Research Korner: Business Ethical Practices

Broad review and analysis of the field of leadership with application to business and other organizations

Power is the potential ability to influence behavior, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance and to get people to do things they would not other wise do. It is the ability or official capacity to exercise control or authority over a person, group, or nation. (1997) Power exists on all levels of life from the household to the government of a country. In some way we all have someone who can influence our behavior or our decisions. Power is vested in us by the dependence of others by how much they need what we control and by how few alternatives there are. Leading people effectively is a tremendous challenge, a rest opportunity, and a serious responsibility. For our organizations to be effective and for our society to function successfully, we must be able to select the right leaders and help them succeed. Because the processes of leading others to achieve organizational goals are applicable in any institutional setting, this book presents a broad review and analysis of the field of leadership with application to business and other organizations. (Nahavandi 2003)   1. The sources of power that the CEO must have at her disposal The power to reward- A reward is not purely financial. While the absence of money is indeed a problem its presence is not necessarily a motivator. Nonetheless, reward of both financial and non-financial benefits is one of the keys to power and leadership. The Power to Punish- Punishment or providing penalties, is one of the most tangible and feared positions of leadership power. However, this power base is best used with a soft glove if the end objective is to help people to become more productive and to respect their leadership. The power to punish is best used lightly, tangentially, and infrequently. The power of position- Hierarchical position has traditionally been the most important source of power and is increasingly becoming the least important, although it is still not to be ignored. It comes with title or position such as a police officer, teacher or CEO. Authority is given to an individual by an organization to influence the department or persons that the direct authority must govern. People have been socialized to accept the power system of boss and subordinate. The power that is inherent in any position is power vested by the majority. The power of expertise- A person has expert power when he or she has special information or expertise that the organization values. This type of power can come from extensive background and education or an area where an individual displays extremely proficient skills. Expert power can be very beneficial to a manager. Of all the bases of power, expertise is most consistently associated with subordinate effectiveness. Referent Power- Exists when the power holder is well liked by others. In this sense, charismatic leaders will have referent power. This type power is interesting in the way that the followers are easily influenced due to the genuine respect they hold for their leader. The leader who is popular and well liked is more apt to gain favorable response without the use of power or coercion. Networking in the workplace can be extremely beneficial for this type of individual, since he or she can form a basis for calling in favors in time of need. 2. Such powers above can be use to avoid certain operational, administrative and ethical problems if it is followed thoroughly without any negative connotations and biases. There should be an ample time in achieving these powers and it should be exercise effectively. A needed assessment as well as appraisals of such matter is vividly important in order to see changes in such context only if needed. These sources of power must be considered at all times to attain peace and unity in a certain workplace. It should be open to clarifications in case employees will ask some delicate matters involving such effectiveness of the sources being specified.   Three specific business problems that can be addressed through the use of “influence tactics”       Financial Turn Around It is essential that any company experiencing any financial stress acts quickly to stop such financial bleeding and plans to improve such internal efficiency and such ability to generate revenue. The influence tactic behind this problem is the overlapping of such expenses within the limited context and variations of such. The source of power of this kind would be the power of position because such financial problems could be in question directed to those authorities in higher position or level.       Unhealthy Competition Competition in industries that deal with scarce resources can stimulate unethical behavior. In highly competitive industries, there is a temptation to engage in price fixing. Also, in industries with no competition there could be temptation to engage in unethical behavior. Such influence tactic of this could be the rapid event of favoritism between the employees involved. The source of power could be the power to reward as well as the power to punish misleading actions and undesirable behavior.       Work Conflicts and Miscommunication This could be a major problem in business organizations because the occurrence of such truth could greatly affect the effectiveness of a particular worker in terms of his performance and level of accuracy during working hours. Spreading of rumors and gossips could be a valid tactic that accounts this type of problems at hand. The source of power could be the referent power. Moreover, such tactics will definitely address the problem of the above data because it is a part of the real scenario in every business structure and has been a visible pattern within. Contrasting these specific ethical dilemmas in business, there are also common themes that run through the ethical issues which managers face. An interview survey conducted on a diverse group of managers discovered seven themes that define their moral standards for decision making. They are:       Honest communication       Fair treatment        Special consideration       Fair competition       Responsibility to organization       Corporate social responsibility       Respect for law   References: Nahavandi A (2003) “The Art Science and Leadership”, Upper Saddle River New Jersey Prentice Hall Green N (1997) “Creating an Ethical Workplace" Employment Relations Today vol. 24 pp. 33-44. Krohe James Jr. (May 1997) "The Big Business of Business Ethics" Across the Board v. 34 p. 23. Weiss, A “New Leadership for the New Millennium”.

Broad review and analysis of the field of leadership with application to business and other organizations

Power is the potential ability to influence behavior, to change the course of events, to overcome resistance and to get people to do thin...

