Educational Program on Tobacco Abuse and Addiction Essay

Response Journal 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction Journal 5 - Essay Example As indicated by the CNN article, Transocean, the proprietor of the apparatus is accusing BP for its stumbles which caused the spill. In the said article, Transocean brought up that the blast was the aftereffect of a progression of interrelated well plan, development, and impermanent surrender choices that exacerbated the probability of its disappointment, (CNN). In the event that the cases of Transocean are valid, we can infer that a designing choice was incompletely to fault for the spill. Truth be told even BP’s examination uncovered a disappointment in building structure. As we as a whole know, this spill made across the board hurt the individuals, the earth and the untamed life of the area. A significant ramifications of the building choices in this occurrence is its impact in the earth. Marine life has been to a great extent crushed. The sea-going natural way of life was upset causing the demise of a large number of life forms, a few assortments of fish and other ocean an imals. The financial ramifications of the spill is that the individuals whose employment relies upon the sea presently chance losing their methods for endurance. The social ramifications can be found in how the spill influenced the strength of the laborers at the apparatus and the individuals inside the region. Another significant ramifications of the designing choices that prompted the oil slick is in the region of governmental issues. Government must have the will to reestablish the Gulf to its past sound condition.

A Readers Guide to Repealing the 8th

A Reader’s Guide to Repealing the 8th In 1983, the people of Ireland went to the polls in a referendum to amend the Constitution of Ireland. 66.9% of the population voted to approve the 8th Amendment, which would recognise the equal right to life of a pregnant woman and the unborn. In 2018, after 35 years of surviving the realities of the 8th Amendment, the people of Ireland returned to the polls and voted to repeal it. Ireland has long been known as among the last bastions of unborn protection in the western world. Across the world, the repeal of the 8th was seen as a ‘blow to the church’, a surprise from a ‘largely Catholic country’ and ‘a quiet revolution’. It was all of these things, but it was also none of them. In October 2012, Savita Halappanavar, aged 31 and 17 weeks pregnant, was admitted to a hospital in Galway with her husband Praveen at her side. She was already miscarrying and requested a termination, but was told by medical staff that she could not have one; as there was still a foetal heartbeat, their hands were tied by the constitution. Within two days, Savita had died of heart failure caused by sepsis, after delivering a stillborn baby girl. Savita’s story is laid out with much more expertise by Kitty Holland in Savita, the Tragedy that Shook a Nation. After her death, protests and vigils were held across Ireland for Savita and online, the campaign came to life in the form of a hashtag: #repealthe8th. For six years, the campaign raged across Ireland before polling day. For many outside of the country, it is hard to imagine an existence where abortion is banned so comprehensively. Pregnant people who suffered rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormality could not access abortion in Ireland. Seeking an abortion is a crime, punishable by a 14-year prison sentence. Women who sought abortions had to ‘get the boat’, pay for travel to the United Kingdom and seek a termination there, no matter how prohibitively expensive. Drenched in shame and with no aftercare, two generations of Irish people faced this fear alone in the dark. Over the years, several cases came before the Supreme Court in Ireland, some of which are featured in The Supreme Court  by Ruadhan Mac Cormaicâ€"among them, the case of the 14-year-old rape victim known only as X, who swore she would rather die than deliver her rapists’s child. There was also Miss Y, the asylum seeker who was pregnant by rape when she arrived in Ireland and went on hunger strikeâ€"she was eventually forced to have the child by way of a cesarean section she did not want. Or Miss P, who was used as a cadaveric incubator for her unborn child after she herself died in a tragic accident; her family had to go to the Supreme Court to have her life support turned off as her body decomposed in a hospital bed. Ireland’s history of mistreating women (and children) is widely known and documented. We have paid a heavy cost for allowing Church institutions to dominate our society for so many generations. Mother and Baby Homes. Magdalene Laundries. Philomena Lee, her lost child and families like hers. Ann Lovett, who gave birth aged 15 at a grotto in rural Ireland, where both she and her child died of hypothermia. The reports of child abuse by senior clerics in the Church. Or the horror story of the Kerry Babies, documented in Nell McCafferty’s A Woman to Blame.  