Leadership Training Case Study Essay Example

Initiative Training Case Study Essay Example Initiative Training Case Study Essay Initiative Training Case Study Essay Improving Productivity Coastal Bank is an enormous bank in a southeastern city. As a piece of a thorough interior administration study, Harris Meade, the information preparing VP, inspected the turnover, non-attendance, and efficiency figures of all work bunches in the association. The outcomes Meade got contained no genuine shocks with the exception of on account of the registration and information preparing divisions. The Research The request uncovered that all in all the divisions showing high turnover and non-appearance rates had low creation figures, and those with low turnover and truancy were profoundly beneficial. Nothing unexpected there. At the point when examination started on the registration and information preparing figures, in any case, Meade found that the two offices were tied for the lead for the most minimal turnover and non-appearance figures. What was astounding was that the registration office positioned first as the most profitable unit, while the electronic information preparing office positioned last. That irregularity was additionally muddled by the way that the working conditions for registration representatives are incredibly unfortunate. They work in a huge open room that is sweltering in the late spring and cold in the winter. They work alone and work rapid registration machines requiring a serious extent of precision and focus. There is minimal possibility for collaboration since they all take turning short breathers. The PC room is cooled, with a steady temperature all year; it has flawless lighting and is very calm and agreeable. It was realized that the two gatherings are profoundly firm and that the laborers for the most part work well with others in their specialization. This perception was strengthened by the study’s finding of the low degrees of turnover and non-appearance in the two offices. The Interview Data with an end goal to comprehend this wonder (comparative efficiency in spite of boundlessly various conditions), Meade chose to meet the individuals from the two divisions. Meade would have liked to increase some knowledge into the elements of each group’s conduct. It was found that the registration office showed a lot of devotion to the organization. A large portion of the gathering was untalented or semiskilled laborers; in spite of the fact that they have no sorted out association, every individual felt that the organization had put forth uncommon attempts to keep their wages and advantages in accordance with unionized activities. They realized that their work required collaboration and were focused on elite. A very extraordinary circumstance existed in the information preparing division. In spite of the fact that the laborers loved their kindred workers, there was a uniform inclination among this exceptionally gifted gathering that administration put more accentuation on creation than on staff units. It was their dispute that boosts in compensation had been exceptional for working divisions and that the hole between the breadwinners and salaried representatives didn't mirror the ability contrasts. Thus, a huge level of the gathering showed little reliability toward the organization, despite the fact that they were exceptionally close among themselves. The Challenge There is some level of earnestness to improve efficiency in this circumstance. A significant rival in the locale is expanding its piece of the overall industry, while Coastal Bank’s piece of the pie is slanting descending in the last two quarters. One test the bank faces is the manner by which to make the information handling unit progressively beneficial. Other low-performing divisions may require center too, especially in the regions of truancy and turnover. It is conceivable that framework wide change might be required. You are Harris Meade and you are entrusted with improving efficiency all through the bank: HOW would you settle on the best strategy? What is the best technique to settle on the choice? HOW would you actualize any change that might be required? Recommendation for use: have students answer the contextual investigation separately. At that point break them into little gatherings to examine and go to some agreement. There is no â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† answer for this situation study, as is valid for some initiative choices. The best a pioneer can do is to line up with authoritative needs, look for the contribution of others, create sensible plans, and attempt to settle on an astute choice. It is most likely a smart thought, for this situation, to choose a cross-practical group made out of laborers from every office and other bank divisions, as well, to make proposals to the board.

