Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Effect of Labour Turnover on Organisational Productivity Essay Example

Effect of Labour Turnover on Organisational Productivity Essay Example Effect of Labour Turnover on Organisational Productivity Essay Effect of Labour Turnover on Organisational Productivity Essay EFFECT OF LABOUR TURNOVER ON ORGANISATIONAL PRODUCTIVITY 1 INTRODUCTION The practice of human resource management (HRM) is concerned with all aspects of how people are employed and managed in an organisation (Armstrong, 2009). The strategic business function organ of the organisation sees to the inflow and outflow of employees in the organisaiton. The HRM function of directing the organisation system to ensure that human talents are used effectively to accomplish desired goals is very crucial, thereby not left ignored. Organisations zealous about growth would always intend to develop their respective current human capital and other potentials. But in this world of frequent upgrade and innovations in the business environment and the technological ways of doing things, organisations would commit themselves towards bringing their workforce to the task requiring intellectual and manual growth and development. The idea behind this would be to intensify the additional productivity generated by extra employee hired. All these put together would amount to organisations being cost conscious in making sure that employees with high human capital do not leave their organisations. But in order to be realistic, organizations cannot be everything to all people. No matter how great your company is, it is likely that some of your employees will eventually move on to other opportunities. That may be costing you a lot and affecting your well enjoyed stabilized organization productivity. Labour or worker or employee or staff turnover has it is often referred to, is the number of permanent employees leaving the company within the reported period versus the number of actual Active Permanent employees on the last day of the previous reported period (physical headcount). According to Business Dictionary (2011), the ratio of the number of employees that leave a company through attrition, dismissal, or resignation during a period to the number of employees on payroll during the same period makes up what is referred to as Labour Turnover. An employee leaving the organization either voluntarily or involuntarily is certain to have positive or negative effects on the organization. This as well would reflect on the productivity of the organization concerned. In other words, high turnover can be harmful to a companys productivity if skilled workers are often leaving and the worker population contains a high percentage of novice workers (Open Forum, 2011). This is especially the case if those leaving are either key to its success and continuity or do so because they think you have treated them unfairly, which could result in tribunal claims (Business Link, 2011). This means maintaining the satisfactory level of productivity might be threatened. Therefore curbing turnover to its optimal level for the organization is a major challenge. However, the research on the consequences of labour turnover is inconclusive, and provides little guidance on how much turnover, if any, is optimal (Siebert, 2006). It hereby leaves us wondering what optimal number is needed for the organization’s best productivity. As turnover even poses to be a major and widely studied organizational behavior phenomenon, it fosters why researchers are becoming interested in it more. It is a phenomenon that not just affects a company, occupation or industry, but an issue tackled by organizations all around the world. This is because at one employee’s voluntary or involuntary time they would have to leave the organization. (Abelson 1987; Campion 1991). 1. 2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM Labour turnover as noticed, if not looked into, could eat deep into the profitability and threaten the sustainability of any organization. As a global challenge as well mandatory confrontation of the technological and environmental diversities which organizations have to face, many brows are raised on its persistence. The Nigerian insurance sector has not been left out as labour turnover has been disrupting their services and relatively their organization productivity. The Human Resource Managers and the executives of these organizations have always been on their toes to proffer solutions to labour turnover. The consciousness of hiring, monetary and time cost recorded when highly frequent labour turnover occurs; thereby affecting productivity which makes this a problem that begs for answer. Organizations lose not just financially, or in productivity when they have an employee with huge human capital permanently departing from their organization. This could have been due to avoidable or unavoidable reasons. The technological and business demands of electronic dealings have also affected ways in which operations are carried out in the Nigerian insurance industry. Some new fresh ideas have been witnessed with the opportunities for new transfers and promotions, but those still have to be compared to the contributions or reductions which are now available. This study would look into how the effects of the voluntary or involuntary labour turnover have impacted on the productivity level of the organization observed. As well to what extent, the organizations need to plan in anticipating an optimal level of labour human capital that can yield the needed productivity in the Nigerian insurance sector which is becoming labour shortages. 1. 3 LITERATURE REVIEW Employee turnover has benefits and costs for organizational performance (Ableson Baysinger, 1984). But a study is not just being carried out to have the positive sides analysed. The human resource management literature has traditionally viewed labour turnover in a negative light. Human capital theories of labour turnover point to loss of firm-specific human and social capital (Dess and Shaw 2001). This negative view is supported by the results of several empirical studies. For example, Huselid (1995) finds high labour turnover negatively linked to labour productivity in his sample of 968 U. S. firms. Also Baron, Hannan and Burton (2001) find turnover to be â€Å"disruptive† in their study of hi-tech start-ups in California in the early 1990s. Many studies have concentrated on quits specifically, and have found a negative impact of quits on firm performance, as in Batt (2002) for U. S. call centres, McElroy, Morrow and Rude (2001) for branches of a U. S. financial company, etc. But some have since been reporting the optimistic side of the coin. Job matching theory (Jovanovic, 1979) predicts that workers less suitable for the organisation would result into leaving it earlier; hence, there is room for labour turnover to improve performance (productivity) by clearing the workforce of poor worker-job matches. In the same vain, McEvoy and Cascio’s (1987) meta-analysis of twenty-four reported correlations between performance and turnover concluded that ‘good performers are †¦ less likely to leave †¦ than are poor performers’, which supports the main prediction of job matching theory (p. 758). Williams and Livingstone’s (1994) further meta-study of turnover supported McEvoy and Cascio (1987) and proved an even stronger negative relationship between worker individual performance and voluntary turnover when pay is contingent on the organisation’s productivity. Ilmakunnas, Maliranta and Vainiomaki (2005) report a positive impact of turnover on total factor productivity growth in Finnish manufacturing. However, the Nigerian insurance sector may be faced with such ups and downs as regards to impact of labour turnover on organisation productivity. But relatively unlike most of the research on the topic, Bingley and Westergaard-Nielsen (2004) look at hires and quits simultaneously in their study of personnel policies and profit in a panel of 7,118 Danish organisations over 1992-95. In contrast to the popular result, they conclude that quits increase profit and hires reduce it. They argue, consistently with job matching theory that the least productive workers are more likely to leave. The finding on hires is interpreted in terms of turnover costs, since hires incur recruitment and training costs. Thus, reconciliation of job matching and human capital theories of labour turnover is assisted