How to Cultivate the Unique Qualities of a Child Leader

by Herman Bailey | Feb 24, 2023 | Essays | 0 comments

When a child is born, each and every parent believes that there’s something unique about the new born. From the first day, we parents often feel we can immediately identify unique talents and skills that set them apart. Being objective when it comes to your own child is quite difficult. Often, we parents are tempted to exaggerate the qualities of our children. My son (Insert name of child) is a young exciting boy who has managed to change my life. When I sat down to write about him, the hardest part was not finding the right words and expressions to describe him but rather the challenge was ensuring that I did not exceed the required amount of text.

Meet, (Insert Name of Child) the Leader

When thinking about my son as a leader, I have come to the conclusion that he posses the innate talent and skill to be a great leader one day. However, like all other young children like him such skill and character needs to be shaped and restructured so that the young boy can be molded into the kind of leaders we pray and dream of. While he is often driven by what people think of him, for example always seeking approval from myself or his dad; he is quite stubborn in his own way. When he is punished for a mistake, he will ask, “Are you happy at me?” Of course this question is not put across with uncertainty, as with most young boys his age but rather with the charm that comes naturally to him. During his time out, he will smile at me, eyes twinkling and a sloppy sided expression asking: “do you love me mommy?” or “can I kiss you during time out?” Perhaps as a country we could use this talent to get ourselves out of wars and negotiations with terrorists. Leaders are often faced with challenges which they must face head on, ad whereas there are times when decisiveness is the way to go, some situations can be dissolved by simple charm.

I often observe our president, the most powerful man in the world and cannot fail to see his charm. I wonder if his mum can tell stories such as mine, learning earlier on that time out brings out the best charm in the young man.

Defends his own ideas

Majority of the time, we as parents favor children in the family who rarely talk back ad are often seeking our advice. As a parent, we want to fell competent that we are equally important in this world. This does not mean that we hate independence in children; it’s just that our innate nature is to want to be needed. My son is never afraid to voice his opinion especially when things are not going in what he thinks should be the right direction. This morning for example, there was no toast (his breakfast favorite). After a quite convincing discussion, I cited the importance of oatmeal for breakfast. He ate the oats, but for every guest who has come into our house today, he has voiced his disappointment in the fact that there was no toast for breakfast. At play group, due to persistence, and simply stating what he thought was right; he helped a little girl make friends. Some mothers may think of him as rude and lacking in civility, but the ability to simply state his mind should be celebrated.

. When his mind is set on something he will nag, pester and point out reasons why he should be considered. My husband often calls him, the immovable object and we are the irresistible force. It is important to note that while he is quite stubborn often, his democratic nature wins and tires out the stubbornness. Perhaps for example, he wants an expensive toy from the supermarket. He will nag though not by throwing tantrums (I am thankful he has outlived them), pester me and point out how the toy will be of benefit to me (rather than him). In the past, it was in my nature to ignore him, hoping that by the time we get home he will have forgotten or he is too tired that all he will want is a snack and a nap. However, I quickly learnt that when ignored my son becomes even stronger and stubborn. He will not let the issue go. Today, however all I need to do is take time from the shopping just a few minutes to explain why he cannot have the toy here and now. He often listens, asks a few questions and if am convincing that will be the last I will hear of it. Because he conveniently likes to voice his opinion, he is also quite good at listening to the opinions of others.

I look with pity at parents who are often too embarrassed to look anyone in the face as they drag a tantrum throwing child behind them. You may imagine that my son never had any tantrums, and though I would like this to be true; there was a time when going to the store with him brought on serious heart palpitations bordering on a heart attack. However, we were consistent with behavior enhancement in the store. If he threw a tantrum, we would leave the store and go for a time out or another sort of punishment. Consistency paid off, and today, my husband and I are reaping the benefits of the discipline we instilled. No child is un-teachable; all children can learn good behavior. Often when they are misbehaving, they are testing the boundaries that we have set for them. Consistency is the key, no matter how bad the situation gets because relenting will lead to total failure.

Hard Won Satisfaction

As I watch today’s generation, I have come to realize that we indeed have a problem. Today’s children do not understand the value of hardwork. Instead, they always take the easy way out. The rise in teenage crime is a good example of the shortcuts they prefer to true hardwork. Of course we all want our children to be hardworking. However, we often make excuses for them and in doing so forget to teach them the strongest value that is hardwork. Hardwork is bout acknowledging the value of our own satisfaction. Often, even as adults we are tempted to take the shortest path to the greatest satisfaction. Hardwork is not just about waking up and doing a lot of things, and finally lying in bed exhausted. It is also about the results that come from working hard such as the satisfaction of knowing that all you have, you got honestly.

