Organizational Characteristics Essay Example for Free

Organizational Characteristics Essay This paper will describe the culture and the organizational characteristics of a chosen organization, Publix Supermarkets. Detailed throughout will be the common characteristics of the organization as it operates on a day to day basis. Specifically the system based on individual units, rules and norms expected of the associates and supervisors as well as the hierarchy will be established for the reader to garner a better understanding. Furthermore, the communication networks, organizational orientation, approaches to and by leadership members, as well as the decision making and communication procedures put forth by members of management will be analyzed. This paper will describe which 4 of these listed characteristics are most influenced by communication between members and levels of Publix Supermarkets. The author has been employed with this supermarket chain for more than 7 years and has ample knowledge and understanding on the organization as a whole. Common Characteristics of an Organization Publix Supermarkets is a grocery chain unlike many others for a variety of reasons. Founded in 1930 in Winter haven, Florida by George W. Jenkins, Publix is known for its customer first atmosphere and pleasurable shopping experience. The grocery chain whose motto states they will never knowingly disappoint their customers operates in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee and currently has more than 1000 stores in operation (Publix.com). Jenkins’ supermarket chain has continued to grow on their customer friendly business sense. Publix has since become a Fortune 500 company and is privately held and owned by its employees. For as well as they treat their customers, the chain treats its associates and management staff just as well if not better. Publix workers who have been with the company a base number of years receive shares of stock for every 1000 hours worked, and can purchase more shares of stock at almost any time during a given year. The grocery chain is also well known for its high ranking employee benefits and treatment in the employment world. Rules/Norms (Written and Unwritten) Outside of the big green P logo, the Publix atmosphere is what customers relate to with the chain more than anything else. Communication with customers is a major asset in following proper Publix protocol. The smiling helpful associates, clean stores, and consumer friendly set up of product is where Publix truly prides itself as an organization. Each experience ends with a friendly cashier and bagger, and the bagger will always bring the customer to their vehicle and help load product into the car for them. Believe it or not this all relates to performance evaluations that are done quarterly, where associates are evaluated on their behavior amongst the customers. Customer intimacy is something Publix takes very seriously. The Publix image extends onto its associates as well. All employees are expected to show up to work on time and be clean shaven in full clean uniform attire. Each department and job class has their own specific uniform; however all include proper hygiene, reasonable hairstyling, and proper equipment to perform their tasks to better serve the shoppers. Publix is an organization that understands how to promote their brand by utilizing all available options to do so. Clean stores and clean happy associates promote the â€Å"Publix Way.† This plays a major role in nonverbal communication between Publix associates and their customers. Aside from dress code and customer relations, two major elements, there are many other standards Publix employees are held to. A good example of one unwritten Publix rule would be: communication between associates when out on the sales floor during business hours must be respectful, and if at all possible must include the customer. Also, outside from positive communication both verbal and nonverbal with customers and fellow associates employees are expected to communicate both effectively and respectfully with management teams as well. Hierarchy The Publix store level hierarchy is something that runs seemingly parallel in each department throughout the store. Each department and sub department have their chain of command as follows: part time associates, full time associates, assistant department manager, and department manager. The two major departments, grocery and customer service, have the most associates, in order to better supervise their employees there is a position called a team leader that fits into the hierarchy between the full time associates and the management team. Publix is a company that only promotes from within. This is a big selling point for associates and applicants alike. Knowing that the opportunity for advancement is always there is a major asset for the associates in the store. Communications between the different levels of the chain of command are fluid. The associates can go to their department managers, or team leaders, with any concern or idea. The department managers at store level then communicate with the store’s assistant manager and store manager about the associate’s ideas and concerns. Communication Networks The information Publix gathers through their retail channels is usually information based on product analysis and placement that they can pass down to the management teams at store levels to assess further. Ultimately the store will take the advice of corporate and try to taper the information in the way it works most effectively for each store. Each store can take the same information and depict it differently. Information about new products, events, or openings may not influence all stores, or influence them all at the same level. There are times, during major events like hurricanes, holidays, or back to school time, where Publix store level employees must take the information sent to them by corporate including sales figures and forecasts in order to build the proper displays and floor models for customers to browse. Having product out that customers take interest in can help drive sales. The communication between the different levels of Publix Supermarkets goes hand in hand with communication networks at the store level. Leadership Approaches A major tool in the line of communication at Publix is how they allow anyone who is willing to step up and be a leader, do so. When every associate feels that sense of empowerment in their employment it urges them to lead in a different way, work harder and do a better job to lead by example. Publix pushes their associates to be role models both in the stores, and in the community. The management teams are in place to ensure guidelines are followed, but showing quality leadership through positive communication means so much more. Communicating with leaders is always a situation associates take very seriously in any industry or business. This is no different in the retail world at Publix. Associates voice their concerns and feelings to their leaders, whether it be management, team leaders, or even fellow associates who take on the responsibility of leading a specific group. At Publix supermarkets the communication had with leadership is always something associates should come away from feeling they were heard out and understood, good virtue for any organization to sustain. Conclusion Publix through the years has become one of the most widely respected organizations in America. This is due to the quality product and customer service put out the grocery chain, but also playing a role in the respect factor is the culture of the organization. This of course starts at store level and works its way to the corporate ranks, and is in large part to do with positive, effective communication. Publix supermarkets are known throughout the world a company that is great to work for, just as much as they are to shop at. Through utilizing all of the common communication characteristics Publix has continued to promote a very associate friendly atmosphere through the years. The supermarket chain takes pride in the fact that each associate understands their value to their company and takes pride in hiring quality applicants. Publix utilizes its rules and norms, hierarchy, communication networks, and strong leadership approach in all day to day activities in order to remain a successful industry leader.

