Wynn Resort Essay Example for Free

Wynn Resort Essay Executive Summary 1.) Purpose To know if what is the overall strategy of Steve Wynn to make Wynn Resorts, Ltd. on the right track and quite a remarkable company. 2.) Statement of the Problem There are three problems which I found out in the case, and these are the three challenges that Wynn will have to face, and the future may throw some curveballs along the way. First is need to secure a way to maintain the competitive advantage as increased competition is introduce both domestically and abroad into the gaming industry. Second, The Macau government reserves the right to take control of the Wynn Casino in 2017; this would be detrimental to the profits for the company, and some solutions will need to be devised to ensure that the survival of the company is not majorly dependent on the revenues generated by Wynn Macau resort and casino. A third concern about future success, but certainly not the final concern, is the loss of Steve Wynn himself. Losing Steve Wynn would mean losing his expertise, passion and governmental ties. In the most likely scenario, a loss of Steve Wynn may result in the sale of the firm to a competing company, such as MGM Inc. 3.) Alternative Courses and Actions Wynn must focus on differentiating the company by concentrating on the atmosphere and design of the resorts. Wynn Rsort must enhance customers service and luxury as full-service provider. 4.) Recommendation Wynn must not only focus to target high-end gaming customers, but he must also offer affordable goods and services to the middle-income clients. This segment includes vacationers and younger people looking for relatively inexpensive place to say with the understanding that most of their budget will go to dining and entertainment. Methods of Analysis 1. SWOT Analysis SWOT ANALYSIS Strengths 1. The greatest operational strength Wynn Resorts, Ltd. has is the founder himself, Steve Wynn. 2. The resort has earned AAA five diamond, Mobil five-star, Forbes five-star, and Michelin five star ratings for hotel, as well as one Michelin star for restaurant Wing Lei, and is considered to be one of the finest hotels in the world. 3. One of Wynn Resorts’ greatest marketing strength is strategic development of its product. The product that Wynn sells is a luxury destination experience that makes customers feel pampered and value through high-quality amenities and customer service. 4. Steve Wynn is widely considered the â€Å"Father of Luxury Gambling†, and he is largely responsible for the image change and societal perspective change of the city of Las Vegas. | Weaknesses 1. The company’s complete dependence of Steve Wynn is a significant weakness. 2. Focusing solely on the high-end market could be a marketing weakness in that Wynn is missing a large customer base of middle-income clients. 3. Wynn Resorts’ biggest disadvantage is its youth. MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment are companies with history and territory. They have the majority of premier legal gambling locations such as Atlantic city under their thumb and they will create difficult barriers to entry for Wynn Resorts.| Opportunities 1. As the boomers retire, they are spending more money on leisure and recreation, and they are piling into the casinos, this growing represents an opportunity for the gaming industry and for Wynn Resorts specifically. 2. The development of a casino in Macau is a strategic opportunity. 3. Wynn Macau provides the opportunity for cross-marketing with Wynn Las Vegas, because the target market segment in both Wynn Las Vegas and Wynn Macau is high income, customers have resources to travel and vacation in other parts of the world, which can make cross-marketing very effective.| Threats 1. Social norms in the United States differ from those practiced in Macau and should not be universally applied. 2. The ability of the government to take control of the casino at any time it deems appropriate is a significant threat to the success of Wynn Resorts because it could lose control of its operation in Macau. 3. Another threat exists in the possibility of Wynn Resorts, Ltd. being unable to collect on its gaming debts. 4. The loss of Steve Wynn, himself.| Bibliography 1. http://www.studymode.com/essays/Swot-Analysis-Wynn-Ltd-946073.html 2. http://www.investingvalue.com/investment-leaders/steve-wynn/index.html

Methods and Practices of Performance Appraisal

Methods and Practices of Performance Appraisal This chapter provides the basis for the development of this study. It will give a general overview of the relevant literature and research on performance appraisal and organizational commitment in general but with a lot of emphasis on appraisal session, supervisory behaviours during appraisal and employees satisfaction with performance appraisal and affective commitment. A brief outline of performance management, performance appraisal and organizational commitment will first be discussed as a sort of general foundation followed by some relevant aspects of performance appraisal, affective commitment and ending with a summary of the chapter. The justification is that it will facilitate the conceptualization of the variables that will be examined in this study, indicate their envisaged relationships and further provide the basis for their empirical evaluation. Although the performance appraisal session is a component of the whole performance appraisal system (Giles Mossholder, 1990) however, it is still a major part of the appraisal system since it is the only avenue for gathering employees opinions and other information (Roberts, 2002). Similarly, supervisory behaviours during an appraisal session has been indicated to be a major aspect which contributes to the effectiveness of performance appraisal session (Martin Bartol, 1986) hence some key concepts of performance appraisal session and supervisory behaviours will be applied and used to formulate the argument that there should be a positive relationship between performance appraisal satisfaction and certain supervisory behaviours during a performance appraisal session. Similarly, extant literature and research (Dessler, 1999; Paul Anantharaman, 2004) has indicated that using performance appraisals to develop employees may increase their affinity to the organization hence this review will elucidate the logic for attempting to establish a positive link between performance appraisal satisfaction and affective organizational commitment and the significance of such a relationship to organizations. 2.2 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT In the late 1980s and 1990s, organizations started implementing combined practices aimed at building a culture of performance which involved using strategies that were believed to enhance employees input towards the overall success of the organization referred to as performance management (IPM, 1992). However the majority of these practices (e.g. goal setting, assessment and review) were already being used by organization but as individual practices (Armstrong Baron, 2005). Armstrong (1998) sees performance management as a combined and well planned method used to further improve the success of an organization by increasing employees performance and developing the abilities of teams and individual employees however Fletcher (1993a cited in Armstrong Baron, 1998) sees it as a method used by organizations to invent and share their vision with the employees by enabling them appreciate their own part towards achieving the organizations vision and in so doing help to manage and improve the performance of both the employees and organization whereas Hendry, Bradley Perkins (1997) believe it is an efficient method used to enhance the performance of individuals and teams to realize the goals of the organization. The definitions above indicate that performance management is a tool used by organizations to achieve organizational aims by effectively managing the performance of employees and the organization as a whole. Some features of performance management include: different forms of appraisals (e.g. 360- degree appraisal, peer appraisal, self appraisal); reward strategies (e.g. performance related pay, competence related, contribution related pay); coaching and mentoring; career management/ succession planning and personal development plans. 