The Role of Motivation to the Performance of Employees in Food Retail Sector of UK: Chapters 1 & 2

The Role of Motivation to the Performance of Employees in Food Retail Sector of UK   1.0 Topic for Research The topic chosen for this research is based on the operation of human resource management department, focusing on role of motivation and how it impacts the performance of the people working within the food retailing sector in the UK. The working title of this study is initially drafted as – The Role of Motivation to the Performance of Employees in Food Retail Sector of UK. This study is organisation-based and inputs will be collected from the staff of different food retailing organisations in the UK. 2.0 Rationale for the Chosen Topic Common to all organizations is the fact that they are relying on their people for the continued survival and existence of their organization. People, or the employees, are the key in sustaining the organization and this importance in their role gives responsibility to the organization to motivate them so as they can function more effectively. Motivation gives impetus to behaviour by means of arousing, sustaining and directing such towards a thriving attainment of goals. Therefore, motivation is directly related with satisfaction and retention. While many organizations believe that motivation will positively affect the satisfaction of the employees, the changing nature of organizations, its dynamics and structure could affect the delivery of motivation.  Several previous studies have already proven the interplay between motivation and organizational performance and most organizations confirm the results. However, there are several emergent influencers of motivation today that affect the employees’ performance. Organizations from different industries have different organizational structures and functions, and the food retailing organizations are not an exemption. It would be then desirable to dig deeper into which among the several factors influence performance of food retailing employees in the UK context. Large supermarkets and convenience stores dominate the UK food retail market. Supermarkets account for three-fourth of the sales and the rest is divided to convenience stores and other traditional retailers such as the discount stores. The primary basis of competition among the UK supermarket chains, further, is the price. Prices, however, had resulted in the low profit margins for the industry, affecting its growth in return. Such dwindling profits forced the supermarkets to look for new avenues to promote and sell their food products to remain competitive in the market. Product and process innovations are the areas where the UK retailers have focused their attention to (Defra, 2006). Performance at individual level is being jeopardized and subjected to various organizational changes. Specifically, as food retailing organizations became larger, more complex and more problematic, concerns about organizational performance and competencies development and how these could likely to impact culture and direction of the organization have been in the forefronts of business dialogues. There had been much talk about the role of motivation and their development but very little has been done on developing motivation-based performance and much little progress on investigating organizational performance and its relative effect on employees working in the food retailing organizations. The issue is decided to be investigated upon because of the many issues surrounding the correlation between motivation and job performance is an inconclusive ideology and that there are no established direct causality. Within the workplace, motivation will serve as the driving force in building and establishing relationships, persistence in accomplishing individual objectives, accomplishing difficult tasks and meeting deadlines at the very least. There is a drive then to ascertain the various effects of motivation on the ability of an individual to perform well on the job. Job performance is not predicted by cognitive ability alone but creativity, leadership ability, integrity and cooperation as well. Dalal and Hulin (2008) defines motivation as the combined effect from three choice behaviors – choice to expend effort, choice of level of effort to expend, and choice to persist in the expenditure of that level of effort. As such, work experience, physical work conditions, lack of control over work content and processes, unrealistic demands and lack of understanding by the management are the underlying conditions. These resulted in alteration of working conditions and processes and strong control from the management, all of which contributes to the performance of the employees. There is the necessity then to explore motivation and how it impacts job performance. Job performance is one of the most misunderstood concepts in management. Motivation, according to Campbell (1990), is a precursor of effective job performance. This study seeks to investigate the beneficial and detrimental effects of motivation on employee’s performance. The premise is that depending on the levels of motivation of the people it will cause outcomes and will yield to either productive or counterproductive practices especially in the workplace. 3.0 Statement of the Problem A study on the relationship between employee motivation and employee performance within the UK food retail sector, this study intends to give answer to the following questions: 	<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 	How do the employees perceive the overall motivation program of the food 	retailing companies in the UK? Are the activities within the motivation 	program adequate? If not, in what specific areas do the program is lacking?</li> 	<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 	How do the employees perceive their overall job performance? Are they 	satisfied enough to stay within the food retail industry for good? If not, 	what specific factors contribute to the levels of performance of the 	employees?</li> 	<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 	How do the employees perceive the overall motivation strategies of the UK 	food retailing sector? What are the contributing factors for an employee to 	be demotivated leading to low performances? How can the sector address such 	factors?</li> 4.0 Objectives of the Study In lieu with answering the above research questions, the study will address the following specific objectives: 	<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 	To identify reasons for the employee motivation strategies employed by food 	retailing organisations;</li> 	<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 	To identify factors that affects the levels of motivation of the employees 	working in the UK food retailing sector;</li> 	<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 	To examine the relationship between employee motivation and individual 	performance; and</li> 	<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%"> 	 	To establish guidelines and solutions to make employee motivation more 	strategic for food retailing organisations.</li> 5.0 Significance of the Study This study is undertaken to advance the awareness in various human resource management issues within the UK food retailing sector which will provide greater efficiency to the organizations. Understanding the issues and how these affect the conduct of the company can further the human resource management processes proactive and advantageous. Among the human resources issues to be addressed in this study are employee motivation, job satisfaction, staff retention and staff turnover. The study is also important as it can relate the factors affecting the likelihood of success through effective employer-employee relationship that is buffered by the human resource department.  