Symbolism And Setting In The Lottery Essays - Fiction, Literature

Imagery And Setting In The Lottery The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short story that without the imagery of its characters, would add up to minimal in excess of an odd story about a stoning. Be that as it may, on the grounds that of what each character speaks to and the manner in which the setting assists with amplifying those portrayals, it turns into a short story that is definitely not shy of importance. The main character is presumably the most clearly representative character of the story. Each word that leaves Old Man Warners Mouth smells of convention. He criticizes constantly new thoughts regarding the lottery, the manner in which it is run, or griping about how things have changed for the most exceedingly awful, and so on., and so forth. At the point when Mr. Adams reveals to him that the occupants of a neighboring town are thinking about getting rid of the lottery, he says they are a pack of insane numb-skulls. After the Hutchinson family draws for the subsequent time and he can hear individuals murmur regarding who they trust drew the spot, he rushes to call attention to Its not the manner in which it used to be, individuals arent the manner in which they used to be. He presumably helps most perusers to remember a more established individual the person once knew continually saying, Well in my day we did things any other way.. what's more, What isn't right with kids nowadays? Why when I was a child on the off chance that I did that. He is sticking to custom, even some that are not, at this point watched, and absolutely reluctant to relinquish the ones that are as yet rehearsed, disregarding how preposterous they may be. It has consistently been done that path previously so why change things now? In the Lottery, elderly person Warner represents everything that isn't right with custom and truly powers an individual to consider a portion of the ludicrous things that we as citizenry have done as well as keep on doing on the grounds that it has consistently been done that way. Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves both represent authority and how it very well may be utilized to force the majority. While neither Mr. Graves nor Mr. Summers are domineering, remarkable, or in any case influential pioneers, the townspeople tail them. It is entirely likely that if both of them announced there would never again be a lottery it would stop however they demand with the custom. Sadly just like the case so regularly in all actuality, individuals tail them aimlessly, they are pioneers in the network, they should know what they are doing well? At the point when individuals neglect to scrutinize their initiative, actually, similarly as in The Lottery, horrible things occur. Different characters represent more the deficiencies of individual people as opposed to those of entire social orders. The Hutchinson Family is both emblematic of inward blames that all people have, for example, weakness and lack of interest. Bill Hutchinson is clearly so frightened of disapproving of power that he won't find a way to secure his family. Actually he helps them in the passing of his better half by compelling her to show the dark spot. At the point when a man is willing not simply to hold on and watch as his better half is battered to the point of death however compel her into it, there is something really off-base. Anyway one might say the whole town is loaded up with weaklings. One may state, they appeared to be courageous, all ready to go to the lottery and hazard their lives for this custom. As a general rule however they are quitters for not standing up and saying, This year my family won't be taking an interest in the lottery. On the off chance that Bill Hutchinson had would not join in, at that point perhaps Mr. Adams would have said well in the event that he isn't going nor am I. Out of nowhere, nobody goes to the lottery and its absolutely impossible Mr. Summers, Mr. Graves and Old Man Warner can compel everybody to partake. Presently as a result of the boldness of one man there is no more lottery. Mrs. Hutchinson is unconcerned with the way that somebody is going to bite the dust a fierce passing until it becomes obvious that that somebody will be an individual from her family or conceivably herself. She is poking fun at the dishes, and how she nearly overlooked it was the season again for

Childhood Diabetes and the Lets Move Campaign free essay sample

Youth Diabetes and The Lets Move Campaign Instructor:Megan Pope May 23, 2011 ? There is a ton of conversation on youth stoutness and youth diabetes. Step by step instructions to forestall it, what causes it, and how to treat it. A few specialists and scholars have gone as far to state that since society overall is getting lazier, this is causing out youngsters to get greater and less dynamic. A great deal of these announcements are right, yet there are additionally different variables, for example, heredity, ecological, and immune system maladies. Despite the fact that a portion of these elements would not benefit from outside intervention with regards to the improvement of diabetes in youngsters, specialists and specialists concur that the best course of treatment and anticipation is through legitimate eating regimen and exercise. Along these lines, there have been a wide range of projects that have come out. One of the better ones to come out as of late is the â€Å"Let’s Move† battle that Michelle Obama has made and support. We will compose a custom exposition test on Youth Diabetes and the Lets Move Campaign or then again any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page Through this program youth corpulence and youth diabetes can be forestalled. The â€Å"Let’s Move† program depicts how to fuse a reasonable eating regimen into the regular day to day existences of youngsters. It additionally keeps on urging youngsters to get up and be increasingly dynamic with their play time. There is a great deal of chat on the report about how society, in general, has become less and less dynamic in the course of the last twenty to thirty years. With present day accommodations like TV, gaming