Organizational Design as it Relates to Organizational Theory
Annotated Bibliography
Abstract
Organizational design is an important aspect in organizational theory, given the role played by organizational design in providing direction for the firm. Organizational design refers to systematic methodologies that organizations utilize in identifying organizational aspects that are dysfunctional, before realigning them to ensure that they are in tandem business goals and developing plans to make the necessary changes.
Organizational theory, on the other hand, involves the study of organizations with an objective of identifying structures and strategies for efficiency and productivity maximization. Organizational design is related to organizational theory because organizational theory seeks to study strategies undertaken by firms to enhance productivity, which essentially represents what organizational design aims to achieve.
In studying research design as it relates to research theory, a number of themes are explored in this paper. These include the impact of organizational design in promoting firm productivity and efficiency, the impact of organizational design on change management, the role of organizational design in enhancing employee performance and motivation, how organizations can ensure that they have the right fit when it comes to organizational strategy, and how the effectiveness of organizational design can be enhanced.
Outline
Organizational design
Organizational theory
Organizational design as it relates to organizational theory
Impact of organizational design in enhancing productivity and firm efficiency
Organizational design and its role in change management
Organizational design and its role in employee motivation and engagement
Organizational design and the concept of FIT
Promoting the effectiveness of organizational design
Annotated Bibliography
Tarek, S., Wilberg, J., Tommelein, I. D., & Lindemann, U. (2016). Supporting the design of competitive organizations. Journal of Modern Project Management, 4(2), 96-103. doi:10.19255/JMPM01109
This paper addresses organizational competitiveness by illustrating the importance of adapting effectively to market changes. According to Tarek et al. (2016), external environment trends are a constant disruption to companies and the need to adopt strategies that enhance competitiveness is of great significance. In this paper, they make use of the Viable Systems Model (VSM), which is used in promoting organizational design and avoiding deficiencies. Technology adoption and external environment monitoring come out as important themes in strategic design in a bid to improve competitiveness. This paper effectively demonstrates the importance of organizational design in enhancing competitiveness and is therefore applicable to my topic.
Capelle, R. G. (2017). Improving Organization Performance by Optimizing Organization Design. People & Strategy, 40(2), 26-31.
This article dwells on explaining the relevance of organizational design on organizational performance. In this article, Capelle (2017) notes that a clear understanding of current strategy is important in organization design optimization, such that the organization can be transformed into a high-performing unit. The role of organizational design in relation to the human resource is discussed, with the conclusion that the design of the organization determines its overall performance.
This includes the development of optimal organizational structures and clear lines of accountability and deliverables. People alignment is also considered an imperative factor in optimizing organizational design as it ensures efficient performance. This paper addresses a critical aspect of organizational theory which is the impact of human resource management and will be useful in addressing the employee engagement section in my paper.
Donaldson, L., & Joffe, G. (2014). FIT – the key to organizational design. Journal of Organization Design, 3(3), 38-45. doi:10.7146/jod.18424
The ability to develop an organizational design that meets a company’s objectives and aligns with its strategy is considered an important factor in determining its efficiency. In this paper, Donaldson & Joffe (2014) discuss the concept ‘fit’, noting that an organizational design needs to fit the situation in order to successfully influence the performance of the organization.
Situational factors may include organizational size, competitive strategy, and task uncertainty. Donaldson & Joffe (2014) also use the contingency theory to explain how fits may be developed and misfits identified. The paper aligns well with my paper because it provides valuable details on how to promote the effectiveness of strategic design through ensuring that it fits the organization’s situation.
Stea, D., Foss, K., & Foss, N. J. (2015). A Neglected Role for Organizational Design. Journal of Organization Design, 4(3), 3-17. doi:10.7146/jod.20434
In this paper, the authors focus on the relevance of delegation in enhancing an effective organizational design. According to Stea, Foss & Foss (2015), organizations must respond to environmental changes that currently call on organizations to foster knowledge and motivation among employees. This is effectively achieved through delegation and can be realized through the development of the organizational design to create value for organizations.
The paper also discusses the question of credibility in delegation and motivation, which may affect the outcome of the exercise. This paper is a great addition to my literature review as it addresses issues affecting organizational design.
Nissen, M. (2014). Organization Design for Dynamic Fit. Journal of Organization Design, 3(2), 30-42. doi:10.7146/jod.8196
Nissen (2014) discusses the concept of ‘fit’, which is considered an important aspect of organizational design. Given the constant change in the business world, organizations must adjust in order to be competitive and strategic design must seek to address these dynamics in ensuring that it works effectively for the organization.
Nissen studies various theoretical perspectives affecting fit including design orientation, manager roles, organizational systems and measurement and validation. This paper provides valuable insight into my topic and will be beneficial in explaining how organizational design success can be enhanced.
Felin, T., & Powell, T. C. (2016). Designing Organizations for Dynamic Capabilities. California Management Review, 58(4), 78-96. doi:10.1525/cmr.2016.58.4.78
Enhancing competitiveness is subject to an organization’s ability to adapt to different environmental changes. Felin & Powell (2016) examine the development of dynamic capabilities through organizational design and note that this could be impactful in enhancing innovation. The article makes reference to Valve Corporation as an example, an organization that has been highly successful in market adaptation and strategic innovation in a fast-moving environment.
The research by Felin & Powell notes that dynamic capabilities ensure that organizations can survive in competitive landscapes and constant market changes including technology change and market demand volatility. This research will contribute to my paper through providing insights on how organizations can harness their strategic positions through organizational design.
Connor, A. (2015). Organizational Design that Really Works. Design Management Review, 26(3), 23-29. doi:10.1111/drev.10329
This paper addresses organizational change and its related impact on organizational design. According to Connor (2015), change and reorganization require the application of innovative strategies to ensure that the change is beneficial to the organization. In this regard, organizational design is considered imperative in ensuring that change is set up in a way that it aligns with and supports the organizational objectives. Connor notes that integrating design into an existing system requires adjustments to ensure a strategic fit and also the need to observe, analyze and modify to allow effective implementation.
Mendoza-Walters, A., & Ivanov, S. (2016). Combining passion with planning: applying organizational theory to improve business operations in non-profit organizations. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 9(2), 46-51.
This research is unique in that while a majority of articles focus on for-profit organizations, it addresses the challenges faced by non-profit organizations. Through focusing on a Washington DC non-profit, the paper demonstrates how organization theory could improve its performance, by ensuring effective planning. Mendoza-Walters & Ivanov (2016) make various recommendations for more effective performance including the implementation of more strategic division of labor, restructuring the organization, and the inclusion of technology in enhancing planning. The paper demonstrates that business efficiency can be improved through organizational theory and therefore forms a basis for understanding my topic of study.
Aubry, M., & Brunet, M. (2016). Organizational Design in Public Administration: Categorization of Project Management Offices. Project Management Journal, 47(5), 107-129.
Aubry & Brunet (2016) focus on public administration organizational design with the aim of determining how government offices can utilize organizational design to improve their performance. The public administration offices are required to implement multiple projects with each requiring careful consideration to ensure that it meets the needs of the public. Effective project management requires organizational design to ensure that the projects are successfully implemented.
In this relation, Aubry & Brunet (2016) suggest categorization of projects based on types and this is considered effective in enhancing project outcomes. The research concludes that organizational design is important in enhancing project outcomes and therefore effective in promoting public organizations’ performance. This paper contributes to my research by providing important aspects of organizational design and how they influence performance.
Daft, R. L. (2015). Organization Theory and Design. Cengage Learning.
This book offers valuable information on organizational theory and design by discussing the two concepts in detail, culminating in a comprehensive understanding of how organizational design is related to organizational theory. The author addresses various factors influencing organizational design’s effectiveness.
This includes a discussion of the internal and external factors that influence organizational design as well as internal design elements that are useful in enhancing the organizational performance. These include technology organization size and life cycle. It also covers innovative ways of managing dynamic processes such as innovation, change, ethical values, conflict and power among others. This is a rich information source that will be of great significance in my research.
