Empowering Employees on Team Processes Research Paper

Empowering Employees on Team Processes - Research Paper Example However, the range of resolutions the employees can take part in is dependent on the organizational policies. Some of the areas employees may have a voice in include, the working conditions, vocational hours, company policies, the manner in which jobs are to be undertaken, peer reviews as well as how supervisors are appraised. To achieve employee empowerment, the management has to undertake capacity building and the development of the human resources under their control or payroll. In view of this, employees and teams ought to possess the self-belief and capacity to perform assignments and ought to have the opportunities to grow and shine. Performance and employees self-assurance is boosted when they gain additional skills in organizational as well as management issues, and when they obtain fresh skills and expertise. Employees’ empowerment is not a one-day undertaking and it is not straightforward.   Employee empowerment in an organization setting Human resource professiona ls believes that businesses can increase their productivity by empowering their employees. Other human resource scholars put forward that the majority of organizations take part in employees’ empowerment because of its potential to augment organizational innovations and value (Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, & Cacciatore, 2010). In an organizational setup employee involvement, entails the supervisors supporting immediate workforces in taking part in decisions concerning their vocational responsibilities, and offering them power over their working environment. This strategy is believed to increase workforce enthusiasm and in due course makes them increase their output. However, some researchers have downplayed this hypothesis by arguing that employees empowerment is influenced by many factors other than giving employees control over their work environment. Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, and Cacciatore, (2010) ascertain that the empowerment of the employee does not take place in an organizational void. This is because the supervisors may endeavor to boost the empowerment of their workforces through awarding the workforces decision-making tasks and offering them the chance to take part, but other organizational system aspects such as procedures governing decision-making, capacity building as well as the reward process may be contradicting to the power given to the employee. Hence, the probability of an empowerment effort by the supervisor to enhance the employees’ empowerment could be conditional to the existence of organizational sustaining features. Therefore, empirical research suggests that effectual empowerment of employees necessitates the creation of an organizational environment distinguished by acknowledgment, support, autonomy support and justice (Boudrias, Brunet, Morin, Savoie, Plunier, & Cacciatore, 2010).  Ã‚  

Goods Spend Analysis Report Essay Example for Free

Goods Spend Analysis Report Essay Gathering complete and accurate data of total goods spending requires the access to spend data from all relevant sources both within and outside the company. Good data cannot be collected when spend analysis is not supported by stakeholders including customers, suppliers, and internal clients. Step Two: Form a spend analysis team The company needs to realize that spend analysis is too critical to be assigned as an additional duty of purchasing department. A spend analysis team should be formed and dedicated to collect and analyze data and perform more strategic functions such as future spend forecast, budget review and adjustment, and program research. Step Three: Examine data quality and identify an effective data management process A considerable number of purchase orders or purchasing activities are not electronically transmitted in the company therefore the accuracy of purchasing records must be examined. In order to obtain complete, accurate, and consistent data, all stakeholders should identify an effective data/record management process to ensure accuracy. Step Four: Create a proper classification schema It’s very unlikely that the company will adopt an automated spend data management system designed for spend data extraction, cleansing and classification process. The spend analysis team will have to determine how to group spend data around distinct commodities with the concept of strategic sourcing in mind. Spend data should be categorized at the item level, providing visibility and allowing comparisons of detailed attributes across suppliers and commodities. Step Five: Implement spend analysis reports on a monthly basis The monthly spend analysis reports should highlight the top suppliers, internal customers, commodities receiving spend. Other reports addressing accumulated savings and process improvement should also be implemented and shared with other stakeholders for the purpose of involving them in advanced sourcing plans. Reporting will provide a high visibility into spending and help develop a cost-saving model to be used in strategic sourcing. Specific Key Triggers The company has a high percentage of single sourcing for direct commodities as they have signed contracts with the suppliers in Asia who manufacture different product lines for them. They have negotiated low rates for the products that will be manufactured and shipped to Canada and then directly distributed to customers (mainly retailers and gift stores). Since the company has a large customer base instead of a large supplier base, the key triggers to be considered for focus are high dollar value of direct goods or product lines, high dollar value of make-to-order for customers, high dollar value of indirect goods for internal customers, and high number of transactions of indirect goods for internal customers. Procurement Strategy and Spend Analysis All the products must pass safety and lead testing in Canada before selling and distribution. The procurement strategy the company currently employs is low cost with standard quality. The goods spend analysis recommended in this essay will work well with the company’s procurement strategy. It is true that the company is struggling to reduce costs and cut spending at all levels, however, they cannot afford sourcing products with lower quality as the spending on inspection and disposal will dramatically rise. In order to monitor and manage spending properly, strategic spend analysis is the only effective tool they can use to achieve the goal.

Buy Essay Online: The Trials of Odysseus :: Odyssey essays

The Trials of Odysseus      Ã‚  Ã‚   Much of modern literature and beliefs can be found in The Odyssey. The epic stands as the basis for the adventure genre. Heroes, mystery, action, and bloodshed can all be found in Homer’s timeless classic. However, The Odyssey also contains one major concept that is a part of everyone’s life. Everyone must at one time or another prove themselves. And that is the foundation of Odysseus’ story. He, a warrior meant to die on the battleground at Troy, survived to set sail back to his home of Ithaca. For this the gods had him prove himself. Throughout The Odyssey it is constantly shown that in order for one to earn his right to live, he must first prove himself in the battle of life where his only weapons are his intellect, his sense of trust, and the strength of pure determination. Throughout The Odyssey, often times Odysseus is forced to call upon his intellect rather than his warrior instinct in order to pass another godly test. At one point in The Odyssey, Odysseus and his comrades are taken prisoner in the titanic cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops. A colossal boulder keeps Odysseus and his men from escaping. Rather than slaying the formidable adversary, Odysseus devises a plan more of a scholar than a relentless warrior. This becomes known as Odysseus recounts his story to the Phaecians, telling them that, â€Å" ‘I [Odysseus] formed the plan within my daring heart of closing on him [Polyphemus the Cyclops], drawing my sharp sword from my thigh, and stabbing him†¦ Yet second thoughts restrained me†¦ for we could never with our hands have pushed from the lofty door the enormous stone which he had set against it’ † (85). Odysseus’ strong intelligence outweighs those of his warrior comrades, who would have been quick to slay t he giant. Had Odysseus sent the Cyclops to Hades, he and his men would surely have followed. However, this was not to be, as Odysseus does not let the warrior in him direct his actions as a leader. Throughout his adventures, Odysseus must also rely on his intellect to rid of those who restrain him from reaching Ithaca. On the island of Ogygia, Odysseus is kept a reluctant guest at the halls of the goddess-nymph Calypso. Odysseus, who sees that he cannot escape by means of battle, turns to flattery. Buy Essay Online: The Trials of Odysseus :: Odyssey essays The Trials of Odysseus      Ã‚  Ã‚   Much of modern literature and beliefs can be found in The Odyssey. The epic stands as the basis for the adventure genre. Heroes, mystery, action, and bloodshed can all be found in Homer’s timeless classic. However, The Odyssey also contains one major concept that is a part of everyone’s life. Everyone must at one time or another prove themselves. And that is the foundation of Odysseus’ story. He, a warrior meant to die on the battleground at Troy, survived to set sail back to his home of Ithaca. For this the gods had him prove himself. Throughout The Odyssey it is constantly shown that in order for one to earn his right to live, he must first prove himself in the battle of life where his only weapons are his intellect, his sense of trust, and the strength of pure determination. Throughout The Odyssey, often times Odysseus is forced to call upon his intellect rather than his warrior instinct in order to pass another godly test. At one point in The Odyssey, Odysseus and his comrades are taken prisoner in the titanic cave of Polyphemus the Cyclops. A colossal boulder keeps Odysseus and his men from escaping. Rather than slaying the formidable adversary, Odysseus devises a plan more of a scholar than a relentless warrior. This becomes known as Odysseus recounts his story to the Phaecians, telling them that, â€Å" ‘I [Odysseus] formed the plan within my daring heart of closing on him [Polyphemus the Cyclops], drawing my sharp sword from my thigh, and stabbing him†¦ Yet second thoughts restrained me†¦ for we could never with our hands have pushed from the lofty door the enormous stone which he had set against it’ † (85). Odysseus’ strong intelligence outweighs those of his warrior comrades, who would have been quick to slay t he giant. Had Odysseus sent the Cyclops to Hades, he and his men would surely have followed. However, this was not to be, as Odysseus does not let the warrior in him direct his actions as a leader. Throughout his adventures, Odysseus must also rely on his intellect to rid of those who restrain him from reaching Ithaca. On the island of Ogygia, Odysseus is kept a reluctant guest at the halls of the goddess-nymph Calypso. Odysseus, who sees that he cannot escape by means of battle, turns to flattery.

Epic of Beowulf - The Conflicts of Beowulf Essay -- Epic Beowulf essa

The Conflicts of Beowulf  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  George Clark in â€Å"The Hero and the Theme† make reference to an interior conflict within the Beowulf hero himself, and how the hero appears to lose this conflict:    Although a strong critical movement followed Klaeber in taking Beowulf as a Christian hero or even Christ figure, the most numerous and influential body of postwar critics, including Margaret Goldsmith (1960, 1962, 1970), read the poem as faulting the hero for moral filures according to one or another Christian standard of judgment (see also Bolton 1978). The poem became a neo-Aritotelian tragedy in which the hero’s flaw could be identified as a sin, greed, or pride (279).    The conflicts of Beowulf are both external and internal, and are quite numerous. Conflict is how one describes the relationship between the protagonist and antagonist in a literary work (Abrams 225). There is also another type of conflict which Clark describes above and which takes place within the mind and soul of a given character.    H. L. Rogers in â€Å"Beowulf’s Three Great Fights† expresses his opinion as a literary critic regarding conflicts in the poem:    The superhuman forces are Fate, the heathen gods, or the Christian God; conflicts between them and the hero’s character are frequently found. . . .The treatment in the three great fights of the motives of weapons, treasure and society implies a moral idea in which the poet believed: that a man should not trust in the things of this world, for they will fail him. Another aspect of this idea comes out clearly in the account of the first fight: that a man should trust rather in God and in the natural powers God gives him, for these will not fail him(234-37).    Kin... ...om The Harvard Classics, Volume 49.   P.F. Collier & Son, 1910. Translated by Francis B. Gummere. http://wiretap.area.com/ftp.items/Library/Classic/beowulf.txt    George Clark in â€Å"The Hero and the Theme† In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.    Clover, Carol F. â€Å"The Unferth Episode.† In The Beowulf Reader, edited by Peter S. Baker. New York: Garland Publishing, 2000.    Ogilvy, J.D.A. and Donald C. Baker. â€Å"Beowulf’s Heroic Death.† In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998. Clark, George. Beowulf. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1990.    Rogers, H. L. â€Å"Beowulf’s Three Great Fights.† In An Anthology of Beowulf Criticism, edited by Lewis E. Nicholson. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1963.      

