Thursday, October 31, 2019

Response of chapter 2 of Inside Rikers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response of chapter 2 of Inside Rikers - Essay Example Confinement may seem like the easiest way to control crime and punish offenders, but it is not entirely effective in reforming criminals. This chapter makes an interesting point that solitary confinement can be one of the most inhumane psychological punishments for criminals. Criminals are put in a prison inside a prison with almost all of their liberties controlled. It is a double-edged sword which, unfortunately, reinforces criminal behavior. Wynn stressed: â€Å"Solitary confinement itself can cause a very specific kind of psychiatric syndrome.† She is saying that solitary confinement should be considered as a strong independent variable for â€Å"random violence and self-mutilation, suicidal behavior...† She gives examples of how the CPSU breeds the most violent behaviors and thoughts among criminals which Captain talks about. Captain admits that isolation can turn criminals into worse personalities. He knows how unsafe it is, for instance, to have a normal life out side prison, knowing that any ex-convict might get back on COs. Through these examples, Wynn and the Captain make a good point on how detaching inmates from social contact and treating them like animals intensify their criminal attitudes and behaviors. Corrections officers are human beings too who are trapped in prison like inmates and they often suffer from the psychological and social effects of their jobs. William West, a former CO, said: â€Å"It’s the dirtiest, most thankless job in law enforcement† (Wynn). Wynn also cited a joke that accurately portrays the effects of this job on COs: â€Å"What’s the first three things you get when you become a CO?† The answer: ‘A car. A gun. A divorce.’† Harry, one of the COs, provides an example of a CO, the first man to be punished with death penalty. Harry has a calm attitude towards COs who turn into criminals themselves, as if he knows that such consequences of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Person Centred Therapy Evaluation Essay Example for Free

Person Centred Therapy Evaluation Essay In order to evaluate the claim that Person-Centred Therapy offers the therapist all that he/she will need to treat clients, one must look at the theoretical concepts of person-centred therapy (PCT) and its underlying philosophical influences. The PCT approach was developed during the 1940’s and 1950’s by an American psychologist Carl Rogers, now known as Rogerian counselling; he proposed new humanistic ideas for counselling which moved away from the doctor/patient relationship. PCT emphasises person to person relationship between the therapist and client and focuses on the client’s point of view; through active listening the therapist tries to understand the client’s presenting issue and emotions. In PCT the client determines the direction, course, speed and length of the treatment and the therapist helps increase the client’s insight and self understanding. Rogers and Abraham Maslow, another psychologist, were the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology. â€Å"Humanistic theories of personality maintain that humans are motivated by the uniquely human need to expand their frontiers and to realise as much of their potential as possible† (Sanders 2002 p22). A humanistic approach is based on all human beings having an inbuilt ability to grow and achieve their full potential known as â€Å"actualisation†. If this quality can be harnessed then human beings can resolve their own issues naturally, given the right conditions. Rogers and Maslow believed in a person’s potential to reach self actualisation. Maslow however referred to the ‘psychology of being’ and that self actualisation was an end in itself at the top of the hierarchy of needs whereas Rogers considered the ‘psychology of becoming’- the process of being able to take charge of your life and become the person you want to be a c ontinuous process. Maslow felt that human beings are always striving for self improvement which goes beyond that of the basic needs for survival. He believed that a person’s behaviour stems from the way in which people strive to meet different needs. From 1943 to 1954 he developed the 5-level Hierarchy of Needs: * The first, lowest level, concerns a person’s physiological  needs: survival, food, water and shelter. * The second addresses safety: protection from danger and need for security, order and predictability. * The third covers love social behaviour: for love, friendship and acceptance by peers. * The fourth addresses self respect and esteem: the need for status, independence, recognition, self confidence and respect from others. * The fifth and highest level concerns self-actualisation: the need to fulfil one’s personal potential. His theory states that each need must be met in turn starting with the lowest concerning the need for survival and only when the lower needs are met is a person able to move on to the higher needs. However if something should happen and any lower needs are no longer satisfied then a person will concentrate on regaining them before attaining the higher ones. The lower four levels are known as ‘deficiency’ needs which a person will strive to fulfil thereby satisfying the deficiency. However behaviour relating to self actualisation is known as a ‘growth’ need, governed by the person’s inborn need to grow and realise his full potential. Maslow felt most people only ever achieved the first four needs, and he wanted to help clients to obtain ‘Self-Actualisation’ in order to really become themselves. â€Å"The higher up the hierarchy we go, the more the need becomes linked to life experience and the less ‘biological’ it becomes.