The Composition Of Workforce Diversity Commerce Essay

The Composition Of Workforce Diversity Commerce Essay Within each and every organization, the composition of workforce diversity is being integrated into its human resource management (HRM). In this new era, the world is increasingly globalizing and since the advent of information technology, the borders of the world are drawn so closely than ever before. Theories of diversity management have been developed by business professionals and scholars (Saji, 2004), citing that a heterogeneous organization could create better HRM practices to maximize the benefits from a diverse workforce as well as improving their competitive advantages. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs will be discussed to further understand how employees basic need affects the HRM; and how workforce diversity could contribute to achieving HRMs strategic objectives. Diversity awareness allows for a better understanding of inclusive consumers needs, and provides access to better labour pools (Agocs Bur, 2000). Hence, an organization must be able to utilize the available skills from the workforce if it is to maintain competitive advantage and achieve success. Quality skill is an important resource and companies that seek to expand its position would require much creative strategies from its employees. The definition of HRM refers to activities undertaken by an organization to utilize its human resource effectively, therefore a firm especially those with a diverse workforce have to understand the needs of the employees first. As said by Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, any person, in this case any employee have to achieve the needs that are most essential before ascending the pyramid with higher need requirements. Every generation of workforce have different expectation from their working environment; such as those of the baby boomer era and that of th e late 1980s. In order to develop and maintain effective diversity policies, it is necessary that the firm allow all employees to participate in the diversity initiative. Leading organization with good HRM practices understand that the firm have to support their employees in acquiring knowledge of effective interaction and people management in a diverse workplace. They acknowledge the added values of an employee if they continue to acquire new skills in dealing and managing people. By managing a diverse workforce well, organizations are expanding their prospect to a more diverse marketplace. Instead of having a homogeneous workforce which shares the same backgrounds and perspectives, the result of having a diverse workforce is different viewpoints that would increase level of creativity and problem-solving ability. If firms want to compete to satisfy their clients, the businesses require a more diverse workforce in order to be more successfully understood and meet the needs of a rapidly growing ba se of minority clients. All diverse workforce need to overcome stereotypes or discrimination and recognize that actual dissimilar other have distinctive and valuable information that can sustain group processes and performance (Hartel, 2004). As the economies are shifting from manufacturing to service economies, diversity issue will gain importance since in a service economy effective communication and interactions among people are necessary to business success (Wentling and Palma-Rivas, 2000). Organizations are able to produce better ideas and more innovative solutions that can solve wide range of matters. Diverse workforce not only appeal to top industry talent, but it also attracts customer support from those who prefer to buy goods and services from such organizations (Hymowitz, 2008; Konrad, 2006). Managing diversity is more than just acknowledging differences of every individual. It involves recognizing the value of difference, preventing discrimination and promoting generality. Human resource managers might face challenges such as losses in workforce and work output due to prejudice or discrimination and criticisms and legal actions opposed to the organization. These issues can be obstacles to organizational diversity because they can dent working relationships, morale and work productivity. Negative attitudes and behaviours should never be practiced by management for employment, retention, and termination practices in the workplace because these include could lead an organization to costly lawsuit. Organizations with a diverse workforce can provide superior services because they can better understand customers needs (Wentling and Palma-Rivas, 2000). Therefore, this will indirectly increase customer loyalty and also translates into effective delivery of essential services to communities with diverse needs. Workforce diversity will bring a significant increase in innovation. A diverse workforce means a wider range of different background and perspectives which gives organizations a broader range of ideas and clearer perceptions in decision making and policy development while simultaneously improves service to clients as well because it reflects the local community therefore understand its clients better. Therefore, diversity is a good business model to adapt to. Besides, workforce diversity increase competitive management practices therefore they are more productive. Organizations that value and capitalize on employee diversity workplaces will attract and retain quality employees better. These translate into savings in recruitment and training costs, as well as maintaining corporate knowledge and expertise. Managing diversity can create competitive advantage. Diversity in the workplace can be a competitive advantage because diverse viewpoints can facilitate unique and creative approaches to problem-solving, thus increasing creativity and innovation, which in turn leads to better organization performance (Allen et al., 2004). Culturally diverse groups relative to homogeneous groups are more effective both in the interaction process and job performance; these benefits occur after a diverse group has been together for a period of time. Associates and employers can gain many benefits via workforce diversity. Associates are interdependent in the workplace, yet respecting individual differences can increase efficiency. Diversity in the workplace can avoid unnecessary lawsuits and increase marketing opportunities, recruitment, creativity and business reputation since discrimination and all other racial ideology is not being practiced in the organization. In an era when flexibility, creativity, speed are crucial to competitiveness, diversity is critical for an organizations success; its benefits are made for everyone who chose are in this line. It is a global moral necessity. Diversity strategic planning focuses on creating a measurable way that it can support the goals, objectives and strategic direction of the organization; while strategic level long-term development for diversity is a more recent expansion that focuses on plans that would span more than 5 years. Until quite recently diversity was not considered as an essential part of strategic planning, in the past diversity initiatives were often lacked specificity, poorly conceptualized, and were not linked to strategic organizational plans. Now, organization managers realized that in order to establish an effective and successful diversity planning it must be aligned with and provide support for strategic business objectives and operational decisions. In conclusion, workforce diversity is fundamental to any organization ability to survive the globalised economy. Organization that build experience in and reputations for managing diversity has a tendency to attract the best personnel (Carrel et al., 2000). Therefore, administration has to seriously analyse and evaluate the benefits of workforce diversity in their organization, while the management should create an atmosphere that could enhance a diverse workforce; consequently the organizations employees would be more competitive within and across organizational boundaries (Baker and Hartel, 2004) of the firm. In todays fast-paced work environment a successful organization is one where diversity is the norm and not the exception (Lawrence, 2001).

