Pluto Telecommunications

Pluto telecommunication is among the leading companies offering telecommunication services in Ireland, ranging from event production and conference management to marketing support and project management. In the recent times, the company has been on the brink of crumble due to internal wrangles in some of its departments including sales, marketing, and customer services departments that have had several face-off incidences, attributed to bonus allocation and time pressures.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Pluto Telecommunications specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Each department holds an unpleasant opinion of the resulting to unhealthy departmental competition, loss of business and general customer dissatisfaction. Acknowledgement of managerial differences is vital in improving the working relations and increasing productivity (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). Analysis In carrying out the analysis of the Pluto telec ommunications company, Sogi analysis comprising of the societal, organisational, group and individual analysis is used. However, Pluto has been analysed with the exclusion of societal level. Organisational analysis Organization tradition Organization tradition refers to the common practices carried out within different departments in an organization. These practices make the organization different from others, and aim at enabling it to have a competitive edge (Organizational analysis 2012). The culture fosters the beliefs and practices common to all the members of the organization, enabling them with a sense of belonging and the motivation to work more diligently as opposed to those who do not uphold this culture. In Pluto, Ms Tsang strived to work towards a culture of unity and assumed she had achieved it. She was, however, surprised all her efforts had been thwarted by the disagreements among the three departments. The departments had developed other subcultures. Culture determine s the interaction of the organization with the outside world and the mechanisms used in achieving its goals. Therefore, a strong culture serves as a hallmark in portraying the actual identity of the organization. Having a dynamic culture alone does not guarantee success. There are some large organizations with strong cultures, but still suffered losses due to inflexibility in accepting changes especially those that threaten personal interest as explained in the Iron Law of Oligarchy (Michels 1911). Organizations such as Hewlett Packard were able to make profits since their strong cultures were backed by flexibility towards change. Comparatively, Pluto telecomunications’ culture did not undergo the relevant transformation required, thus the problems it faces. Inspite of the organization’s adaptability culture, the subculture that cropped up served as a significant barrier towards the realisation of their goals.Advertising Looking for case study on business economi cs? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Organization structure In Pluto telecommunications, a hierachy development is observable in which members of each department report to a departmental head, who in turn reports to Ms. Tsang. Mathew Craven had the opinion that differentiation as the main reason for the problems; as stated in the contigency theory (Lawrence and Lorsch 1967). Pluto is viewed as flexible and adaptive towards the various changes in technology a factor attributed to the presence of distinct groups in the organization. However, the organization is viewed differently in terms of differentiation due to the absence of integration within its units of operation as intense competition arises greater change and confrontation of conflict (Beer 1990). The assumption by Ms. Tsang was that the company’s unity was deflated by the wrangles that arouse as a result of subdivision. Lack of integration is the main cause of paralle l communication between the departments, for instance, when a new product was launched by the marketing department without communication to the sales and customer departments. The inconsistencies in the dependence of the three departments have been underestimated by the organization’s senior management, and this has resulted into lack of communication between the departments (Lawrence Lorsch 1967). Functional categorisation has contributed to the narrow specialisation of the departmental heads, other than facilitating an outside the box thinking. This makes it impossible to establish clear roles of each department and with each department treats the other as a completely different entity. When Ms. Tsang remained with the directors and asked them of the way forward, they could not talk infront of each other, a clear sign of group-thinking a problem similar to that faced by the CEO of Marks and Spenser, Sir Richard Greenbury (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). Organisational analysis is better viewed through the ‘SWOT’ theory that outlines its strenghts, weakness, opportunities and threats. Strengths are characterized by voluntary staff participation in programs, improvement of financial resources, good facilities and company recognition; this leads to incorporation of new programmes and increasd investment opportunities among other visionalised aspects (Rural development Initiatives 2001).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Pluto Telecommunications specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, organisational analysis results to instability of the organistion making it handicapped by limitation in facilities, lack of expertise as people are used to overliance of one another and general decrease in funding especially from external sources (Rural Development Initiatives 2001). The behavoiur displayed by the espoused theory in Organizational analysis is that of being defensive, resis tant to change and, employee to employee protection from the manager (Beer 1990). Group level analysis Group structure Each of the three departments in Pluto telecommunications portray a different character from the others as a result of expansion of the organisation leading to the difficulty in internal communication. The sales team group exhibits characters of a reserved group with each group being guided by its individual needs as a driving force towards achieving the set targets. This mode of operation hampers the spirit of team work and is the likely reason for the lack of cooperation between the sales team and both the customer service and marketing teams (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). The customer service department is rather bureaucratic in its handling of the employees. Its employees comprise of the receptionist and the company engineers, who are governed by strict rules and guidelines set by the organization’s top management. Their mode of operation is a forced type, w hereby they have no choice but to work. Their goals are driven by the organization rather than self-interest. In this department, communication is simply done via memos and emails; hence, it is more of institutionalised than the other two departments (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). The major challenge to these types of organisations is that they will encounter problems in adapting to new changes (Allcorn 1989). The marketing department on its side tries to work as a team. However, it displays an assorted relationship with its counterparts in customer and sales. This is echoed by its opinion of the experiences and interactions of its counterparts in the two departments. Such attitudes and lack of a driving force towards cohesion by the heads of the respective departments is detrimental, not only to the organization’s unity but also on its reputation to the public. The lack of interraction leads to contradicting modes of operation, as was experienced by the customer service manager when a customer asked about the product launched by his company and he had no idea (Buchanan Huczynski 2007).Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Group culture Each of the departments displays a totally different nature, in the way they carry out their activities. A look at the sales team creates an impression of an elite group whose culture is centred on competition and individualism. Their status is described by classy items, such as flashy cars and mobile phones, which drive a sense of pride in the team. As expected, arrogance and unwillingness to share with people of the other departments arises. The customer service department tends to derive its culture from an institutionalised governance. It tends to shy away from speaking out its concerns, and it is obliged to follow the rules since the members presume to be safer that way (Allcorn 1989, p. 250). This authoritative leadership could suit engineers, but it might totally hamper communication between them and their colleagues, especially in circumstances where the style is informal to some extent. In this culture, there is maximum monitoring of resources and staff are yo ur most important resource. They react to people especially those in authority making it hard to accept change(Handy Aitken 1986). The marketing department on its part has a tendency of avoiding interactions with other departments due to the nature of its work. This cripples the organization’s management efforts aimed at creating a unified body. In such circumstances, each member becomes loyal to his department, more than even the organization itself. These subcultures ultimately lead to deraillance of the general organization’s objectives. These objectives are more often than not compromised as a result of unhealthy interdepartmental competition. Individual level analysis Leadership style According to Allcorn (1989), there is no significant link between the leader’s characteristics and the organization’s performance. However, this is not the case as there is a sustantial evidence of highly successful organizations that are attributed to the strong and e ffective leadership. A critical analysis of the departments is likely to reveal huge differences in performances that are based on the qualifications of the leadership. For instance, the marketing department, having the largest number of MBA graduates, is likely to achieve its goals quite easily as less time will be wasted on supervisions. Presumably, Ms. Tsang’s managerial challenges could be arising from leading the less educated or trained; and for this reason, she feels blamed for the disputes facing the departments. She tries hard, to show confidence as the only lady among gentlemen. She is, however, betrayed by her anger outbursts, which exposes her weakness. Leadership should be the development of a vision on how the future should look like – giving directions on how to achieve it and enmesh all its members in its net (Buchanan Huczynski, 2007, p. 360). However, neither did Ms. Tsang nor did her directors raise any issue as apperrtains the vision, and also non of them had shown constructive participation. Ms. Tsang, therefore, needs to redefine her mode of leadership to a more transactive and transformative one. From this, she may manage to get the highest potential from her subordinates (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). Individuals and motivation Motivation is a major problem facing the Pluto telecommunications company. As has been seen, the sales department seems to be enjoying the most out of its job with short timelines. The customer service team, on the other hand, experiences quite unfavourable terms as its timeline is usually dictated by the organization and takes unusually long time. Its motivation, usually comes from fear of not achieving rather than self drive. This reward system, among the sales staff, has been more of a curse than a blessing to the organization because the competition has promoted individualism rather than teamwork. Studies have indicated that the â€Å"stick over carrot† system of motivation has severe long- term effects on the ultimate goal of the organization. People tend to perfect on whatever they are doing if they are doing it in their own will and under positive motivation. However, if subjected to the pressure, they underperform and may not deliver much as stipulated in the McGregor X Y theories. The marketing department does not have clearly defined targets; it lacks a scale of measuring the contribution to the organizations overall goal. Setting goals that are specific is motivating than setting general goals (Locke and Latham 1990). If the marketing department members realised that they had a larger workload than the rest, they would develop feelings and become too personal, and this could make them fail to achieve. Each department, in this case, is motivated in a different way. The sales department is motivated through extrinsic means customer service is forced to deliver through fear and marketing department is not motivated by unspecified goals. Since the extrinsic motivat ional methods influence the employees’ performance, they cannot be relied on to produce long-term goals. This is partly because they are bound to transform with the adjustments in the operating environment. Also, they do not provide an environment of sharing ideas through teamwork as each person competes to be the best individually rather than as an organization (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). Conclusion As a result of the expansion of the company, the challenges facing Ms Tsang and the company is as a result of the sub cultural divisions that have cropped within the organization’s departments, threatening to split it. It is said that unity is strength; therefore, the company will not be able to face the external factors with their internal misunderstandings still unresolved. Their infighting weakens their bargaining prowess in the economic sector as has been clearly seen through their loss of customers. Communication- being an important tool in any organization- has been broken down as depicted in the open contradictions of the management. The different time orientation of each department has further led to the lack of understanding on the needs of each department. Alternatives Do nothing This tactic is aimed at avoiding confrontations and losing of business by the organization. This would, however, result to more severe effects to the organization’s stability and may eventually break down the whole body in the long-run. Openly confront Ms Tang The directors have to move away from their group mentality and voice their opinions to Ms Tsang. This should be done tactically so as to avoid confrontation with each other. Having such open discussions will help in bringing the organization to its feet, in terms of communication and creating awareness on the needs of the other departments. During discussion, people should control their emotions, while the members of the management should make sure they sort out issues at higher levels rather than doin g it at personal levels. People tend to work effectively, and self motivated when their boss incorporates their views in making decisions for the organization (McGregor 1960). Re-structuring the organization The management should consider reconstructing the organization. One of the alternatives would be to convert the departments from process oriented to market oriented. This would allow flexibility within the organisation and so the ease with which the departments would interchange their roles. This will also equip each department with wider skills in different fields, hence breaking the job monotony. This also makes the workers feel more involved and appreciated, which boosts their attitude towards work. This, however, poses a risk of decrease in communication at work and lack of specialisation. The restructuring process would further cost the company money, implying an increase in expenses of the organization. This also means that workers will have to be trained in whichever fiel d they are allocated. Introduction of the involvement culture