The Dynamics Of Vertical And Horizontal Diversity Business Essay

The Dynamics Of Vertical And Horizontal Diversity Business Essay Malcolm X once exclaimed, When White America catches a cold, Black America catches pneumonia. Malcolm and Martin seldom agreed but on this they did. As for me, this statement, I have always understood but had not seen firsthand. Nearing the end of the Bush Administration, America went into recession. My job area of coverage increased as we layed off other engineers. As I would drive a boring stretch of Interstate 26, a particular truck stop was my favorite for refueling. It had spacious sanitary restrooms, a well stocked coffee bistro, and a McDonalds restaurant for my milk shake fix. Remarkably, the employees were over 60% black. Now keep in mind a small town mostly African American is nearby. Within six months of the downturn, the staff dwindled to about 30% black. After a year, the stop was devoid of blacks and Hispanics. I saw firsthand what it looked liked when America had a cold. That small black town had the flu. Unaware why the staffing change actually took place, it is plain to see that the employers did not see diversity as a positive aspect of the business. In fact, many people dont see diversity as a positive. A recent poll of 427 working Americans by Workplace Options found that less than half of them believe that diversity makes their products of services better. (Hastings, Poll: Many Employees Dont Embrace Diversity, 2012) While small business can escape laws that mandate diversity, Organizations must maintain even in time of decline. Over the next few pages, I will provide an introspective into Organizational Diversity. Organizational Diversity Defined as the differences in human characteristics in an organization; Organizational Diversity comes with mixed bag of perspectives, opinions, rules, ordinances, laws, and thoughts. The Human Resource manager finds him or herself in a key organizational position from diversity training to compliance. In another of study 511 executives on the International Executive Panel, when asked to select the benefits of diversity they had experienced personally, most agree on they cited: broadens horizon, stimulates discussions, creates individual respect, stimulates leaning, and Increases decision making. (Hastings, Awareness of Biases Helps Leaders Adapt to Diversity, 2012) Essential Perspectives To streamline the narrative, I will speak of organizational diversity from the view of our text, Human Resource Management (Essential Perspectives). Tangible indicators of diversity are race, ethnicity, origin, age, gender, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, disability and religion. (Mathis Jackson, 2012) Our text subtitled Essential Perspectives, highlights four organizational approaches to diversity: 1. Ignore diversity 2. Begin process and deal with adversity 3. Build acceptance of diversity 4. Solve diversity issues and create an inclusive culture. First, the ignore diversity approach, known in South Carolina as the Good ole boy system is rooted in protection of the status quo. Not unlike the truck stop who switched to this method during recession, organizations are subject to legal issues when using this approach. A second approach to diversity, organizations begin the process of dealing with diversity by focusing on the protected classes. These protected classes line up with the tangible indicators introduced earlier. This approach is seen to enhance internal problem solving, by practice HR provides diversity training and brings organizations in compliance with affirmative action. In the third approach to diversity, organizations build acceptance to diversity. This is when diversity starts to pay off and conflicts are reduced. Top and middle management buy in is pivotal at this time. Lastly, the fourth approach to diversity is to solve diversity issues and create inclusive culture. Now diversity is approached proactively and business results improve. As an organization works upward through each approach it reflects positively on the bottom line. Our most oft thought of diversity class is race and ethnicity. In this time of recession many are working longer, which brings generational diversity to the forefront. Many older white men are feeling what women have felt for years. Yes, gender diversity and generational diversity are two very relevant issues. Thus, diversity training must be updated and expanded for todays realities, not just focusing on race and ethnicity. Additional components of diversity training now are legal awareness, cultural awareness, and sensitivity training. While subtitled Essential Perspectives our text still left me wanting; in need for a deeper perspective. I examined two sources our authors used in developing the text. First source is The Rich Get Richer and next The Dynamics of Vertical and Horizontal Diversity. The Rich Get Richer The Rich Get Richer: Predicting Participation in Voluntary Diversity Training takes a step deeper into organizational diversity training to glimpse at who participates when it is voluntary. Whether the organization adopts a narrow (race and gender) or broad (multiple diversity dimensions) focus, diversity training is designed to help