Imatron Case Analysis free essay sample

By Team Synergy Problem Identification The Remote Imaging Division (RID) of Imatron is responsible for the development of a satellite camera to monitor environmental threats for the U. S. government. This project is of tremendous significance because it will provide future technology and profitability for Imatron. The project has a strict schedule to meet in regards to the requirements or else penalties will be placed on the company if the deadlines are not met. There appears to be conflicts of intra-group dynamics within the team as well as individual cooperation differences. The differences of opinion between Lovas and Bennett have become hostile and have alienated others within the group. The bitter relationship is threatening the entire project and has placed tension on Gary Pinto, who is running out of time and options in deciding the best application for the system. Pinto is aware of the dynamics surrounding the two main protagonists. He has been very conscientious when dealing with the conflicts and is very accommodating to the entire group as they appear to be negatively affected by the conflict presented by the two individuals. There seems to be gossip and behind the scenes communication that is relating to the project. This appears to be causing more complications to the process. It also seems that the team is encountering social loafing because no one wants to get involved in the conflict between the two engineers. The lack of communication between the two leads, and their inability to work together, is resulting in unaccomplished tasks. Problem Analysis There are several underlying problems within this team. Bennett and Lovas are both unwilling to compromise and collaborate their designs which is holding up the entire project. The two engineers are very competitive because they both feel they are more knowledgeable than the other. Because of this conflict, team members avoid speaking up during meetings. They are being asked for input by Pinto and they seem to be accommodating rather than giving their perspectives. During the meetings there are no open-ended discussions or effective problem solving. There appears to be divergent thinking happening but no compromise is being obtained. The biggest issue is the lack of trust within the team. Bennett and Lovas are unable to form an effective partnership due to this issue. The lack of trust could also lead the group to losing faith in Pinto because he has been struggling to fix this situation between Bennett and Lovas. With the lack of trust, it is more than likely that the perception of the abilities of the all three senior members is being questioned. All three of these problems directly correlate with each other. The correlation can be viewed in reverse. The lack of trust within the team stems from the feeling that Pinto cannot resolve Lovas and Bennett’s conflict. This distrust in the projects leader causes the lack of communication between members because honest opinions could potentially lead to more conflict. These two problems are caused because of the two mechanical engineers’ unwillingness to see how each other’s input and criticism could benefit the project as a whole. Ultimately, there is very little respect for each other’s expertise and talents. Currently, the situation is problematic for everyone and it’s hard to detect which needs could benefit from this lack of trust, respect, and communication. The main root of the three problems is that the two engineers have two very different ways of thinking. The most apparent benefit is that Lovas’ organized and methodical thinking, and Bennett’s risk taking approach could lead to a prototype that is well thought out during the planning process, yet very innovative during the execution process. It is difficult to see how the team could benefit from the different perspectives because these two members must realize the benefits first. Another underlying cause to these problems is Pinto’s lack of direction in the project. Having the two engineers create two alternative designs was the easy, yet ineffective way to deal with this issue. Creating two alternate prototypes forced a situation where one of the two engineers would be made to feel inferior to the other. The actual outcome, Lovas creating the superior model, was predictable, and the worst possible because Bennett is less graceful in admitting defeat and will take a larger emotional toll. If Pinto would have been stronger initially and forced the two designers to create one model this situation would not have arisen. This situation does have a beneficial aspect in that an almost usable model has been created, and with the proper leadership here on out the team could really make something amazing. Pinto now will have to nurse Bennett’s ego, but if done well enough could stimulate a situation where Bennett is able to throw his creativity into full gear and adapt Lovas’ model so that it will meet the lightweight criteria. Lovas’ somewhat viable model will be the key in implementing an action plan that will address the teams inter-personal issues and create a product that will end with Satera being a success. Action Plan Both Lovas and Bennett have their unique qualities that they bring to the table that differentiate them from one another. Gary Pinto has been described in the case as being known for his honesty and respect. It has been established that he combines praise for team member’s strengths and provides constructive criticism for their weaknesses. Gary Pinto’s first objective to meet is his duty to select which support structure was preferred over the other for the protection of the imaging system. The clear winner was Lovas’s honeycomb structure which withstood the vibration in the testing lab. However, Pinto is facing a tough decision of whether the honeycomb structure is feasible to meet the criteria for Satera. Unfortunately, it was deemed too heavy and would need further expertise. The second objective that Gary Pinto must fulfill is altering the honeycomb design to one that meets Satera’s criteria. Pinto can only accomplish this through sufficient help of his team. Pinto should look to the team’s expertise and notice that Bennett has an expertise towards innovative ideas and may be able to come up with a way to make the honeycomb design lighter o fulfill the necessary requirements. Gary Pinto can use both Ira Lovas and David Bennett to their full potentials by having them work together to complete a well-rounded support structure for the imaging system. The issue at hand is getting Lovas and Bennett to cooperate. Gary Pinto can gain success for this project by sitting down Lovas and Bennett to explain to them both through the techniques of supportive comm unication. This technique of supportive communication will explain what each individual brings to the table and how it can benefit the team as a whole. He can describe Lovas’s superb design and then explain the issues with the support structure being too heavy. Pintos can then turn to Bennett and describe his strengths of innovation and ambition, then direct him through a problem-oriented route to help Lovas make the design lighter. By sitting both Lovas and Bennett down to support them and validate what each of them brings to the table, Pinto can rely on them working together to achieve a common goal at hand. A downfall to this proposed solution of bringing Lovas and Bennett together to implement each of their strengths is the factor that they may altogether dismiss the idea of collaboration. This is a serious risk that Gary Pinto faces due to the animosity that Lovas and Bennett have directed towards one another. The best solution to counter this unanticipated scenario is by motivating Lovas and Bennett through a paid bonus if they are able to meet the fast approaching deadline. Another key aspect of the conflict is that David Bennett seems to be the aggressor in the issues with Lovas. Bennett seems to be affected more by the lack of trust in his innovative ideas. By Pinto allowing Bennett to work with Lovas to complete this design, he can be motivated to take the lead on future projects based on the potential success of this current project at hand. Pinto can further encourage Bennett by promising that if the project goes well, he will establish a Research and Development department in which Bennett will be the sole leader of the improvement projects. This will be a paradise for Bennett and provide him plenty of opportunity to implement his unorthodox ways to come up with innovation. Such a plan will help encourage Lovas as well, since he will have fewer clashes (if any) with Bennett’s cognitive style and will have more chance to stay concentrated on the projects. The proposed solution of having Lovas and Bennett work together is feasible in time, money, and resources. Gary Pinto has a strong set of team members and must use them to their full potentials. By motivating them and creating awareness to their skillsets, Pinto can open the door to success both in this project and in future projects, by creating interpersonal relationships, and strengthening overall team cohesion.

