Explain the difference between equality and diversity
According to Mullin’s (2007), the meaning of equality is being fair to all people. The Adult College (n.d) mentioned that is a structure and culture that come from the mission statement, the work place and procedures. This is to ensure that the working environment is a safe and non discrimination place to work in. Equality refers to the term of Equal Opportunities which protects staff / people from being discriminated, for example, sex, disability and race. Equality is based on the legal obligation that every company needs to follow.
Mullen’s (2007) stated that Diversity involves a wide range of conditions within the workforces, for example, valuing the benefits of its workforce that makes the best of people’s talents whatever their backgrounds is. Diversity covers visible and non-visible individual differences.
Diversity also focuses on the movements in company, for example, the culture and how are they meeting the business aims. Diversity is not just focusing on discrimination but also supporting wide range of people and maximising staff potential and contributing to the company (Hemphil and Haines, 1997).
The different between equality and diversity is that equality focuses on wide range of external areas that the company needs to follow, for example, Anti-discrimination Act. In the other hand diversity focuses on more internal areas that the company needs to take into accounts, for example, how to help its staff to achieve the full potential of their career by providing custom equipment.
Margaret Mountford, who used to be Sir Alan Sugar’s advisor on “The Apprentice” stated that women should only be appointed to senior positions on merit. There should be no positive discrimination. Review the article below and state 3 arguments for and against her views.
To Support Margaret Mountford views
1. When Margaret Mountford is discriminating male at the same time she maybe discriminating female, for example, she said the show has destroyed many management myths and some of these myths discriminate women.
2. According to Sabbatini (n.d) stated that females are scientifically smarter than male, the article also mentioned that the woman brain is 20% bigger.
3. In the question above it is stated that women should only be appointed to senior positions on merit. But this should also apply to men too because all employees need to make profit for the company. For example on the second series of The Apprentice both of the sex was female. This could prove that women can be skilful leaders.
Against Margaret Mountford views
1. According to the UK national statistic 50%of the population is female
2. Due to women nature, when they get married they tend to start a family and this may cause some drawbacks such as less opportunities in their career.
3. Prejudice – stated in the Sex role (2004), that male are better leader or managers then women. Also mentioned that over half top positions are males.
Age legislation came into force in 2006, as an employer what impact might this have - brain storm some ideas. What stereotypes do we tend to hold about younger and older people? Suggest two ideas as to how organisations can attempt to change these attitudes
When the Age Legislation Act came into force the impact that has brought to employers are;
Some employers may think that old people are slow (Brain storm)
Young people may not be reliable
Unmarried young woman may get penalise because they want to start a family in the future
Young people may not be experienced as old people and old people might complain a lot.
Action 1 attempt to change people attitudes
Now managers can deliberately have a mixture of age’s differences in a team. For example, number of leading industries such as retailers, financial sector - Marks and Spencer, B&Q and Tesco employ a different range of age groups. They will work as a team and this practice may change their attitudes towards the age differences
Action 2 attempt to change people attitudes
Organisation can organise training programmes for their staff to go on because training programmes usually change people’s attitudes especially at work. Also the organisation can put up posters, leaflets around their staff rooms and this may change people’s attitudes just by giving out information.
Visit two organisational websites to benchmark practice in relation to equal opportunities, for example British Airways, Sainsbury’s, Asda or B&Q (www.diy.com) and detail the most innovative practices
The two organisations that were chosen are Sainsbury’s and Asda this is because they are in the same sector and aim at the same customers. Stated in both organisations web page, (The Times, 2010) Top 100 graduate employer has been awarded. But Sainsbury’s were awarded the most because according to their web page they received numbers of rewards. For example, the Best Place to work for in 2009.
On both of their web site stated that they are decline the usage of packaging. Also both organisations mentioned what charities they support and which communities’ charity they have funded.
On this occasion both organisations were summon to court for price fixing on tobacco Sainsbury’s did not get fined but due to Sainsbury's inform the Office of Fair Trade (OFT) and they were the first to apply to the OFT for leniency Sainsbury’s received complete immunity from fines. In the other hand Asda got fined for £14 million for price fixing on tobacco (The Guardian, 2010).
They both employ hundreds of thousands of staff, so it is important for both organisations to have rules and procedures to follow. This can reduce the number of unfairness and employees and managers will know what to do, for example, in disciplinary procedures so it will be fair to all staff across both organisations
Write a conclusion about this topic and include it in your blog
To conclude, it is important for any organisation to be fair to all staff especially large organisation because they employ hundreds of staff. Also it is important for any company to understand the contract of employment if not they may breach it without their concern.
It is wrong to judge a person just by the age especially in a working environment and this is a breach of regulations.
Bibliography and Reference
Asda (n.d) All about Asda [online] Available at: http://www.asda.jobs/all-about/index.html [Accessed 7 April 2010]
Hemphil, H and Haines, R (1997) Discrimination, harassment and failure of diversity training [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Uq8mCAvmm2wC&pg=PA61&dq=discrimination+diversity+meaning&ei=lAfYS4bpM4GOywTlyryLCQ&cd=1#v=onepage&q=discrimination%20diversity%20meaning&f=false [Accessed 5 April 2010]
Kelbie, P (2004) The Independent. Inflexibility and prejudice women keep from the top jobs [online] Available at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/inflexibility-and-prejudice-keep-women-from-top-jobs-705002.html [Accessed 5 April 2010]
Sabbatini, R (n.d) Are there differences between the brains of male and female [online] Available at: http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n11/mente/eisntein/cerebro-homens.html [Accessed 6 April 2010]
Sainsbury’s (n.d) About us [online] Available at: http://www2.sainsburys.co.uk/aboutus/about_us_default.htm [Accessed 7 April 2010]
Sex role (2004) Male versus female leaders a comparison of empirical studies [online] Available at: http://
www.springerlink.com/content/q3713k6976126425/ [Accessed 6 April 2010]
The Guardian (2010) OFT levies £225 fine for cigarette price fixing [online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/apr/16/oft-levies-225m-for-cigarette-price-manipulation [Accessed 7 April 2010]
The Times (2009) Hang in there, Margaret Mountford of The Apprentice tells women [online] Available at: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/article6830916.ece [Accessed 5 April 2010]
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Week 24 Reward
Consider your own organisation or one with which you are familiar – how does it reward employees? Does it differ for different groups- how and why? How is ‘fairness’ or ‘equity’ ensured?
The organisation that I was involved in is John Lewis. They use a number of rewards, for example, discounts for hotels, golf resorts and sharing the end of year profit.
Every employee gets the same amount of percentage but they have to be a partner for more than a year to get this reward. But other rewards such as cinema tickets, discount vouchers and each staff will be given a discount card for purchasing within the organisation such as Waitrose. To ensure every employee receives the fair amount of rewards. John Lewis uses a wide range of tools, for example, through their sales targets, customer comments and mystery shoppers.
Do you think that Chief Executives should still receive large bonuses even if the organisation that they have led has underperformed? List the arguments for and against this.
Stated in The Telegraph (2010), chief executive should receive lower bonuses if the organisation is underperforming. As they are leader of the organisation they should be clear that the organisation will need the revenue for project investments.
Stated in The Independent (2008), chief executive should review their performance before handing out any bonuses and this can confirm that the organisation is not underperformed.
Identify 3 financial and 3 non-financial ways of rewarding a teacher at a primary school. Which of these ideas would motivate you the most?
Non financial way
Cinema tickets
A day off work
Reward certificate saying teacher of week or month
Financial
Health schemes
Future professional training programmes
Chauffeur for the week to work and back
Out all the rewards mentioned above the most attracting one is certificate reward because it provides the most motivation. For example, getting praise for the work they have done also tangible and it can be used in the future.
Stated in Mullins (2007), that money may not provide the best motive for employees. As a primary school teacher their wage is about £15K - £20K so money may not attract them that much. Also this reward is meaningful and this might mean a lot more to employees, for example, good comments and recognition is better than financial rewards. But this depends on the employees situation, such as financial statues.
Another attractive motivation method is future professional training programmes stated in Farmer and Yellowley (2009) that this method of motivations provides a clear message to the employee that the organisation wants to invest in their employees.
Conclusion
All organisations use different ways to measure out fairness. Chief executives should not get paid for bonuses if the organisation does not perform well enough in the profit margins. Money may not provide the best motivation but it does provide the basics. To motivate an employee there are lots of ways as mentioned above but something small can mean a lot to someone if they enjoy their job.
Bibliography and References
Dawber, A and Farrell, S (2008) HSBC faces rebellion over £120 million executive bonus plan. The Independent [online] Available At: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hsbc-faces-rebellion-over-pound120m-executive-bonus-plan-834430.html [Accessed 23 April 2010]
Farmer, M and Yellowley, W (2009) People and organisations.2nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited
Mullins, L (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Neate, R and Monaghan, A (2010) HSBC chief Green attacks big bank bonuses Brown claims global support for bank levy The Telegraphy [online] Available At: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/7075930/HSBC-chief-Green-attacks-big-bank-bonuses-Brown-claims-global-support-for-bank-levy.html [Accessed 23 April 2010]
The organisation that I was involved in is John Lewis. They use a number of rewards, for example, discounts for hotels, golf resorts and sharing the end of year profit.
Every employee gets the same amount of percentage but they have to be a partner for more than a year to get this reward. But other rewards such as cinema tickets, discount vouchers and each staff will be given a discount card for purchasing within the organisation such as Waitrose. To ensure every employee receives the fair amount of rewards. John Lewis uses a wide range of tools, for example, through their sales targets, customer comments and mystery shoppers.
Do you think that Chief Executives should still receive large bonuses even if the organisation that they have led has underperformed? List the arguments for and against this.
Stated in The Telegraph (2010), chief executive should receive lower bonuses if the organisation is underperforming. As they are leader of the organisation they should be clear that the organisation will need the revenue for project investments.
Stated in The Independent (2008), chief executive should review their performance before handing out any bonuses and this can confirm that the organisation is not underperformed.
Identify 3 financial and 3 non-financial ways of rewarding a teacher at a primary school. Which of these ideas would motivate you the most?
Non financial way
Cinema tickets
A day off work
Reward certificate saying teacher of week or month
Financial
Health schemes
Future professional training programmes
Chauffeur for the week to work and back
Out all the rewards mentioned above the most attracting one is certificate reward because it provides the most motivation. For example, getting praise for the work they have done also tangible and it can be used in the future.
Stated in Mullins (2007), that money may not provide the best motive for employees. As a primary school teacher their wage is about £15K - £20K so money may not attract them that much. Also this reward is meaningful and this might mean a lot more to employees, for example, good comments and recognition is better than financial rewards. But this depends on the employees situation, such as financial statues.
Another attractive motivation method is future professional training programmes stated in Farmer and Yellowley (2009) that this method of motivations provides a clear message to the employee that the organisation wants to invest in their employees.
Conclusion
All organisations use different ways to measure out fairness. Chief executives should not get paid for bonuses if the organisation does not perform well enough in the profit margins. Money may not provide the best motivation but it does provide the basics. To motivate an employee there are lots of ways as mentioned above but something small can mean a lot to someone if they enjoy their job.
Bibliography and References
Dawber, A and Farrell, S (2008) HSBC faces rebellion over £120 million executive bonus plan. The Independent [online] Available At: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/hsbc-faces-rebellion-over-pound120m-executive-bonus-plan-834430.html [Accessed 23 April 2010]
Farmer, M and Yellowley, W (2009) People and organisations.2nd ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited
Mullins, L (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Neate, R and Monaghan, A (2010) HSBC chief Green attacks big bank bonuses Brown claims global support for bank levy The Telegraphy [online] Available At: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/7075930/HSBC-chief-Green-attacks-big-bank-bonuses-Brown-claims-global-support-for-bank-levy.html [Accessed 23 April 2010]
Week 22 & 23 Training and Development
Imagine you are the HR Manager for a retail chain with a training programme for new graduate entrants. It is anticipated that these graduates will be store managers at the end of their 2 year training programme. You have been asked to plan and design a one week induction programme for the graduates. What would you include? Where should the training take place? How will you evaluate its effectiveness?
Mullin (2008) stated that the meaning of training is to improve knowledge and skills and to change attitudes of staff.
First day
The first stage of training programme is induction. Where all the new graduates shown their posts, where things are placed, what procedures need to be followed due emergency events, for example, bomb scare, fire drill and theft procedures.
This type of training should be held at the shop floor because graduates can visualise where to go and where things are. Also graduates can be introduced to their new colleagues.
According to Meighan, (2000), that induction training is one of the most important training programmes because this would help the new graduates to feel like a part of a family.
At the end of the day there will be a short pop quiz this can indicates how much they have taken in, for example, how many fire exits there are, what procedure needed to be follow during an emergency evacuation.
Second day
According to Hughes and Ferrett (2009) equipment training is one of the major elements of a training programme especially for new staff. The training will include tills training because in each different retail store their till is different. During their employment with John Lewis, each member of staff has to go through a programme training called main frame which is one of the most essential training because it holds the stock list, customers information and order list. Also all the graduates will be given their own passwords and access key. The reason of this training is to improve their confidence and skills.
This type of training should be done with the tills that they are using on the shop floor but away from live tills. It can be held in a training room usually located within the store, for example, in John Lewis most of the internal training is located on the third floor where the offices is. Health and Safety Act stated that all staff should have received training for their use of equipment.
Third day
Company policy and laws and regulations training
Harrison (2009) stated that all staff, no matter what level they are at, should understand the company policy and have a basic knowledge of employment laws and regulations, for example, the minimum wage, anti-discrimination act and health and safety laws. It also mentioned that managers should have a keen knowledge of the company contract of employment because it will easier to deal with conflict if they know the contract from front to back.