† (Gross 1996 p.97) It is a fact that people achieve self actualisation in many different ways, related to experience in later life rather than biology. If a person has a deficiency in one of the lower levels of needs then self- actualisation cannot be achieved, resulting in anger, frustration, unhappiness and depression. Rogers trusted in people and viewed them in a positive and optimistic way, believing all human beings naturally strove to achieve their potential; mental health issues arose when barriers to personal growth were present. Accordingly a person’s behaviour is down to self perception or interpretation of a situation and as no one else could know how something was perceived, the perceiver would be the best person to help themselves. PCT looks at how the client is currently interpreting and perceiving their  situation, the moment to moment experience and what is being thought and felt. Rogers viewed psychological development as the process of a person following the path of actualisation and so becoming oneself. A fully functioning person was someone on his way to self actualisation and he identified certain qualities that enabled that person to realise his potential. A person needs to have:- Openness to experience: he can accurately perceive his own feelings and experiences in the world; Existential living: he lives in the present rather than the past; Organismic trusting: know what is good for one and trust thoughts and feelings as accurate, doing what comes naturally; Experiential freedom: the feeling of freedom when making choices and taking responsibility for personal actions; Creativity: a person will naturally socialise and participate in society through work, social relationships or through the arts or sciences. A principal element of Rogers’ theory is the concept of self, described as being a set of self perceptions and beliefs, including self awareness or image, self esteem and worth, and Ideal self. Human behaviour is driven by people attempting to maintain consistency between their self image and esteem; sometimes this consistency is not achieved and a person’s self image may differ from their actual behaviour and how it is perceived by others. A highly successful and respected person, may see themself as a complete failure: as their actual experience is not consistent with their ideal self, an incongruent condition. People experiencing incongruent feelings, because of conflict with their self image, feel threatened and may block or deny these feelings. It is these defence mechanisms which prevent the self from growing and changing; widening the gap between reality and the self-image until the latter becomes more unrealistic when the â€Å"incongruent person† will start to feel vulnerable, confused and suffer psychological disturbances. A congruent person’s self image is flexible and changes with new experiences, the self image matches the thoughts and actions allowing for the opportunity to self-actualise. A person’s self concept develops through childhood. Rogers believed that  humans developed conditions of worth: the conditions where positive regard would be given. In order to maintain this conditional positive regard a person will suppress or deny actions and feelings which are unacceptable to people who are important, instead of using those thoughts, feelings and perceptions as a guide to behaviour. It is this denial that causes the difference between the organism and the self, the organism being everything a person does, feels and thinks, and the self being the part that is accepted liked and respected by others positive regard. As people have an inherent need to be loved and accepted and therefore a need for positive self regard, they behave and act in ways that meet approval so in turn think of themselves as good, lovable and worthy. In order to experience positive self regard a person’s behaviour and condition of worth must match; sometimes conditions can force one to behave and act in ways that prevent self actualisation, thus living life by someone else’s standards. This can cause conflict between experience and self concept, leading to the development of psychological disorders. Congruence and self actualisation can only be reached if a person is functioning as a whole organism so conditions of worth need to be substituted with organismic values. Rogers maintains that the human organism has an underlying â€Å"actualising tendency† which drives a person to develop and become independent. When a person is acting under conditional positive regard which prevents realisation of full potential, these conditions need to be removed. The difference between the self and organism then becomes minimal and the person more closely aligned with his natural values: more relaxed and happy with life. PCT aims to provide the right environment to enable the client to grow and develop, and work through any problems by utilising the ability for personal growth. Rogers believed that the therapy should take place in a supportive environment created by a close personal relationship between the client and the therapist. It allows insight into the client’s feelings and behaviour whilst the therapist’s function is to offer warmth and empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard toward the client, accepting what is said in a non judgmental way. Rogers felt that the most important factor in  successful therapy was the therapist’s attitude. A key element of the PCT is to reflect the client’s feelings without judgement and by doing this the client will relax and express inner feelings. It also lets the client know that the therapist is listening, trying to understand, as well as clarifying what the client is communicating. Clarification arises when the therapist picks out the key points, uses the clients own words to develop an atmosphere of trust, enabling rapport to develop leading the client to feel able to appreciate current feelings and past experiences. Rogers believed that in order to create this environment for growth and change three core conditions need to be provided for a therapeutic relationship to be formed. Empathy. The therapist must try to enter the client’s inner world and understand how the client is feeling through sensitively listening and reflecting back what the client is saying. â€Å"Carl Rogers described empathy as the ability to sense the client’s world as if it were your own without losing the â€Å"as if† quality† (Sanders 2002 p68). Congruence. This involves the therapist being â€Å"real† open to the expressed feelings and being genuine with the client. There should be no air of authority, enabling the client to feel the therapist is being honest and responding as a real person not analysing what is being said and trying to fit it to a therapeutic model. Unconditional positive regard (UPR). The therapist must provide non judgmental warmth and acceptance of the client, regardless of past behaviour, as a worthwhile person free to explore and discuss all thoughts, feelings and behaviour positive and negative without fear of rejection or judgement. The client must not feel the need to earn positive regard; many people seek help because of disturbances caused by unreasonable harsh judgements. It is very important to ensure that experience is not repeated during therapy. If the client feels an evaluation is being undertaken, a false front may be put up or the therapy stopped altogether. It is these three core conditions that form the foundation of the therapeutic relationship. However, Rogers also believed that fundamental to providing the right conditions for change the helper must make psychological contact with the client. â€Å"Client and therapist need to be