An Analysis Of Performance Management Strategies Business Essay

An Analysis Of Performance Management Strategies Business Essay Performance management (PM) includes activities to ensure that goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient manner. Performance management can focus on the performance of an organization, a department, employee, or even the processes to build a product or service, as well as many other areas. In both definitions it is clear that performance management is process of continuously measuring performance of each individual in organization to achieve set goals. To check that organization is performing in right way, we use performance management strategy or system to measure performance of specific department or employees or to measure performance of whole organization. Performance management talks about important and broader issues of organization. It gives procedures to organizations to achieve their goals. Performance management links all people, teams and individuals associated with business. Performance management should include: Performance management throughout the organization for individual, team and increased productivity of organization. Development is also very important for improved performance. Unless there is no development plan for employees in organization there will be no performance improvement. Organizations should ensure that employees are encouraged and motivated to fulfill their responsibility. How It Works? As performance management is very key part of organization to make organization work effectively. So this strategy should be structured properly. There should be a performance management framework to operate it effectively and efficiently in organization. Tools of Performance Management Performance Reviews To measure performance management there should be regular reviews of individuals performance. There should be performance review meetings to evaluate performance management. The meetings should be properly managed and planned to measure. Learning and Development Most famous and successful organizations give importance to employee development for increased performance of organization. With the help of performance reviews employees can be encouraged to look for deficiencies in them. And it should be responsibility of organization to provide learning and development schemes. Organizations which have high emphasis on individuals learning have emphasis on performance improvement indirectly. Measurements Organizations which want to measure performance management effectively, there employees or individuals should know that on what criteria or through which procedures their performance is going to be measured. Organizations should measure performance on fairly and honest basis. Pay In many organizations performance management is related with performance related pay. Performance related pay is important tool in many organizations to motivate employees through performance related pay. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT STRATEGY OF DERBY CITY COUNCIL I have taken the performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL as example to evaluate their strategy. I am going to evaluate their performance strategy of 2007-2010. Objective The basic objective of performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL is to manage performance across council and the steps they will use to achieve their goals. They have described everything in their strategy that what they are going to achieve and how they will achieve. Importance of Performance Management As from definitions it is clear that performance management strategy is used to make organization more effective and to engage every employee in development of organization. So DERBY CITY COUNCIL has taken the importance of performance management very seriously as well. Performance management strategy make council to look for current status of their work, monitor for problems and issues arising, how to solve them and plans to implement their strategy. Performance management strategy is important to DERBY CITY COUNCIL for number of reasons. Improving Services Council is always here to improve services for people. So thats why performance management strategy is very important to council as they want to continuously improve services for people. They are focused on achieving right goals according to needs and expectations of local people and community. And their strategy helps them to look out their progress in achieving those goals and to look for any issues occurring in their current plans or not. And according to council their strategy is main key to improve their services continuously for people. Motivating staff For DERBY CITY COUNCIL their performance management strategy is not only to achieve goals like to improve services of people. For council effective management strategy is that which motivate their staff to understand them what is their role in this strategy, how much they are involved in achieving goals set by council for local people and whether their staff is getting fit into framework set by council to achieve their targets. Thats why council has described in their workforce Development Plan the scheme called Achievement and Development to stay connected with staff and promote their learning and to motivate them to fulfill their individual duties to achieve organizational goals. Meeting Government Expectations Performance management strategy is important to council because they want to meet government expectations. As performance assessment which is annual assessment by local authorities to measure performance or achievements of council in last year. So to meet government expectations performance management strategy is important to them. Demonstrating Value for Money Council tax is always concern for local residents, and they want to see that while council is doing or improving services for them or not. So this strategy is important to them to make a clear vision in local community about their value of money and council is continuously working for improvements. Purpose of Strategy For DERBY CITY COUNCIL, purpose of their performance management strategy is to Establish strong planning and performance framework to continuously improve services. To implement performance management system to measure performances of individuals and of organization. To achieve their set goals and targets. To be classified as four star council by meeting government expectations by continuously improving services for people. For DERBY CITY COUNCIL effective performance strategy not only requires good strategy but also organizational culture which supports this strategy by encouraging staff to improve their services. Performance Framework of DERBY CITY COUNCIL Their performance framework includes community strategy, corporate plan, business plans, team plans and individual plans. In framework council used community strategy to set the long term visions and targets for local community. Its a long term strategy to improve services which can be renewable. The Council corporate plan is to support community strategy how they will focus on continuous improvements and key actions to be taken for improvements. Business plans in performance framework are there to describe how each section of council work for improvements. Team plans will demonstrate employees to develop their understanding that how they will individually or in teams contribute for improvements. For council performance framework has to be clear, accurate and timely planned. What Council is Aiming to Achieve? Through their strategy council want to create an environment where every individual knows his/her contribution towards improving services and feel motivated and encouraged to manage their own performance effectively. Council Main Principles Council target is based on five principles which lead towards improvement. Balanced measurements For every process three elements are always important like inputs, outputs and outcomes. According to council as outcomes are always important for end users but they want balanced set of all measures means inputs, outputs and outcomes in their strategy to improve services. Strong Decision Making For council strong decision making is very important to them. As it is their one of main principle that decisions maker should be confident enough in information which he/she is using for decision making. They should use data of good quality to make decisions. The data or information which is used for decision making should be accurate, strong and relevant. Clear The performance information must be clear and should be accessible to all users. Goal Oriented Information should be goal oriented, focusing on key goals and targets to be achieved. Individual role Every individual must know his/her role in managing performance and key actions towards improvements. How Council will achieve his Vision? In this section council will deliver his strategy to achieve their goal. For council there are some sections which should be fulfilled to make their strategy successful. Role of Leader in Culture of Performance Management A performance management culture is climate or environment in which organization is working. Through performance management culture every employee and individual knows the values and vision of organization and their own roles to achieve those goals for organization. It encourages and motivates individuals to act