Relative and Radiometric Dating

Two general processes used to figure out the age of rocks is relative dating and radiometric dating. We will compare and contrast the strengths and weaknesses of both methods. According to Lutgens and Tarbuck, Relative dating is the process in putting events in their proper sequence. Relative dating is based on assumption, not able to give an accurate date but an estimated time period where the rock originated from. A Danish scientist, Nicolaus Steno is accredited for the Law of Superposition. This law basically tells us that each layer of sedimentary rock is younger than the one below it which is depicted in figure 8. in the text. Steno is also accredited for the Principle of Original Horizontality. The principle is shown in figure 8. 4 in the text showing rocks compounding with sediment escalating in height that have not been disturbed by geological disturbances. Another relative dating process is the Principle of Cross-Cutting Relationships. This takes place when faults force them selves through older rocks. This means that the faults or dikes have penetrated layers of sediment that were deposited long before the intrusion. By implementing these theories and processes, we can assume a time period in the Earth’s history where these rocks originate from. However, this is an assumption and not a specific time as shown in figure 8. 10. Radiometric dating is the process of estimating the age of rocks from the decay of radioactive elements inside the rock specimen. This process utilizes radioactive isotopes to date igneous rocks. These radioactive isotopes have a distinctive number of atoms that present themselves unstable. These atoms will inevitably decay through a series of evolutions. We will take Uranium as example. Uranium will ultimately decay into the stable element lead. The father element being the Uranium and the end result creating the daughter element lead. Radioisotope dating is used to date igneous rocks that have cooled from their molten stage. it is assumed that all daughter elements have escaped through the immense heat. Once cooled, no elements will escape based on assumption. In the event that elements do escape, is through radioactive decay. According to Lutgens and Tarbuck, The decay rate that takes place is measured in Half Life. This is the length of time that one half of the remaining atoms to decay. This can be measured in a laboratory by finding the decay rate and counting time backwards to find the age of the rock specimen. Relative dating and radiometric dating have many strengths but also many weaknesses. Relative dating gives a general time frame where the rock exists whereas Radiometric dating has a scientific formula to give a more accurate account on where the rock originated from. However, it is safe to presume that both processes rely on assumption and not strict scientific fact.

Antigone Tragic Hero essays

Antigone Tragic Hero essays In the novel Antigone Sophocles, the author, depicts the tragic hero Creon to the fullest extent. Sophocles portrays Creon as a tragic hero by the characteristics shown throughout the story. Creon is a character that is easy to relate to in a number of ways. First, he contains many flaws which in result causes many problems. This is seen in the decision he made of becoming hubris. Hubris is a Greek term for insolence and is referred to the emotions in Greek tragic heroes and ignores the gods and thus invite catastrophe. Catastrophe is all Creon got as the novel progressed into the climax. His choices and decisions end up deciding the fates of his son, wife, and Antigone. After having an encounter however with Teiresias, Creon comes around to realize what he has done is sinful to the gods. He has put his own pride over the fact of appreciating the gods. The character Creon may not be seen as a tragic hero because of his tasteless acts, but he contains the traits eligible to be the tra gic hero in Antigone. As seen in the novel, Creon exhibits habits seen in todays life, even though Sophocles wrote this novel a long time ago. It is obvious that Creon displays an immense amount of stubbornness throughout the story. An example is seen when Antigone wishes to give her brother, Polynieces a proper burial so he can go and be with the Gods. Creon as king wishes to have him rot in the fields of war because he disowned the state in the war that preceded the events. Antigone fights for her beliefs of the divine law that one should always receive a proper burial after death, but Creon refuses and throws Antigone in jail. His stubbornness is seen here in this quote, Go join them, then: if you must have your love, find it in hell!(pg286). As seen in the quote, even after Antigone clearly makes sense in what she was doing, and the prophet also agrees with her, Creon turns to the ...

Free Essays on This Is America

This Is America â€Å"In no way would having English as the official language intrude upon anyone’s private life, business, or day-to-day living. Official English applies only to the conduct of government business.† -S.I. Hayakawa America today is obviously a melting pot of different societies. Everywhere, in every city and in every state, there are Germantowns, and Chinatowns, and Greektowns. America has certainly developed into one big multicultural society. With the many different cultures, come the many different languages as well. When a person imagines the language of the United States, naturally most believe that English is the national language. America, however, does not have an official language. According to the Center of Immigration Studies, more than 300 languages are currently spoken in the United States (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Immigration in the United States is a positive event that cannot be altered no matter what actions are taken against it. Immigration, in fact, has many positive influences upon this great nation. With the positive effects on this country also come the harmful effects. If America wants to continue to live harmoniously with the multitude of different cultures, ! the first step would be to make English the official language of the United States of America. Today, 1.9 billion people speak the English language; more than one-third of humanity (U.S. Bureau of the Census). English is also the national language of many countries- countries with a multiple of different cultures- including India and several populous countries in Africa. People in those countries use English to conduct common and official business, but they continue to speak many different languages as well. It seems ironic that the United States, the land almost synonymous with English, does not have it as its official language. In those countries, the peo... Free Essays on This Is America Free Essays on This Is America This Is America â€Å"In no way would having English as the official language intrude upon anyone’s private life, business, or day-to-day living. Official English applies only to the conduct of government business.† -S.I. Hayakawa America today is obviously a melting pot of different societies. Everywhere, in every city and in every state, there are Germantowns, and Chinatowns, and Greektowns. America has certainly developed into one big multicultural society. With the many different cultures, come the many different languages as well. When a person imagines the language of the United States, naturally most believe that English is the national language. America, however, does not have an official language. According to the Center of Immigration Studies, more than 300 languages are currently spoken in the United States (U.S. Bureau of the Census). Immigration in the United States is a positive event that cannot be altered no matter what actions are taken against it. Immigration, in fact, has many positive influences upon this great nation. With the positive effects on this country also come the harmful effects. If America wants to continue to live harmoniously with the multitude of different cultures, ! the first step would be to make English the official language of the United States of America. Today, 1.9 billion people speak the English language; more than one-third of humanity (U.S. Bureau of the Census). English is also the national language of many countries- countries with a multiple of different cultures- including India and several populous countries in Africa. People in those countries use English to conduct common and official business, but they continue to speak many different languages as well. It seems ironic that the United States, the land almost synonymous with English, does not have it as its official language. In those countries, the peo...

Hmong History essays

Hmong History essays The Hmong are an ethnic group from china. The Hmong loved freedom and flexibility. They normally lived in isolation from the rest of ancient civilization. The Hmong were known then as Meo or Maeo. The Hmong never accept this name because of its bad connotation. It wasnt until the 20th Century that we finally were called Hmong (). The Homing were thought to have originated from Central China. The Hmong were in constant with the Chinese throughout history. When they were attacked their property was seized; the Hmong were forced to move into the mountain and stage guerrilla tactics to fight back. In the middle of 1800s the Hmong were defeated, thousands died (). Most of them were enslaved and drove away from their homeland. The survivors were forces to change their identity and most of them escape to the South. Some of the lucky ones ended up in Southeast Asia, while other went to Laos and Vietnam. In the early 1960s, the Hmong formed an auto defenses dchoc (ADC) guerrilla under the direction of the Royal Laotian government. The ADC was later trained, direction and supported by the United State. The Hmong fought under the direction of the Central Intelligence Agency to protect USAF radar site in Phou Ph Thi in Sam Neu Province and to cut off the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a Vietcong supply route that cut through central Laos (). Hmong villagers were recruited into the secret war. We protected our homeland from the Communists and protect American interests in the region. Once the American troops pulled out of South Vietnam so did the support from the CIA. The Hmong were accepting the peace treaty that put the Communist in control of Laos (). The Hmong were betrayed for their roles in the war. Many had to flee their villages into the jungles. Some of those lucky ones escape to Thailand. Those who were trapped in the jungles of Laos continued to hide and fight for their freedom. Even no w, there ar...

