Effective Strategies Essay Example for Free

Effective Strategies Essay â€Å"Some unions feel that the organization does not compensate its members fairly, or that the organizational working conditions are less than desirable. Conversely, some employers feel that unions interfere with management decisions and impede on a positive relationship between managers and employees. There may be some truth to both perceptions† (Ashford University). I will provide a â€Å"†¦detailed explanation of the effective strategies an organization can implement to create and maintain a conducive working relationship with unions, as well as the effective strategies a union can implement to create and maintain a conducive working relationship with management† (Ashford University). I will begin by briefly describing the role of management in an organization. Management is responsible for the smooth running of the company. Keeping employees happy on the job would be one of the duties involved. Keeping up with industry standards and always moving forward with innovation, while heeding all safety regulations and laws. Working with and not against the flow of the operation to be successful while making a profit is where management can soar. Secondly I will briefly discuss the role of a union in an organization. A basic requirement of unions is that members give up their individual rights (e.g., raises based on performance) to benefit the collective (e.g., cost of living increases to all employees). Is this equitable and fair? Well members of unions negotiate as a group with the employer and this ensures more power than if they were just alone on their own. While it has been documented that union employees make 27 percent more than nonunion workers. Ninety-two percent of union workers have job-related health coverage versus 68 percent for nonunion workers. Union workers also have a great advantage over nonunion workers in securing guaranteed pensions (howstuffworks.com). This is the bright side of union membership, so it seems that giving up rights to obtain these advantages would be sound advice. In my opinion if the union performs the duties the member/employee signed up for, then yes it would be equitable and fair to give up their rights. On the other hand if the union  performed poorly in its duties, I would consider leaving for another position elsewhere. Some of the positives that involve unions would be the capitalist ideas that make this country what it is today. Unions are there for each employee who is represented by them and protected in the work place from unfair tactics. â€Å"Capitalism is directed towards the pursuit of profits and unions are directed towards the rights of workers.† The way these opposing viewpoints can be advantageous, yet destructive, to the business community depends on the way they balance the two. A profits interest is often referred to as a carried interest. A profits interest is typically given as a reward for the performance of services (myllcagreement.com) This method serves as an incentive for partners to become more proactive in pursuing bigger and better profits thus contributing towards the companies growth (investopedia.com). Growth is essential to the success of the business and the union, without losing sight of the interests of the employee (member). Growth indicates a profit is made and a company should hold in high esteem the people who made this so. So as a company grows it should ensure the employees are happy and treated fairly. They should not lose sight of the bottom line which is the business itself: them and the employees. Unions step up to make sure the employee is treated right with fair conditions and proper raises as the company moves forward. The destructive issue could occur if the employee was not rewarded as the profits increased. An unhappy employee will make for an unsuccessful business. There are some downsides to unions. Let me first say that strikes are a big part of what could possibly be the one downside, if issues do not work for the benefit of the employee represented. Although strikes were intended to get management’s attention, â€Å"The incidence of strikes has been almost steadily decreasing, and strikes now consume a minuscule portion of total working time—in the neighborhood of one-twentieth of 1 percent in most recent years† (Sloane, 2010, pg. 4). Many times a settlement takes place which will avert a strike and this is when both sides reach a compromise. If a strike ensues only a percentage of employees’ wages are paid, if they participate in picket duty. But, â€Å"For most unionized employees who agree to strike: †¢They stop getting a paycheck. †¢Their family’s healthcare and dental benefits are suspended. †¢They are not  eligible to receive state unemployment benefits. †¢Their job can be filled with a replacement worker.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Their job can be impacted in the future, if there is a loss of customers during the strike† (cintasfreedomtochoose.com). Depending on the results of the strike, winning or losing could alter the reputation of the union and also of the employer, for better or worse depending on the results. Appropriate circumstances where a strike would be an appropriate bargaining tactic would be when a failure to communicate occurs and further negotiations need to happen. A total breakdown in communication is most always when strikes occur. Sometimes though strikes occur in an inappropriate manner and this is when the employee suffers. It is when this happens or when the public welfare is affected that a strike would be deemed inappropriate. There are many global major players are union run, I realistically know that we would be in a world of trouble without them, in example: AFL-CIO and the SEIU. To be honest with you I have the impression that unions such as these actually perform better on a political platform. With all the money and power there comes responsibility, and more often than not we hear about the corruption unions flex influencing (lobbying) individuals in the position to pass laws with ‘dark money’. â€Å"Dark Money? AFL-CIO accused of campaigning without disclosing† (watchdog.org). This in no way seems to be connected with the absolute values unions initially professed, which was to stand up for the worker and give strength to the small guy. Now as things have progressed, the red tape becomes likened to fly paper, very sticky. Unions favorably represent the needs of the higher ups and I give again the article in our Course Materials about the ‘Bitter Bargain’. The bigger the union size the less likely the small guy’s needs will be met, since large money/power weld negative actions. But with a small union it becomes an intimate task to please your members and therefore a more positive vibe is felt. â€Å"Selected