Category: Samples

DEVELOPING ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY (ALDI)

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8^th, April, 2013

 

 

 

Introduction

The human resources management (HRM) of a company is a key determinant of the success of the company. Training and development is an important HR practice in companies. Most companies invest in this exercise, due to the proven myriad of benefits this bears. In order to sustain top position in the market, various companies emphasize continued training and development among employees (Brandes & Brandes 2012). It is appropriate for various companies to develop their distinct training and development programs, which they will adhere to, for achievement of their objectives, and sustenance of competitiveness in the market. An efficient training and development program for a company involves systematic steps and procedures before, during, and after the training process, which must be adhered to, in order to achieve the objectives of the training and development process (Hameed & Waheed 2011). Before undertaking training, a company ought to ensure that it creates a conducive environment for training and that it is able to sustain the training process. During training, it is important that the mind of the trainee is transformed in order to ensure utilization of training knowledge. On the other hand, after training, a company ought to ensure that the trainees have gained the necessary knowledge and skills. In addition, it is important to evaluate the training strategies and tools to ensure their effectiveness in future (Hameed & Waheed 2011). Overall, the HRM of a company must ensure effectiveness in is practice and strategies, to achieve company goals.

Analysis of the Training and Development Processes at Aldi

            Aldi is one of the companies that are committed to training and development of their employees. This company follows systematic process in training and developing its employees (Brandes & Brandes 2012). First, there is the identification of training needs for employees. Aldi conducts workforce planning, in order to determine the future labour needs of the company. In addition, the company bases on the analysis of its performance in key areas to determine the kind of training employees need in future. It is important for a company to identify its training             needs for it to remain competitive in the market (Hameed & Waheed 2011). This ensures that a company has the appropriate number of employees, with the relevant skills for their job. Workforce planning is also important as it helps in the identification of gaps in the skills of employees, and addressing them in order to achieve goals (Brandes & Brandes 2012).

Since Aldi plans to expand by opening more stores, it is important that the company perform an analysis of the skills that employees will need to have. In addition, the type of training to be undertaken by employees also will need to be decided.  This will help Aldi to sustain its competitiveness in the market, since the company will have employees with the right skills, thus minimal knowledge and skills gap. In addition, this will help the company fill any gaps created within its workforce due to promotions of some employees in the company (Brandes & Brandes 2012).

Aldi also ensures that it employs the right people by specifying the job requirements in their vacancy advertisements. Job descriptions for employees, which are well developed, serve as a tool for communication. These bear the responsibilities of the employee, the qualifications, and experience, as well as the relationships of the specified job with other job positions (Hameed & Waheed 2011). This therefore, helps to give the applicant a direction and determines to them whether they are relevant for the job or not. This also communicates the employer’s expectations of the potential employee. Nonetheless, this is important for both the company and the employees. For employees, it gives them directions about what is expected of them in the job. For the company, this ensures that the right candidates, with relevant skills are selected (Wagner & Hollenbeck 2009). Aldi has put this factor into consideration, and this might explain the success of the company.

After the interview and assessment process, Aldi performs an induction training for the new employees in order for them to adapt to its corporate culture. Such a training programme is important for employees and the company. This helps employees to be integrated into the new organizational culture. Failure to initiate new employees in the organizational culture might result in high employee turnover levels in the company, as the new employees will experience difficulties fitting in the culture of the company (Wagner & Hollenbeck 2009).

Aldi employs both on-the-job and off-the-job training for its employees, depending on the aspect of training. On-job training for employees is more advantageous to Aldi compared to off-job training. Employees on on-job training can still work while being trained. On the other hand, off-job training is performed away from the workplace; therefore, employees cannot work while training. Although off-job training offers the employees a more relaxed environment, it is more expensive, compared to on-job training, therefore, costing the company more expenses (Armstrong 2009). Additionally, Aldi uses its store managers to train new employees. This is cost-effective, as the company does not have to hire external trainers (Brandes & Brandes 2012).

Aldi has embraced apprenticeship as a way of developing its employees and making them learn. This helps in development of new skills in employees, for the benefit of the company. In addition, this results in a workforce that is loyal and motivated. New apprentices in Aldi are fresh college and university graduates. However, the apprenticeship program also applies to the core employees in the company, who are taught new skills. This serves as an incentive to the employees, as the company invests in their self-development, even by posting them to other company branches in different countries. This therefore, motivates employees and ensures they are satisfied with their job. In return, the company benefits through increased efficiency and productivity of employees (Brandes & Brandes 2012).

The employee development program employed by Aldi is most important. Even though employee development might turn out to be less beneficial to a company, Aldi has taken the risk of developing its employees through its intensive apprenticeship program. This is the most important, because, apart from developing the skills of employees, it is a source of motivation for employees. In a company, employees are the determinants of the success of a company. Motivation boosts the productivity of employees on the job, as well as the productivity of the company (Wagner & Hollenbeck 2009). Therefore, the apprenticeship program adopted by Aldi ensures employee job satisfaction and increased productivity. On the other hand, Aldi offers its employees promotions within the company, as a way of developing them. Promotions come with increased salary. This therefore, is an incentive for employees, which makes them motivated to perform to their best. Nonetheless, Aldi’s development program allows for employee motivation, which is the driver of company productivity (Hameed & Waheed 2011).

 Strategic Factors that will Influence the Training and Development Programmes of Aldi

Various training and development programmes in Aldi are highly influenced by different strategic factors in the company and outside the company. Therefore, each training and development programme in the company is designated to serve specific purposes, which will contribute to the achievement of company goals and objectives. First, improvement of employee performance is a strategy, which Aldi has focused on in order to increase its productivity. Therefore, some of the training and development programmes are solely aimed at improving the performance of employees. For instance, when Aldi analyses the performance of the company in core areas, it establishes the gaps in employee training, hence training them to perform better in their areas of weaknesses. This strategy is beneficial to the company, as well as the employee. The company will benefit from increased productivity of employees resulting from the gained skills and expertise, thus contributing to the achievement of its objectives and goals. On the other hand, employees will experience self-development, which is essential for their personal and career growth (Shahid, M. & Naseem).

Aldi uses promotions as a way of motivating and developing its employees. Employees in the company are promoted to higher positions, depending on various factors, such as experience and performance. After promotions, the promoted employees leave gaps. These gaps have to be filled by other employees. Therefore, the training and development programmes in this company, have to also address the factor of promotions. Training is essential for the newly promoted employees, as they are faced with new tasks, which require them to have new skills and knowledge. Granting employees promotions is a strategy, which also ensures that employees are motivated, since promotions come with additional privileges. Employee motivation results in job satisfaction and increased productivity of employees (Wagner & Hollenbeck 2009).

The expansion of Aldi is another strategic factor, which will influence the company’s training and development programmes. It is crucial that Aldi conducts a research about its competitors, their strengths, and weaknesses, in order to sustain growth. Knowing these might help the company to develop strategies that are more efficient than their competitors’, and which will give them an edge over competitors. Aldi could therefore, incorporate new training aspects into its training and development programmes in order to remain competitive.

Customer satisfaction is yet another important strategic factor, which Aldi will consider during the implementation of its training and development programmes. Companies depend on their customers to make profits and compete favorably in the market. Therefore, Aldi has to consider customer satisfaction as a priority. Mainly, the employees of a company interact with customers. Therefore, employees are responsible for ensuring that they deliver quality services to customers, in order to achieve customer loyalty. The company therefore, has to incorporate aspects of customer service in its training and development programmes, so that employees learn to serve the customers in a quality manner (Wagner & Hollenbeck 2009).

The reward system by Aldi, which is in the form of job promotion and development also influences the company’s training and development programmes. As seen, the promoted employees have to be trained on their responsibilities in the new positions. This kind of reward to employees by Aldi is meant to ensure job security for the employees. When employees know that they are guaranteed a promotion in the company, most will work efficiently in order to obtain the promotion. This therefore, reduces the rate of employee turnover (Pursell & Hutchinson 2007). Aldi utilizes this strategy to maintain its employees, their skills, and expertise, for the benefit of the company. Nonetheless, while most of the strategic factors in Aldi influence the company’s training and development programmes, these are also responsible for the success of the company. These serve as a link between the company’s strategic planning and performance assessment.

Evaluation of recruitment and selection processes in Aldi and identification of those that ensure commitment to the strategic objectives and people of Aldi

            The Human Resources Management (HRM) of any company is responsible for the management of people in the company, ensuring that these contribute positively to the objectives and goals of the company (Armstrong 2009). Therefore, the HRM in a company develops policies, strategies, programmes, and processes that will ensure effective management of people, who are the most valuable asset to the company (Armstrong 2009). In Aldi, there are different HRM practices that have been adopted. These mainly base in selection and recruitment, rewards, training and development, among others. Nonetheless, Armstrong argued that effective HRM in a company gives the company a competitive advantage (2009).

Recruitment and selection is a HRM practice, which aims at successfully identifying and bringing new employees, who are competitive and qualified, in the company. Overall, this involves people resourcing, and ensuring the retention of the company’s human capital. This process of HRM is also concerned with how new employees enter a company and how others, if any, exit a company. Nonetheless, the most important aspect of people resourcing is focusing on the competencies, which a company needs for future growth.  Among the factors a company should consider before engaging in people resourcing include a clear definition of the individuals the company needs. This should be in terms of academic qualifications, experience, and personality of the individuals. Secondly, a company ought to ensure that it has sufficient resources that will sustain the new employees. This includes effective strategies in the company, which will help attract more qualified employees, and retain the current employees in the company (Armstrong 2009).

There are various elements of recruitment and selection, which different countries adopt in different manners. In Aldi, the process of recruitment and selection is rigorous. First, the company advertises for its job positions in posts with detailed and specific person specification for the job advertised for. After selection and interviewing, the successful candidates are taken through an induction training to welcome them into the company’s corporate culture, and this also serves as an opportunity for the new employees to be knowledgeable about the roles and relationships of their new positions. The company also recruits fresh graduates to join its apprenticeship programme, where apprentices are trained various skills for different positions in the company, after which they are absorbed in the company. On the other hand, Aldi recruits its top managers from within the company through promotions. Different employees are recruited for top positions in the company depending on their experience and performance.

All the elements of recruitment and selection in Aldi have enabled the company to obtain the right candidates and to retain them (Brandes & Brandes 2012).  However, the most important aspect of Aldi’s recruitment and selection processes is the person specification in their job vacancy posts. This is key for a company to get the right candidates, who are qualified and fit for the positions. Specifying the qualifications, experience, responsibilities, and any other requirement needed for the job is essential. This saves the time taken on recruitment and selection, since only the relevant candidates will apply for the job, thus eliminating the unqualified ones. This way the company is also sure that it obtains only successful candidates, who are ready for the job, thus, limiting the level of employee turnover, which is costly to a company.

On the other hand, Aldi recruits over 85% of directors from within the company. This is key in ensuring commitment to the strategic objectives and people of Aldi. Promotions in a company are a form of a reward (Pursell & Hutchinson 2007). Employees who perform well and meet the requirements of a top position in the company are guaranteed a promotion. This is a form of financial reward, since promotions include increase in salary and other benefits. Reward systems are the key drivers of the success of a company. Therefore, the HR strategy and the organizational culture of a company needs to be based on reward systems, as these directly influence the employees (Pursell & Hutchinson 2007). In Aldi, since the company recruits its top directors internally, most employees are assured of a promotion. Therefore, this serves as a motivation to make them work effectively and increase their performance levels, in order to be considered for a promotion in future. This motivation makes employees in the company to be focused on their job and set goals to meet the company’s expectations of them. This in turn increases the productivity of the company, as employees will positively contribute to the objectives of the company. On the other hand, since employees will be committed to their work in the company, employee turnover level will be kept low, thus saving the company on additional expenses (Pursell & Hutchinson 2007). Therefore, if the HR in Aldi develops more rewards for employees, the company will experience better performance, as these will increase the commitment of employees to company goals and objectives.

Conclusion

            It is important for all companies to have HR practice, which ensures the management of employees, who are key assets in a company. Employees determine the productivity of a company; therefore, developing a HRM system that manages them effectively is one of the ways of ensuring the competitiveness of a company. HR involves various processes, including recruitment and selection, training, reward systems, among others. As observed, Aldi has adopted all these aspects, and bases on them for its success. The company invests highly in the processes of recruitment and selection, training and development for employees, as well as rewards. These are conducted systematically, while observing the conditions required for each process. Nonetheless, this has resulted in growth for Aldi, as seen through its expansion plans. However, Aldi needs to incorporate more HR strategies, especially with regard to reward systems, as this strategy is proven to result in positive outcomes. Therefore, strengthening the HRM bears more positive results for companies.

 

 

Works Cited

Armstrong, M 2012, Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 11^th ed.

Kogan Page Publishers, London.

Brandes, N. & Brandes, D 2012, Bare Essentials: The ALDI Way to Retail Success, BoD –

Books on Demand, New York.

Hameed, A. & Waheed, A 2011, Employee Development and Its Effect on Employee

Performance: A Conceptual Framework, Viewed 7 April 2013

< http://www.ijbssnet.com/journals/Vol._2_No._13_Special_Issue_July_2011/26.pdf

Pursell, J. & Hutchinson, S 2007, Rewarding Work: The Vital Role of Line Managers, CIPD.