Death is not to be Feared :: essays research papers

Could I possibly die tomorrow? In a week? Or do I still have many years ahead of me? These are some questions many people often ask themselves. The fear of death affects many individuals, but it certainly didn?t affect a philosopher by the name of Socrates. He argued that death is not to be feared and personally I both agree and disagree with him. Death, it surrounds us, it could be waiting for us at any corner, whether it is a car swerving out of control, a heart attack, or a nasty slip on ice, we tend to try not thinking about it too much, but it?s something unavoidable, something we all eventually come to. I believe that pretty much everyone dreads it in one way or another. I also believe that it is the unknown that many people really fear, the uncertainty of what comes next if anything. For most people there?s always the question of what comes after they die. Some believe that there?s a place reserved for them up in the sky and their life will continue, others think it leads to a state of peace and reconciliation. No one really knows, and that is what scares people that most. The uncertainty of it is truly nerve racking. They can theorize and think about it as much as they want but it is still an unknown event. Another reason that leads to a fear of death is the actual event of dying. It is because dying can involve a great deal of suffering and pain. Drowning, being burnt alive, and being strangled are the ways of dying that engage in an imaginable agonizing physical pain. I?m sure that anyone who has thought about death has also thought about how their own lives may come to an end. I personally wonder about how I will move on from this world, asking myself questions such as: ?will it hurt? or ?will it happen in my sleep No one wants to suffer and the thought of any kind of pain before dying is very frightening. Even though death is something extremely mysterious, maybe it?s not the death people fear, but dying unprepared. They become anxious because of the fact that there are so many things they wish to accomplish in their lives, so many things they haven?t done. I think this is where the fear of death can be even further coded into their minds. Death is not to be Feared :: essays research papers Could I possibly die tomorrow? In a week? Or do I still have many years ahead of me? These are some questions many people often ask themselves. The fear of death affects many individuals, but it certainly didn?t affect a philosopher by the name of Socrates. He argued that death is not to be feared and personally I both agree and disagree with him. Death, it surrounds us, it could be waiting for us at any corner, whether it is a car swerving out of control, a heart attack, or a nasty slip on ice, we tend to try not thinking about it too much, but it?s something unavoidable, something we all eventually come to. I believe that pretty much everyone dreads it in one way or another. I also believe that it is the unknown that many people really fear, the uncertainty of what comes next if anything. For most people there?s always the question of what comes after they die. Some believe that there?s a place reserved for them up in the sky and their life will continue, others think it leads to a state of peace and reconciliation. No one really knows, and that is what scares people that most. The uncertainty of it is truly nerve racking. They can theorize and think about it as much as they want but it is still an unknown event. Another reason that leads to a fear of death is the actual event of dying. It is because dying can involve a great deal of suffering and pain. Drowning, being burnt alive, and being strangled are the ways of dying that engage in an imaginable agonizing physical pain. I?m sure that anyone who has thought about death has also thought about how their own lives may come to an end. I personally wonder about how I will move on from this world, asking myself questions such as: ?will it hurt? or ?will it happen in my sleep No one wants to suffer and the thought of any kind of pain before dying is very frightening. Even though death is something extremely mysterious, maybe it?s not the death people fear, but dying unprepared. They become anxious because of the fact that there are so many things they wish to accomplish in their lives, so many things they haven?t done. I think this is where the fear of death can be even further coded into their minds.

