Archive for month: February, 2023

Individual Portfolio

Operations and Supply Chain Management – 2122SEPJAN

5031SSL

Dr Witold Bahr

2nd Nov 2021

Individual Portfolio

1 – SCM

Sustainability versus Demand

The role of the current supply chain for palm oil has been a subject of recent debate, relating to green practices and sustainability in line with the current market changes. The oil palm is perhaps the most feasible of the oil crops that are produced for commercial purposes. The worldwide demand for palm oil has rapidly increased to such an extent where it is now dominating global oil marketplaces, with production reaching 65 million tonnes in May 2016, according to the International Palm Oil Association (USDA, 2016). The growing of oil palm as a commodity and sector is multidimensional, it is however primarily driven by the steadily rising demand for affordable, commonly available food products by population increase in the world, particularly in areas such as Asia, which is magnified by the escalating utilisation of palm oil as a pocket friendly alternative for trans-fats and animal by-products in other geographic areas, including the United States (for example, Buckland, 2005; Rival & Levang, 2014). Sustainability is among the most pressing concerns facing supply chains across a wide range of businesses, and the palm oil industry is no exception.

Environmental and Ethical Issues

On the environmental and ethical aspects, there has been a great deal published. Closs et al. (2011) argue that additional concept is needed to explain how supply chain management may assist more generally to increasing the effectiveness of supply networks. As long-term sustainability challenges arise, businesses must develop effective ways to foresee and minimize the implications of any adverse repercussions (Carter et al., 2008). While there is some vulnerability within the palm oil supply chain itself, there are also concerns created by the different conflicting interests that exist between environmental, economic, and social elements (Hadiguna, 2012b; Widodo, 2010). A decreasing trend in the palm oil cost around the world, for example, will have an adverse impact on the stability of supply chain because palm oil growers are less likely to sell their palm fresh fruit bunches.

Social Challenges and Inconsistency Issues in the Supply Chain

Besides that, social challenges, including non-tariff barriers on palm oil waste pollution, are potential dangers that might destabilize the whole supply chain, if they materialize. In these settings, environmental, economic, and social risks must be successfully handled in order to preserve corporate sustainability (Bloemhof, 2005). If these risks are not dealt with quickly enough, they can develop into business issues (Carter and Easton, 2011). Palm oil supply chains, like other agricultural-based goods supply chains, are plagued by issues such as inconsistency in availability of raw materials, possibly due to seasonal fluctuations in crop production, high loss possibility during transit from plantation to production plant, a scarcity of qualified professionals, poor and inconsistent processed products quality, unsuitable material packaging, and prohibitively expensive packaging materials.

Recommendations on Supply Chain Elements

There are a number of recommendations that the sector should take into consideration. At the cultivation level, enhanced surveillance at the time the harvesting of the palm fruit, lessening the time required to ship collected fresh fruit bunches to the production plant, eliminating superfluous dealing to cut down the probability of the fruit going to waste or leftover, increasing the reliability of transportation for the collected fruit, and monitoring the loading and unloading of the lorries.

SCM Definitions Sources

The centralised management of how goods and services flow between locations and businesses. (Saberi, Kouhizadeh, Sarkis, & Shen, 2019)

The Practice of coordinating various activities needed in the production and delivery of products to the end users. (Langlois & Chauvel, 2017)

Handling of an entire production flow of products from the raw components to the delivery of final product to the customer (Azmi, Hamid, Hussin, & Ibrahim, 2017)

Table 1: Various SCM definitions

2 – Logistics

Potential Benefits

The benefits that the manufacturing company will get 3PLs include the ability to take advantage of economies of scale (benefits from large truck fleets, warehousing, and so forth) and economies of scope, that help businesses to enhance net value by cutting down the expenses. If the 3PL provider is acquainted with information technology, marketing, is not asset-based (and therefore flexible), or all of these factors are present, the impacts of these efficiencies are attained. Workflow management system abilities enable competent 3PLs to find dependable partners or contractors and to handle the cross – functional and cross flow of products in an effective and efficient manner. By delegating logistical tasks, the corporation can save money on capital expenditures and, as a result, lower their financial risks.