Last summer, my husband and I made our attempt at bringing up a responsible young man. My son had pestered us for a new bike, simply because he did not like the old red bike. Apparently, one of the boys at play group had called the bike “girly” and now my son had become allergic to it. He had resorted to praying fervently, within our ear shot of course for a new bike. Of course, in his little mind we were just delaying the purchase to punish him. My husband felt that the little guy did not understand the value of money and hardwork. The old was actually much newer than he indicated. So in an effort to teach a lesson, we told him he could buy the bike if he found a way to save up money for it. Unfortunately, the poor guy took it to heart, saving all our coins. For weeks, we could not find a coin in the house. Money for sweets was put in the piggy bank and after a while the little elephant was so heavy. Seeing as we had made a promise, we walked to the store and bought a blue shiny bike. At play group the next day, he could not hide the grin. He was so proud of the bike which he had bought for himself. He has now began saving, to purchase a new car. Apparently, he wants to ride on his own like the super heroes in his cartoons. I do not have the heart to tell him that it will take at least 15 years to reach his goal. My son has finally discovered the secret that after hardwork, with challenges and sacrifices: rewards however small become sweeter. The next generation will of course be much better if children not only understand but also value hardwork. It cannot start early enough, as soon as children can understand; it is our responsibility to instill hard work as a core element in their lives.

Total comprehension of knowledge vs. responsibility

In bringing up a child, the biggest challenge has been training him on responsibilities. There are too many cases in the modern world, where irresponsibility has caused serious problems. Increase in crime, cases of teenage parenting and even absentee parents all point to a society where responsibility is not of great value. Responsibility is not just about doing what is expected but rather having the knowledge of what is expected. As a parent am tempted to state ambiguously that my son is absolutely responsible, that he does what he is expected when he is expected to. However, just this morning I caught him being slightly off mark, and this not a onetime occasion. Before coming down for a snack or a short walk, he is expected to put away his toys. This morning knowing I was overwhelmed with several tasks, he threw the toys under the bed and indicated he had indeed returned each item where it should be. Such dishonesty stems from simple laziness or maybe what he considers a tight schedule: cartoons play group and naps take too much time. Each individual has an element of irresponsibility and carelessness; some grow this element focusing on it instead of focusing on becoming more responsible. Responsibility is about understanding when you have not met the expectations of others.

Sometimes, we are tempted to take the easiest way out. This is like my son telling me, he has put away all his toys when they are actually under his bed. However, once we have taken the shortcut, we can become guilty and opt to come clean or correct the situation. In essence, we recognize that what we have done is wrong and could have serious implications on our relationships with others in terms of trust. So what happened after the episode, I later found my son cleaning his room and putting his toys way properly. Having thought that was the end of the matter, I was shocked and indeed entertained to find him in the “time out” area. He had done something bad, and even though I had let it pass, he could not. He needed to be punished, even if he was going to punish himself.

As a leader, subordinates need to be able to look up to you in terms of completing their duties. In this, you need to be completely responsible, not because society calls upon you to be responsible but because, it is ingrained in you to be responsible. Responsibility is a part of you rather than a demand placed on you by the society. With a bit of toning, exercise and consistently, I believe that my son will develop into a mature, responsible man.

Delay gratification

Perhaps, the one thing that is common with toddlers is that they want something and they want it immediately. Delays do not feature anywhere in their schedules. Mothers are often running around trying to meet the demands of a two year boss who wants things done yesterday. I am not any different, much as I would like to be. There are many times when I spend hours playing hide and seek, when I would rather be cleaning or doing something more adult-like. For such a demanding child, he is learning and in fact has come close to mastering the art of delayed satisfaction, perhaps too much.

For example, two days ago we were on our way to vats a relative who lived a bit far off. Normally, he has his peanut and jam sandwich (he is a creature of routine) right before leaving the house. However, on this particular day, he knew that his aunt always makes a delicious fruit cake for him. I tried forcing down the sandwich, so that we should leave but he was well prepared with academic arguments. He clearly stated that not only would his stomach be upset, but he would prefer to wait until the fruit cake was served foregoing even the lunch set before him. A similar episode took place in the store, when we went shopping. He had cajoled money from his father to purchase what he thought was the coolest action figure. When we arrived at the store, he found an even better, more unique action figure that could do much more but cost much more than he had. Seeing as I did not have extra cash to spare and especially for a toy, I advice him to purchase the older toy. However, despite many children walking by and throwing tantrums; he quietly requested to wait until mummy could find enough money to purchase the newer version. We left and went home, quietly without any tantrums; of course we were back in the store the following day to get the toy.

