Harvard Business Review: Carter Racing Case Essay

This is a really tough decision and the mind is constantly changing against to the conclusion. But after a thorough consideration, I don’t think the team should race this time. John should get more data and information for the engine failure until he decides to race again for the next season. There are numerous ways to decide to race or not for John Carter when it comes to decision making. He can make the decision based on either his fellow chief mechanic Tom’s view, or the engine expert Paul’s assumption. However, regardless either way, the conclusion should be reached by some sort of quantitative analysis. At the first glance at the scenario, the immediate reaction was to throw all the numbers provided into the opportunity cost calculation, and compare the pros and cons between the options. However, in order to come up with the most accurate prediction on the expected value of the outcome, it is necessary to gather the all of the associated costs in dollars. John can easily calculate the cost to withdraw by adding up the fees from the data that was provided in the case. Yet, for the other options: race and win, race and fail, it is impossible for us to calculate the precise cost of â€Å"winning† and â€Å"failure† since there are no price tags for fames and sponsorship possibilities if the team wins the race, as well as the risks that might happen in relation of gasket failure such as life, and destructing in team reputation. Thus, without the inclusion of all the necessary factors, the result of calculated the expected value would be useless in measuring losses and gain s. The second reason that I think John should wait for the race is due to insufficient information provided in the case. In addition to the chart that was provided by Tom (exhibit 1), there should also be a chart showing the distribution on head gasket success is related to temperature since the race might begin in a day with fairly low temperature. Thus, if I were John, I would have to determine to postpone the race until further information is gathered. Of course it is not easy to convince someone on things that no one can be guarantee of. Thoughts and doubts gone through the mind such as: the race  itself is in the nature of a risky business; wondering if John should grab the opportunity right now before it flies away because next season is still unknown, etc†¦ Even after knowing insufficient information was available, it is still really tempting to choose racing rather than withdraw. This tension fighting unconsciously in the mind reminds me of the principle of scarcity , which people tend to value potential loss (the fees for racing) more heavily than potential gains (engine invested and human life). These feeling often caused managers to have bias on decision making. Besides the method of quantitative calculation on costs, the problem John faces also consists of the selection between two different sides of recommendations: one from his chief mechanic Tom who suggests for race, and the other engine mechanic Paul who opposes the race. The argument and data presented by these two mechanics act as a persuasion to John. Whereas, Tom and Paul both have extensive experience in racing, yet Paul â€Å"lacked the sophisticated engineering training† as mentioned in part B of the reading raised an interesting dilemma on whether John should shift more of his selection power towards Tom based on the insufficiency of Paul’s training. To tie this case to Mulvey’s article, the purpose of a team is increase the strength of the organization by forming and adding up the different perspectives together. For organization leaders, John, in this case, it is very important for him to balance the team dynamics to make sure each person’s voice is equally weighed in team function while such balance is very easy to lose grip once one side of the opinion is valued too heavily. This situation is well demonstrated between John, Paul, and Tom. At the beginning of the case , Paul showed his position as a strong opponent against the team to race. But as the case evolves, Paul’s attitude changed as Tom showed the chart in exhibit 1, and agreed to race at the end. It seems that Paul has given up his beliefs and agreed with the team on racing by accepting the data provided by Tom of who that has a higher rank than Paul even though the data seem to be insufficient to persuade Paul’s position from racing. This matches Mulvey’s views of the presence of someone with expertise and compelling argument since Tom is the chief of mechanic, which might have led an assumption to indicate higher level in  qualification. With such precedence assumption and numerous useless discussions on with John on the gasket problem, it is very likely for Paul to accept Tom’s data as long as it makes some sense in explaining the gasket problem. In addition, there is also a subtle sense that Paul may have felt the pressure from the team to cause him to conform. It is clear that the team leader, John, is feeling frustrated about the race sponsorship and eagerly wishing to get both of the mechanics’ approval to race. Being the only person that disagrees, Paul gradually lessened his voice. This illustrates the points of pressure from others to conform and dysfunctional decision making climate that Mulvey has brought up. In sum, as if I were John, it is essential for team leaders to manage the team with a great sensibility of each team member’s personality and expertise in order to maintain the participation spirit. A well balanced team would allow people like Paul to speak up his mind and not compromise his views, and still utilize Tom’s expertise. A well-functional team is the only way to have a possible appropriate decision making solution. work cited: Mulvey, Paul. â€Å"When teammates raise a white flag.† Academy of Management Executive. 1996 pp. 43

