Human Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Resources - Essay Example The local market has reached saturation and 80% of the firm’s sales are in North America. The firm needs new markets for sales and production options to be able to produce in a globally competitive market. This may be achieved by impeccable execution by the HR department. This would mean changing the whole organizational culture of the firm and drawing out more efficient ways of operations especially where employees are concerned. The problem was that the firm was losing shareholder value, which it needed to regain at any cost or risk the firm’s downfall as a permanent feature. The firm was growing with takeovers and eating competition shares which was not enough for real growth, as it needed to increase its top-line sales (Hofstede, 2005). Analysis With the changing global economic environment, Sonoco began suffering as its sales went down. The firm was incurring many additional expenses which could have been easily avoided had the HR structure been in line with the lo ng-term strategies of the firm. The firm was in need for surging new markets but it could not do so with the current HR design nor could it afford to spend unnecessarily especially on employees. Assessing the internal environment it seemed that the employees had settled in and were content with the fact that they had secure jobs. The majority had been working for a long time with the firm which made them at ease with one another and there was hardly any competition with one another which worked negatively for the firm (Decenzo, 2001). This is because the employees did not mind that some of them were under-producing and were ok with the fact that they were not being compensated for their extra work if any. The firm was not giving the right appreciation to the right employee, which indicates that the growth was not on merit. Perhaps there was a lack of leadership where the grievances of employees were not addressed and they stayed because the firm was lenient. The employees did not ha ve stringent objectives to work towards and apparently the overall work of each employee was not too demanding. However, the work environment was healthy as there is teamwork and employees are willing to protect each other. But there is a stark absence of a leader and key knowledge workers who could help in implementing the long-term goals and objectives of global growth. The HR department lacked structure and strategic alignment. Hartley focused on talent management and to place the right person at the right place, to assess individual worker’s input so that the compensation plan, promotion and talent may be assessed and utilised accordingly. She also focused on aligning the HR with that of GM’s businesses. She also focused on the fact that the firm needed to develop employees in terms of training and on the job learning. Lastly she understood that there was a need for leadership and to identify those with leadership qualities for the future. However, in her approach the most apparent mistake was that there was a top down approach. The industry trends were changing where the packaging demanded became extremely segmented and catering to these different niches was challenging. It was essential to understand the consumers. Likewise, according to Deresky (2007) it was essential to understand the wants and needs of the employees as suggested by Maslow in his needs theory. Once these needs were

New Abortion Regulations in Virginia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New Abortion Regulations in Virginia - Essay Example Still, it has been common practice for Planned Parenthood to rally support among those who believe in pro-choice, to oppose measures that would require inspection of the organizations’ clinics or mandate health standard adherence. The argument has consistently been that following such â€Å"unnecessary† regulations would make abortions more costly for patients; or perhaps even unavailable since many of the clinics would be unable to adhere to such standards (â€Å"MyLot†). Even though abortions are controversial and many feel that they should be illegal altogether, abortion clinics should be regulated because abortions should be treated like any other surgical procedure and the new law will protect women from an unhealthy and unclean environment. Abortion clinics should be regulated, just like any other medical facility. Prior to the new legislation in Virginia, clinics were allowed to soar under the radar, so to speak. They were not subject to rigorous inspection. However, according to the Clinic Quotes Website, there have been a number of cases where a government official entered an abortion clinic, undercover, based on a tip received from an employee or patient, and have found clinics abusing their freedom.