Unitopia Essays - Medieval Art, Unicorn, Unitopia, The Unicorns

Unitopia Isle is an enchanted piece of property, although one would not usually refer to it as property. No human actually has discovered Unitopia and to great prevail it remained pollution, toxin, and litter free. The inhabitants of the land were mystical unicorns that lead fulfilled lives and all had a purpose in their secret society. The land of Unitopia was blessed with fields and flowing meadows. The meadows were glorious for soaking in the toasty rays of the sun, and were rarely ever humid. The fields served as a place for grazing. Unicorns of Unitopia satisfy their appetite with grains for knowledge, corn for strength, and strawberries for energy. Those are the three main courses that the blessed ponies consume regularly. In the heart of Unitopia there is a miniature rainforest, not miniature as in area but lacking in height. The canopy of the usually towering trees reached a maximum height of seven feet here, making it very convenient for the unicorns to reach the exotic fruits bearing on the trees healthy limbs. This served as soul food and was a delicacy. Unicorns were very odd compared to other creatures. They remained extremely family oriented their whole lives. It was easy to tell when families of unicorns were on a stroll through the meadow or wading in the cool Brooke. The sole lonely horn that rests on the top of each forehead of the horse is identical in color to their immediate family. Extended family usually has the same color just different shades. It is said to be this way because at one time, unicorns started off with a rainbow of colors, as the generations went on and genetics were passed on, the colors of the horns would slightly mutate and create a new version of colors. There were four main families that every unicorn knows; celebrities are what theyd be considered in our society. There was the Cordova family who had horns of the color gold Cinnamon Cordova is the mother and her two childrens names are Candy Cordova and Cole Cordova. The Cordovas were role models for almost everyone in Unitopia. Cole and Candy were always well behaved and attended their survival classes always perfecting the hardest tasks available. Cinnamon is the local beautician; she owned a small hut called Mane and Tails, which was the main groomer for the unicorns. Cinnamon kept almost all of the locals fur in proper order. The next ranked up family is the Fitzpatricks with a horn the color of silver. The Fitzpatricks are made up of three ponies. The fathers name is Ferdinand, his job is to ram into some of the toughest trees in the land to free exotic fruit from the rain forest. Ferdinand was the most masculine unicorn in Unitopia and was always favored by all of the younger female ponies, but he always remained faithful to his family. Ferdinands mates name was Flower; she boasts a long mane that is always shiny and healthy. Flower was always very tender and kind hearted, on most occasions shed look over Cinnamons children seeing Cinnamon had no option but to work. Flowers best friend is Cinnamon Cordova, they had both had given birth in the same field in the spring, during the same week. Their children grew up together and always had a sister like relationship seeing that Flower only has had one little hoofling her whole life. Frost Ferdinand is the baby of the family, and has grown up with Candy for almost everyday of her life. Frost is a rebellious pony and loves to discover and create anything she can. The third ranked down family was the Sampsons with horns the shade of fair cotton candy pink. There are only two unicorns in this family, a father and child. Sam Sampson is the father; he nurtures and provides everything he can to his young. His daughters name is sandy who has always been very shy. Sandys mother died upon giving birth to her child. Sandy was a very lovable pony; she minded her matters and helped out when ever possible. Sam always took such good care of her because he always just wanted a family, and that was his mates last

