Category: Decision

Elie Wiesel is a Jewish-American author, professor, and activist best known for his book ‘Night’. ‘Night’ is a book that describes what was going on with Elie in the Holocaust. Elie made many decisions that negatively and positively affected his life. The decisions that impacted Elie’s life were that he had to lie about his age, decide if he wanted to stay in Auschwitz, and whether or not to protect his father.

One decision that Elie made that made a big impact in his life was when the prisoner told him that he’s 18, not 15 and that his father is 40, not 50. This was a big part because if Elie did not say that he was 18 and instead told him that he was 15, he would have been sent to the crematorium and the story wouldn’t be written. Thankfully, Elie said that he was 18 and the story was able to continue without him dying making it a positive impact on his life. This did change his identity, however, now that his 18 not 15 he must now work in a very hard environment carrying heavy things like bricks and stones. Elie luckily was able to carry the heavy stones and bricks since he was kind of strong and had help from his father.

Another decision that Elie made that impacted his life was the choice to go with the SS officers to another camp. This affected Elie negatively because going with the Nazis will just mean more torture for the Jews. Had Elie and his father stayed then they would have been liberated by the Soviet Union and the story would’ve ended there on a good note. He didn’t want to stay because he feared that the patients were going to get killed by something and he also wanted to be with his father so he can feel safe. Also, if he had stayed then his father may have not of died in the cold. This was not Elie’s fault because he was scared that he would leave his father behind and that he might have died. Elie knew that they were liberated he stated “They were, quite simply, liberated by the Russians, two days after the evacuation”.

The final decision that Elie made that affected his life was that Elie was forced to make the decision that he cannot always protect his father from the violence they face on a day-to-day basis in the Nazi death camps. The first example of this takes place as Elie and his father are being transferred from Birkenau to Auschwitz. Elie’s father is stricken with colic and when he asks one of the guards where the restrooms are located, he is beaten. Elie, paralyzed with fear and fatigue, cannot bring himself to respond to his father’s attacker. Another example is when Elie’s dad was again struck by another SS officer but this was different because at the time of that beating, he was very ill and he had a horrible fever. Elie couldn’t do anything at the moment because it had tried to help both times his dad was beaten, then he would’ve been beaten himself. Unfortunately, when Elie’s dad was beaten the second time, he would end up dying later on in the chapter which made a big impact on Elie. Like I mentioned earlier he couldn’t help his father out since he would’ve been beaten, but it was a good thing that he didn’t help his father when he was struck because if he did then he would be the one dying.

Elie lived a tough life in his earlier years, literally, he had to face a lot of things like witnessing a lot of his fellow Jews dying in front of him, seeing his own father get struck by a SS officer, and seeing his own father die right in front of him but he went through it all without dying. With all of that said his decision would affect him for the rest of his life until his death in 2016. From deciding to lie about his age, to deciding if he wanted to stay in Buna or not, and to finally being forced to stay or abandon his father.

As the new chief of police, I would deal with one problem at a time. Since the problem of sexual harassment is so prevalent, I would make sexual harassment courses mandatory for the entire force. Many companies have a grievance policy for sexual harassment cases. The grievance procedure. Personnel professionals had established grievance procedures in union negotiations after the passage of the Wagner Act of 1935 (Dobbin and Kelly,2007). Anyone accused of harassment would be out under investigation and temporary suspension. Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson (40 FEP 1822, 477 U.S. 57 [1986]), the Supreme Court defined “hostile environment” harassment as illegal in, Catharine MacKinnon case of 1979 (Dobbin and Kelly,2007). I would try to partner female cops with other female officers if possible. Male officers would only be partnered with men. I would also make the officers wear body cameras while on duty. The officers under investigation would not be allowed to come back until the internal investigation was complete. Any officer unwilling to complete the course would be fired automatically. In Miller v. the Department of corrections, California Supreme Court ruled that consensual workplace relationship favoritism can cause sexual harassment of the unfavored employees (Fletcher,2006). I would enforce a zero- tolerance policy on sexual harassment. Any violation of this policy would be subject to termination and criminal charges.

The first thing I would do is change management. This is defined as the development of an overall strategy, which examines the present state of the organization and devises the means of moving from one to another (Miller et al.,2018). I would also try to hire new officers and put them through a tough ring of test to prove their loyalty. Each of the new officers would have to pass a lie detector test. I would implement a participatory style leadership. This is when everyone has a voice in decisions, but the management still makes the decisions (Miller et al.,2018). This method would be effective because the force would feel included. Then someone who is being sexually harassed wouldn’t be afraid to speak up. Many women are afraid to come forward in a male dominated profession. I would also try to hire a more diverse combination of officers. Since the issuance of Executive Order 13583 (2011)—Establishing a Coordinated Government-Wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce—many federal agencies have created diversity and inclusion councils to identify and remove barriers to equal employment opportunity while engendering a culture of inclusion (Yu & Lee,2020). The type of sexual harassment that is happening in this department is considered a hostile environment (Bardes, Shelley, & Schmidt,2020). Human resources would be required to hire an equal ratio of ethnicities.

The issue of abusing sick and annual leave to call off would come to a halt. When an officer calls in sick a doctor’s excuse would be mandatory if they are already scheduled. Any officer that did not have a doctor’s excuse would be suspended without pay. The second occurrence would be grounds for dismissal. Their vacation time would have to be requested in advance and approved by management. There is paid leave in most departments for women if they are expecting so that would be implied. This is the only exception of time off that wouldn’t have to be requested. This police force needs to be decentralized from the top. My next step as sheriff would be to decentralize the entire department. This is a method is defined as when a patrol officer is given new responsibilities and empowered to make decisions with their community partners (Miller et.al,2018). The ability of the officers to feel connected to the community could help the people trust cops in more situations.

