Maximilian’s Letter Essay Example for Free

Maximilian’s Letter Essay In Maximilians letter to Minister Siliceo, he expressed a deep desire to improve the educational system in Mexico, such that he wanted Mexicos literacy level to be at par with those of the developed countries. His goal was to make education free for everyone, at least on the elementary level. In writing this, he made it clear that literacy should be a top priority and thinking otherwise would be detrimental to Mexico. From general instructions, like free elementary education for all and a secondary school designed to become a basis for specialized studies, he went on to specify that ancient and modern languages, as well natural sciences be taught in school for the purpose of achieving significant mental exercise for the young minds or the students of Mexico. Maximilian was emphatic about educating the students with modern languages because according to him, modern languages is nowadays absolutely essential for a Nation that intends to participate in world affairs (page 24). He further stressed that knowledge of modern languages is instrumental to maintaining and preserving Mexicos relations with other nations. In essence, Maximilian was implying the importance of standing on ones own feel while being inter-dependent with others, too. This is an excellent point of view because Maximilian did not want Mexico to be great yet isolated; rather, he wanted Mexico to become a self-sustaining nation that could interact competently with other nations as well. Interestingly, even physical education was not far from Maximilians concerns. In fact, Maximilian asked Minister Siliceo to pay as much attention to the physical well-being and activities, as to the intellectual development of the students. The longer his letter to Minister Siliceo becomes, the clearer it manifests that he had carefully planned the educational system of Mexico in his mind in such a way that it would never be left behind by the modern and advanced countries of the world. In the same manner that Maximilian wanted a balanced attention to physical education and intellectual development, he also stressed the importance of balanced attention to the sciences and the arts in higher and professional studies. Maximilian became extra emphatic when he discussed the science that was still not widely appreciated in Mexico at the time philosophy. He described philosophy as the science that strengthens the intellect, teaches man to know himself, and as a result of this self-knowledge, to comprehend the moral order of human society. In this point of the letter, it is very clear that Maximilian was not a conservative thinker. For one, he did not choose to stick to what has been the educational paradigm in Mexico; instead, he called for the introduction and promotion of philosophy among students. He was completely liberal in his flow of thought, such that he implied a hasty call for change so that the students become competent in philosophy, so that their intellect be strengthened, so that self-knowledge becomes a reality, and subsequently the students would see the moral order of human society from the perspective of an independent logical thinker. Maximilian also gave Minister Siliceo a piece of his mind regarding the Roman Catholic Church, which was the dominant church in Mexico at the time (and up to now). Religion, according to Maximilian, â€Å"is a matter of an individual’s conscience. † Here, he meant to say that choice of religion should not be shoved down the young minds of the student in a strict manner because ultimately, it is the human conscience that would decide what to choose. Maximilan further noted, â€Å"The less the State interferes with religious questions, the truer to its mission it will remain. † By this, Maximilian meant to emphasize that the State and the Church should be independent from each other. However, the issue of religious education is the responsibility of the State, and not the Church. Education, in all its level and facets, should be administered and operated by the State, according to Maximilian. This is the only way that the State can be faithful in its responsibility to educate the young minds of Mexico. In his letter, Maximilian told Minister Siliceo, â€Å"your drafts and proposals will emphasize the principle that local parishes give religious instruction in lower and middle schools on the basis of books approved by the Government. Essentially, everyone can choose their religion. In fact, everyone can learn about religion. However, if anyone wishes to learn more about religion than what the State approves of, then s/he would have to find an appropriate venue, other than the educational institutions operated by the State. Maximilian made it clear that the clergy would be educated in the way of the Church, but the rest of the students would learn according to the educational design of the Government. Ultimately, Maximilian wanted to preserve the independence and separation of the Church and the Government, and leave religion and religious beliefs to the human conscience. In Maximilian’s words, â€Å"We have freed the Church and science. † Therefore, as far as Maximilian was concerned, young minds will learn not the ways of the clergy but the ways of science. Finally, Maximilian instructed Minister Siliceo to train the best educators and provide good books for the total improvement and maintenance of the educational system in Mexico.

