Managing Diversity Essay Example for Free

Managing Diversity Essay 1. Put forward a business case for taking a managing diversity approach at Hinchliffe Cards. Britain now has one of the most diverse workforces in the world, consisting of a wide range of religions and ethnic backgrounds. However, diversity is not just acknowledged in terms of religious and ethnic origin. It can refer to political beliefs, age, sexual orientation, nationality, colour, etc. Therefore, it is absolutely paramount that diversity is managed effectively in parallel with Britain s rapidly changing social society. The need to manage diversity is even greater after the events of 9/11 as the worlds societies have become more politically charged and involved than ever before. Attached to diversity is the concept of equality from which any contentious questions arise. One such issue is the extent to which UK organisations are fair when it comes to offering equality of opportunity to minority groups in employment. There is a wide range of elements involved in managing diversity including legislative considerations, the handling of equal opportunity issues, as well as the aims of making managing diversity work for organisations. The traditional approach has focused on using the legislation driven equal opportunities route in tacking issues of diversity, and the broad aims of managing diversity are similar to that of equal opportunities, but managing diversity has a more internal focus. Many of these aims are bound up with the various legislation that outlaws discrimination on the grounds of sex, pay, race, disability and criminal record: * Sex Discrmination Act 1975 and 1976. * Equal Pay Act (Amended) 1983. * Race Relations Act 1976 (Amended 2000). * Disability Discrimination Act 1995. * Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. So why should organisations make the most employee diversity? Well, as mentioned previously, the make-up of our society is changing, and businesses must reflect this change. Wheatley, (p, 30, 2000) highlights three important trends that exist and are continuing to develop further. Firstly, the UK population is ageing fast. In 2000, there were 1.5M fewer 16-25 year olds entering employment than in 1987. Secondly, ethnic minority groups made up 5.5% of the total UK population at the time of the 1991 census. Thirdly, women now are a large and significant proportion of the UK workforce. Generally, the management of equal opportunity issues involves a social responsibility on the part of the individual organisation, objective consideration when taking selection decisions, develop a reputation for managing diversity, creating a more healthy business environment including high staff morale. Managing diversity also holds huge significance for business growth. Managing diversity also entails issues of organisational culture that refer to an organisations norms, values and beliefs. A diverse organisation in which there is a broad mix of people will add to the social dimension of the organisation and help to reduce the under-representation experienced by minority groups. Managing diversity is an internally driven proactive mechanism that acknowledges the interests of these groups. Moreover, at a strategic level, managing diversity involves: * Board level participation, responsibility and accountability on diversity issues; * Links to all business plans and benefits at all levels; * Employee ownership of diversity objectives; * Commitment of resources for training and research; * A proactive diversity approach to recruitment, marketing and supplier selection; * The building of diversity issues into recruitment, performance and reward systems. Source: Wheatley, (p. 32, 2000) Managing diversity focuses on the individual as opposed to Equal Opportunity (EO) that focuses on treating individuals as groups. Managing diversity (MD) goes beyond the EO perspective. It acknowledges differences in a more positive light. It does this by intending to proliferate staff performance, generating greater flexibility in the workforce and working practices as well as making organisations more equitable. It endeavours to use the differences to the benefit of the organisation. As stated by kandolla and Fullerton, the concept of managing diversity is founded on the premise that harnessing these differences will create a productive environment in which everyone will feel valued, where there talents are fully valued, where there talents are fully utilised, and in which organisational goals are met1. Whilst EO is legally driven, and subject to the achievement of the performance target, MD seeks to accommodate diverse interests. MD will also enable organisations to become a good corporate citizen, by ensuring that the workforce reflects the (local) population. Moreover, having a diverse workforce will help organisations explore new markets or client groups as MD adds to the social dimension of the organisation. This