in their role properly and perform their duties. As it is important for everyone to manage performance culture, but it should be lead by effective leader who has strong leadership skills. Like in performance framework of DERBY CITY COUNCIL there should be effective leader to lead corporate or business plans. Strong and confident leaders know what kind of performance is required and have ability to clearly communicate every individuals role towards improvement. They make clear to everyone that these areas are to be focused or improve and whose role is required or important in this issue. Advantages: Managers or leaders set clear goals and expectations across all employees which are continuously monitored. With performance measures there are continuous appraisals. DERBY CITY COUNCIL has culture where excellent performance is praised and shared across council. Clear Roles and Responsibilities To make their strategy effective council has described every individuals roles and responsibilities in their performance management strategy. Some roles are described below: Corporate Directors: Take operational responsibility of key actions to be done by council. They continuously review performances. They made actions required regarding data quality for decision making. They ensure that performance is under consideration in department. Performance Board: This board monitors that performance management strategy is implemented properly or not. Heads of Service They identify opportunities for improvement in strategy or performance management system. They monitor underperformance and their responsibility is to take necessary actions when required. Cabinet Their responsibility is to deliver council priorities. They review performance every three months and take actions if performance is not managed properly. They have also responsibility of measuring either value for money is achieved or not. Council Their role is to provide clear vision and to make corporate plan accordingly. They approve all budgets. They ensure every achievement. Audits and Accounts Their role is to maintain the internal environment controlled and managed. All Staff Know what their roles and contributions are required by council to achieve goals and improvement in services. They know what is vision of team in which they are working and what are the visions of stakeholders? What are their own personal goals and what they require to improve in themselves? Internal Audit They have to assess overall procedure implemented for producing performance management. They check procedures which are high risk. Advantages Everyone knows what performance framework is and know that improving services for local people is vision of council. Every member plays an important role in monitoring and managing performance management strategy. Continuous and Strong Performance Information System Council performance information is regularly used by group of people, employees, individuals and stakeholders. The Council use performance eye as main tool to analyze, collaborate and reporting performance information to all of them. The system is accessible to all staff so thats why information is clear to all staff. Advantages: Performance eye tool includes all visions of performance management including value for money. Wide use of performance eye tool by all members, employees and stakeholders. While developing performance eye data quality is taken seriously. Local people get informed about council performance and progress in achieving their goals. Continuous Assessment of Performance Measurement of performance honestly and actively is very important part of performance culture. Council has taken this point in consideration as well to take effective actions against underperformance, ensuring right actions to be done to bring performance back to action. Council considers their employees to be best source for their success and their development is necessary for councils future. It is very important to agreeing objectives with employees, giving them appraisals on their achievements and addressing their development needs in right and set path. Outcomes: Council continuously manages poor performers and rewards good performers and work for their development. Learning and Development Learning forms the basis of development of performance managed culture of organization. Here learning is about collecting information about what plans has worked and what has not worked. Organizational performance board is there to improve learning and to view which actions are necessary. Training and development is always important for exploring knowledge of every individual in every organization and at all levels. With performance management strategy a separate training plan is implemented as well in relation with performance for support and development of individuals. Outcomes: Sharing of knowledge and learning between all departments of council and other stakeholders. With help of different plan, more structured learning with performance management strategy. Main Steps in Delivering our Strategy Council has delivered their performance management strategy in the form of short term, medium term and long term goals. Short term Goals Short term goals are those goals which are to be achieved in 1 year or shorter period of time. Improved areas of underperformance through strict and strong action planning and benchmarking. Council does benchmarking to compare his results with successful results achieved by other same type of organizations. To look at their planning and way to achieve targets. Training of performance tools to all staff to improve performance managed culture. It is short term goal of council to train all staff to how to use performance tool to stable the culture of organization. Council wants to achieve this goal in short period of time to improve performance for community. Communication of performance information with local community. Council wants to achieve this target in of communicating its progress to local community, and to tell them how they are progressing, how they are working , how they are converting resources into improvement for community. So there should be clear and transparent communication with local community. Celebrating the achievements. Council wants to celebrate and wants to tell to local community that they are achieving their goals and proved increased performance. Medium Term Goals Medium term goals are goals which are to be achieved in period of 1 to 2 years. Review of performance eye It is target of council to review performance eye tool according to council and future needs. After review, if council requires further changings, needed to be done effectively. Improvements in Learning and Development Learning and development scheme should be reviewed half yearly or yearly to manage performance effectively. If performance management is not working effectively it can be due to no learning and development as well. So its council target to review their learning and development plan continuously. Long Term Goals Long term goals are those goals for council which they want to achieve in period of three years. Change to Performance Management System Implement changes to performance management system to work it more effectively and issues which has affected the performance management of organization. Changes to Individual Performance Council wants to implement changes to every individual performance to make them more effective for organization. It is a long term goal for council to check individual performance management to check who needs learning and development. Conclusion Performance management strategy is used to measure performance of individual, team and or organization as a whole as well. With the help of this strategy organizations measure how effectively their employees as individual working and how much efficient is organization working. With the help of performance management strategy Everyone came to know that how much they are contributing towards organizational goals and targets. Everyone ensures that what is organization expecting from them and they has skills and support to achieve this or not. Effective communication increases in organizations between all employees. Managers encourages individuals to do best they can and opportunities of learning and development. Performance management strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL has describes some main principles which are important for them in their strategy. They have given importance to: Being clear and transparent to your staff about what is performance. Understanding to employees how they can improve performance management culture. Every individual should be focused on his own contributions needed by organization. Decision maker should be confident and strong enough in decision making. Decision maker should have good quality of data. Recommendations As I have evaluated strategy of DERBY CITY COUNCIL. They have given every information about how they will implement their strategy and what are important key roles to them for effective strategy. One thing which seems wrong to me in their long term plan is about changing of individual performance in long term plans. In my point of view, individual performance should be monitored continuously and sudden plans should be implemented to change in their individuals performance. If they need some improvement learning and development plan should be applied effectively.