2.3 OBJECTIVES OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT According to Armstrong Baron (2005), the aim of performance management is to enhance the performance of employees and the organization by further improving good performance, having an idea of the visions of the organization, supporting individuals to achieve these aims and generally ensuring a conducive atmosphere for individual growth which will ultimately impact on the organization. Armstrong Baron, (1998) believe that the objectives of performance management could further be broken down to the following: A process which helps organizations to accomplish prolonged enhanced performance. It can act as a pillar of change towards building a more performance centred tradition. Improving employees motivation and commitment. Facilitating employee development, improving their work satisfaction and attaining their desired goals in a way that profits both employees and the organization. Strengthening team work and performance. Facilitating improved communication in the workplace amongst superiors and subordinates all year round due to continuous discussions. Affording the opportunity for employees to communicate their job desires and needs. Organizations assess the outcome of performance management by using opinions or attitude surveys of their employees, some factors used are: changes in employee attitude, motivation, productivity, achievement of financial target, changes in employees attitude, achievement of objectives, improved customer service, development of new skills and improved quality (Armstrong Baron, 2005). 2.4 DEFINITION OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Performance appraisal is the process used to assess employees performance often times against some agreed work goals to enable organizations take some decisions. Performance appraisal is a formal process of supplying employees with an unambiguous feedback based on their work performance (Carroll Schneier, 1982 cited in Dobbins, Cardy Platz Vieno, 1992) but can also occur in an informal and sometimes highly biased form in any organization (Fletcher, 1997). Performance appraisal is believed to have originated from American but has been modified to suit the UK market (see Beer et al, 1978). An effective performance appraisal should seek to understand why goals have been / not been achieved to throw more light on the employees capabilities and by so doing understand what training/ development the employee requires (Anderson, 1991). Several definitions of performance appraisal have been put forward and some of them are: An opportunity for the individual and those concerned with their performance most usually their line manager to get together to engage in a dialogue about the individuals performance, development and the support required from the manager (CIPD ,2009). Performance appraisal is, the formal assessment and rating of individuals by their managers at, usually, an annual review meeting (Armstrong, 2006, p.9). A performance appraisal is a way to regularly record an assessment of an employees performance, potential and development needs. The appraisal is an opportunity to take an overall view of work content, loads and volume, to look back on what has been achieved during the reporting period and agree objectives for the next (ACAS, p.3). Performance appraisal is the process of defining expectations for employee performance: measuring, evaluating and recording employee performance in relation to those expectations; and providing feedback to the employee. While a major purpose of performance appraisal is to influence, in a positive way, employee performance and development, the process also is used for a variety of other organisational purposes, such as determining merit pay increases planning future performance goals, determining training and development needs and assessing promotional potential of employees. (Bartol Martin, 1991 p.421 cited in Coates, 1994). Performance appraisal is also defined as, a term once associated with a rather basic process involving a line manager completing an annual report on a subordinates performance and (usually but not always) discussing it with him or her in an appraisal interview (Fletcher, 2001, p.473) he further stated that though this description still holds true in some organizations that performance appraisal is now a general term used to describe so many practices used by organizations to evaluate employees and develop their capabilities, enhance performance and distribute rewards which implies that the use to which performance appraisal is put could impact on both supervisory behaviours and employees satisfaction. 2.5 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Although some organizations sometimes use the expressions performance management and performance appraisal to mean one and the same, there are differences between them. Performance management is, a comprehensive, continuous and flexible approach to the management of organizations, teams and individuals which involves the maximum amount of dialogue between those concerned (Armstrong Baron, 2005, p.14) while performance appraisal which is narrower entails supervisors assessing and scoring their subordinates in an appraisal review. Performance appraisal plays an important role in the performance management system because it is the medium used to explain the goals and objectives of an organization, it is also the main tool used for employees performance assessment and development. It is believed that with the emergence of performance management with its broader outlook, that performance appraisal now has a fundamental task in a more incorporated and vibrant set of human resources systems which implies that performance appraisal can accomplish more than it could on its own (Fletcher, 1997). Armstrong Baron (2005) highlighted some idealised features that differentiate performance management from performance appraisal since it has been noted that the two terms are often confused with each other (Bevan Thompson, 1991). Performance management Performance appraisal Joint process through dialogue Top down assessment continuous review with one or more formal reviews Annual appraisal meeting Ratings less common Use of ratings Flexible process Monolithic system Focus on values and behaviours as well as objectives Focused on quantified objectives Less likely to be directly linked to pay Often linked to pay Documentation kept to a minimum Bureaucratic- complex paperwork Owned by line managers Owned by the HR department Fig. 1- source Armstrong Baron, 2005 p. 15 2.6 DEFINITION AND COMPONENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT The phrase, organizational commitment is gradually becoming a vital organizational terminology because there is an indication that it has a positive relationship with employee behaviours that encourage organizational retention and performance (Chalofsky Krishna, 2009). OReilly Chatman (1986) defines organizational commitment as the foundation of an employees psychological attachment to the organization whereas Porter et al (1974) states that organizational commitment is comprised of three major elements: (a) strong conviction in and acceptance of the organizations aims, (b) readiness to go the extra mile for the organization, and (c) a strong desire to retain organizational membership. Meyer Allen (1991) noted that notwithstanding numerous researches, that there has been a lack of agreement with definition of concepts used in measuring organizational commitment. Moreover, the various definitions of commitment seem to point to three general components hence to minimise the issue of construct definition, they put forward three components of organizational commitment: 1. Affective commitment- the employee wants to stay because of an attachment and desire to identify and be involved with the organization. 2. Continuance commitment- the employee stays with the organization because of the need to after considering the costs related to leaving the organization. 3. Normative Commitment- the employee feels obligated to continue with the organization. These three components reflect the fact that commitment is a psychological condition that typifies the nature of the relationship an employee will have with the organization hence will affect the employees decision to exit or continue with the organization. (Meyer Allen, 1991), however they have dissimilar impact on employees behaviour (Lee Bruvold, 2003). The present study will focus on affective commitment because a Meta analysis of various researches that have tried to establish a link between work outcome and organizational commitment established that affective or attitudinal commitment showed the strongest relationship (Randall, 1990). Moreover, from the description of the three components of organizational commitment, it can be deduced that an employee that has an affective commitment for the organization will most likely exhibit more positive attitude, be willing to go the extra mile, be less likely to leave because of his/her attachment to the organization. 2.6.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT The importance attached to organizational commitment could be attributed to the fact that present day organizations lay much emphasis on teamwork, empowerment, and flatter organizational structures thereby making it a pre requisite that certain acceptable behaviours are required from employees which are often referred to as organizational citizenship behaviour. These behaviours are discretionary contributions that are organizationally related, but are neither explicitly required nor contractually rewarded by the organization, yet contribute to its effective functioning, (Meyer Allen, 1997 p.34). Although organizational commitment may be associated with certain aspects of a flatter organization (e.g. team working and empowerment) as mentioned above, however, it does not just happen because an organization operates a less bureaucratic structure. Organizations employ different outlook of organizational theory example, a unitarist view will elicit a different type of commitment from a pluralist view since these two outlook will employ different management control and forms of employees management (see Perkins, 1998 p. 14). Similarly, Caldwell et al (1990) noted that variations amongst organizations with respect to the human resources policies in place affect employees attitudes and reactions, a statement also echoed by Perkins (1998). Studies have indicated that commitment can promote the type of behaviours that yield desirable organizational outcomes (Dessler, 1999). Some of positive outcomes attributed to organizational commitment include: a positive relationship with motivation and involvement (Stumpf Hartman, 1984), affirmation of positive affect and loyalty (OReilly Caldwell, 1980), enhancement of some portions of job performance (Angle Perry, 1981) and a negative relationship with absenteeism (Angle Perry, 1981). 2.7 BASIC METHODS AND PRACTICES OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Organizations differ in characteristics (e.g. management style, size, culture, technology and sector) which imply that they will most likely implement performance appraisal practice that they perceive will be suitable for them (Bretz et al, 1992). Similarly, Tolliday Zeitlin (1991) argues that the potential for performance appraisal with regards to its implications and definitions will be a consequence of the social and organizational stance of those who use them, however, an effective performance appraisal will be a gain for both the employees and the organization (Anderson, 1991). Some basic methods of performance appraisal according to ACAS (2008) include: Rating employees characteristics are rated on a scale ranging from outstanding to unacceptable. Comparisons with objectives employees are assessed based on how far they have met already agreed goals with supervisors. Critical incidents requires the supervisor to record employees positive and negative behaviour for a period of time. Narrative report the supervisor assesses the employees job performance using own words. Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales involves the use of a number of rating scales which are tailored to suit each job. Most UK organizations use appraisal of personality, appraising job related abilities and rating scales (e.g. forced distribution and behaviourally based rating scale) which are methods used for assessment and comparison appraisal while result oriented appraisal and competency based appraisal are methods use for motivation and development appraisals (Fletcher, 1997 2004). His classification was based on the two broad uses of performance appraisal which will be highlighted below. Although management by objective (MBO) is also used in UK (*ANDERSON) it is widely used in the US to appraise senior executives and professional employees while the trait based rating scale is used for more junior employees Bretz et al, (1992). 