by distinguishing between quits and hires a path we will follow. Those were observed by W. Stanley Siebert, Nikolay Zubanov, Arnaud Chevalier, Tarja Viitanen (2006). The case of a firm in the Nigerian insurance sector on the impact of labour turnover on productivity may take along the practice of the HRM. Guthrie (2001) found a dichotomy in the impact of turnover on productivity depending on the type of human resource management (HRM) system in the organisation. Glebbeek and Bax (2004) using data from offices of a temporary employment agency in the Netherlands over 1995-98 indeed find an inverted U-shape relationship between worker turnover and productivity. The same relationship between labour turnover and productivity is reported in a study of 2,435 workplaces in Australia over 1995-97, by Harris, Tang and Tseng (2002). However, Shaw, Gupta and Delery (2005: 61) report the opposite result for U. S. and Canadian concrete plants and U. S. transportation companies, where they conclude that the relationship between voluntary turnover and workforce performance is ‘negative but becomes attenuated as turnover increases’. This particular study, however, would look into ups and downs earlier known to rock an organisation’s productivity if it has employee turnover. Particularly, an organisation in the Nigerian insurance industry being studied if the earlier affirmations can be upheld or restructured to show our society’s diversified business environment. 1. 4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of this study is to achieve the following: i. To affirm the relationship between labour turnover and organization productivity. ii. To investigate the impact of business diversities requirement like technology amounting to organization productivity on labour turnover. iii. To investigate how organisations can reduce unfavourable labour turnover on productivity. iv. To examine labour turnover impact on MBLA 1. 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS The following are the research questions developed for the course of this study. They are: i. Does Nigerian insurance sector witness labour turnover? ii. Is labour turnover a challenge to organization? iii. Is organization productivity disrupted when organization labour turnover takes place? iv. Does an organization have any positive productivity advantage when labour turnover occurs? v. Are there measures of curbing labour turnover when organization sees it could halt productivity? 1. 6 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESES The hypotheses to be used in validating this study project are stated as follows: H0: There is no significant relationship between the labour turnover and organization productivity of MBLA. H0: There is a significant relationship between labour turnover and organization productivity of MBLA. H0: There is no impact on labour turnover and organization productivity of MBLA H0 : There is an impact of labour turnover on organization productivity of MBLA. . 7 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The significance of this study is tailored towards the evaluation, analysis and addition to the current existing body of knowledge. It would assist the human resource managers in capturing adverse labour turnover effect which could halt their organization’s effectiveness and efficiency. Knowing the costly effect of an unchecked labour turnover on the organization productivity, t his study would help HR managers on other logical steps to militate against employee turnover. The recommendations can be used in helping organizations not just in the Nigerian insurance sector but as well other sectors of the economy. By using this study different organization can reduce the rate of employee turnover and increase their productivity and profitability. 1. 8 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 1. 8. 2 Population of the Study Due to the uneasy access to the entire population of this study, a sample would be drawn up. According to Levin and Rubin, (2002), a population is the whole collection of all elements that a research is studying and from which generalization will be drawn from. The study would make use of a branch of MBLA and a generalisation would be utilized. However the organisation has about 500 staff with about 15 of them taking charge of the executive functions of the company. Also the administrative functions are run by over 60 of their staff. Besides, the other population are either their marketers or ther junior workers. 1. 8. 3 Sampling and Sampling Techniques With application of a stratified sampling, the employees of the organisation would be unbiasedly picked. This would be enforced among both the senior and junior employees of the organisation. All these effort is to have a reasonable conclusion from which generalisation would be ascertained. 1. 8. 4 Strategy for the Collection of Data The primary data generation would be through dissemination of quesstionaires and some other additional interview briefs. The other earlier publications would be added to have a concrete information. These would be used in getting the necessary source of data in generating findings on the impact of labour turnover on organisation productivity in the Nigerian insurance sector. 1. 8. 5 Data Presentation The new advancement in statistical analysis, SPSS, would be utilized in presenting the data generated. The mean, median, mode, frequency and percentiles would be explored for a clearer data presentation 1. 8. 6 Test of the Conjuctural Statement With the use correlation, regression and t-test, the hypotheses of the study would be put to test. 1. 9 SYNOPSIS The outline of this five-study would wear the face of having the first chapter introducing the topic and its subject matter of labour turnover and its corresponding effect on organisation productivity. Also, the second chapter of the study would contain the prior knowledge and study done on this topic. From this some theories and standings of previous scholars would be incorporated into this particular present topic. Besides that, the third chapter would have the methodology to apply in carrying out this study. The instruments and sources of data that would be applied at MBLA in assuring that the right information are gathered within the confinement of the ethical stands, in other to have a good research work in the study. However, the fourth study would look at the data presented and analysed in the format that is generally acceptable. This would enhance the genuineness of this study. Also, the fifth chapter would see to the conclusion and recommendation of the project. This is where the findings and results of the study would be concluded and any recommendation suitable for MBLA and other organisations of its kind would be issued for their discretional adoption. REFERENCES businesslink. gov. uk/bdotg/action/detail? itemId=1074411249=RESOURCES penforum. com/idea-hub/topics/money/article/the-high-cost-of-employee-turnover-scott-allen Batt, R. 2002. Managing customer services: Human resource practices, quit rates, and sales growth. Academy of Management Journal, 45: 587–597. Batt, R. , Colvin, A. J. S. , Keefe, J. 2002. Employee voice, human resource practices, and quit rates: Evidence from the telecommunications industry. Industrial and Labour Relations Review, 55: 573–594. Becker, B. , Huselid, M. 2006. Strategic human resource management: Where do we go from here? Journal of Management, 32: 898–925. GHAURI, P. GRONHAUG, K. (2002),†Research Methods in Business Studies: a practical guide, London, Prentice Hall† GREEN, F. , FELSTEAD, A. , MAYHEW, K. PACK, A. (2000),†The impact of training on labour mobility: individual and firm-level evidence from Britain† British Journal of Industrial Relations, 38, 26 1-275. James K. Harter, Frank L. Schmidt, Theodore L. Hayes (2002),† Business-Unit- Level Relationship between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, and Business Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis†, Vol. 7, No. 2, 268–279 Judge, T. A. , Thoresen, C. J. , Bono, J. E. , Patton, G. K. (2001),† The job satisfaction–job performance relationship: A qualitative and quantitative review†, Psychological Bulletin, 127,376–407. K. Morrell, J. Loan-Clarke and A. Wilkinson (2001), â€Å"Unweaving Leaving: The Use of Models in the Management of Employee Turnover†, Business School Research Series, Loughborough University. M. Armstrong (2006), Human Resource Management, Kogan Page, United Kingdom