employees take a positive, proactive approach toward diversity that goes beyond past non-discrimination. (Kulik, Pepper, Roberson, Parker, 2007). While most organizations have training as part of their diversity initiative, it is oft voluntary. Companies feel uneasy dictating some employees participate, so they just post it on the company web site or make it a union responsibility. Some of the employees see diversity and equal opportunity training as offering an unfair advantage to the others, not just leveling the playing field. (Kulik, Pepper, Roberson, Parker, 2007) The question is, who would participate in voluntary diversity training? The journal delved where the text would not go, if voluntary how does an organization influence employees to participate, especially if it is truly seen as a positive. These positives can only be realized in voluntary diversity training initiatives if the training attracts the employees in the most need of training. (Kulik, Pepper, Roberson, Parker, 2007). The author strongly suggested organizations can accomplish this by adjoining diversity training to other corporate training. In all candor, this problem is experienced in other training areas such as safety or ethics, but organizations are more comfortable in mandating them, perhaps because they do not upset the good ole boy system. Nevertheless, requiring participation in diversity training sends a clear and direct signal that it is important. (Kulik, Pepper, Roberson, Parker, 2007) The Dynamics of Vertical and Horizontal Diversity I choose two sources cited in our text to move deeper into the mind of the author as the text was written. The first provided a look at diversity training. Next, The Dynamics of Vertical and Horizontal Diversity introduced the concepts of vertical and horizontal diversity. Vertical diversity evaluates differences as superior or inferior; while, horizontal diversity treats difference as variation. (Awbrey, 2007) Before, we addressed voluntary diversity training, now lets consider the ongoing importance of diversity management. Long past the civil rights period of Malcolm and Martin, vertical diversity, difference as superior or inferior, continues in American society and organizations. It is now more subtle, some even say it does not exist. The glass ceiling is real and effects women in greater numbers. How to achieve organizational diversity with this prejudice undercurrent? The historical contexts of the African American civil rights movement and of womens liberation serve as backgr ound to illustrate how the elements of difference, pride, and potential space have influenced the unfolding of vertical paradigms of assimilation and separatism in the United States. (Awbrey, 2007) Assimilation and separation are results of vertical diversity. Assimilation or bleeding in is the killer of diversity. Organizations at times push for assimilation everyone must look and sound the same. How many bank tellers have you seen with dreadlocks? Separation is another reducer of diversity. During the wave of the womens movement, women began to drop their desire to assimilate into a male-constructed public world. (Awbrey, 2007) Horizontal diversity, view of diversity as a variation, allows the person to engage in inquiry to lessen uncertainty rather than making snap judgments and using stereotypes to categorize the other. (Awbrey, 2007) Horizontal diversity fosters integration and learning, which allows employees to contribute talents and abilities to the organization. HR now must go beyond just diversity training and implementing team development with horizontal diversity. Research Last I will go outside our text and its sources to merge some independent research. Our question, Does organizational diversity truly have an impact on the bottom line? I went to the HR compliance library to find the answer. According to a 2001 survey of 121 HR professionals by the Society for Human Resource Management and Fortune magazine, top companies say diversity initiatives have a direct impact on the bottom line and help an organization keep a competitive edge. (HR Compliance Library, 2013) The research found that diversity programs do improve corporate culture. Some diversity initiatives cited are recruiting, cultural events, orientation, and bilingual training. Some leading diversity practices for a successful organization are top leadership commitment, succession planning, diversity training, and diversity as part of an organizations strategic plan. (HR Compliance Library, 2013) Conclusion Defined as the differences in human characteristics in an organization; Organizational Diversity is a mixed bag of perspectives, opinions, rules, ordinances, laws, and thoughts. The human resource manager finds him or herself in a key organizational position from diversity training to compliance. As a deep dive into our text, I examined two sources cited by the author. The sources covered diversity training and the dynamics of horizontal and vertical diversity. Diversity presents opportunities in organizations providing a broader spectrum of knowledge and points of view. One fact boomers, generation-Xers, and millennials can agree on is, going forward organizational diversity at surface and deep level is the new normal.

