11. The factors that affect job satisfaction (10 main factors). Name them in order of importance in your view. What other factors might you consider?

The topic I’m going to deal with is The factors that affect job satisfaction.

Firstly I give you the definition of job satisfaction. Secondly I tell you about 10 main factors that affect job satisfaction and name them in order of importance in my view. Then I tell you about the factors that I consider. Finally I'll conclude my topic.

To begin with I want to give the definition of job satisfaction.

Job satisfaction has been defined as a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job; an affective reaction to one’s job; and an attitude towards one’s job.

Now I want to turn to the questions.

There are 10 main factors that affect job satisfaction:

• Good pay

• Job security

• Location

• Interesting work

• Recognition for work

• Promotion opportunities

• Friendly work atmosphere

• Getting on well with the boss

• Flexible working hours

• Perks, e.g. company car

Job satisfaction is a very important attribute which is frequently measured by organizations. Maslow connects the creation of the existence of people's sense of satisfaction with the maintenance of the classified needs. These are: physiological needs, security needs, the need to love (good relations with the environment…), need to self-esteem (self-confidence, recognition, adoration, to be given importance, status, etc.) need of self-actualization (maximization of the latent power and capacity, development of abilities, etc.) .

Job satisfaction varies a lot. Researches suggests, the higher the prestige of the job, the greater the job satisfaction. But, many workers are satisfied in even the least prestigious jobs. They simply like what they do. Most workers like their work if they have little supervision. The least satisfied workers are those in service occupations and managers that work for others. There is a consistent relationship between the professional status and the job satisfaction. High levels of job satisfaction are observed in those professions which are deemed of good standing in the society.

There are particular demographic traits (age, education level, tenure, position, marital status, years in service, and hours worked per week) of employees that significantly affect their job satisfaction.

Coming to the conclusion I’d like to say that numerous research results show that there are many factors affecting the job satisfaction and for each employee job satisfaction factors can be different.

12. Conflict. Is it necessary a bad thing? Conflict resolution techniques. Which do you most often use? Which get the best/worst results? What other techniques have you used or seen used? The recommendations from the e-business community.

The topic I’m going to deal with is Conflict.

Firstly I give you the definition of Conflict. Secondly I tell you about that conflict isn’t necessary a bad thing. Thirdly I tell you about conflict resolution techniques, how often I use some of them, and which get the best/worst results. Then I tell you about other techniques that I have used or seen used. And I tell you about the recommendations from the e-business community. Finally I'll conclude my topic.

To begin with I want to give the definition of Conflict.

Conflict a state of disagreement or argument between people, groups, countries etc.

Now I want to turn to the questions.

Conflict isn’t necessary a bad thing. Сonflict can be constructive.

We must challenge ideas, conventional wisdom and those around us if we are to continually improve our business practices and evolve into better leaders.

Conflict resolution techniques:

1. Avoid the person or issue

2. Change the subject

3. Get an ‘independent’ mediator

4. Admit you are wrong, ever if you think you’re not

5. Turn the tension into a joke

6. Work towards a mutually acceptable solution

7. Apologize and give in

8. Try to understand the other person’s perspective

9. Identify exactly what you agree or disagree on

10. Complain until you get what you want

When faced with any conflict, including business conflicts, we must choose one of five different actions:

Avoid: Avoiding the conflict entirely is nearly always an option; however, by doing this we indicate that we are not concerned about the issue at hand or how the outcome will affect our relationships with other people involved.

Accommodate: When we don’t argue our own point but rather accept the other point of view, we are stating that “winning” the conflict is secondary to maintaining the relationship. We’d rather not put up a fight and risk ruining the relationship.

Compromise: When we elect to compromise in a conflict we are indicating that this issue is mildly important, as is the relationship with the other person. Neither side truly gets exactly what they want nor does either side really “lose”.

Compete: When we choose to compete with the other party, we are stating that the issue is of the utmost importance and our relationship is worth risking in order to win the conflict.

Collaborate: By choosing to collaborate, we are determined to find a way to protect both the issue at hand and the relationship with the other party.

Some of the best negotiators are those who learn how to collaborate when faced with conflict. To do this successfully we must learn to ask questions about the needs, desires and interests of the other party. When we find out why they feel the way they do about the issue, we might be able to structure an acceptable alternative where both sides “win”.

Coming to the conclusion I’d like to say that in our world, conflict is (necessary) inevitable and we must learn to work with it and to get benefit.

13. Communication problems. The solution to communication problems. Do you consider yourself to be a good listener? How do you show other people you’re listening to them? Problems and misunderstandings when people write e-mails to each other. What can you do to avoid these misunderstandings? What can you do to solve the problem when there’s obviously a conflict?

