Effective Processes of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Effective Processes of Management - Essay Example The strategic management processes are three: strategy analysis, strategy formulation and strategy implementation. These processes are strongly interrelated. None of these processes comes first and the others follow. The order of these processes is not sequential. Henry Mintzberg supports the idea that the decisions in an organization are not always taken on optimal rationality and that the business environment is not predictable. He proposed another model of strategic management where the realized strategy of an organization is a combination of deliberate and emergent strategies. The processes of the financial management are the following: financial planning and financial control. Financial planning controls the financial resources of the organization and it plans the timing and the size of expenses. The financial processes help the organization to generate profits. Financial planning tries to increase the resources of the organization and it takes care of the money invested in the organization by external third parties/investors. Talking about investors, financial planning takes care that the investors will receive reasonable amounts of return on their investments. Change management is a necessary component of any organizational performance improvement process to succeed, including programs like Six Sigma, Business Process Reengineering, Total Quality Management, Organizational Development, Restructuring and continuous process improvement. Strategic Human Resource Management includes strategies concerning learning and development. There is a distinction between learning and development. Pedler, Boydell, and Burgoyne (1989) see learning as being concerned with an increase in knowledge or a higher degree of an existing skill, whereas development is more towards a different state of being or functioning.

Diversity in University Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversity in University - Essay Example Decisively, diversity in the university enriches the educational experience of both the students and university staff as they get to learn about and from experiences, beliefs, and perspectives that are different from their own; strangely, the diverse lessons can only be taught best in the richly diverse environments. In any situation, interacting with someone in their native language increases ones knowledge; for instance, a student may learn a native language such as Chinese and later on find out it is a requirement for a job in their field. Once a student has acquired the language experience from a diverse university it prepares and makes it easy for them to work in a global society; since no matter what profession or career path a person follows they will always find themselves working with all round people from diverse backgrounds. Generally, on the language aspect, diversity acts as a foundation for student’s careers as one must be profound to human differences and adopt the aptitude to relate to people from dissimilar workforce in order to be successful in the workplace. Certainly, religion diversity in the university also enhances people development socially since interaction with different religious people widens any person’s spiritual circle by expanding the knowledge about diverse religions; for instance, if employed in a diverse workplace, one will know not to cross borders concerning portraits and pictures significant to a certain religion. When there is spiritual growth due to diversity, personal growth comes naturally, since everyone including both professors and students feels the urge to learn more about a religion’ culture and beliefs; additionally, the spiritual growth and religion aspect enhances communication between everyone in the university despite the diversity. Additionally, the social development, personal and spiritual growth facets all come as benefits of diversity and have a great and positive impact to the students and

