Aviation Professionalism Essays

Aviation Professionalism Essays Aviation Professionalism Essay Aviation Professionalism Essay Aviation Professionalism The Qualifications, Attributes, Ethics, and Responsibilities of Aviation Professionals Yadvinder Singh ASCI – 202 Anthony Miller March 7, 2013 Once someone joins the Airlines industry as a professional, be it a pilot, a technician, or an air traffic controller, they are committing to a certain level of responsibility and expectation. In my experience I have come across professionals who I have felt suited their role to near perfection while others in the same position at times fall short of basic expectations. The issue of professionalism and responsibility in the airline industry has been in focus recently due to some recent events like the Northwest pilots flying past their destination airport, in-flight breakdowns and rants by pilots and flight attendants, and airline mergers. I feel that sometimes media speculation exaggerates the issues presented to society and highlights mistakes where the public gets the impression that these types of incidents and errors are taking place daily. The reality is that safety measures are an integral part of an airline worker’s training and major errors or incidents occur rather infrequently. At the same time, another reality is that a mistake made by an airline employee, whether pilot, technician, or air traffic controller runs the risk of being fatal and this is where the attributes and ethics of an individual come into play. Pilots are required to complete extensive training and log thousands of hours of flight time before they can land a job with the major carriers, so I feel the qualifications alone can be met by many but perhaps there needs to be some sort of training or measure of ethical behavior of an individual because that can help determine how they will treat the level of responsibility associated with their job. Most flights complete their course without incident and this can naturally cause someone to relax their mind or reflexes a little, but no flight should be treated with any negligence whatsoever. The incident with the Northwest flight (NY Times 2009) crew is an ideal example of this. The pilots had a combined flying experience of over 30,000 hours, yet they committed an error that resulted in a major embarrassment and which could have cost lives. The main cause cited for this blunder is that the pilots were distracted during flight because they were engaged in personal matters on their laptops, which is a violation of airline safety guidelines. Is the root reason for this incident just poor judgment and misbehavior of the pilots or perhaps not enough emphasis on responsibility in their training? The hundreds of hours of flight time required to be a pilot come with a hefty price, so anyone who is a pilot has surely proven their passion and persistence for flying. However, it’s a wonder that this same dedication doesn’t follow through for some once they’ve landed a job with a major carrier and I think it may be because the path is often so strenuous that getting a job itself is treated as the goal, when it actually is a stepping stone to really being a pilot. Air traffic controllers have also been in the news recently with incidents of suspicion that they are distracted and even sleeping on the job (USA Today, 2011). Here is a profession where mistakes are simply not allowed because the repercussions can very likely be fatal. I think there has to be a close monitoring of on the job behavior because the job itself runs the risk of complacency. It’s important to note that fatal incidents have been few and far between, but the risk is still great enough to warrant better oversight. A person who works as an air traffic controller needs to be one who is naturally very focused and detail oriented because the rules, the risks, the guidelines and need to be responsible and focused can be taught, but ultimately, this is behavior they have to showcase. Technicians are a group of people I’ve had several years of close working experience with as both a former technician and in my current role of Inspector. Unfortunately, the current crop of technicians are a group I find to be well intentioned, but without enough working experience as they’re often straight out of high school. This doesn’t mean they don’t possess the necessary attributes or approach to be successful and responsible technicians, because these are often the deciding factors but I think there needs to be more training and understanding of the great deal of responsibility they are taking on as technicians. Professionalism to me is a good mix of knowledge, a candid commitment to ones job, the disciplined passion, and the ability to make proper but sound judgments. To put it into simple terms Professionalism simply means doing the right thing, even when you have had a long day and also when you are not in some spotlight. Whether you are a pilot, a technician, or an air traffic controller or any employee in the aviation profession these attributes or qualities have to be considered in taking the professional approach in today’s aviation profession. Matthew L. Wald (2009, Oct 26). Off-Course Pilots Cite Computer Distraction. NY Times. Retrieved October 26, 2002 from nytimes. com/2009/10/27/us/27plane. html? _r=0 Alan Levin (2011, Apr 21). Recent air controller incidents no signs of crisis, experts say. Us Today. Retrieved April 21, 2011 from http://travel. usatoday. com/flights/story/2011/04/Recent-air-controller-incidents-no-sign-of-crisis-experts-say/46338056/1