Fourth day
Kamin (2006) stated that customer service training is one of the most essential parts of the training programme because based on managers past experience customers can be very impolite to staff, especially section managers.
When there is a problem with the product graduates need to be prepared to solve customer’s queries and calm them down to solve the problems that the customer has.
One of the best ways for this type of training is use it in real life practices because graduates they can learn from their mistakes and it will teach them what to expect from angry customers. But before the above training is carried out the graduates will be provided basic training in a role play from previous customers complains. Also this training will contain communication training to customers and to staff.
Fifth day
Product training as the store will be selling number of products. The graduates will need to have the basic knowledge of the products and this will improve their selling skills. When John Lewis was selling the Wii for the first time, John Lewis got a representative from Nintendo to do a presentation about the products, for example, features, how it works, the reason of this type of training is that the staff can answer the customer questions also there will be manuals available for staff to read.
The training will be held in-house because their will not be any special equipment needed and the presentation can be held in the training / conference room.
Sixth day
Mullins (2007) stated that staff and store management training is essential because graduates will have a long list of responsibilities to carry out. At the same time, especially during conflict, managers need to be fair to the parties that are involved.
As they are soon to be store managers they will a need fair amount of training and experiences because when times comes they will be managing the store by them self. So it is important for them to have a firsthand experience of how to manage a store, during this training they will be supervised.
This exercise will include working in teams but the supervisor will advise some staff to be difficult to manage without the trainee (graduates) knowing. Farmer and Yellowley (2009) stated that improving their teamwork building skills and problems solving skills.
This type of training can take place in-house as it does not need any special equipment or speaker. But HR personnel will be needed to go through the contracts and laws and regulations of employment such as Health and Safety Act.
Seventh day
How to deal with confidential information
John Lewis (n.d) stated that all personnel must keep all confidential information on the premises. If not disciplinary procedures will be carried out.
As they soon to be store managers, they will train on how to open confidential information because the data will be password protected. The training will include how to deal with the receipts of the day, for example, the procedure and protocols they need follow when dealing with money and cheques.
Near the end of the training programme there will be questionnaires handed out and there will be a one to one interview with supervisor based on the training they have received.
This can advise the trainer on where to improve the programme, shows how much the trainee has taken in and areas that they need more training in during their 6 months probation period.
The reason why most training is usually held within the organisation premises is because it is one of the cheapest ways to provide training to all staff.
Recommend by John Lewis section manager, as they are soon to be store managers, they will side move to different department within the store because this will provide firsthand experience for them. Graduates will have a better knowledge of different department on how they are run and their job roles.
Conclusion
It is important for graduates to be fully trained because soon they will be managing a store. Fully trained staff affects the company performance especially, on the financial side. Also it is important for the trainer to plan the programme efficiently because it will affect the graduate’s performance.
Bibliography and reference
Harrison, R (2009) Learning and development 5th ed. London: the chartered institution of personnel and development
Hughes, P and Ferrett (2009) Introduction to health and safety at work 4th ed. [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YhlKT43FNRAC&pg=PA208&dq=introduction+equipment+training&ei=WM7QS4aTM4LCyATes4GvCQ&cd=2#v=onepage&q=introduction%20equipment%20training&f=false [Accessed 28th March 2010]
John Lewis employee hand book
Kamin, M (2006) Customer service training [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XlHhQ2TOjm4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=retail+training+on+customer+service&cd=1#v=onepage&q=retail%20training%20on%20customer%20service&f=false [Assess 29th March 2010]
Meighan, M (2000) Induction training effective steps for investing in people. [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oURuDplGl-UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=induction+training&hl=en&ei=R6HQS42uFM3Z-QbPqp0r&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 28th March 2010]
Mullins, J (2007) Management and organisational behaviour 8th ed. Essex: Pear education limited.
Mullin (2008) stated that the meaning of training is to improve knowledge and skills and to change attitudes of staff.
First day
The first stage of training programme is induction. Where all the new graduates shown their posts, where things are placed, what procedures need to be followed due emergency events, for example, bomb scare, fire drill and theft procedures.
This type of training should be held at the shop floor because graduates can visualise where to go and where things are. Also graduates can be introduced to their new colleagues.
According to Meighan, (2000), that induction training is one of the most important training programmes because this would help the new graduates to feel like a part of a family.
At the end of the day there will be a short pop quiz this can indicates how much they have taken in, for example, how many fire exits there are, what procedure needed to be follow during an emergency evacuation.
Second day
According to Hughes and Ferrett (2009) equipment training is one of the major elements of a training programme especially for new staff. The training will include tills training because in each different retail store their till is different. During their employment with John Lewis, each member of staff has to go through a programme training called main frame which is one of the most essential training because it holds the stock list, customers information and order list. Also all the graduates will be given their own passwords and access key. The reason of this training is to improve their confidence and skills.
This type of training should be done with the tills that they are using on the shop floor but away from live tills. It can be held in a training room usually located within the store, for example, in John Lewis most of the internal training is located on the third floor where the offices is. Health and Safety Act stated that all staff should have received training for their use of equipment.
Third day
Company policy and laws and regulations training
Harrison (2009) stated that all staff, no matter what level they are at, should understand the company policy and have a basic knowledge of employment laws and regulations, for example, the minimum wage, anti-discrimination act and health and safety laws. It also mentioned that managers should have a keen knowledge of the company contract of employment because it will easier to deal with conflict if they know the contract from front to back.
Fourth day
Kamin (2006) stated that customer service training is one of the most essential parts of the training programme because based on managers past experience customers can be very impolite to staff, especially section managers.
When there is a problem with the product graduates need to be prepared to solve customer’s queries and calm them down to solve the problems that the customer has.
One of the best ways for this type of training is use it in real life practices because graduates they can learn from their mistakes and it will teach them what to expect from angry customers. But before the above training is carried out the graduates will be provided basic training in a role play from previous customers complains. Also this training will contain communication training to customers and to staff.
Fifth day
Product training as the store will be selling number of products. The graduates will need to have the basic knowledge of the products and this will improve their selling skills. When John Lewis was selling the Wii for the first time, John Lewis got a representative from Nintendo to do a presentation about the products, for example, features, how it works, the reason of this type of training is that the staff can answer the customer questions also there will be manuals available for staff to read.
The training will be held in-house because their will not be any special equipment needed and the presentation can be held in the training / conference room.
Sixth day
Mullins (2007) stated that staff and store management training is essential because graduates will have a long list of responsibilities to carry out. At the same time, especially during conflict, managers need to be fair to the parties that are involved.
As they are soon to be store managers they will a need fair amount of training and experiences because when times comes they will be managing the store by them self. So it is important for them to have a firsthand experience of how to manage a store, during this training they will be supervised.
This exercise will include working in teams but the supervisor will advise some staff to be difficult to manage without the trainee (graduates) knowing. Farmer and Yellowley (2009) stated that improving their teamwork building skills and problems solving skills.
This type of training can take place in-house as it does not need any special equipment or speaker. But HR personnel will be needed to go through the contracts and laws and regulations of employment such as Health and Safety Act.
Seventh day
How to deal with confidential information
John Lewis (n.d) stated that all personnel must keep all confidential information on the premises. If not disciplinary procedures will be carried out.
As they soon to be store managers, they will train on how to open confidential information because the data will be password protected. The training will include how to deal with the receipts of the day, for example, the procedure and protocols they need follow when dealing with money and cheques.
Near the end of the training programme there will be questionnaires handed out and there will be a one to one interview with supervisor based on the training they have received.
This can advise the trainer on where to improve the programme, shows how much the trainee has taken in and areas that they need more training in during their 6 months probation period.
The reason why most training is usually held within the organisation premises is because it is one of the cheapest ways to provide training to all staff.
Recommend by John Lewis section manager, as they are soon to be store managers, they will side move to different department within the store because this will provide firsthand experience for them. Graduates will have a better knowledge of different department on how they are run and their job roles.
Conclusion
It is important for graduates to be fully trained because soon they will be managing a store. Fully trained staff affects the company performance especially, on the financial side. Also it is important for the trainer to plan the programme efficiently because it will affect the graduate’s performance.
Bibliography and reference
Harrison, R (2009) Learning and development 5th ed. London: the chartered institution of personnel and development
Hughes, P and Ferrett (2009) Introduction to health and safety at work 4th ed. [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YhlKT43FNRAC&pg=PA208&dq=introduction+equipment+training&ei=WM7QS4aTM4LCyATes4GvCQ&cd=2#v=onepage&q=introduction%20equipment%20training&f=false [Accessed 28th March 2010]
John Lewis employee hand book
Kamin, M (2006) Customer service training [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XlHhQ2TOjm4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=retail+training+on+customer+service&cd=1#v=onepage&q=retail%20training%20on%20customer%20service&f=false [Assess 29th March 2010]
Meighan, M (2000) Induction training effective steps for investing in people. [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oURuDplGl-UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=induction+training&hl=en&ei=R6HQS42uFM3Z-QbPqp0r&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 28th March 2010]
Mullins, J (2007) Management and organisational behaviour 8th ed. Essex: Pear education limited.
Week 25 Communication and Involvement
Explain the difference between employee participation and employee involvement. How can organisations involve employees in decision - making? Think of three examples to illustrate practice.
Evans (2004) stated that the meaning of employee participation is involving employees in decision making or that ideas are heard by the managers. Also this provided lots of advantages, for example, as the employees voices are being heard. This will lead to cutting down on conflicts and every staff is up to date with the company proceeds. Usually employees involvement is represented by an appointed by employee. For example, in university, or schools they have Student Reps which represent students and they carried the voices of students and present them to the principles. But the employees are restricted on the levels of control.
Mathis and Jackson (2008) stated that the meaning of employee involvement is encouraging employees to be involved in decision making as individuals and sharing information with each other.
According to Mathis and Jackson (2008) to get staff more involve in decision making and having more suggestions from them, the companies could use numbers of tools such suggestions box, more general meeting and these can encourage employees to say their views and may improve their relationships between staff.
The three examples that company use to encourage staff involvement or participation.
Consultation usually refers to staff suggestion schemes, for example, John Lewis use a suggestion box which is near the exit for staff. Also companies can gather staffs opinion by carrying out surveys, for example; River Island send out questionnaires every 6 months to every staff and to encourage them to fill them out the questionnaire there will be surprise prise given out.
According to The institute for Employment Studies (2001) (ise), financial participation usually refers to profit related to pay, for example, group and individual bonuses. Another meaning is share schemes for employees and this usually leads to a right to vote in an organisation. The advantages of is retaining staff from competitors and employees feel they have more power.
Taloy and Hall (2005) stated that individual involvement means empowering employees, for example, training and development opportunities. According to the Business dictionary (n.d) employee involvement is usually refers to decision making as individual or workgroup level. As employees gets to make their own decisions they are more likely to improve the commitments towards the company.
Many organisations are now using social networking sites as a means of involving their staff, both for existing staff and potential recruits. Go online and find examples of how this works. What sort of information is provided? Which social networks are being used?
As technology improves, social web becomes more potential and organisation has identified news way of recruiting new potential staff. For example; a survey that was carried by Top Ten Reviews (2010) stated that Facebook, Myspace and Twitter were in the top ten. The ratings are based on their profile settings, security and net working features. All organisation are mostly concern with the security of the sites because there will be confidential data such as personal information. If this is not deal with properly it will be breaching the Data Protection Act.
If companies are recruiting online and is using social web site as a tool such as Facebook then companies need to take precaution because not many companies has taken this on board. There are some advantages such as can reach global targets but there are some disadvantages, for example, the accuracy of the profiles.
Another advantage of using social web site is that it can improve communication between staff (CIPD, 2010). Also works and ideas can be more creative and efficient especially creative jobs such as marketing / advertising, product developments as they may need inspiration.
In business views social web site can provides lots of opportunities, for example, to attract customers, investors or other stakeholders. Another major advantage is that it provides an easier way to communicate to everyone and it improves trust between each other because usually these social networking sits contains lots of personal data that is not related to work.
Social web sites can provide a lot of information that will be considered important to companies, such as marital status, their ages, rough idea of their location and companies can uses this information to attract new candidates.
Conclusion
It is important for staff to have their opinion and ideas to be heard within organisation. Also staff need to be empower because it will motivate them.
It is important for any organisation to adapt new ways of communication, for example, social websites because it provides convinces for the organisation.
Bibliography and Reference
B net (n.d) Business dictionary [online] Available at: http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/employee+involvement.html [Accessed 4 May 2010]
Bevan, S and Reilly, P (2001) Employee financial participation. Ise [online] Available at: http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pubs/summary.php?id=373 [Accessed 4 May 2010]
CIPD (2010) Employee communication [online] Available at: www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/comconslt/empcomm.htm [Accessed 2 March 2010]
Evans, D (2004) Supervisory management principle and practice [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=b6Of2LsJV0kC&pg=PA520&dq=employee+participation+management&cd=2#v=onepage&q=employee%20participation%20management&f=false [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Mathis, R and Jackson, J (2008) Human resource management [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_yCe7fiQbokC&pg=PA545&dq=employee+involvement++management&cd=4#v=onepage&q=employee%20involvement%20%20management&f=false [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Taloy, S and Hall, L (2005) Human resource management [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CIcmwkH_C8wC&pg=PA462&dq=individual+involvement&cd=1#v=onepage&q=individual%20involvement&f=false [Accessed 4 May 2010]
Top Ten Review (2010) Social networking websits review [online] Available at: http://social-networking-websites-review.toptenreviews.com/ [Accessed 2 March 2010]
Evans (2004) stated that the meaning of employee participation is involving employees in decision making or that ideas are heard by the managers. Also this provided lots of advantages, for example, as the employees voices are being heard. This will lead to cutting down on conflicts and every staff is up to date with the company proceeds. Usually employees involvement is represented by an appointed by employee. For example, in university, or schools they have Student Reps which represent students and they carried the voices of students and present them to the principles. But the employees are restricted on the levels of control.