Plight of the American Worker Essay Example for Free

Plight of the American Worker Essay Ten years from now, I don’t know how wealthy I will be. I don’t know what kind of job my husband will have, nor do I know what kind of job I will have. What I do know though is the American worker is struggling, and the struggles will most likely get worse. The United States used to pride itself on providing for its families through hard work. Today, most people lacking education beyond high school struggle to maintain a lifestyle they once dreamed of. Not only are high school graduates suffering but many college graduates are as well because so many jobs have been eliminated due to globalization and technology. Globalization of companies is most likely the main reason American workers are not satisfied with their lifestyles. Companies are starting to outsource their manual labor to third world countries. People from these countries are fighting for their lives and are willing to work for less than a dollar an hour. For an example, â€Å"in Bangladesh, a garment worker makes 22 cents an hour† (Snyder). How can companies turn down such low wages for the same quality of work they would receive from employees who must earn at least minimum wage in the United States? Factories are closing everyday in the United States as new factories are built in third world countries. These factories would provide employment for many people in the U. S. , but companies are better off when they outsource their labor. Labor costs are cut significantly, and top executives are rewarded for their stellar performance. In this case, the top executives’ salaries go up, and the employees’ salaries might change a bit. The most dramatic change occurs for those high on the corporate ladder. Technology is a cause for concern for some individuals. Many jobs are eliminated because of new advancements in technology. Robots and highly advanced machines have taken the place of once very skilled workers. If jobs do open up, so many people apply for the job. They are either looking to get a job or get a job that is a step up from their previous position. For example, â€Å"over one three day period, approximately 10,000 people showed up to apply for 90 jobs making washing machines in Kentucky for $27,000 a year†(Snyder). 27,000 might sound like a lot for a college student trying to pay for rent and a tuition bill but to support a family on this income would be absurd. * Our world is extremely overpopulated and doesn’t help American’s concern for job security. Not only do individuals need to be concerned with a decrease in jobs from outsourcing and technology, but they also are factoring in how crowded the Earth has become. â€Å"Nine percent of the United States is currently unemployed† (â€Å"Unemployment rate†). The American worker wouldn’t be as affected by this number if there weren’t so many people available to work. Finally, as jobs are eliminated, individuals don’t have the resources necessary to start a new life. So many individuals have worked in the same job for long periods of time. Once certain jobs are eliminated, workers are forced to find new jobs. â€Å"They typical worker is spending 15. 4 weeks unemployed†(Frauenheim). Most of the time, if they want to earn an income equivalent to what they were making, they might even have to go back to school. Some individuals might not have the time to go back to school, or they might have started a family and have to put their children through school first. Whatever the case, with so many jobs eliminated, the American worker struggles to successfully start over. I took the side of American workers who have been in the workforce for more than a few years. I have lived a middle class lifestyle, so this is all I really know. As I talked with my mom just the other night, she told me that she wishes she could have changed occupations to make more money but didn’t have the time or the resources. Maybe the definition of hard work has changed in today’s society. Hard work in the past consisted of manual labor and farm work. Because of how society has progressively advanced, hard work now consists of spending a few additional years in school. To some, hard work might even mean having intelligence and finding a promising place to start a career. Whatever the case, the United States needs to keep its jobs here and eliminate such excessive outsourcing. My mother is a teacher, but before I know it, her job might be cut as schools start transitioning to only online courses. I am concerned for American workers, but if such an event happened to her, I would have even stronger feelings towards protecting the American worker.

