Portrayal of Australian Mining Towns Essay

Arthur Boyd and Oodgeroo, formally known as Kath Walker, both effectively depict their own view of Australia through the painting â€Å"The Mining Town† and the poem â€Å"The Time Is Running Out. † They each present slightly differing interpretations of the country based upon their altered perspectives and context. Arthur Boyd presents a vivid and vibrant life of an Australian mining town of 1920 through his painting while Kath Walker aggressively portrays an outraged view of what Australia has become violently outlining the damages caused by European settlement. In Kath Walkers poem â€Å"time is running out† she uses a passionate and forceful tone allowing it to illustrate an Aboriginal perspective of the mining town, which effectively portrays her view of Australia. â€Å"The miner rapes the heart of the earth† the use of the word â€Å"rape,† describes a traumatic and violent action. Kath Walker uses this aggressive quote to start her poem essentially stating the miners are ruining the natural part of Australia. She then proceeds to say â€Å" With this violent spade† meaning the spade the miners are using is killing the earth. â€Å" Stealing, bolting her black blood. † The use of a metaphor in this quote depicts the miner taking the black coal from the earth. She then personifies the earth to exemplify that the Europeans are destroying the natural beauty of Australia â€Å"for the sake of the greedy trade. † Kath Walker demonstrates her disappointment throughout the poem in the European culture of Australia and is horrified by what the country has become. She effectively conveys her view of Australia. In the second part of Kath Walkers poem she proceeds to use a patriotic and again a violent tone to portray her view of Australia. She challenges upon all Aborigines to take a stand against the violent nature on the earth caused by the foreigners. The repetition of â€Å"violence† â€Å"he knows violence† â€Å"will be violently written† â€Å"make the violent miner feel† exaggerates her perspective of Australia by portraying Australia as a terrible violent country. Throughout her poem she over exaggerates the terrible wok of the miners and at the end of her poem she hypocritically gives a violent message of retaliation against the miners â€Å"to defend their timeless land. † â€Å"Come gentle black man† she creatively changes the audience’s state of mind by showing that the aborigines are the victims and are innocent. Kath allows the audience to feel her frustration with the use of her aggressive tone and adjectives essentially providing the audience with not only Kath’s view of Australia but also the whole Aboriginal community. It is because of Kaths poetic devices and techniques which allows her to present her perspective of Australia from an Aboriginal point of view. Her aggressive and serious tone, shows her passion and love for the nature of the country. She also spreads a message of violence of retaliation and revenge on the European miners who are destroying nature in Australia all for â€Å"the filthy dollar. † Therefore I think that the poem most effectively conveys a view of Australia rather than the photo.