Managing performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing performance - Essay Example At the forefront of issues and challenges that many if not all great companies of the 21st century are confronted all pertain to its workforce particularly the areas of discipline and efficiency. Much has been undertaken and usually at great expense to effectively manage discipline and employee productivity. The fundamental principle in managing companies big or small is to manage a company’s performance you have to manage the performance of its employees, officials, supervisors and managers. This leads to the question what is managing performance? Most if not all views and general opinion regarding this idea all refer to the handling as to how a company’s ability to meet its goals. This is usually forwarded by looking into the nature as well as objectives of its employees to better motivate them as well to make the company’s part of their long term goals. To an extent â€Å"performance management includes activities to ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner† (McNamara, n.d.). It must be noted that the underlying fact is to be able to attain this by improving as well effectively managing the human element in a corporate setup. To arrive at a better characterization of managing performance it needs to put into context the said term in relation to the main focus of this paper. Moreover due to the complexity, multi – dimensional and multi level nature of managing performance it is necessary to narrow dow n any and all succeeding expositions. This in no way set to underscore the fact that all that the term managing performance encompasses as well as all the attached disciplines as well as topic areas are equally important. The point is to have focus as well as a refined discussion of managing performance in the context of this paper. Due to the explanative necessities of this paper the fundamental questions will also serve as the main objectives of the paper’s discussion. Moreover main discussion

Issues in Gumdrop Northern Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Issues in Gumdrop Northern - Essay Example In the later stages, the US military began to understand the different problems from the gumdrop northern and the department of justice and the lawyers came involved in the issue and the leaders were going down the barrels of the prosecution.The authorities of the management became aware of the fact and as the judiciary duties have to be fulfilled. The company had to face certain legal issues regarding the employees as they were at the edge of bankruptcy, In order to maintain the stand in the market the company had fired out the employees for no reasons and the people had to suffer a lot because of the issue. As the company was bankrupted and as they have build rapport with the countries like Argentina and Columbia where the company assets had been transferred to banks in Argentina and which assured customers with good finance which can make them free from creditors.   Exporting of landmines to Afghanistan and Iran in contradiction to the international law and treaty. The supply of the defective land mines to Afganistan and the defective switches of them caused the death of soldiers and children. Ethics engage in the area of interpersonal, group, and community policy at the different levels in the organization and the outcome of the achievement of the result. The ethics is the complex process in the organization. There are different ethical issues in the organization gumdrop, the gumdrop is the organization with the annual revenue of about $500 billion and as the revenue and the outcome are considered they are found to be good performing company, but unlike to the ethical practices the company had  a problems in the product even though they had a good payment been done for its body armor and armored vehicles, the company also uses various substandard products for its manufacturing.

My Nursing Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My Nursing Philosophy - Essay Example For me to develop my nursing practice, I contemplated on what nursing means to me as well as factors that guide my nursing practice. In the course of my nursing studies, I have encountered different situations, which have enabled me develop my personal nursing philosophy. Additionally they have changed and molded my assumptions regarding nursing practices. However, they have at times challenged my assumption and personal value but for the better. Developing a personal nursing philosophy required me to reflect on my assumptions about nursing and compare them with the facts I had learned, particularly from the different philosophers accredited for developing different concepts that shaped nursing practices. Nursing practices entails giving patient-centered care and maintaining the different ethics that guide nurses in their practice. My nursing philosophy is based on my experiences, nursing education, principles, and theories that guide nursing, as well as my goals as a nurse. It addresses the aspects surrounding nursing practice, which include the society, environment, the patient of recipient of nursing care, health, and nursing care. I have always been compassionate about giving professional caring towards patients. For me, nursing is not just about me as the nurse and the patient, it comprise the patients family and the society. This is because of the roles that may pray in preventing occurrence of certain diseases as well as their contribution in enhancing healing of patients. Additionally, they are an important source of information regarding patients and other health related problems. The American Nurses Association definition of nursing (2004, p. 7) as â€Å"Protection, promoti ng, and Abilities, prevention of illnesses and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations† clearly describes what nursing entails. I find this definition very comprehensive since it clearly defines the roles of a nurse. Additionally, it demonstrates the need for continuous knowledge acquisition as key to proficient nursing. For quite some time the issue on whether nursing is, an art or a science has been debated. Being a nurse entail taking care of the patients, this is considered as an art. Therefore, the definition of nursing is a clear depiction of the components of nursing. Being a successful nurse requires one to seek knowledge, which is then applied in the daily activities. This necessitates clear understanding of diseases, their causes, diagnosis, and treatment. This makes nursing a science since it involves seeking knowledge. According to Philips, science is â€Å"an original body of knowledge concerning human beings and their world,† (2006, p.43). Nursing is thus multidimensional, and involves acquiring knowledge in addition applying the theory of behavioral and natural sciences in defining the skills and professional values used in care giving (Warms & Schroeder, 2009; Phillips, 2006).  However, nursing goes beyond understanding the disease progression and treatment. It entails enhancing the healing process through giving care. When Nightingale (1820-1910) and Nissen (1834-1892) wrote a about nursing, they metaphorically compared it to art. They were considering the quality of care given by nurses (Austgard, 2006, 16). The aspect of care giving requires nurses to connect with the patient and their family and is thus an art. Nursing is thus both a science and an art. That is why I consider knowledge crucial for successful nursing. Additionally, applying the knowledge learnt in class is crucial since it enables one to understand different diseases and disease processes. Knowledge acquisition is the scientific component of nursing. It entails learning how to use

Effect on interest rates due to the investment in REITs Essay

Effect on interest rates due to the investment in REITs - Essay Example In the year 2007, the real estate industry in UK is about to give the chance to investors to invest in real estate investment trusts. These are public listed vehicles that can satisfy the record demand experienced for investment in real estate. This can increase the capital acquiring capacity of the real estate firms and it can decrease its dependence on the bank credit. This in turn may decrease the interest rates or at least remain at what they at the end of last quarter of 2006. These investments not only impact the interest rates but also, these provide the required liquidity to an asset class that is considered as inflexible. The historically inflexible asset turning into a flexible asset and the provision of the liquidity for it can decrease the demand for the bank loans. One of the factors that impact the interest rates is the liquidity of the assets. The increased liquidity of the assets of a company or the people can decrease the demand for the bank credit up to some extent. This will certainly show a negative effect on interest rates and is capable of decreasing them or can stop them from increasing. Generally the international transactions involve the risk regarding exchange rate. The interest rates also effect the forwards yet times.A contract is signed and for completion within 3 months. Generally any one thinks about the exchange rate of GBP with the currency of that country. If the interest rates are considered and if the UK rates are higher, there will be a higher cost for the forward contract. In this case one can sign forward contract with a firm in the country that is having higher interest than in UK. This will reduce the burden on the buyer if there is any delay in execution of contract. Effect of the investments These investments will result in limited partnerships that have institutions as investors. There is a chance of emergence of onshore and offshore property unit trusts that contain institutional high net worth investors. The increase of

To what extent are women and development approaches counterproductive Essay

To what extent are women and development approaches counterproductive in addressing the problems faced by women in the global south - Essay Example According to Williams (1999), the term â€Å"development† is to be taken in its broadest meaning that encompasses not only the economic sense but also every social activity undertaken by human beings to successfully employ the gifted resources of nature towards their prosperity and well being. It has truly been authenticated in the studies by several authors that women play a dominant role in the development of a family, country, and a nation as a whole. Studies conducted by Hanson and Pratt (1995) and Kobayashi (1994) suggest that women are more industrious and do more untiring jobs than men in both rural and urban areas. In fact their roles and functions are proved to be multidimensional in every walk of life ranging from home, childcare and domestic duties to social, economic and workplace responsibilities. Gringeri (1994) states that women are increasingly setting out to do out-of-home jobs with the need of supporting their economic independency. Despite that, they seem to be dependent on men for their social and economic growth everywhere around the world. As a consequence of devastating and ruining conventional norms against women in several regions of the world most specifically the less developed ones led the thoughtful world to the evolution of several panoptical ideas and approaches relevant to women and their contribution to the economic development of country termed as â€Å"women and development† approaches. Overholt et al. (1984) illustrate that these approaches greatly contributed to project women as an economic resource that could be utilised further towards the growth of economy. The first of these was the all-famous approach called â€Å"women-in-development† that was aroused and advanced in the early 1970s that served the purpose of enlightening the world regarding the role that was and that could be played by women in the economic development of countries around

Effect on interest rates due to the investment in REITs Essay

Effect on interest rates due to the investment in REITs - Essay Example In the year 2007, the real estate industry in UK is about to give the chance to investors to invest in real estate investment trusts. These are public listed vehicles that can satisfy the record demand experienced for investment in real estate. This can increase the capital acquiring capacity of the real estate firms and it can decrease its dependence on the bank credit. This in turn may decrease the interest rates or at least remain at what they at the end of last quarter of 2006. These investments not only impact the interest rates but also, these provide the required liquidity to an asset class that is considered as inflexible. The historically inflexible asset turning into a flexible asset and the provision of the liquidity for it can decrease the demand for the bank loans. One of the factors that impact the interest rates is the liquidity of the assets. The increased liquidity of the assets of a company or the people can decrease the demand for the bank credit up to some extent. This will certainly show a negative effect on interest rates and is capable of decreasing them or can stop them from increasing. Generally the international transactions involve the risk regarding exchange rate. The interest rates also effect the forwards yet times.A contract is signed and for completion within 3 months. Generally any one thinks about the exchange rate of GBP with the currency of that country. If the interest rates are considered and if the UK rates are higher, there will be a higher cost for the forward contract. In this case one can sign forward contract with a firm in the country that is having higher interest than in UK. This will reduce the burden on the buyer if there is any delay in execution of contract. Effect of the investments These investments will result in limited partnerships that have institutions as investors. There is a chance of emergence of onshore and offshore property unit trusts that contain institutional high net worth investors. The increase of

An Examination of Outsiders in Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford and North Essay

An Examination of Outsiders in Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford and North and South - Essay Example In Cranford, the outsiders and their relationship to the central characters are depicted with gentle satire and humor. Human foibles are examined with compassion and the tale holds out the promise of redemption. With typical narrative skill, Gaskell highlights the characteristics that mark both groups as unique in their own right and cleverly demonstrates the benefits to be enjoyed if their differences are ironed out. However she does not stress this point and brings out how it is also possible for the two to exist independent of the other, without too much hostility, overt or otherwise. In North and South, the role of outsiders is handled on a more solemn note, in keeping with the gravity of the subject matter. Gaskell reveals a thorough grasp of the situation as she depicts the painful antagonism that characterizes the mental framework of the outsiders and the inevitability of open conflict. Human existence itself becomes fragile under the oppressive, all - pervasive atmosphere of ill - concealed hatred, intolerance and mutual fear. She emphasizes the absolute need for reconciliation between the warring factions and the need for peaceful co - existence, improved communication channels, tolerance and better understanding. The novel reveals how such a ceasefire is not only possible but imperative in order to ensure better living conditions for all concerned. The difference in the depiction of outsiders in both the novels lies largely in the stronger stand she adopts in the latter. A thorough analysis of this subject helps one better understand the nature of the differences in the portrayal of outsiders and is likely to result in a better understanding of the content, themes and the narrative techniques employed, which in turn makes the reading experience far more rewarding and enriching. A Study of Outsiders in Cranford At the very onset of the text it is possible to identify the outsiders. Gaskell says, "Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses, above a certain rent, are women In short, whatever does become of the gentlemen, they are not at Cranford" (1). Thereafter, men who arrive on the scene are perceived as the outsiders on account of their gender. From this point Gaskell sketches the peculiarities and peccadilloes that are the defining characteristics of both sexes with particular attention to the female sex. The traits unique to both sexes are seldom disparaged but often celebrated. Like the mythological Amazons, the women of Cranford had for the most part excluded men from their lives and are remarkably self - sufficient. However unlike their mythical counterparts they refrain from killing men, but do not baulk at driving them away by the sheer strength of their disapproval and superior numbers. Therefore the women are the central characters in Cranford; however despite the fact that theirs is a secluded community, insulated from the rest of the world, they cannot keep out men from their lives. Therefore male characters make their appearance at regular intervals for better or for worse and are essential elements of the plot. The community at Cranford is a close - knit one, where the genteel ladies are well established in their ways and are accustomed to the monotony of their uneventful lives. The ladies are used to each other's eccentricities and they take

