Friday, March 6, 2020

Nikes Dispute With The University Of Oregon Example

Nikes Dispute With The University Of Oregon Example Nike's Dispute With The University Of Oregon – Article Example Nike’s dispute with the of Oregon At the center of Nike’s dispute with the of Oregon were ethical business practices with emphasis on organizational accountability on wage rates, working environment and social corporate responsibility. Nike had support for the Fair Labor Association (FLA) which had legal and ethical loopholes that could still help multinationals gain through exploitative labor conditions and wage rates outside the United States. On the other hand University of Oregon joined in the spirit of solidarity with other universities to champion for Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) which fought to ensure strict adherence to human work condition for all the multinationals that sought their market in Apparel and sports kit. It is evident that WRC sought to eliminate the stakeholders’ interest among firms in the Apparel industry and this was seen by Nike as betrayal by its perennial benefactor in philanthropic financial donations.According to Friedman’s and Freeman’s theories, shareholder wealth maximization is the primary goal of a firm. In this regard managers ensure that firms operate under the protections of limited liability. The essence in this case is seen in how such a goal allows companies to privatize their gains while externalizing losses. Some of the tactics used by the company to achieve the goal include limited expenditure on safety workplace environment and low wages which sums up to be the bone of contention between Nike and University of Oregon. Nike therefore withdrew its support to University of Oregon as it saw the opportunity of manipulating minimum wage and other local, international and industrial labor laws was not achievable in the presence of Worker Rights Consortium.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Ls week7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ls week7 - Essay Example This contains extensive involvement on the part of American professionals, who, as contributors far exceed those from elsewhere. This has been has been credited to the fact that it is closely associated with Cornell Business School, as well as other American business schools. Organisational theory is a major focus of Clegg’s argument. Considering the writing of Hinings and Greenwood (2002) questions are asked about such things as organisation theory. Such things as the effect and impact of large organisations upon wider society, and the role they should play are discussed, and how these place controls upon the organisations concerned. There is also discussion of the place power plays within organisations, as well as the importance played by schools of business, a topic I have myself discussed earlier. This brought me to an understanding of how research must aim to produce findings that are both capable of being utilized by companies and which can be comprehended by industry le aders. This provides links between the schools and the businesses they seek to serve. . As stated by Bennis and O’Toole (2005) business schools need to benefit from knowledge which is already available as well as new data. However within the work place environments this can become especially complex. to arrive at a better comprehension of ways in which knowledge can be used in order to increase the competitive edge, (Syvertsen, 2008) It was thus recommended by Bennis and O’Toole in 2005 that the schools of business need to place more emphasis on research. Also important, state the authors, is the use of undergraduate programmes, because in the search for new knowledge it is such programmes which produce questions and to overturn or discard knowledge already in place. The creation of fresh knowledge needs theories to be arrived at, requires theory building as well as the ability to form and analyse

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Why Oil Prices are dropping Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why Oil Prices are dropping - Case Study Example The case is even difficult for the countries, considering that for a country like Iran would need the price of oil to remain at $136, if it is to be able to support its growing economy (Al Mulla, n.p.). The major issue in this case is the reason why oil prices are dropping (Al Mulla, n.p.). This is a major issue, due to the fact that the dropping of the oil prices is sudden and also unexpected. The other major issue in this case is why the oil producing countries are not doing anything to correct the issue of dropping oil prices. Considering that the low process for oil is in fact harmful to the economies of these countries, it is expected that the oil producing countries should be doing something by now, to see the prices of oil increase to levels that can benefit their economies. The economic theory of demand and supply is applicable in this case. The theory states that when the supply is high, the prices of a commodity are low. However, when the supply is reduced, the demand for the commodity in the market increases, and with high demand in the market, the price increases. According to the economic theory of demand and supply, the oil producing countries are able o to see an increase in the prices of oil. This is because, the prices f oil are currently low, which then means that those countries can cut their supply of oil into the global markets to increase its demand, and consequently its price. However, as the case has turned out to be, the oil producing countries are not cutting down their oil supply into the market in order to increase demand and prices of oil. In this respect, it can therefore be observed that the conventional economic law of demand and supply is not operating in this case. The conclusion in this case is that the reason for the dropping oil prices is not the normal operation of demand and supply forces in the oil market. There are other unrelated factors that are accounting for this occurrence. The theory of