With years of experience knowing what makes the most sense for clients, 3PLs will have the capacity to streamline inventory and route management with innovative technology designed by the organization. 3PLs identify previously undiscovered effectiveness that can improve the efficiency of these key processes for the corporation and its consumers. Combining shipping items with those of other customers of the 3PL provider is advantageous to all parties involved. 3PL companies may arrange where each item needs to go and when it should get there, grouping materials and products that have similar schedules and destinations together for easier tracking.

Clients split the cost of the service since they no longer have to arrange an entire journey for just their own things, and the expense is spread amongst them. When it pertains to warehouses, the idea is the same as before. They can cut storing expenses for everyone by aggregating a diverse range of merchandise from many clients who all demand the same storability and area.

Potential Disadvantages

Undoubtedly, a solid and cost-efficient cooperation between the company and its third-party logistics supplier is difficult to create. In order to develop a dependable collaboration, steps need to be taken in two stages: the selection of a 3PL provider and the signing of a contract. It is critical to pick a new 3PL company who has the ability to give superior services at the beginning of the process of choosing a new 3PL company.

If the companies are unable to identify dependable third-party logistics suppliers, they may face financial losses. Because of the issue of asymmetric information between the organization (primary) and the 3PL company, it is difficult for companies to evaluate the capacity of the company during the selection phase (agent). Sophisticated selection techniques are required to determine their capacity in attempt to remedy this challenge. Furthermore, because of the complexity of the selection procedures, there may be an increase in transaction fees. Second, once a 3PL company has been found, it is critical to put in place a framework that will allow them to sustain a dependable collaboration. It is always necessary for the parties to share information and perceived risks with one another.

With regard to the exchange of information, it goes without saying that a more comprehensive exchange of information leads to an increase in the efficiency of the logistics activity. Nonetheless, if certain information that is critical to the company’s operations is compromised, the associated expenses may rise. As a result, each party’s pledge to information sharing is essential, and a plan for ensuring that these obligations are met must be developed in advance. Nevertheless, there would be an increase in transactional costs as a result of this. Building a risk-sharing arrangement between the company and the third-party logistics company is crucial for building dependable partnerships. Demand risk, inventory risk, and financial risk, among other things, are among the hazards associated with using 3PLs. In one common example of a rewarding program, the 3PL assumes a portion of the liabilities and then receives rewards depending on the growth in the organization’s profit.

Logistics Definitions Sources

Ensuring correct procurement of products and timely arrival of these products in the supply chain (He, Shen, Wu, & Luo, 2018)

The practice of coordinating transportation, storage, as well as distribution of products for use by an organization. (Dolati Neghabadi et al., 2019)

The general management of the flow of products or information from the points of origin to consumption. (Szymańska, Adamczak, & Cyplik, 2017)

Table 2: Various Logistics definitions

3 – Lean Management

Current Practices

In Shanghai, there is a diverse selection of restaurants that serve not just to local palates, but also serve cuisines from throughout China as well as the rest of the universe. Xian Qiang Fang is one of the top restaurants that can be found in Shanghai, and it is a must-try. The restaurant specializes in Shanghai-style dishes that are exquisite, innovative, fresh, aromatic, and delectable (Gładysz, Buczacki, & Haskins, 2020). The menu changes seasonally. As well as for its cuisine, the restaurant is well-known for its distinctive design and décor, which depicts the pretty standard and lavish Shanghai style of life during the 1930s period.