Social Trends Essay Example for Free

Social Trends Essay This great movement was great in the way it was perceived to prepare people for death through making strong their faith. This was indeed a great deal in America during the colonial period. The likelihood of death was very prevalent all over in the colonial era (Butler, pp. 305-25). Deaths from floods, malnutrition, disease and other complications coming from childbirth were a common occurrence. Death was in the minds of all while making an effort to remain alive. The message from the church was that people would be part of devil’s accomplice because of their sins if they did not receive forgiveness from God. As a result of faith, quite a number of colonialists were of the opinion that they required their church on matters of clothing, food as well as shelter. Through strengthening the citizen’s faith, the church got hold of a very imperative role in the British Colony in the Northern part of America. Among these most famous men of this time were people like George Whitefield who was quite outspoken as well as adored and at the same time feared owing to his messages. It is said that George preached to 19,000 people in Boston in a period of three days. As though that was not enough, he left a group of 25,000 individuals being disturbed by the fear of everlasting damnation. The inspiration that came to people was to move out and establish churches in their own cities; construct houses for the disadvantaged and also employ ministers to assist them in sustaining their new and wholesome life of Christianity (Butler, pp. 305-25). Economic Trends As a result of the great awakening, many individuals resigned in their jobs and embarked on a journey of a travelling minister. There was now a great and spontaneous entry of ministers to the colonial America. These preachers were not ordained. They included uneducated farmers who regarded themselves as the poor of Christ. The core mission was to stress equality in humanity as well as emphasising that heaven was a home for the poor and not the rich. They emerged as wandering preachers who extended the Great Awakening amidst the poor and the rich, the illiterate and the educated, and also in the black-nation together with seaboard cities and towns. Conclusion Even though the Great Awakening based on religious foundations came to a brick wall by years after 1740, the effects therein were far reaching. In New England together with the South, changes started to weaken the authority of the culture of the upper class. This was a change that was anticipated for in the colonial America. Condemnation to the poor was evident because of their dirty lifestyle which differed with the very articulate lifestyle of the upper class. The Great Awakening in the end led to change of opinions and values that influenced politics together with daily life. There was a self-worth in the common man. Individuals assumed other responsibilities in dealings of religion. They on the other hand became sceptical of the already existing authority and belief systems. These particular values have been the core values of the society of America from the time of the Great Awakening and are perceived to last for years in the future (Butler, pp. 305-25). Work Cited Butler, Jon. Enthusiasm Described and Decried: The Great Awakening as Interpretative Fiction. Journal of American History 69 (1982): 305-25

