Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Scott Russell Sanders Looking at Women free essay sample

The term Gaze was first introduced by Jacques Lacan and it describes the nervousness that someone feels when he realizes that he is being viewed. In the second rise of feminism in the 60s one of the many topics that had been discussed among the social scientist and people all over the world for many years was the male gaze. Some people who were highly involved in the feminist movement believe that ens gaze objectifies women and converts men into spectators. On the other hand, some people believe that the male gaze has positives elements if occurs within limits because women feel that are attracted and that boost their self-confidence. Scott Russell Sanders in his article Looking at Women analyzes this phenomenon and indicates why this happens, also makes clear that he doesnt agree with it. Sanders start the article with an illustration. He creates a descriptive visual picture about the first time he saw a woman in his early teens. We will write a custom essay sample on Scott Russell Sanders Looking at Women or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As an innocent 11 years old boy he couldnt understand what this sweet pain in his belly was when he checks a girl out. He wouldnt find out until college. There he would still wonder about women but in more mature way. Sanders continuous by telling us the story of his roommate that had Playboy pictures on the wall. He couldnt believe in himself when he realized that he saw this woman as object and not as human being. In addition, he mentions the shop Bare Essentials which was selling sexy and expensive clothes. He couldnt xplain why someone would buy such expensive clothes whose only purpose is in being taken off (par 23). I dont agree with Sanderss argument about his ethics on male gaze and I consider it problematic. I believe that he is not convincing because his argument contain many exaggerations and conservatives thoughts. I also believe due to the fact that he is shy and particularly introverted person his argument is morally problematic. He present male gaze as something that you should be feel guilty ot. To begin with, Sanders was born inside a Puritan tamily whose thics were very narrow-minded. As a result of that his opinions were also conservative. When Sanders was in college he couldnt deal with the idea that his roommate had Playboy pictures on the wall, he believed that these women were Just like a piece of meat locker back in New Ton, Ohio (par 14). Furthermore, he argues that he understood that these women were human beings as he is, however their humanity was severely reduced, if not extinguished (par 16). Additionally, Sanders was very annoyed by his friends who were talk about naked womans part in the ame language as farmers back home in Ohio speak used for assessing cows (par 18). Women are seen as an object merely another category for sale (par 12) Sanders states. As we can see Sanders opinions contain a conservative style of thoughts. A Sander, as a college student was a very shy person and he had hard time to meet a woman. He says that l was invisible to them (women) and they were immune to my gaze (par 21). Moreover, he felt ethical guilt because he was staring the naked woman instead of studding and he couldnt understand the urge that felt towards hat woman who was seen by millions of people. This is described in his phrase stupid flesh! How stupid that a counterfeit stare and artful curves, printed in millions of copies on glossy paper, could arose me (par 18). Sanders excuse his action by referring what D. H Lawrence and poet Carlos Williams said. D. H Lawrence states that we as men and men have sexual urges since their beginning of humanity it something completely normal, it is our ancient instincts of reproduction. Moreover, Carlos Williams admits that A man does with it what his mind directs (par 20). To sum up, Sanders tries very hard to keep a balance between his ancient instincts of reproduction and his ethic code and because of that a conflict is created. In conclusion, I believe that a Sanders argument about how to see a woman contain a dose of exaggeration and conservatism and that is because of his origin and his family environment. In addition, his thesis portrays a person who is morally problematic, who feel guilty when he gaze a woman and through intellectual persons thoughts tries to excuse himself.

