Downsizing the Human Resources Department Essay Example for Free

Downsizing the Human Resources Department Essay Human Resources Department manager Pat Sutton is requesting the downsizing of the Human Resources Department. Instead of the eight employees already in place, Pat wants the department pared down to five employees. She wants the names of three employees selected to be terminated. There is no other alternative to termination, and the company policy states that there can be no early retirement and no moving laterally to another department. Cost-cutting measures are now requiring that five employees do the work of eight. In addition to the names of the three employees recommended for termination, Pat wants to know what action management should take if any of the three employees decide to file a discrimination case against the company and what the employees would have to prove in order to win a discrimination case. Employees Recommended for Termination Pat, I have chosen the three employees to be terminated based on their skill set, work experience, and job function within the Human Resources department. The three to be terminated are: Diane—she has been with the company for 10 years, and although she is an outstanding worker, her attendance problems have cost the company. Horatio—he has only been with the company for six months, is just learning insurance and health matters, and his skills are marginal at best. Greg—he has been with the company for five years and has shown an ability to quickly learn complex areas of work. However, he has not been trained in tech hiring, and his job skills are just average. Of the three named employees, one is female and two are male. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the main law of employment that is pertinent to these three employees. Possible Cases of Discrimination against Cost Club There are three different types of discrimination cases that could be file by the three employees. Race discrimination—Horatio could file a case of this type. He is Hispanic and has not quite grasped the English language. He would have to prove that because he is Hispanic and has a limited knowledge of English, the company terminated him. I really do not think that Horatio would win if he decided to file a racial discrimination case against the company. His minimal skills in health and insurance after six months are more than enough reason to terminate him. Gender discrimination—Diane could file a case of this type. Her attendance problems stem from her children’s sicknesses over the years. She would have to prove that her termination stemmed from her being a female and missing work due to her sick children. We may have a tough time if Diane files this type of case against the company. She is an outstanding worker and her only blemishes are her missed days of work due to her sick children. Religious discrimination—Greg could possibly file a case of this type. His religious convictions prevent him from working on Saturday or Sunday. This forces other workers to work weekends more frequently. Greg would have to prove that the company terminated him because his religion keeps him from working on the weekend. Greg would have a hard time winning a discrimination case if he were to file, because his work is just average at best. With regard to each employee’s possible claim of discrimination, the company should prepare itself by carefully looking into each employee’s work performance employee performance appraisals. After all, the company needs to offer the three workers more than just a â€Å"we had to terminate three people and you were one of them† explanation. Failure to promote qualified employees is a form of adverse employment action. Employee performance appraisals provide written documentation and prove the employer acted fairly in terminating an employee. Documenting Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs)  The Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is intended to smooth the progress of positive conversation involving an employee and his or her manager and to explain the work performance that needs development. The PIP is put into effect, at the choice of the manager, when it is deemed essential to assist an employee in improving his or her performance. This arrangement allows managers to set objectives, determine procedures, manage evaluation meetings, and record development. No particular quantity of time is needed for a worker to adhere to a PIP. As a matter of fact, if no improvements are made, an employee can be terminated after a number of weeks. Performance Improvement Plans have an awful reputation amongst personnel who view them as the last step in terminating employment. This is because numerous companies apply Performance Improvement Plans the wrong way or use them for generating a lawful safety net prior to ending employment. Performance Improvement Plans should only be applied if a manager sincerely believes that the worker possesses the ability to improve. Every other thing is agonizing for the worker and takes up too much time for human resources staff and managers. Regarding human resources personnel and managers, a Performance Improvement Plan is more or less hardly ever fitting. If a supervisor is performing poorly or at a level below standards to necessitate a Performance Improvement Plan, it is very rare that he or she will salvage the needed assurance of subordinate employees or his or her own manager. Human Resource organizations possess more than enough admission to extremely private, unique data. Moreover, because of their place in the organization, the harm to your belief in them and their trustworthiness is almost impossible to overcome. Dispute Resolution Process A dispute resolution process is categorized into two types: adjudicative and consensual. In an adjudicative dispute resolution process, an arbitrator, judge, or jury decides the result of the arbitration or litigation. During a consensual dispute resolution process, such as mediation, collaborative law, negotiation, or conciliation, the participants try to come to an agreement (FITT, 302). For the three employees we are terminating, we would need an adjudicative dispute resolution process. This way, an arbitrator can decide the outcome of the case. Responding to Charges of Discrimination Should we be charged with discrimination from terminated employees, we will follow these steps: 1. Gather documents and evidence but wait to interview witnesses and meet with the company’s legal specialist to decide who must manage the inquiry. It may be essential to run an investigation that we reveal to the examining organization, or it may be more vital to run an investigation that can be suppressed. Nevertheless, we should amass any records which specify what actually happened. If a discrimination claim is made founded on a â€Å"disparate impact,† we will need to collect some simple material concerning the diversity of the company’s workforce. This way, the company’s attorney can determine if that data has any importance statistically. 2. If we opt to prepare a re-tort to the discrimination charges on our own, we should take into account that we have numerous onlookers. Initially, some EEOC offices will send a duplicate of the reply to the terminated worker or his/her legal counsel. If the employee or the EEOC chooses to take legal action, they are apt to attempt to exploit the company’s stance as substantiation in their argument. The simple rule to constantly abide by is to just state the facts. Do not state undesirable points about the terminated worker that are case irrelevant, and be sure to corroborate all testimony with any documents available. We should only give the EEOC additional information if it strengthens the company’s stance. This is my recommendation on who should be terminated and what avenues of approach we should take should any discrimination charges be brought against the company.