Following Savita’s death and with the start of the campaign to Repeal the 8th, other voices stepped out from the gloom. Women from across Ireland shared their storiesâ€"stories of travelling to England for termination help for fatal foetal abnormalities, only to have a baby’s ashes posted back to Ireland by standard mail. Stories of abusive relationships, pregnancies resulting from rape, pregnancies where poverty was set to take too heavy a toll; pregnancies where Irish women simply felt they could not complete because the weight of it would hurt them so much. Pregnancies where little girls were forced to give birth to their own little ones. Off the back of a popular Facebook page in Ireland, Oh My God What a Complete Aisling by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen was a prominent and bestselling novel in Ireland in 2017â€"and with warmth, humour and dignity, it captured the reality of abortion, the heartbreaking realness of it just how close to home it can come. Though it was originally seen as a young woman’s campaign, the vote proved beyond doubt that Ireland’s older generations also felt the burn of the 8th and the toil of the shame on their backs. Posters advocating YES and NO votes hung from poles and walls. Leaflets were printed by the thousand and debates were hot headed and miserable. It was heavy and soul-wearying and I think it fractured us a little as a nation; Ireland has healing to do in its aftermath. I realise this article is incredibly biased in favour of Repealing the 8th Amendment; I was part of the campaign for six long years and was proud that all of my family voted with me. In truth there is not too much published work about maintaining the amendment because it was the status quo for so longâ€"however, Conor ORiordan’s Debating the Eighth: Repeal or Retain offers a series of essays on both sides of the argument from prominent spokespersons and is worth a read to understand the cultural context. You will notice also that many of the books I mention here were written by womenâ€"there is no denying the strength of the feminist movement in Ireland and the overwhelming fact that it changed Ireland forever. This was, predominantly, a women’s revolution. Ireland is a nation of migrants. Last Friday, May 25th, I went #hometovote, with thousands of other Irish people who had the capacity and the money to get there on time. My flight, and many others, were filled with people wearing Repeal jumpers and badges, demanding a better future. I picked up a copy of Repeal the 8th, a collection of creative work edited by Una Mullally, featuring a whole bunch of great feminists including Anne Enright and Tara Flynn. I voted with my family and returned to the airport. I landed in London to see the Exit Polls come in, estimating a near 70% Yes vote in favour. I sat down at my kitchen table and cried for Savita. Sign up for True Story to receive nonfiction news, new releases, and must-read forthcoming titles. Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox.

Synonyms for Trés

If you want to make your French sound more authentic, one place to start is with your vocabulary. In French classes, you tend to learn the most common, basic terms. The adverb trà ¨s is one example of a very common word that can be replaced by any of a number of synonyms, in both normal and informal registers. Take a look at this lesson to learn some different ways to say very, and be sure to note the differences in intensity. Each section includes the synonyms used in a sentence in French followed by the English translation of the sentence. Tres, Assez, and Bien Use trà ¨s  when you want to emphasize something. You can use trà ¨s  in front of adjectives, adverbs, and even certain nouns, such as those that refer to feelings but use  avoir—to be. Il est trà ¨s intelligent.   He is very smart.Jai trà ¨s faim.  Ã‚  I am very hungry. Use  assez, which translates as quite or rather, when your meaning is more nuanced.   Je suis assez fatiguà ©.   Im rather tired.La situation est assez inquià ©tante.   The situation is quite worrisome. Bien, which translates as very or quite, also provides a more nuanced meaning, as these examples show: Cest bien simple.   Its quite simple.Nous sommes bien contents.   Were very happy.Tenez-vous bien droit.   Stand up very straight. Going Beyond Very French has several synonyms for  trà ¨s  that create a greater emphasis than simply saying very, including the French adverbs for exceptionally, extraordinarily, extremely, and others as these examples show: Exceptionnellement   exceptionally Cà ©tait exceptionnellement difficile.   It was exceptionally difficult.La situation est exceptionnellement complexe.   The situation is exceptionally complicated. Note that exceptionnellement is a semi-false cognate, as it can also describe something as an exception to the norm, as in: Exceptionnellement, je vous en parlerai Just this once I will talk to you about it. Extraordinairement extraordinarily Elle est extraordinairement anxieuse.   She is extraordinarily anxious.Il a des cheveux extraordinairement frisà ©s.   He has extraordinarily curly hair. Extraordinairement can also mean in a bizarre way, as in:   Elle est và ªtue extraordinairement. She is dressed very strangely. Extrà ªmement extremely Il est extrà ªmement beau.   He is extremely handsome.Elle est extrà ªmement intelligente.   She is extremely intelligent. Fort most, veryThis use is formal and somewhat old-fashioned. Jen serais fort content   I would be most pleased about that.Cest une histoire fort triste.   Its a very sad story. Hautement highly, very Il est hautement qualifià ©.   He is highly qualified.Ce livre est hautement recommandà ©.   This book is highly recommended. Infiniment infinitely, immensely Je vous suis infiniment reconnaissant.   I am infinitely grateful (to you).Cette pià ¨ce est infiniment longue.   This play is immensely long. Tout   quite, very Je suis tout à ©tonnà ©.   Im quite surprised.Il est tout rouge.   Hes all/very red. Tout à   fait - completely, totally Cest tout à   fait normal.   Its totally normal.Je suis tout à   fait daccord.   I agree completely. Trop too, very Vous à ªtes trop aimable.   