Have alook at the ttachments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Have alook at the ttachments - Essay Example Nonetheless, SMEs are defined differently from one country to another. However, most of the time, these are defined in accordance with the number of employees a business has, the turnover, and the economic scale of the business. Furthermore, electronic business (e-business or e-commerce) is defined as any type of businesses that serve or sell using the digital medium or with Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Moreover, an e-business can have three main classifications, and these are the consumer-to-consumer (C2C), the business-to-business (B2B), and the business-to-consumer (B2C) (MacGregor & Vrazalic, 2007; Khosrow-pour, 2006). In line with the globalisation, many governments suggest that SMEs incorporate e-business in order to promote advantageous economic activities (Taylor & Murphy, 2004). On the other hand, prior to integrating a business or a company with ICT, it is necessary to look over the e-economy of a country or a market. E-economy is defined by Booz, Allen, and Hamilton (2002 cited in Oliver & Sanders, 2004, p. 120) as â€Å"the dynamic system of interactions between a nation’s citizens, business, and government that capitalize upon online technology to achieve a social or economic good.† In order to guarantee readiness in the e-economy, e-readiness is being created with the following indicators: network access, network society, network economy, and network policy (Nejadirani, Behravesh, & Rasouli, 2011). Access and Usage of the ICT or Network In assessing the network, questions, such as the accessibility, the cost, and the quality of the ICT must be answered. Also, the equipment, network, and services within a given economy or market must also be determined (Nejadirani, Behravesh, & Rasouli, 2011). Furthermore, SMEs are considered as a vital part for the UK economy because almost 99% of the business enterprises in UK are SMEs with almost 60% are employed in this economy. In relation to access and usage of the network, th e most commonly used technology is the website of the company, electronic mail, and the Internet. Most of the SMEs, which had employed 10 or more staffs, had already set-up their own intranet. Also, most of these businesses had used wireless technology and electronic data interchange, which depend on the capacity and size of the SME. Furthermore, in the process of automated record-keeping of sales and orders, most of the SMEs use ICT accounting and finance activities. Moreover, the automation of business designs, enterprise resources planning, human resource management tasks, and the production control was also used by SMEs. The shift to the usage of ICT of SMEs has been due to the efficiency that the automation results to, the highly technologised competition in the market, and in order to enhance customer service and employee satisfaction (Dyerson, Harindranath, & Barnes, 2008a). Furthermore, in relation to skills needed in the usage or integration of ICT to SMEs, technical skills are not enough. The ICT department or staff must also have excellent communication skills and customer service skills. Also, the ICT staff must be capable of transferring theories into knowledge that can be sued in practice (Lowry & Turner, 2007). Network in the Society In this aspect, a

Team as an Ideal Design of Job Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team as an Ideal Design of Job - Essay Example The paper will try examining issues that revolve around the work of the team and their significance in working with the managers. It is possible for managers to create a work unit by just bringing together many individuals with different skills. Before a manager designs a task that they need to be handled, it is always clear that they have a picture of the nature of the outcome they desire. They also have idea on which kind of input is required and what would be the process needed to realize the objective. It is through this understanding that the manger may decide to have a group of individuals to execute the work. This kind of approach has been associated with an authoritarian guidance by some manager. Workers who are involved in a process like this are always denied their autonomy and have very low worker interdependence. The study shows that the productivity of a work force is usually increased when workers have a high sense of interdependence as opposed to when workers are just pulled together to execute certain tasks. It is therefore right to say that team task design is a good design that managers can use to push for results to be gotten but only if the worker interdependence is enhanced. It should not be assumed that team interdependent is the sole mechanism that can be used by mangers to help in utilizing the team and produce successfully. There are some other ways through which teams can be used to realize the objective of an organization. A team as a unit requires some level of self direction and self management to realize certain objective. When teams have control of themselves, then they tend to engage in participatory approach of work, which also relieves the top management from micromanaging the teams and ever getting concerned with small matters that can be addressed at lower levels. It is imperative that mangers delegate duties to the juniors so that they may get

Advanced organisational behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Advanced organisational behaviour - Assignment Example The rising technological advancement and the development of human and organisational dimensions are a few of the major considerable steps of BPR in the present business world. In this context, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays a crucial role in BPR through providing office automation. It facilitates to expand the business locations, provides feasible flexibility in the production levels and allows faster delivery of products and services to the customers. Eventually, the use of ICT in BPR also facilitates effective and efficient development of the processes through which the organisations perform their business activities (Zigiaris, 2000). Keeping in consideration the pace of transformational changes in the internal structure of business processes and the promising growth of the modern ICTs, the paper intends to briefly discuss about the initial role played by BPR and its various implications towards the continuous development of the modern business organisatio ns during the period of 1990s. The discussion of this paper will also focus on recognising the major factors causing failure of BPR in various dimensions of the organisations across the different regions of the world. Moreover, whether one of the prime causes of failure of BPR was due to insufficient consideration towards the human dimension or not would also be discussed in the paper. Evolution of BPR in the Early Stages Business process re-engineering can be considered as fundamental rethinking as well as essential redesign of business processes in order to accomplish dramatic developments in contemporary measures of performances including product/service, quality, cost and speed of delivery. Furthermore, the re-engineering process comprises a planned, controlled and measured set of actions which are designed to produce outputs in order to attain the interests of the particular market or audience. It involves a well-built importance on the procedure of accomplishing tasks within t he organisation (Hammer & Champy, 2000). During the period of 1990s, the BPR had played a dominant role in developing organisational structures as well as processes through effectively implementing ICTs within the business processes. The continuous and radical development of ICTs has been witnessed to play a key role in developing the organisational performance in their ways of providing goods or services (Netjes & et. al., n.d.). In the past few years, the BPR has gained substantial growth in the organisational development with respect to the various operations of the organisations across the world. During the commencement of the notion of BPR in the early part of 1990s, it was considered as a revolutionary development for the organisations with regard to their different processes including planning, designing, manufacturing, financing, human resource as well as sales and marketing (CSC, 2009). Source: (Center for Advanced Technologies, n.d.) The evolution of BPR had initially appe ared in business management during the mid of 1990s through the publication of influential article of Michael Hammer. The article portrayed an advanced and changed management philosophy which was significantly

