Impacts of Cognitive Cognitive Injuries on Communication

Impacts of Cognitive Cognitive Injuries on Communication Introduction It is an amazing moment when a baby arrives and the midwife announces you have given birth to a healthy baby boy or girl. It is as if the whole world is rejoicing with you. This is the kind of news that makes everybody smile and want to share your joy. To be born in perfect health is all a parent wishes for their child. As we grow into adults, we adopt dreams and ideas, plans and adventures. We are thankful for our strength, health and youth. The elderly especially encourage us to ‘ live life to the full’, while at the same time insisting that ‘youth is wasted on the young’. But what happens when you are struck with an illness, or have a life changing accident. When you are faced with the news that everything dependable and familiar about yourself that you have lived with from birth, has altered or even become totally foreign to you. Who are you now? What does your future hold? Where do you go from here? When are things going to go back to normal? Why me? How am I going to live with this? All the answers you have accumulated in your life, have now been replaced with questions. Definition Remember when you learned to walk and talk? Probably not, because we were so young at the time. Even if we don’t remember it happening, there were other people around us to witness our first achievments. More than likely these were moments of joy and pride. We would have had loved ones supporting us with love and encouragement. Imagine you are a grown adult and you are experiencing this stage of life for a second time. For people suffering from severe cognitive injury, this could be what it is like for them. Rehabilitation after a traumatic or non traumatic injury is a scary and lengthy process. A patient is affected on every level, from physical to mental, social to practical. Even though it is emotional to see a loved one soon after the effects of brain injury, the immediate effects are usually not the permanent result. Patients usually progress over time, but may never return to who they originally were. It takes time , patience and persistence for someone to advance from their immediate side effects. Patients who have been effected physically take on extensive physiotherapy to get their muscle strength back and retrain their body. Mental injuries are treated with counselling and medication. Although these are key to improving a person, support and understanding from loved ones is a major factor. Socially a persons life is flipped over. The casual familiar side of a persons life is replaced with confusion and frustration. Practically a person may need to learn again from scratch, depending on the extent of the injury. Brain injury leaves a person starting over. Although cognitive injury sounds hopeless and dark, there is actually a bright light at the end of the tunnel. Depending on the type of damage, which area of the brain, and to what extent the damage is done, each individual has a different story. There are a lot of different types of injuries. Alzheimers disease. Brain tumors. Stroke. Traumatic brain injury(TBI). Alzheimers This disease would be a common form of dementia. It is mostly known for effecting the elderly, but has been known to go beyond that. Alzheimers can cause a person to forget most of their current life and go back to a time of their youth. They may forget who their children are, the home they moved to when they got married and the life that came there after. It can become very difficult to communicate when the mind falls into confusion. It will take patience and kindness to find new ways of communication. Being able to adapt and finding a new structure will be very helpful. Body language, facial expressions and tone, will become their more dominant forms of communication. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) This can occur through a car accident, a fall or any major hit to the head. The contact to the head can cause a swelling or bleeding to the brain , which effects the normal running and understanding of things. Depending where in the brain you are effected, the results can be different for everyone. No two injuries or side effects are the same. People go through any number of treatments, from speech therapy to physiotherapy. Surgery can be successful in some patients, but is not always the answer. Stroke This can have varied effects on people. It is caused when the blood flow through an artery becomes blocked, and prevents oxygen entering the brain. This can have a range of effects. Speech and language, mobility and facial muscles can all be effected, depending on the level of stroke. Brain tumors These are abnormal growth of cells in one area, that clusters together to form a lump. Depending on where in the brain the tumor is pressing against, that will distinguish how the body is effected. It can effect speech, sight, smell, hearing, emotions and physical use of the body. It also has the ability to change intellect and personality. The overall result to anyone afflicted by damage to the brain, is that there will be significant changes to who they truly are. The common factors of the effects on communication are treated through rehabilitation. People will discover new ways to express themselves and it is challenging. When speech, body language, facial expressions and intellect change in a person, it is like meeting yourself for the first time, and finding your personality and new found talents. Overall there is a lot of adapting to be done, in order to get through each day. These changes also effect the family and friends who support them. Those who know this person well, will know them for their health and intellect. The people who choose to stay and support someone with a cognitive injury, will also find themselves being directly effected. Emotional strain can bring out the different sides of a person. This includes both the sufferer and supporters. Families deal with less free time, problems with finance, communication problems, and changing roles within the family. Emotions can go from happy and content and in control, to sadness, anxiety, anger, guilt and frustration. Families have been torn apart and friends have slipped away. It can feel like a lost cause. We have all experienced a time when we feel like we have fallen into a dark hole. It is cold, dark