frameworks, computer games, and even little things like phones and the I Pad, individuals have been investing less and less energy outside and even less getting a charge out of recreational exercises. At the point when decades prior, kids and grown-ups the same fraternized. Youth corpulence has been portrayed recently as a plague. That’s going somewhat far on the arriving at scale. It's anything but a pandemic yet. Be that as it may, if something isn't done soon it will be. Since the schedules of family’s have changed definitely sections 30 years back, the manners in which that a family assembles a supper has additionally changed. A great deal of family’s now purchase prepackaged suppers and eat out a ton due to time imperatives. With these progressions people’s eats less have lost a great deal of the supplements that is expected to help fuel their bodies like it ought to be. With our weight control plans lacking significant nutrients new ailments like diabetes have gone to the most significant levels they have ever been at. 4 in each 1,000 kids are diabetic. Alongside diet, practicing has not been one of the most loved exercises among youngsters. Children now and days want to play their computer games and play on the web stanzas heading outside and playing with their companions. With this idleness that youngsters have, they are putting on more weight and are getting more medical issue prior throughout everyday life. Idleness, less than stellar eating routine, and unfortunate decisions can't be represented. With the First Lady’s â€Å"Let’s Move† crusade kids and their folks have been getting increasingly more instruction regarding the matter of corpulence and diabetes. They are learning at youthful ages significant life decisions, similar to how to eat more advantageous and how to remain dynamic. This is advancing a positive conduct that will profit them in all their years. Without these progressions that can be instructed to kids, their fates are not under any condition solid. On the off chance that youngsters adapt now the significance of a sound way of life, that incudes legitimate eating regimen and exercise, than heftiness and diabetes won't be controlled however they preventable kind will be deleted. The â€Å"Let’s Move† crusade was made in view of this thought. Youngsters don't have the right to be undesirable. An informed kid will settle on better extraordinary choices. The best asset for the â€Å"Let’s Move† crusade is to go to their site, LetsMove. gov. It will give a lot of data and connections that will help. The second best asset is The National Diabetes Education Program. They have an entire composed article on what diabetes is, the thing that types are there, how you get it, and treatment for it. This is an absolute necessity read for any individual wishing to keep on finding out about diabetes in general. One other great spot to begin is the Center for Disease Control’s site. This site has a lot of connections that will help. With the assets that have been recorded above, anybody will and can be instructed on this youth weight and youth diabetes. This is a significant theme in light of the fact that; if this isn’t dealt with at a youthful age grown-ups won't live solid lives. With assistance of the â€Å"Let’s Move† battle the sickness diabetes and weight in kids and grown-ups can without much of a stretch be controlled and in the long run shut down it. ? Refrences Overview of Diabetes in Children Adolescents. (n. d. ). Recovered from http://ndep. nih. gov/media/Youth_FactSheet. pdf The Rise of Childhood Type 1 Diabetes in the twentieth Century. (n. d. ). Recovered from http://diabetes. diabetesjournals. organization/content/51/12/3353. full Get Active. (n. d. ). Recovered from http://www. letsmove. gov/get-dynamic

IKEA Children Labor Reaction

After the distribution of the documentals that appeared and demonstrated that IKEA utilized kids work for its creation organization in India IKEA had to respond, to attempt to stop the media emergency and to be concerned and dynamic to stop kids work in non-created nations like India. The primary response when all the data showed up was to deny it, saying that IKEA never contract organizations that utilization kids work to do their items, yet they acknowledged the likelihood that possibly the organizations they were contracting, sub-contract simultaneously different enterprises that could have kids working for them.The representative for IKEA protected the organization, saying the agreement with its suplier in the Philippines and India has been suspender, when under-age kids were seen as making wicker bushels. Yet, that was just the principal response yet sure not last. Starting there IKEA changed the method of acting, paying attention to more this viewpoint and having it as a key pi ece of the organization and of the establishment IKEA possesses. From that IKEA tended to the occasion and it â€Å"sent a legitimate group to Geneva to look for info and exhortation from the International Labor association on the most proficient method to manage the problem.Also the organization â€Å"added a provision to all gracefully contracts, expressing just that if the provider utilized youngsters under lawful working age, the agreement would be cancelled†. This condition, a two-pages implicit rules, depends on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The third thing IKEA chose to do is to get a Third-party that controls and deal with maintaining a strategic distance from youngster work rehearses at its providers in India and Pakistan. This activity was truly beneficial for the organization since it indicated an alternate perspective and supported great exposure and caused thing to appear to be more pleasant from the open's view.In that way the bussines administrator of the company did some examination with notable associations like Save the Children ( an association that got on May 15 of 2012 a vow of $10 million to end youngster work in India cotton industry) or UNICEF to get exhortation. With all that data the administrator could go the world over, see the genuine circumstance and built up a mark ensuring that the floor coverings to which it was joined were utilized kid work.