Not as Easy as 1,2,3 Essay Example for Free

Not as Easy as 1,2,3 Essay People, Work Organizations- MGMT20124 Assessment 1- Report Case Study Not as Easy as 1, 2, 3 Contents Contents2 Executive Summary4 1- Introduction5 1. 1 Background to the report5 1. 2 Scope5 1. 3 Aims 6 2- Discussion7 2. 1 Organizational Justice7 2. 2 Perception errors 8 2. 3 Stress8 2. 4 Exit-Voice- loyalty ­-Neglect model8 2. 5 Team work 9 2. 6 Motivation9 3- Literature review10 3. 1 Organizational Justice10 3. 2 Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory12 3. 3 Expectancy theory14 4- Solutions and suggestions18 4. 1 Organisational Justice 18 4. 2 Stress 19 4. 3 Improving feedback process21 5- Conclusion22 References24 Executive Summary There are three purposes for this report. It attempts to indentify the problems in the case study Not as Easy as 1, 2, 3. Accordingly, it discusses about six main problems in ABC consulting firm that have negative impact on the organization effectiveness and the productivity of the objectives. These problems are; ABC consulting organization failed in implemented the organizational justice. Next one is the perception errors of Janet, the client manager and human resource director. The third problem is George was forced in the stress situation and George’s dissatisfaction about job and work behaviors which caused to the exit-voice-loyalty-neglect actions is the problem number four. The fifth is teamwork environment, processes and the last problem is ABC consulting failed to implement the motivation procedures in motivating its staffs. In addition, it also mentions about the theories which related to each problem. The second aim of this report is to explain the literature review of some theories that are related to the case study’s problems and solutions. Particularly, the organization motivation justice theory, Maslow’s hierarchy needs theory and the expectancy theory. Lastly, this report intends to discuss about the solutions and suggestions in relation to the case’s problems such as, develop consistent organizational justice system, the methods to relief stress, and implement probably feedback processes system. 1- Introduction 1. 1 Background to the report In recent years, organizational behaviors are very significant in every company which can have positive or negative impact on individuals, groups and structures within an organization for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organizations effectiveness. It is because there are many issues need to be considered if an organization wants to be successful in managing people, and maximize their ability and capacity. Hence, each organization needs to create a consistent system that can motivate its staffs and also try to satisfy their needs in order to improve the productivity of the objectives. One of the motivate systems is organizational justice system which provides the fairness or distributive, procedural and interactional justice in the firm. Furthermore, there are many theories discuss about the methods that can be satisfied the employees’ needs such as; Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory and expectancy motivation theory etc. For example, Khin (2010) states that many Malaysian companies’ perspectives about the affect of organizational justice on employees’ job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intention. They implemented the questionnaires around 300 employees about the distributive and procedural justice in a small to medium firms and the result showed that individuals were satisfy with their jobs, had more committed to the organizations and the organizational justice also provided appropriate working environment that can potentially heaps benefits like cost associated to employees retentions, influencing positive behaviors among employees, and thus achieve effectiveness and high productivity in the organization. 1. 2 Scope The case study Not as Easy as 1, 2, 3 focuses on several problems in ABC consulting firm. George was a new consultant staff in ABC firm who was employed by ABC because he impressed ABC’s human resource director and Janet, the client manger in the interview time. They said George was exactly sort of people they are looking for and promise him will get onto bonus system after three months probation. George was assigned in a project team with Daniel, the project manager and Janet, his duty is writing the report. However, nobody guided him how to write the report or told him about the role expectations; hence he could not complete his ideas in the report probably at the first meeting between him, Daniel and Janet. George’s manager disappointed about his report, they said â€Å"we thought you were a little more extroverted†. George was stress and tried to work more hours and put more efforts but had not satisfied his manager when he emailed his report two nights before it was due. Yet, Janet ripped his report to shreds, and told him she needs something more useful. It caused George felt down and lost his motivation, he came to work late, left early and took longer break than usual. He wanted to stay in ABC because of the bonus which his manger and human resource director promise him that everyone can get it after three months. Nevertheless, at the review meeting Janet and human resource director told him that he could not get onto the bonus system because he has not performed at they expected. Consequently, George sent out job applications in that night. 1. 3 Aims The purpose of this report are threefold, these include: Identify the issues in ABC consulting firm which have negative affect to organizational behaviors. Particularly, the six main problems are; ABC consulting organization failed in implemented the organizational justice. Next one is the perception errors of Janet, the client manager and human resource director. The third problem is George was forced in the stress situation. Another issue is George’s dissatisfaction about job and work behaviors which caused to the exit-voice-loyalty-neglect actions. The fifth is teamwork environment, processes and the last problem is ABC consulting failed to implement the motivation procedures in motivating its staffs. The literature review, explain the theories which are related to the case study’s problems in order to the motivation and satisfy employees’ needs. There are three important theories include; organizational motivation justice, Maslow’s hierarchy needs theory, and expectancy theory. Finally, the author provides some solutions and suggestions for the problems in ABC consulting firm such as, develop consistent organizational justice system, the methods to relief stress, and implement probably feedback processes system. 2- Discussion The case study NOT AS EASY AS 1, 2, 3 is facing with some significant problems in the organizational behavior that could have negative affect to employees’ performances, motivation, counterproductive behavior, and organizational citizenship etc. Yet, there are several issues in this case study but the author is focusing on six particular problems in ABC Consulting organization described as follows: 2. 