For each shift, the restaurant employs a pull-style production system, with the primary emphasis placed on safety and Just-In-Time delivery of the food produced. The food for a client is not ready till the order has been received by the cooking area. Upon receipt of the order, the kitchen staff works collaboratively to prepare and plate the order within a reasonable time frame. This procedure directly correlates with the restaurant’s stringent quality control procedures. Each item of food has to be correctly prepared and served before it is delivered to the client’s table. Using standardized cooking procedures, the restaurant staff is able to make sure that the amount of variation among meals is maintained to a bare minimum and that the overall quality is constant. A set of rules for how fast each particular dish ought to be prepared is provided by this standardization. It alerts the employees that something is totally incorrect if they are continuously sluggish than the established standard for the job.

A successful restaurant functionality is presently run by Xian Qiong Fang. Upon completion of their shift work, all leftover foodstuffs are made available to the staff in this all-you-can-eat Chinese eating experience. Because of this, theoretically, the amount of food that is wasted during the day is kept to an absolute minimum.

Logistics Definitions Sources

An approach in support of organizational continuous improvement (Danese, Manfè, & Romano, 2018)

An approach that targets the long-term systematic changes in small and incremental bits in processes so as to have improved quality and efficiency (Alkhoraif, Rashid, & McLaughlin, 2019)

A practice that seeks to create value to customers through the optimization of resources (Danese, Manfè, & Romano, 2018)

Table 3: Various Lean Management definitions

Recommendations

Firstly, it is recommended that all food and restaurant preparations be done at the same time every day, and that these standard timetables be used to schedule the appropriate number of staff to have available at all occasions on any nightly basis.

Secondly, Data on the average amount of walk-in clients per moment of year could be gathered over period, and the findings might be added to the number of existing (or scheduled) reservations in order to identify the standard servers and kitchen staff required on any nightly basis. For foods that take time to prepare, that cannot be prepared on order as per the restaurant’s current norm, this information will also allow kitchen staff to plan ahead of time how much food to begin preparing, ensuring that there is only sufficiently fresh, prepared food available for customers who are currently in or about to enter the establishment.

A lean supply chain system may be implemented at Xian Qiang Fang. Food service and ghost distributors are currently placing weekly orders for foods, alcoholic drinks, and other essentials, which are then delivered to the customers. Ordering takes a significant amount of time and is subject to mistakes (because of guesstimates) in the context that ordering much more of one product at the expense of not placing an order sufficient of some other product creates a negative opportunity cost.

If Xian Qiang Fang were to adopt a computerized food ordering tracking system for tracking the frequency of orders for various varieties of foods and beverages, this data could be used to allow the restaurant to apply a Just-in-Time ordering system with their clients; that is, to order precisely what they require, in the amounts they desire, and at the moment they require it. Moreover, shipments of food service might be made even before restaurant opens for daily business on a predefined day instead of during regular business hours, which might cause an interruption for both staff and clients, from the car park to the real provision of food service to legitimate clients.

References

Alkhoraif, A., Rashid, H., & McLaughlin, P. (2019). Lean implementation in small and

medium enterprises: Literature review. Operations Research Perspectives, 6, 100089.

Azmi, I., Hamid, N. A., Hussin, M. N. M., & Ibrahim, N. I. (2017). Logistics and supply

chain management: The importance of integration for business processes. Journal of emerging economies and Islamic Research, 5(4), 73-80.

Bloemhof, J. 2005. “Sustainable Supply Chains for the Future.” Medium EconometrischeToepassingen 13 (1): 12–15.

Buckland, H. (2005), ‘The Oil for Ape Scandal: How Palm Oil is Threatening Orang UtanSurvival’, London, UK: Friends of the Earth Trust.

Carter, C. R. and P. L. Easton. 2011. “Sustainable Supply Chain Management: Evolution and

Future Directions.” International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management 41 (1): 46–62

Carter, C.R. & Rogers, D.S. (2008), ‘A Framework for Sustainable supply chain

management; moving toward new theory’, International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Vol. 38, pp. 360-387

Danese, P., Manfè, V., & Romano, P. (2018). A systematic literature review on recent lean

research: state‐of‐the‐art and future directions. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20(2), 579-605.

