Arctic Mining Consultants Essay

Synopsis of the Situation Arctic Mining Consultants is a mining consulting company that does mining exploration. This particular case looks into how Arctic Mining Consultants’ crew did not effectively do their job in Eagle Lake, Alaska. Tom Parker is a geological field technician and field coordinator for the company. He acted as the project manager on the job near Eagle Lake, Alaska. His crew of field assistants consisted of John Talbot, Greg Boyce, and Brian Millar. Tom had worked with all three field assistants before. Tom has specialized skills in claim staking, line cutting and grid installation, soil sampling, prospecting, and trenching. This particular job involved skating 15 claims, which consist of marking a line with flagging tape and blazes along the perimeter of the claim. A claim post is cut every 500 yards, meaning 60 miles in line total. Tom hoped to complete the job in a week, and offered the field assistants each a $300 bonus if it was completed in time. This would be added to their fa irly low daily wages. As the job progressed, tension was thick because the deadline was approaching. The field assistants were working long days, and two of them were continually not meeting Tom’s expectations. Tom particularly took his frustrations out on Millar. Key Issues The field assistants are given little motivation to work hard. They are paid fairly low daily wages and are putting in long days. Tom Parker does not offer positive encouragement either, yelling and making the field assistants feel bad could make them care less about the job. The field assistants are provided meals and accommodations, but even Tom admitted that a lot was expected of them in a short amount of time. Tom Parker is not a good leader. He is the one who does the hiring, training and supervising for all of Arctic Mining Consultants programs. It could be possible he is not properly training field assistants to thoroughly meet his  expectations. Tom Parker, on more then one occasion, exploded with anger. He did not coach his team, he just yelled at them. If he was supervising there work on Day 3, he should have communicated with the field assistants and told them how to improve their work then. On Day 6, when the field assistants did show improvement, Parker did not give them any positive reinforcements. Also, even after Paker picked on only Millar for bad performance, he asked him to work for him again. The field assistants seem to have very different capabilities and attitudes. Boyce did not get picked on by Parker, but admitted to Millar that he only worked as hard as he had to. Boyce had the worst results of everyone. Talbot met his quota and stayed to help Boyce meet his. He was a team player. Millar put in more time and effort, by being the first one dropped off Day 6 and 7, last one picked up Day 6 and 7, and not taking lunch Day 5. He worked himself so hard, that he collapsed at dinner, to tired to eat. Define the Problem The key problem in this case is that Tom Parker is not a good leader. He is in charge of hiring, training, and supervising field assistants. Couldn’t the field assistants’ work be reflected on Tom because he did not properly train them? Also, Tom selected the field assistants for this job. He should have known what they were capable of before selecting them. He had worked with al of them before, so he should have had reasonable expectations for each of them. Tom also made a hostile working environment with much stress and little positivity. Alternative Solutions Solution 1: Tom needs to be retained as a project manager. Being a project manager means being a leader. Tom is not a good leader. An effective leader is one who leads by encouraging the employees and making them want to succeed, thereby making the organization meet and exceed its goals over time. (Thakur, 2005). Tom did not handle conflict well; he took his frustrations out on one particular field assistant. Relational leadership is one form of effective leadership. Relational leadership centers around person-to-person relationships. One of the significant components of all relationships is how conflict is handled. (Ferch & Mitchell, 2011). The  advantage of retaining Tom to gain leadership skills would be that Tom potentially could more effectively train field assistants and make a better team dynamic. The disadvantage is that Arctic Mining Consultants would have to spend time and money to re train the trainer, Tom. It would be beneficial for him to develop new leadership skills, but it might be difficult not having a project manager. Solution 2: Tom and Arctic Mining Consultants should offer more incentives to his field assistants. It doesn’t even have to be monetary. Offering positive reinforcement for work well done would be beneficial to Tom and his team. â€Å"While money is important to employees, what tends to motivate them to perform – and to perform at higher levels – is the thoughtful, personal kind of recognition that signifies true appreciation for a job well done. (Eastern, 2012). The advantage of this solution would be that employees would feel better about the work they are doing, and feel good hen they excel. Field assistants would be working in a positive environment. The disadvantage would be employees would start to expect positive reinforcements and bonuses, feeling they are entitled to it. Solution 2: Hire new field assistants. Tom could more carefully select his field assistants for a job. He should do more research on candidates’ capabilities and experience if he has high expectations. The advantage of having a different team of field assistants would be that he could filter out those who do not meet expectations before hand. The negative side of hiring new field assistants is the time it would take to evaluate new candidates as field assistants. Selected Solution I believe the first solution would bee best to solve this case. Tom needs to reevaluate his leadership tactics. He does not communicate effectively with his crew. He needs to think of the crew working together like a team, and he is coach. Tom is not being effective by focusing on the negatives; he needs to analyze what is being done wrong, and coach field assistants to correct their problem. Implementation/Recommendations First, Arctic Mining Consultant should have Tom trains another potential project manager that already works for the company. The candidate should undergo some type of leadership training. Then Tom will engage in a leadership-training program. The candidate will be the project manager while Tom is absent. Then, the two project managers, Tom and candidate, will work as a team to direct field assistants. Tom needs a new outlook on his management style. Implementing this plan will help achieve that. This will also help make more effective work teams. References Thakur, D. (2005, January). Short-term leaders. Quality, 44(1), 24. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.davenport.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA127543673&v=2.1&u=lom_davenportc&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Ferch, S. R., & Mitchell, M. M. (2001). Intentional Forgiveness in Relational Leadership: A Technique for Enhancing Effective Leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies, 7(4), 70. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.davenport.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA76626374&v=2.1&u=lom_davenportc&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Eastern, J. S. (2012, January 1). Employee rewards. Internal Medicine News, 45(1), 78. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.proxy.davenport.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA280102141&v=2.1&u=lom_davenportc&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w