Things I Dont Want to be When I Grow Up :: Personal Narrative, Personal Experience

As a youthful teen, I have many dreams and ambitions yet to be achieved. I have always daydreamed of my future with childhood fantasy. But, what are the things I do not want to do when I grow up? A myriad of thoughts cross my mind. Firstly, I definitely would not want to have a lowly position in life. I would like to run the extra mile, to strive harder and to gain the highest education that I can achieve . I do not want to be underestimated and believe that nothing is impossible. I am resolute in achieving what I want and I know what I have to do to get there. The transition to adulthood is filled with many temptations that determine our lifestyle and choices for the rest of our lives. Drugs lead to an unhealthy economic and social position, besides extensively damaging our health. Greed ends up dominating the more prominent matters in life, such as taking time out for family, whilst jealousy is a sin that propels us towards superficiality. All these immoral acts and wrongdoings not only places others in grief but also shows a personality which is unhealthy in mind, soul and heart. Therefore, I do not plan on becoming one when I grow up, but rather be discipline and firm in doing the right thing. I do not want to be all blue and gloom. â€Å" Laughter is the best medicine.† It is very important that we always look on the bright side, to think half full, instead of half empty. Positive instead of negative. Optimistic rather than pessimistic. Furthermore, studies show that smiling releases endorphins, which are natural painkillers and that it takes 43 muscles to frown but only 16 muscles to smile! So, why frown? Smile a mile wide and share a cheery, bright personality with everyone. I do not want to experience the serious problem of unpaid debts and bankruptcy when I am grown up. We should not have excuses to spending lavishly. Prudent spending is always wise. After all, it is better to save that money for a rainy day than to spend it foolishly. I definitely do not desire to be ignorant of our environment of which we are depending on so wholly, especially when I am grown up. I want to go green and participate in preserving the environment, Our planet can continue to be a beautiful planet if we care for our environment and stop it from being destroyed.

The Globalization Debate: Prosperity or Impoverishment?

Is the shift toward a more integrated and interdependent global economy a good thing? Many influential economists, politicians, and business leaders seem to think so. They argue that falling barriers to international trade and investment are the twin engines that are driving the global economy toward ever greater prosperity. They argue that increased international trade and cross-border investment will result in lower prices for goods and services. They believe that globalization stimulates economic growth, raises the incomes of consumers, and helps to create jobs in all countries that choose to participate in the global trading system. There are good theoretical reasons for believing that declining barriers to international trade and investment do stimulate economic growth, create jobs, and raise income levels. Moreover, considerable empirical evidence lends support to the predictions of this theory. However, despite the existence of a compelling body of theory and evidence, the process of globalization has its critics. We would be remiss if we did not mention their concerns. Here we briefly review the main themes of the debate. In later chapters we shall elaborate on many of the points mentioned below Globalization, Jobs, and Incomes One frequently voiced concern is that far from creating jobs, removing barriers to international trade actually destroys manufacturing jobs in wealthy advanced economies such as the United States. The basic thrust of the critics' argument is that falling trade barriers allow firms to move their manufacturing activities offshore to countries where wage rates are much lower. Bartlett and Steele, two journalists for the Philadelphia Inquirer who have gained notoriety for their attacks on free trade, cite the case of Harwood Industries, a U. S. clothing manufacturer that closed its U. S. operations, where it paid workers $9 per hour, and shifted manufacturing to Honduras, where textile workers receive 48 cents per hour. 32 Because of moves like this, argue Bartlett and Steele, the wage rates of poorer Americans have fallen significantly over the last quarter of a century. Supporters of globalization reply that critics such as Bartlett and Steele miss the essential point about free trade-the benefits outweigh the costS. 3 They argue that free trade results in countries specializing in the production of those goods and services that they can produce most efficiently, while importing goods that they cannot produce as efficiently from other countries. When a country embraces free trade there is always some dislocation-lost textile jobs at Harwood Industries, for example-but the whole economy is better off as a result. According to this view, it makes little sense for the United States to produce textiles at home when they ca n be produced at a lower cost in Honduras or China (which, unlike Honduras, is a major source of U. S. textile imports). Importing textiles from China leads to lower prices for clothes in the United States, which enables U. S. consumers to spend more of their money on other items. At the same time, the increased income generated in China from textile exports increases income levels in that country, which helps the Chinese to purchase more products produced in the United States, such as Boeing jets, Intel-based computers, Microsoft software, and Motorola cellular telephones. In this manner, supporters of globalization argue that free trade benefits all countries that adhere to a free trade regime. Supporters of globalization do concede that the wage rate enjoyed by unskilled workers in many advanced economies has declined in recent years. For example, data from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development suggest that since 1980 the lowest 10 percent of American workers have seen a drop in their real wages (adjusted for inflation) of about 20 percent, while the top 10 percent have enjoyed a real pay increase of about 10 percent. Similar trends can be seen in many other countries. However, while critics of globalization argue that the decline in unskilled wage rates is due to the migration of low-wage manufacturing jobs