Shahid, M. & Naseem, A. & Saleem, Q 2011, “Degree of Influence of Training And

Development, on Employees Behavior, International Journal of Computing and Business

Research ISSN (Online) 2 (3): 2229-6166, Viewed 8 April 2013

< http://www.researchmanuscripts.com/PapersVol2N3/4.pdf >

Wagner, J. & Hollenbeck, J 2009, Organizational Behavior: Securing Competitive Advantage,

Routledge, New York.

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Week 5 Application

Ali Ghandour

Walden University

Doctoral Study Mentoring

 

Indian Negotiation Styles

 

 

Table of Contents

Abstract. 3

Foundation of the Study. 4

The Problem Background. 5

Problem Statement. 8

Purpose of the Study 250. 9

Nature of Study. 11

Research Question. 11

Research Hypotheses. 11

Literature Review.. 11

Research Methodology. 12

Methods of Data Collection. 14

Transition and Summary. 16

References. 17

 

Abstract

Over the centuries, India has remained one of the most significant destinations for international commerce. A range of unique factors has contributed to India’s growing relevance in international trade. Processes of economic liberalization and globalization have contributed to the steady growth experienced in the country. India’s economic growth was estimated at 7.5 % in the year 2000. Some of the areas that have experienced significant growth include the Informational Communication and Technology (ICT) sector and import-export trade. A break from socialist policies to a capitalist oriented economic structure has been cited as one of the contributing factors to the country’s economic growth. Western countries have increased their levels of interest in the country for purposes of economic partnership. India’s high population estimated at over a billion has attracted foreign investors who seek market for their products or cheap labor. However engaging with India demands a deeper connection with the culture, attitudes, and philosophies underlying their business practices.

 

 

Foundation of the Study

Multinationals and other global business entities that have attempted to establish their businesses in India have been faced with unique challenges that demand the understanding of the corporate climate. The levels of success or failure in Indian businesses are directly related to the manner in which international players adjust to the unique character of Indian culture. According to Stephen (2010), there is a strong connection between culture and business in the Indian context. Past and recent analyses on Indian negotiation show that the styles adopted in Indian business environment are largely consistent with their cultural beliefs, social values, and attitudes towards life in general (Stephen, 2010).

Indians embrace family values and respect the aspect of honesty, respect, order, and hierarchy. Indian culture also features a strong element of interpersonal communications and relationships. The individual is never separate from the deal. They view the negotiation in human terms rather than strictly technical business processes. In essence, Indian negotiating styles combine the values of culture, honesty, and details in ways that focus largely on the results rather than the processes (Stephen, 2010). It is, therefore, important for business theorists to establish ways of establishing ways through which the synergies of culture, attitudes, and values can be incorporated into business practice.

It is currently not known how UK multinationals in India can equally achieve success in their business processes, since the Indian culture and negotiating style poses a challenge to them (Salacuse, 2005). Although some multinationals in India have succeeded, a considerable number have registered failure, due to lack of knowledge on how to successfully negotiate in India. Failure of most UK multinationals to take into account the culture and negotiating styles of India will result in their continued low profitability and productivity in India (Salacuse, 2005).

 

The Problem Background

For more than the past 20 years, foreign companies have been trying to gain entry into the business environment of India (Choudhary, Kshirsagar, & Narayanan, 2012). Although these organizations have always managed to enter the Indian market, most of them have failed to realize their target profits, even as their productivity decreases each year (Choudhary, Kshirsagar, & Narayanan, 2012). This contrasts the fact that the revenue of India has kept improving for the past number of years. If the economy improves, one would expect also all the companies in the country to have increased productivity (Choudhary, Kshirsagar, & Narayanan, 2012). However, this was not the case with foreign companies in India. While the growth rate of the Indian economy topped at 7%, the growth rate of multinational companies lagged behind, standing at less than a half of the Indian growth rate (Choudhary, Kshirsagar, & Narayanan, 2012).

According to Martin, & Chaney (2009), business in India is considered a culture and not simply a means towards profits. Success and failure are assessed in terms of the character and ability of agents rather than logical outcomes of strategies and processes (Martin, & Chaney, 2009). In the context of international business, the negotiation process in India is considered, in many circles, as a process of balance of power and an adjustment of equilibriums between the presumed cultural greatness of the west and Indian culture (Martin, & Chaney, 2009). Cultural balance and cultural universalism acquire more prominence to challenge the negative assumptions resident in theories of cultural relativism as understood in business context.

Indian negotiating styles significantly rely on the details (Zubko, & Sahay, 2010). Issues are broken down into their constituent parts and analyzed in accordance with the manner in which they relate to the bigger picture. In essence, the process entails the realization of a range of issues that connect with outcomes. Usually, the focus begins with the bigger picture before attention is given to the driving factors and the specifics of the deal. Clarity and order in the details of the deal becomes necessary for purposes of assessing the feasibility of the deal. Naturally, Indians prefer the guidance of clear data and mathematical procedure towards the attainment of a given goal. This trait is consistent with the cultural attachment to matters of mathematical and scientific importance. Studies have connected these traits to the flourishing IT and medicine culture in the country.

Family and business comprise the uniform continuum that forms part of the Indian culture (Desai, 2012). Appreciating the family connections behind India’s corporate world remains a key starting point of developing insights into the working of the system. Usually, knowledge on the role and place of family in the business environment is an important advantage in developing better negotiation strategies in the Indian business environment. Businesses are usually inherited. Such knowledge should also be accompanied by the awareness of the kind of hierarchies that run through families and kinships (Gesteland, & Gesteland, 2010). The process of negotiation is usually considered in terms of the transaction of power and respect between the negotiating parties. Acknowledgement of status is considered of ultimate importance in the general process of negotiation. This particular attribute is consistent with the caste nature of Indian society, which requires an appreciation of classes, divisions, and hierarchies.

Language plays an important role in India’s communication style. Generally, Indian business negotiations are conducted in vocabularies of respect and honor (Zubko, & Sahay, 2010). Certain words and responses that are innocuous in the general western discourse are usually considered as offensive or rude within India’s cultural and business context. Denials, oppositions, and rejections have to be conducted in kind words that do not provide any hints of rudeness or lack of finesse in the communication process. However, emotional appeals and vigorous defense of facts is permissible as a way of building advantage on aspects of the deal. Such negotiations should, in most cases, be accompanied by workable details, examples, methods, and all relevant information that would provide both competitive advantage and influence in the part of the deal. Proof and details are necessary factors for furnishing optimism in the deals.

Feedback remains one of the key factors in effective business communication within the Indian context (Gesteland, & Gesteland, 2010). Feedback in business culture allows both customers and employees to air their opinions and concerns about various issues (Gesteland, & Gesteland, 2010). Generally, feedback implies a sense of respect and trust, which are the necessary characters of nurturing and sustaining long-term business relations within India’s corporate environment. Honesty, fidelity, and compromise are some of the factors that determine the level of success of negotiation in the Indian business environment. Presentation and character are some of the factors that guarantee success or failure in the Indian negotiating environment. Indians prefer and develop trust and respect in people who dress modestly and whose character displays a certain level of honor. Negotiation is considered as a process of socialization. Indian culture encourages socialization among equals. Therefore, it becomes important to adjust one’s demeanor and presentation in the course of negotiations.

The key to improving in business transactions in India calls for managers to learn how to align their business goals and objectives with respect to the Indian culture and negotiating style. With this realization, some multinationals in India started to adopt elements of the Indian culture in their company practices and policies, and they learnt the negotiating styles of India. This ensured a considerable difference in the productivity and performance of multinationals in the Indian business environment. In the past few years, multinationals have started to register positive improvement in their productivity in India, compared to the previous years.

Today, however, there remains a disparity in the performance level of multinationals in India. While some succeed in their businesses in India and get commendable profits from this, others are suffering huge loses, even though to them, they are adhering to the right standards of business in India. Nonetheless, it is believed that the cultural aspect of India is quite complex and rigid, and yet some of these cultural elements are reflected in the business negotiations style. This in turn has made Indian negotiation style to be quite complex and fixed as well. If multinationals ignore the Indian negotiating style and culture in their business, they are therefore, more likely to fail today, as most evidence point to this. It is advantageous that multinationals adapt to Indian negotiation and culture, even as today the country is expected to grow by 6 percent every year, which is a growth rate of some of the big emerging economies. (Choudhary, Kshirsagar, & Narayanan, 2012).

Problem Statement

Various multinationals companies in foreign countries face challenges while conducting their business in the foreign countries. The major cause of challenges roots from the cultural differences between the host country, and the multinational companies (Choudhary, Kshirsagar, & Narayanan, 2012). In India, most foreign companies too witness the same challenges while trying to adapt to the new business environment (Gesteland, & Gesteland, 2010). India is considered to be a highly cultural country, which still embraces most of its indigenous cultural elements. On the contrast, most of the foreign companies that set out to develop their businesses in India are from countries that are less attached to their indigenous cultures (Gesteland, & Gesteland, 2010).Therefore, upon gaining entry into the Indian business environment, the foreign countries are forced to adhere to the cultural expectations of the Indians. Failure to observe this results in detrimental effects to the company, such as loss of contracts, among others (Salacuse, 2005).  For instance, Enron, an American company in India, once lost an important contract with an Indian company, on the basis that the management was pushing hard and hurrying the contract to be effected (Salacuse, 2005). This therefore, shows cultural difference in the perception of time between Indians and Americans. Time is among the factors that shape Indian negotiation style, and this influences international business negotiation. The focus of this study is to determine the cultural components of the Indians influence international business negotiations.

Purpose of the Study

This research on the international business negotiations in India, aims at understanding the business negotiating style of India, including the variety of ways through which they negotiate, why this is important in India, and the different factors that shape or influence international business negotiations in India. The international business negotiations do not only involve communication in the economic context among countries. Cultures of the different participating countries play a big role in the international negotiation process (Ayoko, 2007). During the process of negotiation, the ideas and behaviours of the different parties are shaped by their own national cultures. In India, culture is the core and basis of business, thereby, playing the greatest role in their negotiations. This qualitative study serves the purpose of determining how Indian and UK SME managers view different cultural components of the Indian culture, and their influence on international business negotiations,

Among the important cultural components in India, which this research will discuss, is the cultural factor of Language. The researcher noted that this is an influential aspect of Indian culture in their international negotiation process, as this generally influences the communication process during the negotiations. Normally, different countries exhibit varying values, thinking patterns, and group consciousness (Mayrhofer, 2004). During negotiations, these differences always come up. Therefore, the study will address these important aspects with regard to India, and their negotiation styles. Among the values that the Indians uphold are feedback, which is based on mutual trust, honesty, and understanding, use of respectful and kind language in communication, and ensuring that there is clarity in communication. All these Indian values influence their international business negotiation styles, therefore, are of interest to this study.

This study mainly aims to establish how culture is a great player in the international business negotiations in India. Hollensen (2001) notes that, the cultures of the various parties in the negotiation process need to be understood, for a successful negotiation to be reached. This helps in gaining of balance between the cultures of the different parties in the negotiation, thus, this becomes a good strategy in negotiation processes among different countries. From this study, it will be possible to determine how social organization in India influences their international business negotiation styles. This is with respect to the family unit, which plays a great role in the Indian business. Therefore, this will help shed light on how the role of the family unit in Indian businesses is transferred to their international business negotiations, and how this role of the family unit shapes and influences the negotiation styles in India. Additionally, the researcher noted that Indians are known to be strategic people in their businesses, prioritizing the long-term business benefits. Therefore, this study will also determine how this aspect is applied to international business negotiations, and how it influences the Indian negotiation styles.

Having a clear understanding of the negotiation styles of a country helps successful business and social interactions. Therefore, this study is important, as it sheds light on the negotiation styles of India, and this will be beneficial to American companies interested in doing business with Indians. In addition, anyone involved in different levels of social interaction with Indians, or in any other activity that requires negotiation with Indians, will find this study useful too, as it gives details of the negotiation styles of India. This study focuses on the negotiation style of India in international business negotiations, with respect to their culture, which greatly shapes their negotiation styles.

Nature of Study

This study is qualitative in nature.  Kothari (2009) noted that the choice of research methodology and design depends on the nature of the study and the data to be collected. The data to be collected in this study is qualitative in nature, since it is based on issues that are subjective and not objective. In this study, data will be collected through in-depth interviews and questionnaires. According to Myers (2008), the methods used in qualitative research help to reveal the behavioral aspects of respondents, which are embedded in their cultures and society. Since this research studies subjective issues, this makes qualitative design to be preferred over quantitative design, which deals with objective issues. Although Bryman and Bell (2007) note that quantitative research is faster than qualitative research, Sapsford and Jupp (2006) agree that qualitative methodology is of essence, as it helps in subjectivity understanding.

Research Question

This study addresses the question: What are the elements that shape international business negotiating styles in India, and how is the process conducted? Three UK SME managers and three Indian SME managers will help avail this information by answering questions on the questionnaires that will be given.

Research Hypotheses

Multinational companies and other business entities, which know and understand the Indian culture, their style of negotiation, and adhere to these, are more likely to succeed in doing business in India and interacting with Indians, compared to those multinationals and businesses that lack knowledge about Indian culture and negotiation style.