Book â€My Best Friend Essay

Book is the best friend, a human being can have. Book is a friend that is never disloyal. Books are our friends for life as because they never reject, never go or come, never fight and never blame us. Books make our life easy to lead as they inform us about various ways of leading life. Books are informative as well as instructive. A person is never going to feel alone in the presence of books. There’re two ways to get educated , one is to learn from experiences and the second one is to learn from books. I am going to give you an example , my mother asks me to remove a kettle of boiling milk from a stove . I can touch the handle of the kettle with bare hand and can burn my hand. If I have read a book on science and so I know that the handle of the kettle is hot. Therefore, I will use a rag to hold the handle, which will save my hand from burning. Now we all can appreciate the significance of acquisition of knowledge from books. Books are the best collection of the experiences of our ancestors, best collections of the facts and figures, help us to understand the nature , our past , our culture and our civilization. We need not have to wait till we get firsthand experience. Taking firsthand experience to gain knowledge is not only time consuming, but painful, also. Books have many wonders in it and they make a person absorbed in their interesting content. The best example of being a friend of book can be seen while long journeys when a person has nothing to do except to sit and wait for his destination. During my last vacation to Moosorise, we had sixteen hours of journey. I purchased a book on Moral Stories which I finished during this journey. I was so absorbed in the book that I did not realize the length of journey. The most important things is that I learnt the experiences of centuries in just eight hours of book reading. This is what my best friend – the book can give me. In fact , my books have helped me in understanding the meaning of friendship with my friends in my class and outside world. In one sentence , I can summarize about my best friend – my book – â€Å" You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend. †

MHE503 Survey of Emergency and Disaster Mgt Module 3 SLP Essay

MHE503 Survey of Emergency and Disaster Mgt Module 3 SLP - Essay Example The Philippine center for weather forecasting which is known as PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration) has been noted for its lack of necessary gadgets to increase the accuracy of weather forecasting in the country.2 Investing on the development of the said process through creating possibilities for PAGASA's capabilities to release notable information that could help emergency disaster departments to evacuate people and several properties away from the possible affected area could actually make the inclined weather forecasting goal a reality. Navigation and monitoring procedures, again, needs high tech gadgets that could aid the process. In this regard, it is highly recommended that the Philippine government be able to find better ways to invest on their technological applications used towards implicating emergency calls and warnings to protect their people's values and properties; after all, the benefits of this particular investment could save the country some hundreds and even thousands of dollars that could be greatly a huge saving for the said country. 3 Being able to monitor areas that are to be added in the hot spot of disaster and calamities in the country could allow emergency agencies to handle possible accidents in the future with a much controllable process saving lives and properties that could worth millions. 2. Identify and briefly describe at least one additional measure that has not been implemented which would mitigate against your selected disaster. TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENT: as noted from the given suggestions above, technological advancement is a major process of development that could be utilized by the Philippine government so as to increase the level of alert and warning signals that could be given to evacuate the people and the properties that could still be saved away from the coming tragedy. True, if the occurrence of natural disasters could not be avoided, at least keeping the people and the properties safe away from the possible damages that they may cause could be a better option to take into consideration. 3. Evaluate this mitigation strategy using FEMA's criteria discussed in the Module 3 home page. According to FEMA's database, flood and mass movement disasters such as landslides are rather forced through the existence of storms that are highly uncontrollable. FEMA further notes the need to have an accurate pre-forecasting process that would allow weather forecasters and emergency control managers the kind of alert that they need to have to be able to find better chances of evacuating and preparing areas of target. This could be further gained through the application

