Case Study of Semco Partners Leadership And Management

Question: Discuss about the Leadership and Management of Semco Partners. Answer: Introduction: Semco Partners succeeded Semco Group led by Ricardo Semler. The company works as a consultancy partnership and evolved a model of joint venture which synthesized the companys management skills with their partners technological expertise. Ricardo Semler created a business model which gave employees prominence over the hierarchical ladder which came to be known as Semco Model after his organization. He implemented his theory in his company, Semco Partners which earned him worldwide fame. Ricardo encouraged a framework of corporate management where employees were given more importance and were allowed to participate in the management of the company. The Semco Model proves its mettle when Brazil fell into inflation and the autocratic firms in the country became bankrupt. Ricardo allowed his employees to participate in the management of the firm and even allow them to approve the financial statements and an increased share in the profits. The employees, in turn accepted wage reduction and management fees since; they too became responsible decision takers. The outcomes of the Ricardo Model as opposed to the autocratic model in those times were that the employees gained expertise in dealing with urgent situations and they learned better inventory management. The Semco Model promoted healthy organizational culture which enhanced productivity and improved revenue (Betov and Szillat 2016). The Semco Model by Ricardo Semler was a revolution that changed the management styles in the world. It became so effective that it was adopted by a group of supporters to protest against the ingredients in Afri-Cola in Germany. The soft drink brand was owned by Mineralbrunnen Uberkingen-Teinach and the company was forced to change the ingredients by the supporters. Premium-Cola has no office, bosses or salary structures. The members work as per their convenience and sell the cola drink in selected bars and clubs. Afri-Cola started as a small company but today has evolved into a medium sized company which is operated based on ethics. The company does not advertise the cola drink on digital media, instead it uses arts and images on the inner side of the bottles. This example of Afri-Cola once again proves that the Semco Model can be applied by consumers to force producers to change the ingredients of their products for the benefit of the consumers. Main elements of Semco Model: Maslows hierarchy of needs is a model pyramid which presents the needs of an individual stating with the most basic need of physiological needs of water and food. This is followed by safety needs, need for belongingness, esteem needs and self actualization (Lester 2013). Semcos Model is aimed at giving control to employees which resulted in better security, belongingness and self esteem. These factors led to better organizational culture and increased performance which met the self actualization need, according to the Maslows theory. Ricardos model also meets the Herzbergs two factor theory which is made up of motivators like challenge, responsibility and awards and hygiene factors like salary, status and perks. Herzberg stated that the hygiene factors determine the motivators because they also affect job satisfaction (Lin et al. 2015). Semco followed a democratic style of leadership where employees were given more importance compared to the autocratic style as advocated by McGregors philosophy (Grbz, ?ahin and Kksal 2014). The democratic leadership style gave importance to the employee needs and allowed them to work as per their convenience. Ricardo Semler always advocated that employees do not work only for money but also to increase their self esteem and achieve something. Alderfers ERG theory stresses on three needs, namely, growth needs, relatedness needs and existence needs (L?z?roiu 2015). The company by Ricardo Semler, Semco did not follow the autocratic leadership style followed by other firms in Brazil. The firms instead, removed the strict corporate ladder that allowed employees to come closer to the management. He believed that employees are better at adapting to changes than management since; they execute plans and policies practically and are more knowledgeable about challenges involved in production. Ricardo assumed that employees themselves form groups to carry out their tasks if their esteem needs are satisfied. They get greater scope of participation which increases their feeling of relatedness and job security. Semco Model allowed delegation of more power to the work force with an expectation of more responsibility and job satisfaction which will automatically increase productivity and reduced cost of management. The employees, when empowered feel more secure and automatically work towards achievement of goal which leads to their own growth. This goes along with McClellands theory which a stress on employee needs to need to achieve goal, affiliation and power (Miner 2015). Semco Model derives its features from various leadership theories and motivational theories. It combines the self actualization needs of Maslow with Herzbergs motivational needs. The style addresses growth needs, relatedness and existence needs along with needs of growth, relatedness to the company and existence needs coined in McClellands theory. Risk of the Semco Model: The Semco Model stresses on employee empowerment aimed towards increased productivity and profits. The participative management model applied by Ricardo, however suffers from the following advantages which gives rise to tension: Decision making slows down: Ricardo Semler in his Semco Model gives total independence to employees to work as per their convenience. There is no dress code or corporate hierarchy to direct decision making in Semco Partners. This can create conflict among the employees as they are all at the same level and enjoy the same power. Lack of hierarchy also hampers conflict management