Develop A Change Management Plan - 1130 Words

Assessment task 2 Develop a change management plan: Change characteristics will include: The scope of the change: The change project will be focusing on involving all the current business stakeholders to participate in any of the business project and get their full commitment. Number of people to be impacted: Impacted people will be 30. Whether they are being impacted the same, or experiencing the change differently: they will experience the change differently as all the required business participants will take the full responsibilities and accountabilities within all the stages of project implementation action plans. †¢ Required changes (processes, systems, job roles, etc): Customer service strategies and plans, Customer service standards and charter and Customer service KRAs and KPIs. †¢ Include a timeframe for the change: From 01/04/2016 – 01/07/2016. Identify changes: †¢ To change the perception of burger as the junk food and transfer customers’ perception of burger as the efficient and healthy food intake. †¢ Customer service strategies and plans, Customer service standards and charter and Customer service KRAs and KPIs. Who is impacted: †¢ ZieTel Logistics managers †¢ ZieTel Logistics waiters †¢ ZieTel Logistics kitchen workers †¢ ZieTel Logistics current, future and lapsed customers †¢ ZieTel Logistics business contractors and sub-contractors †¢ ZieTel Logistics business resources suppliers How they will be impacted: The whole team should be working as closely as possible toShow MoreRelatedImplementation Of A Project Plan1615 Words   |  7 PagesOnce a project has been approved, the next step in the project process is to develop a plan. A project plan provides a strategy in which an endeavor will progress and outlines the complete events essential to complete a project. The process also presents an outline for monitoring functions and milestones to track progress. A high level project plan must be developed in order to effectively outline the necessary activities, monitoring, and strategy in order for a project to be successful EfficiencyRead MorePlanning And Strategic Decision Making1606 Words   |  7 PagesPlanning and strategic decision making should be integrated within the management of corporations in today’s society of technological advancement. With the changes in the global marketplace and increased competition from expanding third-world economies, companies are having to rethink their competitive strategies. Therefore, the incorporation and development of strategic plans are vital in companies for future success. As engineering companies realize an ongoing need for self-reflection and assessmentRead Moreis3110 project1391 Words   |  6 PagesProject Project: Risk Management Plan Purpose This project provides an opportunity to apply the competencies gained in the units of this course to develop a risk management plan for a specific business problem related to an organization’s identification of an outdated plan. Required Source Information and Tools The following tools and resources that will be needed to complete this project: ï‚ § Course textbook ï‚ § Internet access for research ï‚ § Defense Logistics Agency: www.dla.mil Learning ObjectivesRead MoreCase Study Management Pl Case Management887 Words   |  4 PagesCase Management Plans â€Å"Case management is a collaborative process of assessment, planning, facilitation, care coordination, evaluation, and advocacy for options and services to meet an individual’s and family’s comprehensive health needs through communication and available resources to promote quality, cost-effective outcomes† (CMSA. p.6, 2010). 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There are 10 functional areas of business: Management, law, human resources management, leadership, accounting, finance, economics, research and statistics, operations management, marketing, andRead MorePortfolio Management : Strategic Management1662 Words   |  7 PagesPortfolio Strategic Management Introduction Modern organisations devise a plan prior to the beginning of the project, in order to achieve desired objectives. The collection of programs, projects, or objectives managed to achieve the desired results is known as a portfolio, and the co-ordinated management of one or more portfolios in an effort towards achieving the organization’s objectives, is known as portfolio management (Project Management Institute, 2013). Portfolio management plays a criticalRead MoreFinal Exam Case Study:1479 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ Final Exam Case Study: Company Q’s Troubled Waters By: Robert F. J. Gleadall, R.E.T. Project Management, BTE-3420 Instructor: Rhonda Betker, MBA, PMP January 25, 2014 Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Final Exam Case Study: Company Q’s Troubled Waters Introduction In 2008, all of the Fortune 500 companies are having a great year because of the strong economy. One of the companies benefiting fromRead MoreAn Explanation Of The Strategic Management Process1655 Words   |  7 Pagesstrategic management process Defining the current business, establishing strategic objectives, formulating strategy, strategy implementation and execution. Definition of Strategic Management Strategic management is the process where leaders establish an organization’s long-term direction, set the speciï ¬ c performance objectives, develop strategies to achieve these objectives in the light of all external and internal changes, and undertake effective strategies to manage these changes and executeRead MoreSample Resume : Office Of Personnel Management1648 Words   |  7 Pagesof Personnel Management (VAOPM), and my role is to create, sustain and develop high-performing workforce by leveraging diversity and empowering VA`s employees to achieve superior results in services, leadership and coaching to our Nation and its Veterans at large. The purpose of VA agency as it mission is to build a diverse workforce with inclusive workplace that delivers the best services to our Nation’s Veterans, their families, and beneficiaries. VA`s office of personnel management`s vision is

Chinese Immigrants Of Los Angeles - 1485 Words

Chinese Immigrants in Los Angeles The Chinese immigrant is one of the largest group in the United States. Looking back the history of U.S., most people believe that the first Chinese immigrants came to California during the Gold Rush period. Also, the Chinese community is one of the largest and oldest ethnic group of Asian Americans. Some researchers consider the history of ethnic Chinese in Southern California relates to three periods. In my opinion, I would like to say that there are four major waves which the first wave begins in the 19th century, the second wave occurs in the 1940s to 1980s, the third wave happens during the 1980s, and the last wave arises in a recent decade year. The first wave begins in the 19th century. There is evidence shows that the first Chinese immigrant in Los Angeles comes from the Northern California because of the Gold Rush and the railroads construction. In the book, The Los Angeles Plaza: Sacred and Contested Space, William David Estrada writes, â⠂¬Å"The rise of the Chinese community of Los Angeles was an outgrowth of larger developments in the United States during the nineteenth century†¦ the Chinese of Los Angeles came to fill an important sector of the economy as entrepreneurs† (p.72.) Estrada also claims that the early work areas that the first Chinese immigrants related. At first, most Chinese work at restaurants, laundries, farms, wholesale stores and casinos. Because of cheap labor, most Chinese can easily find the low-skilled workShow MoreRelatedThe Shanghai Girl ï ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½Ã¯ ¿ ½ Is The Chinese American Writer1401 Words   |  6 Pages《Shanghai Girls》 is the Chinese-American writer, Lisa See published in 2009. In this novel, the theme of the novel is often interpreted as describing her emotions. About her life in China and the United States, with plenty of space describes the life of Chinese immigrants and her mentality, and appearing the homesick theme of the novel. This article focus on China s Shanghai, Angel Island in United States and Los Angeles, those three places for basic point. And show the protagonist pearl and MayRead More Chinatown Essay1222 Words   |  5 Pagesgreedily absorb the smells, sights, and sounds. The green hand shaped light appears and I proceed to cross the street with an increasing sense of discovery. There were signs everywhere; mostly in Chinese characters. Some of the signs in English read: Dim Sum Lunch $3.50, English Books about Chinese Herbs, China Kung Fu Acupuncture Treatment Center and Chinatown 2002. Looking at people walking along the sidewalks, the restaurants, bakeries, auto-repair shops and bookstores, I get the distinctRead MoreAsian American Assimilation Into American Society1669 Words   |  7 PagesFrom Chinatown to Monterey Park, Asian Americans across the boundaries of Los Angeles are flourishing from bustling inner cities to middle class suburbia. The suburban life style was originally created by white Americans for white Americans however in today’s suburban cities and towns there seems to be a substantial group of Asians and Asian Americans thriving in these once predominately white areas(Li 1993, 318). The development of Asians and Asian Americans in the suburbs occurred through the followingRead MoreStruggles of Immigrants and Native Americans1095 Words   |  4 Pagestheir own tasks. The policy was not as destructive as others practiced by the Spanish and Mexican governments. 2. The two major target groups of the Workingmen’s party of California included the Republican, the Chinese and Democrat party administrators. They had the belief that the Chinese exploited their resources and that their chances of making it economically were slim. Other party leaders seemed collaborators as they did not mind the trading and settlement of the foreigners based in CaliforniaRead MoreComparing Asian Americans During The 19th Century And The Turn Of The 20th Century1291 Words   |  6 PagesAmericans from many immigrants who came to the United States. One way in which they were different was that many white/ European Americans looked down on all immigrants, but Asian Americans were considered racially as well as culturally inferior because most Americans believed that Asian Americans were too different to ever assimilate successfully into American culture. This view was expressed and reinforced by the stereotypical â€Å"imaginations† and â€Å"images† of Asian immigrants in the 19th and 20thRead MoreAmerican Dreams : The American Dream1068 Words   |  5 Pages equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. That is the definition of the American dream according to Dictionary.com, but the American Dream is more than a definition, but a way of life for many. Millions of immigrants come to our country in search of this â€Å"American Dream† including my grandparents but more and more are disappointed. So does the American Dream exist? Has it ever existed or has it all been an illusion? When my grandparents came in the 70’s theyRead MoreChina And The United States940 Words   |  4 PagesCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA), was waging an espionage war to gather on the U.S.’s nuclear programs, counterintelligence programs, and other military technology programs. China’s espionage program was very effective and in multiple cases when Chinese agents were caught they were able to beat the U.S. justice system and receive little punishment. One such case was that of Katrina Leung, who was able to effectively spy on the U.S. under the nose of the FBI for nearly 15 years and still walks freeRead MoreOrganized Crime and Youth Gangs824 Words   |  3 Pagesc). The structure of these Asian criminal groups is also diverse, extending from international Asian criminal enterprises like the Chinese Triads and the Japanese Yakuza to the locally-based Chinese tongs like the Fuk Ching (Finckenauer, 2007). Tongs are adult social organizations formed in the U.S. ov er the past 100 years to help Chinese-Americans and recent immigrants survive in the face of racial oppression. The Fuk Ching emerged from a tong in New York Citys Chinatown and today runs extortionRead MoreThe United States And Korean Immigration History1656 Words   |  7 Pagesfounded on immigrants. People immigrated to America for a chance to escape the oppressive states of their own lands as well as boundless opportunity. Some of the first immigrants from Korea to the United States came in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Seo Jae-pil or Phillip Jaisohn came to America in 1884. He became a citizen in 1890 and strove to educate fellow Koreans and Americans in democracy and freedom throughout his life. Another immigrant and prominent figure in the Korean immigrant community

