Thursday, October 31, 2019
Focus group Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Focus group - Assignment Example This paper however used extensively qualitative data from primary sources. By definition, a focus group is a research in which qualitative data is obtained from a small group of people usually between 4 and 15 (Litosseliti, 69). The people in the group are asked about their opinions, attitudes, beliefs and perceptions towards a concept, a service or a product. Since the purpose of this research is to evaluate the Extra Gum with respect to why it is a popular gum and the peoples beliefs about chewing the gum, a focus group therefore appears to be the best way to go about the inquiry (Stewart, 51). This research used primary data from five participants from the engineering departments. The participants were conveniently selected to participate. All of them signed a consent form before engaging in the research. They were all above the age of 18 years with the range of their ages being between 23 years and 36 years. The results obtained from the focus group indicate that all the participants liked chewing gum. Further, all of them liked Extra Gum due to its many flavors (60%) and long smell time (40%). Regarding the shape of the gum, itââ¬â¢s simple and attractive shape was the most likable characteristic of the gum being indicated by 4 of the five participants. From the perspective of the focus group, all the participants indicate that Extra gum faces competition majorly from Mentos. Its major quality that keeps it competitive is the wide area of the breath smell when chewing the gum which was indicated by 4 of the 5 participants. Using wrap gum appeared to be less popular that using can gum with a 2:5 popularity ration between them. All the participant consumers did not mind the price of the gum, but the place of manufactured mattered to all the participants. With 4 of the 5 participants indicating that the gum need change, their advice is varied. Three of the participants suggest that providing wraps that can be used when getting
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Integrating business perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Integrating business perspective - Essay Example Hence, the investor looks into certain factors with a keen eye before investing into something. First and foremost, it is important to know complete detail about the business that is about to start up, its complete assessment and the analysis of the risk involved in the business. Analysis of risk factor is very important thing to know when considering to invest in a small startup business since this risk is what actually defines how much money you will earn or how much money you will lose in the future. But in certain cases the loss is worthwhile since the profit gained after a certain time period is far from the losses. For this purpose it is important to look into the idea that the party is selling and whether it has potential to grow or not and whether it will go down the drain. Generally speaking those who want to invest in such type of business should have an open mind and should know that investing in such type of business always involves the factor of risk and the elimination of this factor is hardly ever possible. To be sure of the idea that the students are selling, w e should see the product sample being shown to us and various other factors which are all linked to ache other. Another important factor to look upon when investing in such small scale business is time. Time is one of the most important factors of such type of businesses because such startups may require more than average time to get a return i.e., there should be no expectations of getting any money out of this business for three to five years. In such a case, the investor can put in his money in the form of loan which can be returned to the investor within a specific time period but there will be no profit earned in such case. The team involved in the business should also be evaluated since they are the people who are going to run the business and these people will be responsible on giving you your money back in the form of profit or in case of losses. If the team is
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Case Study On Federalism The Murray Darling Basin Politics Essay
Case Study On Federalism The Murray Darling Basin Politics Essay The long-term issues surrounding the Murray Darling Basin provide an excellent case study with which to review federalism in Australia. This paper will explore the history of the Murray Darling Basin management, the relationships it has fostered and examine why success has been achieved where other national issues have failed. Federalism in Australia To provide context for this case study it is useful to define and summarise federalism and how it has shaped modern Australia. Generally, federalism is the name given to a type of government that unites different political bodies or regions within a single national system whilst providing each its independence. In 1901 Australia created the Federal Parliament giving six states independence but also providing the Federal Government key national powers. Australian federalism can be broken down in a number of ways: The structure of the Senate. The chamber comprises of an equal number of senators from each State. Hence, Tasmania and New South Wales have the same number of Senators even though the populations vary enormously. The role of the senate is to approve legislation sought from the House of Representatives. The division of powers. The Australian Constitution of 1901 established the Commonwealth of Australia which vested legislative power in a Federal Parliament. The Constitution