This involves participation of the employees towards the organization’s activities such as getting their views on both the internal and external factors affecting the organization. The organization should consider setting up service boxes where the employees, as well as customers, give their observations on what they suppose should be done in achieving the organization’s goals. This helps in increasing the loyalty and commitment of the workers to the company. Pluto telecommunications should be encouraged to employ the aspect of adaptability culture. This will make it responsive towards the customer’s needs, whilst taking care of the employees’ welfare. Changing and improving on the reward system The rewards offered should not only result to short-term achievements, but should most importantly factor in long-term achievements alike. Efforts should be directed at coming up with intrinsic motivati on factors, other than relying on extrinsic factors alone. The organisation should as well come up with a flexible system in which the employees are free to decide on the best way of having their benefits, such as choosing from holidays, being given shopping vouchers, subsidising their medical fee or school fees for their siblings and so on. The employee’s needs should be listened to and possible ways of providing assistance explored. This gives the employee a feeling of self-worth and being appreciated (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). Replacement of the directors Another option will be choosing on new departmental directors. This will clear the personal grudges carried by the current managers into their offices. It will once again open up communication channels between departments, while at the same time harnessing new skills and ideas from the fresh appointees. The new appointees will be eager to make work in their new positions, and also willing to effect any changes. The main drawback, however, will be in the time they will take in settling down and strengthening the relationship with other employees (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). Organizing regular meetings and centralising departments This will help in strengthening the communication between the directors and Ms Tsang, and will help departmental directors in knowing the progress of each department other than only their own; moreover, centralising the departments will make it easier to monitor their progress. This will also be easier for them to communicate personally and settle any disputes as well as share ideas on the way forward. However, this will mean constructing new offices and facilitating the movements (Handy 1993). Recommendations As an immediate cause of action to salvage the organization, the directors should voice their opinions and agree to correct on their mistakes. This should be done in a respective and constructive manner. Secondly, introduction of regular meetings will help in restoring the communication channel and possibly resolving the conflicts. For the long-term cause; there is a need to modify the culture of the entity, to make it involvement focused, with the objective of creating a cohesive relationship among the three departments. Focus should be shifted from extrinsic motivational factors to intrinsic factors with clear goals and guidelines. Employees are encouraged to work together as a team through the introduction of a variety of motivational factors. Pluto ensures that each department understands the role of each other (Allcom 1991). Plan of action A plan of action involves organizing for the meeting of directors so as to discuss pertinent issues and resolve their individual differences. This should take around four days. It should involve establishing of weekly meetings aimed at assessing the progress of the organization and making relevant adjustments. This should take a number of weeks. Introduction of the involvement culture should take a few mon ths (Buchanan Huczynski 2007). Bibliography Allcom, S. 1991, Workplace superstars in resistant organisations, Quarum books, New York. Beer, M. 1990, Organizational Behaviour and Development. Harvard University. Web. Buchanan, D. A. Huczynski, A. H. 2007, Organizational Behaviour, 7th edn, Prentice Hall, London. Handy, C. B. Aitken, R. 1986, Understanding shools as organizations, Penguin Books, London. Handy, C. 1993, Understanding Organizations, Penguin, London. Lawrence, P. R. Lorsch, J. W. 1967, Differentiation and Integration in Complex Organizations. Web. Locke, E. A. and Latham, G. P. 1990, A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance. Prentice Hall, New Jersey. McGregor, D. 1960, The Human Side of Enterprise. Web. Michels, R. 1911, The Iron Law of Oligarchy. Web. Organizational analysis 2012, Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. Web. Rural Development Initiatives 2001, Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Organizational Analysis (SWOT). Web. This case study on Pluto Telecommunications was written and submitted by user Bennett Cabrera to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

buy custom Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome essay

buy custom Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome essay More than a half a century ago, Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger introduced to the professional world their understanding of a particular pattern of behavior for certain childrens lack of empathy, inability to form friendships with peers, too much concentration on particular interests, focusing too much on their one-sided conversation and somewhat awkward motor movement. Today, we call it Aspergers Syndrome, a form of disability that is gaining more recognition in the contemporary society. Currently, the most acknowledged definition of Aspergers Syndrome originated from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV-TR of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). For it to be effectively diagnosed, there are particular symptoms that must be present, which include at least two conditions of impairment within an individuals social cycle and interactions, and at least one in the area of restrictive interest as well as stereotyped behaviors or rituals (Tomeny, Barry, Bader, 2011; Mayada, E. Johnson, 2010, p.82). Research confirms that over the previous years the diagnostic term Aspergers syndrome (AS) and other higher functioning related conditions such as autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism disorder and autism spectrum disorder are on the rise (Wallace, Coleman Bailey, 2008, p. 1353; Sigman, Spence Wang, 2006, p.329). It is also established that Aspergers Syndrome is a serious social and communication disorder that can lead to a devastating effects to the affected. However, several efforts and initiatives have shown that good support and training can help the affected children progress in their areas of weakness and proceed to lead happy and productive lives in the future. The common social impairment syndrome associated with this disorder includes the child exhibiting poor eye contact. Children or students with AS disorder involuntarily avoid any eye contact with people within their surrounding. They are also have problem interacting with peers and are unable to keep friends as they find it easy to curve their own personal space. In certain instances, they may invade their peers personal space and in the end in the end dont get any appreciation from their social and emotional cues (Whittinggham, Sofronoff, Sheffield Sanders, 2008). Their reactions and facial expressions to unpleasant situations are normally not appropriate and find it difficult to accept other peoples perspective on issues or life. On the restrictive interests, AS victims dont find it strange when they focus too much on certain areas of interests until it becomes an impediment to their social life (Jonge, Kemmer, Naber Engeland, 2009). That is, they tend to concentrate on a single area of interest and know too much about everything, and