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Management Theories for Managing Organisational Change

Management Theories for Managing Organisational Change What forms of managerial power are most useful in managing organizational change processes? An organizational change is a transformational process taking place in an organization due to mergers, re-designing or changes to the organizational management structure. Change could be strategic or institutional. (Journal 2010 Cited in Jansson, 2013). The process mostly involves altering the constitution, strategies, functioning methods, technologies and organizational culture to efficiently maintain the transformation within the organization. The main factors of causing organizational change could be economical, political or financial. The organizational transformation process could be a constant practice or it may take place only within specific period of time. Therefore, it is always important to have the most effective managerial power to manage organizational change process as if not managed by appropriate management power it could lead to many consequences such as job losses, employees suffering from stress, running the business in loss or else closure of the business. This e ssay will be addressing the forms of managerial powers that are most useful to manage organizational change effectively. The concepts of change agency and transformational leadership were established with the increase of basic corporate transformations in 1980s. However, even though the concept of change agent originated from Kurt Lewin (1890-1947), Kotter and other theorists supported their work by the fundamentals of Kurt Lewin from the 80s onwards. As its described by Bernard Burnes 2009, change agent should be a sensible individual who identifies, direct and manage feedback during implementation of organizational change. Organizational change needs to be effectively planned and managed to obtain the necessary preferred outcomes. In order to manage organizational change there is a need of a highly skilled managerial leader who could effectively manage the implementation. Leadership has been given many classifications. Generally, it is a mixture of behaviours and judgments taken to guide a group of people towards agreed goals and objectives. Yuki,G 1989 describes leadership has individuals traits where a behaviour of a leader includes interaction patterns, work based relationship with co-workers which influence towards organizational goals. Trait theory assumes that leaders are born with inherited leadership characteristics, where behaviour theory describes leadership could be learned, situational theory argues that leaders depends on the actions taken in a particular situation and transformational theory states that an individual with appropriate vision and passion could be a leader to achieve desired goals(Carroll et al., 2008) . As there is not any specific leadership theory that could define exactly how leadership could be described all leadership situations a recovery process that employees could be redirected to the required goals in an organiza tional change process with effective leadership within the organization. (Carroll et al., 2008) Transformational leaders are known as fascinating heroes and change champions as they have characteristics which is ideal for directing and controlling but inspiring and empowering other employees to strengthen change. Heifetz (1995) argued that leadership and authority should be differentiated as a lone warrior cannot take responsibility for all actions if he/she is unsuited to answer them. Landells and Albrecht 2017 explain that power and politics plays an important role in an organizations change process with regardless the size of the business. It involves governing how decisions are made to the ways employees interact with one another. Organizational politics were identified as a significant feature of change (French and Raveen 1959). Employees choose positive or negative power to influence others in the workplace. Politics may directly influence the person who has the power and determines whether the overall culture of the workplace needs to be changed to increase the productivity. Building a positive managerial vision includes facilitating the employees with clear communication and higher levels of performances. Managers will have higher authority and will take an important role planning and budgeting in an organizational change process. According to the Jalilvand and Nasrolahi 2015, Managerial power relates to a relationship which is socially exchanging with positive outcomes such as strong affective commitment within employees of an organization to work towards objectives and goals. When an employee obtained managerial powers, they feel more emotionally involved and committed to the organizations and have the authority to manage other employees. Kanter (1979) cited in LANDELLS and ALBRECHT, 2017 states that power assembles and get things done and the production of managerial power will be positive but argues when there is no power the system does not work. Most employees who are with managerial powers are usually high earners but managerial power theory could be argued as higher rewards are not always appropriate, not all employees on managerial powers are high performers. John French and Bertram carried out one of the most prominent studies on power (French and Raven, in 1959). The five types of powers which were identified initially were legitimate power which describes an official right to make demands and to expect respect from other assistant employees, Reward power which refers to an individuals ability to compensate another for