Human Resource Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Human Resource Management - Research Paper Example The unions have grown from local associations that fought to maintain status quo of craftsmen and were dominated by men to national unions representing employees nationwide through amalgamations. The unions have a lot of influence on workers from public and private sector though union membership has been on the decline since the installation of Thatcher conservative government that is aggressive to the unions (CIPD, 2009). Due to globalization and technological advancements as well as change in employee dynamics, unions have changed drastically and become friendly to employers and work in partnership with them in order to help workers. Their relevance is also on the decline due to changes in workplace management practices especially after emergence of human resource management which appreciates workers and views them as partners. In order to understand the future of trade union movement in the 21st century in public and private sector, we need to appreciate the history of the movemen t especially the legalities that have shaped the movement ever since and continue to guide the unions today. According to Hyman (2001), British trade unionism dates back to two centuries. The earliest trade unions were formed by skilled workers or craftsmen with the aim of guarding their trade and establishing wage levels and followed the laissez-faire form of market control hence voluntarism characterized by low legal regulation and no government intervention (The national archives, 2010). Workers were free to organize collectively and so did employers have freedom to dismiss union members. Although unions bargained collectively, employers had the right to refuse to negotiate with the union. Strikes were legal but workers had the right to dismiss striking workers if they breached their contracts (Hyman, 2001). The craftsmen prevented entry of other members into their trade so as not to increase supply and hence

Choose one element that you notice in (Agamemnon, Hamlet, The Love Essay

Choose one element that you notice in (Agamemnon, Hamlet, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock). Explain the similarities and differences as you compare the development in each work of your chosen element - Essay Example To adequately enjoy and gain insights into these works, the reader should endeavor to discern all the notable similarities and differences in these pieces of literature. Hamlet is a story line made famous by William Shakespeare who wrote the plot of the story to be depicted as a play, which makes it a world acclaimed piece of literature and theatrical prose. Hamlet is bent on avenging his father’s death, and this exposes the reader to other aspects of the protagonist’s character that can be construed to be part of the author’s intention and insight to the reader. Hamlet’s vengeance exposes his insecurity leading him to commit incestuous acts with his kin in an effort to secure his dominance and authority. This is an aspect that is present in the ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock’ in the sense that his insecurities lead him to reveal his inner-self unconsciously. The difference between the two is that in Hamlet, Prince Hamlet quest is fulfilled with the murder of his Uncle the focus of his revenge and hatred. Unlike Hamlet, J. Alfred Prufock’s insecurities and inadequacies haunt him for the rest of th e poem, and the reader is left wondering or yearning to know the outcome or the true end of the story. Agamemnon as a play also presents a dilemma, which is also present in all the literal works under discussion (Aeschylu, Raeburn and Thomas 118). Hamlet is in a dilemma on how he is going to redeem himself in the eyes of his people as their king in the presence of his overbearing uncle. He is also unsure of his mother’s involvement in the murder of his father due to her speedy remarriage to his uncle whom he suspects as his father’s killer (Crowl 169). Agamemnon is in a dilemma as to the future of his position upon his return from the Trojan War, an aspects he battles with till his ultimate death or murder. The

Answer questions on the economy with the explanation and examples Essay

Answer questions on the economy with the explanation and examples - Essay Example With increasing income, the demand for a luxury goods increases sharply as compared to necessity goods. In this case, there is a larger proportionate change in the quantity demanded when a change in price of the good occurs. When the price of the good rises, the demand will fall proportionately more; hence, the total revenue will fall. But when the price of the good falls, the demand will rise proportionately more; hence, the total revenue will rise as well. In this case, there is a smaller proportionate change in the quantity demanded when a change in price of the good occurs. When the price of the good rises, the demand will fall proportionately less; hence, the total revenue will rise due to the higher price. But when the price of the good falls, the demand will rise proportionately less; hence, the total revenue will fall as well. It refers to the maximum price that has set by the government or an agency. The concerns cannot rise above this maximum rate but can fall below it. For Example: Maximum price of the oil fixed by the government in Third world countries. It refers to the minimum price that has been set by the government or an agency. The concerns cannot fall below this minimum rate but can rise about it. For Example: Minimum wage rates fixed by the government. An economic law that states that, as the quantity of a variable factor is increased, the marginal product of these additional units will, at a particular point, start to diminish and be less than the marginal product of the former unit. In the short run of the firm’s production, a few of the input factors are considered to be fixed in nature. Whereas in the long run of the firm’s production, there are no fixed factors as the company can vary the quantity being used over the period of time. The profits are maximized when MR=MC: at an output level of Q as shown in Figure 3. If the output is less than Q, the MR exceeds MC. This

