Saturday, August 31, 2019

Capricious traffic police Essay

A few days ago, while I was returning to Dhaka from Comilla, one of my friends called me in my mobile and wanted to know where I was. Right on that time I was in Kaanchpur Bridge. I told him that I was in Comilla. The thing is that was not untrue in the sense that it took 4 hours to reach Jatrabari, a time more than enough to reach Dhaka from Comilla. I knew this would happen and the confidence stemmed from the constant and horrible national Jatrabari gridlock. Gulistan-Jatrabari 10 kilometre flyover construction has not been completed yet which was supposed to end in December, 2012. This giant construction narrowed the passage for vehicles. Besides, the traffic police are also reckless in their duties and are completely failing to handle this gridlock. They make it even worse by letting the vehicles move disorderly. If it takes 3-4 hours to reach Saidabad from Kaanchpur, what the hell city are we living in? People who face this unbearable congestion in 8-9 pm have to wait until it is 1 am to reach Saidabad. The pick pockets and hijackers do roam right in that time exposing the passengers to vulnerable criminal attack. Moreover, it is hard to find a public transport then. How horrible this scenario is! The trucks with heavy consignments from Chittagong and the busses from south-eastern districts with passengers blend here in this narrow passage. Any bypass road hasn’t been there to ease the gridlock which is supposed to be when a flyover like this happens in a city area. The timeline provided by LGRD ministry to have the flyover finished has exceeded and we keep suffering. How long will it continue?