simultaneously aware of  each other before anything therapeutic can happen† (Sanders, Franklin Wilkins 2009 p 39.) Psychological contact, the relationship between therapist and client; the client is vulnerable or anxious; and receives empathy, UPR and congruence. All of these conditions are necessary and the core conditions must be used sufficiently for helpful change. These core conditions are believed to enable to the client to grow and develop in his own way to become the desired person. PCT focuses on the client’s own thoughts and feelings, not those of the therapist and provides an environment where the client can explore personal experiences to strengthen self structure which in turn helps to reach actualisation. The two primary goals of PCT are to increase a client’s self esteem and openness to experience. The therapy also helps to bring the clients self image and ideal self closer together and allows the client to have a better self understanding. The client’s levels of defensiveness, guilt and insecurity are lowered resulting in more positive and comfortable relationships with others and an improving ability to experience feelings and emotions when they occur. The results of studies carried out using this approach show that clients maintain stable changes over long periods of time, and that the changes are comparable with changes achieved using other types of therapy. It is a very effective way to treat people suffering from depression or relationship issues but PCT does appear to be less effective than other humanistic therapies where the therapist offers more advice. Rogers originally developed his PCT in a children’s clinic as ‘play therapy’ and his theory has been used to help people suffering from depression, anxiety, alcohol disorders, cognitive dysfunction and personality disorders and has been proved successful when used on an individual basis as well as in group and family therapy. In the later part of his career he worked with people suffering from schizophrenia. Although PCT is popular and does achieve a level of success, a key criticism in this approach is that the core conditions should always be provided by a good therapist before moving onto different theories and strategies to help make the client better. This criticism shows there is a degree of misunderstanding of the real problems of constantly providing UPR, empathy and congruence in the therapeutic setting, as these can clash and cause  conflict. Purely being able to maintain these core conditions requires much work on the part of the therapist, given that everyone has values and beliefs which are hard to suppress and ignore, so it may be more real for the therapist to own their own values and beliefs whilst not judging others. PCT does not require the counsellor to undergo any specific training or self development in any particular way through personal experience, other than to provide the core conditions. Rogers believed it is the relationship between the therapist and the client that brings about the therapeutic change. Further criticism, of therapists demonstrating the core conditions, is that it can lead the client to believe that the therapist is supportive of the situation and viewpoint to such an extent that the client no longer feels the need to change. This is due to the therapist offering no alternatives as there is no position of authority in the PCT to guide the client to make constructive changes. PCT has also been criticised for its lack of structure and insufficient direction to help people in real crisis. Some therapists would argue that this type of approach is not suitable or effective for clients who are inarticulate or poorly educated, whereas other feel that this approach can be applied to anyone. Although this approach is positive is it enough to solely create a good relationship between client and therapist and provide the clients with a safe space to feel valued and supported in order for change to take place? If a client is experiencing real difficulty and is unable to see a way forward and has lost all hope then it is important for the help to come from the therapist. Clients who have experienced this type of therapy often feel that is does not provide the desired solutions they are looking for and have become bored, frustrated and annoyed with the Rogerian style. In summary, although the person-centred approach is clearly a highly effective method of helping and is widely accepted and used by clinical psychologists today, I do not feel that it offers the therapist all that he/she needs to treat clients. I believe that no one therapy can claim an absolute success rate in treating clients, as human beings are inherently different due to differing cultural backgrounds and life experience and  hence each therapist and client relationship will be unique, producing differing results. I feel that one theory that suits everyone is not the approach a good therapist should adopt. Some people may find it easy to talk about their feelings and be able to help themselves in a PCT environment whereas to another this type of approach would be completely bewildering and unproductive. I believe PCT is an effective therapy for treating self esteem and relationship issues however it does not go nearly far enough to help those with deep rooted psychological disorders. A client in crisis may not have the ability to self-help and the nondirective approach can be unhelpful and ineffective when a client is seeking clear guidance from a counsellor. Therefore I believe it is the job of the therapist to determine which theory would help the client best to resolve their issues and be prepared to be flexible in approach. The skill set of a good therapist would have a variety of different strategies and therapeutic approaches to offer the client and although a person-centred approach is a good place to start, the therapist should be prepared to progress to more structured approaches as appropriate.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Human resources manager in international expansion