Bulimic Behaviors Among wrestlers Essay -- Health Weight Loss Sports P

Bulimic Behaviors Among wrestlers The sport of wrestling places demands for- a slim, lean body build. Wrestlers are known for their extreme weight cutting practices in order to obtain this lean build. By "cutting" to a lower weight class, the wrestler is believed to gain an advantage against a smaller opponent. Used by wrestlers preparing to weigh in for competition, weight-cutting practices typically include fluid restriction (dehydration), caloric restriction, fasting, and increased exercise. More extreme methods employ saunas, rubber or plastic workout suits, vomiting, and drugs such as diuretics and laxatives. Weekly weight fluctuations frequently exceeding 2.5 kg occur during the 24 to 48 hours preceding the match and are often repeated 15 time in a season (Oppliger, 1993). Between the weigh-in and the competition, usually -five hours, the wrestler further engages in binge eating in an attempt to rehydrate. Weight-cutting and binge eating are not restricted to international or collegiate competition,.but are also practiced by young high school wrestlers who are still maturing. A growing concern among clinicians and researchers is what influence these weight-cutting and binging behaviors have on the potential for developing eating disorders. Weight-Cutting Methods and Their Prevalence In a study conducted by Steen & McKinney (1986), data was collected from forty-two college wrestlers representing two separate teams via diet recall, a food record, a written test, interviews/questionnaires, and anthropometry. The purpose of this study was to assess the nutritional and weight-control practices of these wrestlers before, during, and after the wrestling season. Each wrestler was asked what me... ...the committees must also be changed in order for the problem to be more effectively solved. References Oppliger, Robert A., Harms, R.D., Herrmann, D.E., Streich, C.M., & Clark, R.R. (1995). The Wisconsin wrestling minimum weight project; a model for weight control among high school wrestlers. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 27, 1220-1224. Oppliger, Robert A., Landry, G.L., Foster, S.W.,, & Lambrecht, A.C. (i993). Bulimic Behaviors Among Interscholastic Wrestlers: A Statewide Survey. Pediatrics, 91, 826-831. Rarikin, Janet W., Ocel, J.V., & Craft, L.L. Effect of weight lss and refeding diet composition on anaerobic performance in wrestlers. Medicine and Science in sports and Exercise, 28, 1292-1299. Steen, Suzanne & McKinney, Shortie. Nutrition assessment of college wrestlers. Physician and Sportsmedicine 14, 100-116.

Employee Portfolio Essay

The purpose of this word summary is to be in the place of three employees at Riordan Manufacturing. These three employees have recently taken various self-assessments to help the manager in managing the teams. The summary will discuss the ways in which these three employees’ characteristics affect the performance of the organization and make recommendations for additional assessment. The three employees who have taken these tests are Antisha McFadden, Marianne Felts, and Edna Scafe. Antisha McFadden has scored 76 in the test â€Å"How satisfied and I with my job?† Because her score was below the average she is a very satisfied person when it comes to her job, she is optimistic. However, she cannot accept critique and she should learn how to be able to accept critique. In the test Felts her score was 66, which says about her that she is a deliberate candidate. These are things that she does with no reason and she should start having a reason for everything she does. In t he Scafe test, Edna scores 92, which means that she poses a higher emotional intelligence. She should learn how o be less subjective when evaluating. Marianne Felts has taken the same tests, as Antisha and her results were different. In the first test she scored 76 which means that she is an average satisfied person when it comes to her job, while in the second test she scored 66 telling us that she has a higher emotional intelligence. The recommendation for Antisha is to increase the level of concentration when working so that everything is perfectly done. The third employee interviewed is Edna Scafe, who takes the same tests as the first two employees and her scores are different. In the first test, Edna scores only 92 meaning that she is not satisfied with her jobs, while in the second her score is 22 meaning that she has a more blended style of decision making. The third test shows a score of 28 meaning that she is a person with normal levels of emotional intelligence. The recommendations for Edna are to reduce the time when deciding and not to reduce the quality or effectiveness of the decision taken.