The officers exercising their freedom of speech with no regard for the department’s reputation would be demoted on the first time. I would implement a code of conduct that each officer would have to sign to adhere to. Every officer should be professional and courteous while on the job. The approach of how an officer treats a situation can be the difference between life and death. A suspect could also bring charges against the department because of an officer’s conduct.

My next step as sheriff would be to decentralize the entire department. This is a method is defined as when a patrol officer is given new responsibilities and empowered to make decisions with their community partners (Miller et.al,2018). Another solution for this is community policing. This is a collaborative effort featuring trusted citizens and police working together to come up with a plan to fight crime and improve the community (Miller et al.,2018). The ideas of this partnership may be more goal oriented towards the community. Some officers may be opposed to the idea. Community policing helps build a comradery between the officers and the people. I would also offer higher pay for officers with a criminal justice degree to attract better employees.

The department has a not been following federal mandates with employees. The failure to adhere to some of these standards could mean the loss of federal funding. The FMLA act is a perfect example. Some women may quit if the department isn’t allowing time off for maternity leave. This could also cause lawsuits for discrimination because pregnancy is a vital reason to have paid time off to heal. Human resources would have to make sure the FMLA act was in the officers’ contract. The department disregarding federal regulations like the ADA and the FMLA could lose funding from the state. The department funding helps pay for uniforms and equipment. This may also include medical insurance for officers. Every officer that is hired would be given a copy of their rights as an employee. This would include the guidelines of the ADA, FLMA, and EOE. These are all organizations that provide funding through the government. Federal funding is what also provides pay for overtime for officers. The violation of federal policy could cause them to have funding cut. The police department can also be sued for not following the federal employment guidelines. There are federal grants that provide community coalitions to support the fight of substance abuse in youth (Miller et., al 2018). The loss of federal funding could leave the department without essential supplies for protection in a dangerous situation.

Reference

1. Bardes, B. A., Shelley, M. C., & Schmidt, S. W. (2020). American government and politics today: the essentials. Boston: Cengage.
2. Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. L. (2007). How to Stop Harassment: Professional Construction of Legal Compliance in Organizations. American Journal of Sociology, 112(4), 1203–1243
3. Fletcher, C. J. (2006). Are You Simply Sleeping Your Way to the Top or Creating an Actionable Hostile Work Environment?: A Critique of Miller V. Department of Corrections in the Title Vii Context. St. John’s Law Review, 80(4), 1361–1399.
4. Miller, L. S., Hess Kären M., & Orthmann, C. M. H. (2018). Community policing: partnerships for problem solving. Australia; Brazil; Mexico; Singapore; United Kingdom; United States: Cengage Learning.
5. Yu, H. H., & Lee, D. (2019). Gender and Public Organization: A Quasi-Experimental Examination of Inclusion on Experiencing and Reporting Wrongful Behavior in the Workplace. Public Personnel Management, 009102601983619.

In a Pilots career, they will encounter many different circumstances that require quick thinking and proper judgement, this is regarded as Decision Making. Circumstances such as poor weather require pilots to react and make a decision based on the environment around them. Pilots are required to provide adequate judgement calls for the safety of themselves and crew onboard. There is no secret that experience plays a significant role in decision making, decision making can be broken down into different categories that cater for an array of different judgement types. Weather plays a major role in many accidents around the world, it also dictates whether you leave or arrive at your chosen destination. Pilots are capable of improving their decision-making skills, but the correct steps need to be taken in order to do so.

Decision making is one of the most fundamental aspects to flying an aircraft. The ability to make judgment calls in certain situations is an essential part in a pilot’s career. Decision making is the process of making logical selections based on information received in any particular environment. Decision Making can be broken up into multiple different steps that will allow you to make a judgement call, this involves choosing between possible solutions to a problem (Skillsyouneed, 2019). These decisions can be made with an intuitive approach or a reasoned process. Making decisions will involve taking specific information and attempting to make sense of the information to put it towards a solution to a problem or situation, the procedure will usually go through a process of receiving information, to actually making the decision, and eventually taking action to improve the situation. Different types of decision making will warrant different results. Natural Decision making (NDM) emerged in the 1980’s and was implemented to discover how people make decisions in a real-world setting (G. Klein, 2008). Research found that people were using prior experience to inevitably categorize situations. This implied that people were relying on categories of prior experience to assess similar problems. Natural Decision Making shifted human decision-making from a domain independent general approach to a knowledge-based approach, which was emphasised by people using prior experience to evaluate similar situations encountered (G. Klein, 2008). The Natural Decision-Making method studied professionals from different areas of work, including Navy Commanders, jurors, nurses and most importantly pilots. Aeronautical Decision Making is one of the most relevant decision-making methods when it comes to analysing General Aviation pilot’s judgement. Aeronautical Decision Making is a systematic approach to risk, this method also analyses how a person’s attitudes can influence decision-making and how these specific attitudes can affect the environment on the flight deck (FAA, 2017). There are many important factors that influence decision-making, one significant factor is experience. In addition to experiences, there are more than one cognitive bias that influence any decisions made. Cognitive Biases are thinking patterns based on observations that may lead to memory errors or inaccurate judgement (C. Dietrich, 2010). In decision making, cognitive bias has a major effect because it influences people to rely on previous knowledge, while at the same time dismissing information from observations that are regarded as unimportant (C. Dietrich, 2010). This is relating to pilots as; the weather is sometimes uncertain and severe weather events can happen at any time. Although experienced pilots are very skilful, and their situational awareness is second to none, accidents can still happen. If a pilot is to use prior knowledge rather than situational awareness and observations while involved in an unexpected weather event, then the results can be severe.

