Strategic Supply Chain Management in Romano’s Car Rentals Company Order Instructions: Using your own organization, or the one you chose as an exemplar, apply what you have learned from your reading and research to explain the role of forecasting in the supply chain of the organization. You should give clear examples illustrating how forecasting is a driver of planning decisions at many stages and levels.
Strategic Supply Chain Management
You should also consider the various techniques used in demand forecasting and be able to demonstrate why they are, or are not, appropriate in the context of the particular examples you provide.
Consider the following questions as you continue to work on your Praxis Paper
• To what extent does demand management as practiced in your organization support the view that, “An integral part of any demand management process is an implementation of an iterative process of sales forecasting and planning”? (Mentzer, Myers, & Stank, 2007)
• How far does consideration of demand forecasting as practiced in your organization lead you to agree with the conclusion that, “true analysis of sales forecasting management often produces the conclusion that the benefit of improved accuracy is not worth the cost”? (Mentzer et al., 2007)
Strategic Supply Chain Management Resources
Articles
• Mentzer, J. T., & Moon, M. A. (2004). Understanding demand. Supply Chain Management Review, 8(4). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.
This article looks at the three types of demand and shows how forecasting contributes to the sales and operations planning process.
• Taylor, D. H. (2006). Demand management in agri-food supply chains: An analysis of the characteristics and problems and a framework for improvement. International Journal of Logistics Management, 17(2). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.
This article presents examples and specific data from six value chain analysis case studies examining demand management in the UK food supply chain
• Lapide, L. (2006). Demand management revisited. Journal of Business Forecasting, 25(3). Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global database.
This short article considers the importance of demand management and the role played by demand forecasting in supporting the cost-benefit and profitability analyses needed to make optimized customer-service setting decisions.
Strategic Supply Chain Management Sample Answer
Abstract
The following document analyzes the manner in which Romano’s Car Rentals Company implements strategic demand forecasting in its day to day operations. The importance of forecasting to this business is highlighted alongside the specific aspects of this company’s management that rely on forecasts of demand. The final part of the exercise details the different forecasting strategies as well as how they relate to this company’s business operations.
Strategic Supply Chain Management is a deliberate process of ensuring that there is an adequate amount of products in the inventory. A key component of this process is forecasting and this is a method of predicting the amount of inventory which will be adequate for meeting the demand during a given period of time. The application of forecasting is often idiosyncratic with respect to the business entity carrying out the process. Forecasting applies to both the commodity sector and the service industry. For businesses that deal in the supply of tangible products to a given market it is relatively more direct than it is for those who are involved in the service sector. The supply chain on the other hand refers to the series of processes followed by the organization in ensuring the finished product reaches its end-consumer. This is again easier to witness in the commodity market and abit more complex in the service industry (Mentzer and Moon, 2004).
The reason for the comparison between the service industry and the commodities market is that the company to be analyzed here operates exclusively in the service industry. Romano’s car rentals cannot for instance conduct a physical count of the number of ‘leases’ they have available for their cars. The renting of motor vehicle like any other service has consumption and production taking place concurrently. The closest that this company can come to preparing its ‘inventory’ is by ensuring that the physical and human elements of the service have been adequately prepared. The Physical elements of this service are the motor vehicles, a physical office and also the stationery. The human element is the company drivers who deliver the vehicles. Other elements not directly incorporated to this include the servicing of the vehicles, their insurance and also the maintenance of a database (Taylor, 2006).
The implications of both a shortage of supply or surplus supply are highly profound for this company. This is due to the immediate nature of the expenses incurred by the company. As such the sales manager needs to do everything in her power to ensure that the forecast is as close as possible to the demand. This requires a combination of industry knowledge and intuition given the fact that forecasting is not a perfect science. A relatively accurate forecast will ensure that there are enough vehicles, enough drivers and also enough mechanics for the upcoming demand.
The company employs a quarterly strategy whereby forecasts are made for the year in blocks of four months. Management functions such as planning, organizing, staffing, development, cooperation and remuneration also go hand in hand with the forecasting. If one branch is expecting higher demand in the next quarter, it is easier to transfer employees from a branch with not so much demand. An abundant supply will result in the expenses such as remuneration and storage and these are deemed a loss if they are done without the company generating revenue.
The recent slump in oil prices for instance means that people are likely to lease cars for longer periods and as such it is necessary to have more vehicles available. This will however also increase the cost of maintenance of the vehicles and as a result a higher budget for mechanical servicing of the cars. The seasons also have an impact on how people lease vehicles. The demand experienced during summer is 45% more than what is experienced in winter. This means that the part-time workers can be placed on hold during the winter period and recalled during summer.
Demand Forecasting Techniques in Strategic Supply Chain Management
There are two broad categories of demand forecasting. These are Quantitative and Qualitative/Subjective. These are also known as Statistical and Non-statistical respectively. With quantitative methods of demand forecasting a specific arithmetic formula is applied to historical data to project the demand in the subsequent trading period. Most of the time this is aided with a software program which provides projections based on the data that has been fed into the system. It can be used to highlight existent trends. It also shows the moving averages. It is termed as a statistical method because it relies heavily upon the regression method to provide estimated projections. It also takes into account the economic indicators (Lapide, 2006).
The Qualitative approach on the other hand is heavily reliant on the survey of customer opinions. It takes into account opinions provided by industry experts as well as the experience of those who have been working in the industry for a long period of time. This approach is more favorable for application by Romano’s Car Rentals because the product is essentially a service. This second approach is customer-centric and therefore more likely to provide more accurate results (Stevenson and Hojachi, 2007). Despite this, it is also necessary to employ statistical forecasting methods to a lesser degree since this business operates within an economy whose parameters are best expressed qualitatively.
For Romano’s Car Rentals the cost of this endeavor cannot be independently established due to the fact that some of the customer projections are based on relationships forged years back. Given that this has been the approach used by the company for most of its existence in the market, it is impossible to tell if the absence of a forecasting method would result in financial savings or higher expenses.
Strategic Supply Chain Management Conclusion
While not aggressively carried out by Romano’s Car Rentals, the importance of demand management and forecasting remain key elements of their success in the industry. These processes enable the management to diligently prepare ground for their customers in a financially sustainable manner. Strategic forecasting should therefore remain a key element of a firm’s operations rather than a separate activity which may rack up unnecessary costs.
Strategic Supply Chain Management References
Lapide, L. (2006). Demand management revisited. Journal of Business Forecasting, 25(3) doi: 10.1177/2278682113476166
Mentzer, J. T., & Moon, M. A. (2004). Understanding demand. Supply Chain Management Review, 8(4) dx.doi.org/10.2507
Stevenson, W. J., & Hojati, M. (2007). Operations management (Vol. 8). Boston: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Taylor, D. H. (2006). Demand management in agri-food supply chains: An analysis of the characteristics and problems and a framework for improvement. International Journal of Logistics Management, 17(2). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09574090610689943
Write a summary that addresses the following:
• What is your understanding of the Five Disciplines of a learning organization as described by Senge on page 6?
• Why does it appeal to you as an approach to change?
• What concerns do you have?
• What are you noticing about the importance of language as a lever for change?
• Why does the learning organization and the Five Disciplines seem an appropriate methodology for change management?
Text Book
Senge, P. M., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Smith, B., & Ross, R. (1994). The fifth discipline fieldbook: Strategies and tools for building a learning organization. New York: Doubleday. ISBN: 0385472560.
SAMPLE ANSWER
BUS4802 – Managing change
Change in inevitable and therefore managing change well will have positive impacts on the organization. Change process as well is a learning process that an organization goes through.
The five disciplines of learning organized described by Senge are very important in any organization that aspires to succeed amidst changes. These disciplines include; system thinking, team leadership, mental models, shared vision and personal mastery (Senge, Kleiner, Roberts, Smith & Ross, 1994). My understanding of these disciplines is that they provide an opportunity for the leader to initiative change smoothly. The disciplines are essential in ensuring that the entity progresses on despite challenges experienced. A leader should be able to have certain attributes such as good communication skills to help foster leadership through effective communication. Communication as well allows sharing of visions enabling the members of the organization to move in the right direction (Senge, Cleaner, Roberts, Smith & Ross, 1994).
The most appealing thing about this approach to change is the fact that it covers on major aspects of the functioning of an organization laying strong emphasis on the leaders and followers. Leaders and followers need to work together and to have a shared vision to ensure that the organization achieves its goals and objectives.
The thing that concerns me more about the approach is that it seems to be a guideline to a learner anticipating to be a leader or a manager. The explanation and application of the approach in the organization by the manager in real situation seems glimpse.
Language is important lever for change. Better choice of language and words to address a change situation is essential as it promote cohesion and commitment (Senge, Kleiner, Roberts, Smith & Ross, 1994). Language use as well foster understanding if the language used is easily understandable by the parties initiating change and those that change is going to affect
Nevertheless, the learning organization and five disciplines seem an appropriate methodology for change management because it puts into consideration all the stakeholders and features that affect change. People must understand how to interact with various systems and fellow colleagues to achieve success. This is well considered and exemplified in the approach.
Similarities and differences between management and leadership
Similarities and differences between management and leadership
Order Instructions:
Dear Admin,
I need an essay in the following subject:
Let’s start by looking at a very simple question but an old one; what is the difference between management and leadership? Can you think of examples from your own experience as to how this question might be answered. Please also see the attached article by Young and Dulewicz (2008) who assessed leadership and management competencies in the British Navy. Can you see any such competencies which may fit with your own experience?
Young, M., and Dulewicz, V., (2008), Similarities and Differences between Leadership and Management:High-Performance Competencies in the British Royal Navy, British Journal of Management, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p17-32.
Note: To prepare for this essay please read the required articles that is attached
The following conditions must meet in the essay:
1) I want a typical and a quality answer which should have about 550 words.
2) The answer must raise appropriate critical questions.
3) The answer must include examples from experience or the web with references from
relevant examples from real companies.
4) Do include all your references, as per the Harvard Referencing System,
5) Please don’t use Wikipedia web site.
6) I need examples from peer reviewed articles or researches.
Appreciate each single moment you spend in writing my paper
Best regards
SAMPLE ANSWER
Similarities and differences between management and leadership
In terms of similarities, both management and leadership involve creation of success, taking an active role, aligning people and resources, and conceptualization of what needs to be done. These similarities indicate the existence of various competencies which are capable of supporting effective performance across both management and leadership. According to Young and Dulewicz (2008), the emerging school of leadership reflects the perception that effective leaders exercise a small range of competencies. Interaction involves engagement in communications, influence, inter-person sensitivity, and sensitivity to criticism. Lastly, both managers and leaders should aim at creating success by having such competencies as motivation, emotional resilience, conscientiousness, vigor, and self awareness.
For example, Young and Dulewicz (2008) assessed the competencies of effective management and leadership in the Royal Navy to include conceptualizing, aligning, interacting, and creating success. Conceptualization involves vision and imagination and critical analysis. Alignment includes management of resources, development, and empowerment. Effective alignment requires leaders to be forward thinking, controlling, unrestricted by rules and influencing, and managers to be innovative. These competencies were confirmed by the analysis of Overall Performance, Leadership, and Management. The research found that motivation accounts for most of the variance in the appraisal of leadership, whereas vision and imagination were the most fundamental predictors of variance in management.
