Wednesday, November 27, 2019

4 Important Qualities of Women Leaders

4 Important Qualities of Women Leaders When it comes to leadership, does gender matter? Is there a difference between women leaders and men who lead? If so, what are the unique qualities of female leadership that the most effective women leaders possess, and are they unique to women? Caliper Study In 2005, a year-long study conducted by Caliper, a Princeton, New Jersey-based management consulting firm, and Aurora, a London-based organization that advances women, identified a number of characteristics that distinguish women leaders from men when it comes to qualities of leadership: Women leaders are more assertive and persuasive, have a stronger need to get things done and are more willing to take risks than male leaders... Women leaders were also found to be more empathetic and flexible, as well as stronger in interpersonal skills than their male counterparts... enabl[ing] them to read situations accurately and take information in from all sides... These women leaders are able to bring others around to their point of view... because they genuinely understand and care about where others are coming from... so that the people they are leading feel more understood, supported and valued. Four Qualities of Women Leaders The Caliper study findings are summarized into four specific statements about womens leadership qualities: Women leaders are more persuasive than their male counterparts.When feeling the sting of rejection, women leaders learn from adversity and carry on with an Ill show you attitude.Women leaders demonstrate an inclusive, team-building leadership style of problem-solving and decision making.Women leaders are more likely to ignore rules and take risks. In her book Why the Best Man for the Job is a Woman: The Unique Female Qualities of Leadership, author Esther Wachs Book examined the careers of fourteen top female executives- among them Meg Whitman, President, and CEO of eBay- to learn what makes them so successful. What she discovered echoes the Caliper study, including a willingness to reinvent the rules; an ability to sell their visions; the determination to turn challenges into opportunities; and a focus on high touch in a high-tech business world. Conclusions This evidence that the leadership style of women in power is not simply unique, but possibly at odds with what men practice, begs the question: Do these qualities have value in the marketplace? Is this type of leadership welcomed by society and by the public and private sector? Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, the World YWCA Secretary-General, says attitudes toward leadership are changing, and what women offer is essential: Domination as a leadership style is becoming less and less popular. There is a new growing appreciation of...those traits that women use to keep families together and to organize volunteers to unite and make change in the shared life of communities. These newly admired leadership qualities of shared leadership; nurturance and doing good for others are today not only sought after but also indeed needed to make a difference in the world....A feminine way of leading includes helping the world to understand and be principled about values that really matter. Sources:   Women Leaders Study: The Qualities That Distinguish Women Leaders.  Caliperonline.com.Kanyoro, Musimbi. Challenges to Womens Leadership. Speech in honor of YWCA of Salt Lake centennial celebration. 13 July 2006.Are Women Natural Leaders, and Men†¦the Opposite? KnowledgeWharton, University of Pennsylvania 8 November 2000.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

