Essay (1) Organized crime, like the family in Goodfellas, works together as a team by having different members take part in different parameters of the organization but still striving to benefit “the family”. According to the textbook, teamwork is required when “knowledge, talent, and abilities are dispersed across numerous workers and require an integrated effort for task accomplishment” (Nelson 137). This is portrayed in the scene of Goodfellas when Jimmy the hit man is being introduced. Jimmy’s job is unique among the organization in that he is willing to do things that most other members would not do. However, Jimmy does not work alone. Jimmy is constantly surrounded by others in the organization that help him in his duties such as bribing …show more content…
and threatening truck drivers, performing hits, and stealing things. After Jimmy pays the truck drivers well, they are not threatened and eventually become part of his team of informants; they often tip him about the loads they are carrying so Jimmy can make even more money. In the clip, Henry, the narrator explains that Jimmy and those around him enjoy the benefits he brings the family. Jimmy is said to “really love stealing things” and whenever he goes somewhere he drops $100 bills on everyone he meets. This love of what he does demonstrates how Jimmy seeks integrated involvement within the organization. Finally, this group exhibits teamwork because of the strong group cohesion. Group cohesion is what makes the “group stick together” (Nelson 139). Because everyone within the organization is satisfied, they are very productive and make millions of dollars running their business, which leads to even more satisfaction. The family demonstrates a flat structure in that everyone does not know everyone else, but still works together as a team. According to the Crime and Deviance Channel on YouTube, a flat organization (especially in crime) is one in which people “know each other by reputation and are unlikely to all meet in the same physical place”. This is evident in the movie when Jimmy is making a connection with a truck driver and says, “You might know who we are, but we know who you are.” This flat structure allows members of the organization to not be able to snitch to the authorities about what is going on in the entire organization because they themselves do not know everything about the organization. There is also a wide span of control within organized crime which adds to the flatness of the structure. Everyone stands up for everyone else in the organization; there are not any managers. Instead, everyone is on the same level but the only difference between the individuals is the specific job they do. Also, having a flat structure allows the members of the organization to work in teams and enhances the organization’s teamwork because everyone can work with everyone else on a particular project and then never see or hear from that person again for a long time. Each member has a high degree of compatibility with others and as long as the job is getting done, the members can work together because they are motivated by a common goal—money. Essay (2) The workplace benefits of team formation consist of: producing valuable novelties, a feeling of psychological intimacy with others in the group, and integrated involvement. Producing valuable novelties benefits an organization because the organization can use the product or idea that the team creates to enhance its image or make a profit. When teams contribute to a final project, the project is sometimes complex and the final product can be something that no individual could produce on their own. For example, a construction work site has teams building parts of a building. One person is operating the crane while another attaches the equipment to the crane. In this case, both individuals contribute toward a team and the project gets completed. Without the other person, the operation could not be complete because there would be no reason to operate the crane without anything attached to it and likewise it would be pointless to attach something to a crane if it was not going to be operated. This is important for organizations to understand because it illustrates how two people working in a team can produce more than two individuals working solo with the same amount of effort. In the long run this makes the organization run more efficiently because if it takes one man seven hours to do a job, but three men can complete the same job in an hour by working as a team, the organization can accomplish more tasks by having members work in teams for the same amount of time. Another benefit of team formation in the workplace is a feeling of psychological intimacy with others in the group. Psychological intimacy consists of “closeness to other team members” and “results in feelings of affection and warmth…opportunity for expression, security and emotional support” (Nelson 138). When teams feel intimate with other members, they are more likely to become more productive because they are having all their needs met. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, psychological intimacy is at the bottom. Without having these needs met, people cannot progress up the needs ladder and employee output is extensively diminished (Nelson 74). It is beneficial to employers to have their employee’s most basic needs met so that eventually self-actualization needs can be met and the employee will be more productive and content. Since the main goal of most organizations is to maximize employee output while increasing positive company image, meeting the basic needs of employees is crucial to the success of the organization, and forming psychological intimacy with other team members meets those needs. Finally, integrated involvement benefits an organization because it results in enjoyment of work. When employees enjoy their work, they want to complete tasks instead of having to be assigned work. Employees are eager to come to work and be productive because they feel satisfied when they are at work. Also, since integrated involvement leads to “social psychological health and well-being” (Nelson 138), employees are more likely to take less sick days and benefit the company with their presence at work. This benefits an organization because employers do not have to spend time and money for professionals to motivate their employees. Instead, because of teamwork, employees motivate themselves and others to accomplish tasks and meet goals. Essay (3) Chevron is a company with a tall organizational structure with extensive flat structures at each level of the company. Chevron has 34 different levels of hierarchy as well as hundreds of flat levels within those 34 different levels. Chevron’s span of control is beneficial to the company because it allows for upward growth in the company while allowing most of it employees to work with peers that are equal. Instead of having everyone report to someone higher than them, most employees work exclusively with those in the same level as themselves with only a few members of each level reporting to the next higher up level (Chevron). This span of control has worked well for Chevron and is one of the main focus points in “The Chevron Way”; a company derived statement to describe “who [they] are, what [they] do, what [they] believe and what [they] plan to accomplish” (Chevron Way). Because the span of control focuses on most employees reporting to peers instead of higher levels, teams feel integrated involvement and continue to promote the brand with a positive work ethic. The departmentalization of Chevron is set up so that at the top of the organization there is predominately a functional structure, while at the bottom there is a predominately matrix structure. This is due to the fact that toward the bottom of the company, the different employees collaborate with each other to produce the final product (refined gasoline in most cases) that most consumers of chevron product see. Because Chevron has so many different levels of matrixes, they are able to do most of their operational work within the company and not have to rely on other businesses to complete part of Chevron’s business. For example, Chevron hires its own accountants, its own maintenance crews, its own geologists, its own truck drivers, etc…. in order for them to not have to contract anything important out of the company. This is beneficial to the company because they do not have to worry about suppliers moving their products and it keeps most of the company’s financial costs to a minimum. In addition to saving money, it also allows the company to not have to worry about some of its trade secrets being revealed by members outside of the company. Attached in the appendix is a graphical illustration of Chevron’s functional structure at the top of the organization provided by The Official Board. Chevron, for the most part, operates through a decentralized decision making system because of its extensiveness and complexity as a global company.
Decisions are decentralized to the business unit level, which is a specialized department with a specific business function within the company. The business units at Chevron are responsible for geographic areas of the business sector. Since Chevron is an energy company, different business units would be departments such as upstream operations which are involved with finding the oil, developing it with wells and production facilities and downstream operations which involve refining the oil and marketing it, including at the gas stations. The business unit leader delegates authority to make decisions to employees in the same level of the business matrix. Under this leader there is delegation to lower managers and supervisors who overlook different teams specialized in specific entities of energy production. Chevron has operating business units in over 20 different countries with its corporate office in San Ramon, California. The corporate office decides the overall strategy such as what assets to buy or sell, what new businesses to start, and where to focus development. The business unit must report each month with progression within Chevron’s annual plan, production made, capital costs and specific project
advancement. Chevron takes many steps to ensure environmental certainty within the organization. Because the oil and gas industry is very volatile and refines a non-renewable resource, Chevron must take steps to insure it can survive in an industry with environmental uncertainty. Chevron is currently working to create different types of more economical fuel, and provide “the energy people need to fuel human progress,” whether that is in oil or a futuristic type of alternate energy (Chevron History). Because fossil fuels will not last forever, Chevron recognizes the need to research alternate fuel options and hires trained geologists and chemists to provide research in the future of energy.
John Gotti John Gotti: The American Mobster This is a story about a New York mobster, who was the Godfather of the Gambino Family. Today he is serving a life sentence in Marion Federal Penitentiary on 43 counts of racketeering, multiple murders, loan sharking, gambling, and even jury tampering. John Gotti was born October 27, 1940 in the Bronx. John Gotti had 12 other brothers and sisters.
As we open our eyes to the world around us, we see that crime comes in many different shapes and sizes. Organized crime is really not much different, it is a larger scale of individuals with the same goals, to commit criminal acts, normal for money or profit. As early as the 1700’s immigrants have been submitted to organized crime. They migrate to the United States and other countries in search for a better life but sometimes get caught up in the American system of wanting money and power and feel as though the illegal way is the only way of achieving this.
Organized crime has developed a stigma regarding its power and influence, especially during its hay day in the 1930’s. The mob has always been viewed as a powerful “family-like” organization. In Scarface, Hawkes brings the mafia into a seemingly more realistic light. By overturning Lovo’s position of power, Tony represents the idea of “every man for himself,” within a supposed organized group. The viewer steps into a cut-throat world of power hungry men, all trying to get rich quick. In this world, Hawkes asks, how can you organize men towards any goal if they all seek personal gain?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a team as: “a number of persons associated together in work or activity,” or “a group of people who work together.” In the current information age more companies are relying on teams to solve challenging tasks and to reach more difficult goals. Since a team of professionals with varying expertise can produce solutions that an individual working alone would likely struggle with, it is no wonder teamwork is becoming increasingly valuable to companies across all industries.