is particularly relevant after the events of 9/11, which require good understanding of race and cultural issues. In a business sense, it is important to have a workforce that understands diverse cultural backgrounds, especially as businesses become more internationalised. As stated above, MD uses individual differences and recognises them as strengths and talents, which help to dismantle barriers which otherwise prevent them from doing so. MD also brings with it in-built proactive measures such as maternity leave, flexible working patterns etc By doing so, organisations can improve their efforts in meeting their customers needs and increase their organisations profile. Under MD, people are acknowledged as the nucleus the organisation, and organisations can benefit from the following: * MD recognises that female managers have distinct managerial styles and abilities; * Mature workers can offer organisations increased reliability, stability, quality, experience and overall efficiency; * Members of ethnic groups can provide a rich and cultural experience at work; * Disabled people can offer highly developed problem solving and analytical skills because they operate in an inaccessible environment; * Individuals can feel confident in their abilities and their contribution to the organisation; * MD will add to the creative side of the organisation; * MD views employees as an invaluable asset; * MD recognises the need for n-going training; * Increased emphasis and responsibility to diversity issues; * Better recruitment, retention and performance systems. MD provides a more transparent and proactive method of dealing with employee diversity. This involves a fundamental transformation of the organisations working practices, making it more staff-friendly, re-consider the management structure and introduce more fairer recruitment and retention procedures. MD eliminates barriers to opportunity by recognising differences of individuals as positive strengths that can be used to develop a culture of diversity. Successful companies are those that are able to monitor and meet shifts in social expectations, to control risks and to anticipate market opportunities. Businesses that have the vision and the will to create an enabling environment for diverse parts of the community will prosper. 2. Analyse how the human resources activities might have to be changed at Hinchliffe Cards and make recommendations based on your analysis. The main problem the company is having is managing diversity while the organisation is evolving. The case study highlights many issues, which are fundamentally flawed in creating a more diverse productive organisation. At present 70 % of Hinchliffe Cards workforce is made up of women. There is only one woman manager within the organisation dealing with HRM, which is not a primarily authorative role. These statistics are very worrying when you consider that projections show that in less than ten years time there will be two million more jobs within the economy 80% of which will be filled by women2. In order to meet with theses changes Hinchliffe Cards would have to consider having more women in leadership and decision making positions. Many factors may have led to this lack of women in senior positions, like discrimination due to family commitments, womens lack of confidence, the attitudes of senior executives or even men seeing women as a threat. Nevertheless organisations which fail to utilise the potential of women managers will be commiting economic suicicde'(Davidson, 1991). As women managers come with many potential benefits i.e, participative and caring management styles . Hinchliffe Cards have also started to use casual labour during the spring months to deal with the Christmas demand. Over this period they use 20 casual workers to help operate some of the more sophisticated machines during this period. This is due to the current shortage of skill within the industry. This has been met by much discontent from the full time worker who doesnt believe they have the same pride in their work, which affects its quality and ultimately the workforces bonuses. Hinchliffe cards should really be working trying providing a positive learning environment for all staff. A positive learning environment is one in which the values of the organisation include the expressed and acted on belief that the development of its human capital through effective learning is necessary or achieving a competitive environment. The existence of such a environment depends on the active encouragement and support of top management, the belief by lie managers that learning and development activities pay off, and the extent to which the workforce are motivated to learn The female workers are also complaining about the opportunities open to them within the company, as they have not been trained on the complex machines. They feel left out as these machines offer the highest rewards in terms of bonus. In