offshore, and a corresponding reduction in demand for unskilled workers, supporters of globalization see a more complex picture. They maintain that the declining real wage rates of unskilled workers owes far more to a technology-induced shift within advanced economies away from jobs where the only qualification was a willingness to turn up for work every day and toward jobs that require employees to possess significant education and skills. They point out that within many advanced economies there is a shortage of highly skilled workers and an excess supply of unskilled workers. Thus, growing income inequality is a result of the wages for skilled workers, being bid up by the labor market and the wages for unskilled workers being discounted. If one agrees with this logic, a solution to the problem of declining incomes is to be found not in limiting free trade and globalization, but in increasing society's investment in education to reduce the supply of unskilled workers. Globalization, Labor Policies, and the Environment IA second source of concern is that free trade encourages firms from advanced nations to move manufacturing facilities offshore to less developed countries that lack adequate regulations to protect labor and the environment from abuse by the unscrupulous. Critics argue that adhering to labor and environmental regulations significantly increases the costs of manufacturing enterprises and puts them at a competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace vis-a-vis firms based in developing nations that do not have to comply with such regulations. Firms deal with this cost disadvantage, so the theory goes, by moving their production facilities to nations that do not have such burdensome regulations or fail to enforce the regulations they do have. If this is the case, one might expect free trade to lead to an increase in pollution and result in firms from advanced nations exploiting the labor of less developed nations. This argument was used repeatedly by those who opposed the 1994 formation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The vision they painted was one of U. S. anufacturing firms moving to Mexico in droves so that they would be free to pollute the environment, employ child labor, and ignore workplace safety and health issues, all in the name of higher profits. Supporters of free trade and greater globalization express serious doubts about this scenario. They point out that tougher environmental regulations and stricter labor standards go hand in hand with economi c progress. In general, as countries get ‘richer, they enact tougher environmental and labor regulations. Since free trade enables developing countries to increase their economic growth rates and become richer, this should be correlated ith the introduction of tougher environmental and labor laws. In this view, the critics of free trade have got it backward-free trade does not lead to more pollution and labor exploitation; it leads to less! Moreover, supporters of free trade point out that it is possible to tie free trade agreements to the implementation of tougher environmental and labor laws in less developed countries. NAFTA, for example, was passed only after side agreements had been negotiated that committed Mexico to tougher enforcement of environmental protection regulations. Thus, supporters of free trade argue that factories based in Mexico are now cleaner than they would have been without the passage of NAFTA. Free trade supporters also argue that business firms are not the amoral organizations that critics suggest. While there may be a few rotten apples, the vast majority of business enterprises are staffed by managers who are committed to behave in an ethical manner and would be unlikely to move production offshore just so they could pump more pollution into the atmosphere or exploit labor. Furthermore, the relationship among pollution, labor exploitation, and production costs may not be that suggested by critics. In general, a well-treated labor force is a productive work force, and it is productivity rather than base wage rates that often has the greatest influence on costs. Given this, in the vast majority of cases, the vision of greedy managers who shift production to low-wage companies in order to â€Å"exploit† their labor force may be misplaced. Globalization and National Sovereignty A final concern voiced by critics' of globalization is that in today's increasingly interdependent global economy, economic power is shifting away from national governments and toward supranational organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the European Union, and the United Nations. As perceived by critics, the problem is that unelected bureaucrats are now sometimes able to impose policies on the democratically elected governments of nation-states, thereby undermining the sovereignty of those states. In this manner, claim critics, the ability of the nation-state to control its own destiny is being limited. The World Trade Organization is a favorite target of those who attack the world's headlong rush toward a global economy. The WTO was founded in 1994 to police the world trading system established by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The WTO arbitrates trade disputes between the 120 or so nation-states that have signed the GATT. The WTO arbitration panel can issue a ruling instructing a member state to change trade policies that violate GATT regulations. If the violator refuses to comply with the ruling, the WTO allows other states to impose appropriate trade sanctions on the transgressor. As a result, according to one prominent critic, the U. S. environmentalist and consumer rights advocate Ralph Nader: In contrast to Nader's inflammatory rhetoric, many economists and politicians maintain that the power of supranational organizations such as the WTO is limited to what nation-states collectively agree to grant. They argue that bodies such as the United Nations and the WTO exist to serve the collective interests of member states, not to subvert those interests. Moreover, supporters of supranational organizations point out that in reality, the power of these bodies rests largely on their ability to persuade member states to follow a certain course of action. If these bodies fail to serve the collective interests of member states, those states will withdraw their support, and the supranational organization will quickly collapse. In this view, then, real power still resides with individual nation-states, not supranational organizations.

