Sunday, October 13, 2019

Power Struggles in Capitalist Democracies and the Fate of American Labo

Power Struggles in Capitalist Democracies and the Fate of American Labor Unions To some, "capitalistic democracy" conjures up the picture of a utopia where the free market is accompanied by individual liberty and social justice. To others, however, the term is more like a paradox—despite tremendous economic power, the advanced industrial nations are not immune from the evils of socio-political inequality as well as economical disparity. Amongst the capitalist democracies of the world, it is an established and well-known fact that when compared with the advanced industrial countries in Europe, the United States has the worst condition of economical-political inequality and social injustice. Its government is the least progressive, and its social inequalities the most deplorable. To explain the condition in the U.S. today, both the universality of capitalistic democracies and the peculiarities the American system employs—as well as this system's political and historical development—must be examined and explored. As Joshua Cohen and Joel Rogers articulated in On Democracy, a capitalist democracy is one that "if [it] is not just capitalism, still less is it just democracy" (Cohen 50). Indeed, despite the apparent political equality in a system that nowadays guarantees universal suffrage, the dominate socio-political structure in the United States and most western European countries does not allow—neither by intention nor in practice—free and equal competition between the capital and labor. Cohen and Rogers theorize that at the heart of this disparity lies what they call "the demand constraint" and "the resource constraint". In summation, the demand constraint states that because of the fact that the entire capitalistic econom... ...rlett, Donald L and James B. Steele. "Fantasy Islands". Time. November 16, 1998. Ideas & Institutions in American Society Course Reader, New York University. Spring 2001. Clawson, Dan and Alan Neustadtl, Denise Scott. Money Talks: Corporate PACs and Political Influence. 1992. Cohen, Joshua and Joel Rogers. "Structure". On Democracy. New York: Penguin, 1983. "Government." Encyclopedia Britannica. Web ed. http://www.britannica.com Indiana Historical Society. "Eugene V. Debs". 22 April 2001. http://www.indianahistory.org/heritage/evdebs.html Judis, John. The Paradox of American Democracy. New York: Pantheon, 2000. Lane, Charles. "Kohl Train". The New Republican Online. 18 February 2001. 20 April 2001. http://www.thenewrepublic.com/021400/lane021400.html Piven, Frances Fox and Richard A. Cloward. Why Americans Don't Vote. New York: Pantheon, 1989.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Abuse? :: essays research papers

Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to a May 2001 article in Parents magazine 67% of the American population condones spanking as a regular form of discipline. Also, 67% say they would oppose a law prohibiting spanking at home and says that only 17% would support it. According to advice columnist and family psychologist John Rosemond, â€Å"Many parents are becoming frustrated with the very weak forms of discipline du jour advocated by ‘psychologically correct’ experts. He also says â€Å"More than 90% of children raised in the 1950’s and early ’60s were spanked and we don’t go around hitting people when we don’t get our way.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While I was visiting a friend recently, she told me about her most recent visit to the doctor with her two-year-old daughter. She told me that she was trying to get her daughter ready to leave after the appointment was over and her daughter would not quit playing with the toys which were in the doctor’s office. After several minutes of struggling with her daughter to get her coat on, her daughter turned to her, said â€Å"no, mom† and then her daughter proceeded to slap her across the face. My friend put her daughter over her knee and gave her a quick swat and told her that she was not to treat her mother like that. After seeing this, a nurse came over to my friend and told her that if they ever see her hit her daughter again they would call the Department of Children and Family Services.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This situation is not all that unfamiliar to me these days. I hear of parents in similar situations almost every day and sometimes I actually see it with my own eyes. For instance, I was in Wal-Mart a few weeks ago and witnessed a woman tell a father that she was going to report him for child abuse because he grabbed his son’s arm and yelled at him for taking off and running through the store. Apparently the father had turned to look at something on the shelf and when he turned back around his son was gone and the father was paged over the store intercom to come and retrieve his son from across the store. In my opinion, that child was lucky that his father hadn’t given him a spanking right in the middle of the store. When I was a child my father would have given me a real whopper of a spanking for pulling a stunt like that in a store.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Impacts of Motivation in Employee Performance Essay

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Back Ground of the Study The study was attempted to investigate analytically the major causes of employees’ motivation in Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. To accomplish this, the research was considered to take appropriate data that relevant to the problem. Since, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia is the major sector that supports the current development of Ethiopia economy and the five years of transformation plan, so it should be better to take study to identify the major causes that affects of employees’ motivation toward their work and to propose necessary tools of solution to mitigate the problem. This will be at least a solution currently and in the future for the organization. The major initiatives to conduct this study are also one of the researchers is working in Commercial Bank of Ethiopia that observe most of employees are not satisfied or motivated to work. This forced the rest researchers to examine the basic problems of human resource management unable to conduct how frequently motivate emp loyees’ in the existing work place using financial and non financial tools. If this problems not solved, it may