because management intervention plays a very important role in solving and mitigating conflicts (Ali-Babaei and Shariatmadari 2014). Moreover, there is uniformity in production and performance techniques. All these factors contributes towards delaying decision making which may prove expensive. Security Issues: Semco Model advocates equable rights for all which gives all employees equal access to information. Ricardo, in an interview, when asked to elaborate on the recruitment process followed it Semco Partners, revealed that first the candidates are allowed to meet the employee and taken on a company tour. This can be potentially dangerous for a big company like Semco, because a candidate, being an outsider cannot have access to employees and information. The fact that such an exposure may lead to leaking, misuse or manipulation of critical data overshadows the advantage that the candidate already knows the company by the time he joins. The hierarchical pyramid in an organization ensures protection of potentially important data by giving selected access to it as such data play a crucial role in deciding strategies. Hence, any unexpected leaking of data by candidates or by employees poses potential risk to the competitive position of the firm in the market (Webb et al. 2014). Total employee freedom is a myth: Semco advocates total employee freedom in its operation which is totally a myth as such a framework is not feasible in reality. Ricardo, in the same 2004 interview told that the employees can choose their leaders and reporting officers but after that they have to follow a mandate. The bosses discuss with the fellow employees before firing an employee which puts the employee in question in the mercy of his colleagues. This is worsened by the absence of an HR department to look into employee issue and protection. Thus, contrary to what it appears, this system also allows space for authoritative decision making. Chances of conflict: The hierarchical structure manages the information system, lays down rules, confirms implementation of strategies as per organization culture and contributes in conflict management. As However, Semco Partners has no corporate hierarchy and hence lacks the streamlining of strategies and their execution. Every employee has power to decide on the companys decision and may use his influence over others to manipulate potentially important data necessitating a conflict. Conflict is the clash of two opposing opinions when both of them cannot be feasible. It can happen between companies, management and subordinates and even between employees of the same level. The management decision and policies goes a long way in management of conflicts and ensure continuous production. Conflict management can take forms of competitiveness, collaboration, compromising, accommodation and avoidance. Competitiveness takes place mostly among rival firms to decide their superiority in the market. The management, within the organizational level resorts to negotiation between conflicting parties and uses its power of persuasion to resolve the conflict and provides with alternatives that can be followed. Semco Model has no prominent management hierarchy which makes it difficult to follow this method, often used to counteract employees resistance to changes. Collaboration is the method when all the decisions are considered and the best decision is chosen for application. This method goes a long way in solving extreme conflicts and can be used successfully in the Semco Model to address conflicts. Compromise is the technique which requires partial consideration of all the alternatives to arrive at a decision. Semco can use this method to deal with conflict when a deadline approaches and the conflict proves to be a hindrance to the achievement of a target. Accommodation can be used when conflict management is more important than the situation. This technique can be used to solve long drawn conflicts within an organization to bring peace. Here, the managers allow the subordinates to arrive at a conclusion which permits the employees to assert their justifications. Semco, being a employee centric organization can allow its employees to assert their opinion and then the superiors can arrive at a decision based on those opinions. Avoidance is a situation when conflicting parties simply do not accept each others conditions and advices. This technique is used when the outcome is insignificant to the organization. This technique which is actually lack of response to conflict management also allows a subordinate to sharpen his leadership qualities. Risks taken by Ricardo to make Semco Model successful: Ricardo Semler went against the prevailing authoritative style prevalent followed style followed by his father and established a more employee centered work culture. His revolutionary initiative helped the company to recover from its losses and this paved way for the company to become a big consultancy firm. According to Ricardo, the consumers are not his customers but the companies serving those consumers are his clients. This points out to the companys power to succeed in spite of limited public promotion. Ricardo undertook great risks while implementing his participative style of leadership. The first risk that he took was to remove the conventional corporate ladder which was present in most of the companies. This transition took place when the Brazilian economy was facing a severe economic crisis which forced many companies into bankruptcy. Semlers unique style of management was a breakaway from the conventional styles and yet produced superb results. Ricardo himself opined that the radical transition in leadership style required changing the entire process of work which seemed irresponsible and risky (Semco Partners 2017). The second risk that Semler took was empowering his employees by allowing them to choose their bosses, decide the working hours and even allowed them to wear dresses they liked to work. This shows indications for avoidant leadership which