Monday, May 4, 2020

Organizational Performance OF Qantas Airways †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theOrganizational Performance OF Qantas Airways. Answer: Background of the Research and Company Public relations play the most significant role in maintaining business sustainability. Most of the businesses utilize the corporate communication strategy to improve the public relation process. According to Christensen and Cornelissen (2013), the maintenance of the effective public relation is the key to business success. Different organizations adopt the unique strategies to enhance the public relation process that eventually improves the organizational performance. Corporate communication is a process of encompassing the different communication activities undertaken by an organization both inside and outside of the company. On the other hand, the public relation process deals with the identification and establishment of the effective relationships with the internal and external stakeholders (Eberle, Berens Li, 2013). The implementation of the effective communication media inside and outside of the company helps in building up the transparency in a cohesive way. The organizationa l performance depends on such clearance of the goals and objectives (Kim, 2014). Moreover, it ensures growth for the future prospects as well. The project would thus focus on the issues with public relationmanagement of Qantas Airways that affects the business performance. Qantas is considered as the flag bearer of Australian airline industry. The company has sustained the reputational value as a low cost carrier and the provider of the effective airline services to the passengers. Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas Airlines felt the necessity of improve the value added services for securing the competitive edge and participate in the global competition (Qantas.com, 2017). It required reducing the costs for participating in the competition with the low cost carriers as well as the new entrants in the market. The seniormanagement team of Qantas is concentrating on delivering the high quality experiences to the travelers. Moreover, the management is looking forward to promote the stakeholder communication policies to improve the communicational transparency. The major focus of the company is increase the reliability of both the internal and external stakeholders for the business progresses. This airline brand provides services to the regional, international, and domestic markets. Over 30,000 people are associated with the company to provide the best airline experiences to the regional, domestic, and international travelers. Currently, the increasing competition in the business market is posing challenges for the future sustainability of the company. Therefore, themanagement is looking forward to improve several important areas for maintaining the competitive value. Problem Identification In todays world, the unique approaches used for the business promotions are essential for every organization. In usual cases, social media is used as the major media of communication. Moreover, it is essential for every business is to develop the effective public relations to improve the organizational performance and secure the competitive edge. It is true that Qantas Airline has the greater reputational value. The company uses the traditional media for promoting the business. The advancements of the business strategies are expecting more from the business marketers to ensure the greater impact on the customers (Nijkrake, Gosselt Gutteling, 2015). However, it is noticed that Qantas Airways has been facing the considerable issues with their PR strategies. One of the airlines is grounded due to which it affected the customers perception about the brand and quality of the airline parts. The major issue was not with the move, but with the method of handling the situation (Bbscommunicat ions.com.au, 2017). The inefficiency was mostly visible in communicating the problems with the internal and the external stakeholders. The company was quite inefficient in conveying the messages during the crisis scenario. The company is a significant part of the national psyche. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the company to maintain the effective relationships with the shareholders for securing the business future (Austin, Fisher Liu Jin, 2012). Ineffective maintenance of the honest and open communications was the major issue behind such discrepancy. It is thus noticed that the major concern of the company is with the maintenance public relations. The ineffective communication process is the concern for the job sustainability of the people from different department. It can be predicted that the company may face the considerable issues with the public relation management. The further study would thus focus on developing the effective business communication and public relati on for improving the organizational performance and sustaining the competitive position. Critical Analysis of the Issues Apparently, it is notable that the public communication and corporate communication share many commonalities in nature. These elements or strategies are generally used for making profits in business and improve the organizational position in a competitive market. Mazzei (2014) explained that the effective public relations and communicational process within an organization can improve the performance parameter in a significant way. Supporting this view, Wright and Hinson (2017) implied that the public relation is the key driver to the organizational reputation. Every organization focuses on developing the performance parameter by concentrating on several components that have the interrelations with each other. In order to present a critical analysis of these elements, it is essential to explore the conceptual ideas about these elements. The further section of the study would focus on understanding the necessity of maintaining the public relations and corporate communications for resol ving the issues faced by Qantas Airways. Necessity of Corporate Communication According to Van Ruler (2015), the corporate reputation determines state of the organization within an industry. It also implies a specific characteristic for managing the brand image. Corporate communication plays the important role in developing the organizational performance level. Koch, Obermaier and Riesmeyer (2017) pointed out that corporate communication serves several purposes and external audience of the organization. It is essential to communicate with the media for engaging the media and public relations. On the contrary, the corporate communication even contributes to secure the internal management relations as well. The internal corporate communication can be developed both in formal and informal way. It is the responsibility of the senior management to arrange the meeting and gather the employee to communicate the mission of the organization (Toth, 2013). Clarifying the business objectives and goals would be helpful for the employees to schedule their work functionaliti es in a sequential way. On the other hand, the advertising, news media, and PR media are selected for performing the external corporate communication with the business shareholders. Ruck and Welch (2012) suggested that every company needs to keep the focus on the engaging the media professionals and public by communicating in an effective way. For instance, if any organization requires liaising with the government, it is essential to establish the effective communication with the government relation experts. Another most necessary terminology of corporate communication is crisis communication. According to Schaltegger,S., Ldeke-Freund and Hansen (2012), crisis communication is considered as the facet of corporate communication, which helps in drawing the special attention. The high-profile companies may face one uncertain situation that can