MGT 300 exam 1

Which organization is likely to face the most complex task environment- a biotechnology company trying to develop a cure for cancer or a large retailer such as The Gap or Macy's? Why?

A biotechnology company trying to develop a cure for cancer is likely to face a much more complex task environment. This is due to the fact that resources are much harder to obtain and fluctuate in price much more rapidly than a large retailer's resources would. The biotechnology organization would face much more complex forces and conditions, especially when considering the inputs and trials necessary for producing output. The inputs and trials are factors of production that change regularly and are hard to predict. The other reason that a biotechnology company would suffer from a more complex task environment is the factor of pressure. This company would receive much more pressure than a large retailer selling products as simple as clothing. Doctors, citizens, and people all around the globe are dependent on a cure, which some could label as a necessity. Clothing items are much lower on the importance scale, resulting in much less pressure on the organization.

What kinds of organizing and controlling problems is Achieva suffering from?

Achieva is suffering from problems organizing because of its loose and flexible organization structure. An organizational structure coordinates and motivates members so they work together to achieve organizational goals. This company needs a system that organizes people into departments according to job specific tasks they perform and differentiates management responsibilities and team member position responsibilities. Controlling issues within Achieva has been caused by the need for current managers to evaluate how well the company is achieving its goals, employee performance and how to improve employee satisfaction.

Managers could be disadvantaged by having low levels of emotional intelligence due to the high risk and stress levels of being a manager

Being accountable for everyone and peoples boss makes running a business very stressful which could damage someone who lacks emotional intelligence.

How could real estate managers apply contingency theory in transforming out-of- date retail spaces?

Contingency theory is basically acting while looking upon the internal or external situations at hand. There are plenty of ways to apply contingency theory. Real estate managers could apply this theory by preparing a space that could double as a hub and a real-estate store depending on their needs. They could also upgrade the building and modernize the space for future retail. This way, they can keep up with the times technologically, while also preparing for the in-person customers as well. If business is getting slower, then hiring more employees could increase profit because there are more employers who can assist customers. Contingency theory could also be applied by determining what the customers want out of a business, and then transforming the retail space into said business. Contingency theory is basically acting while looking upon the internal or external situations at hand.

____ was considered the father of scientific management.

Fred Taylor

If you could give your manager one piece of advice or change one management practice in the organization, what would it be?

I would try to allow for employees to make recommendations to members of management that would allow for them to work more effectively. If a practical recommendation was made, it would increase the moral of all employees if that recommendation was seriously considered. A moral boost would increase productivity and make the customers feel more comfortable.

After the passage of NAFTA, many U.S. companies shifted production operations to Mexico to take advantage of lower labor costs and lower standards for environmental and worker protection. As a result, they cut their costs and were better able to survive in an increasingly competitive global environment. Was their behavior ethical-that is, did the ends justify the means?

In my opinion, this is not ethical and did not justify the means because it is unfair working conditions for workers and the U.S. took advantage of Mexico which is why president trump made an executive order pulling the country out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This brought back many jobs to American citizens which made the U.S. economy thrive.

A deontological approach to ethics is when the person is more concerned with ____ than with ____.

Inputs, outcomes

The preferred course of action would be to break the company's policy and lay off employees

It may not seem like the best option, but it is the fastest and most efficient way to save the company money while they figure out ways to step up and face the competition. This is the only logical way to actually give the company more money to compete, they can take the money they would have used to pay the laid off employees and use it for other things. When the company rises back up, the laid off employees can come back if they see fit. I realize this is not the most convenient choice of action but sometimes you have to do things you never expected to do.

The ____ rule of ethics says an ethical decision should distribute benefits and harms impartially.

Justice

Onuoha has used his emotional intelligence to create a safe environment for minorities and women to gain experience in the world of financial management

Onuoha understood, as a person of color, what it was like to be the only person in a room that looks like you, so he has used this understanding to create a friendly environment. It is obviously a success due to a personal story from the corporation's chief operating officer, Naomi Vickers. She stated that when joined one of Harvard's finance clubs, she realized she was the only black woman out of 100 people that were at the meeting. Vickers left the club due to a lack of motivation from feeling like an outsider. Now, she shows her full potential at BLK Capital Management Corp.

In what ways do you think managers' jobs have changed in the last 10 years? Why have these changes occurred?

Over the last 10 years, a lot has changed in the world and that stands the same for the workforce. I think one of the biggest changes would be technology. Technology has come a long way in the last 10 years. Managers jobs have probably gotten easier every time it gets better. New software systems allow them to handle scheduling, payroll, and other important documents. It also allows them to keep up with important pieces of information much easier than if it would be on paper. More recently, COVID-19 has probably made managers jobs much harder. Having to cut staff and still function is not easy. Making sure that they follow guidelines enforced by several different organizations also makes their jobs harder.

Which of these is the correct list of essential managerial tasks?

Planning, organizing, leading, and controlling

____ sexual harassment is easier to identify and more extreme

Quid pro quo

One show where emotional intelligence plays a key role in the plot is Scooby Doo.

Scooby and Shaggy have a low level of emotional intelligence, which in turn usually perpetuates the plot. Fred, Velma, and Daphne are all pretty emotionally intelligent and are able to work through problems while Scooby and Shaggy are quick to act. In Scooby Doo, Scooby and Shaggy are definitively the least emotionally intelligent while Fred, Velma, and daphne are the most emotionally intelligent.

I talked to the owner of Kountry Korner in Dresden.

She gave many examples where she tries to be in accordance with her morals. One example is customer satisfaction. She tries to stay very Adamant about the customer being satisfied with their experience. Another example is hiring or firing employees. She said it can get rough and stressful on you, so sticking to your morals allows for you to be a more capable manager

Why would a corporation shifting from an emphasis on increasing stockholder value to increasing stakeholder value, increase its odds of not making unethical or illegal decisions?

Stakeholders represent a broader cross-section of interests

In what cultures might Home Depot find better success?

The cultures that Home Depot will find better success is in Rural and Urban cultures where people are making things in a non-mainstream society. Home Depot would strive in these cultures because people want to do many things themselves, and unlike China the market in which these people are living tend to be more confident in themselves, so that leads to them getting materials at stores like Home Depot. Making Home Depot thrive in these cultures

What makes chewing gum acceptable in the United States but unacceptable in Singapore?

The fact that the citizens of Singapore cannot be trusted to not spit their gum out in the street.

