Assessing the performance of the royal mail - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1386 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Case study Did you like this example? The Royal Mail (RM) is the national postal service for the United Kingodm, it was founded in 1666, and is a public limited company owned by the British government, in affect a Quango. The RM is responsible for universal mail collection and delivery in the UK. Letters are deposited in a pillar or wall box, taken to a post office, or collected in bulk from businesses. Deliveries are made at least once every day except Sundays and Bank Holidays at uniform charges for all destinations within the UK. It was not until 2006 that the RM lost its 350 year monopoly (Wikipedia 2010). A year later Industrial action took place over pay, conditions and pensions. This action was repeated more recently in 2009. In this essay I will touch on the main reasons for this industrial action by postal workers and discuss whether or not it will help RMs problems, looking deeper into the organisations structure and culture. For years as the RM operated within a monopoly it was a good source of income for the Government of the day, due to this over the decades all profits were creamed off and reinvestment never took place to help modernise the RM. While globalisation meant the world around the UK was forever evolving, global postal services were emerging with more hi-tech and profitable services, benefiting from larger economies of scale. These two factors combined meant when the postal market became derestricted in 2006 RM had a lot of catching up to do with and no money to do it with; leading to a wave of cost cutting by RM as they tried to become competitive, becoming more automated and cutting jobs. If you look back through RMs history not much has changed about how the organisation is structured, how they operate and their culture as an iconic British service. They have their own post boxs, their own trademark colour and brand, these have remained constant for decades, that is up until recently. As soon as RM came into contact with the full effect of globalisation in the form of multinational cross continental efficient postal services, culture and structure took a back seat. Run now by managers looking for bonuses and trying to increase competitiveness, employee relations became strained as disillusion and conflicts of interest became apparent between workers and management. Management practices changed as new goals and objectives were formed, Organisational culture provides meanings for routine organisational events, thereby reducing the amount of cognitive processing and energy members need to expend throughout the day. An organisations culture can be something it has or something it is. Management can use an organisations culture to guide workers into making rational decisionsIn essence Smircich believed that if an organisation had a positive culture that was in line with an organisations objectives, employees choices regarding an organisations processes would become rational. It would create an identity that all employees belong to and work for rather than against, allowing managers to steer employees in a chosen direction. RM has an engineered culture, a theory from The broad alternative or competing perspective on organisational culture is that culture is something that an organisation is. Meek (1988:459) said most anthropologists would find the idea that leaders create culture preposterous: leaders (according to anthropology) do not create culture, it emerges from the collective social interaction of groups and communities. RM believe a hastype of culture will inevitably improve their bottom line. However by controlling workers actions and behaviour by enforcing a culture, RM has left workers without a way of expressing any dissatisfaction without taking group action, they feel they have to put up and shut up. A lack of choices for workers is what was intended by RM to increase productivity and decrease the amount of decisions made by workers; however this has backfired as workers become so dissatisfied it leads to ultimatums between RM and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and therefore strike action. Striking is a last resort however because there is an opportunity cost for the lost income and a detrimental effect on relationships with both employers and customers. However workers have needs, both financial and psychological that has to be fulfilled to wish to work. Therefore if workers are dissatisfied industrial action and strikes will take place. Peters and Waterman are firm believes in is cultures and summed up their views on the has perspective by stating RM has put too much emphasis on controlling their culture; as opposed to listening to their workforce and realising it does not work. On the other hand as Meek stated earlier, it may not be wholly RMs managers fault, an organisations culture is also decided by the employees If therefore RMs workers share some of the responsibility for RMs culture today, should they be taking strike action and would this not make it worse? Yet this negative culture felt by RMs workers is exactly why they are taking strike action they are not happy with the modernisation culture, thrust upon them by management. If they are indeed partially responsible and now that the situation has gone out of their control and not to their