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Avoid these Overused Resume Phrases

Avoid these Overused Resume Phrases Avoid these Overused Resume Phrases The goal of every resume is to provide a brief and comprehensive summary of your job history and skills while leaving a lasting impression on the recruiter. Since companies receive dozens of resumes per hiring season, employers who are assigned to sort through these documents encounter repetitive phrases which render the submission clichà ©. Several online resources provide a list of key phrases to avoid when writing a resume. While helpful, sometimes these phrases provide the opportunity to share something valuable. Instead of deleting these phrases altogether, rewrite them in a way that makes your resume stand out, and provide concrete examples of your work experience. Here are some commonly used phrases from resumes and suggestions to rewrite them: â€Å"Works well independently† Most of the time, this phrase is used as a crutch (and is usually part of a bullet list). Instead of focusing on the trait alone, provide an example that showcases your independent nature. Example: â€Å"In 2010, I launched my own website focusing on providing young adult readers with tips and tricks to save money.† This statement showcases your skill, experience, and knowledge while providing a concrete example to the reader. â€Å"A great team player† Teamwork is important is crucial in any workplace to meet company goals, but this phrase does not impress. Instead, share events that showcase you and your former team’s participation or achievement.Example: â€Å"Volunteered with colleagues and organized a 2011 fundraiser.† â€Å"Results driven† Results usually require quantitative data. To avoid this ambiguous claim, write about strategies you implemented which resulted in a percentage of change.Example: â€Å"Reduced the percentage of tardy employees by 10% by implementing an incentive and penalty policy to encourage them to be on time.† â€Å"Good communication skills† Communication skills are important, but this is another example of a broad statement. In this case, provide an example showing how your skills were put to good use.Example: â€Å"Prepared and presented a slideshow to job applicants attending the 2010 job fair in Springfield.† â€Å"Strong attention to detail† It pays to be meticulous with details but it’s even better when other examples are provided.Example: â€Å"I have considerable experience editing articles for an SEO company.† If you rewrite overused phrases and provide concrete examples of your success, potential employers are more likely to schedule an interview with you. Your new resume offers a concise summary of your knowledge, skills, and experience while helping you stand out from the rest of the applicants. hires a team of talented writers who have considerable experience in writing, editing, and/or proofreading resumes while providing key phrases that impress employers.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Critically discuss the role of users in Legos approach to innovation Essay

Critically discuss the role of users in Legos approach to innovation and consider whether the strategy could be put to use in other organisations - Essay Example Later the product range shifted to a set of interlocking bricks which was launched in the market in 1953 but failed because of the consumer’s perception towards plastic toys was strong. By 1959 the company shifted completely to manufacturing plastic bricks and related products and stopped producing wooden toys. The company adopted a series of change with product innovations, segmenting and targeting markets, figures, adding wheels, switching to acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic rather than cellulose acetate, and addition of instruction manuals. Such changes helped Lego for further development and by 1988 there exist almost 50 elements in the toy system of Lego. It manufactured Duplo with large bricks for younger children and for the older ones it had Lego Technic Builders. The growth of Lego increased throughout the 20th century and it ranked in top ten toymakers in the world. Their product range diversified through models cars, train sets and robotics and even the diver sification was seen in the architecture to include programmability and control in order to support these toys (Chesbrough , 2003, pp.76-77). In 1999 the fortune magazine stated that Lego is the ‘toy of century’. The Lego’s operations faced competition due to evolution of computer games which attracted the younger generation and even its costly toys in the high cost economy created pressure in its operations. The low cost toys caused a problem for Lego to remain competitive in the market. As the potential configuration of a small number bricks were huge which involved the users more in the Lego concept. The Lego toys has been bought by the people to make house and cars who then reassemble the bricks in the own user created approach. From the year 2000 Lego has been keeping at the centre of its strategy the user linked approach. The company in order to improve the efficiency of production started developing digital models of the bricks and