and lonely. It can leave us feeling scared, and helpless. Falling into a situation when you don’t know why everything has become strange and foreign, can be terrifying. We can become desperate for communication, for someone to say its ok. A familiar face or voice would become a saviour. But it could become a struggle to search for anything we relate to. What used to be our present time, can become obsolete and be replaced by what are distant memories. It is confusing and frustrating for everyone involved. Adapting to a new normality is a transition that does not have to be done alone. There are healthcare facilities, day care centres and counselling available for support. There are healthcare assistants, doctors and nurses available, who are trained and dedicated to helping rebuild communication and physical skills, and achieve the best quality of life. Because each brain injury is so unique, the help given is to achieve individual personal best. This is needed for the patient, family and friends. The extent of who a brain injury effects is like the branches of a tree. Thankfully the services provided encourage persistence. There are treatments available through many different forms. This also depends on the extent of the brain injury and what type. Treatment will usually begin immediately or as soon as damage is detected. It is crucial to keep the oxygen flowing to the brain and through the body, which helps blood flow. This will also help control blood pressure. Visual examinations will be done in the form of x-ray or ct-scan. Severely injured patients will receive more extensive treatments such as, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychology/psychiatry and social support. It is a lengthy process and so much to deal with, but treatment is hope and a positive step to beginning again. Conclusion: Sufferers of cognitive injuries can learn to adjust and rise again. They discover a new kind of normal. Life is difficult for us all at times. We struggle with finance, career and family. But for those waking up and struggling each day to remember where they are and why they cant find the words to ask a question, or not understanding why menial jobs that never bothered them before, now cause them to lose their temper. These are some of the challenges facing a person with a cognitive injury. Life is known for its challenges and human strength is powerful and admirable. â€Å"Out of difficulties grow miracles.† References: www.Acquiredbraininjury.com/abimanual/consequences-for-the-family www.Alz.org www.Thebraintumourcharity.org/about-brain-tumours/living-with-a-brain-tumour/communication-problems-and-brain-tumours www.Neuroskills.com/braininjury www.Headway.org.uk/cognitive -communication-difficulties.aspx www.Asha.org/slp/cognitive-referral

Thomas Green

A person’s success in an organization not only depends on his or her personality and ability, but also how he or she manages office politics and resolves conflicts. In order to successfully manage interpersonal relations within a corporate environment, one also needs to understand the power and influence structures in one’s organization. Failure to develop effective work relationships can cause job dissatisfaction, low work performance, unnecessary conflicts, and potentially getting fired from one’s job.Thomas Green Case is a great example of how different work styles and office politics can result in a career crisis. After reviewing the following case study, I have concluded that both parties are responsible for the lack of synergy between the employee, Green, and upper-management, Davis. The underlying root cause of these problems occurring in the office is from the lack of respect the co-workers have for one another.There are several other possible underlying root causes of these employee-managerial altercations such as Thomas Green’s immense amount of confidence in himself, or Frank Davis’ approach on how to handle certain situations, however, the lack of respect for one another is the root cause of the inappropriate challenges to authority Green has expressed, and the ill-favored atmosphere Davis has created. Company's BackgroundDynamic Displays was founded in 1990 as a provider of self-service options to banks via Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). In 1994, Dynamic Displays launched a new division at the Travel and  Hospitality Industry, and developed their first self-service check-in kiosk for  Discover Airlines. These kiosks not only reduced costs but also improved  customer service, shortened passenger wait times, and provided valuable information to these travelers. But now due to web check-in facility  is kiosk is facing a danger of lacking behind. Introduction:This is a case about Thomas Green, a 28 year guy , who was recruited in Dynamic Displays as an account  executive got promoted to senior marketing specialist within few months was finding difficulty in adjusting with  immediate boss Frank Davis. The conflict between the two now had reached its limit affecting the enthusiasm of Thomas Green and can result  in termination of Green. This case throws light on role of politics, dynamics of the power and importance of  communication within an organization. 1. Define the Problem: Describe the type of case and what problem(s) or issue(s) should be the focus for your analysis.Problem: In the case of â€Å"Thomas Green: power, office politics, and a career in Crisis†, it describes the dilemma of Thomas Green who works in a company called Dynamic Display. Thomas was recruited as an account executive, and then five months later, he was promoted as a Senior Market Specialist directly by the President Shannon McDonald. Thomas’s boss Frank Davis hadn’t expected to ch oose Green as the new senior market specialist, and he was very dissatisfied with Green’s work style and performance three months after the promotion.After being informed that Frank Davis had emailed McDonald about his concerns about Green’s performance, Green was getting really worried about his situation and not sure how to explain his perspective to McDonald. I’m going to analyze the issue for Green and suggest solutions to solve the problem. Thomas Green has a serious problem at Dynamic Displays. After joining the company in March of 2007, Green spent 6 months dazzling his superiors with his salesmanship and ability to create a strong rapport with his clients.He was also