Management Essays Key Communication Skill

Management Essays Key Communication Skill Key Communication Skill The ability to negotiate is a key communication skill and frequently takes place in the context of meeting. How can meetings be managed to ensure useful outcomes are achieved, particularly when the participants may have very different objectives? Use examples from real meetings where possible. Abstract Business meetings frequently take place with the view to allow executives to explore and achieve desired organizational objectives. They are to communicate of plans, updates, progress and outcomes of business strategies. At times these meetings are also between parties outside the organization. Whichever the case, negotiation skills are critical in helping managers to persuade other participants to change their views and accept the ones that are presented at the meeting. The ability to negotiate therefore is key to communication at meetings and required by chairpersons/leaders/participants to conduct successful business meetings. IntroductionMeetings can be frustrating and at times not necessary if the objectives of the encounter are not clearly identified. Business persons get frustrated at the frequency and quality of the meetings they attend (or conduct) declaring them a waste of time and resources. The value of such meetings is compromised when parties attending the meeting come out unsatisfied and frustrated by the decision reached. With the rate of meeting timings increasing everyday in organizations engaging executives 75 percent to 100 percent of their time, the success rate is diminishing day by day due to rapid decisions made and implemented (Timm 1997). Meetings participants are likely to feel disappointed and unsatisfied with the results of meetings especially when they spend less time in preparing and planning for meetings they attend. It is therefore not surprising to find that there are numerous documents and books published on meetings and how participants can engage in fruitful endeavours without compromising their own position. As a formal communication framework, meetings can make or break a business therefore consideration for its success is critical. Negotiation as a key to communication skills must be integrated along with other meetings strategies with the view to ensure outcomes are achieved to the desires of the participants without frustrating either party. Purpose Statement In the following report the researcher shall outline how negotiation as a key to meetings communication skill can be used to achieve business objectives despite participant differences in objectivity. The report shall first outline the purpose of meetings followed by how business meetings should be conducted and what elements are critical for its success. This is concluded with recommendations for successful business meetings. ReportPurpose of communication Building a corporate culture is pegged in the setting up of an effective communication system. Organizations shape and influence the behaviour of individuals through powerful communication strategies and culture so that they can help in achieving organizational objectives. When used appropriately, communication can offer insightful analysis of the organizations vision and mission, goals and objectives and more importantly how these may be implemented. To perpetuate conducive business environment, executives and management often engage in communication dialogues for numerous purposes and on a variety of occasions. According to Deborah J. Barrett (Oliver 2004) organizations engage in communication to mediate change management. Executives and top management uses its communication framework to communicate the need for change to cope up with the dynamic business environment. They engage in meetings with employees to communicate identification of roles in car rying out tasks required for the change management. Employees and employer meetings therefore is a top-down approach to communication with the purpose to form powerful coalition, creating vision, empowering workers to act on vision, carry out plans and consolidating efforts for change management (Barrett in Oliver 2004). However, often management in the flow of forming their objectives fail to recognize the objectives of individuals working within their organizations, resulting in ineffective and useless weekly meetings that achieve less and waste more time and resources. In another scenario communication through meetings among managers to discuss and generate ideas and feedback on work progress is also normal. Purely administrative communication of this nature is carried out with the purpose to analyze and update on organizational progress. Managers of various departments communicate their intent, delegate by expressing their proposals and establish chain of command of internalized processes for plan implementation purposes. They communicate with other managers and executives to update progress and express their desire for shared resources or to provide feedback to evaluate existing or forthcoming problems within and outside the organization. In such instances the climate of communication may not appeal to the participants as each attempt to put forth their ideas and expect acceptance from the others. For this reason resistance and barriers to communication are expected. The participants tend to bargain or negotiate their way with others with the hop e to elicit collaborative actions (Ramundo 1994). Another and perhaps the most important aspect of formal communication in meetings is the objective to elicit business outcomes from individuals outside the organizations like sellers, suppliers, unions, shareholders or directors where the basic premise of the meeting is to negotiate and come to certain winning outcomes. Meeting participants therefore come to the room geared to negotiate and to reject opponents proposals. The purpose of these