Weather is a major part of Aviation; in some instances, it dictates weather you leave for your intended destinations or not. Weather systems will affect different aircraft and pilots in different ways, where commercial pilots in large airliners would not worry about rain or light thunderstorms. Every license and aircraft have different weather limitations that they are permitted to fly in, for example Recreational pilots are not permitted to fly in severe weather systems. Thunderstorms, and the rapid fluctuation of air pressure that is usually associated with them, creates a feeling of uncertainty amongst the air crew and passengers (airservices, 2017). Severe thunderstorms are not the only weather system that effects the operations of aircraft. Systems such as Fog and Low cloud, may present more of a threat to aircraft that are trying to arrive or depart a particular airport. Low cloud and fog impede the vision of pilots when they are attempting to land or when they are attempting to correct their situational awareness. Pilots who hold a Recreational Pilots license are permitted to operate under VFR operations during the day. This is because the licensing received does not cater for flying under IMC conditions, this means that VFR pilots that are operating under 10,000ft are to ensure they keep a minimum 5000m of visibility. Instrument metrological conditions (IMC) is a category of flight that best describes weather conditions that require pilots to depend on their onboard instruments, they are required to exercise instrument flight rules (IFR) rather than VFR flight. Getting caught moving from VFR to IMC can be dangerous when there are severe weather systems in the area, an example of this would be the crash of aircraft ZS-OSD on October 5th, 2008(Australianflying, 2010). The 21-year-old pilot was equipped with a CPL and Instrument Rating, was also accompanied by eight passengers and was operating at approximately 1000ft. The young pilot encountered thick mist that covered about one third of the mountain (Australianflying, 2010), unfortunately the aircraft ploughed through a pine tree plantation and killed all passengers on board the aircraft. The accident was a result of the pilot flying a VFR certified aircraft, who then encountered IMC conditions when attempting to operate a routine VFR flight. The thick mist encouraged the pilot to make a decision that unfortunately resulted in a controlled flight into terrain (Australianflying, 2010). The accident accurately portrays the dangers that arise when VFR pilots are affected by IMC conditions and how weather impacts a pilots decision-making. Sudden changes in weather, as well as deteriorating weather present risks that directly affect the pilot. Although prior planning for the flight is mandatory, weather is always changing, and a pilot can be presented with multiple scenarios that require the pilot in command to make an adequate decision that warrants the best result. If this pilot had the correct training that included a decision-making curriculum, this accident may have been avoided.

Weather has a significant impact on a pilot’s decision making, as weather is always changing it demands that the pilots are capable to make a decision in a short period of time. Pilot decision making in deteriorating weather has a significant impact on the percentage of fatalities over the last 2 decades (P. Madhavan, 2006). Adding the element of weather increases the likelihood that the pilot will find making decision more difficult. Authors attempt to evaluate existing experimental data on cognitive and affective processes that govern pilot decision making (P. Madhavan, 2006). The experimental data is used in relation to decision making in changing weather events, such as moving from VMC conditions into IMC conditions. Adequate prior planning that caters for a wide range of weather systems should always be implemented before the aircraft leaves the ground to ensure that all controllable variables are taken care of. Although weather will always be changing and can affect people in different ways, methods need to be implemented to ensure pilots are well equipped and well educated in regard to decision making. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) took steps in a direction that will result in training directly assigned to improving Aeronautical Decision Making to be implemented into the pilots training course. Testing of the training programme started in 1987 with 6 decision making orientated manuals being published that cater to an array of licensed pilots. The manuals implemented by the FAA contained material that is designed to reduce the number of decision-making related accidents. Pilots who received ADM-training made fewer errors during flight than those who didn’t receive the training, the statistics implied that the trainees were making 10 to 50 percent fewer judgement errors (FAA, 2017). The implementation of this training course is imperative because it presents pilots with methods to increase their personal capabilities. Experience will always be a significant part of decision making which is why obtaining as many hours flight time is crucial to ensure that pilots have the best chance to make decisions effectively. Using methods implemented by the FAA and using experiences pilots will have the opportunity to improve their decision-making skills.

Adequate training is required to ensure that pilots can effectively make decisions when they are placed in a challenging weather scenario that requires the pilots to make quick judgement calls. Decision making is a fundamental part of the aviation industry, it is a skill that is quite valuable in the cockpit. The Aviation industry operates with the factor of weather always imposing on operations, in some cases weather dictates the outcome of flights. There are specific methods such as ADM-training that will support pilots to improve their own decision-making skills, these methods directly aim at decision making in poor or deteriorating weather which is a statistical leader in aviation related accidents. Even with the implementation of a decision-making curriculum, improvements are still needed to ensure that pilots are able to continue developing their decision-making capabilities.