Mothers Day Celebrations Around the World

Although the idea of honoring mothers on a special day was known as far back as ancient Greece, today Mothers Day is celebrated in many countries, in many different ways, and on different dates. Where Did Mothers Day Originate? The credit for the American Mothers Day observance goes to three women. In 1872 Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910), who also wrote the lyrics for The Battle Hymn of the Republic, proposed a Mothers Day observance dedicated to peace in the years following the Civil War. Such annual observances were held in Boston in the late 1800s. In 1907 Anna Marie Jarvis (1864-1948), a Philadelphia teacher originally from Grafton, West Virginia, began her own efforts to establish a national Mothers Day. She also wished to honor her own mother, Anna Reeves Jarvis (1832-1905), who had first promoted the Mothers Work Days in 1858 as a way to improve the sanitary conditions in her town. She later worked to relieve suffering during and after the Civil War. With the support of churches, business people, and politicians, Mothers Day came to be observed on the second Sunday in May in most U.S. states within several years of Ann Jarvis campaign. The national Mothers Day holiday became official on May 8, 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson signed a joint resolution, but it was more of a patriotic day on which flags were flown in honor of mom. Ironically, Anna Jarvis, who later tried in vain to combat the increasing commercialization of the holiday, never became a mother herself. Mothers Day in Europe Englands Mothers Day observance goes back to the 13th century when Mothering Sunday was observed on the fourth Sunday of Lent (because it was originally for Mary, mother of Christ). Later, in the 17th century, servants were given a free day on Mothering Sunday to return home and visit their mothers, often bringing along a sweet treat known as the mothering cake that was to be kept until Easter. In the UK, Mothering Sunday is still observed during Lent, in March or early April. In Austria, Germany, and Switzerland Muttertag is observed on the second Sunday in May, just as in the U.S., Australia, Brazil, Italy, Japan, and many other countries. During the First World War, Switzerland was one the first European countries to introduce Mothers Day (in 1917). Germanys first Muttertag observance took place in 1922, Austrias in 1926 (or 1924, depending on the source). Muttertag was first declared an official German holiday in 1933 (the second Sunday in May) and took on a special significance as part of the Nazi motherhood cult under the Hitler regime. There was even a medal—das Mutterkreuz—in bronze, silver, and gold (eight or more Kinder!), awarded to mothers who produced children for the Vaterland. (The medal had the popular nickname of Karnickelorden, the Order of the Rabbit.) After World War II the German holiday became a more unofficial one that took on the cards-and-flowers elements of the U.S. Mothers Day. In Germany, if Mothers Day happens to fall on Pfingstsonntag (Pentecost), the holiday is moved to the first Sunday in May. Mothers Day in Latin America International Mothers Day is observed on May 11. In Mexico and much of Latin America Mothers Day is on May 10. In France and Sweden Mothers Day falls on the last Sunday in May. Spring in Argentina comes in October, which may explain why their Mothers Day observance is on the second Sunday in October rather than May. In Spain and Portugal Mothers Day is Dec. 8 and is more of a religious holiday than most Mothers Day celebrations around the world, although the English Mothering Sunday actually began under Henry III in the 1200s as a celebration of the Mother Church. German poet and philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Von Vater hab ich die Statur, des Lebens ernstes FÃ ¼hren, von MÃ ¼tterchen die Frohnatur und Lust zu fabulieren.