CONCLUSION

I would like for you to have an opportunity to meet this amazing toddler who has completely changed my world view. I know that with his innate character and natural abilities, he can be molded into becoming an influential person in the community. I look forward to seeing him mature into a responsible adult, who will definitely stand out from the crowd at least to me.

5/5 - (1 vote)

Herman Bailey

With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.

Leadership and Management Principles for Outcomes-Oriented Organizations in Healthcare

by Herman Bailey | Feb 24, 2023 | Essays | 0 comments

Finding authentic academic resources online in the health field is often challenging. However, searching highly reputable online academic databases like JSTOR makes it easier to find peer-reviewed/ scholarly articles that are believed to contain valid information. Peer reviewed articles are articles that have been scrutinized before publication by several experts from the same field to ensure the quality of the information provided as stated by Miller (2006). Therefore, I found the article, Leadership and Management Principles for Outcomes-Oriented Organizations by Goonan & Stoltz, in the JOSTOR database. The journal is peer reviewed since it is indicated in the article’s description.

Goonan & Stoltz (2004) looks into essentials of health care delivery and management that contributes to its success. The article focuses on the application of highly effective organizations’ traits such as appropriate managerial strategies, reasonable acknowledged organizational policies, adoption of opportunities and changes, and appropriate risk management to the healthcare sector. It further touches on elements that contribute to the success of healthcare organizations such as appropriate planning, budgeting and health care service evaluation. The article echoes Coben, Steiner, Barrett, Merrill & Adamson (2006) who attribute enhancement of efficiency, improved service quality, financial outcomes, employees and customer satisfaction as well as capacity to execute and respond to varying circumstances in the healthcare sector to excellent managerial strategies. Besides, the article stresses the need for transparency in decision-making, proper financial management and observation of health laws and ethics regarding employee behavior and patient treatment. It further points out the significance of establishing a proper flexible mechanism in response to healthcare challenges.

Goonan & Stoltz (2004) advances my knowledge about the establishment of proper managerial skills that ensures the success of health organizations. The key to good leadership is being open- minded and receptive to new ideas together with abilities to understand and compromise where necessary as implied by Denning (2011). Hence, it is significant to take into account patients’ feedback concerning their experiences as well as expectations and making an adjustment where possible. Considering employees’ views and suggestions regarding management strategies and key organization’s decisions are vital as well. Prioritizing motivation of the health care workforce by offering them reasonable wages and workload hence a workable timetable is also critical. Giving employees in a company the opportunity to advance their skills and acknowledging individual career achievements aid in enhancing quality care. It is also crucial to encourage a culture of teamwork and view the hospital fraternity as a family dedicated to the provision of proper care as reaffirmed by McMillan & Becker (2006).
Health care administration has not been exploited much in the past and is a bit challenging as stated by Coben et al. (2006). Poor leadership is believed to be the major cause of underperformance in the healthcare sector that has crippled most hospitals in the past. Therefore, proper information like the ones provided in the article and experience in healthcare administration is essential in the transition to the sector from the conventional error reigned by mishaps attributed to mismanagement as advised by Eiriz & Figueiredo (2005).

References

Bromby, M. (2009). Virtual seminars: problem-based learning in healthcare law and ethics.
Coben, J.H., Steiner, C.A., Barrett, M., Merrill, C.T., & Adamson, D. (2006).Completeness of cause of injury coding in healthcare administrative databases in the United States, 2001. Injury Prevention. doi:10.1136/ip.2005.010512
Denning, S. (2011). Successfully implementing radical management at Salesforce.com. Strategy & Leadership. doi:10.1108/10878571111176574
Eiriz, V., & Figueiredo, J.A. (2005). Quality evaluation in health care services based on customer-provider relationships. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. doi:10.1108/09526860510619408
Flarey, D. L. (2002). Law & Ethics for Clinicians. Jona’s Healthcare Law, Ethics and Regulation. Doi:10.1097/00128499-200206000-00003
Goonan, K. J., & Stoltz, P.K. (2004). Leadership and Management Principles for Outcomes-Oriented Organizations. Medical Care. doi:10.1097/01.mlr.0000120782.03031.b4
Grieve, R., Sekhon, J. S., Hu, T., & Bloom, J. R. (2008). Evaluating Health Care Programs by Combining Cost with Quality of Life Measures: A Case Study Comparing Capitation and Fee for Service; Evaluating Health Care Programs by Combing Cost with QOL Measures. Health Services Research. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6773.2008.00834.x
McMillan, M. & Becker, J. (2006). Implementing workforce development in health care: A conceptual framework to guide and evaluate health service reform. Human Resource Development International. doi:10.1080/13678860500522975
Miller, T. (2006). PUBLISHER’S ANNOUNCEMENT: Notice of changes to peer-review policy in Superconductor Science and Technology. Superconductor Science & Technology. doi:10.1088/0953-2048/22/1/010101
Philips, S. G., Carey, L.A., & Biedermann, G. (2001). Attitudes Towards Writing and Writing Assistance in Peer-Reviewed Articles.