INTRODUCTION

WHY IS EFFECTIVE DECISION MAKING IMPORTANT IN ORG

Businesses make a large number decisions on a daily basis. It can be a very simple decision such buying office stationery or a rather complex one such as a business acquisition .Each organizational decision has a different degree of complexity, comprise of different styles and approaches, possesses different informational requirements and are set at a different time frame. The necessity of making decisions often seems to be the only constant in managerial action; other factors such as the process, the environment, the individuals, the organization change continuously(Herwood, Hillar and Turnbull, 2019). No matter what form of decisions managers make it is always followed by an impact, which can steer the organization towards the better or worse. For years managers considered decision making as art and a skill that is developed over time with experience (Turban, Sharda and Delen, 2011). In the past,decisions were merely made on the gut-feel and intuition of managers. Although this method was well validated in the past the business environment is growing more complex every day and therefore making decisions today is definitely a complex task (Turban, Sharda and Delen, 2011). In the present business climate, there is a great importance on effective decision making in organizations due to the increase in competitive forces and the presence of various risks and threats in the business environment which makes it very important that organizational decisions are driven by proper facts and realities. Organizational decisions must be effective. It must drive the business to achieve its said goals, objectives and must influence growth. Companies must grow. It is an imperative that drives companies to create new products and services, enter new regions and move into new businesses (Herwood, Hillar and Turnbull, 2019).construct a tag line to introduce ERP systems.

WHAT ARE ERP SYSTEMS AND WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT

An ERP System is a packaged business software system that allows An organization to automate and integrate a majority of its business processes ,share common data and practices throughout the organization which helps produce and access information in the real time environment(Summer M,2005) . ERP systems help organizations deal with the supply chain, receiving, inventory management, customer order management, production planning, shipping, accounting, human resource management and other business functions (Summer M,2005). From an overall business standpoint an ERP helps business achieve a number of important objectives but one of the key areas of importance is that it supports the business in making effective business decisions. The implementation of ERP systems allows the business to make faster decisions with improved communication and collaboration which increases the overall productivity of the organization and its employees (Turban, Sharda and Delen, 2011).

HOW ERP AFFECTS DECISION MAKING

REAL TIME DATA

In the present corporate world, the only thing worse than a lack of information is the abundance of inaccurate or useless information (Nunn, 2019). To make accurate and informed decisions managers need access to real time data which is data that is up to date and viewable at the moment it’s available. A business should possess the capability to run reports at any point of time and on any device so that decisions are made at a fast pace without any lags or delays. If decisions are made by outdated information it could easily steer the organization in the wrong direction because the business environment is always changing and evolving in a day to day basis. Such decisions can cause serious consequences for an organization. Bouwman et al describes that the reason why Nokia failed to remain competitive in the telecommunication industry is mainly due to the fact that there decisions were merely outdated and didn’t fit in well with how the environment operated.

An ERP is an integrated system that operates in real-time and provides the organization with a consolidated data set from which accurate information can be made available to users .When the right users access this information at the time in which it is required, the organization will be in a better position to make decisions and take actions in a timely manner. It also provides helpful insights to managers therefore decisions made by them are more precise which will result in few errors or mistakes in judgement.

ONE SINGLE SOURCE OF TRUTH

Without an ERP system in place an organization will not possess the tactical information for effective monitoring and control of organization resources (Summer M,2005), but with its introduction it makes information widely available and allows cross functional access to the same set of data and information for planning and control .This integration will help organizations to monitor and control its integral resources. ERP takes standalone applications a step further by providing a common data warehouse which is a database which stores information related to the various business activities of the organization(Valacich and Schneider, 2010). This enables to create a one point access to all the information users of the firm (Valacich and Schneider, 2010), furthermore this centralization enables decisions to be made effectively since all sources of information is available in one single location.It also enable the organization’s performance and outcomes to be monitored (Chofreh and Goni, 2018).

Most major decisions made in organizations are not made by one individual alone. Such decisions are made by a group of people which can be of various sizes and consist of people from different departments, geographical locations or even different organizations(Turban, Sharda and Delen, 2011). Obviously there are often conflicting objectives in a group decision making setting, therefore coming into a mutually enhancing consensus can be a tough task. This problem can be effectively reduced if all the users refer to one centralized data and information set. This enables effective communications since reasoning, clarification and justifications can be made with ease and the group will be able to able to reach a decision with a clear and common perception.

INTERGRATE CUTOSMER AND SUPPLIERS

Another key advantage of ERP systems is that its implementation causes a dramatic improvement in the firm’s ability to respond to its customers and suppliers (Piccoli, 2012).

Knowledge store and infusion

Enterprise systems enable the infusion of knowledge into the adopting firm (Piccoli, 2012). ERP systems enables to organization to embed the “best practices “ of the industry to the firm so that it can be used as a mechanism for updating and enhancing business operation and processes (Piccoli, 2012).

While organizations are constantly generating and learning new knowledge, they can also forget or lose track of knowledge that has already been acquired It is thus important for organizations to properly maintain organizational memory so that newly acquired knowledge can be harvested, processed, and stored safely for future or additional use. Organizational memory includes various forms of knowledge residing as written documents, structured databases, and codified human knowledge in forms of expert systems, documents, or organizational procedures and processes (Li, Wu and Li, 2017).