addition to this they are also concerned about the long hours they are made to work during peak periods, which is seen to interfere with their family life. This shows discrimination towards the female staff in using more complex machinery. This is bad for Hinchliffe cards because taking action on diversity and equality has many benefits for the organisation. According to government research it can lead to better recruitment and retention- followed with better morale and performance. If this discrimination and unfair treatment can be reduced, it can have a knock on effect on grievances and relations in the organisation. This can reduce absenteeism and labour turnover by enhancing employees attachment to the organisation and have a positive effect on labour productivity. Concerns about being able to balance family life with work is also a major problem. The costs for businesses who dont meet these needs can be striking. According to british industry, sickness and absence costs cost employers around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10 billion a year and 30% of this may be related to stress. In a recent survey, over a fith of women said they would change theyre jobs for more flexible arrangements. Employers may incur additional costs in adopting policies to support work-life balance, including increased managerial worloads. Such costs are however generally outweighed by the gains in achieveing strategic objectives. Hinchliffe have also recently outsourced their work to in home workers to cope with recent demand for handmade products. These workers are mainly women from ethnic groups and the company is experiencing a high rate of labour turnover. Due to this the company is thinking of investing in a team of in house designers employed officially by the firm who can be based in the firms headquarters. However the majority of the women arent interested in this option as they fit theyre work around looking after small children. They believe theyre getting a rough deal from the company as materials are often not delivered on time and theyre has been some talk of covert racism form the company. Senior managers also believe there is position for the company to expand into the EU. The company however would have to be equipped with a workforce with a more diverse range of skills from sales and marketing staff. This would mean being able to speak a different European language and be comfortable dealing with managers from different cultures. The current sales and marketing staff however lack these skills. References 1. Bunderson J S and Sutcliffe K M (2002) Comparing alternative conceptualizations of functional diversity in management teams: process and performance effects, Academy of Management Journal, Oct 1, 2002 v45 i4 p875(19) 2. Caudron, S., (1990) Monsanto responds to diversity, Personnel Journal, 41, 72-80. 3. DNetto B and Sohal A S (1999) Human resource practices and workforce diversity: an empirical assessment, International Journal of Manpower, Volume 20 Number 8 1999 pp. 530-547 4. Jackson, S.E., May, K.E., Whitney, K., 1995, Understanding the dynamics of diversity in decision-making teams, Guzzo, R., Salas, E. and Associates, Team Effectiveness in Decision Making in Organizations, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA, 204-61. 5. Jenner L (1994) Diversity management: what does it mean, HR Focus, Jan 1994 v71 n1 p11(1) 6. Kandola R and Fullerton J (1994) Managing the mosaic diversity in action, IPD (1994), p19 7. Morrison, A.M. (1992) The New Leaders: Guidelines on Leadership Diversity in America, Jossey-Bass Publishers, San Francisco, CA. 8. Mullins L J (2002) Management and organisational behaviour, 6th edition, Prentice Hall, Essex 9. Personnel Journal (1994) Diverse networking prompts change, Personnel Journal, August 1994 v73 n8 pS20(2) 10. Personnel Journal (1995) Open the corporate closet to sexual orientation issues, Personnel Journal, August 1995 v74 n8 p42(7) 11. Peters T (1993) Video Management revolution and corporate reinvention, BBC for Business. Cited in Mullins (2002). 12. Schreiber, C.T., Price, K.F., Morrison, A., (1993) Workplace diversity and the glass ceiling: practices, barriers, possibilities, Human Resource Planning, 16, 2, 51-69. 13. Soni V (2000) A Twenty-First-Century Reception for Diversity in the Public Sector: A Case Study, Public Administration Review, Sept 2000 v60 i5 p395 14. Zeffane R M and Mayo G (1994) Career Trends and Staffing Strategies in the 1990s, International Journal of Career Management, Volume 06 Number 5 1994 pp. 30-35 1 Armstrong, M. (2003)A handbook of Human Resource Management practice (9th edition). P133 2 www.dti.gov.uk/bestpractice/assets/bdciv.txt

Deep Sea Fish Adaptions Essay -- Marine Evolution Sea