The History Of Foreign Direct Investment Economics Essay

The historical backdrop of Foreign Direct Investment can be followed back to the yearss of the pioneer age. During the pioneer yearss, there was the interest for a direct contributing each piece great as transportation of administrative achievements. This was because of the unpleasant bearing of the infant enterprises in Nigeria as at that cut. Directly from independency in 1960, Nigeria perceived the significance of outer fund in make fulling or loaning to make full the local savings spread, the remote trade spread and the building spread being developed. It was non, until 1957, when the state becomes self-ruling that an increasingly positive activity towards outside capital and unconventionally Foreign Direct Investment supplanted the free enterprise approach of the unadulterated pioneer age. Get bringing down from the twelvemonth, five Acts of Parliament gave a heap of actuations to outside financial specialists. These incorporate expansive income improvement get-aways, quickened deterioration stipends, showcase insurance, opportunity to pass on in and repatriate capital and total compensations, and a progressively good and competitory condition. These were exemplified in the Industrial Development ( Import Duties Relief ) Act 1957, the Industrial Development ( Income Tax Relief ) Act 1958, the Customs Duties ( Dumped an d Subsidized Goods ) Act 1958, the imposts ( Draw back ) Regulations 1959 and the Income Tax ( Amendment ) Act 1959.DEFINITION OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTForeign Direct Investment can be characterized as a contributing that is made to get a perpetual course inclusion in a worry attempt working in a state other than that of the financial specialist characterized orchestrating to habitation World Bank ( 1996 ) . M. Sornarajah ( 2010 ) characterized Foreign Direct Investment as â€Å" the transportation of touchable or impalpable in addition to starting with one state then onto the next for the aim of their use in that state to deliver riches under the entirety or halfway control of the owner of the advantages † . Okomoh ( 2004 ) depicted Foreign Direct Investment as non just for the transportation of capital however close to augmenting an undertaking from its place state into remote host state. For all intents and purposes, Foreign Direct Investment implies applying corporate command over worldwide boundaries.2.3 THEORIES OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENTTheory of Foreign Direct Investment can be followed back to Hymer ( 1960 ) in his work â€Å" On Multinational Corporations and Foreign Direct Investment † , where he expressed that â€Å" since autochthonal houses have better perception of their nearby condition more than outside houses, the last will only have the option to strive on the off chance that they have different favorable circumstances to offset for their inconveniences of working in remote destinations † . In addition, outside direct investings are regular where imperfectnesss exist in a market. This implies the hypothesis of flawless rivalry is non liable to work in occasions Foreign Direct Investment. Hypothesis of Foreign Direct Investment can in this manner conveniently be clarified under two classs: Micro ( Industrial Organization ) speculations ; and Macro-account ( cost of capital ) hypotheses. Orchestrating to Caves ( 1971 ) , the point of convergence is regularly on showcase imperfectnesss, each piece great as the goal of Multinational Corporations to spread out their market power ordinarily on advertise. Joining small scale and large scale accounts, a few hypotheses had developed legitimize Foreign Direct Investment from places of the venture houses and the collector financial systems.Theory OF FIRM EXPLANATIONHarmonizing to this hypothesis, following Caves clarification before expressed, a house will proceed to put at place until ideal level of contributing at place is reached and more remote contributing will do Fringy Cost to be higher than Average Cost and money related worth per unit of finished result. This hypothesis flourishes great using the microeconomic conduct of houses. The choice of the record is that each piece long as the anticipated collected from this point forward overall gain fringes warrants present outgo, an endeavor is said to be attainable. This hypothesis is non reasonable as it does non set into thought send out selling and conduct of Multinational Corporations that works under dynamic marketsINTANGIBLE ASSETS EXPLANATIONThe impalpable resources clarificatio n territories that Foreign Direct Investment of the Multinational Corporations have some restrictive perception or elusive resources, for example, building and methods that ensure productivity, licenses, structures, trademarks, exchange name names, exchange insider facts and ability which different houses have no course to. These advantages have comparable highlights of ‘public merchandise ‘ as in they can be misused by various houses ( inside the transnational framework ) without devouring their utility. In view of this property of ‘Pareto Optimality ‘ , the use of the restrictive resources can be advanced by spread trip abroad. For case, ‘Coke ‘ exchange name is perceived worldwide and Coca-Cola will accomplish more come back from the trademark when more workss are developed. It is of import to watch creation for fare can non be an other to finding a manufacture workss on account of the travel cost related with send out each piece great as plaus ibility of exchange hindrances. On whether an authorizing comprehension would hold been another choice, the finding of eminence installment is ever extremely emotional, while specialists of creating states do hold horrendous impact on such an alternative ; and numerous Multinational Corporations are non typically prepared to part such resources.