The topic I’m going to deal with is Communication problems.

Firstly I give you the definition of Communication, misunderstanding and problem. Secondly I tell you about solution to communication problems. Thirdly I answer the question if I consider myself to be a good listener and how I show other people that I’m listening to them. Then I tell you about problems and misunderstandings when people write e-mails to each other and how to avoid these misunderstandings. And I tell you what I can do to solve the problem when there’s obviously a conflict about. Finally I'll conclude my topic.

To begin with I want to give the definition of Communication.

Communication - the process by which people exchange information or express their thoughts and feelings.

Problem a situation that causes difficulties.

Misunderstandings a problem caused by someone not understanding a question, situation, or instruction correctly.

There are three major problems in communication: Firstly, people may not be talking to each other. Frequently each side has given up on the other and is no longer attempting any serious communications. Secondly, people don’t pay enough attention to what other people say. Then there are misunderstanding which are compounded when people speak different languages.

The solution they propose is to listen actively; acknowledge what is being said and question your assumptions. Understanding is not agreeing, but unless you can show that you grasp how the other person sees things, you may be unable to explain your point of view to them. You therefore maximize the chance of having a constructive dialogue.

What about me, I consider myself to be a good listener and I show other people that I’m listening to them by making eye contact and with gestures, nod my head, smile. Else I am trying to ask questions.

There are so many problems and misunderstandings when people write e-mail to each other. Primarily because you don’t have the visual information and feedback that you have in a face-to-face conversation. Another factor is that your context when you write it is different from their context when they read it. And finally, you know the truth is, some people just don’t express themselves so well in writing.

To avoid these misunderstandings I keep those things in mind when I read and write. So when you read an e-mail, don’t always believe your first impression. If something doesn’t seem right or appropriate to you, think about other possible interpretations. And when you write e-mail, think about the other person could maybe misinterpret what you’re writing and then make it clear that you don’t mean that. You know, those emoticons seem so silly, but sometimes they help express the tone that you want. Really, as with any conflict, the best advice is to take into account the other person’s perceptions and context – what they think and where they’re coming from. And to ask questions if you don’t know – open, neutral questions, not the type that begin ‘How could you possibly…?’

To solve the problem when there’s obviously a conflict it is best to talk about it face to face or on the phone, but it is for small dispute or misunderstandings. But if you know how to use it, e-mail can be an effective tool to avoid and even resolve conflicts.

It takes out the visual information; that can be particularly useful for multicultural team because you can avoid the misunderstandings that can be caused by different communication style and differences in things like body space or eye contact. Also, if a conflict already exist, they can’t see if you’re angry or frustrated, so you have more control over what you actually communicate. Secondly, you have the time to make your e-mail more rational and less emotional if you choose. You should count to ten when you’re angry, and e-mail forces you to do that. Finally, it’s basic but importance factor, you can’t interrupt and you can’t be interrupted.

14. Business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Name some companies that have had bad press over one of the following issues: employment practices; environmental concerns; product pricing; financial irregularities. Was anything done to rectify the problems as a result? PSLU business ethics code (the University website).

The topic I’m going to deal with is Business ethics and corporate social responsibility.

My presentation consists of 4 parts:

1. Definition of Business ethics and corporate social responsibility

2. Name some companies that had bad press over one of the following issues:

• employment practices;

• environmental concerns;

• product pricing;

• financial irregularities.

3. Was anything done to rectify the problems as a result?

4. PSLU business ethics code.

To begin with I want to give the definition of Business ethics.

Business ethics (also corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations.

Corporate responsibility it is how companies manage their production processes, or their core businesses, in order to create an overall positive impact on society.

Corporate responsibility is largely to do with the action taken by companies in relation to the local environment and is a kind of compensation paid back to the society. Many companies only pay lip service to these issues. However, if company is involved in unethical practices, it will be found out by its shareholders in the long run. It’s also difficult for multinationals to ensure workers in developing countries have decent wages due to local labor laws. It is up to governments to ensure that companies respect not only labor laws but also the human dignity of their employees.

Nestle, Toyota and Mattel - currently top the list of international socially irresponsible companies.

Nestle company was listed for violations of labor law: the exploitation of child labor and "contribute to obesity," the American nation.

Toyota showed up opposition to government measures to increase fuel economy standards and to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, while at the same time spending millions on "green" marketing. Company Mattel - not once caught in the manufacture of toys containing lead. So it is companies such Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil and Philip Morris.