Dolati Neghabadi, P., Evrard Samuel, K., & Espinouse, M. L. (2019). Systematic literature

review on city logistics: overview, classification and analysis. International Journal of Production Research, 57(3), 865-887.

Gładysz, B., Buczacki, A., & Haskins, C. (2020). Lean Management Approach to Reduce

Waste in HoReCa Food Services. Resources, 9(12), 144.

Hadiguna, R. A. 2012b. “Model Penilaian Risiko Berbasis Kinerja pada rantai pasok MinyakSawit Berkelanjutan di Indonesia.” Jurnal Teknik Industri 14 (1): 13–24

He, M., Shen, J., Wu, X., & Luo, J. (2018). Logistics space: A literature review from the

sustainability perspective. Sustainability, 10(8), 2815.

Langlois, A., & Chauvel, B. (2017). The impact of supply chain management on business

intelligence. Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business, 7(2).

Rival, A. & Levang, P. (2014), ‘Palms of Controversies: Oil Palm and Development

Challenges’, Bogor, Indonesia: Center for International Forestry Research.

Saberi, S., Kouhizadeh, M., Sarkis, J., & Shen, L. (2019). Blockchain technology and its

relationships to sustainable supply chain management. International Journal of Production Research, 57(7), 2117-2135.

Szymańska, O., Adamczak, M., & Cyplik, P. (2017). Logistics 4.0-a new paradigm or set of

known solutions?. Research in Logistics & Production, 7.

USDA – United States Department of Agriculture. 2017. Oil Seeds: World Markets & Trade:

May 2016. US: Department of Agriculture.

Widodo, K. H. 2010. “Sustainable Supply Chain Based Scenarios for Optimizing Trade-Off

between Indonesian Furniture and Crude-Palm-Oil Industries.” Operations and Supply Chain Management: An International Journal 3 (3): 176–185.

Florida Education Finance Program

Student’s Name

Date

Institutional Affiliation

Introduction

The Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) caters to all public-school students in Florida and guarantees funding and access to all educational needs, services, and programs. The legislature enacted this constitutional funding formula in 1973. It uniformly allocates funds to each student who participates in the public-school programs regardless of the local economy and geographical differences. This mechanism for educational funding guarantees equalized education opportunities as financial provision is dependent on student participation in educational programs instead of financing based on the number of teachers and classrooms(Wright, 2010). These programs factor in aspects such as student population sparsity, local property tax, district cost differential, and cost of educational programs to equalize funding amongst all school districts in Florida( OPPAGA, 2021).

Local, state and federal support are the primary sources of funds for the Florida Education Finance programs. Local support is derived from local sources such as property taxes collected in all Florida counties. The property tax estimate is specific for each county as the Florida Department of revenue utilizes a legal procedure to determine rates. Local support accounts for up to 90% of the school districts’ total FEFP. The state support includes legislative appropriations such as the general revenue fund, the state school trust fund, and the educational enhancement trust fund ( Florida School Boards Association, 2016). The general revenue fund encompasses a sales tax on all services and goods (Florida Department of Education, 2021 ). In contrast, the educational enhancement trust fund encompasses the tax proceeds from the Florida lottery net proceeds and gambling machines. Other sources of funds in the state support include income from mobile home licenses and tax receipts from the state’s forests. The final source of funding is federal support, and this has direct funding from federal agencies such as the department of education and the Department of Interior. The federal funding support through the Coronavirus aid, relief, and economic security act were especially beneficial in addressing the adverse impacts of Covid-19 in school operations (OPPAGA, 2021).