1 Organizational Justice The first issue in ABC consulting company is the organizational justice. Organizational justice is the study of the concerns about fairness in the workplace which includes the distribution of resources has to do with distributive justice, and the fairness of decision-making procedures has to do with procedural justice (Greenberg 1990). Furthermore, Perceptions of distributive justice is one of the reasons employees want to withdraw from the organization (Cohen-Charash ; Spector 2001). In fact, ABC consulting had failed to maintain the fairness in the workplace which included: the procedural justice, George is the new staff in ABC consulting but he did not get any instruction or support to do the first client report. Besides, the distributive justice, the human resource director said that George will be eligible to get onto the bonus system as same as everyone in the company after three months’ probation but at the end of the probation period George could not get onto this bonus system. Consequences, the failure of fairness in workplace resulted George wanted to leave ABC consulting company, he was sending out the job applications. 2. 2 Perception errors The next problem in ABC consulting company is the perception errors of human resource director and Janet who is George area manager and this error can be explained in the Halo Effect theory. The â€Å"Halo Effect† is a type of perceptual error where people perception of one personality trait influences how they view a persons entire personality (Pollock 2012). The case study pointed out clearly that the human resource director and George’s area manager Janet said he was the exactly sort of person they are looking for because of the impression of George in the interview time, but they seemed to disappointed about George after the first meeting as Janet told him â€Å"We thought you were a little more extroverted†. The perception error of Janet and human resource director has leaded to unproductive of task and George’s dissatisfaction about his job. 2. 3 Stress Another problem is George was forced in a stress situation. Stress is something or situations that are perceived as challenging or threatening to the wellbeing of an individual. These conditions may lead to poor work performance, less work productivity (Colligan et al. 2006). George definitely is facing with the stress due to Janet’s commented on him â€Å"George sensed from Janet’s commented that she was disappointed†. Hence, he had to work from 7. 00 Am to 7. 00 Pm in the office and often do extra work at home. Yet, there were not useful points of his report even in the second time, Janet said she hope George has something useful to present on Monday after she read his report. 2. 4 Exit-Voice- loyalty ­-Neglect model The fourth issue is George’s dissatisfaction about job and work behaviours which caused to the exit-voice-loyalty-neglect actions and this type of actions can be identified in exit-voice-loyalty-neglect (EVLN) model. EVLN is a template that identifies ways that employees respond to dissatisfaction job (Hirschman 1970). Obviously, George was not satisfied with his job. Firstly, George had emailed the report again to his manger but she had been ripped to shreds. Thus, he felt anger, resentment and was not willing to do anything more on the project unless instructed to. Additionally, he had some reflected actions to his job dissatisfaction, Such as; he wanted exit from ABC consulting firm, â€Å"he was sending out job applications† after the company rejected him to get onto the bonus system. This action showed that George had a low loyalty in ABC consulting organisation â€Å"low loyalty produced exit with job dissatisfaction†. He also engaged in counterproductive behaviours (voice), George said he would only do absolute minimum, nothing more and he did not want to continue in dazzling anyone in the organisation. In last, he had reduced work effort, paid less attention to quality and increased absenteeism and lateness (neglect). It can be illustrated that he came to work late, left earlier, and took longer break than usual. 2. 5 Team work The fifth problem, ABC consulting firm had problem in organising a teamwork environment and processes. Teamwork is the cooperative and coordinated effort on the part of two or more people who work together as a team or in the interest of a common cause, which is normally the tasks set by the company (Salas et al. 2008). Probably, Daniel the project manager and Janet the client manager know that George is new staff in the organisation but they were not helping George as a team member. They did not give instructions or even ask if George has got any problem with the report and only expected on George will finish the report more than what he has done. 2. 6 Motivation Finally, ABC consulting failed to implement the motivation procedures in motivating its staffs. Motivation is the forces within a person that impact on an individual’s direction, intensity and persistence of voluntary behaviour (McShane et al. 2013). Particularly, ABC consulting firm was not successful in motivating George. First of all, they failed to identify the ability of George and the ability can make a difference in task performance and behaviour. They thought George was a bit more extroverted, that is why George could not complete the report well as they expected. The second is competencies of George; it includes knowledge, skills, personality, and self-concept, values etc. that results in superior performance. People can realise that ABC consulting firm did not implement well in matching George’s competencies with job’s task requirements and even though they did not provide any training for George, it caused an unproductive of George performance and organisational effectiveness. Moreover, the failure of ABC consulting firm in identifying the role perception to George that means they did not help George understand the job duties assigned to or expected of him. Thus, George could not finish his report as his manager wanted. 3- Literature review The problems in the case study Not as Easy as 1, 2, 3 related with few particular theories in the organisational behaviour which includes the organisational justice theories, motivational theories and expectancy theory of motivation. 3. 1 Organizational Justice The organisational justice contains the different theories that are distributive justice, procedural justice and interactional justice, and they all relate to the fairness in organisations. For example, fair payment, equal opportunities for promotion between employees, and personnel selection procedures etc†¦ Distributive justice is conceptualized as the fairness associated with decision outcomes and distribution of resources. An individuals react to actions and decisions of fairness made by organizations every day, and the distributing of outcomes or resources can be tangible (e. g. , pay) or intangible (e. g. , praise). Perceptions of distributive justice can motivate staffs when outcomes are considered to be equally applied (Adams 1965). On the other hand, procedural justice is defined as the fairness of the processes that lead to outcomes. When individuals feel the process involves characteristics such as consistency, accuracy, ethicality, and lack of bias then procedural justice is enhanced or they can have a voice in the process (Leventhal 1980). Additionally, interactional justice refers to the treatment that an individual receives the explanations or news with respect as decisions are made (Bies Moag 1986). Colquitt (2001) also declares that interactional justice is divided into two components: interpersonal and informational justice. Interpersonal justice that means