Solving ethical dilemmas is not easy. In many cases, each possible decision can have both unpleasant consequences and positive benefits that must be evaluated. Coming to the conclusion I’d like to say that companies must be responsible ethically and socially.

Henry Ford VS.Milton Friedman as regards social responsibility of business. What is your opinion? In what ways, if any, do you think that a company is responsible to the following groups: shareholders, employers, suppliers, customers and the wider community? Can you think of any other groups? Corporate responsibility without the waffle? What’s the idea?

Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystem.

In a 1970 Times magazine article, the economist Milton Friedman argued that businesses' sole purpose is to Increase its profits and that one and only social responsibility is to make profits. Moreover, he maintained, companies that did adopt "responsible" attitudes would be faced with more binding constraints than companies that did not, rendering them less competitive.

The time has come for companies to consider doing more than just making a profit. Being socially responsible now has a positive impact on a company’s success.

Well, the most important thing is to be ethical. But even to be seen to be ethical is the first step because it shows companies are becoming aware that both the market and the customers consider it important. The problem is if it’s merely a cover-up, it’s ultimately going to be discovered by the customers and by the market, because customers aren’t stupid.

Ford was very responsible in relation to his workers: he hired blacks and handicapped in large numbers, giving decent pay, and the modern and airy work place.

in January 1914, he announcing that Ford Motor Company would pay $5 a day to its workers. The pay increase would also be accompanied by a shorter workday (from nine to eight hours). This could be seen as an example of CSR in action.

Ford believed that economic progress meant progress in the quality of life for the common man, a decent work place.

Ford's social responsibility created for him a reliable work force, created a car for the common man here, and brought industrial progress.

There are main the moral obligation of companies in respect to the following groups:

• customers (quality of goods and services, honesty in advertising, human dignity);

• employees (decent pay and working conditions, health and disability, equal rights and employment opportunities);

• owners and investors (to ensure a fair return on invested capital, free access to information, limited only to the law and the terms of competition);

• suppliers (fair and honest relationship with them, including pricing, licensing, the absence of coercion and undue litigation, information sharing and involvement in the planning, timely payment of supplies, etc.);

• competitors (mutual respect, the development of open markets for goods and capital, not to use questionable means to achieve competitive advantage, respect for property rights);

• the local population (human rights, respect for cultural integrity, sponsor shares of companies involved in civic life).

Almost every corporate responsibility report today kicks off with a message from the CEO or chairman. It presents an ideal opportunity to explain in concrete terms what being "responsible" means for your business. It is a chance to show shareholders and other stakeholders that you understand the social or environmental risks facing your industry and that you are tackling them at board level.

New regulations, such as the forthcoming operating and financial review in the UK, will reinforce the need for a broad approach to risk management.

To be effective means:

First, specific examples of the challenges the company faces and how you are tackling them.

The second thing is evidence of transparency. Many companies have welcomed independent, third-party auditing of our adherence to these principles and we've posted the results for public viewing on our corporate website.

Third, a recognition of the importance of governance. Good governance is linked directly to the way companies face up to society's changing expectations.

Fourth, credibility. It is high time for plain speaking across the board. The foreword to next year's corporate responsibility report will mark you out either as a leader who has contemplated the risks ahead or as a CEO who has jumped on to the bandwagon without really knowing why.

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16. Managing meetings. Tips for effective meetings and action points. The last meeting at the University you attended. Was it successful? How do you think meetings at the University could be more effective?

A meeting is an event in which a group of people come together to discuss things or make decisions.

Manage is mean to direct or control a business, part of a business, or the people who work in it.

Tips for effective meetings and action points are:

Participants: choosing the right ones is the key to the success of any meeting. Make sure all participants can contribute and choose good decision-makers and problem-solvers. Try to keep the number of participants to a maximum of 12.

Agenda: check all meetings aims have been addressed; will you need a future meeting?

Key points and actions: summarisethe who/what/when. Minutes should be short and concise and issued within 24 hours.

End by allocating ten minutes to review how you performed as a team: what were the positive/negative points, e.g. time-wasting, misunderstandings or conflicts?

The last meeting at the University was successful because were complied with all the basic rules for effective meetings. There are:

• Number of participants

• Appropriate length of meetings

• Role of leader to rotate at each meeting.

• One of the participants was responsible for room booking and preparing drinks/snacks.

• Leader performed all his functions:

- makes sure everyone participates

- controls time spent on each item

- intervenes if necessary

- decides on behalf of the team if the team is undecided

- summarises each item before moving on

- clarifies who in the meeting is responsible for each action point

• Review how you performed as a team at the end of every meeting for ten minutes.

I think, that all meetings at our University are and so very effective and successful.