Concession in Amy Tans Joy Luck Club Essay -- Joy Luck Club Essays

Concession in Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club "Sometimes you have to lose pieces to get ahead," explains the narrator of "The Rules of the Game," a lost piece from Amy Tan's novel The Joy Luck Club that has arguably achieved greater readership through its appearance in numerous anthologies (505). "The Rules of the Game" pivots around the concept that one may triumph in a win-lose situation through a concession. Narrator Waverly Jong recounts applications of this idea as she grows into adolescence in her Chinese-American community. From her adventures in the local marketplace to her romps on the chess battlefield, Waverly's prizes while asserting her concede-to-win strategy include physical objects and abstractions, the intangibility of the latter implying that one's examination of this story must consider terms like conflict, win, and loss in the broadest sense possible. With this in mind, Tan's "The Rules of the Game" explores the determinants behind wins and losses, ultimately suggesting that the most effective way to achieve victory is through an act of concession. Tan introduces this idea as a vague proverb rattled by Waverly's mother that Waverly bevels into sharp clarity by her involvement in situations of conflict that eventually demonstrate the veracity of her mother's words. The first conflict of "The Rules of the Game" materializes when Waverly accompanies her mother to the marketplace as a young child and experiences a loss. "Bite back your tongue," scolded my mother when I cried loudly, yanking her hand toward the store that... ... in the struggle to win. In short, Tan presents several conflicts that investigate the factors in win-lose situations, each conflict reiterating the notion that one must forego a triviality to outmaneuver his opponent to victory. This abstraction appears immediately in the story in an abstruse manner but is eventually clarified by evaluating the consistencies of the sundry conflicts. The repetition of these conflicts with similar outcomes involving (or not involving) concessions elucidates the idea that an act of concession is assuredly the most foolproof approach to triumph in a struggle. Work Cited Tan, Amy. "The Rules of the Game." The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories. Ed. Tobias Wolff. New York: Random House, Inc., 1994. 497-508.