Personnel Management Research in Agribusiness

Personnel Management Research in Agribusiness Vera Bitsch Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics Michigan State University, 306 Agriculture Hall, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824 Tel: +517-353-9192, Fax: +517-432-1800, [email  protected] edu Paper presented at the 19th Annual World Forum and Symposium of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, Budapest, Hungary, June 20-23, 2009 Acknowledgements This study was supported by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, Hatch project #0191628. The author would also like to thank the Elton R.Smith Chair in Food & Agricultural Policy at Michigan State University for supporting the participation at the IFAMA World Forum and Symposium. Copyright 2009 by Vera Bitsch. All rights reserved. Readers may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies. Personnel Management Research in Agr ibusiness (Executive Summary) One of the challenges faced by agribusinesses in the 21st century is the attraction, motivation, and retention of sufficient and qualified labor.However, personnel management research has mostly focused on other industries. Accordingly, agribusiness managers have little to rely on, when developing personnel policies and procedures. Once a business has grown beyond the labor capacity of the immediate family, personnel management becomes an issue and practices developed for large corporations do not always scale down well to smaller businesses or may not fit the agribusiness environment. This paper reviews the foci and results of personnel management research in the United States and in Canada, but results are likely applicable beyond these two countries.The analysis concentrates on publications analyzing personnel management publications, largely excluding labor market, immigration, and similar analyses. The unit of analysis is the business, not the mark et, society, or other institution. The review covers agribusiness and agricultural economics journals, and also animal science and horticultural science journals. Research reports and conference papers are included when accessible. With few exceptions, personnel management was virtually absent from agribusiness and agricultural economics research before 1990.Since then research methods cover the full range from in-depth, unstructured interviews and group discussions, through interview or moderator guide based approaches, up to fully structured surveys. Several broadly based results are emerging. First, many agribusiness managers perceive their personnel management competencies as a weakness, in particular during periods of organizational growth. Second, experienced managers typically have an adequate conceptual frame of the personnel management functions, but with respect to the details gaps and misconceptions persist.Third, the peculiar circumstances of agribusiness and farm work r equire specific skill sets and beginning managers could benefit from targeted training. Fourth, although compensation is important, employees’ job satisfaction and retention can be increased with inexpensive measures, such as feedback and appreciation. Fifth, the relationship between personnel management practices and financial success measures is complicated and difficult to assess. Few personnel management studies have been able to provide evidence of a substantial relationship between any particular personnel management practice and profit, or even productivity. Personnel Management Research in Agribusiness Problem Statement One of the challenges faced by many agribusinesses and farms in the 21st century is the attraction, motivation, and retention of sufficient and qualified labor. Although this problem is more pronounced in industrialized and developed economies, growing and transitional economies, including China, also face a lack of interest in agricultural work. In ad dition, personnel management research has mostly focused on other industries, neglecting agribusiness.Accordingly, agribusiness managers have little to rely on, when developing personnel policies and procedures for a growing business. Once a business has grown beyond the labor capacity of the immediate family, personnel management becomes an issue and practices developed for large corporations often times do not scale down well to smaller businesses or may not fit the agricultural or agribusiness environment. Farm Labor in the U. S. In 2007, U. S. hired farm labor comprised $21. 9 billion or 9. 1% of total production expenses. That was an increase in monetary expenses of $3. billion, compared to $18. 6 billion in 2002, but a decrease in percentage of expenses. In addition, contract labor amounted to $4. 5 billion in expenses or 1. 9% of total production expenses, up $1. 1 billion from 2002. Custom work and custom hauling, which includes machinery costs was up by $0. 8 billion at $4. 1 billion; 1. 7% of total production expenses (2007 Census of Agriculture). Hired labor was the third largest expense group behind purchased feed and purchased livestock and poultry. But farm labor expenses are not equally distributed regionally.According to Kandel, total farm labor expenses amounted to 22. 3% of the cash receipts in California, but only to 2. 5% in Iowa in 2006. The top five states in terms of payroll expenses were California, Florida, Texas, Washington, and Oregon. They account for 42. 8% of the expenditure on hired labor in the U. S. Runyan reported that 1910-19 the share of family labor of total farm employment was 75%; 1990-99 this share had declined to 64%. While total farm employment is declining, the role of hired workers is increasing with increasing farm sizes.However, farm wages rank near the bottom of all occupational groups, second only to private household work (Runyan). This fact may be ameliorated, at least in part, by lower cost of living expenses in rural communities (Gisser and Davila). By agricultural specialization, hired labor is most important for horticultural 3 operations (tree nurseries, ornamentals, fruit, and vegetables) and in dairy farming, followed by livestock and poultry farming; hired labor is least important in field crops.Objectives This paper reviews the foci and results of personnel management research in agriculture and agribusiness in the United States and in Canada, but results are likely applicable beyond these two countries. The goal of the review is to extract the lessons learned and derive guidance for both agribusiness management practice and future research. The specific objectives are to (1) analyze the state of the art of personnel management research in agribusiness, in particular agricultural production, including an analysis of research methods; (2) determine the ain themes with respect to (a) research questions and (b) empirical fields; and (3) summarize empirical results to (a) provide a f oundation for manager training and decision support and (b) serve as a roadmap to future research projects. Procedures Geographically, this paper focuses on the United States and Canada and the review is limited to publications in English. The analysis concentrates on publications analyzing personnel management questions, largely excluding labor market, migration, immigration, and similar analyses.Labor market, migration, and immigration studies are important to understanding the agricultural labor problem and a considerable amount of work has been done on these questions (see, e. g. , Devadoss and Luckstead; Ise and Perloff; Martin and Taylor; Taylor; Tran and Perloff; Walters, Emerson, and Iwai). Less work has been published on personnel management functions and the use of different management practices in agribusiness. Personnel management functions include practices to recruit, train, manage, organize, evaluate, compensate, discipline, and terminate employees, as well as, questi ons of job satisfaction, motivation, and retention.Therefore, the unit of analysis is the agribusiness or farm, not the market, society, or other macro institution. The review covers agribusiness and management journals, agricultural economics journals, and also animal science and horticultural science journals. In addition, research reports and conference papers (gray publications) are included when accessible and relevant. 4 Articles reporting on empirical research, as well as, review articles were content analyzed with respect to the objectives outlined above.A qualitative analysis method was used to determine the personnel management questions addressed, the research methods, the empirical field, the specific results with respect to the questions addressed, and the broader implications of each article. Only articles meeting the criteria summarized above are included in the discussion of the main themes and in the summary tables. Furthermore, although this paper is based on a com prehensive review, it cannot claim to include every study in this field. State of the Art Before 1990, personnel management was virtually absent from agribusiness and gricultural economics research (Howard and McEwan; Rosenberg and Cowen), with very few exceptions (e. g. , Adams, How, and Larson). For the agricultural field, personnel management research basically began in the early 1990ies, but many of these studies are difficult to access, because they have been published as conference or working papers, or in trade magazines, not in peer reviewed journals. Until the end of the 1990ies, studies remain few and common themes are yet to develop, with the possible exception of job attitudes, which appear as an early focus (e. . , Adams, How, and Larson). Additional themes emerging later include managers’ conceptualization of the personnel management functions, managers’ personnel management competencies and practices, and the relationship between personnel management pra ctices and organizational outcomes. Few studies focus on one particular personnel management function; more studies encompass a broad array of functions and the related management practices. Exceptions are studies of the management and preferences of migrant workers and of compensation (table 1).Compensation studies in agribusiness frequently are limited to a description of actual wages and their distribution, sometimes not including benefits, and not relating compensation to organizational outcome variables (see, e. g. , studies cited in Maloney and Milligan). Examples of compensation studies, which transcend this limitation, are a pay method and performance study (Billikopf and Norton), a study of the effect of compensation and working conditions on retention (Gabbard and Perloff), and studies of the relationship between wage, production technologies, and farm size (Hurley, Kliebenstein, and Orazem; Yu et al. . Gabbard and Perloff found that for the same monetary investment employ ee benefits increase the probability of retaining good workers more 5 than higher wages. Strochlic et al. also found benefits to increase retention. No relationship between wages and retention rates was found by Miklavcic, as well as Strochlic et al. Considering that, regardless of the personnel management model used (see Delery and Doty for the universalistic, contingency, and configuration models), specific management practices cannot e considered to function in isolation and independent of other practices. Conclusions based on such studies of singular practices would be limited. Therefore, even researchers interested in a particular personnel management function and in comparing relevant practices for this function, would have to take a more integrative approach and describe other practices to provide context. Empirical evidence for the relevance of the integrative approach in agriculture and agribusiness was provided in Adams, How, and Larson; Chacko, Wacker, and Asar; and Muger a and Bitsch.Despite many commonalities between different branches of agricultural production, the type and conditions of work vary, as does the dependency on weather and growth cycles, e. g. , comparing vegetable production to swine production. Both researchers and practitioners therefore will primarily look at the research matching their current undertaking most closely. Studies vary in their empirical coverage, with respect to the scope of farming specializations included, from studies focused on a single specialization (e. g. , floriculture) to studies including multiple specializations (e. . , horticulture, including floriculture, fruit and vegetable production), and the scope of personnel management functions analyzed, from single function studies (e. g. , compensation; see above) to studies including selected or multiple functions (table 1). Dairy farming stands out as the specialization most likely to be researched. Given that hired labor plays an even larger role in horticu ltural production than in dairy farming, the reasons for the higher interest in personnel management in dairy research are not obvious.The Journal of Dairy Science published papers of a Symposium: Dairy Personnel Management as early as 1993. In addition to the dairy studies reported in table 1 that address personnel management specifically other studies of dairy farming included personnel management questions in broader studies of farm expansion (Bewley, Palmer, and Jackson-Smith; Hadley, Harsh, and Wolf; Stahl et al. ). These studies found that personnel management competencies are most important for the success of farm expansion, but these competencies are also most challenging for farm managers.After an expansion, managers are more likely to use formal practices with respect to all major personnel management functions (Stahl et al. ), but some 6 problems, such as communication, persist (Hadley et al. ), although managers spend more time on personnel management. Also, personnel ma nagement education for large dairy farms has been emphasized as an opportunity for extension programming (Brasier et al. ).A relatively new arena of research, which cuts across different agricultural specializations, is the interface of personal management and sustainable or organic production. The questions being asked include whether sustainable and organic agriculture are inherently beneficial to employees, whether the commitment to sustainability does or should include a social component, and whether a fair labor certification approach would be beneficial to producers (e. g. Shreck, Getz, and Feenstra; Strochlic and Hamerschlag; Strochlic et al. ). Although a majority of certified organic farmers in California believe that organic agriculture is more socially sustainable than conventional agriculture, there is little support to include criteria on working conditions in the organic certification (Shreck, Getz, and Feenstra). On the other hand, Strochlic et al. found considerable interest in a fair labor certification (59% of respondents).Research Methods of Empirical Studies Considering the early stage of personnel management research in agribusiness, research methods were expected to be mostly exploratory and qualitative (Bitsch 2000 and 2005). However, research methods cover the full range from in-depth, unstructured interviews and group discussions, through interview or moderator guide based approaches, up to fully structured surveys administered at the business site or off-site one-on-one or in a group setting, over the phone, or mailed questionnaires (table 2).Fornaciari and Dean found a similar phenomenon in the study of religion, spirituality, and management, where research methods also include many quantitative approaches, despite the early stage of the research field. Reasons for the seemingly early venture into highly structured and quantitative research approaches are more likely to be caused by expectations set up in the qualification process of researchers, professional pressures regarding publication outlets, and differing prestige of certain research approaches in researchers’ professional fields than by research considerations.Although, this review of studies of personnel management in production agriculture and agribusiness cannot claim completeness, the number of studies employing unstructured or moderately structured methods (first two columns in table 2) appears lower than the number of studies employing highly or very highly structured methods (last two columns in table 2). 