The discoverer of the titanic, Dr Robert Ballard famously referred to the deep sea as ‘far more alien than going to mars or the moon.’ The deep sea is one of the largest virtually unexplored ecosystems on the planet; it is found at a depth of 1000 fathoms [1] and is subject to adverse changes in temperature, pressure and light penetration amongst other factors. Therefore as expected fish decrease in abundance, and species diversity. This trend is prominent as in order to survive the harsh conditions of the deep sea, fish need a number of specific adaptations. Allowing them to ultimately survive, feed, and reproduce. The deep sea is one of the most hostile environments in the world, which a living organism is subjected to. As you progress from the surface (the epipelagic zone) through to the abyssopelagic zone near the basin of the ocean; the environmental characteristics begin to alter dramatically. Light, pressure, oxygen, temperature and food are abiotic factors that have all led to the fascinating adaptations of deep sea life. Pressure alone increases by 1 atmosphere for each 10m in depth which is an astonishing rate. The deep sea temperature remains between 2-4Â °c, which is just another factor inhabitants must overcome in order to survive, along with a reduced quantity and accessibility of essential factor’s like ;oxygen, food and light[3]. From the surface to its deepest depth the ocean is 11km deep, and with this distance comes a vast change in physiological feature of fish as they try to survive the changing conditions. The bottom of the deep sea exists in darkness as little light penetrates through the surface. Therefore most inhabitants have to rely on their senses to survive. The fish require light to survive; they ... ... any environment but in the deep sea the fish have had to evolve immensely just to survive. Works Cited [1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/habitats/Deep_sea [2] http://www.seasky.org/deep-sea/ocean-layers.html [3] http://marinebio.org/Oceans/Deep [4] http://www.suite101.com/content/adaptations-of-deep-sea-fish-a230044 [] [6] http://www.eoearth.org/article/Bathypelagic_zone?topic=49523 [7] http://www.allthesea.com/Deep-Sea-Fish.html [8] http://www.suite101.com/content/adaptations-of-deep-sea-fish-a230044#ixzz17YRH7Amz [9] Deep sea and extreme shallow water habitats: affinities and adaptions by Franz Uiblein, Jorg Ott and Michael Stacowitsh 1996 [10] http://www.marinebiology.org/fish.htm [11] Adapted from http://www.mbari.org/earth/mar_tech/EITS/ob_deep/od_back.html [12] http://sanctuarysimon.org/regional_sections/deepSea/overview.php

Le Ly Hayslip: Between East and West

The West has always been generally regarded as a negative force upon Asian cultures in the sense that the introduction of Western ways brings irrevocable changes that stains the purity Oriental cultures. On the other side of the fence, the West has always regarded the East as a land of exotic people, stubbornly clinging to their old ways, refusing to change with the times. Indeed it is a clash between the immovable rock and the irresistible force, and people in the crossroads get caught and get lost in the maelstrom, with a few coming out unscathed. Le Ly Hayslip’s book When Heaven and Earth Changed Places chronicles such a struggle. It is a poignant book that captures the rending of one’s soul, when one is caught between the need to change and the desire to cling to the old and the familiar. The encroachment of the West first took place within the context of the Vietnam War, when the United States allied itself with South Vietnam against the communist North. More than a book about how war changes a life, the book is about how Le Ly Hayslip straddled the East and the West and how she managed to keep herself whole and survived. The book captures the epic life of Le Ly Hayslip, from her childhood, to her life as a young woman escaping to the United States, to her return to her native land, some twenty years after. This paper seeks to take a look at Le Ly’s life at three important milestones and understand how the West has imposed itself upon her world and how it changed her life as well as those of the people she loved. The West first came into Le Ly’s life when she was still very young. Perhaps in an uncanny prediction of her destiny, her village straddles the border between the conflicting South and North Vietnam. Their lives were constantly being pulled by soldiers from each side and their loyalties were constantly shifting and the people were under constant threat of violence and threat to their lives. Le Ly captures the simplicity of their life as well as the suffering they endured at the crossroads, â€Å"Although the land remained fertile, farming was often interrupted and the whole village came close to destruction.