Basically, management reflects different organizational functions. In a formal organization, the manager plans, organizes, controls, budgets, staffs, solves problems, and carries out other fundamental tasks necessary for running the business. The leader, on the other hand, sets out a vision of what needs to be done and the means of accomplishing it that drives organizational performance. A successful organization needs both leadership and management though managers typically deal with equipment, budgets, processes, systems, and ‘things’ whereas leaders deal with people and visions. Additionally, any person can play the leadership role and does not need to be at the top management position to make a leadership contribution.
Another difference is that the effectiveness of a leader is measured in terms of accomplishment of one or more goals, while the effectiveness of a manager is measured in terms of profit margins. A leader may be viewed as effective or ineffective in relation to the satisfaction people derive from the total work experience in accomplishing goals (Zaleznik, 1992).
Bertocci (2009) also notes that managers are different from leaders in terms of their followers. Whereas leaders give followers the discretion of whether or not to follow them, managers direct, instruct and command their followers. Followers have little or no alternative but to comply with the a manager’s orders and directives, failure of which may result into punitive consequences.
There are various experiences I have encountered that relate to leadership and management. In terms of the schools that I have attended, there is usually the school administrators show effective leadership by incorporating various competencies necessary for achievement of set goals and objectives. Although it is hard to draw a clear line between leadership and management in a school setting, I observed that leaders do not necessarily need to be in the top management in order to move the people into the desired direction. Leadership in a school setting is also inclusive of student leaders, who are not involved in the management. The management of the school dealing with budgets, equipment, systems, and processes is left to the school administration. Effective leadership involves such competencies as vision and imagination, empowerment, engaging communications, inter-personal sensitivity, influence, motivation, and emotional resilience. Student leaders may also act as managers in the sense that they can direct and command their followers.
References
Bertocci, D. I., (2009), Leadership in Organizations: There is a Difference Between Leaders and Managers, University of America.
Young, M., and Dulewicz, V., (2008), Similarities and Differences between Leadership and Management:High-Performance Competencies in the British Royal Navy, British Journal of Management, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p17-32.
The DEADLINE is DECEMBER 29, 2014. This is a Graduate course. Please use double-spaced format. Responses should be in APA style and must include citations and a bibliography. You are strongly advised to access a variety of information from academic journals and other scholarly works. Ensure that your answers are well-organized and that they respond to the specific question asked, display the range and depth of your learning, and demonstrate your ability to conform to the analysis, writing, and research standards of master’s level work. The question must be answered fully. Do not make your sentences too wordy. Each question needs to be 10 pages and should have at least 9 references.
Question 1
The city of Gainesville, population 54,000, has an undocumented population of immigrants totaling an estimated 3,200 people. This population is clustered largely in the southeastern portion of the city. Law enforcement is faced with the challenge of protecting this population from crime, while at the same time law enforcement is also charged with enforcing laws that prohibit illegal immigration. If law enforcement enforces the immigration policies, then the undocumented immigrants may be hesitant to call the police when they need assistance. As a result, however, crime within this area may increase. If law enforcement does not enforce these laws, then it may be neglecting its duty. What should the police department do? As a part of this, please identify the different stakeholders and constituents impacted by this policy, and assess any social, political, cultural, and ethical implications.
Question 2
What is leadership? As a part of your definition, please differentiate between leaders, managers, and followers. Explore the principles of leadership and how each of the following leadership theories can explain, shape, and improve the governance and management of public policy: Great Leader Theory; Servant Leadership; Transformational Leadership; and Situational Leadership; Be sure to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each theory explored.
SAMPLE ANSWER
PART 1
The city of Gainesville has a sizeable portion of illegal immigrants just like most places in the US. The police department is at a loss as to the action required in dealing with these people. Since they have a mandate to deal with illegal immigrants, they feel they cannot just ignore them. However, dealing with illegal immigration may cause the immigrants to refrain from sharing information with the police which is valuable for fighting crime. Once the illegal immigrants stop contacting police when they have problems, the city may become more prone to criminal activity.
The police department needs to make a choice between two sets of crime. First is illegal immigration which in itself is a violation of the laws in the country (Buchannan, 2006). Second is the lack of information on criminal activities or criminals operating in the city. Thus, the decision made should depend of solution of the greater crime. Research indicates that there is a concerted effort by many state governments in dealing with illegal immigrants. There is a consensus that this group of people is a valuable resource that can help the country develop further. There is also the need for tracking all people within the country for the purposes of planning and providing mandated services. All these factors indicate that the police department needs to consider all the facts before taking a decision.
The recommendation is that the police department overlook the fact that there are illegal immigrants and deal with the provision of security for all people. It is important that all stakeholders be involved in the decisions made and also in keeping Gainesville crime free. The mandate of the police department is to ensure that there is law and order. This can only be achieved if people within the city trust law enforcement enough to volunteer relevant information. The problem with dealing with illegal immigrants at the law enforcement level is that it alienates an important constituent that operates behind the scenes. Since illegal immigrants do not usually have the requisite documentation to operate as normal citizens, they are enlisted in an underground economy that may be a breeding ground for crime (Archibold, 2010). The people that are in that system are largely illegal immigrants making them valuable in combating crime.
There is a major consensus amongst US citizens that there is a problem of illegal immigration. However, the problem is that no one seems to have an idea of how to fix the system. There are many people that are affected by illegal immigration starting with the citizens, the government, legal immigrants and the illegal immigrants themselves. People that directly work with immigrants include lawyers, , social workers, teachers, healthcare providers, small business owners and law enforcement. The main problem that they cite is the lack of integration and assimilation of immigrant communities in the US. The illegal immigrants must seek education for their children and must have access to healthcare facilities. Thus, they divide opinions among many people since some hold that they cost more than they earn for the system. The policy of overlooking the status of illegal immigrants for the sake of maintaining security is largely based on the actions that have been witnessed in various states.
The most common sentiments by members of the American society were that there needed to be more religious tolerance, diversity, integration, citizen engagement, contribution, positive impact, defused tension and access. The society is divided into both liberal and conservative citizens. The major concern for the conservatives is how much money is spent on immigrants in addition to what they can legally do. There also seems to be a misconception about the current immigration law. There seems to be popular support for dealing with illegal immigrants. The terms that are associated with illegal immigrants are mostly about social security. For the immigrants themselves, they simply would want to be treated humanely. There seems to be a general feeling of discrimination with illegal immigrants that are well educated and rich being favoured unlike the poor and uneducated. The law enforcement and immigration officers often speak to the illegal immigrants with harshness and associate them with criminality. Several authors on immigration around the world seem to be in consensus that immigration officials have a common mindset in associating illegal immigration with criminality.
President Obama has severally stated his desire to reform the immigration sector in the US (Obama, 2012). One piece of legislation that is expected to be passed by congress is the DREAM act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors). The act is meant to target people who immigrated to the US before they were 18 years old and who have lived for over five years before the bill was crafted. The act targets those people that have been declared as having good moral character and have graduated from high schools in the US. The people that serve for a period of two years in the military of serve two years in a four year institution of higher education qualify for a six year temporary residence with the option of making it permanent when the period lapses. Although there are many issues with legislation of immigration in the US, there is still a genuine concern that the enforcement of the DREAM act would be tricky. The first point of contention is how to determine a person’s moral character. The people that are opposed to such legislation argue that it may reward illegal immigration and insist that there must be more punitive action against illegal immigrants. There are many states in the US that already have a version of the DREAM act.
The laws that allow for illegal immigrants to access basic facilities and services are informed by the fact that illegal immigrants might be pushed to crime if they do not have access to basic amenities. In California for example, plans are underway for the illegal immigrants in the state to be awarded driving licenses. The state government thought it prudent since there were increased cases of people driving before they reach the defined age and causing many accidents. There were also increasing cases of theft of motor vehicles by people that were unknown to the system. The best way for dealing with these vices was to allow illegal immigrants access to the department of motor vehicles so that their driving is monitored. Such laws are progressive and are informed by the need of enlisting a large number of citizens in reporting crime. Thus, the best way of dealing with illegal immigrants is not by deporting them but by registering them so that they may make contributions to the societies they inhabit.
The problem with illegal immigrants is not the activities that they involve themselves in. Most people illegally immigrate to the US in search for better life for themselves and their families (Cafferty, 2007). These people are discriminated against by the citizens of the US and are accused of committing acts that they have not. Data on criminality indicates that the most likely people to commit crime are those of American decent. This data was sourced from people that are institutionalised across the country and reveals that citizens are ten times more likely to commit crime that immigrants (Ousey, & Kubrin, 2009). Therefore, the notion that illegal immigrants or immigrants in general are responsible for a lot of ills that bedevil the society is biased and is not based on fact. As a matter of fact, discrimination and negative labelling of immigrants reflects intolerance on the part of the citizens. The singular concern for many immigrants is that they be treated more humanely. However, acts of legislation like the DREAM act are not sufficient in themselves to enlist the help of immigrants in fighting crime. There must be a concerted effort on the part of individual state governments in fighting discrimination of illegal immigrants so that they can volunteer information necessary for fighting crime.
There is much emotion that is elicited whenever immigration is discussed. Partisans on both sides of the debate are usually more concerned with support their positions through conjecture and half-truths rather than with hard facts. The simple fact is that not all illegal immigrants are bad (Camarota, & Vaughan, 2009). While illegal information is in itself a crime, it is not the worst. Modern societies need not act without consideration of all facts. There are many reasons that people immigrate to the US. The major reason is that the country offers opportunities for prosperity in addition to it being a beacon of freedom and democracy. People that choose to immigrate to the US do so with the expectation of enjoying the opportunities there. Therefore, it would be unfair to assume that all those that immigrate illegally are bad. Since research has shown that the immigrants are less likely to commit crimes when compared to natives, the assumption is that they would be invaluable in reporting crimes they witness but are not participants in. what they simply need is empowerment and an equal opportunity.
Immigration as a debate is multifaceted. There are many microeconomic, macroeconomic, and humanitarian aspects that must not be overlooked. The main purpose of the data given by partisans is usually to convict or acquit immigrants in the court of public opinion. However, the fact is that there is an abundance of data that indicates that illegal immigrants are the least contributors to crime in the US. President Obama conceded that the major problem with illegal immigration is not that it makes a mockery of the people trying to immigrate legally but rather that it creates an underground economy where there are unscrupulous businesses that see the opportunity to exploit a cheap labour source (Camarota, 2006). These businesses cut corners by skirting taxes and paying illegal immigrants less than the minimum wage. There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US today with most of them coming from Mexico (Hoefer, Rytina, & Baker, 2012). These people work in deplorable conditions where the health and safety issues are disregarded. This is a clear indication that avoiding dealing with illegal immigrants leads to breaking of numerous other laws. There is a misinformed notion among Americans that equates the underground economy brought on by illegal immigration with crime (Rumbaut, & Ewing, 2007).
There is no doubt that illegal immigration puts pressure on the system. The one area, other than income and social status that affects all stakeholders is crime. No individual is immune to criminal activity. There is thus a need of enlisting all stakeholders in combating crime. This cannot be achieved by vilifying illegal immigrants. More important however is the fact that these immigrants would be invaluable to the system as they are assimilated in all strata of the society. They are thus a rich source of information that would be important in reducing criminal activity in Gainesville.
