Thursday, December 12, 2019

Leadership Style - Skill - and Change Management

Question: Give a brief discussion on leadership style, skill, and change management. Answer: Leadership Good leadership requires good human quality beyond the concept of being authoritative. In the age of globalizations, good leaders are the enabling force motivating the people and organizations to perform and develop in a team to achieve the purpose of the organization aligning individuals with organizations needs and aims. Good leadership includes the right attitude and behaviour that is related to humanity. Leadership is an opportunity to serve the people of the society. Leadership focuses on the people of the organization to make effective decisions and actions and its responsibility for people. Leadership includes emotional strengths and behavioural characteristics, which comes from the leaders and the experience they have gathered over the years. Leadership is a very profound concept, which is characterized by increasingly complex and rapid-changing world. Good leaders are obeyed as people trust and respect them because of the excellent leadership they have shown. Leadership depe nds on the attributes that are not measurable like faith, inspiration, attitude, decision making and it comes from the personal and professional experience of the leaders. Today ethical leadership has become an important part since the world is connected and media and public criticize the action and philosophies of the organization. The new leaders need to understand the people and the consequences before making any such decisions that affect the company image in the market. Effective leaders are flexible enough to change the leadership style as per evolving situation. There are classic styles, transformational styles, participative styles and influential leaders (Madsen et al., 2014). Classic styles explain how much control a leader gives to its subordinates. In a laissez-faire, style of leadership manager gives very less authority to the subordinates. This style of leadership suits well in a situation where the employees are very trained and motivated. Whereas autocratic style of leadership explains a situation where leaders control most of the work and give very less scope to the subordinates to make any suggestions. The participative leadership style focuses on teamwork to work collaboratively to solve the problem and increase the performance of the leaders (Salih Doll, 2013). Transformational style explains how leaders can bring changes to a workplace and in the employees. The leaders of this category have a vision of the company and have the skillets to implement the vision. The leaders are inspired by their exquisite quality and skill of leadership to set the vision of the organization and motivate others to achieve it. This type of leadership suits well in entrepreneurial businesses (Mast et al., 2012). Participative styles highlight employee participation in work. One of this kind of leadership is the democratic style of leadership. In this form the leader, take the individuals suggestion while making decisions for the organization. The style is best suited for those organization which has several alternatives to direct the team. The affiliative style focuses on the teamwork to increase the performance of the team and improve the overall standard of communication the system. This applies to the company where there is a huge gap created by an improper connection. Active Leaders belong to that category which is affected by the personality of the leaders. This type of leadership focuses on the influential leaders who set the high standard of goal and are very obsessive to realize the target. Michael Dell, one of the prominent leaders of Dell computers located in Texas belong to the category because of his constant endeavour to grow and improve the business. In a commanding style of leadership, the leaders dictate the employees like a military and are applicable in crisis. In coaching style, the leader identifies the development areas of an employee to teach the learner how to overcome the problem by formulating the action plan and by continuously providing feedback to improve the outcome (Jones et al., 2012). Role-play Role-play is an important learning tool for a long time. By role-playing a person is projecting himself in an imaginary situation where a person can't control the outcome of a case but anticipates some of the conditions to direct the performance to effect the results. Role plays often use theory and gather all the concepts to transform it into a practical experience. Role-play can be ineffective when people are not clear about what they are supposed to do. The objective of role-playing is to make it clear to the employees what is expected of them. The leader needs to understand whether the manager wants to assess the skill of the employees or developing them. If it is evaluating the people, then they must know the competency level of people to are aware of their potential and their capability to face a challenge. It allows other participants to monitor the role-play to make the comment on this since it is hugely learning experience for the observers. The spectators should follow the leader's instruction while observing the matter understand the aim role-play. One of the objectives of the role-play is to develop the person to face future challenges for the organization. The concept of role play centres around few things it must be simple, and the objective of role play must be clear to the participants, and the participants must understand the ins tructions and feedback of the leader who is given instantly (Bennett Dodge, 2014). For example Storyboarding has been used for engineering and computer science projects to ensure cooperation form experts from different streams. Collaborative design workshops use role play where a computer science or engineering students assume to play project roles like project manager, designer to play it up and it helps them to gather skill and knowledge and overcome the challenges while facing such situation in reality. Change management Change management includes shifting the organization and its employee to bring desired changes in the business. It can be strategic, operational or technological changes that can come from the organization or outside the organization. Technical, macroeconomics, globalization and new legal