† (5) While the influence of the West is not so direct in this case, it can actually be seen in the civil war that is going on in her country. For a long time, Vietnam has been a colony of France, and it was only after World War did Vietnam finally gain its independence. However, the fledgling country soon fell under the shadow of communism through the influence of China, which in turn was being controlled by the Soviet Union. In light of this, it might be said Western imperialism has been affecting Le Ly’s life from the day she was born. The desire of the Soviet Union to spread the communist ideology is the reason why South and North Vietnam are at war. When Le Ly was 14 years old, Le Ly and her friends worked as lookouts for North Vietcongs. The South discovered what she was doing and she is arrested and tortured. When she is released from prison, the Vietcongs regard her with suspicion and sentence her to death, charging her with espionage. However, instead of killing her, the two soldiers tasked with carrying out her sentence raped Le Ly instead. It was at this juncture that Le Ly left her village to work in the town of Saigon. In Da Nang, she took on several jobs, working as a maid, a black-market vendor, and a prostitute. It was at this stage of her life that Le Ly met several Americans. Her bad experiences in the hands of the Vietcongs as well as the relatively good treatment she received from the Americans have changed Le Ly’s values and allegiances. This relatively pleasant encounter with the West has planted in Le Ly the desire to leave Vietnam and start a new life in the United States. She saw the West as a land of promise, where she can escape from all the violence and war in the East. She saw a chance when Ed, asks her hand in marriage, after which, they immediately left Vietnam with her son in tow. When Le Ly left for the United States, she longed to someday return to her home land, but she was also unsure if she will ever have that chance. In the United States, she gets down to settling to a new life, resolved to leave the past behind. Of course that is easier said than done, and her love for her family and the longing to return to Vietnam never left Le Ly. This desire became stronger when Le Ly found prosperity and success in the United State. After so many years of living as an American, Le Ly returned to Vietnam. In all her years living in the United States, she managed to stay true to her eastern roots. The Buddhist ways that Le Ly’s father taught her served as the anchor of her identity, and she never gave up this part of her that she held sacred. Between the East and the West, Le Ly found a haven in the love and respect that she had for the two countries that she calls home. And that perhaps is the reason why Le Ly was able to reconcile the conflict and rage that was tearing her soul apart. She soon comes to an understanding and by her own words Le Ly thus describes the freedom and wisdom in living a life of compassion, Vietnam already had too many people who were ready to die for their beliefs. What it needed was men and women – brothers and sisters – who refused to accept either death or death-dealing as a solution to their problems. If you keep compassion in your heart, I discovered, I discovered, you never long for death yourself. From my father’s death, I had finally learned how to live. (383) References Hayslip, L. L. (1993). When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: Tie-In Edi

Diversity in the Workplace - 1465 Words

Diversity in the Workplace As stated in our book, workplace diversity is defined as â€Å"diversity at work means having a workface comprised of two or more groups of employees with various racial, ethic, gender, cultural, national origin, handicap, age, and religious backgrounds†. There are many positives and also negatives of diversity in the workplace. Some of the negatives from workplace diversity are stereotyping, discrimination, tokenism, ethnocentrism, and also gender- role stereotypes. Some positives include increased productivity, increased creativity and problem solving, helps to attract and retain talent, improves team building and enhances communication skills, helps to diversify customer base, according to a blog on†¦show more content†¦Target maintains diversity in a much different than the other two companies we have discussed, because they are in a retail environment it makes it much more difficult. Target is improving its diversity management with a s trong focus on talent development. They have a very strong mentoring program which has been a model for other diversity orientated businesses. Target was named Top Company for Mentoring by DiversityInc, last year. Target’s statement of diversity is At Target, diversity is much more than a goal or campaign. It’s a core value we integrate into every area of our business—from our suppliers, to our teams, to the shopping experience in our stores. We foster an inclusive culture that allows our high-performing and diverse team to drive innovation according to their corporate website. This statement of diversity shows how important this issue is to Target, they even extend it to their suppliers and to their customers, for a better shopping experience. 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