Anti Affirmative Action essays

Anti Affirmative Action essays Recently, many people have had a problem with affirmative action. Its unfair rules and just the whole definition are outrageous. Affirmative action is the concept of creating equality for minorities by making all companies balance them out in the workplace. This leads to reverse discrimination, it doesnt always serve its purpose, and it is detrimental to the self-esteem of its recipients. This whole affirmative action concept should be taken out of this country immediately. Most importantly, affirmative action creates reverse discrimination. Non-minority individuals are often denied of a job to make room for minorities. This concept of hiring creates reverse discrimination when employers are forced to hire one individual over another because of racial make up instead of qualifications. Recently, a policeman in Massachusetts was turned down for a position even though he received the highest score on the exam. A few days later, he retook the test and marked the box for African-American, instead of Caucasian, and got the job. This incident further proved that affirmative action forces employers to look for the most qualified minority worker, rather than looking for the most qualified worker in general. Recently, the University of Michigan denied a group of students admission on the grounds of race rather than on their test scores (Cohen 52). In its attempt to create equality uniting the races, it really goes back to where inequality began. It has recreated the same problem that blacks did, only now it is white America that has to endure them. White men have now become the minority, while the past minorities are not minorities anymore. It is very difficult for whites to get jobs or any additional support. Minorities have easy access to jobs because companies are looking to find minorities to let into affirmative action. Minorities are also getting a lot of additional support. For instance...

The Impact of the Expansion of Islam in North and West Africa essays

The Impact of the Expansion of Islam in North and West Africa essays The Islamization of Africa started around the seventh century with the military conquests in Egypt led by Arabic armies and spread over the western part of the continent during the next five hundred years, reaching Morocco. Islam brought major changes at all levels of society in North and West Africa, at first, and to the the rest of the continent along the centuries, till today. Christian Egypt was the first country that knew islamization, after the death of Mohammad, around 639 C E, through the Arab armies and also through the Arab merchants that brought along scholars. These were wise men that taught the newly conquered people the Arab language and also gave advice to their leaders. They needed guidance in economic and political related matters and the Arabs came with their knowledge and organization due to the new faith that also established new rules and forms of governing. The faith of Islam was successful in conquering the people in Egypt and further, during the next five centuries, in Maghreb because it was not just a new religion intended to replace these populations beliefs but it came with new sets of rules and political knowledge. The followers of Mohammed were united by a faith that sought justice and unity for its faithful and it appealed to the people of North and West Africa by the way it applied to everyday life and its practicality. Some authors think that the fact that it permitted men to have more than a wife, unlike the Christian religion, might also have been considered more appealing to the nomadic tribes in the Western parts of Africa. The Arabs had the advantage of not merely imposing their own new religion to the newly conquered territories, but also of bringing with them a set of rules and a system that helped them teach through their scholars and clerics the rules that guided their own home society and proved successful in organizing them and bringing them together. Mohammed was aware ...

The Solution to Factory Farming

The Solution to Factory Farming The cruelty of factory farming is well-documented, but what is the solution? Go vegan. Cant we continue eating meat and other animal products and just treat the animals humanely? No, for two reasons: According to Animal Equality  over fifty-six  billion land animals are killed for human consumption every year worldwide. This number doesnt include sea creatures.   Humans eat far too many animals and animal products for the animals to all live on idyllic rambling farms, making humane farming almost impossible to achieve. A single battery hen building can hold over 100,000 hens in cages stacked on top of each other. How many square miles of land would be required to humanely raise 100,000 chickens so that they can establish separate flocks with their own pecking orders? Now multiply that number by 3,000, because there are 300 million egg-laying hens in the US, approximately one per person. And thats just the egg-laying chickens.Most importantly, no matter how well the animals are treated, subjugating animals for meat, milk and egg production is antithetical to animal rights.    Shouldnt we reduce suffering where we can? Yes, we can reduce some suffering by eliminating certain practices in certain areas, but this will not solve the problem. As explained above, we cannot humanely raise nine billion animals. Going vegan is the only solution. Also, keep in mind that some meat, eggs and dairy products are misleadingly marketed as humane but offer only marginal improvements over traditional factory farming. These animals are not raised humanely if they are in larger cages, or are taken out of cages only to live in overcrowded barns. And humane slaughter is an oxymoron. What about recent strides in the industry to reduce animal suffering? In his new book The Humane Economy, Animal Protection 2.0, How Innovators and enlightened consumers are transforming the Lives of Animals, author and animal-rights leader Wayne Pacelle writes about how the demand for change in how the animal farming community does business is having very identifiable changes. People who learn about factory farming are becoming more enlightened, and as they do so, producers must meet their demands. We saw this happen with the veal industry. Pacelle writes: From 1944 to the late 1980s, American per capita consumption of veal dropped from 8.6 pounds to just 0.3 pounds. When people learned about the cruelty of the veal business, they knew the moral price they paid was higher than the actual price of that restaurant meal. When we know better, we do better. In May 2015, the Humane Society of the United States was in negotiations with Walmart, the worlds largest retailer of food, to stop buying their eggs and chickens from farmers who would not voluntarily lose the battery cages. Those producers who did remove the batter cages were the new suppliers, so others had to go on board or be put out of business. This caused Walmart to release a declaration stating: There is growing public interest in how food is produced and consumers have questions about whether current practices match their values and expectations about the well-being of farm animals. Animal science plays a central role in guiding these practices , but does not always provide clear direction. Increasingly, animal welfare decisions are being considered through a combination of science and ethics. This may sound encouraging, but not all applaud the HSUSs efforts to make animals raised for slaughter more comfortable while awaiting their fate. One reason is as mentioned above:  no matter how well the animals are treated, subjugating animals for meat, milk and egg production is antithetical to animal rights. The other reason is if we make factory farming to appear humane, less people will feel the need to explore vegan options. Their moral and ethical reasons for doing so are seemingly moot. Cant I just go vegetarian? Going vegetarian is a great step, but consuming eggs and dairy still causes the suffering and deaths of animals, even on small family farms where the animals roam freely. When egg-laying hens or dairy cows are too old to be profitable, they are slaughtered for their meat, which is generally considered low quality and used for processed meat products. Male layer chickens are considered worthless because they do not lay eggs and do not have enough muscle to be useful as meat chickens, so they are killed as infants. While still alive, male chicks are ground up for animal feed or fertilizer. Male diary cattle are also considered useless because they do not give milk, and are slaughtered for veal while still very young. Going vegan is the only solution.

3 Cases of Missing Commas

3 Cases of Missing Commas 3 Cases of Missing Commas 3 Cases of Missing Commas By Mark Nichol The presence or absence of a single punctuation mark can create confusion or ambiguity about the meaning of a sentence. Three sentences illustrating this problem, each followed by discussion and revision, follow: 1. These factors make it hard for management to decide what to communicate to directors given the board’s crowded agenda. The lack of punctuation preceding given creates the implication that it is a verb that refers to something the directors are being handed. But here, given is a preposition signaling that information about a mitigating factor is about to be imparted, and punctuation should separate this tacked-on phrase from the main clause: â€Å"These factors make it hard for management to decide what to communicate to directors, given the board’s crowded agenda.† (The additional phrase could also begin the sentence: â€Å"Given the board’s crowded agenda, these factors make it hard for management to decide what to communicate to directors.†) 2. It’s not a real pleasant experience to tell you the truth. As written, this sentence suggests that the writer does not enjoy telling the truth to the reader (or, if the sentence is a quotation, to someone the speaker is talking to), but this is not the writer’s (or speaker’s) intent. To signal that â€Å"to tell the truth† is simply a conversational aside, it should be separated from the main clause: â€Å"It’s not a real pleasant experience, to tell you the truth.† (As in the previous sentence, the modifying phrase can begin the sentence: â€Å"To tell you the truth, it’s not a real pleasant experience.†) 3. The coach had pursued a star athlete only to have a deal fall just short. This sentence reads as if the coach had tried to recruit an athlete for the sole purpose of having a deal fall short; only could be misconstrued as a synonym for merely. But the part of the sentence starting with only is a modifying phrase describing the result of a sincere recruiting effort, and it should be set off from the main clause: â€Å"The coach had pursued a star athlete, only to have a deal fall just short.† (Unlike the dependent clauses and the main clauses in the sentences above, this pair of clauses cannot be transposed without heavy revision.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Types and Forms of Humor15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their Synonyms45 Idioms About the Number One

Peoples Services Inc. by Muhammad Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Peoples Services Inc. by Muhammad - Case Study Example Her supervisor Haleema realizes the changing attitude and decides to intervene. Â  According to Muhammad (2012), Qureshi starts taking longer lunch breaks meaning she was late to come back to the office for 15-20 minutes. Haleema noticed that after the lunch break, Qureshi was less productive, and spent some time dosing on the desk. She became too unproductive and sensitive to her colleagues who had to repeat her poor work. Later, Qureshi developed a habit of calling in sick with stomach flu. At one time, her daughter calls to say Qureshi is sick in bed. One afternoon, Haleema realized that Qureshi's breath smelt of strong mint and suspected she was drunk. Having given Qureshi many warnings, Haleema felt she needed to act because her attitude and performance affected everyone around her. Muhammad (2012) notes that Qureshi even asked for a departmental transfer arguing that she needed a less busy office. Haleema felt she needed to fire Qureshi because she never opened up her problems, and she seemed to deteriorate in her performance. However, they had to contact Employee Assistant Program (EAP) before firing her. Â  Haleema would land into legal problems for firing Qureshi without consulting EAP. Richard et al. (2009) argue that the EAP requires some alcohol or drug testing was done on any employee before terminating her from office. An alcoholic worker faces protection from Acts protecting people with disabilities and medical problems. Haleema should help Qureshi in seeking professional help before firing her. The law does not encourage alcohol abuse at a workplace. However, it encourages the employer to help the victim obtain treatment. Therefore, the Qureshi may sue Haleema first for not doing the alcohol test, and secondly for not intervening for a professional help. Although it may be expensive, the employer should seek legal help before taking action against Qureshi.

Interviw Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interviw - Case Study Example In the course of discussing my findings, I will include a comparison to the characteristics of adult learning as presented in Merriam and Bierema’s (2014) Adult Learning: Linking Theory and Practice. The respondent in the interview is female. Her name is Mariam Aleide. She is 27 years old. This is consistent with Merriam and Bierema’s definition of an adult (2014, p.11), where they point out that an adult is one whose age, social roles and sense of self perception define them as such-as adults. Therefore, her identity as an adult, apart from her age, is also a factor of her having multiple roles in society Merriam and Beirema (2014, p.12). For example, Aleide points out that she is a wife, a mother, and has a job as a teacher, apart from being a student. This distinguishes her as an adult as per the standards set in the text. The economic aspect of Aleide’s life is not easy to decipher. However, given the number of activities she has been a part of, one may infer that she is in a position to afford the various types of education. One the other hand, she points out that her mother had to sponsor her in matters to do with her baby. This shows that there may be a bit of financial struggle. This is predicted by Merriam and Bierama’s work. The roles taken on by Aleide as a wife, mother and student all require some level of financial contribution. Technologically, Aleide is proficient in computer programs. She specifies that she has a basic understanding of Microsoft office programs. In their work, Merriam and Bierema (2014, p.5) point out that due to globalization, there has been a rising demand for proficiency in computer programs. As such, by gaining basic knowledge of Microsoft Office Packages, Aleide is on consistency with ideas of the text; she incorporates the knowledge and use of technology into her learning endeavors. This is reported to ease the learning process, especially since she is a student in a country that is highly