alter their current positioning or affect the business reputation in the market. It could a situational crisis, product failure, mass layoffs, or any accidental hazards. In such cases, it is important for the company to pay attention towards the method of handling the situation. A structured crisis communication plan is essential in such matter. Necessity of Building Public Relations It is to be indicated that the public relations help in boosting up the credibility of an organization. In usual cases, public relations communicate through numerous trusted intermediaries. It focuses on certain audiences that are suitable for the business development. Schmeltz (2012) identified that the public relations are developed to focus on the different business opportunities that would be helpful enough in building the competitive edge. Maintaining effective public relations helps in increasing reliability among the business shareholders. Therefore, it is considered as one of the most helpful components for improving the organizational performance. Qantas Airways has been facing the issues with the PR when the company was at their crisis moment (Macnamara Zerfass, 2012). If the company had communicated with the public during the crisis moment, the issues would not have affected the brand reputation. However, the further section of the study would provide some of the helpful implications to improve the public relations and business communications. Recommended Solutions/Implications The identified issues indicate that during the crisis situations, Qantas Airways did not maintain the effective communication strategies with the associated stakeholders. As a result, the company faced trouble in retaining reputed position in a competitive scenario. The theoretical background and the critical analysis of the issues determine that the company requires understanding the importance of the effective corporate communications and maintenance of the public relations. The following recommendations would help the company to improve the internal and external communication process and maintain the effective public relations. Arranging the weekly/monthly/annual meeting The senior management and the board of directors require arranging meeting with the business associates weekly, monthly, or annually. In this meeting session, the goals and objectives of the company would be communicated. The associated people can also present their concerns about their job. In fact, the senior management can even convey the updated information about the products or services of Qantas Airlines. The method is quite effective for establishing the communication transparency. Undertaking Social Media Platform for External Communication The company requires actively promoting the brand image through social media sites. In todays world, the social media platform has become the most effective medium of communicating with the external consumers and other stakeholders. Sharing views and updated information as well as communicating through online mediums would be effective for the company to gain the trust of the target audience. Moreover, it would be helpful in managing the proper communication with the outside world for the betterment of the business process. Establishment of the interpersonal relationships The company requires paying attention towards the maintenance of the effective interpersonal relationships with both the internal and external stakeholders. Building the effective relationships with the people would help in managing the organizational reputation in a crisis situation. Especially, during the crisis scenario, maintaining the continuous communication process and effective relationship would generate the reliability among the shareholders. Action Plan Concentrating on the issues with the corporate communication and public relations, the future study is planned further: Activities Implementation of plan Involved People Duration Recognizing the underlying problems The entire study and the discussion help in identifying the underlying problem. The critical analysis of the issues presents the in-depth analysis of the context-based subject matter. Recognizing this subject matter, the further study would be structured Researcher 1 day Collection of the secondary sources and research scholar papers In order to conduct the clear and detailed analysis, the study focuses on gathering the information from the secondary sources. Collecting the analysis of the scholars would present the conceptual analysis of the research areas. Researcher 2 days Use of the appropriate methodologies The use of the relevant methodological structures and tools is quite helpful in collecting the necessary data for the study. 1 day Ensuring appropriate data collection technique Managing the proper process and techniques for collecting the secondary data is necessary for this study. It would provide the focus on the subject matter more widely and present the fruitful results. Researcher 3 days References Austin, L., Fisher Liu, B. Jin, Y., (2012). How audiences seek out crisis information: Exploring the social-mediated crisis communication model.Journal of Applied Communication Research,40(2), pp.188-207. Bbscommunications.com.au, 2017. [online] Available at: https://bbscommunications.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/The-case-for-PR-at-Qantas-November-2011.pdf [Accessed 24 Oct. 2017]. Christensen, L. T., Cornelissen, J. (2013). Bridging corporate and organizational communication: Review, development and a look to the future. InOrganisationskommunikation und Public Relations(pp. 43-72). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Eberle, D., Berens, G., Li, T. (2013). The impact of interactive corporate social responsibility communication on corporate reputation.Journal of Business Ethics,118(4), 731-746. Kim, Y. (2014). Strategic communication of corporate social responsibility (CSR): Effects of stated motives and corporate reputation on stakeholder responses.Public Relations Review,40(5), 838-840. Koch, T., Obermaier, M., Riesmeyer, C. (2017). Powered by public relations? Mutual perceptions of PR practitioners bases of power over journalism.Journalism, 1464884917726421. Macnamara, J. Zerfass, A., (2012). Social media communication in organizations: The challenges of balancing openness, strategy, and management.International Journal of Strategic Communication,6(4), pp.287-308. Mazzei, A. (2014). A multidisciplinary approach for a new understanding of corporate communication.Corporate Communications: An International Journal,19(2), 216-230. Nijkrake, J., Gosselt, J. F., Gutteling, J. M. (2015). Competing frames and tone in corporate communication versus media coverage during a crisis.Public relations review,41(1), 80-88. Qantas.com, (2017).Our Company | Qantas. [online] Qantas.com. Available at: https://www.qantas.com/travel/airlines/company/global/en [Accessed 24 Oct. 2017]. Ruck, K. and Welch, M., 2012. Valuing internal communication; management and employee perspectives.Public Relations Review,38(2), pp.294-302. Schaltegger, S., Ldeke-Freund, F. Hansen, E.G., (2012). Business cases for sustainability: the role of business model innovation for corporate sustainability.International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development,6(2), pp.95-119. Schmeltz, L., (2012). Consumer-oriented CSR communication: focusing on ability or morality?.Corporate Communications: An International Journal,17(1), pp.29-49. Toth, E. L. (2013). The case for pluralistic studies of public relations: Rhetorical, critical, and systems perspectives.Rhetorical and critical approaches to public relations, 3-15. Van Ruler, B. (2015). Agile public relations planning: The reflective communication scrum.Public Relations Review,41(2), 187-194. Wright, D. K., Hinson, M. D. (2017). Tracking how social and other digital media are being used in public relations practice: A twelve-year study.Public Relations Journal,11(1).