Friday, August 30, 2019

Hard to Be Fair

BEST PRACTICE Everyone knows that being fair costs little and pays off handsomely. Then why do so few executives manage to behave fairly, even though most want to? Why It’s So Hard to Be Fair by Joel Brockner W hen Company A had to downsize,it spent considerable amounts of money providing a safety net for its laid-off workers. The severance package consisted of many weeks of pay, extensive outplacement counseling, and the continuation of health insurance for up to one year. But senior managers never explained to their staff why these layoffs were necessary or how they chose which jobs to eliminate.What’s more, the midlevel line managers who delivered the news to terminated employees did so awkwardly, mumbling a few perfunctory words about â€Å"not wanting to do this† and then handing them off to the human resources department. Even the people who kept their jobs were less than thrilled about the way things were handled. Many of them heard the news while driving home on Friday and had to wait until Monday to learn that their jobs were secure. Nine months later, the company continued to sputter.Not only did it have to absorb enormous legal costs defending against wrongful termination suits, but it also had to make another round of layoffs, in large part because employee productivity and morale plummeted after the ? rst round was mishandled. When Company B downsized, by contrast, it didn’t offer nearly as generous a severance package. But senior managers there explained the strategic purpose of the layoffs multiple times before they were implemented, and executives and middle managers alike made themselves available to answer questions and express regret both to those who lost their jobs and to those who remained.Line managers worked with HR to tell people that their jobs were being eliminated, and they exharvard business review 122 pressed genuine concern while doing so. As a result, virtually none of the laid-off employees ? led a wr ongful termination lawsuit. Workers took some time to adjust to the loss of their former colleagues, but they understood why the layoffs had happened. And within nine months, Company B’s performance was better than it had been before the layoffs occurred.Although Company A spent much more money during its restructuring, Company B exhibited much greater process fairness. In other words, employees at Company B believed that they had been treated justly. From minimizing costs to strengthening performance, process fairness pays enormous dividends in a wide variety of organizational and people-related challenges. Studies show that when managers practice process fairness, their employees march 2006 respond in ways that bolster the organization’s bottom line both directly and indirectly.Process fairness is more likely to generate support for a new strategy, for instance, and to foster a culture that promotes innovation. What’s more, it costs little ? nancially to imple ment. In short, fair process makes great business sense. So why don’t more companies practice it consistently? This article examines that paradox and offers advice on how to promote greater process fairness in your organization. The Business Case for Fair Process Ultimately, each employee decides for him or herself whether a decision has been made fairly.But broadly speaking, there are three drivers of process fairness. One is how much input employees believe they have in the decision- making process: Are their opinions requested and given serious consideration? Another is how employees believe decisions are made and implemented: Are they consistent? Are they based on accurate information? Can mistakes be corrected? Are the personal biases of the decision maker minimized? Is ample advance notice given? Is the decision process transparent? The third factor is how managers behave: Do they explain why a decision was made?Do they treat employees respectfully, actively listening t o their concerns and empathizing with their points of view? It’s worth noting that process fairness is distinct from outcome fairness, which refers to employees’ judgments of the bottom-line results of their exchanges with their employers. Process fairness doesn’t ensure that employees will always get what they want; but it does 123 OLEG DERGACHOV B E S T P R A C T I C E †¢ W h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r mean that they will have a chance to be heard.Take the case of an individual who was passed over for a promotion. If he believes that the chosen candidate was quali? ed, and if his manager has had a candid discussion with him about how he can be better prepared for the next opportunity, chances are he’ll be a lot more productive and engaged than if he believes the person who got the job was the boss’s pet, or if he received no guidance on how to move forward. When people feel hurt by their companies, they tend to retaliate. And w hen they do, it can have grave consequences.A study of nearly 1,000 people in the mid-1990s, led by Duke’s Allan Lind and Ohio State’s Jerald Greenberg, found that a major determinant of whether employees sue for wrongful termination is their perception of how fairly the termination process was carried out. Only 1% of ex-employees who felt that they were treated with a high degree of process fairness ? led a wrongful termination lawsuit versus 17% of those who believed they were treated with a low degree of process fairness. To put that in monetary terms, the expected cost savings of practicing process fairness is $1. 8 million for every 100 employees dismissed. That ? gure–which was calculated using the 1988 rate of $80,000 as the cost of legal defense – is a conservative estimate, since in? ation alone has caused legal fees to swell to more than $120,000 today. So, although we can’t calculate the precise ? nancial cost of practicing fair process, it’s safe to say that expressing genuine concern and treating dismissed employees with dignity is a good deal more affordable than not doing so. Customers, too, are less likely to ? le suit against a service provider if they believe they’ve been treated with process fairness.In 1997, medical researcher Wendy Levinson and her colleagues found that patients typically do not sue their doctors for malpractice simply Joel Brockner ([email  protected] edu) is the Phillip Hettleman Professor of Business at Columbia Business School in New York. 124 because they believe that they received poor medical care. A more telling factor is whether the doctor took the time to explain the treatment plan and to answer the patient’s questions with consideration – in short, to treat patients with process fairness.Doctors who fail to do so are far more likely to be slapped with malpractice suits when problems arise. In addition to reducing legal costs, fair process cuts down on employee theft and turnover. A study by management and human resources professor Greenberg examined how pay cuts were Using process fairness, companies could spend a lot less money and still have more satis? ed employees. handled at two manufacturing plants. At one, a vice president called a meeting at the end of the workweek and announced that the company would implement a 15% pay cut, across the board, for ten weeks.He very brie? y explained why, thanked employees, and answered a few questions – the whole thing was over in 15 minutes. The other plant implemented an identical pay cut, but the company president made the announcement to the employees. He told them that other cost-saving options, like layoffs, had been considered but that the pay cuts seemed to be the least unpalatable choice. The president took an hour and a half to address employees’ questions and concerns, and he repeatedly expressed regret about having to take this step.Greenberg found that durin g the ten-week period, employee theft was nearly 80% lower at the second plant than at the ? rst, and employees were 15 times less likely to resign. Many executives turn to money ? rst to solve problems. But my research shows that companies can reduce ex- penses by routinely practicing process fairness. Think about it: Asking employees for their opinions on a new initiative or explaining to someone why you’re giving a choice assignment to her colleague doesn’t cost much money. Of course, companies should continue to offer tangible assistance to employees as well.Using process fairness, however, companies could spend a lot less money and still have more satis? ed employees. Consider the ? nancial fallout that occurs when expatriates leave their overseas assignments prematurely. Conventional wisdom says that expats are more likely to leave early when they or their family members don’t adjust well to their new living conditions. So companies often go to great expen se to facilitate their adjustment – picking up the tab for housing costs, children’s schooling, and the like.In a 2000 study of 128 expatriates, human resources consultant Ron Garonzik, Rutgers Business School professor Phyllis Siegel, and I found that the expats’ adjustment to various aspects of their lives outside work had no effect on their intentions to depart prematurely if they believed that their bosses generally treated them fairly. In other words, high process fairness induced expats to stick with an overseas assignment even when they were not particularly enthralled with living abroad. In a similar vein, some companies have devised expensive solutions to help employees cope with the stress of modern work.They’ve set up on-site day care centers and sponsored stress management workshops to help reduce absenteeism and burnout. Those efforts are laudable, but process fairness is also an effective strategy. When Phyllis Siegel and I surveyed nearly 3 00 employees from dozens of organizations, we found that work/life con? ict had no measurable effect on employees’ commitment– as long as they felt that senior executives provided good reasons for their decisions and treated them with dignity and respect. Of course, executives should not simply emphasize process fairness over tanharvard business reviewW h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r †¢ B E S T P R A C T I C E gible support. Determining exactly how much tangible support to provide is perhaps best captured by the law of diminishing returns. Beyond a moderate level of ? nancial assistance, practicing process fairness proves much more cost effective because, although money does talk, it doesn’t say it all. Fair Process as a Performance Booster Process fairness can not only minimize costs but can also help to increase value, inspiring operational managers to carry out a well-founded strategic plan eagerly or embrace, rather than sabotage, an organiz ational change.This form of value is less tangible than direct reduction of expenses, but it affects the bottom line nonetheless. The fact is, most strategic and organizational change initiatives fail in their implementation, not in their conception. Several years ago, I worked with the CEO of a ? nancial services institution that needed a major restructuring. The bank’s operational managers, however, were showing signs of resistance that threatened to stop the process dead in its tracks. I advised the CEO and his senior management team to conduct several town hall–type meetings and to hold informal focus groups with the operational managers.During those senior managers to respond to the root problem. Moreover, since the operational managers felt respected, they