The Efficient Market Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Efficient Market Hypothesis - Essay Example In this way, only information bears the power to move market prices. There happens to be three levels of market efficiency as delineated by Fama (1970) viz. weak, semi-strong and strong. According to Fama (1970), weak form of market efficiency that market prices are affected by a stock's past performance and previous returns. The semi strong form of market efficiency suggests that market prices reflect all the available information. This degree of market efficiency exists when there are no under or over valued securities in the market and when new information affects market prices very rapidly. The strong form of market efficiency elaborates that all types of information, whether public or private, affects market price of securities. Despite the importance of the Efficient Market Hypothesis, its validity is highly debatable in the literature which is discussed in this essay. According to the Efficient Market Hypothesis, stock prices move in negative and positive directions while responding to information and announcement of events. However, there has been staunch concern owing to market anomalies that indicate deviations from Efficient Market Hypothesis such as Holiday effect [e.g. Ariel (1990)], Monday effect [e.g. French (1980)], November effect [e.g. Bhabra, Dhillon and Ramirez (1999)], January effect [e.g. Bhardwaj and Brooks (1992)] and P/E ratio effect [e.g. Basu (1977)]. Critics are also of the view that movements in stock prices also reflect psychological factors and irrationality on the part of investors [e.g. La Porta, Lakonishok, Shliefer, and Vishny (1997), Shleifer and Summers (1990) etc.]. There has also been significant evidence that economic conditions great affect stock returns [e.g. Schwert (1989)]. The following paragraphs examine the Efficient

