Pacific Rim Countries and Economic Tigers

Many of the countries surrounding the Pacific Ocean have helped to create an economic miracle that has become known as the Pacific Rim. In 1944 the geographer N.J. Spykman published a theory about the rim of Eurasia. He proposed that the control of the rimland, as he called it, would effectively allow control of the world. Now, more than fifty years later we can see that part of his theory holds true since the power of the Pacific Rim is quite extensive. The Pacific Rim includes countries bordering the Pacific Ocean from North and South America to Asia to Oceania. Most of these countries have experienced major economic change and growth to become components of an economically integrated trade region. Raw material and finished goods are shipped between Pacific Rim states for manufacture, packaging, and sale. The Pacific Rim continues to gain strength in the global economy. From the colonization of the Americas to just a few years ago, the Atlantic Ocean had been the leading ocean for the shipment of goods and material. Since the early 1990s, the value of goods crossing the Pacific Ocean has been greater than the value of goods crossing the Atlantic. Los Angeles is the American leader in the Pacific Rim as its the source for the most trans-Pacific flights and ocean-based shipments. Additionally, the value of United States imports from Pacific Rim countries is greater than the imports from NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) member in Europe. Economic Tigers Four of the Pacific Rim territories have been called Economic Tigers due to their aggressive economies. They have included South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Since Hong Kong has been absorbed as the Chinese territory of Xianggang, it is likely that its status as a tiger will change. The four Economic Tigers have even challenged Japans dominance of the Asian economy. South Koreas prosperity and industrial development are related to their production of items from electronics and clothing to automobiles. The country is about three times larger than Taiwan and has been losing its historical agricultural base to industries. South Koreans are quite busy; their average workweek is about 50 hours, one of the worlds longest. Taiwan, which is not recognized by the United Nations, is a tiger with its major industries and entrepreneurial initiative. China claims the island and the mainland and island are technically at war. If the future includes a merger, hopefully, it will be a peaceful one. The island is about 14,000 square miles and has a focus on its north coast, centered on the capital city of Taipei. Their economy is the twentieth largest in the world. Singapore started its road to success as an entrepot, or free port for transshipment of goods, for the Malay Peninsula. The island city-state became independent in 1965. With tight governmental control and an excellent location, Singapore has effectively utilized its limited land area (240 square miles) to become a world leader in industrialization. Hong Kong became part of China on July 1, 1997, after being the territory of the United Kingdom for 99 years. The celebration of the merger of one of the worlds outstanding examples of capitalism with a major communist nation was watched by the entire world. Since the transition, Hong Kong, which had one of the highest GNPs per capita in the world, continues to maintain their official languages of English and the Cantonese dialect. The dollar continues to be in use but it no longer bears the portrait of Queen Elizabeth. A provisional legislature has been installed in Hong Kong and they have imposed limits on opposition activities and have reduced the proportion of the population eligible to vote. Hopefully, additional change wont be too significant for the people. China is attempting to foray into the Pacific Rim with Special Economic Zones and Open Coastal Areas which have special incentives for international investors. These areas are scattered along Chinas coast and now Hong Kong is one of these zones which also includes Chinas largest city, Shanghai. APEC The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) organization is composed of 18 Pacific Rim countries. They are responsible for the production of about 80% of the worlds computer and high tech components. The countries of the organization, which has a small administrative headquarters,  include Brunei,  Canada,  Chile,  China,  Indonesia,  Japan, Malaysia,  Mexico,  New Zealand, Papua New Guinea,  Philippines, Singapore,  South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the  United States. APEC was formed in 1989 to promote free trade and economic integration of the member nations. The heads of state of the member nations met in 1993 and in 1996 while trade officials have annual meetings. From Chile to Canada and Korea to Australia, the Pacific Rim is definitely a region to watch as barriers between the countries are loosened and population grows not only in Asia but also along the Pacific coast of the Americas. The interdependency is likely to increase but can all of the countries win?