On a more personal note, I am expecting a role in the business environment in the future hence it is my role to contribute to literatures concerning understanding strategic human resource management or how relationships within the food retailing sector can be made more strategic. 6.0 Scope and Limitations of the Study The study is limited on the elements of human resource management unique to the UK food retailing organizations. The utilization of a company as the basis of the case study is another limitation because of the fact that it cannot make generalizations. To compensate, a recommendation for future study will be provided so as to promote the continuous investigation on the issue. In this way, a continuum of learning through investigation on this issue could be promoted. Survey is the primary means in the study in collecting data. The study is also limited only the pieces of information that the respondents are willing to disclose. It is limited to the respondents’ capability to answer such questions. There may be commercial information also that may not be disclosed because of its commercial confidentiality. 7.0 Conceptual Framework The most basic theory of motivation is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as shown in Fig. 1. Such theory explains the motivating factor as the desire to achieve or maintain a condition where satisfaction rests. The five needs Maslow relates are the physiological, safety, love and belongingness, esteem and self-actualization needs. Physiological needs sustain our physical life. Security needs refer to people’s physiological needs of safety, shelter and economic security. Love and belongingness needs conform to affiliations and affinities. This third need is a direct requirement for the fourth one which is esteem needs or a healthy personal life. Self-actualization needs are growth needs that are forward-looking and forward-driven (Maslow, 1943, pp. 394-395).   Figure  SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1 Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs The second theory that the study will going to make use of is the Porter and Lawler model. This model depends upon the expectancy theory where the basis is the perceived degree of relationship between how much effort an individual expends and the performance that results from that effort (Muchinsky, 2008, p. 380). The Porter and Lawler motivation model emphasizes that actual performance in a job is primarily determined by the effort spent. However, motivation is also affected by the individual’s ability to perform the job and by the individual’s perception of what the required task is. Such performance could lead to intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, in conjunction with the equity of individual, resulting to satisfaction. Thereby, the satisfaction of an individual in performing a task depends upon the justice of rewards (Shah and Shah, 2008). As McKenna (2000) puts it, the message conveyed by the model is that should not only to enrichment through challenge, variety and autonomy but also empowerment achieved through extrinsic rewards (p. 108).   8.0 Organisation of the Study The thesis shall be divided into five chapters in order to provide clarity and coherence on the discussion of the role of motivation in performance of employees working in food retailing organizations in the UK. The first part of the dissertation will be discussing the background, problem statement, questions and objectives and the significance and limitations. The second chapter shall be discussing the relevance of the study in the existing literature. It shall provide studies on information sharing processes, supply chain and buyer-supplier relationship. After the presentation of the existing related literature, the researcher shall provide a synthesis of the whole chapter in relation to the study. The third part of the study shall be discussing the methods and procedures used in the study. The chapter shall comprise of the presentation of the utilized techniques for data collection and research methodology. Similarly, it shall also contain a discussion on the used techniques in data analysis as well as the tools used to acquire the said data. The fourth chapter shall be discussion of the results of the study. Data to be presented will be statistically treated in order to uncover the relationship of the variable involved in the study. With the said data, the chapter seeks to address the statement of the problem noted in the first chapter. The last chapter shall comprise of two sections: the conclusions of the study, and the recommendations. With the three portions, the chapter shall be able to address the problem stated in the initial chapters of the study.                     2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Motivation theory Motivation gives impetus to behaviour by means of arousing, sustaining and directing such towards a thriving attainment of goals. Movers which literally means to move is the foundation of motivation which then takes the meaning as an internal drive that activates one’s behaviour and gives it direction. Psychologically, motivation refers to the biological, emotional, cognitive or social forces that activate and direct behaviour. Managerially, motivation involves activities of managers and leaders to persuade individuals to produce the desired results. To put it in context, motivation has a direct interrelation with ability and performance, purporting to minimize dissatisfaction among the employees. Individual empowerment is the key which is perceived as a precursor to higher productivity and higher quality.  This is central to understanding the employee needs and expectations. When this comes to these aspects, there are content and process theories to motivation. Basic difference is that the former focuses on internal factors which direct behaviour while the latter provides an opportunity to understand though processes that influence behaviour. Levels of interest and satisfaction of works; the significance and meaning or work; and expectations and communal needs all relates to theories of motivation. Thereby, business entities must adapt only the necessary motivational elements that present and future situations require, that can be align with cultural variability, the needs of the people, the corporate culture and values and that resonate with the differences of attitudes and behaviours toward work, for instance. Although motivation theory is tended on attaining goals, it is more emphasized on issues of economic realities of reward such as increase in salaries, promotions and benefits. To wit, what motivates people to act (or perform) could be measured by the idea that effort could result in performance which then could be rewarded and with the value of reward depending on the exerted effort. Put simply, when an employee wants more pay, s/he tends to believe that working harder could probably result in getting more pay. As such, they will work harder and perform better for these employees to attain and get more pay according to that level of performance (Muchinsky, 2008, p. 380). Fudge and Schlacter (1994) made mention that emphasizing individual perceptions of the environment mean performing based on personal expectations. The strong points of motivation theories lie on the conception that there are extrinsic motivators that explain behaviours exhibited within the workplace whereby external rewards are envisioned as motivation inducers that fuel behaviours that are derived as a consequence of internal forces as enjoyment of work for instance. As such, the result of these three beliefs is motivation embedded on individual factors such as personality, skills, knowledge, experience and abilities. Initially, motivating the people is intended for career advancements. Motivation theories intend to teach organizations and its members how to set goals from team and organizational levels. Individuals thereby devise goals by using organizational objectives, statement of values and vision and mission statements. These theories are thus strategic when it comes to implementing goals in the workplace. Strategic goal setting skills of individuals could lead to development and implementation of action plans while also identifying the factors that could influence strategic goals and putting the organization and individual goals into action (Harvey and Brown, 2007). There is the need to identify goals mentally to be followed by comparing performance against these goals. The pressure, however, is on creating a working environment where individuals are contributing. 