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Seatbelt and Exhaust System Defects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Seatbelt and Exhaust System Defects - Essay Example The company should recall these cars to be fixed, if not replaced, in order to ensure the customer's safety. 3) Ensure the market that such problems are inevitable and are easily dealt with. Approach and Analysis: The first step into solving this problem is to reacquire the previously sold cars and repair the defects. The owners must be contacted, informed about the problem and be requested for a recall. This process entails sacrifices for both parties which mean that a just compensation must be provided to get the customers' full cooperation. The whole repair will, after all, be done in forty minutes. Even with an estimate of 1.35 Million cars to be recalled, the process could not be that troublesome. After acquiring the cars, experts should be present to asses the defects. See if it is uniform among the cars or are there differences. Data should be gathered differentiating the defects and damages acquired across the models, logistics, etc. Then the data should then be analyzed by economists, medical experts and the board along with the car experts. A decision should then be made whether to continue production alter the design or revamp the design all in all. Though this process, better techniques on both manufacturing and detecting defects on sold cars must be made. The market should then be wooed so as not to loose trust for the company. This is very important since the world is undergoing financial crisis. Many companies has already downsized or closed up, Toyota should not be one of them.Results: Recalls are still yet to be done but as of the moment some cars had been gathered and upon inspection of the acquired cars, the said defects had been confirmed. The seatbelt indeed can cause fire. When the tensioner is activated upon collision, the sound insulator may melt thus causing a fire, just as mentioned earlier. The exhaust pipe on the other hand, is prone to damage and will probably crack. This might cause substandard emissions to leak out which will endanger the environment. So far, no other defects were found. Discussion: The industry knows that releasing cars with defects are inevitable. This though must be detected immediately, preferably before the product even leaves the show room. The mistake seen on this situation is the delay of detection. This might possibly be seen earlier if the cheapest model in the market was not overlooked. An equal attention between cars should have been given. The recall of the cars will further the understanding of the company about the defects on the car parts and how testing should be done. There must also be enough cars to be reverse engineered to see a better picture. Most cars will be going to the dealer and get the desired repair but it must also be seen that some cars are to be acquired to be further tested. The mistake of just fixing and not doing in depth investigation must be avoided. The gathered data should be used to develop better techniques. This includes all aspects from manufacturing to sales to maintenance. This will ultimately benefit the company. Ethical and Economic Discussion: Recalls may be bothersome for both the owner and the company but it should be looked as a beneficial process,

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Unemployment statistics in US Essay Example for Free

Unemployment statistics in US Essay Unemployment refers to a situation whereby a person who is able and willing to work is currently without a job. The total number of employed people plus the number of unemployed persons who are seeking work is referred to as labor force (US Bureau of Labour Statistics, 2010). The participation rate is the labor force divided by the total number of working age population that is not institutionalized (US Department of Labour, 2010). The unemployment level is the difference between the labor force and the total number of people who are currently employed. The unemployment rate is the level of unemployed divided by the total number of working population. There are different types of unemployment types in the overall macro-economy. They include frictional unemployment, structural unemployment, natural rate of unemployment and demand deficient unemployment. Frictional unemployment reflects the time taken by individuals to find and get settled in their new jobs. Structural unemployment is the difference between the skills and other attributes possessed by the labor force and what the employers actually demand. This type of unemployment considers employees who are undergoing re-training in order to start a new job as being unemployed. It is usually increased by technological changes. Natural rate of unemployment is the sum total of frictional and structural unemployment. It is considered to be the lowest rate of unemployment that is expected to be achieved by a stable economy. Demand deficient unemployment is the level of unemployment which is beyond the natural rate unemployment. Causes of unemployment According to Keynesian economics, unemployment results from deficit in effective demand for both goods and services in an economy (US Bureau of Labour Statistics, 2010). Other schools of thought attribute unemployment to structural problems and inefficiencies which are common in the labor markets. Classical economics attribute unemployment to rigidities in labor markets resulting from external environment such as unionization of workers, taxes, minimum wages and other factors that may limit hiring of new employees (US Department of Labour, 2010). Other economists view unemployment as a voluntary choice of the unemployed and the time it takes them to find a new job also referred to as frictional unemployment. Efficiency wages and sticky wages are seen by behavioral economists to be a cause of unemployment. Unemployment level in US Unemployment in 27 US states was reported to have increased in February 2010 while seven states reported a drop in unemployment. There was an increase in unemployment in the state of Mississippi by 0. 4 percent (highest increase). The unemployment in Detroit fell from 15. 3 to 14. 8. The unemployment nationally by February 2010 was reported by Labor Department to be 9. 7 percent. However, job layoffs were fewer than previously anticipated (Trading Economics, 2010). Since the onset of recession in December 2007, 8. 4 million jobs had been lost by March 2010. The US official unemployment was reported to be 9. 5% in June 2010. This accounted for about 14. 6 million unemployed Americans. The black teens were leading with unemployment of 39. 9% Asians had the lowest unemployment rate of 7. 7%. The total number of officially unemployed and the hidden unemployment (29. 1 million) account for 18. 2% of the labor force. The graph below illustrates the levels of unemployment in US between 1999 and 2009.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Holocaust :: European Europe History

Holocaust Throughout the movie, "The Holocaust", the phrase, "I just do my job," was usually the only excuse most people who committed crimes against the Jews could come up with. For example, when Helena and Rudy Weiss were staying in Kiev, the city was bombed. During the bombing, one of the Nazi soldiers, who happened to be Heinz Muller, a friend of Inga's family, was hit by falling debris. Hesitant, Rudy helped Muller escape from the collapsing building, gave him some water, and asked him why he was taking part in the mistreatment of the Jews. "I obey orders," Muller replied, unrepentant about what he did. Also, when Bertha Weiss was sent to the gas chambers in Auschwitz, Dr. Joseph Weiss asked the Kapo what happened to her. The lady bluntly retorted, "Don't blame me, I just take orders." Whether to keep a job, remain loyal to their cause, or just because they had no other excuse, everyone used that phrase to justify what they did wrong against the Jews. Anti-Semitism and unfair grudges are two factors that can cause Genocide. During the movie, Eric Dorf claimed he did not feel bad about Kristallnacht or what happened to the Jews, because he said the Jews provoked it. Even though Kristallnacht was the first major pogrom, a government sponsored attack on the Jews, and was terribly destructive, Eric said that they killed Christ and they deserved what they got (The Holocaust). In addition, Heydrich believed that Germans and the Aryan race was superior to the Jewish race and they had to "isolate the germ carriers" (The Holocaust), so he decided to go through with the plan for Jewish ghettos. The ghettos were intended to hold the Jews in a temporary Jewish community until they could be efficiently exterminated. This demonstrates how Anti-Semitism and grudges can produce Genocide. In the video, "Conversations With Oprah: Elie Wiesel", Wiesel explains that the most important lesson to be learned from what happened during the Holocaust is to not be indifferent, but to still be human in spite of everything that happened. He said he believed that the opposite of love is not hate, but rather indifference, because indifference can not be fought (Conversations). Not being indifferent is important in preventing another Holocaust in the future. "When you have a choice to make and you don't make it, that in itself is a choice," William James once said.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Midwestern Art Museum Essay