legislation are considered the external forces for change whereas new management, restructuring are considered the internal forces for change. The management is a change agent who will bring all the positive shifts in the organization to for the betterment of the company. The external forces stimulate the organization to change the existing scenario with the help of leadership to bring the desired organizational changes. Technological changes can bring dramatic changes to the structure by expanding the supply and demand for the product in a market. It requires competent change management to get the opportunity by avoiding all the negative implications associated with it. The recession of 2008 exemplifies the importance of adaptability and change (Cameron Green, 2015). Shell was lacking of oil reserves crisis in 2004 and that has affected its share price. This has happened due to the departure of the Oil groups chairman, Sir Philip Watts. The new chairman Jeroen van der has identified the need of change and transformations of entire structure to retain the market share of the product. They have standardized the entire system effecting 80 Shell units. The change in process has shown the major market players the need of change and focused on adoption from everybody involved in the system. Participative management It distributes responsibility among the team members hence empowering the member and helping them in groups decision-making. The participative leadership centers around four things. First is the information sharing that is keeping the employees informed about the changes and the economic status of the company. It provides training to enhance the skill level of the employees and provide development opportunities to apply new skills in respect of decision making in the organization. It offers many benefits for the company by creating ownership in the company and motivates employees to enhance productivity to achieve the goal. Steve Jobs, the owner of Apple and Pixar, is one of the iconic participative leaders who has invented Macintosh PC. Jobs invention is marked by simplicity; every aspect of the device is analyzed carefully. Therefore, Job has created something which is an example of excellent innovation and able to instil confidence in the users. In his leadership he has shown patience, empathy, enthusiasm and confidence (Sebastian,2014). Steve Jobs helped Apple to survive because of his adaptability to new changes, from a participative leader Steve Jobs has become charismatic or laissez-faire leader and Apple has got success then he became an autocratic leader and resigned the company as per the instructions of Apples board of directors. Jobs has returned to Apple after 10 years and applied several leadership styles with participative style at the same time. Thus Jobs with the help of other experienced leaders has achieved the success and Apple survived. Group Discussions Group discussions help to resolve problems, improves decision-making and to assess the personality of the employees in a better way. It has become essential tools for problem solving by providing diverse viewpoints. So the success of group discussions depends on effective communication, a participation of all candidates and a real leadership skill (Ahmad et al., 2014). Many reputed B-schools like IIMs conduct group discussions in the final round of selection process. In this process the candidates are asked few questions based on a case study and the case study group discussions are mostly dealing with situations in corporate world. The candidate will be given a situation, a problem and are expected to provide solution of the case. Types and processes of change Many issues compelled the organization to bring variations in the body. There are developmental changes which are aimed to improve the present business structure. For example changing the current billing and reporting procedures or developing the training methods. It can be a renovation of marketing strategy and the branding strategy. Transitional changes are those to replace the existing process with the new one. Examples are restructuring the company mergers or requisitions, launching new products and new technology. Transformational changes are those to replace the company structure, business strategy and the process entirely to cope up with the market changes (Sousa et al., 2013). Leading Change Successful change management leadership includes the input and the participation of subordinates to initiate changes and design a new business model. It includes analysis of statistical data, which is related to sales, market share, and compare to competitors, focusing on customers surveys. The most important aspect of changes is successfully transforming the employees into the new role. Successful leaders can address the potential issues, and give clear guideline and provide training to achieve the goal in reality (Asgari Hasanpous, 2013) Reference List Ahmad, N. L., Tobi, S. N. M., Rahim, R. A., Shobri, N. D. M., Wahab, S. (2014). The Relationship between Participative Management and Job Satisfaction. InProceeding of The Austrialian Academy of Business and Social Science Conference, ISBN 978-0-9925622-0(Vol. 5). Asgari, M. H., Hasanpous, H. (2013). Comparison of impact of managers participative and collaborative management styles on creativity, job satisfaction and organizational commitment of secondary school teachers, Rasht city, Iran.International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences,4(5), 1081-1085. Bennett, D., Dodge, K. (2014). It was like a mirror: a reflection on filmed role play simulation. Cameron, E., Green, M. (2015).Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers. Jones, N., Seddon, R., Fear, N. T., McAllister, P., Wessely, S., Greenberg, N. (2012). Leadership, cohesion, morale, and the mental health of UK Armed Forces in Afghanistan.Psychiatry,75(1), 49-59. Madsen, I. E., Hanson, L. L. M., Rugulies, R., Theorell, T., Burr, H., Diderichsen, F., Westerlund, H. (2014). Does good leadership buffer effects of high emotional demands at work on risk of antidepressant treatment? A prospective study from two Nordic countries.Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology,49(8), 1209-1218. Mast, M. S., Jonas, K., Cronauer, C. K., Darioly, A. (2012). On the importance of the superior's interpersonal sensitivity for good leadership.Journal of Applied Social Psychology,42(5), 1043-1068. Salih, A., Doll, Y. (2013). A middle management perspective on strategy implementation.International Journal of Business and Management,8(22), 32. Sebastian, D. J. (2014). Effectiveness of participative management in the industrial sector of Kerala. Sousa, M. E. M., Martins, B. M. L., Fernandes, M. E. B. (2013). Meeting the giants: The need for local ecological knowledge (LEK) as a tool for the participative management of manatees on Maraj Island, Brazilian Amazonian coast.Ocean coastal management,86, 53-60.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Quality Management of food truck Restaurant-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Quality Management of food truck Restaurant. Answer: Introduction In the modern era, delivery of quality products and services is essential for the growth and success of a business enterprise. In simpler terms, quality can be defined as the distinctive characteristic of products or services which satisfy the need and demand of customers in the best possible manner. It can be also expressed that there is a direct relationship between quality and customer satisfaction(Barata Cunha 2017). Low product and services quality can directly result in developing the high degree of dissatisfaction among customers. On the other side of this, good quality of products and services encourage customer loyalty and repeat purchase. However, it can be critically argued that management and improvement in quality, in the long run, is not an easy task for organizations as there are various issues and challenges faced during the same(Tzamalis, Panagiotakos Drosinos 2016). For example, companies are required to focus on areas such as continuous improvement, leadership, c hange management and feedback from stakeholders. The present study is based on A special restaurant food truck, and it outlines, the overall concept of quality management. In addition to this, existing business process and quality management systems within food truck are also mentioned in the study. Concept of quality management In the present scenario, the changing business environment and market needs have resulted in creating obstacles for growth and success of companies. Nowadays, businesses are required to maintain the highest level of quality within their products and services to sustain in the marketplace(Mok, Sparks Kadampully 2013). The latest trend in the restaurant business is of the road food business which is getting more and more popular along with the passage of time. Here, different food products and services are delivered to customers through mobile food truck and portable sustenance trucks. At present, the industrys overall value is more than $1 Billion, and from the year 2007 to 2012, the industry has witnessed an annual growth rate of 8.4%. On the contrary of this, it can be critically argued that along with high growth rate, the industry has also become highly competitive. To attract new customers and retain the old ones, it is required by the selected business which is food truck restaurant to focus on delivering the best quality of food products and satisfactory services to all customers. In todays business world, quality is essential because it helps in meeting the need and expectation of customers in the best possible manner(Pineda 2013). In addition to this, the overall reputation of a food truck in the market can be enhanced by delivering quality products and services. According to the concept of quality management, the overall cost of operations increases when the quality of products and services offered by a company is poor. The food truck is required to emphasize more on the aspect of quality management to reduce operational cost and enhance profit margin. However, it can be critically argued that difficulty i n implementation is the major drawback associated with the concept of total quality management(Augusto, Lisboa Yasin 2014). The food truck is also required to carry out effective monitoring of all its processes and operations to identify loopholes and take corrective measures to improve quality. Customer expectation of processes, services, and product can be met through company operations Nowadays, meeting customer expectations of processes, services, products have become vital for long-term growth and sustainability of companies. Furthermore, the customers want that businesses should opt for a quality process which can deliver satisfactory products and services. It can be stated that implementing a customer feedback system is the best and most potential way through which the expectation of customers can be meet in the best possible manner. The food truck can adopt a feedback system wherein reliable data about products and services quality can be collected through customers(Davis et al. 2013). Based on the information gathered, corrective measures can be taken by the selected food truck business to carry out improvement in the quality and attain the higher degree of satisfaction among customers. However, it can be asserted that the business will need to ensure that the feedback provided by customers is taken seriously and immediate actions for improvement are carried out. On the other hand, customers expectations with regards to processes, services, and products can be meet through the adaption of open communication channels. The key and most important characteristic of service industry are that here employees comes in direct contact with all customers(Chaudary, Zafar Salman 2015). Therefore, the food truck can implement open communication channels where employees can be encouraged to present their views regarding what kind of changes can be carried out in menu and service delivery process. The information provided by staff members can be beneficial in terms of carrying out improvement in areas such as to processes, services, and products. Best Way To Develop Quality Management It can be stated that development of quality management is essential to sustain in the highly competitive service industry. Furthermore, the food truck is required to commit quality to attain a high degree of satisfaction among customers. Even the quality management model present by Deming highlights the fact that quality should be reinforced over and over again and top management must do the same(Bon Mustafa 2013). All the staff members working in food truck should commit quality with an objective to