“Scarface”, an original gangster film created by Brian De Palma, has captured audience’s attention by remarkable editing shots and the superb use of mise-en-scene. “Scarface”, originally released December 9 of1983, is a drama revolved around the life of Tony Montana who is played by Al Pacino. Tony gets his name by the scar on his face going over his right eye. He was born in Cuba who immigrated to the United State who then starts his life in Florida from the bottom of the drug cartel to soon making his way up to becoming one of the most powerful cocaine cartel leaders in Miami. What made this film so realistic was because at the time, Miami was becoming a huge crime scene to cocaine smuggling and drug wars. According to Answers.com, this time was brutal and the people associated with this lifestyle were known as “Cocaine Cowboys” (par.3). It was a time where it wasn’t unusual to see and hear about drug related deaths. Brian De Palma captured all of this by his utilization of editing style and application of precise mise-en-scene.
War is a devastating event that can only result in painful consequences, created through the loss of family members, friends, or even parts of yourself. Authors have explored the many tragedies of war for years. One novel is Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun, which follows Joe Bonham, a naive soldier who is thrown into the midsts of a cataclysmic war that brings with it even greater losses for himself. Similarly, in the 1965 film, Shenandoah follows Charlie Anderson as him and his family attempt to avoid entering the American Civil War as it inches closer to their home. As the movie continues, Charlie is forced to get involved in the war and as a result suffer great consequences for it. Although Joe and Charlie experience consequences from
An Analysis of How Narrative and Genre Features Create Meaning and Generate Response in the Opening of Martin Scorsese’s Goodfellas
Kania & Davis states, “One rarely even decides anything without significant input from coworkers, support staff, and subordinates, especially the planners and budgetary analysts on a work team” (Kania & Davis, 2012, p. 8). In any work capacity, team work will always be mentally and physically beneficial to the officer, squad and department. Police departments in the United States are para military command structures, by which the efforts of an officer affects each and every member of the department. Team work often builds stronger relationship between supervisors and officers. Team building not only accomplishes tasks and goals more efficiently, but it also builds rapport, comradely, and provides superior service to the community.
The exclusive purpose of this article is to execute a strategic analysis using the SWOT analysis business tool to assess the different internal and external corporate powers and shortcomings (Fine, 2009). From the strategic investigation, we are able to determine the corporate strengths and weaknesses, as well as the probable opportunities and threats in the oil and gas diligence that may smidgeon its effects on the company. A valuation of the strategic analysis will be systematized such that two competitive strategies are proposed. The valuation of the two corporate level strategies will define and outline the manner in which these strategies exploit the strengths to apprehend opportunities and how weaknesses and threats can be extricated and diminished. After the evaluation of two strategies, one of the strategies will be selected, and will further analyze how the management functions of organizing and leading will perform a role in the implementation of the selected solution.
Organizations use teamwork because it increases productivity. This concept was used in corporations as early as the 1920s, but it has become increasingly important in recent years as employ...
The above essay gives clear idea about the teamwork. There are different types of team in the organization, which is very essential for the business. The theories of belbin (1993), Tuckman and Jensen (1977) shows the nine teams role and five stages of development which are very important for any team building and also in belbin theory there is practical example of the company who used the nine team role and win the award and tuckman theory has been criticed by authors, and the example of teamwork given by Apple Inc. Ceo Steve jobs and Microsoft shows important of teamwork in their organization. Therefore I came to the conclusion that teamwork is a for the organization and very helpful in achieving the task on time.
Teamwork: Demonstrates the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships both internally and externally. Willing to cooperate and be flexible when working with co-workers and management to complete a job, while always treating them with dignity and respect. Recognizes and respects differing opinions, approached differences with others in a respectful way; Acts with the team’s best interests in mind.
Teamwork is key in many situations in a workplace. Without it, many tasks could not get done and efficiency would go way down. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you are working with a huge group of people, teamwork could be between two people. Without cooperation, however, no two or more people could get anything done, or would at least do it very poorly. When you are part of a workplace that consists of more than yourself you are inevitably going to work with others. Even the CEO of a company has to meet and work with others from time to time. So teamwork is a vital part of your ethicality in a work environment and should be readily available to you at a moment 's notice. Without it, you are surely not going to get along well with others or have a very happy career.
Teamwork is defined as, “the process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal.” (Business Dictionary, n.d.) Ultimately, it provides us with a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of unity amongst each other. It allows us to create healthy relationships, and bond further with our peers, and generally, it’s a necessity for our lives. Teamwork aids us with developing imperative life lessons and skills. It also helps us gain a new perspective, and discover our strengths and weaknesses. Personally, I believe that I work well in a team, and I possess the skills of a good leader. Regardless, some individuals
Many businesses place an emphasis on the importance of teamwork. A good team consists of people with different skills, abilities and characters. A successful team is able to blend these differences together to enable the organisation to achieve its desired objectives.