Mathis and Jackson (2008) stated that the meaning of employee involvement is encouraging employees to be involved in decision making as individuals and sharing information with each other.
According to Mathis and Jackson (2008) to get staff more involve in decision making and having more suggestions from them, the companies could use numbers of tools such suggestions box, more general meeting and these can encourage employees to say their views and may improve their relationships between staff.
The three examples that company use to encourage staff involvement or participation.
Consultation usually refers to staff suggestion schemes, for example, John Lewis use a suggestion box which is near the exit for staff. Also companies can gather staffs opinion by carrying out surveys, for example; River Island send out questionnaires every 6 months to every staff and to encourage them to fill them out the questionnaire there will be surprise prise given out.
According to The institute for Employment Studies (2001) (ise), financial participation usually refers to profit related to pay, for example, group and individual bonuses. Another meaning is share schemes for employees and this usually leads to a right to vote in an organisation. The advantages of is retaining staff from competitors and employees feel they have more power.
Taloy and Hall (2005) stated that individual involvement means empowering employees, for example, training and development opportunities. According to the Business dictionary (n.d) employee involvement is usually refers to decision making as individual or workgroup level. As employees gets to make their own decisions they are more likely to improve the commitments towards the company.
Many organisations are now using social networking sites as a means of involving their staff, both for existing staff and potential recruits. Go online and find examples of how this works. What sort of information is provided? Which social networks are being used?
As technology improves, social web becomes more potential and organisation has identified news way of recruiting new potential staff. For example; a survey that was carried by Top Ten Reviews (2010) stated that Facebook, Myspace and Twitter were in the top ten. The ratings are based on their profile settings, security and net working features. All organisation are mostly concern with the security of the sites because there will be confidential data such as personal information. If this is not deal with properly it will be breaching the Data Protection Act.
If companies are recruiting online and is using social web site as a tool such as Facebook then companies need to take precaution because not many companies has taken this on board. There are some advantages such as can reach global targets but there are some disadvantages, for example, the accuracy of the profiles.
Another advantage of using social web site is that it can improve communication between staff (CIPD, 2010). Also works and ideas can be more creative and efficient especially creative jobs such as marketing / advertising, product developments as they may need inspiration.
In business views social web site can provides lots of opportunities, for example, to attract customers, investors or other stakeholders. Another major advantage is that it provides an easier way to communicate to everyone and it improves trust between each other because usually these social networking sits contains lots of personal data that is not related to work.
Social web sites can provide a lot of information that will be considered important to companies, such as marital status, their ages, rough idea of their location and companies can uses this information to attract new candidates.
Conclusion
It is important for staff to have their opinion and ideas to be heard within organisation. Also staff need to be empower because it will motivate them.
It is important for any organisation to adapt new ways of communication, for example, social websites because it provides convinces for the organisation.
Bibliography and Reference
B net (n.d) Business dictionary [online] Available at: http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/employee+involvement.html [Accessed 4 May 2010]
Bevan, S and Reilly, P (2001) Employee financial participation. Ise [online] Available at: http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pubs/summary.php?id=373 [Accessed 4 May 2010]
CIPD (2010) Employee communication [online] Available at: www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/comconslt/empcomm.htm [Accessed 2 March 2010]
Evans, D (2004) Supervisory management principle and practice [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=b6Of2LsJV0kC&pg=PA520&dq=employee+participation+management&cd=2#v=onepage&q=employee%20participation%20management&f=false [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Mathis, R and Jackson, J (2008) Human resource management [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_yCe7fiQbokC&pg=PA545&dq=employee+involvement++management&cd=4#v=onepage&q=employee%20involvement%20%20management&f=false [Accessed 30 April 2010]
Taloy, S and Hall, L (2005) Human resource management [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CIcmwkH_C8wC&pg=PA462&dq=individual+involvement&cd=1#v=onepage&q=individual%20involvement&f=false [Accessed 4 May 2010]
Top Ten Review (2010) Social networking websits review [online] Available at: http://social-networking-websites-review.toptenreviews.com/ [Accessed 2 March 2010]
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Week 21 Performance Management
Describe an appraisal you have had at work. Was it effective? What were the outputs of the meeting?
Mullins (2007) stated that an appraisal is a method of providing feedback to staff from different groups such as colleagues, managers and maybe external customers. The reason why companies use a 360 degree appraisal is because it provide a more complete picture of an individual performance.
During the employment with John Lewis Plc, I received 360 degree style appraisal after 1 month of my employment. In the interview my supervisor and I discussed setting sales targets and training programmes that I received, for example, till training, product training and customer service training. Also I gave my opinions on the training programmes. Another point that we discussed is how I could improve my skills and knowledge for upcoming events. My appraisal was very effective because it outlined the areas where I could improve and my supervisor would have a better knowledge of me. 2 months afterward I received another appraisal interview this was due to that I am a new employee to the organisation. This time we discussed my sales targets which I achieved and my performance during that period of time. Also the manager outlining the areas that I have improves on, for example, product knowledge. The meeting was usually held at the back office where the stock room was or on the third floor behind the HR office.
• Read the article from The Times on mentoring. What skills do you think are required to be an effective mentor?
According to The Times (2008) the skills that is needed is to have wise knowledge of different sectors. Also mentors need to be patient because different apprentices may take longer or shorter time to pick up the ideas.
It was stated in The Times (2008) that mentors may need to use more than one example so it may make it easier for the apprentice to relate to or understand. So the advice can be effective when being used.
One of the most important skills of being a mentor is to identify and set targets because by achieving targets could improve their ability, for example, to solve problems, interact better with other people and to cope with challenges,
Another essential skill is communication as it stated in The Times (2008) that provides a better understanding for both parties and improves their relationship. This leads to improving the apprentice contacts. One of the most important points of having a mentor is to provide directions to look at the challenges and different way to solve them.
Mullins (2007) stated that mentors should be supportive throughout the activities and the Times (2008) stated in the articles good mentors should have some grey hairs.
• Identify someone from your college/uni, school, work, social life who has been a mentor to you. How have they affected your life?
Joanna Tang
Joanna has influenced me by giving advice and examples that I can relate too. Also she gave up her time to go over my course work throughout my education, for example, spelling and grammar checks.
Also she keeps me motivated by threats, for example, telling my parents that I am not doing my work and this will lead to my parent cutting my allowance.
Another area that I admire her for is that she can balance work and family because she has three children to look after and they are all under the age of 10. Also she works for HSBC as an Assistant Manager of a branch. In her spare time she does voluntary work at the Berkhamsted Hospice.
As a mentor she has taught me a number of skills and improved my knowledge. For example, she taught me when to buy and sell at the right time on the FTS 100. This has led to one of my success.
Conclusion
In this conclusion it is important to have mentors to learn from as they provide different an angle to solve the challenges. Also it indicates the importance of mentors as they can provides influence to the apprentices and motivates them.
All mentors should have wide range of experiences and skills.
Reference and bibliography
Joanna Tang, Mentor
Louise Gordon Section manager of haberdashery and travel of John Lewis (2006)
Mullins, L (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
The Times (2008) Entrepreneurs: a mentor can tune your skills. [online] Available at: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article3778514.ece [Accessed 22 March 2010]
Mullins (2007) stated that an appraisal is a method of providing feedback to staff from different groups such as colleagues, managers and maybe external customers. The reason why companies use a 360 degree appraisal is because it provide a more complete picture of an individual performance.
During the employment with John Lewis Plc, I received 360 degree style appraisal after 1 month of my employment. In the interview my supervisor and I discussed setting sales targets and training programmes that I received, for example, till training, product training and customer service training. Also I gave my opinions on the training programmes. Another point that we discussed is how I could improve my skills and knowledge for upcoming events. My appraisal was very effective because it outlined the areas where I could improve and my supervisor would have a better knowledge of me. 2 months afterward I received another appraisal interview this was due to that I am a new employee to the organisation. This time we discussed my sales targets which I achieved and my performance during that period of time. Also the manager outlining the areas that I have improves on, for example, product knowledge. The meeting was usually held at the back office where the stock room was or on the third floor behind the HR office.
• Read the article from The Times on mentoring. What skills do you think are required to be an effective mentor?
According to The Times (2008) the skills that is needed is to have wise knowledge of different sectors. Also mentors need to be patient because different apprentices may take longer or shorter time to pick up the ideas.
It was stated in The Times (2008) that mentors may need to use more than one example so it may make it easier for the apprentice to relate to or understand. So the advice can be effective when being used.
One of the most important skills of being a mentor is to identify and set targets because by achieving targets could improve their ability, for example, to solve problems, interact better with other people and to cope with challenges,
Another essential skill is communication as it stated in The Times (2008) that provides a better understanding for both parties and improves their relationship. This leads to improving the apprentice contacts. One of the most important points of having a mentor is to provide directions to look at the challenges and different way to solve them.
Mullins (2007) stated that mentors should be supportive throughout the activities and the Times (2008) stated in the articles good mentors should have some grey hairs.
• Identify someone from your college/uni, school, work, social life who has been a mentor to you. How have they affected your life?
Joanna Tang
Joanna has influenced me by giving advice and examples that I can relate too. Also she gave up her time to go over my course work throughout my education, for example, spelling and grammar checks.
Also she keeps me motivated by threats, for example, telling my parents that I am not doing my work and this will lead to my parent cutting my allowance.
Another area that I admire her for is that she can balance work and family because she has three children to look after and they are all under the age of 10. Also she works for HSBC as an Assistant Manager of a branch. In her spare time she does voluntary work at the Berkhamsted Hospice.
As a mentor she has taught me a number of skills and improved my knowledge. For example, she taught me when to buy and sell at the right time on the FTS 100. This has led to one of my success.
Conclusion
In this conclusion it is important to have mentors to learn from as they provide different an angle to solve the challenges. Also it indicates the importance of mentors as they can provides influence to the apprentices and motivates them.
All mentors should have wide range of experiences and skills.
Reference and bibliography
Joanna Tang, Mentor
Louise Gordon Section manager of haberdashery and travel of John Lewis (2006)
Mullins, L (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
The Times (2008) Entrepreneurs: a mentor can tune your skills. [online] Available at: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article3778514.ece [Accessed 22 March 2010]
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
week 17 & 18 Selection
Find examples of three different selection methods used in an organisation with which you are familiar and identify when they are used and why, along with the pros and cons of each.
Short listing
Mullin (2007) stated that short listing information on CVs and application forms is one of the fastest way to process the information. The advantages of using short listing from CVs are that the HR department can identify the skills and knowledge they want straight away, outline the candidates qualifications and previous jobs. The disadvantages of short listing is that HR department will skim read the CVs and may miss out some important points of the candidates (Mullin, 2007).
Role play – demonstration
The advantages of using this type of method is that it can see how the candidate reacts in the working environment and show their skills and knowledge of the role they have applied for. Another advantage is that the interviewer can assess more than one interviewee at a time(Cox and Dufault, 1992).
The disadvantages of using this type of method are that it’s too expensive to carry out and time consuming. For example, the personnel that are involve.
Another disadvantage that was stated by (Cox and Dufault, 1992) is that if the company demonstrates through live customers on the shop floor it can affect the company image due to inappropriate manner or customer services.
For example, during an interview with John Lewis, the interviewee was told to go on the shop floor and assess how the organisation is run. During that activity I was lucky enough to serve some customers but we had to pass the sales to a member of staff because at that moment my status was an interviewees also all of the interviewee was giving a badge so customer can identify interviewee straight away.
Assessment centres
Armstrong (2006) stated point out the advantages of assessment centre is that the company can carry out more than one interview at the same time, for example, everyone will be doing the same activity and the candidates can show their abilities and skills.
But the down side of this method is that it is time consuming. One of the major drawbacks of the method is that the candidate may have done that version before and this will affect the result.
Another disadvantage that was explained in the lecture was the number of staff that is needed to carry out the tasks, for example, an assessment centres needs a panel of judges(Week 17 lecture notes).
Describe an interview that you have taken part in. It may have been for a job, but could also have been within your school or university. Was the interview effective? If so, why.
According to the Business dictionary, that an interview is a formal meeting where two parties exchange information. For example, the interviewer will interview the potential candidates and this will improve their understanding of each other background, skills and experiences.
One of the most effective interviews that I was involved in was hosted by Tie Rack for a sales assistant post. The interview was a one to one situation. Firstly the interviewer gave me a brief history of the company, for example, how it started and this improved my knowledge of the company. Then she briefly explained how they operate. Also during the interview she asked me series of questions and one of them was why do you want this job? I answered was that it links to the course that I am studying at Milton Keynes College which was BTEC national diploma in business. Also it can improve my knowledge and skills of this type of industry. Another question was what is your understanding of the job role and the sector. I answered; apart from serving customers and providing advice to them. For example, giving customers fashion advice and teaching customers on how to do a tie up. I also mentioned that just by adding on little accessories, such as; tie, scarf and cufflinks it can change the entire look of the person. One of the main reasons why this interview was effective was that I got the job at the end.
Interview a member of your family, or a friend not at university, to ask them whether they feel personality tests used within a selection procedure are advantageous. Describe and explain their views.