Burton, R. M., Obel, B. & Håkonsson, D. D. (2015). Organizational Design: A Step-by-Step Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
This book discusses the multi-contingency organizational design besides other aspects of organizational design and theory. In doing so, the authors identify two complementary problems involved in organizational design namely the partitioning of tasks and coordination of sub-unit tasks to enhance effective fit with the organizational goals.
In explaining the concept of organizational design, they approach it from a multi-contingency aspect and discuss five components namely the scope/goal, structure, strategy, processes, and people. This information provides a great understanding of organizational design and it can be established that by aligning these organizational design components, efficiency may be achieved. This book is highly valuable and will provide high-level information for reference in my research.
Hunter, S. D. (2015). Combining Theoretical Perspectives on the Organizational Structure-Performance Relationship. Journal of Organization Design, 4, 2, 24-37.
In this paper, Hunter (2015) focuses on the organizational structure by noting that it plays an important role in promoting organizational performance. The paper discusses theoretical aspects on the link between organizational structure and performance. Organization design elements are influenced by various factors including environmental conditions, task characteristics, strategic orientation, and relationships. This insinuates that organizational design determines how effective an organization is in creating an organizational performance. This research will add to my literature review by demonstrating the interrelationship between organizational design and performance.
McDonnell, J. M. (2015). The Role of Organizational Design in 21st Century Organizations: George Jetson and the Star Model. Journal of Transformative Innovation, 1 (1), 1-6.
As technological advancements continue to be witnessed in today’s world, business is likely to change significantly and it is this kind of changes that this article addresses through a discussion on the role played by organizational design in modern organizations. McDonnel points out that organizations must have a futuristic approach and this entails an inclusion of organizational designs that reflect strategic thinking. Organizational design is considered a way of achieving this by combining different strategies to meet today’s business environment challenges including management of people, processes, structure, and rewards. The research will add value to my research by providing valuable information on organizational design and how it impacts performance.
Junqueira, E. et al. (2016). The Effect of Strategic Choices and Management Control Systems on Organizational Performance. DOI: 10.1590/1808-057×201601890
In this research, Junqueira, et al. (2016) investigate generic strategic choices and how they affect the performance of organizations. In doing so, the concepts of organizational design and organizational theory emerge and it can be established that the strategic choice taken determine the outcome in reference to organizational performance. According to the research, the strategy adopted by the organization is influenced by the competitive forces and that the organizational design is highly instrumental in influencing performance. This source provides information about strategic design and will be useful in developing an understanding of how it influences performance in the development of my paper.
Chouikha, M. B. (2016). Organizational Design for Knowledge Management. New York: Wiley & Sons
Knowledge management is imperative in organizational design as it ensures that set strategies can be effectively implemented. This is articulately discussed by Choiuikha (2016) in his book on organizational design for knowledge management. The book addresses the relevance of knowledge by illustrating how organizations can anchor knowledge through individual skills, data and information, and how this can be elevated from individual to organizational learning. In this relation, knowledge transfer, knowledge acquisition and knowledge storage are considered key in enhancing organizational strategy and consequently the organizational performance. The impact of culture on knowledge management is also discussed. This book contains valuable information that will be instrumental in ensuring that my research is based on good foundations on organizational design and theory.
References
Aubry, M., & Brunet, M. (2016). Organizational Design in Public Administration: Categorization of Project Management Offices. Project Management Journal, 47(5), 107-129.
Burton, R. M., Obel, B. & Håkonsson, D. D. (2015). Organizational Design: A Step-by-StepApproach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Capelle, R. G. (2017). Improving Organization Performance by Optimizing Organization Design. People & Strategy, 40(2), 26-31.
Chouikha, M. B. (2016). Organizational Design for Knowledge Management. New York: Wiley & Sons
Connor, A. (2015). Organizational Design that Really Works. Design Management Review, 26(3), 23-29. doi:10.1111/drev.10329
Daft, R. L. (2015). Organization Theory and Design. Cengage Learning.
Donaldson, L., & Joffe, G. (2014). FIT – the key to organizational design. Journal ofOrganization Design, 3(3), 38-45. doi:10.7146/jod.18424
Felin, T., & Powell, T. C. (2016). Designing Organizations for Dynamic Capabilities. California Management Review, 58(4), 78-96. doi:10.1525/cmr.2016.58.4.78
Hunter, S. D. (2015). Combining Theoretical Perspectives on the Organizational Structure-Performance Relationship. Journal of Organization Design, 4, 2, 24-37.
Junqueira, E. et al. (2016). The Effect of Strategic Choices and Management ControlSystems on Organizational Performance. DOI: 10.1590/1808-057×201601890
McDonnell, J. M. (2015). The Role of Organizational Design in 21st Century Organizations: George Jetson and the Star Model. Journal of Transformative Innovation, 1 (1), 1-6.
Mendoza-Walters, A., & Ivanov, S. (2016). Combining passion with planning: applying organizational theory to improve business operations in non-profit organizations. International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 9(2), 46-51.
Nissen, M. (2014). Organization Design for Dynamic Fit. Journal of Organization Design, 3(2), 30-42. doi:10.7146/jod.8196
Stea, D., Foss, K., & Foss, N. J. (2015). A Neglected Role for Organizational Design. Journal of Organization Design, 4(3), 3-17. doi:10.7146/jod.20434
Tarek, S., Wilberg, J., Tommelein, I. D., & Lindemann, U. (2016). Supporting the Design of competitive organizations. Journal of Modern Project Management, 4(2), 96-103. doi:10.19255/JMPM01109
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Rapid demographic changes in today’s society require health care professionals to deliver care that demonstrates respect to patients’ diverse beliefs, preferences, and values. By providing culturally responsive care, health care practitioners help to promote improved health outcome for patients and encourage sufficient use of resources by their employing organizations.
In their effort to deliver culturally sensitive care, therapists must be able to differentiate cultural differences from other related client characteristics that may have an impact on patient outcomes (Saha, Beach, and Cooper, 2008).
In the given case study, the physical therapist should take cultural, physical, cognitive, communicative, and environmental factors into consideration in working with Hernando Gonzales in a home care situation. The cultural factors that should be taken into account include age, nationality, gender, marital status, religion, ethnicity, and beliefs about health.
The therapist should understand that Mr. Gonzales is a 63-year old Mexican male who is currently a widower. Also, Mr. Gonzales goes to church regularly, and being a Catholic; he believes that God is the provider of strength. Furthermore, the therapist should consider the fact that Mr. Gonzales may want to use many herbs in the course of therapy (Saha, Beach, and Cooper, 2008).
The physical factor that the therapist should consider is that Mr. Gonzales once had a partial knee replacement and he still needs assistance with activities of daily living, despite the fact that he has made good physical recovery since he had an accident. The cognitive, communicative, and environmental factors that the therapist needs to consider include; reduced mental functioning as a result of traumatic brain injury, limited spoken English, and limited social support in Maria’s house respectively (Saha, Beach, and Cooper, 2008).
Lack of cultural competence by the therapist may make him or her to confuse cultural variations with other physical, communicative, environmental, and cognitive characteristics in this case. For instance, if the therapist is not culturally competent, he or she may think that Mr. Gonzales reactions due to influence from cognitive problems and environmental factors are as a result of cultural beliefs and values (Santisteban, Mena, and Abalo, 2012).
Furthermore, the therapist may think that Mr. Gonzales’ incapacities to speak fluent English and to carry out his physical activities normally are as a result of cultural influence. It is important to differentiate cultural differences from those related to the client’s other characteristics because positive health outcomes for the patient largely depend on the therapist’s ability to deliver culturally sensitive care (Sue, Zane, Hall, and Berger, 2009).
Cultural competence solutions
The therapist should make adjustments in both assessment and intervention based on Mr. Gonzales’ cultural, cognitive, and linguistic backgrounds. Since the therapist does not speak fluent Spanish, he or she should consider using a translator to help Mr. Gonzales to understand any information that may be presented in English during the assessment. Also, the therapist should use a cultural broker to help reduce cultural-related conflicts that may arise during the assessment (Sue et al., 2009).