5/5 - (1 vote)

Herman Bailey

The Importance of HRM in Organizational Success

by Herman Bailey | Feb 24, 2023 | Essays | 0 comments

Introduction to the Case Study

Jamjoom Pharma is a well-established pharmaceutical company in Saudi Arabia. The company started in Jeddah in the year 2000 with less than ten employees. The head office is still located in Jeddah City. Currently, the company has over five hundred employees in different departments of the company such the factory, sales, marketing, and registration. There is also an export team in twenty-one countries. The company has a rapidly growing and successful track record contributing to 4.1 percent in the pharmaceutical market in Saudi Arabia (Jamjoom Pharma 2012).

Definition of HRM

Armstrong defines HRM as a planning process that requires the use of and the combination of logical processes to employee approach. He adds that HRM involve all process of developing a system that will lead to the success of the employees and the company at the same time. In other words, HRM should focus on the well-being of the employees (Armstrong 2009). A second definition of HRM is that it is a unique process of managing employees. Through this kind of managements, the competitive advantage of the of the company is attained. After the attainment of the competitive advantage then is used to make plans for the company. This is only achievable if three aspects are integrated, the structure of the business or company, the cultural aspect of both the employees and the business and the human resource or personnel in the company (Storey ed 1991).

The Objective of HRM within an Organization

In an organization, HRM aims at ensuring that the organization attains its goals and visions. Through maximization of organizational effectiveness and capability, HRM helps the organization achieve its goals by making the best use of the resources available (Armstrong 2009). As Mathias, (2011) explains for organizations to achieve their goals they need to take care of the human capital or the intellectual capital by considering employees as the most precious resource. Through this mechanism, the organization can attain important core competencies. Some of the organizational objectives may include building a competitive advantage by the corporate investing in its people. Armstrong and Baron (2002), People have collective skills, abilities and experiences deploy these interests into the organization by making a significant contribution to the organizational success. This creates and constitutes a resourceful, competitive advantage.

Schuler and Jackson (1987), are of the view that HRM is a system. Through this system, the company or business can understand its employees making it easier to motivate and retain them. Besides, the HRM system is created to ensure that employees creatively survive in the organization helping it achieve its goals.

Scarborough and Elias (2002), explain that HRM consists primarily of human capital. It is this human capital that links organizational practices and its employees. If linked successfully, then the organization or company can successfully achieve its goals. The HRM process should, therefore, contain a clear appraisal system, a career management system, a proper rewarding system for its employees and a proper recruitment system (Armstrong, 2009).

In Jamjoom Pharma, the HR department and team coordinates to produce annual appraisal that is used to discuss with its employees. The content of the appraisals report may include business behavior, teamwork, attitude, innovation, time management and commitment towards customers. Consequently, it may include the measurement of how employees run the business to comply with corporate calibration, development plan agreements, and additional skills the employees need to improve their productivity. For example, in February 2012, there were some complaints regarding salaries in the company. To respond to this complaint the company contacted a third party to run a transparent survey in other pharmaceutical companies to measure the productivity per head in each company. The survey revealed that it was necessary for Jamjoom employees to have a salary increment it was then that the company increased its employee’s salaries.

Companies that are faced with numerous competition and challenges require employees that will strive for the success of the company. For example, employees must be able to handle extra working hours with enthusiasm. All these tasks require an employee with a solid psychological contract to make them work even harder. A psychological contract concerns the perceptions of both parties in the employment relationship as explained by Guest (2007). Additionally, as psychological contract may be a form of silent contract between the employer and employee, for instance requiring the employer to provide the employee with training, good working conditions, work and personal life balance, a bonus, career pathways and compensation if the employee chooses to leave the company in return the employee is expected to give the best efforts at work to increase the company’s profits and growth. This paper will outline two HRM functions, the employment process and performance appraisal systems for Jamjoom Pharma

In Jamjoom Pharma, most employees have a psychological contract but this is dependent on the market feedback. This is a safe approach since it keeps the company on up to date strategies to remain the second or third best choice for the employees influencing employee retention.

