Project Topic:
EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION
Employees form the backbone of any organization and play a focal in fostering its success. Modern managers have often concentrated on grave emerging issues; hence, neglected trivial issues such as employee motivation. It is prudent for organizations to redesign their organizational structure from a hierarchical system to a flat mechanism that inculcates the ideas of all stakeholders. Through a flat organizational structure, employees play an essential role in the decision-making role. It is also possible to motivate employees by inculcating modernized technology coupled with comprehensive training. Integrating technology into the workplace increases collaboration and sharing between the employees.
Communication is vital in the workplace today in that it creates efficiency. One of the major benefits of technology especially the internet is the possibility of working from home. Working from home enables the employees to strike a balance between work life and family life. Once the balance is achieved, the employees will feel motivated and cared for by the employer. However, the introduction of technology must be coupled with intensive training for the employees to be able to utilize the technology. Another employee motivation factor is creating competitive remuneration packages. Compensation packages have an impact on the employees’ level of engagement. Primarily, employees are motivated when the compensation package is competitive. Employees relate their compensation package to their value in the company. Good compensation planning keeps the employees satisfied and motivated.
Target Audience for the Business Case and the Value of the Business Case to the Target Audience:
` The business case will help both organizational managers as well as employees in creating a more serene work environment. Organizational managers will receive formidable tips on the steps they require implementing while transforming from a hierarchical to a flat system. Indoctrination of advanced technology will foster improved performance at reduced costs. Similarly, employees will receive enlightenment on the advantages allied to a flat organizational system. Although improved compensation might be expensive, the changes will ensure that both stakeholders will reap immense benefits from the business case, as they will learn how to coexist in a more stable environment.
Value of the Project to the Writer
As a writer, I expect to garner significant benefits from completing this business case. First, I will have to conduct a comprehensive research relating to the current predicament-ailing employees in the organization. Forthwith, I will endeavor to unearth the implications allied to redesigning the organizational structure from a hierarchical to a flat system as well as improving the company’s technology. Since I will oversee the implementation phase, I will help other stakeholders in dealing with any emerging eventualities.
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Family Impact Analysis essay helpPolicy Description
The issue under analysis is a policy by the New Yolk City Department of Homeless families. Homeless households in the city have been faced with challenges for long, and the city intends to make life easier for such families. Among the challenges is that for the parents to apply for housing, their children have to skip school since they have to appear physically for the initial interview. The prerequisite affects the outcomes of these children in school. Homelessness in New Yolk City disrupts the lives of children in all many areas. Under the rules, if a family applies for shelter and then fails, the family has to undergo an initial interview the next time the same family applies and the children have to appear.
To curb the many disruptions in the lives of the children, the homeless department is introducing a new policy. Under the new policy, families that have applied for the shelter in the last 30 days and failed are not required to bring children to the initial interview. Besides, for children who are uniting with families after being in foster care, the reunion will occur in the family’s shelter and not in PATH as previously done. Harris (2016) argues that 47 % of the families who applies once end up applying again within 30 days. The prevailing condition means that children end up missing school once a month to travel to the Prevention Assistance and Temporary Housing Center for the interview.
The elementary aim of the new policy is to eliminate numerous obstacles that hinder the learning of homeless children. Statistics from the homeless department show that 40% of the homeless students missed school at least once a month in the period 2014-2015 (Harris, 2016). Also, children in stable families but have been homeless in the past perform worse than their peers. The policy seeks to make the life of the children more bearable. Advocates for the policy hope that the children will not be required to go PATH at all in the future. The city will depend on the shelters and schools to assess the children instead of the face-to-face interview at PATH.
How the Policy is Offering Support to the Homeless Families
Policy support to the families
Family responsibility is one of the family impact principles. A policy’s aim should be to support and empower the functions performed by the families in the society. Doing so requires capacity building and addressing the root cause of the families’ problem. Interfering with the living arrangements of families is only justified if it meant to protect the family from possible harm.
The policy has identified a vulnerable group in the society. The homeless families are highly susceptible more so the children. The homeless families are faced with extreme economic conditions and social needs. The lack of basic needs such as shelter, food, and access to quality education is just a tip of the challenges faced by the homeless families (Anderson & Koblinsky, 1995). These families require support from the government to be able to make life bearable. Failure to support these families makes the homeless problem become a grave and chronic problem. If the homeless children are not compatible, and the cycle of homeless is passed on to them and their children, then the number of homeless families would increase with time making the problem severe with time. The policy is thus trying to prevent a future catastrophe from occurring by offering support to the homeless children.
For capacity building, the policy has to supplement and support the functioning of families. Does the policy help families to fulfill their functions? This policy aims to improve the education capacities of homeless children. The best way to help the homeless families is through their children. It is common that the parents have no skills and thus hard to secure a job. However, if the children are well educated, they can take the family responsibilities in future and support their families. The policy is helping in eliminating any obstacles that prevent the children from performing well in schools.
The lack of adequate education for the homeless families is the root cause of their financial insecurity. Does the policy address the root cause of the problem? For capacity building, educating the homeless children will enable them to have the necessary skills in future to secure jobs and support their families. Such children can have the capacity to support other homeless children. Offering money and shelter to the families will not have long lasting results without the necessary skills to maintain themselves. Education is the best tool against poverty. The government cannot eradicate poverty by offering money to the socially vulnerable rather by empowering the families to support themselves.
Challenges: How the Policy Can Undermine Families
The main aim of the policy is to make sure children do not miss school as their parents try to acquire shelter. However, these changes in policy can undermine the families. The policy aims to address the unemployment and low wages problems by ensuring the children acquire good education. However, does the policy build capacity for the children? It is clear that children who have been homeless but are now stable still do not perform well in school. The children require accurate assessment to identify other hindrances to good school performance. The reason why children were required to visit the PATH for the first interview was for accurate assessment. These children have different needs, and it would be accurate if they were accessed from time to time. Many changes could occur in a 30 days period, but the policy is assuming that an assessment done 30 days ago is still viable. Though the department of homeless families plans to use social workers and teachers in conducting the initial assessments in future, they may not be the best-suited people to do so. Such people may be biased in assessing the children based on other external factors. From a personal standpoint, the PATH should have mobile offices in schools to assess the children. The assessment can be done on specific days in break time to ensure that homeless children attend school fully and accurate assessment occurs.
The fact that some of the children who are stable but were homeless in the past perform poorly in school as compared to their peers indicates that maximum school attendance may not be the complete answer. These children still have different other problems which affect their ability to perform well in school. It is significant for PATH to determine the social issues these children may be experiencing by employing professionals to assess the children before they are housed (Anderson & Koblinsky, 1995). The failure to appear in the initial interview may hinder this. A good example is that a child might have lost one of the parents in the 30 days grace period. If this does not appear in the first interview, then the assessment of the well being of the child is not accurate since losing a parent will affect the child emotionally and physiologically.
Beneficial effects that might have been overlooked without analysis
Without a vibrant policy impact analysis, some of the beneficial results might be ignored. In developing a family policy, the two principal questions to consider is how the system will enhance the capacity of the families for self-support and whether the policy will strengthen or hurt the families. Without family impact analysis, it would be hard to recognize that the system will benefit the homeless children by offering them good education thus the capacity to help their families (Vanclay, 2003). For parents, traveling to PATH with children where the families can wait for more than two days for the initial interview is challenging. This affects the ability of the children to balance time commitment to their education. With the children back at the shelters, the parents can thus work on acquiring housing while the children concentrate in school.