Decision Making Process

Decision Making Process Decision making has a key role in determining the success of an organization, given that resources and other important parts of a company are influenced by decisions made. The speed with which decisions can be made is of essence as it directly determines the rate of duty execution thus; it is paramount for decisions to be timely. This has elicited debate as to which strategy of decision making between decentralized or centralized is better for organizations to adopt.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Decision Making Process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The management of AES for example, is inclined to the decentralized strategy of decision making. Though the organization stresses on four core values that must be followed by everybody, each department has the freedom of choosing which method to use in executing their duties bearing in mind the core values (O’Reilly Pferffer 2000). Human resource department i s not part of the organization’s strategy of decision making instead, employees are supposed to come up with ways of tackling issues in their line of duty. It is the responsibility of the employees to organize for training sessions whenever they are faced with difficult situations or issues that they are not conversant with. Through this, the employees of AES have learned to be responsible for their actions and they feel they are part of the people who will make the organization succeed and therefore, their level of productivity has increased. The strategy helps the organization in adapting fast to the dynamic business world and expedites the decision making process, as well as enhancing common set of values that are followed by each employee (O’Reilly Pfeffer 2000). Centralized decision making strategy does not provide for flexibility incase there are unforeseen changes in the business environment therefore, giving the opponents a competitive advantage in such instan ces. The easiness and speed of decision making that is associated with decentralized decision making strategy allows quick reaction to the dynamics of the business world, and that is what has helped AES to prosper. When people work as a team, the average output of the organization is improved since team members are ready to help each other hence eliminating inefficiency. Decentralized strategy of decision making highly advocates for employees to work as a team hence increasing productivity (Ariunaa 2010). Different individuals have knowledge in different issues therefore, incorporating them in the decision making process ensures that high value decisions are made. On the same note, decentralized decision making strategy allows employees of various departments to use the experience they might have regarding their department or apply the knowledge they have to run and upgrade these sections. This ensures that the latest knowledge is used to run any given department thus, uphosslding e fficiency in production.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In conjunction with that, employees are able to change the way they carry out some duties without necessarily waiting for approval from the top management, which sometimes takes long thus, increasing their efficiency. It should be noted that it is easier for a person to discover his or her area of weakness and change it rather than waiting for the authorities to correct the same (Griffin 2010). Additionally, decentralized strategy makes use of division and specialization of labor which ensures that each employee performs to his or her best thus, taking advantage of wide expertise of the employees. Furthermore, sluggishness of business operations is avoided in decentralized strategy as opposed to centralized strategy where decision making process may take a long duration because the top management has to meet and make decisions. As far as decentralized strategy is concerned, a problem once discovered can easily be managed and normal operations resume without delay because the people who are supposed to make decisions are easily accessed (Griffin 2010). If a mistake occurs in decision making process, the whole system is not broken down if the organization uses decentralized strategy since only one department gets affected, while in centralized strategy the whole process can easily be brought to a halt by a single mistake. On the other hand, decentralized strategy has its setbacks that can sometimes hinder operations if not taken care of. To begin with, given the diverse views that people may have, it sometimes becomes difficult to make these people agree on one idea regarding certain issues and this may annoy those whose ideas do not carry the day therefore reducing their morale at work (Ariunaa 2010). On the same note, it is very easy for the organization to lose focus on the core values if employees are given too much freedom to do what they think is right, because the tendency of getting out of line is high. Therefore, it is advantageous if an organization decentralizes some of the decision making process but centralizes the implementation of the core values and the promotion of organizational culture and mission.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Decision Making Process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Each department needs some level of freedom to solve its own problems as the people there have the first hand information of what affects them. On top of that, employees feel valued if they are involved in the decision making process and they will increase their efficiency which in turn increases the general output of the company (Griffin 2010). References Ariunaa, L. (2010). Fiscal Federalism and Decentralization in Mongolia. Potsdam: Universittsverlag Potsdam. Griffin, W. R. (2010). Management. St anford: Cengage Learning. O’Reilly, A. C., Pfeffer, J. (2000). Hidden Value. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Starbucks coffe industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Starbucks coffe industry - Case Study Example The organization selected for the study is Starbucks which is a major coffee retail chain based in USA and has operations across numerous areas of the globe. The study would include a theoretical analysis highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each of the strategies mentioned above. In addition the study would also take into account the similarities and dissimilarities between the chosen set of business strategies. Furthermore the study would analyze the external environmental aspects that govern the coffee industry. This would be followed with an analysis for the trends of the coffee industry that would include an industry analysis of the entire industry. Finally a set of strategies would be proposed for Starbucks from among the chosen set of four generic strategies that would help the firm gain and consolidate its market share in the market and to help generate sustainable competitive advantage in the long run. Introduction In the age of increased market competition it ha s become inevitable for business organizations to purse strategies that differentiate their product offering from the others in the market. Porter proposed a set of three strategies namely focus strategy, differentiation and cost leadership that can be followed by firms to gain market advantage. Firms like Wal-Mart incorporate a single strategy like cost while there are others that use a combination of these strategies to create a hybrid strategy to generate advantage for them in the market. The choice of strategy largely depends upon the nature of the business and the target market segment considering the fact that each set of strategy has its own set of advantages as well as disadvantages (Griffin, 2008, p.207). Firms should therefore analyze their internal as well as external aspects before undertaking and implementing a business strategy. This would help them take the best advantage of the market conditions and would also help them channelize their internal resources and capacit ies to create favorable positioning and brand image of their brands and organization in the minds of the target market audience. Theoretical Background Depending upon the internal and external aspects influencing an organization it is necessary to adopt any of the four strategies namely differentiation, low-cost leadership, best cost and focus strategy. The matrix below lists out the similarities and dissimilarities of these strategies. Strategy Type Advantages Disadvantages Focus Focus Strategies help generate efficiency and promote greater learning and innovation. It helps firms to concentrate to a single segment and analyze their needs more effectively (Moore, 2008, p.84-85). Concentration on a single segment can be disastrous if the key differentiators are imitated by another market player. Narrowing down of difference within the target segments can lead to business risk (Longenecker et.al, 2005, p.66) Differentiation Helps beat the market competition. Generate new products acro ss different segments and reduces the business risks and uncertainties (Parnell, 2003, p.91) Loss of cost based advantage Imitation of key features by competitors (Wit & Meyer, 2010, p.343) Low Cost Leadership Ability to take greater advantage of demand and supply factors. Reduction of market risk (John & Harrison, n.d., p.82). Too much focus on cost can lead to deviation from the market and customers. Product aspects like quality and safety may be compromised