Today in class, we learned how we look at culture and how to manage people in the two different levels in the company:
- individualism/collectivism
- power distance
- understanding avoidance
- masculinity/femininity
- long-term/short-term orientation
It is important to know how to treat and managed employees from different cultures because we want to respect them, and at the same time they are in the company to learn the culture around the organization.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
CH 16 Analyzing the effect of HRM programs
Concept and Brief Description
One way to analyze Human Resource Management effectiveness is through the different programs or activities. This can help to see is if the program was successful according to their goals. Whether is an economic approach they could see If the value is greater than the program’s cost. The different programs should be able to improve their performance through some combination of greater efficiency and greater effectiveness. As the book mentions, greater efficiency means what the HR department does has a more beneficial effect on employee’s and the organization’s performance.
Emotional Hook
It is very important to set goals first to be able to accomplish the desire program. At the end they can see if it help the company to continue on or to change something and see what can be done.
Key Points to Elicit Discussion
To be able to analyze, the company should have some specific objective goals. At the end of the program, it is asked about their experiences and learning and rate what they have accomplished. Later, the department measures whether the employees’ performance has improved or whether if their behavior has changed.
Facilitative Questions
What kind of things you need to have to have a perfect combination of greater efficiency and greater effectiveness?
One way to analyze Human Resource Management effectiveness is through the different programs or activities. This can help to see is if the program was successful according to their goals. Whether is an economic approach they could see If the value is greater than the program’s cost. The different programs should be able to improve their performance through some combination of greater efficiency and greater effectiveness. As the book mentions, greater efficiency means what the HR department does has a more beneficial effect on employee’s and the organization’s performance.
Emotional Hook
It is very important to set goals first to be able to accomplish the desire program. At the end they can see if it help the company to continue on or to change something and see what can be done.
Key Points to Elicit Discussion
To be able to analyze, the company should have some specific objective goals. At the end of the program, it is asked about their experiences and learning and rate what they have accomplished. Later, the department measures whether the employees’ performance has improved or whether if their behavior has changed.
Facilitative Questions
What kind of things you need to have to have a perfect combination of greater efficiency and greater effectiveness?
Monday, March 15, 2010
CH 15 Selecting Expatriate Managers
Concept and Brief Description
How to select expatriate managers? To be able to choose a person who can represent the organization needs to have technical competence in the area of operations. The organization should consider each candidate’s skills, learning style, and approach to problem solving. An expatriate manager to be successful, he or she must be sensitive to the host country’s cultural norms, adapt to those norms, and survive to the culture shock. Table 15.2 in the book provides a list of topics for assessing candidates for overseas assignments. The topics consist of motivation, health, language ability, family considerations, resourcefulness and initiative, ability, career planning, and financial.
To be able to adapt, an expatriate manager requires three kinds of skills: ability to maintain a positive self-image and feeling of well-being, ability to foster relationships with the host-country nationals, and ability to perceive and evaluate the host country’s environmental accurately.
Emotional Hook
It is very interesting the process of selecting an expatriate manager because he or she represents the organization and needs to be able to accomplish the organization’s goals to be able to be successful in that country. If the expatriate manager does not succeed because he or she cannot see the cultural differences to be able to adapt and learn form it, the expatriate will fail and the organization will fail too.
Key Points to Elicit discussion
The expatriate’s family is very involved in the expatriate assignment. They need to adapt to the culture as well as the expatriate. The family, as well as the expatriate can learn culture experience.
Facilitative Questions
If you were selected to be an expatriate manager, would you go and take your entire family? Once in a life time opportunity,
How to select expatriate managers? To be able to choose a person who can represent the organization needs to have technical competence in the area of operations. The organization should consider each candidate’s skills, learning style, and approach to problem solving. An expatriate manager to be successful, he or she must be sensitive to the host country’s cultural norms, adapt to those norms, and survive to the culture shock. Table 15.2 in the book provides a list of topics for assessing candidates for overseas assignments. The topics consist of motivation, health, language ability, family considerations, resourcefulness and initiative, ability, career planning, and financial.
To be able to adapt, an expatriate manager requires three kinds of skills: ability to maintain a positive self-image and feeling of well-being, ability to foster relationships with the host-country nationals, and ability to perceive and evaluate the host country’s environmental accurately.
Emotional Hook
It is very interesting the process of selecting an expatriate manager because he or she represents the organization and needs to be able to accomplish the organization’s goals to be able to be successful in that country. If the expatriate manager does not succeed because he or she cannot see the cultural differences to be able to adapt and learn form it, the expatriate will fail and the organization will fail too.
Key Points to Elicit discussion
The expatriate’s family is very involved in the expatriate assignment. They need to adapt to the culture as well as the expatriate. The family, as well as the expatriate can learn culture experience.