Harmful Effects That a Family Impact Analysis Might Help Avoid
Undoubtedly, the policy can have negative consequences for the families if the implementers fail to undertake comprehensive impact analysis. One of the avoidable adverse effects using impact analysis is an inaccurate assessment. The policy looks to strengthen the families’ responsibility by assisting them through capacity building. However, accurate assessment is very critical in making the system a success. Apart from education, there are other social challenges faced by homeless children, which require prompt identification and subsequent resolution through the support systems. Besides, the homeless families do not face similar social problems. Without accurate assessment, the government will end up taking over the family responsibility even when it is avoidable through accurate assessment. The family responsibility principle calls for capacity building and avoidance to take over family responsibility unless necessary.
Brief To Policy Makers
The homeless families are among the most vulnerable people in our society. There is a need to offer them support, but material support only cannot be enough. These families need the capacity for self-support in the future if the problem is to be controlled. Failure to solve the homelessness issue will lead to catastrophic challenges for the city in the future. If the homeless families pass the status to their children, then the problem becomes bigger. Though the city has resources, material support to the families is not the answer. The answer is installing capacity in these children so that they can help their families in the future. However, education is just but a step in building capacity. There are other methods for consideration.
It is agreeable that the policy will go a long way in making sure that children spend maximum time learning. However, statistical inferences affirm that children in stable families who were previously homeless perform poorly in school. The above tenet delineates that there are other challenges faced by such children even after they acquire basic needs such as shelter and food (Vanclay, 2003). The policy seeks to limit children from traveling with their parents to PATH for an initial interview. However, the original interview assesses the families for the challenges they are facing. It is significant in identifying the several problems a family is facing. If the first assessment is not accurate, then not everything else after that will be accurate. It is understandable that this aims to increase class attendance for the children, but policymakers might take into account the fact that the children might not perform well even after attending all the lessons. Compromising assessment for class attendance might not be the best thing to do. In a period of 30 days, a lot can change in the life of homeless families. The 30 days given to the children may be long. Besides, after 30 days, families applying for shelter will still have to come with the children. Only 47% of the families end up applying before the 30 days period is over. The other 53 % will thus have to bring their children for the initial interview.
The viability of this policy in empowering the homeless families is questionable. Compromising the assessment of the 47% of the families who apply before the 30 days grace period and forgetting about the 53 % of the families who apply after 30 days amounts to an erroneous policy. Policy makers will raise issues such as why the policy is considering the interests of 47% of the families and not the 53 %, which is higher. Why is it that the policy does not benefit all the homeless children in the city? From a family perspective, attending school is not the whole answer; there are capacity-building activities that are considerable. The PATH can have mobile assessment centers in schools where professionals can assess children during break time. It is significant to determine the specific challenges for particular children for maximum capacity building.
Approach
In analyzing the issue, I took the advocacy perspective since the aim is to influence decisions in the social institutions and systems. I am addressing the advocacy to policy makers in New Yolk city and other private sector individuals whose opinions and actions can have an influence on the policy makers. The policy will be helpful in addressing the family responsibility of the homeless families but further changes can be integrated in the policy to make it more effective.
References
Anderson, E. A., & Koblinsky, S. A. (1995). Homeless policy: The need to speak to families. Family Relations, 13-18.
Harris, E. A. (2016, September 01). Under New Policy for Homeless Families, Children Can Miss Less School. Retrieved October 31, 2016, from http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/09/02/nyregion/new-york-homeless-families-path-policy.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Families and Family Life&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=5&pgtype=collection&_r=0&referer=http://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/families-and-family-life
Vanclay, F. (2003). International principles for social impact assessment. Impact assessment and project appraisal, 21(1), 5-12.
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Damaging Financial and Ethical Repercussions of omitting Inventory Write-Downs in the Financial Statements essay help onlineThe primary aim of the financial statements is to provide information about the general performance of an organization. Different kind of stakeholders uses financial statements information to make decisions such as the investors, creditors, employees, and management. Organizations use the Internal Accounting Standards (IAS) in preparing the financial statements. The IAS does not dictate that there should be separate disclosures of write-downs in the income statement (Arens, Elder & Beasley, 2006). However, enough information about the write-downs should be available to facilitate a better understanding of the statements. If for example, the inventory write-downs are not available in the statements, an investor might overestimate the earnings, and this may raise ethical issues.
As a partner in the accounting firm, I am mandated to inform the CFO and the CEO about the consequences of a negative IRS assessment. The IRS has observed that the inventory write-down was included in tax returns just to lower the payable tax whereas they do not appear in the income statement. The IRS, in this case, can instill a civil fraud penalty equal to 75% of the owed tax attributable to the fraud with interest. However, the CFO and CEO can prevent such cases by implementing preventive measures such as instilling the right culture and matching the cash flows with revenue (Collins et al., 2010).
From the IRS examination, it is clear that the company has been writing down the inventory by 10% for the last three years. The IRS can instill the penalty or refer the case to criminal prosecution. It is good to note that a criminal fraud case can lead to imprisonment and substantial charges. The CEO and CFO can considerably be liable for the omission and face prosecution. If auditing of accounts occur and more discrepancies discovered, then the stakeholders more so the investors would lose confidence in the company, which is financially harmful.
Negative Results on Stakeholders
The federal taxation regulations and laws allow a company to write down some inventory in case of damage, loss, or it has no value. However, to determine the write off value, one should use the IRS approved valuation methods. These include the cost method or the market value method. The method used should be consistent in the accounts of the company (Arens, Elder & Beasley, 2006).
If an IRS audit generates additional tax and penalties or subsequent audits, it will generate adverse effects on the stakeholders. Stakeholders will deem financial statements of the company unreliable and lose trust in the management. The penalties imposed on the company will cut down the earnings thus lowering the earnings per share paid to the shareholders (Warlow, 2004).
Applicable Federal Tax Laws, Regulations
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has adopted the US GAAP accounting principles. Using the same principles ensures that companies present their statements in a similar way making it easy to compare statements of different companies. In the case of inventory write-downs, the internal revenue code allows for two inventory valuation methods including the cost and lower of cost. If the lower of cost method is used, then the write-downs happen in the year in which the value reduction occurs. The expense of the other is valued at the intrinsic or fair value.
In the current case, the top management has exercised some options, but the expense for the same is not in the statements. This treatment is in line with the US GAAP, which provides that the company should provide the compensation cost the company bears in providing the stock options (Arens, Elder & Beasley, 2006). Under the intrinsic value method, the difference between the market price and the exercise price is expensed in the current year.
Accepted Accounting Principles
Stock options mostly aim at to motivate the employees. In addition, they also solve corporate ownership problem commonly known as the principle agent problem. Under the GAAP, stock options can be incentives or qualified. The incentive options do not attract taxes until the employee sells the stock. However, the non-qualified options have no tax benefits (Deloitte, 2014).
