1)Why are informal settings such as dinners useful?2)Could the consultants have influenced the agenda in more formal ways? How?3)If you had been one of the managers at the Italian restaurant, what would your views of the meeting been? POST 1)1.  Informal settings for meetings and to exchange information can be very useful in breaking down barriers.  Often, people feel very restricted to voice their opinions when in a formal office setting or in a boardroom with their superiors.  I have seen it often in the military where people are given an option to speak up, but no one truly feels comfortable because the setting does not fell appropriate.  Wearing casual clothes, drinking a beer, and socializing before business begins can often make leaders feel more ‘human’ to their employees and in return lead to more honest feedback.2.  It is possible that the consultants could have influenced the agenda in more formal ways, but several issues point to the fact that employees of the company did not feel comfortable with the leadership.  Originally, the marketing and sales manager was already skeptical of the CEOs attempt to have dinner at his own house, believing that the CEO would attempt to influence the agenda of the consultants.  Also, when the consultants invited middle management to the Italian restaraunt, it was noted that middle management had several good ideas but were always shut out and their opinions were not hear.  By breaking down those formal barriers, the consultants were able to do their job.  I believe more formal ways would have came up short of the desired effect.3.  If I was one of the managers at the Italian restaraunt I would have been relieved that someone was finally listening to us.  It was noted that they had ideas and knew why the company was in trouble.  Middle management is the where the rubber meets the road between the employees and supervisors.  They must be involved when trying to find out better ways to run the business. CURTPOST 2)During the reading of Illustration 15.3 question 1, Why are informal settings such as dinners useful?  It is custom sometimes during business dealings to set the first meeting in a relaxed environment to break the ice and ensured that everyone gets a chance to relax and express their opinions.  In this scenario that was the thought of some people but, not all had the same conclusion for a mutual meeting spot.  The CEO had other plans, and some saw it as an opportunity to persuade the consultant company in his favor.Question 2, Could the consultant have influenced the agenda in more informal ways? How? Although I understand having meetings off-site to avoid everyone at the company going crazy until the plan for the consultant is set.  Having a more formal meeting is the best practice to set the tone on how serious the situation is. I do believe that the consultant firm could have influenced a more of a formal setting. However, it is a very fragile meeting that the consultant company wants to happen.  For the consultant company to get hired, they must ensure the CEO that the study of the company will be professional and informative.Question 3, If you had been one of the managers at the Italian restaurant, what would your views of the meeting be? Since only half of the managers were present for the meeting, I would assume that I have the same opinions as the CEO and I was invited because of that reason.  I would also then question why everyone was not present for the meeting. JOHNPOST 3)1. In my opinion informal setting such as dinners are useful because they can potentially break the ice.  For example, being in the military if we are out at a dinner uniform is not expected, so seeing my commanding officer in a pair of jeans and a t shirt rather than brass on their shoulders would put me more at ease when having conversations.2. I believe the consultants could have influenced the agenda in a more formal way by, first not talking about work during a dinner.  Granted the whole purpose of the dinner was to talk business but I feel the dinner was to establish yourself and gain a sense of connection from the other end, like a bond.3. If I was one of the managers being asked for drinks and food at an Italian restaurant, I would feel there are high expectations.  I must admit I would be a tad bit nervous because I feel I would be talking on behalf of the small organization I am in but overall I see it as an opportunity to show the boss what I got.  Other examples, if I was going to the house for the dinner I would do my research and buy the bottle of scotch I know my boss likes, or at the castle, know my history to sound smarter, and at the Italian place, be prepared to pay to leave a statement of, I got this. MelissaPOST 4)1.) Informal settings such as dinners play critical roles in bringing different individuals together. First, these settings allow individuals to mingle and interact more freely whereby they can easily share ideas and feelings regarding various issues that might be affecting them. Second, informal settings help to build trust among individuals regardless of their social status. For instance, senior employees get to interact with their juniors more freely compared to formal settings where roles and classes among workers are clearly distinguished. Third, informal settings provide a neutral ground for workers to express their feelings and ideas without the fear of their superiors.  Lastly, this setting is a fertile ground for influencing other individuals. 2.) Consultants play vital roles in influencing decisions and other ideas. Therefore, consultants at Locco could have used this ability to influence decisions made by the management regardless of the location or surrounding environment. These consultants were involved in carrying out extensive data analysis with the aim of identifying the main issues that affected the company. Consequently, it is unquestionable that they could have used their findings to influence the nature of the decision made by the management. Besides, management’s decision was largely dependent on the results of their analysis. 