Furthermore, the therapist should approach Mr. Gonzales with a lot of humility because he currently has traumatic brain injury. Again, he or she should recommend interventions that Mr. Gonzales can easily implement, bearing in mind that he has some form of physical inability and limited family support in Maria’s house (Saha, Beach, and Cooper, 2008).
The therapist can enlist the help of Mr. Gonzales’ family to facilitate therapy in two different ways. First, the therapist can advise the family on the types of social support that they should give Mr. Gonzales to promote quick recovery. Second, the therapist can help Mr. Gonzales’ family to identify the most appropriate forms of physical support that are necessary to promote positive health outcomes for him (Santisteban, Mena, and Abalo, 2012).
References
Saha, S., Beach, M. C., & Cooper, L. A. (2008). Patient centeredness, cultural competence, and health care quality. Journal of the National Medical Association, 100(11): 1275-1285.
Santisteban, D. A., Mena, M. & Abalo, C. (2012). Bridging diversity and family systems: Culturally informed and flexible family based treatment for Hispanic adolescents. Couple and Family Psychology, 2(4): 246-263. doi: 10.1037/cfp0000013
Patient care financial problem is one of the reasons why today’s populations are unable to receive high quality care that they need to achieve improved health outcomes. The problem of huge health care cost is a big burden to low income earners who always lack adequate finances to purchase drugs and to pay for hospital bills (Kelley, McGarry, Georges, and Skinner, 2015). It becomes even worse for patients who are suffering from chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cancer.
According to Kelley et al., (2015), dementia is one of the chronic diseases that are attracting large social costs for patients in the United State. For this reason, being a fatal health condition, many dementia patients in the United States are dying due to patient care financial problem. Patient care financial problem has an impact on federal and national budgets. Nurses play a very big role in ensuring that patient care financial problems are integrated into the national and federal budgets by analyzing information that may be required for budget development (Luga & McGuire, 2014)
Health care cost: Heath insurance
Lack of health care insurance and high costs of prescription drugs are the most common patient care financial problems in today’s society. According to Saksena, Hsu and Evans (2014), health care coverage helps to protect patients from financial risks, and lack of it becomes a big burden for many populations. In addition, paying for health care through out-of-pocket payments prevents many people around the world from accessing care.
Although lack of health care insurance is a financial problem for patients, it is always associated with both non-financial and financial health-related impacts to public health. For instance, limited access to quality health care as a result of lack of health care coverage, results into negative health outcomes for the population. This is a good example of a non-financial impact associated with lack of health insurance (Luga & McGuire, 2014).
With regard to financial-related impact, an increase in disease burden among populations is of great financial impact to the public health sector, which must allocate additional funds to clear disease from the society (Saksena, Hsu and Evans, 2014).
The other financial problem that is related to patient care is high costs of prescription drugs. Many patients and their families really have to struggle in order to meet health care costs, especially medication costs. According to Walkom, Loxton, and Robertson, (2013) in a study conducted with the aim of assessing the impact of high medication costs on patients’ ability to adhere to prescription drugs, it has been discovered that 27 percent of participants from Australia and 36 percent of subjects from the United States tend to skip their drug doses because they are unable to purchase drugs which are charged at extremely high prices.
In addition, the need to purchase prescription drugs through out-of-pocket payments is one of the contributing factors to poor health among populations in today’s society (Luga & McGuire, 2014).
Lack of insurance as well as high costs of prescription drugs have an impact on federal and national budgets. This is because the government has to integrate health care costs into its budget to help low income earners to access care and to achieve improved health outcomes (Saksena, Hsu and Evans, 2014). According to Saksena, Hsu and Evans (2014), the number of uninsured citizens is on the rise in the United States because many people are reluctant to join available Medicare and Medicaid programs following increased uncertainties that continue to surround their use.
If the current trend persists, the federal government will be compelled to integrate patients’ health care costs into its budget in order to increase the percentage of United States citizens who receive quality care. As Kelley et al., (2015) explain, there is great need for the federal government to increase budget that it allocates for helping the society to manage chronic illnesses, considering the fact that chronic health conditions become more severe among the uninsured patients than among patients with health care coverage.
Similarly, high costs of prescription drugs have an impact on federal and national budget because the government has to increase its spending on these drugs to promote positive health among its population, especially the low income earners (Luga & McGuire, 2014).
Nurses play a very crucial role in solving patient care financial problems because they are charged with the responsibility of analyzing public health information that is needed for budget development. The federal government depends on information collected by nurses regarding health care costs to make a decision on the most appropriate funds that should be allocated for patient care (Salmond and Echevarria, 2017).
In order to ensure that the right information is used for budget development, nurses must be sure to collect accurate and specific information as this will help the government to distinguish between funds that are allocated for health care coverage from those that are designated for prescription drugs. The staff nurse plays the role of collecting data directly from the community and presents it to the nurse manager.
The nurse manager analyzes the presented information and evaluates its relevance before passing it to the chief nurse. The chief nurse analyzes the information and forwards it to the agencies responsible for budget development, stating the reasons why it should be included in the budget (Salmond and Echevarria, 2017).
References
Kelley, A. S., McGarry, K., Georges, R. & Skinner, J. S. (2015). The burden of health care costs for patients with dementia in the last 5 years of life. Annals of International Medicine, 163(10): 729-736. doi: 10.7326/M15-0381.
Luga, A. O. & McGuire, M. J. (2014). Adherence and health care costs. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 7: 35-44. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S19801
Salmond, S. W. & Echevarria, M. (2017). Healthcare transformation and changing roles for nursing. Orthopedic Nursing, 36(1): 12-25. doi: 10.1097/NOR.0000000000000308
Saksena, P., Hsu, J. & Evans, D. B. (2014). Financial risk protection and universal health coverage: Evidence and measurement challenges. PLoS Med, 11(9): e1001701. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001701
Walkom, E., J., Loxton, D. & Robertson, J. (2013). Costs of medicine and health care: A concern for Australian women across the ages. BMC Health Services Research, 13: 484. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-13-484
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Pedagogical leadership is theorized as being one of the most important kinds of leadership in early childhood education, based on its recognition of best practices for teaching and learning. Leadership is considered one of the most imperative quality aspects in Early Childhood Education (ECE), due to its role in enhancing educational quality. Recent studies have established that the early childhood educator profile is changing and the need to possess leadership skills is necessary to respond effectively to the changes in the education environment.
Waniganayake (2014) notes that unlike in the past where teacher responsibilities exclusively focused on the education of young children, the contemporary early childhood settings have expanded in scope with increasing demands from the government, parents and other stakeholders. This demonstrates expanding roles for ECE professionals and hence the growing relevance of pedagogical leadership.
The relevance of effective leadership in enhancing the quality of pedagogy continues to gain significant importance in the field of early childhood, as stakeholders seek to achieve greater professionalism and enhanced outcomes as illustrated by children’s performance (Heikka, 2014). “The field of early childhood education and care has had a growing interest in pedagogical leadership rising from the need to increase quality and influence organisational change (Alameen, Male & Palaiologou, 2015).”
In this regard, there is greater focus on building relationships, mentorship, diversity and inclusiveness. Individuals in leadership work in partnership with others, providing leadership opportunities to other staff, students and others in the education community. This insinuates that leadership as traditionally defined does not always apply to early education realms. It is because while business and other sectors may observe leadership from a hierarchical perspective, effective early years leadership is mostly more collaborative or transformational in nature.
The traditional way of envisioning a leader as the one on top of the hierarchy is a just incomplete definition of how leadership is. Leadership is a process that is influenced by the shared vision and purpose by individuals or teams in connecting with each other. Effective leadership while being guided by the principal who provides direction goes beyond this by recognising the role played by all stakeholders as defined in shared values, visions and expectations. Leadership in early childhood education is an in-depth human quality that does not follow the conventional rule of authority.
Children are purely innocent to what this society gives to them in early childhood. If the society provides them with effective skills of leadership then that is what they are going to get regardless of gender or sect. If children are exposed to negative traits from the society then this would only end up in criminal activities. Children tend to strive hard to learn the way of living which society provides them.