The exercise of options increases the number of shares reducing the earnings per share. This reflects a reduction in the stockholder’s share of the earnings. In addition, the issuance of stock options is at lower prices that the market prices and the company lose a chance to bring in more capital by selling the shares in the market. The issuance of a stock option is considerably a dilution of earnings per share under the GAAP (Collins et al., 2010). The stock option expenditure is included in the income statement as an expense. The CFO should use the non-qualified method since it has no form of tax benefits and the issuance of such options is at discounted prices.
Proposal for Future Lease Transactions
There are two options for the company to consider in leasing. These include operational and capital leases. Under the operation lease, the ownership of the item is transferred at the period the item is in use while in the capital lease, the lessee assumes the ownership of the item. Such an entity in this case may choose to use the operating lease since it offers benefits such as tax incentives such as both tax and non-tax incentives. The tax incentives include the depreciation expenses deductible in the balance sheet. The non-tax incentives include the liabilities and assets under the operating lease, which are usually, not include in the balance sheet (Collins et al., 2010). These results in a high return on capital as opposed to when the capital lease related liabilities and assets are included in the balance sheet.
Argument for Lease Accounting
According to the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), all leases should be treated and classified as capital leases if they meet certain criteria. The criteria provides that if a lease exceed 75% of the life of an asset in the hands of the lessee, and there is evidence of ownership movement of the asset at the end of the period, then an entity is given the option of purchasing the asset at a discounted price at the end of the lease period (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 2000).
Main Implications of SAS 99
SAS is the statement of Auditing standards usually considered in cases of fraud in financial statements audits. It came up as a response to significant financial scandals such as Adelphia, WorldCom, and Tyco. The principal aim of SAS 99 is to have the auditor’s consideration of fraud blended into the audit process and be regularly updated until the audit is over (Deloitte, 2014). It enables his consideration of more information in cases of fraud. It ensures that auditors do not over rely on the representation of the client or biases rather they are skeptical and have a questioning mind.
Restated Financial Statements Recommendation
A restatement of financial statement is necessary when it is determined that the earlier statements are inaccurate. This can result from accounting errors or non-compliance with accounting standards. Misrepresentative financial statements misguide the investors and other stakeholders and thus the need for a restatement. Restatement of financial information can include a new provision for the inventory write-down (MacGraw-Hill, 2001). The rectification of such an error is highly efficient in explaining the reasons for the errors in the statements.
In the current case, I would recommend that the CFO look for all errors in the financial statements and then restate the financial statements. When the financial statements do not present the accurate picture of the company, the consequences can be more thorough than the consequences of a restatement.
Restated Financial Statements Economic Effects
Trading in the financial markets requires integrity. For a company to maintain this integrity, it is important to restate financial statements when errors occur. With the dynamic changes in the financial markets, causes of financial statement restatements also change. However, a restatement of financial statement has its effects on stakeholders and economy at large.
Restatement of statements reduces the investor confidence. Investors depend primarily on the financial results to make their decision about investing in a company (Collins et al., 2010). When a company announces a restatement, investors lose confidence both in the company management and the restated statements. The demand for the company shares in the financial market reduces and eventually the price of the shared reduces (MacGraw-Hill, 2001). While many investors are looking to offload their shares, none is willing to buy them. This, in turn, reduces the trading volumes in the financial markets thus affecting the economy.
Another effect is to creditors. When creditors lose confidence in the company, they may ask for security for their debts (Warlow, 2004). They can also claim their debts at earlier dates leaving the company financially unstable. If in the process the customers are no longer interested in the company, there is the likelihood of the company going bankrupt and many people losing their jobs. Loss of jobs increases the unemployment rate, which is a major factor in the economy.
References
Arens, A. A., Elder, R. J., & Beasley, M. S. (2006). Auditing and assurance services: An integrated approach. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Collins, E. M., Robbins, E. M., & Practicing Law Institute. (2010). Internal Revenue Service (IRS) practice and procedure desk book. New York City: Practicing Law Institute.
Deloitte . (2014). International Accounting Standards. Retrieved from Deloitte : http://www.iasplus.com/en/standards/ias
Financial Accounting Standards Board. (2000). Current Text 2000: Accounting standards as of June 1, 2000. New York, USA: John Wiley and Sons.
MacGraw-Hill. (2001). Intermediate Accounting, 6th edition. Boston, Mass, U.S.A.
Warlow, W. (2004). Elements of the Financial Statements. Retrieved from fasab.gov website: http://www.fasab.gov/pdffiles/elements102004.pdf
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Reconstruction of the United States essay help site:eduThe reconstruction was not an experiment rather it was a call for change. Reconstruction happened just after the end of the civil war. Though reconstruction started before the end of the civil war, it was more significant after the end of the war. It was a period of rebuilding the United States. It was a period when the confederacy was allowed back in to the Union. The biggest problem in this period was that even with the end of the civil war, the southerners still wanted to continue with their way of life mainly slavery. However, the northerners wanted the black people to be free.
To some point, the reconstruction was a harsh union punishment of the south. Most of the policies and laws passed at this period affected the southerners. The northerners wanted to punish the southerners for their refusal to change. With the passage of the fourth and Fifth Amendment, the constitution abolished slavery but the southerners still wanted to keep the African Americans as slaves.
This period present an effort that was successful though not as fully expected. With the congressional elections of 1866, radical republicans took power and immediately went to work to punish the south and to remove the ruling class from power. However, though slavery was abolished, most of the southerners could not accept this idea. In return, the southerners started killing the elite African Americans who tried to inert their political rights. Lynchings, Beatings, and massacres were perpetrated by the clandestine Klan. The southerners never accepted that the black men were equal to them. When President Lincoln was assassinated and Johnson became the president, he did not support the idea of free black men. This was a major setback to the reconstruction.
Work cited
Kennedy, David M and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant. Print.
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Analyzing Qualitative Research essay helpThere are different varieties of qualitative research methods. Though they all use similar data collection methods, the difference is the purpose of the study. Ethnography is the most applicable and familiar method. It involves emerging oneself in the situation of the participant to understand their challenges, cultures, motivation and themes. Another variety is narrative. It brings together sequence of events as narrated by different people to form a cohesive conclusion. The final narrative can be presented as a story.
Another variety is phenomenological. It is applied when describing an event or activity. It applies a combination of methods such as conducting interviews, reading documents, visiting places or watching videos to determine the meaning of whatever is being examined. Grounded theory is another variety and it explains the fundamental nature of an event or activity. It provides an explanation behind the events (Shank, Brown & Pringle, 2014)
Case study details the development of an individual person or situation over a period. Case e studies can be exploratory, explanatory or describing an event. The article “Teachers as Architects of Transformation: The Change Process of an Elementary School Teacher in a Practitioner Research Group” (Vetter, 2012) is a case study. It is trying to understand the change process of Grace a fifth grade teacher. It draws upon position theory and case study research methods.
After analyzing the data through several stages, the results produced four themes. One of the themes was imagining and contemplating new positions. The researcher discovered that before the participant took a new leadership position, she first imagined the position and made it her own. This included developing a clear vision for the leader she aspired to be. She was a leader who facilitated others needs rather than dictate.