Effects Of Globalisation And Terrorism On Human Rights Politics Essay

Effects Of Globalisation And Terrorism On Human Rights Politics Essay Looking at the above topic one will say it is a straightforward question, but there is more to it than one may think. In this easy we will start by finding out what the two main key words are: Which are globalization and terrorism? Also, try to find out what each means. Globalization is the process in which government of different nations interact and integrate with each other, on the other we can say globalization is internationalization, liberalization, universalization and the westernization since it has been of far and has spreads so far and attracted so much attention. It is also classify as the growth of relations between people, from financial and investment market, which operate internationally, and within one network. However, globalization is usually recognized as being driven by a combination of economic, technological, sociocultural, political, and biological factors.  The term can also refer to the transnational circulation of ideas, languages, or  popular culture  through  acculturation (Nicholson 2nd Edition 2002). However the word terrorism is politically and emotionally charged and of difficulty of providing a precise definition, studies have found 1000 of definitions for terrorism and yet the concept cannot be agree on the right term with how terrorism can be define, since terrorism itself is very controversial and it is very important because, terrorism is an incredibly complex phenomenon due to the act of violence. Which when confronts government and international community with extremely painful dilemmas and notoriously difficult policy decisions have to be made (Wilkinson 2006). Terrorism can be briefly defined as a systematic use of murder, injury, and destruction or threat, to create a climate of terror. They often sought to avoid the indiscriminate terror against innocent civilian either on moral grounds or because they feared losing public support for their cause (Wilkinson 1993). In view of which is biggest threat to human right we cannot just conclude that terrorism or globalization is within trying to find out the impact of both. We shall consider the effect of globalization and it implication and the spread of it causes, as we stated that globalization is the internationalization, liberalization, universalization and the westernization as well as the growth of relation between people (Kofman and Youngs 2008). The spread of technological advances and dynamic entrepreneurship are the driving forces behind globalization, which has brought in it threat to human right. For their part, according to Marxist who regards capitalism as the engine of globalization and while other clam it have the primary cause in the knowledge structures and cultural politics (Scholte 2000). A further account of globalization as a threat to human right would combine elements from different approaches, resulting in multifaceted explanation which may prefer a more concise formula where the dynamic force of globalization are reduce to a single driving force. In other cases of globalization where other historical trend has be a major player; social relations involve complex interconnections that cannot be reduce since this has given terrorist the freedom to information and technology to help improve their network. The argument about the threat of globalization to human right can be elaborated as, The spread of rationalism as a dominant knowledge framework, certain turns in capitalist development, technological innovations in communications and data processing; and the construction of enabling regulatory framework which has contributed in differently in 40,30,20,and 7 percentages respectively and other factors take 3 per cent are the cause of globalization (Scholte 2000 pp 90). Globalization has occurred in part because of certain powerful patterns of social consciousness which has affected the human right race; nevertheless, globalization could not have occurred in the absence of the extensive innovations development in respect of transport, communications and data processing. However we cannot leave out industrialization which in general has figured more centrally in the transformation in the environmental problems, as other suggested the technological change has been the most prominent courses of globalization. To start with the normative of globalization that affect human right and in what ways and to what extent has contemporary globalization increased or decreased in relations to human safety and confidence. Absolute security is of course no longer available due to the inflation of technological advancement created by globalization no social order can remove all the uncertainty, destruction and death. In contrast, of contemporary globalization, which has been associated with the inflow of information, communication and data connectivity has made globalization being threat to human right and lack of freedom of moving without any fear (Scholte 2000). We will now look at another key word in the topic being discuss Terrorism in relations of being threat of human right, as defined earlier, the word Terrorism and Globalization share at least one thing in common which is the complexity of their definitions. However, terrorism can be characterized, first, by the use of violence. That violences are in many forms and more often and indiscriminately targets non-combatants, who are civilians with right to life. Reaching a consensus on what constitute the act of terrorism is very difficult; the legitimacy of terrorist means and methods is foremost reason for disagreement, some are of the view that terrorist acts are legitimate only if they in accordance of the just war tradition. Terrorism, however is one of the biggest threat to human right since it action are more often not supported and luck of objectives because their goals for change are based on radical ideas that do not have any widespread appeal. In order for terrorist group to influence change, terrorist must provoke drastic responses that acts of violence which will intend act as a catalyst for change and weaken their opponents, one example of these is the bombing in Madrid, Spain 2004, its influence on the outcome of the elections (Baylis , Smith , Owens 2008). The extent of social, culture, and political change brought about by globalization including the increasing interconnectedness and homogeneity in the international system, remain a subject of much disagreement and debate such that the disagreement, in true has influence the discussion of the extent to which level globalization has contributed to the rise of modern terrorism. However, there is little doubt that the technology growth has been associated with globalization and to this extent has improved the effectiveness of terrorist groups. The impact of terrorism on globalization and on human right has been very high and the AI Qaeda or The Base, received global recognition as a result of the attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. In closer look at the effect of the terrorist action of September 11, 2001 was brought about by the spread of globalization and it association with society becoming increasingly interconnected and terrorist have find it as a mains. We cannot say terrorism is a threat to human right without talking about the major areas where terrorist have operated more often, back to the example of 9/11 the main attack was from the Aviation industries and the reason why we should look at aviation security as an increased factor of globalization which is opening grounds for terrorist to operate from. On the other hand, one will say it is needed for development and growth of nations. There are lessons to be learnt from any form of airline hijacker (terrorist) since it is one of the biggest threats to lives and human right in general (Wilkinson 1993). The technological advances associated with globalization have improved the capabilities of terrorist group to plan and coordinate their operations before any