find it difficult to change their way of thinking as far as transitions are concerned. Still, their motor movements tend to be repetitive, and hence find themselves doing such things as toe-walking in a repetitive manner. They unnecessarily get preoccupied with only particular parts of certain objects. According to Hegesh, Kertzman, Vishne (2009), this group of children is not tolerant to frustrations. They find it difficult to cope or survive in areas that require a lot of skills to cope with the events or situations. This group of children will always insist on having their own way in everything they do. This group of children has peculiar language speech traits. They have late development of speech and language mastery and superficially express language in a perfect manner (Sucksmith, Roth Hoekstra, 2011, p.; Belmonte, Gomot Baron-Cohen, 2010, p.266). Their interpretation of statements can be biased, and considers others opinions not acceptable. They also have limited non-verbal communication skills. That is, they cannot comprehend common gestures, and have clumsy communication model, especially on topics they are quite familiar with (Steifel et al., 2008, p.2). This syndrome has also been associated with biological, psychosocial, and neuropsychological risk/deficit factors. Low birth weight, abnormal rate of brain development, metabolic problems, infections before and after birth, obstetric events, increased maternal or paternal age, history of maternal psychiatric disorder, and socioeconomic place of birth have all been genetic, chromosomal, and psychosocial deficits proposed to capture AS (Gousse, 2002; Sabbagh Seamans, 2008; Damarla, Keller, Kana et al., 2010, p.273). Several neuropsychological deficits are involved with Aspergers Syndrome however there is no unifying theory or model of AS as a neurobiological disorder. The parents of children with these disorders often need considerable support in terms of information and intervention because the disorders are lifelong and multifaceted. In addition, autism has impact on the family as well as the individual, and so there is a growing need for family-centered intervention and support ser vices (Bradford, 2010; Steifel et al., 2008). Background The research on the aetiology of AS has been hindered by the absence of a unitary construct of AS (or Autism Spectrum Disorder) by its interchangble terminology and extrapolation from autism research. However, in the recent years a lot of studies have been undertaken to unearth the origin, impact, treatment and management of Apergers Syndrome. In 1943, Leo Kanner published the first paper when he described eleven children from his Child Psychiatric Unit who had much similarity in their behaviors than to the normal referrals had had received previously (Kunihira, Senju, Dairoku, 2006; Wallace, 2008). Kanner categorized some of the common character traits this group exhibited into peculiar language, social isolation, and insistence on sameness. The remarkable description from Kanner was the base from which many scholars picked their research initiatives. He highlighted some of the characteristic that today describes Aspergers Syndrome or Autism. In a more specific manner, he highlighted the difficulties these young people faced, their problem with expressing themselves through communication and repetitive as well as restrictive activities. Other researchers later described these traits as triad of impairments, as reported in Wing and Gould (1979), (as cited in Sullivan, Allen, 2009, p.148). It is Kanners observation and bel ief that led him to describe the primary condition of this problem as autism to express the central feature of the disability (Jonge, Kemner Engeland, 2006; Lopez, Tchanturia, Stahl Treasure, 2008). It is Kanner who separated autism from Childhood schizophrenia by describing the distinguishing feature of the two disorders. His observation was that people suffering from schizophrenia withdrew from social relationships while children who suffered from autism never developed them in the first place. In his report, he has been quoted as stating that, there is from the start an extreme autistic aloneness that, whenever possible, disregards, ignores, and shuts out anything that comes to the child from the outside (Kanner, 1943 as cited in Noland Reznick, Stone, W.L. et al., 2010). He also noted another peculiar thing about autism in language that differentiated it from schizophrenia. The language as expressed by autism victims suggested echolalia, pronoun reversals, and unique forms of expressions. In Grinter, Maybery, Beek, et al. (2009) view, although Kanner saw distinguishing features of autism and schizophrenia, his assumption was that autism was the earliest form and precursor of adult schizophrenia. However, other researchers have since disapproved this assertion with numerous distinguishing evidences. A lot of interests were generated by Kanners paper, which attracted a lot of readership and influenced many researchers. Although the reason for this wide readership is not clear, common assumption is that many professionals had started seeing an increased number of children exhibiting same disorder but were unsure on how to group or categorize them. One problem that has emerged from the original misconception presented in Kanners original paper has been proved difficult to overcome. From the onset, Kanner argument based on his 11 cases was that children were mostly of normal or higher than normal intelligence, with parents from higher social classes, and without neurological impairments (Cohen-Baron, Belmonte, 2005). His assertion was that social deficits were primary in instigating and emphasizing the problem. However, since Kanners time, his definition of autism has been modified and some of his claims have been refuted in a number of professionals but one thing is clear: many of the other ideas are still considered accurate and relevant in the modern day as they were 50 years ago (ONeill Menard, 2008; Ginter, Beek, Maybery, et al., 2009). After Kanner, came Asperger with his doctoral thesis paper in 1944. Although not widely known till almost 40 years laer when it was translated into English from its original manuscript in German, the manuscript has a huge contribution because it was picked from Kanners work. In fact, it is believed that Asperger even responded to some of Kanners manuscripts, albeit the less popular German language. Aspergers preliminary observations suggested that the children he made contact with during his summer camp programs on his ward exhibited some behaviors that he found unique. Some of these children, during the activities, did not fit with the rest of their peers, preferring to play alone and avoiding rough and tumble games (Gokcen, Bora Erermis, 2009). His curiosity drove him to search why and how these children behaved like this, and why they different from other children. He expressed empathy and described the children as autistic psychopathic cases (Johnson Rausch, 2008). Overtime, th is condition has been labeled as autistic personality disorder, which has significantly described Aspergers view of the condition. Hi view was that autism is a stable personality trait present from birth, rather than a psychotic process (Bolte Poustka, 2006). It was Aspergers description of the condition that took many professionals with a lot of desire to learn more. His observations were described as interesting, thought provoking and vivid (Bolte Poustka, 2006). Departing from Kanners approach, Asperger did not articulate which of the characteristics he believed were more essential for diagnosis, and those which did not fit the bill. However, many scholars have argued that Aspergers descriptions sounded more like a detailed account of the many common features he saw in the children he dealt with rather than a diagnostic approach to explaining the analytic observation (Pellicano, Maybery Durkin, 2005; Wallace, Sebastian, Pellicano, Parr Bailey, 2010; Ruta, Mazzone, Mazzone, et.al., 2011). One