Background The present paper reviews a case study as written by Lewicky, Saunders and Barry in the text Negotiations titled Midwestern::Contemporary Art, case number 6. Its focus is on a financial crisis that the museum is facing due to a donors failure to pay a five million dollar pledge. The donor was the museums previous president of the board of directors who had a falling out with the museum director over financial matters and felt minimized by the lack support by board members. The museum is in the process of completing a major capital project and faces the near term possibility of bankruptcy if the pledge is not fulfilled. Results Legal counsel for the museum recommends suing to collect the funding but that strategy presents several negative outcomes. First is that there are very few cases where a museum has sued a donor successfully so this is not a tested option and even if they were successful, collecting the amount awarded by the court may prove very difficult. Secondly, it raises the likelihood of creating negative public relations that could adversely affect future contributions. Lastly, some of the board members are opposed to this idea. Another course of action is to enter in to negotiations to secure the funding. The current president of the board must decide on a course of action to obtain the necessary funding and unite the board in a functional manner. Conclusions A renewed focus on the future relationship between this donor and the MCA needs to be forged through skilled negotiations in a way that will benefit everyone involved. The legal route should not be the first course of action for the MCA to obtain the five million dollar pledge. The board should first try to implement a well planned negotiation strategy to include the legal option as the BATNA. Situation. The Midwestern Contemporary Art (MCA) Museum opened in 1976 and is devoted to modern art. In January of 1989 the MCA hired Keith Schmidt as executive director, and due to his extensive experience much was expected of him. That same year a reputable lawyer from the area named Peter Smith was selected as the board president. He had been a board member since 1981 and was an avid collector of contemporary art along with his wife. Together they had acquired the largest art collection of this type in the Great Lakes area. Peter Smith and Keith Schmidt had very different leadership styles and it led to disagreements on how to expand and grow the MCA. These arguments often became personal and led to animosity and mistrust. Most of their arguments had to deal with the speed of MCA’s expansion, which was pushed by Keith Schmidt. Peter Smith was more concerned about the finances and did not trust that Schmidt could operate the museum in the black. Smith presented his concerns about Schmidt to the other board members but they didn’t share the same feelings of mistrust since Mr. Schmidt’s performance had not proven deficient so far. Due to problems between the two men, Peter Smith resigned from the board in December 1991. The Smiths disappeared from the art scene at the end of 1991 and missed all payments on their $5 million pledge to the MCA. This became a problem because the MCA was planning on constructing a new building. The Smiths’ pledge was a significant amount and the new MCA facilities completion depended on their pledge. Also, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) required all non-profit organizations to record pledges as income so the MCA had already accounted for the money. This caused an even more financial hardship on the museum, and in late 1997, MCA found itself in a financial crisis due to high debt resulting from the construction and the Smiths’ unfulfilled pledge. The current board director is Peggy Fischer and she has just finished a meeting with the board to discuss the possibility of suing the Smiths for the five million dollar pledge. Although she is uncomfortable with several aspects of the legal route, she knows the museum may face bankruptcy without the pledge. She must decide if the MCA should try to pursue negotiations with the Smiths or legal action. It is a big decision to make and the boards’ next meeting is in five days. Who is in Charge? Let’s consider the leadership crisis that got them in the situation to start with. First of all, Keith Schmidt as the executive director should be able to answer the board chairman’s questions in a clear and logical manner and should not expect an â€Å"unsigned check† regardless of how he was treated elsewhere. Beyond that, Peter Smith as the board chairman is clearly micromanaging the director and as a result, both men have let the business relationship become personal. If you insist on micro-managing, you have a problem; if you believe you must check on every detail, your style is symptomatic of insecurity or paranoia. Your style is based on a lack of faith and trust in other people. And, it is repressive. It leads to little growth, it discourages any human resource development, and it focuses on problems of detail, and discourages teamwork. If you don’t trust your manager or his judgment, and you are unwilling to allow him to assume any responsibility, you are cheating yourself of the talent you are paying for. As much as you may want to, you can’t build a one-person organization that will succeed in the long run. Micro-managing may work for a while, but in time, it acts as a brake on all progress. In this case, it is stifling the expansion and growth of the MCA. Mr. Smith doesn’t realize that he is working against himself by discouraging new ideas, new art exhibits, new talent and the push to move forward has been imprisoned in the mind of one person. The two men are experiencing a competitive conflict based on different viewpoints or perspectives. I think that they have the same goals; they just disagree on how to go about obtaining them. Also, this organization is experiencing growing pains with the hiring of the director. Consequently, the roles and expectations of the organization’s members should be clarified. This one area of conflict can be the trickiest because when you are in charge, often perspectives different from your own are misunderstood or pushed aside. Managers and leaders must remember that at least some of their employees will likely have different perspectives. In fact, often different perspectives are where creative solutions are developed. There are ways to structurally reduce conflict in an organization. The ost common and effective way is to provide people with a clear definition and understanding of their role, function, and responsibilities in the workplace. This will provide them with a good understanding of the job and tasks they are to perform as an individual and within any teams they are a part of. It also provides information on where they fit within the organization and who they report to, helping to avoid disputes and misunderstandings over authority. Failing to define workplace roles and responsibilities can create tension, miscommunication and inefficiency within your business (Bulleit, 2006). People may be unsure as to what jobs are their own and who they are required to report to. Mistakes and omissions can also occur where people are unsure of what is required of them, therefore creating inefficiencies which cost time and money. If Peter Smith and Keith Schmidt understood this at the beginning of their relationship, much of the dispute would have been avoided. Once you have defined each person’s roles and responsibilities, you can record this in a â€Å"job description†. This can be as formal or informal as you prefer, however it is important to record the key information. Job descriptions provide the opportunity to clearly communicate each individual’s roles and responsibilities and also serve as a way to measure performance. With the role of each individual in the organization defined, you can also create an organization chart. This chart is a tool that helps to define the inter-relationships between the board, the director and staff. It defines reporting structures and lines of authority and responsibility, providing a picture of how the organization functions. It can be very helpful when creating a new position in an organization to have people write their own job description. This gives you insight in how that person views his responsibilities and creates buy-in on their part. People like to be part of decisions that affect their life as opposed to being told what to do. In this situation, the board of directors and its members should define their roles as well as the executive director and the staff since they are all very different. At MCA the roles are different since it is a not-for-profit organization and there are no shareholders to report to. The role of the chairman is to provide vision and outline the goals of the MCA. The role of the director is to develop a plan of how to achieve those goals and the role of the staff is to execute or put the plan in to action. I’m not sure how large the staff is at MCA, but the structural organization should extend beyond Mr. Schmidt. When defining roles and responsibilities in the workplace, you may need to create a list of all of your staff and a list of all of the tasks and roles within your business. You can then assign the roles to each staff member. It is important to remain flexible and be prepared to modify your plan in consultation with your employees. Peter Smith acted poorly when his advice was not followed by the board. It is his inability to â€Å"pass the torch† thinking that only he can win the race to success and that is largely what caused the whole situation. He is willing to â€Å"take his toys and go home† if he doesn’t get it his way. When Peter Smith’s advice was not followed by the board and he resigned he should have either withdrawn his pledge so the MCA could plan accordingly or honored his commitment. The Decision. Peggy Fischer as the current board chairman has some hard decisions. She needs to consider any alternative approaches to collect the unfulfilled pledge as opposed to a direct approach of just calling and demanding the money. She should also consider what alternatives the Smiths may have. For any successful negotiation, there is a significant amount of homework involved. The legal option may not work out since it is largely untested as pointed out by legal counsel. If that