I will use Herzberg’s two factor theory of motivation which states that at different work places there are factors that ensure employees are satisfied while there are factors that cause dissatisfaction too. The theory shows that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction work independently. The theory suggest that employees are not more concerned with psychological issues at their places of work such as recognition, advancement and responsibility rather than increment in salaries and better working conditions. Thus in the place of work managers should ensure that they work out the factors of satisfaction with the factors of dissatisfaction in order to ensure productivity and improved employee attitude. This theory distinguishes between motivators and hygiene factors that all ensure employees are either satisfied or dissatisfied. Motivators include recognition, promotions, advancements, responsibilities, opportunities and employees being involved in the process of making decisions in the company. Hygiene factors on the hand include pleasing condition of working, increased salaries; vacations and job security which Herzberg says often bring dissatisfaction rather than satisfaction to employees.
Employees should always remain motivated in their places of work if the organization wants to remain productive and prosperous. Joe bricks organization is a well known organization that has suffered losses this year as a result of poor employees’ performance. Employees are important people in the organization and should be treated with respect failure to which they will treat clients in an unprofessional manner. Joe Bricks has suffered the problem of failing to recognize its employees who do extemporary work and perform well in their job. The company makes bricks and thus some employees have come up with unique bricks and yet they have not been recognized. This has de-motivated those creative individuals who needed to be recognized since they have come up with new bricks that have ensured the company gains popularity all over the state.
Joe Bricks organization as discussed above has suffered since it has not motivated its employees as motivation is an important factor in ensuring the organization remains productive. In order to ensure I know the specific problem affecting the employees, I will give hype employees some questionnaires for them to fill and by doing this I will be able to know the exact problem the employees are facing. Each employee will fill the questionnaires privately and by doing this I will get accurate information on why the organization is facing problems with its employees. Questionnaires are important since I will ask direct questions and the employees only have to tick and thus it is a faster method of getting information from all employees.
For this organization to remain prosperous, I would suggest that the organization motivates its employees through recognizing those excellent employees who come with new and creative products. In addition the organization should ensure that it includes the employees in the process of making decisions so that they can make suggestions on what they want. Promoting the employees will ensure they remain motivated and work hand in order to ensure they will not let the organization down. Subjecting employees to safe working conditions where their health is not interfered with since employees cannot work under conditions which are environmentally unfriendly. Doing all these will ensure the organization remains successful since employees will become motivated and work towards achieving the set goals and objective of the organization.
There was once a time that the world could comfortably sustain life comfortably without the worry that there would come a time when the needs of human beings and all livings needs outweighed the resources that nature provided to satisfy them. It was a time where all life only took what they needed for sustenance thus ensuring that raw materials were in abundance. However, with great technological advancement and tremendous population growth, the issue on sustainability has received a lot of attention due to the worry that we are consuming resources available to us at an alarming rate. The field of industrialization for instance plays a significant role on consuming basic natural resources that could threaten sustainability in the future. In most cases, developing countries that are not yet industrialized have little control over the type of developments that are introduced into their states despite the impact they will have on sustainability. The ideas are often shared and implemented by western countries whose ideas are seen as the best approach towards development. Although their ideologies may be beneficial to these countries, there is a down side where the capitalist approach they use ends up curtailing democracy in most, if not all, democratic processes involved. If a positive change is to be achieved on the topic of sustainability and development, there is need to abandon the capitalist approach for a more democratic one.
Although the number of definitions used to define sustainability is a lot, the most common is that sustainability is being able to continue with a behavior that has already been defined without stopping or indefinitely (Kates & Parris, 2003). Even though a lot of ambiguities have come up in the attempt to define what sustainability is, a lot of effort has been put into place to help identify sustainable development through quantitative indicators. Despite all the efforts, there are no sets of indicators that have been recognized or used universally. This is especially because of factors like the ambiguous nature of sustainable development, how to measure it and the intended purpose behind measuring and characterizing it (Kates & Parris, 2003)
The ambiguity involved in defining sustainable development has resulted to differences in opinion on how to go around the issue. One approach is through the identification of the relationship that exists between the quality of the environment and the socioeconomic inequality (Millington & Williams, 2004). When attempting to tackle the issue on sustainable development, there is often a mismatch when it comes to what is needed from the earth and what it can provide. In the case of people aware of this difference ratio in supply and demand, the approach to sustainable development often involves reducing what is demanded from the earth and increasing substitute resources so as to ensure that the gap that exists between demand and supply is reduced. Sustainable development will therefore involve conjoining the demand that arise from the finite and infinite aspects of life to ensure that they do not end up consuming more than the earth can provide (Millington & Williams, 2004).
In an attempt to resolve the ambiguity, two approaches have been used to try and resolve the issue of sustainable development. Two schools of thought have brought about the two approaches of weaker and stronger sustainable development (Millington & Williams, 2004). According to the weaker sustainable developments view, nature is simply a resource and human beings have the right to dominate it. Therefore, there is no need to alter how we relate to or use nature nor should we change what we view as economic development because economic growth is a good indicator of progress within society (Millington & Williams, 2004). The weaker view is therefore based on three notions; that human beings and nature are two separate entities; that people have the right to exercise dominance over nature; and that nature is a resource meant to be used for the purpose of benefiting human beings and society at large.