buy custom Hostile Takeovers essay

buy custom Hostile Takeovers essay Introduction Hostile takeovers have over the years taken the role of keeping corporate management in check. This is because to add the shareholders value, corporate raiders often change the management team once the buyout is complete. For this reason, hostile takeovers often solicit negative reactions from target corporate management. Corporations when taken over through buyouts are restructured to enhance wealth. Hostile takeovers can be described as unsolicited purchase of one firm by another. The buyer is referred to as the acquirer or the bidder, while the company that is bought out is referred to as the target. Unlike friendly takeovers where a buyout often ends improving the corporate status of the buyer and target in hostile takeovers not both corporations end up better off. Schwert ( 2000 ) argues that hostile bids are often perceived as threats by the targeted companies. Because of this negative perception the target management reacts defensively towards the unsolicited bid. Schwert ( 20 00 ) further argues that hostile take overs can be beneficial to the shareholders when redudant management teams are replaced, since operations improve.In a hostile takeovers the details of buyout can be made become public by either the buyer or the target. The buyer can make his bid public in order to force the negotiation. The target firm on the other hand, can make the details public in bid to resist the take over. The target can also go public in order to solicit multiple bids and push for better prices. Given such undertakings, hostile takeovers often attract both negative and a positive perception from the various stakeholders. However ,in cases where the takeover threats increase the companys share prices,such news is often welcomed by the shareholders and other market players. Buyers often go public with their intention to takeover the target ,when private negotiations fail. They can also go public if they perceive their offer being rejected. By making their intentions publi c ,buyers put pressure on target firms managers by informing the target firms shareholders of their options. When the details of the offer become public target management teams can use the information as a means of attracting better offers. Targets, therefore, the publicity that often accompany takeover threats, to attract better prices. In the process the target management team can get better offers from other bidders. Problem statement Hostile takeovers can be used to ckeck management excess in corporations,However, this role is often curtailed by the interest that drives the hostile takeover bid. Hostile takeovers can ,therefore ,be beneficial or disadvantageous to shareholders. Briefly define the concept of corporate governance In the modern world corporations have become powerful dominant entities with tentacles in each corner of the planet. Today business are seen to be more powerful that governments. Indeed, governments are nowadays perceived to be serving the interest of the corporate world. For this reason most corporation seek more power by increasing their operation and entering new markets. This has seen more corporations use the various tools available to them to enlarge the range of their business. This is especially so, in this era of globalization where successful corporations have operations in all corner of the globe. This means that in the last few decades, business organizations have acquired rivals, merged with competition and taken over vulnerable completion in a bid to catch up with the globalization frenzy. As such the global business environment has turned into an arena of intense competition, where it is fair play to exploit all weaknesses of competing entities. In addition, all the av enues available to ensure competitive advantage is maintained are exploited. These include management strategies intended to run corporations more efficiently and reduce costs so as to maximize profitability. The current business environment, therefore, has been increasingly getting competitive forcing business to adopt various strategies to remain ahead of their competition. Gompers, Ishii, Metrick ( 2003) argue that in order to survive, business organizations today require corporate management strategies, which will see them remain competitive. This has seen various organizations adopt varied strategies to survive. One of the most touted strategies is the good corporate governance strategy. Corporate governance entails making a decision and implementing the best choices. Most corporations today have wider ownership, which leaves the management teams with the roles of overseeing the organization on behalf of their many shareholders. These roles, of overseeing the day to day runnin g of organizations are entrusted to management teams who act on behalf of shareholders by making the necessary decisions and overseeing their implementation. Caton and Goh ( 2009) argue that managers are agents who oversee the daily running of organizations on behalf of the shareholders. To secure the interest of their varied owners, managers employ corporate governance strategies that add value to their shareholders investiment. Corporate governance can be reffered to as the process of making and implementing the best decisions in organization. This process as mentioned earlier ,is entrusted to management teams, whose role is to direct organizations on behalf of the shareholders. However ,the corporate governance strategies that organizations employ can vary from one corporation to the next. Corporate governance operates on the principle that managers or shareholders agents, will act in the best way that brings maximum value to their shareholder investiment. This therefore means that ,Corporate governance can be defined in a number of ways and may differ from one organization to the next (Jensen Meckling, 1976). The principles that govern corporate governance ,however largerly remain the same. So ,despite various definations the function of corporate governance is to oversee the competent running of organizations. By observing the laws governing the various states they operate in, a the regulatory framework guiding the operations of the organization. Moreover ,most coporations today have set objectivesand goals that are outlined in their vision and mission statement. Corporate governance entails fulfilling the set goals ensuring that an organizations mission is fulfilled while observing the corporate culture adopted. One such defination is by OECD ,according to their defination corporate governance is a set of relationship between an organizations management, the organizations board ,the stakeholders and the organization shareholders (Bhimani, 2008). They view these relationships as providing the structural framework in an organization, to enable its achieve the organizations set objectives. The relationship also involves monitoring the performance to determine whether the objectives are met. Although, the stakeholders such as suppliers and creditors are often recognized ,corporate governance is mostly seen as related to shareholders and managers (Scharfstein, 1988). According to Bhim ani (2008) managers are driven by self interest and at time undertake huge risks. On the other hand, he argues that the shareholders are only interested in maximum returns. Given such behaviour ,it is possible to understand why large corporations fail. Management team can fail to achieve an organizations set objectives for several reasons. Such reasons include, immense pressure to deliver their shareholders expectations, therefore, undertaking risky projects. Self serving behaviour, can also lead to failure especially if managers acts for their benefit, rather, than serving the interest of their shareholders. To ensure that shareholders and stakeholders are not undercharged, organization management teams are expected to follow good coporate gorvanance practices (Bhimani, 2008). However , this is easisly said than done. Bhimani( 2008) argues that for an organization to meet their goals and maximize their shareholders value , agood regulator framework should be in place. Agency theory and coporate governance The agency theory determines the relationship between shareholders and the corporation management. According to the theory managers acts as agents for the shareholders. The agency theory reduces corporations into an entity involving the shareholders and their agents or more appropriately the management team. This theory simplyfies the relationships that exist in any given bussiness organizations. In that, it views corporate governance relations from the mangers and the shareholders perspective.as earlier noted corporate governance is a set of relationship between an organizations management, the organizations board ,the stakeholders and the other organization shareholders (Bhimani, 2008). These other stakeholders can range from regulators,creditors,suppliers,distributors, consumers,employees to the general public. They hold a stake in organizations , in that its behaviour can affect them directly or indirectly. It is ,therefore, in the interst of all these stakeholders that corporati ons be governed in a manner that remuneration all those concerned. The agency theory seeks to explain corporate governance from a more simplified perspect. The theory, therefore, view corporate governance as a beneficial relationship between the management and the shareholders. In other words managers are employed or appointed by shareholders to protect their investiments by overseeing eeficient daya to day running or their corporation (Bhimani, 2008). Corporate governance theories and hostile takeovers Several theories have been formulated to help explain corporate governance. In their paper Heath Norman (2004), argue that in absences of an effective regulator framework, corporate failures such asEnron can easily be repeated. Such huge failures ,have demostrated that greedy human nature, can easilytake over and run down even the big coporations. The self serving nature of management teams is evident in such failures ,where the interest of shareholders comes second to self interest. As such, various tools should be employed to help keep in check the behaviours of management teams responsible for failure. According to Franks and Mayer (1996) hostile takeovers are a market driven mechanism that can check ineffective management teams. Various schorals have, however, raised objections to the capability of hostile takeovers in checking management failure. Grossman Hart ( 1980) for instance, dispute this view. According to them, hostile takeovers are motivated by bidders self interest , rather, than to check management behaviour. In their view, bidders seek to maximize their investiments. Hostile takeovers , on the other hand, evoke different reactions from the various stakeholders. As earlier noted, the agency theory seeks to simplify the realationships existing in corporations, to be perceived as that involving managers and the organizations shareholders. However , the various actions undertaken by coporation management teams,does not affect the two parties alone. Management decision can affect the members of the general public, whose may seem to have no relation to the actions or events in a given company. As earlier mentioned, corporate governance can be seen to as a means of providing the structural regulatory framework. This structured regulatory framework, can be argued to have the capacity to enable an organization its achieve the organizations set objectives. The relationship between coporation management and that of its stakeholders, should also have mech anisms to monitor management performance to determine whether their objectives are met. Although, the stakeholders such as suppliers and creditors are often recognized ,corporate governance is mostly seen as related to shareholders and managers (Scharfstein, 1988). According to Bhimani (2008) managers are driven by self interest and at time undertake huge risks. On the other hand, he argues that the shareholders are only interested in maximum returns. Given such behaviour ,it is possible to understand why large corporations fail. Hostile take overs are seen as one of the mechanism that can ensure that management undertake their roles in an efficient manner in order to maximize their shareholders value. The takeover process and possible strategies by individual shareholders and raiders Hostile takeovers can be undertaken by corporations with similar assets as the targeted firm on in the same industry as their target. This is done in order to specialize in a given industry in order to gain larger market share. Dominant firms in any given industry are in most cases, those larger firms that control a large chunk of their given market. This control, often results in more market power. Corporations with immense market powers can be able to cut their operation costs either through the economy of scale or by undercutting their competition. On the extreme such firms gain the capability to dictate their product prices and make it difficult for new entries to gain substantial markets. Hostile takeovers can, therefore, be employed by corporations in order to gain market power or specialize in their given industry. Hostile takeovers can also be undertaken by corporate Management Buyout teams or corporate raiders. The management buyout teams (MBO) and corporate raiders, takeove r corporations purely to gain wealth and power. They operate through indentifying vulnerable firms; move in to takeover either by accumulating shares of their targeted firm or through direct negotiations. Hostile takeover gains, can at times result from merely under pricing the share value of the target firms. In such a case, the bidders gain wealth simply by buying their target firm. Most MBO Teams and corporate raiders operate on this premise. They make wealth simply by target firms that have under priced shares then buy them out increasing the value of their investment. Similarly, they can buyout vulnerable firms then change the management team to increase the value of the taken over corporation. For such a scenario to succeed, the management of the targeted firm has to be inefficient thus, operating the firm below its capacity. In such a case, by simply changing the management team the stock price of the target firm simply increases. Effects of potential hostile takeovers threat on corporation management The motives of hostile takeover are often not very direct. It is safe assumed, however, that most takeovers are driven by wealth gains. This can be either direct gain, where a corporation share prices are undervalued. Alternatively, indirect gains can be realized through cost cutting measures that can result, through gaining more market powers (Goergen Renneboog, 2004). Either of the above motives translates into better management for the new venture. In the first scenario undervalued corporation share prices translate to investment value lose for the targeted corporations shareholder. A takeover bid, can point out such discrepancies leading to corrections. Increased share value translates to wealth gain for the shareholders. This means that, the overall effect is that shareholders investments increase in value hence, maximizing their resources. The general motive of any business organizations is to maximize its shareholders value. The management teams, which act on behalf of their shareholders, are tasked to carry out this vital task. A hostile bid that results in such objectives being met can, therefore, be said to achieve its end. Hostile takeovers can be linked to good corporate governance practices. In that, corporations avoid being targets of potential takeover threats. The link between corporate governance and hostile takeovers can, therefore, be said to be the capability of hostile takeovers to keep managers in check. Managers ensure that they run their organizations, in such a way that, their efficiency deters potential hostile takeovers threats. In so doing, managers run their organizations more efficiently, to ensure that shareholders value is maximized to keep away looming potential hostile takeover bids. Other gains that can ensure efficient corporate governance include joint research, distribution, procurement among many combined operation capable of reducing operating costs. Reducing costs can have an overall effect of cutting wastages in corpor ations, which implies the application of good governance principles (Heath Norman, 2004). According to Bhimani ( 2008) corporate governance entails running organization efficiently to reduce the overall cost in organizations. In the recent years, however, there has been increased cases of higher managemant compensation and higher board honoriums. Their overall effects is that management increase the risks taken and misrepresent the financial reports, in a bid to make their organization more attractive to shareholders and other stakeholders (Heath Norman, 2004). Such underhand management practices can be said to be undertaken to keep looming hostile takeovers at bay. Takeover defenses Acting in ones best interest can be said to be second to human nature. As such, managers often act in self serving ways, putting the interest of their shareholders second to their interest. Bhaghat, Schleifer, Vishny ( 1990) argue ,that a substantial number of takeoverbids are often undertaken or detered to fulfill managements interest. Managers can undertake defensive measures against takeoverbids, to serve their own interest. According to (Bhaghat, Schleifer, Vishny ( 1990) one of the major results of takeovers is the laying off the top management teams. Given that it is predictable that takeovers results in management changes, managers can undertake defensive measures to ensure that their jobs are secure. Similarly hostile takeovers are accompanied by changes in corporation boards,defensive measures can be as a result of the self serving nature of humans. Despite such defensive self serving behaviours, defensive actions can be carried out to protect the erosion of shareholders v alue. This is particularly so,in areas where the bidders underprices their bids to gain wealth. In other words, as long as the defensive actions such as a fair price amendments can be undertaken to protect shareholders values. Given then ,that management can block hostile takeovers in order to protect their shareholders, such measueres should be allowed. It all depends, on the motive of disallowing the takeover. As noted earlier, hostile takeovers can gain more wealth for the shareholders. As such each case should be judged on its merits. Hostile takeovers benefactors Various stakeholders react differently to hostile takeovers. The reactions range from acceptance to outright rejection of the takeover bids. These varied reactions are often driven by the various self interests that different stakeholders hold. Hostile takeovers are often accompanied by changes in management, corporate structure and the general ways in which an organization is run. This implies that various players in a target corporate can either gain or lose from a hostile takeover. Franks Mayer (1996) argues that in most of the takeovers in the USA and Britain management changes were carried out. As such, we can argue that the first culpruits to fall when hostile takeovers are undertaken , are the management teams. Consindering this, then it is clear that the managements objection to takeover bids is not always to protect their shareholders. Franks Mayer (1996) argue that takeover motives can vary. In most cases, however, the bidders are driven by wealth gains. This is because, most target firms are often underprices and post-takeover periods are marked by significan rises in the new entitys value. The question that arises, is the sources these wealth gains. In an examination of over sixty hostile takeovers bids between 1984 to 1986 Bhaghat, Schleifer, Vishny (1990) found out that fifty two targeted firms were acquired. In their post-takeover analysis they concluded that in most cases the wealth of bidding firms increases. In their examination they also concluded that target firms gain from take over bids whether successful or not. In their examination of hostile takeovers (Bhaghat, Schleifer, Vishny (1990) post takeover operation were evaluated in order to find out the gainers in the takeover bids. divesture ,tax savings ,investment cuts and layoff operations after takeovers were examined to determine the gains made and those who benefitted. They also looked into the possibilitoes of taken over firms losing their investiment values. The authours noted that once takeovers were concluded and the merged entity operations harmonised it was impossible to determine or attribute any given gain to the target firm or the bidder. Their joint ac count records do not specify the origin of gains or loses made after operations of the two firms are combined. Howeever , their reasearch indicated that the first losers in the takeovers are employees in top management positions. The following layoffs according to their findings begins with the acquired firms top management team. Tax savings in the examined hostile takeovers were minimal implying that wealth is not gains from tax savings. They argue that gains made from tax savings are minimal in comparison to the gains made by laying off top employees. They did note, however, that the resulting entities make substantial tax reduction in their merged operations (Bhaghat, Schleifer, Vishny, 1990). The overall implication of these savings is reduction in the operation costs of the new entity. This proves the point tht in hostile takeovers the merged entity becomes more efficient since operation costs are significantly reduced. In additon, the debts incurred during the takeover are paid out in shorter periods reducing the interest rate burden on the new merged corporation. Their reaserch also concluded that once the firms merge they do not undertake major investiments. This means that the motives for hostile takeovers are not so that firms can increase their investiment. Share holders of the bidding firms were also found in some cases to lose the value of their investiment while the investiment value of the target corporation increases slightly. The most common characteristic that they found in the operations of the resulting corporations , was that targeted firms and bidders are most often in the same industry or closely related fields (Bhaghat, Schleifer, Vishny, 1990). This suggest that one of the motives of hostile takeovers is to corner the industry market. This is because the resultant firms most often become big players in their given industry. One of the gains that result from hostile take overs is an enlarged market. This therefore implies that future operations of the resultant firm can gain immensely from the economy of scales. The bidding firms also gains market shares in regions where it previsouly had no presence. Similarly majority of the targeted firms ,often have similar assets to those of the larger bidder. This implies that in most cases, hostile takeovers represent an attempt by corporation to specialization in areas where they have invested substatial assets. In such cases the gains that motivate hostil e take overs seems to be cost saving strategies, resulting from the new joint operation. Under such consinderations, we can argue that some of the hostile take overs are driven by future gains rather that immediate wealth increament for the shareholders. In addition, large corporations dominate their given industry. Thus , hostile takeover can be power driven as corporations seek to dominate their industry to gain market power. This can enable such firms to dictate prices and undercut their competition. Hostile takeovers can also simply earn the bidders wealth. This is especially so in cases where the stock value of the targetted firm is undervalued. These kind of hostile takeovers are often undertaken by corporate Management Buyout teams or corporate raiders. Simply put, they buyout underpriced corporations, and by merely doing so, gain additional value for their investments. The management buyout teams (MBO) and corporate raiders, takeover corporations purely to gain wealth and power. They indentify vulnerable firms with undervalued stocks or inefficient management teams. Hostile takeover gains, can at times also result from merely under pricing the share value of the target firms. The bidders, therefore, gain wealth while the targeted firms shareholders lose theirs. During negotiations the bidders simply offer to buy firms at lower values knowing that by doing so they are gaining wealth. In such a case, the bidders gain wealth simply by buying their target firm. Most MBO Teams and corporate raiders operate on this premise (Bhaghat, Schleifer, Vishny, 1990). They make wealth simply by target firms that have under priced shares then buy them out increasing the value of their investment. Similarly they can buyout vulnerable firms then change the management team to increase the value of the taken over corporation. For such a scenario to succeed, the management of the targeted firm has to be inefficient thus, operating the firm below its capacity. Changing the management, therefore, increases the value of the targeted firm. Hostile takeovers can also be instigated by a firms management purely for personal gains. In such a case, both the bidders shareholders and targeted firms shareholders can gain from the hostile takeover (Franks Mayer, 1996). In that most hostile takeovers become public, the publicity puts the takeover bid under scrutiny helping the targeted shareholders realize that their stock is underpriced. In other case, other bidders emerge offering better prices. As mentioned earlier takeovers can be carried out in a bid to gain more market power. This often the case with bidders targeting firms in the same industry (Schwert, 2000 ). This means, that the bidding shareholders can fail to gain from such an undertaking. In that, if the hostile takeover motive is to corner the market, the bidder may end up overpaying the target. Such a hostile takeover bid is often driven by the management, and is undertaken to achieve management teams expansion strategies. In such a case, the target shareholders end up gaining wealth. On the other hand the bidders shareholders, stands to gain from their management long-term strategies. This can be accrued through future savings, as well as, pricing advantages and cost cutting gains through economies of scale. In other words, the bidders shareholders, in management driven hostile takeover have no immediate wealth gains. Instead they end up paying the target more that their stock value. This implies that they lose wealth while the bidders gain more wealth. For every case, therefore, wealth loses to the bidders shareholders, implies wealth gains to target shareholders. In most cases as mentioned earlier the publicity that results from hostile takeovers often results in competition for the targeted company. This, inevitably increase the value of the target stock prices. In most cases, target shareholders end up gaining in the majority of hostile takeovers (Bhaghat, Schleifer, Vishny, 1990). Additionally, by announcing takeover bids, share prices for the target firms often increase. This also increases the value of target shareholders stock. Hostile takeovers can also result in operation efficiency. In that joining operations firms can gain through combined marketing, research, headquarters, and distribution among other combined operations. Conclusions The link between corporate governance and hostile takeovers can be said to be, the ability of hostile takeovers to keep managers in check. Managers ensure that they run their organizations, in such a way that, their efficiency deters potential hostile takeovers threats. Acting in ones best interest can be said to be second to human nature. As such, managers often act in self serving ways, putting the interest of their shareholders second to their interest. This means that some of the hostile takeovers, are undertaken to serve the interest of managers. This can be ,to expand the bussiness by divesting or increasing their market shares through acquisations. Such moves,can lead to the bidders overpaying for their target. The process cana also be open to manipulation by management teams in order to serve their own interest. As earlier noted in absence of efficient coporate governance, corporations can fail.Such huge failures ,have demostrated that greedy human nature, can easilytake over and run down even the big coporations. The self serving nature of management teams is evident in such failures ,where the interest of shareholders comes second to self interest. As such, various tools should be employed to help keep in check the behaviours of management teams and prevent failure. Hostile takeovers, have demostrated the capacity to keep such failure in check. In addition shareholders can also gain from hostile takeovers by increasing the value of their investments. This can happen by bringing efficiency in the corporate world.However , hostile takeovers can also earn the bidders shareholders wealth. This occurs, where the stock value of the targetted firm is undervalued. In addition, hostile takeover can accrue gains to bidders simply by under pricing the share value of the target firms. The bidders, therefore, gain wealth while the targeted firms shareholders lose theirs. However, the joint ventures resulting from hostile takeovers often enjoy combined operation ad vantages such as procurement, marketing, research, joint overall operations and distribution. This helps shareholders, increase their investments value and maximize their investments achieving the overall objective of corporate governance. Buy custom Hostile Takeovers essay