Should environmentally displaced be categorised as refugees - Free Essay Example

Climate change is no longer a hypothetical situation but the reality of world politics in the twenty-first century. Although extremely controversial, research suggests this predicament will deeply affect the lives of millions who will be forcibly displaced from their homes and required to seek refuge elsewhere. Since 2008, the UNHCR has stated that there has been an annual average of 21.5 million displaced people by climate-related disasters – more than those fleeing war or persecution. The current legal practices protecting refugees fleeing war or persecution have failed to incorporate environmentally displaced people leaving them helpless with little to no protection. In this essay, I will argue whether the environmentally displaced people (EDPs) should be categorised as refugees providing an argument for and against the question. It is time now to recognise the mass population shift that will continue to rise as a result of these environmental disasters and offer our help. Therefore, I will conclude that the environmentally displaced should now be categorised as refugees. EDPs should be categorised as refugees because those forcibly displaced by an extreme weather event are not covered by the 1951 Refugee Convention and therefore find themselves in a legal void. According to the 1951 Refugee Convention a refugee is recognised as someone who is â€Å"owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.† (Westra, 2009). This convention originally emerged in order to help those displaced during the Second World War focusing on specific individuals rather than large groups – the reality of what we are dealing with today. Environmental change is possibly one of the most significant generators of population displacement and therefore it is clear that the definition is outdated and incomplete maki ng it ill-equipped to deal with today’s refugee crisis. ‘Environmental refugees’ as described by Essam El-Hinnawi are â€Å"those people who have been forced to leave their traditional habitats, temporarily or permanently, because of a marked environmental disruption (natural or triggered by people) that jeopardises their existences†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (El-Hinnawi, 1985, pg. 4). According to the Convention, to be qualified as a refugee you are required to cross an international border, however, most displaced by climate change move within their own countries or move for short periods with the intentions of returning home as soon as possible. Therefore, the environmentally displaced are not accepted as refugees but rather internally displaced peoples and consequently not qualified to accept refugee status. This produces a large protection gap between conventional refugees and this new class of refugees. The environmentally displaced find themselves disadvantaged for re asons they cannot help and have no protection beyond the basic human rights. This lack of protection creates a sense of hopelessness, and results in the question of what can we do for these people and what are their options? The Environmental Justice Foundation urges governments to â€Å"recognise climate refugees and support a new legal agreement to guarantee their rights and their fair claim to our shared world† (EJFoundation, 2017). War is becoming less common and therefore we need to start acknowledging this new global issue and agree to categorise the environmentally displaced as refugees. Moreover, the environmentally displaced should be categorised as refugees as the extreme weather events they are experiencing are largely due to the increase in global climate change. No country is safe from the impacts of climate change; however, it is the poorest and most vulnerable communities that feel it more acutely, nonetheless contribute to only 1% of global emissions. These underdeveloped countries have seen 99% of the deaths from climate and weather-related disasters (EJFoundation, 2017). It is clear that they are at the mercy of polluting countries. Low-lying states, such as Tuvalu and others situated in the Pacific and the Indian Ocean are suffering immensely from rising sea levels which is caused by the increased use of greenhouse gases. These islands have called on the governments of Australia and The United States to put in place policies that will recognise those displaced by climate-related events as legitimate refugees. Currently, they are two of the largest contrib utors of greenhouse emission yet have shown a lack of leadership in mending their wrongdoings. Already â€Å"one-fifth of Tuvalu’s population has been forced to relocate† (Duckworth, 2017). This is just one of the many nations who is losing land every year. Although many EDPs are able to move within their territory and return following a disaster, it is becoming problematic for low-lying nations whose entire lands are disappearing. This makes relocation to other parts of the country impossible. It is suggested that in the next 20-50 years thousands will be forced from their homeland and may even cause a fight for survival by some who are unable to find refuge. Hence, it is essential to categorise the environmentally displaced as refugees to avoid such devastation. Additionally, if we delay supporting EDPs it will become economically untenable in the future. Relocation of refugees already poses immense problems, however what will happen when millions more require asylum ? These less developed countries (LDCs) lack resources to adequately address this crisis themselves and rely on richer neighbouring countries who have the wealth to properly protect them. The effects of climate change are increasing, simultaneously so are the environmentally displaced. It is, therefore, crucial to categorise them as refugees. In contrast, however, the environmentally displaced should not be categorised as refugees because doing so could prove to be more damaging than beneficial. Enabling the environmentally displaced to be categorised as refugees would require