Bilingualism in Children Free Essays

Bilingualism can be viewed in two different ways. One way of viewing bilingualism is that it is a commendable trait for a person to have, that is alongside the thinking that it is a mark of high intellect. Another way of viewing bilingualism is that it is a negative upshot of Globalism, that it is a degradation of culture. We will write a custom essay sample on Bilingualism in Children or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is undeniable that bilingualism is a prevalent topic in today’s society. Some even consider it as an essential trait for survival in the context of the modern world. This notion of bilingualism is especially prevalent in the US, where immigrants should adopt a second language to be competitive in terms of employment. That is why children from immigrant families are advised by their parents to learn a second language early as early as possible. The problem bilingualism arises when parents fail to consider that children are still in the stage of mastering their first language. Acquiring two language simultaneously is would be difficult for anyone regardless of age. It is a common notion that the children would eventually learn the second language. That is alongside the thinking that, as the children are exposed more to the society speaking the second language, the children would naturally the language. Although, it is observable that children from immigrant families gradually become more and more comfortable with second language through time. But it is also observable that the process that the children have to go through is not an easy one. The difficulty of children’s acquisition of a second language is expressed by Eva Hoffman in her book â€Å"Lost in Translation. † She had thrown in a very helpful query for this discussion: â€Å"†¦how does an individual bend toward another culture without stumbling over? † (Hoffman 209) Hoffman’s semi-autobiographical book is about her struggle to acquire a second language when family had migrated from Poland to Vancouver. The bulk of the book is about her lost of her sense of place and belonging in her new society. But the fact that the acquisition of the second language would come as natural would not necessarily mean that the children would not be subjected to the consequences of being bilingual. Another book that would be helpful to the discussion at hand is Natasha Lvovich’s â€Å"The Multilingual Self: An inquiry to language learning. † In contrast to Hoffman’s work, Lvovich’s book had taken a more attention-grabbing approach. Lvovich’s work is about the struggles that her daughter had to face when they had moved to America. Although there are some minor differences between the two books, they are both talking the same topic of language acquisition. Both of the books had depicted how a child is subjected to consequences of being bilingual. A common consequence of bilingualism as Lvovich had depicted through the story of her daughter â€Å"†¦she is going through a very difficult period of adjustment as a teenager growing into adulthood† (Lvovich 101) There was even a point in the book that Lvovich’s daughter became reluctant to speak their first language. Hoffman argued that a reluctance to speak the first language would result to the atrophy of the mother language of the child (Hoffman 98) Conclusion For children of immigrant families to succeed in being multilingual, their parents should first do careful planning and learning about the nature of language acquisition. The parents should always keep in mind that childhood is already full of challenges as is. They should be aware of the consequence of being bilingual and they should also have at least an idea of how to counter them. Works Cited Hoffman, Eva. (1990). Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language. NY: Penguin Lvovich, N. (1997). The Multilingual Self: An inquiry into language learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates How to cite Bilingualism in Children, Papers

Essentials of Business Communication System †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Essentials of Business Communication System. Answer: Introduction: During the semester have attended several courses, however, professional development and business communication stand out. The course stood out; I thought I have acquired enough knowledge about communication and its application in the business environment only to be introduced to new concepts and principles of communication. In the end, I was a better person than I was before. One of the fundamental concepts of the course, that I learned, was the importance of communication in human interactions. The objective of the course was to equip the student, who is deemed future managers, with both oral and writing communication skills which are necessary for the contemporary business environment (Bruckmann, 2012). My course primarily focused on communication as a tool for professional development within the business context. Communication plays a vital role in different aspects of an organization. To a large extent, the success of an organization squarely depends on the effectiveness of communication strategies that have been put in place. Conversely, as human beings, we have to spend a lot of time during our lifetime communicating with one another (Gutierez, 2014). However, how one communicates, how people should communicate or how the communicated message is perceived matters a lot. Individual and organizations relations are developed through communication; the former is highly dependent on the foundation placed on the latter (Sehgal, 2008). Within the business context, the relation is very important. For instance, the continuity and success of an organization depend on the relationship that exists between the management and other stakeholders such as shareholders, customers, suppliers, contractors etc. Therefore communication is key to the success of an organization (Guffey Loewy, 2012). As an economic and social system, business should always put its customers at the top of the communication chain. No business can prosper without effective communication with the customers. For example, an organization cannot survive a competitive business sector without a strong relationship with the consumers. How business managers communicate with the customers determine the kind of relationship they have with the customers. I have realized that even the best products fail to capture the attention of the targeted customers in absence of good relationship (Moore, 2014). Successful relationship not only enhance the business prosperity but contribute to its social aspects as well. The ability to maintain effective communication with the community equips a business with the ability to solve arising conflicts quickly and efficiently. Hence, contributing business performance and continuity of its life. Conversely, communication is essential in conveying information, persuasion, and promoting goodwill between stakeholders both internally and externally (Patterson, 2011). I have also learned that communication skills play a vital role in employing personnel like managers. The skills are acquired through learning. There are several elements of communication that are fundamental. For successful communication, the recipient should convey a feedback to the initial sender acknowledging the reception of the message. Besides the sender and recipient, other elements of communication include the perception of the message, encoding and decoding of the message, and the message itself (Hattersley, 2015). Likewise, in written communication elements such as grammar, spelling and sentence structure is important as well. Effective communication, in a business, involves both centralized and decentralized networks. Under centralized network, the flow of information is controlled by the leader. On the other hand, the decentralized network allows each people to access the messages and ideas from other members of the group equally (Hattersley, 2015). However, the success of any communication network is affected by cultural, individual and organizational factors. Such factors hinder effective communication unless there are strategically addressed by enhancing the amount of communication, communication flow in an organization and the availability of key people who facilitate communication. I also learned that the success of effective communication should be based on the traditional organizational structure (Patterson, 2011). Technological advancement has also changed the way employees communicate within an organization. For instance, social media plays a vital role in business communication in terms of employees collaboration, engagement, exchanging ideas and innovations as well as interacting with new customers (Sehgal, 2008). For example, business use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram applications to communicate with their customers. Likewise, WhatsApp platform is used by employees to promote mutual collaboration, share information and understanding with the departments (Bruckmann, 2012). All these factors have taught me the importance of communicating within the business context. Communication, either interpersonal, public or mass, should be treated with the importance it deserves. Looking back it has always been my wish to be a business manager. I have learned that good communication skills play an integral role in a person becoming a good manager (Gutierez, 2014). A manager should nurture the communication skills to the perfection. It is a sole responsibility of a manager to perfect the art of communication to quantify efficient interaction with the customers and other stakeholders. Good communication skills help in building a sustainable relationship which has a direct impact on the positive success of a business (Inklyo, 2013). A good manager should possess the ability to communicate differently with different people in the different situation. For example, the tactics used when negotiating a business deal differs from those used in solving business conflicts. For example, a manager is supposed to apply persuasive skills when convincing a new customer to trade with the company (Bruckmann, 2012). Conversely, a manager should have an authoritative language when handling internal issues. Good communication helps a manager to lead the company properly. Most importantly communication prevents the occurrence of misunderstanding among members of a department or organization (Hattersley, 2015). During the course period, I have learned the importance and role of communication in enhancing both professionals development in managers and success of an organization. Although I was familiar with the term communication at the beginning of the course, at the end I have learned the significance of communication within the business context in a different way. The acquired knowledge not only equips me with better communication skills but have also prepared me to be a better manager in the future. My learning on communication and its importance to business does not end here. I have developed an interest in understanding the impact of new trends such as technological advancement on business communication. Nevertheless, the course has made me a better communicator than I was before. References Bruckmann, C. G. (2012). Business Communication. London: Psychology Press. Guffey, M. E., Loewy, D. (2012). Essentials of Business Communication. New York: Cengage Learning. Gutierez, A. (2014). Effective Communication in the Workplace: Learn How to Communicate Effectively and Avoid Common Barriers to Effective Communication. Chicago: Amazon. Hattersley, M. E. (2015). Customers who viewed Management Communication: Principles and Practice. New York: McGraw-Hill Education; Inklyo. (2013). Effective Business Communication . New York: Inklyo Inc. Moore, L. H. (2014). Business Communication. New York: Wiley Sons. Patterson, K. (2011). Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Sehgal, M. K. (2008). Business Communication. New Delhi: Excel Books India.