2.2 Employee motivation The term motivation has both psychological and managerial connotation. The psychological meaning of behaviour refers to the internal mental state of a person that relates to the initiation, direction, persistence, intensity and termination of behaviour. The managerial meaning of motivation deals with the activity of managers and leaders to induce others in order to produce results desired or outlined by the organization or by the manager. The managerial concept of motivation conforms to a relationship between motivation, ability and performance. The main purpose of motivating your workplace is to minimize dissatisfaction and to keep people within the organization. There are so many factors that an individual employee may be motivated. Examples of this are technical supervision, interpersonal relations, salary, working conditions, status, company policy and job security (Tosi et al, 2000, pp. 129-133). Further, reward systems, most especially, are the considered as forerunners of employee motivation (Caruth and Handlogten, 2001, p1). Since the people and their knowledge, skills and abilities are the most important driving force to the success of any organization, continuing commitment and support to them could be realized through looking for effective ways to reward their contributions, loyalty, dedication and efforts. Reward systems, for instance, must be created in such a way that employees will be compensated to enhance motivation, growth and productivity while also encouraging them to align their efforts with the company's objectives, philosophies, culture and values. Reward and punishment is composed of direct and indirect monetary incentives. The latter consists of pay and rewards received by employees in the form of wages and salaries, incentives, bonuses and commissions whereas the former comprises of the benefits supplied by the employers. According to Sims (2002), these non-financial compensations include employee recognition programs, rewarding jobs and flexible work hours to accommodate personal needs. An ideology is that commitment and motivation are an outgrowth from organizational behaviour that place emphasis on management strategy connecting human resource management with organizational behaviour and management strategy (Guest, 1987). An incremental function of human resource management is central on the emergence of better educated workforces and higher individual expectations. Employees would be motivated to perform even more through more incentive. Eventually, employee turnover rates would be lessened and positive reinforcement would lead to higher job satisfaction. The drive is to provide challenging and interesting work, recognitions and rewards for accomplishments and provide an opportunity for fast career growth and advancement. At the individual attitudes/behavior level of the best fit model, and in schemes of total human development, an effective management is characterized by the promotion of attitudes that value contribution and performance. Further, reward systems, most especially, are the considered as forerunners of employee motivation (Caruth and Handlogten, 2001, p1). An ideology is that commitment and motivation are an outgrowth from organizational behaviour that place emphasis on management strategy connecting HRM with organizational behaviour and management strategy (as cited in Caruth and Handlogten, 2001). An incremental function of HRM is central on the emergence of better educated workforces and higher individual expectations. Employees would be motivated to perform even more through more incentive. Eventually, employee turnover rates would be lessened and positive reinforcement would lead to higher job satisfaction. The drive is to provide challenging and interesting work, recognitions and rewards for accomplishments and provide an opportunity for fast career growth and advancement. At the individual attitudes/behavior level of the best fit model, and in schemes of total human development, an effective management is characterized by the promotion of attitudes that value contribution and performance. 2.3 Motivation and other HR functions As already noted, reward systems are considered as the frontrunners of employee motivation, as according to Caruth and Handlogten (2001, p1). It is in this sense that organizations should reorganize the existing pay elements to reflect the pay requirements in the global and local scales. As well, it should also reflect Healthcare’s continuing commitment and support to the employees by looking at effective ways to reward contributions, loyalty, dedication and efforts. Reward systems have psychological dimensions of work leading to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is the degree of one’s job is valued through reward systems. As Caruth and Handlogten puts it, compensation as reward encompasses all of tangible and intangible, monetary and non-monetary and physical and psychological rewards that an organization provides its employees in exchange for the work perform (2002, p. 6).  With this said, it would be necessary to determine how reward systems could move along with the changes in the workplace particularly in terms of global to local contexts. In terms of locally adapting variable pay, the explanation is simple. Supervisor biases, inaccurate or unfair performance measures, difficulty in assessment, inertia, and the like, undermine the intent of rewarding individual performance, particularly when combined with traditional compensation practices that prevent above-average performers from being paid appreciably more than average or poor counterparts (Caruth and Handlogten, 2002). Measuring the performance therefore requires the decision to consider rates of return. Pay-performance sensitivities emerge in relation to time hence it appears that the organization’s cost relative to the employees both in headquarters and in subsidiaries is determined not by the performance alone but also the time that employee will spend on the organization. With this, compensation represents the employee’s share of value creation. Notably, if an organization’s reward system revolves around group or division or unit performance; similar financial rewards for each unit, group or division can create individual perceptions of inequity as individual contributions are likely to be dissimilar.  Such inequities are thought to be resolved by these groups, units and divisions by developing their own intangible rewards such as recognition (Morris, 2004). This is the main reason why the pay components of individual and my unit and broader context are exchanged. Reward system supports job satisfaction when there is reciprocity between behaviors and rewards.  