Literature Review

Neelankavil & Rai (2009) note that cultural environment, including social systems, is external to a company, but influences the company’s operations, as well as behaviors. They argue that it is more challenging for a company to operate in an international business environment, than a domestic business environment. Additionally, according to Katz (2008), for a multinational company to be successful in a new business environment, it is important that the company studies the dynamics in the new environment, and evaluate its probability of adapting to the required standards. Multinationals must respect and adjust to the personal, business, and social behaviours, as required by the Indian culture.  On the other hand, Rößiger & R藏Iger (2009) consider the Indian culture as diverse and quite restrictive. For instance, during the negotiation period, meetings are not arranged for using indirect communication mediums such as mails, text messages, among others, but only through direct face-to-face communication. The negotiation process in India is built on trust of the involved parties, and these must exhibit trust, which is the core of Indian negotiation style. The Indian negotiating style is also more prolonged, with many procedures, compared to that in the US and other countries. This negotiating style is more rigid and fixed, competitive, and goal-oriented. Therefore, there is no room for compromise (Rößiger & R藏Iger, 2009). Therefore, this could be one of the reasons as to why adapting to Indian culture and negotiation style is challenging to some multinationals.

Research Methodology

This section comprises information about the methods of data collection and general methodology that will be employed in this dissertation, in order to find solutions to the research question: What are the elements that shape international business negotiating styles in India, how is the process conducted, and how can this process be made effective? In addition, to what extent does the Indian culture influence American businesses in the country?

In this dissertation, the main type of data that will be used is qualitative data. The major reason for choosing qualitative data is that for the research question to be answered; only data, which is subjective in nature, needs to be captured. The nature of this study, with regard to the research question, mainly calls for the use of qualitative data, since the answers gathered in this research might not be quantifiable or objective in any way. According to Kothari (2009), when choosing a methodology for research, it is essential that the research is well acquainted with the disparities between qualitative and quantitative data, to help in the making of a right choice. Therefore, having known the nature of this research, a choice of qualitative data, is agreed upon.

Qualitative research mainly involves the collection of data, which is subjective in nature. In this case, therefore, a qualitative research comprises data on issues that are subjective, including behaviour patterns, experiences, and attitudes, among others. This is collected by subjecting the participants to in-depth interviews, focus groups, among others. According to Myers (2008), the methods used in qualitative research are meant to enable researchers to debunk various behaviors or actions among the respondents in their respective cultural and social contexts. Myers (2008) has identified one benefit of qualitative research, as having the ability to understand the different contexts in which various people act.

On the other hand, quantitative research is a kind of research where the data collected is quantifiable. Unlike in qualitative research where the data is subjective in nature, in quantitative research, the collected data is objective in nature. In quantitative research, there are various variables in the research, and the size of the sample in this study is often larger than that of qualitative research. In addition, quantitative research is carried out using surveys, questionnaires, and interviews, among others, which are all performed on a large scale basis, compared to qualitative research, where participants are dealt with one after another. Therefore, quantitative research is faster than qualitative research, based on the procedures involved in both processes (Bryman & Bell, 2006).

Therefore, as it turns out, both qualitative and quantitative are approaches, which are different, but used in the collection of data. Each approach is employed to a research study, depending on the type and nature of data, which needs to be collected in the study. Not all the research methods available can be termed as entirely good or bad, because, these are employed in different studies, therefore, they can be appropriate in specific study types, or less appropriate in others (Kothari, 2009). Therefore, in this research, the qualitative approach is employed, because, the data that needs to be collected is subjective in nature. As Bryman & Bell (2007) note, this approach is of essence, as it helps in subjectivity understanding.

There are a number of advantages in using qualitative data in research, as opposed to quantitative data. The advantages of this approach in research mainly draw on its underlying philosophy and the core assumptions it holds (Myers, 2008). Therefore, since this study is concerned with the views of respondents on the entire process of international business negotiating styles in India, and observations on how this affects American businesses in the country, it is more appropriate to employ the qualitative approach, as it will guarantee detailed information on the subject under study.

Methods of Data Collection

In this dissertation, both primary and secondary data will be collected, and analysed in order to help in the exploration of the research question. The data collection method, which is selected for this research is the in-depth interviewing method. In this method, the type of interview employed has no specific structure. This is conducted at the personal level, where an individual will be subjected to different intensive questions. The individual is required to express himself or herself freely, while giving information about the research topic. While doing this, the researcher will not in any way whatsoever, influence the information given to them by the respondent.

Different factors come into play during the process of negotiation between parties from different cultural backgrounds. Salacuse (1999) came up with a number of factors, which affect cross-cultural business negotiations. These can be used as a basis for describing the business negotiation style of Indians, and can also be used to develop the disparities between Indian ways of negotiation, with regard to the American way. These two steps will then help in understanding the process of business negotiation in India. The differences established between Indian and American ways of negotiation, will help unravel the impact on American companies in India.

According to Salacuse (1999), the sensitivity of time, personal styles, and the goal of negotiation, are among the different factors which he identified that influence the negotiation process. In this research, these three factors will be the basis upon which the questionnaires used will be drawn. Business practitioners from both the American side and the Indian side will answer the questionnaires, and all must have businesses based in India.

The nature of the questionnaire will bear an in-depth interview for the respondents, which is important in order for them to provide detailed information that is sufficient to answer the research questions. The respondents will be interviewed from the comfort of their business premises. This venue is appropriate, as it ensures that the respondents are comfortable and relaxed, since they are more familiar with the area. In addition, this will also help respondents to be more open enough to express themselves freely. The researcher will play the role of explaining and simplifying questions in the questionnaire, in order to the respondents to give relevant answers, after a clear understanding of the questions.

The type of data that will be collected and analysed in this research will include both primary and secondary data. Primary data will be collected through questionnaires, as well as direct observation, and interviewing. On the other hand, secondary data will be collected from published sources bearing information on the research topic. Therefore, before embarking on the collection of primary data, the researcher will first consult secondary data sources, as this will also provide an important insight into the issue under research. The use of secondary data in the research will be helpful as the data is easy to analyse. This also saves time, which would have otherwise been dedicated to interviews from person to person. However, secondary data is more useful in quantitative data, as this requires large amounts of data. Therefore, this saves more time in quantitative research (Sapsford & Jupp, 2006).

Sapsford & Jupp (2006) note that, if secondary data is used in quantitative research, it is cheap for the researcher to complete the research process. This is because most of the background information is already available, including literature reviews and case studies. The main disadvantage of solely relying on secondary data is that it is not possible for the researcher to confirm the validity of the research findings. Therefore, secondary data present a challenge of low reliability. Nonetheless, in this research, I will use more authentic secondary sources, including books and reliable journals. This will help in shading more light on the research topic. The information will also be compared to the research findings to show any relationship.

Transition and Summary

In conclusion, this chapter has explained the background of the study, as well as the research design and methodology to be used in the study. All these will help in answering the research question: What are the elements that shape international business negotiating styles in India, and how is the process conducted? The main research design has been identified as the quantitative design, while the method to be employed is the in-depth interviewing and questionnaires. The next chapter will address the primary data collection process and analysis. This will cover the interviewing process and main questionnaire questions.

 

 

 

References

Choudhary, V., Kshirsagar, A. & Narayanan, A. (2012 March). “Strategy Practice: How

Multinationals can win in India.” McKinsey Quarterly. Retrieved 17 February 2013 http://www.asia.udp.cl/Informes/2012/multinationals_india.pdf

Bryman, A. & Bell, E. (2007). Business Research Methods. London: Oxford University Press.

Desai, R. (2012). Indian Business Culture. London: Routledge.

Gesteland, R. R., & Gesteland, M. C. (2010). India: Cross-cultural business behavior: for business people, expatriates and scholars. Frederiksberg: Copenhagen Business School Press.

Kaz, L. (2008). “Negotiating International Business – The Negotiator’s Reference Guide

to 50 Countries Around the World.” New York: BookSurge Llc.

Kelley, L. L. (2009). The impact of cultures on global virtual teams of India and the united states: A case study. Capella University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 203-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/305165834?accountid=14872. (305165834).

Kothari, C. R. (2009). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. New Jersey: New Age International.

Martin, J. S., & Chaney, L. H. (2009). Passport to success: The essential guide to business culture and customs in America’s largest trading partners. Westport, Conn: Praeger.

Myers, M. D. (2008). Qualitative Research in Business & Management. London: SAGE.

Neelankavil, J. & Rai, Anoop. (2009). “Basics of International Business.” New Jersey: M.E.

Sharpe.

Rößiger, J. & R藏Iger, J. (2009). “India as Destination for Western Retailers.” New York:

Diplomica Verlag.

Salacuse, J.W (2005) Negotiation: The top ten ways that culture can affect your

negotiation. Ivey Business Journals, 69(4), 1-6. Retrieved from http://www.iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/the-organization/negotiating-the-top-ten-ways-that-culture-can-affect-your-negotiation#.UV7n_6KLDzw

Salacuse, J. W. (1999). Intercultural Negotiation in International Business. Group

decision and negotiation, 8(3): 217-236.

Sapsford, R. & Jupp, V. (2006). Data Collection and Analysis. London: SAGE.

Stephen, B. (2010). India. London, Great Britain: Kuperard.

Verma, R. (2008). Growth, trade, and structural change in low income industrializing economies. University of Southern California). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 65-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304467319?accountid=14872. (304467319).

Wilks, L. R. P. (2007). Cultural differences in ethically questionable negotiation behaviors. University of Calgary (Canada)).ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 136-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304899163?accountid=14872. (304899163).

Zubko, K. C., & Sahay, R. R. (2010). Inside the Indian business mind: A tactical guide for managers. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger.

 

 

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MAJOR ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

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6^th, April, 2013

 

 

The hospitality industry today faces major challenges compared to the past decades, including high competition and the overall decreased travel levels in different regions, in addition to the present hard economic times. These factors might have detrimental effects to the industry if not well managed. Therefore, most hospitality companies struggle to cope with these challenges, and sometimes, have gone overboard in their struggle to overcome the challenges. According to Beck, Lazer, and Scmidgall (2007), these factors contribute to the “questionable and unethical management behavior” (p. 36), witnessed today in the hospitality industry. In addition, the hospitality industry has failed to address the ethical issues that concern it, appropriately.

Stevens and Fleckenstein (1999) consider that it is crucial for the hospitality industry to embrace ethics, compared to other industries, mainly because of its nature, as it is a service industry. Most companies in the hospitality industry invest heavily in a positive image, but this might count as loss, if they are involved in unethical practices that are uncovered publicly (Pettijohn, Pettijohn, and Taylor, 2008). Waddock & Smith (2000) and Dimitriou, Blum, Adams & Kim (2011) note that embracing ethical principles increases company profitability. Hammond & Slocum (1996) also noted the importance of companies embracing social responsibility, as part of their ethical values. Nonetheless, the hospitality industry, like other industries, has its own unique challenges, including ethical challenges. However, developing strategies of countering these challenges is important to ensure continued ethical operations, which are beneficial to a company. This essay will mainly address the ethical challenges in the hospitality industry, and how different companies attempt to address them. This also uses the ethical framework of utilitarianism to explain the case of ethics in the hospitality industry.

 

Ethics in business refers to the appropriate behavior, which a business must adhere to, in its interaction with customers, both individuals and in groups (Kapoor n.d). Various researches have shown that the hospitality industry, especially hotels, still lag behind in matters concerned with ethics, compared to other companies in different industries (Maximiliano 2011: Stevens n.d). Nonetheless, unethical practices in the hospitality industry affect the industry, employees, stakeholders, and the overall community.

Some of the ethical challenges facing the hospitality industry today include, but not limited to employee underpayment and the hiring of illegal immigrants (Holjevac 2008). All these are responsible for different problems in the companies’ host countries and global market. In the present hard economic times, underpaid employees and other victims of the companies’ unethical operations are influenced negatively. Like other companies, companies in the hospitality industry are after making huge profits and competing favorably in the highly competitive market. Therefore, ethical operations become a challenge to these companies when ethical acts lead to more costs in the company (Holjevac 2008). For instance, decent employees’ salaries require a company to incur extra costs; therefore, a company might choose to underpay its employees, which is unethical, to cut on costs. Nonetheless, such ethical challenges can be solved by appropriate financial and time management, which will result in a balance between profits and costs.

An important ethical challenge the hospitality industry faces is about environmental protection. Companies are responsible for playing their role in environmental conservation by ensuring that their actions do not lead to environmental degradation. This is a major ethical issue for the hospitality industry, as its operations rely more on the environment. Hotels use large quantities of water, electricity, and gas, among other natural resources. Therefore, they are supposed to ensure they regulate their use of these resources, in order to avoid depletion. This could be through water conservation, use of energy saving fluorescent bulbs and air conditioners, and using green programs for bedding. Most hotels have however, failed to put this into consideration, due to the great costs, which are incurred in implementing these (Hammond & Slocum 1996).

The human rights issue is another important ethical challenge facing the hospitality industry. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), human rights concerns for the hospitality industry include safety and health at the workplace, commercial exploitation of children, exploitation of immigrant workers, displacement of the native populations, discrimination in hotels, and child and bonded labour (Roner 2006). However, these ethical issues vary in different countries. Even though a hotel might incur extra costs while addressing these ethical issues, it is important to the world.

Emel & Yukselen (2010) conducted a study among the employees of different hotels in Edirne, Turkey to find out their views about unethical behaviors in the hotel industry. Similarly, Damitio & Schmidgall (1993) conducted a study among hotel controllers in Cornell Hotel and Restaurant about ethical issues in the industry. Overall, results showed that employees and managers considered economic crises, long working hours, low payment, high level of turnover of employees and managers, as being caused by unethical practices. The Human Resources in hospitality industry faces most ethical challenges (Damitio & Schmidgall 1993). In most hotels, the labour required is not proportional with employees’ number. Furthermore, when hotels switch to more labour-intensive programs, they do not hire more employees. This results in overworking of employees and more injuries at the workplace. Most hotels have neglected this, owing to the fact that hiring more employees increases costs (Emel & Yukselen 2010).

