Autobiography Example

You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit page 217. To be honest, I am a really a busy person. I usually stay late at work, and sometimes lose my time with my family because of work. However, there is one event that I always do two or three times in a year. I go to music concerts. Since I was young I always listened to music. I listened while studying, driving, getting ready to sleep. Music, especially the drums, has been my strength and friend all the time. The drumsticks, which have been my hands’ friends since I was in seventh grade, are still the friends of my 47 year old hands.Of course my old sticks from my young age have been broken and changed many times over, but I still consider my new sticks as the same sticks I used to have when I was young. It is rather unusual for people to think that I love playing drums because my job is not a part time job or a freelance, and that they think of me as a reticent, a perceptive, and a sensitive person who only cares about his work. Nine years ago, I organized a band, and since then our band have concerts annually. Of course the proceeds of our concert are not for our own profit making.We have our concerts to help other people through the sales of tickets and donations. I know that I can donate money personally, but I wanted to help others by doing things I enjoy and entertain other people. The audiences know that they not only enjoyed the concert, but also have contributed in aiding the needy. Our band consists of seven people each with diverse jobs; CEO, doctor, engineer, composer. Each member has successful work and is recognized in society, and even has busier lives than mine.We gather together, brought about by sympathy for the underprivileged, and the love for music, reason and freedom, even though we work in different areas. Music does not restrict and discriminate age, position, or appearance. We just enjoy the music with our hearts to forget any problems on our shoulders. We first started the band just to dissolve our stress from work and life, and as time went by, it has expanded. We are now having concerts every year. Even though we are not professional musicians, many people, friends, family, have enjoyed our music for years and come and enjoy the concert.It seems that the audiences share our goals. They also get out the burdens of life and work, to just enjoy. The applause I hear from the stage while I shout, jump, and swing the sticks feels different from the greetings I receive at the hallway at work. I sometimes get very excited as if I was an idol star. Even though I think of myself as a professional drummer once in a while, I am really a businessman deep down. I love my job that and have never regretted my decision for it. I hear about people who chose their careers on the basis of success are the ones that regret their lives.It is different for me. Even though I chose my job to be successful; wealthy and reputable, I truly love my job and do my best. However, I have stacks of documents to go through, phone calls ringing every ten minutes, reprimands from the boss, and the room without windows can sometimes make me stressful and not efficient in work. During those times I grab my drum sticks bag from the third drawer of my desk, and walk out of my office, to head for the studio to swing my stresses away on the drum.

Free Essays on Claiming An Education

In Adrienne Rich’s commencement speech, â€Å"Claiming an Education†, Rich expresses her opinion on women’s education and how it should be. Throughout history, women have had little chance to even get a higher education. While this has changed, what is taught has not. In today’s society, it is necessary to change things that were previously unheard of. What is taught today is taught from a man’s point of view. Not just man in general however. Women and minorities are, for the most part, excluded from giving their point of view. Women have always been encouraged to stay home, take care of the children, clean the house up etc. Times are now changing and women want to get a real and full education that explores all points of views, not just those of white men. According to Rich, it is men who write the texts we read, the lectures we hear, and the way our studies are divided into the categories that they are in. Women are beginning to want to work outside their homes. Only recently have they discovered that most of what they are taught is from a mans point of view. This point of view explores only a part of our world’s history. Different people have different experiences, and women’s experiences should make up more than half of those experiences. Unfortunately, this is not the case. People of other races have already recognized that their experiences are often not accounted for in studies that are labeled human. This is unfortunate, because their experiences are as important as anyone else’s, and just as interesting. Their ideas of history, relationships, and experiences can be radically different from what is taught by white men. Rich explores this problem only briefly, but nonetheless it is just as important as her main issue. Rich did go on to say that not only education and studies are racist, but also the sciences. It has only been within the past hundred years or so that education has be... Free Essays on Claiming An Education Free Essays on Claiming An Education In Adrienne Rich’s commencement speech, â€Å"Claiming an Education†, Rich expresses her opinion on women’s education and how it should be. Throughout history, women have had little chance to even get a higher education. While this has changed, what is taught has not. In today’s society, it is necessary to change things that were previously unheard of. What is taught today is taught from a man’s point of view. Not just man in general however. Women and minorities are, for the most part, excluded from giving their point of view. Women have always been encouraged to stay home, take care of the children, clean the house up etc. Times are now changing and women want to get a real and full education that explores all points of views, not just those of white men. According to Rich, it is men who write the texts we read, the lectures we hear, and the way our studies are divided into the categories that they are in. Women are beginning to want to work outside their homes. Only recently have they discovered that most of what they are taught is from a mans point of view. This point of view explores only a part of our world’s history. Different people have different experiences, and women’s experiences should make up more than half of those experiences. Unfortunately, this is not the case. People of other races have already recognized that their experiences are often not accounted for in studies that are labeled human. This is unfortunate, because their experiences are as important as anyone else’s, and just as interesting. Their ideas of history, relationships, and experiences can be radically different from what is taught by white men. Rich explores this problem only briefly, but nonetheless it is just as important as her main issue. Rich did go on to say that not only education and studies are racist, but also the sciences. It has only been within the past hundred years or so that education has be...