showed a similar level of process fairness with their direct reports during the actual restructuring, making the change go more smoothly. Michael Beer, of Harvard Business School, and Russell Eisenstat, preside nt of the Center for Organizational Fitness, recently provided evidence of how systematically practiced process fairness (embedded in an action-learning egy implementation as well as the shortcomings that could hinder it.Task force members distill the information they gain from these interviews into major themes and feed them back to senior management. Then they discuss how the strategy could be rolled out most effectively. SFP is a model for process fairness: More than 25 companies – including Becton, Dickinson; Honeywell; JPMorgan Chase; Hewlett-Packard; and Merck – have used it with great success to hone the substance of their strategic initiatives and, probably more important, to gain employees’ commitment to making those initiatives happen.Most companies say that they want to promote creativity and innovation, but few use process fairness to achieve those ends. They’re missing out on a great opportunity to create value. Harvard Business School profes sor Teresa Amabile has conducted extensive research on employees working in creative endeavors in order to understand how work environments foster or impede creativity and innovation. She has consistently found that work environments in which employees have a high degree of operational autonomy lead to the highest degree of creativity and innovation.Operational autonomy, of course, can be seen as the extreme version of process fairness. When employees feel that they are heard in the decision-making process, they are more likely to support–rather than merely comply with– those decisions, their bosses, and the organization as a whole. talks, it became clear that the managers felt that the CEO and senior executives failed to appreciate the magnitude of the change they were asking for. Interestingly, the managers didn’t request additional resources; they simply wanted those at the top to recognize their dif? ult plight. By expressing authentic interest, senior execu tives created a trusting environment in which managers felt they could safely voice their true objections to the change effort. That enabled march 2006 methodology known as the strategic ? tness process, or SFP) has helped numerous organizations capture value by getting employees to buy in to strategies. A critical element of SFP is the appointment of a task force consisting of eight well-respected managers from one or two levels below senior management.Their job is to interview roughly 100 employees from different parts of the company to learn about the organizational strengths that are apt to facilitate strat- The nature of organizations, though, means that few (if any) employees can have complete operational autonomy – just about everyone has a boss. Creativity and innovation tend to suffer in work environments characterized by low levels of process fairness, such as when employees believe that the organization is strictly controlled by upper management or when they believ e that their ideas will be summarily dismissed. When employees believe that 125B E S T P R A C T I C E †¢ W h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r their supervisor is open to new ideas and that he or she values their contributions to projects, however, creativity and innovation are more likely to ? ourish. Two examples illustrate how process fairness creates value by attracting innovative employees or additional customers. The CEO of a renowned electricalengineering ? rm, for instance, wanted to change the corporate culture to be more receptive to new ideas, so he separated a large group of workers into teams of ten, asking each team to come up with ten ideas for improving the business.Then the team leaders were brought into a room where the company’s executives were gathered and were asked to â€Å"sell† as many of their team’s ideas as possible. The executives, for their part, had been instructed to â€Å"buy†as many ideas as possible. The team leaders swarmed like bees to honey to the few executives who had reputations for being good listeners and open to new ideas. The other executives stood by idly because team leaders assumed from past experience that they wouldn’t listen. One company that used process fairness to create value is Progressive Casualty Insurance.In 1994, the ? rm began to give potential customers comparison rates from two competitors along with its own quotes for auto insurance. Even though Progressive’s rates weren’t always the lowest, the very act of delivering this information created goodwill. Potential customers felt that they were being treated honestly, and the practice drew many new sales. servant, Winston S. Churchill. † After being castigated by his countrymen for the letter’s deferential tone, Churchill is said to have retorted, â€Å"When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite. In a change management seminar I’ve taught to more than 40 0 managers, I ask participants to rate themselves on how well they plan and implement organizational change. I also ask the managers’ bosses, peers, direct reports, and customers to rate them. The measure ers were â€Å"lucky enough to still have their jobs. † But economically supporting those who lost their jobs doesn’t cancel out the need to show process fairness to those affected by the change–which, incidentally, includes everyone.Ironically, the fact that process fairness is relatively inexpensive ? nancially may be why this numbers-oriented executive undervalued it. Another reason process fairness may be overlooked is because some of its bene? ts aren’t obvious to executives. Instead of wrestling with uncomfortable emotions, many managers ? nd it easier to sidestep the issue– and the people affected by it–altogether. contains more than 30 items, and managers consistently give themselves the highest marks on the item that measure s process fairness: â€Å"When managing change, I ake extra efforts to treat people with dignity and respect. † Those rating them, however, are not nearly as positive. In fact, this is the only item in which managers’ self-assessments are signi? cantly higher than the ratings they receive from each of their groups. It’s not entirely clear why this perceptual gap exists. Perhaps managers are tuned in to their intentions to treat others respectfully, but they aren’t as good at reading how those intentions come across to others. Or maybe it’s just wishful – and self-serving – thinking.Some managers wrongly believe that tangible resources are always more meaningful to employees than being treated decently. At a cocktail party, the CEO of a major international bank proudly told me about the hefty severance pay his company gave to its laid-off employees. I expressed admiration for his organization’s show of concern toward the people who lost their jobs and then asked what had been done for those who remained. Somewhat defensively, he said that it was only necessary to do something for the employees who were â€Å"affected† by the layoffs.The othSocial psychologist Marko Elovainio of the University of Helsinki and his colleagues recently conducted a study of more than 31,000 Finnish employees, examining the relationship between employees’ negative life events (such as the onset of a severe illness or death of a spouse) and the frequency of sicknessrelated absences from work for the subsequent 30 months. The study showed that the tendency for negative life events to translate into sickness-related absences depended on how much process fairness employees experienced before the events occurred.That is, not being pretreated with process fairness led to absences waiting to happen. Sometimes corporate policies hinder fair process. The legal department may discourage managers from explaining their decisio ns, for instance, on the grounds that disclosure of information could make the company vulnerable to lawsuits. Better not to say anything at all, the thinking goes, than to risk having the information come back to haunt the organization in the courtroom. Clearly, legal considerations about what to communicate are important, but they should not be taken to unnecessary extremes.All too often organizations withhold information (such as the alternatives to downsizing that have harvard business review Why Isn’t Everybody Doing It? With all that process fairness has going for it, one might expect that executives would practice it regularly. Unfortunately, many (if not most) don’t. They’d do well to follow the example of Winston Churchill, who keenly understood the cost-effectiveness of process fairness. On the day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Churchill wrote a declaration of war to the Japanese, ending it as follows: â€Å"I have the honour to be, with high con sideration, Sir, Your obedient 126W h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r †¢ B E S T P R A C T I C E been considered) when revealing it would have done far more good. Legal and medical advocates in Hawaii, for instance, are currently drafting a statute that would allow health care professionals to apologize for medical errors without increasing the risk of lawsuits. Doctors often refrain from apologizing for mistakes because they fear that admitting them will anger their patients, who will then be more likely to ? le malpractice suits. In fact, the opposite is true: Patients who feel they’ve been treated disrespectfully ? e more malpractice suits than those who feel they have been treated with dignity. By making apologies for medical mistakes inadmissible during a trial, the law would let doctors express regrets without worrying that doing so would hurt them in court. Managers who unwaveringly believe that knowledge is power may fear that engaging in process fairnes s will weaken their power. After all, if employees have a voice in deciding how things should be run, who needs a manager? Managers sometimes do run the risk of losing power when they involve others in decision making.But usually the practice of process fairness increases power and in? uence. When employees feel that they are heard in the decision-making process, they are more likely to support– rather than merely comply with – those decisions, their bosses, and the organization as a whole. The desire to avoid uncomfortable situations is another reason managers fail to practice process fairness. As Robert Folger of the University of Central Florida has suggested, managers who plan and implement tough decisions often experience con? icting emotions. They might want to approach the affected parties out of sympathy and to explain the hinking behind a decision, but the desire to avoid them is also strong. Andy Molinsky at Brandeis University and Harvard Business Schoolâ₠¬â„¢s Joshua Margolis analyzed why managers ? nd it so hard to perform necessary evils (such as laying off employees and delivering other bad news) with interpersonal sensitivity, which is an important element of process fairness. Leaders in this situation have to manage their own internal dramas, including feelings of guilt (for, say, making poor strategic decisions that led to the downsizing) and anxiety (about having suf? ient interpersonal sensitivity to accomplish the task gracefully). Instead of wrestling with those uncomfortable emotions, many managers ? nd it easier to sidestep the issue–and the people affected by