could have led to subordinate stress (Skogstad et al. 2014). His efficient management style proves its metal when Paychex Inc entered into joint venture with Semco in Brazil in 2013. Semco allowed employees to choose their own bosses, decide their working hours and dresses and had no hierarchy or HR department. This apparently leaves the chance of lack of accountability and standard of performance of the company before the stakeholders. However, the joint venture between Paychex and Semco proved the high standard of performance when the former collaborated with the later to enter Brazil which was its second international venture. One of the biggest challenges of Semco Model of Management appeared when the economy of Brazil was hit and the then President imposed restriction on liquidity. This government policy demanded a radical change in management and pushed many firms into endangerment. Ricardos liberal gave the employees more power and hence increases their sense of responsibility and self esteem. They in fact, agreed to a cut in their wages and management fees to adapt to the economic crisis. Their shares in the companys profit were increased and they gain approving authority of approving the company expenses. This participative style of management became so successful that it became theme of HR Learning and organization behavior studies. Authors like Eng Chew and Kenneth Anthony Dovey have drawn references from the organization in their work titled Learning to create sustainable value in turbulent operational contexts: the role of leadership Practices (Chew and Anthony 2014). Semco Model is even open to the job seekers and allows them to be induced to its environment and the employees. This helps them and the company to decide on the appropriate employment opportunity and a long term relationship. There is no conventional HR department to interview the candidates and decide on their job conditions and salary. The candidates are first taken on a tour of the companys activities and employees. This is followed by several rounds of interviews given by several employees whose opinions are then taken into consideration to decide on a candidates eligibility and appointment. This transparent policy allows candidates and employees to be familiar and more open to each other. This promoted to better understanding and organization culture. Ricardos Semco Model apparently has no control over an employees performance but that is not true as revealed by the founder itself. Candidates are first allowed to decide on their salary and managers after which they are entrusted with responsibilities and accountabilities. Semco has no physical office, no code of uniform and no official hierarchy. It is a consulting firm which enters into joint venture with big firms from various fields and provides them expert consultancy services. This shows that a firm, in order to grow need not follow conventional leadership patterns. Semcos strength lies in empowering employees with decision making power can make them feel more responsible towards the firm. This makes them more productive than employees who are dominated by their bosses. The successful application of this style of leadership in soft drink industry in Germany proves its applicability in even a different industry in a foreign country. Conclusion: Semco Model founded by Ricardo Semler is a revolutionary management and leadership style. It allows employees of the Semco Partners to take equal responsibilities in the management of the firm and develop their managerial skills. However, it can also be pointed out that though this model combines various other models, has its own defects and also leaves a scope for conflict. It can also be opined that the model helped Semco survive the economic downfall of Brazil when the firms following conventional authoritative models failed. It can also be pointed out that leadership and motivation styles depend on the situation and the desired outcomes. Leadership styles and pattern evolve over time and are extremely dynamic. Great leaders find new theories and even build their own revolutionary styles accommodating several theories. References: Ali-Babaei, M.S. and Shariatmadari, M., 2014. Exploring the Relationship between Management Skills and Employees' Conflict in Industrial Production Company of Kerman Keyvan Pomp.International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences,4(12), p.361. Betov, A. and Szillat, P., 2016. Business leadership concepts exemplified by the two exceptional leaders Daniel Vasella and Ricardo Semler.Journal of Contemporary Economic and Business Issues,3(1), pp.33-60. Chew, E. and Anthony Dovey, K., 2014. Learning to create sustainable value in turbulent operational contexts: the role of leadership practices.The Learning Organization,21(4), pp.243-257. Grbz, S., ?ahin, F. and Kksal, O., 2014. Revisiting of Theory X and Y: A multilevel analysis of the effects of leaders managerial assumptions on followers attitudes.Management Decision,52(10), pp.1888-1906. L?z?roiu, G., 2015. Employee Motivation and Job Performance.Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations, (14), pp.97-102. Lester, D., 2013. Measuring Maslow's hierarchy of needs.Psychological Reports,113(1), pp.15-17. Lin, X., Cai, S., Xu, D. and Fu, X., 2015. Judging Online Peer-To-Peer Lending Behavior: An Integration of Dual System Framework and Two-Factor Theory. InPACIS(p. 138). Miner, J.B., 2015.Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge. Semco Partners. (2017). Company History - Semco Partners. [online] Available at: https://www.semco.com.br/en/about-us/ [Accessed 30 Jan. 2017]. Skogstad, A., Hetland, J., Glas, L. and Einarsen, S., 2014. Is avoidant leadership a root cause of subordinate stress? Longitudinal relationships between laissez-faire leadership and role ambiguity.Work Stress,28(4), pp.323-341. Webb, J., Ahmad, A., Maynard, S.B. and Shanks, G., 2014. A situation awareness model for information security risk management.Computers security,44, pp.1-15.