Marketing Course Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing Course Evaluation - Essay Example Likewise, I have learnt that firms should emulate appropriate brand names and pricing strategies in order to enhance the perception, motivation and product awareness that play a significant role in the consumer buying process. In its effort to attain a competitive edge, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has embarked on merging with other companies in its effort to market products such as C-5, C-130 and C-141. In the same way, the company emulates horizontal market system for example at one time it replaced F-117 with F-22 based on the consumers feedback. Actions that I intend to take to stay current in my field includes, post graduate course in Project Management, Six Sigma Black Belt Certification (CSSBB) as well as masters degree. In order to improve the value of this course to the working adults, it is essential for lecturers to allocate adequate time for theory lessons as well as practical sessions. In addition, marketers should be trained on how to use web 2.0 as a major marke ting tool. Introduction In the contemporary world, firms have emulated a number of strategies to remain competitive and retain their customers. Through the guidance of the marketing managers, companies have emulated aspects such as proper branding, effective product positioning and pricing as well as promotional strategies. ... that I have gained Target Markets One of the skills that I have gained from the course is that for a company to be successful, it has to aim at particular customers. Being one of the major marketing strategy, target marketing in collaboration with the marketing mix that include price, product, promotion and price is essential especially when firms are aimed at expanding their customer base. Market positioning and segmentation The course has also exposed me to product positioning. This entails the process through which marketers create an image or the identity of their products on the minds of their consumers. One of the vital objectives of an effective product positioning is that it creates a strong customer awareness thus generating repeated purchases leading to high sales. On the other hand, market segmentation involves classification of the customers based on one or more characteristics (Kotler et al, 2010). In this way, firms are able to identify groups of customers with similar needs. Examples of market segmentation that this course introduced me into include geographic segmentation, demographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation, segmentation according to benefits and occasions as well as behavioral segmentation. Connecting with customers Building customer value, satisfaction, and loyalty Through the course, I was able to gain adequate skills on how to build customer value by enhancing a positive relationship especially by ensuring that organisations address the problems faced by the consumers in a timely manner. In addition, to ensure that the consumers are satisfied, it is imperative to provide quality products that meet their needs (Paliwoda et al, 2009). One of the major ways of enhancing customer loyalty is by creating a positive company-customer

The Changing Face of Islamism though its Colonial History Essay

The Changing Face of Islamism though its Colonial History - Essay Example Whether it was ruled by empires essentially Arab like those of the Ottoman, Arab, Iranian, or other Western superpowers, Islam has seemed to have made the most of these influences. But a more critical review is required to demonstrate whether this is entirely true in the face of Islam's stringent value system and lofty ideals, which are known to purport into every aspect of an individual's life. This paper seeks to explore the aspect of influences on the representation of Islam, from a critical point of view. To make our point more clear before proceeding to assess various influences that brought Islamism to where it now stands, it would be imperative to delve into a brief history of the colonial trends seen in the Islam world. Peculiar in its adoption of revolution which triggers modernity, Islamism has come to borrow ideas from the "social movement theory" in order to assist social scientists as they endeavor to study Islamism. Thus, we will find historical and structural explanations by linking Islamism to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, as well as the disappearance of caliphate as a symbol of Muslim unity. Further, the legacies of the Crusades and western imperialism, fundamentalist interpretations about the life of the Prophet and the Jihad apart from the American presence in Saudi Arabia and the war in Iraq have fuelled negative emotions such as frustration and humiliation.

Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

Communication - Essay Example They take with them their respective cultures, values, beliefs and customs which are all so important. The need is there to save these dying languages because they have people who speak them yet in someway are now making use of other languages to satisfy their day to day affairs. Question 2: How do the media and communications technology affect culture? Discuss either how the content of media shapes culture in a particular social context, or how changing communications technology is affecting culture. Media and communications technology affect culture as these keep changing and the cultural adaptations do not seem to catch up. The changing communications technology affects the culture since technology is pacing ahead at a frenetic speed and there seems to be no stopping this phenomenon at all. The culture does not change at such a fast speed and hence the media and communications technology lags far behind resulting in more anarchy within the society than one can think of. This leads to a confused culture on the part of the people who are looking at media and communications technology on the one and adapting to the requirements of the culture on the

Nathan Songs of Silence Essay Example for Free

Nathan Songs of Silence Essay The chapters of Songs of Silence hold together as a chorus of songs from one community, but shaped by the recollections of a narrator whose perspective ranges from the innocence of childhood to the maturity of a young adult who emerges unbroken from a failed relationship. One such chapters is ‘Nathan’ and here the narrator is the reflective adult with a sophisticated notion of the wide range if meanings ‘silence’ holds. Through the character of Nation she is able to present some aspects of this theme, which runs throughout the text in many different ways. Nathan acts strategically without words, but with potent meaning – revenge (poking Tony’s eye). Silence is a characteristic feature of Nathan’s personality, which is deep and profound even though he uses few words. The absence of words can mask/hide a great deal (still waters run deep). Nathan’s deep and profound silence was evident even from his birth and the close connection he had with his sister, the narrator – ‘†¦soulmates, welded together by our common need for silence.’ They both started speaking late. However, her silence was different from his – ‘he was a man of dark blue silences,’ while hers ‘hers was a silence of moons.’ Here the narrator suggests that contrary to the saying ‘silence means consent’, silence does not always mean ‘consent’ or agreement nor are all silent people to be treated the same. The ‘manna manna manna mahkita’ game establishes the communication between the narrator and Nathan. It has unspoken personal meaning for them and suggests that its ritual is saturated with almost religious or spiritual significance. It shows that codes of communication which may appear insignificant or meaningless to others looking on, may be a way of expressing connections that (known) words cannot express. The different silences of the siblings allow them to explore, define and find their own authentic selves in their own ways. (E.g. The narrator and the ants, Nathan and his tightfistedness with money). Silence, like money, can express identity.

