Self Reflection on Decision Making Free Essays

Problem Solving and Decision Making Workshop: A Self Reflection I found the workshop on Problem Solving and Decision Making not just useful but also interesting. When we graduate and find work in organizations as Human Resource (HR) managers, we will be faced with many situations on a daily basis that will require us to make sensible, accurate and fair decisions. It could deciding which person to hire, which supplier to use, or which strategy to pursue, but the ability to make a good decision with available information is vital. We will write a custom essay sample on Self Reflection on Decision Making or any similar topic only for you Order Now To be able to do this we need to understand the processes of decision-making and how one can try to eliminate bias while doing so. Over the course of the day, I learnt that in order to make good decisions, the ability to reason logically and sift the accurate information from the corporate jargon is very important. When we were taught the various steps involved in decision-making process I realized that sometimes I arrive at a decision without considering some of the options. Being creative was another skill I picked up during one of the exercises. Some of the best solutions come from thinking innovatively. We were asked to be part of thought showers and come up with different uses of screwdriver, it was amusing to see what a group of 7 girls could come up with. It also showed me how insightful some of these events could be as we came up with ideas I couldn’t possibly think of by myself. Many organizational decisions we will be required to make will never have clear-cut solutions and it is important we think out of the box sometimes. I also picked up different techniques to solve problems like drawing up a matrix to simplify complicated information, fishbone analysis as well as using decision trees that we later applied to the group case study. The session on ethical decision-making struck a cord with me, as it is probably one of the most challenging tasks of managers today. Ethics can have a different meaning for everybody hence it is even more important to follow some universally acceptable ethical practices while making decisions. As it is rooted in context, there needs to be a good match between personal ethics and organizational ethics for an employee to be satisfied with the job. This principle will definitely help me understand and evaluate the type of companies I want to work with in the future. When I considered what I value most, it is self-respect. No job can be satisfying if you do not believe in yourself and your abilities. Being ethical and giving the task at hand my best is what constitutes self-respect for me. This is a virtue I would not want to give up and I hope to maintain that even while working in the corporate world. As an area for development, I need to talk less and listen more so I understand the whole situation before I offer an opinion. I recognized that during the case study on ethical decision-making I was quick to judge the solution and that half-baked information can be quite dangerous. Until Carol handed us the lawyer’s advice none of us had thought of other possible scenarios and we had to revise our plan taking that into consideration. Decision-making is a key skill in the workplace, and is particularly important if you want to be an effective leader . HR managers have a great task of simplifying complex information and deducing facts especially while interviewing and selecting candidates. Even though HR does not take too many strategic decisions, they do have the task of laying out all the information so that people in charge can make better-informed choices. Sometimes these choices relate to the jobs of people, for example, redundancy decisions or new market expansions. Adair (1999) suggests 5 steps for effective decision making which include defining the objective, collecting relevant information, generating feasible options, making the decisions and also evaluating it (so we know if it was a good or a bad decision). It is therefore very important that decisions are not made intuitively but follow a logical and rational approach like the one mentioned above. According to Jackson (1975) the first step to making decision is problem detection. Once this is done, identifying the facts and relevant information is crucial to make this process a success. When we reach the stage of selecting the appropriate option, we have another vague problem of rationality. What is â€Å"best† to one person may not be to another individual. Rationality also takes into account ethics in decision-making. Not everyone follows the same ethical principles. According to Robbins (2010), there are three ethical decision criteria namely utilitarianism, focus on rights and focus on justice. These can help solve some of the vagueness associated with the decision making process. In a large organization with multiple stakeholders, assuming that everyone will have the same viewpoint on the issue at hand is unrealistic to expect. David Jennings Stuart Wattam suggest a soft systems methodology, which stresses on the need to recognize the diversity of values and viewpoints that may occur in a problem situation. In most organization decisions are not made independently, but in groups/teams hence it is very important to follow the above methodology. Hartnett’s Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making Model is another useful tool when group decisions need to be made based on complex and unclear material. By using the model, everyone gets involved in developing a solution, so that each person feels ownership of the final decision. This can also help build a more productive and committed team. Sometimes group decision making is subject to groupthink and risky shift, which is where groups make more risky decisions than individuals. Being aware of these limitations of group decision making can help HR managers. As a final point, I understood that most decisions come with a set of organizational constraints and we take shortcuts to reach a conclusion within the set time frame. We usually are biased evaluators and let our perceptions get the better of us. Some common ones Robbins (2010) points out are anchoring bias, overconfidence bias and hindsight bias. As HR people, we are also responsible for many other people in the company and sometimes what we say/decide or forecast can affect the business and the people in many ways. Hence, it is important to be careful in the decision making process. Personal Developmental Plan * Over these next 10 months, I would want to improve my decision making skills by analysing all possible options before I make a decision. I have a tendency to go with the first solution that arises but after this workshop I realised that the best ideas come after considering all possible opportunities. I think this will really help me once I graduate and start looking for a job. I need to decide what I need from the job and if the organization culture fits with my personality. For this I need to be more geared to make sensible decisions than just look at the location and pay level. * Apart from the learning’s I take from this workshop, I plan to be part of thought showers with my course mates to understand how different people think and arrive at a conclusion. This will help me not just in the decision making process but will also help me recognize individual difference among cultures, ideas and thought processes. Being in an HR department it is essential to get a feel of what people think and how they evaluate the same information. Watching the TED talks online and listening to the way some companies have used the art of problem solving and decision making to come out of turbulent times is another way I plan to get a more practical insight into these areas. * Attending CIPD member group meeting and reading the website for updates in these fields is something I plan to do on an ongoing bases to keep myself abreast with its implications in the workpl ace. * For my coursework and case studies, I plan to use the techniques of problem solving that were taught in the workshop. I believe this will help me analyse questions more accurately and respond in a more logical sequence considering all the information presented. References: Adair, J. (1999). Decision Making and Problem Solving. London: CIPD Bazerman, M. (1998). Judgment in Managerial Decision Making. 4th Edition. Chichester: John Wiley ; Sons. Jennings, D. ; Wattam, S. (1998). Decision Making: An Integrated Approach. 2nd Edition. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall. MindTools (1996) Hartnett’s Consensus-Oriented Decision-Making Model. Available at: http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/codm. htm (Accessed on: 14th November 2012). How to cite Self Reflection on Decision Making, Essay examples