able to create a rapport with Shannon McDonald, the division vice president and Mary Jacobs, the national sales director. Green was able to impress McDonald to the point that, when a senior market specialist position opened up, she promoted him to the position, while advising him, â€Å"Thi s new job will require you to think strategically as well as tactically†¦I am hoping you compensate for your lack of experience by seeking out guidance from some of our more seasoned managers. † The promotion of Thomas Green did not go unnoticed, of course.The position had been vacated by Frank Davis, who had been promoted to marketing director and now supervised the position. Davis had hoped to choose his replacement for the position and Green would not have been his choice. Be that as it may, both Green and Davis appeared ready to work together, with Davis stating, â€Å"We had some good meetings this week and the clients responded well to your ideas. However, I think we would have been more effective if we had been able to provide the clients with some market data. † Problem Statement:Thomas Green, a young account executive, was offered by Shannon McDonald the opportunity of a lifetime to quickly climb up the career ladder at Dynamic Displays, and become a senio r market specialist. However, this wasn’t kindly embraced by the person who was going to be his boss, Frank Davis, who was the one supposed to choose a person for that position. Several conflicts arose between them, mainly due to work style differences and failed expectations, and Green is facing a meeting with McDonald to give his point of view about the whole situation.Now the question is â€Å"What should Thomas Green do? †. He just started to look for a new place to live and was dealing with a long distance relationship, is it the best time to quit the job? Root Cause and Analysis Current scenario /Problem The main problem is that Davis and Green both believe that they have the power to perform their job better than the other. Lack of proactive action taken by McDonald as she never the mail regarding Green's  performance seriously. Davis want of maintaining the power  distance was also one of the problems. Highly individualistic nature of both Green and Davis. 2.List any outside concepts that can be applied: Write down any principles, frameworks or theories that can be applied to this case. One of the reasons one might think that all these conflict happened is because Davis was the one supposed to choose the person for the job Green was assigned to, and he wasn’t definitely going to pick him. He could be also somewhat resentful towards Green since he had worked all the way throughout his life to have a successful career and Green just â€Å"won† the career lottery. Hence, even if Green met with all his expectations and went above and beyond, he would have never been satisfied.A second theory was that Davis had a really hard time dealing with Green’s attempt to challenge his forecasts in front of an audience, since he didn’t have the experience or knowledge to question them and decided to make is life miserable from then on. A third hypothesis, and the most plausible one, is that Green just didn’t cope wi th Davis’s requirements and was not the professional he was supposed to be. A difference in work styles was certainly one of the main causes for this clash. While Green adopted a more â€Å"face to face†, informal and intuitive approach, Davis was much more organized and structured, and adopted an authoritative stance. . List relevant qualitative data: evidence related to or based on the quality or character of something. 4. List relevant quantitative data: evidence related to or based on the amount or number of something. 5. Describe the results of your analysis: What evidence have you accumulated that supports one interpretation over another. Respect is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as â€Å"esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as the manifestation of a personal quality or ability. The underlying root cause of the lack of synergy in Dynamic Display’s work place is the lac k of respect the employee has for his superior and vice versa. Thomas Green doesn’t respect Frank Davis’ leadership strategies and the amount of experience Davis has, while Davis doesn’t respect Thomas Green’s potential and his ability to correctly do his job effectively and efficiently. Frank Davis had his mind set on whom he wanted as the new senior market specialist and Thomas Green was not who he originally had in mind.This is displayed when Shannon McDonald informed Thomas Green about his new boss, â€Å" Tom, you are walking into a sticky situation with Frank Davis. Frank had expected to choose the new senior market specialist and it would not have been you. You’ll have to deal with any fallout that might result from that† (p. 3). Frank Davis had very high expectations in a little amount of time for Green to show the best of his abilities. 6. Describe alternative actions: List and prioritize possible recommendations or actions that com e out of your analysis.Possible Solutions / Recommendation McDonald can remove Green from the current position of Senior Market Specialist and put him at the new position where his Sales  skills can best utilized in interest of organization. McDonald can act as an intermediary between Davis and Green. She can separately talk to  both and try to convey the point of views of Green and Davis to each other in order to create win-win situation and aligning their individual goals with the organization goals. She can encourage Green to  ask Davis for managerial advice and try to convince Davis to help him.Green can be given adequate training so that he can understand the necessary managerial skills that are needed for the position he is in and he should also be educated about employing correct office politics. Davis should clearly lay down the organizational goals and rules and should use his position of power to influence Green to  abide by them. Green shouldn't change the job (to o much loan) and try to change his style of working and try to develop skills which he lacked  (pointed out by Davis and others) which not only helped him in his growth within the organization but  also will add to organization success 7.Describe your preferred action plan: Write a clear statement of what you would recommend including short, medium and long-term