A critical evaluation of CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

A critical evaluation of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) The era in which marketers have increasingly acknowledged the importance of customers retention has seen as the evolution of related models and strategies. Increasingly, customer retention has needed greater emphasis in the company strategies due to the environmental changes and globalization occurring in the markets. The area of relationship market is very important and is main issue at the time of tough competition in the market. Various factors like internet and advanced technology has give rise to the attention and awareness among the customers to access a far greater choice of services and products offer to them. The analysis of the strategy of Customer Relationship Management has become an indispensible part of the organisations in the market management. This area is of great importance in the management strategies as customer are the key factors for the organisations in any field and there is great importance related to the customers as they are the determinants of the success of an organisations and has to be managed good relationships with them in order to gain competitive advantages in the market. The existing market needs the managers with all the knowledge to deal the customers. For this purpose there are many researches are going to be on in the relation to this subject, by realising the important of this area in tem market the companies become aware to the facts that how crucial is the managing relationships with their customers. The person reason behind adopting the area of research for the dissertation is that in todays market customer are take as God and each and every area of marketing and management is based on the dealing, satisfaction and retention of the customers. Without customers there is no market and no management. So it is mandatory for everyone to have the in-depth knowledge about the management and dealing of customers. Without having the proper study of customer relationship within the market is tea without sugar. For the personal reason I have the greater interest in the dealing with the customers and in order to get the proper knowledge regarding the management of relationship with them it would be very helpful to understand the nature of customers and hoe it could be managed healthy relationships with them to make them happy and satisfied. 2.1 Aim The aim of this dissertation is to critically evaluate the strategies of Customer Relationship Management. It also seeks to explore the difference between the concepts of Relationship Marketing and the concept of Customer Relationship Marketing. 3. Preliminary Review of the Literature Introduction A compelling business case and success stories continue to attract business interest and investment in customer relationship management (CRM). The CRM software market is expected to increase from $7 billion in 2000 to $23 billion in 2005, even though conventional wisdom is that 30 to 50 present of CRM initiatives fall short of meeting company objectives, while another 20 present actually damage customer relationships (AMR Research 2002). A seemingly myriad of challenges, conditions and circumstances contribute to the ultimate success or failure of a CRM initiative. Before investing scarce resources in such a risky technology innovation, corporate leadership is calling for a means of decreasing the sphere of uncertainty surrounding CRM. The adoption phase (Rogers, 1995) of a technology based innovation such as CRM is where decision-making and planning activities are conducted to address whether, why, and how to implement the innovation (Markus Tanis, 2000:189). Occurring at project i nception, the associated problems or shortcomings of this phase are multiplicative, and can exert a toxic effect on the ensuing innovation process. Although decisions made during this phase are critical to the eventual success or failure of a CRM initiative, there is a paucity of research exploring these adoption issues (Markus Tanis 2000). 2. Business value, complementarity and alignment When considering a CRM initiative, executives ultimately want to know the impact on organizational performance that is, the likely business value of the initiative. This is typically measured via the return on investment (ROI) metric. However, determining the economic value of an innovation, especially one enabled by technology, has posed major difficulties to researchers and practitioners for several decades. Recent literature on business value suggests complementarity as a key determinant of organizational performance (see Barua and Mukhopadhyay 2000 for a summary). Two activities or factors are complementary if the benefits of doing more of one increase by doing more of the other (Milgrom and Roberts, 1990). Organizational alignment is concerned with the level of agreement between complementary constituent parts (e.g. people, processes, activities). Alignment research typically falls into either of two basic dimensions: intellectual or social (Reich and Benbasat, 2000). The intellectual dimension, also known in the literature as strategic alignment, centers on the alignment of organizational strategy, structures and planning processes Here, strategy is the focal point such that positive alignment can be achieved when organizational structures and processes support strategy. In contrast, the social dimension concerns the alignment of organizational culture, stakeholder interactions and knowledge of one anothers work domain. In this context, culture is at the nucleus where positive alignment occurs when stakeholders are knowledgeable about each others domain areas such that cooperative interaction (as opposed to conflictive) occurs within the bounds of the organizations norms and values. O ther related research underscores the importance of alignment between the intellectual and social dimensions. For example, using general systems theory and chaos theory as the foundation, Semler, 1997) presents a theory of systematic organizational alignment where strategy, structure and culture are complementary. A harmonious agreement of these aspects breeds an internal environment supportive of the organizations strategy, by eliminating internal barriers to cooperation and performance. The theory outlines six aspects of alignment (process, reward system, values, norms, performance and environment) that, if in agreement, should result in positive organizational performance. As organizational performance is guided by strategy (Pearce and Robinson 1994), and given that a firms leaders develop strategy, it is the leaders and the roles and processes they prescribe that largely drive alignment. 3.1 Intellectual dimension 3.1.1 Strategy. A highly competitive global marketplace places pressure on firms to reduce costs, while simultaneously differentiating themselves through improvements in customer service to gain revenues. The underlying premise of CRM is: If a firm improves upon how it manages relationships with its customers, the result will be evidenced as an increase in firm productivity and customer satisfaction, leading to better financial performance. However, firms must avoid viewing CRM as the solution to competitive pressures. CRM is much more involved a CRM initiative should be conceived of as a corporate strategy. The customer-related capabilities of a firm are at the heart of assumptions regarding customer satisfaction, productivity, and the firms financial performance. According to marketing theory, to be successful an organization must aim all of its efforts at satisfying its customers, at a profit that is, managing customer needs profitably. This means that organizations must create, deliver, and communicate customer value more effectively than their competitors. Organizations that succeed at such are described using terms such as market driven, customer-centric, customer-focused, or customer oriented. Day (1999:5) suggests that such market-driven organizations are marked by a superior ability to understand, attract and keep valuable customers, and he identifies three specific components of market orientation: (1) an externally oriented organizational culture with a focus on added value; (2) distinctive capabilities in market sensing, relationship building, and strategic thinking; and (3) a configuration that enables the entire organization to anticipate and respond to changing customer and market conditions (pp. 6-7). Kohli and Jaworski (1990) provide further specification, defining market orientation as the organization-wide generation of market intelligence, dissemination of the intelligence across departments, and responsiveness to it. Concerning IT innovations, Kwon and Zmud (1983) find that top management support is a key, recurring success factor. Management support can be defined as the widespread sponsorship of an innovation. Successful implementation of an innovation has been found to occur when top management exhibi ts commitment to change (in our context, the CRM initiative) as well as commitment to the (CRM) implementation effort. Support is evidenced through commitment of resources such as time and money for education and training of employees, assignment of key employees throughout the innovation process, and money to purchase the technology and support the multiyear implementation effort. Kwon and Zmud state that successful IT implementation is more likely to occur when sufficient organizational resources are initially directed toward motivating the implementation effort and then to sustaining it. The literature also consistently points to the importance of a champion of the innovation effort. To qualify as a champion, an employee must be a upper level, highly respected individual who actively supports and promotes the innovation, providing information, material resources, and political support. As an aid to success, it is important that the same champion sees the innovation effort through to completion. In a recent field study, firms undertaking CRM projects with a dedicated high-level champion were twice as likely to report that their project was doing at least better than expected (Yu 001). Leadership styles are a key factor when embracing a new initiative such as CRM. Nguyen-Huy (2001) identified four change management leadership styles, including: commanding; engineering; teaching; socializing; or hybrid. No one type is inherently superior to another. Much depends on the styles that have brought success in the organizations past. Also, successful change leaders have utilized one style during an initial stage, and changed to a different style in a later stage. For example, a commanding style may be important at the outset of a project, to communicate that top management is serious and committed to the change, whereas a more collaborative style may be successfully used during implementation. In the context of CRM, little research has been done to examine the change management leadership styles utilized, or to analyse under what conditions a particular change management leadership style is likely to be effective. 3.1.2 Structure. The innovation literature suggests that a firm with a flat, decentralized structure, as opposed to a centralized hierarchical structure, is most likely to support the development of innovative ideas. However, with regard to implementing the innovation, a centralized structure has been shown to be most effective. In terms of an IT innovation, structural factors pertain to the compatibility of the system with the organizational design (e.g., centralization, decentralization, organic), the authority hierarchy, reporting relationships and the like. ERP and CRM efforts revolve around business processes. Effective CRM must integrate and support the business processes that create customer experiences. These business processes span the organization, including the customer-facing business processes of marketing, sales, and customer service. However, back-office business processes such as accounting, purchasing, production, and logistics are also involved. The significance of this logical integration of customer related knowledge cannot be under-estimated. It poses a major challenge to organizational readiness. 4. Research Questions RQ1. What are the critical issues that have to be discussed in the customer relationship management initiatives? RQ2. What problems have to be faced during the adoption of CRM initiatives? RQ3. What is the scope of CRM for different type of organisations? RQ4. Is Customer Relation Management is taken as the appropriate for all kind of organisations? 4.1 Research Objectives As the emerging discipline the CRM needs great deal of assistance in the theoretical area. The area of customer relationship management is very important for the To identify the main issues of Customer Relationship Management To critically analyse the literature of the CRM To examine the facets of the customer welfare and to retain them for long term To explore how CRM succeed and fail. To examine the CRM strategy for the Tesco Plc To draw conclusion and suggest some recommendations for the company Word Guide 200 5. Research Plan / Methodology Research methodology is mainly split into three parts i.e. research perspective, research design and collection of data. These three phases of methodology collectively formed the clear description about the importance and need of the research methods. Research Perspective From the view point of Saunders et al (2003) for the research to be conducted there must be an appropriate choice of research perspective. This dissertation is a case study approach which is most suitable for the topic of CRM in the industry. This help to examine the research topic in depth and provide the required information for the plotting of dissertation. For this there is good chance to know about the efficiency of the company regarding the implementation of the CRM strategy. The case study approach covers the areas like clarification of topic, data processing, collection of data and the conclusion for the research is presented. Following is given the research strategy chosen for the dissertation to be conducted. Research design for the research design there is a process given by Saunders (2003) known as the Research Onion. The following figure explains the whole design of the research. For this there are mainly two type of approaches named inductive approach and deductive approach. Inductive approach This approach follow the process in there is movement from the specific to general for the formulation of the theory of the research. This approach is widely open and exploratory for the research to be conducted at the first stage. On the other hand deductive approach is usually follow the process of general to specific and this is totally opposite to the inductive approach. In this approach theory is taken at the first step and then goes to the observations. This approach is taken as the narrow one as there is restriction and binding to the theory chosen. To conduct the research regarding the dissertation the author decided to go with the inductive approach because the inductive approach is flexible than that of the deductive one and there are more chances of exploration of the topic in the inductive approach. Data collection methods Data collection methods is taken as the very crucial part of the research to be conducted as the whole process and phenomenon of the research of dissertation is depend on the methods of data collection used for the purpose to collect relevant data so that there could be access to problem of the research. There are mainly two types of methods are available for the collection of data these methods are Secondary Data Collection Methods and Primary Data Collection Methods. Secondary data collection methods Secondary data is that data which is available and already exists. This data is always ready to use. This data usually collected for other purpose of research and is used by the some other sources as this is always free to access and easily available. The secondary data is usually available in forms of qualitative and quantitative both types of data. In qualitative data there is no numeric and diagrams and facts and figure. This data is totally based upon the theory part. This is mostly used for the formulation of literature review for the research. On the contrary there is another form of data i.e. Quantitative: this type of data is in the form of numeric and facts and figure. The annual reports of the companies and analysis in the form of numeric presentation is comes under this. Primary data collection methods Primary data collection methods are those methods in which the researcher itself collects the data in order to get the relevant data for the research to conduct. This type of data is mostly in the form of qualitative data. The various methods used to collect the primary data are interviews, surveys, questionnaires etc. For this dissertation there is use of both type of data i.e. secondary data collection and primary data collection. Both data collection methods are equally important and researcher cant go with alone one for the research. As there is need of in depth and critical analysis of the research problem and so for this there must be both type of data will be used in the dissertation. In following table there is brief outline for the various methods used in the collection of data with their advantages and challenges. Limitations of study The thing is that at this stage the topic of the research is not yet consider in detail. Still there are some limitations that are outlined here. At first the area in which the research is going to conduct is wide and it became hard to collect the relevant data for the research by the use of data collection methods. Secondly there is a huge collection of data regarding this topic and they are available in different software of database. At last it is not easy to get relevant and proper data from the side of interviewee regarding the research area, and sometime these interviews are biased. 6. Ethical Considerations As this topic of research is related to the customer relationship management the main ethical issue for this is to how to implement the suitable strategy for a company to run this process. For seeking the development of the research topic for the dissertation I will conduct the instructions provided to us by the college and will also follow the rules of the University accordingly that are provide to me in the available form. Also regarding the data collection for the research the main source of data collection for the dissertation is the available data i.e. secondary data for the company or organisation. There is no provision of data protection this protection will considered at the time of publishing of the data later on. As other reliable source for the collection of data for my research is interviews and questionnaires. For this, if there is needed the interview will be recorded after getting the permission the interviewee. For all the process there will be supervision of the supervisor which will provide during the dissertation to be conducted. There will be appropriate use of participation information during the plotting of the literature review and other parts of the research. 7 Planning and any special resources required Week1 Week2 Week3 Week4 Week5 Week6 Week7 Week8 Week9 Week10 Week 11 Introduction to aim objectives Literature review Research methods Data collection Data analysis Findings Conclusion Recommendations Setting and submission

Abortion Essay -- essays research papers

Abortion is never an easy decision, in fact its one of America’s most controversial issues in today’s reality, but women have none the less been making that choice for thousands of years. Studies show that about 43% of American women will have one or more abortions during their lifetime, and women's centers and hospitals perform more than a million abortions on an annual basis. Women have many reasons for not wanting to be pregnant including age, marital status, economic status, and the circumstances of their pregnancy, and thus seek out an abortion. Although many citizens view abortion as an immoral act of brutality and strongly contest its usage, others believe the choice belongs solely to the mother and the mother alone. The main argument pertaining to abortion is whether or not a fetus is a "person" that is "indistinguishable from the rest of us" and if it deserves rights equal to women's. On this question there is a tremendous spectrum of religious, philosophical, scientific, and medical opinion, but it all really depends on who you ask. It's been argued for centuries. Fortunately, our society has recognized that each woman must be able to make this decision, based on her own conscience. To impose a law defining a fetus as a "person," granting it rights equal to or superior to a woman's, thinking, feeling, conscious human being, is not only arrogant but absurd. It only serves to diminish a woman’s value. (Heritage House 76, Inc.)Under the view of pro choice supporters the embryo is not a baby since it can not survive and live outside the uterus since it receives everything needed to survive from the mother’s body. In a sense the fetus dies but it was neve r living to begin with so it can not be considered an act of murder as pro-lifers would argue. More simply consider acorns and trees. (Robinson) Just as an acorn is a fertilized egg of the oak, that does not make it a tree. Sure it has the potential to become an oak tree, but it has not yet grown to that stage and thus can not be considered one. (Blackmun 78) Putting out laws to prohibit abortions does not necessarily stop it; it merely attempts to make it more difficult. When women feel it is absolutely necessary, they will choose to have abortions, even in secret, without medical care, in dangerous circumstances. This only puts the life of the mother at an even greater r... ...the option of deciding when or whether to have children? Or is that a government decision? And who is going to feed and cloth and above all provide a nurturing environment for the growth and development of society’s most precious life, certainly not the government. (Planned Parenthood) Thus since the child relies upon the mother for its life, the mother should be entirely in charge of the decisions concerning her life, body, and well being. Activists on both sides speak out everyday in violent and non violent ways to express their opinions concerning the topic. Abortion, now in the twenty first century has become not only a political debate but a biological and even religious debate. By the basis of the Supreme Court case of Roe vs. Wade, in no way should the government deprive a woman of her right to personal liberty (under the Fourteenth Amendment) and her reservation of rights to the people (under the Ninth Amendment) upheld by the constitution of the United States of America. (Herda 54-57) The U.S. is a country or personal freedoms and liberties, and never should it act as a dictator whose powers limit the ability to protect one’s self, especially women’s reproductive rights.