How Should Today’s Youth Combat Negative Moral Issues free essay sample

Today’s youth should combat negative moral issues by taking pride in who they are, not compromising their beliefs and values, and making a conscious decision to be a positive influence. Today’s youth are most negatively affected by drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, peer pressure, bullying, and trying to imitate airbrushed images from the media of what’s cool and trending. They lose their identity failing to realize they just need to be themselves. As a young adult I believe we should never let anyone change our morals, character, or beliefs to coincide with theirs. It’s always good to think before you act because the consequences of making a bad decision could affect your ability to finish school, attend college, future employment and or your freedom. I believe every child has a dream to be somebody one day. I just think they lose sight of the dream when they feel they don’t fit in with the â€Å"popular† crowd and their focus is no longer their dream but becomes emulating someone else’s image. We will write a custom essay sample on How Should Today’s Youth Combat Negative Moral Issues? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Youth need to be strong and confident enough in their belief to say no or walk away from a situation that they find uncomfortable. There’s an old saying â€Å"If you lie down with dogs you’ll get up with fleas† meaning choose your friends and associates carefully and surround yourself with those who respect you and themselves. Teenagers should have mentors for guidance inspiration and encouragement. The reality for most youth from low socioeconomic backgrounds is it’s hard to keep doing right when everyone around you is doing wrong. If more youth had mentors who were committed to going the distance with them and keeping them on track, more would graduate, attend college and not end up in jail, dead, pregnant, or as drop outs. Youth could benefit by engaging in positive activities such as participating in extracurricular activities, employment, sports, or just volunteer in the community or church. More importantly youth can avoid falling prey to negative moral issues by respecting their elders and gleaning from their mistakes and life lessons instead of acting like they know everything. This is where many teens fall short as they get older and they push aside the moral foundation their parents instilled in them. Actually, as we get older we should hold fast to the life lessons and wisdom our parents have shared with us. Today’s society provides many opportunities for youth to engage in morally inappropriate behavior. The negative influences of social media, the internet, television, sexually explicit music and videos, poverty, uncertainty about their future are very real challenges for today’s youth. I’ve been exposed to it and I may have even fallen short at times but my faith keeps me grounded and hopeful. I have determined within myself that I will be an agent of change in my community, my home and among my peers.

