Employee Development Programs :: Career Planning, Training and Development

Employee development programs are not a new idea in the United States. General Motors established one of the first corporate universities in 1927 with the General Motors Institute (Gerbman, 2000). The concept was slow to catch on, but in the 1950s a variety of organizations followed the same path. During the 1950s General Electric established Crotonville Management Development Institute and Walt Disney began Disney University (Gerbman, 2000). McDonald’s followed this trend with the establishment of Hamburger University to train its managers in the early 1960s (Garger, 1999). Despite these progressive organizations, employee development and career planning still experienced some growing pains. In the 1970s, career planning and development efforts were focused on young employees that seemed to have high potential. It was a way for companies to plan for the future and nurture young workers for senior management positions (Moses, 1999). This career path model fit well with the traditional commitment employees would offer to companies. Chris Argyris referred to this commitment as a â€Å"psychological contract† in which employers were almost guaranteed long term loyalty and commitment to the organization in return for giving employees job security, opportunities for promotion, and training (Feldman, 2000). The ability to get on this fast track to the top of a company diminished in the 1980s when companies were moving to a flattened hierarchy with less room for promotions. People quickly realized that they were reaching plateaus in their careers and the opportunities for advancement did not exist (Moses, 1999). The concept 5 of career planning became less realistic for both individuals and organizations because neither could count on long term commitment (Feldman, 2000). The stock market crash of 1987 was a major turning point in employee development. Daniel Feldman keenly states that, â€Å"where once large corporations were seen as bastions of job security, they are now seen as minefields of job insecurity† (2000). Not only were corporations flattening, they were also downsizing and restructuring to compensate for loss of revenue. These drastic changes in the job market also led to changes in employee development programs. Barbara Moses states that, â€Å"today, job security is dead and loyalty to the organization in the tradition sense has died along with it† (1999). Under this assumption, companies have to change the way they view employee development. Where once training and development were viewed as mechanisms for employees to move up the corporate ladder, promotion is no longer an incentive for employees because it is not a definite option.