accomplishment, Expert power which is based on a persons expertise skills and knowledge on a particular task. Referent power is an effect of a persons superficial of charisma, worthiness, and right to obtain respect from others. Coercive power is a type of power to psychological punish if the requirements are not met. Legitimate power is described as the power which has been owned by the gratitude of the managerial position held by an individual in the organization. The individual who is identified and recognized as the leader has superior rights and more responsibilities than other employees. Consequently, the leader has the authority to control and demand those employees who are lower in the managerial hierarchy as dependent and followers. (French and Raven, 1959). In an organizations power structure every leader has a higher authority to answer except in a situation that the individual occupies the highest position in an organizational pyramid. A leader who has legitimate power could take more responsibilities from their seniors and pass the current responsibilities to the employees who are lower than that position. Legitimate power could be found at all the levels of an organizational managerial hierarchy, failure of ensuring the boundaries could lead to the unlawful use of power. (Mohammed an d Leila, 2015) Coercive power is referred as psychological or material punishment (French and Raven, 1959). According to Kotter, it is known as the individuals ability to get others to do what is required and not required. As well this avoids being forced by others to do what the individual does not want to do (1979). Such influence can be explicit as both forms are subconscious in management but could be identified in different forms and consider coercive power as a double-edged sword (Pettigrew, 1956). While it cannot be functioned and non-empowering (Emmanuel Ogbonna, 2003), it may be used to improve ones reputation for change in the organization (Buchannan Badham, 1999). This type of power does not recognize the thoughts and feelings of other individuals or all the values of the organization unless it wants to control them to meet its own agenda. (R, K Smollan 2009). Expert power is described as specialist knowledge and expertise (French and Raven, 1959). This power could be defined as an individuals ability to solve specific tasks such as technical, plumbing etc. The employees who are particularly skilled carrying out different specialize tasks with their own knowledge would become leaders without acquiring a formal position. This type leadership will be very important when managing change in an organization as change can be unpredictable. According to Lewicki and Litterer (1985), employees lean towards knowledgeable and skilled managers with respect in order to learn new skills and enhance their current knowledge. Although in order to use expert power being able to access the required information is a must as access to the information could be forbidden, so there is less opportunity to use this power (Singh, 2009). Reward Power could be defined as the ability to influence other individuals behaviours by agreeing to provide benefits. (Lunenburg, 2012). The individuals who have the authority to provide these benefits are seen as those who are in power. (Harold E. Fuqua, n.d.). The rewards/ benefits that could be offered can be tangible or intangible such as Pay rise, Bonuses, Promotions Positive Feedback, Recognition, more responsibilities (Lunenburg, 2012). Disadvantages of reward power could lead employees engaging in unethical work or illegal behaviour and sometimes managers do not have the ability to reward without required approval of senior management. (Tools, 2016) Reward power can also be compared to the Coercive power and can be used as a combination to maintain legitimate power (Mossholder, 1998). Referent power is known as charisma (1959) which is the ability of an individual to convey a sense of personal acceptance or approval by others (Business Insider). Vivian Giang (2013) also suggests that this is the most valuable form of power as to manage employees ability to get a sense of personal acceptance and respect when working together is useful. French and Raven (1959) argue that referent power is not the best choice for a leader to be used alone as misuse of referent power could cause many other problems such as employees getting neglected, stressed and over worked but due to the respect towards the manager, individuals/ teams of employees would not be open to inform about the workload rather they will stress themselves. As stated if referent power is being used with an expert power it could lead to success. However, later on, informational power is often quoted as another form of managerial power (Raven, 2008). According to Ravens earlier studies (1965), its the ability of an individual to influence the change through the resource of information. It is important to know the appropriate information regarding a change in order to carry out the change process as if unable to obtain required information the change process will not be successful. Characteristics of informational power lie in having control over specific information in the process of managing organizational change that others need or want put the manager in a powerful position. Managers could put effort to influence co- employees by access and control of information this could be useful to restrict any information that need not to know by the subordinates and this may be used in both personal and positional classifications. Also it is among the most preferable power characteristics which lead to initialised to lasting changes in the targets