steps to be carried out. Learning's from the case This case portrays office politics and if not treated properly can create problems in an organization. This case gives insight how power  distance in an organization can cause problems. This case illustrates the importance of proper communication between the different members of organization. This case is also proves that point that if proactive action is not taken by leader  then it can result in bigger issues a.What is Thomas Green’a situation? The case describes the dilemma of a marketing manager, Thomas Green, who, after being rapidly promoted, is harshly c riticized by his boss, Frank Davis. Green and Davis disagree on work styles and market projections. Green believes the sales goals set by Davis are based on â€Å"creative accounting† and grossly overstate the current market environment. A mood of silent conflict develops quickly between the two men, and Green is concerned that Davis is building a case to fire him.Green's situation is one in which his failure to adapt his work style and fully understand the demands and boundaries of his new position may lead to his discharge. A factor in the background is Green's relationship with his boss's boss. Radical thoughts and style: Thomas Green is a young and dynamic graduate from University of Georgia in Bachelor's  degree  in Economics and has a six year work experience as account executive. He is relatively still not that experienced and he is very power hungry, which  probably caused him to use Shannon to further his goals rather than looking after the interest of the orga nization.Inability to blend in the organization and not listen to his immediate boss: Green was reluctant to listen to his boss, Davis and hence was unable to mould himself to the needs of  the organization. As a result, the boss got vexed with his lack of documented numbers and updating his scheduler properly. Inconspicuous  promotion  of Green: Green's (having less age than others plus only few months of job with the organization) promotion was not clear. Although Shannon took a chance in promoting Green, Davis might have asked for an experienced person to take the  position.Just because Green and Shannon were in the same college alumni and from the same state (Georgia), and the  fact that he cajoled her into promoting him. Lack of showing interest on feedback of a guy whom she hired: Though we see that Shannon  promoted Green, she was not concerned enough to carefully read through the performance review given by Davis and taking some proactive action. It can be assume d that if she would have taken enough interest in giving Green some important suggestions, about how to improve his work, things might have been different.Personal relationship is a source of conflict: The personal relationship between Shannon and Green is also cause of concern as it already caused Shannon to err in her judgment. There is very little visibility of Greens work in the organization which also accounts for his lack of alias in the organization and his low-influence. b. What are the different work styles, personalities and expectations of Davis and Green? What are the work styles and personalities of Thomas Green and Frank Davis? Thomas Green and Frank Davis have completely different work styles, and their personalities are also very contrasting.Thomas Green is an ambitious, bright and aggressive young man without any managerial experience. Green was unable to look at issues based on a structural and long-term view. Most of all he is interested in the end result of the p erformance, not in the detailed plan or a structure of the job. Although he is an excellent seller with strong hard skills, he has a poor strategic and tactical lore, ignoring office politics. Green is clearly annoyed by office politics and rather than taking the time to learn about the culture of the firm he chooses to ignore the cultural norms and values that existed.Thomas is too self-confident to ask for guidance from more matured colleagues that results in a complete failure of an effective work and establishing of friendly relations with his boss, Frank Davis. Frank Davis on a contrary is an excellent strategic player. Davis would rather to make memos and presentations for a meeting, while Green prefers to deliver his ideas directly to clients and talk face to face. Frank pays much attention to the office politics, strong efforts and enthusiasm of the employee.As he had just been promoted from the position of a senior market specialist he for sure was competent and experienced in the way the things should be done. He got used to a precise planning of an every detail, schedule and documentation. That depicts him as a highly organized person with perfect managerial skills. Thomas Green and Frank Davis use different working styles, and their personalities are also very different. When dealing with clients, Frank uses memos, proposals and also uses data to back up his proposals and give the client a better idea on what they are investing in.Thomas is more of a face to face to guy. He delivers is ideas to the clients and expect them to jump on board just by trusting his ideas. In the article Thomas is sketched to be very intelligent and talented and that causes him to be arrogant and overly confident. Frank Davis on the other hand was very concerned about the future of the company. He is portrayed as a visionary that believes in facts to achieve his goals. Even though they were so different in working styles and personality, both Frank and Thomas were trying to achieve the same goal but their methods were very different.How do the actions of TG differ from the expectations of F. D.? Generally TG work style does not align with FD strategy and procedures. For example; TG doesn’t keep Davis updated about his sales appointments. He doesn’t even listen to FD when he receives orders or other vital information. TG has an inappropriate work style for his new role. FD has optimistic Thomas Green ‘s evaluation of his job as senior market specialist did not meat the expectations of his boss. According to Frank as a senior market specialist, Thomas should think outside the box and develop strategies to capture aggressive growth target.After the first 2 month in the position, Thomas didn’t get a good review from is boss due to his actions. The first thing that affected Thomas performance was the fact that Frank could