3.) Lastly, junior managers are often assumed in the decision-making process. However, this meeting gave them room to express their thoughts and possible source of the organization’s problems. Therefore, the fact this meeting gave them this opportunity shows that it was successful. However, it is important to ensure that their ideas are also considered during the implementation process. The senior consultant should go beyond establishing a rapport with the managers and incorporate their ideas as part of his findings=- Bianca POST 5)1) I think informal settings offer both parties to be a little more comfortable during the meeting.  I have been in formal meetings as well as informal, and I think the latter is easier to conversate about the subject.  My experiences with formal meetings have typically involved preparing a brief speech about the topic and then answering any questions that may arise during the meeting.  When these types of interactions take place in an informal setting, both parties have an opportunity to discuss the topic.  2) In some ways, I think the CEO may have benefited more from formal meetings.  The idea that he was trying to sway the decisions of the consultants by having them over for dinner might have not been an issue had the meetings happened in the work place.  Also, the meeting at the pizzeria raises some concern for the managers that did not want to or were not able to attend.  The perception may be that the members not in attendance do not have the best interest of the company in mind, while that may not be the issue at all.  One reason I do not like to have business discussion outside of work is that I do not want to mix work with outside life.  If I have a cookout and invite people from work, we are solely there for fun, not work discussions.  3) If I were one of the managers at the pizzeria, I would not hold the meeting against any of the members that were not there.  I think the meeting would have been more beneficial if all of the managers were in attendance, but there may have been underlying circumstances as to why all the members were not there.  Some people have a job only for the reason of paying their bills, while others are striving to make it to the top.  As long as both of these types give 100% while they are at work (on the clock), then they cannot be punished for not attending “extracurricular” activities -HoneycuttPOST 6)1. Informal settings such as dinner can be useful as it is a way for people to unwind and relax and it’s also an opportunity to get to know one another and build relationships.  An informal setting gives you the chance to open up and voice your opinion more freely and not feel restricted like one might feel in the work environment.2. Yes, I believe the consultants could have influenced the agenda in a more formal way, for example, like conducting a SWOT analysis of Locco to determine why the company’s profits are declining by examining the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities to improve and threats.  This analysis would be conducted onsite, in the work environment, business casual attire, conference room setting with PowerPoint presentations and working in teams.3. My first thought or views on meeting with the consultants would probably have been this was their opportunity now to pick our brains as to why the company is experiencing declining profits and what do we as middle managers see as being the solution. This meeting would serve as an opportunity to exchange information or complain about some of the issues going on in the organization that is contributing to the decline, but because middle managers are in the trenches, they may not get the respect they deserve so their voices aren’t always heard. My overall hopes would be that the managers would come away from the meeting feeling positive and energized and ready to do what they need to do to support the organization. -DANA POST 7)1) Informal settings such as dinner’s helps to create a conducive atmosphere that support more personal interactions. Participants are more likely to get an opportunity to engage with other much more as compared when engaging in formal setup where interactions are limited. As a result, consultants and clients are more likely to work as team, where each strives to fulfill the needs of the other. Apart from learning the history of a company, informal setups as it is the case in the text help to cultivate avenues for trust growth. Informal setups also help interested parties get their positons heard and taken into consideration, especially where they feel they have more control and confidence as evidenced by the way the CEO and the consultant dictated the tempo of discussion at the CE’s home and at the castle respectively. 2) Yes, consultants could have influenced the agenda by requesting in advance an opportunity to present their case. It should be noted that formal meetings usually have moderators who give an equal chance to participants to give their views. As such, the consultants would have been in a position to influence the agenda by making specific request of some items to be included in the agenda. This can possibly be sort by asking for some specific issues to be discussed in a meeting before the actual day of the meeting. This helps each of the participants to be aware of what is one the table. Last but not least, providing supporting information, and examples can also help consultants influence the process in a more formal way.3) I would have approached the meeting more positively and seen it as an opportunity to get to know what the consultants have to say concerning the then state of affairs. I thought the meeting was equally a success for both parties and created an opportunity for better relationships between the consultants and middle managers. Besides this, it did also create an avenue for the middle managers to ask questions with regard to the nature of work and what was expected of them. Lastly, such meeting provided a perfect platform where managers could raise their concerns that they needed to be addressed.

The post OUT OF THESE 7 POST ( REPLY TO 2 POST- EACH POST 150 WORDS)Answers 2Bids 28Other questions 10 appeared first on homeworkhandlers.com.