Stevens (2001) and Damitio & Schmidgall (2007) note that financial dishonesty is another ethical challenge in the hospitality industry. Managers might operate with off-balance books. An example is the case of the Enron Company some years ago. This involves quoting wrong profits in financial statements, normally exceeding what the company actually makes, with an aim of impressing investors and increasing stock prices. Another example is that of Chef Auguste Escoffier and manager Cesar Ritz of the Savoy hotel in London, who were fired for misuse of finances and extortion of money from the hotel’s suppliers (Stevens 2001). If revealed, such incidences cause a company to lose its investors and have a negative public image, which is detrimental to business.

Salaries and remunerations in the hospitality industry pose another ethical challenge. In most hotels, there are great disparities between the salaries of housekeepers and the executives’. The executives in most hotels are overpaid, while other employees are mostly underpaid. It is estimated that the salaries of CEOs today are approximately 400 times those of the housekeepers and the other production workers. This is compared to the 1980s when they were about 42 times higher. For example, in 2001, Henry Silverman, the past Chief Executive Officer of hotel Chain Cedant, was earning $36 million, while the housekeepers earned less than six dollars each hour (Hazard & Robert 2002).

Leadlay (2011) has identified the supply chain, customers, employees, and the local community, as major areas where ethical challenges abound in the hospitality industry. With regard to labour, Leadlay (2011) notes that most hotels exploit immigrant workers, while some have adopted forced labor in their supply chain. The hiring of illegal immigrants is another ethical challenge. For most hotels in the USA, labor provided by illegal immigrants is cheaper compared to that offered by citizens. This leads to displacement of USA citizens from the hotel labor market. There has been a constant debate in the USA, whether hiring illegal immigrants in the hospitality industry is ethical. Hotels however, engage in this in order to cut on costs and sustain their business functions. These cases have persisted in the United States, yet there are immigration and business laws, which are meant to address them. Furthermore, most local communities do not experience any form of economic benefit in hotel and tourism, yet are most affected by the environmental degradation caused by companies in the hospitality industry (Leadlay 2011).

Ethical challenges are hard to solve, since most lack clear solutions. Most companies, including those in the hospitality industry, struggle to strike a balance between successful business practices, which will result in large profits, and their business ethics. For successful adoption of business ethics, a company might experience extra costs, which will in turn compromise its profits. On the other hand, adoption of business ethics gives a company a positive public image. In the hospitality industry, this will develop a strong base for the company, and increase the loyalty of customers. McNeil and Pedigo (2001) note that most companies in the hospitality industry have faced a dilemma in choosing between making large profits while disregarding business ethics or making average profits while upholding business ethics standards. Consequently, most have chosen the former option, which continues to raise concerns in the hospitality industry today, making it lag behind in ethics, compared to other industries (Emel & Yukselen 2010). Nonetheless, it is imperative that companies in the hospitality industry embrace business ethics, since this gives a company a positive public image, as well as the opportunity for growth and prosperity.

According to Laudon (1995), ethics is important, as this helps humans to make the best decision, when faced with a dilemma. He argues that this moral authority exists in humans both at the individual level and at group level, including organizations, polity, or overall society. Nonetheless, there exist various schools of thought, which provide a framework for understanding and applying ethics in society. These are therefore, essential for companies and individuals, as they provide a moral framework for the adoption of ethics in different practices.

John Stuart Mills, a philosopher of the 19^th Century, is famous for his utilitarianism school of thought that bases on concept of utility, which means the ability to satisfy human wants Prabakaran (n.d). According to Mill, an action is only ethical if it results in pleasure and not pain. If this is applied to the hospitality industry, what translates is that the companies in this industry have the obligation of ensuring that they have a pleasant effect on their customers, employees, local community, and overall society (Souffrant 2000).

Mills described four major principles in his utilitarianism approach. The first principle is consequentialism. This holds that all actions have consequences. In this case, good actions will result in positive consequences, while bad actions will lead to negative consequences (Potmore 2011). Businesses in the hospitality industry can adopt right actions, which will result in positive outcomes. In this case, the right actions are those that have ethical considerations, as opposed to the unethical acts, which have detrimental effects on businesses.

Mills also described hedonism, as a principle of utilitarianism. Hedonism mainly refers to a kind of pleasure, which results in the happiness of everyone (Potmore 2011). In this case, companies in the hospitality industry must struggle to ensure that their customers, employees, and stakeholders are happy with their services. This can only be achieved when a company embraces ethics in its operations. For instance, it is ethical for companies to pay their employees salaries that are proportional to their work input. This will make employees happy and ensure their job satisfaction. On the other hand, underpayment of employees is unethical, and this will result in unhappy employees, who will show less dedication to their work. Therefore, ethical deeds by a company will ensure happiness of the involved parties (Hai-yan & Baun 2006).

The third principle of utilitarianism is maximalism. This holds the notion that good acts must ensure benefits to all involved parties (Souffrant 2000). In this case, therefore, companies, as well as their customers must benefit equally from their business transactions. In the hospitality industry, companies should uphold ethics for instance, by ensuring honest financial reporting. As seen earlier, some companies might indicate large profits in their financial reporting, which are false in order to attract investors and increase their stock price. In this case, the companies will benefit, while the stockholders lose. Therefore, ethics demands that both the company and stockholders or customers experience maximum benefits.

Lastly, the utilitarianism principle of universalism states that, whatever is applicable in one country should be applicable in other countries too (Prabakaran, n.d). There is great relevance in this principle, considering the fact that the world today is highly globalized. In the case of ethics in the hospitality industry, it is more appropriate if the same code of ethics would apply in the global hospitality industry. This would prevent disparities in the treatment of different customers, employees, and stakeholders by companies in the hospitality industry. This can also ensure that the global hospitality industry embraces ethics, thus, making customers to be comfortable with the services of any company, despite its geographical location. Upchurch (1998) argued that ethical decision-making is important for managers in the hospitality industry. On the other hand, Tuna, Ghazzawi, Tuna & Ãatir (2011) note that managers in the hospitality industry must be transformational and uphold high moral and ethical standards. Therefore, using the principles of utilitarianism, managers in the hospitality industry might be able to uphold ethical practices.

All companies including those in the hospitality industry are required to have a code of ethics and a human rights policy. However, these are insufficient, and have not proved to be effective in addressing the ethical challenges the hospitality industry experiences (Frechtling & Boo 2012). Therefore, in order to address the ethical challenges in the hospitality industry adequately, individual companies and businesses must take the initiative of developing their own examples of how they have changed their practice of ethics, with regard to their customers, employees, and the local communities. Nonetheless, a number of companies have proved their concern for ethics and attempted to address most ethical challenges they face, by developing strategies based on ethical principles to counter the challenges (Brooks & Dunn 2009).

Although the hospitality industry faces many ethical challenges and still lags behind in ethical practices, compared to other companies, this industry has adopted different strategies to ensure that businesses comply with ethical operations, and overcome the ethical challenges they face. The United Nations identified the hospitality industry as having the most detrimental effects on its local communities and destinations.  The UNWTO developed a code of ethics in 1999, which would apply to the entire tourism and hospitality sector in the globe, with an aim of lowering the detrimental effects of tourism on local communities. In 2011, the UNWTO held an international conference on ethics and tourism, which was the first of its kind. This had the purpose of evaluating any significant progress and adoption of the developed code of ethics by the industry (Leadlay 2011).

Different evidence show that the global hospitality industry is undertaking proactive measures to enhance ethical business practice (Brooks & Dunn 2009). Different hotels are attempting to incorporate human rights risk mapping, training employees on business ethics, and ensuring that the local communities benefit from the industry. For instance, different international hotels developed the Youth Career Initiative, a six-month education program, which involve youth from underprivileged backgrounds. The youth are trained to acquire work and life skills, as well as knowledge about career choice. This has contributed to the alleviation of the rate of youth unemployment and poverty. It is also a strategy, which the involved hotels are giving back to their local communities (Leadlay 2011).

In addition, various companies in the hospitality industry continue to promote the knowledge of business ethics among their employees. For instance, the Marriot International developed a program about business ethics awareness in the year 2010. This program comprises different tools, which help employees to identify different issues that are concerned with ethics and compliance. They are then expected to report such issues to their seniors. This also contains ways of preventing unethical practices at the workplace. This company also established training programs on human rights and child protection, for its employees. This was mainly intended to curb the unethical human rights issues and child exploitation issues, which might influence the company in an adverse manner (Leadlay 2011).

The Shangri-La Hotels, based in Hong Kong, have also taken proactive measures in addressing the ethical challenges they are faced with. The company developed a code of conduct for its suppliers in 2009. The management ensures to that the employees of its top suppliers are not underpaid. This is in addition to their safety and health, environmental considerations, and management systems, which all must embrace ethics. In addition, these hotels ensure that they benefit the local communities, through linking up with local schools or orphanages, where they train hotel skills (Leadlay 2011). Despite all these, Bonitto & Noriega (2012) argue that unethical practices in the hospitality industry have persisted and are on the increase today. Nonetheless, ethical challenges in the hospitality industry can be overcome if companies adopt right strategies and principles. It is important to ensure ethical operations, as these lead to satisfaction of employees, customers, stakeholders, the local community, as well as the overall business environment in which a company operates. This would therefore, ensure a harmonious and successful business environment for companies.

 

Works Cited

Beck, J. A., Lazer W., & Schmidgall, R 2007, Hotel marketing manager’s responses to ethical

dilemmas. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 8(3), 35-48.

Bonitto, L, & Noriega, P 2012, ‘Leadership and Ethics in the Service Industry’, Consortium

Journal Of Hospitality & Tourism, 17, 2, pp. 1-26, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 April 2013.

Brooks, L. & Dunn, P 2009, Business and Professional Ethics: For Directors, Executives and

Accountants, Cengage Learning, London.

Damitio, J.W. and Schmidgall, R.S 1993, Hospitality professionals’ responses to ethical

situations. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 34(4), pp. 40-40.

Damitio, J, & Schmidgall, R 2007, ‘Revisiting the Ethics of Financial Executives in the Lodging

Industry’, FIU Hospitality Review, 25, 2, pp. 83-91, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 April 2013.

Dimitriou, C., Blum, S., Adams, C., and Kim, S 2011, The Impact of a Hotel’s Business Ethics

on, International CHRIE Conference-Refereed Track. Paper 3 (July 29), Viewed 4 April 2013 <http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1625&context=refereed>

Emel, G.G. and Yukselen, C 2010, Hotel employees’ beliefs on unethical behavior. Social

Responsibility Journal, 6(2), pp. 252-267.

Frechtling, D, & Boo, S 2012, ‘On the Ethics of Management Research: An Exploratory

Investigation’, Journal Of Business Ethics, 106, 2, pp. 149-160, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 April 2013.

Hai-Yan, K. and Baum, T 2006, Skills and work in the hospitality sector. International Journal

of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 18(6), pp. 509-518.

Hammond, S. A., & Slocum, J. W 1996, The impact of prior firm financial performance on

subsequent corporate reputation. Journal of Business Ethics, 12(2), 159-165.

Hazard, J. & Robert C 2002, Corporate Ethics: Corporate Pay and the Lodging

Industry, Lodging Hospitality 58.15 (2002): 65. Business Source Premier. EBSCO. Web. 6 April 2013.

Holjevac, I 2008, Business ethics in tourism – As a dimension of TQM, Total Quality

Management & Business Excellence, 19, 10, pp. 1029-1041, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 April 2013.

Kapoor, T n.d, A New Look at Ethics and Its Relationship to Empowerment. Viewed 4 April

2013 <http://www.kapoorandkapoor.com/articles/pdf/essay_new_look_ethics.pdf>

Laudon, K 1995, Ethical Concepts and Information Technology, Communications of the ACM

38: (12), 33-39, Viewed 5 April 2013

< http://www.henigman.com/webquest/images/Laudon.pdf >

Leadlay, F 2011, Integrating ethics into tourism: beyond codes of conduct, The Guardian, 25

August, Viewed 4 April 2013 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-business/blog/integrating-ethics-into-tourism>

Maximiliano, K 2011, Can Tourism Be Considered Ethical? Journal of Travel & Tourism

Research, 11, 1, pp. 91-104, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 6 April 2013.

McNeil, M. and Pedigo, K 2001, Western Australian managers tell their stories: Ethical

challenges in international business operations. Journal of Business Ethics, 30(4), pp. 305-317.

Pettijohn, C., Pettijohn, L., & Taylor, A. J 2008, Salesperson perceptions of ethical behaviors:

Their influence on job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Journal of Business Ethics, 78(4), 545-557.

Potmore, D 2011, Commonsense Consequentialism: Wherein Morality Meets Rationality,

Oxford University Press, London.

Prabakaran, S n.d, Business Ethics and Corporate Governance, Excel Books India, New Delhi.

Roner, L 2006, “Why Have North America’s Hotel Companies Been Slow to Adopt

Responsible Tourism,” Greenlodgingnews, 14 August, Viewed 5 April 2013
<http://www.greenlodgingnews.com/Content.aspx?id=418>

Souffrant, E 2000, Formal transgression: John Stuart Mill’s philosophy of international affairs,

Rowman & Littlefield, London.