Leadership Theories Essay Example for Free

Leadership Theories Essay One of the earliest approaches for studying leadership was the trait approach. This approach emphasizes attributes of leaders such as personality, motives, values, and skills. Underlying this approach was the assumption that some people are natural leaders, endowed with certain traits not possessed by other people. Early leadership theories attributed managerial success to extraordinary abilities such as tireless energy, penetrating intuition, uncanny foresight, and irresistible persuasive powers. Hundreds of trait studies conducted during the 1930s and 1940s sought to discover these elusive qualities, but this massive research effort failed to find any traits that would guarantee leadership success. One reason for the failure was a lack of attention to intervening variables in the causal chain that could explain how traits could affect a delayed outcome such as group performance or leader advancement. The predominant research method was to look for a significant correlation between individual leader attributes and a criterion of leader success, without examining any explanatory processes. However, as evidence from better designed research slowly accumulated over the years, researchers made progress in discovering how leader attributes are related to leadership behavior and effectiveness. A more recent trait approach examines leader values that are relevant for explaining ethical leadership. Behavior Approach The behavior approach began in the early 1950s after many researchers became discouraged with the trait approach and began to pay closer attention to what managers actually do on the job. The behavior research falls into two general subcategories. One line of research examines how managers spend their time and the typical pattern of activities, responsibilities, and functions for managerial jobs. Some of the research also investigates how managers cope with demands, constraints, and role conflicts in their jobs. Most research on managerial work uses descriptive methods of data collection such as direct observation, diaries, job description questionnaires, and anecdotes obtained from interviews. Although this research was not designed to directly assess effective leadership, it provides useful insights into this subject. Leadership effectiveness depends in part on how well a manager resolves role conflicts, copes with demands, recognizes opportunities, and overcomes constraints. Another subcategory of the behavior approach focuses on identifying effective leadership behavior. The preferred research method involves a survey field study with a behavior description questionnaire. In the past 50 years, hundreds of survey studies examined the correlation between leadership behavior and various indicators of leadership effectiveness. A much smaller number of studies used laboratory experiments, field experiments, or critical incidents to determine how effective leaders differ in behavior from ineffective leaders. Power-Influence Approach Power-influence research examines influence processes between leaders and other people. Like most research on traits and behavior, some of the power-influence research takes a leader-centered perspective with an implicit assumption that causality is unidirectional (leaders act and followers react). This research seeks to explain leadership effectiveness in terms of the amount and type of power possessed by a leader and how power is exercised. Power is viewed as important not only for influencing subordinates, but also for influencing peers, superiors, and people outside the organization, such as clients and suppliers. The favorite methodology has been the use of survey questionnaires to relate leader power to various measures of leadership effectiveness. Other power-influence research used questionnaires and descriptive incidents to determine how leaders influence the attitudes and behavior of followers. The study of influence tactics can be viewed as a bridge linking the power-influence approach and the behavior approach. The use of different influence tactics is compared in terms of their relative effectiveness for getting people to do what the leader wants. Participative leadership is concerned with power sharing and empowerment of followers, but it is firmly rooted in the tradition of behavior research as well. Many studies used questionnaires to correlate subordinate perceptions of participative leadership with criteria of leadership effectiveness such as subordinate satisfaction, effort, and performance. Laboratory and field experiments compared autocratic and participative leadership styles. Finally, descriptive case studies of effective managers examined how they use consultation and delegation to give people a sense of ownership for decisions. Situational Approach The situational approach emphasizes the importance of contextual factors that influence leadership processes. Major situational variables include the characteristics of followers, the nature of the work performed by the leader’s unit, the type of organization, and the nature of the external environment. This approach has two major subcategories. One line of research is an attempt to discover the extent to which leadership processes are the same or unique across different types of organizations, levels of management, and cultures. The primary research method is a comparative study of two or more situations. The dependent variables may be managerial perceptions and attitudes, managerial activities and behavior patterns, or influence processes. The other subcategory of situational research attempts to identify aspects of the situation that â€Å"moderate† the relationship of leader attributes (e.g., traits, skills, behavior) to leadership effectiveness. The assumption is that different attributes will be effective in different situations, and that the same attribute is not optimal in all situations. Theories describing this relationship are sometimes called â€Å"contingency theories† of leadership. A more extreme form of situational theory (â€Å"leadership substitutes†) identifies the conditions that can make hierarchical leadership redundant and unnecessary (Chapter 8). Integrative Approach An integrative approach involves more than one type of leadership variable. In recent years it has become more common for researchers to include two or more types of leadership variables in the same study, but it is still rare to find a theory that includes all of them (i.e., traits, behavior, influence processes, situational variables, and outcomes). An example of the integrative approach is the self-concept theory of charismatic leadership (see Chapter 9), which attempts to explain why the followers of some leaders are willing to exert exceptional effort and make personal sacrifices to accomplish the group objective or mission.