Write a few paragraphs about your Diversity Essay Example

Write a few paragraphs about your Diversity Essay My diversity as a person is very crucial to who I am of course. I seem to have this ability called consistency. I am able to replicate a certain action; this action is more of an ability. I am able to give 100% effort in everything I do. I have acquired this by seeing the results of my very own efforts leading me to success. I do not take on a project with giving my all. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is your strategic plan for your future? Are you clear where you are heading? Personal and Professional. What are you focused on that might help you achieve your goals? What obstacles might be standing in your way? Self imposed or other obstacles? My Plans for the future could be described as complex. I have many goals, both long and short term.   I have had the luxury of being surrounded by great people throughout my life to direct me in the right direction and give great advice. I believe with a combination of this luxury and the determination that I have acquired through life and of course a little luck my goals will become reality. We will write a custom essay sample on Write a few paragraphs about your Diversity specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Write a few paragraphs about your Diversity specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Write a few paragraphs about your Diversity specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer My goal in life is to become an orthodontist, I have had a love for this profession since the age of 12. That is the main reason why I chose to come to Nova Southeastern University. With such a great dental and orthodontic graduate program, I thought it would be a great advantage to attend NSU from the undergraduate level.   I would like to finish my undergraduate career here at NSU with a   double major and a minor. I have a major in psychology and plan to get my second one in business administration and a minor in sociology.   The reason I chose to major in business administration is to help me grasp an understanding of how to run an orthodontist office from the business aspect.   This process should take me another 2 years   where I see myself graduated and starting my dental school. That process should then take another 2-3 years where then I   can finally tackle on the orthodontist aspect of my schooling career. Another goal that I am working towards is being a basketball coach. basketball is a very important aspect of my life. I have been playing since the age of 6 and I currently play for the   basketball at NSU. I would love to play at the professional level overseas. but that is more a dream than a goal. Since basketball has always been a big part of my life I   do not see myself moving away from it. When my playing days are over I still plan to have basketball   a part of my life and I plan to do that by coaching. I have started by coaching middle school/high school kids. I am also deeply involved in my team. Our team is a   group of handpicked kids who are chosen to compete around the United States. I plan to stick with this team as they continue to grow as students of the game. My personal goals are probably where it gets a little hectic. I have a goal to have a family in the future but as far as when and who I want to settle down with is still a mystery. I am very family orie nted even more so after the passing of my mother. I find myself (being the oldest of 13 children) playing a big role in my family. I see myself as big brother, father, mentor for many if not all my siblings. With that being said, it is not that I dont want to have my own family I just see so many great   quality in my own family that I am a bit picky about who my significant other will be. I feel that I have a lot of different paths in life to become something in this world. At times it is overwhelming but I try to always look at the big picture and use my mother and family as motivation to try to better myself as a person. So far I feel happy with my accomplishments but by no means do i feel complacent. I still have far much to accomplish. 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What   compliance systems do you have to conform to? Parental, family, obligations, school, legal, work etc. I have many compliance systems to conform to, everyone does. Some individuals conform better than others and those who have the ability or better yet the will to do so have better success in life. Conforming is only good if it is bettering that individual or the situation a person is in. For example: to conform with a group of trouble makers would not necessarily be the right thing to do but in the   case for family, school and work for the most part leads you to success. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is your vision for your career? How do you see yourself being involved in work in the future? How will you achieve work life balance? What are the challenges today and as you anticipate the aging process? I hardly have a career in a technical sense; I am still in the preparation stage   of my career which in this case is obviously school.   In the future I plan to run my own orthodontist office.    As far as coaching, I plan to take that day by day.   I see this as more of my fun time than a career but I do understand if   I do a well enough job I could make it a career.   I think the career of an orthodontist is something I can do for a while. I see that   me aging will not affect me much. I can see myself engaged in my work for 20+ years. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do you see yourself Changing careers in the future years? do you think you will stay in the same industry. Like I mentioned in the last question, I see myself doing this for 20+ years until i   retire. If I were to change my profession it would probably be to coach basketball fulltime. 6.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What training and development plans do you have for yourself? Past, present, and future? The training being done for my future would   be going to school to be an orthodontist. And as for coaching, I think by continuing coaching   my team and attending coaching clinics I will gain the experience needed to flourish as a coach. 7.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     How motivated are you? What is your attitude to life and work? How would you appraise your performance to date in your family system, at work, at school, with friends? I would like to believe that I am a very motivated person. This   has not always been the case; prior to my mothers death I was a very passive person with a minimal list of goals. I seem to have found motivation in my mothers death. I was an ignorant person who did not realize what he had for a mother. I use   the fact that I do not want to feel   that all my mothers dedication   to me and my life could go to no avail if I do not make the most of my life. It has become a way of life for me to hear my mothers voice in my head when I know I am not giving my 100% or not making the best decision.  Ã‚   Doing things with 100% effort,   100% of time is my motto after the passing of my mother. Her death has showed me that there is nothingguaranteed in life.   So not knowing when my last day on earth may be, I try my hardest in every aspect of my life 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What plans do you have for money management? Do you understand the value of money? Being a college student, money management is a very important value or concept to grasp. I feel that to a certain degree I understand this concept. I have a system where 30% of my monthly earnings are put into a savings account just in case for one of those   so called rainy days. With the way the economy is these days and the amount of jobs being lost, it is needed to have a savings. There is no telling when a   job could be lost and even worse there is no telling when a new one will be available. 9.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What is your self worth? How much do you think you are worth in the market place? Do you think your value will increase with experience? How will you know when you have arrived? Measuring self worth is a tough task. There is no concrete way to measure   self worth, what I feel of myself is not necessary what its true measure it.   The closest way to get a true value of   evaluate ones determination effort and combine that with his or hers success. So if that is what we are going to go by to determine   self worth then I would say mine is very high. In everything I do in life is with maximum effort and I have a high level success. For example,   the team that I currently coach I put in more effort and go beyond the call. I work after practice with some of my   players and even have film sessions to better not only my players   but as well myself. I Like to be the best at everything I do, knowing that this is not always the case, I always want to be the one who can say I tried my best and put all I had into this project.   