doesn’t work, the MCA will be in even deeper financial trouble with no options left with the Smiths. Ms. Fisher should first clearly identify the goal. I think that the goal should be to establish a positive relationship with the Smiths that will secure the five million dollar contribution soon and create a positive relationship that has future benefits. In addition to this goal, a Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) needs to be established. BATNAs are critical to negotiation because you cannot make a wise decision about whether to accept a negotiated agreement unless you know what your alternatives are. Your BATNA is the only standard which can protect you both from accepting terms that are too unfavorable and from rejecting terms it would be in your interest to accept. For example, the Smiths may agree to assist in finding another source of money to make up the pledge. This is not what is expected, but it may be enough to meet the financial needs of the museum. There may be several options to consider in an agreement that would accomplish the goal without strictly adhering to only two possible outcomes. Get the five million now or sue. In the simplest terms, if the proposed agreement is better than your BATNA, then you should accept it. If the agreement is not better than your BATNA, then you should reopen negotiations. (Fisher & Ury 1991). Along with establishing the negotiation desired outcome or goal and the BATNA, you need to determine the bottom line. A bottom line signifies the worst possible outcome that a negotiator might accept. Maybe it would be acceptable to obtain half of the pledged money with the idea that MCA could come up with the rest elsewhere. The bottom line is meant to act as the final barrier where a negotiation will not proceed further. It is a means to defend oneself against the pressure and temptation that is often exerted on a negotiator to conclude an agreement that is self defeating (Lewicki, Saunders & Barry, 2009). Then the next step in this situation requires her to select a negotiation strategy based on the type of relationship MCA wishes to achieve with the Smiths if any. If the importance of the relationship is high and the importance of the outcome is high, then a collaborative style of negotiation is in order. Do they want to re-establish a long term relationship? If not, then a more competitive strategy is more suitable. In this situation the board members seem to be split on their strategy. Some of the board members have made it clear that they have reservations about using the legal course, or competitive strategy, and at least one supports the chief counsels’ recommendations. If the MCA determines that they do not expect to deal with the Smiths ever again and they do not need their goodwill in the long term, then it may be appropriate to â€Å"play hardball†, seeking to win the negotiation while the other person loses out. Similarly, since there is a great deal at stake in the negotiation, it may be appropriate to prepare in detail and legitimate â€Å"gamesmanship† to gain advantage. Anyone who has been involved with large sales negotiations will be familiar with this. Neither of these approaches is usually much good for resolving disputes with people with whom you have an ongoing relationship: If the MCA plays hardball, then this disadvantages the Smiths and may, quite fairly, lead to reprisal later. Similarly, using tricks and manipulation during a negotiation can undermine trust and damage teamwork. Attempting to manipulate the Smiths in a negotiation may backfire. Here, honesty and openness is the best policy. So let’s consider the basic strategies available. The avoiding strategy is obviously not going to work since there is no clear way to obtain the funds elsewhere. The competitive strategy in this situation is comprised of the legal option that is recommended by the chief counsel and supported by at least one board member. The accommodating strategy would also require that MCA finds another source of funding since they are facing a short term crisis. A collaborative strategy is ideal but is difficult given the short time frame. The best alternative method to seek the cooperation of the Smiths and to collect the unfulfilled pledge is to use any existing relationships among the board member’s. If this is not apparent, she may consider hiring a consultant even if it is only for mapping out a strategy. It may be well worth the money because some research needs to be done to determine the network of contacts which exist around the Smiths. I think that involving a third party at least initially is a good idea to break the ice. In order to collect the five million dollar pledge, the MCA clearly needs the help of influential people to ‘open doors’, make reintroductions and even to ‘make the ask’ when appropriate. Someone is needed who will focus on reinforcing collaborations and partnerships and build on those strengths. Now is the time to put the right people in the right position to both grieve the loss of the Smiths relationship and honor their contributions. Since the Smiths were very involved in the community, the involvement of influential people from outside the museum that may be best to use in a networking and personal approach. The negotiator must be able to avoid focusing on the past and skilled at guiding the discussion to a positive view of the future. Pointing fingers or histrionics are clearly inappropriate because they undermine the rational basis of the negotiation and because they bring a manipulative aspect to them (Phillips, 2011). The smiths need to be convinced that the MCA is important to them and the best person to do this is someone that they trust. Not lost in this situation is the fact that the Smiths are facing a significant life changing event; it may cause them to re-evaluate their relationship with MCA. If the Smiths are approached in a positive manner, they may choose to reclaim the part of their life that they invested so much time and money in as a legacy to Peter. Leaving bequests to museums has a long history. The board should be involved in further discussions leading to a decision about whether or not to file a lawsuit and to this end, Peggy Fisher has some negotiations of her own to accomplish with the board members. The style of the negotiation is important because emotions are high due to the critical situation. Keep in mind that for a negotiation to be ‘win-win’, both parties should feel positive about the negotiation once it’s over. There are those on the board who want to sue and those who are in opposition and this has potential to evolve in to a destructive division. Peggy has to unify the board in a way that will maintain good working relationships afterwards and also govern the style of the negotiation. Emotion can be an important subject of discussion because people’s emotional needs must fairly be met. Usually, emotion is best left out of negotiations but Peter Smiths terminal cancer should not be ignored. If emotion is not discussed where it needs to be, then the agreement reached will be unsatisfactory and temporary. I don’t think the museum should sue the Smiths as a first approach to this situation primarily because the relationship between a foundation and its donors is precious. Suing the people paying the bills is not good public relations and this will definitely generate a lot of attention in the community. Even if MCA wins the lawsuit there is still the big question of how to collect. Will they have to hire a collection agency? Is there one that will even take the job? If for some reason the Smiths don’t have the money it is going to be very difficult to collect. Before going any further with this as the debt collection strategy, the MCA needs to look at this from a clear perspective. Have they given the debtor enough time and notice to repay the debt that they owe? It is crucial that they attempt to contact the debtor directly before starting any legal procedures and suing for money owed. When the Smiths missed their payments, did anyone attempt to collect? This may be an issue in court. It is important to find out exactly why the Smiths have not paid because there could be some fairly legitimate reasons for the shortfall. The legal process may not produce results in the timely manner needed in this situation because it may lead to mediation anyway. Mediation is another debt collection strategy that uses mediators instead of going to court so you are back to a negotiating strategy. A mediator is a professional, hired in order to settle a dispute outside of court. They may make it easier for an agreement to be reached, however this must be reached voluntarily between the two parties (Bailey, 2010). There is a better way for the MCA to attempt the collection of the money pledged by the Smiths however, I think that the sue option is a good BATNA and should be used in this manner as part of a well planned negotiation. Having a good BATNA increases your negotiating power and the trick in this situation is determining when to make that option known to the Smiths in order to strengthen your negotiating power. The negotiation should be well thought out and executed properly. Care should be taken that the BATNA is not seen by negotiators as a safety net, but rather as a point of leverage in negotiations and again, determining when to bring it in the negotiations is a key part that a skilled negotiator must determine. In conclusion, the leadership dispute between Peter Smith and Keith Schmidt and the resulting parting of ways on supposedly bad terms should be put to rest. A renewed focus on the future for the Smiths and the MCA needs to be forged through skilled negotiations that will benefit everyone in the very different situation that both parties now face. The legal route should not be the first course of action for the MCA. The board should first try to implement a well planned negotiation strategy to include the legal option as the BATNA. Peggy Fischer has some negotiation work of her own to accomplish with the board members in order to unify everyone and focus all their resources and efforts in accomplishing a collaborative, long term relationship with the Smiths that will benefit everyone.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Why was the recovery of the Weimar Republic from 1924 to 1929 not actually a great success?