7However, even many of the quantitative, highly structured studies did not attempt (or accomplish) representative sampling and, therefore, their generalizability can only be judged based on their descriptions of the research approaches and the methods used, and the comparison of results across studies. As a result, researchers and practitioners planning to use studies of either research approach may need to analyze the original sources a nd pay close attention to details, before evaluating the applicability of their results to a different context.Most studies rely on a single method for data collection and multi-method studies are rare. An exception is the case study approach of best management practices by Strochlic and Hamerschlag that employed a variety of methods including semi-structured interviews with farm managers, focus groups with employees, and informal interviews with key informants. Multimethod approaches are likely to yield more valid results, due to the method triangulation involved.The method used most often by personnel management researchers in production agriculture and agribusiness is a survey questionnaire (table 2). Questionnaires are administered in a variety of ways, most frequently in person, which is more likely to garner to reliable results than mailed questionnaires, given the sensitivity of many personnel management questions, but also requires more resources. The number of studies using a mailed questionnaire is surprisingly high, considering the difficulty of developing a questionnaire that is fully understood by potential research participants.Other methods used frequently are moderately structured interviews either in an individual setting or set up as group discussions. Although resource intensive, these latter approaches are more likely to gather reliable data and allow for in-depth study of research questions than the more highly structured approaches, given the early stage of the field, the lack of common understanding of personnel management terms of potential research participants and researchers, and the multitude of interactions etween personnel management practices. Managers’ Conceptualization of Personnel Management Functions As early as 1967, Adams, How, and Larson observed that some farmers seem to have much fewer difficulties in finding and keeping the workforce they needed than other farmers in a comparable situation. Their research showed that this difference was not a chance occurrence, but that these farmers had invested considerably in the relationships with their workforce and carefully developed their personnel management practices.Similarly, Rosenberg and Cowen 8 found dairy managers’ assumptions about their workforce to correlate with their milk output, and suggest that those assumptions guide the choice of organizational structure and the management practices. Hence, it may be concluded that managers’ perception of which personnel management functions need to be given attention and which practices are available to them, will be the determinants of their management choices.After 2000, a renewed effort to delineate the field of agricultural personnel management resulted in three studies using focus group discussions to identify management practices in different areas of agricultural production and services, to describe their advantages and drawbacks from managers’ perspective and to critica lly review these practices. As a research method, focus group discussions are useful to integrate research and extension goals.The interaction between research participants and between research participants and the researchers triggers learning processes. In addition, relationships are developed and reinforced, which not only increase openness during the research process, but encourage participation in educational programs. During the research process, knowledge deficits can be diagnosed (Bitsch 2004). Bitsch und Harsh convened five focus groups with managers and owners of greenhouses, tree nursery operations, and landscape operations in Michigan.The study showed that horticultural managers conceptualize personnel management and its challenges and opportunities along the management process: recruiting and selection, training and development, performance appraisal and discipline, careers and relationships, and compensation. For the research participants, hiring immigrants and labor l egislation were also important HRM topics. In addition, Bitsch et al. convened four focus groups with dairy farmers and managers.Their perceptions of personnel management functions were similar to the horticultural study, and differences were mostly due to the more seasonal character of labor needs in the earlier study. Discipline was more important in dairy farming, because the continuous availability of work creates the need for terminating and replacing some employees who do not perform at the expected level. Seasonal operations often deal with these employees by providing less work to them, laying them off before the end of the season, and not recalling them for the following season.While horticultural managers considered working conditions mostly as an image problem in recruiting, to dairy managers working conditions were a permanent stress on employees. 9 Labor laws and regulations were less important in dairy farming, because few operations had their practices audited by gove rnment agencies at the time of the study. Finally, Bitsch and Olynk (2008) convened six focus groups with owners and managers of pork farms in Kansas and Michigan and reanalyzed the transcripts of the second study.Results of this study served to refine the framework of agricultural personnel management developed based on the first two studies. The most significant extension is an additional set of personnel management practices regarding the performance management function. Performance management describes the daily, informal interaction between managers and employees, including informal feedback, task-related communication, setting priorities, and dealing with problems. Although these practices are important in the day-to-day management processes, there has been little discussion about them in the literature.Also, working conditions were extended to include the organizational structure, and the social environment at work was established as another arena to be monitored and consciou sly managed. The resulting framework of agricultural personnel management includes eleven management functions: recruiting, selection, hiring immigrant employees, training, working conditions and organizational structure, social environment, performance management, discipline, performance appraisal, compensation, and labor law and regulation.Managers’ Personnel Management Competencies and Practices In a recent study, Stup, Holden, and Hyde identified competencies in different management areas on the senior and the middle management level of dairy farms through group discussions and then surveyed different managers about their comfort level with respect to these competencies. While managers were generally confident about their competencies, senior managers were least confident about their personnel management competencies (4. 95 on a 7-point Likert scale, 1=very low, 7=very high, n=41). Middle mangers ranked themselves second lowest in personnel management competencies (4. 1, n=22) and lowest in community service and public relations (4. 05, n=20). Bitsch and Olynk (2007) developed a typology of required personnel management skills for successful management in animal agriculture based on ten focus groups with dairy and pork farmers and managers. The typology consists of five skill sets: motivator, housekeeper, model employee, counselor, and change agent. This typology shows a number of commonalities with 10 the Competing Values Framework, used in general management education (Faerman, Quinn, and Thompson), but also industry specific differences.The motivator with the ability to train and motivate others, and to provide constructive feedback and the housekeeper with the ability to control, to lead, and to discipline others build the core of agricultural personnel management skills and also likely other production enterprises. In addition, the ability and willingness to be a model employee plays a surprisingly large role in agriculture. The function of the counselor, to support employees with their personal problems at work and beyond, was discussed less frequently by the research participants, but is necessary to prevent problems and to sustain employee productivity.The change agent initiates or implements innovations in the production process and was mentioned mostly by managers of larger farms. The authors point out that to be successful managers need to command a complete repertoire of skills including skills from each of the five types and not limit themselves to skills from only one type, for example, out of familiarity with certain behaviors (Hutt and Hutt). The role and the functions of middle management are a field of agricultural personnel management with few studies, but increasing importance.Not only did the share and impact of hired labor increase with increasing farm sizes, and personnel management became more important, but supervisors and middle managers are also playing a larger role. Billikopf (2001) interviewed far m supervisors in California and found them to struggle with personnel management tasks. Bitsch and Yakura employed a case study approach to develop a grounded theory of agricultural middle management (see Bitsch 2005, on grounded theory applications in agribusiness; see Glaser and Strauss on the foundations of grounded theory).The participating middle managers described an unexpectedly large number of different personnel management practices. Bitsch and Yakura suggested that these practices can be clustered into two basic types: traditional practices and participative practices. Traditional practices include reprimanding employees, orienting and training employees, monitoring and controlling employees, and dealing with conflict. Participative practices include accommodating employees (e. g. flexibility in schedules, task and team assignments), managing relationships with employees, providing information and goal setting, listening to employees, providing appreciation and feedback, r ewarding employees (non monetary), modeling work behavior, peer control, manager-induced team building, and training by coworkers. 11 Although this typology shows similarities with McGregor’s Theory X and Y, Bitsch and Yakura underline a significant difference. For the participating middle managers, using traditional or participative practices was not correlated with individuals.Each manager used both traditional, as well as, participative practices. The authors suggest that management success corresponds rather with the number of practices individual managers command than with the type of practices they use more frequently. McGregor had assumed that participative managers would be more successful. Bitsch and Yakura pointed out that some managers did use few practices, whereas others were using the full breadth of the described practices. Given that day-to-day management consists of many different management situations, anagers with a more complete repertoire are more likely to choose suitable practices. Employees’ Job Attitudes and Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is considered both a goal in itself, as well as, a means to reduce turnover and increase motivation and performance. Although meta-studies found a smaller relationship between job satisfaction and these correlates than expected, several studies of job satisfaction in agriculture have been conducted during the past 50 years (see Bitsch and Hogberg). One of the more frequently applied models is the empirically grounded two-factor model by Herzberg et al.This model is particularly suited to structure the analysis of job attitudes and their context. Empirical evidence that indeed job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction are caused differently as predicted by the Herzberg et al. model is scant (Bitsch 2007). Independent of the theoretical models and the research methods several common results emerge from studies of job attitudes in agriculture. Porter pointed out that half of the dairy far m employees surveyed in New Hampshire saw appreciation of their work as the most important factor for their performance.In addition, they mentioned open communication with their supervisor, good records, and control of the work situation; Porter concluded that financial incentives are less important. Adams, How, and Larson found financial incentives to be important for a satisfactory employer-employee relationships, but stressed the importance of consideration for workers as human beings, taking into account personal problems of workers and helping to find solutions, and getting the right fit of worker and job (see previous section for middle managers’ practices