Eric Schmidt Management Styles and Skills

Eric Schmidt Management Styles and Skills Introduction Eric Schmidt moved from Novell to Google after he was employed by Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders of Google. He had also worked as a Novell’s Chief executive officer, where he was in charge of management, technology innovation and implementation of policies. Eric’s aim ate Google is to form a company’s infrastructure which will be used to improve and maintain the effective developments within the company and allowing the product values and standards to stay high.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Eric Schmidt Management Styles and Skills specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In company with the two founders, Eric shares roles for Google’s daily processes. Eric experience at Novell ended a record of 20 years of success as technology specialist, industrialist and developer of enormous technologies and his great achievements and experienced goes together with Googleâ⠂¬â„¢s requirements as an energetic and fast developing search engine with an exclusive corporate culture. Eric Schmidt also worked at Sun Microsystems in a position of corporate executive officer where he showed great skills in managing the innovation of modern technologies. He also worked as a member of research panel at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) (Bloomberg, 2012). Eric pursued his undergraduate degree, electrical engineering, at Princeton University and later went to university of California, Berkeley to do his masters and Ph.D. in computer science. He joined the National Academy of Engineering in 2006, after he was acknowledged from his contribution on â€Å"the development of strategies for the world’s most successful Internet search engine company† (Bloomberg, 2012).In 2007, he became Hellman Follow at American Academy of Arts and Sciences and he presently cheers the New America Foundation’s board of directors (Bloomberg, 2012). Management Sty les and Skills Understanding Employees Eric’s achievements in all his former companies and now Google can be mainly contributed by his efforts at energizing software engineers. He is familiarly alert to their weaknesses and strengths, for instance the employees’ mania of being honest and specific. When workers are being ask anything, they are more probably to provide the answer to just that particular question and are so particular about being honest. Anybody who does not understand this conducts can consider that the engineer is hiding some facts or even cheating. Most professionals consider that society stereotypes technologists and engineers possess inappropriate social skills and they are very social within their society (Ahmed, 2011).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They communicate successfully among other fellows and are put into sever al and separate sub-groups such as UNIX people, Linux Aficionados, and other sub-communities. Engineers often like publicity and they are intensely concerned in contributing to any impact, and creating the universe the better place. This management skill, which Eric employs, offers advantages on the Vision-Direction aspect. It aids Eric create a vision which his fans and partners are more probably to follow and be motivated by. Create Effective and Fair Work-Related Promotions Eric concluded that most engineers have never thought of having bigger positions like being managers or executives. The companies’ common way of promoting employees into managers is considered by engineers as unattractive. Eric proposed an effective system which will be used for promotion of employees and not related to the executive ladder. Eric proposes acknowledgement of employees for their productive work they do to the company and the company should implement some motivating events like stock optio ns grants. Most successful and active employees should be offered some incentives to acknowledge their performances. These strategies would boost their morale and would create them to be more innovative and active. These strategies were implemented by Eric while working at Novell and it showed good results where it boosted the morale of employees and later was seen from the income and performance of the company. Although the management attempts for these cognitions are minimal, it acts as a major incentive booster to the employees who are being acknowledged and improving their confidence and dedication to the company (Ahmed, 2011). Allow Employees to Adjust This leadership style is designed to understand company’s employees. Engineers often prefer to work on complex issues and they are stimulated by the challenge created by inflexible problems. They also work on issues which are important to them. A manager with good understanding of the desires of his employees can convert t he issue into one which the employees or engineers addicted to. The manager requires articulating a demanding and important end product, but count out the particular steps the employees should