Evidence About Globalization’s Impact on the U.S. Labor Market Effects on Overall Incomes and Wages† (dol.gov) is another issue that affects the bottom line of the globally competitive work environment. Free trade influences the profits or losses/jobs or unemployment of this country. It makes one wonder if this is not why large unions have become much like a small country with a government playing king of the hill. I will present two strategies/actions an organization can  implement to create and maintain a conducive, working relationship with unions. Employers set the pay scale for each job and two strategies/actions they implement to keep the peace with union members is to use the comparative norm strategy and the ability-to-pay (cost of living increase). There are different circumstances where it would be more appropriate for an organization to follow the comparative norm strategy to determine an employees wage rate, versus the ability-to-pay or the cost of living strategy. Depending on the industry the employee is in will be the determining factor in whether the employer has the capabilities to meet economic demands. There are classifications in the different industries, and even subgroups within the different industries. Another factor at work that divides the comparative norm would be job titles. Each place of work has a different description for job titles and they vary greatly, so in many situations a certain wage would not be appropriate for employees at different work places with the same title. Wage systems are another way that the comparative norm may not work, since the pay may be ‘by hour’, incentive systems paid individually, and group incentive systems. Benefits cannot go unnoticed and are a part of the pay system. Depending on where you live in the nation may also have an impact on the wage an employee is given (i.e. cost of living differences). Typically the minimum wage increase I have experience with would be the annual 4% cost of living wage, and this is in the American south west states. Profits made by the company you work for hold major criterion on the ability to pay a cost of living increase. In the engineering world in which I worked as a drafter for over 30 years competition to obtain the best workers and keep them is all based on wages and benefits. If some other company wanted to pull you away from your employer, they would offer more money and/or better benefits. I can recall a time when my wages were increased significantly when another company made me an offer. Finally, I will present a minimum of two strategies/actions a union can implement to create and maintain a conducive, working relationship with management. Grievances and arbitration are two of the main strategies/actions that keep the peace while a member of a union. â€Å"Grievance legal definition: A claim by a union or a unionized employee that a collective bargaining agreement has been breached†¦. The formal document in which a union claims that the employer has breached the collective  bargaining agreement and for which, arbitration is convened† (duhaime.org). The way the use of the grievance and arbitration processes and procedures can enhance the relationship between a union and management is that is can reach a position that both parties can find common ground and satisfaction. Where this same effort can be destructive is when the breakdown in trust and commitment fall into place where once the opposite was true. Monetary losses occur at this point and sometimes the union fails to properly represent the employee and resentment occurs. When â€Å"†¦confusion and uncertainty in the area of employer–employee relations† (Sloane, 2010, pg. 217) occurs, both parties lose. In conclusion, we all know that unions have their place in our society and can be run using effective strategies that have proven to work in the past and changing those strategies as new ideas surface in the workplace, effectively. There is a place for unions and people who would benefit from them. In assessing the changing complexion of the U.S. labor force two things come to mind: baby boomers and immigrants. Why, because these types of workers may find unionization attractive. New retirees and new citizens might be looking for jobs where unions have a foothold: like grocers. Do not forget the fiasco with the strikers in California who fought for 5 months and got something unwanted. â€Å"United Food and Commercial Workers’ Union†¦ The ratified contract contains no raises for the 70,000 supermarket workers it covers, but it does preserve most health benefits for current employees. However, new workers will receive lower wages and fewer benefits. Many workers said they voted for the contract reluctantly. The lengthy labor dispute took an emotional and financial toll† (Bitter Bargain). This will be copied, presumably, by fellow unions, and it leads to a running comment that unions no longer provide for the common worker as its mission statement once led its members to believe. Leaving citizens with less money in their pocket when benefits are not included on payday will erode the backbone of unions. It used to be 35% of American workers belonged to a union in 1959, now a fraction of that is true. Additionally predictions have commented that some baby boomers will exit the workforce leading to a â€Å"lower (the) overall labor force participation rate, leading to a slowdown in the growth of the labor force† (Toossi). This comes from the other side of the podium in the in the debate of how labor force will be affected. The complexion of America has changed and without changing for the better, I  fear unions will run their course, or transform into a totally new idea, without all the corruption that comes with power and money. Unions are here to stay and change is on the way if using effective strategies are on the agenda. References Retrieved from article by Mitra Toossi: http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2005/11/art3full.pdf` Bitter Bargain: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june04/strike_3-1.html# Retrieved from: http://www.dol.gov/oasam/programs/history/herman/reports/futurework/conference/trends/trendsVI.htm Sloane, A., Witney, F. (2010). Labor relations. (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. Pearson Learning Solutions. VitalBook file. Retrieved from: http://watchdog.org/131467/money-afl-cio-union/ Retrieved from: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/profits-interest.asp Retrieved from: http://www.myllcagreement.com/relevant-articles/what_is_the_difference_between_profits_interest_and_capital_interest.html Retrieved from: http://money.howstuffworks.com/labor-union2.htm Retrieved from: http://www.cintasfreedomtochoose.com/strikes.asp Retrieved from: http://www.duhaime.org/LegalDictionary/G/Grievance.aspx