Purpose: The purpose of this two-step exercise is for you to conduct inductive and deductive research using qualitative methods. Note: it is important that you conduct the observations as two distinct events during this class; ‘recalling’ past observations is not the same as purposefully observing your surroundings from a sociological perspective, and applying two different types of reasoning to one observation will not be ‘truthful’ or successful.The purpose of this exercise is for you to observe one social setting or social artifact to begin to detect patterns in human behavior – observance of norms and potentially behaviors that deviate from the norm.  This week’s exercise includes two parts.  First, without any prep work, you will need to go to one publicplace (or conduct content analysis with your social artifact) and observe the people/artifact for 25 minutes.  Social Setting: Note people’s behavior, their demeanor, their reactions/interactions to/with each other.  Social artifact: from second to second (for TV), or page to page (for print), Note themes, sounds (i.. music), texture of page (i.e. ads in magazine), etc.Second, you will develop a research design with research problem, hypothesis and operational definitions for variables; then you will conductanother 25 minutes of observations.Part 11)      Choose whether or not you will be conducting non-participant observation in a social setting, or content analysis of a social artifacta.       Social setting: this should be a public place such as a park, mall, restaurant, etc.b.      Social artifact: this may be ads in a particular magazine; one television show, a time-block of commercials, etc.2)      For your inductive approach, you will simply choose a time and location/artifact for where you are going to conduct your observationsa.       Social Setting: Go to the specified location and proceed with your observations.                                                               i.      You must be a keen social observer; a ‘peeping Tom’ in the sociological sense.  Take handwritten (recommended) and/or mental notes of: 1.      details about your chosen location (time of day, lighting, furniture, plants, sounds, temperature, smell, vibe/energy, etc)2.      the people around you, not only their behavior but general information about their sociodemographic characteristics (age, race/ethnicity, gender, SES, etc);3.      your thoughts and feelings while making observations Social Artifact: At a specified time (i.e. when a particular show is), carefully observe your social artifact                                                              i.      Content analysis provides a sustained, systematic way to observe and measure the portrayal of that reality, as opposed to the quick, impressionistic way that we normally read consume media.  Take handwritten notes of:1.      Details about the setting in the images you see (lighting, furniture, background, vibe/energy portrayed); if audio-visual (note sounds such as pitch of voice, music, etc)2.      Note details about the people portrayed, not only their behavior but general information about their sociodemographic characteristics (age, race/ethnicity, gender, SES, sexuality);4)      When you have returned from you observation, type up your notes.  Review your notes for patterns in behavior, socio-demographic characteristics, etc. 5)      Write-up your observations using ‘thick description’ of the location (i.e. building you were in (what is the architecture like), descriptions of people there (in terms of socio-demographic characteristics: age, race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status), sounds, smells, temperature, time of day and week, etc);6)      Analyze trends you identified in your observations/content analysis.  What is a possible sociological/theoretical explanation for the trends you observed?  This is best done by using peer-reviewed sources (journal articles no more than five years old) to provide credibility to your analyses. Include at least one.Part 27)       Based on your initial observations and written analyses, develop a specific research problem/question to be further investigated (i.e. the variation in behavior of males versus females when entering a store with a glass store front)8)      Identify the key variables you are going to be investigating, and develop an operational definition for each of them  (this should include at least two variables, but not more than four). Your operational definitions will help to provide parameters for how record variations in your observations.9)      Write a hypothesis for what you expect to observe in your second round of observations.10)  Repeat observations/content analysisa.       Social Setting – this should be done at the same social setting at approximately the same time of day (if you can do this one week later on the same day, it would be great!)b.      Social Artifact – this should be done at the same time (if commercial block), or with the same show, or with a different issue of the same magazine , etc.11)  When you have returned from you observation, type up your notes.  Review your notes for patterns in behavior, socio-demographic characteristics, etc. and how they corresponded with your expectations/hypothesis 12)  Describe observations using ‘thick description’ of the location (i.e. building you were in (what is the architecture like), descriptions of people there (in terms of socio-demographic characteristics: age, race/ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status), sounds, smells, temperature, time of day and week, etc);13)  Analyze your observations in terms of how they supported/did not support your hypothesis. 14)  What is a possible sociological/theoretical explanation for the trends you observed?  This is best done by using peer reviewed sources (journal articles no more than five years old)  to provide credibility to your analyses. Include at least one. 15)  Discuss the differences between your inductive observations and your deductive observations.  How did the way you were observing change?  How did what you observed change?16)  Briefly describe your thoughts/feelings in the two steps.  Did you prefer one approach to the other?  Why/why not?WRITING REQUIREMENTS: The essay should be 5-6pages. APA formatting should be used throughout this isnt included the 5-6 pages but needs a (cover page, running header, major heading, subheadings to identify each section, in-text citations, and reference page, 1′ margins, 12 point fonts, Times New Roman).Any time you paraphrase or directly quote a source, in-text citations should be used.  A full APA-formatted reference should be included at the end of the assignment. Academically, no more that 20% of the essay should be quoted. At least 80% should be in your own words.Within the 5 page essay, you will include the following subheadings: Observation Description Trends, Social Concepts, and Theories Research Problem/Question(s) Hypothesis Variables identified and operationalized Analysis Compared Inductive to Deductive Approach Reflection

The post Soci331 observation essay read firstAnswers 11Bids 46Other questions 10 appeared first on homeworkhandlers.com.