Empowerment And Participation Essays - Human Resource Management

Empowerment And Participation Essays - Human Resource Management Empowerment And Participation Empowerment and Participation It is interesting how the word communication can change life at home and at work. When everyone is aware of what is going on around him or her, they can function better. What a concept! All of the readings I have done taught communicating is the key. We read about ridding the stigma of upper management, getting their hands dirty, understanding their position, and why it is important to the rest of the company. This chapter takes it one step further and says talk about the company finances as well. It is important for employees to understand the business in its entirety. That includes the finances of the job. All of the readings in this chapter had something to offer. I feel taking a bit from each will provide a work place of splendor. Finances include a variety of things: From hiring a new employee to purchasing a new tool to make the job easier. It is those decisions we make which can make difference of saving, spending and making money. It is these decisions that can make or break a company. The old school tells us not to share finances with anyone else in the company but those directly on top. The new school is saying that this philosophy is all wrong. If one want an employee to do the best he or she can do, and feel important, give them the company information. Let all the employees know what role they play. Allow them to make decisions that will make their job easier. As implied before, who betters know the job than the employee performing the job? The reading, Zapp! The Lightening of Empowerment suggests managers help their employees take ownership of their jobs. This requires trust, listening to the workers, and giving feedback. The novel concept here is to treat people like humans. Like any relationship, one needs these qualities to survive. If one gives positive reinforcements people tend to respect them. Employers hire people everyday with the hopes and trust they will do their job. But when people do not understand the role they really play in the company, they may not give their full effort. Hence, we have Saps, people who lack the main ingredients of relationships discussed earlier. We must let the employees know we trust them to make good positive decisions. Give them the empowerment by letting them know they are valued, and commending them on jobs well done. Open Book Management suggests we share our finances with the other employees no matter what their status, and give them a stake in the company. After all, this is a good suggestion, why work if one can't reap the benefits of their work? It also suggests that many employees are business illiterate, and if we want them to understand business we need to teach it to them. In conclusion, all of the readings I have done so far make management more then just problem solvers. They have become part of the problem. To solve their own problems managers need to be teachers, coaches, and a wealth of knowledge to be shared. Businesses need to be a team, and to this they need to share every aspect of the team. When the business succeeds all should have a share in the profit, and when it fails all are responsible. Bibliography Pierce, Jon L. John W. Newstrom. The Manager's Bookshelf. 5th ed. Prenticw Hall: 2000, 1996.129-173.

Biography of Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist and Lecturer