TASK 1

Identification of hard and soft approaches in managing people

The concept of HRM is associated with the strategic approach to managing people. The proper approach to managing people should aim at adding value for the organization. According to Legge there are only two approaches to managing people (Legge, 1987). Hard approaches to HRM focus on communication through a tough language. It emphasizes on quantitative, calculative and business strategic aspects of management. The hard approach reduces people to objects and they are assessed in accordance to their skills and attributes that the organization requires (Storey 1987). In this approach employees are seen as cost to the organization as well as factors of the production process. The soft approach on the other hand, is more human focusing on human relations. This approach focuses on treating the employees as the most valued assets of the organization to improve the organizations competitive advantage. Employees are involved in the activities and decision-making of the organization (Legge 1995). This kind of management approach assumes the low employee commitment approach that aims at producing reliable and outstanding performance (Walton 1985). Jamjoom Pharma assumes the soft approach whereby it involves the company employees in the decision making process. For instance, when employees ask for a salary increment the company took a step, conducted a research and eventually increased employees salaries. In addition, in soft HRM the organization focuses on training to develop individual employee skills.

TASK 2

Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment is the process of attracting people promptly, sufficient in numbers and with appropriate qualifications to apply for jobs in a particular organization. Selection, on the other hand, is the process of choosing from a group of applicants the individual best for a particular position and the organization (Mandy, R. W. 2008). Recruitment is a vital process for the corporate need to expand own human capital, the risk of choosing the wrong candidate can cause failure of job and operation entitled for while a right candidate can rise business to a maximum extent. HRM has some responsibilities that include recruitment, selection, monitoring, measuring and appraising their attitude and performance in different ways. The steps in the recruitment process are;

a. Recruitment and Planning

This is the initial step in the process of recruitment. It entails drafting of the vacant positions job specifications, indicating the responsibilities that are major and minor, the qualifications, experience and skills needed, the grade level of pay, starting date, and whether the employment is temporary or permanent. Special conditions should also be included if any is needed (Jamjoom Pharma 2012).

b. Strategy Development

After it is clear how many candidates are required for the vacant position, the next step is to the identification of the best strategy for recruiting the candidates to the organization. Before the strategy is chosen certain considerations must be placed in mind. For example whether to use the company candidates or select from outside; the type of recruitment method to be used, the geographical area to be considered when searching for the candidates; the source of recruitment to be practiced and the consequence of activities to be followed after recruiting candidates into the organization (Jamjoom Pharma).

c. Searching

Here the job seekers are attracted to the organization. Two main sources are used to attract the right candidates, first the internal and external resources. These step may include some form of advertisement that is published in newspapers or company websites. Internal sources could include asking the employees in the company to recommend the right candidates for the job.

d. Screening

This is an integral part of the recruitment process. Sometimes screening is viewed as the starting point of the selection process. The selection process starts only after the candidates have been shortlisted. For example, in a University advertisement that requires filling the post of professors, applications are received in response to the advertisement. The candidates are then screened and shortlisted on their eligibility basis and suitability. It is only then the screened candidates who are invited for seminar presentation and personal interview (Jamjoom Pharma).

Job specification is not important at the screening stage since applications are screened for the qualification, knowledge, skills, abilities, interest and experience mentioned in the job specification. The candidates that do not qualify are then eliminated from the selection process. The techniques used for screening candidates vary depending on the source of supply and method used for recruiting. The preliminary applications, de-selection tests, and screening interviews are common techniques used for screening the candidates.

e. Evaluation and Control

The evaluation and control involve looking at the cost incurred during the selection phase. Some of the costs include the salary of recruiters, administrative expenses, the cost of time spent in preparing job analysis and advertisement, the cost incurred in recruiting unsuitable candidates. Considering these costs, the employer must establish whether it is necessary to recruit candidates into the organization. The method of recruitment is also put to test here. In addition, the necessary controls measures are put in place to cost save in the whole process. After understanding the practices involved in the recruitment process, it is necessary to understand the recruitment process in India.

In Jamjoom Pharma, the method of choosing the appropriate candidate by the line manager or the Human Resource Coordinator is usually electronically done. LinkedIn and recruitment agencies in Egypt are used to screen to select the best candidate.

Legal Aspect of Selection

It is right to argue that Jamjoom Pharma chooses its candidates from Egyptian citizens since it is estimated that 90 percent of healthcare providers are of Egyptian nationality. Since there is a restriction, where only men are allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia most of those selected are male since women are not allowed to enter particular premises.

TASK 3

Employee Performance and Reward

Performance management involves a combination of delivering success in organizations through the improvement of the output of the human resource or people through the development of teams and individual contributors (Armstrong and Baron, 1998). Performance management has been numerous been linked to employee performance and objectives of the organization. Performance managements go together with identification, measuring and development of the organization. The aim of performance management is to enhance the production of high-quality leaders who can successfully face challenges and changes within the organization as a result producing competent results in the organization. Performance management includes several skills such as;

a. Planning

This is an effective way of preparing for the future. A successful organization must have a clear plan for its activities. A planned strategy in only successful if the organizations employees are involved. In the planning process, the goals of the organization are identified, and employees are given a clear path for channeling their efforts to achieve the organizational goals. The regulatory requirements for planning employee’s performance include setting up the standards and elements for any performance appraisal plans.

