Decisions_in_Paridise_Part_Two

Decisions in Paradise Part One and Two Sarah Martin MGT 350 June 23, 2010 Timothy Sheaffer Decisions in Paradise Part One and Two After completing school, Nik was hired at Martin Services. His first assignment was to go to the island country of Kava, located in the South Pacific. It was all she could imagine in a physical paradise; white beach, gentle surf, swaying palm trees, tropical breeze, and much more. During the first week on the job, Nik received a brief introduction to the company, HR procedures, organizational processes, an overview of Kava, and flight arrangements. Nik received a great deal of help planning the trip, however no one could tell her exactly what she would be doing when she arrived there. The only thing anyone knew was that she would be working with Alex, the Director of Strategic Planning. When Nik asked more about Alex she was told that he was extremely experienced, very demanding, and an influential executive. The rest of the employees kept telling Nik that it was a great opportunity for her to be able to work with Alex. The next week Nik left for Kava (University of Phoenix, 2010). The Island of Kava was nothing like Nik assumed. The paradise she envisioned was a complete mess. Not only was the paradise a mess, the office was as well. “So much for perception is reality” (University of Phoenix, 2010). What was the problem' How did this happen' Alex briefed Nik on Kava. The economy provides petroleum, coffee, cocoa, spices, bananas, sugar, tourism, fishing, natural gasses, as well as inexpensive, quality labor. The population consists of more than 50% being under the age of 15. There is also an ethnic mix including indigenous South Pacific tribes, Asian, African, French, Spanish, and American. Due to the ethnic mix, there is also a religious mix consisting of 50% indigenous, and the other 50% are a combination of Christian, Buddhist, and Islamic. Both of these cause a variety of languages as well; numerous indigenous, English, French, and Spanish (University of Phoenix, 2010). The next group of information answered the question on Nik’s mind since he arrived. What happened to the paradise' The main problem here in Kava is that there is no longer a paradise. Kava deals with many natural and environmental disasters and threats. The natural disasters include tidal waves and tsunami, floods, typhoons and hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes (University of Phoenix, 2010). When Kava has a tidal wave or tsunami, the island gets flooded. There is nothing that Kava can do to stop these. All they can do is plan ahead and clean up and rebuild after. Kava needs to be able to have undamaged supplies and funds in order to do this. The environmental disasters include fires, HIV and AIDS, a petroleum spill, a high risk of avian flu, as well as terrorism from within and outside the country (University of Phoenix, 2010). These things can be prevented or decreased. The proper safe guards need to get into place as well as informative information. Alex and Nik need to get creative and come up with a solution to this problem that will make Martin Services want to have a bigger presence in Kava. They need to figure out what the benefits or advantages are for the increased presence. They also need to show that these advantages will outweigh the disadvantages. If the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, Martin Services will not want to increase presence. The last class Nik took before graduating was a critical thinking class. She had many different ideas on how to do this. They know that they will have to be creative. They need to come up with new and different ways for solutions. Nik suggested breaking the problem down to three categories; Natural Disasters, Environmental Disasters, and country economics and population. They know that there are no preventative measures that can be put into play to solve the natural disasters. All they can do is come up with a battle plan to help deal with it. The environmental disasters can be prevented or improved upon. Before Nik and Alex could come up with a solution, they need to know how they all affect each other. When Kava has a Tsunami, they will most likely have a flood. When they have a volcanic eruption, they most likely have fires. However, when there is a fire, there is not always a volcanic eruption. The same for the flood, there is not always a tsunami. Nik and Alex can come up with a lot of solutions for each of the individual disasters, but those solutions will not work if there is another reason for the disaster. Nik started with research. She looked into the individual natural disasters to find the causes there might be as well as other disasters they could cause. As the information was gathered it was entered into a table. They were able to see how many different causes and effects each disaster has. Nik was also able to show Alex the commonalities between them. After reviewing the information, they were able to come up with a solution in the hopes that the paradise would return. They decided that a place was needed to educate the population on safety and prevention for different disasters. The population also needed a place to help them recover from the disasters. Health education and preventatives was also needed. Nik suggested a facility that would house all of them. The facility would make it easier for the population to recover and rebuild. Nik and Alex then had to find a way to convince Martin Services to increase their presence. In the Critical Thinking class that Nik took, she learned how to use the six thinking hats method. It is a tool to help figure out if a solution is worth it or a good