Describe the main forces in the global general environment that are affecting the organization

The main forces in the general environment consist of the Technological forces like our computer system Rx30; Sociocultural forces like the prescribers and patients on each medication; Demographic forces like the correlation of elderly patients and the amount of medication they receive; Political and Legal forces like the on-going supreme court battles between pharmacies and corrupt insurance companies; and Economic forces like the amount of money a person is willing/able to pay for a prescription with or without insurance.

Buff City Soap (BCS), began in Bartlett, TN, spread in the southeast U.S. and is now expanding into other parts of the nation. In terms of the environment in which it operates, which of these statements is most accurate:

The task environment of BCS has likely changed more due to expansion, than its general environment has changed

Why can you chew gum on the street but not in a church?

There are no laws in the United States concerning chewing gum in church, there are however different social expectations and norms dependent on the environment. church is a considered a sacred place and you are expected to act more responsibly with your actions in church. Chewing gum can be distracting and considered disrespectful to many, in church it is important to respect others and the building itself. On the street no one is affected by this action and there is less of a social responsibility in such a public space.

Which stakeholders benefit from companies' efforts to recycle clothing components? Which stakeholders lose as a result of this business strategy?

There are six types of stakeholders in a company. (1) Stockholders, (2) managers, (3) customers, (4) community, society, and nation-state, (5) suppliers and distributors, and (6) employees. Stakeholders that benefit from companies' efforts to recycle clothing components include stockholders, customers, and community, society, and nation-state. Stockholders are specifically interested in the way that a company operates because they are only interested in maximizing their returns that they receive when the company does good. Ethically, if a company decides to recycle to help the environment, that makes the company look good and therefore does not risk stockholders' investments into the company. If the company did not behave ethically regarding the environment, then the stockholders would most likely not want to invest in the company because of their reputation for behaving unethically. In customers minds now, the company that makes efforts towards recycling is the more attractive option, as opposed to other stores that produces fast-fashion and harms the environment. People have a desire in them to do what is right, in this case, for the benefit of the environment and for the feeling of doing the right thing. The company makes a sale, and the customer is pleased with themselves for supporting a good cause. Community, society, and nation-state benefit from a company's efforts to better the environment because they are the environment! When a local company in the community makes efforts to better themselves and the environment, society recognizes and thanks the company by supporting them. On the other hand, stakeholders that may lose as a result of this business strategy may include managers, suppliers and distributors, and employees. Managers are the ones that decide what goals to pursue in order to benefit stakeholders, and this is not always an easy job when dealing with ethics because some decisions that managers must make might benefit one group while harming another. Managers, when acting ethically, could receive push back from employees and suppliers/distributors. If a manager of the company decides to pursue the recycling option, it could mean needing to spend more of the company's budget on ways to better the recycling options. This could mean that employees are laid off due to more spending in other departments. And as for the suppliers and distributors that the company once used for new materials and clothing, they are now also not being used by the company anymore because the company is using recycled materials instead of new materials from the suppliers. Managers must make these hard decisions that may harm other groups but will benefit the company when looking at the bigger picture.

Either by yourself or in a group, give three reasons you think the behavior was unethical. For example, what rules or norms were broken? Who benefited or was harmed by what took place? What was the outcome for people involved?

This action was unethical because theft is not legal, theft creates a company loss, and theft gives an unfair advantage to those that pay for their goods. The employee that stole these items benefited up until he was terminated by the company. On the other hand, the employer was harmed because of the theft because it is considered a loss when items are stolen. Also, fellow employees were harmed by this because the amount of loss that the company has will affect each employee's bonus after inventory. As I stated before, the outcome of the situation was the employee was terminated. However, I do not think that any legal action was taken against them.

Onuoha has an internal locus of control that allows him to hold himself accountable for his actions.

This has contributed to his managerial success because he sees that the success or failures of his corporation as his own rather than an outside force. Onuoha also has plenty of self-control due to financial struggles that he experienced during his childhood, which gave him learning skills that he uses to keep his corporation financially afloat.

The only professional way to communicate your decision to employees is in person.

This is a "life changing" decision that will greatly impact the lives of the employees and it would be ethically wrong to tell them over the phone or computer in my opinion

If I was the manager of a restaurant, I would try to stay levelheaded.

While this is all good in theory, in reality I would let the negative energy barely affect my work performance. I would be easily bothered and not in the mood

Which of these was not mentioned by your textbook as important to the maintenance of an organizational culture?

Worker compensation

Aristotle identified three types of friendship that influence a person's ethics. Which of these is not one that he identified? A friendship based in ____.

agreement

Servant leadership means the leader ____.

serves those being led

A synonym of the Hawthorne Effect is social facilitation. Social facilitation is evident when:

someone good at what they do, doing it even better when watched by people whose judgment matters

The personality test will check and judge the candidate for selection on the following basic behavior traits:

- Emotional stability - Extraversion - Openness in experience - Agreeableness - Conscientiousness

Based on Ms. Epstein's comment that having a woman in charge should improve the situations she's been experiencing, the problem most likely is related to sexist discrimination in the workplace or sexual harassment

a. If this is an issue of sexist discrimination in the workplace, I should follow the steps of managing diversity effectively i. Secure top management's commitment to the issue ii. To increase the accuracy of perceptions, I need to attempt to be open to other points of view and encourage my employees to do the same so that some poor perceptions may be fixed iii. Increase diversity awareness through starting a diversity awareness program or through encouraging social interaction through social functions or lunch gatherings iv. Increase diversity skills by interacting and ensure proper communication with my employees so that they can properly communicate amongst themselves v. While they likely mean no harm, my supervisor and the former director were both men, so they were likely biased and unaware of the unfair treatment women in the office were receiving, so I should use objective performance evaluators to avoid bias vi. Consider the proportion of men and women in the office, and if it seems that women are underrepresented, I need to find out why vii. Build an organizational culture of zero tolerance towards discrimination and encourage employees to challenge any discrimination they see viii. Reward the employees for their participation in improving the management of diversity ix. Provide training and perhaps provide a forum for employees to discuss their differing attitudes, values, and experiences. Encourage group exercises and role-play so that employees develop skills to properly communicate and work effectively with others x. Finally, encourage the mentoring of diverse employees so that they can improve their chances of attaining higher level positions

Which of these is often used by toxic leaders to justify their actions?

extraordinary nature of circumstances

b. If the issue is sexual harassment in the workplace, I need to quickly address this and immediately follow these steps.

i. Work with top management to create a policy addressing sexual harassment and clearly communicate the policy with my employees ii. Use fair complaint procedure to investigate charges of sexual assault, make sure the investing party is neutral and ensure that both parties involved are treated fairly iii. In the event sexual harassment has been determined to have taken place, take immediate corrective action, this may include firing the harasser iv. Provide sexual harassment education and training to the office

Managers can have many different personalities and still be successful. One manager

might be able to connect with his staff through being loud and really involved, while another manager may be quieter and more reserved.

