1 Writing Assignment #2 Background Review and Synthesis of Literature Summary of assignment • Task: You will complete the following: o Select a topic for writing assignment #4 o Research that topic in OneSearch TO REACH THIS USE: OneSearch - UMGC Library ▪ MY LOGIN INFO: MKANG12 ▪ PASSWORD: Hazelbear7% o Locate at least seven articles from scholarly or credible trade journals on the topic o Write a synthesis of the articles. • Length: 1000-1400 words. • Format: APA 7th edition • Sources: At least seven sources from scholarly or credible trade journals • Writing Process: You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be graded. The instructor will provide comments to it. After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft will be graded. 2 Continue to the next page How This Assignment Informs Future Assignments in WRTG 394 This assignment is designed to help you prepare for the final paper in WRTG 394. Keep in mind that your final paper in WRTG 394 will be a report in which you define a problem in your workplace or community persuasively and accurately and propose a solution or solutions to the problem or issue. For writing assignment #2, consider the problem you will address and conduct research in the library on the topic. For example, let us assume that you are considering writing a report to the Dean of The School of Arts and Sciences at UMGC to recommend that UMGC move from LEO as its learning management system (LMS) to a different learning management system. In preparing to write this type of report, you might complete the following for writing assignment #2: Conduct library research on the topics of learning management systems for schools, online teaching, and effective teaching in an online environment. What do We Mean by Synthesis? In a background review and synthesis of the literature, you don’t take a stand on an issue. You review what the articles say on the issue, dividing the arguments in the articles into themes. For example, let us assume that you conduct library research on the topic of learning management systems for schools, online teaching, and effective teaching in an online environment. You might find that three major themes emerge from your perusing of the seven articles: • • • common reasons for resisting the move to a new LMS impact on faculty members when transitioning to a new LMS impact on students when transitioning to new LMS 3 Selection of Topics Examples of Topics for Writing Assignment #4, the Research-Based Report A student could write a report on a number of topics. The following are some examples. Please note that these are examples of topics. You are not required to choose any of them. They are provided here to help illustrate this assignment. • • • • a report to your supervisor at work suggesting that email be used less frequently for communication and that another application be used to improve communication a report to your city council suggesting a new smart traffic light system for parts of the city a report to the program chair of your major at UMGC to suggest changes to one or more of the classes required in the major a report to the manager of your unit at work noting that recycling facilities in the workplace should be improved Examples of Topics for Writing Assignment #2, the Background Review and Synthesis, Based on the Suggested Topics Above In any report of this nature, some background research is necessary. For example, consider the following strategies when collecting background research for the topics mentioned above: • • • • For a report to your supervisor at work suggesting that email be used less frequently for communication and that another application be used to improve communication, some scholarly literature or articles from credible trade journals on transitioning to alternative electronic communication would be beneficial. In addition, articles that demonstrate the problems with email communication would add to the argument. For a report to your city council proposing a new smart traffic light system, some trade journal or scholarly literature on such systems would augment the report considerably. For a report to the program chair of your major at UMGC, some scholarly or trade journal articles on the skills that a graduate of that major needs in the workplace would be very effective. This information would greatly enhance the credibility of a report that suggests changes to the curriculum. For a report to the manager of your unit at work arguing that recycling facilities in the workplace should be improved, some scholarly articles or studies on the challenges of and benefits to implementing recycling facilities in organizations would be persuasive. Of course, there are varieties of recycling programs. The articles you find would help define what type of recycling program you would propose. Length of Your Paper 4 As noted above, your background review of the literature on your topic should be 1000-1400 words in length. The sources should be cited throughout the paper in APA format and listed in a References page at the end of the paper in APA format. You will find that your synthesis will be a helpful component of your final research-based report. In fact, if your synthesis is well written, you might be able to take parts of it and copy them into sections of the final report. The skills and strategies you gain from writing the background review and synthesis of literature will be very valuable in writing your final research-based report. Guide to Help You in Writing this Assignment: Please read the sample paper in our class from Tom Student. In addition, the following link provides access to guides on writing a research-based business report. While the guide provides instruction on writing a research-based business report, for the purposes of writing assignment #2, you might focus on how the guide instructs you on the use of sources and secondary research for the report. • Victoria University of Wellington Additional Topics that Previous Students Have Used Some possible workplace research topics are the following. These are examples to help you get started. Please contact your instructor to have other topic ideas approved. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Making a change in the computer infrastructure at your workplace Establishing a drug policy Establishing an employee leave donation program Establishing an equipment donation program for used computers, etc. Establishing a company recycling program (paper, etc.) Education/retraining for your employees Recommending the purchase of standing desks for employees Designing a training program for workplace safety issues Redesigning employee performance evaluations Establishing on-site day care or providing other child care benefits Providing gym membership or creating an on-site workout facility Creating or revising a charitable contribution policy Creating or improving a tuition assistance program Accommodations needed for employee/s with specific health issues (for example, migraines) 5 Some students have chosen topics outside of their workplaces, such as the following: • • • • • • • • • Getting additional lighting in the neighborhood Changing traffic patterns around your child’s school Starting a PTA website for your child’s school Constructing a crying baby room at your place of worship Offering ESL courses at your church Increasing participation in a military Family Support Group Introducing a youth sports program to a school or community Changing the design of a class for your university Changing the learning management system for online classes for your university Submitting the assignment: You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be graded. The instructor will provide comments to it. After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft will be graded. 1 Writing Assignment #2 Background Review and Synthesis of Literature Summary of assignment • Task: You will complete the following: o Select a topic for writing assignment #4 o Research that topic in OneSearch o Locate at least seven articles from scholarly or credible trade journals on the topic o Write a synthesis of the articles. • Length: 1000-1400 words. • Format: APA • Sources: At least seven sources from scholarly or credible trade journals • Writing Process: You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be graded. The instructor will provide comments to it. After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft will be graded. 2 Continue to the next page How This Assignment Informs Future Assignments in WRTG 394 This assignment is designed to help you prepare for the final paper in WRTG 394. Keep in mind that your final paper in WRTG 394 will be a report in which you define a problem in your workplace or community persuasively and accurately and propose a solution or solutions to the problem or issue. For writing assignment #2, consider the problem you will address and conduct research in the library on the topic. For example, let us assume that you are considering writing a report to the Dean of The School of Arts and Sciences at UMGC to recommend that UMGC move from LEO as its learning management system (LMS) to a different learning management system. In preparing to write this type of report, you might complete the following for writing assignment #2: Conduct library research on the topics of learning management systems for schools, online teaching, and effective teaching in an online environment. What do We Mean by Synthesis? In a background review and synthesis of the literature, you don’t take a stand on an issue. You review what the articles say on the issue, dividing the arguments in the articles into themes. For example, let us assume that you conduct library research on the topic of learning management systems for schools, online teaching, and effective teaching in an online environment. You might find that three major themes emerge from your perusing of the seven articles: • • • common reasons for resisting the move to a new LMS impact on faculty members when transitioning to a new LMS impact on students when transitioning to new LMS 3 Selection of Topics Examples of Topics for Writing Assignment #4, the Research-Based Report A student could write a report on a number of topics. The following are some examples. Please note that these are examples of topics. You are not required to choose any of them. They are provided here to help illustrate this assignment. • • • • a report to your supervisor at work suggesting that email be used less frequently for communication and that another application be used to improve communication a report to your city council suggesting a new smart traffic light system for parts of the city a report to the program chair of your major at UMGC to suggest changes to one or more of the classes required in the major a report to the manager of your unit at work noting that recycling facilities in the workplace should be improved Examples of Topics for Writing Assignment #2, the Background Review and Synthesis, Based on the Suggested Topics Above In any report of this nature, some background research is necessary. For example, consider the following strategies when collecting background research for the topics mentioned above: • • • • For a report to your supervisor at work suggesting that email be used less frequently for communication and that another application be used