Rubber Company

Atlas Tire and Rubber Company 1) What were Atlas’ major challenges prior to the promotion of Walter Harrison as CEO? The main challenges faced by Atlas’ were competitive and financial challenges. As for the first time from 1905 the company was facing losses for consecutive 2 years in row as the company was facing a severe downturn. This was all because of the new challenges, which the company was facing due to their growth and expansion policiesThe company was also facing the competitive challenges from the low prices import products which were affecting their price strategy resulting in low profits, heavy slump in the automotive market in America also pulled back Atlas to regain its flagship. Due to all these the stock prices dropped down to 20 years low resulting in cutting down of credit rating to junk – bond status. So during this declining phase, the company needs some major transformational changes so that Atlas can regain its position and pride back. 2) Wh y did Harrison focus on an integrated supply chain as a significant element of Atlas’ new strategic plan?As Harrison and his team found that Atlas lacked integrated supply chain capabilities due to which disjointed distribution network was there and various third – partly logistic companies were used which lead to many problems and challenges. And logistics was only considered as a storage and distribution function rather than a strategic supply chain process. As Harrison came out with a strategic plan â€Å" Seven Principle of Growth† for turning around the Atlas’s fate. Harrison special focused on a superior and integrated supply chain.He focused on Integrated Supply Chain because he strongly feels that this would streamline the order and its fulfillment process so that they can be more accurate and easy to use because of their simplicity. The main focus was to deliver â€Å"the right tire to the right place at the right time while keeping costs and in ventories low. † Harrison wants to create an extra edge over the other tire manufacturers by creating the much better service capabilities. 3) What did the UST President, Michael Brogran, do to better understand customer needs? UST business defines Atlas’ s U. S.Tire business, which has the worth of producing, and selling 100 million tires per year and was generating approximately 50 percent of Atlas Revenue. Michael Brogran strongly feels that the superior supply chain was a vision that existed only on paper so he just made a team to understand customer needs in a better way. The main step the team had taken was to work across customer verticals, which were Consumer tires, Commercial Tires and Off Highway Tires. This structure help Atlas to better understand the customer needs in different segment and to meet them in different ways as needs were also different.As the part of this new alignment to understand consumers needs better Brogran facilitates cross company colla boration to identify interactions and collaboration and to share the best practices so that every department can better understand their customer needs for better visibility and control. 4) How did USTSC address the talent gap that they had in the organization? U. S. Tire Supply chain organization’s main objective was to integrate the planning and functional operations which included the responsibilities of contact centers, order management, pricing administration, distribution and delivery, billing and accounts receivable.USTSC was structured so that Atlas can understand & meet the needs of its customers that are classified under various segments likes consumer, commercial and off highway tires. The key goals of USTSC were – Lower the supply chain costs, – Boosting the customer services, – Improvement in the inventory management and associated working capital, – Simplifying the supply chain processes & management of the business. Initially USTSC c ame across major challenge with regards to talent gap.Reduction in headcount from several years impacted the internal supply chain analytical and execution capabilities. Moreover with five different 3PL (third party logistics) the focus was emphasized in managing the suppliers rather than the operations. After a thorough evaluation USTSC concluded that SCM (Supply Chain Management) was never a core competency of Atlas. In order to bridge the gap USTSC obtained assistance from organization that had expertise in planning and managing the complex supply chains.The synergy of these organizations was mutually beneficial to all the parties. Collaboration in supply chain planning, process development and service execution fetched superior results. Due to this synergy Atlas was able to leverage the expertise of Global’s supply chain & Global was in a position to gain a broader insight of Atlas’s requirements and supply chain capabilities. USTSC experienced a synergistic effect because of the Atlas-Global team and experienced more effective customer-supplier 3PL working model. Thus the talent gap was bridged by USTSC . Comment on the effectiveness of Atlas’ efforts to improve team-based strategic collaboration ? With the synergy of Global and Atlas, Atlas was in a position to leverage the expertise of Global’s supply chain & Global was able to derive a broader insight of Atlas’s requirements and supply chain capabilities. Alas-Global USTSC was able to develop team-focused, strategy-driven relationships that were unique in the 3PL industry. The organizations consistently maintained an active & effective coordinated participation across the supply chain sphere.Interactive teams from the three organizations facilitated the planning, developed and executed the key supply chain activities in order to achieve superior supply chain. The collaboration in team was very effective and was result oriented. The SCM team and the steering committee used to do brainstorming sessions to figure out new supply chain initiatives & at the other end the operations team and the SCM team evaluated and ensured the potential projects that could be implemented effectively and are favorable.The relationship building between the organizations was effective and there was a strong executive support from the top management. The organizations attained mutual benefits and they experienced more effective customer-supplier 3PL working model. There was effective synchronization in the strategies with regards to process design and execution. Allocation of resources was well planned and the responsibilities were well defined. More focused on the opportunities available. The integration of the team performance was able to create superior supply chain capabilities within the industry. . As O’Brien, what strategies would you recommend to Atlas to: A) Gain greater control over inventory; B) Optimize the flow of products in the supply chain. In ord er to gain control over inventory & to optimize the flow of products in supply chain: Implementing a centralized system within the 33 company owned regional distribution centers so that the information regarding supply chain, any innovations and critical information are accessible to everyone at one single point of time.Effective integration of the 4 third party logistics providers’ services would generate superior results. Forecasting should be done collaboratively by the Atlas sales group and manufacturing group in order to arrive at accurate estimates. Implementation of the ERP system like SAP would make it easy to figure out inventory analysis.A centralized system like SAP would also create transparency, easy availability of data, accessible to concerned department in a timely manner, constant flow of information, demand and supply of inventory can be balanced and can avoid instances like stock outs or over inventory carrying costs, more reliable and realistic, helps in d ecision making process, implementing a centralized approach in the transportation system, a well defined standard service parameter should be set and should get authorized by the compliance, regular audits and inspections should be done in order to check if there are any violations.

Lab Researching Networking Standards Essay

Part 1: Research Networking Standards Organizations Gather information about the major networking standards organizations by going on a web surfing treasure hunt. Identify important characteristics of some of the organizations. Part 2: Reflect on Internet and Computer Networking Experiences Reflect on how the various networking standards organizations enhance our experience of the Internet and computer networking. Background / Scenario Using web search engines like Google, research the non-profit organizations that are responsible for establishing international standards for the Internet and the development of Internet technologies. Required Resources Device with Internet access Part 1: Research Networking Standards Organizations In Part 1, you will identify some of the major standards organizations and important characteristics, such as the number of years in existence, the size of their membership, the important historical figures, some of the responsibilities and duties, organizational oversight role, and the location of the organization’s headquarters. Use a web browser or websites for various organizations to research information about the following organizations and the people who have been instrumental in maintaining them. You can find answers to the questions below by searching the following organizational acronyms and terms: ISO, ITU, ICANN, IANA, IEEE, EIA, TIA, ISOC, IAB, IETF, W3C, RFC, and Wi-Fi Alliance. 1. Who is Jonathan B. Postel and what is he known for?

