Team Ground Rules and Guidelines Essay Example for Free

Team Ground Rules and Guidelines Essay Members should be on time with assignments and responsibilities agreed to. If they are not going to be on time, post a message ASAP stating late or absent. They should check the Learning Team Forum every day for questions and late/absent notices. Lastly, communicate when you are having trouble or struggling and need assistance. Expectations for Time Management and Involvement (Participation, communication with the team, accessibility, etc) Communicate, communicate, communicate! If you will be absent or out a particular day of that week communicate on Monday of each week when you will be out. If a member is struggling or needs assistance, ask right away. Always check the learning team ‘A’ forum everyday to see if there are questions or help needed. I think we need to step-up a team secretary\admin posting sections, assignments, and updates, etc. If no one volunteers, I will be happy to do it. What to do if a team member cannot be reached or isn’t participating to the satisfaction of the team? Again, communication is key. If we do not here from a member by Wednesday 6pm on their contributions each week, we divvy up the sections that need a volunteer. A time line and due dates should be set for each task. If someone has misses a deadline then a message is posted and we finalize the missing assignment. Also, a message is posted to professor Rita Solomon-Moore, as she should be our corporate boss and he needs to know when a member is slacking so credit is assigned appropriately. Special Considerations What do you, as a team, agree will make this team experience different from past team experiences. I have only been a member of 2 previous teams now which was a horrid experience in the first team because we went from 4 assigned members to two actual participating members and I felt I pulled most of the weight on the team of 2. So, it was not a team, but just a group of members. The 2nd team was better, but didn’t follow our charter. I hope that this team builds on the definition of a team – â€Å"a group of people organized to work together†. Communication is key allowing a group of people to work together. So, if there is no communication from a member for 3 consecutive days within the Learning Team A forum, we send a note to that member. If there is no response for a day, we notify the professor.

Mary Tyler Moore Essay -- essays research papers

Who can turn the world on with her smile? One person stands out. A TV legend and an American icon: Mary Tyler Moore. Mary was born in Flatbush on December 29, 1973 to Irish-Catholic parents. Mary's family was neither rich nor poor. As a child, she attended St. Rose de Lima Parochial School. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was only ten years old. When she became older, she became a popular actress. Through the years, Mary Tyler Moore has remained as popular as ever. With recent movies such as "Flirting With Disaster" and "Payback". But it wasn't always so easy for her. She started out as the leggy secretary, Sam on "Richard Diamond, Private Detective" in 1957, where you could only see her legs. In 1961, Mary got her biggest break yet, playing Laura Petrie, the wife of Rob on "The Dick Van Dyke Show". Mary played her part well for the next six years. During this time, she was awarded two Emmy's. In 1966, the show was taken off and Mary was left without a job. In 1967, Mary went on to play the part of Miss Dorothy in the Oscar winning, "Thoroughly Modern Millie". She played along side Julie Andrews and Carol Channing. In a survey taken by 97 people who had seen the movie, "Thoroughly Modern Millie" ranked a 7.7 out of on the rating scale, where 10 is the highest and 1 is the lowest. The number 10 received the highest number of votes (29). Through the years, Mary appeared in other movies, which did little for her career. Then, in 1969, she appeared with Dick Van Dyke in a special "How To Succeed in the 70's Without Really Trying" which appeared on CBS on April 13, 1969. It was this show that rekindled the network's interest in Mary Tyler Moore. CBS is reported to have said, "My God, we've discovered a star". CBS wanted Mary for a series. At the time, they felt that they needed to explain to the audience why a 30 year old woman had not been married. In a way, it demonstrated how limited the public's thinking was at the time, with respect to women. At first, the studio suggested a divorcee. Mary loved the idea, but the network soon decided that the viewing audience would think that Mary had divorced Dick Van Dyke. At first it was so frustrating to executives that they considered giving up on the series completely. On January 10, 1970,... ...eople will say "Can you believe people used to eat animals?". Mary Tyler Moore recently wrote her autobiography, which is entitled, "After All". Her biography proves that Mary Tyler Moore and Mary Richards are not much alike. She breaks new ground when she talks about her struggle with drugs and the pain of trying to help her brother commit suicide. Mary's latest feature film, "Flirting With Disaster", starring Ben Stiller and Patricia Arquette, shows a new side of Mary. The film teeters on the edge for most viewers who are used to the ‘Mary Richards' side of Mary Tyler Moore. Ms. Moore, on the other hand, thinks otherwise. "The characters are married adults and there's nothing actually explicitly shown. It's always over the back of the head and nothing is seen." After bit parts and lead roles, Mary Tyler Moore shows that she has had her share of ups and downs. Her production company, "Mary Tyler Moore", has produced many popular television sitcoms, and today, Mary is one of the wealthiest women in show business. In 1996 Mary was crowned Queen of Brooklyn, showing that she truly did "Make It After All"