According to the weaker sustainable development view, the only source of value in the world is human beings and nature is only a raw material that should be utilized to help human beings serve their purpose and meet their needs (Millington & Williams, 2004). Rather than addressing issues that the dominant attitudes that it holds towards nature, this view mostly focuses on how to understand and control nature so as to ensure that it continues to be beneficial to human beings. It is often assumed that human beings will be able to use technological developments for the purpose of solving any environmental problems that may arise now or in the future (Millington & Williams, 2004). As a result, it proposes that there is no need to change the demand that people create in the quest for economic development. Any problems that may arise will be dealt with through the use of the technology invented thanks to the great economic development achieved.
The stronger sustainability development view that the world is finite and in order for it to be able to remain habitable, there must be a balance between the demands that it is required to supply (Millington & Williams, 2004). Human beings must therefore change the attitude they have towards nature and its sustenance even in the pursuit of economic development. This view strives to protect nature and its resources not only because of the repercussions this will have on people but also because nature has its own biotic rights. According to this view, nature, and earth in general, has the right not to be molested and this right is similar to other basic human rights that people possess that do not need any form of justification to validate them. People must therefore abandon the anthropocentric view that they have of the world that considers human beings to be the only source of value and that nature is therefore their raw material intended only to meet their needs at whatever cost (Millington & Williams, 2004). Such notions should be abandoned and replaced with a more biocentric egalitarianism view which suggests that all species are equal and that non human things also need rights to protect them from being abused, misused or exploited for the purpose of establishing sustainable development.
Beliefs and ideologies spread by westerners have played a big role in creating controversy over what needs to be done so as to achieve sustainable development. Most ideologies are spread by capitalists who use corporate models that end up suspending the democratic rights and freedoms of processes used in different nations across the world (Newell, 2015). In order to resolve the issue on development and sustainability, people need to abandon the capitalist ideologies used and adopt more democratic approaches. Throughout history, capitalism has led to class polarization where people in different classes become divided and those in the upper classes often remain there at the expense of the people in lower levels of the hierarchy. When such hierarchies are extended from individuals to nations, western countries start viewing the working class community of countries that are developing as an ideal place to deposit their environmental and social hazards resulting from their industrial activities. Such actions are made possible by the presence of third world views on the side of developing countries who willingly accept any form of development regardless of the impact it may have on their natural resources (Newell, 2015). There are also fewer regulations regarding conservation of resources and how best to use them in the pursuit of economic development thus making them more vulnerable to exploitation.
Most aspects of the debate on sustainable development reach the conclusion that achieving it is essential for the well being of the earth and maintaining its hospitability. Though this may be the case, different cultures have different approaches on how to reach a desired sustainable development (Redcliff, 2005). If, for instance a part of society decides that open space and clean air must be present before any development is considered to be sustainable, it will be impossible to join this belief with another part of society who value technological development even at the cost of causing air pollution (Redcliff, 2005)
. To maneuver through such challenges, develop countries promise great development through economic growth to countries that are developing. Instead of jumping on the opportunity for great development, there is need to pause and think of the repercussions that will arise and whether the development implemented will be sustainable in the long run. I doing so, states will be able to take up ideologies that offer great outcomes but do not alter their positive sustainability development.
References
Agyeman, J., Bullard, R.D. & Evans, B. (Eds.) (2003). Just Sustainabilities: Development in an Unequal World. London: Earthscan. Introduction and Conclusion.
Moran, D.; Wackersnagel, M.; Kitzes, J.; Goldfinger, S.; Boutaud, A. (2008). Measuring Sustainable Development — Nation by Nation, Ecological Economics, 470- 474
Newell, P. (2005). Race, Class, and the Global Politics of Environmental Inequality. Global Environmental Politics, 5(3), 70-94.
Parris, T.M. & Kates R.W. (2003). Characterizing and Measuring Sustainable Development. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 28: 559-586
Redclift, M. (2005). Sustainable Development (1987-2005): An Oxymoron Comes of Age. Sustainable Development, 13: 212-227. Williams, C.C. and Millington, A.C. (2004). The Diverse and Contested Meanings of Sustainable Development. The Geographical Journal
In an association where a person is hired to ensure that the work of another individual is complete, it is essential to determine if the individual is an independent contractor or he or she is hired as an employee. This classification is essential for both the hired personnel and the employer. For both an employee and an independent contractor classification, there are associated benefits and disadvantages (Weil, 2015). In general, someone is regarded as an employee if they are responsible for performing services for the particular employer and thus the employer is entitled to controlling tasks responsibilities of the things that the employee should conduct and those that they should not with instructions on how to accomplish them. The right of the employer to fully control the general details on how services should be offered is the primary component of a relationship between an employee and the employer (Weil, 2015).
On the other hand, an independent contractor is a person who acts on an independent business, trade, and profession where they can opt to provide general services to the public. An independent contractor may be an inclusion of dentists, lawyers, doctors, contractors, accountant’s sub-contractors as well, as veterinarians (Weil, 2015). When these individuals are hired to offer services to any employer they are not accounted as employees generally because they are self-employed and their services offering is based on the fact that they are into contractual agreements with their employer to provide the designated services in exchange for salaries. Often independent contractors are hired based on their consulting capabilities to give their skills as well as knowledge in a particular project where the employer may not be able to accomplish alone. It is significant for an employer to accurately make a classification on whether the hired personnel are an independent contractor or an employee. This is because if an employer is involved in misclassification of a person as either an employee instead of an independent contractor or vice versa the employer can thus be held accountable for the violations of those laws that applies to employee’s protection. The laws, in general, are the inclusion of hour and wage laws, unemployment, workers compensation, Medicare, disability insurance and social security laws (Weil, 2015).