Human resources manager in international expansion ABSTRACT The worldwide dimension of Human Resources work may not have high influence in some businesses. But in some business it does posses a lot of influence. Some organizations that have world wide activities, needs to be staffed but with some different comparisons in the terms and conditions of employment. This is where the importance of international human resource management and the role of international human resource manager arise. International human resource manager must be responsible for framing new Human resources policies and strategies that gets in line with the locations ethical and religious issues for which managers need to posses both explicit and tacit knowledge. This research highlights the importance of this knowledge and its transfer from the parent country to the host country in line with the other objectives of this research. INTRODUCTION The growth of significance in International Human Resource Management originates from the augment of globalization. This substantial growth can be seen very obviously over the past half century. This term explains the propagation of international trading relations, foreign direct speculation, worldwide mergers and acquisitions, quicker and affordable transport and swift technological revolution. Amalgamation of markets multi-nationally was involved by globalization and the involvement was done on a regional level as well which is enthused by the rise of potential and authoritative markets in china, India and Eastern and Central Europe. Multinational companies are yet other visible manifestations of globalization. As companies expand domestically to a certain level they then try and expand internationally. This is when the role of International Human Resource Management comes into action. The objective of this research is to 1. Identify the role of International HR Manager. 2. To provide justification for the chosen geographical area. 3. To discuss the role of IHRM in relation to companys global involvement. The chosen geographical location for this research is India, for which the justification would be revealed during the course of the research. LITERATURE REVIEW International HRM can be defined as ‘the set of distinct activities, functions and processes that are directed at attracting and maintaining an MNCs human resources. It is thus the aggregate of the various HRM systems used to manage people in the MNC, both at home and overseas. Taylor, Beechler and Napier, 1996, pg: 960. There are various models that best explain the International Human Resource Management. These models have been put forward to illustrate how the HR function is configured. The Schuler et al. (1993) model explains us the integrative frame work of international HRM. This is a conceptual frame work that tried to record HRM activity to the diverse strategic requirements for integration and local responsiveness. Schuler et al. (1993) defines strategic international HRM as ‘Human Resource Management issues, functions, policies, practices that result from the strategic activities of multinational enterprises and that impact the international concerns and goals of the enterprise. â€Å"International Human Resource Management can also be referred to as a scrupulous type of devolution activity and spreading out of HR role. As and when an organization starts to develop its international activities, the organization inexorably sets up the degree of decentralization, but internationalization is not just a form of decentralization. This is considered to be one of the most complex forms of the same and involves different types of language, culture, economic and political systems, legislative frame works, management styles and conventions and diversification that stay within those national boundaries.† (Torrington, Hall and Taylor, 2005, pg: 695). Perlmutter (1969) proposed a model that was purely network based, illustrating the globalization of companies. This model was initially implemented in the international human resource management prose, rather than the international business field from where it originated. Kobrin (1994) ‘identified the classification in human resource management issues such as training, recruiting, selecting people and resources as the prime reason why international Human resource theorists adopt the Perlmutters model widely. Perlmutter (1969) initially defined three organizational types based on managements mindsets. They are ethnocentric, polycentric and geocentric organizations. Later he came with the fourth type of organization which is called the regiocentric organization. â€Å"THE ETHNOCENTRIC MINDSET reflects a spotlight on home country values and methods of operating. The consequence is the key positions are filled by the parent country nationals which give them a high degree of direct control over the subsidiaries. THE POLYCENTRIC MINDSET focuses on host country values and methods of operating. The key positions are filled by local employees and the parent company is less interested in homogenizing the organizational culture. THE GEOCENTRIC MINDSET focuses on global operation methods and values. These values are not nationally specific but transcend national boundaries and become almost multi-cultural. This approach involves best people for the job and the selection is done from all over the global organization. THE REGIOCENTRIC MINDSET recognizes regional operational methods and values. The organization is normally structured along regional geographic lines (e.g.: Europe, America, Asia Pacific Rim) and employees are transferred within these regions allowing certain degree of integration and recognizing regional diversity.† Perlmutter (1969). ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER The primary role of the human resources manager of a company that is expanding internationally for the first time is to formulate new HR strategies and policies based on the organizations business policy. They must keep in mind the issues in the geographical location where the company is going to operate. Those issues may be varied starting from political issues, labor issues, religious issues and diversity issues. The next important role would be the transfer of knowledge. ‘Knowledge is defined in terms of its explicit and tacit qualities (Nonaka and Takeuchi, 1995). Polyani (1962) states that ‘tacit knowledge is the one that can be articulated and explicit knowledge is something that cannot be articulated. Both these knowledge has different methods of acquisition and accumulation purposes. Lam (2000) argues ‘that explicit knowledge is mostly generated through reckoning and inference and can be acquired through learning, training reading and listening and tacit knowledge is acquired through exposure in different environments, face to face communications. Close interaction plays a critical role in diffusion of this knowledge. As per the above argument by Lam (2000), we can say that it is mandatory for an international human resources manager to posses both explicit and tacit knowledge. Explicit knowledge will help the manager in framing international HR policies and strategies based on organizational objectives. This can also be addressed to as the internal factors in international expansion. Where as the external factors include the political issues, the opportunities and threats which they might experience. This requires the manager to posses abundant tacit knowledge which is acquired through experience. To be more specific on the roles we can consider the work of Tregaskis, Glover and Ferner (2005). They examined the role of international HR networks in 13 different Multi-national companies and outlined the role of the HR manager. These include â€Å"1. Global policy development. 