is a statement of purpose, e.g. we want to grow the business. A business aim is the goal a business wants to achieve. A primary aim for all business organizations is to add value and in the private sector this involves making a profit. More strategic aims include expansion, market leadership and brand building. A business o Objectives within an organization are established at a number of levels from top level corporate objectives, down to team objectives and individual objectives that create a framework for operational activities. These are often translated into targets which help to motivate staff in reaching short-term goals. Objectives therefore provide a clear structure for all of the various activities that an organization carries out. By measuring how well an objective has or has not been achieved, managers can make necessary changes to their activities to ensure progress and achievement of the stated objectives are made within the timescale allocated objective is a detailed picture of a step you plan to take in order to achieve a stated aim. A way to create this would to use the SMART rule.. Specific – clear and easy to understand. Measurable – i.e. able to be quantified. Achievable – possible to be attained. Realistic – not ‘pie in the sky’. Time bound – associated with a specific time period For example†¦. The aims of Cadburys are 1. Improving farmer incomes by helping farms to increase their yields and produce top quality beans. 2. Introducing new sources of rural income through microfinance and business support to kick start new rural businesses and introduce additional income streams such as growing other crops. Developing communities by helping them meet their own goals and improve rural life. For example, by supporting health through building wells for clean, safe water; education, through schools and libraries; and the environment through bio-diversity projects. 4. Working in partnership a pioneering model led from the grass roots. Farmers, governments, NGOs and international agencies work together to decide how the funding is spent and work with local organizations to turn plans into action. Cadbury is an international company that make, market and sell exclusive brands chocolate. Cadbury have achieved this effectively for over 200 years. The reason they are so successful is because they have a apparent and a clear understanding of the requirements and needs of their consumers, customers and other stakeholders. SMART stands for .. †¢Specific †¢Measurable †¢Achievable †¢Realistic †¢Timed Smart means objectives- they break up the aim into small do able task’s to make the job easier and achievable. Specific – Objectives should specify what they want to achieve, For example a soft drinks company may want to achieve 3% market share in 12 months. Measurable – You should be able to measure whether you are meeting the objectives or not to continue to run your business in a organised and professional manor, for example a market share over 12 months means that each month market share targets can be measured against a specific goal. Achievable – Are the objectives you set, achievable to be able to carry on your business plan, an example for this would be over a period of time such as one year 12 months you need to be able to know does the company have the resources, man power and finances to achieve the goal. Realistic Can you realistically achieve the objectives with the resources you have such as space finance and staff and equipment, and does the company need more time than 1 mouths to get to the standard that the owner want. Time- this would mean when you want to set a time for the objectives and aims that you have set yourself and the marketing there need to be a date and able to make it specific and achievable, such as some business set a 12 month business plan to achieve these goals. Marketing objectives should be based on understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and the business environment you operate in. They should also be linked to your overall business strategy for example if the business id doing well and the sales increase by 15% in the last year then you should set a business plan that will help boost encourage the market sales further for example leading out a new product or different advertising to appeal more the customers. This should follow the SMART rules. For Cadburys cream egg i would need to use SMART to make my business plan specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed, for example mine would be to boost market sales by 20% in 6 months by April 1st, i will do this by creating a new angle for the cream egg and make the advertising the product in a new way and maybe reshaping the product, for example such as Kellogg’s Special K they reinvented this product by advertising it so it would be a new slimming product it was targeted at women middle aged women as these area of people are the most likely to buy the product, this was effective and is now a top seller cereal. This is Realistic as i will have the eight resources and the finances to do this goal, this objective will be finished in 6 months time on the 1st of April 2012.