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strategy - Research Paper Example Without BLS, the company that knows what business to focus on will not be able to maximize productivity and profits. Without the FLS, different divisions will not function effectively in line with business strategies. Any global or national environment with similar competitive sporting goods should be studied in connection with expansion plan to discover who will be the competitors, how they compete in terms of pricing, quality, and availability, because competitors might have their respective advantages which will be a threat to the entry of sporting goods. Opportunities will be available if a competitive advantage or evident differentiation can be established. Existing missions and goals should be the premise of developing strategies. Cost leadership involves all the strategies and activities that allow for the company to arrive at desired â€Å"features that are acceptable to the consumers at the lowest cost relative to that of competitors†, according to Hitt, Michael A.; Ireland, Duane R.; and Hoskisson, Robert E. (2010, p.108) . It is crucial to have this because people will compare the products, and will want to get the best value for their money’s worth. If features are the same for different options, the price will make the difference. 2You are a CEO of a regional sporting goods company and are contemplating expanding into the global market; however, you are unsure of what your strategy for globalization should be. You need to meet with your management team to develop a strategy. Explain how the following Factors apply into your strategy decision: External Environment (National, Global); Opportunities and Threats; Mission and Goals; and Leadership and Culture? Explain why the â€Å"Cost Leadership â€Å"strategy would apply

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Opportunities for Food Company to Develop Healthier Eating Products Assignment