According to United States department of labor (2016), employers prefer to hire individuals as independent contractors rather than employees based on the involved expenses. This is because hiring an individual as an employee requires the employer to pay taxes in order to cover those employees that are under unemployment insurance and workers insurance compensation. These funds are thus expected to be paid by the employer rather than using the wages of the employees. In addition, this implies that the employer has to pay for the general payroll taxes. An employer is thus expected to withhold federal taxes from the employees and a section of Medicare and social security funds. The employee is adequately protected by the state laws which give them the ability to raise claims disputes against the employer. On the other hand, an independent contractor does not enjoy the protection. This means that the employer is not responsible for an independent contractor’s taxes payment. The independent contractor files the taxes on their own with the inclusion of social security taxes. However, they are awarded on the basis that the expenses that are incurred during work can be deducted from their total tax income but cannot raise a claim dispute against the employee. For this reason, employers opt to hire individuals are independent contractors because they do not have to incur additional expenses and no employment action can be brought against their operations (Weil, 2015).
Strippers can be described as employees and not independent contractors. However strippers are normally classified as independent contractors because they are not paid by the employers but the consumers (Risteau, 2016). The club acts as a location where the individuals can operate with the protection of the bouncer. Strippers are employees based on the fact that the employers conduct their tasks and how they perform their responsibilities. This is to a high degree which is the inclusion of their appearances, schedules, their dresses length, shoe type and the manner in which they are expected to interact with consumers during their performance. The employer is entitled to profits while the strippers are exposed to distinct risks. They are therefore more of employees than independent contractors because they are not hired for a particular expertise alone because the employer requires them to accomplish the tasks based on the directions they provide (Risteau, 2016).
In July this year Handy technologies corporation was sued by a worker in the particular organization through a claim that she should be classified as a corporation employee and not an independent contractor (Risteau, 2016). The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in Massachusetts was a search of expenses reimbursement as well as handy workers minimum wages. The filed suit claims that the corporation hires employees to offer services to businesses as well as homes but the company classifies them as independent contractors. The claim says that the corporation is in complete control of all the work that is performed by the employees as well as the manner of accomplishing them. Through the misclassification handy violated different law codes which include the failure of compensating employees for the over period work that they provided to the corporation, the failure of paying employment minimum wage the failure to pay taxes and insurance payment for the employees. From this claim, it is clear that the personnel’s should be classified as employees (Risteau, 2016).
In May a California court established that a driver at San Francisco was an employee and not an independent contractor as a classified base. The lawsuit ruling stated that the employer was entitled to full employment expenses. According to the claim made by the employee the employer held full control of his operations as well as daily activities which implied that the working control lied on the employer. This was, therefore, a misclassification that requires uber Corporation to compensate and provide complete expenses payment to the employee. In another lawsuit amazon, the corporation was sued for a misclassification of delivery drivers as independent contractors. The claim stated that the drivers were expected to make goods delivery within two hours after the request had been made by the consumers. The drivers made a claim that the corporation classified as independent contractors while they should be classified as employees based on their job responsibilities (Risteau, 2016).
According to United States department of labor (2016), various laws that may help in explaining the classification of employees include workers compensation, social security, and workers compensation wage and unemployment laws. These laws demonstrate how workers should be classified based on their operations as well as who is in control. The major significant of operating as an independent contractor is based on the standard benefits that they are entitled to such as life and health. In regard to labor relations laws employees are protected against unlawful practices of bargaining. The tort liability act holds the employer liable for any negligence actions to their employees but this law is not responsible for independence contractor negligence. Misclassification of an employee is a critical issue to the employer, the employees, and the general economy. When employees are misclassified this means that they are denied essential benefits as well as protection. The consequences of the misclassification affect the employers in that the labor unions may work to influence the employees thus developing a deadlock between the two parties (Risteau, 2016).
In summary, the distinction between an employee and an independent contractor has not yet been established clearly because of statutory guidance absence and legislation nature which fails in embracing the transformations that are rapidly taking place in the employment field today. However, it can be noted that an independent contractor does not operate based on their requirements of the Job. And on the other hand, employees are necessitated to work for a period that is not stated where their conduct can be established as irregular. Appropriate classification of workers is essential as it benefits both parties. This, therefore, shows that a lack of an employer to provide working benefits does not directly classify the worker as an independent contractor. An employee is under the full control of their employer while the contractor works in providing his or her expertise and knowledge in exchange for salaries for a limited time period. The classification is based on performance control, working requires as well as the nature of the work.
References
Risteau, D. (2016). American payroll association basic guide to payroll 2016. Place of publication not identified: Wolters Kluwer Law & Bus.
United States department of labor. (2016). Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Misclassification Of Employees As Independent Contractors. Retrieved From: https://www.dol.gov/whd/workers/misclassification/
Weil D. (2015). Fair Labor Standards in Identification Of Employees Who Are Classified As Independent Contractors. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/whd/workers/misclassification/ai-2015_1.htm
Flextime enables the employees to attain a work life balance so that they can spend more time attending personal matters such as families or hobbies. It also allows the employees to travel to work in appropriate time, when they can avoid rush hours and therefore arrive while refreshed and their concentration level will be quite high. Employers can also manage to retain their top performers given the increased work place morale and satisfaction. On the other hand, flextime has some pitfalls. Without a supervisor’s presence, difficulties may arise with employees who need direction on their duties or to take initiative. Some may also fail to follow the guidelines provided on working hours, so that they spend less than required time (Aquinas, 2010).