Florida Education Finance Program Calculation

The Florida Education Finance Program is calculated by multiplying the full-time equivalent (FTE) student by the cost factors of the FTE(OPPAGA, 2021). Student enrollment serves as the basis for education funding; thus, one FTE is described as the total sum of hours of instructions given to each student. As FTEs vary based on the student’s educational level, this variable is based on the school district projections and the demographic of the students. Cost factors are the actual cost of each educational program. For instance, the cost of a basic program weighs less than a special student program; hence, the cost factor equates to the program’s actual cost multiplied by the demographic of the students taking the said program. Once the full-time equivalent is multiplied by cost factors, a weighted FTE is determined. The weighted FTE is then multiplied by the base student allocation (BSA) and the district cost differential (DCD), and subsequently, this determines the base funding. The base student allocation is the funds allocated to each FTE, while the district cost differential is the cost of living of each district ( OPPAGA, 2021).

To determine the total funds, also identified as the gross state and local FEFP funds, supplements, and allocations such as reading program, student transportation allocation, and the department of juvenile justice supplements, among others, are added to the base funding. Once the gross state and local FEFP funds are determined, the required local effort is removed from that equation while adjustments to appropriation are added (OPPAGA, 2021 ). The required local effort is removed from this equation to determine the state FEFP funds. Therefore if a school district has fewer local funds, the state funds are greater, and if a school district has more local funds, the state funds are lower. It equalizes the funding per student, thus ensuring all public school students across Florida receive equal educational funds. Once the required local effort is subtracted, the ending result is a net state FEFP in which a class size reduction allocation fund is added, thus amounting to the total state funding. Lastly, the required local effort levies and the 748 discretionary millage levies are added, thus providing total funding (OPPAGA, 2021).

Impact of Increased Required Local Effort

Local effort funding accounts for up to 90% of a school district’s total FEFP. Increasing the required local effort would increase educational funding, further enabling equitable funding across all school districts in Florida. For instance, if the higher required local effort was based on property wealth and income, high income and property wealth districts could contribute more funding, eventually making up for the difference between district needs. Moreover, contributions based on property income and wealth would ensure equalized funding as wealthy school districts could fully fund their expected budget (Shuls, 2017). It would then mean that more financial resources are allocated to school districts that serve the most students from low-income and property wealth regions. Furthermore, equalized funding can solve the current systemic underfunding of students from low wealth and income regions (Morgan, 2018). For instance, New Jersey lends more funds to schools in high poverty districts, thus ensuring schools in poor districts have up to 20% more funding than their counterparts in low poverty districts.

In addition, a rise in the required local effort would increase in the funds for specific and targeted educational programs for low-income students. It will ensure that education funding is allocated as per the needs of students and serve to equalize the educational opportunities, services, and programs provided to students from both high-income and low-income families (Baker, 2004). Other than students from low-income families, a higher required local effort could help increase additional funds that cater to students with disabilities and other special needs. It will help address compounded challenges and ensure that all students, regardless o their unique needs, have access to all educational programs and services.

Conclusion

The Florida Education Finance Program is crucial in providing educational programs and services to all public-school students in the state of Florida. Through this program, school funding is uniformly allocated to all schools regardless of their geographic locations and local economies. Though this educational finance program requires more funding to guarantee the equal provision of educational programs to low-income and high-income students, it has enabled overall student participation, thus providing basic educational needs to all students in Florida.

References

Baker, B. D., & Friedman-Nimz, R. (2004). State policies and equal opportunity: The example of gifted education. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 26(1), 39-64.

Florida Department of Education. (2021). Funding for Florida School Districts. Retrieved http://www.fldoe.org/fefpFlorida School Boards Association. (2016). Understanding the FEFP. Retrieved https://fsba.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/2016-17-FEFP-101.pdf

Morgan, I., & Amerikaner, A. (2018). Funding Gaps 2018: An Analysis of School Funding Equity across the US and within Each State. Education Trust.

OPPAGA. (2021). Florida Education Finance Program. Retrieved https://oppaga.fl.gov/ProgramSummary/BackPageDetail?programNumber=2002&backPageNumber=01

Shuls, J. V. (2017). Financing school choice: How program design impacts issues regarding legality and equity. Kan. JL & Pub. Pol’y, 27, 500.