Islamic Law and Human Trafficking in Saudi Arabia Essay

Over recent years, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been confronted with a great challenge: becoming a modernized country without rejecting its long-held culture and heritage. In many ways, the state has been a success story, having developed a profitable oil-based economy and considerable world influence. Less than one hundred years ago, Saudi Arabia had not yet been unified; today, it is a state with complex financial, legal, and political systems, with a culture marked by deep history and faith. Since the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks, Saudi Arabia has continued to work on a reform agenda to promote greater participation by Saudi citizens, a vibrant economy, and a civil society. However, many†¦show more content†¦The Qur’an’s commitment to fighting slavery, trafficking, and labor abuse, as well as Saudi Arabia’s hesitant creation of anti-trafficking movements and legislation, indicate that such legislation is not necessarily in contradiction wit h the principles of Islamic law. Despite the reluctance of Western commentators and legal scholars to accept that Islamic law can reach outcomes largely similar to a Western legal system, anti-trafficking legislation and movements in Saudi Arabia have the potential to succeed. As such, more effective ways to fight human trafficking in Saudi Arabia should stem from cultural and political reforms and better enforcement of the limited anti-trafficking legislation it does have, rather than an unnecessary and politically dangerous upheaval of the legal system from outside forces. Saudi Arabia’s political culture is unfortunately not very conducive to gender equality or anti-trafficking measures. 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Attraction and Retention of Talent Management

Question: Discuss about the Attraction and Retention of Talent Management. Answer: Introduction Motivated employees are a critical factor for organisations to realise its goals and objectives. That is, motivated employees are usually engaged in their various tasks as well as having a high level of commitment towards to the organisation. As a result of this high level of commitment, organisations are able to realise high employee retention rate and stability which translate to better performance of these organisations (Ellingsen Johannesson, 2008). In this regard, organisations have come up with several ways of ensuring that their employees remain motivated and committed to the organisations course. These motivation incentives include rewards, career development opportunities, recognition and a positive organisation culture (Bratton Gold, 2000). For example, McDonald's Australia uses leadership development schemes to motivate its employees while Spastic Centre uses salary packaging method to ensure employee commitment and retain talent. These two methods have been found to be effective in realizing these organisational goals. This paper examines these two methods of talent retention. Furthermore, the paper argues that salary packaging is one of the most effective methods of employees motivation and talent retention. Generally, talent retention refers to the ability of the organisation to keep its employees committed and motivated for a long period of time thus leading to low employee turnover. Akhilesh (2014) highlighted that low employee turnover is important in ensuring that the organisation is stable and enhances the ability of the organisation to implement its strategies and achieve its goals and objectives. According to Bhatnagar (2007) low employee turnover also ensures effective and efficient implementation of change and programmes within the organisation. Organisations with low employee turnover such as McDonalds Australia and Spastic Centre use various methods in order to retain talent. McDonalds Australia has a strong culture that promotes talent development (Isukapally, 2005). This culture facilitates the career development from a junior level to executive levels. According to some studies, younger generations are usually less willing to remain with the same organisation and also have lower organisational commitment compared to older generations. However, these younger generations usually exhibit strong learning orientation (Hatum, 2010). As a result, organisations willing to keep young generations must also provide them with opportunities to learn and grow their leadership skills. McDonalds Australia prioritizes this method of talent development since they believe that promoting people within the organisation breeds leaders with a better understanding of its culture and business. The firm also has a recognition program that promotes teamwork within the organisation. These career development oriented programmes there help to attract and retain top talents within the organisation. Conversely, employees are motivated differently and sometimes organisations can struggle to find factors that lead to the minimization of employee turnover within an organisation (Mondy, Noe, Gowan, 2005). Though research shows that in some cultures employees care a lot on how much the employer values them, in some cultures, tangible rewards are more valued by employees than intangible rewards such as recognition and talent development (Amabile, 1993). However, the success of talent retention techniques can also differ from one organisation to another. For example, McDonalds Australia linked their decision to leave with the talent development and leadership opportunities availed by the firm. In this regard, a high number of employees were willing to continue working for McDonalds Australia and exploit opportunities to rise within the organisation. McDonalds Australias recognition limits the influence of factors that can lead to talent loss. Some studies identified leadership problems, organisational culture and lack of employee equity as some of the reasons for talent loss (Samuel Chipunza, 2009). Through employee recognition programme most of these factors are eliminated from the organisation. In this regard, teamwork and strong leadership will be important in ensuring the success of recognition programme towards talent retention. Past studies and theories also support McDonalds recognition programme as a way of enhancing organisation commitment and talent retention. Proponents of expectancy theory argue that job