To prevent the situation from occurring, Kathy should have ensured that there is clear and open communication with the employees so that they understand their responsibilities in regard to agrees upon working schedule. Kathy should also have carried out some supervision so as to recognize the problem at its inception.
Kathy could also have ensured consistency and precision when preparing the flextime. This could involve having a policy that is detailed and outlining the departments that would be or would not be eligible for such flextime. It would also involve breaking up the employees into a team schedule for the flextime. For instance, team A would alternate with team B in the schedule to ensure that clients are served without interruptions. In addition, the flextime policy would ensure that protocol for communication related to work and logging hours and other expectations are put in place before employees can start on schedules (Tatara, 2002).
Reference
Tatara, I. E. (2002). HR how-to: work-life benefits. Chicago, Ill, CCH Inc. 115
AQUINAS, P. G. (2010). Organization structure and design: applications and challenges. New Delhi, Excel Books. 186
Each and everything that one does either affects his or her life positively or negatively, it only depends if it is good or bad. The things that people go through on their daily lives also affect their lives thus one may become stressed because of work pressure of pressure from friends and family. In order to combat stress, I usually work hard, as this reduces my chances of being stressed. Due to working hard, I am usually rewarded and this really helps me in combating stress. Moreover, I usually read the bible, and follow the word of the lord (Chapter 4). This not only makes me to grow spiritually, but it also gives me ideas on how to cope with different situations. Through reading the bible and following its commands, I have been able to avoid stress and to overcome the fear to live happily.
Due to the pressure that I usually get either from friends or family, I usually do a lot of physical exercises, in order to reduce burnout and fatigue. Through doing exercises my body becomes fit, the pumping of blood by my heart becomes smooth and I can be able to relax. This not only helps me to reduce fatigue but it also helps me to be able to reduce my chances of falling sick. Moreover, I also take bible study seriously, whereby it helps me to live according to the will of the lord and not according to the way I want to live (Chapter 26).
Chapter 26 - Work Stress and Burnout Among Nurses: Role of the Work Environment and Working Conditions," by Jennings, from Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses (2008). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2668/
Planning: I was the head of a group discussion where we held discussions of what we learned in the class so that we could easily understand and help each other on the areas we had difficulties in. planning involved set goals that we should have to accomplish at the end of the semester (Robbins & Judge, 2007). This meant that I had to come up with a discussion schedule that will help every member of the group to know what was to be discussed so that they could gather enough materials for the work and prepare some questions that they needed clarification on. Organizing meant that I had to develop the group structure so that we may what a member may want us to discuss is well planned for and that every one of us was an equal member (Robbins & Judge, 2007). This meant that I had to put into consideration all the members want to enhance mutual benefit. I successful led our discussion team in achieving our objective as we all recorded a huge improvement in our final exams. This was encouraging as I had achieved my role as a leader. As a group leader, I had to control the group discussion was contained in accordance with the topic and that there was no time we discussed other students or teachers. This was made possible by having rules that all of us observed.
I believe that managers use controlling most of the times. Effective controlling requires an understanding and proper planning that should work together in order to achieve the objectives (Schermerhorn, 2010). It was the first type of leadership that I applied the POLC model to the end. Although it was a tremendous journey for me I would like to more collaborative so that I can be a great facilitator and a motivator to the group.
Reference
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2007). Organizational behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Schermerhorn, J. R. (2010). Management. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.
According to my research the federal government should raise the minimum wage because it would highly weaken the workforce as well as the economy. Low wages are expensive especially for the employers will be forced to make tough decisions in order to absorb the mandated increase to the production cost. The process will generally take the form of reduced hiring hours which has got negative employment impact especially in the tough economy. In my research it was to my attention that raising minimum wage will only favour those individuals who already have jobs, at the expenses of the unemployed. The workers in this case will tend to receive marginal additional wages, for the unskilled as well as the less educated they will be left out to jobless hence; unable to find a job.
Increasing minimum wage rates negatively affects the society since it fails to alleviate the poverty levels as well as addressing the unemployment state. In my research I found that there is no relationship between an increased minimum wage and eradication of poverty although there is a believe that the low-skilled workers especially those in the poor families experience an income raise when the wage rate is raised, many will lose their jobs thus; have their hours extensively cut.
Increasing minimum wage tends to have a ripple effect on the employee’s salary wages. The impact of the legal minimum wage on revenues remunerated at the low end of the salary distribution is well recognized in the law which involves the U.S policy makers which continues to engage in an active debate over the minimum incomes. The law suggest that with increase of minimum wage rate there will be a ripple effect on the workers thereby; focus only on those workers on minimal salary (Durham & Baurer, 2015).
References
Durham, C. D., & Baurer, E. (2015). U.S. Department of Labor Final Rule Raises Minimum Wage for Federal Contract Workers. Employee Relations Law Journal, 40(4), 47-49.
Organizational culture is very central to organizations because it can serve as the strongest asset or largest liability. This is because firms that have strong cultures that cannot be imitated enjoy a competitive edge and this serves as a business strategy for them. Research has continually related a firm’s organizational culture to its performance in terms of various success indicators like sales volume, stock prices and market share (Saylor Academy, n.d). Firms ensure that their culture is matches its environmental demands. To confirm words Lew Gerstner, changing the organizational culture is one of the biggest challenges that a company can face. Getting people to collaborate in changing behavior face a lot of resistance from within. The culture is ingrained in the DNA of the firms there for any effort to introduce culture make people very uncomfortable. Changing the culture of a firm should include various steps that consist of communication to the employees about the need for the change developing a sense of urgency. Introducing a new culture can involve changing management and other major players of the firm. This makes it possible for a change to be made at the highest places. Managers can also be role models by embracing changes thus serving as an example to others (Saylor Academy, n.d).