2. Global HR policy accomplishment. 3. Best practice conception and allocation. 4. Utilization of the distributed HR expertise. 5. Creating buy-in to policy initiatives. 6. Information Exchange. 7. Socialization of the HR community.† These roles are self explanatory and it underpins the relevant knowledge requirement of the person involved in the international setting. JUSTIFICATION OF THE CHOSEN AREA This research will proceed further based on the assumption that the UK based organization is planning to expand its operations in India. India is one of the largest democracies in the southern Asia. India draws a high level of international attention with a GDP of growth rate of 8.1 percent in the first quarter of the financial year 2005-2006. This increased from 1.9 percent in 1995 to 3.4 percent in 2004. Major growth rate can be found in the industrial and the services sector with a growth rate of 8 percent in 2005. There are quite a few challenges that the organization might have to face during its expansion in India. This is outlined by Beardwell and Claydon (2007, pg: 626). â€Å"INFRASTRUCTURE: The combination of weak authoritarian mechanisms and the improper flow of FDI which is found more in non core sectors have restricted the flow in core sectors and Energy. Wider skill up gradation seems to be essential in India for e.g., more manpower is required in the information and the communication Industry. CORRUPTION: This is another challenge that could be faced by the organization. This is the reason that the FDI flow in china is comparatively higher. The government of India has implemented the Rights to Information Act in 2005. Setting up of the vigilance commission is also an important step taken by the government. GROWTH WITH EQUITY: Despite the fact that there are more jobs being created, these jobs are in the unorganized sector with poor wages and benefits and there is less job security. But the government is taking necessary steps to improve job opportunities and enhance skills development by ensuring education for all. Beardwell and Claydon (2007, pg: 627), outlines the advantages an organization that enjoy despite the arousing the challenges. They are LANGUAGE: Advantage of wide knowledge in English language is evident in most graduates who come from across a million universities in India which makes recruiting quality candidates very easy. SKILLS: Highly skilled people from the field of software and information technology are one of Indias competitive advantages. India though highly recognized for unskilled cheap labor produces a number of graduates from the field of mathematics and science from a number of colleges. DEMOCRACY: The egalitarian nature of the Indian state provides a sustainable distribution of resources with an equitable distribution of resources and opportunities. This may help India address the challenges of poverty, inequality, low equality and per-capita income. DIVERSITY: The key to understanding the Indian context is its diversity. Managers with an experience in a diverse organization are regularly equipped to adjust as well as respond to the increasingly diverse international work place. PROSPECTS: India on description of its competitive advantage continues to gain employment within global division of MNC. The probability of this change happening is high with a projected growth of 9-10 percent which was predicted by the World Bank.† DISCUSSION AND EXAMPLES IHRM and Companys Global Involvement This discussion will mainly focus on role of IHRM in companys global involvement followed by examples of two organizations. Vernons (1996) stage model of organizational change and the steps are listed below PHASE 1. DOMESTIC: Focus is on the market, with unique products and services. ‘There are no requirements of cultural diversity and the HR needs are not demanding in international terms. I.e. expatriate assignments cross-cultural (Dunbar, ET. Al., 1989). PHASE 2. INTERNATIONAL: There is an increase in competition and international markets gain significance for profit. The HR now performs vital role in attaining control of local operations. PHASE 3. MULTINATIONAL: The product/ service reaches maturity, there is a rise in competition and a fall in price. The best people are chosen for international postings for increasing profits and the recruitment of international manager would be from those with the knowledge of parent culture. PHASE 4. GLOBAL: The previous three stages were based on hierarchical structures. This phase functions on the postulation that the business unit will need to operate in all the three phases continuously. ‘It is in this stage the demarcation between the expatriate and local managers disappears and management of dual demands of integration and local responsiveness takes place in the organization. (Doz and Prahalad, 1986). Phase I Domestic Phase II International Phase III Multinational Phase IV Global Primary Orientation Product or Service Marketing Price Strategy Strategy Domestic Multi Domestic Multi National Global World Wide Strategy Allow Foreign Clients To buy Product/service Increase market Internationally, Transfer technology abroad. Source, Produce and Market Internationally Gain global strategic competitive advantage Staffing Expatriates None (Few) Many Some Many Why sent? Junket To sell control or transfer technology Control Coordination and Integration Whom Sent? ‘ok performers, salespeople Very good performers High- potential Managers and top executives Purpose Reward Project ‘to get Job done Project and career development Career and organizational development Career Impact Negative Bad for domestic career Important for global career Essential for executive suite Professional Re- entry Somewhat difficult Extremely difficult Less difficult Professionally easy Training and Development None Limited Longer Continuous throughout career For Whom No one Expatriates Expatriates Managers Performance Appraisal Corporate bottom line Subsidiary bottom line Corporate bottom line Strategic positioning Motivation Assumption Money motivates Money and adventure Challenge and opportunity Challenge, opportunity, advancement Rewarding Extra money to compensate for foreign hardship ______________ Less generous, global packages ____________ Career ‘Fast Track Domestic Domestic Token international Global Executive Passport Home country Home country Home country, token foreigners Multinational Necessary