19th Century American Literature Essay

The nineteenth century gave readers a plethora of literary genius. Perhaps the most recognized literary movement was Transcendentalism. This literary concept was based on a group of new ideas in religion, culture, and philosophy. Transcendentalism paved the way for many subgenres, it’s most significantly opposite; however was the emergence of Dark Romanticism. The Romantics had a tendency to value emotion and intuition over reason and logic. Many of the writers of the nineteenth century placed themselves into one or the other category. In its most specific usage transcendentalism refers to a literary and philosophical movement that developed in America in the first half of the nineteenth century. It first arose among the liberal New England Congregationalists who departed from the orthodox Calvinists, whose approach to Christian life emphasizes the rule of God over all things. (in text citation) Transcendentalism also involved the rejection of the Puritan values that were once the basis of New England culture. American Transcendentalism began with the formation of the Transcendental Club in 1836, in Boston. Ralph Waldo Emerson lead the group of literary minds including, Margaret Fuller, a feminist and social reformer, and Henry David Thoreau, a naturalist and author. Together they and their other members published The Dial, a short-lived but influential periodical. Emerson, the father of Transcendentalism, wrote some of the major works of the movement. Self- Reliance and Nature are two of his well known. In Nature, Emerson conveys to the reader the belief that each individual must develop a personal understanding with the universe, and that there is a relationship between man and nature. Henry David Thoreau was also a major contributor to the Transcendentalist movement, in two of Thoreau’s most influential pieces, Walden, he writes of his strong beliefs of nature’s impact on man. In Resistance to Civil Government, Thoreau writes of his issues with organized government:  "That government is best which governs least, That government is best which not governs at all† His libertarian views of government’s involvement in every day life lead to his arrest in 1846 for nonpayment of poll taxes. His refusal to pay was based on his beliefs that one should not support a government that supported such atrocities as slavery. Walden was an account of Thoreau’s time spent living in a hut in Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts; he explores such values as self reliance, and the simplicity of nature. The Transcendental movement inspired authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Alan Poe and sparked another literary movement known as Dark Romanism. Unlike Transcendentalism the Dark Romantics believed that human nature is not necessarily good, that the darker side of humanity had been being ignored by the transcendentalists. The works of the Dark romantics is filled with tales of revenge, obsession, shame and madness. The conflicts between good and evil set a gloomy, dark mood of the tales written by the Dark Romantics. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrot e the Scarlet Letter, a story of shame and hypocrisy, his ancestor’s Puritan values and his lack of belief in their ways lead to the creation of this piece. His main character, Hester, is labeled an adulterer and is forced to wear a scarlet â€Å"A† that symbolizes her sin of adultery. While those who see her see a symbol of shame and guilt, Hester sees it as a symbol of strength and pride, and above all, a symbol of the town’s hypocrisy. This romantic piece of literature also has gothic elements. Hawthorne’s use of imagery and dismal tones lend it to the genre of Dark Romanticism. Other works by Hawthorne, specifically, My Kinsman, Major Molineux, are filled with dark and light imagery, from the main character, Robin’s, meeting of the ferryman to his realization that his kinsman is not the respectable man he once believed he was, this story had dark undertones that go along way in conveying the strange and secretive ways of the townsfolk that Robin meets. Edgar Alan Poe also writes in the Dark Romantic genre, he had a great dislike for the transcendentalists calling them, â€Å"Frogpondians†, after a pond on Boston Commons, he ridiculed their writings and his piece, Never Bet the Devil in You Head, was a clear attack on the movement. Poe, who is sometimes considered a gothic writer, uses ideas such as dementia and paranoia in his works. Supernatural behaviors of characters and personification grace the pages of many of his  best tales. Many of Poe’s tales are distinguished by the author’s unique grotesque inventiveness in addition to his plot construction. Such stories as The Pit and the Pendulum is a spine-tingling tale of cruelty and torture, while the Tell -Tale Heart, is a story a maniacal murderers overbearing guilt and shame, then actual confession of his crime. The dark romantic authors embraced the concept of weltschmerz, or world pain, a phrase coined by German author Jean Paul.