The Globalization of Culture Cultural Homogenization

Cultural individuality and distinctiveness is the pride of every nation. All communities rejoice in the richness and exoticness of their own cultural symbols, be it dressing, architecture, language or way-of-life. With the dawn of globalization, however, cultural variety and distinguishing characteristics are vanishing; giving rise to a monoculture common to all. While this may be a harbinger of unity and relatedness among all people of the world, it also damages the unique cultural identities they once took pride in. This paper discusses the effects of globalization on culture, along with its positive and negative effects. Since the effects of globalization on culture are non-exhaustive, it is attempted to incorporate a few of the most†¦show more content†¦Even now, most nations have adopted westernization as a means of remaining on the global circuit. As Suzuki points out in his study on Japan and China, Japan has tried to conform to the so called â€Å"standard of civili zation† so that it can be accepted in the western international society, whereas China has only selectively adopted some western elements to gain strength for the protection of its own culture against western impact (as cited in Buzan, 2010, p. 8). B. Syncretist Model In contrast to the one-way cultural exchange proposed by the Vanguardist model, the Syncretist model holds that cultural exchanges occur among all civilizations, because of which, cultures not only evolve internally, but also as a result of â€Å"encounters† with other cultures (Buzan, 2010, p. 10). For instance, Islam spread from the Middle East to Asia and Africa and Buddhism spread from India to East Asia. Moreover, as implied by Hobson, Europe imbibed the â€Å"technologies and commercial innovations† from China, Arabia and India, referred to as â€Å"oriental globalization† by Hobson (as cited in Buzan, 2010, p. 13). III. Effects of Globalization on Culture As is evident from the preceding discussion, globalization has greatly affected the culture of all nations worldwide. Some of these are discussed below: A. Effect on Habits Globalization has affected people’s habits in a multitude of ways. Be it eating, networking or entertainment. The same snacks and junk food are sharedShow MoreRelatedGlobalization : Positive And Negative Effects On Todays Society1582 Words   |  7 Pagesincreasingly growing at an all-time high and cultures are changing because of these changes, this has led to the world being more globalized. Globalization is the process of interaction amongst people, businesses, governments of different countries and nations, and is driven and or influenced by international trade and international business. Technology has been one of the largest contributing factors to the reason why the world is becoming more globalized. Globalization has both positive and negative effectsRead MoreGlobalization and Cultural Homogenization Essay1497 Words   |  6 PagesThe rapid development of economic globalization and cultural globalization enhances cultural transaction between different countries. E ven though in this process culture between different countries still has its own characteristic on the whole, the cultural homogenization has been presented in social life, especially in the media industry. This essay will discuss the definition of globalization and cultural homogenization, and the popularity of Hollywood movies in China, the phenomenon of convergenceRead MoreGlobalization and Education1373 Words   |  6 PagesScientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s Bureau of Strategic Planning (2004) reported that globalization has not only contributed to the greater exchanges of ideas and awareness of the uniqueness of individual cultures and societies, but has highlighted the fundamental differences that result from these unique characteristics. There are many advantages for societies and cultures as they become increasingly interconnected (Heimonen, 2012) through the process of globalization. InterconnectednessRead MoreGlobalization : A Positive Light926 Words   |  4 Pagesgrowing worries that globalization makes people lose their character. However, globalization`s dominance can be viewed in a positive light. This essay will explain why globalization will not put people in danger of becoming the same. It will then discuss that globalization helps different nations keep their traditional culture and stimulates economic growth in developing countries. Globalization shall be beneficial to every culture because people could show their cultural individuality and enjoyRead MoreThe Media And Its Effects On The Global World1550 Words   |  7 Pagesglobalized society, commodities, ideologies, and hegemonic forces are constantly transferred from a dominating power onto other cultures with lesser global influence. The Disney media conglomerate yields an unprecedented amount of control over the means of media consumption on a global scale. As Souad Belkyr proposes in â€Å"Disney animation: Global diffusion and local appropriation of culture,† â€Å"Disney products function as an apparatus that potentially prescribe consumerist ideologies and individualistic ethicsRead MoreUnderstanding the Convergence of Media Systems and Political Communication in the U.S. and Western Europe1054 Words   |  5 Pagesacross the world. In their products, in their professional practices and cultures, in their systems of relationships with other political and social institutions, media systems across the world are becoming increasingly alike. Political systems, meanwile, are becoming increasingly similar in the patterns of communication they incorporate. We will explore this trend toward global homogenization of media systems and the public sphere, focusing particularly on the relations Read MoreGlobalization And The Threat Of Cultural Imperialism1133 Words   |  5 PagesGlobalization has produced a new level of interconnectedness among us, for it is an interconnectedness that not only compels diversification, but also provides a shared experience into the worldview of the accompanying culture. While the power of globalization would be advantageous in stimulating sustainable economic growth; that same power produces an evolving set of consequences – some good and some bad. In order to understand the effects of globalization and the threat of cultural imperialismRead MoreGlobalisation Leads to the Homogenization of Cultures Essay1122 Words   |  5 Pagesdevelopment of economic globalization. As there is an inseparable relationship between economy and culture, the more the trend of economic globalization accelerates, the faster the trend of various culture globalization blends (Seitz, 1995, p. 27). Collisions between various cultures may have different consequences. Some scholars think that the long-term results of culture clash might lead to homogenization of cultures, which means people become the same as the dominant culture, such as sharing theRead MoreThe Cartoonist : A Cartoon From Gibbleguts.com1402 Words   |  6 Pagespeople who protest globalization. In the cartoon, a man is standing and holding a sign that declares, â€Å"STOP GLOBALIZATION NOW!