As far as my worth in the future, It is only logical to believe that myself worth will continue to grow. 10.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How self disciplined are you? Discipline is something that was instilled in me from an early age. I took martial arts from the age   6 to 15 and that is something that is highly stressed.   Discipline and consistency go hand-n-hand. If one shows consistency then he or she is a discipline. In the world of business today these two traits can make or break a persons career. 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What do you do to ensure that you remain healthy? exercise, good nutrition relaxation? Staying healthy is something that has to be done when playing athletics at the college level. We as a team have a nutritionist who looks after what we eat. We report to her weekly with a list of what we have consumed during the week. We also as a team take yoga, which is very relaxing. 12.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     How well do you manage your personal and professional boundaries? Are you a good time manager? Do you keep your word? Are you responsible? Do you let other people down? Do you speak up when someone hurts you? Are you always   to please others? Do you know how to say no? I as a person I try to not to tell people how to their jobs or how   to handle their situations. I do give advice if asked but I respect peoples boundaries by not putting my input if asked. Of course if I was in the position where I had to tell people what their job is (i.e. basketball coach: telling his players what to do.)   then I can, that is how I manage boundaries both personal and professional. With school, sports, and work time management is a crucial skill to have and I believe that I have acquired this skill.   Days do not seem long enough as it is to get everything, so time management is what helps me be successful. In this world sometimes all a person has his/her word, so keeping ones word is very imperative. At every level this plays a vital role, personal and professional. With this understanding I try to keep my word. I have a high success rate with this, but there are times where unexpected   adversity arises that allow me to keep my promises. I see this as failure where others see it as an excuse or a reason. I, in these certain situations, do not look at the excuse or reason on why I could not complete what I said I   would but plainly see it as a mission not accomplished. letting people down is not an option for me. My parents, who are my biggest role models, never let me down; I try to duplicate this by demonstrating the same. People depend on others to get certain actions done so they can continue to do their work; I do not want that type of guilt on my shoulders. I eliminate that   by   pleasing others and not letting them down. I am a very honest and when someone does an action that bothers/hurts me I bring it up. I at the same time I am not controversial but I feel that if such things are   not fixed they can later grow into a bigger problem. 13.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do you   have good negotiation skills? What your decision making abilities? Do you have a good sense of judgment? Does your judgment protect you or get you into trouble? 14.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What kind of team player are you? The type of team player that I am is a motivator. I pretty much do not stand out when everything is going well, but when times of hardship seem to make their appearances I seem to shine. I have a great ability to bring people together in these times and prevail over many difficult circumstances. 15.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Do you have knowledge and experience outside of South Florida? How does that influence your perception of international HR management and of people who are different from you here in South Florida? Do you have aspirations to travel and or work outside of Florida or the United States? If so, what do you think you will have to learn in order to be a competent employee? The only experience outside South Florida is playing basketball. I feel   that that experience has little to no influence on how I perceive HR at the international level. As far as working outside of Florida   I do not foresee   that as a possibility as of now. That is not to say that I will not in the future. Abstract In this paper I will discuss my strengths and weaknesses and how they will pertain to the business world and many different HR policies.

Free Essays on The Failures Of Affirmitive Action

Once upon a time, there were two people who went to an interview for only one job position at the same company. The first person attended a prestigious and highly academic university, had years of work experience in the field and, in the mind of the employer, had the potential to make a positive impact on the company’s performance. The second person was just starting out in the field and seemed to lack the ambition that was visible in his opponent. â€Å"Who was chosen for the job?† you ask. Well, if the story took place before 1964, the answer would be obvious. However, with the somewhat recent adoption of the social policy known as affirmative action, the answer becomes unclear. After the United States Congress passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, it became apparent that certain business traditions, such as seniority status and aptitude tests, prevented total equality in employment. Then President, Lyndon B. Johnson, decided something needed to be done to remedy these flaws. On September 24, 1965, he issued Executive Order #11246 at Howard University that required federal contractors â€Å"to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed . . . without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin (Civil Rights).† When Lyndon Banes Johnson signed that order, he enacted one of the most discriminating pieces of legislature since the Jim Crow Laws were passed. Affirmative action was created in an effort to help minorities leap the discriminative barriers that were ever so present when the bill was first enacted, in 1965. At this time, the country was in the wake of nationwide civil-rights demonstrations, and racial tension was at its peak. Most of the corporate executive and managerial positions were occupied by white males, who controlled the hiring and firing of employees. The U.S. government, in 1965, believed that these employers were discriminating against minorities and believed that there was no be... Free Essays on The Failures Of Affirmitive Action Free Essays on The Failures Of Affirmitive Action Once upon a time, there were two people who went to an interview for only one job position at the same company. The first person attended a prestigious and highly academic university, had years of work experience in the field and, in the mind of the employer, had the potential to make a positive impact on the company’s performance. The second person was just starting out in the field and seemed to lack the ambition that was visible in his opponent. â€Å"Who was chosen for the job?† you ask. Well, if the story took place before 1964, the answer would be obvious. However, with the somewhat recent adoption of the social policy known as affirmative action, the answer becomes unclear. After the United States Congress passed the Civil Rights Act in 1964, it became apparent that certain business traditions, such as seniority status and aptitude tests, prevented total equality in employment. Then President, Lyndon B. Johnson, decided something needed to be done to remedy these flaws. On September 24, 1965, he issued Executive Order #11246 at Howard University that required federal contractors â€Å"to take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed . . . without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin (Civil Rights).† When Lyndon Banes Johnson signed that order, he enacted one of the most discriminating pieces of legislature since the Jim Crow Laws were passed. Affirmative action was created in an effort to help minorities leap the discriminative barriers that were ever so present when the bill was first enacted, in 1965. At this time, the country was in the wake of nationwide civil-rights demonstrations, and racial tension was at its peak. Most of the corporate executive and managerial positions were occupied by white males, who controlled the hiring and firing of employees. The U.S. government, in 1965, believed that these employers were discriminating against minorities and believed that there was no be...