it– altogether. â€Å"Emotional contagion† also comes into play in these situations. Just as we tend to laugh when we see others laugh, even when we don’t know why, we also involuntarily feel anxious or sad when those around us feel that way – and that’s uncomfortable. No wonder so many managers avoid people in emotional pa in. Unfortunately, such avoidance makes it very unlikely that they will practice process fairness.Breadth. Depth. Performance. Leadership. Tuck Executive Program July 22–August 11 Leading high-potential and senior executives to new levels of business performance Gateway to Business Management April 30–May 5 & November 12-17 Delivering skills and perspective functional managers need for advancement Finance Essentials for Senior Managers September 10–15 Offering greater accountability and transparency in your organization New Branding Imperatives May 7–9 Presenting strategies for maximizing brand equity and competitive positioning www. tuck. dartmouth. edu/exec 603-646-2839 tuck. xec. [email  protected] edu B E S T P R A C T I C E †¢ W h y I t’s S o H a rd t o B e Fa i r I can understand how managers feel. Several years ago, I was working with a telecommunications organization after the ? rst layoffs in the company’s history. The CEO an d his senior management team wanted me to talk to the midlevel managers about how the layoffs would affect the people who remained and what they could do to help their direct reports â€Å"get over it. † Feeling betrayed and fearful, however, the midlevel managers were in no mood to help others return to business as usual. They identi? d me with the problem and implied that I was partly responsible for the decision to downsize. That was a moment of real insight for me: Trying to counsel this unhappy and suspicious group, I completely understood the discomfort that managers experience when they’re called on to act compassionately toward people who feel aggrieved. It was much harder than I expected. The senior managers of the company admitted to me that they were tempted to avoid the rank and ? le – partly out of guilt and partly because they doubted whether they would be able to keep a cool enough head to practice process fairness.That’s a natural response , but ignoring negative emotions only keeps them swirling around longer. When senior managers made themselves more accessible to their workforce, employees reacted positively, and the organization developed a renewed sense of purpose. ter able to cope with (and hence not act on) their negative emotions. Furthermore, managers are more likely to endure a dif? cult process when they know that the effort will have a tangible payoff. But it’s not enough for managers to be vaguely aware that process fairness is cost effective. Corporate executives should educate them about all the ? nancial bene? ts, using charts and ? ures, just as they would when making a business case for other important organizational initiatives. Invest in training. Study after study has shown that fair-process training can make a big difference. Subordinates of the trained managers, for instance, are When I was working with an executive at a utility company several years ago, for example, I noticed that she m ade a common mistake: She didn’t tell others that she had seriously considered their opinions before making her decisions, even though she had. I advised her to preface her explanations by saying explicitly that she had â€Å"given their input some serious thought. Six months later, she told me my advice had been priceless. She learned that it’s not enough for executives just to be fair, they also have to be seen as fair. Training is most effective when it’s delivered in several installments rather than all at once. For example, one suc- It’s not enough for executives just to be fair; they also have to be seen as fair. Toward Process Fairness Companies can take several steps to make fair process the norm. Address the knowledge gaps. Managers need to be warned about the negative emotions they might experience when practicing fair process.Merely acknowledging that it is legitimate to feel like ? eeing the scene can help managers withstand the impulse to do so. Studies have shown that people can tolerate negative experiences more easily when they expect them. Just as forewarned surgical patients have been found to experience less postoperative pain, forewarned managers may be bet128 not only signi? cantly less likely to steal or to resign from the organization, but they are also more likely to go the extra mile – aiding coworkers who have been absent, helping orient new employees, assisting supervisors with their duties, and working overtime.Several studies by Jerald Greenberg have even found that employees whose managers underwent process fairness training suffered signi? cantly less insomnia when coping with stressful work conditions. Daniel Skarlicki, of the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, and Gary Latham, of the University of Toronto’s Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, have identi? ed some factors of an effective process fairness training program. Participants respond better to active guidance than to a lecture on the bene? ts of improved process fairness.That’s why it’s particularly effective to give trainees speci? c instructions on what they need to do and how they need to do it, such as how to detect resistance to a new strategic initiative. After the participants have practiced these behaviors, give them feedback and let them try again. cessful program consisted of a two-hour session each week for eight weeks, along with assigned role-playing homework. That way, participants could receive feedback from instructors during the formal training sessions and from their peers in between meetings.As with most constructive feedback, referring to behaviors (â€Å"You never explained why you made this decision†) rather than to traits (â€Å"You came across as condescending†) proved to be most compelling. Both the process and the outcome of the training need to be communicated to participants – but not at the same time. Before the sessions begin, focus on the outcome. Participants are likely to be far more engaged if they are told that the program will help them gain their employees’ commitment to strategy implementation than if they are told it will help them communicate that they’ve seriously considered other people’s points of view.During the course, however, focus on process. Thinking about expected outcomes (improved strategy implementation, for instance) can distract people from learning the speci? c practical skills they need (such harvard business review as how to involve people in decision making) to achieve the desired results. Finally, it is important for trainees to maintain expectations that are both optimistic and realistic. Once again, the distinction between outcome and process is useful to keep in mind.You can generate optimism by focusing on the outcomes: Touting the improvements that previous trainees have made should help people feel positive about their own chanc es for growth. And you can inject realism by focusing on the process: Behavioral change is dif? cult and rarely takes a linear course. Trainees shouldn’t expect to get better at process fairness day by day; but, if they keep working at it, they will improve. I suggest trainees ask themselves three months after the program if they are practicing process fairness more on average than they were three months prior to it.Conducting after-action reviews also helps managers continue to hone their skills long after the training sessions are over. Make process fairness a top priority. Like most managerial behaviors, the practice of process fairness must begin at the top. When senior managers explain why they have made certain strategic decisions, make themselves available for honest two-way communication with the rank and ? le, involve employees in decision making, provide ample advance notice of change, and treat people’s concerns with respect, the practice of process fairness is likely to spread like wild? e throughout the rest of the organization. By modeling process fairness, senior management does more than communicate organizational values; it also sends a message about â€Å"the art of the possible. † People are more likely to try to tackle dif? cult challenges when they see others whom they respect doing so. In one company that was trying to implement a much-needed restructuring, senior executives effectively served as role models not only by describing the mixed feelings they had about practicing process fairness but also by articulating the process they went through that ultimately convinced them to do march 2006 o. The message they sent was that it was legitimate for operational managers to have mixed emotions, but, at the end of the day, the reasons in favor of practicing process fairness prevailed. In addition to acting as role models, senior managers may communicate the value they place on process fairness by making its practice a leg itimate topic of conversation throughout the organization. I worked with one company, for example, that selected its employee of the month based on process fairness skills as well as bottom-line results.Other organizations have made managers’ annual pay raises partly dependent on 360-degree feedback about how they plan and implement decisions, in which perceptions of process fairness ? gure prominently. Recent corporate scandals show that giving workforces outcome-only directives (â€Å"I don’t care how you get there, just get there†) can be disastrous. Forwardthinking organizations care not only about the outcomes their managers produce but also about the fairness of the process they use to achieve them. This is not a call for micromanagement.Just as there is usually more than one way to produce ? nancial results, there is more than one way to involve people in decision making, to communicate why certain actions are being undertaken, and to express thoughtfulne ss and concern. †¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ There is a moral imperative for companies to practice process fairness. It is, simply put, the right thing to do. As such, process fairness is the responsibility of all executives, at all levels, and in all functions; it cannot be delegated to HR. But with that moral responsibility comes business opportunity.An executive must minimize the costs of decisions that might threaten employees and maximize the bene? ts of decisions that may be sources of opportunity for them. In both instances, practicing process fairness will help get you there. The sooner you realize it, the better off you and your company will be. Reprint R0603H To order, see page 151. â€Å"A new, surprising, and authoritative take on an important aspect of modern society that most people just don’t know about. † Toby Lester, Deputy Managing Editor, The Atlantic Monthly Fred Reichheld is the godfather of customer loyalty. His new book, The Ultimate Question, continues to push the envelope with innovative, practical ideas. † John Donahoe, President, eBay Marketplace â€Å"Perceptive analysis brought to life by references to real people and real situations. † Kieran C. Poynter, Chairman, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLp AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD, INCLUDING: 5th Ave. & 46th St. , NYC Rockefeller Center 5th Ave. & 48th St. , NYC HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL PRESS www. HBSPress. org