Distance Learning Essay -- Education Distant Learn Essays

Distance Learning "As we enter the Information Age, more and more adults from various economic and cultural backgrounds, already in the workplace, and with families are seeking to educate themselves to keep up in their careers" (Duderstadt, J., 1999). Whether that is through Higher Education, the university system, or their company's Intranet is usually dependent upon the learner. The ways that they seek to educate and re-educate themselves to stay abreast with current trends in their jobs is the topic of this paper, Distance Learning. Many of these non-traditional students are looking to advance their careers through education by non-traditional means. They may have constraints that keep them from attending a structured classroom environment. It is this population that forces Higher Education and the corporate Educational Services to rethink their approach and delivery of instruction. For example, a few days ago I was in the Securities and Loan office of Fidelity National Bank conducting a Needs Assessment on a young SPA Loan Officer Trainee. The young man, a recent graduate in Finance and Economics from Kennesaw State University, planned to enroll in the MBA program at Harvard University. That of course prompted me to ask, "How do you plan to complete a MBA at Harvard and continue your work here in Atlanta?" His reply, "I would take these courses online and meet at the school the second Saturday of every month." He then went on to say that a MBA from Harvard carries a lot of weight in this town's financial community. With new technologies and the Web, more and more Universities as distinguished as Harvard, are putting Masters and Doctorate programs online. Not only are these Universities using the Internet to p... ...orks Cited Comeaux, P. (1995, Oct.). The impact of an interactive distance learning network on classroom classroom communication. Communication Education, 44(4), 353-361. Duderstadt, J. (1999) Can colleges survive in the information age? In Dancing with the Devil. (p.4). San Francisco, Calif.: Joss-Bass Publishers. Harmon, S.W. & Hirumi, A. (1996, May). A systemic approach to the integration of interactive distance learning into education and training. Journal of Education for Business. 71 (5), 2 267-271 Retrieved September 30, 1999 from EBSCO business search on the Galileo: http://www.galileo.gsu.edu. Lohman, J. (1998, Sept.) Classrooms without walls: Three companies that took the plunge. Training and Development (52)9 38-42 Matthews, D. (1999) The origins of distance education and its use in the united states. The Journal. 54-64.

Response to a Graduation Speech Essay

E. Goldson, (2010) wrote a valedictorian address, â€Å"Here I Stand†, a speech dedicated to explain that too much concentration and effort towards memorization and following directions can hinder or distract creativity and the general learning processes.. Goldson describes the educational experience as an uneventful routine Goldson (2010) stated, â€Å"Perhaps, you only learned how to memorize names, places and dates to later on forget in order to clear your mind for the next test. School is not all that it can be.† Goldson (2010) moves on with her speech belittling her own accomplishments by stating, â€Å"I cannot say that I am any more intelligent than my peers. I can attest that I am only the best at doing what I am told and working the system.† There has to be more to life than a dull routine of going to school, following all directions, and then preparing to work. This sort of depressing picture is usually painted by a negative attitude. However, Goldson proves to have a superior attitude in order for her to gain the position of being top of her class. Goldson shows real talent in her creative writing, unless someone else wrote this speech for her. She must have a more probable reason to belittle her own achievements. One trap some teenagers of high school fall into is displaying a vain or conceited demeanor. Goldson most probably wanted to gain respect from her audience by presenting a humble tone to avoid being accused of thinking of herself as being better than everyone else. Also, most high school students love to show contempt once in a while just to have an outlet of the stress associated with a high school crowded with students many of whom do not want to be there.. This speech definitely shows rebelliousness against the structure of our education system. This criticism of our educational system appeals to the rebel student in her audience. Who can deny that the system is not perfect and that there is always room for improvement? However, Goldson’s speech does not offer any solutions to help improve the system. She does not appreciate her own writing skills, reading comprehension, math abilities and good memory. All of these attributes Goldson gained by following directions and doing extra credit can actually enhance new ideas, inspire creativity and open many opportunities. Think of all the scholarships Goldson could take advantage of. Her grades alone qualify her for the most prestigious universities. The only reference Goldson (2010) used to back up her claim was a hypothetical conversation between a Zen student and master. There is no proof this conversation took place, and so it is most likely to be fictitious. The simple truth of the matter remains; that several highly educated people have proven that Godson’s argument is outright weak. People in real life have proven beyond any doubt that education does now, and has in the past; inspired new ideas. John F. Kennedy, for example, graduated from Choate (high school) in 1935. He graduated Harvard University in 1940. Martin Luther King Jr. shows tremendous credit to Yonge Street Elementary School, and Booker T. Washington High School: because of his high score on the college entrance examinations in his junior year of high school, he advanced to Morehouse College without formal graduation from Booker T. Washington. Having skipped both the ninth and twelfth grades, Dr. King entered Morehouse at the age of fifteen. From there he then received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1948 at age 19 and his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951 from Crozer Theological Seminary and Ph.D. from Boston University in 1955. Goldson failed to recognize the opportunities she had well earned from her experience in Athens high school. It was most likely due to her low esteem that Goldson failed to recogonize the skills and abilities learned from her hard work and dedication in Athens High School. She did, after all, bring discredit to achieving the top of her own class of 2010. References Goldson E. (2010, June 25) Here I Stand Retrieved from: http://laborenglishzone.blogspot.com/2013/07/here-i-stand-graduation-speech-by-erica.html