Alphabetical Phrasal Verbs Reference List

Alphabetical Phrasal Verbs Reference List Phrasal verbs are verbs that are made up of a main verb and followed by particle, usually prepositions. Most phrasal verbs are two or three words and can be quite challenging for English learners as they can be literal or figurative in meaning. In other words, sometimes it is easy to understand the meaning (such as get up), but in the case of figurative meanings can be quite confusing (such as pick up). Begin learning phrasal verbs with a limited list. The list below provides a good starting point for intermediate level English learners. Teachers can use this introducing phrasal verbs lesson plan to help students become more familiar with phrasal verbs and start building phrasal verb vocabulary. Finally, there are a wide variety of phrasal verb resources on the site to help you learn new phrasal verbs and test your understanding with quizzes. This ESL phrasal verb reference guide is intended for English learners. The guide contains some of the most important phrasal verbs used in everyday English. There are many, many more phrasal verbs, but I have chosen these verbs as a good starting point for English learners. Each phrasal verb is defined, has an example sentence for context, and states whether the definition is separable or inseparable, transitive or intransitive. For more information on how to use phrasal verbs, read the phrasal verb guide on this site. Important phrasal verbs in English starting with the letter A. Includes examples and whether the phrasal verb is separable / inseparable, transitive / intransitive. S Separable IS Inseparable T Transitive IT - Intransitive account for explain, be the reason for His lack of interest accounts for his poor grades. IS T act on take an action Tom acted on the information. IS T add to increase the size This chair will add to the furniture we already have. S T add up make sense Your guess adds up based on all the facts. IS IT agree with have the same opinion as someone I agree with Tom about the need for better schools. IS T allow something for provide time, money, or other resource for something You need to allow two hours for traffic. S T answer for something be responsible for something The director answers for the drop in sales last quarter. IS T argue something out discuss all the details to come to an agreement We argued our differences out and signed a contract. S T arrive at something agree upon something We arrived at a contract last week. IS T ask after somebody ask how someone is doing I asked after Kate last week and her mother told me she was doing well. IS T attend to something take care of something you need to do Peter attended to preparations for the party while his wife cooked the dinner. IS T average something out arrive at the average figure I average the contracts out and well make a profit of $250,000. S T

Acetaminophen Lab essays

Acetaminophen Lab essays The purpose of this lab was to use our techniques that we have learned so far in lab in order to synthesize acetaminophen from p-aminophenol and acetic anhydride. This lab was also intended to teach us how to isolate and recrystallize our compound in order to get rid of as much impurities as possible and check the purity using the melting points. Lastly, this lab helped us continue to use thin-layer chromatography in order to compare our compound to similar compounds that can be found on the shelf in order to find the active ingredients in the different analgesics. In order to start the synthesis of acetaminophen I did an acid-base reaction by adding concentrated hydrochloric acid to p-aminophenol. The p-aminophenol was then mixed with some charcoal, turning the mixture black, and then filtrated out by gravity. After this I used a buffer solution of sodium acetate to mix with the p-aminophenol and then immediately added 2 mL of acetic anhydride in order to complete the ingredients required for the synthesis. The reaction was then cooled and the crude crystallized acetaminophen was collected by vacuum filtration. I was able to retrieve 1.88g of the crude acetaminophen, which turned out to be a 64.4% yield based on the fact that p-aminophenol was the limiting reactant for this synthesis. The melting point found for the crude was 160-162 degrees Celsius, which is about 20 degrees below the melting point of pure acetaminophen, meaning that the crude product has some impurities. Part B. Recrystallization of Acetaminophen I placed .504g of the crude acetaminophen into a test tube and added boiling water, our solvent, drop-wise until the crude acetaminophen was completely dissolved. This solution was then cooled slowly in order for crystals to form and was then collected by vacuum filtration. The amount recovered from the recrystallization turned out to be .399g, which meant that I recovered 79. ...

