Thursday, October 31, 2019

International Differences in Motivation & Leadership Practices Essay

International Differences in Motivation & Leadership Practices - Essay Example The difference in the motivation and leadership practices arises from the difference of the culture, the upbringing and the pedagogy. The managers find that the motivational strategy that works for one group does not work for another group (Alderfer 24). The dilemma of the motivation is that all cannot be motivated in the same way. The present motivational theories that are adopted and applied across various companies and organizations and countries have one shortcoming. Most of the motivational theories have their origination in the west. If a company or organization based in Qatar (Middle East) or Japan (East) decides to adopt the motivational theories of the west and applies them, then it runs into the risk of what is dose misappropriation (Dessler 53). This is the same kind of problem that is observed in case where the patient is administered the wrong dosage. The effect is either rejection of the approach taken to motivate the employees or the end result of the motivation approa ch become different from what is expected. This discussion endeavors to prepare a critical review of the leadership and motivational theories followed in USA, China and Saudi Arabia. ... This is the reason individuals cannot perform well when they are put in teams. The same individual can perform really well in an individual basis (Funder 42). There are three very particular factors in the work motivation and leadership styles; they are stress on market processes, stress on individuals, and giving more focus on managers rather than the employees or the workers. Moreover the American motivational and leadership traits are more focused on the individualistic performance rather than the focus on the collectivism. The other types of traits are giving more focus on the responsibilities of the follower than the rights. Rather than focusing on increasing the commitment to duty, the focus is directed to hedonism. Other assumptions made give more importance to centrality of work and democratic value. It is less inclined or not inclined at all in linking business with asceticism, religion, or superstition. The birthplaces of the motivational and leaderships skills are in the w est. The Eastern and the Middle Eastern countries have adopted the western originated leadership skills and practices and tried to mould it in their own way. This is the main reason that the western originated leadership and motivational skills sometimes does not fit well with the Chinese culture. The Chinese culture or the Eastern cultures, does not preach individualism as in western cultures. The Chinese culture revolves around collectivism, rather than individualism. The identity of the group is more important, than the identity of the individual (Hackman 260). An example will help to articulate the point more clearly. In Western culture the idea is all about individualism, individual performance and individual

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Discussion for Week 6 Chapter 9 Question 1 Information Protection and Assignment

Discussion for Week 6 Chapter 9 Question 1 Information Protection and Privacy - Assignment Example Question one: Based on the e-Activity, evaluate the circumstances that contributed to the privacy violation, the consequence to the company to the breach, and management’s response to the breach, indicating the appropriateness of the response. Suggest how the company may have presented the breach and / or responded differently once the breach was discovered. Provide support for your rationale.   The violation of personal information and company privacy has been experienced in the LexisNexis Company where three people hacked into the database and accessed personal information concerning several celebrities; however, investigations have shown that the three hackers have not used the information for any ill purpose (Biz Media pg.2) The hackers are believed to belong to a group of hackers known as the Operation Boca Grande; they claimed that they hacked into the LexisNexis Database while they were in a cyber just as a â€Å"joyride†. LexisNexis database is easily available in the internet thus making it more vulnerable to hacking; this has also been increased by high levels of technology accessibility to the current generation. The breach of the LexisNexis company privacy created a lot of concern from a number of celebrities who demanded that the LexisNexis Database Company ensure that their personal information is not misused. The Company responded by hiring the services of a law enforcer to investigate the extent to which the hackers have misused the Company and Clients’ private information (Biz Media, pg.2). Although the Company applied the use of a legal enforcer to investigate the breach, it is still imperative that the management shut down the website to avoid further breaches that may occur and provide a chance for more investigation (Wack 1989, pg.4). One of the ethical issues that need to be taken into consideration is the classification or categorizing of data that persons can access. The corporate policy can be formulated in a manner that

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Impacts of Ecotourism: Singapore Case Study

Impacts of Ecotourism: Singapore Case Study A Case study of: Pulau Ubin Island, Singapore Introduction Background Many developing countries frequently use ecotourism as an excellent tool for promoting sustainable development. In many instance, ecotourism is suitable way to protect natural environment and create socio and economic benefit for the local community. What David Weaver says that interest in ecotourism is rationalized among tourism planners and marketers by number of potential assumption regarding sectors environmental, economic and socio cultural benefits (Weaver 1999). There are some ecotourism projects that support to the local community. On the other hand, many ecotourism projects have failed to address some fundamental issues and dont generate the very benefits that are expected to provide by ecotourism. Economic gain of ecotourism may turn into social and environmental damages when inadequately planned and implemented it. Anyhow, ecotourism has continued to gain popularity over the two decades and has developed into worldwide phenomena that show no signs of slowing down. The fact is that ecotourism is one of the rapid growing sectors in the tourism industry (Sharpley 2003). The demand for ecotourism is increasing at an annual rate of 10 to 30 percent (TIES 2000). In this circumstance, it is important to recognize possible physical environment, socio-cultural and economic impacts and its effectiveness as a strategy for sustainable development. Problem statement There are lot of negative impact on the environment and local community due to unsustainable planning and management of ecotourism (Honey 1999). In rural areas, managing and controlling the development of ecotourism may be somewhat complex because of lack of experiences on the subject of the carrying capacity of the host destination. Therefore, it is necessary to have an assessment of potential physical environmental, socio-cultural, and economic impact of ecotourism for the planning of sustainable ecotourism development in an area. Further Analyzing the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for sustainable development of a particular area is important to carry on development activities in future. In that way, Pulau Ubin doesnt experience rapid urbanization like other parts of Singapore. Still it has its own nature and unspoiled environment. But, Singapore government implements several ecotourism development projects on this small island right now. Those projects are so much problema tic and controversial. There are strong voices regarding environmental protection of the Island. Thus, indentifying potential impacts of ecotourism and its compatibility for sustainable development must be studied in Pulau Ubin Island Singapore. Justification of the study According to available literature, ecotourism is growing rapidly in Singapore (Herbig). At the same time, one