Biography of Sojourner Truth, Abolitionist and Lecturer Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree; c. 1797–November 26, 1883) was a famous African-American abolitionist and womens rights activist. Emancipated from slavery by New York state law in 1827, she served as an itinerant preacher before becoming involved in the anti-slavery and womens rights movements. In 1864, Truth met Abraham Lincoln in his White House office. Fast Facts: Sojourner Truth Known For: Truth was an abolitionist and womens rights activist known for her fiery speeches.Also Known As: Isabella  BaumfreeBorn: c. 1797 in Swartekill, New YorkParents: James and Elizabeth BaumfreeDied: November 26, 1883 in Battle Creek, MichiganPublished Works: The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave (1850)Notable Quote: This is what all suffragists must understand, whatever their sex or color- that all the disfranchised of the earth have a common cause. Early Life The woman known as Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in New York as Isabella Baumfree (after her fathers owner, Baumfree) in 1797. Her parents were James and Elizabeth Baumfree. She was sold several times, and while enslaved by the John Dumont family in Ulster County, she married Thomas, also enslaved by Dumont and who was many years older than Isabella. The couple had five children together. In 1827, New York law emancipated all slaves. At this point, however, Isabella had already left her husband and run away with her youngest child, going to work for the family of Isaac Van Wagenen. While working for the Van Wagenens- whose name she used briefly- Isabella discovered that a member of the Dumont family had sold one of her children into slavery in Alabama. Since this son had been emancipated under New York Law, Isabella sued in court and won his return. Preaching In New York City, Isabella worked as a servant and attended a white Methodist church and an  African Methodist Episcopal Church, where she reunited briefly with three of her older siblings. Isabella came under the influence of a religious prophet named Matthias in 1832. She then moved to a Methodist perfectionist commune, led by Matthias, where she was the only black member, and few members were of the working class. The commune fell apart a few years later, with allegations of sexual improprieties and even murder. Isabella herself was accused of poisoning another member, and she sued successfully for libel in 1835. She continued her work as a household servant until 1843. William Miller, a millenarian prophet, predicted that Christ would return in 1843 amid economic turmoil during and after the panic of 1837. On June 1, 1843, Isabella took the name Sojourner Truth, believing this to be on the instructions of the Holy Spirit.  She became a traveling preacher (the meaning of her new name, Sojourner), making a tour of Millerite camps.  When the Great Disappointment became clear- the world did not end as predicted- she joined a utopian community, the Northampton Association, founded in 1842 by people interested in abolitionism and womens rights. Abolitionism After joining the abolitionist movement, Truth became a popular circuit speaker. She made her first antislavery speech in 1845 in New York City. The commune failed in 1846, and she bought a house on Park Street in New York.  She dictated her autobiography to womens rights activist Olive Gilbert and published it in Boston in 1850.  Truth used the income from the book,  The Narrative of Sojourner Truth, to pay off her mortgage. In 1850, she also began speaking about womens suffrage. Her most famous speech, Aint I a Woman?, was given in 1851 at a womens rights convention in Ohio. The speech- which addressed the ways in which Truth was oppressed for being both black and a woman- remains influential today. Truth eventually met Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote about her for the Atlantic Monthly and wrote a new introduction to Truths autobiography. Later, Truth moved to Michigan and joined yet another religious commune, this one associated with the Friends. She was at one point friendly with Millerites, a religious movement that grew out of Methodism and later became the Seventh Day Adventists. Civil War During the Civil War, Truth raised food and clothing contributions for black regiments, and she met Abraham Lincoln at the White House in 1864 (the meeting was arranged by Lucy N. Colman and Elizabeth Keckley). During her White House visit, she tried to challenge the discriminatory policy of segregating street cars by race. Truth was also an active member of the National Freedmans Relief Association. After the war ended, Truth again traveled and gave lectures, advocating for some time for a Negro State in the west. She spoke mainly to white audiences and mostly on religion, the rights of African-Americans and women, and temperance, though immediately after the Civil War she tried to organize efforts to provide jobs for black refugees from the war. Death Truth remained active in politics until 1875, when her grandson and companion fell ill and died. She then returned to Michigan, where her health deteriorated. She died in 1883 in a Battle Creek sanitorium of infected ulcers on her legs. Truth was buried in Battle Creek, Michigan, after a well-attended funeral. Legacy Truth was a major figure in the abolitionist movement, and she has been widely celebrated for her work. In 1981, she was inducted into the National Womens Hall of Fame, and in 1986 the U.S. Postal Service issued a stamp in her honor. In 2009, a bust of Truth was placed in the U.S. Capitol. Her autobiography is read in classrooms throughout the country. Sources Bernard, Jacqueline.  Journey Toward Freedom: The Story of Sojourney Truth. Price Stern Sloan, 1967.Saunders Redding, Sojourner Truth in Notable American Women 1607-1950 Volume III P-Z. Edward T. James, editor. Janet Wilson James and Paul S. Boyer, assistant editors. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press, 1971.Stetson, Erlene, and Linda David.  Glorying in Tribulation: The Lifework of Sojourner Truth. Michigan State University Press, 1994.Truth, Sojourner.  The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: a Northern Slave. Dover Publications Inc., 1997.

Upload later Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Upload later - Essay Example Despite this, it is difficult to align the strategic map of the business with the corporate strategy that defines the operations of the organization. Corporate strategy, on the other hand, is the improvisation of the organizational working efficiency towards the attainment of the strategic plan through the elimination of waste and production at lowest possible costs (Demeester, De Meyer & Grahovac, 2014). The operational resources are critical in the attainment of the operational strategy. These resources include the tangible and intangible resources, the operational processes and capabilities. The tangible resources consist of the equipment, materials, facilities and human resource that perform the practical work. The intangible resources, on the other hand are the skills, market relationships and knowledge that determine the quality of production. The operational processes combine the intangible and tangible resources to formulate a coordinated framework of the production procedure (Hill & Cuthbertson, 2011). The first challenge that the organization encounters in the alignment of operation strategy to the corporate strategy is the agreement on the model of operation. A company can be integrated like McDonalds’s, Holding Company like Tyco International or an Allied Company like the Unilever Company. This choice of operating model defines the relationship of the business and the amount of investments allocated to the company. It is important to understand the operating model because it involves the allocation of funds to various business entities. In the process that the senior management decides to implement the corporate strategy, competitors will launch a model that capitalizes on the company’s large investment in efficiency improvement (Boyer And Lewis, 2002). This may amount to sever losses in the company. More often, it is a challenge to map the business strategy to the functional alignment because of the