The importance of early childhood education can be imagined from Siraj-Blatchford and Hallet’s (2014) idea of leadership, which states that “Effective and caring leadership is an evolving area of importance in developing quality provision for young children and families (p. 9).” Early childhood leadership is not only about the business of academics but it involves everyday routine of children’s services.
In recognition of the growing importance placed on leadership in early childhood education, this paper explores the concept of pedagogical leadership in the context of early education and how it influences the quality of education. In this relation, it will focus on what leadership means in the context of early childhood education, leadership styles in ECE, effective pedagogy in the early years, effective leadership in the early years and challenges and issues in early childhood leadership.
Background Study of Pedagogical Leadership
The Effective Provision of Preschool Education (EPPE) project changed the education landscape in Europe, and can be considered an influential study in the emerging importance of leadership in early childhood education (Siraj‐Blatchford, et al., 2008). The longitudinal study was the first of its kind and consisted of a young children’s development sample with the objective of investigating the impact of preschool education among three and four year children. Information for the study was collected from 3000 children and also involved interaction with their parents, home environment and school settings (Sylva, et al., 2004).
Through the research which as conducted between 1997 and 2004, it was established that education quality made a significant impact in the development of children (Sylva, et al., 2004). This is a function of leadership, which the study also established as being instrumental in ensuring quality and better outcomes among children.
Based on the study results, it was established that high performing centres included in the study had resilient leadership and a strong shared philosophy, and that managers ensured a strong lead in planning and curriculum development. In addition, leaders in these centres encouraged staff development, education focus, child-adult interaction, all essential aspects of leadership in early childhood education. Therefore this study illuminated the importance of effective leadership in preschool in a bid to enhance outcomes and it remains a point of reference in the realms of ECE.
Effective Leadership in the Early Years Sector (ELEYS) and Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY) also played an imperative role in illuminating leadership as an important issue in early education. The ELEYS research demonstrated the ideal setting for early year schools, noting that adult-child interaction, good curriculum knowledge among practitioners, parent involvement, formative feedback and behaviour policies influenced good outcomes for children Siraj-Blatchford et al (2007).
REPEY on the other hand argues for the provision of leadership for learning as a fundamental requirement in early learning. This can be done through social context considerations, collective working and a focus on children’s learning outcomes. This research is based on the passing of the Children Act of 2004 in England and the commitment of the government to reform children services through the ‘Every Child Matters’ campaign (Siraj-Blatchford, I & Manni, 2007). These two studies have influenced commitment towards leadership in ECE and are a good source of reference for leadership literature.
Early childhood is a sensitive stage where all leadership efforts should be directed towards ensuring the best outcome for the children. Leadership in early childhood education has been considered a pacesetter and a major influence of quality, hence the need to effectively understand what really consists of leadership in ECE. Kagan and Bowman (1997) proposed five faces of leadership that early childhood leaders should seek observe in order to promote the outcome of children in their schools.
The first face of leadership is administrative leadership. This involves the everyday operational activities and management of services (Kagan & Bowman, 1997). In executing administrative leadership, a leader is expected to maintain skills necessary in:
Dealing with people: This involves building effective relationships with staff, children, families, board members and colleagues among others
Structure: This entails the maintenance of infrastructure, complying with regulations, security issues and fire procedures among others
Processes: This includes the development of policies and procedures for governing school activities, including interaction of children and families.
Culture: This involved possessing knowledge on resource and referral agencies as well as changes in legislation.
Outcome: This includes maintenance of occupancy rates, fees, wages, budgets, petty cash and resources among others.
Environment: This involves awareness of the health and safety issues related to the occupation as well as the legislative requirements and aesthetics.
Pedagogy is understanding how learning process takes place which is supported by philosophy and practice.Pedagogical leadership entails the recognition of the best approaches in ensuring quality of early childhood care and education (Heikka, 2014). At the core of early childhood education lies the need to ensure that the quality of children’s lives is improved through enhanced growth, learning and development (Cheng, 2013; Kivunja, 2015).
In this relation, leadership in ECE is about identifying how best the children can learn. It is associated with the philosophy of the program, its goals and everyday practices that are advocated for in the managing the organisation (Murray & Clary, 2013). A leader is also expected to stay informed about issues and trends in early childhood education and care, and propagate the same information to staff. Leaders are expected to work closely with families and the community and ensure that all their actions demonstrate their knowledge of pedagogical leadership in everything they do (Sullivan, 2010).
Leaders is early education have an obligation to disseminate the importance of early childhood education to the community. This means that leaders must promote advocacy for best practices in early childhood education in order to influence the community and the overall outcome of ECE in the community (2008). It involved being increasingly visible in the community where one operates, developing community partnerships and participating in the education and training of ECE professionals through mentorship and networking. An early childhood leader is required to collaborate with community members and play a vital role in influencing policy making within the community.
Conceptual leadership is about being actively involved in the creation of new ideas with the aim of advancing the profession. This means that a leader should be capable of contributing to the ECE profession through innovative and futuristic thinking that leads to the development of pioneering ideas to influence early childhood education success (Kagan & Bowman, 1997; Rodd, 2013). This is equated to visionary leadership and is best achieved if one has a social conscience. This means that ideas are based on what leaders believe is the best for the advancement of children in early years.
Leaders in early childhood are expected to actively advocate for early childhood issues in order to improve the welfare of children and their families (Kagan & Bowman, 1997; Woodrow, C & Busch, 2008). Leadership involves taking a lead in looking out for better education quality and advocating for issues affecting early childhood education such as licensing requirements, affordable childcare, teacher salaries and other important issues (Rodd, 2013). Leadership in ECE is not only about working with individuals and organisations within their immediate sector but rather collaborating with others beyond their environment to create better outcomes in the early childhood sector.
Effective leadership in early childhood is defined by the ability of the leadership to effect high quality, through involvement of different stakeholders and upholding professionalism. This can be demonstrated in the following illustration, which demonstrates the importance of well set goals, high quality educators, professionalism in leadership, programming quality, and the involvement of families in ensuring outcomes for children. This is best achieved through pedagogical leadership, which is considered highly relevant in promoting high quality education in early childhood.
Pedagogical leadership can be considered the most effective leadership in early childhood and its principles should be emphasised to promote educational outcomes. Pedagogical Leadership tells us to reconsider the way we learn and work alongside with other adults. It is a common observation that development and growth take time and the best way children learn is by the interest and engagement with adults. Characteristics like curiosity, purposefulness and openness create an environment of learning both for the child and for the adult.
The Pedagogical Leader has an important role in creating a setting that supports values and vision for a healthy and quality learning environment. In this kind of environment, habits like organising time, spending money and supporting others come from the vision for growing child. In this way, children are nourished to produce leadership qualities and sense of responsibility. (Coughlin & Baird, 2013)
It has been recognised that effective leadership is the key to the growth of education and care. Teaching, learning and sustaining high-quality learning environment cannot be shaped without the skilled and committed leaders. There are minimal chances for effective leadership in early childhood without these skilled pedagogical leaders. According to a research, leadership comes only second when teaching has an influence on learning. Leadership is essential for an improved outcome and equality in education. (Leithwood et al., 2006: 4)
The style of leadership that is adopted within the organisation to a great extent determines the organisation’s performance. In this respect, the leadership style adopted in enacting pedagogical leadership should match the objective of the organisation in order to ensure that set goals are met. In early childhood, it has been established that pedagogical leadership is more about inclusiveness and that the traditional idea of leadership, demonstrated through hierarchical outlook is considered outdated.
Leadership is seen as a practice that is socially constructed and where the need to promote the quality of education and outcomes for children determines the leadership style adopted. The following leadership styles consist of some of the leadership styles adopted among early education institutions.
Directive leadership: In directive leadership, leaders are required to guide followers by spending as much time as possible with learners who are learning new tasks. The leader is expected to observe the learner provide feedback and develop suggestions for improving performance (Wieczorek-Ghisso, 2014). Directive leadership in ECE is seen as a means to ensure that the learner acquires the best knowledge possible to enhance the quality of education.