liking so going on strike, then they are making the situation worse. Striking for the sake of regaining control would be bad for RM as a whole, both employers and employees alike. It makes them more unproductive amplifying the situation. In 1973 Pettigrew stated that he thought politics and bureaucracy was as much a part of an organisation as it was society and government. In which case problems within an organisation are quite possibly inevitable, however by forcing changes in culture upon workers and trapping them RM management have made it worse. From a workers prospective if they see the organisation they work for publishing profits that have doubled over a year, they are going to feel they need compensating. Workers feel RMs decisions and culture changes have cost them job security, flexible hours, pay and quality of life. Therefore they would strike to fight for a better deal. However this could just be workers being unreasonable and greedy. If we look at it from RMs point of view, they have produced increased profits, does this not therefore mean that the organisation is functioning correctly and efficiently and that the imposed culture by management has worked. Therefore should RM change at all, if it is working and they are becoming competitive, in the long run the workers will realise their jobs are safer with a more productive organisation. Meaning the strikes are not solving the companies problems but making them worse. Organisational structure is defined 2). Because RM has been set in its ways for so long not having to change its structure it has become redundant. Its difficult adjusting to changing times and a faster pace of business. Adam Crozier, C hief Executive of RM is reported as saying in an article by the Guardian Online, Change is difficult for everyone but Royal Mail has no alternative but to change and modernise if it is to compete in todays highly competitive communications market and keep on delivering the postal service on which so many depend, (Thursday 10 December 2009). This shows just how much the RM must change to compete with competitors if the chef executive is publically acknowledging it. By striking they hope RM will meet their demands and by doing so they will work more productively and therefore they argue RM profits and competitiveness should be maintained. This leads into the case of globalisation, while structure and culture of RM are important; surviving in a now free market is the aim of the game. Firms such as FedEx and DHL have been able to grow unhindered and with investment for years, allowing them to benefit from greater economies of scale and more efficient services. Strikes and poor servic e in 2007 led to RM loosing its second largest contract with Amazon, this shows how strikes can cause RMs problems to get worse. Amazon would now have the opportunity to go to a competitor to deliver its parcels, competing directly with Parcel Force worldwide, RMs parcel delivery service. As When RM realised it had to become more competitive, it cut costs to be able to offer lower prices. This cost cutting led to a restructuring and investment in machinery such as sorting machines that caused the redundancy of nearly 30,000 jobs. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Assessing the performance of the royal mail" essay for you Create order

Goal Setting and Overcoming Immunity to Change - 2738 Words

In March, my PSYC class was presented with a challenge - to identify a personal improvement goal and to address this issue using an Immunity to Change map. My lengthy list of personal struggles was quickly narrowed down to one item with focused reflection. My improvement goal was to engage in productive thoughts and behaviors that would provide better time management practices. I was initially looking to improve my behaviors at home so that it would translate into success in all areas of my life including my career. With thoughtful observation and consideration, the Immunity to Change (ITC) map provided a developmentally raw process that continues to help me focus on my improvement goal today. Although I am still working on this goal,†¦show more content†¦These are ideas that are not questioned whether it is based in reality or not. Once the map has been filled out, it is time to formulate an experiment to gather information and to make observations about the big assumptio ns. Starting the process is a daunting task. However, as it unfolds, details about more obvious issues are productively explored. Also, unexpected connections may be discovered. Studying the Constructive Development Theory (CDT) also provided a foundation to identify where I fit on the spectrum of adult development. Constructive developmental theory is an eye opening explanation of how people make meaning at different stages of consciousness. This theory identifies numerous areas of human development that an individual may be â€Å"subject to† or â€Å"hold object.