The Impact Of Extended Trading Hours Commerce Essay

The Impact Of Extended Trading Hours Commerce Essay House of Travel is a Kiwi owned and operated business, this is unique industry because their outlets and a true business partnership between local owner operators and House of Travel Holdings having 75 plus retail outlets nationwide. Their 75% of retail outlets are situated in Shopping Mall and rest of 25% are in local Business areas. Chris Paulsen, founder and managing director of House of Travel had a dream that travel could be delivered to the consumer in a different way. The company gets suggestion from their consumers to extend the working hours of their retail outlets situated in local business area the present working hours is 9am to 5 pm weekdays and 9am to 1pm on Saturday. These hours may be extended to benefit more customers but before making this changes the company has to check thoroughly that how this will work and the advantages and disadvantages besides extending the business hours, for management and employees of house of travel. He started collecting brief report from the Owner operator that How the impact of extended hours will affect you economically, financially, and environmentally (Paulsen, 2011) and we get this opportunity to do research on this topic. It is with pleasure that we submit our report on extended working hours, the implications for public policy reform, and our recommendations for your consideration. The report gives an overview of the actual and potential effects of extended working hours on individuals, families and communities based on the findings of empirical studies and the views of key stakeholders, employees and their families and peak bodies. It outlines the major approaches that have been adopted in other jurisdictions, which indicate the complexities associated with determining the most effective means of addressing extended hours. Any measure aimed at minimizing the impact of extended hours has implications for the differing needs and aspirations of employees, employers and the community. Nevertheless, the majority of the Group felt that there was a solution although it may not be one which is perfect or which satisfies everyone. Where individual members of the Group held views dissenting from the majority on specific issues, these opinions and the reasons for them have been included. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the management of House of Travel for research and executive support. Introduction 1. The working hours trend has been seen since long as 9 am to 5 p.m.in most of the areas of business in several industrialized countries we called as traditional and offices, there are limited changes for the retail business such as groceries, and supermarkets. 2. The interest in extending working hours for House of Travel in Auckland is that there customers may get more and more benefit from the extended trading hours. 3. There are examples for the overseas jurisdictions have regulated extended hours of working in order to minimize its detrimental health and social effects on workers. 4. The project was assigned to our Active Group to do the through research and submit the report that the impact of Extended hours how its work and what are the advantages and disadvantages. 5. We the student of Management Class in a Group ( Active Group )took the challenge and started the research with the help of our studies and research we will submit the report before 18th May 2011. 6. This was a challenge for us and we have to think that from where we start, so we decided in our Group meeting to distribute the work among the members of the group. The terms of reference was described for each member of the group as under. Procedures The Group is to receive and consider comment from the management and staff of House of Travel and make recommendations for extending trading hours for their outlets outside the shopping malls and to submit the feedback and recommendation that how its work and how its effect on the employee and management of company. It was a big challenge for the group to deal in this and we started working jointly on this project and started collecting data relating to this project. 1. The first and the most thing was to check that how employees will be affected as a result of extending hours relating to health and safety issue , such as fatigue. 2. To check the specific models and general structures and to provide proper guidance to the management of House of Travel on working hours and to provide evidence for serious health and safety issues. 3. To check the Retail Trading Laws for extending trading hours from the Department of Labor New Zealand, and to do proper research for the betterment of the company as well as their employees. 4. To verify that how the employees and their families will be effected by this extended trading hours and how it will impact on the health of individual employees and their families. The research Objectives The objectives of the project were identified as: To take views of entire employee one to one basis and to know their willingness of working long hours. The check the level of cost involved in extending trading hours and how it will benefit the company as well as employees. To check that how this new implementation will work and affect the health and safety of employee. Research methods The research used both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative research The quantitative research comprised two employer surveys: First we had interview the employers to identify the knowledge and prevalence of extended working hours in retail outlets. The survey from three employers from different sectors and different business was conducted as under: 1. Management of House of Travel, Auckland 2. Management of Travel2000, Auckland 3. Management of M.K. Tours and Travels, Auckland Framework was set for questionnaire for the above employer and the following information was taken from them. 1. What benefit you think for extending Trading Hours? 2. How it will work e.g. roaster etc? 3. Will this affect the employee health and safety and security of organization? The response we received from the above employers shows that on 50/50 basis some of the employers and willing the ready to implement the extending trading hours rest of were was not supportive on several grounds. The qualitative research The qualitative research was conducted face to face with employees of House of Travel with giving the feedback form. Those employees willing to give the feedback from some of them were not interested but those who were interested in survey has given the feedback and which is enclosed as Appendix 1. The research was done and several websites and reports were referred to for preparing this report as under : the employers in the quantitative phase trade associations Retail Business Regulation Unions, including the Council of Trade Unions Work and Income work brokers. The respondents The feedback from employers and employees were submitted here in the qualitative research. The focus on the effect for extending hours and its amendments were discusses with the management of House of Travel verbally and explain them the procedure that if this implementation takes place there should be some specific models and rules to be referred and in light of the facts we have to give our suggestion that the extended hours and effective or not. Data analysis Quantitative The initial and follow-up survey were analyzed by our group and discussed through to differentiate reasons that to what extend the extended hours are feasible. Qualitative The notes and transcripts from the interviews were taken on and QA forms for research questions. Extensive notes were made at interviews The recorded data was analyzed with reference to the participants circumstances; findings for any one person or group were compared against those of the entire data set. Findings Structure of report: The structure of the report was submitted on the specific pattern and the collected material was thoroughly studied and present accordingly to check that the if the extended hours and implemented it will benefit both employer and employee and to check the entire aspect of extending hours. Limitations of the research Keeping in mind the current law and health and safety issues we submitted the details in our report as well as the cost incurred by the employer and also comparing the margin ratio. While submitting the report well also keep in mind the current law and the regulation of the New Zealand government as well as market trend and the area where the organization willing to extend the trading hours. 1. To present the findings of the Group appraisal relating to extending trading hours and how it will affect the employer and their employees. 2. To collect the statistical information on working hours from Auckland region and also from the various sources to analyzed working time arrangement and its effects. 3. To consult the oral interviews and written feedback from the employers and the employers for the House of Travel. 4. To meet the employees and Management of House of Travel to contribute and discuss about the effects of extended working hours on health and safety issues. 5. Oral and written submission was received through intensive fact to face discussion about employee experience of extended hours. The employees and employers were participated in the review process. 6. The Group has not investigated the merit of each employees claims but in general and keep in mind of their relative importance, but the report has been made in both written and oral submissions or in the literature reviewed. Submission Hereby submit that the oral and written interviews taken from the employer and employees of house of travel and other relevant sources; we also referred various websites, including Australian Government Website relating to extending trading hours which are also referred below with references. As per our learning we has taken keen part in looking specific models and even code of conduct for retail operation from Government as well as private organization. Our research shows that most of the employees not willing to work long hours but been on the key position they do not neglect and they have to work because the management wishes that he should work long hours. Working long hours will defiantly affect eh health for the employee who can be seen from various angles and from various points of view we think that working long hours or extending trading hours are not feasible for both the organization as well as for the employee. Even the organization has to involve in all sorts of legal steps towards employee safety, safety for their belongings and even cash handling. It is not advisable that a single person can work after hours in a hug office or retail outlets outside the shopping mall. We have some examples cited below which shows that extended hours are feasible for big companies of consumer products but it is not advisable for a small retail outlets they has to do more and more paperwork before planning to extend the trading hours. Our views and recommendation is submitted hereunder for House of Travel and we also offer our suggestion for implementing extended hours. We have included the details taken from defferent websites and reports e.g. work for dole, government website, Australian Parliament website, police website etc indicating the health and safety issue fo the employee working long hours. Results Members of the business community agree that for many companies, hours of operation are likely to continue to expand, as demands for convenience on the part of both individual and corporate customers do not appear likely to abate any time soon. But small business owners should make sure that they lay the appropriate groundwork for an expansion of operating hours before committing to it. But the business owner who takes the time to study these issues in advance will be much better equipped to handle them in an effective fashion than the owner who tackles each issue as it rears its head. (Executive, 2011) Competitive pressures-Analysts point out that simple economics have played a large part in the surge in expanded business hours for many companies. The ceaseless search for efficiencies and the high cost of adding capacity are compelling many small companies to squeeze more out of existing facilities by adding second and third shifts, said Dale Buss in a Nations Business article entitled A Wake-Up Call for Companies (Executive, 2011) It seems that that extended hours are feasible at some stage but not always, our research shows that it is expensive, risky and not at all time acceptable by the employers as well as employees But on other hand the Australian government has regulated and passes the extended hours in Parliament until 9.00 pm retailers able to open their businesses until 9pm on weekdays. However, the ALP went to the last election with a pledge to extend weeknight trading hours to 7pm. Mr Barnett made the announcement on the front steps of Parliament that, just as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry responded in the grounds nearby to what it called vested interest groups opposed to deregulation. (Sonti, 2009) A New Zealand Perspective: Why do we need to act? Whilst work-life balance is a global issue, there are specific considerations for New Zealand. In 2005 the Business Council contributed to the Department of Labours Consultative project on work-life balance. While New Zealand has a high number of part-time workers, we also have a high number of people working very long hours. New Zealanders have increased hours worked per capita by around 18% since 1970 the second fastest rate behind the US and in sharp contrast to Europe where hours have steadily decreased. We have seen the proportion of employed people who work a standard 40 hour week fall from 35% to 30% in the past 15 years with 22% people working more than 50 hours per week. On an average day, 40% of people are at work before 8am and one in four people work in the evenings. We continue to embrace a long hours culture. For many workers, cell phones, text messaging, e-mail and laptops have forced work into the home in new ways that lengthen working days and intensify work. Workers and partners in a survey by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions said that many employers held an expectation that workers were available well beyond their standard work hours. Some described being expected to have their mobiles on for long periods. This is particularly true for some part-time employees who are not necessarily in the office full-time during normal business hours. Excessive hours at work are equated with rising stress levels which affect health, fitness and personal relationships. A recent article in the British Medical Journal has reported that people who suffer from chronic stress caused by their job are more likely to develop heart disease and diabetes. Both of these are major health concerns in New Zealand. Over recent years, lower unemployment means employees are more able to make employer choices favoring organizations that offer flexible terms and conditions. However whilst large companies particularly in the service or consultancy sector have introduced initiatives to improve work-life balance, this may prove more difficult for production based organizations and SMEs. The total workforce in New Zealand approximates 2 million people10. 96% of New Zealand enterprises employ 19 or fewer people and in total account for 29% of the total workforce and contribute 27% of the countrys economy. The New Zealand manufacturing sector employs 12% of the workforce and contributes 15% of the economy. It is equally important that we find a way to ensure that these employees. (council, 2010) It seems that the Extended hours for House of travel is not feasible as stated above it will affect the work life balance of employees and also it will cost more for the company the approximately cost graph is given below showing how it will impact on organization as well as employees. Normal working hours 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday these are the limited times which are feasible for employers and employees both to work in safe environment and also stress less working. The cost which we see for extending hours from 5pm to 9pm on Monday to Friday i.e. 4 hours daily 4 x 5 = 20 hours a week and on 1pm to 5pm on Saturday so total working hours come to 25 hours a week (Extra hours). If the outlet hire minimum 1 counter staff and 1 back support staff + 1 Security Guard to look after the staff during extended hours so 25 x 3 if suppose the pay scale for each staff is $15 an hour so the organization has to pay NZ$1125 per week to the staff + the utility bills which comes to 12% of the average ratio so as per study the organization is paying nearly NZ$ 2000 extra a week. If the company hires mobile manager then it will cost less only company has to pay the hourly charges to one mobile manager instead of opening extended trading hours of shop. An as per our survey we receive just one or two customers after hours during the extended hours so it is not feasible to cover up the cost of extended hours and it is also risky to operate the outlets after hours where all the shops closed in the market. As per New Zealand Law for employees safety comes first Thousands of people attend work daily and never experience any situation where personal safety is threatened. Whilst a workplace under responsible management may provide a reasonable level of protection, situations affecting personal safety could still occur. Employers are required under Occupational Health and Safety legislation to have policies and procedures in place to provide a safe working environment for staff. This can be achieved by undertaking a survey to assess security and potential risk situations. The information produced by a survey will identify measures necessary for ensuring staff safety and security, and form the basis of developing a work safety plan. This information, prepared by the Police Community Relations Section, in consultation with various community groups, contains a series of guidelines for both staff and management. While primarily presented with the safety of women in mind, these suggestions can equally apply to any person in the workplace. (police, 2011) Working irregular hours Some businesses may store items of considerable value or hold significant amounts of cash, which may be attractive to criminals waiting for the first employee to arrive with safe keys or access codes. Businesses should have a policy on safe entry procedures for staff arriving at work. When employees are present outside of regular business hours, plan to have at least two staff working together if possible. Make provision to escort staff to their vehicles when work has finished, or have arrangements in place to facilitate safe exit from the building and vicinity. If staff must work alone, measures to enhance safety can include: Ensuring the building can be adequately secured from the inside Keeping doors locked to prevent casual entry, if appropriate Displaying warning signs that video surveillance cameras are operating Using security grilles for staff protection if the nature of the business permits Providing staff with a remote control device that can be used to activate an audible alarm and alert a security company, if safety is threatened. If you will be finishing late: Park as near to your building as possible in an area that will be well lit at night Consider other transport options if the only parking available is at an isolated location Let someone know you will be working late Check that you are secure inside the building and that no doors or windows have been left open or unlocked When leaving the building check the immediate area outside for any people loitering, before opening the door Use the best lit route to your car and have someone walk with you if possible. (police, 2011) All the above factors are countable and considering the above factors we came to the conclusion that it is not feasible to try for extending hours for the outlets outside the shopping mall in the local business areas. Conclusion We suggest it would be reasonable to embrace the general principle of reasonable hours but to require it to be operational at the enterprise and/or industry level. That is, to permit extended hours but within a framework that requires an individual organization to present a coherent argument as to why working extended hours in a specific context does not disadvantage the community or compromise safety in the workplace. It seems that after through research the conclusion is that the extended hours are not feasible, it will simply increase cost for the company and stress for the employee referring to health and safety issues of the employee and security reasons for the employee working extra hours, even the regulation does not allow the company to work extra hours outside shopping mall i.e. in open market place where all the shops and office are closed at about 5.00 in afternoon and to work extra hours will create hindrance for management and staff both. The group came to the conclusion that instead of extra hours there is few more suggestion that if the management finds suitable can adopt the same and as per our research it is same as working extra hours or extending trading hours. The suggestion is as under: Company can provide communication equipment like laptops, mobile phone to entertain customers calling after hours and deal with them or satisfied their needs or reply their queries relating to the business and that will fulfill the need of customer as well as will not cost much more to the company. As seen from the market trend now days for e business the company itself is having Hot website which is much more advance and self-explanatory customer can use that website for their queries, or can call the mobile sales person after hours which is appointed by the company to fulfill the customer needs. The company can provide commission to the staff for working extra hours outside the office anywhere and can earn extra income or may be company can pay any additional or extra pay to the employee working after hours from their own place as per their own suitability. Recommendation: The Group takes proud to recommend the following factors for the company and request the management of House of Travel to look into it and if they think it is feasible then can be implementing. The group is available for any comments and explanation for their recommendation provided herein for the betterment of company. Normal working hours 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday these are the limited times which are feasible for employers and employees both to work in safe environment and also stress less working. The cost which we see for extending hours from 5pm to 9pm on Monday to Friday i.e. 4 hours daily 4 x 5 = 20 hours a week and on 1pm to 5pm on Saturday so total working hours come to 25 hours a week (Extra hours). If the outlet hire minimum 1 counter staff and 1 back support staff + 1 Security Guard to look after the staff during extended hours so 25 x 3 if suppose the pay scale for each staff is $15 an hour so the organization has to pay NZ$1125 per week to the staff + the utility bills which comes to 12% of the average ratio so as per study the organization is paying nearly NZ$ 2000 extra a week. If the company hires mobile manager then it will cost less only company has to pay the hourly charges to one mobile manager instead of opening extended trading hours of shop. Our Recommendation is that the company can choose the employee after consulting them that who is available to work after hours from home to attend the phone calls so the office phone can be diverted to their home phone or companys mobile phone and the customer calling after hours can be attended and entertained. The company will refer the policy which is in appendix 1 of this report and frame new policy accordingly for the employee who is working after hours, the condition of working may be discussed between the employer and employee by them self-keeping all ethical issue in mind and also the family balance life police which may not affect the employees personal life. The employee who is volunteer to work after hours can be get benefit as per the companys policy and it should be fair and equal for every employee who are willing to cooperate in this new policy. Even the company can hire a call center to work on company behalf after hours or can use the formula of telework as it seems that nowadays more and more companies throughout the world relying on telemarkers or call centers (England, 2010) Bibliography council, N. Z. (2010). Work life balance report. Auckland: New Zealand Business council. England, B. (2010, september 09). Telework New Zealand. Retrieved May 11, 2011, from www.telework.co.nz: http://www.telework.co.nz/Benefits.htm Executive, G. R. (2011). Business Hours encylopedia. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from Industries news from Inc.com: www.industries new from inc.com Paulsen, C. (2011, January 17). How the impact of extended hours. Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. police, N. Z. (2011). Safety in work place. Retrieved April 16, 2011, from www. satefy in work place/New Zealand police.co.nz: http://www.police.govt.nz/safety/workplace.html#irregularhours Sonti, C. (2009, June 16). Goverment to introduce Trading Hours legislation. Retrieved April 5, 2011, from wa.today.com: www.watoday.com.au

The Sovereignty and Goodness of God Essay -- American History

The Sovereignty and Goodness of God The Sovereignty and Goodness of God is a primary source document written in the 17th century, by a well-respected, Puritan woman. This book, written in cahoots with Cotton and Increase Mather, puritan ministers, tells the story of her capture by Indians during King Phillip’s War (1675-1676). For three months, Mary Rowlandson, daughter of a rich landowner, mother of three children, wife of a minister, and a pillar of her community lived among â€Å"savage† Indians. This document is important for several reasons. First, it gives us insight into the attitudes, extremes, personalities and â€Å"norms† of the Puritan people we learn about in terms of their beliefs, and John Calvin’s â€Å"house on a hill†. Beyond that, despite the inevitable exaggerations, this book gives us insight into Indian communities, and how they were run and operated during this time. Mary Rowlandson was a pretentious, bold and pious character. Her narrative did not make me feel sorry for her at all, which is strange since she really did go through a lot. During the war, the Narragansett Indians attacked Lancaster Massachusetts, and burned and pillaged the whole village. During the siege Mary and her six year old child were shot, she watched her sister and most of her village either burn or get shot. She was kept as a captive, along with her three children and taken with the Narragansett’s on their long retreat. The exposition of the story is set immediately. The reader is perfectly aware of Missus Rowlandson’s status and religious beliefs. She constantly refers to the Narragansetts in an incredibly condescending way, to the point that you know that she does not even consider them human. She paints them as purely evil pe... ...e child were given boiled horse feet, and after she ate hers she ate the child’s because he/she could not bite it and was only gnawing on it. I think that this narrative is important for us to read in order to understand the mind-sets of the colonists and the Indians at the time of King Philip’s War. I believe that it is an excellent source, and really allows the reader to get a peak at what life was like during the 17th century. I also think that it is amazing that she is the second â€Å"American† woman to write and publish a book, and it is interesting to see how strong she was to preserve her own life in such an unfamiliar and â€Å"uncivilized† situation. Work Cited Rowlandson, Mary. The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. 1682. The Sovereignty and Goodness of God. by Mary Rowlandson with Related Documents. Ed. and intro. Neal Salisbury. Boston: Bedford, 1997.