How important is Tourism and Agriculture for the Dominican Republic eco

Thesis Statement How important is Tourism and Agriculture for the Dominican Republic economy. Outline Agriculture †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the base of Dominican economy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  35% labor force †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Produces of Dominican Republic are; coffee, cacao, tobacco, cotton, rice, beans, potatoes, etc. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Dominican agriculturists are responsible for supplying most of the Dominican food to the population. Tourism †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most important aspects I the Dominican economy. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Because of location, Dominicans people and climate, Dominican Republic is one of the most visited countries in the Caribbean by tourists. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also helps in the social development since they are constantly receiving people from other countries. Draft â€Å"The Dominican Republic is a middle-income developing country primarily dependent on agriculture, trade, and services, especially tourism. Although the service sector has recently overtaken agriculture as the leading employer of Dominicans, agriculture remains the most important sector in terms of domestic consumption and is in second place in terms of export earnings. Tourism accounts for more than $1 billion in annual earnings. Free Trade Zone earnings and tourism are fasted-growing export sectors.† In the following essay I am going to write about how important is tourism and agriculture is for the Dominican Republic Economy. Agriculture has been the economic base of the Dominican Republic from its beginnings, thanks to the globalization, the foreign trade and the persistence to satisfy to the population in agreement with the new international demands, has caused that the recent governments to be directed towards other forms of finances. The citizens also have been very cooperative interchanging agricultural goods and other simple works by the modern commerce, as they are: businesses, stores, etc. This reason does not make agriculture less important. The farming sector is responsible in replacing most of foods to the Dominican population; which covers 80% of all foods consumed in the Dominican Republic by the small and medium agriculturists. â€Å"The Dominican Republic recently has signed a free trade agreement with the United States. It is anticipated that the Dominican... ... that if they apply ecotourism and make also a good publicity, it will attract more tourists to the country and make a much more prosper economy. On the other hand the agreement they just signed with the United States will help Dominican Republic as well, since it will inject more money to its country. In Dominican Republic there is a lot of poverty and I think that with this agreement people will get more jobs. They both eco-tourism and agriculture will also help a lot of unemployed people that the country currently has, since there are going to be more jobs available to offer and there is going to be more things to do. Reference List †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/dotoc.html †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.nationmaster.com/country/dr/Agriculture †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/dominican_republic/ †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.dominicanrepublic.com/ †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://kiskeya-alternative.org/publica/afuller/rd-tourism.html †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://aol.countrywatch.com/aol_topic.asp?vCOUNTRY=51&SECTION=APP&TOPIC=SRMAT&TYPE=APPEN