corporate meetings therefore is to overcome the barriers to communication and come out as the wining party. Negotiations in business meetings Meetings in todays business world compromise of participants negotiating defensively (Foster 2004). Whether one is a buyer, a supplier, a union leader or a client successful meeting participants are those who negotiate before the contract is signed. Spending some time to communicate the details of the contract like clauses, agreed upon provisions, price or salary can help the negotiator in achieving the desired outcomes. Once a meeting is convened, the participants assume the roles of the negotiators engaging dialogues that elicit their objectives and purpose for participating. It is best that participants define the objectives and account for the desired outcomes. Successful negotiators usually plan their strategies before hand so that they can concentrate on non-aggressive yet succinct dialogues to persuade the opponent in accepting their terms. For instance a union leader and a company management will likely have their strategies written down before they enter the meeting room. They are likely to engage in dialogues that reflect clauses that they plan to negotiate upon. Such planning is critical as it helps the negotiators to direct the meeting and also to save time by concentrating on the objectives only rather than engage in meaningless communication. In such situations James Manktelow of Mind Tools (2005) is of the opinion that negotiation skills are essential in meetings and conflict situations where the participants need to appropriate their dialogues to seek wining negotiation. The participants who lose out tend to become confrontational or harbour a grudge against the wining party. Consequently the modern adage for negotiation is to create a win-win situation whereby both parties gain from the negotiation. this approach is not only critical for resolving disputes and have a lasting effect on the business relationship but it also open up channels of communication in the long term. Nevertheless, this is not to say that negotiation dialogues always result in win-win situations. In cases of policies making, or buying of a house or selling a product negotiation often result in one party losing and the other wining. For this purpose it is recommended that the situation is dealt with in an amicable manner through excessive planning for counter arguments without having to be aggressive to the other person. The key to such business meetings is to negotiate the terms of trade rather than focussing on defeating the opponent (Manktelow 2005). Consideration for trades terms, alternatives, expected outcomes, consequences, and possible resolutions are critical to the negotiation situation. Communication in meetings Meetings as discussed in the previous sections are formal communications in organizations and businesses carried out by participants with certain objectives expressed and negotiated in the course of the meeting. Successful meetings are those that engage negotiation strategies to focus and achieve desired objectives. These strategies need to be carried out in a very conducive manner so as not to offend opponent yet reach the end results amicably. For this purpose, Joan Mulholland (1991) recommends certain kind of speech acts chosen to represent a range of meanings and significance designed to represent and develop negotiation content. These acts should be considered often and may be integrated in negotiation dialogues to express certain context and performance of certain actions. Mulholland posit that communication during a negotiation meeting entail the use of body language as well as speech specification. Careful use of language notations and sentence structure can greatly influence the results of the encounter. For example one of the most important parts of meetings is the participants acceptance or rejection of proposed ideas. Depending on the individual perception offer or proposal can be accepted, rejected or reach a compromise. Depending on how the proposal is presented the response from the participants can damage cooperation behaviour and result in conflict situation if it is rejected. To mediate and elicit a positive response even if the participant is hesitant about accepting the proposed idea should demonstrate a cooperative attitude by acknowledging the ideas without acceptance by saying Thats an idea worth consideration; given general acceptance like we would be keen to do something along those lines on day. or set up a response from other participants or voice hesitation before acceptance (Mulholland 1991). On the other hand in cases of real acceptance of ideas participants should not hasten to communicate acceptance immediately but should ask for additional information and reports to reach to informed decisions. The important aspect of the meeting is to show to the participants that the outcome should be mutual. Furthermore, acceptance in situations of business meetings should be entirely separate from the person who has communicated and negotiated the deal. The communicator should communicate the fact that the organization or institutions with which he is associated and himself are two different entities and any personal remarks should not constitute as business dialogues. The content or objectives of the meeting should also be separated from participants who attend it. These considerations are important for participants to be objective in their decisions whether it is a rejection or acceptance or something in between (Mulholland 1991). Hence, a human resources manager conducting a performance appraisal (a type of meeting) should communicate its objectivity and his/her role as the mediator and the organizations requirement. He/she should also communicate the separation of the employees records and performance outcome from himself the evaluator. Any negative outcome from the