attractiveness depends on the desirability of the reward to the person, performance required to secure the reward and the belief of a person that his/her efforts will affect that performance (Mondy, Noe, Gowan, 2005). This theory can be used to explain job satisfaction at various organisations and therefore can also be used to explain talent retention using recognition at McDonalds Australia. Recognition is based on the perception of the employees that their actions are contributing positively to the ability of the organisation to realise its goals (Samuel Chipunza, 2009). Ryan and Deci (2000) highlighted that this perception is therefore enhanced by the introduction of recognition programmes that will motivate the employees and help them achieve their desired reward i.e. leadership position. In thi s organisation, the leadership position is considered the necessary condition to ensure increase job satisfaction and thus higher rate of talent retention. Additionally, recognition helps employees to realise their social needs thus increasing their motivation towards their work and other tasks within the organisation. According to Maslows need theory, recognition is one of the social needs of an employee. Mondy, Noe and Gowan (2005) indicated that recognition or appreciation confirms to the employees that their work is valued and appreciated thus improving their satisfaction and productivity. At the workplace, leadership actions that make employees feel unappreciated can be very detrimental to their engagement thus increasing the chances of leaving. Therefore, appreciation of employees efforts will positively impact on the ability of the organisation to attract and retain top talents. Furthermore, employee recognition will enhance the competitiveness of the organisation by impacting on some of the key organisational success factors. In the case of McDonalds Australia, the employee recognition programme had led to a reduction in the emp loyee turnover, improved team culture and enhanced performance of the employees and the organisation as a whole. Alternatively, some organisations prioritises rewarding employee performance as a way of motivating employees. For instance, these organisations believe that increasing the rewards available to employees will increase their motivation and commitment. Rewards are an important incentive in enhancing the performance of employees as well as ensuring talent retention. As highlighted in the case of McDonalds Australia intangible reward such as recognition can have a huge impact on employees motivation and thus talent retention. However, some organisations such as Spastic Center use tangible rewards to enhance employee motivation (Steel, Konig,2006). External rewards such as bonuses, salaries, and allowances also lead to increased talent retention in several organisations. Here, people or employees are committed to the course of the organisation due to the promise of a higher external reward for better performance. In some cases, people are not entirely motivated by the internal desires and wishes but by the promise of certain external rewards. According to incentive theory, organisations which re-enforce these external rewards can achieve greater employee commitment and motivation (Laffont Mortimort, 2001; Steel, Konig,2006). This type of motivation is called extrinsic motivation. It can also be described as a type of motivation driven by external stimuli. Some of the examples of external stimuli that lead to extrinsic motivation include an employee of the month awards, benefit packages, bonuses and organisational activities. Several organisations in Australia use salary packaging as one of the ways to inspire extrinsic motivation among employees and ensure talent retention (Benabou Tirole, 2003). According to Kramar et al. (2014) salary packaging refers to a motivational incentive that combines an employee salary with other fringe benefits in exchange for a certain part of the monetary salary. These types of arrangements in most cases result in benefits for the employee or employer in terms of tax obligations. Some of the items which are commonly used in salary packaging include vehicles, mobile phones, and laptop computers and so on. In Australia, some companies allow their employees to include household utility bills and other items in the salary package. Charities and public organisations exploit the salary packaging option in order to benefit from the Fringe Benefits Tax exempt items such as mobile phones and laptops for work purposes (Kramar et al., 2014). Spastic Centre is a non-governmental organisation that uses a tangible reward incentive like salary packaging to enhance talent retention. According to this organisation, the salary packaging is one of the ways of making employees salary tax efficient. In this regard, the organisation regards this system as an important part of the organisations employee attraction and retention policy. This method allows employees to exert and exploit their power over their salaries and other employment rewards. Some of the most common items that Spastic Center had included in the salary package include benefit vehicles, laptop computers, and employer superannuation contributions among others. On the other hand, Optus allows for salary packaging for employees to purchase food products. According to Australian legislations, sacrifice for sustenance is allowed. In the Optus programme, employees are expected to pay $1 weekly to access the scheme. This scheme was introduced since food provision was seen as one of the most important benefits for employees and salary packaging could be used to realise this goal (Sule, Amuni, Obasan, Banjo, 2015). This salary packaging concept is however not widespread in many organisations and industries. In order to ensure motivation and commitment of employees from this scheme, managers should ensure that whatever is included in the salary package leads to an improvement in the employees commitment hence talent retention (Kerr-Phillips Thomas, 2009). Just like in the case of the McDonalds Australia recognition scheme, organisation managers and leaders plays a crucial role in the coordination of groups, skills and rewards to individuals in a way that will enhance the ability to realise organisation goals. Salary packaging reduces tax obligations of the employees thus indirectly avails more money for these employees. As a result, employees