carry out effective management of the same. In addition to this, tracking and monitoring quality is another strategy which can be adopted by the food truck to manage its quality in the best possible manner. On the other side of this, it can be critically argued that tracking quality in the service industry is the most challenging task for businesses(Doeleman, Ten Have Ahaus 2014). The food truck can adopt techniques such as net promoter score to track its service quality and identify the critical loopholes present in the same. Another effective way which can be used by the selected business enterprise to manage its quality is of investing in employee training and development. The food truck is operating with very few staff members and thus, conducting training programs to enhance service delivery is not going to be a challenging task for the business(Sallis 2014). Implementing quality circles is also a good way which can be used by the food truck to manage its service quality. Another effective way that can be adopted by food truck for enhancing food quality is rendering training to the staff members on different aspects through which they can know the ways through which quality of food can be enhanced easily. Food truck has to build strong relationship with the suppliers so that they may supply quality food item. Figure 1: Quality circle Source: (courses.bus School of Business 2000) The mentioned above diagram denotes a quality circle which can be used by businesses such as Food truck to manage their quality(Mohammad Mosadeghrad 2014). Here, the business will need to focus on four different areas which are plan, do, check and act. This circle is being used by food truck where in the first stage company takes appropriate action with the motive to improve quality of its food item, in second stage planning is done where food truck has to determine its customer need so as to satisfy it, the plan prepared is implemented and at last testing is done. Relationship between customer satisfaction and high quality service Delivering high-quality service is necessary in case of food truck which is a special restaurant. In order to deliver effective service, it is necessary to set some benchmarks where the restaurant has to implement some quality management models in its operations(Dale 2015). There exist the direct relationship between customer satisfaction and high-quality service. In the case when high-quality services are delivered to the target market then it contributes a lot in enhancing customer satisfaction level, and in turn, all the desired goals of the enterprise can be accomplished efficiently(Gharakhani et al. 2013). Apart from this, it is a well-known fact that to deal with the issue of competition in the market it is necessary for the restaurant to ensure that its services are of high level regarding food quality and other additional services that are rendered to the target market. Moreover, quality management is regarded as the act of overseeing all the tasks in order to maintain the de sired level of excellence(Gould 2013). In case if the customer satisfaction level is high then in such case food truck has to deliver high quality service to its target market. This is most significant as the level of customer satisfaction depends on quality like in case if high quality food is delivered to the customer then it enhances customer satisfaction level and vice versa. Further, in case of food truck the company has to ensure that its service quality level is up to the mark and in case if food and another type of facilities are delivered efficiently to the target market, then it can surely enhance the overall performance of the food truck in the market where it operates(Fu et al. 2013). Level of customer satisfaction can only be enhanced if service quality is above the expectation level and this, in turn, can surely act as the development tool for the business in every possible manner. It has been witnessed that businesses offering various kind of services measure service quality through different means such as obtaining views of their customers and other techniques that are most effective(Jurow Barnard 2013). Maintaining service quality on the continuous basis and for long period of time can surely manage long-term performance of the company. Description of existing business process The present business process of food truck restaurant is associated with offering the type of food service to the target market. Therefore, the process starts from the purchase of raw material and different type of food items as per the actual need of the target market. Further, it is a well-known fact that each and every process of food truck restaurant is crucial and for enhancing the overall quality of the service, it is mandatory to implement so quality improvement models so that favorable results can be accomplished easily and in a possible manner(Obeidat et al. 2016). Food quality matters a lot and in case if the food truck is not able to deliver high-quality food service to its target market then it will surely lead to the decline in the level of overall performance and in turn business performance will decline significantly. Apart from this, the food truck business has to identify the most crucial business process that involves preparing high-quality food item as per the need of the target market. The truck restaurant has to ensure that the raw materials purchased for preparing different type of food items are of high quality and this, in turn, can surely assist in preparing high-quality food as per the actual requirement of the target market. No doubt, the real customers of food truck expect high-quality food and due to this reason, it is necessary to deliver them high-quality food(Oakland 2014). All the business processes must be flexible so that changes can be made in each process easily and in short period. Food truck restaurant operates on the smaller basis and due to this reason ensuring quality service will not be difficult for the business. Apart from this, the overall process of the business is very small, and this will provide support in implementing quality tools for rendering services to the target market. Quality framework Figure 2: Gap Model of Service quality Source: (Verint Customer Engagement 2009) In order to understand the significance of service quality from the point view of food truck restaurant, the gap model of service quality