Another theme was enacting a new position. After getting comfortable with the imagined position, the participant was able to endorse other positions in the school. The endorsements included facilitating discussion, writing mini-lessons and fostering opportunities for teachers. She positioned herself as an informed leader with something to teach other teachers. The other theme was maintaining a leadership position despite the resistance. The participant faced some resistance from her colleagues as she had anticipated (Vetter, 2012). By actively listening to her resistance stories, giving suggestions and personally connecting with the participant, the group members were able to situate the participant as a professional.
Another theme was realizing the results of the new position. The participant realized the effects of her leadership after narrating her story in the research group. She had documented her results of her new position as a leader (Vetter, 2012). Based on evidence from other teachers, the participant positioned herself as a successful leader.
The study was credible and trustworthy in that the participant Grace volunteered to participate in the study. She was not forced nor motivated by any means to participate. In addition, every step of the study is reported in details. The objectives of the study have been met as established. The results of the study can be used by other practitioners to enable them develop. The study is dependable and the methodology can be used in similar studies. The results of the study are logical and believable.
References
Shank, G. D., Brown, L., & Pringle, J. (2014). Understanding education research: A guide to critical reading. Boulder: Paradigm.
Vetter, A. (2012). Teachers as architects of transformation: The change process of an elementary-school teacher in a practitioner research group. Teacher Education Quarterly, 39(1), 27-49.
(Shank, Brown & Pringle, 2014)
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Completing the Annotated Bibliography on Classroom Learning argumentative essay helpThesis statement
Playing helps children develop emotional, cognitive, physical and social skills, which are vital in classroom learning.
Annotation 1: Scholarly Article 1:
Reference
Milteer, R. M., Ginsburg, K. R., Mulligan, D. A., Ameenuddin, N., Brown, A., Christakis, D. A., & Levine, A. E. (2012). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bond: Focus on children in poverty. Pediatrics, 129(1), e204-e213.
Annotation: The author of the article concentrates on the significance of playing in children development. Their major argument is that play is significant in the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social children well-being from childhood. The authors argue that with the security concerns in this century, parents cannot trust their children to play outside without supervision. Most children spend their time indoors watching television and playing video games. This has led to the behavioral and physical effects on the children including obesity, depression, aggressive behavior and anxiety among others.
The authors have used secondary resources to supplement their arguments in the article both medical and research. A good example is a report by Barros and others used in the article. According to the report, a school break of more than 15 minutes is associated with a better rating on students behavior score by teachers. Good behavior in the classroom translates to an effective learning environment due to increased attentiveness. The article has discussed the benefits of play to children not only for their physical development but also for their classroom behaviors and attentiveness. Physical play increases a Childs ability to store new information by enhancing their cognitive ability. With the different arguments and data presented in the article, the authors fully answer the question on learning of children in classrooms.
Annotation 1: Scholarly Article 1:
Reference
Samuelsson, I. P., & Pramling, N. (2013, June). Play | Play and Learning | Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. Retrieved September 16, 2016, from http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/play/according-experts/play-and-learning
Annotation: The authors of the articles discuss the source of early childhood education (ECE) and its difference with primary school learning with play taking a significant role in both of them. ECE involves both the structured and less structured activities. The notion of free play where the children are allowed to come up with their own games and way of playing allows them to be imaginative thus increasing their skills. However, the structured activities should be intended for both pleasure and learning. Through structured activities, children can grasp concepts, which are hard to explain theoretically. As the authors state, children learn through interacting with nature.
The authors have depended larger on secondary data to support their conclusions. They have cited other articles in their work. A good example is a meta-analysis by Asplund Carlssonb and Pramling Samuelsson who came up with the idea of “playing-learning” child. The article is well concluded with recommendations, policy implications and research gaps included. The authors have concluded that playing is very vital in the early development of children and encourage policy makers to integrate learning with playing in the curriculum. The article presents a perspective on ECE and childhood development. All the topics included in the article pertains to ECE and how playing affects the development of the children in their early learning. The articles also mention about other studies about ECE, which are very relevant to the discussion topic. By presenting all these facts, the article answers my research question on why is significant for children to have playing sessions in school.
Annotation 3: Web Page 1:
Reference
Fox, J. E. (n.d.). Early childhood NEWS – Article Reading Center. Earlychildhoodnews.com. Retrieved 16 September 2016, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=240
Annotation: The authors of this article present several case studies all with the aim of demonstrating how important playing is to children. The article defines play and elaborates on the nature of playing activities that are beneficial to the development of children. However, it is difficult to define what play but the author lists some characteristics of play that teachers and parents can adopt when imposing adult game values on children. The author argues that play enhances social competence, creativity, language development, thinking skills, and imagination. Much of the reasoning in the article draws from other articles. The article also draws on the cognitive development theories such as those of Vygotsky and Piaget.
The facts presented are very relevant to my research question. According to Wardle (1992), as cited in this article, children need a large amount of time to play. When a child dedicates less time for playing, children will normally abandon their constructive play just when it becomes interesting and educative. This will reduce the maturity of children play and many benefits of playing with the children such as persistence, problem-solving, negotiation cooperation and planning may be lost. If 30-60 minutes is scheduled for children playing, then they can learn more. The article presents facts that are very relevant in answering my research question. Through playing, children learn skills as such as problem solving which enables them to interact better with their classmates. Thus, the article is very relevant in answering my research question about the significance of playing on the learning of children in classrooms.
Annotation 4: Web Page 2:
Reference
Caldwell, B m. (n.d.). The Importance of Play in Early Childhood Education. Fisher-price.com. Retrieved 16 September 2016, from http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/parenting-articles/playtime-and-toys/importance-of-play-in-early-childhood-education
Annotation: In this article, the author, Dr. Betty Caldwell is explaining the significance of play in early childhood development. He argues that children all over the world spend most of the time playing no matter their family backgrounds. These children are not just playing rather they are developing habits, attitudes, and skills that will be part of them throughout their whole life. The author elaborates on three ways in which playing is significant for children. These include social, skills, and imagination and creativity. The author also brings in the clinically proven facts on the importance of children to play. Just like walking and crying, children do not need to be taught how to play. Children develop these skills on their own. It is easy to observe the development of skills if one watches young children playing.
Much of what the author elaborates on in the article are personal views. However, the author refers to people such as Dr. Arnold Gesell who was a great pediatrician. However, there is nothing about Dr. Arnold Gesell referenced in the article. Overall, the article articulates on the importance of play in childhood development making it relevant to my research question. Playing enables children to develop different skills, which are important later in life. The article answers my research question about the importance of playing to development of children
Annotation 5: eBook
Reference
Wilson, R. A. (2012). Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (2nd ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.
Annotation: The author of this book elaborates more on the importance of encouraging creative play and learning in a natural environment. It is natural for children to play and through playing; they are prepared for later experiences in life. Playing helps children to develop socially, physically, emotionally and cognitively. With an opportunity to play freely, children will always test their physical limits like how much weight they can lift or how high they can climb. Through testing their limits, they learn to be courageous and have a high self-esteem. Socially, they practice cooperation, leading, negotiating, and sharing. They also develop logic and problem-solving skills.