Facilitative leadership: This style seeks to empower group members by providing them with the resources necessary to execute their work. This style is aimed at ensuring that the needs of group members are met and that the outcome is satisfactory to the children and their families. While it may be directive at times, facilitative style is never authoritarian.
Participative leadership: This is where the leader promotes a collaborative atmosphere with teachers, such that everyone has an opportunity to participate in decision making. Ideas from followers are held in high regard and each view is considered important. Leaders are open with teachers and communication ensures that they can contribute to the everyday running of the school (Aubrey, et al, 2013). Participative leadership enhances motivation and is considered effective in advancing performance due to its ability to identify new ideas that would otherwise go unutilised.
Transformational leadership: Leaders depicting transformational leadership lead by showing concern to personal development of followers, such that they are committed to ensuring that they can discover their potential by acting as their role models. Through providing them with the required knowledge and resources, transformational leaders develop their followers into leaders and moral leaders through inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, idealised influence and individualise consideration (Hughes, 2014).
In ECE, this plays a role in enhancing motivation and thus high performance of teachers; consequently contributing to changes in school education. Transformational leadership is such that both the leaders and followers learn from each other and is therefore not about power holding.
Situational leadership: A commonly used leadership style is situational leadership, where leaders tend to apply different approaches in dealing with different issues. This according to Wieczorek-Ghisso (2014) is an approach which in the early years education context is based in levels of competency, such that continuous professional development is enabled. This is evidenced through the Blanchard model which provides four different leadership styles for four competence levels identified.
Blanchard’s quadrant, consists of four leadership styles namely directing, coaching, supporting and delegating. Each style is useful for different competency levels through which staff go through before they can be considered highly effective to work without much support.
Blanchard’s first competence level consists of staff portraying high commitment and low competence. These are members who are probably new in context and therefore lack the necessary skills to carry out required activities. This group may display high enthusiasm and willingness to learn but lack the skills to perform effectively. The suggested leadership style is the ‘directing’ approach, aimed at providing them with guidance to undertake activities through providing specific instructions and making follow up.
An employee who effectively succeeds in this quadrant such that they no longer require close supervision then moves to the second quadrant, representing low or some competence and low commitment. This group requires ‘coaching’ as the leadership approach. This requires leaders to explain the importance of task completion and monitoring of progress while providing encouragement and support.
When a staff is ready to move to the next quadrant, this means that they no longer need coaching but rather ‘supporting’. These are staff with high competence but with variable commitment. While they may have adequate experience, such teachers may lack confidence, motivation or initiative to undertake independent tasks. By supporting their daily activities, a leader can ensure that staff effectively accomplish tasks and that they develop high commitment.
This means that they are ready to graduate to the next quadrant, consisting of staff with high commitment and high competence. These are individuals who have mastered their roles and who are confident in their ability, experienced, knowledgeable and self-motivated, such that they do not require much supervision. In this situation, the leader employs ‘delegating’ approach, such that these individuals may be trusted with responsibilities without the need for monitoring or direction.
The model is considered effective because it aims at gradually developing staff capabilities to ensure that they can effectively respond to delegated tasks. It considers the different needs of staff and the required form of support needed to enhance competency and is thus considered an effective approach to leadership.
Leadership is an undertaking that requires individuals to demonstrate their ability to influence processes and other people for the attainment of set goals, such that leaders are expected to possess certain qualities that differentiate them from others (Ang, 2012). It is not any different in early childhood and pedagogical leadership, such that the following qualities of a leader ensure enhanced outcomes. Teachers with early childhood development degree give them the right skills to help every child learn. Practically speaking, teachers of early education of children must possess certain qualities that will enable them to motivate children along with finding joy every day (Aubrey, 2011).
When it comes to young children, leaders having the confidence of working with the children require enthusiasm and dedication to the work. Only this way, they could think of achieving the successful completion of their leadership duties. Teachers should have the enthusiasm to unlock each child’s door to learning. In addition, every child is different which makes the job even more challenging; thus requiring a patient nature along with good sense of humour to help the teacher to face this sloping path of ups and downs every day.
Every child has a different learning style and personality when he comes to school for early education. Each child would have his or her own style of doing anything. Due to this reason, teacher must always respect the differences and mange to teach in each child’s style rather than imposing on the child to adapt another style. Furthermore, each day teaching young children and at the same time educating them requires creativity.
Adapting to the style of learning that each child possess is flexibility. Regardless, the planning a teacher has done for each day, there should be flexibility to handle all the glitches that can throw off the day. A successful early childhood teacher would be the one who is always creative and flexible to make each day a positive one.
An effective pedagogical leader takes approaches that are unique and whose execution ensure that organisational goals and objectives are met. This skill requires critical thinking to ensure that ideas and strategies set the organisation apart from competitors through quality outcomes. Additionally, an inspirational leader motivates followers to perform by helping them discover their strengths.
He or she should be capable of influencing followers to perform by helping them discover their potential, providing them with the needed guidance and rewarding good performance (Murray & Clary, 2013).
Contemporary leadership literature indicates that active involvement of employees and other stakeholders in leadership decisions and undertakings can have an influential role on organisational outcomes (Grant, 2016). In early education, there is need to involve teachers, boards, students and the community in leadership, thus ensuring that the management can understand what the needs of others are.
When leadership considers the input of others, the likelihood of success is enhanced through diversity in ideas. In a world where leadership entails greater involvement of stakeholders in leadership and decision making, having a leader who is open and accommodating can have a considerable impact on the organisation. In early education, being open can encourage contribution from followers and thereby improve the outcome of schools.
Every leader’s mandate is to achieve the organisation’s goals and objectives and thus contribute to the overall performance of the organisation. In this relation, a leader must not lose focus on the main goals that the organisation seeks to achieve (Grant, 2016). This ensures that he or she can effectively lead others in achieving the goals, correct deviations, mentor and encourage others to achieve.
In doing so, the ability to influence others through endowing them with the power to perform is considered a major leadership quality. Leaders in early childhood should not only provide teachers with the necessary skills to perform tasks but they should also build their capacity to perform roles that are considered as being beyond their level, including independent decision making (David, 2012).
A leader should be concerned about the welfare of others, such that their decisions should be considerate about the feelings of others. This is essential in ensuring that followers feel appreciated, which promotes their productivity and willingness to contribute in organisational activities (Cheng, 2013). Being collegial involves recognising every individual as being important and avoiding self-exalting behaviour.
An effective leader sees themselves as part of the team and thus encourages others to work to work together towards achieving the organisation’s goals (David, 2011). This demonstrates the adoption of a give-and-take approach, such that the leader can learn from followers, just as followers learn from them.
Developing skills necessary to enhance the performance of early education institutions is imperative in enhancing pedagogical leadership. Waniganayake (2014) notes that while a majority of institutions have ECE graduates, most of these individuals are not equipped with the leadership strategies necessary to enhance performance. Waniganayake (2014) further notes that given the budding nature of ECE, the number of schools has grown significantly, leading to the demand for managers and principals.
This means that more ECE teachers find themselves in positions of leadership when they are fresh graduates with minimal knowledge and skills on leadership. In order for them to successfully execute the mandate given to them, such teachers require training to help them acquire the necessary leadership skills and qualities. This may be enhanced through different approaches as discussed below.
Learning communities
Group of individuals when come together to share passion and interest in collaborative learning is known as professional learning communities. Individuals participating in this learning communities build up knowledge through their interactions. There is a need of facilitator who helps them to start a dialogue of ideas that could enhance the connection to values and perspective. The professional learning communities is a powerful staff development strategies to help shift the focus from teaching to learning. (Coughlin & Baid, 2013)
Giving Time to absorb
Time is very precious and a necessity for any skill or development to be fully absorbed by both children and adults in the early learning environment. It is often practiced that learning communities make quick fixes and single training session to introduce change. However, to make changes sustainable, educators must be given time to share their complexities and practice growth in collaborative work.