Summary of Chapter Two of The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Essa

Summary of Chapter Two of The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy The system of caste in India is a bond of union, but splits up the society into sections. It revolves around the society's idea of what's "clean" and "pure". It exists not only in the form of Touchability and Untouchability but also gender difference and marital status. In Kerala, the setting for The God of Small Things, the caste system is deep-rooted; it has been made rigid by time and proliferated by the colonial rule. As a result, inevitably, the caste system greatly impacts the lives of the leading characters in the novel: Estha and Rahel, Ammu and Velutha. In my essay, I am going to explore the nature of the caste system and whom it affects. The revulsion of Untouchability is so inherent in the post-colonial society that even with the coming of the British, the untouchables in general were not only unable "to escape the scourge Untouchability". As Christians, "They were made to have separate churches, with separate services, and separate priests" and it was considered "a special favour (that) they were given their own separate Pariah Bishop." Further more, "After Independence they found they were not enititled to any Government benefits like job reservations or bank loans at low interest rates, because officially, on paper, there were (only) Christians, and therefore casteless." The life of Velutha, an untouchable, is greatly impacted not only in the way the other untouchables were. Since he was young, he had to conform to acts of inferiority. He had to enter by "the back entrance of the Ayemenem House to deliver the coconuts they [ Velutha and his dad] had plucked from the trees in the compound" and was not allowed into the ho... ...een traditions and are afforded no real recognition as said in what the novel calls "Locusts Stand I" or legal standing. Baby Kochama, once again hated them for that. She called them "Half-Hindhu Hybrids whom no self-respecting Syrian Christian would ever marry." As a result, further on the novel, their lives were greatly affected by her. The caste system on the whole traumatizes and affects Roy's protagonist's life in an unhealthy way. It took away the twin's need to belong to someone and their identity and, later on the novel, their childhood. It cost Ammu her love and her freedom. It deprived Velutha of a bright future and somehow caused his death. This way, Roy is able to let the reader see the atrocities of the caste system in India and be more aware about the stereotypes the society made to "different" people. Two thumbs and two toes up for Roy!

19th Century of American Literature Essay

Choose one short story and one poem from the 19th century. Write to compare the ways in which each of these may be considered representative of American culture during the time period in which it was written. Cite specific evidence from the literature to support your ideas. Short story: The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin A woman by the name of Mrs. Mallard has some heart problems so those around her are worried that revealing the news of her husband’s recent death might cause her a lot of stress and sadness which might in turn make her heart worse. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay â€Å"Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.† (Chopin) Upon hearing the news she breaks into tears, just as her loved ones had feared. She is expressing sadness over her husband’s death. â€Å"She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.† (Chopin) She then experiences grief, where she doesn’t want anything to do with anyone at the moment because her mind is in such a fragile state, plagued with emotions and thoughts, that she needs space alone to clear it. â€Å"She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.† (Chopin) After being in her room for some time her thoughts are starting to get to her. She doesn’t know it yet, but she is so sad that she’s allowing her thoughts to get the better of her and she is not in a strong state to deal  with them which will only cause things to get worse. â€Å"There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it?† (Chopin) She is dying from a broken heart and she is welcoming death to take her and free her from the pain she is feeling of missing her husband. â€Å"Free! Body and soul free!† she kept whispering.† (Chopin) She was feeling such sadness and grief that is had but a lot of stress on her heart and weakened it to the point of fatality. â€Å"When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease–of the joy that kills.† (Chopin) â€Å"The Story of an Hour† was written during the romantic period which was a time where writers and artists worked to free humanity from the mindset that everything was based upon logic and explanation. This story was written to bring light to the idea that emotions are important and that they are so important, they can affect you physically and can kill you. This story touches heavily on grief and sorrow and it connects physical problems with emotional ones which portrays the goals of many writers and artists through the romantic period because they wanted to express emotion and this sort story definitely did just that. Poem: Raven by Edgar Allan Poe The Raven is a story about a person who is mourning over the loss of a love . â€Å"ONCE upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore† (Poe) The â€Å"tapping† he hears are his own thoughts, the answer to a question that he longs to know the answer to. He represents it in the form of a physical object coming to him in the middle of the night. â€Å"While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.† (Poe) He wants his lover back because he is still deeply in love with her. â€Å"From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore, 10 For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore: Nameless here for evermore.† (Poe) He is afraid of his own thoughts because deep in his mind he knows that he will never see his lover again and that she is gone for good, but he still refuses to believe she is gone for good so he searches for some reassurance that it’s not true, but he’s scared to find the answer because he’s scared he’ll be proven right. â€Å"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, 25 Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before;† (Poe) The poem â€Å"The Raven† was written during the romantic period, a time where literature and art expressed senses and emotion rather than reason and logic. This poem is reflecting deeply on the emotions of love, sorrow, grief, and a possible anger. It touches on human emotions and brought attention to humanity and what it is like to be a human from an emotional view which was the goal in the romantic period.

Total Quality Service

Topic: Total Quality Service Summary: Total quality service and total quality management as a business strategy designed to add value to customers. It begins by discussing the roots of quality assurance and total quality management, and TQM. Also, it is to explore the relationship between total quality management (TQM) practices and service quality as well as the relationship between TQM practices and market orientation.However, most of what has been written on TQM is usually related to manufacturing related organizations even though it is widely believed that the concepts and principles under TQM are equally relevant to service organizations. Critical dimensions of TQS A review of literature on quality management implied that the critical dimensions of TQS could be broadly categorized under three groups as follows: 1) Those dimensions of manufacturing quality management that can be effectively used in service organizations of course with due modifications (these include dimensions s uch as top management commitment and visionary leadership, human resource management, design and management of processes, information and analysis, benchmarking, continuous improvement, employee satisfaction, and customer focus).2) Those dimensions that are seldom addressed in the literature, but are nevertheless key elements of TQM in both manufacturing and service organizations (e. g. union intervention and social responsibility). (3) Those factors that is highly unique to service organizations (namely, services capes the man-made physical environment  ± and service culture). The TQM dimensions that have been identified in service organizations are as follows: 1) top management commitment and visionary leadership (TMCL); 2) human resource management (HRM); ) technical system (TS); 4) information and analysis system (I & A); 5) benchmarking (BM); 6) continuous improvement (CI); 7) customer focus (CF); 8) employee satisfaction (ES); 9) union intervention (UI); 10) social responsib ility (SR); 11) servicescapes (SP); and 12) service culture (SC) Also, an empirical study that examines the difference of the relationship between TQM and quality performance in the manufacturing and service firms.

Latin American History Essay

According to Chasteen (2006), Latin America can be regarded as either having a single history or not. The twenty countries can be said to have a common history due to them being similar in more ways than one. When looked at from a different perspective, they can also be said not to have a single history because these countries’ history cannot be accurately and fully described in one story. This article will explore Chasteens’ views with the aim of establishing if his views are accurate. Jose Maria Caicedo was the first one to refer to this geographical region as ‘Latin America† The introduction of this name encompassed both the Spaniards and French speaking people occupying the lands. Latin America is comprised of countries found in the south of the United States of America and maybe sub-divided into regions namely; Carribean, Central America, South America and North America. Latin America is the 4th largest Continent on planet Earth. History shows that the entry and exit of regions into and out of Latin America was a gradual transition that cannot be traced to specific dates. One common feature of these countries is the European conquest and colonization. Christopher Columbus arrived there in 1942, consequently opening them up to the world. Eventually, the region was taken over by European powers comprised of Portugal and Spain, who introduced diseases such as small pox in order to weaken the indigenous populace. Many died, while the survivors were subjected to forced labor. Eventually independence was attained between 1810 and 1830 through a string of freedom fighters. The Latin American republics also share a religion because during the period of colonization, the Roman Catholic Church was introduced in order to override the traditions of the natives. It became the major economic – political power and the authorized religion of the land. Most of the republics of Latin America, spoke the languages of romance, which were French and Spanish, with Spanish being the main dialect. Another language that was spoken is Portuguese. These dialects existed because these countries were colonized by Spain and Portugal. Some countries e. g. Guyane speak English, Suriname speaks Dutch and Brasilia speaks Portuguese. The Latin American nations possess a rich ethnicity in the make-up of the populace. We find the Amerindians who are the Aborigins, then there are the Blacks who were slaves brought in from Africa, the Asians who were traders from Japan and China, Mestizos were as a result of inter-marriage between the Europeans and the Amerindians and the Mulattoes from marriages between Europeans and Africans. The Whites were composed of the Spaniards and French and last but not least were the Zambos who came up as a result of mixed marriages between Africans and Amerindians. Another common trait was the signing of the International Human Rights Treaties by the 20 Latin American countries and the 28 Post Communist countries. The treaties addressed civil liberties, freedoms of speech, assembly, association, movement, religion and the independence of courts. Civil liberties of Latin American countries had been smothered by the Communist rule, which eventually collapsed between 1989 and 1991. Human rights and democratic self governance rights significantly improved across the countries after the fall of communism. This improvement was triggered by the increased shining of the spotlight on conduction of open and just elections. Personal integrity privileges remained explosive as they were for the most part affected by the struggle involving government and guerrilla movements. Crowley (1993) says the rights experienced a stunted improvement but nevertheless started showing progress as from 1991. The Latin American countries went through a state of dependency and neo-colonialism. Grandin (2004) wrote that in order to safeguard its economic interest, USA provided fiscal, military and moral support to the non-independent countries. Liberalization was initiated from 1989, though the Soviet and Yugoslav conflict continuously hindered growth. However, progress could by 1993 because there were more liberal and semi-liberal countries, and an increased show of respect for individuals’ rights to own property. In conclusion, it can be said that not only are the Latin American countries unified geographically, but across the cultural, economic, religious and historical background. Their masters without knowing united these countries, creating a wealthy people, empowered to transform their continent into a resourceful and culturally rich continent. References Chasteen J. C. (2006). Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America. New York: W. W. Norton & Co. Crowley, W. and Timothy P. (1991). Guerrillas and Revolution in Latin America: A Comparative Study of Insurgents and Regimes since 1956. New Jersey: Princeton: Princeton University Press. Grandin, G. (2004). The Last Colonial Massacre: Latin America in the Cold War. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