You're an entrepreneur who's decided to go into a business and open a steak and chicken restaurant. your business plan requires that you hire at least 20 people, a chef, waiters, and so on. as the owner, you are drawing up a list of ethical principles that each of these people will receive and must agree to when he or she accepts the job offer. These principles outline your view of what is right or acceptable behavior and what will be expected both from you and your employees. create a list of the five main ethical rules or principles you will use to govern how your business operates. be sure to spell out how these principles relate to your stakeholders; for example, state the rules you intend to follow in dealing with your employees and customers.

- Five Main Ethical Rules/Principles: - While in the workplace focus on your work. Do not be focused on outside things, such as, phone calls, texts, etc. Know your surroundings, work diligently, and limit your distractions. There are many of these distractions that can take place harm yourself and other individuals around you if not focused. The only time phones and other distractions will be allowed is when there is an appointed break time. - Be honest, fair, and loyal to management, other employees, and customers within the workplace. Be respectful to those around you. Follow the golden rule: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - Knowing your accountability is important. Be on time. Wear appropriate, clean work clothes/uniform (no holes in jeans, shirts need to be the appropriate length). Do not use office supplies or other company products for your personal use, meaning, these supplies and products should stay within the workplace. - You know what is right and what is wrong. Act accordingly. If there is any hesitation or question do not fear to ask other employees or management for help on the situation. Do what you believe is the right thing to do. Not what will be most profitable to you in the future. - You are the organization. When people see the way, you act and present yourself, they see what this organization represents; Keep this in mind when working. Also, remember this organization is doing its best to benefit you.

Listed below are the Objections and Criticism are raised against the Personality Test in selection.

- There is not a common personality test to fit the situation with different circumstances and the test will depend on the job requirement and situation. - Sometimes the applicant can give maybe fake and only desirable answers to the personality test and therefore, it may not get opened or even viewed. That is their way of being "cool."

Describe the difference between efficiency and effectiveness, and identify real organizations that you think are, or are not, efficient and effective.

-Efficiency is defined as a measure of how productively resources are used to achieve a goal. Effectiveness is a measure of the appropriateness of set goals selected by managers and the degree to which the organization achieves those goals. A measure of how efficiently and effectively managers using available resources and achieving goals is called organizational performance. Effective managers are those who choose the right organizational goals to pursue and have the skills to utilize resources efficiently.

Describe how the theory of dynamic capabilities might be used by a brick-and- mortar retailer to gain competitive advantage.

A brick and mortar retailer would use the dynamic capabilities theory to precede other businesses in its department. When deciding on location, the retailer will look to see if their product is needed in that location. For example, introducing a high end product (like Rue21) into a rural town where it's scarce will be greatly accepted. Once settled, the company can grasp the market by analyzing how the product's original price thrives in that community. The results gathered can then be used towards an adaptive plan to bring more productivity. Retailers providing affordable, accessible products will gain customers' loyalty and an advantage against other retailers.

Devise a program that will help other managers and employees to better understand and respond to their store's task environment.

A retail company should organize a committee that focuses on new trends and its competition. If the committee can determine styles or stores that are particularly doing well, then the retail company can implant those styles of clothing and hopefully increase sales. The committee can survey what is selling at their competitors store through catalogs, ads, and online shopping. Staying up to date with current trends is a vital part of the clothing business. The committee could also create a platform for customer feedback. Customer feedback would help the store improve their line of fashions. Any feedback at all, positive or negative would point the store in the right direction for the future.

What steps can a company take to prevent this problem - stop its values and norms from becoming so inwardly focused that manager and employees lose sight of their responsibility to their stakeholders?

An organization must embrace ethical behavior from the top down. Employees / staff look to management for leadership and managers become ethical role models where his or her subordinates observe and follow their behavior patterns. Furthermore, an organization's mission needs solid core ethical values instilled; possibly to the point of performance rewards for its management and employees.

Search the web for changes occurring in the meat-packing business.

During the pandemic many of the meatpacking industries that were very successful became relaxed in regulations and inspections. They were more focused on production and increase of customers that some codes of conduct became less important. Some endured Covid-19 outbreaks at their plant. This affected their business negatively because it scared off some customers and consumers. The meat packing industry is working hard to manage with the new regulations and still produce efficiently.

What could Home Depot have done to avoid its mistake?

Home Depot could have studied different markets, and their cultures to determine if that market was suitable for that region, so that they could have made more successful business decisions. They also could have done better market research, possibly opening a small pilot storefront, and pulled data from different homestore television shows to see if they were interested in the products they were selling first. Home Depot also could have collected data to see how many people searched the internet, and what products they were clicking through.

Do you think the "Uber-like" structure of Flixbus will be an advantage to setting up U.S. operations? Why or why not?

I believe that the structure of the bus will be an advantage in the U.S. For starters, the population has grown accustomed to the feel of Uber-like transportation. It's more secure, it's decently priced, and, to be blatant, you don't have to deal with other people. I think Flixbus will have the advantage because it's new and exciting and it provides the same feel while also allowing for a more eco-friendly and cost-effective ride.

Explain how environmental forces affect the job of an individual manager within this organization. How do they determine the opportunities and threats that its managers must confront?

I have seen environmental forces affect the job of my managers (pharmacists) by the impact of COVID-19. The healthcare field has faced intense labor since the rise of the virus. It has provided opportunities such as the ability to have more freedom on the pharmacy-side (through executive orders) and allowing courses for technicians to give out the vaccine once it is received. The threats my managers have had to confront consist of the rise in the need for medication and labor while also dealing with the economic impact of keeping the workers employed.

Based on this analysis, list some steps you would take to help your new copying business succeed

In order to overcome the customer loyalty FedEx, we must take advantage of every opportunity to outperform them in every aspect of the business we can. We must hire motivated and experienced employees in order to dominate FedEx in the service area. We must survey the college students in our area, in order to find out what their needs are so that we can cater to them most effectively. We must secure a convenient and affordable location for our services in order to draw more customers and save us money. We need to focus any and all marketing efforts towards students, so we must place advertisements all over campus and in any student resources.

Which approach to social responsibility do Inditex and other companies demonstrate when recycling/re-using clothing materials?

