The effect of human resource management on an organisational Dissertation

The effect of human resource management on an organisational performance - Dissertation Example The research will employ the use of case study technique and the organisation that has been selected for this study is the Accenture Plc. Therefore, the researcher will focus on measuring the true effect of Accenture’s human resource management on improving the performance of the company. According to Mathis and Jackson, the roots of human resource management can be traced back to the industrial revolution whereby companies started engaging in mass production for commercial purposes. Therefore, there was an urgent need of hiring more employees to the extent that even children were introduced into the work environment without any consideration to their ages. During this particular, the human resources/ workers have proved to be a critical part of an organisation, but there was little known about effective human resource management and this contributed to widespread violation of employees’ rights. This because the labor sector had not been fully formalized and therefore, there was no formal regulatory framework for the sector. Stewart and Brown stated that the numerous industrial strikes that characterized this era were attributed to the widespread violation of employees’ rights that was going on in nearly all of the manufacturing companies. DeGraff further added that employees’ plight during this era was denoted by low wages and poor working conditions. In the present world, effective human resource management is a source for organisation’s competitiveness meaning that it directly affects the performance of organisations. ... he employees received more focus from the management of the companies in order to avoid future strikes, which had proved detrimental to the companies that were affected. Factors that marked the emergence of effective human resource management included the abolishment of child labour, development of labor unions, and strategic recruitment and selection of workers. DeGraff (2010) further added that the studies by Fredrick Taylor on lean manufacturing sparked an interest on the actual contribution of the workforce on an organisation’s productivity and this resulted to workers been acknowledged as a significant part in the productivity of an organisation. In the present world, effective human resource management is a source for organisation’s competitiveness meaning that it directly affects the performance of organisations. 1.3 Accenture Plc Accenture Plc is a multinational company that specializes in outsourcing, technological services, and management consulting. The consu ltancy services cover five operating groups that include resources, products, health and public services, financial services and communications and high-end technology. The company has employed over two hundred and sixty thousand employees who are based across at its wide branch network. In the United Kingdom, the company has ten office locations of which three are in London (Harmon, 2012). The Company boosts of unrivaled experience, unmatched capabilities wide across all business functions and industries. The business model of Accenture is to collaborate with their clients who include 94% of the fortune global 100 and even a big percentage of the fortune global 500 to ensure they become profitable as well as high performers (Harmon, 2012). Over the past years, the company has been keen on

Technology Implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Technology Implementation - Essay Example This essay discusses that the organization need to have specific implementation procedures for the specific systems required in the organization. An EMR system is one of the technological systems required in the organization that would require successful implementation to benefit the organization. For the organization to be up to date with the modern technological development, it requires to eliminate paper work using this system. Although the organization might not achieve the required benefits from the system in the short-term, the organization stands to achieve long-term benefits following successful implementation. The benefits achieved by the organization from a successful implementation of the system will be part of organization’s return on investment. People form important components of an information system, people are not only important in the design of an information system but they also contribute in the implementation process. For the organization to implement the new information system successfully, it needs to consider the people required to run the new system. The organization will therefore consider the available staff before considering hiring new members of staff. If the existing staff can successfully implement the new system then the organization needs not hire new staff. However, if the available staff is not capable of implementing the system then the organization should bring in additional staff members.... For the organization to implement the new information system successfully, it needs to consider the people required to run the new system. The organization will therefore consider the available staff before considering hiring new members of staff. If the existing staff can successfully implement the new system then the organization needs not hire new staff. However, if the available staff is not capable of implementing the system then the organization should bring in additional staff members. The organization should therefore ensure that it has the required staff before it begins the implementation process. Although the organization will require staff members with variety of qualifications, the organization would consider a project manager to be an important member of staff. The organization should therefore begin by recruiting a project manager to advice the organization accordingly on matters concerning hiring of new staff. Secondly, the organization will require modifying its work flow and facilities. This part of the implementation process would require fine turning the existing duties and facilities with the new information system. The main reason that the organization needs to undertake this process is to ensure that the existing facilities and procedures fully accommodate the new system efficiently. To modify the workflow, the organization requires testing the capabilities of the new system on the procedures and duties performed by the organization. The implementation team will then decide how suitable the new system is in the performance of stated duties. From this process, the implementation team is capable of