Opportunities for Food Company to Develop Healthier Eating Products - Assignment Example With growing efforts by the government and a high level of media interventions, the arena of healthy foods is becoming an important side for the research day by day. Not only that, but it is also becoming an increasingly important factor for the consumer as well as the retailers. This movement has thus worked as an advantage for the food manufacturers and processors as the demand in the product areas such as organic, vegetarian, and low-fat/low-sugar foods has increased to a great extent. In the recent years, there has been a change in the mind-set of the manufacturers and processors in dealing with the demand generated for these products and the need to develop new and innovative ways before-hand. Nowadays, these manufacturers and processors are becoming more and more proactive in dealing with these issues. The reasons for such a shift can be attributed from various reasons. To begin with, it has been realized that there has been an increase in the amount of disbelief by the consumers over the current health claims presented by the manufacturers. This means, that the consumers are now deciding for themselves; the market has now presented the manufacturers with various dimensions to market themselves to as the market has now segmented to those who fall to such claims generated by the manufacturers and those who do not. ... than that, it has also been observed that since lifestyles of each age group have now changed, there has been a decline in the formal lunch times which has, hence, increased in snack food market; for instance day time is spent on the office desk and night time is spent playing games (case study). On top of that, consumers are being more interested in healthy foods. Therefore, there has been an increase in consumers as well as the retailers that favor healthier low fat, low salt, and low sugar products. This is so, because there has been an increase in the time pressures in the lives of the consumers. The term ‘grazing’ can effectively be applied here as there has been reported an increase in the frequency of smaller meals in the day. The number of consumers carrying hand held snacks while simultaneously being health conscious have also increased during the years. This means, that the manufacturers must learn to anticipate demand quickly of this growing market and thus th ink of innovative ways in all areas to improve quality and grasp the already expanding market share. As far as the changes in the healthy eating environment is concerned, Winson (71-82) mentions in his study about a healthy eating movement that is gradually picking up pace. According to the paper, the author states that â€Å"this movement is directly related to and is a collection of various small food movements. The list includes the likes of the slow food movement, the movement promoting organic foods and the re-localizing food. The latter is one of those movements that has been on the rise lately and has held the attention of various researches. The overall food movement has also been closely related to food security initiatives that gathered attention after the era of nineties. Other than the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Apology by Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apology by Plato - Essay Example Socrates on page three denies practicing this type of philosophy, although he does not want to disrespect its practitioners. 2) â€Å"Socrates makes the worse argument into the stronger argument† (Apology,2). Socrates maintains that men of position who are examined by â€Å"young men of the richer classes† (6) who have learned his methods are humiliated. Their response is to slander Socrates: â€Å"Those who are examined by them [the young men] instead of being angry with themselves are angry with me. This confounded Socrates!†¦--and then if somebody asks them, why, what evil does he practice or teach? They do not know†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (6). In order to save face, these men accuse Socrates of sophistry.(6). 3) Socrates is guilty of corrupting the young. I will summarize Socrates’ examination of Meletus concerning this accusation: The laws improve the youth. All of the judges know the laws. Therefore, all the judges improve the youth. All Athenians improve the youth, according to Meletus. Socrates is an Athenian. But, according to Meletus, Socrates alone is their corrupter. This is an invalid argument. If all Athenians improve the youth, and Socrates is an Athenian, then he should also improve the youth. I understand the second argument as follows: It is better to live among good citizens, because they do good. Everyone wants to be treated well. Socrates corrupts the youth intentionally, turning them bad. Bad people do evil. Therefore, Socrates wants to be treated badly. (Apology,7-9). â€Å"But either I do not corrupt them† says Socrates,† or I corrupt them unintentionally†¦If my offence is unintentional, the law has no cognizance of unintentional offenses† (Apology, 9). 4) Socrates does not believe in the gods of the city. Socrates out-argues Meletus on this accusation: M: â€Å"you are a complete atheist† S: â€Å"Do you mean that I do not believe in the godhead of the sun or moon†¦Ã¢â‚¬  M: â€Å"I assure you, judges, that he does not believe in them; for he says that the sun is stone and the moon earth† S: â€Å"you have but a bad opinion of the judges, if you fancy them ignorant to such a degree as not to know that those doctrines are found in the books of Anaxogoras† (Apology,9). The argument continues: S: â€Å"can a man believe in spiritual and divine agencies, and not in spirits or demigods?† M: â€Å"He cannot† S: â€Å"You swear in the indictment that I teach and believe in divine or spiritual agencies†¦but if I believe in divine beings, I must believe in spirits or demigods;--is that not true?† M: â€Å"Yes, that is true† (Apology,10). On the first charge, that of Socrates practicing natural philosophy, I would find not guilty. Socrates is falsely characterized in Aristophanes’ play. He is falsely accused by Meletus of believing that the sun is stone, etc. Meletus did not bother to get his facts straight. The natural philosophers at that time were trying to explain phenomena in terms of quantities that could be studied, i.e.: Anaximenes’ theory that â€Å"all things were made of air through expansion and condensation† (http://www.academic.mu/phil/jonesj/). This type of early scientific inquiry was seen by those in power as a threat to the theocracy. The belief that the gods ruled the earth, and that the politicians could trace their lineage to the gods was a stabilizing force in society. Socrates maintains that God and the gods are wise, and that his actions are dictated by his belief in them. On the second charge, that Socrates makes the worse argument into the stronger argument, I would find not guilty. Socrates does not practice sophistry, which is a form of argument used for persuasion. The Sophists used this form of