Redundancy Hrm Essays

Redundancy Hrm Essays Redundancy Hrm Essay Redundancy Hrm Essay Abstract Downsizing has been a common cost-cutting activity for organisations in the last 25 years. Literature in this area has focused mainly on the effects that redundancy may have on people leaving the organisation. However, some research has investigated the effect it may have on the employees who were not made redundant, and from this the concept of Survivor Syndrome was created. It has been established that redundancy processes result in negative emotions being felt by survivors, such as less job satisfaction, mistrust in the organisation, less pride in the organisation and they feel that the organisation is not supporting them as much. These are just a few of the symptoms that have been associated with the syndrome. However, some research has suggested that Survivor syndrome is a myth, or can be prevented. This study presents the findings of a company-based study, in which employees opinions and emotions were investigated prior to and post-redundancies. It argues that symptoms of survivor syndrome are present in employees after the downsizing process has occurred, and that it is more prominent in non-managerial employees than in managers within the organisation. The study suggests that the way in which the organisation rolls out the process of redundancies, and the way in which employees are treated, both those remaining within the company and those leaving, can result in these negative emotions being felt. This suggests that effective management of employees during the process and after can decrease the likelihood that survivor syndrome will be present within the organisation, and Corus and other organisations going through similar situations should utilise methods that are recommended in order to help avoid the syndrome occurring. 1 1. Introduction There has been an increasing amount of research in recent years examining the effect of downsizing and redundancies on those employees who remain within the organisations after redundancies have taken place. Downsizing is defined as a deliberate organisational decision to reduce the workforce size and to change working practices, in order to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation (Freeman Cameron, 1993), and has been described as probably the most pervasive yet understudied phenomenon in the business world (Cameron, 1994). This is a particularly relevant subject due to the current economic climate, and the large number of organisations that have had to partake in downsizing due to the recession. The number of organisations and jobs affected by redundancy in Britain is staggering according to Campbell, Worrall and Cooper (2000), and this figure will have only increased since the start of the recession, as evidenced by the 22 million people in Europe who were unemployed in July 2009, 5 million more than the year before and it is highly likely that the full force of the recession has yet to fully impact on the labour market (Hurley et al, 2009). The statistics that are available are behind the situation slightly, due to the time it takes to collect the data, and the fact that the situation is constantly changing. A Quality of Working Life Survey conducted by UMIST and the Institute of Management measured the extent of organisational change occurring in the UK over three years, and it found that there had been a 8% increase in organisational change, and a 3% rise in redundancy because of this (Campbell, Worrall and Cooper, 2000). An increase in redundancies can also be due to the constant technological advances (Rifkin, 1999). Britain was found to suffer more job losses than any other country in the EU in 2008, according to Eurofound (Hurley et al, 2009). In a study of 1000 human resource and finance professionals conducted by Mercer in 2008, it was found that 35% of the organisations were expecting to make large-scale cuts in their workforce (Pitcher, 2008). Pitcher (2008) found evidence showing that the production and manufacturing sector were the hardest hit by downsizing, with 48% of the organisations who said they would be making 2 redundancies being in that sector. The Labour Force Survey (2001) found that the rate of redundancies per 1000 employees was highest in the manufacturing sector (16 per 1000 employees). A study conducted by Eurostat intimates that employment in the metal industry went from 2. 8% between 2007 and 2008 to -4. 2% between 2008 and 2009 in the UK. A pattern that has been identified is that the majority of those people being made redundant are skilled, semi-skilled and low skilled manual workers. Possibly because of this, there have been a much higher number of men identified as being made redundant compared to women in this recession (Eurostat, 2009, as cited in Hurley et al, 2009). Wolfsmith et al (cited in Farias Johnson, 2000) estimate that the success rate of large-scale change interventions average 50%, suggesting that downsizing may not have the positive effects for an organisation like they may have hoped. A large amount of research has found redundancy causes a number of negative effects for the organisation, such as loss of skills, and it can result in victims of redundancy feeling emotions such as anger and frustration (Sahdev, 2003; Reynolds-Fisher White, 2000). However, there has not been as much of a focus aimed at the survivors of redundancy, those employees who remain at an organisation after downsizing has occurred. This may be because people make an assumption that the survivors of redundancy feel relief, happiness and security. Literature that has looked at this topic has resulted in some interesting findings that put into question the above. Since the theory of the Survivor Syndrome was founded, the amount of research into this topic has grown, and researchers have attempted to investigate the affect that organisational downsizing has had on survivors in terms of their emotions and their performance using a range of methodologies. The term Survivor Syndrome in general describes a set of shared reactions and behaviours of people who have survived an adverse event (Baruch Hind, 2000). This term has then been borrowed by Brockner (1992) and put in to a management context, in order to give a picture of the impact of redundancies on survivors, which are those who remain within an organisation after significant downsizing of the workforce. The theory of survivor syndrome within organisations that have undergone downsizing occurred over 20 years ago. Schweiger Ivancevich (1985) discovered that the way redundancies are conducted affect the wellbeing and health of survivors. Similarly Sutton et al (1986) found that in a computer game manufacturing company 3 here large scale redundancies were poorly executed, many of the survivors quit a short time after the downsizing occurred. However, there has also been studies conducted that have found that survivor syndrome has not occurred within a recently downsized organisation (Baruch Hind, 2000; Latack Dozier, 1986). The debate about whether survivor syndrome actually exists is still ongoing, and there are results to support both sides of the argument. In a way to explain the difference of opinion, some researchers believe that redundancies have different effects on survivors, depending on a number of demographics. For instance, the age of the employee can affect their response (Baruch Hind, 2000). In the last two decades, since these results were founded the amount of research exploring the idea of survivor syndrome, and examination of the emotions and attitudes of employees remaining at organisations once redundancies have taken place has increased dramatically, and it has become a key focal point in redundancy research. This is especially true in the current economic climate, where downsizing is more prominent. Conducting a study to examine if survivor syndrome is existent within an organisation that has had to partake in large scale downsizing in the past is an extremely topical and interesting subject at any time, but even more so due to the current recession and the fact that the redundancies have occurred fairly recently, within the last two to three years. This piece of writing aims to identify the presence of Survivor Syndrome within a large manufacturing company, by identifying specific symptoms, in order to give some insight into the argument of whether survivor syndrome exists, or of it is a myth. If the syndrome is found to be in existence, then the study will be extended to discover which employees tend to be more affected by the syndrome, and explanations for this. Whether the analysis shows that Survivor Syndrome is or is not present within the organisation, this study will look in-depth at the methods used by the manufacturing company when conducting the downsizing programme, in order to see if the programme put in place is the reason for the presence / lack of presence of survivor syndrome in employees remaining with the company post-downsizing. 2. Literature Review Research into the effects of downsizing has increased in prominence since the increase in redundancies in the last two decades. As previously mentioned, the research has focused on the people who have been made redundant, and the outcomes for them. However, early research has mentioned briefly the effects that downsizing has on employees remaining within the company. Astrachan (1995) state that employees rema ining within an organisation experience adverse effects of change as profoundly as those ho have left the company, and there has been growing popularity in research looking at this theory of survivor syndrome, dating back to the 1980s. This literature review will look at redundancies in the UK, redundancies specifically within the manufacturing industry, why survivor syndrome occurs, and then look more in depth at specific symptoms that have been identified and investigated. 2. 1 Redundancies Since the mid-1990s the number of people being made redundant has remained at a low and fairly stable level. But with the economy experiencing what is at best expected to be the sharpest economic downturn since the recession of the 1990s, redundancy is again on the rise (CIPD, 2009). The table below shows the pattern of redundancies prior to and straight after the beginning of the recession, according to the Labour Force Survey from the Office of National Statistics (2008). As can be seen from figure 1 above, the redundancy figures were low from 2005 to quarter 3 in 2008. However, the number of redundancies more than doubled between quarter 2 and quarter 4 in 2008, going from 126,000 people to 263,000 people in less than 6 months. This coincided with the announcement of the UK recession in October 2008. The table shows that redundancy figures have reduced towards the end of 2009 and during 2010, but between quarter 4 of 2008 and quarter 3 of 2009, redundancy figures were very high. 2. 1. 1 Overview of redundancies within the Steel Industry With regards to the manufacturing industry, the ONS Labour Force Survey shows that it suffered from the highest percentage of redundancies in 2008 and 2009, 5 although this has decreased slightly. In 2008, quarter 4, 22. 1% of redundancies were accounted for by the manufacturing industry. Figure 1. Table showing Redundancy levels and rates Year 2005 Quarter Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Level of People (000s) 131 132 163 145 138 140 144 133 141 121 136 110 106 126 164 263 284 272 213 168 161 155 Rate of people 5. 3 5. 3 6. 5 5. 8 5. 5 5. 6 5. 7 5. 3 5. 6 4. 8 5. 4 4. 3 4. 2 5. 0 6. 4 10. 3 11. 2 10. 8 8. 6 6. 8 6. 5 6. 3 2006 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2007 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2008 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2009 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 2010 Q1 Q2 Source: ONS Labour Force Survey According to Stuart (2005), this sector has been subject to ongoing periods of restructuring over the last 30 years, due to the forces of increased competition and technological advancement. During this time period, the number of people employed within this sector has declined significantly, and it is thought this pattern will continue to be seen in future years (Stuart, 2005). 6 2. 1. 2 Corus The organisation that is being investigated in this study is Corus Distribution UK Ireland. Corus, as a whole, are the second largest steel producer in Europe, and became a subsidiary of Tata Steel Group, one of the worlds top 10 steel producers, in April 2007. Previous to this acquisition, the origins of Corus began in 1999, when British Steel and Dutch based company Koninklijke Hoogovens merged, creating a much larger company, operating all over Europe, and employing about 37,000 people. When announcing the merger, Corus stated that the basis for the merger is to provide a platform for growth, not retrenchment and that the hope was to minimise job losses (Corus, 1999). However, this merger was the start of a number of redundancy programmes run by Corus. The area of the company being looked at in this study, Corus Distribution UK I, announced a downsizing programme in November 2008, which involved a number of redundancies throughout the organisation. Further redundancies were then announced in January 2009, as the organisation had taken the decision to close a number of sites, and reduce the number of employees at nearly all other sites as well. The time period where these redundancies occurred coincide with the period of time in figure 1 that had the largest amount of redundancies. Within Corus Distribution UK Ireland, 400 employees were expected to be made redundant. However, by the end of the downsizing process, this figure had been reduced to 380 redundancies being made in total. The redundancies were announced a few months prior to the actual job cuts, and were announced via the local manager or director of that area of the business, depending on how many redundancies were being made within that business area. The communication during the process was both verbal and via formal letters, and this was the same when telling the employees that they were being made redundant. Corus offered support to those employees being made redundant, including redeployment support and help and advice from outside organisations such as Job Centre and PACE. However, there was no formal programme put into place to aide those employees who were not being made redundant. Instead, the Employee Assistance Programme was advertised as a helpline, and communication between managers and employees was encouraged y senior management. 7 2. 2 Survivor Syndrome an overview – Schweiger Ivancevich (1985) discovered that the way redundancies are conducted affect the wellbeing and health of survivors. This may have been the basis of further research into this topic, along with research conducted by Sutton et al (1986) that investigated the large scale downsizing of a computer game manufacturer, and found that it was poo rly executed, resulting in many of the survivors leaving the company only a short while later. Brockner leads the way in research on survivor syndrome. In one early experiment, students participated in a layoff simulation, and were then asked to fill in a questionnaire. The experiment found survivors to feel increased remorse and negative attitudes to their co-workers (Brockner, 1985). These results helped to encourage the theory of survivor syndrome, but the responses were immediate, and so it was questioned if this experiment actually represented real feelings when facing job loss, and what the long-term effects were. In order to respond to these criticisms, Brockner (1986) followed up this research with a field study, where the results served to emphasise his earlier findings, and found common emotions suffered by survivors were anger, anxiety, guilt and relief. In further research conducted by Brockner (1988), he went on to discover that stress results in changes in survivors work attitudes and behaviours, for example less commitment to the organisation they work for, decreased job satisfaction and a higher turnover at the organisation. Noer (1993) also conducted research into emotions common amongst those employees remaining within an organisation after downsizing has occurred. He found symptoms of survivor sickness prominent in his subjects, including fear, anxiety, guilt, depression, anger, risk aversive and defensive. He found that these symptoms were influenced by the level of injustice perceived in the redundancy process, and the extent to which the survivors psychological contracts are changing. Noer (1993) created the Emotional Clusters of Redundancy Survivors, shown in figure 2. 