to improve communication, some scholarly literature or articles from credible trade journals on transitioning to alternative electronic communication would be beneficial. In addition, articles that demonstrate the problems with email communication would add to the argument. For a report to your city council proposing a new smart traffic light system, some trade journal or scholarly literature on such systems would augment the report considerably. For a report to the program chair of your major at UMGC, some scholarly or trade journal articles on the skills that a graduate of that major needs in the workplace would be very effective. This information would greatly enhance the credibility of a report that suggests changes to the curriculum. For a report to the manager of your unit at work arguing that recycling facilities in the workplace should be improved, some scholarly articles or studies on the challenges of and benefits to implementing recycling facilities in organizations would be persuasive. Of course, there are varieties of recycling programs. The articles you find would help define what type of recycling program you would propose. Length of Your Paper 4 As noted above, your background review of the literature on your topic should be 1000-1400 words in length. The sources should be cited throughout the paper in APA format and listed in a References page at the end of the paper in APA format. You will find that your synthesis will be a helpful component of your final research-based report. In fact, if your synthesis is well written, you might be able to take parts of it and copy them into sections of the final report. The skills and strategies you gain from writing the background review and synthesis of literature will be very valuable in writing your final research-based report. Guide to Help You in Writing this Assignment: Please read the sample paper in our class from Tom Student. In addition, the following link provides access to guides on writing a research-based business report. While the guide provides instruction on writing a research-based business report, for the purposes of writing assignment #2, you might focus on how the guide instructs you on the use of sources and secondary research for the report. • Victoria University of Wellington Additional Topics that Previous Students Have Used Some possible workplace research topics are the following. These are examples to help you get started. Please contact your instructor to have other topic ideas approved. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Making a change in the computer infrastructure at your workplace Establishing a drug policy Establishing an employee leave donation program Establishing an equipment donation program for used computers, etc. Establishing a company recycling program (paper, etc.) Education/retraining for your employees Recommending the purchase of standing desks for employees Designing a training program for workplace safety issues Redesigning employee performance evaluations Establishing on-site day care or providing other child care benefits Providing gym membership or creating an on-site workout facility Creating or revising a charitable contribution policy Creating or improving a tuition assistance program Accommodations needed for employee/s with specific health issues (for example, migraines) 5 Some students have chosen topics outside of their workplaces, such as the following: • • • • • • • • • Getting additional lighting in the neighborhood Changing traffic patterns around your child’s school Starting a PTA website for your child’s school Constructing a crying baby room at your place of worship Offering ESL courses at your church Increasing participation in a military Family Support Group Introducing a youth sports program to a school or community Changing the design of a class for your university Changing the learning management system for online classes for your university Submitting the assignment: You will submit a first draft of the essay to the assignment folder. The first draft will not be graded. The instructor will provide comments to it. After receiving comments from the instructor, you will submit a revised draft. The final draft will be graded. Writing Assignment 2: Synthesis Literature Review - YouTube Synthesis Essay WRTG 394 Teleworking A review of the popular, trade, and scholarly literature on teleworking has shown three major categories: the impact of teleworking on employees who telework, the impact of teleworking on the social and working relationships among all workers, and management strategies and behaviors that influence the success of a teleworking arrangement. The Impact of Teleworking on Employees Who Telework Studies show that teleworkers can feel isolated and detect increased demands on them as a result of teleworking. One common theme is stress. Teleworkers can “suffer from heightened stress and anxiety if it is not easy for them to switch off” (Crunden, 2016, p. 11). Such stress might be contributed to by longer work hours. Teleworkers are likely to work more hours and less likely to work a regular schedule (Noonan & Glass, 2012). In fact, Kossek, Thompson, and Lautsch (2015) shed light on both increased stress and longer work hours as they identified several “traps” that can ensnare teleworkers, including one of “altered work-life dynamics” (p. 7). Employees, they argue, can feel “isolated and distant from the social life of the firm” and, thus, not feel as much of a part of the organizational culture as non-teleworking employees do (p. 7). Furthermore, “job or family creep” can intensify with a teleworking arrangement, often caused by the inability to set boundaries between work and family lives (p. 8). In fact, “…heavier users of work-life flexibility supports actually experienced increased work-family conflict” (p. 8). Thus, Kossek et al. concluded that, while teleworking is often designed to reduce stress among workers, it can often increase stress among workers who are unable to separate work from family life in a clear fashion. 