Friday, November 15, 2019

Effects of Demographics on Performance Appraisals

Effects of Demographics on Performance Appraisals 23 Geddes This study examined the effects of demographic similarity and dissimilarity on perceptions of performance appraisals and reactions to negative feedback. When organizational members accept task-relevant feedback, they are more likely to maintain and/or modify their behaviors in ways that will improve future performance. In contrast, when employees reject supervisor feedback, more common when an evaluation indicates performance deficits, they may respond unfavorably (Fedor et al., 2001; Ilgen Davis, 2000). Fedor, D.B., Davis, W.D., Maslyn, J.M. Mathieson, K. Performance improvement efforts in response to negative feedback: The roles of source power and recipient self-esteem. Journal of Management, 2001, 27, 79-97. Ilgen, D. Davis, C. Bearing bad news: Reactions to negative performance feedback. Applied Psychology, 2000, 49, 550-65. 9 Catano The limitations of performance assessment, such as inflated ratings, lack of consistency, and the politics of assessment (Tziner, Latham, Price, Haccoun, 1996), often lead to their abandonment. Managers responsible for delivering performance reviews who are uncomfortable with the performance rating system may give uniformly high ratings that do not discriminate between ratees. Poor ratings detract from organizational uses and increase employee mistrust in the performance appraisal system (Tziner Murphy, 1999). Employees on the receiving end of the appraisal often express dissatisfaction with both the decisions made as a result of performance assessment and the process of performance assessment (Milliman, Nason, Zhu, De Cieri, 2002), which may have longitudinal effects on overall job satisfaction (Blau, 1999) and commitment (Cawley, Keeping, Levy, 1998). legally sound performance appraisals should be objective and based on a job analysis, they should also be based on behaviors that relate to specific functions that are controllable by the ratee, and the results of the appraisal should be communicated to the employee (Malos, 1998). Second, the appraisals must be perceived as fair. Procedural fairness is improved when employees participate in all aspects of the process, when there is consistency in all processes, when the assessments are free of supervisor bias, and when there is a formal channel for the employees to challenge or rebut their evaluations (Gilliland Langdon, 1998). In addition to perceptions of fairness, participation by employees in the appraisal process is related to motivation to improve job performance, satisfaction with the appraisal process, increased organizational commitment, and the utility or value that the employees place on the appraisal (Cawley et al., 1998). Tziner A, Latham GP, Price BS, Haccoun R. (1996). Development and validation of a questionnaire for measuring perceived political considerations in performance appraisal. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 17, 179-190. Tziner A, Murphy KR. (1999). Additional evidence of attitudinal influences in performance appraisal. Journal of Business and Psychology, 13, 407-419. Milliman J, Nason S, Zhu C, De Cieri H. (2002). An exploratory assessment of the purposes of performance appraisals in North and Central America and the Pacific Rim. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 40, 105-122. Malos SB. (1998). Current legal issues in performance appraisal. In Smither JW (Ed.), Performance appraisal: State of the art in practice (pp. 49-94). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. 60- Maurer Structured interviews can be quite demanding for interviewees, combining social and cognitive processes (Campion, Palmer Campion, 1997, Dipboyes, 2005) 55 Levinson Because management by objectives is closely related to performance appraisal and review, I shall consider these together as one practice, which is intended: To measure and judge performance, To relate individual performance to organizational goals, To clarify both the job to be done and the expectations of accomplishment, To foster the increasing competence and growth of the subordinate, To enhance communications between superior and subordinate, To serve as a basis for judgments about salary and promotion, To stimulate the subordinates motivation, and To serve as a device for organizational control and integration. Major Problems. According to contemporary thinking, the ideal process should proceed in five steps: 1) individual discussion with the superior of the subordinates own job description, 2) establishment of the employees short-term performance targets, 3) meetings with the superior to discuss the employees progress toward targets, 4) establishment of checkpoints to measure progress, and 5) discussion between superior and subordinate at the end of a defined period to assess the results of the subordinates efforts. In ideal practice, this process occurs against a background of more frequent, even day-today, contacts and is separate from salary review. But, in actual practice, there are many problems: No matter how detailed the job description, it is essentially static that is, a series of statements. However, the more complex the task and the more flexible an employee must be in it, the less any fixed statement of job elements will fit what that person does. Thus, the higher a person rises in an organization and the more varied and subtle the work, the more difficult it is to pin down objectives that represent more than a fraction of his or her effort. With pre-established goals and descriptions, little weight can be given to the areas of discretion open to the individual but not incorporated into a job description or objectives. I am referring here to those spontaneously creative activities an innovative executive might choose to do, or those tasks a responsible executive sees need to be done. As we move toward a service society, in which tasks are less well defined but spontaneity of service and self-assumed responsibility are crucial, this becomes pressing. Most job descriptions are limited what employees do in their work. They do not adequately take into account the increasing interdependence of managerial work in organizations. This limitation becomes more important as the impact of social and organizational factors on individual performance becomes better understood. The more employees effectiveness depends on what other people do, the less any one employee can be held responsible for the outcome of individual efforts. If a primary concern in performance review is counseling the subordinate, appraisal should consider and take into account the total situation in which the superior and subordinate are operating. In addition, this should take into account the relationship of the subordinates job to other jobs. In counseling, much of the focus is on helping the subordinate learn to negotiate the system. There is no provision in most reviews and no place on appraisal forms with which I am familiar to report and record such discussion. The setting and evolution of objectives is done over too brief a period of time to provide for adequate interaction among different levels of an organization. This militates against opportunity for peers, both in the same work unit and in complementary units, to develop objectives together for maximum integration. Thus, both the setting of objectives and the appraisal of performance make little contribution to the development of teamwork and more effective organizational self-control. Coupled with these problems is the difficulty that superiors experience when they undertake appraisals. Douglas McGregor complained that the major reason appraisal failed was that superiors disliked playing God by making judgments about another persons worth.[1] He likened the superiors experience to inspection of assembly-line products and contended that his revulsion was against being inhuman. To cope with this problem, McGregor recommended that an individual should set his or her own goals, checking them out with the superior, and should use the appraisal session as a counseling device. Thus, the superior would become one who helped subordinates achieve their own goals instead of a dehumanized inspector of products. Every management by objectives and appraisal program should include regular appraisals of the manager by subordinates, and be reviewed by the managers superior. Every manager should be specifically compensated for how well he or she develops people, based on such appraisals. The very phrase reporting to reflects the fact that although a manager has a responsibility, the superior also has a responsibility for what he or she does and how its done. 57 Lievens High structured interviews appear to be less frequently used in personnel management practice than might be expected given their good reliability and validity. Meta-analytic research has demonstrated that low structure interviews are considerably worse than high structure interviews in terms of reliabilitry (Conway, Jako and Goodman, 1995) and criterion-related validity (Huffcutt Arthur, 1994 Marchese) 6- Brewer Organizational commitment is the extent to which employees identify with their organization and managerial goals, show a willingness to invest effort, participate in decision making and internalize managerial values[10]. 10. OReilly, C. and Chatman, J., Organisational commitment and psychological attachment: the effects of compliance, identification and internalisation on prosocial behaviour, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 71, 1986, pp. 492-9. 3 Baruch The process of performance appraisal (PA) is of most importance in human resource management (HRM). In a broad sense, PA systems are used for two main purposes: as a source for information for management; and as a feedback instrument for individuals employed by the organization. In the first case, the applications of the use of PA serve a variety of management functions. These could be decision-making about promotions, training needs, salaries, etc. Where feedback is the main goal, the fundamental purpose is to provide the employee with information that will improve personal performance and effectiveness. Recently the second approach has gained more attention. Providing the employee with feedback is widely recognized as a crucial activity. Such feedback may encourage and enable self-development, and thus will be instrumental for the organization as a whole. 47 Kuvaas Performance appraisal (PA) is among the most important Human Resource (HR) practices (Boswell and Boudreau, 2002; Judge and Ferris, 1993) and one of the more heavily researched topics in work psychology (Fletcher, 2002). PA has increasingly become part of a more strategic approach to integrating HR activities and business policies and may now be seen as a generic term covering a variety of activities through which organizations seek to assess employees and develop their competence, enhance performance and distribute rewards (Fletcher, 2001) failure (see, e.g. Cardy and Dobbins, 1994; Murphy and Cleveland, 1995). 44 Klehe The distinction between what people can do (maximum performance) and what they will do (typical performance) has received considerable theoretical but scan empirical attention in industrial-organizational psychology. The distinction between typical and maximum performance holdwide -researching practical and theoretical implications for performance appraisal and research validating fundamental assumptions of the typical-maximum performance distinction is as yet unavailable. 31 Harung Management is by nature a holistic profession. Management calls for the necessary understanding of a wide spectrum of factual knowledge and theories (economics, finance, technology, law, etc.). It calls for competence in the particular type of business one is managing and the ability to take part in and oversee manifold processes such as communication, team building, group decision and production. 39 Ivancevich Feedback of performance appraisal information has received increasing attention in the applied organizational behaviour literature (Latman Wexley, 1981). Ilgen, Fisher and Taylor (1979) in a thorough review of the literature discussed the nature of feedback, element of the feedback process and the implications of feedbacks in the work environment. Another related approach to providing feedback is the use of goal setting procedures. There has been an increasing number of studies that indicate that goal setting can be an effective approach for improving attitudes and increasing performance (). 82 Tziner Investigations of performance appraisal instruments have focused primarily on their psychometric properties (Bernardin, 1977, Borman 1979, Tziner, 1984). The result of the field experiment provided strong support for the proposition that a performance review consisting of performance feedback followed by goal setting would favourably influence work satisfaction and organizational commitment to a greater extent than performance review comprising feedback only. A plausible explanation as to why performance feedback has an impact rests with the fact that people are basically feedback seekers (Ashford, 1986). Feedback is a vehicle trough which the appraisee receives information about how well he meets organizational expectations and work requirements. Performance feedback followed by goal setting caused nonetheless a considerable magnitude of improvement. Most researchers have reported little or no training of appraisal with regard to proposed appraisal instruments. 65 Meyer To say that the performance appraisal feedback problem has been an enigma for managers and personnel specialists is probably a glaring understatement. The appraisal and feedback program is one of the psychologists and personnel specialists popular topics in the personnel literature. Problems experienced with performance appraisal programs are myriad. Significant eyidence has shown that most managers find the program onerous and distasteful. Feedback regarding job performance seems necessary to justify administrative decisions, such as whether a salary increase is awarded and the size of the increase, or whether an employee should be transferred to another job or scheduled for promotion. Feedback should contribute to improved performance. The positive effect of feedback on performance has always been an accepted psychological principal. For employees who are not in an obviously dependent role, an appraisal discussion designed to serve communication, motivation, and development purposes should be based on the subordinates self appraisal. To improve the value of a feedback discussion based on self-review, the grading aspect should be eliminated. If a goal setting program is being used, such as Management by Objectives, this annual review discussion is not the best place to establish detailed job goals for the year. Training supervisors to handle this type of discussion could be valuable. It need not be any more extensive than the training given for conventional appraisal programs, 29 Gunn A boss should ensuring privacy, removing distractions, setting context, providing specifics, allowing time for dialoguebut thats all blocking and tackling. It fails to address the fundamental problem: a blurred line between feedback and criticism. Even if we simply point out or describe another persons behaviour as a neutral observer, we are acting as a critic. Feeling judged, the person to whom we are giving feedback is likely to head south emotionally. Open-ended questions help maintain the right frame for the conversation. Feedback is truly a gift.. .but its the giver who receives it. In the process of delivering feedback in an open-minded way, we are invited to explore our own thinking, our mental assumptions, with another person. 