You are too kind.Elle est trop mignonne.   She is too cute. Note that trop technically means too rather than very, but it can be used like too in English when it means so very rather than excessively. Other Synonyms French offers a surprising variety of synonyms for  trà ¨s.  If you want to spice up your French a bit, check out the following ways to say very in this Romance language. Vraiment really, very Je suis vraiment fatiguà ©.   Im really tired.Elle est vraiment belle.   She is really beautiful. Bougrement  -  terribly,  really Tu vas bougrement vite.   Youre going terribly fast.Cette classe est bougrement difficile.   This class is really/bloody difficult Drà ´lement  Ã‚  awfully,  terribly,  really Ton film est drà ´lement bon.   Your movie is awfully good.Cest drà ´lement difficile.   Its really difficult. (UK) It isnt half difficult. Follement   incredibly Cà ©tait follement intà ©ressant.   It was incredibly interesting.Il est follement amusant.   He is really very funny. Hyper  Ã‚  really,  mega Elle est hyper sympa, cette nana.   That girl is really nice.Cest hyper important.   Its mega important. Joliment  Ã‚  really On est joliment bien ici. Were doing really well here; This is a really good place/situation for us.Il à ©tait joliment en retard.   He was really late. Rudement  Ã‚  really,  terribly Ton chapeau est rudement moche.   Your hat is really ugly.Cest rudement bon que...   Its really good that... Vachement  Ã‚  really, (UK)  bloody Cest  vachement  difficile!   Its really/bloody difficult!Cest vachement important pour moi.   Its really important to me.

Labeling Disability and Special Education - 1457 Words

Journal Entry I What are Exceptional children and what place do they have in our schools? Exceptional children are children who are either exceptionally gifted or children with exceptional learning disabilities. These are children whose performances are way above the average child or way below the average child. When they perform way above the average child, they are called gifted. When they perform way below the average, we say they are children with learning disabilities. Like any other child, these children with exceptionalities are also a part of our society. Therefore it is important that they get the same opportunities as other children. Sometimes these children are clled Special and are placed in a special education†¦show more content†¦This is stereotyping and it harms children when a teacher rationalize low achievement by citing characteristics of the label. Example: We do not expect John to remember all his spellings vecause he is intellectually disabled. 7. Diagnostic labels are unreliable. Educational evaluation is filled with quirks. /the governments use different description criteria for the same categories; many evaluation instruments have questionable validity and reliability; specific labels go through trends. 8. Labels often put the blame (and the guilt) for a student’s learning problem squarely on the parents’ shoulders. In many cases, this is unjustified because students may be mislabeled or teachers many not fully understand the many different cases for learning disability. More disadvantages Labeling a child with Learning Disabilities may: 1. Cause stigmatization from teacher, peers and parents 2. May lower expectations placed on them 3. Have teachers treat them differently 4. Students may make fun of them 5. Students may have difficulty of being alienated or bullied by the general school body 6. They are unable to participate in school functions or attend different school from their siblings, which can lead to isolation Conclusion The advantages of labeling were more obvious in the formative years of special education (mid 1940s to early 1970s) then they are now without the categoryShow MoreRelatedSpecial Education in Classrooms Across America Essay708 Words   |  3 Pagesstandards. Special education gives children instruction based upon their unique needs based on a documented disability. Student disabilities often involve mental, physical, emotional and behavioral issues that makes instruction a challenge. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities. (BuildingRead MoreThe Existence Of Services For Students With Milder Levels Of Impairment1062 Words   |  5 Pagesright of entry to education resources is more than uncomplicated admission to a college. The right to use means to provide students with the devices they will need to be victorious in higher learning. Students with a recognized disability ought to be no omission. In reality, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, â€Å"ensure that all qualified persons have equal access to education regardless of the presence of any disability.† Objective replacementRead MoreEthnic And Racial Discrimination Of Special Education1017 Words   |  5 PagesEthnic and Racial Disproportionality in Special Education Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan said The undeniable truth is that the everyday educational experience for many students of color violates the principle of equity at the heart of the American promise. It is our collective duty to change that (Ed.gov, 2012). This was in response to the U.S. Department of Education s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) findings reporting that minority students across the U.S. face tougher discipline, haveRead MoreLearning Disabilities as a Cultural Construct Essay1282 Words   |  6 Pagesperceptions of learning disabilities (LD) may vary according to country, culture, and teachers, it is often necessary to diagnose students in order to receive funding for services. It can be helpful to recognize