U09d1 Sarah and Michael Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U09d1 Sarah and Michael Case Study - Essay Example s good, there is a conflict on interest in the case as the couple have already decided how they would prefer to spend their last days and it is a personal will rather than one forced by others. It is also clear by law that an individual has the rights to make a decision for how they aim to spend their last few days. This is one of the few issues that have been presented in the case. Secondly, the end – of – life directive enables the medical assistance to discuss the wish of the parents with the children. This however is a major issue as the cases are generally very sensitive and discussing this with the children can prove to be very difficult. This is mainly because the amount of stress, trauma and emotional distress that children and family members go through when an elderly person is ill is very high. Hence it would be difficult for the health care providers to convey the news as well as the family members to hear the news of the will of the parents. This again causes a second of ethics in the case (Garrett, Baillie, & Garrett, 2009). Considering the end of life decision in my life or for someone I know, I feel that it is incorrect to allow anyone to take the decision to end the life of others. This is inappropriate and is completely inhuman. A person should be given the right to live as long as they can and as long as their body is able to accept the life. Using technology to keep a person alive or trying to kill a person against the flow of nature is not right and should not be accepted anywhere in the world. Life is given to all and mercy killing is not ethical in any manner and should not be permitted. Giving an end – of – life decision for someone irrespective of whether it is a mother or father of brother or sister is incorrect and is against the law of nature. Hence it is essential that this is not provided as an option ever as according to the ACA code of Ethics it has clearly been presented that, ‘counsellors must strive to take measures

EMC Plc Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

EMC Plc Strategic Management - Essay Example What’s more, existing companies have barriers to new entrants such established market strength and shares of the already established firms, cumbersome process of registration, high initial capital outlay, and developed brand loyalty amongst existing customers. As such, new entrants are likely to find it difficult to penetrate into such existing markets and industries calling for efficient and effective strategies. Regarding established industries and market, automotive industry and market is one of the deeply established with many players but controlled by few. Some of the great players within the industry include GM, Ford, Daimler, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Hyundai Motor, Mazda, and Fiat amongst others (Nieuwenhuis & Wells, 2005; p 69). European Motor Company (EMC) operated as part of a large industrial conglomerate with interests in the aerospace, defence and medical sectors before is acquisition several years ago to an automotive group who made significant investment in the company for a few years. Nevertheless, the automotive group felt unable to support the business any further because of a rapidly declining market share. The following is an analysis of EMC Plc and the automotive industry. Main analysis of this paper focuses on both internal and external market factors. Attaining such an analysis is possible through various strategic management tools and models such as PESTLE, SWOT, Porter’s Five Forces, and Critical Success Factors that have so far been of importance to the organization. In addition, this analysis focuses on strategic direction of EMC Plc covering a period of 5 years (Nieuwenhuis & Wells, 2005; p 75). Such strategic direction employs the use of strategic defining tools and concepts such as mission, vision, overall target markets, strategic rationale, as well as financial objectives. The analysis winds up by providing strategic development and progress coupled with reflective portfolio. In order to attain these, the paper is divided into three parts with different sections. Part 1: Initial Strategic Position and Intentions 1.1 External and Internal Initial Situation Industries and firms face different factors both from within and outside. External environmental factors refer to those that business organizations and industries have no control over for instance, political, economical, socio-cultural, technological, legal, and environment. On the other hand, internal environmental factors are those that a firm or industry may control such as the strengths, weakness, threats, and opportunities (Watson & Head, 2009). The following discussion uses various tools to explain automotive industry’s environmental factors and their effects on EMC Plc’s operations. 1.1.1 PESTLE Analysis EMC Plc is likely to experience political, economical, socio-cultural, technological, legal, and environment as illustrated in Appendix 1(a). EMC Plc experiences political stability and advantages from various political factors such as degree of government involvement in business activities, the serene political atmosphere that European