2.8 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL USES It has been stated that knowledge of the use to which performance appraisals is to be put is important to human resource development (Youngcourt et al, 2007) and essential to its design since different types of information may be required for different purposes (Cleveland, J.N., Murphy, K.R. Williams, R.E. (1989) and research has also shown that the use to which performance appraisal is put affects the rating process and results (Jawahar Williams, 1997; Ostroff, 1993). Organizations use performance appraisal to achieve numerous contradicting objectives (McGregor, 1957; Meyer, Kay French, 1965). However, some of the uses of performance appraisal are: taking reward decisions, performance improvement, employee motivation, improving communication between supervisors and subordinates, succession planning and as a formal assessment of inadequate performance (Fletcher, 1997). According to Youngcourt et al (2007) past literature/research (Cleveland, Murphy Williams, 1989, 2003) seem to point to the fact that there is a tendency for organizations to use appraisal to differentiate either among employees (the administrative use) or within employees (the developmental purpose). Cederblom (1982) also gave two broad classifications of performance appraisal use: counselling and development; evaluation and discussion of administrative decisions. Though it has been noted that appraisals can be put to multiple uses, the present study will use the two broad classifications listed above for ease of comparison with extant work. 2.9 A GENERAL SUMMARY OF PAST PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL STUDY AND LITERATURE Performance appraisals has received lots of attention from industrial and organizational psychologists (Nathan, Morhman Millman, 1991; Landy Farr, 1980) and most of these works especially the ones dealing with cognitive aspect of performance appraisal have been methodologically and conceptually sound (DeNisi, 1997 cited in Fletcher, 2001). Researchers have conceptualized rating instrument and process; characteristics of raters and ratees as a way of understanding cognitive aspect of performance appraisal but so far, have only been able to expound our knowledge of the rating formats (Landy Farr, 1980) yet, there is still no major positive impact on performance appraisal practice (Banks Murphy, 1985; Fletcher, 2001). There has been quite a number of review of extant literature and research on performance appraisal practice with their implication for future research (e.g. Levy Williams, 2004; Fletcher, 2001; Keeping and Levy, 2000; Arvey Murphy, 1998; Bretz, Milkovich Read, 1992; Cederblom, 1982). A brief summary of these reviews seem to indicate that researchers are still looking for ways of improving the practicality of performance appraisal process in organizations as stated by (Thorndike, 1949 cited in Bretz et al, 1992; Meyer, Kay French, 1965 cited in Fletcher, 2001; Kluger DeNisi, 1996; Fletcher, 1997 2001) but the direction so far shows that between 1950 and 1980, most research was dealing with ways to improve rating instruments used for appraisals which led to a call by Landy Farr (1980) for more studies on cognitive aspects of performance appraisal thereby resulting in a shift of attention in the early 1980s to a better understanding of the various behaviours exhibited by a supervisor during performance appraisal. The mid 1980s till late 1990s saw an increase in research dealing with how information is handled during performance appraisal (Arvey Murphy, 1998) which was brought to light by some researchers (e.g. Ilgen Favero, 1985; Dipboye, 1 985; Ferris Judge, 1991) when they noted that the social and situational factors affecting performance appraisal were being overlooked by researchers. In their review of extant performance appraisal research work of 1985 1990, (Bretz, Milkovich Read, 1992) writing from a US perspective noted that majority of these work were centred on supervisor/ subordinate personal qualities, psychometric issues, rating errors/accuracy, supervisor training, performance appraisal format, cognitive aspects of appraisal and feedback. They further stated majority of these work had taken place in the laboratory and had used students as respondents also, cognition has received the highest attention and even though it is quite understandable that researchers should focus a lot of attention on studying the rating aspects of performance appraisal since it entails difficult cognitive procedures, however, the performance appraisal process takes place in an applied social and political environment, hence it would be beneficial to assess the degree to which research is contributing to the performance appraisal process. This seems to be an echo of the call b y Banks Murphy (1985) that the huge focus on cognitive aspect of performance appraisal will most likely contribute to the widening gap between research and actual practice. Napier Latham (1986) noted that the lack of improvement in performance appraisal practice stems from the fact that researchers seem to focus on improving appraisal measurement rather than on the appraisal practicalities (Thorndike, 1949 cited in Bretz et al, 1992). Another review of existing study of performance appraisal from 1993 1998 carried out by Arvey Murphy (1998) further buttressed the issues raised in the Bretz et al (1992) review but Arvey Murphy also noted that research is now widening towards the notion of contextual aspect of job performance. Similarly, Fletcher (2001) writing from a UK perspective, while concurring with the views raised in the Bretz et al (1992) review also noted that there seems to be no considerable improvement in performance appraisal practice as most UK organizations indicate disappointment with their performance appraisal scheme which implies that performance appraisal not only yields unconvincing ratings but most likely is unsuccessful as an employee development and motivational tool as indicated by (Meyer, Kay French, 1965 cited in Fletcher, 2001). Keeping Levy, (2000), writing on performance appraisal reaction which is pertinent to the present work agrees with the views already noted by the studies above on performance appraisal practice in general but they further narrowed down their views to studies pertaining to appraisal reactions. They observed that performance appraisal effectiveness has been heavily researched with some of the work focusing on aspects like: appraisal frequency, faith in supervisor, participation, validity of ratings and employee reactions to performance appraisals. On the issue of appraisal reactions, they differentiated the various reaction measures that have received great deal of attention and they include: satisfaction, fairness, perceived utility, perceived accuracy but they pointed out that there seems to be some contradictions with measurements of reaction, concepts and the way some measures have been operationalized. They also noted that dependent variables should be of interest and use to human resource practice as indicated by Balzer Sulsky, (1990, cited in Keeping Levy, 2000) that most of the dependent variables so far used in extant studies are of little use to human resources practitioners while the important ones have so far been ignored by researchers. Cederblom (1982) had reviewed the appraisal session, another important area to the present study and stated that though some writers had indicated that there are some difficulties associated with an appraisal section that involves a joint discussion of development and salary, however most of these research had come up with inconclusive reports (e.g. Meyer et al, 1965; Cummings,1973 cited in Cederblom, 1982) thereby making it difficult to conclude on the noted difficulties, however some studies (e.g. Burke, Wetzel Weir, 1978 cited in Cederblom, 1982) indicated that certain discussion on reward during an appraisal session seems to increase employees satisfaction. Cederblom (1982) stated that there are some factors that have been shown to improve the effectiveness of a performance appraisal session which are: supervisors level of competence of employees job and performance; goal setting; supervisors support; encouragement of employees participation. 