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PROBLEM-SOLVING AND SELF-MANAGEMENT
PROBLEM-SOLVING AND SELF-MANAGEMENT
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PROBLEM SOLVING AND SELF-MANAGEMENT
Problem Solving
Problem-solving is a mental and intellectual process of finding solutions through analyzing current challenges that occur to a person or organization considering its cause (Nasriah, 2017). After Identification of the purpose of a problem, brainstorming of possible solutions follows while analyzing the risks of each. The best solution is chosen and implemented in the organization. Problem-solving is a process that starts with defining the challenge, followed by creating alternative solutions for the problem. From the range of solutions, selection of the best possible ones takes place, and one implemented to solve a problem encountered in the business or by a person. A problem arises when there is a need to do something or achieve a goal but not aware of the actions to take to reach the goal (Dostál, 2015). Having the ability to seek relevant facts and liaise with various stakeholders involved is one of the best criteria used in solving issues. It directs one to find necessary information from the root and develop it to get the solution.
Organizations are involved in regular operations involving employees, management, and, most importantly, the clients. Through the management of these operations, they can either maintain competitiveness in the industry to survive and grow in a challenging environment (Karakaya and Yılmaz, 2013). The interaction and relationship between the clients and the business are most vital as the clients bring in income to the company and determine the profits. The emergence of problems that affect or delays; client’s operations or does not get to their expectations may ruin the reputation of the business hence losing more clients, which leads to a reduction in profits. Involvement with clients occurs in every organization. Through this process, particular challenges may happen, which requires knowing relevant information and speaking to participants or other involved parties to deal with a situation or problem affecting them.
For example, after my graduation, I was doing an internship in a Customs house agent’s (CHA) office, where a challenge occurred with a client’s service by the organization. The office had many senior colleagues working with me, and from them, I got instrumental and essential knowledge. My main task was to segregate client’s files according to Import and Export and arrange them according to the dates of dispatching and arrivals of the containers. Through this task, I provided information on the location of the files and also produced them whenever needed. During one time, there occurred a scenario where a client complained about his container arriving at the port, but the customs officers could not release his vessel due to some wrong paperwork. He claimed that he had submitted all the paperwork to the customs house agent’s office but had some reasons to believe that we had misplaced a vital paper from his file. Since I was in charge of arranging the data, I was made answerable to the issue and had to find ways to get the paper lost.
After the client’s communication with the management of the office, my boss gave me the responsibility to find a solution to the issue by providing the required paper to allow the client to get his goods. He was the most extended client of the company and most loyal, and failure to provide a solution would upset him, and we could not lose such a famous person. I had to take action immediately. Solutions to problems usually start in the nearby environment (Robbins, 2011). First, I spoke to my colleagues at work, trying to find some suggestions on how to solve the issue. Through these consultations, I realized a few possibilities. First, the paper could have been misplaced somewhere in the office or secondly, fallen while moving the file to our office or the customs office, and lastly, the client may have unknowingly failed to provide us the paper. The third possibility was a sensitive one as it may be an accusation to the client and may worsen the situation. Therefore, I had to countercheck the office and brainstorm the first possibilities before getting feedback to the client.
After checking the office and following up with the office boy responsible for collecting the papers to no avail, I had to speak to the client. I gave them feedback on the process taken and convinced him that they may not have submitted the paper. After following up, it was evident that the paper had been left out by an intern and was still in the client’s office. I got it and cleared the goods for the client. The client was happy and thankful for the process and receipt of his products. The management of the customs house agent was grateful to keep their most extended client, and I received a reward for the outstanding performance.
The STAR technique is essential in solving problems affecting a company. Understanding the situation at hand and being familiar with the task leads one to the actions to take to achieve the best result. The result enhances the business’s success through maintaining the reputation and clients of the company hence smooth operations of the business activities. To get solutions, one first needs to use the resources around them. This may include other employees, and any other sources of information around work to find ideas. Getting to know the complexity of the problem helps to understand it and gives a direction on the best solutions to take that would not negatively affect any parties (Fischer, Greiff, and Funke, 2012). Both parties need to benefit from the process of problem-solving.