Thursday, August 29, 2019

E. M. Forster’s “A Passage to India” Essay

The chief argument against imperialism in E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India is that it prevents personal relationships. The central question of the novel is posed at the very beginning when Mahmoud Ali and Hamidullah ask each other â€Å"whether or no it is possible to be friends with an Englishman.† The answer, given by Forster himself on the last page, is â€Å"No, not yet†¦ No, not there.† Such friendship is made impossible, on a political level, by the existence of the British Raj. While having several important drawbacks, Forster’s anti-imperial argument has the advantage of being concrete, clear, moving, and presumably persuasive. It is also particularly well-suited to pursuit in the novel form, which traditionally has focused on interactions among individuals. Forster does much more in his book†¦than simply deride the intolerance of a few accidental individuals. He carefully shows how this intolerance results from the unequal power relationship between English and Indians, from the imperialistic relationship itself†¦ The process is best shown in the book in the case of Ronny, who has only recently come out from England to be City Magistrate of Chandrapore. Ronny was at first friendly towards the Indians, but he soon found that his position prevented such friendship. Shortly after his arrival he invited the lawyer Mahmoud All to have a smoke with him, only to learn later that clients began flocking to Ali in the belief that he had an in with the Magistrate. Ronny subsequently â€Å"dropped on him in Court as hard as I could. It’s taught me a lesson, and I hope him.† In this instance, it is clearly Ronny’s official position rather than any prior defect of the heart which disrupts the potential friendship. And it is his position in the imperial structure which causes his later defect, his lack of true regret when he tells his mother that now â€Å"I prefer my smoke at the club amongst my own sort, I’m afraid.† Forster tells us that â€Å"every human act in the East is tainted with officialism† and that â€Å"where there is officialism every human relationship suffers.† People cannot establish a friendship of equals when the Raj is based on an inequality of power†¦ The one possible exception to this process of corruption among Englishmen is Fielding. He is partially immune to the influence of the imperialistic power relationship because he works in education rather than government, and because, as he puts it, he â€Å"travels light†Ã¢â‚¬â€he has no hostages to fortune. Fielding establishes a friendship with Aziz and maintains it in defiance of all the other Anglo-Indians. There is some doubt, however, whether he can maintain this course and still remain in imperial India. He is obliged to quit the Club and says he will leave India altogether should Aziz be convicted. After Fielding marries Stella, thereby ceasing to travel light, and after he becomes associated with the government as a school inspector, he undergoes a marked change of attitude toward the Raj. It would surely be a mistake to continue, as several critics do, to identify Forster with Fielding past this point. The omniscient narrator pulls back and summarizes Fielding’s situation: â€Å"He had thrown in his lot with Anglo-India by marrying a countrywoman, and he was acquiring some of its limitations.† Like Ronny and the other English officials, Fielding begins to be corrupted by his position. Thinking of how Godbole’s school has degenerated into a granary, the new school inspector asserts that â€Å"Indians go to seed at once† away from the British. Fielding almost exactly echoes Ronny’s defense of the Raj to his mother when he excuses unpleasantness in the supposedly necessary imperial presence: he had â€Å"‘no further use for politeness,’ he said, meaning that the British Empire really can’t be abolished because it’s rude.† Fielding certainly did not start with a defect of the heart, but, as a result of his new position in the imperial structure, he is acquiring one. The English, of course, aren’t the only ones corrupted by imperialism. Although most of the Indians in the book have a nearly unbelievable desire to befriend Englishmen, they are ultimately turned from it by the political reality. Some succumb to self-interest. Mahmoud Ali, for example, seems to have been the first to subvert his budding friendship with Ronny by advertising their smoke to potential litigants. More often the Indians succumb to the fear, largely justified but occasionally erroneous, that they will be scorned and betrayed. The prime example is Aziz. He makes the horrible mistake of assuming that Fielding back in England has married his  enemy Adela and further that Fielding had urged him not to press damages against his false accuser so Fielding himself could enjoy Adela’s money. Aziz, of course, has been conditioned to expect betrayal from his experience with other Anglo-Indians, and this expectation provides an undercurrent to the friendship from the very beginning. After Fielding returns to India, and Aziz learns he really married Stella Moore, their relationship is partially retrieved, but the damage has been done. The new school inspector has shifted toward the Raj, and Aziz, now leery of all Englishmen, has become a nationalist, saying of India, â€Å"Not until she is a nation will her sons be treated with respect.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Greek and Persian Civilizations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Greek and Persian Civilizations - Research Paper Example This discussion will be done by comparing and contrasting the aspects of the two cultures and finding the differences that each civilization wrought on the world. Social history methodology will also focus on the development of the political systems of the two civilizations, the agricultural and economic development that led to the recognition of the two civilizations. The Greek culture is the main influence on current development in social cultures and political systems, since the culture introduced a myriad of social and political development. This culture can be traced back to the legacy of early civilizations in the Middle East towards Egypt (Balcer 259). The Greek culture was mostly formed by the assimilation of other cultures through the acts of warfare and defeat of other cultures. The spread of the Aegean civilization through the realms of the Middle Age was followed by a destruction of the early civilizations by European invaders, but the Greek civilization continued to grow . By the year 800 B.C, the growth of Greek political and social systems led to the development of a completely new civilization; the Greek empire, led by different rulers. The Greek empire transcended many borders, and by 400 B.C, Greek culture and politics had permeated most of the world. The development of the Greek culture throughout world civilizations was mostly encouraged by the war-seeking nature of the ancient Greek rulers; the kings and leaders believed in a system of conquering all other powers in the world, therefore, the Greek civilization spread rapidly and effectively. This led to the assimilation of the Greek culture in most civilizations, which is why the Greek culture is the most common form of ancient historical culture. Conversely, the development of Persian civilization can be traced back to 2000 BC, when the Middle Eastern region was encroached by different civilizations (Spielvogel 432). Before the development of the Persian culture, the Middle Eastern region w as covered by different cultures, until the immigration of three main cultures in 2000 BC. The three cultures were the Scythians, Medes, and the Persians. The development of the Persian Empire followed a constant approach of wars and tragedy before the culture was fully ensconced in the Middle Eastern region, and led to the development of the Iranian culture. The development of the Persian Empire followed a different path from the development of the Greek empire; the political and social systems were differentiated by the values of the current leaders in the system. These two cultures were influential in the development of different religious, artistic, cultural, and social norms as are understood in the current civilization period. The Greek civilization was also a major aid in the development of the Western civilization, with the introduction of the different aspects that are characteristic of the Western civilization. The development of the Persian Empire can be traced back to th e political advancement of the first rulers (Spielvogel 432). The first rulers of the Persian Empire were Cyrus the great and his son around 550 BC, who helped to develop Persia into a great political and economic civilization. The influence of the two leaders was seen after the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Memo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Memo - Case Study Example Airing of this content was done by only few people among the CBS employees however, they failed on their duties. In this case the entire CBS is held responsible of actions of the employees who aired the content in the course of undertaking their duties. FCC had earlier come up with three ethics, these are: explicit scenery of the portrayal of sexual organs or activities. The substance dwells on or repeats at extent portrayal of sexual organs or activities. The last one is whether the substance appears to tamper or is used to titillate, or whether it may intensify the probable indecency of broadcast. FCC has made all the principles and laws clear whereby any form of exposure is prohibited by the law. Pacifica challenge on FCCs fleeting expletives is a decent illustration of infringement of the set standards and principles by FCC. Amid a mid-afternoon radio show George Carlins monolog, was publicized by a radio station. The monologs had smudged words in it that shouldnt be said in an open wireless transmission. The audience members were cautioned prior of a probability of sensitive and offensive dialect. Later a protestation was sent to FCC by a man who claimed to have listened to the show while driving with his young child. As a result of the fact that monologue contained non-scripted spoken vulgarity obscene words during a live radio broadcast makes it an fleeting expletive The FCC and Fox can be used as a prime example in this case whereby the ABC claimed to having not received a fair advertisement preceding to the broadcasts in question from FCC. This is the fact that fleeting invectives and short-lived nudity could actionably be found indecent, , however the FCC’s over-all policy is clear and which requires it to have a context-specific inspection of each purportedly offensive program with an aim of determining whether it needs censuring or not. However, I concur that the centerori renunciation by the court is incorrect that the Super Bowl

Aviation Maintenance Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aviation Maintenance - Article Example With the use of X2 technology to trounce the design related challenges in the aircraft industry.The aircraft keep up with the advancing technology by being designed in a way that it can be flown by wire. So far the electronic control of the aircraft has shown superb performance than the human-directed, this is despite the fact the system has been in use for a short period. At the same time, there is increased acceleration and deceleration speed which is of the essence in the military planes more so for the fact that the aircraft at some point may be subjected to sudden landing and taking off for the security purposes. The new innovative ways of production and employment of the innovation in the aviation industry give room for more advanced and reliable products that meet the advanced needs of the clients. The aircraft in its form flies faster and for longer distances than the less technologically advanced planes in use. At the same time, there is increased the higher limit of the loa d.However, with increased technology and production of new technologically advanced aircraft, there is a need also to have an increased number of the maintained technology experts. With an increased surge of the new aircrafts, the world over with few people to maintain the same has made the industry and the maintenance of the modern aircrafts unbearable in terms of maintenance costs. Therefore, must a company to roll out technicians as well now that there is a shortage even for the present workload.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Opinion Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Opinion - Article Example Genetic analysis using the most modern methodologies alone can help recreate the ancestral relation of modern man to each of its ancestors and help track down the origin of man. Introduction Based on the study of fossils by paleoanthropologists, it was established that Homo Erectus was present in East Africa nearly 2 million years ago (Pic1). Homo Erectus is known to have large cranial capacity and was conversant with hunting however was still unfamiliar with methods of building or agriculture. Most scientists believe that Homo Erectus moved out of Africa where they slowly developed into Neanderthals and other homo erectus groups. Out of the two proposed hypotheses for the origin of man, the out-of-Africa hypothesis, though debated upon, is largely supported with fossil evidences and genetic analysis. According to the article selected, genetic analysis of homo sapiens or the modern man shows that Homo sapiens descended from Homo erectus in Africa nearly 200,00 years ago. Post this, H omo sapiens moved out of Africa to different places such as Asia, Europe and later to Australia and America. Thus, gradually Homo Sapiens are said to have replaced all the Homo Erectus according to the out-of-Africa theory. One of the most important evidences to support this is mt DNA analysis of African and non-African populations. Mitochondrial analysis clearly reveals that the mt DNA (mitochondrial Dna), which is the DNA extracted from mitochondria, sequence diversity is greater among Africans than that of non-Africans thereby establishing the point that the ancestors of Homo Sapience must have had diverged in the African region. DNA sequences obtained from Y-chromosome or mitochondria support the fact that the roots of the modern man are based in east Africa. DNA analysis also establishes that large scale migration of Homo sapiens occurred out of the East African region to Ethiopia, Eurasia, Asia etc More advanced genetic analytic studies like that of single nucleotide polymorph ism (SNP) or microsatellite study also supports the fact that the modern man originated in Africa and then spread to other parts of the world.However, there are several unanswered questions regarding this migration and the out-of-Africa hypothesis. BODY 1. Mark Stoneking and Johannes Kruase compared the DNA sequence of Neanderthal to that of modern day mani. The mt DNA of the Neanderthals differed vastly from that of Homo sapiens. Newer studies suggest admixture i.e. interbreeding of species where genetic material exchanges are seen. The out-of-Africa theory was tested according to which â€Å"a single dispersal from Africa followed by separate migrations from this ancestral non-African source population, and this scenario receives the strongest support from the data (P = 0.74)† (Stoneking & Kruase). I feel that the previous out-of-Africa theory needs to be modified since genome analysis provides a direct relationship according to which it is seen that Neanderthals and Deniso van genomes diverged from hominin genome. After this the sister groups i.e. Neanderthal and Denisovan diverged and migrated as admixtures while the rest of the hominins in Africa gradually became the modern man. Therefore, the prior belief that Homo sapiens evolved entirely in Africa before migrating to other places is modified into the fact that hominins diverged into groups which interbred and this admixture migrated to other places