2 Teleworkers can also sense a different set of evaluation criteria from that of nonteleworking employees. Caillier (2013), in his study of teleworking federal employees, concluded that employees who chose not to telework did not report that they were being managed for results as much as teleworking employees reported. Caillier surmised that it is possible that teleworkers are evaluated more on “output-based controls,” while non-teleworking employees are evaluated more on “behavior-based controls” (p. 650). It is possible that workers who telework face more pressure to produce results than employees who work on-site. The Impact of Teleworking on Social and Working Relationships Among Workers The literature on the relationships between teleworkers and non-teleworkers is mixed. Some studies show a sense of unfairness on both sides, while other studies show that social and working relationships are not compromised when some employees telework and others do not. However, the results seem to be influenced by the level of intensity that an employee teleworks. Some research indicates that tension can result when teleworking is offered. One of the “traps” that Kossek, Thompson, and Lautsch (2015) identified was the “fairness trap” (p. 8). Workers who do not telework can feel unfairly treated if others are allowed to. In such cases, a clear understanding of why it is allowed for some and not for others is needed. The authors maintain that if an organization allows teleworking on a case-by-case basis and decides to allow teleworking for some employees who show a need for it, then employees who do not show an apparent need can feel slighted. An example they give is while one employee might have elderly relatives to care for and be allowed to telecommute, another employee who has a pet to care for might not be given the opportunity to telecommute. 3 In addition, employees working on-site can feel that more is demanded of them because they are not teleworking. Kossek, Thompson, and Lautsch (2015) noted that at one high-tech company, employees were more likely to leave the company because of a perceived need that they had to be available for last-minute tasks due to the fact that they were working on-site. In addition, the authors found that employees felt that they had to be more flexible to arrange meetings around teleworkers’ schedules and had to rely on more formal communication methods like email rather than face-to-face interactions when communicating with teleworking employees. The authors concluded, “…co-workers may resent any apparent favoritism by supervisors and any appearance that work is being transferred to them because of the flexibilityuser’s work arrangement” (pp. 9-10). On the other hand, teleworking employees can feel a sense of unfairness because of a feeling of higher expectations and social isolation. Teleworking can result in increased expectations from management. Noonan and Glass (2012) noted that “…the ability of employees to work at home may actually allow employers to raise expectations for work availability during evenings and weekends and foster longer workdays and workweeks” (p. 45). Moreover, Kossek, Thompson, and Lautsch (2015) argued that the physical separation that employees who work from home feel from employees who work in the office can lead to a sense of lower respect among colleagues and management. In an analysis of two high-tech companies, they found that the physical distance teleworkers maintained “reduced the amount that individuals working flexibly felt respected, and in turn made them feel less like full members of the organization” (p. 7). This effect is most likely contributed to by the lack of immediacy that teleworkers discern. Caillier (2013) noted that because they “do not receive the same amount of face-to-face contact as traditional workers,…a lot of information teleworkers receive is sent through less rich 4 mediums” (p. 641). Thus, teleworking employees can sense that higher expectations are placed upon them with lower quality communication channels available to them. However, Gajendran and Harrison (2007) found that social relationships among fellow workers were not compromised as a result of the opportunity for some employees to telework. They noted that, in their analysis, “being a commuter does not appear to damage social ties with others at work” (p. 1535). However, it should be noted that their study did show that the intensity with which an employee teleworks can “amplify a negative or damaging effect of telecommuting on coworker relationship quality” (p. 1535). They defined high-intensity telecommuting as working from home more than 2.5 days per week. Thus, their study did indicate that negative repercussions can occur among employees as a result of teleworking, but the frequency with which an employee teleworks seemed to be the pivotal factor. Their results are echoed by those of Torten, Reaiche, and Caraballo (2016), who concluded that “The most significant effect on teleworking success was demonstrated by the number of days worked per week” (p. 325). Overall, some research shows that a lack of inclusion can create resentment from teleworkers toward those who are able to work on-site, while a sense of unfairness can pervade the sentiments of employees working on-site toward those who are allowed to telework. Other studies