Wright, R. (2010). State education finance and governance profile: Florida. Peabody Journal of Education, 85(1), 61-65.

Effects of globalization on culture

Name

Institution

Course

Date

Introduction

Globalization is the global alliance in matters of the trade, economy as well as the culture, in the literal sense; globalization is the transformation of a regional phenomenon into a global ones. It can also be described as the process in which people around the world get unified to form a one society that functions together. Globalization heavily banks upon worldwide by its expansions and integration. Due to advancement in the field of technology, today, the world at large has shrunk into a village, given that globalization has swept all the boundaries in politics. Globalization in general is the combination of technological, economic, socio-cultural and the political forces. This paper hence analyzes the effects of globalization while comparing the cultural differences in the Middle East, the Europe and America as well as analyzing a SWOT analysis on how to develop the country market entry strategy.

Globalization has got different definition, according to Palmer, (2003), he defines globalization as “the diminution or elimination of state-enforced restrictions on exchanges across borders and the increasingly integrated and complex global system of production and exchange that has emerged as a result.”

Impacts of globalization on culture

Globalization has brought the borrowing of culture among the different states. This can be an advantage and it can also serve as a disadvantage. It is an advantage in that it makes people from other states to learn about the cultures of different people from other states thus enhancing the bond between the different states and they also learn to appreciate as well as, respect other cultures. It is a disadvantage in that other people may adopt other culture fully at the expense of their own. This may lead to the fading away of a particular culture since the people of that particular region have embraced a different culture and have shunned their original culture. This situation must be avoided at all costs so that people cannot forget their original roots(Rugman, 2003).

Globalization on the other hand, seems to be responsible for ever-rising gaps existing between impoverished majority and affluent few. The feeling of resentment fails to predict well for the society. In this case, globalization tends to make big multinationals plus corporations to be powerful enough so that it interferes with policy making of the country. The interest of people tends to get jeopardized since they are willing to call shots. Globalization has as well contributed to ecological risks with a rise in global inequalities (Rugman, 2003).

Globalization has impacted both positively and negatively all around the globe. The Middle East states have portray a varied attitude towards different forms of globalization, for instance, the Islamic of the Middle East unlike the Latin America or the East Asia, are not in support of globalization. They have the perception that the introduction of globalization will put their culture in harm. They view globalization as a threat to their culture. According to an East Scholar, Rubin, unless the Islamic of the Middle East find something to write home to in the whole globalization issue, the continued rebellion will not cease (Moncada-Paternò-Castello, Vivarelli, & Voigt, 2011).

For any state to grow economically, they have to be ready to embrace the introduction of the new innovations which come as a result of globalization. They must be able to adjust to the changes that come with globalization. Some of the Middle East states should loosen up to the idea of globalization and use is to their advantage in order to have an economically stable country. The rift between the west and the Islamic is due to lack of proper communication. The Muslims are not in support of the globalization since they find it to be more westernized, so they are finding their own way of globalizing themselves. For instance, they allow the use of internet among their followers to connect together to those people who share the same understanding of Islamic.

Many states of the Middle East are fiercely against the incorporation of globalization in their culture. They are adamant to some aspects of globalization so they cannot put up with some practices that come along with it. They strongly cling to their culture and they cannot change it to go with the trend of the modern world, so they opt to remain conservative.

The government of the Middle East is not ready to adopt the introduction of globalization in their culture. The anti- globalization is rampant in the better part of the region. It has also resulted to feuds in the region. There is an enormous fear of embracing globalization. Its vivid that the better part if Middle East is not in support of the changing trends, globalization has proven to of benefit, for example, the Gulf State shich has chosen to take a different path and they have chosen to embrace globalization and as a result they improved their state economically. They chose positive side of globalization and used it to their advantage. They associate themselves with the west which has been of a great significance to their economy (Moncada-Paternò-Castello, Vivarelli, & Voigt, 2011).