The book is encouraging creative pray which not only helps children to develop skills but also prepares them for later roles in life. The author of the book has utilized other credible sources in making the arguments presented in the book. The referenced material is well cited, and the reader can deduce the views of the author from the views of the referenced materials. The book is significant in answering my research question in that it talks about young children and nature. Children interact with nature through playing, and they develop skills enabling them to be more creative. Creative play as the book recommends, is very vital in the early development of young children. The book clearly answers my question of how playing help children in classroom learning.
References
Milteer, R. M., Ginsburg, K. R., Mulligan, D. A., Ameenuddin, N., Brown, A., Christakis, D. A., & Levine, A. E. (2012). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bond: Focus on children in poverty. Pediatrics, 129(1), e204-e213.
Caldwell, B m. (n.d.). Importance of Play in Early Childhood Education. Fisher-price.com. Retrieved 16 September 2016, from http://www.fisher-price.com/en_US/parenting-articles/playtime-and-toys/importance-of-play-in-early-childhood-education
Fox, J. . E. (n.d.). Earlychildhood NEWS – Article Reading Center. Earlychildhoodnews.com. Retrieved 16 September 2016, from http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=240
Samuelsson, I. P., & Pramling, N. (2013, June). Play | Play and Learning | Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development. Retrieved September 16, 2016, from http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/play/according-experts/play-and-learning
Wilson, R. A. (2012). Nature and young children: Encouraging creative play and learning in natural environments (2nd ed.). Abingdon: Routledge.
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Development of Employee Engagement scholarship essay helpEmployee engagement refers to the extent to which an employee is committed to something or somebody in his/her organization, how long they stay and how hard they work as a result of commitment. Employee engagement is emerging as a critical factor in the success of businesses in this competitive market (Lockwood, 2007). Not only does employee engagement affect employee retention, loyalty, and productivity. It also linked to customer satisfaction. Researchers indicate that the most engaged employees are, the more likely the business in able to average the revenue growth of the industry.
Employee engagement is a very complex concept since there are many issues that influence employee engagement levels. However, there are many strategies that can be used foster engagement. An effective engagement will be determined by the flexibility of the approach used by the business. Below are a few of the strategies for employee engagement.
One of the strategies is to start it on day one. Most of the talent acquisition strategies but lack the retention strategies. Once an employee is employed, effective orientation programs should be initiated on the first day. The management should be very careful when pooling out potential talent for employees through effective recruitment. New employees should be given general orientation as well as job-specific orientation (Markos & Sridevi, 2010). This will enable the employee to develop job expectations thus reducing role conflicts. The manager should ensure that there is role-talent fit when an employee is being placed in any position.
Starting it from the top is another strategy that can be used in employee engagement. In employee engagement, leadership commitment through establishing a clear vision, mission and values are required. However, unless the people on own the idea, believe in it and pass it to the managers and employees, then employee engagement will never happen. Employee engagement as mentioned earlier is a complex concept and requires actions and commitment and not lip-service. The top management should lead by example.
Two-way communications are yet another strategy to enhance employee engagement. The management should promote two-way communications. Two ways communication ensures that both the management and the employees communicate effectively, and any communication barriers are erased (Markos & Sridevi, 2010). Employees should have a say in issues that matter and affect their life and work. The management should involve the employees in decision making and respect their inputs. This ensures that employee feels like they belong thus increasing their engagement and commitment.
Another strategy is to give employees advancement and development opportunities. Independent thinking should be encouraged through giving employees job autonomy. This will allow them to have their freedom of choosing best methods of doing their work. However, this should only be allowed as long as the employees are producing the expected results. Managing by results is the strategy and not managing by controlling all the processes of achieving the results.
Another strategy is to have a strong feedback system. A performance management system should be in place to ensure that both managers and employees are held responsible for the level of engagement they show. Regular surveys of engagement levels should be conducted to identify the factors that promote employee engagement (Markos & Sridevi, 2010). After identifying factors that promote engagement, it is good to narrow down to two to three areas and begins by concentrating in areas that will make the bigger difference. The actions oriented strategies developed should be measurable, specific, time-bound and accountable.
Reference
Lockwood, N. R. (2007). Leveraging employee engagement for competitive advantage. Society for Human Resource Management Research Quarterly, 1, 1-12.
Markos, S., & Sridevi, M. S. (2010). Employee engagement: The key to improving performance. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(12), 89.
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Consumer Behavior essay helpIn today’s market, the consumer is more informed and enlightened and makes choices based on several factors. There are things, which affect the decision made by consumers. One of the factors is the cultural factors. These include social classes, cultural trends, subcultures, and the culture itself. The shared beliefs among the consumers of a certain culture will affect their shopping behavior. Ones culture dictates how one lives and has an effect on the things one purchases. In addition, the social class one belongs to also dictates ones shopping behavior.
Another factor that affects the shopping behavior of consumers is the social factors. These include families and social status and roles (Rani, 2014). Ones family influences the buying behavior. The behaviors of the family are passed on to the children in one way or the other. In addition, ones position in the family, work, groups etc will affect the shopping behavior. This is more for products that are visible to all people.
Another factor is personal factors. These include the way of life, age, lifestyle, purchasing power, and personality. As people grow old, their purchasing decisions tend to change. In addition, the purchasing power determines ones decisions (Rani, 2014). The lifestyle of the consumer will also affect the shopping decision. Again, consumers will also base their decisions on the image the products will reinforce of themselves.
Psychological factors also affect the decisions made by consumers. These include motivation, perception, learning, beliefs, and attitudes. Consumers are motivated by different things and they base their shopping behavior on these motivations (Rani, 2014). In addition, the beliefs and attitudes are difficult to change once embedded in one’s mind. These beliefs and attitudes become part of one’s life and influence the shopping decisions.
Reference
Rani, P. (2014). Factors influencing consumer behaviour. International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review, 2(9), 52-61.
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Business and Corporation Law a level english language essay helpQuestion 1
In simple contracts, consideration is what each party in the contract bargains for and gives in exchange for a promise. Consideration then is the price one pays to buy the promise of the other contracting party. In all simple contracts, consideration must be present as an integral part of the promise that forms the basis of the contract. In addition, the rules of consideration dictate that it can be present, future but can never be past, must have some value and must be referable to the promise of the other party (Gibson & Fraser, 2013). The value of the consideration is left to the parties involved to decide. Provided the consideration has value, it does not have to be commercial value though it must have some legal value.
In the first scenario, Jane offers to give Jack her Lotus Super 7. However, Jack makes no promise in return. Thus, Jane’s offer is a gratuitous promise. There is no consideration since Jack has not made any promise in return. Consideration is essential in all simple contracts, and thus Jack has no enforceable agreement.
In scenario two, Jane offers to sell her Lotus Super 7 to jack for $25, 000. The market value for this type of car is $ 25, 000 meaning Jane is selling her car at the current market value. In this case, consideration is present since there is a promise between the two parties. Jane has promised to give the car to Jack in return for $ 25,000. The consideration has a value of $ 25, 000 and according to Jane and Jack this value is adequate. In addition, the consideration is in the future since the transaction has not yet taken place. This simple contract is valid, and Jack has an enforceable agreement.