Inditex and other companies are using the proactive approach of social responsibility by getting ahead of the problem of fast fashion and making decisions to learn all that they can about recycling and re-using clothing materials and how exactly that can help promote the sustainability of the fashion industry. The proactive approach describes companies as actively embracing socially responsible behavior and working to find ways to benefit the interest of all stakeholders. Inditex and other companies are able to help promote their stockholders, customers, and communities by fighting for more sustainable ways to produce clothing for everyone. Employees, managers, and suppliers may be benefitting less than some of the other stakeholder groups but companies such as Inditex are only beginning their journeys and still have a lot to learn about proactive social responsibility.

Why is it important for managers to understand the forces in the global environment that are acting on them and their organizations?

It is important for managers to understand the forces in the global environment in order to compete with other companies for valuable resources. Most managers have found that with the evolution of technology and increasing competition, it is vital to become a global organization that operates globally and domestically. Operating in this type of environment can be unpredictable and complex, making the need to understand forces that act on organizations greater. These forces can consist of development of new technology, availability of lower-cost components, or the opening of new markets. Forces that are present in the global environment represent opportunities and threats that can have a significant impact on the business. It is essential that managers understand these forces in order to get ahead of the potential problems they can create and stay a step ahead of the competition.

The term _____ is used to point out that negligent behavior does not always lead to bad moral outcomes and diligent behavior does not always lead to good moral outcomes.

Moral luck

How do political, legal, and economic forces shape national culture? What characteristics of national culture do you think have the most important effect on how successful a country is in doing business abroad?

National culture is shaped by political forces through action enforced by political leaders. It controls what goods are traded through affecting how the country and, therefore local cultures, work. Legally, cultures are shaped by practices that can influence their workplace, home lives, and citizenship status. Economic factors that shape culture include social standings and income. All of these things shape culture by affecting the livelihood of each individual. As far as abroad business goes, I believe political forces have the most important effect. It can alter other countries perspective and their willingness to do business with other countries.

Which of the Big Five Personality Traits does the textbook attribute to the success of venture capitalist: Jess Lee?

Openness to experience

Decide what you must know about (a) your future customers, (b) your future competitors, and (c) other critical forces in the task environment if you are to be successful.

Our future customers will most likely be College Students, so we must cater to their needs as students and adjust our prices accordingly because speaking from experience, college students are broke. Our competition is the FedEx Office, which offers printing through Kinko's, where you can pretty much print anything you could ever want. Other critical forces include the suppliers of our printing resources and materials. Also, if we decide to rent a property for our printing services, we must take into account who we are renting from and the cost to keep our business running (utilities).

How will American culture impact Flixbus' decision to expand its business to the United States?

The American culture would be a good match for the Flixbus company. With the majority of the population starting to believe in protecting our environment and the need to keep track of our CO2 footprint, the environmentally friendly side of this company would be a welcomed idea. On top of that, this company offers low, affordable rates which would make it an easily accessible means of transportation for the masses, not the minority. This concept would be a fresh take on the current public transportation that Americans see now.

The population is aging because of the declining birth rates, declining death rates, and the aging of the Baby Boomer generation. What might some of the implications of this demographic trend be for (a) a pharmaceutical company and (b) the home construction industry?

The implications for a pharmaceutical company would be increasing are far as short term profit goes. The older the population, the more medication produced and sold. Therefore, an increased profit until the death rates incline. However, for the home construction industry profits are minimal if not non-existent. With an aging population homes are not being built and home improvements projects are on the decline.

Evaluate the main barriers to entry into the copying business

The main barriers we face entering the copying business are the power of the nationwide brand of FedEx and the acquisition of our resources in bulk for printing. If we are to become a successful printing business we need to find a company that will supply us the resources we need in bulk for a fair and reasonable price, and develop a business strategy that will lead customers to choose us rather than the nationwide brand of FedEx.

Analyze the major forces in the task environment of a retail clothing store.

The major forces in the task environment of a retail clothing store consist of old and the new. The store has customers who have grown used to certain clothing items and would prefer for them to remain the same. While some customers are into new trends and clothing styles. Managers are forced with deciding whether they want to stick with the old or bring in new designs and items. Those trends along with the stores competitors and the stores location are vital factors in the retail store success.

Describe the main forces in the global task environment that are affecting the organization

The organization I chose to describe is the local pharmacy I work at (Eddie's Pharmacy/ Trenton, Tn). The main forces in the task environment consist of the competitors like CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and local pharmacies; Distributors consist of unauthorized prescription users/sellers; Customers consist of local citizens and those who transfer from nearby pharmacies, and Suppliers consist of our main manufacturer Mckesson and a sub-manufacturer Quest.

Choose an organization and ask a manager in that organization to list the number and strengths of forces in the organization's task environment. Ask the manager to pay particular attention to identifying opportunities and threats that result from pressures and changes in customers, competitors, and suppliers

The organization I have chosen is Samsung. The manager at Samsung has a tough time keeping up with competitors and making and selling their products that customers around the world desire. Samsung has to try and beat their competitors such as Apple, Android, etc. This can become challenging in the world we live in today because if it's not a smartphone most people do not want it. They also have to worry about where they are gonna get their parts in order to make a phone that is going to be better and cheaper to make than their competitors.

Why is it that an organization's values and norms can become too strong and lead to unethical behavior?

The pressures to perform; those for the organization in the marketplace, and those for an individual within the organization to advance can contribute to unethical behavior. Let's consider an organization losing sight of its values where staff merely are encouraged to out outperform the competition vs. staying true to what the organization is "about / what it produces". This can lead to taking shortcuts in manufacturing or settling for a lesser quality of product. As mentioned in the text about the Beech-Nut case from the 80s, that organization' top management lost sight of its ethical obligation to its customers because of financial pressures competing with its competition. The company ultimately paid large fines after FDA investigations and senior leadership was sentenced to prison.

Think about an example of unethical behavior that you observed recently. The incident could be something you experienced as an employee or a customer or something you observed informally.

The situation that I observed was a fellow employee of mine was caught stealing from our place of employment. He had been stealing small items almost every day before he was caught.

In today's business environment, would using a Theory X approach help or hinder retailers faced with real estate and debt concerns? Explain your reasoning.

Theory X would hinder the company's employees from their growth and productive means. Managers who foresee and micromanage daily activities are not helping employees grow because they are more focused on making sure their job is done right, rather than expanding and learning about potential new opportunities. By doing so, they are limiting potential avenues for revenue for the near future and while these new opportunities could put retailers into further problems, if the retailers continue doing the same thing as they have been, then they will fail anyways so it is worthwhile to pursue new ideas. They also cannot be creative with future projects if they are faced with these types of challenges because, as the saying goes, it takes money to make money. However, retailers have to provide something new to customers if they want to break out of these concerns

Most people, including administrators, have specific suffering attributes that influence how they think, feel, and carry on both on and off the activity

When screening potential employees, some organizations will rely on one's personality and interest inventories. Both are very important because by using these, people can distinguish the behavior of how the employees react in diverse situations.