The Matrix Essay -- essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites It is easy to confuse the concepts of "virtual reality" and a "computerized model of reality (simulation)". The former is a self-contained Universe, replete with its "laws of physics" and "logic". It can bear resemblance to the real world or not. It can be consistent or not. It can interact with the real world or not. In short, it is an arbitrary environment. In contrast, a model of reality must have a direct and strong relationship to the world. It must obey the rules of physics and of logic. The absence of such a relationship renders it meaningless. A flight simulator is not much good in a world without aeroplanes or if it ignores the laws of nature. A technical analysis program is useless without a stock exchange or if its mathematically erroneous. Yet, the two concepts are often confused because they are both mediated by and reside on computers. The computer is a self-contained (though not closed) Universe. It incorporates the hardware, the data and the instructions for the manipulation of the data (software). It is, therefore, by definition, a virtual reality. It is versatile and can correlate its reality with the world outside. But it can also refrain from doing so. This is the ominous "what if" in artificial intelligence (AI). What if a computer were to refuse to correlate its internal (virtual) reality with the reality of its makers? What if it were to impose its own reality on us and make it the privileged one? In the visually tantalizing movie, "The Matrix", a breed of AI computers takes over the world. It harvests human embryos in laboratories called "fields". It then feeds them through grim looking tubes and keeps them immersed in gelatinous liquid in cocoons. This new "machine species" derives its energy needs from the electricity produced by the billions of human bodies thus preserved. A sophisticated, all-pervasive, computer program called "The Matrix" generates a "world" inhabited by the consciousness of the unfortunate human batteries. Ensconced in their shells, they see themselves walking, talking, working and making love. This is a tangible and olfactory phantasm masterfully created by the Matrix. Its ... ... people the same way that the Universe triggers a time sensation in us. Something does happen OUT THERE and it is called the Matrix. In this sense, the Matrix is real, it is the reality of these humans. It maintains the requirement of the first type of flow of data. But it fails the second test: people do not know that it exists or any of its attributes, nor do they affect it irreversibly. They do not change the Matrix. Paradoxically, the rebels do affect the Matrix (they almost destroy it). In doing so, they make it REAL. It is their REALITY because they KNOW it and they irreversibly CHANGE it. Applying this dual-track test, "virtual" reality IS a reality, albeit, at this stage, of a deterministic type. It affects our minds, we know that it exists and we affect it in return. Our choices and actions irreversibly alter the state of the system. This altered state, in turn, affects our minds. This interaction IS what we call "reality". With the advent of stochastic and quantum virtual reality generators - the distinction between "real" and "virtual" will fade. The Matrix thus is not impossible. But that it is possible - does not make it real.

‘Eve Teasing in Bangladesh’ -Causes and Remedies Essay

London, June 16 (ANI): Eve teasing in Bangladesh has taken such a heavy toll on the country’s women that the education ministry there has voted to have an â€Å"Eve Teasing Protection Day†. The announcement was made after the increasing concern over the worrying number of girls and women who have recently committed suicide in the country to escape eve teasing, a euphemism for sexual harassment. According to figures released by the Ain-O-Shalish Kendra (ASK) human rights organisation, 14 girls and women have taken their own lives over the past four months across the country as a direct result of the insults. In addition, a father and a daughter also committed suicide together – in an incident blamed by the authorities on â€Å"eve teasing†. Police say three men who publicly protested against the harassment have been killed over the past 12 weeks. Critics argue that laws, which should prohibit sexual harassment, are so poorly drafted that victims get virtually no help from the law enforcement agencies. Families of the victims are left feeling hopeless and helpless. â€Å"Some victims find suicide is the only avenue that enables them to escape this social pandemic,† the BBC quoted Sultana Kamal, executive director of ASK, as saying. â€Å"The situation is very frightening. The suicides of 14 girls are an alarming sign of the times. If it is not controlled, we women can no longer live in society with any dignity,† she said. Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid while admitting to the menace said female students and female teachers were at present not safe on the streets or schools, a situation leading to an increased drop-out rate of female students in many schools, and underage marriages. (ANI) Bengal girl commits suicide after sexual harassment Kolkata, August 14 (IANS) Subjected to regular sexual harassment by a some local youths and following an altercation with her father on the issue, a 13-year-old-school girl committed suicide by immolating herself in West Bengal’s Burdwan district, police said Tuesday. Four people have been arrested in this connection. â€Å"Ujjawala Prasad, 13, had set herself on fire last night and she succumbed to  injuries Tuesday morning. Her father has lodged a complaint against nine persons who had been harassing the girl for the past few days. Four persons have been arrested,† a police officer said. The incident happened in Hirapur in Burdwan district, 213 km from Kolkata. Police said the girl complained to her father about some boys teasing her regularly, following which he went to confront them. The boys said the girl was having an affair with one of them. The father had a heated argument with the girl Monday night. After the incident, Leader of Opposition and Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Surjya Kanta Mishra said: â€Å"Not a single day passes when an incident of an attack on women is not reported. Today a girl committed suicide in Asansol after she was harassed by men. The attacks on women, especially on minor girls, has shot up.