those learning disabilities that students may have in order to provide extra assistance when necessary. It would be advantageous, too, if wide recognition of LD could take away the stigma that is often present. However, since LD is a multi-faceted topic, l abeling often carries a negativeRead MoreFull Inclusion versus Self-Contained or Special Schools1132 Words   |  5 PagesFull Inclusion Versus Self-Contained or Special Schools The treatment of individuals with disabilities has changed dramatically since the 1800’s. Reynolds 1988, describes, Progressive inclusion, the evolution of services provided to those with various disabilities. In the early 1800’s residential institutions, or asylums were seem as common place accommodations for individuals with hearing, visual, mental or emotional impairments. Institutions remained the primary educational support untilRead MoreIs Mill Vs Board Of Education Of The District Of Columbia872 Words   |  4 Pagesits thinking when dealing with people with disabilities. There had to be many changes made in its labeling, and approach when dealing with people who may have physical/mental differences. The ostracize behavior that people were known to disturb in society has changed a great deal, due to the many federal laws that have been put in place to insure the well-being of people that have disabilities. In 1972, one very well-known case is Mill vs Board of Ed ucation of the District of Columbia this case addressRead MoreSpecial Education And Self Perceptions Essay987 Words   |  4 Pageschildren is necessary and what impacts those labels can have on their education and self-perceptions. To label someone is to assign a them a category. According to Richard Gargiulo in his book â€Å"Special Education in Contemporary Society†, a category is â€Å"a label assigned to individuals who share common characteristics and features† (Gargiulo, 2015, pg. 10). The terms category and label can often be interchanged, therefore, labeling children is also defined by grouping individuals who share common characteristicsRead MoreEssay about Effects of Labels in Special Education2170 Words   |  9 PagesAttitudes toward students who are enrolled in special education are upsetting and the labels that are placed upon these students are appalling and mistaken. Labeling does affect the perception of these exceptional children. A lack of data appears in the effects of labels on teachers, adults, children and high school students. Observations and research techniques are used to make a conclusion that labeling is presented and determined in a wrong way. Labeling in scho ols has brought bullying and uneducatedRead MoreLabeling And The Rights Of All Students1740 Words   |  7 PagesLabeling and the rights of all students to access education Rights baseds and needs based Selecting a school for your child can be based on various reasons depending on what you are looking for whether it is scholarships they offer, location even public perception (Hobsons, 2015). Ideally every parent wants the utter most best for their child. Unfortunately some parents get lost and focus mainly towards a specific achievement or offer which may not always be within the best interest of the childRead MoreEssay about Everyone Is Capable of Becoming a Lifelong Learner1364 Words   |  6 Pagesdisabled person is unable to become a lifelong learner due to their disabilities. Over the last century, research on early intervention educational programs proves these unjustified beliefs wrong. These programs and services provided to the young exceptional learning community are making it possible for students to achieve their academic goals at the same level as their general education peers. This particular type of disability is caused by birth defects. Birth defects cause seri ous problems within

Workforce Diversity and the impact SHRM has towards Competitive Advantage Free Essays

Workforce Diversity covers a wide variety of differences, which include race, gender, age, culture, nationality, religion, sexuality, interests, needs and desires (Hartel Fujimoto, 2000). In order to explain workforce diversity in depth, this essay will utilise Race/Ethnicity as the key diversity characteristic, discussing the various theories and practices used in Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) to develop and manage diversity. In order to achieve increased organisational performance, a strategic plan must be implemented to position people throughout the organisation; and to manage these diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds, and nurture their creativity and innovation, diverse recruitment and training is undertaken. We will write a custom essay sample on Workforce Diversity and the impact SHRM has towards Competitive Advantage or any similar topic only for you Order Now Through the use of the diverse labour pool available when recruiting, an organisation can benefit from the different skills and knowledge obtained by the diverse employees. Secondly, their creativity, innovation network range, uniqueness and rarity, serve as a means of giving the organisation unique resources and processes that competitors are unable to produce or replicate, resulting in the organisation benefiting from a human capital based competitive advantage. This essay discusses workforce diversity, competitive advantage, diversity orientation, diversity openness, and effects of diversity on team and individual performance, and diversity management. Due to the effects globalisation has on the organisations today, organisations must diversify the methods in which they manage their human resources and