beliefs, attitudes and values (Raven, 1965). However, even though there are other categorizations of powers available these are the fundamental powers most used commonly and mentioned powers to analyze and contrast managerial powers within the perspective of organizational transformation. In conclusion, as stated in the introduction the essay addressed the possible reasons for organizational change to take place by introducing change agent, leadership, and characteristics of the main forms of managerial powers within an organization by evaluating and analyzing each form of managerial power critically. As stated above access to the relevant information and the ability to change co-workers to re-shape according to the organizational change taking place is a key of an ideal change agent. It is complicated to choose and identify a most useful and recommended form of a managerial power, as all the described forms of managerial powers is combination of an appropriate managerial power. It is also the individuals responsibility to use the appropriate type of power for the most appropriate situation. Even though the distribution of leadership could benefit the organization in an organizational change the power should not be forced nor used authoritatively. Reference list Agarwal, M and Agrawal, G.C.Relationship of Middle Managers Power Styles with Their Participativeness at the Work place Source: Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, Vol. 30, No. 3 (Jan., 1995), pp. 278-296 Published by Shri Ram Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources Stable. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27767365 [Accessed 27 January 2017] Bernard Burnes., 2009. Managing Change, Pearson Education, Pages: 633 Format: PDF Publisher: Pearson Education M.U.A., Published: Jul 9, 2009. eISBN-13: 9780273752387. Accessed on 16/03/2017. https://www-dawsonera-com.ezproxy.lib.bbk.ac.uk/abstract/9780273752387 Bradshaw, P. and Boonstra, J., 2004. Power Dynamics in Organizational Change. In: Boonstra, J.J, ed. Dynamics of Organizational Change and Learning [online]. John Wiley Sons Ltd, pp. 279-295. Business Insider, 2013. The 7 Types of Power That Shape The Workplace.[online] Available at http://www.businessinsider.com/the-7-types-of-power-that-shape-the-workplace-2013-7?IR=T [Accessed 5 February 2017] Caldwell, R. (2003) Models of change agency: A fourfold classification, British Journal of Management, 14(2), pp. 131-142. doi: 10.1111/1467-8551.00270. Carroll, B., Levy, L. and Richmond, D. (2008) Leadership as practice: Challenging the competency paradigm, Leadership, 4(4), pp. 363-379. doi: 10.1177/1742715008095186. Currie, G. and Lockett, A. (2007) A critique of transformational leadership: Moral, professional and contingent dimensions of leadership within public services organizations, Human Relations, 60(2), pp. 341-370. doi: 10.1177/0018726707075884. French, J.R.P., Raven, B.H. (1959). The basis of social power, in: Cartwright, D. (Eds), Studies in Social Power, University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research: Ann Arbor, MI, pp. 150-67. Hughes, M. (2010). Managing Change: A Critical Perspective. In: M. Hughes, Managing Change: A Critical Perspective. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, pp. 211 JALILVAND, M.R. and NASROLAHI VOSTA, L., 2015. Examining the relationship between managerial power and affective organizational commitment. Sport, Business and Management, 5(4), pp. 344-364. JANSSON, N., 2013. Organizational change as practice: a critical analysis. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 26(6), pp. 1003-1019. Kotter, J.P., 1979. Power in Management How to Understand, Acquire, and Use it [online] Available at: http://home.earthlink.net/~denmartin/pim.html [Accessed 11 February 2017] LANDELLS, E.M. and ALBRECHT, S.L., 2017. The Positives and Negatives of Organizational Politics: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Business and Psychology, 32(1), pp. 41-58. Lewicki, R.J., Litterer, J.A. 1985. Negotiation. Homewood, IL: Irwin, pp. 249-251 Mohammad, R.J. and Leila, N.V., 2015. Examining the relationship between managerial power and affective organizational commitment. Sport, Business and Management, 5(4), pp. 344-364. Lunenburg, F. C. (2012). Power and Leadership: An Influence Process. International Journal of Management, Business and Administration , pp.1-9. Ogbonna E. and Wilkinson B., (2003). The False Promise of Organizational Culture Change: A Case Study of Middle Managers in Grocery Retailing. In: Journal of Management Studies, 40(5). Pareek, U. 1994. Coercive and Persuasive Power Scale. In: Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 30(2), pp. 175-189. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27767352 [Accessed 27 January 2017] Raven, B.H., 2008. The Bases of Power and the Power/Interaction Model of Interpersonal Influence. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy,8(1), pp.1-22 Smollan, R.K. (2009). Organizational culture, organizational change and emotions: a qualitative study. Roy K Smollan, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand Janet G Sayers, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand. Published in 2009 in Journal of Change Management 9(4), pp. 435-457. Singh, A. (2009). Organizational Power in Perspective. Leadership and Management in Engineering, [online] 9(4), pp.165-176. Available at: http://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/(ASCE)LM.1943-5630.0000018 [Accessed 7 February 2017] Yuki, G 1989, Managerial Leadership: A Review of Theory and Research, Journal Of Management, 15,2,p. 251, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 12 March 2017.