provides for a wide range of responsibilities for the Federal Government which are detailed in Section 51. Those powers not detailed in Section 51 are known as residual powers as they are the responsibility of the States. The term division of powers lies at the heart of federalism and describes the division of responsibilities and power between state and the Commonwealth. In reality there are huge crossovers between the two layers of Government. Competition between these two layers of Government is a formative element to the history of Australia and the federation. Individual State Constitutions. Every State has a defined local constitution and maintains its own Government managed by a Parliament. The Parliament may take any form afforded by the states constitution. Fiscal arrangements. From the very outset the Australian federation was characterised by fiscal imbalance which has worsened overtime (Griffiths and Saunders 2002). Vertical fiscal imbalance (VFI) describes when central governments collect more revenue than regional governments, with Australia having among the highest VFI of any federal nation in the world (Warren 2006 pxxi). The introduction of Special Purpose Payments (SPPs) in 1923 along with the Uniform Tax Case (1942) moved the Commonwealth to a strong centralist position, way beyond that described in the Constitution. VFI has generally brought about detrimental changes to the federation. Overtime VFI has led to a decrease in accountability and increased layers of administration. Further it has led to a dependency by smaller states for core funding creating irresponsibility and inefficiencies (Walsh 2005). The original framers of the Constitution would be pleased to see that federalism has allowed for: competition; regionalisation of policies; innovation; experimentation; choice and diversity (Twomey and Withers 2007). Federalism is at the heart of Australias resilience and vigour. However, in the years since the inception of the Australian Constitution in 1901, small but fundamental policy and legislative changes have altered the style of the federation. Overtime a federal system has developed that does not reflect current world realities or the changing dynamics of a modern society. It is often argued that the model has never adequately defined roles or responsibilities, that duplication and inefficiencies are inherent and that historic fiscal arrangements are damaging (Wilkins 2004). The Murray Darling Basin Management of the Murray Darling Basin (MDB) highlights how federalism can work over extended timescales and provides the first example of cooperative federalism in Australia. Discussions surrounding the MDB are far from new with the birth of federalism in Australia emerging in part due to disputes associated with the water catchment area. A 1902 Royal Commission notes: The Murray and its tributaries must be looked at as one. An administrative and technical response is needed for jurisdictional disputations, environmental challenges and economic opportunities within a maturing Federal system Corowa Water Conference and Interstate Royal Commission 1902 The large scale of the MDB is surprising in terms of geography, financial contribution to the economy and importance to water resource development. The MDB catchment area covers over one million square kilometres and accounts for 14% of the Australian landmass, an area larger than France and Spain combined: Source ABS 2008 The basin is of crucial importance not only to the region but to the entire nation as it accounts for around $4.8 billion or 39% of Australias total agricultural output. The importance of food production encompassed by the MDB is broken down at the highest level as follows: Agricultural Crop / Livestock Percentage of Total Australian Production Cereals 53% Oranges 95% Apples 54% Cattle 24% Sheep 45% Pigs 62% Source ABS 2008 Further the MDB is the major source of water for Adelaide and northern Spencer Gulf cities in addition to settlements along the rivers and in the watersheds that feed them (Hawke Research Unit 2008). Water irrigated from the MDB accounts for approximately 75% of all the water irrigated in Australia. As water has long played a crucial role in the formation of white Australia, there are many dates and eventsà through which inter-governmental management of the MDB evolved: Date Event 1855 NSW passed their Constitution Act 1855 which gave the state possession of River Murray waters from the Rivers headwater to the SA border. 1855 -1898 Political wrangles leading to conferences of the Colonies (1857 and 1863). Three separate Royal Commissions in VIC, NSW and SA. Corowa Conference on Trade beginnings of Federation and agreements on river management. Water management entwined with Federation. 1902 Corowa Community Conference sees local groups take over the debate. 1915 Establishment of the River Murray Waters Agreement. NSW and Vic agreed to limit their Constitutional powers to manage the waters of the River Murray as they saw fit, and to provide SA with a share of those resources.à The Commonwealth Government played a strong facilitation role in reaching this agreement. 1916 -1980 Collaboration between NSW, Vic, SA and the Commonwealth sees the construction of three major water storages and 16 weirs. The current value of these assets is around $2 billion. 1982 The first Murray-Darling Basin Agreement reached between four governments. 1986 Appointment of Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council 1988 Establishment of the Murray Darling Basin Commission 1993 Enactment of the Murray Darling Basin Act 1993 1995 Cap on water restrictions ratified by all members of Murray-Darling Basin Agreement 2003 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) noted a $500 million fund over five years to restore the health of the River Murray. 