is quite effective(VERINT 2009). Further, this model helps in knowing about the five types of gaps whose description is as follows: Gap 1: It is the distance between customer expectation and what managers think they expect clearly. For example, the customer expects that the food truck restaurant will deliver fact and accurate services to them whereas the manager of the business perceives that customers are only expecting the best quality of food at convenient prices. Gap 2: It is between the actual specification of the customer experience and the management perception. Managers working in the organization are required to ensure that business is delivering high-level service(Habibah Abdul Talib, Anuar Mohd Ali Idris 2014). For example, the manager at food truck restaurant can carry out customer survey to identify the actual specification of the customers experience and can make changes in existing services according to the information collected from those surveys. Gap 3: From the experience specification to delivery of experience where it is necessary for the managers to audit the customer experience that business is delivering at present. Gap 4: It is the gap between delivering of customer experience and what is being communicated to the target market. The manager at food truck restaurant needs to ensure that there is no gap between services communicated and services delivered to the target market. For example, if the food truck restaurant communicates that its speed of services is very fast then it needs to make sure that fast processing of customer order and delivery is carried out within the restaurant. Gap 5: It is the gap that arises due to customer expectation of service and customer perception. Here, food truck restaurant can adopt customer oriented strategy to fill the gap between customer expectations, customer perception and make these concepts identical to each other. So, these are the main gaps that allow in knowing about the significance of service quality, and through this, it is possible for food truck restaurant to deliver high-quality service to its target market as per their actual expectations. Apart from this, it is necessary to understand the different type of gaps that can take place and the overall alternatives through which these gaps can fulfill(Gimenez-Espin, Jimnez-Jimnez Martnez-Costa 2013). The most important aspect that needs to be ensured is linked with meeting customer expectation, and in case of the food truck, it is possible by purchasing quality raw materials that are effective enough in rendering quality food to the target market as per their expectations. Through this model, it is possible for food truck restaurant to meet with the expectations of its customers in terms of quality and it can surely provide the base in dealing with the market challenges that are associated with competition or another form of barriers. Input output model (ITO) of operations management can be also taken into consideration to enhance the overall operations of the food truck restaurant. Here, the model is highly effective as it will support food truck restaurant to defining and analyze mechanism through which outcomes are generated. It can be expressed that the use of this model will allow food truck restaurant with an opportunity to identify the key issues associated with output and processing of the services. For instance, lack of communication or clear roles and responsibilities can be a major reason which is creating restrictions in terms of delivering satisfactory and fast services to customers (Chaudary, Zafar Salman 2015). Based on the information collected through the model, food truck restaurant can make certain changes in its processes to improve overall quality of service delivery. For example, effective communication tools and techniques can be adopted or democratic leadership style can be adopted by food truck restaurant to make the workers clear about their roles and responsibilities. Opportunities for process improvement Different opportunities are present with food truck restaurant so as to improve its process in the proper manner. Firstly, it is required for the business to ensure that all its process is flexible as through this improvement is possible in every possible manner. Apart from this, quality improvement tactics have to be implemented in each and every process so that it can bring favorable results for the business(Augusto, Lisboa Yasin 2014). The main opportunity is that business is operating on the smaller basis and due to this reason all its processes are small. Therefore, it would be quite easier for the food truck business to render quality service in terms of food and this will allow the business to gain the competitive edge over its rivals in every possible manner. Conclusion From the above carried out study, it can be inferred that delivering high quality of services to customers is essential in terms of achieving long term growth and sustainability. The CEO of food truck restaurant can make certain changes in its existing process and can make it more flexible. For example, the CEO of food truck restaurant can use a flexible business process instead of using a rigid process for service delivery. Apart from this, quality management framework such as Gap Model and Input Output Model can be used by the CEO of food truck restaurant to enhance the quality of services and operations. It can be also inferred that open channels of communication can be used by to encourage the views and opinions of staff members during the process of decision making and strategy formulation. References Augusto, MG, Lisboa, JV Yasin, MM 2014, 'Organisational performance and innovation in the context of a total quality management philosophy: an empirical investigation', Total Quality Management Business Excellence, pp. 1141-1155. Barata, J Cunha, PR 2017, 'Synergies between quality management and information systems: a literature review and map for further research', Total Quality Management Business Excellence, pp. 282-295. Bon, AT Mustafa, EM 2013, 'Impact of total quality management on innovation in service organizations: Literature review and new conceptual framework', Procedia Engineering, pp. 515-529. Chaudary, S, Zafar, S Salman, M 2015, 'Does total quality management still shine? Re-examining the total quality management effect on financial performance', Total Quality Management Business Excellence, pp. 