follow. This permits the employees to understand and internalize the objective using their innovative powers in attaining the leader’s objectives. This management strategy has being greatly used by Eric in all his positions to achieve company’s goals. Currently at Google, Eric has placed the company’s objective as Organizing the worlds information making it universally accessible and useful (Carlson, 2009). Google’s engineer indexing millions of web pages may simply make out using Eric’s praiseworthy objective. As a sensible issue, the aim of creating information generally available is a more consequential objective for the engineer involved in building his spot on the society, instead of an ordinary objective of rising Googles incomes by $400 million dollars . Eric believes this relocation of possession to be very vital to both the company and engineers.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Eric Schmidt Management Styles and Skills specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Let the Employees to Work outside the business Hierarchy The effective approaches to manage the employees are to allow them to work outside the business structure and this management type is mostly used by Eric to manage his engineers. He opposes limitation of employees since it makes them not to research more about the up-to-date technologies which should be innovated to meet the rapid change in the technology setting. The group leaders are answerable to the manager in the ordinary company hierarchy but it is not compulsory for them to spend all their time on the supervisors’ precedence. Through permitting engineers to select their own teams, it satisfies the engineers’ desire to fit in. As the participants joined without being directed by the management, they have a high likelihood of performing to their best. The employees as well have the freedom to work on an issue which interests them the most. Eric has allowed engineers at Google to have the freedom of spending 25% of their time to research for fields they believe interesting (Ahmed, 2011). This allows them to gain innovative spirits, hence providing Google unique competitive benefit over its opponents. Software history changes frequently, where people turn up with excellent brands of software. This effective technique of organizing groups has allowed Google produce creative and inventive results such as iGoogle and Google+. Assess Team’s Outcomes by a Trusted Employee Although the earlier management skills raise the likelihood of team achievement, it is not reliable. Groups of excellent engineers will become unsuccessful if they follow incorrect concept or have ineffective implementation. Analyzing and re viewing the steps frequently permit to identify issues. The problem is the way to communicate these undesirable issues to the team members and the management approach used by Eric is to allow the processes of the teams be evaluated by a person the team choices and respect. Most companies have at least one person who is most referred or generally respected than anybody else and this person has an approach of articulating codes and fine reminiscences. Teams are free to obtain responses or results even though the conclusion goes against them and this method mostly offers advantages in the Pride-Self-respect dimension (Carlson, 2009). Conclusion The above discussion on the management skills and styles used by Eric Schmidt talked about just engineers because they are workers he mostly manages. However, these types of management strategies can also be used in all kinds of employees. Briefly, Eric offers wide range of styles and skills except â€Å"Protection-Security. However, the exclus ion of Protection-Security dimension in his styles of leadership is not a big issue as it can initially appear because this factor has more significance during conflicts or crisis. Vision-Direction is the factor which gains most from leadership skills and styles employed by Eric.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Other elements which also gain from these types of managements are Achievement-Effectiveness, Inclusion-Belongingness and finally Pride-Self respect in that order. Successfully facilitating daring (arranging global information) and important (creating it collectively available) objectives permits the engineers at Google to be motivated and very dedicated. Through applying Eric’s objective and vision, Engineers would enhance their own understanding recognizing a series of inventive results. These expanded targets guarantee the consumers that they will obtain the highest and most applicable search products. Therefore Eric Schmidt, in his position as a person in charge, has expressed the correct conditions allowing his engineers’ achievements and as a result the Googles accomplishments. References Ahmed, M. (2011). Eric Schmidt (Ex CEO and current Chairman – Google) management style and CIO. Web. Bloomberg. (2012). Eric E. Schmidt Ph.D. Web. Carlson, N. (2009). Goo gle CEO Eric Schmidt: We Dont Really Have A Five-Year Plan (CLIP). Web.

