Sunday, January 26, 2020

Post Bureaucracy And Network Society

Post Bureaucracy And Network Society Organisations around the world have changed their structures, the internal managerial strategies in order to survive within a competitive market and hence evolved to best suit the external environment they operate in. Every organisation in todays time has to be profitable in order to be in business and therefore it must organise its structure, (Grahame .F. Thompson 2003 Oxford University Press). In the 21st century a revolution of globalisation, Information technology and cultural change has made corporate organisations to re-think and re-structure themselves to better suit the needs of workers, employers, consumers and the future of the company as a whole. There has been a social change in the division of labour and concepts of Post Fordism and flexible specialisation has come up in the last quarter of a century, (Tony J. Watson 2003 Routledge). In this essay we will see the shift from factory type bureaucracy towards a network society and the emergence of post bureaucratic organisa tions in todays economy which is based on knowledge and innovation. But this leaves us with an argument that is a post bureaucratic organisational form predominant in the network society/knowledge based economy? In the latter part of this essay we see some evidence of bureaucracy and its elements still present in Network Organisations. To understand this and come to a reasonable conclusion we must know what are bureaucratic organisation, post bureaucratic organisations and network organisations. As we know that bureaucracy is a highly structured system of administration it was seen in the late 1920s as being highly successful in the era of capitalist and mass production and administrative complexity. Thus, due to its nature of being machine like it ignored moral, ethical and emotional values and was efficient. The control and co-ordination of work task through a hierarchy of appropriately qualified office holders, whose authority derives from their expertise and who rationally, devise a system of rules and procedures are calculated to provide the most appropriate means of achieving specified ends. (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge, sociology, work and industry fourth edition, pg-86). Bureaucracy had a hierarchy and decision making which flowed from top level managers to low level skilled and unskilled workers. In Weber ideal model Weber argued that without a proper filing system the bureaucratic organisation would fail and many organisations followed that and had highly secre tive filing systems. Managers and workers were allocated task according to technical expertise. There was a framework of rules to be followed for the production and functions to be carried out. Decisions made were not affected by emotions or personal preferences but defined by system of rules and under the official jurisdictional area. But the ideal form is for us to understand that it is unachievable but through which reality can be compared. (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). Bureaucracy is a concept of sociology and political science and can be seen in many government agencies, large manufacturing firms, hospitals, and many academic institutions, (Reference). As the government of states grew larger during the modern period, modern bureaucracies arose and especially following the Industrial Revolution, (Osborne David and Gaebler Ted, 1993, Plume). The major changes which gave rise to the factory system was that the workforce of labour shifted from hand production such as working i n the fields to a power driven machinery system. This revolution made division of labour more complicated, hierarchy gave managers more control, superior supervision and coercive authority, enabled capitalist to take greater reward, moral machinery was introduced to break the resistance from employees, and reduction of skill on which workers relied caused a reduced labour cost, (Paul Thompson and David McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). (Give Examples of British companies as well as worldwide) Bureaucracy was at its height with the rise of the factory system. It was transforming organisations into technically superior system of administration and production. Coordination between man and the machine and with the introduction of the assembly line everything changed. Organised and detailed planning were the key features of Technical superiority. Rationality helped large firms achieve more out of the workers by allowing them to do simplified work in a formalised manner to achieve efficiency and limit the decision making power to the top down hierarchy. Limiting workers decision making and increasing efficiency by ground rules clearly defined without personal prejudice and emotional values. Control was achieved by reducing and restricting vital information and knowledge lead to more direct control from the management. Organisations used bureaucratic structures not only to retain the most earning but many of its features benefited the workers, there was job security, grievances procedures and demarcation, etc. This wave caused the workers something to look forward to and see the organisation in a positive manner, (Paul Thompson and David McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). Taylorism and Fordism Taylors principles were based on bureaucracy and the phenomena were called scientific management. This was a typical example where an organisation was successful at the time when bureaucracy was at its heights. This was not an ideal type Webers model but it saw social aspects of the organisation where employees were also benefited but the big chunk of profit was taken by organisation. Employees were given specialised routine tasks and which being mechanised with proper coordination of human work effort led to Scientific management. It had a success with organised labour; in which manager had a concept of soldiering on the employee because Taylor thought that it is a tendency for men to take it easy without proper supervision. He had one best way of organising work. In counties like France and Britain experiments on Taylors scientific management started taking place, his ideas of time study and piece rate working gave rise to Taylorism, (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). One of the models of