of the problems regarding ecotourism is that it is developed without satisfying knowledge of the impacts on local environments. It is a rather new type of tourism and yet there are few clear papers written in this field particularly about Pulau Ubin. Therefore, it is better studying about potential physical environmental, economic and socio-cultural impact of ecotourism and its compatibility for sustainable development in Pulau Ubin Island Singapore. Therefore this research attempts to fulfill these objectives as much as possible. Objectives of the research and research question Objectives of this research are To assess possible physical environmental, economic and socio-cultural impacts of ecotourism To investigate the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for local sustainable development. The following research question will be used to address the purposes of the research What kind of impacts are on the physical environment, economic and socio-cultural due to development of ecotourism? What sort of factors should be taken into account before introducing ecotourism in the Pulau Ubin Island? How ecotourism can be utilized as a tool for local sustainable development Study Area Pulau ubin is the second the largest, first one is Pulau Tekong, offshore island of Singapore. It is located in the strait of johor just opposite to Changi. Pulau Ubin has been described as being boomerang shaped. Pulau Ubin is about 8 Km length and 1.3 to 1.7 Km breadth with the area of 10.3 Km2. It is almost flat land. The highest point is Puaka hill. It is around 74m height from sea level. Pulau Sekudu or Frog Island (opposite Chek Jawa), and Pulau Ketam (opposite Ubin Lagoon Resort) are the two major offshore islets which are very near to the Pulau Ubin. There are several rivers which are meandering through Pulau Ubin in which Sungei Besar and Sungei Mamam are the main rivers. Pulau Ubin is made up mostly of granite. This controls the much of the activities of the island. Especially the name Pulau Ubin arises from this crucial geological structure. Pulau Ubin doesnt experience rapid urbanization and industrialization like main land of Singapore. Still it has its own traditional w ay of living. Most of the people inhabit with the scattered settlement model. Major portion of the population around two third is Chinese and rest is Indians and malays. Major activities of income are subsistence farming, commercial fishing and net-cage fisheries, prawn farming, coconut plantations and so on. This small island is very popular for leisure and recreation activities among local and international tourist. (http://www.wildsingapore.com/ubin/places/geography.htm). Figure 01 Map of the Study Area Methodology Research design Research design helps researcher to decide research approach. That is to say, either qualitative or quantitative or the combination of both. Further, research design put a basic for analyzing the collected data. This will lead the researcher to think of time availability, practical problems and so on (Kitchin and Tate 2000). There are no specific rules and regulations as to how to develop research design. When Kitchin and Tate (2000) point out regarding research design, it is very difficult to give a guideline as to how to design a research. Most of the time, research design is the outcome of the knowledge and imagination of the researcher (Kitchin and Tate 2000). This means, research design comes from researchers own view and judgment. Selection of the research methods will vary according to the nature of the research. Besides, a research method depends on the research problem, research question and experiences of researcher. Accordingly, I adopt qualitative methods in this research to perform well. A literature review will be done to get more information regarding this study. In fact, Secondary data will be used as a supportive data to the primary data. In this research, qualitative methods will be used as key method to get information since this is going to deal with environmental, Economic and socio cultural impact of the ecotourism. Most part of the research may deal with community based activities. Justification of the methodology The qualitative method that I choose in my research is based on the nature of the study. This research partially deals with social aspect. Therefore, qualitative method is considered more suitable to assess possible physical environmental, economic and socio-cultural impacts of ecotourism. Crang (2002) points out that â€Å"Qualitative approaches have enabled the study of, and emphasized the importance of, seeing economic activity as a set of lived practices, assumptions and codes of behavior†. Further, Qualitative method is used to understand the lived experience and to reflect on it and sharing the meaning of everyday social world and realities (Limb and Dwyer 2001). In addition, qualitative method is used to collect about the activities, behavior and problems that the people face in their daily context. Further, qualitative methodology is considered as good to study about the diverse view of the stakeholders in the ecotourism since it involves with many different stakeholde rs interest. When we are more stick on the multiple meaning, representation then qualitative methodology is useful one (Limb and Dwyer 2001). Further, qualitative methods will help me to make sure the date that I am going to obtain from different interview in the field. In fact, qualitative methods have its unique features as I mentioned above. But there are certain limitations in the qualitative methods. For instance, sometimes it may be bias. That is to say, there is possibility to have researchers influence in the finding of the research. When many researchers use qualitative methods in their research, theme may be same, but interpretation of the same theme will be in different point of view according to researchers background. When Kvale (1996) points out regarding researchers bias, he says that, there is lack of objectivity in the qualitative research. Objectivity means here is freedom from being bias. There is another critique about qualitative methods that, information for the research use to collect from very small amount of respondents. Therefore it will not represent whole population or the society. Data Types, Sources and Collection This research will be contained both primary and secondary data. Most of the researches and other articles which are related to the study will be reviewed as secondary data. For instance, previous research about the Pulau Ubin Island. Basically, both primary and secondary data will be used to prove the objective of the research. Secondary data will be functioned as more supportive data to the primary data. Methodology of research Methodologically, this study will be carried out in three phases. Phase I concerns the literature reviews. This will be accomplished through searching literature on tourism and ecotourism to discover the possible impacts of ecotourism on visited destinations. The literature review covers books, articles, and website data which will be systematically assessed to identify the three major areas of economic, socio-cultural, and physical environmental impacts on eco-tourist destinations and ecotourism as a strategy for local sustainable development. Primary factors of above mentioned areas will be identified that influence of ecotourism developments and their impacts on the local levels. Phase II applies the factors elaborated upon in Phase I to assess the Pulau Ubin Island. This will be done by using the data that I am going to collect in Pulau Ubin Island during the summer of 2008. The data collection will include observations, interviews with elected officials and some governmental and private business entities, tourists (if possible both international and national tourist) and some secondary data sources. Phase III these data will be assessed according to the identified factors for two purposes: first, to assess possible physical environment, Economic and Socio-cultural impacts of ecotourism in Pulau Ubin Island; second, to look into the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for local sustainable development. Sample selection Respondents will be selected