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Murder of Nixzmary Brown - Article Example r old girl who was abused emotionally, sexually, and physically by her step-father over an extended period of time before being murdered at her parent’s home in New York. The suffering endured by the helpless little girl did not appear to go unnoticed. However, the problem was that the adults who noticed welts on her body, or other odd marks, were reluctant to approach the authorities about what they were witnessing. Years before Nixzmary’s step-father finally put an end to her life by viciously hitting her on the head, there were signs that appeared to indicate that Nixzmary was not developing as a healthy normal little girl. According to (Dan, 2006) it was only after Nixzmary’s tragic death that a pattern began to emerge in the sequence of odd coincidences in her earlier life that showed that she was being exposed to extreme suffering. According to Dan (2006) school workers in Nixzmary’s school often reported that she would be absent for extended periods of time. In addition, it was not uncommon for her neighbors to notice unsightly welts among other unexplained injuries on her body. It would seem that Nixzmary was an uncommonly clumsy child because her mother would often state that she fell down, or banged her arm or head on a piece of furniture; thus causing these marks on her body. According to Siegel & Welsh (2009), the family’s neighbors even noticed that Nixzmary was underweight and scrawny for her age. Though child welfare workers were alerted about the case, they did not report any oddities, and left the family to itself. Staff members from Nixzmary’s school even tried to visit her at home when she began to be absent on a regular basis. However, they were stopped from entering the house where the little girl was being systematically tortured unless they could produce a warrant that permitted an investigation. In January, 2005, Nixzmary’s step-father, Cesar Rodriguez came home and found a cup of yoghurt missing (Cohn & Russell, 2012). Upon

Employer-employee relations in Coca-cola Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Employer-employee relations in Coca-cola - Essay Example Scholars have noted that proper relation contributes positively towards realization of organizational goals. As such, this essay will outline the reasons as to why conflicts occur between employers and their employees and some of the manner that the conflicts can be resolved. In so doing, the research will center the argument on Coca Cola Company as a case study. Thus, the essay will highlight some of the different strategies used to avoid the occurrence of conflicts in the organization. The coca-cola company is one of the largest producers of non-alcoholic beverages and branded in over 200 countries in different continents like Europe, Australia, Africa, N. America, and India. The popular drinks made by the multi-national corporation sold in various brands, which serve the diversified human tastes and preferences (Cant, 2006: 12). The company acts as a retailer, marketer and is the main manufacturer of the drinks. It also has a separate bottling plant that works together with the pr oduction plant. With its continued growth, the coca-cola company has provided jobs to people allover the globe and as a result reducing the unemployment levels (Fernando, 2010:517). In employment, all institutions should create proper employer-employee relations to ensure that there exist mutual benefits between the two. The coca-cola company being a multi-national corporation and with greater interactions with employees has to establish proper relations with the public also (Mansbach and Rhodes, 2009: 231). This has led to the formulation of policies aimed at governing their worker-employer relations to a healthier and legally regulated one (Daniels, 2006: 76). Some of the enacted policies have different issues that may affect employment like child labour, discrimination, working hours, and wages, Freedom of association and collective bargaining, safety and health of workers at the workplace, and on forced labour (Jack, 2008: 278). By adhering to these policies, coca-cola encourage s other organizations to apply the same for success. Some of the policies are quite encouraging to employees and inspire them towards putting the best of efforts in production (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004: 423). The company also recognizes the community as another vital factor promoting the organization’s success. The community consists of the consumers, employees, and retailers at the grass root level. It also acts as part of the stakeholders in the corporation and hence this details the need why the organization needs to establish proper relations with the community (Cant, 2006: 13). They at some point seem irrelevant, but their presence is necessary. Through fostering the conditions at the community level, the corporation has significantly helped raise the people’s living standards and resulting to economic growth (Koekemoer, and Bird, 2004: 37). The coca-cola company has integrated with the communities at different levels in an attempt to eliminate poverty, empower t he society, and giving financial support to some community projects (Gillespie and Hennessey, 2011: 101). The employees in the coca-cola company though given the best of environments for production purposes also come across challenging factors in their employer employee relations. For instance, several cases have been filed in court for allegations of misunderstandings between the employer and the employee and even severally discriminations from getting opportunities in the job market (Hollinshead, Nicholls, and Tailby, 2003: 245). The publicity of such allegations tarnishes the image of the organization before the public. The misunderstandings may be due to failure of

The issues included in uncovering the historical Patrick Essay Example for Free