establish a competitive advantage to compete in the current global market. By defining the presence of differences among members of social units (Jackson et al. , 1995, as cited in D’Netto Sohal, 1999), different types of diversity can be identified and the groups can be categorised in order to manage them effective and efficiently. According to H?rtel and Fujimoto (2000), Workforce diversity is categorised into two dimensions: Observable differences and Underlying differences. Firstly, observable differences take into account the diverse characteristics such as race, gender, age, verbal/non-verbal behaviours. Secondly, underlying difference encapsulates less observable differences such as values/beliefs, sexual orientation, skills/knowledge, and religion. These two dimensions contribute to the influence of the process and outcomes of many organisations. As suggested by Ayoko and H?rtel, impact of diversity of workgroups has been a focus for most studies on diversity; however, in diversity studies from Cox and Blake (1991) and Jackson (1992), cultural heterogeneity differences in race, ethnicity and national origin have been the focal point. Experiences of lower cohesion and social integration (Hambrick, 1994), more conflict, higher turnover, less trust, less job satisfaction, more stress, more absenteeism, and more communication difficulties ( Alder, 1991; O’Reilly et al. 1992; Zenger and Lawrence, 1989) are shown as the key comparisons in the research between diverse workgroups and homogeneous groups. Diversity has both positive effects such as increasing opportunity for creativity and negative effects such as increasing the likelihood of dissatisfaction and failure to identify with one’s workgroup (Milliken and Martin, 1996). Richard Florida (2004, 2005; Lee et al. 2004) argues that diversity influences economic comp etitiveness directly by fostering creativity and innovation, which are elements for promoting rarity and unique ideas and concepts, giving an organisation an advantage in its market. Organisations that acknowledge workforce diversity and its different viewpoints, and facilitate unique and creative approaches to problem solving, increase creativity and innovation within the company, leading to increased organisation performance and competitive advantage. By utilising the diversity and realising its potential, organisations are able to attract and retain the best talent available, reduce costs due to lower turnover and fewer lawsuits; enhanced market understanding and market ability; greater creativity and innovations; better problem solving; greater organisational flexibility, better decision making, and better overall performance (Cox, 1993; Cox and Blake, 1991; Cox, 1991; Robinson and Dechant, 1997; Carlozzi, 1999; Griscombe and Mattis, 2002; McAllister, 1997; Watson et al. 1993). Allan et al. (2007) suggests the negative effects of diversity to organisational performance such as lower employee satisfaction and higher turnover (O’Reilly et al. , 1989), creating a sense of detachment (Tsui et al. , 1992), lower cohesiveness, and difficulties in communications, and intergroup conflict and tension (Richard et al. , 2003; Cox, 1993). These effects of poor diverse planning and management would have severe and damaging results for the organisation. The use of Strategic Human Resource Management and Diversity Management are used to manage the broad definition of diversity, inclusive of everyone and values the differences that each individual brings to the organisation. The need for a broader definition is recognised by Loden (1993), realising that theories only based on affirmative action and equal employment opportunity tend to focus only on women and minorities which result in organisation efforts that are sectioned with the outcome of other groups feeling disenfranchised. Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) uses people as one of its components to gain competitive advantage. To be able to retain this advantage, the resources must remain scarce and hard to duplicate, have the inability to be directly substituted, and enable companies to pursue opportunities (Barney, 1991; Boyd Wright, 1992). The key to a competitive advantage is how well the human resources work within the company (Pfeffer, 1994), leading to the creation of value, hard to imitate, and is rare which in turn increases sustainability of the competitive advantage. As the global market and its demographic characteristics of its customers change, so must an organisation’s to retain a competitive edge in the market (Cox, 1994). As communities become more multicultural, organisations must change their human resource structure so that it is aligned with the customer’s needs, as the organisation span widens globally, employees are then needed to understand the customer’s references and requirements (Cox Blake, 1991). In order to maximise diverse employees, Diversity-oriented Human Resource Management (HRM) is utilised and is achieved through the implementation of HRM policies. By strategically focusing on processes such as employee attraction and recruitment, retainment, training and development, and organisational alignment (Denton, 1992; H?rtel Fujimoto, 2010; Rosen Lovelace, 1991), diverse employees can be promoted to assist an organisation to manage the challenges the come with today’s diverse marketplace. Problems arise for HRM when implementing diversity initiatives, such as convincing top management that the initiatives will benefit the organisation. Management can see the diverse initiatives as being too expensive, production may be reduced and disruption the workplace (D’Netto Sohal, 1999). On the other hand, diverse-oriented organisations not only accept diversity, they also recognise it as an integral part of the organisation (Richard Johnson, 2001). The key aspects of diversity orientation: work design, staffing, training, and compensation are all embedded with the foundation of diversity, thus being valued as the core part of the organisation. It is through the bundling of the HRM policies and practices that direct the organisation towards diversity and diversity management. The organisation activities of training and development, work design, staffing, and compensation programs need to all supporting and reinforcing diversity for the constitution of diversity orientation to be successful. Coinciding with the organisational activities suggested previously, procedural fairness must be undertaken so that both majority and minority groups do not experience a sense of feeling left out. Diversity orientation is a rewarding tool when striving for competitive advantage; however, diversity orientation is not universal. The effectiveness of diversity orientation involves a substantial commitment of resources and a willingness to experience inefficiencies for a time, although through persistence, this tolerance for inefficiency may be of great benefit for organisations desiring innovation, high-commitment work environments, and the ability to face dynamic environments. To be able to effectively manage diversity, the implementation of SHRM policies and procedures regarding recruitment and training must first be undertaken. Problems need to be identified so that the correct policies and procedures can be put into place. D’Netto and Sohal (1999) suggest several â€Å"best practices† be used to improve workforce diversity management during recruiting and selection; job descriptions and selection progress that cover job relevant duties, qualifications, and experience and comply with anti-discrimination legislation. Successful organisations can benefit from orkforce diversity by creating an organisation environment which attracts people from diverse labour markets. A competitive edge is promoted by selecting the right people for the correct task regardless of race (Cornelius, 1999). Through recruitment, human capital is used as a driver for competitive advantage by selecting diverse individuals with specific, unique, and rare skills, increa ses the efficiency and effectiveness of an organisation, exploiting market opportunities, and neutralise potential threats (Barney, 1991; Ulrich Lake, 1991). Human capital that is not readily available in the labour market and not easily duplicated by other organisations provides a potential source of competitive advantage (Snell, Youndt Wright, 1996). Management needs to proactively communicate the organisation’s commitment and reasons for valuing diversity, invest in training, socialisation, and other efforts to manage conflicts effectively (Richard et al. , 2002). Once the right people have been employed it is then up to Human Resource management to implement diversity orientated training, helping to retain the diverse workforce and to focus on the organisation as a whole, creating an environment where clear, unambiguous policies and procedures are initiated. Training can create an awareness of certain traps and provide strategies for addressing any underlying issues (Barry Bateman, 1996). A well implemented training program will provide employees with a better understanding of each other’s race, culture, gender, religion, and sexual preferences. It will help those who are not from diverse backgrounds identify the strengths and opportunities that are supplied by the minority groups. Communication problems can be addressed through proper diverse training, helping employees understand that minority groups are handled differently according to their skills and knowledge as opposed to the employment due to their minority status. The benefit of diversity-orientated training is that it reduces the amount of bias from both employees and management, allowing the diverse groups to be accepted for the skills and knowledge they offer, which in turn, leads to a more productive, innovative, and creative organisation and promotes cohesion and cooperation between colleagues (H?rtel Fujimoto, 2010), resulting in human resources and practices that are of a competitive nature. The first two theories Social Identity and Similarity Attraction both dentify the negative effects that diversity can have on an organisation and how it can also affect the competitive advantage, in the form of human resource. Firstly, Festinger’s (1954) studies of Social Identity theory focus on the development of social identity which results in the comparison of individuals towards other group members. The outcome of these comparisons can result in the individual with either a positive or negative self-image (Richard Johnson, 2001), and desire to be part of the group or wanting to leave a group. Social Identity theory suggests that being part of a group creates a feeling of collective representation of self-identity and behaviour. According to Tajfel (1982), â€Å"the psychological process associated with this theory generates distinct group behaviour, such as, solidarity within a group, conformity to group norms, and discrimination against out groups†. The second theory of Similarity Attraction (Byrne, 1971) is reliant upon demographic characteristics such as race. Similarities are perceived by individuals and compared to other members of a group, fostering trust, mutual cooperation and interaction. These effects lead to sub groups which, in