by using snowball sampling methods to address the research question and objective of the study. Snowball sampling methods will help the researcher understanding of the problem and research question. For example, key informants will be selected based on their professional status to get more and more relevant information. Tourists will be selected randomly including local tourist. This will diminish some kind of inconveniences to the researcher. Primary data will be collected through around 30 semi-structured interviews that will conduct with 30 people from June 15th to August 15th 2008. These interviews include: 14 villagers, 3 owners of restaurant, 2 employees of the restaurant, 4 employees from companies that are working in the study area, a person from central environmental authority of Singapore, a person from Ministry of Environment of Singapore and 5 tourists (both international and local). Therefore a total of 30 interviews will be conducted and analyzed as part of this research. Semi-structured Key informant and individual interviews In this research, primary and data will be gathered by using semi structure interview and direct observation. Semi structured interviews will be used to collect data from both individual and key informants. Semi structured interviews acts as an effective tool for collecting basic information stakeholders regarding ecotourism. â€Å"Qualitative methods are methodologically appealing because they allow a wide range of experiences to be documented, voices to be heard, representations to be made and interpretations to be extracted. Open ended qualitative interviews are, after all, the obvious way of allowing people to speak for themselves about their own view and experiences of the world† (Limb and Dwyer 2001). When we have interviews it generates lots of information very quickly. So it helps researchers to handle lot of topics of the research at a time. Sometimes, qualitative interview helps us to clarify the problems raised by the interviewer. Always interviews are really good f or studying peoples understanding of meaning, describing their experiences, clarifying their own perspective on their day to day live (Kvale 1996). There are certain critiques on the in-depth and semi structured interviews. That is to say, in-depth and semi structured interviews are very much dependent on the skill of the interviewer. This means, amount of the expected data is based on the expression of the interviewer and how interviewer interacts with informant. In many instance, interview may divert into another direction due to the skill of argument or interest of the informant and sometime there is chance to mislead the interviewer by the key informant (Mikkelsen 2005). This is also one of the disadvantages of having interviews. In the in-depth interviews, it is very difficult to keep important question from omitting that can address our research objectives. Always researcher has to be very careful on the topic and related question when he conducts interviews. Good interviews require expertise in both subject matter and interaction (Kvale 1996). In addition, flexibility of researcher in sequences and words of the interview may affect the result of the informant namely there may be different answers from the different perspective (Mikkelsen 2005). All interviews in this research will be carried out with take into account all of these strength and weakness of the interview. Interview guides are formulated to conduct these interviews (see appendix 01). Participant Observation Other than interviews, participant observation will also be engaged. Participant observation activities contain living with a family in the community, working with them and spending time to understand their activities, behaviors and so on (Laurier 2003). In that way there are possibilities to attain in tourism activities, and meetings of local residents in Puau Ubin Singapore. Participant observation will be used to harmonize and support the interview process in three ways; first, it yields insights that assist in the formulation of questions for interviews. Second, it makes easy relationships with local residents. Finally, participant observation offers the opportunity to confirm or question the information gained through interviews. When Smith (2001) points out â€Å"there are lots of thing that can only be obtained through participant observation†. Participant observation and interviews are not separate activities, but mutually informative methods. When Kitchin and Tate (20 00) point out that direct observation is an inductive method to obtain fruitful information. It is important to note, however, that in this research the interviews are the primary source of data, while participant observation plays a supporting role. Data analysis Data of this research will be analyzed according to the theoretical frame work and objective and research questions of this research. The collected data in this study will also be analyzed according to the theoretical framework of the research. The collected date from interviews will be transcribed and coded into theme in relation to the concept, theory and interviewees response and researchers observations. In addition, secondary data will be analyzed by using text analysis. Use of the secondary date will help us to get more understanding of ground situation of the field. Validity and reliability In qualitative research, validity and reliability are two most important factors that should be taken into account when designing, analyzing and evaluating quality of the research. Conclusion of the qualitative research should be very strong and natural to accept it without further doubt or confusion (Kitchin and Tate 2000). There should not be bias in order to get validity and reliability in qualitative research. Validity in qualitative research is a tool to make sure the logical order, foundation, and soundness of the research (Kitchin and Tate 2000). Validity depends on the nature of the theme that we investigated in the field (Kvale 1996). Normally, validity in qualitative research means that true and certain of findings. It can be motioned in anther way that validity measures the truthful of how far reached its intended objectives. Researcher uses series of question to maximize the validity of the research. Each question should be justified in relation to the objectives and rese arch questions of the research to establish validity. Most of the time, validity interlink with empirical knowledge of the subject and area of the research. Reliability is some sort of trustworthiness of the research and findings. Validity and reliability are the two side of a coin because there is no reliability without validity. Presentation of validity will be good enough to reliability later. Patton (2002) says that ability and skill of the researcher in a qualitative research will have major influence on the validity and reliability. In addition reliability will depend on the respondents answer. Form instance, some informant will be reluctant to answer for some sort of question and sometimes they give sort of wrong or biased information. Therefore this will reduce the level of reliability of the study. I have planned to use a combination of qualitative methods to minimize the risk of bias. I will use both semi structured and direct observation to collect primary data. It helps me to crosscheck the data that I am going to collect in the field. I will keep my position as research student and try my best to convince my respondents. And also I will follow the ethical concept of conducting research. Further, snowball sampling method that I am going to use in this research will help me to get more correct or useful informant. This will increase validity and reliability of this research. Besides, there may be some kind of short comes in the date collection and interpretation. It is extremely not easy to avoid some unexpected incidents in the field. I as a researcher will try my best to keep validity and reliability of this research. Limitations Since Ecotourism and sustainable development is a broad topic, it is difficult to include all aspects. Therefore this research has been limited to identifying potential environmental, social and economical impacts of ecotourism and also, analyzing the potential of ecotourism as a strategy for local sustainable development. The study area has been limited to an Island to have in-depth study. Field work period is limited to two months. Researcher (me) may face some kind of language barrier in the field. Most of them speak Chinese. But there are people who speak either Tamil or English. Therefore, I hope that I would be able to manage it. Since the study area is very new for the researcher, it may consume few days to get familiar with the area and people. References Crang, M. (2002) Qualitative methods: the new orthodoxy? Progress in Human Geography 26, 5 pp. 647-655. Honey, M. (1999). Ecotourism and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise? Washington, D.C.: Island Press. Kitchin, R. and Tate, N. J. (2000). Conducting Research in Human Geography: Theory, Methodology and Practice, Pearson Education Limited, Essex. Kvale, S. (1996). Interviews: An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing, Sage Publications, Lund. Legends of Ubin [Online]  // Wildsingapore web site.   2003.   