The elements for measuring performance are supposed to be easy to measure, easy to the understanding of employees, can be clearly verified by the investors, those that incorporate principles of equity and easily achievable by the company. Using critical elements employees are accountable as individuals for the assignments and responsibilities. To ensure attainment of these targets, the plans set should work for both the company and employee and easy to adjust to the changing work requirements and demands. When effectively used these plans are beneficial working documents that can often be discussed (Jamjoom Pharma).

b. Monitoring

Monitoring ensures that every project is followed up until its goals are attained. Through monitoring the performance, plan effectiveness is measured through a feedback mechanism. For monitoring to be effective, it is important to include employees in the monitoring plan. For example, employees can be asked about their reviews on a particular program, and how effective it is for the employee motivation. Monitoring offers an opportunity for the project supervisors to determine how well the employees are finding the working standard in the company. Monitoring can help provide the acceptable working standards in the company and which employees deserve a salary appraisal or a rise up the ladder of employment. At the same time, monitoring can help identify problems in the company projects before it is too late (Jamjoom Pharma).

c. Developing

The HRM should focus on addressing and developing the needs of its employees. The monitoring and planning strategies should be dedicated to building a happier employee lot creating a successful organization in return. Some of the developmental strategies include employee training for the acquisition of skills; skills can also be introduced through practice, for example, the company can introduce new tasks that require particulars skills. Employees can also be encouraged and motivated for higher performance, such as salary increments, recognizing the effort of the employees. The introduction of new technology is also another developmental strategy; this can make employees eager to participate in technological projects. The performance management plan is another chance for the company to identify the needs of its employees (Jamjoom Pharma). At the same time, areas for improving good performance stand out and help in the improvement and recognition of employees who have done well improving their performance even further.

d. Rating

From the time to time, the organizations finds it important to summarize its employee’s performance. This helps in comparing performance over time or across a set of employees. It is important for organizations to identify its best-performing employees or department; this is where rating comes in. Rating is a tool used for evaluating employees or a group of employees against the constant elements in the performance plan (Anon., n.d). Rating as a tool can be used to determine performance appraisals.

There are many techniques used in performance appraisal. One is through appraisal interviews. The primary aim of appraisal interview is to improve the performance of the employee. During the interview, the employee can communicate to the employers, at the same time the employee can communicate to the employer what his or her overall performance appraisal stands. This is also an opportunity for the employee to clarify any misunderstanding regarding the performance appraisal by the employer.

The 360-degree appraisal is a mechanism, which requires the employees and other subordinate staffs to rate each other anonymously. The information received is then included in the person’s performance reviews. In this kind of appraisal, feedback is obtained from employees on how they think about each other performance. The 360-degree appraisal can be used to determine how the employees function as a team.

Competency-based involves understanding the skills and competencies of the employees. The competency of an employee is critical to the achievement of organizational goals. The employees are listed down according to the skills that the organization needs. For example, they may be rated based on their educational qualification. The employees that do not meet the performance threshold scale set, and then their issues are addressed in the Performance development plan. Competency appraisal could be based on the responsibility of each employee. A competency-based appraisal is used to encourage focus hence improved performance among employees. In addition, such a system is used to encourage feedback in the organization.

Other appraisal mechanisms include critical incidents, self-appraisal or narrative reports, rating scales, comparison with objectives. All these mechanisms are used to motivate, understand employees better at the same time encouraging high performance among the employees.

Like any other tasks in the organization, performance appraisals are affected by several challenges. The first and most common is employee resistance to the appraisal method used or general appraisal. Employees are prone to resist process or actions that they think will jeopardize their job security. Appraisal performances mechanisms closely scrutinize employees and employees may view the whole process negatively. At the same time, this may happen if the whole appraisal process is not explained to employees on what it intends to achieve.

Another obstacle to performance appraisal is if only employees are subjected to the system. If the system is likely to explore some form of discrimination among the company employees, then it will create an obstacle to the whole process. In addition, if the senior management of the company is not committed to the appraisal method or the results then these can be an obstacle to consequent appraisal plans.

Lack of a proper appraisal mechanism is essential for appraisal performance process. The process is supposed to be fair to all employees. For example, managers should not be subjected to a different appraisal mechanism from the subordinates. Employees need to be provided with solutions to their problems during the appraisal process, and if the mechanism used does not provide a solution, then they are likely to resist the whole appraisal process.