For a firm to be listed among the best performers, it means that their culture aligns to the goals and objectives of the firm thus acting as a driving force (John, 2015). There have been many scandals arising from the violation of ethical codes of major companies and such incidences happen over a period. This has seen such scandals arise in cycles where a period of silent is followed by cases of far reaching scandals. Overtime, I have come across ethical code violation among individuals who want to use shortcuts in serving personal interests especially in public offices.
References
John,B.(2015). Motivation, Productivity and Change Management. Research Starters: Business. 1-6
Saylor Academy(n.d). Introduction to Principles of Management. Retrieved from: Saylor URL:
The article addresses the purpose of financial management in a firm as it is a significant tool that assists in achieving stability of the firm in the long term. It is important as it focuses to the relevant problems that a firm faces (Saksonova, & Savina, 2016). This is because poor financial management results to the firm’s inability to stabilize its self and grow in value. Through correctly chosen strategies a firm is able to enhance growth despite the constantly changing economic environment.
The article addresses the issue of firm stability and growth through a financial strategy that aims at increasing the value, marketing strategy by focusing on increasing the market share in operation, client and services, personnel management and through technology management strategy. The targets of the strategies are achieved through quantifying major aspects. A better approach directed to the firm is to focus on maximizing the value of the firm which includes various elements such as stable dividends, maximization of firm output and increasing the shareholder's value (Saksonova, & Savina, 2016).
From the article, it is true to say that financial management innovation approach aims at increasing the value of the firm rather than increasing the profits only. This has been facilitated by the modern markets economies that are as a result of efficient financial management (Saksonova, & Savina, 2016). The analysis of the firm has helped in the discovery of the firm problems that relates to its value. The analysis has provided a practice that can be adopted by the firm to enhance proper valuation.
The interesting part in the article is that financial management plays a critical role in the firm’s value. It has addressed how problems threatening the firm growth and value and how they should are dealt with by providing suggestions on how to resolve the problems (Saksonova, & Savina, 2016). The article also identifies the key problems of financial management and how to account for the firm's value and discounted cash flow.
Reference
Saksonova, S., & Savina, S. (2016). Financial Management as a Tool for Achieving Stable Firm Growth. Economics & Business, 29(1), 49-55. doi:10.1515/eb-2016-0021
In-house capabilities can be used to make a product when such an item is important to the performance of the firm, especially when time is sensitive or it’s prone to various changes in terms of design. It is important in such cases to have tight control over logistics and production of the product if the company wants assurance of availability of such a product when and where required and that quality requirements are met. On the other hand, companies may choose to buy that product or put up a manufacturing process for such product normally because the item or the production process is seen as being strategic to the business. In buying, the company’s aim is to eliminate any burden on the balance sheet that is put by the by the manufacturing process, minimize on unit costs, attain flexibility to maximize or minimize output because of demand changes (Weygand, Kieso & Kimmel, 2010).
A company may choose a buy solution and therefore source all aspects of the production process for a particular product, product line and even the business. The decision to buy should be given a lot of weight whereby the company must carry out an evaluation of the core competencies that are measured against the set standards before abandoning the make choice. A consideration to be reviewed is whether the company’s manufacturing capabilities can meet the desired quality standards. Another consideration is the external suppliers –firms that are chosen to for the purpose of outsourcing – who must be evaluated rigorously. Key indicators like business strategies, innovation and design skills, engineering capabilities and policies of the supplier should be examined so that to avoid the mistake of contracting inefficient suppliers (Weygand, Kieso & Kimmel, 2010).
Case study
A company has to make a decision on whether to make software installed through outsourcing o making the software by themselves. The make option would cost the company $25000 while buying would cost $17,000. This means that the difference between the buy and options in terms of cost is $8,000. The make option would attract a monthly fee of $2,500 while the buy option would attract $ 2,700 of the fees, resulting to a difference of $200. The strategies involved in this decision making process involve the cost for buying or making and time to be needed in replacing or making it. As such, the decision to make the software would be buying it if the replacement can be made within 40 months and make the product if the replacement will not be done within a period of 40 months.
Analysis
The make or buy decision depicted above can be explored from a firm’s strategic decision point of view. The cost consideration indicates that economic factors play a vital role in determining what decision to make. Such considerations include the effect of buying on capital expenditures, return on capital invested, return on the software as an asset and the possible savings that would be obtained through the buy decision. Initially, outsourcing was mainly aimed at cost reduction but there is no proof that this process is forward-thinking. Firms that depend on outsourcing majorly as a means of reducing expenses fundamentally base their decision on the cost estimates involved in in-house production against the variable cost related to outsourced manufacturing (DRURY, 2006). In the above case, the firm would consider the cost reduction attained after buying the software as compared to making it eternally. The variable costs such as the monthly fees would be major consideration in making a make or buy decision. In the above case, underestimating the cost that would be associated with damaging of the software in the process of having a supplier to outsource it is a common mistake. A firm that wants to remain on course in terms of the purpose of the software would have to consider that, outsourcing may result to failure in meeting the standards requirement. A failure is an additional cost that should be considered if the firm decides to buy the product. The availability of the manufacturer of the software is another issue that would inform he buy decision (MAHADEVAN, 2010). This involves the availability of an alternative maker of the initially contracted firm fails to deliver the software due to unavoidable circumstances.