8 From figure 2, the common negative emotions felt by survivors of redundancy can be identified, and this has been supported by research conducted in the more recent past (Doherty, Bank Vinnicombe, 1996; Bordia et al, 2004). Another reaction that has been identified is that employees tend to become more loyal to their own careers than to the organisation (Reilly, Brett Stroh, 1993). It has also been shown that survivors who have not experienced redundancy before exhibit more negative reactions than those who have been a part of the process previously (Armstongstassen, 1993). When analysing previous research looking at the effects of redundancy on survivors, similar symptoms have been noted. Tait (2010) investigated a plethora of research and found the most common symptoms of the syndrome include lower motivation and morale, reduced loyalty to the organisation, higher stress levels, lower trust, increased scepticism about the organisation, feelings of guilt about surviving the cutbacks and sometimes even jealousy of those who have been made redundant, perhaps because of the redundancy packages they have received. Campbell, Worrall Cooper (2000) conducted research that involved in-depth, semi-structured interviews, and supported this by following up with a questionnaire, looking at variables including loyalty, commitment and stress. The most frequent emotions identified from the interviews included unfairness, mistrust, shock, low morale, worry, stress, and feeling overworked and unmotivated amongst others. The questionnaire included 15 different emotions measuring the levels of threat, challenge, harm and benefit, with responses measured on a likert scale. The results of the questionnaire supported the findings from the interviews, finding the most popular feelings were tiredness, stress, anger, worry and disappointment. These results are evidence that Survivor syndrome is in existence. Organisations need to be aware of these symptoms, and should attempt to avoid, or reduce the prevalence of symptoms of survivor syndrome, as it can have detrimental effects on the organisation in question. A firms post-layoff success is contingent upon the reactions of the people in its surviving workforce (Shah, 2000) and so it is crucial that survivors are looked after, in order for an organisation to perform successfully in the aftermath of the downsizing programme. 9 Figure 2: Noers (1993) Emotional Clusters of Redundancy Survivors Job Insecurity Depression, Stress Fatigue Unfairness Risk aversion and reduced motivation Survivor Syndrome Emotions / Concerns Lack of management credibility Distrust and betrayal Lack of Strategic Direction Dissatisfaction with planning and communication Lack of reciprocal commitment Anger over redundancy progress If this sickness is present within an organisation, lower productivity, higher absenteeism and higher turnover can be observed (Clarke, 2010). Travaglione Cross (2006) state that the emotional after-effects of fear, anger, frustration, anxiety and mistrust pose a real threat to performance and productivity and this is thought to be in part down to the increase in workload that employees will face due to there being a smaller workforce, according to Mirabel De Young (2005). A general outlook on this subject states; It is commonly asserted that so-called survivor syndrome has a negative effect on workplace productivity and thus increases the cost to employers of redundancy. A reduction in employee engagement might also result in a higher rate of voluntary labour turnover (CIPD, 2009). 10 This basic explanation clarifies that organisations will suffer from lower productivity if survivor syndrome is present within the company. Therefore it is crucial to understand why some employees may feel these negative emotions, and how this can be avoided. . 3 Theories offering explanations for the existence of Survivor Syndrome Theories have been developed to explain different reactions, for instance Side-bet theory (Becker, 1960) and Identity theory (Burke, 1991). These theories offer different explanations for why employees may feel some negative emotions subsequent to the redundancy process. 2. 3. 1 Side-bet theory Side-bet theory was created by Becker (1960) and is a calculative approach, focusing on structural relationships. It is where over time, the cost of leaving increases, and becomes more than the cost of moving to another organisation, and this is thought to result in negative job attitudes. If Side-bet theory is to be relied upon, middle aged survivors feel more severe negative effects, and see the downsizing in general as a violation of their psychological contract. Younger employees are better equipped to struggle through the restructuring, as they have a new psychological contract. . 3. 2 Identity Theory Identity theory is more of a moral approach and is focused on role identity in an organisation for self-identification (Burke, 1991). The more important the job role is to a persons self-identification, the stronger the impact of job stressors on the employees wellbeing and job attitudes will be. Based on this theory, the most affected by the downsizing are older employees, who feel that they have invested time and effort and are being betrayed. The least affected, according to identity theory, are middle aged employees, as they believe that because they have survived, they are recognised as a contributor (Baruch Hind, 2000), and therefore they have better attitudes and enhanced performance once downsizing has occurred. In terms of younger workers, they will not have formed organisational commitment or an 11 identity and therefore their involvement with the organisation will decrease significantly due to the threat they perceive. 2. 3. 3 Equity Theory Equity theory, created by Adams (1963) can be used to explore survivors guilt. The general overview of the theory suggests that a fair balance must be reached between an employees inputs, such as enthusiasm and hard work, and an employees outputs, for example pay and benefits, and how these compare to the colleagues around them (Fowler, 2006). If an employee believes that a colleague has worked equally as hard as them, and yet that colleague has been made redundant, then the employee is likely to feel negative emotions associated with survivor syndrome, including guilt. 2. 3. Justice Theory Brockner Greenberg (1990) developed the Organisation Justice Theory, which is the theory that some feelings will only be present in survivors if the redundancy programme is not a fair process. For instance, if random lay-offs occur, then survivors are more likely to feel guilty than if the redundancies are merit-based. If survivors have remained within the organisation based on their performance, they are less likely to feel guilt towards the people made redundant as they w ill understand that they have performed better than those who are leaving the organisation. This can also result in survivors feeling more confident. Another outcome of merit-based redundancies is that productivity increases (Brockner et al, 1985). The level of compensation, and the presence of clear explanations as to why redundancies are occurring, and why some people are being laid off and others are not will result in less damaging effects for survivors, according to the justice theory. Campbell (1999) conducted research to look at how organisational justice theory is a means to understand the potential effects on survivors of redundancy (Campbell, 1999). 12 2. Differences in Survivors reactions to Redundancy Research into survivor syndrome has exhibited similar results in general, finding similar symptoms being expressed by the employees within organisations that have had to make redundancies. It has also been found that redundancies and downsizing affect different people in different ways. For example, for some people, they observe the fact that they are still within the company as the start of enhanced career development (Latack Dozier, 1986) whereas for others it results in stress and they view it as a crisis (Cooper Payne, 1990). Some research has shown that the negative emotions that have been identified in previous research could be mainly felt by the managerial staff, as they may realise once the redundancies have occurred that the best staff have been let go, and organisational performance is poor (Mirvis, 1997). However, little research into this specific topic has been conducted, and so this study intends to investigate this very theory, and identify if managers feel more negative emotions than other employees remaining within he organisation. The Survivor Syndrome is not a universal concept, and does not necessarily affect all business situations or industry sectors (Wolfe, 2004). The negative effects associated with survivors of redundancy can be in part attributed to the mafia model of downsizing (Stebbins, 1989), which is defined as the desire to have done with the redundancy quickly and then forget about it, which generally leads to ignoring even the most basic human resources practices (Fay and Lu hrmann, 2004). 2. Avoiding Survivor Syndrome Baruch Hind (2000) conducted research that concluded that survivor syndrome may not actually exist, or that there may be a personality-driven predisposition to survivor syndrome. The study involved analysis of employee opinion surveys over 3 years, during which large scale redundancies took place. The results of the analysis were expected to show deterioration in the scores of feelings of satisfaction, trust and morale for instance. However, this was not what was observed, rather the opposite was discovered. Employees perceptions of the companys openness, job satisfaction and morale all improved over the years. The theoretical models of identity theory and side-bet theory do not provide a clear 13 rationalisation for the finding (Baruch Hind, 2000). Further investigation was done in order to explain the lack of survivor syndrome, by conducting in-depth interviews, and then a questionnaire, asking open questions about their feelings following the redundancy programme. The results of the interviews showed that the company was conscious of preventing fear and anxiety, and so ensured that there was open communication with both employees and their representatives, such as trade unions, and a fair selection process, which was conducted quickly and as openly as possible. Managers had also received training on how to deliver the news, to make them more able to cope with the situation. The organisation also offered support to leavers in finding a new job. The way in which the company conducted the redundancy programme has been shown to be one of the main explanations for the non-existence of survivor syndrome within this organisation. These findings are supported by previous research that shows that how fair the redundancy process is effects the survivors emotions (Brockner, Wiesenfeld Martin, 1995; Brockner et al, 1993). The theory that the way in which a redundancy process takes place can affect mployees feelings may be extremely relevant in the case of Corus, and the methods used by Corus to implement the redundancies should be looked at in-depth in order to understand the emotions that will have been found to be present in Corus employees. Another explanation suggested by Baruch Hind (2000) is that throughout the 1990s, people became more accepting of redundancy, compared to in the 1980s when it was a new phenomenon, and people felt betrayed by the organisation. In more recent years, people view it as the new way of working life. This could be especially true of Corus employees, as it is a company that has gone through a number of downsizing processes. It is also suggested that survivors see themselves as the chosen ones, and felt appreciated, which helped create a positive attitude (Baruch Hind, 2000). The general conclusion to take from this study and from other studies that have found similar results (Brockner et al, 1992) is that if downsizing is managed effectively, and through using good practice, negative effects on survivors can be controlled and minimised, avoiding the existence of survivor syndrome, and therefore it cannot be assumed that survivors of redundancy within an organisation will suffer from 14 survivor syndrome. Cross Travaglione (2004) found that downsizing can be successful if the least valuable employees leave the organisation. In a study conducted by Sahdev (2003), a manufacturing company, similar to that of Corus was investigated. The company has a history of downsizing but maybe surprisingly the survivor issues found were positive overall, having a sense of pride, drive to enhance the companys profitability, job security, and trust in the organisation. This could be because the reasons for downsizing were proactive, in order to maintain their competitive edge, and that the survivors gained from the restructuring via training enhancing their skills levels. There wasnt evidence of survivor syndrome because of the methods the manufacturing company used during the downsizing. The process was seen as fair and open, and so survivors did not feel negative emotions after. In the same experiment, Sahdev also looked at Barclaycard and Bedfordshire City Council. The study showed employees from both Barclaycard and BCC suffered the effects of survivor syndrome, feeling emotions such as low morale, a lack of trust, decreased commitment to the company and job insecurity. Barclaycard had not had a downsizing exercise prior to this, and although BCC had been downsizing for a decade prior to this, this had not been via redundancies only. BCC were downsizing as a reaction to the government agenda, but at a high frequency, which is thought to result in increased cynicism and low trust (Sahdev, 2003), whereas Barclaycard were downsizing to be proactive in enhancing competitiveness, but this was a rare occurrence, and so it is expected that there will be a mixture of emotions, such as anger at the violation of the psychological contract, and excitement at the opportunities to develop that will occur due to the downsizing. Therefore this evidences that the reasons for redundancies and history of downsizing within the specific organisation are other factors affecting the outbreak of survivor syndrome. Other research conducted looking into this subject has found that interactional justice is crucial for survivor syndrome to be prevented. According to Campbell (1999), survivors reactions depend on the amount of interpersonal communication between the employee and the line manager, as this can effect organisational commitment, job satisfaction and job insecurity. The study also found that the work environment and work colleagues can affect survivors emotions, and if 15 the atmosphere at work is negative, or colleagues are negative, this can result in surviving employees suffering from negative emotions. Leana Feldman (1994) discovered that if an organisation made their employees aware that redundancies would be taking place early, there would be no / limited negative outcomes for the organisation. This is thought to be related to the level of trust in the organisation, due to being well-advised. Evidence