Taylorism states that an official can work his way up the career hierarchy within a few years from being a simple worker to a middle level manager and even in some cases as high as the top management. This was the minimum interaction model describe by littler (1982), (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). In many parts of Britain and Europe Bedeaux system came through and Sweden and Germany followed districting paths but were influenced by Taylorism, (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, Palgrave Macmillan). Henry ford was Fordism became popular after the assembly line was introduced in factory working which increased efficiency many folds. This was the era of mass production were the employees were consumers and part of the market. What made the car factories a success were his detailed supervision, planning management strategies and close supervision. Ford gave his employees something to look forward to in terms of material benefits such as incentives, high wages, and could have a ford car of their own in a number of years. This made them loyal and a sense of trust emerged, (Tony J. Watson, 2003, Routledge). Post Bureaucracy and Network Society Post Bureaucratic organisations emerged when organisations found it difficult to cope up with strict rules and defined boundaries of the bureaucratic structure. With the introduction of advance technology being used in the modern age the organisational structure has changed in many large-scale industries. The age of mass production seemed to be over and highly specialised customer need analysis had to be done. During the time of Henry ford cars were produced in bulk which was standard in its appearance, style and technology. Nowadays we have entered the 21st century where cars are customised according to the needs of a specific customer. We have shifted from a factory type mass production to a customer oriented knowledge based economy where many authors believe bureaucracy is of the past. The ideal type of post bureaucratic structure has more of a dialog based and discussion rather than commands given where individual expertise is given credit. Here we see flat hierarchy which was ne eded in network society to work efficiently on project based process and group tasks, (Heckscher .C, Donnellon .A, 1994, Sage Publications). The changes that are prominent in the network form of organisation are that there are workers and groups with flat hierarchy who take decisions based on their knowledge and expertise. There are team based group doing projects and working together either from the office or from other sites. Networks have proved a useful alternative conception in analysing how a range social activity is organised and governed at a number of levels, (Graham .F. Thompson, 2003, Oxford university press). In modern organisations the concept of flat organisational structure has been introduced and work has been divided into many groups and teams of professional workers, where a set of employees take decisions at various levels of the work process. This also contributes to the innovation where employees have the freedom to make decisions and exercise their expertise. M ost of the employees are treated with formal equality and joint membership in the network organisation, (Graham .F. Thompson, 2003, Oxford university press). Basically what the author is trying to say is that network organisations gave more freedom to work and a sense of equality amongst the workers and employees. This can be seen in highly value added services, like education, medicine, law firms etc. The Network organisations are based on a high trust culture; it has low level of formal division of labour. Networks developed as business shifted from bureaucratic system to a more flexible system because organisations had to survive in the age of technology, innovation and globalisation. The rise of post bureaucratic structure was thought to be due to three major factors such as globalisation, information technology and cultural change. Globalisation caused high degree of competition as the markets to expand and overstretch national boundaries. Many organisations opened branches in other countries and corporate culture was born. This was the era of professionals where knowledge and networking were given importance. Because bureaucratic structures could not cope up with change and adaptability Post bureaucratic organisations had more flexible control process and were more proactive towards its environment. Making connections and providing service was part of almost every organisation regardless of its size and nature. Another major change that gave rise to Post bureaucracy was the change of technology and innovation. Information technology is required for an organisation to stay in business without communication and innovation a business cannot survive in long term. Some people suggest that culture also influenced Post bureaucratic rise in the network organisation. Consumers are given importance in the network society is based on consumerism, relativism and individualism, unlike in the bureaucratic structure, (Manuel Castells, 2000, Blackwell Publishers). Evidence of Post Bureaucratic Forms in Network Organizations (Castells, Journals) Many authors such as Castells suggest that post bureaucratic systems are the only way of the future of the knowledge based economy. This is a very hardcore and too optimistic approach yet we see that a pure bureaucratic organisational structure has failed to adapt into a network society. We know that due to change in administration in knowledge based economy bureaucracy has been replaced by a more flexible and adaptable organisational structure. Social, technological and economic change, multi-tasking work and the need for analysing data at different levels has shifted network society to engage the workers with high trust, empowerment, de-centralised decision making in knowledge economy, (Give Examples).Many organisations stared de-bureaucratizing because Webers concept of control was seen as an exercise of control on the basis of knowledge but in network organisations there had to a freedom to exercise indirect control where employees would practise self discipline and very less s upervision was needed. They had to exchange information and knowledge to be innovative which meant being proactive towards the environment for a long-term survival for the