03 15, 2008.   http://www.wildsingapore.com/ubin/places/geography.htm. Limb, M. and Dwyer, C. (2001). Qualitative Methodologies for Geographers: Issues and Debates. Oxford University Press, New York. Mikkelsen, B, (2005). Methods for Development Work and Research: A new guide for practitioners, SAGA Publications, New Delhi. Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods (3rd ed.), Sage Publication, London. Paul Herbig, P( ?) CULTURE Influlences ON ECOTOURISM PARTICIPATION Marketing and the Environment Lecture Series Lecture 4: available at www.herbigandsons.com/lecture/Ecotourism.doc reviewed on 2008/04/21. Sharpley, R. (2003). Tourism: Tourists Society, ELM publication,Cambridgeshire. Smith, V. L., and Eadington, W. R. (ed) (1992). Tourism Alternatives: Potentials and Problems in the Development of Tourism, New York, John Wiley. The International Ecotourism Society, (2000) Ecotourism Statistical Fact Sheet, Journal of Travel Research. Available at http://www.ecotourism.org/WebModules/WebMember/MemberApplication/onlineLib/MemberApplication/onlineLib/Uploaded/Ecotourism%20Factsheet%202000.pdf reviewed on 2008/04/21. Weaver, D. B. (1999). Magnitude of Ecotourism in Costa Rica and Kenya, Annals of Tourism Research, 26(4), 792-816. Appendixes Appendix I Interview guide Individual Interview guide 01 Individual questions Your occupation? Your age? How long you are living in this area? What kind of economic benefits you gain from ecotourism in this island? What is your experience with ecotourism? Are you working in the tourism industry in this island? What economic activities are undertaken by your family members? What is your average income per month? How does ecotourism support you to improve standard of living? What is your perception on ecotourism in this island? General questions Is there any impact in this island due to ecotourism? Is there unemployment problem in this island? Could you observe any impacts on local employment in this island after set up ecotourism? How do the economic benefits from ecotourism support the services to the island? Most villagers are involved in which aspects of ecotourism? How do the villagers utilize their natural resources to support tourism? What are the local attitudes about sustainable ecotourism? What does the island still need to support sustainable ecotourism? How has the villagers quality of life been influenced by the advent of tourism? What are the negative impacts caused by tourism on the island? Key informant Interview guide 02 Individual questions When was these hotels established here? Why did you decide to establish ecotourism here? What is your experience with ecotourism? Have you observed any conflict related to community conservation? Do you think local people benefit from Ecotourism? How? General questions Who is the management authority? What is the source of funding for management of these hotels? What are the potential tourist attractions here? Where do visitors come from? International or local? What are the good and bad things about Ecotourism on the Pulau Ubin Island? Who is in charge of Ecotourism activities on the Pulau Ubin Island? What are the benefits and challenges about running ecotourism in this area? Does ecotourism contribute to the economic development on the Pulau Ubin Island? Does ecotourism contribute to conservation in the area? And How? What are the opportunities and constrains on livelihood or job in this area? What kind of challenges and opportunities are there in offering good services to the tourists? What types of outside influences are there in the ecotourism development? For instance political influence or public opinion on environment? Interview guide 03 For administrative officers What are the general objectives towards tourism? What are the specific objectives towards ecotourism development? What strategy (or policy) exists for ecotourism development in the Island? What legal documents exist to regulate tourism/ecotourism activities in the Island? What are the specific rules and regulations in these documents for tourism and ecotourism activities? What monitoring mechanisms have been put in place to monitor ecotourism development? What benefits have been realized in terms of ecotourism revenue (e.g. employment, conservation, services, other) for community development? What measures have been put in place to ensure that the local heritage is not threatened by the development of ecotourism in the area? Who are the major stakeholders involved in the management of the ecotourism in Pulau Ubin Island? What challenges have been faced with regard to ecotourism development in Pulau Ubin Island? What are the major constraints that inhibit ecotourism development in Pulau Ubin Island? What opportunities exist for ecotourism development in Pulau Ubin Island? What future plans exist for ecotourism development in this area? Interview guide for Tourist What are your motivations for visiting to this island? What did you like most during your stay on this island? What did you dislike about the stay here? What kind of gifts, souvenirs and services would you like to have available? What are you expectations from the trips to the island? Which elements of sustainable ecotourism do you believe the Island best meets? How did you travel to the area? What is your length of stay in this island? Number of people in your travel party to the island? How did you learn about the island ecotourism? Where are you from? What is your occupation? Who much money you are going to spend during your stay here? Age? Do you think you will travel to this island again? Do you have any other suggestion and comments of your visit? What do you think about ecotourism on the island? What are good things and bad things about ecotourism on the Pulau Ubin Island? Appendix II Work plan of report writing NO Program May 2008 June July August September October November December January February March April May June 2009 1. Proposal preparation X 2. Field work X X X <

Friday, October 25, 2019

Classical Greek Philosophical Paideia in Light of the Postmodern Occidentalism of Jacques Derrida :: Philosophy