In the third scenario, Jane offers to sell the car for $ 2,500, and Jack agrees. There is a promise between the two parties, and thus the consideration is present. The fact that the market value of the car is $ 2, 5000 does not affect the consideration. Consideration must have value, but the adequacy of the value is a decision for the parties involved to decide (Gibson & Fraser, 2013). In this case, Jane has already offered to sell the car at $ 2, 500 and Jack has accepted the offer. This means that the two parties have come to an agreement that the price is adequate. In addition, the consideration is a future consideration and has value. Thus, this is a valid contract, and Jack has an enforceable agreement.
Question 2
The ship builder was under contract to build a ship and to receive the payment in US dollars. The contract had no clause to cover the devaluation of currency. However, when the United States devalued its currency, the shipbuilder demand some more US $3 million from the buyer to cover the losses made due to the devaluation. The ship builder claimed to stop work unless the extra money is paid. Given that the buyer had a Charter for the Tanker he deemed it essential to deliver the tanker on time, he opted to pay the amount but notified the shipbuilder that the payment was under protest.
A payment made under protest signifies that there is a dispute. The payer, in this case, has the right to object to the payment later and recover the payments made. In this case, the buyer has to prove that payment made were not due. He has to prove that the payments fall under the categories recognized by law as sufficient to make retention (Bevans, 2007).
Payments made under protest to prevent the destruction of one’s business are considerably compulsory. This is because the payment is involuntary. In Lelighk Coal and Navigation Company v. Brown & Lawall of 1883, the defendant had threatened to draw water from a dam to prevent the plaintiff from ferrying logs (Bevans, 2007). Had the defendant carried out the threat, the plaintiffs business would have been “practically ruined”. The Supreme Court held that the tolls paid by the plaintiff were illegal and recoverable since they were involuntarily paid.
In the case presented here, the shipbuilder threatens to stop building the ship if the buyer does not pay the extra money demand. The buyer having a Charter for the tanker deemed it necessary to deliver the tanker on time. If the shipbuilder had carried out the threat, then the buyer would not have delivered the Tanker thus affecting the buyers business. The buyer involuntarily made the payment for safeguard his business. The shipbuilder, in this case, possessed some power over the buyer and the buyer, on the other hand, had no immediate relief.
The buyer will thus be able to recover the excess payment made but only if he manages to prove that the payment was involuntary due to the lack of immediate relief. If the payment is involuntary, this makes it not liable and thus recoverable. Though there are, risks involved in the recovery of payments made under protest, categories recognized by law such as involuntary payments are sufficient for recovery (Bevans, 2007).
References
Bevans, N. R. (2007). Business organizations and corporate law. Clifton Park, NY: Thompson Delmar Learning.
Gibson, A., & Fraser, D. (2013). Business Law 2014 (8th ed.). China: Pearson Higher Education AU.
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Business Case Proposal: Employee Motivation essay help onlineProject Topic: Employee Motivation
Employees form the backbone of any organization and play a focal in fostering its success. Modern managers have often concentrated on grave emerging issues; hence, neglected trivial issues such as employee motivation. It is prudent for organizations to redesign their organizational structure from a hierarchical system to a flat mechanism that inculcates the ideas of all stakeholders. Through a flat organizational structure, employees play an essential role in the decision-making role. It is also possible to motivate employees by inculcating modernized technology coupled with comprehensive training. Integrating technology into the workplace increases collaboration and sharing between the employees.
Communication is vital in the workplace today in that it creates efficiency. One of the major benefits of technology especially the internet is the possibility of working from home. Working from home enables the employees to strike a balance between work life and family life. Once the balance is achieved, the employees will feel motivated and cared for by the employer. However, the introduction of technology must be coupled with intensive training for the employees to be able to utilize the technology. Another employee motivation factor is creating competitive remuneration packages. Compensation packages have an impact on the employees’ level of engagement. Primarily, employees are motivated when the compensation package is competitive. Employees relate their compensation package to their value in the company. Good compensation planning keeps the employees satisfied and motivated.
Target Audience for the Business Case and the Value of the Business Case to the Target Audience:
` The business case will help both organizational managers as well as employees in creating a more serene work environment. Organizational managers will receive formidable tips on the steps they require implementing while transforming from a hierarchical to a flat system. Indoctrination of advanced technology will foster improved performance at reduced costs. Similarly, employees will receive enlightenment on the advantages allied to a flat organizational system. Although improved compensation might be expensive, the changes will ensure that both stakeholders will reap immense benefits from the business case, as they will learn how to coexist in a more stable environment.
Value of the Project to the Writer
As a writer, I expect to garner significant benefits from completing this business case. First, I will have to conduct a comprehensive research relating to the current predicament-ailing employees in the organization. Forthwith, I will endeavor to unearth the implications allied to redesigning the organizational structure from a hierarchical to a flat system as well as improving the company’s technology. Since I will oversee the implementation phase, I will help other stakeholders in dealing with any emerging eventualities.
Reference Information for Business Case
Resource 1
Resource Type: Scholarly article from the small business economics journal accessed via the SpringLink database.
The articles discuss the relationship between different organizational structures. It also considers whether there is an optimal organizational structure. There is an optimal organization structure. For organizations, the structure adopted depends on several things including age and number of employers. Though a flat organization system may motivate employees more than the hierarchical system, it may not be viable for big organizations with many employees.
Reference List Citation: Cosh, A., Fu, X., & Hughes, A. (2012). Organization structure and innovation performance in different environments. Small Business Economics, 39(2), 301-317.
In-text Citation: (Cosh, Fu, Hughes, 2012, p. 310)
Resource 2
The resource is a scholarly article published in the International Journal of Business and Social Science and accessed from the ProQuest database.
The articles review the relationship between work motivation, compensation, and satisfaction. Utilizing the expectancy theory, the article suggests that employees have different expectations and are only motivated when the expectations are met. If an employee is satisfied with the current compensation offered, then the employee will be motivated. The articles concludes that fixed pay is more motivating as opposed to performance based pay.
Reference List Citation : Ghazanfar, F., Chuanmin, S., Khan, M. M., & Bashir, M. (2011). A study of relationship between satisfaction with compensation and work motivation. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(1), 120-131.
In-text Citation: (Ghazanfar et al., 2011, p. 130)
Resource 3
Resource Type: The resource is a published book accessed via the Saylor academy database.
In this book, special attention is being paid to chapter 17, which focuses on reward management and employee motivation. The management of compensation packages is significant in ensuring that employees are satisfied with the level of compensation they receive. This ensures that the productivity of the employees is not affected.
Reference List Citation: Price, A. (2011). Human resource management (4th ed., pp. 431-453). Andover: Cengage Learning.
In-text citation: (Price, 2011, p. 440)
Resource 4
Resource Type: The resource is a scholarly article published in the Journal of American Academy of Business and accessed via the Academia.edu database.
The article reviews the different motivation theories providing an explanation unto how motivation affects employee retention. Employee retention is significant in managing talent and increasing productivity. Among the theories presented is the Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory, which suggests that employees are motivated by their desire to satisfy their needs.
Reference List Citation: Ramlall, S. (2004). A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention within organizations. Journal of American Academy of Business, 5(1/2), 52-63.
In-text citation: (Ramlall, 2014, p. 55)
Resource 5
Resource Type: This is an online article published in the Linkedin and accessed from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-great-leaders-use-technology-motivate-employees-sanjeev-verma
This is an online article written by Sanjeev Verma a Divisional Manager at Kaleido Technologies. He outlines how great leaders often use technology to motivate the employees. Technology can motivate employees through increased and efficient communication, collaboration, assessment, and training.