in support of this also comes from Applebaum Donia (2001), who have found that the main factors affecting survivors responses to downsizing include the knowledge and understanding the employees have about the situation occurring, the fairness of the decision making process, the fair treatment of the employees being made redundant, and feeling that the managers are aware of the problems that may arise due to the redundancies. Some organisations create help groups which tend to lower the prevalence of survivor syndrome, as does the involvement of trade unions, as this reemphasises the fair treatment of employees and the fairness of the process. Continued communication between the management team and survivors helps avoid negative emotions, as does consideration from management to employees for the changes in their day-to-day jobs, such as increased workload. If management show appreciation towards the survivors for their commitment and effort throughout the difficult periods, this will help the employees feel more valued and respected, and so they will feel less negative emotions associated with survivor syndrome. The final factor that is thought to lead to the presence of survivor syndrome is if a company uses redundancies as a first resort in difficult times, rather than attempting other methods of cost reduction or to improve productivity (CIPD, 2010). Some organisations attempt to save money by introducing flexible working, such as only working 4 day weeks, and taking the equivalent pay cut, or banning overtime. By introducing one of these methods first, an organisation may find that they could even avoid redundancies, but if not, employees will be able to see that the company tried other methods first, before having to resort to redundancies. By observing the attempt to avoid redundancies, employees will feel more positive towards the organisation. These findings suggest that survivor syndrome is avoidable within an organisation conducting large scale redundancies, and the incidence of survivor 16 syndrome is dependent on the actions of the organisation in how they conduct the redundancies, how they treat the employees leaving the organisation and how they treat the survivors remaining within the organisation. Therefore, for an organisation to have the desired outcomes from making redundancies, such as increased productivity and effort, an organisation must put into place a realistic downsizing preview (Applebaum Donia, 2001), that includes some of the methods mentioned above. . 6 Reasons for conducting research into Survivor Syndrome Research into this topic is beneficial for organisations undertaking similar downsizing programmes, as finding symptoms of survivor syndrome in employees, and discussing why these negative emotions may be present will aide future redundancy programmes, as organisations will be able to avoid certa in behaviours and prevent survivor syndrome occurring within their workplace. By preventing this syndrome becoming a pandemic within the organisation, the organisation will find that the levels of productivity and performance are affected less negatively, as employees will be feeling more positive towards the company, and so will not let their work-ethic become less emphatic. Research investigating Survivor Syndrome is also crucial in order to identify what the symptoms, if there are any symptoms, of survivor syndrome actually are. 2. 7 Hypotheses After in-depth research into previous research, and considering the information and resources available, two hypotheses have been developed. Hypothesis 1: A decrease in pride in the organisation, trust in the organisation, perceived organisational support and job satisfaction will occur for those employees that remain in the organisation after downsizing. Hypothesis 2: A lower amount of pride in the organisation, trust in the organisation, perceived organisational support and job satisfaction will be identified in managerial survivors of redundancy than non -managerial survivors. The aim of this study is to investigate and attempt to prove or disprove these hypotheses, by conducting analysis of case-specific data, and making generalisations from the results of this analysis. 7 3. Methodology 3. 1 Organisation Setting As the main focus of the research was to investigate the prevalence of Survivor syndrome, a case-based study seemed to be the most appropriate method. Corus, a major private sector manufacturing organisation was chosen for this study. This organisation produces steel for a range of different sectors, and is a large, decentralised organisation that has undergone organisational restructuring a number of times throughout its relatively short history, mainly because of the volatile industry it belongs to. It is important to note that a number of the employees taking part in this study were part of the organisation throughout the previous redundancy programmes, as well as the most recent downsizing that occurred. 3. 2 Procedure Corus conduct Employee Opinion Surveys annually, in order to analyse the attitudes of employees to a range of aspects of the business. This study will analyse the results of the employee opinion surveys completed in 2007, prior to the redundancy programme, and the employee opinion survey results from 2009, conducted a few months after the redundancies took place. The surveys were designed by two different companies, and so are not identical, although they are very similar, and the majority of the questions are repeated and worded the same. Some of the questions in the surveys are not relevant to the subject matter being discussed in this report and so only certain questions from the surveys will be analysed. The decision for which of the questions in the two surveys should be analysed was based on how relevant they were to certain emotions associated with Survivor Syndrome. For instance, in both surveys there was the statement I feel proud to work for Corus. This is strongly associated with pride, which has been shown to be affected in survivors after largescale redundancies, and so will be included in the analysis. The statement Overall, I am satisfied with my job is directly related to job satisfaction, which again has been shown to negatively affect survivors after redundancies, and so that statement will also be included in the analysis. There are some questions within the surveys that are not as obviously linked to an emotion related to Survivor Syndrome, and so the decision to include or exclude questions from the survey for analysis included looking at other research focusing on these specific emotions, for example, emotion 18 specific questionnaires were analysed to see if any of the questions were similar to those within the Corus employee opinion surveys, and if so, they could be included in the analysis. For example, a number of the items in the employee opinion surveys were similar to or the same as the questions used on a survey conducted by Bordia et al (2004), such as I am satisfied with my job and My business keeps me informed. Some of the items in the surveys were included on a purely subjective basis, as they seemed to be associated to a specific Survivor Syndrome emotion. An example of this is My immediate supervisor helps me do my work well which seems to relate to Perceived Organisational Support as a measure. 3. 3 Participants The Corus Employee Opinion Survey is sent out to all employees in the UK. However, not everyone responds. The survey from 2007 had 1580 responses, and the 2009 survey had 1075 responses. The employee opinion surveys do not include demographic variables, and so there is little information on the age or gender of the participants. Because the respondents from the two employee opinion surveys are employees at Corus, although the participants may not be exactly the same, as there is a larger sample size in 2007 than 2009, this study is a within groups analysis. 3. 4 Questionnaire Measures The survey contained scales measuring specific variables seen as important to Corus. However, as explained above, some easures are hidden within the questions, and so have been found subjectively or via other research, in order to identify whether certain negative emotions associated with Survivor Syndrome are present within employees who completed the employee opinion surveys. The measures being investigated in this study have been decided upon through analysis of previous r esearch. By identifying the key emotions that have been recognized in other survivor syndrome research, and conducting thorough examination of the employee opinion surveys to see what emotions the questions relate to, a list of measures has 9 been decided upon. Below are the measures being analysed from the employee opinion surveys: Job Satisfaction- the Employee Opinion Survey asks specific questions relating to job satisfaction, including Overall, I am satisfied with my current job, Considering my responsibilities and the work I do, I am paid well, I believe I am rewarded well for my work compared with others outside our organisation and I am sufficiently trained to do my job well. There are also some items within the questionnaire that are less obviously specific to job satisfaction, but are linked to this measure. For instance I have opportunities to achieve my potential, There is cooperation within my team and I am involved in decisions related to my business. Overall there are 11 items focusing on job satisfaction. Organisational Pride- There are 2 items measuring employees pride at working for the organisation, and these are I feel proud to work for Corus and I would recommend CDUK Ireland as an employer. Perceived Organisational Support- This measure is represented by a number of items on the employee opinion survey, including I receive timely thanks for work well done, My immediate supervisor gives me enough attention, My immediate supervisor helps me to do my work well and I often find the pressure of work too much. The items being used to analyse this measure are spread over a number of the different sections in the employee opinion survey. These sections are Work environment, Quality of Leadership, Learning and Growth and Reward and Recognition. This measure is represented by 13 items in the employee opinion surveys. Trust within the organisation This is a measure that has been prominent in – previous research, and so it was important to ensure that it was included in this study. From the employee opinion survey, 2 items can be used to measure employees trust in the organisation and their colleagues, including I have faith in the managers in my business and I have faith in the management team of CDUK Ireland. All of the items on the questionnaire were measured using a 5-point likert scale, except for the first question, Do you hold a management position, which is a 20 es / no question. This item will be used after the first analysis has been done, in order to investigate the data and identify any differences in the emotions of managers and non-managers. This is in order to see if survivor syndrome is more prominent in those with a managerial position, who are more involved in conducting the redundancies, or more prominent in employees who have a non-managerial position, such as the factor y workers, who see members of their team leaving the organisation during downsizing. The first statistical analysis will compare 2007 survey results and 2009 survey results, to see if the emotions have changed significantly between preredundancies and post-redundancies. 21 4. Analysis 4. 1 Analysis of data Before redundancies vs After redundancies – Table 1 provides the means and standard deviations, computed from both the 2009 employee opinion survey results and the 2007 employee opinion survey results, for all of the items representing each variable being measured. Table 1. Means and standard deviations for 2007 / 2009 Employee surveys Employee opinion survey question 2009 Survey Mean 1. 37 1. 48 1. 55 0. 97 1. 23 1. 64 1. 37 1. 99 1. 85 1. 88 1. 87 2. 49 2. 31 2. 03 1. 13 1. 41 1. 47 1. 77 1. 85 2. 07 1. 78 1. 58 1. 45 1. 56 1. 67 1. 4 1. 5 1. 13 1. 41 Std Deviation 0. 847 0. 912 1. 063 0. 664 0. 916 1. 035 0. 821 1. 201 1. 188 1. 166 1. 064 1. 028 1. 011 1. 014 0. 858 0. 991 0. 994 1. 071 1. 079 1. 147 1. 06 1. 049 0. 966 1. 07 0. 57 0. 995 1. 003 0. 912 0. 863 2007 Survey Mean 1. 17 1. 38 1. 37 0. 95 1. 25 1. 53 1. 35 1. 86 1. 83 1. 98 1. 71 2. 41 2. 39 1. 56 1. 1 1. 53 1. 34 1. 3 1. 24 1. 5 1. 65 1. 46 1. 36 1. 48 1. 47 1. 41 1. 16 1. 31 1. 29 Std Deviation 0. 886 0. 912 1. 049 0. 75 1 0. 944 1. 039 0. 826 1. 193 1. 013 1. 061 0. 973 1. 057 1. 068 0. 661 0. 867 1. 045 0. 929 0. 971 0. 889 1. 054 1. 029 0. 953 0. 877 0. 979 0. 974 0. 95 0. 83 0. 881 0. 99 Do you feel proud to work for Corus? I am satisfied with my current job The surroundings in which I carry out my work are pleasant I know what is expected from me at work My work gives me an opportunity to use my skills and training At work my opinion is taken seriously My colleagues value me In the last 6 months I have had training to help me do my job I have sufficient development opportunities within my business There is sufficient attention for my personal development There are opportunities for me to achieve my potential Considering my responsibilities and the work I do, I am paid well I believe I am rewarded well for my work compared with others outside our organisation I often find the pressure of work too much I am sufficiently trained to do my job well I am involved in decisions relating to my work My supervisor gives me enough attention My supervisor is a good leader My supervisor tells me how I am performing I receive timely thanks for work well done My supervisor organises sufficient job appraisals and asses sments for me My immediate supervisor helps me to do my work well My business keeps me adequately informed of key issues I have faith in the managers in my area I have faith in the managment team of CDUK I I feel involved in my business What the company wants to achieve with the has been communicated to me There is cooperation within my team I would recommend my organisation as an employer 22 As can be seen from the table, the mean for each question is higher in 2009 than in 2007 for the majority of items. The responses included in the employee opinion survey were strongly agree, agree, neither agree nor disagree/dont know, disagree and strongly disagree. For the analysis, these responses were converted into numbers e. g. 0 = strongly agree up to 4 = strongly disagree. The standard deviation, representing the spread of the results around the mean, is quite low for all items, showing that the majority of the results are close to the mean. The means for 2009 are generally slightly higher than 2007, which denotes that more people disagreed and strongly disagreed with items in the surveys in 2009 than in 2007. For instance, when analysing the results for the variable Pride, the item Do you feel proud to work for Corus has a mean of 1. 7 (SD = 0. 886) in the 2007 survey, showing that most people agree with the statement. In 2009, the mean increased to 1. 37 (SD = 0. 847), and although this still means the average answer was agree, it also means that more people responded with neither, disag ree or strongly disagree than in 2007, showing that employees opinions of how proud they are to work for Corus have changed between the two surveys being conducted. The same pattern has been found with the other item representing Pride, I would recommend my organisation to others. The mean answer in 2007 was 1. 29 (SD = 0. 99), and in 2009 it was found to have increased to 1. 41 (SD = 0. 63), again showing that in 2009 more people gave the responses neither, disagree and strongly disagree. This pattern is persistent in most of the items. For the variable Job Satisfaction, the first item to be investigated was I am satisfied with my current job. The mean answer increased by 0. 1 between 2007 (m = 1. 