The issues included in uncovering the historical Patrick Essay When explaining the issues involved in uncovering the historical background, it is a most difficult task. This is for a number of reasons, but the main reason would be the lack of historical information in Patricks writings. Patrick felt dates were unimportant, and so didnt include many of them in his writings. This means that his writings are a lot more useful for getting an insight into his thoughts and feelings, for hearing Patricks spiritual journey in his own words, and hearing about the difficulties he faced in his mission, and how he responded to them. However, whenever it comes down to historical background, key dates, or geographical information, Patricks writings arent as useful as would be hoped, and therefore a lot of scholars draw their own conclusions, which we must take into account when trying to make our own. Kenney says that when we search for historical facts within Patricks writings, we are faced with an exasperating incoherence, which leaves the meaning constantly in doubt and suggests that Patrick may actually be a much more obscure character than we would like to admit. Sà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½an MacAirt refers to the fifth century as the lost century, because of the absence of any historical information. We are still in the era of pre-history, which the exception of Patricks writings, and Prospers reference to the arrival of Palladius. Within these two documents, which are of the utmost importance, there are only two place names given to us, and no dates, so it is very hard to gather historical fact. ORahilly rightly says of humble Patrick the last thing that the saint could have imagined, would be that hundreds of years later, the document would be scrutinised again and again with a view to gleaning biographical details of the writers life. The big problem is that there is a two-hundred year gap between the time Patrick actually lived, and when he was first written about, so this leaves plenty of room for false information or inaccuracy. In Patricks Confessio, Patrick tells us of his birth place, Bannaven Taburniae, but he does not tell us where it is actually located. There have been many unsuccessful attempts to agree on the location of the birth of Patrick; however there has been an agreement on three basic points that must be taken into account when trying to determine the location. The first of these is that it would have to be in the West of Britain. This is to facilitate easy access to the Irish raiders. At a young age, Patrick was taken captive, and taken to Ireland, so it Is important to consider how realistic suggestions such as Gaul where, in that were the Irish raiders really going to travel all the way to Gaul and back, without being caught? Charles Thomas adds to this point, by suggesting that it would be opposite the place of Patricks captivity in Ireland. The next important criterion is Patricks sense of Roman Identity. Patrick has a very strong sense of Roman Identity, so it is fair to say that his birth place would need to be a strongly Romanised part of Britain. Baring this in mind, Bannavem Taburniae would have to be south of Hadrians Wall. And the last of the three criteria, is that Patrick must have been living near a town with a civil administration centre. This is because Patricks father Calpurnius was a collector of taxes. Bearing these in mind, there have been different suggestions put forward to the location of Bannavem Taburniae. In the seventh century, Muirchà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ tells us that Bannavem Taburniae was identified as ventre. Although that does not directly help us with our identification, Bieler did find it useful when reconstructing the name as Bannaventa Taburniae. If this is correct, there was a small roman settlement in Northamptonshire. The name of this settlement was then taken and given to a place outside Daventry. However, this suggestion fails to meet one of the most important of the criteria- this area would not be very accessible to Irish raiders, as it is in the midlands. Charles Thomas believes that the only place to fulfil all three criteria would be the North West of Britain. He concludes that the most likely location is Carlisle, which entirely outweighs that of Daventry, Dumbarton or elsewhere. It is also far enough North to explain Patricks poor use of Latin. Dark warns us that any attempt to locate Bannavem Taburniae is based on assumptions, and cannot be taken as facts; however he believes the only place we can safely say for definite suffered from frequent raids by the Irish during the fifth and sixth century were the areas of Cotswolds and Dorset. There has also been a great deal of debate in regards to the location of Silva Foclutti (the wood of Foclut). It arises in Patricks narration of the call, when he says As I read the beginning of the letter, I seem to hear the voice of those who were by the wood of Foclut which is near the western sea, and they cried as with one voice, Holy Boy, we are asking you to come and walk among us again. Bury ORahilly and Hanson assume that this is referring to the place of Patricks captivity, and Mohrmann agrees, saying interpreting Patricks words seems to suggest that they are from the mouth of people from a part of the country that Patrick seems to have known from his captivity.Some scholars suggest that Patrick is speaking metaphorically here in that even at the furthermost point of Ireland; the people were calling to him. Bieler on the other hand believes that it could perhaps be a place that Patrick had heard of, but never been to, as he believed that Patricks call was from the Irish in general, and not from a specific area. There has been a great deal of difficulty in reconciling the two suggested locations of Slemish and Mayo, which are both traditionally held as the place of Patricks captivity. Tà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½rechà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n himself was from that area. Others however believe that as