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 19

Psychology - Essay Example I have a sound educational backing with a minor in Psychology. My educational experiences have taught me the importance of staying organized, studying diligently and meeting deadlines. I have greatly enjoyed learning about the theories and theorists in my Psychology courses and have a great desire to further my studies in this area so I can help other people overcome obstacles in their lives. In addition to my educational experiences, I have work related skills that make me a good candidate for your Mental Health Master’s program. I have worked for the past year as a teacher. I have had the opportunity to work with many types of children. Some are motivated and excited by learning. Others have many problems, both cognitive and emotional. These are the children that I was most concerned with helping. Some days the work was exhausting. Helping these children that had so many problems has taught me to never quit. This attitude of perseverance has served me well in my current teaching position and will serve me well in my studies in your program. Difficult problems often take time and tenacity to overcome. I have learned this by working with these children. Another attribute I have learned as a teacher is how to communicate clearly with the children’s parents. Many of these parents are difficult to deal with because they are frustrated by their child’s academic performance. I have learned that showing empathy for these parents and clearly expressing expectations to them helps them to cope with their child’s behavior in school. I realize that as I enter the field of professional mental health, these types of parents and children may be my clients. As a result of my teaching experience, I have gained a great desire to help these people that struggle to cope with their daily lives. A final attribute I have acquired as a result of work experience is compassion. I have experience working as a

Female Inmates (Corrections) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Female Inmates (Corrections) - Research Paper Example This statistics are an increase of 10 to 64 female inmates per 100,000 female residents from 1977 to 2004. Even though the female arrest rate in US is less than that of male arrests rate, the growth rate of the female prisoners in US far exceeds that of the male inmates. Since 1985, United States of America has witnessed an average growth of 11.1 %, and this is relatively above the 7.6 % rise in the male inmates’ population. Currently, there are over 200,000 female inmates in the United States; this is a growth of over 800% over the three decades. The male population grew by 416% over the same period of time (CHRLR 14-18). Type of Women in Prison As noted above, the fastest growing segment of the United States prison population comprises of the women. The women held up in the prisons are due to variety of reasons. The offences committed by the females are diverse but a close examination of the women indicate that there are demographic and experiences common among the female offenders. Most of the women inmates are drug addicts who were involved in the drug addiction in order to escape from the life hardships and trauma faced by these women in their past life. The majority of these female inmates were arrested while acting as mules in the drug trade. Half of women in the national and state correction centres attest to have committed the crime they are incarcerated for under the influence of drugs or alcohol. From 1999 to 2008, the arrests of women due to cases rated to drug violation accounted for 19 % increase compared to a mere10 % increase for men. Many women in prison happen to have been involved in domestic violence in th eir lives and a common characteristic is that most of the female inmates are from poor backgrounds. It is worthy to note that nearly half of all women in prison are serving sentences for non violent offence and had been jailed in the past for a non violent offence. Two thirds of the female inmates had two or fewer convictions prior to the one they are serving. This indicates high rates of recidivism among the female inmates. According to Koon (5), the following experiences are common among the female inmates: Most of the female inmates are likely to have had a high school education. It’s also critical to understand that most of the female inmates are single; they have never been married or had a divorce. Most of the female prison inmates were arrested and convicted when they were unemployed. Physical abuse is also a common feature of the women in prisons; the inmates are likely to have experienced domestic violence or sexual abuse in their lives. The trauma could then have le d them to drug and alcohol, which then later led to their offences. As of 2004, the percentage of women in jail due to physical related consequences was 73% compared to 53% of men who had the history of sexual or physical abuse. Historical Treatment of Female Inmates Even though the rate of increase of the female inmates has remained to be higher than that of men, majority of inmates are male. This has led to prison programs being tailored to address the issues related or faced by the male prisoners and tends to overlook those faced by the female inmates. This is despite of various researches that show that female inmates face more stress and hardships in prisons unlike the male counterparts. Emotional stress due to family breakdown from their children often affects female inmates much more compared to the male inmates. The female prisoners have been discriminated and

Role of technology and Cultural Competence Essay