Selection of Pedagogical Leaders for preschools
The building of strong leadership in the field, teacher’s education serves as an important role for building new resources and learning environment for the children. Student teachers should be selected on the merit of their experience that includes teamwork, engagement with kid and reviews from their pedagogical courses. These pedagogical leaders are also asked to provide a reflection of their leadership journey and opinions for life-changing experiences.
While the above discussion demonstrates approaches to developing pedagogical leadership skills, it is notable that there are various issues related to early years’ leadership that could affect such processes. These impact the outcome of pedagogical leadership and thus require to be addressed in order to address the challenges witnessed in early years leadership are discussed as discussed below.
Like in any other profession, the issue of age in leadership is prominent and the question of the age at which an individual can take up leadership is of concern. In ECE, a high number of young professionals are increasingly joining leadership, more so with the increase in the number of institutions and the consequent demand for managers and principals. Whether these individuals, some who are fresh from college have the required skills and capabilities is what makes it challenging for them to pursue their careers. This is more so where there the individual needs to manage older staff who may not appreciate their position as leaders.
A significant issue in early education is that individuals in leadership are not as adequately remunerated as their counterparts in other sectors. Given the significantly low pay among early childhood education professionals, taking up a position of leadership is not as motivating as it would be in other sectors where it would come with attractive perks. As a result, individuals are more likely to be adamant to take up leadership positions because the amount of work involved may not be adequately compensated.
Early childhood education for a considerable portion of its history mostly constituted of a female workforce. According to Siraj and Hallett (2014), early education workforce could comprise up to 98-99% women. This can be attributed to the fact that women were considered more caring and motherly to children, and as playing the nurturing role which they did best (Kelleher, 2011). Mistry and Sood (2013) also note that stereotyping of men who work in early childhood education as either paedophiles or homosexuals has led to slow growth in the number of men in the sector.
This feminisation has an impact on leadership in that men who have since joined early childhood education still find it difficult to settle into the female dominated career. As a result, leadership roles among men tend to be few in the sector. According to Mistry and Sood (2013), the gendered perception about men in the early education profession may lead to leadership prejudice because men still tend to be treated with suspicion when handling children. This could deny men an equal chance at being in leadership positions despite being qualified.
Leadership remains a challenging undertaking and some individuals tend to shy away from such responsibility. This means that despite their qualifications, they may be reluctant to lead. According to Mistry and Sood (2012), early years leaders tend to be reluctant on taking on the leadership of whole schools because they believe that it is not given adequate significance.
In addition, some leaders are reluctant to take on management roles because they feel that such responsibilities divert their attention from their preferred role as child developers and educators. Mistry and Sood (2012) add that reluctance could also be based on lack of confidence in their level of training on leadership such as adult management and budgeting among others. Reluctance may also be observed among males, mostly due to the desire to remain inconspicuous based on the feminisation issue discussed above.
A major issue is the existence of the hierarchical leadership mentality in some institutions. Some early childhood schools are still run using the traditional leadership approaches, such that it becomes difficult for an inclusive workplace to be maintained. This may impact leadership effectiveness and consequent leadership outcomes.
The effectiveness of pedagogical leadership in ECE can be measured against the learning outcomes of children, such that the key role played by school principals can be recognised based on the performance of their schools. However, leadership issues discussed above must be addressed in order to ensure that leadership is enhanced for better outcomes.
An important aspect to consider is the defeminisation of the profession. Currently, the profession still remains a female dominated field and encouraging men to participate would play a relevant role in enhancing leadership efficiency. To succeed in this, there is need to eliminate the stereotypes surrounding men as early childhood educators and instead advocate for male participation in ECE leadership.
Achieving high level motivation as far as leadership is concerned is a challenging task for this sector, given the low motivation to lead. To achieve this, authorities in ECE must recognise that leadership in ECE is just like leadership in other professions and that there is need to motivate leaders through improved pay and providing opportunities for skill development (Jor’dan, et al, 2013). Mentorship would work effectively in promoting performance of upcoming leaders and ensuring that they remain focused.
It is apparent that individuals in ECE are increasingly taking up leadership positions at a young age, which implies that their leadership skills may not be well developed. In this relation, leadership should be incorporated into graduate programs to ensure that leadership in an ingrained skill among ECE graduates. By preparing graduates for leadership as part of their learning objectives, it is easier for them to fit into leadership positions.
It is important to recognise that children are emotionally bonded to their parents. The workforce in early year education is most comprises of female. The Daycare Trust reports that 97.5% of the workforce for childcare comprises of females. This gender discrimination in child care needs to end. Men should be actively involved in this workforce. Other than this, research also tells that there is a strong need for collaborative leadership training for pedagogical leaders for better future of early childhood education (Siraj-Blatchford & Manni, 2007).
Bring the educators and parents together with the photos of children with observations of children behaviour when engaged in focused activity. Start the conversation by asking questions like: What appearance can be noticed from child’s face when focused in any activity? What interests him the most? How much child tries to give effort to area of his interest? How child’s point of view can be considered a factor of influence for the thinking of educator?
Importance of Home Learning
Other than preschool learning at early age, EPPE study has found out that children’s intellectual and social development is more influenced through Home Learning Environment (HLE) then by their parent’s education, occupation, and income. Due to this, the study also concludes that children’s learning by their parent’s support is far more important than who the parents are.
The study clearly suggests that the parents should opt for giving more time and affection to their children. Children need a healthy environment to get morally stronger. In this fast-moving world, people have generally less time for their children due to work load and professional responsibilities. That is why there is preschool where children are taught in a proper systematic way to nourish their skills and to provide them with the environment which they couldn’t get at home (Siraj-Blatchford & Manni, 2006).
Leadership in the context of early childhood education has recently been illuminated as an important aspect in determining the quality of outcomes among children. Evidently, effective leadership in ECE is directly related to the performance of early years institutions and the need to develop such skills is necessary. This paper discussed the concept of pedagogical leadership as it applies to early childhood education, with specific attention to the nature and facets of leadership, the application of leadership styles, qualities of good leadership and the challenges facing effective pedagogical leadership in ECE.
It can be established that pedagogical leadership in ECE has not effectively matured and that there are certain issues that still require to be addressed in order for institutions to function effectively. However, training and application of effective leadership styles could play an important role in enhancing leadership outcomes in ECE settings.
References
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The Korean honey market is having a challenge giving their customers quality honey. The market is flooded with poor quality honey and this does give the Korean Food a chance to penetrate the market if they focus their production on quality honey. The cost of quality honey in the market is also so high reaching a price range of $ US 100. The introduction of cheaper quality honey from the Korean Food company will increase their market share in the industry (Lee et al., 2010, p. 25).
Moreover, the Korean’s who have visited Canada often send to their families 20 to 30 kilograms of honey when they visit (Tavares, 2014, p. 22). This is an indication of positive reception of the Canadian honey by the people in Korea. It therefore, means that entry into the market will work in favor of the Korean Food as they already have a ready market for their product.
On the unfavorable aspects, the Korean government still has a restriction on open trade policy, especially when it comes to the agricultural sector. This policy does make it hard for the company to venture into the country, despite the optimism that the Korean government is considering withdrawing the restrictions (Hayakawa et al., 2013, p. 499). Moreover, the Korean honey producers have enjoyed a monopoly in the market and may place a lot of hurdles that will make the market unfavorable for Korean foods.
Question 2
The uncertainties in the strategy arise from the fact that the company has limited experience in the export market in Korea. This does pose a huge challenge for the company as they need to conduct an intensive market research before they step into the country. This will cost them a lot of finances, considering that the maximum amount of profit that they are to make from this venture is by a margin of 20%. The Korean market is centered on their culture where most of the consumers consider honey as a medicinal rather than a food product (Sydkorea, 2017). This will pose a challenge for the company when it comes to extending their market share from the hotels to selling the products to the consumers.
Additionally, the Korean market does work on the perspectives that the company will require an intermediary to be able to penetrate the market (Yoon, 2017, p. 387). The involvement of the middleman does pose an uncertainty on the manner to ensure that the company does achieve the objective of making a profit. The company has been working directly with the suppliers, and the changes of the operations structure to relying on the middlemen to foster their agenda will force affect the management of the company.