38, SD = 0. 912) and 2009 (m = 1. 48, SD = 0. 9 12), which signifies that more people gave negative responses in 2009 than they did in 2007. Another item representing the job satisfaction variable is Considering my responsibilities and the work I do, I am paid well, and a similar differen ce in means for 2007 (m = 2. 41, SD = 1. 057) and 2009 (m = 2. 49, SD = 1. 028) was found for this. Perceived organisational support in the organisation is a variable being analysed through a number of items in the employee opinion survey. The item My supervisor is a good leader shows a disparity of 0. 47 between 2007 (m = 1. 3, SD = 0. 971) and 2009 (m = 1. 77, SD = 1. 071). Another large difference between means was found for the item I receive timely thanks for work well done, as in 2007 the mean answer was 1. 5 (SD = 1. 054), and in 2009 it increased to 2. 07 (SD = 1. 147). 23 There were some anomalies, where the difference in means between years diverged away from this pattern. The items My work gives me an opportunity to use my skills and training, There is sufficient attention for my personal development, I believe I am rewarded well for my work compared to ther organisations, I am involved in decisions relating to my work, I feel involved in my business, and There is cooperation within my team all have means that are higher in 2007 than in 2009, which indicates more positiv e responses were recorded in 2009. In order to identify if the differences between means are significant, a statistical test called the Mann-Whitney U test has been conducted, to investigate if the null hypothesis for each question i. e. the item is the same across both years of the employee opinion survey. Table 2 shows the results of this statistical analysis. From Table 2 below, it can be seen which of the items had significantly different responses between 2007 and 2009. The items have been split into the different measures they represent. By rejecting the null hypothesis, this means that the distribution of responses for a specific item in 2007 is significantly different to the distribution of answers for the same item in the 2009 survey results. For instance, Considering my responsibilities and the work I do, I am paid well was shown to have a significance level of 0. 000, and therefore it can be said that the difference between the responses in 2007 and 2009 are significant (p 0. 05). When looking at the means for the two years for this item, it can be seen that in 2007 the mean was 2. 41, and in 2009 the mean was 2. 49, this means more people responded with a negative answer such as disagree or strongly disagree, and the increase in these negative responses was significant. This means that in 2009 significantly more people felt that they were not paid well for the work that they did. Another example of this is for the item My immediate supervisor helps me do my work well. The significance value for this item is 0. 003 (p 0. 05) and therefore it can be said that there is a significant difference in the distribution of answers to this item between 2007 and 2009. The null hypothesis is therefore Table 2. Mann-Whitney U results for Hypotheses relating to year of survey Null Hypothesis PRIDE Sig. Decision 24 The distribution of *I feel proud to work for Corus is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I would recommend CDUK Ireland as an employer is the same for all categories of *year of EOS SATISFACTION The distribution of *I am satisfied with CD UK Ireland as a place of work is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *Considering responsibilities the work, I am paid well is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I am rewarded well compared to Employment packages from other organisations is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I feel involved with my business is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I am involved in two-way communication with my manager is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I am sufficiently trained to do my job well is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *My current job gives me the opportunity to use my skills training is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *There are opportunities for me to achieve my potential is the same for all categories of *year of EOS Th e distribution of *My colleagues value me is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *There is co-operation teamwork in my area is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I am involved in decisions relating to my area of work is the same for all categories of *year of EOS PERCEIVED ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT The distribution of *At work my opinion is taken seriously is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *My business keeps me adequately informed about key issues is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *CDUK Irelands Vision has been clearly communicated is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *In last 6 months I have had training that helped me to do my job better is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *There is someone at work who encourages my development is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *The su rroundings in which I work are pleasant is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I often find the pressure of work too much is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I know what is expected of me at work is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *My immediate supervisor gives me enough attention is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *My immediate supervisor helps me do my work well is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *Supervisor organises sufficient appraisal assessments is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *Supervisor regularly tells me how they believe I am performing is the same for all categories of *year of EOS The distribution of *I receive timely thanks for work well done is the same for all categories of *year of EOS TRUST The distribution of *I have faith in the managers in my area is the same for all catego ries of *year of EOS The distribution of *I have faith in the management team of CDUK Ireland is the same for all categories of *year of EOS .000 . 000 Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Reject Null Hypothesis Accept Null Hypothesis .000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 003 . 757 . 007 . 070 . 053 . 221 . 008 .124 . 901 . 411 . 005 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 003 . 035 . 073 . 000 .000 . 639 rejected. The mean answer in 2007 was 1. 46, and in 2009 it was 1. 58, and therefore the Mann-Whitney U analysis indicates that there is a significant increase in the amount of employees giving more negative responses in 2009 from 2007, in relation 25 to the sample size. This therefore connotes that significantly more people are not of the opinion that their supervisor helps them to work well after redundancies in 2009, than before the redundancy programme took place, in the 2007 survey. From Table 2 above, it can be seen which of the items had significantly different responses between 2007 and 2009. The items have been split into the different measures they represent. By rejecting the null hypothesis, this means that the distribution of responses for a specific item in 2007 is significantly different to the distribution of answers for the same item in the 2009 survey results. For instance, Considering my responsibilities and the work I do, I am paid well was shown to have a significance level of 0. 000, and therefore it can be said that the difference between the responses in 2007 and 2009 are significant (p ; 0. 05). When looking at the means for the two years for this item, it can be seen that in 2007 the mean was 2. 41, and in 2009 the mean was 2. 49, this means more people responded with a negative answer such as disagree or strongly disagree, and the increase in these negative responses was significant. This means that in 2009 significantly more people felt that they were not paid well for the work that they did. Another example of this is for the item My immediate supervisor helps me do my work well. The significance value for this item is 0. 003 (p ; 0. 05) and therefore it can be said that there is a significant difference in the distribution of answers to this item between 2007 and 2009. The null hypothesis is therefore rejected. The mean answer in 2007 was 1. 46, and in 2009 it was 1. 58, and therefore the Mann-Whitney U analysis indicates that there is a significant increase in the amount of employees giving more negative responses in 2009 from 2007, in relation to the sample size. This therefore connotes that significantly more people are not of the opinion that their supervisor helps them to work well after redundancies in 2009, than before the redundancy programme took place, in the 2007 survey. It can also be seen from the table that some of the null hypotheses can be accepted. This means that even if a difference in the means has been found, it has not been shown to be a significant difference, and therefore the distribution of answers for an item can be taken to be the same over both 2007 and 2009. The nine items on 26 the survey that are shown to not be significant and the null hypotheses accepted are represented on Table 2 with lilac shading. Taking each measure eparately, the results of the items can be investigated in order to find evidence that that particular measure has been found to have been affected since redundancies have taken place. For Pride, the two items, Do you feel proud to work for Corus and I would recommend CDUK Ireland as an employe r, were both found to have significant differences between the responses from 2007 and the responses from 2009. The mean answers for both items were higher for 2009 than 2007, and so this means significantly more respondents answered these items negatively. Therefore it can be said that employees of Corus were less proud of the organisation in 2009 than in 2007. Job Satisfaction has been measured through 11 items on the survey. From Table 2, it can be observed that the null hypotheses of seven of the items were rejected. Six of these items were shown to have higher mean responses in 2009 than in 2007, which signifies that the responses became significantly more negative after redundancies took place. However, there is one item where the opposite has been detected. When analysing the item I believe I am rewarded well compared to employment packages from other organisations the significance value computed via the Mann Whitney U test was 0. 000 (p ; 0. 05). However, the mean response for 2009 was 2. 31, and in 2007 it was 2. 39. This means that in 2009 there were more positive responses (e. g. agree / strongly agree) in relation to sample size than in 2007. From these results it can be denoted that employees were more satisfied with their employment package in 2009 than in 2007. The responses for four of the items under the Job Satisfaction measure were not significant in terms of the dispersion of the answers in 2009 and 2007. This means that the responses for all four items have not varied between before the redundancy programme took place in 2007, and after it took place, in 2009. When looking at the overall results from the analysis for Job satisfaction, it is difficult to say whether or not employees are less satisfied with their job and the organisation since redundancies took place, as there are mixed results. What can be deducted from the results is that from the general, and possibly most representative of the satisfaction measure, item I am satisfied with CD UK Ireland as a place of work it 27 an be seen that levels of satisfaction have decreased between 2007, before redundancies, (m = 1. 38, SD = 0. 912) and 2009, after redundancies, (m = 1. 48, SD = 0. 9 12), as the significance value is . 000 (p ; 0. 05). Nine of the items measuring Perceived O rganisational Support were shown to have significant differences in the survey responses from both years. Again, the general pattern was shown to be that employees responses were found to be more negative in 2009 than in 2007. There were four items where the responses were not found to be significantly different. For example, the item There is cooperation and teamwork in my area has a Mann-Whitney U significance value of 0. 221 (p ; 0. 5) and so it cannot be said that there is a significant difference between the two surveys, but rather the responses were more or less the same. The mean for 2007 was actually higher than 2009 (1. 31 and 1. 13 respectively), which would indicate that responses became more positive in 2009. This result would have been unexpected, but since it has not been found to have been a significant difference, it is irrelevant. The majority of the items indicate that employees opinions of perceived organisational support are more negative in 2009 than in 2007. Th e final measure was trust, and the statistical analysis found that of the two items measuring employees trust in the organisation, only one was found to have changed significantly since the 2007 survey. The item I have faith in the managers in my area had statistical significance of . 000 (p ; 0. 05). The mean response had become more negative in 2009, and therefore this means that a larger proportion of the employees disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement in 2009. Interestingly, the responses to the statement I have faith in the management team of CD UK Ireland did not change significantly between the two surveys. 4. 2 Analysis of data Managers vs Non-managers in 2009 – Table 3 provides information of the means and standard deviations for managers and non-managers who responded to the 2009 employee opinion survey, after the downsizing programme had taken place. This analysis was conducted in order to see if there was a significant difference in the emotions felt by managers and the emotions felt by non-managerial employees, such as factory workers. Table 4 contains the Mann-Whitney U results, that identify if any differences in the mean 28 answers are significant. Table 4 is split into the different measures being investigated. The tables below show that that for all items except two, there was a significant difference between the responses given by managers and the responses given by non-managers. In all cases except three, the mean response from the nonmanagers was higher that then mean response from managers, which insinuates that employees with a non-managerial position have more negative opinions than managers. This is because of the scale the answers are given on (e. g. = strongly agree, 4 = strongly disagree), and so the higher the number representing the response, the more strongly the statement is being disagreed with. For instance , under the Trust heading in table 4 is the item I have faith in the management team of CDUK Ireland, which is shown to have a significance value of . 000 (p ; 0. 05). The mean answer for non-managers can be seen from Table 3 to be 2. 67 (SD = 9. 448) and the mean answer for managers was 1. 8 (SD = 6. 947). The mean for the non-managers is significantly higher than the mean response from managers and so this means that that non-managers had significantly more negative responses in relation to the sample size. For the Pride measure, both items can be seen to have higher mean scores for nonmanagers than managers. This means that managers gave more positive responses to the items than non-managers did. For the item I am proud to work for Corus the mean for non managers was 2. 01 (SD = 7. 188) and the mean for managers was 1. 43 (SD = 6. 962), and the Mann Whitney U test showed this to be a significant difference (p ; 0. 05). A similar difference in means was observed for the item I would recommend Corus as an employer and this also had the same signif