Analysis of Managerial Decisions: Medford University

In an attempt to find a solution for reducing these costs, the management could have approached the Human Resources department to analyze the issue on hand and provide a revised plan for the employees' fringe benefits. Instead the management has taken a decision to create a task force to analyze the financial crises in hand and come up with a solution to help reduce the fringe benefits costs to the university. Medford University, a prestigious research university, with over 10,000 students and over 12,000 employees, is faced with a significant financial crisis Brinkley, Smith, & Zimmerman, 2009).University management has cornered the huge costs burdened by the university on the fringe benefits to the employees. This contributes to over $1 00 million annually (Brinkley, Smith, & Zimmerman, 2009). Not to mention the retirement benefits promised to the retiring employees. The university, however, off late have been faced with serious financial crises. The fringe benefits costs have been contributing to the major expense faced by the university. The management is hence faced with an immediate action plan to tackle these financial crises to salvage the true of the university and its employees.Now the solution depends widely in changing the current fringe benefits plan and for this the management could approach the human resources department to find a new plan to reduce costs and also keep the employees satisfied. Instead the president employs a special task force headed by the hospital chief administrator to find a solution to these crises. 1) President Shipyard's decision to approach the problem over the fringe benefits by assigning a task force to analyze the issue is a very different approach rather than just going to the human sources department to draft a plan to tackle the same (Brinkley, Smith, & Zimmerman, 2009).The main focus of this task force was to reduce expenditure and develop a new fringe benefit package for the employees of the university. He also ob served caution as the values of the faculty and staff of the university should not be affecting in any way by the introduction of this task force and their analysis. His seriousness in the success Of this task force was evident when a top administrator was employed to lead the task force. The vice provost and many other experienced members were also pointed to the task force to guarantee a very effective team.On the other hand, if the president had simply directed the issue to the human resources department to come up with a plan, it would have resulted in yet another revised benefits package, with cause or concern about it being directed towards the well off, wealthy, and might have even had questions raised against favoritism towards certain faculty and staff members. 2) The president must give access to all the university financial to the task force. The focus of the task force is not just to find a solution to reduce expenses UT also to seek the best possible solution for the em ployees as well.The ideas and perceptions of each of the task force members should be directed to this purpose. It is the responsibility of the president to make sure the individual concerns of each of the member is considered in discussion and every decision made. The primary focus however would be the financial of the university. 3) The chief administrators appointment to lead the task force by the President was a decision made in considering the experience and knowledge he would bring on the federal laws, state laws and the insurance hat contribute to the cost of education (Brinkley, Smith, & Zimmerman, 2009).Every member of the task force is bound to bring in various personal opinions and perceptions to the issue at hand and hence as the lead administrator, he would have to take into consideration and lead the team in the right direction. Hence the chief administrator is the most able person to help guide the committee and keep them on track in attaining the desired result. This will ensure there is a broader perspective on the problem, diverse opinion and a solution is amicably found. This allows the committee to focus on rater detail the data presented so there is an even evaluation by each individual and, as a group. ) The purpose of the committee is to find the best possible solution to tackle the financial crises faced by the university. However, it is not something that is guaranteed to be accepted by the President. The president will consider the report of the committee as the solution to the financial crises but the president does have the power to override, make suggestions or modify the solution as he see fits. It was wise to appoint her assistants as the vice provosts, to the task force to ensure that he president had easy access to information and minutes of the meetings.While the Intent is to lower the cost of fringe benefits, the president does not want to change the quality of the faculty and staff. However, the university's financial status shows that it cannot continue a costly fringe benefits plan and therefore she would be willing to offer concession to the staff of Medford University. One way to do this is to continue to be open any ideas after the study. Even after any recommendations, there may be need to modify or change any suggestions after careful study. In the end the President wants to be sure that staff and faculty are fairly and legally compensated. ) An assistant of the President was appointed as the secretary of the task force. This gives the president an inside access into the committee and its progress. It also keeps the president informed and also keep track on the individual contributions to the committee and also the to see how unified the team is in their decision making. This also would help the president in developing counter proposals and also suggestions to what the task force recommends. Conclusion As per my opinion, in regards to the Medford University study , the purpose of the task force is to provide recommendations from the faculty, staff, and student body.The chair and its members represent a sampling of the faculty, staff and students which can act as voice for their well-being. The diverse task force members will also be better able to gage support in the cost cutting measures where necessary in order for the school to maintain the level of education it is currently providing and that it keeps its top notch educators. References Brinkley, J. A. , Smith, C. W. , & Zimmerman, J. L. (2009). Managerial economics and organizational architecture. Chicago: Irwin.