Hard to Be Fair

BEST PRACTICE Everyone knows that being fair costs little and pays off handsomely. Then why do so few executives manage to behave fairly, even though most want to? Why It’s So Hard to Be Fair by Joel Brockner W hen Company A had to downsize,it spent considerable amounts of money providing a safety net for its laid-off workers. The severance package consisted of many weeks of pay, extensive outplacement counseling, and the continuation of health insurance for up to one year. But senior managers never explained to their staff why these layoffs were necessary or how they chose which jobs to eliminate.What’s more, the midlevel line managers who delivered the news to terminated employees did so awkwardly, mumbling a few perfunctory words about â€Å"not wanting to do this† and then handing them off to the human resources department. Even the people who kept their jobs were less than thrilled about the way things were handled. Many of them heard the news while driving home on Friday and had to wait until Monday to learn that their jobs were secure. Nine months later, the company continued to sputter.Not only did it have to absorb enormous legal costs defending against wrongful termination suits, but it also had to make another round of layoffs, in large part because employee productivity and morale plummeted after the ? rst round was mishandled. When Company B downsized, by contrast, it didn’t offer nearly as generous a severance package. But senior managers there explained the strategic purpose of the layoffs multiple times before they were implemented, and executives and middle managers alike made themselves available to answer questions and express regret both to those who lost their jobs and to those who remained.Line managers worked with HR to tell people that their jobs were being eliminated, and they exharvard business review 122 pressed genuine concern while doing so. As a result, virtually none of the laid-off employees ? led a wr ongful termination lawsuit. Workers took some time to adjust to the loss of their former colleagues, but they understood why the layoffs had happened. And within nine months, Company B’s performance was better than it had been before the layoffs occurred.Although Company A spent much more money during its restructuring, Company B exhibited much greater process fairness. In other words, employees at Company B believed that they had been treated justly. From minimizing costs to strengthening performance, process fairness pays enormous dividends in a wide variety of organizational and people-related challenges. Studies show that when managers practice process fairness, their employees march 2006 respond in ways that bolster the organization’s bottom line both directly and indirectly.Process fairness is more likely to generate support for a new strategy, for instance, and to foster a culture that promotes innovation. What’s more, it costs little ? nancially to imple ment. In short, fair process makes great business sense. So why don’t more companies practice it consistently? This article examines that paradox and offers advice on how to promote greater process fairness in your organization. The Business Case for Fair Process Ultimately, each employee decides for him or herself whether a decision has been made fairly.But broadly speaking, there are three drivers of process fairness. One is how much input employees believe they have in the decision- making process: Are their opinions requested and given serious consideration? Another is how employees believe decisions are made and implemented: Are they consistent? Are they based on accurate information? Can mistakes be corrected? Are the personal biases of the decision maker minimized? Is ample advance notice given? Is the decision process transparent? The third factor is how managers behave: Do they explain why a decision was made?Do they treat employees respectfully, actively listening t o their concerns and empathizing with their points of view? It’s worth noting that process fairness is distinct from outcome fairness, which refers to employees’ judgments of the bottom-line results of their exchanges with their employers. Process fairness doesn’t ensure that employees will always get what they want; but it does 123 OLEG DERGACHOV B E S T P R A C T I C E †¢ W h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r mean that they will have a chance to be heard.Take the case of an individual who was passed over for a promotion. If he believes that the chosen candidate was quali? ed, and if his manager has had a candid discussion with him about how he can be better prepared for the next opportunity, chances are he’ll be a lot more productive and engaged than if he believes the person who got the job was the boss’s pet, or if he received no guidance on how to move forward. When people feel hurt by their companies, they tend to retaliate. And w hen they do, it can have grave consequences.A study of nearly 1,000 people in the mid-1990s, led by Duke’s Allan Lind and Ohio State’s Jerald Greenberg, found that a major determinant of whether employees sue for wrongful termination is their perception of how fairly the termination process was carried out. Only 1% of ex-employees who felt that they were treated with a high degree of process fairness ? led a wrongful termination lawsuit versus 17% of those who believed they were treated with a low degree of process fairness. To put that in monetary terms, the expected cost savings of practicing process fairness is $1. 8 million for every 100 employees dismissed. That ? gure–which was calculated using the 1988 rate of $80,000 as the cost of legal defense – is a conservative estimate, since in? ation alone has caused legal fees to swell to more than $120,000 today. So, although we can’t calculate the precise ? nancial cost of practicing fair process, it’s safe to say that expressing genuine concern and treating dismissed employees with dignity is a good deal more affordable than not doing so. Customers, too, are less likely to ? le suit against a service provider if they believe they’ve been treated with process fairness.In 1997, medical researcher Wendy Levinson and her colleagues found that patients typically do not sue their doctors for malpractice simply Joel Brockner ([email  protected] edu) is the Phillip Hettleman Professor of Business at Columbia Business School in New York. 124 because they believe that they received poor medical care. A more telling factor is whether the doctor took the time to explain the treatment plan and to answer the patient’s questions with consideration – in short, to treat patients with process fairness.Doctors who fail to do so are far more likely to be slapped with malpractice suits when problems arise. In addition to reducing legal costs, fair process cuts down on employee theft and turnover. A study by management and human resources professor Greenberg examined how pay cuts were Using process fairness, companies could spend a lot less money and still have more satis? ed employees. handled at two manufacturing plants. At one, a vice president called a meeting at the end of the workweek and announced that the company would implement a 15% pay cut, across the board, for ten weeks.He very brie? y explained why, thanked employees, and answered a few questions – the whole thing was over in 15 minutes. The other plant implemented an identical pay cut, but the company president made the announcement to the employees. He told them that other cost-saving options, like layoffs, had been considered but that the pay cuts seemed to be the least unpalatable choice. The president took an hour and a half to address employees’ questions and concerns, and he repeatedly expressed regret about having to take this step.Greenberg found that durin g the ten-week period, employee theft was nearly 80% lower at the second plant than at the ? rst, and employees were 15 times less likely to resign. Many executives turn to money ? rst to solve problems. But my research shows that companies can reduce ex- penses by routinely practicing process fairness. Think about it: Asking employees for their opinions on a new initiative or explaining to someone why you’re giving a choice assignment to her colleague doesn’t cost much money. Of course, companies should continue to offer tangible assistance to employees as well.Using process fairness, however, companies could spend a lot less money and still have more satis? ed employees. Consider the ? nancial fallout that occurs when expatriates leave their overseas assignments prematurely. Conventional wisdom says that expats are more likely to leave early when they or their family members don’t adjust well to their new living conditions. So companies often go to great expen se to facilitate their adjustment – picking up the tab for housing costs, children’s schooling, and the like.In a 2000 study of 128 expatriates, human resources consultant Ron Garonzik, Rutgers Business School professor Phyllis Siegel, and I found that the expats’ adjustment to various aspects of their lives outside work had no effect on their intentions to depart prematurely if they believed that their bosses generally treated them fairly. In other words, high process fairness induced expats to stick with an overseas assignment even when they were not particularly enthralled with living abroad. In a similar vein, some companies have devised expensive solutions to help employees cope with the stress of modern work.They’ve set up on-site day care centers and sponsored stress management workshops to help reduce absenteeism and burnout. Those efforts are laudable, but process fairness is also an effective strategy. When Phyllis Siegel and I surveyed nearly 3 00 employees from dozens of organizations, we found that work/life con? ict had no measurable effect on employees’ commitment– as long as they felt that senior executives provided good reasons for their decisions and treated them with dignity and respect. Of course, executives should not simply emphasize process fairness over tanharvard business reviewW h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r †¢ B E S T P R A C T I C E gible support. Determining exactly how much tangible support to provide is perhaps best captured by the law of diminishing returns. Beyond a moderate level of ? nancial assistance, practicing process fairness proves much more cost effective because, although money does talk, it doesn’t say it all. Fair Process as a Performance Booster Process fairness can not only minimize costs but can also help to increase value, inspiring operational managers to carry out a well-founded strategic plan eagerly or embrace, rather than sabotage, an organiz ational change.This form of value is less tangible than direct reduction of expenses, but it affects the bottom line nonetheless. The fact is, most strategic and organizational change initiatives fail in their implementation, not in their conception. Several years ago, I worked with the CEO of a ? nancial services institution that needed a major restructuring. The bank’s operational managers, however, were showing signs of resistance that threatened to stop the process dead in its tracks. I advised the CEO and his senior management team to conduct several town hall–type meetings and to hold informal focus groups with the operational managers.During those senior managers to respond to the root problem. Moreover, since the operational managers felt respected, they showed a similar level of process fairness with their direct reports during the actual restructuring, making the change go more smoothly. Michael Beer, of Harvard Business School, and Russell Eisenstat, preside nt of the Center for Organizational Fitness, recently provided evidence of how systematically practiced process fairness (embedded in an action-learning egy implementation as well as the shortcomings that could hinder it.Task force members distill the information they gain from these interviews into major themes and feed them back to senior management. Then they discuss how the strategy could be rolled out most effectively. SFP is a model for process fairness: More than 25 companies – including Becton, Dickinson; Honeywell; JPMorgan Chase; Hewlett-Packard; and Merck – have used it with great success to hone the substance of their strategic initiatives and, probably more important, to gain employees’ commitment to making those initiatives happen.Most companies say that they want to promote creativity and innovation, but few use process fairness to achieve those ends. They’re missing out on a great opportunity to create value. Harvard Business School profes sor Teresa Amabile has conducted extensive research on employees working in creative endeavors in order to understand how work environments foster or impede creativity and innovation. She has consistently found that work environments in which employees have a high degree of operational autonomy lead to the highest degree of creativity and innovation.Operational autonomy, of course, can be seen as the extreme version of process fairness. When employees feel that they are heard in the decision-making process, they are more likely to support–rather than merely comply with– those decisions, their bosses, and the organization as a whole. talks, it became clear that the managers felt that the CEO and senior executives failed to appreciate the magnitude of the change they were asking for. Interestingly, the managers didn’t request additional resources; they simply wanted those at the top to recognize their dif? ult plight. By expressing authentic interest, senior execu tives created a trusting environment in which managers felt they could safely voice their true objections to the change effort. That enabled march 2006 methodology known as the strategic ? tness process, or SFP) has helped numerous organizations capture value by getting employees to buy in to strategies. A critical element of SFP is the appointment of a task force consisting of eight well-respected managers from one or two levels below senior management.Their job is to interview roughly 100 employees from different parts of the company to learn about the organizational strengths that are apt to facilitate strat- The nature of organizations, though, means that few (if any) employees can have complete operational autonomy – just about everyone has a boss. Creativity and innovation tend to suffer in work environments characterized by low levels of process fairness, such as when employees believe that the organization is strictly controlled by upper management or when they believ e that their ideas will be summarily dismissed. When employees believe that 125B E S T P R A C T I C E †¢ W h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r their supervisor is open to new ideas and that he or she values their contributions to projects, however, creativity and innovation are more likely to ? ourish. Two examples illustrate how process fairness creates value by attracting innovative employees or additional customers. The CEO of a renowned electricalengineering ? rm, for instance, wanted to change the corporate culture to be more receptive to new ideas, so he separated a large group of workers into teams of ten, asking each team to come up with ten ideas for improving the business.Then the team leaders were brought into a room where the company’s executives were gathered and were asked to â€Å"sell† as many of their team’s ideas as possible. The executives, for their part, had been instructed to â€Å"buy†as many ideas as possible. The team leaders swarmed like bees to honey to the few executives who had reputations for being good listeners and open to new ideas. The other executives stood by idly because team leaders assumed from past experience that they wouldn’t listen. One company that used process fairness to create value is Progressive Casualty Insurance.In 1994, the ? rm began to give potential customers comparison rates from two competitors along with its own quotes for auto insurance. Even though Progressive’s rates weren’t always the lowest, the very act of delivering this information created goodwill. Potential customers felt that they were being treated honestly, and the practice drew many new sales. servant, Winston S. Churchill. † After being castigated by his countrymen for the letter’s deferential tone, Churchill is said to have retorted, â€Å"When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite. In a change management seminar I’ve taught to more than 40 0 managers, I ask participants to rate themselves on how well they plan and implement organizational change. I also ask the managers’ bosses, peers, direct reports, and customers to rate them. The measure ers were â€Å"lucky enough to still have their jobs. † But economically supporting those who lost their jobs doesn’t cancel out the need to show process fairness to those affected by the change–which, incidentally, includes everyone.Ironically, the fact that process fairness is relatively inexpensive ? nancially may be why this numbers-oriented executive undervalued it. Another reason process fairness may be overlooked is because some of its bene? ts aren’t obvious to executives. Instead of wrestling