Reference List Citation: Verma, S. (2016). How Great Leaders Use Technology to Motivate Employees. Linkedin. Retrieved 27 October 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-great-leaders-use-technology-motivate-employees-sanjeev-verma
In-text citation: (Verma, 2016)
Business Case Paper
Description of Case Study Project
For any organization, the employees are the valuable assets. The physical assets cannot operate without the employees. Employees play a major role in making sure that the vision and mission of the organization are achieved. However, it is common for managers to concentrate on the emerging issue thus neglecting significant issues such as employee motivation. Managers often spend a lot of time and resources resolving a motivation issue in the workplace instead of preventing it (Price, 2011, p.436). Though is arguable that the employees are the most valuable assets, organizations normally do not portray this to the employees. Such behavior to some point demotivates the employees. The problem is worse in countries where unemployment rates are high. Employees are viewed as replaceable assets.
This project looks to unearth ways through which organization can motivate employees and make them productive. Employee de-motivation leads to high labor turnover, which is very costly to the organization. The cost of employing and training a new employee is high, but the cost of maintaining a de-motivated employee is also high. Thus, it is imperative for the organizations to maintain a highly motivated workforce for high results in performance not only financially but also in other areas. When employees are motivated, workplace collaborations and communication becomes easier.
Challenge /Opportunity
Employee motivation is vital in any business. There are many ways of motivating employees, but employers primarily focus on financial motivation. Employees should feel satisfied with the workplace environment to enable them to operate smoothly. However, there are those employers who ignore the power of motivating compensation packages. In modern day economies, organizations are more concerned about activities, which create goods and services. However, for employees, they have expectations for the services provided. The performance of an employee and the decision to stick around in the organization are determined by the level at which the expectations are met. When employees are not motivated, they will move to other companies where their needs can be met. As outlined by Fitz-end (as cited in Ramlall, 2004, p.52), an average company organization loses $ 1 million when about ten professionals leave the organization.
Combining the cost of employing and training new employees with other indirect costs, the employee turnover costs become high. This scenario presents a significant economic impact when an organization loses critical employees. A high employee turnover reduces productivity in that it takes time and resources to train employees for them to be productive. Losing critical employees affects a business negatively in the short run and long-run (Ramlall, 2004, p.122). Businesses have an opportunity to increase productivity by keeping the employees motivated. However, keeping the employees motivated in itself is a challenge in that different employees will view different efforts of the business in different angles. Keeping all the employees motivated thus becomes a challenge.
Potential Impact
Employee motivation is very significant to the business. When employees are motivated, their performance is very high. In addition, employee retention increases, which saves business resources. When a business retains critical employees, it gains a competitive advantage regarding employee performance and persistence. Motivation in the workplace creates the difference between an employee being productive and wanting to work. Without motivation, the employee will be unproductive, but with motivation, an employee becomes efficient and productive. Employee motivation thus is considerably the major driver of workplace productivity and efficiency. Long-term benefits of employee motivation include improved performance, less work related issues, profitability, and a healthy workforce.
Alternative Approaches
There are several approaches followed by businesses to motivate employees but the major alternatives include;
Redesigning organizational structure from hierarchical to flat mechanism
Integrating new technologies in the workplace coupled with intensive training
Competitive remuneration and compensation packages,
A hierarchical organizational structure follows the form of a pyramid. In this form all, the employees are subordinate to someone else except the Chief executive officer who is the overall leader. There are multiple entities in this structure with the staff level employees sitting at the bottom of the pyramid. There is a direct line of command from top to bottom. The role of each employee in an organization is clearly defined. The critical decisions in this structure are made by the senior management and then passed down to other employees (Cosh et al., 2012, p. 309). The flow of information is always upward, and the senior management always has the information on how to run the business. There is little flow of information downwards. The lower level employees have no say in decision-making. Any initiative that may come from these employees is cramped due to the lack of channels to air such initiatives. In addition, in this kind of a structure, decision-making is very slow. Decisions have to move from one level to the other, which takes time. Slow decision-making leads to low productivity. Low productivity, on the other hand, keeps employees de-motivated. When the employees perceive that the management is hindering their productivity, they lose their motivation. The market today is very competitive and calls for quick decisions to gain an added advantage.
In a flat organizational structure, there are few levels of management. This structure advocates for less supervision and increased involvement of all employees in decision-making (Cosh et al., 2012, p. 311). According to the Maslow hierarchy needs theory, individuals have a set of goals, which are commonly referred to as basic need. These include safety, love physiological, self-actualization, and esteem. Employees are primarily motivated by the aspiration to accomplish the conditions under which their needs rest (Ramlall, 2004, p.54). If the unmet needs of the employee are ignored, then the employee will not be motivated. The flat organizational structure gives all the employees a chance to get involved in running the business by engaging in making decisions. Involvement in decision-making improves an employee’s self-esteem. In addition, when employees make productive decisions the state of self-actualization kicks in increasing motivation. The hierarchical structure gives little room for employee development career wise and social wise. However, the flat structure is very accommodative of the employees regarding development. Employees learn when they make decisions and act on them rather than when they act on decisions made by others. The flat system bestows more responsibility to all employees and the employees in return feel trusted by the business (Cosh et al., 2012, p. 311). When an employee’s feels trusted and valued by the employer, then motivation levels increases. However, when an employee feels not trusted to the extent of not being allowed to make any decisions, then the level of motivation goes down.
Currently, technology is the big thing in the market. Technology has taken over the life of the people and businesses. Business can take the advantage and use using the technology in motivating employees. As outlined by Verma (2016), creating a technology friendly workplace enhances the productivity and creativity of the employees. Technology makes it easy for employees to share and collaborate with each other. No matter where one employee is, it is easy to share information using technology. This idea increases efficiency and keeps the employees motivated. In addition, communication between employees becomes efficient with technology. All this leads to increased productivity and a productive employee is a motivated employee.
One of the major challenges in the labor market today is striking a balance between family and work. Parents are forced to employ other people to take care of their children, which affect them physiologically. It is hard for parents to concentrate at work when they are worried about their children back home. The motivation levels, in this case, will be low. However, with technology, an employee can work from the comfort of his/her home (Verma, 2016). This gives them time to look after their children as they work. In addition, one budget time better in that it is easy to take work home to cover for lost time for the day. Technology also comes in assessing the employees. There are management software’s that can assess the performance of employees continuously and generates real-time feedback. With such software, the management can address any performance problem rather than wait for the yearly performance evaluation.
Technology is significant in modern day organizations, but it must be coupled with training. Some of the technologies existing today are very complex and require intensive training for the employees to be able to benefit from them (Verma, 2016). When technologies are integrated into an organization, and the employees have no skills to use them, the technology will be of little benefit to the organization. However, there are those technologies that require little training and employees can adopt them easily. Technology is a great motivator. It increases sharing, collaboration, and employee engagement levels.