information is link out. In particular technology have improved to the extent that terrorist now have the internet to use as a main to empower individual and cell with the ability to post tracts on the world wide web. Another form of empowerment for terrorist group brought about by globalization is the volume, range and sophistication of propaganda materials. Nowadays terrorist have the ability to build it own website like Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement. Once again technology associated with globalization can now enabled terrorist group to coordinate their attack in different part of the world at the same time, the attack on US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Globalization and its technological advancement has also seen the commercially availability of radios and handheld phones, which allowed terrorist cell to operate independently at a substantial distance. Terrorist groups have able to leverage technological development designed to shield identity from unauthorized commercial or private exploitation (Baylis, Smith, Owens 2008). Globalization has undoubtedly pose threat to human right but the threat of terrorism on human right can be counted as more, one can also argued that globalization has come with a lot of technological changes but as to if these changes were of any threat to human right is to be a question of the day, however terrorism could be classify as the biggest threat to human right. In the sense that whenever there is an act of terrorism or when terrorist attack it replication are massive and outrageous living the affected family with so much worries, so is the displacement of people and the fear and panic among other who were not directly affected. These are just the few ways terrorism poses a threat on human right.

Ruth Benedict’s Ethnography of Pueblo Culture, Patterns of Culture, and

Response Piece – Silko & Benedict As noted in the response by Janet Tallman, there are three main themes concerning Ruth Benedict’s ethnography of Pueblo culture, Patterns of Culture, and Leslie Marmon Silko’s novel Ceremony. Both detail the importance of matrilineage, harmony and balance versus change, and ceremonies to the Pueblo Indians. It is important to note that Silko gives the reader a first-hand perspective of this lifestyle (she was raised in the Laguna Pueblo Reservation), while Benedict’s book is written from a third-person point of view. Because of this, it was fairly easy to see how much of the actual culture was overlooked or misinterpreted in Benedict’s work. While the above-mentioned themes about Pueblo Indians were indeed mentioned in her book, Ceremony allows the reader comes away with a better understanding of why they lived as they lived, and how their lifestyle choices impacted every decision they made. As in my first assignment, my interpretation of the books was tha t Silko’s was from a much more personal perspective; a luxury provided because her book is to be enjoyed as a fictional novel instead of an academic text. Set against the backdrop of post-WWII reservation life, the struggles of the Laguna Pueblo culture to maintain its identity while adjusting to the realities of modern day life are even more pronounced in Ceremony. Silko uses a wide range of characters in order to give a voice to as many representatives of her tribe as possible. The main character, Tayo, is the person with whom the reader is more than likely to relate. The story opens with him reliving various phases of his life in flashbacks, and through them, the reader shares his inability to discern reality from delusion, past from present and right from wrong. His days are clouded by his post-war sickness, guilt for being the one to survive while his cousin Rocky is slain, and his inability to cope neither with life on the reservation or in the outside world. He is one of several representations of the beginnings of the Laguna Pueblo youth interacting with modern American culture. Tayo’s aunt (Auntie) is the personification of the Pueblo culture’s staunch opposition to change. She is bound to her life and the people around her; more so because of the various â€Å"disgraces† brought upon her family by her nephew Tayo being a â€Å"half-breed†, her brother Josiah’s love af... ...of looking within themselves for the causes of their misery, they chose to blame the white man for their misfortunes. At the same time, they were causing pain and suffering unto themselves by punishing those who were deemed too different (Emo trying to kill Tayo and settling on Harley) and shunning any changes to life as they knew it. By the end of the novel, Tayo represents the potentially new world for Pueblo culture. As Betonie said, elements in the world began to shift and it became necessary to create new rituals in order to keep the ceremonies strong. This represents a very modern view on Pueblo life (Silko’s) of the price tribe people must pay in order to survive in this world. As shown by Tayo’s final change, Silko sees it as necessary to maintain the essential parts of Pueblo culture in order to maintain the web that connects all its people together; but one must also learn to adapt and accept the new world created around him or her in order to survive. â€Å"Don’t let them stop you,† Betonie said in page 152, â€Å"Don’t let them finish off with this world.† Stagnation is just as damaging as overwhelming change. Leslie Marmon Silko - Ceremony Ruth Benedict - Patterns of Culture

Essay example --

Reasons Why Diamond Bangle Bracelets Should Be Included In Your Weeding Day Shopping List The wedding is the most important and exciting day in the life of a person. It is a day which signifies not just the relationship of the bride and groom, but also their immediate families, friends and society. This is the reason why all brides are generally excited about their bridal jewelry be it earring, ring, necklace or sparkling bracelet. Which bracelet should you choose for your wedding day? There are very many options available in the market but diamond bangle bracelets for women remain the best choice for most people. These bridal bracelets add elegance to the bride’s wrist. They are stylish and beautiful, and they will not just add sparkle to the wedding but will also make statement about your style. You can get diamond bangle bracelets for women in various designs ranging from subtle and striking to bold or dainty. For very long time, diamond has been popular choice wedding bangle bracelets because it symbolizes everlasting love. Bangle bracelets made of diamond will add touch of elegance to your wedding gown, as well as sophistication top your entire wedding attire. Many women love rings and bracelets that match the color of the wedding gown, and thus diamond bangle bracelets have gained popularity all over the world. In most weddings you will find that the bride has adorned her wrist with dazzling, beautiful diamond bracelet. In terms of look, bangle bracelets made of diamond are gorgeous and thus they will add sparkle to the eyes of all those who attend your wedding. All brides, regardless of their age love diamond bangle bracelets If you are a bride, you can choose your favorite from the various options available such... ... you believe that you are not getting a better deal, walk away and go to another pawn shop. Let the clerks and sales people realize that you are not desperate, and can afford to wait until you get a better deal. Before you take your jewelry to the San Francisco pawn shop, make them as presentable as possible. Clean them to make them as presentable as possible. If you still have the original packaging in which they came, take it with you to the pawn shop. No matter how expensive your piece of jewelry is, you must ensure that you clean it. Never take the jewelry to the pawn shop while it is in bad shape, or dirty. If the jewelry is made of gold, make sure that you also familiarize yourself with the current gold prices. As long as you follow the tips mentioned above, you can go to the local San Francisco pawn shop with a great deal of self-belief, to get best deals.