Libya's progress towards democracy Research Paper

Libya's progress towards democracy - Research Paper Example Idris was a traditional emperor leader who had no concern for any self-governing principles and during his reign, Libya was mostly an impoverished nation with a life financial system; the country only relied on revenues from both the US and British airbases and international aid until 1959 when oil reserves were discovered (â€Å"History of Libya†). Idris was deposed in a bloodless coup that was led by the then 27 year old Muammar al-Gadhafi while away on a visit to Turkey; Gadhafi then immediately became commander-in-chief of the Libyan armed forces and Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council which was the new force governing Libya. Since 1979, Libya was predominantly a military dictatorship with Gadhafi earning a global distinction as one of the world’s most eccentric and unpredictable dictators (History World). Gadhafi’s political philosophy was multifaceted, deriving from Islam, socialism, and Arab nationalism as combined in his personal manifesto, the Green Book. Although the country was renamed as the People’s Socialist Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to mean that it was governance through the masses, it remained a personal rule by a single individual, Muammar al-Gadhafi. This paper will investigate whether Libya has made any recent progress towards democracy, especially after Gadhafi’s regime was brought to an end and whether the country has any history of democratic or liberal institutions. Since Muammar Qaddafi was ousted from power, Libya had been characterized by rough-and-tumble politics; this was attributed to the country’s inexperience given that it had been under a dictatorship regime for over four decades. Critics initially argued that given the lack of a government with a full democratic charge over issues in the country, Libya had very little if any hope of transitioning into a democracy; instead, Libya could only but hope for continued drift due to the lack of a cabinet that could assume sovereign author ity over security, finance and strategic development. However, if the recent trend is anything to go by, then Libya has great potential of transforming into democratic governance after four decades of civilian subjugation under Gadhafi’s Military dictatorship. Libya’s vibrant oil industry, increasing stability, and a strong public stand against violence are strong indicators of the countries commitment towards the establishment of a democratic government and democratic institutions (Thorne). In this respect, Libya has indeed witnessed a commendable progress in the move towards democracy, regardless of the myriad skepticism and the numerous constraints inherent in the country. Nevertheless, after a whooping four decades of a one man’s rule regime in Libya, it is not expected that the country would transform to a democracy in just over a fortnight, especially given the numerous constraints to democracy such as the inexistence of democratic institutions. However, t hough slow-paced, democracy is in the offing; all indicators show that there has been a concerted effort from various stakeholders to help the country transform to a Democracy. The remarkable progress towards democracy in Libya in the recent past has been witnessed especially on the political front after Muammar Gadhafi was ousted from power (â€Å"Libya: Despite everything†). In this respect, the newly elected General National Congress, a prototype parliament that came in place

Event membership cshemes and whether thry promote customer loyalty Essay

Event membership cshemes and whether thry promote customer loyalty - Essay Example In many cases, the event is itself the product, such as cultural events and the like. The principle, however, is the same, that is, to trigger the curiosity of new customers as well as nurture a stronger relationship with the regular customers in order to court their loyalty. In trying to keep customers loyal, companies have come up with membership schemes by which a customer is â€Å"bound,† in a way, to keep coming back. By â€Å"bound† it is meant that the customer is given an incentive or reward for staying as a member and continuing to avail of the products and services of the company. In 2001, Hayes and Slater conducted a study of cultural organizations. Their aim was to arrive at a typology of the common-interest groups of people who have naturally gathered together and, after the passage of some time, became â€Å"clubs†, then â€Å"membership schemes†. (They are also known by other names like friends’ schemes, societies, and associations). The study of such typologies was considered by the authors to be useful to practitioners. It will help them in the design and evolution of membership schemes for many different purposes. This is especially for the hosting of events and exhibits, in order to make sure there is enough people in the audience. According to the authors, there are four general types of membership schemes: the friends’ scheme, the social club group, the public members’ scheme, and the integrated membership scheme. There are many factors that influence how membership schemes developed. The most important factor is the strong competition that grew between rival organizations, and a lessening of revenues available for funding. For these companies, management found out that the only way to ensure survival was by adopting an entrepreneurial style, which meant earning income in an

Health disparities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Health disparities - Research Paper Example ANs had a shorter life expectancy than the general population and constantly suffered from increased prevalence of disease such as rheumatic fever and tuberculosis (US Public Health Service 17). This paper will examine health disparities among AI/ANs, discussing the degree to which current health care system are meeting the health needs of this underserved population. Following advances in public health and medical care systems over the last half century, the AI/AN population has also transitioned with the rest of the population from a period of pandemics primarily of infectious diseases to one of degenerative, as well as lifestyle diseases. This progression has enhanced the recognition of health disparities encountered by the AI/AN communities from conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, drug abuse and cancer, which are essentially noninfectious. While epidemiological information regarding the AI/AN population is largely incomplete or prone to inaccuracies chiefly due to racial misclassification in official records, a vast majority of the comparisons with non-Native populations are extremely dramatic. For example, among AI/AN adults who utilized Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities in 2002, the age-adjusted incidence of diabetes was approximately 15.3%. This is significantly greater than the 7.3% incidence among all American adul ts (Kunitz 163). The rate of heart disease has traditionally been lower among Native Americans than among the white population. However, this trend is rapidly reversing since heart disease is currently the leading cause of death among the AI/AN population. In addition, deaths from violence and unintentional injuries are a substantive problem among native communities. Between 1996 and 1998, the age-adjusted death prevalence among AI/ANs across the US was nearly twice that of the population of other races in the US. The death rate for unintentional injuries, on the other hand, was at least thrice that of the rest of the US