Lastly, despite their being hope that the Korean government will open up the agricultural market to allow imports, there is uncertainty on the resistance of the Korean honey producers (Hayakawa et al., 2014, p.499). The Korean honey producers have a monopoly in the honey market and they, therefore, have the strength to influence the government not to open up the honey market (APHIS’ website, 2017). Moreover, they might consent the opening of the market, but place a lot of hurdles for the new entrants an aspect that will uneven the competition making the market unfavorable.
The uncertainties can be reduced by identifying a company in Korea and entering into a joint merger to enable them to penetrate the market. The merger will be a shield for them as they understand how the market operates and will provide them the needed information to venture into the market (De Mooji, 2013, p. 36). Additionally, it will enable the company to navigate any hurdles that will be posed by the Korean honey producers in a bid to protect their influence in the market. Furthermore, the merger does reduce the cost of market research that the company will have to incur in their bid to penetrate the market.
I believe that the company has an opportunity to achieve immense success if they apply the suggested solutions in reducing the uncertainties. The company will be able to increase their margin and market share from a maximum of 20% and 60% respectively. This is an opportunity that will be effective for the company.
Question 3
Canadian honey: Marketing
In looking for ways to improve the marketing plan to make it acceptable to all the management team members, the 3 phases that form the foundation of the plan will be evaluated. In the first phase, the distribution strategy needs to be altered to involve using the networks established by the company they decide to merge with to penetrate the hotels. The local company has been in operation in the country they, therefore, have connections in different sectors of the economy like the hotels. This will make market entry easier for the company instead of having two salespeople positioned in Seoul (Lee et al., 2015, p. 32).
Additionally, the advertising strategy in the first phase will cost the company a lot of finances. To ensure that the company saves money, the use of free samples to the hotels coupled with media advertising is sufficient. The provision of recipe booklets and carrying out person-to-person advertisement will cost the company a lot of money.
In the second phase, the company needs to focus on regulating the prices of the honey with time as they extend their control of the hotel honey market. The penetrating price strategy is used to enter the market but needs to be readjusted to ensure that the company can make more profit from this sector (De Mooji, 2013, p. 12). The minimum price is an introduction to the Korean hotel industry to the purity of the Canadian honey. Increasing the price will not alter the purchase, as they would have managed to create a customer base in the industry that is attracted to the new flavors of the honey.
Additionally, the distribution channel is effective, but the involvement of the company that they will merge with will inject efficiency in the operation. The partner comprehends the Korean honey distribution network this will, therefore, ensure that the products can reach the target customers on time.
Furthermore, the company needs to concentrate more on introducing the Canadian honey as food rather than a medicinal product. This will play a role in increasing their target market more effectively. The Korean’s already have had a negative conception of honey due to the poor quality that is present in the market. Their culture compounded with the bad honey experience has made them consider that the product can be used only as a medicinal product (Lee et al., 2010, p. 18). Emphasizing on the other uses of honey will not only revolutionize this perception but also provide them with mileage in the industry.
In the third phase, introducing different qualities of honey in the market will cast doubt on the type of honey that the customers are purchasing for medicinal purposes. It will cast a shadow on the qualities of the Canadian honey that the company is introducing in the market, hence reducing their penetration. The company needs to concentrate on high-quality honey solely to get the customers goodwill in their product (Tavares, 2014, p. 25). I will recommend the company to use the warehouse of their partner as this will save them the cost of setting up one. They can then capitalize on the sales representative of their partner to increase their market penetration in the country.
Question 4
Kevin Lee at the beginning of the case study identifies pertinent issues that are linked to the difference between their way of operations and the new marketing plan. The company has immense knowledge in importing business and limited knowledge in the exporting business. They have managed to comprehend the needs of the North Americans when it comes to the Asian foods which have enabled them to raise the business to $30 million. The exportation of the Canadian honey to Korea is a new business venture as they do not know how to navigate the Korean industry with its restrictions (Anania, 2013, p. 25).
Additionally, despite the fact that the Canadian honey is loved by Korean visitors who send it to their families, this is not a guarantee that they will penetrate the market with ease (Tavares, 2014, p. 12). On the other hand, the Asian product is loved by North America and the company has managed to create a customer base that loves their products (Shaw, 2017). The company encountered challenges but managed to establish a reputable brand. Contrariwise, the only similarity is that the company has dealt with Korea on an international business level as discussed in the essay.
References
Anania, G., 2013. Agricultural export restrictions and the WTO: What options do policy-makers have for promoting food security. Draft paper prepared for informal ICTSD policy dialogue on, 25.
De Mooji M., 2013. Global marketing and advertising: Understanding cultural paradoxes. Sage Publications, 2013.
Hayakawa, K., Kim, H., and Lee, H. H., 2014. Determinants on utilization of the Korea-ASEAN free trade agreement: margin effect, scale effect, and ROO effect. World Trade Review, 13 (3), pp.499-515.
Lee, M.Y., Hong, I.P., Choi, Y.S., Kim, N.S., Kim, H.K., Lee, K.G. and Lee, M.L., 2010. Present status of Korean beekeeping industry. Korean Journal of Apiculture.
Lee, Y.K., Kim, S.H., Seo, M.K. and Hight, S.K., 2015. Market orientation and business performance: Evidence from franchising industry. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 44, pp.28-37.
Sydkorea. M. (2017). Korean Business Culture. [online] Available at: http://sydkorea.um.dk/en/the-trade-council/korean-business-culture [Accessed 9 Sep. 2017].
Tavares, A., 2014. Statistical overview of the Canadian honey industry 2013. Government of Canada, Canada.
Yoon, S. J., 2017. Cultural Brokerage and Transnational Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurs in Beijing’s Koreatown.” Korea Observer, 48 (2), p.387
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The new product that is being introduced as part of Whirpool production will be marketed along the market chains that the company has used and has competitive advantage over other products in the market. The company will concentrate on marketing the product in the Western nations, followed by the Asian countries and lastly the African nations based on the sales margin of their earlier products (Chakraborty, 2017).
Customers in the industry have expressed the problem of having their refrigerator doors not tightly closing when they are shut.The company GE appliances that is one of the competitors has admitted to the existence of the problem on their website, but they have only provided a limited number of solutions (Refrigerator-Freezer Door Pops Open, 2017).
In the industry, none of the companies have come up with a long-lasting solution like the new invention. The product will provide the company with a competitive advantage in the consumer home appliances. The company does sell their products in over 170 countries, and by the first quarter of 2017, they had a market share of 34.33% (Whirlpool Corp Comparison to its competitors, market share, and competitiveness by Segment-CSIMarket, 2017).
In order to succeed in any market a company has to decide which strategy is more appropriate to use, which means identifying the sources of a potential competitive advantage such as skills or resources. Superior skills in creating a special product can represent the element that is setting the company apart from its competitors. That is easily translated into a very good quality of the products.
Reference List
Chakraborty, A. (2017). Leverage Analysis: A Study on Whirlpool LTD. Nopal Institute of Management Studies-Department of Management.
Yeh-Shen and Sootface are two Cinderella stories of different versions with themes that can be applied in any culture and at any moment of history. The two stories share similarities but also have some differences regarding characters, lesson learned and the location (Smith & Kimberly, 2012).
Yeh-Shen and Sootface Comparison
The similarities depicted between the two stories are that the biological mothers of both Yeh-Shen and Sootface died and left them as orphans. Consequently, both of them were tortured in the company of the family members with whom they were left with, though Yeh-Shen was left under the care of her stepmother whereas Sootface was left in the company of her two elder sisters who were cruel to her.
In both stories, the main characters rivaled with their opponents on getting husbands and both opponents were female. Both of them ended up marrying royal men whereby Yeh-Shen married a king and Sootface married an invisible warrior (Smith & Kimberly, 2012).