58 Lindenberger They fear performance evaluations, so they avoid giving feedback. They dread the emotional part, so they refuse to risk saying anything that might make their colleagues unhappy. When they do give feedback, they send the wrong message by emphasizing only poor performance. 61 maylett Feedback has been used for decades as a measurement of past performance and behaviours. However, it wasnt until the mid-1980s that extensive use of 360-degree feedback became common for identifying strengths and development needs that might not be exposed in traditional performance evaluations. Similar to the 360 degrees of a circle, with the participant figuratively at the center of that circle, feedback is gathered from those most familiar with that participants performance: supervisors, peers, and direct reports. Most 360-degree feedback assessments and employee engagement initiatives fall under the umbrella of training and development, organizational development, or HR departments. It is important that these professionals understand the connections these instruments have to the bottom line. 13 Cook The importance of people to organizational performance has long been recognised (Pragald and Hamel, 1990), yet according to Fletcher (1993) more than 80 percent of UK organizations surveyed in the UK express some dissatisfaction with their performance appraisal systems, perceiving that they fail as a mechanism to develop and motivate people. The Achilles heel of the entire process, according to Kikoski (1999) is the annual performance review interview; line managers are under-preparated to handle the interview and reluctant to give negative feedback, leading to a situation where the people being appraised receive incomplete and inaccurate messages about their performance. The litterature suggests that people will only be satisfied with a performance appraisal peocess if it fulfils the criteria of fairness. It has also been suggested that a lack of appraisee trainibg in the PA process may cause discrepancies between expected and actual performance assessments which will contribute to dissatisfaction with the system (Bretz et al. 1992). People have been identified as the source of competitive advantage for organizations by numerous researchers (McGregor 1960, Barney, 1995, Prahalad and Hamel, 1990, Storey, 1991). People who are not appraisers, but are asked to provide input to another persons annual review, should also receive training to allow them to provide effective. The importance of training people to partecipate to PA is stressed by Bretz et al (1992) who advocate that it should be an ongoing process to achieve maximum effectiveness. Effective training should increase the effectiveness of the PAS and ultimately lead to greater organizational effectiveness. 50- Laird Mayfield documented that 90 percent of the people who had been evaluated expressed satisfaction with the performance appraisal procedure. While the idea of performance appraisal is almost universally accepted, its actual operation in some instances has failed to live up to its promise as an effective managerial tool. 64 Messmer Performance reviews can be a powerful tool for motivating team members to higher performance levels and improving relationship between managers and employees. - 16 deGregorio Research to date has clearly found that performance feedback is necessary in order to maintain and/or improve job performance (Catano, 1976; Erez, 1977; Kim Hamner, 1976; Komaki, Barwick, Scott, 1978). A self-appraisal instrument can provide a vehicle through which subordinate participation in the feedback process is ensured (Bassett Meyer, 1968; Kay, Meyer, French, 1965). The results indicated that performance appraisal based on a self-review was more satisfying to managers and subordinates than manager-prepared appraisals. Employees who have not previously participated in performance discussions are not always satisfied with the self-appraisal approach. In Bassett and Meyers study, such employees stated that when top-down appraisals were used, supervisor expectations were much clearer. 17 Dobbins If ratees are dissatisfied with the appraisal system or perceive it as unfair, they will be less likely to use evaluations as feedback to improve their performance (Ilgen, Fish Taylor, 1979). Similarity, dissatisfaction with appraisal procedures could potentially lead to employee turnover, decreased motivation and feeling of inequity. Past research suggests that appraisal satisfaction is a function of both the level of evaluation and the feedback provided by the evaluation. Ratees are also more satisfied with appraisal systems that provide useful feedback about job performance. As noted by Carroll and Schneier (1982), one of the primary purposes of the formal appraisal is to provide clear, performance-based feedback to employees. As noted earlier, it is widely recognised that appraisal system can provide employees with feedback concerning the adequacy of their job performance (Bernardin Beatty, 1984). Feedback can be defined as a subset of information that allow employees to judge the appropriateness or correctness of behaviours for attaining various goals (Ashford, 1986). 76 Segalla The future looked likely to prefer high performance, well trained and multi-lingual managers. 43 Jaworsky Supervisory feedback is a useful mechanism for controlling salespeoples performances (Teas 1983, Tyagi, 1985, Walker, Churchill and ford 1977). Importantly, supervisory control can be exercised at the input, process or output stages (Jaworsky, 1988). Further, given the positive feedback can pertain too to outputs or behaviours, the issue of comparative effectiveness of alternative types of supervisory feedback takes on greater complexity. The typology of supervisory feedback used in our study is drived from two dimensions. The first dimension is the locus of feedback, whether feedback pertains to a sales persons output or behaviour. The second dimention is the valence of feedback, whether feedback is positive or negative. Feedback is argued to improve performance through it informational and motivational effects. 35 Hiltrop Employees are expected to do their work and think of ways to improve it, achieve new levels of performance, contribute to change efforts and manage their own ongoing learning processes (Mohrman and Mohrman, 1993). Organizations will become more complex and ambiguous place to work (Handy, 1989) The role of the manager will become more lateral, with much more focus on people, customers and processes. As Cannon (1996) points out: managers are being asked to show their worth on a more decentralized workplace, worth valuated in terms of effectiveness in creating conditions in which people can deliver the best results. Most commentators agree that managers of the future will require a more extensive mix of skills and competencies than their processors. For instance, Allred et al. (1996) argues that, as more companies adopt some type of networked structure, managers need to have not only strong collaborative, partnership and relationship skills. In the organization of the future, managers role have been portrayed as those of portfolio specialists, whose work and income comes first and foremost from having high expertise in a particular field or subject that is essential to the business (Nicholson, 1996). Managers of the future will have to develop a much wider range of skills and competencies than their predecessors. According to Carson and Carson (1997) many organizations are burdened with workers who want to jump ship, but who stay firmly on board grasping for long-term security in the face of widespread job cuts. There is no doubt that the successful managers for the future will need a very different set of skills and competencies than their predecessors. 42 Jawahar A primary purpose of formal performance appraisals is the provision of clear, performance-based feedback to employees (Carroll Schneier, 1982; Ilgen, Fisher Taylor, 1979). The significance of feedback to the appraisal process as well as to the broader management process has been widely acknowledged (e.g., Bernardin Beatty, 1984; Ilgen et al., 1979; Lawler, 1994; Maier, 1958; Murphy Cleveland, 1995). Performance feedback has the potential to influence future performance (Ilgen et al., 1979; Kluger DeNisi, 1996), and significantly impact job and organizational attitudes (Ilgen, Peterson, Martin Boeschen, 1981; Pearson, 1991; Taylor, Fisher Ilgen, 1984). Thus, feedback is not only important to individuals but also to organizations because of its potential influence on performance and a variety of attitudes and behaviors of interest to organizations. Satisfaction with appraisal feedback is regarded as one of the most consequential of the reactions to appraisal feedback (e.g., Dorfman, Stephan Loveland, 1986; Giles Mossholder, 1990; Keeping Levy, 2000). For instance, Giles and Mossholder (1990) and others (e.g., Organ, 1988) have asserted that satisfaction as a measure of employees reactions is a more encompassing indicator of reactions to appraisal feedback than more specific, cognitively oriented criteria, such as perceived utility and accuracy of feedback (e.g., Keeping Levy, 2000). In summary, the central role of feedback to the appraisal process and the importance of examining ratees satisfaction with appraisal feedback are widely acknowledged (e.g., Ilgen et al., 1979; Keeping Levy, 2000; Murphy Cleveland, 1995). Satisfaction with appraisal feedback is likely to enhance employees feelings of selfworth and their feelings of positive standing within the organization (Lind Tyler, 1988). If organizations are to realize the benefits of performance feedback, they should take the appraisal process and particularly the feedback discussions between the rater and ratee seriously. Although satisfaction with feedback has been a focal construct in a number of studies, its nomological net is not well understood. The significant relationship between satisfaction with feedback and organizational commitment became non-significant when the influences of job satisfaction and satisfaction with manager on organizational commitment were statistically controlled. Results of this study indicate that the extent to which ratees are satisfied with the performance feedback benefits the ratee, rater and the organization. Ratees benefit as satisfaction with feedback is positively related to their job satisfaction and influences their future performance. Raters benefit as ratees satisfaction with feedback is positively related to ratees satisfaction with them, negatively related to turnover intentions, and influences future performance of ratees. 32 Heathfield Every method of assessing employee performance has its positive and negative characteristics. The traditional process of performance appraisal reflects and underpins an old-fashioned, paternalistic, top-down, autocratic mode of management that relies on organization charts and fear of job loss to keep troops in line. The traditional performance appraisal process treats employees as possessions of the company, fails to create a dialogue and rarely results in positive employee development and progress. Performance management is the process of creating a work environment or setting in which people are enabled to perform to the best of their abilities. Performance management is a whole work system that begins when a job is defined as needed and ends when its determined why an excellent employee left the organization for another opportunity. In a performance management system, feedback remains integral to successful practice. The feedback however becomes a discussion for both progress and personal business goals. 56 Liden Very little work has been done on the poor performers reactions to the leaders responses. Liden (1981) found that subordinates and leaders reported that the most common leader response to ineffective performance was to simply discuss the incident with the poorly performing subordinate. In such a discussion the leader is essentially giving negative feedback to the poor performer. Ilgen, Mitchell, and Fredrickson (1981a) found that poorly performing subordinates perceive specific feedback to be more helpful than general feedback. Similarly, results of a field study indicated that feedback timing, specificity, and frequency are all associated with subordinate satisfaction and perceptions of appraisal helpfulness (Ilgen, Peterson, Martin, Boeschen, 1981b). It was predicted that subjects would rate feedback containing consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus information (i.e., specific feedback) more positively than feedback containing information on none of these three dimensions (i.e., non-specific feedback). Subordinates rated specific feedback more positively than nonspecific feedback. Feedback including consistency, distinctiveness, and consensus information was rated higher than feedback containing information on none of these dimensions. This result supports the Ilgen, Fisher, and Taylor (1979) suggestion that subordinate misperceptions and nonacceptance of negative feedback might be corrected by providing more specific feedback. 19 Falcone In an era where intellectual capital defines any companys ability to stand out from its peers, measuring that human capital as a true asset may dictate the organizations ultimate success or failure. In reality, though, this challenge has gone mainly unresolved because managers see pertbnnance appraisal as an exercise that focuses only quantitatively on individual performance as the core foundation and building block of the performance review process. So much for the Golden Cycle of Performance Management, which is: Goal setting and planning. Ongoing feedback and coaching. Appraisal and reward. Under the current way of handling appraisals, the first two steps rarely get addressed, leaving the culmination in the third step more theory than reality. 27 Grensing-Pophal Many CU managers and business experts note that performance evaluation is perhaps the most important part of the interaction between supervisors and managers. 62- McGregor Formal performance appraisal plans are designed to meet three needs, one for the organization and two for the individual: 1. they provide systematic judgments to back up salary increases, promotions, transfers and sometimes demotions and terminations 2. they are a means of telling a subordinate how he is doing, and suggesting needed changes in his behaviour, attitudes, skills or job knowledge, they let him know where he stands with the boss. 3. They are also being increasingly used as a basis for the coaching and counselling of the individual by the superior. McGregor found that one of the bosss resistance to effective appraisal interview is related to the lack of skills needed to handle the interview. Training programs designed to teach the skills of appraising and interviewing do help, but they seldom eliminate manager