Brief History Of Hrm Business Essay

Brief History Of Hrm Business Essay Introduction Literature Review In this present world of globalisation, most, if not all the organisations are facing the ever changing challenges of keeping sustainable profitability to be able to survive, particularly in this current economic downturn situation. In all the organisations, one of the major challenges is the need to manage its resources Human resources which are considered as its most valuable assets- . This is where the Human Resource Management (HRM) has its place. Brief History of HRM Before HRM, Personnel Management (PM) saw its debut in the year 1970 and comprised of the activities like recruitment, selection, work conditions, welfare of employees and training and development and employee exit (retrenchment, retiring schemes) Henderson, (2008). It was the only process used by the large organisations in managing its people resources. PM is called the traditional method also called the personnel administration and it plays such role as intermediary between the employer and the employees. Since 1980, HRM evolved from PM and is believed to be new versions of PM by some while others consider that it is a new wine in an old wineskin. However HRM has added functions compared with the PM and is defined as the strategic, integrated and coherent approach to the employment, development and well-being of the people working in organisations. Moreover, HRM is a management that deals with recruiting, selecting, training and developing human resources within an organization. When properly managed, the HRM can contribute a lot in achieving the organizations strategic objectives. Many managers and management theorists believe that HRM is a vital element in the survival and success of the 21st century organisations. Peter Drucker, (1993) refers to the idea that peoples skills, knowledge and creativity are the key resource for economic and organisational success which he called the knowledge-based economy (Henderson, 2008). Definition of Human Resource Management: The HRM is defined as a strategic, integrated and coherent approach to the employment, development and well-being of the people working in organisations (Armstrong and Baron, 2009). The differences between Personnel management and Human Resource Management is that, PM considers people as economic persons who work for money or salary whereas HRM views people as having economic, social and psychological needs. A brief comparison between HRM and PM is given in the following table. Table 1 Functions of HRM The functions of the HRM are split into two parts namely; the Managerial functions and the Operative functions. The emphasis is on the strategic part of the management of people within the organisation. Treating people as assets instead of cost. Adopting the Unitarist approach rather than the pluralist approach (Employee and employer have same interests). Encourage the line managers to apply the HR functions toward their subordinates. The HR manager therefore, faces multiple challenges among which is to ensure, on one hand, that the right employee is recruited and employed for the right job, at the right time and on the other hand, to have a sustainable competitive advantage to ensure that the organisation achieves its strategic aims. Therefore, the HR manager has to set up within the HRM scope, a performance management system that will ensure that the organisation and its employees as well as the individual have the skills to perform and be motivated to contribute in the success of the company. The Performance Management System (PMS) The word Performance basically means the accomplishment, execution, carrying out, working of anything ordered and undertaken (output/outcomes). It is also about the action of doing the work as well as the results achieved (Oxford Online dictionary, 2012). History: There is no full evidence on when formal performance management started but it is said that it began with the emperors of the Wei Dynasty (AD 221 265) where there was an imperial rater who evaluated the performance of the official family. Then it was recorded centuries later a system was established by Ignatius Loyola and the rating of the members of the Jesuit Society was formally done. The Milestones on Performance management are briefly given as follows: First monitoring system evolved from the work of F. Taylor before World War I. Rating of military officers was done in the year 1920s. Merit rating came to the USA UK between 1950s and 1960s. Management by Objective during the 1970s Result oriented system was issued in 1970s as well. The term performance management was first coined in 1970s by Beer and Ruh. However, the process was not accepted until during the latter half of 1980s. (Beer and Ruh, 1976). (Armstrong and Baron, 2005). Definition: According to Armstrong and Baron (1998), Performance Management is both a strategic and an integrated approach to delivering successful results in organizations by improving the performance and developing the capabilities of teams and individuals. PMS can also be defined as the process of taking systematic action to improve organisation, team and individuals performance expectations to be defined and creates the basis for development of organisations and individuals capability (Armstrong and Baron, 2010). The purpose of a PMS is to: Communicate an organisations vision of its objectives to all employees. Set performance targets in departmental and individual levels. Conduct performance appraisal sessions once or twice a year to review the progress of the employees in relation to the targets set. Identify gaps in the training, development as well as establish any reward wherever needed. In this case, the organisation can benefit from the improved skills and competency of its employees because they would have become aware of what is expected from them while moving toward a sustainable profitability. The overall performance of the organisation will then improve and will manage to reach its strategic objectives and gain in competitive advantage. Performance Appraisal (PA) Definition: A performance appraisal or performance review is a review and discussion of an employees performance of assigned duties and responsibilities. PA is sometimes used to refer to PM which is different as PA is only part of the PMS and is used to rate the employee within an organisation. The appraisal is carried out once or twice a year which differs from organisation to organisation. It is based on an evaluation done by the manager with the employee and the results obtained on the employees job performance; not on the employees personality. The appraisal process is a system that an organisation uses to define and measure the skills level of each employee by the manager or supervisor. The result is then reviewed by both the subordinate and the manager to determine whether there is any need to improve on the skills by providing training or to decide whether the employee could be promoted to a higher level if his/her performance is above what was defined initially. The aim is to help the employees improve and in so doing, contribute in the improvement of the organisations performance to meet its strategic objectives. Some History on PA There was quite a lot of research being carried out in the past decades and the main purpose of the research is to minimise the rating errors. In the years 1950 to 1960, have seen the need to use the graphic rating skills which is related to a trait-based evaluation method and other discussions on changing the number of scale points (Peters McCormick, 1966). Other researchers started discussions on behavioural rating during the years 1950s (Flanagan, 1949, 1954). Then the Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales (BARS) and the Behaviourally Observation Scale (BOS) were developed at a later stage. Many alternative models were proposed and tested until discussions were held on the need to move away from the focus on rating scale to consider the rater particularly, as argued by Landy and Farr (1980). Three broad factors were identified which pertain to the performance rating namely; Job performance of the ratees. Raters biases on the performance. And finally, the measurement error. (Wherry and Bartlett, 1982). (Budworth and Mann, 2011). Other issues with performance appraisal The other issues that could be found may be attributed to one of the following reasons: Appraisal is not done according to a standard or behaviour or even a benchmark. Unreliable human judgement Issue of validity and bias from the appraisers. The difficulty in knowing the contribution of the employee because the appraiser does not know the appraisee well enough (Kinnie and Lowe, 1990:47) for the latter is constantly changing department (Howell and Cameron 1996: 28). External factors like resources, processes, technology, corporate and HR strategy, working environment, external business context and management influencing directly on the employees performance. In order for an organisation to implement a PA system that is suitable for both the management and the employees, it is crucial to use a system which has some of the following features: A system on which all the managers who will be using the system are well trained on and accustomed with. The system which follows the S.M.A.R.T objectives Specific, Measurable, Achievable Relevant and Time bound clear, unambiguous, understandable and challenging to both the managers and the employees. This will prevent frustration, demotivation which may impact on the individuals performance. The PA method used should be transparent, that is, the manager should inform on the contents of the appraisal types to be used before carrying out the appraisal itself. Also, both parties could sign the document after having completed the appraisal if they agree. In the case where an appraiser deliberately alters the rating, this is considered as unfair and the PA system should cater for such injustice (Budford and Mann, 2011). When the PA is completed, the management has to provide feedback to the employees informing them on their respective performance level and whether they have reached the objective set in the previous PA sessions. If any employee is under performing, management should identify the gap and provide for any enhancement program to help the employee to improve. Therefore, the PA which is a continuous process will proceed on and the individual and also the team will benefit from a continuous performance improvement into the future. The organisation will also improve in its performance and will be able to better compete and excel in the business arena. Analysis and Discussion Armstrong and Baron (2005) argued that performance appraisal systems should be seen as being transparent and equitable, providing reporting consistency and regular feedback on performance. The two organisations that were selected are the CIM Global Business and AW Wong Trading Co Ltd. The former is a company which is considered as a large corporate with 320 employees and the latter company is employs 22 people. The company profiles of both companies may be viewed in the Appendix. The Performance Appraisal System at AW Wong Group