of the most telling inadequacies in Aspergers explanation was the inability to categorically state the primary features in his childrens disturbance with the social contacts. He only stated the peculiar linguistic, which involved pragmatic langu age deficits, which some describe as problems associated with using language as a functional tool in appropriate manner. He, in fact, interpreted the pragmatic difficulties that he saw his children experienced with eye gaze. Some of his observations have been interpreted as part of a fundamental disturbance in the expressive behaviors needed for social interaction. His therefore described the children as those unequal partners in the social interactions who had no ability to interpret complex social cues. Asperger also observed the childrens repetitive activities that Kanner had observed earlier. According to Asperger, this kind of behavior was just but one way some children used to follow their own interests and preoccupations while ignoring the social benefits of interactions and learning from each other (Yirmiya Shaked, 2005). According to his approach, Asperger believed that what he termed as autistic intelligence was a form of independent thinking and originality in thought wh ich his children displayed in school. In Aspergers view, this behavior was both a weakness and a strength exposed by the students. Contrary to what other children did, children with AS were more capable of forming their own imagination and strategies on various approaches to studying. They hardly followed what the teachers instructed them to do, a trait that Asperger believed was an intellectual strength rather than a weakness. But they could not also get into contact with those who were willing to help them, representing social weakness. Although various scholars agree that there is a lot of similarities in their perceptions and findings about AS, it cannot escape our attentions to note that there are some significant differences in details, descriptions and conclusions of the findings of these researchers. Literature Review Autism has always been seen as the paradigm pervasive development disorder. However, other diagnostic ideas with features that are somewhat similar to the disorder have not been intensively studied as far as research is concerned. However, a few literature findings suggest that some of the studies that have been conducted are still helpful for any present and future researches. Several diagnostic approaches from various scholars have revealed numerous efforts to have disorder exhaustively studied. For example, quite a number of these studies originated from adult psychiatry, neuropsychology, neurology, and other disciplines share, to a great degree, the phenomenological aspects of Aspergers Syndrome (Belmonte, Gomot Baron-Cohen, 2010; Tomeny, Barry Bader, 2011). One outstanding study was conducted by Tomeny, Barry Bader (2011) which revealed, to a greater extent, that people with abnormal pattern of behaviors related to autism were characterized by social isolation, rigidity of thoughts and habits, and unusual style of communication. Sucksmith, Roth Hoekstra (2011) agreed with this study and emphasized that Aspergers Syndrome could as well be called Schizoid personality in childhood. Unfortunately, the researcher never gave a development account of this concept, making it quite a challenge to ascertain the extent to which the person involved in the stud y may have experienced the autistic-like symptoms in his early life. More critical is that the concept of AS being a static personality as others claim does not carry with it the developmental process that may be in existent during growth, which may prove to be an important aspect in any effort to find diagnostic approach to its management. In the field of neuropsychology, a lot of effort has been put on research about the delineation of the implications for individuals social and emotional development of unique profile of neuropsychological assets and those inefficiencies that seems to have a deleterious impact on the persons capacity to socialize, as well as on the persons interactive and communicative styles. In Wallaces (2008), individuals with nonverbal learning disabilities (NLD) lacks tactile perception, psychomotor coordination, visual-spatial organization, non-verbal problem solving, and appreciation of incongruities humor. These individuals also shows well-developed rote verbal capacities and verbal memory skills; difficulty in adapting to novel and complex situations. They also over-rely on rote behaviors in such situations, relative deficits in mechanical arithmetic, in relation to proficiencies in single-word reading; poor pragmatics and prosody in speech. At the end, individuals with NLD show a peculiar te ndency toward social withdrawal are inevitably at risk to develop serious mood disorders. Pellicano, Maybery Durkin (2005, p.533) describes people who suffer NLD as possessing developmental learning disability of the right hemisphere. In this study, they observed that children described with this disorder exhibit extreme disturbances in the interpretation and expression of affected and in other primary interpersonal skills (Pellicano, Maybery Durkin, 2005). Most importantly, a familial link has been noted in the prevalence of NLD. It is noted that there are some unclear concepts that can describe different entities or give us different perspective on the heterogeneity and overlapping nature of individuals suffering from this disorder. Many professionals concur that the current research must focus on convergence among the various accounts of specific disciplines so as to put into usage the different methodologies in an effort to validate the behavioral concepts of Aspergers Syndrome (Sabbagh Seamans, 2008; Hegesh, Kertzman Vishne, 2009; Mayada Johnson, 2010). However, for ease of enhancing comparability studies, it is of critical importance to establish consensual and stringent rules or guidelines to make it easy to diagnose AS, specifically in regard to its similarities to the related disorders. Clinical Description World Health Organization (ICD-10) provides tentative criteria for Aspergers Syndrome, with the focus on symptomatological aspect of its clustered social and emotional behaviors. According to WHO, the restricted interests criteria and some of the two, in motor deficits and isolated special skills cap the traits of AS children (Wallace, 2008; Ginter, Beek, Maybery, et al., 2009). The other approach is the necessity to exclude other conditions, especially autism or sub-threshold form of autism. One interesting thing is that ICD-10 definition of AS is offered with autism when making the reference, thus some of the criteria involves ignoring the possible abnormalities in some functional areas that are common in autism. It is also important to note that the definition of Aspergers Disorder is nearly identical to the ICD-10 definition. However, the existing differences suggest that there is some unclear circumstances that define the difference in approach given to the treatment or manageme nt by different groups of proofessionals. The Onsite Criteria In the ICD-10 or the WHO criteria, individual history must indicate some absence of clinically significant general delay during language acquisition, cognitive development, and adaptive behavior. This kind of approach differs with the typical developmental accounts of autistic children, who show pervasive deficits and deviance in there areas prior to the age of three. However, this may not apply on cases of normal-IQ autistic children. It must also be noted that despite the willingness to adopt the adaptive behavior in the formulation of the criterion, its apparently implied that deficiencies in the social and emotional functions during play behavior dont rule out the AS diagnosis. The onset criteria are in agreement with Aspergers account. However, Cohen-Baron Belmonte (2005) note that there is presence of deficits in the use of language for communication, other