I interview my sister and she said it will be appropriate to use a personality test because it provides more information about the candidate, and they can see do they fit in with other employees personality. In a working environment people usually get along with people that have similar interest or character and it is one of the main reasons why employees stay with their organisations. Also she mentioned it covers some of the information that is needed which is not in the CVs (Tsim, A, 2010).
In your own organisation or one with which you are familiar what recommendations would you make to improve selection processes?
The organisation I have chosen is my parents’ Chinese takeaway called China Garden. The recommendation that I would suggest is improve on recruitment structure because in one month they have two staff leaving and they were only there for 2 weeks each.
To solve this matter I would recommend them to ask more questions about the candidates during the interview, for example, ask for pervious job reference and their backgrounds(Tsim, C and Tsim, L).
Remember to write a brief conclusion about this topic
It is very important for organisations to plan everything to the smallest detail, for example, job description, contract of employment and during their recruitment process because different selection method can affect the result of candidates that they hire. Also each type of method has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Bibliography and References
Armstrong, M (2006) A handbook of human resource management practice. 10th ed. [online] available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=D78K7QIdR3UC&pg=PA430&dq=assessment+centre+in+human+section&ei=0JqXS-P_OpCwMpiR2bIH&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false [Accessed 18 March 2010]
Business Dictionary [n.d] Interview definition. [online] available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/interview.html [Accessed 17 March 2010]
Cox, G and Dufault, C (1992) Twenty five role plays for interview training. [online] available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JTZ_H1hAaucC&printsec=frontcover&dq=role+play+interview&cd=1#v=onepage&q=role%20play%20interview&f=false [Accessed 18 March 2010]
Lecture notes (week 17) Jane Godson
Mullins, L (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Sam Cotter (2007) Store manager of Tie Rack
Tsim, A The interviewee
Tsim, C and Tsim, L owner of China Garden
Short listing
Mullin (2007) stated that short listing information on CVs and application forms is one of the fastest way to process the information. The advantages of using short listing from CVs are that the HR department can identify the skills and knowledge they want straight away, outline the candidates qualifications and previous jobs. The disadvantages of short listing is that HR department will skim read the CVs and may miss out some important points of the candidates (Mullin, 2007).
Role play – demonstration
The advantages of using this type of method is that it can see how the candidate reacts in the working environment and show their skills and knowledge of the role they have applied for. Another advantage is that the interviewer can assess more than one interviewee at a time(Cox and Dufault, 1992).
The disadvantages of using this type of method are that it’s too expensive to carry out and time consuming. For example, the personnel that are involve.
Another disadvantage that was stated by (Cox and Dufault, 1992) is that if the company demonstrates through live customers on the shop floor it can affect the company image due to inappropriate manner or customer services.
For example, during an interview with John Lewis, the interviewee was told to go on the shop floor and assess how the organisation is run. During that activity I was lucky enough to serve some customers but we had to pass the sales to a member of staff because at that moment my status was an interviewees also all of the interviewee was giving a badge so customer can identify interviewee straight away.
Assessment centres
Armstrong (2006) stated point out the advantages of assessment centre is that the company can carry out more than one interview at the same time, for example, everyone will be doing the same activity and the candidates can show their abilities and skills.
But the down side of this method is that it is time consuming. One of the major drawbacks of the method is that the candidate may have done that version before and this will affect the result.
Another disadvantage that was explained in the lecture was the number of staff that is needed to carry out the tasks, for example, an assessment centres needs a panel of judges(Week 17 lecture notes).
Describe an interview that you have taken part in. It may have been for a job, but could also have been within your school or university. Was the interview effective? If so, why.
According to the Business dictionary, that an interview is a formal meeting where two parties exchange information. For example, the interviewer will interview the potential candidates and this will improve their understanding of each other background, skills and experiences.
One of the most effective interviews that I was involved in was hosted by Tie Rack for a sales assistant post. The interview was a one to one situation. Firstly the interviewer gave me a brief history of the company, for example, how it started and this improved my knowledge of the company. Then she briefly explained how they operate. Also during the interview she asked me series of questions and one of them was why do you want this job? I answered was that it links to the course that I am studying at Milton Keynes College which was BTEC national diploma in business. Also it can improve my knowledge and skills of this type of industry. Another question was what is your understanding of the job role and the sector. I answered; apart from serving customers and providing advice to them. For example, giving customers fashion advice and teaching customers on how to do a tie up. I also mentioned that just by adding on little accessories, such as; tie, scarf and cufflinks it can change the entire look of the person. One of the main reasons why this interview was effective was that I got the job at the end.
Interview a member of your family, or a friend not at university, to ask them whether they feel personality tests used within a selection procedure are advantageous. Describe and explain their views.
I interview my sister and she said it will be appropriate to use a personality test because it provides more information about the candidate, and they can see do they fit in with other employees personality. In a working environment people usually get along with people that have similar interest or character and it is one of the main reasons why employees stay with their organisations. Also she mentioned it covers some of the information that is needed which is not in the CVs (Tsim, A, 2010).
In your own organisation or one with which you are familiar what recommendations would you make to improve selection processes?
The organisation I have chosen is my parents’ Chinese takeaway called China Garden. The recommendation that I would suggest is improve on recruitment structure because in one month they have two staff leaving and they were only there for 2 weeks each.
To solve this matter I would recommend them to ask more questions about the candidates during the interview, for example, ask for pervious job reference and their backgrounds(Tsim, C and Tsim, L).
Remember to write a brief conclusion about this topic
It is very important for organisations to plan everything to the smallest detail, for example, job description, contract of employment and during their recruitment process because different selection method can affect the result of candidates that they hire. Also each type of method has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Bibliography and References
Armstrong, M (2006) A handbook of human resource management practice. 10th ed. [online] available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=D78K7QIdR3UC&pg=PA430&dq=assessment+centre+in+human+section&ei=0JqXS-P_OpCwMpiR2bIH&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false [Accessed 18 March 2010]
Business Dictionary [n.d] Interview definition. [online] available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/interview.html [Accessed 17 March 2010]
Cox, G and Dufault, C (1992) Twenty five role plays for interview training. [online] available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JTZ_H1hAaucC&printsec=frontcover&dq=role+play+interview&cd=1#v=onepage&q=role%20play%20interview&f=false [Accessed 18 March 2010]
Lecture notes (week 17) Jane Godson
Mullins, L (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Sam Cotter (2007) Store manager of Tie Rack
Tsim, A The interviewee
Tsim, C and Tsim, L owner of China Garden
Thursday, 15 April 2010
week 14 Role of the Line Manager
• List five benefits and five drawbacks of line managers being more involved in HR activities
The benefits of having a line manager are that the line manager is closer to their staff and the HR manager. Also the line manager has a better knowledge of certain areas because line manager usually deals with day to day basis.
Mullins (2007) stated that line managers provides better feedback than the HR manager because line managers used the hands on approach and observed their staff directly.
According to Mullins (2007), line managers can identify the needs and wants of staff without certain barriers, for example, staff may be scared of asking the HR manager because the question may seen to be unreasonable.
Another benefit of having a line manager is they can share the work load from the manager.
The disadvantages of having a line manager are that there are two managers in one department and this might cause conflict between the line manager and head of the department due to different beliefs.
Another disadvantage is that a line manager is closer to their staff and this may affect their decision making, for example, disciplinary.
Needham (1999) stated that line managers are not specialist in certain areas of the department.
What skills do you think that line managers need to develop
in order to effectively manage people and why? How are
your line managers developed at work?
According to CIPD (2009), line managers have wide areas of responsibilities, for example, organising work allocation and rotas, checking quality and monitoring work processes. Also line managers are on the lower levels of management so therefore they have a wide range of areas that they need to improve on, for example, good relationship with colleagues so communications is one of the key roles of improving line managers development.
Another area that line managers have to take on is carrying out activities which traditionally belonged to the HR department such as providing coaching, guidance and dealing with discipline and grievances. However line managers will be provided training to deal with these issues and line managers can also improve their skills during work, for example, improving their confidence when dealing with conflicts (CIPD, 2009).
During my employment with John Lewis the line managers were very professional when they were carrying their tasks and our team relationship was very good because at every day before and after the store opened or closed, there would be a team meeting so that we are up to date with sales targets and improve our relationship between colleagues.
• Go on to Prospects website and research the job roles for an HR manager. Do you feel your skills are more suited to the role of a line manager or an HR Manager? Explain your reasons.
After looking at numbers of career web sites and news papers, for example, The Times, The Guardian and reed.co.uk, I feel that I am not quite suitable for the role of line manager or HR manager. There are numbers of reasons, for example, experience that I do not have and this is one of the main reasons why I think I am not suitable. Also if I am going to apply for the role of line manager or HR manager, I will be competing with other candidates that have more experience than me.
When applying for this kind of level of employment usually employers will look for what types of training that the candidate have received, for example, CIPD qualification, skills and knowledge of the sector. Although I have been studying HR throughout my career in education I still think it is not enough because I have not been putting the theories and models in use. If I am going in to a HR sector I will prefer an assistant role or clerk role because these roles will provide me the skills, knowledge and experience.
Nowadays having a degree in HR is quite essential but also experience will be needed because this can prove to the employer that I have put my knowledge into good practice.
Reference and Bibliography
Charted institute of personnel and development (2009) [online] Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm [Accessed 20 March 2010]
Mullins, L (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Needham, D (1999) Business for higher awards [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8w3hXLIBfywC&pg=PA223&dq=disadvantages+of+having+line+managers&cd=5#v=onepage&q=disadvantages%20of%20having%20line%20managers&f=false [Accessed 20 March 2010]
Reed (2010) Job search results [online] Available from
http://www.reed.co.uk/job-details/London/HR-
Manager/?JobID=18830429&k=hr+manager&ns=True&lit=3 [Accessed 20 March 2010]
The Guardian (2010) HR manager [online] Available from http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/978057/hr-manager/ [Accessed 20 March 2010]
The Times (2010) HR manager / human resources manager [online] Available from http://jobs.timesonline.co.uk/job/390323/hr-manager-human-resources-manager [Accessed 20 March 2010]
The benefits of having a line manager are that the line manager is closer to their staff and the HR manager. Also the line manager has a better knowledge of certain areas because line manager usually deals with day to day basis.
Mullins (2007) stated that line managers provides better feedback than the HR manager because line managers used the hands on approach and observed their staff directly.
According to Mullins (2007), line managers can identify the needs and wants of staff without certain barriers, for example, staff may be scared of asking the HR manager because the question may seen to be unreasonable.
Another benefit of having a line manager is they can share the work load from the manager.
The disadvantages of having a line manager are that there are two managers in one department and this might cause conflict between the line manager and head of the department due to different beliefs.
Another disadvantage is that a line manager is closer to their staff and this may affect their decision making, for example, disciplinary.
Needham (1999) stated that line managers are not specialist in certain areas of the department.
What skills do you think that line managers need to develop
in order to effectively manage people and why? How are
your line managers developed at work?
According to CIPD (2009), line managers have wide areas of responsibilities, for example, organising work allocation and rotas, checking quality and monitoring work processes. Also line managers are on the lower levels of management so therefore they have a wide range of areas that they need to improve on, for example, good relationship with colleagues so communications is one of the key roles of improving line managers development.
Another area that line managers have to take on is carrying out activities which traditionally belonged to the HR department such as providing coaching, guidance and dealing with discipline and grievances. However line managers will be provided training to deal with these issues and line managers can also improve their skills during work, for example, improving their confidence when dealing with conflicts (CIPD, 2009).
During my employment with John Lewis the line managers were very professional when they were carrying their tasks and our team relationship was very good because at every day before and after the store opened or closed, there would be a team meeting so that we are up to date with sales targets and improve our relationship between colleagues.
• Go on to Prospects website and research the job roles for an HR manager. Do you feel your skills are more suited to the role of a line manager or an HR Manager? Explain your reasons.
After looking at numbers of career web sites and news papers, for example, The Times, The Guardian and reed.co.uk, I feel that I am not quite suitable for the role of line manager or HR manager. There are numbers of reasons, for example, experience that I do not have and this is one of the main reasons why I think I am not suitable. Also if I am going to apply for the role of line manager or HR manager, I will be competing with other candidates that have more experience than me.
When applying for this kind of level of employment usually employers will look for what types of training that the candidate have received, for example, CIPD qualification, skills and knowledge of the sector. Although I have been studying HR throughout my career in education I still think it is not enough because I have not been putting the theories and models in use. If I am going in to a HR sector I will prefer an assistant role or clerk role because these roles will provide me the skills, knowledge and experience.
Nowadays having a degree in HR is quite essential but also experience will be needed because this can prove to the employer that I have put my knowledge into good practice.
Reference and Bibliography
Charted institute of personnel and development (2009) [online] Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm [Accessed 20 March 2010]
Mullins, L (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Needham, D (1999) Business for higher awards [online] Available at: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8w3hXLIBfywC&pg=PA223&dq=disadvantages+of+having+line+managers&cd=5#v=onepage&q=disadvantages%20of%20having%20line%20managers&f=false [Accessed 20 March 2010]
Reed (2010) Job search results [online] Available from
http://www.reed.co.uk/job-details/London/HR-
Manager/?JobID=18830429&k=hr+manager&ns=True&lit=3 [Accessed 20 March 2010]
The Guardian (2010) HR manager [online] Available from http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/978057/hr-manager/ [Accessed 20 March 2010]
The Times (2010) HR manager / human resources manager [online] Available from http://jobs.timesonline.co.uk/job/390323/hr-manager-human-resources-manager [Accessed 20 March 2010]
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Week 7 - Personality
Compare and contrast the differences between the nature and nurture approaches to personality? Include the nomothetic and idiographic approaches. Provide links to any articles which review this topic. Summarise with your views – do you feel nature or nurture is the dominant influence.