Jamjoom Pharma has a comprehensive appraisal process. The primary aim of appraisal at Jamjoom Pharma is to give bonuses to employee. After each appraisal period, an increase in salary increase percentage is reflected in employee’s salary. With flexible working HRM working practices, achievement of flexible employee is achieved hence high commitment to their projects. Employees are less fatigued since they have less or flexible working hours. If the HRM practices are not flexible then flexible employee commitment is less likely to be achieved. Consequently, establishment of good working environment is primary for the success of the company. For example, Jamjoom Pharma gives its employees an annual international trip to increase inter-relations and encourage information exchange, and acquisition of new skills. At the same time family gatherings of all employees are held every quarter to show that the company cares about the employees’ welfare by giving their families a unique experience.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The main of this paper is to demonstrate how Jamjoom Pharma embraces different HRM practices to improve its competitive advantage. At the same time the papers looks at identifying the main HRM strategies that Jamjoom Pharma adopts. Jamjoom focuses on soft approach to Human Resource Management such as training of the company employees, and strategic to improve the company’s competitive advantage. The soft approach to employee management focuses more on the welfare of the employees while the hard approach focuses on the achievement of the company’s goals and sees employees as objects to be used to attain this goals.

References.

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Armstrong & Baron, A.2004, Managing performance: Performance Management in Action. London: CIPD London.

Armstrong, M. 2009, Armstrong’s Handbook of Human resources management and practices. 11th edition ed. London: Kogan Page Limited.

Guest, D. 2007, Human Resource Management: Towards a new psychological contract. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jamjoom Pharma, 2012. jamjoompharma. [Online]
Available at: http://www.jamjoompharma.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=114&Itemid=195 [Accessed 5 june 2015].

Jamjoom Pharma, 2010, linkedin. [Online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jamjoompharma [Accessed 1 june 2015].

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5/5 - (1 vote)

Herman Bailey

How Manufactured Consent Shapes Media Bias and Influences Society

by Herman Bailey | Feb 24, 2023 | Essays | 0 comments

Introduction

Manufactured consent is a film exploring the tenets of Chomsky as stated in his book, manufactured consent: the political economy of mass media. Although the film received high accolades and for a while was considered the best documentary from Canada, there are many who feel that it simply did not communicate the message of Chomsky’s book. Unlike popular belief that the film features ideas by Chomsky where he calls upon mass action and desire to lead some sort of movement, the truth is that the film is all about media criticism. According to Briggs, manufactured consent is all about propaganda designed by the media, propagated by the same media and indoctrinated into the lives of people and citizens as the truth (11). The propaganda is set by market forces, where few conglomerates control and run the economics and politics of the country. The media is often the in between, passing on what this conglomerates feel is the right message such as the ideal candidates in voting patterns. In doing so, the media in turn influences the minds of the citizens.

Role of Manufactured Consent

The media cannot survive or grow without government and private sources. Most of the stories highlight in the news columns, and given time to air on media including stories in corruption and other scandals arise from the sources within these two major players. The citizens on the hand, only play a role is reacting to such information rather than actually playing a role in the production and spread of this information. At one time or another according to Chomsky, an independent media company may come into play. They may report unvarnished truth, exhibiting both the government and private sectors in disfavor. If this happens, the media house is quietly shunned by sources from each of the sides, and in turn lacks news to report. Viewers and readers opt to watch and read information from other media houses and soon this media house is shut down due to losses and lack of viewership.
Media bias: Chomsky indicates that whereas our focus as citizens is always in the truth that media reports, there are not media houses that exist and succeed without bias. Often information is distorted and edited by the media houses to suit either the private conglomerates or the government. The main focus is to gain favor with the group of their choice and in doing so remain in business making profits. Media bias goes beyond just the stories reported to the media; it also includes sanctions imposed by both governments and corporations. With such sanctions, journalists cannot report all the facts as they have received them; they are required to withhold some information to the citizens who believe they are receiving the entire truth from the media.

Developing Intellectual Self Defense

Chomsky shows that there are two categories of people who are adversely affected by manufactured consent, or whose consent is manufactured by the media. In a country there are the educated people, people who have advanced in terms of intellectual understanding. They are expected to have some knowledge and the ability to gauge the truthfulness of particular facts. However, they are often kept busy with social roles such as employment and the desire for financial gains. In doing so, they are simply controlled by the same institutions controlling the media. On the other hand, there are the majorities who have no education and no understanding at all. These are the ones most adversely affected by manufactured consent. They only follow what they see and hear from the media. When the educated focus on identifying the truth and teaching the masses the truth, media imperialism is broken.
The media is the vehicle used to drive propaganda. For propaganda to take root in a population there must be a spread and indoctrination into illusions. Because of the innate desire of people to enjoy creative pieces, they never seek out the truth instead focusing on the artwork and creativity put in place for the piece. Media houses therefore use illusions to mask the facts, to recode the truth and in doing so indoctrinate the people into what is thought to be true. It is important for people to seek out the truth in the propaganda, ignore the illusions and focus on the facts.