Facilitative Questions
If you were selected to be an expatriate manager, would you go and take your entire family? Once in a life time opportunity,
Friday, March 12, 2010
Learning Reflection
We talked about how a company can select what benefits to offer to their employees. This is very crucial because many employees look for those benefits packages. For an organization to know what the employees want one way is to give the employees a survey and see the results, but a downside on surveys is that employees are actually expecting those benefits. If organizations do not come up with those benefits after giving the survey, the employee might feel discourage after their hopes where high.
For the organization, after selecting certain benefits that will offer to the employees, the organization needs to make sure it goes with he organization's goals and objectives. Also, seeing what type of a culture the organization is, benefits should resemble that.
For the organization, after selecting certain benefits that will offer to the employees, the organization needs to make sure it goes with he organization's goals and objectives. Also, seeing what type of a culture the organization is, benefits should resemble that.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
CH 14 Unions of Company Performance
Concept and Brief Description
Impact of unions of company performance can be a concern about whether or not the unions will hurt their performance on productivity, profits or stock performance. There have been studies where it shows that unions can have a positive influence.
Positive aspects of unions can reduce turnover by resolving problems, an employer might be force to improve its management practices, and union workers are more productive.
Negative aspect is that unions decrease productivity because of work rules union contracts. The question still remains if the union workers are more productive than non union workers. If unions caused greater productivity, then why union memberships are decreasing in numbers.
Emotional Hook
It is interesting to see unions that have a main objective, and will not stop until they get what they want. Sometimes it is scary because it can decrease productivity in the organization and that can lead to less pay to the workers. Union workers might not like how the organization is running or other aspect of it, and it is necessary for them to speak their mind.
Key Points to Elicit Discussion
When two or three union workers are not happy about what is going on about for example their pay, is it necessary to bring a big army to fight for it.
Facilitative Questions
According to evidence it shows that union workers are more productive, why would that be the reason? Why will they need to make a big deal about it?
Impact of unions of company performance can be a concern about whether or not the unions will hurt their performance on productivity, profits or stock performance. There have been studies where it shows that unions can have a positive influence.
Positive aspects of unions can reduce turnover by resolving problems, an employer might be force to improve its management practices, and union workers are more productive.
Negative aspect is that unions decrease productivity because of work rules union contracts. The question still remains if the union workers are more productive than non union workers. If unions caused greater productivity, then why union memberships are decreasing in numbers.
Emotional Hook
It is interesting to see unions that have a main objective, and will not stop until they get what they want. Sometimes it is scary because it can decrease productivity in the organization and that can lead to less pay to the workers. Union workers might not like how the organization is running or other aspect of it, and it is necessary for them to speak their mind.
Key Points to Elicit Discussion
When two or three union workers are not happy about what is going on about for example their pay, is it necessary to bring a big army to fight for it.
Facilitative Questions
According to evidence it shows that union workers are more productive, why would that be the reason? Why will they need to make a big deal about it?
Learning Reflection
In class we talked about providing employees benefits. One aspect of employee benefits is the unemployment insurance, which it is required by law. It was very interesting to hear about this type of insurance because some people might be taking advantage of this insurance. While they are not working and hopefully seeking for a job, they have this insurance that can help them in the mean time. Some say that some people can get more money than what they were getting if they were working, is that fair? it may not be. There are many people who actually use it for good and they are glad they have this type of insurance because unexpected things can happened.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
CH 13 Communicating Benefits to Employees
Concept and Brief Description
Communicating Benefits to Employees is being able to let the employees know the information that can be valuable for them. This is very important because it can help to achieve the objective of attracting, motivating, and retaining employees. Some ways that employers do to let the employers know about some information on the benefits is through technology as the internet and supporting databases.
Many employees do not know much about their benefits and mostly is because employers do not communicate that to their employees. To communicate better the benefits and being able to understand, they can combine different options. Those options are brochures, question and answer meetings, intranet pages, memos, and e-mail. As the book mentions, it can also include some training programs, and benefits fair,
Emotional Hook
It is very important to let the employees know and also have the employees ask questions about concerns or anything to let them understand more about their benefits. Many employees do not know their own benefits and how much they need to pay for co-pay if any.
Key Points to Elicit Discussion
Some employees actually believe that because they have insurance it means they do not need to pay anything. At a dental office, when employees are told an estimate on what the might have to pay if their insurance pays a certain percentage, most of the insurance holders do not want to pay anything. The employees do believe their insurance have to cover the entire cost when in reality it is just a portion of it.
Facilitative Questions
I do not have questions for communicating benefits to employees. I believe this is very straight forward and important to let the employee know what they have thus it is easier and more valuable.