Ethnic entrepreneurs, ethnic precincts and tourism: The case of Sydney, Australia Essay

Australia, one of the most cosmopolitan of contemporary western societies, has a long history of immigrant entrepreneurship, with many ethnic groups significantly over-represented in entrepreneurial activities, particularly in the small business sector of the Australian economy. Immigrant enterprises, mainly small businesses, generate significant economic growth, employment opportunities and import export activity across a broad range of industries in Australia. The experiences of immigrant entrepreneurs in Australia vary considerably, with diversity in pathways to immigrant entrepreneurship in Australia evident for both male and female immigrant entrepreneurs. This means that `one size will not fit all, pointing to the need for a diverse, complex policy response to immigrant entrepreneurship in Australia today. In Australia, immigrants have a slightly higher rate of entrepreneurship (18.8%) than non immigrants (16.3%). However, some immigrant groups, such as the Koreans, have much higher rates of entrepreneurship compared to non-immigrants and other immigrant groups. In order to understand the dynamics of immigrant entrepreneurship (Waldinger et al., 2010), stressed the importance of understanding the interaction between the group characteristics of immigrant communities and the opportunity structure in their host country when they settled. This in turn helps explain the rates of entrepreneurship and the characteristics of immigrant enterprises. Light and Rosenstein (2009) developed the concept of group characteristics in more detail. Immigrants draw on ethnic resources, they argued, which include ‘ethnic ideologies, industrial paternalism, solidarity, social networks, ethnic institutions and social capital’. Immigrants also have access to class and other resources that they bring to entrepreneurship and to the ‘ethnic economy’ (Light and Gold 2010). Immigrant entrepreneurship continued to be a feature in Australia in the post-1945 period as Australia embarked on a large scale immigration program that delivered nearly 7 million immigrants, with immigrants a greater proportion of the Australian population than most other western nations (OECD 2011). The ethnic diversity of contemporary Australian society is reflected in the Australian small business sector. In Australia, as in other countries, restaurants, food and other retailing are areas of the economy with a strong immigrant presence (Collins and Low 2010). Australia is shaped by the intersection of a number of factors: ethnic resources and networks, class resources, regimes of regulation, inclusion/exclusion, opportunity, gender, radicalization and family. Collins and Low (2010) argued that while the international research rightly stressed the extent to which immigrant entrepreneurship is embedded in family relationships with immigrant women playing an important role in their husband’s businesses, it is important to recognize the many immigrant women themselves become entrepreneurs in their own right. One key fact that emerges from the Australian research is the increasing diversity of the paths to immigrant entrepreneurship (Collins 2009). Some immigrants arrive in Australia as successful business migrants with ample start-up capital. Other immigrants arrive with high professional and educational qualifications to enable them to fill labour shortages in the corporate sector, though minority immigrants often reach an ‘accent ceiling’ that constrains their promotion opportunities. Others tread the ‘traditional’ path from low-wage jobs to entrepreneurship. Finally, some immigrants see entrepreneurship as an alternative to unemployment and take advantage of federal government programs to assist the unemployed to establish business enterprise. The Australian research on immigrant entrepreneurship (Collins, 2009) shows that there is increasing diversity in the paths that new immigrants take to entrepreneurship: some were previously unemployed, while others were manual labourers before opening a small business. Some must attain university qualifications that are prerequisites for entering the professions (such as doctors, dentists, accountants and lawyers) and opening a private practice, others leave corporate jobs to become entrepreneurs, while still others, business migrants were already established as entrepreneurs before migrating to Australia. The Australian research also points to a diversity of class background among and between birthplace groups of immigrant entrepreneurs (Collins, 2011) and a great diversity in educational achievement. Australian immigrant enterprises are very diverse, and so policy is required to respond to that diversity. While many immigrant enterprises produce or sell ethnic products such as food, coffee or artifacts, many others do not. Immigrant entrepreneurs are spread across the economy, with businesses in the services sector of the economy, including retail, real estate, finance, media and tourism. Others are professionals such as doctors, dentists and architects who run their own private practices. The Federal Australian Government promotes immigrant entrepreneurship directly though it’s permanent and temporary immigration policy (Collins, 2011). Australia introduced an Entrepreneurial Migration Category in November 1976 to allow immigrant entrepreneurs with detailed business proposals and capital to enter Australia under the permanent migration programme as migrant settlers. Over the years this policy has been fine-tuned in the wake of the identification of anomalies in the programme. Evaluations of this programme suggest that it is largely successful. Today business owners, senior executives and investors can apply for a visa under the Business Skills category. The main problem appears to be in attracting a sufficient number of entrants under this category, with Australia facing strong competition from other Western countries, including Canada. In March 2003 three Business Skills Processing Centres were opened and a two-stage process was introduced, whereby business migrants are granted a Business