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<http://www2.fiu.edu/~review/Stevens-spr99.htm>

Stevens, B 2001, Hospitality ethics: Responses from human resource directors and students

to seven ethical scenarios. Journal of Business Ethics, 30(3), pp. 233-242.

Stevens, B., & Fleckenstein, A 1999, Comparative ethics: How students and human resource

directors react to real-life situation. The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 40(2), 69-75.

Tuna, M., Ghazzawi, I., Tuna, A.A. and Ãatir, O 2011, Transformational Leadership and

Organizational Commitment: The Case of Turkey’s Hospitality Industry. S.A.M.Advanced Management Journal, 76(3), 10-25, 2.

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good. The MIT Sloan Management Review, 41(2), 75-82.

 

 

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Forensic Psychology and Criminal Investigation

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Tutor’s Name

4^th, April 2013

 

Part 1: – Vignette 2

A brief description of the common biases and/or heuristics that might have influenced the decision in the vignette

In this vignette, there are a number of biases and heuristics observed. First, the senior officer is already convinced that Mr. Shaw is the offender in the crime. This is a case of representative heuristics. According to Tversky & Kahneman (1974), representativeness causes one to base their decision on similarity and probability. The senior officer has based on the matching information of the possible offender by the BIA with Mr. Shaw’s specifications. He does not conduct any follow-up investigations to prove this, but is considering arresting Mr. Shaw after considerable surveillance.

Similarly, there is the availability heuristic. In this type, Tversky & Kahneman (1974) argue that a person will only use the most available or accessible information to make a decision. This is the same case with the senior officer, who does not perform further investigations to prove the BIA’s report, but is already considering the arrest of Mr. Shaw, basing on the information provided by the BIA. Therefore, in both heuristics, there is the predetermination of the offender by the senior police. This therefore, bars any efforts to conduct further investigations to prove if the suspected offender is responsible or not. This lack of intensive investigation therefore, is likely to result in wrong decision-making.

There is also evidence of confirmation bias. According to Nickerson (1998) and Ask & Granhag (2005), this refers to a case building that only considers one side. In this case, the senior officer has selected the information of provided by Mr. Shaws’ neighbors and molded the facts to fit in the description provided by the BIA. Although Mr. Shaw does not have a criminal history, the senior officer emphasizes that the neighbors claim he is weird, therefore, suggesting a possibility of indulgence in crime. Nonetheless, this makes the officer to settle for Mr. Shaw as the offender, without developing a complete case.

How the biases and/or heuristics might lead to erroneous investigative decision-making

            Biases and heuristics influence the decision-making investigative process negatively. Both the nonprofessionals and experienced researchers are capable of these errors and heuristics. Nonetheless, errors and heuristics in the decision-making investigative process result in fallacies, since the outcome is usually incorrect. According to Tversky and Kahneman (1974), these also result in wrong predictions and estimations. Additionally, heuristics are considered sources of predictable errors and underperformance.

Heuristics and biases in investigative decision-making make the investigator to rush into decision-making for the purpose of convenience (Nickerson, 1998). In this case, therefore, the information gathered will not be used as expected, since the investigator will use the information in a selective manner, and only scrutinize and assess a small part of the information. This therefore, will result in a decision that is incomprehensible, since there were no sufficient efforts employed in an intensive investigation. Overall, biases and heuristics are detrimental to the decision-making investigative process, and therefore, should be controlled.

Explain the advice you might give the investigator to ensure more effective investigative decision-making under the same circumstances.

The objective of an investigation is to collect sufficient information about the crime, so that a decision can be made, with regard to offering a solution to the situation. Therefore, an investigator must conduct the investigation in the most effective way. First, an investigator should not intimidate the witnesses. These should be made to feel at ease, in order to provide the needed information. The investigator should therefore, schedule many meetings and interviews with different people, to help determine the offender in this case. In addition, the investigator must not dwell on their own understanding of a crime and circumstances surrounding the crime, as basis for decision-making. Instead, they ought to involve many witnesses in order to gain a wider insight into the crime situation.

Secondly, an investigator must possess and develop the necessary skills for conducting his or her roles. Investigators should be good communicators, possess interviewing skills, as well as investigative skills, since these two aspects are core to their practice. These skills will help the investigator to get information from the witnesses, which might help in final decision-making.

Finally, the investigator must avoid the errors and heuristics in the investigative process. As Ask & Granhag (2005) note, it is imperative to build a full case for each crime situation and not assess information selectively, to avoid bias. This will help to minimize and avoid wrong decisions, as the outcome of the investigative process.

Part 2:- BIAs and Investigative Decision-Making

Role and importance of a BIA in the investigative decision-making process.

A Behavioral Investigative Adviser (BIA) has an important role to play in the investigative decision-making process. The BIA has an academic background and experience in behavioral sciences, therefore, knowledgeable about the processes of criminal investigation. A BIA is also capable of reading the mind of a criminal and pushing the right buttons through studying the behavior of a criminal to gather information. Therefore, BIAs are important in both the clinical understanding of crime as well as contributing to the process of investigations (Rainbow, Almond & Alison, 2011).

According to Alison, et al (2010), BIA’s might help in prioritizing the suspects. These help to save time spent on the investigative process, since they employ an approach that is evidence-based, rather than basing on irrelevant suspicions. Therefore, this makes the process of decision-making in the investigation easier and faster.

The role of a BIA in the investigative decision-making process also includes linking of crime and crime scenes to help in decision-making. For instance, a BIA might be given the responsibility of determining whether the same offender committed a specific crime or not. This is through a process known as comparative case analysis or case linkage. Besides DNA and other physical evidence, behavioral analysis of an offender and geospatial information are crucial in helping a BIA to link and determine offenders in a crime (Rainbow, Almond & Alison, 2011).

BIAs also play the role of investigative interviewing. These contribute their knowledge and experience to the process of investigation. They are responsible for assessing statements for credibility, and help in evaluating the performance of the interviewer. Their contribution in clinical interviews helps to set a framework through which the collected crime data can be interpreted.  Additionally, a BIA plays a role in risk assessment through offender profiling. The data they gather about the offender and their behavioral dynamics is crucial to forensic practitioners in their overall decision-making (Alison et al, 2010).

Resources a BIA has to support effective investigative decision-making.

A BIA is mainly concerned with the behavioral aspects during the commission of an offence, and uses this as a basis from which to draw their inferences, as well as a basis for their approach in the process of investigation. Therefore, in order to offer adequate support to the investigative decision- making, a BIA must be equipped with a variety of resources, which will ensure his or her efficiency in their practice (Turvey, 2011).

First, a BIA must have an academic orientation from the field of behavioral science. This is essential as it proves that they have the theoretical knowledge required for their work. Additionally, it is imperative that a BIA has access to different reading sources, which contain information that is relevant to his or her practice. These can be libraries, databases, among others. On the other hand, a BIA must have a wide experience in the area of crime investigation. This proves that they are familiar with the investigative process, thus able to offer adequate support to the investigative decision-making. Furthermore, a BIA must be fully conversant with the relevant legislation, as this is a guide to their practice. Additionally, a BIA must possess the qualities of an interrogator or interviewer, as well as an investigator. This is because their work mainly deals with investigations and interviews; therefore, one must be competent to perform these (Turvey, 2011).

How BIAs’ understanding of biases and heuristics may contribute to more effective investigative decision-making.

For effective support in the investigative decision-making process, a BIA must be in a position to understand the biases and heuristics and have in-depth knowledge about them. The biases and heuristics are known to influence the investigative decision-making in a negative manner, thus leading to wrong decision-making. Therefore, in order to ensure effective decision-making, a BIA must be part of the efforts to rule out biases and heuristics in the process of investigation (Newburn, Williamson & Wright, 2012).

When a BIA is in a position to identify common errors and heuristics in normal investigative decision-making, they are then able to assess and determine different errors in the process of investigative decision-making. They can then rectify this by proposing their approach, which is evidence based, in order to avoid errors and spending unnecessary time on the investigative decision-making process (Rainbow, Almond, & Alison, 2011).

Nonetheless, apart from having the capability of understanding errors and heuristics, a BIA must be able to identify them successfully, including their negative impact on the outcome of the investigative process. Additionally, a BIA should be capable of addressing the errors in a diplomatic manner, whenever they arise. This therefore, results in effective decision-making and a positive outcome, since most biases and heuristics will have been eliminated in the investigative process.

 

References

Alison, A. et al (2010). Pragmatic Solutions to Offender Profiling and Behavioral Investigative

advice. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 15: 115–132. Retrieved from http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~jwinter/Alisonetal.10.pdf

Ask, K., & Granhag, P. (2005). Motivational sources of confirmation bias in criminal

investigations: The need for cognitive closure. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 2(1), 43–63.

Marshall, B. & Alison, L. (2011). Stereotyping, congruence and presentation order: Interpretive

biases in utilizing offender profiles. In L. Alison & L. Rainbow (Eds.), Professionalizing offender profiling: Forensic and investigative psychology in practice (pp. 228–249). London, England: Routledge.

Newburn, T., Williamson, T. & Wright, A. (2012). Handbook of Criminal Investigation.

London: Routledge.

Nickerson, R. S. (1998). Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review

• of General Psychology, 2(2), 175–220.

Rainbow, L., Almond, L., & Alison, L. (2011). BIA support to investigative decision making. In

L. Alison & L. Rainbow (Eds.), Professionalizing offender profiling: Forensic and investigative psychology in practice (pp. 35–50). London, England: Routledge.

Turvey, B. (2011). Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis. New

York: Academic Press.

Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1974). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases.

Science, 185, 1124–1131.

 

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Air Pollution

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3^rd, March 2013

 

 

Air pollution is common in various cities and affects a larger number of people, since this occurs more frequently in the environment. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) notes that air pollution occurs everywhere, but greatly affects city dwellers. The major types of air pollution identified by ATSDR include gaseous pollutants, the greenhouse effect, acid rain, damage to Ozone layer, climatic effects, and particulate matter. In addition, the ATSDR notes the effects of air pollution on humans, which are negative, including heart attack and lung damage. However, children and the elderly people are more vulnerable to air pollution. Nonetheless, anyone can be affected when they inhale the toxic substances in the air or take food or water that is contaminated with these toxins (ATSDR, 2009).

In 2011, the American Lung Association reported that nearly all major cities in the USA are affected by air pollution, and the toxic air in these cities poses a health challenge to the cities’ population. More than half of the American population is exposed to toxic air pollution in their surrounding environment. Air pollution occurs through many ways. The most common ways include emissions from factories and factories. Additionally, air pollutants exist in liquid, gas, and solid forms and most of these occur because of human activity. Major health effects of air pollution include respiratory diseases and heart diseases (Rogers, 2011).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes only six main air pollutants, which are common in the whole of the U.S.A. These include Lead, Sulphur Dioxide, Ozone, particulate matter, Nitrogen Dioxides, and Carbon Monoxide. However, particulate matter are more common compared to the other five air pollutants. These affect humans and the environment in an adverse way. Mainly, people affected by air pollution will suffer from various respiratory diseases, lung and heart diseases, and in extreme cases, might succumb to premature death (EPA, 2012).

According to EPA (2012), the nature of Ozone determines its influence on humans and the environment. Good Ozone occurs naturally, and protects the environment form harmful UV rays. This layer is found in the earth’s stratosphere. On the other hand, bad ozone is the air pollutant, and forms a layer closer to the earth’s surface. The bad Ozone is composed of exhaust fumes from automobile, emissions from industries, and chemical solvents, among others. This layer resembles smog covering most cities in the U.S.A. Particulate matter comprises both tiny solid and liquid particles in the air. These can be metallic, soil, or dust particles and particles, which are acidic in nature. These particles are inhalable by humans, and settle in the lungs.

On the other hand, Carbon Monoxide is a toxic gas emitted from automobiles and combustion process. Production of CO utilizes Oxygen, thus reducing amount of Oxygen in the environment. If inhaled, a person might experience insufficient Oxygen in their body. In addition, Nitrogen Monoxide gas is a toxic gas produced through high-temperature combustion, and forms part of the bad Ozone. Furthermore, Sulphur Dioxide is a toxic chemical compound produced by industries, volcanic action, and power plants. This too forms part of the bad Ozone, and affects the human respiratory system in an adverse manner. Finally, Lead in most manufactured products is toxic. However, Lead smelters are responsible for most of the Lead emissions today (EPA, 2012).

Each source of air pollution, including ozone layer, Sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, among others have a unique effect on the body and health of individuals, which are observable after a few days or several weeks following exposure to air pollution. In addition, air pollution causes invisibility, in most cities of the U.S., which poses a challenge to those driving on the roads. Some of the health effects of air pollution include coughs, headache, malaise, conjuvital irritation, and heart and lung disease, among others (Dickey, 2009).

So far, air pollution is identified as a threat to human health. Different organizations have called and advocated for measures to reduce the impact of air pollution on human health, and eradicate air pollution all together, in order to safeguard the environment and human life. These have all agreed that air pollution leads to health complications in human beings. Most of the health threats that are identified are in the form of respiratory diseases, including lung and heart diseases. In addition, these agree on the different forms of air pollution, which include Lead, Sulphur Dioxide, bad Ozone, particulate matter, Nitrogen Dioxides, and Carbon Monoxide, which affect one when they are inhaled or taken in contaminated food or water.