than the formal language aspects, in certain case studies they carried out. To date, it is still unclear whether the lack of delays in the prescribed areas is a differential factor between Aspergers Syndrome and autism, or simply a reflection of the higher developmental level associated with the usage of the term AS. Some other common characterization of early development of individuals with AS involves particular precociousness in an attempt to learn to talk, mostly described in common language as learnt to talk before walk. In fact, the child sometimes learns to code numbers or words, even if with little or no understanding. They also develop certain attachment to patterns to family members but lack the appropriate approaches to peers. Theory of Mind Earlier studies have revealed a subgroup of people who suffer from AS who managed to pass second-order tests of theory of mind. However, these kinds of tests have a limit in the ascpect of development and terms corresponding to a mental age of a six-year old child. It is thus quite difficult to categorically state if such individuals are intact or have some form of impairment in their theory of mind. Sullivan Allen (2009) reported the performance of very high functional criteria with adults suffering from autism. With their methodology, these researchers used the information from photographs of a persons eye to infer the mental state of a person. In relation to age-matching of the normal controls and a clinical control group of the adults suffering from Tourette Syndrome, those with AS experienced significant impairment on the task. Specifically, individuals suffering from autism or AS were impaired on tasks related to strange stories of Hapes. However, they were not impaired on som e two control tasks. First they could easily recognize gender from the eye region of the face, and recognize basic emotions from the entire face. This kind of finding gives an evidence for subtle mindreading deficits in some high caliber autism or AS. Some level of evidence suggests that most of the children suffering from autism are impaired during the development of theory of mind (Whittinggham, Sofronoff, Sheffield Sanders, 2008). Such impairment may be a reflective of the underlying social, communicative, and imaginative abnormal diagnostic conditions, as theory of mind is necessary for normal development in each of the areas. In fact, the theory of mind is seemingly expressed quite early, at least from final stage of the first 5 years of life, as reflected in the deficiency in the joint attention (Sigman Wang, 2006). It is, however, noted that there is some evidence that suggests some level of contradiction with the notion that theory of mind deficit is a core cognitive deficiency experienced in autism. Bolte Poustka (2006) revealed that adults with AS, who happen to share the social and communicative symptoms of autism but who had not experienced any deficiency as far as language mastery and delay is concerned in their entire life passed second-order theory of mind tests. Another second-order theory of mind test was carried out, which involved test on reasoning about what one person thinks about anothers thoughts. Hegesh, Kertzman, Vishne (2009) also found out some adults with high-degree autism, who passed second-order theory of mind. However, theres some level of understanding that these studies cannot conclusively give evidence that intact theory of mind among the individuals with autism or AS. The reason is that second-order tests used can easily be used to produce ceiling effects if applied together with a mental age of more that 6 years old children or students. Moreover, children with normal intelligence pass second-order of mind tasks at about six years old (Hegesh, Kertzman Vishne, 2009). The Empathy Quotient Analysis It is no doubt that empathy is a critical aspect if normal social functioning, yet there are important few instruments that can help measure difference between its level on individual basis. An important ability to empathize allows us to put ourselves in someones position in order to understand how they feel about a situation. Empathy also allows us to understand other peoples intentions and undergo the influence that is triggered by their social world. In short, we can understand what social world is all about if we are able to sympathize. However, many individuals with Aspergers Syndrome have problems interacting with their peers and are deficient in empathy (Sullivan Allen, 2009). A number of case reports have reported the case for empathy deficit among the AS patients. In a systematic study of a rather larger cohort of individuals with Aspergers Syndrome, the prevalence of empathy deficient is evident in several instances (Sullivan Allen, 2009). In a similar rejoinder, a genera l population study of Aspergers Syndrome revealed a very high rate of associated ties, which included a fully-blown Tourettes syndrome. Thus, whichever dimension it takes, it is obvious that empathy deficits, autistic features and Aspergers syndrome are common problems affecting people diagnosed with such disorders. The difference in approach all depends on the individuals clinicians preference on the main diagnosis is portrayed as the clinically most important problem. Although most professionals in the field of clinical practice believe that individuals diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome have a disorder which is believed to have a strong relation to genetics or family background, there is a clinical conviction in some quarters that there are subgroups within the Aspergers group that might not have any close relation to the core autism phenotype as currently assumed. Ginter, Beek, Maybery, et al. (2009) state that in their clinical studies, he has come across at least three different family subtypes of those who have been diagnosed with AS disorders. Conclusion It is clear that those who have been diagnosed with autism or Aspergers syndrome other being normal in general perspective, they have above average IQ and would never be impaired on a simple theory of the mind set as some scholars have suggested. On another perspective, it cannot be easily accounted or expressed that IQ of individuals diagnosed with AS Syndrome. In fact, no study within the realm of this literature revealed any correlation between IQ and Aspergers Syndrome disorder. It is therefore critical to note that management of Aspergers Syndrome is dependent on individual clinician to understand the child. It does not utterly depend on just emotional terms, but also includes terms that can describe cognitive mental states. The observation of the real social world also debugs the theory of mind as it is deemed too simple than the real and actual demand of the actual social world. Its clear that those who suffer Aspergers Syndrome often sidelines themselves from real world, depicting the fact that their social action proceeds rapidly, and they tend to focus a lot on why a person said or did something. They even wonder why people rejoice at some things such watching a nice episode of a movie. With the increased interactions with modern social media, it is clear that people can easily notice individuals with symptoms of Aspergers Syndrome. Clinicians give AS a different approach to that of onsite criteria individuals and even the theory of mind. Most clinical approach involves concentration on the emotional and social behaviors. Clinicians also exclude certain conditions such as autism from the actual characteristics of AS. Onsite criteria on the other hand focus on the cognitive development process, general delay of language skills acquisition. In other word, onsite approach does focus mainly on the developmental stage of the problem. It is thus prudent to conclude that Aspergers Syndrome requires a multidimensional approach to management and treatment. Buy custom Understanding Asperger’s Syndrome essay