Skills (Provisional) visa for four years. If they establish a business or maintain their legal investment over the four-year period they become eligible to apply for a Business Skills (Residence) visa, an entrepreneurial pathway to permanent residence in Australia. A direct permanent residence category is still available for high-calibre business migrants sponsored by State and Territory governments, known as the Business Talent visa. In addition to these immigration policy initiatives, a number of Federal Government agencies assist immigrant entrepreneurship, directly or indirectly. One Federal scheme, the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS), was designed to assist cash-poor unemployed people in entering the setting-up phase of a business enterprise, allowing them to take advantage of business training and draw on future unemployment benefits during the period in which the business enterprise is being established. The State governments play a key role in the regulation of enterprises in Australia, including those owned by immigrants. These regulations relate to issues such as health and safety requirements and employment conditions, including wages, impacting on immigrant and non-immigrant entrepreneurs. For example, a decision in the 1980s to permit outdoor dining in the State of New South Wales meant that al fresco eating became possible for the first time. Today many immigrant enterprises are concentrated in the food industry, with ethnic restaurants and cafes, most with outdoor tables, in evidence across metropolitan and regional Australia. Ethnic precincts are key spatial sites though, significantly, not the only sites of the ethnic economy in the city (Collins, 2011). In central or suburban parts of the city, ethnic precincts are essentially clusters of ethnic or immigrant entrepreneurs in areas of the city that are designated as ethnic precincts by place marketers and Government officials. They are characterized by the presence of a substantial number of immigrant or ethnic entrepreneurs who populate the streets of the precinct selling food, goods or services to co-ethnics and non-co ethnics alike. Ethnic precincts come in a number of forms. Often they tend to be associated with one ethnic group, as evinced by districts. Each of these ethnic precincts has been developed with the financial and marketing support of local government. Ethnic festivals become key moments in promoting the precinct to a broader clientele, including tourists. Promotion of ethnic festivals is a key element of any strategy to promote immigrant entrepreneurship. Policies designed to develop and promote ethnic precincts (Collins and Kunz, eds,2010), the ethnic economy and urban ethnic tourism(Rath, ed, 2010) will, in turn, help the immigrant entrepreneurs whose small businesses are located in clusters in particular. The important growth in female immigrant entrepreneurship in Australia, like other countries, also suggests a need for policies to be sensitive to matters related to intersection of ethnicity and gender. This area requires further research in Australia. Moreover, minorities face barriers in respect to language difficulties and racism and prejudice, issues that do not confront non-immigrant entrepreneurs. References Collins, J and Low. A. (2010)â€Å"Asian female immigrant entrepreneurs in Small and Mediumsized Businesses in Australia†, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, Volume 22 Issue 1, January 2010, pp 97-111. Collins, J. (2009), â€Å"Ethnic Diversity Down Under: Ethnic Precincts in Sydney†, International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, no. 4, pp. 1043-53. Collins, J. and Kunz, P. (2010), â€Å"Ethnic entrepreneurs, ethnic precincts and tourism: The case of Sydney, Australia† in Richards, G. (ed.), Tourism Creativity and Development, London and New York: Routledge, pp. 201-14. Collins, J. (2011), â€Å"Ethnic Diversity Down Under: Ethnic Precincts in Sydney†, International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations, no. 4, pp. 1043-53. Collins, J. and Kunz, P. (2010), â€Å"Ethnic entrepreneurs, ethnic precincts and tourism: The case of Sydney, Australia† in Richards, G. (ed.), Tourism Creativity and Development, London and New York: Routledge, pp. 201-14. Light, I. and Rosenstein, C. (2009), Race, Ethnicity and Entrepreneurship in Urban America, Aidine de Gruyter, New York.Light, I. and Gold, S. J. (2010), Ethnic Economies, Academic Press, San Deigo.OECD (2010), Open for Business: Migrant Entrepreneurship in OECD Countries, OECD Publishing, Paris.OECD (2011), International Migration Outlook: SOPEMI 2011, OECD Publishing.http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/migr_outlook-2011-en Rath, J. (ed.) (2010), Tourism, Ethnic Diversity and the City, New York: Routledge. Stromback, T. and Malhotra, R. (1994), Socioeconomic Linkages of South Asian Immigrants with their Country of Origin, Canberra: Australian GovernmentPublishing Service. Rezaei (2011) Royal delicacies at peasant prices: cross-national differences, common grounds – towards an empirically supported theory of the informal economic activities ofmigrants. World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 2011, vol. 7, issue 2, pages 109-154 Waldinger, R., Aldrich, H., Ward, R. and Associates (2010), Ethnic Entrepreneurs – Immigrant Business in Industrial Societies, Sage, Newbury Park, London, New Delhi. 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Human Resources Essay