Hall and Lindzey (1957) explained that personality is the main frame of being a human. There are two different traits that exist in all people which are either nomothetic or idiographic (McLeod, 2007).
Nomothetic approaches are based on nature, which means that the person inherited their personality from their family DNA, for example, their family culture, their backgrounds. Also nomothetic is related to ‘nomos’ which means ‘law’ in Greek (McLeod, 2007).
Well known psychologists like Hans Eysenck and Raymond Cattel, believe that human personality is made up from a number of traits that come from sharing with others but the theory stills points out that they are still individuals with their own uniqueness of combination of traits.
Idiographic approaches believe nurture, which means that the person studies and adapt their personality to the environments, for example, the cultural and social groups or situations and they live in (Abbott, 2001).
Include a summary of your findings about your own personality in your portfolio
I did two questionnaires one from Mind Frame and the other BBC. Both the questionnaire were fairly accurate.
The questionnaires results from Mind Frame were quite accurate because it points out that my comfort zones are: control, socialise, proactive, order and sensitive. Initforlife (2009) stated that my pattern is quite special because it mentioned that I may never encounter another individual who has a similar pattern.
Also in the questionnaire recommended how I can develop my success, for example, when working in one of my comfortable zone try to push myself to higher levels of performance.
The second questionnaire that I did was from the BBC (2009), “What Am I Like?" personality questionnaire. The questionnaire is based on five different traits which are: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. On the questionnaire I score high on Neuroticism which means that I am most of the time tense, self-conscious and concerned a lot.
The rest of the traits I score medium which suggested that I am self motivated, get things done and at the same time I think about am I good enough. It also suggested that I want everything to be right.
Compare the findings of both tests; do you agree with the findings of the tests?
The two questionnaire result was quite similar, which indicated to me that there were some accurate points, for example, I get worried and stress over small things. There are some areas that I agree with, for example, how I can improve myself and skills.
Would you be happy for such a test to be used as a selection tool, explain your answer.
I would say it depends on the situation, for example, in a job group interview I would be happily to use it as a selection tool. The reason why I said job interview is because the interviewers would like to know as much as possible about the interviewee. But these tests cannot determine how a person reacts in a certain situation, for example, in an emergency situation or when they are nervous and their behaviour.
Also in personality there is more than one area of aspects so it is complex to judge people’s abilities and qualities.
Conclusion
Personality test can be important to a certain extent although these questionnaires are not 100% accurate because personality changes over times.
However test can still give the candidate a better view of them self and point out areas that they may need to be improve on.
References:
Abbott, T (2001) Social and personality development [online] Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=taN4WVfh_-oC&pg=RA1-PA10&dq=Hans+Eysenck+and+Raymond+Cattell+personality+nomothetic&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Hans%20Eysenck%20and%20Raymond%20Cattell%20personality%20nomothetic&f=false [Accessed 18 November 2009].
BBC Science (2009) What Am I Like [online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml [Accessed 16 November 2009].
Hall, S and Lindzey, G (1957) Theories of personality. New York: John Wiley & Sons
Initforlife (2009) MindFrames [online]. Available from: http://www.initforlife.com/home/tm.asp [Accessed 16 November 2009].
McLeod, A (2007) Simply Psychology [online]. Available from: http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ [Accessed 16 November 2009].
Hall and Lindzey (1957) explained that personality is the main frame of being a human. There are two different traits that exist in all people which are either nomothetic or idiographic (McLeod, 2007).
Nomothetic approaches are based on nature, which means that the person inherited their personality from their family DNA, for example, their family culture, their backgrounds. Also nomothetic is related to ‘nomos’ which means ‘law’ in Greek (McLeod, 2007).
Well known psychologists like Hans Eysenck and Raymond Cattel, believe that human personality is made up from a number of traits that come from sharing with others but the theory stills points out that they are still individuals with their own uniqueness of combination of traits.
Idiographic approaches believe nurture, which means that the person studies and adapt their personality to the environments, for example, the cultural and social groups or situations and they live in (Abbott, 2001).
Include a summary of your findings about your own personality in your portfolio
I did two questionnaires one from Mind Frame and the other BBC. Both the questionnaire were fairly accurate.
The questionnaires results from Mind Frame were quite accurate because it points out that my comfort zones are: control, socialise, proactive, order and sensitive. Initforlife (2009) stated that my pattern is quite special because it mentioned that I may never encounter another individual who has a similar pattern.
Also in the questionnaire recommended how I can develop my success, for example, when working in one of my comfortable zone try to push myself to higher levels of performance.
The second questionnaire that I did was from the BBC (2009), “What Am I Like?" personality questionnaire. The questionnaire is based on five different traits which are: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extroversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. On the questionnaire I score high on Neuroticism which means that I am most of the time tense, self-conscious and concerned a lot.
The rest of the traits I score medium which suggested that I am self motivated, get things done and at the same time I think about am I good enough. It also suggested that I want everything to be right.
Compare the findings of both tests; do you agree with the findings of the tests?
The two questionnaire result was quite similar, which indicated to me that there were some accurate points, for example, I get worried and stress over small things. There are some areas that I agree with, for example, how I can improve myself and skills.
Would you be happy for such a test to be used as a selection tool, explain your answer.
I would say it depends on the situation, for example, in a job group interview I would be happily to use it as a selection tool. The reason why I said job interview is because the interviewers would like to know as much as possible about the interviewee. But these tests cannot determine how a person reacts in a certain situation, for example, in an emergency situation or when they are nervous and their behaviour.
Also in personality there is more than one area of aspects so it is complex to judge people’s abilities and qualities.
Conclusion
Personality test can be important to a certain extent although these questionnaires are not 100% accurate because personality changes over times.
However test can still give the candidate a better view of them self and point out areas that they may need to be improve on.
References:
Abbott, T (2001) Social and personality development [online] Available from: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=taN4WVfh_-oC&pg=RA1-PA10&dq=Hans+Eysenck+and+Raymond+Cattell+personality+nomothetic&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Hans%20Eysenck%20and%20Raymond%20Cattell%20personality%20nomothetic&f=false [Accessed 18 November 2009].
BBC Science (2009) What Am I Like [online]. Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/whatamilike/index.shtml [Accessed 16 November 2009].
Hall, S and Lindzey, G (1957) Theories of personality. New York: John Wiley & Sons
Initforlife (2009) MindFrames [online]. Available from: http://www.initforlife.com/home/tm.asp [Accessed 16 November 2009].
McLeod, A (2007) Simply Psychology [online]. Available from: http://www.simplypsychology.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/ [Accessed 16 November 2009].
Friday, 26 March 2010
week 14 Role of the Line Manager
• List five benefits and five drawbacks of line managers being more involved in HR activities
The benefits of having a line manager are that the line manager is closer to their staff and the HR manager. Also the line manager has a better knowledge of certain areas because line manager usually deals with day to day bases.
It was mentioned in Mullins (2007) that line managers provides better feedbacks then the HR manager because line managers has the hand on approach and observing at their staff directly.
According to Mullins (2007), line managers can identify the needs and wants from staff without certain barriers, for example, staff may be scared of asking the HR manager because the question may seen to be outrages.
Another benefit of having a line manager is that it can share the work load from the manager.
The disadvantages of having a line manager are that there are two managers in one department and this might course conflict between the line manager and head of the department due to different believes.
Another disadvantage is that a line manager is closer to their staff and this may affect their decision making, for example, disciplinary.
It was stated in Needham, D (date) is that line managers are not specialist in certain areas of the department.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8w3hXLIBfywC&pg=PA223&dq=disadvantages+of+having+line+managers&cd=5#v=onepage&q=disadvantages%20of%20having%20line%20managers&f=false
Business for Higher Awards
By David Needham
2 more
• Visit the CIPD web site using the address below to read the Fact Sheet on the role of the front line manager in HR :-
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm
What skills do you think that line managers need to develop
in order to effectively manage people and why? How are
your line managers developed at work?
According to CIPD (2009), line managers has wide areas of responsibilities, for example, organising work allocation and rotas, checking quality and monitoring work processes. Also line managers are on the lower levels of management so therefore they have a wide range of areas that they need to improve on, for example, good relationship with colleagues so communications is one of the key roles of improving line managers development.
Another area that line managers have to take on is carrying out activities which were traditionally belongs to the HR department such as providing coaching, guidance and dealing with discipline and grievances. However line managers will be provided training to deal with these issues and line managers can also improve their skills during work, for example, improving their confidence when dealing with conflicts (CIPD, 2009).
During my employment with John Lewis the line managers were very professional when they were carrying their tasks and our team relationship was very good because at every day before and after the store is open or close, there will be a team meeting so that we are up to date with sales targets and improve our relationship between colleagues.
• Go on to Prospects website and research the job roles for an HR manager. Do you feel your skills are more suited to the role of a line manager or an HR Manager? Explain your reasons.
http://jobs.timesonline.co.uk/job/390323/hr-manager-human-resources-manager
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/978057/hr-manager/
http://www.reed.co.uk/job-details/London/HR-Manager/?JobID=18830429&k=hr+manager&ns=True&lit=3
After looking at numbers of career web sites and news papers, for example, The Times, The Guardian and reed.co.uk. I feel that I am not quite suitable for the role of line manager or HR manager because there is numbers of reasons, for example, experience that I do not have and this is one of the main reason why I think I am not suitable. Also if I am going to apply for the role of line manager or HR manager, I will be competing with other candidates that have more experience than me.
When applying for this kind of level of employment usually employers will look for any special training they have received, for example, CIPD qualification, skills and knowledge of the sector. Although I have been studying the HR throughout my career in education I still think it is not enough because I have not been putting in use of employment. If I am go in to a HR sector I will prefer an assistant role or clerk role because these roles will provide me the skills, knowledge and experience
In this time of day having a degree in HR is quite essential but also experience will be needed because this can prove to the employer that I have put my knowledge into good practice.
sory not finish yet
The benefits of having a line manager are that the line manager is closer to their staff and the HR manager. Also the line manager has a better knowledge of certain areas because line manager usually deals with day to day bases.
It was mentioned in Mullins (2007) that line managers provides better feedbacks then the HR manager because line managers has the hand on approach and observing at their staff directly.
According to Mullins (2007), line managers can identify the needs and wants from staff without certain barriers, for example, staff may be scared of asking the HR manager because the question may seen to be outrages.
Another benefit of having a line manager is that it can share the work load from the manager.
The disadvantages of having a line manager are that there are two managers in one department and this might course conflict between the line manager and head of the department due to different believes.
Another disadvantage is that a line manager is closer to their staff and this may affect their decision making, for example, disciplinary.
It was stated in Needham, D (date) is that line managers are not specialist in certain areas of the department.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8w3hXLIBfywC&pg=PA223&dq=disadvantages+of+having+line+managers&cd=5#v=onepage&q=disadvantages%20of%20having%20line%20managers&f=false
Business for Higher Awards
By David Needham
2 more
• Visit the CIPD web site using the address below to read the Fact Sheet on the role of the front line manager in HR :-
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/maneco/general/rolefrntlinemngers.htm
What skills do you think that line managers need to develop
in order to effectively manage people and why? How are
your line managers developed at work?
According to CIPD (2009), line managers has wide areas of responsibilities, for example, organising work allocation and rotas, checking quality and monitoring work processes. Also line managers are on the lower levels of management so therefore they have a wide range of areas that they need to improve on, for example, good relationship with colleagues so communications is one of the key roles of improving line managers development.
Another area that line managers have to take on is carrying out activities which were traditionally belongs to the HR department such as providing coaching, guidance and dealing with discipline and grievances. However line managers will be provided training to deal with these issues and line managers can also improve their skills during work, for example, improving their confidence when dealing with conflicts (CIPD, 2009).
During my employment with John Lewis the line managers were very professional when they were carrying their tasks and our team relationship was very good because at every day before and after the store is open or close, there will be a team meeting so that we are up to date with sales targets and improve our relationship between colleagues.
• Go on to Prospects website and research the job roles for an HR manager. Do you feel your skills are more suited to the role of a line manager or an HR Manager? Explain your reasons.
http://jobs.timesonline.co.uk/job/390323/hr-manager-human-resources-manager
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/job/978057/hr-manager/
http://www.reed.co.uk/job-details/London/HR-Manager/?JobID=18830429&k=hr+manager&ns=True&lit=3
After looking at numbers of career web sites and news papers, for example, The Times, The Guardian and reed.co.uk. I feel that I am not quite suitable for the role of line manager or HR manager because there is numbers of reasons, for example, experience that I do not have and this is one of the main reason why I think I am not suitable. Also if I am going to apply for the role of line manager or HR manager, I will be competing with other candidates that have more experience than me.
When applying for this kind of level of employment usually employers will look for any special training they have received, for example, CIPD qualification, skills and knowledge of the sector. Although I have been studying the HR throughout my career in education I still think it is not enough because I have not been putting in use of employment. If I am go in to a HR sector I will prefer an assistant role or clerk role because these roles will provide me the skills, knowledge and experience
In this time of day having a degree in HR is quite essential but also experience will be needed because this can prove to the employer that I have put my knowledge into good practice.
sory not finish yet
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Week 11 Organisation and Management Theory
Provide 2 case studies to demonstrate 2 of the key theories discussed in the lecture. How do they relate to the theories?
Compare and contrast the 2 organisations highlighting good practice from each.
The two organisations that have been chosen are John Lewis and McDonalds. The theories will be discussed and how it links to the chosen organisations through the example of scientific management and bureaucracy.
According to Mullins (2007) there are lots of different ways to identify trends in an organisation’s behaviour and management, for example, the Classical School which includes scientific management and bureaucracy.