Reduce employee workload

ERP can improve employee satisfaction through removing redundancy and tediousness from day-to-day activities. It allows more time for value-added duties, which in turn should lead to a more fulfilling job for employees. Employees can become more involved in decision making and, with the right training and guidance, can become empowered to make those decisions without the close, watchful eye of their supervisor. If employees are challenged and not bored on the job, they will be more likely to stay with that job, become more experienced, and therefore become more of an asset to the company(Barker and Frolick, 2006)

Smart businesses know that by automating the right decisions, staff can be freed up to use their initiative, experience and instinct to innovate and drive the business forwards. It makes little sense to have senior people making decisions that could easily be made within business systems. Setting up the right processes for automating decisions should be an easy process and with a flexible platform these processes can be adjusted and fine-tuned as the business changes and grows

WHAT ARE DRWABACKS

To say that ERP does not have disadvantages would be a false statement, at a minimum. However, most of the pitfalls relate directly to the implementation and the organization itself, and can usually be avoided. Without the proper planning and organization, an ERP project is sure to fail.(barker and frolick,2006). Over the years there has been countless examples on how organizations have failed to implement ERP systems. Some examples includes the case of Ferrazolli Imports of New England’s Erp implementation in 2009 with its vendor, Epicor Software Corporation. The ERP failure was due to the fact that Epcior’s system never worked as intended or promised. The cost of the project was $224,656 (Piccoli, 2012). Another example of an ERP failure can be drawn from the case of Dorset County (UK) ‘s implementation with SAP. Due to improper ERP implementation a job that previously took a mere minute to complete and process took almost an hour after the introduction of ERP. The organization claimed that the system has to be shut down a few days each month to allow the data to be processed (Piccoli, 2012).

ERP implementation is “a significant organizational change” that involves substantial budgetary commitment (Li, Wu and Li, 2017). Consultancy charges, Set up fee, Maintainence charges and costs of customization and add on are few examples of costs that an organization must bear up during the implementation of an ERP (Koch, 2006).If the implementation is not managed with careful planning and consideration, due to its grand scale and high level of complexity (Li, Wu and Li, 2017) the relevant costs can increase significantly than what is was budgeted for, this makes thw hole process a waste of time and effort.

Another major hurdle posed to companies that implement enterprise systems involves changing business process to accommodate the manner in which the ERP software works(Valacich and Schneider, 2010).Any organization has spent many years developing business processes that provide them with their competitive advantage in the market.Adopting their industry’s best practices through the introduction of ERP may force companies to abandon their unique ways of conducting business and put them into a similar level with the other players in the industry(Valacich and Schneider, 2010).

HOW TO OVERCOME DRAWBACKS

If an organization is to reap the benefits of ERP, it must first develop a plan for success. But “prepare to see your organization reengineered, your staff disrupted, and your productivity drop before the payoff is realized.”1 Implementing ERP must be viewed and undertaken as a new business endeavor and a team mission, not just a software installation. Companies must involve all employees, and unconditionally and completely sell them on the concept of ERP for it to be a success.2 A successful implementation means involving, supervising, recognizing, and retaining those who have worked or will work closely with the system. Without a team attitude and total backing by everyone involved, an ERP implementation will end in less than an ideal situation(Barker and Frolick, 2006). To get the most from the software, you have to get people inside your company to adopt the work methods outlined in the software. If the people in the different departments that will use ERP don’t agree that the work methods embedded in the software are better than the ones they currently use, they will resist using the software(Lelic D,2013)

The primary reason that enterorise system fail is believed to be to direct result of the lack of top level management (Valacich and Schneider, 2010).AL though the executives do not necessarily make decisions regarding the enterprise system, it is very important that they are made aware of the costs, benefits, outcomes and changes that can be imposed on the organization due tot the implementation of ERP (Valacich and Schneider, 2010).If the top level management doesn’t understand the importance and the true value of the ERP system it is highly likely in the result of delays, stoppages and inefficient contribution of resources(Valacich and Schneider, 2010).

Enterprise systems are complex and even the most talented information system departments can struggle to come into grips with its applications(Valacich and Schneider, 2010). Implementation of ERp systems can be made easier if help is obtained from experts such as ……………..,. Most vendors have trained project managers and consultants to help organizations to install Enterprise systems.

Training is often overlooked, underlooked and poorly budgeted when it comes to ERP implementation.ERP systems are much more complex tha stand alone and require proper training to be in place for the users to fully grasp the understanding and functionality of the ERP system. By training users before the system goes live and giving hem sufficient opportunity to the learn the new system, a company can allay fears and mitigate potential productivity issues and drops (Valacich and Schneider, 2010)

Ethics provides a set of idealistic expectations that helps people with making judgments while providing reasonable causes for their choices. Ethical decisions often conflict with creating resolutions regarding religion. Many religions promote ethical decision making; however, some religions often do not acknowledge the full extent of ethical choices of an individual. Most religions oppose against or forbid certain behaviors that may not be regarded ethically appropriate in their beliefs, such as sexual orientations or behaviors. Many people rely on their religious or spiritual beliefs as foundations for making ethical or moral decisions. Personally, as a business manager, it can be challenging to separate religious beliefs and workplace decision making. It is important to define an ethical framework when starting a business and its usefulness for the individual’s own personal decisions and the employees of the company.

Creating a culture for a great workplace builds strong foundations and brings individuals together to pursue common goals. A strong ethical framework brings individuals together with a purpose, values, and principles by establishing priorities and expectations. Creating an ethical framework starts with research and recognition. Personally, conducting interviews, surveys, or focus groups allows for my employees to share while the company gains an awareness of what the associates find fundamentally important. It was essential for us to ask the following questions during deliberation; What do we base our ethical standards on? How do those standards apply to situations that may arise? What kind of outcomes are we trying to produce?

My research concluded that a reasonable amount of people relies on religious beliefs to make moral or ethical decisions resulting in different beliefs of fundamentals for their employer’s business. As a business leader, it is important to recognize and reasonably accommodate or make modifications in workplace practices, policies, or procedures involving employees’ religious beliefs or practices. According to Tisha L. N. Emerson and Joseph A Mckinney, “Some empirical research has failed to find a strongly positive relationship between religious belief and ethical attitudes.” (Emerson, 2010). Business professionals who recognize religious beliefs important are less accepting of unethical behaviors or practices.