conclude that such resentment does not necessarily result from teleworking, but that highintensity teleworking demonstrates a higher propensity for such conflict than low-intensity teleworking. Management Strategies for Supervisors Overseeing Teleworking Arrangements The dynamics mentioned above lead to the conclusion that supervisors have to manage the teleworking arrangement effectively in order to experience positive results with 5 it. Management has to be clear on its criteria for establishing teleworking policies, effective in its methods of including teleworkers in the day-to-day operations of the office, and generous in the training offered for teleworkers. The literature suggests that teleworking should be allowed based on ability and experience, not on personal need. Kossek, Thompson, and Lautsch (2015) warned, “Managers should not let an employee’s family status factor into the decision-making process when considering whether to offer workplace flexibility to employees” (p. 9). Daniels supported this notion as well, maintaining that teleworking should be an earned privilege (as cited in Freifeld, 2014). Moreover, management can help create a successful teleworking arrangement by including teleworkers in the day-to-day operations of the workplace. Crunden (2016) maintained that teleworkers must “feel like they are part of a cohesive team” and that they should be included “even where last-minute ad hoc meetings are arranged” (p. 11). In fact, Daniels argued that the level of engagement that employees sense is not determined by whether or not the organization allows teleworking but rather by “management systems and behaviors” (as cited in Freifeld, 2014, p. 16). This concept leads to another important characteristic of effective teleworking arrangements: training. Yost recommends a combination of in-person or web-based training meetings (as cited in Friefeld, 2014), while Stanley confirms, “We see more success in organizations that train managers, telecommuters, and co-workers in some aspect of teleworking policy, organizational culture, and senior management’s views on this way of working” (as cited in Freifeld, 2014, p. 11). 6 Conclusion The literature on teleworking shows that employees who telework can feel isolated and can often sense a higher set of expectations put on them than those that are put on nonteleworking employees. However, analysis also shows that non-teleworking employees detect unfair treatment if the guidelines for when to allow teleworking are not clearly defined. Moreover, non-teleworking employees can feel that more is expected of them than is expected of teleworking employees because non-teleworking employees are working on-site. It is interesting to note that both groups can feel that more is expected of them, but for different reasons. The frequency with which an employee teleworks seems to have an impact on the significance of such tension. Management can help create a successful teleworking arrangement by setting clear guidelines on who is allowed to telework when and by providing training on how to telework. Research indicates that training programs result in increased levels of success for companies and organizations that allow employees to work from a distance. 7 References Caillier, J. G. (2013). Does teleworking affect managing for results and constructive feedback? A research note. Canadian Public Administration, (4), 638-654. Retrieved from http://www.ipac.ca/research-cpa Crunden, N. (2016). Help mobile workers feel less remote. Occupational Health, 68(6), 11. Freifeld, L. (2014). Home Improvement? Training, 53(4), 16-20. Gajendran, R. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2007). The good, the bad, and the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1524-1541. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/apl/ Kossek, E. E., Thompson, R. J., & Lautsch, B. A. (2015). Balanced workplace flexibility: Avoiding the traps. California Management Review, 57(4), 5-25. doi:10.1525/cmr.2015.57.4.5 Noonan, M. C., & Glass, J. L. (2012). The hard truth about telecommuting. Monthly Labor Review, 38-45. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/mlr/ Torten, R., Reaiche, C., & Caraballo, E. L. (2016). Teleworking in the new milleneum. Journal of Developing Areas, (5), 317-326. Retrieved from https://muse.jhu.edu/journal/258 8 I. Background Information For this assignment, I chose to examine and study my previous workplace and environment closely. I worked in the Coca-Cola production company. The company organization structure entails; President, Corporate staffs, Manufacturing staffs, Marketing and Finance staffs. The manufacturing staff where I worked are grouped into three categories: Supervisors, Managers and subordinates' staff. Information flow is from top-level management to low-level management. Top-level management oversees the activities of like finance, labor, and product quality, while low-level management ensures the smooth running of daily organizational processes. Having served and delivered services to the company for a relatively long time, I noticed communication barriers in the organization. These barriers are brought mostly by the diversity and transcultural nature of personnel working here. There are also barriers caused by the environment, age, education and experience, ability, lifestyle, and gender. For example, when the supervising officer in the manufacturing sector raises three middle fingers, suggesting that we are in stage three, some people may interpret it as calling three people. In a general sense, many communication barriers exist in Coca-Cola production company. To my notice, the most prominent communication barrier encountered in