Five Force Analysis

Rogers Chocolate: Five Force Analysis Feedback A graphic portrayal of the five-forces model for the chocolate industry is shown in below. At the end of the analysis, always state a conclusion: Rivalry Among Competing Premium Chocolate Producers—a Moderately Strong Competitive Force In the discussion of the five competitive forces that follows, we use a + sign to indicate factors acting to strengthen rivalry and a – sign to indicate factors acting to weaken rivalry.The +/– signs are shown in parentheses. ?The Canadian premium chocolate industry has been growing by about 20% annually while the chocolate industry as a whole has been relatively stagnant or falling. (–) ? The gap between the growth of the premium and lower quality markets has spurred a movement by large, traditionally low quality, manufacturers into the premium market through acquisitions and upmarket launches. (+) ? Product differentiation is moderate among makers of premium chocolates.While t here is some differentiation with respect to the quality of the chocolate produced, the main differentiating feature is the packaging of the product which helps draw first time users to one premium brand over another. (+) ? Competitors consistently pursue premium placement and packaging changes that make their product more attractive to the consumer. (+) ? With large percentages of annual sales being seasonal, advertising and competitive jockeying for retail sales intensifies during the most profitable periods of the year. (+) ? Switching costs to consumers is low.While the costs of switching from one brand to another are low, consumers of premium chocolates tend to be brand loyal. (–) ? The industry is mostly regional with only a few large players. (neutral) ? Most competitors have similar strategies, offering some customization on wholesale and online purchases and maintaining standardized retail operations. (+) Threat of Entry—A Strong Competitive Force ?With the in dustry currently composed primarily of regional players there are not significant economies of scale in production that would prohibit entry. (+) ?Significant learning curve effects and lower fixed costs independent of scale, such as favorable long-term leases in retail locations, for incumbents exist that could discourage new entrants. (–) ?Strong brand loyalty and preferences for existing brands would make it difficult for new entrants to take market share. (–) ? There are high capital requirements in the form of manufacturing facilities, machinery, retail space, and distribution channels to launch large scale operations but low capital requirements for local and some regional operations. (neutral) ?With the industry growing at 20% annually potential entrants may see room to flourish in an underserved market. (+) ? This high growth has caused large, well known, low quality manufacturers with large resources to begin positioning themselves to enter this market. (+) ? With a large portion of the market consisting of baby boomers, there is potential for market growth for decades to come. (+) Competition from Substitutes—Varies Depending on the Taste Preferences of Consumers ? The primary consumers of premium chocolates appreciate high product quality and have a high level of brand awareness.Traditional off-the-shelf candy and chocolates do not compare in the minds of these consumers. This leaves very few substitutes that include upscale, premium candies, cakes, and ice creams. (–) ? Switching costs to the few substitutes are low. (+) ?Average consumers that may purchase premium chocolates on special occasions or as gifts have a wide array of readily available substitutes. The substitutes to these consumers are traditional candy bars, flowers, stuffed animals, hard candy, etc. , etc. (+) ? Substitutes are readily available and are sold at lower price points. (+) ? Switching costs for these consumers are also low. (+)The Bargaining Pow er and Leverage of Suppliers—Weak to Moderate for Packaging Inputs; Moderate to Strong for Product Inputs ? Packaging inputs for the industry can be procured from a multitude of suppliers located around the world. (–) ? There are some costs to switching packaging suppliers for industry members but these costs are not so extreme that they prevent switching. (neutral) ? Packaging inputs are readily available from most suppliers. (–) ? Suppliers of packaging inputs are heavily relied upon to deliver inputs on time and in conjunction with production runs. These inputs are also a large portion of overall product costs. +) ? It is not economically viable for industry members to backward integrate into production of packaging inputs. (+) ? It is not likely that suppliers will integrate forward. (–) ? Consumer concerns for human rights and environmentally safe packaging increases the pressure on industry members to procure packaging inputs from what are considere d responsible suppliers or to pressure suppliers into producing packaging inputs under set terms and conditions. (neutral) ? Production inputs to the industry, such as cocoa beans, are a commodity but can only be grown in certain climates restricting the number of suppliers. +) ? Switching suppliers of production inputs can be costly if they come from regions or continents other than what the industry member is currently using. This may require new procurement channels and transportation methods. (+) ? Production inputs can be in short supply or abundant depending on the climate that year. (neutral) ? Production inputs are basically standard across the industry. (–) ? Suppliers provide inputs that account for a large portion of the product cost. (+) ? It is neither feasible nor economically viable for market participants to integrate into the production of these inputs. +) ? It is not likely that suppliers will integrate forward. (–) ? Consumer concerns for human right s increases the pressure on industry members to procure production inputs from what are considered responsible suppliers or to pressure suppliers into producing inputs under set terms and conditions. (neutral) The Bargaining Power and Leverage of Buyers—Weak for Consumers; Moderate for Wholesale Buyers ? Cost of switching brands for retail/online buyers is low, and despite high brand loyalty, many buyers may switch to another brand if they perceive the brand to be equivalent in quality at a lower price. +) ? Number of buyers is large and the individual buyer is a small portion of the total business. (–) ? Retail/Online buyer purchases are infrequent and small. (–) ? Retail/Online buyers can postpone purchases. (+) ?There are equivalent products from competitors available. (+) ? Cost of switching brands for wholesale buyers, such as large retail chains, is low when there are no contracts in place; however, if contracts are in place the switching costs are high. ( neutral) ? Wholesale buyers purchase in larger quantities and on a more regular basis. (+) ?Wholesale buyers can easily compare prices, costs and product quality. (+) ? There is a moderate threat of wholesale buyers, such as food retailers, integrating into this industry. (neutral) ? There are equivalent products from competitors available. (+) ? Wholesale buyers are not able to postpone purchases as easily as individual buyers. (–) Conclusions concerning the overall strength of competitive forces. The overall competitive pressures on the premium chocolates industry are moderate and that industry conditions are favorable to above average profit margins.However, when considering the threat of new entrants, the growth potential and the resources that some potential entrants control, this industry is likely to see an increase in the number and/or size of industry participants in the near future. This will inevitably result in an increase in the rivalry among industry participant s. An increase in supplier power could result if large manufacturers arrange strategic alliances and/or sole provider contracts with suppliers that restrict the inputs available to other industry participants.

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