Foreign Literature Essay Example for Free

Foreign Literature Essay Last night I was at the presentation of the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize, at the National Portrait Gallery, where a young Angolan writer, Josà © Eduardo Agualusa, was announced the 2007 winner for his novel The Book of Chameleons, translated from the Portuguese by Daniel Hahn. Set in contemporary Angola, the book is particularly notable for being narrated by a lizard. The judges this year were the poet David Constantine, writer and editor Jennie Erdal, Arts Council Literature officer Kate Griffin, novelist Ali Smith and the literary editor of the Independent, Boyd Tonkin. Admirably the prize is shared between the translator and author, thus honouring an art that often goes unsung. The book was evidently a popular choice and Agualusa received his award in person, accompanied by whoops and cheers. Tonkin extols the prize as a unique bridge between writers abroad and readers at home. As thrilled as I was that this talented newcomer beat such literary heavyweights as Ismail Kadare and Javier Marà ­as, however, I was even more delighted that the award honours a small literary publisher, Arcadia, who recently celebrated their 10th anniversary. The dedicated team at Arcadia are worthy recipients of this prestigious award, not just for bringing this imaginative young writer to an English readership, but overall for their championing of cultural diversity and for widening our literary choice 50% of their 2007 lists are books in translation. Given the effects of globalisation elsewhere, it seems astonishing that we dont translate more foreign literature in this country. Apparently, translated fiction accounts for only 3% of fiction sales in the UK, compared with 30-40% in France or Spain. The British are voracious readers, so why are we so insular? Dont we welcome unusual voices and different perspectives? How can we exert pressure on publishers to produce more translated fiction? For those interested in foreign literature, an excellent resource is Words Without Borders, an online magazine dedicated to promoting international exchange through translation and publishing works/extracts on the web. And if youd like to see Josà © Eduardo Agualusa and Daniel Hahn, theyll be reading from The Book of Chameleons this evening at Foyles bookshop, London, 6.30pm 8.30pm.