for a similar finding).Bitsch (1996) in a study of tree nursery apprentices in Germany found that a large majority did desire higher wages, but almost half also 12 desired increased appreciation, more training, and more responsibility for their tasks. More training was also requested by Spanish speaking dairy farm emp loyees surveyed by Maloney and Grusenmeyer in New York. Surveying New York dairy farms, Fogleman et al. found that employees were least satisfied with the factor managers had most control over, that is performance feedback.Billikopf (2001) had found supervisors in all branches of agriculture to be mostly satisfied with their jobs. More detailed case studies with horticultural operations found for employees without supervisory responsibilities (Bitsch and Hogberg) and also for supervisors (Bitsch 2007) that the same factors seem to contribute to job satisfaction, as well as, to dissatisfaction, depending on their availability and characteristics.For both groups of employees, job security, achievement, technical competency of the superior, and personal relationships at the workplace were more likely to be perceived as positive. The work itself and organizational procedures and policies were perceived as ambiguous, contributing to both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. Compensation was perceived rather negative, more negative by employees without supervisory responsibilities than by supervisors; the latter are likely to be higher paid and more likely to receive benefits.Employees without supervisory responsibility perceived their work/life balance more positive than supervisors; the latter are also less satisfied with their working conditions. Mainly, this was due to the fact that employees with supervisory responsibilities were expected to be available for work whenever required, whereas employees without supervisory responsibilities were given more flexibility. An earlier study in Germany, also had found that horticultural employees value flexible scheduling and benefit arrangements (Bitsch, Bromm, and Schalich).Relationships between Personnel Management Practices and Organizational Outcomes Relationships between personnel management practices and various organizational outcomes, such as productivity (Rosenberg and Cowen), profit (Adams, How, and Larson), or co mpetitiveness (Chacko, Walker, and Asar; Mugera and Bitsch) have often been assumed, but infrequently been empirically researched. Owners and managers of agricultural operations also testify to a relationship between personnel management practices and farm level outcomes (Bitsch et al. Strochlic and Hamerschlag). The few studies attempting the empirical description and measurement of these relationships in production agriculture and agribusiness have found limited evidence. 13 Rosenberg and Cowen tested several personnel management practices’ and management assumptions’ impact on dairy farm productivity, including prevalence of Theory Y assumptions (McGregor), upward and downward responsibility diffusion, employee selection procedure, employee assessment criteria, and employee performance feedback, along with record use and herd size.In addition to record use, the authors found that Theory Y assumptions and the amount of feedback provided to employees impacted producti vity. Feedback has also been found to be important in employees’ job satisfaction (Bitsch 1996; Fogleman et al. ). Although management assumptions are likely to guide organizational structure, personnel management practice choice, and managers’ communication and interaction with employees, the study did not provide evidence of the relationship between assumptions and particular practices.Stup, Hyde, and Holden analyzed several personnel management practices of successful dairy farms in Pennsylvania, including milk quality incentives, performance reviews, employment of Spanish-speaking employees, use of standard operating procedures for milking, feeding, and reproduction tasks, continuing training, and use of job descriptions. Except for continuous training of employees, farm success did not differ significantly for farms using compared to farms not using these practices.While differences in definitions between Stup, Hyde, and Holden, and Rosenberg and Cowen and little overlap regarding the management practices researched, make it difficult to compare both studies, it should be noted that Stup, Hyde, and Holden did not find performance reviews to be significant. Chacko, Wacker, and Asar compared perceptions of agribusiness managers with respect to the contributions of different technological and personnel management practices to their competitiveness. In general, managers ranked technological practices higher than personnel management practices.However, job security and measures of training and development were among the top ranked management practices. Job security has also been emphasized in job satisfaction studies (Bitsch and Hogberg; Bitsch 2007). Training has been found to stand out in Stup, Hyde, and Holden and has also been emphasized in job attitude studies (Bitsch 1996; Maloney and Grusenmeyer). Based on managers’ perception of particular technological and personnel management practices, Chacko, Wacker, and Asar also aggregated pr actices in a factor analysis and regressed these factors on perceived competitiveness.The regression analysis showed personnel management 14 factors to contribute to a higher extent to different measures of competiveness than technological measures. The employee commitment factor (job security, sharing of profits and gains) stood out as contributing to most competitiveness measures. Mugera and Bitsch used a resource based perspective to analyze whether personnel management practices and the personnel itself constitute a competitive advantage for dairy farms (see Wright et al. for a general discussion of the application of the resource based theory to personnel management).The authors conducted case studies with dairy farms to analyze the integration of personnel management practices with each other (e. g. , practices regarding recruitment, selection, training, and compensation) and their outcomes (e. g. , voluntary turnover and termination). The case studies provided empirical examp les of the applicability of the resource based theory and evidence of the use of personnel management practices as a competitive advantage. The authors emphasize that studies of isolated management practices may lead to misleading results, due to the importance of the integration of practices with each other.Therefore, they recommend an integrative approach to researching and changing personnel management functions. Strochlic et al. surveyed 300 organic farms of various agricultural specializations with respect to their personnel management practices and organizational outcomes. They found significant relationships between an overall labor conditions score and 5- and 10-year retention rates, several occupational safety related practices and person-days lost due to accidents and injuries. No relationship was found between the surveyed management practices and supervisory costs or access to sufficient labor.Conclusions Personnel management research in agribusiness has increased over t he past 20 years, but the field is in an early stage of its development. Although agribusiness managers and organizations are demanding more decision support and training in personnel management, a rapid increase in research volume cannot be expected. The number of researchers giving this field more than cursory attention is relatively small compared to other agribusiness fields. Research funding is limited or unavailable for many agribusiness related personnel management questions. Peer reviewed articles are rare, because ublication outlets lack sensible reviewers for this field and many editors do not perceive it as a priority. 15 Notwithstanding the early stage of personnel management research in agribusiness, several broadly based results are emerging. First, many managers on different hierarchical levels perceive their personnel management skills as an area of weakness. This weakness becomes more visible during organizational growth, when additional employees are needed and tas ks change from production orientation to management, including management of more personnel. Growth processes have been researched mainly in dairy farming.Despite managers’ perception of a lack of personnel management competencies, participation rates in educational programs targeting such skills are not very high. Second, experienced managers typically have an adequate conceptual frame of the personnel management functions, and potential challenges and risks, at least regarding the big picture. They acknowledge all textbook personnel management functions (recruiting, selection, training, performance appraisal, compensation, discipline, and labor law and regulation), although they do not necessarily practice conscientious management with respect to all of these functions.For example, performance evaluation and discipline are rarely practiced. Also, gaps and misconceptions persist with respect to the details of each practice and potential alternative practices, and typically t he details decide the success of these practices. On the other hand, managers perceive a need for additional practices, rarely discussed in the literature, with respect to performance management, the social environment at the workplace, working conditions and organizational structure, as well as, hiring immigrant employees.Third, not only are the personnel management tasks outlined above numerous and often times difficult to balance, but they also result in challenging requirements with respect to the breadth and depth of management competencies and practices. Due to the peculiar circumstances of agricultural work, including long hours and family relationships, requirements of managers are not less stringent, but rather more demanding than in other sectors. Various new and unexpected tasks need to be mastered by newly promoted individuals who normally are not prepared to deal with these tasks.Learning management in agriculture is often limited to imitating the supervisor (Hutt and H utt) and training in many cases consists of â€Å"sink or swim† (Bitsch and Yakura). Many farms could improve their HRM practices through preparatory and accompanying training of their supervisors and managers. On the other hand, given their lack of training, managers have acquired and are using a surprisingly large number of traditional, as well as non traditional, HRM practices. 16 Fourth, compensation is important, as can be expected, considering the low level of agricultural wages compared to other occupational groups.However, incentive systems are not necessarily preferred by employees (Porter; Strochlic and Hamerschlag). In many cases, job satisfaction can be increased with inexpensive measures, such as providing more feedback and appreciation for tasks well done. Similarly, many farms could use training and employee responsibility for task performance to increase productivity and job satisfaction. On the other hand, in general, employees seem satisfied with their work and specifically with its context.Flexibility, especially for employees without supervisory responsibility, and positive personal relationships at work, particularly with superiors, contribute primarily to job satisfaction. As Adam, How, and Larson stated, â€Å"Such relationships seem to be the end result of a combination of policies and practices on the part of farmers and of a genuine liking of farm work and their employers on the part of employees† (p. 60). Fifth, the relationship between personnel management practices and financial measures of organizational success is complex and difficult to assess.Few personnel management studies in production agriculture and agribusiness have been able to provide evidence of a substantial relationship between any particular personnel management practice and profit, or even productivity. In particular, isolated practices do not usually show a statistical relationship with financial measures or even intermediate measures, such as produ ctivity, retention, or supervision costs. Although this is to be expected according to the integrative model of personnel management, it hinders the development of manageable research projects that can be analyzed and described in a standard form.Additional problems stem from the lack of data availability and changing conditions and actors who also continuously develop new practices and strategies. Compared to twenty years ago, when Howard and McEwan declared the absence of personnel management research in the agribusiness field, managers and researchers have more to build on today. A suitable framework of personnel management functions in production agriculture has been developed (Bitsch and Olynk 2008), on which manager training and future research can build.This framework must be broadened to encompass the agribusiness value chain as a whole. Groundwork has been done to describe and conceptualize what managers do in their day-to-day practice to motivate and lead employees, and wh ich competencies they need to acquire to be or become successful managers of personnel. In addition, a lot more is known about how 17 agricultural employees perceive their work and its context and where they see improvement needs. Nevertheless, differences and commonalities between production agriculture and the broader agribusiness environment need to be explored further.Also, future research will have to develop methods to establish the relationship between personnel management practices and organizational outcomes and to analyze specific practices in their organizational context more indepth. Education and training of production agriculture and agribusiness managers, both in the classroom and beyond, can and has started to build on a growing body of empirical research, instead of solely relying on results from other industries and large organizations, which may or may not be applicable in the industry settings.Specific results from many of the studies discussed have been used to develop personnel management programs for managers in production agriculture, both in terms of determining educational needs, as well as developing and organizing program content tailored to managers’ experience and understanding. A consequence of the availability of more suitable education and training programs is more conscientious and improved practical decision making with respect to personnel management.The lack of definitive empirical evidence notwithstanding, improved decision making in this important management arena is expected to lead to higher productivity and profits, and also better quality of life for managers, as well as employees. References Adams, L. P. , R. B. How, and O. L. Larson. Viable Farmer-Worker Relationships: A Study of Selected Cases I New York State in 1966. Bulletin 1019, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, New York, 1967. Bewley, J. , R. W. Palmer and D. B. Jackson-Smith. â€Å"An Overview of Experiences of Wisconsin Dai ry Farmers Who Modernized Their Operations. Journal of Dairy Science 84 (2001):717-29. Billikopf, G. E. â€Å"High Piece Rate Wages Do Not Reduce Hours Worked. † California Agriculture 49 (1, 1995):17-8. —. â€Å"Crew Workers Split between Hourly and Piece-rate Pay. † California Agriculture 50 (6, 1996):5-8. —. â€Å"Interpersonal Communications Tops Concerns of Farm Supervisors. † California Agriculture 55 (5, 2001):40-3. Billikopf, G. E. and M. V. Norton. â€Å"Pay Method Affects Vineyard Pruner Performance. † California Agriculture 46 (5, 1992):12-3. 