organisation. The concept of disagree to agree is used as friendly constructive discussion for decision making. We know that through empowerment high performance work systems are possible which has shifted from a factory type system where one could not act out of the official jurisdiction of their job description. In many value added organisations empowerment given to employees can lead to success of the firm/company (give example). (Paul Du Gay, 2005, Oxford University Press). Total quality management and customer satisfaction are relatively new methods of the Post-Bureaucratic structure which are used by organisations in the network society and knowledge based service industry. The famous legend in automobile industry Henry Ford ideas of mass production have shifted to some extent to a customised vehicle for a s pecific customer. An article by John Ovretiveit showed that TQM was applied to many hospitals and clinics across Europe became widespread since the 1990s. This method helps organisations deliver better quality control and customer satisfaction essential in knowledge based economy, (John Ovretiveit, 13/2 [200] 74-79, International Journal of health care quality assurance). TQM has been seen as a useful tool but many experts believe that it is difficult to evaluate and is difficult to implement. Whereas we see that in bureaucracy implementation and supervision were regarded highly and Taylors scientific management made it easy for firms to implement policies and evaluate them according to tasks specified to workers according to their official jurisdiction. As Richard Sennett says that there are three deficits of structural change are loyalty, informal trust and adaptive information faced by firms trying to de-bureaucratise, (Richard Sennett, 2004, Yale University Press). Evidence of Bureaucratic elements still present in Network Organizations (Reed M, Journals) Many Organisations have started to re-bureaucratize because there is a problem with the high trust, empowerment, shared responsibility and personal treatment. The concept of re-bureaucratizing has been discussed by many authors that instead of organisations shifting from bureaucracy they simply clean up the bureaucracy in their organisation (Heckscher .C, Donnellon .A, 1994, Sage Publications). Webers Ideal model of bureaucracy can be re-theorized to include any non-contradictory attributes. His ideal type thus cannot yield a clear distinction between bureaucratic and post-bureaucratic organizations, unless bureaucracy is flattened into hierarchy, and post-bureaucratic into non-hierarchical. But hierarchy cannot be eliminated from complex organizations, and bureaucracy can be re-theorized to include any non-contradictory attributes. (Harro M. Hoopfl, Journal of Organizational Change Management, Vol. 19 No. 1, 2006, 8-21, Emerald Group Publishing Limited). Charles Heckscher, the author of The Post-Bureaucratic Organisation talks about the theory of contingency, which is clearly not bureaucratic in nature. The best form of organisational structure should be that which suits the environmental complexities and uncertainty when organisations shift to knowledge based economy. If organisations work under the highly bureaucratised system they would not be able to work effectively, but it is argued that bureaucratic forms have a greater capacity mobilising human energy and cooperation. The author of Lost in translation Simon Norton suggests that Anglo-American approaches of new public management may not be suitable and elements of bureaucracy are still present in public sectors in Japan. The finding of the research is that such systems are popular and work for countries like USA and UK. The findings also suggest that Japanese organisations give priority to the long term survival of firms and its group rather than thinking for individual perfor mance and benefit, for example through reward mechanisms for innovation and demonstration of personal initiative, are at odds with the Japanese tradition of amae and Confucianism; instead, reformers should evolve reform policy around the concept of groupism (Koh, 1989). (Simon Norton, 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited). This research shows us that Although Japan being technologically advance it still values its culture and traditions indicates elements of bureaucracy which means that even after entering a knowledge based environment flat hierarchy may not be so suitable as perceived by many authors. In some organisations in network society direct control is being observed in which employees are monitored and supervised. Another finding by Rachel Parker and Lisa Bradley suggests that bureaucratic values within public sector organisations are prominent although there is an evidence of changing economic trend and new public management is emerging. The control and hierarchy in publ ic sectors show a reverse of what post bureaucratic values impose in an organisation. The employees viewed the monitoring and quality management systems as bureaucratic. Public sector organisations have been motivated less by financial considerations than by political considerations, including the public interest, (Perry Rainey 1988). (Rachel Parker and Lisa Bradley, The Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, Vol 26, No 2 (December, 2004) 197-215). The transition towards a post-bureaucratic society is evident but the process is slow and cannot leave behind elements of bureaucracy as we have not entered a fully knowledge based economy. This is not a claim by me but, in my opinion it is like two sides of the same coin where elements of both bureaucracy and post bureaucracy are present in the modern knowledge based economy and a hybrid form emerges.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Philippines Cultural Assessment Essay