Bless Me, Ultima Essay -- essays research papers

The loss of innocence in life is an inevitable process. Losing one’s innocence comes merely by growing up. The philosophy of the loss of one’s innocence is a definite theme in the book Bless Me, Ultima. This theme is displayed throughout the entire story and plot of the novel. There is loss of innocence all around the main character, Tony, with his brothers and the people he meets. Tony also loses a great deal of his own innocence to the harsh realities of the world which marks his transition from a boy to a man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme of the loss of innocence covers the entire essence of the book. There are many cases in the story where people had lost their innocence of life and it was lost to them forever. Tony’s brothers are of such a case. They had gone to war to fight for their country and explore the world. But as they yearned and sought the outside and how it was, they lost their innocence in the process. Being in war they saw death and destruction which soiled their once virgin eyes. Although they gained knowledge and experience they were becoming no longer young and gay, but were becoming mature and knowledgeable. Growing at such a fast pace was a regretful process, that even Andrew advised Tony to not grow too fast but that would not happen as we know.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another example of loss of innocence in the book would be Tony’s friends. The gang seems to be fairly innocent enough but they ...

Informative Speech: Barbie Essay

With more than 150 careers on her resume she has worked as a Nurse, lifeguard, dance teacher and even astronaut. Her popularity has spread throughout the world for decades. She is beautiful, talented and every little girl has yearned to have her. Who is this woman you may ask? Her name is Barbie. I will be speaking about the History, popularity, and controversies of the Barbie doll. The Barbie doll was invented by a woman named Ruth Handler in 1959. Ruth had a daughter named Barbra and noticed that she would make paper dolls and enjoyed giving them adult roles. During that time there were not many dolls that were adult like. Most represented infants known as the baby doll. Ruth shared her idea with her husband who was the co founder of the Mattel Toy Company. Initially he was unenthusiastic about the idea. Saying that the idea was to expensive and wouldn’t be marketable. Ruth’s idea was inspired by the Lilli doll which was based on a popular comic strip. The Lilli doll was a blonde bombshell, working girl who Ruth felt represented women in a positive view. Despite Ruth’s initial support from her husband she worked on her design of the doll with her engineer friend Jack Ryan. The doll was given the name Barbie named after Ruth’s daughter Barbara. The doll debuted at the American International Toy fair March 9, 1959. This date is also used as Barbie’s birthday. When the Barbie Doll was launched she was introduced as a teenage fashion model. She was available in blonde or brunette wearing a black and white bathing suit, pony tail, sandals and e6ar rings. Over the years the Barbie design has changed in many ways. For example, in 1971 the dolls eyes were adjusted to look forward instead of a sideways glance. In 1961 a red haired Barbie was added to the collection. 19 years later in 1980 the first African American and Hispanic Barbie doll was launched. Ever since 1959 the Barbie doll phenomenon has not slowed down and still sells millions of dolls per year today. The Barbie doll was a breath of fresh air for children and the toy industry which leads me to my next topic the Barbie dolls popularity. The Barbie doll is one of the most successful dolls in history, with sales of more than 1.7 billion in 1998. According to the Mattel Toy Company, 3 Barbies are sold every 2 seconds throughout the world. Today, Barbie has become a brand and is not limited to just dolls. There are video  games, computer programs that allow young g irls to design outfits for Barbie and of course movies. Barbie appeared in toy story 2 and 3 as a supporting character to woody and Buzz light year. Time Square even named one of the streets Barbie Avenue for a week. The Barbie doll has been a growing favorite for little girls all over the world. A billion Barbie’s have been sold worldwide in over 150 countries. There are more options as to what type of Barbie that can be bought which I believe ads to its popularity. Because the Barbie brand offers so much variety as far as race and ethnicity, occupation, and fashion trends the brand has made history with this invention. Eight months after Barbie’s debut at