not locate him because he wasn’t keeping is Outlook Calendar updated. Frank wants to be informed on the progress of his specialist with the tasks that he assigned, and not being able to get in touch with Thomas wasn’t a good look. The second thing was the fact that he wasn’t keeping up with the specific tasks that were assigned to him by Frank. Frank Davis:His long career makes him feel better than Thomas Green: In the initial meeting (Green's first meeting), Green challenges his position on the growth rate forecasts for following year  calling them unrealistic and unattainable. Davis feels that Green is too inexperienced to  justify to him how he got to the 10% growth projection. Positional power also has influence in his actions: Frank Davis thinks that Green is not capable enough to handle the responsibilities nor is he experienced. Therefore he sends along negatively biased report against Green to Shannon in an effort to remove him and get some one more able.About Frank Davis: * Frank Davis is a 17-year veteran of Dynamic Displays. * He joined the company in 1990 as an account executive with the Financial Services Solutions Division. * He also held the position such as market specialist and senior market specialist with the Travel and Hospitality Division. * He is currently the marketing director of the Travel and Hospitality division. * Thomas Green’s immediate boss is Frank Davis, the marketing director. Davis had recently been promoted from position that Green assumed. Thomas Green:Radical thoughts and style: Thomas Green is a young and dynamic graduate from University of Georgia in Bachelor's  degree  in Economics and has a six year work experience as account executive. He is relatively still not that experienced and he is very power hungry, which  probably caused him to use Shannon to further his goals rather than looking after the interest of the organization. Inability to blend in the organization and not listen to his immediate boss: Green was reluctant to listen to his boss, Davis and hence was unable to mould hims elf to the needs of  the organization.As a result, the boss got vexed with his lack of documented numbers and updating his scheduler properly. Thomas green Case Study:- 1) Thomas Green was a high performing individual and could have been a very good leader, if he would have exhibited all the qualities of a true leader. Here is an analysis of Thomas’s leadership style based on Ancona leadership model. a. Inventing:- Thomas was very good on this quality of leadership. Soon after his promotion, when he met Davis, his boss, he was able to come with many new ideas and client responded very positively to these ideas. . Another example of Thomas being inventive:-one of the market specialists who accompanied Thomas to several meeting during the special software project said that Thomas is very creative and can quickly think of new ideas on his feet. b. Visioning:- One of the very important example of Thomas being a visionary was that he know what he wants in his career. He was able to see the position where he wants to be in his organization. And using his inventing capability he was able to make a way to that promotion i.Another example of Thomas’s visioning skill:- In-spite of positive indicators of the market stats (as per Davis) Thomas was able to see that market is actually not going in that direction. Thomas was more close to the consumers. After he stepped into this new role he met many clients, their account executives and market specialist. Based on his meetings he was able to predict that 10% growth, which Davis forecasted was not achievable. c. Sense making:- Thomas was good in this skill also. His ideas made sense to clients (clients responded well to his ideas).Also he was able to convince McDonald that he is a better fit for the new senior marketing specialist position. While in meeting he was able to invent new ideas for his clients which totally got the clients interested in his ideas. d. Relating: – This was something Thomas fel l behind on. McDonald informed him that he is walking into a tricky situation; still he was not able to relate this warning to Davis’s behavior. During Budgeting and forecasting meeting he openly challenged Davis’ forecasted growth of 10 %.He was not able to relate that Davis was doing this forecasting for past several years and Thomas is the young new guy, challenging Davis Openly will make Davis very upset. In addition he was not able to relate to McDonald either. After the promotion he did not follow up with McDonald to keep him posted of the dynamics going on between him and Davis. Further he was not able to relate to his clients. He was able to walk them through the benefits they will get based on his idea, however, he was not able to provide data supporting his ideas.Green was a high potential worker, if he has been more successful in relating to the people around him then he could have been very strong and influential leader. c. What is your analysis of Green's actions and job performance to date? What is your analysis of Thomas Green’s actions and job performance in his first five months? What mistakes has he made? Thomas Green doesn’t have much to show for after his first five months on the job. I feel Mr. Green was the most effective during the first few weeks after his promotion. He was able to accomplish a lot before the Budget Plan Meeting on October 8, 2008.One of Mr. Green’s biggest mistakes was publicly disagreeing with Mr. Davis’ sales growth projections. Mr. Green’s performance decreased drastically after this meeting. Mr. Green, in my opinion, spent the next several months complaining about the inflated sales goal, and trying to get others in Dynamic Displays to see his point of view. During Mr. Green’s second month performance evaluation, Mr. Green and Mr. Davis spoke about several things he had been doing wrong. Some of these problems were: not keeping an updated schedule, not followi ng up when information is requested, and a lack of enthusiasm.Because Mr. Green felt like he was being micromanaged he was very reluctant to do what Mr. Davis had suggested. Mr. Green did not heed his boss’s advice about using hard data and presentations. Mr. Green later received feedback from several of his sales associates that this hard data was going to be essential in closing the sales with many of the prospective clients. What actions, if any, would