Problem-solving involves using critical selection criteria of analyzing issues from different perspectives and drawing sound inferences from available data. Organizations mostly need the skill as businesses are affected by a lot of problems in the fight to be competitive and stay in business. Clients are the most critical parties in an organization’s success, and any factors affecting them need to handle sensitively. The star technique gives a guide on the actions to take during the emergence of a situation. Knowing the case and one’s tasks directs on the steps to take to get the results required.
Self-management
Self-management is the process of maintaining, changing, and creating new meaningful behaviors for the development of oneself (Lorig and Holman, 2003). It is about taking responsibility for oneself concerning behavior and well-being. It is a skill applicable to the work environment to get successful in prospects. Self-management consists of three dimensions; contexts, process, and outcome. Within the settings, one is aware of the current situations and follows a means to change or adapt to behavior that helps one be much responsible (Grady and Gough, 2014). After the process is complete, an impact occurs where the behavior changes and makes a person more responsible for managing and planning one’s activities. Self-management leads to personal development, which leads to organizational development. This is a goal for every organization that exists to develop and be successful in its activities. Self-management involves skills such as personal drive, resilience, initiative, organization, and accountability.
The work environment consists of people with various beliefs, morals, and profiles; hence their personalities direct them on the actions to take, and this may fail to involve managing oneself. Poor self-management leads to reduced productivity as employees who only work under supervision and fail to be accountable for their actions fail to achieve the performance level required. However, the self-management skill is beneficial when acquired as personal drive ensures one work without supervision, takes the initiative for his activities, and is accountable for any challenges (Steyn and Van Staden, 2018). Being accountable makes one wish for the best through finding ways to be successful as an individual, which translates to the success of the company. Individuals may use documentation to monitor, evaluate, and reinforce their behaviors to motivate and self-influence, consequently leading to the achievement of goals and success of an organization’s objectives (Lawrence Mogga Rombe, 2016).
Self-management is essential in the successful operations of a business. For example, through my experience, a company was able to make more sales through my new ideas. I started my part-time job, working in a pizza and bar-restaurant. My role was to prepare necessary stock for the day, check the inventory, take the orders from the online customers, and solve the general inquiries and bookings of the customers according to their schedule. Usually, the restaurant gets busy on weekends, and during one of the Friday nights, many customers flowed into the restaurant for bookings at various periods. I was still new at the time and was undergoing training to work in a fast-paced environment. At that time, I had to attend to the customers physically at the restaurant and, at the same time, handle phone calls. At a point, the work was too much, and I had to ask for help from a colleague. I complained a lot about the situation. The colleague handled customers booking calls and initiated online bookings to many customers at once with a lot of ease. Through this experience, I trained myself to be positively minded by being optimistic and handling every situation with resilience.
With time, situations started changing and were able to think broadly. Customers were happy with the services received from the restaurant, and the feedback given was positive. This was possible because of self-control, having confidence, and being accountable and responsible for my actions. The challenges I faced in work became easier to find solutions and keep work successful instead of quitting. Nevertheless, this helped me to gain useful skills and problem-solving techniques that can apply in future situations. At a point, since I was dealing with most of the customers of the restaurant, I suggested that the management team should create more online order platforms, to direct and increase more customer bookings to the restaurant. It would also improve the organization of the restaurant, especially with customer bookings. A collaboration with UberEATS, Menu Log, and door dash, which have a good customer base, would help the business explore too many parts of Melbourne through their marketing strategies.
After starting with resilience and being accountable for the activities of my job, I was able to be open-minded and could find solutions to issues of the company. The suggestion was taken positively and implemented, which led to satisfying results; increased profits. Also, the restaurant became well known, and there was an increase in customers in and around Melbourne. Self-management leads to organizational success through self-influence that translates to excellent individual performance hence improved organization’s performance. Self-management plays a vital role in the success of each individual, and teamwork leads to practical ideas.