† Each phase of development designates twelve specific factors that humans will use to make meaning from. Analyzing how a person’s meaning making or pinpointing the factors they are â€Å"subject to† or â€Å"hold object,† helps us to define an individual’s Order of Mind. Jennifer Garvey Berger (1999) explains in her guide, Key Concepts for Understanding the Work of Robert Kegan , that â€Å"things that are Subject are by definition experienced as unquestioned, simply part of self† (p. 2). For me, this concept revealed that I was subject to my behavior and attitude regarding my personal time management. I considered my lack ofShow MoreRelatedInitiating Change from Within - Change Leadership Essay2167 Words   |  9 Pages Initiating Change from Within Introduction There is an old saying that goes, â€Å"the only thing permanent in life is change†, this holds true for almost everything in life. Even our bodies attest to that fact. We are not the same physiologically, mentally and psychologically as we were, say, ten years ago. Change is inherent in the world that we live in. If change is something that is inherent in nature, it seems that resisting change is something that comes with it naturally. All our lives weRead More Discrimination in the Workplace of Individuals Living with A Disease or Illness2706 Words   |  11 Pagesrate of this program is phenomenal with statistics of over 150 placements throughout the New York City area. Those effected by workplace discrimination can range from many angles depending on the research shown. In this particular study, we are setting out to find out how people working with illnesses are identified and thusly discriminated against. Although few employers today likely would articulate a view that members of certain racial or ethnic minorities are not intelligent enough to hold someRead MoreSchool Of Immunity And Infection7583 Words   |  31 PagesVassiliy N BAVRO School of Immunity and Infection Foundation of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (FLHE1) Summative Assessment Registration: Jan 2015 Foreword: In the following pages I attempt to summarise and reflect upon my teaching experiences and interactions with students at different levels as a part of my role as a Birmingham Fellow. Birmingham Fellows are by definition primarily research-focused and protected from teaching, hence my teaching exposure is relatively (and necessarily)Read MoreAn Essay on Jamba Juice10168 Words   |  41 Pagesincentives for the creation and expansion of small businesses in Spain as well as support and services to business owners. Recent government campaigns and initiatives have focused on support for entrepreneurs, primarily in response to Spain’s economic goals for the future. Increasing competitiveness and promoting innovation were identified as key strategies to maintain, grow and keep Spain’s economy dynamic (Dreamer, 2008). The key factors such as strong economy, large population base, expansive touristRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesRelationship s by Communicating Supportively Gaining Power and Influence 279 Motivating Others 323 Managing Conflict 373 PART III GROUP SKILLS 438 8 Empowering and Delegating 439 9 Building Effective Teams and Teamwork 489 10 Leading Positive Change 533 PART IV SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 590 591 Supplement A Making Oral and Written Presentations Supplement B Conducting Interviews 619 Supplement C Conducting Meetings 651 Appendix I Glossary 673 Appendix II References 683 Name IndexRead MoreCommercial Liens - a Potent Weapon Essay32374 Words   |  130 PagesChapter 5 †¢ Mistakes and Pitfalls to Avoid †¢ Defective Legal Form and Procedure †¢ Hanson-type or Nebulous Liens †¢ Aiming Too High †¢ Beware of Exotic Arguments Chapter 6 †¢ Obstacles and Strategies for Overcoming Them †¢ Refusal to File Liens †¢ Abuse of Judicial Power Chapter 7 †¢ The Coloring Agreement Approach †¢ Background †¢ Instructions Chapter 8 †¢ Final Thoughts, by Alfred Adask Appendix A - BibliographyRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pageslikely to face in the coming years. Of special importance is that students of international management understand what will be expected of them from the range of stakeholders with whom they interact and the ways in which technology and social media change the nature of global connections. Although we have extensive new, evidence-based material in this edition, as described below, we continue to strive to make the book even more userfriendly and applicable to practice. We continue to take a balancedRead MoreMarketing Management 14th Edition Test Bank Kotler Test Bank173911 Words   |  696 Pagesgathering, recording, and analysis of data about issues related to marketing products and services. B) It focuses mostly on monitoring the profitability of a companys products and services. C) It focuses solely on attaining an organizations sales goals in an efficient manner. D) It is defined as the field that deals with planning and managing a business at the highest level of corporate hierarchy. E) It occurs when at least one party to a potential exchange thinks about the means of achieving desiredRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesearlier editions. I think this may even be my best book. The new Google and Starbucks cases should arouse keen student interest, and may even inspire another generation of entrepreneurs. A fair number of the older cases have faced significant changes in the last few years, for better or for worse, and these we have captured to add to learning insights. After so many years of investigating mistakes, and more recently successes also, it might seem a challenge to keep these new editions fresh

Classroom Management And Discipline In Regular Classrooms Free Essays