Toy Fair. Ruth Handler was according to the Los Angeles Times running a half- million dollar business. Ruth states in her book â€Å"Dream Doll†; I designed the doll with a blank face so that the child could project her own dreams and future onto Barbie†. Ruth’s vision for her doll was to be positive and to help young girls self esteem. She felt it was important for children to have a realistic view of women through the doll. With that being said many people did not agree with her and the Barbie doll caused a lot of controversy. One criticism that the Barbie doll received was from moms stating that they felt it was inappropriate to have a doll with breast. Ruth Stated in an interview â€Å"I believe it is important to a little girls self-esteem to play with a doll that has breast, besides one day she too will have breast and she is beautiful†. Another huge controverserial topic was the body image. If Barbie was to be a real women her measurements would be a 36† breast 18† waist and 33† hip if Barbie was a human she would not be able to stand up straight because her body was not proportioned of a normal women, An academic expert n=by the name of John Hay stated that the likelihood of a women being shaped like Barbie was less than 1 in 100,000. Many people felt that this was not giving a realistic to young girls view on how a women’s body is shaped. Critics felt that young girls would believe that if they are not shaped like Barbie they would have poor body image and could lead to eating disorders. Although the Barbie brand came out with their first African American and Hispanic doll in 1980, some of the African American community was not happy about the representation of the doll. They felt that the only thing that the doll had was darker skin but lacked African American features. For Awhile the black Barbie had dropped in sells drastically until finall y the Mattel  toy company recalled all the black Barbie’s and created them to have more of African American features. Although the Barbie has received much controversy, Ruth and her invention has been a game changer. She started off with one idea and it changed the world. Today Barbie is a brand and has been going strong for over 50 years. She took a risk even though she didn’t have much support from others she felt in her heart that she wanted to invent something that was contrary to what was being sold in the toy industry. The lesson in this is to follow your dreams no matter how much support you may or may not have. If you have a vision go for it and despite whatever criticism you may receive persevere and you too can change the world.

“Inevitable vs. Amendable” Essay

The film â€Å"Inequality for All† tries to explain; what is the current status of the distribution of wealth and that of income equality? Why this is happening and if this is a problem. Yes, as stated in the film, social inequality is inevitable. But, there is without a doubt a problem with United States distribution of wealth. One of the facts that really opened my eyes was the fact that the 400 richest Americans, together hold more wealth than the poorest 150 million Americans have together. This said, it is scary to think about how obscure was the knowledge we had on the one percent with given how much economic influence they have. The minimum wages vs. growth of productivity graph is one that I found very interesting. Why is â€Å"just† in today’s society to be part a more productive workforce that gets paid less than the workforce we had a few decades ago? The line graph for productivity growth is rising every year, meaning that more work is being done. On the other hand, the minimum wages growth rates were rising but after a while they seem to have plateau and they have been like this for about 30 years. Advances in globalization and technology are also inevitable because it is simple economics that a product shall be produced in the cheapest way possible. Yes, technology does create jobs but as we see in the film companies like Amazon are also opting to operate with high tech machinery instead of the traditional assembly line. Women going to work, general workforce working for longer hours and borrowing money from the financial sectors are coping mechanisms that the middle class used to keep up with their good lifestyles, but in my opinion these are more like defense mechanisms in order to survive in the concrete jungle with the same wages they had 30 years ago. One other comparison that I liked was how the widening inequality leads to a deficiency cycle and when the wealth is equally distributed economic stability is transfused from sector to sector creating a domino effect leading to a virtuous cycle.