After completing this research, the company had to additional accommodations to protect associate’s religious beliefs by creating a way for associates to swap shifts for religious observances. Because this is a retail company, many religious observances fall on peak times of business and associates are obligated to work on those days. Before coming up with alternative actions, some questions that were asked were; How can we make sure people are treated fairly and equally? Will there be any issues of deviating from our core values and beliefs as a company?

Once the decision was made, an app was created for associates to download. This app offers many features; however, in this app associates can swap shifts if they know they have a religious commitment to make without relying on using personal or sick time. Once the testing period was over, an analysis was made determining the outcome. Questions such, What was the outcome of the testing? Did this decision beneficial and addressing all concerns of the employees? After testing, this app was determined beneficial to all employees with many different concerns.

The utilitarianism approach was essential when applying my personal ethical framework for decision making. The utilitarianism approach determines that choices concerning business conduct through determining how most people are affected by the decision. According to Denis Colins, “Organizations need managers who are utilitarians, always looking after what is best for the organizations and broader society.” (Colins, 2017). Utilitarianism is a familiar practice when making ethical decision especially concerning large groups of people. The utilitarian approach is designed to weigh the good and bad results. Determining the best action will provide a good decision overall.

Personally, my ethical reasoning, decision-making, and behaviors have changed while utilizing this ethical framework. Working with many people drives the importance to remembering that not everyone has fundamental values. Values and beliefs can be so deep-seated, often, we are not aware of how our responses and attitudes affect others. As a business professional, it is essential to be knowledgeable and open to others religious beliefs and values. Recognizing that there was an issue was a detrimental aspect of following my company’s core beliefs. Using a good framework takes the best of my own morals and beliefs and adds pieces that were missing.

Making an ethical decision requires awareness to others sensitivity. Situations may cause ethical implications. Using this ethical framework, not only helps to identify ethical and religious beliefs of our associates, but it also helps a business leader to sit back and think. It is crucial to clarify what is known and the decision-making process, understand the standards of conduct and characters of virtue, and clarify consequences. Having a personal ethical framework heavily relies on questioning such as; What is the purpose? What are the priorities? How does this change my company? etc. Practicing this framework is essential for being a better business leader.

My ethical framework was useful in determining the needs of my associate’s as well as the need to readjust or introduce new procedures that may not have been implemented otherwise. Without determining a purpose, research, and evaluating alternative actions, my company would not have been able to decide and reflect on the outcome. Ultimately, the decision made was the best decision not only for the company but for the employees as well. The employees felt that their voices were heard.

Dementia is considered to be as a cognitive disease, which arises due to neurodegeneration of the nerve cells of brain. In these specific condition neurons of the central nervous system has been reported for their neural coating with different kinds of proteins. As a result, an unexplained neural damage has occurred. This condition is prevalent in older age when body is immunologically suppressed for several reasons. Dementia is characterized by loss of memory function, lesser decision-making capacities even with limited social skills and thinking abilities. This paper aims to focus about the fact that whether the older patients having dementia should be allowed for taking of their health care associated decision or not. First part of this paper discusses about some functional assessment that has been performed on older people with dementia. after that the very next segment describes how dementia affects the decision-making capacity of an individual and lastly it further addresses some facts about contemporary nursing related to this condition. This writing is a literature review, which addresses two or even more supportive articles in order to conclude about this topic.

The main focus of any biomedical ethics revolves around some of the crucial domains which has to be maintained by any health care expert or organization. Those ethical principles are beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice and trustworthiness. Beneficence defines the act of maximizes preferable benefits while minimizes possible harms during a treatment or ongoing diagnosis. On the other side, non-maleficence stated to precede a treatment while maintaining negligible harm to the patient. In other word, an expert for any medical treatment that can harm the resign cannot force a patient. In addition to that, biomedical ethics also discusses that for any medical procedure patient’s autonomy there should be considered that means patient should allowed to make own decisions regarding their treatment (Wied et al, 2019). Now, the treatment consent capacity can be considered as the preliminary aspect of patient autonomy. In other words, the emotional and cognitive capacity of a resign to select among treatment approaches or to refuse for the same can be regarded as the treatment consent capacity. The distinction of this consent with others is that it arises in medical terms and not associated with any kinds of legal settings where it generally involves psychologist, physician and other health care professional but not the legal experts. In addition to that, these judgments are rarely subjected to judicial review. This patient consent capacity consists of four major domains. First and foremost domain in this consent is expressing a choice in which patient’s ability to convey a consistent treatment choice is tested. The second is the understanding of the risks and benefits of the proposed treatment whereas; appreciation of the relevant diagnosis and information of the treatment is listed as the third domain. Last but not the least reasoning or the ability of comparing the treatment alternative is considered as the fourth domain of this consent. Studies suggested that, above 60% consent capacity impairment could be observed for older adults with dementia compared with healthy individuals. Finding also suggests that older patients with dementia particularly impaired on measures of understanding followed by reasoning as well as appreciation. A study was conducted involving 106 individuals, which was further subdivided into two groups. The first group contains 53 individuals aged above 65, who were suffering from dementia while the other group consisted of 53 normal individuals with no cognitive impairments (Mariani et al, 2017). Between these two groups, a standardized MacArthur Competence assessment tool-treatment was applied in order to detect for four legal standards for consent capacity. The study was conducted for nine months and at the end of this period, it can be clearly concluded that group one with cognitive impairments had lesser consent capacity compared with the second group.