will feel motivated, inspired and empowered by the organisation (Rani Reddy, 2014). Furthermore, it will facilitate productivity and commitment of the employees as a result of increased external incentives. Salary packaging also acts as an additional benefit to the employees. In this case, employers of small and large organisations use salary packaging as a recruitment and retention tool. It is a tax efficient mechanism that will ensure employees employ less tax (Sule, Amuni, Obasan, Banjo, 2015). That means that salary packaging effectively reduces the gross pay of employees. That is, it reduces the amount which is exposed to PAYE and National Insurance. On the other hand, salary packaging presents an exciting opportunity for companies to extend their benefits to their employees. This type of benefit can be available to the entire members of the organisation leading to motivational benefits on the entire organisation. For example, one a company uses a scheme such as availing a company to all employees, all employees will hugely benefit. According to Birt, Wallis and Winternitz (2004), this type of motivation is more effective in areas where group culture is highly embraced. In these t ypes of cultures, rewards which are attached to individual performance have been found to be relatively ineffective. In this case, companies must come up with reward schemes which will benefit the entire workforce like salary packaging. Consequently, salary packaging has been found to enhance the effectiveness of financial incentives as a motivating tool. For example, a study on UK employees found that only 13% of employees were motivated by purely financial incentives. However, this figure rose to 46% when these financial incentives were mixed with other bonuses in the form of a salary package (DAmato Herzfeldt, 2008). This study, therefore, revealed a clear split between salary and performance bonuses in motivating employees. That is, most employees did not draw much motivation from purely financial tools (Samuel Chipunza, 2009). In the case of Spastic Centre, a salary package that included other non-financial benefits was very effective. This affirms the findings of the UK study on the effectiveness of a mixed motivational approach (Sule, Amuni, Obasan, Banjo, 2015). Spastic Center had therefore registered a high level of employee retention as a result of their salary packaging motivation approach. Despite Spastic Center relying hugely on salary packaging, recognition strategy can also be used by NGOs to enhance motivation of employees and ability of the organisations to retain talent. In order for these organisations to motivate their employees, they rely on cost effective and non-financial motivation (Meyer, Stanley, Herscovitch, Topolnytsky, 2002). In this case, intrinsic motivation is essential in ensuring that employees are motivated and committed. Most NGOs deals with social and community problems. In some of these cases, employees draw their motivation from their contribution to the improvement of livelihoods and welfare of the entire society. In this case, McDonalds Australias recognition is expected to be effective in talent retention for most NGOs (Chirkov, Ryan, Kim, Kaplan, 2003). However, the success of any motivational tool (salary packaging or recognition) depends on the specific characteristics of the employees and jobs. Firms and organisations must be able to adjust to these motivational variations among employees. Furthermore, quit decisions of the employees is also dependent on other factors such as the job offer and the previous firing decisions within the organisation. According to past studies, these factors impact on the job security of the employee thus influencing his/her motivation, commitment and the organisations ability to retain talents (Behery, Patton, Hussain, 2012). Meanwhile, NGOs can achieve maximum commitment and motivation of their employees by use a combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation tools (Benabou Tirole,2003). Studies have shown that organisations like Spastic Center can use the salary package scheme as well as the recognition programme as used by McDonalds Australia. The findings of various studies have found that motivation of employees are individually determined and therefore organisations should have more than a single technique to motivate its employees and enhance talent retention (Gagn Meyer, 2014). First, there are employees who are significantly motivated by financial rewards. This type of employees need will be retained in the organisation if the salary and wages are adequate and fair. Second, some employees are more motivated by intrinsic factors such as achievement and recognition (Breaugh Starke, 2000). Another group of employees would prefer to be rewarded adequately financially while at the same time the organisation must show that they appreciate his/her efforts. Conclusion Talent retention is one of the essential factors if an organisation is to realise its long-term objectives. This paper evaluates the talent retention tactics of McDonalds Australia and Spastic Centre. The researcher argued that salary packaging is one of the most important tools of ensuring talent retention within an organisation. Past studies revealed that talent retention was directly related to the motivation and commitment of the employees. In this case, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation factors were found to be critical in realizing high employee retention rates. McDonalds Australia was found to use an employee recognition programme that depended on the promotion of team culture, development of talent and leadership within the organisation. On the other hand, Spastic Centre adopted a salary packaging scheme that reduced tax and national insurance obligations among employees. These two strategies were effective in the case of the two companies as they both recorded a high talent retention rate. However, the researcher found that employee recognition approach used by McDonalds Australia could also effectively apply in the case of NGOs. References Akhilesh,K.B. (2014). Attraction and Retention of Talent Management in RD. RD Management, 115-123. doi:10.1007/978-81-322-1946-0_10 Amabile,T.M. (1993). Motivational synergy: Toward new conceptualizations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the workplace. 