18 Bitsch, V. â€Å"Job Satisfaction during Apprenticeship. † Acta Horticulturae 429 (1996):97-102. —. Agricultural Economics and Qualitative Research: Incompatible Paradigms? † Forum: Qualitative Social Research 1 (1, 2000). Available at http://qualitative-research. net/fqstexte/1-00/1-00bitsch-e. htm. —. â€Å"Focus Group Discussions as a Research and Extension M ethod: The Case of Personnel Management Issues in Horticultural Businesses. † Acta Horticulturae 655 (2004):461-9. —. â€Å"Qualitative Research: A Grounded Theory Example and Evaluation Criteria. † Journal of Agribusiness 23 (Spring 2005):75-91. —. â€Å"Job Satisfaction in Horticulture: New Insights. † Acta Horticulturae 762 (2007):431-8. Bitsch, V. G. Abate Kassa, S. B. Harsh, and A. W. Mugera. â€Å"Human Resource Management Risks: Sources and Control Strategies Based on Dairy Farmer Focus Groups. † Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 38 (April, 2006):123-36. Bitsch, V. , U. Bromm and C. Schalich. â€Å"Improving the Horticultural Workplace: Fringe Benefit Options in Germany. † Acta Horticulturae 639 (2004):339-45. Bitsch, V. , and S. B. Harsh. â€Å"Labor Risk Attributes in the Green Industry: Business Owners’ and Managers’ Perspectives. † Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 36 (December, 2 004):731-45. Bitsch, V. and M. Hogberg. Exploring Horticultural Employees’ Attitudes toward Their Jobs: A Qualitative Analysis based on Herzberg’s Theory of Job Satisfaction. † Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 37 (December, 2005):659-71. Bitsch, V. , and N. J. Olynk. â€Å"Skills Required of Managers in Livestock Production: Evidence from Focus Group Research. † Review of Agricultural Economics 29 (Winter, 2007):74964. —. â€Å"Risk-increasing and Risk-reducing Practices in Human Resource Management: Focus Group Discussions with Livestock Managers. † Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 40 (April 2008):185-201. Bitsch, V. nd E. K. Yakura. â€Å"Middle Management in Agriculture: Roles, Functions, and Practices. † International Food and Agribusiness Management Review 10 (2, 2007):1-27. Brasier, K. , J. Hyde, R. E. Stup and L. A. Holdern. â€Å"Farm-level Human Resource Management: An Opportunity for Extension. â₠¬  Journal of Extension 44 (3, 2006):#3RIB3. Available at http://www. joe. org/joe/2006june/rb3p. stml. Chacko, T. I. , J. G. Wacker, and M. M. Asar. â€Å"Technological and Human Resource Management Practices in Addressing Perceived Competitiveness in Agribusiness Firms. † Agribusiness 13 (1997):93-105. Delery, J. E. and D.H. Doty. â€Å"Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and Configurational Performance Predictions. † Academy of Management Journal 39 (1996):802-35. Devadoss, S. and J. Luckstead. â€Å"Contributions of Immigrant Farmworkers to California Vegetable Production. † Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 40 (December 2008):879-94. 19 Dunn, L. F. â€Å"Nonpecuniary Job Preferences and Welfare Losses among Migrant Agricultural Workers. † American Journal of Agricultural Economics 67 (May 1985):257-65. Faerman, S. R. , R. E. Quinn, and M. P. Thompson. Bridging Management Pract ice and Theory: New York State’s Public Service Training Program. † Public Administration Review 47 (July-August 1987):310-9. Fogleman, S. L. , R. A. Milligan, T. R. Maloney and W. A. Knoblauch. â€Å"Employee Compensation and Job Satisfaction on Dairy Farms in the Northeast. † Selected Paper, American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee, 1999. Fornaciari, C. J. and Dean, K. L. 2004. Diapers to car keys: The state of spirituality, religion and work research. Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion 1(1), 7-33. Gabbard, S. M. and J.M. Perloff. â€Å"The Effects of Pay and Work Conditions on Farmworker Retention. † Industrial Relations 36 (October 1997):474-88. Gisser, M. and A. Davila. â€Å"Do Farm Workers Earn Less? An Analysis of the Farm Labor Problem. † American Journal of Agricultural Economics 80 (4, 1998):669-82. Glaser, B. G. and A. L. Strauss. The Discovery of Grounded Theory: Strategies for Quali tative Research. Chicago: Aldine, 1967. Hadley, G. L. , S. B. Harsh and C. A. Wolf. â€Å"Managerial and Financial Implications of Major Dairy Farm Expansion in Michigan and Wisconsin. † Journal of Dairy Science 85 (2002):205364.Harrison, J. , J. McReynolds, T. O’Kane and B. Valentine. â€Å"Hired Labor on Wisconsin Dairy Farms: Trends and Implications. † Status of Wisconsin Agriculture ed. by E. Jesse, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2008:58-68. Herzberg, F. , B. Mausner and B. B. Snyderman. The Motivation to Work. New York: Wiley, 1959. Howard, W. H. Human Resource Management on the Farm: Attracting, Keeping, and Motivating Labour on Ontario Dairy, Hog, Poultry, and Flower Farms. Report for the Canada/Ontario Agricultural Employment Committee (undated, unpublished).Howard, W. Y. and K. A. McEwan. â€Å"Human Resource Management: A Review of Applications to Agriculture. † Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics 37 (1989):733-42. Howard, W. Y. , K. A. McEwan, G. L. Brinkman and J. M. Christensen. â€Å"Human Resource Management on the Farm: Attracting, Keeping and Motivating Labor. † Agribusiness 7 (1991):11-25. Hurley, T. M. , J. Kliebenstein and P. F. Orazem. â€Å"The Structure of Wages and Benefits in the U. S. Pork Industry. † American Journal of Agricultural Economics 81 (1999):144-63. Hutt, M. J. Influences of Attachment in Everyday Problem Solving.PhD dissertation, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1991. Hutt, M. J. and G. K. Hutt. â€Å"Organizing the Human Resource: A Review of Centralization, Decentralization, and Delegation in Agricultural Business Management. † Journal of Dairy Science 76 (1993):2069-79. 20 Ise, S. and J. M. Perloff. â€Å"Legal Status and Earnings of Agricultural Workers. † American Journal of Agricultural Economics 77 (May 1995):375-86. Kandel, W. â€Å"Hired Farmworkers a Major Input for Some U. S. Farm Sectors. â €  Amber Waves 6 (April 2008):10-5. Maloney, T. R. Management of Hispanic Employees on New York Dairy Farms: A Survey of Farm Managers.EB 99-19, Department of Agricultural, Resource, and Managerial Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1999. Maloney, T. R. and D. C. Grusenmeyer. Survey of Hispanic Dairy Workers in New York State. RB 2005-02, Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 2005. Maloney, T. R. and R. A. Milligan. A Survey of Human Resource Management Practices in Florist Crop Production Firms. A. E. Res. 92-10, Department of Agricultural Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1992. Maloney, T. R. , R. A. Milligan, and K. T. Petracek.A Survey of Recruitment and Selection Practices in Florist Crop Production Firms. A. E. Res. 93-5. Department of Agricultural Economics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1993. Martin, P. and J. E. Taylor. â€Å"Farm Employment, Immigration, and Poverty: A Structural Analy sis. † Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 28 (2, 2003):349-63. McGregor, D. The Human Side of the Enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1960. Miklavcic, P. R. Migrant Farm Labor in Michigan: An Analysis of Recent Trends in Supply and Demand and Policy Implications. Dissertation, Michigan State University, 2004. Mugera, A.W. and V. Bitsch. â€Å"Labor on Dairy Farms: A Resource-based Perspective with Evidence from Case Studies. † International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, 8 (3, 2005):79-98. Porter, J. C. â€Å"What Dairy Employees Think About Their Jobs? † Journal of Dairy Science 76 (1993):2065-68. Rosenberg, H. R. and P. Cowen. â€Å"Management Differences and Dairy Results. † Agribusiness 6 (1990):267-79. Rosenberg, H. R. , J. M. Perloff und V. S. Pradhan. Hiring and Managing Labor for Farms in California. Working Paper 730, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, 1994.Runyan, J. L. â€Å"Hired F armworkers’ Earnings Increased in 2001 But Still Trail Most Occupations. † Rural America 17 (Fall 2002):66-73. Shreck, A. , C. Getz, and G. Feenstra. â€Å"Social Sustainability, Farm Labor, and Organic Agriculture: Findings from an Exploratory Analysis. † Agriculture and Human Values 23 (2006):439-49. Stahl, T. J. , B. J. Conlin, A. J. Seykora and G. R. Steuernagel. â€Å"Characteristics of Minnesota Dairy Farms That Significantly Increased Milk Production From 1989-1993. † Journal of Dairy Science 82 (1999):45-51. 21 Strochlic, R. and K. Hamerschlag.Best Labor Management Practices on Twelve California Farms: Toward a More Sustainable Food System. California Institute for Rural Studies (December 2005). Strochlic, R. , C. Wirth, A. F. Besada, and C. Getz. Farm Labor Conditions on Organic Farms in California. California Institute for Rural Studies (June 2008). Stup, R. E. , L. A. Holden and J. Hyde. â€Å"Case Study: Profiles of Management Competencies Ide ntified by Successful Dairy Managers. † The Professional Animal Scientist 23 (2007):728-37. Stup, R. E. , J. Hyde and L. A. Holden. â€Å"Relationships Between Selected Human Resource Management Practices and Dairy Farm Performance. Journal of Dairy Science 89 (2006):1116-20. Stup, R. E. and T. R. Maloney. Managing Hispanic Workers: Perceptions of Agricultural Managers. College of Agricultural Science, Cooperative Extension, Pennsylvania State University, 2003. Taylor, J. E. â€Å"Earnings and Mobility of Legal and Illegal Immigrant Workers in Agriculture. † American Journal of Agricultural Economics 74 (November 1992):889-96. Tran, L. H. and J. M. Perloff. â€Å"Turnover in U. S. Agricultural Labor Markets. † American Journal of Agricultural Economics 84 (May 2002):427-37. Walters, L. M. , R. D. Emerson, and N. Iwai. Proposed Immigration Policy Reform and Farm Labor Market Outcomes. † Selected Paper, American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meet ing, Orlando, Florida, 2008. Wright, P. M. , M. C. Gary and M. Abagail. â€Å"Human Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage: A Resource-based Perspective. † International Journal of Human Resource Management 5 (1994):301-26. Yu, L. , T. M. Hurley, J. B. Kliebenstein, and P. F. Orazem. â€Å"Firm Size, Technical Change and Wages: Evidence from the Pork Sector from 1990-2005. Selected Paper, American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Portland, Oregon, 2007. 2 Table 1. Scope of Personnel Management Studies and Personnel Management Functions Analyzed in Production Agriculture and Agribusiness Studies Focused on One Farm Specialization Studies Focused on One or Few Personnel Management Function(s) Dairy Immigrant employees Harrison et al. ; Maloney; Maloney and Grusenmeyer; Stup and Maloney Floriculture Recruiting and selection Maloney, Milligan, and Petracek Swine Compensation Hurley, Kliebenstein, and Orazem; Yu et al. Vineyards Compensation Billikopf and Norton Studies Encompassing Selected or Many Personnel Management FunctionsDairy Bitsch et al. ; Fogleman et al. ; Hutt; Hutt and Hutt; Mugera und Bitsch; Porter; Rosenberg and Cowen; Stup, Holden, and Hyde; Stup, Hyde, and Holden Swine Howard et al. Floriculture/Greenhouse Bitsch, Bromm, and Schalich Maloney and Milligan Horticulturea) Bitsch (2004); Bitsch (2007); Bitsch and Harsh; Bitsch and Hogberg; Bitsch and Yakura; Miklavcic; Strochlic and Hamerschlag Livestockb) Bitsch and Olynk (2007 and 2008) Studies Encompassing Multiple Farm Specializations Horticulturea) Compensation Billikopf (1995 and 1996) Compensation and working conditions Dunn; Gabbard and PerloffAgriculturec) Adams, How, and Larson; Billikopf (2001); Chacko, Tree nursery production Wacker, and Asar; Howard; Bitsch (1996) Rosenberg, Perloff, and Pradhan; Strochlic et al. a) Horticulture indicates two of more of the following specializations: floriculture and greenhouse, fruit, nuts, vegetable, and vineyard produc tion. b) Livestock indicates two of more of the following specializations: dairy, beef, swine, and poultry production. c) Agriculture includes at least one horticultural and one livestock specialization, as well as agribusiness. 23 Table 2.Degree of Structure of Research Approaches and Methods Used in Personnel Management Research in Production Agriculture and Agribusiness Unstructured or Little Structure Individual Methods Examples Unstructured interviewing Billikopf (2001)a); Hutta); Hutt and Hutta); Strochlic and Hamerschlag Moderately Structured Interview schedule Adams, How, and Larson; Bitsch (2007); Bitsch and Hogberg; Bitsch and Yakura; Howard; Mugera and Bitsch; Porter; Strochlic and Hamerschlag Highly Structured Administered questionnaires At the work site: Billikopf (1995 and 1996); Bitsch, Bromm, and Schalich; Fogleman et al. Howard et al. ; Maloney and Grusenmeyer; Rosenberg and Cowen; Stup, Hyde, and Holden At a housing site: Dunn Over the phone: Billikopf (1996); Malo ney; Maloney and Milligan; Maloney, Milligan, and Petracek; Strochlic et al. Group Methods Examples Unmoderated group discussion Stup and Maloney Moderated group discussion Very Highly Structured Mailed questionnaire Billikopf and Norton; Chacko, Wacker, and Asar; Hurley, Kliebenstein, and Orazem; Miklavcic; Rosenberg, Perloff, and Pradhan; Stup, Holden, and Hyde; Yu et al.Secondary data analysis: Gabbard and Perloff Questionnaire administered to individuals in a group setting Bitsch (2004); At school sites: Bitsch and Harsh; Bitsch (1996) Bitsch and Olynk (2007 and 2008); Bitsch et al. ; Harrison et al. ; Howard; Stup, Holden, and Hyde; Strochlic and Hamerschlag a) Studies where the method was not described sufficiently to categorize by the level of structure were categorized as unstructured. 24