Apart from that, in another study were performed using four groups of individual as a sample. In which people having chronic schizophrenia are listed in the first group, the second group consists of individuals with learning disability while in the third group patients with developmental disabilities can be observed. These all three groups were compared and tested against the fourth group of normal healthy individual taken as control. Sample number of each group were twenty-one (N=21). These four groups were subjected to various decision-making tasks, which were simplified with enough information. After this study, finding suggests that people with chronic schizophrenia in the first group had been reported for severe impairment in decision making capacities in comparison with other three groups along with this they are also had observed for verbally non-expressive (Dening et al ,2017).

Likewise, several studies suggested that, the decision-making capacity for health care or any other serious issue is impaired in older persons with dementia. This potent finding further supported by a palliative and harmonization model which provides an idea that frail older adults face dramatically reduced capability of making complex and critical health care decisions (van de Pol et al, 2017). Study discusses that, persons who were undergoing through several medications and had multiple commodities only able to make health care related decisions when guided by a substitute decision maker (Pel-Little et al, 2019). In addition to that, people with dementia especially at old age were more likely to choose less-aggressive treatment options.

However, older persons with dementia are observed for a better condition in terms of health care decision making if guided with a proper health care expert especially with the help of a caregiver or enrolled nurses. In order to support this, a multi-case study had been performed in which a group of thirty participants was taken as a sample along with their family members and caregivers (Miller, Whitlatch, & Lyons, 2016). Participants were chosen according to some criteria such as they must have clinical symptoms of dementia along with this the age criteria of inclusion should be sixty-seven and above. Apart from that, all the participants should possess clinical dementia rating score of two, and be efficient to communicate verbally. Followed by this, triad had been formed consisting ten individuals in each group and their family members and caregivers were asked to join that study later. After performing this study, it could be observed that persons with dementia or any other mental disorders had been reported for better decision-making capacities in presence of the family and caregivers in compare with when they subjected to those tasks alone. This study proved the importance of contemporary nursing in order to manage the health care decision making capacities in older dementia patients. Nursing theory is defined as a creative and rigorous structuring of ideas that project a tentative, purposeful, and systematic view of phenomena. Experts are involved in educating the patients about the condition while making them understand the necessity of treatment approaches and medications (Martin et al, 2019). This practice seems to be very crucial in terms of dementia patients for improving their decision-making capacities (Davidson et al, 2015). As a enrolled nurse the personal learning goals revolves around many domains including understanding of clinical placement objective, making my clinical perception even more strong, work on my attitude towards patient party, enhance the collaborative work and last but not the least working on my communication skills (Arnott et al, 2018). During the placement and even these are some vital aspects that should be maintained by a registered nurse. A clear understanding of learning objective that is why this course is essential, why one should choose it, why it is important in the health care, is considered to be as a potent step in order to establish personal learning goals (Rosa, et al 2019). Apart from this, strengthening of critical thinking and evaluation is also very important in order to assist in various critical future case studies. These goals are critically evaluated during the treatment of dementia patient crucially at old age (Tang et al, 2019). Therefore, decision making capacity can be improved by an appropriate treatment by a caregiver following contemporary nursing.

However, in a recent finding it can be observed that medications decision is unaffected in persons having dementia. To support this finding seventy-one video recording were analyzed from approximately nine memory clinics. Conversations were categorized as pronouncement in which experts were already made them aware about their treatment plans without the consent of the patients or proposal in which patients’ autonomy were considered, offers and lastly assertions (Palmer & Harmell, 2016). Study finding suggested that over 80% of patient resisted medications through passive resistance, which further indicates that medication-decisions are completely independent of cognitive disorders, and those people with dementia can take decisions in terms of the health care efficiently. However, remaining in proper medicines could even more improve their capacity significantly.

Henceforth, from this paper it can be interpreted that, health care decision-making capacities are impaired in old persons with dementia. However, the family members and caregivers can significantly influence their capacity or ability. Thus, from this view it can be said that clinically they should not allowed taking serious decisions about their health care without the consent of the family depending on the condition and state of dementia.