† This man has arrows and words around him indicating where his material possessions were made; his glasses from Singapore, his shirt in China, his shoes in Indonesia, and so on. In addition to being dressed in an outfit that does not look like something that would be worn on a regular basis, the man is also being mocked for the stance he takes on globalization. He protests theRead MoreGlobalization And Its Impact On Society1274 Words   |  6 Pagespeople alike, yet globalization is a vastly broad and unfamiliar concept to a majority of people. Personally, before enrolling in this class, I thought I knew what the general idea of globalization was, as rudimentary and elementary as my knowledge of the topic had been. However, after only exposing myself to a minuscule amount of cultural literature throughout the course of this class thus far, I have greatly expanded my understanding of what the true meaning of globalization is: a process that

Indication of Organizational Behavior

Question: Discuss that what organizational behavior indicates? Answer: Introduction: Organizational behavior indicates the interface between the organization and human behavior. Organizations are the social systems, and it is a combination of technology and humanity. Organizational behavior audit suggests business settings that facilitate the organization to achieve goals and objectives of the company. However, some of the business analysts have suggested that organizational behavior indicates a human tool for human benefits. In the modern age, a complex set of forces affects the nature of the organization in a particular method. Altman, Valenzi and Hodgetts (2013) have indicated that the organizational behaviors have four major areas including people, structure, technology, and the environment. Organization utilizes enhanced workforces for achieving the goals and objectives of the business. However, the organization follows a particular structure for accomplishing the objectives. Technological advancement facilitates organization to achieve the particular aims of th e business (Avolio and Yammarino 2013). Moreover, the external environment influences organizational behavior in an effective manner. Organizational behavior audit facilitates the business to uphold an enhanced work design at the workplace. Most of the time, organizational culture is responsible for the brand enhancement in the global platform. It can be assessed that the organizational behavior audit needs executed for experiencing the profitable outcome of the business. Organizational behavior has numerous beneficial aspects as it delivers job satisfaction to employees and facilitates to develop work-related behavior at the workplace. In this context, as an organizational behavior analyst, I will audit the organizational behavior of a company. Moreover, I will analyze the different parts of the organization for executing the organizational behavior audit in an effective manner. The researcher has also evaluated several factors influencing organizational behavior audit. With the involvement of the organization behavior audit, the firm will be able to enhance their workability that enables them in increasing the business opportunity in the global market. Discussion: Baldwin, Bommer and Rubin (2012) have discussed that Organization behavior is one of the major aspects for experiencing healthy business growth in the global platform. Organizational behavior audit needs to be conducted in the organization for maintaining a particular workflow design at the workplace. It facilitates the company to enhance the productivity of the business in an effective manner. On the other hand, Bolino et al. (2013) have identified that different organizational culture differentiates the business effectiveness of the organization. Through the engagement of conducting the organizational behavior, the company can understand the ultimate goal of the business. Borkowski (2015) has argued that organizational behavior can be contrasted with two components of the business including the human resource management and strategic management. The organizational behavior study facilitates the company to learn about the job performance. On the other hand, the human resource manage ment study highlights the enhanced training program, structure for promoting employee learning. DuBrin (2013) has suggested that strategic management indicates the industry characteristics and products choice, which affects the business profitability. Greenberg (2013) has argued that by conducting the organizational behavior audit, the particular company can understand the process of executing the business in an effective manner. Moreover, the organization behavior indicates the systematic study of the nature of the organization. Hogg and Terry (2014) have discussed that organizational behavior audit facilitates in understanding and predicting the control of human behavior in the organization. On the contrary, Jafari and Bidarian (2012) have argued that OB facilitates to investigate the impact of the groups, individuals and the structure of the organization. Organization behavior audit provides the adequate opportunity to the higher management of the company to understand the key development area in the organization. With the engagement of OB practice, the organization can achieve several beneficial aspects. OB delivers the job satisfaction of employees in the organization. Consequently, employees can develop their work-related be havior in the organization. On the contrary, March (2013) has argued that organizational behavior facilities in motivating climate in the organization. Moreover, the organization behavior contributes in building cordial industry relation. Industry relation is one of the major factors for the business enhancement. With the involvement of the effective business relation, an organization