The IMC Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The IMC Plan - Assignment Example The present research has identified that IMC plan for Connecting Link (TCL) depicts the product as unique with superior attributes for the consumer (educators). Equally, the product conveys an image of creativity since it is designed for two categories of consumers namely, the K12 and those of ages 29-40. This essay discusses that the plan indicates that the product is readily accessible and affordable. The buyer can reach the product from anywhere, at any time and can afford it. The IMC plan addresses the consumer behavior in numerous ways, which include highlighting the actions of consumers towards the price and quality of the TCL when making decisions on the appropriate PD providers. The author has rightly presented that comparison of price over quality is one of the attributes of consumer behavior exhibited in the IMC plan. The researcher states that the educators tend to choose a PD or CE that is relatively cheaper and accessible. For the case of marketing communication channels , Richard Khanbabians presents numerous ways of advertising in the TCL IMC plans, which use diverse channels. Marketing is aimed at increasing demand and push clients towards appreciating the TCL products. This paper illustrates that the TCL IMC plan involves the Channel partner Unique Reseller Discount in marketing communication. Through the TCL trade promotions, the partner channels are able to create consumer demand

Personal and Professional Footprint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal and Professional Footprint - Essay Example In fact, according to the results, we would require at least 4.2 planets if all people in the world were living my lifestyle. I was shocked by this because I have always regarded my life as modest and not too demanding in terms of natural resources. Of the four carbon footprint tests that I toot, two of them indicated that my carbon footprint is above national average. For instance, my housing footprint was 31.31 while the national average is only 28.36. My goods and services footprint is 67.78 compared to the national average of 62.06. I not only find these statistics as relevant but I also find them shocking and this means that I need to review my lifestyle. The industry has a number of processes and equipment that are associated with carbon footprint. This is caused by the number and type of machines, materials and processes that professionals in this industry have to use in order to be able to do their work. For instance, biologists have to use a number of chemicals for the various experiments they carry out. These chemicals have a number of negative impacts on the environment either directly or indirectly (Matthew, 2012). For instance, the chemical are removed from their natural places of existence and this has a negative impact on the environment. At the same time, the residues from these chemicals after they have been used in the laboratories also have a negative impact on the environment if the disposal is not done the right way. The other issue is the machinery that is used in the industry. This machinery consumes a lot of electricity and this definitely has an impact on the environment especially when the power source is not a renewable source. Electronic microscopes and other such machinery can consume a lot of power every year thus expanding the carbon footprint on the planet. At the same time, the manufacturing of these machinery and other laboratory equipment raging from the simple items as

