Life of Alex Sander free essay sample

1) Investigate the 360 feedback system as a performance evaluation tool. List key advantages and problems associated with this method. 360 degree feedback system as a performance evaluation tool as long as the understanding of its intent is understood. â€Å"There are three key steps in the successful implementation of 360 degree feedback systems in an organization. The three steps are that it must fit the organizations culture, make it psychometrically sound, and used with care† (â€Å"Best Practices†, 2012). It is also important to train the feedback providers to be sensitive, respectful and polite.Treating employees in a friendly and respectful manner and offering constructive advice will make them more open to accepting the performance appraisal system. Major advantage to the 360 feedback system is that it provides an opportunity for all the employees associated with the project to offer feedback. All members of the project are to be evaluated on a scale that is defined by the organization to insure fairness and accuracy. We will write a custom essay sample on Life of Alex Sander or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another advantage of the 360 feedback system is that it is designed with customer focus in mind. The customers can be internal or external.Employees may not understand the impact their daily activities have on other individuals or departments within the company. This provides essential feedback to the employees which may have a positive effect on his/her performance for future projects. The 360 evaluation is particularly strong when coupled with an action plan developed by the person receiving feedback and shared with those who provided the feedback. The main disadvantage to using the 360 feedback system is that management and employees may not be trained correctly on how to effectively use the process.Another problem that occurs with this type of system is with its consistency in using this process. Companies sometimes get overwhelmed with other important issue and forget or do not have time to conduct this evaluation in a proper time frame or not at all. This will provide unreliable information for improvement on the next project. 2) What challenges does Alex face relating to the unity of command principle at Landon Care Products? Alex faces many challenges when relating to the unity of command principle. Working through the chain of command, designated supervisors or managers coordinates the work of their subordinates† (â€Å"Chapter Summary†). Alex shows having problems with authority and is very unconcerned with what his immediate supervisor Sam Glass’s perception of his project management skills are and what Glass has to say. Alex shows a lack of concern about the company’s other responsibilities and projects. This was apparent when meeting other virtual team members. The German team members had concerns over the time line that Alex wanted to get things done in and this was in conflict with other commitments that they had already made.Alex refers to every project that he works as â€Å"my product† and â€Å"my brand† which he should refer to them as Landon’s product and Landon’s brand. Alex should show respect and listen to what Glass has to say. Alex is not only showing disrespect to Glass but to the entire organization by not fully participating in the 360 feedback system. 3) Given Alex’s overall skill set, approach, and personality, will Alex be successful in future projects that are more demanding and require influence over strategic decisions?Alex’s overall skill set, approach, and personality at the present time will have a negative impact on future projects that are more demanding and require influence over strategic decisions. Even though his understanding and willingness to learn is exceptional, when dealing with people Alex expects that team members and peers to understand things the same way he does. This is a problem when communicating tasks and objectives to the team. The approach that he takes to get tasks accomplished is to place â€Å"fear† in the project team. Alex intimidates his team members to work.This form of management promotes resentment and unnecessary stress on the organization, which in many cases causes mistakes. The personality that is portrayed by Alex is that he is the best and no one can do it better. This type of personality causes a problem in communication and has a negative effect on stakeholder and other members of upper-management. Understandably his direct supervisor, Sam Glass wants to keep Alex on his team because of his performance of meeting the project goals and finishing them on time and in budget.Unfortunately Glass is receiving negative comments from his colleagues over Alex’s negative personality when dealing with members of the organization. 4) If you were Alex’s boss, what action would you take based on the 360 feedback and your overall assessment of Alex? As Alex’s immediate supervisor I would schedule a meeting to discuss and review the 360 feedback on this project. By scheduling a meeting this would establish that there is a necessity for changes to be made in his project management skills. After reviewing the 360 feedback system I would make several uggestions to Alex Sanders on the results of the responses made. First I would explain to Alex that this was not a meeting to criticize his work ethic but to give insight on ways to improve his project management skills. I would explain to Alex that the company believes in his ability to accomplish projects and that is why he was given the opportunity to be the project manager over two very important projects simultaneously. I would reiterate Alex’s aggressiveness, intelligent and willingness to work hard is illustrated in the accomplishments he has made for the organization.His ability to multitask and problem solve is a credit to his project management skills. As Alex’s supervisor it is also my job to discuss points of concern and suggest ways of improvement. The first concern is over trust of the employee’s capability to accomplish task on their own. The responsibility of a project manager is to delegate appropriate tasks and ensure project control and adherence to the project plan. This lack of trust was illustrated when Alex Sander showed a lack of interpersonal skill when failing to communicate correctly to Hansen Long over a task that was assigned and effectively taking the task away from Long.I would make Alex aware that fear is not a powerful motivator and this type of environment causes unwarranted stress on the team members. This type of management will manifest into resentment of team members. Another concern that was mentioned in the feedback package was the lack of organizational skills when dealing with other project managers. Even though there is lot of positive comments on Alex’s ability to be a project manager but they do not see him as a leader.As Alex’s supervisor I would like to work with him to ensure his success as a project manager in the organization and discuss better ways to communicate his requirements of others to help eliminate the negative feedback. 5) Is Landon Care Products organized through departmentation by function or departmentation by product? Which departmentation method do you believe would work best for Landon? â€Å"Departmentation by function groups similar tasks within their own function, with sub functions, as appropriate and divisions may also be made by occupational categories† (â€Å"organization structure†, 1994).Departmentation by function has the advantage of specialized areas and a broad base of technical personnel within each functional department. The disadvantage to this type of departmentation is that it has slower results and lack of o wnership which discourages commitment. â€Å"Departmentation by product organizes employees based on which product line or set of services they work with. Each product line has a department of its own, and each department has specialists in all of the functions needed to produce and sell that product, such as marketing, manufacturing, accounting and human resources† (â€Å"Functional Vs.