the respect and propriety in people behaviours, besides informational justice related to the fairness of the explanations given in terms of their timeliness, specificity, and truthfulness. Therefore, the fairness is very significant in every organisation because people attitudes and behaviours are affected by the fairness of the managers’ decisions that can impact job attitudes and work performances and behaviours. Furthermore, Perceptions of justice can also impact many key organizational outcomes such as motivation (Latham Pinder 2005) and job satisfaction (Al-Zu’bi 2010). There are some common outcomes affected by organizational justice include trust, performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, organizational citizenship behaviours, counterproductive work behaviours, and absenteeism and so on. Firstly, trust can be built from the employee’s belief that since current organizational decisions are fair, future organizational decisions will be fair. In addition, a positive relationship between an employees and supervisors can lead to trust in the company (Karriker Williams 2009). According to (Hubbell Chory-Assad, 2005; Cohen-Charash Spector, 2001) procedural justice is the strongest related to trust in organisations. Secondly, work performance is also affected by organisational justice. Procedural justice affects performances as a result of its impact on employee attitudes. Distributive justice affects performances when efficiency and productivity are involved (Cohen-Charash Spector 2001). Thus, organisations need to improve the organisational justice in order to increase the productivities and performances. Karriker Williams (2009) also states that improving justice perceptions can improve productivity and performance. Thirdly, Job satisfaction and organizational commitment, (Al-Zu’bi 2010) declared that the greater of employee’s perceptions of justice result in higher levels of job satisfaction and greater injustice perception will result in lower levels of job satisfaction. Moreover, DeConick 2010; Cohen-Charash Spector (2001) argues that if employees feel the fairness in procedural justice within the organisation, it will result more commitment to the firm and vice versa. Fourthly, the organizational actions and decisions are perceived as more just, employees are more likely to engage in organisational citizenship behaviours (Karriker Williams 2009). Fifthly, the Counterproductive work behaviours (CWBs), there are many reasons that explain why organizational justice can affect CWBs. For example, increased judgments of procedural injustice can lead to employees’ unwillingness to comply with an organization’s rules because the relationship between perceived procedural injustice and CWBs could be mediated by perceived normative conflict, the extent to which individuals feel conflict between the norms of their workgroup and the policy of the organization (Cohen-Charash Spector 2001),. Finally, the Absenteeism and withdrawal of employees due to the perception of organisational justice, such as someone could not get onto a bonus or promotion is an example of a situation in which feelings of injustice may lead to absenteeism from work without reason. Furthermore, distributive justice perceptions are most strongly related to withdrawal in the company (Cohen-Charash Spector 2001). In addition, there are several motivational theories in the organization which relates to many different aspects. Yet, the author is only focuses on the Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory and Expectancy theory of motivation because these theories have involved in the problems in ABC consulting firm. 3. 2 Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory Maslow’s needs hierarchy theory is a motivation theory of needs arranged in hierarchy, it use to motivate people of fulfil their needs from lower to higher. Maslow used the terms Physiological, Safety, Belongingness (Love), Esteem and Self-Actualization needs to describe the pattern that human motivations generally move through (McShane et al. 2013). Physiological needs Physiological needs are the physical requirements for people survival in the workplace, if they are not satisfy with these needs, their body cannot function properly and will ultimately fail. Physiological needs of individuals are thought to be the most important; they should be met first in order to implement their tasks and function well in the organisations. For example, food, air, water, shelter, etc. Safety needs Every organisation needs to ensure that their employees are safe at work, with their physical needs relatively satisfied, the individuals safety needs take precedence and dominate behaviours. The safety and security needs comprise personal security, financial security, health and wellbeing security and Safety net against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts such as; working violence, natural disaster, job security, economic crisis, resources, morality, health etc. (Maslow 1954). Love and belongingness The company has fulfilled employees’ physiological and safety needs, they need to motivate their staffs with third level of human needs which is interpersonal and involves feelings of belongingness. According to Maslow (1943), people need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance among their social groups including small groups (intimate partners, mentors, colleagues, and confidants), and large groups (sport teams, professional organisations, clubs). Belongingness and loved are very important because there are many people become susceptible to loneliness, social anxiety, and clinical depression in the absence of this love or belonging element, Hence organisations should satisfy this type of need in order to motivate its employees. Esteem Every individual needs to feel respected; it contains the need to have self-esteem and self-respect. Esteem presents the typical people want to be accepted and valued by others. People are likely engaged in a profession or hobby to gain recognition and these activities give the individual a sense of contribution or value. Most people in the companies have a need for stable self-respect and self-esteem and these needs can be described in two versions. Maslow (1954) points out two versions of esteem needs: a lower version and a higher version. The need of respect from others people is lower version of esteem, such as a status, recognition, fame, prestige, and attention. The need for self-respect is higher version, for example, the person may have a need for strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence, independence and freedom. Self-actualization This is the highest level of needs in order to motivate staffs of Maslow’s hierarchy needs theory. Maslow (1954) contends this level as the desire to accomplish everything that employees can, to become the most that people can be. Individuals may perceive or focus on this need very specifically. For example the self-actualization needs are morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving etc. Maslow also states that to understand this level of need, individuals must not only gain the previous needs, but they have to master them. In general, the lower-order of needs (physiological, safety, and love) and the higher-order (self-esteem and self-actualization) of needs are classified in Maslows hierarchy of needs is not universal and may different due to the cultures, individual differences and availability of resources in the region or geopolitical entity and country. On the other hand, Maslows hierarchy of needs fails to demonstrate and expand upon the differences between the intellectual and social needs of those raised in individualistic societies and collectivist societies. 3. 