Classical Greek Philosophical Paideia in Light of the Postmodern Occidentalism of Jacques Derrida ABSTRACT: In his writings during the 60s and 70s, Derrida situates his doctrine of diffà ©rance in the context of a radical critique of the Western philosophical tradition. This critique rests on a scathing criticism of the tradition as logocentric/phallogocentric. Often speaking in a postured, ÃÅ"bermenschean manner, Derrida claimed that his 'new' aporetic philosophy of diffà ©rance would help bring about the clà ´ture of the Western legacy of logocentrism and phallogocentrism. Although in recent writings he appears to have settled into a more pietistic attitude towards the traditionally Judeo-Christian sense of the sacred and a stronger declamatory acknowledgment of his solidarity with the critical project of the Greek thinkers, many of his readers are still left with a sour taste in their mouths due to the denunciatory and self-ingratiating tone of his earlier writings. In this paper, I address these concerns, arguing that the earlier phallogocentric paradigm underlying Derrid a's critique of classical Greek philosophical paideia can be troped as a postmodern, Franco-Euro form of 'Occidentalism'-a 'metanarrative' very similar in intent to the Orientalism critiqued by Said. In Derrida’s earlier writings, it is indeed very difficult to untangle this Occidental metanarrative from the aporetic metaphysics of diffà ©rance. a. From Hellenocentrism to Phallogocentrism: In his highly influential Introduction to Paideia: the Ideals of Greek Culture (1933), Werner Jaeger discusses the ideals of Greek paideia in terms of their seminal influence on European culture, a culture which he forebodingly describes in the early thirties as "tired of civilization." Jaeger employs the term "hellenocentric" to describe the essential nature of the Greek influence on the development of modern European culture; his method of interpreting Greek culture rests on an attempt both to reanimate the waning classicism of nineteenth century philhellenism and to challenge the widespread, Nietzschean-inspired "war against the excessive rationalization of modern life," a war that also leads, claims Jaeger, to a carte blanche historiographical dismissal of Greek paideia as excessively rationalistic. In his attempt to reanimate and challenge nineteenth- and early twentieth-century figurings of Greek paideia, Jaeger argues that the "intellectual and spiritual nature" of Greek intel lectual life cannot be understood, as he felt it had been understood, "in vacuo, cut off from the society which produced it and to which it was addressed." In his Introduction to Paideia, Jaeger reconstructs the dynamic interplay in Greek paideia between the polis and the individual, between social responsibility and individual freedom, --in short, between the zw'/on politikon and the gnw'qi seautovn-- in the hope of restoring to European culture a greater appreciation of its hellenocentric origins.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Hul Asignment – Case Study1

1. Employee benefits and Long Term Settlement Although initially positive about the move, the ICU workers had begun to demand more money to compensate for the increased travel costs and the more expensive food at the TF. (case study p. 5) The issue was escalated to the corporate head offices who decided that ICU employees would be granted a cafeteria premium of Rs. 25 per day but not a conveyance allowance. (case study p. 7) The three units had different policies for: Tea breaks Lunch breaks Holiday lists Festival advances Pay structures Designations Working timelines: ICU – seven days in three shifts TF – six days in two shifts TIU – five days in a single shift The LTS also covers machine speeds, productivity, medical T&Cs, prayer times for religious groups. (case study p. 8) Factory unions present their charter of demands to the factory management. Factory management negotiate with the Central Industrial Relations Committee for an overall package that the committee would sanction as a pay out. Local management then negotiate with the unions and it is signed off once the majority of unions agree. (case study p. 8) Each day after 28th of February that the LTS is not agreed the employees lose out on whatever salary increment the agreement contained. (case study p. 8) Older workers are more concerned with pensions, newer workers want to increase take home pay. (case study p. 9) (case study p. 9) The current LTS is for the Tea Factory, the LTS for the TIU expires in 2010 and for the ICU in 2011. Any agreements in the TF LTS will set precedent for future settlements. Consequences There will be uncertainty and unrest amongst the employees until the issues are resolved. Need to improve employee engagement. Precedents will be set for future settlements. So considerations should be given to how working conditions can be best standardised. LTS negotiations have in the past become violent resulting in the breakdown of communication and adverse effects on the business. (case study p. 8) Employees are losing out on benefits while waiting for this to be sorted so it is in everyone's best interest to resolve it quickly. Solutions A good package will be an effective tool for recruitment and retention of colleagues and help to sustain staff motivation and engagement. According to Bratton and Gold (2007, p. 364) â€Å"the reward system is an important consideration when the organisation is trying to attract suitable employees, and once workers are members of the organisation, their task behaviour and levels of performance are influenced by the reward system. † A recent article by Manisha Chada of the people matters from India has noted the concept of rewards is gaining increasing popularity, particularly due to the diverse needs of an evolved workforce. Other factors that should also be considered are competitive salaries, comfortable lifestyle, job security, career enhancement options, and work-life balance Effective communication with employees plays a vital role during the restructuring period of any organisation as it helps to properly inform the employees about the changes. This helps to remove the uncertainty and allay fears amongst employees and therefore may overcome any resistance that may result thereof. Casio (2002:96) believes that â€Å"open and ongoing communication is critical to a successful restructuring effort†. Paton and James (2000:45) believe that â€Å"effective communication that is designed to inform, consult and promote action will help in overcoming both resistance and ignorance amongst employees†. Owning shares will provide employees with financial incentives that will make them more committed to the organisation and more motivated at work. If the company is more profitable, employees will gain financially through dividend payments and an increased share price. Many companies in India such as †¦ have employee contribution pension schemes so employees can choose if they want to put money into the pension or keep it in their take home pay – a certain amount of salary can be allocated and company would match up that to a set limit. This would give the older employees the option to put more money into their Relocation of workers – we feel that it is unfair that colleagues have been relocated and now have extra travel costs and travel time. The company could arrange a bus to pick up employees from certain agreed points and ferry them to the Tea Factory. This could improve colleague commitment as it would show that takes on board their feedback. I would suggest that the management team should put in place a core package for all employees that can be replicated for the ICU and TIU. Additional benefits could be added dependant on grade and performance. According to an article on Employee Satisfaction in the Journal of Industrial Management and Data Systems, this would contribute to colleague engagement and motivation. Policies on tea breaks, lunch breaks, festival advances, holiday policy and prayer times could be standardised for all colleagues. It would be wise to carry out a review of the grading structure of all three parts of the Tea Factory and to standardise grades and job titles and pay for colleagues performing similar roles throughout the organisation. Arguments How are we going to persuade the CEO and management to agree to an improved package. What about the younger people, will they realise the importance of a pension scheme? – Perhaps it would be a good idea for the company or unions to educate the employees about the pension scheme. It would also be a good idea to allow employees to amend the percentage that they contribute at certain times. The management have already declined to pay travel costs individually –could help to build relations between employees and gain confidence from the employees. 