On the contrary, a number of scientific researchers in United Kingdom have argued that air pollution might not be as dangerous to human health, as modern researchers posit. These researchers from Glasgow University and the University of Edinburgh used the scenario of air pollution in Canada as a basis for their argument. In Canada, air pollution was worse in the 1970’s than it is today. Therefore, these have reasoned that the effects of air pollution in the 1970’s should have been worse than the effects experienced today. Judging from past records, in the 1970’s and other consequent years, there was no increased hospitalization experienced due to air pollution. Therefore, these researchers have deduced that increased air pollution does not result in increased hospitalization of people due to lung and heart disease (Gorman, 2010). According to these researchers therefore, Carbon dioxide and Nitrogen Dioxide in the environment has some positive effects on the lungs, especially in those patients suffering from lung disease. Although this research might raise many controversies, it gives a platform for further research on the issue. This is because, currently, it is widely known that air pollution is harmful to the environment and to the human health, and must be prevented at all cost.

People are exposed to air pollution in different ways. For instance, the sources of Carbon Monoxide exposure include parking lots, traffic tunnels, passenger cars, and busy roads. Particulate matter is found in dust, pollen, and particles from combustions, among others. Bad ozone results from gasoline vapors, consumer products, and Nitrogen Oxides in the air, among others. On the other hand, Sulphur Dioxide results from combustion of fuels composed of Sulphur, metal smelting, and paper manufacturing, among others. Therefore, exposure to these sources of air pollution will make one to experience adverse effects depending on the type of pollutant they are exposed to (Dickey, 2009).

Air pollution is both a chronic and acute chemical threat. This is because it is an amalgamation of various toxic chemicals in the air. Some effects of bad ozone on human health are considered chronic. This leads to different types of chronic respiratory diseases, including asthma. On the other hand, particulate matter has acute effects on health. This leads to restricted activity, which makes one to lose work or school days because of respiratory illnesses. One might also experience asthma exacerbations, bronchitis, and chronic cough among others. However, people more vulnerable to acute illnesses because of air pollution are the elderly people and people suffering from heart and lung diseases.  Air pollution is also considered as a carcinogen, since it sometimes results in lung cancer for those people exposed to pollutants such as particulate matter and bad ozone (Dickey, 2009).

When Sulphur Dioxide interacts with different catalysts such as nitrogen dioxide, the process of oxidation occurs, and this results in acidic rain, which is equally harmful to human health, as it also causes respiratory diseases. This is a synergistic effect since acidic rain unlike Sulphur dioxide, will be experienced by many people, therefore, raising the exposure level of the pollutant (Rogers, 2011). Personally, I am more vulnerable to particulate matter, especially dust particles. Exposure to dust causes much sneezing because of my allergy to dust. However, there are no any personal behaviors that increase my risk of being affected by air pollution.

According to the World Health Organization, air pollution results in 4.6 million deaths worldwide (WHO, 2011). On the other hand, the American Lung Association in 2007 reported that more than 60 percent of Americans are exposed to air pollution, as more than 186.1 million Americans live in areas affected by air pollution (RedOrbit, 2009). Nonetheless, a person might be affected by air pollution when they are constantly exposed to pollutants. The consequences of exposure can be observed after a few days or several months, depending on the level of severity of the pollutant. Therefore, there are short and long-term effects of air pollution. Sneezing and coughing are short term effects while lung cancer and other serious respiratory diseases are long-term, since these take a long period to develop, and a long period to cure. Nonetheless, the treatment of effects and diseases resulting from air pollution are both pharmacological and behavioral, with regard to the type of disease and exposure level (Science Daily, 2012).

Different measures can be taken to reduce exposure to pollutants in the air. These include reducing the number of trips taken in a car, using paints and home products that are environmentally safe, eliminating use of stoves and burning wood, stop burning or avoid areas where trees and trash are being burnt, and using air conditioner at home and in school, among others. I am able to determine the chemical threats I face using the reaction of my body. If it makes me sneeze or cough, then it is harmful. Mainly, my allergy for dust can be prevented by avoiding dusty places, and wiping all the surfaces in the house to reduce dust. Before using home products and equipment, it is important to study the safety procedures on the product package. This will help to avoid wrong use of products, which might lead to exposure to the pollutants.

In conclusion, air pollution remains a threat to human health. This is because of the various toxic chemicals in the environment, which settle in the air that humans breathe. When inhaled or taken through contaminated food or water, this is proven to result in various health complications, including lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. This also continues to be a source of death for a large number of people in the world today. Therefore, it is essential that air pollution be put under control. This should be through the collective responsibility of all parties involved. Government agencies must conduct public awareness on air pollution through the media and other channels. Similarly, the authorities at the Indiana University should educate students through seminars and various talks about air pollution. On the other hand, manufacturers should use components that are environmentally friendly to develop their products. In addition, products should be labeled appropriately, including warning against air pollution and the amount of exposure the product presents. All these will help to curb the effects of air pollution on humans.

 

References

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). (2009). Air Pollution. Retrieved

from, http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/general/theair.html

Dickey, J. (2009). Air Pollution and Primary Care Medicine. Physicians for Social Responsibility

(PSR). Retrieved from, http://www.psr.org/chapters/boston/health-and-environment/air-pollution-and-primary.html

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (2012). Air Pollution. Retrieved from,

http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/2010/report/airpollution.pdf

Gorman, L. (2010). Is Air Pollution Harmful to your Health? Maybe Not. National Center for

Policy Analysis (NCPA). Retrieved from

http://healthblog.ncpa.org/is-air-pollution-harmful-to-your-health-maybe-not/

Rogers, S. (2011). Common Air Pollutants. Mother Nature Network, 31 May. Retrieved from,

http://www.mnn.com/health/healthy-spaces/stories/common-air-pollutants

RedOrbit (29 April 2009). 60 percent of Americans Affected by Air Pollution. Retrieved from,

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1679618/60_percent_of_americans_affected_by_air_pollution/

Science Daily (2012). Air Pollution. Retrieved from,

http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/air_pollution.htm

World Health Organization (WHO). (2011). Air Quality and Health. Retrieved from,

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs313/en/

 

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POWERFUL WOMEN IN POLITICS

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29^th, March, 2013

 

 

Introduction

In most world countries, the participation of women in politics has been a controversial issue in the past decades. Most countries denied women the right to vote and to hold political office. Today, this has changed, as more women are encouraged to participate in politics (Stokes 2005). However, although women no longer struggle to gain recognition in politics, as well as practicing their right to vote, their level political participation today remains low (UNDP  2011: Hatman 1999). The number of women in the political sphere is evidence of women under-representation. The political sphere today is male dominated, as shown by the high numbers of males participating in politics (Lawless & Fox 2012). In the USA, women account for only 16.6 percent of congress. On the other hand, women make up only 8 percent of the mayors of the nation’s largest cities. Similarly, Britain registers lower representation of women in politics, compared to the U.S.A. (PressTVGlobalNews 2011). Globally, in July 2006, women accounted for 17 percent of parliamentarians worldwide, and a woman headed the government in only seven countries (UNICEF, 2007). According to Anne, Deckman, and Swers (2011), the under-representation of women in politics is not blamed on legal restrictions, but probably on the bias of voters and parties, which favor the male politicians. Nonetheless, despite women under-representation in politics, a number of women in different countries have risen in the political scene, with impeccable performance, which is responsible for their influence in the politics of their countries and the world.

Body

In 2011, the Forbes Magazine published a list of the most powerful women in the world. Among the first top five most powerful women in the list, three were female politicians. The most powerful woman in politics was considered to be Angela Merkel, who “. . . directly controls the $2.9 trillion GDP of Germany and influences the $14.8 trillion economy of the European Union” (Goudreau 2011, para. 2). Besides being the first female chancellor of Germany, Merkel is also the party leader of Christian Democratic Union in Germany. She has held this political office in Germany since 2005, and re-elected in 2009. Merkel is also responsible for overseeing the operations of the Eurozone, ensuring stability, and unification of the members. In addition, the stabilization of the European Union is one of her core duties. This makes Germany the only country among the top largest economies of the world to be headed by a female leader (Gedmin 2013).

Hillary Clinton, the U.S.A. secretary of state, is considered the second most powerful woman politician today. She holds the fourth position after the president of the U.S.A and serves as a world ambassador of the world’s largest economy. Hillary Clinton is among the few women in the U.S.A. who have attempted to run for presidency in the country. She is popular in the U.S.A and across the globe for advocating for women issues and education, as well as development, which are among the top interests and policies of the U.S.A (Goudreau 2011).

Another powerful woman in politics today is Dilma Rousseff, the 36^th president of Brazil. She has been in office since January 2011. She is the first female to head the Brazilian government. While serving as the Minister for Energy and Chief of Staff, Rousseff made a big achievement, saving approximately 24 million people in the country from utter poverty. Today, she is faced with a larger responsibility ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, which are to be hosted by her country (Goudreau 2011). Although Rousseff owns her success to Mr. da Silva, the former Brazilian president, most analysts have credited her for the economic reforms in the country, especially her concern for the low-income families in Brazil (Torregrosa 2010).

On the other hand, Michelle Bachelet, the first female president of Chile is also popular in her country for advocating for women rights, thus breaking down the barrier for females in the country. She was also given the responsibility of heading the UN agency of UN Women, mainly because of her concern and advocacy for women issues (Torregrosa 2010). Similarly, Cristina Fernandez, the president of Argentina is also a powerful female politician today. In Argentina, Cristina is popular for advocating for the rights of gay people and same-sex marriage in the world, and in her country. She is an assertive and out-spoken president, known for criticizing and pushing for reforms in the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In addition, she is also well known for developing economic policies in her country. As the president, she developed financial ties between her country and other countries, thus, boosting the economy of Argentina (Torregrosa 2010).

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the 24^th president of Liberia is another influential female politician today. She is popular for winning the Nobel Prize for peace and Goodwill Ambassador for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in the African continent (Forbes 2012). She has also spearheaded different reforms in her country, mainly to strengthen the economy. Similarly, being the first female president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchillla is an influential woman in the politics of her country. Previously, she had served as the country’s vice president, as well as a Minister of Justice. However, her government has faced various economic blows, making her less popular, compared to other female politicians, based on performance (Forbes 2012).

There are other many influential female politicians in the world, apart from those mentioned. These include leaders of political parties in their countries such as Sonia Gandhi, who is the president of the Indian National Congress Party. On the other hand, women have taken on the executive position of Prime Minister in their countries, and such include Julia Gillard, the Prime Minister of Australia, and Yingluck Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand. Most of female leaders in politics have proved their capability of good leadership.

Conclusion

Few women participate in politics today compared to men. However, among those few women in politics, some have shown great leadership capability, with regard to their performance and influence in their countries, as well as the world. All the female politicians holding reputable positions in their governments are therefore, evidence that women are capable of political leadership. Most of these female politicians have performed impeccably in their roles, through their power of skilled decision-making. This signifies that, if voters and political parties were not biased against women, more women in politics would possibly lead to more positive changes in their countries.
Works Cited

Anne, J., Deckman, M. & Swers, M 2011, Women and Politics: Paths to Power and Political Influence, New York, Longman.

Forbes 2012, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Viewed 29 March 2013 <http://www.forbes.com/profile/ellen-johnson-sirleaf/#>

Gatrell, C 2008, Embodying Women’s Work, McGraw-Hill International, London.

Gedmin, J 28 March 2013, Gedmin: Angela Merkel is the most powerful woman in the world, Viewed 29 March 2013 <http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/gedmin-angela-merkel-is-the-most-powerful-woman-in-the-world-1.4930212>

Goudreau, J 29 August 2011, World’s Most Powerful Women in Politics, Forbes, Viewed 29 March 2013 < http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2011/08/29/worlds-most-powerful-women-politics-hillary-clinton-angela-merkel-michele-bachmann/>

Hatman, M 1999, Talking Leadership: Conversations With Powerful Women, Rutgers University Press, New York

Lawless, J. & Fox, R 2012, Men Rule: The Continued Under-Representation of Women in the U.S. Politics, Women & Political Leadership, School of Public Affairs, Viewed 29 March 2013 < http://www.american.edu/spa/wpi/upload/2012-Men-Rule-Report-web.pdf >

PressTVGlobalNews 2011, Women in Politics – Women’s World-11-16-2011, Viewed 29 March 2013 < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-gYjSxODCg>

Stokes, W 2005, Women in Contemporary Politics, Polity, London.

Torregrosa, L 28 September 2010, A Woman Rises in Brazil, New York Times, Viewed 29 March 2013 <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/29/world/americas/29iht-letter.html?ref=dilmarousseff>

UNDP 2011, Press Release, UN, New York.

UNICEF 2007, The State of the World’s Children: Women and Children: The Double

Dividend of Gender Equality. UN, New York.

 

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THE LEECH GATHERER – DOROTHY AND WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

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28^th, March, 2013

 

William Wordsworth and Dorothy Wordsworth were authors, who wrote mostly about nature. However, these two employed different approaches in their writing. Dorothy Wordsworth in her writings is fascinated by the physical or material reality of the different things in nature, which she addresses in her writings. On the other hand, William Wordsworth finds fascination in the deeper meaning of the nature’s elements, which he addresses in his poems. Unlike Dorothy who focuses on the external beauty of things in nature, William is more drawn to the internal aspect of things in nature, their general meaning, and spirituality. This essay therefore, compares the works of William Wordsworth and Dorothy Wordsworth titled “The Leech Gatherer.” This will include an analysis and comparison, which will bring out the different perceptions of the two authors about nature, and the different ways they give meaning to the nature elements in their poetic works.