Ida B. Wells Barnett - 2089 Words

Ida B. Wells-Barnett is the author of A Red Record. Within her work she included tabulated statistics and alleged causes of lynching in the United States. Wells was known for her passion for justice. â€Å"It was in Memphis where she first began to fight (literally) for racial and gender justice† , stated Lee Baker. Wells was asked by a conductor of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Company to give up her seat to a white man and move to the smoker portion of the train. She refused, which then led to her being dragged out by a couple of men. Once she returned to Memphis, she hired an attorney and sued the railroad company. Even though she won her case in the local courts, the Supreme Court of Tennessee reversed the local court circuit. That particular incident ignited her passion to overturn injustices of women and people of color. During the early and mid- nineteenth century, slavery was prominent throughout the South. The white man bought and sold African Americans, like they were animals. They were beaten and treated inhumanly all while serving the white man. Even though the owner’s tormented the slaves tremendously, they rarely went as far to take a life, due to the fact of losing money. Slavery continued for years and years until the year 1865, when it was abolished. Since the white men had grown so accustomed to the harmful and horrific acts they committed, they certainly -2- were not finished; slavery or no slavery. The southern white men created a group referred to as theShow MoreRelatedThe Lynching Of Lynching, By Ida B. Wells Barnett1392 Words   |  6 PagesIda B. Wells-Barnett: The Lynching of Lynching During the latter 19th and early 20th centuries racism and racial segregation were considerable problems. Mob violence, including lynchings were responsible for the deaths of thousands of black men, women and children, often for crimes they had no part in or which were not even committed. 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In this specific case, the author is speaking of virtue in the sense of purity. â€Å" Virtue knows no color line, and the chivalry which depends upon complexion of skin and texture ofRead MoreEssay on Ida B. Wells529 Words   |  3 Pages Ida B. Wells Ida B. Wells (1862-1931) was a newspaper editor and journalist who went on to lead the American anti-lynching crusade. Working closely with both African-American community leaders and American suffragists, Wells worked to raise gender issues within the quot;Race Questionquot; and race issues within the quot;Woman Question.quot; Wells was born the daughter of slaves in Holly Springs, Mississippi, on July 16, 1862. 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Wells, Ruby Bridges, and Oprah Winfrey each fought for equality of African-Americans in different ways and different time periods, but each has made a major impact on Mississippi and elsewhere in the United States. Ida B. Wells was born in Holy Springs, Mississippi on July 16, 1862. Ida was born into slavery. Ida’s father served on the board of trustees for Rust College so he made education a priority for his 7 children. Ida received early schooling but sheRead MoreAfrican American Women During The Civil War1137 Words   |  5 Pageswill exemplify three special women, all the while providing background, some life achievements and details of their last years. These women are Ida Wells, Isabella Baumfree (A.K.A Sojourner Truth) and Harriet Tubman. All African American abolitionist who fought endlessly for the civil rights owed to them as Americans, free citizens and humans. Ida Wells, a woman born a slave in Holly Springs, Mississippi, before the close of the Civil War on 16 July 1862. Some six months later Abraham Lincoln passedRead MoreEssay The Life and Achievemets of Ida B. Wells2601 Words   |  11 PagesIda B. Wells-Barnett dedicated her life to social justice and equality. She devoted her tremendous energies to building the foundations of African-American progress in business, politics, and law. Wells-Barnett was a key participant in the formation of the National Association of Colored Women as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She spoke eloquently in support of Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The legacies of these organizationsRead MoreCharlotte Perkins Gilman, Ida B. Wells Barnett and the Fight for Fairness and Equality for Undocumented Immigrants2243 Words   |  9 PagesCharlotte Perkins Gilman, Ida B. Wells Barnett and the Fight for Fairness and Equality for Undoc umented Immigrants Kristin Fine The women founders of sociological theory made it possible for women and members of other marginalized communities to gain access to the rights and privileges their white male counterparts enjoyed for centuries. In particular, the incredible lives of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Ida B. Wells-Barnett allowed new avenues of academia and social change that had not previously