For America and Europe, the case is quite the contrary from the Middle East. They are more approving to the idea of globalization since its much more of the western culture which they are used to. Globalization is seen to be similar to westernization or rather modernization which in fact poses an immense threat to the traditional culture which America as compared to the Middle East and Europe can be seen as the one in great support of the idea of globalization, and therefore wanting to force it to the other states. People tend to think that it had no impact at all to the Americans, but that is not the case. They too had a share of the impact that globalization brought along with it (Moncada-Paternò-Castello, Vivarelli, & Voigt, 2011).

Globalization has helped to improve the civic society in America by integrating the citizens. This is so, since it builds unity and the need to work in togetherness hence yielding high quality outcomes. It also establishes peace among the states and there is an interaction among the people of the different states therefore creating links between them. That is positive in that resources will be shared and trade enhanced between the states raising the economy of America.

The Americans have no dispute over the influence of another culture on them. A greater percentage attributed the diversity of culture to their success according to ‘a Pew poll 2000. So this shows that when a state takes globalization and use it to its advantage, they stand a great chance in improving its economy.

References

Rugman, A. (2003). Regional strategy and the demise of globalization. Journal of International Management, 9(4), 409-417.

Huynen, M., Martens, P., & Hilderink, H. (2005). The health impacts of globalisation: a conceptual framework. Globalization and Health, 1(1), 20.Moncada-Paternò-Castello, P., Vivarelli, M., & Voigt, P. (2011). Drivers and impacts in the globalization of corporate R&D: an introduction based on the European experience. Industrial and Corporate Change, 20(2), 585-603.

Haugen, D. M., & Mach, R. (2010). Globalization. London: Greenhaven Press.

Barndt, D. (2008). Tangled routes: women, work, and globalization on the tomato trail (2nd ed.). New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Individual Moods and Emotions in the Workplace

Students Name

Course Code and Number

Instructor’s Name

Date of Submission

Introduction

The emotions, moods, and general dispositions indeed have an effect on the job performance of employees. Different aspects such as decision-making, creativity, disengagement, collaboration, and negotiation skills, as well as their ability to lead are all affected by moods and emotions (Shockley et al., 2012). As such, it is crucial for one to know his or her personality. Through the big five project personality test, I have been able to learn my moods and emotions in the workplace. In terms of description, there exist five dimensions in which the human personality can be described. The five dimensions are open mindedness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and negative emotionality (Rushton & Irwing, 2009). They describe an individual’s state of mind given their environment and personal characteristics.

Test results and application

With regards to the first dimension, I scored low in terms of open mindedness. This, according to the Outofservice (2016), means that I am a person who is uncreative, conventional and down to earth with narrow interests. I may use this learning to improve on this dimension in the workplace. Open-mindedness is essential for professional success, and open-minded folks do not care if they are correct or wrong; instead, they concentrate on comprehending. They can tolerate more since they can think about things from different perspectives. To become an open-minded person in the work place, I will Regularly communicate ideas with my co-workers and colleagues, accept constructive criticism without resentment, recognize and applaud other folk’s accomplishments. I will also work on being adaptable when it comes to changing responsibilities, tasks, or timetables, request feedback from employees as well as clients, partners, and service suppliers and urge others to be open-minded. I may also patience, be cheerful, comfortable, and easy-going at workplace, in my personal relationships, and all other aspects in my life.

In terms of the second dimension, the results came out that I am neither disorganized or organized, but somewhere in between the two. Nevertheless, I ought to work a little bit harder on this dimension in order to become an organized individual in the workplace since these are individuals tend to be reliable, self-disciplined, careful and well organized within the workplace. Being organized means that one can save time and spend more time in working on vital activities if he or she stays organized. Being organized in the workplace means more productivity in the workplace as it improves and allows a better flow of communication between team members through structure. Improved communication, admittedly, translates into better and improved performance in the workplace.