Employees are always considered an asset to the organization. However organizations can never estimate what amount of this asset is required. Usually the number of employees is either higher than wanted or lower than wanted. Thus to cope up with either surpluses or shortages organizations have a number of methods that are as follows: To manage shortage of employees The first and foremost method to slash shortages is recruiting more permanent employees. This increases the number of workforce as required by the organization. However increasing new employees increases costs for the organization as well. Another method to overcome shortages is to retain employees within the organization who are retiring and offer them added incentives on a late retirement. Similarly another approach to lower down costs and still come over shortages can be to hire retired individuals again on a part time basis. This helps the organization to meet the shortage requirement in an efficient manner as no training is required and also the part time wages are low. Another approach can be to reduce turnovers by providing benefits such as premium pay etc. This is an effective way to retain old employees but can elicit a bidding war which the organization might not be able to control for a long time (Caruth, 1997). Over time and subcontracting is also a good way to deal with shortages. Sub contracting is an expensive procedure but obviously for a short time the company could afford to contract employees. Temporary hiring is also an option and is somewhat similar to sub contracting. Redesigning the job processes so that lesser employees are required is also a way to deal with shortages. This method though requires training so that employees adapt to the new job design and are comfortable with it and doesn’t result in heavier workloads and lowering down the talent level. To Manage Surplus of employees Surpluses are easier to manage then shortages. Stopping the hiring process, no replacements of those who leave, layoffs, offering early retirements etc are one of the most commonly used downsizing techniques (Mathis, 2004). Downsizing activities however have a negative effect on existing employee’s motivation and thus are usually avoided by most organizations. By introducing the shift system, number of hours worked can be reduced and efficiency of employees can be increased. Similarly, outsourcing or temporary employees shouldn’t be hired as there is already a surplus. To lower down costs, the company can either cut down pays across the board or switch to a variable pay plan (number of hours worked multiplied by per hour rate). In either way those with a lower pay or those who work lesser hours will prefer finding a new job that pays them more. Training is also a good way to deal with surpluses. Train half of the employees at a given time and let the other half work then train the later half and let the first half work. Though this is also something expensive and in the long run of no benefit to the organization. Voluntary severance is also another way in which you ask employees to volunteer if they want to leave the organization. Another way to utilize abundance of employees is by expanding operations. Though a firm cannot expand operations overnight nor it can expand them just to accommodate extra employees when there is no need of an expansion. Job Description My current job is as a sales and marketing executive at a technology corporation. I report directly to my sales and marketing director. The basic purpose of my job is to plan and carry out product activation and brand awareness activities in order to increase and sustain sales of my company. The core responsibilities of the job include developing and maintaining a database of customers and potential customers, to plan and carry out sales activities, develop new ideas, keep a track of sales performances, provide management with relevant information, frequently research on the market, the competitors and the customers in order to cope up with the changing needs, make connections with clients for business and organizational development, conduct training sessions to pass on my learning, skills and knowledge to my juniors. Apart from these I have to readily keep my colleagues up to date with all relevant information so that the department is on the same page in meetings or conferences. Communication is one of the foremost things in my job and I have to take care that relevant information reaches the pertaining individual on time. Redesigning the job description In order to redesign my job description following the exhibit I think the first thing that should be focused upon is that the job shouldn’t be monotonous as it is in the above mentioned case. The duties should vary from hard to difficult and from usual to unusual. Skill variety should be a basic part of it. This will lead to an increase of interest towards the job and thus will increase my motivation. My performance will also be definitely improved as I will be learning something different every time and this will be adding to my experience and skills. This will also alleviate the redundancy in my job to some extent (Tanke, 2000). One thing that I feel is lacking in my job is the power of making decisions on my own. As already mentioned I report to my director. At times he is not in the field and he does not have the true picture. In such cases a delay in decision making can be costly for the organization. Thus sales executives should be given the autonomy to at times make decision on their own which can benefit the company. Obviously everyone knows that wrong decision will result in losing the job. So every employee will definitely think for the best of the organization before taking any actions. Employee empowerment results in increasing employee confidence and provides them with new experiences particular to dealing with responsibilities. In turn, employees are satisfied with their jobs, feel a relationship with the organization and get a morale boost. One way to make an employee feel important is to provide feed back. Feedback tells the employee if their work is appreciated or not and in what areas they need to improve. If my director gets feed back from a client on any activity that I planned then it should be known to me as well. Apart from this there should be a little more flexibility in the management attitude so that they also understand that every employee has different needs (Tanke, 2000). Like my job could be more exciting if the management does not keep me sitting in the office just to fill in the hours an employee has to be on his seat. It would be beneficial for both if I am out in the field and monitoring and assisting in the sales activities. All these steps will definitely improve performance, motivation and satisfaction.