The primary language that business is conducted in the Philippines is English. This is a result of the American influenced era which began in 1898. One should not assume that just because English is the most commonly used language that both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication are conducted the same way that they are in America. The Philippines business environment is known to be highly personalized. The communication style of the Philippines has also been perceived as difficult to comprehend due to its diplomatic and complex language which is derived from its Asian roots. (http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Filipino-Business-Communication-Style.html) It is common in the Philippines, as well as most Asian countries, for people to have an extremely difficult time saying ‘no’ because they tend to try to avoid hurting others feelings. Saying ‘no’ to someone can also be viewed by others as confrontational and unfriendly. Because of this Filipino’s would rather say ‘yes’ even if they mean ‘no.’ (http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Filipino-Business-Communication-Style.html) Filipinos’ dialogue-oriented, rather emotional communication somewhat resembles Spanish, but is less forceful and exuberant. As a show of respect, Filipinos usually address people by their titles (e.g., Architect Cruz, Attorney Jose, Dr. Romero). Over time, and after a relationship is established, they may address business associate by their informal title or nickname. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4205562/National-Cultural-Profiles-Philippines.html) In the Filipino culture a pervasive smile can easily be interpreted as agreement or affirmation in what has just been discussed. That same smile can easily be used to hide embarrassment, aggravation on disagreement. Nonverbal signs of affirmation include the raising of an eyebrow and the jerking of the head upward. A common sign for â€Å"no† include the jerk of the head down. For example, if an individual says â€Å"yes† while pointing their head downward you can be fairly certain that they feel negatively about what you have been discussing. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/4205562/National-Cultural-Profiles-Philippines.html) Although in most cultures it is common for both men and women to shake hands with one another when they are first introduced or when greeting each other, that is not the case in the Filipino culture. Any form of touching, especially men touching women is frowned upon by Filipinos. (http://www.intercultures.ca/cil-cai/ci-ic-eng.asp?iso=ph#cn-2) The Philippines are split into three different regions called, â€Å"Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.† Gender roles in the Philippines are found in school systems, dating, marriage, and especially their families. When Filipino’s are born they assume their gender role by their sex. Males get more respect for the most part because females take after their mothers and elder women to take less dominating roles, also being more feminine in the jobs they choose to hold. Men are categorized into the more dominating roles in society. Men are brought up to take after their fathers or the elder man in their life. They are defined as being more confident, accomplished, and well-rounded individuals. School systems are strict on students, making them look presentable, especially males. Males are required to have short hair and females must wear skirts down to their shins. Dressing inappropriately is not tolerated. Males and females got to the same school but they divide them into two separate parts of the school. Attending a college or university for the average person is highly unlikely because there is no financial aid available so only the wealthy go and receives the higher education. Education is very important to Filipinos and is stressed by their parents to have the best education possible to be successful. Format for names, the country being a predominant catholic, old folks follow the old traditional way of naming their children after the names of the saints. In Luzon, the largest island and where the capital sits, has a strong western influence, naming mostly patterned like the westerners. The country is patriarchal when it comes to family roles. The male or the fathers are always the head and of the household and the final word when it comes to domestic affair. There are regions, like in south Mindanao, the grand chief of the village is the eldest and the wealthiest of the clan where his power over other members of the clan is important even on domestic affairs. The female or the wife is expected to be the care taker of the household, including keeping up with the children. They do not have voicing power compared to the husband (Heinrich 2008) Dating among the Filipino’s is not usually done unless they are eighteen years old because education is most important. Even then when they start dating the male will pay for the female.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Tried and True Method for Ielts Preparation Essay Samples in Step by Step Detail

The Tried and True Method for Ielts Preparation Essay Samples in Step by Step Detail Which is exactly why we here give you some persuasive essay samples that could aid you with your own. Sample persuasive essays can also offer inspiration on topics to write on in addition to serve as examples about how to compose your essay. Your persuasive essay will have a lot of paragraphs. The greatest persuasive short essays often concentrate on controversial problems. An outline makes sure that you've got the vital components to compose a magnificent essay. As any guide on how best to compose a persuasive essay will inform you, your essay has to be organized in paragraphs with a logical progression from 1 paragraph to the next. To structure an essay, you should simply adhere to the aforementioned format. High school essays are structured very similarly no matter the topic and very good essay structure will allow you to compose a crystal clear essay that flows from 1 paragraph to the next. Most academic essay topics usually ask you to select a side in an argument or maybe to defend a specific side against criticism. High school essay examples incorporate a number of short essays like narrative, persuasive and analytical. Write superior essays with an internet class. Many people think that high school entrance essays are comparatively simpler to write than college entrance essays, that is the reason there are fewer places where you are able to get assistance with higher school entrance essays. Many students seek scholarship so the financial characteristics of studying would be less of a burden in their opinion. Fully being a happy high school student wouldn't be possible without my loved ones. High school, college, and sometimes even university students from all around the world a re writing persuasive essays. You don't need to return to school to prepare