According to Caruth and Handlogten (2001), the compensation system should focus on providing individual rewards that recognize and reinforce individual performance. Outstanding individuals are often eligible to receive performance bonuses or recognition awards. The emphasis on individual rewards often fosters a spirit of competition. When it comes to fringe benefit which is placed on both sides, the truth is that maximizing personal compensation is not the only motivation that people have in their work. As we move up Maslow's hierarchy of needs, we discover that once our basic material needs are satisfied, money becomes less important to us. In my experience, deeper purpose, personal growth, self-actualization, and caring relationships provide very powerful motivations and are more important than financial compensation for creating both loyalty and a high performing organization. Employees are basically motivated by extrinsic rewards which also guides them to illicit the expected attitudes and behaviours among them. In modifying the current global performance management system, employees would be motivated to perform better through justifiable incentives. Eventually, employee turnover rates would be lessened and positive reinforcement would lead to higher job satisfaction (Rummler and Brache, 1990). There is the drive to provide challenging and interesting work, recognitions and rewards for accomplishments and provide an opportunity for fast career growth and advancement. An effective pay management considered at the global context should be characterized by the promotion of attitudes that value contribution and performance (Morris, 2004). Pay for performance has emerged as a strategy for responding to demands for increased productivity and management accountability. Long-term and short-term incentives then are critical. The explicit nature of reward or pay system is realized on cash compensation and performance. While year to year performance of the employee is measured and analyzed to determine the pay, the contract of the employees conforms to time trends. This means that the organization also invests in the employees in both short and long-term. 2.4 Motivation and performance Individual empowerment refers to providing them decision powers and sense of ownership as this was perceived to bring higher productivity and higher quality. The key element is to align individual purpose and vision to the organization’s culture that could lead to interest, concern, commitment and responsibility. As Michael Armstrong put it, paying for performance and competence provide the employers and the business a competitive edge (2002, p. 28). The challenge herein peruses on employee’s motivation and ability. How can a company reach a competitive advantage when workers are continuously coming in and out of the company? Are the skills and competence of the newly hire workers can compensate the demands of the job? Thus, companies are usually tended to hire only those whom they can immediately align their potentials with the company’s expectations at a fixed rate despite the high performance of the workers. Maintaining commitment to a core strategy means to enable the people within that organization. Enabling also means to hone a participative and responsive culture. In this way, the enthusiasm of the people regarding organizational changes will be sustained, for instance. The height of the momentum will enable them to fully commit in terms of performance and productivity (Fitz-Enz, 2005). Further, sustaining commitment is always directed to the future. To wit, competitive advantage could be only achieved one the organization learned to develop strategic capabilities that are appreciated by all its stakeholders. The key is to convert core human competencies into human strategic commitment. The drivers of human development are knowledge and skills, relationship management and conceptual thinking. Rummler and Brache (1990) assert that there are three levels of performance within an organization such as organization, process and individual. In the organization level, strategies, goals and measures are considered as both the drivers and bases of performance. Nevertheless, the main work of the organization occurs in the second level which is multifunctional. Individuals who often find themselves as part of more than a single process perform in relation to others. These levels and their interplay serve as the vantage points of any organization (Rothwell et al, 2007). Performance accrues competitive advantage or the position that any firm occupies against its competitors. Porter (1985) argued that the basis of above-average performance within any given industry is sustainable competitive advantage. As such, an organization can only achieve sustainable competitive advantage when its value-creating processes and position have not been able to be duplicated or imitated by other firms. Rothwell et al (2007, p. 49) stated that competitive advantage at individual levels centers the collective performance resulting to organizational process that contributes to the attainment of organizational goals. When it comes to managing individual performance, performance management purports on establishing a culture, sharing expectations, creating interrelationships and a joint-holistic-continuous process which also involves planning and measurement (Sims, 2002). As such, organizations seek informations to improve systems and on which to base rewards through assessing the performance. Simply performance appraisal, employee’s contribution to the organization during a specified period of time is evaluated so that specific corresponding reward could be determined. References Armstrong, A. (2002). Employee Reward. CIPD Publishing. Brown, D. R. & Harvey, D. (2005). An Experiential Approach to Organization Development. (7th Ed.). Prentice Hall. Caruth, D. L. & Handlogten, G. D. (2001). Managing Compensation (And Understanding It Too): A Handbook for the Perplexed. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Caruth, D. L. & Handlogten, G. D. (2002). Compensating Sales Personnel. The American Salesman, 6-15. Dalal, R. S. & Hulin, C. L. (2008). Motivation for what? A multivariate dynamic perspective of the criterion. In R. Kanfer, G. Chen, & R. D. Pritchard (Eds.), Work motivation: Past, present, and future (pp. 63-100). New York: Routledge. Defra, C. (2006). Economic Note on UK Grocery Retailing. Food and Drink Economics Branch. Fitz-Enz, J. (2005). The 8 Practices of Exceptional Companies: How Great Organizations Make the Most of Their Human Assets. American Management Association. AMACOM Division.   Fudge, R.S. and J.L. Schlacter (1999). Motivating Employees to Act Ethically: An Expectancy Theory Approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 18(3), 295-304. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(1), 394-395. McKenna, E. F. (2000). Business Psychology and Organizational Behaviour: A Student’s Handbook. Psychology Press. Morris, D. (2004). Strategic Reward Systems: Understanding the Difference between ‘Best Fit’ and ‘Best Practice. National University of Ireland Publication. Muchinsky, P. M. (2008). Psychology Applied to Work: An Introduction to Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Hypergraphic Press, Inc. Rummler, G. A. and Brache, A. P. (1990). Improving Performance: How to Manage the White Space on the Organization Chart. San Francisco: Brache; Jossey-Bass Publishers. Shah, K. and Shah, P. J. (2008). Theories of Motivation.  Sims, R. (2002). Organizational Success through Effective Human Resources Management. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. Tosi, H. L., Mero, N. P. & Rizzo, J. R. (2000). Managing Organizational Behaviour. Blackwell Publishing.