it is the earliest identification we have, we should accept it as genuine. Patrick does give us a clue in his Confessio to the location, when he says it was near the western sea. Hanson believes that Patrick does give us further clues throughout his writings, such as when he tells us that he had to travel to a ship that was perhaps two hundred miles away. If we are to accept that, he was returning to Britain, perhaps he had to make a journey from the North coast of Mayo, to the coast of Wicklow or Wexford, diagonally across Ireland. There is also a long known tradition of Patrick tending the flocks as a boy on Mount Slemish. Hanson argues however that this does not fit the evidence of the escape story, as an escape from here would have involved only a thirty mile walk, rather than the two hundred Patrick mentions. Hanson argues that we must accept the plain evidence of his own words, and place his captivity in County Mayo, near the border with County Sligo. Bury ORahilly and Hanson all reject the location as being Slemish, however, Slemish is a mountainous area, while the area suggested around Killala is plain. Philbin and Concannon both suggest a compromise in that both localities can be accepted because Patrick changed master. We cannot be certain of the place of his captivity, and although we shouldnt accept something purely based on the fact its tradition, we also cannot dismiss a longstanding tradition In his writings, Patrick also mentions Gaul, and a strong desire to study there. This has led to some historians assuming he spent a significant portion of his life there, most likely undergoing clerical training. Patrick says he wishes to visit Gaul to see the Brethen, which may have been a desire to visit friends he made during his training. However, Binchy believes that this was merely a desire to visit the Holy men of God. Muirchà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ wrote in the seventh century, that Patrick stayed in Gaul for some thirty years, but ORahilly argued against this, saying that he got this account confused with Palladius training and ordination. The unresolved debate regarding Patrick and Gaul has led many to believe that some of the details of the life of the historical Patrick can never be resolved, and are forever lost to the historian. Others argue that the most important part of Patrick, such as his personality shall be preserved for eternity, in his own writings. There is so little historical information about Patrick that there is even conflict regarding the dating of Patrick, even his death. Charles Thomas believes that Patrick wrote his letter to Coroticus at some time between 465-475, and that the Confessio was written sometime after 480. He says that the annalistic dates from his death cluster around the early 490s may reflect with some reality, the tradition that he dies before the end of the century. In 1942, Thomas ORahilly suggested a later dating for Patricks mission, still within the fifth century. He took the evidence from the fifth and sixth century annals into account, and concluded that Patrick arrived in Ireland in 461, and died in 492/3. In conclusion, although it is very difficult to determine historical fact in regard to Patrick, if we focus on hints within his letters, scholarly opinion, and what he says himself, we can come up with some possible dates and locations for Patricks birth, mission, and death, and this will hopefully in time become more conclusive.

Brecht :: essays research papers

It is difficult to imagine a play which is completely successful in portraying drama as Bertolt Brecht envisioned it to be. For many years before and since Brecht proposed his theory of â€Å"Epic Theatre†, writers, directors and actors have been focused on the vitality of entertaining the audience, and creating characters with which the spectator can empathize. ‘Epic Theatre’ believes that the actor-spectator relationship should be one of distinct separation, and that the spectator should learn from the actor rather than relate to him. Two contemporary plays that have been written in the last thirty years which examine and work with Brechtian ideals are ‘Fanshen’ by David Hare, and ‘The Laramie Project’ by Moises Kaufman. The question to be examined is whether either of these two plays are entirely successful in achieving what was later called, ‘The Alienation Effect†. Over the course of his career, Brecht developed the criteria for and conditions needed to create Epic Theatre. The role of the audience can be likened to that of a group of college aged students or intellectuals. Brecht believed in the intelligence of his audience, and their capacity for critical analysis. He detested the trance-like state that an Aristotelian performance can lure the audience into. Plays that idealize life and humanity are appealing to an audience, and this makes it easy for them to identify with the hero, they reach a state of self oblivion. The spectator becomes one with the actor, and experiences the same fantastical climax that is unattainable in real life. â€Å"However, at the end of the performance, the audience has already experienced the highest emotional climax, the memory of which is strung along by the inevitable plot resolution. The audience has no choice but to leave with the rapidly fading memory of their dramatic stimulation and return to the underwhelming reality that awaits them outside of the theatre.† "The task of epic theatre, Brecht believes, is not so much to develop actions as to represent conditions. But to à «representà ­ does not here signify à «reproduceà ­ in the sensed used by theoreticians of Naturalism. Rather, the first point at issue is to uncover those conditions. (One could just as well say: to make them strange (Benjamin 1966, 18-9) "The art of epic theatre consists in arousing astonishment rather than EMPATHY." (Benjamin 1966,16) â€Å" ‘Theatre’ consists in this; in making live representations of reported or invented happenings between human beings and doing so with a view to entertainment.