The Use of Dreams in Literature free essay sample

This paper compares the use of dreams in six works by six different authors. This paper presents a detailed discussion on several works of literature and the use of the theme of dreams in them. The six works compared, contrasted and analyzed in this paper are: John Keats, Ode to a Nightingale; Langston Hughes, A Dream Deferred; Samuel Taylor Coleridges, Kubla Khan; Thomas Findleys Pilgrims; Bierce Ambroses An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge; and Samuel Taylor Coleridges Kubla Khan or, a Vision In a Dream: A Fragment. The writer discusses how each author uses the theme of dreams in their particular piece and then draws comparisons between the other authors works. The paper examines the proper use of dreams in any literary work. Using passages from each of these works, the paper shows how dream themes are used most successfully when dealing with death as a tool to explain the situation leading up to and immediately following the occurrence. We will write a custom essay sample on The Use of Dreams in Literature or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The use of dreams often fills in many unanswered questions that may be plaguing the reader as they read a story or poem. Throughout literary history there have been themes used to underscore a point to the reader. Often times the same theme can mean different things to different authors, and it is played out in different scenarios in their works. The theme of dreams has been a popular theme for literature in the past, especially in short stories and poems. There are six separate works by six different authors, which have used the dream theme to carry out various tasks. Sometimes it is used to allow after death thoughts, other times it is about goals and future desires, but any time a dream theme is used in these six works the author drives home the point of heart filled emotion leading the story.

Colonialism in Two Narratives essays

Colonialism in Two Narratives essays Capture and life with the Indians changed Mary Rowlandson. She would never again take anything for granted, and she became much more spiritual after her ordeal with the Indians. Her capture was a frightening nightmare that ended with the reuniting of her family, but she nearly starved to death before she returned, and she was treated little better than an animal most of the time. Her story is a story of courage and devotion to God, and it illustrates the underlying strength that lives in all of us. Rowlandson discovered many things during her captivity - that she wanted to live, that she dearly loved her family, and that she was a survivor. She also saw the Indians as nothing but savages, even though they spared her life. She wrote, "I was with the enemy eleven weeks and five days, and not one week passed without the fury of the enemy, and some desolation by fire and sword upon one place or other" (Rowlandson). Her captivity resulted from the colonization of native lands, resulting in the revolution of the native tribes, who resented the white man and their blind disregard for what the Indians considered their own. It is difficult to blame the Indians for fighting back, and while Rowlandson's ordeal was certainly frightening and horrible, her capture is simply a result of the Indians fighting for their way of life and their culture, which would ultimately disappear as the Zitkala-Sa's narratives show the other side of the coin. She is a Sioux woman who writes of her childhood, and a life and culture lost to the colonialism of the white man in the Great Plains. Both ordeals are caused by colonialism, with quite different results. Zitkala-Sa's mother laments, "'We were once very happy. But the paleface has stolen our lands and driven us hither. Having defrauded us of our land, the paleface forced us away'" (Zitkala-Sa and Fisher 10). She writes of a happ ...

Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Review - Essay Example Causes of this rising and falling include the thermal expansion of water as it is heated by the atmosphere, increased runoff from terrestrial glaciers that are responding to increased atmospheric temperature and increased discharge of Antarctic ice for the same reason. The first two causes are presented as being of minimal importance while the focus for the balance of the article was on the Antarctic ice. The discussion of rapid sea level rise was first introduced in 1978. In 1990, the first group of researchers went to Antarctica to specifically study the amount of ice breaking off from the ice sheets. They were astonished to see the amount of ice breaking free and made some dire predictions concerning sea level rise. This was the source of much of the alarmist reports concerning sea level rise through the 1990’s. The reality is these first findings and observations had doubt cast upon them almost immediately. Other researchers in Antarctica noted that they had not been studying the migration of ice long enough to know if what was observed by the first set of scientists was indeed out of the ordinary. They also noted that despite increased atmospheric temperatures thought the 1990’s, more than average amounts of snow were accumulating at the south pole. Much of the controversy surrounding sea level rise stems from the fact that measuring the actual amount of increase is tricky. The meters that are used to measure the sea are attached to land that is also being lifted up or is subsiding. According to measurements taken in Scandinavia, sea level has dropped by 4 mm each year for decades. In Hawaii, it has increased by 0.5 mm. New remote sensing satellites have been deployed that should give us a better idea of how much the sea level is rising, or not rising. This information should be available now because the data has been collected for the past decade. Detecting sea level rise is

Aristotle and Meaning of Happiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aristotle and Meaning of Happiness - Essay Example If a person wants to gain real happiness then he should desire and aim for virtues in himself which eventually become real happiness of a person and will last within person's soul till eternity. Values like sincerity, honesty, honor, morality, justice wisdom and courage are the qualities which enlighten the human and bring inner happiness with can never be taken away. (YUKSEL.ORG) HAPPINESS WITH VIRTUE AND VALUES VS WORLDLY AND SELF CREATED VALUES: For Aristotle happiness is what enlightens and satisfy the soul. And happiness cannot be measured with worldly things like wealth, fame and social setup. From the virtues are the moral values of a person and they are real happy for a person as they define and satisfy the inner being of that person. And according to Aristotle real happiness can only be gained through virtue. He defined two types of virtues: moral and intellectual. Moral virtues are those which are explained and generated by feelings, choice, and action. The feeling of care, honesty, and justice etc. are the moral virtues which show the feeling and values of a person towards life and others. Whereas intellectual virtues are those which are related to person's cognition like wisdom (W. Russ Payne) IN THE LIGHT OF BOOK â€Å"TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE† The book â€Å"Tuesday with Morrie† writer by Mitch Albom is a memoir of the time the writer and his professor had together. It tells a heart touching story of a unique relationship which a student redevelops with his teacher Morrie Schwartz who is fighting against a fatal disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). After 16 years of graduation, when Albom accidentally see his professor in TV program Nightline while tripping channel he becomes totally shocked and stunned to know that his most favorite teacher is suffering from a terminal disease. This accident brings all the flashbacks to Albom’s mind and he recalls his pledge he did to his teacher on the last day to his graduation; which w as to stay in touch with him but he wasn’t able to fulfill it. And how on the last day of graduation Albom gifted Morrie a briefcase, with which he expressed his deep feelings of departure and gifting him a gift because he doesn’t want his professor to forget him. And how his sir Morrie was equally emotional and he sees him crying when he turned away after meeting him. This was very painful for Albom to recall and felt guilty that in his busy life he overlooked and forgot his promise. And after coming to know that he is suffering from ALS and is on wheelchair he felt great remorse and regret not staying in touch. Soon after this Albom’s starts visiting his teacher and realized that he has lots more to learn from his teacher. And just after coming to know about his teacher’s fatal condition, Albom who’s heart was full of agony immediately goes to meet his sir who even after a gap of 16 years recognize his students. This was not only painful for the student to see his teacher in such condition but a very emotional and nostalgic point in Morris life to see his student coming at his door after 16 years which brought all flashbacks of past. Albom starts visiting his teacher every Tuesdays and talked about life and knowledge. Albom and Morrie already had a very cordial father and son like relationship back in college but it took a new turn when after the lapse of sixteen years, Albom again started to visit him.  