The Use of Metaphors in Information Systems :: Technology Computer Science

Metaphors: Here, There, and Everywhere Designing for the Average Joe A metaphor can be defined as â€Å"a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison† (dictionary.com). We use metaphors in our everyday language more than most people realize. But metaphors are also vital in the field of Information Systems, especially in the design of user interfaces. To the â€Å"Average Joes† of the world, or those people who have difficulty understanding the complicated concepts of digital storage, information transmission, and processing, metaphors provide them with relevant concepts to which they can easily relate. Therefore, metaphors allow a significantly larger amount of the worldly population to use many of the common technologies that we take for granted today. Metaphors â€Å"Right Under Our Nose† Every person in that worldly population can relate to the use of metaphors in everyday speech, no matter what their language. It is not uncommon for someone to encounter metaphors multiple times in one day, though many times they go unnoticed even if they are â€Å"right under our nose.† These metaphorical phrases are not meant to be taken literally. For example, when someone tells you to â€Å"bite the bullet,† they are not requesting that you actually put a bullet in between your teeth. In fact, they are asking you to bravely face up to something unpleasant just as many soldiers were asked to clench a bullet in between their teeth (in lieu of anesthetics) to transfer the pain of the amputation or surgery (something very unpleasant indeed) that they were about to undergo (â€Å"Expressions and Sayings†). You may also hear someone refer to a person as â€Å"blowing their own trumpet.† Again, this is not to mean that they are playing a brass instrument, but that they are boasting about themselves, as if they were providing their own fanfare for their arrival (â€Å"Expressions and Sayings†). If anyone were to claim that such phrases were to be taken literally, they would be â€Å"pulling your leg.† In other words, they would be teasing you and not telling the truth. This particular metaphorical phrase originates in Scotland, where someone may have â€Å"withdrawn the legs† from under someone in order to put the person at a disadvantage, perhaps to rob him (â€Å"Expressions and Sayings†). The saying is used in a much lighter sense today, but still remains a very common metaphor.