2006 Additional $500 million announced to support MDB regeneration. The Commonwealth flagged its intention to take a lead role in management of the MDB. 2007 Enactment of the Water Act 2007 and establishment of the Murray Darling Basin Authority. A further $10 billion investment promised by Commonwealth 2008 Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform signed by all Basin States and the Commonwealth Government Changes to the Water Act 2007 transferred power to the Murray Darling Basin Authority 2010 Release of the Guide to the Proposed Murray-Darling Basin Plan. Concerns from farmers and communities lead to a 12 month delay of the final release. Within the last 20 years the basin has been under enormous stress as a result of over-allocation, prolonged drought, natural climate variability and climate change. A lack of water has played havoc with rivers, wetlands, forests and floodplains with blame resting with State governments for allowing too much water to be taken out of the system. The Long Road to Cooperative Federalism The success of the MDB management is surprising given the resource joins four States, a territory government, a federal government and hundreds of water catchment boards and local governments. The majority of serious issues in managing the system have always reached resolution and as a showcase for water resource management the MDB is highly regarded internationally. So how has the MDB become a showcase for cooperative federalism and avoided stagnation with other national issues? One important reason for the success in the MDB lies in the types of relationships fostered through communities, local governments, states and the Commonwealth. The prevailing characteristics of Australian federalism are of rivalry and coercion leading to undesirable behaviour by governments (Walsh 2005). However management of the MDB has produced major reform across all levels of government resulting in a greater good approach by stakeholders. There are few examples since 1901 where a unified approach to a national issue, not enforceable by a Commonwealth government, has been so resolutely enacted with such cross-border respect. The strong identity invested by individuals, bureaucrats and politicians alike meant the evolution of a sense of bioregionalism and identification with the Murray-Darling Basin could develop over time (Powell 1993). Further, from 1916-1980 Vic, NSW, SA and the Commonwealth worked together in a fair and equitable way on the construction of major water infrastructure. à Facing considerable challenges and significant disputesà the 1982 River Murray Waters Agreement became the forerunner of the Murray Darling Basin Initiative and is sighted as the very first example of cooperative federalism (Freebairn 2005). The success of the River Murray Waters Agreement was due to the clarity of roles and responsibilities across three levels of government. As Australia still wrestles with its model of federalism and searches for a new and meaningful style of government (Twoomey and Withers 2007) the MDB is an excellent example of where cross border activities and regional priorities have been unified through a common approach. Facilitating the move towards cooperative federalism have been the fiscal arrangements surrounding the MDB. The Commonwealth, without having Constitutional control but plenty of cash, has incentivised reform via payments on performance. For example the introduction of the National Competition Policy in 1995 allowed a series of tranche payments to motivate States in achieving key water reform goals. In 2004, the National Water Initiative was introduced to overcome property rights issues, resulting in an agreed public-private cost-sharing arrangement if environmental flows were to be increased (Freebairn 2005). Investment by the Commonwealth has been substantial and, as Freebairn notes, is considered the glue holding together MDB reforms. Where national reforms to housing, education and health languish due to arguments on horizontal fiscal equalisation the MDB has neatly sidestepped such issues. It is reasonable to suggest that the fiscal arrangements have been the keystone in all refo rms to the MDB and that the cooperative nature of arrangements have been underpinned by the direct and indirect cash injections by the Commonwealth. The substantial public investment made from 1990-1996 also incurred criticism. Throughout this period there was limited empirical evidence of real improvements to the MDB system. The feel good perception of the general public may well have been misplaced in relation to tangible on the ground achievements (Ancev and Vervoort 2007). However data does not sell newspapers or create political careers. The high level political messages issued at the time brushed over realities and allowed for continued poor policy setting. It is interesting to note that during this period all parties remained committed to flawed policies which later exacerbated problems within the MDB. The success of MDB management is also attributed to the centralist strategy encapsulated in the Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. The Agreement of 1988 can be understood in light of the effective management of what is an enormously complex and pressing issue. The Commonwealth in this context acted as the broker between State interests, operating outside of particular jurisdictional claims and difficulties. It was a clever, pragmatic and subtle role, one which the original writers of the Constitution would have imagined the Commonwealth playing more frequently. Combined with the financial contributions previously described, the Commonwealth have