There were many ways in which there were problems and the recovery was not really all it seemed to be, historian R. Bessel put it nicely, saying that à ¢Weimarà ¢s à ¢golden yearsà ¢ rested on shaky foundationsà ¢. Firstly, although there were economic advances there were still problems. There was more inequality in society and some groups benefited a lot more than others. Big businesses and landowners gained a lot during this time but peasant farmers, who started overproducing, and some sections of the middle class, e.g. small shop keepers, lost out. Moreover, unemployment rose from 4% in 1923 to 8.2% in 1929. This left some people feeling that the government was not doing enough for them. On the other hand, some employers said that welfare benefits for the poor should be cut as taxes were too high. Another big underlying problem with this economic recovery was that it was largely as a result of the Dawes Plan i.e. a loan from America. This over-reliance on foreign aid is very dangerous and risky because if something suddenly goes wrong and America called in its loans it could have disastrous effects on Germany. The politics of Germany was still not in a great state either. In this period the chancellor changed 4 times and no single party ever got a majority. This caused an unstable government and one that could not make quick decisive decisions as each party had its own view. The parties only managed to stay in coalition because of the actions of their leaders. In fact, Gustav Stolper a DDP Reichstag member said that à ¢There are no government parties, only opposition parties.à ¢ Another political problem was that a considerable amount of votes were still going to parties who were opposed to the Republic such as the Communist party, DNVP (German National Peopleà ¢s Party) and the Nazià ¢s e.g. in 1928, 23% of the MPs elected were from either the Communists of Nazis. In this period the Nazis also managed to set themselves up as a respectable party and Hitler was still working hard to gain support. Stresemannà ¢s foreign policy and his attempts to form friendlier relations made some Germans, especially the Nationalists, see him as weak because he was not standing up for Germanyà ¢s rights while