3 Expectancy theory Expectancy theory is a motivation theory based on the idea that people believe there are relationships between the efforts they put forth at work, the performances they achieve from those efforts, and the rewards they receive from their efforts and performances. In other words, people will be motivated if they believe that more effort will result to good performance and good performance will get the desired rewards (Fred 2011). According to Vroom (1964), (Chen ; Miller 1994) the expectancy theory contains three components as follows: Expectancy: Expectancy could be explained as the belief that strong or more effort will lead to better performances. This can be described by the thinking of if individuals work harder, they will make the outcomes better. However, in order to get better results individuals also need to have the correct resources available, the skills that are match with the job at hand, and having the necessary support to accomplish the job correctly. Instrumentality: Instrumentality can be described as the thought that if people perform well, then those people will get the value outcomes. Nevertheless, trust and respect for managers who make decisions on individuals deserve to receive what rewards, and see the transparency in the processes of who gets what rewards is something that help instrumentality is having a clear understanding of the relationship between performances and the outcomes. Valence: Valence means value and refers to beliefs about desired outcomes. There are individuals differences in the level of value associated with any specific outcomes. For instance, the bonus may not motivate employees if some one is motivated by increased status, promotion. Valence can be thought of as the pressure or significance that a individual puts on an expected outcomes. Vroom (1964) alleges that the force of motivation in an employee can be calculated using the formula: Motivation = Valence*Expectancy*Instrumentality Application of Expectancy Theory in the Workplace Organizational Applications: Expectancy Leaders need to have an ability to understand expectancy as related to the E-P linkage because it is very useful in the organisations. There are five different components for a manager to keep in mind concerning this linkage. First, a leader needs to design some challenging tasks for employees because unchallenging tasks can make employees feel boredom, frustration and marginal performance. Challenging objectives allow for self-confidence, education, ability development, training, skills and experience, among other things (Isaac et al. 2001). The next component is a leader must consider their staffs’ competencies because individuals differ on experience, knowledge, training, skill, and educational level etc. objectives need to be assigned based on the individuals level of abilities, if people feel they are not capable to finish the works assigned, the E-P linkage will be weak. A good leader needs to provide the necessary skills to the followers in order for them to be successful (Vroom 1964). Third, managers have to recognize that its employees differ greatly regarding their levels of self-esteem in regards to completing a task. Fourth, leaders need to determine and specify which are possible or impossible outcomes constitute acceptable performances. The leaders and its staffs both need to communicate and reach a mutual agreement on the behaviour that represents a successful outcome for each of them. Fifth, leaders need to recognize that expenditure of effort for many followers leads to satisfaction on the job (Brown Peterson 1994). Most of employees want to feel useful, competent, involved and productive. The workplace provides a vehicle to fulfil these needs. A manager that is aware of these different aspects of people perceptions, as they relate to expectancy, can effectively understand and facilitate the E-P linkage for each of their employees (Isaac et al. 2001). Managing these elements effectively can help a leader to strengthen the expectancy of each of their followers. The strengths and Weaknesses of Expectancy Theory Strengths Expectations are influenced by incentives and rewards, with clearly goals set, this will trigger a motivational process that can improve performances. According to Vroom (1964) an individual’s motivational force can be equated to the level of expectancy multiplied by the instrumentality multiplied by the valance. If any one of these factors is scored as a zero, then the motivational score will also be zero (Penn State World Campus 2011). This can easily be seen in situations where a people believe the amount of effort put on tasks will not result in the expected rewards, in situations where the level of performances will not yield the desired outcomes or that the rewards will not have the desired value as expected, the individual’s motivational level will be zero (Penn State World Campus 2011). On the other hand, when all the components of the equation are high, the motivational force will also be high (Penn State World Campus 2011). In general, by utilizing expectancy theory, companies must understand the importance of demonstrating appreciation for their employees works, and as a result, their employees will perform stronger, and show more loyalty towards the organizations. Weaknesses The weaknesses of between-subject design can be seen in the distinct of each person places on the effort, performance and value of rewards, because this design is quantitative, the comparisons between people are hard to measure. In addition, the applications of the theory in the organisations, in some companies’ the rewards some employees receive might not be seen as attractive as many people change their idea of desired rewards. What may have been a good incentive at one point in time may no longer hold its value to that individual anymore (Penn State World Campus 2011). Expectancy theory is only focusing on the extrinsic motivational factors and the conscious decisions employees make about their performances. Many managers and staffs are not motivated solely by extrinsic factors, such as a pay check, bonus, or public recognition. Consequences, the concept of instrumentality is found to be ambiguous and difficult to operationalise (Wabba ; House 1974). Therefore, it is hard for leaders in an organization to really understand what motivates their employees before attempting to utilize the expectancy theory model. 4- Solutions and suggestions 4. 1 Organisational Justice The case study Not as Easy as 1, 2, 3 has shown that ABC consulting firm has the problem with the fairness in the organisation. Hence, in order to improve and protect the fairness in ABC firm, the organisation should design procedures so they can be consistently, clearly applied to all employees and work groups. For example, have a structured performance review process so all workers are reviewed using consistent criteria. Furthermore, they must develop a policy about organisational justice system which includes procedural justice, distributive justice and interactional justice; like ABC firm needs to provide training and give instruction about the tasks for all new staffs, or provide tests of applicants’ knowledge, skills and experiences. Moreover, on the procedural fairness of recruitment processes, the manager and human director should not promise anything till the new staffs have finished their tasks. The state of Queensland (2012) also alleges that appoints or promotes workers based on performance, using valid and reliable selection and recruitment methods. Because if they promise something to the new employees and they could not receive it later, they will feel disappointed. It causes employees want to leave the organisation and it costs company more to do other recruitments; like George who had sent out job applications after he was refused to get onto the bonus system as his manager and human resource director promised him in the interview. Additionally, in order to maintain the relational fairness the manager needs to treat workers with respect, dignity and politeness at all times. George manager, Janet who should comment and response on his work more polite and respectful, Janet said â€Å"we thought you were a little more extroverted† and â€Å"the report had been ripped to shreds†. Besides, managers have to ensure that management structures across the organisation and reporting lines within work team are clear. This will help workers know who they are accountable to and where they can go for help with work problems, and Ensure workers have an up to date role or position description, which includes the role purpose, reporting relationships and the key duties expected of them. 4. 