can obtain numerous business opportunities in the global market (March 2013). In recent days, it has been seen, most of the organization focuses on collaborating business with others based on effective industry relation. Miao et al. (2013) have argued that the organizational behavior audit often focuses on the human resource management. OB facilitates the organization to augment its human resource management in an effective manner. Human resource management indicates the most important part of the business, as it contributes company to maintain a certain workflow design at the workplace. Miner (2015) has argued that the organizational behavior is responsible for the enhancement of the productivity in the business. Through the engagement of the effective organizational behavior, the company can obtain a profitable outcome in the business. The organizational behavior audit facilitates the company to understand these major factors that play an important role in business augmentation on the global platform. Moore et al. (2012) have discussed that the organizational behavior not only provides high productivity but also contributes to enhancing the business effectiveness, efficiency, and the organizational citizenship. With the involvement of the organizational behavior audit, the organization can identify the key area for development. Moreover, it works effectively in diminishing the dysfunctional behavior at the workplace. These dysfunctional behaviors including absenteeism, employee retention, dissatisfaction, and tardiness affect the business, and it creates challenges for the organization to uphold a systematic workflow design at the workplace (Morgeson et al...2013). Organizational behavior audit facilitates in identifying the weakness in the business culture. With the development of the organizational behavior, employees can obtain several beneficial aspects including self-development, personality development, human values development, managing stress and achieving mental hygiene. On the other hand, Nahavandi et al. (2013) have discussed that the organizational behavior also contributes to create learning individual and learning organization. Moreover, employees can understand the creative utilization of the emotions along with managing creativity and emotion. Nelson and Quick (2012) have argued that the most beneficial aspect of conducting organizational behavior audit is that the employees obtain adequate motivation for executing the work in an effective manner. With the involvement of the organizational behavioral approach, the particular organization enhances the business opportunity in the global platform (Ostroff and Judge 2012). Consequently, it facilitates the organization to experience the profitable outcome from the business. By analyzing the outcome of the organizational behavior audit, it can be assessed that the organization enhances its workforce ability by employing effective OB in the business (Pinder 2014). In a recent business report, it has been published that employees obtain job satisfaction in the company due to effective behavioral approaches of the organization. With the involvement of the OB in the business, employees can get the opportunity to communicate effectively with the higher management of the business. Effective communication is one of the major components for obtaining healthy business growth in the global platform. Shafritz, Ott and Jang (2015) have argued that organizational behavior has major outcome including job performance and organizational commitment. Most of the employees have two main motives at the workplace such as perform the job properly and stay in the organization for a longer period. Likewise, most managers have two goals such as maximize the job performance of th e employees and retaining good performer in the organization (Van Dijke et al. 2012). Hence, the organizational behavior facilitates the employees and higher management of the company to understand their individual role in the business. On the other hand, Wagner and Hollenbeck (2014) have argued that the organizational behavior Audit is responsible for providing brief knowledge on the business mechanisms. The integrated model of the organizational behavior indicates that the organizational commitment facilitates employees to contribute enhanced performance in the business. Ostroff and Judge (2012) have argued that an effective business mechanism can be maintained in the organization through the implementation of organizational commitment. Hence, it can be assessed that organizational behavior audit is one of the important aspects of business enhancement in the global platform (Wagner and Hollenbeck 2014). Moreover, the effective OB audit facilitates organization to understand its bu siness mechanism in an effective manner. Altman, Valenzi and Hodgetts (2013) have discussed different areas of the organizational behavior. Organizational structure is one of the major areas of the organizational behavior. Different organizational structures differentiate the culture of the business. Most of the organization follows the hierarchy organizational structure for executing the business in an effective manner. With the involvement of such organizational structure, the organization can segregate works in the different department of the business. In this context, the organizational behavior audit must examine the organizational structure for identifying the flaws lies within the business. Baldwin, Bommer and Rubin (2012) have discussed that the complex organizational structure creates difficulties of the employees and higher management to execute their job role in an appropriate manner. Hierarchy organizational structure facilitates the organization to uphold a particular workflow design at the workplace. Bolino et al. (2013) have suggested that organizational behavior audit must investigate the different approaches of organizational behavior including inter-disciplinary approach, human resources or supportive approach, contingency approach, system approach and productivity approach. Among these approaches, human resource or supportive approach is an important aspect of the organizational behavior audit (Borkowski 2015). With the involvement of the effective human resource management, the organization can enhance their workforce in an efficient way. Human resource management plays two major roles including motivating employees for delivering enhanced performance and manages the employee retention policy. In recent years, most organizations