2.10 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SESSIONS The appraisal session involves the actual meeting of the supervisor and subordinate to discuss the subordinates past performance and possibly future goals, development and salary. It has been identified to be a key part of a performance appraisal system by contributing to its effectiveness since the appraisal session is the avenue for gathering employees opinion and other needed information Roberts (2002). There have been a number of researches on this area of performance appraisal (e.g. Burke Wilcox,1969; Greller, 1975; Burke at al, 1978; Fletcher, 2001; Asmub, 2008) however most of the studies have been centred on the appraisees experiences of the appraisal session though attention is now being directed towards the supervisors experience (Burke et al, 1978) Nathan, Morhman Millman (1991) noted that there are some shortcomings with most of the past researches as most of the them seem to have overlooked the interpersonal perspective in which appraisal occurs (Wexley Klimoski, 1984 cited in Nathan et al, 1991) and instead focused on pointing out the problems with supervisors even though they are the motivational impartial factors of the performance appraisal procedure and thus directing attention on how to reduce these errors with enhanced rating scale and training (Hogan, 1987, p.364). Their study substantiated the importance of the need for good interpersonal relationship as employees participation, the standard used to assess the employee and review of issues that are vital to the employees development are all affected by the type of supervisor/subordinate relationship. Similarly, Finn Fontaine (1984) put forward that supervisors and employees should relate together to categorize the major work attitudes that are very crucial to the appraisal which may likely involve the use of a well structured job analysis that will not only form the basis for measuring past performance but also form the foundation for building future performance. The organizational culture which affects means and manner of its communication will affect performance appraisal discussion (Maroney Buckely, 1992) since employees attitude is a function of their convictions which is guided by the organizations communication means and hierarchy (Nystrom Starbuck, 1984 cited in Maroney Buckely, 1992). Some guidelines given by Armstrong Baron (2005) for the appraisal session are: 1. Supervisors should come prepared by going through a list of the pre set goals and probably their record of employees performance for the year. They need to give consideration to the likely reasons that could have resulted in the employees high/low performance, changes that may have occurred between the last appraisal and the intended one. It is also advisable for employees to come prepared with their own records so they can contribute effectively. 2. The environment should be informal to allow for an open and honest discussion with less conflict. 3. The session should be carried out according to plans made earlier but should also allocate enough time for employees contribution. 4. Supervisors should ensure they give a positive, frank, and merited feedback which will motivate the employee especially when they are commended for high achievement. 5. The employees should have ample time to contribute so they can reveal the issues they are encountering and this also will make them feel the appraisal session was fair. 6. Allowing the employee to self appraise will afford the opportunity of seeing things from an employees perspective and will also form part of the appraisal discussion. 7. Employees performance that has been stated accurately should be the focus of the appraisal session rather than the supervisors personal view of the employee. 8. It is also advisable that both appraisee and appraiser jointly review probable causes of good/poor performance rather than it being just the supervisors views. 9. The supervisor as much as possible should stick to facts rather than discuss issues that will come as a surprise to the employee. 10. The agreed goals should be measurable and there should be a plan or discussion on how to achieve them and supervisors should ensure the session ends positively. The overview of performance appraisal uses; methods and practices; past performance appraisal research and appraisal session above is indicative of the fact that performance appraisal use, the discussion during an appraisal session (e.g. goal setting, feedback, participation, relationship between the supervisor and employee, rating score, salary and development discussion) will likely have an effect on employees satisfaction with the appraisal. Hypothesis 1: employees will be satisfied with their performance appraisal session when they have good interpersonal relationship with the supervisor, actively participate, adequate and constructive feedback, favourable rating and the appraisal discussion includes salary and development. 2.11 ISSUES AND CRITICISMS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS Fletcher Williams (1992) noted that there have been issues regarding the use of performance appraisal which have lingered for years and a survey of some UK organizations (IRS, 2005, no 828, p.9) seem to buttress this point as most of the employees stated that there are issues in the way and manner performance appraisals are being delivered in organizations which they attributed to lack of training for line managers on how to develop effective performance appraisals, too much use of paperwork (IRS, 2005, no 828, p. 9). Similarly, Stroul (1987) stated that both management and employees are resentful of the mandatory yearly performance appraisal process (Stroul, 1987). Other issues noted with performance appraisal include Anderson (1993) also identified a number of problems related with performance appraisal: Classifying the standards that will be used for assessing performance. Gathering correct and sufficient data employee performance data. Managing conflicts between supervisors and subordinates. Defensive behaviour of most employees. The various issues noted above coupled with dissatisfaction with performance appraisal as indicated by organizations (Mount 1983; Stroul, 1987; Fletcher, 2001) has led to criticisms from several authors. Deeming (19

Improving Memory Essay -- essays research papers

how to improve memory Mr. Douglas Enclosed in the following are five techniques that you may want to consider using to help you improve your memory.  Finding a reason to remember  Be selective in about what you learn  Organize your information  Mnemonics  Rehearse information through recitation First, finding a reason to remember is very important. If you have a reason to remember information you just learned, then you have a better chance of holding on to it. For example, let’s say a person has trouble with his/her multiplication tables. And the person loves to lift weights. The teacher would use the information form math and apply it to the weight lifting. Such as 5 x 5=25, and lifting five pounds five time is a total of twenty-five pounds. You see this comparison makes the student learn it better because he/she can use it in more ways than one. This technique has helped me the most when I was learning about percentages in math. I could not quiet get the ha ng of it, so the teacher applied it to how much money would one save if a $50.00 shirt was 20% off. This gave me the motivation to learn it. Second, you should be selective in what you learn. You only want to learn the main ideas and leave the supporting material alone. Doing this should make you memorize the information in a shorter amount of time. For example, if you were trying to study Biology, and there is a lot of it just remember the bold face type ...