How can you use ethical principles to decide when gum chewing is ethical or unethical and if and when it should be made illegal?

When using ethical principles you personally have the choice to decide whether or not you should chew gum. Also, you have a judgement call on when and where you should chew gum

What task environment factors could be a challenge to Flixbus in doing business in the United States?

While in Europe Flixbus had a near monopoly and consisted of a 90% market share. The US market might present more of a challenge due to the multiple competitors present within the states. With this larger competition pool, ticket prices would have to come down as well as more benefits for the customer in order to trump out businesses like Greyhound. With this being said, lower ticket prices then lead to less of a profit for the company itself. This in turn could create some growing pains for this new up-and-coming company.

Do you think setting up recycling bins in retail stores encourages consumers to buy more items?

Yes! I believe that setting up recycling bins plays off human's desires to do the right thing. For example, if I go through my closet and make a pile of everything that I do not like or wear anymore, most of the items are still in good shape and could be used for recycling purposes. The recycling bins are incentives for us to get rid of our clothing that we do not want anymore, and it also "lures" us into the store. Most of us, if taking old clothes to the recycling bin at the store, are going to say "Well, I just got rid of half my closet! Might as well replace it while I am here." The store knows that customers will want to shop if they are in the store, and the recycling bins give the customers an excuse to come into the store. It is also an encouragement to do the right thing and help the environment. Also, if customers know that the store uses recycled clothing then they will want to shop there because of their desire to buy more sustainable clothing and hopefully kick the "fast fashion" trend to the curb so that our world may heal.

Identify an organization that you believe is high-performing and one that you believe is low-performing. Give five reasons you think the performance levels of the two organizations differ so much.

An organization that I think is high-performing is Benelli and an organization I think is low-performing is Franchi. Both of these organizations manufacture shotguns. The five reasons I believe these organizations differ so much is price, quality, performance, customer service and loyalty. When it comes to price they are similar, however, Benellis' quality and performance is much better than that of the Franchi. Franchi is known for their bad customer service and not standing behind their products. Benelli has an obvious competitive advantage.

Question a manager about his or her views of the relative importance of Fayol's 14 principles of management.

A manager at my job believes that the 14 principles of management is a great idea and source for any business. It allows for the people and business to run and maintain the ability to stay on the same page while still doing something on their own.

Which contributes most to the strain on the resources earth offers for human existence?

Affluence X Population

Think of an organization with which you are all familiar, such as a local restaurant, store, or bank. After choosing an organization, model it from an open-systems perspective. Identify its input, conversion, and output processes, and identify forces in the external environment that help or hurt the organization's ability to obtain resources and dispose of its goods or services.

An organization that I think of is Nutrient Ag Solutions when we talk about an open-system. Its input is raw materials such as seeds,chicken manure and fertilizer. The conversion process is taking the seeds and coating them with treatments, chicken manure is taken in and mixed with other fertilizer and fertilizer can be taken and mixed in with other fertilizers or made into a liquid. The output of this is treated seeds, better fertilizer and liquid or mixed fertilizer. External forces that affect this is the quantity of seed out in the world, if chicken manure is available to buy which all depends on the environment and if raw fertilizer is available. All of these things rely on the external environment to be able to make it to the conversion process. It helps the company if there is a supply of these products and can hurt the company if the supply is short. Many factors can affect it but supply is the main factor. All of these goods are disposable and are used by customers. These goods are used to produce other goods and Nutrients will sell its products to make other products benefit and in the process Nutrients will make money to repeat the cycle. All goods are disposed of when used.

Why are mechanistic and organic structures suited to different organizational environments?

Both of the environment are the exact opposites of each other. One thing about it, is that neither organization can be fully of just one. There is a certain hold that make it vary among the different aspects of different organizations.

Apply Taylor's principles of scientific management to improve the performance of the organization you chose in question 1.

Breaking the jobs down even further instead of each person feeling as if they do multiple jobs. For example the secretary is both a secretary and in charge of billing. If given to two people each one would be more effective at their job instead of spreading their time between both jobs.

How are companies using management science theory to improve their processes? Is this theory equally applicable for manufacturing and service companies? If so, how?

Businesses are using the Management science theory today through the internet. Many companies are able to get a lot of the information they need to maximize their efficiency as much as possible. With more information the managers are able to make better decisions for the company. I believe that the theory can be equally applied for manufacturing and service companies. I believe this because service companies also need to know information about how many clients they receive at certain times to minimize how many employees they have working.

What are the building blocks of competitive advantage? Why is obtaining a competitive advantage important to managers?

Efficiency, quality, innovation and responsiveness to customers. Obtaining a competitive advantage makes a company stand out. It contributes to higher prices, more customers and loyalty of your brand. Obtaining a competitive advantage could essentially be what makes or breaks a business.

Which of Weber's and Fayol's principles seem most relevant to the creation of an ethical organization?

I believe that the principle that is most relevant to the creation of an ethical organization is Equity from Fayol's principles. The equity principle states that all employees and members must be treated with respect and integrity. Whether you are giving directions or taking them it is important to be impartial and treat everyone with respect. Without this, many employees would be treated unfairly and more than likely unethically.

Which building blocks of competitive advantage do you need to establish to help your restaurant succeed? What criteria will you use to evaluate how successfully you are managing the restaurant?

I think how we as a business would succeed would be to have people that are managing at our business have worked in a managerial role at another successful restaurant. That way we could have more ideas to succeed. Not meaning stealing themes and ideas but just a way to know that the management style would be working correctly and as successfully as possible. I think I would use a digital system that would track our growth. I think another way we would be able to track our process and progress as managers is that all of our servers and kitchen staff, everyone on the floor seeing customers are well trained and respectful. With the kitchen staff and the servers we as a business would want to make sure of the precision and consistency of orders and kitchen times.

What steps might you take to prevent such unethical behavior and encourage people to behave in an ethical way?

I would place anti theft devices at each of the exits to the building, and I would place an employee at each exit in order to try and deter from theft. I would place devices on high ticket items so that they could only be opened by an employee in the store. When the customer pays for that item, an employee can easily take the device off of the product. My place of employment already has ways to encourage employees to behave in an ethical manner. As I stated earlier, employees bonused can be affected by theft. The company tries to prevent theft among the employees and encourage employees to watch for people who could be stealing. This is done by rewarding employees with a bonus after the company's inventory day. The more loss, both stolen items and lost items are considered loss, the smaller bonus each employee receives.