been able to lead from behind and manoeuvre local and regional issues within a national context. A Trickle Becomes a River The role of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in assisting reform is not to be underestimated. Whilst COAG has been underutilised by some Governments, its ability to decide on matters of national importance has been crucial in advancing management of the MDB. For example the COAG endorsed reforms for water allocations and cross boarder trading provided clear direction and set deadlines for action that no single state could command. In addition the Water Management Partnerships agreed by COAG in 2008 provided national agreement at a crucial time in the basins history, with long-term drought reducing flows to their lowest levels on record. It was a critical time for leadership and decision making and one in which COAG was able to fully exercise its role and responsibility. The swearing in of the Labour Government of 2007 bought with it a wave of cooperative federalism supported by a political alignment of all States and Commonwealth for the first time since 1969. Almost immediately progress was made on revolutionising MDB management with a cash injection of $10bn and the creation of Murray Darling Basin Authority. The Authority replaced the previous Murray Darling Commission and provided the Commonwealth with a closer link to water reform for the region. In the history of the cooperative federalism in Australia this was another milestone. By creating an independent statutory authority the basin states were clear on the roles and responsibilities of water management for the region. The suggestions at the time that the Commonwealth should take total control over the Murray-Darling Basin were constitutionally impossible and environmentally short-sighted. Federalism cant make it rain. If the Commonwealth had been running the Murray-Darling before the drought the basin would still be in dire straits (Wanna 2009). However although the Murray Darling Basin Authority operates as a statutory authority it reports directly to the Commonwealth through the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The relationship is another step toward Commonwealth control without Constitutional reform. From Now to Where? We have seen that through cooperative federalism MDB management has enabled significant long-term investment on a national scale. The MDB case study emphasises how cross boarder agreements can succeed in supporting the needs of three levels of government and local communities. We have also seen how the financial arrangements for MDB reform have sidestepped major federation fiscal issues that engulf national issues within education and health. Finally the case study has highlighted the importance of COAG and how, when performing at its best COAG can provide leadership, facilitate long-term national change and supporting varying regional priorities. Whilst the Australian federation has moved forward and in part failed to develop (Twoomey and Withers 2007) the MDB has remained a central focus for basin states, local governments and communities alike. Ongoing wrangling over water allocations will continue and serious droughts may well occur again, however, clearly defined roles and responsibilities provide a solid foundation upon which the Murray Darling Basin Authority now operates. Through cooperative federalism, pragmatic leadership and simplified investment the future of the Murray Darling Basin is more assured than at any time in its history.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Executive Summary Essay -- Economics
Executive Summary ----------------- The 2000 were a period of enormous growth, Australian is a prosperous nation has benefited from 9 years of uninterrupted economic growth. However, the international tourist industry was suffer from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in the USA on 11 September 2001. Overall, the Australian international tourist industry continues to be strong because of the board mix of natural environment and cosmopolitan cities located here, including high-tech, stable international political situation and economic prosperity. In order to increase Australian international tourist industry, Sport and Tourism of Australiaââ¬â¢s Department of Industry, Science and Resources must develop a strategic plan to reach more potential visitors. With Australia unique natural resources, its appeal to more Asian travellers come to Australia. Over the past decade, most visitors came from the UK, Europe and North America. Now, Australia must begin some strategies to attract more travellers from Asia countries. This will give Australia the best opportunity to expand its tourism. Introduction Although Australia has been booming, the world economy has been in recession for some time. Indeed, Australian tourism is slowly declining has been far less than originally expected. Even though the Australian government strives to sustain growth in the economy without damaging the natural environment, but these improvement do not seem to be reaching the travellers its need to influence. Therefore, I am asked to summarise the marco environmental issues affecting Australian Tourism and propose additional strategies that the Sport and Tourism of Australiaââ¬â¢s Department of Industry, Sc... ...ung singles, offer a lower price during peak season by effectiveness of adverting campaigns and promotion in generating more Asian, including: à · Australia and Singapore have established a Joint Tourism Council that will aim to increase international arrivals to both Australia and Singapore from key markets through a co-operative partnership between the Australian Tourist Commission and the Singapore Tourism Board. à · Most key operators selling Australia have developed websites providing product information, special deals, travel clubs and newsletters and online enquiry response mechanisms. à · There are 10 major wholesalers/retail agents selling Australian group tour packages, with extensive branch office network of sales point location. These agents are linked with the three major carriers: Qantas, Cathy Pacific and Singapore Airlines.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Cinema Rant Essay