Various steps or strategies can be applied in the form of make –or-buy framework bringing about assumptions can be directed into the final decision of on the aforementioned choices. Clearing the roles of the involved stakeholders means that the process of decision making is made to be consistent and clear. In the above case, giving clear responsibilities about who should oversee the evaluation of the decisions would bring about straight forward plans that ensure accountability, responsibilities, consultation and information sharing among the stakeholders. The process of decision making would, therefore, meet the right degree of involvement. The manufacturing strategy would involve the day to day articulation of terms to be observed in the process (Weygand, Kieso & Kimmel, 2010). This includes considering the core operations, the standards to be met in the process, the part of the software that would be given priority in manufacturing and such information would be a guide in the initial assessment of the make –buy question for the software. The other strategy involves identifying the potential manufactures of the software and certifying them. As discussed above, the decision to buy is normally affected by the availability of manufactures with capabilities that can meet the required standards. The certification process aims at recognizing the right supplier or manufacturer, auditing and selecting them based on proven quality, capacity and cost and this makes the buy decision to be the appropriate decision. In the above case, the firm would have to choose a supplier who would meet the cost requirement, and with the capability to direct the focus of the project towards other work items in the firm (Weygand, Kieso & Kimmel, 2010).
Cost consideration is a strategy that determines the make or buys decision in a big a way. A complete comparison will spell out competitiveness in terms of cost between the external and internal alternatives of supply (DRURY, 2006). If a simple comparison is made between internal cost of production and the quoted price by the manufacturing, a wrong decision on whether to buy or make may be made. The above firm would thus consider other factors such as fixed cost instead of just dwelling on the variable costs involved. Reassessing the manufacturing strategy would provide the company with a solid foundation for addressing the question of make-or-buy (MAHADEVAN, 2010). The decision process about the software would also require a change resulting from the threshold set up in the company on regulations, requirement of the process, cost of buying and service levels expected. If a decision is made about the software and later found to be the wrong one, it would call for a decision-revision so that the product is made in-house so that to ensure the requirements are met. Risk transfer can be a basis for a company to transfer risks that may arise from failure of the software to operate as intended. Such risks determine the make vs. buy alternatives and extent to which a careful analysis would carry out. In the above case, the firm would chose buying over make decision as a way of avoiding bearing the risk of an internally made software failing. It is strategy that involves being cautious with the decision made especially where internal capability cannot be trusted to assure the required standards (MAHADEVAN, 2010).
In conclusion, making a make-buy decision that will deliver on the firm’s requirement in terms of quality, time frame and cost will only be achieved if the business strategy adopted will align with overall organizational strategy. Such strategies would involve identify the capacity of the firm to develop software in-house and whether required standards can be achieved. The buy decision relates to identifying the right supplier or manufacturer, testing and certifying them to assess their capacity to deliver the needed quality of the software .though the make vs. buy decision may lack a clear answer , a strategy that is well defined can lead to making the appropriate decision.
References
WEYGANDT, J. J., KIESO, D. E., & KIMMEL, P. D. (2010). Managerial accounting: tools for business decision making. Hoboken, NJ, Wiley. 303
MAHADEVAN, B. (2010). Operations management: theory and practice. Upper Saddle River, Pearson. 346-347
DRURY, C. (2006). Management accounting for business. London, Thomson Learning. 90-92
An opportunity cost is described to an alternative cost that has been given up in the quest of pursuing a specific conduct (Mankiw, 2012). This cost can thus be evaluated in terms of utility or in monetary form. The opportunity cost theory acts as a significant function in scarce resources allocation. In the context of analyzing cost opportunity cost is seen as the flow of cash that can be provided by the corporation’s assets. Trade off must be in existence in the quest of determining the allocation of the specific resources. For instance last year our sitting room was being remodeled and therefore we traveled to Italy the opportunity cost of having fun with the family was derived based on the remodeling idea (Mankiw, 2012).
Question 2
Capital rationing refers to the fact that a corporation lacks the necessary resources in funding all the projects that are available. This, therefore, means that the needs of the fund are more than the resources that the corporation can provide. In this case, the available resources are thus allocated only to those projects that will result in maximum benefits to the firm. These are those projects that are bound to increase the share to the shareholders before other resources are generated (Baker & English, 2011).
Question 3
The greatest benefit of ARR is based on that it is simple to compute because all the accounting information can be accessed easily but the mode of cash flow estimation tends to be challenging. The disadvantage of this approach is that it fails in discounting the flow of cash because it provides income averages based on time periods (Mankiw, 2012).
Question 4
The concept of incremental analysis is utilized in developing decisions through an analysis of financial data required to make suitable decisions. This is accomplished because the analysis assists in the identification of relevant costs as well as the available alternatives and highlighting the expected effects (Mankiw, 2012).
Question 5
The term you receive what you measured implies that results are generated based on the particular things that are measured because they are the major determinant of the results.
Question 6
Information technology provides organizations with the capability of organizing large financial and utility databases, schedules and other significant information plans. Information technology increases the responsiveness of business to opportunities (Baker & English, 2011).
Question 7
Relevant range is a description of the particular activity that is restricted by both minimal as well as maximum amounts. This, therefore, implies to the range derived from a restricted range of revenues (Baker & English, 2011).
Question 8
A sample of variable costs includes direct materials and production supplies and on the other hand a sample of fixed coast includes salaries and depreciations (Baker & English, 2011).