17. Give a talk on the business sectors in Russia/your region that are doing well/badly at the moment. Do some research on the Internet to find out more Discuss the reasons for their success/failure. Which business sector and companies would you consider investing in nowadays and why? For example: the aerospace industry, car manufacturing, biotechnology, nanotechnology, telecoms, construction or pharmaceuticals.

Doing good: nanotechnology, telecoms, construction,etc Doing badly- pharmaceuticals, car manufacturing, the aerospace industry,

Oil, Gas, Coal Oil and gas account for approximately % of Russia’s GDP. It is the second largest oil exporter in the world and has the world’s largest gas reserves. These fuels and derivative products account for approximately 6% of the country’s exports. The country’s coal reserves are ranked fifth largest in the world. Metals Russia is a major producer of nickel, aluminium and steel. In recent years this industry sector has been stimulated not just by growing world demand but by demand within Russia from the machine building and construction sectors.

Construction. There is an increasing demand for new infrastructure, housing and industry across Russia to meet the growing demands of its burgeoning economy. Over the next 1 to 15 years it is estimated that US$1 trillion will need to be invested on roads and motorways, rail lines, runways, ports and power. The sector has been growing at approximately 15% per annum and this is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.

Retail and Consumer. In keeping with the growth of its economy and a growing middle class with increasing levels of disposable income, Russia’s retail sector has been reaching annual growth rates of greater than 0% per annum.

Communications and IT. Over recent years the Russian communications and IT sectors have been expanding and increasing in terms of sophistication. A notable characteristic of this sector is that mobile telephone penetration is put at greater than 100%. The mobile sector is dominated by private sector companies whereas landline is dominated by state controlled entities.

The banking sector is dominated by the state bank Sperbank which holds 53% of deposits and is responsible for 35% of retail lending and 3% of commercial lending.

18. Consultants. Choosing and managing consultants. A) Why do you think companies sometimes take on external consultants? B) How can a company make sure the right kind of consultant or consultancy is required? C) What do you think would be an appropriate sequence of steps when recruiting an external consultant for a company? Consider the following: recruit the consultant; negotiate contracts, terms and conditions for the consultancy; define the problem, project task, the consultant submits a written proposal; write a brief for the consultant; make a shortlist of possible consultants. Some of the disadvantages of hiring external consultants.

I would like to begin my presentation by definition of consultant and management consultant.

Consultant - someone whose job is to give people or businesses advice or training in a particular area.

Management consultant - someone who is paid to advise the management of a company how to improve their organization and working methods.

Consultants provide advice or a service to make your business more successful. Consultants usually help with a specific problem or task when your company simply doesn’t have the know-how. For instance, a consultant might provide training. You might take on a consultant to improve overall managerial performance and they also manage specialist projects.

Selecting the right consultant for the company and the type of problem at hand is a vital part of the process. The first step is to assemble a list of candidates by getting recommendations from people in the same line of business. It is important to avoid selecting a consultant based upon a current management fad; instead, the decision should be based upon the company's particular needs.

There are two types of consultants:

Internal Consultant - someone who operates within an organisation but is available to be consulted on areas of specialism by other departments or individuals (acting as clients).

External Consultant - someone who is employed externally (either by a firm or some other agency) whose expertise is provided on a temporary basis, usually for a fee. As such this type of consultant generally engages with multiple and changing clients.

It’s really important for the company to establish objectives and goals. There five principles of SMART. It stands for: Specific, measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-limited. The client then needs to set a timescale, a budget and a brief.

Brief should includes a description of your organization, what it does and its size and structure, an explanation of the problem and what you want to achieve.

There are a lot of consultants out there. And you need choose a reliable one. You should choose one that has experience of businesses of your size, that understands your industry, and that is, ideally, a member of a professional body like the Institute of Management Consultancy. Next step is you need to come up with a shortlist of three consultants and ask them to submit written proposals. Proposals should include their understanding of the problem, any relevant experience of the consultancy firm, a work plan and schedule, the reports and any systems that will be supplied. Next step is you have to agree on a written contract, describing both the work to be done and the conditions. A written contract should include objectives, a brief, how and for how long the consultancy will be managed, fees and the deliverables. Deliverables are the goods or services that are going to be delivered. Also one of important factor is fee or price. It’s likely to fall into one or two types: T&M contracts, which are for time and materials, or fixed-price contracts. The main difference lies in the risk factor. The risk of running over in cost. With a fixed-price contract, the consultant assumes most risk, whereas in a T&M contract, the client will assume most risk, but not all.

The important thing to remember is if you are not happy with any aspects of the proposal, don’t take them on. It’s important to make sure the chemistry is right.