Journal 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journal 5 - Essay Example I have seen this kind of seating patterns in conferences and interview panels and I thought that individuals are seated in such a manner so that they can be able to share opinions more effectively. Communication within a group is influenced by the distance between the group members. In the class tonight, we learnt about different distances that could be used by individuals in a group. We found out that the distance could be categorized into four groups that include intimate distance, personal distance, social distance, and public distance. In our group discussion, I was comfortable when seating at a personal or social distance with my group members. On the other hand, I was very uncomfortable when seating at an intimacy distance with my group members. Moreover, I was not comfortable when seating at a public distance with my fellow group members. I realized that by group members were also uncomfortable with very little distance and very large distance. Therefore, I learnt from them that the most appropriate distance for a group work discussion is actually the personal distance that ranges from 18 inches to 4 feet. From the life highlights, I learned that I have a personality that is different to that of other members of my group. This personality makes me to have an ability to play some group work roles better than others. I also learned that in a group, every member has a personality that is different from that of the others. This makes every member to have unique abilities as well as weakness. According to Orey and Prisk (138), the main objective of a Johari Window is identification of personal blind spot. From the Johari Window activity, I learned that I have a personality of trying to assist individuals even when they do not need assistance. Moreover, I learned that almost everybody in our group had a personal trait that he was not aware. This could have affected the effectiveness of the

Wax Descartes And The Wax Example Philosophy Essay

Wax Descartes And The Wax Example Philosophy Essay Philosophers such as Rene Descartes have imagined ideas and scenarios in their heads regarding philosophy that have required something additional in order to be explainable. Often, philosophers will use an example to guide others through the idea. The example is usually a hypothetical, but sometimes an example will be demonstrated to ensure maximum impact. Descartes uses the Wax Example in the second meditation of Meditations on First Philosophy to explain why we as thinking things are able to know a thing even if it has been altered or changed in some way. To begin, it is essential that Descartes wax example be explained. Descartes examines a piece of wax, noting its properties. It looks, feels, and smells like wax. Descartes then holds the piece of hardened wax next to a flame and the wax melts. He observes the wax again after it has melted and notes that it smells, looks, and feels different than it just did, but it is still obviously wax. Even though the properties of the piece of wax had changed, we are able to conclude that an object is still an object even if it has gone through change. We rely on our senses to provide us with the information that allows us to determine what a thing is, and although our senses tell us different things, our minds are able to take that information and determine what a thing is. Therefore, there must be something inherently characteristic of that thing; otherwise we wouldnt be able to conclude what exactly it was because our senses can deceive us. Our senses are limited in that they strictly give us information about things; they do not interpret that information for us. We have to appeal to the mind every time we experience sensible objects. We constantly go to the mind to determine what the inherent quality of the thing is that makes it that thing. It is something that we cannot sense. There are two types of substances in our world; thinking substances and extended substances. Thinking substances are things in the mind and they do not physically exist. Extended substances are also known as material substances, and they are physical in their existence. The reasons that extended substances are called such is because the essential thing about those material objects is that they take up room and have mass, therefore extending in space. The qualities of substances are also important when it comes to determining what exactly a thing is. There are two types of qualities; primary and secondary. Primary qualities do not depend on the way one experiences an object. An object that has mass is always going to have mass, and your senses are not involved. A secondary quality does depend on the way one experiences an object. The information that your five senses detect will affect the way you see the qualities. A secondary quality could be how an object looks/smells/tastes/sounds/feels to you. Our conception of secondary qualities can sometimes be misled if we have misinterpreted a things primary qualities. If, for example, one was to take a hallucinogen and then observe a tree, one would still clearly see that the tree is made of matter and takes up space, but one might not see the tree as brown with green leaves, but rather as some sort of swirl of colors that is not a real representation of the object. The former is a prim ary quality and does not change even if we are experiencing it in an altered way, but the latter is a secondary and can change. The wax in question undergoes a change in all of its sensible properties, and even though all of its secondary qualities are telling our senses that it is no longer that piece of wax, our minds are able to determine through the primary qualities that it is still indeed a piece of wax. In this meditation, Descartes says, I do not grasp what this wax is through the imagination; rather, I perceive it through the mind alone. In saying this, Descartes is showing that it is our minds that are truly recognizing things such as the piece of wax. There are certain qualities and traits of objects that we link to them in order to classify them. What those traits are, are separate from the object itself; they are abstract and intangible. The platonic essence of an object is what our minds use to identify an object, not our imaginations use of our senses perceptions. Descartes is not actively feeling, smelling, and seeing the wax to determine that it is wax, but rather his mind is recognizing the platonic essence of the wax, identifying it even if it changes physically. Descartes second meditation is about more than just the wax example, but it is an important thing to be aware of, as it provides further evidence for his thoughts. Descartes says that he is a thinking thing. He determined that is something thinks, it exists- I think which means that I must exist. This holds true, because even if you were to say I talk, therefore I exist that could be your senses deceiving you; with I think, therefore I exist, thinking this is itself a thought, so there can never be any doubt as to whether or not I am a thinking thing. Descartes is showing us that there is a difference between minds and bodies, and that we know our own minds much better than we know any body, even our own. Through the use of the wax example, Descartes is able to explain the differences between thinking and extended substances, primary and secondary qualities, and that we have greater knowledge of minds than we do of bodies. Descartes second meditation relies on the discussion of the wax example to explain the significance of changes and how our senses and our minds can tell us two different things. In the end, it is our mind that is able to truly see the platonic essence of a thing and be able to identify it. Our senses have the ability to deceive us, making our minds the most reliable. Descartes has provided an explanation and example of his ideas, allowing us to see for ourselves what the mind and senses are capable of.

Legalization Of Drugs Essay -- essays research papers

Legalization of Drugs The drug connection is one that continues to resist analysis, both because cause and effect are so difficult to distinguish and because the role of the drug- prohibition laws in causing and labeling "drug-related crime" is so often ignored. There are four possible connections between drugs and crime, at least three of which would be much diminished if the drug-prohibition laws were repealed. "First, producing, selling, buying, and consuming strictly controlled and banned substances is itself a crime that occurs billions of times each year in the United States alone" (Lindsmith Center). In the absence of drug- prohibition laws, these activities would obviously stop being crimes. "Selling drugs to children would continue to be criminal, and other evasions of government regulation of a legal market would continue to be prosecuted; but by and large the drug connection that now accounts for all of the criminal-justice costs noted above would be severed" (Lindsmith Center). Second, many illicit-drug users commit crimes such as robbery and burglary, as well as drug dealing, prostitution, and many others, to earn enough money to purchase the relatively high-priced illicit drugs. "Unlike the millions of alcoholics who can support their habits for relatively modest amounts, many cocaine and heroin addicts spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars a week" (Lindsmith Center). If the drugs to which they are addicted were much cheaper- which would be the case if they were legalized-the number of crimes committed by drug addicts to pay for their habits would, in all likelihood, decline. Even if a legal-drug policy included the a demand of relatively high taxes in order to discourage consumption, drug prices would probably still be lower than they are today. The third drug connection is the commission of crimes- violent crimes in particular-by people under the influence of illicit drugs. "This connection seems to have the greatest impact upon the popular imagination" (Lindsmith Center). Clearly, some drugs do "cause" some people to commit crimes by reducing normal control, unleashing aggressive and other antisocial tendencies, and lessening the sense of responsibility. "Cocaine, particularly in the form of crack, has gained such a reputation in recent years, just as heroin did in t... ... of the drug dealing business because they can't control things on the street anymore with the drugs. He would have to go the legal way and try to make himself a respectable business person or lose all of his business. The bottom line is, if drugs are legalized it would stop a lot of crime and stimulate the economy. Drugs are bad, but wouldn't it be better to stop the criminal activity than let all of the crime go unchecked. The drug trafficking these days is getting to be ridiculous and something must be done to stop the rage of drug use and crime in our societies today. Children can get their hands on these illegal and dangerous drugs so easy now it is crazy. If drug use was legalized it would become almost impossible for a child under age to get these drugs. It would stop many young people from becoming junkies, while making them into better people that would contribute to their community. If a person wants to mess their bodies up I believe that they should do what they want with themselves, but when things start to affect other people then the authorities should step in. WORK CITED The Lindsmith Center, www.soros.org "Drugs and Crime."