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Rights - Essay Example Raising the voice for an independent and free form of government is the basic right of each individual. Besides this, civil rights are being violated all over the world which is against the charter international of human rights. Injustice on domestic and international level, lack of freedom of speech, and expression are few of the issues being faced in terms of human rights. Gender and human rights are usually co related in terms of their relevance to each other. The fair gender is often subjected to inhumane treatment, sexual abuses, and physical assaults. Protection against all these aforementioned factors is possible through the fulfillment of the human rights accords. The human rights laws entail all those necessary steps and proceedings which ensure protection of the weak. Besides the physical aspect, the weak gender is often subject to number of restrictions and confined to four walls. It is totally against the human rights. Hence, protection of the weaker gender can be ensured through the presence and practicing of human rights laws and principles. The concept of capability approach pertains to the transformation of a society with regard to its economic position, social improvement, political maturity and other variables that affect the society. It aims at identifying and mitigating the factors that result in the imbalance amongst various components of the society. This approach in broader perspective is termed as an element that helps determining causal relationship amongst the various segments of society and the tools under use. This concept is often loosely termed as the continuation of the concepts of Karl Marx, Adam Smith and Aristotle. However in modern times the man behind this concept is Amartya Sen who came up with this economical proposition with regard to the various elements of the society in a generic manner. Capability

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Lumbar spine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lumbar spine - Essay Example 4). Despite its ability to hold weight and absorb shocks, the lumbar spine is vulnerable and can easily be damaged in a number of ways. Therefore, it has become necessary to find an adequate means of measuring a patient’s pain. X-ray imaging is based in part on high energy photons passing through a phosphor screen and then scattering around the object being x-rayed, thus producing an image. The other part is a matter of studying the data collected from the original screening (Iniewski, 2009, p. 3). Most x-rays are made up of geometric magnification, which is created by crystals which are responsible for diffracting the image (Chang, 2004, p. 31) Before x-rays were available, the only way for a doctor to measure what it is they are looking at is by asking the patient and making judgments by the pain that they report (Herkowitz & Bell, 2004, p. 3). X-rays are not only necessary when it comes to diagnosing what the injury is, but they must also be performed again before surgery, to make certain that nothing has changed since the last time (Herkowitz & Bell, 2004, p. 459). The image quality of an x-ray plays a large role in how the image will turn out. The goal is to obtain optimal image, which provides the doctor and patient with an adequate view of all features related to the x-ray (McQuillen-Martensen, 2006, p. 1). Some key factors which play a role in image quality are: anatomical positioning, kVp and mA, density and contrast, SID, sharpness as well as focal point and geometry. It is important that the patient be properly set out on the observation table before hand. The patient should be lying face up on the table. The shoulders and â€Å"anterior superior iliac spines (ASISs) at equal distance from the imaging table prevent rotation† (McQuillen-Martensen, 2006, p. 414). The x-ray machine can only focus on the certain views. One such view is anterior to posterior

Friday, August 23, 2019

Hellenic and Roman Periods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hellenic and Roman Periods - Research Paper Example The preference for the infantry appears to stem from the ideology that came with men fighting on foot in hand to hand combat. Based from the culture, philosophy and norms of the ancient Greeks, they must have seen infantry warfare as nobler. There is something admirable, which could have been appealing to the Greeks, when men endure great hardships, from training and the actual combat, and defeat the enemy in a violent clash. This is hardly surprising. Even today, when battles are recreated in film, for instance, the frontline where the soldiers fight in violent clashes - through a collective spirit and discipline - evoke a sense of pride and inspiration from among us because the condition allow for a great show of valor and bravery. Compare this with going to battle riding atop a horse. The battle strategy for the cavalry is more calculated, requiring a degree of skill, cunning and calculation. In addition, it avoids and could not hold its own in a protracted battle. This was suppor ted by Schmid who pointed out the Greeks might have equated cavalry warfare with the barbarians way of fighting. He said that the Greeks acknowledge the skill and boldness involved but that they generally consider it to be "inferior to the kind of fighting courage needed by the hoplite in the ranks, which did not permit the excuse to run away.2 Even in actual warfare, the Greek cavalry was unwilling or hesitated to face the Greek hoplite. Fagan and Trundle (2010) identified a pattern in this attitude. First they cite numerous instances of defeat by cavalry horses in the hands of the Greek hoplite. There were the cases of Pharnabazus's cavalry defeat at the hands of Athenian infantry and the failure of a Persian-led cavalry in the Pactolus plain against the Greek hoplites in 395 B.C. There are, of course, periods when certain shifts transpired. This can be demonstrated in the case of the Peloponnesian war. The infantry was not extensively used during this time. Instead, the Greeks re lied on light troops such as archers, slingers and peltasts.3 This was what happened because the war was mostly typified by raiding and quick attacks. The training of the Greek hoplites meant that they are not suitable to fight most clashes. Therefore, light troops and even cavalry came to be used in the conflicts as well as those that preceded the Peloponnesian War. The changes demonstrate how warfare, particularly the tactics involved in using infantry, light troops or cavalry, is also determined by the nature and characteristics of the enemies that it faces. For instances, in order to defeat the notorious Persian cavalry, Alexander’s tactics involved the development of heavy infantry to serve as a platform of maneuver for his cavalry.4 Similar experience transpired for the Byzantines. The empire heavily copied the Roman warfare strategy but modified them in order to be effective in dealing with its neighbors such as the Saracens. This enemy was notorious for its highly agi le mounted archers. As a result, the Byzantines trained its infantry to use bows, which dealt significant damage to the enemy cavalry.

Thursday, August 22, 2019

The Great Leap Forward Essay Example for Free

The Great Leap Forward Essay The Hundred flowers campaign was followed by a new militant approach to Chinese economics. Shaoqi believed that the PLA and the military complex should be strengthened for several reasons; firstly the rejection of Mao foreign policy (Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence) in order to prepare for the invasion of Tibet and other island provinces free from mainland influence since the days of the KMT republic. Secondly the war in Korea had created a siege-mentality in China (similar to USSR in the 1930s), China would be ready for invasion. Xiaoping believed that the people could be motivated and ideologically aroused. Mao supported this initial plan believing that this Second Five Year Plan could work better than the first. However he was wary of Shaoqis motives and did not wish to see the people merely exploited and made to work towards unrealistic targets. He initiated the xiafang movement, which took the Leap down to the countryside level. The xiafang movement would have several stages. Primarily it would concentrate on heavy industry and mobilisation of the urban regions. Beijing would begin this with a march to work programme. Next, the increasing of the indoctrinisatation of technology experts and the scientific community. Finally the xiafang movement would move to the rural areas with party cadres and members moving to the people and helping them in agricultural policies. It is at this point that the debate arises critics have suggested that Mao supported the scheme because he was unhappy with the USSRs de-Stalinisation of itself. He was undoubtedly concerned about his countrys over-reliance on Soviet help. The split over the direction occurred in late 1958, by then nearly 750,000 new collectivised farms had been created and agricultural output was at Chinas highest ever, Mao wanted to create forums to discuss problems with the Leap, he also wanted greater self-sufficiency amongst the communes. Shaoqi resisted this idea believing that centralisation was the only means of ensuring success. He introduced the radical mass dormitories with over 5000 people to each one. This new housing was resisted bitterly and Mao argued that it was essential the CCP listened to the people. Zhou Enlai also voiced concerns over plans to release worker from these collectives for overly grand projects such as hydro-plants and irrigation works. Mao quickly seized upon growing disenchantment and distanced himself from the ruling committee. 1959 was a disastrous year for the Chinese economy, in February of that year; Shaoqi admitted that the CCP had exaggerated figures for success. Famine ravaged Maos home province of Hunan and Zhus Jiangxi. Food shortages affected Beijing; raw materials were in short supply for the industrial complex. Xiaoping worsened the situation by creating the Department of Economic Growth ((based upon the Soviet Gosplan model) which centralised directives and set even higher targets. The direct result was the over-production of poor quality goods, a virtual collapse of heavy industry through mismanagement, a malaise and a demoralisation and exhaustion of the peasant population. The intellectual wing of the CCP demanded the plan was scrapped, which led to a vicious purging of the intelligentsia. Mao who personally bore the brunt of blame for the Leap fiasco stepped down from office in April. The following year saw a massive shift in the balance of power; the Second National Congress gave Lui Shaoqi complete control of the CCP and all Maos positions. Defence minister Peng Dehuai openly attacked Maoist policies and firmly placed the blame on Mao. However, Lin Baio a noted Maoist successfully ousted Dehuai out of office and accepted the post of Defence minister. He offers Zhu De the post of C-in-C of the army, who declines. Lin Baio resigns in 1961 after Chinas successful total annexation of Tibet. He is alarmed at the threat to invade Taiwan and the attacks on Jinmen and Mazu. By 1961, the swing to the right was almost complete with Shaoqi in the ascendancy and his fraction most of the positions of power. However with the battle for supremacy gaining momentum by 1962 with Maos spectacular return to power, the political landscape of China would never be the same and the CCP by 1970 would be decimated from top to bottom.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Planning Definition Essay Example for Free