The Role of Motivation to the Performance of Employees in Food Retail Sector of UK: Chapters 1 & 2

The Role of Motivation to the Performance of Employees in Food Retail Sector of UK 1.0 Topic for Research The topic chosen fo...

Kimberly Clark Ethics In Business And Society

KIMBERLY CLARK ETHICS IN BUSINESS AND SOCIETY       Nowadays the morality and values of most organization and companies is questioned in their performance that most of the time their purpose is simply for profit and not to serve. There are many companies who exercise deliberate violation in their employees there are cases of overworked and underpaid employees especially the little domestic helper who have been abused in their household job, most mining companies do not adhere to the principles of protecting the environment that they dig into the deepest and destroy the earth and ecology just to get the resources, other industries put their dump on the land that should have been used for agriculture they also liter on the rivers that kills marine life and aquatic resources while most industries continue to produce smoke that deliberately destroys the earth’s atmosphere.       There are many companies who produce fake products most especially software’s, DVD movies, MP3 and other multi- media because it is easy to duplicate. No matter how many laws and limitations about business ethics there is just no stopping this organization in destroying the earth and its society. The ethical principles have been left behind in exchange of industrialization and personal gain while companies continue to operate in this way. These are ethical dilemmas that have been the abuse of power by most organization, sometimes greed overthrown righteousness is mostly exercised when faced with such circumstance. If a company is caught by the government and authorities they can exercise money laundering and corruption to be released from their obligations and responsibilities such conditions is a very inhuman practices.       There are many companies when left with choices between righteousness chooses to cover up for personal gain and this resolve their situations but there are companies who choose to fulfill their obligation for equal benefits to resolve conflicts and this should be the best practice for most companies. Kimberly Clark has been awarded this 2011 for the “Great Dallas Business Ethics Award” for their exemplary ethical business practices their company has reinforced most of their employees to practice good moral conduct by giving them the best privilege in their performance and opportunity to grow. For almost 140 years since 1872 they have provided the best package for their employees when they have the options to delimit them. Most of all they have deliver superior products through recyclable materials in cotton, tissues, napkins and other products although they have been faced with option the earth resources and cutting of trees destroying the forest and digging the land instead they dwell into the decision to be responsible in preserving the trees so they resort in using recyclable materials that makes them the best company in natural resources preservation.       Through these practices sustainability of resources is achieved and nature is preserved according to their Board of Directors sustainability and business ethics should be practiced by all of us. Kimberly has also faced ethical dilemmas when they established their business for expansion in other countries there are many temptations along the way because each countries represent different arguments and legal issues while some supplier and distributor may offer under the table business practices, graft and corruption and other immoral transaction that needs illegal settlement for easy delivery and protection.       Kimberly Clarke believed that they have surpassed this moral standard obligation by living up to their code of conduct. Their code of conduct has been translated into 27 languages so each and every country will understand how the company values transparency and moral ethics, those where the ethical moments of the company that they have lived up their values until today 2011 when faced with ethical dilemmas of the past. They see to it they their day to day business practices reflected their moral standard that they have protected their international image as one of the most important asset in their organizations.       Kimberly Clark is one of the true prides in America to survive most of ethical dilemmas that comes in their way they are committed to their core value of honesty, integrity, innovation and accountability. In 2011 they also receive the award as number 9 for World’s Best Multinational Workplace awarded by the Great Place to Work Institute. Consistent in gathering the award of 100 Greenest Company in U.S. by News Week Magazine, Membership in United Global Compact (UGC) to employ high ethical standard and sustainability. Consistent for the last three years as part of 100 Best Corporate Citizen, Open Opportunities Program for employee’s growth, protecting their employees on a global basis, they have also contributed 78,000 volunteer hours in 2010 and donated almost $25 million dollar in cash. These are some of their common practices and Social Responsibilities that holds out ethics in business and society. References: http://investor.kimberly-clark.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=623744       http://www.kimberlyclark.com/   http://www.kimberly-clark.com/sustainability/products/governance/sustbusinesspractices.aspx   http://atheism.about.com/od/ethicalsystems/a/Deontological.htm

Kimberly Clark Ethics In Business And Society

KIMBERLY CLARK ETHICS IN BUSINESS AND SOCIETY Nowadays the morality and values of most organization and companies is questioned in...