Ikea’s Organizational Behavior

INTRO: IKEA is known for its strong organizational values, which are based on Swedish norms and in particular the opinions and values of the founder himself. It is not unusual to see IKEA employees following the norms and values even outside the working hours, but how important is OB really for IKEA? IKEA’S BRIEF HISTORY 1940-1950 A Swedish 17-year-old man named Ingvar Kampard founded Ikea in 1943. It all began with the Ikea catalogue that was sent from house to house, which is still known today as Ikeas signature. In 1948 the range of IKEA products extended to furniture and by 1958 the first store is opened. 960-1970 By the end of the seventies, Ikea manages to not only open stores all over Europe, but in Canada and Australia as well. 1980s The large cash flow start coming in once Ikea enters the US in1985. By this time IKEA has 10,000 co-workers and 60 stores. Ingvar Kampard retires from Group Management and becomes an advisor to the parent company INGKA Holding B. V. 1990s In 90s IKEA expands in Eastern Europe as well as China. In 1990 the first environmental policy and social responsibility policy is introduced in IKEA.In 1997 IKEA launches Children`s furniture and becomes a retailer with offers to the entire family. By 1999 IKEA group grows to 50,000 co-workers and has 158 stores in 29 countries. 2000s In the year 2000 IKEA arrives to Moscow, Russia and same year Code of Conduct is introduced, called IKEA WAY. Following years IKEA is actively participates in world donating events and promotion of social responsibility. IKEA AT A GLANCE 287 IKEA GROUP STORES WORLDWITE In 2011 IKEA Group opened 7 new stores in 7 countries. As of 31. 08. 2011 it had 287 stores in 26 countries 13 0888 3 144 49 Top 5 purchasing countries: 1. China 22% 2. Poland 18% 3. Italy 8% 4. Sweden 5% 5. Germany 4% Top 5 Selling Countries: 1. Germany 15% 2. USA 11% 3. France 10% 4. Italy 7% 5. Sweden 6% CO -WORKERS PER FUNCTION * Purchasing, distribution, wholesale, range & other: 1 4,300 * Retail: 100,000 * Swedwood: 16,000 * Swedspan: 700 * Total co-workers in FY11 131. 000 TOTAL SALES: Sales increased by 6. 9% compared to 2010. Total sales amounted to EUR 24. 7 billion. SUPPLIERS IN 2011: 1,018 suppliers in 53 countriesPRODUCTS: The IKEA range consists of approximately 9,500 products. PRINTED CATALOGUES, LANGUAGES & EDITIONS: The IKEA catalogue was printed in more than 208 million copies in 30 languages and 59 editions. STORE VISITS: In 2011, the IKEA Group stores had 655 million visits. IKEA . COM: IKEA websites had 870 million visits in 2011 As for Ikeas competitors, there is Wal-Mart, Howden and Ashley Furniture. Company Employees According to Emil Svallingsson who is an employee at IKEA for 10 years, about 50% of the employees are proud of their jobs.The other half refers the individuals who do not share the exact same vision about the company, and need to be told how to do things and have a stereotypical â€Å"boss†, rather than be all a part of one team. Culture Center – Together In the hometown of IKEA, Almhult, there is a Culture Center called â€Å"Together†. It is a place for employees all over the world to attend education, meetings and to learn about the company culture. There is a lecture hall, access to product archives and documents, as well as exhibitions and interactive installations.Employees are stating that the center is a great help to keep their foundational values alive and that it makes them more motivated in the everyday work life. â€Å"Together† works as a meeting place for people working at IKEA as well as a place for developing employment skills. The main idea is to gather the IKEA culture in to one building. Since there are more and more warehouses build over the world, it is not always easy to keep the same values for everyone, and therefore the center is the beginning to keep the company culture as Ingvar first created it to be. Our heart is in Almhult and it's amazing to be a ble to have a cultural center here. † -Ingvar Kamprad â€Å"Together† is also a great example of their flat organizational structure. Hopes are that employees, by themselves, will get a deeper understanding for the culture and by that develop IKEAs future together. † Ikeas center provides different exercises to the employees that show the entire IKEA concept and how it works at its best; how all the employees’ jobs together create one big job structure, and how products are being made and the importance of raw materials.At IKEA, training is crucial to keep the social work environment functional. From the training sessions, the hope is to develop awareness, knowledge and responsibility. All employees receive this training in order to take charge of their own development. In general, IKEA wants to give the opportunities for co-workers to grow, both at an individual level, but also in their professional roles. In return, IKEA expects their co-workers to do the ir job as well as possible depending on their ability and experience, take responsibility, and be willing to develop and grow continually and to act in an open and straightforward manner.Workforce Diversity Gender The gender diversity at IKEA is probably among the best one's over the world. They have applied special workforce diversity programs in all departments, and are working for a continuing development. The program is based on â€Å"stomach feeling† and employee’s opinions in order to fill the positions in a fair way. In the warehouses, there is quite an equal diversity between genders. Right now, globally it is about 54% are women and 46% men. Even among the higher positioned jobs such as warehouse responsible, it's equally divided, 52. % measured to be women and 47. 5% men. However, when you are getting really high up in the working positions, such as the top board, there are no women. According to Hakan Sandman, the Marketing Director of IKEA France, the gende r diversity is very equal overall; but that it also depends on what department one is looking at. Human Resources department tend to be mostly women, as well as the Marketing department where Mr. Sandman is the only man. THE AGE DISTRIBUTION OF CO-WORKERS IN IKEAThis pie chart represents employees’ gender distribution at IKEA globally, but for example in Sweden it looks different: The age distribution in IKEA Globally: Workforce Diversity: Ethnicity Ikeas main philosophy is â€Å"The People Philosophy†: though in the past their strategy was â€Å"Swedes†, they have abandoned it in 1998 with the rise of globalization. Currently they have a lot of long-time workers from different cultures and backgrounds. IKEA sees the diversity matter as a subject for creating more challenging business atmosphere.France’s new store in Avignon has staff from 21 different nationalities. Since 1998 they have changed their recruitment base to: including everyone and not just S wedish people. Recruited staff are immediately made aware of IKEA`s cultural diversity philosophy; first day at work new staff get exercise to tell their group members something unique or different about themselves. â€Å"As a global player it is very important for IKEA to be aware of what the world looks like today, and how it will change in the future. The only common thing for all of us is that we are different.If we accept and understand this fact we can start to use this Diversity for the best of ourselves and for IKEA† (Fajtova, 2007) The corporate language of IKEA is English and in their TV commercials they feature a wide variety of different ethnicities, ages, genders and race. Holistic Responsibility: â€Å"IKEA is a leader in setting high environmental standards for its product. That means employing strict manufacturing methods and supply processes so that materials, technologies and transportation have the least amaging effects on the environment. â€Å"1  œ Rene Hausler, Partner, IKEA-San Diego Franchisee. â€Å"We consider IKEA to be setting an excellent example for other corporations to follow. IKEA is prepared to go further than just saying ‘no' to a supplier who exploits children. The company is showing a genuine interest in bringing about improvement for children by assuming a responsibility for child labour issues. â€Å"2 – Ingvar Hjartso, UNICEF Representative. It seems as if today everyone is praising Ikea, and it is not without a reason.Ikea is a remarkably socially responsible company, it sets example to so many other companies that simply are profit driven, and do nothing but destroy the eco system, or poison the environment with chemicals such as â€Å"the monstrato†. Therefore, Ikea is rewarded and recognized highly for its CSR, it has received numerous awards, including the one on April 2005, the Outstanding Sustainable Style Achievement (OSSA)3 Award for eliminating the usage of Polybrominated Di phenyl Ether (PBDE),4 a toxic fire suppressor used in manufacturing furniture.In addition, earlier in 2004, IKEA had received the BUPA Healthy Communities award for Excellence,5 an award funded by the Ministry of Health, UK. The company pays a great deal of attention to different problems in the society and the environment; this did not begin recently, for more than twenty years Ikea has been environmentally conscientious. It began in 1989 when the then president of Ikea said that the â€Å"Environment is not just a new fashion, it will not fade away, it is the new reality and we have to adapt to it. And so, in 1990 in association with Karl-Henrik Robert, was initiated The Natural Step (TNS) environmental program in IKEA. And so throughout the years, one by one it began tackling different environmental issues; waste management were the first thing that Ikea took seriously, and so each IKEA store started having an â€Å"environmental coordinator† who worked towards waste recy cling and energy conservation, and also trained employees on environmental aspects. Since 1999, IKEA has works actively to reduce waste in manufacturing. Where possible, waste from one manufacturing process was to be used in the production of other items.And it did not end there; most IKEA stores provided collection points for customers to return waste. In the recent years, Ikea has been trying hard to be environmentally friendly, and it began rewarding the same behavior in its employees. It varies throughout the Ikea’s in different countries; IKEA Poland stores provide facilities for bikes, maps of bike paths and tools to repair customer bikes, IKEA Denmark lends out bicycles equipped with trailers at its stores, IKEA UK stores offer interest free loans and a 15 percent rebate to co-workers travelling to work by public transport.And in May 2007, IKEA Canada launched a Hybrid Parking Program, rewarding customers driving a hybrid or fuel-efficient car, with a premium parking s pot. Throughout the years, Ikea’s interest rose in a better future for our children through a better environment rose; when it came to energy consumption, the company’s data showed that IKEA it consumed a huge amount of energy for electricity, but, Ikea did not simply decide to switch off the lights on earth day. The company went a step further; it tried to consciously reduce its energy consumption. Therefore, in 2003 IKEA launched a ‘Kill-a-Watt-Energy Saving Competition. The competition was open to all IKEA stores across the world and it aimed to achieve reduction in energy consumption and also to create awareness among employees regarding electricity costs. By the end of the competition, IKEA had saved energy equivalent to providing electricity to 2,000 households, or two IKEA stores for a year. From waste to energy, Ikea then focused on forestry; around 75% of the raw materials used for Ikea’s furniture, catalogs and packaging came from timber. Hence, conservation of forests was an important environmental issue. IKEA worked with groups such as Greenpeace to formulate policies for sustainable forestry.IKEA was also a member of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). As a result of consultations with these organizations, IKEA banned the usage of timber from intact natural