What strategies can managers employ to retain talented workers?

Managers can offer some strategies like Amazon does, which the article states, "Amazon, which has 70 fulfillment centers in the U.S., runs shuttles for employees at some locations and hands out gift certificates to those willing to carpool, says spokeswoman, Ashley Robinson." This would give employees more of a drive to work at their warehouses because they are being offered rewards for helping one another out, which would also build on teamwork and bonding between employees, as well as giving the people who can not carpool a way to get to work without having to worry about paying to fill their gas tank up as well. Another strategy that these managers can offer would be to offer mileage pay to these employees so that they don't have to worry about spending all of their money that they are getting paid on filling their gas tanks back up to just go back to work and do the same thing again. When I first got the job that I have now, my other employees and I had to train at a different store in a different city, and the company paid us for mileage in order to do that since it was almost an hour drive for the majority of us, and I believe that really boosted morale.

How attuned are the managers in the organization to the need to increase efficiency, quality, innovation, or responsiveness to customers? How well do you think the organization performs its prime goals of providing the goods or services that customers want or need the most?

Most of the managers in my workplace are in tune with efficiency most of all. This is because the nature of a store such as Walmart rewards efficiency over quality. Walmart typically does a good job at providing the goods that customers need the most. For example, during the holiday season, Walmart devotes an entire department to Christmas decorations. Doing this allows for the most possible customers to find what they need which in turn creates more sales for the company.

Think about your direct supervisor. Of what department is he or she a member, and at what level of management is this person?

My direct supervisor is a team lead that oversees the stocking of merchandise and the income of shipped merchandise at Walmart in Union City. This member of management would be considered a first-line manager because they are directly responsible for the nonmanagerial employees who stock merchandise.

Decide what each partner's managerial role in the restaurant will be. For example, who will be responsible for the necessary departments and specific activities? Describe your managerial hierarchy

Opening a restaurant I think you would have a couple people starting the restaurant and each of those people would have a responsibility within the business. One would be in charge of the overall management. That would be the person that has the most business experience in the food industry. That person would be the General manager of the business. Another person of the group would be over finances and making sure the business is projected to succeed. The other of the group would be incharge of the people they are hiring to work and represent the business. If I were the general manager I would be over the other managerial jobs and making sure those are being run correctly, smoothly, and efficiently. My managerial hierarchy would be that each manager is over a department. One would be over finances. One would be over the servers and incharge of hiring them. There could be another incharge of kitchen staff. Depending on the size and busyness of the restaurant would gauge how many people each manager would be incharge of. The general manager would be over all the managers that have their own departments to take care of.

How does planning figure in to a manager's day-to-day responsibilities as competition for workers and real estate heats up in this area of the county?

Planning is more than likely a very important part in these manager's day-to-day responsibilities. This is because there are so many different warehouses in this small area of the county, and managers have to be able to keep up with their competitors in pay and incentives which in turn would keep their employees happy and wanting to keep working for the warehouse that they are at instead of quitting and going to work at another one instead. I think that pay rate is a major part of this. In most cases, people really only care about how much money they are making at one job, and how much they could be making at another job, so it is very important for these managers to be able to keep track of what the competitors are paying their employees, as well as what incentives they are offering. In some cases, people might stay at a job because of how they are treated over how much money they make, and because of this that is another important factor that managers need to keep in mind when it comes to planning how they run their business. When it comes to real estate, the article talks about how prices of property have increased when it comes to industrial spaces are also an issue. The article states, " The vacancy rate for industrial space in the U.S. fell to 5.2% in the third quarter of last year, the lowest on record, real estate company Colliers International Group said in a recent report." Because of this, managers of the warehouses have to keep an eye on the prices in order to decide if they want to expand their businesses by buying more land. This is also an issue because they place these warehouses so close to major highways, it can cause major traffic jams when people get off work at the end of the day, and other businesses suffer because people who do not work at these warehouses avoid going near those areas of the highways during that time in order to avoid the traffic.

The Grind and McDonald's are two perfect businesses to compare.

The Grinds employees are more energetic and friendly, often engaging in funny banter. McDonalds workers look as if they are attending a funeral and often don't carry on friendly conversations. One similarity is that both sets of employees are subject to a lot of stressful hours at work. Overall, for being so different, these businesses were very alike.

Use the theories discussed in the chapter to debate the ethical issues involved in the way the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. business operated.

The Westland Hallmark Meat Co. was majorly lacking ethically. The behavioral management theory states that managers should behave in ways that motivate employees to perform with their great and highest potential. The actions of the employees at Westland were very poor and led their business to failure instead of success. The scientific management theory is used to improve relations between workers in order to produce efficiency and increase production and management. Their business shows signs of poor management skills and the actions of the employees falls back on to managers. The managers should not have let the actions of certain employees slide that disrupted ethic codes. The business could have used these theories to increase their organizational structure and achieve success.

This could be a conflict of interest.

They could also be feeling like they are not being fully valued as members of the team for all their hard work. I need to talk to them one by one then all together as a team that way to find out the actual cause. I have to recognize all the achievements individually and as a team. Then reward the team for all their hard work. I need to set them up for success and keep them motivated and interested. Lastly I need to be honest with them whether it's positive or negative and help all to success.

What kinds of management changes need to be made to solve them?

The company needs to organize its people into different divisions of departments with a specific chain of command or managers. The manager should also provide timely feedback on the ideas presented. Also, managers should take an active role in assessing personal performance and rewarding those who perform exceptionally to help achieve the goals of the organization.

Onuoha has utilized the conscientiousness trait from the Big Five Personality traits the most when it comes to managing BLK Capital Management Corp

The conscientiousness trait is defined as having the tendencies to be careful, scrupulous, and persevering. Onuoha has shown this trait by his perseverance to continue in business even after a loss of profit on his first business venture selling shoes. He has shown that he is careful because even though the BLK Capital Management Corp has $92,000 they are yet to have their first investment and are spending their time vetting potential investments.

What is contingency theory? What kinds of organizations familiar to you have been successful or unsuccessful in dealing with contingencies from the external environment?

The contingency theory states that there is no specific way that every business should be managed. Different businesses could be managed completely differently and still be successful since there no guaranteed way to manage effectively. Each system depends on the external environment around them to determine which way is better to manage your business. One organization that succeeded in dealing with their external environment is Walmart. Walmart was able to use technology tiso change the way people shopped for groceries. Now you can order your groceries online and then park and the employees will bring your things out to you.