expanding the existing definition that defines what a refugee is and this may cause unfavourable consequences. Firstly, amending the 1951 Refugee Convention by widening its interpretation would require the international community to accept a revised definition. Creating ‘climate refugees’ could risk undermining existing refugees who are currently entitled to protection under international law. This may lead to reduced opportunities for all refugees to obtain recognition and protection which would be damaging as there are 25.4 million recognised refugees today, excluding those internally displaced (UNHCR, 2018). This new class of refugees may be judged as illegitimate by politicians and the public who may view them as taking advantage of refugee protection laws, thus increasing the existing negative stigma surrounding them. Secondly, some countries already regard the Convention as being too generous. Proposing to expand the definition of a refugee could result in countries wanting an increasingly narrower definition. This is because by expanding the Refugee Convention to include EDPs would increase the number of those eligible for protection under international law by the millions. An increased number of refugees implies supporting countries would need to contribute more money to the cause. Already â€Å"Industrialised nations spend astronomical amounts of money on processing and supporting asylum seekers. In total, this is estimated to be more than ten times the funds the UNHCR has to protect those†¦under its auspices.† (Birrell and Millbank, 2011). If the UNHCR decided to expand the definition of what qualifies as a refugee, it is unclear if the political appetite exists to provide the necessary fundi ng. Burden sharing is already an issue among richer countries as they believe the issue isn’t there’s. While it is true that a state has a moral responsibility not to return refugees, to their home of origin, after entering their country, it does not state that they have a responsibility to allow them to settle. Finally, the risk in categorising EDPs as refugees could potentially result in more countries completely abandoning the Convention rather than accepting such a ‘burden’. Already, only 145 countries have signed the Convention as it imposes no obligations to assist. If supporting refugees no longer reflects a countries national interest, they are entitled to opt out made possible by Article 44(2) of the Refugee Convention which states that â€Å"any contracting state can denounce or withdraw, with one year’s notice† (UNHCR, 2015). This would have negative effects as the number of refugees left with no protection would be far greater. As a result, the environmentally displaced should not be categorised as refugees as it will reduce the practicality and utility of the term and potentially create a larger issue. In conclusion, the number of displaced people by environmental change is already alarming and could potentially cause the largest refugee crisis in human history. The environmentally displaced should be categorised as refugees to eliminate the protection gap. It is also the poorest countries that are suffering at the feet of those responsible for causing climate-related issues, yet they fail to offer any protection. With climate change expected to intensify, it is necessary to bring about change otherwise, we face extraordinary repercussions in the near future. The Refugee Convention is impractical as the number of climate refugees is far greater than conventional refugees. To ensure the protection of EDPs an entirely new legal classification that is tailored specifically for the needs of the environmentally displaced is essential. This separates the environmentally displaced from conventional refugees and allows them to be recognised as refugees under new international law.

Scientific Management Example For Free - Free Essay Example

As industrialization advanced rapidly across the world at the turn of the twentieth century, it transformed working practices and prompted theorists to consider how best to conduct business under such changed circumstances. The theory of scientific management has its roots in the studies conducted by F. W. Taylor during this formative period (see Taylor, 1911). There is much debate in the secondary literature about the synonymy of Taylorism and scientific management, which this paper does not discuss (for further details see, Caldari, 2007; Nelson, 1992). Rather, this paper positions Taylor as the defining early influence in a continum of scientific approaches to organizational management all of which fall under the broader definition of scientific management and management science that endures today. Section 1 of this paper undertakes a critical evaluation of scientific management theory before going on in Section 2 to discuss how and to what extent it is applied at the organisation, Microsoft. Critical Evaluation of Scientific Management Theory Taylor was one of the first theorists to consider management and process improvement as a scientific problem and, as such, is widely considered the father of scientific management. He proposed that a businesss economic efficiency could be improved by simplifying and optimising work processes, which would, in turn, increase productivity. Taylorism, as a philosophy, was the product of a series of experiments and observations, such as time-motion studies, designed to determine the most effective and efficient way to complete a task. Its fundamental and inter-related principles can be summarised as follows: Using scientific method to challenge habitual working practices and to determine the most efficient way to perform specific work tasks; Matching workers capability and motivation to the task requirements and supervising them according to the established rules and procedures; Establishing fair performance levels and develop a pay system that rewards, and therefore encourages, over-achievement; and Appropriate division of responsibilities to allow managers to apply scientific management principles to