Tourism as a Tool for Reducing Poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tourism as a Tool for Reducing Poverty - Essay Example Mkangi and Mbindyo, Kenya is an extremely fertile country, which stretches from the sea level in the eastern part to the snow-covered mountains to the north. Mountains that can be found in Kenya include Mt. Kenya, Mt. Elgon and Mt. Kilimanjaro, which also borders Tanzania. Its greatest feature includes the Great Rift Valley, found in the central and western part of the country. Also, there are a number of lakes and rivers found in Kenya, which include Lake Turkana, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Lake Bogoria among others while rivers include River Nzoia, Gori, Ewaso Ngiro, and Yala among others, which form part of Kenya’s Geography. Kenya does not perform quite well, but it is the largest economy in East Africa. The economy, based on the market with a few infrastructure enterprises owned by the state, also maintains an external liberal trade system. Adholla, Mkangi, and Mbindyo (2008) state that 70% of people in Kenya is employed in the agricultural sector in which half of th e sector focuses on subsistence farming. The growth rate of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Kenya has decreased over the last decade from 6.5% every year to 4% every year since independent and then to only 1.5% per year during the 1990s. Politically, Kenya has always been considered a stable country despite all the changes in its political system and conflicts in the neighboring countries. Tourism is the second largest export earner in Kenya after agriculture, which forms a crucial foundation for its economy.... A  unique  tourism features in Kenya include wildlife and beaches, which have enabled it to  out  space  all its neighbors in East Africa due to  excellent  planning  and  leadership. In addition, solid infrastructure and  devotion  to conservation of wildlife has driven Kenya to the forefront of the  regional  tourism industry. In Kenya, tourism dates back in the pre-independence time i.e. as early as 1930s, when explorers from abroad started visiting Kenya. The explorers and visitors mainly visited Kenya for  solitude, as well as big-game hunting expeditions, which the Swahili people started referring to as safaris. Some of the  early  visitors included Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Earnest Hemingway, and Theodore Roosevelt among other celebrities. About 10% of Kenya  has been set  aside for wildlife conservation and biodiversity. Since most visitors to the  country  are  mainly  interested  in seeing animals especially the  big   five (rhino, elephant, lion, buffalo and leopard), game viewing is a  popular  practice. Also, there are other small and  unique  animals present in the country, which attract tourist too. Moreover, there has been a  remarkable  rise in the number of tourist since the beginning of tourism in Kenya. For instance, in 2003, Kenya received over one million tourists, which lead to rise in  bed  capacity, in classified hotels to over 73,000. Tourism in Kenya has employed over 219,000 people, which is approximately 11% of the total workforce in the country. Currently, Kenya is still in a state of  growth  i.e.it is still a developing country. However, there are many factors that are inhibiting

Future Trends in Purchasing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Future Trends in Purchasing Paper - Essay Example As such, procurement has and continues to help in the evolution of supply chain management in that procurement ensures the security of supply, market expansion, and reduces operational costs while maximizing profits. In essence, this is the direction that supply chain management is headed towards as it evolves from just a profit making venture into a practice requiring adherence to legal, ethical and consumer demands. Callender (2013) gives the example of how the global market now prefers GM-free foods and seeks to shun child labor. E-business can be described as the practice of using technology in order to improve business, essentially by conducting business processes on the internet. The adoption of information technology in the conduct of business has its own advantages and shortcomings, just like the traditional ways of conducting business. According to Popescul & Genete (2007) e-business is advantageous in that it reduces the amount of time required to transact business, while also reducing the costs involved. In addition, the incorporation of information technology in business transactions means that a company is able to market itself on global arenas. On the negative side of doing e-business, companies are exposed to hackers who can swindle the company and its clientele their money. In relation, consumers may fall prey to fraudsters who use information provided online, to steal credit card information. In other cases, There is also the risk that the company’s employees may be unable or unwilling to adapt to the applications used and may thus put the company at risk of losing its consumer base. It is also major concern for companies that the telecommunication bandwidth may be insufficient; meaning that access to online platforms may be hampered thus negating the need for e-business. The practice of using information technology to