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Scene One of A Streetcar Named Desire Essay -- A Streetcar Named Desir

Scene One of A Streetcar Named Desire What is the dramatic significance of scene one of the play A Streetcar named Desire? Scene 1 of this play has great dramatic significance. In this essay, I will be looking at key points throughout the scene that reveal the key features of the plot, characters, theme and imagery plus how it is used to give the audience a taster for what is to come. Scene one is set in New Orleans, I feel this is used because in peoples mind beforehand it has a strong emotional presence and is often associated with many types of genres such as music. Sight and smell are often used in plays to help people get a sense of atmosphere and this is no exception. Cleverly as always to make something stand out in the media eye Williams takes this one step further by combining the strong senses of glorious unbelieving sights of New Orleans and the vast cultural display of music to create a strong, atmospheric potion. It offers a romantic vision of dingy life(referring to the not so perfect world they live in). The mix of characters demonstrates the way that New Orleans has changed to other southern American cities. It was originally a catholic settlement while most southern cities were protestant The music of the blue piano is cleverly used in the background to portray to feel of changing life throughout the city, while seemingly also reacting to the changing moods in the play through hate and anger of Blanche’s arguments with Stanley to love and forgiveness when Blanche arrives to stay with Stella. I feel it is also used to take the sting out of the feel of poverty. The polka music displays its original musical style, whilst being used for far more striking and startling incidents su... ...nough’ in many situations to get his point across. Stanley’s middle-scene entrance with meat underlines his primitive qualities as if he were taking it back to his cave fresh from the kill. It also displays a strong sexual bond between him and Stella which is also shown as noticeable by other characters. Stanley shouts â€Å"Catch!† as he throws the meat to the negro woman who yells â€Å"Catch What?†. The negro woman and Eunice see this as sexual and hysterical in his act of tossing the meat to a delighted Stella. This is a very cleverly thought out & structured first scene as this certainly prepares the audience for what is to come. Many class conflicts and clashes with high tempo drama from all sides of the story are certainly expected to remain throughout while a classic twist could and hopefully will be to carry on the great start could be on the cards.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Deborah Moggach uses humour to address social issues consider how she does this, paying particular attention to her use of language Essay

n this essay I will look at how Deborah Moggach uses humour to address social issues. I will give my own opinion and I will also pay particular attention to her use of language. In this essay I will focus on ‘fool for love’ by Deborah Moggach, she addresses the social issues of older women having a relationship with younger men. In this story there is a middle age mother with two teenagers and she found a 26 year old man for a relationship through her day time job in a dispatch room. Deborah Moggach uses humour to address a social issue a number of times throughout the story. The first time we see this is when Deborah Moggach the 26 year old man ask Esther out, ‘want to help me buy a Christmas present for my mum’. This is used as a social issue as he is asking to spend time with her. However the humour comes in later when Deborah Moggach says ‘but did he just want the advice of mature woman’. This makes the audience think and brings reality into the story and reminds us of Esther’s age. We are reminded by the young man’s age later on in the story through humour when Esther is telling him about the state of her son’s bedroom until she realise he is young himself ‘you couldn’t complain about adolescents to somebody who was practically one himself’. This humour is shown as it is as if Esther is relating the young man of her dreams to her son. Deborah Moggach then uses humour when she gets into how Esther feels about how long it had been since she had fallen in ‘love again’ and ‘Since she had shaved her legs every single day’. This humour is shown to emphasis what it is like to fall in love and what ladies do on a daily bases to show that they care top their man. This is also linked to a social issue as it is the reason she is ‘shaving her legs on a daily bases’ for the social aspect of seeing the man. In the sixth paragraph of ‘fool for love’, Deborah Moggach uses humour by saying ‘she had lent him  £10-he never had any money-and he still paid her back’. This is used in a social issue as they are socialising together more carefully now as the story goes on. This is also humours’ as people can relate towards it and it shows that he cares for his feelings and cares for her. ‘Fool for love’ by Deborah Moggach is a story that people are able to relate to well. It seems to be that everyone has fallen in love and had ups and downs, whether they would die to be with them for the rest of their lives or be with them for a period of time. ‘Fool for love’ emphasises just how strong love can be and how powerful it is to some people and this is how people are able to relate towards the story. Humour for a social issues is used a lot of the time throughout the story as a mature woman with a younger man does happen it is not too common which gives Deborah Moggach the perfect chance to play with the writing and ass humour into the story. ‘Fool for love’ is all about social issues with Esther meeting a new young man at work to meeting her son from the airport. I lot of the things that Esther does is because of a social issue and how she wants to come across to people when being social able.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Affect Is (Usually) a Verb

Affect Is (Usually) a Verb Affect Is (Usually) a Verb Affect Is (Usually) a Verb By Maeve Maddox Before so much of the professional jargon of psychology found its way into the popular vocabulary, explaining the difference between affect and effect was a bit easier than it is now. One could state categorically, affect is a verb: The loss of his father affected him profoundly. How will the new mall affect the neighborhood? One would then explain that effect can be used as both noun and verb. As a noun, effect means the result of an action: What will be the effect of closing Main Street? (noun) Have you read The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon- Marigolds? (noun) As a verb, effect means to bring about, cause, accomplish: The new administration effected many changes in policy. (verb) The return to systematic phonics instruction effected the desired reading improvement within five years. (verb) Now, thanks to the use of the word affect as a noun by psychologists and psychiatrists, we must consider this defintion: affect (noun): Psychol. (and Psychiatry). A feeling or subjective experience accompanying a thought or action or occurring in response to a stimulus; an emotion, a mood. In later use also (usu. as a mass noun): the outward display of emotion or mood, as manifested by facial expression, posture, gestures, tone of voice, etc. Examples of affect used as a noun: The clinician observed the patients affect. When the picture of a dog was flashed on the screen, Mr. Smiths affect was sudden and violent. Bottom line: Its probably safe to say that in most everyday contexts, affect is used as a verb and effect is used as a noun. To decide which spelling you want, determine whether the word is being used as a noun or as a verb. If it is a noun (effect) it will probably have some kind of determiner or qualifier in front of it: the effect, an effect, some effect, any effect, the desired effect, etc. Make sure to check our post Affect vs. Effect for words related to those terms. Video Recap Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Spelling Test 1Expanded and ExtendedHow Long Should a Synopsis Be?