plan work and ensure workers are effective. Taylors work influenced a number of other contemporaneous theorists, such as Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and, later, Henry Gantt, who also favoured empirical methods to determine the most efficient procedures. Indeed, his new scientific system of organisation was met initially with widespread support in the USA and Great Britain amongst theorists, politicians and economists alike (Nelson, 1992). However, Taylors scientific management was not without its critics, both at the time and subsequently. By the 1930s and 40s it had broadly fallen out of favour. The following section undertakes a critical evaluation of scientific management. It discusses the arguments of Taylorisms detractors and also explores its legacy in popular modes of management practice today. One of the most popular criticisms levelled at Taylorism is its perceived lack of human appreciation (Caldari, 2007). In the drive to increase physical efficiency, it considers the worker a part of the production process on a level equal to the tools s/he uses and, as such, strips him or her of all capacity to reason and act autonomously. All thinking and planning is taken over by management, and the workers role is reduced to the simple repetition of standardised and simplified work flows in accordance with productivity targets. By assuming that fair payment will motivate employees to perform optimally, Taylorism overlooks the individuals subjective motivation and their need to derive personal satisfaction from their work. On the one hand, standardised work instructions have been shown to improve quality, facilitate training and reduce waste. However, on the other hand, todays low skilled and highly rationalised roles, such as call centre or fast food jobs, workers are often characterised by high absenteeism and high turnover due to low job satisfaction. Since these are drivers of increased cost, it can be argued that the strict doctrines of scientific management actually run the counterproductive ris k of increasing costs and reducing productivity. A further point of controversy for Taylorisms critics is the theory that scientific process will eventually identify the one best way of carrying out a specific process of work to maximum efficiency (see Ralston, 2014). They argue that the implementation of one best way disregards individual talents and preferred working methods, thereby alienating workers and preventing them from developing an appreciation of their place or function in the entire industrial process. This, in turn, suppresses their initiative and the potential for discovering new and innovative ways of working. Instead, opponents of Taylorism advocate a plurality of methods for increasing productivity, which should be tailored to workers needs. Feedback should be encouraged and decision-making shared between workers and management to engender a greater sense of participation and ownership, greater engagement, and a stronger sense of collaboration between workers an d management. In the light of the above criticisms, it is perhaps unsurprising that employees views of Taylorism have tended to be unfavourable. In its pursuit of efficiency and productivity, Taylors scientific management principles divide labour undemocratically, in such a way as to empower managers, benefit employers and lower workers morale. Although Taylor advocated fair assessments of working hours, productivity and pay, his theory obliges the worker to depend upon the employers conception of fairness, and gives the worker no voice in hiring and setting the task, in negotiating the wage rate or determining the general conditions of employment. In reality, many employers implemented Taylors theories only partially, using strict control, punitive measures to drive maximal output. This not only caused significant additional mental and physical strain, but also increased the potential for accidents and work stoppage (Nelson, 1992). Furthermore, workers believed down-skilling and eventual automation were responsible for growing unemployment even if ultimately it might lead to lower prices and increased demand. They also objected to the fact that the gains of higher productivity were not shared with the workers. Rather, the major proportion was taken away by the employer in the form of higher profits. Such an imbalance of power and resultant dissatisfaction has the potential to polarise industrial relations leading to increased risks of strike action and disruption. Although there is much to criticise about Taylorism and its early implementation, it should also be acknowledged that its advent paved the way for many of the management theories and methodologies that are followed today. The division of labour into doers and thinkers is a dichotomy that continues to shape the separation of strategy and implementation in most organisations (Kanigel, 1997, Stoney, 2001)). Likewise, in most organisations management and labour continue to co-exist in an uneven r elationship which privileges intellectual work over manual skills. Likewise, the rationalization of processes into discrete, unambiguous units with defined work instructions has laid the foundations for knowledge transfer, automation and eventual offshoring (Drucker, 1981) strategies that continue to be implemented in many multinational corporations today as management theory, and management itself, evolves with changing times (Witzel and Warner, 2013). Incentive schemes are still widely recognized as an effective means to encourage higher performance and are a standard component of most sales compensation packages. Meanwhile, Taylorisms simplification of skilled work and the elimination of unskilled work represents a central tenet of business process engineering techniques such as Six Sigma and lean manufacturing (Head, 2003). By the same token, modern quality assurance, operations management and total quality management methodologies arguably have their roots in scientific manage ment. In this way, scientific management transcends