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• "EDITORIAL -What is the role of a supervisor ?"
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• TO: H.R. PERSONNEL IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
• INTERNATIONAL TRADE FINANCE FOR BANKERS, IMPORTERS AND EXPORTERS, ETC.
• English With City & Guilds
• Article from the Institute of Leadership & Management, UK. MANAGING MARS & VENUS!
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We will now continue with Module 4 - "Managing resources" which has 5 sections as follows:-

In our March 2011 issue of our e-newsletter we dealt with section 4 – ‘Planning & Control’ and in this issue we shall look at “Inventory”

INVENTORY

Definition of Inventory

Types of Inventory

Examples of Inventory in operations

Reasons for holding inventory

Visible costs of Inventory

Hidden costs of inventory

Other costs of inventory

Two forms of demand

Inventory control systems
Fixed-order quantity system

Fixed-time period system

Economic Order Quantity

Other costs that increase inventory
Inventories are increased ‘just in case’…….

Replenish order timing decisions

Inventory cost calculation

Holding cost = working capital + obsolescence risk cost = (holding cost/unit x avg. inventory)

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English With City & Guilds

(Click for details)

ARTICLE(S) FROM THE INSTITUTE OF LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT, UNITED KINGDOM

(Click here for more information on ILM certification courses)

When John Gray’s now infamous book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus first hit the shelves in 1992, it proved an instant hit with the public, who flocked to the bookshops to learn about the mysterious inner workings of the opposite sex. Back then, readers’ interest in the fundamental psychological differences between men and women was fuelled more by their ambitions in the bedroom than the boardroom. And it’s taken the author over a decade to extend his observations to the workplace.
Today, managers can finally take advantage of John Gray’s insights into the sexes, following the publication of How to Get What You Want in the Workplace, in which he explains how in work, just as in life, men and women are motivated by very different things. Although, at times, his books verge on the simplistic, John Gray’s witty illumination of men and women’s opposing worlds offers a useful guide to managers. On Mars men get fulfillment from achieving results and doing a good job, while on Venus women find it by sharing, collaborating and cooperating in the quest for greater success. This fundamental contrast often leads to misunderstanding between the sexes at work, causing widespread and unnecessary friction in organizations across the world. To get the most from mixed sex teams, managers need to be able to recognize and capitalize on the contrasting wants, needs and motivations that men and women bring to work.
Because not only do the different sexes come to work for different reasons, when they get there they speak totally different languages. According to Deborah Tannen, professor of linguistics at Georgetown University, and author of the book ‘Talking from 9 to 5 – Women and Men at Work: Language, Sex and Power’, Men and women have opposing conversational rituals. When men communicate at work, they tend to employ oppositional strategies involving banter and teasing. Their main aim is to avoid appearing inferior, and they are less concerned with the effect of their words on others. By contrast, women focus on the effect of their words on the other person and aim to avoid appearing superior. It’s not that when either of these strategies is wrong, but the problem comes when they are taken literally and misinterpreted. ‘Men whose oppositional strategies are interpreted literally may be seen as hostile when they are not’, says Deborah. ‘When women use conversational strategies to avoid appearing boastful and to take the other person’s feelings into account, they may be seen as less confident and competent than they really are.’ This is an important factor for managers to consider when looking at how male and female members of their team interact
Managers will find themselves able to communicate far more effectively if they bear in mind the different ways that men and women will react to their words. Kerry Hallard, MD of public relations firm Buffalo PR was at the wrong end of a typical inter-gender misunderstanding during her first ever appraisal. Her male boss told her that there were three things going against her doing well in the IT industry – she was female, she was young and she was attractive. Looking back, Kerry says, ‘I think what he was probably trying to do was motivate me but what I walked away with was the idea that I hadn’t got a hope of doing well’. Now she can see that this was a typically masculine oppositional communication strategy. ‘I think that can be the male approach to management – not really thinking about what they’re saying and the effects of what they’re saying.’