80 Interesting Questions to Ask People in Any Situation

80 Interesting Questions to Ask People in Any Situation SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Have you been out at a happy hour with co-workers lately and had to answer the same mundane questions about that project you’re all working on? What about stuck at a dinner at a family reunion, asking your aunt for the tenth time about her college days? Or on a first date, powering through the typical first date questions - â€Å"Where’d you go to college?† â€Å"What do you do for a living?† If you’ve answered yes to any of the above questions, you know how frustrating and boring it can be to ask and answer the same questions over and over again. There’s nothing worse than having a boring, stifling conversation†¦ just as there’s nothing better than truly getting to know someone and learning something unique about them. In this article, I’ll help you revamp your small talk by giving you the 80 most interesting questions to ask people everywhere from a first date to a happy hour with coworkers. The 20 Best Questions to Ask on a First Date Ahh, first dates! Nothing can make or break a first date like conversation. These 20 funny questions to ask people will open up the channels of communication between you and your date and ensure that, however the date goes, it’ll certainly be memorable. Who inspires you? Who do you aspire to be like? Shark diving, bungee jumping, or skydiving? What’s your favorite cheesy pick-up line? Have you ever used it in real life? What’s your favorite Disney movie? What is the weirdest scar you have and how did you get it? Where did you and your best friend meet? Which of your accomplishments are you most proud of? What’s the weirdest Wikipedia rabbit hole you’ve stumbled down? Tell me about the best vacation you’ve ever taken. What’s your favorite physical attribute about yourself? Friday night- would you rather stay in or go out? Do you believe in ghosts? What piece of art (book, music, movie, etc.) most influenced the person you are today? Which would be harder for you to give up: coffee or alcohol? What’s the single best piece of advice you ever received? Who’s your best friend, and what do you love about him or her? What’s the greatest risk you’ve ever taken? If you had 24 hours to do whatever you wanted in this city, what would you do? What do you like about where you work? What hobby have you always wanted to develop? The 20 Best Questions to Ask Friends You've Known Forever We all have those friends we’ve known forever. You know, the ones that you make boxed macaroni and cheese with on Saturday nights for a Netflix binge. Even with those friends that we most love, conversations can get dull and repetitive. Here are some good questions to ask people for spicing up your conversations and getting to know your besties even better. Which house would you belong to in Hogwarts? What emotion do you experience the most? What was your first impression of me? If you were forced to open a bar, what would you name it? Would you rather be stuck in traffic for three hours, or never get Chipotle again? If you and I were to go to jail, what would it be for? If you could learn the date and time of your death, would you? What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done? Have you ever shoplifted? If yes, what did you take? What are the three things you would bring with you to a deserted island? What is one childhood superstition or fear you’ve never told anyone? What secret obsession do you have that I don’t know? If you could do anything for the rest of your life, what would it be? What makes you feel super loved? What do you lie most about? What's the silliest thing that you've ever gotten upset about? If you had to spend $10,000 today, how would you spend it? What’s your favorite viral video? Who’s your least favorite celebrity? If you could re-do one day in your life, what would it be and why? The 20 Best Questions to Get to Know Your Family Better Have you ever taken the time to really get to know your parents? What about your grandparents? Aunts, uncles, cousins? I’m talking beyond their little pet peeves about putting the dishes away or folding your laundry. Consider asking your family members these questions about the next family get together. You’ll be surprised what you might learn. Did you have a nickname when you were growing up? If so, what was it and where did it come from? Where was your first home? Were you named after anyone? What were your earliest memories of your home? What was your favorite bedtime story as a kid? What was your high school experience like? What clothing fads did you love as a kid? Did you like school? Did you and your friends like to hang out anywhere special as a teenager? Do you remember your first date? Describe your wedding ceremony. What was an unusual thing your children did when they were very small? What historical moment stands out most in your memory? What did you find most difficult about growing up? Were your parents strict or lenient? Do you remember your grandparents or great-grandparents? What were they like? Have you ever been in a serious accident? Name a good friend you’ve known the longest. How many years have you been friends? If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be? If you had the opportunity to erase the last ___ years of your life and go back to age 18, would you do it? Why or why not? The 20 Best Questions to Ask Your Co-Workers Work. You spend hours there every week. But how well do you really know the people you’re there with every day? Fostering strong relationships with your co-workers is a great way to make your work experience more enjoyable. Try these funny questions to ask people the next time you’re gathered around the water cooler on break. What movie or book character do you most identify with? When are you happiest? What more are you wanting from your career right now? If you were to start a company from scratch, what would be its core values? What stresses you out the most at work? What would a perfect day look like for you? How would you spend a million dollars? If you could choose to remain an age forever, what age would you choose? What’s your favorite sport to watch? What was your most recent Netflix binge? What was the best thing that happened to you last weekend? If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be? What’s the one skill you think everyone should have? Do you consider yourself artistic? Who was your most influential schoolteacher and why? What music would you recommend for me to listen to while I work? What would be the title of your autobiography? Do you have a favorite season? What’s the fanciest event you’ve ever been to? If you could go back to one historical event to witness it, what would it be and why? The Bottom Line: Questions to Ask People to Get to Know Them Conversations don’t have to be rote and boring! Use these 80 questions to spice up your next first date or family dinner. Use conversation as a way to better get to know the people in your life†¦and don’t forget to share about yourself, too!

