'the best way to improve personality tests is to dump them'. Can the Essay

'the best way to improve personality tests is to dump them'. Can the use of such tests in business be made free from faking, distortion and less of an intrusion into personal liberty - Essay Example Would it be possible to rely upon him/her? Would s/he get along well with the existing team members? It has been proved that â€Å"declarative knowledge is predicted primarily by cognitive ability, whereas the motivational element of performance (indexed by ratings) is linked to personality†.1 Moreover, unless there are strict criteria of selection, some good candidates can be overlooked, while some irrelevant ones go to the second tour of recruitment process. Testing candidates is traditionally considered a good way out of the situation. However, a question arises whether or not the use of personality tests can be completely free from faking, distortion and less of an intrusion into personal liberty. A professional HR specialist can dig out a lot of information concerning the candidate’s personality from personal interview; however it cannot give a full account of a potential employee – in fact, it will only give the first impression of him or her. Besides, during an interview, there can be certain circumstances which would affect the objectiveness of HR manager’s judgements (personal bias towards or against a candidate, tiredness, headache, bad mood, intrusion of the third parties, etc.). On the other hand, same is valid for a candidate: s/he can feel bad, or come to the interview after a sleepless night, or after having a conflict, etc. All these would make testing results very far from reality. That is why, many professional HR-specialists are very prejudiced against using personality tests, as they think that the use of these tests can prevent them from understanding a real potential of every candidate. They prefer individual interview with candidates saying that it allows to determine the real motives of each of them, and simply have a good look at the potential employee. Nowadays, there are many

Marketing Report Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Marketing Report - Case Study Example Support 11 D. Conclusion 11 References 13 I. Analysis A. Marketing Challenge The marketing challenge is to grow revenues and to find the perfect marketing mix for the new product to be launched in June, to aid in the achievement of the revenue growth targets for Mackenzie and Marr Guitars (Finnbogason, 2013). B. Internal Analysis B.1. Finance The company is working on a tight cash flow situation, with some budgetary constraints emanating from that cash flow restriction. While they pay suppliers cash, deliveries for orders only occur about 90 days after the payment. This has implications on the ability of the company to convert capital to revenues, and has a bearing too on the ability of the firm to generate cash flow from inventories. Inventories take time to reach the trade, and this compounds the problem of not being able to turnaround capital into cash. All these things besides, the company is still open to increasing the promotions budget from $1,000 to $4,000, and though this is miniscule in comparison to the overall sales target of $1 million dollars for the whole year, from a cash flow perspective this can be a significant amount especially if the revenue targets on a monthly basis are not met, and the margins cannot justify the added promotional expense (Finnbogason, 2013). B.2. ... On the other hand, where the company lacks muscle in terms of promotions budgets, it makes up for with word of mouth and focusing on the price and the product attributes of the marketing mix for its guitar lines. The main positioning being high quality and low price, this positioning strategy is complemented well by its chosen promotions, place and general advertising strategies (Finnbogason, 2013). B.3. Operations One can glean from the way the company is set up that the online presence handles orders processing including payments processing, while orders fulfillment is done via third party logistics and fulfillment services. Product manufacturing meanwhile is outsourced to suppliers in China. That supplier has enough capacity to be able to run the projected volume sales of 100 guitars per month of Mackenzie and Marr Guitars, but may have problems doing so if any new customers engage them. That aside, the rest of the operations is concentrated on marketing, as well as product design , which are basically handled by the CEO John Marr. The other partner, Jonathan Mackenzie, is understood to have a hands off role in daily operations, leaving that to John. One can see that this operations model leaves the physical handling of the processed goods to third parties, from manufacturing to orders fulfillment, leaving the core operational functions of processing orders and payments, doing the promotions and marketing, doing the strategy work and doing product design work for new launches as the core operational competencies of the company itself (Finnbogason, 2013). B.4. Human Resources Outside of the partners, there are no significant personnel in the organization. All of the third party

Management Theory - Henri Fayol Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Theory - Henri Fayol - Research Paper Example For the effective performance of an organization, it would be critical to know in advance what needs to be done, the activities to undertake to do what is to be done and also when these activities are to be done. Thus, planning essentially entails the what, how and when with regards to performance (Pryor & Taneja, 2010). It encompasses the determination of both short and long-term objectives; development of strategies and actions aimed at the achievement of the set objectives; and formulation of rules, policies, and procedures to be adopted during the implementation of plans and strategies (Raju & Parthasarathy, 2009). Planning does not necessarily have to be deliberate or systematic. The second management function, referred to as organising by Fayol, involves identifying activities needed to achieve organisational objectives and implementing the plans; grouping activities to come up with self-contained jobs; assigning jobs to employees; delegating authority to promote execution of tasks and commanding the required resources; and establishing interrelated coordinating relationships (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2012). Therefore, organizing basically involves the combination and integration of physical, financial and human resources in a productive fashion for the achievement of the organizational goals. This yields an organizational structure comprising of organizational positions, associated responsibilities and tasks and an interrelation of authorities and roles. Commanding refers to maintaining activity among personnel. Fayol uses this terminology as a function of management to describe direction, leadership, and supervision (McNamara, 2009). It thus encompasses leadership and the aim of setting the organization in motion.