African American men and the prison system Research Paper

African American men and the prison system - Research Paper Example The report also indicates that African Americans have the highest imprisonment rate, about six times that of white American males and three times higher than Hispanic males. Further reports indicate that by 2007, the African American composition in the prison system was 900, 000 of the total 2.2 million population, which suggests that at least on in five African American man has been incarcerated (Alexander, 2011). If the current incarceration trend persists, then at least one in three African Americans will have an incarceration record by 2020 (ASAALH, 2011). The prison system adoption of incarceration policies has produce outstanding results in public safety, but they have had an enormous contribution to the weak informal social controls and family disruptions in the African American communities. African Americans disproportionate rate of incarceration has been documented in the past, but the current figures suggest than there are no active policies to address the issue. While it i s true that crime rates have risen over the past thirty years by almost 500%, the increasing number of blacks incarcerated is still not explainable (Clear, Cole, and Reisig, 2011). Different individuals and parties have raised concerns over the issue, notably Michelle Alexander and her book on mass incarceration. According to Alexander, the current population of African Americans in the prison and jail system is greater than that enslaved before the beginning of the Civil War. She further argues that crime rates are at a historical low as compared to the fluctuations over the years. Alexander attributes the increase to the current policies on war on drugs, a war that seems to aim at the poor communities of color exclusively, despite the fact that whites also trade and use illegal drugs at similar or higher levels than African Americans (Alexander, 2011). Reports indicate that at least four of five African American youths living in some black inner-city society expect incarceration a t one point in their lives. This leads economic and social disenfranchisement of many great African American, denying them voting rights, educational opportunities, public housing, and excluding them from equal opportunity hiring and legal rights like juries. According to Alexander, these discriminations and disenfranchisement causes more than 70% of these African Americans to return to the system after only two years (Clear, Cole, and Reisig, 2011). Another journalist, Lisa Ling, highlights the problems that face African American males after incarceration. She explores how the imprisonment of black males affects the subsequent and multiple generations of the community, creating a poverty cycle in the African American (Alexander, 2011). Among the difficulties she attributes to incarceration, include aggressive behavior, increased chances of homelessness, future imprisonment, and failure in school. Other challenges that ex-convicts face are reduced chances of getting a job, and lack of experience. Different states in the US exhibit variances in the proportion of black and white incarceration rates, ranging from as a high as 13.6-to-1 in states like Iowa to as low as 1.9-to-1 in Hawaii (Mauer and King, 2007). Interestingly, states that exhibit a high disproportional rate of incarceration are located on the Midwest and Northeast, including Wisconsin, Vermont, New Jersey, Iowa, and Connecticut. However, high disproportional rates between the Hispanic and the white incarceration population also follow similar geographic concentration, with the notable states being New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York. The states with

Development and Expansion Strategy of SMART Cars Essay

Development and Expansion Strategy of SMART Cars - Essay Example Acquire new customer by optimizing search engine submissions, introducing online competitions and a free web mail system for SMART car owners and fans. Introducing a secure online transaction service that can be used to buy products and services or apply for finance, with a quick turnaround time of 24 hours. Implementation of actions to enhance and streamline the SMART sites so that they are easier to navigate and offering the customers a richer more rewarding personal experience. Addition of an exclusive owner section with car service record, logbook and special promotions. 2 Terms of Reference This report was commissioned by SMART on December 12th 2005 3 Methodology This report references the following: The Institute of Direct Marketing, SMART Car Handout, 2006. MediaCo, Email Marketing - Opt In Email Marketing. J. S. Fleming and Gail Said Johnson. Designing an Effective Web Page. 2003. 4 Situational Analysis 4.3 Company Analyzes SMART an automobile manufacturing, supply and sales enterprise was established in 1994 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler Chrysler, with approximately 1200 employees. SMART have dealership networks in 35 countries, with their administrative network in Bblingen Germany and production facility in Hambach France. Its product range exists out of three models, the ForTwo, ForFour and Roadster in hard top and cabrio styles. SMART's key issue has been always been the environment, with guidelines ensuring SMART cars are engineered to protect the environment by being energy efficient and preserving natural resources. SMART's policy starts with development, runs through production, and ends in the recycling of many SMART components. SMART Car UK has a multi-channel approach in selling their relevant products and...Its product range exists out of three models, the ForTwo, ForFour and Roadster in hard top and cabrio styles. SMART's key issue has been always been the environment, with guidelines ensuring SMART cars are engineered to protect the environment by being energy efficient and preserving natural resources. SMART's policy starts with development, runs through production, and ends in the recycling of many SMART components. SMART Car UK has a multi-channel approach in selling their relevant products and services. A customer gets acquainted to products and services by visiting their respective website's www.thesmartcar.co.uk & www.smarttogo.co.uk, and purchasing these products at one of 53 SMART dealerships. In the fiscal year of 2004/5, SMART UK's turnover was 6.8 million and the growth forecast indicate a possible increase rate of 15% for the 2005/6 period, with a total turnover forecast of 7.25 million. SMART's online marketing and promotion contributed towards the sale of 850 units of the total 11000 sales in the UK in 2005. Smart car UK is already a established business with a strong consumer base from which to launch a aggressive marketing strategy to increase its share of the automobile market. Some of its strong points are: SMART car as a new entry to the automobile market offering the consumer the retro unique look.