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Hate Propaganda used by Hitler essays

Hate Propaganda used by Hitler essays Throughout the Nazi parties reign Hitler successfully used hate propaganda to exploit the grievances, fears and desires of the German populace to ensure his political parties success particularly throughout World War II. Hitlers use of negative propaganda effectively manipulated the German people into supporting anti-Semitism, the discrimination against Jews or Judaism. Hitler felt that the public needed to be inundated with the ideology of the state at all times and through all mediums. To do this, he said "everything from child's story-books to the last newspaper, every theater, every cinema and every advertisement hoarding must be brought into the service of this single mission."(1) The continual use of hate propaganda ultimately brainwashed the German people into hating all Jews and believing they were responsible for all their nations grievances. The surrender of Germany after World War I (1914-1918) and the following Treaty of Versailles left the German people with a great many grievances, desires and fears. The Treaty was negotiated by the five major powers responsible for defeating Germany: the United States of America, Britain, France, Italy and Japan. Under the main conditions of the Treaty Germany was to accept guilt in causing the war, pay reparation up to 6,600 million, surrender all its colonies and specified key areas, limit its military as well as demilitarize specific key areas, ban the union of Austria and itself and finally the provision for trial of the Kaiser and other key military leaders. Regardless of Germanys situation it was only until the Great Depression of 1929 that an already crippled German economy was at its knees. The German people believed they had suffered long enough under the Treaty of Versailles and became desperate for an answer to their increasing problems. From this depression rose the Naz i political party lead by Adolf Hitler. His captivating speeches and public displays o...

Thursday, February 20, 2020

How do Reality TV shows like Geordie Shore construct Reality and why Essay

How do Reality TV shows like Geordie Shore construct Reality and why is this genre so popular - Essay Example In the reality shows, so much about it is real and anyone who is watching it is able to see the real life of the person and not a real person portraying an imaginary person. The Shows are usually much cheaper for the whole crew and performers because most of the equipment used including dressing does not have to be produced by the owners of the shows (Faller, 2009). This is because mostly the housemates may use some of their own clothing and make ups, which is an advantage as it reduces the expenses. It is not so easy for many people to understand Reality shows and its names mean it is real yet there are few parts of the shows, which may portray a sense of fiction. A show such as the Geordie Shore portrays real people in real life using their real names, unlike for instance, a show such as Big Brother where the setting could be called fiction because in real life, these group of people does not normally spend their times together, and whatever happens during their times together may not have happened if it was not for the purpose of the show being aired for people to view and get entertained. However, I would not hesitate to comment on how much this show is extremely entertaining. So much of the activities in the show are attention catchers hence, this reason could score the show more marks if it was to be compared with other shows. The reality about a show such as Geordie shore is the fact that the people in it are using the real identity and leading a normal kind of life in their homes and wherever else they go, the feelings which develop between them in the process could be viewed as real among other things going on in the show. Expenses are also reduced due to the fact that the performers of the shows do not need to go and work in front of the cameras away from their home towns neither are they needed to go to holy wood for instance but all they have

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Identify any internal control weakness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Identify any internal control weakness - Essay Example allowing the currently approved credit customers to continue their credit orders until they stop patronizing the company, allowing bankrupt/delinquent customers to future credit purchases. The internal control should include ageing of accounts receivable as basis for preventing delinquent/bankrupt customers from future credit purchases (Rittenberg, 2011). Third, the company uses external shipping entity creating a higher risk of sending the wrong item types or wrong number of items shipped. The company should send an employee to the external shipping company to inspect and ensure the right item types and quantities are shipped to the customers (Rittenberg, 2011). Fourth, taking orders through the internet (chat orders) or through phone calls increases the risks of errors or frauds. The customers may deny they called up or chatted through the internet with the company to order the items received by the customers. The better internal control is to use the signed order document from the customers as basis for shipping the customers’ ordered items (Rittenberg,

Monday, January 27, 2020