811-824. courses.bus School of Business 2000, The Quality/PDCA Circle, viewed 30 December 2017, https://sites.ualberta.ca/~yreshef/orga432/pdca.html. Dale, B 2015, Total quality management, John Wiley Sons, New jersey. Davis, B, Lockwood, A, Pantelidis, I Alcott, P 2013, Food and beverage management, Routledge, Abingdon. Doeleman, HJ, Ten Have, S Ahaus, CTB 2014, 'Empirical evidence on applying the European Foundation for Quality Management Excellence Model, a literature review', Quality Management Business Excellence, pp. 439-460. Fu, SL, Chou, SY, Chen, C,K Wang, CW 2013, 'Assessment and cultivation of total quality management organisational culturean empirical investigation.', Total Quality Management Business Excellence, pp. 123-139. Gharakhani, D, Rahmati, H, Farrokhi, MR Farahmandian, A 2013, 'Total quality management and organizational performance', American Journal of Industrial Engineering, pp. 46-50. Gimenez-Espin, JA, Jimnez-Jimnez, D Martnez-Costa, M 2013, ' Organizational culture for total quality management', Total Quality Management Business Excellence, pp. 678-692. Gould, WA 2013, Total quality management for the food industries, Elsevier, Amsterdam. Habibah Abdul Talib, H, Anuar Mohd Ali, K Idris, F 2014, 'Critical success factors of quality management practices among SMEs in the food processing industry in Malaysia', Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, pp. 152-176. Jurow, S Barnard, S 2013, Integrating total quality management in a library setting, Routledge, Abingdon. Mohammad Mosadeghrad, A 2014, ' Essentials of total quality management: a meta-analysis', International journal of health care quality assurance, pp. 544-558. Mok, C, Sparks, B Kadampully, J 2013, Service quality management in hospitality, tourism, and leisure., Routledge., Abingdon. Oakland, JS 2014, Total quality management and operational excellence: text with cases, Routledge., Abingdon. Obeidat, BY, Hashem, L, Alansari, I, Tarhini, A Al-Salti, Z 2016, 'The effect of knowledge management uses on total quality management practices: A theoretical perspective', Journal of Management and strategy, p. 18. Pineda, AP 2013, 'Total quality management in educational Institutions: influences on customer satisfaction', Total Quality Management, pp. 31-46. Sallis, E 2014, Total quality management in education, Routledge, New Jersey. Tzamalis, PG, Panagiotakos, DB Drosinos, EH 2016, 'A best practice scorefor the assessment of food quality and safety management systems in fresh-cut produce sector', Food Control, , pp. 179-186. VERINT 2009, SERVICE QUALITY GAP MODEL, viewed 9 Octobeer 2017, https://blog.verint.com/customer-engagement/service-quality-gap-model. Verint Customer Engagement 2009, SERVICE QUALITY GAP MODEL, viewed 30 December 2017, https://blog.verint.com/customer-engagement/service-quality-gap-model

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Music Business Essays - Copyright Collection Societies,

Music Business Music Business Exam Number One Question 1. The music publishing industry at a glance would seem to be those who print sheet music, method books, lead sheets, and all of the texts or notated music that musicians (and those aspiring to be musicians) use. Years ago, this was what most music publishers did, but as the industry has evolved the process that become much more complex. Music is not just ink and paper, intellectual material and property to the individual who writes it. Therefore the song does not become a song when it is written down. This is not an easy concept to grasp because the song by itself has no physical makeup. A song could exist once it is played for the first time, and songs can even exist inside the mind of a songwriter. This concept is why the publishing business can be so complex; we are dealing with intellectual property. The heart of the music publishing business lies in the rights to the original music. After the music is successful enough to financially support itself the music is printed in mass quantities in a variety of ways. This could be everything from guitar tabs to choral arrangements for a junior high choir. The publishers main source of income is through record royalties, performance royalties received from companies like the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), and the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC) for performances of music copyrighted by the publisher. These royalties could be from many different types of performances but most are though radio and songs on television. The success of a songwriter lies in the greatly in the hands of his/her publisher. Normally we hear of a bands success when they are signed with a record deal, but most record companies not only produce and promote an album, they also a ct as the publisher who, when contracted, owns the rights to the music. When a publisher own the song it is put in to their catalog. Merchandise retailers have catalogs of their goods just like publishers have a catalog of songs that they own rights to. Publishing firms such as Warner/Chappell, BMG Music, MCA Music, and Sony music have catalogs of many styles of music. These companies are referred to as full-line companies. A broad repertoire allows them to market their music to many audiences. Most of these full-line companys roots can be traced back to the music of Hollywood and the show music of Broadway. Publishers today may have thousands of songwriters in its catalog including all styles of music from around the globe. Representative Warner/Chappell owns, administers, or sub-publishes more that a million copyrights here and abroad. Todays full-line publishers have many different divisions to their company. Large publishers handle virtually every aspect of a writers music, its recordings, distribution, sales, promotion, advertising, touring, and legal affairs. This figure lays out all the divisions a full-line publisher may have. The administration division is the division that handles the operations of the firm. All business affairs go through administration. When money is received from or paid to customers the firm the accounting divisions keeps all the financial records of these kinds of operations. The accounting division also would handle loans given to artist that are signed to the firm under the publishers record label. When a band records an album under a label they become a liability to the label because money has to be spent to record, produce and promote a artists music. Full-line publishers front this money and all profits from the artist come back and are split 50-50 with the publisher and the writer. If the artist maintains the rights to their songs the record contract will include a controlled composition clause that calls for a reduced mechanical royalty paid to the artist by the record label. This clause may reduce the royalty split to 75-25, the larger portion going to the record label. This clause would not be insisted to artists who place the full rights to works in the hands of the record companys publisher. The artist remains a liability to the publisher as long as the artist has not made as much money as