Role of technology and Cultural Competence - Essay Example Teaching practices have become more efficient and effective, alongside enhancing creativity and innovativeness in the application of these technologies by students. Moreover, shifts in teaching paradigms have been realized (Bates & Poole, 2003), allowing both teachers and students to counter emerging negativities related to technology in the teaching and learning context. Cultural, social, economic, and political factors influence education in variant ways. In this respect, the assertion that public education responds primarily to political, not economic forces generates a critically arguable statement. Personally, public education addresses more than just the political factor. There are many and different stakeholders involved in the operationalization of the education sector (Prensky, 2008). On the same note, the teaching and learning environment is characterized by diverse players that exhibit differentiated interests in an education context. It is hardly arguable that all these stakeholders are politically motivated. Therefore, public education encompasses many forces, both political and economic included. The contemporary classroom environment within and across countries is characterized by cultural diversity. Multiculturalism in the global context has become essential as the internet breaks local, regional, national, and international boundaries (Montgomery, 2001). Teaching and learning practices are increasingly becoming influenced by multiculturalism, following the opening up of education to the international community. In American context, the classroom environment is made up of domestic and international students (Irvine & York, 2001). Their coexistence is coherent when multiculturalism in play. Multiculturalism informs the manner in which global diversity is being dealt with. (Paley, 1992; Gurian & Kathy, 2004) contends that the internet has enhanced global interconnectedness, thereby raising the significance of

Organisations culture Essay Example for Free

Organisations culture Essay 1.Executive summary In this paper I look at how organisations develop culture and how this culture can be created, manipulated and changed my management. I also look at what other factors can change and affect a companies culture. The paper will take the following format. A definition of culture and the problems associated with its definition. I then look at how organisationl culture develops, with an explanation of the levels of cultural analysis, a look at the various different types of culture, and the role of the leader/manager in creating the organisations culture. How culture can be changed and the skills and actions needed by management to successfully implement a cultural change. I then finish with a conclusion. 2.Defining organisational culture What is organisational culture? This it has been found, is not an easy question to answer. The concept of culture has its roots in anthropology, the study of human affairs. In this context, culture has been used to designate two different things. A tribe or a social group is studied as a culture that produces and may have cultural artefacts. The second use of the term refers to aspects within a given culture, such as customs, rituals, knowledge and so on. (Sackman, S, 1991). In the context of organisational culture it is largely the second approach that is studied. Although people may not be aware consciously of culture, it still has a persuasive influence over their behaviour and actions. (Mullins, L, 2002). This statement explains that although we may not have the knowledge that we belong to a certain cultural group it will still have an impact on our behaviour and in an organisational sense, our working lives. The culture concept began to affect organisational thinking in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Although is it evident in ideas from a number of earlier writers, for example Bernard (1938) and Jacques (1952). If we look at a number of different of organisations it is clear to see that things are done differently. This idea applies to all organisations, even in similar companies that are operating in the same industry. Tesco provides  much the same service as Sainsburys, but on close inspection we would be able to see the differences in which the two companies operate. It is more difficult however to describe how things are done differently, or why the company feels different. A major problem with the concept of culture is the degree to which individuals, organisations or entire communities display characteristics which are consistent within it. (Martin, J, 2001). Do all British people display characteristics that are consistent with British culture? It is clear that although there are many similarities in the behaviour of people within a defined culture, that individual differences provide some variety. The same must also be assumed in the context of organisational culture. Another problem with finding a definition for organisational culture is the sheer number of definitions that already exist. Kroeber and Kluckhorn list more than 250 definitions of culture, that include components such as ideas, concepts, ideologies values, attitudes, goals, norms, learned behaviours, symbols, rites, rituals, customs, myths, habits or artefacts such as tools and other material representations. (Sackman, S, 1991). This inevitably leads to confusion amongst researchers as to a universal definition of organisational culture. The term the way we do things around here (Deal and Kennedy, 1988) is often accepted as an operational definition of organisational culture. However this offers little in terms of the content of culture. Kilman et al. (1985) suggests culture is the reflects the ideologies, shared philosophies, values beliefs, assumptions, attitudes, expectations, and norms of an organisation 3.Levels of culture Now we have looked at a definition of organisational culture we should look deeper into what develops and makes up an organisations culture. According to Schein (1985), organisational culture is made up of three levels. Visible organisational structures and processes (Hard to decipher) Strategies, goals, philosophies (Espoused justification) Unconscious, taken for granted beliefs, habits of perception, thought thought and feeling (Ultimate source of values and action) The Levels of Organizational Culture, Schein, E (1985) Artefacts These form the surface level of culture. They include all the