2. Issues between the management and the unions The challenge of managing the disparate workforce will fall to the Factor Manager, the Commercial Manager and the HR Manager. The HR manager, is female, 26 and this is her first assignment. (case study p. 2) There was no HR team in place when Suchita arrived at the factory. All previous managers had been male, native to the state and had four to five years of experience. One worker had said to her â€Å"you’re younger than even my daughter, and I don’t like the fact that I have to report to you. † Suchita has hired an experienced local man onto the HR team to ease relations with the workforce. (case study p. 6) The leader of the TF Union C is argumentative, and the union is more uncooperative than the others. The leader barged into Suchita’s office on her first day in the factory and threatened to strike if an issue was not resolved. case study p. 5) The ICU unions had not been part of a large multinational before and were wary of standardised processes. They also felt that they were not compensated on a par with other HUL unions and looked to the upcoming merger to gain a significant pay out for their people. When Suchita arrived, the TF and ICU had separate factory managers. Just after she started the ICU manager quit and t wo months later she learned that the TF manager would move to another role in Dec 2008. The abrupt change in managers increased the union’s unease. case study p. 6;7) Union leaders have highlighted the differences in working T;Cs amongst the different units. (case study p. 8) ICU employees became more resistant and reluctant to change as the move drew nearer. (case study p. 8) Management have adopted a tough stance on negotiations – see p. 8. As the older workers were replaced inter union rivalries resurfaced. (case study p. 9) Unions are becoming increasingly possessive of their members in order to preserve their group identity and importance. (case study p. 9) Consequences If the unions are not organised effectively there is a potential that they will strike. The issues with management structure such as the change in TF and ICU managers are leading to unrest and need to be resolved. The ICU unions possibly need help to integrate into the TF structure as they are becoming very wary about the changes and could cause unrest and protest amongst the employees. Union rivalry is increasing, could be bad for the business therefore it would be better to stabilise the structure as soon as possible. Change management. Integration. Solutions To reduce issues between management and unions: Employees should be allowed to take part right from the beginning of restructuring process. Employees are more likely to be supportive of any changes if they are allowed to genuinely take part in meetings and workshops where the envisaged changes are discussed at the outset Every attempt should be made by management to share all the necessary information with employees accurately and at appropriate times. This will create an atmosphere of trust and commitment amongst employees and will also enhance the integrity and credibility of management and their intentions; Employees must always see some benefits coming out of the change process and management must ensure that these gains are clearly understood by all the relevant employees. Reward structures that are clearly understood by employees as well as facilities such as the cafeteria must be reconsidered as important elements of the change processes A strategic human resource blueprint for retention, re-skilling and movement of employees to new roles and functions must be developed and be made known to all relevant parties. More coaching and training for the local managers including HR manager. Equality and diversity policy and provide training to the colleagues. According to an article by Kathy Gans it is important to gain a good understanding of how changes will impact the workforce. It would be a good idea to conduct surveys to gauge the feelings of employees and then analyse the results to put together a plan. Gans identifies that it is important to spend time with managers, supervisors and union leaders to establish their buy in to the process as they will play a significant role in influencing colleagues. Gans also identifies that communication is key to successful change management. It is important to communicate the reasons for the change to the workforce. In this case, we believe that the move of the TIU and the ICU will be beneficial for the company as a whole but will also bring benefits for the employees such as greater stability and job security. Regular, targeted communication will help develop employees’ understanding of the process. Changes do affect organisations and employees. Employees become insecure, confused about their jobs and therefore, less productive. According to Anderson and Anderson (2001:1) the success of 21st Century organisations will depend on how successful leaders are at leading and managing this change. They argue that most organisation leaders are found wanting when it comes to leading change successfully. Andersons Nine- Phase Change Process Model could be utilised. One to one communication with employees would also help them to voice their fears whilst allowing management to challenge any misconceptions. In 1993 Lloyds bank merged with TSB – this is a good example of communication to employees. At the start of the process they made a promise to their employees that they would be open and honest with them, whether the news was good or bad. This helped to build trust with employees at the start of the process and we would recommend it as a strategy. Union forum – structure a communication process between the unions and management. Suggest that the unions from the ICU and TF merge – these two have similar processes and are both factory based. The TIU work is completely different and the unions are national rather than local so it may be best for them to remain separate. 3. Company Cultures – unified culture and the cafeteria issue The integrated factory would be occupied by 250 workers reflecting three distinct cultures and seven different organised trade unions. (case study p. 1) Biswaranjan Sen (head of project) is concerned that there is a need for a â€Å"one factory† way of doing things that tapped the best of the three cultures. (case study p. ) â€Å"The underlying philosophy with which this company has been run for many decades is the belief that what is good for India is good for us,† maintained HUL’s CEO and Managing Director Nitin Paranjpe, adding , â€Å"the only way you can succeed is to remain relevant to the society in which you operate. Therefore, social and societal needs and contexts, as they changed in this country, have been at the forefront of what we’ve done. † (case study p. 2) The CEO’s main concerns were about plans to bridge the cultural gap. (case study p. 9 ) Suchita was not sure whether it would be better to integrate the TF and the ICU immediately or to wait. There were business benefits to integrating the units. The two business cycles are different, ice cream peaks just before summer while tea peaks in winter. The integrated units would provide an opportunity to train workers across different businesses and to break the physical separation of workplaces. (case study p. 9) Tea Factory (TF) The workforce at the Tea factory is aging (53+ years) and they have previously experienced challenging times. They were positive about the change of strategy to use the Tea Factory as a central hub. New initiatives were embraced and inter-union rivalry played out in the background. case study p. 3;4) The TF workers were put out by the changes made for the TIU workers, one Union leader complained â€Å"We work in 40 degree C on the shop floor in the summer; they sit in air conditioned offices. Our food, too, was made better only after the others came. What are we, their poor country cousins? † (case study p. 4) Between 2005 and 2008 many workers, including some of the union reps, retired. New colleagues came in who were not as affected by the issues of the past and the culture began to change. Union rivalry increased. (case study p. 5) There are three unions (case study p. ): Union A – one of the stronger factory unions, composed mainly of veterans with almost 20-25 years of experience. Union B – the factory’s oldest and at one time largest union – though now smaller than Union A after some of its most powerful and respected leaders had retired. Union C – the forceful and argumentative style of its leader was reflected in the general uncooperativeness of the union. The factory unions have on a number of occasions demanded