Can Technology Improve Our Quality Of Life Essay

Can Technology Improve Our Quality Of Life - Essay Example For example, when I was in high school for the second year, my teacher told me that she has to go to another country for her higher studies. I was worried about that because if I am going to study with another teacher, I will have to learn their style again to start with. So I told my teacher that I don’t want to study with another teacher. In the beginning, we don’t know what to do because we were very far away from each other and she could not just leave me even for one year. So we decide to use a webcam to have a lesson. It was very easy to have lessons online because I just need to put the webcam in a right place and we could start the talk. My teacher could see me studying and I could see my teacher too. We did this for one year and didn’t have any problem, and I got a very high grade for my final exam too. If I had to change my teacher, I will have to start to learn different style again under a new teacher. Moreover, my teacher was very much expert in music and the new teacher may not be so and that will cause difficulties for me to learn more about music in my high school. That will make me less expert than my other friends and classmates. Moreover, if I change my teacher, her styles and way of teaching may not fit my requirements. Technology helped me in retaining my teacher even if she had to leave my country. Such things may not be imaginable in 18 th or 19 th centuries. Thus the technology helped me in keeping the quality of my life. Technology can improve our communication too.

Case study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Case study - Assignment Example There is also the possibility that the individual in question may be incapable of performing his or her responsibilities for one reason or another (Shaer 45). In such a case, the manager has to fire the incompetent employee because he or she refuses to take advantage of existing opportunities to increase his efforts on the job. When an employee chooses inaction, he or she makes a conscious choice to refuse to work (Shaer 44). He or she then has to be held responsible for this choice; and not the company. Another reason why it is easier to fire an incompetent employee than fix one is because it is both expensive for the company, and difficult to change long –held negative habits. Some individuals simply do not understand the importance of being responsible because they were coddled their whole lives (Shaer 48). Changing their personal habits, in such a case, would need much more than ordinary counseling- it would require deeper therapy. To be effective, a performance plan has to identify the main criteria required to attain job success, while also having clear benchmarks that managers can use to perform evaluations of employee performance (Shaer 41). Under-performing employees may rationalize their performance by claiming dissatisfaction with their current positions (Shaer 47). This causes them to act out like a spoiled child who ruins something, or tips something over in order to demonstrate his or her frustration. Under-performing employees may also have a secret desire to collect unemployment insurance; and so will set about sabotaging his or her own performance in order to be fired (Shaer 48). Another way in which under-performing employees seek to rationalize their performance is by coping inaction by refusing to take the advice that is offered to them about the best way to improve their performance (Shaer 48). Those who do this who do this are usually people who have never had any real demands made of their time or intellect. They

Can Technology Improve Our Quality Of Life Essay

Can Technology Improve Our Quality Of Life - Essay Example For example, when I was in high school for the second year, my teacher told me that she has to go to another country for her higher studies. I was worried about that because if I am going to study with another teacher, I will have to learn their style again to start with. So I told my teacher that I don’t want to study with another teacher. In the beginning, we don’t know what to do because we were very far away from each other and she could not just leave me even for one year. So we decide to use a webcam to have a lesson. It was very easy to have lessons online because I just need to put the webcam in a right place and we could start the talk. My teacher could see me studying and I could see my teacher too. We did this for one year and didn’t have any problem, and I got a very high grade for my final exam too. If I had to change my teacher, I will have to start to learn different style again under a new teacher. Moreover, my teacher was very much expert in music and the new teacher may not be so and that will cause difficulties for me to learn more about music in my high school. That will make me less expert than my other friends and classmates. Moreover, if I change my teacher, her styles and way of teaching may not fit my requirements. Technology helped me in retaining my teacher even if she had to leave my country. Such things may not be imaginable in 18 th or 19 th centuries. Thus the technology helped me in keeping the quality of my life. Technology can improve our communication too.

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Heart Rate Essay Example for Free