Illegal immigration is a red hot in America and especially in the southwest. This is the region that borders Mexico. There is a debate between the two prominent political parties in the US. The democrats view immigrants and their collaborators as an important voting bloc during elections while republicans view them as social conservatives that will eventually vote for them. This political issue is usually at the heart of many discussions. Thus, the decision by the Gainesville police department to overlook the illegal status of immigrants plays into the hands of politicians. It has been reported that democrats prefer keeping the status quo since they advocate for less stiffer action against illegal immigrants thus ensuring their support during elections. However, republicans are much harsher and they advocate for deportation of illegal immigrants. Depending on the political tide in Gainesville, there are many political gains to be reaped for the existence of illegal immigrants.
Illegal immigration is a point of contention for many Americans since the immigrants are viewed as being direct competitors for available jobs with citizens. The jobs that they perform are in competition with those done by economically deprived citizens. The debate is usually between people in the low and high end income brackets in the US with those on the high end supporting illegal immigrants since they are more hardworking and require less pay. There was a shift in focus after 9/11 that made people more wary of the unsecured border with Mexico that may be a route for influx of criminals. However, this was an overreaction as not all immigrants are criminals. The events of 2006 in France made governments around the world more aware of the problems that might arise from having a large immigrant population that is impoverished.
There is uproar in the US due to the fact that the president is willing to change immigration laws to grant illegal immigrants legal status. However, the problem is that no executive action can be taken without consultation with congress. While some people, especially on the republican side feel that illegal immigrants are a burden, there is the question of ethics. One of the most fundamental factors that the police division in Gainesville should consider is that ultimately, immigration involves human beings. Thus, they should be treated in the most humane way. This does not however mean that they should be granted legal status against the rules and laws. The important thing to consider is that the lack of security is a threat to all other laws, rules and rights. The mandate of any police division is to ensure that the citizenry is well protected. This entails having the relevant information at all times in order to curb any planned and intentional action against innocent civilians.
Allowing illegal immigrants to be a source of information is not easy. This is because the citizens living around them will demand contrary action. Thus, there will be action against the police department from the legal residents of Gainesville. While this is to be expected, it is prudent to consider that any acts of insecurity will be blamed on the police department. Therefore, the police must be able to defend their actions to the public. This is no mean feat as disregarding the illegal status of illegal immigrants is tantamount to a circumvention of the law. The social impact of having illegal immigrants is minimal as the population of Gainesville is already cosmopolitan. Therefore, there is expected to be little change in any actions that the police take towards illegal immigrants since there is no way of telling the difference between legal and illegal immigrants at face value. The contrary option of demanding to see the papers of any suspected person would amount to profiling which is against the laws and ethics.
The movement of people from one place to another often results in the exchange of cultures and consequently acculturation. Gainesville is already a cosmopolitan city. The geographic dynamics of the city places it in close proximity to Mexico where most illegal immigrants originate. Thus, the cultural influence that is already prevalent in the city is of mixed origin. The population that is not Mexican will nonetheless experience a degree of influence from having illegal immigrants. One of the most fundamental aspects about culture is language. Most illegal immigrants do not speak English and hence would require effort on the part of the US citizens in communicating with them. Most illegal immigrants are employed below the minimum wage and thus are in odd jobs and those for the low in society. They include house helps and gardeners. These people rarely speak any English and thus require the citizens to learn a bit of their indigenous languages, in most cases Spanish, or the immigrants themselves learn English. The circumstances thus create a conducive environment for exchange of cultures. This is assuming that allowing illegal immigrants to stay and be a source of information for security reasons amounts to granting them legal status.
Back in 2010, the state of Arizona passed a law that required police to check the immigration status of suspected illegal aliens. The law criminalized being in the state without the necessary documentation. This law was met with numerous protests and marches around the US. These protests, organised in May, were aimed at voicing the disapproval of having draconian laws that were unfair to some people. The major source of the problem was that civilians were being victimized just for being suspected of having no legal status. The process of checking legal status would have been unfair to certain races that were suspected of not being natives. These included mostly Mexicans and blacks. This law allowed for racist acts and unfair treatment of some individuals. It exposed the need for serious reforms to the immigration sector in the US.
The immigration crisis in the US has led to initiatives by different states to try and alleviate the situation as the federal government continues to drag its feet with passing legislation that will allow for humane treatment of suspected illegal aliens in the country. Most of the opinions from different quotas argue anywhere from deporting illegal immigrants to allowing them to acquire American citizenship. One thing that is not in doubt is that regardless of the statuses of suspected illegal immigrants, there must be humane ways of treating them. This entails allowing them to have access to basic facilities and services including health, security and education. The action of the Gainesville police department to allow illegal immigrants to phone in and share information or make enquiries can be construed as allowing access to basic services. It ensures that the people are treated in a humane manner and that there genuine concerns are addressed.
The alternative action would be for the police to deny illegal immigrants access to state security. This apart from denying the police access to important information can lead to the proliferation of crime. Human beings have an inherent need of being in a community and having an identity. Thus, denying illegal immigrants’ access to the police can be construed as denying them access to the community in Gainesville. This would be counterproductive to the economy of the city as well as to the reduction in crime. The most important thing to consider is that not all illegal aliens are predisposed to commission of crime and that most of them contribute positively to the communities they live in since they do lowly jobs that many Americans prefer not to.
Illegal immigrants are a problem in many societies around the world. They have to be understood and legislated from numerous perspectives. The city of Gainesville is not alone in regards to looking for ways to deal with them. While the city is mandated to look out for the safety and security of its entire population, it must nonetheless prioritize. The integrity of the whole city can only be maintained by ensuring that no people residing within its borders are marginalized. The police division must realize that it thrives on sharing of information with the population. Therefore, it must, in principle, safeguard the opinions, information and rights of these people. This entails giving the illegal immigrants the freedom to report crime and access police services in anticipation of when the state of Florida or the entire country of the US passes legislation to comprehensively deal with the problem of illegal immigration.
References
Archibold, R.C. (2010, June 20). In Border Violence, Perception if Greater Than Crime Statistics. The New York Times, A16.
Buchannan, P. (2006). State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion Conquest of American. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Cafferty, J. (2007). The Frauds, Bunglers, Liars, and Losers Who Are Hurting America: It’s Getting Ugly Out There. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Camarota, S. A. & Vaughan, J. (2009). Immigration and Crime: Assessing a Conflicted Issue. Center for Immigration Studies. Retrieved Dec 22, 2014 from http://www.cis.org
Hoefer, M., Rytina, N., & Baker, B.C. (2012). Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States: January 2011. Office of Immigration Statistics Policy Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Retrieved Dec 22, 2014 from http://www.dhs.gov/elibrary/assets/statistics/publications/ill_pe_2011.pdf
Ousey, G. C., & Kubrin, C. E. (2009). Exploring the Connection between Immigration and Violent Crime Rates in the U.S. Cities, 1980-2000. Social Problems, 56 (3), 447-473.
Rumbaut, R.G., & Ewing, W. (2007). The Myth of Immigrant Criminality and the Paradox of Assimilation: Incarceration Rates Among Native and Foreign-born Men.Washington, DC: Immigration Policy Center
PART 2
Leadership starts out with a common task that needs completion. The person responsible for the completion of the task enlists the help of others in a process of social influence referred to as leadership. To many people, a leader is the person being followed and whose influence others take to heart. The process of leadership requires an individual to lead others towards the achievement of a common purpose.
Often, people fall prey to labeling titles and other individuals. In many cases, leaders are praised whereas managers and followers are disparaged. However, the simple truth is that people that ascribe to these titles are all important to an organization. The manager has traditionally been associated with functions of administration, directing, organizing, budgeting, staffing, controlling and planning (Judge, & Piccolo, 2004). He/she is an individual charged with looking at tasks and objectives. Managers are those individuals that use head skills including financing and daily operations of an organization. They are concerned about an organization’s bottom line, stability, efficiency and other short term objectives. They are about solving problems that occur in an organization and tactical issues. They make sure that they keep emotional distance from people and use their authority and power to direct subordinates into complying with their demands. The main concern for managers is asking the how and when questions. There is a major bone of contention in the way that people interchangeably refer to managers and leaders. There are fundamental differences between the two groups of individuals and their skills and expertise are required in equal measure for organizations to function properly.
Traditionally, leaders are charged with the functions of synthesizing, aligning, innovating, inspiring and reducing organizational boundaries. They are those people that are charged with ensuring that there are changes within an organization and the management of people. Rather than using head skills like managers, they use heart skills and are concerned with compassion, empathy, courage, character and emotional intelligence. They focus on the opportunities that may arise for a business and the possibilities available in the long term. Strategic issues, listening to other people, connecting and asking questions are also central to being an effective leader. Leaders desire for the personal and professional growth of those they lead and serve and are concerned more about asking what and why questions.
On the other hand, followers are the essential people in an organization that perform the line tasks. Engaged followers are more useful to the achievement of organizational goals than passive followers. Passive followers are characterized by being disloyal and less connected, engaged and committed to an organization. They simply follow the directions they are given and on occasion deliver the results expected of them. Passive followers prefer to work independently, are compliant, reactive and rely on their own wisdom, skills and competencies. They are mostly characterized by saying that tasks outside their job description are not theirs. Therefore, organizations much prefer having engaged followers that are loyal, engaged, committed and connected. While they take directions like passive followers, they add their own initiative. They take responsibility for the expected results and are accountable for the tasks they undertake. Good followers are those that collaborate with their managers, leaders and fellow followers. They do not react to situations but are proactive, diligent, thorough and professional in their undertakings. Rather than complain about tasks that are not in their job descriptions, they argue that their organizations are much better with their inputs where needed.
Most bureaucratic organizations have the distinct roles of managers, leaders and followers. However, more organic organizations that are keen on taking the numerous opportunities in the business environment do not have clear distinctions as their roles overlap. Modern organizations like IBM and Cisco do not follow traditional hierarchies as they understand that every individual is important to an organization. The ideal situation is for an individual to espouse all three roles of leadership, management and followership. Every role has its strengths and weaknesses and an organization benefits by having individuals that can grow into either role. Leadership is important as it is concerned with the future outlook. Management is equally important as it is concerned with short term achievements. Followership is indispensable to an organization since it allows for learning and growth.
There are many theories that deal with leadership. One of the theories is the great leader theory. This theory has its genesis in history where people believe that the greatest achievements of human beings have been as a result of great individuals more commonly referred to as heroes. These are highly influential people that had great impacts on others and history. They are those that rely on charisma, wisdom and their own personal intelligence (Hirsch, 2002). Many of the traditional great leaders used their political power in a decisive manner that had historical impacts. The great leader theory is important as it allows for individuals to use their skills and influences to impact others. However, its main weakness lies in the fact that great leaders are in themselves a result of the societies they grow up in. nowadays, collaboration is more important to the society that individual skills.
The great leader theory attempts to underline the importance of individual charisma and intelligence. It states that people that have the natural skills to lead and influence society can be important in the general outlook of a company or other form of organization (James, 2005). Public policy can benefit from such people as they would dilute bureaucracy in the public sector and get things done more promptly and effectively. The most developed societies, albeit having good social structures, can trace their successes to key individuals in their histories. Great leaders include Abraham Lincoln that emancipated the blacks from slavery (Friedman, & Langbert, 2000), Mahatma Gandhi, an immortalized leader in India and Nelson Mandela. These leaders ensured that their societies became better and were credited with the development and growth of those societies. There are many great leaders in the world today. These people have the natural skills to influence and change others. Most of these leaders are found in political spheres. However, leaders in private business that make noticeable impacts in the world are also recognized for their greatness. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are some of the most noticeable leaders in recent times. They defined the organizations that they were associated with and created trends emulated by others. A great leader is that individual that influences others or events in a manner that is memorable.