Hubris in Oedipus Essay

Oedipus the King is considered one of the greatest classical tragedies ever written. When Sophocles wrote this great play, he followed the concept of tragedy which dictated that the tragic hero should embody a tragic flaw in his character which acts as a motivation for the character’s eventual downfall. In Oedipus the King, the tragic flaw of the play’s hero, Oedipus, is centered on the concept of hubris, or excessive and destructive pride. Oedipus, through his pride, ultimately experiences the worst tragedies that can befall an individual; however, if the events of the play are examined closely, each of the tragic events can in some way be connected to Oedipus’ pride. One key example (in the myth of Oedipus which provided background for the play) is when Oedipus unknowingly murders his own father. Despite being warned by the oracle that he was destined to â€Å"shed with his own hand† his father’s blood, Oedipus quarrels with Laius on the road to Thebes over whose wagon had the right-of-way and his ultimate anger fueled by hubris led Oedipus to unwittingly murder his own father. After solving the Sphinx’s riddle and unknowingly marrying his own mother, Oedipus, as King, must face a plague which is threatening Thebes. The plague was sent as a form of revenge by the gods because of Laius’s murder. To help him find out the reason behind the plague, Oedipus consults a prophet named Tiresias, who is blind. When the prophet warns Oedipus to stop seeking the true murderer of Laius, Oedipus’s pride leads him to suspect Tiresias of treachery and dishonesty. Even though Oedipus has been warned all along about hsi destiny, he continues to try to control fate and therefore becomes further and further entangled in tragedy. It is his excessive pride that drives him to refuse to listen to the wisdom of those around him, even prophets. Eventually, Oedipus says during the play that he is superior to the gods, and this is a blatant expression of his hubris:â€Å"You pray to the gods? Let me grant your prayers† (Oedipus, 254). By saying this, it is clear that Oedipus considers himself even a greater power as king than the god themselves. A central part of the impact of Oedipus’s hubris is the dramatic irony which takes place in the play. The irony of Oedipus not knowing that he has murdered his own father and married his own mother and the irony that he is in fact the one responsible for the plague on Thebes and that his desire to rid the land of Laius’s murderer would lead to himself are all possible because of Oedipus’s extreme pride. He is oblivious to the possibility that the oracle’s predictions or the words of the blind prophet could indicate anything other than the elevation of his own glory and strength that his eventual tragic fall actually begins simultaneously with his rise to kingship and power, with the audience seeing the irony. The reason that Sophocles created such an ironic level of expression for the extreme hubris of Oedipus was to demonstrate to his audience that a great tragedy is always created by the inner-flaw or weakness of its main character. The Greeks regarded pride or hubris as one of the most common and dangerous of personal flaws and this play demonstrated for them and also for modern audiences the impact of excessive pride when carried to extreme levels of power and influence, although the lessons learned in the play are also applicable to common people in their everyday lives. By using irony, exaggeration, and an epic scale of symbols, Sophocles was able to present his audience with a frightening portrayal of the negative impacts of hubris or excessive pride.