Hewlett Packard: Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Hewlett Packard: Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) Consider an organization you are familiar with and with reference to associated theory and practice critically asses the approach that is taken to strategic HRM. Evaluate the extent to which the approach has contributed to the organizational effectiveness. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (ABSTRACT) The report focuses on critically evaluating how Hewlett Packard has been using the variables of Human resource management such as training and development, performance management in order to bring all the employees from a diverse cultural background, with different personality traits to work efficiently and effectively towards achievement of the organisational objectives HP, a giant in IT industry catering to the hardware as well as software needs of the individual customers and businesses, was started in the year 1939 by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard and currently employs over 300,000 people The report delineates how HP has been supporting equal opportunities for people from different ethnic backgrounds by recruiting people without any bias towards any particular ethnic group. The report also states the role of performance management within HP i.e. activities which ensure that the organizational goals are met on time and with minimizing resource usage. The report even talks about the resource facilities and working environment provided to the employees, i.e. employee relations at HP. Further the role of training and development in polishing the skills of the individual employees and making them become a part of the HP team is stated along with how the employees are trained to inculcate the necessary skills required for the job. TERMS OF REFERENCE/ STATEMENT OF PURPOSE The following assignment is compiled so as to become familiar with the main theories in the field of strategic human resource management. During preparation it intended to gain knowledge of the evolving role of strategic human resource management in the current world scenario, performance appraisal and its function in performance management system, administration and formulation of compensation and benefit programs, significance of development of human resource (development and training) at every level for employees and opportunity for management provided by employee diversity. The study undertaken requires expertise in research of the subject but due to limitations of the words for the assignment covering all the HR policies is next to impossible; my objectives were to study the key processes and policies for which the company provides vital information. INTRODUCTION Storey (1989) defined HRM as Set of interrelated policies with an ideological and philosophical underpinning. Storey (1995) defines HRM as a distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce, using an array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques. HP was started in 1939 by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard. In 2010, fortune 500 ranking hp was placed at number 10. Its headquarters are located in Palo Alto California. HP has 304,000 employees. The company makes use of participative decision making management system in their company giving them an edge in the industry (HP website). The results of this investment can be seen in the two awards received by HP from the American society for Training and Development for inventiveness of its leadership development programs. Furthermore, Hay group recognized HP as one of the best company in the world for leadership development. (reference) To emerge as a complete technology company which offers an inclusive set of solutions all through the value chain, HP is practicing an inorganic strategy (Data monitor 2010). They cater to almost everyone ranging from individual customers, medium sized business and large corporations which include health, education and government sector. The company deals in a wide range of products, from portable devices to supercomputers, from computing to home printing. It has also sought a level of inorganic growth too, through its merger with Compaq in 2002 with an aim of providing excellent IT solutions. Consequently, HP today caters to over a billion customers in 170 countries (Data monitor 2010). CORE POLICIES AT HP DIVERSITY AT HP Smart organizations identify the need for swift action and are prepared and eager to disperse resources for management of diversity in the workplace. Workforce diversity can be defined as the differences between individuals in a company. Diversity includes gender, race age, education, background etc Diversity takes into account how individuals perceive others and how they perceive themselves. Their interactions are affected by these perceptions. Organizations diversity agenda is expected to increase in the future as we are moving into a more and more globalized setup. (reference) In The Future of Diversity and the Work Ahead of Us, Harris Sussman says, Diversity is about our relatedness, our connectedness, our interactions, where the lines cross. Diversity is many things a bridge between organizational life and the reality of peoples lives, building corporate capability, the framework for interrelationships between people, a learning exchange, a strategic lens on the world. The benefits of diversity include greater competitiveness through higher adaptability, poising it for success. Organizations embracing diversity are able to offer a wider variety of solutions to different issues. Services to customers are easily provided by organizations employing a diverse collection of experience and skills (e.g. culture, language etc), offering the wealth of varying points of view. A large number of experiences and ideas can be accumulated by employing a diverse workforce which comfortably communicates viewpoints. The organization can use these to form strategies and cater to customers effectively. Some of the challenges of workforce diversity are the organizations ability to successfully implement diversity agenda, which requires openness, transparent communication and sensitization of the existing staff. (reference) A diversity of age, culture, potential, ethnicity amongst the labor force encourages innovation and creativeness. It is believed at HP diversity is the solution to understand the principles and demographics of the consumers and is fundamental in drawing and holding on to the finest employees. (reference) HP supports diversity in the following ways: Hiring of different collection of people and crafting them as leaders. Constructing a comprehensive work atmosphere. Supporting employees in navigation of their work and private commitments while complying with the business requirements of HP. Policies A comprehensive work atmosphere is encouraged by HP diversity policies. Respect, courtesy and dignity is required by every employee while treating others. Discrimination founded on attributes such as age, race, ethnicity, sex or disability is not accepted under any circumstances. Employees are persuaded to speak up and it is possible for them all over the world to report harassment