Skills Technical and managerial Plus cultural adaptation Plus recognizing cultural differences Plus cross- cultural interaction, influence and synergy Source: Adler and Ghadar, 1990 cited on Beardwell and Claydon 2007. The table illustrated above was proposed by Adler and Ghadar, (1990), which illustrated the IHRM in relation to the companys global environment relating various aspects with Vernons model of organizational change. Examples The two organizations that will be considered as examples in this research are Barclays bank and British airways. â€Å"Barclays is a UK based organization which is expanding globally at a considerable rate. Barclays bank has been operating in India for just a span of two years. Within a short span of time they have gained the title as the most respected foreign banks of the country. This bank is led by Mark Jones, who is the Managing Director in Asia. The company has its own corporate social responsibilities. In 2008 52.2 million pounds was invested in community projects and over 57, 361 employees in over 50 countries was involved in one of them.† www.barclays.in (2009). Theoretically speaking Barclays in now on PHASE 3. THE MULTINATIONAL STAGE, as illustrated by Vernon (1996). The organization employed a director who has the knowledge of the parent culture. They have five branches across India and currently have their efforts focused on financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and education and Helping people into Employment. The ethnocentric and polycentric mindsets of Perlmutters (1969) model best suits the companys International HR management practices because; Barclays key positions are filled by parent country nationals as well as nationals from the host country. â€Å"When considering the case of British Airways, they are slightly different from Barclays. This difference occurred because British airways are a huge organization with over 80 years of history. Though they have their hubs only in London, they have their operations in six continents and in over 69 countries and India is one of them. They serve to more than 36 million passengers every year. They believe in offering diversity, more development, better training than their competitors.† www.britishairways.com (2009). This organizations international HRM strategy can be compared in contrast with the permutters (1969) geocentric and regiocentric mindsets of the people because; they involve best people from all over the globe and at crucial stages employees are transferred within a particular region. British airways is currently in the PHASE 4 which is the GLOBAL PHASE as they are operating on all the prior three stages. CONCLUSION This research analyzed the international human resource management using a range of academic models and theories. The role of human resource manager during a first international expansion was clearly related to the knowledge transfer and the organizational strategies and policies. This research can be a useful tool for a domestic company whose future plan is to expand their business globally. After analyzing the advantages and challenges in India it gives the organization a clear picture as to what are the issues that can be expected, both internally and externally. Advantages are those which the organization must be prepared to utilize, and the challenges are something which they must be ready to face. Keeping in mind the role of the IHRM in organizations global involvement, the stages for organizational change, and the advantages and challenges they might face in the host country, the organization can really make an excellent start in their proposed geographical location. REFERENCES 1. All about British Airways, available at http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/baweb1/?newms=info1 accessed on 24 August 2009. 2. About Barclays (2009), available at http://www.barclays.in/about/about_us.htm accessed on 24 August 2009. 3. Adler, N. and Ghadar, F. (1990) ‘strategic human resource management: A global perspective, in Pieper, R. Human Resource management: An International Comparison. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. 4. Beardwell, J. and Claydon, T. (2007), ‘International Human Resource management, HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT: a Contemporary Approach, Edition 5, PP: 562-664. 5. Doz, Y.L. and Prahalad, C.K. (1986) ‘Controlled variety: A Challenge for Human Resource Management in the MNC Human Resource Management, 25, Edition 1, PP: 55-72. 6. Kobrin, S.J. (1994) ‘Is there a relationship between a geocentric mindset and multinational strategy? Journal of International Business Studies, third quarter: 493-511. 7. Lam, A. (2000) ‘tacit knowledge, organizational learning and societal institutions: an integrated frame work. Organization Studies, 21, Edition 3, PP: 487-513. 8. Dunbar, E., Mendenhall, M. and Oddou, G. (1989) ‘Expatriate selection, training and career pathing: a review and critique, Human Resource Management, 26, fall: 331-345. 9. Nonaka, I and Takeuchi, H. (1995) the knowledge creating company. New York: Oxford University Press. 10. Perlmutter, H.V. (1969) ‘the tortous evolution of the multinational corporation, International Organization, 51, Edition 1, PP: 1-30. 11. Polyani, M. (1962), Personal Knowledge. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 12. Schuler, R., Dowling, P. and De Ceiri, H. (1993), ‘An international framework strategic international human resource management, Journal of Management, 19, 2: 419-459. 13. Taylor, S., Beechler, S. and Napier, N. (1996) ‘Toward an integrative model of strategic international human resource management, Academy of Management Review, 21, Edition 4, PP: 959-985. 14. Torrington, D., Hall, L., Taylor, S. (2005), Human Resource Management, Prentice hall, Edition 6; PP: 693- 778. 15. Vernon, R. (1996) ‘international investment and international trade in the product cycle. Quarterly Journal of Economics May.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Female Genital Circumcision Essay -- female genital mutilation, FGM

The process of female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision is served as a ritual practice in African countries and cultures, yet doctors are faced with an issue of illegality and immorality when African immigrants want these procedures performed here in the US. Ever since the beginning of religion, Jews, Muslims, and Christians have practiced male circumcision. This practice was scene as both sanitary, holy, and if done properly, harmless. This practice became so popular that civilization has carried out into current time, in which male circumcision still serves as a very popular procedure today. However what most Americans don’t know is that this procedure isn’t only done on males in other areas of the world. In countries like Africa, this procedure is also performed on fema...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Quintessential Techniques of Effective Management Essay