Leading Change in an Organization Essay

Abstract The reality of change is that it is likely to occur in personal life and business. In order for an organization to confront the realities of change, effective leadership is essential. Leadership is critical to the success of any change initiative. There are many forms of leadership that each come with a variety of personality traits, this paper will discuss leadership characteristics believed to be necessary to successfully manage change in organizations for the next decade and how to use Kotter’s change model to implement successful change management. Change in simply defined as â€Å"to make something different†, according to Mr. Neryl East, the author of â€Å"Change –What it is and what it isn’t† (East, 2007). Change management is the process that an organization uses to respond and adapt to change in order to improve its effectiveness and ensure continued success (Leban & Saban, 2008). Leadership is critical to the success of any change initiative in an organization. Quality leadership characteristics are equally important to the success of an organization. When good leadership is in place in an organization, it can be felt throughout the entire organization. When good leadership exists, positive corporate culture is not forced, it is developed (Mills, 2005). Leadership is defined as a process by which one person influences the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of others (Leban & Stone, 2008). Leaders set a direction for everyone else and they help the people around them see what lies ahead; they help their followers to visualize what might be achieved and they encourage and inspire. Without leadership it is likely that a group of individuals would quickly collapse into argument and conflict. Leadership helps to point people in the same direction and works towards joint efforts.  Leadership is the ability to get other people to do something significant that they might not otherwise do. It’s energizing people toward a goal (Mills, 2005). In order for a leader to affect change in others he/she should possess many positive characteristics such as the ability to be a good communicator, be proactive versus being reactive and be flexible and adaptable among many possible characteristics to name a few (Group, 2009). As a leader, it is equally important to deliver clear, concise and consistent messages as it is to listen. Leaders should demonstrate a willingness to work to understand the needs of others. Leaders who are able to be successful at listening are able to ask meaningful questions, consider all options and provide leadership in the right direction. Secondly, is the ability to always think ahead, being proactive instead of reactive. Leaders who possess this characteristic are able to master their work environment with the goal of avoiding potential problems before they occur. And lastly, an effective leader will adapt to new surroundings and situations, doing their best to adjust in unexpected or uncomfortable situations (Val & Kemp, 2012). Change strategies that are believed to generally be effective for leading fundamental change are first the need for close and constant communication, it is also important to communicate regularly on the important, significant issues and topics. Also, it is important that all members of the company think and act purposefully and then communicate the assignment and required parts to each member of the department, positioning the foundation for a good fit with the company’s mission and plan. The leadership style of a manager during the change process can be either cooperative and consultative or commanding and coercive (Leban & Stone, 2008). According to Neryl East, the author of â€Å"Implementing an Effective Change Management Strategy†, when staff members are working jointly with management in a cooperative style, it can be expected that there will be both long and short term success to the company since the team will address issues and concerns and makes decisions in the general best interest of the organization. In the same way, when the decision is made by management to force the change, the staff may not be allowed to participate in the decision making process. (East, 2007). Following this further, the Kotter’s process of leading change model has good framework to allow the manager to work in a collaborative style with staff. Kotter’s model was established after studying more than one hundred organizations (Leban & Stone, 2008). Mr. Kotter was perplexed about the fact that the majority of change efforts were unsuccessful, and he sought out to identify the common error made in the change process. Kotters’s eight stage model offers a process to successfully manage change and avoid the common mistakes that occur during change in an organization (Leban &Stone, 2008). Furthermore, the Kotter’s model for change is effective because it provided two lessons, first that the change process goes through a series of phases, each could last a considerable period of time and second that critical mistakes in any phase can have a devastating impact on the momentum of the change process. Kotter’s process of change focuses on the strategic, not tactical level of the change management process (Leban & Stone, 2008). In retrospect, the use of the Kotter’s change model during the implementation of electronic health records at my current employer, Clayton Eye Center could have yielded a better transition and fostered a more positive work environment. In the Kotter’s change model, the first four stages deal with â€Å"unfreezing† the organization. These steps involve reducing those forces that are allowing the organization to continue its current behavior. The next three stages introduce new practices, â€Å"changing/moving†. This step shifts the behavior of the organization to a new level. The last stage is required to ground the changes in the corporate culture â€Å"refreezing† and make them stick. This step steadies the organization at a new state of balance (Leban & Stone, 2008). The first step in the Kotter’s model of change is to establish a great sense of urgency, identify crisis, potential crises and major opportunities (Leban & Stone, 2008). The passing of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) in 2009 by President Obama was the driver of change for The Eye Center (CEC) (Secretary, 2013). The system had to be in place by deadlines set forth by the government, therefore the  urgency for change was created. The second step in the Kotter’s model of change is creating the guiding coalition, by putting together a group of people with enough power to lead the change (Leban & Stone, 2008). The Eye Center was successful in organizing a core team, composed of managers from each department to provide various perspectives to the change process. The appointed core team had previously worked together on various change issues and working as a cohesive unit was of no concern. The third step of the Kotter’s model of change is developing a transformational vision and strategy. Create a vision that will help direct the change and develop strategies for achieving that vision ( Leban & Stone, 2008). During this step, The Eye Center missed the opportunity to develop a positive need for the change. The vision for implementing a new EHR system was often stated as, â€Å"because we have too†. This was an opportunity for upper management to frame the view of the change before anyone formed a negative opinion about the change. The fourth step of Kotter’s model of change is communicating the change vision, using all possible avenues to constantly communicate the new vision and strategies (Leban & Stone, 2008). In this step, The Eye Center was reluctant to communicate the change because they held hope that ultimately the change would not be needed. Once it was clear that the bill signed into law by the President would be upheld, there was very little time to effectively communicate the change vision and receive positive buy in from the staff. The fifth step of Kotter’s model of change is empowering a broad base of people to take action, getting rid of blockers, changing systems or structures that did not line up with the change vision (Leban & Stone, 2008). Empowering the staff, whether real or perceived could have been a very important step to achieving staff support towards the change. However, in the case of The Eye Center, only the managers appointed for the core team were empowered as they were the only members of the staff who had knowledge  about the upcoming change. Keeping the majority of the staff members in the dark about the change and not providing a platform for them to feel a part of the change was instrumental in the outcome for the possibility of successful change. The sixth step of Kotter’s model of change is generating short term wins, visibly recognizing and rewarding people who made the wins possible (Leban & Stone, 2008). Generating short-term wins is necessary to prevent the loss of momentum and keep the organization engaged. The Eye Center was not as successful as it could have been in this step. Approximately 2 months after implementation, upper management decided to reward the front desk staff for what had been considered reasonably successful implementation of the system thus far. However, the other 4 departments that were largely affected by EHR implementation and played a role in its success, although only 2 months in were not offered rewards for their efforts. This flaw in judgment created negative vibes between departments that needed to work together for continued success of the change implementation. The seventh step of Kotter’s model of change is consolidating gains and producing even more change by hiring, promoting and developing people who can implement the change vision (Leban & Stone, 2008). In this step, The Eye Center could make strides to correct past change errors by focusing on the continued development of staff with the new EHR system. The company should also consider utilizing previously purchased unused project management hours to aid them in this step to ensure that moving forward the change vision process is revitalized. And finally in this step, the company could build on polices and structures that have worked during the change process and remove all polices and structures that don’t fit the change vision. The eighth and final step of the Kotter’s model of change is institutionalizing new approaches in the culture by articulating the connections between new behaviors and company success while developing means to ensure leadership development and succession (Leban & Stone, 2008). This step again creates an opportunity for The Eye Center to build a foundation for successful change moving forward. The company could use this step to  make successful change a part of its culture by communicating to the staff how current behaviors do or do not line up with the change vision of the organization. The implementation of continued leadership development through ongoing training would also fulfill this step while preparing the company for successful change behavior in the future. A clear description of the characteristics of a healthy organization prepared to address the issues of change in the 21st century is upper management support and involvement, considering the needs of employees and an effective project manager. Change is almost impossible without the support and involvement of top leaders. Leadership must set the direction, pace and tone while providing a clear vision that brings everyone together (Leban & Stone, 2008). In order for any change initiative to be successful, the company must create a positive culture and motivate the staff, this allows them to visualize and buy in to the change project (Leban & Stone, 2008). Effective project management involves planning and coordinating all aspects of the change program, this allows the organization to place necessary focus on the values, attitudes and behavior of everyone involved to guarantee an effective outcome ( Leban & Stone, 2008). Without these characteristics, change programs risk failure. In final consideration, there are many change models available to organizations; the Kotter’s eight-stage model dictates that each stage be worked through in order to obtain successful change. Skipping even one step or moving too far ahead with a concrete foundation can create problems according to Mr. Kotter (Leban & Stone, 2008). In the case of The Eye Center, we see this to be the case; as complete follow through of each step could have yielded better results for the organization. The need for change is almost guaranteed for every organization if they want to remain relevant. Organizations that will succeed in the 21st century and beyond are those who are aware of what is changing in their perspective industries and are willing to take into account how those changes are most likely to affect its current success. References East, N. (2007). Change-What it is and what it isn’t. Retrieved from Implementing an Effective Change Management Strategy: http://www.ark-group.com/downloads/Change-Management-Chap.pdf Group, H. L. (2009). Holden Leadership Center. Retrieved from Leadership Characteristics: Leadership Styles. Pathways: The Ontario Journal Of Outdoor Education, 24(3), 28-31. Leban, B., Stone, R. (2008). Managing Organizational Change 2nd ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Mills, D. Q. (2005). Leadership: How to Lead, How to Live. Retrieved from The Importance of Leadership: http://www.cafanet.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=qwswE8roe74%3D&tabid=96 Secretary, O. (2013, June 13). FACT SHEET: White House Task Force on High-Tech Patent Issues. Retrieved from The White House: www.whitehouse.gov Val, C., Kemp, J. (2012). Leadership Styles. The Ontario Journal of Outdoor Education, v24 n3 p28-31 Spring 2012 4pp.