Bank Julius Baer Case Essay

Before the arrival and leadership of Stuart Adam (â€Å"Adam†), Bank Julius Baer, North America (â€Å"BJB-NA† or the â€Å"Company†), the largest independently-owned European private bank in the United States, faced financial difficulties. By mid-2001, a worldwide market downturn caused a significant decline in Julius Baer Group’s (â€Å"JB† or the â€Å"Parent†) performance. In 2001, JB’s stock price was down by over 40% while the Parent experienced a 39% decline in net profits, 9% increase in operating expenses and an increase of 14% in employee headcount. BJB-NA, the â€Å"crown jewel† of JB, was barely profitable but no one inside the Company knew its true financial condition. JB had always been led by a member of the Baer family until January 2001. Despite significant family ties at JB, BJB-NA did not have a strong leader to drive the company. There was a lack of clear vision or direction for the Company. BJB-NA did not focus on profitability as a measurement of success. The attitude around BJB-NA was more about â€Å"keeping the peace† than creating any conflict or hostility. Even with a passive work environment, employee morale was low. Employees tended to blame other parts of the Company for their problems. The competitive environment in the High Net Individual (â€Å"HNI†) private banking sector increased dramatically during the 1990’s. BJB-NA was a boutique private bank in a business where bulge bracket firms dominated the competitive landscape. As such, the key factors for success in the HNI market were now recognized as differentiation (not cost leadership), improved client relationship management, broad product range and strong client-responsiveness. BJB-NA strived to be a partner organization that differentiated itself from the competition by satisfying the needs of its clients. The existing organization structure consisted of BJB-NA organized into four regionally-based â€Å"teams. † Poor communication existed throughout the Company as the staff didn’t know what was going on and there was little cohesion among units. BJB-NA operated on a â€Å"need to know† basis. Team leaders were not responsible for their own budgets, as it was not known if their teams were profitable or not. To further support the lack of accountability at BJB-NA, the Company did not have a systematic performance valuation system and lacked a compensation system tied to customer growth and returns. Bonuses were virtually guaranteed and all bonus decisions were made by Bank’s top leadership. Most likely, there were employees who â€Å"flew under the radar† if they underperformed since the Company never laid anyone off. Adamà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Changes and Evaluation Adam arrived at BJB-NA and immediately laid out an action plan to turn around the Company. One of Adam’s best early moves was his selection of Denise Downey to head the Segmentation Study Team. Downey was well respected by the employees that she led and was able to thoroughly evaluate the organization and deliver results to the Company and Adam. Based on the Segmentation Study, Adam wanted BJB-NA to really stand-behind its promises to be a partner organization. He encouraged full transparency and a strong focus on measurable results and accountability. Specifically, he focused on the following three initiatives: Refocus the Company strategy: Adam emphasized that BJB-NA shift its focus to Europeans, Asians, Canadians and Latin Americas who live outside the U. S. who had U. S. based asset management needs. By targeting specific geographic and customer segments, it allowed the Company to specifically focus its strategy and resources rather than spread itself too thin to satisfy a larger, diverse customer base. In addition, he asked some longstanding personal clients who were not profitable to close their accounts. Not only did this change the Company’s customer focus, but also, it signaled to employees that Adam had confidence and high expectations for BJB-NA. Establish new performance expectations: Adam developed productivity assumptions that would hold employees more accountable. He established measurable criteria related to book value, relationships and accounts. Previously, Company employees truly did not know their clients. As a result, it was difficult for management to identify top and low performers. Adam’s established criteria that pushed Relationship Managers past their comfort zone. Before Adam took the helm at BJB-NA, almost everyone received bonuses regardless of their performance. Tying a bonus program with a structure performance evaluation system incentivizes those who bring success and growth potential to the Company. Modify the organization structure: Adam slightly altered the structure of BJB-NA by having a client-segment focus within existing geographic areas. As such, the decision making processes were now decentralized to each of the regional teams. Previously, the advisory and product services departments worked with all regions. After Adam took charge, he assigned advisory teams to each of the different regions to further strengthen customer relationships. Recommendations BJB-NA recognizes that its future success hinges on one important factor: its clients. Our consulting firm wants the Company to further expand and impact its clients beyond what Adam has already planned. Our approach is a client-centric strategy that focuses on two key initiatives: (1) Aggressively recruiting top talent to enhance client acquisition and performance (2) Overhauling the compensation scheme and performance measures. Each initiative, accompanied by supporting tactics, will align to elevate the client experience, resulting in deepening wallet share, increasing warm referrals, and building the BJB-NA brand in supreme customer service. I. Recruiting the Right Talent. Recruiting the right people to manage and advise BJB-NA’s clients will be critical to sustaining long-term growth and increasing assets-under-management. Recruiting will align with the Company’s geographic approach to segmentation by adopting three tactics:  · Local talent recruitment – a successful private banker needs an outgoing, service-orientated personality, and the ability to connect with potential and existing clients. In connecting with clients, it becomes mandatory that future private bankers will be recruited from local regions. This strategy will generate bankers who know the local customs and cultures, speak the language, and are involved in the community. As a result, it creates comfort and familiarity for potential clients.  · Recruit from bulge bracket private banks –Company acquisition is not a feasible option at this time. However, employee/talent acquisition is an even better method to help improve the Company. Bulge bracket private banks are typically a part of much larger conglomerates, often weighed down high-level corporate strategies and â€Å"red tape. To attract bulge bracket private bankers, BJB-NA should promote an entrepreneurial environment that offers autonomy and flexibility while still offering resources found at larger firms. Recruit from ultra-boutique private banks – BJB-NA should actively target private bankers from smaller, boutique firms that have larger books, but have a need for a more global reach. Private bank clients are becoming more global, and with that, have a specific need for banks that have an international presence. BJB-NA provides a solution with offices in Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and the United States. At the same time, by aggressively recruiting boutique bankers, BJB-NA will be able to expand its presence by acquiring the books of these bankers who may have a strong presence in untapped markets within the targeted regions. II. Restructuring Compensation and Performance Measures BJB-NA should introduce a compensation scheme that will not only be more beneficial for keeping clients’ interests first, but also offer higher potential incentives for the Company’s bankers. First and foremost, bankers will be paid based on client portfolio performance. No one will be paid on the basis of commission. While this tactic may seem counter-intuitive in the short-term, especially in the midst of a struggling economy, it acknowledges BJB-NA’s long-term commitment to its clients. Other positive externalities resulting from a new compenstation structure include: differentiation from competition, potential referrals from clients, and attention to BCB-NA’s innovative thinking. In short, BJB-NA’s message is: â€Å"We make money only when our clients make money†. Second, standard annual bonuses will be foregone. Employees would be accountable for their performance and compensated accordingly. BJB-NA will incentivize bankers by the value they add to their clients and related portfolio performances. This compensation structure ultimately rewards bankers who take of their clients and strive to grow their assets under management. Finally, BJB-NA should revise the position title of its company leaders. To accurately reflect the duties of the position, the title †Team Leader† should be changed to â€Å"Managing Director (MD)†. MD’s would have full P&L and people-management responsibilities of his/her respective branch. In addition, MD’s could receive an additional bonus based on the branch’s bottom-line performance. This change will push decision-making down to MD level, promoting entrepreneurship and autonomy. III. Management and Leadership Since Adam decided to resign from his position as the leader of BJB-NA, it is vital for the Board of Directors to select a successor that will be able to implement the changes initiated under Adam’s tenure. As discussed, BJB-NA needs to aggressively put its clients before anything else in its business. The new successor should be an experienced professional who deeply understands the Company’s clients and industry. Taking these requirements into consideration, we recommend that the Board of Directors pick Adam’s successor from a list of internal candidates only. Currently, the firm is in a state of fragility. Employees are stressed and morale is low. With the initial round of layoffs that included six people, any move will be highly scrutinized and may have a long-term impact on the organization. Employees were already caught off guard with Adam’s resignation, especially after he led the restructuring efforts at an off-site meeting that seemed to build positive momentum. To replace Adam’s with an external candidate may put the Company in a state of flux. An external candidate would not have attended the restructuring meetings and participated in the Segmentation Study. He/she may have different views of how the organization should be changed. In addition, the HNI private banking industry is built around relationships. To bring on a new leader who hasn’t built a strong rapport with a majority of the Company’s clients would make the leadership transition a difficult process. One potential internal candidate BJB-NA should consider is Denise Downey. Downey is currently the Head of U. S. Domestic Clients, but more importantly she led the Segmentation Study that evaluated areas of improvement needed at BJB-NA. Employees viewed Downey as a strong, effective leader who always delivers results. As a sign of trust, Adam gave Downey significant autonomy during her time leading the study. Elevating Downey to the C-suite level would be a fairly seamless transition. Downey has significant experience understanding the clientele of BJB-NA since she already leads U. S. client group. With all of the â€Å"client-focused† changes that need to be implemented by Adam, Downey will be best candidate to effectively communicate the steps needed during the transition period. For example, during her time as the Segmentation Study leader, Downey took the initiative to send updates to the entire bank. Alternate Approaches Deviating from a client-centric strategic plan could negatively impact BCB-NA’s future success. Nonetheless, two other alternate approaches were considered. The first approach considered a compensation system where bankers would be paid variable commissions based on fee-based transactions. The variable in commissions would depend on the type of investment vehicles clients would invest in. This viable approach guarantees cash flows from transactions with no dramatic culture change. However, after careful consideration, this alternative was rejected since bankers would be incentivized more by selling a diversity of investment vehicles to clients rather than working for clients’ best interests. The second approach considered but rejected involved an overhaul of the organization structure. After the Segmentation findings, Adam seemed adamant about moving away from the geographic-focused organizational structure of the Company. As such, an alternative approach considered was to eliminate geographic departments and implement an organizational structure focused on client-type. One of the key success factors for companies in the private banking industry is to customize services based on the needs of customers. A BJB-NA client-focused structure based on client characteristics (such as wealth, age, income level) may be more advantageous, especially with raised expectations now required by Adam on bankers’ book of clients. Additionally, within a geographic organization, conflict may occur between local regional management and the executives at corporate. As such, this may hurt the opportunity for knowledge sharing and collaboration, values emphasized by the Baer family. However, as much as a client-focused structure might have its advantages, a geographic organizational structure still is the most effective for BJB-NA. Communication is much more personal in geographic organizational structures. Instead of calling or videoconferencing with olleagues across the globe, it forces employees to sit next to each other to form collaborative teams, values preached by the Baer family. In addition, it allows employees to understand each other’s personalities and work styles. Besides the human capital element, geographic work teams allow BJB-NA to hire leaders familiar with the local business environment, something vital for the relationship-focused private banking industry. Not only will employees understand the client better but the clients will be more comfortable around employees who share similar interests and culture.