Yeh-Shen and Sootface Contrast
However, the two Cinderella stories had several differences that are as follows. Yeh-Shen’s father came from China whereas Sootface’s father came from Ojibwa. Sootface’s father was a hunter whereby Yeh-she’s father was a cave chief. Yeh-Shen’s family lived in the cave, but Sootface’s family lived in a forest. Sootface’s father was alive whereby Yeh-shen’s father died shortly after her mother had died (Smith & Kimberly, 2012).
Yeh-Shen had no sister apart from her stepsister whereas Sootface had two biological sisters. Furthermore, Yeh-Shen owned a fish from which she used to get magical powers to help her while her stepmother was mistreating her but Sootface did not have any source of magical powers. Yeh-Shen is said to be beautiful than her stepsister whereas Sootface is supposed to be ugly according to the song she was singing to herself (Smith & Kimberly, 2012).
Yeh-Shen and SootfaceConclusion
The two stories just like all other versions of Cinderella stories have a lesson that it is always prudent to be kind even while living in this cruel world. This kindness somehow pays with good results.
Museums are essential for effective communication, social life promotion and further learning about culture, politics and even sciences. Museums are normally connected to politics, and they are normally used as a tool to preserve historic political events. However, political actions taken against the policies of the museum causes more harm than good to its effectiveness. As much as the museum functionality is attached (Blee 2016).
According to Miller during the interview, museums have a great effect on the culture of different groups of people in the society (Miller 2017). In the American Muslim culture, the museum has a negative effect on the environment. Many activities are carried out in the museum, which may result in damage to the environment. The American Muslim culture has changed over time due to the changing environment.
This is also because the Muslim American is a minority group in the United States of America (Geraldine 2016). The main environmental struggle faced by the museum is the political greenwashing on how technological activities applicable in the museum are harmless to living and non-living organisms. Museums and political actions remain go hand in hand. The museum is used as an archive for the storage of materials that are not so environment-friendly, such as disposed of computers, cell phones, and wires. These are simply stored for history, probably to show the development of technology over time.
Museums and political actions: Environmental activists
This may cause environmental activists to advocate against that, which is banned will cause a massive drop in the museum industry (Smith and Font 2014). Therefore, museums should not be used to bring political divisions between people or even cause conflict and death. Instead, it should be used as a tool to show the refection of societal heritage as well as bringing all cultures, religions, and states together to share something in common. Furthermore, the museum may cause pollution to the environment through the technological materials used for artwork and scrap metals of used gadgets.
Measures should be put in place on how to prevent these health hazards that may be caused by the material in the museum and all political objections prevented from interfering with the activities. Every environmental and political activist should be banned from using the museum as a tool to achieve their agendas and strict policies against such needs to be established to retain the museum’s primary purpose for existence. Museum and political actions destroy the tranquility of museums. This also will enable the maintenance of local and international tourists who will help earn the national revenue (Limebeer, Perantoni and Rao 2014).
In the current century, the industries of media and creative industries have experienced a threat to their capitalism whereby they have responded by ensuring expansion making the management of the media and creative industries a task. The expansion is normally achieved through the invention of new inventory according to the potential needs of customers resulting in the expansion of their market. The growth in technology has been the main contributor of the innovations happening in the industries, for example, the introduction of electricity in the early twenty centuries (Huws 2014).
The industry, however, pays attention to ensuring there is no market saturation, which in turn reduces profitability . The management of the media and creative industries is crucial in it’s success. They achieve this by researching on the new life orientations where new goods and services demand is portrayed and take the advantage by offering the brand new services and goods. In the sector of labor, the invention of domestic labor machines such as refrigerators, washing machines, and vacuum cleaners seemed to ease the laborers work duties but on the contrary, brought along some inconveniences (Staiger 1979).
The main consequence was low wages to the laborers. The low wage workers and interns represent the greatest percentage in the workforce whereby the licensed and trained workers are very few and are designated to small tasks around the premises (Chan, Pun, and Selden 2015).
The deployment is done in line with the kind of paid work they are designated to. The workers sell their labor, which is paid depending on the time spent during work and the performance. However, the payment is usually unfairly small due to the expenses incurred by the industries for the maintenance of the labor machines being used. In the sector of entertainment, the low wage workers are the ones in charge of filming, photographing, radio management and doing the recording (Geraldine 2016).
Their work is normally diverted to the capitalists responsible, and hence they become subject to whatever decision made concerning their duties and how they should be paid. This is made worse especially by the expanding market in response to the invention of new commodities, which commercializes the new ways of life. The interns are considered as the major labor providers after undergoing thorough inductions into the industrial activities, and their job is normally defined by their areas of interest with the promise of being employed if their internship period performance is remarkable (Dan and ShinJoung 2016).
Management of the Media and Creative Industries: Labor compensation
Their wages are usually lower than all other workers, but in contrary, they are usually the most productive regarding service delivery. The low wage laborers are normally recruited by merit after a short probation to test their abilities. Despite their hard work, they end up being the second lowly paid employees after the interns with their job descriptions almost similar to that of the interns. There are normally two kinds of capitalism, which are physical capitalism, and capitalism by the purchase of labor.
The physical capitalist has been practiced since the ancient centuries and was based mainly maximizing the use of labor depending on its availability in line with the potential production of goods and services (Nathan 2003). However, this kind of capitalism brought about massive loses because the produced good quality was difficult to predict, there was no uniformity in production services, the manufacturing process being delayed and loss of materials.
The industry is able to maintain consistency in business growth through capitalism of purchasing labor under the rates of time. This is because the workers and interns’ work faster within the restricted timing so as to avoid penalties due to delayed duties. Moreover, the restriction gives them an opportunity to have extra duties assigned to them for additional payments.
This is to ensure that there are order and accountability. Other extra duties are normally attached to ensure maximum utilization of the labor and payment is normally done according to the duration of work and performance. It is therefore ironic that these workers still experience injustice concerning the low wage acquisition. This is because the management always looks for small opportunities of making malicious profits not minding on the burden enforced on their employees.
The employment is normally centralized with different workers being directed to specific managers for reporting. Centralization enhances strictness in case of any failure of work or irregularities from the workers. In some media and creative arts, interns are not entitled to any payment until the end of the probation period. This is considered as training season, which is also mandatory (Vicki and Jocelyn 2015).
The development of technology in the media and creative industry has become poverty in disguise whereby the main people affected are the interns and low-wage workers. Technology has triggered invention of new ways of producing commodities resolution to the creation of new markets. This has resulted in the laborers shifting their duties from internal to external whereby they deal directly with the market to ensure profitability.
Their sources of income are determined by the market and increase with the increase in market and also decrease with the decrease in the market. The market expansion has been beneficial to the capitalist who tends to make a good profit out of the sales but has become a nightmare to the low wage laborers whose fate is subject to the market fluctuation (Vicki and Jocelyn 2015).
The new market has resulted in the incorporation of the consideration of other aspects of life into the media and creative industry. This is because the rate of commodity production has reached maturity and some of the aspects of life, which were initially not considered as economic, can now be commercialized. Examples of these aspects include sociality, public services, art and culture, and biology.
The capitalist has enacted more regulations concerning the fulfillment of the markets need. The lives of the customers including health and body genetic composition are also held with significance. Whereby new drugs are produced for different health management purposes and also the food sector is upgraded by the application of gene modification technology. This, therefore, demands more domestic laborers to be in charge of handling the machines under the supervision of a few highly paid employees.
The capitalists have however increased the scales along with the art and cultural labor, as well as the commodities, has been incorporated into the production relations. This has, in turn; increase the profit acquired in that field increasing the rates of the wages for the interns and low wage workers. The income for the workers in charge of filming, writing, and music composition are directly dependent on the profits made in the market on the sales made on Compact Discs, films, magazines, books, and records. The amount of profit is, in turn, dependent on the size of distribution made and this requires them to link with general distributors such as Amazon Kindle (Vicki and Jocelyn 2015).
References
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Chan, J., Pun, N. and Selden, M., 2015. Interns or workers? China’s student labor regime. Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan focus.
Dan Schiller & ShinJoung Yeo (2016), “Low-Wage Workers & the Internet Industry,” Information Observatory http://informationobservatory.info/2016/01/04/low-wageworkers-the-internet-industry/
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