Using Band Essay Samples IELTS

Using Band Essay Samples IELTSBand essay samples IELTS essays have a very short time to pass, because of the very small topic that must be covered. This is due to the fact that this test is very practical and it covers only one narrow subject; that is how to speak the language of English. These essay samples IELTS test is designed for people who want to prepare for IELTS.The objective of these Band essay samples IELTS test is to give information in a concise and simple manner. This is not a complex test because it is focused on what students should learn. This is a very good practice that one can do if they are looking to prepare for this kind of exam.Band essay samples IELTS essays contain very limited grammar and spelling errors. It is a very difficult IELTS exam because it requires students to read and understand the document from beginning to end, in its entirety. The original document was a non-fiction story about an American in China and what he faced while living there.Band es say samples IELTS tests are not used as a sample for students to use. It was only included for students to be able to analyze the material as to how they could correctly answer their IELTS test. This is why a test like this is perfect for student use.A lot of students find Band essay samples IELTS very important, especially since they only have a very limited amount of time to study and the results from it depend on the level of mastery that they have achieved. Band essay samples IELTS test helps them improve their listening and speaking skills. It also teaches them how to structure a proper essay and what information they need to present.There are a lot of test writers who are making use of Band essay samples IELTS for practice. The point of this essay examples is to motivate students to study, so that they will have more time for reading and for writing, so that they can reach their maximum potential in their profession. Students are encouraged to study and take up Band essay samp les IELTS to keep in mind the best possible answers.There are many resources that are available to assist students to write the best possible Band essay samples IELTS essay. There are scores of online websites that offer Band essay samples IELTS. This is done through tutorials, tips and techniques, study guides and even teaching manuals.To be able to prepare for the Band essay samples IELTS, students should be aware of the skills that they need to develop. These skills include literacy and grammatical skills, along with listening and speaking skills. Students can develop these skills by reading the same sources and getting as much information as possible.