MANUFACTURED CONSENT AND ETHICS

Indoctrination: in the film, it is shown that the focus of media is to take away the freedom of choice and knowledge from the masses. Each individual has an ethical right to get the facts and using these facts develop a personal system of choice. However, the media often misdirects individuals from the truth. They are indoctrinated into watching and focusing on irrelevant information such as football games and fancy stories on unique human beings. The media uses these stories to keep them away from any information that could generate facts that are contrary to what the government and private institutions desire. Indoctrination takes away the ability of the people to make their own choices; choices are already made for them since they lack the right information, the complete set of data and the concrete facts.
Changes in history: Achbar states that manufactured consent does not just influence the present generation, it also alters the access of the right information for future generations (74). Majority of today’s decisions are based on what we consider to be true facts as reported by various media sources. However, the documentation of such facts has already been heavily influenced by the media. The information we possess about our past, maybe far from the truth. This means that the media have the power and the ability to alter our identity which is based on the history we have. We are therefore unable to recognize ourselves fully because we lack even the basic facts, facts not about others or the world around us; but facts about ourselves and our own identity. This robs humanity of identity, giving instead a false identity based on propaganda and illusions and which propagates from generation to generation until the truth is hard or impossible to identify.
Protection of life: the foundation of ethics is built on the protection of the freedom of choice and most importantly the protection of the quality of life. Achbar (199) gives an example of where manufactured consent has lessened the quality of life. According to him, the debate on global warming began decades back; however, the media continually indicates that scientists were wrong and misinformed. Majority of the time, credible scientists were discredited by media, they were portrayed as fumbling fools seeking a thrill and out to scare citizens (Kieran 111). Today, however, the symptoms are clear and global warming disasters have become a reality. In the past, the media took away the ability of the human race to prepare itself and attempt changes that would in turn improve the quality of their future lives. This is just but one example where the quality of life has been influenced by the media manufactured consent. In another scenario, the public could be influenced into voting new policies that individuals that in future would lead to a decreased state of wellbeing influencing their ability o earn a living, engage in production and influence the economy of the country.
Control of resources: each human being has an ethical right to access resources that in turn allow them to continue existing and existing in a quality life. In the past, before the influence of media each human being was granted the same chance as another. Today however, the manufactured consent is used to influence who controls the resources. The individual who controls the resources influences the information that is reported to the public. The influence is basically so that the public does not access information and facts that could in turn influence negatively on the individual’s control of resources. The masses are kept locked up in the world of illusions so that they lack the time and energy to question the ownership of the resources, control of public resources and use of the same resources. Hence, the resources are controlled by a few minorities who in turn influence policies and dissemination of information to their favor. The cycle becomes detrimental to the masses because they have lower chances and in many cases nonexistent opportunities to influence the control and use of resources.

Work Cited

Achbar, Mark. Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media : the Companion Book to the Award-Winning Film by Peter Wintonick and Mark Achbar. Montréal: New York, 1994
Briggs, Robert. Manufacturing Consent?Melbourne, Victoria: School of Applied Communication, 2005
Kieran, Matthew. Media Ethics. London: Routledge, 2002

5/5 - (1 vote)

Herman Bailey

Coastal Medical Center’s Strategic Plan for Establishing an Ambulatory Surgical Center

by Herman Bailey | Feb 24, 2023 | Essays | 0 comments

Coastal Medical Center being an already established referral hospital under proper management has the capability to successfully diversify by building and operating an ambulatory surgical center (ASC). The medical center is resourceful in terms of clients (patients) and experience in healthcare management. Its location in a rapidly growing area of Sun Belt in the United States makes it an ideal choice in cases of emergency as it is closer to the people thus its viability in building an ASC. The hospital’s reputable record performance also makes it more marketable thus an assurance of clients. Although the hospital has heard some poor management strategy in the past, it is evident that with the formation of realist and achievable goals under reformed management, ASC facility would be advantageous.

References

Harrison, J.P. (2010). Essentials of strategic planning in healthcare. Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.
Ransom, E.R., Joshi, M.S., Nash, D.B., & Ranson, S.B. (2014). The healthcare quality book: Vision strategy, and tools (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press.

5/5 - (1 vote)

Herman Bailey

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