Mullins (2007) stated that scientific management focuses on shop floor workers. Decision making is only for managers. Bureaucracy points out clear duties for all staff and set of rules to be follow. Companies are usually hierarchy structure.
Another theory that an organisation and manage can be link to is Human Relations School which includes motivation theories such as Maslow, Herzberg and Hawthorne. These theories attention is to identify the behaviour of people and the needs of worker or groups (Mullins, 2007).
McDonalds (n.d) uses scientific management. Firstly their staff is told to follow specific instructions to produce the goods, for example, temperature settings for catering equipment and this illustrate that McDonalds use their staff as robots. Usually managers will make the final decisions.
On the other hand John Lewis uses the same management styles in certain department, for example, call centre customer service, staff usually have a script in front of a monitor telling them what to do.
Both organisations use the Human Relations Schools to motivates their staff and indentify needs and wants. But McDonalds uses the Human Relations Schools less effectively. This is because the staff is less committed to the job role.
On the other hands John Lewis uses the theory more effectively. This is because the staff is more committed to the job role and managers listen to their staff.
Another way to show that an organisation has a good practice is through their staff turnover. For example, John Lewis’s staff turnover is reasonably low but on the other hand McDonalds has a high staff turnover. this is due to the sector they are in.
McDonald has provided some good practices, for example, offering employees the chance to gain diplomas, A – levels and this could lead to a management course.
As John Lewis is an up-market department they also offer courses too but it’s to the take undergraduates.
What are the pros and cons of scientific management? Think of five of each.
The pros of scientific management are that decision making will be faster. The theory also makes the employees to achieve a higher target. Also this will result in clear goals and easier to identify employees who are not suitable for the job.
The cons of scientific management are that the theory does not consider staff feelings and needs and wants. This will lead to de-motivation and result in a high staff turnover. Also this theory does not give employees any power or any challenging roles and this will result in employees leaving the organisation.
Write a brief conclusion about organisation and management theory.
To conclude organisation and management theory is that managers are people who help an organisation to meet its objectives.
In order to move the organisation forward managers will need to control its employees and at the same time lead and inspire.
Bibliography and References
John Lewis (2010) John Lewis jobs [online] Available at: http://www.jlpjobs.com/jobs/waitrose-jobs.htm [Accessed 20 March 2010]
McDonald’s (n.d) Make up your own mind [online] Available at:http://www.makeupyourownmind.co.uk/qualification.html [Accessed 20 March 2010]
Mullins, L. J. (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Compare and contrast the 2 organisations highlighting good practice from each.
The two organisations that have been chosen are John Lewis and McDonalds. The theories will be discussed and how it links to the chosen organisations through the example of scientific management and bureaucracy.
According to Mullins (2007) there are lots of different ways to identify trends in an organisation’s behaviour and management, for example, the Classical School which includes scientific management and bureaucracy.
Mullins (2007) stated that scientific management focuses on shop floor workers. Decision making is only for managers. Bureaucracy points out clear duties for all staff and set of rules to be follow. Companies are usually hierarchy structure.
Another theory that an organisation and manage can be link to is Human Relations School which includes motivation theories such as Maslow, Herzberg and Hawthorne. These theories attention is to identify the behaviour of people and the needs of worker or groups (Mullins, 2007).
McDonalds (n.d) uses scientific management. Firstly their staff is told to follow specific instructions to produce the goods, for example, temperature settings for catering equipment and this illustrate that McDonalds use their staff as robots. Usually managers will make the final decisions.
On the other hand John Lewis uses the same management styles in certain department, for example, call centre customer service, staff usually have a script in front of a monitor telling them what to do.
Both organisations use the Human Relations Schools to motivates their staff and indentify needs and wants. But McDonalds uses the Human Relations Schools less effectively. This is because the staff is less committed to the job role.
On the other hands John Lewis uses the theory more effectively. This is because the staff is more committed to the job role and managers listen to their staff.
Another way to show that an organisation has a good practice is through their staff turnover. For example, John Lewis’s staff turnover is reasonably low but on the other hand McDonalds has a high staff turnover. this is due to the sector they are in.
McDonald has provided some good practices, for example, offering employees the chance to gain diplomas, A – levels and this could lead to a management course.
As John Lewis is an up-market department they also offer courses too but it’s to the take undergraduates.
What are the pros and cons of scientific management? Think of five of each.
The pros of scientific management are that decision making will be faster. The theory also makes the employees to achieve a higher target. Also this will result in clear goals and easier to identify employees who are not suitable for the job.
The cons of scientific management are that the theory does not consider staff feelings and needs and wants. This will lead to de-motivation and result in a high staff turnover. Also this theory does not give employees any power or any challenging roles and this will result in employees leaving the organisation.
Write a brief conclusion about organisation and management theory.
To conclude organisation and management theory is that managers are people who help an organisation to meet its objectives.
In order to move the organisation forward managers will need to control its employees and at the same time lead and inspire.
Bibliography and References
John Lewis (2010) John Lewis jobs [online] Available at: http://www.jlpjobs.com/jobs/waitrose-jobs.htm [Accessed 20 March 2010]
McDonald’s (n.d) Make up your own mind [online] Available at:http://www.makeupyourownmind.co.uk/qualification.html [Accessed 20 March 2010]
Mullins, L. J. (2007) Management and organisational behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Week 16 Recruitment
• Go on the internet and review an on-line recruitment site such as www.monster.co.uk, www.fish4jobs.co.uk,
Comment on the use of the site, layout, accessibility etc.
Fish4jobs
On the Fish4jobs.co.uk web site there were plenty of unrelated adverts, for example car, holidays and homes. At first I thought I have logged on to the incorrect web site. Their home page was full of adverts and it was too busy, by which I mean there was too much information going on at once.
Also there were plenty of pop-up adverts which led to slowing down the loading time. But there were some advantages of using this site which are that it can help the candidate to calculate estimated monthly wages but they have to be a member to use this service.
Another advantage is that Fish4jobs.co provides advice, for example, C.V. advice and at the bottom of the page there is a help link however I did not find it useful because there is insufficient information.
Monster
Monster.co.uk web site has provided an optional link which is where the candidate can look into the related sectors, or can just type in the job search which will bring up the available posts at the current moment. The advantage of using this site is that the user can get information about the company that they have an interest in.
The disadvantage of this site is that the user has to click too many times to get the information needed
My overall opinion on this site is they are an acceptable professional web site to use.
Both
They both have simple and clear lay out of the job descriptions. To attract the candidates they have provided essential information at the beginning of each job description, for example, outlines of duties, wages and salary.
• Brainstorm five advantages and five drawbacks of on-line recruitment.
Five advantages of on-line recruiting
1. Easier to short list
2. Save time and money (work efficiencies)
3. Reach wider range of candidates (can be worldwide depending on the job or organisation)
4. Provide more customised information relating to the position
5. Candidates can access the web site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Five disadvantages of on-line recruiting
1. On-line security (due to hackers and viruses)
2. Some candidates maybe unable to fully use the technology due to their disability
3. Design and mapping of the web site (If unattractive or too confusing web sites may put off candidates.
4. High competition, for example, search engines ranking
5. On-line recruiting may not be the first option for candidates
• Identify a recruitment campaign which has really interested you. Explain why you feel this campaign caught your interest.
http://adhunt.blogspot.com/2008/11/careerbuildercom.html
Nowadays competition recruitment process needs to be creative on one side and professional to attract the candidates to apply. One of the major tools that are being used by all types of companies is the internet because it provides one of the fastest channels of advertising and attracting candidates. Careerbuilder.com is trying to attract more candidates to sign up using their site and the message they are trying to send across is ‘Maybe it’s time to move on’.
The reason why this campaign attracted me is because it links to the business sector and when I graduate from university, I would like to go into banking industry and it is linked to the course that I am studying at the moment. Also I always had an interest in investments.
• Go onto the CIPD website and read and explain what you understand by the Psychological contract http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/psycntrct/psycontr.htm
According to the CIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) (2009) the term of psychological contract was firstly introduced in the 1960s and it became popular in the 1990s. The meaning of psychological contract is an agreement or commitment between employer and employees.
Usually these agreements are informal and sometimes vague. When agreements are not written down then this mean they are set apart from the formal contract like employment contract.
It is expected by parties that they will do or act professionally, for example, personal hygiene, an employee is not allowed to wear after shave or perfume that is too strong. When either side of the parties does not perform as expected this will lead to psychological contract breakdowns and staff may leave the company due to negative emotions between parties.
Conclusion
To conclude all personnel need to act professionally during their shifts and also one of the most important points of agreements is to respect each other. The importance of psychological contract is that it contributed to relationship between all staff.
Bibliography and Reference
Career builder [online] Available at: http://www.careedrbuilder.com/default.aspx?cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=13f9b2b53f844c688a8af3d4b20077bb-320847359-RT-4&ns_siteid=ns_us_g_careerbuilder
[Accessed 25 February 2010].
CIPD (2009). The psychological contract [online] Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/psycntrct/psycontr.htm [Accessed 25 February 2010].
Fish 4 jobs (n.d) Job search [online] Available at: www.fish4jobs.co.uk [Accessed 25 February]
Foot, M. and Hook, C. (2009) Introducing human resource management.5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Monster (n.d) Your call is calling [online] Available at: www.monster.co.uk [Accessed 25 February]
Comment on the use of the site, layout, accessibility etc.
Fish4jobs
On the Fish4jobs.co.uk web site there were plenty of unrelated adverts, for example car, holidays and homes. At first I thought I have logged on to the incorrect web site. Their home page was full of adverts and it was too busy, by which I mean there was too much information going on at once.
Also there were plenty of pop-up adverts which led to slowing down the loading time. But there were some advantages of using this site which are that it can help the candidate to calculate estimated monthly wages but they have to be a member to use this service.
Another advantage is that Fish4jobs.co provides advice, for example, C.V. advice and at the bottom of the page there is a help link however I did not find it useful because there is insufficient information.
Monster
Monster.co.uk web site has provided an optional link which is where the candidate can look into the related sectors, or can just type in the job search which will bring up the available posts at the current moment. The advantage of using this site is that the user can get information about the company that they have an interest in.
The disadvantage of this site is that the user has to click too many times to get the information needed
My overall opinion on this site is they are an acceptable professional web site to use.
Both
They both have simple and clear lay out of the job descriptions. To attract the candidates they have provided essential information at the beginning of each job description, for example, outlines of duties, wages and salary.
• Brainstorm five advantages and five drawbacks of on-line recruitment.
Five advantages of on-line recruiting
1. Easier to short list
2. Save time and money (work efficiencies)
3. Reach wider range of candidates (can be worldwide depending on the job or organisation)
4. Provide more customised information relating to the position
5. Candidates can access the web site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Five disadvantages of on-line recruiting
1. On-line security (due to hackers and viruses)
2. Some candidates maybe unable to fully use the technology due to their disability
3. Design and mapping of the web site (If unattractive or too confusing web sites may put off candidates.
4. High competition, for example, search engines ranking
5. On-line recruiting may not be the first option for candidates
• Identify a recruitment campaign which has really interested you. Explain why you feel this campaign caught your interest.
http://adhunt.blogspot.com/2008/11/careerbuildercom.html
Nowadays competition recruitment process needs to be creative on one side and professional to attract the candidates to apply. One of the major tools that are being used by all types of companies is the internet because it provides one of the fastest channels of advertising and attracting candidates. Careerbuilder.com is trying to attract more candidates to sign up using their site and the message they are trying to send across is ‘Maybe it’s time to move on’.
The reason why this campaign attracted me is because it links to the business sector and when I graduate from university, I would like to go into banking industry and it is linked to the course that I am studying at the moment. Also I always had an interest in investments.
• Go onto the CIPD website and read and explain what you understand by the Psychological contract http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/psycntrct/psycontr.htm
According to the CIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) (2009) the term of psychological contract was firstly introduced in the 1960s and it became popular in the 1990s. The meaning of psychological contract is an agreement or commitment between employer and employees.
Usually these agreements are informal and sometimes vague. When agreements are not written down then this mean they are set apart from the formal contract like employment contract.
It is expected by parties that they will do or act professionally, for example, personal hygiene, an employee is not allowed to wear after shave or perfume that is too strong. When either side of the parties does not perform as expected this will lead to psychological contract breakdowns and staff may leave the company due to negative emotions between parties.
Conclusion
To conclude all personnel need to act professionally during their shifts and also one of the most important points of agreements is to respect each other. The importance of psychological contract is that it contributed to relationship between all staff.
Bibliography and Reference
Career builder [online] Available at: http://www.careedrbuilder.com/default.aspx?cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=13f9b2b53f844c688a8af3d4b20077bb-320847359-RT-4&ns_siteid=ns_us_g_careerbuilder
[Accessed 25 February 2010].
CIPD (2009). The psychological contract [online] Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/psycntrct/psycontr.htm [Accessed 25 February 2010].
Fish 4 jobs (n.d) Job search [online] Available at: www.fish4jobs.co.uk [Accessed 25 February]
Foot, M. and Hook, C. (2009) Introducing human resource management.5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
Monster (n.d) Your call is calling [online] Available at: www.monster.co.uk [Accessed 25 February]
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
teamwork week 13
• Give an example of a time when you have worked in a team and you were successful. Identify why you feel this team worked so successfully using relevant theory bases.
During my college career, I have worked in teams for lots of different activities and it has provided me many different experiences.
Our project was to produced a business plan and the web site for our business.
When we came together all of us were from different classes just for this project.
Out of all the team work team that I was involved in this one was the most successful. This was because we were well organised and everyone had pull their weight also I was the team leader in that occasion.