to know why they do not receive the same privileges as the ICU. (case study p. 9) Tea Innovation Unit (TIU) Previously located in the Regional Corporate Office, the two unions agreed to move to the Tea Factory on the condition that their office space was maintained with similar standards for food and other benefits. (case study p. 4) New plush air-conditioned offices were installed with a separate entrance creating two separate units with distinct cultures. (case study p. 4) There are two unions that are structured and hierarchical like British unions. They are not local unions, they have a structure, maintain offices and function like an organisation. They are efficient and progressive and don’t relate to the factory unions. case study p. 5) Ice Cream Unit Acquired by HUL in 1998. HUL introduced many of its standard systems and policies – such as quality assurance and workplace safety but the culture and way of working had not changed. Job promotions were not standard, and even designations and titles were different across grades. The working culture was very laid back and r elaxed. (case study p. 4) The set up was familial, workers lived nearby and new each other’s families. Workers often went beyond the scope of their work to deliver what the business needed and supported management’s efforts to increase production efficiency. The relationship between management and the two unions was cordial. (case study p. 4) The ICU workers were initially pleased with the announcement that they would move to the Tea Factory as the TF had better facilities for employee welfare and recreation. One union leader remarked â€Å"By bringing more things here you are strengthening the entire unit and improving our job stability. † (case study p. 5) The two ICU unions are affiliated with the State political parties. Because of the cordial relationship with management they were the most approachable. They had not been part of a large multinational before. They have a different approach to the LTS, treat their existing LTS as a guideline only. Cafeteria Issues When the TIU relocated to the TF the canteen food was upgraded at greater cost to match the better meals at the Regional Corporate Office. The TF unions refused to pay any more for their food so despite the fact that all other cafeterias were operated on a no profit, no loss basis, HUL agreed to subsidise the difference. (case study p. 4) ICU workers argued that the food at the TF was more expensive than their previous cafeteria and wanted compensation for the difference. (case study p. 5;7) The issue is important to workforce as food is culturally significant and is interwoven into the social, religious and artistic lives of the people. (case study p. 7) The ICU workers were granted a premium of Rs. 25 per day. This increased tensions over the cafeteria(case study p. 7) The TIU unions argued that the cafeteria was a basic condition of employment in relocating to the TF and their terms cannot change. (case study p. 7) The TF unions stated that management increased the menu when the TIU came in, now they want to water it down when the ICU comes in. Is it fair that it changes each time a new unit comes in? case study p. 7) The factory unions would almost certainly resist management’s effort to change the cafeteria’s full lunch subsidy, and the other unions had already made it clear that they were adamantly opposed to separate menus. (case study p. 10) Consequences How to build greater transparency and trust with employees? If the cultures are not integrated r ivalry and jealousy between the units will continue to increase which could lead to strikes and a mistrustful and de-motivated workforce. An unhappy workforce is less productive and less supportive of management initiatives so solutions need to be found. The employees are unhappy about the cafeteria for various reasons. Solutions The organisation cannot function properly with several dominant cultures. One dominant culture will therefore have to be adopted for the new organisation. it is imperative for managers to equip themselves with conflict handling techniques to enable them to effectively manage the change process. An organisational restructuring process will only be successful if it aligns all the aspects of the organisation. Johnson and Scholes (2002:534) argue, â€Å"If change is to be successful, it also has to link the strategic, operational and everyday aspects of the organisation†. Before SmithKline merged with the British-based Beecham Group a few years ago, the Philadelphia-based drug manufacturer wanted to find out whether the corporate cultures of the two firms were sufficiently similar to make the merger succeed. During the merger, over 2,000 people from both firms were divided into more than 200 teams to figure out how to integrate their respective structures, systems, and cultures. â€Å"From the very beginning, they were learning how to work together,† Integration integrate the corporate cultures of both organizations. This involves combining two or more cultures into a new composite culture that preserves the best features of the previous cultures. Raytheon is applying an integration strategy as the defense and aerospace conglomerate develops a new culture for the half-dozen companies that recently merged or were acquired. 56 Integration is most effective when the companies have relatively weak cultures or when their cultures include several overlapping values. Integration also works best when people realize that their existing cultures are ineffective and are therefore motivated to adopt a new set of dominant values. However, integration is slow and potentially risky, because there are many forces preserving the existing cultures. Separation A separation strategy occurs where the merging companies agree to remain distinct entities with minimal exchange of culture or organizational practices. Insignia Financial Group, a South Carolina real estate firm, has applied a separation strategy to its more than 30 acquisitions over the past decade. â€Å"When we buy the companies, we leave the infrastructure in place,† says Henry Horowitz, Insignia’s executive managing director. â€Å"We’re buying a successful company. Why would we want to disrupt something that works? And the morale becomes terrible if you start decimating. †Separation is most appropriate when the two merging companies are in unrelated industries because the most appropriate cultural values tend to differ by industry. Unfortunately, few acquired firms remain independent for long because executives in the acquiring firm want to control corporate decisions. Therefore, it’s not surprising that only 15 percent of acquisitions leave the purchased organization as a stand-alone unit. Cafeteria to offer a range of food at various prices of the colleagues can pick and mix their meals and pay as much or as little as they want to. There is no staff development scheme in place, perhaps factory workers could develop towards a role in the Tea Innovation Unit – could help to break down the barriers between the units and dispel rivalry. Could include training relevant to role e. g. health and safety, equlity and diversity (Motivation and engagement) Listen to the employees not everything through the unions, employee forums and possibly one to ones with colleagues to develop two way communication between management and employees. Colleague engagement surveys Allow feedback from employees on managers, develop psychological contracts with employees. Staff social events to break down barriers Multiskill the workforce, perhaps ask for volunteers at first then roll out further. Allow employees to work flexible patterns. 