The Invisible Man free essay sample

The Invisible Man The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is a novel that explores racism in the 1930’s through the eyes of the narrator, a young black man. The novel describes the story of a young unnamed black man in the 1930’s that is very hopeful for his future, but fails to realize how prominent racism is in the United States. This naivety soon gets him expelled when he reviles his identity to a white peer. After this disheartening incident occurs the narrator is forced to move to Harlem, New York, and becomes the spokesmen for the Communist Party, known as the Brotherhood. Yet, as he works for the organization he still finds himself lost in this world which he is yet to know. This position puts himself in grave dangers with political enemies and racial purists who force him to face the truth of racism and the absence of his identity. We will write a custom essay sample on The Invisible Man or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As he learns more about himself and the world around him he gets caught up in a violent riot which drives him into a manhole. In the desolate solitude and the midnight darkness he begins to discover his identity and how transparent he was. Then he vows to write his life story, and only when it is complete will he enter the world above. In his autobiography he details his life affairs, a purposeful theme, and a vital mood. Fascinatingly the main character of the Invisible Man has no name and the book is personally narrated and written by him and it recalls his story as the â€Å"invisible man† because throughout the story he seems to be invisible due to racial stereotypes and mistreatment. He writes about the racial inequality throughout the book very vividly, and one occasion of racial injustice is when the narrator is found to be a colored man and immediately banished him from the college. This blatant inequality outraged the orator and opens him to the cruelties of a society fueled by racism. This event is believed to have revealed to him the true nature of the world and challenged him to begin to live on his instinct and remove his ignorance. When the narrator comes to this realization he moves to Harlem and becomes a vital spokesperson to a communist party called the Brotherhood, but finds himself surrounded by racism even in his on organization. Thanks to his immense intellect he grows from his experiences and seeks a solution to the shackles  of discrimination. It is not until he is forced to live in the sewers that his action becoming impactful especially after he writes his autobiography and discovers his identity. This revelation leads the narrator to live a life geared towards responsibly and effectively change society with all his abilities. There are a number of themes to be found in the Invisible Man and the amount of wisdom that can be identified in the orator’s anguishes is both useful and vital to not only the reader, but the people as a whole. One of the most critical ideas is that tragic ordeals and experiences build people for better or worse. This is prominently displayed at the end of the novel when the narrator finally decides to dwell on his past experiences and writes his autobiography. Only when this occurs do we see the author become a selfless man on the goal of changing discrimination in society. Another theme in the story is that racism is an obstacle of not only individuals, but society. Throughout the story it is obvious that the narrator is having an inner struggle trying to discover who he is, but is barricaded by racism. It is not until the narrator traveled from community to community that he began to understand the struggle he had been living for all his life. This struggle is to find your own path and commit to it with your talents and abilities. These are the people who develop and transform society and understand that they are interdependent to others like themselves. The mood throughout the Invisible Man is crucial to portraying the message and exaggerating the importance events within the books. For instance, when the narrator is entering the school hopeful for his future the mood is very surreal and dream-like, but once the narrator is forced out of school the mood slowly becomes disheartening and gradually gets more and more nightmarish as the book continues until he discovers his true identity at least. The bleakest mood in the book is definitely when the orator is working for pennies in the Liberty Paints Plant and is basically enslaved. Yet, throughout the story the mood somehow had a slight sliver of optimism no matter the situation. The author even uses the mood as both a reflection of his past and a foreshadowing mechanism. A great testimony to this is when the narrator is finally in college he sense a feeling of despair and loneliness. This obviously foreshadows his removal from the college and his eventual exile to New York for work. No matter how or when different moods are used in the novel it is essential to the book and how the readers relate to the story. Overall this book is very exceptional. It definitely provides a very thorough and personal background of racism in the 30’s. It also documents very well the effects of racism on individuals and shows us the strain it places on a community and a society. I honestly chose this book expecting it to be about the actual invisible man (horror monster) like in the old 30’s movie, but I found myself pleasantly surprised with this novel and its great message. I would say the largest bit of wisdom is not to let hatred and emotions become the basis of what we act on, but rather educated thoughts and ideas to derive action. All in all I would recommend this book to anyone interested on the topic and I am very joyful this is the book that I actually read instead of what I thought it was.