Babe Ruth :: essays research papers

Babe Ruth During the roaring twenties, there were many outstanding baseball players. One of the best outstanding baseball players of all times was Babe Ruth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Babe Ruth was born on February 6, 1895, on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. He was the son of a saloonkeeper, George Herman Ruth, Sr. At age seven he was placed in the St. Mary’s Industrial School for boys because his parents couldn’t control him anymore. After twelve years of basically being locked up he was released in 1914 so that he could play professional baseball.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One key person in Ruth’s life was Brother Matthias. Matthias encouraged George to play baseball. By age 12, he was already on the varsity team. Matthias pushed Ruth to be a right-handed catcher since there was no left-handed catcher’s mitt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  George Herman’s professional career started in 1914 when the Boston Red Sox picked him up as a left-handed pitcher. After 158 games, Ruth had a pitching record of 89-46 and had 3 World Series wins and no losses. When Ruth’s pitching career ended, he had a 2.28 earned run average and was just getting started with his all time hitting career. Babe Ruth set many hitting records in his 22 years of baseball. â€Å"The Babe† was given many new nicknames over the years. Some for example were: â€Å"The Sultan of Swat,† â€Å"The Callasses of Clout,† â€Å"The Great Bambino,† and â€Å"The Babe.† In 22seasons, he led the league 12 times with home run records. In 1921, Ruth had a record setting 60 homers, which no one broke until Hank Aaron in 1974. In 1935, George Herman Ruth hung up his uniform for the last time with leaving professional baseball. With 714 career homeruns and some great memories, The Babe led his team to The World Series in 1923, 1927, 1928, and 1932.

Narrative Voices in Shelleys Frankenstein and Fathers and Sons by Ivan

Narrative Voices in Shelley's Frankenstein and Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev I have chosen to compare the narrative voices of Frankenstein and Fathers and Sons, as the perspectives in these two novels differ from one another. Frankenstein’s narrative voice contains tales of three characters within one narrative, none belonging directly to the author, whereas the narrative voice of Fathers and Sons, is that of the author alone. Examples I will be using are taken from ‘The Realist Novel’ (TRN), and from the novels of Frankenstein (F) and Fathers and Sons (F&S). Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is an example of first- person narrative, with Walton describing his encounters in letters to his sister Margaret, in England. He includes his meeting Victor Frankenstein, of Victor’s experiences with his creation of Frankenstein the monster, and the monster himself and his experiences. This narrative is written in the form of letters, with the use of this epistolary style of writing novels giving verisimilitude to the events, as Walton writes of them as he is told. He is the narrative voice of the whole novel; enveloping the characters of Victor and the monster, the characters of whom, develop as the story progresses. This narrative perspective structures the novel, portraying events as true to life, resulting in its realistic theme. The confession of Victor nestles within Walton’s narrative, with that of the monster nestling within that. This technique of having one story nestling within another follows a Gothic convention, (P.63 TRN). There are many narrative perspectives, which make it a Gothic novel, another example showing this is the atmosphere of mystery and horror, when Victor is creating his mo... ... sharp towards the tip, with large greenish eyes and sandy-coloured droopy sideburns,’ (p.7) and of the monster as described by Victor in Frankenstein, ‘His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness.’ (P.56). In Fathers and Sons, Turgenev reflects the theme of fatherhood, with love and affection shown between Bazarov and his father Ivanovich, Arkady and his father Nikolai and also Nikolai and his small son Mitya. In comparison, Shelley in Frankenstein labours on the abandonment of the monster by his creator. In effect, Victor is the father of his ‘son’ the monster and he has abandoned him at his ‘birth’. This showing of paternal love in Fathers and Sons and the abandonment of it in Frankenstein shows an important comparison between the two novels.