with uncomfortable emotions, many managers ? nd it easier to sidestep the issue– and the people affected by it–altogether. contains more than 30 items, and managers consistently give themselves the highest marks on the item that measure s process fairness: â€Å"When managing change, I ake extra efforts to treat people with dignity and respect. † Those rating them, however, are not nearly as positive. In fact, this is the only item in which managers’ self-assessments are signi? cantly higher than the ratings they receive from each of their groups. It’s not entirely clear why this perceptual gap exists. Perhaps managers are tuned in to their intentions to treat others respectfully, but they aren’t as good at reading how those intentions come across to others. Or maybe it’s just wishful – and self-serving – thinking.Some managers wrongly believe that tangible resources are always more meaningful to employees than being treated decently. At a cocktail party, the CEO of a major international bank proudly told me about the hefty severance pay his company gave to its laid-off employees. I expressed admiration for his organization’s show of concern toward the people who lost their jobs and then asked what had been done for those who remained. Somewhat defensively, he said that it was only necessary to do something for the employees who were â€Å"affected† by the layoffs.The othSocial psychologist Marko Elovainio of the University of Helsinki and his colleagues recently conducted a study of more than 31,000 Finnish employees, examining the relationship between employees’ negative life events (such as the onset of a severe illness or death of a spouse) and the frequency of sicknessrelated absences from work for the subsequent 30 months. The study showed that the tendency for negative life events to translate into sickness-related absences depended on how much process fairness employees experienced before the events occurred.That is, not being pretreated with process fairness led to absences waiting to happen. Sometimes corporate policies hinder fair process. The legal department may discourage managers from explaining their decisio ns, for instance, on the grounds that disclosure of information could make the company vulnerable to lawsuits. Better not to say anything at all, the thinking goes, than to risk having the information come back to haunt the organization in the courtroom. Clearly, legal considerations about what to communicate are important, but they should not be taken to unnecessary extremes.All too often organizations withhold information (such as the alternatives to downsizing that have harvard business review Why Isn’t Everybody Doing It? With all that process fairness has going for it, one might expect that executives would practice it regularly. Unfortunately, many (if not most) don’t. They’d do well to follow the example of Winston Churchill, who keenly understood the cost-effectiveness of process fairness. On the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Churchill wrote a declaration of war to the Japanese, ending it as follows: â€Å"I have the honour to be, with high con sideration, Sir, Your obedient 126W h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r †¢ B E S T P R A C T I C E been considered) when revealing it would have done far more good. Legal and medical advocates in Hawaii, for instance, are currently drafting a statute that would allow health care professionals to apologize for medical errors without increasing the risk of lawsuits. Doctors often refrain from apologizing for mistakes because they fear that admitting them will anger their patients, who will then be more likely to ? le malpractice suits. In fact, the opposite is true: Patients who feel they’ve been treated disrespectfully ? e more malpractice suits than those who feel they have been treated with dignity. By making apologies for medical mistakes inadmissible during a trial, the law would let doctors express regrets without worrying that doing so would hurt them in court. Managers who unwaveringly believe that knowledge is power may fear that engaging in process fairnes s will weaken their power. After all, if employees have a voice in deciding how things should be run, who needs a manager? Managers sometimes do run the risk of losing power when they involve others in decision making.But usually the practice of process fairness increases power and in? uence. When employees feel that they are heard in the decision-making process, they are more likely to support– rather than merely comply with – those decisions, their bosses, and the organization as a whole. The desire to avoid uncomfortable situations is another reason managers fail to practice process fairness. As Robert Folger of the University of Central Florida has suggested, managers who plan and implement tough decisions often experience con? icting emotions. They might want to approach the affected parties out of sympathy and to explain the hinking behind a decision, but the desire to avoid them is also strong. Andy Molinsky at Brandeis University and Harvard Business Schoolâ₠¬â„¢s Joshua Margolis analyzed why managers ? nd it so hard to perform necessary evils (such as laying off employees and delivering other bad news) with interpersonal sensitivity, which is an important element of process fairness. Leaders in this situation have to manage their own internal dramas, including feelings of guilt (for, say, making poor strategic decisions that led to the downsizing) and anxiety (about having suf? ient interpersonal sensitivity to accomplish the task gracefully). Instead of wrestling with those uncomfortable emotions, many managers ? nd it easier to sidestep the issue–and the people affected by it– altogether. â€Å"Emotional contagion† also comes into play in these situations. Just as we tend to laugh when we see others laugh, even when we don’t know why, we also involuntarily feel anxious or sad when those around us feel that way – and that’s uncomfortable. No wonder so many managers avoid people in emotional pa in. Unfortunately, such avoidance makes it very unlikely that they will practice process fairness.Breadth. Depth. Performance. Leadership. Tuck Executive Program July 22–August 11 Leading high-potential and senior executives to new levels of business performance Gateway to Business Management April 30–May 5 & November 12-17 Delivering skills and perspective functional managers need for advancement Finance Essentials for Senior Managers September 10–15 Offering greater accountability and transparency in your organization New Branding Imperatives May 7–9 Presenting strategies for maximizing brand equity and competitive positioning www. tuck. dartmouth. edu/exec 603-646-2839 tuck. xec. [email  protected] edu B E S T P R A C T I C E †¢ W h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r I can understand how managers feel. Several years ago, I was working with a telecommunications organization after the ? rst layoffs in the company’s history. The CEO an d his senior management team wanted me to talk to the midlevel managers about how the layoffs would affect the people who remained and what they could do to help their direct reports â€Å"get over it. † Feeling betrayed and fearful, however, the midlevel managers were in no mood to help others return to business as usual. They identi? d me with the problem and implied that I was partly responsible for the decision to downsize. That was a moment of real insight for me: Trying to counsel this unhappy and suspicious group, I completely understood the discomfort that managers experience when they’re called on to act compassionately toward people who feel aggrieved. It was much harder than I expected. The senior managers of the company admitted to me that they were tempted to avoid the rank and ? le – partly out of guilt and partly because they doubted whether they would be able to keep a cool enough head to practice process fairness.That’s a natural response , but ignoring negative emotions only keeps them swirling around longer. When senior managers made themselves more accessible to their workforce, employees reacted positively, and the organization developed a renewed sense of purpose. ter able to cope with (and hence not act on) their negative emotions. Furthermore, managers are more likely to endure a dif? cult process when they know that the effort will have a tangible payoff. But it’s not enough for managers to be vaguely aware that process fairness is cost effective. Corporate executives should educate them about all the ? nancial bene? ts, using charts and ? ures, just as they would when making a business case for other important organizational initiatives. Invest in training. Study after study has shown that fair-process training can make a big difference. Subordinates of the trained managers, for instance, are When I was working with an executive at a utility company several years ago, for example, I noticed that she m ade a common mistake: She didn’t tell others that she had seriously considered their opinions before making her decisions, even though she had. I advised her to preface her explanations by saying explicitly that she had â€Å"given their input some serious thought. Six months later, she told me my advice had been priceless. She learned that it’s not enough for executives just to be fair, they also have to be seen as fair. Training is most effective when it’s delivered in several installments rather than all at once. For example, one suc- It’s not enough for executives just to be fair; they also have to be seen as fair. Toward Process Fairness Companies can take several steps to make fair process the norm. Address the knowledge gaps. Managers need to be warned about the negative emotions they might experience when practicing fair process.Merely acknowledging that it is legitimate to feel like ? eeing the scene can help managers withstand the impulse to do so. Studies have shown that people can tolerate negative experiences more easily when they expect them. Just as forewarned surgical patients have been found to experience less postoperative pain, forewarned managers may be bet128 not only signi? cantly less likely to steal or to resign from the organization, but they are also more likely to go the extra mile – aiding coworkers who have been absent, helping orient new employees, assisting supervisors with their duties, and working overtime.Several studies by Jerald Greenberg have even found that employees whose managers underwent process fairness training suffered signi? cantly less insomnia when coping with stressful work conditions. Daniel Skarlicki, of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, and Gary Latham, of the University of Toronto’s Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, have identi? ed some factors of an effective process fairness training program. Participants respond better to active guidance than to a lecture on the bene? ts of improved process fairness.That’s why it’s particularly effective to give trainees speci? c instructions on what they need to do and how they need to do it, such as how to detect resistance to a new strategic initiative. After the participants have practiced these behaviors, give them feedback and let them try again. cessful program consisted of a two-hour session each week for eight weeks, along with assigned role-playing homework. That way, participants could receive feedback from instructors during the formal training sessions and from their peers in between meetings.As with most constructive feedback, referring to behaviors (â€Å"You never explained why you made this decision†) rather than to traits (â€Å"You came across as condescending†) proved to be most compelling. Both the process and the outcome of the training need to be communicated to participants – but not at the same time. Before the sessions begin, focus on the outcome. Participants are likely to be far more engaged if they are told that the program will help them gain their employees’ commitment to strategy implementation than if they are told it will help them communicate that they’ve seriously considered other people’s points of view.During the course, however, focus on process. Thinking about expected outcomes (improved strategy implementation, for instance) can distract people from learning the speci? c practical skills they need (such harvard business review as how to involve people in decision making) to achieve the desired results. Finally, it is important for trainees to maintain expectations that are both optimistic and realistic. Once again, the distinction between outcome and process is useful to keep in mind.You can generate optimism by focusing on the outcomes: Touting the improvements that previous trainees have made should help people feel positive about their own chanc es for growth. And you can inject realism by focusing on the process: Behavioral change is dif? cult and rarely takes a linear course. Trainees shouldn’t expect to get better at process fairness day by day; but, if they keep working at it, they will improve. I suggest trainees ask themselves three months after the program if they are practicing process fairness more on average than they were three months prior to it.Conducting after-action reviews also helps managers continue to hone their skills long after the training sessions are over. Make process fairness a top priority. Like most managerial behaviors, the practice of process fairness must begin at the top. When senior managers explain why they have made certain strategic decisions, make themselves available for honest two-way communication with the rank and ? le, involve employees in decision making, provide ample advance notice of change, and treat people’s concerns with respect, the practice of process fairness is likely to spread like wild? e throughout the rest of the organization. By modeling process fairness, senior management does more than communicate organizational values; it also sends a message about â€Å"the art of the possible. † People are more likely to try to tackle dif? cult challenges when they see others whom they respect doing so. In one company that was trying to implement a much-needed restructuring, senior executives effectively served as role models not only by describing the mixed feelings they had about practicing process fairness but also by articulating the process they went through that ultimately convinced them to do march 2006 o. The message they sent was that it was legitimate for operational managers to have mixed emotions, but, at the end of the day, the reasons in favor of practicing process fairness prevailed. In addition to acting as role models, senior managers may communicate the value they place on process fairness by making its practice a leg itimate topic of conversation throughout the organization. I worked with one company, for example, that selected its employee of the month based on process fairness skills as well as bottom-line results.Other organizations have made managers’ annual pay raises partly dependent on 360-degree feedback about how they plan and implement decisions, in which perceptions of process fairness ? gure prominently. Recent corporate scandals show that giving workforces outcome-only directives (â€Å"I don’t care how you get there, just get there†) can be disastrous. Forwardthinking organizations care not only about the outcomes their managers produce but also about the fairness of the process they use to achieve them. This is not a call for micromanagement.Just as there is usually more than one way to produce ? nancial results, there is more than one way to involve people in decision making, to communicate why certain actions are being undertaken, and to express thoughtfulne ss and concern. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ There is a moral imperative for companies to practice process fairness. It is, simply put, the right thing to do. As such, process fairness is the responsibility of all executives, at all levels, and in all functions; it cannot be delegated to HR. But with that moral responsibility comes business opportunity.An executive must minimize the costs of decisions that might threaten employees and maximize the bene? ts of decisions that may be sources of opportunity for them. In both instances, practicing process fairness will help get you there. The sooner you realize it, the better off you and your company will be. Reprint R0603H To order, see page 151. â€Å"A new, surprising, and authoritative take on an important aspect of modern society that most people just don’t know about. † Toby Lester, Deputy Managing Editor, The Atlantic Monthly Fred Reichheld is the godfather of customer loyalty. His new book, The Ultimate Question, continues to push the envelope with innovative, practical ideas. † John Donahoe, President, eBay Marketplace â€Å"Perceptive analysis brought to life by references to real people and real situations. † Kieran C. Poynter, Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLp AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD, INCLUDING: 5th Ave. & 46th St. , NYC Rockefeller Center 5th Ave. & 48th St. , NYC HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PRESS www. HBSPress. org