How do the various management theories discussed in this chapter offer clues for organizing and controlling hotel employees?

The different management techniques talked about in this chapter show the best ways to ensure good work ethic and the best way to organize employees. In order to manage a hotel you should offer expectations and goals for your employees over time and also offer incentives for their hard work and show them that hard work does pay off. In some scenarios you need to have a manager their to watch over the employees all the time to make sure they get their work done, but in other scenarios the best approach is to trust that the employees will do their work.

For each managerial task, list the issues to solve, and decide which roles will contribute the most to your restaurant's success.

The issues as general manager would include big issues with the other managers in the business. Complications with the managers would also include possible abuse of power and those sorts of things. The person in charge of finances could have complications with a drawer that is uneven. Another complication could be maybe someone stealing from the company. The manager of personnel, which is kitchen and serving staff, could have issues with someone not correctly taking orders or being kind to the customers that might not be up to the standards of our business. Another complication could be that servers are not correctly tipping out and stealing money that shouldn't be taken with them. Those are most of the complications that I have coming to mind currently.

Choose a fast-food restaurant, a fitness club, or some other organization with which you are familiar, and describe the division of labor and job specialization it uses to produce goods and services. How might this division of labor be improved?

The local Perry County Weekly-Press Newspaper divides their work load into sections of secretary, editorial, and advertising. From there it is broken down even more. There is one secretary to answer phones, do billing, welcome guests, and much more. Editorial is divided by the organizer, the editor, and the layout of the paper. Advertising includes an Advertising Representative and a Graphic Designer. Above all of those people is the 2 Publishers that share their responsibilities. The book states "An employee should receive orders from only one superior". However, that is not the case. With so many people in charge of different things, many orders get handed down from many different people, it is a classic "too many cooks in the kitchen". Another way they could improve is by treating their employees with the "Theory Y".

Think about the organization and its resources. Do its managers use organizational resources effectively? Which resources contribute most to the organization's performance?

The managers do use the resources given to them in the most effective way possible. Without massive innovation or an increase in spending, the managers are operating in the most effective way. The most necessary resources for the organization would simply be the number of employees the organization has. With more employees, workers can become more specialized which will cause the organization to operate more efficiently.

Discuss the most important decisions that must be made about (a) planning, (b) organizing, (c) leading and (d) controlling to allow you and your partners to use organizational resources effectively and build a competitive advantage

The most important decisions that will be made about planning by the managers would be starting off with a plan and of course start with what you think is needed from the size of the restaurant and the kind of food we will be serving. From there the plan would be to start getting everything set up, hiring kitchen staff, hiring servers, and making sure everyone we are employing is experienced and very professional. The organizing I think would come in stages because everything would have to be moved into the store and figure out what the layout is going to be. After that the next step of organization would be paperwork and permits and things needed to serve food. After all of the permits are acquired and organized and easily accessible, the servers and kitchen staff will get scheduled and organized so that the workers will be easier to help if there are complications with personal interference. When it comes to the leading aspect I would lead firmly but also hopefully understandingly. We would hopefully be able to lead as a collective of managers to the point that all of the customers just want to keep coming back, the workers are excited to come to work and other servers from other restaurants want to work for us as well. To control as a manager I would have to be able to deliver bad news but in the best way possibly. I would also have to be able to talk to customers, difficult or not. The controlling part I think goes hand in hand with the leading aspect. I think those would allow us as a business to compete well with other restaurants and managements at other restaurants.

What norms do members of this organization follow?

The norms that the members of the organization follow are the scriptures in The Bible. The Bible is the book of Christianity and in The Bible, it describes rules and norms that are to be followed by Christians and it is very valued in the Christian culture.

Describe how the organization treats its human resources. How does this treatment affect the attitudes and behaviors of the workforce?

The organization has the framework in place to treat its human resources well. However, oftentimes there is an obvious bias in the workplace that favors higher members of management over nonmanagerial employees. Whenever this occurs, it negatively affects the attitude and behavior of all of the nonmanagerial employees in the workplace.

Use the principles of Weber and Fayol to decide on the system of organization and management that you think will be most effective for your growing organization. How many levels will the managerial hierarchy of your organization have? How much authority will you decentralize to your subordinates? How will you establish the division of labor between subordinates? Will your subordinates work alone and report to you or work in teams?

The organization will follow the principles of Fayol. There will be three levels of hierarchy. The first level consists of the CEO and his board of directors. Occasionally, these leaders can make decisions that will affect the company. The second level of hierarchy ensures these goals are being achieved by the departments they manage. In other words, those at this level are heads of certain departments of the company such as software, marketing and sales, etc. The third level are managers, or team leaders, who are responsible for handling their own team of workers and ensuring that people stay productive and accomplish tasks. Authority will be in a decentralized format. Centralizing too much authority at the top can slow down productivity when dealing with problems and other issues. Those in charge at the second and third level will have enough control to make decisions which adds flexibility in their operations. Third level management is working closely with these problems and it enables them to understand it better than those in the first level. Therefore, they are able to deal with the problem more efficiently without having to wait for approval from management in the first level. Decentralized authority makes it easier for these issues to be responded to in a timely manner. As for division of labor, each worker is in their own respective job role. Each worker will do specific tasks related to their skill set.

In what ways is the organizational culture communicated to organizational members?

The organizational culture is communicated simply through prayer requests. When someone has a problem in their life, they might request that the group pray for them and that is a main way that members will communicate. The culture is also communicated through listening and following worship and just understanding the message that is being introduced.

Use theories to discuss the ethical issues involved in the way the meatpacking business is being conducted today.

The organizational environmental theory explains the environment surrounding a business affects a manager's ability to utilize resources. Currently as our world has undergone a pandemic it has affected many meatpacking businesses. Some have been affected positively as grocery stores were booming, however smaller meatpacking businesses suffered due to the circumstances. Some restaurants shut down and therefore did not buy from their local meatpackers and they had to throw away a lot of meat and lost a lot of money and service. The administrative management theory discusses employees using resources effectively to achieve goals through organizational structure. Meatpacking businesses undergo many health inspections and enforce many regulations to ensure safe sterile areas.

Who seems to have played an important role in creating the culture?

The person that played the most important role in creating this culture is Jesus himself. With that being said, we all have important roles of continuing the culture. The pastor also plays a very important role of spreading the message that was presented by Jesus and bringing others to this culture that we are in.