things that a person sees, hears and has contact with. In an organisation it would be the architecture of the environment such as the management hierarchy, its technology, its creations and products and its style in terms of manners of address both up and down the hierarchy, dress codes and formal procedures. Schein identifies the most important point of this level being that artefacts are easy to identify but hard to decipher. Two organisations may well have the same system in operation but they can mean different things in terms of the culture of the organisation. Schein puts his point into an example by saying both the Egyptians and Mayas built large pyramids, but they were tombs in one culture and temples in the other. This point is contradicted by Gagliardi (1990) who says ones own response to physical artefacts such as buildings and other office layouts can lead to the identification of major images and root metaphors that reflect the deepest levels of culture. This is supported by my own experience. I have worked in a supermarket, an  organisation with a tall management hierarchy. Many of the artefacts of the organisation gave the impression of a very formal culture. A strict uniformed dress code was in place, with management wearing different colours from subordinates, and formal forms of address being used. The company was also largely bureaucratic with countless forms to be filled out a large numbers of standard procedures in place. One person however may look at a very informal organisation and class it as inefficient and unproductive, while another may class it as innovative and free from unnecessary bureaucracy, this depends on the individuals previous preconceptions about the artefacts that are present. Values Values are usually one persons beliefs about a given situation. If a manager believes that at a certain time of the year his/her company should run at a lower capacity due to demand etc. This is attributed to his personal values. Only once these values are acted on, successfully implemented and accepted by the organisation do they become transformed into underlying assumptions. From a marketing perspective, some of these values may remain conscious and may be explicitly stated in a companys mission statement as the dominant values of the organisation (Deal and Kennedy, 1982). Only values that are concrete that can be physically and socially validated, they are confirmed by the groups experiences, go through his transformation process. Underlying assumptions If a solution to a problem works frequently then it is often accepted as a rule for solving the given problem. The power of culture comes forth because these assumptions are shared within the group and are therefore mutually reinforced. These assumptions can often cause problems when someone new, with a different set of underlying assumptions from a previous culture, joins the organisation. As humans we like stability. Any decision which challenges or questions an underlying assumption, such as changing a costing method, or a method of production, will likely lead to anxiety and defensiveness within the organisation. A skill required by managers wishing to change aspects of an organisations culture is to recognise this connection, to get to the deeper levels of culture, and to deal with the anxiety that results when these assumptions are changed. The three stages are linked constantly together. Basic assumptions are treated as the essence- what culture really is; and values and behaviours are treated as observed manifestations of the culture essence. (Mullins, 2002). We are able to see now how culture is developed in term of values being acted upon and accepted by the organisation, these values being transformed into underlying assumptions and the artefacts of the organisation being formed by the interpretation of these underlying assumptions. 4.Types of organisational culture Handy (1993) identifies four types of organisational culture. Power culture Power cultures revolve around a focal person or small group, this person or group has absolute power throughout the entire organisation. It is often found in small entrepreneurial companies, and relies largely on trust and communication. It is normally non-bureaucratic with few formal procedures. The success of the organisation depends largely on the skill of the focal person or group. Role culture Role cultures are often largely bureaucratic, it is often described as a small number of senior managers resting on the strong pillars of the various functions of the organisation. Each person has a specified role within a function of the organisation which in turn has a specified role within  organisation as a whole. These roles are expected to be adhered to and it is rare for an individual or function to deviate into different areas of the business. Predictability and stability are two main themes within this type of culture. This type of culture often develops in large companies with large numbers of staff and a tall management hierarchy. Companies with this type of culture tend to have steady objectives and operate in largely predictive markets. Again this relates back my own experience as this type of culture is largely prevalent in supermarket chains. Task culture Task cultures recognise the objectives and goals of the organisation as being paramount. Handy describes this as a net or matrix culture. Power is often shared by a team of experts who are highly manoeuvrable to suit the needs of the organisation. It largely found in team or project based organisations such as consultancy firms or engineers. Person Culture Person cultures are largely individual orientated. Any structure is solely suited to aid the individuals within the organisation. There is no specific power structure with individuals having complete power over their own operations. Examples of this would be barristers chambers, architects, business consultants, individuals that have come together to share resources such as office space and admin support. Some people are more suited to different types of cultures than others. Where one person will be happy working in an organisation with a task culture, he/she may feel constricted and undervalued in a role culture environment. Another person may be the opposite and may feel secure within a largely role orientated company. An important skill for managers is being able firstly to identify the type of culture his/her organisation is operating in and then to hire the correct people for that culture, this helps in reducing any anxiety caused by  changes to underlying assumptions previously discussed. There are many other models of the types of organisational culture available to the researcher. Writings by Deal and Kennedy on the generic cultures, Ouchis type Z companies, and several more. The focus of this paper however is on the development and change of culture and this will be explored in the following sections. 