References
Baker, H. K., & English, P. (2011). Capital budgeting valuation: Financial analysis for today's investment projects. (Capital budgeting valuation.) Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Mankiw, N. G. (2012). Principles of macroeconomics. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Conflict within a team arises as a result of members of the team having different viewpoints under a given circumstance. These differences escalate conflict which if handled well it can be advantageous to the team or if mishandled it may contribute to the demise of the team (Scannell, 2010). In order to achieve the main objective of the team, it is advisable to have interventions in the event that a conflict arises during the discussion. This is because it will restrain the involved member to make the argument personal. Interventions may help in controlling the argument as other members may interject and raise other issue or add some value to the said view cooling off the argument process (Scannell, 2010).
Appointing a mediator in the team is beneficial to the whole team as a whole because the mediator understands where the group stands in. A mediator is supposed to be neutral so that the course of judgment to be taken will be fair (Scannell, 2010). This ensures that the discussions are held in the context of the objective that each viewpoint of each member is valued and there is no intimidation. A mediator ensures that each team member feels appreciated and no member is valued than the other. Resolving conflict in the team ensure that there are a better understanding and appreciation of the various viewpoints of the members (Scannell, 2010). The process of resolving conflict facilitates the development of skills to the team members as they are sure that their points will be considered promoting a healthy balance in the different constructive opinions thus avoiding the negative conflict that is disruptive and destructive (Scannell, 2010).
Reference
Scannell, M. (2010). The big book of conflict resolution games: Quick, effective activities to improve communication, trust, and collaboration. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Workplace Sexual orientation discrimination is currently a critical issue. Sexually oriented individuals are among the minority groups in the working sectors in the world today (Köllen, 76). The society holds a negative perception against these peoples their personal performance and that of the organization is normally affected. The workforce today is becoming diversified in the context of gender, religion, ethnicity and sexual orientation as well. Sexual orientation stills stand as the so referred to as the final acceptable and the existing prejudice in the society as well as in corporations comparative to other diversity dimensions. Sexually oriented persons are continuously subjected with difficulties which range from the pressure to remain closeted whose opposition may result in work dismissal. Discrimination is not acceptable because it involves the general act of treating an individual different based on a particular perception (Baumle, 254). Workplace sexual orientation judgment may result to unmotivated and unsatisfied employees thus affecting output and performance. It is, therefore, essential to establish whether this form of judgment in the work industry affects individual’s performance and the general productivity of the corporation. This paper will seek to investigate whether workplace sexual orientation discrimination affects individual’s performance and organization’s productivity.
Research Methodology
A mixed methodology will be utilized in this research. The research design is described as the structurally built plan then is to be used for the objective of presenting an investigation of research questions. Research methodology is a designed plan in providing answers to research study questions. This research will thus use random sampling approach as a descriptive research design. This will be objected on the investigation of how sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace impacts performance.
Research Method
Simple random sampling process and qualitative design will be used in the research which will incorporate both quantitative and qualitative processes will be selected with the objective of eliminating the occurrence of biases. Qualitative design that will be utilized in this study will entail the use of questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires will involve both closed and open-ended queries. This will assist in warranting that maximum information is developed to increase the credibility and reliability of the study (Singh, 1). This data will thus contribute to developing a well-established and organized understanding of the sexual orientation discrimination issue in the context of reducing performance. A descriptive method was selected because it provides accurate and detailed finds since the chances of omission and misinterpretation are reduced (Singh, 2). The qualitative approach will safeguard to generate an expressive purpose that is set through sampling the whole population objectively by the utilization of observations, questionnaires, and interviews. On the other hand, a qualitative approach will use quantifiable data in the formulation and uncovering of study’s patterns. This will thus involve the utilization of both interviews and observations in generating additional information.
Sexual orientation is a critical issue in the society today the employees will be required by the researcher to fill their feedbacks in questionnaires which will help in maintaining and safeguarding confidence. Qualitative and quantitative approach elements will thus assist in answering whether sexual orientation discrimination in their workplace affects their performance as well as productivity of the organization (Lim, 9). This will help to understand whether discrimination based on individual sexual orientation is a demotivation and dissatisfaction factor.
The rationale behind utilizing mixed study approach that involves qualitative and qualitative designs as well as random sampling approach is to get maximum information from the population. Additionally, a mixed methodology is essential in providing comparable data which is effective in generating accurate findings and a well-developed analysis of the issue (Katsirikou, Anthi, and Christos, 112). The mixed methodology will work to ensure that the provided information is utilized as a source of reference in the future while seeking to develop solutions to sexual orientation discrimination relative matters. This will be achieved through providing future scholars with appropriate strategies and further investigations grounds based on the recommendation provided. It is essential to note that the incorporation of qualitative, quantitative design and random sampling assists in maintaining the reliability and accuracy of research because the obtained feedback from the respondents can be summarized and analyzed in the later period which increases efficiency (Katsirikou, Anthi, and Christos, 112).
Random sampling surveys that will be utilized completely to ensure that there are no chances of biases while selecting the target population. Random sampling is essential for the research as it pursues to safeguard that the provided feedback from all the respondents is reliable and accurate thus developing study’s efficiency (Katsirikou, Anthi, and Christos, 112). The utilization of simple sampling is effective in ascertaining that each person in the target population is well incorporated. The research study population is five persons from an organization. The employees will thus hold equal opportunities as the method has no impact on the target population. The quantitative and qualitative approach will seek to answer how sexual orientation discrimination affects work performance.