forests. Many companies in industries, such as the diamond industry, choose to be ignorant; companies ignore or lack interest in where their diamonds come from, but often the blood diamonds that they purchase give life to more slavery. And even though there are a lot of different forms of slavery throughout the world, Ikea is one of the companies that does not tolerate it and even though child labor oes exist in countries where IKEA products are manufactured, IKEA does not accept child labor at its suppliers or their sub-contractors, and works actively to prevent it. The company has a special code of conduct called The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor, and monitor ing of compliance with The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor is done by IKEA trading service offices and with unannounced visits by KPMG to suppliers and sub-contractors in South Asia. As listen above, we can see that throughout the years Ikea has demonstrated over and over again that its responsibility goes beyond home furnishing.It undertook several projects for community development and a lot of its projects were centered on children, such as the one in August 2000, IKEA initiated the Child Rights Program in India in association with UNICEF. The project started in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and the aim of the project was to prevent child labor in ‘the carpet belt' of UP, by addressing root causes such as poverty, illiteracy and ill health. The company’s CSR extended from the community and environment, to the suppliers. Ikea did not choose to be ignorant about where their suppliers got their goods.So it launched ‘The IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furn ishing Products (IWAY)' in September 2000, this way all of Ikea’s 2,000 suppliers spread across 55 countries, had the ‘code of conduct' to adhere to. Student Support Programs: Ikea helps students of all ages throughout the world; it has aligned with is Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success (ESSS is designed to assist children with language, social and emotional development); an early reading readiness program that IKEA supports through financial and in-kind product donations.In addition, since early 2001, the IKEA Group supports one-year scholarships for students from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia to study forestry at the Swedish University of Agricultural Science in Alnarp, Sweden. The purpose of the scholarships is to support competence building in sustainable forestry in countries that are important wood sources for IKEA, and to help future forestry professionals in those countries develop relationships with each other.And it doesn’t stop there; due to the fact that many IKEA products are made with cotton, they partnered with the WWF to run Farmer Field Schools in Pakistan and India. Ikea over and over again displays its care for the society and the environment, it is because the company is not simply profit driven, it has a vision; and the vision is â€Å"to create a better everyday life for the many people. This includes doing what we can to help create a world where we take better care of the environment, the earth’s resources, and each other†. Internal Communication: Communication & EqualityThe CEO of the company has a specific culture that has been passed on since Ikea was founded, and this culture is communicated to all of the employees. She states that when she hires a â€Å"co-worker,† as IKEA terms employees, her plan is to help the person through his or her slumps. One of her greatest rewards is to see a worker she has worked with excel, and she believes all super visors and managers should serve as mentors. Every manager is also a team member, â€Å"I’m responsible but not the center of the universe. There is always someone who knows more than you do.And there are always new things that you can learn, which I think is the essence of why I work with IKEA. † Par Sundqvist Store distribution manager Sweden In Ikea a manager is not â€Å"the boss† or the one who commands and rules his department. Due to the low power distance in Sweden, Ikea was founded on the basis that everyone is equal. And based on the chart below of Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theory, one can see that because of the relatively low power distance in the U. S. , it was quite easy to communicate this approach to all the â€Å"co-workers† in Ikea North America. Exhibit 1.A Cultural Dimensions Theory Exhibit 2. A Cultural Dimensions Theory In Exhibit 1. A, one can see the power distance in both Sweden and the United States, though ther e may seem like there is a difference, once it is compared with Exhibit 2. A one can see that compared to countries such as China who have a high power distance, on average, the power distance is relatively the same in both the U. S and Sweden. Therefore, it can be concluded that Ikea’s Scandinavian way of doing business with the absence of the traditional â€Å"boss† was understood and quickly absorbed by Ikea North America.Equality within the company is emphasized and communicated to all of Ikea’s stakeholders; and though according to â€Å"glassdoor† Ikea employees give the company’s ability to communicate an average 3. 5 rating, they give serious leadership a poor rating of 3. 1 because according to the employees â€Å"there is a little too much equality†, employees want to be guided and told what to do a little more. It seems that not all employees are ready to be treated equality with their bosses and be all a part of one team. Based o n the latest updates on glassdoor, the company rating is a 3. ; the employees say it is â€Å"ok†. This company rating is based on eight components; career opportunities, communication, compensation & benefits, employee morale, recognition and feedback, senior leadership, work/life balance, fairness & respect. The lowest scores of 3. 1 were in career opportunities and in senior leadership. Two of the â€Å"Top Ten Reasons Why Good Employees Quit† are listed in the components that make up glassdoor’s company rating; employees have given to â€Å"Recognition and feedback† a score of 3. , and when it came to rating the â€Å"work/life balance†, IKEA employees gave the highest rating to it. Employees believe that better than anything else the company takes good care of their employee’s need of the work/life balance. Even though the rating seems to be solely satisfactory, it doesn’t truly represent the reality. Based on the rating one will assume that the company’s job demand is at a mediocre level, however, IKEA jobs are actually highly demanded; in Florida USA, IKEA had over 10 000 applicants for only 450 job.And in Sweden, Ikea ranks on the top 5 companies that university graduates want to work for. In addition, Ikea was on the â€Å"Top 200 World's Most Reputable Companies† (#2), Forbes, in 2009 and on the same year it was on the list of â€Å"Best Places to Work in Orange County† (Large companies), Best Companies Group, 2009. Pay and Benefits According to glassdoor. com Ikea employee’s rating of Compensation ; benefits is a mediocre 3. 4, however it does not portray the full picture. Where some believe that Ikea does a mediocre job, others are enjoying the vast benefits that Ikea provides them.Last fall Working Mother magazine named IKEA North America one of the 100 best companies for working mothers and singled out Spiers-Lopez for its Family Champion Award. The award was given for I kea great paid maternity leave and flexible work schedules. In addition, Ikea provides a number of benefits that are not usually offered to retail workers in the U. S. such as â€Å"full medical and dental insurance for those who work as little as 20 hours a week, including coverage for domestic partners and children; tuition assistance; and a 401(k) matching plan†.In addition, they receive long breaks, free uniform and the company has a food plan, it is known as the â€Å"$3 meals†. As for the facilities, there are lounges, relaxation rooms and showers. Ikea has all sorts of benefits from end of the year gift, to long service awards to sick pay and first day of school leave. Lastly, Ikea unlike most companies provides even part time workers with benefit packages. Bonuses in the company may vary, but on average the bonus of a sales associate is $785, and the team leader receives $1,002.However no all positions receive such high bonuses, when it comes to Ikea cashiers, they receive $50, and customer service associates receive $100. And all full time employees receive a 10% discount; it increases to 15% after 7 years of work. The employee discount comes hand in hand with home delivery and assembly of the furniture, always free of charge. All employees in Ikea receive above the minimum wage rate; most are paid by hour except a few who receive a fixed salary; the team leaders receives $39,908 and the department supervisor $34,712.Sales associates hourly pay is $10. 39, Ikea cashier’s is $9. 65/hour, customer serve associates receive $9. 38/hour, floor associates receive $10. 00/hour, Safety ; Loss prevention agent’s pay is $12. 69/hour and the pay of a co-worker is $13. 15/hr. On average the pay is around $12 per hour, with exception the interior designer who receives $16. 56 per hour. As for pension, at the moment, IKEA is building a new global pension package where they want to construct a global second-pillar retirement benefit struc ture. It is planned to be a fixed interest rate of 3. % on contributions. In 2000, IKEA introduced a multi-fund pension arrangement for their employees, which also can be used as a private retirement fund if they leave. The arrangement also offers workers who moves between countries a choice of asset mixes in which they can invest contributions. Co-workers at IKEA are able to transfer money between funds or split contributions between different plans, depending on their age and risk taking profile. It can also be mentioned that even if you choose to leave your job at IKEA, you may remain in the pension agreement. Everyone should have the same amount† – Ingvar Kamprad Ingvar also wishes to start a bonus program for employees over the world, but it is not yet defines how much money we are talking about. IKEA has 131 000 employees so the amount will easily reach very high numbers. So far, there are only 3 principles decided around the future wish; Everyone gets same amount , everyone can take part and its related to Inka holdings financial results. (Inka holdings is IKEA’s Dutch holding company) Improvements and Changes in 2011:The workforce turnover has decreased to 22% in 2011, and 81% of employees now come back from maternity leave: 100% at management level and 78% of hourly-paid workers. Thirdly, 2011 employee satisfaction survey came up with results that employees` favorability to rewards and benefits boosted by 5% in IKEA. Fourthly, IKEA launched family-friendly benefits such as a staff support program and childcare vouchers, as well as an loan with no interest in order to cover costs a month after birth. IKEA: TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IKEA uses mostly 3 different types of training: * Induction training (35%) Mentoring (40%) * Coaching (25%) 85% of training is on-the-job training and only 15% off-the-job training. Differences between IKEA houses per region in relation to Educational background of co-workers IKEA`s workforce has reached al ready 131,000 employees and these people are an epicenter of IKEA values. Value is a core word for company`s strategy and co-workers` involvement in it. IKEA is doubling their sales every five years; however it does not doubling their staff. One of its keys to such a success lies in training and development programs constantly offered to the employees.Each employee is offered 40-hour training every year in average. Since the very beginning employees` development was perceived as a non-stop process in IKEA. The first period for all newcomers is training in IKEA’s culture. It usually implicates learning about the company’s history by watching the educational