Early History of the Celts essays

Early History of the Celts essays The Ancient Celts were not an illiterate people, but they transferred their knowledge orally. They had an alphabet of twenty letters called Ogham. Each letter was named after a tree from the land where they lived. Ogham was used on standing stones, primarily on graves and boundary markers. The primary sources of information about the Celts are, in that light, the texts written by the Romans who were in touch with them and Christian monks, who lived in Irish monasteries in the Middle Ages. Caesar, Livy and Tacitus, wrote about their contemporaries who lived in a way different than themselves and therefore were considered barbarians, but even though they did not have a positive attitude towards them, they still left some useful information about Celtic society, religion, way of life, and so on. One of the problems that arise from this is that many things in these writings are romanised, e.g. Caesar interprets Celtic gods and calls them by the names of their Roman equivalents: They worship as their divinity, Mercury, in particular, and have many images of him, and regard him as the inventor of all arts, they consider him the guide of their journeys and marches, and believe him to have great influence over the acquisition of gain and mercantile transactions. Next to him they worship Apollo, and Mars, and Jupiter, and Minerva; respecting these deities they have for the most part the same belief as other nations: that Apollo averts diseases, that Minerva imparts the invention of manufactures, that Jupiter possesses the sovereignty of the heavenly powers; that Mars presides over wars. The second type of sources are the books written from 6th - 13th century on by Christian monks in Ireland and Celtic Britain. These books were written several centuries later, so the oral tradition might have changed and much of the information was under Christian influences. The Celts were one of the most significant and pow...

Current Issue Barclays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Issue Barclays - Essay Example company has more than 50 branches in different countries of the world including Africa, Asia, and Europe, North America and South America and almost 48 million customers. Barclays is renowned as universal bank and is organized as Corporate and investment banking and wealth management, and Retail and Business Banking. The corporate and Investment banking and wealth management cluster consists of three business units: Barclays Corporate (Commercial Banking), Barclays Investment bank and Barclays Wealth (Wealth Management). The retail and Business Banking cluster comprises four business units: Barclaycard (credit card and loan provision), Barclays Africa, UK Retail Banking and Western Europe Retail Banking. Barclays is the fourth largest bank in UK. Its main competitions are HSBC, RBS and Natwest. The current issues faced by Barclays are competitive market environment, segmentation issue and communication models. Here we will just discuss competition between Barclays and HSBC. HSBC is a London based banking and financial service providing organization. HSBC is not indebted to the British Government. But Barclays has resorted to borrowing. During the year of 2010 HSBC earned a total interest income of 80 billion dollars and a net profit of 14.2 billion dollars (wikinvest.com). There is tough competition between Barclays and HSBC. Since these are the two leading banks in UK so they are trying to achieve the biggest share in the market. Barclays reduce their rates on its Woolwich branded tracker mortgage to attract customers but HSBC in turn decrease to 1.99% discount on products. Both banks are taking further steps and bringing competitive products in the market which resulted in decline in market prices. Barclays has decreased its mortgage rate on its tracker mortgage by 0.45% and HSBC in return launched its amended rates by reviewing (Johnston, Mark 2010). Barclays has now launched new Premier Life Banking Program revive lending and compete for new customers.