affects the image of the organization, belongingness workers etc†¦gradually. Considering this, it should be necessary to conduct study to identify the major causes of employees’ dissatisfaction in their work place that affects motivation, and the drawback of motivation packages relative to the image of the organization and its strategic plan which is to be â€Å"Classic Bank In The World†. To do an extensive study, the researcher performed methodological ways of gathering data pursuant to the problems and objective of the study paper. The employees are one of the vital resources or ingredient that will help organization to achieve its objectives. Employees supply their talents, knowledge, skill and experience towards to the achievement of organizational objectives. To get maximum performance from employees, the organization must have the necessary motivational scheme that encourages employees for better performance. Optimizing performance of employees by motivational factors is challenging and sensitive due to uniqueness of working force which came to organization from different socio-economical background. Performances of motivated employees create high productivity, innovativeness and good attitudes towards the organizations. There is a relationship between motivational factors and some facts of the employees behavior such as performance, turnover, absenteeism, poor attendance, willingness to do more, creativity, flexibility, and commitment to the organization. So motivation has important implications because it affects the individual quality of work, life, and performance. Therefore, managers are expected to have necessary skill on how to motivate employees. Commercial Bank of Ethiopia as a service rendering organization thereby maximizing its profit, its quality of service is highly determined by devotion of its employees. Therefore, the bank has to give importance to the recruitment of educated employees, to staff training and the improvement of workers’ benefit packages. Besides, it has to revise its benefit package with a view to motivating its staff towards greater efficiency and competence. In general, the study was focused on to investigate the real causes of employees’ dissatisfaction at their work place in the Bank and its impacts toward the image, rest of employees’ belongingness. 1.2 Back Ground of the Organization Currently, the Commercial Bank Ethiopia (CBE) has 15 district offices and above 300 branches throughout the country serving as market outlets. As the largest bank and development partner of the Ethiopian Government, the CBE has transferred Birr 1.23 Billion in 2008 1 to the coffers/treasure of the state. In 2005/2006, the market share of the Bank was 24% and 76% for credit extension and deposit mobilization, in that order. The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) is the leading Bank in the country. It has over 8,600 employees and close to 2 million accounts holders throughout the country, and total asset of Birr 73.7billion, total deposit and other liabilities of Birr 56.1 billion and outstanding loans of Birr 22.9 billion, and close to 70 years of solid accumulated banking experience. The CBE is in the forefront of the banking industry in meeting the financial needs of the various sectors, sub-sectors and ongoing varied investment projects in the economy. It has diversified credit portfolio with loan facilities extended ranging from farmers’ cooperatives to commercial farmers and large manufacturing and construction project. Commercial Bank of Ethiopia currently has given services for customers such as Deposit, Loan service, foreign currency service etc†¦ The CBE has a vision to be world a worldwide class commercial bank by 2025.It has also set a strategy of exceeding customers and stake holder’s expectation through service excellence and business growth supporting the development efforts in the country. Commercial Bank of Ethiopia currently played a great role for the development of the economy to achieve the million goal of the country. (CBE Public Relations Documentation, 2011). 1.3 Statement of the Problem It is obvious that currently Commercial Bank of Ethiopia is a major blood for the current economic growth of Ethiopia. In order to fulfill this, the company mobilized big amount of foreign and domestic currency to facilitate and support high investment process in the economy. To perform effectively this, the firm should have well developed human resource management tools to enhance the work forces motivation toward their work which help to create loyal and belonging employees in the work area. This has a direct relationship with the service quality level to satisfy the existing and prospect customers. Moreover to introduce new and modern type of working system throughout the organization, there should be also a sound strategy of workers motivation program, which helps to increase workers retention in the bank. Organizations that only focus on its goal, without considering the factors of employees motivation toward their works has become a cause of fragility of the business in the long run. In this essence, employees that are not satisfied in their organization could not be initiated to exert more efforts effectively in the organization, instead they will look for other opportunities externally and vote with their feet by moving their allegiance to competitors, and this will affect the firms in the long run. The outcomes of the research will help the organization to take the necessary corrective measurements in the future and to revise its motivation strategy of employees. Because of the above major problems, the existing employees’ lack confidence on the bank. Moreover, the bank faces problem of employees’ turnover due to lack of effective motivation, this also results in high cost of getting experienced employees and recruiting of new one. Therefore; regarding the above problem, the study attempted to respond the following basic research questions. 1.What is the feeling and attitudes of employees towards to motivational factors used in Commercial Bank of Ethiopia? 2.What are the consequences of job dis-satisfaction in Commercial Bank of Ethiopia? 3.What are the consequences of lack of motivated employees’ performance? 4.What is the effect of motivation on employees’ loyalty to the organization? 5.What kind of action should be taken by the bank to increase employees’ motivation toward work areas? 6.What are the basic factors for employees’ motivation in the work area? Is it financial or non financial benefits? 