Planning Definition Essay Planning means looking ahead and chalking out future courses of action to be followed. It is a preparatory step. It is a systematic activity which determines when, how and who is going to perform a specific job. Planning is a detailed programme regarding future courses of action. It is rightly said â€Å"Well plan is half done†. Therefore planning takes into consideration available prospective human and physical resources of the organization so as to get effective co-ordination, contribution perfect adjustment. It is the basic management function which includes formulation of one or more detailed plans to achieve optimum balance of needs or demands with the available resources.According to Urwick, â€Å"Planning is a mental predisposition to do things in orderly way, to think before acting and to act in the light of facts rather than guesses†. Planning is deciding best alternative among others to perform different managerial functions in order to achieve predetermined goals.| According to Koontz O’Donell, â€Å"Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do and who is to do it. Planning bridges the gap between where we are to, where we want to go. It makes possible things to occur which would not otherwise occur†. Steps in Planning Function Establishment of objectives Establishment of Planning Premises Choice of alternative course of action Formulation of derivative plans Securing Co-operation Follow up/Appraisal of plans Planning Importance in Management Planning may be broadly defined as a concept of executive action that embodies the skill of anticipating, influencing, and controlling the nature and direction of change. McFarland Importance of Planning Planning increases the organizations ability to adapt to future eventualities Planning helps crystallize objectives Planning ensures a relatedness among decisions Planning helps the company to remain more competitive in its industry Adequate planning reduces unnecessary pressures of immediacy Planning reduces mistakes and oversights: Planning ensures a more productive use of the organizations resources Planning makes control easier Planning enables the identification of future problems and makes it possible to provide for such contingencies Planning enables the identification of future problems and makes it possible to provide for such contingencies Planning increases the effectiveness of a manager 2.Evolution of Classical Approach to Management Traditional process of learning is either through obsevation and experiment. Nature or environment is considered uniform and when we observe certain phenomenon or events uniformly leading to the same result or results, we conclude a cause and effect relationship between the two. This is learning by observation or in other words by experience. Earlier thinkers on management followed this approach in developing theories of management. Learning principally is through emphirical process and through analysis of the data collected through observation. Draw the principles of managment by looking at and anyalysing the jobs that all managers commonly do. This approach served as a starting point for pioneers on management science to verify the validity and improve the applicability of the principles and practices of management. Analysis of observd data is what constitute a case study. The observational method of case study helps arriving at logical conclusions about past experience and to test the same as standards for future events. The German sociolists, Max Weber followed the classical approach and developed his theory of Bureaucracy, which portrays the structure anddesign of organisation charqacterised by a hierarchy of authority, formalised rules and regulations that serve to guide the coordinated functioning of an organization. Basic Postulates of the Classical Approach by Max Weber 1. Management of an organization is considered as a chain of inter-related functions. The study of the scope and features of these functions, the sequence through which these are performed and their inter-relationship leads one to draw principles of management suitable for universal application 2. Learning principles of management is done through the past experiences of actual practicing managers 3. As business environment consists of uniform cycles exhibiting an underlying unity of realities, functions and principles of management derived through process of empirical reasoning are suitable for universal application 4. Emerging new managers through formal education and case study can develop skill and competency in management concepts and practices 5. The clasasical approach also recognised the importance of economic efficiency and formal organizational structure as guiding pillars of management effectigveness. 6. Business activity is based on economic benefit. Organizations should t herefore control economic incentives Neoclassical theory of management There are 3 neoclassical theories: Human Relations theory : Explains the modern advancement of Human Relations Management theory which takes into account human factors like the employer-employee relationship. Human relations theory is largely seen to have been born as a result of the Hawthorne experiments which Elton Mayo conducted at the Western Electrical Company. The important strand in the development of modern management was the increase in attention to the human factors, which has become known as the human relations school of management.’ The core aspect of Human Relations Theory is that, when workers were being observed and included in the research, they felt more important and valued by the company. As a result, their productivity levels went up significantly. This represented a significant departure from many of the classical theories, particularly Fordism, as it went against the notion that management needed to control workers, and remove their autonomy at every step. Instead, it showed that by engaging with workers and considering their requirements and needs, company’s could benefit from increased productivity. Behavioral theory : The behavioral management theory is often called the human relations movement because it addresses the human dimension of work. Behavioral theorists believed that a better understanding of human behavior at work, such as motivation, conflict, expectations, and group dynamics, improved productivity. The theorists who contributed to this school viewed employees as individuals, resources, and assets to be developed and worked with — not as machines, as in the past. Several individuals and experiments contributed to this theory. Social systems theory.: Developed by Niklas Luhmann is an option for the theoretical foundation of Human Resource Management (HRM). After clarifying the advantages of using a grand (social) theory as the basic theoretical perspective, the roots of this social systems theory the deterministic view of systems as machines, the open systems approach and non-linear systems theory are addressed. Based on the view of social systems as autopoietically closed systems, five major contributions to a theoretical foundation of HRM are identified: (1) the conceptualisation of organising and managing human resources as social processes, thus overcoming an individualistic angle; (2) the new importance of individuals as essential element in the systems environment; (3) the abstention form far reaching or highly unrealistic assumptions about the nature of human beings; (4) the interaction between various levels and units of analysis built into the theory which is essential for comprehensive and in-depth analyses of HR phen omena and (5) the openness for additional theories for which social systems theory provides the overall framework. Modern Management Theory Management is one or the other form has existed in every nook and corner of the world since the dawn of civilization. Modern Management has grown with the growth of social-economics and scientific institution. Modern view consists that a worker does not work for only money. They work for their satisfaction and happiness with good living style. Here Non- financial award is most important factor. Modern management theories started after 1950s. Modern management theory focuses the development of each factor of workers and organization. Modern management theory refers to emphasizing the use of systematic mathematical techniques in the system with analyzing and understanding the inter-relationship of management and workers in all aspect. It has following three Streams- Quantitative Approach System Approach Contingency Approach Quantitative Approach: Quantitative approach also called Operation Research. Quantitative approach is a scientific method. It emphasizes the use of statistical model and systematic mathematical techniques to solving complex management problems. Its helps the management to making decisions in operations. It can only suggest the alternatives based on statistical data. It cannot take final decision. It helps the management for improving their decision making by increasing the number of alternatives and giving faster decisions on any problem. Management can easily calculate the risk and benefit of various actions. Major contributors in Quantitative Approach are- Johan MacDonald George R. Terry Andrew Szilagyi System approach: System approach was developed inlate1960s. Herbert A. Simon is the father of system theory. A System is defined as a set of regularly interacting or inter dependent components that create as a whole unit. The system concept enables us to see the critical variables and constraints and their interactions with one another. According to Cleland and King; â€Å" A system is composed of related and dependent elements which when in interaction from a unity whole†. Characteristics of system approach: A system must have some specific components, units or sub units. A Change in one system affects the other subsystems. Every system is influenced by super system. All systems along their subsystem must have some common objectives. A system is a goal-oriented. A system cannot survive in isolation. Major contributors in system theories are- Daniel Katz, Robert L. Khan, Richard A. Johnson. Contingency Approach: Contingency Approach also knows as situational approach. In 1980s, it is recognized as a key to effective management. This approach accepts the dynamics and complexities of the organization structure. An organization is affected by its environment and environment is composed by physical resources, climate, persons, culture, economic and market conditions and their laws. This approach argues that there is no one universally applicable set of rules by which to manage organization. Major contributors in the contingency theories are- G.M. Stalker, Joan Woodward, Tom Burns, Paul R. Lawrence, L.W. Lorsch. Management by objectives (MBO) is a process of defining objectives within an organization so that management and employees agree to the objectives and understand what they need to do in the organization in order to achieve them. The term management by objectives was first popularized by Peter Drucker in his 1954 book The Practice of Management.[1] The essence of MBO is participative goal setting, choosing course of actions and decision making. An important part of the MBO is the measurement and the comparison of the employee’s actual performance with the standards set. Ideally, when employees themselves have been involved with the goal setting and choosing the course of action to be followed by them, they are more likely to fulfill their responsibilities. According to George S. Odiorne, the system of management by objectives can be described as a process whereby the superior and subordinate jointly identify its common goals, define each individuals major areas of responsibility in terms of the results expected of him, and use these measures as guides for operating the unit and assessing the contribution of each of its members. Features and advantages Some of the important features and advantages of MBO are: Motivation – Involving employees in the whole process of goal setting and increasing employee empowerment. This increases employee job satisfaction and commitment. Better communication and coordination – Frequent reviews and interactions between superiors and subordinates helps to maintain harmonious relationships within the organization and also to solve many problems. Clarity of goals Subordinates tend to have a higher commitment to objectives they set for themselves than those imposed on them by another person. Managers can ensure that objectives of the subordinates are linked to the organizations objectives. Domains and levels Objectives can be set in all domains of activities (production, marketing, services, sales, RD, human resources, finance, information systems etc.). Some objectives are collective, for a whole department or the whole company, others can be individualized. Practice Objectives need quantifying and monitoring. Reliable management information systems are needed to establish relevant objectives and monitor their reach ratio in an objective way. Pay incentives (bonuses) are often linked to results in reaching the objectives. Limitations There are several limitations to the assumptive base underlying the impact of managing by objectives,[citation needed] including: It over-emphasizes the setting of goals over the working of a plan as a driver of outcomes. It underemphasizes the importance of the environment or context in which the goals are set. That context includes everything from the availability and quality of resources, to relative buy-in by leadership and stake-holders. As an example of the influence of management buy-in as a contextual influencer, in a 1991 comprehensive review of thirty years of research on the impact of Management by Objectives, Robert Rodgers and John Hunter concluded that companies whose CEOs demonstrated high commitment to MBO showed, on average, a 56% gain in productivity. Companies with CEOs who showed low commitment only saw a 6% gain in productivity.[citation needed] Stage 1. Collectively fixing objectives The superior and subordinate managers collectively fix the objectives. The objectives are fixed for the Key Result Areas (KRAs). KRAs are those areas which are very important for the long-term success of the organisation. For e.g. R D, Production, Finance, Marketing, etc. Definite and measurable objectives should be fixed for each KRA. The time limit for achieving the objectives should also be fixed. The objectives should be achieved by the subordinate manager. For e.g. The objective for the marketing managers may be to increase the sales of product XYZ by 50% for the year 2010-2011. Stage 2. Collectively making a plan After fixing the objective, the superior and subordinate managers make an action plan. This plan will be used by the subordinate manager to achieve the objective. Stage 3. Subordinates implements the plan The subordinate manager implements the plan. That is, he puts the plan to action. He makes optimum use of the resources. If required, he takes guidance from the superior managers. Stage 4. Collectively monitoring performance This is the final stage in the MBO process. Here, the subordinate monitors (evaluates or measures) his own performance. He compares his performance with the planned targets (objectives). If there are any deviations, then the superior and subordinates managers fix new objectives. In this stage, the superior acts like a coach and guide. He does not act like a judge.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Relationship Between Political Authority And Moral Autonomy Philosophy Essay