Globalization: Video Games Essay

The global software market for video games was approximately $52 billion in 2012. In just the last 8 years, the emerging markets have gone from 12% to 47% of the market size and are growing at a compounded annual rate of nearly 30%. All of this growth in the international video game market offers a unique experience and cultural impact on many countries that previously would not have had exposure to these types of games. This exposure demonstrates the globalizing power video games have, and their effects on individual players. In order to quantify this effect several specific internationally popular games will be listed and described relating their content to cultures of industrialized, Middle-Eastern, and developing countries. The United States has long been one of the preeminent leaders in the computer and portable gaming production industry. Treyarch and Activision teamed up to deliver the Call of Duty series, including the recently popular Black Ops 2, which has been an international best seller. The game is available on many different platforms besides the PC including various counsels and even portable gaming formats. The game deals with warfare among several nations, including historical cold war missions that tie to an over arching premise linking these events to a future plotline. Through engaging war and nations in this manner a game like this could be seen to propel a certain ripple effect in perceptions of America among developing and middle-eastern countries. Many countries feel certain games have unfavorable portrayal of their nation or their religion and beliefs. Games like these may not necessarily induce violence, yet given the extreme realistic nature and handling of certain themes, there could be a desensitizing aspect to individuals playing the game. When speaking about video games globalizing affect on cultures, one important point to observe is that many instances of unfavorable reception or regulation of a game are done so in order to retain cultural heritage and beliefs. The Sims is a game by Electronic Arts, which has been around for over a decade and has many different expansions over the years. The reason t has been such a relevant and best selling game is because it is very customizable and gives people the chance to create their own lifelike character and family, subjecting them to many different scenarios. The game has been popular and has given many different countries an interesting look into a more Americanized living atmosphere and value system as hinted through the game play. They game is a great way to expose people to American and western customs in an interesting and fun way. However, certain countries have criticized it for the opulent centered outlook and encouragement of certain ideals deemed inappropriate in certain cultures. In much the same way other games treatment of drugs, alcohol and sex have unearthed new concerns for cultural boundaries in video games, especially countries with strict religious policies regarding such topics. American games influence on other cultures is not all negative. With advancements in the market, games have expanded and opened up many opportunities for countries to develop their own format and localized versions of games. American games also push the limits of technology further expanding the horizon and scope of games available in burgeoning new markets. Additionally, these new markets, including new industrialized and even increasing access in Middle-Eastern and developing nations, are expanding their technology to compete and offer consumers availability and access to such products. This proliferation in technology and broadband access also allows individuals in other countries the ability to communicate and interact with each other in online multiplayer formats. This exposure and introduction of consumers from different cultures is breaking down borders and increasing globalization. The video game industry has had to weather criticism since its inception as to its role in violence and other social issues. However, given its increased role internationally, and the gaming industry’s ability to help drive technology, there has been a resurgence in international acceptance of American video games and technology. The role games have on individuals may be a bundled and often complex topic, but there is no denying the increasing access and technological driving force video games represent to other countries. `

Selling to Cynics

Summary – Shock advertising Generation X is society’s trendiest group, it is realistic and under the age of thirty. Advertisers have recently discovered this segment and are willing to sell directly to them now, but also would like to start a relationship that goes beyond this generation. The problem is that Generation X doesn’t trust advertisers, they are aware of the fact that there are companies willing to sell them products they don’t want. These companies are desperate to reach this new segment with the help of advertisement agencies who speak â€Å"their language†.Tim Delaney made the advertisement for Pepe jeans, which is an advertisement with the darker values of generation X, as it shows disturbing images and alienated teenagers. Pepe Jeans wants to dissociate itself from the corporate culture. They think their advertisement did not offend their targeted audience, as the idea of how negative or dark these thoughts are, are in the eye (or mi nd) of the beholder. Jiro Ejaife from â€Å"don’t tell it magazine† wanted an advertisement based on the â€Å"amusing† violence in cult movies. Their advertisement shows a teenager being shot repeatedly.He made the advertisement intentionally over the top, and thinks the question of morality should lie with the church, family and schools. The test viewing shows that teenagers disagree about the violence used in this advertisement. Some think the advertisement is unacceptable, others are not offended, as nowadays there is much more violence in movies. The advertisement industry is disputing the use of â€Å"Shock advertising†, and the moral cause of this new tactic, as advertising doesn’t only sell a product, but also sells behavior and attitude with the same efficiency.Adrian Holmes of Howard-Spink advertising is one of the acceptable advertisers, he thinks it is in the moral interest of the country and the commercial interest of the industry that these â€Å"shock advertisers† should be brought into line. These types of advertisements give ammunition to the anti-advertising lobby, which will use it against all advertisers and curtail whatever creator freedom they still have. Christopher Ogden of the advertising standards authority relies on the self regulation system where advertisers themselves behave responsibly. The authority itself however would act hard if the advertisers use anti-social advertisements.The idea of Professor Malcolm Mc Donald of the Cranfield School of management is that advertisers who chose for short term sensational game always lose in the long run, as there are not only the shareholders to please but also other stakeholders like employees, pressure groups, etc. Finally Geoffrey Ellerton of midland bank thinks the more you target and advertisement very specifically for a particular market niche like the teenage audience, the greater the risk that you give any other audience the idea that the o rganization is not for them but for a younger aged group.Midland bank uses an advertisement which shows an adolescent person leaving his parents to live on his own. Test viewing has shown that teenagers are indifferent to this kind of advertisement as it did not make an impact on them. We can conclude that the advertisement business is caught between two worlds, the moralists and the mainstream on the one hand and a young market with entirely different ethical ideas on the other hand. Generation X might just turn their backs to the advertisers.