performance appraisal meeting should not be associated with the ill-will of the appraiser. This can be expressed through verbal communication between the participant s. Effective meetings The above dynamics are critical for influencing the progress of meetings in the desired direction of organizational objectives. However, implementing these dynamics does not necessarily guarantee efficacy of meetings. Instead there are certain procedures that need to be followed and managed for meetings to achieve its objectivity. Adair and Thomas (2003) prescribe preparation and the following formality:  ¢ planning  ¢ Informality  ¢ Participation  ¢ Purpose  ¢ Leadership They also outline the importance of purpose in meetings:  ¢ To pool available information  ¢ To make decisions  ¢ To let off steam/tension  ¢ To change attitudes  ¢ To instruct/teach Gathering information, reports, agendas and laying out technical data or equipment in advance are helpful. Meetings should be purposeful so that the information relegated is meaningful for the participants to absorb, analyze and make decisions. Whether it is a meeting of signing contracts, an employee-employer appraisal meeting or a purchase of an asset, advance planning is critical in enabling the participants to focus on the objectives. Since meetings are of groups of people from different background, different meetings tend to develop personalities of its own. Leaders or the chair persons must make efforts to understand the personality of the participants conformity, values, attitudes, prejudice or power so that they can effectively communicate in a certain manner to influence participants thinking (Adair and Thomas 2003). Furthermore, Kellie Fowler (2005) is of the opinion that running effective meetings is inherent in the skills of the leader who is managing the meeting. The leader should: Generate an agenda to all involved in the meeting Start the discussion and encourage active participation Work to keep the meeting at a comfortable pace not moving too fast or too slow Summarize the discussion and the recommendations at the end of each logical section Circulate minutes to all participants (Fowler 2005) But perhaps the most important aspect is the fine tuning of negotiation skills so that outcomes can be achieved. The first step is to choose the right participants to contribute to the decision making and problem solving initiatives. The key is to try to keep the number of participants to 12 and ensure that they are knowledgeable in the issue under consideration. The leaders role in enumerating on the agenda, guiding the participants and direct them towards it, and summing up of the debate is critical as he/she is the one who rounds up the various views to resolve the issues discussed. Confusions, misunderstanding and mix-up of any sort should be clarified before decisions are made. The basic premise for such meetings often stem from the debates or negotiating points presented by the participants. The leader or the chairperson acting as the mediator must keep the above communication principles and dynamics in mind to guide the participants in taking part in the decision and not feel neglected or lose out in the negotiation. Conclusion The above report on meetings enumerate on the process and management of effective meetings. It also outlines the importance of negotiation skills in contributing to successful business meetings under certain circumstances. The purpose of meetings as discussed is to focus on planned agenda and achieve desired outcomes. Many business meetings deviate from this focus and tend to result in inefficacy and waste of time. For this reason it is recommended that meeting participants develop planned agendas, focus on objectives and agenda, and direct the flow of communication dialogues in the same direction. More importantly, for business meetings to reach its desired conclusions, participants should engage in amicable negotiation strategies in which both parties attain a win-win situation. This adage has proven beneficial and fruitful for meetings participants as it relegated non-aggressive business conduct and communication yet at the same time achieves the desired corporate objectives. Successful meetings therefore are those that engage in extensive preparation, allow time for participants to understand agendas and purpose of the meeting and equip themselves with information for debates and discussion. Meetings that elicit positive response engage participants in positive and non-aggressive dialogues by allowing them to communicate their ideas and reservations. The leader or the participant has the choice to reject or accept or compromise but these should be communicated in an amiable manner without offending the opposing parties and at the same time do not compromise ones own position. Overall successful meetings are those that influence the objectives which the participants had before they entered the meeting room and persuade them to see ones own point of view and adopt it. References Barrett, D. J. 2004, A best-practice approach to designing a change communication programme from Sandra Oliver, A Handbook of Corporate Communication and Strategic Public Relations: Pure and Applied. Routledge: New York. p20. Foster, J. Jul 2004, Negotiate Defensively, Successful Meetings. Vol.53, Iss. 8; pg. 24 Manktelow, J. 2005, Win-Win Negotiation: Finding a fair compromise. Mind Tools, Accessed on 26-11-2005 from: http://www.mindtools.com/stress/cwt/TeamNegotiationSkills.htm Mulholland, J. 1991, The Language of Negotiation: A Handbook of Practical Strategies for Improving Communication. Routledge: New York p137. Ramundo, B. A. 1994, The Bargaining Manager: Enhancing Organizational Results through Effective Negotiation. Quorum Books: Westport, CT. p85. Timm, P. R. 1997, How to Hold Successful Meetings: 30 Action Tips for Managing Effective Meetings (30-Minute Solutions Series), Career Press.