Microsoft Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Microsoft Management - Term Paper Example This company has helped to alter the living, working, and recreational behavior of hundreds of millions of public around the world (History link.org, 2000). Additionally, Microsoft entered the operating system (OS) business in 1980 with its own version of UNIX, called Xenix. However, Disk Operating System (DOS) ultimately proved the company's dominant power. After the breakdown of the discussion with Digital Research, IBM granted the contract to Microsoft in November 1980 to provide a version of the CP/M operating system. It was set to be utilized in the upcoming IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC). By December 1982, Microsoft approved DOS to 50 additional manufacturers. Millions of IBM "clones" were being sold, and were powered by MS-DOS. Soon after, in 1983, the Graphical User Interface (GUI), which facilitates representation of computer programs and files through icons and other graphics on the screen of the computer, was launched. The success of MS-DOS led to invention of a new operat ion system OS/2 in 1984 and also release of Microsoft Windows (United States Securities And Exchange Commission, 2011). Subsequently, Microsoft introduced its Office collection, ‘Microsoft Office’, in 1990. The software bundled distinct office use applications, such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. As the early versions of Windows were unsuccessful, so Windows 3.0 was launched with an efficient graphics user interface and superior ‘protected mode capability’ for the Intel processor. This idea made both MS Office and MS Windows foremost in their respective areas. The company also diverted into software applications, by creation of certain programs that allow computers to perform specific tasks, such as word processing and spreadsheets. It also began producing Compact Disk--Read Only Memory (CD-ROMs) (United States Securities And Exchange Commission, 2011). In the year 1995, Microsoft redefined its assistance and extended its products into ‘networ king’ along with the ‘World Wide Web’ and also with ‘Windows 95’. Windows 95 was an entirely innovative user interface with a narrative start button. It also provided 32-bit compatibility as well as the MSN, an online service, and Internet Explorer for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), a web browser. In 1998, Microsoft enjoyed its monopoly in the field of operating systems. Moreover, by 2001, Microsoft established Windows XP. It became very successful and also acquired a reputed position in the market. In 2004, new version of Windows XP was developed and later in 2007, Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 came into existence (History link.org, 2000). Thus, it can be stated that Microsoft, with its immense inventions marked its path as an industrial giant. Empowerment Human Resource Management (HRM) includes the administration of people in an organization in order to form a collective relationship between management and employees. This appro ach focuses on the proper functioning of the organization. Human resource management includes various processes such as work force planning, training and development, empowerment and employee appraisal among others (Mathis & Jackson, 2010). Empowerment is a part

Communication with difficult people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Communication with difficult people - Essay Example and harmony in the working relationship, it is important that the interpersonal problems, that give rise to conflicting situation at the workplace, be resolved be done at the earliest. The conflicts in workplace must be resolved early because if left long to fester, the situation can become explosive and critical for the organization and adversely affect the performance outcome. I have had a major interpersonal problem with one of my colleagues. I was a teacher and he was looking after the laboratory. For the practical sessions, I needed his help in preparing chemical solutions with specified concentration so that the children could experiment successfully. I was quite perplexed when I found that the experiment was always successfully concluded when I made the chemical solution but failed when the solution was made by the said colleague! When I discussed the problem with the colleague, he not only refused to thrash out the matter but became aggressive and accused me of harassment. Later, it was found that other colleagues were also facing the same problem with him. Taking matters to the principal just resulted in worsening the relationship with the person. To keep peace, I stopped taking the help of the said lab technician but realized that the problem with the colleague needed to be resolved early for long term better relations. The workplace problems are basically external in nature and may arise due to differences in personal and work ideologies among the workers. For effective communication it was important to identify the situations and issues that are seemingly created by others and which threaten personal and professional goals and desires of a person. Noted authors Hitt et al have asserted that conflicts and workplace problems can usually be contributed to four major factors: lack of understanding; different assessment; self interest and envy; and low tolerance (Hitt el al, 2005). The various aspects of the interactive elements of the organization, work