you recommend for Thomas Green to take? (Be sure to explain WHY these are the actions he should take. ) Mr. Green’s first plan of action should be to complete the self-evaluation of his performance that Ms.McDonald, Mr. Davis’ boss, asked him to complete. Mr. Green should use the points Mr. Davis suggested when completing the self-evaluation, because this is how upper management will be viewing him as well. Furthermore, I feel Mr. Green needs to listen to Mr. Davis more. Mr. Davis was in the same position he wa s just a few months Analysis: Although Green is willing to achieve a high selling growth for the company, he concentrated too much on achieving the goal instead of observing the surrounding situation.Moreover, Green did not have enough managerial experiences so he was not able to deal with issues based on a structural and long-term view; that's why he decided to avoid interactions with Davis instead of making improvements or rebuilding his relationship with Davis after Davis first criticized him. Their divergence in work style and personalities also contributed to the problem. For example, Davis prefers using memos or presentations when a meeting is set up, while Green would rather talk to his client directly or talk about things face to face.In addition, lack of communication further deteriorated the situation between Davis and Green. Despite Green’s relationship with Davis as a subordinate, they were less connected with each other for their job progress and they didnâ€℠¢t communicate well. Lastly, the most important thing we need is trust when working in a company or collaborating with other people. The environment in Dynamic Displays lacked trust. On the one hand, Davis required his subordinates to keep him informed of their progress and schedules.On the other hand, Green didn’t trust Davis’s evaluation and he suspected Davis had an intention to get rid of him. Analysis: One of the problems that has aroused was the inconspicuous promotion of Thomas Green. Shannon McDonald promoted Green due to the fact that they graduated from the same college and were both from the same state. They shared a similar background which gave more incentive to promote Green, although he lacked experience in the organization. Personal relationship between the two was a source of conflict, which altered Shannon’s judgment.Shannon also lacked interest of the Davis’s performance reviews. To avoid conflict, she should have provided Green with su ggestions on how to improve his work ethic. As described in the case, Thomas Green is a young graduate from the University of Georgia, with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a six year work experience as an account executive. Although Green has little experience, he aggressively seeks to advance his position in the organization, using Shannon to further his goals. Instead of pursuing the goals of the organization, he only looks out after his own personal gains.Another problem of Green’s was his inability to connect with the organization and refusal to follow Davis’s instructions. Due to Green’s reluctant behavior, Davis was faced with a lack of documented numbers and failure to update his schedule accordingly. Therefore, he was unable to reach the goals of the organization. Frank Davis’s problem is that he feels that he is much more experienced than Green due to his long career. Green challenges Davis’s position on the growth rate forecas ts for the following year, calling them unrealistic and unattainable. Davis feels that Green is too inexperienced for his justification.Some solutions that could have avoided the problem is that Shannon could have put Green in the new position, allowing him to fully utilize his sales skills in interest of the organization. Also, she could have individually spoken to Davis and Green creating a win-win situation for them and aligning their individual goals with the organization’s goals. Green should have received training so that he could understand the managerial skills needed for his position. d. What are the possible underlying agenda’s for Davis and McDonalds? Power, Office Politics, and Career in CrisisIn this essay I will attempt to answer why the actions of Thomas Green were so different than what his boss Frank Davis expected of him. I will also address the individual agendas of the two bosses and how each person wants to be treated. In identifying the power base s that were used by each person, I will go to French and Ravens personal bases of power to see how each could have used them more effectively, while also identifying if any of those powers were abused. An old Yugoslavian Proverb states, â€Å"If you wish to know what a man is, place him in authority! †Ã‚   Actions Differ from ExpectationsFrom the information given Thomas Greens promotion given by Shannon McDonald was one that put him in a very difficult situation from the beginning. His new boss, Frank Davis, was promoted out of the very position that Green just assumed and Davis had not wanted to promote Green to this position in the first place. Then Thomas spent most all of his time during that first week reviewing the old sales reviews, after which during the following week, Frank Davis gave Tom a whirl wind review and tour of all the major airline clients he had contact with for the company.After which Frank told Tom that their meetings had gone good and the clients real ly liked his ideas. At which point Frank said, â€Å"I think we would have been more effective if we had been able to provide the clients with some market data. † (Sasser ; Beckham, 2008) Frank even gave Tom some very specific things he needed to do like; spending a lot of time preparing to meet the clients and have proposals with supporting details that can be given to the clients. He also tasked him with developing the Market Strategy for his assigned area of responsibility.The back ground of Tom was that he is a guy that is able to keep it all in his head and this makes a great salesman, but his new position is one that requires him to have the documentation to back up what he is e. What should Thomas Green do? In the case of Thomas Green, the best possible solution would be to set up a meeting with McDonald. As the company Vice President, it would be best for Green to speak directly to the head of the department, especially since it was McDonald herself who granted Greenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s