Archives for the Month of November 2006 on Blogging MGMT 250
Creighton Case
The Creighton Case revolved around the racism in an international company. My job was to critique Jonah's handling of the situation. He definitely had the right intentions as he tried to confront the racism head-on. He repeatedly pressed his superiors into addressing the issue, and eventually left his company in protest.
One of the things I believed Jonah could have done different is that he should have addressed other executives in the company, and maybe even the board of directors. By making the issue company wide, it would make racism an important issue, and it would increase the priority of addressing it.
I also did not think Jonah should have quit. By quitting his job, he is giving up on his cause and the racism would continue. It should be his priority to make a difference in the company.
Hiring Ethics
We learned about guidelines surrounding the interview process in class. I believe a lot of the points made were common sense, but a few things were definitely something worth remembering.
The presenter made it clear that although the applicant should be courteous and respectful to the employer, the employers have just as large of a responsibility to the applicants. It is the employer's responsibility to respond in a timely fashion to inquiries from the applicants. I also learned that it is completely acceptable for applicants to negotiate contracts.
Some further advice the presenter gave was that applicants should not settle for a job they do not want. She told us that many people have made the mistake of taking a job they were uncertain about simply because they offered an attractive contract. This is something that I hope I remember when looking for jobs. I do not want to be stuck in a job that I get tired of after only a few months. I would prefer an interesting job over a bigger salary.
Training Methods
We were separated in to small groups in class earlier this week. Each group was assigned a training method to explore, and to report back to the class on our findings.
Some characteristics I noticed about the different training methods is that a lot took advantage of recent technology advances. The internet has provided efficient and inexpensive training methods. Online training courses eliminates the cost of having a large training staff on the payroll, and gives the ability to train a very large amount of people from around the country.
Recent technology has also provided the ability to create interactive simulation training programs. This provides the trainees very valuable experience that will help them perform well in their job. These new training methods will make the training processe a lot more efficient.
Work in Process: Simulation Group
A whole year has gone by in our HR simulation. Overall, I'm very happy with my team's progress. Although we may not have the best figures, we have put ourselves in a good position to finish strong by the end of the second year.
The hardest part of the simulation so far has been ensuring everything gets done. There is a lot of work that needs to get done every week, and personal emergencies are inevitable. Our team leader has done a good job delegating the jobs, and picking up the slack when members have trouble completing their task.
I look forward to the remaining few quarters, and am excited about our ending numbers.
Harrah Case Analysis
We recently wrote a case analysis on Harrah's Casino. The main objective of the report was to provide a recommendation about what to do with the reward system. I advised that the reward system should be two tiered. Along with the established reward system based on customer satisfaction, I believe that Harrah's Casino should establish a seperate profit sharing program.
Although I believed my advice was legitimate, the comments I received back from the grader suggested that my recommendation of a two tier reward system was wrong. He/she suggested that the rewards work against each other. I do not agree with this assessment because it is completely plausible to seek to increase customer satisfaction, and also to increase profit.