or bias through the 24 hour anonymous helpline. HP approach Efforts by HP include expansion of its labour force by hiring best in class varied talent and implanting diversity in all major diversity in all major development processes and supporting main growth programs for career development and professional escalation. Gender diversity is calculated and kept in check by HP globally and ethnic diversity in its united nations labour force. For details over the previous 5 years see table: Executive diversity Minorities comprised 17.3% in contrast with 12.9 % in 2008. In the year 2009 17% of HPs topmost executives in U.S. were women in contrast to 17.2% in 2008. HPs activities in the year 2009 were: Partnership with diversity associations: HP supplied grant and products for cause of cause of underrepresentation of minorities in business positions which is addressed by management leadership for tomorrow. Drawing a extensive range of human resource: 3000 women from extensive range of professions and businesses are brought together by the annual conference that is held in Boston. Employee resource groups: workers with familiar interests and backgrounds are brought together by HPs ERGs. Opportunities for internal development: celebrations of womens international day in India. For talented omen, a series of virtual leadership was conducted in EMEA. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS There is nothing new about the idea that company and employee performance should be improved by appraisals. Today managers are way more serious about the process- of training workers, rewarding and appraising them and forming goals. The whole incorporated process is called PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT. Performance management may be defined as a process that unites goal setting, performance appraisal and development into a single, common system whose aim is to ensure that the employees performance is supporting the companys strategic aims (dessler and varkkey 2010). Setting of standards, training of workers, feedback and appraisals related to performance and contribution to achievement of organizational goals is explicitly measured by performance management. Performance management therefore never just means meeting with a subordinate once or twice a year to review his/her performance it means setting goals that make sense in terms of the companys strategic aims. It means regular interaction to make sure there is continous growth in workers performance. It also takes into account and makes sure that the worker has the correct training to perform the job (hrm book pg 338). (reference) According to Goel 2008 manpower management is the most crucial job because managing people is the heart and essence of being a manager. Personnel management is concerned with any activity relating to the human element or relations in the organisation. Work life programs offered by HP Employees at HP have the benefit of various work life choices offered to them. HP offers: Flex time: altering the commencement and end of work, but working normal 8 hour a day. Part time: temporarily or continuously working for less hours, part time employees account about 2%. The requirements of aging workforce are met with the help of this program. Tele work: 28% of employee t HP work full time from home. Flex work: mainly working in hp offices but occasionally from home. Whilst improving employee productivity the cost of HPs real estate has been reduced with the help of these arrangements. Employee engagement Open, honest exchange of ideas and continuous communication is what HPs culture is based upon. This helps HPs workers understand their contribution to companys overall success and also gives the company chance to consider their input for various decisions. Recognition programs At HP employees are kept motivated and engaged by recognizing them for their contribution. Recognition @HP was conducted in 2009 to identify workers at HP for their qualities. Day to day non monetary recognition is stressed by the program. Retiree engagement HP has about 79000 retirees who are ambassadors of HP and the company keeps them connected and up to date. Retirees at HP connect through various social media. The retirees can also join HP alumni association which has worldwide members registered which account 17000 in numbers. The Employment Relationship A prerequisite for success in the organization is the maintenance of good employee relations. For high productivity and satisfaction, strong employee relations are needed. Employee relations are concerned with evading and resolving problems amongst individuals which occur due to the work situation. Safe and healthy work environment, incentives for motivation, useful communication and commitment of employees determines good employee relations. It is believed by many people that employee relations are about considering the larger picture and assisting the organization to take required action. (reference) HP considers its employees vital to its success. Innovation of products, management of supply chain and the connection with the customers and partners at HP is driven by the talent expertise and skills of the employees. According to HP its competitive advantage lies in retaining and hiring the finest people. For employees to grow, HP attempts to create a helpful and inspiring work environment. HPs policies are applicable globally and show companys commitment to just treatment of workers. (reference) HP complies with local laws but companys own policies demand much more: Best work environment: policy describes the principles of personal conduct that are expected by the workers to add to an optimistic, dynamic work experience. Open door policy: Portrays HPs promise to open communication and a place of work where everyone is heard. Human rights and labour policy: commends HP to just treatment of all workers. Management and compliance Upholding environmental health and safety is a key goal of HPs. Safety of products and services is the main aim and it is also made sure that the workers can perform without injury at the premises. HPs minimum obligation for EHS is legal compliance. The processes needed to abide by are made sure by HPs EHS management system. Any allegation is thoroughly investigated and proper action is taken to avoid any recurrence. All