Relationship Between Political Authority And Moral Autonomy Philosophy Essay Every person who possesses both free will and reason has an obligation to take responsibility for her actions. This obligation is not compatible with the recognition of political obligation Discuss this statement with particular reference to the anarchist literature on the obligation to obey the law. Introduction In this essay, I am going to contemplate a fundamental jurisdictional problem of political philosophy, the relationship between political authority and moral autonomy. Value will be given to the concept of political obligation imposed by the state to all individuals. I will then seek to present a number of the most influential theories of anarchist philosophers, that come to invalidate political obligation with respect to the notion of autonomy that each individual possesses. Dealing with the unravelling of todays society, I will eventually defend that the compatibility of individual autonomy with political obligation in a state, is not a futile demand, but rather a reality. The Concept of Political Obligation Throughout the years, the matter of political obligation has been at the at the very heart of political philosophy. One should acknowledge that to have a political obligation is to have a moral duty to obey the laws of ones country or state  [1]  . The basic function of law is to ensure that all humans beings are being treated equally and to protect individuals from injustices of our everyday lives. In approaching this issue, it can be argued that law gives a sense of order and decency among people. According to the author Smith, prima facie obligation to obey the law is owed, not to ones government but rather to ones fellow citizens  [2]  . According to Milne, the central idea of obligation is that of having to do something because it is the right thing to do  [3]  . It can be argued that all individuals of a community must therefore be obliged to respect and obey specific laws in order to maintain and promote the public interest. Law has had a very significant meaning for the dignified passage of man from this life. However it seemed that law at some point prevailed over human beings and did not favor individuals rights. The individuals obligation to obey the law was therefore questioned. Individuals illustrated the main rationale behind political obligation, which was the authority of the government. The problem of political obligation therefore indicated the question as to why citizens of modern states should accept the states claim to be a duty imposer  [4]  . Fundamental topics of political obligation, such as its existence, scope and justification became crucial matters on the debate of political philosophy. position of power is established inequality is automatically created, Inequalities caused by society). Authority is  inherent  with human relationships.  Between the one who  exercises authority and the one  who is affected by it, there is a relationship of inequality. The concept of political obligation was first reversed by anarchists. The complex nature of political obligation concerned anarchists in the ground that when imposed by the state, it came in contrast with individual freedom and autonomy. Political obligation is defined as the clash between the individuals claim to self-governance and the right of the state to claim obedience  [5]  . Anarchism, is the only modern social doctrine that unequivocally rejects the concept of the state with its omnipresent evils of political power and authority  [6]  . Anarchist theory which was opposed to the respect of law, was largely reinforced by opinions by several anarchist philosophers. Anarchist literature acquired fans and along with the creation of many groups they reached to the point to threaten  the  existing political  situation. Anarchist literature on political obligation The examination and analysis of the anarchist literature, is an essential component for the understanding of anarchist views regarding the nature of personal autonomy and its conflict with political obligation. Initially, we must examine what it is meant by anarchism. Anarchy,  is the  state  of affairs  in  which  a society  operates without  authority and mediators. Anarchism supports a situation   in which   everyone  has the first word  on every aspect  of everyday   life,   without  imposed restrictions  and  laws  by  the  state, without hierarchical relations and  exploitation. Anarchist philosophers use the concept of autonomy to argue for the legitimacy of obedience to authority, and emphasize on the individual s right of making up his own mind based on the ideal of moral autonomy  [7]  . Authority is a political problem in relation to anarchism, which is why anarchism requires the  abolition  of the state. Anarchism  does not mean   unlimited   freedom   nor   denied  responsibility. As Kropotkin argued,  socialism, must become less dependent upon indirect government through elected representatives, it must become more  self-governing  [8]  . Kropotkin justified his own theory on anarchism. According to his point of view, anarchy  is  the  name given  to a theory  of life  and  conduct  under which society functions without  government  [9]  . In such a society, the  harmony succeeds   not   through obedience  to  the  law,  but  with free agreements concluded  between  various  groups  [10]  . Humans could achieve  the full  development of all  skills,  intellectual,  artistic  and moral  without being  hindered by  the  overtime  in favor of  the monopolists  by or  the  servility  and inactivity  of  mind  of the  vast majority  [11]  .   Anarchism is considered the only political doctrine consistent with the virtue of autonomy  [12]  . The significant philosopher Paul Wolff in his book In Defense of Anarchism, concludes that the moral autonomy of the individual will never be compatible with the legitimate authority of the state. He argues that a citizen cannot retain his autonomy and at the same time be under an obligation to obey the commands of the state simply because they are the commands of the state  [13]  . He indicated how a citizen is related to the commands of authority by expressing that the autonomous man is not subject to the will of another and he may do what another tells him, but not because he has been told to do it, because for the autonomous man, there is no such thing as a command and therefore he is politically free  [14]  . Anarchists disapprove authority of the state because they support that no one within a society should be under rules. Wolff supports that authority is defined to be the right to command and correlatively, the right to be obeyed  [15]  . He considers on that basis that the defining mark of the state is authority, the right to rule, while the primary obligation of man is autonomy, the refusal to be ruled  [16]  . Illustrating the incompatibility of the concept of authority with the rationale of autonomy, was similarly expressed by the political philosopher Raz, who pointed out that authority sometimes requires action against ones own judgment and consequently it requires abandoning ones moral autonomy and since all practical questions may involve moral considerations, all practical authority denies moral autonomy and is consequently immoral  [17]  . The well-known Russian revolutionary Bakunin, supported that the principle of authority that is applied to men who have attained their majority, becomes a monstrosity, a flagrant denial of humanity, a source of slavery and intellectual and moral depravity  [18]  . He consequently concluded to the consideration that the only grand and omnipotent authority, at once natural and rational, the only one which we may respect, will be that of the collective and public spirit of a society founded on equality and solidarity and the mutual human respect of all its members  [19]  . Accordingly, Bakunin elucidated possible future developments by arguing that the future social organization must be made solely from the bottom upwards, by the free association or federation of workers, firstly in their unions, then in communes, regions, nations and finally in a great federation, international and universal  Ã‚  [20]  . The dominant model of autonomy can be argued to be the exact opposite of authority. As a political ideal, autonomy is used as a basis to argue against the design and functioning of political institutions that attempt to impose a set of ends, values and attitudes upon the citizens of a society  [21]  . Kant described the protection of autonomy at the political level and stated that each person had the right to any action that can coexist with the freedom of every other person in accordance with universal law  [22]  . For that reason, he stated that instead of being obedient to an externally imposed law, one should be obedient to ones own self-imposed law, adding that the autonomous man is not subject to the will of another  [23]  . On that basis, Rawls expressed that the concept of Kantian constructivism was to establish a connection  between  the first  principles of  justice and   the   conception  of moral  persons  as  free and  equal. With the ai m of describing the rejection of political institutions by autonomy, it is significant to present McLaughlins view which states that anarchists reject the traditional claims made for the legitimacy of state authority and challenge those authoritative powers which cannot justify their claims and which are therefore deemed illegitimate or without moral foundation  [24]  . As an aspect, autonomy is generally intertwined with the right to pursue ones interests without undue restriction  [25]  . It is crucial to affirm that Proudhon achieved one  of the most   important   contributions  in anarchist  theory  and socialism  in general. He declared  the  idea,  that the great complexity  of social  life, required decentralization and  autonomy of  communities  [26]  .  The basic outline of the argument, is that through  the complexity of  the  interests  and advancement  of  ideas, society is   forced   to  renounce  the  state, by  devaluing  the  mechanism  of the government under the  shade  of  its  political  institutions  [27]  . Proudhon  argued that society slowly   and silently formed  its own  organization,  building  for  itself  a new order  which reflects   the vitality   and   autonomy  Ã‚  [28]  . It is prima facie impermissible to interfere with an individuals right of autonomy where the individual is respectful of that right in others  [29]  . Autonomy,  found  a constructive expression in Mills writings. The philosopher defends the rights of individuals to pursue their own personal goals, and emphasizes the need for being ones own person  [30]  . According to Mill, the conduct of anyone in the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute and over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign  [31]  . Every individual who possesses free will, has self-control and at the same time rejects any need of control by authority. Having no people to control, authority faces(antimetopizi) autonomy as the central threat to its existence. Following  a  middle path  compatibility will arrive In defending my position, I consider that authority and its entailed duty to obey, can be compatible with and basically necessary to individual autonomy. In a modern democracy, obligation to obey the law must be exercised to benefit society. By obeying laws, which constitute the basis of the democracy, we ensure a stable regime of democracy, which has been revealed to be the most ideal throughout the centuries. The functioning of constitutional institutions and processes of political democracy provides opportunities, wider organizational  framework and   ideological debate. In order for democracy to be maintained, law must exist. In view of that John Locke provided the idea that every man, that hath any possessions, or enjoyment, of any part of the dominions of any government, doth thereby give his tacit consent, and is as far forth obliged to obedience to the laws of that government, during such enjoyment, as anyone under it  [32]  . In defending obligation to obey the law, we have a duty to support and to comply with just institutions that exist and apply to us  [33]  . It is a necessity therefore for the individuals to understand that all rules require a positive effort to comply, which cannot be achieved passively  [34]  . As Philip Soper demonstrated, we have a duty to respect those officials who in good faith strive to further the common good by maintaining the rule of law, by acknowledging a duty to obey the law  [35]  . Everyone would agree, that in order to refrain from murder, rape, or breach of contract, there is a prima facie obligation to obey specific laws in order not to violate laws which prohibit these acts. Accordingly, the philosopher Baier held the view that a universal obedience to certain rules that override self-interest, would produce a state of affairs which serves everyones interest much better than the unaided pursuit off it in a state where everybody does the same  [36]  . The state, gives the ordinary citizen freedom to express his opinion in the political process. According to my estimation, obligations of people before the law, do not bound them as to the extent of not being able to have their own judgment or opinion. The authority of the state, can affect the lives of citizens, but citizens can influence policy as well. The existing political system and legislation allows people to apply their judgment through their right to vote. The ordinary citizen cannot suggest any law, but the system of democracy allows him to express his opinion, by giving him the right to vote his representatives who will suggest laws to be voted. Furthermore, in some constitutions the public opinion applies. The courts in the United kingdom have the interpretation of legislation and meander more regularly according to the public opinion, instead of legislation. This justifies that constant efforts are being made by the state, for the fair administration of human situations , in order for the state not to violate the citizens human rights. Nonetheless, several laws that are suggested, favor a certain group of people while others are left aside. The only solution for those whose rights are being violated, is the mobilization  and  massive reaction towards everything that is not  good for us, namely an anarchist reaction. Anarchism is the public opinion that has affected the political system, and it is necessary in order to balance autonomy with the obligation to obey the law. Anarchists display the view, that autonomous persons are in a kind of authoritative control of their own choices, actions and goals and that guarantees that a persons life is free of the domination of others  [37]  , This is regarded to be an extreme view, but this does not mean we must become extremists, because it would then mean non compliant to social norms and therefore law. What I would suggest, is that where we feel that regulations treat us wrong and limit our autonomy, it is there where we should at least show an anarchist reaction. It is only there, that we are obliged to be anarchists and not in all aspects of our lives and on everything that might be imposed upon us. It is worth establishing that I am not canceling all laws, but anarchists have opened our eyes by indicating us that we should not have blind obedie nce to law. As Harris stated, those for whom the law has come weight in their moral decision-making, are entitled to question the need for the law, just as they are entitled to question any other rule that has moral import for their decisions on how to act  [38]  . Hence, those responsible for the law have an obligation to take these views into account in a dispassionate and reasoned way, for that is a requirement of the moral point of view under reasoned discourse  [39]  . Whatever does not benefit us as human beings we must try and overturn it towards the best. In view of the fact that although anarchists thoughts on autonomy are accurate, anarchism by itself is neither possible nor desirable in a political system. The principle of autonomy in terms of defending individual choices and decisions, promotes human individuality and it could be criticized that it overlooks the importance of social relationships and dependency. Individuals need to depend on each other in order to succeed in the path of life. It would be detrimental for  constant revolutionizing to exist because people need stability in their lives. No anarchism  regime has survived  in  practice and this situation justifies the fact that the value of autonomy can be seen as compatible with the social need. On that basis, law should be desirable because it works as a mediator to the maintenance of good human relationships and will provide the stability in peoples lives. The reasoning of the great philosopher Hobbes is to be welcomed, because it demonstrates that individual s without government, would be tremendously unlikely to live in security and peaceful cooperation, by identifying that we would violently compete to secure the basic necessities of life, we would fight out of fear so as to ensure our personal safety, and we would seek glory for its protective effects  [40]  . Law will protect the weak from the powerful one. For that reason, law is required to provide legislation, that is accepted and obeyed by all individuals as a means that protects their rights and does not restrict their autonomy. Finally, free will and responsibility  must  be applicable  within  a  more temperate policy system. Analyzing the concept of political obligation and anarchists views on autonomy, we can assume that they encompass outcomes that are both good and bad. Even so, what both represent, are absolute and radical views and those kind of views cannot and must not prevail. We are free and sentient beings, who should realize that government was created because human needed it and therefore it would be intolerable from us to use anarchism as a means of breaking down the system. What I would suggest, is to successfully arrange some form of government. This will be achieved if we uphold the moderate views and combine them, and only then will we be able to reach a desirable result, that will satisfy everyone. In order to accomplish that, law must give importance to autonomy and its fundamental role it plays in our understanding of the world, and in the way we structure and organize societ y  [41]  . In addition, individuals that are affected by law, must positively accept and apply it in their everyday lives. It is significant to establish that politics are considered to be the science and art of alternative solutions. As a result, government must be able to reconcile the authority of the state with the autonomy of the individual, in order to manage uncertainties and risks to society. It was realized by Hobbes, that our attention must not be focused on the question of social and political order, but rather on how to maximize liberty, how to define social justice, how to draw the limits of government power, and how to realize democratic ideals  [42]  . The state must release innovative social forces, increase social wealth, choices and opportunities and minimize the fear and insecurity generated by the scientific and technological revolution, globalization, integration and expansion of markets and the personalization process in todays society. Following Rawls thought, the intuitive idea is to design the social system so that the outcome is just whatever it happens to be, at least so lo ng as it is within a certain range  [43]  . Government needs to convent this problem into an opportunity. Authority is a form of domination, it is a dominative power, that involves the capacity of one party to exercise control over another party  [44]  . I and I alone, am ultimately responsible for the decisions I make, and am in that sense autonomous  [45]  . Acting autonomously is acting from principles that we would consent to as free and equal rational beings  [46]  . generally intertwined with the right to pursue ones interests without undue restriction Primary question Conclusion As has been shown, several legal philosophical issues arising from the concept of political obligation and the value of autonomy, have been analyzed and embodied in this essay. Extensive investigation of political and anarchist literature helped us root out whether a harmonic relationship between individuals moral autonomy and the political obligation to obey the law can be established. Carole Pateman and John Simmons have argued that political obligation is an unsolved problem for liberal theory  [47]  . Nevertheless, this essay depicts that moral autonomy and political obligation can and should coexist. Autonomy should be conscientiously guarded, with both knowledge and awareness of its usefulness to the humanity. It is justified that, This situation can constitute an attitude that over time, if not reversed, will take such dimensions, that will theory that is based on the idea that individual autonomy is a fundamental political value picture of the world