Goal oriented performance, combined with productivity and employee satisfaction to achieve a positive cash flow is the key to a healthy and lucrative business in today’s world. The success of employee performance is due in large part to the management of employee time and proper training. It is the duty of a supervisor to direct the employees towards satisfactory accomplishments in these areas and orient them towards the goals of the parent organization.   In order to lead with positive results a manager must not only lead the team, but be an effective part of it. The development of work team identity, performance goals, skill development, and a satisfactory rapport between management and employees falls on the supervisor. A good supervisor will understand that management is only as effective as the partnership he or she sustains with the employees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There has been a great deal of time and energy devoted to the research of effective management skills in the workplace. According to Joseph Wholey, the â€Å"theory of management is being able to develop a reasonable level of agreement on agency and program goals and strategies† (Wholey, 288.) A solidly founded program will ensure both fairness and objectivity. In order to do both, and effectively manage the time and skills of employees, a supervisor must assure that performance is be both carefully measured and documented. This begins with the establishment of a performance plan, agreed upon by both the supervisor and the employee. The plan should set both short-term and long-term employee goals. The team should review these goals quarterly. One of the most effective techniques for this type of a system is a monthly scorecard kept for each employee by the supervisor. During a performance review, the manager would examine the records produced during the previous quarter and records and evaluate the employee’s performance during that quarter as well as against past quarters. This performance rating should include ratings for individual goals, team goals, and open-ended comments, as well as an overall rating. After accessing the past information and reaching an agreement on the current rating, the supervisor and the employee should work together to develop new goals with higher team and individual expectations. The implementation of priorities for the upcoming year should also be written at this time. It is during these performance reviews, and not during the normal working shifts, that supervisors are able to get important information and feedback from their employees.   There is little productive about interrupting the scheduled work in order to ask how it is progressing. In order to maintain smooth supervisor and employee relations there must be respect for the job as well as the individuals. The responsibility of a supervisor during the normal course of the working day is to encouragement the successful maintenance of the work schedule rather than to bond with the employees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On occasion, there will be rough patches at work that are unaccounted for during these goal-setting meetings. Supervisors must support their teams through these difficult times.   It is imperative that the supervisor understands the development stages of teams in order to aide the team in getting through the trouble spots.   Fusion Associates discusses how performance goals are tied directly to team development. Developing performance goals and standards show participants how to establish SMART-based performance standards. It is one that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Time-framed. The SMART approach enables team members to better understand organizational performance requirements and their own role in moving the business forward. Because SMART is a collaborative way to develop goals and standards, team members intuitively agree to the process and give their full commitment to its success. By using SMART with their team members, managers demonstrate their commitment to an open and consistent performance improvement process. (Fusion) In many cases the industry of the organization has a major effect on the way in which teams are organized, and supervision is handled. For example, in today’s telecommunication industry, sales figures drive the perception of company success. In this case, the effective supervisor must encourage employees to believe every call is a sale opportunity, rather than allow then to focus on the failed calls. An instance of this problem and solution can be found in the following case. Connect Wide is one of the leading local cable companies. The quarterly performance goals, based on sales, have been increased in regular increments without discussion with the employees. This has led to low moral amongst the employees.   The employees in turn complain that they can not sell, or up-sell, to customers who feel that the pricing is too high, or already run past due on their billing accounts. Once the problems have been defined, the management needs to implement a program to reverse the low morale and increase sales. A good supervisor would begin with designing a successful operating plan to present to the employees. This plan should include the encouragement, empowerment, and support of the employees during the change. Despite the poor beginning conditions, change is almost always considered with both reluctance and suspicion in the workplace. The implementation of changes for the betterment of both the working conditions and the sales driven goals would be well served by a mini-training course on transitional selling. Following this with a good marketing campaign should ease the burden of making hard sales for the employees. These implementations would both increase the revenue and therefore make goals easier to reach. When the individual, team, and department goals are met the supervisor is often rewarded. By passing these types of rewards down to the employees, it will sustain the motivation in the workplace. When a manager administers a plan successfully, what results is a motivated work force, which maintains productivity and reaches set goals. This type of direct intervention is often called management coaching.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Understanding the concept of management coaching and how the employee and company can all benefit is an important hallmark of a good supervisor.   