operations related to manufacturing at HP are certified to ISO 14001. EHS systems are introduced to recently acquired companies to make sure that EHS objectives carry on to be fulfilled as the company grows. (reference) Employee feedback The employees are asked for feedback by voice of the workforce conducted annually and also though pulse surveys on explicit issues. There were various surveys conducted during 2009 including: Onboard and monthly transition experience surveys. Enterprise business quarterly pulse survey. Hr manager communication survey EDS integration survey Voice of the workforce survey Around 90,000 workers in 2009 participated in voice of the workers survey. Privacy of the respondents is strictly protected and the survey was available over the internet in 25 languages. (reference) TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT at HP Training The process through which people acquire abilities to accomplish organizational objectives is known as training. It includes planned activities for specific learning to develop workers performance at work. (reference) Development According to Drucker (1977), the one contribution a manager is uniquely expected to make is to give others vision and ability to perform. A basic operation in the work of the manager is to develop people and to direct, motivate and train subordinates. Stern argues that staff training and development have become matters of vital strategic importance. Importance of training and development (reference) There are various reasons for an organization to conduct training and development programs. Some of them are: Helps to avoid managerial obsolescence Manage change due to acquisitions and mergers. Also helps in coping up with technological and diversity changes in the organization Higher employee morale and increase in job satisfaction. Elevated motivation among employees Financial gain through higher efficiency in process and innovation in products and strategies is increased. Developing leadership at HP Since HP recognizes excellence as a key driver of its business success, HP significantly invests in leadership development. Dedicated to this mission, global talent consists of 3 firmly integrated organizations. (reference) Employee relations at HP The evaluation of data and insights to spot high potential leaders in the company and underlining of areas where additional learning resources may be needed are provided by the dedicated talent management team at HP. Designing of HPs major corporate wide leadership is crafted by executive and leadership organization. Learning by doing is emphasized by almost all of HPs leadership development programs. E.g.: Projects providing major business impact are frequently powered by HP. Learning experiences offered by these projects are not like the classroom experience. HPs leadership programs are offered training and development support by more than 500 executives in a classic year. To get used to dynamic business conditions the curriculum of leadership is frequently revised. Leadership programs at HP are divided into 3 categories: Choosing those at a particular level or creating career transitions through foundational programs is emphasized. Leadership standards of HP and definition of expectations by HP leaders is carried out by skill based programs at HP. For employees with elevated potential for development there ate select talent development programs. With leadership development central portal, HP offers leadership knowledge. This is offered by podcasts, internet courses and quick tips. Green advocates training program Participation in this program is encouraged by HP in Canada. This program provides knowledge and allows workers to develop into ambassadors of HPs environment projects. (reference) Eco solutions advocate program Through this program HP teaches its workers about environmental issues and companys dedication to sustainability of the environment. It also offers workers the resources they require to communicate with consumers about HPs solutions. (reference) People Development HPs approach is based on interior and exterior benchmarking, HP uses an incorporated development framework for its employees. The structure employs range of tools to help workers plan the next step in their career. HPs developmental plans are divided in a 70/20/10 breakup. 70% of the plans are of the main concern. They include job rotations, special reports and cross functional team experiences. With hands on experience the workers are encouraged to develop their capabilities. Focus of about 20% of the programs is relationship based education. This is done through coaching and mentoring. Rest of the 10% of HPs programs are provided through formal learning, interactive online resources etc. (reference) HPs learning programs take the benefit of technology. About 83% of HPs training lessons are conveyed through video conference or the web. Wherever there is a geographic focus of members HP uses face to face training. It has been acknowledged by hp that technology- based training provides major benefits: wider reach and saving huge amounts of money on travel whilst reducing related greenhouse gas release. It also allows employee access at the correct times and place, and also improves knowledge and retention. Training at HP is complimented as employees are also encouraged in following external educational prospects. (reference) Summary The human element of business and partners with every business is driven by human resource at HP to make sure that employee planning strategy is associated to convey the business objectives. The leadership team at HP works together with groups of business to make sure the company has the correct people, with accurate skills, in the correct job etc. The company is escalating its ability to develop by explaining strategic employee plans, support of acquisitions and mergers, providing cost efficient infrastructure in growing markets. To stay in front of the competitive pressure, HP optimizes every element of its operating strategy- to increase revenue, be efficient, making smart investments. Even though the recent financial downturn of 2008 has had sever impacts in the IT industry, HPs earnings per share has risen continuously from 2008 till 2010 Good business results are indicative of great human resource which