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Affective, Continuance, and Normative Commitment to the Organization: A Meta-analysis of Antecedents, Correlates, and Consequences. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 16, 20-25. doi:10.1006/jvbe.2001.1842 Rani,P., Reddy,B. (2014). Key Talent Engagement Retention A Case of Software Industry. Asian Social Science, 11(3). doi:10.5539/ass.v11n3p188 Ryan,R.M., Deci,E.L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being". . 55 (1): 6878. doi:. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68 Samuel,M.O., Chipunza,C. (2009). Employee retention and turnover: Using motivational variables as a panacea. African Journal of Business Management, 3(8), 410-415. doi:10.5897/AJBM09.125 Steel,P.C., Konig,C. (2006). Integrating theories of motivation. Academy of Management Review, 31, 889-913. doi:10.5465/AMR.2006.22527462 Sule,O.E., Amuni,S.I., Obasan,K.A., Banjo,H.A. (2015). 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Samsung External Environment Essay Example

Samsung External Environment Paper The paper includes four parts; describe each of levers I used and analyze the sequence why I chose, assess how effective I was as a change agent, what I learned about managing organizational change, and what is the improvement in the future. At the very beginning, did not know how to play that very well, after I saw the detail information of each lever, I was still a little confused. So I chose recognize an adopter randomly. And then it showed failed. Was very disappointed, and I read introduction very carefully and saw the video again. I realized there should be four stages; awareness stage, interest stage, trial stage and adoption stage. If everyone is in adoption stage, that means successes. So I arranged my levers logically again by reading the information of each levers. First, Hold town hall meetings lever brought 6 people who are Y. Lie, D. Mutant, L. Ores, S. Puffer, and l. Neuron into the awareness stage. After Walk the talk lever, which can increase the change agents credibility as well as positively influence coworkers, Y. Lie, I. Novo, S. Puffer entered the interest stage. And then I hold town hall meetings again, D. We will write a custom essay sample on Samsung External Environment specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Samsung External Environment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Samsung External Environment specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer McCann and L. Ores entered the interest stage. I need people to adopt the initiative, so I conduct private interviews, which can positively influence four individuals in a relatively short period of time to adopt the sustainability initiative. As a result, no body adopts it but there were five people entered the awareness stage, P. Dart, L. Filer, M. Shopping, L. Harris, B. Ingram. From the personal information of L. Harris, I got that she though that sustainability initiative may help strengthen the companys marketing message for its products. So she is a potential adopter. And then I issued e-mail notice to get M. Shopping and L. Harris in the interest stage. Second, so far, there were 7 people in the interest stage, which is still less than half of whole colleagues. So I conducted private interview and let W. James and R. Quinn to the awareness stage, and then provided internal skill building to tell people who want to adopt the change how to do it, after that B. Ingram and R. Quinn were in interest stage. Pilot project can influence an entire department to adopt the change, so I chose 3 people who are from three different departments to the project, so D. Edge, L. Filter, W. James went to the interest stage. I did private interview again to put M. Bart, M. Roberto, p. Ascension and A. Thompson to the awareness stage. After that, only H. Adams and A. Chem. have not start to realize the new initiative. Third, walk the talk and get consultants support levers made M. Aspirator L. Harris , W. James, D. McCann, L. Ores and R. Quinn to the trial stage, which means they started to do some effort with the new product. And at the same time, M. Roberto, A. Thompson, M. Bart and P, ascension change their mind to the interest stage. Last. Ochs on the adoption stage, because most of the people had already in interest stage or trial stage. Used Privately confront resister , Recognize adopter, provide external skill- building lever one by one. All of those levers can positively influence people to adopt the sustainability initiative. L. Harris, M. Shopping, H. Adams M. Roberto and A. Thompson, they were in adoption stage so far. After that, used Build a coalition of support but no one want to join. Finally, Announce goals; deadlines lever and Revise reward system helped me to got the rest of people except A. Chem. into the adoption stage. After I made the simulation done, think the efficiency of my assessment is not too high. First of all, my task is to bring to the adoption stage, but after it ends, there is still a person, who is not in adoption stage. What is more, did not analyze personal information too much when I making the decision. Sometimes, a person involved in a stage, and he or she has friends In other stage. I can use Build a coalition of support lever to influence adoption of the sustainability initiative by three coalition members as well as his or her friends. Lastly, in my opinion, I used one lever more times than others. And some levers used but failed, which waste time for the new change. What I learned about managing organizational change Project management Project management is a relatively recent professional discipline. It initially developed out of the construction and defense industry s need to plan, control and manage large, complex series of activities to produce. Bourne Walker, 2005) The director of new change, he or she needs to know everyone in every department very well and have the ability to analyze the people who work with you in according to influence the project success. Identifying stakeholder is the basic and foundation for the future management. The better you know them well, the easier you control them in the future. Someone is positive but someone is conservative, and then the different attitude came out. Persuading people to change their minds is a very hard work. Sequence Sequence is very important to organization change. Strategy When a company wants to do organizational change.