Harley Davidson Marketing Strategies

In order for any company to survive, it must of course first and foremost be able to address the issue of its target market and what specific segregation of customers it must address. As already had been indicated by the case, Harley-Davidson's situation is that it's most prolific and profitable target market is getting out the generation and being removed from the industry of motorcycles and such products that Harley-Davidson addresses (Pugliese & Cagan, 2002).However, this is not a complete hopeless scenario because, as has been sought by many other areas of business and management policies, there are specific marketing strategies which Harley-Davidson may be able to capture given that it adjusts his message. One specific target market were Harley-Davidson may be able to apply itself is the youth target market today. This may seem contrary to the current trends of the motorcycle industry.However, specifically in the United States, it may be able to capture the teenage and adolescen t age group by focusing on the traditional qualities while adjusting its message in order to capture the advertising segregation of this age group. Today, a large number of motorcycles that are being made or distributed in the United States for the youth and early adult market are motorcycles made in Japan, Korea, or other Asian economies.The most important and powerful market method of these products in the Asian region that are being exported to the United States is their low price range as compared to American motorcycles. Also, they are able to sell their services and goods because other than the prices, the competitors of these motorcycles in the American market — aside from Harley-Davidson — have not been able to adjust to popularity through methods of advertising because of the same reason that Harley-Davidson has address the specific target market over the years.In order for Harley-Davidson to survive, it must be able to stress to the youth market that although such motorcycles that are imported from Asia from such companies are indeed cheap, the American market and industry must first and foremost also focus on only (Oliver, 1999). In fact, if it wishes to address this scenario, perhaps the advertising method that it could deliver to the youth is that motorcycles do not only have to have excellent visual quality but also build quality is low in order to ensure road safety.Harley Davidson must not ignore the fact that motorcycles are still known to be the most dangerous vehicles especially in our transportation. Through such an advertising method of safety and sturdy build quality of Harley-Davidson products, the teenager market — and even the parent market who would theoretically be financing the motorcycles that are bought by the first-generation target market — may be convinced of the safety of motorcycles for their children (Bhattacharya, Rao, & Glynn, 1995).We must remember that although the baby boomer age is in fact d eteriorating over time together with the primary target market of Harley-Davidson, by addressing their children — who they themselves would be investing for the motorcycle purchase — a relatively related market segmentation may be addressed. Another target market which Harley-Davidson may be able to address and capture is a potential market of high income middle age individuals in the United States. This income brackets is the same for high-end vehicles such as Mercedes, Jaguar, and BMW.Harley-Davidson has always focused on addressing a market that is able to afford the services and goods — and this is in fact already an existing target market of high income baby boomer generation. However, in the United States, the new high-end income brackets belong to ages between 30 to 40 years old and the company may be also to tap this potential market segment by focusing on a Harley-Davidson product being a Jaguar, Mercedes, or BMW of the motorcycle category.We must also remember that this generation and market segmentation theoretically already have motor vehicles for transportation because of their high income abilities and a motorcycle may be used — at least adjusted in advertising — as a complementary vehicle and status symbol for their generation (Berry, 1995).Although this 30 to 40 year old high income generation did not anymore belong to the baby boomer market, they are at least still the children of such baby boomers and when seeking advice to their fathers were purchasing a Harley-Davidson, such word-of-mouth marketing that focuses on quality and safety may again play as an advantage for the sales group. References: Berry, L. L. (1995). Relationship marketing of services—growing interest, emerging perspectives.Journal of the Academy of marketing science, 23(4), 236–245. Bhattacharya, C. B. , Rao, H. , & Glynn, M. A. (1995). Understanding the bond of identification: An investigation of its correlates among art mus eum members. The Journal of Marketing, 46–57. Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence consumer loyalty? The Journal of Marketing, 33–44. Pugliese, M. J. , & Cagan, J. (2002). Capturing a rebel: modeling the Harley-Davidson brand through a motorcycle shape grammar. Research in Engineering Design, 13(3), 139–156.