HRMG Midterm Essay

When a company experiences a financial setback of the magnitude that More Beer, Incorporated had after its failed venture into internet marketing, it sometimes becomes necessary to reduce the workforce in order to mitigate the losses. The Human Resources (HR) Department faced a very difficult decision in choosing whom to fire, as there was a potential for legal action with each of the five candidates presented for possible termination. In addition, many of the candidates also had personality traits or issues in their personal lives that could have contributed to the decision. In the ending analysis, however, one must remember that More Beer, Incorporated is a business, and the personnel decisions made herein must first serve the best interest of the company, not the individual. Therefore, after careful consideration, the HR Department has concluded that the best way for the company to survive the economic downturn is to terminate three of the five employees and internally transfer the other two, according to the following recommendation, effective at the start of the pay cycle three weeks from Monday. Terminations The three individuals recommended for termination will all receive a severance package equal to one week’s salary for every year of service to the company, plus additional pay and benefits noted below. Each individual will be required to sign a waiver that releases More Beer, Incorporated, from any future claims against the company regarding their termination. The employees will be given 45 days from the date of notification to consider their respective severance packages. All three employees will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement that stipulates they are not to divulge any proprietary information they may have acquired during their employment with More Beer, Incorporated. Mike Williams Mike Williams’ employment is recommended for termination because his particular area of expertise involves maintaining the computer systems which will be obsolete when that segment of the company closes. Therefore, his skills will no longer be an asset to the company. His above average productivity, excellent attendance, and educational background indicate a strong work ethic that will be an asset to another organization. A Letter of Recommendation stating as much will accompany his severance package. In addition, Mr. Williams will receive all of his accrued sick leave, vacation, and holiday pay. In terms of post termination litigation, the company must ensure it is in compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as it pertains to race, as Mr. Williams is of Asian descent, and he may allege that his strong accent was a reason for his termination. In Fragante v. City and County of Honolulu, the appellate court determined that â€Å"[a]n adverse employment decision may be predicated upon an individual’s accent when – but only when – it interferes materially with job performance† (Twomey, 2013, p. 450). Although other employees complained they had difficulty understanding his heavily-accented English, Mr. Williams’ primary job was with maintaining computers, which has no requirement for oral communications. Accordingly, this argument should hold as a successful defense against both a disparate treatment and disparate impact claim, should Mr. Williams choose to pursue either of those allegations of unlawful employment discrimination. Phillip Price Phillip Price is also recommended for termination on the appointed effective date. The only positive contribution he made to the company was in the programming area, which is being eliminated. Mr. Price is an average performer, with an attendance record showing that he was absent nearly 43 percent of the time he was scheduled to work in the past two months. His overall track record is average. His supervisors have documented all of these performance items. There is no apparent benefit to transferring him elsewhere in the company, especially since Mr. Price mentioned he feels he has been treated differently after recently announcing that he is homosexual. Mr. Price will likely argue his termination is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as it pertains to sex. He may also claim disparate treatment or disparate impact. Title VII does not contain specific language protecting against discrimination based on homosexuality, as both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the courts â€Å"have determined that the word sex as used in Title VII means a person’s gender and not a person’s sexual orientation† (Twomey, 2013, p. 427). Still, in Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Services, Inc. , the Supreme Court found that sex discrimination consisting of same-sex harassment is actionable under Title VII. To have a claim under Title VII, Mr. Price would have to allege that his termination was solely based on â€Å"sex, † thus bringing his case within the precedent set by Oncale. More Beer, Incorporated is an at-will employer, which means it is â€Å"free to terminate the relationship with or without cause,† (Twomey, 2013, p. 598), so his argument will be moot. Mr. Price will receive the severance package that consists of one week of pay for every year of service to the company. He had used all of his sick leave, annual and holiday leave, and so will not receive any additional pay. Sally James Sally James is the third employee recommended for termination. While she is a very popular employee, and has longevity with the company, neither of those factors contributed to the company’s bottom line. Her productivity and performance were very good, but they were in a segment of the company that failed overall. Ms. James’ age, 55, puts her in a protected class, so the company must be wary of potential violations of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA). The company can use the â€Å"reasonable factors other than age† (RFOA) provision (Twomey, 2013, p. 536) as an affirmative defense of these claims. Because Ms. James has been with the company for twenty years, the company is going to offer her an early retirement package that will include the standard severance offer of one week basic pay for every year of service to the company. In addition, she will be offered stock options in the company, enrollment in the company’s Tuition Assistance plan for her son for one full semester of college, and Social Security â€Å"bridge† payments until she reaches retirement eligibility age (Twomey, 2013. p. 546). Acceptance of the retirement package would require Ms. James to waive any future claims against the under ADEA in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Oubre v. Entergy Operations, Inc. These requirements would include: 1. The waiver is part of a written agreement. 2. It makes specific reference to rights or claims under the ADEA and may refer to Title VII and all other claims. 3. It does not apply to rights or claims that may occur after the agreement is signed. 4. It is exchanged for value that is in addition to what the employee would otherwise be entitled to receive. 5. The employee is given written advice from the employer to consult with an attorney. 6. The employee is given a 21-day waiting period to consider the agreement and a 7-day period to revoke the agreement. (Twomey, 2013, p. 548) Transfers The remaining two individuals on the list will be transferred to positions within the company effective immediately. They will retain their current salaries and seniority in the company. Margaret Jones Margaret Jones will be transferred to the Sales Department. Although the internet sales concept for More Beer, Incorporated was a failure overall, Ms. Jones’ contributions were significant, and she has demonstrated that she is a dynamic salesperson who can contribute to the company’s profits. The decision to retain Ms. Jones was not made in any part because of her race and her affiliation with a local chapter of a civil rights group. To elect to retain or fire her based on her race or gender would be discriminatory, and would be in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act on the basis of race or sex. The fact that she is perceived to be a ladder climber, out only for herself, or not a team player, has no bearing on the success of the company, and therefore has no consideration in making this business decision. Jenny Smith Jenny Smith’s multi-lingual status has been a boon to the company’s global marketing efforts. Accordingly, she will be transferred to the Human Resources Department, Marketing and Public Relations Division. She will continue in that capacity if she chooses to return to work at the completion of her six weeks of maternity leave in compliance with the Family Medical Leave Act. That she is female and of Hispanic origin gives her protection under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The fact that she is currently pregnant puts her in a protected status under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act, and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. In order to make a reasonable accommodation to the disability of her morning sickness, the company will permit her to work from home as necessary, which will reduce her absenteeism and increase her productivity for the company. Conclusion The decision to fire a group of employees is never a popular one, and is rarely a pleasant task. The Vice President of Human Resources for More Beer, Incorporated performed a detailed analysis of the candidates, and makes the above recommendations with the company’s financial future as the primary basis for its decisions. Additionally, the HR Department had to consider potential legal ramifications of terminating these employees, even the ones who were ultimately retained. Finally, the profoundly distressing effects of terminations on the individuals were not lost, and every attempt has been made to mitigate the financial or professional impact wherever possible. References Twomey, D. (2013). Labor & employment law: Text & cases. (Fifteenth ed. ). Mason, OH: South-Western.