Compensation is very vital in the workplace. Employees perceive their value to the business through the level of compensation for services they receive. As emphasized by Akintoye (cited in Ghazanfar et al., 2011, p.122), money remains the most significant motivator in the workplace. Money holds a motivating power in that it symbolizes goals such as power, security, and prestige. It is common for managers to use the money to either reward or punish workers. Employees are rewarded for high productivity but also instilled fear with threats of job loss. Other compensations can motivate employees. A major motivator is the possibility of promotion with high productivity. The desire for promotion and increased pay keeps the employees motivated. Studies have shown that financial incentives motivate workers to work hard. Organizations should tie performance with compensation to keep the employees motivated.
A study conducted by Ghazanfar et al. (2011, p.125) revealed that among the highly satisfied with compensation employees, 35.1% are highly motivated as compared to 8.7% who are motivated but unsatisfied with compensation. It, however, indicates that flexible pay interims of bonuses and overtime do not have an effect on motivation. The study reveals that fixed pay increase an employee’s motivation. Employees base their compensation to other organization. If the compensation regarding fixed pay and other benefits is competitive with other organization, then the employees feel valuable and become motivated. This increases employee retention, which is beneficial in the long-run. Competitive compensation does not mean monetary remuneration alone rather it incorporates other elements such as allowances and bonuses. It is however not entirely true that a competitive compensation will automatically lead to motivation. Employees have different needs which if not met will lead to the lack of motivation. Compensation should be coupled with other motivating elements for maximum performance. A good example is that a competitively paid employee may not be motivated due to an imbalance between personal life and work life.
Analysis of Alternatives
All of the alternatives considered in this case have both advantages and disadvantages. When making decisions, one has to consider the advantages and disadvantages and weigh the viability of the alternative.
A flat organizational structure is cost effective. There are few managers in this structure, and this translates to fewer wages, benefits, and other management expenses. This enables the company to be profitable. Another major advantage is that decision making in this structure is very fast. There are fewer people to be consulted about any decision making the management to respond to issues and opportunities without wasting much time. The direct communication between the employees and the top management makes it easy to make decisions and the employee’s stay motivated. Less supervision makes the employees feel independent and have the feeling of freedom, which keeps them motivated. However, when employees have much freedom, it is easy for the management to lose control (Cosh et al., 2012, p. 314). When employees can make decisions on their own, it can be hard for the management to prevent bad decisions and behavior. In addition, this system can create a power struggle in that when the overall manager is not around, there is no one to report to, and employees can fight for power. Though a motivation alternative, when not controlled, it can erode motivation. This system does not advocate for ambitious employees to move up the hierarchy, which can erode motivation for such employees.
Technology has its advantages and disadvantages in the workplace. One of the advantages is that it saves time and resources. With technology, employees do not need to be in the same location physically. Employees can collaborate by holding teleconferences and charts. In addition, employees can work from home, which helps them take care of families and saves the business travel expenses. Technology also encourages innovation and creativity. In a flat organizational structure, employees can experiment with technologies and in the process innovate new technologies. This keeps the employees fully engaged and motivated. Technology also improves management efforts. The process of hiring and screening of new employees has been simplified by technology.
Job vacancies are advertised online, and interested candidates apply online. However, technology is a great distraction in the workplace. The use of mobile phones in the workplace, for example, allows the employees to use social media, which causes distraction and lowers productivity (Price, 2011, p.446). Computers though very efficient can also be a distraction especially when employees use them for other purposes other than the business purpose. In addition, the technological communication erodes face-to-face communication, which reduces employees’ social skills. Employees become self-centered and reserved and try to fill the gap but over working which can affect them negatively. Technology also poses a threat to businesses especially when it comes to data security. It can be difficult to monitor the use of technology in the workplace, and dishonest employees can share sensitive information with competitors.
Competitive compensation to the employees can be beneficial and harmful to business. First, if the competitive compensation leads to increased motivation and productivity, the organization gains a competitive advantage in the market. Besides, with competitive remuneration packages, business attracts who are motivated to work in an environment with competitive remuneration. Employee retention is also very significant. Employees will stay if well motivated through competitive pay and other elements. Overall, a business with competitive remuneration packages will remain stable both performance wise and in other sectors. Employees will be motivated to work even harder when they relate their package to value placed on them. When the hierarchical needs of the employee are met, then the employee is motivated. However, using competitive remuneration to motivate employees is disadvantageous especially to small businesses, which have no resources to maintain such a policy (Ghazanfar et al.,2011, p.123). In addition, pay can motivate and attract, but with time, other tools will have to come in to motivate the employees. A competitive remuneration policy can provide external equity but not internal equity. It places the package on the job and not the individual as the performance schemes do. Individuals may not give their best since they will still receive their packages at the end of the month. Managers, in this case, have to find other means of encouraging employees to give their best.
Recommendation
Considering all the alternatives presented above, I would recommend adopting the most appropriate alternative based on resources, employee needs, and other elements. With enough resources, all the alternatives can be adopted.
Rationale
Employees have various needs and are motivated through different initiatives. None of the alternatives presented above can be universal in motivating employees. Small business cannot maintain a competitive remuneration package but can adopt technology as a form of motivation. Each of the alternatives has advantages and disadvantages, but they can fill in for each other. If an organization adopts all the alternatives, then it can be able to motivate most of the employees. However, with the resources restraint, an organization should adopt the appropriate alternative. While middle performing business can adopt competitive remuneration packages to match those of high performing businesses, small businesses can adopt technology to increase motivation and performance and reach the middle level. The objectives and mission of the business can be the guide unto the alternative to adopting. Each business has its performance indicators and measures, which are significant in determining the best way to motivate employees for high performance.
Summary
All business needs to generate ways to motivate their employees. Different business requires different levels of motivation. Intrinsically, employee motivation is linked to employee engagement, which is a major focus of organizations today (Price, 2011, p.434). When employees are motivated, they will perform efficiently thus improving the overall performance of the business. Engaged workers have passion and are proud of their organizations. This drives their motivation thus moving the business forward. When employees are not fully engaged, they just put their time into working and not their energy. As outlined above, employees have different needs, which require fulfilling or motivation. An organization should be able to recognize the needs and expectations of an employee and work to fulfill them.
As outlined above, there are several ways of motivating employees. The major methods of employee motivation as outlined in this project include Redesigning organizational structure from hierarchical to a flat mechanism, integrating new technologies in the workplace coupled with intensive training and competitive remuneration and compensation packages. The alternatives offer different incentives to motivate the employees, and it is upon the business management to determine the most appropriate method based on resources and employee needs and expectations. As recommended, a business can adopt either of the alternatives or any combination.
References
Cosh, A., Fu, X., & Hughes, A. (2012). Organisation structure and innovation performance in different environments. Small Business Economics, 39(2), 301-317.
Ghazanfar, F., Chuanmin, S., Khan, M. M., & Bashir, M. (2011). A study of relationship between satisfaction with compensation and work motivation. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(1).
Price, A. & Price, A. (2011). Human resource management (4th ed., pp. 431-453). Andover: Cengage Learning.
Ramlall, S. (2004). A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention within organizations. Journal of American Academy of Business, 5(1/2), 52-63.
Verma, S. (2016). How Great Leaders Use Technology to Motivate Employees. Linkedin. Retrieved 27 October 2016, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-great-leaders-use-technology-motivate-employees-sanjeev-verm
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