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Comparative and Superlatives for Beginners

Comparative and Superlatives for Beginners The comparative and superlative forms in English compare and contrast different objects in English.   Basketball is more exciting than golf.That house is bigger than mine. Our friends have the nicest dog in the town.She is the happiest person I know. Comparative Form   Use the comparative form to show the difference between two objects. Examples: New York is more exciting than Seattle.His car is faster than Dougs.Mary is happier than Anna.   1 syllable adjective + -er She is faster than Mary. 2 + syllables more + adjective Jack is more handsome than Jerry. 2 syllables ending in -y drop -y from adjective +-ier That joke was funnier than mine. Comparative Form Comparative Form Explained One Syllable Adjectives Add -er to end of the adjective (Note: double the final consonant if preceded by a vowel) remove the y from the adjective and add ier Examples:  Ã‚  slow - slower / high - higher This book is cheaper than that book.Tom is smarter than Derrick.   Two Syllable Adjectives Ending in -y Drop -y and add -ier to two syllable adjectives ending in -y. Note adjectives ending in -y that are three syllables or more take more rather than -ier.   Example:  happy - happier / funny - funnier I am happier than you.That joke was funnier than his joke. Two, Three or More Syllable Adjectives place more before the adjective Examples:  interesting - more interesting / difficult - more difficult London is more expensive than Madrid.This test is more difficult than the last test. Here is another chart showing how to construct the  comparative form  in English.   Superlative Form Use the superlative form when speaking about three or more objects to show which object is the most of something. Examples: New York is the most exciting city in the USA.Peter is the luckiest guy in the world.Thats the cleanest bathroom Ive ever seen! 1 syllable the + adjective + add -est That's the tallest building in New York. 2+ syllables the most + adjective Alice is the most interesting woman I've ever met. 2 syllables ending in -y drop -y from adjective +-iest Peter is the funniest guy in my class. Superlative Form Superlative Form Explained One Syllable Adjectives Place the before the adjective and add -est to end of the adjective (Note: double the final consonant if preceded by a vowel) Example: cheap - the cheapest / hot - the hottest / high - the highest Today is the hottest day of the summer.This book is the cheapest I can find. Two, Three or More Syllable Adjectives Place the most before the adjective Example: interesting - the most interesting / difficult - the most difficult London is the most expensive city in England.That is the most beautiful painting here. Two Syllable Adjectives Ending in -y place the before the adjective and remove the y from the adjective and add iest Example: happy - the happiest / funny - the funniest New York is the noisiest city in the USA.He is the most important person I know. Here is a chart showing how to construct the  superlative form  in English: Important Exceptions There are some important exceptions to these rules! Here are two of the most important exceptions: good good - adjectivebetter - comparativethe best - superlative This book is better than that one.This is the best school in the city. bad bad - adjectiveworse - comparativethe worst - superlative His French is worse than mine.This is the worst day of my life. Teachers can use this comparative and superlative lesson plan to teach these forms to learners. Start from the basics.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

A Writers Bookshelf

A Writers Bookshelf A Writers Bookshelf A Writers Bookshelf By Sharon No-one knows it all, and as a writer I use several sources of research for my articles and ebooks. Aside from the resources I use to research particular topics, there are also several essential books I need related to the craft of writing. Here are the books on my bookshelf which I couldnt do without. Dictionary My top pick for this is the Collins English Dictionary. Its an easy to read, clear format. I used to use the Oxford English Dictionary. I switched to the Collins because I was already using their French and Spanish dictionaries, so when it was time to update, it seemed a good idea to complete the set. Another good option (especially if youre American) is the Merriam Webster Dictionary. I sometimes use the online version of MW if I need to check something when Im not at my desk. Thesaurus Many people rave about Rogets Thesaurus. I find that hard to use, so my favorite is the Merriam-Webster thesaurus. Thats because it is easy to find the words for which I want to find synonyms. Again, MW online is a good option when on the move. Usage Every now and then you need to use a word, punctuation mark or expression, and youre not quite sure how to use it correctly. When this happens, I have two main sources. Ive been using the Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors since I started in journalism, and its never let me down. For a more fun approach to usage, theres also a more recent book by R L Trask called Mind The Gaffe. Published by Penguin, its a guide to some common errors in English. Finally, although I dont use it every day, I also keep a copy of the Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology handy. Its always useful to be able to find the origin of a word or expression. Just call me a word nerd. 🙂 Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Book Reviews category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About NumbersFlier vs. FlyerComment, Suggestion, and Feedback

Sunday, November 3, 2019

National health indicators Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

National health indicators - Essay Example Health indicators for United States Birth rate-14 per 1000 population Fertility rate- 68.6 births per 1000 women aged 15-44 years Percent born low birthweight-8.2% Life expectancy-77.9 Obese population aged 20 years and above – 34% (Source: World Health Organization, 2007) Health indicators for India Population 60 years and above – 7.8% (in 2001) Crude birth rate (per 1000 population) – 23.8 (in 2005) Crude death rate (per 1000 population) – 7.6 (in 2005) Population with access to improved sanitation – 52% (in 2001) Physician per 1000 population – 7 (in 2005) (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010) Health indicators for Bangladesh Population 60 years and above - 7% (in 2004) Crude birth rate (per 1000 population) – 20.9 (in 2003) Crude death rate (per 1000 population) – 5.9 (in 2003) Population with access to improved sanitation – 59% (in 2004) Physician per 1000 population – 3 (in 2005) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010) From the above data, it is evident that United States maintains a satisfactory health condition. The US’ life expectancy is 77.9 and it reflects the nation’s improvement in health sector. Similarly, the country keeps a well low birthweight rate (8.2%), which represents the changing face of United States’ health care sector.