the narrower confines of Taylorism by means of its direct and indirect influence on those subsequent evidence-based methodologies that also attempt to treat management and process improvement systematically as a measurable, scientific problem (Witzel and Warner, 2015). Discussion of how Scientific Management Applies to Microsoft Taylors original thinking was informed by the shop floor processes of heavy industry. As such, it would be easy to assume its principles would be largely irrelevant in an industry as complex, innovative and knowledge intensive as Information Technology. Indeed, Bill Gatess professed values of entrepreneurship, ownership, creativity, honesty, frankness and open communication appear to stand in opposition to the standardised work processes and strict division of labour that Taylorism champions. However, on closer examination it becomes evident that scientific management still exerts a significant influence within Microsoft and on how it conducts its business. As with all large multi-national corporations, specialisation and division of labour is very much in evidence at Microsoft. There is a clear division between functional specialists such as software developers, project managers, marketing, sales, HR, finance and legal. As Taylorism advocates, their roles have written job descr iptions with clearly defined skills and competencies to ensure employees capabilities and motivations are carefully matched to their position. Furthermore, their performance is supervised and measured regularly using SMART criteria (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Results-based, and Time-specific) in a way that echoes Taylors emphasis on monitoring and measuring. There are a number of colourful stories that depict the results-orientated culture that Microsoft has relied on historically in its drive for success (see, for example, Shaw, 2004). Until recently, Microsoft employed a controversial management system called stack ranking which measured performance using a standard distribution curve. Whilst those at the top received bonuses and promotions, those at the bottom were shown the door (for further details see B. R., 2012). Although this was intended to motivate performance, employees found it oppressive. Developers sought to avoid working with top performers, who threatened their own ranking, and as a result free thinking, innovation and collaboration stagnated. Microsoft abandoned stack ranking in 2013, but it is evident that performance reviews and systems such as these owe a debt to Taylors principle of performance incentivisation through pay and reward. Indeed, Bill Gatess comment on workers and their value points towards a scientific management heritage: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A great lathe operator commands several times the wage of an average lathe operator, Bill Gates points out, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“but a great writer of software code is worth 10000 time the price of an average software writer (Schumpeter, 2015, p. 1). Microsofts business model relies on scientific managements requirement to challenge received wisdom and to find new and better ways of doing things. This applies to Microsofts products and production processes in equal measure. Yet rather than pursue Taylors one best way and control it by means of strict hierarchy and managerial supervi sion, Microsoft has, historically, sought to empower employees at all levels. Instead of allowing workers strict need to know knowledge that relates only to their discrete part of a process, Microsoft runs an intensive induction programme for new recruits, which introduces them to the overall business model, and acquaints them with colleagues and support networks. This broader knowledge equips individuals with the context to make autonomous decisions that are nevertheless aligned with the organisations interests. This, in turn, lays the foundations for continuous improvement based on comparison, feedback and the identification of more effective and efficient work methods. Microsoft seeks to encourage improved performance not only by financial incentives, but also by considering more progressive drivers of employee motivation, participation and satisfaction. Thus, software programmers at Microsoft work long hours, but extra discretionary effort is encouraged by free food, relaxed dre ss code, comfortable offices, and playing games (for further details see Birkinshaw and Cramer, 2008). So, whereas Taylorism is criticised for its de-humanising tendencies, Microsoft arguably seeks to balance and blend the drive for enhanced productivity with a complementary appeal to the broader hierarchy of needs in its workforce. Conclusion This paper has offered a critique of Taylorism as the first and most influential theory that shaped a spectrum of subsequent management practices that fall under the wider umbrella philosophy of scientific management. The example of Microsoft shows how the principles of scientific management inform many practices that are still in use today. As a large, established, multinational organisation, Microsofts management practices are, almost inevitably, complex and contradictory and the brevity of this paper does not permit a more detailed investigation of how and to what extent scientific management principles inform the varied practices of different functions and divisions within the organisation. For example, the process of iterative product development owes a debt to scientific management as does project management and evaluation. Nevertheless, this paper has offered a broad overview of how Microsoft has appropriated, adapted and implemented elements of Taylors early scientific mana gement theory, such as division of labour, employee selection, training and supervision, pay and reward, scientific evaluation, and process improvement, to improve Microsofts productivity, quality, and economic performance todays fast-paced competitive environment. Bibliography B. R., 2012. 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