Reaction to the AA meeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reaction to the AA meeting - Essay Example The people at the meeting belonged to a variety of ethnic groups. There were African Americans, whites, and a few were Hispanic. There were a number of different people that were at the meeting. Some of the people there looked intimidating. One man, in particular, really struck me. Just looking at him sent chills down my spine. He looked like one of those weirdoes that you see on TV waiting to abduct or hurt someone. Anyone who looked at him, even from a distance, could tell that he was not right. Without being too noticeable, I moved my seat. I played it off real well, as I told the group leader that I needed to sit closer to the front of the room in order to see better. She was more than accommodating, and I was elated, as I did not want to cause too much of a disruption to the meeting, nor did I want to offend the scary looking man to the point of having him retaliate on me at a later time. That was something I wanted to avoid. Aside from the scary looking man, there were others who looked rough and dirty. These ones looked as if hygiene was the furthest thing from their mind. I'm guessing that their addiction was so great that it took priority over bathing. I was so glad not to be sitting near any of them, as they did give off an unpleasant odor. I could smell a hint of the stench where I currently sat: but, I knew I'd not be able to bare it if I were sitting in close proximity of these individuals. One man looked like he had been sleeping in the garbage can or the ditch. His hair was so greasy and dirty that it was literally matted to his head. His close also had a lot to be desired, as they were stained and dirty that it was hard to tell what they looked like originally. I was guessing that, by the looks of this man, he was probably homeless. I felt so sorry for this man, as his addiction enslaved him to the point of being past decency. In my heart, I hoped that he would benefit from this program, so he will be able to be clean and presentable, have a roof over his head that wood provide him comfort and shelter from the harsh elements, and live a normal life. It is so horribly sad how an addiction can rob a person to the point of destruction. Other than the people there that made me feel uneasy, the environment was warm and friendly. This was partly due to the way that the leader of the group directed the meeting. The group was led by a woman who had overcome her own addiction. It was a struggle for her, but she wanted us to know that, through her testimony, it was definitely possible to do. She was a pleasant woman. She had a wonderful demeanor about her. Her personality was warm, and she was approachable. She carried herself in a confident fashion, and her confidence was contagious. She was so encouraging to everyone. She opened the meeting by first sharing all of her experiences. She talked bout her trials, and then she told us what she did to triumph. It was important to her that everyone knew that alcohol addiction did not have to rule one's life. After she finished speaking to the group, she then asked for everyone to share their experiences. One man talked about how his addiction first began when he was fourteen years of age. Because his father owned a liquor store, he had easy access to alcohol of all types. His alcohol addiction led to even greater addictions, as he then began to use hard drugs. To make for an interesting experience for himself, he combined the drugs and alcohol. What he'd do was that he'd first drink as much as he could handle. Then,

Integrated Enterprise System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Integrated Enterprise System - Essay Example There are various benefits that are associated with the implementation of ERP system by a business, which include improved network management, enhanced resource sharing, improved data accessibility and reduced infrastructural costs (Ray, 2011 p544). The implementation of ERP may take several models, which could be the workflow ERP implementation model that focuses majorly on the improvement of the channels through which information flows within an organization, or the partial ERP implementation model, which seeks to fix the areas of weakness in the information management system of a business, while retaining some of the traditional methods and approaches to information management, at the expense of overhauling the whole system (Glenn, 2008 p82). The successful implementation of the ERP system requires adherence to certain critical success factors, such as the top management commitment, selection of a competent project and technical team, as well as clear budgeting and goal setting. N evertheless, there are some factors that accounts for some companies tending to successfully implement ERP, while others experience failure. Such factors include the corporate culture of different organizations, inadequate training and the failure to plan properly and set realistic objectives by some organizations (Lam, 2007 p63). Table of Contents Clear budgeting and goal setting 6 Constituting a good team 6 Change management 7 Business process re-engineering 8 ERP implementation models 8 Workflow model 8 Partial implementation model 10 Why some companies tend to successfully implement ERP while others experience failure 11 Inadequate training 11 Corporate culture 12 Inadequate planning, budgeting and unrealistic expectations 12 The benefits of deploying ERP systems 13 Improved data accessibility 13 Saving on infrastructure costs 13 Resource sharing 14 Improved network management 14 Conclusion 14 Appendix 15 References 17 Introduction Information is the fundamental resource for any successful business, considering that it is through the access and use of the available information regarding the product, the customers’ needs, markets, the suppliers and the competitors, that a business is able to strategize its operations, so that the operations will suit into the existing business environment, and thus allow the business to thrive and overcome the challenges posed by the business environment, as well as the competitive forces. The modern business environment has become increasingly competitive, owing to the advancement in technologies, changing customer needs and preferences, stringent legal requirements controlling the business environment, as well as the improved modern infrastructure that allows for easier accessibility to products and services (Leon, 2008 p57). Therefore, the modern business strategies are focused on surviving in the face of stiff competition, through the application of information as the main business resource to meets the needs of the customers, while also fitting into the current business environment. This necessitates the need for a suitable information management system, which allows the business to operate smoothly internally, while also relating productively with the external business environment. It is this need that has seen the emergence and dominance of the