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Rap Essays

Rap Essays Rap Essay Rap Essay Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Rap The ingenuity and authenticity imposed by the musical genre of Rap is indeed overwhelming. Exemplified as one of the most influential arrays of musical compositions throughout the globe, rap music forms an essential factor in defining society. Ever since its inception in the 1970s among members of the African American community, much of the behavior exemplified by the American society, specifically the youth illustrated delinquency and as such, depicted hip hop as a musical movement that spawned an unapologetic and aberrant generation. On the other hand, hip hop music has gained popularity as among the most uplifting and appropriate tools for young people to express their emotions. Nevertheless, based on the arguments stated, it is evident that rap music sensitizes and uplifts the youth and the American society in general. Overview of Arguments The argument stemming on both sides regarding the influence of rap music on the society is significant. With respect to the debate, the society views music as a common influence among the youth in the society especially relating to delinquency. This is due to the influence evident within the 1980s from the sub-genres of the genre such as Gangsta Rap and West Coast Hip Hop. These sub-genres exuded the violent lifestyles of the inner-city African-American youth. With the inception of personalities such as Ice-T and groups such as Niggaz Wit Attitudes (N.W.A), and as such gained lucrative attention from the youth especially on crime, misogyny and disrespecting the police. On the other hand, the art of rap in hip hoop music alleviates inner-city African American youths into non-delinquent behavior based on the use of the genre as an expression of their innermost thoughts. Argument against Rap From the rise of artists such as Too Short, Ice-T, Ice Cube and other African American artists in the 1980s, it seemed that rap music would be the epitome of the American society. Most of the themes exalted in the songs at this time depicted political militancy, hatred for women and crime. Indeed, the expressiveness of rap plunged the society into a hateful community that saw the police as enemies and women as sexual objects. In addition, with the onset of the late 1980s and 1990s, rap music illustrated segregation and violence exemplified by the enmity between the East Coast and the West Coast. In addition, contemporary hip hop glorifies invalid values such as materialism and profanity and thus, further adds to immorality within the society. Argument for Rap Indeed, the argument for rap stems around the expression of emotions based on the use of rap as a technique within the genre. Much of the sentiments echoed in rap music revolve around the intricacies facing most youth within the society. Notably, hip hop music describes itself as a channel of anger based on the manner, in which the American society rejects the plight of youth and explores conventional thoughts such as racism and segregation. Nevertheless, hip hop music gains popular use as a technique to disseminate such boundaries and equally define the youth as a separate and distinct society that strays away from the rigid structures society barricades. Supporting rap music, it is also evident that most music genres have imposed negative connotations from the society. For instance, genres such as Rock and Roll and Jazz gained popularity as advocates for delinquency and thus, proves that the change in music always encounters difficulties and hostilities from the society with respec t to the status-quo. Conclusion The arguments regarding rap music stem around the social derivative. In summary, both arguments focus on the social impact of the genre and as such, provide conflicting opinions that describe the main facets of the genre. Nevertheless, it is evident that rap music, similar to all other genres, possesses positive and negative aspects and as such, it is up to the society to determine whether to demystify the negative features of the genre or exemplify the positive aspects of rap music.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Breast cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Breast cancer - Essay Example 23-39) has indicated that body often starts creating wrong cells that damage the body by building a mass of damaged tissues called a lump or a tumor. Breast cancer refers to the disease when a lump or tumor forms in the part of breast. Particularly, this paper will focus primarily on breast cancer that has become one of the most common types of cancer affecting thousands of women in Australia and worldwide. In this regard, the paper has been divided into four sections of stages and types, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment, and conclusion. (Susang Komen, 2013) STAGES & TYPES Knowing the stage and type is very imperative for successful diagnosis and treatment of the breast cancer. Some of the factors that determine stage and type of the breast cancer are size of the lump, number of damaged lymph nodes, axillary area, and the amount of damage to other parts of the body (Link, Forsthoff, & Waisman, 2003, pp. 41-48). There are four stages of breast cancer; however, if one goes into th e sub-stages, then there are seven stages of breast cancer according to abovementioned factors. First stage is also known as Stage 0 breast cancer that refers to the condition in which cancerous cells exist in lining of milk duct (Brown, Freeman, & Platt, 2006, pp. 21-24). This stage is also called ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS (Brown, Freeman, & Platt, 