Creating Good Emergency Lesson Plans

Teachers are required to have a set of emergency lesson plans so that in the event of an emergency there is no interruption in the delivery of instruction. There can be any number of reasons to need emergency plans: a death in the family, an accident, or a sudden illness. Since these types of emergencies can arise at any time, emergency lesson plans should be not be associated with lessons that are part of a sequence. Instead, emergency lesson plans should be related to topics covered in your classroom, but not part of core instruction.    Regardless of the  reason for your absence, your substitute plans should always include information critical to the operation of the classroom. This information should be duplicated in the emergency lesson folder. For each class period, there should be class lists (with parent phone numbers/e-mail), seating charts, times for a variety of schedules (full day, half-day, specials, etc) and a general comment on your procedures. The fire drill procedure and a copy of the student handbook should be included in the folder as well as any special school procedures. While still keeping a students right to privacy in mind, you may also leave general notes to prepare the substitute for any special needs students. You may also provide the names and teaching assignments of those educators near the classroom in the event your substitute might need immediate assistance. Finally, if your school has a substitute log-in for computer use, you may leave that information or a contact for the substitute to request a log-in. Criteria for Emergency Lesson Plans The criteria that should be used in developing a good emergency lesson is similar to what you might leave for a scheduled absence. The plans include: Type of learning: emergency lesson plans should not include new learning, but rather work with concepts or principles that students already understand in your  subject area.  Timelessness: Because emergencies  can occur anytime  during the school year, these plans should address concepts important to the discipline, but not tied to a specific  unit. These plans should also be revisited during the school year and adjusted based on what topics students have covered.Length: In many school  districts, the recommendation is that emergency lesson plans should support a substitute for a minimum of three days.  Accessibility: The materials in emergency lesson plans should be prepared so that students of all levels of ability will be able to complete the work. If the plans call for group work, you  should leave recommendations on how to organize students. Substitute plans should be contain translated materials for English Language Learners if there is a need.  Resources: All materials for the  emergency lesson plans should be prepared and, if possible,   left in the folder. All papers should be copied in advance, and a few extra copies added in the event the classroom numbers have changed. There should be directions as to where other materials (books, media, supplies, etc) can be located.   While you want to make sure that your students are engaged in meaningful activities, you also should anticipate the amount of work you will receive when you return. Your first reaction may be to stuff the folder with many different worksheets to keep students occupied. Returning to school to face a folder filled with busy work does not benefit you or your students.   A better way to help the substitute is to provide materials and activities that engage students and can extend over a period of time.    Suggested Emergency Lesson Plans Ideas Here are some ideas that you can use as you create your own emergency lesson plans: There are always extended questions from chapters in your textbook that you may never get to during the school year.   The extended response  questions (sometimes titled further study...) sometimes take more time than a class period or they may be more challenging and involve  applying skills students already have  in solving authentic or real-world problems. There may be scenarios for students to try. A model of what is expected should be provided to the substitute.There may be articles that are related to your discipline with questions that students can answer. If there are no questions with the reading, you can use these four close reading questions that meet the Common Core Literacy Standards. You should leave an example to model for students so that they should know to provide evidence from the text for each question.What is the author telling me?  Any hard or important words? What do they mean?  What does the author want me to understand?How does the author play wit h language to add to meaning? Depending on the media available in your school, you may want to use short videos (TED-ED Talks, Discovery Ed, etc. ) that are often followed by questions. If questions are not available, the same questions used for an article (see above) can be used in responding to media. Again, you may want to leave a model response for students to see.If your students are capable to do writing enrichment activities independently, and depending on the student access to research tools, you could leave a visual (painting, photo, or graphic) that is related to your discipline and have the substitute use the Question Formulation Technique. The visual can be a current event photo, an infographic for math, or a painting of a landscape for a storys setting.This technique allows students to ask their own questions and build off their peers’ questions. In this activity, the substitute would ask students to formulate as many questions as they can about the visual. Have the students  write down every question exactly as it is stated; then have the students  determine which questions can be answered and which need more research. The substitute can lead the class in  prioritizing the questions. Then, the students can choose one (or more), and do the research in order to respond. Leaving the Plans While emergency lesson plans will not cover material you are currently working on in your class, you should use this opportunity to extend their knowledge about your discipline.   It is always a good idea to mark the location of your emergency lesson plans in a place different than your regular  substitute folder.   Many schools ask for the emergency lesson plans be left in the main office. Regardless, you might not want to include them in the folder so as to avoid confusion.   When emergencies come up and remove you from the classroom unexpectedly, it is good to be prepared. Knowing that you have left plans that will engage your students will also minimize inappropriate student behavior, and returning to deal with discipline problems will make your return to the classroom more difficult. These emergency lesson plans may take time to prepare, but knowing that your students have meaningful lessons while you are not available can take the stress out of the emergency and make your return to school more smooth.