Another theory of leadership is that of servant leadership. The concept of servant leadership has existed for many years. Most prominent however is the mention of the philosophy by Lao-Tzu, a Chinese philosopher in the Tao Te Ching between 570 BCE and 490 BCE (Wu, 2006). The greatest definition of a servant leader is the leader whose existence followers are barely aware of. Many ancient writers believed that the king, the leader in many traditional societies, considered good things as those that pleased his subjects rather than his own self. This benchmark of a good leader is founded on the concept of servant leadership. The leader in today’s society enjoys many trappings of power at the behest of followers and subjects. However, in democracies the leader must always be consciously aware that he/she is a privileged servant. The concept of servant leadership is also prominent in religious texts. The Gospel of Mark has a text that has Jesus communicating to his followers. He said that he, unlike the lords of the gentiles, was not a ruler but a servant of the people. He cautioned his disciples that if they wanted to lead people, they must first of all agree to be their servants. The greatest act according to Jesus that indicated his nature as a servant was his death for the sake of all mankind. The concept has also been embraced in other religions including Islam that considers the leader of a people as their servant.
Servant leadership can be associated with participative leadership. All other popular forms of leadership including autocratic and laissez-faire do not fully capture the concept of being a servant. A servant leader is guided by the principles of supporting, enabling and encouraging subordinates to realize their full abilities and potential (Hersey, & Blanchard, 1977). The leader encourages his followers to be active in the decision making process. Employee performance and satisfaction is maximized where leaders act as servants.
The concept of servant leadership goes beyond behaviours that are employee related. It is one that calls for a major paradigm shift in the relationship between the leader and his/her subordinates. The major point of focus is not on the leader and his/her actions but rather on the outcomes that are evidence in the way that his/her subordinates work. The overall results of an organization and the direction it takes are what evidence servant leadership.
Servant leadership is an important concept in influencing public policy. This is because public policy in itself is based on the ideas and wishes of the majority. For a leader to be effective, he/she must first be able to connect with the needs of those at the grassroot level. The best way of knowing what the needs of the people are is by experiencing them firsthand. Thus, the most effective leader is that person that can connect on a fundamental level with those at the end of a pyramid. Public policies mostly concern themselves with fulfillment of the most basic needs that individuals have. However complex the needs of individuals are, they can best be fulfilled by experiencing them. Servant leadership thus enables people in position of influence and power to be in touch with the needs of their constituents whether they are customers, subordinates or the general population.
Transformational leadership is credited with helping many organizations adopt the new global market trends. In the current society, organizations that have the desire to grow must have transformational leaders. This type of leadership is characterized by energy, passion and enthusiasm. Leaders that aspire to be transformational must have a genuine concern of the wellbeing and development of their subordinates. Transformational leadership is primarily about stimulating the intellect of others (Gupta, 2004). Thus, rather than maintain the status quo, leaders in this category prefer challenging it and creating an environment in which creativity can thrive. Followers are driven towards a direction within which they can explore new ways of doing tasks and learning.
Another characteristic of transformational leadership is individualized consideration (Joyce, & Judge, 2004). Followers are offered support and encouragement so that they can realize their full potential. The most important aspect of this leadership style is having an open door policy that allows leaders to listen to the problems of their followers and take a genuine interest in them. The advantage of having such a policy is that leaders get new insights on different problems and plausible solutions. By taking an interest in followers, ideas are shared and the organization benefits from it.
Transformational leadership calls for inspirational motivation. Leaders ascribing to this style must be able to articulate a clear vision for their followers to follow. There must be an additional effort to not only enable followers to perform to the best of their abilities but also to motivate them towards achievement of personal and organizational goals. Leaders must have an idealized influence on their followers. This is because the leader also doubles up as a role model for his/her followers. The process of emulating a leader and internalizing his/her ideals must start by the followers being able to respect and trust that leader.
Transformational leadership is a very important style. Globalization has opened markets and has eliminated national boundaries that were prohibitive for the performance of business. States are now run as companies as competition for resources stiffens. Leaders that can articulate a shared vision for all individuals in a society or group are important. The developing nations are working hard to ensure that they catch up with developed nations. On the other hand, developed nations are expanding their influence so that they can move their goods and services and grow their societies further. Both groups of countries require transformational leaders to move them forward. The most important point to consider is that the input of all stakeholders must be considered. The leader who occupies a position of power or influence must be able to communicate a common sense of direction for all people. Transformational leadership must be considered in its entirety. The leader must have a genuine concern for his/her followers, must challenge the status quo and must have enthusiasm. Additionally, the leader must ensure that he/she communicates the enthusiasm he/she has to followers. The major strength of transformational leadership is that every person’s perspective gets to be considered. Since people are the most important resource to a society or organization, an abundance of different viewpoints gives an avenue for affecting real changes. The weakness however is that transformational leadership can be slow in effecting change due to the fact that many viewpoints have to be considered. In some instance, giving followers much leverage can be counterproductive as they may take advantage of the space they are given.
Situational leadership is another popular theory. The theory’s main point is that there is no universally best style of leadership. Depending on the task at hand and the objectives that require to be met, a leader can tweak his style accordingly (Blanchard, Zigarmi, & Zigarmi, 1985). Thus, success in leadership can be guaranteed by adaptation to prevalent conditions. A leader must be mature. This means that he/she must not only set high standards but must also take responsibility for meeting them. The leader must have the necessary educational and professional competencies in order to fulfill his/her duties and responsibilities. Maturity also reflects a leader’s ability to influence those around him/her to perform their tasks to the best of their abilities. Situational leadership demands that the leader vary his/her approach to different tasks depending on the circumstances and in consideration of all factors. The most important factors to consider are the maturity of the followers and details of the task at hand. Thus, situational leadership requires leaders at any one time to put more or less emphasis on tasks and more or less emphasis on their relationships with followers. The determinant of the choice to take must be the successful completion of a task.
The developers of the situational leadership theory argue that there are four styles of leadership. The first is telling where leaders tell their followers what they are expected to do and how they are expected to do it (Scouller, 2011). The second style is selling where the leader is expected to provide requisite information and direction for followers. In this style, there is more communication between the leader and the followers. The concept is that the leader must sell his/her concepts to followers and they in turn must buy into these ideals. The third style is participating where the leader focuses more on the relationship between him/her and the followers than on directing them. There is a sense of sharing responsibilities and decision making between the leader and his/her followers. The fourth style is delegating where the leader passes most of his/her responsibilities onto followers. The leader is less involved in the decision making process but still takes a keen interest on progress. The first and second styles are more concerned with completion of tasks whereas the latter two are concerned with increasing the capacity of followers.
Situational leadership theory has been improved by its developers and is described by use of the terms commitment and competence. The former espouses motivation and confidence while the latter entails knowledge, ability and skills. These terms are used to describe the different levels of development within the situational leadership model. The evolution of the theory views development as a stepped process. Individuals that are starting out on a new job approach it with little competence, knowledge, skills and abilities, which is compensated by presence of high enthusiasm, commitment and motivation. Development is thus the process through which people move from being rookies to being professionals in their jobs. The role of the leader is to check the level where a person is and apply the right leadership skills. This means that the leader can change his/her style depending on the perceived level of follower development.
The belief in the evolved situational leadership theory is that new task approach is characterized by low competence in terms of transferable skills but the need and energy to learn. The progression of an individual to a higher job level is determined by the experience he/she acquires and the ability of the leader to support him/her in the different levels. As the individual progresses, he/she has gained some competence but has dropped some commitment to the task due to complexity of tasks to levels higher than previously anticipated. The third level of development is characterized by a variation in competence. This fluctuates between moderate and high knowledge, transferable skills and abilities. The commitment level varies too as the individual has gained some task and role mastery. The fourth level of development is characterized by high competence and commitment.
The application of either style is dependent on the maturity of followers. Maturity is also broken down into four levels. The first level entails people at the bottom end of the maturity spectrum since they lack the skills, knowledge and confidence to function on their own. This group thus needs to be pushed for tasks to be completed. The second level entails people that are willing to work on different tasks but lack the skills and knowledge to perform them. The third level entails people that are willing and ready to help with tasks and have more skills than those in the previous level. The distinguishing factor is that this group is characterized by people with low confidence on their abilities for task completion. The last level contains people that can work on their own. These people have the skills and knowledge required and additionally have the required confidence for task completion. Thus, they are more committed.
Situational leadership is important in the formulation of public policy as it allows for leaders to change tact depending on the competencies and skills of their followers. This strength allows for different levels of progress depending on the people being led. Thus, organizations and societies develop at constant pace regardless of the people being led. The weakness however is that the style does not consider mixed groups of people with varying levels of competence and skills. The theory also assumes that all people in leadership positions have the capacity to tweak their approaches at different turns which is too simplistic. The determination of the competence levels of employees is not a one-time approach and requires collection and collation of relevant data which is a long process that might make the change from one style to another redundant if factors change before determination of maturity is completed.
References
Blanchard, K.H., Zigarmi, P., & Zigarmi. D. (1985). Leadership and the One Minute Manager: Increasing Effectiveness through Situational Leadership. New York: Morrow
Friedman, H.H., & Langbert, M. (2000).Abraham as a Transformational Leader. Journal of Leadership Studies, 7(2), 88-95
Gupta, V. (2004). Impact of Socialization on Transformational Leadership: Role of Leader Member Exchange. South Asian Journal of Management.
Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. (1977). Management of Organizational Behavior: Utilizing Human Resources (3rd ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall
Hirsch, E.D. (2002). The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy (Third Edition). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company
James, W. (2005). Great Men and Their Environment. Kila, MT: Kessinger Publishing
Joyce, E., & Judge, T.A. (2004). Personality and Transformational and Transactional Leadership: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 901-910.
Judge, T.A., & Piccolo, R.F. (2004). Transformational and Transactional Leadership: A Meta-Analytic Test of Their Relative Validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755-68.
Scouller, J. (2011). The Three Levels of Leadership: How to Develop Your Leadership Presence, Knowhow and Skill. Cirencester: Management Books
Wu, J.H.C. (2006). Lao Tzu, Tao Teh Ching (translation). Boston, Massachusetts: Shambhala
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
1)Discuss ways in which your experiences and differing perspectives can help you understand what you have read, and in turn, how your readings can help you expand your thinking about HR roles and responsibilities within an organization.
2)Exploring similarities and differences in your perspectives on the role of an HR leader within an organisation.
3)Sharing alternative perspectives on the notion of the HR leader as a strategic business partner and ‘strategy architect’, using examples from organisations you know well when appropriate.
4)Proposing ways in which traditional aspects of the HR function, such as recruitment, selection, succession planning, performance management, reward management, talent development, and discipline, might be impacted by a shift toward a more strategic role.
5)Asking insightful questions about the experiences of your colleagues and about their interpretations of ideas from the Learning Resources.
6)Extending the discussion into new but relevant areas
The following conditions must meet in the essay:
1) I want a typical and a quality answer which should have about 850 words.