Pizz A Popular Food Eaten By Many People - 1645 Words

Pizza, a globally popular food eaten by many people in different countries throughout the world. Usually known for its circular shape, made out of dough, tomato sauce, and the variety of toppings added. Pizza has a rich history behind it and plays a role in today s cuisine and culture and developed throughout the centuries with mentions of pizza as far back to the 6th century B.C and to 1st century A.D, but not mentioned again until the 16th century. However, pizza was food for peasants in the 16th century and was not widespread, popular, and diverse compared to today in the 21st century. The earliest mention of pizza was in 6th century B.C. where soldiers of Darius the Great (521-486 B.C.) baked a kind of bread flat on their shields and†¦show more content†¦The change in 1522 was the start point in the growth of pizza and what allowed it to become a global food. However, pizza was not well known because the dish was recently developed and did not had time to gain popularity with the locals in Naples yet. Only until the 17th century did pizza achieved a local popularity among visitors to Naples who would went into the poorer sections to taste the dish made by men called pizzaioli. Pizza started to gain more popularity, but was not at the level where it was countrywide because no major figures had took notice of the new dish to promote it. Pizza managed to be acknowledge by the people of Naples and pizza was sold in the streets in Naples at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The popularity got to the point where stalls were set up where the customers could custom order their pizza to suit what they wanted. The stalls soon developed into the pizzeria where people can come together to eat, drink, talk, and soon become a common sight in Naples. How pizza managed to gain widespread demand had to do with major figures, the figures were Umberto I (1844-1900), King of Italy, and his wife, Queen Margherita di Savoia (1851-1926). The king and queen on a holiday in Na ples â€Å"called to their palace the most popular of the pizzaioli (pizza chef), Raffaele Esposito, to taste hisShow MoreRelatedThe History Of Pizza By Matt Lezotte1348 Words   |  6 Pagescommon favorite food among Americans and you can see it’s popularity all over the world. People crave it so much that now you don’t need to leave your home to get a slice of pie. Even in Italy pizza vending machines are starting to appear. Every second about 300 pizza slices are about to be eaten. The trend has no end in sight and with chains like pizza hut finding ways to reinvent the pizza people will likely keep buying those delicious slices of joy. But where did pizza begin? Many know it startedRead MoreCase: Pizza Chains of the United States and Pizza Hut10172 Words   |  41 Pageshigher standards and diversity of food. The financial metrics through year-end 2010 show significant gains for Domino’s as a result of its new market pos ition a nd adv ertising w ith acr oss-the-board (i.e., including domestic store locations for the first time since negligible growth of less than 1 percent in 2007) annual same store sales up a respectable 9.9 percent. 11 Nevertheless, still new Domino’s CEO Patrick Doyle has a challenging road ahead. Between rising food and gasoline costs, unemployment