Self-management is a practical approach for long term condition management (Boger et al., 2015). Skills such as resilience and self-influence direct one to be committed to one’s job and find ways to make it better. There is a positive influence between self-management and attitude, which affects organizational behavior and managerial skills (Asghari, Poor and Zadeh, 2012). Employees quickly improve self-selected work-related problems through self-influence, which encourages self-management. The process enhances the performance of individuals through self-development, and also organizations benefit from an individual’s hard work by improved performance (Godat and Brigham, 1999). Self-managed behaviors consist of self-set goals, self-control, and self-planning, which contribute to an individual’s development.
Organizational goals are dependent on individuals’ efforts put in an organization. Individual people have to be productive for the organization to have excellent performance. The productivity of employees starts with self-management, which involves having personal drive, resilience, and self-influence to perform more and be more productive in the organization. With a commitment to work, having a positive attitude, and aiming at a goal directs one to get new ideas to improve performance. Self-management consists of context, process, and lastly, the outcome received from the process. Context depends on the kind of environment one resides. Understanding the context leads one to know the procedure to follow, and after completion of the process, an outcome develops through positive individual effects. The result is excellent performance for an individual and the best results for an organization due to the teamwork of many individuals to achieve one specific goal.
References
Asghari, P., Poor, A. and Zadeh, P. (2012). Relationship between self-management skills and organizational citizenship behavior of principals in girls’ high school of urmia. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, pp.852-855.
Boger, E., Ellis, J., Latter, S., Foster, C., Kennedy, A., Jones, F., Fenerty, V., Kellar, I. and Demain, S. (2015). Self-Management and Self-Management Support Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Mixed Research Synthesis of Stakeholder Views. PLOS ONE, 10(7), p.e0130990.
Dostál, J. (2015). Theory of Problem Solving. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174, pp.2798-2805.
Fischer, A., Greiff, S. and Funke, J. (2012). The Process of Solving Complex Problems. The Journal of Problem Solving, 4(1).
Godat, L. and Brigham, T. (1999). The Effect of a Self-Management Training Program on Employees of a Mid-Sized Organization. Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 19(1), pp.65-83.
Grady, P. and Gough, L. (2014). Self-Management: A Comprehensive Approach to Management of Chronic Conditions. American Journal of Public Health, 104(8), pp.e25-e31.
Karakaya, A. and Yılmaz, K. (2013). Problem Solving Approach at Organizational Development Activities: A Research at Karabuk University. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 99, pp.322-331.
Lawrence Mogga Rombe, M. (2016). Effective Time and Self Management, Environment and Productivity in an Organization. Science Journal of Business and Management, 4(6), p.204.
Lorig, K. and Holman, H. (2003). Self-management education: History, definition, outcomes, and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 26(1), pp.1-7.
Nasriah, L. (2017). ROBLEM SOLVING METHODS TO IMPROVE UNDERSTANDING OF LEARNING SOCIAL SUBJECT MATTER F. European Journal of Education Studies, 3(4), p.217.
Robbins, J. (2011). Problem solving, reasoning, and analytical thinking in a classroom environment. The Behavior Analyst Today, 12(1), pp.41-48.
Steyn, Z. and Van Staden, L. (2018). Investigating selected self-management competencies of managers. Acta Commercii, 18(1).
the food industry
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Annotated Bibliography: The Food Industry
This is an annotated bibliography for research done on the food industry. The references listed focus on unethical practices among the key players in the food industry.
Almas, Reidar. “Food Trust, Ethics and Safety in Risk Society.” (2012).
Almas is Professor of Nutrition at the Jönköping University (Sweden) and Sogang University (South Korea). He was educator of Nutrition at the Korea University, Seoul National University, University of Kurdistan at Hawler, RATIO Institute, Stockholm and MTT Agrifood Research. Almas discusses the ethical issues raised in the food industry that relate to the environment. Unethical practices are very common in the competitive food industry, he says. Walmart, for instance, rolled out in 2011 a fast food line which targeted children who were as young as nine years old. The marketing campaign they organized targeted both the girls and the boys saying that the foods were environmentally friendly in nature. This marketing campaign had two flaws. First of all, they were unethical when they placed unwarranted emphasis on the appearance of a child. They associated the use of their products with coolness and respect. Secondly, they used environmentalism, a very popular movement across the universe, to market fast food products. These two elements are completely unrelated.