5. Factors affecting the development of culture The role of the founder Organisations do not form accidentally or spontaneously. They are created because one or more individuals perceive that the coordinated and concerted action of a number of people can accomplish something that an individual cannot (Frost,p et al. 1991) At the beginning of an organisations life the founder often has complete control over the organisation. He/she will make most of not all of the important decisions over all areas of the organisations operations. Because they had the original idea, founders will typically have their own notion, based on their own cultural history and personality of how to get the idea fulfilled. (Schein, 1985). Since the founder started the group it is natural to assume that he/she also impose their thoughts, values and assumptions on the group. As new members enter the group the founders assumption will be changed and modified to suit the new organisation, but will always have the biggest impact on what becomes the organisational culture. This has large implications for the future of the organisation. If the company was founded by an informal, easy going type of person then this is the type of organisational culture that is likely to develop. Similarly if the organisation is founded by a formal, autocratic person, the company will likely develop this kind of organisational culture. This will continue to form the organisations culture and have a large influence on the actions of the company even if new leaders are brought in to the organisation. The assumptions of the founder will already be deep routed and form the basis of  the culture. Size Size affects an organisation because of the formality that is often required in larger companies. A large company with many levels of management and a large number of functions or even businesses cannot realistically operate on an informal level. This has implications for the culture of the organisation. Technology If the company uses highly technological systems and procedures in its operations ie pharmaceuticals, the cultural emphasis will be on the technical skills of its employees. A company in the service sector may have a cultural slant towards customer service. Goals and objectives What the organisation wants to achieve will also affect culture. An organisation that wishes to become a market leader may inherit cultural values that reflect that attitude, i.e. company image focused, or have a heavy marketing orientation. Environment There are many environmental factors that can affect an organisations culture, stakeholders, competitors, government etc. etc. How a company chooses to interact with each of these environmental forces will determine how the organisations culture develops. People The preferred style of work amongst both senior management and employees has a large effect on the organisations culture. If senior management attempt to implement a culture that is unacceptable to employees a reaction will  follow, industrial action, low motivation, poor productivity etc. Likewise if employees attempt to force management into following their own culture then a negative reaction will also result. i.e. relocation or the replacement of workers. (Section taken from Martin, J, Organizational Behaviour, 2001) Senior management need to realise the factors that affect an organisations culture and attempt to you analyse the likely impact major business decisions may have. Failure to do may have negative consequences for the culture and hence the success of the company. 6.Cultural change, the role of management There is some considerable debate as to whether changing something as deep-seated as corporate culture is possible Writers with this view usually focus on the deeper levels of culture, the underlying assumptions. Turner (1986) supports this view by suggesting that it would not be possible to manipulate it accurately because it becomes such an integral part of the organisations fabric. Because these are taken for granted assumptions about organisational life, members cannot envision any other way of operating. Those advocating corporate culture usually focus on the surface elements of culture, the artefacts. These are more easily changed than the deeper routed assumptions. Some writers have argued that unless the deeper assumptions are changed that the company will revert back to old ways of operating. Despite these arguments there is wide consensus that cultural change should only be attempted as a last resort and after other avenues have been sought. (Cummings, Worley, 1993) A primary task of management is to control the activity of employees to best serve defined organizational interests. They can achieve this control using formalized rules (bureaucratic mechanisms), economic rewards and sanctions or values and norms about how the work is to be done (clan or cultural  mechanisms) (Wilkins and Ouchi, 1983; cited by Sinclair, A, 1993). This statement reflects the common view that organisational culture needs to be aligned with organisational strategy if the company is to be successful. Many companies have now realised the importance of developing strategies harmonious with the organisations culture. Sometimes however culture needs to be changed, if circumstances require an organisation to follow a particular strategic route or a significant change affects the organisation i.e. market forces, government action, rapid growth etc. then the culture will have to be adjusted to suit the strategy and external environment. Managers require many skills in order to successfully change an organisations culture. It is a lengthy process that is full of danger. Staff need to be reassured and convinced that the new culture will work, otherwise defence mechanisms and the problems discussed earlier may begin show. The following guidelines to changing culture have been cited in (Cummings, T, Worley, C, Organization development and change, 1993) 1.Clear strategic vision- the firm needs to have a clear view of its operational strategy if culture is to be changed. Managers need to know where the company is now and where it is planning on going. 