Quain Lawn and Garden, Inc. Case Analysis Essay

After a false retirement Bill and Jeanne Quain realized their destined action in the plant and shrub business. The need for a high-quality commercial fertilizer prompted the innovation of a blended fertilizer called â€Å"Quain-Grow†. Working with chemists at Rutgers University, a mixture was constructed from four compounds, C-30, C-92, D-21 and E-11. Specifications (i.e constraints) for the mixture demanded that Chemical E-11 must constitute for at least 15% of the blend, C-92 and C-30 must together constitute at least 45% of the blend, and D-21 and C-92 can together constitute no more than 30% of the blend. Lastly, Quain-Grow is packaged and sold in 50-pound bags. The objective of this analysis is to determine what blend of the four chemicals will allow Quain to minimize the cost of a 50-lb bag of the fertilizer. To do this we have used Linear Programming (LP) – a technique specifically designed to help managers make decisions relative to the allocation of resources. In this case, C-30 = , C-92 = , D-21 = , and E-11 = . The constraints for this case were translated into linear equations (i.e. inequalities) to mathematically express their meaning. The first constraint  that C-11 must constitute for at least 15% of the blend can be expressed as: . The second constraint that C-92 and C-30 must together constitute at least 45% of the blend can be expressed as: . The third constraint that D-21 and C-92 can together constitute no more than 30% of the blend can be expressed as: . Lastly, the fourth constraint is that Quain-Grow is packaged and sold in 50-lb bags can be expressed as: . These equations were obtained and entered into a POM LP a s a minimizing function. The objective function of this case was calculated and expressed as . These results show that we can recommend the following ratios of C-30, C-92, D-21 and E-11 respectively so that the cost of a 50-lb bag of fertilizer is minimized: 7.5 lbs, 15 lbs, 0 lbs and 27.5 lbs. In checking to see if these align with the given restraints we found the following to be true; ; ; and . The actually cost result of this minimization analysis was calculated to be $3.35 per 50 lb bag of fertilizer. The equation for this result is as follows: . Additionally, we performed a sensitivity analysis to project how much our recommendation may change if there are changes in the variables or input data. This type of analysis is also called postoptimality analysis. There are two approaches to determining just how sensitive an optimal solution is to changes: (1) a trial-and-error approach and (2) the analytic postoptimality method. In this case analysis we used the analytic postoptimality method. After we had solved the LP problem, we used the POM software to determine a range of changes in problem parameters that would not affect the optimal solution or change the variables in the solution. While using the information in the sensitivity report, it is pertinent to assume the consideration of a change to only a single input data value at a time. This is because the sensitivity information does not generally apply to simultaneous changes in several input data values. Our main objective when performing this analysis was to obtain a shadow price (or dual value) –  the value of one additional unit of a scarce resource in LP. In any scenario, the shadow price is valid as long as the right-hand side of the constraint stays in a range within which all current corner points continue to exist. The information to compute the upper and lower limits of this range is given by the entries labeled Allowable Increase and Allowable Decrease in the sensitivity report. Our results from the sensitivity analysis were produced in two parts. The first shows the impact of changing the objective function coefficients on the optimal solution and gives the range of values (lower and upper bound) for which the optimal solution remains unchanged. The second part of the report shows the impact of changing the R.H.S of the constraints of the objective function value, with the help of Dual Value (Shadow Price), with the lower and upper bounds for which the shadow price is valid. Lastly, these results explain that the price of C-30 can vary within the range of .09 to Infinity without affecting the optimal solution. Likewise the range for C-92 is between –Infinity and .12, the range for D-21 is between 15 and 42.5, and the range for E-11 is between 30 and Infinity. The second part of this sensitivity analysis show the ranges for which the shadow prices are valid. Constraint 1 has a dual value of 0 and is valid between –Infinity and 27.5. Constraint 2 has a dual value of -.08 and is valid between 15 and 42.5. Constraint 3 has a dual value of .03 and is valid between 0 and 22.5. Finally, Constraint 4 has a dual value of -.04 and is valid between 30 and Infinity.