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Heart Rate Essay Introduction: Our bodies need to be in balance in order to function properly, and there are many ways the body maintains balance, or homeostasis. Homeostasis is the maintenance of nearly constant conditions in the internal environment. Our normal heart rate is an example of our body in homeostasis and any sort of change, or stimulus, can alter it. Exercise, adrenaline in the blood, and a low blood pH are all stimuli that increase the heart rate. Exercise, for example, stimulates stretch receptors in the muscles. These receptors then send a signal to a part of the brain called the medulla oblongata that receives the sensory input. It then in turn sends nerve impulses to the sinoatrial node in the heart. This node generates an impulse and initiates contraction of the heart at a quicker pace. Thus, the heart beats faster, which equals an increased heart rate. This is an example of a homeostasis imbalance. The heart reaches homeostasis again when exercise ceases and the heart rate drops down to its basal rate, or its rate at rest. This whole process is an example of a negative feedback cycle: a stimulus (increased heart rate) sends receptors to the control center (medulla oblongata), which then sends effectors (impulses by the vagus nerve, or the efferent pathway) to the heart to slow the heart contractions, thus reducing the heart rate and bringing it back to its basal rate. In our experiment we studied heart rate before and after a brief exercise session. Our hypothesis is exercise will increase the heart rate, and a negative feedback mechanism will occur to restore the heart rate back to its normal basal rate. Materials: Stop watch, metronome, stairs Methods: †¢Eight subjects took their own resting, or basal, heart rate for 15 seconds while standing up. Some subjects chose to take their heart rate at their carotid artery, and some took their pulse using their radial artery. This number was multiplied by 4 to get beats per minute. This is how all heart rate measurements were taken throughout the experiment. †¢Subjects did exercise session. They walked down 57 stairs and then back up those same 57 stairs for a total of 104 stair steps. This was done at a pace of 85 beats per minute. The whole session took 1 minute 45 seconds. †¢Subjects immediately took their heart rate after they completed the exercise. †¢After 1 minute of completing the exercise, subjects measured their heart rate again. This was done at 1 minute intervals for a total of 5 heart rate measurements after completing the exercise. †¢All together, subjects took 6 heart rate measurements: 1 before the exercise, and then 5 after the exercise. Data/Results: See attached graph and table. Conclusion/Discussion: The data shows that heart rate increases during and after exercise and begins to drop back down close to the basal rate after rest. The heart progressively decreases after each minute of rest. Our results show a negative feedback mechanism was used to control the heart rate after exercise. The increased heart rate stimulated the medulla oblongata which sent impulses to the sinoatrial node of the heart to slow down contractions and decrease the heart rate. Different subjects had differences in the time it took for their heart rate to drop after the exercise, but heart rate decreased nonetheless. Overall, our hypothesis was shown to be correct from the experiment. We chose the heart rate as our variable because it is easy to measure and gives clear results. We predicted that the heart would increase after a brief exercise session, and our results matched that prediction. As for other experiments, we could perform different activities or tasks and measure our hear t rate after those. We could even hold a serious/heated discussion and see if heart rate is affected in an intense conversation. There are many different things you could do to test heart rate, as exercise is just one example. Data: Each subject and their heart rate at certain time interval: SubjectBefore exercise0 minutes rest1 min. rest2 min. rest3 min. rest4 min. rest 1100 BPM120 BPM104 BPM104 BPM104 BPM104 BPM 2120160156156152148 37210076807672 47212080727272 596136124120100100 66812072727680 76011664646464 86816084888084 Summary statement: Heart rate increases during and after exercise and begins to drop back down close to the basal rate after rest. Citations Heart Rate Regulation in Humans. (2010, January 23). The Student Room. Retrieved August 24, 2013, from http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php%3Ft%3D1059551%26page%3D45q=esrc=sei=EEIuUtiHKMKUiQL86YDQDQusg=AFQjCNGj9jN4mV3pDlB7dF1yuUm0gn81gA

Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives on Family

Functionalist and Conflict Perspectives on Family Introduction The functionalist and the conflict perspectives are two major approaches of sociological analysis. These perspectives can apply on different aspects to help us understand the society, for instance, deviance and social control, culture and socialization and so forth. In this paper, I will first focus on the particular features of these perspectives, then mainly focus on family and social stratification and comment on the insight or criticism of functionalist and conflict perspectives in understanding these areas in the society. Functionalist-the conception of society Firstly, let focus on the particular features of Functionalism, this approach is inspired by Emile Durkheim idea of society and his sociology is often referred as structural functionalism. (Dillon 2011, p. 79) The Functionalism suggested that the society is compared to a biological organism that can assumed as a system or structure made up of many integrated parts, the society seen as a structure will key institutions fulfil different functions for the survive and continuation of the society, it is named as functional pre- requisites. (Liu 2014, p. 6) Functionalist-the nature of society Also, the functionalists assumes the nature of society is characterized by order and stability, without collective conscience or shared values and beliefs, achieving social order is impossible, they believes in value consensus, which are members of society agreeing upon shared belief about right and wrong can help the society to run smoothly and is the best for the society as a whole.(Liu 2014, p. 5) And if members of society have shared values, therefore they also have similar identities, this helps cooperation and avoids conflict. According to Liu (2014), conflict is possible, but considered as dysfunctional from temporary disturbances in the system, and order would be restored as society develops. (Liu 2014, p. 5) The chief form of social conflict that Durkheim addressed was a crime. Durkheim saw crime as a factor in public health, an integral part of all healthy societies. (Durkheim 1938, p. 67) Functionalist-the relationship between individuals and the society Besides the nature of society, functionalist also had theorized about the relationship between individuals and the society. Functionalists believe that individuals are shaped by the society to perform different roles and have different norms that need to follow in accordance with their social statues that ensure the smooth running of society. Members of society have values consensus that I mentioned in the above paragraph, social order is based on this consensus and cooperation among members. Conflict perspectives-the conception of society The next perspective that we need to discuss is conflict perspectives, conflict perspectives are inspired by Karl Marx and mostly related to his theory. Marxism, similar with functionalists also has emphasis on the importance of the social structure. The society is made up of distinct groups that have different interest, values and belief. However C. Wright Mills, the founder of modern conflict theory, have a different view on this aspect with functionalists. In Millss view, social structures are created through conflict between people with differing interests and resources. Individuals and resources, in turn, are influenced by these structures and by the unequal distribution ofpowerand resources in the society. (Knapp 1994, p. 228-246) Conflict perspectives-the nature of society Unlike functionalists who believe people cooperate to maintain the social order and the stability, conflict perspectives suggested that the nature of society is characterized by conflicts, because of the struggles among group of scarce resources. The existence of separate interests mean there is always having possible for conflicts. (Liu 2014, p. 8) The conflict perspective believes rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the weak. Conflict theorists, for example, Karl Marx uses two class models to analyse the capitalist society. As the economic system is the base structure of society in Marx’s view, the capital class who owned the means of production exploited the working class who had to sell their labor by paying them less in wages than the wealth they could produce. The capitalists became richer through control the mean of the production. (Liu 2014, p. 9-10) Conflict perspectives-the relationship between individuals and the society We can observe that conflict perspective also have assumption of the relationship between individuals and the society. Similar with Functionalism, Conflict perspective believes individuals are shaped by the society and the positions of their social groups. However, conflict perspectives put effort to focus on the conflict side. Different social groups come into conflict and thus cannot have consensus with others. In capitalist society, the social order is known as â€Å"ruling class ideology† to support the status quo. It distorts the true nature of society and creating a mistaken belief about society which is â€Å"false class consciousness†. (Liu 2014, p. 11) After the discussion on the particular features of Functionalism and Conflict Perspectives, then we should focus on the usefulness of the two perspectives in understanding two essential areas in society, family and social stratification. However, let have a short introduction of these perspectives’ assumption first. The assumption of functionalism in family Broadly speaking, the functionalism has focused on the functions of the family in society and for its members. It looks at how the family as an institution to maintain the social order and stability, and the significance of the family for its individual members. George Peter Murdock, one of the major contributors to the field of anthropology and a functionalist in the field of Sociology has proposed that all families have four significant functions: sexual, economic, reproductive, and educational. These functions are important and fulfil needs in all societies. He proposes that the best institution to perform these functions is the family. The family is the primary point of socialization to provide children with values and norms. Family also stabilizes adult personalities. A family unit provides emotional security for each person in the relationship. (Haralambos Holborn, 2000, p. 509) We can observed that the insight of the functionalism is it can point out the essential features of family can provide positive role for people can become stable and maintain social order. However, Murdock’s approach was criticized as too mechanical with a classification system. Objections were also raised that his methodology was biased, because he has studied about 250 societies, from small hunting communities to industrial societies, but he used Western standards in comparative analysis of all