2.Top-management commitment- cultural change must be managed from the top of the organisation. Senior managers need to be committed to the new culture. They must have the staying to see the changes through. 3.Symbolic leadership- executives must communicate the new culture through their own actions. Their behaviour needs to symbolise the behaviours and actions that are being sought in the entire organisation. In an example given in the text, the CEO of Dana Corporation Rene McPherson threw the companies multi-volume policy manuals into a waste paper basket during a meeting and replaced them with a one page set of principles. 4.Supporting organisational change- the culture change must also be supported by changes in the organisational structure and operations, the artefacts as have already been discussed. They can get people aware of the behaviours required in the new culture for the organisation to be successful. 5.Selection and socialization of newcomers and termination of deviants. One of the most important methods in changing an organisations culture is hiring the right people. This is particularly prominent in management positions where the manager has influence over the behaviour of subordinates. 6.Ethical and legal sensibility- sometimes when culture change happens some employees feel they are being hard done by, maybe due to a change in roles, due a promise made during the transition that has been fulfilled. This may lead to legal battles and or resignations from the company. These steps demonstrate some of the ways that managers can influence and successfully change an organisations culture. There is of course no universal solution to changing or influencing culture, all companies are different and individual approaches are more than likely necessary for cultural change to be successful. An example of cultural change is given in (Martin, J, Organizational Behaviour, 2001). In this case study of a motor car dealership in the UK, the newly appointed managing director wanted to change the company culture. The existing culture was largely autocratic with instructions coming down the hierarchy and staff carrying out these instructions. She wanted to change the culture so that the company has a more had team based approach with decision making at team level and initiative being used at all levels of the organisation. To do this she had to use drastic tactics such as showing staff a video of disappointed customers and even accepting a loss in revenue while the changes were being made. Along with this approach she introduced many changed such as more staff training, revision of pay schemes, continuous improvement groups, multi-functional teams etc. After three years the culture change was deemed complete and she could turn her hand to the future of the company. This case study highlights the often drastic measures and level of commitment that is required by managers to introduce a culture change to an organisation. 7.Conclusion It is relatively clear that organisational culture exists and that it plays a huge part in an organisations actions and the behaviour of its employees. Very few writers now argue with this point. I have discussed how culture develops in an organisation and the different levels and types of culture that emerge. Referring back to the second part of the original question, we have seen how managers can influence and attempt to change an organisations culture and the various problems that are encountered in this process. Although there are debates as to whether an organisations culture can or cannot be changed it would seem that there is a mid-point between the two arguments. There are examples of successful culture changes and I have given one in the text. It is clear that if properly organised and implemented a cultural change can be achieved. However we cannot assume that the culture has been changed all together. If the underlying assumptions are as strong as Schein and other writers claim then these will always affect the company culture in some shape or form. If the new culture is not carefully controlled could reappear. To conclude I would say, although cultural can be changed to suit the environment and organisational strategy, that managers should be cautious take into account the underlying principles that govern the organisational culture. 8.References Martin, J, (2001), Organizational Behaviour, 2nd edn, Thomson Learning Mullins, L, (2002), Management and Organisational Behaviour, 2nd edn, Financial Times, Prentice Hall Schein, E, (1992), Organizational Culture and Leadership, 2nd edn, Jossey-Bass Inc. Cummings, T and Worley, C, (1993), Organization Development and Change, 5th edn , West Publishing Company Sackman, S, (1991), Cultural knowledge in Organizations Exploring the Collective Mind, Sage Publications Frost, P et al. (1991), Reframing Organizational Culture, Sage Publications Sinclair, A, (1993), Approaches to organisational culture and ethics, Journal of Business Ethics, Dordrecht: Jan 1993. Vol. 12, Iss. 1; pg. 63, 11 pgs Wilson, A (2001), Understanding organisational culture and the implications for corporatemarketing, European Journal of Marketing, Bradford, Vol. 35, Iss. 3/4; pg. 353