How does your supervisor's approach to management affect your attitudes and behavior? For example, how well do you perform as a subordinate, and how motivated are you?

The supervisors approach to management creates respect and support from the employees that they are overseeing. Particularly, the leading approach that they use seems to be the most effective. A supervisor that is willing to work as hard as their employees creates respect in the workplace. Because of this, the employees seem to perform more effectively than before this supervisor got the job. Motivation is much higher than it has been with the previous supervisors.

Are the tasks, roles, and skills of your supervisor appropriate for the particular job he or she performs? How could this manager improve his or her task performance? How can IT affect this?

The tasks, roles, and skills of my supervisor are appropriate for the job that they perform. The only area of improvement that could be worked on would be the planning skills necessary in order to successfully organize the employees in the most efficient ways. For example, this manager could assign each employee an aisle to stock that they know the best. This would be more efficient because the employees would complete their tasks more quickly, so then they could move on to another task. IT could be used for this in order to collect data that could show which employees are most comfortable with which aisle.

In what ways can managers at each of the three levels of management contribute to organizational efficiency and effectiveness?

The three levels of management are first-line managers, middle managers, and top managers. First-line managers are the ones who deal with the day to day supervision of the employees who are not a part of management. These managers keep daily tasks on schedule. Middle managers help organize and keep everything efficient. This ultimately helps keep things in order for the first-line workers. The Top managers deal with everything as a whole. They must set up responsibilities and goals for individuals in the company.

What values are emphasized in this culture?

The values that are emphasized in the organization are monotheistic Christian beliefs. The organization I am referring to is the youth group that I was in last year. A few more key values consist of prayer, worship, and listening to each other.

Which parts would be the most important for an effective system to organize and control employees?

Theory X and Y would be a good system and also scientific management to organize the employees. Because it is a high luxury hotel and demands perfection and high quality service, the hotel needs to divide the employees based on their behavior explained in the X and Y theory by their work ethic, if they are lazy, if the employee works for the organizations best interest, supervise if needed for the employees, they have the resources to achieve high quality work and finally strict work rules. Theory X includes people that are lazy, must be supervised and need strict rules. For theory Y this includes non laziness, works for the interest of the hotel, and given the resources to achieve high quality. This can break your employees into two groups and you can use the scientific management to finish breaking up employees. You can use scientific management to find managers to create person- task relationships to increase efficiency and who works better under what manager. This can create your labor force and figure out who can go where under these theories.

Which management approach (for example, Theory X or Y) do you propose to use to run your organization? In 50 or fewer words, write a statement describing the management approach you believe will motivate and coordinate your subordinates, and tell why you think this style will be best.

Theory Y will be used to run this organization. As a small growing company, it's better to establish a workplace culture like this early. The ability to create a positive environment will encourage employees to commit themselves to achieve goals, exercise initiative, and self direction which are vital for success.

In what ways are Weber's and Fayol's ideas about bureaucracy and administration similar? How do they differ?

They both agree with the need for rules and standards of each employee to uphold. They both speak about the need for a clear hierarchy. Fayol's talks about long term employees where Weber never mentions themes. Weber has a comment about how employees should be hired because of their ability not their social standing however Fayol never mentions this.

How do you characterize your supervisor's approach to management? For example, which particular management tasks and roles does this person perform most often? What kinds of management skills does this manager have?

This manager has an approach where they lead by example as often they are performing the same job that the nonmanagerial employees are performing. This manager does their best to encourage all of their employees to stay focused in order to complete the task at hand for the day. This manager has terrific human skills that allow the team to respect and cooperate with the manager. They are very personable and most employees respect and cooperate with them.

Visit at least two organizations in your community, and identify those that seem to operate with a Theory X or a Theory Y approach to management.

Two organizations or jobs in my area that I identified are both operated with a Theory Y approach. This is because they want their employees or people to feel like they are in control of their own destiny. This allows the people to want to come and enjoy doing their part. Without being told to do something and dislike it. The Theory x would not work for them because if they work for rewards or are being closely watched, the people would feel trapped and not have the freedom to work at a pace they enjoy.

Managers can definitely get too satisfied with their jobs and be too committed to their jobs.

When a business has been very successful for a long time, the manager becomes a bit complacent and lets normal things slide. Personally, I've always heard stories about people becoming way to committed to their jobs and missing quality experiences, like family time.

What challenges do managers of these warehouses face when the unemployment rate is low? When the rate is high?

When the unemployment rate is low, because of places like Amazon.com hiring as many people as they do, it would be difficult for other warehouses to find and hire people to work for them. And this becomes even more difficult when they also have to increase pay rates in order to keep up with their competitors. When the unemployment rate is high, one challenge I can see the managers of these warehouses facing would be, is having enough people to keep the warehouse running smoothly. For example, in the Bloomberg Case in the News for this chapter, ""We almost don't have enough people with low skills to fill all the need in the fulfillment industry," says Don Cunningham, who heads the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation." This shows that they feel as if they don't have enough people who can work, which is an issue when it comes to keeping the business running. Another issue when unemployment rate is high would be that these warehouses are having to raise the pay of workers that they do have, in order to keep up with competitors such as Amazon.com. The article discusses how the company Carter's Inc. has had to raise their clients pay rates by at least two dollars, and also talks about how forklift drivers are "especially hard to find" and they are getting paid at least fifteen dollars an hour, and up to seventeen dollars and fifty cents.

The preferred option does involve a lay off because it is the fastest way to make sure the company is keeping more money within than it previously was.

You have to sacrifice things you do not really want to, to keep the company above water. If you continued to pay employees that you cannot really afford to pay ... you just keep digging yourself a bigger hole.

These are some options to address the heightened competition and decline in profitability:

a. One option would be to lay off people, even though there has been a no lay off policy for 20 years, sometimes we enter unprecedented times and you have to chance company policy to make sure the company stays afloat. The good thing about a lay off is it is not permanent ... when the company gets back on its feet employees can come back. b. Another option, if you do not want to break the company's policy, would be to just cut employees hours. This means all employees stay but in return each employee will work less time. This will not help profitability as much, but it will keep the company from breaking its no lay off policy. c. Lastly, you need to really study your competition and find their weaknesses. When you find their weaknesses, you can improve your own product to be better and more efficient. Create new and better products that NO other company in the same industry offers ... this will ensure customers choose you and therefore you will then be considered other company's competition.

Geert Hofstede's research on 100,000 IBM employees in 64 countries, assumes that:

differences in norms and values across countries, can be measured

Terminal value: ____ Instrumental value: ____.

effective leadership, servant leadership