The Infamous Series Of Trials - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 699 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/05/28 Category History Essay Level High school Tags: Salem Witch Trials Essay Did you like this example? The witch trials in Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to 1693, were the infamous series of trials that had taken place in the colonial state of Massachusetts. A number of 200 people were put on trial and about 20 people were executed from those trials. They were all accused of using witchcraft or the Devilrs Magic, women were the most commonly accused. The process would start by any citizen of the colony to make a complaint to a magistrate about an individual who is suspected of using witchcraft. The magistrate would then issue a warrant for the accused person(s) and brought to court. After listening to the accused personrs testimony, if the magistrate believes that the accused person is guilty, they will be sent to jail and wait trial. The accused would then be presented to a grand jury along with evidence that can be used against the accused by any individual who suspected the accused of witchcraft. If given a sentence to death, they then wait until the specified date which they would then be hanged. The trials had a big impact on the village of salem. They had an unstable relationship with the Native Americans, due to the aftermath of King Philips War followed by some attacks from Native Americans. This created constant fear of Indian attacks and created paranoia among the villagers. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Infamous Series Of Trials" essay for you Create order The first accusations of witchcraft in Salem, began with two young girls who lived in the home of minister Samuel Parris. Three ministers had left within sixteen years due to some conflicts in the village before Parris showed up. Years later in 1692, Parriss 9 year-old daughter Betty Parris and her 12 year-old cousin Abigail Williams, started to behave differently and have physical contortions. Parris had a slave from the Caribbean named Tituba where many of the girls began go in the kitchen with Tituba and talk to her. Many of the townspeople were shocked by her followers behavior. Most of the girls would fall to the floor and scream as well as to perform a black magic dance in the woods. Rev. Parris and other ministers were unable to cure the girls through prayer and Doctor William Griggs, a village physician, believed the girls were suffering from the Evil Hand. The Puritans believed, to be cursed a witch must have to put a spell onto a individual, the girls could not have put a c urse on themselves. They were later questioned and told to name the witches. Mary Sibley, who lived in Salem, decided to do a magical procedure that would help to know the names of the witches. In secret, she told Parriss slave, John Indian, to make a witchs cake. She had to use the girls urine and to feed it to a dog to discover the names of the witches. They named three people who were: Sarah Good, a homeless mother; Tituba, the slave of the Rev. Parris; Sarah Osburn, that had a failed marriage. The girls would later name more people in the community. For each trial the accused would have to go through five different stages of evidence. The first step would be something like saying the Lordrs Prayer by memory. This was an easy test but the girls would at the trial and therefore screamed and squirm on the floor during the test. The second step was to provide physical evidence with any birthmarks, warts, moles, or other blemishes that could make it seem as devil marks. Then there was witness testimony, meaning anyone who saw the accused perform any witchcraft can easily get the accused to a quick sentence to death. The fourth step was spectral evidence, Puritans believed that the devil could possess anyone willingly. So, if anyone saw a ghost or spirit possess the accused, the person in question must be a witch. Lastly was the confession, which seems hard to convince a jury when everyone is thinking the accused is a witch. Most of the time they would cry during their confession and beg for the mercy of the town and court as well as to promise to repent. All of the confessors were not executed and those that repented accused the next person who would be in question

Camel Facts Habitat, Behavior, Diet