Saturday, January 18, 2020

Health and Nutrition Worksheet Essay

Use Ch. 1, 2, & 3 of Visualizing Nutrition, supplemental course materials, the University Library, the Internet, or other resources to answer the following questions. Your response to each question should be 75 to 100 words. 1.What is nutrition? Why is nutrition essential to our daily lives? For me nutrition would be eating the right types of food in order to maintain your body healthy. Nutrition is very essential to our daily lives because without proper nutrition our bodies would be fully functional. Either you would be tired or weak everyday no matter how much sleep you get or how long you’re at the gym for, again without the proper nutrition’s your body wouldn’t be fully functional. 2.What is the connection between nutrition and health? The connection between nutrition and health is that no matter what you do, everything starts with a foundation. In a house the â€Å"basement† would be the foundation, the part that’s holding the house up. But with our health, proper nutrition would be our foundation to a healthy lifestyle. 3.What is the relationship between poor nutrition and disease? The relationship between poor nutrition and disease is that with poor nutrition you are going to be more prone to catching a disease because your body is going to be weak and isn’t going to stand a chance against a virus. 4.What does it mean to eat a balanced diet? Why is food choice important for good nutrition? For me a balanced diet would be eating the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to help your body get the right amount of nutrition it needs, this means that if your body needs just 1 cup of wheat and 2 cups of fruits then that’s what you’re getting, not more or not less. Food choice is important for good nutrition because if you don’t get the right food that will satisfy your â€Å"pyramid† then you’re going to have too  much of one thing and not enough of the other which will lead to an unbalanced diet. 5.Why is physical activity important to a person’s health? What changes, if any, should you make to ensure you get enough physical activity? Physical activity is important because it can improve your health and reduce the risk you developing certain kind of diseases. Also by being active it will also help you stay fit and prolong your life rather than just being at home and being a couch potato which will hurt you a lot, because I am in the military I believe that I am already fit, sometimes I even think I’m getting too much physical activity, we workout 5 days a week and 4 out of the 5 days we work out in the morning and afternoon. 6.What influences your food choices? Why? What influences the food I pick would be a variety of things such as how it smells, looks, taste and most of all my culture. I’m Puerto Rican so I was brought up eating rice and beans for me food wasn’t food unless rice and beans were included. But around ten years old I moved to New York where its multicultural so that’s where I started tasting all different kinds of food such as Italian, Dominican, and real Chinese food, and realized that in order for something to be ‘food’ rice and beans’ didn’t have to be included. What also influences the food I pick depends on my son, me and my wife wont usually cook something that he doesn’t like but he’s so picky at times that we just make something healthy for all of us and he won’t eat it, I would have to feed it to him in order for him to eat it. 7.What is the difference between digesting protein and carbohydrates? Which would make you feel fuller longer? Why? The difference between digesting protein and digesting carbohydrates is that proteins are digested into amino acids while carbohydrates are digested into simple sugars. Also carbohydrates are converted into glucose which are then stored in the body and Proteins are broken down into amino acids which then are used to build and repair body tissues. I believe that protein will make you feel fuller because you don’t have to eat as much in order to satisfy your hunger. 8.How does today’s society affect our nutritional habits? Our society today affects our nutritional habits tremendously It’s so hard to control our food portion because of the food industries in the United States. Right now for example we could go down the street to McDonalds and order a Big Mac meal. Now the Big Mac alone has about 550 calories but then they give you some fries with the Big Mac and a fountain drink. Now if you were brought up like how I was, which was your mother or father yelling at you and telling you, â€Å"you need to eat everything on my plate†, then of course you are going to inherit those habits and you’re going to be eating everything they give you, and that of course unhealthy. You’re going to be eating a lot more than what you’re supposed to, making us gain weight and even have health issues. 9.How are nutrients used to produce adenosine triphosphate (ATP)? Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, acts as a source of fuel within your cells. Formed from a series of chemical reactions, carbohydrates, proteins and fats can all be converted into ATP following digestion. One type of food that provides a source of ATP is meat and fish. These foods contain several animal cells, with each cell containing preformed ATP. The nutrients found within meats and fish may also provide a source of ATP within your body. Upon consumption, the fatty acids and proteins in meats and fish are digested and absorbed. If your body requires an immediate source of energy, these nutrients are used to make ATP within your own cells, helping to fuel your body. 10.Consider your personal dietary habits. What are some modifications you might make to promote good health? My personal dietary habits are eating only two meals a day and just drink water or powerade throughout the rest of the day. Which I know now that is a terrible idea, skipping meals isn’t good for us. In them two meals I eat a day, since I’m always at the gym I eat a lot of meat to intake a lot of protein, and with the meat I would eat about 1.5 cups of rice and .5 cups of beans, which is diffidently not maintaining a balanced diet at all. Some modifications I might make to promote good health would be to not skip meals, and maintain a balanced diet, not too much and not too less.