2) The answer must raise appropriate critical questions.
3) The answer must include examples from experience or the web with references from relevant examples from real companies.
4) Do include all your references, as per the Harvard Referencing System,
5) Please don’t use Wikipedia web site.
6) I need examples from peer reviewed articles or researches.
Appreciate each single moment you spend in writing my paper
Best regards
SAMPLE ANSWER
People management is an integral role within any organization or business entity. The process, undertaken by the human resource department is responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. Owing to the crucial role played by the human resource department, the section has a greater impact in modern day business running processes, as contrasted with the traditional position (SHRM 2008, p. 4). Traditionally, the department performed the basic roles of staffing within the organization, where its major roles involved, sourcing, conducting interviews, recruiting, and orientation.
In the recent days, there has been a raging debate on the role of the human resource department in an organization. Some pundits have been insistent on the traditional roles of staffing the organization. On the other hand, some quarters are of the view that the roles of the human resource personnel be revised to be in tandem with the modern day business world. Hard times and the global economic meltdown have led to the collapse of some businesses. Coupled with stiff competition, it has become increasingly hard for businesses to meet their profitability margins. In a move that saw many firms right size and retrench their personnel, the human resource department remained critical in the entire process. As a result, strategic planning and policy implementation became the role of the human resource department.
In the modern times, the human resource department is responsible for strategic management with an organization. Aside from providing the organization with labor, the human resource department is critical to the success of the organization. Business strategists have discovered that the key process in achieving success lies not in the dissemination of ideas, rather, in their implementation (Dave Wayne & Dani, 2009, p. 25). Once the managers and other top personnel lay policies for company growth, their role remains mere overseeing. The bulk of the work in getting the employees to actualize the policies on paper is the role of the human resource department. This important role played by the department in achieving corporate success has made business strategists to rethink the roles of the human resource department (Dave, Wayne & Dani 2009, p. 24). The human resource department no longer takes a secondary position but is involved directly in the management of the organization or business entity.
Strategic decision-making involves using available data to predict future trends or works towards premeditated goals. A high impact human resource department plans effectively, the execution and implementation of an organization’s business ideas (Stacey 2011, p. 3). The human resource department has to observe the prevailing trends in the business word and orient its operations effectively. In fact, the department has overtaken some functions previously executed by the marketing department. Market search and customer feedback analysis are no longer the reserve of the marketing department. The modern human resource personnel even conduct monitoring and evaluation. In the former days, there was a distinct department that did monitoring and evaluation. However, the department‘s roles integrated with those of the human resource department.
The evolving roles of the human resource department have a huge impact on the traditional roles of recruiting, selection, succession planning, performance management, reward management, talent management, and discipline (SHRM 2008, p. 6). Businesses no longer look for persons who can fit the prescribed profile but whose knowledge and expertise will influence the business positively. This new development requires a high impact human resource department to handle (Stacey 2011, p. 5). It will be easier to attain the premeditated goals as the same department is involved in outsourcing and recruiting. The human resource department will be more dynamic and robust, leading to better performance of the business entity.
A number of companies have adopted the new strategy in human resource management to their advantage. By tapping into the strategic roles, the businesses are able to overcome market barriers and position themselves competitively in the market (Stacey 2011, p.8). Most technological and marketing companies utilize this role to evaluate the impact of their products on the market. As a result, the businesses are able to get valuable feedback that enables them to improve on their products or adopt better approaches to customer service. For instance, Facebook Incorporated, social media company uses strategic management to explore new markets and test new products. For instance, the acquisition of Whatsapp, a social utility application, was borne out of a strategic management decision arrived at by the human resource department. In the meeting, the company resolved that because of the increasing communication virility amongst the youths and middle aged, the company should look for a medium that allows the process ‘on the go’. The purchase of the application has brought the company much profit. Other companies include the technological giant Apple Incorporated. Apple Incorporated uses strategic management to tap into new markets and expand its outreach.
Overly, the evolving concepts on human resource management have introduced dynamism into organizations. As contrasted with the traditional docile roles, the modern functions are crucial to the existence of the businesses (SHRM 2008, p.3). it is about time these roles were more diversified.
List of References
Dave, U., Wayne B. & Dani J 2009, The Role of Strategy Architect in the Strategic HR Organization. People & Strategy. Vol. 32, Issue 1.
Stacey, H 2011. The Top Best Practices for the High-Impact HR Organization. Bersin & Associates. Available at: www.bersin.com
Survey for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2008, HR’s Evolving Role in Organizations and its Impact on Business Strategy. SHRM Research.
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
Note: The companies mentioned herein are merely hypothetical organizations with characteristics developed to enable students to respond to the assignment. You may create and / or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.
In this assignment, you, in the role of a risk manager at Simply Green Products, will draft a document that is commonly used in the business world—a memorandum to your boss.
Simply Green Products is a $10 million company that produces biodegradable packing materials that orchards use in the Shenandoah Valley to transport their apples, peaches, and pears nationwide. Biodegradable materials are more eco-friendly because they break down into the environment. Such packing materials are marketed under the name “SafePack,” which is heavily advertised in trade journals. Simply Green Products have had the name “SafePack” imprinted on all of their packing material since 2008; however, they never filed for either state or federal trademark protection. With the movement toward more eco-friendly agricultural production, the fact that such packing materials are biodegradable provides a primary marketing advantage over non-biodegradable competitors.
The company president, Shep Howard, has recently become aware of several issues that may require referral to the company’s outside counsel. Because you serve as the company’s risk manager, Howard has asked you to leverage your legal and managerial skills to draft a memorandum that addresses one (1) of the two (2) situations described below:
• An environmental group is asserting that SafePack materials are not biodegradable. In fact, the group claims that these materials are causing an environmental hazard that is seeping from a local landfill into a nearby stream. An environmental group, SafePack Materials Pollute, has sprung up and launched an Internet campaign geared toward compelling fruit producers to stop purchasing your packing materials. The situation at hand raises environmental issues that relate to the Clean Water Act and the Solid Waste Disposal Act.
• A company called Safe Choices, Inc. has accused Simply Green Products of trademark infringement, and has sent a cease and desist letter to President Howard, demanding that Simply Green Products stop using the name “SafePack”. The letter asserts that a) Safe Choices uses the SafePack name to market an emergency weather kit in the form of a backpack; and that b) Safe Choices had received a federal registration for the mark from the Patent and Trademark Office in 2002. This backpack is sold both online at safepack.com and in sporting goods stores nationwide. The letter goes on to suggest that Simply Green Product’s use of this name “constitutes a false designation of origin which is likely to confuse customers as to the source of the goods”. The intellectual property issue at hand involves the Lanham Act.
For one (1) of the two (2) situations set out above, write a three to four (3-4) page memorandum to President Howard. Ensure that you address each of the questions below within your memo so that President Howard may assess whether or not Simply Green Products needs to hire outside counsel to address the matter at hand.
1. Discuss the elements that must be present in order for one to prove a valid claim under the law(s) specified (i.e., the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or the Lanham Act).
2. Determine whether or not the activity of Simply Green Products amounts to a violation of the applicable law (i.e., the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or the Lanham Act).
• If you chose the environmental issue, determine whether or not seepage from your products into a stream would violate the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or both. Explain your Rationale.
• If you chose the intellectual property matter, determine whether or not continued use of the SafePack name by your company would violate the Lanham Act. Explain your rationale.
3. Decide whether or not President Howard should refer this chosen matter to the company’s outside counsel. Provide a rationale for your decision.
4. Use at least three (3) high-quality academic references. As the cases discussed within the assignment are hypothetical, you will not find any solutions to them on the Internet.
Further, note that Wikipedia, blogs, and such Websites as Free Dictionary do not qualify as academic resources, whereas your textbook does. Use the Strayer Learning Resource Center (LRC) to locate high-quality academic references.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date.
• Draft this in the form of a letter that is typed, double-spaced, and uses Times New Roman font (size 12) with one-inch margins on all sides.
• Include your citations in the body of your letter and include your list of references at the end. All citations must follow the APA.
• Be sure to follow all additional instructions provided by your professor.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
• Describe the legal environment of business, the sources of American law, and the basis of authority for government to regulate business.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in business law.
• Write clearly and concisely about business law using proper writing mechanics.
Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric. Points: 240 Assignment 2: Using Your Manager Skills
Criteria Unacceptable
Below 60% F Meets Minimum Expectations
60-69% D Fair
70-79% C Proficient
80-89% B Exemplary
90-100% A
1. Discuss the elements that must be present in order for one to prove a valid claim under the law(s) specified (i.e., the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or the Lanham Act).
Weight: 25% Did not submit or incompletely discussed the elements that must be present in order for one to prove a valid claim under the law(s) specified. Insufficiently discussed the elements that must be present in order for one to prove a valid claim under the law(s) specified. Partially discussed the elements that must be present in order for one to prove a valid claim under the law(s) specified. Satisfactorily discussed the elements that must be present in order for one to prove a valid claim under the law(s) specified. Thoroughly discussed the elements that must be present in order for one to prove a valid claim under the law(s) specified.
2. Determine whether or not the activity of Simply Green Products amounts to a violation Did not submit or incompletely determined whether or not Insufficiently determined whether or not the activity of Partially determined whether or not the activity of Satisfactorily determined whether or not the activity of Thoroughly determined whether or not the activity of the applicable law (i.e., the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or the Lanham Act). If you chose the environmental issue, determine whether or not seepage from your products into a stream would violate the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or both. Explain your rationale. If you chose the intellectual property matter, determine whether or not continued use of the SafePack name by your company would violate the Lanham Act. Explain your rationale.
Weight: 25% the activity of Simply Green Products amounts to a violation of the applicable law. Did not submit or incompletely determined whether or not seepage from your products into a stream would violate the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or both if you chose the environmental issue. Did not submit or incompletely explained your rationale. Did not submit or incompletely determined whether or not continued use of the SafePack name by your company would violate the Lanham Act, if you chose the intellectual property matter. Did not submit or incompletely explained your rationale. Simply Green Products amounts to a violation of the applicable law. Insufficiently determined whether or not seepage from your products into a stream would violate the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or both, if you chose the environmental issue. Insufficiently explained your rationale. Insufficiently determined whether or not continued use of the SafePack name by your company would violate the Lanham Act, if you chose the intellectual property matter. Insufficiently explained your rationale. Simply Green Products amounts to a violation of the applicable law. Partially determined whether or not seepage from your products into a stream would violate the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or both, if you chose the environmental issue. Partially explained your rationale. Partially determined whether or not continued use of the SafePack name by your company would violate the Lanham Act, if you chose the intellectual property matter. Partially explained your rationale. Simply Green Products amounts to a violation of the applicable law. Satisfactorily determined whether or not seepage from your products into a stream would violate the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or both, if you chose the environmental issue. Satisfactorily explained your rationale. Satisfactorily determined whether or not continued use of the SafePack name by your company would violate the Lanham Act, if you chose the intellectual property matter. Satisfactorily explained your rationale. Simply Green Products amounts to a violation of the applicable law. Thoroughly determined whether or not seepage from your products into a stream would violate the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or both, if you chose the environmental issue. Thoroughly explained your rationale. Thoroughly determined whether or not continued use of the SafePack name by your company would violate the Lanham Act, if you chose the intellectual property matter. Thoroughly explained your rationale.