Camels are mammals known for their distinctive humped backs. Bactrian camels (Camelus bactrianus) have two humps, while dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) have one. These creatures humps store fat deposits that they use as sustenance when external food and water sources are scarce. Their ability to metabolize stored food for prolonged periods of time makes them good pack animals. Fast Facts: Camel Scientific Name: CamelusCommon Name: CamelBasic Animal Group: MammalsSize: 6–7 feet in heightWeight: 800–2,300 poundsLife Span: 15–50 yearsDiet: HerbivoreHabitat: Deserts in Central Asia (Bactrian) and North Africa and the Middle East (Dromedary)Population: 2 million domesticated Bactrian camels, 15 million domesticated dromedary camels, and less than 1,000 wild Bactrian camelsConservation Status: The wild Bactrian camel is classified as Critically Endangered. Other camel species are not considered endangered. Description Camels are well-known for their distinctive humps, but they also have other distinctive characteristics that make them well-suited for living in desert conditions. Importantly, camels have the ability to close their nostrils to prevent sand infiltration. They also have two rows of long lashes and a third eyelid. Both structures help to protect their eyes in harsh environments such as sandstorms. They also have thick hair that helps to protect them from the intense sunshine in their environment as well as padded feet to help withstand the hot temperatures of the desert floor. They are even-toed ungulates (hoofed mammals). Two-humped Camel.   Elena Kholopova/EyeEm/Getty Images Camels are usually between 6 and 7 feet in height and 9 to 11 feet in length. They can weigh up to 2,300 pounds. Other physical characteristics of camels include long legs, long necks, and a protruding snout with big lips. Habitat and Distribution Bactrian camels live in Central Asia, while dromedary camels live in North Africa and the Middle East. Wild bactrian camels live in south Mongolia and northern China. They are all typically found in desert regions, although they may also live in other similar environments like prairies. While we associate camels with extremely hot temperature environments, their habitat can also include extremely low temperature environments. They form a protective coat in the winter to help with the cold and shed the coat in the summer months. Diet and Behavior Camels are diurnal creatures, which means they are active during the day. They subsist on vegetation like low-lying grasses and other thorny and salty plants. To reach such low-lying plants and grasses, camels have developed a split upper lip structure so that each half of their upper lip can move independently, which helps them eat low-lying plants and grasses. Similar to cows, camels regurgitate food from their stomach back up to their mouths so they can chew it again. Camels can hydrate themselves faster than other mammals. They have been purported to drink approximately 30 gallons of water in a little over 10 minutes. Reproduction and Offspring Camels travel in herds made up of one dominant male and a number of females. A male bulls peak fertility, called rut, occurs at various times during the year based on species. Bactrians fertility peak occurs from November through May, while dromedaries can peak throughout the year. Males will usually mate with half a dozen or so females, although some males can mate with over 50 females in one season. Female camels have a gestation period of 12 to 14 months. When it is time to give birth, the expectant mother typically separates from the main herd. Newborn calves can walk shortly after birth, and after a period of a few weeks alone, the mother and calf rejoin the larger herd. Single births are most common, but twin camel births have been reported. Threats The wild Bactrian camel is threatened mainly by illegal hunting and poaching. Predator attacks as well as mating with domesticated Bactrian camels are also threats to the wild Bactrian camel population. Conservation Status Wild Bactrian camels (Camelus ferus) are designated as critically endangered by the IUCN. Fewer than 1,000 animals are left in the wild with a decreasing population. By comparison, there are an estimated 2 million domesticated Bactrian camels. Species There are two main species of camel: Camelus bactrianus and Camelus dromedarius. C. bactrianus have two humps, while C. dromedarius have one. A third species, Camelus ferus, is closely related to C. bactrianus but lives in the wild. Camels and Humans Humans and camels have a long history together. Camels have been used as pack animals for centuries and were likely domesticated in the Arabian peninsula between 3000 and 2500 BC. Due to their unique features that allow them to withstand desert travel, camels helped to facilitate trade. Sources â€Å"Camel.† San Diego Zoo Global Animals and Plants, animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/camel.â€Å"Camel Breeding.† Breeding Camels, camelhillvineyard.com/camel-breeding.htm.