In â€Å" Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn, † Harry and Rosemary Wong describe the successes and the jobs encountered by Jessica Fenton, who portions how she overcame some major obstructions she faced in her first twelvemonth of instruction. Fenton ‘s first challenge was that she was trained as an simple school instructor, but upon graduation, she was offered ( and accepted ) a place learning 9th grade English. Fenton felt overwhelmed and unprepared from the beginning, confronting jobs that were ne’er addressed in her college instruction classs. We will write a custom essay sample on Classroom Management And Discipline In Regular Classrooms or any similar topic only for you Order Now She was beguiling her clip instruction, coaching, chaperoning school dances, volunteering on assorted commissions, and assisting with graduation. Fenton was working from seven A.M. to midnight and still felt unprepared. By Christmas interruption of her first twelvemonth of instruction, Fenton was close to giving up on her dreams of being a instructor. Alternatively, she decided it was clip for a alteration and committed herself to larning how to go a better instructor. She attended seminars, attended workshops, read books, and stole any good thought she discovered along the manner. Fenton shortly realized that, with a few alterations, she could turn it all about. She started by developing a list of processs that would do her schoolroom modus operandis run swimmingly. Using the three measure theoretical account taught in The First Days of School by Harry Wong, Fenton taught these processs to her pupils by explicating each process, patterning and practising them with the category, and implementing a method of follow through to reenforce each process. Once Fenton created a new degree of direction and organisation to her schoolroom, she was able to learn with easiness. She besides distributed two press releases to her pupils. The first was a department-wide class lineation that explained the literature they would be analyzing, how they would be graded, and the policies for assignments and prep. Most significantly, at the underside of the paper was this statement: â€Å" The grade of success earned by the pupil will depend on committedness and ownership. If the three participants: pupil, parent/guardian, and teacher, work together, the pupil will see success. † This press release was sent place to parents and defenders to see. The 2nd press release was a Course Information page that laid out her major processs, listed the specific dislocation of how each twenty-four hours was traveling to be run, explained their forenoon bellwork, what to convey to category every twenty-four hours, and how they were to form their work. When F enton returned to school from the vacation interruption, she was a changed instructor. Because Fenton set clear outlooks of her pupils and herself, she set the phase for a successful remainder of the twelvemonth. At the beginning of the school twelvemonth in 2009, Fenton got the chance to run into her long-time graven image, Erin Gruwell, the instructor of the Freedom Writers. As a new instructor in Long Beach, CA, Gruwell was shocked to larn that merely one pupil in her category knew of the Holocaust. At that minute, she decided that her course of study would focus on on tolerance. Gruwell inspired 150 deprived pupils write their narratives, do films about their lives, keep diaries, read books about other adolescents, and associate the stuffs they studied to their ain lives. These pupils became known as the Freedom Writers. Gruwell founded the Freedom Writer Foundation in 1997. The end of the foundation is to â€Å" animate immature pupils to pick up pens alternatively of guns. † Now Gruwell portions her experiences with instructors across the state. After run intoing Fenton, Gruwell offered her an chance to come to the Freedom Writer Institute in California. Fenton gracefully attende d the Institution, and took what she learned back to her schoolroom. Fenton and Gruwell portion a deep passion for pupils and their profession. One of Fenton ‘s ends is to associate to each of her pupils in a personal manner. Now, on the first twenty-four hours of school, Fenton begins with a Power Point presentation presenting herself, her personal grounds for why she loves to learn, and fun facts about herself. Subsequently, her pupils make full out an in-class checklist to place the manner they learn best, what their concerns are, and what countries of the stuff they are fighting with. This encourages unfastened communicating between Fenton and her pupils. Inspired by Gruwell, Fenton sets high outlooks for her pupils by holding them make full out a study that asks what grade they hope to accomplish and how they plan to make so. The pupils are required to subscribe a statement that states their personal committedness to accomplishing their ends. Fenton is now in her 4th twelvemonth of instruction, and she believes that she has the best occupation in the universe. As an active subscriber to the New Brunswick Teachers ‘ Association and a member of the Ad Hoc Planning Committee, she portions her passion and dedication to doing a difference in her pupils ‘ lives. Though Fenton is a successful instructor, her end is to go on to larn from her pupils and to go a better pedagogue. Analysis The text edition states that Jacob Kounin conducted schoolroom surveies in the 1960 ‘s to nail the best manner to near schoolroom direction and subject. He found that good instructors used identifiable processs