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe Essays

Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe Essays Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe Paper Major Environmental Issues Facing Zimbabwe Paper It as a long history of biodiversity preservation, through the national parks, forest reserves and innovative community-based sustainable-use schemes such as CAMPFIRE. Nevertheless, the natural resources are under pressure from a growing population with limited economic alternatives. Land quality Zombie has the greatest fraction of its land area in good quality agricultural land. The economy of Zombie has a large agricultural component, and the majority of people are dependent on the land. The distribution of people and productive agricultural resources is uneven, leading to problems of land degradation where large numbers of people and vivisect are concentrated on marginal lands. Freshwater resources The Zambia River in the north is one of the largest rivers in Africa, but does not currently supply water to the rest of the country, which is water-scarce in most parts. The geology is generally not conducive to large groundwater supplies. Climate change Like the rest of southern Africa, Zombie is strongly influenced by fluctuations in rainfall. An improvement in the water balance as a result of climate change would be a great benefit; increase water stress, on the other hand, would be a substantial development challenge. Zombie environmental problems like erosion of its agricultural lands and deforestation. By 1 992, deforestation was progressing at the rate of ha per year, or about 1. 5% of the nations forestland. The confinement of large segments of the population to relatively unproductive lands before independence put severe pressure on these lands, a substantial portion of which may have been irreversibly damaged. Zombies air is polluted by vehicle and industrial emissions, while water pollution results from mining and the use of fertilizers. Zombies cities produce 0. 5 million tons of solid waste per year and a good amount ends up in the rivers. The nation has been estimated to have the highest EDT concentrations in the world in its agricultural produce. In 2001 , nine of the nations mammal species and nine bird species were endangered, as well as 73 types Of plants. Zombie has about half of the worlds population of black rhinoceroses, an endangered species. Rare or threatened species include the cape vulture, black-cheeked lovebird, and brown hyena. For protection, the government has adopted a policy of shooting poachers on sight. Africans freshwater supply is almost stretched to its limit. Less than 10% of Africans rainfall is available as reface water, one of the lowest conversion ratios in the world. The countrys groundwater resources are equally limited. Despite regulations of river waters, in many catchments the need for water exceeds the supply and quality is often below standards. Given the projected growth in population and economic development, Africa faces tough times in meeting water demands in the decades ahead. The shortfall in freshwater is tied to growing demands, but also to other issues such as loss of natural habitat and potentially climate change. Destruction of natural habitats the land of the fine-leaved plants, is one of the worlds most impressive botanical kingdoms a mind-boggling variety of plants that is richer than any other comparable sized area in Africa. An estimated 8,500 species of vascular plants, of which 70% are endemic, are reported here. But because the area has been heavily settled for several centuries, large swathes of natural vegetation, particularly in the lowlands, have been cleared for agriculture and urban development. Similar problems face the Iamb-Karol-Achieved desert, a very distinctive and flirtatiously rich excretion with highly diverse endemic plant immunities. Here, poor land management, conversion of marginal lands for cultivation, dam construction, mining, and illegal extraction of selected succulents for black market trade, pose a suite of threats. Over fishing along the Coast, there is persistent over harvesting of many commercially valuable species and products such as pilchard, anchovy and rock lobster. Further at sea, some fish stocks have been over-harvested, and several species face local extinction. These dangerous trends follow improvements of fishing methods, increase in fishing effort and the establishment of fishing industries. Introduction of exotic species Africans natural habitats are being colonized by alien species at great rates. Introduced species, particularly North American game fishes such as largemouth bass and smoothly bass, are pushing out indigenous species and threaten to lead some of them to extinction. Pollution a high level of traffic associated with crude oil transport from the Arabian Gulf has resulted in contamination from tankers spills and discharge of polluted ballast waters. A strategy that is having impact on environment is the Wildlife Environment Zombie has fought for the conservation and protection of Zombies environment. WEEK has been on the forefront of conservation, lobbying for the establishment of National Parks and protected areas, assisting in the management of these, and spreading knowledge on conservation and environmental issues through our magazine, publications, and different environmental education projects. To encourage and assist all people Of Zombie to understand the importance of wildlife and the environment and to conserve Zombies natural resources for the well being of current and future generations and to ensure that the utilization of these natural resources is fair and sustainable. But Zombie is confronted by critical environmental and ecological problems. This has resulted in environmental degradation, declining population of endangered species, destruction of indigenous forest and wildlife habitats, soil erosion, pollution in all its forms, and ruthless exploitation of our natural resources for short-term profit. Partnership for Environmental Law Education is another strategy thats s working to help prepare for a more sustainable future. Over the past three years, the Zombie Environmental Law Association in collaboration with Environment Africa and the Environmental Management Agency entered into partnership to educate rural and urban communities about their environmental rights and duties. Rural district councils, grassroots organizations, environmental actions groups, traditional leaders and government deep retests were among the groups that were trained. The partnership is driven by the need to address the main impediments to environmental justice, which are poverty and lack of knowledge. At the local level, knowledge about available rights and capacities to claim them are Often limited. It is therefore, the purpose of this project to lid the capacity of communities and locally based organizations to claim those rights and to promote the building of local institutions that can lead to the opening up of opportunities for improved access to natural resources, good health and improved livelihoods. Therefore, environmental law education provides the avenue for people to acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to act within their communities in an environmentally responsible way. To date, ZEAL Environment Africa and the Environmental Management Agency held close to fifteen joint workshops by pooling resources together. The partnership was a way of avoiding the duplication of work by the three organizations. In practice, ZEAL provides the legal advice while Environment Africa brings its experience and contacts with community groups. The Environmental Management Agency as a government agency brings the government perspective and commitment to natural resources management. Through this partnership, ZEAL and Environment Africa are in a better position to make contributions to legal reforms and to influence policy decisions on natural resources management and environmental protection. Tell, ZEAL has been reviewing draft regulations on waste management and indigenous knowledge systems that are being formulated by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. The regulations seek to complement the Environmental Management Act. Another key output of the partnership is the formation of Environment Committees and Sub-Committee at the district level in the ten provinces of Zombie. Hare has witnessed an upsurge in the number of residents forming community based groups to spearhead waste collection efforts. These community groups are formed by people with a passion for the environment and who also want to earn a living from waste recycling and reuse. The formation of waste management groups is also partly due to the increase in the uncollected waste that has been accumulating around the City. However, the groups are just loose groups of individuals especially the youth which do not exist as legal entities. They have been finding it difficult to operate without registration as companies or common law trusts. Through workshops and seminars, the Zombie Environmental Law Association received requests from all the groups for legal assistance. Most of the requests are for their registration either as companies or trusts. ZEAL has agreed with Environment Africa and Practical Action to irk on a plan of action that will result in the registration of the groups. It is noteworthy that the efforts of these groups are a result of sustained education programmers on waste management and environmental protection around Hare by the civil society. Therefore, the formation of the waste management enterprises is one way of implementing the principles of environmental management contained in the Environmental Management Act and other pieces of legislation. The benefits of registration are that the groups can effectively engage the private sector and request for assistance as legal entity with traceable references.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Create a strategy for the college of business in university of sharjah Term Paper

Create a strategy for the college of business in university of sharjah - Term Paper Example e areas that the university specializes in are entrepreneurship training, administration in business, research portfolio and a simulator in the financial market (University of Sharjah, 2014). A number of dynamics continue to arise in the teaching and learning environment not to mention the job market. The diversification requires that an elaborate plan be established to ensure that there is the institution is within in meeting the predetermined objectives (University of Sharjah, 2014). The university, therefore, seeks to establish itself as a world-class institution in business and management programs. To this end, there is a need to establish a strategic plan that will enable the institution becoming an organization of choice not just locally, but internationally (Sutton & Obst, 2011). To become an institution of choice where excellence is derived and dreams realized. The institution also seeks to produce the best business professionals to be able to satisfy the market needs as appropriate. An institution of learning where civilizations meet. One of the major drives is to be a world-class business university capable of attracting students and professionals from all over the world. The strategic positioning of the university makes it easy for the dream to be achieved. Make the university a professional hub where careers can be developed and skills developed. The University seeks to be the only institution where people can come and develop their skills and go out to the field confident of making an impact in the market. The institution also seeks to be a key consultant in matters concerning business and management strategies. Consulting services are to be made for every individual with particular interest in venturing into management or people who have a need to learn more about business issues. The business seeks to partner with other institutions to broaden the mandate of the university to providing quality services to the people and the clients in this case

Friday, November 1, 2019

Executive paper - Critical analysis of reported category one and Coursework

Executive paper - Critical analysis of reported category one and category two incident data - Coursework Example Moreover, certain recommendations will also be made regarding how the loopholes within this service can be identified and improvised accordingly. E. W. Tipping Foundation is primarily a non-profit organisation mostly operational in the area of Victoria, Australia. The foundation aims towards fostering the concepts of social justice and human rights through its community development programmes and services. The foundation started its functions in terms of providing aid to the disabled individuals and till date has steadily prevailed towards broadening its structure in terms of providing support towards family services. By taking into consideration the development trend, this report will mostly focus towards critically analysing the incident data that has been provided in the category 1 and category 2 lists (NSW Government, n.d.). This critical incident analysis paper also aims to understand the present trends within this non-profit organisation’s services and makes appropriate recommendations regarding how the quality of the services can be improvised. Correspondingly, the graphical representations of the provided data have also been incorporated. The data regarding the number of incident cases and the client count of the three quarters has been provided and has also been critically described using the graphical representations. The entire critical analysis has been segregated into two specific categories. The first category is regarding the ‘Out of Home Care (OOHC)’ and the second one is the ‘disability cases’. The number of clients in the case of OOHC has been measured to be 38 and the total number of clients that has been determined under the disability case is 796 (E. W. Tipping Foundationa, 2013). In accordance with the provided reports, the total number of incident cases belonging to category 1 for the month duration from 1st July 2013 to 30th September 2013 has been recorded as 32. Out of this recorded incident count, a total of 16 cases