promotion.In this meeting, it would also help for Green to request Frank Davis’ presence, so that there are no hidden or mixed messages among the two employees. Judging from the three’s characters, it is easy to see why their current problem occurred. As vice president, McDonald became too trusting with Green’s abilities despite only having minimal experience in the position he sought for. As an aspiring corporate leader, Green was all too confident in his ideas and determination to see any mistakes in his actions. Finally, as the marketing director (not to mention, the previous holder of Green’s current position) Davis’ was more ager to doubt Green rather than to trust him. Collectively, each person made it difficult to have teamwork, and a sense of unity as a company. While Green recognizes the different options he has, nothing will benefit him more than choosing to discuss his performance with his superiors. In doing this, not only will he be able to plead his case, but a personal and physical discussion of the problem would avoid the possibility of having his reasons misunderstood, something an impersonal note or email would do. One of the contributing problems to their current situation is that Frank Davis has all but faith in his newly promoted subordinate.In telling Green to keep quiet of his forecasts being overstated, not only is Davis misusing his power as a superior, but he is also being close-minded. When superiors are reluctant in having their decisions challenged, subordinates are less encouraged to throw out ideas and suggestions. This is a reason why keeping quiet is not the best option for Green. Although it may not be written that it is his responsibility to question his boss, just because Davis is Green’s superior does not mean his forecasts are always accurate.

The Vital Roles Of Mergers And Acquisitions Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1461 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? In the world of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions play a vital role. The pace of mergers and acquisitions picked up in the early 2000s after a short hiatus in 2001. The economic shutdown and recession in the United States and elsewhere in 2001 brought an end to the record-setting fifth merger wave (Gaughan, 2007, p.3). Often, it so happens that merger and acquisition are terms that are normally confused. Sherman et al (2006, p.11) differentiates between the two terms as, Merger is the combination of two or more companies in which the assets and liabilities of the selling firms are absorbed by the buying firm and acquisition is the purchase of an asset such as a plant, a division, or even an entire company. In the broader context this differentiation is not of much concern as the final outcome is regularly alike. It is often said that any company is ready to spend thrice the money for an acquisition and these include first and foremost for the acquisition itself and then comes for the cost involved in carrying out the required changes in order to understand the benefits of acquisition and finally the loss that they have to bare due to selling of the acquisition (White, 1999). Some of the examples for this include the case of the NatWest Bank and the Barclays Bank in the earlier years. Even though the need by the finance companies for acquisitions remains the same, when it comes to the markets point of view merger stands upfront in this century. Since there has been tremendous development in the field of technology there has been progress in the direction of financial globalisation. Due to this rapid advancement in technology and other fields, the firms wouldve been capable of managing these developments well in case they were greater. This has put forward a situation were very few financial firms have gained collaborators which has made them larger. This situation is coined as the convergence theory of mergers and acquisitions (Galp in et al, 2007). White (1999) argues in support of this theory in a way that it provides immediate answer to the problem of growth. This leaves us with several questions that are unanswered. One would be to know if mergers are predictable. There has to be a purpose behind every merger. To survive and to thrive are the main purposes behind the merger of any service industry. In terms of event industry the term survival refers to the industry being taken to a global level. In the present century almost all event sectors are national with regard to satisfying the needs of the customer. But in the current event scenario it is very important for the business to go global. This leads to the fact that a consideration of global mergers is a must. If at all an event company wants to be successful at a global level then they must have a global reach. Global mergers need to push their merged entities high in the world rankings if they are to be taken seriously (White, 1999). When a event compa ny enters into global merger then they must be in a position to provide he expected services to the customers without any hassle. If at all after the merger they wont be able to meet the needs of the customers to the fullest, in that case trying and matching up with the global contender (what they offer) is a must. At times some event companies merge just as a part of their strategy whereas some others for being successful from a global perspective. This is where thrive comes into picture. A event company will; be successful only when its able to add value. White (1999) states two ways of adding value 1. Reducing inefficiencies and therefore costs and 2. making services more valuable to customers. By adding value a firm will be able to stand out and come up with something new that has never been a part of any other firm before. It is also important to consider the failure and success of mergers. Some of the factors that trigger the merger of two firms include: the work culture, nati onal identity. This in turn will result in the loss of some of the important key players and will also result in low self-confidence. Another problem that a event sector faces is the consumer relationships. Appropriate planning is required before any merger takes place. There are certain evidences of firms walking up the ladder of success when theyve had a long term planned merger. But there are also proofs of a firm being successful with a short term planned