Cinemas should be a fun, easy day out, right? Wrong. à Im sure for some people, if their idea of fun is uncomfortable seats, over priced food, drinks and tickets and half an hour worth of adverts, then yes, cinemas are a very enjoyable day out. So I get to the cinema and go to buy tickets, I and many others were shocked to find how much ticket prices had increased. For a family of four to go to the Vue cinema it would cost à £29.40, almost à £30 for a film that you could buy on dvd for less than à £10 and watch in the comfort of your own home with as many people as you like. Added to the ridiculous price of tickets, theres also the outrages price of food and drinks. Yes, i know that these are delightful buckets of freshly popped corn with such beautiful aromas and tastes that make your nostrils and taste buds dance with delight andâ⬠¦ Oh wait its the same (if not worse) than the popcorn you get in any average supermarket, the only difference is that in the cinema, it can cost up to à £4 for a small bucket where as in supermarkets a packet of ââ¬ËButterkist popcornââ¬â¢ can cost as little as à £1! The cinemas do make most of there money from food and drink which is absurd considering we come to cinemas to watch films, not to eat stale, salty snacks or overpriced, melted chocolate. Another point is that once you get into the cinema, you are greeted with the sight of scratchy, small seats that seem to be teasing you, saying ââ¬Ëoh arenââ¬â¢t you happy you decided to get these seats instead of paying an extra fiver for the big, comfortable, leather vip seats; enjoy the movie, if you can concentrate that is whilst you have a constant itch on your backââ¬â¢. In addition to the miniature seats, there are also the very limited arm rests and whilst you were taking your time getting into your seat and getting settled, the two people either side of you have decided to take advantage of you not being there and taken up both arm rests- leaving you even more cramped then you were before. You would think by the amount of money they must get from food and drink, then can use some of it to make it a more comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone. So then after half an hour of awkward shuffling in your seat trying to get comfortable the film finally starts. Yes thats right HALF AN HOUR of adverts! So after the tedious adverts weââ¬â¢ve all seen a million times before we get down to watching a very mediocre film that we feel like weââ¬â¢ve seen before. Now donââ¬â¢t you think that whole experience would have been a lot more pleasant in your own home? So please cinema owners, take note of this rant and use some of that money your getting from your overpriced food, drinks and tickets and donââ¬â¢t waste it on your flash cars or big houses, spend it wisely on making our cinema experience a lot more pleasurable and then maybe we would come back again and then you can get your flash cars and big houses.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Effective Communication in the Business Meetings
Effective Communication in Business Meetings The great management guru Peter Drucker once said, ââ¬Å"Business communication is all about understanding what has not been said. â⬠Especially today business communication is one of important factors to be successful in the changeling business environment because during opened working environment one can meet lots of others for discussing but how to make an effective communication in business meetings? There are some of factors to impact deeply on result of an effective communication in the business meetings as clear goal or objective, careful planning, use materials, communication skills and conflict management. People may ignore to be involved in meetings, if they know their time will not be useful or non-productivity. Meetings should be completely carried out periodically or prepare urgently (if required) during work running of any organization. There are ways to spend the time more effectively. First factor considers here is goal or objective of business meeting. The goal or objective is built basing on actual situation of works what need to solve or make a decision, even just making a relationship. A business meeting without goal or objective considers as one walks around without home port, especially todayââ¬â¢s challenging business environment is more focused in result. Imaginably there is no specifically stated desired outcome of the meeting so that is no point in availability the meeting. The goal or objective impacts people on gathering includes, but not limited to: communicating information, problem solving, team building, and making decision. Scheduling or preparation, communication, conflict management and follow-up are some of key factors to make sure that meetings are productive and efficient and that is being more essential in the todayââ¬â¢s complicated working environment. The key for achieving the goal is an advance planning by everyone involved in the meeting. Detailed planning is a guideline to build an effective business meeting. Planning for meeting will support attendees to have a visualizing in advance how the meeting will be organized, where meeting attendees will sit, who will present in the meeting and how