† Rising incidents of sexual harassment and increasing public anger in protest has prompted the Bangladesh government, headed by a woman, Sheikh Hasina, to take action. In the latest incident Friday, villagers set fire to houses of some alleged stalkers in Talupara village in Sirajganj district, about 110 km northwest of Dhaka. The mob also caught a stalker’s father and handed him over to the police. In another incident, at least 10 members of a family were Wednesday beaten for protesting against stalking, and one of them died, The Daily Star reported. Abdur Rauf, son of Delwar, used to pester Kamrul’s wife Joinab, 18, every day. After Joinab brought the matter to Delwar’s attention, Rauf and his men went to Kamrul’s house and beat up his family. Kamrul’s uncle Aser Ali succumbed to injuries on way to hospital. In another incident last week, a school girl’s father, who managed to nab her stalker and hand him over to the police, could not take questions from the media and died of heart attack. The government has promised a law to prevent sexual harassment of women at work. But the problem is difficult to tackle in villages where women and young girls from broken families or with men away on work face harassment from idle, at times better off, youths. The government declared to observe June 13 as the Eve Teasing Protection Day  from this year. The resolve to raise public awareness comes from the presence of several women in public life. â€Å"In a country where the prime minister (Sheikh Hasina), foreign minister (Dipu Moni), home minister (Sajeda Khatun), agriculture minister (Motia Chowdhury) and the leader of the opposition (Begum Khaleda Zia) are female, women and girls cannot walk on the streets, use public transport, or go to school, shops, parks or other public places without often being ogled, taunted, harassed, humiliated, sexually molested, groped and assaulted – and in some cases, attacked with acid, abducted and raped,† The Daily Star lamented in a commentary Saturday. According to the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, almost 90 percent of girls aged 10-18 years are victims of sexual harassment. The perpetrators range from college students and unemployed youth to street vendors, rickshaw pullers, bus drivers, fellow passengers, colleagues and supervisors. â€Å"Sexual terrorism thrives on patriarchal attitudes, prejudices, cultural norms, double standards and discriminatory laws that devalue women and deny them their rights. Eradicating it will require transformative social change,† the newspaper said. A large number of school and college students held a rally in Dhaka to protest against ‘eve teasing’ and the sexual harassment of women. According to the BBC, the rally was the latest in a series of protests following a number of suicides and killings involving women subjected to bullying and harassment. The protestors have urged the Bangladesh government to take proper steps to curb sexual harassment and provide better protection for women. â€Å"Some right-wing parties say that if the girls wear a veil, then they can escape Eve teasing, but we don’t think so. We need tougher legislation and it should be properly implemented to stop this menace,† one of the protestors said. Young girls often face verbal abuse, taunts and stalkers, and critics are forcibly silenced. Those harassing them are often their school colleagues or men in the street, the report said. According to activists, eve teasing and sexual harassment has led to the deaths of more than 24 people, most of them women, since the beginning of this year in the country. In recent days, some who have spoken  out against sexual harassment have been murdered, it added. (ANI)

Liberalism and Mercantilism - 1287 Words

Liberalism and Mercantilism International political economy is an important subdiscipline of international relation. It has three main ideologies, Liberalism, Mercantilism and Marxism. In this essay there will be three parts, first part is to demonstrate what the Liberalism and Mercantilism are on the perspective of international political economy and then the second part is to compare and contrast these two ideologies of political economy. At last, give a conclusion to the Liberalism and Mercantilism. Liberalism The liberal perspective on political economy is embodied in the discipline of the Western economics (Gilpin, 1987). It emphasizes the individual interests, the freedom and the maximization of economic benefit. Economic†¦show more content†¦Liberalism thinks accumulation of military power and other powers reduces the economic efficiency. Peace is more effective than war. The following table coming from Frederic shows the specific difference between Liberalism and Mercantilism (1999). | Mercantilism | Liberalism | The essence of relation between economy and politics | Politics decides economic policy | Complete separation | The essence of international political economy | Struggle for power | Cooperation | The role of the international system | Small to not exist | Promote Cooperation | The conflict level in international political economy | High | Low to not exist | The essence of market | Incomplete | Complete | Resource allocation | Less to not exist | Less to not exist | The role of the state | Maximize | Minimize to not exist | Ownership | National or state control | Individual | Economic behavior motivation | National expansion | Personal profit | Economic power | Nation | Individual | Conclusion Even through the most of viewpoints of Liberalism and Mercantilism are different, these two ideologies of political economy have the value of existence respectively and are worth to research. In addition, Liberalism and Mercantilism have their own advantage and disadvantage. When begin to research them, people should have a critique view to accept their viewpoints. In summary, Liberalism andShow MoreRelatedLiberalism, Mercantilism, Structuralism And Constructivism1422 Words   |  6 PagesWhen approaching political economics, there are a variety of places and perspectives one may begin from, the most common of which being identifiable as Liberalism, Mercantilism, Structuralism and Constructivism. Each of these political ideologies represent the culmination of works from many famous theorists and intellectuals, all of which help us to better understand how certain economies have the possibility of functioning in different situations. 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