merger. The next step to be considered is the time. It is vital to look out for the right time to merge depending on the market value. The CEO of Fast Future, Rohit Talwar states that, Big events for 2010 which were cancelled during the downturn may not be replaced and hesitant customers could continue to exert a downward pressure on price. We will see a wave of closures, mergers and acquisitions across the value chain as the industry landscape starts a shakeout. In the current situation of global crisis it is quite evident for any event firm to look into M A. But they are cautious as well as they are outgrowing out of recession. In the past few years there has been a rise in the graph of acquisitions, which has provided the event industry with a chance to go international and increase their market share. White (1999) argues that mergers are not predictable and splits them into two: dumb merger and the smart merger. Whereas Gaughan (2007) splits merger into three types: horizontal, vertical and conglomerate mergers. Reasons for mergers and acquisitions: The reason for a firm to involve in mergers and acquisitions are numerous. A major drive towards this is the expansion of their firm. When a firm acquires another business it might be for several causes like trying to deviate to another line of business. Another major drive towards M A is the financial factor (Gaughan, 2007). Some other reasons could be as stated :improve capacity utilization, enhance coverage of sales force, reduce managerial staff , gain economics of scale, smooth out seasonal sales trends, gain access to new suppliers or distributors, gain new technology, reduce tax obligations (David, 2006, p.). LBO and corporate raids: Corporate Raids is one way of going about M A and the other way of doing this is by leveraged buyouts. In the second options- the company takes a loan to take the ownership of a company. This is high risk for if the bought out company does not cover the costs required in acquiring it- then the owners reputation will be dented for the company depreciates in value. Corporate raids on the other hand are the antagonistic takeover in which a firm looks out for a leveraged buyout and any firm that comes across as acquisition is taken over, while some of the firms possessions are higher than their own(Horne et al, 2008). This is not advisable when the prices of stock being high. It happens with no approval from the firm that has been taken control of. The buyers usually make a bid for the sha res, if the company if the stock of company is available on the market. So the wise thing to do would be to acquire the stock when the prices are low. So that when acquired the prices can soar and the buyers can close a profitable takeover. So in the present scenario, we dont see too many full-out company takeovers. With the credit crunch buyers would be cautious and would not risk buying out a whole company. Hence, in recent times we dont see to many full company takeovers. We have seen other variations in this to minimize risk for the acquirers. So our times have invented and even glorified exit strategy acquisitions, where only a profitable arm of the desired company is acquired. This makes more sense in our times for a whole take-over is not beneficial for the company that seeks to own a new entity. Financial synergy refers to the impact of a corporate merger or acquisition on the costs of capital to the acquiring firm or the merging partners (Gaughan, 2007, p.133). Benefits of merger and acquisition: Merger and acquisitions is one of the best ways of expanding any business: Obtaining quality staff or additional skills, knowledge of your industry or sector and other business intelligence. Accessing funds or valuable assets for new development. Your business underperforming. Accessing a wider customer base and increasing your market share. Diversification of the products, services and long-term prospects of your business. Reducing your costs and overheads Reducing competition Organic growth, i.e. the existing business plan for growth, needs to be accelerated (Business link, 2010). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Vital Roles Of Mergers And Acquisitions Finance Essay" essay for you Create order

Americas Faith Community American Culture - 1459 Words

WHY: For most of the 20th Century, America’s Faith Community enjoyed the luxury of reposeful sanctuary within their Houses of Worship. Such places were considered â€Å"off limits† for acts of crime and mayhem by most Americans. Reality often mirrored this anticipation. Even the criminal element looked with great disdain upon those victimizing churches and synagogues. However, immunity to the problems slowly began to deteriorate. The lawless began to view holy and sacred locations as merely wealthy soft targets overseen by the forgiving and the naive. The general respect that was once accustomed from American culture started to erode as well; only exasperating the situation. By 2001, the reality that world level terrorism could also†¦show more content†¦Those who have dared to consider the realities of today’s violent and dangerous world often find themselves with few resources from which to draw from. The usual source prevailed upon by churches is local Law Enforcement, who generously offer suggestions and ideas. Nevertheless, such assistance – however valuable – is usually generic and not necessarily location specific. The resources to offer specific and continuing advice and suggestions are usually not within an Enforcement Agency’s ability to deliver. APPLICATION TO SPRING LAKE CHURCH: Spring Lake Church (SLC) is no exception to these circumstances. There are few, if any, safety policies, security procedures, or other such plans. By default, SLC, like many faith-based (and in reality, secular based) organizations rely mostly on the hope that past history will be the indicator of the future events. This void in safety and security measures can affect church attendees, but staff are potentially more vulnerable due to the amount of regularly scheduled time spend on campus. Creation of specific plans, policies and procedures covering safety and security matters at SLC as a whole are not yet a reality. They certainly are a realistic probability in the near future; and should be. In the meantime, several topics and issues independent of such elements are available for sharing with SLC staff