One of the main reasons why I felt it was successful is because we could trust each other and one of our team members has actually used the business plan to set up the business that we produced.
According to Belbin (1993) to make a successful team necessary have different role players and Belbin has identify nine different roles such as shaper which like to be challenge and likes to motivate the team.
Implementers are the people who turn ideas into actions and usually they are well organised.
Complete finisher which is people who goes through the whole entire project and make sure everything tasks is completed.
Coordinators are usually the leader in the team and skilled at listening to team members so he or she can recognise their team members’ skills.
Team worker are those who support and making sure the team is completing the tasks and they usually get along with all the team members.
Resource Investigator is those who like to find out investigate the available options.
Plant is usually the creative team member and they likes to come up with new ideas.
Monitor Evaluator is the skilled at evaluating ideas and carefully points out the pros and cons of the ideas.
Specialist which is people has the knowledge to get the task done and they are expert in their field.
Another reason why I felt it was successful is because everyone different roles and there were three team members. Everyone had different skills, for example, one of the team members was very creative and according to Belbin (1993) he is classified as a plant. Everyone was a team worker because we supported each other throughout our tasks.
One of our team members was a resource investigator because she collected all the information that we needed in order to produce the business plan. I was the completer because I made sure everyone completed their part of the tasks
• Using Tuckman’s theory on group development, review the group you worked with for your first assignment for People and Orgs. Did your group progress through all of the key stages? Relate this to the success, or otherwise, of the group.
In 1965 Tuckman introduced four "Tuckman's Stages" for a group which are Forming, Storming, Norrming and Performing.
Forming – is when groups come together to get to know each other and this is the beginning stage. Usually the group members are polite, protective and this is the bonding satge.
Storming – this is where team members start to have issues with one another and it can be anything, for example, have different ideas and views. If this issues is handled unsuccessfully it can make team members leave the group.
In Tuckman (1965) this is one of the most important stages for a group to go through in order to reach norming.
Norming – at this stage the group starts to develop trust in each other and agrees with the tasks.
Performing – this is where the group works toward their aims and they are comfortable with the people they are working with.
In 1977 Tuckman have introduced the new fifth stage which is Adjourning, which is where the group and the tasks come to an end. Team members may feel anxiety or sadness about the separation.
In our first assignment for People and Organisation we formed a team.
Our team performance and overall issues was well managed because in the first stage we all knew each other for reasonable amount of time.
In the storming stage, we did come across some different ideas and views but the problem was quickly resolved. Also everyone contributed the best they can.
In the norming stage we all knew what our tasks were and when the deadline is. In one of the planning stages we organised tasks sheet which indicated what we needed to do and when.
In the performing stage we achieved the aim which is to pass the assignment.
On the adjourning stage were not quite there because we were still working in the same team but this time for another assignment.
• Using the link below to “The Times Top 100 companies to work for”, review 2 companies where teamwork has been identified as a major contributory factor to their success.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/
The two companies that I have chosen are Beaverbrooks the Jewellers and Edward Jones which provide financial services. According to the Sunday Times (2009) Beaver Brooks was given first top place for companies to work for and closely followed by Edward Jones.
When I visited Beaver Brooks and asked a member of staff “what is like working for Beaver Brooks” and the staff answered we have regular team work activities and it is consider the base structure of the company because the activities can strengthen up our relationships with other members.
Also the environment is always friendly and all the member of staff has sense belonging like a family.
According to Edward Jones web site mentioned they want build long term relationships not only with the clients but also their staff too. Also according to their web “a true partnership is our home who shares combination of passion for serving our clients and moving careers forward”.
Bibliography and References
Chimaera consulting limited (2001) Famous models stages of group development [online] Available at: http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com/tuckman.htm [Accessed 3 January 2010]
Edward Jones (2010) Welcome to your Edward Jones [online] Available at: http://careers.edwardjones.com/us/index.html [Accessed 3 January 2010]
Mind tools limited (1995) Belbin team roles [online] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_83.htm [Accessed 3 January 2010]
The team building company (2010) Forming, storming, norming, performing [online] Available at: http://www.teambuilding.co.uk/Forming_Storming_Norming_Performing.html [Accessed 3 January 2010]
During my college career, I have worked in teams for lots of different activities and it has provided me many different experiences.
Our project was to produced a business plan and the web site for our business.
When we came together all of us were from different classes just for this project.
Out of all the team work team that I was involved in this one was the most successful. This was because we were well organised and everyone had pull their weight also I was the team leader in that occasion.
One of the main reasons why I felt it was successful is because we could trust each other and one of our team members has actually used the business plan to set up the business that we produced.
According to Belbin (1993) to make a successful team necessary have different role players and Belbin has identify nine different roles such as shaper which like to be challenge and likes to motivate the team.
Implementers are the people who turn ideas into actions and usually they are well organised.
Complete finisher which is people who goes through the whole entire project and make sure everything tasks is completed.
Coordinators are usually the leader in the team and skilled at listening to team members so he or she can recognise their team members’ skills.
Team worker are those who support and making sure the team is completing the tasks and they usually get along with all the team members.
Resource Investigator is those who like to find out investigate the available options.
Plant is usually the creative team member and they likes to come up with new ideas.
Monitor Evaluator is the skilled at evaluating ideas and carefully points out the pros and cons of the ideas.
Specialist which is people has the knowledge to get the task done and they are expert in their field.
Another reason why I felt it was successful is because everyone different roles and there were three team members. Everyone had different skills, for example, one of the team members was very creative and according to Belbin (1993) he is classified as a plant. Everyone was a team worker because we supported each other throughout our tasks.
One of our team members was a resource investigator because she collected all the information that we needed in order to produce the business plan. I was the completer because I made sure everyone completed their part of the tasks
• Using Tuckman’s theory on group development, review the group you worked with for your first assignment for People and Orgs. Did your group progress through all of the key stages? Relate this to the success, or otherwise, of the group.
In 1965 Tuckman introduced four "Tuckman's Stages" for a group which are Forming, Storming, Norrming and Performing.
Forming – is when groups come together to get to know each other and this is the beginning stage. Usually the group members are polite, protective and this is the bonding satge.
Storming – this is where team members start to have issues with one another and it can be anything, for example, have different ideas and views. If this issues is handled unsuccessfully it can make team members leave the group.
In Tuckman (1965) this is one of the most important stages for a group to go through in order to reach norming.
Norming – at this stage the group starts to develop trust in each other and agrees with the tasks.
Performing – this is where the group works toward their aims and they are comfortable with the people they are working with.
In 1977 Tuckman have introduced the new fifth stage which is Adjourning, which is where the group and the tasks come to an end. Team members may feel anxiety or sadness about the separation.
In our first assignment for People and Organisation we formed a team.
Our team performance and overall issues was well managed because in the first stage we all knew each other for reasonable amount of time.
In the storming stage, we did come across some different ideas and views but the problem was quickly resolved. Also everyone contributed the best they can.
In the norming stage we all knew what our tasks were and when the deadline is. In one of the planning stages we organised tasks sheet which indicated what we needed to do and when.
In the performing stage we achieved the aim which is to pass the assignment.
On the adjourning stage were not quite there because we were still working in the same team but this time for another assignment.
• Using the link below to “The Times Top 100 companies to work for”, review 2 companies where teamwork has been identified as a major contributory factor to their success.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/best_100_companies/
The two companies that I have chosen are Beaverbrooks the Jewellers and Edward Jones which provide financial services. According to the Sunday Times (2009) Beaver Brooks was given first top place for companies to work for and closely followed by Edward Jones.
When I visited Beaver Brooks and asked a member of staff “what is like working for Beaver Brooks” and the staff answered we have regular team work activities and it is consider the base structure of the company because the activities can strengthen up our relationships with other members.
Also the environment is always friendly and all the member of staff has sense belonging like a family.
According to Edward Jones web site mentioned they want build long term relationships not only with the clients but also their staff too. Also according to their web “a true partnership is our home who shares combination of passion for serving our clients and moving careers forward”.
Bibliography and References
Chimaera consulting limited (2001) Famous models stages of group development [online] Available at: http://www.chimaeraconsulting.com/tuckman.htm [Accessed 3 January 2010]
Edward Jones (2010) Welcome to your Edward Jones [online] Available at: http://careers.edwardjones.com/us/index.html [Accessed 3 January 2010]
Mind tools limited (1995) Belbin team roles [online] Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_83.htm [Accessed 3 January 2010]
The team building company (2010) Forming, storming, norming, performing [online] Available at: http://www.teambuilding.co.uk/Forming_Storming_Norming_Performing.html [Accessed 3 January 2010]
Tuesday, 2 February 2010
week 15 HR Planning
• Explain why it is vital for organisations to have HR plans. What might be the problems if they do not?
It is very important for an organisation to have human resources (HR) plans because the plan provides an outline all the tasks that the organisation needs to cover, for example, how many people does the organisation need in order to complete the tasks or duties and what skills, qualifications and any special licences, for example, fork lift truck are needed (Mullins, 2007). It also outlines the budget for the organisation so managers know how much they need in order to achieve the tasks.
The planning can analyse and investigating what sort of problems that the organisation can avoid. It can also provide solutions, for example, budget training so managers do not over spend.
If an organisation does not do any HR planning then tasks and duties may be jeopardised and especially HR managers will find it harder to achieve their aims and the organisation may breach regulations and laws. If an organisation does not do any planning then all the money and time maybe wasted because the organisation may employ the wrong person to do the tasks or provided the incorrect training for the staff. Lack of a clear job description can lead to many problems, for example, unsuitable candidates may apply. This will lead to a high staff turnover and it will affect the public image to the organisation.
• Using Rodger’s seven point person specification (in Foot and Hook) draft a person specification for a university lecturer.
In 1952 Alec Rodger introduced the seven point person specification and it is one of the best known theories to use in it field (Foot and Hook, 2009).
To explain the seven points person specification by using a university lecturer specification:-
Physical make up – this includes a healthy life style, also should have clear and good communication – speaking, presentations skills, full express themselves on the subject.
Attainments – degree in education - teaching and motivation skills, should have experienced in the teaching industry and give guidance to students.
Intelligence – adept to new equipments, be creative and able to improvise
Aptitudes – abilities to operate day to day equipment e.g. IT.
Interest – should enjoy socially interact with students and lecturers.
Disposition – good sense of humour, willing to improve knowledge.
Circumstances - must be will to give up their own time, for example, cover other lecturers lesion, may need own transportation.
• If Waitrose were considering opening a new store in High Wycombe, what are the key labour questions they would need to ask. Give at least 5 answers.
When Waitrose is considering opening a new store in High Wycombe, Waitrose should take the following into account because it can determine if the project will be profitable or not.
Demography and Geography in the area, what sort of age group is the highest
What is the level of education in the?
What is their average income?
Where is the location of the store?
What is the unemployment rate in the area?
Is there any government support e.g. grant?
How many competitors are in that area?
In conclusion it is very important for an organisation to do HR planning before carrying out any tasks and it also makes the aims clearer. The plan outlines the problems that organisations need to take into account, which may lead to better performance.
References:
1) Foot, M. and Hook, C. (2009). Introducing Human Resource Management. 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
2) Mullins, L. J. (2007). Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
It is very important for an organisation to have human resources (HR) plans because the plan provides an outline all the tasks that the organisation needs to cover, for example, how many people does the organisation need in order to complete the tasks or duties and what skills, qualifications and any special licences, for example, fork lift truck are needed (Mullins, 2007). It also outlines the budget for the organisation so managers know how much they need in order to achieve the tasks.
The planning can analyse and investigating what sort of problems that the organisation can avoid. It can also provide solutions, for example, budget training so managers do not over spend.
If an organisation does not do any HR planning then tasks and duties may be jeopardised and especially HR managers will find it harder to achieve their aims and the organisation may breach regulations and laws. If an organisation does not do any planning then all the money and time maybe wasted because the organisation may employ the wrong person to do the tasks or provided the incorrect training for the staff. Lack of a clear job description can lead to many problems, for example, unsuitable candidates may apply. This will lead to a high staff turnover and it will affect the public image to the organisation.
• Using Rodger’s seven point person specification (in Foot and Hook) draft a person specification for a university lecturer.
In 1952 Alec Rodger introduced the seven point person specification and it is one of the best known theories to use in it field (Foot and Hook, 2009).
To explain the seven points person specification by using a university lecturer specification:-
Physical make up – this includes a healthy life style, also should have clear and good communication – speaking, presentations skills, full express themselves on the subject.
Attainments – degree in education - teaching and motivation skills, should have experienced in the teaching industry and give guidance to students.
Intelligence – adept to new equipments, be creative and able to improvise
Aptitudes – abilities to operate day to day equipment e.g. IT.
Interest – should enjoy socially interact with students and lecturers.
Disposition – good sense of humour, willing to improve knowledge.
Circumstances - must be will to give up their own time, for example, cover other lecturers lesion, may need own transportation.
• If Waitrose were considering opening a new store in High Wycombe, what are the key labour questions they would need to ask. Give at least 5 answers.
When Waitrose is considering opening a new store in High Wycombe, Waitrose should take the following into account because it can determine if the project will be profitable or not.
Demography and Geography in the area, what sort of age group is the highest
What is the level of education in the?
What is their average income?
Where is the location of the store?
What is the unemployment rate in the area?
Is there any government support e.g. grant?
How many competitors are in that area?
In conclusion it is very important for an organisation to do HR planning before carrying out any tasks and it also makes the aims clearer. The plan outlines the problems that organisations need to take into account, which may lead to better performance.
References:
1) Foot, M. and Hook, C. (2009). Introducing Human Resource Management. 5th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited.