Communicating Benefits to Employees is being able to let the employees know the information that can be valuable for them. This is very important because it can help to achieve the objective of attracting, motivating, and retaining employees. Some ways that employers do to let the employers know about some information on the benefits is through technology as the internet and supporting databases.
Many employees do not know much about their benefits and mostly is because employers do not communicate that to their employees. To communicate better the benefits and being able to understand, they can combine different options. Those options are brochures, question and answer meetings, intranet pages, memos, and e-mail. As the book mentions, it can also include some training programs, and benefits fair,
Emotional Hook
It is very important to let the employees know and also have the employees ask questions about concerns or anything to let them understand more about their benefits. Many employees do not know their own benefits and how much they need to pay for co-pay if any.
Key Points to Elicit Discussion
Some employees actually believe that because they have insurance it means they do not need to pay anything. At a dental office, when employees are told an estimate on what the might have to pay if their insurance pays a certain percentage, most of the insurance holders do not want to pay anything. The employees do believe their insurance have to cover the entire cost when in reality it is just a portion of it.
Facilitative Questions
I do not have questions for communicating benefits to employees. I believe this is very straight forward and important to let the employee know what they have thus it is easier and more valuable.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Learning Reflection
We talked about different types of incentives that managers give to employees. Those are piecework rates, standard hour plans, merit pay, individual bonuses, and sales commissions. It was very interesting to hears the pros and cons of each. Many of these incentives are very positive but at the same time can become not fair to the employee.
It is very interesting to work in an organization and to motivate the employee, managers give incentives to their employees. I believe any employee loves getting incentives specially when it is about money. Specially in today's economy, money is a big issue. Managers need to make sure those incentives are worthwhile for the employees.
It is very interesting to work in an organization and to motivate the employee, managers give incentives to their employees. I believe any employee loves getting incentives specially when it is about money. Specially in today's economy, money is a big issue. Managers need to make sure those incentives are worthwhile for the employees.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
CH 12 Standard Hour Plan
Concept and Brief Description
Standard Hour Plans is an incentive plan that pays workers extra for work done in less than a present standard time. If you are able to finish a project that normally takes longer than you get paid the full time. For example, the book mentions tuning up a car, If you are able to tune up a car in 1 ½ hrs and normally takes 2 hours, then you will get paid the 2 full hours. An advantage of this quantity-oriented incentive is that employees are encouraged to work faster. Two big disadvantages if employees are more concern in finishing the work than the quality or customer service. Also, employees just want the extra money than work at a pace that might be better.
Emotional Hook
If you go to an organization to get some type of service and if the only thing the organization wants is the money by giving the service as fast as they can, I believe I would not want to come back. They would probably lose their customers, which lose their business.
Key Points to Elicit Discussion
Imagine you getting a haircut. How awful would it be if you get a very bad haircut just because they were cutting fast but not really caring about you but your money? This type of pay seems a not very smart move on the organization.
Facilitative Questions
What organization would want this type of pay to their employees? Are they taking a risk to pay their employees base on how fast employees can work instead of the quality of the work?
Standard Hour Plans is an incentive plan that pays workers extra for work done in less than a present standard time. If you are able to finish a project that normally takes longer than you get paid the full time. For example, the book mentions tuning up a car, If you are able to tune up a car in 1 ½ hrs and normally takes 2 hours, then you will get paid the 2 full hours. An advantage of this quantity-oriented incentive is that employees are encouraged to work faster. Two big disadvantages if employees are more concern in finishing the work than the quality or customer service. Also, employees just want the extra money than work at a pace that might be better.
Emotional Hook
If you go to an organization to get some type of service and if the only thing the organization wants is the money by giving the service as fast as they can, I believe I would not want to come back. They would probably lose their customers, which lose their business.
Key Points to Elicit Discussion
Imagine you getting a haircut. How awful would it be if you get a very bad haircut just because they were cutting fast but not really caring about you but your money? This type of pay seems a not very smart move on the organization.
Facilitative Questions
What organization would want this type of pay to their employees? Are they taking a risk to pay their employees base on how fast employees can work instead of the quality of the work?
Learning Reflection
Today I learned how to look for scholarly journals in the library website. Christy Donaldson gave very good tips on how to search a research paper. There are many wonderful tools in the library that can help any student to write a good paper. Also, it was very interesting to learn how some journals are not necessarily scholar. Thus, it is important to double check and see which journal works and does not work.
It takes a little bit of time to search for journals, but having a specific topic and using key words can be an easier search. As a student, I have all the tools to write a good paper. All I need to do is use them and eliminate what is not necessary.
It takes a little bit of time to search for journals, but having a specific topic and using key words can be an easier search. As a student, I have all the tools to write a good paper. All I need to do is use them and eliminate what is not necessary.
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