Just Lather, That’s All

â€Å"Just Lather, That's All† by Hernando Tellez is about a barber who is forced to shave the beard of one of the troops, whom he wants to kill but using all of his strength not to. The barber is a rebel himself so having the enemy's face in his hands with a razor sharp enough to cut the skin was a little too much temptation. the barber is hesitant with Captain Torres. When in the presence of the Captain, the barber is forced to decide what is more important: him being an experienced barber or him being a rebel. With much hesitation he established that being a barber will be a lot safer.When the troop comes into the barber's shop, the barber starts to tremble. He recognizes him as Captain Torres. The one who gives the orders. The one who kills the rebels. The one who tell him that all the rebels will die. â€Å"‘The other boys in the group should have this much beard, too,' he remarked. I continued stirring the lather. ‘But we did all right, you know. We got the main ones. We brought back some dead, and we got some others still alive. But pretty soon they'll all be dead. ‘ ‘How many did you catch? ‘ I asked. ‘Fourteen. We had to go pretty deep into the woods to find them.But we'll get even. Not one of them comes out of this alive, not one. ‘† This is the passage where the barber and Captain Torres talk about how many rebels the Captain and his troops caught. The becomes upset but tries to not let Torres see his trembling hands. When the barber starts lathering Captain Torres' face, Torres talks more about shooting the rebel and giving the people in the town a show and a â€Å"good† lesson. The barber considers Captain Torres â€Å"A man of imagination, because who else would have thought of hanging the naked rebels and then holding target practice on their bodies? It doesn't take long for the barber to start imagining different scenarios of what would happen if he did kill Captain Torres. He wonde red if he would be a hero or be hunted down as â€Å"Captain Torres' murderer†. In this next passage, the barber imagines how easy it would be to cut his throat: â€Å"I could cut his throat so–zip, zip! I wouldn't give him time to resist and since he has his eyes closed he wouldn't see the glistening blade or my glistening eyes. But I'm trembling like a real murderer.Out of his neck a gush of blood would spout onto the sheet, on the chair, on my hands, on the floor. I would have to close the door. And the blood would keep inching along the floor, warm, ineradicable, uncontainable, until it reached the street, like a little scarlet stream. I'm sure that one solid stroke, one deep incision, would prevent any pain. He wouldn't suffer. But what would I do with the body? Where would I hide it? I would have to flee, leaving all I have behind, and take refuge far away. But they would follow until they found me. ‘Captain Torres' murderer.He slit his throat while he was shaving him– a coward. ‘ And then on the other side. ‘The avenger of us all. A name to remember. He was the town barber. No one knew he was defending out cause. ‘† he considers all of the possibilities. He doesn't want to be a murderer though. He is not Captain Torres. He is not an executioner. He is a barber, and he performs his work virtuously. In the end, Captain Torres walks out of the barber shop. Alive and well. With a clean shaven neck. He says to the barber that â€Å"‘They told me that you'd kill me. I came to find out.But killing isn't easy. You can take my word for it. ‘† This could perchance that the barber would think twice about the Captain. Maybe it isn't he who gives the orders to kill. There is a higher controlling group. They are the ones who should be taken out. Since the story ends with that last explanation, we can only infer the impact of which it had on the barber. Not everyone is who they might seem to be. An extravagant barber could be a big time rebel. No one would expect it. For all we know, Captain Torres could be a sweet-heart. He doesn't like killing people, but he has to. Just Lather, That’s All â€Å"Just Lather, That's All† by Hernando Tellez is about a barber who is forced to shave the beard of one of the troops, whom he wants to kill but using all of his strength not to. The barber is a rebel himself so having the enemy's face in his hands with a razor sharp enough to cut the skin was a little too much temptation. the barber is hesitant with Captain Torres. When in the presence of the Captain, the barber is forced to decide what is more important: him being an experienced barber or him being a rebel. With much hesitation he established that being a barber will be a lot safer.When the troop comes into the barber's shop, the barber starts to tremble. He recognizes him as Captain Torres. The one who gives the orders. The one who kills the rebels. The one who tell him that all the rebels will die. â€Å"‘The other boys in the group should have this much beard, too,' he remarked. I continued stirring the lather. ‘But we did all right, you know. We got the main ones. We brought back some dead, and we got some others still alive. But pretty soon they'll all be dead. ‘ ‘How many did you catch? ‘ I asked. ‘Fourteen. We had to go pretty deep into the woods to find them.But we'll get even. Not one of them comes out of this alive, not one. ‘† This is the passage where the barber and Captain Torres talk about how many rebels the Captain and his troops caught. The becomes upset but tries to not let Torres see his trembling hands. When the barber starts lathering Captain Torres' face, Torres talks more about shooting the rebel and giving the people in the town a show and a â€Å"good† lesson. The barber considers Captain Torres â€Å"A man of imagination, because who else would have thought of hanging the naked rebels and then holding target practice on their bodies? It doesn't take long for the barber to start imagining different scenarios of what would happen if he did kill Captain Torres. He wonde red if he would be a hero or be hunted down as â€Å"Captain Torres' murderer†. In this next passage, the barber imagines how easy it would be to cut his throat: â€Å"I could cut his throat so–zip, zip! I wouldn't give him time to resist and since he has his eyes closed he wouldn't see the glistening blade or my glistening eyes. But I'm trembling like a real murderer.Out of his neck a gush of blood would spout onto the sheet, on the chair, on my hands, on the floor. I would have to close the door. And the blood would keep inching along the floor, warm, ineradicable, uncontainable, until it reached the street, like a little scarlet stream. I'm sure that one solid stroke, one deep incision, would prevent any pain. He wouldn't suffer. But what would I do with the body? Where would I hide it? I would have to flee, leaving all I have behind, and take refuge far away. But they would follow until they found me. ‘Captain Torres' murderer.He slit his throat while he was shaving him– a coward. ‘ And then on the other side. ‘The avenger of us all. A name to remember. He was the town barber. No one knew he was defending out cause. ‘† he considers all of the possibilities. He doesn't want to be a murderer though. He is not Captain Torres. He is not an executioner. He is a barber, and he performs his work virtuously. In the end, Captain Torres walks out of the barber shop. Alive and well. With a clean shaven neck. He says to the barber that â€Å"‘They told me that you'd kill me. I came to find out.But killing isn't easy. You can take my word for it. ‘† This could perchance that the barber would think twice about the Captain. Maybe it isn't he who gives the orders to kill. There is a higher controlling group. They are the ones who should be taken out. Since the story ends with that last explanation, we can only infer the impact of which it had on the barber. Not everyone is who they might seem to be. An extravagant barber could be a big time rebel. No one would expect it. For all we know, Captain Torres could be a sweet-heart. He doesn't like killing people, but he has to.