Knowledge management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Knowledge management - Essay Example With the strategic partnership relationship both parties benefit as they work collectively to move both parties forward. DaimlerChrysler have several of these relationships. When technology renders training then the outside partner will provide an instructor to come facilitate training and introduce the employee to the new technology. To ensure the efficiency is accurate, the trainer will provide DaimlerChrysler with post workshop facilitator that on stand by for further assistance Even though DaimlerChrysler have strategic partner relationships, most of their business relationships could fit in the vendor/vendee category. With the vendor/vendee category, one party typically utilizes another business services for the advancement of their organization. This is typically the category DaimlerChrysler fits in. In the global economy, with the usage of technology, a corporation that utilize this service can now utilize a vendee in any location around the world. DaimlerChrysler is a competitive corporation and is competing in the fierce automotive market. Staff is trained when new technologies are used typically in workshops where information can be given and questions can be asked. The workshops are as needed and are thorough with itinerary is given to reference as needed. The workshops are directed by experts in the field and are rotated between employees that need to know the information. The training allows the employee to communicate, order and exchange information from local vendee and vendee abroad. In this new technological era, business relationships are no longer on a local scale. Business has taken their relationships abroad and now conduct business on international levels. DaimlerChrysler have strategic business relations as well as vendor/vendee relationships with other companies. When technology evolves and training must be given to employees, DaimlerChrysler have workshops and post-training instructors ready to

Entrepreneurship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Entrepreneurship - Assignment Example They strive to search for new way by their vision, creative and optimistic qualities. Entrepreneurs are those persons who perceive the prospect to innovate and accomplish the start up of new enterprise (Dallas Fed, n.d.). According to Schumpeter, the following things can be done by an entrepreneur as measures of innovation: Introduce new quality product that is unfamiliar Introduce unique production system that is not experienced so far Establishment of new market where a country has not entered yet Discover new supply source Foundation of new enterprise to create a monopoly position in the market (Mohanty, 2005). Role of Entrepreneur in Economy Entrepreneurs play vital role in economic progression. They help to deal with the common problems of unemployment. In the 20th century, the world had experienced a number of entrepreneurs. However, there are limited numbers of innovating entrepreneurs compared to imitating entrepreneurs. The imitating entrepreneurs help many underdeveloped co untries to rise at a rapid speed due to global demand. Thus, an entrepreneur, essentially an innovating entrepreneur, has great importance to balance the global order and vitality of society (Mohanty, 2005). Entrepreneur and Economic Growth There are number of ways that entrepreneurs help in economic growth. Some of them are mentioned below: Capital Creation: Capital creation is the most vital aspect for economic development of a country. There is a need to create capital so that a country gathers huge reserves of machinery, equipment that can increase the production. Entrepreneurs can promote latest skills of human capital by their knowledge which can help to increase the productivity and thus financial growth. Raise the Per Capita Income: The economic growth is calculated by improvement of per capita income of people in a country. It is the entrepreneurs who tribute and increase the economic development by introducing new market or business opportunity in any country. Improve Livi ng Style: By introducing different kinds of organisations, entrepreneurs improve the living standard of people. Their creative products help a common man to live and think in a different way. An entrepreneur invents new devices in a range of designs and models which makes people’s life easier. Economic Liberty: Entrepreneurial activity helps a country to accomplish economic liberty. It helps to reduce the dependability of other country. A technology introduced by an entrepreneur assists a country to produce in mass quantity and avoid using foreign technologies. Entrepreneurs sell to other countries the products and services and saves expensive foreign money for the country. Development of Infrastructure: Often an entrepreneur develops the country’s basic infrastructure such as road, overpass and industrial units which can aid economic development of a country. These establishments can attract investors and many foreign companies to operate business and invest huge mone y which can augment economic development. Backward and Onward Relationships: An entrepreneur instigates change in the country by backward and onward ways. Entrepreneurs introduce giant plant which creates several subsidiary industries and based on those industries other industries also grow side by side by utilising the raw material produced by the giant plant. Thus, an entrepreneur helps to increase the economic growth (Mohanty, 2005). Entrepreneurship and Competitiveness The entrepreneurial act

U.K. GCSE Coursework- 19th Ghost Stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U.K. GCSE Coursework- 19th Ghost Stories - Essay Example In The Judge’s House the reader is introduced to the character of Malcolm Malcolmson through an omniscient third person narrator. Malcolmson â€Å"feared the attractions of the seaside, and also he feared completely rural isolation.†1 So the dominant feature of this character, at least at first, is â€Å"fear†. He would thus seem to be not very well suited to dealing well with an encounter with a ghost. Malcolmson is deliberately removing himself from everyone and everything he knows in order to study for exams. He is obviously of middle or upper class origins and determined to do well in his academic work. Soon the reader discovers that he is a mathematician, and possesses the self-confidence (some might say arrogance) of a man of science who thinks that only things that can be measured in a scientific sense are worth considering. Thus when he is warned about the terrors of the judge’s house, he replies casually, â€Å" . . . but my dear Mrs. Witham, indeed you need not be concerned about me! A man who is reading for the Mathematical Tripos has too much to think of to be disturbed by any of these mysterious somethings . . . â€Å"2 He thus rejects the supernatural in a good-humored but essentially dismissive manner. He has the confidence of youth, of education and of science. The rest of the story reveals how this confidence is demolished piece by piece. On his initial encounter with the rats that swarm through the house, on his first night of study, Malcomson ends up feeling remarkably at home with the vermin: â€Å"for a little while the rats disturbed him somewhat with their perpetual scampering, but he got accustomed to the noise as one does to the ticking of the clock or the roar of moving water. . . â€Å"3. The rats, at least these non-supernatural rats, are part of the physical world that Malcolmson is studying and feels comfortable with, at least to a point. The fact that â€Å"his problem was still unsolved† at the

Contemporary Brand Management report on (Rolex the luxury watches Essay

Contemporary Brand Management report on (Rolex the luxury watches brand) - Essay Example There have been diverse literatures that validate the success or demise of products and services due to ineffective strategies employed on the sophisticated elements needed for branding. At the same time there are organisations that have attained exemplary leadership and high quality corporate image through an interplay of crucial branding factors that promoted the products into a legendary platform status that survived tests of time. The objective of the management report is to evaluate the significant components and strategies used by Rolex, luxury watches in their Branding. The report will be structured in sections that would initially determine the significant theoretical frameworks for branding and a provision for background information for Rolex. Crucial data that affects to the brand’s target market, major competitors, and strategies will be discussed. Brand position, analysis, advertising, and management recommendations will subsequently follow by providing brief conce ptual backgrounds of each topic prior to investigating into respective applications of the concepts on the brand, Rolex. The brand management recommendation section will suggest an innovative idea that is perceived to increase brand awareness and consumer image with justifiable support from theories on branding. Section 1. The Brand Kotler (1980, p.366), defined a brand as â€Å"a name, term, sign, symbol, design or a combination of these that identifies the makers or seller of the product or services and to differentiate them from those of competitors†. McCarthy (1975) has used the exact same parallel definition with a disparity in the word ‘differentiate’ to ‘distinguish’ (p. 255) as a crucial element for branding. These theories however fail to capture the complexity and depth that branding involves. Brands are considered a significant part of decisions involving product development that organisations exert strategic efforts to creatively and inno vatively design the brand to identify the product and to differentiate them from others (McCarthy, 1975). It is differentiated from the company in terms of the identification it provides to the product, distinct from its manufacturer or producer. A company, as the manufacturer could be a producer of different products that require different brands to separate one from the other. One of the eminent functions of brands is to enable organisations to project a good image of prime quality for their products and therefore encourage clientele to make repeated purposes with convenience. There have been exemplary brands in contemporary markets that have continued to gain respect, loyalty and trust of the clients through time. For example as reported by Business Week the brands that belong to the best global brands is Rolex with a rank of 72 out of 100 and a value of $4,237 million (Business Week, 2006). According to the report, â€Å"Rolex remains the ultimate luxury brand worldwide, and wi th strong sales in China, its appeal continues to spread† (Business Week, 2006, par. 4). 1.1 Historical Background of Rolex The official website of Rolex traced its legendary success from the creative entrepreneurial talent of its founder, Hans Wilsdorf (Rolex: The Origins, n.d, par. 1). With ideas that started from the desire to make watches more precise with self-winding options and more professionalised to be used in diverse activities and