The Media During the Tiananmen Square Protests Essay -- China Chinese

The Media During the Tiananmen Square Protests There will always be talk about the biases of the media and the perspective in which it takes when reporting the news; however, when the news is run by the government and the people who write the news are threatened to withdraw from their positions because they will not write propaganda, it becomes a serious issue that can lead a country into turmoil. Such was the situation in Beijing, the capital of China, in 1989, during the student and worker protests at Tiananmen Square and the ultimate killings that occurred on June 4th of that year. The role of the Chinese government in the Tiananmen Square protests went far beyond their military control and suppression; the government’s role in banning publications and firing media personnel for standing up for themselves and the protestors resulted in skewed reporting and a void in which there would be reliable information about the event, such as the number of people that died, eyewitness accounts, etc. Most of the information that resulted from state-run agencies and media were largely propagandistic and more detrimental to the government than the protestors. Foreign correspondents were mostly chased off by officials who didn’t want the students telling their story outside of a government-controlled environment; however, one newspaper from Hong Kong, Ming Pao, was able to document the event with photographs, because of their ability to blend in with the crowd. Compared to the reports from People’s Daily, the compiled photographs taken by Ming Pao jou rnalists reveal the student point of view – and the history of Chinese political activism and nationalism. The Tiananmen Square protests stemmed from policies that were initiate... ...alists see themselves as civil servants, an editor at the English-language China Daily describes the situation more bluntly: "We are like dogs on a leash. A very short leash." Works Cited: Jernow, Allison Liu. â€Å"The Tight Leash Loosens.† Columbia Journalism Review January/February 1994 Mathews, Jay. â€Å"The Myth of Tiananmen.† Columbia Journalism Review September/October 1998 Ming Pao News. June Four: A Chronicle of the Chinese Democratic Uprising. Fayetteville: The University of Arkansas Press, 1989. (source of photos) Simmie, Scott and Bob Nixon. Tiananmen Square. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1989. Thom, Cathleen. â€Å"Invisible Censorship: The Freedom of the Press and Its Responsibility† The Humanist. July/August 1999 Yu, Mok Chiu and Frank J. Harrison. Voices From Tiananmen Square. Montreal-New York: Black Rose Books, 1990. The Media During the Tiananmen Square Protests Essay -- China Chinese The Media During the Tiananmen Square Protests There will always be talk about the biases of the media and the perspective in which it takes when reporting the news; however, when the news is run by the government and the people who write the news are threatened to withdraw from their positions because they will not write propaganda, it becomes a serious issue that can lead a country into turmoil. Such was the situation in Beijing, the capital of China, in 1989, during the student and worker protests at Tiananmen Square and the ultimate killings that occurred on June 4th of that year. The role of the Chinese government in the Tiananmen Square protests went far beyond their military control and suppression; the government’s role in banning publications and firing media personnel for standing up for themselves and the protestors resulted in skewed reporting and a void in which there would be reliable information about the event, such as the number of people that died, eyewitness accounts, etc. Most of the information that resulted from state-run agencies and media were largely propagandistic and more detrimental to the government than the protestors. Foreign correspondents were mostly chased off by officials who didn’t want the students telling their story outside of a government-controlled environment; however, one newspaper from Hong Kong, Ming Pao, was able to document the event with photographs, because of their ability to blend in with the crowd. Compared to the reports from People’s Daily, the compiled photographs taken by Ming Pao jou rnalists reveal the student point of view – and the history of Chinese political activism and nationalism. The Tiananmen Square protests stemmed from policies that were initiate... ...alists see themselves as civil servants, an editor at the English-language China Daily describes the situation more bluntly: "We are like dogs on a leash. A very short leash." Works Cited: Jernow, Allison Liu. â€Å"The Tight Leash Loosens.† Columbia Journalism Review January/February 1994 Mathews, Jay. â€Å"The Myth of Tiananmen.† Columbia Journalism Review September/October 1998 Ming Pao News. June Four: A Chronicle of the Chinese Democratic Uprising. Fayetteville: The University of Arkansas Press, 1989. (source of photos) Simmie, Scott and Bob Nixon. Tiananmen Square. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1989. Thom, Cathleen. â€Å"Invisible Censorship: The Freedom of the Press and Its Responsibility† The Humanist. July/August 1999 Yu, Mok Chiu and Frank J. Harrison. Voices From Tiananmen Square. Montreal-New York: Black Rose Books, 1990.