3. Decide whether or not President Howard should refer this chosen matter to the company’s outside counsel. Provide a rationale for your decision.
Weight: 25% Did not submit or incompletely decided whether or not President Howard should refer this chosen matter to the company’s outside counsel. Did not submit or incompletely provided a rationale for your rationale. Insufficiently decided whether or not President Howard should refer this chosen matter to the company’s outside counsel. Insufficiently provided a rationale for your rationale. Partially decided whether or not President Howard should refer this chosen matter to the company’s outside counsel. Partially provided a rationale for your rationale. Satisfactorily decided whether or not President Howard should refer this chosen matter to the company’s outside counsel. Satisfactorily provided a rationale for your rationale. Thoroughly decided whether or not President Howard should refer this chosen matter to the company’s outside counsel. Thoroughly provided a rationale for your rationale.
4. 3 references
Weight: 10%
No references provided Does not meet the required number of required Exceeds number of number of references; all references poor quality choices.
number of references; some references poor quality choices. references; all references high quality choices. required references; all references high quality choices.
5. Clarity, writing mechanics, and formatting requirements
Weight: 15% More than 8 errors present 7-8 errors present 5-6 errors present 3-4 errors present 0-2 errors present
SAMPLE ANSWER
To:
From:
Date:
Re: Trademarks Infringement and the Lanham Act
You asked me to look into the possibility of liability resulting from the claims of trademark infringement. The genesis of your inquiry was the cease and desist letter sent by Safe Choices to Simply Green Products to halt the use of the trademark SafePack. This action can be interpreted as intent by the company to pursue legal redress in claiming ownership to the trademark. While the company has a case since it has owned the trademark since 2002, the determination of infringement is not made simply on registration but by a combination of many other factors. The important thing to note is that Safe Choices has the burden of proving trademark infringement beyond doubt for damages to be awarded. Issues of trademark are governed under the Lanham Act.
The Lanham Act deals with trademarks in the US and prevents a number of malpractices including false advertising, trademark infringement and trademark dilution. The act prohibits goods which have infringed trademarks from being imported. The civil enforcement of the act awards damages and applies injunctions in order to restrict dilution of trademarks and use of false descriptions. The act gives the courts the mandate to determine whether there is a likelihood of confusion for use of a trademark or trade dress to constitute infringement.
The act specifically states that any term, word, name, device or symbol or combination of these or a false or misleading description of fact, designation of origin or representation of fact that is likely to lead to a mistake, cause confusion or to deceive connection, affiliation or association with another person, regarding the origin, approval, or sponsorship of goods, services or other commercial activities by another person is in contravention to it (Phelps, 1949). It extends to commercial advertising or promotion that is misrepresentation of qualities, characteristics, nature and geographic origin of the goods, services, or commercial activities.
The law states that people in contravention of the above specifics are liable for civil action. Safe Choices must however prove that the actions of Simply Green hurt its business or its customers and that the misleading or false statement was strictly in commerce and likely to cause harm.
The Lanham Act has had extraterritorial impact, a fact that has changed in recent times with circuit courts being given leeway to offer interpretations that may extend its scope (Robins, & Donahue, 2013). There are three parts of the original ruling by the Supreme Court of the US that are still basic to the law today. For infringement to be imputed, at least two of these factors must be met (Lemley, 1999). The first is our conduct as Simply Green, which must have a substantial effect in relation to commerce in the US. The second is that Safe Choices must be registered in the US and the third is that there must be an absence of conflict with foreign law in the dispute.
Simply Green Products has been using the name SafePack since 2008 without checking for its availability with the state or federal trademark protection. On one hand, the activities of our company have been limited to packaging of orchards in the Shenadoah valley and on the other our products are heavily advertised in trade journals. These two components on the case will likely break or make it. Given these facts, the discussion below will be centred on the facts of the case that can be argued and that will give credence to Simply Green’s defence.
The company can argue that the products it markets are completely different from those of Safe Choices Inc. This is because the markets that the two products target are entirely different. For Simply Green, the SafePack trademark designates products that are targeted at orchards that use them to transport apples, peaches and pears. The second tenet of the SafePack product from Simply Green is that it is basically packaging that is biodegradable. While it can be argued that both companies market packaging, the types and target markets of these packaging are entirely different. Safe Choices uses the name SafePack for its emergency weather kits in form of backpacks. These products are primarily for use by individuals in camps or other activities which is different from the biodegradable packaging that is not targeted at individuals but rather at orchards that are primarily companies.
Simply Green’s advertising and promotion avenues are trade journals. While such journals are of wide constitution, it can be argued that it targets those that major in agricultural activities. The Safepack trademark is thus associated with materials that are eco-friendly and breakdown organically and thus cause no pollution. On the other hand, the SafePack trademark from Safe Choices is primarily marketed online at safepack.com and in sporting goods stores in the country.
The Lanham act specifically states that the senior user, Safe Choices, which was the first business to adopt the use of the trademark, must prove the likelihood of confusion. There are three ways in which issues of likelihood of confusion arise. The first is through registration, the second through inter parties’ proceedings and the third through infringement litigation. The only way at the moment that infringement by Simply Green can be proven is through registration where the trademark belongs to Safe Choices. However, this does not constitute grounds for indictment as Safe Choices must prove that there was confusion for its customers. Simply applying the trademark is not grounds enough for infringement litigation.
The most common standard for proving infringement is through the similarity of goods provided under the trademarks. This is determined through gauging whether an ordinary prudent purchaser would likely to purchase one item while believing that he was purchasing the other. The use of the same trademark has been permitted in numerous cases before where the products are completely different. In this case, the determination of infringement will be pegged on whether a common consumer would confuse emergency kits for biodegradable packs.
The degree of care that the consumer exercises is also important in determining infringement. This is usually through the costs of goods being purchased. It is expected that the buyers who make expensive purchases are likely to be more discriminatory and thus less confused by similar trademarks. This is because these expensive items are bought less frequently meaning that the consumer exercises a lot of care to ensure that he/she gets exactly what is required. In essence therefore, the determination of whether there is a trademark infringement must be considered depending on where the goods are available. The SafePack from Safe Choices is available online as well as in sporting goods stores. SafePack from Simply Green is not likely to be found in the same locations as the company sells its products directly to its customers at the point of use. It is likely that the latter SafePack is sold in bulk while the former is sold in single units.
The matter of determining whether Simply Green has infringed on the trademark SafePack is a delicate one. However, the simple fact is that the Lanham Act explicitly indicates that the plaintiff has the burden of proof which is indicated by whether he/she has suffered economic or reputational injury stemming from a deception by the defendant in the course of advertising or other activities of commerce that causes him to lose trade from customers (Rothman, 2005). In this case, there is no proof whatsoever that SafePack from Safe Choices has suffered any injury as a result of the use of the trademark by Simply Green. The other facts are that the companies deal in dissimilar goods, target different customer segments and use different promotional avenues. These facts make the case for Simply Green.
This therefore does not necessitate the involvement of outside counsel as the matter can be amicably settled by the in-house counsel as it is not a complicated case of law with many facets but rather a straightforward claim. On the face of it, the only claim that Safe Choices has is that the trademark infringement is as a result of false designation of origin. While this is a valid claim for the infringement case, it is just a single facet that must be considered in light of all the other facts espoused in this memorandum.
Regards,
Cc:
Bcc:
References
Lemley, M.A. (1999). The Modern Lanham Act and the Death of Common Sense. Yale Law Journal, 108 (7), 1687–1715.
Phelps, D.M. (1949). Certification Marks under the Lanham Act. Journal of Marketing, 13 (4), 498–505.
Robins, L.R., & Donahue, K. (2013). Extraterritorial reach of the Lanham Act: a viable option. World Trademark Review, pp. 106–107.
Report for Management Foreign Currency Risk Order Instructions: Assignment 2: Report for Management-Foreign Currency Risk
XYZ, Inc. is a U.S.-based company in the process of acquiring a subsidiary in a country whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar.
Report for Management Foreign Currency Risk
Use the report template, located in the online course shell, to create a report for management that details the risks involved in operating a subsidiary in a functional currency with the U.S. dollar as the reporting currency. Note: You may create and /or make all the necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.
Write a four to five (4-5) page report in which you:
1. Specify the potential foreign subsidiary’s business operation, the functional currency used, and the type of intercompany transactions anticipated between the acquiring company and the potential subsidiary. Describe the two
(2) Major financial statement translation methods currently used in US GAAP (i.e. the current rate method and the temporal method). Determine the major procedural differences inherent in applying each method. Analyze the fundamental manner in which balance sheet exposure differs under the two (2) methods in question. 2.
Compare and contrast the effects on income that result from the use of both the current rate method and the temporal method to translate the cost of goods sold.
Determine the key inherent risks and discuss the related impact on the investors from the use of each method in question
.
3. Suggest one (1) strategy for determining and disclosing a translation adjustment when parent company management has translated the financial statements of a foreign subsidiary into its reporting currency. Determine the main steps that you would take in order to determine a translation adjustment, and indicate the places within the financial statements where you would report the amount of the translation adjustment in question
.
4. Recommend one (1) way by which to translate the subsidiary’s financial statements
. Include consideration of the foreign exchange risk within your recommendation. Provide a rationale for your response.
5. Use at least two (2) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.
The assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
• Be typed in the report template located in the online course shell. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
• Examine the similarities and differences between US GAAP and IFRS, and the related
requirements for accounting in the international marketplace.
•Analyze the accounting requirements for the translation of financial statements of foreign affiliates.
•Use technology and information resources to research issues in advanced accounting.
•Write clearly and concisely about advanced accounting using proper writing mechanics
Report for Management Foreign Currency Risk Sample Answer
Introduction
The differences in foreign exchange occur when transactions are recorded on an accrual basis and in foreign currencies. The problems in foreign exchange and the differences in currency fluctuations can be avoided by dealing in a single currency, fixing the rates of exchange to be applied and converting the currencies into local currencies when required.
Home park plc is a company that has its head office in New York, USA. Home Park plc is a multinational company that manufactures toys and dolls for children in the US and for its subsidiary in London, UK. All the transactions are converted into US dollars before being recorded in the company books of accounts. The subsidiary company sells the toys at ₤10 each while the manufacturing costs are estimated to cost ₤6 per unit. The conversion rate for the dollar to pounds is ₤1 = $1.6. (Ross, Westerfield & Jaffe, 2013)
The subsidiary company has a manufacturing department that manufactures the toys for sale in for the local market under license from the parent company in the US. All the profits are repatriated back to their mother company in the US. (Ross, Westerfield & Jaffe, 2013)
The financial year for the Home Park plc ends in November while the sales were made in October when the British pound was at the rate provided above. The current rate of the British pound to the dollar is ₤1 = $ 1.2, a difference of $4 dollars.
The records in October, 2014 indicated that the sales of 100 units amounted to in $ 1600 while the costs were $600 hence a profit of $1000 was recorded in the books of the subsidiary. The accounting system being accrual, the debtors were entered as $1600 being the accounts receivable in the balance sheet. However, at the end of the year, the British sterling pound was operating at the rates shown above i.e. ₤1 = $ 1.2. The debtor paid $1200 and the Home Park sales revenue dropped by 25% i.e. the revenues dropped by $400.