for the GED test. GED Online enables you to prepare for the GED test by utilizing online classes and practice tests. High school students have to compose essays on a selection of topics which at first may appear to have nothing in common. Practice tests are the best method to acquire ready. The Good, the Bad and Ielts Preparation Essay Samples Your intro ought to start with an intriguing hook that will draw the reader in your paper. While there is absolutely no one correct method to compose these essays, this page will show you some great practices to think about when learning how to compose a persuasive essay. The most important portion of a quick essay is known as the body. Thus employing an expert for doing your essays could be the best alternative. Disadvantages of employing a low-cost essay service Quality If you're opting for cheaper service, bear in mind that it might not be up to the mark. You should find the proper resources for your essay together with patience when finding the most suitable inspiration to write. This service isn't only a skilled but likewise an expert in regards to writing your argumentative essay. The cost of an essay rides on the total amount of effort the writer has to exert. If you wish to figure out how to compose an excellent persuasive essay, you're looking in the proper location! Buy essays from us and you could always be sure of high-quality paper that may assure you quality grade. Summary Hiring an affordable essay service may be a suitable alternative for students at one time crunch. Employing reliable sources for research is important. At the exact same time, quite a few studies show that marijuanain its healthcare formcan be beneficial for patients experiencing serious diseases, such as cancer. Look through the list of topics cautiously and start making a mental collection of the evidence it's possible to use on topics you prefer. For example, think about the topic from the above mentioned link regarding traditional versus alternative medication. The Hidden Truth on Ielts Preparation Essay Samples It is wise to look for the one which has a very good reputa tion and offers high-quality papers at very affordable rates. Though some say totally free public transportation would assist the environment and decrease traffic, others think completely free public transportation is too pricey, and the government can't afford to cover it. Women are facing challenges when they're championing for social shift. Today, there are various on-line sites which provide sample papers. It isn't as demanding as other kinds of academic papers, but nevertheless, it can provide you an overall insight on writing providing you with the fundamental skills of information gathering, creating an outline, and editing. Moreover, our English-speaking writers make sure every order has original content and a suitable structure. You're going to need to select a topic first, but your topic needs to be something that has two conflicting points or unique conclusions.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Get Copies of Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates

Vital records—birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, and divorce decrees—are one of the best resources to help build a family tree.  Once you determine the state where the birth, death, marriage or divorce occurred, select the state from the list below to learn how to get a certified copy of the vital record or where to find free vital records online.   Where to Find U.S. Vital Records A AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansas C CaliforniaCanal ZoneColoradoConnecticut D DelawareDistrict of Columbia F Florida G Georgia H Hawaii I IdahoIllinoisIndianaIowa K KansasKentucky L Louisianna M MaineMarylandMassachusettesMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontana N NebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNew York CityNorth CarolinaNorth Dakota O OhioOklahomaOregon P PennsylvaniaPuerto Rico R Rhode Island S South CarolinaSouth Dakota T TennesseTexas U Utah V VermontVirginiaVirgin Islands W WashingtonWest VirginaWisconsinWyoming Vital records  are one of the best resources for helping you to build your family tree due to their: Completeness—Vital records usually cover a large percentage of the population and include a wide variety of information for linking families.Reliability—Because they are usually created close to the time of the event by someone with personal knowledge of the facts and because most governments have measures in place to try and ensure their accuracy, vital records are a fairly reliable form of genealogical information.Availability—Since they are official documents,  governments have made an effort to preserve vital records with newer records being found in local government offices and older records residing in a variety of record repositories and archives. Why Vital Records May Not Be  Available In the United States, the responsibility for registering vital events is left to the individual states.  Many states, however, did not require birth, death or marriage records to be registered until late into the 1800s, and in some cases not until the early to mid-1900s. While some New England states kept town and county records as early as the 1600s, other states such as Pennsylvania and South Carolina didnt require birth registration until 1906 and 1913, respectively.  Even after registration was required by law, not all  births, marriages and deaths were reported—the  compliance rate may have been as low as 50-60% in earlier years, depending upon the time and place. People living in rural areas often found it an inconvenience to take a day from work to travel many miles to the local registrar. Some people were suspicious of the governments reasons for wanting such information and simply refused to register. Others may have registered the birth of one child, but not others. Registration of births, marriages,  and deaths is much more accepted today, however, with current rates of registration closer to 90-95%. Marriage records, unlike birth and death records, can also usually be found at the county level, and are often available from the date the county was organized (going back into the 1700s in some instances). In some areas, marriage records may also be found at the town level (e.g. New England), the city level (e.g. NYC) or the parish level (e.g. Louisiana).