The Global Impacts of the Black Death

The Global Impacts of the Black Death The Black Death was one of the worst pandemics in human history. In the 14th century, at least 75 million people on three continents perished due to the painful, highly contagious disease. Originating from fleas on rodents in China, the â€Å"Great Pestilence† spread westward and spared few regions. In Europe’s cities, hundreds died daily and their bodies were usually thrown into mass graves. The plague devastated towns, rural communities, families, and religious institutions. Following centuries of a rise in population, the world’s population experienced a catastrophic reduction and would not be replenished for more than one hundred years. Origins and Path of the Black Death Silk Road Science of the Black Death Types and Symptoms of the Plague Death Toll Estimates of the Black Death Unexpected Economic Benefit of the Black Death Cultural and Social Beliefs and Changes of the Black Death Jews Protestantism Scourge Spread Across the World The Black Death of the 14th century was a tremendous interrupter of worldwide population growth. The bubonic plague still exists, although it can now be treated with antibiotics. Fleas and their unknowing human carriers traveled across a hemisphere and infected one person after another. Survivors of this swift menace seized the opportunities that arose from altered social and economic structures. Although humanity will never know the exact death toll, researchers will continue to study the epidemiology and history of the plague to ensure that this horror never happens again.

A critical analysis of schools of strategic management Essay

A critical analysis of schools of strategic management - Essay Example Strategic management is the way of finding gaps in the current performance of the organization and to design, formulate and implement new steps in order to fill these gaps and to align the organizational functions with the pre settled objectives. It is the method of aligning all the activities being undertaken in the organization such as management, marketing, research and development and Computer information system in a prescribed way to achieve the goals of the organization.In order to effectively undertake the process of strategic planning and implementation different thinkers have presented theories, which have been divide into different schools of thoughts. The paper undertakes a comprehensive critical analysis of the underlying assumptions, perspectives and paradigmatic stance taken in these models. The chosen schools of thoughts are:The first step namely the strategy formulation involves the development of the business mission, evaluation of the opportunities and threats faced by the business organization in the business, by using tools such as SWOT analysis, examining the strengths and weaknesses of the business, determining the long term objectives of the business and designing the new strategies to eke in the process of achieving the new targets. It also include the processes to determine the investment direction, the business markets to be addressed, extension of the operations of the business, limitations faced by the business in order to undertake the business activities. ... The classic models for developing strategy, known as the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis and called the "Design School Model" by Mintzberg et al. (1998) has been presented in the proceeding section. SWOT Analysis: So strategies are SO, WO, ST, and WT Strategies to take advantage of external opportunities. All managers would like their organizations to be in position where internal strengths can be used to take advantage of external trends and events. Organizations generally will pursue WO, ST, or WT Strategies in order to get into a situation where they can apply SO Strategies. When a firm has major weaknesses, it will strive to overcome them and make them strengths. When an organization faces major threats, it will seek to avoid them in order to concentrate on opportunities. As indicated in the Information Technology Perspective, immense opportunities are available to many firms today from wireless communication advances in technology. (David, 180) WO Strategies aim at improving internal weaknesses by taking advantage of external opportunities. Sometimes key external opportunities exist, but a firm has internal weaknesses that prevent it from exploiting those opportunities. For example, there may be a high demand for electronic devices to control the amount and timing of fuel injection in automobile engines (opportunity), but a certain auto parts manufacturer may lack the technology required for producing these devices (weakness). One possible WO Strategy would be to acquire this technology by forming a joint venture with a firm having competency in this area. An alternative WO Strategy would be to hire and train people with the required technical capabilities (David, 180). ST Strategies use

Law Enforcement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law Enforcement - Essay Example There were no payments or training done to these â€Å"drafted† officers. Under these circumstances, the system lacked motivation and eventually lost focus towards administering the very important duty enforcing the law. As a result, policing became more of a reactive event. As the momentum of industrialisation and urbanization increased, new challenges with increased crime forced a radical shift in community policing, thus the beginning of struggles to professionalize the police force with more proactive measures to law enforcement. The 1800’s witnessed the adoption of new technologies with better response times and faster communications. At the dawn of the 20th century, law enforcement had attached within its system more advanced methodological dynamics that incorporated the cooperation of the police agencies with the communities that characterize more of a service attitude never experienced at the beginning. Indeed, police agencies in the United States have evolved to become a highly organized group that strives not only to prevent crime but also serves to preserve citizen’s rights and adhere at all times to maintain professionalism. Under their colonial masters, the police system was in the hands of the sheriff, the constable and the watch. Appointed by the Governor of the colony, county sheriff was the most important law enforcement officer especially in the rural set ups that characterized many areas then. This officer was paid in terms of tasks performed. His duties included collecting taxes, apprehending criminals, appearing in court proceedings and serving subpoenas. Much of their duties concentrated in collecting taxes and so apprehending criminals oftentimes fell in the periphery. In cities, constables and night watch performed more or less the same tasks but with added responsibilities such as reporting fires and eliminating health hazards. As stated above, the activities of these officers were reactive in