for deriving pupil attending and clear uping outlooks. These thoughts, which coincide with the Managerial attack, were used by Jessica Fenton to go a more effectual instructor. By puting up clear regulations, processs, and outlooks, Fenton was able to pull off and form her schoolroom in the 2nd half of her first twelvemonth. This is the recommended attack for new instructors, and one time in topographic point in, Fenton ‘s schoolroom modus operandis flowed swimmingly. By puting up clear modus operandis and processs, her pupils were organized and ready to larn. This besides left less chance for misbehaviour, because Fenton was maximising their acquisition clip. The text edition besides discusses the work of William Glasser, a head-shrinker and a great educational mind. He believes there are seven linking wonts that instructors can utilize to better dealingss between themselves and their pupils: lovingness, listening, back uping, lending, promoting, swearing, and befriending. These wonts, portion of the Humanistic attack, are used by Fenton to better her relationship with her pupils. On the first twenty-four hours of school Fenton portions facts about herself that allow the pupils to acquire to cognize her better. She besides uses an in-class checklist, in which the pupils tell her about themselves and their concerns. This opens up the lines of communicating between pupil and instructor, and promotes a figure of the linking wonts mentioned by Glasser. Fenton besides promotes ripening by holding the pupils fill out a study inquiring the class they hope to accomplish, and how they plan to make so. The pupils sign a personal committedness to ac complishing this end. In drumhead, the acquisition in Jessica Fenton ‘s schoolroom did non happen merely for her pupils. Because she was passionate about her pupils and her profession, she worked to better fix herself as an pedagogue. Her penetration was non new, as evidenced in the work of Kounin and Glasser, but her cognition of the attack to learning was new to her. Her committedness to personal growing and larning sets a criterion for her pupils to follow. A Wong, Harry and Rosemary. â€Å" Learning to Teach, Teaching to Learn. † Teachers.Net. Mar. 2010. Web. 04 June 2010. lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //teachers.net/wong/MAR10/ gt ; . How to cite Classroom Management And Discipline In Regular Classrooms, Essay examples

The Double Entry System free essay sample

According to the double entry accounting system, a business transaction affects at least two accounts and the debit and credit amounts recorded for the affected accounts must be balanced. These transactions will be recorded in the appropriate books of accounts. Business entities develop a chart of accounts, a list of account titles with their corresponding account codes that the business will use in recording and posting in the books of accounts and in reporting in the financial statements. Double Entry System was invented for the first time by Lucas Pacioli’ of Italy in the year 1494 in Venice but it was developed in England. This system is based on the truth that every business transaction involves two .parties— (1) Receiver and (2) Giver. There can not be any business transaction by only one party. If one part is giver of any thing, there must be one more party-receiver. If one part is seller; there must be the other party purchases. We will write a custom essay sample on The Double Entry System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Receiver of the transaction is debtor and the giver is the creditor. Thus the transactions take place between two parties, according to Double Entry System every transaction is recorded twice. One party is the debtor and the other party is giver. Receiver is the debtor and giver is the creditor. Accuracy of accounts. The greatest advantage of Double Entry System is that arithmetical accuracy of accounts can be checked easily. Since every transaction is recorded twice, a Trial Balance can be prepared and it can be known whether each transaction has been correctly recorded twice or not. By applying. Double Entry Principle every transaction is recorded twice. Trial Balance can easily be prepared and with the help of Trial Balance Trading and Profit and Loss can be easily prepared to ascertain the gross profit or gross loss or net profit or net loss of the business. Knowledge of Financial Position. Financial position of the business can be known easily. By preparing Balance Sheet one can know what assets are possessed by the business and what liabilities are due by the business. Chances of fraud meager. By applying Double Entry Principles chances of committing fraud is very much minimized. If fraud is committed, it can be easilychecked by verification and auditing of accounts. †¢Comparison of Expenses— Comparison of expenses of the current year with the previous can easily be made. The system of double-entry bookkeeping does have the capa ¬bility of making a positive contribution towards economic growth. Although the ability of double-entry to reveal the success or failure of a business enterprise for a specific period of lime was not valued by the early merchants, double-entrys capacity to accumulate data on individual performing activities, combined with its ability to bring order to the affairs and accounts of these merchants, rationalized the economic activities of the early English merchants