Edmunds Corrugated Essay

1. Analyze the issues faced by Edmunds and describe what lead the company to this situation. Edmunds Corrugated Parts & Services are a company based in Virginia, U.S. owned by Larry Edmunds; who provided precision machine parts and service for the domestic corrugated box industry. About two years ago, Larry’s grandfather loaned him the money to start the business. It is Larry’s first factory; in a barn on what had been the family’s Shenandoah Valley farm. He operates from a 50,000 square-foot factory located near I-81 just a few miles from that old barn (Daft, R., 2010). However there are some issues that Edmunds has faced with the quarterly earnings. They simply were not as they had been in the past. Firstly, the company was capable of employing about one hundred employees who were mostly neighbors. They were as hard-working and loyal employees. However, many of employees were going to retire. The company was suffering from the issue of replacing the current employees. The other issue the company was holding market share at 75 percent but the market share lately has reduced significantly. It was due to the number of the companies that had appeared manufacturing the same product. This had made it possible for the company to diversify their production with products such as the more flexible plastic films and reusable plastic containers. The last issue faced by Edmunds is losing industries mainly in U.S. due to the consolidation that was done by the paper industry. Some industries that survived opening other branches oversea as joint ventures. This issue had bought Edmunds to the crossroads of what he should do to bring the company revenues back to where they used to be. 2. Create and describe a strategy for addressing the situation at hand. From the issues the company had faced; the competition was changing, external rules and regulations were changing, and suppliers were changing as well. The strategy that worked well in the past is no longer producing the results company would like. Therefore; the company demanded a strategy would make sure it will recover; by way of strategic management, it is efficient to ensure that the company is capable of returning back to the way of its business. The strategic management is the comprehensive collection of ongoing activities and processes that organizations use to systematically coordinate and align resources and actions with mission, vision and strategy throughout an organization (â€Å"Management Study Guide,† 2008). The requirements for an ongoing process in strategic management are environmental scanning, strategy formulation, strategy implementation and strategy evaluation. The first process of environmental scanning or situation analysis; refers to the process of amassing, studying and providing information for strategic proposes. It would help the company analyze the internal and external factors that impact an organization. The company can define strength and weakness; with these two, they can find future risk and opportunities as well (BE Business Education, 2011). This will show Edmunds the opportunities and threat; for example, the ones that had made most other companies go overseas. The second strategy formulation is the process of designing and selecting the most suitable course of action for the achievement of organization goals and objectives and thereby achieving the organization vision (Bushman, M., 2007). This strategy should ensure the company regains it competitive edge. The third strategy implementation implies making the strategy work as intended or putting the organization’s chosen strategy into action including developing steps, methods and procedures to execute the strategy (Bhasin, H., 2010). The company management should ensure that the implementation of the strategy is cost effective, not disruptive and acceptable by all stakeholders. The final process of strategic management is strategy evaluation. These activities are evaluating internal and external factors that are the root of current strategies, measuring performance, and corrective actions. These processes will give Edmunds some great opportunities; for an example, making quality goods can be used to ensure that they increase their market share and customers will be loyal to their service. 3. Assess which element in the strategy you just described would be the hardest to implement and explain why. The part that would be the most difficult state in strategic management is the strategy implementation. This is because it involves change. It will require the management to fit the resources, the competencies and the opportunities that the company has in the market. The support of employees and managers are needed in order to successfully implement a strategy. When people do not proactively make the changes that are needed to adapt to the strategy, this will be one of the large difficulties. Moreover, if there is no follow-up to the strategy implementation, this will be one of the largest difficulties. The strategy implementation is hard and risky if it does not well carry on. All the resources that have been put in place can be wasted if any hitch happens in the process. It may lead to complete closure of the company as well if they will waste their time. 4. Describe what strategies Edmunds could use in the future to reduce potential crises before they happen. There are different methods that Edmunds could use in the future to ensure that the company does not entangle in the potential crises. The first strategy that the company would use is development of research department that will be looking at innovation for the company to guarantee that it is at a competitive edge at all the time. The second strategy is the training to the employees. This will ensure that the employees have the upcoming technology skills and the productively level will increase as well. The last strategy is the employee recruitment. The company has to make sure the employees are ready and competitive; which means the employees are capable of rising upon all challenges. These will be good methods for the company to ensure that they will not complicate any of the crises that it is in today. References Daft, R.S. (2010). Management. 9th Ed. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Management Study Guide. (2012). Step in Strategy Formulation Process. Retrieve Feb. 8, 2013, from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/strategy-formulation-process.htm BE Business Education. (2011, September 6). Importance of Environment Scanning. Retrieved Feb. 8, 2013 from http://business.svtuition.org/2011/09/importance-of-environment-scanning.html Bushman, M. (2007, April 7). The Major Elements of the Strategic Management Process. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2013 from