Case Study Of Johnson And Johnson Commerce Essay

Case Study Of Johnson And Johnson Commerce Essay For many Chinese people, they could buy some foreign products since 1980s, because many foreign companies have set up in China at that period, and huge amount of imported products were sold in Chinese market, which means the effect of the globalization can be seen in our daily necessities. In 1982, the first Johnson Johnson operating company was opened in China, then a series of products of Johnson Johnson entered Chinese market. Why Johnson Johnson would like to enter other foreign market, especially in developing country like China? This report will examine whether Johnson Johnson is an international corporation or a global corporation through two concept, corporate structure and geographical expansion. Although in previous studies, there is no sole definition of internationalization and globalization, this report will analyze Johnson Johnsons characteristics to support that it is a successful example of global corporations. Contents Introduction In todays competitive business environment, there are a lot of multinational enterprises. Like Johnson Johnson, it could be found in every country. However, in some studies, there is no clearly concept or explanation on whether the corporation is international or global. Many international corporations have been influenced by globalization where they would turn into global corporations. Therefore, the aim of this report is to analyse whether Johnson Johnson is an international firm or a global firm, and discuss what global characteristics it possesses. In order to do a case study of Johnson Johnson, its corporate structure will be described and geographical expansion will be analysed. To summaries when and how did Johnson Johnson become a global corporation? By using a corporate geography perspective, this report will include the analysis of whether geographical expansion is a good way to enhance firms scale or not and if it could change international corporations into global cor porations. However, globalisation might be constrained somehow. Globalisation might also bring corporations more challenges, which could be seen in long run. In the world economy, the use of globalisation might be exaggerated. Internationalization and Globalisation There is no unequivocal definition of what is globalization. According to David DeBry (2001, p. 42), who pointed out that internationalisation is like creating a round-toed shoe that fits people with all types of feet. It is not as comfortable as a perfectly fitted shoe and doesnt fit snugly, but can be worn by many people. Whereas globalization refers to the trend of a more integrated and interdependent world economy. Dicken, P. (2011) mentioned that the concept of globalization became familiar gradually in the past 30 years. Globalization is the method to solve the worlds economic issues (Dicken, 2011). Globalisation might influence the form of companies, which leads to the changing from trade to Foreign Direct Investment (Dicken P. , 2003). Trade volume has increased by the progress of globalisation (Dicken P. , 2011), for example, Chinese people could barely purchase foreign products in China before 1980s until the government approved the reform of Chinese economy approaches. Whi lst the volume of import and export of China reaches a really high amount. Figure 1 Source from Dicken P. 2011 table 2.1 Figure 2 Source from Dicken P. 2011 table 2.2 Nowadays, people witness the establishment of international corporations and global corporations. The worlds largest 500 corporation are usually being classed multinational enterprises (MNEs). An example of global brands is Johnson Johnson. However, how to identify the difference between international corporations and global corporations? First of all, being international corporations, the quantity of branches and subsidiaries are limited, it could be in only one country. But global corporations have many branches and subsidiaries among all over the world. International corporations have some investment in at least one country, they search profitable opportunities, whereas global corporations use the world as an opportunity. For most global corporations, they need to build a global brand, a successful reputation built should link the name, products and logo to many people. For instance, people could hardly find substitute for many Johnson Johnson products, and the majority people have heard this name. According to Giorgio et al. (2002), there are two reasons to why a company should change from international to global company. On the one hand, a company could open its market worldwide. On the other hand, the company could lower its cost. Dicken (2003) demonstrated that a global corporation would be a firm that has the power to coordinate and control operations in a large number of counties (even if it does not own them), but whose geographically dispersed operations are functionally integrated, and not merely a diverse portfolio of activities. The background of Johnson Johnson The concept of corporate structure is the arrangements whereby the firm motivates, coordinates, appraises, and rewards the inputs and resources that belong to its coalition (Caves, 1980:66). Many successful corporations would establish famous branded products and develop different type of products (Caves, 1980). A firms corporate structure is depended on many issues. For example, when one company start up for only 5 years, its corporate structure would be less complex than company which founded 50 years ago. In Johnson Johnson, their board of directors is a group of people who meet a set of General Criteria for membership and are elected to the Board by our shareholders each year. We currently have 14 Board members, 12 of whom are independent under the rules of the New York Stock Exchange. (Johnson Johnson, 2012). Many large corporations tend to have the same corporate structures. It includes about five departments, which are Marketing, Finance, Accounting, Human Resource and IT. Usually corporate structure are four types as following (Dicken P. , 2011): Figure 3 (Source from Dicken P. 2011 Figure 5.8) It can be seen that global corporates structure is more complex than international corporates structure. For Johnson Johnson, the executive committee is the main management team, which is responsible for the operations. The corporate governance is formed by accounting controls, independent auditor, audit committee of their board of directors and business results. Figure 4C:UsersREDesktopConcept2.jpeg This figure shows the board of directors of Johnson Johnson. (Johnson Johnson, 2012) 3.1 A strategy of Johnson Johnson The reason why Johnson Johnson achieves such great success is that it has strict operating mode. (Johnson Johnson, 2012) 1. Market penetration Johnson Johnson has improved the share of market by increasing the quality of products, meanwhile, offering discount is an appropriate way to influence consumers habits and purchasing. 2. Market development It developed new markets to provide the same products for consumers who have the same requires in different countries. 3. Product development It developed new products to old consumers, which would expand popularity. 