Code of Ethics - Strategic Management

Code of Ethics: a sample case for implementation, purpose and benefits, and steps in strategic formulation and implementation   Ethics in business is primarily an applied ethics. Ethics influences the value system of every organisation and employee by serving as a moral guide or “base” (Sweet 2001). Furthermore, business ethics is a potential vehicle for employee pride and motivation as well as a focus for customer satisfaction (Hall 1991). Ethics is a part of the manager’s responsibility as the ethical environment reflects managerial value system including personal and organisational perceptions and preferences of morality and known to be fundamental on a person’s attitude towards ends and means (McCarty and Bagby 1990, p. 21 cited in Fox 2000, p. 70). Fox (2000) believes that ethics are values that traditionally sprouted from religious or organisational influences and may evolve from personal experiences. There is importance in combination of value systems that leads to generalised principles, which are used as guidelines in making and evaluating decisions and specific cases that require acceptable conduct among people. General theories of business ethics are considered generic and are not directed to specific applications (Walle 1995). In almost all organisational setting, Frederick and colleagues (1994) state that ethical guidelines are expressed in the forms of code of conduct, outlining the organisation’s foremost expectations to every contributing factors such as the employees and other stakeholders. Business ethics further support management strategies, accountability structures, organisational policies, incentive systems, training programs, and decision-making processes. It ensures their unity of work as the common denominator of strengthening the organisation’s essential ethical code of conduct. This paper narrates the case of an up-market eatery. It specifically deals with the stakeholders’ interest in accordance to effective management.   A detailed code of ethics for circulation to all employees Whereas, this organization recognizes and addresses stakeholders’ interests and needs are considered better than others. It is considered that the stakeholders are any group that is affected by, or can influence, conducts of this organisation. In order to serve the needs and interests of stakeholders or other groups, managers are expected to employ their managerial expertise toward highest standards of effective management and customer satisfaction. Organisational relationships are associated by stakeholders’ interests and managers’ ability to be guided in terms of strategies employed in maximising organisational performance. The influencing ability of stakeholders is high that most managers are required to give in to it. This influential power guides managers to decision making in relation to strategic issues affecting the whole business operations. Managers are often dependent on stakeholders’ interests and act on the applicability of generic strategies. Such interests reflect desires that are subjected to moral evaluation by the manager by looking on ethics on business management. To serve stakeholders’ interests, the following ethical behaviours should be observed: Þ    Stakeholders’ desires are crucial consideration in decision making of managers. Þ    While the organisation requires maximum satisfaction on the employees as well as the customers, the managers in response to the desires of the stakeholders must encourage responsible planning, management, and development. Þ    Strict compliance to individual policies on bribery, extortion, facilitation payments, environmental problems, and human rights are addressed in details. Þ    Sexual and racial discrimination, price discrimination, and destructive products are also firmly avoided. Þ    Integrity and competence are significant managerial factors particularly in performance of their identified duties. Þ    Participation is an important aspect of determining the acceptability of stakeholders’ desires and interests. Þ    Responding to ethical dilemmas is a manager’s or leader’s concern. Þ    Stakeholders’ interests are mainly covered by managerial responsibilities.   A circular to all employees explaining the purpose and benefits of good ethics in managing an enterprise   Re: Stakeholders’ Interest For: Senior Managers and Employees Date of Implementation: Immediately Business ethical practices and principles are important elements in building an ethical working environment with strong corporate guidelines. These guidelines govern the overall condition of the organisation in terms of allowing members of the workforce be familiar with the upper management authorities’ deliberation of ethical behaviours as significant ingredients of business operations. Generally, ethical codes are used as functional agents that govern the conduct of the members of a particular profession. It guides individuals in making decisions based on sound moral judgment. Codes further enhance working relationships and adjudicate disputes among members of the organisation. General principles of business ethics should guide behaviours in any field and type of business and its operations. Also, these codes are clearly articulated, wide-ranging, phrased in order to accentuate and provide commendation on doing the right thing other than listing a series of prohibitions. Perhaps, established code of conducts help in ensuring managers’ ability to respond on times when they are struggling on moral crises and confusion. They keep hold of a strong moral compass. In hospitality and tourism industries, holding on to the moral compass of managers is a challenge when they try to serve the desires of stakeholders. Ethics and quality is equivalent because the production of quality goods and services is a clear manifestation of ethical treatment of the consumer. In this case, serving the desires of the stakeholders is difficult. It exposes the manager to ethical concern on how to come up with balance on customer satisfaction and profitability. The duty of the managers must stick on the basic and personal beliefs of what are right and never entertaining unethical options. It is acknowledge that most employees prefer to work in a working environment governed and guided by high ethical standards. In addressing ethical dilemmas, managers should stick on managerial foundations and practices and full adherence to morality. Articulating stakeholders’ desires is a challenge yet can be fulfilled successfully through holding and believing into management principles and practices including organisational and individual commitment to morality. Ethical decision making poses danger on unethical or selfish motives of stakeholders as seen on their unjustifiable desires. Thus, managers should know how to classify ethical dilemmas and react to such in the best and most acceptable ways possible. According to Hudson and Miller (2005), ethical decision making is also expected to be affected by the type of ethical dilemma being faced by, and level of ethical education of the managers. Managers are to be educated