Ressource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ressource Management - Essay Example This paper aims at discussing strategies that are involved in sourcing, budgeting processes as well as financial reporting requirements adopted by Tesco PLC, a UK based supermarket that deals with various kinds of products. Sourcing Apart from dealing with food products and Tesco mobile among other brands, Tesco PLC deals with selling and distribution of safety equipments such as gumboots, oil resistant boots, helmets, ear plugs, overalls and dust coats among others. Majority of our customers are entities dealing with manufacturing of all kinds of products as well as flower farms. Based on the need to maintain safety in all work places and be in line with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety requirements, majority of firms offering products as well as services have continued to order from us thus increasing our sales. Tesco PLC has outsourced the process of manufacturing most of our products to a neighboring firm. Outsourcing refers to the contracting of a firm ’s business activity to a third party. ... The second advantage is that the company is able to share the risks arising. Another advantage of outsourcing is that the company does not incur the costs of hiring production machine or purchasing them. Likewise, we are able to concentrate with our core business of selling and marketing of our products making the relationship with our client’s stronger. Disadvantages of outsourcing our services Although Tesco PLC emulates outsourcing, the company is faced with some disadvantages. First is lack of customer focus by the company we have outsourced to. Based on the fact that the company manufacturers products for various companies dealing with safety gadgets, it may lack complete focus on the quality of our brands2. Additionally, sometimes there is a delay in the delivery of the final products to Tesco PLC premises an issue that has caused us to lose some loyal customers3. Despite the disadvantages, our organizations objective is to outsource its production process for the next 3 years after which it will establish its own production department. Budgeting processes Tesco PLC.has established accounting department that undertakes the budgeting process under the leadership of a senior accountant. The company maintains a cash budget. The cash budget entails an expansive plan of future cash flows. In order to ensure that the company liquidity is maintained at a recommendable state, four items are covered by the cash budgets. These includes cash receipts, cash disbursements, net change in cash for a particular period of time as well as new financing needs. The accounting department undertakes six processes in its annual budget preparation. Automating: This department uses excel spreadsheets with formulas that are used to compute

Cost Accounting Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Cost Accounting - Case Study Example The charging of the contracts by the company employees is supposed to account for the two types of contracts; fixed-price and cost type contracts. In this case, the contract charging by Jumbo Corporation employees, and the subsequent decision and activities undertaken by Frank and Harold pinpoint to fraudulent activities. This is because the contracts are charged inappropriately by having fixed-price contracts charged to cost type contracts. Even though the company’s accounting system released unidentified contracts in terms of their relative types, the corporation has a foreman in place to direct contract charging for both GO-1 and GO-2. The responsible parties are not executing their relevant duties, and thus the outcome of the contract charging can be termed to be fraud (Vona 157). Frank is guilty based on the unfolding events regarding contract charging in Jumbo Corporation. He is supposed to direct employees on which GO to charge their time. The role played by Frank shows that the corporation’s accounting system was not to blame for the failure to identify GO as to contract type. This failure was supposed to be corrected by Frank by being there to provide directions to the shop employees during contract charging. Instead of doing this, Frank feels that the system is working out for him. In other words, the current contract charging saves him trouble with the management. This is because the company reviews meet what Frank is supposed to achieve on a monthly basis. Although he is aware of the mistake being committed, he stays silent to have the process work out for him even further. This makes him engage in fraud in the sense that he conceals it. Harold is as well guilty of fraud. He noticed the pattern that the charging activities were taking and was pleased by that instead of taking relevant actions to correct the situation. The VP noted that the shop employees charged some fixed-price contracts to cost type contracts.

Statistical Analysis study of Data Collection Essay

Statistical Analysis study of Data Collection - Essay Example Job satisfaction is an essential component that determines the productivity and retention of performing employees. The last, extrinsic satisfaction is based upon the surveyed employees’ response to the survey as regards their working environment and workplace. These responses have been analyzed in this paper. This is an important aspect of ensuring that the organization provides a good workplace and an atmosphere where the employee is motivated to perform at his best. Or, negatively speaking, there are very few distractions and the workers are able to concentrate on delivering their best. The population size of the Human Resources department is very small and is therefore not considered for the purpose of this paper. The administration department, being a staff function, operates in a different atmosphere, Information Technology (IT), the line function of this organization, is selected for detailed analysis. The IT department has a total of 100 employees of which 29 are male. The satisfaction levels in this department, based on extrinsic factors, are further studied by calculating the statistical central tendencies for extrinsic satisfaction. The measures adopted are: The above are calculated for all the employees first and then for female and male employees separately. All data is calculated on a scale of 1 to 7 where 1 represents very poor and 7 as very good. The results are presented below: Analysis of the data above throws important light on some of the aspects of the management and environment of the IT department. All employees rate their satisfaction with the working environment on an average of 4.50-4.60, with the female employees giving a slightly higher rating. It is the deviation that shows that while the male employees are more coherent in their opinion, the females differ more widely as to how they perceive the situation. This is also