4. Diversification It provide new products to new markets. 5. Consolidation This step is to retain its stable relationship with consumers. Chandler stated that a firms growth is always through three strategies as following (Chandler, 1962): 1. Expansion is to widen the existing line to the same kinds of consumers. 2. New markets and sources of supplies are very important factors. 3. Developing a wide range of new products for different types of consumers As one of the largest and most comprehensive health care corporation in the world, Johnson Johnson has experienced vital growth in recent years. Johnson Johnson was founded by Robert Wood Johnson with two brothers in New Jersey in 1886. With the expansion and development of its business needs from the 1920 of the 20th century, Johnson Johnson has set up a lot of branches and acquired many companies among Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. By today Johnson Johnson has established and acquired more than 250 branches and companies in over 57 countries, and has about 129,000 employees. Johnson Johnson is Ranked 42nd in fortune 500 list in 2012. (Johnson Johnson, 2012). In 1924, the first overseas operating company was set up in the United Kingdom, which indicated Johnson Johnson has started its foreign company period. In 1944, Johnson Johnson joined the New York Stock Exchange. (Johnson Johnson, 2012). Revenues of JJ has increased from only $7 billion in 1987 to more than $65 b illion in 2012. Profits increased at an even faster rate, from $329.5 million in 1987 to $9672 million in 2012. (FORTUNE 500, 2012) 3.2 Corporate Structure of Johnson Johnson For every MNE, as key driver of globalization, has its unique corporate structure on a wide variety of market, which influence the corporations management in marketplace. The main sector is the number and size distribution of sellers and buyers, height of barriers to enter and exit (Caves, 1980). Why Johnson Johnson can be called a global corporation is that it has complicated structure. It depends on the development and innovation, because Johnson Johnson has three business divisions: 3.2.1.. Consumer products Baby Care Skin and Hair Care Wound Care and Topicals Oral Health Care Womens Health Over-the-Counter Medicines Nutritionals Vision Care Online store The consumer products chain retail outlets are widespread all over the world, these products are sold to general public and both to wholesalers and directly to individuals, while Pharmaceutical products and Medical device Diagnostics are depend on acquisition of other companies. 3.2.2. Pharmaceutical products Janssen RD LLC Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. Janssen Healthcare Innovation Janssen Diagnostics Veridex, LLC These products offer medicines that treat widespread diseases. 3.2.3. Medical device Diagnostics Advanced Sterilization Products Animas Corporation Cordis Corporation DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson Johnson Ethicon,  Inc. Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc. Johnson Johnson Vision Care, Inc. LifeScan, Inc. Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Inc. These products might be used in professional fields, such as physicians, nurses, hospitals, and diagnostic laboratories. It has gained the competitive advantage through knowledge of recognition and integration in the world, and achieved implementation and operation. With the development of Johnson Johnson, it has shaped a very complicated company. There are approximately more than 200 different type of products are formed in three departments. To what extent the success of Johnson Johnson could achieve is depends on the relationship between three departments and other business departments. In the past 10 years, Johnson Johnson has purchased more than 60 small firms. It focus on managing the knowledge. Usually, corporation has the following ways to grow: internal expansion, exporting, licensing, franchising, mergers and acquisitions, and geographic expansion. (Bruce R. Barringer, Daniel W. Greening, 1998). These strategies support corporations to enter new markets, as well as develop corporations resources through different countries or regions. Previous studies have revealed that geographic expansion is a new operation in a different area. (Hsien-Jui Chung, Chun-Chung Chen, Tsun-jui Hsieh, 2007). It might form international supply chains, which firms would purchase components, raw materials and services. It was significant to gain growth and enhance performance when Johnson Johnson has set up the first foreign firm in 1924. Geographic expansion would bring a lot of advantages (Farok J. Contractor, Sumit K. Kundu and Chin-Chun Hsu, 2003) Global market often give more scope for economies of scale, which in this case study, has changed Johnson Johnson into a global firm. As Dicken (2011) mentioned that global economy are connected with geographical and organizational structure. He (2011, p. 96) pointed out closely related to the issues of geographical scale and organizational loci is the importance of territoriality in networks. Findings To sum up, from what is discussed above, Johnson Johnson is a global corporation. As a result of some literature, there would be two measurements to determine whether the corporation is globalised or not, which is from organizational and geographical scale. Firstly, Johnson Johnson has complicated corporate structure, it has executive committee to manage and operate Johnson Johnson. Compared with its geographical scale, Johnson Johnson has more than 250 branches and subsidiaries all over the world. Then corporations earn profits from the globalisation economy, which is why many international company would like to expand their subsidiaries and branches to other different countries or regions. Discussion Globalisation plays an important role, it changes the world economy. Firstly, it increases the trade from one country to another. Apart from that, globalisation makes economy prosperous because it raised foreign direct investment while there might be some limitations. When a company is already a global company, what should be their next steps or strategies? Is globalisation the destination for one company? In accordance to some literatures, globalization is end of geography (OBRIEN, 1992). Increasingly companies have gained more profits from globalization, in other words, the progress of globalization gets advantages for enterprises. Conclusions So far, for many people, it is hard to explain what are international corporations and global corporations, because internationalization and globalization cannot be easily distinguished, but actually there are different. Consequently, they can be differentiated by the geographic scale and corporation structure. Globalized companies often owns similar structures. It is easier to understand from some literatures. In this report, a case study of Johnson Johnson has determined that it is a global corporation by analysing its corporate structure, different product lines and company strategies. In competitive business circumstance, globalisation is an inevitable trend, not only for companies, but for the macro-economy. Globalisation makes the whole world look like borderless, it might boost international business.