“The Leech Gatherer” by William Wordsworth is a poem, also called “Resolution and Independence.” This poem has 140 lines, which are divided into twenty stanzas. The title of the poem mainly draws from the content in the poem. The author narrates his experience when he meets with a leech gatherer. Therefore, this poem is written in the first person form. The speaker in the poem is the author himself. In the poem, the author narrates about his walk in the moor one spring morning. He experiences a strange phenomenon when he meets an old man, who was a leech gatherer, wandering in the moor, in search of leeches. At this point, the element of nature is already manifesting in the poem. This is through the use of seasons such as spring morning, and the use of landscape such as the moor, as well as the presence of leeches, which are part of nature. Many other elements of nature occur in this poem, even though they have been used to portray different meanings (Wordsworth 1802).

In this poem, the leech gatherer had spent most of his past many days looking for leeches up and down in the moor. Although leeches are scarse in this season, the leech gatherer does not give up searching for them, as his life depends on them (Wordsworth 1802). In this scenario, William Wordsworth presents a deeper meaning of what the leeches are, and what the old man’s struggle represents. Therefore, although the leeches are part of nature, William Wordsworth looks beyond their physical presentation and thinks of them in a deeper view, thus, giving them a different meaning, which is more deep and spiritual. The scene of a person hunting is quite fascinating, and is a representation of nature. Therefore, in William Wordsworth’s poem, the old man searching for leeches is an act that considerably reflects on nature. This is mainly through the interdependence between human beings and other elements in nature. Therefore, this scene creates a natural relationship. However, William Wordsworth does not just look at this as plainly as it appears. William Wordsworth compares this relationship between the leech gatherer and his leech searching to a determined and perseverant poet. Although the season was not favorable for leeches, the leech gatherer did not give up hope but went ahead to search for leeches, hoping that he would gather some. Therefore, this has a deeper meaning of a poet, who is faced with adversity and solitude, but he is strong-hearted enough to endure the adversities before him.

At the beginning of the poem, William Wordsworth the author employs a variety of expressions symbolizing nature. As a wanderer, he experiences happy emotions and is in high spirits while travelling the moor. He delights in the beautiful nature surrounding him. However, he thinks to himself that happiness and despair are closely linked. When he encounters the old man, the leech gatherer and interacts with him, he learns that the old man’s work of gathering leeches has many things in common with poetry writing. Therefore, like a leech gatherer, the speaker in the poem, who is William Wordsworth, compares the art of poetry writing to the practice of leech gathering. While the leech gatherer searches for leeches in the moor, the poet searches his or her mind for poems. The moor is the natural environment where the leech gatherer finds the leeches, thus is home to leeches. On the other hand, the mind of a poet is where the poet searches through for poems. For the poet, the mind is therefore, the home to ideas. The leeches are not always available for the leech gatherer to collect, even though he shows up to search for them. This is the same way a poet might lack inspiration, which sometimes is hard to find. Therefore, by comparing the leech gatherer with a poet, the speaker in the poem is of the opinion that, a poet, no matter how discouraged he or she is, or how much inspiration they lose, they must learn from the leech gatherer. The leech gatherer goes ahead to search for leeches, even when the season is not favorable for leeches, and they are scarse because of dryness. The same, a poet should go ahead, even when they lack inspiration; they ought to look for it and continue with their art of poetry.

On the other hand, Dorothy’s passages suggest that she may have been inspired as much by the events and appearances in the external world, unlike William, who was interested in the internal meaning of things. In her Grasmere journal, Dorothy presents a fascinating account of her life in the Lake District, in the beginning of the 19th Century. This comprises various accounts and descriptions of nature, among other fascinating elements. Dorothy Wordsworth gives a different perspective of the leech gatherer. Like William Wordsworth, Dorothy Wordsworth too met the leech gatherer, but in a different way from William’s. Unlike William Wordsworth, Dorothy only dwells on the external attributes of the things in nature, and does not tie a meaning to them. She appreciates the beauty of nature, plain as it is, and does not describe it in a deeper context, to result in a different meaning, like in the case of William Wordsworth. Therefore, her encounter with the leech gatherer is seen in a different approach.

In her account of the Leech Gatherer, Dorothy is with William Wordsworth, when they meet the leech gatherer, on their way from seeing off Jones. However, the incidence of meeting the leech gatherer in Dorothy’s account undergoes a sharp change in the approach she has used, which is quite different from William’s approach. Dorothy in her account has explicitly described the physical or material state of the leech gatherer. She has not used an approach that would veer beyond the material existence of the old leech gatherer. For instance, she has introduced the leech gatherer as, “an old man, almost double.” “He had been hurt in driving a cart, his leg broke, his body driven over, his skull fractured” (Wordsworth 1801). In this case, Dorothy has utilized a detailed description of the physical body of the leech gatherer in order to present a poetic image to the audience. In addition, she uses phrases such as the old man’s “feeble chest.” All these have been used to emphasize the age of the old man, which is a physical state.

Dorothy has also used the stylistic device of metaphors in her account, to point to the similarities between two aspects. For instance, “a more than human weight upon his frame had cast” (Heringham 2011, p.70). This metaphorical expression has been used to refer to the heavy weight of the material world from which the leech gatherer has wrested his deeply problematic “independence” (Heringham 2011, p.34). This is among some of the metaphoric expressions that Dorothy has used in order to show the material or physical status of the leech gatherer. In addition, the leech gatherer is “old and poor” and he has a “hazardous and wearisome” employment (Heringham 2011, p.71). Dorothy also claims that the leech gatherer was a beggar, since the price of leaches increased. This also is a description aimed at showing the physical or material status of the leech gatherer in the form of the level of his economic prowess. Overall, Dorothy Wordsworth has utilized imagery as a literary style to represent the physical aspects of the elements she uses in her writing.

A major difference between the two authors in writing this piece of work is their style of writing. William Wordsworth has utilized poetry form, since his work is a poem. On the other hand, Dorothy has written her piece in prose form. Therefore, Dorothy’s writing is basic and meant to get the message across. However, William’s writing is more artistic, since the language in the poem is manipulated to have a music effect through use of rhythm and rhyme in the poem. The difference in this might be the fact that Dorothy wrote her works in her personal journal and travelogue. In addition to this, William Wordsworth’s poem is in the abstract form, while Dorothy’s is in the literary form. This is because, Dorothy has based on the physical or material aspects of nature, which she explains in the literary form. On the other hand, William Wordsworth focuses on the inner meaning of elements of nature, thus, presenting them in the abstract form. Therefore, although Dorothy and William Wordsworth both talk about the leech gatherer in their writings, they have employed varying approaches, and this is the differentiating factor between their writings.

 

Works Cited

Harrison, G. L 1994, Wordsworth’s Vagrant Muse: Poetry, Poverty, and Power, Wayne

State University Press, New York.

Heringman, N 2011, Rt-Romantic Rocks Aesthetic Geology Z, Cornell University Press, New

York.

Wordsworth, D 1801, The Leech-gatherer / Resolution and Independence

Wordsworth, W 1802, Resolution and Independence/ The Leech-gatherer

 

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Uncommon Ground

What Ferguson Means By Ideological Power

            Ideological power refers a kind of power that is not based on force. Ideology is a critical issue embedded in the view of community as competing images. Ideology is paramount, as it maintains the coherence of an image coherent. In this case, the African Americans used their different ideologies, as power. They therefore, promoted their ideologies, which included their beliefs and values that helped them make sense of the world, in the midst of domineering ideologies of the European. They mainly were able to embrace their ideologies, when they resisted most of the ideologies of the colonial masters, which were imposed on them.

The African-American slaves utilized their material culture as a source of their power, and independence, and used this to shape their lives according to their preferences.  To counteract the ideological power of the African-American slaves, the planters too used ideology as a way of covering up their exploitations of the slaves and blinding the African-Americans on the evils of slavery. They therefore, did this through different attempts to gain control over the material culture of the slaves. Instead of the slaves using their material culture, the planters offered them “nicer” clothing, housing, and food. However, most of the slaves did not accept the material culture of their planters, but preferred their own. They therefore, used their own material culture as a source of their “dominance” and power. Therefore, by “ideological power”, Ferguson referred to the culture of the African-Americans, since they based on this to resist the exploitations and injustices of slavery.

After many years of life in slavery, in the end, the African-Americans were able to liberate themselves from slavery. The whites were more developed, with an advanced culture and education, compared to Africans. Therefore, it was least expected that the African-Americans would get powerful to the extent of ending slavery. The African-Americans had no powerful weapons to engage in a war with the whites, in pursuit of their liberation. Additionally, African-Americans lacked an education, which could be compared to the Whites.’ Therefore, these used their distinct culture, which served as an ideological power, to end slavery. The African-American culture was stronger than the American culture, since this combined both the indigenous African culture and some aspects of the American culture, which was acquired through the interaction of the blacks with the whites (Ferguson 123).

Some archaeological examples of African-American ideological power in colonial America examined in Uncommon Ground.

            The ideological power of the African-American slaves mainly lay in their material culture. This form of ideological power helped African-Americans to resist the oppression of the white masters. This also served as a basis for resistance for the inequalities and exploitations by the white masters. This ideological power of the African-Americans mainly linked their social meanings with power. Therefore, the archaeological research by Ferguson is essential in tracing the distribution of material culture and establishing the different ways through which the adoption of these by the African-Americans played the role of resistance to the white oppression and exploitation. By refusing to embrace the material culture of the whites, the African-Americans wanted to maintain their cultural and social identity, thus avoiding assimilation by the American culture. There is different archaeological evidence provided by Ferguson that reveals the African-American ideological power during slavery. However, all these lay in the cultural aspects of the African-Americans.

Ferguson has used the concept of “creolization” to explain the major ways in which African-Americans developed their distinct culture, which was a symbol of power. This happened because of the interactions of different cultures, leading to a new culture on plantations. The elements of this culture of African-Americans include material culture and language, among others. On language, although most of the African-Americans adopted their masters’ language and some material culture, the way they used it, including grammar and lexical rules, remained typically African. Even today, the African-Americans have a distinct way of speaking the American language (Ferguson 101).

The archaeological artifacts collected in Ferguson’s research shows that the artifacts used by Africans during slavery were mostly African and not European. The artifacts produced by Europeans varied significantly from those produced by African-Americans. African-Americans therefore, used artifacts, which they produced themselves, to conduct their daily activities. However, a number of archaeological evidence shows that some slaves in the Cannon’s Point Plantation used glazed and decorated English plates for eating while their masters used plain plates. However, it is assumed that African-Americans used these English plates to eat their African meals. African-Americans typically used ceramic plates; however, the shape of the English plates used suggested that the meals were African and not European (Ferguson 98).

Another aspect, which represents the power of African-Americans, is the internal economies they formed amongst themselves, which were not known by their masters. They made different material culture such as plates and sold them among themselves. Additionally, these planted crops in their kitchen gardens as well as the land given to them by their masters. They therefore, exchanged different crop produce among themselves as a form of trade. This therefore, increased their self-reliance and empowered them, not to rely on the Whites.

Archaeological evidence in the Georgia’s plantations has also shown that African-Americans used clay pots for cooking and eating their foods. The use of the pots by African-Americans is important, as this reveals important information about the foodways of the African-Americans. The kind of food eaten by African-Americans symbolized their unity, and gave them their cultural identity. Different archaeological evidence reveals that most African-Americans ate food, which they were used to eating before slavery. Today, most African-Americans in the USA still eat this kind of food. These included yams, white potatoes, grains, rice, cassavas, and bananas, among others. When African-Americans moved to urban areas, they carried along with them their food, material culture, and other cultural aspects that made up their culture (Ferguson 122). Therefore, the culture of African-Americans was powerful, since its significance among the Whites was felt. This kind of influence the African culture had, helped it to win the struggle against slavery successfully.

Ways in which enslaved people accepted or had imposed upon them aspects of European American material culture.

            As mentioned, the African-Americans adopted specific elements in the culture of the Europeans. This is why Ferguson has used the term creolization to explain this phenomenon. Therefore, the African-Americans accepted some aspects of European culture, and incorporated them into their culture to result in a mixed culture, which was stronger compared to that of the Europeans. Nonetheless, the archaeological evidence by Ferguson shows that African culture and the culture of Native Americans borrowed from one another mainly in the methods of food consumption and preparation of food. In the colonial period, Ferguson (p. 97) notes that Africans main menu included green vegetables and starch, sometimes accompanied with meat. Africans prepared their food in clay pots. Serving of the food was in clay bowls, and they would eat their food using their hands, or with spoons. In the African context, gourds were produced and used by Africans for various purposes. Mostly, these were used as musical instruments, as well as utensils for serving food. However, African-Americans accepted changes to their original material culture, when they incorporated some elements of European material culture into their own, either by their own free will, or upon being forced to by the whites (Ferguson 4).

The changes in African material culture occurred partially or wholly. Therefore, either the Africans made a few changes to their material culture to resemble that of Europeans, or they completely adopted some of the European material culture. One of the instances that points to this is the archaeological evidence of shards of cooking pots. This shows that the American natives influenced the Africans to adopt some aspects, which related to their material culture related to food. The Africans were influenced to adopt iron pots and wooden buckets as their new forms of material culture, which they did not possess previously (Ferguson 7). However, although the Africans readily accepted some new forms of material culture, they used them in a way that fits in their African context. On the other hand, the Africans also adopted the English plates, which were glazed and decorated. However, these had varying shapes. Africans had typically used clay to make their crafts, therefore, anything that was not clay among the possessions of Africans, shows it was borrowed, mainly through acculturation between the Africans and Europeans. Therefore, although the African-Americans adopted some forms of material culture from the European, this did not weaken their culture, but strengthened it even more. Later, this was instrumental in helping them pursue their liberation from slavery.