have been focusing on the improvement of human resource management, as it is the major aspects of the business enhancement in the global platform (DuBrin 2013). On the other hand, a major area of the organizational behavior depends on the human reso urce management. Without having the proper human resource management system, organizations are unable to obtain success in the business. On the contrary, Hogg and Terry (2014) have argued that not only human resource management holds the high attention in organizational behavior audit but also the productivity approach needs to be investigated for obtaining profitable outcome of the business. Greenberg (2013) has discussed that the traditional concept of the productivity was concerned with the economic input and output only. However, in the modern age of business, human and social input and output are equally important for the enhancement of the productivity. Organizational behavior audit needs to investigate the business process management for identifying the key development areas. With the involvement of the effective organizational system, the company can enhance its productivity in an efficient manner. Jafari and Bidarian (2012) have discussed the system approach of the organiza tional behavior, as it plays an important role in upholding a working design at the workplace. There are so many variables in the system that is inter-related and interdependent. The organization must evaluate the impact of the particular system before implementing in the business. March (2013) has described the organization as a social system, and the management needs to understand the importance of social involvement of the business. The organization behavior audit must investigate the communication process in the business. However, organizational communication majorly depends on different leadership trait. In the participative leadership trait, the employees and staffs can easily communicate with the higher management of the company (Miao et al. 2013). Consequently, it enhances the business opportunity in an efficient way. It can be assessed that organizational behavior audit needs to execute in different areas of the organization including business communication, human resource management, organizational system and productivity. Organization behavior audit needs to focus on some factors of the each area of the business. For example, the organizational behavior audit focuses on the human resource management of the business. Hence, the external factors of the human resource management need to be investigated for obtaining enhanced business culture. Moore et al. (2012) have discussed the external factors affecting the human resource management. These factors are government regulations, economic conditions, technological advancement, and workforce demographics. The poor economic condition of the organization could create difficulties for the human resource management in executing the work process in an efficient way. Government legislation is another major factor that affects the HRM. Hence, these factors of human resource management need to be analyzed properly for experiencing the healthy business growth in the global platform. Miner (2015) has discussed that Organizational communication is another area that should be investigated in the organizational behavior audit. Several factors of the organizational communication need to be highlighted. Indirect communication often creates challenges for the employees to transmit a particular message or information to the higher management. Consequently, it affects the business growth. Moreover, in the difficult business situation, the employee could not be able to transmit valuable information due to the indirect communication process in the organization. Another factor of the organizational communication is that the different attitude towards hierarchy and authority of the business (Morgeson et al..2013). Different hierarchy structure includes different types of communication system. Straight hierarchy organizational structure allows employees to transmit business information to the higher-level management. However, the complex organizational hierarchy creates chall enges for employees and staffs to communicate with the management regarding their individual work issues. Nahavandi et al. (2013) have argued that conflicting norms for decision-making indicate another major challenge of organizational communication. In the modern age, organizations consider several aspects of the business for conducting the decision-making approaches. Sometimes, conflicting norms in decision-making process affect the business badly as the management is unable to consider a particular decision in the difficult situation. Nelson and Quick (2012) have indicated that some factors of organizational productivity need to be analyzed for enhancing the growth of the business in an efficient way. Organizations face several challenges in enhancing the productivity of the business. Resource accumulation is a major factor affecting the productivity of the business. Ostroff and Judge (2012) have discussed that without accumulating adequate business resources, the organization wo uld not be able to experience the profitable outcome. Business resources include workforces, organizations capital, enhanced organizational culture, and improved technology, etc. (Pinder 2014). In recent years, most organizations are struggling with the workforce management in the business. Consequently, it affects the productivity of the organization. Hence, it can be assessed that the organization behavior audit must consider these factors of different businesss areas. By investigating these factors of particular areas of organizational behavior, the company will be able to enhance the business opportunity in the global platform. Moreover, these factors influence the organization behavior in the firm. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the organization behavior audit plays an important role in identifying the business mechanism of the company. With the involvement of the organization behavior audit, company enhances its workflow design in an effective manner. In this context, being an organizational behavior analyst, I have provided a detailed discussion on the organization behavior audit and its importance in the business. The new CEO of the local company may able to understand the key area for development in the business. The rationales for conducting the organizational behavior audit have been provided in a detailed manner. Moreover, the different areas of the organization including human resource management, organization communication, productivity and business structure have been highlighted in the particular study. The researcher provides different factors of each area of the business. Through the engagement of the organizational behavior study, an organization can understand the valu e of each part of the business. In this context, the new organization must focus on their human resource management for obtaining the profitable outcome of the business. On the other hand, the organization must review their organizational structure for experiencing the profitable outcome of the business. References: Altman, S., Valenzi, E. and Hodgetts, R.M., 2013.Organizational behavior: Theory and practice. Elsevier. Avolio, B.J. and Yammarino, F.J. eds., 2013.Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead. Emerald Group Publishing. Baldwin, T.T., Bommer, W.H. and Rubin, R.S., 2012. Managing organizational behavior: What great managers know and do. Bolino, M.C., Klotz, A.C., Turnley, W.H. and Harvey, J., 2013. Exploring the dark side of organizational citizenship behavior.Journal of Organizational Behavior,34(4), pp.542-559. Borkowski, N., 2015.Organizational behavior, theory, and design in health care. Jones Bartlett Publishers. DuBrin, A.J., 2013.Fundamentals of organizational behavior: An applied perspective. Elsevier. Fisher, C.D. and To, M.L., 2012. Using experience sampling methodology in organizational behavior.Journal of Organizational Behavior,33(7), pp.865-877. Greenberg, J. ed., 2013.Organizational behavior: The state of the science. Routledge. Hogg, M.A. and Terry, D.J. eds., 2014.Social identity processes in organizational contexts. Psychology Press. Jafari, P. and Bidarian, S., 2012. The relationship between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,47, pp.1815-1820. March, J.G., 2013.Handbook of Organizations (RLE: Organizations)(Vol. 20). Routledge. Miao, Q., Newman, A., Yu, J. and Xu, L., 2013. The relationship between ethical leadership and unethical pro-organizational behavior: Linear or curvilinear effects?.Journal of business ethics,116(3), pp.641-653. Miner, J.B., 2015.Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge. Moore, C., Detert, J.R., Klebe Trevio, L., Baker, V.L. and Mayer, D.M., 2012. Why employees do bad things: Moral disengagement and unethical organizational behavior.Personnel Psychology,65(1), pp.1-48. Morgeson, F.P., Aguinis, H., Waldman, D.A. and Siegel, D.S., 2013. Extending corporate social responsibility research to the human resource management and organizational behavior domains: A look to the future.Personnel Psychology,66(4), pp.805-824. Nahavandi, A., Denhardt, R.B., Denhardt, J.V. and Aristigueta, M.P., 2013.Organizational behavior. SAGE Publications. Nelson, D. and Quick, J., 2012.Organizational behavior: Science, the real world, and you. Cengage Learning. Ostroff, C. and Judge, T.A. eds., 2012.Perspectives on organizational fit. Psychology Press. Pinder, C.C., 2014.Work motivation in organizational behavior. Psychology Press. Shafritz, J., Ott, J. and Jang, Y., 2015.Classics of organization theory. Cengage Learning. van Dijke, M., De Cremer, D., Mayer, D.M. and Van Quaquebeke, N., 2012. When does procedural fairness promote organizational citizenship behavior? Integrating empowering leadership types in relational justice models.Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,117(2), pp.235-248. Wagner III, J.A. and Hollenbeck, J.R., 2014.Organizational behavior: Securing competitive advantage. Routledge.

Information technology research project Essay Example

Information technology research project Essay Information Technology, (IT ) is now a widely used tool in education, business and leisure. This project describes some of the facilities listed above which are used with varying degrees of success in education. As a tool of teaching, they have values which are discussed, but their widespread application in commerce and leisure makes having experience of them a requisite part of wider education. However, they can easily be construed as the way the learn, or as the only tool needed. With the exception of very mature and able people this is a fallacy, as one has to be very dedicated to learning and have developed considerable discipline to attain success by this method alone. Even the Open University which uses mainly distance and more recently online learning realises that periodic face to face meetings with tutors and other students is essential to get the best understanding out of any teaching program. It is interesting that the new ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence) which is likely to become the standard broader qualification for basic IT in the future, has been devised so it can be studied and tested by distance learning from CDROM. Time will tell how many people can do this right through with minimal tutor or lesson contact. Currently both class, and distance learning with tutor support are being tried by different local colleges. It seems likely to be attractive as a qualification for people who have perhaps have had training in some of the 7 component sections, but wish to round out their basic knowledge somewhat. Such people will have quite a lot of computer literacy from the modules they already know and it will be interesting to see how much additional support they really need. We will write a custom essay sample on Information technology research project specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Information technology research project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Information technology research project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer 1. CDROMS as a Learning Resource. One useful way of using a computer in education is using subject specialist CDROMS. These have been available for some time now, but vary in their quality of material and actual likely learning outcome. The usual idea is that the student should work through a program at their own speed learning and giving answers, usually to multiple choice questions. The program might be one long on-going one, but is more usually broken into sections of increasing complexity, which can be used in any order for the topic required. If the student tries to go too far into the work before understanding the earlier chapters properly, then they will find it too difficult. Most programs have tests at the end of each section to self-assess progress. The