has driven performance On account of increasing globalisation, HP considers diversity as a major driver of innovation, invention and creativity. A diverse workforce differentiates the company and it is also vital for the company to relate and serve customers worldwide. At HP it is believed that people are motivated to do their best with a culture that respects differences. The company crafts an attitude in its employees, allowing them to think intentionally about diversity and its insertion in the companys activities. It does so by knitting diversity into the fabric of the company. As a MNC, HP has had to prioritize this so that they are more efficient across different markets, understand local needs. As far as performance management is concerned HP has a goal directed approach and has formulated a process to evaluate the manpower resource and their enhancement in terms of careers and work life balance is commendable. HP has a relationship oriented view to managing performance rather than a hierarchical top down approach. This approach has proved to be very concrete in terms of setting targets/achieving outcomes. The most striking feature of HP is its emphasis on leadership development. It is held as a company that has some of the best leaders in the business which is only because they invest time, effort and resources into making this possible. As the company becomes more global, it is important that they keep this emphasis. To broaden its reach to its employees all over the world, it provides training through video based sessions, which also ends up having a positive cost saving and reducing environmental impact by eliminating the need to travel (hence reducing greenhouse gases). Therefore it seems that training and development at HP pays attention upon interrelation of the companys goals and objectives with that of workers. HP maintains employee relations wherever it has its operations without showing any disparity or bias with respect to ethnicity or cultural background in true terms it is a global company. The company monitors compliance with its policies principally through employee engagement surveys. This enquires questions on prejudice and diversity. It also assesses employees understanding of companys approach to these issues. HP does not tolerate discrimination. It deals with this issue through stout polices that are accessible to all employees. HP has worked towards ensuring excellent work-life balance through various options provided to its employees. These programs have helped in improving employee productivity and therefore higher efficiency towards achieving organisational goals With regard to workplace safety since HP is an IT company therefore is requirement to work in potentially dangerous settings (assembling products, hardware etc), hence HP has been committed to fostering the best health and safety norms and always keeping themselves up to date with changes in health safety standards. Since the employees are assured of their safety the employees productivity to work has gone up leading to higher and more efficient production. RECOMMENDATIONS At HP the same performance appraisal standard is used overseas which they use in their headquarters. The external aspects that may affect performance in the international scenario were not considered while designing the performance appraisal criteria and has hence led to a number of problems. Therefore HP needs to formulate a new standard for evaluation according to the situation. To prepare workers to work on an international platform HP can provide linguistic training. This training requires not only learning of the language of the country in perspective, but it also requires learning of how customers think and react. Inclusion of higher level of responsibilities by expanding the job and access to important meetings should be facilitated to improve employee relations. Furthermore HP can assign employees to lead teams and projects and increase time spending between the employee and the boss. Focusing on service training can help workers expand knowledge of managing customers. Disagreement and conflicts can be prevented through transparent appraisals systems. Educating employees and improved training for rating Performance in the subsidiaries of the company is affected at times due to insufficient training and education of various related factors like interaction, culture, business and social information. By alerting managers about errors in judgment, it can be made possible to spot them before hand and prevent them. Clear cut performance in dimensions will help in reducing errors related to rating. Confusion and uncertainty circling the process can be avoided if the companys purpose for appraisals is clearly stated. CONCLUSION HP is committed to developing a high performance culture where the employees can grow. To enhance its value proposition for its employees, HP has been formulating plans to support development of people with a lot of firmness and discipline. Talent management was driven deeper into the company and creation of strategic employee planning was done by a total redesign of companys leadership programs. HP has effectively and efficiently: Excelled in transformation of business and planning of workforce. Motivated people and developed leadership. Maximized employee engagement and built a high performance culture. Promoted areas such as development of career, performance management, development of management of leadership. In both theory and practice HP has some of the best human resource management policies. The company has won awards for its diverse and innovative human resource systems. It is assessed that even though HP followed some of the best human resource policies, the recession had a major impact on the organizations employees. Dissatisfaction was caused among the employees due to the layoff and caused fear among employees for the loss of their job. It is therefore implicit that even some of the best human resource policies may not turn out to be satisfactory. It is hence implied that even though the organization includes some of the finest human resource practices the psychological aspect of humans are still erratic to rejection and acceptance hence making human resource practices should be made subjective to change. 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