Carriquiry, Miguel, and Bruce A. Babcock. “Reputations, market structure, and the choice of quality assurance systems in the food industry.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 89.1 (2007): 12-23.
This article was written by Miguel Carriquiry who and Bruce Babcock who represent considerable authority in moral hypothesis. They concentrate on life science issues: farming, creatures, and biotechnology. The article talks about ethics in the food industry. In the pharmaceutical field, some of the issues being raised are whether or not doctors prescribe the drugs to their patents based on the most effective ones or based on the incentives provided to them by the manufacturers. Some of these doctors are hosted to lavish events and then showered with gifts during conferences by pharmaceutical companies like PhRMA. Would one say that these doctors’ minds won’t be corrupted by such niceties? Won’t the niceties affect their decisions as they decide what drugs to prescribe? It would be ethical to just provide the customers with the right information so that they can make informed decisions. This makes the marketing strategy’s ethics questionable.
Comstock, Gary. “Ethics and genetically modified foods.” Food Ethics. Springer New York, 2010. 49-66.Comstock represents considerable authority in moral hypothesis. He concentrates on life science issues: farming, creatures, and biotechnology. He wrote this article to discuss the prevailing consumer attitudes towards the genetically modified foods. Producers are eager to increase their production to meet the current high demand for agricultural produce. The ethical issue that arises however is how safe are the genetically modified foods. These genetic modifications used on the plants and animals involve molecular genetics and has created controversies across the world. The genetically modified organisms have been identified as causes of cancer and birth of deformed babies and yet these products are still in circulation proving once more that America is indeed a capitalist nation. The rich will stop at nothing to generate more wealth and continue being rich and a few setbacks here and there are ignored.
Early, Ralph. “Food ethics: a decision making tool for the food industry?.” International journal of food science & technology 37.4 (2006): 339-349.
This journal written by Early Ralph, Educator of the Food Industry at Harper Adams University. He also served as the Head of Department – Department of Food Science and Agri-Food Supply Chain Management. The article he wrote portrays different unethical practices in the food industry. Industries that produce infant formulas have also been on the spotlight for their unethical practices. Nestle has at some point marketed their products in developing countries as a replacement for breast milk. They organized campaigns that aimed at convincing these mothers that what they were offering them was superior to what they were offering their kids as breast milk and was the most modern way of raising a child right. They were oblivious to the reports that said that breast milk led to healthier babies than babies that used their products and persisted in their marketing ventures. Persisting with a false campaign is unethical more so if the products hurt those who buy them. Nestlé’s marketing strategies are therefore ethically questionable.
Hobbs, B. C. (2008). Food poisoning and food hygiene. Food poisoning and food hygiene, (Edn 2).Instructor Hobbs is an all-around seen control in general and relative employment relations. He has particular capacity in the district of sustenance and support. The solidified pot pies that sickened an expected 15,000 individuals with salmonella in 2007 left government controllers perplexed. Right away they suspected the turkey. At that point they considered the peas, carrots and potatoes. The pie producer, Conagra Foods, started spot-checking the vegetables for pathogens, however couldn’t find the guilty party. It additionally had a go at cooking the vegetables at high temperatures, a system the business calls a “slaughter venture,” to wipe out any waiting organisms. At the same time the vegetables turned to mush all the while. So Conagra — which sold more than 100 million pot pies a year ago under its prevalent Banquet mark — chose to make the shopper in charge of the slaughter step. The “sustenance wellbeing” directions and four-stage graph on the 69-penny pies offer this direction: “Inner temperature needs to achieve 165° F as measured by a nourishment thermometer in a few spots.” Progressively, the partnerships that supply Americans with handled sustenance are not able to ensure the security of their fixings. For this situation, Conagra couldn’t pinpoint which of the more than 25 fixings in its pies was conveying salmonella. Different organizations don’t even know who is supplying their fixings, not to mention if those suppliers are screening the things for organisms and other potential dangers, questions and archives
Royle, Tony. “Realism or idealism? Corporate social responsibility and the employee stakeholder in the global fast‐food industry.” Business Ethics: A European Review 14.1 (2005): 42-55.