Business marketing assignment (Starbucks) Essay

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Sino-American relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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Pacific Settlement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

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International Terrorism Essay Example for Free

International Terrorism Essay A majority of the international terrorist operations and strikes trace their root to the Asian Middle East region, which has become the cauldron of global terrorism. Since over two decades, the Middle East has turned into that most volatile, unstable and surcharged place in world, having seen two major armed conflicts and being home to a number of radical, hardliner and terrorist outfits, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al Qaeda. These outfits are collectively responsible for carrying a series of devastating terrorist attacks around the world, including 9/11, Madrid and London bombings, rocket attack on Israel and Mumbai carnage. The problem goes further deeper to reveal a simmering regional and sectarian discontent that further adds to the instability of the region. The common unifying thread among all of these factors is presence of ideological motivation of Islamic Jihad, which has made the entire issue extremely sensitive from political and religious angles. Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad Both Hamas and Hezbollah have their origin rooted in conflict between Israel and Palestine since creation of Israel in 1948 (Lutz and Lutz, 2004). A majority of Arab and Middle Eastern countries protested Israel’s creation and tried to liquidate the nation through armed intervention To represent the Palestinian cause, Palestine Liberation Organization emerged 1964, striving for liberation and demand of nationhood from Israel. The organization was formed when all the military and armed strengths of Arab nations was convincingly defeated by Israel in 1948 and 1956 wars and it was felt among radical sections of Palestine that only a guerilla tactics could work against a militarily superior Israel Lutz and Lutz, 2004) . Since its formation PLO worked as an umbrella organization, drawing support from various militant Islamic groups working in the area, chiefly Hamas which aims to create a completely Islamic state in the area. Unlike PLO, which has, in principal, favored religious tolerance and secularity as policy, Hamas has a clearly stated Islamic agenda, which draws support from other organizations of similar ideological base. Hamas is considered by several Western countries, including USA and Israel as a terrorist organization, and it is responsible for carrying out a series of strikes against Israel since its creation in 1987. Since 2002, Hamas has restructured itself to form a political organization and presently it is controlling the Gaza strip of Palestine’s territory (Morgan, 2005). Hezbollah is a Lebanon based political-resistance group, formed in 1982 to protest and struggle Israel’s formation and its conflict with Lebanon (Albritton, 2006). Although, the outwardly the organization is involved in a number of social activities, such as running schools, hospitals, farming counseling services, the core characteristics of the organization have remained military. The organization is considered wholly or partly a terrorist outfit by USA and European nations due to its repeated involvement in terrorist attacks in Israel. Both Hamas and Hezbollah share a strong ideological bond in the concept of Islamic Jihad and they consider themselves committed to this cause. While in the religious terms, Jihad is a personal effort for purity, for all the practical purpose, it has evolved in the concept of Islamic supremacy and dominance over other believer sects. Proponents of Islamic Jihad advocate a sustained campaign, involving ideological and violent means in all degrees of extremity to the cause of complete elimination of non-believers (Morgan, 2005). The commitment to Islamic Jihad has infused both these organizations with radical elements and extended their involvement to various terrorist outfits, from Middle East to India and Indonesia, all of which justify their violent actions by theory of Jihad (Albritton, 2006; Merrit, Gilbert and Reinhart, 2004). Kurdish Conflict Kurdish conflict is one of the major political causes of disturbance in the Middle East. Kurds are a major ethnic-linguistic group spread across various countries of Middle East, specifically Iraq and Turkey where they form respectively 17 and 20 percent of the total population. The total Kurdish population is approximately 30 million, making them the fourth largest ethnic group in the