Strategic Perspective - Zara Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic Perspective - Zara Case Study - Essay Example Presently, ZARA is present in more than 73 countries worldwide and has been expanding at an accelerating pace on an international level. Currently, the group has about 6009 stores which are widespread in 86 markets; it implies that it is operating in four hundred cities in five continents. The net sales of the company as of 2012 were â‚ ¬15,964 million and ZARA has contribution of more than 30% in the total profit amount (Inditex, 2013a). The mission of the company is to offer all the customers a distinctive range of options for making a wise choice in the fast fashion industry. The brand ensures that the offerings comprise of inimitable and innovative products for enhancing the shopping experience of all customers. The store provides the uniquely designed products at reasonable prices that are created from excellent quality materials in accordance to the latest market trends (Zara, 2013). In order to understand the business environment in which ZARA is operating, it is crucial to monitor the changes that are taking place so that the retail store remains competent and proactive in its approach. As the customers of the fashion industry are always looking forward for fresh, modern and distinctive products all the time, ZARA has ensured that it develops its core competence in the manufacturing process (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010). Most of the clothing companies have to encounter problems in efficient management of their production procedure; ZARA has outclassed in this area by employing a supply chain system that is efficient, agile and capable of producing zero defect products (Hume, 2011). Hence, the store ensures that it is well-aware of the industry requirements and standards but it creates its own way of managing the business operations. The business model of ZARA is so competent that the rival companies cannot copy it at all and it is the primary source of

See attachment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

See attachment - Essay Example According to Torun(2007, p.7) acknowledges that Zara direct rivals in Europe are H &M, although the latter does not manufacture their products but rather outsource such services to low cost nations in the Far East. Gap is also a big competitor in the apparels and fashion industry. In the year 2008, Inditex had edged past Gap in terms of sales to emerge as the world’s largest fashion retailer (Welters and Lillethun2007, p.541).   Zara’s organizational Structure and Culture The employees at Zara have come to recognize that they are operating in fast changing world of fashion where a product can move from being trendy to staple in just a week. The owner of the company, Amancio Ortega, he likened the fashion industry to that of food by describing the industry as one with perishable goods (Casillas, Acedo and Moreno 2007, p.129).   At the company, the employees work like bees in a hive- as a team to get the work done successfully and quickly. When they are trying out new products, the design is performed, clothes prototyped and criticized in a very short time, normally in a few hours (Dunne, 2013). Brand perception and global visibility While competitors fall, Zara is going through one of the quickestinternationalgrowth the fashion globe has ever seen, opening a store a day and entering new markets worldwide – 68 countries so far and the chain’s profitability is among the highest in the industry. In the year 2012, Zara was ranked at position 37 a forty two percent increase from position 64 they had attained in the year 2005, and according to the global ranking site, its star will continue to rise as they continue to enter newer markets (Interbrand, 2013). Zara as a fashion brand is easily distinguishable from other fashion brands due the speed at which ne collection are launched, the premium price of its commodities and the premium locations of its stores in major cities. Which means that the company is not only providing their custom ers with a basic need that is clothing, but also their customers demand for self-actualization- putting on what they feel portrays their image. Every human being feels self-actualized when associated with a high performing product that has a high brand value (Mathews, 2006). For example, the name Zara easily comes to mind when one mentions the prime locations in cities that the company is associated. Zara’s brand reception all over the globe has been phenomenal over the last couple of years to say the least, for instance in New Delhi, India, when they opened a shop in the high end district, they have been recording staggering sales over the year(Jacoband Mamgain, 2011)). Trading and Business Partnerships Zara is a vertically integrated firm, which means that it controls it most of its economic activities from manufacturing to retailing. It swathes all the facets of the fashion development: design, production, logistics and circulation on its own administered retail shops. Acc ording to the owner, the firm produces almost fifty percent of its product. When entering new foreign markets, Zara has been known to enter into a new foray either through subsidiary, joint venture or through franchising (Sorge

The Second World War Essay Example for Free

The Second World War Essay The play was written at the end of the Second World War. However, it was set in 1912. Priestley expresses his own views about society of 1912 through the characters. During these pre-world War 1 years, there was a divide between the rich and poor. Attitudes such as the poors struggle to work and survive; profit, greed and privilege of class; double standards and the lack of responsible attitude from those in power, were thought acceptable. Economic success, power and money-making took priority over humanity. The consequences of this attitude can be seen in both of the World Wars. Priestley is telling us that we are not learning lessons from history; an example of this is the Birling family who had been given a second opportunity to get it right. Mr Birling is a well-fed man of high class. He was Lord Mayor so thinks he has power and influence over everyone below him, even the Inspector. Mr Birling represents the high-class men of the Edwardian period. He is only after his knighthood which will put him even higher in status. He believes that there is one set of rules for the rich and another for the poor. He is a factory owner and treats his workers inhumanely. He is very conservatively and does not believe in a community. When workers like Eva Smith had a strike so that they could get higher pay, only because the money they were getting was not enough for their bare essentials, he ignores them and stops the strike. He found out that Eva smith had organised it so he sacked her. His family are kept isolated from the rest of the world and his wife, Mrs Birling as well as himself treat their children as children even though they are at the age of twenty and above. They do not want them to know about the real world but they do not realise that their children are not naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve like themselves. Priestley conveys to everyone through the character of Mr Birling how selfish and hypocritical the high-class men were during the Edwardian period. Sheila Birling, Mr Birlings daughter, is also a rich young lady who is engaged to Gerald Croft. We know that she is rich as she shops at Milwards where she uses her power to sack a worker, Eva Smith, because of jealousy. This was all possible for her to do because of her status. However, she is much different from her parents (the older generation). When the Inspector tells her how she was also part of Evas death taking place she changes unlike her father, mother and fiance. She begins to feel for the poor and feels sorry for Eva, acting as if she knew her. She can put two and two together unlike her mother and we can infer from this play that she will not turn out to be like her mother as her mother is very naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. In