best ones also have optional tests at the beginning of each section to see if the student already knows the material in it and can therefore miss that section out. The material varies in quality. Some are very good, making students at least think before answering questions. However, this learning system suffers from one fundamental problem. It is fairly easy to skip through a section and then immediately do a test on it. This however does not really assess understanding very well. The temptation is to then go on and on without going back over any material. Hence short term memory of correct answers is tested, but long term memory and real understanding are not. The more effective solution is to instruct students at each session that they must retake all the assessment tests they covered the previous session and get high marks before going on further. The arrangement style of material is also potentially variable. Many early program were poor in this respect. They were often difficult to drive, so much time and effort was expended figuring out how to make the program run, rather than actually learning the material. The main resultant outcome was that people understood how to drive the program rather than the material it contained. Modern ones are more consistent in style to Windows conventions and hence do not require the same amount of learning to drive. A reference elsewhere1 indicates that a programs popularity is not necessarily indicative of good quality in CDROM programs. Some just do not get the material over well in a way that is remembered or understood. Unfortunately, some students will plough ahead regardless through such programs on the wishful assumption that if they cover it all, they must know it and would pass any assessment. So some other interaction with the tutor is essential for all but the most dedicated of learners if using this as a major learning tool. Remember, IT is just another learning tool, not a teacher substitute. I test drove two CDROMS. One about the internet was passable, but not very inspiring. The second one was a medical one which I saw only briefly. It seemed to have a lot of information, but I could not determine if it was a good program in a limited time. We were also shown an early poor one for comparison. Remember. IT is just another learning tool, not a teacher substitute. 2. Microsoft PowerPoint(r) This and similar presentation packages are designed to allow a range of display, text, graphs, images, etc to be incorporated into a slide show, which are presented from a PC. There are two popular ways they are used. One is using a special projector which takes the PC output and projects it onto a screen, which is suitable for a large audience. The other is to use a PC, often a laptop, where a small number of people sit round and discuss it. This is a popular system of presentation for people on the move like salesmen, or executives who travel round different sites, even abroad. The laptop package is small to carry and the presentation can be updated remotely from base if necessary for changes such as prices or data. It can still be plugged into a projection system. In a teaching environment, projection is occasionally used, but is mainly in large lecture theatres due to the relatively high cost. I use the package regularly myself for scientific training courses I teach. Each slide is made in a design mode where everything can be set or changed at will. One of the template design backgrounds can be used for the whole show, or a custom one be made, producing a coherence between the slides. Then there are a range of slide styles available for e.g. text only, text and graph, text and image, graph only, etc. As the package uses many of the tools of other MS applications, material is readily copied in from Word, Excel, etc., using the clipboard. The way material appears onto the screen can be set to a whole range of options. So text effects like each line being added by sliding in from one side, or fading in, or coming in letter by letter are available and can add interest. This displays only the information up to the point of the explanation by the lecturer without the distraction of later lines, previous lines dimmed if preferred. Animation strips can be inserted and sound added if desired. All these add impact, but can be distracting or annoying if done in excess. Moving video images or animated drawings can be added if required. The design mode is changed to slide show mode for projection so the full screen is used by the slide, with menu bars etc., used in design mode not taking part up of it. The video lead from the PC is usually plugged into the projector and a return lead to the usual monitor so that the user can see the small screen without facing away from the audience. At design time one can also show all the slides together in miniature as a display where they can be easily rearranged as required. The slides can be printed out in full page or several to a page if required so that a copy can be given to participants as a handout. Additionally, notes can be added to a half size printout of each slide and printed out, usually to act as prompts for the lecturer, but can be used for participants also if appropriate. During projection, a pen can be added so that the speaker can draw on the slide being projected to emphasise a point, this drawing being temporary and not stored in the file. Timing can be added, either to match the speakers requirement for automatic change for each slide at appropriate times, or at a specified regular time interval. It can also cycle the whole program indefinitely for such applications as public viewing at exhibitions. There is facility to send the presentation to someone who has not got the full PowerPoint package by a file which is self standing on another PC. This is useful, as many organisations do not purchase a full office package or may only have an alternative such as Lotus. Licence requirements are thus not violated. 