2) Mullins, L. J. (2007). Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th ed. Harlow: FT Prentice Hall.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Week 8 Enterprise
The apprentice challenge the aim of this challenge is to make the most profit over three challenges.
When our team leader Sander came back from the meeting he asked the entire class are we interested in the apprentice challenge. So I have decided to sign up for because it will be interesting. Our team member includes Sidsel, Katarzyna, Hanas, Jagoda, Sander and me also luckily we manage to hand in the application form before the deadline. Our team name was Bunkey, the reason why we called our team Bunkey is because it is funky and reminds us Bucks New University. I missed the first meeting due to personal issues. But Sander e-mailed me the minutes so I knew what the plan is. We were sponsored by AMT Coffee.
Firstly we got given £50 by our sponsor as starting cash so we can buy the materials that we need and our first challenge was to sell doughnuts around High Wycombe. Once we made a time to meet we discussed how we were going to market our doughnuts. Then we decided to market them as lucky doughnuts. The reason why we called them lucky doughnuts is because in each one there is a fortune message inside and we neatly wrapped each doughnut. The first stage of the challenge started at 11am to 3pm and we decided to split the team in two, I and Sander went around the university and the rest was at the city centre. We were selling for a pound each and we manage to sell most 140 doughnuts but at the end we had nine left.
The second challenge was to make our own products to sell at the Eden Centre. So we decided to sell handmade Christmas cards, decorations and offer give wrapping service. We planed out everything on a PowerPoint presentation and we presented our ideas to the Eden Centre manager and had to choose six teams out of the nine. At the end we were one of the chosen ones and this was a great opportunity for all of us to show own abilities and improve own knowledge. Also every team was given £200 extra starting cash from their sponsors. To keep our overheads low, we decided to buy most of the materials from cheap store like Wilkinson’s and 99p stores so we can make the most money out of the starting cash. During one of the planning stages we came across some misunderstanding and it was quickly solved. The misunderstanding was the location of our stand and we all decided to choose Star Bucks but at the end it was down to the Eden Centre Manager to allocate our stand. The reason why we did not get the location that we preferred is because we were marked by our presentation and we came in fifth and we ended up outside BHS which, in a dead end corner and not many customers go past that corner so it was a poor location. We all kept motivating each other throughout the day. We managed to sell couple of cards but it was not enough to break even, at the end we were down by around £30. The night before the challenge, all of us were making the Christmas cards and preparing the Christmas decorations and everyone was very enjoyed it. Near the end of the challenge we gave the Christmas cards out for free around the Eden Centre and everyone was smiling as we gave them away. At the end we did not got through to the next challenge. The last challenge was to organise an event at the Bucks Student Union and only three teams got through. The two teams have to present their ideas to the organisers of the challenge and have to pick two teams that will go head to head.
This challenge has influence me a lot because during that week I had assignment to hand in and personal plans so it have improved on my time and schedule planning also it can improve my CV.
References:
1) Buckinghamshire New University (2009). Enterprise Week events at Bucks New University [online]. Available from: http://bucks.ac.uk/newsroom/news/october_2008/enterprise_week.aspx [Accessed 17 November 2009].
When our team leader Sander came back from the meeting he asked the entire class are we interested in the apprentice challenge. So I have decided to sign up for because it will be interesting. Our team member includes Sidsel, Katarzyna, Hanas, Jagoda, Sander and me also luckily we manage to hand in the application form before the deadline. Our team name was Bunkey, the reason why we called our team Bunkey is because it is funky and reminds us Bucks New University. I missed the first meeting due to personal issues. But Sander e-mailed me the minutes so I knew what the plan is. We were sponsored by AMT Coffee.
Firstly we got given £50 by our sponsor as starting cash so we can buy the materials that we need and our first challenge was to sell doughnuts around High Wycombe. Once we made a time to meet we discussed how we were going to market our doughnuts. Then we decided to market them as lucky doughnuts. The reason why we called them lucky doughnuts is because in each one there is a fortune message inside and we neatly wrapped each doughnut. The first stage of the challenge started at 11am to 3pm and we decided to split the team in two, I and Sander went around the university and the rest was at the city centre. We were selling for a pound each and we manage to sell most 140 doughnuts but at the end we had nine left.
The second challenge was to make our own products to sell at the Eden Centre. So we decided to sell handmade Christmas cards, decorations and offer give wrapping service. We planed out everything on a PowerPoint presentation and we presented our ideas to the Eden Centre manager and had to choose six teams out of the nine. At the end we were one of the chosen ones and this was a great opportunity for all of us to show own abilities and improve own knowledge. Also every team was given £200 extra starting cash from their sponsors. To keep our overheads low, we decided to buy most of the materials from cheap store like Wilkinson’s and 99p stores so we can make the most money out of the starting cash. During one of the planning stages we came across some misunderstanding and it was quickly solved. The misunderstanding was the location of our stand and we all decided to choose Star Bucks but at the end it was down to the Eden Centre Manager to allocate our stand. The reason why we did not get the location that we preferred is because we were marked by our presentation and we came in fifth and we ended up outside BHS which, in a dead end corner and not many customers go past that corner so it was a poor location. We all kept motivating each other throughout the day. We managed to sell couple of cards but it was not enough to break even, at the end we were down by around £30. The night before the challenge, all of us were making the Christmas cards and preparing the Christmas decorations and everyone was very enjoyed it. Near the end of the challenge we gave the Christmas cards out for free around the Eden Centre and everyone was smiling as we gave them away. At the end we did not got through to the next challenge. The last challenge was to organise an event at the Bucks Student Union and only three teams got through. The two teams have to present their ideas to the organisers of the challenge and have to pick two teams that will go head to head.
This challenge has influence me a lot because during that week I had assignment to hand in and personal plans so it have improved on my time and schedule planning also it can improve my CV.
References:
1) Buckinghamshire New University (2009). Enterprise Week events at Bucks New University [online]. Available from: http://bucks.ac.uk/newsroom/news/october_2008/enterprise_week.aspx [Accessed 17 November 2009].
Week 6 Conflict
Identify any group you have been a part of (work, social, voluntary, educational etc) that has not been able to achieve its purpose. What were the conflicts within the group and what strategies were used to deal with the conflict.
Conflict is a group of people or ideas that disagreement and cause frustrated. Conflict can be found in everyday life so we have to find away to make it to our best advantages (Brookes 2006).
During my college career I have been in groups that has lots of disagreement
and this has led us to compromising our task. But at the end we always
completed the tasks we were given.
The task we were given was based on marketing research where we were put into a team of five. Two people in my team wanted to be the team leader and to solve this problem we decided to a share leadership and at the end it worked. Then we split the tasks between us but someone in our group wanted the same task so we asked them to share it. Once we all decided on the tasks we made a meeting time. But some of the team members were not free on that day so we had to use our break time to do the meeting. During that meeting some team members were late and one did not show up so we had to call him. Our team leader asked him how much work has he completed. The answer was half he completed of the task that was allocated. This meant we had extra work load. Also other team members were not coping well with each other so there were conflicts. The last task was to present our finding to our tutor and we managed to pull it off.
In my opinion I always aim for a win-win situation because in this way there will be no hard feelings.
Describe different ‘sources of power’ and illustrate each one with an example
French and Raven (1959) have identified five different sources of power which are: coercive power, reward power, expert power, legitimate power and referent power.
These powers can affect the organisation’s performances, for example, staff relationship with the managers (leadership) and may course conflicts.
Coercive power – is based on the authority to punish someone who does not follow their manager, leader demands, ideas and their power is based on fear. For example, a head chef that always makes staff to do what he or she wants and the head chef does not care about the staff feelings. This type of power can easily backfire and staff will just leave the job.
Reward power – is based on offering benefits to staff, for example pay rise, promotion and a day off with full pay.
This type of power can be used in an organisation that is doing very well in their field because it can boost their motivation.
Expert power – is based on having the abilities, skills, special knowledge and expertise in their field. For example motor engineer will know how the cars operate and have the knowledge to fix it. This type of power indicates that the customers trust them to fix the car and it is safe to drive.
Legitimate power – is based on influence because they have the authority power, for example, doctor.
This type of power is often seen as one of the weakest, for example, doctors asking people to quit smoking and people may ignore his or her advice because the influences is not strong enough.
Referent power – is based on admiring someone and wanting to be like them. For example, a chief executive operator of a multi-million pound company and people who are climbing the career ladder will use him or her as a role model.
What 5 strategies can organisations use to overcome conflict at work?
There are several strategies that organisations can use to solve conflict at work.
1. Providing feedback to all staff can help them improve their skills and ability and it can give them a clear view on what areas they need to improve on.
2. Communication is one of the main ways for a company to be successful because it can solve conflict just by talking about it and understanding each other.
3. One of the most important departments of any company is human resources because they understand the company policies and procedures, for example discrimination, contract employment and they can provides advices to all staff.
4. By making sure that all the staff is clear and aware of the disciplinary procedures.
5. By having clear aims and objectives can minimise conflicts because every will staff knows what they are expected to do.
Think about a conflict situation you have witnessed (could be group exercise used in today’s lecture or one seen in a video or TV programme) and the strategy used to resolve the conflict. Was it effective and what other strategies would you suggest could have been used?
In one of the episodes of Top Gear, where the presenters were racing each other by using car against public transports.
Richard Hammond and James May was travelling by public transport, they used bus, train and boat everything were going well until the boat has broken down. I would had suggested using bikes because its lots faster than walking and they can squeeze through traffic.
Also James May would not run on public TV and they were in a rush to catch the train. If I was there I would told him we are in a completion and we need to catch that train or we will have to wait for another one.
In conclusion there will be conflict and power, where ever you go and this can help anyone to improve, for example, recognising different types of conflicts and power.
Bibliography and References
French, J. R. P. & Raven, B. (1959) The bases of social power. New York: Harper & Row.
Mullins,L.J.(2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition . Harlow:Prentice Hall
Conflict is a group of people or ideas that disagreement and cause frustrated. Conflict can be found in everyday life so we have to find away to make it to our best advantages (Brookes 2006).
During my college career I have been in groups that has lots of disagreement
and this has led us to compromising our task. But at the end we always
completed the tasks we were given.
The task we were given was based on marketing research where we were put into a team of five. Two people in my team wanted to be the team leader and to solve this problem we decided to a share leadership and at the end it worked. Then we split the tasks between us but someone in our group wanted the same task so we asked them to share it. Once we all decided on the tasks we made a meeting time. But some of the team members were not free on that day so we had to use our break time to do the meeting. During that meeting some team members were late and one did not show up so we had to call him. Our team leader asked him how much work has he completed. The answer was half he completed of the task that was allocated. This meant we had extra work load. Also other team members were not coping well with each other so there were conflicts. The last task was to present our finding to our tutor and we managed to pull it off.
In my opinion I always aim for a win-win situation because in this way there will be no hard feelings.
Describe different ‘sources of power’ and illustrate each one with an example
French and Raven (1959) have identified five different sources of power which are: coercive power, reward power, expert power, legitimate power and referent power.
These powers can affect the organisation’s performances, for example, staff relationship with the managers (leadership) and may course conflicts.
Coercive power – is based on the authority to punish someone who does not follow their manager, leader demands, ideas and their power is based on fear. For example, a head chef that always makes staff to do what he or she wants and the head chef does not care about the staff feelings. This type of power can easily backfire and staff will just leave the job.
Reward power – is based on offering benefits to staff, for example pay rise, promotion and a day off with full pay.
This type of power can be used in an organisation that is doing very well in their field because it can boost their motivation.
Expert power – is based on having the abilities, skills, special knowledge and expertise in their field. For example motor engineer will know how the cars operate and have the knowledge to fix it. This type of power indicates that the customers trust them to fix the car and it is safe to drive.
Legitimate power – is based on influence because they have the authority power, for example, doctor.
This type of power is often seen as one of the weakest, for example, doctors asking people to quit smoking and people may ignore his or her advice because the influences is not strong enough.
Referent power – is based on admiring someone and wanting to be like them. For example, a chief executive operator of a multi-million pound company and people who are climbing the career ladder will use him or her as a role model.
What 5 strategies can organisations use to overcome conflict at work?
There are several strategies that organisations can use to solve conflict at work.
1. Providing feedback to all staff can help them improve their skills and ability and it can give them a clear view on what areas they need to improve on.
2. Communication is one of the main ways for a company to be successful because it can solve conflict just by talking about it and understanding each other.
3. One of the most important departments of any company is human resources because they understand the company policies and procedures, for example discrimination, contract employment and they can provides advices to all staff.
4. By making sure that all the staff is clear and aware of the disciplinary procedures.
5. By having clear aims and objectives can minimise conflicts because every will staff knows what they are expected to do.
Think about a conflict situation you have witnessed (could be group exercise used in today’s lecture or one seen in a video or TV programme) and the strategy used to resolve the conflict. Was it effective and what other strategies would you suggest could have been used?
In one of the episodes of Top Gear, where the presenters were racing each other by using car against public transports.
Richard Hammond and James May was travelling by public transport, they used bus, train and boat everything were going well until the boat has broken down. I would had suggested using bikes because its lots faster than walking and they can squeeze through traffic.
Also James May would not run on public TV and they were in a rush to catch the train. If I was there I would told him we are in a completion and we need to catch that train or we will have to wait for another one.
In conclusion there will be conflict and power, where ever you go and this can help anyone to improve, for example, recognising different types of conflicts and power.
Bibliography and References
French, J. R. P. & Raven, B. (1959) The bases of social power. New York: Harper & Row.
Mullins,L.J.(2007) Management and Organisational Behaviour. 8th edition . Harlow:Prentice Hall
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