4. Colleague issues – development, motivation, staff levels Tea Factory In the ‘90s HUL adopted a strategy of regionalising tea production. As a result production at the Tea Factory decreased and between 1989 and 1998 there were eight rounds of voluntary redundancy. (case study p. 3) Workers heard stories of those who had taken VRS and had not done well. As a result some higher level employees voluntarily downgraded to ensure job security. case study p. 3) In the 90’s the workers perception was that the company made a lot of money and there was no need to worry. There was reluctance to acknowledge that although the company as a whole was profitable; their unit might not be contributing to that performance. (case study p. 3) Management need to replace the many worker who retired between 2005 and 2 008. They are concerned about the emergence of a new set of opinion leaders. (case study p. 8) Newer workers who had not witnessed the downturn of the Tea Factory were less restrained in their demands. In the old days, the workmen would come in on Sunday for training, even without overtime pay, although they didn’t know how it would benefit them. †¦ they were that motivated. Now, we have to persuade the new recruits to come in on a Sunday. And we pay them overtime! † (case study p. 9) Consequences Management need to replace the employees who retired as the rest of the workforce will be under pressure to cover until the positions are filled. Newer workers are no longer motivated by fear of losing their job so a way needs to be found to motivate them. Colleagues need to be kept informed of the performance of the unit so they can act accordingly. Solutions Consider perspectives and experiences of local employees. Consider interventions that could bring the best out of the employees e. g. introduce a reward and recognition scheme to reward performance. (Motivation) Create a performance culture – introduce targets, regular one to ones, plans for output an deliver against it – link output to bonus Older employees bring a diverse range of skills, could use them in a different capacity e. g. coaching and mentoring the new staff.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Educating Essay

â€Å"Individuals venturing into new experiences may encounter obstacles but may also gain significant rewards†. â€Å"Do you agree with this perspective?† In your response, refer to your prescribed text and atleast one other related text of your own choosing. Individuals venturing into new experiences may encounter obstacles but may also gain significant rewards. This is present in the text ‘Educating Rita’ written by Willy Russell and the film ‘The Help’ written by Kathryn Stockett. In this text we see a fairly un-educated woman blossom and find herself through education; the obstacles she faces on her way to knowledge are the stepping stones in finding herself and entering the new world of education. Rita is a typical uneducated woman; her life is already planned out for her consisting of children, cooking/cleaning, pub trips and the overall expectation to be content with this life and not expect any more. However throughout the text we see Rita break away from this lower class/restricting stereotype to blossoming and finding herself in the world of education. The opening scene portrays to us the two completely different worlds in which Rita and Frank live. Rita has enrolled in an Open University course as she sees education as a way of moving out of her world; she feels out of step with her working class background and wants to discover herself first before having a baby and tying herself down for life. Rita’s constant desire to ‘know everything’ makes Frank feel that he is an appalling teacher because he feels he has nothing to offer her. Frank is Rita’s course tutor; he is a very negative and dismal man who is heavily reliant on alcohol to dull his boredom and frustration. Although being a jaded alcoholic he is also a very precise, formal and educated professor who is just on a downward spiral in his life. Throughout the text we see Rita and Frank’s relationship grow as Rita makes him feel as if he has hope again, therefore his drive comes back. In scene one we observe Rita struggling to open the door into Frank’s office; this symbolises her struggle to enter that world, it’s a barrier, however she’s determined to get what she wants – in this case education – therefore almost breaks the door in order to get in. â€Å"You’re the first breath of air that’s been in this room for years† quoted by Frank symbolises the opening up of a new world for him, he’s now got someone new and different to experience. This is a good change for Frank. Scene two beings with Rita oiling Frank’s office door, then handing the oil to Frank. This is symbolic of giving him the key/tool to open up to another world. Rita still doesn’t portray herself as a ‘proper student’ and her self esteem/confidence is still very low. She doesn’t think she is capable of achieving the great essays that the other students write and doubts herself that she will even finish the course. This scene really reveals the cost that trying to change herself is likely to have on Rita. She is dissatisfied with her life and has a desire to change it, yet it would be easier in her opinion to simply stay as she is and continue her boring life of hairdressing and different flavoured beers. Frank assigns Rita 3 novels to read as her hunger for knowledge is starting to grow extremely. The slow change in Rita is starting to become evident as she can read/take on any book presented to her, â€Å"it feeds me inside†. Her hunger is growing and making her slowly discover who she is, â€Å"it makes me stronger comin’ here†. Although Rita feels as if she’s finally accepted in the university and has a place/fits in with the ‘proper students’, she still has barriers to face in her personal life that are important determining points in her progress and choices as an individual. Rita’s husband Denny isn’t accepting nor happy about her doing this ‘whole learning thing’ and forces her to choose between him and education as he doesn’t understand that this is the first time she’s happy and felt a sense of purpose in her life. Denny has made her constantly feel stupid for even considering getting an education and therefore burns all of her books. The burning of the books is symbolic of Denny trying to prevent Rita from moving away. â€Å"You’d think I was havin’ a bloody affair the way he behaves† â€Å"And aren’t you?† symbolises Rita’s affair with education. Although she may not be cheating on Denny, she still desires to educate herself more than spend time with her husband and is happy with this choice as it is her own choice and no one else’s. In scene six we start to see a notable change in the relationship between Rita and Frank. When Rita bursts into Frank’s office excited to tell him that she saw one of Shakespeare’s plays â€Å"it was bleedin’ great†, Frank thought that something serious had happened – which indicates that he is beginning to care for her. After inviting Rita to a dinner party at his house Frank feels closer to Rita – this invite symbolises the change in the basis of their relationship from teacher and student to a more personal one. Throughout the text we have seen Rita grow and shape herself as an individual, no matter what obstacles and new experiences she has encountered with on her way she has got through them with determination and strength, and as a result has been great personal gain. Towards the end of the text Frank presents Rita with a dress; this is symbolic of a dress for an educated woman, she is now one and can wear the dress with pride. Frank decides to leave the university, as he does not feel it is the right career for him anymore and would prefer to spend his time doing something else. Rita and Frank have both grown and found themselves throughout this text which is also evident in the film ‘The Help’ written by Kathryn Stockett. The Help is set in Mississippi during the 1960s, main character Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends’ lives – and the Mississippi town – upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of the richer upper class families. Davis, Skeeter’s best friend’s housekeeper, is the first to open up and be interviewed – to the shock of her friends in the close black community. Despite Skeeter’s life long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Davis continue their partnership and soon more women come forward to tell their stories – and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unsuspectingly/unwillingly caught up in the changing modern times. This is relevant to the text Educating Rita as the women find the courage and self confidence to venture into new experiences to help better either themselves or their community.