In relation to the third dimension, that is extraversion, the results were also neural as it indicated that I am neither reserved or social. This is another area that I ought to work on and be more sociable and talkative. Being sociable increases the likelihood of creating strong social connections with colleagues in the workplace and this has been found to have other benefits. Workers who have co-worker friendships or social contacts tend to be more invested and committed. This is mainly due to the fact that solid work relationships contribute to the development of a strong business culture that values respect, dedication, and trustworthiness. In the workplace, social connections foster a sense of belonging, which is critical for nurturing creativity, collaboration, and teamwork. Workers that have good relationships are more committed and driven to do their best work.

A work atmosphere that encourages social interaction may also have effective recruitment and selection results. Interactions among employees are improved when they are more sociable in the workplace since these characteristics aid in the effective management and resolution of conflict. When one is I are involved in a workplace conflict or debate, negotiation skills might assist the individual in finding a common ground. Employees with social skills are more likely to get along with one another because they encourage team engagement through tolerance and collaboration. Workers who exhibit these characteristics operate within the group culture in order to attain objectives in the most effective way.

The other dimension is agreeableness. In this case, the results indicated that I am an individual who easily express dissatisfaction or irritation with others. This is an area that I surely need to improve on and become a person that is empathetic, courteous and forgiving. Empathy enables people to form social bonds with other people. Individuals can respond correctly in social circumstances if they comprehend what others are thinking and experiencing. Kansky and Diener (2017) found that social relationships are vital for both physical and mental well-being. Empathy encourages people to help others. When one show compassion for other individuals, he or she is more inclined to engage in helping activities, and other folks are more willing to come to the assistance of the individual when s/he feels empathy. Unfortunately, empathy is among the soft skills that are often overlooked as a performance indicator. Nonetheless, empathy is a useful soft skill in the workplace particularly among leaders since this means the ability and capacity of comprehending the needs of the followers, their thoughts as well as feelings.

Lastly, negative emotionality is the last dimension of the test. I scored high in negative emotionality and this implies that I am an individual with a high sense of insecurity, nervousness and worrying. Anxiety has a negative impact on every part of a person’s life, including their ability to works. A considerable portion of employees can admit that anxiety has a negative impact on their job performance and it may also have a negative influence on the relationships with colleagues and peers (Jensen, Patel, and Messersmith, 2013). Other negative impacts include; reduced job satisfaction, reduced confidence, taking fewer risks and career growth will likely to stagnate, and reduced goal setting.

Conclusion

Understanding one’s personality type can have a profound impact on life in a variety of ways. One will be able to identify the place where he or she belongs and what s/he ought to do in order to become successful in studies, relationships, finances, and other aspects of your life as well. Checking one’s personality type may not appear to be a major concern at first glance. Those who are extremely successful in life, nevertheless, are well-known for having identified their own personality type and being able to communicate effectively with others.

References

Jensen, J. M., Patel, P. C., & Messersmith, J. G. (2013). High-performance work systems and job control: Consequences for anxiety, role overload, and turnover intentions. Journal of Management, 39(6), 1699-1724.

Kansky, J., & Diener, E. (2017). Benefits of well-being: Health, social relationships, work, and resilience. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 1(2), 129-169.

Outofservice. (2016). The Big Five Project: Personality Test. Available at https://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/

Rushton, J. P., & Irwing, P. (2009). A general factor of personality in the comrey personality scales, the minnesota multiphasic personality inventory-2, and the multicultural personality questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences, 46(4), 437-442.

Shockley, K. M., Ispas, D., Rossi, M. E., & Levine, E. L. (2012). A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between state affect, discrete emotions, and job performance. Human Performance, 25(5), 377-411.

Appendix 1: Personality test 1- The big five project

Appendix 2: Personality test 2- Stress-O-Meter

page 145.