1.4 Objective of the study Due to lack of effective motivation, most employees are dissatisfied to their work place; this creates desperate work forces that perform their work till to get other opportunities of work in order to get the root of the problem the study set the following objectives. General objective The general objective of the study was to identify the causes and impacts of lack of employees’ motivation and to identify the basic causes of dissatisfaction of employees to ward their work, which aggravated lack of employees’ motivation. Specific Objective †¢To indicate which is the basic factors for lack of employees motivation currently in the bank †¢To show the relation between lack of employees’ motivation impacts and employees’ turnover. †¢To assess the potential consequences of lack of employees’ motivation in the Bank. †¢ To set appropriate recommendation for the problem based on the findings. 1.5 Significance of the study The study identified the major causes of employees’ dissatisfaction, which is a major factor that affects motivation of employees at the work area. The outcomes of the research help to increase employees’ satisfaction at their works that support to increase the service level of customers’ satisfaction. Moreover, increase of work force motivation has also a direct relationship to minimize turnover in the bank. The other advantages of increase of motivation of employees at the work area are enables employees to enhance their loyalty for the organization and at the same time employees’ belongingness increase. This also helps for the reputation of the image of the bank. Employees will increase their efficiency to serve their customers with smiling face. Moreover also; the study provided a hint for other researchers as a reference, and the findings of the study will help to give valuable information for top management to establish new system to increase employe es’ motivation. 1.6 Scope of the study The study considered major causes of employees’ lack of motivation in the Bank especially focusing in the area of Addis Ababa core operation. It scopes limited to study employees’ lack of motivation in Addis Ababa area only, by taking as a population and sample of the existing employees. 1.7 Limitation of the Study The major limitation of the study is constraints of time and collecting appropriate data from respondents since there was few samples unwillingness to return the questionnaires properly. 1.8 Research Methodology 1.8.1 Research Design The study applied the following types of research method to investigate the problems. The research is designed by using both Primary & Secondary data. 1.8.2 Source of Data & Methods of Data Collection The method of data collection carried out by distribution of questioners, which consist of both closed and open-end questioners. The questioners were being the main instrument of primary data collection. The secondary data gathered from different books, literature review, internet and printed materials. 1.8.3Sampling Design & Techniques A sampling technique of random sampling adopted by taking the sample from the selected four city branches and two departments of Manager and non-manager line staff employees of commercial bank of Ethiopia. The total population was taken 200. 1.8.4Methods of Data Analysis Descriptive and explanatory methods of data analysis applied. Test hypothesis for possible interdependence and effect relation ships conducted for easy understanding of trends of some patterns of distribution, table, percentage and interpretation of data conducted based on the response and theoretical concepts. 1.9 Organization of the paper The study paper included four chapters. The first chapter is about the introduction part which contains back ground, statement of problems, objective of the study, significance, methodology of research, limitation of the study and organization of the paper. In Chapter II, Theoretical concepts from internet are included. Chapter III included the important part of the study, which is data analysis and interpretation, this lead to the final Chapter IV, which described the summary of findings, conclusions and recommendation of the paper. CHAPTER TWO 2. LITERATURE REVIEW OF MOTIVATION 2.1 Motivation and Motivation Theory The term motivation is derived from the Latin word movere, meaning â€Å"to move.† Motivation can be broadly defined as the forces acting on or within a person that cause the arousal, direction, and persistence of goal-directed, voluntary effort. Motivation theory is thus concerned with the processes that explain why and how human behavior is activated. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). The broad rubric of motivation and motivation theory is one of the most frequently studied and written-about topics in the organizational sciences, and is considered one of the most important areas of study in the field of organizational behavior. Despite the magnitude of the effort that has been devoted to the study of motivation, there is no single theory of motivation that is universally accepted. The lack of a unified theory of motivation reflects both the complexity of the construct and the diverse backgrounds and aims of those who study it. To delineate these crucial points, it is illuminating to consider the development of motivation and motivation theory as the objects of scientific inquiry. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.2 Historical Development Early explanations of motivation focused on instincts. Psychologists writing in the late 19th and early twentieth century have suggested that human beings were basically programmed to behave in certain ways, depending upon the behavioral cues to which they were exposed. Sigmund Freud, for example, argued that the most powerful determinants of individual behavior were those of which the individual was not consciously aware. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). According to Motivation and Leadership at Work (Steers, Porter, and Bigley, 1996), in the early twentieth century researchers began to examine other possible explanations for differences in individual motivation. Some researchers focused on internal drives as an explanation for motivated behavior. Others studied the effect of learning and how individuals base current behavior on the consequences of past behavior. Still others examined the influence of individuals’ cognitive processes, such as the beliefs they have about future events. Over time, these major theoretical streams of research in motivation were classified into two major schools: the content theories of motivation and the process theories of motivation. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.3 Major Content Theories Content (or need) theories of motivation focus on factors internal to the individual that energize and direct behavior. In general, such theories regard motivation as the product of internal drives that compel an individual to act or move (hence, â€Å"motivate†) toward the satisfaction of individual needs. The content theories of motivation are based in large part on early theories of motivation that traced the paths of action backward to their perceived origin in internal drives. Major content theories of motivation are Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Alderfer’s ERG theory, Herzberg’s motivator-hygiene theory, and McClelland’s learned needs or three-needs theory. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.3.1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Abraham Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs, which suggests that individual needs exist in a hierarchy consisting of physiological needs, security needs, belongingness needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Physiological needs are the most basic needs for food, water, and other factors necessary for survival. Security needs include needs for safety in one’s physical environment, stability, and freedom from emotional distress. Belongingness needs relate to desires for friendship, love, and acceptance within a given community of individuals. Esteem needs are those associated with obtaining the respect of one’s self and others. Finally, self-actualization needs are those corresponding to the achievement one’s own potential, the exercising and testing of one’s creative capacities, and, in general, to becoming the best person one can possibly be. Unsatisfied needs motivate behavior; thus, lower-level needs such as the physiological and security needs must be met before upper-level needs such as belongingness, esteem, and self-actualization can be motivational. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). Applications of the hierarchy of needs to management and the workplace are obvious. According to the implications of the hierarchy, individuals must have their lower level needs met by, for example, safe working conditions, adequate pay to take care of one’s self and one’s family, and job security before they will be motivated by increased job responsibilities, status, and challenging work assignments. Despite the ease of application of this theory to a work setting, this theory has received little research support and therefore is not very useful in practice. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.3.2 Alderfer’s Erg Theory. The ERG theory is an extension of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Alderfer suggested that needs could be classified into three categories, rather than five. These three types of needs are existence, relatedness, and growth. Existence needs are similar to Maslow’s physiological and safety need categories. Relatedness needs involve interpersonal relationships and are comparable to aspects of Maslow’s belongingness and esteem needs. Growth needs are those related to the attainment of one’s potential and are associated with Maslow’s esteem and self-actualization needs. 1.The ERG theory differs from the hierarchy of needs in that it does not suggest that lower-level needs must be completely satisfied before upper-level needs become motivational. ERG theory also suggests that if an individual is continually unable to meet upper-level needs that the person will regress and lower-level needs become the major determinants of their motivation. ERG theory’s implications for managers are similar to those for the needs hierarchy: managers should focus on meeting employees’ existence, relatedness, and growth needs, though without necessarily applying the proviso that, say, job-safety concerns necessarily take precedence over challenging and fulfilling job requirements. (http://wwww.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf). 2.3.3 Motivator-Hygiene Theory. Frederick Herzberg developed the motivator-hygiene theory. This theory is closely related to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs but relates more specifically to how individuals are motivated in the workplace. Based on his research, Herzberg argued that meeting the lower-level needs (hygiene factors) of individuals would not motivate them to exert effort, but would only prevent them from being dissatisfied. Only if higher-level needs (motivators) were met would individuals be motivated. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). The implication for managers of the motivator-hygiene theory is that meeting employees lower-level needs by improving pay, benefits, safety, and other job-contextual factors will prevent employees from becoming actively dissatisfied but will not motivate them to exert additional effort toward better performance. To motivate workers, according to the theory, managers must focus on changing the intrinsic nature and content of jobs themselves by â€Å"enriching† them to increase employees’ autonomy and their opportunities to take on additional responsibility, gain recognition, and develop their skills and careers. 2.3.4 Mcclelland’s Learned Needs Theory. McClelland’s theory suggests that individuals learn needs from their culture. Three of the primary needs in this theory are the need for affiliation (n Aff), the need for power (n Pow), and the need for achievement (n Ach). The need for affiliation is a desire to establish social relationships with others. The need for power reflects a desire to control one’s environment and influence others. The need for achievement is a desire to take responsibility, set challenging goals, and obtain performance feedback. The main point of the learned needs theory is that when one of these needs is strong in a person, it has the potential to motivate behavior that leads to its satisfaction. Thus, managers should attempt to develop an understanding of whether and to what degree their employees have one or more of these needs, and the extent to which their jobs can be structured to satisfy them. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.4 Major Process Theories Process (or cognitive) theories of motivation focus on conscious human decision processes as an explanation of motivation. The process theories are concerned with determining how individual behavior is energized, directed, and maintained in the specifically willed and self-directed human cognitive processes. Process theories of motivation are based on early cognitive theories, which posit that behavior is the result of conscious decision-making processes. The major process theories of motivation are expectancy theory, equity theory, goal-setting theory, and reinforcement theory. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.4.1 Expectancy Theory. In the early 1960s, Victor Vroom applied concepts of behavioral research conducted in the 1930s by Kurt Lewin and Edward Tolman directly to work motivation. Basically, Vroom suggested that individuals choose work behaviors that they believe lead to outcomes they value. In deciding how much effort to put into a work behavior, individuals are likely to consider: †¢Their expectancy, meaning the degree to which they believe that putting forth effort will lead to a given level of performance. †¢Their instrumentality or the degree to which they believe that a given level of performance will result in certain outcomes or rewards. †¢Their valence, which is the extent to which the expected outcomes are attractive or unattractive. All three of these factors are expected to influence motivation in a multiplicative fashion, so that for an individual to be highly motivated, all three of the components of the expectancy model must be high. And, if even one of these is zero (e.g., instrumentality and valence are high, but expectancy is completely absent), the person will have not motivation for the task. Thus, managers should attempt, to the extent possible, to ensure that their employees believe that increased effort will improve performance and that performance will lead to valued rewards. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). In the late 1960s, Porter and Lawler published an extension of the Vroom expectancy model, which is known as the Porter-Lawler expectancy model or simply the Porter-Lawler model. Although the basic premise of the Porter-Lawler model is the same as for Vroom’s model, the Porter-Lawler model is more complex in a number of ways. It suggests that increased effort does not automatically lead to improved performance because individuals may not possess the necessary abilities needed to achieve high levels of performance, or because they may have an inadequate or vague perception of how to perform necessary tasks. Without an understanding of how to direct effort effectively, individuals may exert considerable effort without a corresponding increase in performance. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.4.2 Equity Theory. Equity theory suggests that individuals engage in social comparison by comparing their efforts and rewards with those of relevant others. The perception of individuals about the fairness of their rewards relative to others influences their level of motivation. Equity exists when individuals perceive that the ratio of efforts to rewards is the same for them as it is for others to whom they compare themselves. Inequity exists when individuals perceive that the ratio of efforts to rewards is different (usually negatively so) for them than it is for others to whom they compare themselves. There are two types of inequity—under-reward and over-reward. Under-reward occurs when a person believes that she is either puts in more efforts than another, yet receives the same reward, or puts in the same effort as another for a lesser reward. For instance, if an employee works longer hours than her coworker, yet they receive the same salary, the employee would perceive inequity in the form o f under-reward. Conversely, with over-reward, a person will feel that his efforts to rewards ratio is higher than another person’s, such that he is getting more for putting in the same effort, or getting the same reward even with less effort. While research suggests that under-reward motivates individuals to resolve the inequity, research also indicates that the same is not true for over-reward. Individuals who are over-rewarded often engage in cognitive dissonance, convincing themselves that their efforts and rewards are equal to another’s. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). According to the equity theory, individuals are motivated to reduce perceived inequity. Individuals may attempt to reduce inequity in various ways. A person may change his or her level of effort; an employee who feels under-rewarded is likely to work less hard. A person may also try to change his or her rewards, such as by asking for a raise. Another option is to change the behavior of the reference person, perhaps by encouraging that person to put forth more effort. Finally, a person experiencing inequity may change the reference person and compare him or herself to a different person to assess equity. For managers, equity theory emphasizes the importance of a reward system that is perceived as fair by employees. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.4.3 Goal-Setting Theory. The goal-setting theory posits that goals are the most important factors affecting the motivation and behavior of employees. This motivation theory was developed primarily by Edwin Locke and Gary Latham. Goal-setting theory emphasizes the importance of specific and challenging goals in achieving motivated behavior. Specific goals often involve quantitative targets for improvement in a behavior of interest. Research indicates that specific performance goals are much more effective than those in which a person is told to â€Å"do your best.† Challenging goals are difficult but not impossible to attain. Empirical research supports the proposition that goals that are both specific and challenging are more motivational than vague goals or goals that are relatively easy to achieve. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). Several factors may moderate the relationship between specific and challenging goals and high levels of motivation. The first of these factors is goal commitment, which simply means that the more dedicated the individual is to achieving the goal, the more they will be motivated to exert effort toward goal accomplishment. Some research suggests that having employees participate in goal setting will increase their level of goal commitment. A second factor relevant to goal-setting theory is self-efficacy, which is the individual’s belief that he or she can successfully complete a particular task. If individuals have a high degree of self-efficacy, they are likely to respond more positively to specific and challenging goals than if they have a low degree of self-efficacy. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.4.4 Reinforcement Theory. This theory can be traced to the work of the pioneering behaviorist B.F. Skinner. It is considered a motivation theory as well as a learning theory. Reinforcement theory posits that motivated behavior occurs as a result of reinforces, which are outcomes resulting from the behavior that makes it more likely the behavior will occur again. This theory suggests that it is not necessary to study needs or cognitive processes to understand motivation, but that it is only necessary to examine the consequences of behavior. Behavior that is reinforced is likely to continue, but behavior that is not rewarded or behavior that is punished is not likely to be repeated. Reinforcement theory suggests to managers that they can improve employees’ performance by a process of behavior modification in which they reinforce desired behaviors and punish undesired behaviors. (http://www.csb.gov.hk/hkgcb/hrm/pdf.fcle/e-motivation). 2.5 People Motivation- Non – financial Notes Most business recognizes the need for non- financial methods of motivation. The main ones are described briefly below. 2.5.1 Job Enlargement Job enlargement involves adding extra, similar tasks to a job. In job enlargement, the job itself remains essentially unchanged. However, by widening the range of tasks that need to be performed, hopefully the employees will experience less repetition and monotony. With job enlargement, the employees rarely need to acquire new skills to carry out the additional task. A possible negative effect is that job enlargement can be viewed by employees as a requirement to carry out more work for the same pay. (http://tutor ). 2.5.2 Job Rotation Job rotation involves the movement of employees through a range of jobs in order to increase interest and motivation. For example, an administrative employee might spent part of the week looking after the reception area of business, dealing with customers and enquires. Some time might then be spent manning the company telephone switch board and then inputting data onto a database. Job rotation may offer the advantage of making it easier to cover for absent colleagues, but it may also reduce productivity as workers are initially unfamiliar with a new task. Job rotation also often involves the need for extra training. (http://tutor ). 2.5.3 Job enrichment Job enrichment attempts to give employees greater responsibility by increasing the range and complexity of tasks they are asked to do and giving them the necessary authority. It motivates by giving employees the opportunity to use their abilities to the fullest. Successful job enrichment almost always requires further investment in employee training. (http://tutor ). 2.5.4 Team Working and Empowerment Empowerment involves giving people greater control over their working lives. Organizing the labour force into team with degree of autonomy can achieve this. This means that employees plan their own work, take their own decision and solve their own problems. Teams are set targets to achieve and may receive and may receive rewards for doing so. Empowerment teams are an increasingly popular method of organizing employees at work. (http://tutor ).

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Practical Life Exercises in Montessori Essay

â€Å"If teaching is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence. It must initiate them into those kinds of activities, which they can perform themselves. We must help them to learn how to walk without assistance, to run, to go up and down the stairs, to pick up fallen objects, to dress and undress, to wash themselves, to express their needs, and to attempt to satisfy their desires through their own efforts. All this is part of an education for independence. â€Å"†¦(The Discovery of the Child, MM, pg. 56~57) EPL is the abbreviation of Exercises of Practical Life .These exercises are simple daily actions which are normally performed by the adults in daily life, like washing, dressing, cleaning, brushing, eating, cooking and religious teachings and practices like how to pray, greet others, knock at the door, drink water etc . are all part of EPL. EPL for the children in growing and learning phase is important as they teach them the correct way to conduct daily routines of everyday life. Practical life activities give the child an understanding of the environment and how it works. Two main purposes of practical life exercises: †¢ First is the dignity of work. In the past, the child had an opportunity in the home to fold clothes, pour water, fetch and sweep. As a result, children developed motor skills of grace and fluid movement at an early age. More importantly, children developed competent participation around the home and the rest of their environment. †¢ Second reason for the practical life exercises is to enable children to organize themselves as functional human beings. To do this we must begin by the time the child is two years old, primarily physical and primarily concerned with himself. We must help him to become master of himself and then he will be able to master other things. Below being discussed are few reasons why EPL should be encouraged: For independence and love for work: EPL helps children to become independent and confident. Parents at this stage should avoid to give superfluous help to the children, as they are required to do their work by themselves and they want adults to help them in doing thing not doing things for them. This love for work and independence increases self-esteem of the child and helps in making him a better adult for the society For happiness,  self-satisfaction and self-respect: a child between the age of 0-3 loves to work and learns very quickly. This time should be utilized properly and activities should be taught very seriously. Our attitude while teaching should be supportive and generous. In return we will create an adult who will be happy, self-satisfied and respectful to the society. For making the world a better place: beginning from the Montessori class the child learns that there is a place for everything and everything has a place. This same principle