2 Stress George was so stressed and he could not concentrate on anything, there was simply too much to do, and he had not much time left to implement his report. Particularly, George was stress due to the way his manager Janet treated him, unclear expectations, urgent deadlines etc. Hence, In order to develop an effective stress management program in ABC consulting firm, first way is individual intervention. This starts off by monitoring the stressors in the individual, observes what are the reasons of the stress, next is attacking that stressor and try to develop the methods to alleviate them in any way. Developing social support is vital in individual intervention, being with others to help individual cope has proven to be a very effective way to avoid stress (BMJ group 2013). In addition, according to Lehrer et al. (2007) there are several ways the organization can change that employers and managers can make in order to reduce workplace stress, presented below. Develop work, health and safety program Provide training, ensuring all employees are understand Show that every employee are valued and useful Provide chances for career development Establish a zero-tolerance policy for harassment Clearly identify individual employees’ roles and duties Consult staffs about scheduling and work rules Make management actions consistent with organ

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Our marriage may be over, but our family is not; doing what is best for the girls should be our most important priority. The first step to being a mature, responsible co-parent is to always put our children's needs ahead of our own. It is apparent that we do our best to be there for them as their mother and father. They are a product of both of us and they need both of us in their lives for their long-term well-being. It's been long due that we have a discussion in regards to the children's well being. I hope that in no way that the girls are to gain information or to be manipulated and influenced by either of us in a negative way. Also to not be emotional needy that they develops feelings of guilt or anxiety if or by spending time with one more than the other. Furthermore, not to depend too much on the girls for companionship and support because you are feeling hurt or lonely. I do not intend and I hope that there is no intent on sabotaging the girls relationship with either of us. All of these little problems adds up to huge burden on the children with a situation they cannot control and this could have long term effects on their mental health. They should not bear such a responsibility. It will promote feelings of helplessness and insecurity, causing them to question their own strengths, abilities, self-worth and confidence in future. As parents we should encourage ourselves to only speak positively about one another around or to the girls and there should be no discussion around them that furthers their insecurity such as what you did when I picked them up the other day. Issues of financial insecurity should be discussed private as adults and without the children present. We must agree on boundaries and behavioural guidel... ...ns: 1. The weekly schedule should be changed on a final basis so that all residency issues may be set aside. This should give the girls the stability they require. 2. That there be limited contact with the children when they are with the other parent so that time spent is quality time and there are no distractions and less emotional turmoil. 3. That you allow the children to sleep in their own beds on their own as it is causing disruption when I try to put them in bed on their own. 4. That the children should not be an emotional crutch by trying to convince them that whom is the more loving and responsible parent. As this ca only lead to more insecurity within them not wanting to disappoint either of us. Your understanding of these terms would go a long way towards the well-being of the children and that should be your only primary concern. Regards, Natalie

Harley-Davidson’s Motivational Programs Essay

History of Harley-Davidson:Today it is hard to imagine Harley-Davidson (Harley) as a low-quality motorcycle manufacturer in severe financial trouble. But that’s exactly what Harley was in the beginning of the 1980’s. Harley motorcycles were of such poor quality that over half of all the cycles produced were effectively inoperable because of missing parts or poor assembly. When Japanese motorcycle manufacturers entered the US market th reliable and well-built bikes, past and potential Harley customers switched over to the foreign brand. The only customers that remained with Harley were its most loyal, technologically savvy ones who were committed to the Harley brand name. As a result, between 1973 and the early 1980’s, Harley’s market share dropped from over 75% to under 25%. By 1984, sales had dropped to $294 million and profit was merely $2.9 million. The future of Harley was nothing but bleak. In order to change the company’s performance and improve the quality of the bikes produced, Harley implemented a series of programs and reorganization efforts to motivate its employees to help Harley turn around. Since Harley was financially squeezed, the bulk of the incentive programs were based on intrinsic motivation, including employee empowerment and increased challenge and excitement in the job. Harley also began offering financial incentives that were tied to specific performance factors. Due to the extraordinarily positive results from these programs, they are still in effect today. Intrinsic Motivational StrategiesEmployee EmpowermentIn order to motivate its employees to improve the manufacturing process, Harley implemented a program that empowered its employees at all levels to take more control of the operations and decision-making in the company. In order to get the best that each employee has to offer, Harley encourages every employee to suggest ideas, involves all employees in major company decisions, and allows its hourly workers to make more decisions than most companies. This not only improves employee morale by instilling a sense of worth in each employee, it also creates a sense of attachment to the company. In turn, this empowerment results in increased dedication to the company, hard work and improved employee performance because each employee is given the power to initiate change and make decisions that affect the company. Furthermore, Harley’s culture supports its strategy of employee empowerment. Harley is a flat organization with only two layers of management that fosters a friendly and collaborative environment. The atmosphere is casual and all employees interact with each other-there are no rigid lines between the management and the hourly workers. This generates a sense of camaraderie and feelings of mutual respect, which in turn facilitates open lines of communication and comfort with speaking up to identify problem areas and possible solutions. In addition, the company does not punish failed ideas or criticize out-of-the-box suggestions. Instead, the company