different cultures. Also, Structural- functionalist perspectives emphasized the positive and functional aspects of the modern family, neglecting its dysfunctional aspects, which including conflict and violence that take place in the family, for instance, over 30% to 40% homicides in Hong Kong took place within family. (Liu 2014, p.13) The assumption of conflict perspectives in family Meanwhile, conflict perspectives, especially the Marxist have a different understanding in the family aspects. As we know that, in Marxist perspectives, the economy is the base structure that support several of the superstructure; Family is one of the superstructure was providing support to the economic base. Thus, the family institution helps fuel the capitalist economy with an abundance of labour. For instance, family can be an institution of nurturing children to be the next generation of workers, hence capitalist class can recruit them cheaply. Women also as a reserve army of labour can be cheap additional source of labour that helps to keep wages down. At the cultural level, the institution of family helps socializing individuals into accepting existing economic and political arrangements. It functions to implant the ideology of the capitalist class into the consciousness of the populace. (Liu 2014, p.150) Although the Marxist perspective points to the intriguing connection between the family and economy, and provide an alternative view, it has also received much criticism. One of the biggest criticisms is Marxist too simplified to explain the negative sides of the family, focus on the exploitation and inequality within family ignores the supports one can get from the family. Also, the various features of the family are regarded as no more the features and requirements of the economic base; family is only the institution solely develops to support the capitalist society. It is kind of reductionist explanatory framework that is too simplistic. (Liu 2014, p. 17) The assumption of functionalism in social stratification Functionalists consider that social stratification has important consequences for the operation of society. Davis and Moore argue that this system is both functional and inevitable. Kingsley Davis and Wilbert E. Moore (1945) gave an argument for social stratification as a solution to a problem by any societies. They argue that the most difficult jobs in any society have the highest incomes in order to motivate individuals to fill the roles needed by the division of labour. Thus inequality serves social stability (Davis and Wilbert, 1970, p. 242-249) In other words, social stratification can have a ‘placing and motivating’ function for individuals in the social structure.(Liu 2014, p. 9) The social stratification system allocates each individual to jobs and rewards them according to the functional importance of the job. This thesis implies that societies become more productive as they approach meritocracy. However, too much focus on meritocracy can erode the social structure of kinship and community. In addition, it might encourage some categories of individuals to look down upon others. Also, Tumin (1953) has critiqued that the differential rewards are more possibly a result of differences in power rather than of functional importance. The rationalization of existing system of stratification and inequality by an appeal to the inevitability of stratification and inequality is fallacious. (Liu 2014, p. 11) The assumption of conflict perspectives in social stratification Rather than functionalists believe the social stratification had the positive role in the society, the Marxists believe the stratification in term of class is more divisive than integrative. Marxists use Two-class model, owners and non-owners of the means of production to determine the class stratification. The class conflict between the capitalist class and the working class would soon fall into either the bipolar class positions of capitalist or worker. The extreme polarization of the two classes would lead working class to realize the conflict and their class interest; they would eventually organize themselves into a potent social-political force to protect its class interest and fight back, at the end leading to a revolution that bring a new economic conditions, the end of the capitalist system and later to communism in which all classes and states are abolished.(Liu 2014, p. 14) Although the Marxism has it insight of the social stratification, there is still some criticism of it. For instance, it is a dispute over the bi-polar class structure, the class structure of society is difficult to depict; two-class model is too simplistic. In fact, in modern society, there is a new class rising, which is middle class that have professionals who manage but not own the means of production cannot easily categorize into the two-class model. Moreover, Marx’s prophecy of class struggle and revolution took place in the pre-industrial societies, but we can observe that Russia, China and Vietnam both are not industrial societies or a great capitalist society, but happen the revelation of the communist revolution. The revolution of worker is fewer in the rapidly industrializing western rather Asia. It is not like Marx’s theory suggested. Also, Marx predicted the inevitability of the worker revolution in capitalist societies. However there are several of factors can account for the absence of the revolution predicted by Marx, for instance, more extensive worker organisation, the demands of workers have been institutionalised through the creation of trade union and more extensive legal protection, capitalists provide better conditions of work through law enforcement and security systems contain workers frustrations. Through the welfare provision and improve the conditions for workers can made compromises between two classes. (Liu 2014, p.16) Conclusion To conclude, we can observe that both two perspectives had their insight and criticisms. Because of the societies are rapidly changing in nowadays, hence it is hardly suitable to apply in the every different societies. Work Cited Davis, Kingsley and Wilbert E. Moore. Some Principles of Stratification.American Sociological Review,10 (2), 242-9. 1970. Dillon, Michele.Introduction to Sociological Theory: Theorists, Concepts, and Their Applicability to the Twenty-first Century (2nd Edition). Chichester, U.K.: Wiley-Blackwell, 2010. Print. Durkheim, E.The Rules of Sociological Method.Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1938. Liu, Garland. Lecture notes: Topic 4 (Sociological perspectives). The Open University of Hong Kong, 2014. Print. Liu, Garland. Lecture notes: Topic 5 (Family, social change and women’s role). The Open University of Hong Kong, 2014. Print. Liu, Garland. Lecture notes: Topic 6 (Social stratification). The Open University of Hong Kong, 2014. Print. Knapp, P.One World – Many Worlds: Contemporary Sociological Theory(2nd Ed.). Harpercollins College Div, 1994.