Sampling
The target population for this study will be an organization employees and one leader in the particular organization. The participants will be selected from the management, mid-level, and junior employees. The research will involve both male and female genders which are an incorporation of lesbians, gay, and transgender which will eradicate biases. A list of the 50 employees from the organization will be used as the sample frame in which the lost will be outsourced from the employee’s database in the organization with the consent of the company.
A study population will be required because is characterized by accessibility, low cost, as well as target elements availability. Sampling is significant to this study because is additionally associated with high processing speed and simplicity in analyzing the collected data as compared to other approaches that are linked to complexity (Vogt, Gardner, & Haeffele, 2012). This approach is significant in safeguarding efficiency and accuracy of the research.
This research will test a sample from those employees who have worked for more than three years in the particular organization. This will be conducted because the sample is expected to provide more relevant and accurate responses based on their broadened working experience. The sample population will thus be able to maximum provide responses to my research queries on the grounds of their working knowledge. Those employees who have a short working period may generate inaccurate and unreliable data as they have no real and adequate experience of the effects of sexual orientation discrimination on individuals and origination’s performance.
The language background for the sample is English background. The language was selected to pursue the objective of providing reliable and simplified data that can be interpreted easily. This will help in certain that as a researcher I will not experience interpretations issues in the process of summarizing and analyzing the information. Language interpretation issues may result in misinterpretation, the high cost of acquiring an interpreter as well as inaccuracy while generating research findings (Vogt, Gardner, and Lynne, 15). The employees mean ages will be 35 since the selection will be done from 30 years and above who have developed organization’s experience.
The sample population will thus be chosen on the grounds of language, age and working experience. However, those below the age of thirty years and have a working experience of three years and above will be incorporated in the sampling.
Data Collection Methods
The collection of data tools that will be utilized in this research will involve the utilization of interviews, questionnaires as well survey tools. The interviews will be performed personally be performed by the researcher from the organization at a particular period. This will engage asking questions to the respondents and noting down the responses. With permission from the respondent, the researcher will record some responses for further evaluation and reference. The information will be summarized and later followed by data analysis.
Questionnaires will be used in collecting data through administering questionnaires to the sampled population via email. The completed questionnaires will then be sent back to the researcher’s address at the agreed time. This will contain both closed and open-ended queries to gather maximum information. The researcher will later gather all the returned questionnaires to summarize and analyze the findings. A pretesting will be done on the collection tools which will involve making consideration of instruments efficiency.
Confidentiality of the responses will be maintained since the questionnaires will be returned to my individual email and the data acquired using all the collection tools will be summarized and analyzed personally by the researcher. The study’s ethical consideration is ensuring that all the participants fill a permission form to permit the researcher to use their responses to the study’s findings. Filling and signing the form will imply that consent is provided.
Permission Form
Research Title: Workplace Sexual Orientation Discrimination
Please complete by ticking inside the boxes or leaving the spaces blank.
I hereby grant the researcher my permission to use my response in this research, having read and understood the purpose and every detail of the study.
I endorse that I have read all the information for the study above, developed adequate comprehension and got an opportunity to pose questions.
I understand that my contribution is voluntary and that am permitted to withdraw it at any period without providing any rationale.
I hereby permit the researcher to utilize my contributions in achieving the purpose of the study.
I hereby agree to participate in this study.
Participant’s Name …………… Date …………………… Signature…………
Researcher’s Name ………….. Date ……………………….. Signature………..
Questions
Please answer the questions below with as much honesty and accuracy as possible. Thank you for your contribution.
Employee’s name: ……………………….
Employee’s working identification number: …..... Date: …………….
Fill the following please……….
Personal Details
Age……..
Gender ………….
Language ………..
Marital status…………..
Education level……………
Phone number………
Address………..
Please indicate where you experience discrimination based on your sexual orientation status?
Yes ( )
No ( )
Maybe ( )
Question 1: please fill in your working period in the company?
Question 2: what kind of discrimination have you been subjected to while in the organization?
Question 3: how has the previously mentioned discrimination experience affected your performance?
Question 4: please describe your full experience so far in regard to workplace sexual orientation discrimination?
Question 5: Does discrimination of sexual oriented persons decrease the organization’s productivity?
Question 6: How is performance and sexual orientation discrimination related?
(Select one)
Workplace sexual orientation discernment resulted in reduced motivation and low productivity
Sexual orientation discernment does not affect performance
Sexual orientation discernment and performance are not associated
Question 7: Describe the outcome of workplace sexual judgment on organization’s productivity.
Question 8: Explain why sexual orientation diversity acceptance can positively impact an organization.
Question 9: Apart from productivity and performance how else does work place sexual judgment affect employees and the organization?
References
Baumle, Amanda K. International Handbook on the Demography of Sexuality. Dordrecht: Springer, 2013. Print.
Katsirikou, Anthi, and Christos H. Skiadas. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries: Theory and Applications : Proceedings of the International Conference on Qqml2009, Chania, Crete, Greece, 26-29 May 2009. Singapore: World Scientific, 2010. Internet resource.
Köllen, Thomas. Sexual Orientation and Transgender Issues in Organizations: Global Perspectives on Lgbt Workforce Diversity. , 2016. Internet resource.
Lim, Weng M. Research Methodology: A Toolkit of Sampling and Data Analysis Techniques for Quantitative Research. Place of publication not identified: Grin Verlag, 2013. Print.
Singh, Yogesh K. Fundamental of Research Methodology and Statistics. New Delhi: New Age International, 2006. Internet resource.
Vogt, W P, Dianne C. Gardner, and Lynne M. Haeffele. When to Use What Research Design. New York: Guilford Press, 2012. Print.
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