turn, lead to less effective team function as a whole. Finally, theory that describes the positive attributes to diversity is the Information Processing and Decision Making Theories (Gruenfeld et al. , 1996), suggesting that decision making and exchanging of information are improved within groups that are more diverse. Benefits arising from diversity are their ability to use a greater variety of resources, allowing the use of more diverse networks. The key to dealing with all of these theories of diversity are correct usage of Diversity Management, allowing management to identify the characteristics of each and deal with them accordingly, in doing so conflict, absenteeism, and discrimination are reduced, allowing for cohesion, creativity and innovation to be produced. Competitive advantage, organisation effectiveness, increased productivity and coherent organisational environment are all outcomes that can be acquired through the correct implementation of Diversity Management. These can be achieved through the building of specific skills, creating of policies and drafting practices (D’Netto Sohal, 1999), which in turn, get the best results from every employee. The management of diversity can be identified as the leveraging and use of cultural differences in people’s skills, ideas nd creativity to contribute to a common goal in such a way that an organisation can achieve an advantage above that of the organisations competition (Deversky, 1994; Fernandez, 1993; Morrison, 1992). The management of diverse groups is becoming increasingly difficult. Globalisation is a large contributor to workforce diversity, increased migration as a result of the opening of foreign borders, especially from different countries where people were originally migration from, resulting in a wider span of people with diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds populating the country. In order to achieve competitive advantage through the use of diversity and SHRM, ethnic diverse individuals/employees must be strategically managed so that their diverse attributes can be utilised within the organisation, leading to organisation performance and efficiency. Diversity Management focuses on the inclusion of the full span of diverse employees, allowing them to perform to their full potential, ensuring that their wellbeing, both individually and in the organisation remain positive. Introducing training, development, and affective leadership are concepts that help develop diverse employees. According to H?rtel and Fujimoto (2010), it is reported that employees working in a diversity managed organisation have an improved work-life and higher cohesion among employees. Diversity Management has many positive effects which include understanding that minority viewpoints foster quality of thought, performance, and decision making (Nemeth, 1992), and that groups made up of larger diverse backgrounds and characteristics produce a wider variety of ideas, solutions, and alternatives than those groups with similar demographic characteristics (Bantel Jackson, 1989; Jackson, 1992). Once these viewpoints are identified and understood, procedures and practices can be implemented to embed their skills and knowledge resulting in better organisational performance. Task conflict, when using diverse groups to problem solve complex, non-routine tasks, results in disagreements amongst members about task, including viewpoints ideas and opinions, utilising their skills, knowledge, abilities, and perspectives, leading to more complete analysis of the issues and improved decision-making and performance (Jehn, 1995; Pelled, 1996). In conclusion to the discussion of the previous associative approaches to managing diversity, the essay found limitations as a result of the quantity of differences that incorporate diversity, it would be limited to arguing the characteristic of Race/Ethnicity and the effects that workforce diversity has on its contribution to competitive advantage. The review concluded that the need for a contingency approach is needed to manage diversity effectively, as problems are constantly arising due to the ever changing demographical characteristics of today’s global market. Individuals from diverse cultures are migrating to areas in which they previously were not. This results in the need for continuously updated training and recruitment with placement of diverse individuals into positions to effectively communicate and network with global customers. How to cite Workforce Diversity and the impact SHRM has towards Competitive Advantage, Papers

Solution of Colfax Corp Case free essay sample

Overview Colfax Corporation is one of the world’s best producers of industrial fluid handling equipment with the concentrated niche of the pump market also known as positive displacement technology. Unfortunately, the positive displacement pumps faced severe limitations from engineering and procurement groups across the world concerning that the PD technology is minimal because in many engineering universities centrifugal pump technology has been taught. These are the highly specialized engineered pumps with no direct rival in the market for their performance under unusual conditions where only a very prà ©cised type of performance could deliver positive results. The brand was founded in late 1990 however; it received an immense popularity in a short span of time. Transport of thick fluid such as asphalt at extremely uniform rates of flow and low levels of energy consumption are the examples of the requirements for which Colfax products are excelled. The five major business units of Colfax were former