3. Digital Cameras These are becoming increasing popular as accessories for computers as a way of putting a picture of a person, scene or an item into a document. Some are relatively cheap with limited resolution, whilst others offer higher resolution and storage of many pictures before downloading (e.g. 90). The download process takes only a short time, but one must remember that they are bitmaps which are very memory intensive. They can be imported into a package such as Paint and re-saved as JPEG images which are a lot smaller. Some low cost cameras are designed to sit on top of the PC monitor and are usually used to take live photos of the operator or other items which can be brought into range. These are the cheapest because they use the PCs own memory for picture storage. There are also some models which take a floppy disk as their method of storage, and as one can change the disk when full, the memory capacity is unlimited. Most better cameras have a miniature screen at the back which acts as a viewfinder, and on which stored images may be reviewed for confirmation and deletion allowed if unsatisfactory. Software packages are available to take the digital images and edit them in various ways. Some are designed for amusement such as added photo heads to comic bodies, etc. Others have more serious applications to either cut out, transpose parts onto other pictures. Unwanted items can be edited out. Almost anything is possible with a quality package. The old adage that The camera never lies is no longer true! Pictures taken and/or edited with these packages, along with images scanned into picture software can be printed on a colour printer, usually an inkjet. There is special photographic paper available for these which gets close to a photograph in quality if a good digital camera and photo quality printer are used. There are also methods of capturing film form a conventional camcorder onto a PC so that stills can be extracted and used in the same way. All pictures are memory hungry so a large hard disk is required if a lot of use is to be made of this feature. 4. Videoconferencing When two IT users wish to interact, they no longer need to get together. Conferencing could be to a nearby building or more likely a remote location anywhere in the world. It can work with a standard telephone line, but a more expensive but faster ISDN line is better. Using this, each partner has a camera and either a PC or a large TV type monitor screen. Groups can sit at each location so that a meeting of several groups at different places can take place. A chairman in one would usually control who was the speaker at any time to avoid conflicts. The cameras can be made to pan onto each speaker or to any item being discussed. This is very cost effective for meetings where several people would have to travel, or where one would otherwise travel but try to represent several people. All can take part, no travel is necessary and the cost is just a telephone call for the duration of the meeting. For international business, increasingly common, this time saving is considerable and makes i nter-site co-operation simple and enhances profitability. Schools, colleges and higher education find uses for this system. It is particularly good where a specialist speaker is delivering a talk, so people can watch it without travelling to the venue. It also aids such demonstrations as surgery, where a crowd cannot get into see close up what is happening, but the surgeon can work normally with little hindrance from just one camera, whilst people can see the operation close up as though they were present. Conversation can take place during or afterwards with a little organisation of the logistics. Many other instances can be devised to get close in or to teach from afar. Schools and colleges often try to introduce their pupils to videoconferencing, but these often turn out to be rather gimmicky events. The supposed advantage of speaking to a different group in another school is of dubious value to learning in most cases. If the organisation was to link up with say a school or college abroad, to speak in each others language with a genuine accent, that might be more useful. We have some way to go with this yet, I think to achieve anything really useful, meanwhile, it is an expensive play toy. Some examples of shots taken with a digital camera during a videoconferencing demonstration session are appended. 5. Speech Recognition Several software packages are available which when used with a sound card and microphone allow spoken words to be converted automatically into text. The text can then be pasted into a Word or similar document after corrections. However as everyone has different speech characteristics, the program cannot just recognise everyone automatically straight away. It is necessary for each user to train the software to recognise their individual voice. This is done by reading in a number of standard texts and correcting any errors. Slowly the package improves its accuracy of recognition. Additionally, once serious use is made and used correctly, it should continue this improvement process for that person. The better packages allow several users to each have their own voice recognition set to be stored and be available on demand. Text has to be dictated fairly slowly, pausing between. words more than one would in normal speech. Some claims2 suggest this is as slow as 5 words per minute, but observation suggests that 20 30 is possible once practised and trained well. Things like punctuation and capital letters are also dictated. The environment must be reasonably quiet or the software will also try to interpret extraneous sounds. Bear in mind that one has to read carefully through the text afterwards to check for errors in conversion which slows down the overall process. Running a spell check is inappropriate as a substitute, as the program may generate true words, but may not be the ones intended. Has this applications in education? Some pundits suggest that in 5 or 10 years time, the software will be so sophisticated that it will be able to work faster than a reasonable typist the truth is more likely that we shall have to wait and see. One has also to bear in mind that it might be fine to enter the reading of a written text, but usually things are also being composed whilst entering at a keyboard. So the likely strings of words punctuated with ums and ahs and no change that to will not work in such dictation. As current text recognition of scanned images (OCR) is well advanced, this seems to be the way straight written text will be entered. It would be a special skill that people would need to acquire to be able to dictate a new document directly in well composed speech. Certainly in view of the general dumbing down of standards of English, many people currently in the workplace would be unable to do this effectively and the keyboard will probably still be the major input device for most applications. 1 See project IT in education etc. Task 9. 2 Rick Maybury. Boot Up Projects. Daily Telegraph Publications