videos. Many co-workers start they way in IKEA as part-time co-workers and shift progressively to full-time, seniors, deputies etc. Along their career path they are getting cultural training and regularly acquire IKEA’s values.The major part of training is acquiring the core aptitudes and skills such as teamwo rk, efficiency, mobility, leadership, that were considered necessary for a successful career at IKEA. Networking in IKEA takes important role in training and development. When new employee joins the â€Å"family† he/she gets immediate access to a local network. Curt Temin, who works globally with learning and development within IKEA Group, regards â€Å"networking as the ultimate tool for professional development†. One of the very first things new employee learns is an ancient Swedish word â€Å"fika† (coffee break).In IKEA they understand that even informal meetings and communication between people lead to knowledge transfer and this is where development starts. â€Å"People’s careers are only as limited as they want them to be at IKEA,† concludes Jeff Wilson, learning and development manager for IKEA US. 90% of all positions inside IKEA globally are filled inside, and 35% of those jobs are managing positions. To keep such a high data company has launched a personal development program called â€Å"PADDLE YOUR OWN CANOE†, which has 3 components and takes place ones a year.This program is open to employees who already became aware with companies values, understand their position within the company and ready for self-development. At the first step staff is invited to investigate strengths, weaknesses, self-awareness and career pathways. The second step includes meeting with manager to discuss previous conclusions, perform a skills gap examination and choose position to develop toward desired path. There are online career centers available at this stage to provide all necessary reference materials to complete this stage. Last third step in the program leads to setting goals by employee and making an action plan.IKEA has created environment for growth founded on belief that good people can be even better. In the year 2002 the â€Å"SKILLS ESCALATOR† program was born from this idea. The Skills Escalator is compound of 4 main steps. When employee starts job as a trainee comes the first step. The second comes when employee actually step into planned responsibility. The third step is called â€Å"senior† because at this stage staff becomes leading with tasks of coaching others in their specific work. When the employee has become a mentor and expert it means the last fourth step of program has been reached.This program was created due to willingness of the company to employ people not solely for one role but to take a leading position in long-term. The core idea lies in progress, in order to learn and then train others. In IKEA nobody is a trainee longer than one year. The â€Å"SKILLS ESCALATOR† always gives opportunity for staff to get higher skills level. Employees are progressing while working, they perform work and see which skill are necessary and how attain them during the working process and receiving feedback Employees are confronted with a coach, who is not telling exactly what to do, but help to ind an answer by giving few leading questions. Therefore employees receive help and support, but in such a way they describe what they need to know rather told in advanced. It gives employees control over own development. This relates to on-the-job training, which is most used training process in IKEA. In fall 2011 IKEA launched mentoring initiative â€Å"PARTNERS FOR GROWTH† which was directed by famous mentoring consultant Dr. Lois Zachary of Leadership Development Services. This program was set up to help co-workers establish vital relationships to maintain them in piloting IKEA and in pursuing their own personal development.This program targets only to the IKEA`s key management. Jeff Wilson, Leaning & Development Manager in US explains that â€Å"Partners for Growth† will have a crucial influence on IKEA, he believes, that among many other programs this one is one of the most important. As IKEA has big expansion plans for next 10 years this program will lie in the very heart of the process. A lot of efforts will be given to co-workers` development programs such this one, due to the need of greater capability for people to take superior responsibilities in US and Canada.Pernille Lopez, President of IKEA NA admits that Zachary`s knowledge helped to line up a triumphant monitoring strategy with his own. Lopez confirms, that IKEA`s main goal is to help co-workers to do their job better by developing and empowering staff. In IKEA they take extra steps in mentoring program. IKEA base mentoring program on growth of both mentee and mentor holding expectation of creating better employees by making them a partners. Innate result of this program turns IKEA`s mentees to future mentors. Major mentor to IKEA`s mentoring support groups, Dr.Zachary praises company`s commitment to development processes and finds those innovative and hopes to see mentoring process as a natural aspect of the IKEA`s culture in the next few years. â€Å"P ARTNERS FOR GROWTH† soothes the progress of individual learning, encourages professional and personal development, and has 4 strategic goals: * Develop Leaders from top to bottom – Support career development across the board – Develop and support diversity through IKEA organization – Strengthen IKEA culture Interest of employees in IKEA for more internal training | Percentage| Yes| 79%| No| 4%| Don`t know| 16%| Totals| 100%|PASSIONATE CAREER IN IKEA In IKEA at entry level all employees are hired externally, then those employees are making their way up through promotions. Only 10% of employees on higher levels are hired externally mostly because of lack of eligible candidates. Career planning in any organization is based on how the organization may help and helps its employees in planning their careers. IKEA behave as a supportive partner, in managing its employees careers, for example, by lowering the work load while employee is taking any educational prog ram, by giving time off to study, or by paying a part of the tuition fee.Therefore, career planning may include anything from policies on hiring and promotions and collecting data about personal preferences to Educational Assistance Programs and flexible working hours. Educational Assistance Program gives employees monetary benefits for taking certain training or courses. To be eligible for those benefits the employee must pass the course with the mark of 75% or higher. Those benefits depend on the course taken and on the level at which the employee is. Nonetheless, IKEA offers also its own training and development program.Whereas the company and the level of employment require certain training programs, others are optional. IKEA says that career planning mostly depends on their employees if they want to be pro-active rather than reactive, if they are willing to take more responsibility and to learn more, positions are always posted in the store and every employee may apply upon mee ting certain requirements and having good performance appraisals. IKEA as being in retail industry hires many people on a part time basis, therefore it may offer what is called flexible working hours.This primarily means that employees have a choice what day to work and what hours to work, since they are not required to work 40 hours a week. Flex work enables co-workers to balance home and work careers as well as to spend more time on personal development. Nonetheless, flex work program depends on where the co-worker is working, for instance, in some departments, such as IKEA Trading, co-workers are required to work 8 hours a day but it does not have to be in straight time as long as they have eight hours a day worked.Whereas, in other departments it means that co-worker may choose which days to take off and which days to work. Promotions within IKEA may be vertical or lateral. The policy states that in order to be eligible for promotion for a position lower than management position , the candidate must work with the company at least six months, and to be eligible for promotion for management position the candidate must work at least three years. IKEA provides good program for those employees that would like to, and are eligible for, relocation to different country.Interested co-worker needs to meet certain requirements and be the best candidate for that position. In case of not having the language knowledge IKEA provides language training therefore upon arriving in the new workplace the promoted candidate can communicate with others. This tactic ensures that all employees meeting the requirements may be chosen and the language is not a barrier. IKEA, as a part of career planning of its employees, also does succession planning in conjunction with management. It means that IKEA has charts with listed higher positions, employees on that positions, and relationships between those positions.In case of any vacancies the chart lists prospective successors that may st ep up into that position. IKEA in developing such charts takes into consideration performance appraisals, experience, personal characteristics, and personal preferences of the candidate. As mentioned earlier IKEA does it in conjunction with managers, it means each candidate's qualifications are confirmed by the manager and that manager decides whether the candidate is ready to be promoted or not. Feelings of employees in relation to competences utilized in the right way within the company TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE: EMPLOYEESIKEA always tends to give greater value to its people by calling them co-workers, in such a way highlighting the importance of workforce in this company. The most important values for communication strategy in IKEA are respect, cost consciousness, togetherness and simplicity. During the hiring process IKEA is willing to take people who are willing to growth both professionally and individually, it is always stressed and emphasized during the recruitment. IKEA wishes to create sort of a partnership with its co-workers, it is ready to listen to their ambitions and particularly interested in hiring people who share IKEA`s values.In IKEA responsibility is given to co-workers and strategy of empowerment is applied. Therefore co-workers in IKEA are not afraid of making mistakes and are encouraged to innovative way of thinking. Worst enemy or evolution in IKEA is fear of mistakes. One of the factors IKEA using to make their employees feel better at the work place is absolute avoidance of status symbols. This system allows people to feel equal. The inspiration comes from the top management, and particularly from Ingvar Kampard who brings a great encouragement through his own life.For instance, he always uses public transport instead of taxis or car whenever it is possible. This again sets a good example for cost-consciousness from the highest level on, shows that managers do not expect things from their co-workers that they aren’t willing to do themselves. For Christmas 2006 IKEA has given 9000 bicycles to its employees with a purpose of cutting down the pollution and stick to idea of togetherness and cost-consciousness, which comes from top management. The staff is getting 15% off travel tickets on public transport to sustain same goals.Another example of how IKEA takes care of its employees is training and learning which not necessarily be important for the jobs performed. In 2002 Scottish IKEA introduced IT training for co-workers even thou most of those employees were not using computers in their jobs. IKEA tries to support co-workers, increase self-awareness and encourage them through continuous motivation and incentives. As mentioned before, preference during the recruitment process is given to people who are ready to grow both professionally and personally in IKEA.Regarding the motivating theories, when we begin using McGregor’s theory of X and Y, it can be safely stated that IKEA recognizes its employees as theory Y. IKEA consequently supplies the employees with benefits and incentives in order to give the opportunity for the workforce to grow themselves and their careers. Success of IKEA does not lie in cheap prices, but particularly in treatment of so-called co-workers and direct outcome of it. IKEA has two programs directed towards older employees: The duration of notice of termination of employment is increased by one month per year of employment for employees who are 40 years of age or older.The maximum raise is six months and is in addition to the length of notice according to the law. After ten years of work in IKEA, employees going on pension are allowed to a period of six months of reduced working time with full payment before the retirement. This helps to ease the transition from work to retirement by letting leisure to gradually take the place of work. Differences between IKEA per region in relation to Perceived Stress on the workplace Differences between IKEA per region in relation to how loyal employees feel towards the companyDifferences between IKEA per region in relation if they see themselves working in the company in the next 5 years TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE: CUSTOMERS * 1 million customers visit IKEA every day * The average customer makes 3. 