References

1. Arnott, N., King, C., Bromley, P., & Hoffman, K. (2018). Contemporary nursing education. The Road to Nursing, 29. https://books.google.co.in/books?hl=en&lr=&id=MHaIDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA29&dq=contemporary+nursing&ots=hcXJsQsTvE&sig=ku3LfU92tRonieZAODscPJw4JF8&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=contemporary%20nursing&f=false
2. Davidson, G., Kelly, B., Macdonald, G., Rizzo, M., Lombard, L., Abogunrin, O., … & Martin, A. (2015). Supported decision making: a review of the international literature. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 38, 61-67. file:///C:/Users/hp/Downloads/Pathare-Shields2012_Article_SupportedDecision-MakingForPer.pdf
3. Dening, K. H., King, M., Jones, L., & Sampson, E. L. (2017). Healthcare decision-making: past present and future, in light of a diagnosis of dementia. International Journal of Palliative Nursing, 23(1), 4-11. https://doi.org/10.12968/ijpn.2017.23.1.4
4. Mariani, E., Vernooij-Dassen, M., Koopmans, R., Engels, Y., & Chattat, R. (2017). Shared decision-making in dementia care planning: barriers and facilitators in two European countries. Aging & Mental Health, 21(1), 31-39. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2016.1255715
5. Martin, C., Shrestha, A., Burton, M., Collins, K., & Wyld, L. (2019). How are caregivers involved in treatment decision making for older people with dementia and a new diagnosis of cancer?. Psycho‐oncology, 28(6), 1197-1206. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5070
6. Miller, L. M., Whitlatch, C. J., & Lyons, K. S. (2016). Shared decision-making in dementia: a review of patient and family carer involvement. Dementia, 15(5), 1141-1157. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1471301214555542
7. Palmer, B. W., & Harmell, A. L. (2016). Assessment of healthcare decision-making capacity. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, 31(6), 530-540. https://academic.oup.com/acn/article/31/6/530/2237509
8. Pel-Littel, R. E., Buurman, B. M., van de Pol, M. H., Yilmaz, N. G., Tulner, L. R., Minkman, M. M., … & van Weert, J. C. (2019). Measuring triadic decision making in older patients with multiple chronic conditions: observer OPTIONMCC. Patient education and counseling, 102(11), 1969-1976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2019.06.020
9. Tang, F. W. K., Ling, G. C. C., Lai, A. S. F., Chair, S. Y., & So, W. K. W. (2019). Four Es of caring in contemporary nursing: Exploring novice to experienced nurses. Nursing & health sciences, 21(1), 85-92. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12561
10. van de Pol, M. H., Fluit, C. R., Lagro, J., Slaats, Y., Olde Rikkert, M. G., & Lagro-Janssen, A. L. (2017). Shared decision making with frail older patients: proposed teaching framework and practice recommendations. Gerontology & geriatrics education, 38(4), 482-495. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701960.2016.1276014
11. Wied, T. S., Knebel, M., Tesky, V. A., & Haberstroh, J. (2019). The Human Right to Make One’s Own Choices–Implications for Supported Decision-Making in Persons With Dementia. European Psychologist. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000372

Using forecasting techniques for predicting the changes in sales rates and, therefore, defining further strategies is a common pattern in modern business management (Simkin, Norman and Rose 318). The introduction of information technology tools has opened new horizons for marketers, yet also posed a range of threats in terms of the reliability of the data. Sales per click ratio, which is a comparatively recent addition to the existing marketing strategies, can be considered a rather flimsy factor in determining the company’s sales, yet it does provide sufficient data for analysis and offers ample opportunities in terms of defining the company’s performance. Although the tool in question still needs further testing, it should be incorporated into the Excellent Consulting Group’s strategy as one of the means of locating possible sales rates for the next month.

Therefore, it can be assumed that the number of monthly website hits can serve as the basis for making forecasts regarding further sales. However, as the analysis carried out above shows, the correlation between the number of times that people frequent the site in question and the number of sales that the company makes over a month is not necessarily in direct proportion to each other. The relations between the two are much more complicated, as the people, who occasionally find themselves on the company’s site, are comparatively numerous and do not affect the actual number of sales (Drolias 73).

Despite the positive tendency in the correlation between sales and clicks, one still has to admit that the variation between the key data is rather high, the standard deviation of the data set in question being approximately 73. Seeing that the measure tool in question allows for “a measure of dispersion that is defined in the same units as the random variable” (Leavenworth 141), it can be assumed that the data under analysis is far too scattered to allow for a clear and precise forecast in terms of the company’s further sales. On the one hand, the trend line displayed in the diagram points to the high possibility of a positive outcome. On the other hand, the inconsistency of the data shows that a sudden drop in the correlation may jeopardize the organization’s success.

Nevertheless, the number of clicks per site should still be incorporated into the analysis of the company’s performance in general and the success of its sales in particular. As the diagram shows, there is a positive trend in the correlation between the variables in question. Indeed, a closer look at the chart will show that the increase in hits is typically followed by an increase in the number of clicks and vice versa. For example, the consistent rise in the number of site visitors April to May (1,050 and 1,180) correlated with the rise in the number of sales that were carried out successfully (301 and 510 correspondingly). The specified tendency can be observed throughout the entire year with minor exceptions.

At this point, the ratio of clicks per site to the number of sales deserves to be mentioned. As it has been stressed above, the increase in clicks eventually leads to a rise in the number of sales; however, the extent, to which sales increase, is not consistent. According to the chart, the ratios observed from January to March varied from 1,917808219 to 3,488372093. In other words, assuming that the connection between the number of sales and the number of clicks per site is obvious would be quite hasty.

Nevertheless, the standard deviation of the specified ratio is rather low, which allows suggesting that the ratio of clicks to sales should still be trusted as a means of carrying out quite an accurate forecast of future sales (McCallum 6). Particularly, the standard deviation of the above-mentioned ratio makes approximately 0.45, which means that the data in question can be viewed as trustworthy.

To determine the efficacy of the tool in question, one should forecast the sales that the company is likely to make in the next three months. Using the formula that was generated with the help of a scatter plot, one will conclude that the organization is likely to experience a slight increase in its monthly income (Stokes 237). Specifically, the sales forecast will allow estimating the sales for three months, i.e., February, March, and April. Particularly, the formula shows that the sales rates are going to reach approximately 504, whereas a slight drop is expected in March (485). In April, however, the rates of the product sales are going to rise slightly, though failing to reach the February level (482). Though the specified results do not quite coincide with the actual ones, they still are rather close to the company’s data. Hence, it can be assumed that the tool in question can and should be used as one of the means for determining the company’s sales.

Although the tendency for the sales in the target company to rise along with the amount of clicks per month is rather weak, it is still positive, which allows suggesting that it should be used as the basis for making prognoses for future sales. One must bear in mind, though, that the current trend is rather weak and, therefore, needs substantial support, i.e., the risk management strategy (Hull 817) that can ensure that the organization will not go bankrupt in case of a failure.