Book of mark, matthew, luke and john Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Book of mark, matthew, luke and john - Essay Example The narrative exposition employed in the gospel of Mark began the tradition of the gospel(Burridge 2005). The Gospel of Matthew writes to a Jewish Christian audience and is predominantly concerned with portraying Jesus as a teacher who is greater than Moses (Brown 1997). The Gospel of Luke attempts to answer the question of whether Christians whose allegiance is the Kingdom of God able to stay loyal to the Roman Empire? The book of John is an exception that views the Messiah as a ‘Stranger from Heaven’ and is often called the spiritual gospel (Burridge 2005). This paper thus intends to explain the different targeted audiences of the four gospels and the messages they proclaim to the readers. The gospel of Mark was written by John Mark who dwelt in Jerusalem as revealed in the book of Acts 12:12(Burridge 2005). It was initially written in a bilingual set up that involved the Greek and the Aramaic languages. The author was influenced to write by the young Christian generation, also known as the Christians of the second generation or the young man(Burridge2005). John Mark wrote this book and addressed it to the Gentiles and the Roman leaders in Rome or probably in Syria or Decapolis. During this time, the Gentiles were young and new to the Christian faith. They knew very little of Christianity and the death of Jesus to save mankind. At the same time, there was an ongoing persecution by the ruling class on Christians and those who proclaimed the message of the Gospel. Many Christians were killed and forced to denounce their loyalty to God. Mark therefore wrote this book to encourage and harden the Christians at that time in their worship and proclaiming of God’s Kingdom(Burridge 2005). In the book, Mark reveals Jesus as a suffering servant of God who is ironically powerful. He reveals to the Romans and the Gentiles that Jesus taught with authority as asserted by the mighty miracles he

Statistical Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Statistical Problem - Essay Example However since it is an online poll, it is difficult to know about the demographical state of those who participated in the poll exactly. Moreover since the poll was conducted during the week end itself it would be rather obvious that all people who were on vacation or at a military cemetery would not be in front of their PC in order to participate in the poll. Hence such a poll would seem very unsuitable, unless if it were carried before the weekend. Simple random sampling is the basic sampling technique where we select a group of subjects (a sample) for study from a larger group (a population). Each individual is chosen entirely by chance and each member of the population has an equal chance of being included in the sample. Every possible sample of a given size has the same chance of selection. c. Based on the above, if we consider the stratified sample of 25 high schools, the number of schools which would be selected with a percent free lunch value between 30 and 40 would be 8% of 25 which equals to 0.08 X 25 =

Future of Modernization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Future of Modernization - Essay Example The citizens would also enjoy higher standards of living. This paper will look into various aspects of modernization in the United States and also around the world. The paper will also look into the consequences of modernization and various theorists of the idea of modernization. There are four different concepts that modernization manifests itself in the United States. One of the concepts is that is the diversification that the society is undergoing through. Another concept is that people are making more abundant choices while at the same time the concept of smaller communities is also a manifestation of modernization in the United States. The other concept is that the aging people are becoming more and more future conscious that it was witnessed a number of years ago. Manifestation of the modernization in the United States can be said to be following the theories of Emile Durkheim. Durkheim concentrated on how the society should uphold their virtues and integrity in the modern times and how the societies would share such things as religion and ethnicity in a very constrained manner (Wagner, 2008). To this effect, Durkheim with the assistance of Herbert Spencer sought to come up with a scientific approach to study the society and various phenomena that would be associated with the society. This was done in reference to the function the individuals played in quotidian maintenance to explain different elements of the society existence and hence Durkheim is seen by many as the precursor of functionalism. Thus he was involved in the study commonly referred to as Social Facts. Social Facts is the study that tries to prove that there is the existence of a phenomenon which is not bound by the actions of the individuals and how the individuals that make up a society adapt to some changes but which is precipitated by a social fact. To this effect, some of the most subjective and individualistic phenomena that include such things as suicide would be described by Durkheim as an example of social facts which are objective (Macionis, 2006). Hence, modernization in the United States is manifested by the society adapting some new social changes which can be attributed to the theory of Social Fact a theory that is credit to Emile Durkheim. This means that the society in America is experiencing these changes due to modernization and this means that the reality of modernization in America has manifested itself due to the changes that the society is undergoing through and how these changes are positively and negatively affecting the society (Tyrer, 2008). Modernization development in the United States Right now, the United States is undergoing through many changes that can be said to be political, social, economical and cultural. This means that the United States will have many more developments as far as modernization is concerned. Politically, the society is looking for more freedoms and rights and the government is forced to comply with the requirements of the citizens. This means that modernization in the political outlook of the United States have more room for development. It is important to note that the country is the most democratic country in the world but the people feel that they need to