long the presentations will last. The meeting time and location should be confirmed one day before meeting to support attendees having a proper arrangement. Besides the meeting location should be able to accommodate all guests, convenient location, technological capabilities, and a comfortable condition. When the ocation has been determined, next important step is to start researching the information needed for the presentation, creating an agenda. The agenda should start with a quick objective or goal reminder, followed by the time frame allotted to each presentation. Research and investigation are perhaps the most important piece of planning an effective business meeting, which will help discover, summarize and organize the topic of the meeting. By making a convincing argument on the topic, the part icipants will be able to provide facts, instances, and definitions to support the subject. There are five main sources that can provide information for presentations. First of all is personal experience. Personal experience reflects the flow of thoughts and meanings persons bring to their immediate situations. The second resource is internet, especially in the 21st centuries which is considering as era of information technology. The goal is to improve the ability of people from all walks of life and interests to access, search, and use the information distributed in Internet resources. According to Usunier, & Roulin (2010, Apr), ââ¬Å"there is no geographic limitation to Internet access and suppliers in any country can create Web sites containing information and dialogue contentâ⬠(p. 189-227). Using a search engine is becoming more common in finding research. Instead of using search engines, online libraries are also available to support for finding research. Third resource is written and visual resources in different channels as magazines, journals, newspapers, books, broadcasts, and documentaries which can be consulted for information, arguments, and evidence for presentation in the meeting. The fourth resource is research methodology. Appropriate methodology is taking short time to find out the needed information. Pullin (2010, Oct) states ââ¬Å"the research methodology was qualitative in nature and, to ensure scientific rigor, a multi-method approach was taken in collecting and analyzing the dataâ⬠(p. 460). The fifth source is other people. In order to accurately use other people as a source is also a shortest way to help presenter receiving needed information for meeting, but presenter should clarify the provided information as doing an informational interview with the person. Research can make the presenter feel more confident in communicating the presentation, and as a result, the presentation will be more powerful. ââ¬Å"The vital elements of the communication process are the source, encoding, the message, the medium, decoding, the receiver, and feedback. An understanding of those components can help you design effective conversation communication programsâ⬠(Jacobson, 2009, p. 12). Those components will be handled easily by effective communication skills, which are essential in conducting a successful business meeting. Communication is an art which is not mastered by all so an effective communicator should be taken clearly when sending or receiving the messages. ââ¬Å"Effective communication is one where you are able to send and receive messages in a clear, coherent manner overcoming all the barriersâ⬠(Bardia, 2010, p. 29). People listen to what is being said and engage in dialogue. Communication skills include: influencing, negotiation, making an impact, dealing with conflict and dealing difficult people. Business research has identified communication apprehension as a problem for improving communication skills. Aly (2005) states ââ¬Å"communication apprehension as an individual level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or personsâ⬠(p. 98). When a speaker gives a speech in front of a large group of people, seemingly anxiety and fidgeting produce interfering, off-task thoughts and its result is apparent of word jumping or increased rhythm of heart that inhibit skill development. Public speaking is a common source of stress for everyone. Many of us would like to avoid this problem entirely, but this is hard to do. Once there is determination as how to overcome the fear? overcoming the fear can be done by making sure the topic is known, analyzing the audience competently, knowing the speech content well, recognizing value and uniqueness, and focusing on communicating with the audience instead of on the fear. Some other strategies that can ensure the meeting is effective are clarifying, confirming and summarizing. Making sure that the purpose of the meeting is clarified will reduce any chances of the audience misunderstanding the content. By asking the audience questions, or answering their questions, we can confirm that everyone understands. This is true when summarizing is used. By summarizing all the information at the end of the presentation, the presenter is, once again, making sure the information was understood. An effective communication in meetings is not only solely responsible for speaker but also share the burden those who attend the meeting. An active listening communication strategy will help ensure a successful meeting. Urquhart (2004) states ââ¬Å"these four steps to become a more active listener: Hearing, feedback and interpretation, evaluation and responseâ⬠(p. 3). ââ¬Å"Hearing involves paying attention to what the speaker is saying and being sure it is heardâ⬠(Urquhart, 2004). The message will be encoded and understood by showing out the feedback and interpretation. On the way, the feedback will support speaker find out and correct any misunderstanding. The listener may be able to ask the question until the listener is sure that message is encoded and understood accurately. Finally, listener will decide what to do with the information given by the speaker. During a meeting, there is a good chance that two or more members of the group will disagree. That is also to let us to see the matter as others aspects. The disagreement may result in conflict. An effective communicator should know how to deal with conflict. There are five steps to help organizations deal with conflict in a constructive way as follows: 1. Recognizing that the conflict exists. 