5 store visits per year * The average age of a customer is 42 * 60 per cent of them are female * 150 million meatballs a year are served in IKEA restaurants * 145 million catalogues are printed in 48 editions and 25 languages * IKEA staff conduct 50000 yearly â€Å"home visits† where they visit customers' homes (in exchange for an IKEA credit voucher) to find out what frustrates customers about IKEA products.All business organizations need to make sure that their customers are satisfied with the service they receive because customers are the most important part of any successful organization. IKEA is acting according to the A. R. T. of great service, to carry out a good customer service: Approachable- a n organization must create an open and friendly environment that will influence customers to come in with self-assurance so that their matter can be dealt with. Responsive -all staff should take responsibility of their action. Customer service should be flexible and provide precise and honest information, at all times.Timely – done accurately and efficiently at all time. Many businesses record customer complaints so that, they can review the matter, and to improve its customer service. THE WORK WELL PROGRAM HEALTHY PEOPLE= HEALTHY ORGANIZATION Retention of senior co-workers in IKEA in ways of: * twice a month offered body massage; * specialized course in healthy lifestyle containing a personal diet program, and guidance on losing (or gaining) weight; * help to stop smoking, handle stress or manage situations of conflict; * providing discount on fees to fitness centers; providing comprehensive health insurance coverage providing medical treatment and rehabilitation therapy in private clinics to encourage quick recovery and return to the workplace after illness; * a local project promoting good working attitude through colleague-to-colleague guidance in standing, sitting and lifting correctly Discrimination in IKEA USA Ikea has their way of conduct called the IWAY standing for ‘The IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furnishing Products’. It defines what suppliers can expect from IKEA and specifies what IKEA requires from its suppliers. Moreover the IWAY guides the work of employees.It covers working conditions, the prevention of child labor, the environment, responsible forestry management and more. Suppliers are responsible for communicating the content of the IKEA code of conduct to co-workers and sub-contractors and ensuring that all required measures are implemented at their own operations. For example, talking about discrimination the IWAY mentions: ‘The IKEA supplier shall not discriminate with regards to workers based on race, religion, beliefs, gender, marital or maternal status, age, political affiliation, national origin, disability, sexual orientation or any other basis. Discrimination is therefore forbidden not only concerning the race but also the gender, religion, beliefs, marital or maternal status etc. However in April 2011, complaints of racial discrimination were present in Virginia, more precisely in the city of Danville. Six African American employees have filed discrimination complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, claiming that black workers at Swedwood's (an industrial group within the IKEA Group of companies) U. S. actory are assigned to the lowest-paying departments and to the least desirable third shift which means from 11 p. m. to 7 a. m. One of the women, Jackie Maubin, mentioned that white people were more likely to receive more money than black people. Swedwood found solutions to face those issues by showing those complaints through mediation and Ikea had offered Maubin 1000 dollars. The company Ikea is trying to eliminate discrimination by hiring based on workers individual skills and ability to do the job.CONCLUSION: As shown thoroughly throughout this report, in both theory and practice, OB is IKEA’s top priority; the company pays a great deal of attention and energy to the company’s organizational behavior. It is part of Ikeas foundation, which results in great success. Though of course, whether OB is IKEA’s number one, or number two priority, it varies depending on factors such as the country in which that particular IKEA is located, as well as the culture in which it operates in.Though the origin of the Swedish IKEA has OB as a number one priority, it slightly varies depending on the location of each IKEA store or warehouse, that is due to the fact that cultures and norm and ways of doing business vary all over the world, and even though IKEA does its best to keep OB its number one priority, it is not the number one prior ity in every single IKEA all over the world. There is still room for improvement though in comparison to other companies, IKEA certainly never neglects the important of OB, but whether it is the number one or number three priority, that varies all over the world.Appendix: Interview With Emil Svallingsson, Warehouse Employee at IKEA Sweden for 10 Years According to you, how are employees being treated at the IKEA warehouse? In an equal way? In general, all employees are treated well, even though some bad things has shown during my 10 years at IKEA. If you are complaining, you are risking to not get a promotion. People were always quitting and new were starting, mostly because of annoying costumers and due to a too small number of employees. IKEA is constantly trying to cut down on their staff in order to have the consumers doing as much as possible.During a very long time, no new people were hired at my department. Additionally, I have to say that there always have been a good diver sity between men/women, religion and age. It's a good mix! Are employees proud about their jobs? †No, it's about 50/50 I would say. 50% thinks IKEA is amazing and a wonderful place to work. We call those certain people the â€Å"IKEAns†, like Indiens. The other 50% are mostly working there because of a lack of other things to do. †Is IKEA a good environment for new initiatives? You always have to push yourself forward and be initiative if you want something to happen with your carrier. It is almost expected from the employees to do more than it says in their contract if they want to achieve higher positions. †Are employees actively involved to develop IKEA, or are they according to you, in need of being â€Å"pushed† forward in order to develop? †Again, that's 50/50. The ones who believes in the IKEA concept (the IKEA`ns) loves to be a part of the IKEA family and they do not have to be pushed. The rest of us might need a clear goal to be motivat ed.I would have liked to just have a small percentage of the extra money I earned if my selling went extra well for example. They don't have systems like that. Time to time, they did have a small competition or party for the employees though. That was fun. Interview with the French marketing director Hakan Sandman How are decisions in general being taken at IKEA? Ikea is very democratic in general, even though it's different between different countries. It differs depending on a country's general values and how the people are looking at the word Trust. It is easy to say, Yes†- we trust our employees! but not as easy to live. I would say that IKEA Sweden trust their employees most of all countries, but in comparison to other companies in France, we are very good at trusting and giving away responsibilities. How are the people at IKEA helping each other in order to move forward as a group? At IKEA, it is important that it's easy for our employees to understand and live our value s and beliefs. In the retail department, there are so many people who comes and goes, so it is important that the new ones are able to learn quickly and that the old ones are willing to teach.One of our most important slogans is: â€Å"Lead by Example† which basically means that you have to live as you learn. When the founder, Ingvar Kamprad, where in his forties, he was driving around in a Porsche, drinking champagne with beautiful women and he was living a very different life from today. He later on realized the importance of guiding people by being the example himself, and started to behave in a more appropriate way for IKEA. So what is â€Å"appropriate† for IKEA? It is important for anyone who works at IKEA to be a good example when it comes to money. You have to live as you learn and you are not opposed to waist them.An example of this is when a person at IKEA Russia once where spending a bit too much, which lead to that the company lost 50 million euro. Ingvar h imself then went to the person who was responsible for the act, but instead of yelling at him for what he did, he started to lecture about good behavior and the norms of IKEA. In this case, Ingvar saw that it wasn’t the money that were important in the situation, but the symbolic act to waist 50 millions. It was just not good for IKEAs reputation. At the same time he managed to â€Å"Lead by Example† by being a really good and understanding leader. Is it really that equal at IKEA?IKEA is a flat organization, which means it is not hierarchic. Our decisions may take longer time, but when letting everyone decide, people all over the organization will truly believe in the decision and work more efficient to get through with the new idea. At IKEA, it is important to feel the â€Å"We- Spirit†. Since we are doing things together, that leads to more personal energy and everyone will be more effective. Do you prefer it like that or the other way around? Sometimes, it ma y be hard to take a decision within the overall budget for example, cause we don’t really have anyone who Really decides.Everyone might want different things and that can require more time and energy than it would have done in a hierarchical organization. But in the end, I really prefer the flat type of organization. How to you get a flat organization to be effective? It's all about a balance between time efficiency and democracy. In the warehouses, there is somewhat a hierarchy, but as flat as possible. It wouldn't work otherwise. Ingvar himself is very concerned about his employees though and likes to spend time in warehouses in order to take in the opinions of people working there. He wants them to also have power.But is it really that equal between men and women? Every department sets its own goals every year. The goals are based on feeling form the employees but also on measured facts. In the very top, there are more men than women. A lot of women are working in HR depar tment and marketing. I'm the only man at the marketing department! It is really well divided between warehouse bosses though, I would say very close to 50/50 for men and women. 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