and trained to compare outcomes to the various stakeholders for each promising decision and decide on the choice that has the best outcomes for greater number. More often than not, the moral ordeals that are faced by managers are difficult to describe as they are complex and complicated (Marnburg 2005). These ordeals might occur instantaneously and involve several factors of people, things, or circumstances. Interpreting and understanding managerial pursuits including complying or defying the desires of stakeholders is based on the manager’s own set of expectations toward behaviour that is or is not match with their individual standards and values. While managers are often subjected to ethical dilemmas where they need to lie, break certain law, cheat subordinates, and the likes, they feel that they need to occasionally participate in such behaviour as it is an implicit part of the working setting (Marnburg 2005). However, it is argued that such practices are simple yet open violations of moral standards. Reacting on stakeholders’ desires as example of workplace ethical case needs a concrete instrumentation based on virtues of justice, integrity, competence and utility. These virtues are expected in a manager’s complete personal disposition. For Fleckenstein and Huebsch (1999), the idea of impartiality, sound judgment, and correctness is exemplified in justifiable decisions that are made in response to some desires of stakeholders. Utility is a virtue that projects the principle of efficiency by providing the greatest amount of good to the greatest number. If managers are able to consider these virtues, identifying the merits of stakeholders’ desires is easier, thus, facilitating accountable and ethical decision making. Choosing what is good to the majority of stakeholders is prioritised if and only if the means used justify the end. Through participation, there are more opportunities of accumulating choices and solutions that a manager can choose in response to a moral dilemma. The consensus of other members of the management is needed in organisational ethical cases. It is expected that managers are able to communicate to other managers on issues affecting the workplace especially on cases where a certain department is governed by two or more managerial figures. The concept of who is to be blame or is anyone to be blamed is also considered. Relationships on individual’s performance and certain ethical dilemma are apparent, where “moral voice” is quite strong.  The behaviour being shown by the superiors in every moral situation in the organisation is often associated to outcomes. For example, a neglect of duty or lack of knowledge of operational and managerial matters is referent to coming up with poor judgments and decisions. No one is claiming or forcing managers to pursue in rationality, efficiency, and profit given the unconditional circumstance. However, it is the ethical codes that manipulate managers on how to act, what to do, or when to do things according to what is perceived to be standard and acceptable. Sometimes, managers become schizophrenic on their personal value systems (Pruzan 2004). But then again, it is always the ethical codes and the belief of what should be the most appreciate action based on morals are to be considered. This is also applicable on the instances of integrating managerial duties to stakeholders’ desires. Managers need to identify specific situations where temptations and potential dilemmas exist and the common reaction is for them to act according to clear corporate code of conduct for all the employees to understand, abide, and emulate. Wong (1998) affirms that an individual’s line of thinking about work ethics serves as his/her basic compass that will navigate him/her to act in accordance to what is right. The ethical beliefs of an employee affect their ways on coming up with rational judgment on any work-related concerns.    A brief report on the steps involved in strategic formulation and implementation Before the application of the detailed code of conduct, drafting copies of codes of ethical conduct and are to be distributed as guidelines to employees in overcoming ethical dilemmas; involving employees to scheduled seminar-workshop and training programs concentrated on enhancing ethical behaviours; or providing in-house advisors who can be directly consulted during urgent ethical cases; and so on (De Mesa Graziano 2002). There is always consultation among parties involved. Communication is very relevant. The duties of managers are always bounded on standard management principles and practices. Research and development efforts are encouraged so as to determine weak areas and loopholes of the said code of conduct. Responding to the its weaknesses will lead to more effective organisational governance provided that the desires of stakeholders are classified based on merits of desires on whether or not valid or invalid, etc. Feedback systems are also available. All parties concerned and affected are always open to communicate and air their issues pro or against the circulated code of conduct. Memorandums and formal letters are to be addressed to HR department with quick actions and resolutions. All in all, the code of conduct application will take effect after its official publication among all employees and other parties affected within the bounds of the organisation. It is then expected that such code of conduct are strictly implemented and reap positive results.   References De Mesa Graziano, C (2002) ‘Promoting Ethical Conduct: A Review of Corporate Practices’, Strategic Investor Relations, Fall, 29-35   Fleckenstein, MP and Huebsch, P (1999 March) ‘Ethics in tourism-reality or hallucination’, Journal of Business Ethics, 19: 1, 137-142   Fox, J (2000) ‘Approaching managerial ethical standards in Croatia's hotel industry’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12: 1, 70-74   Frederick, RE, Hoffman, WM, Kamm, JB, and Petry Jr., ES (eds) (1994) Emerging Global Business Ethics, Quorum Books, Westport, CT   Hall, SSJ (1992) Ethics in Hospitality Management: A Book of Readings, Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Motel Association, East Lansing, MI   Hudson, S and Miller, G (2005) ‘Ethical Orientation and Awareness of Tourism Students’, Journal of Business Ethics, 62: 4, 383–396   Marnburg, E (2006) ‘”I hope it won’t happen to me!” Hospitality and tourism students’ fear of difficult moral situations as managers’, Tourism Management, 27: 4, 561–575   Pruzan, P (2004) ‘The question of organisational consciousness: Can organisations have values, virtues and visions?’ Here and Now Online Magazine 4U [online] (cited 18 November 2008) Available from <http://www.herenow4u.de/eng/the_question_of_organizational.htm>   Sweet, W (ed.) (2001) The Bases of Ethics, Marquette University Press, Milwaukee   Walle, AH (1995) 'Business ethics and tourism: from micro to macro perspectives', Tourism Management, 16: 4, 263-268

Code of Ethics - Strategic Management

Code of Ethics: a sample case for implementation, purpose and benefits, and steps in strategic formulation and implementation Ethic...