How to Construct a Blooms Taxonomy Assessment

How to Construct a Bloom's Taxonomy Assessment Blooms Taxonomy is a method created by Benjamin Bloom to categorize the levels of reasoning skills that students use for active learning. There are six levels of Blooms Taxonomy: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Many teachers write their assessments in the lowest two levels of the taxonomy. However, this will often not show whether the students have truly integrated the new knowledge. One interesting method that can be used to make sure that all six levels are used is to create an assessment based entirely on the levels of Blooms Taxonomy. However, before doing this, it is essential that students are given background information and knowledge about the levels of the taxonomy. Introducing Students to Blooms Taxonomy The first step in preparing students is to introduce them to Blooms Taxonomy. After presenting the levels with examples of each to the students, teachers should have them practice the information. A fun way to do this is to have students create questions on an interesting topic in each level of the taxonomy. For example, they could write six questions based on a popular television show like The Simpsons. Have the students do this as part of whole group discussions. Then have them provide sample answers as a way to help guide them to the types of answers you are seeking. After presenting the information and practicing it, the teacher should then provide them with an opportunity to practice using the material being taught in class. For example, after teaching about magnetism, the teacher could go through six questions, one for each level, with the students. Together, the class can construct appropriate answers as a way to help students see what will be expected of them when they complete a Blooms Taxonomy assessment on their own. Creating the Blooms Taxonomy Assessment The first step in creating the assessment is to be clear on what the students should have learned from the lesson being taught. Then pick a singular topic and ask questions based on each of the levels. Here is an example using the prohibition era as the topic for an American History class. Knowledge Question: Define prohibition.Comprehension Question: Explain the relationship of each of the following to prohibition:18th Amendment21st AmendmentHerbert HooverAl CaponeWomans Christian Temperance UnionApplication Question: Could the methods that proponents of the temperance movement be used in a bid to create a Smoking Prohibition Amendment? Explain your answer.Analysis Question: Compare and contrast the motives of temperance leaders with those of doctors in the fight over prohibition.Synthesis Question: Create a poem or song that could have been used by temperance leaders to argue for the passage of the 18th Amendment.Evaluation Question: Evaluate prohibition in terms of its effects on the American economy. Students have to answer six different questions, one from each level of Blooms Taxonomy. This spiraling of knowledge shows a greater depth of understanding on the students part. Grading the Assessment When giving students an assessment like this, the more abstract questions should be awarded additional points. To fairly grade these questions, it is important that you create an effective rubric. Your rubric should allow students to earn partial points depending on how complete and accurate their questions are. One great way to make it more interesting for students is to give them some choice, especially in the upper-level questions. Give them two or three choices for each level so that they can choose the question that they feel most confident in answering correctly.

Reclusion vs. Seclusion

Reclusion vs. Seclusion Reclusion vs. Seclusion Reclusion vs. Seclusion By Maeve Maddox A reader asks to know the difference between â€Å"reclusion and seclusion, reclusive and seclusive.† Although synonyms for one another, these words are not interchangeable in every context. Of the nouns, seclusion is used more frequently than reclusion to refer to a state of being apart from society. One of its meanings is â€Å"a desirable separation from the hustle and bustle of daily life†: Wilderness lodges and resorts offer the utmost in luxurious accommodations and amenities, while providing the seclusion that many travelers seek when they visit Alaska. Shrouded by forest, Monterey estate offers seclusion, serenity In the context of public education, seclusion is a term for the prescribed separation of a disruptive student from classmates: The immediate goal of seclusion is to defuse a dangerous situation, protect the student and others from injury, and regain a safe, controlled, productive learning environment. Reclusion also refers to the state of being separated from society, but this word carries the connotation that the separation is a chosen way of life. Although the adjective seclusive may be found in the OED, it is not in common use. Reclusive is the common word used to mean, â€Å"disposed to prefer seclusion or isolation.† The word reclusion has religious origins. In the Middle Ages, women called anchoresses lived in reclusion: they inhabited a cell or small suite of rooms attached to a church and never left. Food was passed to them through a window. Some anchoresses, like Dame Julian of Norwich, received visitors for purposes of counseling, but some lived apart from all but the most necessary interaction with other people, sealed up in their cells as in a tomb. The word for a person who chooses a life of reclusion is recluse (American pronunciation: [REK-loos]; British pronunciation [ri-KLOOS]). In modern usage, the noun recluse and the adjective reclusive are used mainly in a nonreligious context. For example, well-known personalitiesliving and dead are often described as reclusive, notably, J.D. Salinger, Harper Lee, Emily Dickinson, and Howard Hughes. Here are some examples from the Web: Snowden A Recluse One Year On After Receiving Russia Asylum Reclusive  mining  heiress  leaves $30 million to the nurse For the past ten years, the London-born actor [Daniel Day-Lewis] has led a resolutely reclusive existence, locked away on a remote 50-acre estate in the mountains of County Wicklow Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Idioms About Talking15 Types of Documents1,462 Basic Plot Types