Under the Foreign Currency Translation of the Financial Accounting Statement No. 52 which sets forth and guides the right accounting treatment for the US GAAP.
The temporal method uses the effective rate of translation at the time of the transaction and different rates are applied for a different transaction. For example, the sales in October for the Home Park subsidiary in the UK will be recorded as follows:
Home Park Subsidiary
Income and Expenditure for the Month of Oct 2014
Oct-14
$
Sales
1600
Costs
960
Profits
640
Home Park Subsidiary
Balance Sheet Extract as at the end of Oct 2014
Oct-14
$
Current Assets
Accounts receivable
1600
At the end of December the following entries will be entered for the sales of 100 units:
Home Park Subsidiary
Income and Expenditure for the Month of Dec 2014
Dec-14
$
Sales
1200
Costs
720
Profits
480
Home Park Subsidiary
Balance Sheet Extract as at the end of Oct 2014
Dec-14
$
Current Assets
Accounts receivable
1200
Under the functional currency method, the current rate is applied and the assets and liabilities are translated at the rates that are prevailing as at the time of the translation. All the equity accounts are translated at the historical rates while the income and expenditure are translated at the weighted-average rate for the financial period.
The major strategy would be to check for adjustments for foreign exchanges in the income and expenditure accounts for the subsidiary company. The major steps would be first check the income and expenditure account and identify the contra entries that have been made to counter the effects of the fluctuations on foreign currencies. (Garrison, Noreen & Brewer, 2009)
The best way according to me would be to use the fixed rate of translation for a particular financial period. For instance, Home Park plc may decide to use the initial exchange rates of
₤1 = $1.6. The fix rate method would avoid the confusions that may arise because of different rates of exchange and also would simplify the accounting work. (Khan, 1993)
The similarities and differences of IFRS and US GAAP in the international marketplace;
The components of the financial statements two years of comparative data when filling reports and returns under the IFRS while the US GAAP requires three years of comparative data except for the balance sheet, the other financial statements are income and expenditure, cash flow, changes in equity, accounting policies and notes. The IFRS does not insists on a particular format for financial statements however US GAAP insists that the balance sheet has to be classified or non classified with a decreasing order of liquidity while the income and expenditure has to classify all the expenditure by function in a single or multiple step format. The extraordinary items are prohibited in IFRS while in US GAAP they are classified as rare and unusual items. Negative goodwill is also recorded as an extraordinary item under US GAAP. The IFRS cash flows may include bank overdrafts while the US GAAP excludes all overdrafts. In IFRS, items like correction of errors, changes in accounting policies and accounting estimates, presentation and disclosures of associates, acquisitions and mergers are all similar to US GAAP.
The following are the accounting requirements that relate to translation and treatment of financial statements for foreign subsidiaries or affiliates;
The policies that guide the accounting practice in the US and relating to the US GAAP are all included in the Financial Accounting Board (FASB) Accounting Standard Codification (ASC) on foreign currency issues topic 830 while the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) relating to foreign currency treatment and translation issues are contained in the IAS 21 and 29.
A number of differences and similarities between IFRS and US GAAP in respect to the accounting treatment of foreign currency translation matters. For instance, both GAAP and IFRS accounting standards require that all the income, expenses, assets and liabilities to be remeasured using the entity’s currency i.e. the functional currency that’s applicable in the host country’s economy before translating it to the reporting country. (Hilton, 2005)
The other differences between the US GAAP (ASC 830) and IFRS (IAS 21 and 29) is that in cases of hyperinflation all the financial statements have to be remeasured using the reporting country’s currency i.e. as if the currency was the functional currency. The IFRS insists on using only the functional currency even if there is hyperinflation.
To determine a country’s functional currency, the US GAAP considers several of indicators which are basically not set up while the IFRS has a hierarchy of indicators that lists all the secondary and primary indicators that are applied to determine the county’s functional currency.
To conclude, different countries have different approaches of dealing with foreign currencies however the US GAAP and the IFRS guide the accounting policies in the US and internationally respectively.
Report for Management Foreign Currency Risk References
Garrison, R., Noreen, W. & Brewer, P. (2009) Managerial Accounting, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. 65 -70
Hilton, R.W., (2005) Managerial Accounting: Creating Value in a Dynamic Business Environment. McGraw-Hill.
Khan, M. (1993) Theory & Problems in Financial Management, New York, NY: McGraw Hill
Ross, S. A., Westerfield, R. W., & Jaffe, J. (2013) Corporate finance (10th Ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. 175.
Auditing and Risk Strategic Management Order Instructions: Essay 1
Question: Describe 2 different strategies an organization might take and explain the pros and cons of that strategy.
Auditing and Risk Strategic Management
Your essay should provide examples to support your reasoning for each strategy.
Parameters: Each essay should be written using APA formatting, must have at least 2 external sources and a minimum length of 250 words for each essay. See the grading rubric for additional details.
Essay 2
Question: Explain why an organization should complete an external audit of the external forces on the organization. Your essay should provide examples to support your reasoning for why each part is important to the strategic plan.
Parameters: Each essay should be written using APA formatting, must have at least 2 external sources and a minimum length of 250 words for each essay. See the grading rubric for additional details.
Essay 3
Essay 3: Explain why an organization should complete an internal audit/assessment of the internal forces on the organization. Your essay should provide examples to support your reasoning for why each part is important to the strategic plan.
Parameters: Each essay question should be written using APA formatting, must have at least 2 external sources and a minimum length of 250 words for each essay. See the grading rubric for additional details.
Auditing and Risk Strategic Management Sample Answer
There are many strategies that an organization might take. Strategies are comprehensive general approaches that the organization views as necessary in the accomplishment of its mission and the achievement of the future that it prefers. Strategies might take the form of short-term focused organizational efforts or may be far reaching long-term initiatives. An organization normally reviews and considers a variety of widely utilized operational strategies in the determination of how to position itself in the market so as to function successively in the particular environment it will operate in. Two of these organizational strategies that will be discussed here are concentrated growth strategy and the vertical integration strategy (Hillman, Zardkoohi and L. Bierman 2009).
The concentrated growth strategy is one whereby the organization chooses to pay focus on and conduct an upgrade or increment of the market penetration of a limited amount of successful services and/or products that have been considered as the organization’s mainstays (Hillman, Zardkoohi and L. Bierman 2009).
On the other hand, integration involves the choice of consolidating major processes or systems mostly through acquisitions and mergers. Therefore, vertical integration is when the organization chooses to initiate an internal network of supply that places the organization to proximity with the providers or producers (backward integration) or initiate an internal system that places the organization to the proximity of the users (forward integration) (Kaplan and Norton 2010).
Some of the advantages of the concentration strategy include: the organization becomes very excellent at its business; the operational focus on a single market or industry is possible; there is competitive advantage growing with the market, and the current resources and capabilities are valuable. Some of the demerits include no diversification of risks in the market; it may be required that the organization creates capabilities and adds value; it might miss profit and value opportunities, and the industry is generally vulnerable to environmental and industry risks. For instance, the organization might experience reduced selling and purchasing costs but still face reduced flexibility due to the fact it’s locked to its technology and producers (Kaplan and Norton 2010).
Auditing and Risk Strategic Management References
Hillman, A., A. Zardkoohi, and L. Bierman. (2009) “Corporate Political Strategies and Firm Performance.” Strategic Management Journal, January, 67–82.
Kaplan, R.S., and D.P. Norton. (2010), The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy Into Action. Boston: The Harvard Business School Press.
Task Two
It is important that an organization completes an external audit of the external forces on the organization. The auditors will examine the organization’s operations and record to make sure of the accuracy of financial statements. External auditors play an important role in the establishment of the credibility of the organization’s business especially in the compliance with tax laws. The importance of external audit can be listed as ensuring compliance, providing credibility, critiquing the internal process, and double-check of internal audit (Selim, Georges and David 2008).
It is through an external audit that an organization can determine whether they are in compliance with the entire realm of internal revenue rules of service. For instance, the company behavior maybe non-compliant with the rules something that cannot be noted internally for fear of repercussions (Selim, Georges and David 2008).
Credibility is ensured if an external auditor makes an evaluation and affirms their accuracy. Consider a new business searching for a reputation in the first years of its operation, the company will need less biased personnel to approve their financial statements so as to achieve that much-needed credibility and reputation (Reider 2014).
The internal process of the organization can only be critiqued effectively by external auditors. For instance, the company may be wasting time and money in its operations something that cannot be noted from inside, but, external auditors can devise remedies to promote efficiency and reduce time wastage (Reider 2014).
Double checking internal audit may be crucial to be addressed from external perspectives since the internal auditors maybe too close to the organization. For instance, they might be lacking the needed experience and competency (Reider 2014).
Auditing and Risk Strategic Management References
Reider, Harry R. (2014). The Complete Guide to Operational Auditing. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc…
Selim, Georges M. and David McNamee (2008). Risk Management: Changing the Paradigm. Altamonte Springs, FL: The Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation.
Task three
Majority of large companies, government agencies, institutions, and state, local and federal governments have established functions for internal auditing there are several reasons why the internal audit is crucial in organizations as reviewed below.
It is only through an internal audit that reliability and integrity of operating information and financial records and a means to measure, identify, report and classify such information using an internal perspective can be done. For instance there might be, a restriction on what auditors should evaluate and report to the management, and hence the external auditors are not appropriate (Frigo et al 2013).
Secondly, internal auditors come in handy in the review of internal systems that are mainly established to make sure policy compliance to plans, policies, laws, procedures, contracts and regulations are achieved. For example, these mentioned internal systems could have a significant impact on the reports and operations, and determine whether the organization inhibits compliance (Fargason 2012).
External auditors cannot possibly be used to review the safeguarding means of assets, as required, and verify such assets’ existence; or conduct an economy appraisal and efficiency with the employment of resources. For instance, the type of audit may require that the auditors typically operate under an approved charter board that underlines their function, scope and objectives, (Fargason 2012).
Last and not the least, internal audit is crucial in the review of programs or operations to prove the consistency of results with the establishment of goals and objectives. The internal audit for example will serve to ascertain whether or not the procession of the programs follow the outline schedule (Fargason 2012).
Auditing and Risk Strategic Management References
Fargason, James Scott, (2012). Law and the Internal Auditing Profession. Alamonte Springs, FL: The Institute of Internal Auditors.
Frigo, Mark L., Krull, George W., and Stephen V.N. (2013). The Impact of Business Process Reengineering on Internal Auditing. The Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation.
Identify and assess the process of planning and managing change within an organization. What role should HR play in change management?
The following conditions must meet in the essay:
1) I want a typical and a quality answer which should have about 1400 words.
2) The answer must raise appropriate critical questions.
3) The answer must include examples from experience or the web with references from relevant examples from real companies.
4) Do include all your references, as per the Harvard Referencing System,
5) Please don’t use Wikipedia web site.
6) I need examples from peer reviewed articles or researches.
Appreciate each single moment you spend in writing my paper
Best regards
SAMPLE ANSWER
Change Management
Overview
The following exercise takes a critical look at various concepts associated with change management as well as the manner in which they are handled in the strategic management of organizations (Hannan and Freeman, 1984). Change is an crucial part of the daily administration of organizations. The style in which it is administrated has a profound bearing on the success or failure of the organization in meeting its key objectives. These include profit making, service delivery and the quality of its products among others.