Educator Tony Royle is a universally perceived power in universal and relative vocation relations. He has specific ability in the region of sustenance and nourishment Tony talks about the corporate social responsibility and the employee stakeholder in the global fast‐food industry. Fast food companies such as McDonalds concentrate on marketing lifestyle and more often than note direct these ads at children and teens. Most of their marketing is done online as they major in social media advertising. It is not appropriate to aim use ads which use marketing techniques instead of information at prospective customers who lack adequate maturity to treat such messages skeptically. This is unethical as the food sold by fast food restaurants have created a lot of controversies and suspected of causing diseases like cancer and conditions like obesity.
The food industry has been revolutionized in the past few years
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The food industry has been revolutionized in the past few years, and as time goes by, more and more changes occur in the food industry. One of the radical changes that have transformed the food industry is the introduction of the fast food industries to which have made tremendous changes in the food market. The fast food industries have made it possible for people to enjoy fast foods as they travel or even when checking in. Among the foods that the fast food industries deal with include coffee, hamburger, chicken fingers, pizza as well as the French fries. The fast-food restaurants are therefore a representation of the more significant segment of the food industry. McDonalds and Starbucks are among the most prominent companies that are based on the food industry and primarily deals with fast foods. Both of the two companies deal with coffee as the main product but serves it along with other snacks (Tier, 2017). The two fast-food companies are similar but at the same time vary in different aspects that include the organization culture as well as their products and services.
Starbucks and McDonalds are similar in several ways. The two companies are in the food industry and have invested in the fast foods chain. The two fast-food companies are similar in some of the products and services to which they offer to their customers, and some of these products include beverages such as tea and coffee, with coffee being the most extensive product in offer. Apart from the beverages, the two companies offer similar types of foods such as the sandwiches and therefore the two fast-food companies are indifferent from one another. In another similarity, the two companies use similar single-use cups to which they use to serve their customers with such that one doesn’t have to return the cup after being served with coffee (Colton et al. 2018). The two companies are also concerned with environmental conservation, and in the bid to do so, they do recycle their products reusing them for other better purposes and therefore minimizing environmental pollution.
However, despite the similarities between the two fast-food companies, there exist differences that separate them and make them unique. Some of the differences that can be witnessed from their products is that Starbucks has coffee as their primary product while the McDonald Company focusses mainly with hamburger and chicken sandwiches. The two also vary in terms of the organizational culture. McDonald is known for a corporate culture that prioritizes on the needs of its employees as well as their development (Kane et al. 2015). The company’s core values and the standards of the business conduct emphasize the need to support people. The organization culture of McDonald is understandable considering that the company is a service-oriented business. On the other hand, the organization culture of Starbucks is that of recycling (Nan & Li, 2017). The company is committed to the conservation of the environment through the reduction in the amount of waste produced making the company unique and different from the others.
Starbucks and McDonald have been among the largest fast-food companies owing billions of money in their investments in the food industry. The two companies have a lot of similarities such as their concern to environmental concerns while at the same time vary in the organization culture as well as their priority product. The two companies despite being different have excelled in the food market and have taken a great share of the market. Having built their image have left the other minor companies struggling to make out in the tight market due to competition and therefore strive in marketing their products.
Reference
Colton, K., Harmer, C., Isom, B., & Shughart II, W. F. (2018). PLASTIC POLLUTION.
Kane, G. C., Palmer, D., Phillips, A. N., & Kiron, D. (2015). Is your business ready for a digital future?. MIT Sloan management review, 56(4), 37.
Nan, Y., & Li, X. (2017). Analysis of the Importance of Enterprise Culture on Consumer Behavior——-An Example of Starbucks.
Tier, M. (2017). How to Spot the Next Starbucks, Whole Foods, Walmart, or McDonald’s BEFORE Its Shares Explode. St. Martin’s Press.