idea. “It helps you look at problems, decisions, and opportunities systematically. Using this method will help generate more ideas and solutions. Six thinking hats helps people see opportunities where others see only problems. A person is able to see all sides of a situation,” (The de Bono Group, LLC, 2010). Nik went on to explain the different hats and what each of them was for. The White Hat calls for information known or needed (The de Bono Group, LLC, 2010). If your information can be proven or has no interpretation, it would be in the White Hat. The second one is the Yellow Hat. It symbolizes brightness and optimism. For this hat a person would explore the positives and probe for value and benefit (The de Bono Group, LLC, 2010). The Black Hat is judgment. This would be the negative hat. A person would list why the solution will not work or is not worth it. This hat will show the difficulties and dangers (The de Bono Group, LLC, 2010). The fourth hat is Red. It signifies feelings, hunches, and intuition. You are able to express your emotions and feelings; share fears, likes, dislikes, loves, and hates (The de Bono Group, LLC, 2010). The Green Hat focuses on creativity, the possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas. It is an opportunity to express new concepts and new perceptions (The de Bono Group, LLC, 2010). The final hat is the Blue Hat. It is used to manage the thinking process. It is the control mechanism that ensures the Six Thinking Hats guidelines are observed (The de Bono Group, LLC, 2010). Now that Alex knew what the purpose for the Six Thinking Hats were, he thought it would not only help them decide whether or not their solution is a good idea, but to also convince their company to increase their presence in Kava. They started the process and gathered all of the information. The Problem Due to many disasters and threats, the paradise that Kava once was has been destroyed. The Suggested Solution Create a single location facility that will house all the needs of the population. The facility would include health education and preventatives, disaster readiness, disaster recovery, a youth center and other departments to be filled when needed. The White Hat What are the cold hard facts' Kava has tidal waves and tsunamis, floods, typhoons and hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, fires, and petroleum spills. Kava also has HIV and AIDS, a high risk of avian flu, and terrorism from within and outside of the country. The majority of these cannot be prevented. More than 50% of Kava population is under the age of 15. There is a variety of languages, religions and ethnicity in Kava as well. (University of Phoenix, 2010). The Red Hat Any emotions or feelings that a person might think is relevant and will help their case. By watching and reading the news, Nik has seen and heard the effects that these natural disasters can have; not only on people, but also the land, businesses, and economics. She saw the devastation that Hurricane Katrina caused. She felt she needed to do something to help them. The youth of Kava need a place to feel safe. They need a place to get their education. Children should never have to be without their parents or family. They also should never have to give up education to survive. The Black Hat Alex knew that their bosses would want to know what the down side was to an increased presence in Kava. If Martin Services increases their presence in Kava, they will be at risk for avian flu as well. The hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, tsunamis, typhoons, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes can damage or destroy any structure that is built. Terrorism will also be in their faces. Back home in the states, terrorism has had a presence; however it was not in their faces everywhere they looked. The terrorism was from outside the country. Kava has to deal with it inside as well. The Yellow Hat Nik was eager to convince their bosses by giving as many of the positive factors involved in an increased presence in Kava. Probably the most important reason to increase presence in Kava is to help restore the once paradise. The country will have a place to go before, during, and after a disaster strikes. The youth will be able to get the education they need. The population will be able to get the health preventatives they require for avian flu. The center will be able to educate the public on fire safety and prevention. Martin Services can also have survival plans and packages for before disasters as well as after care packages for after the disasters. Each one will be made for each individual disaster. The Green Hat Nik and Alex wanted to give other ideas and solutions to their bosses in case they did not agree with the solution that they came up with. No matter what, Nik wanted to do something to help the people of Kava. The preventative kits as well as recovery kits can be shipped from the states for the public. Martin services can build or rent a location in the states where they can sponsor the youth of Kava to come to the states and get the education and training they need and should have. Nik and Alex were very happy with the solution they came up with. By going through the Six Thinking Hats thinking process, they were able to see that the advantages of their increased presence in Kava were far greater than the disadvantages. References The de Bono Group, LLC. (2010). Six Thinking Hats. Retrieved from http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php University of Phoenix. (2010, May 31). Business Scenario: Decisions in Paradise: How To Be or Not To Be. Retrieved from http://ecampus.phoenix.edu/classroom/ic/classroom.aspx