Cohesive Groups Essay Example for Free

Cohesive Groups Essay In general terms, a group is said to be in a state of cohesion when its members possess bonds linking them to one another and to the group as a whole. Groups that possess strong unifying forces typically stick together over time whereas groups that lack such bonds between members usually disintegrate. Advantages of cohesive groups Firstly, members of cohesive groups tend to communicate with one another in a more positive fashion than non cohesive groups. As a result, members of cohesive groups often report higher levels of satisfaction and lower levels of anxiety and tension than members of non cohesive groups. Secondly, group cohesion has been linked to enhanced group performance in non laboratory based groups. This bi directional relationship is strongest when the members of a group are committed to the group’s tasks. Limitations of cohesive groups Membership in a cohesive group can also prove problematic for members. As cohesion increases, the internal dynamics (e.g., emotional and social processes) of the group intensify. As a result, people in cohesive groups are confronted with powerful pressures to conform to the group’s goals, norms, and decisions. In many instances these pressures to conform are so great that members suffer from groupthink. Individuals who refuse to yield to the ways of the majority are typically met with additional negative consequences, including hostility, exclusion, and scape goating. Furthermore, group cohesion can trigger distress and mal adaptive behavior in members following changes to the structure of the group (e.g., loss of a member). The five stage model of group development Stage 1: Forming In the Forming stage, personal relations are characterized by dependence. Group members rely on safe, patterned behavior and look to the group leader for guidance and direction. Group members have a desire for acceptance by the group and a need to be known that the group is safe. They set about gathering impressions and data about the similarities and differences among them and forming preferences for future sub grouping. Rules of behavior seem to be to keep things simple and to avoid controversy. Serious topics and feelings are avoided. The major task functions also concern orientation. Members attempt to become oriented to the tasks as well as to one another. To grow from this stage to the next, each member must relinquish the comfort of non threatening topics and risk the possibility of conflict. Stage 2: Storming The next stage, called Storming, is characterized by competition and conflict in the personal relations dimension an organization in the task functions dimension. As the group members attempt to organize for the task, conflict inevitably results in their personal relations. Individuals have to bend and mold their feelings, ideas, attitudes, and beliefs to suit the group organization. Because of fear of exposure or fear of failure, there will be an increased desire for structural clarification and commitment. Although conflicts may or may not surface as group issues, they do exist. Questions will arise about who is going to be responsible for what, what the rules are, what the reward system is, and what criteria for evaluation are. These reflect conflicts over leadership, structure, power, and authority. There may be wide swings in member’s behavior based on emerging issues of competition and hostilities. Because of the discomfort generated during this stage, some members may remain completely silent while others attempt to dominate. In order to progress to the next stage, group members must move from a testing and proving mentality to a problem solving mentality. The most important trait in helping groups to move on to the next stage seems to be the ability to listen. Stage 3: Norming In the norming stage, interpersonal relations are characterized by cohesion. Group members are engaged in active acknowledgment of all members’ contributions, community building and maintenance, and solving of group issues. Members are willing to change their preconceived ideas or opinions on the basis of facts presented by other members, and they actively ask questions of one another. Leadership is shared, and cliques dissolve. When members begin to know and identify with one another, the level of trust in their personal relations contributes to the development of group cohesion. It is during this stage of development that people begin to experience a sense of group belonging and a feeling of relief as a result of resolving interpersonal conflicts. The major task function of stage three is the data flow between group members: They share feelings and ideas, solicit and give feedback to one another, and explore actions related to the task. Creativity is high. If this stage of data flow and cohesion is attained by the group members, their interactions are characterized by openness and sharing of information on both a personal and task level. They feel good about being part of an effective group. The major drawback of the norming stage is that members may begin to fear the inevitable future breakup of the group; they may resist change of any sort. Stage 4: Performing The Performing stage is not reached by all groups. If group members are able to evolve to stage four, their capacity, range, and depth of personal relations expand to true interdependence. In this stage, people can work independently, in subgroups, or as a total unit with equal facility. Their roles and authorities dynamically adjust to the changing needs of the group and individuals. Stage four is marked by interdependence in personal relations and problem solving in the realm of task functions. By now, the group should be most productive. Individual members have become self assuring, and the need for group approval is past. Members are both highly task oriented and highly people oriented. There is unity: group identity is complete, group morale is high, and group loyalty is intense. The task function becomes genuine problem solving, leading toward optimal solutions and optimum group development. There is support for experimentation in solving problems and an emphasis on achievement. The overall goal is productivity through problem solving and work. Stage 5: Adjourning The final stage, adjourning, involves the termination of task behaviors and disengagement from relationships. A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation and achievement and an opportunity for members to say personal goodbyes. Concluding a group can create some apprehension in effect, a minor crisis. The termination of the group is a regressive movement from giving up control to giving up inclusion in the group.