always evaluates the new ideas and rewards employees for creative solutions that work. In fact, in 2001, more than 20% of Harley’s IT staff was internally promoted for creative thinking that resulted in better or faster production. Finally, Harley doesn’t force the added responsibility and power onto the employees and leave them to fend for themselves, adopting a survival of the fittest attitude. Rather, it provides them the tools and skills necessary to succeed in the more challenging and complex environment. Believing that all employees that are expected to take on the responsibility of increased employee power should be equipped with certain necessary competencies, Harley provides training in communication, conflict resolution, team skills, planning, problem solving, decision making, and performance management. For example, Harley-Davidson University, a training program required for all employees, â€Å"teaches employees how to do business stimulation and how to plan for ownership succession since they deal with a lot of goods and services† (How Companies are Managed). Harley even provides hourly workers the skills necessary to be able to market their new ideas to management and their peers. It trains employees on computers and teaches them how to give presentations on PowerPoint and how to use spreadsheets to manage the implemented changes. This commitment to training and education demonstrates Harley’s loyalty to and confidence in its employees and gives them the skills and abilities necessary to make employee empowerment a success for the company and a non-threatening, welcomed aspect of the job to the employees. An example of how employee empowerment motivated an employee to generate change in the production process and therefore financially benefit Harley is when an hourly worker suggested putting two tanks in the pain chamber where he worked. The suggestion was quickly implemented and ended up doubling the productivity in the paint shop! If not for the combination of employee empowerment, the necessary training, and a supportive culture, it is unlikely that this hourly worker would have even discovered the potential improvement in the painting process. Yet, even if he did, he probably would not have cared enough to felt comfortable enough to suggest his idea to his manager. Consequently, Harley would have missed out on the full potential of its employee and would have been less productive in the manufacturing process. Challenging & Enjoyable WorkHarley also motivates its employees by matching its employees with projects that are personally interesting and challenging to each employee. First, management makes the projects more meaningful to the employees by explaining the overall business objectives of the projects and helping them understand the business value of successfully achieving those objectives. For example, Harley doesn’t just promote new technology for technology’s sake, but rather markets the technology’s tangible importance to the customer and the bottom line. This gets the employees interested in the project and excited about achieving the stated goals. Harley also tries to motivate employees by making their work sufficiently challenging. While giving the employees the ability to and pressuring them to step up and initiate positive change in the organization is one strategy to make the workplace more exciting, Harley doesn’t stop there. It also offers all of its employees the chance to work on new technologies, innovative processes and highly-visible projects. Employees are assigned to these activities by â€Å"showing initiative, keeping up with current technologies [or process improvements] and learning soft skills such as how to work effectively on a team and how to talk with business customers† (Hamblen). This not only keeps employees interested in their work, it motivates them to improve their portfolio of skills so that they can participate in these challenging and exciting projects. Finally, Harley makes a concerted effort to match employees with projects and jobs in which they have specific interest. Managers are urged to stay in tune with the interests of their workers in order to best match them with the available job opportunities. For example, managers have quarterly review meetings with their subordinates to discuss upcoming projects in the company and determine which projects are of interest to the employee. Harley’s commitment to maintaining the employee’s interest in their work is paying off. In 2001, the IT department, which has over 200 employees, had a turnover rate of less than 3%. Such a low rate clearly illustrates the employees’ satisfaction with their jobs and commitment to Harley. Intrinsic Motivation: An exampleA prime example of Harley’s use of intrinsic motivation programs is its use of councils. Councils are groups of employees, with ten approximately members, who work to address specific issues that affect their day-to-day work. Fellow workers choose the members, and it is considered an honor to be selected to serve. The work done on the council is typically exciting and challenging, and produces tangible and noticeable results throughout the organization. Due to the prestige associated with being on the council, along with the skills developed by serving on one, â€Å"participating in a council is widely recognized as a career growth opportunity† (Vitiello). While these councils do increase decision-making time, the benefits are worth the lost time. First, they motivate employees to perform well in order to get on one of the councils and to get recognized while serving on one. Second, they create wider acceptance of the decisions by the employees because they were partly responsible for and involved in making the decisions rather than them being mandated by management. Financial MotivationHarley understands that while intrinsic rewards are important, employees are also significantly motivated by financial incentives. Therefore, Harley implemented three kinds of variable financial incentives, all of which that are linked to valued behavior. First, at least a portion of every employee’s compensation package depends on the achievement of the company’s annual goals; when the company meets or exceeds  its objectives, the employees meet or exceed their target salary. Second, Harley utilizes a stock program whereby a portion of the employees’ compensation is in stock options. This motivates employees to continually improve the overall performance of Harley because the better the company does, the higher the stock price a nd potential financial benefit to the employees. Finally, employee performance bonuses are given to individuals that provide exemplary work or suggest improvements that result in increased productivity or lower costs. All three of these programs motivate the employees to improve the productivity, efficiency, and financial performance of Harley. Harley-Davidson Today: The Results of Harley’s Motivational ProgramsThe programs implemented by Harley back in the middle of the 1980’s are still being used today. And for good reason-Harley’s performance has done nothing short of skyrocket since their implementation. In the first quarter of 2003, Harley reported net sales of $1.1 billion and a net income of $186.2 million. This is over 3.7 times the sales generated throughout the entire 1984 fiscal year. The Vice-President of the Kansas City office believes these motivation programs are the reason why Harley has had such a complete and long-lasting turn around:†[W]e’ve created an environment where all employees are valued and expected to make good decisions to benefit the enterprise, and people who feel they are making a contribution to the business are happier people, and they are committed to helping the company succeed. With 8,000 people showing up each day, determined to find ways to improve our business, I’m confident we will be able to continue our successful growth† (How Companies are Managed). Web Sites Used: 1.Why you can still buy a Harley; by Derek Parker; week of January 15, 2001: http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2001/01/15/editorial1.html2.Harley profit roars past estimates on slower U.S. sales; week of April 14, 2003: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2003/04/14/daily26.html?jst=s_cn_hl3.How Companies are Managed; by Brandon McNeal: http://academic.emporia.edu/smithwil/001fmg444pa/eja/mcneal.html4.Harley-Davi