Considering Cases Of Bankruptcy And Reorganisation Of A Partnership Essay

Considering Cases Of Bankruptcy And Reorganisation Of A Partnership - Essay Example Bankruptcy is usually a legally declaration of individuals or organizations inability to pay their creditors. This request is done by the creditors in order for them to recoup a fraction of what they are owed by an individual or an organization. However, bankruptcy can also be initiated by the individuals themselves or organization in case they feel that they are not capable of paying their debts. In simple words, an individual or an organization is insolvent or bankrupt if it cannot pay his debts or discharge his liabilities on the due date. The creditors or the debtors themselves may present a petition to the court that a receiving order should be made. For this case, Beren took the correct step of filing an involuntary petition with the court of law to declare their partnership bankrupt as indicated in chapter 7. Indeed the partnership had exceeded their estimate of purchasing and renovating the office building to a point of accumulating debts amounting to $380,000 against the $200,000 they had set aside for this and effort by Beren to convince other partners to seek additional funds bore no fruits. On the other had Elliot and Mannino objected to Beren's idea of involuntary bankruptcy under Chapter 7. ... Under Chapter 7, there is an alternative relief for the debtors to avoid the issue of their partnership being liquidated and continue doing it business. For this case the involuntary petition filed by Beren may not be granted by the court which was done against the wish of Elliot and Mannino. (U.S Courts, 2006) Elliot and Mannino should file a petition under chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. The debtors may argue that they would pay the debts if the payment period is extended. They may also argue that they may have a comprehensive reorganization. 1 The main objective of bankruptcy is to give an honest individual a clean bill of life or a fresh start after discharging certain debts. Usually the there is no responsibility of liabilities already discharged on the side of the debtor. Question Two Explaining Whether the Bankruptcy Court Confirms the Debtor's Plan of Reorganization A voluntary petition was filed by Richard under chapter 11. He filed a reorganization plan that divided his creditors into three classes. The three classes were: administrative creditors which were to be paid in full; the second class were unsecured creditors which were to receive 50% on their claims and the third class was the IRS which was to receive $20,000 on confirmation and the balance in future payments. There was no creditor who voted to accept this arrangement and the unsecured creditors were impaired since their legal, equitable, and contractual rights were being altered. (http://www.uscourts.gov/bankruptcycourts/bankruptcybasics/chapter11.html) To keep the firm running, debtors propose a plan of reorganization in order for them to pay their creditors in a considerable period of time. A

Annotated bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Annotated Bibliography Example ternet marketing, in terms of how the online marketing influences consumer psychology and hence consumer purchasing behavior, which makes the book a must read for anybody interested in our topic. In this journal article, the authors discuss extensively online consumer information and advertising. Basically, they discuss on Internet advertising gives information to consumers online, which in turns affects their purchasing behavior; hence, the article is very relevant to this topic. In this article from The New Yorker Magazine, the author, Malcom Gladwell, examines the science of marketing and incorporates aspects of Internet marketing and their influence on the consumer. He discusses how such marketing strategies influence consumer purchasing behavior; thus, the article is very relevant to this study. In this book, the author extensively explores Internet marketing concentrating on online marketing andterming it as the newest and one of the fastest growing forms of marketing. The author argues that Internet marketing is increasingly becoming popular and that it is playing a big role in influencing consumer behavior, that is consumer purchasing behavior, which makes it very relevant to the topic of our discussion. In this article in the Time Magazine, the author, Steven Johnson, discusses how bloggers, hobbyists and diarists among others promote extensive Internet marketing and how their activities influence consumer demand and behavior. Due to this, the article is very relevant to the research, which deals with the role of Internet marketing on consumer behavior. In this article, the author, Abhilasha Mehta, touches on the issue of advertising attitudes and advertising effectiveness, where he looks at how Internet marketing is becoming a major type of advertising and how it is massively beginning to influence purchasing behavior of consumers all over the world. He emphasizes the fact that Internet marketing is becoming a very effective means of advertising in