addition, at the end of the play she has learnt her lesson whereas no one else has except her brother. Priestley shows the audience that the younger generation are more impressionable and that they had feelings for the poor and they could accept what was wrong and what was right and they had the capacity to change. Gerald Croft who was engaged to Sheila is also of high status. He is a clever man who thinks everything out carefully. He was very involved in Evas life but unlike the others he made Eva happy for once in her life. He met her at the palace Bar and took her to the County Hotel and let her stay in a flat. He gave her money and began to have feelings for her and both of them fell in love. He kept her as his mistress which many men in the Edwardian time did. He was very affected by her death and had to leave the house to take a walk which is when he got time to think. They went to palace bars often which is where some men like Alderman Meggarty took advantage of women. It was very common during the Edwardian times for the rich men to do this. Mrs Birling is also a well-fed, rich woman of high status who is described as socially superior to Mr Birling. She chairs a womans charity where women come to ask for help and benefit. She is responsible for the last step of Evas death, as she did not offer her help when she needed it the most. This was all because she had used the name Mrs Birling that had offended her. She is not careful of what she says to the Inspector, an example is everything she says about the man who got Eva pregnant and how he is fully to blame and totally responsible. She is a nave women who does not even know about her own sons well being or that people like Alderman Meggarty harass women in palace bars. She thinks that she is always right and calls the Inspector impertinent which shows us what she feels of everyone in her surroundings. Priestley intended to get across this character as a selfish, snobby and small-minded woman so that the audience would not feel empathy with her. Eric Birling is a heavy drinker and is a regular in the palace bar. He cared for Eva and tried to help her. He tried to do what was morally right even if he did not accomplish it. He is like his sister Sheila; they both still felt that they had done something wrong during their life even if it did not result in a girls death. Priestley shows through the characters of both Eric and Sheila that the younger generation during the Edwardian period were the better generation as they were not so up-tight about themselves and had feelings for the unfortunate. The Inspector is one of the characters that I feel Priestley conveyed to the audience very well. He is someone who feels a lot for the poor and is prepared to do everything that is right for the less privileged. He is a very clever man who manages to get all of the people present to admit what they did by opening the characters personalities. He gets straight to the point and emphasises many times that they all helped to kill Eva and gets it marked in their heads so that they will not forget it. He makes them all feel shocked and extremely guilty by his statements especially when he made his speech near the end of the play when he was about to leave:  If men will not learn that lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish Through the inspector, we can see that Priestley wants to get across the socialist philosophy of the time that some people like the inspector himself believed in. He believed that everyone should look after everyone else and that everyone should live like a community and help everyone else socially. He says:   and remember there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths, still left with us Here it can be seen that he still telling them that they can still try and improve the conditions and their attitudes towards the poor and less fortunate as there are still many of them. However the majority of them did not learn from this and faced the consequences.  Edna is the maid of house. Priestley shows that the higher class kept maids. He shows us the poorer people of the country. She can be said to be very lucky as she has a place to live unlike many people. It is very unlikely that she would have got much to eat even they were having a celebration.

Chapmans Version of The Odyssey and the Iliad Essay -- John Keats Epi

Chapman's Version of The Odyssey and the Iliad This poem is an expression of how the poet John Keats felt after rediscovering Homer's "The Odyssey and the Iliad" when he read Chapman's English translation of this Greek classic. To express this he uses the form of a sonnet, with fourteen lines, every set of two lines rhyming. The first four lines are one long sentence consisting mainly as metaphors to summarize his full meaning in whole. "Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold, and many goodly states and kingdoms seen". This can be understood only in a "literary" and not a "literal" sense. I say this because he was relatively poor and probably had traveled very little when he wrote this poem at age 21.* But we know that he had a strong passion for literature. * John Keats is trying to tell us that he has traveled and explored the rich realms of literature. "Round many western islands I have been which bards in fealty to Apollo hold". Keats is using "western Islands" to cause us to think of ever new vistas of constant discovery. Keats is stressin...

Review Questions Essay

What are some factors (patterns of behavior) that project a company’s culture? List several examples from organizations you work in. The factors that are most important in the creation of an organization’s culture include founders’ values, preferences, and industry demands. A company’s culture, particularly during its early years, is inevitably tied to the personality, background, and values of its founder or founders, as well as their vision for the future of the organization. It is shaped in the early days of a company’s history. When entrepreneurs establish their own businesses, the way they want to do business determines the organization’s rules, the structure set-up in the company, and the people they hire to work with them. While founders undoubtedly exert a powerful influence over corporate cultures, the industry characteristics also play a role. Industry characteristics and demands act as a force to create similarities among organizational cultures. For example, despite some differences, many companies in the insurance and banking industries are stable and rule oriented, many companies in the high-tech industry have innovative cultures, and companies in the nonprofit industry tend to be people oriented. 3. What are three major elements that complicate listening? Give customer-service related examples of each. The three elements that complicate listening comprise the internal, environmental and interactional elements. To start with, internal elements involve the use of words at a level that the hearer can hear, and the most importantly, can understand. Talking loudly and nonsensely or meaninglessly can totally deviate your customers from doing business with your company. The customer services on the phone can result in such scenario if the voice of the customer rep is too low or too loud, or the line is not clear or s/he uses very technical words that the receiver cannot understand. Secondly, the environmental factors â€Å"which determine what we are able to listen to and what we cannot. These factors can impact our individual ability to listen and our organization’s listening capacity, as well. These factors include:   Our individual listening capacity, the presence of noise, and the use or misuse of gatekeepers. † (Timm, Paul, Pg. 43) â€Å"In contrast to the environmental elements of the listening process, the interactional elements concern internal psychological processes that are not as easily identified. Two such psychological elements deserve careful consideration: self-centeredness and self-protection.