helps in making this world a better, organized and tidier place to live in. children by seeing their adult role models learn to place everything back to its original position. To attain Normality: In age of development child has certain strong urges If these urges are overcome by the adults and environment, developmental process gets disturbed and deviation occurs. Normality, on the other hand is a state in which all the urges of a child are being fulfilled and he is satisfied with his environment. Normality is the spiritual goal of EPL. Learning to give and take help: EPL is extremely helpful in developing grace and courtesy in a child. The child learns how to ask for help or give him in a graceful manner. As adults these children learn to participate in household chores knowing that each one has to participate to run the home as a family. For passing on good habits: a child learns, idolizes and imitates his adults. If adults complain about work the child will automatically avoid all kind of work. Thus we need to pass on good work habits to create a positive attitude in the coming generations. For developing love of universe: a child develops love and care for the universe and all other life forms by doing exercises related to care of living things, care of the environment, exercises of grace and courtesy and exercises of personal care. He/she develops a personality of a person who is responsible and peaceful and who cares about everything. For perfection of movement: naturally a child is constantly on a move. EPL exercises keep the child constantly on a move with interesting activities which help develop his movement and reflexes. For avoiding personality disorders: The child who really lacks confidence has lost the confidence and courage which every child starts with in the first years, reason is that his help was not acceptable to the mother or adult in charge. Children lose the urge to learn these skills by the second period of development. They like then to learn to cook, to use electric machines, but  not to do things they should have learned earlier. Dr. Montessori called these â€Å"sensitive periods.† If this time of special sensitivity is not used, it is lost. It does not come again. We must go on to the next stage of learning. Thus we should provide maximum opportunities to the child during this phase to maximize his learning and development.

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Business Process Management Essay

BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT PROJECT FRAMEWORK FAKULTAS EKONOMI DAN BISNIS JURUSAN MANAJEMEN UNIVERSITAS AIRLANGGA Nama : Dicky Tanamas Liemertha NIM : 041411231204 Kelas : J No Presensi : PEMBAHASAN Latar Belakang Nama † Surabaya † muncul di awal era Majapahit. Lokasi itu diyakini berasal namanya dari kata Sura atau Suro ( hiu ) dan Baya atau Boyo ( buaya ) , dua makhluk yang dalam mitos lokal , berperang satu sama lain untuk mendapatkan gelar † yang terkuat dan hewan paling†¦ been compiled by MAK Consultants to tackle the key areas of concern found within Dynatrix Pty Ltd and proposes potential solutions to the organisation. The key areas of review for this assessment include: †¢ Strategic and Tactical Planning †¢ Business Process flow and procedures This document summarizes the methodologies employed to complete the review and presents our findings and recommendations. Throughout this document we utilize terms such as will, should consider, and shall, for example,†¦ Student Name: Eltun Gadirov Student ID: 5945164 Degree Title: BA (Global Business Management) Level: UG Module: Business Management, and Decision-Making Process Module code: 206LON Teaching Fellow: Sunny Ramsurrun Assignment title: Coursework 1 Word count: 1.365 I, Eltun Gadirov confirm that this submission is my own work and I accept all responsibility for any copyright infringement that may occur as a result of this submission. Date of submission: 29.02.2016 Marks†¦ To implement the above management technique; business process improvement, for Five Below, Inc., it would be best to start with forming a process improvement team, instruct them and or train them in regards to business process improvement (BPI), and then create a plan of implementation. Utilizing information provided by Doss and Kamery (2006), there are steps that are needed. The first step of implementing business process improvement, the improvement must be organized. Organizing consists of constructing†¦ very likely key to success for any business, which is all because of the fact that BPM is composed of a system method of procedures to really operate an organization or business. Business Process Management (BPM) has the tendency to lessen the peril of unsuccessful procedures within a company, simply, because it is made up of all the processes and regular functions associated with the business and/or organization. Each person primary act of duty in the business is to fully understand what is actually†¦ Changes in BPM[edit] Roughly speaking, the idea of business process is as traditional as concepts of tasks, department, production, and outputs..[citation needed] The management and improvement approach as of 2010, with formal definitions and technical modeling, has been around since the early 1990s (see business process modeling). Note that the IT community often uses the term "business process" as synonymous with the management of middleware processes; or as synonymous with integrating application†¦ As a part of the strategic management process, one must develop a business level strategy. These are the actions that firms must take to achieve competitive advantage. All of these action and such are known as sources of cost advantage or can be under another source known as product differentiation. Sources of cost advantage falls under 6 key categories. These categories are economies of scale, competitor’s diseconomies of scale, learning curve economies, differential low-cost access to productive†¦ Lecture: Business Process Management (BPM) Business Process Management (BPM) is a management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It is a holistic management approach that promotes business effectiveness and efficiency while striving for innovation, flexibility, and integration with technology. Business process management attempts to improve processes continuously. It could therefore be described as a "process optimization process." It is†¦ Business Process Reengineering and Human Resource Management By Hugh Willmott Judge Institute of Management University of Cambridge, UK A later version of this article appears in Personal Review, 23, 3: 34-46 (1994) For more information on published articles by Hugh Willmott please refer to http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/close/hr22/hcwhomeBusiness Process Reengineering and Human Resource Management Hugh Willmott Manchester School of Management, UMIST Abstract This article reviews the†¦ is study and then to analyze the impact of change management on Business Process Management System (BPMS) implementation. Business process Management faces several risks of failure just like traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP). Change has to be managed in a proper and appropriate manner. In order to control change management, collaboration and communication are very important factors so that success can be achieved. As change management or managing any identified change in an appropriate†¦