2006, pp. 21-24). In types, physicians refer it as earlier cancer. When the development of cancerous cells continues, it reaches the stage two in which cells extend themselves toward adjoining lymph nodes. Physicians further divide this stage into two sub-stages that are determined by size and spread of the lump. (MedicineNet.com, 2013) When the lump spreads outside the breast area affecting neighboring muscles, it is referred as Stage 3 breast cancer, which is considered as treatable among the doctors. This stage has also been divided further into three sub-stages that are determined by the same two factors of size and spread of the tumor (Brown, Freeman, & Platt, 2006, pp. 21-24). The last stage is also known as metastatic cancer (Mansel, Fodstad, & Jiang, 2009, pp. 27-35) in which cancerous cells reach other parts and/or organs of the body. In today’s science, this stage is considered incurable; however, doctors prescribe therapies along with personal motivation that may allow patients to extend their life period to few years (Brown, Freeman, & Platt, 2006, pp. 25-32). Besides abovementioned stages, research has indicated few other types of breast cancer, such as triple negative breast cancer that refers to the type in which neugene, estrogen, and progesterone, the three cancer-attracting receptors are absent in the cancer lump. Another common type is inflammatory breast cancer (Mansel, Fodstad, & Jiang, 2009, pp. 37-55) that refers to the type where the cells affect skin and lymph vessels of the breast. RISK FACTORS Although there have been ambiguity regarding specific risk factors related to brea st cancer, however, research has shown few factors that have been linked with breast cancer. Particularly, age is one of the most imperative risk factors as studies have indicated breast cancer occurring more in older women as compared to younger women worldwide (McPhee & Tierney, 2007, pp. 37-43). However, this augmentation begins to decrease after the age of menopause. Besides, it has been an observation that women in developed countries have been

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Project Management Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Project Management - Article Example The document is composed of several sections namely the introduction part which seeks to explain the project from the onset as well as outlining the background information regarding the project and what it aims to resolve from past actions. It needs to be very captivating so as to encourage the reader to continue with the rest of the proposal even as it seek to validate the effort spent in data collection and feasibility of the project. The second part is the strategy section which aims at outlining all the procedures that are necessary to make the proposal successful after its full implementation. The short-term and long-term goals of the project are illustrated in this part and the steps to be taken in order to accomplish each step. This part enables the target group to relate the current idea or situation with the future thus making them to prepare more for the future events. The third part relates to the budget section which analyses the costs and benefits of the project in monetary terms. This section needs a lot of supporting evidence with actual facts and figures. The final part of the project is aimed at relaying the possible outcomes of the project after it

Monday, November 18, 2019

Personal Nursing Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Nursing Philosophy - Essay Example As I registered nurse, I have formulated a nursing philosophy that will guide me in my role. First, I have recognized that nursing is a profession that has its own set of rewards. To achieve this rewards I should act in a professional way, this entails a commitment to achieve excellence in patient care and ensuring that I upheld patient’s rights. I should also be ready to learn and accept corrections so that I can utilize the available resources to improve the patient’s health. As a nurse, I am committed in ensuring that the patient’s environment is conducive and will to lead to easy recovery. My philosophy also involves understanding the meta paradigm concepts of the nursing profession. These are areas of concern to the profession and these calls for proper understanding of the following concepts. First, what does nursing entail? What is my personal understanding of health? How do I maintain a good environment? And lastly how do I treat patients? As a nurse, I a m determined to integrate the required practice components in my role. Nursing also involves scientific and philosophical approach in caring for individuals who seek medical care. Nursing also involves disease prevention and management.... It is vital for patients to be consulted on various issues affecting them. Such issues include patient participation in their care, maintaining of dignity and self worth. I also believe that I have the authority to make independent decisions concerning patients care so long as it is with my scope of expertise (Daniels, 2006). This will enable me use creativity as well as knowledge to ensure that patients receive good health care. Understanding the anatomy and physiology of the human body is vital (Polifroni & Welch, 2007). Thirdly, there are two types of environments, the physical environment where health care is provided, and the internal environment, which refers to patient’s mental awareness (Fitzpatrick & Kazer, 2012). Both physical environment and mental awareness considerations are necessary for thorough patient assessment and treatment.   My philosophy as a nurse is that i should create a conducible environment to help in ensuring the patients quick recovery. I should show the patient that I care and entails connecting with the patient and forming a professional relationship. This helps in understanding the patient hence enabling me to choose things that can positively affect the patient quick recovery (Barker, 2009). As a nurse, I should be concerned about the client’s ability to handle the illness and the effect of diagnose on the client’s family (Fitzpatrick& Kazer, 2012). This will enable me to advice the patient and the immediate family on how to manage the situation. This gives the patient a good state of mind and this accelerates the patient’s recovery. Understanding the patient’s religious and cultural beliefs and their attitudes