Introduction
The term ‘organizational change’ refers to the all of the processes and procedures that come up when a business entity or similar organization experiences transformation. Transformation in this context may be widespread across the organization or highly localized. Organizational Change can be manifested rapidly, in volatility or with a lot of discontinuity. These types of change are manifested differently in different organized institutions and they therefore result in different challenges that require careful handling for the organization’s success. This necessitates the initiation of proactive strategies by the management of these organizations since this helps to steer clear of unmanageable problems. The alternative to strategically managing change is reacting to the impacts of the transformation and this tends to weigh heavily on the management as well as the organization.
With rapid change the transformation takes place within a relatively short period of time giving the members of the organization a small window of time to prepare and or adjust to these changes. Rapid change occurs frequently in an organization (Cunningham et al, 2002). Circumstances that can lead to this type of change management include a high rate of economic growth or alternatively a relatively quick rate of obsolescence for technology.
Volatile change on the other hand is associated with uncertainty in that it can either be a big change or a small one depending on highly subjective variables. Volatile change is mostly occasioned by external market forces but on rare occasions this can be the result of forces within the organization.
A critical question at this juncture is whether human resource managers are adequately equipped to handle the different forms of change that the organization may experience. This question arises from the different ways that change manifests itself in organizations.
Non- continuous organizational change is quite unpredictable in nature as it follows trends that are akin to fashion. There is no logical way of foretelling the direction the organization will take by analyzing past performances or records. The timing of such chances is also impossible to predict. Consumer preferences are a common contributor to this type of organizational change. The fact that they are unpredictable in nature means that it is challenging for the organization’s decision makers to know the appropriate amount of resources to allocate as they ensure the desired results are achieved.
This concept fits well within the Strategic Management Process
The above manifestations of organizational change are all dealt with through dynamic strategic management. The reason for this is the fact that they all represent a turbulent organizational environment which is characterized by the rapid, volatile and or discontinuous change. These categories of change will at times occur independently and in other instances they will take place in combination or succession. Despite the changes it is crucial for the management of the organization to see to it that the different objectives set for specific departments as well as the entire organization are realized. Through the application of strategic management the administrators of the organization are charged with ensuring that the work of the organization stays on course so as to ensure satisfaction for the different stakeholders. These stakeholders have different interests. The owners of the organization will demand profits. Customers on the other hand will require goods and or services to their specifications. The employees will need remuneration for their work. The government will require the organization to meet its legal obligations such as being licensed and meeting the set quality and safety standards. The local community on the other hand will anticipate the goodwill of the company through Community Social Responsibility. At times these demands change and it is the duty of the manager to ensure that they are met by the organization. Mere reaction to change is not sufficient and it is therefore necessary for decisions to be made based on reason and the consideration of several variables. This process is what constitutes strategic management and this therefore justifies the inclusion of the different types of organizational change concepts under it (Amburgey et al, 1990).
Models used to assess the roles, impacts and implications of rapid, volatile and non-continuous organizational change
Two models that can be used in the analysis of the above changes are ‘strategic cross functional management’ and the ‘Enterprise Strategy’.
Strategic cross functional management is a strategy that takes full advantage of the organization’s functional excellence. What this entails is the realization of the functional significance of the different components of the organization mainly the personnel and the departments (Levinthal and March, 1981). This means that their significance needs to be looked at with close attention being given to the manner in which they add value to the organization. When changes occur the members of the organization will be aware of how these changes will potentially affect them and this will enable them to adjust appropriately to ensure their functionality within the organization remains uncompromised unless it is being improved. The same applies to departments within the organization.
With enterprise strategy a given plan of action that has been decided upon is adapted to suit the needs of the organization as opposed to forcing the organization to align itself to the solution at hand. When this strategy is applied the changes that are taking place within the organization will be dealt with using solutions that have been tailored to the subjective needs of the organization. It proactive measures are to be implemented the most important factor to be analyzed will be how appropriate they are for the organization and not how well they will be put into action to counter the impacts of change.
The Responses of Human Resource Management Officers to discontinuous change
Chief Executive Officers of the various organizations that exist in today’ world economies need to respond to discontinuous change through the application of dynamic strategic management. The reason for this is that discontinuous change in nature is nearly impossible to predict. This means that the specific aspects of the organization’s processes that change will be different each time. As such it is impossible for the Human Resource Management Officer of such an organization to be rigid in his or her approach to discontinuous organizational change. Dynamic strategic management will enable this officer to effectively adapt his or her leadership to specific problem at hand (Kanter, 2003).
With this approach to leadership the Human Resource Management Officer will be able to effectively analyze the change that has arisen. The diligent analysis of the problem will lead to the formulation of logical approaches to specific problems. Having an in-depth understanding of the change the organization is undergoing or needs to undergo will empower the different organizational actors to make relevant changes instead of using a trial and error approach. A Human Resource Management Officer who embraces dynamic strategies will also be inclined to regularly monitor the performance of the organization in the wake of the changes taking place.
A critical question that arises from this however is whether critical the HRM will be capable of focusing on a stable work force while at the same time maintaining a focus on mitigating the destabilizing impact that organizational change always threatens to bring about.
Conclusion
From the above it is clear that the management in any organization needs to be careful in the way it handles change. The main reason for this is that change is unavoidable and it has the capacity to make the current operating environment troublesome. In such situations grave errors can be made by human resource personnel who are aiming to resolve the challenges albeit while having a minimal understanding of the problems associated with change. If the executive managers however take up dynamic management as part and parcel of their approach to organizational change, the organizations will improve from the inside out since these principles are applied at the root of the problem (Armenakis et al, 1993).
References
Amburgey, T. L., Kelly, D., & Barnett, W. P. (1990, August). Resetting the Clock: The Dynamics of Organizational Change and Failure. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 1990, No. 1, pp. 160-164). Academy of Management.
Armenakis, A. A., Harris, S. G., & Mossholder, K. W. (1993). Creating readiness for organizational change. Human relations, 46(6), 681-703.
Cunningham, C. E., Woodward, C. A., Shannon, H. S., MacIntosh, J., Lendrum, B., Rosenbloom, D., & Brown, J. (2002). Readiness for organizational change: A longitudinal study of workplace, psychological and behavioural correlates. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75(4), 377-392.
Hannan, M. T., & Freeman, J. (1984). Structural inertia and organizational change. American sociological review, 149-164.
Kanter, R. M. (2003). Challenge of organizational change: How companies experience it and leaders guide it. Simon and Schuster.
Identify and assess the process of planning and managing change within an organization. What role should HR play in change management?
The following conditions must meet in the essay:
1) I want a typical and a quality answer which should have about 830 words.
2) The answer must raise appropriate critical questions.
3) The answer must include examples from experience or the web with references from
relevant examples from real companies.
4) Do include all your references, as per the Harvard Referencing System,
5) Please don’t use Wikipedia web site.
6) I need examples from peer reviewed articles or researchs.
Appreciate each single moment you spend in writing my paper
Best regards
SAMPLE ANSWER
Planning and Managing Change
Change is imperative in any organizations and managers should understand the appropriate strategies to employ to institute change. People or stakeholders welcome change differently. Some may resist change while others adopt change easily. The significance of change plays tremendous role on the manner with which change is received. It therefore requires proper planning and management. This discussions, identifies and assess the process of planning and managing change within an entity. It also delineates on the roles of HR in change management.
Change involves moving from known to unknown and this may affect people worth, competencies and coping abilities. Many members in an entity may not support change unless they are convinced on the value of the change. This requires good planning in creating readiness and overcoming resistance. To create readiness, the change agents need to understand the reason for the change (Clardy, 2013). The change should have some benefits to the entity in short and in long run. In planning, appropriate strategies should be adopted. People should understand and see the need for changes. One of the strategies is to sensitize the organizations to pressurize the members to accept change. The other strategy is to identify the discrepancies between the current and the desired/expected sates and lastly is to convey credible and positive expectations for the change (Atkinson, 2014). People want to understand how the change will affect them. If they perceive that, the change is positive and of value, it then becomes easy to persuade them to accommodate the changes.
In organization, resistance to change comes from three areas including, political resistance, technical and cultural resistance. Cultural resistance takes the form of procedures and systems that promote status quo that promotes conformity of existing norms, values and assumptions. Political resistance arises when the changes in organization threatens powerful stakeholders while technical resistance emanates from procedures and consideration relating to costs. Change initiatives therefore, focuses on leadership, culture, process, strategic and quality (Elida-Tomita, 2010). The entity should therefore have understanding of the specific change initiative when planning for the change. In planning and managing changes, it is important to create a vision that provides a limelight of what the change is going to bring in future. The vision describes the purpose and core values that can hide the organization as it envisions its future on which change is directed. Vision encourages commitment as it creates a common goal and compelling rationale for why change is required and worth. Clardy (2013) identifies seven functional requisites for effective change management; increasing readiness for change in the entity, management approval, preparation of leaders, motivating employee for change, putting into operation change interventions, validation of change process and embedding change in the organization. If these are considered, success in change process is guaranteed.
Change as well requires enough support hence it becomes important to develop political support to institute the changes. Various political dynamics requires considerations when instituting this change and include carrying out assessment of the change agents’ power, identifying the key stakeholders that the change will affect and those that will implement the change (Geldenhuys & Veldsman, 2011). It is also essential to identify influencing stakeholders to use them to support the implementation of the changes.
Managing this transition is also very critical. Implementing changes involves movement of one state to another often-desired future state. At this stage, it is important to understand major activities involved in this transition that includes activity planning, commitment planning and change management structures. Activity planning entails making road map for change. Appropriate activities required to make the change happens are cited and integration of discrete change takes place. Commitment planning requires identification of key people that will help formulate strategy to gain support (Wilson, 2014). Changing management structures should be created to help in mobilizing and promoting change
Change requires to be sustained to ensure achievement of the goals and objectives. For this to occur, it requires provision of resources for change, building of support systems, development of new skills and competencies, reinforcement of new behaviors and staying on the course.
Human Resource plays a critical role in change management. Human resources are viewed as the facilitators, architect and designers of changes in an organization. They have a key role in participating in all programs that pertains to change (Wilson, 2014). They play a role of planning as well as implementing changes in an entity. They participate in the planning processes whereby they evaluate various viewpoints before deciding on the most important one. They strategically forecast initiatives and directions in an entity to help in the development of business strategy for the directions and initiatives (Wilson, 2014). HR as well determines the specific action points and elements that execute the actions to trigger the change. In change process, they also identify the performance targets for the various action points and establish appropriates communication plans for the process of changed.
HR as well acts as agents of change in an organization. As agents of change, they provide impetus suitable for conducting change at every level of an organization. They align the top management with the rest of employees, provide appropriate structured framework for change, identify and establish working change management processes and influence the process of change through communication (Christensen, 2014).
HR as well are expected to build positive relationship at the work place. They must provide solution to problems as they arise and manage any conflicts, resistance and risks through proper and coordinated effective communication. Various organizations have gone thorough change process and succeed by adopting to appropriate strategies in planning and management of the change processes. Examples of these organizations include, Pepsi, Apple. Inc., and many others.
In conclusion, change is inevitable in any entity. Change initiatives may include leadership, process, and cost, cultural or strategic change. This requires proper planning and management. HR plays a key role in change planning and management as they provide insights on the best way forward. Successful change process must as well consider all the stakeholders.