leading independent and highly regarded pump companies from Germany, France, Sweden, Netherlands and the United States. We will write a custom essay sample on Solution of Colfax Corp Case or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 1. What problems Colfax faces in this case? In the year 2008, all the heavy industrial manufacturers faced an important business development issue across the world, one of them was Colfax. The reason behind the issue was the rapidly rising thirst for oil from markets like Asia, Middle East, South America and other parts of the developing world to meet the increasing demands for energy and industrialized economies. This demand increased the pressure on oil extracting companies to hire vendors with high engineering skills, design and sales expertise as well as had attracted heavy industrial manufacturers from all around the world to cash the opportunity. To get advantage of the opportunity and to expand the business, the Senior Vice President of the corporate marketing, Joe Niemann and the head of Colfax EMEA, the Company’s Europe/Middle  East/Africa regional branch, Michael Matros made a presentation at the top management of Colfax Corporation Convened in Dubai for its semi-annual strategic update in summer 2008. The session was attended by all the CEO’s and Executive committee members of Colfax geographic regions. Here they raised the issue that how to give an effective and impressive proposal to Aramco, to cash the opportunities in Middle East Oil and Gas. Leading companies in the Middle East for oil are Kuwait Oil Company, ADNOC and Saudi Aramco notorious for their great hold in the oil and gas market in and around the Middle East. Niemann and Matros were wondering how to tackle the possible risks? How to justify sizeable investment and how to create a win/win relationship between the oil and gas arena. 2. What can it suggest to Aramco? Niemann and Matros chose the Saudi Aramco to get advantage of the opportunities from the Middle East oil and gas market. The Saudi Aramco was immensely more powerful compared to the ADNOC and Kuwait oil company because the company has been facing a high pressure to meet the needs of its own as well as of lots of other countries. To lighten the pressure/burden, the Aramco needs to have high quality equipments, effective work team to meet the high operational demands with an ability to extract and deliver oil at a level their government and customers are expecting from them. Colfax had suggested the Aramco that they can deliver a diverse workforce as they have their offices in different geographic regions. For the Aramco, it was a supreme technological challenge to get the complex engineering solution because the oil pumped out from one place could be different from the oil pumped out from another place. For years, the Aramco had a strategy to hire only their country nationals, but Colfax suggested them to change their tradition and should recall the era of 1931-1981 when western companies worked together with the oil companies of the Middle East and had enjoyed a time of mutual benefits. They can even hire Saudi locals to work with foreigner engineers which will in turn help the locals to learn something new from them. They also suggested that instead of hiring a number of inexperienced newly graduated engineers from the universities of India, Pakistan and Korea they should save their resources by hiring only few numbers of skilled engineers from the west. This will not only save their  resources but will give them expertise in producing more and more oil to meet the shortfall of high operational needs. Colfax had suggested that they are the only heavy industrial manufacturers with the unique positive displacement or DP pumps that are able to work in conditions in which other pumps are unable to deliver the required performance. They also had suggested a powerful and quick distribution plan with the help of their experienced sales person to work with Saudi locals to help them in Saudization policies. 3. Pros and cons of the solution from the marketing prospective. Pros The solution helped both the companies, Colfax and Aramco in their business development and expansion as it made both the companies to sign contracts with other companies for market recognition. From Aramco’s perspective, working with a western company made it able to give an exposure to its local work team to observe their working style as a learning opportunity. There were lots of growing opportunities for a quiet young company Colfax for working with such a big oil refinery in the Middle East. Aramco had an intense and aggressive plan of expansion for the next five to ten years, meaning that working with such a quick and mature company could open doors for the growth and expansion of Colfax. In case of the success of the plan Colfax could enjoy a good return on investment. Cons The solution was very expensive on behalf of Colfax because they were in need to make a huge investment to design and support a highly technical system and to offer a complex team of engineers. Moreover, Aramco had the right to cancel the agreement at a time when they feel that Colfax is not working impressively which means no return on investment. As the project was connected to a higher risk, the failure of which could result in a number of other issues for Colfax and could really disturb its overall balance and operating system. Oil and gas companies demanded extremely detailed documentation, particularly concerning how the products would be replaced or repaired. The oil company could, in theory misuse this very rich data for their own benefits.