Friday, January 10, 2020

A society & dominated Essay

In a society dominated by pop culture, fashion always comes into play. For pop culture always requires novelty, and people has to keep up with the trends as time changes. Fashion has affected almost all aspect of the Homo sapiens way of living for it is the key to change. And because fashion takes many forms as time changes it had even infiltrated our mindset in setting a standard for a good physique—the very idea of sexy per se. In line with this, two writers discuss how fashion has greatly affected the psyche of both male and female of this generation as to how they perceive the image of a sexy person. Andrea Heiman in her article â€Å"When a Fad Does a Body Harm† and Rita Kemply’s article â€Å"Boys and the Beefcake Images† have pointed out that fashion has created a venue for other people to abuse their body and to live an unhealthy lifestyle. That is girls starving themselves to death to look perfectly thin and boys excessively using steroids to live up to the very concept of machismo today. Both Heiman and Kemply agree that a change in fashion as subject to the body form of both men and women has become hazardous to health. However the two authors have taken different sides to explain why this scenario happens. On the one hand Heiman, the feminist said that women starved themselves to death because being thin has become the epitome of looking really good to most men. As women strive to be part of the arena dominated by men, fashion has created ways to repress them. By looking frail men still claims their superiority over women. On the other hand Kemply perceive that the primary reason why men use steroids to maintain the so-called masculine image is that they are being judge with their physicality. Kemply said that women have created a standard that most men look attractive when they have muscles, lean body and no beer bellies. Both authors were able to explain how fashion can become hazardous to one’s health. However it is not sound that the reason why these circumstances happen is blamed on the perception of male and female toward the ideal look of a sexy body. For both genders are just victims of the so called pop culture. Moreover, pop culture has their psyche conditioned to that kind of notion to a point that their self-esteem becomes low. People should not judge a person based on how he or she looks. A standard of looking sexy should not be made for it is not the physical aspects of a person that counts most when we are trying to build a healthy relationship. In addition, fashion should be the melting pot of change that could benefit every regardless of gender. It should not be the key to affect the mentality of everyone that would cause to detrimental effects to our body.