Compare and Contrast of Hector and Achilles

Option B : Compare and contrast the characters of Hector and Achilles. I choose to compare and contrast the characters of Hector and Achilles because I am interested in their story. I think there are many theme in this story, but the central theme is the fate of men; if it is ? xed or changed by the will of men. I feel interesting that the gods decides the fate of people. And I choose this option because I feel that I can understand what the author wants to express to the readers by comparing Hector and Achilles.Therefore, I will compare the strengths and the weakness of both heroes. First of all, I will write about Hector. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest ? ghter for Troy in the Trojan War. He was born as a son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. His father was the king of Troy. He had a wife called Andromache and the son, Astyanax. In the European Middle Ages, Hector was one of the Nine Worthies. And he was a good son, husband and father. Most of all, he loved the peace. He love d his country, his people, his family and wanted to die with honor.When he realized that Jove and his son Apollo are not with him for the protection anymore against Achilles, he says to himself â€Å" My doom has come upon me; let me not them die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me ? rst do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter. †. The gods decided not to protect him. That was the reason why Hector lost, but he wanted to ? ght against the strong Achilles. Therefore, I think Hector was the true soldier. I want to write about Achilles now. He was a hero and greatest warrior for Greek in the Trojan War.He was the son of the goddess Thetis and Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons. Achilles was a mortal person even though he was the son of a goddess. And he had the great pride that he was the strongest soldier, and he did not want to be under anybody. When the Agamemnon dishonored him, Achilles asked his goddess mother to go to Jove, then to ask Jove to help Troy, so that Agamemnon would be in trouble. Therefore, Achilles did not think about his country and his people. He only think about himself. So I think Achilles is not the person to be the king.Now I want to compare and contrast their strength and the weakness. First, I want to write about Hector’s strength. He was brave and courageous. He was the man who thought about his family, loved his family and thought his country and people. He wanted to die with honor. He went to Paris because he did not stand to hear bad things about Paris and said, â€Å"you ? ght bravely, and no man with any justice can make light of your doings in battle. But you are careless and willfully remiss. It grieves me to the heart to hear the ill that the Trojans speak about you, for they have suffered much on your account.Let us be going, and we will make things right hereafter, should Jove vouchsafe us to set the cup of our deliverance before ever-living gods of heaven in our own homes, when we have chased the Achaeans from Troy. † From this conversation, you can see that Hector thinks about his brother, thinks about the people of Troy, and is willing to push his brother to ? ght with honor. When he fought with Achilles, Hector escaped to ? ght him ? rst because he was afraid of Achilles. However, when he realized that the gods were not with him to ? ht Achilles, he decided to ? ght with honor until he died. Therefore, I think one of his strength is his brave heart. But Paris did not have the brave heart. Next, I want to write about Achilles’s strength. I think Achilles did not have many strength. I think the physical power from his goddess mother was the only strength he had. Even the king Agamemnon feared his strength. Hector was the greatest soldier in Troy, but even that greatest soldier run away from Achilles when Hector was standing in front of the gate of Troy.It says â€Å" Fear fell upon Hector as he beheld him, and he dared not stay longer where he was but ? ed in dismay from before the gates, which Achilles darted after him at his utmost speed. †. Then when Hector ? nally decided to ? ght with Achilles, Achilles killed him easily. Therefore, I think Achilles was the strongest worrier on earth. Next, I want to write about Hector’s weakness. I could not ? nd many weakness of Hector, however, the only weakness I could ? nd was that Hector did not know how strong he was. He thought that he could ? ht with Achilles, but when he met Achilles, he run away. He run away because he ? nally realized that he was not as strong as Achilles when he met the enemy at the gate. I think it is too late for him to realized that. Because of this weakness, he died. Therefore, Hector did not have many weakness, but the only weakness he had destroyed him. Next is the weakness of Achilles. I think Achilles had many weakness even though he was the greatest warrior on earth. I think Achilles was strong physically, but he was weak mentally. When Agamemnon took Briseis from Achilles,Achilles went to the sea and prayed to his mother such as, â€Å" Mother, you bore me doomed to live but for a little season; surely Jove, who thunders from Olympus, might have made that little glorious. It is not so. Agamemnon, son of Atreus, has done me dishonor, and has robbed me of my prize by force. †. He cried when he was saying it. This was not like the greatest warrior, but rather a small child’s doing. He liked to ? ght and liked to kill people. He was very good at killing people, but he did not have any respect to his king, his country and his people.When he killed Hector, he did something very dishonorable. Achilles treated the body of Hector with contumely. He pierced the sinews at the back of both his feet from heel to ancle and passed thongs of ox-hide through the slits he had made. He made the body fast to his chariot, letting the head trail upon the ground. Then Achilles lashed his horse on, and the dust rose f rom Hector as he was being dragged along. Thus was the head of Hector being dishonored in the dust. This is not something what the greatest warrior does. Again Achilles became so emotional that he acted like a child.Therefore, I think that Achilles is not a person to be a great king. If he becomes to be a king, his country and people will be destroyed. I do not want to live in his country. I think he has the extreme character. He was a supermen physically, but he was a little kid mentally. As the conclusion of the comparison between Hector and Achilles, Hector is more heroic than Achilles. I think that the hero is a person who think of his country and his people. After comparing the characters of Hector and Achilles, the person who thinks of his country and his people is Hector.Hector always thinks about his country, his people and his family. He loves his father, his mother, his brothers, his wife and his child. When Hector died, Paris’s wife, Helen, cried and said, â€Å" I have never heard one word of insult or unkindness from you. †. Helen was the person who was the cause of this war. I think it is dif? cult to be kind to Helen, but Hector was nice to her. That means Hector’s heart was so deep. And I think Hector will be the greatest king. I love to live in his country.