region (Merrit, Gilbert and Reinhart, 2004). However, Kurdish community has a deep sense of grievance and resentment against the political framework of the Middle East, as they have been largely side tracked by almost all the political establishments; to aggravate the issue, some countries even tried to break down their sense of identity and forcibly merge them with rest of the population (Morgan, 2005). Kurd’s persistent demands for identity, recognition and greater zone of influence in politics have brought them regularly in conflict with Middle Eastern political establishment which has tried to suppress repeatedly. Kurds are guided by a strong sense of nationality they view themselves as a distinct nation. In fact, there is a complete sentiment among Kurds, identifying themselves as separate clans with their distinct sense of nationality. This has led to several major Kurdish revolts in both Iraq and Turkey. Former Iraq’s president, Saddam Hussein crushed a series of such revolts ruthlessly in 1980s, resulting in systematic murder of over 5000 Kurds (Lutz and Lutz, 2004). After the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule in second Gulf War of 2003-04, the Kurdish demand for independent homeland has intensified. This demand is supported by the entire Kurdish Diaspora who view a separate homeland as the only lasting and legitimate solution to the centuries of neglect, overlook and ignorance of Kurdish identity and culture by Iraq, Iran, and Turkey. Alarmed at this demand, the radical elements in these countries have collaborated with Islamic terrorist groups and carried out a number of terrorist attacks, that are aimed to wipe out the Kurdish leadership and cause fear in the community. However, the effect of these attacks has been largely opposite as it has led to the feeling among the Kurds that their own nation can be the only guarantee of their safety and security (Teson, 2005). Al Qaeda. Any mention of religious terrorism is incomplete without discussion on Islamic terrorism and jihad ideology which is widely held as the single most potent challenge to the democratic and free world. The most prominent actor in Islamic terrorism is Al Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden, which has acquired the form of an international organization, recruiting members from all the Islamic nations and using them as against the Western and Asian democracies (Lutz and Lutz, 2004). Al Qaeda acts as veritable global terrorist organizations, with massive fund raising capabilities, central leadership style, and a network of dedicated sub units which are ready to strike at the behest of the central command. In studying the reach and influence of Al Qaeda, analysts found that the prime motivational force used by Bin Laden and other key terrorists in the organization is religious. The origin of Al Qaeda is traced back to early 1980s when then USSR invaded Afghanistan and Muslims fighters from around the Islamic world poured in Afghanistan to fight a war that was given an instant religious color. The religious cause did not lose its appeal for the fighters even after the war ended, and they looked for further challenges which, in their opinion, had contaminated the purified and hence medieval perception of Islam they held (Lutz and Lutz, 2004). This search brought them in immediate conflict with the secular world, which is epitomized by USA. In consequence, Al Qaeda network started targeting US military bases in Saudi Arabia, US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam and US warships; the campaign reached its zenith in 9/11 airlines attacks, which was a watershed event in terrorism history (Lutz and Lutz, 2004). Despite US and British campaign against the Al Qaeda network, the organization continues recruit members from religious sympathizers and attack soft targets, as evidenced against recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai. USA has actively engaged itself to eliminate the threat of Al Qaeda, which is logically justifiable, as it’s partially responsible for creation of the terrorist network. Although there has been both international and domestic criticism against USA’s efforts to combat Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and its bordering areas, this strategy has paid dividends and it has severely undermined the organization (Teson, 2005). To completely eliminate the threat of Al Qaeda, a combination of military and political strategies is required where the terrorist network is attacked at its functional, operational and organizational level. USA should ensure the neutralization of Al Qaeda leadership and cadres and simultaneously hold meaningful dialogue with Islamic countries to desist their youths from joining the terror outfit.