this company is between two people or a group of people involved in communication (interpersonal communication.) These interpersonal communication barriers range from environmental, cultural, behavioral, attitudinal and language barriers. II. Inhibitors • Language barrier: it is tough to perceive speech-related problems like accents, pronunciation, word structures and local dialects. It leads to misinterpretation, misunderstanding and misapplying of the message. The wrong message is conveyed while the inappropriate activity is processed. • Lack of interest: to message or personnel communicating it, draws attention away from listening and attending keenly to the message passed. The message is disregarded because of interpersonal differences. This barrier causes a lack of workforce and teamwork among employees as everyone has the favorite client he/she attends to his/her instructions so promptly. • Different and selective perception: occurs when an individual chooses to filter and select the information that suits personal interest. The message is not received as a whole, but partially and therefore, the intended purpose is lost. Some people may perceive a message and interpret it the way they know based on their experience or ability and end up consuming wrong information • Noise interruptions: refers to unnecessary sounds which may carry either high pitch or loud from the surrounding. It inhibits people's hearing ability as they perceive noise more than the real message. The message is heard in small pieces of which to consolidate together to form a uniform meaning is very hard because of people's different thinking perspectives. III. Inhibitor incidents The communication example either as a direct quote or paraphrase Supervisor told directed bottling sector personnel to pause the process because there were delays in the filling section. He could not understand because the supervisor spoke so fast with an Indian accent and subvocalization. He assumed he was talking to himself and did not attend to the process immediately, resulting in awful consequences. While working in the preservatives addition sector, one of the managers gave one of my colleagues' new quantity standards for adding preservatives because the content had recently changed. Because he had a racial difference, instead of following what was offered, he used the old way because it produced drinks with less fuzzing pressure. The drinks produced gushed because of unstandardized compounds mixing While in packing bottles into shelves, instructions given was to pack as fast as possible, one of colleague The name of the inhibitors that the example represents Language Barrier Lack of interest Different and Selective Perception A justification of your selection of the inhibitor It is one of the major inhibitors of communication. Because speech-related problems are hard to cope up with and with the complexity of different human languages, the problem may persist to exist. Our interest has always fathomed our working environment. This creates an environment where members are not unit, no decided effort to work together, and no teamwork spirit. These sums to very adverse effects of production and even loss to the company. The way we perceive or select and filter things from one item is dangerous; it may lead to misinterpreting information, perceived packing here as closing work and packing this to go home; he started packing his things. He headed straight to signing out the section for clearance that he should leave immediately as command came, "fast as possible." While working in the last Noise interruption stage of refining soda, supervisors sounded an alarm to terminate the process because there was terrible and poor weather. Because of noise caused by heavy moving machines, no one heard me. He thought people ignored him and was furious to the extent of boxing his intermediate colleague to his thinking. and carries terrible results, like for a colleague of mine, was very abashed of himself and the image and impression of how the managerial team perceived him is awful, it injured his appearance and he was very distorted One of the key factors inhibiting proper communication is noise; it may be complete or partial obstruction. It causes misunderstanding and miscommunication among people, which may lead to disagreement. It should be given a priority before anything else. IV. Evaluation I would rate this organization as 80% effective regarding information flow; the information flow from the strategic or top level of management to the tactical or middle level of management is purely sufficient as information pass several reliable media like email communicating, this information may be retrieved later in case it is forgotten, personnel at this level are also mature in management, they are of higher experience and good ability, they are up to the task, most consistent and diligent. To them, they own this organization as a personal enterprise. The company's communications barriers are at a low level of management, and they are small issues that must get addressed with less effort. Supervisors and managers should make sure they deliver messages clearly to avoid misinterpretation from message ambiguity and different perspectives and views of subordinate staff. Subordinates staff should also be trained and educated on various sign language; they should groom their attitude to the working environment and change the personal interest. Everyone got centrally fixed to achieve the company's objective. The effect of noise from the surrounding can get countered using formal office communication like writing letters, memos and emails. . 
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