2. Finding common ground by putting the conflict in the context of the larger goal of the team and the organization. 3. Understanding all the perspectives of the issue, this means that everyone is not required to agree with the opposing views. 4. Attacking the issue and not the members of the team. 5. Developing an action plan that describes how each member of the team will solve the problem or issue. By following above mentioned steps during a meeting, the conflicts will be able to deal with in a opened-mind, cooperative manner. To require an understanding the goal of a meeting or presentation the speaker should be able to understand of what the final outcome and what is trying to reach. By the way to make a successful meeting, presenter should have a worst result of what meeting will be as misunderstanding or responded disagreement. In order to establish that the goals of the meeting have been met, the audience is not only taking an active part but also the presenter must make the audience interested in the topic along with meeting significance of the topic. There are two important questions to support presenter clarifying the goal or objective. First, what do I want my audience to know or do as a result of my speech? Second, how will I know if I am successful? Being clear those questions is the audienceââ¬â¢s feedback. Feedback is recognized by immediate behavior change from the audience and asking question to audience also on the way to get feedback. The follow up actions to the presentation or meeting consist of any actions that are to be determined at a later time. Minute and any decisions made at the meeting must be noted and distributed to all parties involved. Delegations of assignments are to be noted and follow up must be carried out. Besides, additional meetings might be necessary if the final outcome is not clear or decisions are not probably made. In conclusion, an effective meeting is determined to conduct by several strategies. Meetings are productive and efficient when we incorporate all of above-mentioned ideal. Careful planning and clear goal or objectives are the key factor as well as choosing the suitable time and right location for the meeting. Being prepared presentation for the meeting is also very important, there is irresponsible if anyone going to a meeting and not being prepared, it may send the wrong message to the others in the meeting. The meeting is unsuccessful if any key factor is missing. Visualizing how the meeting will unfold if the meeting is held in the noise location. Besides, an active listening communication strategy as giving feedback and asking question will help ensure a successful meeting. Getting the audience involved in the meeting will create a more productive meeting. Also, by asking the audience to evaluate and respond to the information provided will allow them to participate in the discussion and make suggestions on ways to find a solution. On the way, focusing goals and working on solutions during the meeting can influence others being interested in the meeting and being more involved. We all know that the anxiety will appear by various points of view when speaking in front of a large group or even a small group and it will reduce when we make confidence by ourselves experiences, communication skills and also well prepared. Communication skills and experience are only cumulative by taking more serious. If you appear nervous or unsure; the audience may lose interest in the topic. The speaker should always be prepared, analyze the audience, and focus on the subject matter. Other strategies that can ensure for an effective meeting are clarifying the topic, confirming that the audience understands the information given, and summarize all the information at the end of the meeting. We have also learned that conflict is part of business meeting to help attendees have a several looking for one matter and by the way supporting to make decisions. Keep in mind, not everyone will agree with what you are saying, therefore; we should try to have an open mind and try to find common ground. Do not attack the other members of the team, because they may not agree with you, simply attack the issue at hand. Conflict isnââ¬â¢t actually good or bad, the way is how we deal with it. Developing an action plan as a team may allow the other members to feel that the problem can be worked out in a respectful, professional manner. Conducting effective business meetings will definitely help to improve productivity at the workplace. Almost meeting will be stressful, but by the way to make everyone involved interestingly that the meetings are well planned, organized, and allow the attendees to discuss possible solutions to solve the problems what they arise. Productive meetings are not only making a unity between groups but also teaching us essential communication skills, cumulate costly experience and how to manage conflict. Finally, during these meetings we practice problem solving, idea sharing and incorporate creativity that will eventually lead to a successful business environment.
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