 

Works Cited

Ferguson, Leland. Uncommon Ground: Archaeology and Early African America, 1650-1800.

Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992.

 

 

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Leadership

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Antigone

1. In what respect was Antigone a leader? Was her concern more for short-range or long-range goals? Explain?

Antigone possessed different leadership qualities. For instance, she displayed a great level of courage and principle, which is required for one to be regarded as a leader. Antigone was courageous enough to go against the law, when she protects the burial rights of her brother Polynices. She goes ahead to do this, even when her sister is against it. Although she is arrested by the guards and taken to Creon, Antigone stands by her principles and in a courageous manner admits to burying Polynices. She did not mind facing death, as long as it was for a just cause.

2. Upon what does Creon base his power? What are his greatest mistakes in using that power?

Creon based his power on the rational laws of man, instead of the irrational laws of the gods. This is evident when he adamantly refuses Polynices, Antigone’s brother to be given a decent burial. He does not recognize the family bond that exists between Antigone and her brother, and realize that his decision would hurt Antigone. This is a mistake he committed, which shows misuse of power, which led to him being a tyrant. He bases his decisions on logic, and turns out to be mean.

1. 3.      Who are the empowered and how was the empowerment accomplished?

Antigone is an empowered woman in the play. She draws her empowerment from herself, thus she is self-empowered. This is seen in how she governs herself. She depends on her self-empowerment, as well as self-reliance, when making important decisions. For instance, she is not swayed away from her decision when her sister opposes her move to bury their brother. She thus believed and relied on herself to perform her brother’s burial. She therefore, relies on her own strength and does not need the support of others to get things accomplished.

1. 4.      Are there similarities between the leadership styles of Antigone and Martin Luther King, Jr? Elaborate?

There are a number of similarities between the leadership of Antigone and that of Martin Luther King, Jr. First, they all struggled for the rights of other people. While King fought for the rights of the black community in the USA, Antigone struggled for the right of her brother to be given a decent burial.

Secondly, both were selfless in their struggles. King did not fear being arrested while claiming equality for all black and white Americans. Similarly, Antigone was arrested by the guards and taken to Creon when she buried her brother. However, she was not afraid of the consequences. Therefore, both exhibit selflessness, courage, and sacrifice.

Leadership as Empowering others – By W. Warner Burke

1. Do leaders differ from managers? If so, why?

Leaders do differ from managers, considering the convictions of most scholars who have studies the differences between leaders and managers. Leaders are involved in strategic management, just as the managers. However, leaders exhibit this aspect of strategic management in their behavior as well. Another difference between leaders and managers is evident in the way these relate with people and perceptions toward work. While managers exhibit high interaction with people, leaders are considered loners with great visions. Managers also use people to get goals and visions achieved. In addition, leaders are more charismatic and empathic than managers, since these will prioritize the needs of the people at their expense.

 

2. How does empowerment relate to leadership skills

Empowering other people is a virtue, which is why it is considered a leadership skill. First, empowering other people is a sign of generosity, which mean people are not capable of. Therefore, generosity is associated with leadership. On the other hand, empowering other people requires one to have patient, since it might be same as a learning process. Thus, if one lacks patient, they might not be in a position to empower others, thus, making them not leaders.

3. How does the ability to empower others contribute to effective leadership

Ability to empower others means that a leader shares part of their powers with the people. This makes the people more knowledgeable about various aspects, including the leadership process. This results in a participatory form of leadership, where the subjects are included in the leadership and decision-making process. This kind of leadership is deemed effective.

 

             Questionnaire Results

1B	3	1A		2
2B	2	2A		3
3B	2	3A		3
4A	3	4B		2
5B	4	5A		1
6B	1	6A		4
7B	5	7A		0
8A	4	8B		1
9B	3	9A		2
10A	5	10B		0
TOTAL	32		TOTAL		18

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HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT – DALLAS HOTEL CASE STUDY

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Introduction

The Human Resources Management is one of the most critical departments in a hotel. This is the differentiating factor between a well performing and a poor performing hotel. Therefore, hotel performance is attached to the competitiveness and nature of its Human Resources Management (Hoque 2002). In the case of Dallas Hotel, the Human Resources Management approaches that are adopted are wanting, since this department has proved ineffective in making the hotel compete favourably in the market, which is characterized by high competition. This is despite the fact that Dallas Hotel has vast capital. Therefore, human resources management is more critical in a company’s performance, more than the amount of capital the company has. For better performance, Dallas Hotel needs to undergo an overhaul of its Human Resources Management Department.

Systems that Dallas Hotel should implement to Change its HR Practices

            The Human Resources practices embraced by Dallas Hotel currently are ineffective and cannot make the hotel realize its goals; neither can these boost the productivity and profitability of the company. Therefore, the hotel should adopt a new Human Resource system, which comprises a variety of HR practices that have a high capability of boosting the performance and profitability of the company.

First, the hotel must adopt an effective recruitment and selection process. Currently, the professional in charge of recruitment and selection in the hotel does not meet the standard requirements to conduct this process. For instance, she performed poorly in her previous position before being promoted to the current position. While at the front office, she lacked people skills, therefore, could not interact with clients positively. A professional in charge of this sensitive procedure of recruitment and selection should have the skill of understanding people (Tanke 2001). Therefore, the hotel has failed at this point, thus, should hire a qualified professional for the position.

Secondly, it is imperative that the company recruits only employees who are qualified and capable of positive results in the company. The kind of employees and their level of competence in the company determine the level of success a company will experience in the market. Therefore, Dallas Hotel needs to implement a Human Resources system, which puts into consideration the competence of the employees hired (Tanke 2001).

In addition, Dallas Hotel should implement an employee training process. From the case of the Dallas Hotel, the employees lack proper training to perform well in their jobs. The hotel has not invested in any kind of training process for its employees. Therefore, the employees in Dallas hotel lack basic skills, such as customer service, which are core in the service industry.

The Human Capital Aspect of Dallas Hotel

            According to Tanke (2001), human capital mainly involves the employees, as well as their input in a company. In the case of Dallas Hotel, Bobby Ewin, who is in charge of the Human Resources Management lacks sufficient knowledge on how to manage human capital in the company. The employees in Dallas hotel have failed to attract more customers to the hotel. This means that their input in the hotel is low, and this emanates from low level of expertise they have in conducting their duties in the hotel. Therefore, Ewin, being in charge of human capital in the hotel, should learn about different aspects of human capital, which will help him know how to manage the employees well, including their input in the hotel. Aspects of human capital include employee retention, behavioural training programs for employees, among others.

With regard to employee retention, Dallas hotel has failed to retain its employees. This is evident through the high rate of employee turnover in the company, which has hit the 100 percent maximum. Employee retention is a process, which encompasses various activities. For any company to retain its employees, it must ensure that the employees are satisfied with their jobs. Employee job satisfaction results in increased employee performance, which is advantageous to the company (Hoque 2002). In Dallas Hotel, Ewin, who is in charge of the Human Resources, has not put any efforts to ensure that the employees love and are satisfied with their jobs. Dallas hotel does not offer any incentives or bonuses to its employees, apart from the monthly salary. In addition, the salary of employees is delayed, as they are not paid on time. Similarly, the hotel does not provide employees with an opportunity for self-development. This hotel does not offer any training to help its employees update and upgrade their skills and expertise in their areas of practice. All these aspects have contributed to the low performance of the hotel, thus Ewin could learn important lessons from this.

First, Ewin could learn that in order to retain employees, a company must use tactical strategies such as offering incentives to employees. Incentives for employees come in different forms, both financial and non-financial forms. This makes employees feel appreciated in the company, thus boosting their level of performance (Tanke 2001). On the other hand, Ewin could learn about the importance of training employees in the hotel. This is both advantageous to the employees as individuals, as well as the company. When employees are trained, they will undergo professional development, which is makes them think positive about their company. On the other hand, skill development in employees through the trainings enhances their level of expertise in their specific area of duty. Employees will therefore, register improved performance after undergoing a training. Nonetheless, improved employee performance in any company directly translates to increased productivity and profitability for the company (Tanke 2001).

Recruitment Practices in Dallas Hotel and their influence on Organisational Objectives 

            The recruitment process in Dallas hotel is highly erroneous. First, the current Human Resources Manager does not qualify for the position, since he specialized in the field of Accounting and Finance. This therefore, has acted as the main hindrance for Ewin to perform the duties pertaining to his HR position in an effective manner. Since he is a specialist in Accounting and Finance, he does not understand most of the systems and processes in human resources management. In addition, the person in charge of recruitment and selection in the hotel does not also have the right qualifications for the position. Furthermore, the employees recruited in the company are those with a negative work experience, since most were fired from their previous jobs. The employees lack customer service, and this has contributed to the hotel receiving a low number of customers. These three elements of recruitment in Dallas hotel are the main source of the failure of the hotel’s Human Resources Department. Since employees are major determinants of the level of success of a company, the ineffective employees in Dallas hotel, together with the ineffective human resources practices adopted by the management, have led to the hotel to fail to achieve its organizational objectives.

Appropriate Recruitment Strategy for Front Desk Staff for Dallas Hotel

            In hotels, the front office personnel play an important role. These bear the image of the company, since they are in charge of handling the clients of the hotel (Ismail 2002). Therefore, the front office personnel must present a positive image of their company in order to win the loyalty of customers. In the case of Dallas hotel, the front office staff is unreliable. The personnel in charge of this department handle the customers in an unprofessional manner. The needs of customers are not prioritized, and communication is ineffective. Therefore, for better results, Dallas hotel should employ a different approach in how it recruits its front office staff. Currently, the front office personnel are mainly employees fired from other hotels. This explains their inadequacies.

The best strategy for recruiting front office managers, which Dallas can adopt, is one that considers academic qualifications, work experience, and personal values and attributes of the candidate (Ismail 2002). Employees who are fired from their jobs for negative reasons are not the best option for any company. In the recruitment of front office staff, the hotel should post the vacancies in the media, so that this gets the attention of a variety of people. A trained and experienced professional must then conduct short-listing and interviewing of the applicants. Selection of the right candidates must be based on their academic qualifications, as well as personal values. The company should not accept candidates with a negative work history. Candidates with good communication skills should be given preference, since this position requires a person who has the capability of communicating well with clients. With regard to personal attributes, the hotel should consider those candidates who are courteous, pleasant, patient, and good listeners (Ismail 2002). Only personnel with these characteristics and qualifications will bear a positive image of the company.

Training and Development Programmes to Address Staff Turnover and Occupancy Rates

            High employee turnover is costly to any company. Therefore, companies should develop strategies that will ensure low levels of employee turnover (Tanke 2001).  Dallas hotel needs to adopt some of the strategies, considering the fact that its employee turnover is 100 percent. The major strategy lies in training and development of the employees. After recruitment and selection of employees, these are supposed to be trained in different areas. Initial training after recruitment is important as it helps employees to be familiar with the culture of the company, as well as the knowledge about what the company expects of them. Apart from the qualifications, it is important that a company ensures the candidates are familiar with the organizational culture, and are capable of adhering to it comfortably. Failure to embrace the culture of a company by employees contributes to their turnover (Tanke 2001).

Training employees in their respective job positions is important, since this makes them more competent in their work. Training will help them develop their skills further, and experience a sense of accomplishment. When employees experience accomplishment in their work, they will feel satisfied in their job, because of the personal and professional development they are offered. This will make them not to quit their jobs in search for employment in another company (Tanke 2001).

Finally, training makes the employees to be competent, therefore, these will perform effectively in their work. If Dallas hotel adopts the employee training strategy, it will help to lower the hotel’s high employee turnover, and increase the occupancy rate of the hotel. For instance, if the front office personnel are trained on language use, personal grooming, and overall customer care skills, these will be effective in handling the customers of the hotel. The customers will therefore, like the hotel’s reception, thus, maintaining their loyalty to the hotel, and help spread word about the impeccable services provided by the hotel. This in turn will raise the occupancy level of the hotel (Ismail 2002).

Additional Human Resource Initiatives to be adopted for Improved Performance

There are many HR practices, which a company can adopt, apart from those highlighted. In addition to employee training and incentives, Dallas hotel could set an appropriate compensation and benefits package for its employees. The hotel should ensure to pay employees on time. In addition, the compensation package should be attractive to motivate employees. Furthermore, the hotel should consider revising its compensation and benefits annually, as this will motivate employees to perform even better. Nonetheless, if the compensation is attractive and satisfactory to the employees, they will be obliged to perform well in their job.

The hotel management should also consider setting a positive work environment for employees. This will motivate employees thus, improving their performance. A positive work environment might be created through recognizing the efforts of employees (Hoque 2002). A manager could name and reward the employee of the month, among other employee achievements. This will make employees happy, and challenge them to become the best next time. This in turn results in a dedicated and high-performing workforce, which ensures high productivity of the company.

Works Cited

Hoque, K 2002, Human Resource Management in the Hotel Industry: Strategy, Innovation,

and Performance, Routledge, New York.

Ismail, A 2002, Front Office: Operations and Management, Cengage Learning, London.

Tanke, M 2001, Human Resources Management for Hospitality, Cengage Learning, New

York.

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