Uncrossing the Wires  
Much of the confusion that arises between the sexes at work does so not just because men and women communicate in different ways, but because they do so for wholly different reasons. On Mars, men generally speak to make a point and convey information. On Venus, talking is about much more than that – it is a way of creating emotional ties and generating new ideas as well as helping with stress. As John Gray explains, ‘one of the major differences in communication is our emphasis on task versus relationship’. When men speak, they tend to focus on a task and have often mulled things over beforehand so that they speak confidently and stick to the point. This impresses men, but alienates women, who use words to express feelings as well as content and tend to be more relationship-focused in their approach. Nicola Youern, chief executive of independent charity Southern Focus Trust, has observed this tendency among her five-strong management team: ‘Men can be more task-focused. Women will explore the situation while men just want to get to the bottom of it.’ While these fundamental differences can lead to difficulties, if managed well they can also bring real benefits to a team. ‘I think women tend to look at the wider picture while men focus on the task, which brings a good balance to the discussion,’ says Nicola. Just appreciating these differences can help managers play to the strengths of their individual staff
Managers should also be aware that men and women are naturally inclined to approach problem solving from opposite viewpoints. Lucy Shepherd manages a mixed team of graphic designers and sees problem solving as a major differentiator. ‘Women come to me first before tackling the problem, to discuss it and get my views, whereas men head off on their own in more of a gung-ho fashion,’ she says. ‘It’s causes tension not only within the team but with other departments too.’
This can be put down to basic differences between male and female character. A man’s initial reaction to a problem is to try to solve it on his own, a process that John Gray calls ‘going to the cave’. In general, men are inclined to work alone on a problem and attempt to find a solution themselves without talking about it. Women, on the other hand, prefer to talk around the problem with others and gather everyone’s views and opinions, even if they have the solution themselves.
These different approaches can often lead to misunderstanding in the workplace. Because men don’t talk about a problem unless they want help in solving it, when they see women discussing a problem with others, they often view it has a sign of incompetence or lack of confidence. As a result, a male manager might consistently underestimate a female member of staff by misinterpreting her highly communicative approach to any problems she faces.
By contrast, for female managers managing men, John Gray’s advice is that ‘unless he is asking for help, a man is best supported by letting him do something all by himself’. When women see men approaching a problem alone,they automatically do as they would on Venus, and offer their advice and assistance. But on Mars, offering unsolicited advice is insulting and a definite no-no. It’s also highly unproductive at work as men tend to strongly resist any advice they haven’t specifically asked for.

Catering for Cave-Dwelling  
            Most men find they are at their most productive when they block out all distractions and focus on one task. When a man is in his cave, ‘he is unaware of others and doesn’t like being interrupted or distracted,’ explains Gray. This means that men are often less adept at multi-tasking – something managers need to understand and work around. Lucy Shepherd agrees that the men in her team find multi-tasking more difficult than their female colleagues. ‘When they have to stop one thing and start another, the men struggle and get very frustrated and stressed,’ she observes. As a manager, Lucy has found the key to this is to channel men’s doggedness and focus in a positive way. Although they find it difficult to juggle multiple tasks, Lucy recognizes that ‘men can focus on one thing and do it incredibly well, in a very detailed way and with a real perfectionist attitude, which can be really useful.’
Another of the most obvious differences managers will notice between the sexes is that men tend to be far more single-minded than women when it comes to self-promotion. This is because on Mars they value achievement, action and results. At work, men recognize that they are rewarded according to their achievements, and feel that it’s up to them to make sure others are aware of their talent and ability. On Venus, however, they tend to focus less on individual achievement and more on what the group has accomplished.
As Deborah Tannen explains, ‘it is not uncommon for many men to say “I” in situations where many women would say “We”. Women will often attribute their success to the help of others and minimize their role in order to maintain a sense of inclusiveness. And Lucy Shepherd has certainly noticed this when conducting appraisals with her team: ‘The women are very self-effacing and downplay their talents and achievements. They don’t actively seek promotion, while the men are very confident and certain that they should get promoted.’
To minimize the possible negative impact of these differences – men getting frustrated by unrealistic ambitions, while women fail to reach their potential – managers need to be able to see when members of their team are falling into these male and female patterns and react accordingly. Women should be encouraged to take the credit for their personal achievements and men helped to recognize and appreciate the contribution of their colleagues.
Women’s aversion to self-promotion also means they often need help and encouragement from their managers to build a profile and network within the organisation. Dr. Rowan Bradford, a managing consultant at business psychologists Kaisen Consulting, explains ‘women are just as good at networking as men but are often less inclined to use the networks for career goals and self-promotion’. But women’s desire to be liked at work doesn’t necessarily help when it comes to getting ahead. More important is the ability to be assertive and network with the right people, as James Murphy, a marketing manager with a large engineering company, has observed. Despite having the skills and ability to get ahead, one of James’ highest performing colleagues has been with the company for eight years and still hasn’t progressed up the ladder. ‘She doesn’t get noticed in the right way,’ he explains. ‘She gets noticed for being a lovely person but not for her ability. And male members of the team get promoted over her.’