One of the key components to successful coaching is observation of the employee’s performance in order to grant feedback. There two types of feedback the supervisor must be aware of, both which are valuable to employee development. The appropriate type of feedback needs to be given to the employee, depending on the developmental needs witnessed by the supervisor. Motivational feedback is the first type. This feedback focuses on positive actions which the supervisor wishes to see the employee continue.   This type of feedback most often elicits future performance gains from the employee. The other type of feedback is developmental.   Developmental feedback allows the supervisor to offer the employee ways in which to improve their performance. Clear, concise suggestions for what needs improvement must be balanced with an effort not to make the employee feel berated, especially in front of other employees.   This type of feedback is far more dependant on good communication skills. To reach the best performance standards employee coaching must be conducted with a conscientious approach to customer service.   Fleischer describes this as an   approach to retention seems like an efficient way to sustain revenue from existing customers.   But in practice, this attempt to prevent churn backfires because it creates a conflict between customers’ expectations of service and the company’s willingness to fulfill them. (Fleisher. 40) The coaching is a process does not require a great deal of time; however it is a great benefit to the company. The secret to successful coaching is to create and seize coaching opportunities, which present themselves everyday in the work place. This small investment of a supervisor’s time with his or her employees often results in large pay-backs of more motivated worker and larger profits. In conclusion, good management must be successfully implemented by a supervisor who leads his or her team towards redefined goals.   The must use encouragement, motivation, and listening skills in order to connect with their employees and help their employees connect with each other. These skills can be honed under various development paradigms. One of the most successful of these is coaching, the delivery of feedback to the employees, and listening for feedback from them in order to improve both sides. Works Cited   Human Resource Management International Digest 14.7 (2006):   ABI/INFORM Global.   ProQuest.   1 Nov. 2006 http://www.proquest.com Holiday Extras is flying high:   Found monitoring calls knock a minute off the average call, while improving quality to the customers.   Monthly staff turnover fell from 7.95 to 4.2 percent versus a year before.   Sales increase by 6 percent using transition keeping in mind each call could be a sell opportunity. Fleischer, Joe. Call Center Magazine 1 OCT. 2006: 40. ABI/INFORM Global.   ProQuest.   1Nov. 2006 http://www.proquest.com/ Don’t Just Say No — Is approach to retention seems like an efficient way to sustain revenue from existing customers.   But in practice, this attempt to prevent churn backfires because it creates a conflict between customers’ expectations of service and the company’s willingness to fulfill them. Fusion Associates.   Forging High Performance Teams.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2005 7 Nov. 2006 http://www.fusionassociates.com/index.html Developing performance goals and standards show participants how to establish SMART-based performance standards. It is one that is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Time-framed. The SMART approach enables team members to better understand organizational performance requirements and their own role in moving the business forward. Webster, Richard .   Call Center Magazine 1 Nov. 2006: 42.   ABI/INFORM Global.   ProQuest.   1 Nov. 2006 http://www.proquest.com Beverly Stryker, Starbucks Coffee Company — Starbucks hired Stryker in 2003 to oversee and build upon a virtually non-existent quality assurance and training program.   Stryker took pains to convince her staff that the aim of the quality assurance program was not to spy on employees, but to improve customer interactions. Wholey, Joseph S.   â€Å"Performance-Based Management Responding to the Challenges.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   March 1999.   Vol. 22.   Univeristy of Southern California and U.S. General Accounting Office.   Pg. 288.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Theory of management is being able to develop a reasonable level of agreement on agency and program goals and strategies.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

remember the titans Essays

remember the titans Essays remember the titans Paper remember the titans Paper In the early 1970s, two schools in Alexandria Virginia Join together forming T. C. Williams High School. The Caucasian head coach of the Titans is replaced by an African American coach from North Carolina. Tensions rise when players of different races are forced together on the same football team. Many of these conflicts are eased during the two-week training camp. When players returned to Alexandria the players found the city in turmoil due to the forced desegregation of the high school. As the season progresses the teams success caused the community to accept the changes. After the Titans perfect season, the team and the city were closer than ever. The main conflict of the movie was racial segregation between the Caucasian and African American football players and their families. The team confronted many racial differences, but at the end they overcame the problem and acted like real soul brothers after a successful football season together (Titans). Four of the racial haracteristics shown in the movie were Prejudice, racism, discrimination and segregation. Prejudice refers to thoughts and feelings about those groups (Openstax 232). Racism is a type of prejudice that involves set beliefs about a specific racial group (Openstax 232). Discrimination refers to the actions toward them (Openstax 232). Segregation refers to the physical separation of two groups, particularly in residence, but also in workplace and social functions (Openstax 236). Racial Prejudice was presents at all times in the movie. The opening scenes, articularly the information regarding a white shopkeeper murdering a black man and not being found guilty, emphasizes one of the main themes of this film, which is racial discrimination. We see this equality in the Titans, when head Coach Boone makes it clear that the best players will get the starting positions, regardless of their race. Each individual must work hard to earn his place, and the amount of effort required is equal, no matter what color his skin might be. Only with this equal status can any resentment be erased from either side.