Niccolo Machiavelli and the Modern World Research Paper

Niccolo Machiavelli and the Modern World - Research Paper Example In the eighteenth century, his writings were used to inspire a belief in the inevitability of radical change among revolutionaries (Baker 204-207). Following this revolutionary trend, Leon Trotsky said that Machiavelli was the political philosopher who generalized "the experience of democratic revolutions" (Trotsky 850). This image persists today: Roger Boesche argues that Machiavelli was "the greatest theorist of how popular government can defeat tyranny" (Boesche 165). In 1513, he wrote his best-known work, The Prince, which has become one of the most influential books ever written in modern political philosophy. Benedetto Fontana asserts that Machiavelli's new prince "was to have forged a political and cultural alliance with the people, and thus initiate a ‘rinnovazione’ [renewal] aiming at a new Italian state" (Fontana 148). It had a dramatic impact on modern political thought. The Prince In The Prince, Machiavelli offered practical leadership advice designed to keep a ruler in power, illustrating his ideas with practical, historical examples. He actively endorsed stratagems that would discourage mass discontent through the diversion of an opponent's energies; through such tactics, a leader could channel enemies' efforts elsewhere. In this way, a leader could create conditions in which it would be disadvantageous for his opponents to try to replace him. Machiavelli believed that a leader would occasionally be called upon to make use of force; however, he professed that force should only be exercised in response to dire circumstances. According to Machiavelli, a good leader would be able to walk away from evil means when they were no longer required. A leader would likewise benefit from respecting the need for his subjects' well being. In his discussion on the value of liberality, Machiavelli cautioned that a Prince should be liberal by maintaining the general welfare (86) Machiavelli realized that good fortune had a key relationship to restrain ed use of resources for the best overall effect. Leaders should be frugal, both in allocating resources to the military infrastructure that protects the state from external threat and in allocating funds to the political and economic infrastructure that promotes the welfare of the state. Once people understand that frugality is in their best interests, it will be linked to good fortune over the long term. The ability of a prince to act in his own best interests and the best interests of the people (even when, initially, they might not see his acts as desirable) requires that he not be governed exclusively by a rigid code of ethical standards. The ends, in some instances, could justify the means. Despite his overriding concern for the best interests of the ruler and the preservation of the state, Machiavelli professed that general ethical standards are desirable to maintain, when possible. Chapter 21 of The Prince deals entirely with the value of a ruler's positive reputation. Accord ing to Machiavelli, a prince needs to appear as a true friend and should show himself as a "lover of merit" by giving "preferment to the able" and honoring "those who excel in every art" (112-113). Although Machiavelli did not claim that such standards are required for success, he did laud ethical leadership as a general guideline. Machiavelli's innovation was that ethics were expendable. He outlined a series of circumstances and situations in which a leader might be forced to use violence to a degree that would be morally reprehensible in any normal

Family business organizational change Personal Statement

Family business organizational change - Personal Statement Example With this kind of situation, it appears that I will not need to conduct a thorough negation with Acico's top management but only a discussion with my father and sister. However, I am sure that my father will approve of my proposal since he has always been supportive with the strategies that we want to implement in the business organization. My sister has also taken this same course and I believe that she will also be more than willing to implement the transformation that is needed. However, as the organizational strategy that I would like to put in place focuses on the empowerment and motivation of the entire human resource, I believe that this effort should be commenced by consulting the other top executives about their position in the structural change. In this way, they will really feel my commitment of empowering and motivating them to excel in their positions. I have realized that it is imperative to first communicate the issues of change to the other executives in Acico, making sure that they understand it and embrace it. I am aware that some of them may be hesitant in implementing the necessary changes. Since the present organizational structure and system has worked for Acico for the past ten years, they might question the efficiency of the new system. Also, some of them may not want to alter the status quo with the fear that things will just turn out more complicated. In order to convince them, I realize the importance of preparing answers to their questions and skepticism. I will deal with these executive with the level of professionalism and expertise required of a top manager. My explanation will focus on the different concepts and case studies I have learned in this course, together with various real world experience of companies who also embraced this change. I will let them see that the change will be for the benefit of all the stakeholders of Acico in the long run including them. In the long run, these changes will become the foundation of the company's operation enabling our successors to run the business organization efficiently, create the shareholder value, and ensure the satisfaction of the customers. I will let them see that the workforce is one of the most important resources of the company as they are our strategic partners. Thus, they should also be aligned strategically in order to attain our organizational goals. I know that I will also be dealing with the mindset of some of the people in the organization. Being relatively less experienced than most of the company's executives, some of them may think that my sister and I are just young ladies equipped with MBA degrees, and thinking that we know it all, we implement changes within Acico. I believe that this misconception also needs to be changed. Through words and actions, it is my aim to communicate to the top management that we are implementing changes not because we want to prove ourselves but to improve the situation of everyone in the business organization. With the changes that I want to implement, Acico will be in a win-win situation where all of the employees are more productive because they are