Say the right things
This fundamental difference in character means that women are less likely than men to ask directly for a raise in salary, which could go some way to explaining the ever-present pay gap between the sexes. Even when women do ask for a pay rise, John Gray explains that they approach it in a different manner to men. Men typically broach the matter in a confident and positive manner, objectively pointing out their achievements and the benefits they have provided. When approaching a female manager, however, men might need to tone down their confidence as a woman may misconstrue it as arrogance and pushiness. By contrast, women seeking a pay rise are more likely to appeal to their managers in subjective language and talk about their dissatisfaction in the workplace using negative and personal terms. This can be seen as a complaint, and any manager hearing this is more likely to think that their female team member can’t handle her current workload than that she deserves a higher salary. John Gray advises that ‘it is essential that when women ask for more, they don’t use their emotions to justify their request’.
While the Martian approach to work is no better than the way they do things on Venus, it’s easy to see how the contrast between the two can lead to widespread frustration and misunderstanding. But by simply recognizing and accepting the inherent differences between male and female attitudes, motivation and values at work, and by helping colleagues and team members to do the same, managers can actually harness the strengths of both sexes and channel them for the benefit of the organisation. Fortunately this doesn’t mean compromising who we are in any ways, says John Gray, but just requires the ability to change how we respond to others and adjust our expression to what is appropriate in a given solution. And that is good advice for all managers, whatever planet their staff are on. 

"THE FIELD OF MANAGEMENT CAN BENEFIT TREMENDOUSLY FROM HANDS-ON  CERTIFICATION  - NOT JUST FROM ACADEMIC PROGRAMS"
(Dr. Tarcisius Chin)

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"Do-It-Yourself" - Train Yourself to become a complete and changed person by enrolling into our “On-Line Self Study Program”

The above Online training modules on Leadership & Management has been launched with the view of helping up-coming and progressive team leaders, executives and even managers who have supervisory or managerial duties. In line with our effort to contribute our expertise and experience, we are offering the first module i.e. "Managing Self for Optimum Performance & Effectiveness" absolutely "FREE OF CHARGE". So register now for the FOC module. Click here to register on-line.

For your information, to qualify for the “Certificate in Management” awarded by the Institute of Leadership & Management, U.K. you need to enroll for all the 10 modules and go through an assessment process conducted by ILM, UK to be a certified professional manager.

SO, LET TRAINING NETWORK INC. TAKE YOU TO THE NEXT LEVEL OF YOUR CAREER IN:

If you wish to complete all 10 programs (modules) to qualify for the award in ILM’s Certificate in Management, the PROGRAM FEES are as follows:

THE PROGRAMS ARE SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE:
Line managers, Executives, Supervisors, Aspiring Managers, Team Leaders, & Fresh graduates.

TO ENABLE YOU TO LEARN, THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS ARE NECESSARY:

• You must be able to work on a computer
• Able to read and write English. Perfect grammar is not considered essential
• No formal education required, but we expect the person to have at least achieved SPM standards.
• You must be committed to arrange for spare time to do self study, as you are expected to complete each program within 5 weeks.

BENEFITS

• You would have acquired the skills to become a complete manager and leader
• Learning is made flexible as you can do it at home, in your office, at your own pace.
• You do not have to take leave to attend training courses.
• E-Learning has reduced training cost considerably, therefore it is possible to price the programs within affordable means of a working adult.
• These programs are able help you in your self and career development.
• Helps build your self-confidence and personality, so that work issues and problems can be addressed positively and confidently.
• Learning is a continuous process, therefore you will get more from your work life by using the above programs to help you in whatever role you are playing.
• Experienced and  qualified Trainers will be made available through the email to coach and guide you through the whole process.

Chinese Parents – Try this if you have children working abroad!!  

Divorcing after 45 years an elderly Chinese man in Leicester calls his son in New York and says, "I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing; forty-five years of misery is enough!"  
"Pop, what are you talking about?" The son screams. "We can't stand the sight of each other any longer," the old man says. "We're sick of each other, and I'm sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Chicago and tell her!" Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. "Like heck they're getting divorced," she shouts, "I'll take care of this."  

She calls Leicester immediately, and screams at the old man, "You are NOT getting divorced. Don't do a single thing until I get there. I'm calling my brother back, and we'll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don't do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?" and hangs up.  

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. "Okay", he says, "They're coming for Chinese New Year and paying their own travel fare."

CONTACT US FOR MORE DETAILS

TNI is a resourceful training provider who is capable of helping employers and individuals to identify training and development needs for their people.

Contact person: Mr. Jimmy Ong
Tel. No: 03-2330 8000 (Office)
 (Please leave a message if Mr. Jimmy Ong is not in the office, or you may call his mobile phone)
Mobile: 016-216 1383
Fax: 03-2330 8133
Email: info@tnimalaysia.biz or jim@tnimalaysia.biz
Website: www.tnimalaysia.biz          

End of News!
Cheers