Scholarly paper on Community Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Scholarly paper on Community Nursing - Essay Example In addition, I have applied Gibbs (1998) reflective model to ensure that the structure if this essay is unambiguous and clear (Jasper, 2003). I will look at the incidences using multiple perspectives, which could in future be applied to change some aspects of the practice in future. Reflection is an important practice by nurses as through it, we get to understand as well as explore more of what we should do (Ghaye and Lillyman, 2001). I will use the model to facilitate critical thinking in relation to theories in nursing. Discussion will encompass the ethics on effective nursing practice and the elements that promote effective practice. Descriptions Introduction to Community Health Nursing   Clinical practice seeks to uphold the synthesis of community nursing theory by providing nursing care to clients who are based in the community settings. Implementation and assessment of nursing care are a necessity for clients within the community who suffer from common physiological problems and malfunctions (Jasper, 2003). The synthesis of health strategies using clinical practices in these settings concentrates on the promotion of health prevention of diseases and patient care, as well as to the surrounding communities. Technically, the goal is to protect, preserve, maintain and promote health. Based on the reflective cycle established by Gibbs (1988), I will offer a description of two nursing scenarios that my reflections are based on. In Scenario 1 I had a joint visit with RN to visit a 7-month baby who suffered from congestive heart failure and down syndrome. I did a follow up assessment. At the time, the baby was somewhat stable, but the foster mother was worried that she was going downhill. The baby girl was not responding to her feeds well- she was on 33mls/hr continuous. She weighed 12 pounds, HR- 140, SPO2 – 93 to 96, R-72, her chest sounded clear, but I could tell the baby was having some difficulty breathing because I could see the extra muscles being used, sunken chest and ribs. The foster mom was worried because she could not monitor the baby’s oxygen stats and upset because the hospital did not allow her to take a stats machine home. We reminded her of the things to monitor for such as chest congestion, fever, wheezing etc. She told us that if she needed anything she would call or worst case we would find out if she ends up going to the hospital. I agreed with the mom and felt that if her feeds didn’t get better, her respiration increased and her spo2 decreased she would need to go to the hospital. The foster mom said the last time they went into the hospital, which was a couple days ago her oxygen stat was below 80 percent and it was obvious her baby was going into respiratory distress. The foster mom had been an RN so she knew what she was doing and what to look for. We instilled confidence in her and told her to continue to do what she was doing and monitor the baby and to feel free to call us even if it was just to check oxygen stats over the weekend. We educated her on the tube feeds and told us when the respiration rates are too high it makes it difficult for the baby to eat so if she is worried at all and this persists to take her in. We ended off saying we could come by and check the oxygen stats of the baby

International and Cross-Cultural Marketing Essay

International and Cross-Cultural Marketing - Essay Example The concept of cross cultural marketing suggests that it is important for the marketers to know that there is very little room for ethnocentrism in the modem 21st century and there is no culture that is superior to the other. Globalization is inevitable and so is ‘cross-culturalization’. Hence one of the key parameters of success for global firms would be the ability to distinguish and understand the cultural aspects of the host nations. The present context of the study has been conducted to analyze the international and cross cultural marketing strategy of Al- Jumeirah a UAE based luxury hotel chain. The host or target country has been selected as China. The reason for such choice is due to the fact that china is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and since the entry of china in to WTO various major companies are looking to enter the prospective Chinese market. ... egment; positioning; cultural; educational; demographic issues of China has been analyzed along a set of recommendations for Jumeirah for the future has been provided (Deresky, 2011, p. 231). Reasons making the transfer of practices attractive to the parent company Presence in Saturated Markets Prior to the entry to China Jumeirah has had presence in the saturated and matured economies like UAE (the home country), U.K., Germany. Such economies provide very few opportunities of growth. Also the economic downturn possessed additional threat to the luxury hotel chain. Hence in order to gain the competitive advantage and cope up with the volatile economy the hotel chain decided to enter China . (Doole and Lowe, 2008, p. 391) High amount capital gain from local market Another probable factor could be the relative strong position of the hotel chain that may have prompted the hotel chain to enter in China. Analysis (Findings) Factors influence the transfer of such practices Market Attractiv eness Entry of China to WTO In an attempt to welcome foreign companies invest in China after several years of negotiation the country became a member of WTO in September 2001. This opened up the economy of China as the trade related barriers went down. This was the beginning of the economic developments in China. Today China is regarded as one o the most emerging economies in the world (Appendix1). Educational Developments in China As foreign companies started to come to China; the demand for the skilled labours went up. Over the years the Chinese education system has gone through several reforms. The government has made considerable amount of investment to develop the colleges and universities. The focus of the government has shifted from quantity based education system to quality based

Marketing - Critical Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing - Critical Marketing - Essay Example Several monographs and edited volumes on critical marketing have been published†. The first use of the term ‘critical marketing’ in relation to the critical cultural as well as social theories is in the work of Hansen (1981). (Moufahim and Mitussis 2009). Critical marketing in general sense implies that any marketing idea has to be discussed threadbare focusing on its positive attributes as well as its faults, thereby coming up with necessary modifications and corrections. This point was put by forward by Friat and Tadajewski (2009, p.127) who stated that critical marketing involves â€Å"any position that judgmentally evaluates a body of discourse (including marketing) with the intention to find any faults or problems to be challenged and modified or corrected.† However, the key fact that has to be considered when viewing ideas critically is the time-bound factor. That is, what is/was viewed critically could change with time and context. Certain critical pe rspectives about an idea that gets formed during earlier periods of history could change now with contribution by other experts and thinkers. Thus, the crucial point is, critical perspectives will be mostly dynamic with the change of time, situation, contexts, etc. This is particularly relevant to the critical marketing idea of cultural stereotyping. As Hackley (2008, p. 154) with the aid of Tadajewski and Brownlie (2008) point out Marketing is a field of social and cultural studies as well as a set of social practices. That is, while launching marketing campaigns targeting a particular customer base, organizations will focus on that customer base’s various attributes including cultural attributes. The most common cultural attributes will be congregated and viewed stereotypically by the marketing team, to come up with effective and at the same time relevant marketing campaigns. However, at the same time, these stereotypes may not be accurate all the time, and as Hackley (2009 , p.155) states there are micro-level criticisms regarding the â€Å"promotion of stereotypes of race, gender and body type† through advertising campaigns. Cultural stereotype is the term given to a commonly held view about people belonging to a culture by the public, particularly the ‘outsiders’, which can include the other cultures as well as business organizations. Basically, different cultures and other entities will have different stereotypes of their own cultures and importantly about other cultures. For example, â€Å"The Germans think the French are resourceful; the British think they are humorless and short-tempered. The Dutch think the French are not very serious; the Spanish think they are cold and distant. The Americans think they are pleasant and intelligent, yet pretentious.† (de Mooij 2005, p.41). Thus, cultural stereotyping includes certain abstract familiarities as well as key commonalities that could be seen among the individuals belongin g to a particular cultural group. In a way, cultural stereotyping is a standardized and at the same time a kind of simplified view about particular sections of the people, based on commonly visible attributes or assumptions. However, those assumptions could be mainly generalizations in sizable cases, and so could be inaccurate at certain times. Bennett (1990, p.17) defines cultural stereotype as a social or mental grouping among individuals based on common, exaggerated and even inaccurate

Process vs. Non-Process Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Process vs. Non-Process - Research Paper Example Taking a hint from this real life example, the concept of process innovation needs to be analyzed in a broader context. There is no need to say much about the fact that HTML5 is the latest technology that offers much new in the area of extending mobile platform choices to the companies and consumers (Lee, 2012). Yet, the biggest problem in adapting to this new technology is the need to customize and adapt their operations and research initiatives to benefit from the competitive advantage that a shift to HTML5 mobile platforms offers. In that context the HTML5 debate has exposed a hitherto much ignored fact. When it comes to process versus non-process industries, it is a fact that ideally speaking there exists nothing like a non-process industry (Skinner, 1992). The only difference between a process and non-process industry is that in a non-process industry, the operations consist of multiple unwieldy and least synchronized processes, which are least capable of extending a strategic a dvantage to a company against its competitors (Skinner, 1992). However, the other thing that needs to be taken into consideration is that new advances in technology may push a company from being process driven to being a non-process company, in a relative if not an absolute sense. The biggest revolution that the web based products and services have come across is the concept of computing going mobile. This created a dire need for the research in technologies that are compatible with and support mobile computing. In the last 10 years the world of mobile platforms has moved from a domination of the few like Windows Mobile and RIM Blackberry, to an invasion of many new platforms. In that context, there is no doubt that HTML5 stands to be the lowest common denominator, when it comes to developing mobile browsers. Still, many companies are raising a noise about shifting to HTML5 based mobile platforms, because it necessitates the requisite innovations in the processes underlying their pr oducts and services. There are varied reasons why the companies pushed from the status of being process companies to non-process companies owing to a failure to incorporate and adapt to HTML5 in the processes underlying their businesses tend to be hesitant. One important factor is that there exists a schism between the managers and technology personnel governing these companies (Skinner, 1992). While the management driven executives are still sticking to the old paradigms justifying augmentation of sales by resorting to marketing and financial gimmicks, considering the high risk involved in opting for HTML5 oriented process innovations, the technology experts tend to be averse to suggest such changes, fearing possible fallout on their careers. Besides, the requisite process innovations necessitate a long term financial and planning related commitment on the part of the companies, which is difficult to contrive, as evinced by the Facebook experience (Skinner, 1992). Then there are co mpanies which are waiting for their competitors to innovate, while mulling over immense financial savings by adapting to these innovations at a later stage