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

Business Continuity Planning in a Large Retail Supply Chain Research Paper

Business Continuity Planning in a Large Retail Supply Chain - Research Paper Example Because of my current position problems with the supply chain can directly affect my work load and I want to know more about a retail supply chain and how the supply chain connections can be protected. This paper will be geared towards professionals in both business continuity and retail management. I would like the people in these professions to be able to learn from my paper the need for a better BCP for protecting a company’s supply chain. Opening Statement: Business continuity planning in large retail supply chains is not thorough enough. Large retailers that depend on outsourced supply chains are not managing their supplier risks. The Marsh Supply Chain Survey results show that no one is managing their supply chain risks very well. In fact only about 33% of them are even managing their risks moderately effectively (Hiles, 2011). According to Hiles (2011), supply chain is an all inclusive term that constitutes the management of both downstream and upstream relations with c lients and suppliers. This is desirable because it allows for timely delivery of superior client value at a lesser cost. Certainly, this is sustainable because both parties benefit optimally and are able to sustain their wellbeing through time. In order to protect this process, businesses have to look at the end-to-end supply chain process and build a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) that covers all parts of it. ... leaner business, businesses can â€Å"enhance their operational effectiveness, which essentially improves firm performance and competitiveness† (Liu, Lin, Hayes, 2010, p222). However if a business fails to manage the risks associated with running leaner than they will lose all of these benefits. By not managing their supply chain risks, large retail companies are leaving themselves vulnerable to possible business failure. Hypothesis: This research is informed and guided by distinct assumptions. To begin with, the study presumes that both upstream suppliers and downstream, consumers directly affect the continuity of the retail supply chain. Large retailers should therefore clearly analyze their contribution to business failure or success and make necessary and timely interventions. The study is also based on the assumption that current large retailers are faced with complex risks that stem from the relationships that they establish and maintain at various levels. Further, it pr esumes that inability to manage the risks effectively not only reduces efficiency but also increases the susceptibility of retailers to failure. Finally, this study presumes that relevant interventions can only be identified addressed in a timely manner through continued monitoring. From this point of view, business continuity plans are therefore vitally important. Discussion of Findings: As indicated earlier, retail supply chains are increasingly becoming more and more complex. These can be attributed to the increasing complexity of the relative relationships. Globalization trends have compelled businesses to explore various options in a bid to maintain a competitive edge. In his study, Hotchkiss (2010) found out that the complexity of the business environment has diversified the risks that

Monday, October 7, 2019

The impact of recordings on performance with particular reference to Essay

The impact of recordings on performance with particular reference to violinists, Kreisler, Heifetz and Menuhin - Essay Example Many critics have debated on John Phillip Sousa’s argument; however, the most apparent issues that have risen from these debates is the fact that Music has changed overtime. The current society has evolved technologically creating a scenario whereby people can record music of DVD players, disk drives and even download from the internet. The existence of such technology that has enabled man to manipulate music has certainly made music a virtual medium; that is, an art without identity. Even music that was played in the part can easily be searched on the internet and rearranged to entertain the listeners. Recording has played a major role in enhancing the work done by violinists. Many violinist for instance those that aspire to record solo violin sonata with a mixture of other instruments, do not require to undergo a process of looking for other instrumentalists but rather record their solo violin sound. This is later automatically mixed with other desirable instruments using modern technologies. Moreover, modern technologies used in recording have improved the quality of violin sounds through the use of technologies such as the condenser; hence making such sounds appealing to human ear. By improving the quality of the sounds produced by violins, many violinists have the opportunity to attract a large number of audiences. Consequently, recorded violin sounds are usually sold to different audiences thereby increasing their income. One of the renowned violinists who has greatly benefited from recording of his performance was Fritz Kreisler who was born in Austria in 1875. One of his major recordings that were recorded is â€Å"Liebesleid†. This piece has formed the staple of the current violin sounds produced by various violinists owing to the fact that many violinists have used it as a benchmark. On the other hand, recordings have also negatively affected