Ethical Dilemna – Law Enforcement

Incident Review1. What is the ethical issue or problem? Identify the issue succinctly. The ethical issue would be rather to arrest the man for domestic violence or driving while intoxicated due to the test that the officers performed and what they observed.2. What are the most important facts? Which facts have the most bearing on the ethical decision presented? Include any important potential economic, social, or political pressures, and exclude inconsequential facts.The most important facts is that the car was still warm and they observed the man drop something out of his pockets that looked like keys. The wife stated that she had not driven the vehicle all day and the man stated that he had not driven the car since he arrived 4 hours ago. The officer performed a sobriety test and a preliminary alcohol screening test which revealed that the man’s blood alcohol was twice the legal limit. There was also a domestic violence call which is the reason the officer responded to the h ouse.3. Identify each claimant (key actor) who has an interest in the outcome of this ethical issue. From the perspective of the moral agent—the individual contemplating an ethical course of action—what obligation is owed to the claimant? Why? Claimant(key actor) Obligation (owed to the claimant) Perspective (What does the claimant hope will happen?) Husband Fidelity, beneficence The husband is trying to avoid being arrested and wishes to be left alone by the officers.Wife Beneficence, non-injury The wife does not want to her husband to be arrested and does not want the help of the two officersOfficer Nixon and Officer Nook Justice The officers are there to seek the truth and justice of the crimes that have been committed. Even though the case may be thrown out of court the officers do have the warmth of the car as evidence to present to the court.Society Justice Society wants to make sure that the wife gets help against her husband for domestic violence. Society also wants to make sure that the streets are safe and if the husband is behind the wheel at the double the legal limit of alcohol then he is putting himself and society in harm.Evaluating Alternatives4. What are two alternatives for the scenario? One alternative can be a wild card that you ordinarily may not consider an option because of potential implications. Both should be within free will and control of the same moral agent. Alternative AAlternative B5. Respond to the following questions based on your developed alternatives.Alternative A Alternative B What are the best- and worst-case scenarios if you choose this alternative?Will anyone be harmed if this alternative is chosen? If so, how will they be harmed? Consider families and derivative effects.Would honoring an idea or value—such as personal, professional, or religious—make the alternative invalid?Are there any rules, laws, or principles that support the alternative? Are there rules, laws, or principles that make t he alternative invalid? State the rule or principle and indicate if it invalidates or supports the alternative.Applying Ethical Guidelines6. Consider each ethical guideline and explain whether it would support or reject your alternative. Guidelines based on the action itself Alternative A Alternative B Should this alternative become a rule or policy that everyone in this situation should follow in similar situations in the future? (Kant)Does this alternative result in using any person as a means to an end without consideration for his or her basic integrity? (Kant)Is the intent of this action free from vested interest or ulterior motive? (Kant’s good will)Does this alternative demonstrate a genuine concern for others affected by the decision, and is the moral agency responding to a perceived need?Guidelines based on consequences Alternative A Alternative B Is the good that results from this alternative outweighed by the potential harm that might be done to others? (Millâ€⠄¢s harm principle)Is any harm brought about by anyone other than the moral agent? (causal harm)Will anyone be harmed who can be said to be defenseless? (paternalism)To what degree is this alternative based on the moral agent’s own best interest? (ethical egoism)Which alternative will generate the greatest benefit—or the least amount of harm—for the greatest number of people? Select only one alternative. (utilitarianism)Ethical Decision Making7. Choose to proceed with either Alternative A or Alternative B and explain the reasons for your decision.